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UNIVERSITY  OF 
ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
STACKS 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/today5618jero 


TO-DAY 

\ 

A   WEEKLY   MAGAZINE  -  JOURNAL. 

EDITED  BY 

JEROME  K,  J  EROME. 

VOLUME  V. 


LONDON : 

W.  A.  DUNKERLEY,  HOWARD  HOUSE,  ARUNDEL  STREET,  W.C. 

1 895. 


< 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


Adventures  of  a  Christmas  Hampeb.   Fbed  Whishaw.  (Illus- 
trated by  J.  W.  Manuel)- 

American  Football  Armour  -   388 

Among  the  "New"  Pobtraits      -      -  221 

Another  of  Mrs.  Grundy's  Mistakes  -      -  28 

Answebs  to  Enquirers— 

20,  51,  84, 116,  147, 179,  212,  244,  275,  308,  340,  372,  404 

Barrille  and  the  Pope  -  13(5 

Bookmarker,  The— 

Some  Medical  Stories      -      -   ,  -  10 

Reoee  Haggabd's  Steangeb  than  Fiction  42 

Songs  of  the  Soil  --..74 

Gleams  of  Memory   106 

The  Reminiscences  op  an  Artist   ------  138 

Beside  the  Bonnie  Brier-Bush  170 
Two  New  Cbocketts  ------  .  202 

Modern  Dogs       -      -     -  '    -     -     -      -     -      -      -  263 

In  The  Year  of  Jubilee  ...  295 

Phild?  and  His  Wife  326 

Napoleon,  Accobding  to  Dumas     -  359 

Episodes  -     -     -     -  ,.-     -     -  391 

Breaking  of  Bonds,  A.   Hilda  Johnson.    (Illustrated  by  W. 

Dewar)  --.5 

Chats  and  Interviews— 

Mb.  Frank  Richards   -      -  7 

Mr.  Feed  Hall  -    .  -   38 

Mrs.  Oscar  Wilde  93 

Miss  Fanny  Brough  -  117 

Miss  Topsy  Sinden       -   -  207 

•'  Tommy  Atkins  "  231 

Mr.  Albert  F.  Calvebt     -      -      -      -      -  •   -      -      -  234 

Sm  Augustus  Harris  -  245 

Miss  Ada  Blanche      ---------  277 

Miss  Cynthia  Brooke  -  351 

Miss  Marie  Montrose  -  404 

Miss  Jeanne  Douste  1  415 

Christmas  Day  Dialogues.  Violet  Hunt.  (Illustrated  by  Sydney 

Adamson)  ------  198 

Christmas  Present  Assurance  Co.,  A.   H.  C.  Gbinling.  (Illus- 

trated  by  Ernest  Goodwin)  -  135 

City  at  Four  O'C'lock,  The.  W.  Pett  Ridge.  (Illustrated  by 

Hal  Hurst)      -      -  254 


City,  In  The — 

14,  46;  78, 110,  142, 174,  206,  238,  270,  302,  334,  366,  398 
Clabence.   Bbet  Harte.   (Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman)— 

25,  57,  89, 121,  153, 185, 217,  249,  281 
Club  Chatter — 

23,  55,  87, 119,  151, 183,  214,  247,  278,  310  342,  374,  406 
Country  and  People  of  Japan,  The — 

103,  158,  167,  220,  232,  264,  296,  327 
County  Councillors  "  On  the  Make  "  13 
De  Omnibus.   The  Conductor — 

9,  41,  73, 105,  137, 169,  201,  233,  265,  297,  330,  363,  396 


PAGE 


Diary  of  a  Bookseller,  The— 

11,  42,  74,  107, 138, 170,  202,  235, 266,  298,  331,  364,  395 
Editorial  Notes — 

17,  49,  81,  113,  145, 177,  209,  241,  273,  305,  337,  369,  401 
Experience  of  Swearing  and  Dancing,  My.   Mrs.  Heney  Ward 

Beecher  -     -      -     -      -      -      -      -      -     .     .      .  207 

Failures.   A.  E.  Pain.   (Illustrated  by  A.  S.  Forrest)                  -  69 

Fauntleroy  Boy,  The.  Barry  Pain  -      -      -      -      -      -      -  293 

Feminine  Affairs— 

12,  44,  76, 108, 140, 172,  204,  236,  268,  300,  328,  360,  392 

Fleet  Street  Failures  -      -      -      -  332 

Force  of  Habit,  The      -    160 

Give  and  Take.   H.  F.  Gethen    -      -      -      -      -      -  29 

Greenroom  Stories  -      -      -    •   71 

Historian  or  Novelist  ?  R.  L.  Stevenson  and  the  Scottish  Bar  266 

Honeymoon  Souvenirs   294 

How  to  be  Presented  -  365 

How  to  Earn  a  Rising  Salaey  of  £80  a  Year  40 

Intellectual  Tuebidity  in  China   197 

Lawyer's  Letter,  A.  W.  Turville.   (Illustrated  by  Max  Cowper)  389 

Letter  from  the  Czarina,  A      -  -     -  171 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer— 

21,52,  85, 117,  148, 181,  213,  245,  276,  309,  341,  373,  405 
Lost  in  the  Great  Pyramid.   H.  R.  Greene.  (Illustrated  by 

Max  Cowper)  -----61 

Lost  Meal,  A.  H.  F  Gethen.  (Illustrated  by  Ernest  Goodwin)  -  63 
Love  in  a  Snowstorm.    M.  Babington  Bayley.    (Illustrated  by 

O.  Eckhardt)   65 

Magician  and  the  Sportsman,  The.   Penhyn  Stanley      -      -  409 

Many  Minds,  From   8 

Marriage  Lottery,  The  -      -  292 

Master,  The.   I.  Zangwill  -      -    .  -     -   30 

Mated.   W.  W.  Jacobs.   (Illustrated  by  Scott  Rankin)     -      -      -  321 

Memory  of  John  Clinton,  In      --------  it;t; 

Mid- Atlantic,  In.   W.  W.  Jacobs.   (Illustrated  by  Scott  Rankin)  33 

Missing  Pullman  Car,  The.   W.  L.  Alden   1 

Morality  in  Fiction                                                           -  119 

Mr.  Sampson's  Convert.  B.  A.  Clarke.  (Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar '  353 

Negro  of  Song,  The.  Babry  Pain      -     -   397 

Nelson  and  Co.,  The  Great  Tea  Men  -      ------  86 

Our  Earthly  Wings  -      -  390 

Outsailed.  W.  W.  Jacobs.  (Illustrated  by  Scott  Rankin)     •      -  385 

Plea  for  Literary  Freedom,  A.  Hall  Caine  -  -  22 
Poetry — 

The  Lote  Unknown.  F.  L.  Stanton   6 

Kiss  for  Kiss.  F.  L.  Stanton.  (Illustrated  by  Hal  Hurst)  72 
The  Wall  of  an  Uncultured  Pessimist.   M.  Babington 

Bayley     -                                                           -  94 

One  Day  -      -      -      -                                               -  128 

A  Little  Bit  of  a  Boy.  F.  L.  Stanton  -----  166 

How  Shall  I  Love  You  ?   F.  L.  Stanton                        -  256 

Mary,  After  Calvary.   F.  L.  Stanton  -----  262 


I  1 66955 


PAGE  PAGE 


What  Love  Is.  F.  L.  Stanton  - 

350 

Revolt  of  a  Daughter,  The  ------- 

36 

Position  of  Ephescs,  The.  Barry  Pain  - 

30 

"Second  Smoking,"  In  a-     -     -  - 

358 

Prehistoric  Artist  and  Cbitic,  The 

150 

Shooting  to  Kill.  "  Volusia."  (Illustrated  by  Max  Cowper) 

289 

Queer  Body  of  Troops.  P.  Whtshaw.   (Illustrated  by  Ernest 

Ski-Running  in  Russia.  P.  Whishaw.  (Illustrated  by  A.  S.  Forrest) 

318 

Goodwin)  ------ 

92 

Solo  Whist  

374,  406 

Bed  Cockade,  The.    Stanley  J.  Weyman. 

(Illustrated  by  R. 

Souvenirs  of  de  Lesseps.  R.  H.  Sherard     ...  - 

180 

Caton  Woodville)  ----- 

257,  313,  345,  377,  410 

Sponge  and  its  Consequence.    W.  L.  Alden.  (Illustrated 

by 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.  Herbert  KEEN.(Illustrated 

Ernest  Goodwin)  

95 

by  W.  Dewar)— 

Stanton,  Frank  L.  

255 

A  Great  Temptation  - 

97 

Suicide,  A    -     -     -     -_  -  .- 

288b 

A  Lucky  Journey  - 

129 

Theatre,  At  the.  Forian  

293 

161 

Theory  in  Practice  -  -  

149 

The  Apotheosis  of  Bill  Smith 

193 

Tired  -  - 

230 

225 

Turkish  Woman  at  Home,  The.   Constance  Eaglestone  - 

223 

"In  the  Goods  of  John  Casement" 

284 

Why  Tommty  Atkins  Deserts  ------- 

67 

53 

Working-Class  Women  in  Constantinople  - 

38 

A  WEEKLY 

MAGAZINE -JOURNAL 


E^ite^By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Vol.  V.— No.  53.    LONDON,  SATURDAY,  NOVEMBER  10,  1894.     Price  Twopence. 


THE  MISSING  PULLMAN  CAR. 


BY 

W.  L.  ALDEN. 


had  been  snowing  at  Jericho 
all  night.  The  wind  had 
gradually  risen  until  it  was 
blowing  hard,  and  the  soft, 
dry  snow  was  drifting  rapidly 
and  heavily.  Early  in  the 
morning  I  made  my  way  with 
difficulty  down  to  the  railway-station.  I  found  the  station- 
master  sitting  by  his  big  stotve,  smoking  his  after- 
breakfast  pipe,  and  evidently  extremely  satisfied  with 
the  weather. 

"  There'll  be  no  gettin'  away  from  here  for  you  to- 
day," said  he,  as  I  entered.  "  Everything's  blocked. 
Number  Seven  is  lying  up  at  Spartanville,  and  Number 
Ten  is  doing  the  same  at  Athensville ;  and  the  snow  is 
more  than  ten  feet  deep  between  the  two.  There's  a 
regular  blizzard  in  the  air,  unless  I'm  mistaken ;  and  it 
may  be  a  week  before  we  can  get  the  road  in  running 
order  again." 

I  had  heard  so  much  of  the  eccentric  ways  of  a 
Montana  blizzard,  that  I  was  not  sorry  to  have  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  one,  especially  as  it  was  a  matter 
of  small  consequence  whether  I  got  away  from  Jericho 
in  a  day  or  a  week. 

"Just  you  sit  down  here  with  me,"  said  the  station- 
master,  "  and  we'll  chin  a  while.  A  blizzard  ain't  of  no 
sort  of  harm  so  long  as  you  can  stay  indoor,  and  have 
got  enough  to  eat,  and  drink,  and  smoke,  and  plenty 
of  firewood.  Now,  if  you  was  caught  out  in  this  storm, 
and  couldn't  get  anywhere,  you'd  have  reason  to  find 
fault  with  it ;  but  when  a  blizzard  gives  you  a  holiday, 
as  it's  doing  for  me  to-day,  and  can't  get  at  you  to 
make  you  uncomfortable,  it's  what  I  call  a  blessing  in 
disguise." 

"  Isn't  that  a  Pullman  car  standing  out  there  on  the 
side  track?"  I  asked,  trying  to  make  out  a  shadowy 
object  that  occasionally  glimmered  through  the  storm 
in  front  of  the  station. 

"You're  right — it  is,"  replied  my  friend.  "That's 
the  Pullman  car  '  Hawkeye,'  and  just  the  unluckiest  car 

Copyright  1804,  by 


that  was  ever  built.  She  came  up  on  the  9.43  last 
night,  and,  having  a  hot  box,  the  conductor  was  obliged 
to  leave  her." 

"A  hot  box,"  I  enquired — "what  is  that?" 
"  Well — a  hot  axle,  perhaps  you'd  call  it.  The  axle 
gets  hot,  and  burns  out  the  brass  journal,  and  your  car 
goes  to  everlasting  smash.  That's  what  a  hot  box  does 
when  you  don't  take  care  of  it.  Thishyer  '  Hawkeye ' 
is  always  heating  up  her  boxes,  and  being  side  tracked. 
It's  a  part  of  her  unluckiness  and,  as  I  told  you  before, 
she's  the  most  unlucky  car  that  ever  left  any  shop." 

"  Tell  me  all  about  her,"  said  I.  "  There  isn't  any- 
thing to  do,  and  I  know  you  don't  mind  talking.  I've 
heard  of  such  things  as  unlucky  ships,  but  I  never  knew 
that  luck  troubled  itself  about  Pullman  cars." 

"  Well — to  begin  with,  there's  been  a  sight  of  people 
killed  aboard  that  there  car.  There  was  fifteen  that  was 
smashed  in  a  collision  down  by  Denver,  when  she  was 
running  on  the  Pike's  Peak  road.  Not  a  soul  was  hurt 
in  any  other  car  on  that  train.  The  accident  happened 
where  another  road  crossed  the  Pike's  Peak  track,  and 
the  train  on  this  other  road  struck  the  Pike's  Peak 
train  just  where  thishyer  'Hawkeye'  was,  and  naturally 
went  through  it. 

"  The  company  repaired  her,  and  she  got  to  running 
again,  and  killed  two  brakemen  and  a  conductor,  and 
then  the  Pike's  Peak  folks  said  they  had  had  enough  of 
her,  and  they  got  rid  of  her  as  soon  as  they  could.  That 
was  when  she  came  on  our  road,  and  she  hadn't  made 
her  third  trip  on  the  Spartanville  division  before  a  man 
was  killed  aboard  her  for  snoring.  I  don't  say  it  didn't 
serve  him  right,  but  it  was  an  unlucky  thing  for  the 
company,  for  they  had  to  pay  his  full  value,  and,  besides, 
it  gave  the  road  a  bad  name. 

"  Thishyer  man  was  one  of  those  fellows  that  snores 
in  a  sort  of  miscellaneous  way.  Not  a  regular,  straight- 
foward  snore,  you  understand,  but  a  snore  that  keeps 
doing  unexpected  and  uncalled-for  things,  and  that  is 
full  of  chokings,  and  wheezings,  and  such.  The  car 
happened  to  be  pretty  full,  and  when  this  chap  settled 
down  to  business  there  wasn't  a  man  that  could  get  a 
wink  of  sleep.  The  other  passengers  remonstrated 
with  him,  by  heaving  boots,  and  cussin'  him  ;  but  it 
didn't  do  him  no  good.  He'd  stop  for  a  few  minutes,  and, 
W.  Alden. 


2 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1894. 


maybe,  apologise  a  little ;  but  just  as  soon  as  he  dropped 
off  to  sleep  he'd  begin  again,  and  seem  to  be  trying  to 
make  up  for  lost  time.  The  women  and  children  were 
crying  because  they  couldn't  get  the  sleep  that  they'd 
paid  the  company  for,  and  the  men  were  gradually 
getting  madder  and  madder.  About  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  something 


THEY  PUT  IT  OVER  HIS  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 


must  be  done,  and  they  got  the  snoring  man  up  out  of 
his  berth,  and  set  him  on  the  coal-box,  with  a  miner 
a-setting  opposite  to  him,  and  ready  to  job  him  in  the 
ribs,  or  maybe  the  stomach,  with  the  poker,  in  case  he 
should  drop  off  to  sleep.  This  worked  well ;  but  the 
miner  fell  asleep  himself,  and  then  the  fellow,  not 
having  the  fear  of  the  poker  before  his  eyes,  began  to 
snore  worse  than  ever.  So  about  a  dozen  men  turned 
out,  and  one  of  them,  happening  to  have  a  Smith's 
Lung  Plaster  in  his  bag,  he  contributed  it  to  the  general 
fund,  and  the  men  put  it  over  the  snorer's  nose  and 
mouth,  and  held  it  there  till  it  was  good  and  dry.  Then 
they  tied  him  hand  and  foot,  and  chucked  him  into  his 
bunk,  and  they  all  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just  till  late 
the  next  morning. 

"  When  they  came  to  look  after  the  man  they  found 
he  was  dead.  The  plaster  had  suffocated  him,  as  any 
fool  might  have  knowed  it  would,  for  when  once  you 
put  one  of  them  plasters  on  you,  it's  got  to  stay  there 
unless  you  are  willing  to  tear  the  skin  off  with  it. 
Besides,  this  chap  couldn't  get  his  hands  loose,  to 
monkey  with  the  plaster,  even  if  he  had  been  so  disposed, 
so  he  just  lay  there  and  died,  without  making  any  dis- 
turbance. This  was  more  than  the  passengers  had 
bargained  for,  and  when  it  turned  out  that  the  man  was 
a  leading  citizen  of  Chicago,  they  didn't  lose  much  time 
in  leaving  the  train.  The  jury  who  assessed  the 
damages  against  the  railroad  company  made  them  pay 
forty-five  thousand  dollars  to  the  heirs  of  the  man,  and, 
though  some  papers  said  that  this  was  an  exorbitant 
value  to  put  on  any  Chicago  man,  the  verdict  was  pretty 


generally  popular,  as  anything  that  takes  money  out  of 
a  railroad  company  is  sure  to  be. 

"  Then  there  was  a  shooting  match  on  the  '  Hawk- 
eye,'  a  little  later  on,  between  the  conductor  and  a  man 
whom  he  tried  to  prevent  from  going  to  bed  with  his 
boots  on,  the  day  having  been  a  particular  muddy  one ; 
and  as  the  conductor  shot  wild,  he  wounded  two  pas- 
sengers before  he  was  shot  through  the  head.  I  seem 
to  remember  something  about  a  nigger  porter  being 
hanged  aboard  that  same  car,  but  incidents  of  that 
hind  are  so  frequent,  that  perhaps  it  isn't  fair  to  throw 
it  up  against  the  '  Hawkeye.' 

"  But  the  most  remarkable  thing  that  ever  happened 
to  that  car  was  her  being  lost  one  whole  winter,  and  the 
company  searching  all  over  the  whole  United  States 
for  her.  You'd  think  a  big  Pullman  car  wasn't  an 
easy  thing  to  mislay,  but  mislaid  this  car  was,  and  no 
mistake. 

"  It  was  just  about  this  time  of  year,  two  years  ago. 
Perhaps  you've  heard  of  the  great  blizzard  of  1890? 
No?  Well,  the  news  does  seem  pretty  slow  in  getting 
round  to  England,  as  I've  noticed  more  than  once  in 
my  experience. 

"About  thirty  miles  from  here  is  a  side  track,  that  runs 
to  the  southward,  and  then  takes  a  bend,  and  comes  into 
the  main  line  again  fifteen  miles  further  on.  It  was 
made,  in  the  first  place,  so  as  to  reach  some  gravel  pits, 
and  as  the  gravel  pits  stretched  along  a  good  piece,  and 
the  track  following  them  up,  it  was  easier  to  connect 
the  track  with  the  main  line  up  beyond  Athens  ville 
than  it  was  to  bring  the  trains  back  over  it  every  time. 
At  the  time  I'm  speaking  about,  the  track  wasn't  used,  the 
company  having  no  call  for  gravel  just  then.  One  day, 
however,  a  wild  cat,  meeting  the  mail  train  close  by  the 
lowrer  switch,  opened  it,  and  went  on  thishyer  side 
track  until  the  mail  had  passed." 

"  Wait  a  minute ! "  said  I.  "  What  in  the  world  is  a 
switch  ? " 

"  Oh  !  "  replied  the  stationmaster,  "  I  forgot  you  were 
an  Englishman.  You  don't  act  as  if  you  owned  the 
whole  earth ;  and  you  don't  keep  reminding  everybody 
that  ain't  an  Englishman  that  he's  a  poor  miserable 
sinner,  without  no  manners  and  no  religion.  So,  you 
see,  I  find  myself  forgetting  every  now  and  then  that 
you  are  English.  Besides,  you  talk  like  a  white  man, 
and  most  Englishmen  that  pass  through  here  don't 
seem  to  know  how  to  speak  the  American  language. 
Well,  we  can't  all  be  free-born  Americans.  If  we  were, 
there  wouldn't  be  no  room  for  us  to  brag  about  being 
superior  to  all  the  combined  nations  of  the  earth.  Such 
as  you  are,  I've  found  you  a  square  man,  and  I'll  main- 
tain that  same  against  anybody  that  ventures  to 
doubt  it." 

"  Thanks,  very  much,  for  your  good  opinion,"  said  I ; 
but  it  doesn't  exactly  tell  me  what  a  switch  is." 

"  I  forgot  where  I  was  for  a  minute,"  said  the 
stationmaster.  "A  switch  is  what  Englishmen  call 
'  points,'  and  a  switchman  is  what  you  call  a  '  points- 
man.' At  least,  so  I've  been  informed.  If  I'm  not 
correct,  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  corrected." 

I  intimated  that  his  explanation  was  entirely  satis- 
factory, and  he  proceeded  with  his  narrative — 

"  Now,  whether  it  was  because  the  blizzard  had 
begun,  and  the  brakeman  who  opened  the  switch  was 
half-froze,  or  whether,  the  snow  being  middling  deep, 
the  switch  didn't  work  easy,  I  can't  say.  What  did 
happen  was  that  the  brakeman  didn't  close  the  switch 
after  the  wild  cat  had  backed  out  on  to  the  main  track 


4 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


again.  There  was  no  other  train  due  to  come  along  just 
there  till  the  West-bound  express  that  passes  here  at 
4.13;  and  by  the  time  she  got  up  to  the  switch  it  was 
snowing  so  hard,  and  blowing  so  rampageous,  that  the 
engineer  couldn't  see  the  length  of  his  cab  ahead  of 
him.  The  switch  being  open,  the  train  naturally  ran  on 
to  the  side  track,  and  kept  right  on,  as  if  it  knew  it  was 
in  the  right  path,  and  was  thinking  no  evil,  as  the  good 
book  says. 

"  The  engineer  afterwards  said  that  he  couldn't  help 
wondering  what  had  made  the  track  so  rough,  all  of  a 
sudden,  and  several  times  he  was  astonished  at  finding 
his  engine  on  a  curve,  when,  according  to  his  reckoning, 
there  wasn't  any  curve  at  that  part  of  the  road.  How- 
ever, he  reflected  that  no  man  could  be  expected  to  say 
just  where  he  was  while  a  blinding  blizzard  was  blowing 
and  his  intellects  was  half  froze,  so  he  kept  his  train 
a-going  as  well  as  he  could,  she  beginning  to  find  the 
snow  too  much  for  her,  and  slowing  down  among  the 
drifts  in  a  way  that  showed  that  if  the  snow  should  get 
much  deeper  she  would  be  blocked  for  good. 

"The  'Hawkeye'  was  the  last  car  of  the  train,  which 
was  just  her  luck.  She  was  full,  having  thirty-three 
passengers  besides  the  conductor  and  the  nigger  porter. 
The  conductor  I  knew  pretty  well,  and  he  wasn't  a  bad 
fellow  for  a  Pullman  conductor.  You  see,  every  Pullman 
car  has  its  own  conductor.  He  don't  do  no  conducting ; 
but  he  is  put  there  by  the  Pullman  Company  to  prevent 
the  regular  train  conductor  from  stealing  the  Pullman 
fares.  There's  where  the  Pullman  people  are  short- 
sighted, for,  of  course,  the  Pullman  conductor  has  to 
divide  with  the  train  conductor,  for  no  train  conductor 
with  any  self-respect!  is  going  to  stand  by  and  see  a 
Pullman  man  knock  down  fares  on  his  train  without  he 
is  going  to  have  some  benefit  from  it.  The  consequence 
is  that  the  Pullman 
Company  has  to  sup- 
ply two  conductors 
with  extras,  as  you 
might  say,  instead 
of  one,  and  it  must 
cost  them  a  good 
deal  in  the  course  of 
the  year. 

"But  this  hasn't 
anything  to  do  with 
my  story.  The  train 
kept  on  over  the 
side  track  till  she 
came  to  where  it 
joined  the  main  line 
again,  a  little  west 
of  Jerusalem  ville. 
The  engineer  caught 
a  glimpse  of  a  light 
glimmering  ahead, 
and  blew  his  whistle, 
and  the  switchman 
seeing  that  somebody  was  coming  down  the  side  track 
opening  the  switch,  and  the  train  went  on  to  the  main 
line  and  the  conductor  never  knew  where  he  had  been 
until  next  spring. 

"Now,  when  the  train  left  Spartanville,  the  'Hawk- 
eye  '  was  all  right,  but  when  she  reached  Jerusalemville, 
she  was  missing.  The  coupling  had  become  uncoupled, 
and  the  car  had  been  left  behind  on  the  track.  That  was 
■what  anybody  could  see,  but  the  trouble  was  to  know 


just  where  the  accident  had  happened.  From  Spartan- 
ville to  Jerusalemville  is  forty-three  miles,  and,  when 
the  conductor  thought  of  the  blizzard  that  was  blowing 
he  decided  that  he'd  be — well !  he  said  he  wouldn't  go 
back  for  that  there  car  on  that  there  night  for  nobody, 
and  I  don't  blame  him. 

'  "  But  the  next  day  everybody  all  along  the  line  was 
notified  that  the  'Hawkeye'  was  missing,  and  asked  if 
they  knew  anything  about  her.  Not  a  station-master 
had  seen  hide  or  hair  of  her.  So  the  Jerusalemville 
station-master  fired  up  a  locomotive  that  was  kept  at 
his  place,  there  being  a  stiff  grade  just  there,  and  traius 
frequently  needing  an  extra  engine  to  pull  them  up,  aud 
he  sends  it  with  a  snow-plough  down  the  road  looking  for 
the  '  Hawkeye.'  The  locomotive  took  fourteen  hours 
to  get  through  to  Spartanville,  the  snow  had  drifted  so 
amazing  deep  ;  but  nothing  was  seen  of  the  missing  car. 
It  was  clear  that  she  wasn't  anywhere  on  the  main  line 
between  those  two  stations,  and  she  wasn't  anywhere 
beyond  Spartanville,  for  the  track  was  clear  all  ihe  way 
from  Spartanville  to  Milwaukee,  and  trains  wers  running 
over  it  all  the  time. 

"  The  General  Superintendent  came  down  here  about 
the  matter,  and,  after  going  over  the  road  himself,  he  made 
up  his  own  mind  that  the  car  had  been  stolen.  Stealing 
freight  cars  is  something  that  happens  every  day,  but 
stealing  a  Pullman  was  something  new  in  the  stealing 
line.  You  see,  it's  easy  enough  to  steal  a  freight  car. 
You  load  one  up  in  New  York,  for  instance,  and  send  it 
two  or  three  thousand  miles  away.  It  passes  over  half 
a  dozen  different  roads,  and,  when  it  is  started  back 
empty,  with  its  destination  chalked  on  to  it,  it  is  constantly 
getting  left  behind  here  and  there,  because  it  stands  to 
reason  that. loaded  cars  must  always  have  precedence 
over  empty  ones.    By-and-bye  the  chalk  marks  get 

rubbed  off,  and  the 
railroad  men  forget 
where  the  car  ought 
to  go,  so  she  just 
lies  on  a  siding 
month  after  month. 
If  it  sc  happens 
that  the  company 
owning  the  track 
where  she  lies  is 
short  of  freight  cars, 
nothing  is  easier 
than  to  give  her  a 
new  coat  of  paint, 
and  there  she  is, 
and  her  original 
owners  can  never 
identify  her  again. 
There  ain't  a  road 
in  the  country  that 
don't  keep  men  con- 
stantly on  the  go, 
searching  for  lost 
freight  cars.  They  generally  find  them  after  a  while,  for  it's 
a  mighty  curious  thing  that  when  a  freight  car  is  lost  she  is 
generally  sure  to  find  her  way  either  to  Omaha,  or  Chat- 
tanooga, or  Indianapolis,  and  if  you  search  those  three 
places  for  her  you'll  stand  a  middling  good  chance  of 
finding  her.  No  man  can,  say  why  this  is  so.  There 
was  a  college  professor  down  here  one  time  from  Chicago, 
and  I  asked  him  about  this.  He  said  that  missing  cars 
went  to  those  places  because  they  were  gregorious 


ON  THE  SECOND  MORNING  THEY  TUNNELLED  OUT  AGAIN. 


4 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1894. 


That's  a  pretty  big  word,  but  I  can't  see  as  it  makes 
the  thing  any  plainer.  What's  your  idea  about  it,  may 
I  ask?" 

"I'll  think  about  it  while  you  tell  me  about  the 
'  Hawkeye,' "  I  replied,  evasively. 

"  I  declare  I'd  pretty  nigh  forgot  about  her.  Well !  when 
the  Superintendent  had  made  up  his  mind  that  she  was 
stole,  he  sent  a  man  out  to  search  for  her.  I  didn't  take 
any  stock  in  his  theory,  for, 
granting  that  the  Northern 
Pacific,  for  instance,  wanted  to 
steal  a  Pullman  car,  they 
wouldn't  steal  one  choke-full  of 
passengers,  for  what  on  earth 
could  they  do  with  them  ?  Of 
course,  the  searcher  never  found 
that  car,  and  the  mystery  preyed 
on  the  General  Superintendent 
so  heavy  that  he  went  to  Canada 
with  the  Company's  ready 
money  a  full  year  before  he  had 
intended  to  go,  sacrificing  in 
this  way  at  least  fifty  thousand 
dollars  that  he  might  have 
taken  with  him.  But  he  was  a 
mighty  proud  man,  and  the  fact 
that  a  car  had  been  lost,  and  he 
couldn't  explain  how,  hurt  his 
pride. 

"What  did  become  of  that 
car?  Well,  I'm  going  to  tell  you  in  due  time.  Just 
you  keep  your  collar  on,  and  don't  get  excited.  I  never 
was  one  who  could  be  hurried,  and  I'm  too  old  to  begin 
now. 

"What  had  happened  to  the  unfortunate  'Hawkeye'' 
was  this.  She  had  become  uncoupled  in  the  middle  of  a 
deep  cut  that  the  side  track  ran  through  about  ten  miles 
this  side  of  Jerusalemville.  It  was  snowing  and  drifting 
something  awful  just  at  that  time,  and  everybody  aboard 
the  car  was  asleep.  When  they  woke  up  the  next 
morning  the  car  was  enowed  under,  and,  'if  you'd  been 
outside,  and  looking  for  her,  you  couldn't  have  seen  a 
thing  except  »-  monstrous  big  drift  that  filled  the  whole 
cutting. 

"  The  passengers  waited  till  pretty  near  noon  for  the 
traixk  to  start,  and  then,  the  firewood  running  low,  and 
thens  being  nothing  more  to  eat  aboard  the  car,  some  of 
them  tunnelled  out  through  the  snow,  and  saw  what  was 
the  matter. 

"  They  weren't  much  frightened  at  first,  so  the  nigger 
porter  said,  for  they  thought  they  could  walk  to  some 


HE  FOUND  IT  MIDDLING  EAST  TRAVELLING  ON  THE  ICE 


settlement  as  soon  as  the  blizzard  stopped.  But  the 
blizzard  didn't  stop  all  that  day,  and  the  next  night,  and 
when,  on  the  second  morning,  they  tunnelled  out  again, 
they  found  that  they  might  as  well  try  to  walk  through  a 
quicksand  as  through  that  snow.  Half-a-dozen  men 
tried  it,  and  only  two  of  them  came  back  again,  the  others 
sinking  in  the  snow,  and,  when  they  became  exhausted, 
stopping  here  for  good.  By  this  time  the  passengers 
were  starving  and  freezing,  for 
there  was  no  more  coal  left,  and 


nothing  whatsoever  to  burn." 

The  station-master  paused  in 
his  narrative  and  smoked 
thoughtfully.  "  What  finally 
became  of  the  passengers?"  I 
asked,  after  leaving  him  for 
a  short  time  to  his  medita- 
tions. 

"Well!  after  they  had 
stayed  in  the  car  and  froze  and 
starved  till  they  must  have 
been  mighty  weak,  they  made 
another  attempt  to  break 
out.  This  time  the  whole  lot 
of  them  started  together; 
but  they  never  got  nowhere, 
barring  the  nigger  porter, 
who,  being  the  most  worthless 
of  the  lot,  naturally  had 
the  best  luck.  They  all  sank 
down,  one  by  one,  and  went  to  sleep,  and  that  was:  the 
end  of  them — that  is,  till  the  wolves  and  the  coyotes 
found  them,  a  little  later  on.  The  nigger  porter,  how- 
ever, kept  up  till  he  struck  a  frozen  river,  about  ten  miles 
south  of  the  cutting,  and  then  he  found  it  middling  easy 
travelling  on  the  ice.  He  managed  to  get  down  to  Car- 
thageopolis,  where  he  was  found,  and  put  in  a  hospital, 
he  having,  by  this  time,  lost  his  wits,  and  being  pretty 
sick.  He  laid  in  that  hospital  till  spring,  and,  before  he 
got  back  to  the  road,  and  told  the  story  about  the 
'  Hawkeye,'  the  snow  had  thawed,  and  the  company  had 
found  her. 

"  You  can  look  at  her,  setting  out  there  on  the  track 
as  innocent,  so  far  as  appearance*  goes,  as  any  car  that 
ever  ran.  But  I  wouldn't  travel  in  that  car  not  for  no 
money.  If  the  company  knew  its  business,  they'd  either 
sell  her,  or  they'd  take  and  make  her  into  kindling  wood. 
You  mark  my  words.  She  hasn't  got  through  yet,  and, 
before  she  comes  to  her  end,  she'll  do  something  that  will 
cost  the  company  ten  times  her  value,  and  fill  a  whole 
cemetery  full  of  graves. 


A  WILY  PROPHET. 


In  the  days  when  Brigham  Young  was  directing 
the  theocratic  government  of  Utah,  the  Mormon 
missionaries  in  England  converted  a  one-legged  man 
near  Dulwich.  This  man,  now  strong  in  faith,  con- 
ceived the  idea  that  the  prophet  in  Salt  Lake  City 
might  effect  a  miraculous  restoration  of  the  leg  which 
he  had  lost  in  an  accident.  So  a  month  later  he 
presented  himself,  weary  and  travel-stained,  but  full 
of  cheerful   hope,  before   the  head  of   the  Mormon 


Church,  and  told  his  desires.  Strange  as  it  may  seem, 
the  prophet  said  he  would  willingly  get  him  a  new 
leg  ;  but  begged  him  first  to  consider  the  matter  fully. 
This  life,  he  told  him,  is  but  a  vale  of  tears,  and  as 
nothing  compared  to  eternity.  He  was  making  the 
choice  of  going  through  life  with  one  leg  and  having 
two  after  the  resurrection,  or  of  having  two  legs 
through  life  and  three  after.  The  man  found  the 
prospect  of  being  a  human  tripod  through 
all  eternity  so  uncongenial  that  he  accepted  with 
resignation  his  present  lot  and  excused  the  prophet 
from  performing  the  miracle. — (Tlie  CIuuL  ConA-J 


November  10,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


5 


A  BREAKING  OF  BONDS. 

BY 

HILDA  JOHNSON. 

Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 

It  was  growing  dark. 

Cicely  sat  in  the  window-seat,  her  small  brown  capable 
hands  tightly  clasped  in  her  lap.  She  was  looking  down 
at  them.  The  needlework,  with  which  she  had  been 
busy,  when  Manning  came  in,  was  lying  in  a  tidy  heap  at 
the  top  of  her  work-basket. 

Outside  a  little 
dry,  fine  snow  was 
falling.  It  lightly 
powdered  the 
ground,  and  the 
buildings,  and 
made  apparent 
high-lights  on  the 
delicate  branches 
of  the  skeleton 
trees.  The  sun 
had  hardly  disap- 
peared behind  the 
little  pond  across 
the  street.  The 
boys  and  girls  who 
darted  across  its 
frozen  surface 
seemed  to  be  skat- 
ing on  burnished 
copper,  and  their 
skates  flashed  as 
they  moved.  The 
exhilaration  of  the 
keen  air,  and  of 
the  vigorous  ex- 
ercise, was  ex- 
pressed in  every 
turn  of  the  dark 
young  figures,  and 
in  every  tone  of 
the  loud  young^ 
voices. 

Inside,  an  oc- 
casional flash  of 
firelight  showed 
up  the  faces  of  the 
room's  two  occu- 
pants in  exag- 
gerated whiteness, 
and  then  died  out, 
leaving  darkness 
and  silence. 

Without,  the 
immortal  Comedy 
of  Youth  and 
Hope;  within,  the 
immortal  Tragedy 
of  Love  and  Pain 
were  being  played 
out. 

Manning  sat  on 
the  piano-stool,  a 

frown  on  his  handsome  face.  ITe  stared  fixedly  at 
Cicely's  bowed  head,  but  when  she  raised  it  he  averted 
his  eyes. 

The  smooth  darkness  of  her  hair,  the  seriousness  of  her 
face,  the  repose  of  her  manner — all  irritated  him.  He 
remembered  that  the  little  actress,  whom  he  had  seen 
in  light  comedy  the  night  before,  had  a  merry,  change- 
ful face,  a  mass  of  fair  curls,  and  a  saucy  manner.  The 
recollection  pleased.  He  forgot  that  when  he  \v  d  first 
known  Cicely  it  had  seemed  to  him  that  to  be  with  her 
was  like  passing  from  the  glare  and  heat  and  tumult 
of  a  crowded  room  into  a  clear  cool  stillness  of  the 
night. 


SHE  HELD  OUT  THE  RING. 


After  a  time  the  silence  became  unbearable  to  him. 
He  broke  it. 

"  You  must  know,  Cicely,"  he  said,  with  the  petulance 
of  one  who  is  trying  to  convince  himself  that  he  wishes 
hi.5  argument  to  convince  another,  "you  must  know 
that  you  are  utterly  unreasonable." 

Cicely  shook  her  head. 

"  If  it  were  anyone  else  !"  he  went  on — "  I  suppose 
there  are  plenty  of  girls  who  would  do  it.  But  you — ■ 
my  ideal  of  steadiness  and  stability,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing — that  you  should  say  '  I  will '  in  one  breath,  and 
'  I  won't '  in  the  next — well,  it  destroys  my  faith  in  every- 
thing and  every- 
body— that's  all ! 
And  then,  to  cap 
all,  you  will  give 
no  reason  for 
calmly  breaking 
off  our  engage- 
ment." 

Cicely  sighed. 
"Arthur,  she 
said  gently,  "it's 
been  a  mistake. 
Can't  you  see  it's 
been  a  mistake  1 " 
"No,"  said 
Manning,  dog- 
gedly, "  I  can't." 

She  took  no 
notice  of  the  in- 
terruption, but 
went  on  with 
steadiness — 

"  I  have  seen 
that  this  must 
come.  Don't  make 
I  it  any  harder  than 
it  need  be, 
Arthur." 

He  rose,  and 
walked  over  to 
her,  leaning 
against  the  wood- 
work by  the  side 
of  the  window. 

"  You've  got 
some  crochet  in 
I  your  head,"  he 
said,  with  no  great 
gentleness,  "and 
like  all  you  ami- 
able, tractable 
people,  when  you 
do  get  your  face 
tinned  one  way, 
wild  horses  won't 
drag  you  round. 
But  I  wish  I  knew 
what  mad  fancy 
possesses  you." 

"  No  mad  fancy 
at  all,  but  a  sober 
common  -  sense," 
she  said,  in  the  low,  level  tones,  that  had  once  been  so 
soothing,  and  now  jarred  so  much.  "Indeed,  indeed, 
vou  will  think  with  me,  in  a  month — a  week — less  than 
that.  And  you  know"— with  a  faint  little  smile— 
you  think  a  lot  of  my  judgment." 
Manning  made  an  impatient  gesture. 


His 


hand 

struck  the^work-basket  on  the  little  table,  and  sent  its 
contents  flying  to  the  floor.  Cicely  knelt,  and  began, 
in  her  methodical  way,  to  wind  the  spools,  and  to  gather 
up  the  rest  of  her  work-things.  Manning  did  not  at- 
tempt to  help  her,  but  stood  watching  her,  gloomily. 
His  irritation  increased  with  every  turn  of  her  wrist, 
with  every  pose  of  her  head.    At  last  he  walked  to  the 


0 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1894. 


fireplace,  and  began  to  poke  the  fire  with  unnecessary 
energy. 

When  he  turned,  Cicely  was  standing  at  his  elbow. 
She  held  out  tivj  ring. 

"  Take  it,  Arthur,"  she  said,  and  for  the  first  time 
the  voice  trembled.  He  took  it,  and,  with  a  womanish 
petulance,  threw  it  into  the  fire.  It  fell  into  one  bright 
spot  of  glowing  heat,  and  lay  there.  Cicely  did  not  try 
to  recover  it.  An  expression  of  pain  and  dejection 
passed  across  her  face,  and  her  slight  figure  dropper1. 

Something  in  her  attitude  fanned  the  little  dying 
flame  of  tenderness  in  Manning's  heart.  He  drew  her 
to  him.  She  remained  passively  in  his  arms,  for  a  mo- 
ment, her  small,  dark,  sleek  head  resting  against  his 
tweed-covered  shoulder.  Then  she  disengaged  herself, 
and  moved  away.  She  tried  to  say  something,  but  the 
words  died  in  her  throat.  She  swallowed  the  lump  there, 
and  spoke,  as  Manning  thought,  with  an  utter  absence 
of  feeling. 

"  Please  go." 

The  feeble  flame  of  tenderness  died  out,  and  his  heart 
grew  cold.    Without  speaking,  he  went  out  of  the  room. 

Cicely  heard  him  take  his  coat  from  the  rack.  A  knob 
at  the  end  of  one  of  the  pegs  was  loose,  and  fell,  with  a 
rattle,  into  the  umbrella-stand.  She  thought,  with  a 
pang,  of  how  she  had  teased  him  for  his  forgetfulness  in 
always  hanging  his  coat  upon  that  particular  shaky  peg. 


She  remembered  that  this  was  the  only  time  he  had  put 

on  his  coat  in  the  hall,  alone,  since   She  felt  an 

absurd  touch  of  pity  for  his  loneliness.  She  heard  the 
front  door  close.  He  had  gone.  No.  He  was  stopping, 
outside.  Would  he  come  back?  Her  heart  stood  still 
at  the  thought  of  a  renewal  of  the  struggle,  but  Manning 
was  only  lighting  his  cigar. 

That  he  should  think  of  the  simple  little  act  of  self- 
gratification,  at  this  time,  cut  her,  like  a  knife.  She 
was  spared  the  knowledge  that  he  was  whistling  before  he 
had  gone  half-a-mile.  His  firm  step  sounued  on  the 
frozen  footpath,  and  he  was  gone. 

Cicely  crept  across  the  room,  like  a  blind  woman, 
and  looked  out.  It  was  night.  The  children  had  gone 
home.  A  thin  shred  of  a  moon  had  risen,  and  the  stars 
were  shining. 

She  pressed  her  hot  forehead  against  the  icy  pane  and 
was  still.  She  was  thinking  it  over — this  thing  that 
had  happened  five  minutes,  or  a  month,  or  a  thousand 
years  ago. 

Then  she  pulled  down  the  blind,  and  lit  the  lamp. 
Her  mouth  was  tight  at  the  corners,  but  her  eyes  were 
tearless.  She  sat  down  near  the  table,  and  began  to 
sew.  Everything  was  over,  and  done  with — five 
minutes,  or  a  month,  or  a  thousand  years  ago — but  there 
was  the  sewing.  The  end  of  the  world  had  come — but 
she  went  on  with  her  sewing. 


THE    LOVE  UNKNOWN. 


Sweetheart,  you  have  not  known  me,- 

If  I  be  great  or  wise  ; 
Yet  somewhere  you  shall  own  me 

Beneath  God's  splendid  skies  ; 
Though  now  life's  broken  chalice 

No  earthly  sweets  contain, 
Some  day,  at  Love's  own  palace, 

Your  arms  shall  take  me  in  ! 


Some  day  a  rose  shall  blossom, 

White  in  the  thorny  ways. 
And  on  the  dark  night's  bosom 

Will  fall  the  morning's  rays  ; 
Some  day,  when  I  am  lying 

Pale  from  the  storm  and  strife, 
Your  lips  shall  seek  me,  dying, 

And  kiss  me  back  to  life  ! 


Then  will  the  bird-songs,  ringing, 

Fall  soft  on  fields  of  bloom  ; 
Then  will  the  streams  How  singing 

Through  groves  of  rich  perfume  I 
Then  shall  the  world  benighted, 

The  rarest  splendour  win, 
And  at  Love's  palace  lighted 

Your  arms  shall  take  me  in  ! 

Frank  L.  Canton. 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


7 


A  CHAT  WITH  MR.  FRANK 
RICHARDS. 


Although  it  might,  be  too  much  to  affirm  that  every 
one-man  show  at  Messrs.  Dowdeswell's  galleries  has  been 
epoch-making,  still  so  many  reputations  have  been  made 
  3      or  strength- 
en e  d  in 
those  rooms, 
that,  hear- 
ing a  very 
p  r  omising 
young  artist, 
Mr.  Frank 
Ri  c  hards, 
was  about  to 
fill  a  gallery 
there  with 
"  colour  and 
charact  er 
sketches,"  I 
called  at  his 
studio  near 
;K,<HA<05  Addison 
 11      Road  Sta- 
tion to  find  him  in  the  midst  of  a  medley  of  pictures 
framed  and  unfinished  just  being  sorted  for  the  coming 
show. 

"  You  are  a  Birmingham  man,  I  know,"  I  began.  u  Did 
you  study  in  the  schools  there?" 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  for  five  years.  Afterwards  I  went 
to  Italy,  then  worked  at  Newlyn  for  another  five  years, 
and  have  since  revisited  Italy  with  my  friend  Dudley 
Hardy,  where  we  both  did  much  sketching,  and  had  one 
sensational  adventure  which  fortunately  is  not  always  in 
the  programme  of  an  artist's  tour." 

"You  shall  tell  me  more  about  that,  if  you  will,  pre- 
sently," I  said.    "  First,  what  is  your  show  to  consist  of? " 

"  All  sorts,"  he  replied.  "  Oils  and  water-colours — 
figure-pieces,  portraits,  and  landscapes.  My  big  thing  is  a 
nine-footer — a  Hamlet.  I  only  hope  the  fog  will  hold  off, 
and  permit  me  to  finish  it  in  time."  As  he  spoke  he 
wheeled  a  huge  easel  to  the  light, 
and  I  saw  a  really  powerful  work 
— tragic  in  composition,  and 
sombre  in  colour- — of  which  he 
was  good  enough  to  give  me  a 
"  black  and  white,"  to  be  repro- 
duced herewith.  "  Is  it  a  por- 
trait?" 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact  it.  is,  of 
a  very  clever  young  actor  who 
has  played  the  part ;  but  that  is 
not  its  main  purpose.  I  have  not 
gone  in  for  the  likeness  of  ar 
actor,  but  to  represent  the  ideal 
Hamlet.  Here  are  some  portraits 
of  To-Day  men — Dudley  Hardy 
arjd  Douglas  Sladen. 

This  information  was  super- 
fluous as  the  likenesses  were  of 
the  sort  called  "speaking." 

"  Here  is  a  sketch  of  Zangwill 
— too  unfinished  to  show,  I 
think." 

"Who  is  that?"  (as  I  pointed  to  a  charming  water- 
colour  portrait). 

"  Why,  Gamier,"  Mr.  Richards  replied. 

"  What,  the  monkey-linguist !  Why  didn't  you  paint 
him  in  his  cage  ?  " 

Mr.  Richards  smiled  as  if  he  had  good  reasons  for  his 
abstention,  and,  turning  to  a  big  landscape  with  a  charm- 
ing girl's  figure  in  the  foreground,  said,  "  That  is  a  picture 
I  hope  will  be  popular — '  The  Way  through  the  Orchard.'" 
The  blossoms  were  carefully  studied. 

"Did  you  paint  this  at  Newlyn  ?  " 


"  Yes,  the  greater  part  of  it.  My  pictures,  however, 
are  not  many  of  them  of  subjects  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Penzance — about  half-a-dozen  at  most.  I  have  five 
rather  important  canvases  done  at  Newlyn  now  in  the 
big  Cornish  Painters'  Exhibition  at  Nottingham." 

Then  Mr.  Richards  showed  me  a  mass  of  interesting 
work — charming  pastorals  with  sheep,  and  quiet  sky 
effects;  brilliant  impressions  of  Venice  and  Chioggia; 
clever  character  studies  of  peasants  and  fisherfolk. 
Indeed,  it  was  hard  to  realise  that  one  young  artist  had 
done  so  much  varied  work. 

"  You  must  be  a  rapid  worker  ? " 


"In  away,  yes!  but  I  take  a  long  time  over  some 
things.    Still  I  keep  at  it  from  dawn  to  dusk  very  often." 
"  Have  you  done  much  black  and  white,"  I  asked. 
"  A  fair  amount,"  he  replied.  "  I  have  a  big  commission 
now  to  illustrate  a  somewhat  important  classic,  but  I 
must  get  my  show  off  my  hands  before  I  attack  it." 

"  Which  of  all  these  various  subjects  do  you  like 
best  ? "  I  enquired. 

"  Portraits  !  most  decidedly,"  said  Mr.  Richards,  with- 
out a  moment's  hesitation,  "  I  hope  to  paint  many 
celebrities.  Any  strongly-marked  individuality  attracts 
me,  especially  in  a  man  who  has  done  something  in  the 
world.  I  should  like  to 
paint  ,"   but  per- 


haps it  would  be  unfair 
to  repeat  the  list  of  se- 
lected men  of  the  time, 
Mr.  Richards  wishes  to 
immortalise.  They  were 
a  very  catholic  party. 

"  They  would  be  an 
epoch-making  group,"  I 
said  laughingly,  and 
added,  "What  was  the 
adventure  you  spoke  of 
just  now  1 " 

"  I  do  not  know  that 
it  is  much  to  put  in 
words,"  he  rejoined,  "but 
it  was  nasty  while  it 
lasted.    One  afternoon  last  autumn,  when  Dudley  Hardy 


8 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1SD4. 


and  myself  were  sketching  in  a  rude  out-of-the-way 
Italian  village  on  a  mountain  slope  about  forty  miles  from 
any  decent  town,  we  were  very  much  interrupted  and 
pestered  in  our  work  by  two  beggars — uncomely  bipeds — 
whose  aspect  suggested  brigands.  As  the  day  grew  older, 
and  they  renewed  their  solicitations,  discretion  bade 
us  pack  up  our  sketching  trap  ,  and  retrace  our  steps 
to  a  bit  of  a  village  some  seven  miles  distant.  But 
the  couple,  still  begging,  and  emboldened  by  the  fading 
light,  followed  close  at  our  heels.  Utter  strangers  to  the 
district,  and  almost  unfamiliar  with  the  language,  we 
pressed  quickly  on ;  they  followed,  we  broke  into  a  trot, 
so  did  our  pursuers,  when  suddenly  without  warning 
another  loafer,  brigand,  or  whatever  you  like  to  call  him, 

£ crossed     our      path,  and 
V  flourished  his  cloak  full  into 

\.  Hardy's   face,  at   the  same 

j  time   giving   a  low  shriek. 

Y  ;\     Then  Dudley  without  hesita- 

f   /w  ""  ,  tion  gave  him 'one' full  in  the 

jL — "Z  6^""  I  *.\  lace,  bowling  him  over  like  a 
ninepin,  where  he  lay  splutter- 
ing, swearing,  and  probably 
with  a  new  impression  of  an 
English  painter's  'handling.' 
The  other  cowards  took  to 
their  heels,  leaving  their  con- 
federate to  look  after  himself," 
"  That  was  not  a  very 
pleasant  incident,"  I  said, 
"  although  it  shows  Mr. 
Hardy  to  be  as  dexterous  with 
his  fist  as  his  brush." 

"  I  had  met  with  some- 
thing of  the  sort  in  Southern  Italy  years  before,"  Mr. 
Richards  added;  "it  shows 
that  on  a  sketching  expedition 
into  wild  districts  it  is  as 
well  to  go  in  pairs,  and  to  be 
prepared  for  squalls." 

"  Is  that  one  of  Mr,  Fred 
Hall's  perversions  1 "  I  asked 
pointing  to  a  caricature  of 
Mr.  Richards  on  the  wall. 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  "Hall 
did  several  for  me  at  Newlyn. 
Perhaps  you  noticed  in  the 
Sketch  lately  a  sketch  of 
English  knickerbockers  astonishing  Venetians  ;  that  was 
one  Dudley  Hardy  did  of  me  then,  when  the  costume 
that  seems  so  natural  to  us  drew  more  attention  that  was 
pleasant." 

As  I  left,  I  felt  that  gifted  with  youth,  energy,  and 
talent,  Mr.  Richards  is  likely  to  leave  a  brilliant  record 


on  the  pages  of  English  Art,  especially  as  he  does  not 
lack  the  British  pluck  which  tackles  big  subjects,  such  as 
the  Hamlet  he  then  returned  to  work  upon  a=  T  Vfc. 


7  j 

Not  the  least  characteristic  of  Mr.  Richards  is  his 
private  correspondence,  decorated  as  it  is  with  wonderful 
sketches.  I  bore  off  one  as  a  sample — which  would  be  a 
unique  document  on  any  breakfast-table,  however  motley 
the  rest  of  the  letters.  The  seal  he  atfixes  is  also  to  be 
found  impressed  on  many  of  his  sketches — sometimes  on 
the  mounts,  sometimes  on  the  frames. 

The  sketch  of  Mr.  Richards  by  Mr.  Phil  May,  repro- 
duced here,  is  as  like  the  sitter  as  a  pen  drawing  can  well 
be,  and  like  most  of  the  interchange  of  amities  among 
fellow-artists,  has  peculiar  charm  in  itself.  No  one 
knows  better  than  Mr.  Richards  that  work  done  for  love- 
as  a  present  often  represents  the  artist  at  his  easiest  and 
therefore  his  best  moments. 


FOR  MANY  MINDS. 


It  is  not  given  to  any  man  to  gauge  the  scope  of  his 
own  work.  The  future  escapes  even  the  penetrating 
gaze  of  genius. 

God,  it  is  said,  fashioned  man  out  of  clay,  and  man  has 
always  borne  traces,  more  or  less,  of  his  muddy  origin. 

We  receive  three  educations — from  our  parents,  our 
schoolmasters,  and  the  world.  What  we  learn  in  the 
last  overturns  all  the  ideas  acquired  from  the  two 
first. 

The  heaviest  taxes  are  not  those  imposed  upon  us  by 
the  State,  but  those  we  pay  to  our  own  foolishness. 

Civilisation  develops  our  needs  much  more  than  the 
means  of  satisfying  them. 

Children  are  like  the  common  people  :  they  do  not 


require  to  understand  completely  in  order  to  be  deeply 
moved. 

It  is  not  enough  to  be  a  great  man  ;  he  must  appear 
at  the  right  moment. 

Every  age  has  its  formuke,  its  pass-words,  and  its 
Open  Sesames,  which  dispense  with  intelligence,  talent, 
and  virtue. 

All  stimulants  are  abused,  but  they  are  quite  as 
necessary  in  morals  as  in  medicine. 

Those  who  love  either  doubt  nothing  or  everything. 

Men  are  like  wine,  only  the  good  sorts  become  better 
as  they  grow  old. 

War  is  a  part  of  the  divine  order  of  things.  Without) 
it  the  world  would  fall  into  decay  or  become  lost  in 
materialism. 

We  traverse  the  great  ocean  of  life  in  many  courses. 
Reason  serves  us  as  compass,  but  passion  is  most  oftea 
the  wind. 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


9 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


One  o'  them  show'ry  dyes  lawst  week.  Satterdy 
ib  were,  nar  I  come  to  think  abart  it.  I  'appened 
ter  be  walkin'  acrorst  the  Pawk  along  of  Ankin. 
When  we  was  in  the  middle  it  come  on  to  rine. 
"  Look  'ere,"  says  'Ankin,  "  I'm  gettin'  bloomin' 
wet  through."  "  So  am  I,"  says  I.  "  Cawn't  we  stand 
under  some wheer  1"  says  'e  ;  let's  git  hunder  a  tree." 
"Why,  yer  silly  infunt,"  I  says,  "  the  trees  is  all  gone 
bald  along  of  its  bein'  hautumn.  Yer  might  as  well 
stand  under  a  bloomin'  toastrack."  'E  mide  a  remawk 
abart  them  trees  as  I  'ont  repeat.  "  No,"  I  says,  "  it 
ain't  the  fault  o'  the  trees,  it's  the  fault  o'  the  bloomin' 
Carnty  Carncil."  So  it  is.  Whart  we  warnt  is  shelters 
from  the  rine,  free  ter  the  public,  put  up  in  the  pawks. 
When  you're  in  the  middle  of  'Yde  Pawk,  and  it 
comes  on  to  rine  shawp,  you're  wet  through  afore 
yer  can  git  to  the  Awch.  Then  yer  mye  ketch 
yer  death  of  cold,  as  I  dessay  me  and  'Ankin 
might  'ave  done  larst  Saterday,  if  it  'adn't  bin  fur  a 
drop  o'  rum  took  prompt  and  joodishus.  It's  a  curis 
thing,  but  yer  'awdly  ever  finds  tew  men  as  agrees  abart 
the  best  wye  of  curin'  a  cold.  Why,  I  knowed  a  pore 
young  man — a  promisin'  young  man  'e  was  too,  and  a 
sort  o'  step-cousin  o'  mine,  if  yer  can  yoose  the  word,  an' 
this  young  man  got  settin'  in  a  drauft  one  dye,  an'  the 
drauft  went  ter  is  chist.  When  eny  one  told 
'im  whort  'e  ought  ter  tike  fur  that  korf,  'e 
didn't  argy  at  all,  'e  jest  went  an'  took  it.  'Undreds  of 
things  'e  must  'ave  took.  It  mye  'ave  bin  the  korf  as 
did  it  in  the  end,  or  it  mye  not.  Any'ow  'e's  in  Kensal 
Green  now,  and  a  lessing  aginst  mixin'  your  liquars  to 
my  mind. 

*  *  *  * 
'Ankin's  'ot  against  the  fifth  o'  November,  sayin'  as  'e 

wishes  the  'Ouse  o'  Commings  'ad  bin  blowed  up  an' 
never  come  darn  agin.  'E  says  the  presint  condishun 
of  porlitics  tills  'im  with  despeer,  and  a  'Ouse  of  Com- 
mings with  a  'Ouse  o'  Lords  sittin'  on  its  'ead,  as  yer 
might  say,  ain't  no  more  yoose  nor  a  dead  dorg.  I 
didn't  celebrite  the  fifth  o'  November  any  wye  particler 
myself,  but  when  I  were  a  boy  I  thought  a  deal  of  it. 
Me  and  some  other  boys  used  to  git  fireworks,  crackers, 
an'  sich,  an'  mike  arselves  as  beastly  a  noosance  ter  the 
nybrood  as  any  man  need  wish  fur  ter  see.  It's  the 
sime  thing  with  Valentine's  dye.  Nar  I  don't  regawd 
it  at  all.  I  never  sends  one,  and  I  never  gets  one. 
But  when  I  were  a  boy  I'd  send  a  insultin'  valentine 
ter  anyone  as  I  wasn't  on  terms  with,  an'  I've  give  as 
much  as  a  bob  fur  subthing  tisety  when  I  were 
courtin'.  As  'Ankin  remarked  once,  bein'  a  quotishun 
from  a  poick,  the  light  of  other  dyes  is  tided,  an'  all 
their  glory's  done  a  bilk.  As  I  says,  'Ankin  'ot  aginst 
the  fifth,  but  'e's  a  deal  'otter  aginst  the  Lord  Meer's 
Show,  which  'e  says  is  a  inferior  success  an'  a  gen'ral 
noosance.    'E's  pretty  'ot  aginst  everythink  is  'Ankin. 

*  *  *  # 

'Arrever,  I  kin  well  remember  when  I  lost  my  hin- 
terest  in  the  fifth  o'  November.  I  was  art  with  another 
boy.  'E'd  gort  a  lantun  with  'im,  whort  'e  were  lightin' 
'is  squibs  an'  crackers  from.  So  I  says,  "  Give  us  a 
light,  Bill,"  my  meanin'  bein'  ter  light  a  cracker  from  'is 
lantun,  blow  out  the  lantun,  then  bolt,  and  when  he 
corned  awter  me  ter  let  'im  'ave  the  lighted  cracker  in 
'is  fice.  Well,  I  got  my  light,  blowed  art  'is  lantun, 
and  horf  I  cut.  'Arrever,  I  were  surprised  to  find  'e 
didn't  come  arter  me.  As  I  were  stannin',  thinkin' 
abart  it,  hall  of  a  sudden  tbere  was  a  whizz  and  a  bang, 
an'  the  pocket  of  my  jackit  blowed  up.  Yer  see,  while 
I  was  lightin'  from  'is  lantun  'e'd  bin  droppin'  of  a 
lighted  cracker  inter  the  pockut  where  I  kep'  my  fire- 
works. No,  I  weren't  'urt — nort  so  much  as  my  jackit 
were.  I  went  'orf  'ome  awter  that,  an'  then  I  got  the 
Btrap  fur  bein'  keerless  with  my  clothes.    It  took  me  a 


week  to  find  that  boy  arterwards  ;  'e  kep'  art  of  my 
wye,  'earin'  as  I  were  angry.  I  gort  'im  at  lawst,  an' 
pretty  well  bust  'is  crust  fur  'im.  But  awter  that  I 
sorter  lost  my  hinterest  in  Guy  Fawkes  dye. 

READY   NOVEMBER  17th. 
A  SHILLING  CHRISTMAS  NUMBER  FOR  SIXPENCE. 


TWO  COLOURED  SUPPLEMENTS. 


^VVMICA   NOV  .189* 


PRICE  SIXPENCE 


.Edited  by 

JEROME  K. 
JEROME. 


Contributors : 
Thomas  Hardy, 
jeromek.  j  erome. 
Dudley  Hardy. 
W.  L.  Alden. 
R.  Sauber. 
Aubrey  Beardsley. 
Barry  Pain. 
Hal  Hurst. 
Keighley  Snowden. 
H.  R.  Millar. 
W.  W.  Jacobs. 
Sydney  Adamson. 
Ernest  Goodwin. 
Scott  Rankin, 
etc.,  etc.,  etc. 


PARTIAL  LIST  OF  CONTENTS. 

The  Speetpe  of  the  Heal." 

THOMAS  HARDY  and 
The  Hon.  Mrs.  HENNIKER. 

The  Man  who  did  not  helieve  in  Luck." 

By  JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


By 


THE  FALL-ITS  MANAGEMENT  IN 
SICKNESS  AND  IN  HEALTH." 

By  BARRY  PAIN. 

"SLAMMOCKY  SAM." 

By  KEIGHLEY  SNOWDEN. 

"BROWN'S  WIDOWS." 

By  W.  L.  ALDEN. 

"AN  ELABORATE  ELOPEMENT." 

By  W.  W.  JACOBS. 
Etc.,  Etc.,  Etc.,  Etc.,  Etc. 


60  ILLUSTRATIONS,  some  in  Colours, 


R.  SAUBER: 
AUBREY  BEARDSLEY. 
DUDLEY  HARDY. 
HAL  HURST. 

Etc.,  Etc. 

TWO  COLOURED  SUPPLEMENTS 


H.  R.  MILLAR. 
S.  ADAMSON. 
E.  GOODWIN. 
SCOTT  RANKIN. 


10 


TO-DAY. 


[NOVEMBER  10,  !S94. 


SOME  MEDICAL  STORIES. 


"  If   you   deal  with  life  at  all," 
"round  the  red  lamp."  says  the  author  in  his  preface,  "  and 
BY  A-i°?ol!!  6Ds0YLE'     ^  y°u  are  anxious  to  make  your 

methuen  and  co.       doctors     something     more  than 
marionettes  it  is  quite  essential  that 
you  should  paint  the  darker  side,  since  *it  is  that  which 
is  principally  presented  to  the  surgeon  or  the  physician. 

.  .  .  One  cannot  write  of  medical  life  and  be 
merry  over  it." 

Of  the  fifteen  stories  about  which  the  reader  has 
thus  been  put  on  his  guard,  as  it  were,  none  is  more 
audacious  than  "  The  Third  Generation."  This  is,  per- 
haps, the  most  painfully  powerful  short  story  ever 
written.  Hardly  another  author  would  have  dared  to 
grapple  with  the  theme,  but  Dr.  Doyle's  skill  has 
enabled  him  to  handle  even  so  delicate  a  matter  with 
perfect  cleanness,  and  the  terrible  truth  and  sincerity 
of  the  sketch  removes  every  suggestion  of  offence. 

As  an  example  of  the  incisive  force  employed  by  Dr. 
Doyle  in  this  strange  collection,  take  the  following  scene. 
Sir  Francis  Norton  has  come  to  consult  a  specialist, 
Dr.  Horace  Selby,  on  the  eve  of  his  wedding. 

Twice  the  young  man  parted  his  lips.  Then  he  stooped 
with  a  sudden  gesture,  and,  turning  up  the  right  leg  of  his 
trousers,  he  pulled  down  his  sock  and  thrust  forward  his 
shin.  The  doctor  made  a  clicking  noise  with  his  tongue  as 
he  glanced  at  it. 

"Both  legs?" 

"  No  ;  only  one." 

•'Suddenly?" 

"  This  morning." 

"Hum!"  The  doctor  pouted  his  lips,  and  drew  his 
finger  and  thumb  down  the  line  of  his  chin.  "  Can  you 
account  for  it  ? "  he  said,  briskly. 

"No." 

A  trace  of  sternness  came  into  the  large  brown  eyes. 
"  I  need  not  point  out  to  you  that  unless  the  most  abso- 
lute frankness  " 

The  patient  sprang  from  his  chair. 

"So  help  me  God,  doctor,"  he  cried,  "I  have  nothing  in 
my  life  with  which  to  reproach  myself.  Do  you  think  that 
I  would  be  such  a  fool  as  to  come  here  and  tell  you  lies. 
Once  for  all,  I  have  nothing  to  regret." 

He  was  a  pitiful,  half-tragic,  and  half -grotesque  figure  as 
he  stood  with  one  trouser  leg  rolled  to  his  knee,  and  that 
ever-present  horror  still  lurking  in  his  eyes.  A  burst  of 
merriment  came  from  the  card  players  in  the  next  room, 
and  the  two  looked  at  each  other  in  silence. 

"Sit  down,"  said  the  doctor,  abruptly.  "  Your  assurance 
is  quite  sufficient."  He  stooped  and  ran  his  fingers  down 
the  line  of  the  young  man's  skin,  raising  it  at  one  point. 
"Hum!  Serpiginous!"  he  murmured,  shaking  his  head; 
"  any  other  symptoms  ?  " 

"  My  eyes  have  been  a  little  weak." 

"Let  me  see  your  teeth!"  He  glanced  at  them,  and 
again  made  the  gentle  clicking  sound  of  sympathy  and  dis- 
approbation. 

***** 

"  My  dear  sir,  there  is  no  occasion  for  us  to  go  into  strictly 
professional  details  together,"  said  he,  soothingly.  "If,  for 
example,  I  were  to  say  that  you  have  interstitial  peratitis, 
how  would  you  be  the  wiser  ?  There  are  indications  of  a 
strumous  diathesis.  In  broad  terms,  I  may  say  that  you 
have  a  constitutional  and  hereditary  taint." 

The  young  baronet  sank  back  into  his  chair,  and  his  chin 
fell  forward  upon  his  chest.  The  doctor  sprang  to  a  side 
table,  and  poured  out  a  half-glass  of  liqueur  brandy,  which 
he  held  to  his  patient's  lips.  A  little  Heck  of  colour  came 
into  his  cheeks  as  he  drank  it  down. 

"Perhaps  I  spoke  a  little  abruptly,"  said  the  doctor. 
*'  But  you  must  have  known  the  nature  of  your  complaint  ; 
why,  otherwise,  should  you  have  come  to  me  ?  " 

"  God  help  me  !  I  suspected  it — but  only  to-day  when  my 
leg  grew  bad.    My  father  had  a  leg  like  this." 

"  It  was  from  him,  then  ?  " 

"  No,  from  my  grandfather.  You  may  have  heard  of 
Sir  Rupert  Norton,  the  great  Corinthian." 

The  doctor  was  a  man  of  wide  reading,  with  a  retentive 
memory.  The  name  brought  back  to  him  instantly  the  re- 
membrance of  the  sinister  reputation  of  its  owner — a 
notorious  buck  of  the  thirties,  who  had  gambled,  and 
duelled,  and  steeped  himself  in  drink  and  debauchery  until 
even  the  vile  set  with  whom  he  consorted  had  shrunk  away 
from  him  in  horror,  and  left  him  to  a  sinister  old  age,  with 
the  barmaid  wife  whom,  in  some  drunken  frolic,  he  had 
espoused.  As  he  looked  at  the  young  man  still  leaning 
back  in  the  leather  chair,  there  seemed  for  the  instant  to 
flicker  up  behind  him  some  vague  presentiment  of  that 


foul  old  dandy  with  his  dangling  seals,  many-wreathed 
scarf,  and  dark,  satyric  face.  What  was  he  now?  Ao 
armful  of  bones  in  a  mouldy  box.  But  his  deeds — they 
were  living,  and  rotting  the  blood  in  the  veins  of  an  inno- 
cent man. 

***** 

"  Do  you  think — do  you  think  the  poison  has  spent  itself 
on  me  ?    Do  you  think  if  I  had  children  that  they  would! 

suffer  ?  " 

"lean  only  give  one  answer  to  that.  '  The  third  and 
fourth  generation,'  says  the  trite  old  text.  You  may  in  time 
eliminate  it  from  your  system,  but  many  years  must  pass 
before  you  can  think  of  marriage." 

"  I  am  to  be  married  on  Tuesday,"  whispered  the  patient. 

It  was  Dr.  Horace  Selby's  turn  to  be  thrilled  with  horror. 
There  were  not  many  situations  which  would  yield  such  a 
sensation  to  his  well-seasoned  nerves.  He  sat  in  silence 
while  the  babble  of  the  card-table  broke  in  again  upon  them. 

"  We  had  a  double  ruff  if  you  had  returned  a  heart." 

"  I  was  bound  to  clear  the  trumps." 

They  were  hot  and  angry  about  it. 

"  How  could  you  ? "  cried  the  doctor  severely.  "  It  was 
criminal." 

"  You  forget  that  I  have  only  learned  how  I  stand  to- 
day." He  put  his  two  hands  to  his  temples  and  pressed 
them  convulsively.  "You  area  man  of  the  world,  Doctor 
Selby.  You  have  seen  or  heard  of  such  things  before.  Give 
me  some  advice.  I'm  in  your  hands.  It  is  all  very  sudden 
and  horrible,  and  I  don't  think  I'm  strong  enough  to 
bear  it." 

The  doctor's  heavy  brows  thickened  into  two  straight 
lines,  and  he  bit  his  nails  in  perplexity. 

"The  marriage  must  not  take  place." 

"  Then  what  am  I  to  do  ?" 

"  At  all  costs  it  must  not  take  place." 

"  And  I  must  give  her  up  ! " 

"  There  can  be  no  question  about  that." 

The  young  man  took  out  a  pocket-book  and  drew 
from  it  a  small  photograph,  holding  it  out  towards  the 
doctor.    The  firm  face  softened  as  he  looked  at  it. 

"It  is  very  hard  on  you,  no  doubt.  I  can  appreciate  it 
more  now  that  I  have  seen  that.  But  there  is  no  alternative 
at  all.    You  must  give  up  all  thought  of  it." 

"  But  this  is  madness,  doctor — madness  I  tell  you.  No, 
I  won't  raise  my  voice  !  I  forgot  myself  !  But  realise  it, 
man  !  I  am  to  be  married  on  Tuesday — this  coming  Tues- 
day, you  know.  And  all  the  world  knows  it.  How  can  I 
put  such  a  public  affront  on  her?    It  would  be  monstrous." 

"  None  the  less  it  must  be  done.    My  dear  sir,  there  is  no 

way  out  of  it." 

***** 

"  Now,  good-bye,  and  thank  you  a  thousand  times  for 
your  sympathy  and  advice." 

"  Why,  dear  me,  you  haven't  even  got  your  prescription 
yet.  This  is  the  mixture,  and  I  should  recommend  one  of 
these  powders  every  morning,  and  the  chemist  will  put  all 
directions  upon  the  ointment-box.  You  are  placed  in  a  cruel 
situation,  but  I  trust  that  these  may  be  but  passing  clouds. 
When  may  I  hope  to  hear  from  you  again  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  morning." 

"  Very  good.  How  the  rain  is  splashing  in  the  street ! 
You  have  your  waterproof  there.  You  will  need  it.  Good- 
bye, then,  until  to  morrow." 

He  opened  the  door.  A  gust  of  cold,  damp  air  swept  into 
the  hall.  And  yet  the  doctor  stood  for  a  minute  or  more 
watching  the  lonely  figure  which  passed  slowly  through  the 
yellow  splotches  of  the  gas-lamps,  and  into  the  broad  bars 
of  darkness  between.  It  was  but  his  own  shadow  which 
trailed  up  the  wall  as  he  passed  the  lights,  and  yet  it  looked 
to  the  doctor's  eye  as  though  some  huge  and  sombre  figure 
walked  by  a  mannikin's  side,  and  led  him  silently  up  the 
lonely  street. 

No  one  but  a  fool  would  think  of  calling  this  indecent 
or  even  indelicate.  One  might  as  well  talk  of  the  in- 
delicacy of  the  dissecting  room.  But  it  is  horrible :  and 
whether  it  comes  within  the  legitimate  province  of  Ai  t 
thus  to  travel  outside  the  region  of  emotions  and  probe 
into  the  gloomy  depths  of  the  swamp  that  forms  the  sub- 
soil of  human  nature,  is  a  question  upon  which  there  is 
sure  to  be  much  argument. 

"  The  Curse  of  Eve  "  is  a  similarly  painful  study  of  a 
woman  in  child-birth  ;  and  "A  Medical  Document  "is 
a  collection  of  gruesome  anecdotes  of  medical  life. 
Lighter  touches  are  not  wanting  in  the  collection  ; 
"Sweethearts"  is  a  piece  of  pretty  sentiment,  and  "The 
Los  Amigos  Fiasco"  is  out-and-out  burlesque.  But 
whatever  the  subject,  each  one  is  in  its  own  way  excel- 
lent, and  above  all  individual.  Many  will  already  have 
read  some  of  the  stories  in  the  pages  of  the  Idler,  but 
others  have  never  appeared  in  serial  form,  and  their 
collection  and  publication  in  book  form  marks  an  epoch 
in  the  onward  march  of  English  literature. 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


11 


THE  DIARY  OF  jV  BOOKSELLER. 

I  think  it  was  Mr.  Bret  Harte,  when  he  was  in  the 
shop  the  other  day,  who  told  me  that  Bill  Nye,  whose 
uncommonly  entertaining  and  uncommonly  shrewd 
"  History  of  the  United  States  "  has  just  been  issued  in 
this  country  by  Chatto  and  Windus,  has  such  a  charac- 
teristic address,  E.  W.  Nye,  Arden,  Buncombe  County, 
North  Carolina.  Buncombe  got  its  unenviable  conno- 
tation from  a  member  it  once  sent  up  to  the  North 
Carolina  Legislature,  who  talked  out  time  on  the  Bun- 
combe County  question. 

*  *  *  * 

I  booked  a  great  many  orders  in  advance  for 
Mr.  Bret  Harte's  "The  Bell-Ringer  of  Angels,"  and 
other  stories.  Among  the  other  stories  is  "Johnny 
Boy,"  one  of  the  many  bonnes  bouches  which  the  Idler 
has  given  to  the  public,  at  an  expense  which  would 
frighten  most  English  magazines.  I  remember,  while 
that  delightful  story,  "  The  Bell-Ringer  of  Angels," 
was  running  in  To-Day,  someone — I  think  it  was  Mr. 
A.  P.  Watt,  the  great  literary  agent,  telling  me  that 
Mr.  S.  R.  Crockett,  who  has  read  every  line  that  Bret 
Harte  ever  wrote — and  that,  not  only  for  the  subject- 
matter,  but  with  an  artist's  delight  in  studying  the 
style — liked  the  "  Bell-Ringer  "  almost  as  well  as  any- 
thing Bret  Harte  has  written. 

*  *  *  * 

I  see  that  Mr.  S.  T.  Pickard's  "  Life  and  Letters  of 
Whittier  "  will  include  the  correspondence  with  John 
Bright.  Everyone  knows  that  John  Bright  often 
quoted  Whittier's  poetry,  but  everyone  does  not  know 
how  indignant  Whittier  was  when  the  Irish  wire  pullers 
in  the  United  States  prevented  any  great  exhibition  of 
America's  sympathy  on  the  occasion  of  John  Bright's 
death.  Whittier  raised  his  voice  almost  for  the  last 
time  in  fiery  denunciation  of  the  treatment  accorded  to 
the  man  whom  he  pronounced  the  greatest  friend  the 
Union  ever  had  outside  of  America.  I  was  over  in 
America  just  afterwards,  and  had  the  honour  of  meeting 
Mr.  Whittier.  He  spoke  with  great  warmth  on  the 
subject,  and  m  entioned  how  completely  out  of  sympathy 
with  the  Irish  he  had  latterly  become.  He  told  me  with 
his  own  lips  that  he  considered  England  the  only  coun- 
try under  the  sun  in  which  the  consideration  of  their 
duty  to  mankind  counted  for  anything  with  the  Govern- 
ment. 

*  *  *  * 

I  am  still  doing  excellently,  both  in  my  library  and 
sales,  with  Mr.  William  Le  Queux's  "Great  War  of 
1897."  Its  popularity  began  with  the  admiration  of 
adults  for  the  daring,  the  ingenuity,  the  mastery  of 
military  and  naval  details  displayed  in  its  conception 
and  execution.  Then  a  new  public,  the  most  desirable 
in  the  world  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  publisher, 
seized  upon  it — the  schoolboy  public.  I  know  a 
blase  schoolboy  of  twelve,  who  turns  over  the  boys'  books 
of  adventure  on  my  counter  with  a  callousness  akin  to 
contempt ;  but  he  has  read  "  The  Great  War  "  six  times 
through. 

*  *  *  # 

Mr.  T.  Banks  Machachlan,  the  editor  of  the  Weekly 
Scotsman,  came  into  my  shop  not  long  ago — a  clean 
shaven  man  of  middle  height,  with  a  face  full  of 
capacity.  I  was  particularly  glad  to  meet  him,  because 
my  customers  have  been  so  interested  in  his  capital 
Press-experience  novel,  "  William  Blacklock,  Journal- 
ist." While  it  has  a  charming  literary  style  and  a  very 
distinct,  sad  story,  it  is  so  obviously  the  work  of  a  man 

1.  "History  of  the  United  States."  (Chatto  and  Windus.  Price  not 
stated  ) 

2.  "  The  Bell  Ringer  of  Angels,"  &c.   (Chatto  and  Windus.   3s.  6d.) 

3.  "Life  and  Letters  of  Whittier."  (Sampson Low  &  Co.  Two  Vols.,  18s.) 

4.  "Great  War  of  1897."   (Tower  Publishing  Company.  6s.) 

5.  "The  Curse  of  Clement  Waynfleet."  (Ward,  Locke,  and  Bowden. 
Price  not  stated.) 

6.  "  Renshaw  Fanning's  Quest."   (Chatto  and  Windus.    3s.  6d.) 

7.  "William  Blacklock,  Journalist."   (Oliphant,  Anderson,  and  Furrier. 

8.  "John  Bull  and  Co."  (F.  Warne.   3s.  6d.) 

9.  "  Vernon's  Aunt."   (Chatto  and  Windus.    3s.  Cd.) 

10.  "  The  Land  of  the  Dawning."  (Remington  &  Co.    Price  not  stated.) 


who  has  been  through  every  stage  of  journalism  from 
the  reporter's  table  to  the  editor's  chair,  and  not  of  the 
many  spoilt  children  of  literature  who  draw  large  incomes 
from  journalism,  without  knowing  a  single  reporter  by 
sight,  owing  to  their  reputation  as  writers  of  books.  I 
wished  to  ask  him  how  far  he  had  drawn  his  scenes  and 
characters  from  the  office  of  the  Scotsman.  He  told  me 
that  they  were,  of  course,  very  much  altered,  but  that 
all  the  details,  which  came  from  real  life,  came  from  that 
great  paper. 

*  *        t     *  * 

I  am  always  glad  when  Lady  Colin  Campbell  pays  me 
a  visit.  It  is  such  a  pleasure  to  see  a  well-dressed 
woman  in  a  shop  situated  only  in  the  beaten  track  of 
men.  She  showed  me  a  dummy  copy  of  her  new  paper 
— The  Realm.  It  will  be  a  kind  of  cross  between  the 
Spectator  and  the  World,  the  same  shape  as  the  Spectator, 
but  in  larger  and  more  attractive  print.  The  fore 
part  of  the  paper,  with  its  half-dozen  leading  articles  and 
four  or  five  "middles,"  will  be  a  la  Spectator.  The 
after  part  will  have  all  manner  of  gossipy,  up-to-date, 
miscellaneous  features.  The  paper  has  capital 
editors.  Lady  Colin  has  had  eleven  years'  ex- 
perience on  the  World  for  the  latter  part  of  the 
paper,  and  Mr.  Hodgson,  who  will  doubtless  make  the 
more  serious  parts  his  department,  is  one  of  our  soundest 
journalists,  who  could  get  a  post  on  any  of  the  great 

papers  to-morrow  if  he  chose. 

*  *  *  * 

Of  course  I  am  selling  a  lot  of  Max  O'Rell's  new  book, 
"  John  Bull  and  Co."  By  far  the  largest  part  of  the 
book  is  devoted  to  Australia.  He  gives  it  many  hard 
knocks,  but  with  the  exception  of  his  allegations  about 
the  alarming  frequency  of  drunkenness,  not  so  hard  as 

Francis  Adams  gave. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Adams  was  the  more  accurate  observer,  and 
spoke  his  mind  with  absolute  frankness,  whatever  odium 
he  might  incur  thereby.  Max  O'Rell,  M.  Blouet,  the 
big  burly  man  with  the  bright  blue  eyes  and  rather 
Semetic  cast  of  countenance  and  curl  of  hair,  who  is  so 
constantly  in  the  shop  when  he  is  in  London,  is  far 
more  outspoken  in  this  than  in  previous  books  ;  which  I 
was  very  glad  to  see.  It  is  refreshing  in  these  latter 
days  to  hear  a  man  speaking  his  mind  instead  of  cater- 
ing to  the  people  he  is  writing  about. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  laid  in  a  big  stock  of  "Vernon's  Aunt,"  Miss 
.  Sarah  Jeanette  Duncan's  brilliant  story,  which  charmed 
all  readers  when  it  was  running  in  the  Idler.  I  was  a 
huge  admirer  of  the  young  lady,  who  struck  such  an 
altogether  original  and  vivacious  note  in  writing,  long 
before  the  summer  afternoon  upon  which  an  Oxford 
customer  brought  in  a  tall,  slender,  blue-eyed  brunette 
with  a  delightful  smile,  indicative  of  the  delightful 
personality  behind  it.  This  was  Mrs.  Everard  Cotes, 
the  pretty  Mem  Sahib  who  was  Miss  Sarah  Jeanette 
Duncan,  when  she  went  round  the  world  on  her  "  Social 
Departure."  She  was  then  living  at  Oxford  in  the  road 
which  leads  out  to  the  exquisite  old  Norman  church  and 
the  famous  mill  at  Iffley.  Her  husband  after  a  success- 
ful career  in  India  was  "  taking  some  school "  there. 

*  *  *  * 

Now,  I  am  glad  to  say,  Mrs.  Cotes  is  often  in  the 
shop,  for  they  have  recently  taken  a  house  in  Kensing- 
ton close  by  another  customer  of  mine — the  Parnellite 
leader,  Mr.  T.  P.  Gill.  "  Vernon's  Aunt  "  will  certainly 
add  to  a  reputation  which  was  already  brilliant. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

T.  Ashby. — Yes,  all  back  numbers  of  To-Day  can  be  procured 
at  this  office. 

H.  H. — "  In  Sugar  Cane  Land"  would  suit  you. 

H.  P.  H.  (Bolton). — I  do  not  know  the  song  you  mention,  but 
1  should  say  that  the  words  were  suggested  by  Heine's  poem. 

Hawaii. — Chatto  and  Windus  publish  all  Besant's  novels. 
The  story  you  name  is  not  in  their  list,  but  you  may  possibly 
find  it  in  the  volume  "  Uncle  Jack  and  Other  Stories." 

R.  Bott. — Try  Mr.  S.  French,  dramatic  publisher,  Strand. 

J.  T.  D. — This  is  the  first  number  of  the  fifth  volume  of 
To-Day.    There  are  thirteen  numbers  in  each  volume. 


12 


TO-DAY. 


[November  10,  1891. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

My  Dear  Helen, — The  prohibitions  of  fashion  are 
increasing.  We  are  not  allowed  now  to  show  the  fasten- 
ings of  our  gowns.  Hooks  and  eyes  must  all  be  hidden 
away ;  and  buttons — odd  inconsistency  ! — must  only  be 
put  on  for  ornament,  not  for  use.  At  the  Marquis  of 
Hamilton's  wedding  I  noticed  that  not  a  single  gown 
showed  where  the  fastenings  were.  And  there  surely 
never  was  a  better  object-lesson  in  fashionable  dress  than 
this.  I  never  saw  the  Duchess  of  Manchester  look  better 
than  she  did  in  her  splendid  sealskin  and  sables.  Her 
pretty  twin-daughters  wore  sky-blue  velvet  skirts  and 
silk  bodices  of  the  same  colour.  Lady  Algernon  Gordon 
Lennox  was  lovely  in  cyclamen  velvet,  her  exquisite 
colouring,  in  its  delicate  tinting,  being  enhanced  by  the 
brightness  of  tone  of  the  velvet.  Lady  Hothfield  wore 
a  gown  of  the  same  colour  and  material,  but  spoiled  the 
effect  of  it  by  huge  torquoise  pins  in  her  hair,  and  ear- 
rings to  match.  The  Duchess  of  Abercorn  looked  very 
sweet  and  charming  in  Irish  poplin,  the  colour  being  a 
clouded  blue,  with  a  paler  tint  for  trimming.  The  bodice 
was  relieved  with  white  lace,  and  there  was  a  pink  rose 
or  two  in  her  bonnet.  The  Dowager  Duchess  wore  grey, 
which  harmonised  pleasantly  with  her  snow-white  hair, 
and  even  had  affinities  with  her  lovely  diamond  ear-rings 
and  brooch.  Mother  remembers  her  in  the  height  of 
her  beauty,  when  the  late  Duke  was  Lord-Lieutenant  of 
Ireland,  and  mother  was  presented.  The  Duchess  had 
then  dark-brown  hair,  and  was  the  centre  of  the  hand- 
somest family  of  young  sons  and  daughters  that  it  is 
possible  to  imagine.  It*  was  quite  a  beauty  wedding. 
The  Marchioness  of  Blandford,  who  so  strongly  resem- 
bles the  Princess  of  Wales,  looked  delightful  in  rhodo- 
dendron satin,  veiled  with  black  chiffon.  She  wore  a 
cluster  of  lovelv  mauve  orchids  on  her  bodice.  The 


Marchioness  of  Lansdowne,  who  is  also  very  handsome, 
had  the  prettiest  bonnet  on  that  I  have  seen  this  season ; 
a  little  "  Dutch,"  in  cream-coloured  velvet,  embroidered 
in  jet,  and  trimmed  with  roses  and  black  feathers.  The 
Duchess  of  Albany  did  not  look  so  well  as  usual.  She 
wears  such  very  matronly  clothes  that  she  does  net  give 
herself  a  chance.  Her  black  velvet  cape,  trimmed  with 
fur,  would  have  suited  the  oldest  dowager  there. 

The  very  smartest  women  wore  full-skirted,  three- 
quarter  jackets,  made  of  black  satin,  black  velvet,  or 
black  moire  silk.  In  one  instance,  a  moire  one  was  cut 
away  to  show  a  very  pretty,  slender  neck,  round  which 
was  a  necklace  of  lovely  pearls.  The  others  were  all  high 
ic  the  throat,  and  were  finished  with  ruffies  of  lace,  and 
sometimes  with  fur.  All  of  them  fitted  closely  to  the 
figure,  and  most  of  them  had  some  arrangement  sug- 
gesting epaulettes  over  the  tops  of  the  very  large  sleeves. 
Lady  Henry  Lennox's  very  handsome  mantle  had  a 
kind  of  pent-house  over  each  arm,  with  a  bunch  of  violets 
tucked  in  beneath.  Some  exquisite  old  Brussels  point 
veiled  the  top  of  the  shoulders,  and  the  neck  was  finished 
with  a  band  of  sable  of  the  deepest  and  darkest.  Is 
there  anything  more  becoming  than  a  sable  collar  1 

Some  of  the  hats  were  lovely.  I  did  not  at  all  like 
those  of  the  bridesmaids,  with  their  inartistic  union  of 
golden-brown  felt,  dark-red  velvet,  and  violets.  They 
were  much  too  heavy  and  elaborate  for  their  sweetly- 
pretty  dresses,  made  of  ivory-white  poplin.  The  yokes 
were  in  deep-red  velvet,  outlined  with  beaver,  which 
gave  them  a  very  comfortable  look,  well  suited  to  the 
autumnal  season.  A  pretty  hat  had  a  sky-blue  plush 
crown,  and  the  brim,  in  black  velvet,  was  trimmed  with 
violets.  Another,  small  and  round,  quite  a  toque,  was 
composed  of  a  crown  of  pale-blue  brocade,  set  into  a 
turban  of  beaver.  A  rather  small  black  velvet  hat  was 
trimmed  with  a  twist  of  turquoise  velvet,  climbing  the 
high  crown,  descending  again,  crossing  the  brim,  passing 
beneath  it,  and  resting  on  the  hair  in  a  kind  of  coil.  The 


Every  lady  ^w*171777^^ 
pleased     jis^  ^p^^^ 

WITH    THE                               „  -   .   <P9*»         ~V^7^-  ,  ,  ,  I,  W W,M/  AW  v  v^7Sft^ 

'  '  II  I  „  U  I  '  '  £.  IxI'IVll         TWO  mm  STEEL       WAHmviEO  FOBWEUP  lihcHA 

SLJy  I   b      f  a  ■      *>  J 

BUSK  !      \u  u  rmmr^^^^ 

IN  ALL  SIZES     ^3<w,  ^^£C^*c^*C^ii^^ 
From  11  to  13Jr  ^^Q6&Aiw*f.Ml&tt&f'^ 
linchos 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  Tha 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cut  through  cloth. 
— To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochrane- 
street,  Glasgow, 


HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PIN ET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


ADADIMP  MARKING  INK  FOR  OD, 
MnMDI  IN  LL  'LINEN  is  the  BEST!  D 

NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED  per 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the  Bottle. 

Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  RenOeld  Street,  Glasgow. 


CREMS  DE  VIOLET  (FOR  THE  COMPLEXION), 

Crime  de  Violet  has  attained  enormous  popularity  since  we 
introduced  it  into  Great  Britain. 
It  is  a  pure  and  exquisite  Skin  Cream. 

It  cleanses  the  Pores  and  removes  the  bad  effects  of  Paints  and  Powders. 
Prevents  and  removes  Wrinkles.   Prevents  and  removes  Pimples. 
Prevents  and  removes  all  Skin  Imperfections.    Counteracts  the  bad 

effects  of  Sun,  Wind,  and  Sea  Air. 
Is  deliciously  cool  and  refreshing  to  the  Skin. 
Makes  the  Skin  soft  and  smooth  as  a  Hahy's. 

AVill  make  the  most  faded  Complexion  assume  all  the  natural  tints  ot 

Youthful  Health  and  Beauty. 
See  that  tho  Signature  Le  Frere  et  Cie  is  on  the  label,  or  send  direct. 
Post-free  in  plain  wrappers  Is.  3d.  or  2s.  9d.  from 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE.,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


HIGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 
MRS.  GRABTJRN,  13,  Bonchurch-road,  North  Kensington 
to  Notting-hill  station).    Speciality— Country  Orders.    Smart  Costumes 
to  Measure  supplied  complete  from  'J}  Guineas.   All  Bodices  cut  oil 
French  principles.   Ladies  own  Materials  made  up  from  i'l  Is. 


EVERY  MOTHER  and 
EVERY  DAUGHTER 

should  see 

SINGER'S 

NEW  SEWING  MACHINE 

XOs.  to  20s.  allowed 

FOR 

any  sort  taken  in  part  exchange, 
Per    Is.  6d.  Week. 

BEAUTIFUL  ART  SAMPLES 
Submitted  for  inspection 

FREE 
on  application  by  letter. 

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Best  Machine  for  Art  Work. 

LIGHT,   EASY,  ELEGANT, 

and  a  Real  Treasure. 

The  Singer  Manufacturing  Company, 

City  Showrooms-147,  CHEAPSIDE,  E.C 

RRANCII  OFFICES  EVERYWHERE. 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


13 


rest  was  all  black  feathers.  They  are  used  in  huge 
quantities  on  the  new  hats. 

The  bonnets  worn  at  this  smart  wedding  were  decidedly 
larger  than  those  we  have  been  accustomed  to,  and 
many  of  them  were  composed  of  quite  an  extensive 
variety  of  different  materials.  One,  worn  by  a  lady  in 
a  handsome  brown  costume,  was  made  of  brown  velvet, 
and  trimmed  with  yellow  velvet  embroidered  in  jet, 
brown  fur,  cream-coloured  lace,  black  feathers,  and  red 
roses.  Think  of  all  that  crowded  on  the  top  of  one 
woman's  head ! 

The  bride  looked  extremely  well  in  her  lovely,  old- 
fashioned,  "-glancing"  satin,  trimmed  with  exquisite 
Brussels  lace.  She  wore  a  veil  that  had  been  her  great- 
grandmother's,  and  it  was  more  becoming  than  lace  veils 
usually  are.  The  few  jewels  that  were  scattered  over 
her  head  and  the  bodice  of  her  dress  were  just  sufficient 
to  give  the  idea  of  richness  without  suggesting  over- 
elaboration. 

I  noticed  a  black  dress  that  was  given  a  festive  air  by 
inserting,  back  and  front,  a  pointed  piece  of  gathered 
blue  brocade  at  the  neck,  and  bordering  it  all  round  with 
fur.  Most  of  the  black  dresses,  however,  had  coloured 
bodices,  covered  with  guipure  or  chiffon,  a  fashion  that 
is  in  as  great  favour  now  as  when  it  was  first  introduced 
two  years  ago.  A  novelty  is  a  way  of  covering  the  bodice 
with  strands  of  chenille,  the  yoke  being  embroidered 
with  sequins  of  rainbow  tints. 
It  was  a  lovely  wedding ! 

Good-bye,  dear. 

Your  affectionate  sister, 

Suzette. 


COUNTY  COUNCILLORS 
"ON  THE  MAKE." 


My  excellent,  but  little-known  contemporary,  London, 
has  given  the  enemy  cause  to  blaspheme.  London  is  a 
Local  Government  organ,  the  mouthpiece  in  the  Press 
of  the  Progressive  party  in  the  London  County  Council. 
Started  some  two  years  ago,  and  worked  by  a  limited 
company,  its  principal  shareholders  are  well-known 
County  Councillors,  and  members  of  the  Puritan  party. 
That  very  estimable  man,  Mr.  Percy  Bunting,  is  one  of 
the  directors,  and  Mr.  Massingham,  Mr.  Fletcher's 
brilliant  lieutenant  of  the  Daily  Chronicle,  is  another. 
Sir  John  Hutton,  Chairman  of  the  County  Council,  is 
a  shareholder.  So,  too,  is  Mr.  McKinnon-Wood, 
Chairman  of  the  Advertisement  Committee  of  the 
Council.  Among  other  shareholders  is  Mr.  B.  Costelloe. 
Small  wonder,  then,  that  London  exhales  virtue  from 
every  page,  and  that  the  decision  of  the  Council  in  the 
Empire  matter  has  met  with  its  vehement  approval. 
As  here : — 

The  campaign  of  cant,  hypocrisy,  and  humbug  has  igno- 
miniously  failed,  and  the  ignoble  attempt  to  intimidate  the 
County  Council,  and  exploit  labour  for  the  sake  of  75  per 
cent. ,  has  been  exposed. 

And  here  : — 

The  efforts  made  to  introduce  the  methods  of  Tammany 
Hall  into  public  life  met  with  his  stern  contempt.  The 
Labour  men  could  not  be  "  got  at,"  and  the  purity  of  our 
public  life  proved  unassailable. 

London  is  not  mealy-mouthed.  It  has  nothing  in 
common  with  Canning's  candid  man.  White  to 
it  is  very  white,  and  black  is  of  the  blackest.  The 
virtuous  are  apt  to  lack  imagination.  London  is  a  very 
Penelope  of  virtue,  and  so,  perfectly  sincere  in  its  de- 
nunciation of  those  who  dissent  from  its  conclusions, 
it  cannot  imagine  how  there  can  be  honest  difference  of 
opinion  where  virtue  reigns. 

But  it  is  the  lot  of  virtue  to  be  maligned,  and 
London  has  not  escaped  the  iibes  of  the  traducer. 


During  the  past  week  sinners  have  been  saying  that 
"  the  methods  of  Tammany  Hall"  are  not  quite  unknown 
to  the  shareholders  of  London,  and  that  though  "  the 
Labour  men  could  not  be  got  at,"  some  of  the  proprietors 
of  London  are  more  accessible.  The  Council,  it  seems, 
issue  a  large  number  of  advertisements,  and,  to  quote 
from  the  Standard,  "pages  upon  pages  of  these  notifica- 
tions have  of  late  been  inserted  in  a  weekly  paper 
called  London."  Well,  why  not  1  Man,  as  we  know 
from  Holy  Writ,  cannot  live  on  bread  alone,  and  few 
weekly  newspapers  could  pay  their  printer's  bills  if  in 
their  columns  advertisements  were  only  conspicuous  by 
their  absence.  Still,  to  the  mundane  mind  it  would 
seem  that  County  Council  advertisements  should  go 
into  the  papers  best  fitted  to  make  them  known  to  the 
people  concerned.  Now  it  is  said  that  London  does  not 
meet  this  necessary  condition.  To  quote  once  more  from 
the  Standard — slowest  of  journals  to  indulge  in  exag- 
geration— "  the  paper  in  question  was  singularly  ill- 
adapted  for  the  service  imposed  upon  it.  It  is  a 
'  Local  Government,'  not  a  local,  paper.  ...  If  any 
given  district  be  taken,  the  number  of  its  readers 
would  be  trifling  as  compared  with  those  who 
consulted  the  strictly  local  papers.  Yet  it  has  been 
allowed  a  monopoly  in  respect  of  notifications  which  are 
of  distinctly  local  interest."  The  Editor  of  London 
replies  that  tenders  were  invited,  and  that  the  tender 
of  London  was  the  lowest.  The  local  men  deny  that 
they  had  the  opportunity  of  tendering.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  ought  the  lowness  of  the  tender  to  be  the  one  con- 
sideration ?  Hardly.  Usually  it  is  not  the  best  papers 
that  send  in  the  lowest  tenders.  The  Council's  adver- 
tisements should  appear  in  those  papers  where  they 
are  most  likely  to  be  seen  by  the  persons  con- 
cerned, and  these  would  seem  to  be  the  leading  local 
papers. 

London  is  not  to  be  blamed  for  getting  these  ofhcial 
advertisements.  To  borrow  its  own  words,  "  it  would 
be  cant,  hypocrisy,  and  humbug  "  to  blame  it  for  doing 
what  every  newspaper  proprietor  does,  and  must  do,  if 
his  paper  is  to  live — -that  is,  to  use  what  influence  he 
may  have  to  get  advertisements.  But  it  behoves 
the  Progressive,  the  Puritan  Progressive,  the  Radical 
Puritan  Progressive  shareholder  of  London,  to  be 
doubly  careful,  and  the  gentlemen  I  have  named  have 
been  very  careless.  The  chairman  of  the  Advertisement 
Committee  of  the  Council,  Mr.  McKinnon-Wood,  is  the 
largest  shareholder  in  London,  and  those  who  do  not 
construe  purity  quite  in  the  same  way  as  Mr.  Percy 
Bunting  are  talking  about  scandalous  jobbery.  Of 
course  there  is  nothing  in  it.  It  is  very  absurd 
to  suppose  that  Mr.  Bunting,  who  may  have  put 
a  couple  of  hundreds  into  London,  or  Sir  John  Hutton, 
who  has  some  ten  shares,  or  Mr.  Massingham,  who  has 
only  the  holding  necessary  to  qualify  for  a  seat  on  the 
Board,  would  sanction,  much  less  suggest,  jobbery  that 
under  no  conceivable  circumstances  could  put  more  than 
a  few  sovereigns  into  his  pockets,  whilst  sooner  or  later 
it  must  be  exposed.  It  is  the  merest  justice  to  assume, 
anyway  until  there  is  something  more  than  mere  asser- 
tion to  go  upon,  that  these  gentlemen  are  blameless  in 
the  matter,  but  the  annoyance  they  must  suffer  from 
this  advertisement  scandal,  as  their  opponents  are  call- 
ing it,  may  be  of  use  to  them  if  it  serves  to  quicken 
sluggish  imagination — if  it  helps  them  to  see  that  men 
may  differ  from  them  without  being  admirers  of  "  the 
methods  of  Tammany  Hall,"  or  wanting  to  tamper 
with  "  the  purity  of  our  public  life."  It  would  not  be 
more  unjust  to  say  that  Mr.  Percy  Bunting,  or  Sir  John 
Hutton,  is  corrupt  because  the  manager  of  a  newspaper 
in  which  they  are  interested  pecuniarily  to  a  trifling 
extent — a  connection  due  entirely  to  the  wish  to  help  a 
policy  they  believe  to  be  best  for  the  country — has  got 
some  advertisements  that  should  have  gone  elsewhere, 
than  to  say,  as  London  has  said,  that  men  who  condemn 
the  action  of  the  County  Council  in  certain  matters  are 
moved  by  nothing  higher  than  "  cant,  hypocrisy  and 
humbug." 


14 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1894. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


SOME   QUESTIONS    FOR    SIR    EDWARD  J.  REED, 
K.C.B.,  F.R.S.  M.P 

A  I'D  THE 

HONOURABLE    SIR     CHARLES     TUPPER,  BART., 
G.C.M.G.,  OB. 

Ox  October  24th,  Messrs.  Miller,  Macdonald,  and  Co.  sent 
us  a  copy  of  the  prospectus  of  the  Argus  Assurance  Company, 
Limited,  with  the  request  that  we  would  "  favourably  notice  " 
it.  And,  with  a  though tfulness  we  hereby  acknowledge,  Messrs. 
Miller,  Macdonald,  and  Co.  enclosed  with  this  request  the  notice 
they  wished  us  to  insert,  so  that  we  might  be  saved  the  trouble 
of  examining  the  prospectus.  As  many  of  our  contemporaries 
have  published  this  notice,  we  must  assume  that  a  similar  letter 
and  enclosure  were  sent  to  other  newspapers ;  those  sent  to  us 
found  resting-room  in  the  waste-paper  basket. 

We  have,  however,  had  sundry  inquiries  from  correspondents 
respecting  this  company,  and  one  of  them  has  sent  us 
with  the  prospectus  a  letter  he  has  received  from  Mr.  T. 
Hay  ward  Jones,  the  secretary  of  the  company,  which  satisfie  s 
us  that  we  shall  be  doing  the  public  service  by  making  some 
observations  upon  the  methods  that  commend  themselves  to  the 
promoters  of  the  Argus  Assurance  Company,  Limited. 

The  letter  in  question  is  dated  October  23rd,  1894.  Its  first 
paragraph,  addressed,  be  it  remembered,  to  a  stranger,  is  as 
foilows  :— 

"  Previous  to  registration,  and  under  the  name  of  the  '  National 
Alliance  Assurance  Company,' I  had  the  honour,  by  special  request,  of 
offering  for  your  acceptance  a  seat  on  the  directorate,  which  you  were 
unable  to  accept." 

Our  correspondent  assures  us  that  he  never  specially  re- 
quested, or  in  any  way  requested,  a  seat  upon  the  Board  of  the 
"  National  Alliance  Assurance  Company,"  a  concern  of  which  he 
had  never  heard.  The  letter  goes  on  to  say  that  the  secretary, 
"  in  asking  the  favour  of  the  perusal  of  the  enclosed  prospectus," 
has  "  the  utmost  confidence  in  recommending  this  investment 
for  your  favourable  support  on  the  following  grounds."  Note 
the  "  grounds,"  which  we  summarise  : — 

1.  Because  "assurance  shaves  are  the  least  speculative  and  most 
remunerative  of  all  investments." 

Because  "  within  the  past  few  years  the  number  of  fire  insurance 
offices  has  been  considerably  reduced,  and  the  facilities  for  placing 
s-ssaranees  at  present  are  consequently  so  restricted  that  a  large 
numbei  of  insurers  are  compelled  to  seek  foreign  protection." 

Z.  Because  "  the  increase  in  fire  insurance  rates,  now  in  force, 
amounting  in  many  cases  from  50  to  200  per  cent.,  without  any  increase 
i)i  risk,  compels  men  of  business  to  seek  a  channel  for  insurances  upon 
i-:ss  extravagant  terms." 

4.  Because  "  when  the  new  Employers'  Liability  Bill  comes  into  force 
it  is  estimated  to  create  new  insurers,  yielding  annual  premiums  of  six 
millions  sterling." 

The  italics  are  those  of  the  letter.  We  will  not  insult  the 
intelligence  of  our  readers  by  commenting  upon  the  "  grounds  " 
given  by  Mr.  T.  Hayward  Jones,  presumably  at  the  instance  of 
the  Board,  for  the  assertion  that  the  shares  of  the  Argus 
Assurance  Company,  Limited,  will  be  a  profitable  investment; 
What  we  wish  to  direct  attention  to  is  the  fact  Sir  Edward 
J.  Reed  and  Sir  Charles  Tupper  figure  as  directors. 

Now  Sir  Edward  Reed's  name  is  no  longer  the  name  to  conjuie 
with  it  once  was.  A  somewhat  painful  experience  has  taught 
the  investing  public  that  this  gentleman  is  unlucky  in  his  re- 
ports— perfectly  honest,  nodoubt,  but  over-sanguine — as  when,  to 
be  content  with  a  single  illustration,  lie  thought  the  Hopcraft  Fur- 
nace patent  worth  £150,000.  Still,  memories  are  short,  and  Sir 
Edward  Reed's  presence  on  a  Board  may  be  assumed,  even  now, 
to  influence  subscriptions.  As  for  Sir  Charles  Tupper,  he  is  High 
Commissioner  for  the  Dominion,  a  man  high  in  the  estimation  of 
successive  Governments,  and  his  presence  upon  a  Board  can 
hardly  fail  to  greatly  influence  investors.  We  put  it  then  to 
both  these  gentlemen,  Do  they  think  it  right  to  lend  their  names 
and  influence  to  a  company  like  the  Argus  Assurance  Company, 
Limited  ?  Do  they  think  it  honest  to  ask  the  public  to  sub- 
scribe for  shares  in  this  company  upon  the  grounds  we  have 
quoted,  as  given  by  their  Secretary?  If  not — and  we  cannot 
suppose  their  answer  will  be  other  than  in  the  negative— we  look 
to  them  to  disavow  the  letter,  and  to  retire  from  the  Board  forth- 
with.: 

MR.   JABEZ    BALFOUR:    THE   SANDS    HAVE  RUN 
DOWN. 

In  our  issue  of  June  2nd  we  wrote,  "  The  funds  Mis? 
Freeman  took  to  Argentina  were  sufficient  to  bring  about  Mr 


Balfour's  release  from  prison  ;  they  are  not  sufficient  to  prevent 
his  ultimate  surrender  to  the  British  Government."  Now  we 
have  the  news  that  the  Supreme  Court  has  decided  against  his 
appeal,  and  that  within  a  fortnight  an  outgoing  steamer  for 
England  will  have  him,  with  Inspector  Troubridge,  on  board.  So 
far,  good.  A  man  who  has  worked  much  evil,  it  is  well 
that  Mr.  Balfour  should  be  brought  back  and  placed  upon  his 
trial.  But  even  Jabez  Balfour  has  a  right  to  a  fair  trial, 
and  how  is  he  to  get  it  if  he  is  to  be  tried  by  judge 
and  jury?  At  worst,  he  is  not  a  bigger,  or  a  more  nauseous  rogue 
than  others  who  have  gone  before  him — than  some  who  still  sit 
in  the  high  seats  of  the  Synagogue.  But  never  in  our  time  was 
a  man  so  generally  judged  and  condemned  beforehand.  We  do 
not  believe  that  it  would  be  possible  to  empanel  a  jury  in  any 
part  of  the  country  to  try  him  whose  members  would  come  to 
the  work  with  open  minds.  Under  these  circumstances,  and  if 
he  cares  to  have  it,  Mr,  Balfour  should  be  tried  by  a  Commission 
of  Judges. 

One  word  more.  '  It  would  be  scandalous  if  Jabez  Balfour 
stood  in  the  dock  alone.  If  he  is  guilty  of  misfeasance,  it  is 
the  veriest  folly  to  maintain  that  he  alone  fs  guilty,  is  deserving 
of  punishment.  Some  of  his  colleagues  must  have  been  his 
accomplices,  and  though  he  may  have  been  the  arch  rogue,  they 
were  not  mere  dupes.  They,  too,  were  rogues,  and  must  bear 
with  him  the  consequences  of  their  roguery.  We  have  reason  to 
believe  that  this  is  the  view  of  the  matter  taken  by  the  Law 
Officers  of  the  Crown,  and  to  be  acted  upon. 

THE  LONDON  AND  SCOTTISH  BANKING  AND 
DISCOUNT  CORPORATION,  LIMITED. 

In  our  issue  of  June  2nd  we  directed  attention  to  a  circulai 
issued  by  Messrs.  J.  Lloyd,  Morgan,  and  Co. ,  who  described 
themselves  as  stock  and  share  dealers,  of  4,  Copthall  Chambers, 
Throgmorton  Street,  in  which  they  recommended  the  public  to 
buy  the  deferred  shares  of  the  London  and  Scottish  Banking 
Corporation  at  £11  each,  and  supported  this  advice  by  the  state- 
ment that  "  the  deferred  shares  will  be  entitled  to  a  very  large 
dividend  at  the  end  of  the  financial  year,  with  the  almost  cer- 
tainty of  receiving  very  much  more  next  year."  We  asked  the 
directors  if  that  statement  was  made  with  their  knowledge,  and 
if  the  corporation's  financial  year  did  not  close  on  March  31st. 
In  our  issue  of  June  16th  we  made  further  reference  to  the 
matter,  and  again  asked  when  the  balance-sheet  was  to  be  pub- 
lished. Five  months  have  passed  since  then,  and  the  balance- 
sheet  has  still  to  be  issued. 

We  understand  that  several  of  the  directors  have  retired, 
and  that  the  only  member  of  the  original  Board  who  remains 
is  Mr.  Carruthers-Wain.  Perhaps  that  gentleman  will  tell  us 
why  no  report  has  yet  been  issued,  when  it  will  be  issued,  and 
why  trustees  and  directors  have  resigned.  There  are  ugly  rumours 
about  the  management  and  position  of  the  London  and  Scottish 
Banking  and  Discount  Corporation,  Limited. 

THE  "FRODSHAM"  WATCH  COMPANY,  LIMITED. 

A  correspondent  has  sent  us  a  copy  of  the  prospectus  of  this 
concern,  "  a  sound,  industrial  investment"  as  it  calls  itself.  It 
would  be  hard  to  beat  in  the  way  of  impudence.  The  capital  is 
£25,000,  and  £15,000  of  it  is  to  go  to  the  vendor,  who  sells  to  the 
company  "the  sole  and  exclusive  right  to  trade  in  the  name  of 
Frodsham."  This  vendor,  who  is  also  the  promoter  of  the  com- 
pany, is  the  manager  of  the  manufacturing  department  of  G.  E. 
Frodsham  and  Co.,  of  31,  Gracechurch  Street,  and  the  pro- 
spectus informs  us  that  "  the  vendor  has  granted  a  license,  on 
terms,  to  the  firm  of  G.  E.  Frodsham  and  Co.,  of  31,  Gracechurch 
Street,  London,  of  the  inclusive  right  to  sell  by  retail  only  these 
Frodsham  watches  within  five  miles  of  the  Royal  Exchange." 
But  how  comes  it  that  G.  E.  Frodsham  and  Co.  want  a  license 
to  sell  their  own  watches  ? 

Two  of  the  three  directors  hail  from  31,  Gracechurch  Street, 
and  the  third  is  described  as  "a  manufacturing  goldsmith,  of 
29,  Wilmington  Square."  There  is  not  a  word  as  to  the  profits 
made  by  the  Frodshams  in  the  past  from  the  sale  of  their 
watches,  nothing  to  give  us  any  idea  of  the  value  of  the  good- 
will. We  are  indeed  told  that  the  company's  business  is  "of 
the  soundest  industrial  nature,"  and  assured  of  "  the  practical 
certainty  of  profits,"  and  these  profits,  it  seems,  are  to  be  mainly 
derivable  from  "the  sale  to  retail  watchmakers  of  the  license  to 
sell  these  Frodsham  watches  over  specified  areas."  If,  as  tho 
prospectus  sapicntly  observes,  "  £10,  or  even  £5,  a  year  be 
charged  for  the  license  to  sell  this  Frodsham  watch,  the  result 
will  be  an  annual  income  amounting  to  a  very  large  percentage 


JSToVEMiJES 


TO-DAY. 


15 


of  the  company's   capital " — if  only  retail  watchmakers  are 
willing  to  take  up  this  license.    But  why  should  they  2 
The  Frodshams  had  a  good  business — once. 

SIR  MALCOLM  FRASER,   K.C  M.G. 

We  understand  that  Sir  Malcolm  Fraser's  term  of  office  as 
Agent-General  for  Western  Australia  will  notbecontiuued  beyond 
April  next,  and  after  the  statements  made  in  Court  last  week, 
his  Government  might  be  better  pleased  if  he  resigned  at  once. 
Sir  Malcolm  Fraser  agreed  to  join  the  Board  of  the  Western 
Australian  Proprietary  Company,  and  then  wanted  to  "  cry  off." 
That  would  have  been  an  intelligible  course  to  take  if  it  had  been 
due  to  an  intimation  from  his  Government  that  they  did  not 
wish  their  agent-general  to  lend  his  name  to  a  speculative  enter- 
prise of  the  kind.  But  it  is  said  that  there  was  no  such  inter- 
ference by  his  Government,  and  that  Sir  Malcolm  Fraser  simply 
wished  to  join  another  Board.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  various 
Colonial  Governments  would  do  well  to  follow  the  practice  of 
the  Mother  Country,  which  prevents  a  man  in  office  from  joining 
the  Boards  of  speculative  companies.  An  agent-general  cannot 
join  the  Board  of  a  company  formed  to  operate  in  the  colony  he 
represents  without  leading  people  to  believe  that  since  he  is 
connected  with  it  the  company  must  be  a  sound  one.  That  by 
no  means  necessarily  follows  when  the  company  is  a  mining 
company,  and  anyway,  agents-general,  like  Cabinet  Ministers, 
should  steer  clear  of  directorships. 

THOMAS  DANIEL  AND  CO.,  LIMITED. 

A  motion  that  was  before  Mr.  Justice  Williams  on  Thursday 
for  an  order  for  the  sale  of  the  property  of  this  company,  recalls 
the  collapse  of  a  firm  that  was  amongst  the  foremost  for  three 
quarters  of  a  century.  The  founder  of  the  house  was  a  cabin 
boy,  serving  in  a  sugar  ship  trading  between  Bristol  and 
Barbadoes,  and  he  lived  to  be  a  wealthy  merchant.  His  son  and 
grandson  developed  the  business,  until  the  Daniels  owned  more 
West  Indian  Estates  than  anyone  else,  and  shipped  from 
Barbadoes  alone  from  25,000  to  30,000  tons  of  sugar  yearly,  and 
made  a  profit  of  at  least  £1  in  [freight  alone — charging  £3,  and 
often  chartering  at  30s.  and  under — upon  every  ton  they  shipped. 
But  times  changed,  death  led  to  the  withdrawal  of  capital, 
prices  fell,  American  competition  played  its  part,  and  the  old 
firm,  with  cash  gone  and  credit  tottering,  was  turned  into  a  com- 
pany, and  soon  afterwards  went  into  liquidation.  It  is  a  sad 
ending  to  a  great  commercial  career. 


ANSWERS   TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 

Respectable  Brokers.  H.  C.  (Stratford).— 1.  We  know  nothing 
against  them.  2.  We  cannot  recommend  purchase  of  the  shares  in  ques- 
tion, even  at  their  present  low  price.  The  management  arrangements  are 
anything  but  satisfactory.  New  Oriental  Bank  A.  T.  S.-We  will 
see  the  liquidator.  Stock  and  Share  Dealers.  Maks  (Buttevant).— 
You  had  better  go  to  amember  of  "  the  House."  Collins'  Paper  Mill 
Company,  Limited.  Constant  Reader  (Blackburn).— We  have  no 
information  respecting  it.  Turkish  Loans.  Segina  (Dublin).— Under  the 
circumstances  you  name  A  would  be  entitled  to  the  bonds.  Artizans', 
Labourers'  and  General  Dwellings  Company.  Gibbs  (Hol- 
born).— Safe  enough,  but  the  return  would  be  very  small.  Broken 
Hill  Proprietary  Mine.  O.  R.  (Glasgow).— The  shares  were  originally 
of  £2  each,  but  each  share  was  sub-divided  in  February,  1890,  into  five  shares 
of  8s.,  and  so  remain.  The  price  as  we  write  is  about  61s.  The  mine  is 
one  of  the  wonders  of  the  mining  world  ;  but  we  advise  you  not  to  buy  just 
now.  Victoria  Government  Stock.  W.  L.  B.  (London).— We  are 
glad  to  know  that  you  have  found  it  to  your  advantage  to  act  upon  our 
advice.  St.  Helens  Tramway  Company.  C.  B.  (Blackburn).— We 
should  prefer  another  selection.  Deep  Level  Gold  Fields.  Fairy 
(Paris).— Certainly  not.  Sidney  Pneumatic  Tyre  Company. 
P.  V.  J.  (Eccles). — We  fear  there  has  been  over  long  delay.  Oriental 
Leatherette  Company.  Zadot  (Ealing).— We  will  see  if  we  can  get 
the  information  for  you.  London  Provident  Building  Society. 
Simpleton.— If  you  can  do  so,  yes.  The  Stamp  Distribution 
Company.  H.  E.  (Birmingham). — You  may  well  substitute  "  conviction" 
for  "  impression."  The  shares  are  unsaleable.  Buenos  Ayres  Great 
Southern  Railway  Stock.  C.  D.  (Manchester).— Better  hold.  It  is 
quite  possible  that  by-and-hye  the  quotation  may  get  up  again  to  the 
figures  you  give.  Howard  and  Bullough's.  K.  G.  (Keighley). — You 
would  be  paying  quite  enough.  G.  H.  Hammond  and  Co.  Constant 
Reader  (Liverpool).  —  We  have  but  little  faitli  in  the  future  of  the 
company.  Universal  Stock  Exchange.  W.  W.  G.  (Torquay).— It  is 
not  an  "  A  "  stock,  and  sums  as  small  as  £5  are  accepted.  J.  T.  J.  (Whit- 
church). Yes.  N.  McL.  (Edinburgh).  We  have  no  information  as  to  the 
mining  shares  referred  to.  The  United  Kingdom  Colonial  and 
Foreign  General  Accountancy  Offices.  J.  H.  (Bristol).— We 
have  no  information  respecting  tiiis  agency.  Will  any  of  our  readers 
who  have  had  dealings  with  it  communicate  with  us? 

INSURANCE. 

Westminster  and  Lancashire  Life  Offices.  F.  W.  S.  (Padding- 
ton).— Both  offices  are  sound.  The  former  is  somewhat  antiquated  ;  the 
latter  more  go-a-head.  Royal  Insurance  Company.  Yorkshireman 
(Hull).— 1.  This  is  a  splendid  life  office.  2.  There  is  nothing  in  the  system 
that  makes  it  better  than  whole  life  payments,  except  personal  convenience 
in  the  case  of  some  persons.  3.  We  can.  Sun  Life  Of  India.  B.  E. 
(Sheffield).—  This  is  a  sound  accident  conipany.  Standard  Lite  Office. 
Templeton. — 1.  It  is  one  of  the  good  ones.  2.  Four  offices  publish  such 
information.    We  recommend  you  to  write  to  the  company  on  t  he  question. 


Co  operative  Assurance  Company.  Sconthorpe  (Sconthorpe). — 
Quite  sound.  Give  the  company  a  turn.  Mortgage  Insurance  Com- 
pany. Constant  Reader  (Liverpool).— There  is  no  quotation  for  these 
shares.  Argus  Insurance  Company.  E.  H.  (Brockley).— Yes,  we 
understand  that  the  gentleman  who  is  to  be  manager  of  the  concern  was 
manager  of  the  Economic  Fire,  of  unhappy  memory.  Having  regard  to  the 
formation  of  the  Argus— about  which  we  have  something  to  say  in  another 
column— it  may  be  useful  to  give  some  facts  about  the  Economic.  Started 
in  1886,  it  received— 

In  Premiums      ..      ..      ...  £767,975 

Interest    ..  14,386 

Sundries    ..      ..      ..      ..  50 

  £782,411 

On  the  other  side  it  showed  : — 

Losses   £514,166 

Expenses   288,218 

Sundries   998 

■  £803,38S 

Loss  to  the  end  of  year,  1892  £20,971 
The  accounts) pf  1893  were  not  issued,  but  the  loss  was  increased,  for  the 
company  went  into  liquidation.   The  paid-up  capital  was  £89,370  and  a 
call. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED, 


Cockspur   Street,  London. 


1 


N VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL,  and 


J^ESERVE  FUND  OVER  £330,000. 
JIOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
gEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
jyjARKET  REPORT. 
klTR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


()' 
T 


1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


OECURITIES   PAYING    from   THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
O      HALF  PER  CENT. 
it  JJ°V/  T0  OPERATE 


gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS. 


ITVVENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 


s 


ENT  POST  FREE. 


T 


THE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART   I. — STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  a.re  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
The  Fortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobber's'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.- HOW  TO  OPERATE 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
'"A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1893  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can   Country    Residents  Operate 

Successfully  ? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  al) 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


gETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contaugoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


STANLEY  J.  WEYMAN'S  NEW  STORY, 


a 


THE  RED  COCKADE 


A  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced  in  the 
New  Year's  Number  (January  5,  1895)  of 

"  TO-DAY." 


16 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1894. 


DRURY  LANE   THEATRE   ROYAL. -SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.    EVERY  EVENING,  at  7.30,  a  New 
and  Original  Sporting  and  Spectacular  Drama,  entitled, 

THE  DERBY  WINNER. 
(Full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers).   MATINEE  every  SATURDAY  at 
1.30.   Box  Office  open  10  to  6. 

PALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 

THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.45.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 

MOORE  AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 

A  HALL,  PICCADILLY. 

An  Entire  Change  of  Programme.    The  place  to  bring  your  Wives 
and  Children. 
NEW  TABLEAUX  by  G.  R.  Sims  and  Ivan  Caryll. 
An  entirely  New  First  Part,  consisting  of  New  Ballads  and  Sentimental 
Songs,  by  the  Elite  of  the  Troupe. 
An  entirely  New  Second  Part,  New  Comic  Songs  and  Sketches. 
This  part  of  the  Programme  has  been  specially  augmented  by  adding  a 
screamingly  funny  Farce,  characters  by  the  most  laughable 
of  Comedians. 

Every  Evening  at  8.  MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY  and  SATURDAY  AFTER- 
NOONS at  2.30.   Prices  5s.,  3s.,  2s.,  and  Is.— Farini,  Manager. 

ROYAL  AQUARIUM. — Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Artistic  Poster 

Exhibition.  Wet  or  Fine,  THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MAR- 
VELLOUS VARIETY  PERFORMANCES,  2  and  7  GREAT  BULL  DOC 

SHOW,  November  13, 14  and  15. 


DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Cure  Headache  and  Sickness. 

Cure  Indigestion. 

Cure  Flatulence  and  Heartburn. 

DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Strengthen  the  Whole  System. 
Induce  Cheerfulness 
Invaluable  as  a  Family  Medicine. 

DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Cure  Loss  of  Appetite. 

Cure  all  Disorders  of  the  Blood. 

Cure  Lassitude  and  Nervousness. 

DR. 

are  wrapp 
W.  LAMB 

SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ed  in  a  square  green  package  bearing  the  name  of  the  Proprietor, 
ERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  London,  or  by  post  for  14  or  34  stamps. 

NOTICE   TO  CONTRIBUTORS. 

The  Editor  begs  to  inform  Contributors 
that  he  has  sufficient  Serials,  Short  Stories, 
and  Poems  to  last  for  at  least  Two  Years. 
All  unsolicited  MS.S.  will,  therefore,  be 
returned  unread. 


The  GREAT   EASTERN  HOTEL, 

LIVERPOOL  STREET,  E.C. 

Centrally  Situated.   Electric  Light  Throughout.  Moderate  Charges. 

RESTAURANT  adjoining  HOTEL  fop  MID-DAY 
LUNCHEONS  and  PUBLIC  DINNERS. 

H.  C.  AMENDT,  Manager. 


UNION 


South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHON  ALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON  ever;/  SATURDAY. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  callatLISBONandTEXERIFE. 
Union  Line  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Tree  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends. 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton  ;   14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 

SPECIAL  OFFER  to  SUBSCRIBER^ 

For  Eleven  Shillings  any  of  our  readers  may  procure  the  following :  

"  To-Day,"  post  free  from  this  office  for  One  Year. 
Any  Book  chosen  from  a  list,  which  will  be  sent  post  free  to  any 
address. 

An  Insurance  Policy  for  One  Tear,  insuring  the  subscriber  in 

sums  of  £1,000,  £500,  and  £250,  against  Train,  Steamboat,  Omnibus, 

and  Tramcar  Accidents. 
Legal  Advice,  by  letter,  from  our  own  Solicitors  on  any  ordinary 

matter  not  involving  the  perusal  of  long  deeds  and  documents. 

Stamped  directed  envelope  must  be  enclosed  with  all  enquiries, 

which  should  be  addressed,  Solicitors,  "  To-Day  "  Office,  Howard 

House,  Arundel  Street,  W.C. 
No  other  paper  in  the  world  has  ever  offered  such  advantages  to  its 

subscribers. 

Any  Subscriber  may  have  the  foregoing  insurance  made  world-wide 
(excluding  the  United  States)  on  payment  of  an  additional  shilling. 


EXTENSION  OF  INSURANCE  FOR  ANNUAL  SUBSCRIBERS. 

In  most  railway  accidents,  the  number  of  people  who  are  disabled  for 
work  for  a  period,  by  a  shock  to  the  system  or  by  a  slight  injury,  is  far 
greater  than  the  number  of  those  losing  life  or  limb.  To  meet  such  cases 
we  have  arranged  that  th6  Ocean  Accident  and  Guarantee  Corporation, 
Limited,  shall  make  a  Weekly  Allowance  of  Five  Founds,  for  a 
period  not  exceeding  ten  weeks,  to  any  annual  subscriber  so  temporarily 
incapacitated  from  work,  by  any  accident  to  the  train  in  which  he  shall 
have  been  travelling.  The  advantage  of  such  an  addition  to  the  insurance 
is  shown  by  recent  accidents,  in  which  numbers  of  people  have  received 
shocks  and  slight  injuries,  which  would  have  entitled  them,  in  nearly  all 
cases,  to  the  foregoing  compensation.  This  addition  to  our  annual  insurance 
can  only  he  allowed  to  subscribers  forwarding  an  extra  half-crown. 


MORGAN  £  CO..  L 


JO  100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 13, 
!zi!l5A,128,  AND  129,  LONG  ACRE, 
AND  10,  OLD  BOND  STREET. 


45  GOLD  MEDALS, 

9  HIGHEST  AWABDS, 
Chicago  Exhibition,  1893. 

MORGAN&CoTsTSpecialities 

All  Carriages  Guaranteed  for  Five 
Years. 


LONDON. 


PATENT  CEE  SPRING  LANDAU. 

Built  in  four  sizes. 


MORGAN  &  CO.  desire  to  call  atten 
tion  to  their  New  and  Exclusive  Designs  in 
Broughams  for  Season  1894.  Drawings  and 
Particulars  Free.   An  inspection  invited. 


PATENT  CEE  SPRING  BROUGHAIT. 

Built  to  suit  one  or  a  pair  of  horseF. 


NORTH'S  TYPE-WPITER. 

Special   Features  .—Visible    Writing,   Brief  Carriage,    Universal  Keyboard, 
Perfect  Alignment,  an  English  Invention. 

The  "  NORTH'S  "  has  just  received  the  Diploma  of  Honour  (Highest 
Award)  at  the  Antwerp  Universal  Exhibition. 


-^.^,..1.^  


For  all  Particulars  apply 

NORTH'S  TYPEWRITER  MANUFACTURING  CO.,  LIMITED, 

53,  QUEEN  VICTORIA  STREET,  LONDON,  E.O 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


17 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

The  Missing  Pullman  Car.   By  W.  L.  Alden   1 

A  Breaking  of  Bonds.    Bv  Hilda  Johnson.   Illustrated  by  W. 

Dewar   5 

The  Love  Unknown   .-•  6 

A  Chat  with  Mr.  Frank  Richards   7 

From  Many  Minds    8 

De  Omnibus.   By  the  Conductor    9 

Conan  Doyle's  New  Book   10 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    n 

Feminine  Affairs   12 

County  Councillors  "on  the  Make"    13 

In  the  City    14 

To-Day.   By  J.  K.  J   17 

Randolph's  Letter   21 

A  Plea  for  Literary  Freedom.   By  Hall  Caine    22 

Club  Chatter   23 

Clarence.   By  Bret  Hartf.   Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman   25 

Another  of  Mrs.  Grundy's  Mistakes    23 

Give  and  Take.   By  H.  F.  Gethen   29 

The  Position  of  Ephesus    By  Barry  Pain    30 

The  Master.  By  I.  Zangwill    30 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


If  the  Conservatives  be  wise,  and  the  question  of  the 
ending  or  the  mending  of  the  House  of  Lords  be  not 
entirely  forgotten  in  the  course  of  the  next  week  or 
two,  about  which  there  seems  to  be  extreme  danger, 
they  will  seize  the  opportunity  to  propound  a  scheme  of 
reform  that,  while  strongly  appealing  to  the  popular 
imagination,  will  strengthen  the  House  of  Lords 
considerably.  We  want  a  powerful  second  Chamber — a 
second  Chamber  representative  of  all  that  is  thoughtful, 
consistent  and  stable  in  the  nation — a  second  Chamber 
that  is  not  swayed  by  the  passing  passions  of  the 
moment,  or  by  the  fickle  affections  of  the  mob — a 
Chamber  that  will  represent  the  deeper  feelings  and 
more  lasting  ambitions  of  the  nation.  This  can  never 
be  provided  by  a  purely  hereditary  body.  It  needs  to 
be  recruited  systematically  from  men  of  character  and 
intellect.  It  should  be  representative  of  all  classes.  Its 
nucleus  might  still  consist  of  the  peerage,  but  the 
wisdom,  knowledge  and  patriotism  of  the  country 
should  be  made  to  flow  steadily  into  it.  Commerce, 
education,  art  and  labour  should  find  places  upon  its 
benches,  and  at  regular  intervals  fresh  blood  should  be 
added  to  it,  and  the  old  and  worn  drawn  away. 

The  utter  impossibility  of  rooting  out  original  sin  from 
human  nature  is  very  appropriately  exemplified  in  the 
recent  raid  of  the  police  on  the  gambling  clubs  of  Aber- 
deen. Our  Chief  Commissioner,  Sir  Edward  Bradford, 
is  so  busy  stamping  out  gambling  from  the  city  of  London 
that  he  is  compelled  to  tell  me  that  he  must  decline  to 
interfere  in  a  case  of  suspected  murder,  and  the  Anti- 
Gambling  League  are  going  to  abolish  betting  from  New- 
market Heath.  And  meanwhile,  in  one  of  the  most 
select  haunts  of  the  unco'  guid,  in  the  very  centre  of 
Presbyterian  Scotland,  lo  and  behold  !  we  find  worthy 
citizens  and  public  officials  gambling  with  wicked  cards  in 
sixty-three  clubs.  It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  another 
generation  will  sit  with  its  wives  and  mothers  in  the 
Empire  lounge,  while  Exeter  Hall  may  be  the  recognised 
place  of  assignation  for  the  exchange  and  barter  of 
amateur  affection.  The  public-houses  will  probably  be 
prohibited,  and  the  only  place  where  a  man  can  get  an 


alcoholic  drink  will  be  the  private  committee-rooms  of  the 
United  Temperance  Alliance. 

Some  foolish,  unthinking  person,  Mrs.  Oimiston  Chant, 
I  believe,  likened  the  instinct  towards  wickedness  to  fire 
that  could  be  put  out  by  the  cold  water  of  respectability, 
but,  unfortunately,  the  simile  does  not  hold  good.  I  have 
observed  a  little,  and  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  reading 
history  a  little,  and  I  fear  we  must  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  is  the  fanatical  intolerance  that  is  the  fire.  Every 
now  and  then  it  burns  up  brightly  in  its  endeavour  to 
make  things  warm  for  humanity  generally.  But  it  has 
a  knack  of  dying  out  after  each  burst,  while  the  waters 
of  human  nature  flow  quietly  onwards,  carrying  with  them 
the  ashes  of  its  burnt-out  embers  towards  the  unknown. 
That  the  fire  has  its  purposes  in  the  scheme  of  life  I 
have  no  doubt  ;  nothing  is  allowed  to  exist  that  does 
not  work  towards  some  useful  object.  It  no  doubt  serves 
to  keep  the  temperature  mean,  and  when  it  blazes  too 
fiercely,  and  there  is  danger  of  its  doing  harm,  it  is  quietly 
quenched. 

I  have  received  many  letters  from  readers  of  To-Day 
moved,  by  an  article  I  published  recently,  to  try  their 
fortune  in  the  Channel  Islands.  The  writer  of  that 
article  showed  that  small  patches  of  land  in  those  islands 
may  be  made  to  yield  a  handsome  income,  and  many 
correspondents  ask  me  if  I  advise  them  to  try  their  hand 
there.  It  is  a  difficult  question  to  answer.  If  a  man  has 
a  few  hundreds  at  his  command,  is  a  practical  farmer  or 
horticulturist,  vigorous,  careful,  industrious,  he  would,  I 
have  little  doubt,  get  a  better  return  for  his  money  from 
land  in  the  Channel  Islands  than  at  home.  But  without 
these  qualifications  it  is  useless  for  him  to  go  to  Jersey 
or  Guernsey.  With  them  he  must  bear  in  mind  that 
the  competition  these  islands  have  to  fear  grows  keener 
year  by  year,  and  if  profits  in  a  good  year  are  very  large, 
there  are  lean  years  there  as  elsewhere. 

At  the  Conference  of  Women  Workers  at  Glasgow 
the  other  day  the  terrible  effects  of  an  occasional  glass 
of  beer  upon  an  over-worked  laundry-woman  formed 
the  subject  of  a  good  deal  of  discussion.  A  Miss  W. 
Richardson  told  the  meeting  that  among  poor  women 
intemperance  was  steadily  increasing,  which  does  not 
seem  to  say  very  much  for  the  useful  purpose  served  by 
our  energetic  teetotal  friends,  who  are  always  telling  us 
how  they  have  to  improve  society ;  but  my  chief  interest 
lies  in  the  contradiction  of  some  of  Miss  Richardson's 
statements  by  a  lady  doctor  who  followed.  This  lady 
altogether  pooh-poohed  the  general  theory  among  tee- 
totalers that  vice  was  unknown  in  the  world  before 
bottled  beer  came  into  existence,  and  went  on  to  say 
that  in  an  experience  of  over  fifteen  years'  practice, 
chiefly  among  women,  she  had  found  that  alcohol  was 
the  agency  of  evil  in  not  more  than  one  per  cent.  "  In 
my  medical  experience,"  she  added,  "  I  have  found  that 
more  evil  is  caused  by  the  abuse  of  tea  and  coffee  than 
by  the  abuse  of  alcohol."  This  lady's  speech,  I  notice, 
was  carefully  left  out  of  the  majority  of  the  temperance 
organs. 

As  apptjars  from  an  article  on  another  page,  the  old 
spirit  of  the  Board  of  Works  is  creeping  into  even  our 
immaculate  County  Council.  The  Chairman  of 
the  Advertising  Committee  is  a  large  shareholder 
in  a  paper  called  London,  and  London  is  said  to 
be  receiving  more  of  the  County  Council  advertisements 


18 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1894. 


than  are  quite  its  share.  The  evidence  seems  to  be  ex- 
tremely strong  ;  but  one  must  dismiss  that  from  one's 
mind,  and  endeavour  to  disbelieve  the  facts,  for  it  is  of 
course  quite  impossible  that  this  collection  of  latter-day 
saints  could  possibly  be  tinged  with  any  of  the  original 
sin  that  forms  such  a  large  proportion  of  human  nature 
outside  Spring  Gardens.  Could  I  bring  myself  to  credit 
anything  of  the  kind  against  members  of  the  County 
Council  I  should  candidly  be  glad,  and  should  like  them 
all  the  better.  Their  goodness  oppresses  me  ;  their 
sainted  lives,  I  cannot  help  feeling,  are  a  daily  reproach 
to  myself.  To  find  that  even  one  of  them  had  a  touch 
of  human  nature,  and  was  made  of  common  clay,  would 
be  a  relief  to  my  nerves. 

The  Yorkshire  Post  publishes  a  story  from  which  it 
would  appear  that  a  poor  old  fellow  was  turned  out  of 
the  workhouse  ill  and  decrepit  because  it  was  discovered 
that  he  had  put  by  a  few  pounds  so  that  he  might 
not  be  buried  in  a  pauper's  grave,  but  might  lie  in 
death  in  the  churchyard  beside  his  wife.  Put 
into  literature  by  a  clever  writer,  such  an  incident 
would  come  out  pathetic  enough  to  draw  tears  even 
from  the  eyes  of  a  guardian,  but  in  the  cold  light  of 
reality  it  seems  only  to  have  moved  them  to  anger. 
"  You  have  no  right  here,"  said  the  chairman ;  "  this  is 
not  a  lodging-house.  The  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to 
take  your  discharge."  So  the  old  gentleman  went  out 
into  the  world  again,  even  the  workhouse  door  being 
closed  against  him.  I  am  not  a  sentimentalist,  and  the 
poor-house,  I  know,  is  not  the  place  for  a  man  so  long 
as  he  has  a  pomad  or  two  laid  by  ;  but  most  of  us  would 
live  a  hard  life  if  the  world  were  ruled  by  logic.  There 
is  a  time  to  advocate  the  principles  of  economy,  and 
there  are  times  when  a  man — and  even  a  guardian — 
does  well  to  forget  them. 

A  correspondent  draws  my  attention  to  two  cases 
lately  tried  at  Doncaster  West  Riding  Police-court.  The 
case  was  brought  by  the  police  against  a  publican  and 
two  other  men  ;  the  evidence  broke  down,  and  the  case 
was  dismissed.  But  that  is  not  the  important  point.  The 
serious  part  of  the  matter  is  the  way  the  evidence  was 
obtained  by  the  police.  If  the  defending  counsel's 
statement  be  correct,  then  Superintendent  Blake  deserves 
to  be  kicked  out  of  the  police  force,  and  that  he  should 
continue  in  it  would  be  a  public  scandal.  From  the 
counsel's  statement  it  appears  that  the  police  deliberately 
set  to  work  by  a  mixture  of  bribes  and  threats  to  compel 
a  witness  to  perjure  himself.  According  to  his  own 
account  the  witness,  repenting  at  the  last  moment, 
came  of  his  own  accord  to  the  house  of  the  defending 
counsel  and  cleared  his  conscience  by  telling  the  whole 
truth.  In  ordinary  cases  the  word  of  a  man  who  had 
for  a  few  shillings  and  a  few  threats  given  deliberate 
false  evidence  would  be  of  little  value,  but  one  has  to 
remember  the  immense  power  of  the  police  in  country 
districts,  and  the  opportunities  they  have  of  making  a 
poor  man's  life  dangerous  and  wretched  to  him.  The 
whole  statement  against  the  police  may,  of  course,  be 
false  but  the  Magistrates,  after  hearing  the  case  care- 
fully, decided  upon  it,  and  it  is  grave  enough  to  call  for 
further  attention.  We  do  not  desire  to  see  the  spirit  of 
the  New  Christianity  extending  into  the  police  force. 
In  the  ordinary  affairs  of  civil  life  truth  and  honour  are 
still  necessary. 

The  Manifesto  of  the  now  Czar  sols  at  rcsl  any  dc.ybi 


as  to  his  intention  to  marry  the  Princess  Alix.  Only  a 
few  weeks  ago  this  Princess  was  staying  at  Harrogate, 
unattended  save  by  a  single  lady-in-waiting.  Her  life 
there  was  of  the  simplest,  and  in  curious  contrast  to  the 
popular  notion  of  the  ways  of  the  bride-elect  of  the 
Czarvitch.  The  Princess  went  to  Harrogate  to  drink 
the  waters  for  some  slight  ailment,  and,  wishing  to  avoid 
publicity,  took  a  furnished  house  instead  of  staying  at 
an  hotel.  This  house — selected  by  the  lady-in-waiting, 
who  was  sent  down  to  find  one — is  a  very  unpretentious 
building  close  to  the  main  road,  and  without  even  a 
garden.  The  landlady,  who,  by  the  way,  remained  in 
the  house,  is  the  wife  of  a  small  tradesman,  a  house 
decorator,  blessed  at  the  time  of  house-letting  with  seven 
children  ;  but,  as  the  Princess  objected  to  the  noise  of 
children,  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  be  sent  away. 

As  luck  would  have  it,  however,  on  the  day  of  the 
Princess's  arrival,  the  decorator's  family  was  increased 
by  the  advent  of  twins — a  boy  and  girl.  Instead  of 
being  scared  away,  the  Princess  took  much  interest  in 
these  babies,  and  actually  offered  to  stand  godmother  to 
them.  The  children  were  christened  at  St.  Peter's 
Church,  Princess  Alix  being  present  with  the  other 
sponsors — a  butcher  and  a  draper.  The  children  were 
named  by  the  Princess — the  boy  Nicholas  and  the  girl 
Alix.  After  the  ceremony  the  Princess  shook  hands 
with  the  sponsors,  and  gave  the  boy-child  a  cup  and  the 
girl  a  gold  bangle,  with  monogram  set  in  diamonds, 
whilst  to  the  parents  the  Princess  gave  a  photograph  of 
herself  and  the  Czarvitch,  signed  with  her  own  name. 

The  Princess  became  extremely  popular  at  Harrogate, 
owing  to  her  simple,  unaffected  ways.  Her  favourite 
mode  of  going  about  was  in  one  of  the  bicycle  chairs  so 
much  used  there,  and  in  this  way  she  and  her  lady-in- 
waiting  travelled  many  miles,  visiting  the  numerous 
places  of  interest  in  the  neighbourhood — Plumpton 
Rocks,  Knaresborough,  Ripley  Castle,  Fountains  Abbey. 
Many  hours,  too,  were  spent  on  Harlow  Moors  sketching 
and  painting.  On  one  occasion  the  Princess,  accom- 
panied by  her  sister,  Princess  Louis  of  Battenberg,  with 
her  little  girl,  had  tea  on  the  moors,  Princess  Alix  her- 
self cutting  the  bread  and  butter,  some  of  which  she 
offered  te  the  bicycle  chairmen ;  indeed  she  actually 
waited  on  them,  handing  them  their  tea  and  what  they 
had  to  eat. 

The  ill-bred  curiosity  which  is  such  an  unpleasant 
characteristic  of  a  large  section  of  our  people  must  have 
been  a  source  of  great  annoyance  to  the  Princess  while 
at  Harrogate.   Residents  and  visitors  literally  mobbed 
her  whenever  she  walked  out.    There  was  a  florist's 
shop  not  far  from  her  residence,  somewhere  in  James 
Street,  where  she  was  fond  of  going,  and  it  was  often 
quite  difficult  for  her  to  get  in  and  out  owing  to  the 
people  pressing  round  her.     Men  and  women  would 
wait  about  for  hours  on  the  chance  of  getting  a  glimpse 
of  the  Princess.    To  escape  them  she  would  often  leave 
by  the  back-door,  sending  her  lady-in-waiting  by  the 
front,  that  she  might  be  mistaken,  as  she  often  was,  for 
the  Princess.    After  the  Princess's   departure  from 
Harrogate  her  landlady  was  besieged  by  ladies  calling 
and  bogging  to  have  a  look  at  M  the  Royal  twins."  The 
Princess  is  decidedly  pretty,  with    a   sweet  though 
rather  pensive  expression— Alioit  expression  which  was 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


19 


so  characteristic  of  her  mother,  the  Queen's  favourite 
daughter,  Princess  Alice. 

The  recent  controversy  on  net  prices  for  books,  as 
opposed  to  the  present  discount  system,  seems  to  me  to 
have  taken  much  more  account  of  publishers  and  book- 
sellers than  of  the  public.  From  the  booksellers  there 
come  many  and  diverse  opinions,  as  was  to  be  expected. 
One  could  not  expect  Messrs.  Smith  and  Son  to  supply 
books  on  the  same  terms  as  other  booksellers  ;  the  rapid 
deterioration  of  stock  exposed  on  a  station  stall,  and  the 
price  paid  for  the  privilege,  are  sufficient  reasons  why 
the  two-shilling  novel  at  Messrs.  Smith's  stalls  is  not  to 
be  purchased  for  eighteenpence.  But,  after  all,  it  is  not 
the  bookseller  or  the  publisher,  but  the  public  (whose 
servants  the  booksellers  and  publishers  are)  that  will 
finally  decide  the  question.  And  the  public  is  not 
always  quite  logical.  Even  when  it  knows  that  an 
attraction  is  illusory,  it  is  still  attracted.  So  long  as 
anything  has  the  superficial  appearance  of  a  bargain,  it 
will  always  present  a  stronger  allurement  than  a 
commonplace  commercial  transaction. 

At  the  discount  shop  the  public  is  free  to  imagine 
that  every  time  it  spends  a  shilling  it  saves  threepence. 
It  does  not  really  save  threepence  ;  if  it  argued  the  thing 
out  with  itself,  it  would  see  that  it  did  not  save  three- 
pence ;  but  the  imagination,  the  impression,  is  so  de- 
lightful that  the  public  will  not  like  to  lose  it.  There 
is  no  charm  in  buying  a  four-arid-sixpenny  book  for 
four-and-sixpence ;  but  to  buy  the  same  book,  published 
at  six  shillings,  for  four-and-sixpence  allows  the  pur- 
chaser to  think  that  he  is  doing  a  rather  good  thing. 
He  has  got  something  knocked  off.  Many  men,  and 
more  women,  spend  their  lives  in  trying  to  get  some- 
thing knocked  off.  If  books  were  published  at  net 
prices — prices  that  did  not  admit  of  any  discount — it  is 
possible  that  the  small  shops  in  the  provinces  would  in- 
crease their  stock,  and,  in  consequence,  their  sales.  But 
this  gain  would,  I  think,  be  more  than  made  up  in  the 
large  towns,  where  the  public  has  got  used  to  the  dis. 
count  trade,  and  would  buy  fewer  books  if  deprived  of 
its  twopence  or  threepence  in  the  shilling. 

From  what  the  secretary  of  the  National  Cat  Show 
has  to  tell  us,  I  am  afraid  that  many  men — myself 
amongst  the  number — have  not  done  full  justice  to  that 
animal.  I  know  that  the  cat  was  to  many  women  a 
companion,  that  it  was  on  occasions  a  thief,  that  it  acted 
also  as  an  alarum.  But  I  did  not  know  that  it  was 
medicinal,  but  now  I  hear  that  to  pat  gently  a  cat's 
back  may  "  have  a  beneficial  effect  on  persons  in  bad 
health."  Even  the  Lancet,  while  mildly  and  profes- 
sionally amused  at  the  secretary's  ideas  on  the  subject 
of  electricity,  is  not  prepared,  "in  view  of  all  that  is 
known  of  'suggestion,'  and  the  effects  of  peripheral 
stimulation  on  nervous  centres,"  to  give  this  an  absolute 
denial.  This  should  be  good  news  for  the  cat  world  ; 
hitherto  the  cat  has  been  liable  to  ill-treatment  at  the 
hands  of  youth,  and  to  contempt  from  those  of  riper 
years.  Now  its  day  has  come,  and  it  can  pose  safely  as 
a  benefactor  to  humanity. 

The  courage  of  the  youth  of  London  streets  in  ques- 
tions of  food  and  drink  is  considerable ;  but  no  street 
arab  who  reads  what  Dr.  Klein  has  to  say  on  the  sub- 
ject of  ice  cream  is  likely  to  yield  again  to  the  tempta- 
tions of  the  Italian's  stall.    Dr.  Klein  examined  sundry 


samples  of  ice  cream,  and  of  the  water  in  which  the 
glasses  were  washed.  That  he  found  bacilli  goes  with- 
out saying.  All  scientists  find  bacilli  everywhere  and 
always.  But  when  he  says  of  one  sample  that  it  "  was 
practically  the  same  as  sewage,"  he  is  speaking  language 
that  the  merest  layman  can  understand,  and  leaves  us 
no  ground  to  consider  this  a  faddist's  scare.  Unfortunately 
among  the  people  who  are  not  interested  in  what  the 
analysts  have  to  say  are  the  very  people  who  most  need 
his  words  of  warning  ;  and  until  something  is  done  the 
boy  of  the  streets  will  continue  to  patronise  something 
"the  same  as  sewage." 

Mr.  Eric  Mackay's  verses  have  the  merit  of  prompti- 
tude. He  bewailed  "The  Dead  Tsar  "in  the  Daily 
Chronicle  of  last  Saturday.  Of  late  our  poets  have 
been  singularly  prompt ;  from  the  death  of  the  last 
Poet  Laureate  to  the  birth  of  the  last  Royal  baby  they 
have  never  on  any  important  occasion  kept  the  public 
waiting.  Uncharitable  reasons  have  been  suggested, 
but  there  'is  really  no  necessity  for  them.  On  the  con- 
trary, one  may  welcome  this  display  of  quickness  and 
punctuality  because  it  shows  that  those  who  fail  to 
write  poetry  may  yet  have  business  abilities  which 
would  ensure  their  success  in  some  different  line.  I  see 
that  in  a  note  to  Mr.  Eric  Mackay's  verses  the  editor 
of  the  Daily  Chronicle  refuses  to  hold  himself  re- 
sponsible for  all  the  opinions  of  his  poets.  The  refusal 
is  possibly  wise.  Mr.  Eric  Mackay's  opinions  may  be 
wrong  ;  I  do  not  profess  to  know  anything  about  them, 
but  if  I  were  told  that  they  were  anything  in  par- 
ticular, I  should  probably  believe  it.  And  yet  it  is 
difficult  to  see  how  his  opinions  can  be  any  worse  than 
his  verses  on  the  death  of  the  Tsar. 

Conservatives,  above  all  people,  should  welcome  the 
extension  of  the  allotment  scheme.  Sixty-five  per  cent, 
of  the  inhabitants  of  France  are  landlords,  and  their  prin- 
ciples are  strongly  conservative.  A  man  with  his  little 
freehold  of  four  or  five  acres  into  which  he  puts  the 
labour  of  his  lifetime,  is  not  very  Socialistic  in  his  ideas, 
and  has  no  desire  for  the  upheaval  of  society.  Every 
English  labourer  put  in  possession  of  a  piece  of  land 
Avould  at  once  become  at  heart  a  staunch  Conservative, 
and  an  eager  upholder  of  the  rights  of  landlordism.  It  is 
better  for  a  nation  that  its  land  should  be  divided  anioncr 
as  large  a  proportion  of  its  citizens  as  possible.  The  result 
is  patriotism  of  the  best  kind,  steadiness,  and  thrift. 

I  AM  sending  three  guineas  from  the  Gallantry  Fund 
(and  a  medal  will  follow)  to  James  Rowley,  an  employe 
at  Mr.  Whiteley's,  who  was  instrumental,  a  little  while 
ago,  in  saving  four  lives  at  Sheerness.  Mr.  Rowley  is 
an  expert  swimmer,  but  he  had  to  plunge  into  deep 
water  with  all  his  clothes  on,  and  to  rescue  four 
struggling  people  —  two  lads  and  both  their 
parents- — none  of  whom  could  swim,  and  who 
were  naturally  in  a  state  of  mortal  terror.  The 
fear  was  that  he  would  become  exhausted  before 
he  could  possibly  land  the  whole  of  them,  or  that  they 
in  their  frantic  efforts  would  pull  him  down ;  but  the 
gallant  fellow  seems  never  to  have  thought  of  that,  and 
to  have  stuck  to  his  task  till  everyone  was  safe  on 
shore.  With  regard  to  the  memorial  to  little  John 
Clinton,  the  cemetery  authorities  have  kindly  offered 
to  give  the  ground,  and  the  monument  is  now  in  hand. 
I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  ten  shillings  for  the 
fund  from  Mrs.  Aylmer  Growing. 


20 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1894. 


ANSWERS  TO  ENQUIRERS. 


J.  F.  H.  (Toronto). — It  is  monstrous  that  you  should  be 
charged  ten  or  fifteen  cents  for  To-Day  in  Canada,  and  I  am 
inquiring  into  the  matter.  It  would  certainly  be  cheaper  at 
that  rate  for  our  Canadian  friends  to  subscribe  to  the  paper. 
We  send  it  post  free  from  this  office  for  liis.  6d.  per  annum,  and 
also  give  each  subscriber  the  bonus  of  a  book.    See  last  page. 

J.  F.  W.  (Selby)  sends  me  an  account  of  a  meeting  of  the 
Wesleyan  Young  Women's  Mutual  Improvement  Society.  We 
are  told  that  our  modern  Puritans  are  very  broad-minded  people 
indeed.  Here  is  an  example  of  their  broad-mindedness  and 
sense.  This  delightful  society  discussed  the  subject  of  question- 
able amusements,  and  decided  that  novel-reading,  dancing, 
theatres,  card-playing,  flirting,  and  gossiping  were  all  to  be 
prohibited.  With  regard  to  the  last-named,  I  believe  it 
forms  the  staple  recreation  of  some  religious  circles.  Now,  if 
there  is  any  serious-minded  young  man  on  the  look-out  for  a 
wife,  I  should  say  he  could  not  do  better  than  apply  to  the 
secretary  of  the  Selby  Young  Women's  Mutual  Improvement 
Society. 

E.  H.  writes  me  : — "  Surely  mankind  cannot  go  on  many 
more  centuries  priding  himself  on  his  intellect  and  his  superiority 
and  yet  failing  to  see  that-  it  is  he,  and  he  alone,  amongst  the 
animal  kingdom,  who  is  steeped  in  vice."  Perhaps  there  may 
come  a  time  when  he  will  see  himself  in  his  true  light.  Mean- 
while, he  has  for  a  good  many  centuries  been  very  fairly  pleased 
with  himself  notwithstanding.  My  correspondent  thinks  that 
one  day  there  will  be  no  more  vice,  and  quotes  the  verse 
announcing  that  in  the  future  there  will  be  no  more  sea.  It  is 
just  about  that  period  that  I  expect  vice  will  disappear.  The 
rest  of  my  corrospondent's  letter  is  an  argument  for  the  return 
of  pre-historic  barbarism— a  period  which  undoubtedly  had  its 
advantages. 

R.  T.  H. — The  sentiment  is  on  a  par  with  others.  The 
tyranny  that  these  fanatics  would  exercise  over  their  fellow  men 
if  they  again  got  the  chance  they  did  three  hundred  years  ago, 
would  turn  England  into  a  nation  of  slaves. 

J.  S.  (Liverpool). — Thanks  for  your  note  with  cutting.  Our 
narrow-minded  friends  still  seem  to  think— even  after  all  these 
eighteen  hundred  years— that  man  was  made  for  the  Sabbath. 

Murray. — "Feminine  Affairs"  was  only  cut  down  that  one 
week.    It  will  always  have  its  place  in  the  paper. 

J.  H.  B. — For  the  life  of  me  I  cannot  see  anything  in  the 
article  that  shows  the  slightest  discourtesy  of  any  kind  to  the 
wife  of  your  friend,  the  Amir's  veterinary  surgeon.  Miss 
Hamilton  is  sure  to  be  delighted  when  she  finds  your  friend's 
wife  at  Afghanistan,  and  it  will,  no  doubt,  be  a  comfort  to  Mrs. 
Clarence  to  find  Miss  Hamilton  there.  They  will  be  the  only 
two  European  women  in  the  whole  of  the  country.  When  Miss 
Hamilton  started  for  Bombay  she  knew  nothing  of  the  order  to 
Mr.  Clarence's  party  to  wait  for  her  at  Peshawar. 

Gas  Manager. — On  account  of  ill-health  caused  by  exposure 
in  the  performance  of  his  duties,  wishes  to  know  if  there  is  any 
chance  of  light  labour  being  obtained  in  Madeira  or  any  place  of 
similar  climate.  Perhaps  some  correspondent  would  help,  or 
"  Gas  Manager"  might  communicate  with  the  Emigrants'  Infor- 
mation Office  for  Australia  and  South  Africa,  31,  Broadway, 
Westminster. 

J.  M.—  I  don't  remember  having  said  a  word  one  way  or  the 
other  about  the  subject  you  mention.  Apart  from  the  ethics  of 
the  question,  I  thought  the  living  picture  craze  a  very  silly  one, 
and  could  never  see  the  slightest  art  in  it,  but  for  all  that,  if 
other  people  like  them,  I  would  let  them  have  them.  Freedom 
is  the  ground-work  of  all  humanity.  Without  perfect  liberty  of 
choice,  there  can  be  neither  good  nor  evil,  and  we  may  as  well 
become  oysters. 

E.  R.  (Uxbridge). — It  is  really  painful  to  follow  the  speeches 
of  the  anti-opium  faddists.  Their  statements  are  one  long  tissue 
of  lies.  For  instance,  they  say  "  the  people  of  India  would  tell 
us  that  opium  is  the  great  curse  of  the  country."  The  people 
of  India  said  exactly  the  opposite.  No  cause  ever  gained  by 
lying  yet,  and  no  cause  ever  will. 

C.  B.  (Leamington)  calls  my  attention  to  the  attitude  taken 
up  by  the  Rev.  C.  Wilson  in  demanding  that  his  choristers 
should  not  be  members  of  an  amateur  opera  company.  This,  of 
course,  is  a  piece  of  tyranny  on  the  part  of  the  reverend  gentle- 
man that  I  strongly  disapprove  of.  Too  many  clergymen  regard 
their  congregations  as  private  property,  and  themselves  as 
irresponsible  autocrats.  But  with  many  of  Mr.  Wilson's  re- 
marks I  am  inclined  to  agree.  Interviewed  on  the  subject,  he 
says  that  "  spiritual  principles  and  worldly  principles  cannot  be 
mixed  up.  These  things  (amusements)  belong  exclusively  to  the 
man  of  the  world."  1  wish  more  of  the  clergy  would  take  this 
view,  and  leave  "these  things  "  alone. 

R.  E.  F.  argues  in  favour  of  City  cycling,  but  I  still  think  it 
dangerous  to  the  community  at  large,  and  therefore  a  matter 
which  society  has  a  right  to  interfere  with.  There  would  be  no 
hardship  in  compelling  cyclists  to  walk  their  machines  through 
the  more  crowded  thoroughfares. 

J.  M.  (Shrewsbury).— Does  not  the  very  name— United  King- 
dom Temperance  Company—suggest  a  prejudiced  view  of  the 
case?  I  know  it  is  a  common  idea  that  teetotalers  live  longer 
than  moderate  drinkers,  but  on  more  than  one  occasion  this  has 
been  proved  an  utter  fallacy. 

M.  8.  F.  (Elswick). — The  experience  of  Tit-Bite  and  Answers, 
which,  from  their  circulation,  is  certainly  valuable,  clearly 


proves  that  serials  are  preferred  by  the  great  body  of  readers. 
The  Master,  as  you  will  see,  is  concluded  this  week,  and,  in 
future  there  will  not  appear  more  than  one  serial  at  a  time  in 
To-day. 

E.  B. — I  have  forwarded  the  letter.  I  wish  more  of  the 
"New  Women"  would  resemble  your  description  of  yourself. 
No  man  of  sense  objects  to  the  independent  woman  ;  in  fact 
some  of  us  like  them  better.  All  we  object  to  is  the  interfering 
woman.  Please  send  your  address  ;  we  have  a  letter  to  forward 
to  you. 

W.  and  S. — "There  is  no  doubt  the  second  mortgagee  can 
hold  this  liability  over  your  head.  W e  should  advise  your  refusal 
to  give  any  such  promises  as  asked,  and  immediately  to  see  the 
first  mortgagee,  tell  him  the  facts,  as  well  as  the  other  secured 
creditors,  and  allege  your  intention  to  file  your  own  petition  un- 
less the  second  mortgagee  withdraws  from  the  position  he  has 
taken  up." 

Fraternal  Subscriber  and  Vexed-at-You. — You  appear 
to  have  learned  lessons  in  argument  from  platform  speakers  of 
the  Socialistic  order,  but  I  would  point  out  to  you  that  abuse  of 
a  person  is  not  argument  in  favour  of  a  principle.  What  you, 
my  good  friends,  think  of  me  and  what  I  think  of  you,  is  a  very 
small  matter.  Strange  as  it  may  appear  to  you,  your  calling  me 
names  does  not  in  the  least  convince  me  that  Socialism  is  a  soul- 
inspiring  creed,  nor  even  that  its  advocates  are  the  class  of 
people  to  be  entrusted  with  the  management  of  the  universe.  I 
shall  no  doubt  oblige  you  before  long  with  further  remarks  as  to 
Socialism,  but  I  shall  choose  my  own  time  and  way. 

J.  S.  E. — I  have  asked  Messrs.  Constable  and  Co.,  55  and  56, 
Chancery  Lane,  to  reply  to  you.  They  can  give  you  all  informa- 
tion on  the  subject. 

J.  T. ,  referring  to  my  paragraph  on  military  regulations,  is 
reminded  of  an  incident  occurring  in  a  Derbyshire  Volunteei 
corps: — The  corps  had  a  set  of  "standing  orders,"  respecting 
dress  and  other  matters,  which  were  read  over  to  each  company 
by  its  captain  at  one  of  the  parades  early  in  each  season. 
The  pioneer  of  the  company  was  a  big,  raw-boned  youth,  with 
about  as  much  hair  on  his  face  as  he  had  on  the  back  of  his  hand. 
One  of  the  paragraphs  respecting  dress  was,  "  Pioneers  will  wear 
beards."  When  the  captain  read  out  this,  the  individual 
referred  to  remarked,  "  Well,  captain,  Ah  s'  ha' t'  bey  one"  (I 
shall  have  to  buy  one). 

T.  A.  Kaye. — Many  thanks,  but  the  suggested  article  would 
be  of  no  use  to  us.  I  do  not  remember  Huddersfield  being  in 
the  list.  E.  L. — The  lady  in  question  has  generally  been  accepted 
as  a  type.  W.  H.  (Edinburgh). — You  quite  misunderstood  the 
tenor  of  the  paragraph.  The  matter  was  carefully  considered 
before  being  published,  and  it  was  felt  that  to  state  the  terrible 
illness  from  which  his  lordship  was  suffering  was  really  a  perfect 
excuse  for  much  that  has  appeared  strange  to  his  admirers.  The 
whole  paragraph  was  written  in  sincere  sympathy  with  his  lord- 
ship, nor  can  I  see  how  you  could  have  so  strangely  misunder- 
stood the  sentiment.  J.  R.  S.  sends  me  further  particulars  of 
the  Jarrow  case  (as  does  also  H.  D. ),  aud  laments  the  terrible 
frequency  of  strikes  in  the  North  of  England.  He  tells  mi  that 
this  horrible  warfare  which  inflicts  such  wide-reaching  misery 
on  the  innocent,  is  resorted  to  by  the  workers  of  Northumber- 
land for  the  most  trivial  causes.  C.  H.  C. — Thanks  for  your 
letter  and  cutting.  Morlands. — Show  your  picture  to  a  good 
artist.  The  market  is  just  now  flooded  with  imitation  Mor- 
lands, and  the  chances  are  against  any  picture  being  a  genuine 
one.  A.  F. — Thanks  for  all  your  good  advice.  Mile  End 
Road. — Much  obliged  for  your  cuttings.  If  the  matter  is  taken 
up  again  I  shall  be  glad  to  refer  to  them.  W.  A.  S.  (Halifax). — 
Thanks  for  your  cuttings  from  the  Clarion,  but  if  I  stopped 
to  answer  all  the  personal  attacks  made  upon  me  by  Tom,  Dick 
and  Harry  I  should  get  no  time  to  do  any  real  work.  Collen 
Vale. — You  could  not  do  better  than  read  Mrs.  Lynn  Linton's 
contributions  during  the  last  few  months  to  the  St.  James' 
Gazette  and  the  St.  James'  Budget.  Exmoor  asks  if  any  reader 
can  recommend  a  suitable  home  for  a  poor  woman,  aged  6S, 
who  is  partly  paralysed.  Her  children  are  willing  to  contri- 
bate  a  small  sum  per  week,  but  are  unable  to  do  more. 

T.  0.  M. — The  Winter  Number,  which  will  be  ready  next 
week,  will  be  quite  distinct  from  the  ordinary  number. 


WINTER  NUMBER 

  OF   

-=r-       "  TO-DAY,"  6d. 

READY    NOVEMBER  17th, 

Will  Contain  a  Complete  Novel  by 
THOMAS  HARDY  and   Thk   Hon.   MRS.  HENN1KER. 
Two  Coloured  Supplements  by 
DUDLEY  HARDY  and  HAL  HURST. 
And  Complete  Stories  by 
JEROME  K.  JEROME,  W.   L.  ALDEX,  BARRY  PAIN, 
KEKiHLEY  SNOWDEN,  W.  W.  JACOBS,  Etc.,  Etc 


SEE   PAVE  3. 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


21 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  Dear  Dick, — By  the  time  you  get  this  letter  on 
Wednesday,  you  will  probably  know  what  has  happened 
in  the  matter  of  the  Empire  appeal. 

Writing  before  the  event,  I  fail  to  see  that  anything  in 
particular  is  likely  to  result.  If  the  case  is  not  to  be 
re-heard,  we  all  know  where  we  are.  If  the  case  is  to 
be  re-heard,  it  does  not  seem  probable  that  the  stalwarts 
of  the  Progressive  party  on  the  County  Council  will 
change  their  minds.  The  Empire  is  pretty  certain  not 
to  get  a  full  licence  again,  and,  short  of  a  full  licence,  no 
compromise  that  has  yet  been  suggested  would  benefit 
them  materially.  Anyhow,  so  much  harm  has  been 
done  all  round  by  a  lot  of  ill-advised  chatter,  that  I  hope 
the  final  battle  will  be  fought  out  in  comparative  silence. 
Everybody  has  lately  taken  to  reminding  the  County 
Council  that  it  is  a  judicial  body,  exercising  judicial  func- 
tions, and  that  it  ought  to  behave  as  such,  and  then, 
having  said  this,  everybody  has  set  to  work  to  influence 
the  County  Council  in  every  possible  way — by  petitions, 
agitations,  public  meetings,  letters,  and  articles.  If 
the  County  Council  had  any  of  the  powers  vested  in  an 
ordinary  Judge  trying  an  ordinary  case,  about  half  the 
Purist  party,  the  entire  Empire  staff,  and  nearly  every 
newspaper  editor  in  London,  would  be  locked  up  by 
this  time  for  flagrant  contempt  of  court ! 

The  County  Council  is  not  a  judicial  body ;  it  is  a 
little  Parliament.    It  is  an  administrative  body. 

This  being  so,  I  fail  to  see  why  its  members  should 
not  concern  themselves  with  outside  agitations.  If  a 
Local  Veto  Bill  came  before  the  Imperial  Parliament 
to-morrow,  Sir  Wilfrid  Lawson  would  be  haranguing  the 
Sons  of  the  Phoenix  in  Trafalgar  Square  to-day.  But 
this  would  not  disqualify  him  from  speaking  and  voting 
in  the  House  of  Commons  for  his  pet  measure.  It 
seems  to  me,  therefore,  that,  even  if  any  of  the  Pro- 
gressives really  did  go  and  take  a  cup  of  weak  tea 
and  a  penny  bun  with  the  Lady  Crusaders,  prior  to  the 
trial  of  the  Empire  case,  they  do  not  deserve  any  very 
scathing  condemnation.  Really,  from  the  solemn  way 
some  people  have  been  talking,  you  would  imagine  that 
such  things  as  cabals,  wire-pulling,  and  political  in- 
triguing had  never  been  heard  of  in  this  country. 

The  County  Council  is  not  a  perfect  organisation, 
but  it  never  got  as  far  as  a  "  Kilmainham  Treaty,"  or 
anything  of  that  sort.  The  Imperial  Parliament  gave 
it  life,  and  you  cannot  expect  to  reflect  anything  other 
than  Parliamentary  methods. 

Personally,  I  wish  that  the  licensing  of  entertainments 
could  be  settled  without  all  this  everlasting  fuss.  I 
should  like  to  see  the  licensing  of  all  buildings,  architec- 
turally, left  in  the  hands  of  the  Council.  But,  after 
that,  I  would  make  all  entertainments  free.  I  would  let 
anybody  and  everybody  do  as  they  liked,  leaving  the 
common  law  to  deal  with  an  entertainment  if  it  were 
libellous  or  indecent,  or  with  a  place  of  entertainment 
if  it  became  the  habitual  resort  of  bad  characters.  You 
do  not  go  to  the  licensing  authorities,  but  to  a  police 
magistrate,  if  a  publican  permits  betting  to  take  place 
on  his  premises.  Very  well ;  if  the  manager  of  a.  place 
of  entertainment  permitted  not  only  betting  men,  but 
improper  women,  to  frequent  his  establishment  in  pur- 
suit of  their  calling,  I  should  take  him  before  a  police 
magistrate  too.  Then  there  would  be  an  end  of  all  the 
bother,  and,  what  is  more,  the  necessary  evidence  would 
have  to  be  given  on  oath,  and  so  neither  one  side  nor 
the  other  would  feel  inclined  to  make  hysterical  asser- 
tions in  face  of  a  possible  prosecution  for  perjury. 

In  dramatic  matters,  however,  both  Freedom  and 
Free  Trade  are  alike  opposed  by  the  older  Conservative 
managers.  Henry  Irving  has  just  written  to  explain 
most  emphatically  that  a  theatre  and  a  place  of  amuse- 
ment are  not  one  and  the  same  thing.  They  are  not 
indeed,  sometimes — and  more  is  the  pity.    But  that 


apart,  it  is  curious  to  note  how  the  older  managers — 
lar^e-minded  men  in  other  things — cling  to  their  old- 
fashioned  machinery  of  Lord  Chamberlain,  Censor,  and 
the'  other  antediluvian  survivals  of  the  days  when  the 
number  of  theatres  was  strictly  limited,  and  anything 
approaching  the  modern  music-hall  was  rigorously 
suppressed  in  the  interests  of  trade  rivalry. 

I  presume  common  sense  will  prevail  some  day,  but  to 
my  thinking  a  reasonable  reform  is  much  more  likely 
to  be  inaugurated  by  a  daring  Democratic  revolutionary 
of  the  Burns  type,  than  by  the  party  that  just  now  is  so 
loudly  bewailing  its  wrongs. 

I  never  believed,  as  I  told  you,  that  the  Empire  would 
remain  closed,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  it  opened  on  Satur- 
day last.  Some  of  the  offending  bars  have  been  removed. 
Others  are  partitioned  off,  so  that  they  are  no  longer, 
technically,  in  the  auditorium.  The  celebrated  lounge 
is  a  little  less  comfortable  than  it  was,  perhaps,  but 
otherwise  it  is  unaltered.  I  hear  that  the  County  Council 
architects  cannot  quite  make  up  their  minds  with  regard 
to  it.  I  wonder  that  they  do  not  suggest  the  reconstruc- 
tion of  the  comfortable  private  boxes  that  used  to  go 
all  along  the  back  of  the  dress  circle — thus  continuing 
the  sweep  of  boxes  right  round  the  auditorium.  The 
lounge  would  then  become  nothing  more  than  the  ordi- 
nary passage-way  to  be  found  in  every  theatre.  As  the 
stage  could  not  be  seen  from  it,  no  one  would  be  tempted 
to  hang  about  it.  The  management  would  be  relieved  of 
a  big  responsibility,  and  the  Crusaders  would  be  satisfied. 

I  will  not  be  quite  sure,  but  I  think  that  most  of,  if  not 
all,  the  boxes,  I  mean,  were  in  the  position  I  have  indi- 
cated when  first  the  Empire  got  its  music-hall  licence. 

On  Saturday,  immediately  after  the  performance,  a 
lot  of  silly  idiots  broke  down  the  partitions  that  screened 
off  the  bars.  The  crowd  was  so  dense  that  neither  the 
officials  nor  the  police  were  able  to  interfere.  It  is 
exceedingly  rough  on  George  Edwardes,  and  those  who 
are  working  their  hardest  for  the  Empire  and  its  share- 
holders, that  their  endeavours  should  be  hampered  by 
such  insensate  conduct.  To  create  a  riot  and  to  destroy 
property  in  the  lounge  at  the  Empire  is  to  put  the  very 
strongest  possible  weapon  into  the  hands  of  the  oppo- 
sition. The  most  Satanic  of  conspiring  County  Coun- 
cillors could  not  possibly  have  contrived  anything  calcu- 
lated to  do  the  cause  of  the  Empire  more  harm.  If  I 
were  George  Edwardes,  and  I  knew  any  of  the  rioters, 
I  would  never  admit  a  single  one  of  them  to  the  place 
again,  and  I  should  feel  sorely  tempted  to  invite  them 
to  a  matinee  at  Bow  Street. 

George  Edwards,  by  the  way,  has  made  an  arrange- 
ment which  the  Gaiety  shareholders  have  accepted  as 
satisfactory.  He  gives  them  a  half  interest  in  all  his 
undertakings  outside  the  Gaiety  Theatre.  The  Gaiety 
Girl  is  not,  I  believe,  included,  but  I  presume  that  the 
next  production  at  Daly's  will  be,  and  then  the  Gaiety, 
the  Prince  of  Wales',  the  Lyric,  and  Daly's  will  all  be 
under  one  control.  You  may  remember  that  I  told  you 
that  this  combination  was  contemplated  a  year  ago. 
How  it  will  work,  I  can't  pretend  to  prophesy.  But  it 
is  a  curious  and  remarkable  development  of  theatrical 
entarprise. 

The  production  of  Al  My  Eye-Vanhoe  at  the  Tra- 
falgar was  not  a  success  on  the  first  night ;  but  such  is 
the  rush  for  the  theatres  just  now,  that  it  may  run  on 
to  comparative  prosperity  after  all.  The  Lady  Slavey  is 
doing  excellent  business  at  the  Avenue,  despite  its  shaky 
first  production  The  Gay  Widow  is  picking  up  nicely 
fit  the  Court.  Rebellious  Susan  crams  the  Criterion. 
The  Neiv  Woman  at  the  Comedy  ;  His  Excellency,  of 
course,  packs  the  Lyric  ;  The  New  Boy  has  reached  its 
300th  night  ;  Claude  Duval  and  The  Gaiety  Girl  are 
playing  to  real  good  houses.  At  Terry's,  Little  Chris- 
topher Columbus  seems  to  run,  if  anything,  more 
brightly,  smoothly,  tunefully,  and  successfully  than  ever. 
Except  at  pantomime  time,  nothing  has  ever  drawn  so 
much  money  into  Drury  Lane  as  The  Derby  Winner. 
The  nightly  receipts  on  more  than  one  occasion  lately 
have  exceeded  £500.    By  the  way,  pitites  will  be  glad 


TO-DAV. 


November  10,  1894. 


to  Icaru  that  Sir  Augustus  Harris  has  just  been  giving 
especial  attention  to  their  comfort,  in  the  matter  of 
carpets,  padded  backs,  and  "  tip-up  "  seats. 

After  Haddon  Chambers'  new  play,  Johna-Dreams, 
ijj  produced  at  the  Haymarket,  nothing  very  much  in  the 
way  of  novelties  will  be  forthcoming  before  Christmas. 
Haddon  Chambers,  you  know,  writes,  with  Stephenson, 
the  next  new  drama  for  the  Adelphi,  where  I  hear  there 
is  again  some  whispering  of  a  pantomime  for  1896. 
But,  as  the  same  whisper  went  round  before,  and  there 
was  nothing  in  it,  I  don't  advise  you  to  believe  it — for 
the  present. 

Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

RANDOLPH. 


MR.  HALL  CAINE  PLEADS 
FOR  LITERARY  FREEDOM. 


Mr.  Hall  Caine  delivered  an  address  to  the  Philo- 
sophical Institution  of  Edinburgh  on  November  7th, 
upon  the  moral  responsibility  of  the  novel  and  the 
drama.  Mr.  Hall  Caine  argues  for  freedom  in  literature. 
"People  speak,"  said  Mr.  Hall  Caine,  quoting  from 
Balzac,  "  of  the  immorality  of  certain  books ;  here  is 
a  horrible,  foul,  and  corrupt  book,  always  open  and 
never  to  be  shut — the  great  book  of  the  world.  We 
can  read  it  in  the  newspapers — we  can  see  it  in  the 
streets — we  can  hear  it  in  the  police-courts.  What  is 
the  use  of  sweeping  your  books  clean  of  sin  while  the  world 
is  full  of  it  ?  Do  you  think  that  merely  by  painting  up 
a  fancy  picture  of  an  existence  without  fault  that  life  is 
going  to  copy  it  ?  In  the  English  lake  country  some- 
body has  set  up  a  foolish  tower  which  overlooks  Winder- 
mere by  four  stained  glass  windows,  one  in  each  of  the 
four  walls.  Look  out  at  the  first  and  everything  is 
green  and  all  the  scene  below  is  like  spring  ;  look  out  at 
the  second  and  it  is  like  summer  ;  the  third  and  it  is 
like  autumn  ;  the  fourth  and  it  is  like  winter.  It  is  an 
innocent  folly  enough,  and  if  you  are  content  with  that 
sort  of  stained-glass  fiction,  if  it  amuses  you,  and  you 
are  happy  in  your  amusement,  so  be  it ;  live  and  be 
cheerful  in  your  little  peep-show,  and  you  may  go  on 
next  to  the  House  that  Jack  built.  Only  if  you  expect 
literature  to  have  anything  to  do  with  life,  if  you  want 
it  to  speak  to  you  in  your  dark  hours,  just  break 
to  pieces  the  foolish  and  deceptive  medium  that 
is  giving  false  colours  to  the  world."  .... 
"  God  forbid  that  I  should  stand  here  as  an  apologist  for 
what  George  Eliot  calls  '  the  Cremorne  walks  and  shows 
of  fiction.'  But  I  want  to  stand  here  for  the  twin 
ansels  of  freedom  and  truth.  If  the  novel  and  the 
drama  is  to  act  upon  life,  it  must  be  at  liberty  to  repre- 
sent it,  not  in  one  aspect  only,  but  in  all  aspects  ;  not  in 
its  Sunday  clothes  merely,  but  in  its  week-day 
garments." 

Mr.  Hall  Caine  sees  the  danger  of  the  didactic  novel, 
however,  and  is  by  no  means  a  friend  to  "  art  with  a 
purpose." 

"  I  cannot  believe,"  says  Mr.  Hall  Caine,  "  that 
British  humanity,  at  all  events,  feels  an  opposition  to 
morality  itself,  that  it  has  any  objection  to  being 
preached  at.  It  is  preached  at  on  Sunday,  and  it  is 
preached  at  on  Monday  ;  it  is  preached  at  from  the 
pulpit,  and  it  is  preached  at  from  the  Press  ;  it  is 
preached  at  when  it  is  born,  it  is  preached  at  when  it  is 
married,  and  it  is  preached  over  when  it  is  dead — no,  I 
cannot  believe  that  it  has  any  rooted  objection  to  being 
preached  at.  And  taking  its  preaching  from  so  many 
mouths,  I  think  it  would  take  it  as  resignedly  from  the 
mouths  of  the  novelist  and  the  dramatist  also,  but  for 
one  fundamental  difficulty.  It  is  in  terror  lest  the  play 
should  become  as  dull  as  the  pulpit  sometimes  is,  lest 
the  three-volume  novel  should  become  a  three-volume 
tract."  .  .  ,  .  "  But  1  plead  with  you,"  continues 
Mr.  Caine.  "  to  jjranfc  liberty  to  us  who  are  novelists 


and  dramatists  to  deal  with  whatever  political  or 
religious  subjects  come  into  touch  with  man's  moral 
life.  Don't  cripple  us ;  don't  ask  us  to  let  the  intel- 
lectual activities  of  the  age  pass  us  by.  If  the  great 
religious  public,  which  has  so  long  stood  aloof  from  the 
theatre  and  given  the  novel  a  wide  berth,  are  now 
coming  timidly  to  the  one,  and  are  nervously  picking  up 
the  other,  let  them  be  prepared  to  find  their  own  world 
there,  themselves  there,  the  thoughts  and  temptations 
of  their  lives  there — and  not  a  foolish,  irresponsible 
fable  that  is  something  between  a  pantomime  and  the 
tragedy  of  a  Punch-and-Judy  show." 

Mr.  Hall  Caine  thinks  that  the  future  of  the  novel 
will  be  a  compound  "  of  the  penny  newspaper  and  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount — the  plainest  realism  and  the 
highest  idealism." 

"  He  will  be  the  Shakespeare  of  the  future,"  says  Mr 
Hall  Caine,  "  who  will  show  us  the  undying  heroism  of 
humanity  in  the  common  things  of  every  day  ;  in  the 
struggles  of  workmen  on  strike ;  of  poor  women  with 
drunken  husbands ;  of  enslaved  men  with  besotted 
wives ;  of  children  left  to  take  care  of  themselves  and 
one  another  in  the  wilderness  of  the  world.  Then  there 
is  the  joy  and  sweetness,  as  well  as  the  pathos  and 
tragedy,  of  the  common  life  of  the  modern  world.  The 
passions  of  men  and  women  are  the  same  now  as  they 
were  in  the  heroic  days  of  old,  just  as  strong,  just  as 
active,  only  working  in  different  ways ;  and,  depend 
upon  it,  he  is  to  be  the  great  writer  who  will  realise  that 
fact  to  the  full." 

"  To  be  a  noble  writer,"  added  Mr.  Caine,  concluding 
this  portion  of  his  discourse,  "you  must  first  of  all  be  a 
noble  man." 

Mr.  Hall  Caine  is  in  favour  of  the  happy  ending. 
"The  craving  of  the  human  heart,"  he  says,  "  is  not  for 
the  clap-trap  of  the  marriage  bells,  but  for  com- 
pensation. It  will  suffer  itself  to  see  the  hero  die,  if 
only  he  dies  in  a  good  cause,  if  only  his  death 
is  the  crown  of  his  life,  if  only  it  can  feel 
that,  though  everything  passes  away  from  him — 
youth,  fortune,  love — one  thing  remains — recompense." 

"  We  look  around  and  we  see  wrong- 
doing victorious,  and  right-doing  in  the  dust ;  the 
evil  man  growing  rich  and  dying  in  his  bed, 
the  good  man  becoming  poor  and  dying  in  the  streets, 
and  our  hearts  sink  ;  and  we  say,  '  What  is  God  doing 
after  all  in  this  world  of  His  children?'  But  our  days 
are  few,  our  view  is  limited  ;  we  cannot  watch  the  event 
long  enough  to  see  the  end  which  Providence  sees. 
Well,  am  I  irreverent1?  The  place  of  the  great  novelist, 
the  great  dramatist — Tolstoi,  Hugo,  Scott,  Shakspeare 
— is  that  of  a  temporal  Providence — to  answer  the 
craving  of  the  human  soul  for  compensation,  to  show  us 
that  success  may  be  the  worst  failure,  and  failure  the 
best  success  ;  that  poverty  may  be  better  than  riches ; 
that — 

"  '  Here  and  there  my  lord  is  lower  than  his  oxen  and  his  swine, 
Here  and  there  a  cotter's  babe  is  royal-born  by  right  divine.' 

"  When  he  does  this,  when  he  gathers  together  the 
scattered  parts  of  life  and  shows  1  the  axis  on  which  the 
frame  of  things  turns,'  then  he  speaks  to  the  world's 
want.  When  he  does  not  he  might  as  well  leave  poor 
human  nature  to  turn  its  eyes  on  life  itself.  It  is  what 
art  is  for  at  its  highest,  and  I  count  him  the  greatest 
artist  who  does  it  best ;  I  count  him  the  greatest 
genius  who  touches  the  magnetic  and  divine  chord  in 
humanity,  which  is  always  waiting  to  vibrate  to  the 
sublime  hope  of  recompense ;  I  count  him  the  greatest 
man  who  teaches  man  that  the  world  is  ruled  in 
righteousness." 

~ch  a  nI^elTTslXn  d  s. 

FRUIT  AND  FLOWER  GROWING.  Several  Valuablt 
Properties  for  Sale,  or  in  some  cases  partnerships  could  be 
arranged.    Profits  15  per  cent,  to  .10  per  cent  ,  on  money  invested. 

FURNISHED  HOUSES  TO  LET.  Full  particulars,  plans, 
photos,  &c,  on  application  to  Messrs.  CONSTABLE,  TOWN- 
END  &  MORR1SH,  55  &  56,  Chancery  Lank,  London,  W.C., 
and  at  Guernsey. 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


23 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


Horse-racing  in  Russia  is  not  carried  out  on  such  a 
large  scale  as  in  this  country,  but  the  late  Czar,  like 
most  Russians,  was  an  ardent  admirer  of  the  thorough- 
bred. Several  English  jockeys  who  have  at  times  ridden 
in  Russia  and  Poland  have  expressed  themselves  as 
satisfied  with  the  general  arrangements.  Alexander  II. 
was  an  honorary  member  of  the  English  Jockey  Club. 
His  Imperial  Highness  the  Grand  Duke  Vladimir  of 
Russia  was  elected  an  honorary  member  as  long  ago  as 
1871. 


Another  Russian  who  has  since  1867  been  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Jockey  Club  is  Prince  Soltykoff. 
Only  the  other  day  at  Newmarket  the  Prince  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  his  colt  Speed  defeat  the  crack 
Matchbox,  who  is  now  the  property  of  the  Austrians. 

It  was  not  until  1886  that  the  Racing  Calender  issued 
a  list  of  members  of  the  Jockey  Club,  and  up  to  1863 
the  names  of  new  members  were  never  given,  only  a 
statement  being  made  to  the  effect  that  a  ballot  had 
taken  place.  Amongst  those  elected  in  1864  were  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  and  the  Right  Hon.  Henry  Chaplin,  of 
Hermit  fame,  and  Colonel  Forester,  who  went  through 
the  Crimea  War.  The  Duke  of  Edinburgh  was  chosen 
in  1871,  the  Duke  of  Connaught  and  the  Duke  of 
Cambridge  in  1872.  Lord  Rosebery  was  elected  in 
1870,  and  Sir  Frederick  Johnston  as  long  ago  as  1860. 
Sir  Henry  Hawkins  became  a  member  in  1878. 

Mention  of  Hermit  in  the  preceding  paragraph  reminds 
me  that  the  Right  Hon.  H.  Chaplin  is  rarely  seen  at  a 
race-meeting  nowadays.  He  may,  perhaps,  attend 
Goodwood,  Ascot,  Epsom,  and  one  or  two  of  the  New- 
market gatherings,  but  he  does  not  appear  to  have 
retained  his  old  love  for  the  Turf.  His  colours  are  still 
given  as  rose,  but  the  jacket  is  never  unfurled  now.  By 
the  way,  the  skeleton  of  Hermit  is  preserved  in  the 
Royal  Veterinary  College. 

It  is  extremely  satisfactory  to  know  that  the  Sporting 
League  is  meeting  with  the  approval  of  every  well- 
known  sportman  in  the  kingdom.  Such  prominent  men 
as  Lords  Durham,  March,  Hawke,  Rendlesham,  Lons- 
dale, Howe,  Cholmondeley,  Right  Hon.  J.  Lowther, 
Dr.  W.  G.  Grace,  Mr.  Vize,  and  Mr.  Guy  Nickals  have 
already  been  appointed  members  of  the  council.  Mr. 
W.  Allison,  who  is  for  the  time  being  acting  as  hon. 
^ec,  is  a  well-known  sporting  journalist.  He  at  one 
time  ran  a  big  stud  farm,  and  what  he  does  not  know 
about  horse  breeding  is  not  worth  troubling  after. 

I  noticed  in  Streeter's  the  other  day  a  quantity  of 
chrysoprase  cuff  links  and  scarf  pins,  with  the  informa- 
tion added  that  it  was  "  a  lucky  stone."  Why,  I  am 
sure  I  don't  know,  no  more  than  I  can  ever  understand 
the  superstitious  awe  with  which  the  opal  is  regarded. 
Sooner  than  give  up  his  opal  to  Mark  Antony  the 
Roman  senator,  Nonius,  preferred  exile  ;  but  a  jeweller 
told  me  recently  that  only  the  hardiest  individuals  ever 
mention  its  name  now.  With  its  fine  leek  or  apple- 
green  colour,  no  stone  could  be  more  beautiful  than  that 
of  the  chrysoprase,  but  the  unfortunate  part  is  that  it  is 
liable  to  fade,  especially  if  it  is  kept  in  a  warm  place. 
On  the  Continent  it  has  always  been  very  popular,  and 
it  is  somewhat  curious  that  so  late  in  the  day  it  should 
be  sprung  on  England  in  the  light  of  a  novelty. 

A  revival  in  jewellery  is  the  increasing  popularity  of 
the  medallion  portrait,  both  in  scarf-pins  and  cuff- 
links. So  far,  I  have  not  seen  any  attempt  to  produce 
'  the  faces  of  living  people,  most  of  the  medallions  simply 
being  those  of  ladies  of  the  Duchess  of  Gainsborough 
type.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  believe  that  the  art 
of  medallion  painting  is  almost  extinct,  notwithstanding 
that  some  five  or  six  years  ago  a  determined  attempt 


was  made  to  revive  it.  Hence  it  does  not  seem  very 
probable  that  the  medallion  will  take  the  place  of  the 
extinct  locket  as  a  photographic  monitor  to  thoughtless 
married  men. 


Hat  makers  do  not  seem  to  have  come  to  a  mutual 
understanding  in  regard  to  the  exact  shape  of  the  silk 
hat.  Some  are  showing  as  the  latest  fashion  those  with 
a  broad  brim  and  a  low  bell  crown,  while  others  have 
gone  in  for  a  higher  crown  with  a  narrow  brim.  It 
seems  pretty  certain  that  another  year  will  elapse  before 
the  favoured  shapes  of  last  year  are  out  of  date. 

The  silk  braid  binding  that  was  introduced  for  frock 
coats  seems  destined  to  be  used  for  overcoats  and  morn- 
ing coats.  Laid  on  flat  in  military  style,  it  gives  a 
garment  a  decidedly  dressy  appearance  ;  but  great  care 
should  always  be  taken  to  see  that  the  black  of  the 
braid  and  the  cloth  are  the  same.  The  finely-woven 
diagonals  are,  to  my  thinking,  the  only  cloths  suitable  ; 
but  braid  is  being  now  worn  on  vicunas  and  worsteds. 

I  think  I  may  take  some  credit  for  the  popularising 
of  the  collar  which  has  recently  been  re-christened  "The 
Golf."  In  an  early  number  of  To-Day  I  called  atten- 
tion to  this  striking  innovation,  which,  while  as  high  as 
the  usual  stand-up,  was  turned  down  all  the  way  round. 
The  idea  was  brought  over  from  France,  but  for  a 
couple  of  years  it  was  neglected  by  fashionable  men,  till 
at  the  end  of  last  year  it  came  at  once  into  public  favour. 
With  golfing  men  it  is  almost  de  rigueur,  and  is  gener- 
ally worn  with  a  cotton  plaid  bow.  So  far  it  has  not 
been  used  much  for  evening  dress,  but  its  turn  will  pro- 
bably come. 


Favourites  for  several  winters  past,  the  Scotch  plaid 
ties  do  not  seem  to  have  lost  any  of  their  popularity. 
The  windows  are  filled  with  them,  and  their  variety  is 
greater  than  ever.  Hardly  a  clan  has  been  overlooked 
this  year.  It  is  much  the  same  with  stockings.  The 
patterns  are  innumerable,  and  it  has  become  a  fad  with 
the  innumerable  wearers  of  knee-breeches  this  year  to 
collect  as  many  as  twenty  and  thirty  pairs  in  different 
colourings.  By  the  way,  there  is  a  noticable  change  in 
the  make  of  knickerbockers.  The  box  cloth  is  no 
longer  shown,  the  trouser  being  so  cut  that  it  hangs  over 
and  hides  it. 


The  custom  of  having  one's  initials  in  silver  put  on  to 
leather  cigar  cases  and  pocket-books  has  led  to  very 
cheap  and  clumsy-looking  letters  being  manufactured  by 
the  hundred.  Any  mechanic  can  rivet  these  letters  to 
leather,  but  the  wise  man  will  avoid  shops  where  goods 
can  be  initialled  "  while  you  wait."  The  correct  form 
of  lettering  is  obtained  by  cutting  the  monogram  out  of 
a  solid  sheet  of  silver.  It  is  then  rounded  and  polished, 
and  when  finished  resembles  fine  silver  wire. 


I  am  taken  to  task  in  a  kindly  fashion  by  a  local 
reader,  who  imagines  that  my  attack  on  the  shoddy 
factories  of  Yorkshire  was  intended  to  apply  to  the 
whole  of  the  woollen  industries  of  his  county.  That  was 
not  my  idea.  Everyone  knows  that  in  the  West 
Riding  of  Yorkshire  the  finest  of  broadcloths  and  tweeds 
are  produced.  Nor  was  my  attack  directed  at  "shoddy." 
What  I  protested  against  was  the  swindle  practised  on 
the  public  when  "  shoddy  "  imitations  of  fashionable 
patterns  were  sold  as  genuine  Scotch  or  West  of 
England's.  While  I  am  on  the  subject  of  these  swindles, 
I  should  like  to  know  whether  certain  famous  firms  of 
glove  makers  can  be  aware  of  the  goods  sold  to  the 
public,  with  their  name  as  a  guarantee,  at  a  ridiculously 
low  price,  and  of  a  quality  that  would  ruin  any 
reputation. 


Judging  from  correspondence  from  time  to  time,  there 
seem  to  be  amongst  my  readers  a  very  large  number  who 
smoke  cigarettes  because  they  like  them,  and  console 


24 


TO-DAY* 


November  10,  1894. 


themselves  with  the  idea  that  they  are  simply  ruining  body 
and  soul  through  the  habit.  For  their  benefit  I  may 
mention  another  attempt  to  destroy  the  nicotine.  It 
consists  of  a  cotton  wad  fixed  to  a  glass  mouthpiece,  and 
is  secured  to  each  cigarette.    I  smoked  one — only  one. 


The  attitude  of  the  Rugby  Union  towards  profes- 
sionalism will  meet  with  the  approval  of  everyone  who 
has  the  interests  of  the  sport  at  heart.  There  is  no  sign 
of  faltering  in  the  circular  which  has  been  sent  round 
to  all  the  clubs,  and  the  demand  made  to  the  clubs  in  the 
North  to  plainly  state  whether  they  intend  "  to  comply 
with  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  bye-laws,  rules  and  regu- 
lations of  the  Union  "  will  force  the  hands  of  those  who 
have  so  long  resorted  to  the  methods  which  have  made 
Yorkshire  and  Lancashire  a  bye-word.  The  Union  can, 
without  doubt,  reckon  on  the  united  support  of  the 
clubs  in  the  South,  the  Midlands,  and  the  West  of  Eng- 
land. The  projected  professional  union  is  not  yet  an 
accomplished  fact,  but  with  clubs  like  Leigh,  Salford, 
and  Radcliffe  "  hung  up,"  it  is  probable  that  before  many 
weeks  are  over  others  will  declare  themselves. 


Professionalism  in  the  South  has  received  another 
recruit  in  a  fifth-rate  club  at  the  East  Ena'  called  the  Old 
Castle  Swifts.  The  secession  seems  to  be  a  piece  of 
pique  because  the  Association  refused  to  reinstate  a  pro- 
fessional named  Cunningham,  whom  the  club  wished  to 
play  as  an  amateur.  Absolutely  no  significance  is  to  be 
attached  to  what  a  certain  section  of  the  Press  has  dig- 
nified as  an  important  event. 


On  Saturday  there  is  a  miniature  battle  between 
London  and  Manchester  at  the  Oval,  the  combatants 
being  boys.  The  Surrey  Club  has  generously  granted 
the  use  of  the  ground,  and  as  the  proceeds  are  to  be  de- 
voted to  charities  connected  with  that  hard-working 
bod'y,  the  school  teachers,  I  hope  that  the  football  public 
will  support  the  match  by  their  presence. 


There  seems  to  be  no  holding  the  Woolwich  Arsenal 
Club  in  their  career  of  success.  To  draw  with  the 
English  Cup  holders  (Notts  County)  at  Nottingham,  and 
then  to  beat  them  at  Plumstead  are  feats  which  are  meri- 
torious in  a  high  degree.  And'  there  was  no  luck  about 
the  victory.  It  was  won  by  sheer  pluck  and  skill.  The 
defence  was  always  excellent.  The  improvement  is  in 
the  forward  rank,  in  spite  of  the  unfortunate  accident  to 
Boyd,  who  is,  without  doubt,  to  be  credited  with  having 
got  the  wings  together,  and  having  shown  them  the 
necessity  of  combination.  The  ambition  of  the  Arsenal 
is  to  work  their  way  up  into  the  first  division  of  the 
League.  Although  they  may  not  do  that  just  yet,  I  fancy 
they  will  occupy  a  respectable  position  in  tho  table  of 
the  second  division  by  the  end  of  the  season. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

G.  R. — If  neither  of  the  cosmetiques  you  mention  enable  you 
to  train  your  moustache  in  the  way  you  want,  1  am  at  a  loss  to 
make  a  suggestion.  I  remember  that  at  the  time  when  "la 
Debacle"  started  a  controversy  as  to  the  use  of  rouge  aid 
powder  by  Napoleon  III.,  an  acquaintance  of  the  Emperor's  told 
me  that  that  remarkable  pointed  moustache  was  produced  by 
the  insertion  of  two  fine  steel  wires. 

W.  R.  (Bedford). — You  are  only  one  of  many  correspondents 
who  have  during  the  last  few  weeks  sent  me  in  suggestions  about 
dyeing  my  hair.  I  am  sure  if  we  were  personally  acquainted 
vou  would  spare  me.  At  any  rate,  1  am  at  a  loss  to  understand 
this  remarkable  interest  in  my  appearance. 

BniXFiNDER. — I  could  not  improve  on  your  idea  and  thank 
you  for  your  kind  remarks. 

Affiliation  of  Clubs  (Leicester).  —  In  order  to  affiliate 
with  another  club  you  must  first  of  all  find  out  one  run  on 
similar  lines  to  your  own,  and  having  a  similar  class  of  members, 
and  then  approach  its  committee.  Not  unfrequently  a  provin- 
cial club  throws  its  doors  open  to  a  London  club,  although  the 
privilege  is  not  exchanged. 

Indian  Lottery. — I  cannot  find  any  agency  in  England  \vhe:e 
tickets  for  the  big  Indian  Derby  lottery  are  sold. 

W.  F.  L.  H. — I  mention  the  "  Sporting  League  "  elsewhere. 

The  Major. 


BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT  FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  yeai'S. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direc  t  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "  Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


•■STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS,"  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 

WM.   STENHOUSE   &  CO., 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


HELP  THE  POOll  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 
Bending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  hoots,  books*  picture!,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc,  etc,  to  the  Rev.  P.  Hauock,  who 
sells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  (700U  in  number)  of  All  BainU'  Mission 
District,  limy «.  Essex.  All  parcels  will  he  acknowledged  if  name  nud  address  of 
lender  are  inside.    Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated 


COOL  .  SW££T.  FRA  GRANT 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY, 


25 


CLARENCE. 

BY 

BRET  HARTE. 

Illustrated  by  Arthur  Jule  Goodman. 


PART  II. 
CHAPTER  I. 

IGHT  at  last,  and 
the  stir  and  tumult 
of  a  great  fight 
over.  Even  the 
excitement  that 
had  swept  this 
portion  of  the 
battle-field  —  only 
a  small  section  of 
a  vaster  area  of 
struggle  —  into 
which  a  brigade 
had  marched,  held 
its  own,  been 
beaten  back,  re- 
covered its  ground, 
and  pursuing,  had 
passed  out  of  it, 
for  ever,  leaving  only  its  dead  behind,  and  know- 
ing nothing  more  of  that  struggle  than  its  own 
impact  and  momentum  —  even  this  wild  excitement 
had  long  since  evaporated  with  the  stinging  smoke  of 
gunpowder,  the  acrid  smell  of  burning  rags  from  the 
clothing  of  a  dead  soldier  fired  by  a  bursting  shell,  or 
the  heated  reek  of  sweat  and  leather.  A  cool  breath 
that  seemed  to  bring  back  onoe  more  the  odour  of  the 
upturned  earthworks  along  the  now  dumb  line  of  battle, 
began  to  move  from  the  suggestive  darkness  beyond. 

But  into  that  awful  penetralia  of  death  and  silence 
there  was  no  invasion — there  had  been  no  retreat.  A  few 
of  the  wounded  had  been  brought  out,  under  fire,  but 
the  others  had  been  left  with  the  dead  for  the  morning 


light  and  succour.  For  it  was  known  that  in  that  hor- 
rible obscurity,  riderless  horses,  frantic  with  the  smell 
of  blood,  galloped  wildly  here  and  there,  or,  maddened 
by  wounds,  plunged  furiously  at  the  intruder ;  that  the 
wounded  soldier,  still  armed,  could  not  always  distin- 
guish friend  from  foe  or  from  the  ghouls  of  camp  f©l- 
lowers  who  stripped  the  dead  in  the  darkness,  and 
struggled  with  the  dying.  A  shot  or  two  heard  some- 
where in  that  obscurity  counted  as  nothing  with  the  long 
fusilade  that  had  swept  it  in  the  daytime ;  the  passing 
of  a  single  life,  more  or  less,  amounted  to  little  in  the 
long  roll-call  of  the  day's  slaughter. 

But  with  the  first  beams  of  the  morning  sun — and 
the  slowly  moving  "  relief  detail "  from  the  camp — came 
a  weird  half-resurrection  of  that  ghastly  field.  Then 
it  was  that  the  long  rays  of  sunlight,  streaming  away 
a  mile  beyond  the  battle  line,  pointed  out  the  first  har- 
vest of  the  dead  where  the  reserves  had  been  posted. 
There  they  lay  in  heaps  and  piles,  killed  by  solid  shot 
or  bursting  shells  that  had  leaped  the  battle  line  to 
plunge  into  the  waiting  ranks  beyond.    As  the  sun  lifted 
higher  its  beams  fell  within  the  range  of  musketry  fire, 
where  the  dead  lay  thicker — even  as  they  had  fallen  when 
killed  outright — with  arms  extended,  and  feet  at  all 
a.ogles  to  the  field.    As  it  touched  these  dead  upturned 
faces,  strangely  enough  it  brought  out  no  expression 
of  pain  nor  anguish — but  rather  as  if  death  had  arrested 
them  only  in  surprise  and  awe.     It  revealed  on  the 
lips  of  those  who  had  been  mortally  wounded  and  had 
turned  upon  their  side,  the  relief  which  death  had 
brought  their  suffering,  sometimes  shown  in  a  faint 
smile.    Mounting  higher,  it  glanced  upon  the  actual 
battle  line,  curiously. curving  for  the  shelter  of  walls, 
fences,  and  breastworks,  and  here  the  dead  lay,  even  as 
when  they  lay  and  fired,  their  faces  prone  in  the  grass 
but  their  muskets  still  resting  across  the  breastworks. 
Exposed  to  grape  and  canister  from  the  battery  on  the 
ridge,  death  had  come  to  them  mercifully  also — through 
the  head  and  throat.    And  now  the  whole  field  lay  bare 
in  the  sunlight,  broken  with  grotesque  shadows  cast 
from  sitting,   crouching,  half-recumbent — but  always 


THE    FIRST    HARVEST    OF    THE  DEAD. 


Copyright  1894,  by  Bret  Harte. 


26 


TO-DAY. 


[November  10,  1894. 


rigid — figures,  which  might  have  been  effigies  on  their  own 
monuments.  One  half-kneeling  soldier,  with  head 
bowed  between  his  stiffened  hands,  might  have  stood 
for  a  carven  figure  of  Grief  at  the  feet  of  his  dead  com- 
rade. A  captain  shot  through  the  brain  in  the  act 
of  mounting  a  wall,  lay  sideways  half  across  it,  his  lips 
parted  with  a  word  of  command  ;  his  sword  still  pointing 
over  the  barrier  the  way  that  they  should  go. 

But  it  was  not  until  the  sun  had  mounted  higher  that 
it  struck  the  central  horror  of  the  field  and  seemed  to 
linger  there  in  dazzling  persistence,  now  and  then  re- 
turning to  it  in  startling  flashes  that  it  might  be  seen 
of  men  and  they  who  brought  succour.  A  tiny  brook 
had  run  obliquely  near  the  battle  line.  It  was  here  that 
the  night  before  the  battle,  friend  and  foe  had  filled 
their  canteens  side  by  side  with  soldierly  recklessness, 
or  perhaps  a  higher  instinct — purposely  ignoring  each 
other's  presence;  it  was  here  that  the  wounded  had 
afterwards  crept,  crawled,  and  dragged  themselves ; 
here  they  had  pushed,  wrangled,  striven,  and  fought 
for  a  draught  of  that  precious  fluid  which  assuaged  the 
thirst  of  their  wounds — or  happily  put  them  out  of 
their  misery  for  ever ;  here  overborne,  crushed,  suffo- 
cated by  numbers,  pouring  their  own  blood  into  the 
flood,  and  tumbling  after  it  with  their  helpless  bodies, 
they  dammed  the  stream,  until  recoiling,  red  and  angry, 
it  had  burst  its  banks  and  overflowed  the  cotton  field  in 
a  broad  pool  that  now  sparkled  in  the  sunlight.  But 
below  this  human  dam — a  mile  away — where  the  brook 
still  crept  sluggishly,  the  ambulance  horsej  sniffed  and1 
started  from  it. 

The  detail  moved  on  slowly,  doing  their  work  expe- 
ditiously, and  apparently  callously,  but  really  only  with 
that  mechanical  movement  that  saves  emotion.  Only 
once  they  were  moved  to  an  outbreak  of  indignation — 
the  discovery  of  the  body  of  an  officer  whose  pockets  were 
turned  inside  out,  but  whose  hand  was  still  tightly 
grasped  on  his  buttoned  waistcoat,  as  if  resisting  the 
outrage  that  had  been  done  while  still  in  life.  As  the 
men  disengaged  the  stiffened  hand  something  slipped 
fiom  the  waistcoat  to  the  ground.  The  corporal  picked 
it  up  and  handed  it  to  his  officer.  It  was  a  sealed  packet. 
The  officer  received  it  with  the  carelessness  which  long 
experience  of  these  pathetic  missives  from  the  dying  to 
their  living  relations  had  induced,  and  dropped  it  in 
the  pocket  of  his  tunic,  with  the  half-dozen  others  that 
he  had  picked  up  that  morning,  and  moved  on  with  the 
detail.  A  little  further  on  they  halted,  in  the  attitude 
of  attention,  as  a  mounted  officer  appeared,  riding  slowly 
down  the  line. 

There  was  something  more  than  the  habitual  respect 
of  their  superior  in  their  faces  as  he  came  forward.  For 
it  was  the  General  who  had  commanded  the  brigade 
the  day  before — the  man  who  had  leaped  with  one  bound 
into  the  forward  rank  of  military  leaders.  It  was  his 
invincible  spirit  that  had  led  the  advance,  held  back 
defeat  against  overwhelming  numbers,  sustained  the 
rally,  impressed  his  subordinate  officers  with  his  own 
ur.deviating  purpose,  and  even  infused  them  with  an 
almost  superstitious  belief  in  his  destiny  of  success. 
It  was  this  man  who  had  done  what  it  was  deemed  im- 
possible to  do — what  even  at  the  time  it  was  thought 
unwise  and  unstrategic  to  do — who  had  held  a  weak 
position,  of  apparently  no  importance,  under  the  man- 
date of  an  incomprehensible  order  from  his  superior, 
which  at  best  asked  only  for  a  sacrifice,  and  was  rewarded 
with  a  victory.  He  had  decimated  his  brigade,  but  the 
wounded  and  dying  had  cheered  him  as  he  passed, 


and  the  survivors  had  pursued  the  enemy  until  the  bugle 
called  them  back.  For  such  a  record  he  looked  still  too 
young,  and  even  too  scholarly,  albeit  his  handsome  face 
was  dark  and  energetic,  and  his  manner  taciturn. 

His  quick  eye  had  already  caught  sight  of  the  rifled 
body  of  the  officer,  and  contracted.  As  the  captain  of 
the  detail  saluted  him  lie  said,  curtly — 

"  I  thought  the  orders  were  to  fire  upon  anyone  dese- 
crating the  dead?" 

"  They  are,  General ;  but  the  hyaenas  don't  give  us  a 
chance.  That's  all  yonder  poor  fellow  saved  from  their 
claws,"  replied  the  officer,  as  he  held  up  the  sealed  packet. 
"  It  has  no  address." 

The  General  took  it,  examined  the  envelope,  thrust  it 
into  his  belt,  and  said — 

"  I  will  take  charge  of  it." 

The  sound  of  horse  hoofs  came  from  the  rocky  road-- 
side  beyond  the  brook.  Both  men  turned.  A  number 
of  field  officers  were  approaching. 

"The  Division  Staff,"  said  the  Captain,  in  a  lower 
voice,  falling  back. 

They  came  slowly  forward,  a  central  figure  on  a  grey 
horse  leading  here — as  in  history.  A  short,  thick-set 
man  with  a  grizzled  beard  closely  cropped  around  an 
inscrutable  mouth,  and  the  serious  formality  of  a  respect- 
able country  deacon  in  his  aspect,  which  even  the  Major- 
General's  blazon  on  the  shoulder-strap  of  his  loosa  tunic, 
on  his  soldierly  seat  in  the  saddle  could  not  entirely 
obliterate.  He  had  evidently  perceived  the  General  of 
Brigade,  and  quickened  his  horse  as  the  latter  drew  up. 
The  staff  followed  more  leisurely,  but  still  with  some 
curiosity  to  witness  the  meeting  of  the  first  general  of  the 
army  with  the  youngest.  The  Division  General  saluted, 
but  almost  instantly  withdrew  his  leathern  gauntlet, 
and  offered  his  bared  hand  to  the  Brigadier.  The  words 
of  heroes'  are  scant.  The  drawn-up  detail,  the  waiting 
staff  listened.    This  was  all  they  heard — - 

"Halleck  tells  me  you're  from  California?" 

"Yes,  General." 

"Ah!  I  lived  there,  too,  in  the  early  days.  Wonderful 
country.  Developed  greatly  since  my  time,  I  sup- 
pose?" 

"Yes,  General." 

"Great  resources;  finest  wheat-growing  country  in 
the  world,  sir.  You  don't  happen  to  know  Avhat  the 
actual  crop  was,  this  year  ? " 

"  Hardly,  General ,  but  something  enormous." 

"Yes,  I  have  always  said  it  would  be.  Have  a 
cigar  ? " 

He  handed  his  cigar-case  to  the  brigadier.  Then  he 
took  one  himself,  lighted  it  at  the  smouldering  end  of 
the  one  he  had  taken  from  his  mouth,  was  about  to 
throw  the  stump  carelessly  down,  but  suddenly  recol- 
lecting himself,  leaned  over  his  horse,  and  dropped  it 
carefully  a  few  inches  away  from  the  face  of  a  dead 
soldier.  Then,  straightening  himself  in  the  saddle,  he 
shoved  his  horse  against  the  Brigadier,  moving  him  a 
little  further  on,  while  a  slight  movement  of  his  hand 
kept  the  staff  from  following. 

"  A  heavy  loss  here  !  " 

"I'm  afraid  so,  General." 

"It  couldn't  be  helped.  We  bad  to  rush  in  your  bri- 
gade to  gain  time,  and  occupy  the  enemy,  until  we  could 
change  front." 

The  young  general  looked  at  the  shrewd,  cold  eyes  of 
his  chief. 

"  Change  front  ? "  he  echoed. 

"Yes.   Before  a  gun  was  fired,  we  discovered  that  the 


HE    HANDED    IT    TO  BRANT. 


28 


November  10,  1894. 


enemy  was  in  complete  possession  of  all  our  plans,  and 
knew  every  detail  of  our  forward  movement.  All  had 
to  be  changed.'"' 

The  younger  man  now  instantly  understood  the  in- 
comprehensible order  of  the  day  before. 

The  General  of  Division  continued,  with  his  first 
touch  of  official  formality — 

"You  understand,  therefore,  General  Brant,  that  in 
the  face  of  this  extraordinary  treachery,  the  utmost 
vigilance  is  required,  and  a  complete  surveillance  of 
your  camp  followers  and  civilians,  to  detect  the  actual 
spy  within  our  lines,  or  the  traitor  we  are  harbouring, 
who  has  become  possessed  of  this  information.  You 
will  overhaul  your  brigade,  and  weed  out  all  suspects, 
and  in  the  position  which  you  are  to  take  to-morrow, 
and  the  plantation  you  will  occupy,  you  will  see  that 
your  private  quarters,  as  well  as  your  lines,  are  cleared 
of  all  but  those  you  can  vouch  for." 

He  reined  in  his  horse,  again  extended  his  hand, 
saluted,  and  rejoined  his  staff. 

Brigadier-General  Clarence  Brant  remained  for  a  mo- 
ment with-  his  head  bent  in  thoughtful  contemplation  of 
the  coolness  of  his  veteran  chief,  under  this  exciting- 
disclosure,  and  the  strategy  with  which  he  had  frus- 
trated the  traitor's  success.  Then  his  eye  caught  the 
sealed  packet  in  his  belt.  He  mechanically  drew  it 
out,  and  broke  the  seal.  The  envelope  was  filled  with 
papers  and  memorandums.  But  as  he  looked  at  them 
his  face  darkened  and  his  brow  knit.  He  glanced  quickly 
around  him.  The  staff  had  trotted  away ;  the  Captain 
and  his  detail  were  continuing  their  work  at  a  little 
distance.  He  took  a  long  breath.  For  he  was  holding 
in  his  hand  a  tracing  of  their  camp,  even  of  the  position 
he  was  to  occupy  to-morrow,  and  a  detailed  account  of 
the  movements,  plans,  and  force  of  the  whole  division  as 
had  been  arranged  in  council  of  war  the  day  before  the 
battle !  But  there  was  no  indication  of  the  writer  or 
his  intentions. 

Ha  thrust  the  papers  hurriedly  back  into  the  enve- 

ANOTHER  OF  MRS.  GRUNDY'S 
MISTAKES. 


"  Bicycling  is  not  a  womanly  exercise,  my  dear," 
.said  Mrs.  Grundy  to  me  one  afternoon  ;  and  she  poured 
out  a  delicious  cup  of  tea. 

That  night  I  debated  the  question  in  my  mind  for 
half  an.  hour.  Then  I  said  to  myself:  "I  will  judge 
from  experience."  Thereupon  I  fell  soundly  asleep. 
The  next  day  I  began  taking  lessons.  A  few  notes 
from  my  diary  show  the  conclusion  I  came  to. 

First  Lesson. — Kindly  supported  I  start.  After 
various  serpentine  movements,  during  which  my  feet 
make  spasmodic  and  desperate  efforts  to  get  on  friendly 
terms  with  the  pedals,  I  fall  on  my  left  side.  I  mount 
again,  and  awkwardly  tumble  down,  this  time  on  my 
right.  Yes,  two  falls  ;  but  gentle  and  encouraging  ones, 
for  they  prove  to  me  how  near  I  am  to  the  ground 
when  in  my  saddle,  and  teach  me  that  I  have  only  to 
put  my  foot  forward  to  stand  upright  once  more.  The 
lesson  over  I  feel  no  fatigue  whatever,  only  a  healthy 
languor  similar  to  that  which  pervades  one's  frame 
after  a  good  swim. 

Second  Lesson. — My  feet  and  the  pedals  agree.  I 
begin  to  lessen  my  grip  of  the  hand-bar,  and  inst  na- 
tively understand  that  I  must  school  the  machine  to 
follow   my    will   instead   of   giving  myself   into  its 
power. 

Third  Lesson. — Like  all  other  studies,  bicycling  has 


lope,  but  placed  it,  this  time,  in  his  breast.  He  gal- 
loped towards  the  captain. 

"Let  me  see  again  the  officer  from  whom  you  took 
that  packet ! " 

The  captain  led  him  where  the  body  lay,  with  others, 
extended  more  decently  on  the  ^rass  awaiting  removal. 
General  Brant  with  difficulty  repressed  an  ejaculation. 

''  Why,  it's  one  of  our  own  men,"  he  said  quickly. 

''Yes,  general.  They  say  it's  Lieutenant  Wainwright, 
a  regular,  of  the  Paymaster  General's  Department." 

'■  Then  what  was  he  doing  here?"  asks  General  Brant, 
sternly. 

"  I  can't  make  out,  sir,  unless  he  went  into  the  last, 
advance  as  a  volunteer.  Wanted  to  see  the  fight,  I  sup- 
pose. He  was  a  dashing  fellow,  a  West  Pointer — and  a 
Southerner,  too — a  Virginian." 

"A  Southerner!"  echoed  Brant,  quickly." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Search  him  again,"  said  Brant,  quietly.  He  had 
recovered  his  usual  coolness,  and  as  the  Captain  again 
examined  the  body,  he  took  out  his  tablets  and  wrote 
a  few  lines.  It  was  an  order  to  search  the  quarters  of 
Lieutenant  Wainwright  and  bring  all  papers,  letters, 
and  documents  to  him.  He  then  beckoned  one  of  the 
detail  towards  him.  "  Take  that  to  the  Provost  Mar- 
shal, at  once.  Well,  Captain,"  he  added,  calmly,  as  the 
officer  again  approached  him.    "  What  do  you  find  1" 

"  Only  this,  sir,"  returned  the  Captain,  with  a  half 
smile,  producing  a  small  photograph.  "  I  suppose  it 
was  overlooked,  too." 

He  handed  it  to  Brant. 

There  was  a  sudden  fixing  of  his  commanding  officer's 
eyes,  but  his  face  did  not  otherwise  change. 

"  It's  the  usual  find,  General.  Always  a  photograph  ! 
But  this  time  a  handsome  woman  !  " 

"  Very,"  said  Clarence  Brant,  quietly.  It  was  the  por- 
trait of  his  own  wife  ! 

(To  be  continued.) 


a  period  in  which  no  apparent  progress  is  made.  It 
is  a  standstill  that  savours  of  regress.  Trying  to  ride- 
without  assistance,  to-day,  I  lost  my  head,  and  con- 
sequently my  balance.  The  result  was  a  bad  fall. 
Moreover  I  learnt,  by  the  convincing  proof  of  a  scratch 
on  my  ankle,  that  I  must  keep  my  feet  steady  if  I  do 
not  wish  them  caught  between  the  pedals  and  the  hind 
wheel. 

Fourth  Lesson. — Unable  to  balance  myself  or  to  steer- 
correctly.  I  attribute  this  nervous  state  to  the  shaking 
of  yesterday's  fall.    I  bring  the  lesson  to  an  early  close. 

Fifth  Lesson. — I  start  with  better  success,  and  begin 
to  feel  the  instinct  of  equilibrium.  My  teacher  has  some 
difficulty  in  running  up  with  me.  I  am  sorry  when 
the  time  allowed  for  the  lesson  is  over. 

Sixth  Lesson. — My  balance  is  decidedly  improved ;  so- 
is  my  steering. 

Seventh  Lesson. — I  am  off — alone  !  In  the  cool 
morning  breeze  that  fans  my  face,  I  go  on  pedalling  to 
the  harmonious  swing  of  the  healthy  exercise,  which, 
brought  to  a  conclusion,  leaves  my  body  in  the  glow  of 
a  perfect  circulation. 

Such  my  first  experience  of  bicycling.  Taking  it 
from  a  woman's  point  of  view — ajre,  say  a  mother's — 
I  believe  the  exercise  to  be  an  excellent  or  e.  If  I  had 
a  daughter  in  her  "  teens,"  I  would  like  to  see  her 
take  up  this  pastime  in  preference  to  having  her  lounge 
in  the  drawing-room  with  an  every  day  novel.  Those 
who  have  not  tried  cycling  cannot  realise  the  absurdity 
of  condemning  it  as  unsuited  to  ladies. 

To  us  women  journalists  the  bicycle  will  prove,  in  the 
long  run,  eminently  useful.   We  cannot  always  afford 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


20 


hansoms,  and  however  enjoyable  the  top  of  a  'bus  may- 
be under  some  circumstances,  it  certainly  robs  us,  by 
its  penny  hypocrisy,  of  our  most  valuable  time.  What 
swifter  conveyance  to  a  place  wheref rom  to  gather  notes 
for  copy  to  be  delivered  at  a  few  hours'  notice  ?  And 
what  relaxation  to  the  strained  mind,  after  a  long  and 
lonely  companionship  with  the  writing-table,  to  swing 
ourselves  in  the  flying  saddle,  and  in  breathing  God's 
fresh  air,  to  have  our  thoughts  diverted  from  that  word 
or  that  phrase  which  has  hammered  our  over-taxed  brain 
all  day ! 


1  should  like  to  hear  more  of  the  experience  and 
ideas  of  women  on  the  subject ;  and  I  shall  be  happy 
to  hold  out  a  friendly  hand  to  the  ones  who  are  wish- 
ing, though  still  hesitating,  to  adopt  this  interesting 
exercise.  To  these  I  can  safely  say  that  the  secret  of 
success  in  steering  a  bicycle  on  the  road,  as  well  as  ia 
Mrs.  Grundy's  domains,  is  the  same  that  serves  us  in 
all  the  difficulties  of  life.  The  secret  lies  in  the  motto  : 
"A  cool  head  and  a  warm  heart." 

Elvira  Tarney-Archer. 


GIVE  AND  TAKE. 


H.  F. 


BY 

GETHEN. 


The  district  visitor  opened  the  door  of  No.  4,  Gardener's 
Cottages,  and  stepped  into  a  tiny  little  bare  room, 
where  a  sick  woman  lay  on  the  shabby  bedstead. 

"  Are  you  better, 
Mrs.  Grey  ?  How's  the 
cough  to-day  ?  "  she 
asked  in  a  brisk,  kindly 
way. 

"Mortal  bad, 
-thank'ee  kindly,  and 
I'm  most  tore  to  pieces 
"with  the  cough,  night 
and  day.  Your  syrup's 
done  me  good,  and 
George,  he's  very  kind 
like,  and  puts  it  by 
me  afore  he's  off  to 
his  work,"  replied  the 
invalid. 

"  Can  I  get  you  any- 
thing, Mrs.  Grey  1  Will 
you  let  me  make  you  a 
cup  of  tea  1 " 

The  sick  woman 
looked  pleased. 

"  I'd  like  it,  I'd  like 
it  ever  so,  but  George 
'ud  be  vexed.  He 
comes  home  straight 
from  his  work  when 
he  knows  I've  got  to 
wait  for  he  to  put  my 
tea.  You  see,  Miss, 
while  I  was  well,  he'd 
stay  out  all  evenin', 
and  never  mind  me 
bein'  lonesome,  but 
he's  rare  and  tender 
•over  me  since  I  was 
stricken  down.  I'd 
sooner  wait  till  he 
comes,  thank'ee  all  the 
same." 

"  Well,  I'm  glad 
he's  a  comfort  to  you 
now,  Mrs.  Grey,  but  I 
don't  like  you  to  go 
without  your  tea  so 
long,"  said  her  pitying 
visitor. 

Mrs.  Grey  had  a  pair  of  honest  blue  eyes  which  often 
betrayed  their  owner's  thoughts,  and  at  the  word  "  com- 
fort" a  shadow  seemed  to  pass  across  and  dim  their 
brightness.  She  hesitated  a  minute,  but  then  said 
frankly — 

"  Perhaps  he  ain't  rightly  jes'what  you'd  call  a  com- 
fort, miss,  but  there's  worse  sons  than  he.    I  do  find 


SHE  FOUND  GEORGE  STANDING  ON  THE  DOORSTEP. 


his  'bacca  a  bit  tryin',  but  I'm  gettin'  used  to  it ;  you  see 
it  ain't  a  big  room,  and  when  he's  had  a  couple  o'  pipes 
you  can't  hardly  see  across  it.  I  jes'  coughs  and  coughs, 
but  the  tea  stops  me  in  gineral,  and  if  he  couldn't  smoke 
here  he'd  be  off  somewhere  else,  and  so  I  mun  put  up 
with  it  if  I  wants  to  have  my  boy  wi'  me  to  the  last. 
When  yer  lonesome  and  sick,  it's  wonderful  how  you 
clings  to  yer  children,  and  George  is  all  I've  got  left. 

He's  promised  me  as 
I  sha'n't  die  alone,  and 
I've  promised  he  as 
I'J1  bear  wi'  his  'bacca. 
So  I'll  wait  for  my  tea, 
and  good  evening  and 
thank'ee  all  the  same." 

Next  time  the 
district  visitor  called 
at  No.  4,  Gardener's 
Cottages,  she  found 
George  standing  on 
the  doorstep,  pipe  in 
mouth.  He  touched 
his  forelock  sheepishly, 
as  he  said,  "  She  told 
me  you  was  allers  a 
friend  to  her,  miss,  and 
she  hoped  you'd  be  a 
friend  to  me,  too.  I'm 
goin'  to  keep  straight 
now,  I  tell  'ee.  I 
promised  'er  I'd  try 
again.  Will  you  go  in, 
she's  rare  and  peaceful 
look  in'  now  1" 

So  the  visitor  fol- 
lowed George  into  the 
room,  where,  covered 
1  >y  a  clean  white  sheet, 
lay  the  dead  form  of 
his  mother.  She  had 
indeed  a  look  of  rare 
peace  on  her  sweet 
old  face,  and  it  was 
easy  to  see  that  her 
long-suffering  patience 
had  not  been  in  vain. 
Her  dread  of  "  lone- 
someness "  had  van- 
ished before  the  end 
came,  for  George  had 
kept  his  promise,  and 
had  faithfully  watched 
with  her  through  those 
last  hours  when  human 
nature  clings  to  hu- 
had  passed  awaj',  com- 
to  try  once 


man  companionship,  and  she 
forted  by  his  newly  whispered  promise, 
again." 

As  the  district  visitor  passed  out  into  the  sunshine, 
she  echoed  the  dead  mother's  words,  "  There's  worse 
sons  than  he,  after  all." 


30 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1894. 


THE  POSITION  OF  EPHESUS. 

BY 

BARRY  PAIN. 

[Being  an  extract  from  the  note-book  of  a  private  School- 
Master. .] 

The  day  commenced  as  usual  with  the  Scripture  lesson 
in  early  morning  school.  In  accordance  with  my  in- 
structions to  be  moral,  geographical,  or  historical,  but 
not  doctrinal,  I  put  the  question,  "  Where  is  Ephesus?" 
George  Weeks  was,  as  usual,  at  the  top  of  the  class  ;  I 
generally  find  that  he  has  prepared  his  work ;  but  he 
did  not  know  where  Ephesus  was.  I  told  him  how  im- 
possible it  was  for  him  to  take  any  intelligent  interest 
in  the  subject  unless  he  looked  up  such  points.  He 
seemed  downcast. 

The  next  boy  repeated  the  question  aloud  :  "  Where 
is  Ephesus  1  Oh  !  "  Then  he  paused,  and  looked  at  me 
much  as  old  Peter  used  to  look  in  my  unregenerate  da)-s 
when  we  played  poker  together,  and  he  suspected  me  of 
bluff.  It  was  a  searching  suspicious  look.  "  I  see,"  he 
continued  brightly.  "  Ephesus  was  one  of  those  cities 
that  are  now  extinct ;  it  isn't  properly  anywhere  at  the 
present  time  ;  it's  stopped." 

"  Look  here,  Melsham,"  I  said,  frigidly.  "Do  not  try 
to  be  too  sharp,  and  do  not  imagine  for  one  moment  that 
if  you  are  ignorant  upon  any  point,  you  can  conceal  your 
ignorance  from  Me.  If  you  would  kindly  remember 
those  two  things,  you  would  get  on  much  better.  Now 
then — next,  please.   Where  is  Ephesus  ? " 

The  next  boy,  Smithson,  did  not  know.  In  the 
ordinary  course,  if  a  boy  does  not  know  the  answer  to 
the  question  he  merely  says  nothing.  Smithson  said 
nothing,  but  he  shook  his  head.  It  was  an  unusual 
and  unnecessary  action.  I  feel  certain  that  he  had 
shaken  his  head,  because  his  guilty  conscience  told  him 
that  there  was  that  within  his  mouth  which  would  make 
articulation  difficult — or,  indeed,  impossible. 

"  Smithson,"  I  said,  "  I  must  ask  you  to  tell  me 
exactly  what  you  are  eating." 

He  turned  white,  and  told  me — very  indistinctly — 
that  it  was  a  chocolate  caramel. 

It  takes  a  complete  boy  to  eat  a  chocolate  caramel 
just  five  minutes  before  he  will — in  all  human  pro- 
bability— be  eating  a  boiled  egg. 

I  told  him  to  place  the  remainder  of  the  sweetmeat 
in  the  waste-paper  basket  and  go  to  the  bottom  of  the 
class.  I  spare  details,  but  I  should  think  that  the 
chocolate  caramel  might  be  used  for  mending  broken 
china.  I  said  a  few  words  to  Smithson  on  the  subject 
of  conscience  and  the  futility  of  any  attempt  to  conceal 
sin.    He  wept  a  little. 


THE  MASTER. 

BY 

I.  ZANGW1LL. 


BOOK  in. 
CHAPTER  VIIL— (Continued.) 

The  stage  of  the  world  is  not  adapted  for  heroic  atti- 
tudes ;  unless  the  curtain  be  dropped  on  the  instant. 

To  pass  after  a  tedious  day-long  journey  from  the 
vivid  Boulevards  to  the  grey  dreariness  of  a  poor  London 
suburb  on  a  Sunday  evening  was  already  a  chill  to  the  ar- 
tistic mind  ;  to  find  that  the  wife  into  whose  arms  he  had 
come  to  fall  in  dramatic  contrition,  was  not  only  out, 
but  gone  to  church  with  Aunt  Clara  and  little  Clara, 
v,as  To  be  further  reminded  of  the  essentially  inartistic 
character  of  life  in  general  and  of  its  especial  narrow- 
ness in  church-going  districts. 

But  he  stooped  down  to  kiss  little  Davie  who,  by 
reason  of  the  servant's  "  Sunday  out,"  had  opened  the 
door  and  explained  these  things  to  him.  He  saw  that 
the  child  had  a  little  wooden  mannikin  in  his  hand,  and 
was  sucking  it. 


The  next  boy  really  knew  nothing  about  the  position 
of  Ephesus,  but  asked  me  vaguely  if  it  wasn't  a  part  of 
Palestine. 

"  Let  us  suppose  for  one  moment  that  Ephesus  is  a 
part  of  Palestine.  Would  your  answer  be  correct  1  No, 
my  dear  boy.  Accuracy — absolute  accuracy — is  essen- 
tial to  information  of  every  kind,  if  it  is  to  have  any 
real  value." 

It  seems  hard  to  believe  that  not  one  of  these  boys 
who  had  been  reading  about  Ephesus  the  night  before 
had  taken  the  trouble  to  look  it  up  in  the  atlas.  But  it 
was  so. 

The  true  educationalist  uses  his  opportunities,  and  I 
think  that  I  had  used  mine.  Starting  with  a  question 
as  to  the  position  of  Ephesus,  I  had  found  an  oppor- 
tunity to  impress  upon  these  young  boys,  with  their 
minds  open  to  every  salutary  influence,  the  necessity  for 
intelligent  work  and  absolute  accuracy  and  straight- 
forward dealing.  I  had  warned  them  against  over- 
subtlety  and  futile  attempts  to  conceal  sin.  In  a  word, 
I  had  set  up  before  them  a  far  higher  moral  standard 
than  that  which  I  have  found  it  expedient  so  far  to 
keep  in  general  use. 

When  the  question  had  gone  all  round  the  class,  and 
every  boy  had  missed,  that  little  brute  Melsham  had  the 
cheek  to  put  the  question  to  me — 

"  Well,  sir,  where  is  Ephesus  really  1 " 

How  could  I  possibly  know  1  It  is  one  of  the  things 
which  you  are  taught,  only  to  forget.  I  knew  where 
Ephesus  was  once  ;  but  I  certainly  did  not  know  when 
I  asked  the  question,  and  I  could  not  get  a  couple  of 
minutes  with  the  atlas  just  then.  What  ordinary  man 
does  know  the  position  of  Ephesus  ?  If  he  wants  it 
he  looks  it  up  ;  if  he  does  not  want  it  he  leaves  it.  I 
glanced  at  the  clock,  and  saw  that  it  was  just  on 
breakfast  time. 

"  Very  good,  Melsham,"  I  said  ;  "  I  am  very  glad  to 
hear  you  ask  that  question  ;  it  shows  that  you  are 
beginning  to  see  now  the  necessity  for  an  intelligent 
interest  in  your  work.  I  wish  that  you  had  seen  it 
before,  but  better  late  than  never.  Now,  before  I  draw 
on  the  blackboard  the  map  that  will — what,  the  break- 
fast bell  !  Next  chapter  for  next  time,  and  use  the  atlas." 

So  that  was  quite  all  right. 

At  breakfast  I  got  another  letter  from  old  Peter.  He 
still  insists  that  I  should  do  better  to  take  orders,  as  he 
has  done.  He  gets  ninety-five  and  boards  himself ;  I 
get  seventy  and  am  boarded — except  the  holidays,  of 
course.  No,  thank  you,  Peter  ;  arithmetic  is  arithmetic 
and  the  proposal  is  not  funny  enough.  This  post  is  not 
brilliant  but  it's  better  than  that. 

J ust  fancy  old  Peter  a  curate  !  He  is  really  not  fit 
for  it. 


'  Don't  suck  that,  Davie,"  he  said. 

"  There  ain't  no  paint  to  spoil,"  Davie  urged  gravely. 
"  It's  all  gone." 

Matthew  carried  both  the  little  men  downstairs  on 
his  shoulder.  In  the  kitchen  he  found  Billy  moping  by 
the  fire — profiting  by  the  absence  of  the  servant  to 
enjoy  the  only  fire  Rosina's  economy  permitted  at  this 
season  of  the  year,  but  sunk  so  deep  in  a  black  reverie 
that  he  did  not  raise  his  head  at  the  unwonted  footsteps. 

A  wave  of  protective  love,  almost  paternal,  flooded 
Matthew's  soul ;  he  laid  his  hand  on  poor  Billy's  head 
as  in  benediction.  Never  more  would  they  be  parted, 
never  more. 

"Billy,"  he  said,  softly. 

The  young  man  started  violently,  and  looked  up. 

"I've  come  back,  Billy,"  he  said,  tenderly. 

'  So  I  see,"  replied  Billy,  ungraciously. 

He  was  stung  to  the  quick,  but  he  controlled  his  pain  ; 
he  knew  this  was  part  of  his  atonement. 

"  I  have  come  to  make  it  up  with  Rosina.  I'm  not 
going  away  again,"  he  went  on  gently,  his  hand  on  Billy's 
shoulder. 

''  And  what's  the  use  of  that  ?"  Billy  snapped.    "  Even 


Copyrighted  in  America,  lS0/h  by  I.  Zangwill.    British  and  Colonial  ri-jhts  reserved,  and  will  be  cn/oi-ccd. 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


31 


if  she  makes  it  up  with  you,  she'll  break  out  again  in  a 
few  days.    I  know  her." 

He  set  down  the  child  with  a  sigh,  and  drew  a  chair 
to  his  brother's  side.  Davie  climbed  trustfully  on  his 
knee.  The  kettle  was  singing,  and  a  plump,  grey  cat 
purred  in  the  fender. 

•  Besides,"  Billy  went  on,  "you've  always  said  you 
couldn't  live  here — it  was  necessary  to  live  at  your 
studio."  .  u 

"  I  know  j  but  I  am  giving  up  the  studio." 

Billy  turned  whiter  than  usual. 

"What's  happened  1"  he  cried  in  alarm. 

"Nothing  in  particular." 

"  Then  I  suppose  you're  going  to  turn  me  out  of  my 
work-room?" 

"No,  no,  Billy.      I  am  giving  up  painting  alto- 
gether." . 
"  Billv's  eyes  dilated  in  horror,  as  on  the  night  when 
his  mother  had  dragged  him  out  of  bed  to  trudge  the 
frozen  fields. 

"  Are  vou  mad1?"  he  gasped. 

Something  of  his  awe  sent  a  shiver  through  hi3 
bi  other. 

"  Perhaps  I  am,"  said  Matthew. 
Ho  fell  silent. 

Billy  regarded  him  furtively.  The  minutes  dragged 
on.  Matthew  looked  at  his  watch— getting  on  for 
seven.  Eleanor  Wyndwood  would  have  been  dressing 
for  him — he  saw  her  matchless  loveliness.  Another  few 
minutes,  and  his  kisses  would  have  been  on  her  lips — 
those  lips  that  had  lain  on  his  in  what  was  already  an 
enchanted,  hazy  dream  rather  than  a  waking  memory. 

"Perhaps  I  am  mad,"  he  muttered  again,  as  hesat 
waiting  for  Pvosina  instead.  And  then  he  caught  sight 
of  the  Tittle  figure  Davie  was  sucking  and  began  to  laugh 
boisterously. 

Billy  was  terrified. 

"  You  can  have  the  studio  back  if  you  like,"  he  said, 
soothingly;  the  cripple's  tones  became  protective  in 
their  turn.  "  I  can  write  anvwhere — and  after  all,  what's 
the  use  of  my  writing? — nobody  will  take  what  I  write." 

"I  can  write  kisses,"  interposed  Davie,  looking  up 
proudly. 

"  What  does  he  mean,  Billy  1"  said  Matthew. 

"  Oh,  he  used  to  put  crosses  at  the  end  of  the  letter 
when  Rosina  wrote  to  poor  old  Coble — kisses  to  his 
grandfather,  you  know." 

"  He's  a  angel  now,"  said  Davie,  gravely. 

"What's  that  you're  sucking?"  Billy  responded, 
sternly.    "You  know  you  mustn't." 

He  took  it  away,  and  Davie  set  up  a  howl,  till  pacified 
by  a  penny. 

"  It's  an  image  of  a  preacher,  Matt,"  Billy  explained. 
"  I  forget  his  name.  He  died  last  year — Rosina  used  to 
go  and  hear  him.  She  said  he  gave  her  great  comfort. 
These  images  are  sold  in  thousands.  What  a  ludicrous 
thing  popular  religion  is !" 

Matthew  laughed,  but  there  was  a  tear  for  Rosina  in 
the  laughter. 

"By  the  way,"  he  said  suddenly.  "Did  old  Coble 
leave  her  any  money?" 

»Yes— but  a  few  thousand  dollars  was  all  there  was, 
when  his  estate  was  wound  up.  He  couldn't  have  ex- 
pected to  crack  up,  for  he  made  no  provision  whatever 
for  Aunt  Clara." 

"Then  Rosina  is  keeping  her?" 

"Yes,  I  suppose  so." 

"How  does  she  reconcile  that  with  her  economy?" 
he  thought,  with  an  added  throb  of  tenderness.  The 
kettle  sang  on,  the  cat  purred  :  he  had  a  Hash  of  hooe, 
he  might  grow  to  love  her  yet.  But  he  thought  of 
Eleanor  Wyndwood,  and  the  hope  died.  They  would 
have  been  on  their  way  now  to  their  restaurant— siting 
close  together,  driving  through  the  flashing  streets.  Oh, 
was  he  not  mad  to  be  here  ? 

"  What  are  you  doing  all  alone  1"  he  thought.  "  My 
love,  my  first  love  and  my  last,  you  who  believed  in  me, 
who  were  ready  to  sacrifice  yourself  to  me !  " 


"Did  you  go  to  see  Ruth  Hailey?"  asked  Billy, 
suddenly. 

Eleanor's  face  vanished.  He  put  his  hand  to  his- 
bi  east-pocket,  and  drew  out  the  portrait  with  the  sweet, 
shy  eyes. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  tremulously,  "  and  she  gave  me  this." 
Billy  took  the  photograph  and  kissed  it. 
'*  God  bless  you,"  he  said. 
Davie  pricked  up  his  ears. 

"  You're  not  in  love  with  her?"  Matthew  asked  lightly, 
with  a  sudden  apprehension. 

"  1 1  I  know  better  than  to  be  in  love  with  any  woman," 
said  Billy  sadly,  as  he  returned  the  portrait.  "  Only 
iu  my  stories  can  I  love  and  be  loved." 

"  It  was  she  who  sent  us  that  mysterious  money,"  said 
Matthew,  and  told  him  the  story.  Billy  listened  in 
surprise  and  emotion. 

"  God  bless  you,  Ruth,"  he  said  again. 

"What  is  that  God  in  'God  bless  you?'"  interrupted 
Davie. 

The  brothers  looked  at  each  other,  embarrassed. 

"  Ask  mummy,  she'll  tell  you,"  said  Matthew  at  last. 

"  Mummy  did  tell  me,  but  I  can't  'derstand."  He  sat 
there  wondering.    "  When  does  God  sleep  ?" 

The  sudden  blare  and  boom  of  a  Salvationist  proces- 
sion saved  reply.  The  blatant  clangour  passed,  died. 
They  waited  for  Rosina. 

Presently  they  heard  the  returning  church-party  de- 
scending into  the  area,  so  as  not  to  soil  the  white  upper 
steps. 

He  had  kissed  her  before  she  was  aware  of  his  pre- 
sence, as  she  stepped  across  the  kitchen  threshold,  red- 
edged  prayer-book  in  hand.  After  that  her  sullenness 
was  only  half-hearted.  He  said  he  had  come  to  supper. 
By  the  time  they  sat  down  to  it  a  reconciliation  had  been 
patched  up.  Warned  by  Billy's  reception  of  his  deter- 
mination, he  did  not  even  break  it  to  her  yet.  Thus 
tamely  passed  off  the  great  renunciation  scene — the 
crisis  of  his  life — like  everything  else  in  his  life,  unlike 
v  hat  he  had  imagined  beforehand.  Rosina  did  not  even 
understand  what  this  home-coming  meant  to  him.  He 
pleaded  that  Davie,  who  did  not  want  to  go  to  sleep, 
should  be  allowed  to  stay  up  to  supper,  but  this  request 
was  not  granted. 

"  Mummy,  when  does  God  go  to  sleep?"  the  persistent 
Davie  remembered  to  ask,  as  she  was  leading  him  from 
the  room. 

"  God  never  sleeps,"  replied  Rosina  sternly,  and  haled 
him  to  bed. 

Matthew  pondered  the  immense  s]aying,  so  glibly 
spoken,  as  he  waited  for  her  to  return.  "Aunt  Clara," 
pouch-eyed  and  wan,  her  head  nodding  queerly  -with 
excitement  at, the  great  man's  presence,  was  laying  the 
supper  in  the  warm  kitchen,  where  the  servant  would 
not  resume  possession  till  ten  :  little  Clara  was  at  her 
task  of  Bible  reading.  Billy  drowsed  on  his  chair,  ex- 
hausted. The  fire  glowed  red,  the  cat  was  still  stretched 
in  the  warmth.  Something  in  the  scene  thrilled  him 
with  a  sense  of  restful  kinship  with  it,  half  sweet,  half 
sad  ;  a  sense  of  being  more  really  at  home  than  in  deli- 
cate drawing-rooms ;  the  old  homelv  kitchen  far  away 
on  the  borders  of  the  forest  sent  out  subtle  links,  binding 
his  childhood  to  the  manhood  that  had  come  at  last. 

This  half-and-half-ness  was  typical  of  the  new  lifo 
which  began  that  night  and  which  on  the  morrow  was. 
sealed  and  consecrated  by  the  message  from  Eleanor : 
"  You  are  right.  We  have  chosen  the  highest."  It  was 
a  life  full  of  petty  pricks  and  everyaay  worries.  But  if 
it  was  not  so  grandiosely  heroic  as  he  had  intended, 
neither  was  the  consequence  to  his  Art  as  he  had!' 
foreseen. 

He  has  not  given  up  Art.  Neither  Rosina  nor  Billy 
would  permit  that  folly,  and  Eleanor's  brief  letter  had 
a  postscript  of  inspiring  protest.  He  had  meant  to 
sacrifice  Art  and  happiness,  but  only  the  latter  sacri- 
fice was  accepted.  For  unhappiness  drove  him  back  to- 
his  studio — where  the  "Angelus"  hung  now  like_an  in- 
spiration. From  the  glooms  and  trials  of  the  daily 
routine  in  this  prosaic  home,  with  its  faithful  but  narrow- 


32 


TO-DAY. 


November  10,  1894. 


•souled  mistress,  who  knew  not  what  was  passing  in 
her  husband's  mind,  nor  at  what  cost  he  had  made  her 
•happy,  and  who  would  not  even  agree  to  live  in  some 
beautiful  country  spot  which  would  have  softened  life 
for  him ;  from  this  depressing  household  with  its  un- 
sprightly  children,  its  cheerless  pensioner,  its  querulous 
-cripple  resenting  the  very  hand  that  fed  him,  he  escaped 
to  the  little  white-washed  studio,  to  find  in  his  Art  ob- 
Jivion  of  the  burden  of  life. 

And  now,  at  last,  his  true  life-work  was  begun.  Re- 
moved from  the  sapping  cynicism  of  the  club  conscience, 
from  the  drought  of  drawing-room  disbelief,  from  the 
.miasma  of  fashionable  conversation,  from  the  confusing 
cackle  of  critics ;  saved  from  the  intrigue  with  Mrs. 
Wyndwood  that  would  have  distracted  his  soul  and 
imposed  an  extra  need  for  money-making ;  withdrawn 
from  the  feverish  rush  of  fashion  and  the  enervating 
consumption  of  superfluous  food  and  drink;  exempted 
from  keeping  up  a  luxurious  position  purchased  by 
scamped,  soulless  pictures;  able  to  work  without  the 
whims  of  sisters  or  patrons,  without  regard  to  prices, 
for  Rosina's  income,  augmented  by  her  very  consider- 
able hoardings,  and  by  his  balance  supplemented  by  the 
proceeds  of  the  sale  of  his  studio  effects  and  ancient 
pictures,  the  whole  doubled  by  Rosina's  economic  ad- 
ministration, was  amply  sufficient  for  every  rational 
need :  Matthew  Strang  began  at  last,  without  under- 
thought  of  anything  but  Art,  in  this  homely  environment 
to  which  his  soul  was  native,  to  express  his  own  inmost 


individuality ;  to  produce  faithfully  and  finely  the  work 
it  was  in  him  to  do. 

With  the  aristocratic  in  art  or  life  he  has  no  sym- 
pathy ;  to  him,  to  be  honest  and  faithful,  is  to  belong 
to  the  only  aristocracy  in  the  world — and  the  smallest. 
Sometimes  he  dreams  of  some  great  Common  Art — for 
all  men  like  the  sky  and  the  air,  which  should  somehow 
soften  and  ennoble  life  for  all.  And  dreaming  thus, 
he  somewhat  frets  against  the  limitations  of  his  Art  and 
of  its  influence,  wishing  rather  he  had  been  a  great 
poet  or  a  great  musician. 

But  life  is  too  long  for  ideals ;  the  unending  proces- 
sion of  the  days  depresses  the  finest  enthusiasm.  Some- 
times when  the  domestic  horizon  is  dark,  or  when  his 
body  is  racked  with  pain,  he  rebels  against  the  role 
thrust  upon  him  in  the  world's  workshop,  against  the 
fate  that  mocked  at  his  free  will,  and  made  of  him  a 
voluntary  instrument  for  the  happiness  of  Rosina  and 
Herbert,  turning  his  every  action  to  undreamed-of 
issues ;  and  then  he  longs  for  the  life  that  had  been 
his  second  nature,  the  life  of  gay  talk,  and  rustling 
dresses,  and  wine,  and  woman,  and  song.  And  in  such 
moments  as  these — when  the  natural  human  instinct 
for  happiness,  yearning  sunward,  breaks  through  all 
the  strata  of  laborious  philosophy  and  experience — he 
remembers  that  men  call  him  "  The  Master,"  and  then 
he  seems  to  hear  the  sardonic  laughter  of  Mad  Peggy, 
as  he  asks  himself  what  Master  he  has  followed  in  his 
sacrifice,  or  what  Master,  working  imperturbably,  moulds 
human  life  at  his  ironic,  inscrutable  will. 

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IN  MID-ATLANTIC, 


7/'i 


W.  W.  JACOBS. 

s'rated  by  Scott  Rankin. 


sir,"  said 
the  night- 
watch- 


man, 


as 


he  took 
a  seat  on  a  post  at  the 
end  of  the  jetty,  and 
stowed  a  huge  piece  of 
tobacco  in  his  cheek.  "  No, 
man  an'  boy,  I  was  at  sea 
forty  years  afore  I  took  on 
this  job,  but  I  can't  say  as  ever  I  saw  a  real,  downright 
ghost." 

This  was  disappointing,  and  I  said  so.  Previous  ex- 
perience of  the  power  of  Bill's  vision  had  led  me  to  ex- 
pect something  very  different. 

"Not  but  what  I've  known  some  queer  things  hap- 
pen," said  Bill,  fixing  his  eyes  on  the  Surrey  side,  and 
going  off  into  a  kind  of  trance.    "  Queer  things." 

I  waited  patiently  ;  Bill's  eyes,  after  resting  for  some 
time  on  Surrey,  began  to  slowly  cross  the  river,  paused 
midway  in  reasonable  hopes  of  a  collision  between  a  tug 
with  its  flotilla  of  barges  and  a  penny  steamer,  and  then 
came  back  to  me. 

"You  heard  that  yarn  old  Cap'n  Harris  was  telling 
the  other  day  about  the  skipper  he  knew  having  a  warn- 
ing one  night  to  alter  his  course,  an'  doing  so,  picked 
up  five  live  men  and  three  dead  skeletons  in  a  open  boat  1 " 
he  enquired. 

I  nodded. 

"  The  yarn  in  various  forms  is  an  old  one,"  said  I. 

"  It's  all  founded  on  something  I  told  him  once,"  said 
Biil.  "  I  don't  wish  to  accuse  Cap'n  Harris  of  taking 
another  man's  true  story  an'  spoiling  it ;  he's  got  a  bad 
memory,  that's  all.  Fust  of  all,  he  forgets  he  ever  heard 
the  y arn  ;  secondly,  he  goes  and  spoils  it." 

I  gave  a  sympathetic  murmur.  Harris  was  as  truth- 
ful an  old  man  as  ever  breathed,  but  his  tales  were  ter- 
ribly restricted  by  this  circumstance,  whereas  Bill's  were 
limited  by  nothing  but  his  own  imagination. 


"  It  was  about  fifteen  years  ago  now,"  began  Bill, 
getting  the  quid  into  a  bye-way  of  his  cheek,  where  it 
would  not  impede  his  utterance.  "  I  was  A.B.  on  the 
'  Swallow,'  a  barque  trading  wherever  we  could  pick  up 
stuff.  On  this  v'y'ge  we  was  bound  from  London  to 
Jamaica  with  a  general  cargo. 

"  The  start  of  that  v'y'ge  was  excellent.  We  was 
towed  out  of  the  St.  Katherine's  docks  here,  to  the  Nore, 
an'  the  tug  left  us  to  a  stiff  breeze  which  fairly  raced  us 
down  Channel  and  out  into  the  Atlantic.  Everybody  was 
saying  what  a  fine  v'y'ge  we  was  having,  an'  what  quick 
time  we  should  make,  an'  the  fust  mate  was  in  such  a 
lovely  temper  that  you  might  do  anything  with  him 
a'most. 

"  We  was  about  ten  days  out,  an'  still  slipping  along 
in  this  spanking  way,  when  all  of  a  sudden  things 
changed.  I  was  at  the  wheel  with  the  second  mate  one 
night,  when  the  skipper,  whose  name  was  Brown,  came 
up  from  below  in  a  uneasy  sort  o'  fashion,  and  stood 
looking  at  us  for  some  time  without  speaking.  Then 
at  last  he  sort  o'  makes  up  his  mind,  and  ses  he — 

"'Mr.  McMillan,  I've  just  had  a  most  remarkable 
experience,  an'  I  don't  know  what  to  do  about  it.' 

'"Yes,  sir?'  ses  Mr.  McMillan. 

" '  Three  times  I've  been  woke  up  this  night  by  some- 
thing shouting  in  my  ear  "  Steer  Nor'-Nor'-West,"  ses 
the  cap'n  very  solemnly,  "  Steer  Nor'-Nor'-West,"  that's 
all  it  says.  The  first  time  I  thought  it  was  somebody 
got  into  my  cabin  skylarking,  and  I  laid  for  'em  with  a 
stick,  but  I've  heard  it  three  times,  an'  there's  nothing 
there.' 

It's  a  supernatural  warning,'  ses  the  second  mate, 
who  had  a  great  uncle  once  who  had  the  second  sight, 
and  was  the  most  unpopular  man  of  his  family,  because 
he  always  knew  what  to  expect,  and  laid  his  plans  ac- 
cording. 

That's  what  I  think,'  ses  the  cap'n.  '  There's  some 
shipwrecked  fellow  creatures  in  distress.' 

It's  a  verra  grave  responsebeelity,'  ses  Mr.  McMillan. 
'  I  should  just  ca'  up  the  fairst  mate.' 

"'Bill,'  ses  the  cap'n,  'just  go  down  below,  and  tell 
Mr.  Salmon  I'd  like  a  few  words  with  him  partikler.' 

"  Well,  I  went  down  below,  and  called  up  the  first  mate, 
and  as  soon  as  I'd  explained  to  him  what  he  was  wanted 
for,  he  went  right  off  into  a  fit  of  outrageous  bad  language 


34 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1834. 


an'  hit  me.  He  came  right  up  on  deck  in  his  pants  an' 
socks.  A  most  disrespekful  way  to  come  to  the  cap'n, 
but  he  was  that  hot  and  excited  he  didn't  care  what  he 
did. 

" '  Mr.  Salmon,'  ses  the  cap'n,  gravely,  '  I've  just  had 
a  most  solemn  warning,  and  I  want  to  ' 

"  '  I  know,'  says  the  mate,  gruffly. 

"  '  What !  have  you  heard  it  too  1 '  ses  the  cap'n  in  sur- 
prise.   '  Three  times  1 ' 

"  '  I  heard  it  from  him,'  ses  the  mate,  pointing  to  me. 
'  Nightmare,  sir  ,  nightmare.' 

"  '  It  was  not  nightmare,  sir,'  ses  the  cap'n,  very  huffy, 
'  an  if  I  hear  it  again, 
I'm  going  to  alter  this 
ship's  course.' 

"  Well,  the  fust  mate 
was  in  a  hole.  He 
wanted  to  call  the  skip- 
per something  which  he 
knew  wasn't  discipline. 
I  knew  what  it  was,  an 
I  knew  if  the  mate 
didn't  do  something 
he'd  be  ill,  he  was  that 
sort  o'  man,  everything 
flew  to  his  head.  He 
walked  away,  and  put 
his  head  over  the  side 
for  a  bit,  an'  at  last, 
when  he  came  back,  he 
was,  comparatively 
speaking,  calm. 

"  '  You  mustn't  hear 
them  words  again,  sir,' 
ses  he  ;  '  don't  go  to 
sleep  again  to-night. 
Stay  up,  an'  we'll  have 
a  hand  o'  cards,  and  in 
the  morning  you  take  a 
good  stiff  dose  o'  rhoo- 
barb.  Don't  spoil  one 
o'  ths  best  trips  we've 
ever  had  for  the  sake- 
of  a  pennyworth  of 
rhoobarb,'  ses  he,  plead- 
ing-like. 

"'Mr.  Salmon,'  ses 
the  cap'n,  very  angry, 
'  I  shall  not  fly  in  the 
face  o'  Providence  in 
any  such  way.  I  shall 
sleep  as  usual,  an' 
as  for  your  rhoo- 
barb,' ses  the  cap'n,  working  hisself  up  into  a  passion— 
'  damme,  sir,  I'll — I'll  dose  the  whole  crew  with  it,  from 
first  mate  to  cabin-boy,  if  I  have  any  impertinence.' 

"  Well,  Mr.  Salmon,  who  was  getting  very  mad,  stalks 
down  below,  followed  by  the  cap'n,  an'  Mr.  McMillan  was 
that  excited  that  he  even  started  talking  to  me  about  it. 
Half  an  hour  arterwards  the  cap'n  comes  running  up  on 
deck  again. 

'"Mr.  McMillan,'  ses  he,  excitedly,  'steer  Nor'-Nor'- 
West  until  further  orders.  I've  heard  it  again,  an' 
this  time  it  nearly  split  the  drum  of  my  ear.' 

"  The  ship's  course  was  altered,  an'  after  the  old  man 
was  satisfied  he  went  back  to  bed  again,  an'  almost 
directly  arter  eight  bells  went,  an'  I  was  relieved.  I 


A  MOST  DISRESPEKFUL  WAY  TO  COME  TO  THE  CAP  N 


wasn't  on  deck  when  the  fust  mate  come  up,  but  those 
that  were  said  he  took  it  very  calm.  He  didn't  say 
a  word.  He  just  sat  down  on  the  poop,  and  blew  his 
cheeks  out. 

"  As  soon  as  ever  it  was  daylight  the  skipper  was  on 
deck  with  his  glasses.  He  sent  men  up  to  the  masthead 
to  keep  a  good  look-out,  an'  he  was  dancing  about  like 
a  cat  on  hot  bricks  all  the  morning. 

"'How  long  are  we  to  go  on  this  course,  sir?'  asks 
Mr.  Salmon,  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

" '  I've  not  made  up  my  mind,  sir,'  ses  the  cap'n,  very 
stately ;  but  I  could  see  he  was  looking  a  trifle  foolish. 

"  At  twelve  o'clock 
in  the  day,  the  fust 
mate  got  a  cough,  and 
every  time  he  coughed 
it  seemed  to  act  upon 
the  skipper,  and  make 
him  madder  and  mad- 
der. Now  that  it  was 
broad  daylight,  Mr. 
McMillan  didn't  seem 
to  be  so  creepy  as  the 
night  before,  an'  I 
could  see  the  cap'n  was 
only  waiting  for  the 
slightest  excuse  to  get 
into  our  proper  course 
again . 

"  '  That's  a  nasty, 
bad  cough  o'  yours,  Mr. 
Salmon,'  ses  he,  eyeing 
the  mate  very  hard. 

"  '  Yes,  a  nasty,  irri- 
tating sort  o'  cough, 
sir,' ses  the  other;  'it 
worries  me  a  great  deal. 
It's  this  going  up 
Nor'ards  what's  stick- 
ing in  my  throat,'  ses 
he. 

"  The  cap'n  give  a 
gulp,  and  walked  off, 
but  he  comes  back  in  a 
minute,  and,  ses  he — 

"  '  Mr.  Salmon,  I 
should  think  it  a  gi-eat 
pity  to  lose  a  valuable 
officer  like  yourself, 
even  to  do  good  to 
others.  There's  a  hard 
ring  about  that  cough 
I  don't  like,  an'  if 
you  really  think  it's  going  up  this  bit  North,  why,  I 
don't  mind  putting  the  ship  in  her  course  again.' 

"  Well,  the  mate  thanked  him  kindly,  and  he  was  just 
about  to  srive  the  orders  when  one  o'  the  men  who  was 
at  the  masthead  suddenly  shouts  out — 
"  '  Ahoy  !  Small  boat  on  the  port  bow  ! ' 
"  The  cap'n  started  as  if  he'd  been  shot,  and  ran  up 
the  rigging  with  his  glasses.  He  came  down  again 
almost  direckly,  and  his  face  was  all  in  a  glow  with 
pleasure  and  excitement. 

"  '  Mr.  Salmon,'  ses  he,  '  here's  a  small  boat  with  a  lug 
sail  in  the  middle  o'  the  Atlantic,  with  one  pore  man 
lying  in  the  bottom  of  her.  What  do  you  think  o'  my 
warning  now  ? ' 


November  17,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


:J5 


"  The  mate  didn't  say  anything  at  first,  but  he  took 
the  glasses  and  had  a  look,  an'  when  he  came  back  any- 
one could  see  his  opinion  of  the  skipper  had  gone  up 
miles  and  miles. 

"  '  It's  a  wonderful  thing,  sir,'  ses  he,  '  and  one  I'll 
remember  all  my  life.  It's  evident  that  you've  been 
picked  out  as  a  instrument  to  do  this  good  work.' 

"  I'd  never  heard  the  fust  mate  talk  like  that  afore, 
?cept  once,  when  he  fell  overboard,  when  he  was  full,  and 
stuck  in  the  Thames  mud.  He  said  it  was  Providence, 
though,  as  it  was  low  water,  according  to-  the  tide-table, 
I  couldn't  see  what  Providence  had  to  do  with  it  myself. 
He  was  as  excited 
as  anybody,  and 
took  the  wheel 
himself,  and  put 
the  ship's  head 
for  the  boat,  and 
as  she  came  closer 
our     boat     was  v  


slung  out,  and  me  _ 
and  the  second 
mate  and  three 
other  men  dropped 
into  her,  an'  pul- 
led so  as  to  meet 
the  other. 

" '  Never  mind 
the  boat :  we  don't 
waiw  co  be  bo- 
thered with  her,' 
shouts  out  the 
cap'n,  as  we  pulled 
away.  'Save  the 
man  ! ' 

"I'll  say  this  for 
Mr.  McMillan,  he 
steered  that  boat 


SMALL  BOAT  ON  THE  PORT  BOW 


beautifully,  and  we  ran  alongside  o'  the  other  as  clever 
as  possible.  Two  of  us  shipped  our  oars,  and  gripped 
her  tight,  and  then  we  saw  that  she  was  just  an  ordinary 
boat,  partly  decked  in,  with  the  head  and  shoulders  of 
a  man  showing  in  the  opening,  fast  asleep,  and  snoring 
like  thunder. 

"  '  Puir  chap,'  ses  Mr.  McMillan,  standing  up.  '  Look 
how  wasted  he  is.' 

"  He  laid  hold  o'  the  man  by  the  neck  of  his  coat  an' 
his  belt,  an',  being  a  very  powerful  man,  dragged  him 
up  and  swung  him  into  our  boat,  which  was  bobbing  up 
and  down,  and  grating  against  the  side  of  the  other.  We 
•let  go  then,  an'  the  man  we'd  rescued  opened  his  eyes 
as  Mr.  McMillan  tumbled  over  one  of  the  thwarts  with 
him,  and,  letting  off  a  roar  like  a  bull,  tried  to  jump 
back  into  his  boat. 

" '  Hold  him,'  shouted  the  second  mate.  '  Hold  him 
tight.    He's  mad,  puir  feller.' 

"  By  the  way  that  man  fought  and  yelled  we  thought 
■the  mate  was  right,  too.  He  was  a  short,  stiff  chap,  hard 
as  iron,  and  he  bit  and  kicked  and  swore  for  all  he  was 
worth,  until,  at  last,  we  tripped  him  up  and  tumbled 
him  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  held  him  there  with 
his  head  hanging  back  over  a  thwart. 

"  '  It's  all  right,  my  puir  feller,'  ses  the  second  mate  ; 
'ye're  in  good  hands — ye' re  saved.' 

" '  Damme  ! '  ses  the  man  ;  '  what's  your  little  game  1 
'Where's  my  boat — eh?    Where's  my  boat?' 

"  He  wriggled  a  bit  and  got  his  head  up,  and,  when  he 


saw  it  bowling  along  two  or  three  hundred  yards  away, 
his  temper  got  the  better  of  him,  and  he  swore  that  it 
Mr.  McMillan  didn't  row  after  it  he'd  knife  him. 

" '  We  can't  bother  about  the  boat,'  ses  the  mate ; 
'  we've  had  enough  bother  to  rescue  you.' 

"  '  Who  the  devil  wanted  you  to>  rescue  me  ? '  bellowed 
the  man.  '  I'll  make  you  pay  for  this,  you  miserable 
swabs.  If  there's  any  law  in  Amerikey,  you  shall  have 
if 

"  By  this  time  we  had  got  to  the  ship,  which  had 
shortened  sail,  and  the  cap'n  was  standing  bv  the  side, 
looking  down  unon  the  stranger  with  a  big,  kind  smile 

which  nearly  sent 
him  crazy. 

'"AVelcome 
aboard,  my  pore 
feller,'  ses  he, 
holding  out  his 
hand  as  the  chap 
got  up  the  side. 

"  '  Are  you  the 
author  of  this 
outrage  ? '  ses  the 
man,  fiercely. 

'"I  don't  un- 
derstand you,'  ses 
the  cap'n,  very 
dignified,  and 
drawing  himself 
up. 

"'  Did  you  send 
your  chaps  to 
sneak  me  out  o' 
my  boat  while  I 
was  having  forty 
winks?'  roars 
the  other.  '  Dam- 
me !  that's  Eng- 
lish, ain't  it  ? ' 

"  '  Surely,'  ses  the  cap'n,  '  surely  you  didn't  wish  to  be 
left  to  perish  in  that  little  craft.  I  had  a  supernatural 
warning  to  steer  this  course  on  purpose  to  pick  you  up, 
and  this  is  your  gratitude.' 

"  '  Look  here ! '  ses  the  other.  '  My  name's  Cap'n 
Naskett,  and  I'm  doing  a  record  trip  from  New  York  to 
Liverpool  in  the  smallest  boat  that  has  ever  crossed  the 
Atl  ntic,  an'  you  go  and  bust  everything  with  your  cussed 
officiousness.  If  you  think  I'm  going  to  be  kidnapped 
just  to  fulfil  your  beastly  warnings  you've  made  a  mis- 
take. I'll  have  the  law  on  you,  that's  what  I'll  do. 
Kidnapping's  a  punishable  offence.' 

'"What  did  you  come  here  for,  then? '  ses  the  cap'n. 
"'Come!'  howls  Cap'n  Naskett.  'Come!  A  feller 
sneaks  up  alongside  o'  me  with  a  boat-load  of  street- 
sweepings  dressed  as  sailors,  and  snaps  me  up  while  I'm 
asleep,  and  you  ask  me  what  I  come  for.  Look  here. 
You  clap  on  all  sail  and  catch  that  boat  o'  mine,  and 
put  me  back,  and  I'll  call  it  quits.  If  you  don't,  I'll 
bring  a  law-suit  agin  you  and  make  you  the  laughing- 
stock o'  two  continents  into  the  bargain.' 

"  Well,  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  bargain  the  cap'n 
sailed  after  the  cussed  little  boat,  and  Mr.  Salmon,  who 
thought  more  than  enough  time  had  been  lost  already, 
fell  foul  o'  Cap'n  Naskett.  They  was  both  pretty  talkers, 
and  the  way  they  went  on  was  a  education  for  every 
sailorman  afloat.  Every  man  aboard  got  as  near  as 
they  durst  to  listen  to  tbem ;  but  I  must  say  Cap'n 


36 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1S94. 


Naskett  had  the  best  of  it.  He  was  a  sarkastik  man, 
and  pretended  to  think  the  ship  was  fitted  out  justi  to 
pick  up  shipwrecked  people,  an'  he  also  pretended  to 


before  leaving  the  ship,  actually  went  up  to  Cap'n  Brown 
and  advised  him  to  shut  his  eyes  an'  turn  round  three 
times  and  catch  what  he  could. 


10U  CLAP  ON  ALL  SAIL  AND  CATCH  THAT  BOAT." 


think  we  was  castaways  what  had  been  saved  by  it. 
He  said  o'  course  anybody  could  see  at  a  glance  we  wasn't 
sailormen,  an'  he  supposed  Mr.  Salmon  was  a  butcher 
what  had  been  carried  out  to  sea,  while  paddling  at  Mar- 
gate to  strengthen  his  ankles.  He  said  a  lot  more  o' 
this  sort  o'  thing,  and  all  this  time  we  was  chasing  his 
miserable  little  boat,  an'  he  was  admiring  the  way  she 
sailed,  while  the  fust  mate  was  answering  his  reflexshuns, 
an'  I'm  sure  that  not  even  our  skipper  was  more  pleased 
than  Mr.  Salmon  when  we  caught  it  at  last  and  shoved 
him  back.    He  was  ungrateful  up  to  the  last,  an',  just 


"  I  never  saw  the  skipper  so  upset  afore ;  but  I  heard 
him  tell  Mr.  McMillan  that  night  that  if  he  ever  went  out 
of  his  way  again  after  a  craft  it  would  only  be  to  run  it 
down.  Most  people  keep  pretty  quiet  about  super- 
natural things  that  happen  to  them,  but  he  was  about 
the  quietest  I  ever  heard  of,  an',  what's  more,  he  made 
everyone  else  keep  quiet  about  it,  too.  Even  when  he 
had  to  steer  Nor'-Nor'-West  arter  that  in  the  way  o 
business,  he  didn't  like  it,  an'  he  was  about  the  most 
cruelly  disappointed  man  you  ever  saw  when  he  heard 
afterwards  that  Cap'n  Naskett  got  safe  to  Liverpool." 


THE    REVOLT   OF  A 
DAUGHTER. 


I  hevolted  last  year,  in  June.  I  had  for  some  time 
been  nursing  in  my  brain  a  resolve  to  have  a  personal 
o\]'enence  of  liberty  in  London.      With  this  end  in 

view,  I  looked  about  for  a  room,  and  found  it  in  

Street,  near  Oxford  Circus,  where  I  noticed  a  placard 
over  a  hairdresser's  shop,  which  advertised,  "  Bedroom 
to  let."  I  knocked,  and  the  door  was  opened  by  a 
kind-looking  but  not  over-tidy  Frenchwoman,  who  in- 
formed me  that  there  was  an  attic  for  6s.  weekly.  I 
inspected  it,  returned  the  next  day,  and  rented  the  room 
for  a  week. 

"  Of  course,  I  want  a  latchkey,"  I  added,  whereupon 

she  replie  1  — 


"  Of  course  ;  I  give  zem  to  all  my  lodgers." 

I  walked  home  blithely;  my  brain  was  dazzled  with 
exciting  prospects.  After  tea,  I  bade  farewell  to  the 
narrow-minded  family  with  whom  I  stayed,  and  who, 
blissfully  ignorant  of  the  shocking  truth,  believed  me 
about  to  visit  friends.  How  should  they  know  that, 
beneath  my  apparent  calm,  there  lay  a  wild  and  almost- 
overpowering  desire  to  darjce  and  clap  my  hands,  and 
shout,  "  Hurrah !  hurrah  !  they  don't  know  where  I'm 
going ! " 

Having  reached  my  "  bachelor  diggings,"  I  was  con- 
ducted upstairs  by  Madame,  who  said,  "  It  is  to  be  paid 
in  advance."  To  many  people,  the  arrival  at  lodgings 
of  a  solitary  girl,  with  her  hair  down — the  arbitrary 
mark  of  distinction  hetwecn  girl  and  young  lady-hocd 
— may  have  seemed  strange.  Thus,  I  could  not  take 
innhracre  at  her  demand,  but  smilingly  handed  her  the 
si>.  shillings.    Once  alone,  I  shut  the  door,  looking  care- 


November  17,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


37 


fully  to  see  if  the  lock  was  safe ;  then  I  sat  down  on  my 
bed,  and  surveved  my  surroundings.  The  furniture 
consisted  of  a  chest  of  drawers,  with  a  fairly  good 
looking-glass,  an  iron  chair,  covered  with  a  dirty 
cushion  ;  a  table,  or,  rather,  a  board  fixed  into  the  wall ; 
an  iron  bedstead,  and  a  washstand.  The  cushion  was 
dirty,  so  was  the  apology  for  a  lace  curtain  which  hung 
above  the  window.  The  torn  blind  reached  only  half- 
way, arid  squeaked  protestingly  when  drawn  up  or  down. 
On  tiie  ble  were  nailed  the  remains — about  half — of  a 
•dirty  c.etonne  tablecloth.  As  to  the  bed,  to  be  candid, 
the  mattress  was  grimy,  and  the  sheets  looked  as  if  they 
Jiad  been  washed  at  home,  and  not  ironed.  Two  pic- 
tures formed  the  only  ornaments. 

My  inspection  over,  I  looked  at  my  watch — 7  p.m. 
It  would  be  fun  to  go  to  a  music-hall  alone,  I  thought ; 
and  I  put  on  a  full-length  skirt  of  my  sister's,  and 
dressed  my  hair  in  orthodox  grown-up  style,  not  that  I 
was  either  ashamed  or  afraid,  but  because  I  guessed 
that  if  there  was  danger,  it  would  assuredly  be  greater 
in  the  ease  of  a  girl  with  loose  hair  and  a  short  skirt. 
In  this  garb  I  found  my  way  to  the  "  Palace,"  and,  being 
Jairly  flush  of  money,  asked  for  a  three-shilling  ticket. 

"For  two.'"  asked  the  man. 

"  No,  one,"  I  answered,  calmly,  mounted  the  large 
staircase,  and  sat  down  on  the  luxurious  velvet  seat. 
No  one,  I  was  glad  to  see,  remarked  me,  even  in  the 
interval,  when  I  was  left  sitting  alone.  So  this  was 
the  way  the  predictions  of  my  friends  were  verified ! 
They,  of  course,  had  said  it  was  simply  impossible  for 
a  lady  to  go  to  a  music-hall  alone  without  being  at  once 
insulted  and  annoyed.  A  pleasant  feeling  it  was  to 
be,  for  once,  able  to  stay  till  the  end;  and  at  11.30  I 
left,  and  roamed  along  several  streets. 

How  my  cheeks  burned,  in  spite  of  the  fresh  night 
wrind  upon  them !  What  an  exquisite  sensation  of 
excitement  and  freedom,  which  made  my  heart  beat 
faster  than  my  hurrying  feet,  thrilled  through  me, 
mingled  with  a  shiver  of  horror  at  the  possibility  of 
■discovery ! 

Gradually  weariness  overcame  other  feelings  ;  I  found 
my  way  to  Madame' s,  and,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life, 
proudly  put  in  my  own  latchkey,  and  flung  open  the 
■door.  All  within  was  dark  and  silent ;  feeling  my  way 
"Up  two  wide  flights  of  stairs,  and  a  third  steep  and 
narrow  one,  I  reached  my  room,  and  was  soon  sleeping 
the  sleep  of  the  innocent. 

A  sixpenny  breakfast  was  brought  up  to  me ;  it  con- 
sisted of  excellent  tea,  but  the  bread  was  not  very  in- 
viting, nor,  indeed,  sufficient,  for  my  appetite  was  as 
emancipated  as  my  ideas.  I,  therefore,  decided'  to  have 
the  pot  of  tea  alone  each  morning,  and  to  keep  my  own 
provisions. 

After  breakfast  I  met,  by  appointment,  my  brother 
(adopted) ;  our  first  duty  was  to  eat  ices,  during  which 
1  told  him  of  my  bachelor  room,  and  driving  past  it  on  a 
'bus  half-an-hour  later,  I  pointed  out,  to  his  great  amuse- 
ment, the  dingy  curtain  and  fragmentary  blind. 

It  being  impossible  to  feel  comfortable  in  London  in 
such  weather,  we  took  the  train  to  Sunbury,  to  drift  in  a 
boat  between  the  pretty  wood'ed  banks,  and  to  refresh 
with  occasional  iced  clarets,  lemonades,  or  tea.  * 

We  returned  in  a  full  smoking-car,  in  which  I,  strong 
in  the  assurance  of  a  male  protector,  also  enjoyed  the 
•weed,  usually  indulged  in  furtively  in  the  back  garden. 

One  evening  I  went,  as  recommended,  to  see  "  Diplo- 
macy" at  the  Garrick.  As  I  had  heard  it  said,  even  in 
Little  H.,  that  occasionally  ladies  went  alone  to  a  good 
theatre,  I  deemed  disguise  unnecessary,  and!  wore  mv 
usual  dress,  my  white  straw  hat,  and  my  hair  loose,  but, 
returning,  I  suffered  for  my  want  of  foresight ;  I  might 
certainly  have  known  that  it  would  attract  attention  to 
see  a  school-girl  alone  at  that  hour.  I  felt  tired,  and 
my  throat  ached,  as  I  walked  through  Regent  Street, 
looking  vainly  for  some  hospitably  open  cafe,  where  I 
might  get  a  cup  of  coffee.  As  it  was  just  midnight,  all 
were  closed,  and  I  was  obliged  to  continue  my  search 
•down  Oxford  Street,  where  I  found  what  I  wanted. 


An  adventure  was  yet  in  store  for  me.  As  I  walked 
a  little  less  quickly  along  Regent  Street,  I  heard  steps 
behind  me,  and  a  voice  said,  "  Good  evening."  I 
quickened  my  pace,  but  the  speaker,  a  short,  dark  gentle- 
man, looked  into  my  face,  and  slipped  his  arm  through 
mine.  I  pulled  mine  away  indignantly,  though,  feeling 
somewhat  nervous,  I  did'  not  speak. 

He  seemed  rather  uncomfortable,  half-conscious  of 
having  made  a  mistake,  and  stopped,  saying — 

"  Well,  you're  not  coming  home  with  me  to-night  1 " 

"  Certainly  not,"  I  answered  sharply,  and  checking  the 
other  words  on  my  lips,  I  crossed  to  the  other  side. 

I  afterwards  regretted  not  having  said  something 
scathing,  but  I  don't  mind  confessing  that  I  was  somewhat 
nervous,  it  being  my  first,  and  I  hope  last,  experience  of 
the  kind. 

I  slept  till  10.30  a.m.,  when  I  hastily  dressed,  and 
met  my  "  chum,"  Alice,  by  the  Marble  Arch  ;  we  took 
lunch  (tea  and  bacon  and  eggs  for  fivepence)  in  a  work- 
man's restaurant  in  Edgware  Road,  and  then  went  to  my 
lod'gings,  with  which  she  was  not  exactly  charmed, 
though  envious  of  my  liberty.  She  accepted  my  proposal 
to  share  my  bed,  instead  of  returning  home,  and  wired 
the  fact  to  her  parents,  they,  of  course,  thinking  I  was 
boarding  at  Mrs.  H's. 

I  sufrcrested  the  Troc.  for  the  evening — a  music-hall 
was  a  new  experience  to  her — and  having  donned  my 
long  skirt  and  veil,  much  to  her  amusement,  I  drove 
thither,  and  at  midnight  we  walked  through  Regent 
Street,  where  the  prospect  of  tea,  even  at  Loekhart's, 
attracted  us  more  than  a  long  walk  down  Oxford  Street, 
and  we  entered. 

I,  rather  thirsty,  ordered  a  large  mug  of  tea,  but  when 
it  came,  we  laughed  so  much  that  even  the  steady  young 
man  who  served  us  smiled.  The  mug  was  simply  enor- 
mous, and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I  emptied  half  ;  my 
friend,  more  fastidious  than  I,  did  not  attack  the  large 
yellow  cakes  with  the  same  gusto  as  I  did. 

Quietly  we  ascended  Madame's  dark  stairs,  and  slept 
like  two  rosebuds  in  a  cradle  of  moss,  we  two  up-to-date 
girls  in  our  "  diggings."  Next  morning,  we  parted  for 
the  day,  and'  I  went  to  Mowbray  House,  Mr.  Stead  having 
kindly  consented  to  an  interview  to  talk  over  "  what  to 
do  with  my  life."  After  waiting,  nervous  and  expectant, 
as  in  a  dentist's  waiting-room,  I  was  ushered  into  the 
august  presence.  Mr.  Stead  received  me  in  his  kind, 
genial  way,  and  proceeded  to  draw  me  out. 

We  spoke  of  the  Women's  Movement,  and  I  was  over- 
joyed to  hear  his  liberal  views  thereon — men  d'idii't  speak 
like  that  in  Little  H.,  where  we  lived. 

"  I  hold  that  women  should  be  everything  they  want 
to — if  they  like  to  be  soldiers  or  lawyers,  let  them  ;  I  can 
enter  into  a  woman's  feelings,  and  sympathise  deeply  with 
them,"  said  Mr.  Stead. 

As  to  my  plans,  journalism  was  a  path  difficult  of  ac- 
cess, poems  didn't  pay  at  all  ;  perhaps  I  might  go  in  for 
sketching  for  journals,  and  he  gave  me  the  address  i.f  a 
welhknown  teacher. 

We  talked  some  little  time  longer  on  marriage  and 
other  abstruse  subjects,  and  it  was  with  reluctance  that 
I  left. 

"Well,  good-bye,"  said  W.  T.,  opening  the  door  (I  had 
te.id  him  of  my  "revolt"),  "write  to  me  and  »U  me 
v.hen  you  get  into  a  scrape,  as  you're  sure  to  do  one  of 
these  days,"  with  which  comforting  sentence  ringing  in 
my  ears,  I  departed,  sad  and  hopeless,  because  my  future 
was  as  undecided  as  before  my  visit. 

Ii'.  the  evening — in  my  long  skirt,  yon  may  be  sure  — 
I  went  to  the  two-shilling  seats  at  the  "  PaL.iee  "  Nest 
me  sat  two  men,  with  honest,  not  unpleasant  faces — 
respectable  shopmen  they  were,  probab'y.  Ry-and-by, 
tli';  one  next  me  said',  most  politely — 

"  Mar  I  offer  you  my  glass  to  look  through  '  " 

Not  wishing  to  hurt  his  feelings,  and  seeing  that  he 
meant  it  well,  I  accepted. 

During  the  next  interval,  I  noticed  that  he  seemed 
to  be  preparing  a  speech ;  and,  sure  enough,  he  turned 


38 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1894. 


to  me,  and  delivered  himself,  with  some  effort,  of  the 
following — 

"  I  hope  you  won't  be  offended,  but  I  suppose  it 
wouldn't  be  a  compliment,  my  offering  you  a  small 
glass  of  Bass?"  (!!!) 

"No,  thank  you,"  I  replied;  "it  wouldn't." 

"No,  I  thought  not,"  he  said;  then,  earnestly, 
"  Please,  don't  be  offended." 

"No,  I'm  not  offended,"  I  said,  for  I  couldn't  help 
pitying  the  poor  fellow's  visible  embarrassment. 

On  my  homeward  way,  I  remembered  to  have  long 
ago  read  that  Piccadilly  at  midnight  was  a  sight  to 
see  ;  thither  I  accordingly  directed  my  emancipated  foot- 
steps, but  was  hardly  prepared  for  the  sight  which  met 
my  eyes.  Gentlemen — society  calls  them  so — young 
and  old,  wedded  and  single,  respected  fathers  and  hus- 
bands, beloved  sons,  brothers  and  lovers,  all  laughing 
and  talking  with  cocottes — bustling,  hustling,  with  all 
the  artifices  and  appurtenances  to  this  nightly  traffic. 

What  a  mockery !  A  woman's  honour — if  that  term 
is  applicable  to  the  stained  ones  in  Piccadilly — the  price- 
less gift  of  a  woman  to  the  man  she  loves,  is  sold  here 
nightly  to  the  highest  bidder.  A  stout  Frenchwoman 
in  a  cream  dress,  with  paste  jewels  flashing  on  her  neck 
And  arms  and  stately  bust ;  a  little  farther  on,  a  bold- 
looking  girl,  smoking. 

it  is  a  sight  to  be  remembered,  thought  over,  de- 
plored. 

But  I  am  drifting  away.  To  return :  — After  walking 
along  Piccadilly  and  back,  I  turned  homewards.  At  a 
corner  of  a  lonely  street  a  poorly-dressed  woman  was 
Standing.  From"  her  attitude,  and  the  importuning 
"  Good  night ! "  which  she  addressed  to  a  gentleman 
who  passed,  I  divined  her  sad  profession,  and,  acting 
on  a  sudden  impulse,  I  turned  back,  and  asked,  "  Would 
you  like  a  shilling  for  a  drink  ? " 

She  turned,  showing  me  an  oldish,  careworn  face. 

"  That  I  would,  Miss  ! " 

"  All  right,"  I  said.  "  I  write  for  a  paper,  and  would 
like  to  learn  your  story.    Will  you  tell  it  to  me?" 

She  agreed,  and,  as  we  walked  along,  gave  me  the 
sordid  details — marriage  at  fifteen  to  a  soldier,  flight  in 
consequence  of  his  infidelitv,  a  time  when  she  was  mis- 
tresj  to  a  captain,  a  drifting  down  to  her  present 
stage. 

She  paused,  and  we  walked  silently  down  the  lonely 
street. 

"Well,"  I  said,  at  last,  "and  how  are  you  getting  on 
now?" 

"  Badlv,  Miss.  I  earn  hardly  anything  now :  I'm 
too  old  and  uglv." 

"But  do  you  like  the  life?" 


"  No,"  she  answered,  without  hesitation ;  "  I  hate  it*. 
One  always  gets  sick  of  it.  But,  mind  you,  all  my 
relations  in  Ireland  are  respectable ;  and  if  I  could  only 
get  back  to  them,  I'd  be  respectable,  too.  I  want  to. 
be."    She  stopped.    "  I  must  go  now." 

"  Good-bye  !  "  I  said,  holding  out  my  hand  to  take  that 
of  a — sister. 

Is  it  not  only  a  merciful  chance  that  I  was  born  in  a 
sphere  removed  from  temptation?  I  mused,  as  I  went 
home.  Let  her  who  can  swear  that  she,  similarly 
tempted,  would  not  have  fallen,  cast  the  first  stone. 

I  had  got  permission  from  home  to  stay  two  days 
longer ;  thus  I  had  another  Sunday  in  London,  which  I 
spent  up  the  river  alone. 

On  Monday  morning,  when  I  went  down  for  my  tea, 
I  chatted  with  Madame,  and  told  her  that  I  was  going 
that  evening  to  H. 

"Ah,  pour  jouer  au  theatre?"  asked  she. 

"  Mais  non,"  I  answered.  (So  she  had  decided  that 
I  must  be  an  actress  !  That  tickled  me.)  "  Mon  frere- 
m'y  attend." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  she. 

Visits  to  an  elocutionist,  a  sketching-master,  and 
other  places,  to  try  to  settle  my  future  definitely,  filled 
up  the  rest  of  the  day ;  and  as  dusk  fell,  I  had  finished 
packing,  and  was  sitting  in  my  room,  feeling  rather 
lonely  and  sad.  It  had  been  a  jolly  and  interesting 
time,  yes  ;  but  it  was  not  so  hard  to  go  back,  especially 
as  I  had  the  hope  of  coming  to  London  again  soon,  to 
earn  my  own  living  and  be  really  independent ;  and  yet 
it  was  dismal,  I  was  thinking,  to  go  off  to  the  station 
alone,  when — tap  !  tap  !  the  door  opened,  and  a  charm- 
ing, smiling,  little  face  peeped  in.  It  was  my  chum, 
whose  coming  was  doubly  sweet,  because  unexpected. 
We  drove  to  the  station  together. 

I  thank  Heaven  for  a  faithful  friend  who  would  stand 
by  me,  even  though  I  am  a  New  Woman,  an  emancipated 
female,  a  revolting  daughter.  She  waited  till  my  train 
left,  thereby  being  herself  obliged  to  take  a  midnight 
one,  and  walk  home  along  a  lonely  road  at  1  a.m.,  which 
she  does  not  like. 

Next  morning  I  stood  in  my  breezy  little  room,  and 
T  confess — though  I  had  temporarily  given  up  liberty — 
it  vms  pleasant  to  see  again  snowy  sheets  and  clean- 
curtains. 

Little  did  the  family  know,  as  they  welcomed  me 
back,  where  and  how  I  had  spent  the  previous  week ; 
but  when  they  read  this,  they  will  know,  and  I  hope 
will  forgive  the  one  and  only  thine;  I  regret  about  my 
"Week  with  a  Latchkey" — viz.,  the  clandestine  way  in. 
which  I  was  forced  to  arrange  it. 


A  CHAT  WITH   MR.  FRED 
HALL 


V 


The  large  number  of  people  who  have  enjoyed  Mr. 
Fred  H  ll's  clever  caricatures  published  in  the  Sketch, 

the  Pall  Mall  Budget, 
and  elsewhere,  and  the 
smaller  number  who 
saw  his  wickedly  laugh- 
able studies  of  the 
Devonshire  and  Somer- 
set Stag  Hounds  at 
Dunthorne's  Gallery, 
some  few  years  back, 
have  not,  all  of  them, 
perhaps,  identified  him 
with  the  painter  of 
*'  Twilight,"  "  Pixy-led,"  and  a  score  of  really  important 
pictures  shown  at  the  Royal  Academy,  the  New  Gallery, 
and  other  exhibitions.  It  need  not  be  said  that  this  side  of 
his  work — the  painting  of  important  canvasses — is  most 
prized  by  the  artist;  and,  oddly  enough,  so  good  it  is, 


that  when  you  wish,  as  you  cannot  help  wishing,  that  so 
admirable  a  caricaturist  would  devote  his  whole  time  to. 
the  disrespectful  perversion  of  human  nature,  you  feel 
that,  should  he  do 


so,  a  painter  of  sin- 
gularly fine  achieve- 
ments, who  has  a 
peculiar  power  of 
depicting  eerie  poetic 
transcripts  of  Nature, 
must  be  sacrificed  to 
add  to  the  gaiety  of 
nations.  It  is  also 
to  his  credit  that  he 
can  add  to  the  gaiety 
of  nations  without 
unduly  heaping  sor- 
row on  the  indi- 
vidual. For  his 
burlesqued  portraits 
are  kindly, although  caustic, and  lie  must  be  a  dull  wit  who- 
does  not  enjoy  a  sight  of  himself  as  seen  by  others — or, 
at  least,  by  one  other.  I  speak  feelingly,  as  a"  subject"* 
who  has  undergone  the  treatment  myself. 


November  17,  18C4. 


TO-DAY. 


In  a  delightful  room,  looking  across  Newlyn  Harbour, 
over  the  bay  of  Penzance,  I  found  Mr.  Hall  seated, 
looking  as  unlike  a  wicked  parodist  as  a  lover  of  paradox 
could  desire. 

"  I  want  to  find  out 
all  sorts  of  things  about 
your  lighter  productions," 
I  said.  "  How  you 
work.  Whether  you  are 
able  to  charm  sitters 
into  allowing  themselves 
to  be  travestied." 

"  I  work  chiefly — 
almost  entirely,  —  from 
memory,"  Mr.  Hall  re- 
plied. "  Of  course,  I 
observe  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, and  study  my 
subjects ;  but  I  do  not 
make  many  preliminary- 
sketches.  How  did  I 
begin  to  devote  myself 
to  caricature  1  I  hardly 
know.  I  did  caricatures 
in  my  school  books  ; 
every  boy  who  tries  to 
draw  does  that.  The  first 
drawings  exhibited  in 
this  style  were  those  of 
the  Devon  and  Somerset 
Stag  Hounds,  made  on 
the  walls  of  my  old 
studio.  Here  are  some 
photographs  of  it.  As 
they  attracted  some 
interest,  I  made  trac- 
ings   of    them  before 


run.  m.j 

(Draim  by  Fr 

the 


d  Hal  .) 


gave  up  the  place,  and 
these  were  the  foundation  of  the  series  shown  at 
Dunthorne's  Gallery  in  the  spring  of  1890.  No;  the 
originals  are  not  to  be  seen.  Not  wishing  them  to  be 
shown,  I  destroyed  them  all  before  I  left.  Some  few  I 
have  here."  Then  Mr.  Hall  showed  me  a  number  of 
mirth-provoking  subjects.  Of  these,  a  curate  on  a  won- 
derful steed,  a  lady  photographer,  camera  laden,  a 
demon  bicyclist,  and  several  others,  may  be  seen,'  in  not 


"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Hall;  "but  they  are,  as  you  see. 
mostly  types  as  well.  A  mere  portrait  is  more  limited  in 
its  interest,  but  a  type  appeals  to  a  large  number." 

"  Do  the  subjects  mind  ? " 

"  Well,  you  see,  they  enjoy  the  travesty  of  other 
people — so  much — that,  as  a  rule,  they  forgive  them- 
selves being  travestied  in  turn." 

"Of  course,  each  person  feels  that  in  his  case  you 
really  failed  to  d'raw  upon  your  imagination.  How  do 
you  work  ? " 

"Most  of  them  are  done  with  oils  upon  paper.  I  use, 
of  course,  a  good  deal  of  turpentine  for  the  medium,  so 
that  it  flows  like  water-colour." 

"  May  I  reproduce  a  few,  with  my  chat,  to  let  others 
enjoy  the  fun  I " 

"  Certainly,"  said  Mr.  Hall,  and  with  good-humoured 
trouble,  he  ransacked  his  portfolios  and  drawers  to  discover 
certain  typical 
sketches,  herewith 
reproduced. 

"  Mr.  Phil  May 
was  down  here, 
was  he  not  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Mr. 
Hall,  "he  spent  a 
long  time  at  New- 
lyn. This  colour 
sketch  is  not  the 
same  as  those  al- 
ready reproduced. 
Our  portraits,  for 
instance,  of  each 
other  appeared  in 
the  Sketch,  Dec- 
ember 6th,  1893. 
Here  they  are  ! 
Which  treated  the 
other  most  kindly 
is  a  disputed  question." 

"  These  are  nearly  all  of  local  celebrities,  I  sup- 
pose .' "  I  said,  turning  to  many  recent  sketches  standing 
on  the  mantelpiece  or  hung  on  the  walls  ;  "  that  is  if  you 
can  call  the  artists  who  have  set  their  tents  up  here 
local  celebrities." 

"We  have  very  few  other  local  people  here ;  they  are 
all  artists  or  fisher-folk,"  said  Mr.  Hall.  "  The  one  of  Dr. 
Birdseed,  in  last  week's  Pall  Mali,  was,  indeed,  stud'ied 
from  a  doctor  in  Penzance.    Those  you  are  looking  at 


LAZILY  AND  UKOWSILY." 


very  adequate  reproduction,  by  anyone  -who  hunts  up 
the  Art  Journal  for  January,  1891. 
"  These  are,  I  fake  it,  all  portraits  1 " 


are  of  Mr.  Stanton  Forbes,  A.R.A.,  and  Mr.  Frank 
Bramley,  A.R.A.,  Mr.  Norman  Garstin,  Mr.  John  da 
Costa,  Mr.  J.  C.  Gotch,  and  other  aitists — you  see  they 


40 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1SC4. 


are  taking  part  in  our  Newlyn  Philharmonic.  The 
'  Lazily  and  Drowsily '  is  a  study  of  one  of  them." 

As  I  saw  this  clever  satire  of  a  really  handsome  young 
artist  distorted  to  a  grotesque,  yet  not  devoid  of  likeness, 
1  realised  the  truth  written  by  one  who  had  been  thus 
treated,  in  a  eulogistic  biographical  notice  of  Mr.  Hall — 
''  He  is  not  only  an  artist,  but  a  Yorkshireman.  This 
combination,  added  to  a  humour  of  wickedest  devilry 
— no,  I  will  call  it  diablerie  —  and  an  extraordinary 
retentive  memory  for  personal  peculiarities,  gives  us*  a 
being  more  terrible  to  meet  than 
the  possessor  of  the  evil  eye,  if 
it  be  not  the  same  thing. 

For  the  rest  of  the  caricatures, 
published  herewith,  nothing 
would  induce  me  to  supply  the 
names,  yet  they  will  be  recog- 
nised by  hundreds  of  readers  of 
To-Day.  The  point  to  be  in- 
sisted upon,  however,  is  that, 
notwithstanding  that  fact,  their 
intrinsic  humour  does  not  rely  , 
upon  knowing  the  subjects.  The 
young  father,  with  his  son  and 
heir,  the  tenor  swooning  on  a 
dreamy  high  note,  the  mild  little 
man  in  spectacles — we  all  know, 
whetherwe  have  met  the  originals 
or  not. 

"That  portrait  of  Mr.  Phil 
May  was  done  while  he  was  at 
Newlyn.  of  course  1 "  I  said  to 
Mr.  Hall. 

"Yes."  he  replied.  "You 
saw,  no  doubt,  a  lot  of  Newlyn 
studies  May  had  in  his  last 
annual." 

But  it  was  hardly  needful  to 
ask,  for  the  Newlyn  artists, 
as  a  rule,  affect  the  particular  type  of  costume 
Mr.  May  is  depicted  in,  and  obviously  pay  little  atten- 
tion to  the  picturesqueness  of  their  attire.  Although  it 
is  not  the  dress  of  the  country  "  blood  "  of  the  period,  it 
has  a  certain  air  of  being  defiantly  opposed  to  the  tradi- 
tional velvet  coat  of  Bohemia,  now  only  seen,  as  a  rule, 
upon  "  artists "  who  colour  photograph  enlargements, 


and  others  of  their  class.  Like  the  smart-looking  men 
about  town — the  type  the  modern  London  artist 
dresses  up  to — so  Newlyn  has  its  own  model  of  costume 
befitting  the  dignity  of  art. 

Then  we  talked  of  Mr.  Hall's  serious  work,  and  I 
realised  that  these  diabolically  clever  sketches,  which 
raise  him  to  the  level  of  the  very  few  great  caricaturists 
now  livine,  are  but  leisure-hour  amusements,  as  it  were. 
Done  with  facile  certainty,  and  full  of  really  admirable 
technical  work,  they  are  only  the  pastime  of  a  painter 
whose  serious  work  has  already 
won  him  high  reputation. 

Yet,  so  few  can  make  the 
world  laugh,  that  one  feels  all 
the  time  a  mean  hope  that  the 
force  of  circumstances  may  lead 
him  to  devote  more  attention  to 
this  particular  side  of  art.  For, 
while  we  have  possibly  a  hundred 
painters  of  considerable  achieve- 
ment in  the  civilised  world  to- 
day, one  doubts  if  there  are  a 
dozen — possibly,  not  half-a-dozen 
— artists  of  the  first  rank  in 
caricature  and  burlesque. 

Afterwards,  I  discovered  that 
while  I  was  thus  trying  to 
'•  pump  "  Mr.  Hall,  he  was  taking 
note  of  me,  and  the  result, 
which  followed  me  to  town, 
should  be  a  terror  to  interviewers. 
For,  instead  of  the  Pressman 
from  London,  bent  on  bringing 
himself  into  touch  with  a  country 
cousin,  there  appears  an  abject 
being  whom  the  kindly  artist  sets 
on  record  as  a  limp  and  extra- 
ordinary specimen  —  one  of  the 
staff  of  To-Day — looking  not 
merely  anything  but  up-to-date,  but  centuries  pre- 
vious to  the  day  be/ore  yesterday.  People  say  it  is 
"  splendid,"  and  roar  loudly  at  it ;  doubtless  they  would 
needs  convey  that  exaggeration  is  the  severest  form  of 
flattery — one  must  find  some  excuse  for  wounded 
vanity. 


HOW  TO  EARN  A  RISING 
SALARY  OF  £8o  A  YEAR. 


There  are  always  plenty  of  vacancies  for  good  teachers 
in  town  and  country.  The  hours  are  short,  at  most  six 
hours  a  day,  averaging  thirty  a  week  ;  the  holidays  long, 
at  least  two  months  out  of  the  twelve,  not  including 
extra  half  days ;  and  the  remuneration  good,  for  a 
trained,  certificated  assistant  mistress  ranging  from 
£70  to  £120,  and  for  a  head  mistress  from  equivalent 
to  £80  in  the  country  to  £250  in  London.  Masters  are 
paid  from  £30  upwards  more  a  year  than  mistresses. 
Why  a  mistress  doing  the  same  work,  with  equally  good 
results,  and  earning  as  large  a  grant,  should  receive  so 
much  less  than  a  master,  is  to  me  a  puzzle. 

Perhaps  a  few  practical  directions  for  entering  the 
profession  may  not  be  amiss. 

It  is  best  to  begin  as  a  pupil  teacher,  in  a  large  Board 
school,  at  the  age  of  fourteen — not  younger — for  four 
years  at  a  rising  salary  of  about  £20.  During  the  fo  irth 
year  the  pupil  teacher  earns  from  £35  to  £40.  Ap- 
prentices may  be  bound  for  four,  three,  or  two  years, 
according  to  age.  There  is  no  premium.  But  it  is  not 
essential  to  become  a  pupil  teacher. 


At  the  age  of  eighteen — not  less — the  candidate  must 
enter  for  Scholarship  examination,  held  by  Government 
twice  a  year,  before  entering  a  training  coilege.  She 
(or  he)  may  study  privately,  or  join  one  of  the  numerous 
excellent  correspondence  classes  so  largely  advertised 
in  scholastic  papers.  If  a  pupil  teacher,  she  will  receive 
tuition  from  her  school  free.  If  plucked  in  the  examina- 
tion— which,  with  ordinary  ability  and  application,  is 
difficult — she  may  go  on  teaching  as  an  ex-pupil  teacher 
or  Article  68  Code,  until  next  scholarship  examination. 
Let  us  assume  that  she  has  passed  first  or  second.  She 
now  enters  a  training  college  for  two  or  three  years  upon 
payment  of  a  sum  of  £10,  more  or  less.  There  are  no 
further  expenses,  except  for  clothes  and  books  during 
this  period,  and,  if  she  has  been  clever  enough  to  win 
one  of  the  many  scholarships,  she  may  avoid  even  that 
6um,  and  get  all  books  free.  At  the  end  of  her  training 
the  College  authorities  will  obtain  for  her  an  appoint- 
ment worthy  her  abilities.  She  must  stay  in  a  school 
for  at  least  fifteen  months  before  getting  her  Govern- 
ment parchment  certificate,  and  becoming  a  fully-fled«_'ed. 
trained,  certificated  mistress,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
or  a  little  over,  and  earning  for  herself  an  honourable 
and  good  living.  The  qualities  most  needed  in  a 
teacher  are,  firstly,  love  of  her  calling,  mental  ability, 
application,  and  patience. 


November  1?,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


41 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


Lawst  week  I  'appened  to  cawst  my  heye  over  the 
account  of  a  breach  o'  promise  kise,  an'  very  amoosin' 
readin'  it  were  too.  If  there  were  more  joodishusness 
in  this  world,  their  wouldn't  be  no  sich  kises.  If  I 
was  awst  my  advice  ter  young  men  as  'ad  any  pertickler 
fancy,  I  should  say,  "Tike  it  slow."  Stand  art  aginst 
in,  as  long  as  yer  kin.  Don't  allar  yourself  ter  be  'urried. 
Mike  doo  inquyeries  about  the  gel.  Mike  'er  lose  the 
lawst  'bus  'ome  one  night,  and  'ave  ter  walk  ;  it  gives  yer  a 
chawnst  ter  see  whart  'er  temper's  like.  Find  art  as  to  'er 
'ealth,  an'  if  she  knows  the  vally  of  money.  I  knowed  a 
man  as  was  dartful  as  to  'is  chice  between  three  gels. 
Theer  didn't  sim  ter  be  a  pin's  diff'runce  atween  'em. 
So  'e  said  ter  'isself  that  'e'd  tike  the  'ealthiest.  So  one 
dye  'e  mide  all  three  of  'em  set  in  a  reg'ler  bad  drawft, 
doin'  of  it  artful,  so  that  it  jest  seemed  ter  'appen  by 
chawnce  like.  Well,  tew  of  them  gels  took  colds,  an'  one 
of  the  tew  was  lide  up  fur  a  fortnight,  and  thet  bad  they 
thought  as  she'd  'ave  ter  go  ter  a  'orspital.  But 
the  third  gel  never  turned  a  'air,  never  so  much  as 
sneezed.  "Thet's  my  mawk,"  says  'e,  and  'e  up  an' 
merries  'er.  An'  they've  done  very  well  since  too  ;  'e 's 
in  the  greengrocery  nar,  with  'is  own  'orse  an'  trap,  an' 
money  pert  by.  'E 's  whort  yer'd  call  a  practical  man. 
Still  them  other  tew  gels  didn't  'awf  like  it,  an'  speakin' 
impawshal  I  'ont  sye  as  'e  didn't  kerry  it  a  bit  tew  fur. 


is.  I  wouldn't  sye  as  she  'as  the  kind 
o'  temper  as  I'd  keer  ter  live  with  myself,  bein' 
natshrally  give  ter  peace  an'  quartood  when  I'm  at  'ome. 
But  she's  the  right  missus  fur  'Ankin.  She  'as  'im  on  a 
string,  an'  'e  knows  in  'is  'eart  as  it's  good  fur  'em. 
'Arrever,  there  was  more  luck  nor  judgment  abart  it, 
an'  I  don't  advise  nobody  ter  immertite  'im.  When  I 
come  ter  think  on  it,  I  dart  if  it's  any  good  advisin' 
anybody  any'ow  on  that  subjic.  You  may  give  'em  the 
strite  tip,  an'  they  mye  know  as  it's  the  strite  tip,  and 
yet  they  don't  foller  it.  Then  when  yer  reminds  'em 
arterwards  that  yer  warned  'em  all  along,  and  knowed 
W  it  'ud  be,  they  turns  nawsty.  Sich  is  'ooman 
gretitood. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


1 


J 

Cockspur   Street,  London. 

N VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
■pOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
^EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
•j^JARKET  REPORT. 

UR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


0 


1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


An'  that  reminds  me  o'  the  kise  of  pore  ole  'Ankin, 
an'  'ow  'e  gort  merried  to  'is  missis.  'Ankin  was  one  o' 
them  romantic  sort,  'e  was,  an'  'e'd  took  up  with  a  gel 
of  the  nime  o'  Mawgrit.  Thur  wasn't  nutthink  in  it, 
and  'e  didn't  never  mean  thur  should  be  nutthink  in  it 
'isself.  Arrever,  'e  wasn't  joodishus.  I've  alloodid  to 
the  wye  as  'e  yooses  quotishuns  from  the  poicks.  Well, 
in  those  dyes  'Ankin  would  occishanally  do  a  bit  o' 
poytry  on  'is  own — the  reg'ler  stuff  all  done  art  inter 
vusses,  sime  as  yer  sees  in  print.  As  I've  alwise  said, 
Ankin  'as  'is  talinks.  Nar  'e  so  far  forgot  'isself  as  ter 
do  a  bit  o'  poytry  called  "  Ter  Mawgrit,"  egspressin' 
sentimunts  as  'e  meant  ter  be  took  gen'ral  an'  not  com- 
mittin'  of  'isself  ter  anythink.  'E  posted  this  poytry 
off  ter  thet  gel,  and  tole  me 'e'd  done  it.  '"Ankin," 
I  says,  speakin'  ser'us,  "  this  is  the  beginnin'  o' 
the  end."  An',  sure  enough,  she  wrote  beck  ter 
'im  ter  sye  as  she  thanked  'im  fur  the  bootiful  vusses 
egspressin'  'is  meanin',  which  she  'ad  understood,  an' 
she'd  be  'is  fitheful  little  wife  till  'er  life's  end. 
"  Cawnt  I  git  art  of  it  ?  "  says  'e.  "  Git  art  of  it  be 
blowed,"  says  I.  "  She's  a  gel  of  sperrit,  an'  if  yer  tries 
ter  give  'er  the  chuck,  she'll  lug  yer  for  breach 
o'  promise."  "  Well,"  says  'e,  speakin'  medita- 
tive -  like,  "  then  I'll  mike  'er  give  me  the 
chuck  instead."  So  'e  gits  engiged  to  'er,  and  at  the 
sime  time  caries  on  most  artrijus  with  Elizer  Atkins. 
It  'appenned  jist  as  'e  said.  She  was  a  girl  o'  sperrit, 
an'  she  said  as  she  wasn't  goin'  ter  be  engiged  ter  any 
man  as  be'ived  'isself  like  that.  She  give  it  'im  all  up- 
an'-darn,  she  did,  reg'ler  wiped  up  the  floor  with  'im, 
tore  up  'is  poytry,  an'  told  'im  she  didn't  want  ter  see 
'is  fice  agin.  Then  Ankin  thought  'e  was  all  right, 
and  'e  stawts  orf  fur  ter  tell  me  abart  it.  On  the  wye 
'e  meets  with  Elizer  Atkins  and  allows  'isself  ter  be 
dror'd  inter  conversishun  with  'er.  Ho,  yuss  !  Yer  can 
guess  the  rest. 

*  *  *  * 

Yuss,  Elizer  Atkins  was  Mrs.  Ankin  three  weeks 
arter  that,  an'  so  she  is  ter  this  dye.  On  the  'ole,  things 
might  'a  bin  a  sight  wuss.  'Ankin's  missus,  bein'  a 
woman  of  determinishun,  as  yer  might  sye,  keeps  a  sort 
o'  check  on  'Ankin.  An'  that's  whort  'e  wornts.  With- 
•.rt  it  I  don'  know  as  'is  opinyuns,  being  as  demy- 
critic  as  they  is,  mightn't  bust  'im  up  altogether. 
She's    the     brike     on     that     bloomin'    'bus,  she 


SECURITIES   PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
HALF  PER  CENT. 
' '  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


SUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
rjp WENT Y- SEVENTH  EDITION. 
j^ENT  POST  FREE. 

rpHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


T 


PART  II.— HOW  TO  OPERATE 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
'•  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1893  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
The  Three  -  Monthly   Settlements      Operations  of  Short  Duration. 

.System.  Operations  of  Long  Duration. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of  r  o 

Dealing  ^an  Country   Residents  Operate 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts  Successfully  ? 

Compare  with  And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts.  people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


PART    I.-STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
The  Fortnightly  Settlements  System. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


j^ETTLEMENT   SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it.  ' 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  '21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


STANLEY  J.  WEYMAN'S 

NEW  STORY, 

14  THE   RED  COCKADE," 

A  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced  in  the 
New  Year's  Number  (January  5,  1895)  of 

"  TO-DAY." 


42 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1894. 


EIDER    HAGGARD'S  STRANGER 
THAN  FICTION. 


"THE   LIFE   AND  AD- 
VENTURES OF  JOHN 
GLADWYN  JEBB,"  WITH 
INTRODUCTION    BY  H. 
RIDER  HAGGARD. 
(BLACKWOOD  AND 
SONS.  10s.  6d.) 


There  have  been  few  careers  in 
fiction  so  sensational  as  the  real  life 
and  adventures  of  the  late  John 
Gladwyn  Jebb,  the  friend  with 
whom  Mr.  Rider  Haggard  "  did " 
Mexico.  We  are  under  a  debt  of 
gratitude  to  his  widow  and  Mr. 
Blackwood  and  Mr.  Haggard  for  letting  the  world  know 
how  he  lived — this  Englishman,  of  the  very  type  which 
has  given  England  the  best  of  the  round  world  and  all 
that  therein  is.  Mr.  Haggard  has  been  most  loyal  to 
his  lately  lost  friend ;  he  wrote  the  introduction  to  the 
book  and  materially  assisted  in  its  compilation  and 
corrected  the  whole  of  the  proofs. 

John  Gladwyn  Jebb  began  life  with  all  a  man  could 
ask  for.  He  had  magnificent  muscle  and  constitution, 
was  as  fearless  and  gentle  as  a  bulldog,  had  a  very  fan- 
share  of  brains,  and  was  brimming  over  with  energy  ; 
and  when  his  father  died  he  found  himself  in  possession 
of  .£50,000,  which  he  proceeded  to  lose  in  a  year  or  two, 
partly  by  his  own  fault  and  partly  by  the  failure  of 
Overend  and  Gurney. 

Space  will  not  allow  me  here  to  give  the  escapades  of 
his  Cheltenham  college  days — his  encounter  with  a  mid- 
night assassin  in  his  tent  in  India,  his  thrashing  a  cheeky 
Hindoo  station-master  who  presumed  on  his  lying  pros- 
trated by  fever,  his  Oxford  days,  his  founding  of  the 
famous  White  Star  Steamship  Company,  his  assisting  at 
deadly  peril  of  his  life  in  tracking  out  the  American 
Jack  the  Ripper — Big  Foot.  To  show  how  vividly  the 
book  is  written  I  must  quote  the  vision  which  he  saw 
when  he  was  guarding  a  coffee  estate  in  a  malarious 
South  American  swamp  from  nightly  marauders — a 
passage  worthy  of  G.  W.  Cable  at  his  best.  He  was 
riding  up  when  he  saw 

"The  Haunted  Enghenio." 

"But  now  he  became  conscious  that  a  fresh  sound  was 
added  to  these — a  sound  he  had  been  hearing  every  day  of 
his  life  lately — the  quick,  regular  beat  of  a  water  wheel  and 
the  steady  rush  of  water  through  the  sluices  !  In  a  moment 
it  occurred  to  him  that  the  long  expected  thieves  had 
arrived  early,  intending  to  make  a  night  of  it,  and  were 
coolly  clearing  the  fa-.enda  coffee  with  the  fazenda's  own 
machinery,  which,  though  old  and  rusty,  was  still  in  a 
condition  to  do  its  work  in  a  sort  of  way.  A  touch  of  the 
spur  set  the  mule  going  again,  and  in  a  few  seconds  she  and 
her  rider  were  round  the  bend,  and  looking  at  the  upper 
story  of  the  Emjlienio,  as  it  towered  above  the  orange  clumps  ; 
to  Jack's  intense  surprise  the  whole  place  seemed  to  be  lit 
up.  He  guided  his  mule  off  the  road  in  order  that  her  hoofs 
should  not  be  heard,  and,  revolver  in  hand,  cantered  through 
the  orange  grove.  His  astonishment  may  be  imagined  when 
lie  got  an  end  view  of  the  Enghenio,  and  could  see  that  some 
of  the  windows  were  open,  and  that  through  them  broad 
streams  of  light  flowed  across  the  drying-grounds,  which 
were  literally  crowded  with  blacks  ! 

"  He  could  distinctly  see  the  dusky  forms  of  the  slaves  flit- 
ting backwards  and  forwards  between  the  Eiu/henio  and  the 
drying-ground,  as  they  carried  in  large  baskets  of  coffee. 
Several  had  torches,  and  there  were  a  couple  of  overseers 
directing  the  work.  The  blacks  were  all  working  silently 
and  '  at  the  run.' 

"  The  first  thought  that  occurred  to  the  astonished  specta- 
tor was,  that  one  of  his  worthy  neighbours,  well-known  to 
be  quite  capable  of  robbery  or  any  other  crime,  had  brought 
down  the  whole  of  the  people  on  his  own  plantation,  intent 
on  making  a  clean  sweep  of  the  fazenda.  Insensibly  Jack 
slackened  speed  as  he  picked  his  way  through  the  last  clump 
of  orange-trees.  As  he  did  so,  a  thicker  wreath  of  mist 
seemed  to  seeth  up  from  the  marsh  ;  the  ruddy  glow  of 
light  from  the  windows  apparently  faded  and  disappeared  ; 
and  the  hurrying  slaves,  whom  but  a  moment  before  he 
had  seen  so  distinctly,  melted  into  darkness  and  vanished. 
Another  stride  carried  him  clear  of  the  trees,  to  a  point 
within  twenty  yards  of  the  Enghenio.  He  pulled  up  with  a 
quick  jerk,  utterly  bewildered.  For  there,  close  before  him, 
was  the  drying-ground  with  its  regular  heaps  of  coffee,  not 
one  displaced — nothing  moving,  nothing  visible — the  whole 
place  as  silent  and  solitary  as  when  he  had  left  it  t  he  night 
before." 

The  latter  part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  mining 
speculations  and  adventures.  Mr.  Jebb  did  all  the 
prospecting  and  managing  himself.    Nothing  could  lie 


more  thrilling  than  his  hairbreadth  escapes  while  he  was 
wandering  between  his  various  mines  high  up  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  amid  the  frosts  and  the  avalanches 
of  the  terrible  American  winter.  Once,  when  there 
were  miles  of  soft  snow  many  feet  deep  between  him 
and  his  home,  one  of  his  long  Norwegian  snow-shoes 
slipped  off,  and  sped  away  down  a  long  decline  in  the 
pitch  darkness.  Death  stared  Mr.  Jebb  in  the  face, 
but  he  retained  his  presence  of  mind,  and  taking  off  the 
other,  used  it  as  a  toboggan.  As  he  expected,  where 
the  toboggan  shoe  stopped  tire  other  had  already 
stopped.  Even  this  experience  was  less  terrible  than 
one  he  had  in 

Going  Down  a  Mine. 
"  He  found  that  there  were  no  ladders  to  this  particular 
shaft,  so  he  elected  to  be  lowered  by  the  windlass.  There 
was  no  cage,  and  it  was  necessary  to  hold  on  tightly  to  the 
rope,  keeping  one  foot  in  a  loop  at  the  end  of  it.  He  settled 
himself  firmly  and  swung  off,  the  rope  in  his  right  hand 
and  a  candle  in  his  left,  which  served  to  show  the  copper- 
stained  walls  of  the  shaft  as  he  slowly  descended.  This 
shaft  was  about  three  hundred  feet  deep,  and  he  was  half- 
way down  when  he  leant  forward  to  examine  a  stain  of 
copper,  and,  as  he  did  so,  in  an  instant  his  foot  shot  out 
from  the  noose.  It  was  coated  with  ice,  and  he  had  for- 
gotten that  a  solid  crust  had  formed  under  his  boot.  His 
candle  was  jerked  out  of  his  left  hand,  while  his  right  hand 
slipped  down  the  icy  rope  like  lightning,  and  closed  on  it 
with  a  death  grip  !  It  all  seemed  to  pass  in  the  fraction  of 
a  second,  until  he  felt  himself  swinging  by  one  hand  to  the 
end  of  the  rope,  and  instinctively  reaching  up  to  the  loop 
with  the  other,  only  to  find  it  a  smooth  coat  of  ice  which 
gave  scarcely  any  hold  at  all.  He  knew  that  he  could  never 
hold  on  long  enough  to  be  hauled  back  to  the  mouth  of  the 
shaft,  even  if  he  succeeded  in  making  the  men  hear  him. 
The  shaft  was  pitch  dark,  and  it  was,  therefore,  impossible 
to  judge  if  he  were  being  lowered  slowly  or  fast  as  he  hung 
—literally  between  life  and  death — with  every  faculty 
strained  to  the  one  act  of  clinging  to  that  rope  !  His  hands 
were  rapidly  becoming  numbed  with  cold,  and  little  by 
little  he  felt  them  slipping — another  moment,  and  dowu  he 
went  ! " 

With  this  I  must  conclude  and  leave  readers  of  the 
book  to  hunt  up  for  themselves  the  bonnes  bouches, 
about  the  secret  passages  leading  to  Guatamoc's  treasure, 
the  malignant  Aztec  god  which  brought  Mr.  Jebb  such 
ill  luck,  the  giant  sacred  snake,  and  the  maniac  who 
pros  ed  that  he  had  been  murdered. 

A  better  told  and  more  marvellous  narrative  of  a  real 
life  was  never  put  into  the  covers  of  a  small  octavo 
volume.  D.  S. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


I  certainly  should  have  thought  the  world  of  letters 
safe  from  a  second  Wordsworthy  William  Watson,  and 
a  second  Robert  Bridges  interpreting  Arcady.  But  it 
appears  that  Mr.  J.  M.  Dent  is  issuing  works  both  by 
the  New  William  Watson l,  and  the  New  Robert 
Bridges1.  After  this  we  may  expect  a  Few  Mrs. 
Ormiston  Chant,  besides  the  female  Savonarola,  who 
would  hush  "  the  merry  chanters  "  of  the  Empire.  I 
once  remarked  to  my  favourite  customer,  Mr.  Besant, 
that  after  the  New  Woman  we  could  not  tell  what  might 
happen  next,  and  he — a  regular  trick  with  your  <  Oxford 
or  Cambridge  man — took  refuge  in  a  classical 
quotation,  "  post  hoc  diluvies." 

*  *  *  * 

I  must  congratulate  my  good  friends,  Ward,  Lock, 
and  Bowden,  on  the  admirable  editions  of  "  Ceoffrey 
Hamlyn"8  and  "  Ravenshoe,"  *  which  Mr.  Clement  K. 
Shorter  has  edited  for  them.  Mr.  Shorter  lias  a  right 
to  be  enthusiastic  over  "Geoffrey  Hamlyn.''  We  have  no 
more  wholesome,  manly,  and  literary  book  of  real  adven- 
ture in  the  language,  and  it  gives  a  true  picture  of  Aus- 
tralia in  its  glorious  prime.  My  son,  who  is  out  in 
Australia,  tells  me  that  squatters  and  miners  and 
dwellers  in  towns  alike  in  the  great  Western  District  of 
Victoria  preach  Henry  kingsley  as  folks  preach  Black- 
more  on  Exinoor. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Shorter  has  prefixed  a  most  interesting  memoir  of 
Henry  Kingsley  to  the  "Geoffrey  Hamlyn."'  Especially 


November  17,  1894. 


TO-DAY.  43 


charming  is  his  description  of  the  old  rectory  at  Chel- 
sea, with  its  mulberry  tree  planted  by  Elizabeth  under 
which  those  two  famous  brothers  rolled  and  slept  as  boys. 
He  includes  a  highly  interesting  communication  from 
Sir  Edwin  Arnold,  who  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Henry 
Kingsley's  at  Oxford,  and  Miss  Thackeray  (Mrs.  Rich- 
mond Ritchie),  who  saw  a  good  deal  of  him  and  his  wife 
when  they  were  living  in  their  sunny  cottage  at  War- 
grave,  which  has  since  been  the  retreat  of  another 
famous  literary  Colonist,  Mr.  F.  C.  Selous. 

*  *  *  * 

Sir  Edwin  mentions,  by  the  way,  that  Mr.  Kingsley 
won  the  Diamond  Sculls  at  Henley,  which  confers  great 
lustre  on  the  Diamond  Sculls.  Mr.  Shorter  quotes 
other  characteristic  reminiscences  from  Mr.  Joseph 
Hatton,  who  had  the  novelist  for  a  contributor  when  he 
was  editing  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  and  found  him 
singularly  modest.  Mr.  Kingsley,  who  was  war  corre- 
spondent for  an  Edinburgh  paper,  was  present  at  Sedan, 
and  the  first  Englishman  to  enter  Metz.  I  only  knew 
him  by  his  coming  occasionally  into  the  shop  with 
Mr.  Hatton  ;  but  J  can  imagine  how  it  thrilled  the 
author  of  "Geoffrey  Hainlyn  " 3  and  "  Ravenshoe  " 4  to 

Avitness  the  Waterloo  of  these  latter  days. 

*  #  *  # 

Mr.  W.  Carlton  Dawe,  whose  "  The  Pilgrims  "  5— a  Bit 
of  Cornwall  in  Australia — has  just  been  brought  out  by 
Chapman  and  Hall,  is  a  customer  of  mine,  and,  I  should 
judge  by  the  friends  who  come  in  with  him,  an  habitue 
of  the  Authors' Club — a  big,  square-shouldered  Austr;  - 
lian,  with  dark  hair,  and  a  massive,  kindly  face,  shielded 
with  glasses.  Mr.  Dawe  is  doing  very  well ;  I  hear 
that  he  can  always  command  £200  on  account  for  a  new 
novel,  and  he  has  written  a  very  able  play  produced  at 
a  matinee  last  year. 

*  *  i  #  * 

Talking  of  plays  and  Australians,  I  owe  it  to  the  pro- 
duction of  that  fine  play  John-a-Dr rams  that  Mr. 
Haddon  Chambers  dropped  in  again  to  see  me  the 
other  day  after  his  prolonged  rustication.  I  can  well 
remember  the  day,  six  years  and  more  ago  now,  when 
big,  bluff',  hearty  Mr.  Patchett  Martin  brought  into  the 
shop  a  Sydney  friend,  who  looked  a  mere  boy  with  his 
fair  hair  and  handsome,  clean-shaven  face.  This  was 
Mr.  Haddon  Chambers,  with  the  blushing  honours  of 
"  Captain  Swift "  thick  upon  him.  After  this  he  often 
would  come  and  see  me.  My  having  a  boy  out  in  the 
Colonies  always  made  me  so  glad  for  a  bit  of  Australian 
gossip.  Mr.  Martin,  of  course,  the  writer  of  the  very 
able  biography  of  Lord  Sherwood,  and  once  the  editor 
of  the  Melbourne  Review,  generally  walks  over  from  the 
Reform  to  pay  me  a  visit  when  he  is  in  town.  It  was 
Mr.  Martin,  without  doubt,  who  won  Australian  authors 
their  first  recognition  in  England. 

*  *  *  * 

I  am  glad  to  offer  my  tribute  of  praise  to  "  The 
Vagabonds," 6  by  Mrs.  Margaret  L.  Woods.  The  little 
lady,  whose  dark  hair  and  clear  eyes  and  fragile  type 
give  her  such  a  spiritual  look,  has  frequently  been  in 
here  with  her  father — the  Dean  of  Westminster.  Of 
course  it  was  not  she  who  told  me  this  story  about 
her  husband,  the  present  President  of  Trinity,  Oxford, 
and  a  well-known  author,  who  was  in  those  days  an 
undergraduate  at  Trinity.  It  was  commemoration  time, 
and  Mr.  Woods,  who  was  then  Senior  Proctor,  and  our 
author,  had  both  been  to  hear  the  then  Archbishop  of 
York  preach  the  University  sermon.  The  author, 
who  was  going  to  escort  a  party  of  ladies 
to  a  Bullingdon  lunch  afterwards,  instead  of 
a  cap  and  gown  was  wearing  a  tall  white  hat,  and 
a  white  waistcoat,  and  a  frock  coat,  with  an  elaborate 
buttonhole.  The  Proctor  observed  him,  and  sent  for 
him  on  the  following  morning. 

"How  wore  you  dressed  yesterday  at  the  University 

sermon,  Mr.  —  1 "  said  he.    "  I  tried  to  look  like  a 

gentleman."  Mr.  Woods  was  taken  abaci:  by  his  cool- 
ness, and,  breaking  into  a  good-natured  laugh  instead 
of  fining  him,  said,  "You're  not  expected  to  look  like  a 


gentleman  at  the  University  sermon.  Don't  do  it 
again." 

*  *  *  * 

Mrs.  Visger  was  in  the  shop  yesterday.  It  always  does 
me  good  to  see  her  with  her  frank,  handsome  face  so 
full  of  saving  common  sense.  She  was  highly  amused 
at  an  Atheneeum  critic  being  taken  in  by  her  nom  de 
plume,  "J.  A.  Owen,"  and  calling  her  Mrs.  Owen.  I 
confidently  expect  to  hear  from  Mr.  Blackwood  that 
"  Prom  Spring  to  Fall," 7  is  meeting  with  the  same  solid 
commercial  success  as  the  other  volumes  by  "  A  Son  of 
the  Marshes."  Mrs.  Visger  was  for  man}'  years  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  but  now  resides  in  a  suburb  of 
London. 

*■  *  *  * 

Mr.  Edward  H.  Canney's  "  The  Land  of  the  Dawning  "s 
is  a  good  deal  above  the  average  of  the  reminiscences 
of  Australia,  written  by  returned  globe-trotters.  He 
is,  on  the  whole,  fair  to  the  Colonies,  neither  shutting 
his  eyes  to  their  ugly  faults  nor  to  the  reasons  of  the 
mingled  dislike  and  contempt  which  the  Young  Australia 
of  the  Sydney  Bulletin  type  feels  for  England.  The 
book  is  not  too  long,  and  it  is  very  nicely  printed  and 
got  up ;  so  I  expect  to  do  well  with  it  in  the  library, 
at  any  rate.  One  special  feature  of  interest  it  has  : 
Mr.  Canney  was  in  the  strikes  districts  in  Queensland 
while  the  shearers'  strike  was  going  on. 

*  *  *  # 

I  have  been  stocking  a  lot  of  copies  of  two  books  by 
that  capital  writer,  Bertram  Mitford — "  The  Curse  of 
Clement  Waynflete," 9  and  "RenshawFanning's  Quest." 10 
I  am  glad  to  observe  that  the  boys  who  are  brought  in 
by  fond  relations  are  apt  to  choose  them,  too.  Ward, 
Lock  and  Co.  are  bringing  one  good  book  out  after 
another. 

*  *  #  •* 
"  The  Master." — A  PosTcr.irr. 

My  dear  Jerome, — Will  you  grant  me  a  little  space  to 
thank  those  of  your  readers  who  became  writers  dining  the 
progress  of  "  The  Master,"  and  honoured  me  with  their 
praise  or  their  protests  1  I  hope,  in  part  icular,  that  Cissie 
and  Maud  are  not  too  unhappy.  I  want  to  ask  them  and 
anybody  who  is  interested  in  my  work  to  suspend  their  final 
judgment  till  the  story  is  published  in  book  form  next 
spring.  For  not  only  shall  I  spend  a  good  deal  of  time  in 
revising  it,  but  I  shall  restore  various  important  portions  of 
the  text  which,  owing  to  the  exigencies  of  serial  publica- 
tion, and  to  the  detriment  of  my  meaning,  have  had  to  be 
left  out  ;  for  instance,  the  omitted  epilogue,  dealing  mainly 
with  Matthew  Strang's  art  in  relation  to  the  sufferings  of 
his  life — the  price  that  had  to  be  paid  for  his  pictures — and 
resuming,  for  leaders  who  shall  have  the  complete  work  in 
their  hands,  the  whole  meaning  and  purpose  of  my  book. 

Yours  ever, 

I.  Zangwill. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

To-morrow. — One  of  the  latest  works  on  war  medals,  etc.,  is 
"  The  Orders  of  Chivalry,"  by  C.  N.  Elvin,  published  by  Dean 
and  Son,  of  Fleet  Street,  at  31s.  6d.  It  is  profusely  illustrated 
with  coloured  plates.  If  you  want  one  that  gives  the  degrees 
of  rarity,  try  and  get  Gibson's  "British  Military  and  Naval 
Medals."  It  is  published  by  E.  Stanford,  26,  Cockspur  Street, 
S.  W.,  but  I  am  afraid  it  is  out  of  print. 

St.  Simon.— I  think  "  Chambers's  Elocution  "  would  suit  you. 

C.  T.  F. — Your  enquiries  have  already  been  answered  in  these 
columns. 

Caledonia.—  It  is  difficult  to  say,  as  a  new  edition  is  shortly 
to  be  published,  which  may  materially  affect  the  value  of  the 
present  one. 

Constant  Reader  (Lewes).— You  would  probably  find  what 
you  want  in  Poole's  "  Index  to  Periodical  Literature." 

H.  C.  M.— Count  Tolstoi's  novels,  published  by  Walter  Scott, 
would  be  useful  to  you.    They  are  said  to  be  very  true  to  life. 

Indexed.— Either  Smith's  or  Mudie's  Library  would  meet 
your  requirements. 

1.  Annals  of  a  Quiet  Valley  in  the  Wordsworth  County.    (J.  M.  Dent.  In 

the  press.) 

2.  .  Overheard  in  Arcady.   (J.M.Dent.    In  the  press.) 

3.  Geoffrey  Hamlyn.    (Ward,  Lock  &  Bowden.    3s.  Cd.) 

4.  Ravenshoe.    (Ward,  Lock  &  Bowden.    3s.  Gd.) 

5.  The  Pilgrims.   (Chapman  &  Hall.  Price  not  stated.) 

6.  The  Va.i-alM.nds.    (Smith,  Elder  &  Co.   Price  not  sta-ed.) 

7  From  Spring  to  Fall.  (Wm.  Blackwood  and  Sons.   Price  not  stated.) 

8.  The  Land  of  the  Dawning.  (Remington  and  Co.   Price  not  stated.) 

9.  The  Curse  of  Clement  Waynflete.    (Ward,  Lock,  and  Bowden.    3s.  Cd.) 

10.  llenshaw's  Tanning's  Quest.    (Chutto  and  Windus.    3a.  Od.) 


44 


TO-DAY. 


[November  17,  1891. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

My  dear  Helen, — When  you  come  to  consider  how 
many  times  in  the  ordinary  course  of  things  we  run 
up  and  down  stairs  every  day,  it  is  not  surprising  that  so 
many  of  our  friends  prefer  living'  in  fiats.  We  have 
just  been  calling  on  the  Tallboys,  and  they  are  enthu- 
siastic in  their  praise  of  theirs.  They  are  four  stories 
up,  and  there  are  four  others  above  them,  so  that  the 
lift  is  in  constant  requisition.  Their  eight  rooms  are 
all  close  together,  and  when  they  forget  anything  they 
have  only  to  cross  a  small  corridor  on  which  all  the 
doors  open.  It  must  save  an  immensity  of  trouble, 
must  it  not  1  And  the  Tallboys  now  keep  three  servants 
instead  of  four,  as  there  is  so  little,  comparatively 
speaking,  for  them  to  do.  The  centralization  of  the 
looms  economises  housework  in  a  remarkable  manner. 
It  almost  tempts  mother  to  take  a  flat,  and  give  up  our 
house.  The  rent  and  taxes  here  are  less  than  we  should 
have  to  pay  for  a  flat  on  the  same  floor  as  the  Tallboys, 
but  then  it  is  so  delightfully  easy  to  shut  it  up  and 
go  away  without  the  fear  of  burglars  before  one's  eyes. 

Mr.  Ernest  M.  J essop  is  showing  some  charmingsilver- 
points  of  the  Royal  pets  at  the  Burlington  Gallery,  Old 
Bond  Street.  Any  lover  of  fancy  dogs  should  see  the 
portraits  of  the  Queen's  and  the  Princess's  favourite 
dogs.  The  Prince  of  Wales's  Royal  Hungarian  team, 
drawn  up  before  the  ballroom  entrance  at  Sandringhani 
is  capital. 

We  spent  yesterday  afternoon  at  Prince's  Skating 
Rink  with  Gerald  and  a  friend  of  his.  It  was  my 
second  visit,  and  I  got  on  pretty  well.  The  attendants 
take  you  round  at  a  charge  of  so  much  per  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  the  confidence  this  gives  the  learner  makes 
proficiency  come  all  the  sooner.    Mother,  as  chaperon, 


had  the  worst  of  it,  but  she  says  she  was  well  amused 
by  the  wonderful  difference  in  the  way  people  skated — 
some  so  gracefully  and  others  so  very  much  the  reverse. 
On  some  of  the  skaters,  the  head  seemed  to  command 
the  limbs  ;  on  others  the  legs  appeared  to  have  run  away 
with  the  head,  much  against  its  will.  But,  oh !  what  a 
glorious  taste  for  tea  roller-skating  gives  you  ! 

Fur  is  used  on  every  possible  kind  of  garment  this 
season — tea-gown,  dressing-gown,  ball-dress,  and  dinner- 
robe — and  how  intensely  becoming  it  is  !  Think  of  a 
tea-gown  in  sunset  pink  satin,  lined  with  apricot  silk, 
and  made  with  a  front  of  accordeon-kilted  sunset-pink 
ciepe  over  white  satin,  the  folds  barred  across  on  the 
chest  with  narrow  bands  of  otter.  Could  you  fancy 
anything  more  becoming? 

Or,  take  the  ball-dress  of  a  debutante,  made  of  white 
satin  hemmed  with  a  fringe  of  snowdrops,  drooping  over 
a  band  of  sable,  and  finished  round  the  shoulders  with 
folds  of  snowy  velvet,  a  fringe  of  snowdrops  drooping 
from  under  it,  straps  of  sable  crossing  the  shoulders,  and 
held  on  either  side  with  clasps  of  pearl?  Is  it  not 
lovely '( 

Everyone  interested  in  horseflesh  should  see  Jaeger's 
exhibition  at  Knightsbridge.  In  a  completely  fitted  up 
stable  is  shown  a  model  of  the  Irish  Steeplechaser, 
"  The  Lamb,"  clothed  in  a  suit  of  the  Jaeger  wool.  It  is 
light,  soft,  warm  and  porous,  and  special  attention  has 
been  paid  to  the  hood,  which  by  a  patent  arrangement 
is  fitted  with  ears  which  move  easily  with  every  twitch 
of  the  animal.  There  are  a  number  of  other  novelties 
that  will  become  popular. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Daisy. — Any  of  the  books  on  dancing  that  you  see  advertised 
in  the  papers  will  give  you  the  steps  of  the  Minuet.    It  would 
take  up  too  much  space  to  describe  them  here  with  sufficient 


365 


FOR 


a.  stick:  of 


VINOUA  ♦  SHAVING 


Is  said  to  last  a  Year. 


VINOLIA    SHAVING    STICKS— Premier    6d. ; 
Toilet,  Is.,  Is.  6d.,  2s.  6d.;  Vestal,  2s. 

VINOLIA  SHAVING  CAKES— Premier,  Is.; 
Toilet,  2s  ;  Vestal,  3s. 


Every  lady 
pleased 

.  .  WITH  THE 

"KI-M!" 

BUSK! 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13£ 
inches 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cut  through  cloth. 
—To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  Gd.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Husk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochraue- 
street,  Glasgow, 


HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  \V.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


ARABINE 


MARKING  INK  FOR  D. 
LINEN  is  the  BEST!  U 


NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


PER 
DOTTLE 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  RenOeld  Street,  Glasgow. 

^^REME  DE^VIOLET^ 

Has  attained  enormous  popularity  since  we  introduced  it  into  Great 
Britain. 

It  is  a  pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonic,  absolutely  free  from  any  ingre- 
dients that  will  injure  the  most  delicate  skin.  It  cleanses  the  pores,  and 
producing  a  clear  and  healthy  complexion.  Prevents  anil  removes 
Wrinkles,  Pimples,  Knughness,  liedness,  mid  all  Skin  Imperfections. 
Counteracts  the  disagreeable  effects  of  sun,  wind,  ami  sea  air.  Is 
dcliciotisly  cool  and  refreshing  to  the  skin.  Makes  the  skm  soft  and 
smooth  as  a  baby's.  W  ill  make  the  most  faded  Complexion  assume  all 
the  natural  tints  of  youthful  health  and  beauty.  Suitable  for  old  and 
young  of  both  sexes.  Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers,  price  Is.  and  6d. 
See  that  the  Signature  l.e  Krere  et  Cie  is  on  the  label,  or  sent  direct, 
post  free,  in  plain  wrappers  3d.  extra  from 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 

nIGH-CLASS  AUTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 
MRS.  GRABURN,  1J,  Itouclmrcll  road.  Noiih  Kensington  (close 
to  N'otting  lull  station).  Spccialite- Country  Orders.  Stun rt  Costumes 
to  Measure  supplied  complete  from  2*  Guineas.  All  Mndiccs  vat  on 
French  principles.    Ladies  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  is. 


November  17,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


45 


minuteness  to  enable  you  to  teach  it  to  the  children.  A  Ba  1 
room  Guide,  price  6d.,  is  sold  at  Albany  House,  Tavistock 
Place,  W.C.,  but  I  cannot  say  if  it  contains  instructions  for  the 
Minuet.  Write  and  ask.  I  am  very  glad  you  like  the  Cookery 
column,  and  as  you  and  your  sister  want  more  recipes  I  must 
ask  the  Editor  to  let  me  give  mo:  e. 

W.N. — I  am  not  by  any  means  an  expert  in  lace.  I  am  going 
to  take  your  friend's  piece  to  a  connoisseur  to-morrow,  and  will 
return  it  afterwards. 

Our  Cookery  Column. 

Susan. — "  Sloak  "  is  the  Irish  name  for  laver.  It  is  already 
cooked  when  sold,  and  only  needs  to  be  made  very  hot.  The 
regulation  way  to  serve  it  is  in  a  silver  saucepan,  so  that  it  may 
be  quite  hot.  I  never  heard  of  its  being  eaten  with  beef,  only 
with  roast  mutton. 

Cream  Potatoes. — Boil  half-a-dozen  large,  creamy  potatoes 
in  their  skins,  and  when  they  have  steamed  quite  dry,  put  them 
away  to  get  cold.  Peel  them  as  thinly  as  possible  and  throw 
them  into  a  basin.  Chop  them  up  with  a  knife  and  throw  them 
about  with  your  fingers  till  they  are  like  snow.  Now  melt  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  good  butter  in  a  stewpan,  throw  in  suffi- 
cient salt  to  flavour  the  whole,  add  the  potatoes,  pour  half  a 
pint  of  cream  gently  over  them  and  let  them  become  thoroughly 
hot.  Serve  in  a  very  hot  dish  as  an  entree.  If  carefully  dished 
they  look  like  wax  and  people  wonder  what  they  are,  but  it  is  a 
pretty  dish  and  soon  appeals  to  the  palate. 

Oysters  on  Toast. — Get  from  the  fishmonger  two  dozen 
cooking  oysters.  They  only  cost  Is.  6d.  a  dozen,  and  are  large 
and  well  flavoured.  Get  him  to  send  them  home  in  a  jar  with 
their  own  liquor.  Twenty  minutes  before  you  want  them  sent 
to  tabJe,  take  a  beautifully  clean  omelette  pan,  rather  a  small 
size,  put  into  it  two  ounces  of  good  fresh  butter  or  Dansk. 
While  it  is  browning  merrily,  take  out  each  oyster  separately 
and  dry  it  by  rolling  it  in  an  overcoat  of  flour.  Fry  them  care- 
fully in  the  hot  butter,  but  see  that  it  does  not  boil,  for  this 
would  harden  the  oysters.  While  this  is  being  done,  warm  up 
the  liquor  of  them  in  a  small  stewpan  with  a  dash  of  cayenne, 
nepaul,  or  coralline  pepper,  and  not  more  than  two  drops  of 
Chili  vinegar.  Now  toast  a  deep  brown  all  over  two  thick  rounds 
of  bread,  from  which  the  crust  has  been  cut  away.  Put  them  in 
a  hot  entree  dish,  pour  over  them  the  boiling  oyster  liquor.  Add 
the  fried  oysters,  and  serve  them  piping  hot.  Everyone  who 
tries  this  dish  will  love  me  for  telling  them  of  it,  but  they  must 
work  it  according  to  instructions.  If  the  oysters  are  permitted 
to  boil  they  turn  to  the  hardness  of  leather  and  lose  all  flavour. 


In  this  case,  the  cook  need  not  drain  them  after  having  been 
fried,  as  the  butter  will  be  impregnated  with  the  flavour  of  the 
oysters.  Of  course,  if  you  insist  on  using  cheap,  rancid  butter 
for  cooking,  as  many  housewives  do,  the  more  of  it  you  drain 
away  the  better  !  I  can  never  understand  why  anyone  should 
use  coarse,  nasty  butter  for  any  purpose.  Good  lard  is  infinitely 
better,  and  it  is  cheaper.  Suzette. 


CHANNEL  ISLANDS. 

FRUIT  AND  FLOWER  GROWING.  Several  Valuable 
Properties  for  Sale,  or  in  some  cases  partnerships  could  be 
arranged.    Profits  1 5  per  cent,  to  30  per  cent,  on  money  invested. 

FURNISHED  HOUSES  TO  LET.  Full  particulars,  plans, 
photos,  &c,  on  application  to  Messrs.  CONSTABLE,  TOWN- 
END  &  MORRISH,  55  &  56,  Chancery  Lane,  London,  W.C., 
and  at  Guernsey. 


j^.     BEAUTIFUL  SERIES 

OF  NATIVE  PHOTOGRAPHS, 

ILLUSTRATING 

"THE  COUNTRY  AND  PEOPLE 
OF  JAPAN,' 

WILL    COMMENCE  IN 

"TO-DAY" 

OF    DECEMBER  1. 


JUST  THE  SOAP  FOR  YOUR  BATH."  I 


Is  it  not  most  annoying,  when  having 
a  bath,  to  lose  the  soap  or  to  find  you 
have  left  it  wasting  in  the  water?  Neither 
will  happen  with  "IVY"  Soap,  which 
is  always  in  sight  floating  on  the  surface. 
Children  are  no  longer  any  trouble  on 
"Bath  Night"'  when  "IVY"  Soap  is 
used — they  are  so  delighted  to  see  it 
sailing  on  the  water. 

"IVY"  Soap  is  a  beautiful,  white. 
"Milky"  Soap,  hard  and  very  lasting, 
Guaranteed  pure  and  free  from  irritating 
Chemicals.  Gives  a  creamy  lather,  and 
is  SPLENDID  FOR  WASHING  Laces, 
Prints,  Fine  Underclothing,  and  all 
delicate  goods,  the  colour  and  texture  of 
which  suffer  damage  from  common 
soaps. 


3D         Per  Lare-P       "    Ask  y°ur  Grocer  for  "IVY"  Soap.  If  anv  difficulty,  we  will  send  you  Three  Cakes    •  G.  W.  GOODWIN  &  SON, 
ti„  A  l        5    in  a  handy  box,  carriage  paid,  on  receipt  of  vour  address  and  Twelve  Stamps,    •  Ordsall  Lane. 

Double  Cake.  ;  5  or  Is.  Postal  Order.  •  MANCHESTER. 


46 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1894. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  WARD  OF  CORD  WAINERS. 

For  some  years  past  Mr.  A.  T.  Hawkins  has  been  one  of  the 
representatives  of  this  ward  in  the  Court  of  Common  Council, 
and  it  is  understood  that  he  will  again  offer  himself  for  re-elec- 
tion next  month.  For  many  years  past  Mr.  Hawkins'  name 
has  been  associated  with  what  we  may  call  philanthropy  and 
five  per  cent.  Mr.  Hawkins  has  promoted,  and  controlled, 
the  Freehold  House  Property  Company,  the  National  Dwellings 
Society,  the  Imperial  Mortgage  and  Debenture  Company, 
Limited,  not  to  speak  of  others.  These  companies,  or  such  of 
them  as  still  live,  are  not  in  a  healthy  condition,  and  there  is 
much  in  relation  to  them  that  is  likely  to  make  early  and  large 
inroads  upon  Mr.  Hawkins'  time  and  attention.  Under  these 
circumstances  we  suggest  to  him  that  it  would  be  as  well  to 
reconsider  his  determination  to  offer  himself  for  re-election. 

A  NOTTINGHAM  HUMBUG. 

We  have  not  heard  from  Mr.  W.  B.  Baggaley,  but  a  letter  of 
his  has  appeared  in  the  advertisement  columns  of  the  Nottingham 
Daily  Guardian,  which  we  give  below — 
[Ann.] 
AN  EXPLANATION. 
TO  THE  EDITOR  OF  THE  "NOTTINGHAM  DAILY  GUARDIAN." 

Sir,— Having  had  my  attention  called  to  someremaiks  in  a  periodical 
called  To-Day  in  respect  to  myself  and  a  company  I  was  some  time  since 
interested  in,  I  desire  at  once  to  give  the  most  absolute  and  unqualified 
contradiction  to  the  statements  therein  contained. 

I  may  say,  in  regard  to  the  company  referred  to,  about  four  years  ago 
I,  with  many  others  in  Nottingham  and  elsewhere,  were  unfortunately 
induced  to  become  shareholders  in  what  seemed  likely  to  prove  a  sound 
commercial  concern,  but  in  this  we  have  been  disappointed,  and  I  was 
a  considerable  loser ;  but  neither  To-Day  nor  any  other  paper  or  person 
has  anything  to  do  with  this,  as  I  stood  by  the  loss. 

I  may  also  say  that  I  did  not,  nor  have  I  ever  taken,  any  part  in  the 
promotion  of  this  or  any  other  company,  and  never  had  any  dealings 
whatever  on  the  Stock  Exchange.— I  am,  sir,  &c, 

W  B.  BAGGALEY. 

Nottingham,  3rd  November,  1894. 
We  agree  with  Mr.  Baggaley  that  neither  To-Day  nor  any 
other  paper  or  person  has  anything  to  do"  with  Mr.  Bagga- 
ley's  initial  action,  in  applying  for  shares  in  the  Giffard  Gun 
Company  ;  but  in  our  opinion  To-Day,  or  any  other  paper,  may 
properly  animadvert  upon  the  conduct  of  a  person  who  dealt, 
to  an  extent  that  jeopardised  his  fortune,  in  the  shares  of  a 
company  whose  end  and  aim,  whose  sole  object,  was  to  make 
money  by  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  a  gun  intended  for  war 
and  sport,  and  warranted  to  kill  easier  and  quicker  than  other 
guns,  and  yet,  in  a  communication  teeming  with  cant  of  the 
most  sickening  kind,  severs  a  life-long  connection  with  his 
chapel  because  some  members  of  it  have  formed  a  company  of  the 
Boys'  Brigade,  where,  to  quote  Mr.  Baggaley,  the  lads  are 
"  taught  the  use  of  carnal  weapons." 

Upon  this  subject  a  correspondent  writes  to  us  as  below  : — 

When  the  famous  dinner — that  dinner  the  particulars  of  which  were 
given  in  our  issue  of  July  21,  and  which  remains  unpaid  for— bill  was 
run  up  there  was  a  demonstration  of  t  he  Giffard  gun's  efficiency  in  the 
arrangements  for  which  Baggaley  took  part,  and  in  order  to  show  the 
gun  off  to  the  best  advantage,  t  he  services  of  Lieutenant  Aslrworth,  one 
of  the  crack  shots  of  the  Nottingham  Robin  Hood  i ifie  corps,  were 
obtained.  He  (Baggaley)  might  fire  guns  if  shareholders  could  be 
brought  in  by  so  doing  ;  but  these  weapons  must  not  be  carried  by  Boys' 
Brigades  because  nobody's  money  could  be  got  thereby. 

It  is  really  very  sickening. 

THE  STEEL  COMPANY  OF  SCOTLAND,  LIMITED. 

This  company  has  been  offering  £150,000  of  Five  per  Cent. 
First  Mortgage  Debenture  Stock  and  £100,000  of  Ten  per  Cent. 
Second  Mortgage  Debenture  Bonds,  but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
English  folk  have  left  the  issue  to  their  good  friends  across  the 
border.  The  Steel  Company  of  Scotland  was  formed  in  IS72, 
and  for  sonic  years  good  dividends  were  paid,  but  since  1890 
nothing.  The  proprietors  say  (his  falling  off  is  due  lo  "strikes 
and  other  serious  troubles,  together  with  bad  trade,'"  but  it  is 
to  be  assumed  that  rival  companies  have  had  to  reckon  with 
similar  troubles.  We  hear  that  the  plant  of  the  company  is 
antiquated  ami  out  of  repair,  which  makes  it  difficult  for  it  to 
compete  with  other  companies.  As  to  the  value  of  the  work- 
men's houses,  that  depends  to  a  large  extent  upon  the  company 
being  carried  on  successfully. 

RENTS  IN  THE  POULTRY- 

Some  time  ago  we  made  brief  allusion  to  changes  in  the 
Poultry,  largely  dun  to  the  exorbitant  rents  demanded.  We 
are  now  in  a  p3sition  to  speak  with  less  reserve,  and  to 
give  particulars  in  illustration.  Many  of  our  readers 
must   know  the  handsome  hosiery  establishment  of  Wheeler 


and  Company,  in  the  Poultry,  running  through  from  the 
Poultry  to  Queen  Victoria  Street.  It  might  have  been  thought 
that  this  business  wo  uld  be  a  prosperous  one,  yet  in  the  autumn 
its  proprietor — a  Coram  on  Councillor,  active  and  careful—  had  to 
call  together  his  creditors.  They  have  now  made  arrangements 
to  carry  it  on  with  Mr.  Pellet  as  manager,  but  the  rent  has  been 
reduced  from  £3,000  per  annum — at  one  time  it  stood,  if  v;e  are 
not  mistaken,  at  £3,500 — to  £1,700,  and  even  at  the  reduced 
rent,  the  new  tenants  insisted  upon  the  right  to  give  up  at  the 
end  of  the  second  or  third  year  if  they  choose  to  do  so.  Now 
Mr.  Pellet  has  been  working  the  business  for  some  twenty  years; 
and  he  failed  for  £11,000.  If,  during  those  twenty  years,  he  had 
paid  £1,700  instead  of  £3,000,  he  would  have  had  £15,000  to  the 
good,  instead  of  £11,000  the  other  way. 

If  you  walk  a  few  yards  westward  from  Wheeler's  you  come  to 
Corbyn  and  Stacey,  the  chemists.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest 
firms  in  London.  Their  records  go  back  three  hundred  years. 
Men  like  Jenner,  Quain,  Clarke,  Paget,  swore  by  them.  But 
what  do  we  find  ?  The  lease  of  the  Poultry  premises  expires 
next  month,  and  the  business  is  to  be  removed  to  Bucklersbury. 
Seven  years  ago  the  rent  was  raised  from  £S50  to  £1,000  ;  now 
£1,200  is  wanted,  and  Corbyn  and  Stacey  refuse  to  give  it.  With 
the  Stores  selling  at  cost  price,  the  business  will  not  stand  such 
a  rent.  And  for  what?  The  shop,  the  basement,  and  a  top 
floor  to  which  you  can  only  get  by  the  ascent  of  100  stairs,  there 
being  no  lift. 

We  might  name  other  businesses  in  Cheapside  in  much  the  same 
position  as  those  we  have  named,  crushed  by  the  ever-increasing 
rent.  Is  it  surprising  that  plain  citizens,  the  last  to  sympathise 
with  Anarchist  ravings,  or  even  with  Collectivists,  as  they  call 
themselves,  listen  with  something  more  than  acquiescence  to  the 
radical's  denunciation  of  landlordism,  as  we  have  it  in  many 
parts  of  London? 

A  WORKING  AGREEMENT  AMONG  HALFPENNY 
NEWSPAPERS. 

For  some  little  time  past  the  managers  of  some  of  the  London 
halfpenny  evening  papers  have  been  trying  to  come  to  an 
arrangement  by  which  the  fierce  competition  that  eats,  with 
such  fatal  effect,  into  profits  may  be  checked.  The  suggestion 
is  that  the  papers  in  question  shall  work  together  for  the  com- 
mon benefit  in  certain  matters.  If  the  time  of  the  appearance 
of  the  first  edition  could  be  fixed  and  made  common  to  all,  and 
the  number  of  editions  lessened  and  limited  ;  if  distribution  in 
the  outer  suburbs  could  be  worked  by  a  common  agency,  and 
united  action  could  be  taken  in  other  directions  ;  if,  as  is 
assumed,  all  this  might  be  done,  the  result  might  be  common 
benefit  to  all. 

There  is  nothing  new  in  this  notion.  Some  years  ago  an  attempt 
was  made  to  carry  through  a  similar  scheme,  but  nothing  came 
of  it,  and  we  do  not  look  for  much  more  from  the  present  pro- 
ject. Competition,  growing  keener  ever}'  day,  may  be  ruinous, 
but  will  the  strong  come  to  the  aid  of  the  weak?  To  the  half- 
penny evening  newspaper  early  information  is  believed  to  be 
everything,  and  the  one  with  the  best  organisation  and  the 
longest  purse  must,  in  the  long  run,  win.  The  scheme  seems,  at 
first  sight,  to  commend  itself  to  common  sense,  but  we  shall 
be  surprised  if  it  proves  to  be  workable. 

THE  GOVERNMENT  AND  THE  TRAMWAYS- 

The  deputation  of  the  Tramways  Institute  that  waited  on  the 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trade  a  day  or  two  ago  ditl  not  get 
much  comfort  from  Mr.  Bryce.  All  that  the  President  could  tell 
them  was  that  the  law  as  it  stands  is  against  them,  and  that  if 
they  want  to  get  it  altered  they  must  persuade  Parliament 
that  it  ought  to  be  altered.  It  is  really  astonishing  that  direc- 
tors and  shareholders  of  these  London  tramway  companies 
should  have  gone  on  year  after  year  in  the  comfortable  belief 
that  they  had  a  property  which  the  local  authority  must  take 
over  upon  the  ordinary  terms  of  such  transfer,  when,  in  fact, 
they  were  bound  to  sell  at  break-up  price.  It  was  not  until 
1887 — i-e.,  not  until  seventeen  years  after  the  passing  of  the 
governing  Act  of  1S70 — that  an  article  in  the  Stock-  Exchange 
opened  the  eyes  of  some  of  them  to  the  truth. 

THE  CASINO  BANK  SYNDICATE. 

OUR  attention  has  been  directed  to  circulars  that  are  being 
sent  out  broadcast  by  persons  who  call  themselves  The  Casino 
Bank  Syndicate,  and  who  promise  a  "Minimum  profit  dividend 


November  10,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


47 


of  £1  per  week  upon  every  £5  invested.  ''  According  to  the 
circular  before  us,  "  the  last  operation"  for  the  season  was 
closed  last  month,  but  as  our  correspondent  has  been  invited  to 
subscribe  since  then  it  is  to  be  assumed  that  subscriptions  con- 
tinue  to  be  received.  Our  readers  will  do  well  to  have  nothing 
to  do  with  this  syndicate, 

BASS  v.  ALLSOPP. 

If  we  may  judge  from  a  case  just  decided  by  Mr.  Justice 
Kekewich,  Bass's  people  are  much  perturbed  by  Allsopp  com- 
petition.  Bass's  sued  a  Mr.  D.  White,  proprietor  of  the 
Hercules  public-house,  Kennington  Road,  for  supplying  Allsopp's 
beer  to  persons  asking  for  Bass's.  The  evidence  offered  in  sup- 
port  of  the  charge  was  of  the  flimsiest,  and  judgment  was  given 
for  Mr.  White,  with  costs. 


We  are  informed  by  the  Remington  Type  Writer  Company  that 
they  have  been  granted  warrants  of  appointment  by  the  Queen 
and  the  Prince  of  Wales. 


ANSWERS   TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 

Macatc  Mining  Company.  J.  W.  C.  (Crossinglcrt).— No.  The 
Cheque  Bank.  J.W.  S.  (Maidstone).— AVe  see  no  advantage  in  your 
selling.  The  bank  is  extending  its  business  rapidly,  and  under  careful 
management  ought  to  give  a  satisfactory  return  to  its  proprietors. 
Northern  Counties  Constitutional  Newspaper  Company. 
Wants.  (Middlesboro').— We  cannot  understand  the  twelve  years'  delay, 
but  the  mere  request  to  a  promoter  to  cancel  your  application  was  not 
sufficient.  You  should  have  seen  that  the  shares  were  transferred.  If  they 
were  never  allotted  to  you,  you  are  not  liable.  Three  Mines. 
T.  E.  B.  (Sunderland).— If  you  do  not  hold  do  not  buy,  if  you  hold 
sell.  George  Routledge  and  Son,  Limited.  J.  J.  (Maryport).— 
There  are  not  many  dealings  in  these  debentures.  We  should  prefer 
another  investment,  but  the  company  is  quite  sound.  Philadelphia 
and  Reading.  J.  M.  (Cupar).— 1.  We  think  so.  2.  Yes,  but 
we  should  prefer  another  selection.  Jubilee  Gold  Shares. 
Enquirer  (Edinburgh).— It  is,  of  course,  a  speculative  purchase,  but  if 
you  intend  to  buy  you  are  not  likely  to  gain  much  by  waiting.  Uruguay 
Bonds.  W.  C.  H.  (Shepherd's  Bush).— Hold.  We  expect  to  see  these 
bonds  a  good  deal  over  50  before  Christmas.  Champion  Reefs. 
A.  H.  L.  (Newport).— 1.  By-and-bye,  possibly.  2.  The  shares  of  the  syndi- 
cate you  name  will  probably  go  higher.  Broken  Hills.  Caution 
(Edinburgh).— Highly  speculative  just  now.  Safe  Investments. 
W.  S.  (Leeds).— We  should  prefer  another  selection.  Bryant  and 
May's  would  give  you  over  5,  and  are  very  safe.  Crisp  and  Co.  H.  B. 
(Birmingham).— Your  preference  shares  are  an  excellent  investment. 
Joint  Stock  Institute.  Hamlet  (Felixstowe).— We  have  no  informa- 
tion as  to  the  inaugural  stock  operation  to  which  you  refer,  other  than  that 
given  in  the  advertisement  to  which  you  allude.  Leeds  Forge  Shares. 
Low  Drop  (Sheffield). — We  should  be  sorry  to  give  it.  Value  of  De- 
bentures. J.  G.  (Dumbarton).— The  guarantee  of  the  company  you 
mention  is  of  little  or  no  value.  Tho  Big  Blow  Gold  Mines,  Limited. 
G.  S.  (Clapham).— The  price  asked  for  the  property  seems  exorbitant. 
Better  not  apply.  The  Kurnalpi  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited. 
G.  S.  (Leeds>— £55,000  is  a  big  price  for  a  mining  claim  of  fifteen  acres, 
even  when  its  value  is  vouched  for  by  ubiquitous  Mr.  Begehole.  Better  leave 
it  totheunderwriters.  Allsopp's.  B.  (Hull)— Probably,  but  we  do  not  advise 
it.  Bradford  Manufacturing  Company.  The  Bed  Cockade.— Yes. 
Union  Steamship  Company  of  New  Zealand.  J.  O.  (Southampton). 
—The  value  of  shares  of  ship  companies  is  always  subject  to  considerable 
fluctuation,  but  the  record  of  this  company  is  a  good  one.  Swan  and 
Edgar,  Limited.  K.  R.  (Lowestoft).— More  dividends  have  been  paid 
than  those  named  in  your  letter,  but  we  know  of  nothing  to  warrant  the 
belief  that  the  position  of  the  company  is  likely  to  improve.  It  is  high 
time  for  the  general  meeting  to  be  held.  Boudard-Peveril  Gear 
Company.— We  have  to  acknowledge  numerous  letters  in  reply  to  the 
invitation  addressed  to  shareholders  in  our  issue  of  November  3.  These 
letters  we  have  forwarded  to  the  gentleman  named  therein. 

INSURANCE. 

Purchase  of  Annuity.  V.  R.  W.  (Northampton). —All  the  offices 
named  are  quite  reliable.  Buy  from  the  cheapest.  We  do  not  suppose  that 
you  will  be  able  to  deal  with  the  Friends'  Provident  unless  you  are  in  some 
way  connected  with  the  Society  of  Friends.  Tell  us  your  age,  and  we  can 
tell  you  which  is  cheapest.  Star  Life  Office.  Bedsteads  (Halifax).— 
This  office  is  very  well  managed,  is  up  to  date  in  its  practice,  and  gives  a 
good  bonus.  Mutual  Provident  Alliance.  J.  H.  (Govanhill).—  You 
are  mistaken  in  supposing  that  the  directors  have  no  power  to  make  a  levy 
on  the  members  if  confirmed  by  the  latter,  and  this  seems  to  have  been 
done.  You  are  not  bound  to  pay  the  levy,  but  if  you  do  not  the  policy  will 
lapse.  Not  having  the  particulars  of  your  assurance  we  cannot 
advise  whether  you  should  continue  it  or  assure  elsewhere.  If  you  will  tell 
us  your  present  age,  amount  of  premium,  and  sum  assured,  we  may 
be  able  to  advise  you.  Law  Union  and  Crown. 
W.  Hamish.  (Dundee).— This  company  is  a  good  one,  but  as  we  have 
advised  others,  you  must  not  assume  that  bonuses  such  as  have  been  paid 
in  the  past  will  be  paid  in  the  future.  The  change  in  constitution  con- 
sequent upon  the  amalgamation,  and  the  change  in  management,  leads  us 
to  think  that  the  bonuses  will  be  less.  Life  Offices.  F.  H.G.  (Birming- 
ham).—The  British  Equitable  spends  too  much  money  in  expenses  to  be 
able  to  give  more  than  a  fractional  bonus.  Besides,  complaints  are 
numerous  of  the  way  in  which  it  treats  its  policy-holders.  The  three  other 
offices  you  name  are  satisfactory  in  all  respects,  and  each  of  them 
would  grant  you  a  good  policy,  but  of  the  three  we 
should  prefer  the  Sun.  Sun  Life  of  Canada.  J.  L.  S. 
(Gateshead). — This  company  comes  here  with  an  excellent  reputation  for 
financial  soundness,  bonuses,  fair  treatment  of  policy-holders  and  good 
management,  and  the  manager  appointed  for  Great  Britain  is  quite  equal 
to  the  part  required  of  him  to  sustain  that  reputation.  You  would  con- 
sequently make  a  mistake  if  you  were  to  give  up  your  policy  in  this  com- 
pany. Argus  Life  Insurance  Company.  B.  G.  (Halifax).— The 
promoters  say  that  enough  capital  was  subscribed  to  enable  them  to  go  to 
allotment  prior  to  the  issue  to  the  public.  Refuge  Insurance  Com- 
pany. The  Red  Cockade.— It  is  good  enough,  but  you  would  do  better 
if  you  went  to  a  bia  office  that  does  not  do  industrial  business.  Em- 
ployers' Insurance  Company  of  Great  Britain,  Limited. 
C.A.S.B.  (Glasgow).— You  are  a  day  behind  the  fair.  You  must  bear  in 
mind  that  accident  policies  only  run  for  a  year.  The  two  companies  named 
have  plenty  of  money,  and  are  of  good  standing. 


I7j[ROM  which  millions  suffer  without  knowing 
*■  what  is  tho  matter  with  them.  No  one  can 
fnjoy  good  health  who  has  dyspepsia  (chronic 
indigestion).  Some  of  thesymptoms  are :  poorappetite, 
a  faint  all-gone  sensation  at  tho  pit  of  the  stomach, 
ringing  noises  in  the  head,  bad  taste  in  the  mouth, 
dizziness,  &c.  Yogeler's  Curative  Compound  will 
dispel  all  of  the  symptoms,  even  in  chronic  cases, 
and  effect  a  cure. 

OGELER'S 
CURES! 

DYSPEPSIA^ 


And  all  dyspeptic  tenden  cies.  It  is  the  (pieen  of 
medicines,  made  from  the  private  formula  of  an  eminent 
London  Physician.  Price  ]/H  and  2/6.  Sold  by  all 
medicine  dealers,  or  sent  by  parcels  post,  with  explanatory 
pamphlet,  on  receipt  of  14  or  30  penny  stamps,  by  Tho 
Proprietors,  The  Charles  A.  Vogeler  Co.,  45,  Farrmgdon 
Itoad,  London. 


Joy's  Cigarettes 
afford  Immediate  re- 
lief in  cages  of 

ASTHMA, 
WHEEZING,  AND 
WINTER  COUGH, 

verance  will  effect  a 
perm  mie  nt  cure.  Uni- 
versaliy  recoinnv  nded 
h  ■  the  most  on  merit 
physicians  and  medi- 
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to  use,  certain  in  their 
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in  their  ad  ion,  they 
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All  Chemists  ond 
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2s«  6d«,  or  post  free 

A  « 1LCOX    &  CO., 

'.30.  o>  ford  Street, 
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THE  POPULAR   FRENCH   TONIC  | 


MARIANI  WINE 


FORTIFIES 

NOURISHES 
STIMULATES 

REFRESHES . 

Endorsed  by  eminent  Physicians  everywhere 

Restores  Health,  Strength, 
Energy  and  Vitality. 

Bottle,  4s.  Dozen,  45s. 

Of  Chemists  or  Stores,  or  carriage  paid  from 


rain 


Wilcox  &  Co.,  239,  Oxford  St.,  London. 


READY    NOVEMBER  17, 

SEE  ADVERTISEMENT  ON  PAGE  3  OFsCOVER. 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1894. 


T)RURY  LANE   THEATRE    ROYAL. -SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.    EVERY  EVENING,  at  7.30,  a  New 
and  Original  Sporting  and  Spectacular  Drama,  entitled, 

THE  DERBY  WINNER. 
(Full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers).   MATINEE  every  SATURDAY  at 
1.30.   Box  Office  open  10  to  6.  

PALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OP  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Pull 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 

MOORE  AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
THIRTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  PROGRAMME. 
The  place  to  bring  your  Wives  and  Children. 
NEW  TABLEAUX  by  G.  R.  Sims  and  Ivan  Caryl'. 
An  entirely  New  First  Part,  consisting  of  New  Ballads  and  Sentimental 

Songs,  by  the  Elite  of  the  Troupe. 
New  Comic  Songs  and  Sketches.  A  screamingly  funny  Farce  has  been 

added.    Characters  by  the  most  laughable  of  Comedians. 
Every  Evening  at  8.  MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY  and  SATURDAY  AFTER- 
NOONS at  2.30.   Prices  5s.,  3s.,  2s.,  and  Is. — Farini,  Manager. 


TJOYAL  AQUARIUM. — Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Artistic  Poster 

Exhibition,     Wet  or  Fine,  THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MAR- 
VELLOUS VARIETY  PERFORMANCES,  2  and  7  PEART'S  GREAT 

HEAD  DIVE  FROM  THE  ROOF,  Daily. 

DR. 

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Cure  Headache  and  Sickness. 

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Induce  Cheerfulness 

Invaluable  as  a  Family  Medicine. 

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Cure  Loss  of  Appetite. 

Cure  all  Disorders  of  the  Blood. 

Cure  Lassitude  and  Nervousness. 

DR. 

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PILLS 

are  wrapped  in  a  square  green  package  bearing  the  name  of  the  Proprietor, 
W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  London,  or  by  post  for  14  or  34  stamp?. 

Gresham 
Life 


ESTABLISHED 
1848. 


Office 


(LTD.) 

Assets  Exceed  £5,250,000. 

Head  Office:  St.  Mildred's  House,  Poultry,  London,  E.C. 


For  Provision  Against  the 


NEW   ESTATE  DUTIES 

Apply  to  the  Secretary  for  Particulars,  at  the  Chief  Office, 
63,  THBBADNF.EDDE  STREET,  E.C. 


The  GREAT    EASTERN  HOTEL, 

LIVERPOOL  STREET,  E.C. 
Centrally  Situated.   Electric  Light  Throughout.  Moderate  Charges. 

RESTAURANT  adjoining  HOTEL  for  MID-DAY 
LUNCHEONS  and  PUBLIC  DINNERS. 

H.  C.  AMENDT,  Manager. 


UNION 


ISouth  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASH0NALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON  every  SATURDAY. 

The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  callat  LISBON andTENERIFE. 
Union  Line  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  .Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
f  jr  Passengers'  Friendr. 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  SOUTHAMPTON  ;   14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C.  

SPECIAL  OFFER  to  SUBSCRIBERS" 

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Any  Book  chosen  from  a  list,  which  will  be  sent  post  free  to  any 
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An  Insurance  Policy  for  One  Year,  insuring  the  subscriber  in 

sums  of  £1,000,  £500,  and  £250,  against  Train,  Steamboat,  Omnibus, 

and  Tramcar  Accidents. 
Legal  Advice,  by  letter,  from  our  own  Solicitors  on  any  ordinary 

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No  other  paper  in  the  world  has  ever  offered  such  advantages  to  its 

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Any  Subscriber  may  have  the  foregoing  insurance  made  world-wide 
(excluding  the  United  States)  on  payment  of  an  additional  shilling. 


EXTENSION  OF  INSURANCE  FOR  ANNUAL  SUBSCRIBERS. 

In  most  railway  accidents,  the  number  of  people  who  are  disabled  for 
work  for  a  period,  by  a  shock  to  the  system  or  by  a  slight  injury,  is  far 
greater  than  the  number  of  those  losing  life  or  limb.  To  meet  such  cases 
we  have  arranged  that  the  Ocean  Accident  and  Guarantee  Corporation, 
Limited,  shall  make  a  Weekly  Allowance  of  Five  Pounds,  for  a 
period  not  exceeding  ten  weeks,  to  any  annual  subscriber  so  temporarily 
incapacitated  from  work,  by  any  accident  to  the  train  in  which  he  shall 
have  been  travelling.  The  advantage  of  such  an  addition  to  the  insurance 
is  shown  by  recent  accidents,  in  which  numbers  of  people  have  received 
shocks  and  slight  injuries,  which  would  have  entitled  them,  in  nearly  all 
cases,  to  the  foregoing  compensation.  This  addition  to  our  annual  insurance 
can  only  be  allowed  to  subscribers  forwarding  an  extra  half-crown. 


NOTICE   TO  CONTRIBUTORS. 

The  Editor  begs  to  inform  Contributors 
that  he  has  sufficient  Serials,  Short  Stories, 
and  Poems  to  last  for  at  least  Two  Years. 
All  unsolicited  MS.S.  will,  therefore,  be 
returned  unread. 


MORGAN  &  CO.,  L 


100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 13, 
IUi-'15a,128,  AND  129,  LONG  ACRE, 
AND  10,  OLD  BOND  STREET. 


LONDON. 


45   GOLD  MEDALS, 
0  HIGHEST  A  WARDS,  Chicago 
Exhibition,  189S. 


To  suit  Ponies,  Cofos,  or  Horses 


THE  MORVI  CAR. 

Mounted  on  Patent 
( leeSprings.  The  mos* 

suitable  i  ype  of  two- 
wheeler  tor  a  lady's 
driving  extant. 

As  built  for  H.I.M. 
the  Empress  Fre- 
derick of  Germnnv. 
H.R.H.  the  Duchess 
of  York.  etc. 


THE  RUSTIC  CAR. 

Mounted  on  Patent 
Cee  Springs,  and  tit- 
ted    with    the  Nrw 

Patent  Scat  Balan- 
cing Apparatus. 

Dcsigued  especially 
for  agentleninn's  dri- 
ving and  to  suit  rough 
and    hilly  country 

roads.  '; 


To  suit  Ponies,  Cobs,  or  Horses. 


November  17,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


49 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

In  Mid-Atlantic.    By  W.  W.  Jacobs.    Illustrated  by  Scott 

Rankin   ■.   33 

The  Revolt  of  a  Daughter   36 

A  Chat  with  Mr.  Fred  Hall   38 

How  to  Earn  a  Rising  Salary  of  £80  a  Year   40 

De  Omnibus.   By  the  Conductor    41 

Rider  Haggard's  Stranger  than  Fiction    42 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller   42 

Feminine  Affairs   44 

In  the  City   46 

To  Day.   By  J.  K.  J   49 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   52 

Reminiscences  of  Two  Czars    53 

Club  Chatter    55 

Clarence.   By  Bret  Harte.   Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman   57 

Lost  in  the  Great  Pyramid.  By  H.  K  .Greene.   Illustrated  by 

Max  Cowper    61 

A  Lost  Meal.    By  H.  F.   Gethen.    Illustrated  by  Ernest 

Goodwin   :    63 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 

Lord  Rosebery's  speech  at  the  Guildhall  banquet  last 
week,  dealing  as  it  did  with  the  question  of  foreign 
politics,  had  nothing  in  it  that  could  make  it  essential 
foi  a  party  newspaper  to  be  subsequently  satirical,  and 
on  the  whole  the  speech  was  well  received  by  papers  of 
all  opinions.    But  one  reservation  was  generally  made. 
Lord  Rosebery,  in  referring  to  the  dangers  to  peace, 
mentioned  those  enormous  armaments  now  existing,  and 
still  increasing,  and  also  the  risks  which  arise  from 
armed  exploration.  On  both  points  the  Press  has  agreed 
with  him.    But  he  mentioned  a  third  danger  "  to  good 
relations  between  nations,"  and  here  the  Press  has  been 
compelled  to  disagree.    And  this  is  scarcely  odd,  because 
Lord  Rosebery  considers  that  the  third  danger  is  the 
Press  itself.    Undoubtedly,  there  does  exist  a  fierce 
competition  to  obtain  the  latest  and  most  startling  in- 
telligence;   it  may  be  in  consequence  of  this  that 
erroneous — dangerously  erroneous — reports  are  some- 
times published ;  but  why,  in  the  name  of  common 
sense,  does  Lord  Rosebery  say  in  one  breath  that  these 
reports  are  a  serious  embarrassment  to  diplomatists, 
and  also  that  they  are  too  absurd  for  the  Government 
to  contradict  them.    If  they  are  the  former,  they  cannot 
be  the  latter.    With  the  best  abilities  and  the  greatest 
precaution,  the  Press  may  still  make  mistakes ;  if  the 
Government  knows  them  to  be  mistakes,  considers  that 
they  may  do  harm,  and  yet  does  not  correct  them,  the 
Government  is  far  more  to  blame  than  the  Press. 

If  Mr.  Schnadhorst,  whose  final  retirement  from  public 
life  is  now  announced,  has  done  good  service  to  the 
Liberal  party,  that  party  has  been  of  considerable  ser- 
vice to  Mr.  Schnadhorst,  An  unsuccessful  Birmingham 
tradesman,  Mr.  Schnadhorst  turned  to  politics,  and  has 
done  more  than  any  other  politician  of  our  time  to 
assimilate  our  political  organisations  to  those  of  the 
United  States.  For  many  years  he  has  held  a  position 
of  great  influence,  and,  as  Lord  Rosebery  says  in  his 
farewell  letter,  the  party  has  given  him  very  substantial 
tokens  of  its  appreciation.  It  was  whilst  the  £10,000 
testimonial  of  1886  was  being  arranged  that  the  disrup- 
tion of  the  Liberal  party  occurred,  consequent  upon  Mr. 


Gladstone's  defection  to  Home  Rule.  Some  of  the  most 
munificent  subscribers  to  the  testimonial,  such  as  Mr. 
Chamberlain  and  Lord  Burton,  went  into  the  opposite 
camp  before  it  was  presented,  but  they  did  not  with- 
draw their  subscriptions. 

I  AM  no  great  believer  in  the  elevating  influence  of 
the  Sunday  School.  I  used  to  go  to  Sunday  School 
myself.  There  I  used  to  meet  some  other  choice  spirits, 
and  during  hymn  time  we  used  to  make  appointments 
under  cover  of  the  harmonium,  for  the  sacking  of  birds' 
nests,  and  the  ringing  of  bells  on  the  way  home.  I  do 
not  think  I  exaggerate  when  I  express  the  opinion  that 
that  Sunday  School  was  a  public  nuisance  to  the 
neighbourhood.  But  I  do  not  go  to  the  length  of  Mr. 
Bardsley,  of  Manchester,  if  what  is  reported  of  him 
by  the  Rev.  Alfred  Rowland,  of  Park  Chapel,  Crouch 
End,  be  quite  correct.  Mr.  Rowland  says  that  Mr. 
Bardsley  said  that  the  superintendent  of  a  Sunday 
School  in  Manchester  said  that  some  time  since  he  took 
down  the  names  of  one  hundred  children  who  had 
passed  through  his  Sunday  School,  and  endeavoured  to 
ascertain  the  history  of  everyone  of  that  hundred. 

He  could  not  trace  all  of  them,  but  he  traced  seventy- 
seven  of  them,  and  here,  as  my  own  language  fails  me,  I  quote 
the  simple  eloquence  of  that  Sunday  School  superinten- 
dent :  "  And  how  many  of  that  seventy-seven  do  you 
think  were  attending  church  regularly  ?  Two  only,  ana 
thirty-nine  tuere  confirmed  drunkards."  I  have  been 
accused  of  a  pessimistic  view  of  human  nature,  and  of 
a  cynical  attitude  towards  the  results  attained  by  our 
energetic  reformers,  but  when  I  am  told  by  the 
superintendent  of  a  Sunday  School  that  out  of  seventy- 
seven  scholars,  who  for  years  had  the  benefits  of  his 
teaching,  thirty-nine  have  turned  out  confirmed 
drunkards,  I  feel  that  I  have  been  unduly  optimistic. 
About  the  two  who  attended  church  regularly  I  say 
nothing  ;  the  touching  pathos  of  that  "  two  "  un-mans 
me. 

Of  course  this  Sunday  School  superintendent  is  doing 
himself  a  gross  injustice.  I  do  not  for  a  moment  sup- 
pose that  thirty-nine  of  his  ex-scholars  are  confirmed 
drunkards.  A  teetotaler  calls  a  man  a  confirmed 
drunkard  who  takes  his  half-pint  of  beer  regularly,  and 
it  is  in  this  manner  that  the  terrible  statistics  of  the 
teetotal  tracts  are  arrived  at.  When  one  of  these  excel- 
lent men  meets  five  young  fellows  going  home  late  at 
night  singing  he  generally  alludes  to  them  airily  as  lost 
souls,  and,  when  he  speaks  of  the  millions  of  sinners 
who  have  been  ruined  body  and  soul  by  drink,  he  is 
numbering  in  his  list  every  man,  woman,  or  child  who 
occasionally  smiles.  A  tourist's  suit  and  a  red  tie  are 
quite  sufficient  to  stamp  any  man  as  a  child  of  the  devil 
in  the  eyes  of  these  long-faced  gentry.  They  are  of  the 
kidney  who  dubbed  Christ  a  wine-bibber. 

Father  Ivan,  the  arch-priest  of  Cronstadt,  is  con- 
sidered by  the  Russians  to  be  a  worker  of  miracles. 
According  to  the  Daily  Graphic,  "It  is  universally 
believed  in  Russia  that  his  benediction  is  a  cure  for 
every  malady.  In  the  interests  of  the  Church  and  the 
many  charities  he  supports,  he  allows  himself  to  be  sent 
for  to  rich  persons  whose  lives  are  endangered  by  sick- 
ness." There  is  no  need  to  enter  into  the  question  of 
faith-healing  now  and  here,  but  it  is  certainly  amazing 


50 


TO-DAY, 


November  17,  1894. 


that  these  Russians  should  believe — as  apparently  they 
do — that  the  laws  of  Nature  may  be  suspended  on  the 
payment  of  a  fixed  sum  to  a  priest.  As  an  old  epitaph 
says : — 

"  If  Life  were  a.  thing  which  gold  could  buy, 
The  poor  could  not  live,  and  the  rich  would  not  die." 
When  Father  Ivan  was  summoned  to  Livadia,  he  was 
sure  that  a  miracle  was  being  worked,  and  that  the  Czar 
would  recover.  He  was,  of  course,  wrong.  It  is  a  pity 
that  so  good  a  man  should  be  so  mistaken.  The  sanc- 
tity of  his  life  is  remarkable ;  the  sums  that  he  receives 
are  spent  for  charitable  purposes ;  but,  for  all  that,  the 
keys  of  life  and  death  are  not  his  to  hold. 

Is  it  not  time  that  the  South-Western  Railway 
officials  took  steps  to  find  out  something  about  the 
South- Western  service  ?  The  other  evening  I  started  to 
go  from  London  to  Kingston  :  not  an  exciting  journey  a 
stranger  might  imagine,  but  I  found  it  full  of  incident. 
My  cabman  inquired  of  an  important-looking  official 
outside  the  station  where  the  6.55  for  Kingston  started 
from.  The  important-looking  official  had  evidently 
never  heard  of  the  train.  He  suggested  I  should  try 
the  main  line.  I  got  out  at  the  main  line,  and  asked 
the  porter  where  the  6.55  for  Kingston  started  from. 
He  promptly  told  me  No.  3  platform.  I  went  to  No.  3 
platform,  but  could  find  no  sign  of  the  train.  I  went  to 
the  loop  line;  nobody  had  heard  of  it.  I  returned 
to  the  main  line,  and  found  the  original  porter  who  had 
sent  me  to  platform  No.  3.  He  confessed  him- 
self quite  open  to  conviction  on  the  matter,  and  was  by 
no  means  dogmatic.  Together  we  discovered  a  placard 
giving  particulars  of  departures,  and  on  this  it  was 
plainly  stated  that  the  6.55  started  from  the  new  station. 
Whereupon,  I  went  to  the  new  station,  and  at  the 
barrier  asked  a  man  where  the  6.55  started  from.  He 
said  that  it  was  the  one  on  the  left.  The  train  on  the 
left  had  not  a  human  soul  in  it,  and  looked  dark  and 
gloomy.  I  appealed  to  another  porter,  and  he  had 
heard  that  the  train  was  coining  in  higher  up. 

Eventually  I  did  get  into  the  6.55.  The  doors  were 
slammed,  and  an  enthusiastic  guard  gave  the  signal  for 
us  to  start.  The  train  appeared  to  take  no  notice  of  him 
whatever ;  he  repeated  the  signal  with  more  energy.  At 
this  point  a  Smith  and  Son's  newsboy  informed  him  that 
there  was  no  engine  on,  and  the  guard  went  off — I  suppose 
to  inquire  into  the  matter,  and  to  try  and  find  an  engine. 
At  Kingston  I  asked  the  porter  what  t  rain  went  to 
Waterloo  after  9. 30, and  he  told  me  10. 16.  I  subsequently 
discovered  there  was  no  10.16  train  whatever.  All  this 
sounds  very  amusing  when  told.  At  all  events,  friends 
have  been  good  enough  to  smile  when  I  have  sought 
sympathy  by  recounting  my  experience,  but  with  a  bag 
and  an  umbrella,  and  not  too  much  time,  one  misses  the 
joke.  Of  course,  I  don't  want  to  tie  a  train  down  to  any 
particular  platform,  or,  for  the  matter  of  that,  to  any 
particular  part  of  a  platform.  I  am  an  individualist 
in  all  things,  and  I  like  to  see  a  certain  amount  of 
wholesome  freedom  everywhere  ;  but,  if  (  here  were  some- 
body at  Waterloo  who  knew  something  about  the  South- 
western trains,  it  would  be  a  boon  to  travellers. 

A  CORRESPONDENT  draws  to  my  attention  the  bad 
taste  exhibited  by  certain  evening  journals,  which  will 
persist  in  trying  to  be  funny  over  painful  subjects.  A 
small  boy,  returning  from  Sunday  school,  secins  to  have 


climbed  an  orchard  wall  for  purposes  which  it  is  needless 
here  to  descant  upon.  Many  of  us  in  our  younger  days 
have  climbed  orchard  walls  with  a  similar  purpose.  The 
poor  little  beggar  fell  upon  a  spike  and  was  killed, 
whereupon  a  reporter  tells  the  incident  in  this 
charmingly  humorous  way  : — "  The  Bad  Boy. — A  Sad 
Story  for  Juvenile  Reading,  in  Words  of  One  Syllable. — 
Lit-tle  George  was  a  bad  boy  On  his  way  home  from 
Sun-day  school  he  stole  some  grapes,  and  then  fell  off 
the  wall  on  a  spike,  which  ran  through  his  bo-dy,  and 
hurt  him  so  that  he  died.  This  was  in  Bat-ter-sea,  and 
the  jury  found  that  it  was  an  ac-ci-dent."  It  may  be 
funny.  I  am  not,  as  I  have  often  been  told,  a  judge  of 
humour,  but  it  strikes  me  that  the  parents  of  the  child 
might  be  as  dense  as  myself  to  the  charm  of  the  style. 
This  sort  of  thing  appears  to  me  to  be  in  rather  bad 
taste,  and  it  is  growing. 

I  have  before  me  a  Referee  of  about  seven  years  ago, 
and  I  cannot  help  making  use  of  it  to  poke  fun  at  my 
lively  contemporary.  It  is  abusing  the  wicked 
magistrates  who  hamper  and  worry  the  good  music-hall 
managers,  and  is  looking  forward  with  joy  and  hope  to 
the  time  when  the  licensing  question  will  be  taken  out 
of  the  hands  of  these  "  muddling  old  fossils "  and 
entrusted  to  the  care  of  an  elected  body  of  sensible 
men  (!)  who  will  be  truly  representative  of  the  great 
amusement-seeking  public,  whose  interests  wifl  then  be 
controlled  with  justice  and  wisdom.  I  have  never 
known  a  change  take  place  yet  that  was  not  for  the 
worse,  and  when  I  hear  people  too  eager  to  substitute 
some  other  body  for  the  present  County  Council  as  a 
licensing  body  I  am  inclined  to  say,  let  be ;  the  next 
king  will  probably  be  worse  still. 

It  seems  that  "  two  most  useful  members  of  the  Lon- 
don County  Council,"  to  quote  from  the  Daily  Chronicle, 
"are  in  serious  straits  for  lack  of  adequate  means  to 
carry  on  their  public  work."  In  other  words,  their 
fellow  workmen  will  not  support  them.  It  is  a  signi- 
ficant fact  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  Northern 
miners,  English  workmen  refuse  to  keep  their  fellow- 
workmen  who  represent  them  in  Parliament  or  the 
County  Council.  Even  Mr.  John  Burns  has  to  submit 
to  the  humiliation — for  humiliation  it  must  be — in- 
volved in  what  appears  to  be  the  not  very  successful 
appeal  of  the  Star,  on  his  behalf,  for  "  tanners."  It  is 
not  to  the  credit  of  workmen  that  men  like  Mr.  Burns  and 
Messrs.  Steadman  and  Crooks  should  be  placed  in  this 
position.  It  is  desirable  that  such  men — genuine  and 
aide  representatives  of  the  class  to  which  they  belong 
— should  be  in  Parliament  and  Council,  and  if  their* 
public  duties  make  it  impossible  for  them  to  earn  wages, 
those  they  more  directly  represent  and  serve  should 
submit  to  the  very  small  sacrifice  necessary  to  find 
the  moneys  required  to  save  their  representatives  from 
pecuniary  embarrassment. 

Mi:.  McKinnon  Wood's  explanation  of  how  it  came 
about  that  a  paper  in  winch  he  is  largely  interested 
was  given  advertisements  which,  as  is  said,  should 
have  gone  to  other  papers,  was  not  quite  so  conclusive 
as  he  seemed  to  think  it.  Mr.  Wood  says  that  when  the 
question  of  giving  these  advertisements  to  Lomhn  came 
before  the  Committee  of  which  he  was  Chairman,  he 
retired.  But  ought  he  to  have  retired.'  It'  he  knew 
that  there  was  something  not  unlike  a  job  in  contem- 
plation, it  was  his  duty  to  remain  and  oppose  it,  and 


November  17,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


51 


the  more  so  seeing  that  a  paper  in  which  he  was  inter- 
ested was  to  benefit  from  the  job.  I  am  not  for  a  mo- 
ment saying  that  the  Committee  has  not  a  complete 
answer  to  the  charge  of  jobbery — that  we  shall  know 
when  Mr.  Boulnois's  amendment  is  discussed.  It  seems 
absurd  to  suppose  that  the  Councillors  interested  in 
London  stoop  to  petty  jobbery  certain  to  be  found  out. 
But  they  ought  to  remember  that,  in  their  posi- 
tion, it  is  not  sufficient  that  they  should  be  free  from 
jobbeiy,  it  ought  not  to  be  possible  for  honest  men  to 
suspect  them  of  it. 

There  are  certain  diseases  and  complaints  which  are 
not  romantic,  and  for  that  reason — unjustly,  I  think — 
they  never  get  for  the  sufferer  the  least  sympathy.  Among 
them  is  toothache.  There  are  many  fatal  and  romantic 
diseases  which  are  infinitely  less  painful  than  toothache, 
and  yet  one  is  always  expected  to  bear  toothache  easily. 
The  other  day  a  passenger  from  Corbeil  to  Paris  pulled 
the  alarm-bell  and  stopped  the  train  because  he  wanted 
some  prompt  palliative  for  a  furious  toothache.  It  does 
not  appear  that  they  gave  him  anything.  In  fact,  his 
conduct  was  considered  to  be  unreasonable — so  much  so 
that  he  was  summoned  for  what  he  had  done  and  fined 
fifty  francs.  If  they  had  cured  the  toothache,  its  pro- 
prietor would  probably  have  considered  that  he  had  a 
very  cheap  bargain,  But  toothache  will  never  have  ordi- 
nary justice  done  it  in  this  world ;  it  is  becoming  a 
matter  for  serious  consideration  whether  it  is  worth  while 
to  have  any  toothache  at  all. 

It  was  stated  recently  that  a  society  had  been  formed 
in  Chicago  to  compel  domestic  servants  and  typewriters 
to  retire  to  bed  before  ten  o'clock.  The  report  looks  like 
a  peculiarly  fatuous  untruth,  but  it  serves  well  enough  as 
an  illustration  of  a  spirit  which  is  undoubtedly  abroad  at 
the  present  time.  Kestrictions  on  individual  liberty  are 
being  constantly  multiplied,  and  the  excuse  is  always  the 
same— that  these  restrictions  are  really  in  the  interest  of 
the  individual.  With  this  spirit  I  have  no  sort  of  sym- 
pathy. I  would  sooner  see  a  man  do  wrong  occasionally, 
keeping  his  liberty,  than  see  him  always  do  right  merely 
because  it  is  made  impossible  for  him  to  do  anything 
else.  This  multiplication  of  restrictions  tends  to  destroy 
all  individuality,  and  to  turn  us  into  a  set  of  machine- 
made,  spiritless,  worthless  dummies.  I  do  not  suppose 
that  we  need  fear  here  any  such  absurdity  as  that  which 
is  reported  from  Chicago,  but  the  same  silly  and  grand- 
motherly spirit  is  abroad  here,  and  in  different  ways  it 
has  manifested  itself  particularly  frequently  of  late. 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the  following 
subscriptions  towards  the  Gallantry  Fund : — H.  W. 
Nairn,  2s.;  C.  E.  Venables,  10s.;  An  "  Old  Woman," 
5s.  ;  H.  J.  Lloyd,  £2  2s.  I  am  at  present  investigating 
one  or  two  cases,  and  will  publish  the  results  shortly.  In 
the  meantime  I  hope  that  my  readers  will  continue,  their 
support.  There  have  been  frequent  calls  on  the  Fund,  anil 
this,  of  course,  means  that  the  Fund  requires  frequent 
subscriptions.  There  will  be  a  subscription  dance  in 
support  of  the  fund  early  in  December,  of  which  I  hope 
to  give  further  particulars  next  week. 

ANSWERS  TO  ENQUIRERS. 
Kop's  Ale  Pkoi'KJETOIis  wish  mc  to  state  that  their  adver- 
tisement lius  appeal e<l  fortnightly  in  77<ft  Alliance.  News  for  the 
last  eighteen  months,  and  also  that  their  beer  contains  less  than 
one  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  while  two  per  cent,  is  allowed  by  law  fcr 


teetotal  beverages.  "Most  foods  contain  more  or  less  of 
alcohol,"  add  Messrs.  Kop,  "  but  we  claim  that  our  ale  is  a  real 
temperance  beverage,  absolutely  non-intoxicating."  I  feel  sure 
of  it,  but  then  so  are  all  beverages,  taken  in  reasonable  quantities. 
I  also  agree  with  Messrs.  Kop's  statement  that  most  foods  con- 
tain alcohol.    It  is  a  wise  provision  of  Nature. 

North-Western  encloses  me  a  cutting  from  The  Liverpool 
Porcupine,  from  which  it  appears  that  an  excellent  lady,  named 
"Minerva,"  is  exceedingly  angry  with  me,  and  thinks  I  do  not 
love  women  sufficiently.  "Minerva"  little  knows  me  ;  though 
I  confess  that  the  wisdom  of  some  of  those  who  write  for  the 
newspapers  does  not  always  impress  me.  The  dear  lady,  how- 
ever, has  quite  misunderstood  my  argument,  and  I  fear  it 
would  be  somewhat  of  a  hopeless  task  to  try  to  put  her  right. 
But  she  might  spell  my  name  with  a  J,  and  she  might  put  two 
l's  in  "jelly." 

Socialism. — Many  correspondents  seem  anxious  that  I  should 
— to  use  the  expression  of  one  of  them — "  give  it  77te  Clarion  hot 
and  strong."  I  thank  them  for  their  encouragement,  and  I  con- 
fess to  a  certain  unholy  joy,  as  a  rule,  in  the  prospect  of  a  fight. 
But  I  should  prefer  some  more  important  enemy.  The  paper  is 
undoubtedly  in  earnest,  and  when  its  staff  have  read  and  thought 
a  little  more,  I  shall  then  be  happy — if  they  still  remain 
Socialists — to  discuss  the  question  with  them. 

Church  Extension  Association. — A  nurse  writes  me  as 
follows  : — "  The  dormitories  of  the  orphans  at  27,  Kilburn  Park 
Road,  contain  about  fifty  beds.  Each  is  surrounded  on  four  sides 
by  walls  of  open  ironwork.  A  low  roof  of  the  same  fits  over  the 
top,  and  is  edged  by  numerous  iron  spikes.  When  the  children 
enter  at  night  all  the  doors  are  secured  by  a  long  iron  bar  ;  it  is 
quite  impossible  for  a  child  to  leave  its  cage  without  assistance 
from  outside.  These  so-called  'cubicles'  are  praised  as  '  keep- 
ing the  children  so  safe  !'  'out  of  mischief!'  etc.  Each  little 
creature  is  allowed  to  hang  her  own  small  treasures  on  her  open 
ironwork  walls.  The  effect  is  that  of  a  gigantic  aviary  with 
many  partitions,  but  the  inhabitants  are  helpless  scraps  of 
humanity,  caged  like  convicts  !  The  moral  effect  of  confinement 
is  lost  sight  of.  Apparently  the  kindly  '  Sisters  '  are  unequal 
to  enforcing  discipline,  and  for  reasonable  training  they  sub- 
stitute constraint.  Should  a  fire  or  other  emergency  occur,  God 
help  the  children  1  Man  could  not,  a  '  sister '  sleeping  in  a 
room  at  the  end  of  the  dormitory  is  the  only  person  to  re- 
move the  iron  bars."  This  certainly  seems  a  strange  arrangement, 
and  must  inflict  torture  upon  a  sensitive  and  nervous  child. 

Constant  Reader  asks  me  the  following: — "Two  young 
people  are  engaged  to  be  married.  The  parents  of  the  respec- 
tive people  are  unknown  to  each  otiier.  Is  it  the  correct  form 
for  the  lady  or  the  lady's  parents  to  invite  to  their  house  the 
parents  of  the  gentleman,  or,  vice  versa,  the  parents  of  the  gentle- 
man to  invite  the  parents  of  the  lady  ?" — I  give  it  up.  If  two 
young  people  have  shown  themselves  sufficiently  independent  of 
conventionality  to  get  engaged  before  their  parents  had  ever 
even  met,  I  feel  sure  they  are  capable  of  arranging  the  subse- 
quent etiquette  of  the  affair  themselves. 

A  Crusader — The  planchette  is  a  flat,  heart-shaped  piece  of 
wood  mounted  on  two  castors,  which  enable  it  to  move  in  any 
direction,  the  third  support  being  a  pencil.  A  piece  of  paper  is 
placed  under  the  instrument,  and  the  operator  puts  his  hands  on 
the  wood.  Every  movement  of  the  planchette  is  registered  by 
the  pencil,  and  the  result  is  supposed  to  be  the  answer  to  the 
question  put.  See  the  "  Proceedings  of  the  Psychical  Society, 
1888,"  etc. 

Yum-Yum. — If  your  tableaux  do  not  come  off  for  another 
week  or  two  you  will  get  excellent  models  for  correct  costumes 
from  the  "  Country  and  People  of  Japan  "  series  of  photographs, 
which  will  commence  in  To-day  next  week  but  one. 

M.  C.  (Catford). — You  will  not  find  it  difficult  to  obtain  a 
situation  when  you  are  proficient  in  shorthand  and  t3-pewriting, 
as  well  as  in  German.  Answer  the  advertisements  in  the 
Telegraph  when  you  are  prepared.  You  will  do  well  to  pur- 
chase your  own  typewriter,  and  you  will  find  nothing  better  in 
the  market  than  the  Maskelyne  machine  ;  write  to  the  Maske- 
lyne  Typewriter  Company,  Limited,  of  41,  Holborn  Viaduct, 
who  will  give  you  free  instruction  in  the  use  of  the  machine. 

H.  R.  H. — Yes  ;  you  are  liable  under  Act  43  Elizabeth,  cap.  2, 
so  far  as  the  child  alone  is  concerned.  A.  M.  R. — Unless  you 
have  good  security  to  offer  you  can  only  appeal  to  friends,  or  put 
yourself  in  the  clutches  of  money-lenders.  Cannot  you  do  with- 
out borrowing?  It  hardly  ever  brings  any  good.  I  cannot 
answer  correspondents  through  t  he  post.  J.  N.  (Manchester). — ■ 
Don't  be  too  clever.  The  sentence  is  good  grammar.  I  suppose 
you  are  unaware  that  there  arc  two  grammatical  blunders  in 
your  letter.  Everyone  thinks  himself  capable  of  teaching  gram- 
mar, but  few  take  the  trouble  to  learn  it.  "  Anotiii.r  WOMAN 
who  appreciates  Logic." — No  ;  I  would  not  allow  these  women 
to  make  the  street  hideous  ;  nor  would  I  allow  drunkards  to 
congregate  in  our  thoroughfares,  nor  would  I  have  dust  and  dirt 
emptied  into  the  gutter.  There  is  a  place  for  everything.  H.  L. 
(Ripley)  asks  me  to  tell  him  the  difference  between  the  Old 
Humour  and  the  New.  I  am  prepared  to  oiler  a  prize  of  £1,000 
to  anyone  who  will  tell  me.  A.  A.  (Cawdor). — Are  you  not  too 
sensitive  ?  As  a  rule  To-day  is  far  more  often  in  agreement 
with  Lord  Rosebery  than  arc  the  bulk  of  Ids  own  followers.  I 
have  a  sincere  admiration  of  his  cleverness,  and  I  only  hope 
that  his  party  will  have  the  good  sense  to  let  him  lead  them. 

Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week. 


52 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1894. 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  dear  Dick,— There  were  two  big  excitements  on 
Thursday  last — a  matinee  at  the  Royal  Courts  of  Justice 
and  a  premier  at  the  Haymarket  Theatre.  The  Empire 
appeal  was  the  attraction  in  the  former  case,  and  the 
end  was  exactly  what  I  told  you  to  expect.  Now  it  is 
all  over  you  will,  perhaps,  admit  that  I  have  kept  you 
correctly  informed  with  regard  to  it  all  from  the  first. 
In  a  month's  time  we  shall  look  back  and  wonder 
why  on  earth  we  were  all  worked  up  to  a 
state  of  hysterical  frenzy  about  a  comparatively 
unimportant  issue,  and  then  the  Empire  promenade, 
like  the  Argyll  Rooms  and  Cremorne,  will  be 
forgotten.  It  will  then  be  found,  I  believe — and  I  am 
sure  I  hope — that  the  popularity  of  the  Empire  as  a 
place  of  amusement,  and  the  excellence  of  its  entertain- 
ments, will  continue  to  draw  large  and  remunerative 
audiences,  and  the  shareholders  will  feel  all  the  happier 
when  they  begin  to  realise  that  their  business  is  not  built 
up  on  a  lounging  foundation  which  at  any  minute  may 
slip  unexpectedly  from  beneath  them.  A  solid  20  per 
cent,  is  better  than  an  uncertain  75. 

Well,  now  to  get  away  from  the  Empire  promenade 
to  the  Haymarket.  John-a-Dreams  impressed  me  as  a 
curious  and  interesting  play.  The  influence  of  the 
Second  Mrs.  Tanqueray  was  strongly  marked  in  places, 
and  I  should  think  that  Chambers  began  his  work  some 
time  ago.  When  it  came  near  to  rehearsal,  however,  I 
fancy  he  reconsidered  his  original  scheme,  and  having 
noticed  that  a  certain  amount  of  reaction  had  set  in,  he 
determined  to  leven  his  problem  with  an  infusion  of 
drama.  From  a  monetary  point  of  view  he  was  probably 
right,  but  the  two  don't  mix  quite  comfortably,  and  the 
strength  of  the  one  rather  detracts  from  the  subtlety  of 
the  other. 

For  example,  the  scene  between  the  old  parson  and 
Kate,  the  heroine,  is  excellent.  She  explains  in  admir- 
ably chosen  phrases  that  her  mother  was  an  "unfor- 
tunate." But  the  mother  fed  and  clothed  her.  Later 
on  when  the  mother  was  sick  and  dying  she  earned 
money  for  the  mother  in  the  same  way  as  the  mother  had 
earned  it  for  her.  It  is  a  painful  story.  The  parson 
pities  her.  She  goes  on  to  say  that,  after  her  mother 
died,  she,  Kate,  met  Mrs.  Chant,  and  was  "rescued." 
She  found  that  she  had  a  fine  voice,  became  famous,  met 
an  honest  gentleman  who  loved  her  and  wished  to  marry 
her.  Ought  she,  with  such  a  past,  she  asks,  marry  such 
a  man? 

The  parson  says,  "Yes,"  and  adds,  "Who  is  the 
man  1 " 

"  Your  son!"  is  the  reply. 

The  parson's  face  gives  the  lie  to  his  Christian  pro- 
fessions. Poor  Kate  reads  the  truth  in  his  eyes.  She 
feels  that  she  must  leave  her  lover  for  ever,  but  deter- 
mines on  one  last  interview.  Then  comes  the  oppor- 
tunity of  the  villain,  and  also  the  drama.  The  hero, 
Harold,  is  an  opium  drinker,  but  he  has  abandoned  the 
habit,  telling  Kate  that  if  ever  he  returns  to  it  she  will 
know  that  he  loves  her  no  longer.  He  has  also  made 
a  compact  with  a  college  chum  Hubert,  whereby  they 
bind  themselves  to  be  friends  for  life.  But  Hubert, 
who  is  also  the  villain,  says  there  is  no  room  for  a  woman 
in  t  he  compact,  and  that  it  must  be  dissolved.  He  insists 
that  Harold  shall  write  on  a  piece  of  paper  simply  the 
words,  "  I  release  you. — Harold."  Directly  this  is 
done,  he  drugs  Harold,  lays  him  on  a  sofa,  puts  an  opium 
bottle  in  his  hand,  points  this  out  to  Kate,  and  finally 
gives  her  the  paper,  saying  1 1  an  >ld  wrote  it  for  her.  Then 
lie  says  "  Fly  with  me,"  and  Kate  flies. 

Of  course  it  all  comes  right  in  the  end,  but  as  T  said, 
the  confession  and  the  drugging  are  two  incidents  which 
don't  seem  to  belong  to  the  same  play.  They  are  both 
good,  mark  you.  But  the  frame  of  mind  induced  by 
the  one  is  antipathetic  to  the  reception  of  the  other. 


Mrs.  Pat  Campbell  had  a  bad  cold,  and  was  not 
very  audible  at  first.  But  she  got  the  pitch  of  the 
house  later,  and  played  her  confession  scene  well,  if  with 
a  certain  absence  of  colour  and  variation.  Later  on, 
when  she  discovered  that  Harold  has  apparently 
reverted  to  his  opium,  she  did  not  rise  to  the  horror 
and  intensity  of  the  situation.  Perhaps  it  did  not 
appeal  to  her  imagination.  Anyway,  her  acting  con- 
veyed nothing  at  all  to  me. 

Tree  I  thought  most  excellent.  He  was  the  dreamy, 
emotional,  opium-tainted  sentimentalist  to  the  life.  It 
was  only  such  a  man  who  could  have  loved,  in  such  a 
way,  such  a  woman.  He  invested  the  character  with  a 
kind  of  intellectual  sanctity,  so  that  when  Kate  offered 
to  live  with  him  rather  than  marry  him,  and  he  argued 
in  favour  of  marriage,  you  felt  that  they  were  discuss- 
ing something  wholly  theoretical  and  unpersonal.  The 
first  wife  of  Aubrey  Tanqueray  was  an  icicle.  He 
wanted  to  marry  something  real.  With  Harold  it 
was  precisely  the  reverse.  That  this  should  be  an 
actual  desire  in  these  prosaic  days  takes  a  great  deal  of 
proving,  and  it  speaks  volumes  for  Tree's  acting  that  it 
convinced  at  every  turn.  Cartwright  did  not  please  me 
quite  so  much.  He  was  intended  to  represent  the  anti- 
thesis of  Tree.  Yet  I  discerned  nothing  really  animal 
and  fleshly  in  his  impersonation.  He  seemed  both 
peevish  and  bad-tempered,  sometimes  irresolute,  some- 
times reckless,  but  sensually  passionate  never.  Do  you 
remember  Tree  playing  the  old  Russian  prince  in  Banz- 
mere's  Ifajozda  ?  There  was  sensuality,  if  you  like  ! 
Cartwright  was  sparkling  and  brilliant,  but  he  was  as 
brittle  and  hard  as  ice. 

All  the  minor  parts  were  well  played.  Nutcomb 
Gould,  as  the  old  parson,  deserves  the  very  highest 
praise.  Maurice  gave  a  capital  study  of  the  con- 
ventional husband,  and  Janet  Steer  was  delightful  as 
the  modern  wife.  Her  frocks  were  a  dream,  and  as  I 
happened  to  be  sitting  near  the  stage  I  am  in  a  position 
to  affirm  that  her  pink  petticoats  and  black  silk  stockings, 
in  the  second  act,  were  distinctly  precious.  Ross,  as  her 
feeble  lover,  was  also  very  good.  It  was  a  rather  nasty 
part,  but  he  dealt  with  it  most  artistically. 

The  scenery  was  all  that  could  be  wished,  and  the 
sailing  of  the  yacht  from  Southampton  water  by  moon- 
light was  a  really  excellent  stage  illusion.  The  play  was 
well  received,  and  the  author  was  called  and  applauded. 

Whether  John-a-Dreams  would  draw  for  a  long  run 
is,  to  my  thinking,  doubtful.  But  it  will  certainly  serve 
to  cram  the  Haymarket  till  Tree  departs  for  America. 
He  will  give  matinees  of  Hamlet  and  The  Merry 
Wives  of  Wxndsor  before  he  goes. 

The  Playgoers'  Club  meeting  at  St.  James's  Hall 
was  the  most  sardine  -  like  squash  I  ever  was  in. 
There  must  have  been  at  least  500  members  and  guests 
on  the  stairs  who  never  got  near  the  door  of  the  Hall  at 
any  time,  and  Carl  Hentschel,  Percy  Howse,  and  their 
assistant  stewards  were  nearly  pulled  to  pieces  by  the 
surging  multitudes.  The  audience  was  thoroughly 
representative,  at  least  one  Empire  director  being  pre- 
sent, but  the  debate  disappointed  me.  Mrs.  Chant  was 
very  careful  to  treat  the  tenderest  susceptibilities  with 
every  consideration,  and  naturally  this  tended  to  a 
certain  vagueness  of  assertion.  Her  personality  is 
pleasing,  and  her  delivery  is  excellent,  save  only  when  it 
diverges  into  the  sing-song  of  the  pulpit.  She  does  not 
exactly  say,  "  Oh  !  my  brethren,"  but  she  makes  you  feel 
that  she  would  like  to.  Judging  by  the  applause  her 
remarks  elicited,  she  impressed  the  Playgoers  favour- 
ably. 

Why  the  debate  lacked  vigour  I  do  not  know.  Henry 
Murray — David  Christie  Murray's  brother — was  didac- 


"TO-DAY,"  WINTER  NUMBER. 

READY    NOVEMBER  17, 

SEE  ADVERTISE  ME  XT  ON  PACE  3  OE  COVER. 


November  17,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


53 


tic,  but  not  convincing;  Charles  Coborn,  the  comic 
singer,  apparently  laboured  under  a  sense  of  personal 
wrong  done  to  him  by  music-hall  managers;  John 
Hollingshead,  who  spoke  with  difficulty  from  an  awk- 
ward position  in  the  gallery,  thought  that  licensing 
would  soon  be  taken  away  from  the  County  Council 
altogether.  Henry  Hyndman,  the  great  Socialist,  spoke, 
as  he  always  speaks,  admirably ;  he  set  the  blood  tin- 
gling and  the  pulse  beating,  his  enthusiasm  and  vigour 
were  contagious,  and  you  felt  that  if  ever  his  particular 
promenade  were  invaded  he  would  protect  it  with  a 
Maxim  gun,  instead  of  a  mandamus.  W.  H.  Jennings, 
a  new  playgoer  from  Yorkshire,  made,  perhaps,  the 
best  speech  of  the  evening.  He  took  the  philosophic 
view.  He  said,  in  effect,  that  every  sane  man  knew  vice 
had  been  prominent  in  the  Empire  promenade,  but  that 
vice  had  also  been  prominent  since  the  beginning  of 
things.  Nations  had  risen  and  fallen,  kingdoms  had 
passed  away,  but  vice  remained.  Did  not  this  argue 
that  what  we  called  vice  was  something  other  than  the 
mere  corrupt  edge  of  our  social  system?  He  thought 
it  did.  He  thought  that  Mrs.  Chant  would  not  succeed 
in  sweeping  vice  away,  and,  even  if  she  did — what  then  1 
Ic  was  a  daring  speech,  but  it  reflects  very  accurately 
a  large  phase  of  modern  thought.  Presently  Zangwill 
defended  the  Puritans  of  history,  and  Ben  Nathan  im- 
plored Mrs.  Chant  to  assist  in  the  conversion  of  the  Jews. 
A  Mr.  Sands,  who  is,  I  think,  a  barrister,  said  that 
whenever  he  went  to  the  Empire  he  met  lots 
of  old  acquaintances  who  he  had  not  seen  for 
years,  a  statement  that  was  received  with  loud 
and  prolonged  shrieks  of  ribald  laughter.  This 
disconcerted  him.  Mrs.  Chant,  in  winding  up  the  de- 
bate, let  go  for  a  few  minutes  on  what  really  is  at  the 
bottom  of  all  the  trouble.  It  is  against  systematic  vice 
that  she  is  fighting — against  the  bully,  the  introducing 
house,  the  public  procuress,  and  the  rich  man's  private 
pimp.  After  twenty  years  of  rescue  work  she  knows 
more  of  these  things  than  many  men  about  town.  When 
she  spoke  of  them  there  was  the  ring  of  truth  and  sin- 
cerity in  her  every  word.  Whatever  we  may  think  of 
her  methods,  her  motives  are  above  reproach.  And  re- 
member this,  the  Salvation  Army  lived  down  persecu- 
tion and  ridicule,  because  it  was  led  by  a  sober  enthu- 
siast. General  Booth  never  went  too  far.  His  motto 
was,  apparently,  Don't  be  too  much  of  a  nuisance,  be  just 
nuisance  enough.  The  Salvation  Army  is  now  a  na- 
tional institution.  It  would  not  surprise  me  to  see  Mrs. 
Chant  emulate  his  example  very  closely.  If,  now,  the 
Purist  Party  will  only  be  as  temperate  as  they  are  en- 
thusiastic, Mrs.  Chant  may  become  their  Boadicea.  It 
is  excess  that  will  jeopardise  both  her  success  and 
their  own. 

You  will  be  sorry  to  hear  that  Edith  Chester  died  of 
typhoid  fever  last  week.  Miss  Nelly  Harris  (Mrs. 
Horace  Sedger)  is  lying  dangerously  ill  of  the  same 
disorder. 

On  Saturday  I  divided  my  evening  between  the  St. 
James's  and  Drury  Lane.  Mrs.  John  Wood  having 
entirely  recovered  from  her  recent  indisposition,  is  back 
again,  playing  the  Duchess  in  The  Derby  Winner  with 
more  go  and  dash  than  ever.  She  got  a  regular  first- 
night  reception,  and  a  special  call  at  the  end  of  the 
evening.  Charles  Dalton,  who  has  taken  up  Cart- 
wright's  part,  is  a  decided  improvement.  Excellent  as 
was  Cartwright's  impersonation,  his  self-restrained 
manner  did  not  suit  a  big  house  like  the  Lane  nearly 
so  well  as  Dalton's  more  robust  and  determined 
style. 

The  substitution  of  Evelyn  Millard  for  Mrs.  Campbell 
in  The  Masqueraders  is  also  a  decided  improvement. 
Alexander  is,  if  anything,  better  than  ever,  and  Waring 
now  draws  a  clear  distinction  between  the  mental  and 
physical  condition  of  Sir  Roger  Skene  in  the  beginning 
and  the  end  of  the  play.  The  St.  James's  Company  were 
all  warmly  welcomed  home  again. 

I  hear  that  Lottie  Venne  is  likely  to  resume  her 
original  place  in  The  Gaiety  Girl  cast.    Brandon  Thomas 


has  gone  to  Madeira  for  his  health.  Sir  Augustus  Harris 
has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  prospectus  of  an 
"Opera  Company"  wherein  his  name  is  used.  And 
please  that's  all  for  the  present. — Your  affectionate 
cousin,  Randolph. 


REMINISCENCES    OF  TWO 
CZARS. 

Rarely,  perhaps,  has  there  been  such  a  striking  con- 
trast between  two  successive  Sovereigns,  as  between  the 
lately  deceased  Emperor,  Alexander  III.,  and  his  father, 
Alexander  II.  The  father  was  a  man  of  culture  and 
refinement,  abreast  of  the  literature  of  the  age,  and  was 
justly  regarded  as  the  gentlest  and  most  enlightened 
sovereign  Russia  has  ever  had. 

The  late  Emperor  had  probably  never  read  half-a- 
dozen  volumes  involving  sustained  attention  and  intelli- 
gent discrimination.  It  seems  hardly  credible  that  his 
education  should  have  been  neglected  in  his  youth.  But, 
as  he  had  no  taste  for  learning,  and,  as  the  second  son, 
there  was,  naturally,  no  idea  that  he  would  be  called  to 
reign,  he  was  allowed  to  amuse  himself  very  much  as  he 
pleased,  and  he  thus  missed  the  mental  training  and 
advantages  of  a  liberal  education.  Possibly,  too,  there 
mav  have  been  a  feeling  that  it  was  not  desirable  to 
repeat,  in  the  future,  the  actual  experience  of  the  exist- 
ing reign,  in  which  the  second  brother  of  the  Emperor 
had  developed  intellectual  gifts  and  qualifications  which 
were  at  least  equal  to  those  of  the  reigning  sovereign. 

After  the  marriage  of  the  late  Emperor,  then  Czare- 
vitch, to  the  intelligent  and  devoted  Princess  Dagmar, 
the  Princess  took  lessons  in  political  economy,  and  other 
branches  of  science,  in  order  to  influence  her  husband 
to  join  with  her  in  these  studies,  and  thus  help  to  fit  him 
for  his  future  onerous  position.  But  the  result  was  not 
a  success.  And  thus  it  came  to  pass  that,  when  the 
late  Emperor  was  called  to  the  exercise  of  supreme 
authority,  the  examination  of  the  voluminous  State 
papers  submitted  to  him  daily  from  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  administration  became  a  difficult  and; 
wearisome  labour,  taxing  the  time  and  strength  of  the 
Emperor  in  an  extraordinary  degree.  Nevertheless, 
in  the  work  thus  devolved  upon  him,  the  Emperor 
steadily  plodded  on  according  to  the  light  he  possessed. 
The  strength  and  fidelity  of  the  Emperor  to  his  convic- 
tions of  the  duties  of  his  onerous  office  were  strikingly 
shown  in  his  persistent  attention  to  the  perusal  of  the 
State  documents  he  received  during  his  illness,  and  up 
to  the  very  day  before  his  death,  notwithstanding  the 
warnings  of  his  physicians  that  such  labours  tended  to 
aggravate  his  illness  and  prevent  his  recovery.  It  may 
be  here  mentioned  that  whilst  he  was  Czarevitch,  and 
seemed  to  favour  liberal  measures,  the  hopes  of  those 
who  desired  a  continuance  and  extension  of  the  reforms 
that  had  been  initiated  by  the  Emperor  Alexander  II. 
were  largely,  if  not  mainly,  based  (not  without  precedent 
alike  from  Russian  and  English  history)  on  the  superior 
mental  endowments  of  the  Czarina.  But  these  hopes 
were  doomed  to  disappointment.  The  assassins  who 
destroyed  the  life  of  the  beloved  Emperor  on  the  fatal 
13th  of  March,  1881,  at  the  same  time  shattered  the 
nerves  of  the  new  Empress,  who  was  so  prostrated  by 
anguish  and  anxiety  for  her  husband  and  children,  that 
she  became  quite  unequal  to  bear  any  of  the  cares  of 
State,  not  to  speak  of  the  leading,  guiding  influence 
which  it  had  been  hoped  she  would  be  able  beneficially 
to  exert. 

It  has  been  currently  stated  that  if  Alexander  II.  had 
only  lived  another  day,  there  would  have  been,  on 
the  morrow,  a  proclamation  of  a.  Constitution,  which  the 
Emperor  is  said  to  have  signed  on  the  morning  of  the 
day  on  which  he  was  so  cruelly  assassinated.  The 
above  is  a  misrepresentation  and  exaggeration  of  what 


54 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1894. 


really  occurred,  which  was  of  a  tentative  or  preparatory 
nature,  and  was  to  this  effect: — Count  Loris  Melikoff 
(who  had,  after  repeated  attempts  on  the  life  of  the 
Emperor,  been  appointed  President  of  a  special  Imperial 
Commission  for  administering  the  affairs  of  the  empire, 
with  almost  unlimited  powers)  submitted  to  the  Em- 
peror a  proposal  for  convening  a  "  Comite  de  Reduction  " 
(as  it  was  termed),  or  Deliberative  Commission,  to  con- 
sist of  elected  representatives  of  the  nobility,  of  terri- 
torial bodies  and  of  towns,  who  should  be  allowed  to 
discuss  a  certain  number  of  subjects  elaborated  and 
submitted  by  the  respective  Ministries,  with  the  right 
of  petitioning  the  Government  thereon.  This  project 
was  approved  by  the  Emperor  (Alexander  II.),  who 
wrote  with  his  own  hand  on  the  document  thus  sub- 
mitted to  him,  "  I  consent."  And  at  the  same  time 
(11.30  a.m.,  on  13th  March,  just  two  hours  before  his 
assassination),  the  Emperor  signed  an  Ukase  to  the 
ruling  Senate  to  attend  to  the  carrying  out  of  the  above 
measure. 

An  authentic  report  of  the  above  appeared  in  the 
Daily  News  of  April  19,  1881;  a  substantially  identical 
and  detailed  confirmation  of  the  same,  and  of  the  views 
of  the  various  Russian  Ministers  thereon,  was  published 
in  the  Times  of  March  12,  1882,  and,  in  an  abridged 
form,  in  the  St.  James's  Gazette,  of  March  14,  1882; 
also  by  the  Evening  Netvs  of  August  29,  1882,  as  taken 
from  a  leading  Polish  paper,  which  had  published  a 
chapter  from  the  "  Memoirs  of  a  Russian  ex-Minister." 
For  the  sake  of  historical  accuracy,  it  may,  therefore, 
lie  taken  that,  there  was  no>  intention  or  idea  of  pro- 
claiming anything  like  a  Constitution,  but  a  much  more 
simple  and  tentative  measure,  which  might  have  been 
of  a  preparatory  and  educational  kind. 

On  the  accession  of  the  Czar,  Alexander  III.,  the 
question  in  the  minds  of  many  was — Would  he  fulfil 
the  hopes  of  Liberal  measures  which,  as  Czarevitch,  he 
was  understood  to  favour,  and  would  he,  or  would  he 
not,  be  ready  to  continue  the  reforms  which  had  been 
initiated  by  his  father?  On  this  point  conflicting 
counsels  were  doubtless  impressed  on  the  Czar,  who  was 
profoundly  distressed  and  grief-stricken  by  the  death  of 
his  father,  but  who,  however,  after  considerable  hesita- 
tion, decided  to  convene  a  Council  of  his  Ministers  to 
consider  the  proposals  which  had  been  adopted  by  the 
late  Czar,  Alexander  II.  on  the  day  of  his  death. 

This  Council  was  held  on  the  20th  of  March,  exactly 
a  week  after  the  accession  of  the  new  Emperor.  The 
Czar,  after  hearing  the  views  of  his  Ministers,  who  were 
for  the  most  part  in  favour  of  Count  Loris  Melikoff*s 
proposal  (stoutly  opposed  by  M.  Pobodonotseff),  stated 
that  he  concurred  with  them,  and  wished  the  requisite 
order  published  as  emanating  from  his  father,  who  had 
taken  the  initiative  in  the  matter,  and  to  whose  memory 
he  desired  to  ascribe  the  new  reform. 

Nothwithstanding  this  decision,  M.  Pobodonotseff 
(and  others,  no  doubt,  influencing)  persuaded  the  Czar 
to  change  his  views,  and  to  put  off  the  publication  of  the 
Ukase  that  he  had  ordered.  And,  ultimately,  on  11th 
May  following,  on  the  occasion  of  the  usual  spring  re- 
view of  the  troops  in  the  Champs  de  Mars,  the  Emperor, 
with  the  Empress  and  two  of  his  sons,  made  his  first 
public  appearance  in  St.  Petersburg  (after  having  been 
several  weeks  at  Gatchina),  and  issued  a  manifesto,  in 
which,  after  referring  to  Ids  filial  grief,  he  expressed, 
with  emphatic  reiteration,  Ids  determination  to  main- 
tain his  autocratic  power,  without  any  mention  what- 
ever of  the  reforms  which  were  known  to  have  been  under 
discussion.  Thereupon,  the  principal  Ministers  (Count 
Loris  Melikoff,  General  Milutine,  the  Minister  of  War, 
and  the  trusted  friend  and  counsellor  of  the  Emperor 
Alexander  II.  during  many  years,  and  M.  Abaza,  the 
Minister  of  Finance)  resigned  their  functions,  and  the 
administration  of  the  Empire  was  carried  on  during  the 
whole  of  the  late  reign  under  the  inspiration  of  M. 
Pobodonotseff,  the  former  tutor  of  the  Czar  and  the  able 
and  fanatical  Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod,  conscien- 
tious and  loyal  to  the  Czar.    The  late  Emperor  laboured 


diligently  to  diminish  extravagant  expenses  and  to  root 
out  corruption  and  dishonesty  abounding  in  the  official 
ranks,  and  to  improve,  as  far  as  in  him  lay,  the  wretched 
condition  of  the  hundred  million  peasants  in  the  Empire, 
whilst  in  his  private  life  setting  an  unique  example  as 
a  husband  and  father — traits  that  will  give  him  a  last- 
ing claim  in  the  respect  and  affection  of  the  Russian 
people,  with  whom  "  the  little  Father"  (the  Czar)  is  re- 
garded as  an  Omnipotence  near  at  hand,  whilst  "  the 
great  Father"  is  regarded  as  a  long  way  off. 

Alexander  II.  and  Alexander  III.  were  both  men  of 
affectionate  dispositions,  but  cast  in  very  different 
moulds ;  while  the  attachment  of  each  to  the  other 
was  marked  by  deep-seated  regard — such,  as  is  not 
found  always  to  exist  between  the  reigning  monarch  and 
the  heir  to  the  throne. 

The  affectionate  nature  of  Alexander  II.  was  charac- 
terised by  geniality  and  strong  impulse.  An  example 
of  this  may  be  given.  It  had  been  long  known  that  the 
administration  of  the  Winter  Palace  at  St.  Petersburg 
w  as  characterised  by  great  laxity  and  consequent  abuses. 
This  condition  of  things  was  more  strongly  impressed 
after  the  attempt  to  blow  up  a  part  of  the  Palace  on 
the  18th  of  February,  1880,  just  as  the  Imperial  party, 
comprising  the  Emperor,  the  Czarevitch  and  Czarina, 
the  Duchess  of  Edinburgh,  and  other  members  of  the 
Imperial  family,  with  the  Duke  of  Hesse  and  Prince 
Alexander  of  Bulgaria,  were  about  to  enter  the  dining- 
room.  And,  as  the  result  of  the  investigations  made, 
it  was  evident  to  Count  Melikoff  that  no  radical  ame- 
lioration could  be  effected  under  the  existing  regime,  the 
principal  officer  of  the  Palace  being  quite  unable,  by 
physical  infirmity,  to  exercise  any  efficient  active  con- 
trol. After  much  difficulty,  the  Emperor  consented  to 
make  the  necessary  change.  But,  within  two  or  three 
hours  after  giving  his  consent,  Count  Melikoff  was  sum- 
moned to  the  Palace,  and,  on  his  entering  the  Emperor's 
room,  the  Emperor  threw  his  arms  around  the  neck  of 
his  old  servant,  the  Palace  Chamberlain,  and  said  to 
Loris  Melikoff',  "You  see  how  I  love  him,  and  cannot 
part  with  him."  There  was  nothing  more  to  be  said 
or  done,  and  the  administration  of  the  Winter  Palace 
continued  (for  a  while,  at  least)  under  the  same  infirm 
official. 

The  affectionate  disposition  of  Alexander  III.  was,  on 
the  other  hand,  shown  mostly  in  his  own  immediate 
family  circle,  and  in  other  directions^  at  all  events,  his 
character  was  marked  by  the  most  inflexible  firmness 
and  determination.  An  example  of  this  was  given  on 
the  occasion  of  the  death  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  II.. 
when  the  Grand  Duke  Nicolas  Constantinovitch,  who 
had  been  exiled  from  St.  Petersburg  on  account  of  a 
great  scandal  in  connection  with  his  theft  of  diamonds 
that  he  had  given  to  a  lady,  appealed  to  the  new 
Emperor,  his  cousin,  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  come 
to  St.  Petersburg  and  pay  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to 
the  memory  of  the  deceased  Emperor.  His  uncle,  Alex- 
ander III.,  sent  the  following  reply: — "You  have  dis- 
graced the  Imperial  name,  and  are  not  worthy  to  attend 
the  Emperor's  funeral."  The  authenticity  of  this  reply 
the  writer  can  vouch  for.  Dalziel's  telegram  from 
Berlin,  which  appeared  in  one  of  the  London  evening 
papers  of  November  1st,  which  announced  the  death 
of  the  Emperor  at  Livadia  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day. 
is  responsible  for  the  statement  that  "The  Grand  Duke 
Alexis  Michaelovitch  "  (also  a  cousin  of  the  late  Czar) 
"who  was  exiled  in  consequence  of  his  unauthorised 
marriage  with  the  daughter  of  Count  [gnatieff,  a  former 
Russian  Ambassador,  arrived  at  Livadia  yesterday,  to 
implore  the  Czar's  pardon.  His  Majesty,  however,  re- 
fused to  receive  him."  This,  if  authentic,  was  another 
example  of  the  late  Czar's  inflexible  firmness  of  char- 
acter. Space  will  not  allow  of  dwelling  on  the  salutary 
effects — both  for  Russia  and  Europe  generally — of  that 
firmness  in  the  maintenance  of  peace,  which  will  con- 
stitute the  late  Czar's  best  claim  to  the  respect  and  re- 
gard of  his  own  people  and  of  the  nations  of  Europe. 

COURXEKAY  CLARKE. 


November  17,  1894. 


TO-DAY 


55 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


Some  time  last  summer,  when  I  was  in  North  Wales, 
I  went  up  Snowdon.  As  the  clouds  buried  the  mountain 
a  thousand  feet  from  the  top,  I  was  saturated  to  the  skin 
long  before  I  got  to  the  summit,  and  the  only  consola- 
tion any  of  us  had  for  a  wasted  journey  was  the  hospi- 
tality provided  in  two  little  huts  hidden  away  among 
the  rocks.  Under  these  circumstances,  I  read  with  some 
amount  of  surprise  a  letter  from  a  clergyman,  the  other 
day,  pointing  out  that  the  owner  of  the  mountain,  Mr. 
Smith,  had  offended  against  all  laws  of  natural  beauty 
by  building  an  "hotel  "  there.  The  object  of  the  letter 
was  for  some  political  end,  it  seems,  and  so  there  is  an 
explanation.  But  I  am  sure  that  everyone  who  has  ever 
ascended  this  magnificent  mountain  will  join  with  me  in 
regreting  that  such  an  attack  should  have  been  made  on 
a  gentleman  who  is  really  a  public  benefactor.  The  idea 
that  a  landscape  is  ruined  because  some  provision  is 
made  by  the  owner  for  man  and  beast  is  peculiar,  to 
say  the  least  of  it. 

America  has  produced  a  novelty  that  I  hope  English 
hosiers  will  adopt.  It  is  a  dress  shirt  that  opens  down 
the  front  like  an  ordinary  coat,  and  does  away  with 
that  uneven  struggle  between  hard  gla/.ed  linen  and  a 
man  in  a  hurry. 

Although  there  are  many  rich  colours  in  ties  this 
season,  I  have  seen  nothing  to  equal  the  rich,  dark 
heliotropes  which  are  being  made  up  for  the  "Ascot" 
scarf.  Worn  with  the  frock  coat,  and  fixed  with,  a 
simple  gold  pin,  they  show  up  splendidly.  There  seems, 
by  the  way,  to  be  but  little  call  now  for  safety  pins,  but 
pins  mounted  with  some  sporting  trophy  are  as  popular 
as  ever. 


Alluding  to  my  remarks  last  week  on  medallion 
jewellery,  a  correspondent  asks  me  to  warn  any  reader 
against  speculating  in  low-priced  cigarette  cases  with 
enamelled  designs,  as  they  crack,  fade,  and  chip  to 
pieces.  In  Paris,  where  the  most  coquettish  Salon  pic- 
tures are  immediately  reproduced  in  enamel,  the  price 
runs  to  pounds,  and  it  represents  the  actual  value. 


According  to  all  reports  the  forthcoming  steeplechase 
season  will,  providing  the  weather  is  propitious,  be  an 
extraordinarily  busy  one.  Newmarket  does  not  shelter 
many  jumpers,  but  this  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
stewards  of  the  Jockey  Club  regard  the  illegitimate 
game  with  disfavour.  Mr.  McCalmont,  however,  is 
doing  his  best  to  give  a  fillip  to  steeplechasing  at  New- 
market, and  the  meeting  to  be  held  shortly  is  receiving 
plenty  of  patronage. 


It  will  be  a  good  thing  for  racing  under  N.H.  rules 
when  Mr.  McCalmont  is  made  a  member  of  the  National 
Hunt  committee,  as  the  majority  of  the  present  com- 
mittee appear  to  take  no  interest  whatever  in  the  sport. 
The  Prince  of  Wales  does  not  now  own  a  single 
jumper  ;  and  such  well-known  sportsmen  as  Lord 
Penrhyn,  Sir  George  Chetwynd,  Sir  F.  Johnstone, 
Captain  Machell,  Mr.  Paget,  Lord  Rendlesham,  General 
Byrne,  and  Sir  W.  Throckmorton  are  rarely  seen  at  a 
steeplechase  meeting.    Certainly  new  blood  is  needed. 


At  present  it  seems  probable  that  Escott's  stable 
shelters  the  finest  lot  of  hurdle  racers  and  steeplechasers 
to  be  found  in  the  country.  Cloister,  since  he  left 
Alresford  for  Lewes,  has  thrived  on  hard  work,  and  his 
record  performance  at  Aintree  the  other  day  stamps 
him  as  the  steeplechaser  of  the  century.  Then  Escott 
has  Knight  of  Rhodes,  Warrington,  Popinjay,  Nelly 
Gray,  and  others.  The  horses  are  always  well  ridden, 
not  only  in  the  actual  race,  but  at  exercise,  and  here 
perhaps  is  the  secret  of  their  success.  More  races  are 
lost  on  the  exercise  ground  than  on  the  track  proper. 


Several  amateurs  are  said  to  be  trying  to  open  a 
book  on  the  classic  races  of  1895.  I  am  sorely  afraid 
that  their  efforts  will  not  be  crowned  with  success.  It 
is  a  long  time  since  such  ajuathy  was  shown  in  connec- 
tion with  the  classic  events  as  is  the  case  just  now. 
The  two-year-old  form  has  been  most  puzzling,  and  then 
there  are  several  horses  that  are  being  kept  in  reserve 
for  their  three-year-old  engagements. 

Two  of  these  are  Le  Var  and  Laveno.  Le  Var  was 
bred  by  the  Duchess  of  Montrose,  and  is  a  son  of 
Isonomy — Marguerite.  The  curious  part  about  the 
colt's  nominations  is  that  he  is  entered  for  the  Derby  in 
Mr.  Milner's  name,  for  the  St.  Leger  by  Mr.  Manton, 
and  for  the  Two  Thousand  Guineas  by  Sir  Frederick 
Johnstone,  who  has  leased  the  colt.  The  Duchess  of 
Montrose  is  very  fond  of  calling  her  horses  after  places 
in  Southern  Europe,  as  witness  Antibes  and  Riviera. 
Le  Var  is  named  after  the  river  which  runs  into  the 
Mediterranean  near  Nice. 


Laveno  is  the  property  of  Mr.  J.  H.  Houldsworth, 
and,  being  a  son  of  Bend  Or — Napoli,  is  thus  an  own 
brother  to  Orvieto,  the  Jubilee  Stakes  winner  of  1893. 
The  colt  is  said  to  have  done  wonders  in  a  trial  a  few 
months  ago,  but  he  is  such  a  difficult  animal  to  train. 

The  Rugby  match  between  the  North  and  the  South 
is  set  for  decision  on  December  15th,  and  judging  from 
the  trial  match  between  the  Varsities  and  London  and 
the  West,  the  Southern  team  this  year  should  prove  to 
be  a  strong  one.  Although  the  Varsities  won,  it  is  not 
likely  that  many  of  their  team  will  be  selected,  as  the 
best  of  the  players  are  not  eligible  owing  to  their 
nationality,  amongst  these  being  Donaldson,  Gibson, 
Griffiths,  and  Smith.  Pilkington,  Carey,  and  Mitchell 
may  get  places.  In  any  case  there  is  a  plethora  of 
talent  all  round. 


The  League  contest  is  assuming  a  most  interesting 
phase  owing  to  Sunderland  creeping  up  in  the  table,  and 
being  now  practically  level  with  Everton.  Though 
two  points  behind  the  "  Toffee  "  team,  the  Wearsiders 
have  a  match  to  the  good.  By  drawing  with  Blackburn 
Rovers  on  the  hitter's  ground,  they  avoided  the  pit  into 
which  Everton  fell  so  ignominiously.  Moreover,  the 
latter  were  lucky  to  take  one  point  away  with  them 
from  Small  Heath,  as  the  referee  made  a  gross  blunder 
in  giving  them  a  goal  which  was  never  scored.  It  will 
be  a  close  race  to  the  finish.  Everton  has  the  money 
and  the  big  battalions,  but  I  fancy  Sunderland  is  the 
better  team,  and  if  they  have  the  good  luck  to  escape 
from  injuries  to  their  players,  the  League  trophy  will 
again  find  its  way  to  Wearside. 

The  qualifying  competition  of  the  English  Cup  is 
dragging  slowly  on,  and  next  Saturday  the  third  round 
will  be  completed,  leaving  only  the  divisional  finals  to 
be  fought  out.  St.  Mary's,  Southampton,  should  defeat 
Marlow  and  King's  Own  Regiment ;  Luton  should 
score  over  Ilford  and  Clapton  ;  and  Millwall  Athletic 
may  beat  New  Brompton  and  Royal  Ordnance  Factories 
or  Highland  Light  Infantry.  The  other  six  divisional 
winning  clubs  should  be  Darlingtcn,  Fleetwood  Rangers, 
Wrexham,  Burton  Wanderers,  Grimsby  Town,  and 
Leicester  Fosse.  In  this  case  the  amateur  element  will 
be  conspicuous  by  its  absence  in  the  competition  proper. 

The  inglorious  tour  of  Bolton  Wanderers  in  the  South 
of  England,  and  the  fact  that  they  have  failed  to  register 
a  win  in  their  last  five  League  engagements,  points  to  the 
decay  of  the  runners-up  for  the  English  cup  last  year. 
Dickenson,  who  is  playing  for  New  Brompton,  where  he 
has  married  and  settled  down,  was  a  great  loss  to  them. 
In  fact,  the  front  rank  wants  entirely  remodelling.  I 
hear  that  Mr.  J.  J.  Bentley  was  very  disgusted  with  the 
poor  show  made  by  his  team,  and  he  has  been  looking 
around  the  k'outh  for  likely  recruits.     It  is  a  new  thing 


56 


TO-DAY, 


November  17,  1894. 


for  the  North  to  seek  its  recruits  in  the  South,  and  is  a 
sign  of  the  alteration  which  is  rapidly  taking  place  in 
Southern  football. 


Poor  Woolwich  Arsenal !  After  a  run  of  successes 
to  be  beaten  4 — 1  by  Walsall,  a  team  which  has  been 
showing  but  poor  form  as  compared  with  the  Plumstead 
team.  Some  excuse  must  be  made  for  them.  Not  only 
was  Boyd  still  on  the  sick  list,  but  Mortimer  was  absent 
injured,  and  his  place  had  to  be  filled  by  Sharpe. 
The  combination  of  forwards  was  thereby  upset  to  some 
extent.  Still  they  will  yet  have  time  to  improve  their 
position  in  the  League  table,  and,  with  the  return  of 
Boyd  to  his  position  at  centre,  I  shall  look  for  better 
things  in  store. 


as  secrecy  is  violated  by  members  of  the  Council.  Tt 
is  stated  (I  do  not  know  how  true  it  is)  that  some  of 
the  Councillors  are  hangers-on  of  the  Press,  and  make 
quite  a  good  thing  out  of  their  violation  of  an  honour- 
able pledge  of  secrecy.  I  hope  this  is  not  true.  Tt  is 
a  fact,  however,  that  the  proceedings  do  leak  out,  and 
perhaps,  therefore,  under  the  circumstances  it  may  be 
better  to  make  the  meetings  public. 


The  London  Football  Association  will  most  likely 
pass  Mr.  Gunning's  motion  to  throw  open  their  com- 
mittee proceedings  to  the  Press.  This  will  not  be 
an  unmixed  blessing,  and  I  should  not  be  surprised  if 
there  were  to  be,  in  the  near  future,  a  crop  of  libel 
actions.    Still,  there  seems  to  be  no  other  alternative, 


Hurst  Park,  which  to  my  thinking  is  one  of  the 
prettiest  and  best  managed  courses  in  England,  will 
have  to  come  to  terms  with  the  local  authorities,  if  it  is 
to  be  the  success  it  deserves.  I  went  down  last  Satur- 
day, and  I  don't  think  I  ever  saw  such  a  disgraceful 
specimen  of  a  road  as  the  one  from  the  course  to  the 
station.  The  rain  in  the  afternoon  turned  it  into  a 
swamp,  and  whether  racegoers  walked  or  rode  they  had 
no  chance  of  avoiding  the  fountains  of  mud  thrown  up 
on  all  sides.  As  the  fact  that  a  meeting  at  Hurst  Park  is 
credited  with  doing  more  to  bring  down  rain  than  the 
united  prayers  of  every  Church  in  England,  this  should 
be  seen  to  without  delay. 


SEE  "TRADE  MARK' 


BINGHAM  SLT\dL  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

 LONDON.  

MATCHLESS 

FOR 

STYLE, 

DURABILITY, 
&  COMFORT. 

For  Prices,  &c,  apply  to  Retail  Agents. 


STAMPED  ON  SOLE. 


Osborne  &  Co..  380  and  387,  Oxford  st.,  W. 

A.  A.  Tyson,  27,  Brecknock-road,  N.W. 

H.  Ovknden,  Broadway,  Ley  ton. 

J.  H.  Taylor.  Blackheath,  S.W. 

D.  SPEKCE,  24S,  Lavender-hill,  S-E. 

J.  Southwood,  Haivwell. 

GEO.  Wilkins,  Holloway-road. 

C.  F.  Evans,  161,  Broadhurst-gardens,  West 

Hampstead. 
Bales  &  Son,  101,  Ley tonstone -road,  E. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


'STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS"  an  elegant  pamphlet,  past  free  nn  applieation  to 


WM.  STENHOUSE   &  CO., 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 

HELP  THE  POO  11  in  the  most,  effectual  manner  by 
sending  ni'w  and  cast-off  clothing,  limits.  books,  pictures,  tc.ys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  He.,  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  V.  llaslock,  who 
nells  them  ut  low  prices,  at  junil.lt-  milm,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  hel.l  at 
frequent  Intervale,  for  the  hem-tit  ■  >t  the  poor  (7000  in  number)  of  All  Sainte'  Ulnlon 
Dlftrict,  Qrays,  Essex.  All  parcel!  "ill  bo  acknowledged  If  uoiuo  and  addrvie  of 
louder  are  inside.    Nothing  li  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 


Rsyg^iiPlfiiio.s.sED; 


TAKLIS!   What  is  Taklis  ? 

WHY  TAKJJ1IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK    HAT    RENOVATOR.      No  ironing 

required.    Unaffected  by  rain. 
Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  and  tube  of  TAKLIS, 
post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 

The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Greese  Street,  London,  W. 


TO-DAY,"  WINTER  NUMBER, 

READY    NOVEMBER  17, 

SEE  ADVERTISEMENT  ON  PAGE  3  OF  COVER 


November  17,  1S94. 


57 


CLARENCE. 

BY 

BRET  HARTE. 

Illustrated  by  Arthur  Jule  Goodma: 


PART  II. 
CHAPTER  II. 

EVERTHELESS,  so 
complete  was  his 
control  of  voice  and 
manner  that,  as  he 
rode  on  to  his  quar- 
ters, no  one  would 
have  dreamed  that 
General  Brant  had 
just  looked  upon  the 
likeness  of  the  wife 
from  whom  he  had 
parted  in  anger  four 
years  ago.  Still  less 
would  they  have  sus- 
pected the  strange 
fear  that  came  upon 
him  that  in  some  way 
she  was  connected 
with  the  treachery 
he  had  just 
discovered.  He  had  heard  from  her  only  once,  and  then 
tlnough  her  late  husband's  lawyer,  in  regard  to  her 
Californian  property,  and  believed  that  she  had  gone  to 
her  relations  in  Alabama,  where  she  had  identified  her- 
self with  the  Southern  cause,  even  to  the  sacrifice  of  her 
private  fortune.  He  had  heard  her  name  mentioned 
in  the  Southern  Press  as  a  fascinating  Society  leader, 
and  even  coadjutrix  of  Southern  politicians — but  he 
had  no  reason  to  believe  that  she  had  taken  so  active 
or  so  desperate  a  part  in  the  struggle.  He  tried  to  think 
that  his  uneasiness  sprang  from  his  recollection  of  the 
previous  treachery  of  Captain  Pinckney,  and  the  part 
that  she  had  played  in  the  Californian  conspiracy,  al- 
though he  had  long  since  acquitted  her  of  the  betrayal 
of  a  nearer  trust.  But  there  was  a  fateful  similarity  in 
the  two  cases.  There  was  no  doubt  that  this  Lieutenant 
Wainwright  was  a  traitor  in  the  camp — that  he  had  suc- 
cumbed to  the  usual  sophistry  of  his  class  in  regard 
to  his  superior  allegiance  to  his  native  State.  But  was 
there  the  inducement  of  another  emotion,  or  was  the 
photograph  only  the  souvenir  of  a  fascinating  priestess 
of  rebellion,  whom  the  dead  man  had  met  1  There  was 
perhaps  less  of  feeling  than  scorn  in  the  first  sugges- 
tion, but  he  was  nevertheless  relieved  when  the  Pro- 
vost Marshal  found  no  other  incriminating  papers  in 
Wainwright's  effects.  Nor  did  he  reveal  to  the  Division 
General  the  finding  of  the  photograph.  It  was  suffi- 
cient to  disclose  the  work  of  the  traitor  without  adding 
what  might  be  a  clue  to  his  wife's  participation  in  it, 
near  or  remote.  There  was  risk  enough  in  the  former 
course — which  his  duty  made  imperative.  He  hardly 
dared  to  think  of  the  past  day's  slaughter  which — there 
was  no  doubt  now — had  been  due  to  the  previous  work 
of  the  spy,  and  how  his  brigade  had  been  selected — by 
the  irony  of  Fate — to  sutler  for  and  yet  retrieve  it.  If 
she  had  had  a  hand  in  this  wicked  plot,  ought  he  to 
spare  her?  Or  was  his  destiny  and  hers  to  be  thus 
monstrously  linked  together? 

Luckily,  however,  the  expiation  of  the  chief  offender 
and  the  timely  discovery  of  his  papers  enabled  the  Divi- 


sion Commander  to  keep  the  affair  discreetly  silent, 
an-;  to  enjoin  equal  secrecy  on  the  part  of  Brant.  The 
latter,  however,  did  not  relax  his  vigilance,  and  after 
the  advance  the  next  day  he  made  a  minute  inspection 
of  the  ground  he  was  to  occupy,  its  approaches  and  con- 
nections with  the  outlying  country,  and  the  rebel  lines ; 
ir creased  the  stringency  of  picket  and  sentry  regula- 
tions, and  exercised  a  rigid  surveillance  of  non-com- 
batants and  civilians  within  the  lines — even  to  the  lowest 
cirnteener  or  camp  follower.  Then  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  house  he  was  to  occupy  as  his  head-quarters. 

It  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  old  Colonial  planter's 
house,  with  its  broad  verandah,  its  great  detached 
offices  and  negro  quarters,  and  had,  thus  far,  escaped 
the  ravages  and  billeting  of  the  war.  It  had  been  occu- 
pied by  its  owner  up  to  a  few  days  before  the  engage- 
ment, and  so  great  had  been  the  confidence  of  the  enemy 
in  their  success  that  it  had  been  used  as  the  Confederate 
headquarters  on  the  morning  of  the  decisive  battle. 
Jasmine  and  rose,  unstained  by  the  sulphur  of  gun- 
powder, twined  around  its  ruined  columns  and  half  hid 
the  recessed  windows ;  the  careless  flower  garden  waa 
still  in  its  unkempt  and  unplucked  luxuriance ;  the  court- 
yard before  the  stables  alone  showed  marks  of  the  lato 
military  occupancy,  and  was  pulverised  by  the  uneasy 
horse-hoofs  of  the  waiting  staff.  But  the  mingled  im- 
press of  barbaric  prodigality  with  patriarchal  simplicity 
was  still  there  in  the  domestic  arrangements  of  a  racs 
who  lived  on  half  equal  familiarity  with  strangers  and 
their  own  servants. 

The  negro  servants  still  remained,  with  a  certain  cat- 
like fidelity  to  the  place,  and  adapted  themselves  to  the 
northern  invaders  with  a  childlike  enjoyment  of  the 
novelty  of  change.  Brant,  nevertheless,  looked  them 
over  with  an  experienced  eye,  and  satisfied  himself  of 
their  trustworthiness ;  there  was  the  usual  number  of 
"boys,"  grey-haired  and  grizzled  in  body  service,  and 
the  "Mammys"  and  "Aunties"  of  the  kitchen.  There 
were  two  or  three  rooms  in  the  wing  which  still  contained 
private  articles,  pictures  and  souvenirs  of  the  family, 
and  a  "young  lady's"  boudoir,  which  Brant,  with  char- 
acteristic delicacy,  kept  carefully  isolated  and  intact 
from  his  military  household,  and  accessible  only  to  the 
family  servants.  The  room  he  had  selected  for  himself 
was  nearest  it — a  small,  plainly  furnished  apartment 
with  an  almost  conventual  simplicity  in  its  cold,  white 
walls  and  draperies,  and  the  narrow,  nunlike  bed.  It 
struck  him  that  it  might  have  belonged  to  some  prim 
elder  daughter  or  maiden  aunt,  who  had  acted  as  house- 
keeper, as  it  commanded  the  wing  and  servants'  offices, 
with  easy  access  to  the  central  hall. 

There  followed  a  week  of  inactivity  in  which  Brant 
felt  a  singular  resemblance  in  this  Southern  mansion 
to  the  old  casa  at  Robles.  The  afternoon  shadows  of 
the  deep  verandahs  recalled  the  old  monastic  gloom  of 
the  Spanish  house,  which  even  the  presence  of  a  lounging 
officer  or  waiting  orderly  could  not  entirely  dissipate, 
and  the  scent  of  the  rose  and  jasmine  from  his  windows 
overcame  him  with  sad  memories.  He  began  to  chaf  > 
under  this  inaction,  and  long  again  for  the  excitement 
of  the  march  and  bivouac — in  which  for  the  past  four 
years  he  had  buried  his  past. 

He  was  sitting  one  afternoon  alone  before  his  reports 
and  despatches,  when  this  influence  seemed  so  strong  that 
he  half  impulsively  laid'  them  aside  to  indulge  in  a  long 
rc\erie.  He  was  recalling  his  last  day  at  Robles,  the 
early  morning  duel  with  Pinckney,  the  return  to  San 


Copyrir/ht  1SD4,  by  Bret  Harle. 


53 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  183-1. 


Franciso,  and  the  sudden  resolution  which  sent  him  that 
day  across  the  Continent  to  offer  his  services  to  the 
Government.  He  remembered  his  delav  in  the  Western 
town,  where  a  volunteer  regiment  was  being  recruited, 
his  entrance  into  it  as  a  private,  his  rapid  selection, 
through  the  force  of  his  sheer  devotion  and  intelligent 
concentration  to  the  captaincy  of  his  company ;  his 
swift  promotion  on  hai'd-fought  fields  to  the  head  of  the 
regiment,  and  the  singular  success  that  had  followed  f  is 
resistless  energy,  which  lefr,  him  no  time  to  think  of 
anything  but  his  duty.  The  sudden  intrusion  of  his 
wife  upon  his  career  now — even  in  this  accidental  and 
perhaps  innocent  way — had  seriously  unsettled  him. 

The  shadows  were  growing  heavier  and  deeper,  it 
lacked  only  a  few  moments  of  the  sunset  bugle,  when  he 
was  recalled  to  himself  by  that  singular  instinctive  con- 
sciousness— common  to  humanity — -of  being  intently 
looked  at.  He  turned  quickly — the  door  behind  him 
closed  softly.  He  rose  and  slipped  into  the  hall.  The 
tall  figure  of  a  woman  was  going  down  the  passage. 
She  was  erect  and  graceful ;  but  as  she  turned  toward 
the  door  leading  to  the  offices,  he  distinctly  saw.  the 
gaudily-turbaned  head  and  black  silhouette  of  a  negress. 
Nevertheless  he  halted  a  moment  at  the  door  of  the  next 
room, 

"  See  who  that  woman  is  who  has  just  passed,  Mr. 
Martin.    She  doesn't  seem  to  belong  to  the  house." 

The  young  officer  rose,  put  on  his  cap,  and  departed. 
In  a  few  moments  he  returned. 

"Was  she  tall,  sir — of  a  good  figure,  and  very 
straight?" 

"Yes." 

"  She  is  a  servant  of  our  neighbours,  the  Manlys,  who 
occasionally  visits  the  servants  here.  A  mulatto,  I 
think." 

Brant  reflected.  Many  of  the  mulattos  and  negresses 
were  of  good  figure,  and  the  habit  of  carrying  burdens 
on  their  heads  gave  them  a  singularly  erect  carriage. 

The  lieutenant  looked  at  his  chief. 

"  Have  you  any  orders  to  give  concerning  her, 
general  1 " 

"  No,"  said  Brant,  after  a  moment's  pause,  and  turned 
away. 

Tiie  officer  smiled.  It  seemed  a  good  story  to  tell  at 
mess  of  this  human  weakness  of  his  handsome,  reserved 
and  ascetic-looking  leader. 

A  few  mornings  afterwards  Brant  was  interrupted 
over  his  reports  by  the  almost  abrupt  entrance  of  the 
officer  of  the  daj\  His  face  was  flushed,  and  it  was 
evident  that  only  the  presence  of  his  superior  restrained 
Lis  excitement.    He  held  a  paper  in  his  hand. 

"  A  lady  presents  {his  order  and  pass  from  Washing- 
ton — countersigned  by  the  Division  General." 

"A  lady?" 

"Yes,  sir — she  is  dressed  as  such.  But  she  has  not 
only  declined  the  most  ordinary  civilities  and  courtesies 
we  have  offered  her  but  she  has  insulted  Mr.  Martin 
and  myself  grossly,  and  demands  to  be  shown  to  you — . 
alone." 

Brant  took  the  paper.  It  was  a  special  order  from 
the  President,  passing  Miss  Matilda  Faulkner  through 
the  Federal  lines  to  visit  her  uncle's  home,  known  as 
"  Grey  Oaks,"  now  held  and  occupied  as  the  head- 
quarters of  Brant's  Brigade,  in  order  to  arrange  for  the 
preservation  and  disposal  of  certain  family  effects  and 
private  property  that  still  remained  there,  or  to  take 
and  carry  away  such  property;  and  invoking  all  neces- 
sary aid  and  assistance  from  the  United  States  forces 


in  such  occupanc*  It  was  countersigned  by  the  Division 
Commander,  l-o  was  perfectly  regular  and  of  undoubted 
authenticity.  He  had  heard  of  passes  of  this  kind — 
the  terror  of  the  Army — issued  in  Washington  under- 
some  strange  controlling  influence  and  against  military 
protest ;  but  he  did  not  let  his  subordinate  see  the  un- 
easiness with  which  it  filled  him. 
"  Show  her  in,"  he  said  quietly. 

But  she  had  already  entered,  brushing  scornfully  past 
the  officer,  and  drawing  her  skirt  aside,  as  if  contamin- 
ated. A  very  pretty  Southern  girl,  scornful  and  red- 
lipped,  clad  in  a  grey  riding  habit,  and  still  carrying  her 
riding-whip  clenched  ominously  in  her  slim,  gauntletted 
hand  ! 

"You  have  my  permit  in  your  hand,"  she  said, 
brusquely,  hardly  raising  her  eyes  to  Brant.  "  I  suppose 
it's  all  straight  enough — and  even  if  it  isn't  I  don't 
reckon  to  be  kept  waiting  with  those  hirelings." 

"  Your  '  permit '  is  '  straight  enough,'  Miss  Faulkner," 
said  Brant,  slowly  reading  her  name  from  the  document 
before  him.  "But  as  it  does  not  seem  to  include  per- 
mission to  insult  my  officers,  you  will  perhaps  allow 
them  first  to  retire." 

He  made  a  sign  to  the  officer,  who  passed  out  of  the 
door. 

As  it  closed  he  went  on,  in  a  gentle  but  coldly  un- 
impassioned  voice — 

"  I  perceive  you  are  a  Southern  lady,  and  therefore  I 
need  not  remind  you  that  it  is  not  considered  good  form 
to  treat  even  the  slaves  of  those  one  does  not  like,  un- 
civilly, and  I  must  therefore  ask  you  to  keep  your 
active  animosity  for  myself." 

The  young  girl  lifted  her  eyes.  She  had  evidently  not 
expected  to  meet  a  man  so  young,  so  handsome,  so  re- 
fined, and  so  coldly  invincible  in  manner.  Still  less 
was  she  prepared  for  that  kind  of  antagonism.  In  keep- 
ing up  her  preconcerted  attitude  towards  the  "  Northern 
Hireling"  she  had  been  met  with  official  brusqueness, 
contemptuous  silence,  or  aggrieved  indignation — but 
nothing  so  exasperating  as  this.  She  even  fancied  that 
this  elegant  but  sardonic-looking  soldier  was  mocking 
her.  She  bit  her  red  lip,  but,  with  a  scornful  gesture  of 
her  riding-whip,  said — ■ 

"  I  reckon  that  your  knowledge  of  Southern  ladies  is,, 
for  certain  reasons,  not  very  extensive." 

"Pardon  me;  I  have  had  the  honour  of  marrying 
one." 

Apparently  more  exasperated  than  before,  she  turned 
upon  him  abruptly. 

"  You  say  my  pass  is  all  right.  Then  I  presume  I  may 
attend  to  the  business  that  brought  me  here." 

"  Certainly ;  but  you  will  forgive  me  if  I  imagined 
that  an  expression  of  contempt  for  your  hosts  was  a 
part  of  it." 

He  rang  a  bell  on  the  table.  It  was  responded  to  by 
an  orderly. 

"  Send  all  the  household  servants  here." 

The  room  was  presently  filled  with  the  dusky  faces 
of  the  negro  retainers.  Here  and  there  was  the  gleam- 
ing of  white  teeth,  but  a  majority  of  the  assembly  wore 
the  true  negro  serious  acceptance  of  the  importance  of 
an  occasion."  One  or  two  even  affeoted  an  official 
and  soldierly  bearing.  And,  as  he  fully  expected,  there 
were  several  glances  of  significant  recognition  of  the 
stranger. 

"You  will  give,"  said  Brant  sternly,  "every  aid  and 
attention  to  the  wants  of  this  young  lady,  who  is  here 
to  represent  the  interests  of  your  old  master.    As  she 


November  17,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


59 


will  be  entirely  dependent  upon  you  in  all  things  con- 
nected with  her  visit  here,  see  to  it  that  she  does  not 
have  to  complain  to  me  of  any  inattention — or  to  be 
obliged  to  ask  for  other  assistance." 

As  Miss  Faulkner,  albeit  a  trifle  paler  in  the  cheek, 
but  as  scornful  as  ever,  was  about  to  follow  the  servants 
from  the  room,  Brant  stopped  her,  with  a  coldly 
courteous  gesture. 

"  You  will  understand,  therefore,  Miss  Faulkner,  that 
you  have  your  wish,  and  that  you  will  not  be  exposed 
to  any  contact  with  the  members  of  my  military  family, 
nor  they  with  you." 


General's  own  hand — "Not  the  kind  that  is  dan- 
gerous." 

A  flush  mounted  Brant's  cheeks,  as  if  it  contained 
not  only  a  hidden,  but  a  personal  significance.  He 
had  thought  of  his  own  wife ! 

Singularly  enough,  a  day  or  two  later,  at  dinner,  the 
conversation  turned  upon  the  intense  sectional  feeling  of 
Southern  women — probably  induced  by  their  late  ex- 
periences. Brant,  at  the  head  of  the  table,  in  his  habi 
tual  abstraction,  was  scarcely  following  the  somewhat  ex- 
cited diction  of  Colonel  Strangeways,  one  of  his  staff. 

"  No,  sir,"  reiterated  that  indignant  warrior,  "  take  my 


THERE    WERE    SEVERAL    GLANCES    OF  RECOGNITION'. 


"  Am  I  then  to  be  a  prisoner  in  this  house — and  under 
a  free  pass  of  your — President  1 "  she  said,  indignantly. 

"  By  no  means  !  You  are  free  to  come  and  go,  and  see 
whom  you  please.  I  have  no  power  to  control  your 
actions.    But  I  have  the  power  to  control  theirs." 

She  swept  furiously  from  the  room. 

"  That  is  quite  enough  to  fill  her  with  a  desire  to  flirt 
with  every  man  here,"  said  Brant  to  himself,  with  a 
faint  smile  ;  "  but  I  fancy  they  have  had  a  taste  enough 
of  her  quality." 

Nevertheless  he  sat  down  and  wrote  a  few  lines  to 
the  Division  Commander,  pointing  out  that  he  had 
already  placed  the  owner's  private  property  under  strict 
surveillance,  that  it  was  cared  for  and  perfectly  pre- 
served by  the  household  servants,  and  that  the  pass 
was  evidently  obtained  as  a  subterfuge. 

To  this  he  received  a  formal  reply,  regretting  that 
the  authorities  at  Washington  still  found  it  necessary  to 
put  this  kind  of  risk  and  burden  on  the  Army  in  the 
field,  but  that  the  order  emanated  from  the  highest 
authority,  and  must  be  strictly  obeyed.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  page  was  a  characteristic  line  in  pencil  in  the 


word  for  it !  A  Southern  woman  isn't  to  be  trusted  on 
this  point,  whether  as  a  sister,  sweetheart,  or  wife.  And 
when  she  is  trusted,  she's  bound  to  get  the  better  of  the 
man  in  any  of  those  relations  !" 

The  dead  silence  that  followed,  the  ominous  joggle  of 
a  glass  at  the  speaker's  elbow,  the  quick,  sympathetic 
glance  that  Brant  instinctively  felt  was  directed  to  his 
own  face,  and  the  abrupt  change  of  subject,  could  not 
but  arrest  his  attention — even  if  he  had  overlooked  the 
speech.  His  face,  however,  betrayed  nothing.  It  had 
never,  however,  occurred  to  him  before  that  his  family 
affairs  might  be  known — neither  had  he  ever  thought  of 
keening  them  a  secret.  It  seemed  so  purely  a  personal 
and  private  misfortune,  that  he  had  never  dreamed  of 
its  having  any  public  interest:  And  even  now  he  was 
a  little  ashamed  of  what  he  believed  was  his  sensitive- 
ness to  mere  conventional  criticism,  which,  with  the 
instinct  of  a  proud  man,  he  had  despised. 

He  was  not  far  wrong  in  his  sardonic  intuition  of  the 
effect  of  his  prohibition  upon  Miss  Faulkner's  feelings. 
Certainly  that  young  lady,  when  not  engaged  in  her 
mysterious  occupation  of  arranging  her  uncle's  effects. 


60 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1804. 


occasionally  was  seen  in  the  garden,  and  in  the  woods 
beyond.  Although  her  presence  was  the  signal  for  the 
"  oblique "  of  any  lounging  "  shoulder  strap,"  or  the 
vacant  "  front "  of  a  posted  sentry,  she  seemed  to  re- 
gard their  occasional  proximity  with  less  active  dis- 
favour. Once  when  she  had  mounted  the  wall  to  gather 
a,  magnolia  blossom,  the  chair  by  which  she  had  ascended 
rolled  over,  leav- 
ing her  on  the 
wall.  At  a  signal 
from  the  guard- 
room, two  sappers 
and  miners  ap- 
peared carrying 
a  scaling-ladder, 
which  they  placed 
silently  against 
the  wall,  and  as 
silently  withdrew. 
On  another  occa- 
sion, the  same 
spirited  young 
lady,  whom  Brant 
was  satisfied 
would  have  pro- 
bably imperilled 
her  life  under  fire, 
in  devotion  to  her 
cause  —  was 
brought  ignomini- 
ously  to  bay  in 
the  field,  by  that 
most  appalling  of 
domestic  animals, 
the  wandering  and 
u  nt  r  ammel  led 
cow !  Brant  could 
not  help  smiling 
as  he  heard  the 
quick,  harsh 

call  to  "  Turn  out,  guard,"  saw  the  men  marched  stolidly 
with  fixed  bayonets  to  the  vicinity  of  the  affrighted 
animal,  who  fled,  leaving  the  fair  stranger  to  walk 
shame-facedly  to  the  house.  He  was  surprised,  how- 
ever, that  she  should  have  halted  before  his  door,  and 
with  tremulous  indignation,  said — 

"I  thank  you,  sir,  for  your  chivalrousness  in  turning 
a  defenceless  woman  into  ridicule." 

"  I  regret,  Miss  Faulkner,"  began  Brant,  gravely, 
"  that  you  should  believe  that  I  am  able  to  control  the 

advances  of  farmyard  cattle  as  easily  as  "    But  he 

stepped,  as  he  saw  that  the  angry  flash  of  her  blue  eyes, 
as  she  darted  past  him,  was  set  in  tears.  A  little 
remorseful  on  the  following' day,  he  added  a  word  to 
his  ordinary  cap-lifting  when  she  went  by,  but  she 
retained  a  reproachful  silence.  Later  in  the  day,  he 
received  from  her  servant  a  respectful  request  for  an 
interview,  and  was  relieved  to  find  that  she  entered  his 
presence  with  no  trace  of  her  former  aggression,  but  rather 
with  the  resignation  of  a  deeply  injured  yet  not  entirely 
unforgiving  woman. 

"  I  thought,"  she  began  coldly,  "  that  I  ought  to  in- 
form you  that  I  would  probably  be  able  to  conclude  my 
business  here  by  the  day  after  to-morrow,  and  that  you 
would  then  be  relieved  of  my  presence.  I  am  aware — 
indeed,"  che  added  bitterly,  ';  I  could  scarcely  help  per- 
ceiving— that  it  lias  been  an  exceedingly  irksome  one." 


that  I  am  even  thinking  of  them  ? 


have 
my 
have 


HE   SAW   HEK   WALKING   IN   THE  GARDEN. 


"  I  trust,"  began  Brant  coldly,  "  that  no  gentleman 

of  my  command  has  " 

"  No  ! " 

She  interrupted  him  quickly,  with  a  return  of  her 
f o:  mer  manner,  and  a  passionate  sweep  of  the  hand. 
Do  you  suppose  for  a  moment  that  I  am  speaking — 

What  are  they  to 
me  % " 

"  Thank  ycu.  I 
am  glad  to  know 
that  they are noth 
ing ;  and  that  I 
may  now  trust 
that  you 
consulted 
wishes,  and 
reserved  your 
animosity  solely 
fur  me,"  returned 
Brant  quietly. 
"That  being  so, 
T  see  no  reason 
:  if  your  hurry- 
ing your  depar- 
ture in  the  least." 

She     rose  in- 
stantly. 

"  I  have,"  she 
said  slowly,  con- 
trolling herself 
with  a  slight 
effort,  "found 
someone  who  will 
take  my  duty  off 
ny  hands.  She 
is  a  servant  of 
one  of  your  neigh- 
bours— who  is  an 
old  friend  of  my 
uncle's.  The 

woman  is  familiar  with  the  house,  and  our  private  property. 
I  will  give  her  full  instructions  to  act  for  me— and  even 
an  authorization  in  writing,  if  you  prefer  it.  She  is 
already  in  the  habit  of  coming  here ;  but  her  visits  will 
give  you  very  little  trouble.  And,  as  she  is  a  slave — or, 
as  you  call  it,  I  believe,  a  chattel — she  will  be  already 
quite  accustomed  to  the  treatment  which  her  class  are 
in  the  habit  of  receiving  from  Northern  hands." 

Without  waiting  to  perceive  the  effect  of  her  Parthian 
shot,  she  swept  proudly  out  of  the  room. 

"  I  wonder  what  she  means,"  mused  Brant,  as  her 
quick  step  died  away  in  the  passage.  "One  thing  is 
certain — a  woman  like  that  is  altogether  too  impulsive 
for  a  spy." 

Later,  in  the  twilight,  he  saw  her  walking  in  the 
garden.  There  was  a  figure  at  her  side.  A  little  curious, 
he  examined  it  more  closely  from  his  window.  It  was 
already  fammar  to  him — the  erect,  shapely  form  of 
his  neighbour's  servant.  A  thoughtful  look  passed  over 
his  face  as  he  muttered — "  So  this  is  to  be  her  deputy." 
(To  be  continued.) 


Litigant  :  "  So  you  think  it  possible  that  I  may  lose 
my  case  1 " 

Counsel:  "You  !  By  no  means.  At  (ho  very  most 
it  will  be  your  grandchildren  I  " 


November  17,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


CI 


LOST   IN    THE  GREAT 
PYRAMID. 


BY 

H.  K.  GREENF. 

Illustrated  by  Max  Cowpeb. 


^E  winter  of  189 —  was  memorable  on 
account  of  many  things,  but  to  me  it 
was  chiefly  remarkable  for  having 
given  me  my  young  bride.  We  were 
spending  our  honeymoon  in  the  lotus- 
eating  land  of  Egypt,  and  had  taken 
up  our  quarters  at  that  admirable 
hostelry  known  as  "Mena  House," 
which  stands  at  the  foot  of  the  plateau 
where  the  great  Pyramids  of  Gizeh 
are  so  majestically  enthroned.  It 
was,  in  truth,  a  halcyon  time,  to  be 
marked  for  evermore  in  our  memories 
with  the  whitest  of  stones. 

One  slight  drawback  there  was 
certainly,  but  it  was  a  mere  crumple 
in  our  rose-leaf.  The  Bedouins 
would  never  leave  us  alone.  Where- 
ever  we  went  they  insisted  on 
accompanying  us.  It  was  impossible  to  get  rid  of 
them ;  but  they  were,  withal,  so  polite  and  good  tem- 
pered, that  we  could  not  find  it  in  our  hearts  to  be 
angry.  Tho  only  way  to  avoid  the  pests  was  to  carry 
out  our  wanderings  by  moonlight.  The  Arabs  believe 
firmly  that  "  El-Ahram  "  are  haunted,  and  will  not,  on 
any  account,  venture  near  the  ruins  after  nightfall.  In 
this  way  we  had  the  whole  place  to  ourselves,  but  that, 
for  us,  was  ample  society.  We  revelled  in  our  freedom, 
and  soon  became  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  entire 
plateau,  from  the  Sphinx  on  the  south  to  the  dilapidated 
temple  on  the  northern  verge. 

One  lovely  night,  before  the  moon  was  quite  full,  my 
wife  proposed  a  visit  to  the  interior  of  the  Great 
Pyramid.  Needless  to  say,  her  word  was  law.  We 
procured  candles,  clambered  up  the  well-worn  track 
leading  to  tho  entrance,  and  speedily  made  our  way 
down  the  sloping  shaft  to 
the  central  chamber.  Out- 
side the  night  was  slightly 
chilly,  and  the  warmth  of 
the  great  tomb  was  very 
agreeable,  in  spite  of  the 
closeness  of  the  air.  Sit- 
ting ourselves  down  on 
the  edge  of  the  lidless 
sarcophagus,  we  began  one 
of  those  conversations  so 
dear  to  young  lovers,  dur- 
ing which  the  hours  glide 
away  like  minutes,  or, 
rather,  when  all  sense  of 
time  is  lost. 

Our  candles  were  burn- 
ing brightly  and  steadily 
beside  us,  when  suddenly 
—  without  the  slightest 
warning — a  gust  of  wind 
descended  from  above,  anc1, 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye, 
we  were  in  darkness !  The 
unexpected  transition  was 
startling  to  a  degree.  My 
wife  clung  to  me  convul- 
sively, trembling  in  every 
limb,  and  I  frankly  con- 
fess I,  too,  was  not  free 
'from  that  sign  of  dis- 
composure. Hurriedly  I  examined  all  my  pockets, 
one  after  the  other,  in  a  vain  search  for  my  match-box. 
It  was  not  to  be  found !  I  must  have  dropped  it  some- 
where en  route. 


WE  WERE  IN  DARKNESS. 


This  was  terrible,  but  there  was  worse  in  store  for  us. 
I  was  still  carefully  examining  every  receptacle  I 
possessed,  when  a  dull  grinding  noise  made  itself  audible 
through  the  obscurity  i  There  is  something  dreadful 
in  a  noise  that  one  cannot  account  for,  no  matter  when 
or  where  one  hears  it.  Out  in  the  open  a  mysterious 
sound  is  disquieting ;  but,  situated  as  we  were,  inside  a 
narrow,  confined  space,  amidst  total  darkness,  it  was 
simply  appalling ! 

Shrinking  towards  each  other,  we  listened  intently, 
not  knowing  what  to  do  ;  for  the  noise,  however  caused, 
seemed  to  come  from  a  direction  between  where  we  were 
and  the  door  of  the  chamber.  At  last  it  ceased,  and, 
although  half  dead  with  a  mixture  of  awe  and  terror,  we 
were  obliged  to  muster  up  enough  courage  to  try  to  find 
our  way  out.  Gradually  we  crept  along,  hand  in  hand, 
feeling  the  smooth  surface  of  the  wall  with  our  disen- 
gaged hands  as  we  went.  The  chamber  is  not  spacious, 
but  our  progress  was  necessarily  very  slow,  and,  after 
what  appeared  to  be  an  interminable  time,  I  stumbled 
up  against  an  obstacle. 

What  could  it  be  1  Stooping,  I  tried  to  make  out,  by 
sense  of  touch,  what  it  was  that  impeded  our  progress. 
A  very  slight  investigation  satisfied  me.  There  could  be 
no  doubt  that  this  barrier  in  our  way  was  the  sarco- 
phagus. We  must  have  made  the  entire  circuit  of  the 
chamber  without  finding  the  door ! 

Concluding  we  had  missed  the  entrance  through  some 
stupid  mistake  or  other,  we  set  out  afresh,  tracing  with 
the  utmost  care  every  inch  of  the  polished  wall.  Again 
the  distance  seemed  interminable,  and  again  we  accom- 
plished the  round  of  the  accursed  place,  and  iound  our- 
selves back  at  the  original  starting  point. 

It  was  a  most  astounding  thing !  Either  the  door 
had  vanished,  or  we  were  losing  our  senses.  The  silence 
now  was  terrible,  and  the  darkness  was  truly  Egyptian — 
it  could  be  felt !  The  heavy,  close  air  was  so  thick  and 
clammy  that  we  could  hardly  breathe ;  our  hearts  were 
beating  at  railway  speed,  and  the  perspiration  dripped 
from  every  pore.  The  circumstances  were,  in  sooth,  as 
desperate  as  they  were  inexplicable ;  but,  since  no  good 
could  come  of  standing  still,  we  arose  once  more,  and 
recommenced  our  search  for  the  vanished  opening. 

'Twas  all  in  vain  !    The  granite  was  as  smooth  and 

unbroken  as  though  it  had 
been  fashioned  out  of  one 
enormous  block.  Not  a 
fissure  or  crack  could  be 
found  large  enough,  to 
admit  even  the  point  of  a 
knife.  Whether  we  tried 
from  right  to  left,  or  from 
left  to  right,  the  result 
was  still  the  same  ;  we  in- 
variably found  ourselves 
back  at  the  horrible  sarco- 
phagus. 

At  this  juncture,  while 
we  were  resting  in  a  half- 
dazed  state  against  the 
border  of  the  ill-omened 
receptacle,  gradually  a 
faint,  weird  light  became 
apparent  above  our  heads. 
By  degrees  the  light  grew 
stronger  and  stronger,  till, 
finally,  the  whole  chamber 
was  filled  with  a  pale-green 
luminousness,  whereby  we 
were  enabled  to  distinguish 
each  other's  features. 

Lost  in  astonishment,  we 
gazed  around  us,  and  at 
each  other,  too  deeply 
amazed  for  speech,  and,  as 
we  found  out  afterwards,  uncertain  whether  we  were 
asleep  or  awake.  The  reason  we  had  been  unable  to  find 
the  entrance  was  plain.  The  cyclopean  mass  of  stone 
i'orming  the  lintel  of  the  doorway  had  descended  bodily, 


62 


TO-DAY. 


November  17,  1S94. 


thus  completely  blocking  up  the  passage,  which  it  fitted 
with  mathematical  accuracy !  It  was  from  the  gap 
thereby  created  on  a  higher  level  that  the  strange  light 
was  shining,  the  lower  edge  of  the  new  aperture  being 
about  eight  or  nine  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  chamber. 

The  opening  disclosed  in  this  wonderful  manner  was 
the  commencement  of  a  tunnel,  or  shaft,  extending  at 
an  acute  angle  upwards  into  the  body  of  the  pyramid. 
It  was  rectangular  in  form,  and  in  other  respects  bore 
a  general  resemblance  to  the  passage  by  which  we  had 
entered,  save  that  it  seemed  to  be  loftier. 

The  question  now  was — should  we  attempt  to  escape 
along  this  new  road,  or  should  we  wait  where  we  were, 
and  trust  to  the  return  of  the  lintel  to  its  proper  place? 

The  light  now  began  to  fade  away  in  the  same  gradual 
manner  it  had  arisen,  and  it  became  painfully  evident 
that  we  should  soon  be  again  plunged  in  darkness.  Any 
fate  would  be  preferable  to  the  frightful  sensation  of 
being  hermetically  shut  in  amidst  an  intense  and  stifling 
blackness,  to  which  the  darkest  night  outside  would  be 
the  bright  clearness  of  noon. 

Taking  our  courage  in  both  hands,  we  resolved  to 
make  an  attempt  at  escape.  I  seized  hold  of  Gladys 
round  the  waist,  and  swung  her  form  up  until  she  was 
able  to  scramble  on  to  the  ledge  of  the  opening.  With 
her  assistance,  I  had  then  no  difficulty  in  climbing  up 
myself,  and  as  we  were  both  pretty  active,  we  contrived 
to  establish  ourselves  in  the  mouth  of  the  gallery,  down 
which  the  pale  green  light  was  now  but  faintly  streaming. 

The  sloping  floor  was  so  smooth  and  steep  that  we 
were  obliged  to  crawl  on  our  hands  and  knees  in  order 
to  make  any  progress.  In  this  way  we  clambered  along 
for  fully  fifty  yards,  with  much  labour  and  weariness ; 
slipping  back  every  now  and  again,  and  more  than  once 
narrowly  escaping  a  glissade  into  the  hateful  chamber. 
It  was  a  fearful  task,  but  at  length  we  reached  the  top, 
and  found  that  the  gallery  debouched  at  a  spacious  hall 
where  everything  was  brilliantly  illuminated  in  a  most 
peculiar  manner  by  means  of  appliances,  which,  for  want 
of  a  better  term,  must  be  called  reflectors. 

Tbe  whole  of  the  upper  part  of  this  marvellous  room 
presented  a  most  extraordinary  appearance,  being  honey- 
combed— so  to  speak — by  a  vast  array  of  hollow  cones, 
each  cone  ending  in  a  small  aperture,  or  skylight,  through 
which  the  beams  of  the  moon,  or  the  rays  of  the  stars, 
were  shining  with  a  hundred-fold  their  normal  power. 
The  apices  of  these  cones  must  have  consisted'  of  some 
magnifying  material,  and  the  sides  were  lined  with  a 
kind  of  mirror  that  multiplied  to  an  enormous  extent 
their  power  of  transmitting  light.  The  entire  series  was 
so  skilfully  arranged  that  the  combined  pencils  impinged 
on  one  spot,  where  there  was  a  most  singular  and  com- 
plicated apparatus  for  their  reception. 

In  front  of  the  mouth  of  the  gallery  stood  a  manifold 
frame,  almost  completely  filling  the  opening  ;  which, 
however,  was  scooped  out  on  one  side,  thus  enabling  us, 
breathless  as  we  were  from  our  climb,  to  creep  through, 
This  frame  was,  in  truth,  an  extraordinary  structure  ; 
it  was  fitted  with  an  infinite  multitude  of  lenses  and  other 
transparent  appliances,  the  like  of  which  I  had  never 
seen  before.  I  very  much  regret  that  I  cannot  give  a 
better  and  more  detailed  description  of  this  piece  of  work, 
which,  to  my  mind,  affords  conclusive  proof  that  the 
ancient  Egyptians  were  the  possessors  of  a  long-since 
vanished  lore.  The  reader  will  shortly  be  able  to  see 
why  it  is  that  my  account  of  these  marvels  is  somewhat 
vague. 

Whilst  I  was  in  the  act  of  making  my  way  past  this 
frame,  the  never-to-be-forgotten  grinding  sound  again 
met  my  ears,  coming  from  below  in  the  direction  of  the 
chamber  we  had  just  quitted.  I  at  once  turneu  and 
looked  down,  but  could  see  nothing.  The  track  Ave  so 
painfully  had  traversed  was  now  as  dark  as  Erebus.  It 
was  manifest  that  our  retreat  was  cut  eff,  the  -ponderous 
lintel  had  risen  to  its  original  position  ! 

Had  we  waited  patiently  in  the  chamber,  it  would  no 
d  ml»t  have  been  possible  to  make  our  way  out  in  the 
usual  manner,  but  it  was  too  late  to  think  of  that  now. 
There  was  no  course  open  but  to  go  on,  so  I  said  nothing 


about  our  terrible  mistake  to  my  wife,  who  had  not 
noticed  the  noise,  being  in  front,  and  absorbed  by  the 
spectacle  before  her. 

As  regards  the  modus  operandi  of  the  wondrous  me- 
chanism by  means  of  which  the  passage  was  opened  and 
closed,  I  can  only  offer  an  opinion,  arrived  at  after  much 
subsequent  reflection  on  the  subject.  In  some  incom- 
prehensible way  the  moon's  rays,  intensified  or  otherwise 
affected  by  the  lenses,  are  able  to  act  on  some  hidden 
machinery — probably  hyd'raulic — to  such  an  extent  that 
the  huge  block  of  stone  is  wont  to  fall  and  rise  periodi- 
cally at  certain  seasons,  dependent  on  the  lunar  phases. 
Of  course,  this  is  mere  surmise,  but  it  seems  to  be  the 
simplest  way  of  accounting  for  the  phenomena  we  wit- 
nessed. I  am  thoroughly  convinced  in  my  own  mind 
that  it  was  the  lens-frame  that  governed  the  movement 
of  the  gigantic  operculum ;  and  I  deeply  regret  that 
while  we  were  crawling  up  the  gallery  I  did  not  observe 
the  construction  of  the  walls  more  attentively,  especially 
at  the  lower  end. 

I  said  just  now  that  my  wife  was  entranced  at  the 
spectacle  that  met  her  view  on  emerging  from  behind 
the  lens-frame.  It  was,  indeed,  no  wonder  that  this 
should  be  so  ;  and  when  I  followed  her,  after  a  few 
moments,  I,  too,  was  equally  stricken  with  amazement. 
A  vast,  lofty  hall,  decorated  in  a  stvle,  and  with  a  degree 
of  richness  surpassing  anything  either  of  us  had  ever 
seen,  appeared  before  us  ;  everything  it  contained  being 
clearly  visible  in  the  brilliant  yet  soft-toned  light.  It 
was  octagonal  in  shape,  with  a  curtained'  recess  in  one  of 
the  sides  ;  the  other  seven  being  covered  with  sculp- 
tured figures  similar  to  the  temple  carvings  of  Upper 
Egypt,  save  that  the  colouring  was  superb  and  as  bright 
as  the  day  it  was  first  laid  on.  Interspersed  in  all  direc- 
tions were  glittering  trophies  composed  apparently  of 
jewels  and  precious  stones,  while  in  niches  and  on  pedes- 
tals were  statues  exceeding  life-size,  and  either  made  of 
solid  gold  and  silver,  or  else  thickly  covered  with  layers 
of  the  precious  metals.  To  give  an  adequate  idea  of 
the  majestic  apartment,  and  all  that  it  contained,  would 
require  a  volume ;  it  is  impossible  to  do  more  than  in- 
dicate in  a  fragmentary  manner  some  few  special  points 
that  a  hurried  examination  enabled'  us  to  notice. 

Rising  to  our  feet,  we  gazed  around  in  wonder,  not 
unmixed  with  awe,  and  then  slowly  advanced  in  the 
direction  of  the  recess,  pausing  at  every  step  to  con- 
template the  astonishing  objects  that  were  to  be  seen  on 
all  sides.  The  hall  seemed  tenantless.  but  when  we  had 
crossed  about  one-third  of  the  floor,  the  curtains  con- 
cealing the  iecess  shook  as  though  stirred'  by  some  un- 
seen hand,  or  by  a  breeze  that,  to  us,  was  imperceptible. 
The  drapery,  which  recalled  Zanzibar  matting  as  regards 
colours  and  texture,  then  became  separated  down  the 
centre,  each  half  being  drawn  upwards  as  in  a  theatre. 

Inside  the  recess  thus  disclosed,  and  almost  filling  it, 
was  a  dais,  surmounted  by  a  canopy,  which  shaded  a 
magnificent  couch  constructed  of  polished  granite,  with 
elaborately-sculptured  sides ;  and  spread  over  the 
surface  of  the  couch  were  numerous  cushions  and  varie- 
gated mats,  somewhat  resembling  the  curtains,  but 
thicker  in  the  woof.  Reposing  on  this  regal  bier  were 
two  human  forms,  side  by  side,  in  a  semi-recumbent 
attitude.  Both  were  clad  in  sumptuous  robes,  and  on 
the  head  r.f  each  was  an  elaborate  structure,  partly  crown 
and  part'iv  tiara.  The  form  on  the  right  hand  was  that 
of  an  obi  man,  with  very  prominent  features,  and  a  small 
pointed  beard,  almost  snow-white  in  colour :  but  his 
partner  was  a  lovely  female  in  the  bloom  of  youth. 

The-  eyes  of  the  stately  pair  were  wide  open,  and 
seemed  to  be  fixed  on  us  with  a  stern,  inquiring  ex- 
pression:  while  the  flesh  tints  and  general  appearance 
were  so  absolutely  life-like  that  we  both  sank  down  on 
our  knees,  terrified  at  the  imperial  aspect  of  the  mys- 
terious monarch  and  his  bride. 

It  was  not  for  some  considerable  time  that  we  found 
sufficient  resolution  to  approach  the  dais,  but,  seeing 
that  the  figures  remained  perfectly  motionless,  we  at 
length  ventured  to  do  so.  On  somewhat  closer  inspec- 
tion, it  turned  out  that  our  involuntary  homage  to  royalty 


November  17,  1SC4. 


TO-DAY. 


C3 


had  in  reality  been  paid  to  the  King  of  Terrors.  The 
two  shapes  on  the  couch  were  mummies ;  but  the  em- 
balming process  had  been  so  perfectly  and  artistically 
carried  out,  that  even  the  lapse  of  centuries  had  not 
given  rise  to  the  slightest  sign  of  decay.  The  glittering 
eyes,  that  had  caused  us  so  much  fear,  were  simply  a 
skilful  combination  of  diamonds  and  crystal,  fitted  with 
minute  springs,  that  allowed  of  an  infinitesimal  amount 
of  movement  in  the  orbs,  under  the  influence  of  the 
faintest  current  of  air.  In  this  Avay,  the  lifeless  effect 
of  perfect  immobility  was  obviated ;  and  it  was  only 
natural  that  at  first  we  should  have  thought  ourselves 
in  the  presence  of  living  beings. 

The  left  hand  of  the  youthful  bride  of  countless 
summers  was  hanging  near  the  edge  of  the  couch,  and 
a  ring,  which,  no  doubt,  had  slipped  off  one  of  her 
fingers,  was  lying  on  the  floor,  at  some  distance  from  the 
dais.  Happening  to  catch  sight  of  this  ancient  gem 
close  to  my  feet,  I  half-mechanically  picked  it  up  and 
put  it  in  my  pocket.  It  is  a  scarab  set  in  gold,  and  on 
the  inner  surface  there  is  a  very  clearly-cut  cartouch. 

Having  by  this  time  almost  got  over  our  super- 
natural alarm,  we  were  anxious  to  examine  the  Royal 
mummies  more  accurately,  and  for  this  purpose  oro- 
ceeded  to  ascend  the  two  or 
three  steps  which,  I  should 
have  said  before,  separated 
the  recess  from  the  re- 
mainder of  the  hall.  These 
steps  were  very  wide  and 
shallow,  but  otherwise  not 
remarkable.  Hand  in 
hand  we  advanced,  when, 
■all  at  once,  dais  and 
canopy,  marble  couch  and 
mummies,  seemed  to  fly 
up  into  the  air,  and  before 
we  could  realise  what  had 
happened,  we  found  our- 
selves sliding  down  an 
inclined  plane  with  fright- 
ful rapidity,  and  in  dark- 
ness as  complete  as  that 
we  had  experienced  during 
our  imprisonment  in  the 
chamber. 

The  revolving  stone 
on  which  we  had  simul- 
taneously stepped  simply 
swung  back  into  posi- 
tion, while,  with  ever- 
increasing  momentum,  we 
shot  down,  down,  apparently  into  the  very  bowels  of  the 
-earth. 


How  long  the  awful  slide  continued  neither  cf  us  was 
ever  able  to  say.  The  suddenness  of  the  occurrence 
quite  startled  us  out  of  our  wits,  though,  like  drowning 
people,  we  still  retained  our  mutual  clasp.  At  last 
the  rate  of  progress  began  to  slacken  sensibly ;  had  the 
initial  velocity  been  maintained,  we  should  inevitably 
have  been  dashed  to  pieces  at  the  bottom.  Fortunately, 
however,  the  speed  became  gradually  less  and  less  as 
the  acuteness  of  the  declivity  diminished,  till,  finally,  it 
dwindled  down  to  not  more  than  a  few  miles  an  hour. 
Then  suddenly  my  foot  struck  against  something  which 
seemed  to  give  way  before  the  impact,  and  the  next 
moment  we  were  lying,  comparatively  uninjured  but 
absolutely  breathless,  on  a  heap  of  beautifully  soft  sand 
under  the  star-lit  sky. 

As  may  be  supposed,  a  long  time  elapsed  before  we 
came  to  ourselves  after  this  last  fearful  experience. 
What  we  had  gone  through  before  was  bad  enough,  but 
nothing  could  equal,  or  even  approach,  the  awful  sen- 
sation of  falling  through  darkness,  in  momentary  ex- 
pectation of  being  destroyed  in  some  terrible 
manner. 

When  we  were  once  more  sufficiently  collected  to  look 
about  us  with  something  like  composure,  I  found  that 

we   had  emerged  in  the 


WE    WERE    LYIXG  ON 


all  unite 
fabulous. 


in  assijminir  to 


Temple  of  the  Sphinx.  It 
was  almost  inconceivable 
that  we  could  have  come  all 
that  distance  underground, 
but  the  incontestable  fact 
remained  that  we  had 
done  so.  The  great  block 
of  stone  which  yielded  so 
readily  to  my  foot  had 
fallen  back  into  its  place, 
and  was  uiidistinguishable 
from  the  rest ;  it  was  im- 
possible, therefore,  to  tell 
which  one  it  was,  though 
I  tried  for  some  time  to 
identify  it. 

Thus  ended  this  most 
extraordinary  adventure. 
Sometimes  it  seems  to  me 
like  a  dream,  and  the  few 
people  to  whom  we  have 
related  it  have  invariably 
been  politely  incredulous. 
The  Queen's  ring,  however, 
remains.  It  is  unquestion- 
ably a  genuine  relic  of  the 
ancient  times,  and  experts 
it  an  age  that  is  almost 


A   LOST  MEAL. 

BY 

H.    F.  GETHEN. 

Illustrated  by  Ernest  Goodwin. 


"  I  wants  my  dinner,  I,  tell  yer,  that's  all  I  wants  !  I 
s'pose  you  thought  I'd  jes'  be  'sleep  dinner-time,  and 
forgit  'bout  it,  but  I  ain't!  I'm  not  go  in'  to  lose  my 
dinner.  'Taint  likely !  Why,  my  mother  she  sez  to 
me  a  Sunday, '  Liza,  you  be  a  good  little  maid,  and  they'll 
keep  you  'ere,  and  it's  meat  and  taters  every  blessed 
•day.'  I'm  a  goin'  to  tell  'er  as  I've  bin  done  out  o'  meat  and 
taters  this  yer  day.  It'3  no  use  you  tellin'  me  to  be 
•quiet,  Nuss,  I've  lost  my  dinner,  I  tell  yer,  and  'ow  be 
I  a  goin'  to  git  that  back  ?    I  calls  it  cheatin',  I  do  !  " 

Eliza  had  had  chloroform,  and  she  came  round  veiy 
rapidly  afterwards,  apparently  none  the  worse  for  what 
she  had  "one  through,  except  that  her  temper  was  bad — 


outrageously  bad — even  for  a  child  who  was  naturally 
afflicted  in  that  respect. 

At  this  juncture,  the  doctor  walked  in.  He  was  young 
and  serious  ;  not  particularly  fond  of  children  in  general, 
but  feeling,  somehow^  that  these  poor  little  sick 
creatures  were  getting  a  curiously  tight  grasp  on  his 
sympathies. 

"Has  Eliza  come  round  yet,  Nurse?"  he  said  now. 
"  She's  not  much  of  a  subject  for  an  operation ;  but  she 
ought  to  improve  after  this." 

"  Yes,  she's  come  round  all  right ;  but  won't  you 
speak  to  her,  please?" 

The  young  man  sauntered  down  to  the  child,  expect- 
ing to  find  her  subdued,  and,  possibly,  tearful.  She  lay 
quietly  watching  his  approach,  then  he  spoke  to  her : 
"  Well,  little  woman,  I  hope  the  poor  leg  doesn't  hurt 
much  1 " 

Eliza's  eyes  flashed,  and  with  withering  contempt  she 
exclaimed,  "  Wot's  that  got  to  do  with  you  !  I  don't 
want  to  talk  'bout  no  worryin'  old  legs,  I  don't.  Yer 


G4 


TO-DAY. 


Novkmeer  17,  lrf4. 


can  cut  off  both  on  'em  any  time  you 
wants  my  dinner.'' 

The  surprised  doctor 
promptly  suggested  milk 
or  beef-tea  as  suitable 
refreshment  for  a  small 
person  only  just  through 
an  operation  ;  but  his  re- 
marks were  received  with 
scorn  and  "  How'd  yer 
like  it  yerself,  doctor, 
supposin'  yer  wos  told 
yer'd  have  meat  and 
taters  every  day,  not 
only  Sundays,  but  every 
bloomin'  week-day  to<'s 
and  then  to  have  'em 
stopped  jes  'cos  o'  the 
chloroform?  Wot's 
chlo-ro-form,  indeed,  to 
do  'stead  o'  meat  and 
taters  1  Yer  could  'ave 
had  all  the  opera- 
tions yer  wanted  to,  and 
I'd  never  'ave  minded. 
But  yer  needn't  'ave 
took  away  my  dinner  ! 
It's  real  mean,  and  blessed 
mother ! " 


likes  to.    But  I  "Good  Heavens!  Nurse,  what's  to  be  done1?"  said 

the  puzzled  surgeon.    "Are  children  all  like  this?" 

"  Not  all ;  but  the  loss 
of  the  dinner's  the  chief 
grievance  always.  I  gene- 
rally manage  to  give 
them  a  kind  of  '  company 
tea  '  after  a  safe  interval, 
and  the  anticipation  of 
that  keeps  most  of  them 
contented.  But  Eliza's 
rather  a  handful.  She's 
got  a  very  poor  home, 
and  the  child  has  been 
half-starved  all  her  life. 
She  devours  her  1  meat 
and  taters '  like  a  little 


They  managed  to  calm 
Eliza's  impatience,  and 
then  the  young  man 
cheerfully  retired. 

"  Live  and  learn,"  he 
said  to  himself.  "  She's 
lost  half  her  leg,  and  she's 
as  unhealthy  as  possible, 
but  bears  everything  like 
a  Spartan,  except  the  loss  of  one  feast  of  '  Taters  and 
Meat ' ! " 


I    WANTS    MY  DINNER 


if   I   don't    tell  my 


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MAGAZINE -JOURNAL 
E*dte\By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Vol.  V.— No.  55.     LONDON,  SATURDAY,  NOVEMBER  24,  1894.     Peice  Twopence. 


LOVE    IN   A  SNOWSTORM. 


BY 


M.   BABINGTON  BAYLEY. 

Illustrated  by  0.  Eckhardt. 


She  was  a  little  Puritan  maiden,  with  honest  grey 
eyes,  and  a  sweet,  bashful  face.  Her  parents  called  her 
Dorothy ;  her  friends,  Doll}7.  She  had  been  brought  up 
very  strictly,  and 
it  was  not  without 
misgivings  that  her 
straight  .laced 
family  allowed  her 
to  visit  her  rich 
uncle  and  aunt  in 
London.  But  they 
could  not  well  re- 
fuse the  invita- 
tion. Even  Puritan 
people  know  how 
to  value  their 
moneyed  relatives. 

Dolly  had  been 
in  London  only  one 
short  week,  and  she 
was  bewitched  with 
everything  she  saw. 
She  loved  her  uncle 
and  aunt,  both  of 
whom  displayed 
strong  affection  for 
her,  and  indulged 
her  in  a  freedom 
she  had  never 
tasted  before.  She 
was  delighted  with 
the  substantial  old 
house,  with  its 
large  rooms,  big 
fireplaces  and  com- 
fortable furniture. 
More  than  all,  she 
admired  London 
itself.  The  busy 
streets,  with  their 
palatial  shops ;  the 

colossal  buildings — St.  Paul's,  the  Abbey,  the  Houses  of 
Parliament,  the  broad,  quiet  squares,  which  seemed  to 
have  been  dropped  down  at  random  amongst  the  wilder- 


SHE    ENJOYED    IT  IMMENSELY. 


ness  of  houses  ;  the  gay  restaurants,  and  the  brilliant, 
fascinating  theatres.  She  particularly  liked  it  at  night, 
when  illumined  by  countless  lights,  whose  reflections  glit- 
tered on  the  pavement ;  and  when  the  black  darkness  of 
the  sky,  unaccompanied  by  the  deathly  silence  that  it 
brought  in  the  country,  seemed  rather  to  enhance  the 
noise  and  bustle  of  the  prodigal  streets.  There  was  some- 
thing romantic  about  it  all.  It  thrilled  her,  she  knew 
not  why.    Her  heart  beat  faster,  her  pulses  bounded 

more  quickly,  she 
felt  more  alive  than 
she  had  ever  felt 
before. 

There  was 
another  source  of 
pleasure.  Never 
before  had  she  been 
thrown  into  the 
•company  of  so  en- 
gaging a  young- 
gentleman  as  her 
cousin  Tom,  the 
only  child  of  her 
uncle  and  aunt.  He 
was  Dolly's  senioi 
by  some  half-dozen 
years.  Had  Dolly's 
parents  suspected 
what  manner  of 
young  man  he  was, 
they  would  have 
made  a  special 
journey  to  London 
to  bring  their 
daughter  home. 
Fortunately,  they 
were  ignorant. 
There  was  nothing 
really  bad  about 
the  lad.  He  had  a 
very  good  heart, 
but  he  wanted 
steadying  a  little. 
He  was  exactly  the 
sort  of  dashing, 
reckless,  freehanded 
young  English- 
man that  a  handsome,  manly  fellow  becomes  when 
placed  in  circumstances  of  wealth  and  freedom.  The 
first  time  he  saw  his  cousin  Dolly  he  decided  that  she 


CO 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1814. 


was  a  very  pretty  girl,  but  shy,  and  that  it  would  be 
worth  while  to  draw  her  out. 

He  found  it  not  easy ;  and  that,  notwithstanding  the 
fact,  had  he  known  it,  that  there  was  in  Dolly's  heart  an 
intense  willingness  to  be  drawn  out  by  cousin  Tom. 
But  that  shyness  of  hers  was  a  formidable  barrier.  Sue 
could  not  chatter ;  the  thing  was  impossible.  Her 
silence  had  been  inbred  so  long  that  it  had  become  part 
of  her  anatomical  structure ;  and  Tom,  in  spite  of  all 
his  conversational  talents  and  social  polish,  frequently 
found  himself  reduced  by  it  to  a  corresponding  state. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  Dolly  could  not  speak,  she  could 
look.  She  had  extremely  eloquent  eyes;  eyes  that 
spoke  far  more  than 
1ier  lips.  Tom  soon 
began  to  watch  those 

eyes,  and  to  love  them.  

He  no  longer 
attempted  to  make  his 
cousin  talk  ;  her  eyes 
rendered  conversation 
unnecessary. 

One  afternoon,  in 
the  first  week  of 
January,  he  sauntered 
into  his  mother's 
sitting-room,  and  there 
discovered  Dolly, 
sitting,  like  the  his- 
toric Miss  Muffit,  on 
a  buffet  in  front  of 
the  fire.  Her  fingers 
were  busy  with  some 
crochet  work.  Tom 
drew  a  chair  to  the 
fire. 

"  Are  you  going  out 
to-night,  Dolly  1 " 

She  lifted  her  eyes 
from  her  needle.  "Not 
to-night." 

"  Not.  Are  you 
sorry  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  I  suppose  you're 
getting  rather  tired  of 
it.  You've  been  «ut 
pretty  nearly  every 
night  lately,  haven't 
you?" 

"  Yes.  I'm  not  tired 
of  it,  though  ;  I  like 
it.  But  auntie  and  1 
are  going  to  have  a 
quiet  evening  to-night, 
and  I  shall  like  that 
just  as  well." 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  Are  you  sure  you 
will  like  it  just  as 
well." 

"I     beg  your 
pardon?"  said  Dolly. 

He  moved  on  his  chair.  "Well,"  he  said,  "I  want 
you  to  come  out  with  me  to-night,  if  you  will." 

She  looked  at  him  in  amazement.  "Out  with  you? 
Why,  where  to?" 

"  The  theatre,"  he  responded. 

Pleasure  shone  in  her  face.  She  gasped  with  delight. 
"  Oh,  you  are  kind  !    But  do  you  think  auntie  will  allow 

me?" 

"  I'll  ask  her,"  said  naughty  Tom.  It  was  really  very 
wrong  of  him,  for  Dolly's  parents  would  have  been 
scandalised  at  the  idea  of  their  daughter  being  seen  in  a 
theatre,  t  However,  they  were  not  there  to  see.  It 
never  occurred  to  Dolly  that  it  could  be  wrong  for  her 
to  go  after  Tom  had  proposed  it,  and  so,  as  Tom's 
parents  raised  no  objections,  they  started  in  due  course. 


TZEIiE    HAD    BEEN    A    HEAVY    FALL    OF  SNO\ 


The  only  condition  imposed  on  them  (and  the  sequel 
proved  it  a  sound  one;  was  to  wrap  up  well,  which  they 
did. 

How  Dolly  enjoyed  the  performance  it  is  unnecessary 
to  relate  in  detail.  She  did  enjoy  it  immensely ;  and  she 
frequently  turned  to  Tom  and  thanked  him  so  earnestly 
for  his  kindness  in  having  brought  her,  that  Tom  began 
to  feel  the  ecstacy  that  follows  virtuous  conduct.  Her 
enjoyment  robbed  her,  for  the  first  time,  of  her  shyness. 
Her  face  glowed  with  an  unusual  animation.  There  was 
a  colour  in  her  cheeks,  and  a  sparkle  in  her  eyes,  that  had 
not  been  there  before.  When  a  shy  maiden  does 
wake  up  to  animation  she  is  ten  times  more  dangerously 

attractive    than  her 
vivacious  sisters,  who 
sparkle  all  day  long. 
_  _  Tom    thought  his 

cousin's  face  more 
seductively  sweet  than 
he  had  imagined  it 
could  be.  He  warmed 
towards  her.  He  no 
longer  wanted  to  draw 
her  out,  to  flirt  with 
her.  He  was  in  love 
now,  all  the  way. 

They  made  no  haste 
out  of  the  theatre, 
with  the  result  that, 
when  they  reached  the 
ctreet,  there  was  not 
an  available  hansom. 

"We'd  better  walk 
on  a  bit,"  said  Tom. 
"We  shall  come  to 
one  presently." 

There  had  been  a 
heavy  fall  of  snow 
during  the  perform- 
ance, and  the  pave- 
ment of  the  Strand 
was  all  slushy  and 
sloppy. 

"  It's  rather  un- 
pleasant under  foot- 
Dolly,"  said  Tom. 
"You'd  better  take 
my  arm." 

She  did  as  she  was 
bid,  and  immediately 
experienced  a  curious 
sense  of  being  owned. 
It  seemed  to  her  that 
she  belonged  to  her 
cousin.  While,  as  for 
Tom,  the  soft  touch  of 
those  small,  gloved 
fingers  on  his  coat- 
sleeve  gave  him  more 
pleasure  than  all  his 
previous  amorous 
adventures  rolled  into 
one. 

When  they  came  to  Trafalgar  Square  Dolly  gave  a 
little  scream  of  delight. 
"  Oh  !"  she  cried,  "  how  pretty  1 " 

It  was  pretty.  The  whole  square — fountains,  statues, 
and  all,  wherever  the  snow  could'  find  a  lodging — lay 
draped  in  white.  The  portions  that  were  free  from 
snow  looked  doubly  black  by  contrast.  It  was  a  study 
in  white,  with  just  a  little  black  to  help  it  out.  Over- 
head, fleecy  clouds  scudded  rapidly,  and  a  full,  bright 
moon  stared  down  at  the  glittering  panorama.  The 
square  was  as  light  as  day. 

"Oh,  how  beautiful !  I  didn't  think  London  could 
look  so  lovely  \" 

Tom  looked  at  tho  speaker,  and  thought  her  lovelier 
than  the  scene  she  admired- 


November  24,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


G7 


"  Yes,"  he  said,  with  his  eyes  on  her  face,  "  it  is  beau- 
tiful, very  beautiful,  indeed." 

"Oh,"  said  Dolly,  "let  us  walk  home.  We  don't 
want  to  take  a  cab  on  a  lovely  night  like  this.  I 
wouldn't  miss  the  walk  for  the  world.  It  isn't  far,  really, 
is  it?" 

"  About  a  mile,"  said  Tom. 

"Only  a  mile.  Oh,  that  is  nothing.  Let  us  walk. 
Shall  we?"  . 

"  Decidedly,  if  you  wish  it.  You'd  better  take  my  arm 
again,"  for  in  her  rapturous  admiration  she  had  slipped 
Jier  hand  loose,  "  the  streets  are  slippery." 

They  walked  on  for  three  or  four  minutes.  Suddenly 
Dolly's  foot  slipped.  Tom,  with  remarkable  presence  of 
mind,  prevented  her  from  falling  by  putting  his  arm 
round  her  waist.  That  was  a  new  experience  for  Dolly. 
It  had  never  happened  before,  and  she  was  overcome  by 
the  strangeness  of  it.  She  didn't  say  anything,  but  she 
blushed,  and  her  face  looked  exquisitely  pretty.  I  don't 
think  Tom  was  to  be  blamed  very  much  for  bending  down 
and  kissing  it.  He  should  not  have  done  it,  of  course ; 
it  was  wrong;  but  the  temptation  was  considerable. 
Dolly  released  herself  indignantly,  pushing  him  from 
her.  They  walked  a  short  distance  in  an  awkward 
silence. 

•'  Dolly,  are  you  angry  with  me  1 " 
No  reply. 

"Dolly" — very  humbly — "I'm  awfully  sorry;  but 
you  looked  so  pretty  that  I  couldn't  help  it." 

Still  a  severe  silence. 

"  Won't  you  forgive  me,  Dolly  ? " 

The  grey  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  ground,  and  the  pretty 
lips  were  pressed  firmly  together.  He  caught  her  fingers. 
She  tried  to  pull  them  away,  but  it  was  useless. 

"  Won't  you  forgive  me,  Dolly  1 "  he  said  again. 

She  found  her  voice  at  length. 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  make  me  say  things.    Of  course 
I  forgive  you,  but — you  oughtn't  to  have  done  it." 
"  I  am  really  very  sorry,  Dolly,"  he  said,  repentantly. 
Then  the  snow  came  down. 

There  was  no  mistake  about  it,  either ;  it  did  come 
■down,  with  a  vengeance.  The  flakes  were  nearly  as  large 
as  a  man's  hand,  and  the  sky  was  full  of  them. 

"  Dolly,"  said  Tom,  firmly,  "  you  must  take  my  arm 
and  hold  tightly.    We  are  going  to  catch  it." 

She  took  his  arm,  and  he  hurried  her  along  as  fast  as 
he  could.  It  was  no  use.  The  snow  pelted  their  faces  so 
severely  that  in  less  than  two  minutes  they  were  nearly 
numbed  with  the  cold. 


WHY   TOMMY  ATKINS 
DESERTS. 

BY 

AN  EX-DRAGOON. 

Thi;re  is  a  very  general  impression  that  the  deserter 
"is  regarded  by  his  companions  with  the  greatest  scorn 
and  contempt.  This  impression,  however,  is  a  very 
-erronfous  one,  for  desertion,  nowadays,  is  considered  a 
very  venial  offence,  not  only  by  the  humble  private  but 
by  the  non-coms,  and  even  by  many  officers  themselves. 
That  is,  when  the  act  in  question  is  committed  during 
the  time  a  corps  is  at  home ;  desertion  while  on  foreign 
-or  active  service  being  the  most  serious  military  "  crime," 
and  the  offender  rendering  himself  liable  to  condign  pun- 
ishment— in  the  latter  case,  death — but  it  is  of  exceeding 
rarity  under  these  circumstances.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  number  of  men  who  every  year  desert  while  serving 
at  home  is  very  large  indeed,  and  from  recent  returns 
seems  to  show  no  sign  of  diminishing  to  any  appreciable 
extent.  It  is  obvious  that  there  must  be  some  reason 
for  this  state  of  things ;  some  drawbacks,  some  corre- 
sponding disadvantages  to  balance  "The  Advantages  of 
the  Army,"  so  alluringly  set  forth  in  many  a  gaudy 
7  >la  card. 


"  We  must  shelter  somewhere  till  the  violence  of  the 
storm  is  spent,"  said  Tom.  He  looked  about  him  for  a 
convenient  doorway.  Fortunately,  there  was  one  near. 
He  placed  Dolly  inside  it,  so  that  the  snow  could  not 
get  to  her,  and  stationed  himself  at  her  side. 

"  Are  you  cold,  Dolly? "  he  said. 

"  Not  very,  thank  you,"  she  replied.    "  Are  you  ? " 

"  I  ?  Oh !  it  doesn't  matter  about  me,  dear.  You 
are  the  important  member  of  this  small  community 
Are  you  sure  you  are  not  cold?  Will  you  have  my 
muffler?" 

He  commenced  to  take  it  off. 

"  No,  indeed ! "  exclaimed  Dolly,  preventing  him. 
"  Do  you  think  I  would  take  it  from  you  ?  But  it  was  kind 
of  you  to  offer  it — very  kind  !    You  are  kind  to  me. " 

"  kind  ! "  said  Tom,  warmly.  "  Who  could  help  being 
kind?" 

He  pressed  more  closely  to  her.  Outside,  the  snow 
descended  heavily. 

"  Dolly,"  said  Tom,  speaking  low,  "  have  you  quite 
forgiven  me  ? " 

She  smiled,  but  did  not  say  anything.  His  arm  stole 
round  her  again.  She  made  no  effort  to  repulse  it.  He 
looked  at  her  face.  The  cold  had  turned  it  a  dead  white, 
but  it  was  beginning  to  glow  again,  and  he  thought  it 
had  never  looked  prettier. 

"  Dolly,"  he  whispered,  "  I  love  you ! " 

Her  heart  bounded.  He  loved  her  !  Oh  !  the  blissful 
thought  !• 

"  Dolly,"  he  whispered  again,  "  could  you  care  for  me, 
ever  so  little?" 

"  Yes,"  she  murmured. 

Their  eyes,  and  then  their  lips,  met.  After  that,  I 
don't  think  either  of  them  minded  the  cold  much. 

They  were  prisoned  in  that  sanctified  doorway  an  hour 
before  the  snow  abated,  and  then  it  took  them  another 
twenty  minutes  to  get  home.  They  were  received  with 
rejoicings. 

"  We  thought  you  had  got  lost,"  said  the  master  oi 
the  house. 

Dolly  ran  straight  into  her  aunt's  arms,  and  burst 
into  a  fit  of  sobbing. 

"  My  poor  child  !"  said  the  lady,  caressing  her,  "  you  are 
overwrought ;  and  no  wonder.  Tom,  you  haven't  taken 
proper  care  of  her." 

"  Oh !  but  he  has,"  said  Dolly,  smiling  through  her 
tears.    "  It  isn't  that." 

"  She  has  promised  to  be  my  wife  !  "  said  Tom. 

The  rest  isn't  worth  telling. 


These  "  highly-coloured "  (in  more  senses  than  one) 
posters  may  be  held  directly  responsible  for  a  certain 
number  of  desertions.  A  number  of  recruits,  possessed 
of  a  sanguine  temperament,  have  had  their  imaginations 
inflamed  thereby,  and  consequently  enter  the  service 
thinking  that  a  very  easy  and  pleasurable  existence  lies 
before  them.  Then,  after  a  time,  varying  in  length  ac- 
cording to  the  particular  regiment  ana'  the  temperament 
of  the  recruit,  the  glamour  begins  to  fade  and  disgusted 
with  his  disillusionment  and,  should  he  happen  to  be  a 
man  of  some  education,  loathing  his  surroundings,  he 
either  persuades  his  friends  to  purchase  his  discharge, 
or  if  not  so  fortunately  situated,  he  "  goes  away  without 
a  pass,"  to  use  one  of  Tommy  Atkins'  euphemisms. 
These  men  form  only  a  very  small  percentage  of  the 
total,  and,  curiously  enough,  are  rarely  captured,  and 
scarcely  ever  "  give  themselves  up."  And  here  it  may 
be  mentioned  that  no  idea  could  be  more  mistaken  than 
to  suppose  that  a  deserter  is  hunted  down  with  unre- 
lenting vigour,  for  of  late  years  the  authorities  have 
arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  such  a  course  is  merely  a 
waste  of  time  and  money,  and  therefore  unless  a  deserter 
positively  forces  them  to  take  cognizance  of  him,  he  is 
left  unmolested. 

Not  a  few  men  who  have  committed  some  offence  pun- 
ishable by  the  law  of  the  land  seek  refuge  in  the  ranks. 
"'  Once  in  the  Army,  and  we  shall  be  safe"  ;  that's  what 


68 


TO-DAY. 


Novembek  24,  1894. 


they  think,  but  very  frequently  after  a  short  stay,  dis- 
cover that  such  is  unlikely  to  prove  the  case,  and  that 
unless  they  are  desirous  of  becoming  acquainted'  with  the 
inside  of  a  prison,  they  will  have  to  speedily  "  move." 
Then  there  are  the  men  who  have  made  false  attesta- 
tions upon  enlistment ;  from  the  young  fellow  who,  harm- 
lessly enough,  deceives  the  authorities  by  adding  a  year 
to  his  age,  which  would  otherwise  debar  him  from  join- 
ing without  his  parents'  consent,  to  the  "  old  fraud,"  who 
can  hardly  remember  how  many  regiments  he's  been  in, 
and  deserted,  or  been  "dismissed  with  ignominy"  from. 

The  married'  men  who  enlist  are  by  no  means  few; 
sometimes  it  is  a  temporary  arrangement  between  hus- 
band and  wife  pending  the  arrival  of  better  times,  but, 
needless  to  say,  in  many  more  instances  the  man's  object 
in  enlisting  is  to  get  rid  of  his  wife.  Occasionally  she 
or  her  relatives  may  get  wind  of  his  whereabouts,  and 
institute  proceedings ;  he  naturally  makes  himself  scarce 
to  avoid  the  unpleasant  alternative  of  undergoing  a  term 
of  imprisonment,  and  having  to  go  back  to — and  what  is 
still  worse — maintain  his  wife.  On  the  other  hand, 
men  thus  situated  often  "  round  on  themselves  " — that  is 
to  say,  get  tired  of  soldiering,  and'  inform  the  authorities 
that  they  enlisted  under  false  pretences.  Of  course, 
they  get  handed  over,  to  be  dealt  with  by  the  civil  power, 
but  their  sentence  is  generally  a  light  one,  for  the  wife's 
sake,  and  in  any  case  they  have  achieved  their  object — ■ 
to  get  out  of  the  service. 

Not  infrequently  the  reason  for  a  man  making  a  hur- 
ried departure  from  his  regiment  is  precisely  the  same 
one  that  induced  him  to  hrst  enlist.  The  sold'ier's 
prowess  with  the  ladies  is  proverbial ;  nor,  indeed,  has  it 
been  very  much  exaggerated.  It  is  quite  unaccountable, 
but  there  it  is  ;  not  only  does  the  "  scarlet  jacket"  seem 
bo  have  a  marvellous  effect  upon  the  fair  sex,  but  even  upon 
the  wearer  himself.  So  much  so,  that  a  man  who,  before 
enlistment,  was  quite  bashful  and  shamefaced  in  the 
presence  of  females,  suddenly  develops  into'  a  Lothario 
of  the  most  pronounced  type.  And,  of  course,  his  little 
affaires  are  now  and  then  fraught  with  somewhat  awk- 
ward consequences,  for — one  does  not  speak  of  these 
little  matters — sufficient  to  say  that  he  finds  himself 
obliged  to  forfeit  a  substantial  slice  out  of  his  at  no  time 
extravagant  pay  for  the  remainder  of  his  time — a  by  no 
means  cheerful  prospect  to  contemplate.  Sometimes  a 
man  will  desert  because  he's  in  debt;  perhaps  he's 
stopped  absent  and  lost  his  kit,  or  spoiled'  a  new  suit  of 
"  April "  clothing,  and  hasn't  got  the  heart  to  soldier 
for  two  or  three  months  on  a  penny  a  day  until  the 
amount  is  cleared.  Then  there  are  fellows  who  desert 
apparently  out  of  "  sheer  cussedness  "  ;  these  are  gener- 
ally men  who  are  in  receipt  of  an  allowance  from  their 
friends.  Each  time  they  get  it  they  "  chuck  a  move  " 
(go  on  the  spree),  get  drunk,  absent  themselves,  and  go 
off  to  the  nearest  town  with  a  comrade,  get  into  mufti, 
play  up  "  Old  Harry  "  for  two  or  three  weeks,  and  then 
march  back  to  barracks  without  a  halfpenny,  glad  enough 
to  get  something  to  eat  and  a  roof  over  their  head.  Of 
course  they  get  cells,  and'  later  on  Court  Martial,  but  as 
soon  as  they  are  at  liberty  again,  they  go  on  "continuing 
the  motion,"  with  military  monotony.  And,  again, 
there  are  the  professional  deserters,  or  what  Tommy  has 
dubbed  "old  frauds."  They  are  the  men  who  make  a 
business  of  joining  corps  after  corps,  getting  new  kits, 
"  d'oing  them  in  "  (selling  them),  and  then  taking  their 
departure.  One  of  these  gentry,  whom  the  writer  had 
the  privilege  of  being  acquainted  with,  bragged  that  he 
had  been  in  more  than  half  the  line  battalions,  in  addition 
to  cavalry  and  militia  "  too  numerous  to  mention  "  ! 

It  might  be  well  supposed  that  the  foregoing  examples 
would  have  amply  accounted  for  a  goodly  portion  of 
the  total  desertions,  but  the  number  of  men  who  desert 
owing  to  idleness,  dissipation,  past  misdeeds,  and  devil- 
may-care-ishness  is  trifling  compared  to  the  falling  away 
of  sober,  industrious  fellows,  who  arc  literally  driven  to 
it.  The  system  which  conduces  to  this  lamentable  stale 
of  affairs  is  known  as  "chasing."  No  name  could  he 
more  appropriate.  To  give  a  civilian,  any  adequate 
definition  of  the  word  (in  its  military  sense)  is  almost 


impossible  •  perhaps  the  best  way  to  describe  it  is  by 
saying  that  it  strongly  resembles  what  schoolboys  calL 
"  sending  a  chap  to  Coventry."  Only,  whereas  this 
means  treating  the  hapless  individual  with  passive  in- 
difference, when  a  man  is  "  chased "  he  is  subjected  to- 
every  indignity  and  every  discomfort  which  the  perverted 
ingenuity  of  his  "comrades"  can  possibly  devise. 
What  heinous  crime  does  a  man  have  to  commit  to  call 
forth  this  vengeance?  Virtually — none.  Perhaps  a 
recruit  offends  a  clique  of  old  soldiers — won't  spend  all 
his  "daily"  with  them  in  the  canteen,  or  some  similar- 
trifling  offence  against  barrack-room  etiquette;  a  hint 
is  dropped  to  his  squad  sergeant,  and  then  the  fun  begins  ! 
He  can  never  do  anything  right ;  he  is  invariably 
"  checked  "  on  parade.  Should  he  be  in  a  cavalry  regi- 
ment, he  may  spend  hours  at  his  horse  and  saddle,  only 
to  have  them  proclaimed  "  filthy."  He  is  persecuted  by 
his  equals,  who  vie  with  one  another  in  malignity,  and, 
if  he  happens  to  be  the  sort  of  man  whom  it  does  not  pay 
to  attempt  to  personally  maltreat,  what  so  easy  as  to- 
"accidentally"  upset  the  blacking  on  the  belts  he  nas 
just  cleaned  for  guard,  or  to  wait  until  he's  on  guard, 
and  then  remove  half  his  kit?  The  worst  feature  of  the 
whole  business  is  that  it  is  not  confined  to  the  men  them- 
selves ;  the  squad  sergeant  gives  the  "  tip  "  to  the  colour 
sergeant  or  troop  sergeant  major,  and  then  a  chan«e  let 
fall  to  the  captain,  and  the  thing  is  complete.  The 
captain  naturally  gets  the  desired  impression  ihat  the 
man  is  a  dirty,  lazy  skulker,  and  so  he,  albeit  often  un- 
wittingly, contributes  his  little  share  to  the  general 
ill-treatment  showered  upon  the  unfortunate  wight.  It 
is  not  difficult  to  foretell  what  will  be  the  end  of  the 
drama.  Bullied  and  persecuted  by  his  comrades,  looked 
upon  as  an  idle  and  worthless  fellow  by  his  superiors, 
always  on  short  pay  to  make  good  the  deficiencies  in  his 
kit,  continually  being  punished  for  little  back-slidings 
which  would  be  passed  over  without  comment  in  another, 
what  wonder  if  he  finally  sees  only  one  way  to  cut  the 
Gordian  knot  ?  At  first  he  shuns  the  idea ;  then,  as  his 
life  gets  more  unbearable  every  day,  he  begins  to  regard 
it  with  less  aversion,  and  at  last  one  morning  when 
reveille  is  sounded  his  place  is  vacant,  and  only  a  regi- 
mental number,  the  remains  of  a  kit,  and  an  entry  in 
the  Gazette  are  left  to  indicate  the  existence  of  a  man 
who,  under  more  favourable  circumstances,  might  have- 
been  a  credit  to  himself  and  his  corps.  He  has  been 
literally  "chased"  out  of  the  Service!  What  becomes 
of  him  afterwards,  whether  he  goes  to  swell  the  ranks  of 
the  "  old  frauds,"  or  the  idle  and  criminal  classes,  are 
matters  upon  which  it  is  idle  to  speculate ;  if,  however, 
it  were  possible  to  gather  any  statistics  upon  the  subiect, 
thev  might  furnish  much  food  for  thought,  not  alto- 
gether of  an  exhilarating  nature. 


TURNING   THE  TABLES. 


About  one  hundred  years  ago  the  ruler  of  one 
of  the  small  German  states  was  expected  in  his 
residence  by  a  loyal  people,  who  were  patiently- 
waiting  on  either  side  of  the  "  via  triumphalis."  It  was 
twelve,  and  at  ten  o'clock  his  most  serene  Highness 
should  have  arrived.  Suddenly,  behind  the  broad 
shoulders  of  a  watchman,  entrusted  with  the  maintenance 
of  public  order,  an  old  man  was  heard  to  grumble, 
"  When  is  the  lazy  old  beggar  going  to  turn  up?"  The- 
eye  of  the  law,  scenting  a  "  crimen  laesae  majestatis. 
collared  the  offender,  and  proceeded  to  drag  him  to  the 
watch.  "What  have  I  done?"  smilingly  pleaded  the 
old  one.  "  You'll  find  that  out  in  a  week  or  so," 
grimly  answered  the  myrmidon  of  the  law  (the  judges  of 
that  time  were  just  about  as  active  as  they  are  now). 

"  Well,  I'll  be  d  d  if  I  understand  you.  I  have  been 

waiting  for  my  friend  Schulze,  cleared  a  place  for  him, 
and  the  lazy  beggar  kept  me  waiting  for  one  hour  and 
a  half."  "Oh,  it's  Schulze  you  meant,  eh?"  quoth  the 
prehistoric  bobbv,  "Why  didn't  you  say  so  before?" 
And  he  turned  to  resume  his  official  duties,  but  his 
former  prisoner  stopped  him,  and  smilingly  asked, 
••  Excuse  me,  but  who  did  you  mean?" 


November  24,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


69 


FAILURES. 

BY 

A.    E.  PAIN. 

Illustrated  by  A.  S.  Forrest. 


'Tant  que  vous  n'aurez  rien  tie  mieux  a  embrasser,  tachez  de  vous  faire 
illusion." — La  Joie  fait  peur. 

E  were  at  school  together.  I 
was  the  show-boy  of  our 
school.  1  did  the  brilliant 
things,  wrote  the  clever  essays, 
made  the  most  successful 
passes.  It  was  inevitable 
that  I  was  to  succeed  in  the 
world.  Succeed  ? —  no,  the 
world  was  mine  for  the  ask- 
ing. As  for  Bontor,  who 
thought  of  him  ?  He  was 
near  the  end  of  the  form  ;  I 
remember  him  well.  He  wore 
dirty  collars,  hadn't  much 
money,  and  was  dense  in 
school.  He  played  football 
passably,  and  was  banned 
as  having  commercial  in- 
stincts. He  had  low  tricks 
of  sale  and  barter  with 
boyish  tools  and  toys,  which 
afterwards  seemed  less 
useful  and  delightful  than  at  first,  generally  having 
some  skilfully-hidden  flaw.  It  was  supposed  that  he 
would  go  into  his  father's  office,  the  elder  Bontor  being 
a  merchant  (rag-merchant,  our  boyish  wit  said)  in  the 
■  City.    As  for  brilliancy  or  success — ridiculous ! 

Bontor  left  school  before  I  did.  His  father  had 
gone  bankrupt,  it  appeared.  Not  much  notice  was 
taken  of  his  leaving.    He  was  nobody. 

I  left  not  very  long  after;  when  I  had  finished  the  , 
course,  in  fact.  The  Head-Master  took  leave  of  me  in  ?; 
a  very  neat  and  laudatory  speech;  expressed  regret 
that  I  was  not  going  to  a  University ;  expected  to-  hear 
of  my  success;  and,  in  fact,  seemed  to  be  grateful  for 
my  having  condescended  to  shine  in  his  school.  The  boys 
cheered  me  when  I  went  home.  I  should  have  liked  to 
have  gone  to  Cambridge,  certainly.  It  seemed  the 
obvious  next  step  for  a  young  man  of  my  powers.  I 
had  quite  a  quarrel  with  my  father  when  he  said  he 
could  not  afford  to  let  me  go.  It  was  my  right,  I 
thought,  and  I  resented  the  loss  of  it.  However,  it  was 
impossible,  and,  after  all,  a  University  education  was 
not  so  absolutely  necessary  in  those  days.  As  my 
mother  reminded  me,  to  a  young  man  of  my  genius  the 
world  would  open  at  a  touch.  I  agreed  with  her,  and 
wrote  an  Essay :  a  luminous  and  brilliant  essay.  It 
was  not  published. 

My  father  began  to  look  glum  when  I  had  been  at 
home  twelve  months,  and  was  still  at  his  expense.  I 
pointed  out,  and,  I  still  think,  rightly,  that  it  was  not 
my  fault,  but  the  world's.  He  was  illogical,  and  showed 
me  his  bank-book.  Upon  this  persuasion,  I  swallowed 
my  pride,  and  wrote  a  novel.  It  took  four  months 
to  write,  and  was  not  published.  My  father  and  brothers 
became  covertly  sarcastic.  My  father  even  wished 
openly  that  I  had  not  been  brilliant.  All  this  was  hard, 
but  I  succumbed,  and  tried  hard  for  employment  on  the 
best  newspapers,  then  on  magazines,  then  on  minor 
papers,  and,  lastly,  even  on  the  ruck  of  weekly  dust- 
heaps.    Brilliancy  was  at  a  discount. 

I  left  home  after  this,  at  my  father's  request,  and 
tried  to  sell  my  novel  again,  but  still  without  success. 
After  a  while  I  became  a  Devil  ;  I  grubbed  among  books 
for  more  successful  but  less  talented  men.  I  could  be 
seen  daily  at  the  British  Museum. 

*  *  *  *  * 

I  was  sitting  in  Staple  Inn  one  afternoon,  under  the 
'  trees.  This  was  some  years  after  I  had  left  home,  and 
T  had  not  yet  "  arrived."    On  the  other  hand,  I  had  not 


then  even  began  to  doubt  myself.  At  that  time  I  thought 
my  hard  luck  was  the  usual  tempering  process  which 
my  biographical  knowledge  assured  me  all  men  of 
genius  had  to  suffer.  I  was  waiting  for  the  world  to 
acknowledge  me.  Now,  I  have  got  past  that  stage;  I 
am  sarcastic  at  the  mention  of  successful  men,  and 
satirical  as  to  the  world's  favour. 

I  was  tired  when  I  sat  down  in  Staple  Inn.  I  had 
been  walking  about  all  day  to  pass  the  time,  and  was 
feeling  hungry.  It  was  early  autumn,  and  I  should 
have  liked  an  overcoat,  and  missed  my  waistcoat.  There 
was  a  young  man  sitting  on  the  seat  by  me,  eating  a 
saveloy ;  a  pen-knife  and  a  roll  were  in  a  piece  of  paper 
by  his  side.  He  was  seedy,  but  well  brushed ;  his  boots 
were  down  at  heel,  and  his  nails  black.  His  felt  hat  had 
been  inked.  I  had  been  sitting  some  minutes,  when  he 
suddenly  stopped  munching,  and  said,  "  Hallo,  Grant !  " 
I  looked  round  in  some  surprise,  and  he  continued, 
"Don't  you  know  me?"  "No,"  I  said,  with  some 
asperity ;  he  was  a  common-looking  man.  "  Don't  you 
remember  Bontor,  of  St.  Greg's?"  he  said. 

I  was  half  inclined  to  decline  to  recognise  him ;  but 
even  Bontor  was  companionship,  and  I  need  not  know 
him  if  I  got  better  off.  We  talked — or,  rather,  he  talked. 
He  told  me  he  was  a  clerk  in  an  office  in  Gray's  Inn  Road 
— not  doing  very  well,  he  said.  "  You  see,"  said  he, 
"  our  boss  is  a  bit  of  a  screw,  and  he  believes  in  buying 
in  the  cheapest  market.  He  bought  me  there,  and  I 
am  dirt  cheap.  That's  why  I  am  lunching  out  here. 
Have  a  bit?" 


WE   TALKED — OK,    KATHER,    HE  TALKED. 

"  No,  thank  you !  "  I  said,  coldly.  "  I  have  lunched.' 
That  was  not  true. 

"  As  you  please,  old  chap.  How's  things  with  you? " 
"  I  am  doing  fairly  well,  thanks,"  I  replied. 


Copyright  1S94,  by  A.  F.  Pain. 


70 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  18C1-. 


"  Of  course,"  he  acquiesced.  I  looked  up  sharply, 
suspecting  sarcasm,  but  he  was  looking  at  a  sparrow. 
"  You  were  always  a  brilliant  chap,  and  were  sure  to  get 
on." 

This — whether  sarcasm  or  honest  belief — was  rather 
more  than  I  could  bear.  I  got  up  and  said  I  must  go.  Said 
Bontor,  "I've  got  half  an  hour  to  spare,  so  I'll  walk  with 
you."  We  walked  along  Holborn,  he  with  his  hands  in 
his  pockets.  He  laughed  contentedly  over  his  troubles, 
and  told  me  shamelessly  of  his  many  shifts  to  live. 
This  suited  me,  as  it 
left  me  no  necessity  to 
talk.  It  seemed  he  was 
the  same  Bontor  as  at 
school.  "  Make  a  bit 
sometimes,"  he  said. 
"  Know  a  thing  or  two, 
knocking  about.  Quiet 
chaps,  like  you,  know  a 
lot,  but  don't  know 
where  to  get  things.  I 
do,  and  so  I  make  a  bit. 
Pipes — this  anything  in 
your  line  1 "  and  he 
pulled  out  a  flashy 
meerschaum  in  a  red 
case.  I  said  "  No,"  and 
he  continued,  "  I  s'pose 
not  ;  nothing  under 
Murias  for  you,  eh  ? 
Don't  smoke  myself  ; 
too  expensive.  I  sell 
these  things  though — 
100  per  cent.,  and  not 
bad  value,  after  all.  All 
I  make  that  way  I  put 
away ;  do  something 
with  it  some  day.  At 
present  I  live  on  my 
screw — or  less,  if  pos- 
sible. Look  here  ! " 

"  Well  !  "  I  said. 

"  See  my  fron/C  and 
cuffs  ?  Look  very  well, 
don't  they  ?  Grand  idea 
— Cartridge  paper! 
Gentlemanly  appear- 
ance at  precious  little 
cost.  Good  wrinkle;  but 
no  good  to  you,  of  course.    'Ave  a  drink  1 " 

I  said  "  No,"  and  held  out  my  hand.  "  Oh,  come  and 
have  a  drink,"  he  urged,  and  I  yielded.  The  habit  of 
going  without  lunch  is  a  hard  one  to  acquire,  and  I  felt 
faint.  Besides,  I  could  pay  him  back  some  day.  We 
went  into  a  private  bar  in  Chancery  Lane,  and  had  some 
ale.  He  said,  of  course,  I  usually  drank  better  tack 
than  that,  but  he  couldn't  spring  it.  A  man  came  in  as 
we  tedked  ;  florid  with  drink,  and  affable.  "  Excuse  me 
a  minute,"  said  Bontor.  Directly  afterwards  I  saw  him 
speaking  to  the  stranger ;  the  pipe  was  held  up  for  in- 
spection, refused,  re-offered,  haggled  over,  and,  finally, 
changed  hands.  Bontor  came  back  gleefully,  chinking 
a  half-crown  and  a  florin.  "Have  another?"  said  he; 
but  my  pride  had  by  this  time  returned.  I  declined, 
perhaps  a  little  too  haughtily,  and  we  parted. 

I  was  going  to  say  that  things  went  from  bad  to  worse 
with  me,  but  that  would  not  be  exact.  They  stayed  as 
they  were,  and  I  almost  forgot  to  be  discontented.  I 
still  lived  on  the  fatj-ends  of  literature.  I  took  up  a 
scrap  of  the  Daily  Telegraph  one  day,  in  a  Lockhart's 
Cocoa  Rooms — it  must  have  been  some  years  after  I 
met  Bontor.  It  was  only  the  advertisement  sheet ;  but 
I  read  it,  as  men  in  my  case  do.  I  read  the  prospectus 
of  a  new  company.  A  valuable  proprietary  article  was 
to  be  sold,  it  seemed.  The  vendor  was  to  receive 
£G0,()0()  for  his  rights,  half  in  cash  and  half  in  fully 
paid-up  shares.  Further  down,  I  saw  that  Mr.  Philip 
Glostcr  Bontor  was  to  join  the  board  after  allotment.  I 


I    MET  BONTOF. 


laid  down  the  scrap  of  paper  and  walked  out.  Within  a. 
hundred  yards  I  met  Bontor.  I  had  no  desire  to  stop. 
It  might  have  seemed  invidious  under  the  circumstances ; 
but,  almost  involuntarily,  I  halted.  I  thought  a  shade  of 
annoyance  crossed  his  face ;  but  he  stopped,  and  held 
out  his  hand.  He  was  portly  now,  with  dark  moustache- 
and  hard  eyes.  He  had  lived  hard,  but  looked  well. 
He  had  not  the  manner  of  a  gentleman,  however,  as  I 
flatter  myself  I  always  had,  even  with  my  misfortunes, 
He  was  pompous  but  somewhat  condescending,  as  he 

said,  "  Why  Grant  ! 
what  are  you  doing  in 
the  City  ?  Thought  you 
would  be  somewhere 
about  Bedford  Park  or 
Kensington.  Don't 
hear  of  you  much  lately. 
How  goes  it  ? " 

I  muttered  some- 
thing about  "abstruse 
researches,"  when  he 
looked  at  me  keenly, 
and  said  coarsely — 

"  Not  doing  well,  eh  ?' 
Don't  look  it !  " 

I  said  I  was  doing 
very  well,  but  he  con- 
tinued hurriedly — - 

"Know  a  man  named 
Schnitzel  —  going  to 
start  a  new  Society 
paper  ?  Want  a  job  ?  " 

I  was  tempted  to  say 
"Yes,"  but  to  such  a 
cad  as  Bontor  I  could 
not  humble  myself.  I 
said,  proudly,  "  No  !  " 

"  As  you  please,"  he 
replied.  "  Well,  time's 
money  !  Good-bye." 

I  walked  away,  with- 
out answering.  I  had 
expected  kinder  treat- 
ment from  an  old  school- 
fellow. 

*        *  * 

I  saw  Bontor's- 
name  occasionally  in 
odd  newspapers 
after  that.  He  seemed  to  be  getting  on.  I  found  he 
was  married,  and  lived  at  Prince's  Gate.  He  had  a  yacht, 
and  moors  which  the  Prince  of  Wales  shot  over.  All  this 
took  place  during  the  five  years  succeeding  my  second 
meeting  with  him.  Things  were  poorly  with  me  then, 
through  no  fault  of  my  own,  I  am  sure.  Men  did  not  like 
me  to  work  for  them ;  there  was  a  conspiracy  against  me- 
— one  impudent  fellow  even  told  me  I  was  lazy — a  lie !  I 
did  not  drink,  either — at  least,  not  much.  I  could  not 
help  contrasting  bitterly  the  different  fates  of  myself 
and  Bontor,  a  man  with  not  a  quarter  my  abilities.  I 
felt  the  unevenness  of  Fortune,  and  cursed  the  cods. 
One  day  I  looked  at  the  London  Directory  in  a  bar  in 
Fleet  Street,  and  found  Bontor's  City  address.  I  •jot- 
there  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  waited  outside  for  smie 
time.  I  thought  perhaps  he  might  help  me.  At  last 
he  came  out  with  another  man.  I  d'rew  myself  up  and 
hummed,  to  see  if  he  would  recognise  me  and  speak.  He- 
stared  at  me  coldly,  and  barely  nodded.  I  was  mortified, 
but  went  next  day.  As  he  came  out,  I  forced  myself  to 
raise  my  hat. 

He  barely  stopped,  and  said — 
"Well,  what  do  you  want?" 

I  reminded!  him  of  our  school-days,  and  asked  him  to- 
assist  me.    He  looked  at  me  coldly,  and  said — 

"  I  offered  you  work,  and  you  declined  it.  You  are 
lazy — your  hands  show  it;  you  are  a  sloven — your  dres< 
shows  it ;  you  drink — your  face  shows  it.  I  cannot 
help  you." 

This  was  bitter  and  hard  for  mc  to  bear — me,  a  gentle- 


November  24,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


71 


man.    I  wept  that  night,  as  I  told  a  man.  whom  I  met  'n 

a  public-house  how  shamefully  my  old  school-fellow 

had  treated  me. 

***** 

That  was  ten  years  ago.    Bontor  is  M.P.,  J.P.,  and 


a// 


EGNTOK  IS 


several  other  things  now.  He  served  his  term  as  Lord 
Mayor  last  year.  I  went  to  his  office  to  ask  him  for 
assistance  several  times  after  our  last  meeting,  but  coul  1 
never  see  him. 

Yesterday  he  bought  a  box  of  matches  from  me  in 
Cheapside,  and  wouldn't  recognise  me.    Bontor  is  a  cad  ! 


FROM  THE  GREENROOM. 


While  Joseph  Jefferson  was  once  playing  Rip  Van 
Winkle  at  Chicago,  he  went  to  the  theatre  very  much 
exhausted  by  a  long  day's  fishing  on  the  lake.  As  the 
curtain  rose  on  the  third  act,  it  disclosed  the  white- 
haired  Rip  still  deep  in  his  twenty  years'  nap.  Five, 
ten,  twenty  minutes  passed,  and  he  did  not  waken.  The 
audience  began  to  get  impatient,  and  the  prompter  un- 
easy. The  great  actor  doubtless  knew  what  he  was 
about,  but  this  was  carrying  the  realistic  business  too 
far.  The  fact  was,  that  all  this  time  Jefferson  was 
really  sleeping  the  sleep  of  the  just,  or  rather  of  the 
fisherman  who  had  sat  eight  hours  in  the  sun.  Finally 
the  gallery  became  uproarious,  and  one  of  the  "gods" 
wanted  to  know  if  there  was  going  to  be  "  nineteen 
years  more  of  this  snooze  business  ! "  At  this  point 
Jefferson  began  to  snore.  This  decided  the  prompter, 
who  opened  a  small  trap  beneath  the  stage,  and  began 
to  prod  Rip  from  below.    The  fagged  comedian  fumbled 


in  his  pocket  for  an  imaginary  railway  ticket,  and  mut- 
teied,  drowsily,  "Going  right  through,  'ductor."  At 
this  entirely  new  reading  the  audience  was  transfixed 
with  amazement,  when  all  at  once  Jefferson  sat  up  with 
a  loud  shriek,  evidently  in  agony.  The  exasperated 
prompter  had  "jabbed"  him  with  a  pin.  The  play 
went  on  after  that — with  a  rush. 

*  *  *  * 

Charles  Mathews  used  to  tell  a  good  story  in  support 
of  the  truth  of  the  remark  anent  a  Scotchman,  a  joke, 
and  a  surgical  operation.  When  "starring"  in  Edin- 
burgh, his  landlord,  who  seldom  attended  any  other 
public  meeting  save  the  "kirk,"  asked  Mathews  if  he 
would  obnee  him  with  "  a  pass  for  the  playhoose."  This 
favour  being  readilv  granted,  the  "  guid  mon"  donned 
his  cheerful  black  suit,  and  witnessed  Mathews'  two 
great  performances — Sir  Charles  Coldstream  in  Used 
^/p,  and  Plummer  in  Cool  as  a  Cucumber,  both  down- 
■  Ight  "  side-splitters."  Meeting  his  landlord  on  the 
,cairs  as  he  proceeded  to  his  own  room  after  the  per- 
formance, Mathews  was  cordially  greeted  by  that  gentle- 
man, of  whom  he  then  enquired  how  he  had  enjoyed 
the  entertainment.  "  Aweel,"  said  the  Northerner,  "it- 
pleased  me  vara  much,  ye  ken,  and  I  conseeder  you 
p.aycd  unco'  naturally;  but,  heigh,  mon,  I'd  a  hard 
matter  to  keep  frae  laughing." 

#.**# 

Lablache  had  the  extraordinary  talent  of  representing 
a  thunderstorm,  simply  by  facial  expression.  First, 
gloom  gradually  overspread  his  countenance ;  it  ap- 
peared to  deepen  into  actual  darkness,  and  a  terrific 
frown  indicated  the  angry  lowering  of  the  tempest. 
The  lightning  commenced  by  winks  of  the  eyes,  and 
twisting  and  twitchings  of  the  muscles  of  the  face,  suc- 
ceeded by  rapid  sidelong  movements  of  the  mouth, 
which  wonderfully  recalled  the  forked  flashes  that  seem 
to  rend  the  sky,  the  notion  of  thunder  being  conveyed 
by  the  shaking  of  his  head.  By  degrees  the  lightning 
became  less  vivid,  the  frown  relaxed,  the  gloom  de- 
parted, and  a  broad  smile  illuminated  his  expansive 
face,  giving  the  impression  that  the  sun  had  broken 
through  clouds,  and  the  storm  was  over. 

*  *  *  * 

In  September,  1876,  it  was  proposed  to  produce  Rome 
Vaincue  at  the  Theatre  Francais*  There  is  an  old  man 
and  an  old  woman  in  that  piece,  and  the  question  arose 
who  was  to  impersonate  the  old  woman.  Not  every 
actress  is  willing  to  abdicate  her  charms  for  a  whole 
night.  Sarah  Bernhardt,  however,  was  ready  to  hide 
her  youth  and  beauty  under  burnt-cork  wrinkles  and  a 
white  flaxen  wig.  She  appeared  as  Posthumia,  a  blind 
old  crone,  wrinkled  as  a  pippin  in  May.  Mounet-Sully 
impersonated  an  aged  Gaul.  The  success  was  immense ; 
the  public  was  fascinated,  and  the  admiration  of  the 
talented  actress  nearly  degenerated  into  sheer  idolatry. 

*  *  *  * 

In  Marmontel's  tragedy  of  Cleopatra,  represented  in 
the  Theatre  Francais,  when  the  Egyptian  queen  was 
about  to  commit  felo-de-se,  she  held  in  her  hands  a 
mechanical  asp  of  cunning  workmanship  devised  by 
Vaucanson,  the  ingenious  mechanician.  This  venomous 
reptile  reared  its  hes.d,  and,  before  plunging  its  ap- 
parent fangs  into  the  arm  of  the  actress,  gave  a  shrill 
hiss.  A  spectator  hereupon  arose  and  left  the  house, 
with  the  simple  but  expressive  remark,  "  I  am  of  the 
same  opinion  as  the  asp." 

*  *  *  * 

Suzanne  Lagier  was  a  good  actress,  but  extremely 
stout.  She  was  one  night  enacting  a  part  in  a  melo- 
drama with  Taillade,  the  original  Pierre  of  the  Two 
Orphans,  and  this  actor  had  at  one  moment  to  carry 
her  fainting  off  the  stage.  He  tried  with  ail  his  might 
to  lift  the  "  fleshy "  heroine,  but  although  she  helped 
her  little  comrade  by  standing  on  tip-toe  in  the  usual 
manner,  he  was  unable  to  move  her  an  inch.  At  this 
juncture  one  of  the  deities  cried  from  the  gallery,  "  Take 
what  you  can,  and  come  back  for  the  rest." 

—  Current  Literature. 


72 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1894, 


KISS    FOR  KISS. 


Just  one  kiss?    Nay,  sweet,  I  know 
Love  would  never  have  it  so. 
Should  those  lips  of  crimson  stain 
Kiss  me,  I  should  kiss  again  ! 
What  could  fairer  lie  than  this — 
Love  for  love  and  kiss  for  kiss? 


I  would  owe  you  nothing,  sweet, 
Not  a  heart's  faint,  fluttering  beat! 
When  I  feel  your  fond  heart  thrill, 
Dearest,  shall  my  own  be  still  ? 
Nay,  it  must  be  always  this — 
Love  for  love  and  kiss  for  kiss ! 


Kiss  for  kiss ;  the  lilies  white 
Kiss  the  wind  and  kiss  the  light ; 
And  the  wind  the  kiss  returns, 
And  the  light  its  answer  burns 
On  the  lily's  lips — oh,  bliss  ! 
Love's  a  lily — kiss  for  kiss  ! 

Frank  L,  Stantox. 


November  24,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


73 


DE  OMNIBUS, 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


Anythink  as  'appens  on  a  'bus  is  the  fault  of  the 
cornducter.  A  lyedy  gits  inter  a  white  Putney,  with 
Putney  marked  all  over  it,  and  the  cornducter  shoutin' 
Putney  fit  ter  kill  'isself.  She  pyes  'er  money,  awsks  no 
questshings,  sits  there  till  she  gits  ter  the  end  of  the 
rowt,  an'  then  she  says,  "  This  ain't  Kilbu'n.  And  why 
couldn't  yer  sye  it  wasn't  a  Kilbu'n  when  I  got  in  1 " 
Ho  yus ;  we're  yoosed  to  it.  Whortever  'appens,  we  'as 
gort  ter  be  blimed  fur  it.  Nar  once  or  twice  there's 
bin  a  pocket  picked  on  my  'bus,  the  seats  on  'buses  bein' 
arringed  pertickler  'andy  fur  pocket-pickin'.  It  cawn't 
alwise  be  'elped.  Uv  course  I  keep  my  eyes  hopun,  an' 
when  I  think  any  man's  a  wrong  un'  'e  don't  git  much  of 
a  chawnce  on  my  bus.  'Arrever,  them  pickpockets 
is  that  bloomin'  artful,  that  nar  and  then 
there's  no  spottin'  of  'em.  The  other  dye 
as  I  were  stannin'  on  the  'bus  I  feels  a 
umberreller  poke  me  in  the  back  o'  the  neck.  I  looks 
round,  and  there  were  a  egsited  ole  femile  comin'  down 
off  of  the  top,  an'  shriekin',  "  Storp  the  'bus  !  my  purse 
'as  bin  stole."  Well,  I  storps  the  'bus.  There  was 
three  men  on  the  top  of  the  'bus,  besides  this  ole  femile, 
an'  she  accoosed  ev'ry  blessid  one  of  'em  to  'is  face  of 
'avin'  stole  that  purse.  Then  she  turned  round  an'  said 
as  it  was  my  fault  fur  lettin'  pickpockets  git  onter  the 
'bus,  an'  likely  they  pide  me  fur  lettin'  'em,  and  'ow  was 
she  tu  know  I  'adn't  took  the  purse  myself.  Hup 
comes  a  copper,  an'  she  awsts  'im  whort  'e  was  there  for 
if  lyedies  was  tu  'ave  their  purses  stole.  'E  outs  with 
'is  notebook  an'  tikes  darn  everythink,  numbers,  an' 
nimes,  an'  addresses,  an'  the  colour  o'  the  'orses,  an' 
whort  we'd  'ad  fur  dinner  the  dye  before — 'evving 
knows  whort  'e  didn't  tike  darn.  Arter  abart 
five  minnits  we  starts  off  agin,  an'  the 
crord  clears  awaye.  We  'adn't  garn  a  'undrid 
yawds  afore  that  bloomin'  umberreller  comes 
a  bangin'  me  in  the  neck  agin.  "  Well,  ma'rm," 
I  says,  pyshuntly,  "and  whort  'ave  yer  'ad  stole  this 
time?"  "  Ho,"  she  says,  "I've  found  my  purse.  Least- 
wise, I've  just  remembered  as  I  didn't  bring  it  with  me, 
on'y  jest  tikin'  the  coppers  fur  the  'bus.  What  a  silly 
child  I  am  !  But  why  didn't  yer  remember  that  I  never 
'ad  no  purse  when  I  pide  yer  1 " 

*  *  ■* 

Whort  did  I  sye  1  I  didn't  sye  nutthink.  It's  a 
egsasperitin'  fac'  that  them  fools  as  mikes  yer  want  ter 
speak  most  and  ter  pitch  it  strongest  is  jest  the  kind  of 
fool  as  it's  no  yoose  speakin'  to  at  all.  Else,  if  I  'ad  let 
myself  go,  I  could  a  shown  'er  whort  a  man  can  do  with 
langwidge  when  'e  tries.  It  did  flash  acrorst  mo  as  it 
might  be  a  sort  of  luckshory  ter  give  'er  tew  minnits  of 
my  privit  opinyuns  abart  'er,  and  then  chuck  my  berth. 
But,  as  I  sye,  whort  would  a  bin  the  yoose  ?  Then, 
agin,  she  were  a  femile,  and  as  sich  ter  be  treated  per- 
litely.  So  I  did  treat  'er  perlitely.  I  never  awnseered 
her  a  word.  I  give  'er  one  look  o'  corntempt,  turned 
my  back  on  'er,  spat  inter  the  road,  an'  began  ter 
whistle.  If  anythink  'ull  teach  a  man  pyshunce  an'  per- 
liteness  under  difhcilt  succumstances,  it  is  bein'  corn- 
ductor  of  a  'bus. 

*  *  * 

Nar,  'Ankin  wouldn't  'ave  'be'ived  thet  wye.  'E's 
whort  I  should  call  a  impyshunt  man,  is  Ankin.  It's 
pollertics  'as  mide  'im  so.  'E  knows  pollertics.  Theer's 
no  man  livin'  can  talk  like  a  'ipeny  evenin'  piper  sime  as 
'Ankin  can.  And  yet  whort  can  'e  do  1  Nutthink.  'E 
mye  see  Lord  Bosebery  goin'  wrong,  an'  know  whorts 
right,  an'  be  puffickly  willin'  ter  give  'im  the  office,  and 
yet  'e  cawnt  do  nutthink.  'E  'as  ter  let  things  be  as  they 
is,  and  it  don't  orfun  'appen  that  the  wye  things  is  is  the 
wye  'Ankin  wants  'cm  ter  be.  Thet  sort  of  thing  'as 
mide  'im  a  bit  short  in  the  temper — nutthink  as  you'd 


call  darnright  narsty,  but  a  bit  impyshunt.  Whort  'e'd 
'ave  done  in  the  kise  of  thet  ole  femile,  I  cawnt  sye. 
Once  a  lyedy  awst  'if  'e'd  kindly  storp  the  'bus  fur  a  foo 
minnits  while  she  went  inter  a  shorp  ter  chuse  some 
Chrismis  cawds.  She  awst  'im  perlitely,  too.  An'  even 
thet  wukked  him  up  ter  sich  a  extent  thet  the  wunneris 
'e  worn't  reported  fur  yoosin'  langwidge.  Yes,  'e's  a 
talinted  man,  is  Ankin — but  impyshunt. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Cockspur   Street,  London. 

JN VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 
T)ESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
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j^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

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it  JJOW  TO  OPERATE 

gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 

JJVVVENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 

s: 

rjlHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 

PART  I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  bo 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
The  Fortnightly  Settlements  System. 


PART  II.- HOW  TO  OPERATE 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
'■  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1893  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
The  Three  -  Monthly   Settlements      Operations  of  Short  Duration. 

System.      *      _  Operations  of  Long  Duration. 

Companion  of  all  Three  Systems  of        '      _      .  ,   _    . .    .  _ 

Dealing  <-an  Countrv   Residents  Operate 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts  Successfully? 

Compare  with  And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts.  people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


QUR  THREE-MONTHLY 
gETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  t« 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 
THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
L    is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contaugoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 

.A.     BEAUTIFUL  SERIES 

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WILL    COMMENCE   IN    NEXT  WEEK'S 

TO-DAY." 


TO-DAY,    WINTER  NUMBER, 

NOW  READY, 

SEE   ADVERTISEMENT  ON   PAGE  79', 


74 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1894. 


SONGS  OF  THE  SOIL: 


It  is  a  favourite  custom  with  some 
"  songs  of  the  soil,"  reviewers  to  blame  an  author  for  not 
pl] «R^m  n JfvA?v£N*    exhibiting  certain  qualities  which  he 

(1>.   Al  1  Ijl'.  ION   ANI>  ^  * 

co.,  new  york.)       never  laid    any  claim    to  possess. 

Adopting  this  principle,  it  would  be 
quite  easy  to  find  fault  with  Mr.  Stanton's  poems.  One 
might  urge  that  they  were  wanting  in  a  deep  insight 
into  the  emotions,  or  that  the  majority  of  them  were 
too  frivolous,  or  that  the  themes  treated  lacked  origi- 
nality. A  glance  through  the  preface  of  the  book, 
written  by  Mr.  Joel  Chandler  Harris,  will,  I  fancy, 
answer  these  imaginary  objections,  and  leave  the  reader 
in  a  hurry  to  hear  what  Mr.  Stanton  has  to  sing  about. 

He  has  a  variety  of  subjects,  though  in  most  of  the 
poems  there  is  a  homely  sentiment,  which — in  Mr. 
Stanton's  hands — is  always  attractive.  We  are  all 
fairly  satiated  with  sentimental  ism  nowadays,  but  there 
is  an  engaging  simplicity  about  the  following  which  will 
appeal  to  most  people  : — 

The  Home-keeper. 
About  her  household  moving  glad  each  day, 
With  heartfelt  care  of  all  the  simplest  things  ; 
And  near  her  side  a  child-voice  coos  and  sings. 
She  hears  the  noise  of  pattering  feet  at  play, 
And  pauses  oft  to  kiss  the  lips  that  say 
"  Mother  !  "  And  joys  to  feel  the  hand  that  clings 
Close  to  her  heart,  as  to  her  apron-strings — 
Nor  would  she  chide  that  little  hand  away  ! 

Then,  when  the  day  hath  drifted  to  the  dark, 

And  brightening  stars  loom  through  the  twilight  late, 

She  feels  the  heart  within  her  bosom  stir 

At  every  leaf  that  strikes  the  lattice.    Hark  ! 

Her  life's  reward — a  footstep  at  the  gate, 

And  love  that  comes  to  claim  the  love  of  her  ! 

In  this  age  of  morbid  pessimism  it  is  pleasing  to  find 
a  man  singing  of  that  peaceful  happiness  which  is  really 
within  the  reach  of  all. 

Not  Melancholy  Days. 
These  ain't  the  "  melancholy  days,"  no  matter  what  they  say  ! 
There's  more  good  fun  in  all  the  ways  thau's  been  there  many  a 
day  ; 

The  crackin'  of  the  teamster's  whip — the  shoutin'  of  a  boy, 

As  the  apples  come  a-tumblin'  down — that's  joy  for  you — big 

joy ! 

These  ain't  the  "  melancholy  days  " — there's  lots  o'  fun  in  sight ; 
The  cool  and  bracin'  mornin's,  and  the  big  oak  fires  at  night ; 
The  hounds  upon  the  rabbit's  trail — the  wild  doves  on  the 
wing — 

The  maiden  with  the  red  lips — an'  the  lover  with  the  ring  ! 

These  ain't  the  "  melancholy  days  " — not  much  ! — they're  full  o' 
life, 

An'  you're  thankful  for  your  sweetheart,  and  you  praise  God  for 
your  wife  ! 

An'  then,  on  general  principles — in  view  of  w'hi  t  H  s  givin' — 
You  shout  a  hallelujah  for  the  privilege  o'  livin  ! 

In  one  or  two  of  the  poems  there  is  a  touch  of  quaint 
humour.    Take  for  instance  : — 

What  Bothers  Him. 
There  ain't  so  much  o'  pleasure 

In  fishin'  South  in  May, 
Or  any  other  blessed  month — ■ 

No  matter  what  they  say  ! 

Because  the  river  bank  is  green  ; 

The  grass  is  soft  and  deep, 
An'  where  the  shady  willows  Lean 

A  feller  falls  to  sleep. 

An'  jest  when  he  begins  to  nod 

'L'ongside  his  empty  cup, 
A  fish  comes  jerkin'  at  his  rod, 

An'  always  wakes  him  up  ! 

Going  from  gay  to  grave,  we  find  that  Mr.  Stanton 
can  be  sternly  serious  when  he  pleases. 

Slain. 

Swiftly  the  shot  from  my  rifle  sped 

To  his  heart,  and  he  fell  in  the  darkness — dead  ! 

With  never  a  struggle,  never  a  sigh, 
I  saw  my  enemy  bleed  and  die. 

And  now,  I  said,  is  my  peace  secure  ; 

I  shall  fear  his  hand  ami  his  hate  no  more. 


The  black  night  came  with  a  stealthy  pace 
And  shed  the  shadows  over  his  face, 

Hidden  for  ever  from  mortal  view. 
And  only  God  and  the  darkness  knew  ! 

But  what  would  I  barter  of  good  and  fair 
To  take  the  place  of  the  dead  man  there, 

As  I  face  the  future — the  life  to  be, 
With  God  and  the  darkness  haunting  me  ! 

All  readers  of  To-Day  are  familiar  with  Mr.  Stanton's 
work,  and  judging  from  the  enormous  number  of  letters 
that  have  been  received  at  this  office  asking  permission 
to  give  musical  settings  to  the  verses  we  have  published, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Stanton's  poems  are 
becoming  widely  popular.  This  is  easily  understood. 
There  is  a  dainty  freshness  about  these  verses  which  is 
decidedly  welcome.  In  a  few  weeks'  time  we  shall 
be  hearing  them  warbled  in  drawing-rooms,  and  though 
it  is  an  open  question  if  Mr.  Stanton's  lyrics  will  gain 
by  the  amateur  musician's  art,  yet  we  shall  owe  the 
author  a  large  debt  of  gratitude  for  supplanting  the 
usual  effusions  of  the  sentimental  ballad-monger.  Few 
of  these  lyrics  are  suitable  for  recitation.  This  increases 
the  debt  of  gratitude  to  Mr.  Stanton.  I  am  glad  to 
notice  that  Messrs.  Constable  and  Co.  are  bringing  out 
an  English  edition. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

I  have  added  "An  Island  Story,"1  by  Robert  Sin 
clair,  to  my  library.  So  many  people  have  asked  me  if 
it  is  not  really — in  part  at  all  events — the  work  of  Miss 
Marie  Corelli.  There  has  been  quite  a  run  on  my  copies 
of  "The  Silver  Domino"  2  since  it  came  out.  Will  any- 
body who  knows  anything  about  the  authorship  of  the 
"  Island  Story  "  send  me  a  note  on  the  subject  ?  Another 
book  I  have  added  to  my  library  is  the  "  Highway  of 
Sorrow," 3  a  story  of  the  Stundists,  by  Hesba  Stretton. 
Her  real  name  is,  I  believe,  Miss  Sarah  or  Hannah 
Smith,  but  I  always  call  her  Miss  Stretton,  a  name  she 
took  from  Church  Stretton,  the  Shropshire  village  in 
which  she  was  born. 

*  *  *  * 

Apropos  of  the  Gibbon  Centenary  Exhibition  in  the 
British  Museum,  an  Oxford  customer  draws  my  atten- 
tion to  the  very  amusing  tradition  that  Gibbon  was  sent 
down  from  Magdalen,  as  Locke  certainly  had  been  sent 
down  before  him  from  Christ  Church,  and  Shelley  "was 
to  be  afterwards  from  University,  and  he  adds  that  the 
Historian  of  the  Roman  Empire's  crime  was  indolence. 

*  *  *  * 

In  mentioning  my  young  friend,  Mr.  Hepburn 
(Gabriel  Setoun)  a  week  or  two  back,  1  omitted  to  say  the 
very  thing  I  wanted  to  say,  that  the  great  house  of  "  Mr. 
Murray  "  is  bringing  out  another  volume  by  him,  "  Sun- 
shine and  Ha'ar4;  Some  Further  Glimpses  into  Life  at 
Barncraig." 

*  #  *  * 

There  is  no  patron  I  ever  had  whom  I  reverenced 
more  than  Charles  Kingsley.  His  youngest  daughter 
Mary,  Mrs.  William  Harrison,  who  has  inherited  no 
small  share  of  his  genius,  came  in  say  good-bye  to  me  a 
few  days  ago,  before  she  sailed  for  a  six  months'  tour  in 
India  with  her  sister,  Miss  Rose  Kingsley.  I  have 
known  her  since,  as  a  little  thing,  her  father  would 
bring  her  into  the  shop,  when  he  made  a  pilgrimage  up 
to  town,  and  now  she  is  "  Lucas  Malet,"  the  author  of 
those  three  great  books  "  Mrs.  Lorimer,"  "  Colonel 
Enderby's  Wife,"  and  "  The  Wages  of  Sin."  The  last 
thing  she  did  before  she  went  was  to  come  into  the  fold 
of  Mr.  A.  P.  Watt,  the  haven  of  refuge  to  so  many  well- 
known  authors,  ('specially  when  they  have  to  go  down 
to  the  sea  in  ships.  Mr.  Watt  has  sold  her  new  book 
to  Messrs.  Methuen  and  Co. 


November  24,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


75 


My  old  customer,  Mr.  Alfred  C.  Calmour,  whose 
"  Fact  and  Fiction  about  Shakespeare,  with  some  account 
of  the  Playhouses,  Players,  and  Playwrights  of  his 
Period," 6  has  just  been  published  both  in  London 
and  at  Stratford-on-Avon,  in  a  crown  4to  size, 
illustrated  with  ancient  drawings,  portraits,  and  fac- 
similes of  documents,  is  the  famous  author  of  "  The 
Amber  Heart,"  in  which  Miss  Ellen  Terry  won  so  much 
renown,  "  Cupid's  Messenger,"  and  "  The  Confessions  of 
a  Door  Mat."  Mr.  Calmour  is  a  dark  man,  rather  under 
the  medium  height,  and  of  robust  build.  He  has  very 
large  dark  eyes,  and  a  face  which  undoubtedly  recalls 

the  Stratford  portrait  of  Shakespeare. 

*  *  *  # 

Kettle  Hall,  whose  history  Mrs.  Mee  read  a  week  or 
two  ago  before  the  Oxford  Architectural  and  Historical 
Society,  is  the  most  beautiful  house  in  all  Oxford,  a 
gabled  J acobean  mansion  of  dark -grey  stone,  forming  one 
of  the  finest  bits  of  the  exquisite  front  quad  of  Trinity, 
to  which  it  now  once  more  belongs.  The  house  is,  more- 
over, made  classical  as  being  for  many  years  the  home  of 
one  of  my  most  famous  customers,  the  great  historian, 
Bishop  Stubbs.  Mrs.  Mee  is  the  wife  of  its  latest 
tenant. 

*  *  *  * 
According  to  Florence  Marryat,  whose  "The  Beautiful 

Soul"6  is  just  brought  out  by  Digby  and  Long,  her 
father,  Captain  Marryat,  the  famous  sea  novelist,  must 
have  been  a  terrible  old  naval  martinet.  His  younger 
children  stood  in  the  utmost  awe  of  him. 

*  *  *  # 

When  I  was  in  America  trying  to  make  direct 
arrangements  with  American  publishers,  I  haj^pened  to 
call  in  at  Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Co.'s  one  morning. 
"I'm  so  glad  you've  come,"  said  Mr.  Houghton.  "I 
want  to  introduce  you  to  Charles  Egbert  Craddock, 
whose  books  you  told  me  you  had  done  so  well  with  in 
your  library."  I  went  in,  expecting  to  see  a  tall,  lean 
man  with  a  thin  beard  and  sallow  face,  certainly  old- 
fashioned  clothes,  and  very  likely  top  boots,  not  to  men- 
tion the  habit  of  rolling  a  quid  in  his  cheek  and  squirt- 
ing tobacco-juice  ;  instead  of  which  I  was  introduced  to 
a  bright-eyed  girl,  whose  real  name,  Mr.  Houghton  told 
me,  was  Miss  Murfree,  the  descendant  of  one  of  the 
heroes  of  the  Revolution.  Her  lameness,  I  learned, 
came  from  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  and  incidentally  led  to 
her  literary  success.  I  have  just  been  stocking  a  new 
book  of  hers,  "  His  Vanished  Star."7 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  added  to  my  library  an  unusual  number  of 
copies  of  Sir  Edwin  Arnold's  "  Wandering  Words."8 
The  book  is,  albeit  in  prose,  full  of  genuine  poetry.  I 
read  it  through  the  first  night  it  came  in.  His  descrip- 
tions of  India,  the  Holy  Land,  and  Japan  are 
delightful.  I  closed  the  book  convinced  that  Sir  Edwin 
stands  in  the  first  flight  of  our  writers  of  prose  as  well 
as  our  writers  of  poetry. 

*  *  *  * 

Few  books  published  in  the  last  year  have  been  more 
popular  with  my  subscribers  than  Mr.  Richard  Pryce's 
"  Winifred  Mount." 9  With  good  reason  ladies  say 
that  all  the  time  they  were  reading  it  they  felt  that  they 
were  living  in  Mayfair — he  imports  the  atmosphere  so 
exactly  into  his  books.  "  Winifred  Mount  "  has  more- 
over a  secret  as  jealously  guarded  as  "  The  Mystery  of 
the  Hansom  Cab."  No  one  who  does  not  look  at  the 
end  of  the  book  out  of  its  turn  can  have  any  con- 
ception what  the  secret  will  turn  out  till  he  comes  to 
the  last  page  or  two.  There  are  two  charmingly  drawn, 
and  charmingly  human  girls  in  the  book,  and  it  ends 
more  happily  than  some  of  Mr.  Pryce's  stories.  In 
point  of  style  Mr.  Pryce  writes  with  a  grace  achieved 
by  few  of  our  purely  society  novelists ;  and  in  this 
book  especially  he  exercises  the  gift  of  repression  with 
the  happiest  results. 


always  welcome,  Sir  William  T.  Charley,  Q.C.,  is  about 
to  publish  a  word  for  the  House  of  Lords,  the  ballast 
which  the  Lord  of  Dalmeny  wishes  to  throw  o^  e  board 
to  lighten  the  ship  of  State.  It  is  to  be  calhd  "The 
Crusade  against  the  Constitution." 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Mosca. — I  do  not  know  of  any  magazine  article  containing  a 
sketch  of  the  life  of  Mark  Twain,  but  you  would  find  a  lengthy 
account  in  "Choice  Humorous  Works  of  Mark  Twain,  with 
Life."    (Chatto  and  Windus.    7s.  6d.) 

D.  H.  King  (Lancashire). — The  value  of  the  book  you  men- 
tion is  only  about  two  or  three  shillings. 

Alghieri. — You  will  find  what  you  require  in  "  Dante,"  by 
Mrs.  Oliphant.    (Blackwood.    2s.  6d.) 

Refuge.  — I  am  afraid  you  will  not  get  all  the  information 
you  want  out  of  one  book,  but  these  three  would  help  you  : — 
"Civil  Service  Guide"  (Longmans,  3s.  6d.),  "How  we  are 
Governed"  (Warne,  Is.  6d.),  "Statesman's  Year  Book" 
(Macmillan,  10s.  6d.). 

Mater,  Bertie,  and  many  other  corrcspohdents  will  find 
their  answer  in  the  review  of  Mr.  Stanton's  poems. 

1.  An  Island  Story.   (Lamley  and  Co.   3s.  6d.) 

2.  The  Silver  Domino.  (Lamley  and  Co.   3s.  6d.) 

3.  The  Highway  of  Sorrow.   (Cassell.  6s.) 

4.  Sunshine  and  Ha'ar.   (Murray.   Price  not  stated.) 

5.  Fact  and  Fiction  about  Shakespeare.   (Williams.   Price  not  sta  e  !.) 
C.  The  Beautiful  Soul.   (Digby  and  Long.  6s.) 

7.  His  Vanished  Star.   (Chatto  and  Windus.   3s.  6d.) 

S.  Wandering  Words.   (Longmans.  18s.) 

9.  Winifred  Mount.   (Methuen  and  Co.   2  vols.  21s.) 


66 


WILLS 


'S  " 


NAVY  CUT 


< 
H 

CO 
< 

o 


ijavy  cut 


Can  now  be  obtained  in  2oz.  Patent  Air-Tight  Tins 

In  Three  Grades  of  Strength,  viz.  : — 

r"  MILD,"  Yellow  Label.  ) 
"MEDIUM,"  Blue  Label,  feffs£fj 
("FULL,"  Chocolate  Label.) 

As  well  as  in  1  oz.  Packets  and  \  lb.  Patent  Air- 
Tight  Tins,  by  all  Dealers  in  Tobacco. 


A  customer,  whose  cheery,  florid,  grey-bearded  face  is 


W.  D.  &  H.  0.  WILLS,  Ltd, 

BRISTOL  AND  LONDON. 


STANLEY  J.  WEYMAN'S 

NEW  STORY, 

"  THE   RED  COCKADE," 

A  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced  in  the 
New  Year's  Number  (January  5,  1S95)  of 

TO-DAY." 


76 


TO-DAY. 


[November  24,  1894. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


My  Deak  Helen, — Don't  you  pity  poor  Princess  Alix 
of  Hesse?  What  a  wedding  !  Should  the  marriage  prove 
a  happy  one,  it  will  be  in  the  face  of  all  omens  and  super- 
stitions that  have  ruled  the  ordinary  mind  for  years. 
The  relatives  and  friends  are  to  wear  white  on  the  day  of 
the  marriage,  leaving  off  their  heavy  and  hideous 
Russian  mourning  for  the  occasion.  The  Czarina,  who 
has  even  greater  taste  in  dress  than  the  Princess  of 
Wales,  had  been  taking  the  warmest  interest  in  the 
trousseau  of  her  future  daughter-in-law.  She  .sent  a 
courier  from  St.  Petersburg  with  costly  jewels,  exquisite 
lace  and  embroideries,  and  magnificent  furs,  all  to  be 
applied  as  trimmings  to  Princess  Alix's  gowns.  Tho 
Russians  have  great  skill  in  embroideries,  and  their 
designs  are  consistent  with  the  character  of  the  nation. 
The  lines  form  geometric  patterns,  formal  and  precise, 
yet  not  without  a  certain  beauty  of  their  own.  No  finer 
contrast  could  be  found  than  that  between  the  needle- 
craft  of  this  nation  and  that  of  Japan,  with  its  flowing 
lines,  lovely  curves,  and  carelessly  graceful  composition, 
which  covers  a  large  surface  with  a  few  artistic  touches  ; 
while  the  Russian  worker  labours  conscientiously  to  fill 
in  the  whole  area,  with  minute  and  painstaking  industry. 

Russian  mourning  is  really  emblematic  of  grief 
and  absolute  indifference  to  appearances.  The  material 
is  a  coarse,  heavy,  black  flannel.  The  skirts  are  volumi- 
nous and-  trailing,  and  the  sleeves  are  of  the  mediaeval 
shape,  falling  to  the  hem  of  the  gown  at  the  outer  side, 
and  reaching  to>  the  wrists  on  the  inner,  the  rest  being  a 
huge  bag,  which  would  leave  the  arm  defenceless  from 
the  cold,  were  it  not  for  an  inner  sleeve,  that  fits  closely 
and  protectively.  Can  you  imagine  anything  decorative 
or  graceful  being  made  out  of  this  1  It  was  reserved  for 
Paris  dressmakers  to  win  a  victory  over  its  ungainliness, 
and,  no  doubt,  after  a  few  months,  it  will  be  found  that 


Russian  Court  mourning  will  have  lost  many  of  its 
gloomy  characteristics.  Parisiennes  are  now  wearing 
Russian  mourning,  modified  and  adapted  in  a  fashion 
that  has  in  it  nothing  repulsive  to  a  pretty  woman  proud 
of  her  prettiness. 

Among  the  dresses  that  had  been  prepared  for  the 
trousseau  before  the  Czar  was  taken  ill  was  white  velvet 
with  large  raised  chrysanthemums,  all  purest  white,  on 
a  ground  of  terry  velvet.  Over  the  upper  part  of  the 
bodice  was  a  very  short  Figaro-  jacket,  made  entirely  of 
pearls.  The  wedding  dress  itself,  as  prepared  previous 
to  recent  sad  events,  is  made  of  the  richest  white  silk, 
covered  with  lovely  silver  embroidery.  Russian  bridal 
dress  is  very  trying.  The  bodice  is  made  with  a  long, 
straight  stomacher,  and  an  inch  or  two>  below  the  waist 
is  a  roll,  usually  wound  round  and  round  with  silver 
cord,  encircling  the  hips,  and  under  this  roll  the  skirt  is 
joined  on  to>  the  body.  A  large  stiffened  cap  rises  in 
semi-circular  form  above  the  forehead,  and  embroidered 
with  pearls,  is  the  distinctive  headgear  of  all  Russian 
brides,  from  Archduchess  to  peasant..  The  veil  is 
quite  short,  and  not  particularly  graceful. 

What  do  you  think  of  a  blue  velvet  evening  dress,  just 
the  colour  of  a  sunny  sky  in  June,  lined  with  yellow 
satin,  and  opening  in  front  over  a  petticoat  of  the  richest 
gold  embroidery?  The  bodice  opens  over  a  stomacher 
to  match,  studded  with  diamonds  and  turquoise.  The 
fronts  of  the  dress,  where  they  part  to  show  this  front, 
are  bordered  with  a  narrow  band  of  sable,  which  makes 
a  lovely  contrast  and  connecting  link  between  the  sky- 
blue  and  the  primrose-yellow.  That  is  one  of  Princess 
Alix's  trousseau  gowns. 

But  I  suppose  she  is  now  no  longer  Princess  Alix,  but 
Archduchess  Alexandra  Feodorovna.  She  is  the  prettiest 
of  all  our  young  Princesses,  but,  unfortunately,  shows  a 
disposition  to  grow  very  stout. 

The  dance  season  will  soon  be  here,  and  in  prepara- 
tion for  it  are  shown  hundreds  of  ready-made  bodices, 


EVERY  MOTHER  and 
EVERY  DAUGHTER 

should  see 

SINGER'S 

NEW  SEWING  MACHINE 


XOs.  to  20s  allowed 

FOR 

any  sort  taken  in  part  exchange, 
Per    Is.  6dL.  Week. 

BEAUTIFUL  ART  SAMPLES 
Submitted  for  inspection 

FREE 
on  application  by  letter. 

Best  Machine  for  Plain  Work. 

Best  Machine  for  Art  Work. 

LIGHT,   EASY,  ELEGANT, 

and  a  Real  Treasure. 


The  Singer  Manufacturing  Company, 

City  Showrooms-147,  CHEAPSIDE,  E.C 

BRANCH  OJT1CES  EVERYWHERE. 


Every  lady 
pleased 

.  .  WITH  THE 

"KI-MI" 


BUSK !  ^^ZZciiw^w^" 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13i 
inches 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cut  through  cloth. 
—To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochrane- 
street,  Glasgow, 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


ARABINE 


MARKING  INK  FOR  £}l 
LINEN  is  the  BEST!  D 


NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REOUTRED 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


PER 
BOTTLE 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfield  Street,  Glasgow. 

CREME   DE  VIOLET 

Has  attained  enormous  popularity  since  we  introduced  it  into  Great 
Britain. 

It  is  a  pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonic,  absolutely  free  from  any  ingre- 
dients that  will  injure  the  most  delicate  skin.  It  cleanses  the  pores,  and 
producing  a  clear  and  healthy  complexion.  Prevents  and  removes 
Wrinkles,  Pimples,  lloughness,  Kedness,  and  all  Skin  Imperfections. 
Counteracts  the  disagreeable  effects  of  sun,  wind,  and  sea  air.  Is 
deliciously  cool  and  refreshing  to  the  skin.  Makes  the  skin  soft  and 
smooth  as  a  baby's.  Will  make  the  most  faded  complexion  assume  all 
the  natural  tints  of  youthful  health  and  beauty.  Suitable  for  old  and 
young  of  both  sexes.  Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers,  price  Is.  and  2s.  6d. 
See  that  the  signature  Le  Prere  et  Cie  is  on  the  label,  or  sent  direct, 
post  free,  in  plain  wrappers  3d.  extra  from 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  4?,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


H 


KM!  CLASS  AKTTSTTC  DRESSMAKING. 

MRS.  GRABURN,  13,  Bonchnrch-road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Speciality — Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  Measure  supplied  complete  from  2$  Guineas.  All  Hodices  cut  on 
French  principles.   Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


November  24,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


77 


under  the  title  of  evening  blouses.  This  is  reversing 
the  old  order  of  things,  when  skirts  were  sold  ready- 
made,  together  with  sufficient  material  for  the  bodice. 
Now  tne  bodices  are  sold  ready  for  wear,  and  the 
skirts  can  either  be  made  up  or  bought  separately.  One 
of  the  prettiest  evening  blouses  I  have  seen  was  made  of 
yellow  surah,  with  black  velvet  ivy  leaves  round  the 
shoulders,  and  knots  of  black  velvet  above  each  sleeve. 
The  ivy  leaves  bordering  the  sleeves  on  each  arm  would 
be  very  becoming.  Another  was  in  turquoise-blue 
satin,  covered  with  embroidered  cream-coloured  muslin, 
showing  the  blue  througli  the  spaces.  The  front  had  a 
loose  fold  of  blue  mirror  velvet. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Belinda. — In  your  difficulty  about  procuring  servants  why 
do  you  not  try  the  newly-establishe'd  Domestic  Servant  Supply 
Association,  14,  High  Holborn  ?  It  is  under  the  patronage  of 
Lady  Montagu,  and  its  object  is  to  assist  ladies  in  procuring 
housekeepers,  servants,  and  other  domestic  help  with  less 
trouble  than  is  involved  in  any  other  known  method  of  doing 
so.  The  association  issues  weekly  a  selected  list  of  eligible 
servants,  their  qualifications  and  addresses,  which  is  distributed 
among  the  subscribers  at  a  charge  of  half-a-crown  for  four  con- 
secutive issues,  each  containing  a  wholly  different  set  of  names 
and  addresses.  This  seems  to  meet  just  the  needs  of  many 
thousands.  A  mistress  has  only  to  enter  into  correspondence 
with  the  one  who  appears  most  desirable.  Advertisements  from 
mistresses  requiring  servants  are  inserted  at  a  charge  of  Is.,  the 
advertisement  being  repeated  until  the  advertiser  is  suited. 

Dubious.  — It  is  always  the  way  with  new  preparations.  It  is 
difficult  to  obtain  them  until  the  demand  for  them  has  created  a 
supply  through  the  usual  sources.  You  need  not  be  afraid  to 
use  it.  I  never  recommend  anything  that  I  have  not  tried. 
Apply  it  after  washing  the  face,  and  then  dab  it  dry  with  a  soft 
towel. 

Oue  Cookery  Column. 
A  Good  Vegetable  Curry. — Choose  four  medium-sized 
Spanish  onions,  four  green  juicy  apples,  and  four  big  potatoes, 
such  as  are  usually  reserved  for  baking.  Wash  these  last  and 
boil  them  in  their  jackets,  straining  the  water  away  from  them 
before  they  begin  to  be  soft.  Let  them  become  cold.  Mean- 
while slice  the  apples  and  onions  and  fry  them  in  hot  butter  till 
they  are  golden  brown,  keeping  them  turned  about  lest  they 
should  be  blackened.    Put  them  into  a  stewpan  with  half  a 


pint  of  good  gravy,  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  and  a  dessertspoonful 
of  good  curry  powder.  Shake  the  stewpan  with  a  circular 
motion  in  order  that  all  may  become  thoroughly  amalgamated. 
Slice  the  potatoes,  add  them  to  the  rest.  Cover  the  pan  closely 
and  cook  the  stew  very  slowly  for  an  hour.  It  ought  then  to  be 
delicious.  Some  boiled  rice  with  it  cooked  after  the  receipt  I 
gave  in  October.  Cold  cauliflower  makes  a  capital  curry  with 
apples  and  onions.  If  there  is  no  stock  to  be  had,  use  milk  and 
water  in  equal  proportions,  and  thicken  it  with  a  tablespoonful 
of  flour  and  a  piece  of  butter  the  size  of  a  boy's  largest  marble. 

Spiced  Beef. — It  is  just  about  time  to  put  beef  into  spice  for 
Christmas.  Choose  a  good  round  of  fresh  beef  at  the  butcher's 
of  any  weight  from  101b.  to  double  that  quantity.  Procure 
3  oz.  of  saltpetre,  3  oz.  of  coarse  brown  sugar,  1  oz.  of  cloves, 
1  oz.  of  grated  nutmeg,  1  oz.  of  allspice,  and  1  oz.  of  pepper- 
corns. Put  the  spices  into  the  oven,  and  when  they  are 
thoroughly  dry  roll  them  out  flat  with  a  rolling-pin,  thus 
reducing  them  to  powder.  Mix  all  well  together  with  the 
saltpetre  and  four  tablespoonfuls  of  coarse  cooking  salt.  Place 
the  beef  in  a  tub  large  enough  to  leave  a  margin  of  an  inch  or 
so  all  round  it.  Rub  the  salt  and  spices  well  into  it  every 
day  for  a  fortnight,  turning  it  each  da}',  so  that  both 
sides  get  equally  saturated  with  them.  Very  soon  there 
will  be  a  considerable  quantity  of  liquor,  formed  by  the  action  of 
the  salt  upon  the  juices  of  the  meat,  and  the  round  lying  in  it 
will  soon  become  impregnated  with  it.  A  clean  cloth,  rather 
porous  in  textnre,  should  be  thrown  over  the  tub  in  the  intervals 
of  rubbing.  At  the  end  of  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  days  take 
out  the  round,  wash  it  with  clear,  cold  water  under  a  tap,  cut 
out  the  bone  and  fill  in  the  space  with  fresh  fat.  Tie  all  round 
in  a  good  shape  with  white  cord,  and  let  it  hang  up  for  twenty- 
four  hours.  To  cook  it,  place  a  pint  of  the  pickle  liquor  in  a 
large  saucepan  or  boiler,  add  enough  water  to  half  fill  the 
saucepan  ;  when  it  boils  put  in  the  spiced  beef,  and  let  it  cook 
6lowly,  simmering  quite  gently  for  four  hours  to  six,  according 
to  weight.  If  10  lb.,  four  hours  will  do;  if  20  lb.,  six  will  be 
necessary. 

Suzette. 

CHANNEL  ISLANDS. 

FRUIT  AND  FLOWER  GROWING.  Several  Valuable 
Properties  for  Sale,  or  in  some  cases  partnerships  could  be 
arranged.    Profits  ]  5  per  cent,  to  30  per  cent,  on  money  invested. 

FURNISHED  HOUSES  TO  LET.  Full  particulars,  plans, 
photos,  &c,  on  application  to  Messrs.  CONSTABLE,  TOWN- 
END  &  MORRISH,  55  &  56,  Chancery  Lane,  London,  W.C., 
and  at  Guernsey. 


'Ill'' -'II  |l-  -NL  I  Ill1'  ''1111'  'll'1' 


R  Charming  Birthday  op  Christmas  Present.    CONVINCING  TESTIMONY 

SEND  US  YOUR 


PHOTOGRAPH 


or  that  of  any  Friend  or  Relative  whose  memory  you  cherish,  and  we  will  reproduce  a  very  beautiful  and 


HIGHLY-FINISHED 


PERMANENT  ENLARGEMENT 

3       IN  MONOCHROME  FOR 


BIB 


FINISHED  IN  BLACK  AND  WHITE. 

Measuring  18  by  14i  ins.,  and  send 

Carefully  Packed  and  Carriage  Paid 

To  any  Address  in  the  United  Kingdom 
for  6d.  EXTRA. 

USUAL  PRICE,  ONE  GUINEA. 

ORIGINAL  PHOTOGRAPHS  returned 
UNINJURED. 

Kindly  call,  if  possible,  and  inspect 
Specimens. 

ESPECIALLY  NOTE.  ^ 


AN  ABSOLUTE  GUARANTEE.— If  any 

of  our  patrons  can  reasonably  complain 
of  the  fidelity  of  a  likeness,  or  the  quality 
and  finish  of  our  productions,  we  will 
either  do  the  work  over  again,  FREE  OF 
CHARGE,  or  return  the  money,  without 
any  reduction. 


IMPORTANT — 

these  beautiful  Enlargements  will  be  sent 
for  inspection  on  receipt  of  6d.  in  stamps  to 
defray  postage,  and  an  undertaking  to  re- 
turn it  within  three  days  from  receipt. 

Address  all  Orders  accompanied  by  Photo- 
graph and  Postal  Order  to— 

The  ARTISTIC  PHOTOGRAPHIC  CO. 

(Enlargement  Department), 
72,  OXFORD  ST.,  LONDON,  W. 
To  Visitors.— Our  Studios  and  Showrooms  are 

opposite  the  Soho  Bazaar. 
High-Class  Portraits  taken  daily  (irrespective 
of  weather). 


"MORE  THAN  PLEASED 
WITH  IT." 

H.  P.  Simpson,  Esq.,  5,H igh ' 
St.,  Bedford,  July  12th,  1894, 
writes :  —  "  Enlargements  to ' 
hand,  with  thanks.  I  must  say 
that  I  am  more  than  pleased ' 
with  them.  The  people  I  have 
shown  them  to  thinkthem  good, ' 
and  have  asked  me  for  your 
address  with  the  intention  of' 
having  some  done." 
"PERFECTLY  SATISFIED." 

Mr.  J.  W.  Mitchell,  4,  Rail 
way  Terrace,  East  Ardsley, 
June  25th,  1894,  writes  :—"  I  ■ 
received  the  Enlargement,  and 
I  am  perfectly  satisfied  with  it. 
I  shall  send  another  one  soon." 
"VERY  PLEASED  WITH  IT." 

Mr.  John  Hird,  Ellergreen,, 
Kendal,  June,  1894,  writes:— "l 
received  the  Photographic  En- 
largement all  right  this  morn- 
ing, and  I  am  very  pleased, 
with  it." 
"I  THINK  IT  SPLENDID." 

Miss  P.Emerson,  64,  Inder- 
wick  Road,  Stroud  Green,  N.,  • 
writes  :— "  The  Enlargement  to 
hand,  I  think  it  splendid. 
Thanking  you  very  much  for 
your  kindness  in  sending  it  so 
soon." 

"A  MOST  FAITHFUL 
LIKENESS." 

A.  Robertson,  Esq.,  High 
Court, Madras,  May  10th,  1894, 
writes  : — "I  have  received  the 
twoEnlargementsof  the  Photo- 
graph. It  is  very  well  done 
indeed,  and  is  a  most  faithful 
likeness,  and  I  have  to  tender ' 
you  my  thanks  for  the  manner , 
in  which  you  have  executed' 
the  work." 

"  EXCEEDINGLY  GOOD." 

Mrs.  M.  E.  Mcintosh, 3,  Mall 
Road,  Hammersmith,  July 
23rd,  1894,  writes:— "I  have 
received  Photos,  also  Enlarge- 
ment safely,  and  am  very 
pleased  with  them.  Titi 
Enlargement  I  thini  enofsv 
ingly  good." 


78 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1894 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  COMPANIES'  ACTS- 

We  congratulate  the  Government  upon  the  appointment  of  a 
Committee  to  consider  a  draft  Bill  framed  "  especially  with  a 
view  to  the  better  prevention  of  fraud  in  relation  to  the  forma- 
tion and  management  of  companies."  We  understand  that  this 
does  not  preclude  the  consideration  of  the  best  means  to  protect 
shareholders  who  put  their  money  into  concerns  which,  though  not 
fraudulently  initiated,  cannot  possibly,  by  reason  of  excessive 
capital,  or  other  causes,  be  commercially  successful.  We  do  not 
expect  that  any  Act  that  Parliament,  as  at  present  constituted, 
will  pass  will  prevent  company  frauds  ;  but  if  the  suggestions  given 
in  our  issue  of  October  20th,  and  others  that  will  occur  to  all, 
are  adopted,  much  may  be  done  for  the  protection  of  the 
public  that  is  as  yet  undone.  It  is  true  that  not  much  more  than 
three  years  has  passed  since  the  Directors'  Liability  Act  became 
law,  but  that  Act,  though  it  has  done  much  less  than  was  ex- 
pected of  it  by  sanguine  folk,  has  been  of  some  service  to  the 
public,  and  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  was  shorn  of  some 
of  its  most  useful  provisions  during  its  passage  through 
Parliament.  In  this,  as  in  other  matters,  Ministers  are  not  to 
be  trusted  when  public  opinion  is  lukewarm.  Those  who  say  that 
Parliament  cannot  altogether  baffle  the  unscrupulous  promoter 
are  probably  right,  but  it  can  make  his  business  a  much  more 
difficult  and  risky  one  than  it  is  at  present.  After  all,  there  is 
no  country  in  the  world  where  the  scandals  of  company-pro- 
motion are  so  great — where  it  is  so  easy  for  the  company  pro- 
moter to  cheat  the  public — -as  they  are  in  our  own. 

The  constitution  of  the  Committee  leaves  nothing  to  be 
desired. 

THE   JOHANNESBURG    WATERWORKS  COMPANY. 

The  report  of  the  proceedings  at  the  general  meeting  of  share- 
holders held  at  Johannesburg  on  October  19th  was  published  on 
this  side  a  day  or  two  ago,  and  the  chairman's  speech  deserves 
passing  notice.  This  worthy  is  the  Solomon  Barnato  Joel  to 
whose  conduct  we  referred  in  our  issue  of  May  26th,  when  we 
spoke  of  his  hire  of  a  gang  of  ruffians  to  break  up  a  public 
meeting  convened  in  opposition  to  the  Johannesburg  Water- 
works Company,  and  his  refusal  to  pay  them  their  hire  after 
they  had  done  their  dirty  work. 

Mr.  Joel  boasted  that  the  company  has  given  Johannesburg 
an  adequate  supply  of  water  when  in  truth  it  has  never  been 
able  to  cope  with  increasing  demands.  As  was  to  be  expected,  he 
dwelt  upon  the  fact  that  the  company  has  increased  its  storage 
capacity,  but  this  is  a  very  different  thing  to  adequate  supply, 
though,  of  course,  a  necessary  step  if  such  supply  is  to  be  given. 
When  the  last  mail  left  Johannesburg  the  town  was  with'n 
measurable  distance  of  a  water  famine.  The  company  has,  in 
fact,  no  means  of  furnishing  a  proper  water  service,  and  depends 
for  what  it  does  supply  to  a  considerable  extent  on  draina;  e 
water.  Mr.  Joel  had  the  assurance  to  refer  to  the  testimony  of 
Dr.  Loery,  the  analytical  chemist,  as  to  the  purity  of  the  water  ; 
yet  that  authority  actually  condemned  two  out  of  the  three 
samples  submitted  to  him  as  unfit  for  drinking  purposes  ! 

A  dividend  of  0}  per  cent,  for  the  year  was  declared  on  the 
ordinary  shares,  and  large  dividends  were  promised  for  the 
future.  But  as  kt  was  only  by  means  of  an  extortionate  water 
rate  that  the  company  has  been  able  to  earn  sufficient  to  p;  y 
the  dividend  declared,  and  as  a  still  more  extortionate  rate  would 
have  to  be  resorted  to  to  increase  the  dividend,  the  outlook  for 
Johannesburg  water  consumers  is  not  rosy.  It  is  because  of  all 
these  things  that  the  City  Fathers  of  Johannesburg  have  decided 
upon  a  municipal  water  supply.  The  Transvaal  Volksraad  has 
sanctioned  a  scheme  in  spite  of  Joel  and  his  hired  ruffians,  and 
when  that  is  carried  through,  the  Johannesburg  Water  Company 
will  have  come  to  the  end  of  its  tether. 

THE  ARGUS  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  "FAIR  PLAY,  ' 
AND  "TODAY." 

So.me  hours  before  going  to  press  our  attention  was  called  to 
a  criticism  by  Fair  Play  of  the  remarks  made  on  this  page  in 
our  issue  of  November  10th,  with  respect  to  the  Argus  Assur- 
ance Company  and  the  acceptance  by  Sir  Edward  Reed  and  Sir 
Charles  Tupper  of  scats  upon  its  Board.  We  stand  by  evtery 
statement  we  made.  They  arc  not  only  truths,  they  arc  truisms. 
But  before  replying,  as  we  intend  to  dp,  to  Fair  Play,  we  think 
it  desirable,  and  even  necessary,  to  invite  its  proprietor 
to    answer    a    question    we    shall    put    to    him.  Unfor- 


tunately, Mr.  Robinson  will  not  be  in  town  until  after  we  go  to 
press,  so  that  we  think  it  well  to  defer  until  our  next  issue 
what  we  have  to  say— and  it  is  a  good  deal — in  reply  to  Fair 
Play. 

THE  WARD  OF  CORDWAlNERS 

In  our  last  issue  we  said  that  Mr.  A.  T.  Hawkins  would  do 
well  not  to  offer  himself  for  re-election  by  the  ward  of  Cord- 
wainers,  and  we  gave  as  our  reason  for  this  advice  that  "there 
is  much  in  relation  to  them  (the  companies  with  which  Mr. 
Hawkins  is  connected)  that  is  likely  to  make  early  and  large 
inroads  upon  Mr.  Hawkins's  time  and  attention."  Some  of  our 
City  readers  read  between  the  lines. 

We  take  the  following  from  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  of 
Monday  : — 

At  the  Mansion  House  to-day,  William  Templeton  Hawkins, 
magistrate  of  Kent,  and  member  of  the  London  Corporation,  was 
charged  with  applying  to  his  own  use  a  cheque  for  £1,200,  while 
director  of  the  National  Dwellings  Company  (Limited).  Counsel  for 
the  prosecution  said  that  the  cheque  was  endorsed  "  purchase  of 
shares  or  bearer,"  the  proceeds  being  paid  to  the  London  and  Northern 
Assots  Corporation,  of  which  the  defendant  was  a  director.  A  remand 
was  granted,  bail  of  two  sureties  in  £3,000  each  being  allowed. 

THE  BANK  OF  VAN  DIEMAN'S  LAND,  LIMITED: 

It  may  be  remembered  that  this  bank,  which  was  established 
as  far  back  as  1823,  suspended  payment  in  August,  1891.  A 
special  Act  of  the  Tasmanian  Parliament  confirmed  the  selection 
made  by  shareholders  and  creditors  of  two  trustees  to  liquidate 
the  affairs  of  the  bank,  and  they  were  authorised  to  dispose  of  a 
portion  of  the  assets  of  the  bank  amounting  to  £300,000,  "  by 
means  of  a  distribution  of  properties  on  the  Art  Union 
principle."  These  properties  have  since  been  carefully  valued, 
and  now  the  public  in  the  United  Kingdom,  India,  and  else- 
where, as  well  as  in  Van  Dieman's  Land,  are  invited  to  take  £1 
shares  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  ,£300,000  to  be  distributed 
in  prizes  to  successful  drawers.  These  prizes  range  from  a  first 
prize  of  £26,000  down  to  £100,  and  number  380.  The  drawings 
will  take  place  "  under  the  supervision  of  an  influential  committee 
at  the  Town  Hall,  Hobart  Town,  Tasmania,  as  soon  as  the 
subscription  list  is  completed,  but  in  any  case  not  later  than  the 
28th  February,  1893." 

What  doourCaroy  Street  friends  say  to  this  method  of  getting 
rid  of  delays  in  liquidation? 

THE  UNITED  KINGDOM  COLONIAL  AND  FOREIGN 
AGENCY. 

We  have  received  complaints  from  several  correspondents 
with  respect  to  the  way  in  which  this  Agency — for  the  collection 
of  debts — carries  on  its  business.  The  complaints  are  two  :  (1), 
great  delay  in  remittance  ;  (2),  excessive  charges.  Here  are 
illustrations  : — 

1.  Mr.  I.  \V  gave  the  Agency  accounts  amounting  to  £1  4s.  to 

collect.   Of  this  amount  Mr.  W  collected  about  (Js.    The  Agency 

got  in  the  rest,  charging  2s.  commission,  and  2id.  each  for  forty-eight 
letters  written.    The  balance  of  (is.  7d.  was  remitted. 

2.  Mr.  S   gave  the  Agency  accounts  amounting  to  £9  for  col- 
lection. They  appear  to  have  collected  £4  17s.  The  agency  charged 
10s.  commission,  and  3d.  each  for  136  letters.  The  balance  of  £2  i3s. 
was  remitted. 

3.  Dr  .  M  gave  the  Agency  accounts  for  collection  amounting  to 

£17  18s.  He  has  been  promised  a  statement  over  and  over  again,  but 
has  never  got  one,  or  any  money. 

We  thought  it  fair  to  refer  these  particular  complaints  to  the 
agency  for  any  explanation  it  might  have  to  offer,  and  we  have 
a  reply  from  Messrs.  I.  A.  Hardy  and  Co.,  who  describe  them- 
selves as  accountants,  from  which  we  take  the  following  : — ■ 

The  three  cases  mentioned  in  the  complaint  are  all  quite  inaccu- 
rately stated  Complaint  1, 1.  W.— The  collection  was  £1 18s.  7d.  (in- 
cluding mone;  that  «as  paid  direct  to  the  creditor)  through  our  tetters, 
out  of  which  the  creditor  received  tl  Is.  5d. 

Case  2,  Mr.  S. — Cash  received  by  us  was  £4  17s.  7d.,  out  of  which 
the  creditor  received  from  us  £2  6s.  7d.  . 

Case  3.— The  amount  collected  is  £S  Ms.  6d.,  and  account  is  not  >ei 
sent,  but  is  down  on  statement  book  to  be  despatched  on  Tuesday  next. 
There  has  been  some  little  delay  with  regard  to  this  latter  statement, 
owing  to  it  not  having  been  included  asit  ought  to  have  been  with  the 
last  batch  or  statements  sent  out,  which  was  purely  accidental. 

When  you  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  this  money,  as  stated 
herein,  is  collected  for  the  most  part  by  trifling  instalments,  the  charges 
are  extremely  moderiite,  and  in  strict  accordance  as  per  terms  of  our 
circular,  and  not  at  all  as  the  writer  of  the  complaint  would  have  you 
believe. 

We  invite  others  who  have  had  dealings  with  the  company  to 
communicate  with  us. 

AN  UNEXPECTED  ENDING- 

At  Mr.  Harness's  request,  many  of  our  daily  contemporaries 
have  published  the  following: — 

[rorv.l 

"11,  Wych  Street,  Strand,  Nov.  7. 

"  To  C.  H.  Harness,  Esq. 

"  '  Brusyer  v.  Harness.* — 1  Harness  \.  Brasyer.' 
"Sir,— You  having  agreed  to  settle  the  matters  in  dispute  between 
j  ou  and  our  client  by  withdrawing  the  record  and  agreeing  to  a  stay 


November  24,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


79 


of  proceedings,  each  party  paying  their  own  costs,  we,  as  solici- 
tors for  Colonel  Brasyer,  on  his  behalf  desire  to  state  that  had  the 
facts  as  disclosed  in  the  evidence  given  in  the  course  of  the  prosecution 
against  you  and  in  this  action  been  known  to  him  and  us 
prior  to  those  events,  we  should  not  have  instituted  that  prosecution 
or  this  action,  and,  on  behalf  of  our  client,  we  regret  the  course  which 
has  been  taken. 

"  We  are,  Sir,  yours  truly, 

"COLYEK  AND  COLYEIt." 

What  has  not  been  published  is  the  fact  that,  in  addition  to 

withdrawing  all  imputations,   Colonel   Brasyer  has  paid  to 

Mr.  Furber  (Mr.  Harness's  solicitor)  £2,500,  which  has  been 

apportioned  as  follows  : — 

To  Dr.  McCully,  £350  and  costs. 

To  Mr.  Dudley  Towers,  £200  and  costs. 

The  balance  to  Mr.  Furber  for  costs  (Mr.  Harness  having  refused  any 

cash  compensation). 
In  addition  to  this  Messrs.  Colyer  and  Colyer  have  paid  £150  to  Mr. 

Hollier,  together  with  his  solicitor's  costs. 

The  lawyers  seem  to  have  done  well  out  of  the  business. 

REUTER'S  INTERNATIONAL  AGENCY,  LIMITED. 

In  the  course  of  the  hearing  of  a  petition  for  the  compulsory 
winding-up  of  this  company,  an  affidavit  was  made  by  Mr. 
Herbert  de  Reuter,  who  said,  inter  alia,  that 

It  was  absolutely  untrue  that  the  advertisement  portion  of  Reuter's 
Telegram  Company's  business  had  ever  been  conducted  at  a  loss. 
How  rumour  may  malign  a  company  ! 

MOORE  AND  BURGESS,  LIMITED. 

Mr.  Jerome  will  be  much  obliged  if  shareholders  and  others 
who  communicated  with  him  last  year  with  reference  to  the 
entertainment  given  by  the  Moore  and  Burgess  troupe,  will  be 
good  enough  to  send  him  their  present  addresses. 


ANSWERS   TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
North  British  Water  Gas  Company.    Unlucky  Holder  (Bir- 
mingham).—!. Better  decline.   2.  We  do  not  like  any  of  the  shares  you 
name,  with  the  exception  of  No.  4.   3.  We  have  no  information  respecting 
the  British  company.  Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land,  Limited. 

H.  S.  W.  (Manchester).— The  drawings  are  quite  genuine,  but  unless  you 
have  interests  in  the  colony,  we  do  not  advise  you  to  take  shares. 
Walkers,  Parker,  and  Co. 's  Debentures.  It.  S.B.  (Gainsboro').— 

I.  Yes,  we  think  so.  2.  We  like  the  two  railway  stocks  you  mention  for  a 
rise.  The  Nitrate  Bonds  should  be  safe  enough,  but  it  is  as  well  to  leave 
the  brewery  stock.  There  is  not  much  vigour  in  the  concern.  Grand 
Trunk  Debenture  Stock.  J.  McD.  (Glasgow).— At  present  price  you 
could  not  go  far  wrong,  but  you  might  make  a  better  selection. 
Provident  Association  of  London.  J.  D.  (Leeds).— You  do  not 
give  us  sufficient  particulars  to  enable  us  fully  to  advise  you,  but  the 
association  is  perfectly  solvent,  and  we  have  no  reason  whatever  to  sup- 
pose that  it  will  be  less  so  by-and -bye.  The  Giffard  Gun  Company. 
Inquirer  (Nottingham).— No,  the  gun  was  not  a  sporting  gun  merely. 
It  was  also  intended  as  a  military  weapon,  and  its  efficiency  for  war  purposes 
was  put  forward  in  the  prospectus  as  one  of  the  reasons  why  the 
public  should  pay  the  £200,000  asked  for  the  patent.  Seddon's  Pneu- 
matic Tyre  Company.  J.  I.  (Belfast).— We  will  see  if  we  can  get  the 
information  you  want,  but  we  fear  you  will  have  to  wait  a  long  time  for  the 
rise.  The  Columbia  Shipping  Company.  K.  L.  C.  (Sunderland).— 
Yes ;  quite  true.  Olympic  Music  Hall.  J.  W.  A.  (Stamford  Hill).— 
No.  Union  Steamship  Company  of  New  Zealand.  J.  O.  (South- 
ampton).—Yes,  we  think  so.  Corporation,   Limited.  (Ituther- 

glen).— We  cannot  recommend  it.  The  Beeston  Pneumatic 
Tyre  Company,  Limited.  H.  Z.  N.  (Spennyuioor).— We  cannot  better 
your  description  of  the  concern.  London  Road  Car  Shares.  Laurie 
(Saville  Town).— Probably  having  regard  to  the  fact  that  you  have  the 
letter  and  scrip  you  would  have  no  difficulty  in  the  event  of  your  friend's 
death,  but  why  not  have  a  proper  transfer  ?  The  Londonderry  Gold 
Mine,  Limited.  A.  L.  (Newcastle).— The  property  to  be  bought  by  the 
company  may  be  as  valuable  as  it  is  said  to  be,  and  it  may  not.  All  that 
is  certain  is  that  the  public  are  asked  to  pay  £7uo,000  for  these  few  acres, 
and  that  out  of  every  20s.  earned  by  the  £50,000  of  working  capital  18s.  7-Jd. 
goes  to  the  vendors.  It  seems  to  be  a  lopsided  risk,  and  we  advise  yen 
not  to  be  a  party  to  it.  The  Turner  Pneumatic  Tyre  Company. 
A.  M.  L  —  The  matter  shall  have  our  attention.  Bank.  Regent 
( Godalming).— It  is  a  sixty  per  cent.  shop.  Globe  Telegraph  and  Trust 
Company.  Scot  (Wick).— No. 

INSURANCE. 

Accident  Assurance  Association.  Agnostic  (Bolton)  —This  com- 
pany will  serve  you  admirably  in  all  respects  for  the  kind  of  insurance  you 
require.  Provident  Clerks'  Mutual  Life  Office.  ¥.  W.  L.  (Padding- 
ton).— We  presume  you  intend  to  take  out  a  with-protit  policy.  With 
regard  to  this  office  the  premiums  are  lower  and  the  bonuses  higher  than 
are  those  of  the  two  other  offices  you  mention,  and  the  bonus  is  a  good  one. 
London  Assurance  Corporation.  E.W.B.  (Leicester)  —The premiums 
are  moderate,  and  the  bonuses  good,  whilst  the  management  is  aide. 
Endowment  Assurance.  TYNESIDER. — It  would  be  invidious  to  recom- 
mend particular  offices.  We  shall  be  glad  to  tell  you  which  of  a  list  of,  say, 
five  or  six  you  may  mention,  is  best  for  your  purpose.  In  the  list  you  had 
better  place  a  nnmber  or  letter  against  each  name.  Pearl  and  Palatine 
Insurance  Companies.  Milner  (Huddersfield).— Both  companies  are 
quite  reliable,  and  will  give  you  good  value  for  your  money.  North 
British  and  Mercantile.  G.  B.  (Portsmouth)  —You  have  no  occasion 
for  concern. 


IN  NEXT  WEEK'S   ISSUE  OF 

"TO-DAY," 

WILL   APPEAR   NO.    1    OF  THE 

"  Reminiscences  of  a 

Lawyer's  Clerk." 

By    HERBERT  KEEN. 

AUTHOR  or  "my  landlady's  stories." 


NOW  READY. 
A  SHILLING  CHRISTMAS  NUMBER  FOR  SIXPENCE, 


TWO,  COLOURED  SUPPLEMENTS 


NOVEMBER,  1894. 

Price  Sixpence. 
Edited  by  JEROME  K.  JEROME. 

Contributors  .-—Thomas  Hardy,  Jerome  K.  Jerome,  Dudley 
Hardy,  W.  L.  Alden,  R.  Sauber,  Aubrey  Beardsley,  Barry- 
Pain,  Hal  Hurst,  Keighley  Snovvden,  H.  R.  Millar,  W.  W. 
J acobs,  Sydney  Adamson,  Ernest  Goodwin,  Scott  Rankin,  etc. 


By 


PARTIAL  LIST  OF  CONTENTS. 

The  Speekve  of  the  $eal." 

THOMAS  HARDY  and 
The  Hon.  Mrs.  HENNIKER. 

"The  Man  who  did  not  "believe  in  Luck." 

By  JEROME  K.  JEROME. 

"THE  FALL-lfs'MANAGEMENT  IN 
SICKNESS  AND  IN  HEALTH." 

By  BARRY  PAIN. 

"SLAMMOCKY  SAM." 

By  KEIGHLEY  SNOWDEN. 

"BROWN'S  WIDOWS." 

By  W.  L.  ALDEN. 

"AN    ELABORATE  ELOPEMENT." 

By  W.  W.  JACOBS. 
Etc.,  Etc.,   Etc.,   Etc.,  Etc. 


60  ILLUSTRATIONS,  some  in  Colours, 

BY 

R.  SAUBER:  H.  R.  MILLAR. 

AUBREY  BEARDSLEY.  S.  ADAMSON. 

DUDLEY  HARDY.  E.  GOODWIN. 

HAL  HURST.  SCOTT  RANKIN. 

TWO  COLOURED  SUPPLEMENTS. 


FOUNDED  1871. 


THE  OCEAN 

Accident  &  Guarantee  Corporation, 


LIMITED. 


SUBSCRIBED  CAPBTAL— £255,000. 

Branches  of  Business  Transacted  :— 
ACCIDENT  INSURANCE  (in  all  its  Branches). 
FIDELITY    GUARANTEES    (Bonds    accepted    by  all 
departments  of  Government). 
BURGLARY,  SICKNESS,  MORTGAGE. 
APPLICATION  FOR  FULL  PROSPECTUS  IS  INVITED. 
AGENTS  WANTED.    Apply  to 

RICHARD  J.  PAULL,  General  Manager  and  Secretary. 
HeadO  ffice  :  40  to  44,  MOOR  GATE  STREET,  LONDON. 

A.  DANCE 

WILL  I!E  HELD  1 N  AID  Of  TIIK 

«  TO-DAY "    GALLANTRY  FUND 

At  the  PORTLAND  ROOMS,  Foley  St.,  Gt  Portland  St.  ,W. 

OTit    FRIDAY,    DECEMBER  14th. 

TICKETS,  3s.  each, 
Apply  to  "TODAY1'  Offices,  Howard  House,  Arundel  Street,  W.C, 
Letters  should  be  marked  "Gallantry  FiuuV' 


80 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1894. 


T)RURY  LANE   THEATRE    ROYAL.-SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.    EVERY  EVENING,  at  7.30,  a  New 
and  Original  Sporting  and  Spectacular  Drama,  entitled, 

THE  DERBY  WINNER. 
(Pull  particulars  see  Daily  Papers).   MATINEE  every  SATURDAY  at 
1.30.   Box  Office  open  10  to  6. 


DALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  — THE  HANDSOMEST 
THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 


MOORE   AND    BURGESS   MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
THIRTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  PROGRAMME. 
The  place  to  bring  your  Wives  and  Children. 
NEW  TABLEAUX  by  G.  R.  Sims  and  Ivan  Caryll 
An  entirely  New  First  Part,  consisting  of  New  Ballads  and  Sentimental 

Songs,  by  the  Elite  of  the  Troupe. 
New  Comic  Songs  and  Sketches.   A  screamingly  funny  Farce  has  been 

added.   Characters  by  the  most  laughable  of  Comedians. 
Every  Evening  at  8.  MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY  and  SATURDAY  AFTER- 
NOONS at  2.30.   Prices  5s.,  3s.,  2s.,  and  Is.— Farini,  Manager. 


DOYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

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TO-DAY. 


81 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Love  in  a  Snowstorm.  By  M.  Babington  Bayley.  Illustrated 

by  o.  eckhardt    £5 

Why  Tommy  Atkins  Deserts.   By  an  Ex-Dragoon   67 

Failures.  By  A.  E.  Pain.  Illustrated  by  A.  S.  Forrest    69 

Greenroom  Stories    71 

Kiss  for  Kiss.  By  F.  L.  Stanton.  Illustrated  by  Hal  Hurst..  72 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    73 

Songs  of  the  Soil    74 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller   75 

Feminine  Affairs   76 

In  the  City   78 

To-Day.   By  J.  K.  J   81 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   85 

Nelson  and  Co.,  the  Great  Tea  Men   86 

Club  Chatter    87 

Chuence.  By  Bret  Harte.  Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman   89 

A  Queer  Body  of  Troops.  By  Fred  Whishaw.  Illustrated  by 

Ernest  Goodwin    92 

Mrs.  Oscar  Wilde  at  Home   93 

The  Wail  of  an  Uncultured  Pessimist    94 

Sponge  and  its  Consequences.  By  W.  L.  Alden.  Illustrated 

by  Ernest  Goodwin    95 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 

Lord  Rosebery,  in  his  speech  at  Glasgow,  showed  dis- 
cretion in  dealing  with  the  Opposition,  and  courage  in 
dealing  with  his  own  party.  On  a  point  on  which  that 
party  is  by  no  means  unanimous,  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
express  his  opinion  most  clearly  and  definitely.  "  I  do 
not  deny,"  he  said,  "  that  there  are  arguments  for  single 
chambers.  I  do  not  deny  that  they  may  possibly  be 
right,  but  I  am  so  absolutely  convinced  in  my  historical 
conscience  that  they  are  wrong,  that  I,  at  any  rate,  could 
have  no  part  or  parcel  in  leaving  this  country  to  the 
sole  disposition  of  a  single  chamber."  Lord  Rosebery 
tells  us  nothing  of  the  constitution  or  powers  which,  in 
his  opinion,  an  ideal  Second  Chamber  should  possess, 
because  that  is  not  the  immediate  point.  The  immediate 
point  is,  as  he  says,  the  adjustment  of  the  two  chambers 
which  at  present  exist.  The  abolition  of  the  veto  of  the 
House  of  Lords  constitutes  for  the  Liberal  party  the 
immediate  point. 

But  the  immediate  point  is  not  the  ultimate  point ; 
many,  before  they  take  one  step  involving  a  constitu- 
tional change  of  the  utmost  importance,  would  like  to 
catch  some  glimpse  of  the  final  goal  towards  which  they 
are  moving.  A  little  time  ago,  Home  Rule  was  the  im- 
mediate point;  now,  to  the  great  joy  of  those  who 
have  grown  utterly  sick  of  that  question,  Home  Rule 
is  of  necessity  put  aside,  and  the  rejection  of  the  Home 
Rule  Bill  has  become  the  parent  of  another  immediate 
point — the  attack  upon  the  power  of  the  House  of  Lords. 
What  is  the  next  step  to  be?  I  have  alreadv  referred 
to  the  question  in  these  columns.  I  have  said,  and  say 
again,  that  a  purely  hereditary  body  can  never  be  all 
that  the  ideal  Second  Chamber  should  be.  Whether 
the  Second  Chamber  be  called  the  House  of  Lords  or 
something  else  is  not  important.  That  it  shall  possess 
both  ability  and  stability  is  essential.  Lord  Rosebery's 
avowal  of  his  belief  in  a  Second  Chamber  is  something, 
but  one  asks  for  more. 

I  am  told  that  that  ardent  teetotal  propagandist,  Lady 
Henry  Somerset,  has  been  lately  erecting  new  hop-kilns 


for  her  tenant  farmers.  I  presume  that  this  lady  knows 
what  hop-kilns  are  used  for,  and  I  presume,  also,  that  she 
receives  a  profitable  percentage  from  the  erection  of  the 
same.  Of  course,  even  a  fanatical  teetotaler  must  live, 
and  when  you  have  a  large  and  expensive  estate  to  keep 
up,  and  a  good  many  luxuries  to  provide  for  yourself,  rent 
from  hop-kilns  is  not  to  be  despised.  And  if  one  is  by 
this  means  assisting  in  the  manufacture  of  alcoholic 
liquors,  well,  one  can  always  make  it  right  with  one's  con- 
science by  denouncing  bloated  publicans  and  brewers  for 
making  a  profit  out  of  such  a  shocking  thing  as  beer. 

I  am  sorry  the  Rev.  Mr.  Howson  was  not  successful  in 
persuading  the  Church  Conference  at  Chester  to  leave 
football  alone.  Really  the  Church  gains  nothing  by  in- 
sisting on  putting  its  finger  into  every  pie  of  our  daily 
life,  while  life  itself  is  gradually  becoming  maddening 
when  its  every  corner  is  overcast  by  the  shadow  of  a  bishop's 
lawn  sleeves  or  of  the  Nonconformist's  wide-awake. 
Is  Christianity  so  firmly  established  in  the  land  that  its 
professional  teachers  find  it  necessary  to  give  vent  to  their 
energies  in  looking  after  the  stage,  managing  our  theatres 
and  music-halls,  planning  our  magic-lantern  entertain- 
ments, and  superintending  our  football  1  The  parson  is 
an  excellent  person  in  his  place,  but,  for  heaven's  sake, 
let  us  have  one  minute  of  our  existence  now  and  then  to 
ourselves.  Who  does  not  remember  the  delightful  picture 
Mr.  Anstey  draws  of  the  football  game  at  Dr.  Grimstone's  ? 
The  boys  are  enjoying  the  game  immensely  ;  bumptious 
old  Grimstone,  with  every  good  will  imaginable,  suddenly 
appears  on  the  scene,  and  is  good  enough  to  condescend  to 
join  the  sport ;  and  of  course  spoils  it  for  the  boys. 

What  man  who  remembers  his  school-life  does  not 
know  that  excellent  headmaster  who  loill  interest  him- 
self in  the  boys'  games,  and  who  will  insist  on  being 
so  sympathetic  and  so  kindly ;  and  what  man  does  not 
remember  how  one  and  all  of  us  wished  he  would  break 
his  neck,  and  so  be  compelled  to  leave  us  to  ourselves  1 
The  fatherly  priest  may  have  been  an  excellent  person 
in  the  Middle  Ages,  but  then  the  Roman  Catholic 
pastor  was  never  the  superior  person.  But  I  fancy, 
even  in  those  days,  an  archery  meeting  or  a  bout  at 
quarter-staff  might  have  been  enjoyed  without  his 
perpetual  presence.  The  modern  man,  from  his  cradle 
to  his  grave,  seems  to  spend  one  weary  life  of  being 
"bossed,"  and  reformed,  and  improved,  and  elevated, 
and  talked  to,  and  educated.  The  only  consolation  for 
the  misery  is  to  reflect  how  very  much  good  it  all  does  us, 
and  how  much  better  men  and  women  are  in  this  nine- 
teenth century  than  they  ever  were  before  in  the  history 
of  the  world ! 

Feeling  on  the  subject  as  I  do,  I  cannot  quite  share 
a  Newcastle  reader's  indignation  at  the  attack  made 
against  theatres  by  an  excellent  Newcastle  divine.  I 
object  to  too  close  a  connection  between  the  Church  and 
the  Stage  ;  I  cannot  see  that  it  does  either  of  them  the 
slightest  good.  The  Church  and  Stage  Guild  is  an 
insult  to  the  drama,  and  is  about  as  absurd  as  the 
suggestion  of  a  Church-managed  football  association. 
There  is  room  in  the  world  for  the  Church  and  the  Stage, 
and  work  for  both,  but  they  will  get  on  better  if  they 
keep  each  other  at  arm's  length.  We  shall  be  havin" 
the  Nonconformist  conscience  taking  the  drama  under 
its  wings,  if  we  are  not  careful,  and  then  good-bye  to 


82 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1894. 


art.  The  teaching  of  Christ,  so  far  as  I  can  understand 
it,  was  an  appeal  to  the  inward  lives  of  men.  Christ 
spoke  to  men's  hearts ;  he  was  not  for  ever  interfering 
with  Jewish  politics,  and  seeking  to  make  the  life  of 
every  Jew  and  Roman  in  Jerusalem  a  burden  to  them. 
If  a  clergyman  likes  to  go  to  the  theatre  I  am  sure  there 
is  no  acting-manager  who  will  not  be  glad  to  see  him. 
If  he  does  not  wish  to  go  there  is  no  reason  why  he 
should  not  stop  outside. 

Many  people  have  received  with  something  like  horror 
the  proposal  to  attempt  to  resuscitate  immedi- 
ately after  electrocution  the  body  of  the  mur- 
derer, Wilson.  The  criminal  himself  may  wel- 
come the  experiments  that  give  him  one  more 
chance  of  life,  but  that  is  beside  the  point.  The 
law  sentences  murderers  to  death,  and  while  that  law 
stands  it  should  be  carried  out  definitely  and  decently. 
In  the  same  way,  if  mercy  is  to  be  shown,  mercy  should 
be  definite  and  decent.  If  it  is  necessary  for  science  to 
make  such  experiments,  a  legitimate  opportunity  might 
occur  in  the  case  of  accidental  death.  It  is  not  legitimate 
to  gamble  with  a  life  which  either  is  forfeited,  and  may 
not,  in  the  interests  of  justice,  be  saved,  or  else  is  not 
forfeited,  and  may  not,  in  the  interests  of  justice,  be 
risked.  Justice,  mercy,  and  decency  are  opposed  to  any- 
thing of  the  kind. 

Thk  Christmas  card,  says  a  correspondent  of  the  Daily 
Telegraph,  is  played  out.  He  suggests  that  in  future  we 
shall  merely  put  an  advertisement  of  our  good  wishes 
in  a  daily  paper,  just  as  our  births,  marriages,  and  deaths 
are  advertised.  He  gives  as  an  example  the  following : — 
Temperley.— Mr.  and  Mrs.  Temperley  and  family 

send  heartiest  Christmas  greetings  to  all  their  friends. 

Honeycomb  Cottage,  Hampstead  Heath. 
He  is  "  persuaded  that  real  economy  would  result."  That 
may  be,  but  the  notice,  as  given,  seems  to  me  a  little 
bare.  He  says  that  it  could  be  "  modelled  according  to 
personal  taste,"  and  certainly  some  appropriate  motto 
should  be  added,  as,  for  instance,  "  Peace  on  earth  and 
good-will  on  the  cheap."  Or  why  should  not  the  denizens 
of  Honeycomb  Cottage  (sweet  name !)  request  their 
friends  to  "  accept  this  the  only  intimation,"  and  further 
explain  their  meaning  by  adding  the  significant  words, 
"  No  Boxes." 

Mr.  William  Sykes  (resting)  might  adopt  this  method 
of  letting  an  enforced  change  of  address  be  generally 
known,  and  of  sending  his  good  wishes  to  mates  outside. 
Mr.  Wilkins  Micawber  might,  in  a  few  dignified  words, 
intimate  that  as  a  concession  to  the  season,  and  in  view 
of  the  present  interesting  condition  of  Mrs.  Micawber,  lie 
was  prepared  to  receive  temporary  financial  assistance  in 
the  form  of  a  loan.  Even,  it  is  to  be  feared,  the  thing 
might  be  perverted  to  the  uses  of  advertisement,  and  Mr. 
Vincent  Crummies  might  blend  with  his  respectful  greet- 
ing to  all  patrons  the  intimation  that  in  his  Christmas 
production  all  his  previous  efforts  after  realism  would  be 
surpassed.  Yes,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  if  the  system 
suggested  were  adopted,  the  advertisement  columns  at  the 
Chiistmas  season  would  contain  a  good  deal  that  would 
be  distinctly  amusing  to  the  thoughtful  reader.  That, 
however,  is  not  what  the  Daily  Telegraph  correspondent 
wants.    He  wants  cheapness. 

But  would  the  system  be  cheaper?  For  five  shillings, 
the  price  of  the  shortest  advertisement,  I  know  that  it  is 


possible  to  buy  one  hundred  and  twenty  Christmas 
cards,  and  it  may  be  possible  to  buy  more.  They  are  not 
hand-painted,  nor  scented,  nor  do  they  open  out  and  dis- 
close a  verse  of  a  hymn  where  you  would  least  expect  it. 
But  still  they  are  Christmas  cards.  And  there  is  another 
point  that  the  inhabitants  of  Honeycomb  Cottage  (there's 
no  nicer  name  than  that)  might  notice  :  a  great  many 
more  people  are  bored  by  receiving  cards  than  vexed  by 
not  receiving  them.  Friends  are  willing  to  take  many 
things  for  granted — mutual  good  wishes  among  them.  In 
the  matter  of  Christmas  cards  everyone  has  a  perfect 
right  to  suit  his  own  taste  and  pocket — to  send  them  or 
not  to  send  them.  If  the  people  at  that  cottage  with 
the  sticky  but  exquisite  name  do  not  want  to  send  me  a 
picture  of  a  willow-pattern  plate,  two  roses,  and  a  kitten, 
as  a  sign  that  their  heart  is  in  the  right  place,  they  are 
perfectly  free  to  let  it  alone. 

Is  not  the  literary  critic  working  the  adjectives 
"suburban"  and  "middle  class"  a  little  too  much? 
I  notice  that  whenever  the  superior  young  man  wishes 
to  be  very  sarcastic — and  he  often  does  so  wish,  though 
success  does  not  always  accompany  him — he  suggests 
that  his  enemy  possibly  lives  in  the  suburbs,  or  that  he 
has  sprung  from  the  middle  class.  Of  course,  we  know 
that  all  journalists  live  in  Curzon  Street  or  Park  Lane, 
and  that  no  one  is  allowed  to  write  for  the  newspapers 
who  cannot  show  patent  of  nobility  extending  to  at 
least  ten  generations  ;  but  is  it  not  ungenerous  of  such 
fortunate  people  to  sneer  at  their  less  lucky  brothers  and 
sisters  1 

Seriously  speaking,  the  snobbery  of  the  tlwng  is 
too  gross  to  be  even  amusing.  A  Brixton  shopkeeper 
stints  himself,  and  saves  enough  money  to  enable  his 
eldest  son  to  get  an  education  on  the  foundation  of  a 
public  school,  and  afterwards  to  send  him  to  Oxford  or 
Cambridge.  He  comes  back  with  a  smattering  of  Latin, 
and,  by  the  aid  of  some  well-to-do  college  contemporaries, 
who  feel  they  owe  him  some  reparation  for  the  snubbings 
they  have  always  administered  to  him,  he  gets  a  berth 
bringing  him  in  about  two  pounds  a  week  on  a  paper,  and 
from  that  day  till  he  marries  his  landlady's  daughter, 
and  settles  down  to  common  sense  in  a  four-roomed  fiat 
at  Kilburn,  he  sets  to  work  to  show  his  supreme  con- 
tempt for  all  classes  but  the  aristocracy,  and  to  try  and 
persuade  the  few  people  who  read  his  criticisms  that  he 
haunts  the  houses  of  the  nobility,  and  does  not  know  an 
omnibus  when  he  sees  one.  And  anything  suburban  or 
middle  class — dear  me,  how  it  shocks  him  !  I  do  wis' 
he  would  not  be  so  silly. 

Can  any  City  corre'ponbmt  tell  me  the  names  and 
addresses  of  the  men  responsible  for  the  condition  of 
Ludgate  Hill  roadway  1  T  want  to  hold  them  up  to  ridi- 
cule, contempt,  and  hatred.  It  is  horrible  to  see  the 
struggles  of  the  unfortunate  'bus  horses  in  trying  t  > 
drag  their  five  ton  load  up  the  terrible  slope.  In 
other  districts  of  London,  where  even  vestrymen  hav.^ 
become  human,  stones  and  gravel  are  thrown  down  to 
afford  a  foothold  for  the  poor  beasts,  but  on  Ludgate  Hill 
this  is  never  done,  and  the  sights  to  be  witnessed  there  on 
a  muddy  day  make  one's  blood  boil.  It  is  no  good 
attacking  the  Vestry  as  a  body  ;  it  would  only  amuse  such 
creatures.  I  want  their  names  and  private  addresses  that 
T  can  publish  them    t  expect  I  shall  find  a  few  of  them 


November  24,  1894. 


TO-DAY, 


83 


are  shrieking  philanthropists  and  advertisers  in  the  sub- 
scription list  of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty 
to  Animals. 

According  to  a  correspondent  of  the  Daily  Chronicle 
there  exists  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Gray's  Inn  Road 
a  gang  of  thieves,  occupying  a  house  with  a  special 
exit  most  suitable  for  the  purposes  of  their  business. 
This  correspondent  was  robbed  in  broad  daylight  of  a 
watch  and  chain,  and  five  pounds,  and  the  thief  escaped 
by  means  of  this  special  exit.  If  this  is  so — and  I 
have  no  reason  to  believe  that  it  is  not — why  on  earth 
write  a  letter  to  the  papers  on  the  subject,  thereby 
giving  the  thieves  an  opportunity  to  escape.  Surely  it 
would  be  better  to  speak  to  the  police  alone,  and  give 
them  a  fair  chance  of  capturing  this  gang.  It  is  not 
only  in  the  Gray's  Inn  Road  that  such  gangs  exist. 
No  one  who  reads  the  newspapers  can  doubt  that 
robbery  in  the  daytime  is  at  present  no  uncommon 
thing  in  the  streets  of  London ;  it  has  seemed  of  late 
to  be  very  much  on  the  increase. 

My  attention  has  been  called  to  another  case  of  child 
insurance.  A  man  and  his  wife  agreed  to  adopt  a  child 
and  bring  it  up  as  their  own ;  they  insured  the  child  in 
the  Prudential  Office,  ill-treated  it,  starved  it,  and  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  intervention  of  the  local  inspector 
of  the  N.S.P.C.C.  would  probably  have  killed  it,  .  The 
case  occurred  at  Truro,  and  it  is  in  its  main  points  like 
many  other  cases.  The  thing  is,  unfortunately,  common. 
I  notice  it  because,  according  to  the  newspaper  report, 
the  insurance  agent  stated  that  it  was  the  practice  of  the 
Prudential  Assurance  Company  to  systematically  canvas 
for  infant  insurance.  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  from  the 
Prudential  Assurance  Company  if  their  agent's  statement 
is  accurate  or  not.  Does  the  company  deny  it,  or  are 
they  making  a  special  feature  of  a  business  which  every 
humane  man  must  condemn  1 

A  Bristol  commercial  traveller  draws  my  attention  to 
a  matter  of  some  public  importance.  The  other  day  a 
driver  in  the  service  of  the  Neath  Tramway  Company 
was  charged  with  cruelty  to  a  horse.  The  animal  was 
suffering  from  no  less  than  seventeen  wounds.  There 
was  no  question  about  this  fact ;  but  the  society's 
officer  seems  to  have  been  hampered  in  his  efforts  to  get 
the  particular  horse  in  question  brought  up  to  the 
court.  Five  horses  were  brought  forward,  and  the  in- 
spector was  asked  to  select.  Everyone  knows  how  diffi- 
cult it  is  to  recognise  a  horse  seen  only  once,  and  in  this 
case  the  difficulty  would  be  increased  by  the  fact 
that  many  of  the  horses  employed  by  the  Neath 
Tramway  Company  are  of  a  sorry  kind.  The  Bench 
decided  that  the  wrong  horse  had  been  selected,  and 
dismissed  the  summons  with  costs,  making  no  effort  to 
help  justice  by  insisting  that  the  right  horse  should  be 
discovered. 

But  this  is  not  the  grave  part  of  the  case.  My  cor- 
respondent tells  me  that  the  Clerk  to  the  Magistrates  is 
a  director  of  the  Neath  Tramway  Company,  and  that  the 
Chairman  of  the  Magistrates  is  a  mortgagee  of  the 
company.  I  want  to  know  if  this  is  true.  I  refrain 
from  comment  until  I  know,  and  I  hope  that  my  cor- 
respondent may  be  mistaken.  But  as  to  the  Neath 
Tramway  Company's  cattle,  there  can  be  no  mistake. 
This  is  not  the  first  time  the  company  has  been  sum- 
moned for  cruelty. 


I  have  received  a  letter  from  the  editor  of  London, 
in  which  he  writes  : — 

"  You  are  not  quite  up  to  date  in  your  list  of  shareholders, 
as  not  by  any  means  a  majority  of  them   are  County 
Councillors." 
And  again  : — 

"  The  main  statement  upon  which  your  article  is  based  is 
that  Mr.  McKinnon  Wood  is  chairman  of  a  committee 
which  does  not  exist." 

Upon  this  it  is  sufficient  to  observe  that  I  did  not  say 
that  a  majority  of  the  shareholders  of  London  are  County 
Councillors.  What  I  said  was  that  "its  principal 
shareholders  are  well-known  County  Councillors  and 
members  of  the  Puritan  party,"  which  is  indisputably 
true.  As  to  Mr.  McKinnon  Wood,  I  said  he  is  "  Chair- 
man of  the  Advertisement  Committee  of  the  Council," 
and  that  is  true  in  substance,  though  not  accurate  in 
form,  Mr.  McKinnon  Wood  being  Chairman  of  the 
Local  Government  and  Taxation  Committee,  which  deals 
with  advertisement  matters. 

Most  unprejudiced  readers  of  the  debate  on  Mr. 
Boulnois's  motion  will  agree  with  Mr.  Burns  that  the 
seconder  of  the  motion  accurately  described  the  situation 
when  he  said  that  "  those  who  were  responsible  for  the 
transactions  in  question  had  certainly,  as  he  believed, 
allowed  their  better  judgment  to  be  warped  by  what  he 
called  their  predelictions,  and  had  been  led  into  a  false 
position  in  consequence."  It  is  the  merest  moonshine  to 
say  that  their  interest  in  London  did  not  bias  certain 
Councillors  in  favourof  Londonwhen  advertisements  were 
being  given  out ;  as  nonsensical  as  it  would  be  to  charge 
Mr.  Bunting  or  Mr.Massingham  with  corruption  because 
they  happen  to  be  directors  of  a  paper  whose  manager 
has  done  his  best,  within  legitimate  limits,  to  get  official 
advertisements  for  London.  I  see  no  reason  why 
persons  who  have  a  pecuniary  interest  in  newspapers 
should  be  debarred  from  being  members  of  the  County 
Council,  but  such  persons  ought  not  to  be  upon  the 
committee  that  decides  how  the  large  advertisement  ex- 
penditure of  the  Council  is  to  be  allocated. 

I  am  sending  three  guineas  from  the  Pluck  Fund,  and  a 
medal,  to*  Nathaniel  Berney,  of  Liverpool,  to  whose 
gallant  rescue  of  a  boy  from  the  water  and  liquid  mud  of 
a  pit  bottom  I  have  already  referred.  Berney  is  a 
married  man,  with  a  family  dependent  on  him,  and  when 
in  full  work  only  makes  a  pound  a  week.  He  is  suffering 
ir  health  from  the  results  of  his  heroic  behaviour,  and 
altogether  the  claims  of  his  case  are  indisputable.  I 
am  also  sending  one  guinea  and  a  medal  to  David  Adams, 
the  engine-driver  who  showed  much  pluck  and  pre- 
sence of  mind  in  the  Newtonmore  accident ;  and  a  medal 
to  Foreman  Mugford,  of  Bristol,  whose  gallantry,  I  am 
pleased  to  learn,  will  be  further  rewarded  by  a  subscrip- 
tion raised  in  Bristol  itself. 

But  I  am  not  allowed  to  place  a  medallion  to  Robert 
Evans,  the  miner  who  lost  his  life  in  rescuing  his  com- 
rade, in  the  Baptist  chapel  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
I  am  given  to  understand  that  the  Baptist  chapel  does 
not  want  medallions,  and  does  not  want  "  to  be  troubled." 
Well,  I  am  very  sorry.  If  these  people  do  not  like 
pluck,  do  not  appreciate  self-sacrifice  and  heroism,  there 
is  very  little  to  be  said  for  them.  Doubtless,  they  con- 
sider their  own  selfishness  and  narrowness  sufficient 
adornment  for  their  place  of  worship.  I  hope,  in  the 
meantime,  that  others  will  show  more  generosity.  Sub- 
scriptions' to  the  Pluck  Fund  are  much  wanted,  and  will 


84 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1894. 


be  gratefully  acknowledged.  The  subscription  dance 
in  support  of  the  Fund  will  be  held  in  the  Portland 
Rooms  on  December  14th,  and  the  price  of  the  tickets 
will  be  three  shillings.  Applications  for  tickets  may  be 
sent  to  this  office,  the  envelopes  being  marked  "  Gal- 
lantry Fund."  I  wish  to  acknowledge  the  following 
subscriptions  :  Jack,  5s.  ;  H.  Deane,  2s.  6d. 

ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Society  for  the  Suppression  of  the 
Opium  Trade  sends  me  the  following  letter  : — 

Sir,— Your  article  charging  us  "  anti-opium  faddists"  with  an 
attempt  to  "hoodwink  the  English  public,"  contains  a  serious 
misrepresentation  which,  I  trust,  you  will  allow  me  to  point  out. 
You  say  that  the  accusations  brought  by  the  three  Bombay 
missionaries,  for  which  they  suffered  imprisonment,  "  were 
proved  to  be  lies."  The  fact  is,  that  their  statements  respecting 
the  prosecution  were  not  proved  to  be  truth.  There  is  a 
wide  difference  between  these  two  things,  as  must  be 
plain  to  everyone.  I  may  know  perfectly  well  that  a  man  is 
guilty  of  very  bad  conduct,  and  yet  any  prudent  solicitor  might 
warn  me  that  if  I  published  a  statement  to  that  effect  I  should 
be  liable  to  be  put  in  prison  for  defamation,  because  I  might  not 
be  able  to  adduce  satisfactory  legal  evidence  in  support  of  my 
statement.  The  magistrate  who  tried  the  first  of  the  Bombay 
cases  held  that  "the  statement  in  the  article  regarding  the  mis- 
managing of  these  clubs  appears  true  "  ;  but  he  disbelieved  the 
evidence  which  connected  the  prosecutor  with  this  mismanage- 
ment, and  therefore  convicted  them  of  libel.  I  feel  sure  you 
would  not  wish  to  overstate  your  charge,  even  against  such  con- 
temptible people  as  anti-opiumists,  and  that  you  will  therefore 
find  room  for  this  rectification. — Yours  truly, 

Joseph  G.  Alexander,  Hon.  Sec. 
As  comment  upon  the  above,  I  content  myself  with  quoting 
the  following  remarks  made  by  the  magistrate  who  tried  the 
case  : — 

"  I  have  dealt  at  very  considerable  length  with  the  evidence 
of  Amoo  Mea,  as  he  is  'the  witness  on  whom  the  accused  relies 
to  prove  the  truth  of  the  imputations  made  against  the 
complainant.  After  very  careful  consideration  of  this  evidence, 
I  feel  that,  even  if  it  were  uncontradicted,  1  should  be  absolutely 
unable  to  rely  upon  it.  The  story  which  Amoo  Mea  now  tells 
is,  as  I  have  already  pointed  out  in  detail,  an  entirely  different 
tale  from  that  which  he  told  a  few  weeks  ago.  ...  I  feel 
convinced  that  Amoo  Mea's  evidence  is  a  tissue  of  falsehoods  from 
beginning  to  end. 

"I  am  satisfied  that  the  whole  of  the  story  .  .  .  is  a 
pure  fabrication. 

"Upon  consideration  of  the  evidence,  I  am  irresistibly  led  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  statements  made  in  the  article  complained  of 
are,  so  far  at  least  as  the  complainant  is  concerned,  absolutely 
untrue.  ...  In  considering  the  punishment  which  I  must 
inflict  upon  the  accused,  I  cannot  overlook  the  fact  that  he  had 
the  opportunity  of  withdrawing  from  this  prosecution  long  ago 
upon  tendering  an  apology  to  the  complainant.  Instead  of 
doing  so,  he  has  chosen  to  attempt  to  substantiate  the  charges 
he  made  by  evidence  which  he  has  frequently  been  warned  is 
untrustworthy." 

With  the  evidence  before  me  I  shall  be  delighted  to  go  minutely 
into  this  case  if  Mr.  Alexander  invites  me  to  do  so.  I  imagine 
he  will  not.  It  throws  a  squalid  light  upon  missionary  morality 
in  its  worst  form,  and  the  anti-opium  party  would  be  better  ad- 
vised in  hushing  it  up  than  in  trying  to  bluff  the  English  public 
with  an  emasculated  and  deceitful  version  of  the  facts. 

H.  W.  writes  me  on  two  matters— firstly,  as  to  the  necessity 
for  State  control  of  vice,  and  as  to  this  I  quote  his  letter,  as  it 
proves  that  some  of  us  keep  our  minds  open  to  reason  :— 

"  I  feel  I  must  write  to  thank  you  for  the  paragraphs  you  have 
written  in  To-Day  on  the  necessity  for  State  control  of  vice. 
You  have  quite  brought  me  over  to  your  view,  from  holding  the 
opposite  opinion.  It  may  be  I  held  that  opinion  from  being 
disinclined  to  think  it  out  for  myself,  and  because  one  is 
naturally  averse  to  countenancing  (as  any  control  would  at  first 
sight  seem  to  do)  vice  in  any  way  whatever.  Besides,  all  those 
whom  one  had  heard  denounce  such  control  were  such  as  one 
would  naturally  respect,  and  whose  opinion  on  other  matters  one 
would  unhesitatingly  follow.  Whereas  I  had  never  heard  your 
side  argued  before,  except  by  those  who  seemed  to  be 
interested  parties  ;  for  instance,  such  as  one  could  well  believe 
would  prefer  that  opportunities  for  vice  were  more  frequent  and 
less  dangerous,  whereas  it  was  quite  a  revelation  to  me — and 
doubtless  would  be  to  many  others  who  had  not  troubled  to 
think  it  out  for  themselves — to  see  it  advocated  from  quite  an 
opposite  point  of  view  ;  and,  therefore,  I  feel  I  must  express  my 
gratitude  to  you  for  doing  so." 

From  this,  my  correspondent  goes  on  to  argue  in  favour  of  the 
Bishop  of  Salisbury's  plan  for  religious  teaching  in  Board 
Schools,  which  is  that  the  parents  of  children  of  each  denomina- 
tion should  have  the  right  to  make  the  Board  provide  opportuni- 
ties for  their  children  to  be  taught  the  particular  doctrine 
believed  in  by  themselves.    But  would  not  parents  who  took  any 


real  interest  in  religion  prefer  to  teach  their  children  themselves 
This  is  a  parent's  duty,  not  a  parish  question. 

Wee  Bittie  Puzzled  (Glasgow). — As  you  have  only  just 
begun  reading  To-Day  you  cannot  understand  my  argument 
If  you  will  continue  you  will  find  that  my  attitude  is  perfectly 
consistent,  and  one  with  which  I  think — judging  from  your 
letter — you  will  agree.  I  believe  in  our  helping  one  another, 
and  persuading  one  another,  and  inducing  one  another  towards 
good.  But  I  object  to  our  driving  and  forcing  one  another,  I 
object  to  other  people's  virtue  being  forced  upon  me  by  aid  of 
the  policeman's  baton.  Let  me  hear  and  choose  for  myself. 
Christ  spoke  to  the  hearts  of  men.  He  would  never  have 
suggesteJ  a  law  to  forbid  folks  drinking  wine  at  marriage 
feasts,  ile  did  not  call  in  the  aid  of  the  Roman  pikes  to 
convert  sinners.  He  never  formed  part  of  a  deputation  to 
Pontius  Pilate  to  urge  him  to  make  people  moral  by  Roman 
decree.  Nor,  to  take  up  your  second  argument,  is  anything  to 
be  gained  by  shutting  one's  eyes  to  facts.  I  want  you  reformers 
to  think  as  well  as  to  talk.  You  must  understand  the  world 
before  you  can  move  it.  The  laws  of  Nature  are  above  your 
criticism.    Study  them  and  you  will  find  a  meaning  in  them. 

Sailor's  Wife  asks  me  if  I  "  think  it  is  right  for  the  steward  of 
a  ship  to  escort  the  stewardess  ashore.  The  steward  is  a  young 
married  man,  and  the  stewardess  a  young  unmarried  woman. 
He  goes  ashore  with  her  when  the  ship  is  laying  in  dock.  .  .  . 
He  also  has  accepted  her  carte,  and  given  her  his  in  exchange. 
He  has  her  carte  hanging  in  his  room,  and  has  accepted  presents 
from  her.  He  has  allowed  her  to  sit  in  his  room  alone.  He 
has  gone  walks  with  her  when  the  ship  was  laying  in  (where  he 
has  his  home),  and  then  he  says  he  can't  see  that  there  is  any- 
thing out  of  place  in  all  this,  and  seems  to  think  his  wife  is 
narrow-minded  for  objecting  to  it." 

Well,  candidly,  I  think  he  is  going  too  far.  Friendship 
would  be  rational  and  proper,  but  to  walk  out  with  another  lady 
while  your  wife  is  sitting  at  home  is  not  gentlemanly,  Mr. 
Steward.  We  cannot  control  our  affections,  but  we  owe 
courtesy  where  we  have  sworn  to  cherish,  and  not  to  pay  it  is 
vulgar  and  mean.  But  could  not  "  Sailor's  Wife  "  make  herself 
so  attractive  as  to  cut  out  the  stewardess  ?  Sometimes  I  fancy 
that  wives  think  the  game  of  love  is  over  with  the  marriage 
ceremony.  Men  play  it  till  they  are  old.  They  would  often 
play  it  with  their  wives — if  their  wives  would  help  them. 

S.  Holmes  S. — I  cannot  read  your  last  name,  and  so  give  the 
initials.  For  the  matter  of  that,  I  cannot  altogether  follow 
your  arguments  either.  But  the  point  which  you  seem  to  miss 
is  that  humorous  stories  are  as  likely  as  not  to  be  humorous. 

H.  E.  sends  me  a  Welsh  paper,  containing  three  columns  of 
disgusting  details  concerning  an  affiliation  case.  My  correspon- 
dent points  out  that  this  particular  paper  is  never  tired  of 
preaching  morality,  yet  it  never  hesitates  to  sell  dirt  itself  and 
to  pocket  the  profits.  This  Welsh  paper  does  not  stand  alone 
in  its  hypocrisy.  One  sees  leading  articles  against  gambling 
side  by  side  with  the  latest  betting  news,  and  virtuous  denun- 
ciation of  living  pictures  opposite  indecent  advertisements.  It 
irritates  one  at  times. 

J.  Smith,  of  Smethwick,  writes  to  tell  me  that  he  is  an  active, 
breathing  and  determined  man.  He  appears  to  be  a  Socialistic 
gentleman,  and  tells  me  that  "  Some  of  us  will  be  prepared  to 
advise  you,  and  generally  see  to  you."  I  don't  know  what  this 
means,  but  it  sounds  bloodthirsty,  especially  when  one  remembers 
that  the  threat  comes  from  a  man  who  is  not  only  active  and 
determined,  but  breathing.  The  "arguments"  of  Socialists 
appear  to  be  quite  unanswerable. 

;  F.  H.  A. — I  cannot  advise  you  unless  you  can  entrust  me  (in 
strict  confidence)  with  your  own  name  and  address,  and  the 
names  of  the  firms  to  whom  you  refer.  The  action  you  have 
taken  does  not  seem  wise.  Tyro. — A  knowledge  of  Latin  is 
utterly  unnecessary  for  any  practical  purpose  of  life.  The 
average  journalist  would  do  much  better  to  study  English.  Latin, 
beyond  what  he  can  get  from  a  sixpenny  book  of  "  Familiar 
Quotations,"  won't  help  him  at  all. 

Armorial  Bearings. — A  license  must  be  obtained  for  the  use 
of  armorial  bearings  by  every  person  intending  to  use  them ; 
therefore  it  does  not  matter  how  many  members  of  a  family 
under  the  same  roof  have  an  engraved  signetiring,  each  must  have 
a  license.  As  to  note-paper,  the  case  is  different.  All  under 
the  same  roof  are  entitled  to  use  the  note-paper,  the  license  for 
the  crest  on  which  has  been  paid  by  the  head  of  the  house, 
though  even  in  this  case  the  Board  of  Inland  Revenue  expect  to 
be  asked  for  permission. 

G.  C. — Neither  of  the  two  matters  you  refer  to  are  my  fault. 
The  paper  is  published  every  Thursday,  and  if  you  find  any 
difficulty  in  getting  it  on  that  day  you  should  change  your  news- 
agent. 

AnTI-HUMBCQ  says  that  the  house  in  which  the  Princess  Alix 
resided  while  at  Harrogate  does  not  bel'iig  to  a  house  docorator. 
He  also  assures  me  that  it  ha-s  a  garden.  It  all  depends  upon 
what  one  means  by  a  house  decorator,  and  what  one  understands 
by  a  garden. 

1  have  had  the  prettiest  compliment  imaginable.  A  reader  of 
one  of  my  books,  evidently  a  poor  man,  has  forwarded  me,  in 
proof  of  his  gratitude,  live  shillings,  together  with  a  letter  that 
is  worth  to  me  a  good  many  five  shillings.  He  puts  no  name  or 
address  in  his  letter,  and  he  sends  it  with  such  an  evidently 
kind  and  genuine  intention  that  I  would  not  return  it  if  1  could. 
1  have  added  it  to  the  Pluck  Fund. 

Several  amwers  arc  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week 


irovEMBRB  24,  1894, 


TO-DAY. 


85 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  dear  Dick, — George  Alexander's  unprecedented 
run  of  luck  as  a  theatrical  manager  has  broken  at  last. 
He  never  appeared  to  greater  advantage  than  in  The 
Masqueradtrs,  and  his  performance  in  it  was  one  of  the, 
if  not  the,  big  attractions  of  the  piece.  Now,  just  when 
he  comes  back  from  tour,  and  the  run  has  been  resumed 
with  every  prospect  of  success,  George  has  suddenly- 
gone  down  before  a  bad  attack  of  measles,  made 
in  Germany,  and  consequently  a  very  bad  sort.  He 
will  not  be  able  to  act  again  before  Christmas,  and 
meantime  his  place  will  be  filled  by  that  excellent  actor, 
Leonard  Boyne.  A  better  substitute  could  not  be 
found,  so  I  hope  the  play  will  not  suffer  by  the  absence 
of  Alexander,  though  to  follow  such  an  actor  in  a  part 
that  he  has  made  so  much  his  own  must  be  a  difficult 
and  trying  business. 

John-a-Dreams  is  doing  splendid  business  at  the  Hay- 
market.  By  the  way,  Chambers  roughly  finished  his 
work  before  Mrs.  Tanqueray  saw  the  light,  so  the 
resemblance  between  the  heroines  is  only  accidental. 
The  Ibsen  influence,  however,  is  clearly  traceable,  to  my 
thinking,  and  what  is  more,  the  success  of  the  big  melo- 
dramatic third  act  proves,  if  it  proves  anything,  that  the 
Ibsen  influence  is  dead.  Kate  Cloud's  confession  was 
Ibsen  all  over.  The  drugging  scene  came  from  the 
Adelphi.    And  the  drugging  scene  was  the  big  go. 

When  Tree  goes  to  America  he  will  not  take  Mrs. 
Patrick  Campbell  with  him.  Mrs.  Tree  will  be  his 
leading  lady,  and  his  company — a  very  strong  one — will 
include  Miss  Hanbury,  Lady  Monckton,  Miss  J anet  Steer, 
Nutcombe  Gould,  Edmund  Maurice,  and  Lai  Brough,  who 
this  week  went  off  for  a  jaunt  to  Johannesburg,  where 
he  will  give  a  two  weeks'  entertainment  "on  his  own." 
He  has  timed  himself  to  be  back  from  South  Africa 
three  days  before  he  sails  with  Tree  for  the  States. 

There  was  not  standing  room  at  the  Criterion  on  the 
fiftieth  night  of  Rebellious  Susan,  and  the  company  got 
ovations.     Charles  Wyndham  is  the  moving  spirit  in 
the  attempt  to  unite  theatrical  managers  against  the 
County  Council,  and  he  is  so  energetic  that  his  opposi- 
tion is  a  thing  to  be  counted  with.    From  what  I  am 
able  to  gather,  the  managers  cling  to  the  censorship  ; 
not  so  much  from  love  of  it,  but  because  they  regard  it 
as    a    safeguard    against    irresponsib'd  interference. 
When    they   apply    to    Mr.    Pigot*    for   a  license, 
nobody  can  come  forward  and  opprse  it  ;   and  when 
once    they   get   the  license,    no  matter    what  may 
be    said    or    thought    of    the     play    it  affects, 
the    license    is    at    once     a     justification     and  a 
shield.    From  a  purely  utilitarian  point  of  view  there 
is  something  to  be  said  for  this  contention,  and  I  can 
thoroughly  understand  a  commercial,  unambitious,  un- 
artistic  manager  dreading  a  change  of  masters.  What 
doe3  puzzle  me  is  that  a  body  of  clever  capable  men  like 
the  theatrical  managers  of  London  cannot  grasp  the 
desirability  of  abolishing  all  control.    Both  from  a 
moral  and  artistic  point  of  view  the  common  law  that 
restrains  indecency  at  the  Royal  Academy  ought  to  be 
sufficient  to   serve  the  same  useful  purpose   at  the 
Haymarket  or  any  other  theatre.    Theatrical  managers, 
in  common  with  everyone  else,  Avould  laugh  to  scorn 
the  idea  of  the  Academy  pictures  being  submitted  to 
Mr.  Pigott  for  inspection  and  approval  before  they  were 
exhibited  to  the  public.    Yet  the  theatrical  managers 
affect  to  believe  that  the  pictures  that  they  present  on 
their  own  stages  mu  st  always  have  a  Censor's  license. 
Surely  they  can  have  very  little  confidence  in  their  own 
conception  of  propriety  if  they  are  afraid  to  face  Lord 
Campbell's  very  simple  Act  without  the  countenance 
and  sanction  of  the  Chamberlain's  official?    Mind,  I 
want   you   to   distinctly  understand   that  I  do  not 
perpetually   urge   the    abolition    of    the  censorship 


because  I  want  to  see  the  stage  inundated  with  weird 
experimental  dramas.  There  is  no  danger  of  anything 
of  the  sort.  The  Ibsen  movement  was  not  crushed  by 
the  Censor.  The  Independent  Theatre  did  not  languish 
because  of  the  Censor.  The  paying  public  did  not  want 
either  of  them,  and  would  not  have  them.  The  mind  of 
the  public  is  healthy  and  clean,  and  if  the  censorship 
were  abolished  to-morrow,  no  manager  would  dare  risk 
offending  the  clean  and  healthy  public.  If  he  pandered 
for  an  instant  to  the  morbid  and  the  bestial  his  place 
of  business  would  be  ruined.  Every  manager  in  London 
knows  this  perfectly  well.  It  is  the  Bayswater  parson 
and  the  young  lady  of  fifteen  who  make  theatrical  for- 
tunes, and  the  manager  knows  this  also. 

My  own  longing  for  freedom  is  due  to  my  general 
objection  to  what  I  consider  an  archaic  revival,  and  to 
my  individual  belief  that  the  art  of  the  dramatist,  like 
every  other  art,  should  be  free  from  the  restrictions  of 
any  one  man's  opinion.  The  drama,  after  all,  is  a  form 
of  literature,  and  no  form  of  literature  ever  prospered 
and  flourished  unless  it  was  free.  Our  drama  has  of 
late  shown  decided  signs  of  a  revival,  but  I  believe  that 
it  is  shackled,  restrained,  and  repressed  within  artificial 
limits  by  the  contrivance  of  the  censorship.  I  am  the 
last  person  in  the  world  to  wish  for  a  libellous  or 
libidinous  drama.  But  I  do  claim  for  the  drama  that  it 
should  be  as  free  as  the  sister  arts,  as  free  as  the  public 
speaker  or  the  public  press. 

Talking  of  the  Censor  reminds  me  of  "  Owen  Hall  " 
who  had  such  difficulties  with  his  Gaiety  Girl  when  first 
it  came  out.  His  new  musical  comedy  is  ready  and  will 
soon  go  into  rehearsal  at  Daly's.  The  cast  will  include 
sweet  Marie  Tempest,  Kate  Cutler,  Juliette  Nesville, 
and  Lottie  Venne,  Hayden  Coffin,  Eric  Lewis,  and  very 
probably  Charles  HUwtrey. 

W.  S.  Gilbert  will  write  the  next  piece  for  the  Lyric. 
Don  Quixote  will  be  revived  at  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
when  Claude  Duval  is  done  with,  and  then  will  come 
Brookfield's  burlesque,  originally  intended  for  the 
Gaiety,  where  The  Shop  Girl,  written  by  Dam,  and 
with  music  by  Caryll,  Adrian  Ross,  and  Lionel 
Monckton,  goes  up  on  Saturday. 

The  arrangements  at  the  George  Edwardes'  Syndicate 
of  theatres  are,  you  see,  very  complete. 

Meantime  Little  Christopher  Columbus  still  runs 
merrily  at  Terry's,  where  Alice  Lethbridge  will  shortly 
join  the  cast,  and  the  Lady  Slavey  is  drawing  good 
houses  at  the  Avenue. 

Mrs.  John  Wood  has  presented  a  really  beautiful  pearl 
and  diamond  bracelet  to  Miss  Amy  Abbot,  who  played 
the  duchess  so  very  excellently  when  Mrs.  Wood  was 
temporarily  absent  from  Drury  Lane.  The  Derby 
Winner,  with  Mrs.  Wood,  will  move  from  the  Lane  to 
the  Princess's  on  Boxing  night.  The  Derby  Winner 
will  shortly  be  seen  in  both  Germany  and  Austria,  Sir 
Augustus  Harris  going  himself  to  Vienna  to  see  the 
show  make  a  start,  directly  he  has  got  through  with  the 
productionof  those  little  trifles — the  pantomimes  at  Drury 
Lane  and  the  Tyne,  Newcastle. 

The  Trafalgar  remains  for  the  moment  unlet,  as  the 
arrangements  for  a  revival  of  a  revised  Ivanhoe  have 
fallen  through.  There  is  not  much  else  to  tell  you, 
except  that  the  rumours  concerning  the  respective 
suicides  of  about  half  the  profession  that  were  in  full 
swing  last  week,  were,  and  are  all  of  them,  untrue.  Also, 
Albert  Gilmour,  lately  acting  manager  at  the  Alhambra, 
having  been  killed  several  times  by  several  papers,  is 
alive  and  as  well  as  can  be  expected  after  a  sharp  attack 
of  typhoid. — Your  affectionate  cousin, 

Randolph. 


NOW  READY. 

SEE  ADVERTISEMENT  ON  PAGE  79. 


86 


NELSON  AND  CO.,  THE 
GREAT  TEA  MEN. 


My  attention  has  been  directed  to  a  commotion  in 
Homerton.  The  grocers  of  that  not  very  picturesque 
suburb  are  in  despair.  Their  trade  in  tea,  about  the 
most  profitable  thing  they  sell,  is  disappearing.  It  is 
going,  and  has  gone,  to  new  men — Nelson  and  Co. — 
persons  who  opened  a  shop  at  1,  High  Street,  Homer- 
ton, some  three  months  ago.  Unknown  at  that  time, 
their  business  has  since  increased  by  leaps  and  bounds, 
as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  statement  of  their  sales 
given  by  themselves  : — 

1st  week  ...  129  lbs.  7th  week  ...  3,470f  lbs. 

2nd    „      ...  316   „  8th    „  ...  4,610  „ 

3rd    „      ...  S17i„  9th    „  ...  5,620  „ 

4th    „      ...  1,265  „  10th  „  ...  6,624i  „ 

5th    „      ...  2,077£  „  IHh  „  ...  7,5534  „ 

6th    „      ...  2,660$  „  12th  „  ...  8,4234  „ 

I  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  gross  profit  made 
by  these  people  upon  every  pound  of  tea  sold  is  over 
9d.  We  will  put  it  at  9d.,  which  means  that  three 
months  after  opening  a  teashop  in  a  workman's  suburb, 
unknown  men  were  able  to  make  a  gross  weekly  profit 
of  £315. 

How  is  it  done  1  Is  the  tea  of  marvellous  cheap- 
ness 1  Not  at  all.  It  is  very  ordinary  tea,  sold  at  the 
substantial  price  of  2s.  per  lb.  It  is  a  tea  dear  at  2s. 
per  lb.  What,  then,  is  the  secret  of  success  1  It  is  as 
simple  as  it  is  effective.  Nelson  and  Co.  appeal 
to  the  gambling  instinct  of  the  community.  I  have  be- 
fore me  sundry  papers,  from  which  I  take  the  heading 
to  this  article,  and  the  announcements  which  follow  : — 

The  First  100,000  Customers  in  London 

will  be 

Presented  with  £10  each, 
as  an 

Advertisement  to  make  our  Tea  known. 

The  only  positive  condition  attached  is  that  you 
shall  buy  not  less  that  \  lb.  of  tea  per  week  from 
Nelson  and  Co.  Each  customer  is  expected  to  persuade 
others  to  go  to  Nelson  and  Co.,  but  no  actual 
proof  in  the  way  of  orders  is  required.  It  seems,  how- 
ever, to  have  occurred  to  the  Nelsons  that  a  suspicious 
public  might  consider  it  a  mockery  to  promise  them  a 
£10  note  when,  and  only  when,  a  single  firm,  unknown 
a  few  weeks  ago,  has  100,000  customers.  And  so  we 
have  the  bird  in  the  hand  as  well  as  the  two  in  the 
bush — 

"  There  will  be  twenty  ballots  every  week  for  £5  each 
during  the  time  we  sell  the  tea,  and  those  who  have  £5  by 
ballot  will  only  have  £5  when  the  tea  is  sold.  The  first 
ballot  commences  when  5,000  customers  are  to  hand." 

The  firm  got  their  5,000  customers  weeks  ago,  and 
since  then  the  ballots  have  been  going  on  merrily.  On 
last  Saturday  no  fewer  than  ten  ballots  were  drawn, 
which  must  be  taken  to  mean  that  Nelson  and  Co.  have 
over  50,000  customers  in  London.  The  bait  of  the  £5 
note,  for  which  anybody  may  have  a  draw  who  purchases 
not  less  than  four  ounces  of  tea  each  week  from  Nelson  and 
Co.,  has  taken.  Many  of  the  grocers,  not  only  of  Homer- 
ton, but  of  Hackney  and  of  other  districts,  find  that  their 
sale's  of  tea  have  dwindled  to  little  or  nothing.  They 
have  still  plenty  of  customers  for  their  sugar,  upon  which 
there  is  no  profit — Nelson  and  Co.  sell  nothing  but 
tea— but  they  are  no  longer  asked  for  the  article  which 
is  amongst  the  most  profitable  they  trade  in. 

The  wrong  done  to  the  tradesmen  of  the  district  is 
plain  and  gross.  This  is  not  fair  competition,  and  ought 
not  to  be  allowed.  If  Nelson  and  Co.  are  to  be  left 
alono  I  can  sec  no  limit  to  the  mischief  that  may  be 


worked.  They  are  raking  in  the  dollars,  and  they  will 
soon  have  imitators,  not  only  in  the  tea  business,  but  in 
others.  The  poor  man  must  buy  his  bit  of  meat,  his 
loaf  of  bread,  his  cwt.  of  coal  as  well  as  his  packet  of 
tea,  and  the  chance,  however  small  it  be,  of  a  five- 
pound  note  will  appeal  to  him  with  the  same  force  whether 
it  is  his  butcher,  or  his  grocer,  who  offers  it. 

Are  Nelson  and  Co.  going  beyond  the  law  1 
Speaking  with  the  humility  befitting  a  layman,  it  seems 
to  me  that  they  are.  The  nearest  case  I  can  find  in  the 
books  is  that  of  Taylor  v.  Smetten.  Here  a  man  erected 
a  tent  in  which  he  sold  packets,  each  containing  one 
pound  of  tea,  at  2s.  6d.  per  packet.  In  each  packet  was 
a  coupon  entitling  the  purchaser  to  a  prize,  and  this  was 
publicly  stated  by  the  seller  before  the  sale.  But  the 
purchasers  did  not  know  until  after  the  sale  what  prizes 
they  were  entitled  to,  and  the  prizes  varied  in  character 
and  value.  The  case  came  before  a  Court  of  Summary 
Jurisdiction  in  Darlington,  and  the  justices  were  of 
opinion  that  although  every  packet  of  tea  contained  a 
coupon  entitling  the  purchaser  to  a  prize,  yet  there  was 
a  chance  or  uncertainty  as  to  the  value  of  such  prizes, 
and  such  chance  or  uncertainty  constituted  a  lottery, 
and  was  in  contravention  of  42  Geo.  ILL,  c.  119.  The  case 
was  carried  to  the  Queen's  Bench,  where  it  was  held — 
the  judgment  of  the  Court  being  that  of  Field  and 
Hawkins,  J.J. — that  what  the  seller  did  constituted  a 
lottery  within  the  meaning  of  the  Statute. 

It  seems  to  the  layman's  mind  that  if  selling  tea 
under  such  conditions  brought  the  seller  within  the. 
Lottery  Acts,  Nelson  and  Co.  do  not  escape  them. 
Taylor,  in  enclosing  and  announcing  the  enclosure  of 
coupon  in  the  packet  of  tea,  did  so  with  a  view  to  induce 
persons  to  become  purchasers,  and  realize  a  profit  to 
himself.  So  Nelson  and  Co.,  in  giving  the  right  to 
every  customer  to  ballot  for  a  £5  note,  do  so  with  a  view 
to  induce  persons  to  become  purchasers,  and  realize  a 
profit  to  themselves.  And  so  with  the  purchasers  of 
the  tea  sold  by  Taylor ;  the  customer  bought  it 
with  the  chance  of  getting  something  of  value  by 
way  of  a  prize,  which  is  precisely  what  the  purchaser 
does  who  buys  Nelson  and  Co's.  tea  and  ballots 
for  the  £5  note.  It  is  true  that  in  Taylor's  case,  the 
customer  had  no  idea  what  the  prize  might  be,  whilst  at 
Homerton  he  knows  it.  But  in  the  one  case,  as  in  theother, 
the  words  of  Mr.  Justice  Hawkins  apply — "  In  making 
his  purchase  he  (the  purchaser)  exercised  no  choice — 
what  he  got  he  got  without  any  option  or  action  of  his 
own  will — -but  as  the  result  of  mere  chance  or  accident  ." 
What  is  the  definition  of  a  lottery  as  defined  by  John- 
son and  Webster,  and  accepted  by  Justices  Hawkins 
and  Field  ?  It  is  a  "  distribution  of  prizes  by  lot  or 
chance."    What  is  it  at  Homerton  but  that  ? 

I  may  be  told  that  Nelson  ar.d  Co.  offer  £10, 
and  that  the  condition  of  the  payment  of  this  £10  is 
service.  He  who  wins  it  has  to  be  a  customer  of  the 
firm,  and  to  work  for  the  firm  in  getting  orders,  and 
the  payment  of  the  £10  is  simply  a  commission.  That 
might  be  an  answer  if  there  were  no  ballots,  but  here 
we  have  to  do,  not  with  £10  that  may  or  may  not  be 
paid  in  the  future  for  service  rendered,  but  with  £o 
paid  now  for  no  service.  You  buy  your  few  ounces  of 
tea,  for  which  you  give  a  price  which  Nelson  and  Co. 
say  represents  its  value,  and  that  alone  entitles  you  to 
ballot  for  these  £5  notes.  Here  there  is  no  service 
whatsoever,  no  obligation  upon  the  part  of  the  successful 
balloter  even  to  remain  a  customer,  much  less  to  get  other 
customers.  I  commend  this  matter  to  the  attention  of 
the  authorities  of  Scotland  Yard. 

If.  upon  examination,  it  is  found  that  the  law  as  it 
stands  does  not  prohibit  such  devices  as  those  to  which 
Nelson  and  Co.  have  so  successfully  resorted,  I 
am  confident  that  Mr.  Asquith  will  see  the  necessity  for 
bringing  in  and  carrying  an  amended  Bill  next  session. 
It  cannot  be  right  that  the  trade  of  an  immense  district 
should  be  disorganised  by  such  devices  as  those  to  which 
Nelson  and  Co.  have  resorted 


November  24,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


87 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


By  the  death  of  the  Dowager  Duchess  of  Montrose,  the 
Turf  loses  one  of  its  staunchest  adherents.  It  was  not 
until  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Stirling  Craufurd  that  the 
deceased  Duchess  took  an  active  interest  in  racing,  but 
she  immediately  became  one  of  the  most  prominent 
figures  in  the  world  of  sport.  It  was  her  great  desire 
to  win  as  many  important  races  as  she  could,  and  sore 
was  her  disappointment  when  time  after  time  her  horses 
just  failed  to  capture  a  classic  event. 


It  would  bo  impossible  to  say,  with  any  degree  of 
certainty,  the  total  sum  the  Duchess  spent  on  the  Turf. 
It  must  have  been  an  enormous  one,  as  Her  Grace  was 
most  lavish  in  her  expenditure  when  she  required  fresh 
bloodstock,  and  no  one  entered  horses  with  a  freer  hand. 
Perhaps  the  greatest  misfortune — so  far  as  racing  goes 
— the  Duchess  met  with  was  when  Isonomy  died  in  1891, 
at  the  early  age  of  16.  The  horse  had  been  bought  for 
9,000  gs.,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  must  have  been 
worth  nearly  £30,000. 


It  is  difficult  to  describe  the  excitement  which  pre- 
vailed in  1888,  when  the  news  leaked  out  that  Her  Grace 
— then  70  years  of  age — had  married  Mr.  Henry  Milner, 
who  was  at  that  time  only  24.  The  assumed  name  of 
"  Mr.  Manton"  was  then  dropped,  and  Her  Grace's  horses 
ran  in  the  name  of  her  husband.  However,  during  the 
Goodwood  meeting1  of  1893,  the  Duchess  again  took  over 
the  entire  management  of  her  bloodstock,  and  it  must 
be  admitted  that  since  then  she  "  placed  "  them  with 
remarkable  success. 


As  is  well  known,  the  Duchess  of  Montrose  would  not 
brook  interference  in  matters  relating-  to  racing,  and 
the  trainer  who  had  charge  of  her  horses  must  have  gone 
through  a  strange  experience.  It  was  no  uncommon 
thing,  too,  for  Her  Grace  to  be  heard  soundly  rating 
the  jockey  who  had  been  riding  one  of  her  horses.  When 
Fred  Archer  was  at  the  zenith  of  his  fame,  the  Duchess 
wished  him  to  take  charge  of  her  racing  stud,  but  the 
famous  jockey  declined,  although  he  was  always  willing 
to  ride  the  horses  in  public. 


_  Mr.  Henry  Milner  is  a  cousin  of  Sir  Frederick  Milner, 
M.P.  He  was  educated  at  Wellington  College  and  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge.  At  the  first-named  place  he  made  a 
great  reputation  as  an  athlete,  winning  the  School  Chal- 
lenge Cup  three  times  in  succession.  He  also  became 
a  great  cricketer,  and  even  now  he  frequently  partici- 
pates in  a  game,  and  his  left-handed  bowling  has  lost 
little  of  its  sting.  On  leaving  Cambridge  Mr.  Milner 
entered  the  office  of  Messrs.  Bourke,  Sandys  and  Co. 
but  he  left  the  City  on  his  marriage  with  the  Duchess 
of  Montrose. 


A  little  incident  which  occurred  a  year  or  so  ago 
proved  what  a  strong-minded  woman  the  Duchess  was. 
Her  intimate  friends  were  greatly  surprised  one  day  by 
seeing  Her  Grace  shopping  in  a  green  velvet  costume. 
Jvow  the  tradition  of  the  House  of  Montrose  says,  "A 
Graham  in  green  should  never  be  seen,"  and  that  mem- 
bers  of  the  clan  were  always  shot  or  stabbed  in  battle 
through  the  green  of  their  tartans. 


I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  why  the  Anti-Gamblin« 
League  went  down  to  Whitehall  the  other  day  to  dis- 
cuss their  position  with  the  Home  Secretary.  They 
fought  the  Northampton  race  committee,  and  practically 
won ;  and  further,  I  take  it,  they  are  aware  that  both 
Mr.  Justice  Hawkins  and  Lord  Russell,  when  asked  for 
a  friendly  opinion  by  the  Jockey  Club,  agreed  that  a 
betting  enclosure  on  any  racecourse  was  illegal.  The 
League  have  been  talking  a  good  deal  about  prosecuting 
the  Jockey  Club,  but  they  have  let  the  season  slip  hy 
and  have  done  nothing.  They  must  surely  know  that  the 


whole  law  relating  to  betting  would  be  finally  settled  if 
they  took  this  step  ;  for  it  is  certain  that  in  case  of  a 
conviction  the  Jockey  Club  would  appeal,  and  appeal 
again,  till  the  whole  matter  was  settled  for  ever. 


But  Mr.  Hawke  and  the  inevitable  Canon  Scott  Hol- 
land are  aware  of  the  fact  that  their  task  is  a  hopeless 
one.  If  I  were  asked  to  name  any  sense  that  the  end 
of  the  nineteenth  century  had  added  to  the  "  five  watch- 
ful ones  "  of  Milton,  I  should  say  gambling.  But  the 
League  are  optimists.  They  seem  to  think  the  day  is 
coming  when  the  hoisting  of  the  numbers  is  going  to 
excite  just  a  mild  nutter  of  interest  among  racegoers, 
which  will  immediately  give  way  to  a  yearning  desire  to 
get  back  to  the  music  of  the  military  band,  and  the 
seductions  of  afternoon  tea.  If  the  League  were  genuine 
in  their  efforts  they  would  at  once  admit  that  they  dare 
go  no  further  in  the  face  of  public  opinion,  and  that 
instead  of  calling  on  the  Home  Secretary  to  get  a  new 
Act  passed  they  should  wait  outside  while  the 
Sporting  League  addressed  the  Home  Secretary  with 
a  view  to  getting  the  existing  law  on  the  subject 
repealed. 


No  man  of  the  world  can  possibly  imagine  that  the 
day  is  to  come  when  there  is  to  be  no  betting  on  race- 
courses ;  and  as  long  as  there  is  betting  the  newspapers 
will  publish  the  odds.  If  betting  were  suppressed  to- 
morrow, racing  would  cease  to  exist,  for  the  racegoer 
supports  the  races,  and  his  principal  object  in  going  is  to 
bet.  What  would  be  the  result  if  Mr.  Hawke  and  his 
friends  were  to  win  ?  There  are,  roughly,  5,000  horses  in 
training,  and  a  stable  lad  is  required  for  every  horse. 
A  horse  in  training  costs  about  50s.  a  week,  a  pound  of 
which  goes  in  food,  half  a  sovereign  to  the  lad,  and  the 
remainder  to  the  trainer.  Suppress  betting  to-morrow 
and  millions  of  money  are  thrown  idle. 

Go  further.  What  would  happen  to  railway 
dividends,  for  the  heaviest  and  best  paying  traffic  of 
the  year  to  all  the  principal  companies  is  supplied 
by  the  race  specials.  Then  take  the  hard-pressed 
hotel  keepers  and  restaurateurs,  to  say  nothing 
of  local  cabmen  all  over  England,  whose  golden 
harvest  is  reaped  during  the  race  week.  Admitting 
then  that  Mr.  Hawke  knows  that  betting,  and  the 
publication  of  betting  odds  cannot  be  stopped,  what  is 
the  use  of  harassing  race  committees  ?  Of  the 
35,000,000  odd  who  make  up  the  population  of  this 
country,  there  is  an  average  of  about  10,000 
on  racecourses  on  any  day.  The  great  bulk 
of  the  betting  is  carried  on  in  clubs  of  all 
standings  and  conditions.  When  the  tape 
announces  the  starters  the  betting  is  just  as  free  in 
hundreds  of  places  throughout  England  as  on  the  race- 
courses, and  when  the  "  off  "  clicks  out  there  is  as  much 
craning  of  necks  over  these  machines  as  there  is  on  the 
grand  stand  to  see  the  finish. 

Mr.  Asquith  spoke  of  local  option,  but  I  cannot  see 
how  this  is  to  work.  Are  the  good  people  of  Horley  to 
veto  the  meeting  at  Gatwick,  considering  that  the  i-aces 
are  held  in  some  adjacent  fields  with  a  special  station  for 
racegoers  who  never  trouble  the  village,  and  who  arrive 
and  depart  without  seeing  it.  And  the  same  argu- 
ment applies  to  Plumpton,  Lingfield,  and  half  a  do>:en 
other  meetings.  What  I  would  suggest  is  that  the  local 
inhabitants  were  the  proprietors  of  the  various  race 
courses,  and  that  the  profits  should  be  disposed  of  for 
their  benefit,  as  in  the  case  of  Brighton,  which  owes 
some  of  its  greatest  attractions  to  the  success  of  its  race 
meeting.  To  this  end  I  would  support  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Pari  mutuel,  and  deduct  a  certain  per 
centage  of  the  profits  for  the  benefit  of  the  rates. 


The  Rugby  County  Championship  is  not  likely  to  go 
to  Lancashire  this  season,  the  cause  being,  not  in- 
feriority in  play,  but  the  suspension  of  clubs  for  pro- 


88 


TO-DAY, 


November  24,  1894 


fessionalism,  from  whom  the  County  Palatine  drew  some 
of  its  best  players.  It  is  quite  possible — nay,  indeed, 
probable — that  the  Lancashire  competition  may  fall  to 
pieces  altogether.  Swinton,  Rochdale  Hornets,  and 
others  have  to  clear  themselves  from  the  charges  brought 
against  them,  or  suffer  the  penalty.  As  regards  the 
County  Championship,  Yorkshire  has  beaten  Northum- 
berland and  Durham.  In  the  West,  it  will  be  a  close 
tiling  between  Devon  and  Somerset,  but  I  expect  the 
former  to  come  out  at  the  top.  Kent  and  Surrey  will 
fight  out  the  battle  for  divisional  honours  in  the  South. 
On  the  whole,  therefore,  the  chances  of  Yorkshire  seem 
to  be  the  most  rosy,  unless  unexpected  developments 


occur. 


Sunderland  have  always  been  my  favourites  for  the 
League  Championship,  and  at  last  they  have  virtually 
reached  the  top  of  the  League  table,  for  though  Everton 
have  a  single  point  to  the  good,  Sunderland  have  a  match 
in  hand.  Everton's  show  at  Liverpool,  where  they  could 
only  make  a  draw  with  their  local  rivals,  is  an  instance 
of  the  in-and-out  form  so  unaccountable  in  football. 
Liverpool  have  won  but  one  match  in  the  competition 
cut  of  I  f,  whereas  Everton  have  won  8  out  of  12,  yet 
the  "  Toffee"  men  failed  where  almost  every  other  League 
club  has  succeeded.  The  shuffling  of  the  cards  has  im- 
proved the  position  of  the  Blackburn  Rovers,  although 
they  had  a  bit  of  a  fright  from  Burnley  at  Ewood  Park. 
Small  Heath  are  improving,  and  their  victory  over  Aston 
Villa  will  do1  a  good  deal  to  inspire  them  with  renewed 
confidence.  Bolton,  as  usual,  were  again  defeated. 
Derby  County  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  table,  but  I  shall 
expect  them  to  soon  rise  from  that  position. 


The  Southern  League  is  progressing,  and  the  competi- 
tion is  becoming  interesting.  The  latest  surprise  was 
the  draw  between  St.  Mary's  Southampton  (what  a 
name!)  and  Millwall  Athletic.  So  far  the  "Dockers" 
had  proved  irresistible,  but  their  victorious  career  has 
received  a  check.  I  have  not  the  high  opinion  of  Milh 
wall  whi  ch  some  people  have ;  in  fact,  I  should  not  be 
surprised  if  to-day  (Saturday)  New  Brompton  put 
them  out  of  the  English  Cup. 


We  shall  shortly  see  a  curious  football  match.  The 
New  Woman  is  going  in  for  football  under  "Socker" 
rules,  and  I  am  informed  that  a  team  is  in  course  of 
formation.  We  have  lady  cyclists,  lady  swimmers,  lady 
cricketers,  and  why  not  lady  footballers?  One  thing 
troubles  me,  and  that  is,  what  is  to  be  the  costume  of 
the  players  1  Skirts  are  out  of  the  question.  A  descrip- 
tion of  the  game  would  be  curious.  Would  a  lady 
player  like  to  be  called  " forward"  and  veiy  "  fast."  It 
would  sound  like  an  insult  to  call  her  a  "full  back." 


The  opening  of  the  Stanley  Show  this  week  is  an 
event  of  considerable  importance  to  cyclists.  It  is 
strange  that,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  more 
wealthy  and  important  section  of  trade,  the  Stanley 
Show  not  merely  holds  its  own,  but  is  this  year  the 
largest  ever  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Stanley 
Cycling  Club.  The  cause  for  this  is  the  un-English  boy- 
cott instituted  by  the  adherents  of  the  opposition  show 
at  the  Crystal  Palace.  The  feeling  roused  by  their 
unfair  tactics  has  gained  for  the  Stanley  the  sympathy 
of  both  the  cycling  and  general  public. 

The  Major. 


BINGHAM  a**a  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 


LONDON. 


THI  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  soid 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS"  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 

TAKLIS!   What  is  Taklis? 

WHY  TAKLIS  IS  KEQUIRED  BY  EVERY  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK    HAT   RENOVATOR.     No  ironing 
required.    Unaffected  by  rain. 

is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  and  tube  of  TAKLIS, 
post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 

The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Greese  Street,  London,  W. 


COOL ,  SWEET.  FRA  GRANT 


I 


HELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 
sending  new  ami  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Hev.  F.  Hasloek.  who 
sells  them  at  low  ju  ices,  at  jutuMo  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
freuuent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  I""00  >"  numberl  of  All  isunts'  Mission 
District,  Grays.  Kssex.  All  parrels  will  Iw  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
sender  are  iuside.  Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 


November  24,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


CLARENCE. 

BY 

BRET  HARTE. 

Illustrated  by  Arthur  Jule  Goodman. 


PART  II. 
CHAPTER  III. 

ALLED 


to  a  General 


Council  of  Officers  at 
Divisional  Head- 
quarters the  nextday, 
Brant  had  little  time 
for  further  specula- 
tion regarding  his 
strange  quest,  but  a 
remark  from  the  Divi- 
sion Commander  that 
he  preferred  to  com- 
mit the  general  plan 
of  a  movement  then 
under  discussion  to 
their  memories  rather 
than  to  written 
orders  in  the  ordinary  routine,  seemed  to  show  that  his 
chief  still  suspected  the  existence  of  a  spy.  He  therefore 
told  him  of  his  late  interview  with  Miss  Faulkner,  and 
her  probable  withdrawal  in  favour  of  a  mulatto  neigh- 
bour. The  Division  Commander  received  the  informa- 
tion with  indifference. 

"They're  much  too  clever  to  employ  a  hussy  like 
that,  who  shows  her  hand  at  every  turn — either  as  a 
spy  or  a  messenger  of  spies — and  the  mulattoes  are  too 
itupid,  to  say  nothing  of  their  probable  fidelity  to  us. 
No,  General,  if  we  are  watched,  it  is  by  an  eagle,  and 
not  a  mocking-bird.  Miss  Faulkner  has  nothing  worse 
about  her  than  her  tongue ;  and  there  isn't  the  nigger 
blood  in  the  whole  South  that  would  risk  a  noose  for 
her,  or  for  any  of  their  masters  or  mistresses  !  " 

It  was,  therefore,  perhaps,  with  some  mitigation  of 
his  usual  critical  severity  that  he  saw  her  walking 
before  him  alone  in  the  lane  as  he  rode  home  to  quarters. 
She  was  apparently  lost  in  a  half-impatient,  half-moody 
reverie,  which  even  the  trotting  hoof-beats  of  his  own 
and  his  orderly's  horse  had  not  disturbed.  From  time 
to  time  she  struck  the  myrtle  hedge  beside  her  with 
the  head  of  a  large  flower  which  hung  by  its  stalk  from 
her  listless  hands,  or  held  it  to  her  face  as  if  to  inhale 
its  perfume.  Dismissing  his  orderly  by  a  side  path  he 
rode  gently  forward,  but,  to  his  surprise,  without  turn- 
ing, or  seeming  to  be  aware  of  his  presence,  she  quick- 
ened her  pace,  and  even  appeared  to  look  from  side  to 
side  for  some  avenue  of  escape.  If  only  to  end  matters, 
he  was  obliged  to  ride  quickly  forward  to  her  side, 
where  he  threw  himself  from  his  horse,  flung  the  reins 
on  his  arm,  and  began  to  walk  beside  her.  She  at  first 
turned  a  slightly  flushed  cheek  away  from  him,  and 
then  looked  up  with  a  purely  simulated  start  of  surprise. 

"I  am  afraid,"  he  said,  gently,  "that  I  am  the  first 
to  break  my  own  orders  in  regard  to  any  intrusion  on 
your  privacy.  But  I  wanted  to  ask  you  if  I  could  give 
you  any  aid  whatever  in  the  change  you  think  of  making." 

He  was  quite  sincere — had  been  touched  by  her  mani- 
fest disturbance,  and,  despite  his  masculine  relentless- 
ness  of  criticism,  he  had  an  intuition  of  feminine  suffer- 
ing that  was  in  itself  feminine. 


"  Meaning,  that  you  are  in  a  hurry  to  get  rid  of  me," 
fche  said,  curtly,  without  raising  her  eyes. 

"Meaning  that  I  only  wish  to  expedite  a  business 
whicn  I  think  is  unpleasant  to  you,  but  which  I  believe 
you  have  undertaken  from  selfish  devotion." 

The  scant  expression  of  a  reserved  nature  is  some- 
times more  attractive  to  women  than  the  most  fluent 
vivacity.  Possibly  there  was  also  a  melancholy  grace 
in  this  sardonic  soldier's  manner  that  affected  her,  for 
she  looked  up,  and  said,  impulsively — 

"  You  think  so  1 " 

But  he  met  her  eager  eyes  with  some  surprise. 

"  x  certainly  do,"  he  replied,  more  coldly.  "  I  can 
imagine  your  feelings  on  finding  your  uncle's  home  in 
the  possession  of  your  enemies,  and  your  presence  under 
the  family  roof  only  a  sufferance.  I  can  hardly  believe 
it  a  pleasure  to  you,  or  a  task  you  would  have  accepted 
for  yourself  alone." 

"But,"  she  said,  turning  towards  him  wickedly,  "what 
if  I  did  it  only  to  excite  my  revenge ;  what  if  I  knew  it 
would  give  me  courage  to  incite  my  people  to  carry  the 
war  into  your  own  homes  ;  to  make  you  of  the  North 
feel  as  1  feel,  and  taste  our  bitterness?" 

"  I  could  easily  understand  that,  too,"  he  returned, 
with  listless  coldness,  "  although  I  don't  admit  that 
revenge  is  an  unmixed  pleasure,  even  to  a  woman." 

"  A  woman  !  "  she  repeated,  indignantly.  "  There  is 
no  sex  in  a  war  like  this."  _ 

"  You  are  spoiling  your  flower,"  he  said,  quietly.  "  It 
is  very  pretty,  and  a  native  one,  too ;  not  an  invader,  or 
even  transplanted.    May  I  look  at  it?" 

She  hesitated,  half-recoiling  for  an  instant,  and  her 
hand  trembled.  Then,  suddenly  and  abruptly,  she 
said,  with  a  hysteric  little  laugh,  "  Take  it,  then,"  and 
almost  thrust  it  in  his  hand. 

It  certainly  was  a  pretty  flower,  not  unlike  a  lily  in 
appearance,  with  a  bell-like  cup  and  long  anthers 
covered  with  a  fine,  pollen  like  red  dust.  As  he  lifted 
it  to  his  face,  to  inhale  its  perfume,  she  uttered  a  slight 
cry,  and  snatched  it  from  his  hand. 

"  There ! "  she  said,  with  the  same  nervous  laugh. 
"  I  knew  you  would  ;  I  ought  to  have  warned  you.  The 
pollen  comes  off  so  easily,  and  leaves  a  stain.  And 
you've  got  some  on  your  cheek.  Look  ! "  she  continued, 
taking  her  handkerchief  from  her  pocket,  and  wiping 
his  cheek  ;  "  see  there  ! "  The  delicate  cambric  showed 
a  blood-red  streak. 

"  It  grows  in  a  swamp,"  she  continued  in  the  same 
excited  strain,  "  we  call  it  dragon's  teeth — like  the  kind 
that  was  sown  in  the  story,  you  know.  We  children 
ti&ed  to  find  it,  and  then  paint  our  faces  and  lips  with 
it.  We  called  it  our  rouge.  I  was  almost  tempted  to 
try  it  again  when  I  found  it  just  now.  It  took  me  back 
so  to  the  old  times." 

Following  her  odd  manner  rather  than  her  words,  as 
she  turned  her  face  towards  him  suddenly,  Brant  was 
inclined  to  think  that  she  had  tried  it  already — so  scarlet 
was  her  cheek.  But  it  presently  paled  again  under  his 
cold  scrutiny. 

"  You  must  miss  the  old  times,"  he  said  calmly.  "I 
am  afraid  you  found  very  little  of  them  left,  except  id 
these  flowers." 

"And  h&rdly  there/'  she  said  bitterly.  "Your  froopa 
had'  found  a  way  through  the  marsh,  and  had  trample5 
down  the  hushes." 

Brant's  brow  clouded.  He  remembered  that  the 
brook  which  had  run  red  during  the  fight,  had  lost  itself 


Copyright  1894,  by  Bret  Hartc. 


90 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1S94. 


in  this  marsh.  It  did  not  increase  his  liking  for  this 
beautiful  but  blindly  vicious  animal  at  his  side,  and 

even  his  momentary  pity  for  her  was  fading  fast.  She 
was  incorrigible.  They  walked  on  for  a  few  moments 
in  silence. 

"You  said,"  she 
began  at  last  in  a 
gentler  and  even 
hesitating  voice, 
"  that  your  wife  was 
a  Southern  woman." 

He  checked  an 
irritated  start  with 
difficulty. 

"I  believe  I  did," 
lie  said  coldly,  as  he 
regretted  it. 

"  And  of  course 
you  taught  her  your 
gospel — the  gospel 
according  to  St.  Lin- 
coln. Oh,  I  know," 
she  went  on 
hurriedly,  as  if  con- 
scious of  his  irrita- 
tion and  seeking  to 
allay  it.  "She  was 
a  woman  and  loved 
you,  and  thought 
with  your  thoughts 
and  saw  only  with 
your  eyes.  Yes — - 
that's  the  way  with 
us — I  suppose  we  all 
do  it?"  she  added 
bitusrly. 

"  She  had  her  own 
opinions,"  said  Brant 
briefly,  as  he  re- 
covered himself. 

Nevertheless  his 
manner  so  decidedly 
closed  all  further 
discussion  that  there 
was  nothing  left  for 
the  young  girl  but 

silence.  But  it  was  broken  by  her  in  a  few  moments  in 
her  old  contemptuous  voice  and  manner, 

"  Pray  don't  trouble  yourself  to  accompany  me  any 
further,  General  Brant.  Unless,  of  course,  you  are 
afraid  I  may  come  across  some  of  your— your  soldiers. 
I  promise  you  I  won't  eat  them." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  must  suffer  my  company  a  little 
longer,  Miss  Faulkner,  on  account  of  those  same  soldiers," 
returned  Brant  gravely.  "  You  may  not  know  that  this 
road,  in  which  I  find  you,  takes  you  through  a  cordon  of 
pickets.  If  you  were  alone  you  would  be  stopped,  ques- 
tioned, and  failing  to  give  the  pass-word,  you  would  be 

detained,  sent  to  the  guard-house,  and  "  he  stopped 

and  fixed  her  eyes  on  her  keenly  as  he  added,  "  and 
searched." 

"  You  would  not  dare  to  search  a  woman !"  she  said 
indignantly,  although  her  flush  gave  way  to  a  sligh.1  pallor, 

"You  said  just  now  that  there  should  be  no  sex  in  a 
war  like  this,"  returned  Brant  carelessly,  but  without 
abating  his  scrutinising  gaze. 

"Then  it  is  War?"  she  said  quickly,  with  a  white  sig- 
nificant lace. 


SHE    UTTERED    A  CRT. 


His  look  of  scrutiny  turned  to  one  of  puzzled  wonder. 
But  at  the  same  nioment  there  was  the  flash  of  a  bayonet 
in  the  hedge,  a  voice  called  "  halt,"  and  a  soldier  stepped 
into  the  road. 

General  Brant 
advanced,  met  the 
salute  of  the  picket 
with  a  few  formal 
words,  and  then 
turned  towards  his 
fair  companion,  as 
another  soldier  and 
a  Sergeant  joined  the 
group. 

"Miss  Faulkner  is 
new  to  the  camp, 
took  the  wrong  turn- 
ing, and  was  un- 
wittingly leaving  the 
lines  when  I  joined 
her."  He  fixed  his 
eyes  intently  on  her 
now  colourless  face, 
but  she  did  not  re- 
turn his  look.  "  You 
will  show  her  the 
shortest  way  t  o 
quarters,"  he  con- 
tinued to  the  Ser- 
geant, "  and  should 
she  at  any  time 
again  lose  her  way, 
you  will  again  con- 
duct her  home — but 
without  detaining 
or  reporting  her." 

He  lifted  his  cap, 
remounted  his  horse, 
and  rode  away,  as 
the  young  girl,  with 
a  proud,  indifferent 
step,  moved  down 
the  road  with  the 
Sergeant.  A. 
mounted  officer 
passed  him  and 
saluted— it  was  one  of  his  own  staff".  From  some  strange 
instinct,  he  knew  that  he  had  witnessed  the  scene, 
and  from  some  equally  strange  intuition  he  was 
annoyed  by  it.  But  he  continued  his  way,  visit 
ing  one  or  two  outposts,  and  returned  by  a  long  de- 
tour to  his  quarters.  As  he  stepped  upon  the  verandah 
he  saw  Miss  Faulkner  at  the  bottom  of  the  garden  talk- 
ing with  someone  across  the  hedge.  By  the  aid  of  his 
glass  he  could  recognise  the  shapely  figure  of  the  mulatto 
woman  which  he  had  seen  before.  But  by  its  aid  he  also 
discovered  that  she  was  carrying  a  flower  exactly  like 
the  one  which  Miss  Faulkner  still  held  in  her  hand.  Had 
she  been  with  Miss  Faulkner  in  the  lane — and  if  so,  win- 
had  she  disappeared  when  he  came  up?  Impelled  by 
something  stronger  than  mere  curiosity,  he  walked 
quickly  down  the  garden,  but  she  evidently  had  noticed 
him,  for  she  as  quickly  disappeared.  Not  caring  to  meet 
Miss  Faulkner  again,  he  retraced  his  steps,  resolving 
that  he  would,  on  the  first  opportunity,  personally  ex- 
amine and  interrogate  this  new  visitor.  For  if  she  were 
to  take  Miss  Faulkner's  place  in  a  subordinate  capacity 
— this  precaution  was  clearly  within  his  rights. 


November  24,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


91 


He  re-entered  his  room  and  seated  himself  at  his 
ctesk  before  the  despatches,  orders,  and  reports  awaiting 
him.  He  found  himself,  however,  working  half-mechani- 
cally  and  recurring  to  Ms  late  interview  with  Miss  Faulk- 
ner in  the  lane.  If  she  had  any  inclination  .to  act  the 
spy,  or  to  use  her  position  here  as  a  means  of  communi- 
cating with  the  enemy's  lines,  he  thought  he  had 
thoroughly  frightened  her.  Nevertheless  now,  for  the 
fiist  time,  he  was  inclined  to  accept  his  Chief's  opinion 
of  her.  She  was  not  only  too  clumsy  and  inexperienced, 
but  she  totally  lacked  the  self-restraint  of  a  spy.  Her 
nervous  agitation  in  the  lane  was  due  to  something  more 
disturbing  than  his  mere  possible  intrusion  upon  her  con- 
fidences with  the  mulatto.  The  significance  of  her 
question,  "Then  it  is  War?"  was  at  best  a  threat,  and 
that  implied  hesitation.  .  He  recalled  her  strange 
allusion  to  his  wife ;  was  it  merely  the  outcome  of  his 
own  foolish  confession  on  their  first  interview,  or  was  it 
a  concealed  ironical 
taunt  ?  Being  satis- 
fied, however,  that 
she  was  not  likely 
to  imperil  his  public 
duty  in  any  way,  he 
was  angry  with  him- 
self for  speculating 
further.  But 
although  he  still  felt 
towards  her  the  same 
antagonism  she  had 
at  first  provoked,  he 
was  conscious  that 
she  was  beginning  to 
exercise  a  strange 
fascination  over  him. 

Dismissing  her  at 
last  with  an  effort, 
he  finished  his  work 
and  then  rose,  and 
unlocking  a  closet, 
took  out  a  small 
despatch  -  box,  t  o 
which  he  intended 
to  entrust  a  few 
more  important 
orders  and  memo- 
randa. As  he  opened 
it  with  a  key  on  his 
watch-chain,  he  was 
struck  with  a  faint 
perfume  that  seemed 
to  come  from  it— a 
perfume  that  he  re- 
membered. Was  it 
the  smell  of  the 
flower  that  Miss 
Faulkner  carried,  or 
the  scent  of  the 
handkerchief  with 
which  she  had  wiped  his  cheek— or  a  mingling  of  both  ? 
Or  was  he  under  some  spell  to  think  of  that  wretched 
girl— and  her  witchlike  flower  ?  He  leaned  over  the  box 
and  suddenly  started.  Upon  the  outer  covering  of  a 
despatch  was  a  singular  blood-red  streak  !  He  examined 
it  closely— it  was  the  powdery  stain  of  the  lily  pollen- 
exactly  as  he  had  seen  it  on  her  handkerchief. 

There  could  be  no  mistake.    He  passed  his  finger  over 


nE  too::  out  a  small  desfatcu-box, 


the  stain — he  could  still  feel  the  slippery,  impalpable- 
powder  of  the  pollen.  It  was  not  there  when  he  had 
closed  the  box  that  morning,  it  was  impossible  that  it 
should  be  there  unless  the  box  had  been  opened  in  his 
absence.  He  re-examined  the  contents  of  the  box ;  the 
papers  were  all  there.  More  than  that— they  were 
papers  of  no  importance  except  to  him  personally ;  con- 
tained no  plans  nor  key  to  any  military  secret ;  he  had 
been  far  too  wise  to  entrust  any  to  the  accidents  of  this 
alien  house.  The  prying  intruder,  whoever  it  was,  had 
gained  nothing !  But  there  was  unmistakably  the  at- 
tempt !  And  the  existence  of  a  would-be  spy  within  the- 
purlieus  of  the  house  was  equally  clear. 

He  called  an  officer  from  the  next  room. 

"Has  anyone  been  here  since  my  absence?" 

"No,  General." 

"Has  anyone  passed  through  the  hall?" 
He  had  fully  anticipated  the  answer,  as  the  subaltern- 
replied — "  Only  the 
women  servants." 

He  re-entered  the 
room.  Closing  the 
door,  he  again  care- 
fully examined  the 
box,  his  table,  the 
papers  upon  it,  the 
chair  before  it,  and 
even  the  Chinese 
matting  on  the  floor, 
for  any  further  indi- 
cation of  the  pollen. 
It  hardly  seemed 
possible  that  anyone 
could  have  entered 
the  room  with  the 
flower  in  their  hand 
without  scattering 
some  of  the  tell-tale 
dust  elsewhere ;  it 
was  too  large  a 
flower  to  be  worn  on 
the  breast  or  in  the 
hair.  Again,  no  one 
would  have  dared  to 
linger  there  long 
enough  to  have  made 
an  examination  of 
the  box — with  an 
officer  in  the  next 
room — and  the  ser- 
vants passing.  The 
box  had  been  re- 
moved, and  the  ex- 
amination made  else- 
where ! 

An  idea  seized 
him.  Miss  Faulk- 
ner was  still  absent 
— the  mulatto  had 
He  quickly  mounted  the 
entering  his  room,  turned 
wing  which  had  been  re- 
served. The  first  door  yielded  as  he  turned  its  knob 
gently  and  entered  a  room  which  he  at  once  recognised 
as  the  "young  lady's  boudoir."  But  the  dusty  and 
draped  furniture  had  been  arranged  and  uncovered — 
and  the  apartment  had  every  sign  of  present  use.  Yet, 


apparently   gone  home, 
staircase,   but  instead  of 
suddenlv  aside   into  the 


92  TO-DAY.  .  November  24,  1894.. 


although  there  was  every  evidence  of  its  being  used  by 
a  person  of  taste  and  refinement,  he  was  surprised  to 
see  that  the  garments  hanging  in  an  open  press  were  such 
as  were  used  by  negro  servants,  and  that  a  gaudy  hand- 
kerchief such  as  housemaids  used  for  turbans  was  lying 
on  the  pretty  silken  coverlet.  He  did  not  linger  over 
these  details,  but  cast  a  rapid  glar.ee  round  the  room. 


Then  his  eyes  became  fixed  on  a  fanciful  writing-desk, 
which  stood  by  the  window.    For  in  a  handsome  vase, 
placed  on  its  level  top,  and  drooping  on  a  portfolio  below 
hung  a  cluster  of  the  very  flowers  that  ALiss  Faulkner 
had  carried  ! 

(To  be  continued.) 


A  QUEER  BODY  OF  TROOPS, 

BY 

FRED  WHISHAW. 

Illustration  by  Ernest  Goodwin. 


K4 


Probably  the  most  extraordinary  corps  that  eiver 
existed  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  was  that  known  as 
the  '*"  Guards  "  of  Catharine  the  Great,  of  Russia.  This 
body  of  troops  was  nominally  recruited  from  the  "  minor 
nobility,"  or  small  landowners  of  the  country,  a  class 
with  whom  the  Empress  was  anxious  to  remain  upon 
good  terms.    The  Guards  were,  therefore,  left  very  much 
to  themselves,  and,  in  the  last  years  of  her  reign, 
Catharine  allowed  them  to  do  exactly  what  they  liked. 
This  is  what  happened.    In  the  first  place,  there  were 
no  privates  at  all,  or  very  few,  though  the  pay  for  a 
full  complement 
was  regularly 
■served    out  to 
those  who  were 
responsible  for 
its  distribution, 
and  who,  doubt- 
less, knew  very 
well  what  to  do 
with  the  money. 
In   the  second 
place,  there  be- 
ing no  drills  or 
parades,  and  no 
one  to  drill,  the 
officers  had  no- 
thing to  do,  ex- 
cepting to  draw 
their  pay,  which 
they   did  with 
military  punctu- 
ality as  soon  as. 
pay-day  came 
round.  Now, 
this  was  all  very 
well,    and  if 
matters  had  re- 
mained   so  the 
country  would 
not  have  been  much  the  poorer. 

But  it  occurred  to  one  of  the  senior  ■  officers,  who 
happened  to  be  the  father  of  a  large  family  of  sons,  to 
•erter  all  his  boys  as  subalterns,  though  the  eldest  was 
but  sixteen  and  the  youngest  but  eleven.  This  was  a 
•grand  idea,  and  the  Major's  example  was  quickly  fol- 
lowed. All  the  officers  whose  sons  had  reached  the  age 
of  eleven  years  entered  the  names  of  these  as  officers 
of  the  Guards,  their  pay  dating  from  the  day  of  entry, 
and  promotion  proceeding  in  the  usual  way. 

But  soon  those  whose  sons  were  fine  boys  of  eight 
and  nine  began  to  feel  aggrieved  that  these  promising 
warriors  should  be  required  to  wait  several  years  for 
their  commissions,  and  in  a  very  short  while  young 
<rentlemen  of  eight  were  enrolled  as  officers  of  the 
Imperial  Guard. 

But  if  eight — why  not  seven,  and  even  six  and  five? 
The  ball,  once  started,  was  bound  to  roll  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  hill,  and  five  was  for  a  while — a  very  short 
while  ! — the  limit  of  age  for  the  issuing  of  Commissions. 


AWAY    WENT    THE  VERAMEULATORS 


Needless  to  say,  the  farce  did  not  end  here.  It  soon 
came  to  this,  that  children  of  "minor  nobility"  parent- 
age were  enrolled  as  active  officers  from  the  very  day  of 
their  birth,  their  parents  encashing  pay  for  them  as  the 
proper  day  came  round,  with  a  punctuality  and  regu- 
larity which  did  them  infinite  credit  as  conscientious  and 
dutiful  fathers  and  mothers  of  the  little  warriors. 

But  even  this  was  not  enough. 

Presently  it  became  the  custom  to  provide  newly- 
married  couples  with  blank  commissions,  which  were 
filled  out  with  the  names  of  prospective  officers — young 
gentlemen  who  were  not  born  yet,  and  might  never  be 
born,  but  who,  nevertheless,  figured  as  officers  of  the 
Guards,  and  were  entitled  to  pay  and  promotion,  as 
such,  from  the  date  of  their  parents'1  marriage. 

Consequently  the  country  was  filled,  in  a  few  years, 
with  voung  captains  of  two  or  three,  majors  of  four, 
and  colonels  of  eight  and  nine.    Young  gentlemen  of 

ten  years  of  age 
retired  into 
private  life  as 
full  colonels,  and 
with  the  ful 
pensions  of  their 
rank. 

Bad  as  this 
was,  however,  it 
was,  neverthe- 
less better  than 
that  they  should 
remain  in  the 
service,  as  some 
did,  and  insist, 
through  their  in- 
lluential  parents, 
upon  being  pre- 
sented to  the 
Colonelcy  of 
some  regiment 
of  the  line,  over 
the  heads  of 
veterans  of  a 
life's  service,  and 
of  experience 
and  knowledge 
in  their  profes- 
sion. 

To  the  hopeless  confusion  and  terrible  scandal  of  this 
state  of  things,  the  sudden  death  of  Catharine  put  a 
timely  end ;  for  her  successor,  Paul,  was  a  keen  soldier, 
and  had  long  viewed  with  wrath  and  indignation  the 
crying  evils  existing  in  the  so-called  Imperial  Guards 
of  his  mother.  The  first  act  of  the  new  Emperor  was 
to  call  a  review  of  the  corps.  Every  officer,  of  what- 
ever age,  and  without  exception,  was  commanded  by 
proclamation,  under  pains  and  penalties,  to  attend  a 
grand  parade  on  the  day  appointed  for  the  function. 
And  wdiat  a  review  was  that ! 

Little  captains  of  two.  or  of  one  year  old,  came  puling 
and  Whining  into  the  field  in  their  mother's  arms.  Majors 
were  wheeled  upon  the  ground  in  perambulators,  or 
toddled  in,  holding  their  nurses  by  the  hand.  Baby 
lieutenants  in  swaddling  clothes  were  hushed  to  sleep 
in  every  direction  that  the  eye  could  rest,  some  sending 
apologies  for  non-attendance  on  the  plea  that  they  had 
not  yet  had  time  to  be  born.  Colonels,  not  yet  in  their 
*-eens,  walked  about  with  frightened  looks  and  scared 


November  24,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


93 


faces,  asking  one  another  where  they  ought  to  stand,  and 
on  which  side  their  swords  should  hang  ! 

A  list  was  read.  Some  answered  their  names,  and 
somo  did  not,  because  they  could  not.  Others  did  not, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  the  names  represented  young 
gentlemen  who  had  not  as  yet  put  in  an  appearance  in 
this  Vale  of  Tears. 

Then  Paul  commenced  the  process  of  weeding,  and  a 
pretty  process  it  was !  Those  who  were  ignorant  of 
military  duty  or  too  young  to  perform  such  duty,  even 
if  they  had  known  it,  were  struck  off  the  roll.  Away 


went  the  perambulators  and  the  nurses  ;  away  went  the- 
toddling  majors  and  the  tiny  colonels  and  captains ; 
and,  lo !  when  the  parade  was  over,  and  the  corps  had 
been  overhauled  and  weeded  of  its  incompetent  elements, 
there  remained  upon  the  field  a  half-dozen  or  so  of 
veteran  officers  standing  around  their  frowning  sovereign 
— the  Guardless  Emperor  of  all  the  Russias.  As  for 
Catharine's  Imperial  Guards — save  for  here  and  there- 
a  derelict  perambulator,  or  a  baby' s  bottle  lost  in  the- 
hurry  of  departure — there  was  not  a  trace  of  them. 


MRS.  OSCAR  WILDE  AT 
HOME. 


Like  her  husband,  poet,  playwright  and  wit,  Mrs. 
Oscar  Wilde  may  be  truly  called  an  apostle  of  the  beau- 
tiful. She  has  in  a  quiet  and  unobtrusive  manner  made 
everything  that  con- 
cerns the  beautifj'ing  of 
the  home  a  special 
study,  and  her  exquisite 
embroidery  and  needle- 
work is  appreciated  by 
a  large  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances, 
although  she  has  never 
yet  been  persuaded  to 
exhibit  anything  in  one 
of  the  man}'  yearly 
"  shows  "  which  make  a 
speciality  of  the  blend- 
ing of  the  arts  and 
crafts. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilde 
have  set  up  their  house- 
hold gods  in  one  of  the 
prettiest  corner?  of  old 
Chelsea,  within  a 
stone's-throw  of  the 
Walk  once  paced  by  the 
Sage  of  Chelsea  and 
Jeannie  Welsh  Cailyle, 
by  Dante  Gabriel 
Rossetti,  and  Geerse 
Eliot. 

There  is  an  utter  lack 
of  so-called  aesthetic 
colouring  in  the  house 
of  which  Mrs.  Oscar 
Wilde  is  mistress  ;  the 
scheme  consisting,  as 
it  does,  of  faded  and 
delicate  brocades, 
against  a  background  of 
white  or  cream  paint 
ing,  is  French  rather 
than  English. 

Rare  engravings  and 
etchings  form  a  deep 
frieze  along  two  sides  of 
the  drawing-room,  and 
stand  out   on    a  dull 

gold  background,  and  the  only  touches  of  bright  colour 
in  the  apartment  are  lent  by  two  splendid  Japanese 
feathers  let  into  the  ceiling,  while,  above  the  white, 
carved  mantelpiece,  a  gilt-copper  bas-relief,  by 
Donaghue,  makes  living  Mr.  Oscar  Wilde's  fine  verses, 
"  Requiescat." 

To  most  of  Mrs.  Oscar  Wilde's  visitors  not  the  least 
interesting  work  of  art  in  this  characteristic  sitting- 
room  is  a  quaint  harmony  in  greys  and  browns,  pur- 
porting to  be  a  portrait  of  the  master  of  the  house  as  a 
youth ;  this  painting  was  a  wedding  present  from  Mr. 


MRS.  OSCAR  WILDE. 


Harper  Pennington,  the  American  artist,  and  is  much 
prized  by  the  wife  of  the  original. 

Evi  n  apart  from  this  picture,  Mrs.  Wilde  can  boast  of 
an  exceptionally  choice  gallery  of  contemporary  art- 
Close  to  a  number  of  studies  of  Venice,  presented  by  Mr. 
Whistler  himself,  hangs  an  exquisite  pen-and-ink  illustra- 
tion by  Walter  Crane.  An  etching  of  Bastien  Le  Page's- 
portrait  of  Sarah  Bernhardt  contains  in  the  margin  a  few 
kindl"  words  written  in  English  by  the  great  tragedi 

vn/ne. 

"  I  scarcely  think 
myself  competent  to  say 
much  on  decoration," 
observed  my  hostess,, 
modestly.  "  Of  course, 
those  matters  are  so- 
much  questions  of  senti- 
ment and  feeling.  I 
am,  personally,  often 
•struck  by  the  amount 
of  over-decoration  that 
is  now  the  rule,  rather 
than  the  exception  in. 
many  houses," 

"  Then  you  think 
that  the  amateur  deco- 
rator should  always  aim- 
at  simplicity  ? " 

"Certainly,"  she  re- 
plied,     thoughtfully  ; 
"  no  one  who  has  npt 
tried  them  knows  the 
value  of  uniform  tints 
and  a  quiet  scheme  of 
colouring,    One  of  the 
most  effective  effects  in. 
house  decoration  can  be 
obtained     by  leaving,, 
say,    the  sitting-room, 
pure  cream  or  white, 
with,  perhaps,  a  dado  of 
six  or  seven  feet  from 
the    ground.     In  an, 
apartment  of  this  kind, 
ample    colouring  and 
variety   will  be  intro- 
duced by  the  furniture, 
engravings,  and  carpet; 
in   fact,    but   for  the 
trouble      of  keeping 
white  walls  in  London 
clean,  1  do  not  think 
there  can  be  anything 
prettier  and  more  prati- 
cal  than  this  mode  of  decoration,  for  it  is  both  uncom- 
mon and  easy  to  carry  out.    I  am  not  one  of  those,"  con- 
tinued Mrs.  Wilde,  "  who  believe  that  beauty  can  only  be 
achieved  at  considerable  cost.    A  cottage  parlour  may 
be,  and  often  is,  more  beautiful,  with  its  unconsciously 
achieved  harmonies  and  soft  colouring,  than  a  great  re- 
ception-room, arranged  more  with  a  view  to  producing-  a 
magnificent  effect.    But,  I  repeat,  of  late,  people,  in  their 
wish,  to  decorate  their  homes,  have  blended  various 
periods,  colourings,  and  designs,  each  perhaps  beautiful 
in  itself,  but  producing  an  unfortunate  effect  when 


91 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1£94. 


placed  in  juxtaposition.  T  object  also  to  historic 
schemes  of  decoration,  which  nearly  always  make  one 
think  of  the  upholsterer,  and  not  of  the  owner  of  the 
house." 

"  I  believe  that  flowers  are  now  playing  a  very  great 
part  in  decoration?" 

"  Yes,  but  it  is  possible  to  have  too  many  flowers  in  a 
room,  and  I  think  that  scattering  cut  blossoms  on  a 
table-cloth  is  both  a  foolish  and  a  cruel  custom,  for  long 
before  dinner  is  over  the  poor  things  begin  to  look  pain- 
fully parched  and  thirsty  for  want  of  water.  A  few  de- 
licate flowers  in  plain  glass  vases  produce  a  prettier  effect 
than  a  great  number  of  nosegays,  and  yet,  even  though 
people  may  see  that  something  is  wrong  many  do  not 
realise  how  easily  a  charming  effect  might  be  produced 
with  the  same  materials,  somewhat  differently  disposed." 

"  And  what  do  you  think  of  the  present  craze  for  Ja- 
panese art? " 

Mrs.  Wilde  smiled. 

"  I  wond'er  how  many  people  know  that  the  greater 
number  of  cheap  Japanese  fans  and  screens,  to  say 
nothing  of  trays,  etc.,  etc.,  sold  in  this  country,  are  speci- 
ally made  for  the  English  market.  That  this  is  so,  is 
easily  proved  to  anyone  who  knows  anything  of  Japanese 
life.  The  Japs  have  a  horror  of  a  black  background, 
.and  all  their  work  is  done  in  light,  pale  colourings. 
Again,  a  Japanese  native  room  is  furnished  with  dainty 
simplicity,  and  one  flower  and  one  pot  supply  the  Jap's 
aesthetic  longing  for  decoration.  When  he  gets  tired  of 
his  flower  and  his  pot,  he  puts  them  away,  and  seeks  for 
some  other  scheme  of  colour  produced  by  equally  simple 
means.  As  for  fans,  they  are,  of  course,  in  Japan  made 
for  use  and  not  for  show.  I  think  that  even  if  people 
would  only  try  to  see  that  the  articles  they  have  in  daily 
use  are  beautiful,  and  devoted  a  little  less  time  to  simply 
buying  useless  nick-nacks,  whose  only  raison  detre  is 
their  supposed  artistic  worth,  the  problem  of  many  a 
would-be  House  Beautiful  would  be  solved." 

"  I  believe,  Mrs.  Wilde,  that  you  do  a  good  deal  of  em- 
broidery." 

"Yes,  but  I  db  not  claim  to  have  any  special  ideas  on 
the  subject.  I  am,  just  now,  anxious  to  learn  Chinese 
needlework,  such  very  beautiful  effects  seem  to  be  pro- 
duced by  its  means. 

"  And  do  you  think  that  such  an  exhibition  as  the 
Arts  and  Crafts  is  of  much  use  from  a  practical  point  of 
view  ? " 

"  The  Arts  and  Crafts  Exhibitions  seem  to  serve  two 


purposes.  They  produce  emulation  amongst  the  workers, 
and  awaken  curiosity  and  latent  artistic  instincts  among 
the  general  public,  and  I  should  imagine  that  the  ex- 
hibitions are  of  unmixed  good,  if  sufficient  time  is  allowed 
for  the  production  of  new  and  original  work.  I  speak 
as  an  entire  outsider,  one  to  whom  all  decorative  work, 
whatever  form  it  may  take,  is  intensely  interesting,  and 
who  consequently  thoroughly  enjoys  these  exhibitions." 

An  interesting  glimpse  into  Mrs.  Oscar  Wilde's  tastes 
and  surroundings  is  afforded  by  a  glance  through  her 
autograph-book,  a  plain  little  volume  cased  in  a  charm- 
ing book-cover  made  by  herself.  From  the  dedicatory 
verses  on  the  first  page,  written  by  the  author  of 
"Salome"  to  his  wife:  — 

"  I  can  write  no  stately  proem, 
As  a  prelude  to  my  lay  ; 
From  a  poet  to  a  poem, 
That  is  all  I  say." 

to  the  last  of  the  many  characteristic  utterances  con- 
tained therein,  every  signature  gives  food  for  thought, 
and,  oftener  than  not,  reveals  something  of  the  writer. 

"  Our  greatest  happiness  should  be  found  in  the  hap- 
piness of  others,"  declares  Mr.  G.  F.  Watts,  the  great 
painter,  whose  work  has  brought  joy  to  so  many.  Sir 
Edwin  Arnold  drops  into  poetry  with  some  pretty  lines. 
George  Meredith  writes  his  little  poem,  "  Love  is  winged 
for  two."  Sturdy  independence  is  equally  shown  in  the 
round,  frank  caligraphy  of  Kobert  Browning,  and  the 
more  delicate  American  handwriting  of  Mark  Twain ; 
and  under  some  ardently  patriotic  forecasts  signed  T.  P. 
O'Connor.  Mr.  Arthur  James  Balfour  dryly  remarks,  "  Of 
all  exercise  of  the  human  intelligence  political  prophecy 
is  the  most  vain."  Mr.  Swinburne  must  have  had  his 
hostess's  two  bovs  in  his  mind  when  he  transcribed  in 
their  mother's  book  his  beautiful  lines  on  childhood,  and 
Mr.  Walter  Crane  is  represented  by — 
"  From  your  book  I  take  a  leaf, 

By  your  leave  to  leave  and  take  ; 
Art  is  long  if  life  be  brief, 

Yet  on  this  page  my  mark  I'll  make." 

And  then  comesi  John  Bright's  favourite  quotation,  "In 
peace  sons  bury  their  fathers.  In  war  fathers  bury  (heir 
sons."  Mr.  Whistler  contributes  his  long-suffering  "But- 
terfly broken  on  the  wheel,"  and  the  simple  signatures 
of  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  Sergeant,  the  American 
painter,  John  Ruskin,  Henry  Irving,  Miss  Ellen  Terry, 
and  manv  other  familiar  and  unfamiliar  names,  evokes 
a  vision  of  what  should  be  a  unique  gathering  of  notable 
men  and  women. 


THE    WAIL    OF  AN  UNCULTURED 
PESSIMIST. 


What's  the  prize  for  being  wise,  in  a  world  of  folly  ? 
What's  the  use  of  being  spruce  ?    Deshabille  is  jolly. 
What's  the  sense  of  saving  pence?    Thrift's  a  poor  en- 
ticer. 

What's  the  good  of  being  good?    Being  bad  is  nicer. 

What's  the  good  of  priests  and  kings?    Both  are  anti- 
quated. 

What's  the  good  of  other  things  ?    Life  is  overrated. 
What's  the  use  of  shedding  tears?    Laughing's  just  as 
cheerful. 

What's  the  fun  of  jesting  sneers,  when  your  heart  is 
tearful? 

What's  the  good  of  buying  things?    Stealing  them  is 
cheaper. 

Little  harvest  labour  brings.    Why  not  be  a  sleeper  ? 
What's  the  harm  of  doing  wrong?    Other  wrong  re- 
trieves it. 

'Why  should  youth  be  taught  the  truth?    Nobody  be- 
lieves it. 


What's  the  good  of  marrying  ?    Making  love  is  sweeter. 
Does  a  mere  material  ring  make  your  love  completer  1 
Black  is  white  and  white  is  black.    Joy  embraces  sorrow. 
What's  the  good  of  looking  back  ?  Devil  take  to-morrow  ! 

What's  the  good  of  life  at  all  ?    Tell  me  if  you  can,  sir — 
Since,  before,  or  at  the  Fall  ? — Emphasise  your  answer. 
Be  a  pauper,  be  a  king — while  your  ale  is  frothing — 
What's   the   good  of   anything?     Nature  thunders 
"  Nothing !" 

M.  Babixgtox  Bayley. 


Swiss  Hotel-Keeper. — Healthy?  I  should  think  so, 
sir  !  Why,  we  had  our  mountain  air  analysed  the  other 
day.    We  found  three  hundred  microbes  

Yisitor  (horrified) :  What  ! 

Hotel-Keeper  :  Dead,  sir — all  quite  dead  !  They  had 
come  up  from  below,  you  see  ;  but  our  magnificent 
climate  was  too  much  for  them ! 


Judge  :  Prisoner,  have  you  anything  else  to  say  hc- 
fore  I  pass  sentence? 

Prisoner :  Yes  ;  I  should  just  like  to  ask  that  the 
duration  of  the  speech  for  the  defence  be  deducted 
from  it ! 


November  24,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


95 


SPONGE    AND  ITS 
CONSEQUENCES. 

BY 

W.    L.  ALDEN. 

Illustrated  by  Ernest  Goodwin. 


HERE  are  some  people 
who  are  always  ready- 
to  approve  of  anything 
that  is  new.  These 
are  they  who  buy 
every  new  patent 
medicine,  and  adopt 
every  new  garment 
that  is  advertised  as 
being  essential  to 
health.  A  few  years 
ago  they  arrayed 
themselves  from  head 
to  foot  in  red  flannel, 
■not  because  they  particularly  liked  flannel,  or 
admired  red  above  all  other  colours,  but  because 
red  flannel  underclothing  was  a  novelty,  and  this 
had  an  especial  claim  on  their  attention.  Relying  on 
this  tendency  to  buy  and  wear  newly-invented  clothes, 
some  artful,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  unprincipled  man, 
has  invented  underclothing  made  of  sponge.  The  trust- 
ing public  is  informed  that  only  by  wearing  sponge  un- 
derclothing can  people  hope  to  preserve  their  health, 
and  live  out,  say,  two-thirds  of  their  days.  The  result 
is  that  hundreds  of  men  and  women,  allured  by  the 
novelty  of  sponge  garments,  are  throwing  aside  their 
flannel,  silk,  or  merino  underwear,  and  buying  the  new 
and  promising  substitute  for  the  same. 

Mr.  Thomas  Hewett,  who  is  one  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  Birmingham,  is  commonly  spoken  of  by  those 
who  know  him  and  share 
his  radical  opinions  as  a 
"progressive  man."  There 
has  not  been  ,  a  single 
new  patent  medicine 
placed  on  the  market 
within  the  last  ten  years 
"that  Mr.  Hewett  has  not 
bought,  and  either  per- 
sonally swallowed  or 
given  to  his  fami'y. 
There  is  hardly  a  new 
variety  of  religious  or 
political  opinion  which 
Mr.  Hewett  has  not 
adopted.  His  only 
daughter,  who  is  also  his 
only  child — for  he  lost 
his  son  two  years  ago  by 
giving  him  a  dose  of 
Cancer  Preventive,  by 
mistake  for  a  dose  of 
Broken  Leg  Palliative — 
shares  to  some  extent  her 
-father's  love  of  progress, 
and  either  of  her  own 
inclination,  or  in  com- 
pliance with  his  parental  commands, 
hygienic  garment  that  is  invented. 

Last  week  Miss  Hewett  was  invited  by  young  Mr. 
Baxter,  the  son  of  the  chemist  who  supplies  Mr.  Hewett 


MISS  HEWETT  WAS  GROWING  PERCEPTIBLY  LARGER. 


adopts  every 


with  most  of  his  medicines,  to  accompany  him  in  a  drive 
in  the  outskirts  of  Birmingham.  It  had  rained  inces- 
santly for  several  days,  and  the  weather  reports  pro- 
phesied bright  and  sunny  weather.  In  these  circum- 
stances a  prudent  girl  would  have  declined  to  risk  her- 
self and  her  best  clothes  by  driving  in  an  open  victoria, 
but  unfortunately  Miss  Hewett  yielded  to  her  desire  for 
a  drive,  and  accepted  Mr.  Baxter's  invitation. 

When  the  young  people  set  forth  on  their  excursion  a 
dense  fog,  mingled  with  occasional  showers,  extended 
over  the  entire  area  of  country  where  the  Weather  Re- 
port had  falsely  promised  sunshine.  Neither  Miss 
Hewett  nor  Mr.  Baxter  cared  for  the  fog.  They  were 
young  and  happy.  Had  the  fog  been  of  the  blackest 
London  variety  they  would  hardlv  have  noticed  it.  So 
they  drove  on  slowly  and  cautiously,  and  discussed 
medicines  and  other  interesting  topics,  heedless  of  the 
penetrating  character  of  the  fog. 

About  two  o'clock  a  curious  phenomenon  manifested 
itself.  Miss  Hewett  was  growing  perceptibly  larger. 
Her  attention  was  first  called  to  the  fact  by  the  tightness 
of  her  dress,  and  on  taking  temporary  measures  to 
remedy  that  evil  she  found  that  she  was  at  least  twice 
as  large  in  circumference  as  she  had  ever  been  at  any 
previous  time.  Mr.  Baxter  almost  simultaneously  dis- 
covered that  his  arm  could  no  longer  completely  encircle 
his  companion,  and  the  awful  truth  that  she  was  rapidly 
and  visibly  swelling  smote  the  pair  with  terrible  force. 
Mr.  Baxter  suggested  that  this  might  possibly  be  the 
result  of  having  eaten  large  quantities  of  dried  fruit, 
washed  down  with  water,  but  the  young  lady  indignantly 
denied  that  she  had  ever  tasted  dried  fruit.  The  young 
man  carefully  thought  over  the  possible  results  of  over- 
indulgence in  any  or  all  of  the  drugs  sold  at  his  shop, 
but  he  could  not  remember  that  any  of  them  were 
capable  of  producing  sudden  corpulence.  Soon  Miss 
Hcwett's  alarm  at  her  strange  condition  became  so  great 

that  the  horse's  head  was 
turned  homeward,  and 
the  animal  was  driven  at 
a  rapid  rate  in  search  of 
the  nearest  physician. 
Meanwhile,  Miss  Hewett 
continueel  to  grow  with 
amazing  rapidity.  She 
almost  filled  the  seat  of 
the  victoria,  and  crowded 
Mr.  Baxter  into  the  ex- 
treme corner.  Suddenly 
a  new  horror  made  its 
appearance.  }  Mr.  Baxter 
found  that  his  left  side 
and  arm  Ave  re  t  horoughly 
wet,  and  that  pools  of 
water  were  forming  in 
the  bottom  of  the  car- 
riage. In  his  turn,  he 
became  terrified,  and 
urged  on  the  horse  in  a 
way  that  was  really 
dangerous.  The  victoria 
swayed  and  jolted,  and 
at  every  jolt  Miss  Hewett 
was  enveloped  in  a 
would  then  for  a  few  moments 
but  in  a  short  time  would  be- 
A  state  of  things  so  unprece- 


shower  of  water.  She 
occupy  a  little  less  space 
come  as  stout  as  ever. 

dented  and  alarming  would  perhaps  have  driven  Mr. 


96 


TO-DAY. 


November  24,  1804. 


Baxter  into  hopeless  and 
reached    the  doctor's 
house  before  his  reason 
was    completely  over- 
thrown. 

The  doctor  was  not 
long  in  making  a  diag- 
nosis of  the  case,  and  in 
relieving  the  minds  of 
his  frightened  visitors. 
He  said  that  it  was  not 
a  wholly  unprecedented 
case.  Sponge,  he  in- 
formed his  visitors,  will 
occupy  when  dried  and 
compressed  compara- 
tively little  S23ace,  but 
when  exposed  to  mois- 
ture in  the  form  of  a 
heavy  fog,  it  will  absorb 
water  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  swell  to  many 
times  its  original  bulk. 
He  then  wrote  a  pre- 
scription, in  which  he 
had  some  difficulty  in 
translating  "towels' 
into  Latin,  and  dis- 
missed the  young  people 
and  pocketed  his  guinea. 

It  is    believed  that 


permanent  lunacy  had  he  not 


HE  HAD  SOME  DIFFICULTY  IN  TRANSLATING  "TOWELS      INTO  LATIN. 


Miss  Hewett  has  returned  to  red  flannel,  and  that  Mr. 

Hewett  has  written  art 
indignant  letter  to  the- 
man  from  whom  the 
sponge  garments  were 
purchased,  threatening 
him  with  a  suit  for 
damages,  on  the  ground 
that  the  sponge  gar- 
ments had  imperilled  the 
health  of  his  daughter, 
not  to  mention  that  of 
Mr.  Baxter,  who,  in 
addition  to  the  danger 
of  contracting  rheuma- 
tism, was  certainly  with- 
in measurable  distance 
of  drowning  miserably 
in  the  bottom  of  the 
victoria.  The  incident, 
however,  will  not  pre- 
vent Mr.  Hewett  from 
buying  the  next  new 
garments  that  may  be 
advertised.  When  once 
a  man  has  contracted  a 
passion  for  hygienic  gar- 
ments and  patent  medi- 
cines, he  seldom  repents 
and  reforms  on  this  side 
of  the  crave. 


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A  WEEKLY 
MAGAZINE^ 


E^itG^By    JEROME  K.  JEROME.  

Vol.  V.— No.  56.      LONDON,  SATURDAY,  DECEMBER  1,  1894.      Price  Twopence. 


REMINISCENCES  OF 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 


A 


BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 
Illustrated   by  W.  Dewar. 


I. 

Great  Temptation. 

JOHN  MILLICENT,  who  tell 
these  stories,  desire  to  preface 
them  by  a  few  words  of  auto- 
biography, and  to  make  a 
hntniliating  confession. 

My  father  was  a  clergyman, 
who,  while  he  lived,  gave  me 
the  rudiments  of  a  good 
'  education.  Unhappily,  I  was 
left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of 
thirteen,  without  a  relation  in 
the  world.  I  cannot  truth- 
fully add  that  I  was  friendless, 
for  there  were  kind-hearted 
people — parishioners  of  my 
father — who  were  well  disposed 
towards  me  out  of  pity  and  sympathy  for  my  forlorn 
condition.  Ha^  I  given  them  the  opportunity,  I  daresay 
that  some  of  them  might  have  come  forward  to  assist 
me ;  indeed,  it  was  hearing  of  a  project  to  secure  my  ad- 
mission into  an  excellent  educational  establishment  that 
caused  me  to  take  a  step  which  frustrated  all  benevolent 
intentions.  I  was  an  idle  young  rascal,  and  the  idea  of 
school  and  discipline  was  hateful  to  me.  On  the  very 
day  of  my  poor  father's  funeral,  after  leaving  the  grave- 
side, I  carried  out  a  long-cherished  plan,  and  ran  away 
to  sea.  I  remember  being  dreadfully  apprehensive  of 
pursuit  and  capture ;  but  my  alarm  proved  groundless, 
and  I  daresay,  if  the  truth  were  known,  that  nobody 
troubled  to  enquire  what  had  become  of  me. 

I  do  not  propose  to  relate  the  details  of  my  early 
career.  One  sea  voyage  to  the  Cape  and  back  cured  me 
of  my  boyish  passion  for  romantic  adventure.  For  some 
years  after  that,  I  gained  a  precarious  livelihood  in  the 
streets  of  London,  and  was  literally  on  the  verge  of 
starvation  for  weeks  together.      But  I  was  a  sharp- 


witted  lad,  with  a  good  address  and  appearance,  and, 
rather  by  accident  than  merit,  I  contrived  to  raise 
myself  from  the  gutter  to  the  giddy  eminence  of  a  stool 
in  a  lawyer's  office.  From  that  "coign  of  vantage"  I 
surveyed  mankind  and  the  shifting  scenes  of  the  busi- 
ness side  of  life  for  nearly  forty  years.  I  am  now 
ending  my  days  comfortably,  if  not  luxuriously,  in  an 
almshouse  for  decayed  gentlemen,  and  I  am  about  to 
commit  to  paper  some  personal  reminiscences,  which  I 
hope  will  prove  interesting  and  instructive. 

My  memory  is  too  capricious  to  permit  me  to  follow 
any  method,  artistic  or  otherwise,  in  relating  my  ex- 
periences. As  one  incident  may  recall  another,  and  as 
past  events  may  present  themselves  promiscuously  to 
my  mind,  I  shall  tell  these  stories  without  any  attempt  at 
chronological  order.  Whether  a  particular  incident 
happened  a  year  ago  or  twenty  can  be  of  no  moment  to 
the  reader ;  and  it  is  as  well,  perhaps,  that  some  un- 
certainty should  exist  on  that  point.  I  have  no  wish 
to  cause  pain  or  embarrassment  to  anyone  by  revealing 
professional  secrets  which  I  have  happened  to  acquire 
in  course  of  mv  late  employment,  and  for  that  reason 
I  shall  be  careful,  also,  to  alter  or  disguise  names  and 
localities,  so  as  to  afford  as  little  clue  as  possible  to  the 
identity  of  the  persons  of  whom  I  am  about  to  speak. 

The  reader  will  perhaps  wonder  how  it  has  happened 
that,  being  a  gentleman  by  birth,  and  not  devoid  of 
natural  gifts,  I  have  failed  to  attain  a  respectable 
position  in  life.  He  will  also,  no  doubt,  be  struck  by 
the  fact — which  these  reminiscences  will  reveal — that 
I  have  been  in  a  great  number  of  different  offices,  and 
have  served  alike  the  most  respectable  and  the  most 
shady  classes  of  legal  practitioners.  I  will  gratify  this 
natural,  and  I  hope  not  unkindly,  curiosity,  by  making 
the  confession  to  which  I  have  before  alluded.  I  was, 
alas  !  for  nearly  thirty  years,  a  drunkard ! 

Stated  thus  baldly,  such  an  admission  may  seem 
cynical.  God  knows  that  it  is  not  uttered  in  any 
unworthy  spirit !  But  neither,  on  the  other  hand,  am  I 
going  to  enunciate  pious  platitudes  about  wickedness 
and  repentance,  and  all  the  rest  of  it.  To  thoughtful 
people  a  confession  of  sin  needs  no  comment  from  the 
unhappy  wretch  who  makes  it.  I  have  lived  in  hell 
during  the  best  years  of  my  life  ! 

But  for  my  present  purpose  it  is  necessary  that  I 


Copyrighted,  1S04,  by  Herbert  Keen. 


98 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  1894 


should  avow  the  truth,  in  order  to  account  for  my  having 
drifted  from  one  employment  to  another,  like  a  rolling 
stone.  I  have  always  struggled  against  my  hesetting 
sin,  sometimes  for  long  periods,  with  success,  and  thus 
I  have  contrived  to  remain  in  the  same  firm  occasionally 
for  years  together.  I  have  even  managed  to  retain  a 
character  for  respectability,  which  has  enabled  me  to 
obtain  fresh  situations  by  means  of  the  good  word  of 
former  employers.  Thank  God !  I  never  committed  a 
dishonest  act,  and  to  this  moment  I  retain  the  friend- 
ship and  esteem  of  many  professional  gentlemen,  who 
can  pity  my  misfortunes  in  consideration  of  some  re- 
deeming qualities. 

But  I  say  this  out  of  thankfulness  and  gratitude,  and 
not  at  all  for  self- 
complacency,  for  1 
can  never  forget 
that  once  upon  a 
time  I  nearly  suc- 
cumbed to  a  great 
temptation.  I  feel 
impelled  to  relate 
the  circumstances, 
though  they  will 
undoubtedly  serve 
to  emphasise  the 
weak  side  of  my 
character,  for  it 
seems  appropriate 
that  I  should  com- 
mence my  remini- 
scences with  this 
story.  Henceforth 
I  shall,  happily, 
have  to  speak  of 
myself  only  as  a 
trusted  and  highly 
respectable  man- 
aging clerk,  and  I 
should  be  an  hypo- 
crite if  I  kept  silent 
about  the  most  de- 
grading episode  of 
my  career. 

My  first  down- 
fall occurred  after  I 
had  been  for  nearly 

seven  years  in  the  employment  of  Messrs.  Stopford, 
Halcroft  and  Taylor,  a  well-known  firm  in  Lincoln's 
Inn.  I  lyvd  risen  to  a  responsible  position  in  their  office, 
for  I  was  principal  outdoor  clerk  in  the  Chancery 
Department.  It  is  not  material  to  state  how  I  became 
associated  with  dissipated  companions,  nor  to  dwell 
upon  the  circumstances  of  my  disgrace.  It  is  enough 
to  say  that,  to  the  great  amazement  and  consternation 
of  my  employers,  I  came  to  the  office  one  day  in  a 
disgraceful  state  of  intoxication,  which  naturally  led  to 
my  being  summarily  dismissed. 

I  was  young  then,  and,  instead  of  turning  this  severe 
lesson  to  account  by  endeavouring  to  mend  my  ways, 
as  I  learnt  to  do  on  subsequent  occasions,  I  yielded 
blindly  to  the  most  hopeless  kind  of  remorse  and 
despair.  Regarding  myself  as  absolutely  ruined,  I 
foolishly  sought  to  drown  sorrow  and  the  bitterness  of 
humiliation  in  a  drinking  bout  which  reduced  me  to  a 
veritable  wreck  of  humanity.  I  spent  my  savings, 
pawned  my  clothes,  and  was  reduced,  once  more,  to 


"  WHO    CALLED    ME  ?  " 


wandering  about  the  streets  of  London,  a  homeless 
vagabond  and  outcast. 

One  morning  I  had  earned  a  few  pence  by  cadging 
about  Covent  Garden  Market  on  a  day  when  trade 
was  brisk  and  busy,  and  having  expended  the  money 
on  an  early  dram,  I  fell  asleep  in  the  parlour 
or  taproom  of  a  disreputable  tavern  which  used 
to  exist  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  old  Bow  Street 
Police  Court.  I  sat  in  one  of  the  partitioned 
boxes  in  a  dark  corner,  where  I  had  probably  been 
overlooked,  for  I  was  permitted  to  remain  undisturbed 
for  some  hours  in  a  drunken  slumber,  my  head 
buried  in  my  arms  upon  the  beer-stained  table.  At 
length  I  became  conscious  of  a  voice  which  seemed 

famil'a ',  speaking 
at  my  elbow,  and 
a  chance  word 
attracted  my  atten- 
tion. I  was  too 
heavy  and  stupid 
to  look  up,  but  in 
my  somnolent  state 
I  overheard,  though 
withoutfully  under- 
standing at  the 
moment,  the  follow- 
ing fragment  of 
conversation : — 

"  I  tell  you  I 
can't." 

"You  must 
Everything  de- 
pends upon  it." 

"  What  is  the 
good  of  repeating 
that  like  a  parrot  1 
I've  already  ex- 
plained how  I  lost 
it  Ion"  asro." 

"  A  party  that 
loses  such  a  docu- 
ment as  that  ought 
to  be  quite  clever 
enough  to  find  it 
again,"  said  the 
voice  which  hadfirst 
attracted  mynetice. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  Oh  !  nothing.    If  you  don't  know,  I'm  sure  I  don't." 

"  I  suppose  you  think  that  it  never  existed,"  said  the 
first  speaker,  with  an  uneasy  laugh. 

"  That  is  what  the  other  side  will  say.  I  believe  you, 
of  course.  I've  told  you  all  along  that  our  case  is  hope- 
less without  it." 

"  Then  why  did  you  advise  me  to  defend  the  action? " 

"  Because  you  said  you  were  desperate.  Parties  in 
that  frame  of  mind  generally  get  over  difficulties." 

"  D  n  it,  Mr.  Marchmont ;  speak  out,  and  give 

it  a  name.  You've  been  hinting  at  something  for  weeks 
past.  What  is  your  game  ?  Do  you  want  me  to  com- 
mit forgery?" 

"  Sir ! " 

"  Bah  !  We  are  alone.  I'm  not  easily  shocked,  and 
— and  I'm  desperate." 

"  Mr.  Barrett,  you  insult  me.  I'm  a  respectable  prac- 
titioner, and  I  wouldn't  suggest  anything  unprofessional. 
But  if  a  client  brings  me  a  document  bearing  a  certain 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


99 


signature — well,  it  is  not  my  business  to  question 
it !  " 

"I  understand.  Hallo!  your  glass  is  empty,  Mr. 
Marchmont.    Where  is  the  bell?" 

The  speaker  rose  boisterously  from  his  seat  to  sum- 
mon the  attendant,  and  for  a  minute  or  two  there  was 
silence,  while  the  waiter,  or  pot-boy,  executed  his 
orders.  During  this  interval,  I  recalled  to  mind  that 
Mr.  Marchmont  was  a  lawyer  of  a  very  low  type,  who 
carried  on  business  in  this  neighbourhood  in  connection 
with  the  adjacent  Police  Court.  I  had  come  across  him 
once  or  twice,  and  quite  recently  I  had  had  an  interview 
with  him  about  an  action  which  my  late  firm  were 
bringing  against  a  client  of  his.  My  brain  was  too 
muddled  to  remember  what  the  action  was  about,  and  I 
was  so  little  interested  in  the  dialogue  which  had  reached 
my  ears,  that  I  fell  into  a  doze  again.  Presently,  how- 
ever, I  was  aroused  by  a  violent  exclamation  and  an  oath 
from,  one  of  my  unseen  companions. 

"  There,  there!  Keep  your  hair  on,  my  friend,"  were 
the  first  words  that  I  grasped,  uttered  in  soothing  tones 
by  Mr.  Marchmont.  "  I  don't  say  it  is  hopeless ;  only 
your,  plan  won't  do.  You  would  break  down  on  cross- 
examination." 

"Let  us  discuss  your  plan,  then,"  snarled  the  other, 
sharply.  "You  suggest  that  I  should  square  one  of 
the  clerks  in  his  lawyer's  office?" 

"  H'm !  I've  known  it  done,"  answered  Mr.  March- 
mont, reflectively.  "  Your  nephew  is  such  a  fool  that  he 
Avould  sign  anything  his  lawyers  put  before  him." 

"Yes,  yes  !  I  understand,"  said  the  client,  impatiently. 
"  I'll  manage  it.    Leave  it  to  me." 

'"'  I  certainly  won't  have  anything  to  do  with  it," 
returned  Mr.  Marchmont,  in  a  tone  which  was  evidently 
intended  to  express  virtuous  indignation.  "  You  must 
act  on  your  own  responsibility.  I  must  know  nothing 
about  it." 

"All  right.  Who  shall  I  try  to  get  at?  Are  you 
acquainted  with  any  of  them  1 " 

"The  clerks? — no.  By  the  way,  you  must  select 
somebody  whom  your  nephew  has  been  accustomed  to 
sec  at  the  office.  It  would  be  too  risky  to  send  down 
a  stranger." 

"  Trust  me !  I'll  find  out,"  said  the  Client,  rising  to 
his  feet. 

"  There  is  the  fellow  who  does  their  Chancery  work. 
Your  nephew  knows  him,  I'm  sure,"  said  Mr.  Marchmont, 
with  assumed  carelessness — "a  tall,  sanctimonious- 
looking,  lantern-jawed  chap.  Been  there  several  years. 
You  will  have  to  be  cautious.    But  I'm  told  he  drinks." 

"Ah!    What  is  his  name?" 

"  Millicent ! " 

It  had  dawned  upon  my  sodden  intelligence  by  this 
time  that  the  precious  pair  might  be  discussing  the 
pending  lawsuit,  in  which  my  late  firm  were  acting  for 
one  of  the  parties,  and  the  mention  of  my  own  name 
confirmed  this  suspicion.  Nevertheless,  the  truth 
flashed  across  me  with  such  suddenness,  in  my  bewil- 
dered state,  that  I  involuntarily  staggered  to  my  feet  at 
hearing  my  name,  and  advanced  towards  them. 

"Hallo!  Who  called  me!"  I  exclaimed,  thickly, 
clutching  at  the  table  to  prevent  myself  from  falling, 
and  regarding  them  with  a  stupefied  stare. 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  ludicrous  consternation  of 
my  companions  at  my  totally  unexpected  appearance 
upon  the  scene.  Dazed  as  I  was,  I  realised  that  they 
•"'ere  utterly  horrified  and  taken  aback.    Mr.  March- 


mont, who  was  a  little  swarthy  Hebrew,  with  a  dyed 
moustache  and  imperial,  fell  back  in  his  seat,  with  his 
cigar  lifted  half-way  to  his  lips.  His  Client,  a  roughly- 
clad,  powerful,  middle-aged  man,  with  an  evil  face, 
seized  a  chair,  and  seemed  prepared  to  use  it  as  a  mur- 
derous weapon.  I  have  no  doubt  that  my  aspect,  apart 
from  the  fact  that  I  revealed  myself  as  an  unwelcome 
auditor  of  their  confidences,  was  sufficiently  startling, 
for  I  was  unwashed,  unshorn,  bloated,  and  in  rags. 

We  stood  staring  at  one  another  for  a  few  moments, 
and  it  was  evident  to  me  that  I  was  not  recognised. 
Mr.  Marchmont's  Client  had  never  set  eyes  on  me  before, 
and  the  lawyer  did  not  recall  my  features,  which  was 
not  surprising,  considering  that  he  had  only  seen  me 
when  decently  clothed  and  in  my  right  mind.  I  was 
sobered  a  little  by  the  encounter,  and  began  to  feel 
embarrassed  and  shamefaced. 

"Who  are  you?  What  do  you  want?"  cried  the 
Client,  at  length. 

"  I  thought  you  called,"  I  murmured,  stupidly. 

"He  is  drunk,"  muttered  the  Client,  to  Mr.  March- 
mont, with  an  air  of  relief. 

"  You've  been  dreaming,  my  man,"  said  the  lawyer. 

"  Somebody  mentioned  my  name,"  I  insisted,  staring 
fi'om  one  to  the  other. 

"  Oh  !  my  Lord  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Marchmont,  bouncing 
to  his  feet  as  though  he  had  been  shot. 

"  What  is  up  ? "  enquired  his  companion,  suspiciously. 

"  It  can't  be  Mr.  Millicent,  of  the  firm  of  Stopford, 
Halcroft,  and  Taylor  !  "  cried  Mr.  Marchmont,  hastily 
putting  on  a  pair  of  gold-rimmed  pince-nez,  with  rather 
a  shaky  hand. 

I  nodded  assent,  and  the  Client  uttered  a  startled 
exclamation. 

"Left  them,  I  suppose?"  said  Mr.  Marchmont,  re- 
covering his  assurance,  and  eyeing  me  keenly. 

"Yes,  I'm  a  gentleman  at  large,"  I  replied,  with  a 
noisy  laugh. 

"  I  thought  I  hadn't  seen  you  lately,"  said  the  lawyer, 
with  a  significant  glance  at  his  companion.  "  Well,  you 
startled  us,  'pon  my  word.  I  was  taking  a  glass  of  wine 
with  my  Client  here,  and  we  were  having  a  chat  about 
politics,  when  " 

"Ho!  ho!  Politics!"  I  interrupted,  with  another 
laugh,  scarce,  indeed,  knowing  what  I  said.  "  Politics, 
you  call  it ! " 

"  You've  been  listening,  you  rascal !  What  did  you 
hear?"  exclaimed  his  companion,  in  a  bullying  tone. 

"Hush!  hush!"  interposed  the  lawyer,  gently. 
"  There  is  no  harm  done.  Between  gentlemen,  a  private 
conversation  is  sacred.  This,"  he  added,  turning  to 
me,  -is  my  Client,  Mr  Barrett,  the  Defendant  in  the 
action  of  Barrett  v.  Ba.rett.  Unless  I  am  mistaken, 
Mr.  Millicent,  you  and  my  Client  may  do  a  little  business 
together.  He  wants  some  assistance,  which  you  can 
possibly  render  him.  I  daresay  you  would  be  glad  of 
some  employment.    I'll  leave  you  together." 

"  Hadn't  you  better  stay  ? "  said  Mr.  Barrett,  sullenly. 
"My  dear  Sir,  I  don't  want  to  interfere  on  what 
doesn't  concern  me.  Besides,  I  have  appointments. 
Clients  are  waiting  for  me,"  replied  Mr.  Marchmont, 
making  his  way  to  the  door  with  some  alacrity.  "  You 
know  how  the  matter  stands,  Mr.  Barrett.  It  is 
entirely  in  your  own  hands." 

I  s.it  down  as  the  lawyer  left  the  room,  for  my  head 
was  whirling  and  my  legs  unsteady.  My  companion 
evidently  interpreted  the  action  to  mean  that  I  was 


100 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  1894. 


prepared  to  listen  to  his  proposals,  for  he  immediately 
drew  a  chair  up  beside  nie,  and  unfolded  his  scheme, 
with  very  little  reserve.  He  probably  found  it  neces- 
sary to  speak  plainly,  owing  to  my  dazed  and  confused 
state  of  mind,  but  he  certainly  contrived  to  convey  to 
me  with  distinctness  the  nefarious  service  that  he 
wished  me  to  perform. 

In  a  few  words,  it  was  this.  An  administration  suit 
in  Chancery  had  been  commenced  by  my  late  employers 
against  this  man  Barrett,  in  relation  to  the  Estate  of 
his  deceased  brother,  by  whom  he  had  been  left 
executor.  There  was  no  doubt  in  the  world  that  Barrett 
was  guilty  of  maladministration,  and  worse,  especially 
in  connection  with  certain  trust  moneys,  which  should 
have  been  paid  to  his  nephew,  a  son  of  the  deceased 
man,  on  attaining  his  majority.  The  defence  to  this 
part  of  the  case  was  payment,  which  the  nephew — now, 
unhappily,  a  broken-down  wreck,  through  early  dissipa- 
tion— denied.  It  was  a  question  of  proof,  and  I  knew 
that  my  late  employers  had  not  sufficient  confidence  in 
their  Client's  integrity  to  feel  absolutely  convinced'  of 
hif?  truthfulness. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  onus  of  showing  that  he  had 
paid  over  the  money  rested  upon  the  executor,  and,  per- 
sonally, I  had  felt  convinced,  from  his  conduct  in  other 
respects,  that  he  had  not  done  so.  My  suspicions  were 
now  confirmed  by  the  conversation  I  had  overheard 
between  him  and  his  lawyer,  for  I  regarded  the  story  of 
the  missing  receipt  as  purely  fictitious. 

Nevertheless,  for  the  sake,  no  doubt,  of  appearances, 
Barrett  persisted  in  the  truth  of  his  statement,  and  by 
doing  so  he  gave  an  aspect  of  veniality  to  the  project  in 
which  he  wished  me  to  take  part.  Morally  speaking, 
if  the  money  had  really  been  paid,  and  the  receipt  lost, 
there  would  have  been  no  great  harm  in  seeking,  by  a 
subterfuge,  to  procure  legal  proof  of  the  fact  ;  and 
Barrett's  proposal,  suggested  artfully,  as  I  knew,  by  his 
lawyer,  was  that  I  should  obtain  the  Plaintiff's  signature 
to  a  duplicate  of  the  missing  document. 

I  perceived  at  once  that  there  would  be  very  little 
difficulty  about  this.  If  I  presented  myself  at  the 
Plaintiff's  residence  as  an  emissary  from  my  late  em- 
ployers, without  revealing  the  fact  that  I  had  left  them, 
he  would  sign  anything  I  put  before  him,  and  it  would 
be  easy  to  slip  in,  among  papers  relating  to  the  suit,  a 
duplicate  of  the  receipt  in  question.  I  had,  as  it  hap- 
pened, once  before  paid  a  visit  to  the  Plaintiff  on  a 
perfectly  legitimate  errand  of  a  similar  kind,  and  he 
had  then  affixed  his  signature  to  the  document  which  I 
brought,  without  troubling  to  read  it. 

I  confess  with  shame  that  I  was  so  struck  by  the  fa- 
cility with  which  my  share  in  the  undertaking  could  be 
carried1  out,  and  so  dazzled  by  the  bribe  which  was  offered 
to  me,  that  I  easily  yielded  to  the  tempter.  My  only 
excuse  is  that  my  moral  perceptions  were  weakened  by 
the  degrading  effects  of  alcoholism  while  Barrett's  strong 
and  reckless  character  gained  complete  ascendancy  over 
me.  My  prospects  in  England,  too,  seemed  hopeless, 
and  the  idea  of  being  able  to  make  a  fresh  start  in  a  new 
country  helped  to  render  me  indifferent  to  the  risk  of 
failure. 

It  was  not  until  some  days  had  elapsed,  however,  that 
I  was  adjudged  capable  of  proceeding  with  the  business. 
During  this  time,  Barrett  lodged  me,  clothed  me, 
and  kept  me  sober.  So.  strict  was  his  regime,  and  so 
great  his  influence  over  me,  that  I  quickly  recovered  my 
normal  condition  of  mind  and  boo'y ;  and  further  delay 


would  no  doubt  have  developed  the  unpleasant  twinges- 
and  prickings  of  conscience  which  I  was  already  begin- 
ning to  experience.  My  evil  genius  evidently  perceived 
this,  for  I  was  despatched  on  my  errand,  suddenly  and 
unexpectedly,  literally  at  a  moment's  notice. 

The  victim  of  the  intended  fraud  lived  at  Eltham,  in 
Kent,  and  I  went  down  there  late  one  afternoon,  armed 
with  a  number  of  spurious  but  innocent-looking  docu- 
ments, including  the  important  one  on  which  Barrett's 
case  depended.  I  cannot  recollect  that  I  reflected  much 
upon  what  I  was  doing  during  the  journey  down ;  Bar- 
rett's influence  was  strong  upon  me,  hir  parting  instruc- 
tions were  ringing  in  my  ears,  and  I  thought  only  of 
accomplishing  my  task  as  quickly  as  possible.  I  could 
not  help  being  struck,  however,  by  the  cleverness  and 
foresight  which  Barrett  had  displayed  in  the  details  of 
his  scheme,  and  I  guessed  that  he  must  have  had  the 
active  assistance  of  Mr.  Marchmont.  The  receipt  waa 
written  out  upon  an  old  Inland  Revenue  form  then  ob- 
solete, the  stamp  upon  it  was  an  obliterated  one  of  anc.'cnt 
date ;  and  the  document  itself  had  the  appearance  of 
respectable  antiquity.  I  was  supplied  with  a  special 
bottle  of  ink  which  I  was  to  endeavour  to  get  used  for 
the  purpose  of  the  signature,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that 
the  receipt  would  have  been  well-calculated  to  deceive 
even  an  expert. 

If  ever  chance  or  luck  or  the  Devil  assisted  to  promote 
the  success  of  an  evil  scheme,  it  was  upon  this  occasion. 
When  I  reached  the  residence  of  the  victim,  he  was  stand- 
ing at  the  entrance  gate  and  hailed  me  before  I  saw  him. 
I  had  naturally  felt  anxious  lest  he  might  have  heard  of 
my  dismissal,  but  his  first  words  reassured  me. 

"  Hallo  !"  he  exclaimed'.  "  They  have  sent  you  down 
for  an  answer  to  their  letter,  I  suppose  1 " 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  taken  aback. 

"I've  been  too  ill  to  a^end  to  business,"  he  replied, 
"  I've  had  another  stroke.    You  are  only  just  in  time." 

There  was  a  wildness  in  his  manner  which  made  me 
regard  him  attentively,  and  I  was  shocked  by  the  change 
which  had  taken  place  in  his  appearance  since  our  last 
meeting.  Though  quite  a  young  man,  he  looked  pre- 
maturely aged  and  broken  down ;  he  dragged  himself 
about  painfully  by  the  aid  of  two  sticks;  and'  I  could 
see  that  his  limbs  on  the  left  side  were  paralysed  and 
nearly  useless.  His  lined,  worn  face  was  livid  with  a 
deathlike  pallor,  and  his  voice  was  thin  and  shaky. 

"  You  oughtn't  to  be  out,"  I  exclaimed  involuntarily. 

"  I  daresay  it  will  be  the  last  time."  he  replied,  with 
an  odd  intonation,  which  vaguely  disturbed  me.  "  D — n 
business!  I'm  past  it  all.  Let  the  scoundi  el  kt-ep  every- 
thing.   It  is  no  good'  to  me  now." 

"  I  won't  detain  you.  I  only  want  you  to  sign  some 
papers,"  I  replied  persuasively,  mindful  of  my  mission. 

"  Come  to  the  house,"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  sudden 
change  of  humour.  "  If  I  live  to  thwart  him,  I'll  die 
happier." 

He  motioned  me  to  enter,  and  to  close  the  jrarden  eato 
behind  me,  which  I  did,  while  he  turned  round' and  began 
to  drag  himself  slowly  along  the  drive  towards  the  house. 
The  grounds  were  extensive,  and  I  soon  realised  that 
some  time  must  elapse  before  we  could  get  indoors. 
While  making  this  reflection.  I  espied,  down  a  side-walk, 
a  little  summer-house  within  a  few  yards  of  us.  At  the 
same  moment  the  idea  occurred  to  me  that,  as  we  were 
at  present  invisible  from  the  house,  it  would  be  advan- 
tageous to  me  if  I  could  get  my  business  done  without 
being  seen  by  anyone. 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


101 


"  Why  need  you  walk  to  the  house  ? "  I  said  abruptly  ; 
"there  is  an  arbour  there  close  at  hand." 

"  Didn't  you  say  there  was  something  to  sign? "  he  re- 
plied, coming  willingly  to  a  standstill. 

"  I  have  a  pen  and  ink  in  my  pocket,"  I  exclaimed,  with 
a  thrill  of  excitement. 

"Very  well.  It  is  nearer,"  he  replied,  beginning  to 
hobble  down  the  side  path. 

I  followed  at  his  elbow,  casting  cautious  glances 
around,  which  assured  me  that  there  was  not  a  soul  in 
sight.  If  I  could  only  steal  away  as  I  had  come,  with  the 
papers  duly  signed  in  my  possession,  not  a  single  witness 
would  be  forthcoming  to  identify  me  hereafter,  even  if 
it  ever  occurred  to  the  victim  to  associate  my  visit  with 
the  fraud. 

No  further  conversation  passed  between  me  and  my 
companion  until  we 
reached  the  sum- 
mer -  house,  where 
the  poor  fellow 
sank  down  upon  the 
seat  trembling  and 
-exhausted.  With  an 
•eagerness  which  I 
could  not  attempt 
to  conceal,  I  drew 
forth  the  papers, 
produced  the  por- 
table ink-bottle  and 
a  pen,  and  placed 
them  all  on  the 
cable  in  front  of  him. 

"Am  I  to  sign 
these  ? "  he  inquired 
in  an  indifferent 
tone. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied, 
inwardly  trembling 
lest  he^hould  ques- 
tion me about  them. 

"  Give  me  the 
pen,"  he  exclaimed, 
seizing  it  impa- 
tiently. "  Show  me 
where  to  sign." 

The  papers  were 
all  arranged,  one  in- 
side the  other,  and 

those  underneath  displayed  nothing  of  their  contents 
and  only  uncovered  enough  to  leave  a  space  for  signa- 
ture. Among  the  latter  was  the  receipt  form,  and  when 
be  came  to  this,  the  young  man  made  an  abrupt  pause, 
which  startled  me.  But  it  was  onlv  a  sort  of  convulsive 
spasm  which  attacked  him  at  that  moment ;  he  recovered 
himself  immediately,  and  wrote  his  name  firmly  upon 
that  and  the  remaining  papers.  There  were  only  three 
or  four  of  them,  and  the  task  did  not  occupy  half  as 
many  minutes. 

"  There  !"  he  exclaimed,  throwing  aside  the  pen.  "  Is 
everything  finished  1 " 

"Everything,"  I  replied,  hastily  blotting  the  signa- 
tures and  shuffling  them  away. 

"There  is  nothing  more  that  I  can  do  to  checkmate 
the  rascal  1 "  he  inquired,  with  an  odd  sort  of  eagerness. 
41  Everything  is  sworn  to  on  oath,  isn't  it?  The  Case 
■would  go  on  as  well  without  me  as  with  me  ? " 


HE  WROTE  HIS  NAME  FIRMLY. 


"  Yes,  yes !  "  I  replied,  surprised  to  see  him  struggling 
to  his  feet  with  extraordinary  energy. 

"Your  people  have  my  will,  you  know,"  he  said. 
I  answered  in  the  affirmative,  though  he  did  not  wait 
for  a  reply ;  the  next  moment,  he  was  outside  the  ftrbour 
leaving  me  still  within. 

"Wait  there  a  minute,"  he  exclaimed,  speaking  in  a 
strange  voice  over  his  shoulder,  but  without  turning  his 
head.    "  I  want  you  to  take  back  a  message." 

He  disappeared  abruptly  from  the  path,  and  seemed 
to  be  going  round  to  the  back  of  the  arbour.  Surprised 
at  his  request,  and  rather  disconcerted  by  it,  for  I  was 
anxious  to  get  away  at  once,  I  was  in  the  act  of  button- 
ing up  my  coat  over  the  papers  while  meditating  the 
advisability  of  beating  a  hasty  retreat  before  he  returned, 
when  a  sharp  sovlnd,  like  the  crack  of  a  whip,  made  me 

start,  and  the  next 
^  moment  there  came 

a  heavy  thud  against 
the  outside  of  the 
summer-house  close 
to  my  elbow,  fol- 
lowed by  a  deep 
groan. 

I  rushed  out  in. 
mediately,  terrified, 
yet  not  the  least 
realising  what  had 
.happened.  The 
horrible  spectacle 
whichmet  my  eyes  I 
cannot  attempt  to 
describe.  The  poor 
fellow  had  evidently 
fired  a  revolver  into 
his  mouth.  His  body 
lay  huddled  upon 
the  ground,  rating 
sideways  against 
the  harbour. 

The  shock  to  my 
nerves  was  so  appall- 
ing that,  though  he 
was  dead  beyond 
question,  I  did  not 
stop  to  assure  my- 
self of  the  fact  nor  to 
summon  assistance. 
With  a  gasp  of  horror,  I  turned  and  fled  in  a  blind  panic.  I 
dashed  through  a  kind  of  copse  or  thicket,  clambered 
over  a  fence  into  a  wood  behind,  plunged  through  hedges 
and  across  some  field's,  and  never  paused  to  consider  the 
direction  I  was  taking  till  I  suddenly  found  myself  close 
to  the  railway  station.  A  train  had  just  pulled  up  there  ; 
I  clambered  down  a  steep  embankment,  rushed  across  the 
metals,  and,  undeterred  by  the  warning  cries  of  officials, 
made  for  the  nearest  compartment  as  the  train  was 
moving  off,  and  at  the  peril  of  life  and  limb,  succeeded 
in  struggling  into  it. 

The  occupants  were  a  company  of  drunken  sailor  men, 
who  had  evidently  been  paid  off  some  ship  down  the 
river.  Those  who  were  not  asleep  were  quarrelling 
loudly,  and  my  entrance  was  hardly  noticed.  Ordinary 
travellers  would  probably  have  regarded  me  with  sus- 
picion, for  I  was  haggard  and'  breathless,  trembling  in 
every  limb,  my  face  and  hands  scratched,  and  my  clothes 


102 


TO-DAY, 


December  1,  1894. 


torn  by  brambles.  I  sank,  panting,  into  a  seat,  and  did 
not  recover  my  wits  until  we  were  well  on  the  way  to 
London. 

Observing,  however,  that  the  sailors  left  me  to  myself, 
I  gradually  began  to  reflect  coherently  upon  my  posi- 
tion. Though  overwhelmed  by  the  horror  of  the  scene 
I  had'  witnessed,  I  soon  perceived  that  the  success  of  my 
errand  surpassed  my  most  sanguine  anticipation.  I  had' 
the  precious  receipt  safely  in  my  pocket,  the  hand  that 
signed  it  was  now  dead  and  cold,  and  nobody  was  aware 
of  the  circumstances  of  my  visit. 

The  riotous  behaviour  of  the  sailors  helped  to  ob- 
literate from  my  mental  vision  the  vivid  recollection  of 
my  last  view  of  the 
dead  man,  and  left  my 
thoughts  free  to  in- 
dulge in  practical 
reflections.  With  a 
villainous  feeling  of 
exultation,  I  suddenly 
realised  that  I  could, 
if  I  chose,  exact  high 
terms  from  Barrett  and 
his  accomplice.  The 
promised  bribe  was  a 
sum  of  £100,  but  this 
was  the  merest  trifle 
compared  with  the 
amount  at  issue,  and 
the  Plaintiff's  suicide 
had  immensely  in- 
creased the  value  of  the 
receipt.  If  I  withheld 
it,  I  might  obtain 
double  or  treble  the 
sum  agreed  upon,  and 
Barrett  would  not  dare 
to  defy  me.  Or,  if  he 
did,  I.  could  sell  his 
secret  to  the  other 
side. 

I  passed  the  night  at 
a  tavern  near  the  West 
Indian  Docks,  and  I 
must  state,  without 
comment,  the  bare  fact 
that  if  drink  had 
reduced  me  to  my 
present  degraded  and 
abject  state,  it  was,  in 
this  instance,  the 
means  of  saving  my 
soul  from  a  greater 
sin.       For    I  drank 

heavily,  retired  to  my  bed  in  a  barely  conscious  state, 

and  in  the  silent  hours  

Well,  I  suppose  it  was  a  touch  of  delirium  tremens, 
with  which  I  had  often  before  been  threatened.  That 
God  should  send  a  vision  to  rescue  a  drunkard  from 
crime  is  too  fantastically  presumptuous  an  idea  to  be 
seriously  urged.  But  he  came  and  stood  beside  me, 
the  poor  wretched  victim  of  self-murder,  with  his  face  all 
bloody  and  his  glazed  eyes  staring  at  me !  I  hid  my 
head  beneath  the  pillow  and  shuddered  in  a  cold  sweat. 
Whenever  I  looked'  up,  he  was  there,  in  the  pale  moon- 
light— when  I  closed  my  eyes,  I  saw  him  still !  I 


niS  BODY  LAY  HUDDLED  UP   ON  THE  GROUND. 


shouted  and  raved  and  swore  and  prayed,  but  he  would 

never  leave  me  until  

I  remember,  at  length,  dragging  my  shaking  limbs 
from  the  bed,  and  searching  frenziedly  for  matches  with 
those  accursed  papers  in  my  hand.  I  held  them,  ablaze, 
over  the  fireplace,  till  the  flame  caught  the  sleeve  of  my 
shirt  and  scorched!  my  arm  to  the  shoulder.  I  was- 
found,  in  the  morning,  lying  senseless  on  the  floor, 
severely  burnt  about  the  face  and  chest,  beside  a  heap- 
of  ashes  and  charred  paper. 

In  the  hospital,  to  which  I  was  taken,  the  chaplain 
came  to  me  one  day  and  inquired  whether  I  had  any- 
thing on  my  mind.  What  had  I  been  saying  in  my  de- 
lirium 1  The  good 
man  was  kind  and 
discreet  ;  at  my  re- 
quest, he  brought  me 
a  pen  and  paper, 
and  I  wrote  to  Mr. 
Marchmont  as  fol- 
lows, omitting  my 
address  : — 

"  The  plan  has 
failed.  If  you  and 
your  accomplice  per- 
sist in  your  attempt, 
I  shall  turn  Queen's 
Evidence." 

■>  *  * 
Through  the  hospital 
chaplain,  I  procured 
a  berth  as  copying 
clerk  in  the  office 
of  a  country  solicitor. 
Six  months  later  I 
was  sent  up  to  Lon- 
don one  day  on 
business,  when  1  met, 
outside  the  Law 
Courts,  a  former  col- 
league from  Messrs. 
Stopford,  Halcroft  and 
Taylor's  office.  He 
was  staggering  under 
the  burden  of  a  quan- 
tity of  documents 
which  he  was  convey- 
ing into  a  cab.  He 
hailed  me  as  I  passed, 
and  said — - 

"  Do  you  remember 
the  action  of  Barrett 
v.  Barrett  ? " 
"  Yes." 

"Did  you  ever  hear  that  our  Client  shot  himself?" 
"Yes." 

"We  carried  on  the  action  for  his  executors,  and  it 
ha?  just  been  heard.  Defendant  was  awfully  shaky 
and  nervous  in  the  Witness  Box,  and  when  our  Counsel 
began  to  cross-examine  about  alleged  payments,  he  broke 
down  utterly.  Kept  looking  round  at  the  back  of  the 
Court  as  though  he  was  frightened  of  somebody  coming 
forward." 

"And  the  result?" 

"  Judgment  for  us,  with  costs." 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


103 


Ladies'  Orchestra. 


101 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  1391. 


(  To  be  continued. ) 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


105 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


I  notices  a  ingreased  activerty  on  the  pawt  of  the 
coppers  in  dealin'  with  the  bettin'  clubs.  Very  pleasint 
an'  griteful  noos  it  is  too,  showin'  as  it  do  that  them 
coppers  is  in  the  full  perseshun  of  their  'ealth  an'  sperrits, 
and,  as  yer  might  sye,  goin'  strong.  Coppers  bein',  as 
'Ankin'  as  remawked,  one  o'  the  sifegawds  an'  bullocks 
o'  this  nyshun,  it's  a  'ighly  satersfectory  thing  to  know 
'as  they  tikes  their  egsersise  reg'lar  an'  'as  a  appertite 
fur  their  meals.  Hall  the  sime,  I  'as  my  darts.  Afore 
long  theer  won't  be  a  single  plice  in  this  'ere  glor'is 
metrolopus  whur  a  man  kin  put  'is  own  money  on  'is 
own  opinyun  withart  bein'  interfered  with.  Thet  mye 
be  a  good  thing.  Pussonally,  I've  'ad  my  little  bit  on 
nar  and  agine,  and  I've  never  'urt  myself.  I  done  it 
joodishus,  sime  as  I  does  everythink  else.  Still 
theer  is,  in  course,  them  as  don't  do  it  joodishus, 
them  as  is  silly  enough  ter  think  theer  goin'  ter 
mike  a  livin'  art  o'  backin'  'orses  cornstant.  I  c  essay 
that  sort  will  be  none  the  wus  fur  bein'  storpt  off  of  it. 
But  it  do  seem  awd  on  them  as  'as  a  bet  jest  occishunal, 
when  they  thinks  they  knows  sumthink,  and  don't  stand 
ter  lose  no  more  than  they  kin  afford  ter  do  withart. 
It's  'appened  ter  me  that  I've  'ad  more  pleasure  and 
amoosement  art  of  losin'  a  crown  than  I've  ever  'ad  art 
of  spendin'  a  thick  'un.  'Arrever,  I  surpose  the  laws  'as 
ter  be  arringed  so  as  ter  soot  the  weakest  an'  the  wust 
on  us,  which  is  a  bit  rough  on  the  other  sort.  As 
'Ankin  said,  speakin'  on  this  sime  pint,  if  this  kind  o' 
thing  corntinyer  ter  go  on  as  its  goin'  on,  whort  is  ter 
become  o'  the  libbuty  o'  the  subjic  1 

*  *        ■  * 

I've  'ad  'Ankin  on  toast  proper  litely.  'Is  unfort 
shunit  an'  reverlooshionary  opinyuns  abart 'Er  Medjusty 
the  Queen  an'  hall  the  Royal  fam'ly  is  well  known. 
Well,  I've  called  'Ankin's  attenshun  ter  them  floods 
in  Windser  an'  the  ny'brood,  an'  the  distress  they  'as 
caused,  an'  the  ginerosity  of  the  Queen  in  the  matter  o' 
subscripsuns  an'  gineral  'elp.  "  That's  all  right,"  'e 
says,  "  I  surpose  the  Queen  o'  Hingland  kin  well  afford 
it ;  theer  ain't  nutthink  in  that."  "  Ho  yus,  theer  is," 
says  I.  "  Theer's  plenty  as  could  afford  a  bloomin'  lot 
an'  never  don't  afford  a  blooming  nutthink."  At  lawst 
'e  'ad  ter  awn  that  'Er  Medjusty  mostly  did  the 
'andsome  thing  ter  the  plices  wheer  she  'appened  ter  be. 
"  Honly,"  says  'e,  "  she  don't  'appen  ter  be  in  enougli 
plices,"  which,  as  I  told  'im,  is  a  pore  awgyment.  But 
that's  'Ankin  all  over ;  'e's  as  orbstinit  as  a  bloomin' 
owl  'e  is.  When  yer  really  'as  got  'im  on  the  'op  in  a 
pint  of  awgyment,  'e ,  won't  own  up  as  'e's  beat.  Yer 
mye  leave  'im  withart  a  wud  ter  sye  fur  'isself,  and  'e'll 
go  on  jawin'  all  the  time.  Thet's  the  wust  o'  knockin' 
'Ankin  art  in  discushing ;  'e  don't  niver  know  'e's 
knocked. 

*  *  # 

Them  School  Board  elecshings  'as  set  'Ankin  up  a  bit. 
'E  says  as  'e  did  a  deal  o'  work  in  the  Progressive  cause 
'isself,  an'  I  shouldn't  wonder  'e  did.  I  know  'e  spent 
'awf  an  'our  egsplinin'  of  the  sityishun  ter  me,  an'  even 
then  I  wouldn't  go  so  fur  as  ter  sye  I  understood  it.  But 
I  don't  tike  much  account  of  elecshings,  nort  even  the 
perlitical  ones.  As  I  put  it  ter  'Ankin,  I  says,  some- 
times one  side's  in  and  sometimes  another,  an',  tikin'  it 
all  round,  things  is  nutthink  ter  croy  abart  whichever 
side  it  is.  Then  T  'ites  egsitement,  and  I  'ites  bein' 
interfered  with.  Let  them  as  keers  abart  pollertics  tike 
'em  an'  run  'em  as  their  own.  I  ain't  syin'  that  poller- 
tics ain't  important,  but  then  it  ain't  alwise  the  most 
important  things  as  affec's  yer  most.  Yer  mye  'appen  te  r 
read  in  a  noosepiper.that  fifty,  tharsand  Chinese,  sye,  as 
bin  sent  inter  eternity ;  nar,  that's  a  important  an' 


shockin'  bit  of  noose.  An'  then,  per'aps,  yer  goes  'ome 
an'  sits  darn  accerdental  on  a  tin-tack.  I'll  lay  yer 
think  a  good  deal  more  abart  that  tin-tack  than  yer 
ever  do  abart  them  fifty  tharsand  Chinese.  It's  'oinan 
nychur. 


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IT     ,,    n    .       .  „    ,    .   .  Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted.  Market 

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How  the  Accounts  are  Kept.  The  True  System  of  Operating. 

How  Orders  should  be  Given.  ,;  A  Stock  "  Operations. 

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Operations  of  Long  Duration. 


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Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 

Dealing  ^an   Country   Residents  Operate 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts  Successfully  ? 

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eontangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
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WINTER  NUMBER 


OF 


"  TO-DAY,"  6d. 


Contains  a  Complete  Novel  by 
THOMAS  HARDY  and   The   Ho>\   MRS.  HENNIKER. 

Two  Coloured  Supplements  by 
DUDLEY  HARDY  and  HAL  HURST. 

And  Complete  Stories  by 
JEROME  K.  JEROME,  W.  L.  ALDEN,  BARRY  PAIN, 
KEIGHLEY  SNOWDEN,  W.  W.  JACOBS,  Etc.,  Etc. 


106 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  1894. 


"GLEAMS  OF  MEMORY." 


The  title  is  not  quite  complete. 
"gleams  of  memory,"    It  should  read — following  a  Steven- 

BY  JAMES  PAYN.  j  -c   fit  £ 

(smith,  elder  and  co.)  soman  precedent  —  Gleams  of 
Memory,  and  a  Portrait."  For  the 
Gleams  serve  chiefly  to  reveal  the  artless  picture  of  a 
simple,  kindly,  lovable  man,  whose  shrewd  good  nature 
most  of  us  have  read  something  of,  between  the  lines 
of  the  eighty  or  ninety  volumes  of  chatty,  witty,  agree- 
able fiction  which  bear  the  popular  name  of  James 
Payn. 

From  childhood,  Mr.  Payn  was  an  optimist,  with  an 
eye  and  an  ear  for  humour.  That  is,  if  his  Memory  is 
to  be  relied  on  !  This  insulting  doubt  is  not  a  ground- 
less insinuation,  for  Mr.  Payn  confesses  that  of  his  early 
boyhood  he  remembers  "  scarcely  anything."  But 
cheerfully  assuming  that  he  has  not,  like  Sir  William 
Harcourt,  on  a  historical  occasion,  "drawn  upon  his 
imagination  for  his  facts,"  let  me  offer  a  convincing 
proof  that  the  man  is  offspring  of  the  child.  Master 
Payn,  then  of  a  tender  age,  was  staying  with  a  kind  old 
clergyman,  the  best  shot  in  the  county.  Now  as  luck 
would  have  it,  the  parson  and  the  lord  of  the  manor  fell 
out,  and  the  rectory  fields  lying  in  the  centre  of  his  lord- 
ship's preserves,  when  his  great  battues  were  held,  a 
party  of  friends  was  invited  by  the  rector,  and  excellent 
rectory  bags  were  made  off  the  game  that  was  driven 
across  this  ecclesiastical  ground. 

I  was  in  Mr.  A.'s  study  one  morning,  reading  "  Captain 
Cook's  Voyages,"  as  I  lay  on  the  floor— my  favourite  literary 
position  at  that  time — when  Lord  B.  was  announced.  I  had 
only  met  one  lord  in  my  life  before,  and  was  delighted  at 
this  second  opportunity.  Because  I  was  so  very  young  that 
it  did  not  matter,  or  because  my  host  forgot  my  existence 
altogether  (being  on  my  stomach  under  the  table),  I  was  not 
directed  to  withdraw,  and  thereby  I  became  a  spectator  of 
the  interview.  His  lordship  was  not  of  an  imposing  appear- 
ance, and,  almost  inarticulate  with  rage,  he  let  out  at  the 
rector  with  great  vehemence  about  his  conduct  concerning 
the  game,  and  every  now  and  then  paused  for  breath. 

"  Pray  go  on,  my  lord,"  said  the  rector  on  these  occa- 
sions, in  a  tone  of  voice  which  even  to  my  inexperienced 
ears  seemed  the  reverse  of  conciliatory.  At  last  his  lord- 
ship, puffing  and  blowing,  observed  :  "  There,  now  you  know 
what  I  think  of  you.  If  you  had  not  been  a  clergyman,  I 
would  have  said  a  great  deal  more." 

Then  the  rector  rose  from  his  chair — the  whole  six-feet- 
two  of  him — and  pointed  to  the  door.  "If  I  had  not  been 
a  clergyman,"  he  said,  in  a  terrible  voice,  "  you  would  not 
have  dared  to  say  half  as  much.  Now  be  off  with  you."  I 
had  known  him  speak  in  the  same  tone  only  to  trespassers  and 
poachers.  It  was  a  most  exciting  scene,  and  long  after- 
wards, whenever  I  heard  the  phrase,  "  the  Church 
militant,"  I  associated  it  with  my  venerable  host. 

Now  here  is  a  simple  story,  of  no  great  value  in 
itself,  but  invaluable  as  showing  the  temper  of  our 
author's  mind.  As  a  boy  he  saw  nothing  in  it  but  its 
lively  humour.  To  this  day  he  sees  nothing  more.  But 
what  if  the  boy  beneath  the  table  had  been  a  Louis 
Stevenson  ?  Would  not  the  blinds  have  been  drawn, 
and  candles  lighted,  and  rapiers  taken  down,  and  the 
big  parson  and  the  young  peer  got  fiercely  lunging  for 
each  other's  blood,  while  the  one  quaking  witness  drank 
in  the  savage  scene  from  behind  the  cunningly  draped 
tablecloth  ?  And  what,  oh  !  what,  if  that  boy 
had  been  a  Rider  Haggard?  Should  we  have 
got  off  under  a  hideous  "hot-potting"  of,  for 
choice,  the  handsome  rector,  ghastly  death  agonies 
circumstantially  described,  the  bestowal  of  the 
body  behind  a  secret  panel,  and  upon  the  wainscoting 
the  muffled  rattle  of  its  heels  in  the  last  convulsive  throes, 
as  the  butler  tapped  upon  the  door  prior  to  admitting 
the  rector's  son  and  heir  1  Whereas  you  see  the  boy  was 
a  Payn,  and  saw  only  the  straight  up  and  down  good 
humour  of  the  thing,  which  he  now  passes  on  to  us. 
And  as  it  was  in  the  beginning,  so  it  was  afterwards,  is 
now,  and  will  be  till  the  pen  of  James  Payn  traces 
well-nigh  illegible  scratches  no  more  ;  for  of  humour, 
and  kindliness,  and  simplicity  the  whole  man  is  com- 
pounded, and  "nothing  speaks  in  him  save  this  alone." 


As  a  potential  Stoddart  or  Fry  of  Wadham,  Mr.  Payn 

was  no  striking  success. 

Though  never  much  attracted  by  athletic  games,  I 
became  a  member  of  a  county  cricket  club,  but  did  not  long 
remain  an  active  member.  The  ball  on  one  occasion  per- 
sisted in  its  undesirable  swiftness,  even  after  it  had  passed 
the  wicket  at  which  it  was  aimed  ;  a  natural  impulse  caused 
me  to  attempt  to  stop  it  with  my  straw  hat  instead  of  my 
hand.  So  far  from  this  act  of  self-sacrifice  (for  the  crown 
of  my  hat  was  carried  away)  being  appreciated,  it  was  con- 
sidered an  unscientific  proceeding,  and  I  was  never  invited 
to  play  again.  I  found  the  luncheon  tent,  however,  very 
pleasant,  and  the  conversation  of  the  vice-president,  whose 
age  absolved  him  from  being  bowled  at,  most  entertaining. 
He  commiserated  my  youth  and  innocence,  and  gave  me 
several  precepts  for  my  future  conduct  of  a  practical  nature. 
Here  are  two  of  them :  "If  anyone  offers  to  bet  you,  my 
lad,  that  a  reputed  pint  holds  no  more  than  three-quarters 
of  a  real  pint,  take  him.  It  commonly  does  not  hold  more  ; 
but  fill  the  bottle  and  put  the  cork  in,  then  turn  it  upside 
down  and  fill '  the  kick,'  and  you  will  find  it  does  hold  more. 
You  may  pick  up  many  a  half-crown  by  this  little  plan." 

He  never  liked  Latin,  and  he  detc  te  !  Greek.  Had 
he  suddenly  become  rich  at  fourteen,  ne  would  have 
founded  an  asylum  for  schoolboys  who  could  not  under- 
stand Greek,  "  so  much  I  pitied  them  as  well  as  myself." 
Nor  does  he  really  know  what  he  did  learn,  beyond  the 
three  R's,  which,  he  hastens  to  assure  us,  he  has  found 
very  useful.  Nor  is  this  engaging  frankness  confined  to 
criticism  of  himself.  He  applies  the  lash  with  perfect 
impartiality  to  the  boy  at  large. 

The  boy  is  charming  in  Art,  and  sometimes  quite  virtuous 
in  Fiction ;  but  in  real  life  he  is  intolerable.  His  wit 
is  buffoonery,  his  humour  is  practical  joking,  his  deity  is  the 
head  boy  in  the  school,  and  his  devil  is  the  head  master. 
He  loves  idleness,  cruelty,  dirt,  and  athletic  exercises 
like  the  savage.  There  is  a  delusion  abroad  that  he  does 
not  share  the  weakness  of  the  adult  for  wealth  and  station  ; 
but  he  has  in  reality  a  very  accurate  notion  on  which  side 
his  bread  is  buttered,  and  would  sell  his  soul  for  five  bob, 
half  to  be  paid  in  tuck .  He  has  also  a  fine  contempt  for 
the  poor. 

One  branch  of  learning,  however,  Mr.  Payn  did  assidu- 
ously cultivate,  and  that  was  whist.  "Any fellow  will  play 
on  a  wet  day,"  an  enthusiast  of  the  game  used  to  say, 
"  but  give  us  the  man  who  will  play  on  a  fine  one  ;"  and, 
adds  Mr.  Payn,  "  I  was  always  the  man  given  to  them 
for  that  purpose."  Under  almost  every  conceivable 
condition  Mr.  Payn  has  played  whist.  At  a  county 
ball,  in  company  with  three  other  devotees,  he  once  took 
possession  of  a  tableless  bedroom  and  played  upon  the 
washing-stand.  He  has  driven  out  with  two  now  pro- 
minent senators  and  a  great  divine,  and  played  in  a 
wood  in  summer  time.  And  at  Westwater,  "  where  it 
drizzles  for  half  the  week  and  pours  for  the  other  half," 
the  moment  breakfast  was  finished,  he  seated  himself 
at  the  card-table.  From  first  to  last,  indeed,  some 
two  hours  per  diem  upon  every  "  lawful  day "  have 
been  consumed  in  whist.  Which  amounts  in  Mr. 
Payn's  life  to  something  like  thirty  thousand  hours, 
or  just  upon  four  solid  years  devoted  to  "  this  en- 
trancing game,"  in  which,  however,  he  has  not  yet 
acquired  peculiar  proficiency.  If  not  an  expert  at 
whist,  Mr.  Payn  is  an  expert  in  sleep,  to  which  he 
attributes  his  ability  to  work  at  his  pen — "  or,  rather, 
pencil,  for  I  never  write  at  a  desk,  but  on  a  block,  and 
always  lying  down  " — "as  hard  as  any  man,  and  per- 
haps a  little  harder."  Mr.  Payn  takes  ten  hours'  sleep, 
and  begins  them  at  ten  o'clock  ;  believes  the  good  and 
bad  results  of  criticism  to  be  greatly  exaggerated  ;  loves 
the  English  lake  district ;  received  £3  15s.  for  four  of 
his  first  short  stories;  is  indolent  "beyond  belief,"  and, 
allowed  his  own  way,  is  "  the  most  contented  soul 
alive." 

Mr.  Payn  takes  us  completely  into  his  confidence, 
and  lets  us  see  behind  the  scenes— literary,  social,  and 
domestic.  But  there  is  just  one  room  which,  like 
another  Blue  Beard,  he  keeps  locked.  It  has  nothing  to 
do  with  spirits  of  alien  arts  upon  which  lie  may  have 
lavished  affection,  but  with  the  living  literary  forces  whom 
he  has  encouraged  and  helped  to  create — the  Stanley 
Weymans,  Conan  Doyles,  Ansteys,  and  Hornungs  who 
freely  confess  that  they  owe  everything  to  his  kindly 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


107 


word  and  deed.  How  interesting  that  unwritten 
chapter  would  be !  Perhaps  Mr.  Payn  may  see  fit  to 
write  it  yet.  But,  with  it  or  without  it,  his  "  Gleams  " 
are  very  bright  and  cheery,  and  an  hour  or  two  could 
scarcely  be  more  pleasantly  wiled  away  than  in  perusing 
by  their  aid  this  smiling  portrait — for  the  Uffizzi 
Gallery  of  Literature,  shall  we  say? — of  the  jovial, 
genial,  generous  man  of  letters  whose  familiar  name  it 
bears. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


Though  Messrs.  A.  D.  Innes  and  Co.aregoingto  replace 
it  with  a  new  and  much  superior  illustrated  magazine, 
The  Minister,  I  am  very  sorry  to  see  that  the  Newbery 
House  Magazine  is  apparently  doomed  to  disappear,  as 
well  as  the  famous  old  publishing  house  of  Grifhth, 
Farren  and  Co.,  which  started  it.  The  house  had  been 
going  for  more  than  a  century  and  a  half,  and  its  premises 
and  its  magazine  were  named  after  a  former  head  of 
the  house,  John  Newbery,  the  bookseller,  who  was  the 
publisher  and  friend  of  Johnson  and  Goldsmith,  and 
many  another  eighteenth  century  worthy. 

*  *  *  * 

Miss  Dorothea  Gerard,  whose  "Lot  13 has  lately 
been  issued  in  three  volumes  by  Innes  and  Co.,  is  the 
wife  of  a  colonel,  whose  name  I  do  not  remember, 
though  she  is  an  old  patron,  of  mine.  Her  sister, 
Miss  Emily  Gerard,  whose  story,  "  The  Foreigners,"  is 
the  new  serial  in  Blackwood's,  is  also  the  wife  of  a 
colonel — a  Polish  colonel  in  the  Austrian  army  named 
Laszowska.  The  success  of  these  two  sisters  has  added 
lustre  even  to  the  great  house  of  Blackwoods. 

*  *  *  * 

The  Miss  Anna  Stoddart  who  wrote  the  beautiful  book 
on  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  recently  published  by  Messrs.  Black- 
wood, is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Mr.  T.  T.  Stoddart,  the 
famous  angler  poet,  so  often  quoted  by  Mr.  Andrew  Lang. 
The  book  is  sumptuously  got  up  with  fine  illustrations,  and 
the  illustrious  coat-of-arms  of  the  Sidneys  of  Penhurst 
blazoned  in  gold  and  colours  on  its  cover.  It  is  more- 
over written  with  an  earnestness  rare  in  these  days, 
which  will  no  doubt  appeal  strongly  to  the  God-fearing 
people  who  are  still  the  majority  of  the  British  nation. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  John  Davidson,  whose  "Ballads  and  Songs"2 
have  just  been  brought  out,  is  a  customer  of  mine — ■ 
a  florid,  black-bearded  man,  with  a  very  peculiar  type 
of  face.  After  cutting  and  reading  one  of  the  copies 
I  have  added  to  my  library  I  can  more  than  endorse 
the  verdict  of  the  Daily  Chronicle  that  "  he  is  a  strong 
man  of  the  younger  generation  of  poets."  To  my  mind 
the  following  stanzas  : — 

High  on  the  hill  the  convent  hung, 

Across  a  duchy,  looking  down, 
Where  everlasting  mountains  flung 

Their  shadows  over  tower  and  town. 

The  jewels  of  their  lofty  snows 

In  constellations  flashed  at  night ; 
Above  their  crests  the  moon  arose  ; 

The  deep  earth  shuddered  with  delight. 

Long  ere  she  left  her  cloudy  bed, 

Still  dreaming  in  the  orient  land, 
On  many  a  mountain's  happy  head 

Dawn  lightly  laid  her  rosy  hand. 

The  adventurous  sun  took  heaven  by  storm  ; 

Clouds  scattered  largesses  of  rain  ; 
The  sounding  cities,  rich  and  warm, 

Smouldered  and  glittered  in  the  plain. 

prove  Mr.  Davidson  worthy  of  still  higher  praise. 
■  ,*  *  ■  ;'  ,  ,      *  * 

I  always  do  well  in  my  library  with  books  by  Mr.  W. 
E.  Norris,  whose  "  Matthew  Austin  "3  has  just  been 
brought  out.  Mr.  Norris  is  an  old  customer  of  mine, 
though,  not  living  in  London,  he  does  not  often  come 
into  my  shop.    With  his  florid,  well-bred,  military  type 


of  face,  and  well-groomed  auburn  hair,  he  looks  like  one 
of  those  Guards  officers  who  are  the  admired  of  all  be- 
holders at  the  Military  Tournament  as  they  stalk  about 
the  ring  in  their  long,  dark-blue,  heavily-lappeted 
military  "  frocks."  He  speaks  with  great  deliberation, 
and  considers  everything  Jin  de  siecle  bad  form,  especially 
the  women. 

*  *  *  * 

When  I  was  over  in  America,  book-hunting  in  that 
novel  sense  of  the  term,  I  had  the  honour  of  being  intro- 
duced by  her  publisher,  Mr.  H.  O.  Houghton,  to  Mar- 
garet Deland,  whose  "  Philip  and  his  Wife  "*  has  just 
been  brought  out.  Mrs.  Deland  is,  of  course,  the 
authoress  of  "Sidney,"  and  "John  Ward,  Preacher." 
There  was  a  great  joke  against  her  at  the  time ;  her 
husband,  Mr.  Lorin  T.  Deland,  is  an  advertising  agent, 
and  had  introduced  doggerel  rhymes  as  a  novel  feature 
in  his  advertisements.  The  wags  of  Boston  said  that 
his  wife  wrote  them  as  well  as  that  delightful  volume  of 
poems,  "  In  an  old  Garden,"  which  has  gone  through 
so  many  editions. 

*  *  *  * 

My  good  patron,  Mr.  Henry  Arthur  Doubleday,  who 
publishes  under  the  familiar  title  of  Archibald  Con- 
stable and  Co.,  has  started  a  new  series  of  fiction  which 
he  calls  the  Acme  Library.  Like  the  Autonyms,  the 
Acmes  will  be  short  stories  by  leading  writers.  The 
first  is  to  be  Mr.  Conan  Doyle's  "  The  Parasite,"  and 
this  will  be  followed  by  Mr.  Hall  Caine's  "  The  Maid  of 
Mona,"  and  a  story  by  Mrs.  Flora  Annie  Steel.  The 
Acmes  will  appear  monthly.  I  expect  great  things  of 
them.  Mr.  Doubleday  has  been  bringing  out  a  number 
of  excellent  books  in  an  unobtrusive  way. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Alfred  Lys  Baldry,  whose  sumptuous  "Albert 
Moore,  His  Life  and  Works,"5  illustrated  with  photo- 
gravures and  about  seventy  other  illustrations,  has  just 
been  brought  out,  is  an  old  customer  of  mine.  He 
never  comes  into  the  shop  without  people  asking  who 
he  is  ;  his  sad  intellectual  face,  with  its  large  full  eyes 
and  lips  and  flowing  jet  black  hair  and  beard, 
would  make  him  a  typical  Christ  for  the  Oberammergau 
Passion  Play. 

*  *  *  * 

I  expect  to  do  very  well  in  the  Christmas  season  with  the 
sweet  little  "Banbury Cross"6  series, edited  byGraceRhys 
(Mrs.  Ernest  Rhys  1 ),  and  illustrated  by  R.  Anning  Bell. 
They  are  beautifully  printed,  and  beautifully  illustrated, 
and  quaintly  bound  in  highly-gilt  green  cloth,  tied  with 
a  bow  of  scarlet  ribbon.  Perhaps  the  daintiest  thing 
about  them  is  the  quaint  Kate  Greenaway  illustration 
of  the  ride  to  Banbury  Cross  on  the  fly  leaves  at  the 
beginning  and  end  of  the  books. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  received  a  courteous  little  note  asking  me  if  I 
meant  that  "From  Spring  to  Fall  "7  was  written  by  Mrs. 
Visger.  No  ;  she  only  edited  it.  It  was  written  by  "  A 
Son  of  the  Marshes,"  who  is  a  working  house-painter  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Dorking. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Dionysius. — I  know  of  no  sucli  work.  Apply  to  Allen  and 
Co. ,  Waterloo  Place. 

C.  H. — You  might  try  "  Bell's  Elocutionist,"  but  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  study  the  subject  properly  without  a  master. 

Woffler. — I  only  know  of  one  other  published  sketch  by 
Grossmith — "  A  Little  Yachting." 

Moses. — Sandow's  book  would  suit  you. 

Susy. — The  book  you  name  is  published  by  Chatto  and 
Windus  at  3s.  6d. 

Sagnache. — Conan  Doyle's  "  Waterloo  Veteran,"  has  not 
been  published  yet. 


1.  Lot  13.    (Innes  and  Co.   Price  not  stated.) 

2.  Ballads  and  Songs.    (John  Lane.   Price  not  stated.) 

3.  Matthew  Austin.    (Methuen  and  Co.   31s.  6d.) 

4.  Philip  and  Hi3  Wife.   (Longmans.   Price  not  stated.) 

6.  Albert  Moore  :  His  Life  and  Works.   (G.  Bell  and  Co.  63s.) 

6.  Banbury  Cross  Series.   (J.  M.  Dent  and  Co.   Is.  each,  net.) 

7.  From  Spring  to  Fall.    (Blackwoods.   Price  not  stated.) 


108 


TO-DAY. 


December  i,  1894. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


My  dear  Helen, — We  have  just  sent  off  your  Christ- 
mas boxes,  and  hope  they  will  arrive  on  the  very  day 
itself.  What  a  whirl  of  present-choosing  we  are  in !  We 
shop  for  at  least  three  hours  every  day,  and  the  streets 
have  already  quite  a  Christmas  look.  People  have  to 
be  rather  previous,  you  know,  for  fear  of  a  week's  fog 
just  before  the  great  day,  as  there  was  two  years  ago. 
The  West  End  is  crowded  on  these  sunny  afternoons, 
and  there  are  so  many  vehicles  out  that  there  are  con- 
stant blocks  in  the  traffic,  just  as  though  it  were  the 
height  of  the  season.  There  is  something  animating  in 
it  all,  and  you  will  miss  it  dreadfully  just  at  first,  in  your 
quiet  "  station  "  in  India. 

Walking  down  Bond  Street  yesterday  afternoon,  I  saw 
three  or  four  good  costumes  on  smart  people.  One  was 
a  brown  tailor-made,  simple  enough  in  itself,  but  cut  to 
perfection,  and  the  skirt  made  with  that  undulating 
ripple  that'  only  the  highest  skill  can  produce.  The 
cachet  of  the  toilette,  however,  lay  in  the  rolled  collar 
and  deep  mousquetaire  cuffs  of  ermine.  Another  good 
gown  was  in  green  and  black  cape,  with  the  large  ridges 
that  Parisian  dressmakers  call  "  la  vague."  The  skirt 
was  lined  with  cardinal  silk,  and  edged  with  a  narrow 
band  of  chinchilla,  being  finished  underneath  with  a 
closely-gathered  frill  of  cardinal  silk.  The  coat  was  a 
casaque  of  the  Louis  XV.  period,  carried  out  in  green 
velvet,  and  fastened  with  six  enormous  buttons  in  fine 
enamel,  the  ground  of  them  being  cream  colour.  The 
deep  collar  and  epaulettes  were  edged  with  chinchilla, 
and  lined,  as  was  the  body  of  the  coat,  with  cardinal  silk, 
a  verv  narrow  ruching  of  the  same  coming  just  under 
the  fur.  The  huge  sleeves  were  cut  all  in  one  piece,  but 
began  to  narrow  above  the  elbow,  and  were  drawn  in 
quite  tightly  to  the  wrist,  under  a  small,  turned-back 
cuff  of  the  velvet  and  chinchilla.  The  hat  worn  with 
this  was  a  wide>-brimmed  white  beaver,  with  a  high 
crown,  garlanded  with  violets,  a  very  large  bow  <  £ 
sky-blue  velvet,  trimmed  one  side,  and  the  brim  was 
hemmed  with  chinchilla.     A  fold  or  two  of  the  blue 


velvet  rested  on  the  hair,  and  over  all  was  drawn  one  of 
those  cobwebby  veils  that  are  so  intensely  becoming, 
with  chenille  spots  dotted  over  their  lightness,  but  so 
far  apart  as  to  answer  all  the  purpose  of  patches.  They 
make  a  good  complexion  look  dazzling,  and  an  indifferent 
one  quite  passable. 

Jim  declares  that  these  veils  are  an  awful  fraud,  be- 
cause when  a  girl  takes  hers  off  there  is  a  sudden  jump 
from  the  ideal  to  the  real.  There  is  something  in  it, 
you  know.  Hilly  complexions  look  quite  smooth  and 
flat  under  these  benignant  veils,  but  when  revealed  with- 
out their  friendly  shelter  suggest  that  a  little  gentle 
scraping  with  sand-paper  would  be  a  great  improvement. 

You  can't  imagine  how  perfectly  sweet  some  of  the 
new  evening  dresses  are.  I  saw  one  made  of  sky-blue 
tulle,  embroidered  all  over  with  coloured  butterflies — 
blue,  white,  yellow,  and  the  wonderful  "Emperor"  with 
his  scarlet  wings  and  black  markings.  This  was  made 
up  over  white  satin,  which  showed  up  the  butterflies  to 
great  advantage.  The  sleeves  were  pink  satin  and  a 
little  pink  was  introduced  into  the  bodice,  but  the  rest 
was  all  sky-blue  and  butterflies. 

The  latest  novelty  in  afternoon  bodices  is  a  short 
Zouave  coat  that  reaches  only  half-way  down  the  sleeve, 
back  and  front.  Sometimes  it  is  made  of  embroidery, 
and  sometimes  of  the  new  braiding,  in  which  the  braid 
is  set  on  end  and  sewed  on  upright,  like  a  little  fairy  wall. 
I  saw  one  with  black  braid  on  a  scarlet  ground,  the  ap- 
pearance of  which  was  at  first  very  puzzling,  owing  to 
this  novel  arrangement  of  the  braid.  Another  had  lace 
applique  on  a  ground  of  gold  satin,  the  design  of  the 
lace  being  outlined  with  gold  sequins. 

The  new  bonnets  do  look  odd  in  the  hand.  Their 
width  across  the  front  is  the  most  remarkable  feature. 
You  know  the  outline  of  the  cherubs'  heads  and  wings 
in  the  old  churches?  Well,  it  is  exactly  that  of  the  new 
bonnet,  only  that  instead  of  a  cherubic  face,  there  is 
perhaps  a  bird's  head,  utterly  unknown  in  ornithology, 
or  a  sequin-covered  space  of  velvet  or  of  tulle.  The 
background  is  usually  filled  in  with  a  full  crown  or  large 
fold  of  brightly  coloured  velvet,  an  aigrette,  and  a  few 
roses  or  large  chrysanthemums.     The  O'Shanter  toques 


CHANNEL  ISLANDS. 

FRUIT  AND  FLOWER  GROWING.  Several  Valuable 
Properties  for  Sale,  or  in  some  cases  partnerships  could  be 
arranged.    Profits  15  per  cent,  to  30  per  cent,  on  money  invested. 

FURNISHED  HOUSES  TO  LET.  Full  particulars,  plans, 
photos,  &c,  on  application  to  Messrs.  CONSTABLE,  TOWN- 
END  &  MORRISH,  55  &  56,  Chancery  Lane,  London,  W.C., 
and  at  Guernsey. 

^otchThTrtbreadT 

DIRECT   FROM   SCOTLAND.  ' 

Finest  quality  sent  to  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

Sample  Cake,  1  lb.  post  free,  Is.  3d.  ;  Ornamented  Cakes  for 
Christmas  Gifts,  a  Speciality,  from  2s.  6d.  to  21s. 

ROBERT  BROWN,  206,  Cumberland  St.,  &LAS&0W, 
DR.    SCOTT'S  PILLS 

Cure  Headache  and  Sickness. 

Cure  Indigestion. 

Cure  Flatulence  and  Heartburn. 

DR.    SCOTT&  PILLS^ 

Strengthen  the  Whole  System. 

Induce  Cheerfulness 

Invaluable  as  a  Family  Medicine. 

DR.    SCOTT'S  PILLS 

Cure  Loss  of  Appetite. 

Cure  all  Disorders  of  the  Blood. 

Cure  Lassitude  and  Nervousness. 

DrT^COTI''S  pillsT 

are  wrapped  in  a  square  green  package  bearing  the  name  of  the  1  'roprietor, 
W.LAMBEKT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  London, or  by  post  for  1 1  or 34  stamps 


II 


1(3  1 1  -CLASS  AUTISTIC  1)B  KSSi\l  A  K  INC. 

MRS.  GRABURN,  13,  Bonchurch-roiul,  North  Kensington  iclosc 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Hpccialite— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  Measure  supplied  complete  from  '2*  Guineas.  All  liodices  Cu*  ~*i 
French  principles.   Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


Every  lady 
pleased 

.  .   WITH  THE 

"Ki-Rar 

BUSK! 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13J 
inches  v 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cut  through  cloth. 
— To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  KITCHIE,  Coehrane- 
street,  Glasgow, 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


ARABINE 


MARKING  INK  FOR 
LINEN  is  the  BEST! 


NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


6° 

PER 
BOTTLE 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfield  Street,  Glasgow. 


CREME   DE  VIOLET 

Has  attained  enormous  popularity  since  we  introduced  it  into  Great 

Britain. 

It  is  a  pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonic,  absolutely  free  from  any  ingre- 
dients that  will  injure  the  most  delicate  skin.  It  cleanses  the  pores,  and 
producing  a  clear  and  healthy  complexion.  Prevents  and  relnoves 
Wrinkles,  Pimples,  Kouglmess,  Kedncss,  and  all  Skin  Imperfections. 
Counteracts  the  disagreeable  effects  of  sun,  wind,  and  sea  air.  Is 
dcliciously  cool  and  refreshing  to  the  skin.  Makes  the  skin  soft  and 
smooth  as  a  baby's.  \\  ill  make  the  most  faded  complexion  assume  all 
the  natural  tints"  of  youthful  health  and  beauty.  Suitable  for  old  and 
young  of  both  sexes.  Of  Chemists  ami  Perfumers,  price  Is.  and  Us.  6d. 
See  that  the  signature  Le  Frere  et  Cie  is  on  the  label,  or  sent  direct, 
post  free,  in  plain  wrappers  3d.  extra  from 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


109 


are  still  the  smartest,  and  the  prettiest  of  them  have 
velvet  crowns  in  some  bright  tint,  such  as  rose-petal 
pink,  torquoise,  amethyst,  or  coral  velvet  sewn  over  with 
black  sequins  or  small  devices  in  glittering  steel.  They 
are  invariably  raised  a  little  at  the  left  side,  just  over 
the  temple,  and  a  flower  or  ribbon  rosette  in  a  colour 
contrasting  with  that  of  the  crown,  is  tucked  deftly  be- 
neath it.  Sometimes  it  is  a  bunch  of  violets,  but  more 
often  it  is  a  chrysanthemum  or  loose-petalled  rose. 

I  saw  a  pretty  girl  this  morning  wearing  a  light  brown 
crepon  dress,  a  velvet  cape  to  match  embroidered  over 
with  large  silver  trefoils,  and  a  chesnut  velvet  hat  with 
a  band  of  torquoise  velvet  round  the  rather  high  crown 
and  two  bunches  of  pinkish  mauve  violets  dotted  near 
each  other  on  the  brim.  Her  gloves  were  white  doeskin, 
and  she  looked  very  smart. — Your  affectionate  sister, 

SUZETTB. 


ANSWERS    TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Etiquette. — You  are  right.  It  means  a  decided  snub  ;  that 
is,  if  the  lady  is  acquainted  with  the  usual  routine  of  such 
matters.  Perhaps  she  is  a  foreigner,  or  perhaps  she  belongs  to 
the  smart  London  set  who  every  season  or  two  initiate  some  new 
whim  or  fantasy  in  such  matters.  You  must  find  out  if  she  has 
acted  in  the  same  way  to  others,  and  in  that  way  draw  your  own 
conclusions. 

Lonely  Child. — Indeed  I  can  well  understand  your  natural 
anxiety  to  possess  the  best  portrait  possible  of  your  lost  mother. 
The  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  send  the  old,  faded  photograph 
to  the  Artistic  Photographic  Company,  72,  Oxford  Street.  They 
will  enlarge  it,  and  while  preserving  the  likeness  will  bring  out 
the  detail  with  wonderful  clearness.  This  is  effected  by  the  use 
of  some  new  apparatus  especially  designed  for  the  work,  which 
enables  the  company  to  execute  the  commissions  at  charges  75 
per  cent,  below  those  usually  made. 

W.  S.  F.  favours  me  with  another  letter  on  the  subject  of 
mix  vomica.  He  repeats  what  has  been  already  said  in  this 
column  on  the  subject,  and  adds  the  name,  source,  dose  {sic), 
uses  and  alkaloids,  as  follows  : — 

Name — Nux  vomicae. 

Source — Strychnos  nux  vomicae,  East  Indies. 
Dose — Grain  .  ,  cautiously  increased  to  three. 


Uses — Tonic,  stomachic  stimulant  to  spinal  cord.  In  neuralgia, 
dyspepsia,  &c,  &c. 

Alkaloids — Strychnine,  brucine. 

Our  Cookery  Column. 

Tinned  lobster  and  salmon  make  excellent  patties  if  carefully 
prepared  as  follows : — Ingredients  necessary  for  two  tins  of 
either  :  Half  a  pound  of  mashed  potatoes,  the  yolks  of  three 
hard  boiled  eggs  mashed  to  a  paste  with  a  spoonful  of 
butter,  half  a  pint  of  melted  butter,  pepper,  salt,  and  a  little 
chopped  parsley.  Make  some  good  putf  paste  and  line  patty 
pans  with  it,  pick  the  salmon  or  lobster  free  of  any  gristle  which 
may  have  been  allowed  to  pass  into  the  tin,  beat  the  potato  and 
melted  butter  together  with  a  fork,  add  the  fish  and  seasoning, 
fill  the  patty  pans  with  the  mixture,  cover  them  over  with  more 
paste,  bake  them  quickly  in  a  hot  oven,  glazing  them  when 
smoking  hot  with  the  egg-yolks,  which  have  been  rubbed  to  a 
paste  with  butter,  let  them  brown  nicely.  These  patties  may  be 
served  hot  or  cold. 

The  value  of  crawfish  in  cookery  has  hardly  yet  been  fully 
perceived  by  English  cooks.  These  most  delicious  little  fish  are 
not  always  to  be  had  in  the  London  markets.  Not  until  demand 
creates  supply  will  they  be  permanently  obtainable.  However, 
Morel,  of  Piccadilly,  has  them  preserved  in  various  forms,  in  a 
manner  which  retains  their  peculiar  flavour,  and  even  adds  to 
their  nutritive  value.  Crawfish  tails  are  put  up  in  glass  jars, 
each  containing  about  five  dozen.  Cheaper  jars,  holding  lesser 
quantities,  are  obtainable  for  family  use.  Suppose  we  are  trying 
one  of  the  shilling  jars.  The  first  thing  to  be  attended  to  is 
that  the  tails  are  well  steeped  in  cold  water,  and  that  those 
remaining  in  the  bottle  have  sufficient  liquor  to  cover  them, 
otherwise  they  will  not  keep.  Crawfish  butter,  in  the  same 
way,  is  prepared  with  the  finest  cream  butter,  and  sold  in 
hermetically  sealed  tins,  containing  half  a  pound,  a  quarter  of 
a  pound,  and  two  ounces  respectively.  This  crawfish  butter  is 
extremely  useful  in  soups  and  fricasses,  and  also  as  an  addition 
to  certain  sauces. 

Among  the  different  varieties  of  pate-de-foies  gras  which  can 
be  obtained  at  any  time  of  the  year,  but  are  in  season  from 
November  to  February,  are  those  made  of  larks,  game,  snipe, 
ortolans,  partridge,  pheasant,  perigord,  whether  trufHed  or 
otherwise.  The  truffled  pates  range  in  price  from  halt  a  crown 
to  twenty-five  shillings,  the  largest  size  being  sent  out  in  terrines. 
An  excellent  breakfast  dish  is  made  by  devilling  rather  thick 
toast,  and  covering  it  with  a  layer  of  one  of  these  pates,  then 
steaming  it  in  order  to  make  it  hot  again,  and  serving  with  very 
hot  plates.  This  also  makes  a  good  savoury  to  follow  the  sweet 
course  at  dinner. 


READY  DECEMBER  5.    PRICE  SIXPENCE. 


THE 


—   IS  A 


MAGAZINE. 


AMITY 


FROM  which  millions  suffer  without  knowing 
what  is  the  matter  with  them.  No  one  can 
enjoy  good  health  who  has  dyspepsia  (chronic 
indigestion).  Some  of  the  symptoms  are:  poor  appetite, 
a  faint  all-gone  sensation  at  the  pit  of  the  stomach, 
ringing  noises  in  the  head,  bad  taste  in  the  mouth, 
dizziness,  &c.  Vogeler's  Curative  Compound  will 
dispel  all  of  the  symptoms,  even  in  chronic  cases, 
and  effect  a  cure. 


GELE 


URESi 


And  all  dyspeptic  tendencies.  It  is  the  queen  of 
medicines,  made  from  the  private  formula  of  an  eminent 
London  Physician.     Price  and  2/6.    Sold  by  all 

medicine  dealers,  or  sent  by  parcels  post,  with  explanatory 
pamphlet,  on  receipt  of  14  or  30  penny  stamps,  by  The 
Proprietors,  The  Charles  A.  Vogeler  Co.,  45,  Parrin«don 
*ioad.  London. 


Contents.  December. 
THE  STORY  OF  XING     -  RTJDYARD  KIPLING 

Illustrations  by  A.  S.  Boyd. 

THE  CHRISTMAS  PICTURE  -  ROBERT  BARR 

Illustrations  by  Stanley  L.  Wood. 

A  CHRISTMAS  CABBY      -      FRANK  FELLER 

THE  STARK  MUNRO  LETTERS— Chapter  V, 

A.  CONAN  DOYLE 

Illustrations  by  George  Hutchinson. 

AN  EMBASSY     -  -     ANTHONY  HOPE 

Illustrations  by  Hal  Hurst. 

A  COMIC  NATURALIST   -       -    G.  B.  BURGIN 

(Photographs  by  Messrs.  Fradelle  &  Young.) 

TWO  IN  THE  BUSH  -  F.  FRANKFORT  MOORE 

Illustrations  by  R.  Jack. 

THE  ABOLITION  OF  MONEY  -  I.  ZANGWILL 

Illustrations  by  Max  Cowper  and  Heuhert  Johnson. 

AT  POINT  .0'  BUGLES    -    GILBERT  PARKER 

Illustrations  by  Stanley  L.  "Wood. 

HAWK'S  EEN    -       -    ANGUS  EVAN  ABBOTT 

Illustrations  by  Geoiige  L.  Harrison. 

THE  IDLERS'  CLUB— 

Should  Christmas  be  Abolished  t 

By  Jerome  K.  Jerome,  Dr.  Joseph  Parker,  Eden  Phillpotts, 
G.  R.   Sims,  Barry  Pain  and  J.  Freeman  Bell. 
Illustrations  by  Louis  Gunnis  and  Penryn  Stanley. 

PEOPLE  I  HAVE  NEVER  MET—"  Anthony  Hope." 

SCOTT  RANKIN 
AN  ACCEPTABLE  CHRISTMAS  PRESENT. 
THE  BOOK  HUNTER      -       -      W.  L.  ALDEN 


CHATTO  &  WINDUS,   PICCADILLY,  LONDON. 


no 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  1894. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


MR.  RHODES. 

It  is  whispered  by  persons  who  ought  to  be  well  informed 
that  the  main  object  of  Mr.  Cecil  Rhodes'  visit  to  this  country 
has  reference  to  a  matrimonial  alliance,  in  which  the  Duke  of  Fife 
is  acting  as  negotiator. 

SO  SOON1 

The  Johannesberg  Consolidated  Investment  Company, 
Limited,  was  registered  under  South  African  laws  in  1889  with 
an  authorised  capital  of  £175,000,  in  shares  of  £1  each.  In 
April  last  this  capital  was  doubled,  and  upon  the  occasion  of 
the  new  issue  we  warned  our  readers  to  have  nothing  to  do  with 
it  for  the  following  among  other  reasons  : — 

1.  Because  the  Company  is  absolutely  in  the  hands  of  the  Barnato 
family,  the  three  permanent  directors  being  B.  I.  Barnato  H.  Barnato, 
and  Wolff  Joel. 

2.  Because  £25,000  of  the  capital  is  in  founders'  shares,  mostly  held 
by  the  Barnatos,  and  carrying  exceptional  privileges,  even  for  such 
shares. 

3.  Because  the  trust  deed  authorises  the  directors  *'  without  resolu- 
tion of  any  meeting,"  to  issue  capital,  and  upon  any  terms  they  choose  ; 
to  decide,  if  they  so  please,  that  the  dividends  accruing  to  the  ordinary 
shares  shall  accumulate  for  providing  extra  capital  with  which  to  earn 
greater  profits  upon  the  founders'  shares. 

That  new  issue  brought  up  the  capital  to  £350,000  ;  now  it  is 
to  be  increased  to  £650,000  by  a  further  issue  of  300,000  shares 
of  £1  each  at  a  premium  of  10s.  per  share.  In  six  months  the 
capital  has  been  increased  by  £475,000  ! 

We  have  no  doubt  the  money  will  be  got.  The  applications 
will  be  made  in  haste  to  be  repented  of  at  leisure.  Moderately 
capitalised  and  properly  managed  this  company  would  do  well. 
It  has  valuable  properties.  But  with  a  capital  of  £650,000,  that 
may  soon  be  a  million,  and  with  the  shareholders  bound  hand 
and  foot  to  the  Barnatos,  no  prudent  investor  should  touch  these 
shares. 

Next  week  we  shall  give  the  salient  paragraphs  of  the  trust 
deed  referred  to  above. 

THE  ARGUS  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  LIMITED, 
"FAIR  PLAY,"  AND  "TO- DAY." 

We  have  great  respect  for  Fair  Play  and  its  proprietor- 
editor,  Mr.  Robinson.  It  is  a  manly  paper,  controlled  by  one 
who  writes  much  of  it  himself,  and  is  fearless  and  informed. 
But,  like  other  newspaper  proprietors  who  know  their  business, 
Mr.  Robinson  leaves  certain  subjects  with  which  he  has  not 
minute  acquaintance  to  contributors  who  are  supposed  to  be 
experts,  and  he  gives  them  a  free  hand.  One  of  these  contribu- 
tors writes  the  column  headed  "Fire  and  Insurance  Notes,"  filled 
a  fortnight  ago  by  an  attack  upon  To-Day,  because  in  this  page 
we  pointed  out  that  Sir  Edward  Reed  and  Sir  Charles  Tupper 
would  do  well  to  retire  from  the  Board  of  the  Argus  Assurance 
Company. 

We  submitted  that  gentlemen  in  the  position  of  those 
we  have  named  ought  not  to  be  upon  the  Board  of  this 
new  Assurance  Company  for  two  reasons.  The  one,  that 
before  the  company  was  established  its  promoters,  through  its 
secretary,  sent  out  letters  inviting  private  persons  with  whom 
they  had  no  acquaintance  to  qualify  themselves  for  a  seat  upon 
the  Board — a  course  unworthy,  as  it  seemed  to  us,  of  a  company 
which  aimed  at  being  included  amongst  the  great  insurance 
companies  of  the  kingdom  ;  the  other  that  the  reasons  given  in 
the  letter  and  the  prospectus  for  the  belief  that  the  company 
will  be  a  great  success  are  flagrantly  foolish  and  misleading. 

The  writer  in  Fair  Play  differed  from  us,  and  in  doing  so 

used  language  we  do  not  look  for  in  Fair  Play.  This  personal  part 

of  the  matter  is  disposed  of  by  the  following  paragraph,  which 

appears  in  the  current  number  of  Fair  Play  : — 

"  In  my  remarks  in  Fait  Play  of  last  week,  touching  the  attitude  of 
To-day  towards  the  Argus  Assurance  Company,  it  ought  hardly  to  be 
necessary  to  explain  that  no  reflections  of  a  personal  nature  were,  for 
a  moment,  contemplated;  for,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  have  no  knowledge 
whatever  of  the  identity  of  the  gentleman  who  edits  the  financial 
columns  of  my  contemporary.  It  is  due  to  the  writer  in  To  day  to  ex 
plain  that  tin-  words  'monotonous  venom'  expressed  ,■>  great  deal 
more  than  I  intended,  anil  I  regret  that  they  should  have  been  used." 

But  Fair  Play  does  not  withdraw  or  qualify  its  statements 

upon  the  main  issue  ;  it  is  desirable,  therefore,  to  deal  with 

them.     Our  contemporary  says  that  the  reasons  given  by  the 

secretary,    "  why  the   company  should  commend  itself  for 

support,"  commend  themselves  to  him.    Fair  Play  says  :  

"  I  never  saw  them  until  I  read  them  in  To-Day,  but  it  strikes  me 
that  t  he  ease  for  the  company  could  not  have  been  more  clearly  and 


cogently  put 

"The  man  '  In  the  City'  makes  no  attempt  to  confute  the 


He 


'will  not '— forsooth  I— 'insult  the  intelligence  of  our  readers  by doina 
so.    Possibly  he  may  consider  discretion  the  b"*f"-        -*  ------ 


better  part  of  valour. 


The  "  reasons,"  which  seem  so  "  clear  "  and  "  cogent  "  to  Fair 
Play  are  four.    We  will  take  them  seriatim : — 

1.  Because  "  Assurance  shares  are  the  best  speculation  and  most  re- 
munerative of  all  investments." 

Upon  that  we  say  that  the  shares  of  new  insurance 
companies — and  of  course  we  were  speaking  of  new  in- 
surance companies  when  we  referred  to  the  Argus — are 
among  the  most  speculative  of  shares.  The  promoter  of 
the  Argus,  Mr.  John  Carswell,  ought  to  know  that  ;  and 
if  anyone  will  take  the  trouble  to  compare  the  number  of 
registrations  of  new  insurance  companies  during  the  last  few 
years  with  the  number  of  them  still  living  and  thriving,  he  will 
be  in  no  doubt  as  to  the  misleading  character  of  Reason  No.  1. 

2.  Because  "  the  facilities  for  placing  assurances  at  present  are  so 
restricted  that  a  large  number  of  insurers  are  compelled  to  seek  foreign 
protection." 

Nonsense.  If  Fair  Play  will  take  the  list  of  fire  insurance 
companies,  and  exclude  all  Whose  net  premium  income  is  not  over 
£100,000  per  annum,  he  will  find  that  there  are  no  fewer  than 
twenty-eight  of  such  offices,  and  there  are  as  many  again  that, 
though  smaller,  are  sound,  perfectly  respectable  offices.  Does 
Fair  Play  suppose  that  these  amongst  them  cannot  take,  almost 
without  exception,  all  the  fire  insurance  business  that  is  going, 
or  that  the  twenty-eight  are  not  able  to  accept  and  divide  the 
biggest  risks  amongst  them  ?  If  he  does  we  challenge  him  to 
name  insurance  experts  of  standing  who  agree  with  him.  The 
risks  placed  with  foreign  companies  are  almost  entirely  the  extra 
hazardous  risks,  which  British  companies  decline,  except  at  high 
premiums.  Whilst  it  is  true  that  a  few  big  risks  cannot  be 
entirely  placed,  the  parts  unplaced  are  not  sufficient  to  keep  a 
separate  office  going. 

3.  Because  the  increase  in  fire  rates  without  any  increase  of  risk 
compels  men  of  business  to  seek  a  channel  for  insurance  upon  less  ex- 
travagant lines. 

Again  nonsense.  It  is  true  that  the  promoter  of  the  Argus, 
when  he  controlled  the  Economic,  acted  upon  the  assumption  that 
English  fire  rates  are  unnecessarily  high,  and  we  all  know  what 
came  of  that  experiment.  The  Economic  was  not  on  the  Tariff ; 
it  tried  to  do  what  Mr.  Carswell  thinks  the  Argus  can  do,  and — 
it  is  in  liquidation.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  fire  insurance  cannot 
pay,  except  at  an  increase  of  rates.  Fair  Play  talks  about  the 
increase  in  rates.  It  would  be  more  to  the  purpose  if  our 
contemporary  noted  the  decrease  of  funds,  notwithstanding 
expansion  of  business.  The  "  Fire  Insurance  Pocket  Chart," 
which  can  be  got  by  sending  to  the  Post  Magazine,  and  spending 
a  penny,  shows  in  Column  11  that  of  fifty-seven  fire  insurance 
companies  the  funds  of  no  fewer  than  twenty-eight  show 
decreases,  and  in  many  cases  very  heavy  decreases. 

4.  Because  when  the  New  Employers'  Liability  Bill  comes  into  force, 
"it  is  estimated  to  create  new  insurances  yielding  annual  premiums  of 
£6,000,000  sterling." 

Once  more  nonsense.  Whose  estimate  is  this  estimate  of 
£6,000,000?  Whoever  heard  of  it  until  it  was  seen  in  the 
letter  and  prospectus  of  the  Argus  Assurance  Company  ? 
Accident  men  laugh  at,  pooh-pooh  it. 

Fair  Play  says  there  is  not  one  of  the  above-named 
"reasons" — those  "clear"  and  "cogent"  reasons — that  may 
not  be  "  honestly  "  used.  Not  so.  Reasons  1,  2  and  3  would 
never  be  used  by  an  insurance  expert. 

AN  ENTERPRISING  INSURANCE  AGENT- 

A  correspondent  sends  us  the  following  : — • 

"The  wife  of  my  next-door  neighbour,  who  is  expecting  to  be  con- 
fined  next  March,  was  asked,  two  months  ago,  by  the  wife  of  their 
next-door  neighbour,  who  is  an  agent  of  the  Prudental  Assurance 
Company,  to  allow  her  husband  to  have  the  first  chance  of  insuring 
the  youngster  at  its  birth.  In  the  annuals  of  insurance  I  think  this 
will  be  hard  to  beat." 

We  think  so,  too. 

THE   TEA   TRADE    DODGE:    THE    DUTY  OF  THE 
GOVERNMENT. 

In  our  last  issue  we  directed  attention  to  t lie  doings  of  a  firm 
trading  at  Homerton,  under  the  title  of  Nelson  and  Co.,  and 
attracting  large  crowds  of  customers  by  the  promise  of  a  £10 
note  in  the  distant  future,  and  ballots  for  pri7.es  of  .±',">,  paid 
when  won.  We  pointed  out  that  the  success  of  Nelson  and  Co. 
would  be  followed  by  imitation  all  over  the  country,  that  the  re- 
tail tea  trade  would  be  demoralised,  and  the  public  vietimised, 
and  that  whether  Nelson  and  Co.  have  or  have  not  violated  the 
Lot  tery  Acts,  it  is  the  duty  of  Parliament  to  make  it  impossible 
for  such  practices  to  be  pursued  with  impunity. 

Since  these  comments  we  have  received  letters  from  all  parts 
of  the  country,  from  which  we  find  that  Nelson  and  <  Jo.'a  methods 
are  being  copied  and  improved  upon.  It  may  be  well  to  glanc* 
it  some  of  the  circulars  sent  to  us. 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


Ill 


One  of  these  handbills  announces  that,  "  instead  of  spending 
£20,000  in  more  or  less  worthless  advertisements,  we  intend  to 
divide  that  amount  among  the  buyers  of  our  special  2s.  bonus 
tea."  Lucky 'buyers  !  To  obtain  this  £20,000,  two  million  pounds 
of  tea  must  be  sold.  In  some  dim  and  distant  millennial  period 
this  enterprising  tea  dealer  will  return  £1  per  1001b.  chest  to 
his  customers.  Meantime,  so  that  faith  may  not  waver, 
periodical  ballots  will  be  held,  when  the  holder  of  the  lucky  num- 
ber will  receive  £5  on  account  ! 

Another  circular  informs  us  that  £100,000  is  to  be  given  away. 
Here  ten  million  pounds  of  tea — at  2s.  6d.  per  lb. — must  be  sold 
before  the  £100,000  can  be  handled.  In  this  case,  as  in  the  pre- 
vious one,  the  promised  payment  represents  £1  per  1001b.  chest, 
or  something  under  2^d.  per  lb.  But  here  presents  worth  Is.  6d. 
per  lb.  are  promised  in  addition,  which  leaves  9|d.  per  lb.  for  the 
tea,  duty,  expenses  and  profits  ! 

Another  firm  offers  a  £10  bond,  and  "  two  large  towels,  and  a 
pair  of  lady's  slippers  or  other  similar  article  with  every  quarter 
of  a  pound  of  tea  "  ;  yet  another,  10s.  each  to  every  customer  who 
produces  wrappers  for  twelve  pounds  of  his  2s.  tea. 

But  perhaps  the  best  is  the  last  we  have  space  for.  This  firm 
are  issuing  10,000  bonds  for  .£15  each,  to  be  taken  up  upon  the 
sale  of  2,500,000  lb.  of  tea,  at  Is.  5d.  per  lb.  That  is  to  say, 
these  people  promise  to  distribute  among  their  customers 
£150,000  so  soon  as  they  have  sold  tea  for  which  they  receive  in 
gross  £177,083  6s.  8d.  ;  or,  to  put  it  in  another  way,  for  every 
100  lb.  of  tea  they  will  get  £7  Is.  8d.,  of  which  they  will  give 
£6  to  their  customers,  leaving  £1  Is.  8d.,  or  about  2^d.  per  lb., 
for  the  cost  of  the  tea,  duty,  and  expenses  !  The  worthy  who 
makes  this  offer  has  several  shops,  and  promises  to  pay  £2  off  the 
bonds  by  ballot  for  every  250  lb.  sold.  In  this  way,  upon  the 
completion  of  the  sale  of  the  2,500,000  lb.,  he  would  have  dis- 
tributed by  ballot  £20,000,  leaving  £130,000  to  pay  on  the  full 
redemption  of  the  bonds. 

As  we  predicted,  the  sellers  of  other  articles  than  tea  are  be- 
ginning to  resort  to  the  ballot  trick.  A  Lowestoft  correspondent 
sends  us  the  handbill  of  people  in  his  town  w  ho  give  the  right  of 
ballot  to  every  person  who  buys  a  quarter  pound  of  their  tea,  or 
half  pound  of  their  butter. 

We  need  not  dwell  upon  the  quality  of  the  stuff  sold 
■under  these  conditions,  nor  should  it  be  neeessary  to  tell  sane 
men  that  these  £10  and  £15  bonds  are  not  likely  to  be  redeemed. 
But  the  poor  and  ignorant  are  credulous,  and  these  tea  gentry  are 
doing  a  roaring  trade  in  their  vile  compounds.  They  sell  them  to 
the  injury  alike  of  the  honest  trader  and  the  tea  drinker.  We 
look  to  Mr.  Asquith  to  do  what  is  necessary  in  the  matter  with 
the  least  possible  delay. 

We  have  been  favoured  by  the  following  opinion  from  lawyers 
who  read  our  remarks  of  last  week, 

"  Although  the  procedure  of  Messrs.  Nelson  and  Co.  seems  clearly  to 
come  within  the  definition  laid  down  in  'Taylor  v.  Smetten  '  as  to  what 
constitutes  a  lottery— namely,  'a  distribution  of  prizes  by  lot  or 
chance  "—we  think  that  the  dictum  of  the  judges  in  that  case  and  in 
similar  cases  so  far  curtailed  the  application  of  this  definition  as  to 
relieve  from  the  operation  of  the  Lottery  Acts  any  distribution  of 
prizes  where  the  prizes  are  equal  in  value,  and  amount  known.  More- 
over, it  is  laid  down  in  one  of  the  text-books  on  gaming  that,  in  order 
to  bring  a  distribution  of  prizes  within  the  Lottery  Acts,  some  persons 
must  gain  by  the  losses  of  others.  On  this  ruling,  apparently  the  case 
of  Nelson  and  Co.  would  not  come  within  the  Acts  ;  and  then,  again, 
the  prizes  distributed  by  Nelson  and  Co.  are  always  £5,  and,  therefore,, 
do  not  vary  in  character.  As  the  law  now  stands  we  do  not  believe 
that  this  case  comes  within  the  Acts." 

If  this  be  the  law  it  will  have  to  be  amended. 

GEORGE  BARKER  AND  CO- 

We  are  authorised  by  the  senior  Official  Receiver  to  state  that 
having  now  something  under  ,£25,000  iu  hand  in  this  matter,  he 
has  determined  to  declare,  without  further  delay,  a  third  divi- 
dend at  the  rate  of  9d.  (ninepence)  in  the  pound,  which  will 
absorb  about  £24,000.  This  dividend  will  be  payable  before 
Christmas. 

The  thanks  of  the  creditors  of  this  estate  are  due  to  Mr. 
Wreford  for  his  determination  to  distribute  the  assets  collected 
immediately  he  has  any  substantial  sum  at  his  disposal. 

THE  BRITISH  FINE  ARTS  SOCIETY,  LIMITED. 

We  have  before  us  the  prospectus  of  this  company,  formed 
with  a  capital  of  £60,000  "  to  acquire  the  patent  rights  of  the 
Alathieu  Processes  for  producing  coloured  photographs."  Messrs. 
Hollams,  Sons,  Coward  and  Hawkesley  are  its  solicitors.  Mr. 
Hollams  is  a  member  of  the  committee  just,  appointed  to  inquire 
into  the  working  of  the  Companies'  Acts. 

The  problem  of  colour  photography  has  hitherto  been  unsolv- 


able.  What  evidence  is  there  in  this  prospectus  that  the 
Mathieu  process  solves  it  ?  Not  a  tittle.    We  read  that — 

"  The  directors  are  of  opinion  that  this  process  solves  the  problem 
which  has  occupied  the  atWation  of  leading  scientists  in  photography 
for  a  long  time  past." 

This  is  the  nearest  approach  to  evidence  of  value  to  be  found 

in  the  prospectus.    There  is  not  a  fact  to  show  that  the  process 

is  coming  into  general  use,  or  can  be  worked  so  as  to  make  it 

commercially  valuable.      But  of  the  present  issue  of  £25,000, 

£20,000  is  to  go  to  the  vendors  for  the  patent  rights  in  England, 

France  and  Italy,  and  a  further  unknown  sum  is  to  be  paid  by- 

and-bye  "  for  the  acquisition  of  the  patent  rights  for  the  whole 

world."    And  there  is  the  waiver  clause. 


SOME  NEW  ISSUES. 

The  Pneumatic  Typewriter,  Limited.  Capital  £100,000.— Formed 
to  acquire  and  work  a  typewriter  said  to  be  cheaper,  simpler,  in  all  ways 
better  than  any  other  typewriter.  The  vendors  are  to  get  £80,000,  of  which 
£47,000  is  to  be  in  cash.   The  price  is  preposterous. 

The  Lady  Loch  Gold  Mine,  Limited.  Capital  £70,000.— Formed 
to  buy  the  lease  of  a  twelve  acre  mining  claim,  somewhere  near  Bayley's 
Reward  claim.  The  vendors  want  £50,000  and  Lord  Percy  Douglas  "  has 
expressed  his  confidence  in  and  high  opinion  of  this  mine,"  which  is  about 
as  valuable  a  proof  of  the  value  of  the  ground  as  Messrs.  Johnson,  Matthey 
and  Co.'s  assay  of  35  oz.  of  gold  to  the  ton.  There  is  the  objectionable 
waiver  clause. 

Town  Properties  of  West  Australia,  Limited.  Capital, 
£250,000.  —  Formed  to  acquire  and  develop  properties  in  the  Coolgardie 
district.  With  honest  and  sagacious  management,  a  company  with  this 
object  should  do.  Whether  this  company  will  do  is  anotiier  matter.  It 
is  pledged  to  buy  certain  properties  for  £67,000,  but  there  is  nothing  in  the 
prospectus  to  prove  they  are  worth  it.  Of  the  £67,000,  £25,000  is  to  remain 
on  mortgage,  and  the  vendors  are  to  receive  £23,000  in  cash.  We  should 
have  thought  the  local  people  would  have  bought  if  the  properties  are 
anywhere  near  the  value  suggested  by  the  prospectus. 

Henry  Castle  and  Sons,  Limited.  Issue  of  £50,000  Four-and-a- 
Half  per  Cent.  First  Mortgage  Debenture  Stock. — This  is  a  family  concern 
turned  into  a  company,  and  the  vendors  take  all  the  Preference  and 
Ordinary  shares,  amounting  to  £70,000.  We  cannot  recommend  the  invest- 
ment. Mr.  Bradshaw  Brown  thinks  that  the  break-up  value  of  the  stock 
which  represents  the  security  for  the  Debenture  issue  is  over  £50,000,  and 
Messrs.  Edward  Moore  and  Sons  consider  that  if  profits  do  not  diminish 
they  will  be  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  the  Debenture  interest,  but  that  is 
as  near  as  we  can  get  to  facts.  The  company  is  to  take  over  the  business 
as  from  September,  1892 — the  date  of  the  last  stock-taking — an  odd  arrange- 
ment.  We  do  not  think  the  investment  a  desirable  one. 

The  Johannesburg  Consolidated  Investment  Company, 
Limited.— Issue  of  300,000  shares  of  £1  each,  at  a  premium  of  £1  per 
share.  This  issue  should  be  left  to  present  shareholders.  The  shares  of  no 
company  in  which,  as  here,  the  Barnatos  have  supreme  control,  can  be  a 
desirable  investment  for  plain  men  on  this  side  the  water. 

The  Scandinavian  Moss  Litter  Company,  Limited.  Capital, 
£75,000.  Six  per  Cent  First  Mortgage  Debentures,  £20,000.  Moss  litter  is 
coming  into  more  general  use,  and  Scandinavian  moss  litter  is  supposed  to 
be  amongst  the  best.  These  are  points  in  favour  of  this  company,  but 
£60,000  seems  an  excesssive  price  for  "about  1,000  acres"  of  "moss 
litter  tracts  "  somewhere  "in  the  southern  part  of  Norway."  Note,  too, 
that  the  vendor  wants  all  cash,  save  the  £16,000  in  shares  hypothecated  as 
guarantee  for  the  payment  of  debenture  interest. 


The  eagerness  of  the  public  to  subscribe  for  any  issue  offering  un- 
questioned security  is  shown  by  the  applications  for  the  £901,100  of 
Liverpool  Two-and-three-quarters  per  Cent.  Stock  issued  at  97.  The  total 
applications  reached  £2,951,170,  and  the  stock  was  sold  at  an  average  of 
£'M  16s.  9d.,  whilst  the  scrip  has  since  been  dealt  in  at  par. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHAKES. 
G.  H.  Hammond  and  Co.,  Limited.  Yankee  Finance  (Mold). —If 
you  had  notice  of  the  meeting,  and  you  were  informed  that  the  special 
plan  or  scheme  since  adopted  would  be  discussed  at  that  meeting,  and  you 
ignored  the  notice,  you  are  bound  by  the  decision  arrived  at.  The 
Queensland  Investment  Land  Mortgage  and  Agency.  T. 
(Halifax).— You  can  only  escape  if  you  show  that  since  you  applied 
facts  have  come  to  your  knowledge  which  lead  you  to  believe  that 
the  prospectus  was  fraudulent,  and  that  you  have  made  no  payment  since 
vou  became  acquainted  with  these  facts.  The  Cycle  Rubber 
Works.  J.  K.  (London).— Many  thanks.  The  matter  is  having  atten- 
tion. Mysore  Gold  Mining  Company.  Mysore  (London).— It  is 
impossible  to  predict  the  future  course  of  a  mine,  but  we  do  not  advise 
your  selling  just  now.  Sundry  Mining  Shares.  K.  H.  S.  (Stanley).— 
No.  4  may  recover.    We  advise  you  to  sell  the  rest  for  what  they  will 

bring.   Bank.   Torquay  (Torquay).— It  offers  you  7  per  cent. 

because  it  charges  its  customers  from  30  to  00  per  cent.  We  have  no 
grounds  for  questioning  its  solvency,  but  the  accounts  it  publishes  are  not 
sufficient  for  the  formation  of  an  opinion.  London  and  Scottish 
Banking  and  Discount  Company.  Limited.  D.  B.  W.  (Belfast).— 
The  matter  shall  have  attention.  The  Native  Brands  Tea  Packing 
Company.  W.  H.  F.  (Southport).— There  is  no  quotation.  Bruton's 
Svstem.  E.IB.  (Halifax).— Have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  Mortgage 
Insurance  Association,  Limited.  H.  H.  B.  (Dorchester).— We  are 
disposed  to  think  so.  We  will  answer  you  more  fully  next  week.  Shares 
and  Brokers.  W.  H.  (Neweastle-on-Tyne).- Do  not  touch  the  shares, 
and  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  brokers. 

INSURANCE. 

Joint  Annuity.  G.  H.  J.  (Didsbury).-Special  rates  will  have  to  be 
» ranted  Amongst  other  equally  good  offices  may  be  mentioned  the  North 
Tii-itish  and  Mercantile,  the  Prudential,  the  Royal,  and  the  Star.  Whole 
Life  With  Profit  Assurance.  Ireland.  Lye  (Dublin).  —  \ou 
.•annot  do  better  than  chose  the  second-named  office.  The  Scottish 
Provident  Insurance  Company.  An  Admirer.  (Haverfordwest) 
—The  office  named  does  not  grant  with  profit  policies  of  this  c  ass,  but 
non-profit  policies  you  cannot  obtain  elsewhere  so  cheaply.  flie 
security  of  the  company  is  all  that  can  be  desired.  The  North  British 
ind  Mercantile  Insurance  Company.  (..  L.  (Poi tsmout h).— It 
occupies  a  leading  position  in  all  the  points  that  wake  for  excellence. 
Endowment  Assurance.  E.  D.  (Glasgowh-Botli  the  offices  you  name 
^perfectly  sound,  and  will  us-  you  fairly.  Provident  Free  Homes 
Assurance  Company.  Namesis.— Before  we  can  advise  you  we  must 
be  informed  of  the  time  the  policy  has  been  in  for.ee,  what  your  periodic^ 
payments  are,  whftji  profit  you  expect,  etc. 


112 


TO-DAY, 


December  I,  1894. 


T)RURY  LANE   THEATRE   ROYAL.-SIR  AUGUSTUS 

HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.  EVERY  EVENING,  at  7.30,  a  New 
and  Original  Sporting  and  Spectacular  Drama,  entitled, 

THE  DERBY  WINNER. 
(Full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers).   MATINEE  every  SATURDAY  at 
1.30.   Box  Office  open  10  to  6.  

PALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OP  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  ChABI/es 
Morton.   

MOORE  AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
THIRTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  PROGRAMME. 
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NEW  TABLEAUX  by  G.  R.  Sims  and  Ivan  Caryll 
An  entirely  New  First  Part,  consisting  of  New  Ballads  and  Sentimental 

Songs,  by  the  Elite  of  the  Troupe. 
New  Comic  Songs  and  Sketches.  A  screamingly  funny  Farce  has  been 

added.   Characters  by  the  most  laughable  of  Comedians. 
Every  Evening  at  8.  MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY  and  SATURDAY  AFTER- 
NOONS  at  2.30.  Prices  5s.,  3s.,  2s.,  and  Is.— Fabini,  Manager.  

MOORE  AND  BURGESS  MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 
AA  HALL,  PICCADILLY. 

GRAND  SCOTCH  CONCERT, 
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 November  30th.  

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place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  ARTISTIC 

POSTER  EXHIBITION.    Wet  or  Fine,  THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS 

the  MARVELLOUS  VARIETY  PERFORMANCES,  2  and  7  NATIONAL 

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Apply  to  the  Secretary  for  Particulars,  at  the  Chief  Office, 
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.  loaTiuoi;  103, 104, is,  rfjiifjunnun 

-§15a,I28,  AND  i29,L0NG  ACRE,  I     i|j        |  fU 
AND  10,  OLD  BOND  STREET.  I.UiflUUlll 


45   GOLD  ZVCEZD^TIS, 

9  HIGHEST  A  WARDS,  Chicago 
Exhibition,  189S. 


To  suit  Ponies,  Col't,  or  Horses. 


THE  MORYI  CAR. 

Mounted  on  Patent 
Cee Springs.  The  mos* 
suitable  type  of  two- 
wheeler  for  lady's 
(hiving  extant. 

As  built  for  H.I.M. 
the  Empress  Fre- 
derick of  German} . 
H.R.H.  the  Duchess 
of  York,  etc. 


THE  RUSTIC  CAR. 

Mounted  on  Patent 
Cee  Springs,  and  fit- 
ted with  the  New 
Patent  Seat  Balan- 
cing Apparatus. 

I  >rsigned  especially 

tor  a  gentleman's  drf- 
vingand  to  suit  rough 
and  hilly  country 
roads. 


To  suit  Pomes,  Cobs,  or  Horses. 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


113 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.  By  Herbert  Keen.  Illus- 
trated by  W.  Dewar    97 

The  Country  and  People  of  Japan.— 1   103 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    105 

Gleams  of  Memory   i°J> 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller  ,   It" 

Feminine  Affairs   us 

In  the  City   110 

To-Day.   By  J.  K.  J   113 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   117 

The  Wrong  Girl.  Ten  Minutes  with  Miss  Fanny  Brough    117 

Club  Chatter    119 

Clarence.   By  Bret  Harte.   Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman   121 

One  Day   128 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


The  action  of  Professor  Stuart  and  his  followers  on 
the  County  Council,  in  prohibiting  the  gardeners  employed 
in  the  public  parks  from  working  for  themselves  in  their 
spare  time,  strikes  one  of  the  most  important  blows  at  the 
liberty  of  man  that  has  been  delivered  even  during  this 
age  of  tyrannical  majorities  and  despotic  fanaticism.  By 
so  doing,  the  Council  have  practically  said  to  these  men, 
"  You  are  now  employed  as  a  labourer  at  two-and-twenty 
shillings  a  week.  For  your  whole  life  you  shall  remain  a 
labourer;  you  shall  never  rise;  you  shall  never  improve 
your  position  ;  you  shall  never  advance  one  step  upwards 
in  the  world."  Suppose  Paxton  had  been  tied  down  by 
the  Duke  of  Devonshire  to  eight  hours'  work  a  day,  for 
a  wage  of  sixpence  an  hour,  and  forbidden  ever  to  use 
his  talents  or  to  seek  his  own  advancement.  Has  it 
never  occurred  to  Professor  Stuart  what  would  be  his 
position  to-day  if  the  creator  of  the  Coleman  fortune 
had  been  prohibited  by  a  similar  tyrannical  mandate 
from  seeking  to  make  for  himself  a  position  in  the  world, 
and  leaving  for  his  descendants  the  foundation  of  a 
gigantic  and  prosperous  business  in  mustard  ? 

Where  would  civilisation  be  in  this  year  if  Stephenson 
and  Watt  had  been  forbidden  to  work  for  themselves, 
and,  in  so  doing,  for  posterity?      If  Arkwright,  the 
weaver,  had  been  compelled  by  his  employer  never  to  use 
his  spare  time  to  his  own  advancement?    The  history 
of  the  world  is  the  history  of  men,  who  by  labouring  night 
and  day — rby  using  the  talents  God  has  given  them,  the 
will,  and  the  determination — by  hugging  hard  work  to 
their  breasts  as  a  friend  who  helps  them,  instead  of 
regarding   it  as  a  foe  to  be  shunned,    have  forced 
their  way  upwards  against  all  obstacles.    Yet  Professor 
Stuart  and  his  clique,  living  in  comfort  and  luxury,  upon 
the  labour  of  the  very  men  who  have  fought  and  risen, 
now  turn  round  and  say  to  the  workers  of  the  present 
day,  "  Stop  where  you  are.    Be  for  ever,  whatever  your 
talents  may  be,  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water. 
A  common  labourer  you  were  born,  and  a  common 
labourer  you  shall  remain  to  the  end — you  and  your 
children,  and  your  children's  children.    No  ray  of  hope 
for  better  days  shall  illumine  the  sordidness  of  your 
life.    ITo  stirring  of  God-given  ambition  shall  draw  you 
upwards  towards  nobler  work  and  larger  influences. 


We,  with  our  little  laws  and  regulations,  will  stand  across 
the  path  and  bar  the  progress  of  Humanity.  You  shall 
have  your  sixpence  an  hour.  You  shall  work  your  eight 
hours  a  day — neither  more  nor  less.  When  you  are  old 
and  past  labour,  you  shall  look  forward  to  the  workhouse. 
Your  children  shall  follow  your  footsteps ;  neither  you  nor 
they  shall  ever  lift  yourselves  a  step  above  the  position 
into  which  you  were  born." 

And  these  be  the  new  friends  of  labour,  that  would 
hamper  and  tie  it  down  at  every  step  !  These  be  the 
new  friends  of  the  people,  forbidding  them  to  rise  when 
God  meant  them  to  rise.  As  a  piece  of  Socialism  one 
cannot  help  admiring  the  consistency  of  the  scheme. 
Professor  Stuart  and  his  would-be  levellers  have  the 
sense  to  know  that  if  you  would  have  anything  like 
equality,  it  must  be  equality  with  the  lowest,  and,  there- 
fore, you  must  level  down.  You  cannot  give  all  work- 
men happiness  and  comfort,  therefore  you  must  forbid 
any  workmen  to  attempt  to  gain  them.  You  can- 
not make  all  men  equal  in  brain  and  influence,  there- 
fore you  must  forbid  those  who  have  brain  to  use  it. 
Level  down,  my  friends.  Pass  your  bye-laws  for- 
bidding men  to  think,  forbidding  men  to  hope  or  aspire, 
and  the  laws  of  God  will  sweep  your  petty  regulations 
and  your  silly  laws  aside,  and  men  will  yet  work  their 
way  upward  in  the  future,  will  yet  force  their  way 
through  the  bars  of  circumstances  in  spite  of  you  and 
your  petty  logic. 

There  is  another  aspect  of  the  case,  and  a  hardly  less 
important  one  to  be  noticed.    What  are  these  men  to  do  ? 
The  gardener  is  a  skilled  artisan,  and  must  have  thought 
within  him.   The  ones  who  would  desi  e  t  j  work  overtime 
are  the  very  ones  who  would  possess  restless  brains.  What 
are  they  to  do  when  their  eight  hours'  day  is  done? 
They  are  forbidden  to  work ;  hope  and  ambition  will 
die  within  them,  and  there  will  be  nothing  left  for  them 
but  the  public-house  and  the  streets.      It   is  idleness 
that   produces   half    the    mischief    in     the  world. 
Our  new  rulers  talk  about  work    as  if   it  was  the 
curse  of  man  ;  it  is  his  blessing.   The  true  man  finds  his 
enjoyment  in  work ;  enforced  idleness  is  a  misery  to 
him.    Two-and-twenty  shillings  a  week  does  not  give  a 
man  anything  to  spend  on  recreation  and  amusement. 
Does  Professor  Stuart  think  that  he  is  to  spend  his  even- 
ings reading  the  Sunday  at  Home  and  the  reports  of  Pro- 
fessor Stuart's  speeches  on  Progress  andHumanity?  If  men 
had  been  tied  down  to  eight  hours  labour  a  day,  the  world 
to-day  would  be  rotting  in  space.   These  shallow  thinkers, 
their    poor    little    brains   muddled   with    their  own 
conceit,  are  doing  more  mischief  in  the  world  than  they 
are  aware  of.    In  the  long  run  nature  will  avenge  her- 
self upon  their  puny  efforts,  and  the  old  order  of  things 
will  sweep  onwards  as  before,  but  meanwhile,  with  the 
fatuous  idea  that  they  are  improving  the  laws  of  nature, 
these  meddlers  and  muddlers  are  working  infinite  in- 
jury to  their  generation,  and  the  great  majority  of  fools 
gapes  with  admiration  at  their  windy  periods. 

I  thought  it  would  come  to  this.  The  prudish  mind 
is  finding  animals  indecent  now,  and  is  growing  indig- 
nant at  the  idea  that  they  are  allowed  to  appear  naked 
and  unclothed.  The  Highland  Bull,  the  well-known 
picture  by  W.  Watson,  R.A.,  has  been  made  use  of 
in  Ireland  as  a  poster,  and,  at  a  recent  meeting  of 
the  Cork  Corporation,  one  of  the  councillors  protested 
against  such  a  design  being  exhibited  on  hoardings.  He 


114 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  1894. 


called  it  indecent.  I  would  tell  this  Cork  town  councillor 
that  we  who  are  not  prudes  also  have  our  objection  to 
blatant  indecency ;  and  we  consider  the  men  blatantly 
indecent  and  foul-minded,  who  have  any  objections  to 
the  work  of  the  Creator.  Imagine  the  utterly  degraded 
state  of  mind  of  a  man  who  could  see  indecency  in  such 
a  picture !  His  brain  must  be  one  mass  of  ever- 
lasting dirty  thoughts.  It  is  such  men  as  this  Cork 
town  councillor  that  make  one  despair  of  ever  making 
man,  on  the  whole,  into  what  John  Burns  would  call  a 
decent,  healthy  animal. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  Lord  Rosebery's  speech  at 
the  opening  of  the  Bishopsgate  Institute  had  no  second 
thought  behind  it.  The  Prime  Minister  was  in  the  best 
of  humours,  and  his  audience  laughed  most  generously. 
But  still  it  may  be  that  he  remembered  what  an  excel- 
lent thing  it  is  gradually  to  familiarise  the  public  with 
an  idea,  before  the  time  has  come  to  put  that  idea  into 
execution.  "  Let  each  generation  provide  for  itself  ac- 
cording to  the  lights  of  that  generation,"  said  Lord  Rose- 
bery.  He  deprecated  any  fanciful  reverence  for  what  is 
past  and  obsolete.  When  a  Prime  Minister,  speaking  in 
the  City,  refers  to  ancient  institutions  as  Lord  Rosebery 
referred  to  them,  and  when  the  audience  knows  fairly 
well  what  the  speaker's  views  are  with  reference  to  the 
City's  constitution,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  avoid  draw- 
ing inferences.  The  great  difficulty  is,  of  course,  to  do 
away  with  fanciful  reverence  without  doing  away  with 
reverence  altogether,  to  disentangle  the  useless  from  the 
beneficial  in  the  past,  to  sacrifice  the  former  without 
losing  the  latter.  Advance  that  solves  this  difficulty  is 
progress  indeed. 

In  the  meantime  a  nation  more  attached,  perhaps, 
than  any  other  to  such  "fanciful  reverence"  has  come 
to  what  must  be  considered  the  beginning  of  its  end. 
China  has  sat  still  and  let  civilisation  go  past  her.  Prac- 
tically, she  has  stopped  thinking.  The  capture  of  Port 
Arthur  must  mean  a  terrible  fall  from  a  proud  position. 
It  is  true  that  the  Chinese  have  borrowed  the  latest  in- 
ventions and  the  latest  knowledge  that  could  improve 
their  chances  in  warfare ;  but  the  rank  and  file  have  been 
but  little  better  than  deluded  and  superstitious  people 
that  not  so  long  ago  let  off  crackers  in  the  street  as  a 
method  of  stopping  the  progress  of  an  epidemic.  The 
reports  received  on  Monday  morning  were,  of  course, 
contradictory,  as  usual.  One  telegram  from  Shanghai 
stated  that  the  Chinese  "  fought  with  dogged  valour  "  ; 
another  from  the  same  place  and  on  the  same  date  said 
that  "their  display  of  cowardice  was  unparalleled!." 
But  all  agreed  in  the  one  important  fact  that  Port 
Arthur  was  taken,  and  the  justification  of  Chinese  courage 
may  be  left  to  follow  at  its  leisure. 

It  seems  that  I  have  grossly  libelled  a  worthy  man  at 
Harrogate — viz.,  a  Mr.  C.  Allen,  the  landlord  of  the  house 
occupied  by  the  Princess  Alix.  In  speaking  of  the 
Princess's  slay  at  Harrogate,  I  described  the  house  as 
"an  unpretentious  building,  without  even  a  garden." 
The  landlord's  solicitor  writes  me  that  such  a  description 
is  calculated  to  do  his*  client  injury.  I  unhesitatingly 
withdraw  my  statement.  The  house  is,  no  doubt,  a 
very  pretentious  building.  I  am  also  told  that  it  has  a 
warden;  \  amdelighted  tohearit.  My  correspondent  also 
appears  to  complain,  through  his  solicitor,  of  my  having 
described  him  as  a  house  decorator,  whereas  he  really  is 
a  plumber.  I  quite  admit  that,  as  a  rule,  a  plumber  is  not 


givon  to  house  decoration.  A  plumber  who  did  anything 
to  a  house  calculated  to  leave  it  in  a  state  more  beautiful 
than  it  was  before  would  no  doubt  be  unpopular  in  his 
profession ;  and  I  therefore  withdraw  the  insinuation.  A 
greater  libel  still  remains.  I  was  informed  that  the 
gentleman  had  nine  children ;  he  himself  only  knows  of 
five.  I  agree  that  he  should  be  a  better  authority  than 
myself.  I  have  been  misled.  I  hasten  to  knock  his 
family  down  to  five ;  though  perhaps  I  may  be  allowed  to 
express  a  hope  that  in  the  future  the  original  nine'  will 
yet  be  reached.  I  trust  my  worthy  Harrogate  friend 
will  be  satisfied  with  this  apology,  which  I  have  en- 
deavoured to  make  as  ample  as  the  circumstances  will 
allow. 

Sooner  or  later  it  was  bound  to  come.  Sooner  or 
1  iter  the  medical  man  is  bound  to  find  out  the  danger 
of  everything,  and  even  the  simple  and  succulent  water- 
cress has  been  attacked  at  last.  Dr.  Verdon  has  shown 
us  that  there  is  but  a  step  from  watercress  to  typhoid. 
In  the  tea  gardens  of  Hampstead  Heath,  and  amid  the 
peripatetic  vendors  of  our  streets,  there  must  Ire  many  a 
heart  cast  down  by  the  news.  It  is  sad  to 
think  that  everything  should  be  so  very  poisonous ; 
it  might  almost  incline  one  to  believe  that  this 
world  is  no  place  to  live  in.  I  know,  of  course,  that  I 
must  not  look  upon  the  wine  when  it  is  red,  nor  upon 
the  pickles  when  they  are  green,  and  that  the  difference 
between  smoking  and  suicide  is  so  slight  that  it  may  be 
disregarded.  But  it  is  hard  $0  see  these  simple  plea- 
sures go.  Tea,  of  course,  is  ba;i,  and  milk  is  dangerous  ; 
and  sugar,  if  we  only  knew,  is  :;ot  all  it  might  be.  Now 
the  watercress  is  also  condemned,  and  over  our  deserted 
tea-tables  science  prances  victorious. 

Of  course  the  result  will  be  that  before  long 
we  shall  have  an  Anti- Watercress  League,  and 
pamphleteers  and  tub-thumpers  telling  us  that  water- 
cress is  answerable  for  ninty-nine  per  cent,  of  the  crime 
in  England — ninety-nine  per  cent,  is  the  only  proportion 
that  your  reformer  ever  deals  in.  Every  new  vice 
that  he  discovers — and,  on  an  average,  he  discovers 
two  a  day — he  finds  is  responsible  for  ninety-nine  per 
cent,  of  the  misery  and  crime  of  the  country.  If  you 
take  our  vegetarians,  and  our  teetotallers,  and  our  anti- 
tobacconists,  and  our  anti-gamblers,  en  bloc,  you 
will  find  that  roast  beef,  drink,  tobacco,  and 
gambling  are  together  responsible  for  three  hundred 
and  ninety-six  per  cent,  of  the  misery  and  crime  that  is 
yearly  committed  in  England.  Now  that  watercress  is 
going  to  be  added,  the  percentage  will  be  still  further 
increased  by  another  ninety-nine.  I  quite  agree  with 
the  reformers  themselves  when  they  say  that  these  figures 
are  appalling.    They  confuse  me  considerably. 

There  is  great  comfort  in  the  thought  that  the  London 
School  Board,  as  at  present  constituted,  is  comparatively 
harmless  for  evil.  With  a  majority  of  three,  the  Church 
party  will  be  compelled  to  cease  from  their  silly  plan  of 
mixing  up  religious  dogma  with  education  ;  and  the  Pro- 
gressives, fortunately  without  a  majority,  will  be  unable 
to  ruin  the  cause  of  education  by  wild-rat  schemes, and 
will  be  prevented  from  injuring,  to  any  great  extent,  the 
man  they  hale  most  in  this  world  namely,  the  ratepayer. 
Finding  ourselves,  as  many  of  us  did.  opposed  to  the 
utterly  out-of-date  ideals  of  the  Church  party,  w  hile  our 
exuerience  gave  us  little  faith  in  the  sense  and  wisdom 


December  1,  1894.  TO-DAY. 


115 


of  the  Progressive  party,  we  were  unable  to  feel  any 
very  enthusiastic  desire  for  the  return  of  either.  Each 
party  is  now  strong  enough  to  counteract  everything 
done  by  the  other,  and  in  that  lies  the  hope  of  education. 

I  am  glad  to  see  that  an  omnibus  conductor  has  been 
fined  in  the  City  for  carrying  two  passengers  in  excess 
of  his  number.  The  Daily  Chronicle  seems  to  think  that 
it  was  not  a  very  heinous  offence.  I  have  known  graver 
crimes  myself ;  but  people  who  would  excuse  it  are  for- 
getting two  facts — that  omnibuses  are  drawn  by  horses, 
which  are  things  of  feeling,  and  that  the  British  public 
is  perhaps  the  most  callously  brutal  in  the  world.  If 
a  hard-and-fast  line  were  not  drawn,  they  would  be  quite 
willing  to  let  a  couple  of  poor  animals  drag  sixty  of 
them,  and  if  the  animals  did  not  go  fast  enough  they 
would  threaten  to  report  the  driver  for  not  sufficiently 
whipping  them.  In  spite  of  the  opinion  of  the  Daily 
Chronicle,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  three  or  four  tons 
is  enough  for  two  animals,  generally  underfed,  to  drag 
up,  say,  Ludgate  Hill,  on  a  greasy  day.  My  regret  in 
the  case  is  that  the  fine  was  not  inflicted  upon  the  two 
passengers  instead  of  on  the  conductor.  Passengers 
insist  on  crowding  into'  the  'buses,  and  it  is  impossible 
for  the  unfortunate  conductor  to  drag  them  off.  When 
a  'bus  is  overcrowded,  every  passenger  in  it  should  be 
liable  to  a  forty-shilling  fine.  Considerations  for  horse- 
flesh would  soon  follow. 

What  a  nation  of  hypocrites  we  are  !  The  fact  always 
impresses  itself  painfully  on  me  whenever  I  read  of  a 
police  raid  on  a  gambling  club.  The  Albert  Club  case 
is  sub  jthdice,  so  I  will  say  nothing  about  the  merits  or 
demerits  of  it.  What  amuses  me,  however,  is  to  hear 
the  City  Solicitor  get  up  in  virtuous  indignation,  to  say 
that  the  Chief  Commissioner  is  determined  to  put  down 
gambling  in  the  City,  and  that  he  is  sure  the  Mayor  and 
Aldermen  will  sympathise  with  and  assist  him.  Now, 
come,  Mr.  City  Solicitor,  and  Mr.  City  Commissioner, 
have  you  never  made  a  bet  in  your  lives,  either  of  you  ? 
And,  Mr.  Lord  Mayor,  asked  to  c.:;sist  in  the  put- 
ting down,  once  and  for  all,  of  this  vretched  gambling 
spirit — shall  we  also  put  down  Stock  Exchange  gam- 
bling and  Company  Limited  gambli'\r; 0  What  say  you? 
Eithergambling  should  be  made  a  criminal  offence,  so  that 
if  I  meet  a  man  in  the  street  and  offer  to  bet  him  a 
shilling  that  Cambridge  wins  the  next  Boat  Race,  I  render 
myself  liable  to  imprisonment — so  that  every  man 
who  plays  a  sixpenny  game  of  whist  should  be 
hauled  up  before  the  nearest  magistrate  ;  or  else  these 
police  raids  are  a  contemptible  farce* — and,  more  than 
contemptible,  they  are  disgusting.  The  whole  nation 
gambles  in  one  form  or  another.  The  constable  who 
breaks  through  the  club  door  has  his  shilling  or  half-crown 
ou  a  horse ;  the  magistrate  before  whom  the  case  is 
tried  is  either  a  dabbler  in  Stock  Exchange  transactions, 
a  member  of  some  sporting  club,  or  a  card-player ;  the 
solicitor,  mouthing  virtuous  speeches,  is,  ten  to  one, 
wishing  he  could  get  hold  of  an  evening  paper,  to  see 
how  he  has  come  off.  The  hypocrisy  of  the  whole  thing 
is  sickening ;  it  stamps  us  as  a  nation  of  liars,  from  one 
end  of  the  earth  to  the  other — and  silly  liars  at  that, 
for  there  is  nothing  gained  by  it. 

My  teetotal  friends — and  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  say 
that  I  have  many — gently  upbraid  me  for  my  attitude 


towards  them,  having  regard  to  the  kindly  feelings  with' 
which  so  many  of  them  view  To-Day.  I  can  assure  these 
excellent  gentlemen  that  my  feeling  of  virtuous  indigna- 
tion against  them  is  against  their  teetotalism,  and! 
against  nothing  else.  They  are  active  and  energetic  in 
propounding  a  policy  that  I  think  in  the  highest  degre|j 
mischievous,  injurious,  and  degrading  to  the  best  inte- 
rests of  mankind ;  and,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  I  am 
bound  to  attack  them,  in  season  and  out  of  season.  For 
temperance  I  am  perhaps  more  eager  than  even  they 
are;  for  universal  temperance  would  at  once  kill  their 
fad ;  and,  knowing  this,  they  are  more  bitter  against 
the  moderate  drinker  than  they  are  against  the  drunkard. 

If  they  would  leave  Acts  of  Parliament  alone,  and  start 
a  league  to  impress  upon  all  men  by  argument  the  great 
advantages,  moral  and  physical,  of  temperance  and  the 
just  use  of  God's  gifts,  I  should  like  to  join  it,  and  do  my 
best  to  assist  them.  But  at  present  they  have  prosti- 
tuted the'  cause  of  temperance  into  a  foolish  and  unholy 
attack  on  the  rights  of  man,  and  what,  to  my  mind,  is 
the  most  sacred  thing  in  life — the  cause  of  freedom. 
Still,  it  is  not  with  themselves,  but  with  their  tenets, 
that  I  disagree.  If  ever  the  time  comes  when,  from 
experience,  they  have  learnt  sense  enough  to  abandon 
their  mischievous  crusade  of  teetotalism,  I  shall  then 
hope  to  find  myself  working  side  by  side  with  them. 
Meanwhile,  with  every  respect  for  their  sincerity  and 
earnestness,  I  must  ask  them  to  allow  me  to  rank  myself 
their  perpetual  and  uncompromising  enemy. 

Just  as  at  frequent  and  regular  intervals  Jane  Cake- 
bread  increases  the  number  of  her  police-court  appear- 
ances ;  just  as  at  frequent  and  regular  intervals  some- 
body pulls  the  trigger  of  a  pistol,  and  explains  at  the 
inquest  that  he  never  knew  it,  so  with  equal  frequency 
and  equal  regularity  does  someone  write  to  the  dailv 
press  to  complain  that  women  wear  in  their  hats  the 
bodies  and  plumage  of  slaughtered  birds.  But  a  correspon- 
dent of  the  Daily  Chronicle  has  a  new  variation  on  this 
aged  theme.  She  has  discovered  that  these  birds  are 
not  even  honest,  not  even  the  humming  birds  that  they 
pretend  to  be.  One  that  she  describes  was  a  house- 
sparrow  died  blue,  and  it  was  not  even  all  sparrow,  for 
some  of  the  feathers  were  hen's  feathers.  It  is  very 
shocking,  of  course,  but  I  am  not  sure  that  these  corres- 
pondents would  not  do  well  to  leave  the  subject  alone  for 
a  time.  It  is  hard  to  fight  against  fate  ;  I  should  say 
that  it  was  just  about  as  hard  to  fight  against  fashion. 

I  have  to  acknowledge  the  following  contributions  to 
the  Gallantry  Fund  : — Samuel  French,  £1  Is. ;  Anon,  5s.; 
W.  K  Yarrow,  5s. ;  Jesse  Boot,  £1  Is.  Mr.  Pegram, 
the  sculptor,  is  now  at  work  on  the  memorial  to  little  John 
Clinton,  to  be  placed  in  Manor  Park  Cemetery. 
The  cost  of  the  memorial  comes  out  a  good  deal 
more  than  was  at  first  contemplated,  but  to 
perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  little  hero  it  is  worth 
making  an  effort.  Perhaps  some  of  my  readers 
who  may  remember  the  story  of  the  gallant  little 
fellow's  life  may  be  induced  to  send  something  further, 
having  regard  to  this  unexpected  expense.  The  cost  of 
the  memorial  will  not  be  less  than  thirty  pounds, 
although  everyone  is  working  to  a  certain  extent  con 
amore.  I  shall  be  able  to  give  my  subscribers  a  sketch 
of  the  memorial  in  next  week's  issue. 


116 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  1894. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

I  must,  decline  to  give  opinions  upon  contributions  sent  to  me. 
Will  correspondents  kindly  abstain  in  future  from  seeking  my 
views  ? 

Correspondents  are  requested  to  make  their  letters  as  short  as 
possible.    Enquiries  cannot  be  answered  through  the  post. 


C.  W.  L.,  writing  to  me  with  reference  to  the  action  of  the 
Anti-Opiumists,  tells  me  that  the  following  further  delightful 
arguments  are  being  circulated  by  these  gentry  in  support 
of  their  case.  My  correspondent  informs  me  that 
they  are  putting  it  about  that  the  Indian  newspapers 
were  bribed  by  the  Bombay  Government  to  give  dis- 
torted versions  of  the  trial.  I  should  like  to  hear 
what  the  Times  of  India,  the  Bombay  Gazette,  and  the  Advocate 
of  India  have  to  say  to  this  charge.  The  Anti-Opiumists  are 
not  ashamed  to  state  that  Mr.  Slater,  the  magistrate  who  tried 
the  case,  spent  the  interval  between  the  end  of  the  trial  and  the 
delivery  of  his  sentence  in  consulting  with  the  Government 
officials  as  to  his  verdict  and  sentence.  That  Lord  Harris  has 
indignantly  denied  the  statement  makes  no  difference  to 
these  missionary  friends  of  ours,  and  they  also  take 
no  notice  of  the  fact,  since  proved,  that  Mr.  Slater,  during 
the  time  in  question,  never  came  into  contact  with  any  Govern- 
ment officials.  What  can  the  religion  of  men  be  worth  who 
stoop  to  such  methods  ? 

Sailor's  Wife. — I  fear  your  case  is  one  of  the  many  tragedies 
I  hat  face  us  throughout  life.  The  coming  and  going  of  love  has 
been  the  theme  of  tragedy,  pathos,  and  comedy  from  the 
beginning  of  the  world's  history.  Maybe  your  present  trouble 
will  pass  away  ;  I  sincerely  hope  it  will.  The  sad  part  of  such 
things  is  that  there  is  no  earthly  remedy. 

James  Haysman  writes  me  suggesting  the  creation  of  a  fund 
for  the  providing  of  a  Christmas  dinner  for  the  aged  poor  all 
over  England.  He  thinks  that  committees  might  be  organised 
to  select  and  hand  tickets  to  the  deserving,  and  that  the  fare 
might  be  provided  by  arrangement  from  the  various  local  eating- 
houses.  Mr.  Haysman's  intention  is  excellent,  and  it  seems 
unkind  to  throw  cold  water  upon  it,  but  I  can  imagine  an 
enormous  expense  being  incurred  with  a  result  altogether 
out  of  proportion  to  the  cost.  If  each  man  who  would 
subscribe  to  such  a  fund — and  there  must  be  many  thousands — 
would  instead  look  around  in  his  own  immediate  neighbourhood 
and  give  a  little  comfort  to  some  half-dozen  families  whose 
circumstances  he  could  investigate  for  himself,  I  am  sure  much 
more  practical  benefit  would  be  gained. 

H.  A.  J.  (St.  Leonards). — Judge  a  man  according  to  his 
works.  His  profession  of  faitli  is  always  unimportant.  Too 
often  a  man  does  not  know  what  he  is  himself.  Religious  pro- 
fession is  not  unfrequently  used  as  hush-money  to  conscience, 
and  takes  the  place  of  the  simpler  ducat  by  which,  in  old  days, 
the  right  to  sin  was  freely  purchased.  I  quite  agree  with  you 
in  your  opinion  of  the  humour  of  the  "  De  Omnibus"  column. 

G.  R.  (Dublin)  is  indignant  with  me  because  a  sixpenny  cake 
of  Vinolia  soap  only  lasts  him  five  weeks  for  shaving.  He  asks 
me  to  excuse  his  saying  that  I  blow  my  own  trumpet,  and  that 
I  profess  to  be  a  sworn  enemy  to  all  fraud,  and  yet,  in  spite  of 
all  this  on  my  part,  G.  R.  can  only  shave  for  five  weeks  upon  a 
sixpenny  cake  of  Vinolia  soap.  I  really  don't  know  what  G.  R. 
wants  me  to  do,  unless  it  is  to  shave  him  myself. 

F.  M.  (Putney). — By  all  means  let  us  pray,  "  Lead  us  not  into 
temptation."  But  you  must  remember  that  if  there  were  no 
temptations  there  would  be  no  need  for  prayer,  no  need  for 
religion,  no  good  and  no  evil.  Now  let  me  put  a  question  to  you. 
You  believe  in  the  omnipotence  and  goodness  of  God.  Do  you 
think  He  would  permit  evil  if  it  were  not  for  some  wise  purpose 
of  His  own  ? 

E.  O.  is  disappointed  that  we  have  dropped  out  the  sketch 
from  "  Feminine  Affairs."  I  was  doubtful  whether  it  was  much 
cared  for  by  my  readers.  If  my  lady  friends  wish  it  I  will,  of 
course,  see  that  one  is  now  and  again  given. 

J.  C.  C.  (Edinburgh). — Many  thanks  for  having  noticed  the 
improvement  in  To-Day.  The  larger  our  circulation  the  more 
we  shall  continue  to  improve.  The  price  of  the  unabridged 
edition  of  Lindley  Murray  s  Grammar  is,  I  believe,  three  and 
sixpence.  You  could  procure  it  through  any  bookseller. 

BREACH. — 1.  It  is  possible,  under  exceptional  circumstances, 
for  a  marriage  settlement  to  be  put  an  end  to.  This  depends 
entirely  upon  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  Under  no  circum- 
stances can  a  wife  (except  in  the  event  of  the  settlement  being 
put  an  end  to)  draw  upon  the  trust  fund  without  first  obtaining 
the  leave  of  the  Court.  2.  Your  description  of  the  horns  is  too 
vague  on  which  to  form  an  opinion  as  to  the  animal  they  belong 
to.  Horns  of  buffalo  are  often  died  and  polished,  and  present 
an  appearance  not  very  different  from  that  of  tortoiseshell. 

A.  R.  D.  (Leeds). — I  should  like  further  details  with  names 
and  dates  (in  confidence).  Then  I  could  enquire  into  and  take  up 
the  matter.  H.  D.  R. — Mr.  Sidney  Grundy's  play,  "Sowing  the 
Wind,"  is  not  published.  One  Who  Wishes  to  Know. — There  is 
nothing  known  definitely  concerning  heredity ;  it  is  all  surmise  and 
guess  work.  A  suicidal  mania  might  descend;  it  might  not.  It 
might  skip  a  generation,  or  it  might  not  ;  no  one  can  say. 
Yadot. — You  may  pay  your  newsagent  the  eleven  shilling  sub- 
sci  iption,  and  we  will  allow  him  a  discount  ;  if  he  will  write  to 
us  we  will  give  him  full  particulars.  M  asiIa/.ela. — The  rums 
may  be  worth  anything  or  piaetically  nothing.    If  you  will  let 


me  have  a  full  description  of  each,  and  the  condition  they  are 
in,  I  will  let  you  know  exactly.  Write  to  Stanley  Gibbons, 
Limited,  Strand,  W.C.,  about  the  stamps.  J.  B.  M. 
(Harringay),  and  one  or  two  other  correspondents,  point 
out  to  me  that  the  Sun  has  been  "lifting"  from  To-day 
without  acknowledgment.  The  editor  of  the  Sun  1  know  would 
not  sanction  this,  and  I  expect  he  will  speak  to  his  young  men. 
C.  H.  K.  (Harrogate). — The  history  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sawyer's 
life-work  is  a  powerful  and  pathetic  story,  but  the  Yorkshire 
Post  has  told  the  tale  so  admirably  that  it  would  be  unnecessary 
for  me  to  add  further  remark.  W.  S.  F.  (Newcastle). — You 
seem  to  have  forgotten  that  Tit-Bits  does  run  a  serial,  as 
do  all  papers  with  large  circulations.  Lancastrian. — 
Mr.  Luke  Fildes  pronounces  his  name  in  one  syllable, 
and  with  the  i  long.  R.  D.  (Johannesburg). — Your  letter  of 
praise  gave  me  intense  pleasure.  As  poor  Dick  Fennell  says 
in  Sweet  Lavender,  "  Much  may  be  done  by  praise."  But 
an  author  gets  more  abuse  than  anything  else  nowadays. 
Orpheus  Up-to-date. — I  believe  there  are  several  firms  in 
Hatton  Garden  from  whom  you  could  hire  piano  organs. 
Reader  (Aberdeen). — Write  to  French,  of  89,  Strand,  for  his 
catalogues  of  plays  and  operettas.  You  might  try  Loanof  a  Lover. 
Admirer  (Ashton-under-Lyne). — Many  thanks  for  all  the  kind 
things  you  say.  Here  are  twenty  songs  for  baritone  vocalists  : — 
"  Out  on  the  Deep  "  (F.  N.  Lohr),  "  The  Devout  Lover  "  (M.  V. 
White),  "Oh!  oh!  Hear  the  Wild  Wind  Blow,"  "The 
Bedouin  Love  Song,"  "The  Diver,"  "  Mona"  (Stephen  Adams), 
"Dear  Lady  Mine"  (A.  L.),  "  A  May  Morning"  (L.  Denza), 
"The  Holy  City"  (Stephen  Adams),  "To-morrow  will  be 
Friday,"  "Biddy  Aroo,"  "Off  to  Philadelphia,"  "The  Dear 
Home-land,"  "Six  Husbands"  (Capel),  "The  Skipper  of 
St.  Ives,"  "  Taken  in  Tow,"  "  The  Boys  in  Blue,"  "  The  King's 
Own,"  "  The  Monarch  of  the  Storm"  (F.  Mullen),  "  Memories  " 
(Tosti).  I  gave  a  list  of  bass  songs  a  few  weeks  ago.  L.  P. 
(University  College,  Oxford). — Yes;  universities  are  of 
necessity  the  homes  both  of  the  most  advanced  opinions 
and  of  the  least  advanced.  The  restriction  you  mention 
seems  silly  enough.  Many  thanks  for  your  good  wishes. 
Vigorinensis. — We  don't  use  paste  in  this  office,  and  know 
nothing  about  it.  To  obtain  one  of  our  gift  books  you  must  sub- 
scribe direct  to  the  office.  L.  W. — I  daresay  to  an  expert  rider 
there  is  not  much  danger  in  cycling  through  crowded  thorough- 
fares. But  one  sees  many  who  are  not  expert.  Kildare. — 
Tillotson,  of  Bolton,  is  the  chief.  The  less-known  ones  are  not 
always  reliable.  E.  H. — Write  to  R.  L.  Franks,  clerk,  Christ's 
Hospital,  Newgate  Street,  E.C.  I  do  not  think  it  is  necessary 
for  any  but  very  young  boys  to  attend  the  school  at  Hertford. 
W.  H.  Gulliford  sends  me  an  interesting  letter  on  vine 
cultivation,  and  claims  that  he  was  the  first  to  start  the  industry 
in  Guernsey.  He  also  suggests  that  the  business  could  be  cariied 
on  very  profitably  in  the  South  of  England.  A.  M.  R. — You 
should  apply  to  any  of  the  large  schools  of  cookery  for  the  in- 
formation you  require.  J.  F.  P. — (1)  It  will  be  necessary  for  you 
to  write,  and  make  an  appointment  with  the  secretary  of  the 
General  Post  Office.  (2)  I  should  imagine  they  are  procurable 
at  any  of  the  large  shops.  N.  K.  (Liverpool). — I  know  of  no 
such  society.  You  might  possibly  get  some  information  from 
the  Alien  Office,  the  Home  Office,  Whitehall.  M.  S. — 
There  is  no  doubt  that,  under  the  Factory  and  Workshop  Act, 
1878,  you  must  give  notice  to  the  inspector  of  factories. 
R.  R.  C— I  have  seen  the  picture  you  refer  to,  but  it  is  so 
silly  that  it  has  amused  me  rather  than  roused  my  indignation. 
M.P.,  endorsing  my  remarks  about  the  sweet  innocence  of 
South  Western  Railway  officials  concerning  South  Western 
trains,  asks  me  to  draw  attention  to  the  difficulty  experienced 
by  passengers  at  Waterloo  in  getting  luggage  conveyed  from  the 
old  station  to  the  new.  Porters  in  one  station,  he  tells  me, 
decline  to  have  anything  to  do  with  luggage  going  to  the  other. 
Hard-up.— If  you  are  certain  of  procuring  the  work  you 
want  there  is  no  reason  why  you  should  not  make  a  couple  of 
pounds  a  week  by  it.  I  am  afraid  you  would  find  it  an  up-hill 
task  for  some  months  to  come  ;  it  takes  so  long  to  form  a  con- 
nection. F.  J.  D. — I  believe  it  is  essential  that  you  should 
know  a  Freemason  before  you  can  be  elected  a  member.  A 
Weekly  Subscriber. — The  distance  is  measured  along  the 
ordinary  highway.  The  traveller  must  be  three  miles  from  the 
place  where  lie  slept.  Long  Locks.  —  If  your  book  is  accepted 
by  a  publisher,  he  would  issue  it  at  his  own  risk. 
Irishwoman. — The  matter  you  complain  of  is,  I  admit,  a 
public  scandal.  It  all  comes  from  the  want  of  regulation  of 
vice.  A.  E.  H. — Thank  you  for  the  kind  things  you  say  about 
To-Day.  Pessimism  is  in  the  air  of  literature,  and  when  a  man 
does  now  and  then  try  to  write  a  lively  story  he  only  gets 
abuse  for  his  pains.  F.  O.  S. — The  ranks  both  of  journalists 
anil  black  and  white  artists  are  already  overcrowded.  You 
must  have  exceptional  talent  to  get  on  in  either.  A.  S.  S. — 
1  cannot  undertake  to  comment  upon  literary  productions. 
Fleur  de  Lys  objects  to  short  stories,  preferring  serials,  though 
in  other  respects  he  speaks  highly  of  To-Day,  and  writes  me  a 
pleasant  critical  letter  upon  "The  Master,''  showing  much 
appreciation  of  that  work.  (!.  1'.  H.  -Thank  you  for  \. un- 
kind letter.  Mr.  Keighley  Snowden  will,  I  am  sure,  be  delighted 
With  your  critical  appreciation  of  his  story  in  the  \\  inter 
Number.  Yokel.- — The  matter  you  refer  to  is  outside  an  editor's 
power.  An  author  has  a  right  to  do  what  he  likes  with  his  own 
work. 

Several  answers  ait  unavoidably  aowdfd  nut  this  week. 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


117 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  dear  Dick, — No,  no,  no.  The  pretty  little  actress 
you  mention  has  not  committed  suicide.  She  has  gone 
to  Paris  to  write  a  play- — which  you  may  say  is  the  same 
thing,  but  she  was  never  better  or  happier  in  her  life. 
And  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it. 

Neither  has  Johnny  Shine  committed  suicide.  The 
rumour  that  he  had  was;  most  persistent  for  about  twenty- 
four  hours,  but  I  never  saw  a  "self-slain"  corpse  look 
so  cheerful.  You  will  hear  of  him  as  his  own  manager 
shortly— this  time  icitlwut  a  syndicate — and  he  will 
start  business  with  a  new  three-act  farcical  comedy. 

Also,  Annie  Rose  is  not  dead.  If  you  had  only  read 
your  paper  more  closely  you  would  have  seen  that  Miss 
Annie  Rose  (Mrs.  Horace  Neville)  "  had  presented  her 
husband  with  a  beautiful  baby  boy,  and  that  the  an- 
nouncement by  mistake  got  printed  in  the  "deaths" 
column. 

Finally,  may  I  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  this 
\s  the  end  of  November — not  the  first  of  April. 

There  was  no  end  of  a  crush  at  the  Gaiety  on  Saturday 
night,  and  on  the  whole  everybody  seemed  fairly  pleased 
with  The  Shop  Girl.  It  is  excellently  mounted,  the 
dresses  are  veiy  pretty,  so  is  the  scenery,  and  so  are 
the  girls.  The  acting  and  singing  leave  nothing  to  be 
desired.  The  music  is  graceful  and  catchy,  but  I  don't 
know  who  wrote  the  "  millionaire  "  song,  which  was  the 
biggest  go  of  the~evening.  Some  said  it  was  Caryll, 
some  said  Monckton.  When  the  music  was  not  playing 
the  show  was  a  little  long,  and  a  little  dull.  But  this 
is  true  of  nearly  every  "  variety  show."  Some  unfor- 
tunate allusions  to  a  strawberry  mark  caused  the  goose 
to  hover  ominously  over  the  devoted  head  of  Arthur 
Williams,  but  this  diversion  was  only  momentary,  and 
at  the  finish,  though  the  composer  seemed  more  popular 
than  the  author,  everybody  was  cordially  greeted. 

The  variety  show  is  a  distinct  thing,  apart  from  any 
other  form  of  theatrical  entertainment,  and  as  such  it 
should  be  considered.  It  is  the  point  of  contact  with 
the  music  halls.  In  the  theatre  a  thin  thread  of  plot  is 
the  excuse  for  the  varieties.  In  the  music  hall  there  is 
no  pretence  of  continuity.  Otherwise  the  shows  are 
the  same.  I  hope  Charles  Wyndham  will  not  loose  sight 
of  this  fact  when  he  proceeds  to  agitate  against  the 
County  Council.  Managers  will  have  to  say  some  day 
why  they  prefer  the  control  of  the  Censor  to  that  of  the 
Council.  The  managers  cannot  demand  the  continuance 
of  the  censorship  in  the  interests  of  Art  so  far  as  the 
Gaiety  and  similar  theatres  are  concerned.  Their  Art 
is  merely  the  Art  of  the  music  hall,  i.e.,  the  Art  of  the 
County  Council. 

There  is  deuced  little  Art  about  The  Wrong  Girl  at 
the  Strand.  I  don't  know  who  is  responsible  for  it, 
because  Kennedy,  whose  name  is  mentioned,  disclaims 
much  interest,  while  Mrs.  CofHn,  who  is  not  mentioned, 
claims  some  part  of  the  work.  Willie  Edouin  himself, 
I  believe,  has  also  had  a  hand  in  the  matter.  Anyway, 
it's  a  rough  sort  of  farce,  that  makes  you  laugh  occa- 
sionally by  its  utter  extravagance,  but  which,  on  the 
whole,  cannot  be  regarded  as  other  than  a  poor  and 
paltry  business. 

I  don't  like  actors  playing  at  being  themselves.  Toole 
at  Homburg  was  all  very  well ;  but  fancy  what  this  sort 
of  thing  may  bring  us  to !  Think  of  a  series  of  farces 
dealing  with  the  average  actor's  daily  life !  Think  of 
such  titles  as  Cartwright  at  Clarkson's,  Bouchier's 
Betrothal  (with  a  lot  of  practical  humour  got  out  of  the 
hero  forgetting  the  words  of  the  marriage  service,  and 
speaking  a  few  brilliant  things  of  his  own,  because  he 
thought  they  suited  the  "  situation  "  so  much  better  than 
the  simple  phraseology  of  the  original  author),  Arthur 


Cecil  and  the  Anarchist ;  or,  The  Wrong  Black  Bag,  and 
so  on.    The  prospect  is  a  trifle  appalling,  isn't  it? 

Now  that  Christmas  is  coming,  there  will  be  several 
interesting  changes  of  programme  at  some  of  the  best 
theatres.  At  the  Garrick,  you  will  shortly  see  a  new 
comedy,  Slaves  of  the  Ring,  by  Grundy.  After  this,  it 
is  said,  will  come  the  much-talked-of  play  by  Pinero,  but 
it  will  not  surprise  me  if,  before  we  get  to  Pinero,  Hare 
revives  The  School  for  Scandal,  playing  "Sir  Peter" 
himself;  while  Mrs.  Bancroft  appears  as  "Mrs.  Can- 
dour," Kate  Rorke  as  "  Lady  Teazle,"  and  Bancroft  as 
"  Joseph." 

At  the  Court,  Chudleigh  will  immediately  revive  Dr. 
Bill,  Hawtrey  playing  the  "  Doctor,"  and  Edith  Kenward, 
the  original  "  Kangaroo  Girl,"  playing  her  original  part. 
She  dances,  as  you  know,  in  the  first  act.  In  America 
she  had  a  dance  introduced  in  every  act,  and  it  seemed  to 
go  remarkably  well.  I  don't  know  which  version  will 
be  played  by  Chudleigh. 

Lewis  Waller  has  only  got  the  Haymarket  for  a  short 
season,  but  you  will  find  that  he  has  "  come  to  stay"  in 
London  as  a  manager.  He  is  an  excellent  actor.  He 
has  got  together  a  very  strong  company,  and  he  has 
secured  a  number  of  good  plays.  His  second  production 
will  be  a  new  play  by  Claude  Carton,  which  will  excite  a 
great  deal  of  interest,  for  it  is  a  departure  from  what 
people  choose  to  imagine  is  Claude's  especial  manner. 
Why  this  assumption  continues  I  cannot  imagine.  Every- 
body knows  that  Claude  was  part  author  of  The  Points- 
man and  The  Great  Pink  Pearl,  both  of  them  plays  as 
unlike  Liberty  Hall  as  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  Like 
every  competent  dramatist,  he  adopted  the>  method  best 
adapted  to  the  exposition  of  his  subject  in  a  particular 
case ;  but  that  one  method  is  not  the  only  one  at  his 
command,  by  any  manner  of  means. 

You  will,  I  understand,  find  that  a  change  of  method 
has  been  adopted  by  Oscar  Wilde  in  dealing  with  his 
latest  play.  When  we  see  it  at  the  Haymarket  shortly, 
however,  it  will  be  time  to  talk  about  it. 

The  season  continues  to  be  an  excellent  one  for  the 
theatres,  and  business  is  good  nearly  everywhere.  But 
the  music  halls  are  having  a  badish  time.  This  will  be 
worse  when  their  principal  stars  go>  oft*  to  the  panto- 
mimes. Why  the  public  has  for  the  moment  left  the 
halls,  I  can't  say.  The  halls  had  it  all  their  own  way  a 
year  ago ;  but  the  theatres  are  now  having  their  revenge. 
— Your  affectionate  cousin,  Randolph. 


"  THE   WRONG  GIRL." 

TEN  MINUTES  WITH  MISS  FANNY  BROUGH. 


There  is  one  side  of  theatrical  life  that  essentially  be- 
longs to  the  debit  and  credit  account  of  "  The  Profes- 
sion," and  in  which  the  ordinary  public  have  practically 
no  share.  That  is,  the  period  of  extraordinary  anima- 
tion and  buoyancy  which  pervades  the  whole  of  that 
debatable  land  lying  beyond  the  stage  door,  the  first 
few  nights  of  a  really  successful  piece ;  the  very  scene- 
shifters  feel  a  glow  of  enthusiasm,  and  a  joyful  air  of 
animation  pervades  each  brightly  lit  dressing-room. 

"  I  found  Miss  Fanny  Brough,"  writes  a  representa- 
tive of  To-Day,  "  full  of  enthusiasm  about  her  new  part, 
and  delighted  with  the  reception  awarded  her  after  her 
six  months'  temporary  absence  from  the  stage." 

"  It  is  a  real  pleasure,"  she  observed  brightly,  "  to  take 
part  in  a  screaming  farce ;  not  only  do  I  thoroughly  enter 
into  the  spirit  of  the  thing,  but  I  like  to  feel  my  audience 
is  having  a  good  time  too.  Of  course,  I  could  not  help 
feeling  at  first  somewhat  nervous  about  the  wig  inci- 
dent— you  know  I  have  to  take  my  wig  off  on  the  stage — 
it.  is,  as  any  professional  will  tell  you,  a  tremendously 


118 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  1894. 


daring  thing  to  do ;  indeed,  I  doubt  if  it  has  ever  been 
done  before,  even  in  farcical  comedy;  still  it  makes  a 
capital  point,  and  gives  me  a  chance  of  appearing  for 
once  on  the  boards  as  I  really  am  in  everyday  life." 

"  A  pleasant  surprise  to  your  many  unknown  friends 
in  front,"  I  observed,  looking  at  the  famous  comedienne's 
delicate  profile,  thrown  into  relief  by  masses  of  fine  dark 
hair,  drawn  off  the  broad,  low  forehead  in  a  way  many 
an  eighteenth  century  beauty  might  have  envied.  "  Do 
you  not  find  that  farce  takes  a  great  deal  out  of  you  1 " 

"  Not  nearly  so  much  as  does  tragedy,"  she  answered, 
without  a  moment's  hesitation.  "  Of  course,  London 
playgoers  can  scarcely  fancy  me  in  anything  but  a  funny 
part,  and  yet  the  whole  of  my  dramatic  training  was 
made  in  serious  roles,  and  I  suppose  there  is  scarcely  a 
hall  with  a  dramatic  license  in  the  United  Kingdom  which 
has  not  seen  me  acting  ai  pathetic  part ;  and  even  during 
my  first  seasons  in  London  I  played  the  role  of  Lotte,  in 
War ;  and  in  the  Bancrofts'  revival  of  Money,  that  of 
Clara  Douglas." 
"You  must  have  found  farce  an  extraordinary  change?" 
'!Yes,  but  a  pleasant  one.  I  have  a  great  sense  of 
humour  —  accompanied,  however,  as  is  often  the  case, 
with  keen  feeling  for  the  tragic  side  of  life.  When  acting 
a  pathetic  part,  I  entered  so  thoroughly  into  the  role 
that  the  strain  became  intense ;  when  personating  Esther, 
in  Caste,  for  instance,  I  cried  eveiy  night,  and  even  now 
I  do  not  believe  I  could  read  Captain  Hawtrey's  letter 
without  the  tears  coming  into  my  eyes." 

"  And  do  you  consider  that  the  shedding  of  real  tears 
makes  a  greater  impression  on  the  audience  than  the 
mere  simulation  of  grief  1 " 

"  That  very  much  depends  to  what  extent  the  actress's 
real  emotion  is  carried  ;  curiously  enough,  uncontrollable 
iemotion  will  sometimes  cause  an  audience  to  laugh  at 
you,  instead  of  ciying  with  you.  My  greatest  efforts 
have  certainly  been  produced  through  the  expression  of 
deep  but  absolutely  tearless  feeling." 

"And  when  did  you  first  discover  your  prcL:;^  lava, 
for  humour  1 " 

"Well,  as  Norah  Fitzgerald,  in  Harvest,  I  scored 
a  great  lauglung  success,  and  since  then  I  have  had 
quite  a  record  of  comic  parts,  although  I  lately  returned 
to  my  original  kind  of  work  in  the  matinees  given  of 
The  Little  Squire." 

"  Among  your  most  successful  and  permanent  parts,  I 
suppose  we  may  count  that  of  President  of  the  Theatrical 
Ladies'  Guild,  Miss  Brough'? " 

''  I  admit,"  she  replied,  smiling,  "  that  it  is  one  which 
never  palls  on  me.  We  are  all  very  proud  of  what  the 
Guild  has  been  able  to  accomplish  since  it  was  first 
founded  by  our  indefatigable  lion,  sec.,  Mrs.  C.  L. 
Carson;  in  addition  to  having  helped  countless  feminine 
members  of  the  profession  in  time  of  dire  stress  and 
need,  it  has  welded  us  all  closer  together,  and,  through 
the  weekly  sewing  bees  held  at  Mrs.  Carson's  house,  has 
led  to  many  useful  and  pleasant  acquaintances.  Every- 
body helps,  those  who  cannot  sew  sending  a 
donation ;  we  have  dozens  of  bundles  containing 
women's  and  babies'  clothes,  ready  to  send  out 
at  the  shortest  notice  to  those  eligible  —  that 
is,  npt  only  actresses  and  actors'  wives,  but  all 
women  emploved  about  theatres  and  music  halls  in  the 
United  Kingdom.  By  the  way,  it  may  amuse  you  to 
learn  that  my  grandmother,  Mrs.  Brough,  who  celebrated 
her  ninety-first  birthday  the  other  day,  is  one  of  the 
best  workers  in  the  Guild  ;  you  know  everything  is  hand- 
made :  there  is  nothing  in  the  shape  of  machine-sewn 
garments." 

"  The  lady  members  of  the  profession  are  evidently 
anything  but  idle?" 

"  No,  indeed  ;  the  most  lazy  of  us  lead  twice  as  busy 
a  life  as  do  most  women,  for,  in  some  shape  or  other, 
our  profession  claims  nearly  every  moment  of  our  waking 
hours ;  and  yet  there  is  not  one  of  us,  I  feel  sure,  who 
would  exchange  a  working  life,  as  long  as  she  is  working, 
lor  one  of  doing  nothing." 


The  First  Edition  was  exhausted  in  Three  Days. 
A  Second  has  now  been  issued,  and  it  will  be 
impossible  to  produce  a  further  supply.  Please, 
therefore,  order  AT  ONCE,  to  save  disappointment. 

TWO  COLOURED  SUPPLEMENTS. 

"  TO-DAY " 
WINTER  NUMBER, 

Price  Sixpence. 
Edited  by  JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


PARTIAL  LIST  OF  CONTENTS. 

The  Spectre  of  the  x^eal." 

By    (    THOMAS  HARDY  and 

(    The  Hon.  Mrs.  HENNIKER. 

"  The  Man  who  did  not  believe  in  Luck." 

By  JEROME  K.  JEROME. 

"THE  FA LL— ITS  MA N AG E M E N T  IN 
SICKNESS  AND  IN  HEALTH." 

By  BARRY  PAIN. 

"SLAMMOCKY  SAM." 

By  KEIGHLEY  SNOWDEN. 

"BROWN'S  WIDOWS." 

By  W.  L.  ALDEN. 

"AN    ELABORATE  ELOPEMENT." 

By  W.  W.  JACOBS. 
Etc.,  Etc.,   Etc.,   Etc.,  Etc. 

60  ILLUSTRATIONS,  some  in  Colours. 

STANLEY  J.  WEYMAN'S 

NEW  STORY, 

"THE   RED  COCKADE," 

A  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced  in  this 
New  Year's  Number  (January  5,  1895)  of 

"  TO-DAY." 


%\    THE  POPULAR   FRENCH   TONIC  |# 


MARIANI  WINE 

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REFRESHES 

Endorsed  by  eminent  Phy 

Restores  Healti 
Energy  and 

Bottle,  4s.  Do. 

Of  Chemists  or  Stores,  ore 

Body  and 
Brain 

sicians  everywhere 

1,  Strength, 
Vitality. 

:en,  45s. 

amage paid  from 

AS 


Joy  s  Cigarettes 
afford  immediate  re- 
lief iu  cases  of 

ASTHMA, 
WHEEZING.  AND 
WINTER  COUGH, 

itnd  a  little  perse- 
verance will  effect  a 
permanent  cure.  Cni- 
versally  recommended 
by  the  most  eminent 
physicians  and  medi- 
cal authors.  Agreeable 
to  nse,  certain  in  their 
effects,  and  harmless 
in  their  action,  they 
S  be  safely  smoked 
by  ladies  and  children. 

All  Chemists  and 
Stores,  box  of  3.V 
\N.  M».  or  poet  free 
from  WIXOOX  *  Co.. 
289.  Oxford  Street. 
Lonim»N.  W. 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


319 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


The  grey  friezes  that  met  with  so  much  favour  last  fall 
are  still  much  fancied,  notwithstanding  that  the  wear  of 
the  season  is  undoubtedly  the  cheviot  with  a  suspicion  of 
green  in  it.  There  is  no  chance  of  any  loud  patterns 
being  revived,  and  designers  are  putting  all  their 
energies  into  producing  something  novel  and  neat.  The 
Glen  Urquhart  tweeds,  which  have  done  so  well  during 
the  last  few  seasons,  are  becoming  a  drug,  although  a 
few  are  buying  them  in  faint  contrasts.  An  attempt  is 
being  made  to  revive  the  brown  shades  so  popular  four 
or  five  years  ago,  but  makers  are  wisely  refusing  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  violent  "  brick  "  colour  that 
drove  them  finally  out  of  the  ma  rket. 


America  is  said  to  be  giving  the  largest  orders  to  the 
cloth  factories,  the  Bradford  firms  alone  having  ,£75,000 
worth  of  cloth  for  export.  This  is  satisfactory,  and  comes 
as  a  fitting  answer  to  the  charge  of  Mr.  Ward  McAllister, 
the  leader  of  New  York  society,  that  America  has 
nothing  to  gain  from  English  fashions.  To  prevent 
anyone  thinking  that  this  is  a  sign  that  the  good  old 
times  have  come  back  to  the  cloth  industry,  I  have  to 
mention  with  regret,  on  the  authority  of  an  esteemed 
correspondent,  that  at  the  present  time  German  makers 
are  flooding  the  British  market  with  cloths,  printed  in 
patterns  on  each  side,  at  sixpence  and  sixpence- 
halfpenny  a  yard. 


A  suggestion  that  is  so  good  that  I  commend  it  to 
makers  of  Xylonite  goods  is  made  by  a  correspondent. 
He  points  out  that  nine  out  of  every  ten  men  in  the 
City  have  to  protect  their  shirt  cuffs  by  a  paper  cover, 
and  wonders  why  some  xylonite  protection  to  exactly 
represent  linen  is  not  brought  out.  It  could  be  made 
to  fit  every  size  of  cuff,  and  would  prove  a  boon  to 
business  men. 


A  decided  improvement  in  the  packing  of  Xmas 
hampers  has  been  made  by  Messrs.  Stenhouse,  the  well- 
known  whisky  merchants  of  Glasgow.  Instead  of  the 
straw  bottle  cases,  the  box  is  so  arranged  that  the  bottles 
fit  into  grooves  on  each  side  of  the  box,  and  are  held  ,  in 
position  by  a  partition  in  the  centre.  The  risk  of 
breakage  is  very  small,  and  the  arangement  does  away 
with  all  litter.  Altogether  it  is  an  excellent  way  to  send 
an  excellent  liqueur  whisky. 

I  am  afraid  that  the  hosiers  who  went  in  for  the  bril- 
liant coloured  ties  will  find  they  have  made  a  bad  bar- 
gain. They  are  hardly  being  worn  at  all,  and  any 
chance  they  had  of  ultimately  living  down  prejudice 
seems  doomed  by  the  cheap  and  plausible  imitations 
that  have  since  been  turned  out. 


Spats  are  being  largely  worn  this  winter,  and  it  really 
seems  a  pity  that  so  comfortable  and  useful  an  article 
of  apparel  should  at  any  time  be  tabooed  by  a  passing 
prejudice  of  fashion. 


It  is  pretty  certain  that  the  Albert  Club  will  fight  out 
the  question  of  betting  in  clubs.  There  is  no  lack  of 
money,  and  the  members  recognise  the  fact  that  on  the 
final  verdict  everything  depends.  Possibly,  the  police 
may  burk  the  question  by  proceeding  on  some  alleged 
infringement  of  the  rules  relating  to  the  management  of 
clubs,  and  if  so,  we  shall  be  in  statu  quo  ante  hello.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  they  win  on  the  whole  question,  the 
doors  of  TattersalPs  must  close,  and  then  % 


Meanwhile,  I  am  extremely  glad  to  see  that  "  Hot- 
spur "  joins  with  me  in  protesting  against  the  indignity 
inflicted  on  members.  To  lead  men  well  known  in  the 
locality  through  crowded  streets,  to  clear  their  pockets 


of  everything,  down  to  door-keys,  all  the  time  knowing 
that  the  only  punishment  for  frequenting  a  gambling 
elub  is  so  trifling  as  to  be  no  punishment  at  all,  is  dis- 
graceful. Therefore,  why  not  be  contented  with  issuing 
a  summons  in  the  usual  way,  and  merely  taking  the 
officials  under  the  warrant.  It  has  been  suggested  that 
the  whole  step  was  a  great  surprise,  but  members  have 
been  aware  for  some  time  that  they  were  being  watched. 


It  is  reassuring  to  sportsmen  to  know  that  Lord  Rose- 
berv  intends  to  try  to  win  the  Derby  for  the  second  year 
in  succession.  The  Premier  has  taken  time  by  the  fore- 
lock, and  already  secured  the  services  of  John  Watts 
for  Sir  Visto.  Sir  J.  B.  Maple,  than  whom  no  more  ar- 
dent sportsman  exists,  has  a  claim  on  Watts,  but  he 
generously  acceded  to  Lord  Rosebery's  request.  It  is 
now  hoped  that  Mat  Dawson  will  still  continue  to  train 
for  Lord  Rosebeiy.  • 


Strange  to  say,  both  Cannon  and  Loates,  the  two  lead- 
ing jockeys,  have  at  times  this  vear  been  in  rather  de- 
licate health.  Cannon  is  susceptible  to  cold,  whilst  Loates 
is  a  martyr  to  indigestion.  It  is  stated  that  Cannon  will 
winter  abroad.  Loates  is  going  to  place  himself  under 
the  care  of  a  specialist. 


Mention  of  jockeys  reminds  me  that  everyone  is  prais- 
ing young  Kempton  Cannon  for  his  fine  horsemanship 
on  Crotanstown  at  Manchester.  Had  the  colt  lost  nearly 
every  Irish  backer  would  have  been  bankrupt,  as  it  is 
said  that  no  Irish  horse  has  ever  been  backed  for  so 
much  money  as  was  Mr.  Lushington's  colt.  K.  Cannon 
only  celebrated  his  fifteenth  birtliday  a  few  weeks  ajro. 
He  is  very  powerful  for  his  age,  and  like  his  father  and 
brother  never  gets  flurried  in  the  most  desperate  finish. 


Mr.  John  Hawke,  when  taking  his  Anti-Gambling 
League  round  to  the  Home  Office*,  said  they  had  never 
threatened  to  prosecute  the  Jockey  Club.  Mr.  John  Cor- 
lett  replies  by  publishing  a  letter  to  the  Earl  of  March 
containing  the  League's  threat.  I  mention  this  for  the 
benefit  of  Mr.  J.  W.  Britten,  of  theN.C.U.,  whose  copy- 
right seems  to  have  been  infringed. 


Last  year  the  chrysanthemum  was  out  of  fashion  for 
the  button-hole,  but  this  year  it  has  retaken  a  lease  of 
popularity.  The  favourite  colours  are  the  red,  brown, 
and  pure  white,  with  very  long  petals.  The  Neapolitan 
violet,  set  in  myrtle  leaves,  and  the  simple  English 
violet  are  also  making  a  brave  show. 


One  of  the  new  patterns  in  ties  consists  of  a  1  ghb 
wavy  line  upon  a  darker  background.  It  is  used  both 
for  the  large  "  Club  "  tie  and  for  the  bow,  and  produces 
a  very  striking  effect.  The  lines  are  very  narrow,  and 
may  be  either  continuous  or  broken.  For  the  larger 
ties  a  green  or  gold  line  on  a  black  background  go  very 
well  together,  and  a  green  or  light  blue  line  on  a  darker 
blue  look  smart  for  the  small  bows. 


A  philosopher  has  just  given  it  as  his  opinion  that  no 
man  can  be  considered  drunk  so  long  as  he  can  lie  on 
the  ground  without  holding  on. 


There  is  little  of  novelty  at  the  Stanley  Show,  but  it 
is  none  the  worse  for  that .  It  is  an  excellent  all-round 
exhibition  of  cycles  and  pneumatic  tyres,  and  in  minor 
details  many  improvements  are  to  be  noted.  The  most 
striking  features  are  the  application  of  the  pneumatic 
tyre  to  vehicles,  the  crop  of  new  gears,  and  the  bamboo 
cycle.  The  fitting  of  the  pneumatic  tyre  to  carriages 
opens  up  a  vast  field  for  a  new  industry,  and  I  have  not 
the  slightest  doubt  that  in  a  few  years'  time  light  vehicles 
without  pneumatic  tyres  will  be  scarce.  With  regard 
to  the  boom  in  new  gears,  like  the  Boudard-Peveril,  all 
I  can  say,  I  have  no  belief  in  them  from  the  mechanical 


TO-DAY, 


December  1,  1894. 


point  of  view.  The  financial  aspect  has  been  dealt  with 
in  our  money  article.  The  bamboo  cycle  is  a  clever 
idea,  nicely  worked  out,  but  until  it  has  been  thoroughly 
tested  by  a  season's  experience  on  road  and  path,  it  would 
be  unsafe  to  venture  an  opinion.  My  only  doubt  is 
whether  the  bottom  stays  are  rigid  enough  to  stand  the 
strain  of  the  chain.  The  show  closes  this  (Saturday) 
aiio'ht. 


the  first  round.  In  the  South  Millwall,  Luton,  and 
Southampton  St.  Mary's  have  the  best  chance  of  entering 
the  competition  proper. 


As  I  anticipated,  Yorkshire  had  the  better  of  Lan- 
cashire in  the  Rugby  County  Championship,  and  I  fail 
to  see  how  the  shire  of  broad  acres  can  lose.  Twentv- 
six  points  to  ten  shows  what  a  decided  superiority  York- 
shire possesses  over  the  County  Palatine.  The  same 
team  will  be  available  in  the  remaining  matches.  No  less 
than  eight  Yorkshire  players  are  chosen  to  do  battle 
for  the  North  asrainst  South. 


The  rising  rebellion  against  the  Rugby  Union  has  ad- 
vanced a  further  stage  in  Lancashire  and  Yorkshire.  At 
present  the  position  seems  to  be  that  both  the  Yorkshire 
clubs  and  the  Yorkshire  Union  strongly  protest  against 
the  circular.  In  Lancashire  the  clubs  are  against  the 
attitude  of  the  parent  body,  but  the  Lancashire  Union 
does  not  support  them.  It  follows,  then,  that  the  op- 
position to  authority  is  gaining  force,  and  further  deve- 
lopments will  be  awaited  with  anxiety.  My  opinion  is 
that  Yorkshire  and  Lancashire  will  ultimately  secede, 
and  a  professional  union  become  an  established  fact. 


Liverpool  gave  Sunderland  a  fright  in  their  League 
match  at  Wearside,  for,  at  half-time,  the  Liverpudlians 
led  by  two  goals.  It  was  a  close  thing,  but  Sunderland 
managed  to  scrape  home  by  3  to  2  at  the  finish.  Ever- 
ton,  too,  just  defeated  Blackburn  Rovers  by  2  to  1,  so 
that  the  League  table  remains  unaltered  so  far  as  the 
leading  pair  are  concerned.  As  I  foretold  last  week, 
Derby  County  showed  improved  form  by  turning  the 
tables  on  their  conquerors,  Preston  North  End.  Bolton 
Wanderers  justified  my  depreciatory  criticism  by  going 
under  to  Small  Heath  on  their  own  ground— an  event 
which  two  months  ago  would  have  caused  the  greatest 
surprise.  In  the  second  division,  Woolwich  Arsenal 
gained  a  couple  of  points  at  Newcastle  with  a  team 
weakened  by  the  absence  of  Mortimer  and  Boyd.  This 
is  really  excellent  form. 


It  was  a  wretched  team  which,  representing  London, 
visited  Sheffield  to  receive  a  10 — 0  thrashing.  The  Old 
Boys  chosen  preferred  to  play  for  their  clubs.  It  is  a 
pity  that  a  stronger  team  could  not  be  got  together,  as 
the  result  must  give  Northerners  but  a  poor  idea  of 
Southern  football. 


Only  the  divisional  finals  of  the  English  Cup  com- 
petition remain  to  be  played  before  the  real  contest  will 
commence  by  the  inclusion  of  the  exempted  clubs.  So 
far  as  I  can  see,  no  amateur  club  can  possibly  survive 


It  is  pleasant  to  see  that  the  current  number  of  the 
Courrier  Fraucais  publishes  as  specimens  of  the  best 
English  art  the  "  Fat  Woman,"  by  Aubrey  Beardsley, 
which  appeared  in  a  recent  number  of  To-Day,  and 
Dudley  Hardy's  "  Yellow  Girl  "  poster.  I  tender  my 
best  thanks  to  so  illustrious  a  contemporary. 

The  Major. 


BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 

THE  OLOEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

BISECT    FHOIII  SCOTIiiilTB. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


t  e  n  h  o  u  s  e 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS,"  an  ch'Qant  pamphlet,  post  Jfcc  an  application  to 

WM.   STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 

TAKLIS!   What  is  Taklis  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS  IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK    HAT    RENOVATOR.     No  ironing 
required.    Unaffected  by  rain. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  and  tube  of  TAKLIS, 
post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 

The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Greese  Street,  London,  W. 


Plffilliiiltli@iiie) 


fiti  ftaens  ikltm  m?, 


"LJELP  THE  Pool!  in  the  most  oflwtual  maimer  by 

■*-  *  BiMuliiiK  new  nnil  rait-oft'  clothing,  Knits.  l»...ks.  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  lcwcllcrv.  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  tlie  Kev.  K.  lla-lock.  who 
sells  thrni  at  low  ju  ices,  at  jiimlilr  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  lieM  »t 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  i««ir  i7i«m  in  number'  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  lira.vs.  Kss.  x.  .Ml  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  uiuuc  and  addrew  of 
snider  lire  inside.  Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


121 


CLARENCE. 

BY 

BRET  HARTE. 

Illustrated  by  Arthur  Jule  Goodman. 


PART  II. 
CHAPTER  TV. 

T 


I 


#1 


seemed  plain  to 
Brant  that  the  des- 
patch-box had  been 
conveyed  hexe  and 
opened ,  for  security , 
on  this  desk,  and 
in  the  hurry  of 
examining  the 
papers  the  flower 
had  been  jostled 
and  the  fallen 
grains  of  pollen 
overlooked  by  the 
spy.  There  were 
one  or  two  freckles 
•of  red  on  the  desk  which  made  this  accident  appear  the 
more  probable.  But  he  was  equally  struck  by  another 
circumstance.  The  desk  stood  immediately  before  the 
window.  As  he  glanced  mechanically  from  ifc,  he  was 
surprised  to  see  that  it  commanded  an  extensive  view 
of  the  slope  below  the  eminence  on  which  the  house 
•stood,  even  beyond  his  furthest  line  of  pickets.  The 
vase  of  flowers,  each  of  which  was  nearly  as  large  as  a 
magnolia  blossom,  and  striking  in  colour,  occupied  a 
central  position  before  it,  and  no  doubt  could  be  quite 
distinctly  seen  from  a  distance.  From  this  circumstance 
he  could  not  resist  the  strong  impression  that  this  fateful 
and  extraordinary  blossom,  carried  by  Miss  Faulkner 
and  the  mulatto,  and  so  strikingly  "in  evidence"  at 
the  window,  was  in  some  way  a  signal.  Obeying  an  im- 
pulse which  he  was  conscious  had  a  half  superstitious 
foundation,  he  carefully  lifted  the  vase  from  its  position 
before  the  window,  and  placed  it  on  a  side  table.  Then  he 
cautiously  slipped  from  the  room. 

But  he  could  not  easily  shake  off  the  perplexity  which 
the  occurrence  had'  caused,  although  he  was  satisfied 
that  it  was  fraught  with  no  military  or  strategic  danger 
to  his  command,  and  that  the  unknown  spy  had  obtained 
no  information  whatever.  Yet  he  was  forced  to  admit 
to  himself  that  he  was  more  concerned  in  his  attempts 
to  justify  the  conduct  of  Miss  Faulkner  with  this  later 
revelation.  It  was  quite  possible  that  the  despatch- 
box  had  been  purloined  by  someone  else  during  her  ab- 
sence from  the  house — as  the  presence  of  the  mulatto 
servant  in  his  room  would  have  been  less  suspicious  than 
hers.  There  was  really  little  evidence  to  connect  Miss 
Faulkner  with  the  actual  outrage — rather  might  not 
the  real  spy  have  taken  advantage  of  her  visit  here,  to 
■throw  suspicion  upon  her?  He  remembered  her  sin- 
gular manner — the  strange  inconsistency  with  which  she 
had'  forced  this  flower  upon  him.  She  would  hardly 
have  done  so  had  she  been  conscious  of  it  having  so 
-serious  an  import.  Yet  what  was  the  secret  of  her 
•manifest  agitation  ?  A  sudden  inspiration  flashed  across 
his  mind ;  a  smile  came  upon  his  lips.  She  was  in  love  ! 
The  enemy's  line  contained  some  sighing  Strephon  of 
a  young  subaltern  with  whom  she  was  in  communica- 
tion, and  for  whom  she  had  undertaken  this  quest.  The 
flower  was  their  language  of  correspondence,  no  doubt. 


It  explained  also  the  young  girl's  animosity  against  the 
younger  officers — his  adversaries  ;  against  himself — 
their  commander.  He  had  previously  wondered)  why — 
if  she  were  indeed  a  spy — she  had  not  chosen — upon  some 
equally  specious  order  from  Washington — the  head- 
quarters of  the  Division  Commander,  whose  secrets  were 
more  valuable.  This  was  explained'  by  the  fact  that  she 
was  nearer  the  lines  and  her  lover  in  her  present  abode.  He 
had  no  idea  that  he  was  making  excuses  for  her — he 
believed  himself  only  just.  The  recollection  of  what 
she  had  said  of  the  power  of  love — albeit  it  had'  hurt 
him  cruelly  at  the  time — was  now  clearer  to  him,  and 
e\en  seemed  to  mitigate  her  offence.  She  would  be  here 
but  a  day  or  two  longer ;  he  could  afford  to  wait  without 
interrogating  her. 

But  as  to  the  real  intruder — spy  or  thief — that  was 
another  affair,  and  quickly  settled.  He  gave  an  order 
to  the  officer  of  the  day  peremptorily  forbidding  the  en- 
trance of  alien  servants  or  slaves  within  the  precincts 
of  the  Head  Quarters.  Anyone  thus  trespassing  was 
to  be  brought  before  him.  The  officer  looked  surprised 
— he  even  fancied  disappointed.  The  graces  of  the 
mulatto  woman's  figure  had  evidently  been  not  thrown 
away  upon  his  subalterns. 

An  hour  or  two  later,  when  he  was  mounting  his  horse 
for  a  round  of  inspection,  he  was  surprised  to  see  Miss 
Faulkner,  accompanied  by  the  mulatto  woman,  running 
hurriedly  to  the  house.  He  had  forgotten  his  late  order 
until  he  saw  the  latter  halted  by  the  sentries,  but  the 
young  girl  came  flying  on,  regardless  of  her  companion. 
Her  skirt  was  held  in  one  hand,  her  straw  hat  had 
fallen  back  in  her  flight  and  was  caught  only  by  a  ribbon 
around'  her  swelling  throat,  her  loosened  hair  lay  in  a 
black  rippled  loop  on  one  shoulder.  For  an  instant 
Brant  thought  that  she  was  seeking  him  in  indignation 
at  his  order,  but  a  second  look  at  her  set  face,  eager  eyes 
and  parted  scarlet  lips,  showed  him  that  she  had  not  even 
noticed  him  in  the  concentration  of  her  purpose.  She 
swept  by  him  into  the  hall,  he  heard  the  swish  of  her 
skirt  and  rapid  feet  on  the  stairs,  she  was  gone.  What 
had  happened,  or  was  this  another  of  her  moods? 

But  he  was  called  to  himself  by  the  apparition  of  a 
corporal  standing  before  him,  with  the  mulatto  woman 
— the  first  capture  under  his  order.  She  was  tall,  well- 
formed,  but  unmistakably  showing  the  negro  type, 
even  in  her  small  features.  Her  black  eyes  were  excited 
but  unintelligent ;  her  manner  dogged,  but  with  the 
obstinacy  of  half-conscious  stupidity.  Brant  felt  not 
only  disappointed,  but  had  a  singular  impression  that 
s  ie  was  not  the  same  woman  that  he  had  first  seen.  Yet 
there  was  the  tall,  graceful  figure,  the  dark  profile,  and 
the  turbaned  head  that  he  had  once  followed  down  the 
passage  by  his  room. 

Her  story  was  as  stupidly  simple.  She  had  known 
"Missy"  from  a  chile!  She  had  just  trapsed  over  to 
see  her  that  afternoon ;  they  were  walking  together 
when  the  sojers  stopped  her.  She  had  never  been 
stopped  before,  even  by  "the  patter  rollers."*  Her  old 
Massa  (Manly)  had  gib  leaf  to  go  see  Miss  Josey,  and 
hadn't  said  nuffin  about  no  "  orders." 

More  annoyed  than  he  cared  to  confess,  Brant  briefly 
dismissed  her  with  a  warning.  As  he  cantered  down  the 
slope  the  view  of  the  distant  pickets  recalled  the  window 
in  the  wing,  and  he  turned  in  his  saddle  to  look  at  it. 

*  i.e.,  Patrols— a  civic  home  guard  in  the  South  that  kept  surveillance 
o!  slaves. 


Copyright  1804,  by  Bret  Harte. 


122 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  189-i. 


There  it  was — the  largest  and  most  dominant  window 
in  that  part  of  the  building — and  within  it  a  distinct 
and  vivid  object,  almost  filling  the  opening,  was  the 
\  ase  of  flowers,  which  he  had  a  few  hours  ago  removed, 
restored  to  its  original  position  !  He  smiled.  The 
hurried  entrance  and  consternation  of  Miss  Faulkner 
was  now  fully  explained.  He  had  interrupted  some 
impassioned  message,  perhaps  even  countermanded  some 
affectionate  rendezvous  beyond  the  lines.  And  it 
seemed  to  settle  the  fact  that  it  was  she  who  had  done 
the  signalling ! 
But  would  not  this 
also  make  her  cog- 
nisant of  the  tak- 
ing of  the  despatch  - 
box  1  He  reflected, 
however,  that  the 
room  was  appa- 
rently occupied  by 
the  mulatto  woman 
— he  remembered 
the  calico  dresses 
and  turban  on  tho 
bed  —  and  it  was 
possible  that  Miss 
Faulkner  had  only 
visited  it  for  the 
purpose  of  signal 
ling  to  her  lover. 
Although  this  cir- 
cumstance did  not 
tend  to  make  his 
in  i  n  d  easier,  it 
was,  however,  pre- 
sently diverted  by 
a  new  arrival  and 
a  strange  recoi?- 
nition. 

As  he  rode 
through  the  camp 
a  group  of  officers 
congregated  before 
a  large  mess  tent 
appeared  to  be 
highly  amused  by 
the  conversation — 
half  monologue 
and  half  harangue 
■ — -of  a  singular- 
looking  individual 
who  stood  in  the 
centre.  He  wore 
a  "  slouch  "  hat,  to 
the  band  of  which 
he  had  imparted 
a  military  air 

by  the  addition  of  a  gold  cord,  but  the  brim  was  caught 
up  at  the  side  in  a  peculiarly  theatrical  and  highly  artificial 
fashion.  A  heavy  cavalry  sabre  depended  from  a  broad- 
buckled  belt  under  his  black  frock  coat,  with  the  addition 
of  tivo  revolvers — minus  their  holsters — stuck  on  either 
side  of  the  buckle,  after  the  style  of  a  stage  smuggler.  A 
pair  of  long  enamelled  leather  riding  boots,  with  the 
tops  turned  deeply  over,  as  if  they  had  once  dune  duty  for 
the  representative  of  a  Cavalier,  completed  his  extra- 
ordinary equipment.  The  group  were  so  absorbed  in 
him  that  they  did  not  perceive  the  approach  of  their 


1IE  PLACED  THE  VASE  ON  A  SIDE  TABLE. 


chief  and  his  orderly ;  and  Brant,  with  a  sign  to  the 
latter,  halted  only  a  few  paces  from  this  central  figure. 
His  speech  was  a  singular  mingling  of  high-flown  and 
exalted  epithets,  with  inexact  pronunciation  and  occa- 
sional lapses  of  Western  slang. 

"  Well,  I  ain't  purtendin'  to  any  stratutegical  smart- 
ness, and  I  didn't  gradooate  at  West  Point  as  one  of 
those  Apochryphal  Engineers ;  I  don't  do  much  talking 
about  'flank'  movements  or  'recognizances  in  force  ' 
or  '  Ekellon  skirmishing,'  but  when  it  comes  down  to- 
square  Ingin  fight- 
in',  I  reckon  I  kin 
have  my  say.  There 
are  men  who  don't 
know  the  Army 
Contractor,"  he 
added,  darkly, 
"  who  mebbe  have 
heard  of  '  Red  Jim.' 
I  don't  mention 
names,  gentlemen  ; 
but  only  the  other 
day  a  man  that  you 
all  know  says  to 
me,  '  If  I  only 
knew  what  you  do 
about  scoutin'  I 
wouldn't  be  want- 
ing for  information 
as  I  do.'  I  ain't 
goin'  to  say  who  it 
was,  or  break  any 
confid  ences  be- 
tween gentlemen, 
by  saying  how 
many  stars  he  had 
on  his  shoulder 
strap  ;  but  he  was 
a  man  who  knew 
what  he  was  say- 
ing. And  I  say 
agin,  gentlemen, 
that  the  Curse  of 
the  Northern  Army 
is  the  want  of 
proper  scoutin'. 
"What  was  it  caused 
Bull's  Run? — want 
o'  scoutin' !  What 
was  it  rolled  up 
Pope  ?  —  want  o' 
s  c  o  u  tin'  !  What 
killed  Baker  at 
Ball's  Bluff'?— want 
o'  scoutin' !  What 
caused  theslaughter 
at  the  Wilderness? — want  o'  scoutin' — Tngin  scoutin'! 
Why,  only  the  other  day,  gentlemen,  I  was  approached, 
to  know  what  I'd  take  to  organise  a  scoutin'  force.  And 
what  did  I  say  J — '  No,  General ;  it  ain't  because  I  repre- 
sent one  of  the  largest  Army  Beef  Contracts  in  this 
country,'  says  I ;  'it  ain't  because  I  belong,  so  to  speak,, 
to  the  "  Sinews  of  War  "  ;  but  because  I'd  want  about 
ten  thousand  trained  Ingins  from  the  Reservations!' 
And  the  regular  West  Point,  high-toned,  scientific  inky- 
bus  that  weighs  so  heavily  on  our  Army  don't  see  it — 
and  won't  have  it !    Then  Sherman,  he  sez  to  me  •* 


December  1,  ISO  I. 


TO-DAY. 


123 


But  here  a  roar  of  laughter  interrupted  him,  and  in 
the  cross  fire  of  sarcastic  interrogations  that  began  Brant 
saw,  with  relief,  a  chance  of  escape.  For  in  the  voice, 
manner,  and,  above  all,  the  characteristic  temperament 
of  the  stranger,  he  had  recognised  his  old  playmate,  and 
the  husband  of  Susy — the  redoubtable  Jim  Hooker! 
There  was  no  mistaking  that  gloomy  audacity;  that 
mysterious  significance;  that  magnificent  lying.  But 
even  at  that  moment  Clarence  Brant's  heart  had  gone 
out,  with  all  his  old  loyalty  of  feeling,  towards  his  old 
companion.  He  knew  that  a  public  recognition  of  him 
then  and  there  would  plunge  Hooker  into  confusion  ;  he 
felt  keenly  the  ironical  plaudits  and  laughter  of  his  officers 
over  the  manifest  weakness  and  vanity  of  the  ex- 
teamster,  ex-rancher,  ex-actor,  and  husband  of  his  oid 
girl  sweetheart,  and  would  have  spared  him  the  know- 
ledge that  he  had  overheard  it.  Turning  hastily  to  the 
orderly  he  bade  him  bring  the  stranger  to  his  head- 
quarters, and  rode  away  unperceived. 

He  had  heard  enough,  however,  to  account  for  his 
presence  there,  and  the  singular  chance  that  had  brought 
them  again  together.  He  was  evidently  one  of  those 
large  Civil  Contractors  of  Supplies  whom  the  Govern- 
ment was  obliged  to  employ,  who  visited  the  camp  half 
officially,  and  whom  the  Army  alternately  depended 
upon  and  abused.  Brant  had  dealt  with  his  underlings 
in  the  Commissariat,  and  even  now  remembered  that  he 
had  heard  he  was  coming,  but  had  overlooked  the  signi- 
ficance of  his  name.  But  how  he  came  to  leave  his 
theatrical  profession,  how  he  had  attained  a  position 
which  implied  a  command  of  considerable  capital — for 
manv  of  the  contractors  had  already  amassed  large 
fortunes — and  what  had  become  of  Susy  and  her  ambi- 
tions in  this  radical  change  of  circumstances,  were  things 
still  to  be  learned.  In  his  own  changed  conditions  he  had 
seldom  thought  of  her  ;  it  was  with  a  strange  feeling  of 
irritation  and  half-responsibility  that  he  now  recalled 
their  last  interview  and  the  emotion  to  which  he  had 
yielded. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait.  He  had  scarcely  regained 
the  quarters  at  his  own  private  office,  before  he  heard 
the  step  of  the  orderly  upon  the  verandah  and  the 
trailing  clank  of  Hooker's  sabre.  He  did  not  know, 
however,  that  Hooker,  without  recognising  his  name,  had 
received  the  message  as  a  personal  tribute,  and  had  left 
his  sarcastic  companions  triumphantly,  with  the  air  of 
going  to  a  confidential  interview,  to  which  his  well-known 
military  criticism  had  entitled  him.  It  was  with  a 
bearing  of  gloomy  importance,  and  his  characteristic, 
sullen,  sidelong  glance,  that  he  entered  the  apartment, 
and  did  not  look  up  until  Brant  had  signalled  the  orderly 
to  withdraw,  and  closed  the  door  behind  him.  And  then 
he  recognised  his  old  boyish  companion — the  preferred 
favourite  of  fortune ! 

For  a  moment  he  gasped  with  astonishment.  For  a 
moment  gloomy  incredulity,  suspicion,  delight,  pride, 
admiration,  even  affection,  struggled  for  mastery  in  his 
sullen,  staring  eyes,  and  open,  twitching  mouth.  For 
here  was  Clarence  Brant,  handsomer  than  ever,  more 
superior  than  ever,  in  the  majesty  of  uniform  and 
authority  which  fitted  him — the  younger  man — by  reason 
of  his  four  years  of  active  service — with  the  careless 
ease  and  bearing  of  the  veteran !  Here  was  the  hero 
whose  name  was  already  so  famous  that  the  mere  coin- 
cidence of  it  with  that  of  the  modest  civilian  he  had 
known  would  have  struck  him  as  preposterous.  Yet  here 
he  was — supreme  and  dazzling — surrounded  by  the  pomp 


and  circumstance  of  War — into  whose  reserved  presence,, 
be — Jim  Hooker — had  been  ushered  with  the  formality 
of  challenge,  saluting  and  presented  bayonets  ! 

Luckily,  Brant  had  taken  advantage  of  his  first 
gratified  ejaculation  to  shake  him  warmly  by  the  hand, 
and  then,  with  both  hands  laid  familiarly  on  his  shoulder, 
force  him  down  into  a  chair.  Luckily,  for  by  that  time, 
Jim  Hooker  had,  with  characteristic  gloominess,  found 
time  to  taste  the  pangs  of  envy — an  envy  the  more  keen 
since,  in  spite  of  his  success  as  a  peaceful  contractor,  he 
had  always  secretly  longed  for  military  display  and  dis- 
tinction. He  looked  at  the  man  who  had  achieved  it, 
as  he  firmly  believed,  by  sheer  luck  and  accident,  and 
his  eyes  darkened.  Then,  with  characteristic  weakness 
and  vanity,  he  began  to  resist  his  first  impressions  of 
Clarence's  superiority,  and  to  air  his  own  importance. 
He  leaned  heavily  back  in  the  chair  in  which  he  had  been 
thus  genially  forced,  drew  off  his  gauntlet  and  attempted 
to  thrust  it  through  his  belt,  as  he  had  seen  Brant  do, 
but  failed  on  account  of  his  pistols  already  occupying  that 
position,  dropped  it,  got  his  sword  between  his  legs  in 
attempting  to  pick  it  up,  and  then  leaned  back  again, 
with  half -closed  eyes,  serenely  indifferent  of  his  old  com- 
panion's smiling  face. 

"  I  reckon,"  he  began,  slowly,  with  a  slightly  patron- 
ising air,  "  that  we'd  have  met,  sooner  or  later,  at 
Washington,  or  at  Grant's  headquarters,  for  Hookei\ 
Meacham  and  Co.  go  everywhere,  and  are  about  as  well 
known  as  Major-Generals,  to  say  nothin',"  he  went  on, 
with  a  sidelong  glance  at  Brant's  shoulder-straps,  "  of 
Brigadiers ;  and  it's  rather  strange — only,  of  course, 
you're  kind  of  fresh  in  the  service — that  you  ain't  heard 
of  me  afore." 

"  But  I'm  very  glad  to  hear  of  you  now,  Jim,"  said 
Brant,  smiling,  "  and  from  your  own  lips — which  I  am 
also  delighted  to  find,"  he  added,  mischievously,  "  are 
still  as  frankly  communicative  on  that  topic  as  of  old. 
But  I  congratulate  you,  old  fellow,  on  your  good  for- 
tune.   When  did  you  leave  the  stage  1" 

Mr.  Hooker  frowned  slightly. 

"  I  never  was  really  on  the  stage,  you  know,"  he  said, 
waving  his  hand  with  assumed  negligence.  "  Only 
went  on  to  please  my  wife.  Mrs.  Hooker  wouldn't  act 
with  vulgar  professionals,  don't  you  see !  I  was  really 
manager — most  of  the  time,  and  lessee  of  the  theatre. 
Went  East  when  the  War  broke  out,  to  offer  my 
sword  and  knowledge  of  Injin  fightin'  to  Uncle  Sam ! 
Drifted  into  a  big  pork  contract  at  St.  Louis,  with 
Fremont.  Been  at  it  ever  since.  Offered  a  commission 
in  the  reg'lar  service  lots  o'  times.  Kefused." 

"  Why  1 "  asked  Brant,  demurely. 

"Too  much  West  Point  starch  around  to  suit  me," 
returned  Hooker,  darkly.    "  And  too  many  spies  !  " 

"Spies?"  echoed  Brant,  abstractedly,  with  a  momen- 
tary reminiscence  of  Miss  Faulkner. 

"  Yes,  spies,"  continued  Hooker,  with  dogged  mys- 
tery. "  One  half  of  Washington  is  watching  t'other 
half,  and  from  the  President's  wife  down,  most  of  the 
women  are  Secesh  !  " 

Brant  suddenly  fixed  his  keen  eyes  on  his  guest.  But 
the  next  moment  he  reflected  that  this  was  only  Jim 
Hooker's  usual  speech,  and  possessed  no  ulterior  sig- 
nificance.   He  smiled  again,  and  said,  more  gently — 

"  And  how  is  Mrs.  Hooker  ? " 

Mr.  Hooker  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  ceiling,  rose,  and 
pretended  to  look  out  of  the  window ;  then,  taking  his 
seat  again  by  the  table,  as  if  fronting  an  imaginary 


124 


TO-DAY. 


December  1,  1894. 


•audience,  and  pulling  slowly  at  his  gauntlets  after  the 
usual  theatrical  indication  of  perfect  sang  froid,  said — 
'  There  ain't  any  !  " 

"  Good  heavens  ! "  said  Brant,  with  genuine  emotion. 
"I  beg  your  pardon.    Really,  I  " 

"Mrs.  Hooker  and  me  are  divorced,"  continued 
Hooker,  slightly  changing  his  attitude,  and  leaning 
heavily  on  his  sabre,  with  his  eyes  still  on  his  fanciful 
audience.  "  There  was,  you  understand  " — lightly  toss- 
ing his  gauntlet  aside — "incompatibility  of  temper — 
2nd — we — parted  !    Ha ! " 

He  uttered  a  low,  bitter,  scornful  laugh,  which,  how- 
ever, produced  the  distinct  impression  in  Brant's  mind 
that  up  to  chat  mcrnent  he  had  never  had  the  slightest 
feeling  in  the  matter  whatever. 

"  You  seemed  to  be  on  such  good  terms  with  each 
■other  !  "  murmured  Brant,  vaguely. 

"  Seemed ! "  said  Hooker,  bitterly,  glancing  sardoni- 
cally at  an  ideal  second  row  in  the  pit  before  him;  "yes 
— seemed/  There  were  other  differences,  social  and 
political.  You  understand  that ;  you  have  suffered, 
too."  He  reached  out  his  hand  and  pressed  Brant's,  in 
heavy  effusiveness.  "But,"  he  continued,  haughtily, 
lightly  tossing  his  glove  again,  "  we  are  also  men  of  the 
world ;  we  let  that  pass." 

And  it  was  possi- 
ble that  he  found 
the  strain  of  his 
present  attitude 
too  great,  for  he 
changed  to  an 
•easier  position. 

"  B  u  t,"  said 
Brant,  curiously, 
41 1  always  thought 
that  Mrs.  Hooker 
was  i  n  t  e  ns  ely 
Union  and  North- 
ern ? " 

"  Put  on  !  "  said 
Hooker,  in  his 
natural  voice. 

"  But  you  re- 
member  the  inci- 
dent of  the  flag  ? " 
persisted  Brant. 

"  Mrs.  Hooker 
was  always  an 
a  c  t  r  e  s  s,"  said 
Hooker,  signifi- 
cantly. "But," 
he  added,  cheer- 
fully, "Mrs.  Hooker 
"is  now  the  wife  of 
Senator  Boom- 
pointer,  one  of  the 
wealthiest  a  n  d 
most  powerful 
Republicans  in 
Washington  —  car- 
ries the  patronage 
of  the  whole  West 
in  his  vest  pocket." 

"  Yet,  if  she  is  not  a  Republican,  why  did  she — — " 

Lcgan  Brant. 

"  For  a  purpose,"  responded  Hooker,  darkly.  "  But," 
die  added  again,  with  greater  cheerfulness,  "  she  belongs 


HE  LEANED  BACK  IN  THE  CHAIR. 


to  the  very  elite  of  Washington  society.  Goes  to  all 
the  Foreign  Ambassadors'  balls,  and  is  a  power  at  the 
White  House.  Her  picture  is  in  all  the  first-class  illus- 
trated papers." 

The  singular  but  unmistakable  pride  of  the  man  in 
the  importance  of  the  wife  from  whom  he  was  divorced, 
and  for  whom  he  did  not  care,  would  have  offended 
Brant's  delicacy,  or  at  least  have  excited  his  ridicule, 
but  for  the  reason  that  he  was  more  deeply  stung  by 
Hooker's  allusion  to  his  own  wife  and  his  degrading 
simi-itude  of  their  two  conditions.  But  he  dismissed 
the  former  as  part  of  Hooker's  invincible  and  still  boyish 
extravagance,  and  the  latter  as  part  of  his  equally 
characteristic  assumption.  Perhaps  he  was  conscious, 
too,  notwithstanding  the  lapse  of  years  and  the  con- 
donation of  separation  and  forgetfulness,  that  he  de- 
served little  delicacy  from  the  hands  of  Susy's  husband. 
Nevertheless,  he  dreaded  to  hear  him  speak  again  of 
her.    And  the  fear  was  realised  in  a  question. 

"  Does  she  know  you  are  here  1 " 

"  Who  1 "  said  Brant,  curtly. 

"  Your  wife.    That  is — I  reckon  she's  your  wife  still, 

eh?" 

"  Yes  ;  but  I  do  not  know  what  she  knows,"  returned 
Brant,  quietly.    He  had  regained  his  self-composure. 

"  Susy  —  Mrs. 
Senator  Boom- 
pointer,  that  is" — 
said  Hooker,  with 
an  apparent  dig- 
nity in  his  late 
wife's  new  title, 
"all  owed  that  she'd 
gone  abroad  on  a 
secret  mission  from 
the  Southern  Con- 
federacy to  them 
Crowned  Heads 
over  there.  She 
was  good  at  ropin' 
men  in,  you  know. 
Anyhow,  Susy, 
afore  she  was  Mrs. 
Boompointer,  was 
dead  set  on  findin' 
out  where  she  was, 
but  never  could. 
She  seemed  to 
drop  out  of  sight 
a  year  ago.  Some 
said  one  thing,  and 
some  said  another. 
But  jTou  can  bet 
your  bottom  dollar 
that  Mrs.  Senator 
Boompointer,  who 
knows  how  to  pull 
all  the  wires  in 
Washington,  will 
know,  if  anyone 
does." 

"  But   is  Mrs. 
Boompointer  really 
disaffected,  and  a  Southern  sympathiser?"  said  Brant, 
"  or  is  it  only  caprice  or  fashion  1 " 

While  speaking,  he  had  risen,  with  a  half- abstracted 
face,  and  had  gone  to  the  window,  where  he  stood  in  & 


December  1,  1894. 


TO-DAY, 


125 


listening  attitude.  Presently  he  opened  the  window,  and 
stepped  outside.  Hooker  wonderingly  followed  him. 
One  or  two  officers  had  already  stepped  out  of  their 
rooms,  and  were  standing  upon  the  verandah  ;  another 
had  halted  in  the  path.  Then  one  quickly  re-entered 
the  house,  reappeared  with  his  cap  and  sword  in  his 
hand,  and  ran  lightly  toward  the  guard-house.  A 
slight  crackling  noise  seemed  to  come  from  beyond  the 
garden  wall. 

"  What's  up  1 "  said  Hooker,  with  staring  eyes. 

"Picket  firing!" 

The  crackling  suddenly  became  a  long  rattle.  Brant 
re-entered  the  room,  and  picked  up  his  hat. 

"  You'll  excuse  me  for  a  few  moments." 

A  faint  sound,  soft  yet  full,  and  not  unlike  a  bursting 
bubble,  made  the  house  appear  to  leap  elastically,  like 
the  rebound  of  a  rubber  ball. 

"  What's  that '.  "  gasped  Hooker. 

"Cannon,  out  of  range  !" 


CHAPTER  V. 

N  another  instant 
bugles  were  ringing 
through  the  camp 
with  the  hurrying 
hoofs  of  mounted 
officers,  and  the 
trampling  of  form- 
ing men.  The  house 
itself  was  almost  de- 
serted. Although 
the  single  cannon 
shot  had  been 
>  enough  to  show  that 
it  was  no  mere 
skirmishing  of 
pickets,  Brant  still 
did  not  believe 
in  any  serious 
attack  of  the  enemy.  His  position,  as  in  the  previous 
engagement,  had  no  strategic  importance  to  them ; 
they  were  no  doubt  only  making  a  feint  against  it  to 
conceal  some  advance  upon  the  centre  of  the  Army  two 
miles  away.  Satisfied  that  he  was  in  easy  supporting 
distance  -af  his  Division  Commander,  he  extended  his 
line  along  the  ridge,  ready  to  fall  back  in  that  direction, 
while  retarding'  their  advance  and  masking  the  position 
of  his  own  chief.  He  gave  a  few  orders  necessary  to  the 
probable  abandonment  of  the  house,  and  then  returned' 
to  it.  Shot  and  shell  were  already  dropping  in  the 
field  below.  A  thin  ridge  of  blue  haze  showed  the  line 
of  skirmish  fire.  A  small  conical,  white  cloud  like  a 
bursting  cotton  pod,  revealed  an  opened  battery  in  the 
willow  fringed  meadow.  Yet  the  pastoral  peacefulness 
of  the  house  was  unchanged.  The  afternoon  sun  lay 
softly  on  its  deep  verandahs  :  the  pot  pourri  incense 
of  fallen  rose  leaves  haunted  it  still. 

He  entered  his  room  through  the  French  window  on 
the  verandah,  when  the  door  leading  from  the  passage 
was  suddenly  flung  open,  and  Miss  Faulkner  swept 
quickly  inside,  closed  the  door  behind  her,  and  leaned 
back  against  it,  panting  and  breathless. 

Clarence  was  startled,  and  for  a  moment  ashamed. 
He  had  suddenly  realised  that  in  the  excitement  he  had 
entirely  forgotten  her  and  the  dangers  to  which  she 
might  be  exposed.  She  had  probably  heard  the  firing, 
her  womanly  fears  had  been  awakened ;  she  had  come 
to  him  for  protection.    But  as  he  turned  towards  her 


with  a  reassuring  smile,  he  was  shocked  to  see  that  her 
agitation  and  pallor  were  far  beyond  any  physical  cause. 
She  motioned  him  desperately  to  shut  the  window  by 
which  he  had  entered,  and  said,  with  white  lips — 

"  I  must  speak  with  you  alone !" 

"  Certainly.  But  there  is  no  immediate  danger  to 
you  even  here — and  I  can  soon  put  you  beyond  the  reach 
of  any  possible  harm." 

"  Harm — to  me  /    God  !  if  it  were  only  that  !  " 

He  stared  at  her  uneasily. 

"Listen,"  she  said,  gaspingly,  "listen  to  me!  Then 
hate,  despise  me — kill  me  if  you  will.  For  you  are 
betrayed  and  ruined — cut  off  and  surrounded !  It  has 
been  helped  on  by  me,  but  I  swear  to  you  the  blow  did 
not  come  from  my  hand.  I  would  have  saved  you.  God 
only  knows  how  it  happened — it  was  Fate  !  " 

In  an  instant  Brant  saw  the  whole  truth  instinctively 
and  clearly.  But  with  the  revelation  came  the  usual 
calmness  and  perfect  self-possession  which  never  yet 
had  failed  him  in  any  emergency.  With  the  sound  of 
the  increasing  cannonade,  and  its  shifting  position  made 
clearer  to  his  ears,  the  view  of  his  whole  threatened 
position  spread  out  like  a  map  before  his  eyes,  the  swift 
calculation  of  the  time  his  men  could  hold  the  ridge  \n- 
his  mind — even  a  hurried  estimate  of  the  precious  mo- 
ments he  could  give  to  the  wretched1  woman  before  him 
— he  even  then,  gravely  and  gently,  led  her  to  a  chair 
and  said  in  a  calm  voice — 

"That  is  not  enough  !  Speak  slowly,  plainly.  1' 
must  know  everything.  How  and  in  what  way  have  you 
betrayed  me?" 

She  looked  at  him  imploringly — reassured  yet  awed- 
by  his  gentleness. 

"You  won't  believe  me;  you  cannot  believe  me! 
for  I  do  not  even  know  I  have  taken  and  exchanged 
letters — whose  contents  I  never  saw — between  the  Confe- 
derates and  a  spy  who  comes  to  this  house,  but  who  is 
far  away  by  this  time.  I  did  it  because  I  thought  you- 
hated  and  despised  me- — because  I  thought  it  was  my 
duty  to  help  my  cause — because  you  said  it  was  '  War ' 
between  us — but  I  never  spied  on  you.     I  swear  it." 

"Then  how  do  ycu  know  of  this  attack?"  he  said 
calmly. 

She  brightened,  half  timidlv,  half  hopefully. 

"There  is  a  window  in  the  wing  of  this  house  that 
overlooks  the  slope  near  the  Confederate  lines.  There 
was  a  signal  placed  in  it — not  by  me — but  I  know  it 
meant  that  as  long  as  it  was  there  the  plot,  whatever  it 
was,  was  not  ripe,  and  that  no  attack  would  be  made  on 
you  as  long  as  it  was  visible.  That  much  I  know — that 
much  the  spy  had  to  tell  me,  for  we  both  had  to  guard 
that  room,  in  turns.    I  wanted  to  keep  this  dreadful 

thing  off — until  "  her  voice  trembled,  "until,"  she 

added  hurriedly,  seeing  his  calm  eyes  were  reading  her 
very  soul,  "  until  I  went  away — and  for  that  purpose 
I  withheld  some  of  the  letters  that  were  given  me.  But 
this  morning,  while  I  was  away  from  the  house,  I  looked 
back  and  saw  that  the  signal  was  no  longer  there. 
Someone  had  changed  it.  I  ran  back,  but  I  was  too 
late — God  help  me — as  you  see  !  " 

The  truth  flashed  upon  Brant.  It  was  his  own  hand 
that  had  precipitated  the  attack.  But  a  larger  truth 
came  to  him  now,  like  a  dazzling  inspiration.  If  he  had 
thus  precipitated  the  attack  before  they  were  ready,  there 
was  a'  chance  that  it  was  imperfect,  and  there  was  still 
hope.  But  there  was  no  trace  of  this  visible  in  his  face 
as  he  fixed  his  eyes  calmly  on  hers,  although  his  pulses*, 
were  halting  in  expectancy  as  he  said — 


123 


TO-DAY. 


Decembek  1,  1894. 


"  Then  the  spy  had  suspected  you,  and  changed  it." 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  said  eagerly,  "  for  the  spy  was  with  me 
■and  was  frightened  too.  We  both  ran  back  together — • 
you  remember — she  was  stopped  by  the  patrol ! " 

She  checked  herself  suddenly,  but  too  late.  Her 
cheeks  blazed,  her  head  sank — with  the  foolish  identifica- 
tion of  the  spy  into  which  her  eagerness  had  betrayed  her. 

But  Brant  appeared  not  to  notice  it.  He  was,  in  fact, 
puzzling  his  brain  to  conceive  what  information  the 
•stupid  mulatto  woman  could  have  obtained  here.  His 
strength,  his  position  was  no  secret  to  the  enemy — 
there  was  nothing  to  gain  from  him.  She  must  have 
been,  like  the  trembling,  eager  woman  before  him,  a 
mere  tool  of  others. 

"  Did  this  woman  live  here  1 "  he  said. 

"  No,"  she  said.  "  She  lived  with  the  Manlys,  but 
'had  friends 
whom  she 
visited  at 
your  Gene- 
ral's Head- 
quarters," 

With  diffi- 
culty Brant 
suppressed  a 
start.  It  was 
clear  to  him 
now.  The 
information 
had  been  ob- 
tained at  the 
Division 
Head  -quar- 
ters, and  pas- 
sed through 
his  camp  as 
being  nearest 
the  Confede- 
rate lines. 
But  what  was 
the  informa- 
tio  n  —  and 
what  move- 
ment had  he 
precipitated  1 
It  was  clear 
that  this  wo- 
man did  not 
k  n  o  w.  He 
looked  at  her 
keenly.  A 
s  u  d  den  ex- 
plosion shook 
the  house — a 
drift  of  smoke 
passed  the 

window — a  shell  had  burst  in  the  garden. 

She  had1  been  gazing  at  him  despairingly,  wistfully — 
but  did  not  blanch  or  start. 

An  idea  took  possession  of  him.  He  approached  her, 
and  took  her  cold  hand.  A  half  smile  parted  her  pale 
lips. 

"You  have  courage — you  have  devotion,"  he  said, 
gravely.  "  I  believe  you  regret  the  step  you  have 
taken.  If  you  could  undo  what  you  have  done,  even  at 
peril  to  yourself — dare  you  do  it?" 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  breathlessly. 


"  You  are  known  to  the  enemy.    If  I  am  surrounded, 
you  could  pass  through  their  lines  unquestioned  1 " 
"  Yes,"  she  said,  eagerly. 

"  A  note  from  me  would  pass  you  again  through  the 
pickets  of  our  Head-quarters.  But  you  would  bear  a 
note  to  the  General  that  no  eyes  but  his  must  see.  It 
would  not  implicate  you  or  yours ;  it  would  only  be  a 
word  of  warning." 

"  And    you,"  she  said,  quickly,  "  would  be  saved ! 
They  would  come  to  your  assistance !    You  would  not 
then  be  taken?" 
He  smiled  gently. 
"  Perhaps — who  knows !  " 
He  sat  down  and  wrote  hurriedly. 
"  This,"  he  said,  handing  her  a  slip  of  paper,  "  is  a 
pass.    You  will  use  it  beyond  your  own  lines.  This 

note,"  he  con- 
tinued, hand- 
i  n  g  h  e  r  a 
sealed  enve- 
lope, "  is  for 
the  General. 
No  one  else 
must  see  it  or 
know  of  it — ■ 
not  even  your 
lover,  should 
you  meet 
him  ! " 

"My  lover!" 
she  said,  in- 
d  i  g  n  a  n  tly, 
with  a  flash 
of  her  old 
savage  ry; 
"what  do  you 
mean?  I 
have  no 
lover  ! " 

Brant 
glanced  at 
her  flushed 
face. 

"I  thought," 
lie  said,  quiet- 
ly, "that 
there  was 
someone  you 
cared  for  in 
yonder  lines 
— s  o  m  e  o  ne 
you  wrote  to. 
It  would  have 
been  an  ex- 
cuse " 

He  stopped,  as  her  face  paled  again,  and  her  hands 
dropped  heavily  at  her  side. 

"  Good  God  ! — you  thought  tltat,  too  !  You  thought 
that  I  would  sacrifice  you  for  another  man ! " 

"Pardon  me,"  said  lb-ant,  quickly.  "I  was  foolish. 
But  whether  your  lover  is  a  man  or  a  cause,  you  have 
shown  a  woman's  devotion.  And,  in  repairing  your 
fault,  you  are  showing  more  than  a  woman's  courage 
now." 

To  his  surprise,  the  colour  had  again  mounted  her 


1  this  is  a  r-Ass. 


December  1,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


127 


HOLDING  HIS  OWN  AGAINST  THE  ARTILLERY  SENT  TO  DISLODGE  HIM. 


pretty  cheeks,  and  even  a  flash  of  mischief  shone  in  her 
blue  eyes. 

"  It  would  have  been  '  an  excuse  '  she  murmured— 
"yes- — to  save  a  man,  surely!"  Then  she  said, 
quickly,  "  I  will  go.    At  once !    I  am  ready  !  " 

"  One  moment,"  he  said,  gravely.  "  Although  this 
pass  and  an  escort  ensures  your  probable  safe  conduct, 
this  is  '  War '  and  danger  !  You  are  still  a  spy  !  Are 
you  ready  to  go  ■  ? " 

"  I  am,"  she  said,  proudly,  tossing  back  a  braid  of 
her  fallen  hair.  Yet  a  moment  after  she  hesitated. 
Then  she  said,  in  a  lower  voice,  "  Are  you  as  ready  to 
forgive  ? " 

"  In  either  case,"  he  said,  touched  by  her  manner ; 
"  and  God  speed  you  !  " 

He  extended  his  hand,  and  left  a  slight  pressure  on 
her  cold  fingers.  But  they  slipped  quickly  from  his 
grasp,  and  she  turned  away  with  a  heightened  colour. 

He  stepped  to  the  door.  One  or  two  aides-de-camp, 
withheld  by  his  order  against  intrusion,  were  waiting 
eagerly  with  reports.  The  horse  of  a  mounted  field 
officer  was  pawing  the  garden  turf.  The  officers  stared 
at  the  young  girl. 

"  Take  Miss  Faulkner,  with  a  flag,  to  some  safe  point 
of  the  enemy's  line.  She  is  a  non-combatant  of  their 
own,  and  will  receive  their  protection." 

He  had  scarcely  exchanged  a  dozen  words  with  the 
aides-de-camp  before  the  field  officer  hurriedly  entered. 
Taking  Brant  aside,  he  said,  quickly — 

"Pardon  me,  General;  but  there  is  a  strong  feeling 
among  the  men  that  this  attack  is  the  result  of 
some  information  obtained  by  the  enemy.  You  must 
know  that  the  woman  you  have  just  given  a  safeguard 
to  is  suspected,  and  the  men  are  indignant." 

':  The  more  reason  why  she  should  be  conveyed  beyond 


any  consequences  of  their  folly,  Major,"  said  Brant, 
frigidly,  "  and  I  look  to  you  for  her  safe  convoy.  There 
is  nothing  in  this  attack  to  show  that  the  enemy  has 
received  any  information  regarding  us.  But  I  would 
suggest  that  it  would  be  better  to  see  that  my  orders 
are  carried  out  regarding  the  slaves  and  non-combatants 
who  are  passing  our  lines,  from  Divisional  Head-quarters, 
where  valuable  information  may  be  obtained,  than  in 
the  surveillance  of  a  testy  and  outspoken  girl." 

An  angry  flush  crossed  the  Major's  cheek,  as  he  saluted 
and  fell  back,  and  Brant  turned  to  the  aide-de-camp. 
The  news  was  grave.  The  column  of  the  enemy  was 
moving  against  the  ridge — it  was  no  longer  possible  to 
hold  it — and  the  brigade  was  cut  off  from  its  com- 
munication with  the  Divisional  Headquarters,  although 
as  yet  no  combined  movement  was  made  against  it. 
Brant's  secret  fears  that  it  was  an  intended  impact 
against  the  centre  were  confirmed.  Would  his  com- 
munication to  the  Divisional  Commander  pass  through 
the  attacking  column  in  time? 

Yet  one  thing  puzzled  him.  The  enemy,  after  forcing 
his  flank,  had  shown  no  disposition,  even  with  their  over- 
whelming force,  to  turn  aside  and  crush  him.  He  could 
easily  have  fallen  back,  when  it  was  possible  to  hold 
the  ridge  no  longer,  without  pursuit.  His  other  flank  and 
rear  were  not  threatened,  as  they  might  have  been,  by 
the  division  of  so  large  an  attacking  column,  which  were 
moving  steadily  on  towards  the  ridge.  It  was  this  fact 
that  seemed  to  show  a  failure  or  imperfection  in  the 
enemy's  plan.  It  was  possible  that  his  precipitation  of 
the  attack  by  the  changed  signal  had  been  the  cause  of 
it.  Doubtless,  some  provision  had  been  made  to  attack 
him  in  flank  and  rear,  but  in  the  unexpected  hurry  of  the 
onset  it  had  to  be  abandoned.  He  could  still  save  him- 
self— as  his  officers  knew — but  his  conviction  that  he 


128 


TO-DAY. 


Deckmber  1,  189'. 


might  yet  be  able  to  support  his  Divisional  Commander 
by  holding  his  position  doggedly,  but  coolly,  awaiting 
his  opportunity,  was  strong.  More  than  that,  it  was 
his  temperament  and  instinct. 

Harrying  them  in  flank  and  rear,  contesting  the 


ground  inch  by  inch,  and  holding  his  own  against  the 
artillery  sent  to  dislodge  him,  or  the  outriding  cavalry 
that  circling  round  swept  through  his  open  ranks,  he 
saw  his  files  melt  away  beside  this  steady  current  with- 
out flinching. 

f To  he  continued.) 


K>e: 


dine  SLa^  <§>Re  came  to  meet  me — 

Ufte  fro^f  aDa^>  on  tfte  Riff; 
S^ut"   a    rare   ro<s>e   <£>Reil   on   fW   fip&  o£' 
reel 

Maile  tfie  coorfil  £>eem  Summer  <§>fiff. 

©ne  ila^  <£>Re  came  to  meet  me — 

(URe  <«>noa5  coa&  in  tfie  &%.\zt&  ; 
Shut  tfie   eKprif   raini>    fti^eil    Riffi)  aT^ts. 
pfain<«>, 

ePvnel  tfie  Mat)  elaconeel  in  Rer  e\/e<&  ! 

@ne  eLa^/  <§>Re  came  to  meet  me : 

s^Raff  m^  <$>ouf  ia  tfie  future  <§>a.£/ — 
iJor   aff   m\/  ilream^  of    tfie  Ma^time'& 
6eam^>, 

(it  coai)  onf^/  a  ©yv'inter'^  ila^  ? 


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Vol.  V.— No.  57.     LONDON,  SATURDAY,  DECEMBER  8,  1894.      Price  Twopence. 


REMINISCENCES  OF 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 


A 


BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 

Illustrated   by  W.  Dewar. 


II. 

A  Lucky  Journey. 

PEAKING  of  Messrs.  Stop- 
ford,  Halcroffc,  and  Taylor, 
reminds  me  that,  while  I 
was  in  their  office,  I  was 
lucky  enough  to  be  able  to 
rerider  an  important  service 
to  the  firm,  though,  for 
reasons  which  will  presently 
appear,  the  fact  was  never 
known  to  any  of  the 
partners. 

Old  Mr.  Stopford  had 
been  dead  some  years,  but 
the  title  of  the  firm  remained  unchanged,  because  he  had 
founded  the  business,  and  had  left  a  young  son,  who  was 
supposed  to  be  going  to  succeed  him.  I  doubt  if  he  ever 
would ;  but  the  poor  young  man  Albert  Dewhurst 
Stopford,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  from  the  result 
of  an  accident  in  the  hunting-field,  and  the  important 
question,  therefore,  never  came  to  an  issue.  His  case 
was  one  of  the  many  instances  I  have  known  of  the  son 
■of  a  deceased  partner  being  the  object  of  a  subtle  con- 
spiracy on  the  part  of  the  surviving  members  to  deprive 
him  of  his  rights.  I  suppose  I  ought  not  to  use  the 
word  "  rights,"  because  I  believe  that  the  original 
articles  of  partnership  contained  no  stipulation  about  Mr. 
Albert ;  but  there  can  be  no  question  that  it  was  always  an 
understood  thing  that  the  young  man  should  be  taken 
into  the  firm,  and  the  partners  recognised  this  to  the 
extent  of  giving  him  his  articles.  But  Mr.  Albert  soon 
began  to  find  that  he  had  a  difficult  game  to  play,  for 
Mr.  Halcroft  had  a  son  of  his  coming  on.  Mr.  Taylor 
lived  in  an  extravagant  style,  and  was  by  no  means 
anxious  to  give  up  any  part  of  his  income;  and  both 


were  inclined  to  be  jealous  of  Mr.  Albert,  because  some 
of  the  best  clients  of  the  firm  used  to  make  a  point  of 
seeing  him  when  they  called,  out  of  friendliness  and 
respect  for  his  father's  memory. 

If  Mi".  Albert  had  possessed  tact  and  cleverness,  he 
might  have  made  himself  indispensable,  and  rendered 
his  position  secure.  Unfortunately,  he  was  a  hot- 
headed, impetuous  lad,  with  very  little  natural  aptitude 
for  business,  and  rather  reckless  in  his  methods.  Time 
and  experience  would  have  sobered  him,  and  I  daresay 
that,  had  he  lived,  he  might  have  developed  into  a  very 
good  lawyer,  for  he  was  not  wanting  in  ability,  and  he 
had  plenty  of  spirit  and  energy.  But  he  committed 
startling  blunders,  which  gave  the  principals  just  cause 
of  complaint  against  him,  and  I  could  see  that  the  latter 
were  only  waiting  for  a  legitimate  excuse  to  get  rid  of 
him.  The  clients  were  made  aware,  by  shrugs  and  eye- 
brow lifting,  that  young  Mr.  Albert  was  not  a  Solon; 
he  was  subjected  to  petty  annoyances  in  the  shape  of 
humiliating  and  irritating  supervision  ;  and,  in  short,  no 
opportunity  was  lost  of  causing  him  disgust  and  annoy- 
ance, in  the  hope,  no  doubt,  that  he  would  throw  up  his 
post  and  leave  of  his  own  accord. 

Mr.  Albert  was  very  popular  with  the  clerks  in  the 
outer  office;  a  more  genial,  frank,  kind-hearted  young 
fellow  never  lived.  Seeing  very  clearly  what  was  going 
forward,  my  colleagues  and  I — and  especially  those  who 
had  served  in  his  father's  time — used  to  do  our  best  to 
assist  him.  Many  a  client  did  we  inveigle  into  his 
room,  and  many  a  scrape  did  we  help  him  out  of.  I  am 
afraid  that  this  partisanship  was  not  conducive  to  tha 
best  interests  of  the  firm;  but  the  jealousy  of  Mr. 
Halcroft  and  Mr.  Taylor  was  so  manifestly  ungenerous, 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  for  the  clerks  to  remain 
neutral. 

Mr.  Albert  occupied  his  father's  old  room,  which  was 
situate  on  the  ground  floor,  and  my  desk  was  in  a  kind 
of  lobby  or  passage  between  this  room  and  the  clerks' 
office.  He  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  work  of  my  de- 
partment, but,  by  reason  of  our  proximity,  I  saw  a  good 
deal  of  the  young  man,  and,  in  an  informal  way,  I  acted 
as  his  confidential  assistant  and  adviser. 

One  day,  after  a  busy  morning  up  at  Chambers,  I  was 


Copyright,  1894,  by  Herbert  Keen, 


130 


December  8,  1834. 


standing  with  my  back  to  my  desk,  smoothing  my  hair 
in  front  of  a  little  hand-glass  on  the  wall,  before  settling 
down  to  work,  when  a  tall,  stout,  elderly  gentleman 
came  out  of  Mr.  Albert's  room,  and  passed  quickly 
through  mine  into  the  clerks'  outer  office.  Without 
turning  round,  I  caught  sight  of  his  face  in  the  mirror, 
and  detected  upon  it  an  extraordinary  expression  of 
mingled  cunning  and  jubilation,  as  he  closed  Mr.  Albert's 
door  behi. i.i  him.    He  noticed  me  the  next  moment, 
composed  his 
features   in  an 
instant,  and 
hurried  past,  be- 
fore I  had  time 
to  confront  him. 
He     was  a 
stranger  to  me, 
and  I  wondered 
who  he  was,  as  I 
listened  to  his 
retreating  foot, 
steps,  and  heard 
him  issue  forth 
into  the  passage 
leading  into  the 
street.  Hemight 
have   been  a 
prosperous 
country  gentle- 
man,   from  his 
appearance  and 
attire,    for  he 
was  portly  and 
grey  haired,  with 
a    large,  red, 
clean  -  shave  n 
face,    and  was 
dressed  in  a  suit 
of  dark  tweed  of 
sober  cut.  He 
carried    a  soft 
felt  hat  in  one 
hand,     and  a 
malacca  cane, 
with  a  massive 
gold  top,  in 
the  other,  and 

wore  driving  gloves  of  dog-skin,  or  some  similar 
material. 

I  should  not  have  noticed  anything  remarkable  about 
him  if  I  had  not  been  struck  by  that  look  of  elation 
when  he  thought  he  was  unobserved,  and  the  quick 
change  which  came  over  him  as  soon  as  he  saw  me.  I 
make  no  pretensions  to  being  a  judge  of  character  from 
physiognomy,  than  which  there  is  no  pursuit  more  mis- 
leading, but  I  had  gained  a  bad  impression  of  the  strangei 
ja  the  momentary  glance  I  had  had  of  him,  and  I  concluded 
with  uneasiness  that  he  had  got  the  best  of  his  transac- 
tion with  Mr.  Albert,  whatever  it  might  have  been. 
While  I  was  meditating  whether  it  was  worth  while  to 
acquaint  Mr.  Albert  with  my  mistrust,  I  heard  his 
voice  calling  to  me  from  his  room,  and,  before  I  could 
respond,  he  came  out. 

"  Millicent,"  he  said,  brushing  his  hat  with  his  coat- 
sleeve  it-  a  hurried  manner,  "just  take  that  box  from  my 
table  into  the  strong-room  again,  some  time  to-day.  Tell 
Mr.  Halcroft,  or  anyone  who  inquires  for  me,  that  I 


I  ASKED  HIM  WHETHER  HE  KNEW  SIP.  BItAMLEY  TOPE 


shall  not  be  back  to-day.  I'm  off  to  a  garden  party  in 
the  country." 

"  Who  was  the  gentleman  who  was  with  you  just  now, 
Mr.  Albert  1 "  I  inquired,  as  he  moved  away. 

"  An  old  client  of  my  father's,"  he  replied,  half  over 
his  shoulder.    "  Sir  Bramley  Pope,  of  Starlinghurst." 
"  I  never  saw  him  before,"  I  remarked,  carelessly. 
"Nor  I.    He  hasn't  been  here  since  my  father  died. 
He  asked  especially  for  me.    You  can  tell  Mr.  Halcroft 

that  if  he  in- 
quire  s,"  h  e 
added,  with  a 
laugh. 

"  Very  well, 
sir.  Will  you 
leave  any 
address,  in  case 
you  are  wanted?" 

I  little  fore- 
saw, at  the  time, 
the  importance 
of  my  question, 
which  I  put 
merely  as  a 
matter  of  form, 
and  unfortu- 
nately Mr. 
Albert  did  not 
respond  to  it. 
H  e  murmured 
something  about 
having  to  catch 
a  train,  and  was 
out  of  the  office 
and  rushing  into 
the  street  before 
I  could  say  any- 
thing more. 

Hcvever,  I 
was  assured  at 
hearing  who  the 
stranger  was, 
and  thought  nr~ 
more  about  him 
until  a  couple  of 
hours  later, 
when    I  went 

into  Mr.  Albert's  room  to  fetch  the  box.  It  was 
a  tin  box  with  the  name  of  "Lord  Luxingford, 
deceased,"  painted  on  it  in  white  letters,  and  it 
stood  on  the  blotting-pad  in  front  of  Mr.  Albert's  chair, 
showing  that  it  had  recently  been  opened.  While  I  was 
in  the  act  of  carrying  it  away,  my  eye  fell  upon  a  letter 
on  foreign  notepaper,  which  was  lying  close  beside  it 
and  I  read  idly  as  follows :  — 
"  My  dear  Pope, 

"  Re  Luxingford's  estate,  I  think  you  are  right. 
Things  in  these  parts  look  very  queer.  I  agree  that 
the  bonds  should  be  sold,  and  at  once.  Our  holding 
is  much  too  large,  considering  that  it  is  doubtful  whether 
we  have  power  to  hold  them  at  all.  It  is  no  good  trying 
to  satisfy  Lady  L.  Go  to  the  banker's  and  get  the  bonds 
and  dispose  of  them  immediately.  Stopford,  Halcroft 
and  Taylor  have  the  key  of  the  box  at  Bartle's.  This 
letter  will  serve  as  my  authority  to  them  to  hand  you  the 
key,  and  if  necessary  you  can  get  them  to  g.ve  you  a  note 
to  the  bank.   Buy  English  Railway  Debentures.   I  won't 


December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


131 


be  bothered  any  more  for  the  sake  of  high  interest, 
besides  which  " 

I  did  not  trouble  to  turn  over  the  page ;  some  loose 
sheets  of  the  firm's  notepaper  lay  on  Mr.  Albert's  desk, 
and  it  was  easy  to  guess  that  he  had  handed  to  Sir  Bramley 
the  key,  taken  from  the  tin  box,  together  with  a  letter 
of  introduction  to  Bartle's  Bank. 

I  was  puzzled,  because  I  was  haunted  by  that  extra- 
ordinary look  on  Sir  Bramley's  face,  and  with  my  mind 
a  little  disturbed  I  carried  the  box  down  into  the  strong- 
room, and  restored  it  to  its  place. 

It  was  the  duty  of  the  clerks,  whenever  they  had  oc- 
casion to  go  to  the  strong-room,  to  make  application 
to  old  Mr.  Coles,  who  kept  the  keys  during  office  hours. 
Mr.  Coles  was  a  quaint  old  gentleman  who,  in  his  day, 
had  been  general  manager  of  the  office,  but  he  was  now 
nearlv  eighty  years  of  age  and  past  ordinary  work.  He 
was  a  kind  of  pensioner  of  the  firm's,  but  he  was  by  no 
means  a  useless  incumbrance,  for,  in  addition  to  being 
the  custodian  of  the  strong-room  keys,  and  the  keeper  of 
the  petty  cash,  he  had  a  wonderful  knack  of  being  able 
to  lay  his  hand  upon  old  papers,  relating  to  matters 
quite  out  of  date,  which  occasionally  had  to  be  referred 
to.  His  memory,  in  short,  was  extremely  valuable,  and 
the  old  man  was  not  a  little  proud  of  it.  Unfortunately 
he  was  getting  blind,  his  physical  infirmities  were  in- 
creasing, and  he  dozed  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
time  away  in  an  ancient  high-backed  armchair,  behind 
a  glass-panelled  partition  in  a  corner  of  the  outer 
office. 

When  I  returned  to  Mr.  Coles  the  key  of  the  strong- 
room, I  inquired'  of  him  whether  he  knew  Sir  Bramley 
Pope. 

"  To  be  sure  !"  he  replied  briskly,  "  and  his  father  before 
him.  Starlinghurst  is  the  name  of  his  property,  some- 
where down  in  Norfolk.  I  remember  five-and-forty 
years  ago  when  the  railway  in  those  parts  was  first  pro- 
jected, the  late  baronet — not  this  young  one — always 
declared  " 

The  old  fellow  was  launching  forth  in  his  customary 
manner  upon  some  interminable  story  of  byegone  days 
when  I  interrupted  him  by  saying — 

"Did  he  speak  to  you  this  morning?" 

"Who?    Sir  Bramley !    Has  he  been  here?" 

"Yes.  He  passed  out  a  moment  before  Mr.  Albert," 
I  replied,  rather  maliciously,  for  I  suspected  that  Mr. 
Coles  had  been  dozing. 

"  That  was  a  tall,  stout,  elderly  man  in  a  grey  suit," 
said  Mr.  Coles,  sharply. 

"That  was  Sir  Bramley." 

"  Dear  me  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Coles,  pushing  his  spec- 
tacles up  to  his  forehead,  and  looking  disconcerted,  "you 
don't  say  so  !  The  truth  is,  I — I  didn't  recognise  him. 
He  has  grown  much  stouter — and*  taller  !  Pooh  !  That 
can't  have  been  Sir  Bramley." 

"  Simmons,"  I  called  out  to  the  lad  who  sat  at  the 
"  inquiry  "  desk,  by  the  entrance  door.  "  Who  was  the 
gentleman  who  went  out  just  before  Mr.  Albert  this 
morning  1 " 

"Somebody  from  Sir  Bramley  Pope,"  was  the 
answer. 

"  From  Sir  Bramley  Pope — not  Sir  Bramley  himself  1 " 
I  exclaimed,  quickly. 

"He  said  'from'  when  he  mentioned  the  name,  I'm 
Bure,"  returned'  the  lad.  "I  asked  him  who  he  wished 
to  see,  and  he  said  Mr.  Stopford." 


"  Ha,  ha !"  cackled  old  Mr.  Coles,  enjoying  my  dis- 
comfiture. "  I  knew  I  was  right.  If  it  had  been  Sir 
Bramley,  I  should  have  recognised  him.  Ihis  party  wa3 
much  bigger  and  stouter  than  he." 

"  Mr.  Coles,"  I  said,  shutting  the  door  of  his  little 
compartment,  and  lowering  my  voice,  "  I'm  afraid  there 
has  been  a  misunderstanding.  Mr.  Albert  thought  it 
was  the  baronet,  he  told'  me  so.  Good  Heavens !  He 
has  given  him  the  key  of  the  box  at  the  bank,"  I  added, 
starting  to  my  feet. 

"  Eh  1  Eh  ]  What  box  1 "  exclaimed  Mr.  Coles,  alert 
in  an  instant. 

I  told  him  what  had  happened  in  a  few  words,  and 
with  growing  excitement,  for  the  conviction  was  forcing 
itself  upon  my  mind  that  Mr.  Albert  had  fallen  a  victim 
to  his  dangerous  habit  of  jumping  at  conclusions.  He 
had  probably  disregarded  what  the  clerk  had  said  when 
handing  him  Sir  Bramley's  card,  and  had  greeted  the 
stranger  as  his  father's  old  client.  The  latter  had, 
apparently,  profited  by  the  mistake  to  obtain  possession 
of  the  key  for  his  own  purposes,  and,  if  this  was  so,  it 
followed  that  a  fraud  had  been  committed. 

Mr.  Coles  was  scandalised  at  the  suggestion  of  such 
carelessness  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Albert,  but  he  knew  him 
well  enough  to  feel  startled  by  the  story.  When,  how- 
ever, we  had  visited  Mr.  Albert's  room  together,  and 
had  carefully  read  over  the  letter  lying  upon  his  desk, 
he  began  to  grow  seriously  alarmed. 

"  Mr.  Albert  must  be  told  of  this  directly  he  comes 
back,"  he  said. 

''  He  has  left  for  the  day,"  I  replied,  "  and  I  don't  know 
where  he  has  gone." 

"  Dear  me !  Dear  me  ! "  he  exclaimed,  growing  agi- 
tated. "  I  expect  it  is  all  right,  you  know,  but  something 
should  be  done.    I  will  speak  to  Mr.  Halcroft. 

"  It  would  be  awkward  for  Mr.  Albert  if  he  has  been 
swindled,"  I  replied.  "  You  would  get  him  into  a 
row. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Coles,  quickly.  "  I  was  forget- 
ting, Mr.  Halcroft  mustn't  know.  It  would  be  the 
ruin  of  Mr.  Albert.  You  are  right,  Mr.  Millicent.  We 
must  keep  this  to  ourselves.  But — but  some  steps 
should  be  taken  at  once,  before  it  is  too  late,"  he  added, 
helplessly. 

"  I  will  go  to  Bartle's  Bank,"  I  said,  after  a  moment's 
reflection ;  "  perhaps  it  is  a  false  alarm,  and  Mr.  Albert 
never  gave  him  the  key.  There  would  be  no  harm  in 
telling  them  there  has  been  a  mistake,  and  asking 
them  not  to  give  anyone  access  to  the  box  till  to- 
morrow." 

Mr.  Coles  gave  me  authority  to  do  this,  though  not 
without  considerable  reluctance.  He  was  endeavouring 
to  persuade  himself  that  there  had  been  no  mistake,  in 
which  case  our  interference  would  have  been  impertinent. 
But  my  own  conviction  to  the  contrary  was  so  strong, 
that  the  old  gentleman  finally  yielded  to  my  urgent  re- 
presentations, and  I  started  off  to  the  bank  with  instruc- 
tions to  be  as  reticent  as  possible  as  to  the  motive  of  my 
visit. 

I  took  one  of  my  firm's  cards  with  me,  and,  presenting 
it  at  the  bank,  requested  to  see  the  manager.  Bartle's 
was  an  old-fashioned,  private  establishment,  which  has 
since  been  absorbed  in  some  big  joint  stock  concern; 
in  those  days  it  was  carried  on  in  a  modest  house  in  the 
West-end,  in  a  sleepy,  slow-going  way.  The  manager 
was  absent,  but  one  of  the  senior  clerks  came  forward 
and  requested  to  know  my  business. 

"  My  firm  gave  a  letter  to  a  client  to-day  to  enable 


132 


TO-DAY. 


December  8,  1894. 


him  to  obtain  access  to  a  box  of  securities  belonging  to 
the  trustees  of  Lord  Luxingford,"  I  said,  cautiously. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  equally  cautious  reply. 

"  It  was  a  question  of  the  sale  of  some  bonds,"  I  pro- 
ceeded, racking  my  brains  for  some  plausible  excuse  for 
my  inquiry.  "We  gave  our  client  some  information 
which  turns  out  to  be  incorrect.  Will  you  be  good 
enough  not  to  act  upon  our  letter,  when  it  is  presented, 
until  we  communicate  with  you  again  1 " 

"What  is  your  client's  name?"  inquired  the  clerk, 
preparing  to  take1  a  note  of  it. 

"  Sir  Bramley  Pope  " 

"Oh!"  he  said,  pausing  with  his  pen  poised.  "He 


"haven't  you  heard?" 


has  been  here,  I  think.  He  came  this  morning.  Wait 
a  minute,  and  I  will  inquire. 

The  clerk  disappeared  into  an  inner  room,  leaving 
me  more  startled  than  surprised.  I  had  anticipated 
the  possibility  of  being  too  late ;  but,  for  that  matter,  if 
the  stranger  really  had  been  Sir  Bramley  Pope  himself, 
he  would,  no  doubt,  have  proceeded  directly  to  the  bank 
from  our  office.  But  it  was  still  more  certain  that,  if 
he  was  not  Sir  Bramley  Pope,  he  would  have  lost  no  time 
in  obtaining  possession  of  the  securities,  lest  Mr.  Albert 
should  by  chance  have  discovered  his  mistake. 

"Sir  Bramley  Pope  called  about  an  hour  ago,"  said 
the  clerk,  returning  with  an  open  letter  in  his  hand,  in 
which  I  recognised  Mr.  Albert's  writing. 

"  He  has  been  to  the  box,  then.  Did  he  take  any- 
thing away  with  him  ? "  I  inquired,  anxiously. 

"  Yes.    He  took  some  bonds,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Is  Sir  Bramley  known  here? "  I  asked,  with  assumed 
carelessness. 

"  No.  He  sent  in  his  card,  and  produced  this  letter. 
Is  there  anything  wrong?"  inquired  the  clerk,  sus- 
piciously. 

"  Oh,  no ! "  I  answered,  reflecting  that  there  was  no 
object  in  raising  an  alarm  at  present.  "  Sir  Bramley 
is  a  tall,  clean-shaven  gentleman,  with  grey  hair,  and 
was  dressed  in  a  tweed  suit  and  a  felt  hat." 


"  That  is  the  description,"  replied  ths  clerk,  evidently 
relieved. 

I  requested,  by  way  of  keeping  up  the  fiction  which  I 
had  invented,  that,  if  Sir  Bramley  called  again,  he  should 
be  referred  back  to  my  firm,  and  I  then  left  the  bank, 
by  no  means  certain  what  to  do  next. 

But  I  soon  made  up  my  mind  that  the  only  available 
plan  was  for  me  to  go  down  at  once  to  the  country,  and 
find  out  whether  Sir  Bramley  had  come  up  to  London. 
By  this  means  I  could  obtain  a  reliable  description  of 
his  personal  appearance,  and,  if  it  turned  out  that  my 
suspicions  were  groundless,  I  should  have  done  no  harm 
beyond  absenting  myself  from  the  office  for  a  few  hours 
without  leave. 

In  these  days  I  suppose  I  could  have  satisfied  myself 
by  sending  a  telegram  ;  but,  at  the  time  I  am  speaking 
of,  ths  telegraphic  service  was  by  no  means  universally 
established  in  rural  districts.  Moreover,  I  was  only 
vaguely  aware  of  the  position  of  Sir  Bramley's  property, 
and,  above  all,  I  did  not  wish,  for  Mr.  Albert's  sake,  to 
make  an  unnecessary  fuss.  I  therefore  started  by  the 
next  train  to  Norwich,  and  there  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
discovering  that  the  station  for  Starlinghurst  was  at  a 
little  place  called  Swanleigh,  on  the  branch  line  to  Yar- 
mouth. 

When  I  reached  Swanleigh,  it  occurred  to  me  to 
inquired  of  the  ticket  collector  there  if  he  had  seen  the 
baronet  that  day. 

"  Not  likely,"  was  the  reply,  with  a  stare  of  astonish- 
mont  at  the  question.    "  Haven't  you  heard?" 

"What?"!  inquired,  with  uncontrollable  excitement. 

"  Sir  Bramley  has  had  a  stroke.  They  say  he  won't 
recover." 

"  When  was  that  ? "  I  asked. 

"  A  month  ago  and  more.  He  is  helpless  as  a  child, 
I  hear." 

"Is  he  sensible?" 

"  Oh,  yes  !    He  is  right  enough  in  his  head." 
"  Who  transacts  his  business  ? "  I  next  asked. 
"His  agent,  Mr.  Marchant.    You  just  passed  him. 
He  entered  the  carriage  you  got  out  of." 
"A  little  dark  gentleman,  with  a  beard?" 
"  That's  him." 

The  porter  was  staring  at  me  with  such  evident 
curiosity  that  I  deemed  it  prudent  to  terminate  our 
conversation,  which  I  did  by  thanking  him,  and  in- 
quiring the  way  to  Starlinghurst.  It  was  only  two 
miles  distant,  and,  having  ascertained  the  route,  I  started 
off  to  walk  there,  but  without  any  definite  intention  of 
calling.  In  truth,  I  was  puzzled  how  to  act,  even  though 
it  now  seemed  obvious  that  the  bonds  had  been  obtained 
by  fraud.  The  reason  I  had  inquired  who  transacted 
the  baronet's  business  was  because  Mr.  Coles  had  sug- 
gested that  perhaps  Sir  Bramley  had  authorised  someone 
to  represent  him.  But  ids  agent,  Mr.  Marchant,  whom  I 
happened  to  see  as  above  mentioned,  bore  no  resem- 
blance whatever  to  the  individual  who  had  called  at  tho 
office  in  the  morning,  and,  for  the  rest,  it  seemed 
improbable  that  Sir  Bramley  would  have  entrusted  such 
a  matter  to  anyone  without  a  written  authority. 

It  was  evident  that  the  police  should  be  communicated 
with  at  once,  but  I  did  not  like  to  take  upon  myself  to 
do  this  without  Mr.  Albert's  knowledge  or  authority. 
Besides,  I  did  not  know  the  value  of  the  missing  bonds 
or  their  description,  and  I  concluded  that  my  best  plan 
was  to  go  to  Starlinghurst  and  obtain  these  particulars 
from  the  baronet.  He,  or  someone  about  him,  might 
also  be  able  to  furnish  some  clue  to  the  identity  of  th© 


December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


133 


thief,  and,  as  there  was  no  train  back  to  Norwich  for 
nearly  two  hours,  I  should  lose  no  time  by  going  up  to 
the  house. 

I  therefore  hastened  there  with  all  speed,  convinced 
that  I  was  acting  rightly,  but  depressed  by  the  thought 
that  my  errand  might  have  serious  consequences  for 
Mr.  '  Ibert  if,  as  seemed  now  inevitable,  the  affair  came 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  principals.  It  was  this  mis- 
giving which 
was  uppermost 
in  my  mind 
when  I  rang  the 
bell  at  Starling- 
hurst  Hall,  and 
it  entirely  in- 
fluenced me  in 
the  rather  start- 
ling denouement 
that  ensued. 

Had  I  been 
less  agitated  and 
upset  I  should 
have  gazed 
around  me  in 
wonder  and  ad- 
miration at  the 
stately  mediaeval 
mansion,  with 
its  beautiful 
park  and 
grounds,  which 
formed  the  home 
of  the  afflicted 
Sir  Bramley. 
But  I  was  too 
much  preoccu- 
pied to  think  of 
anything  but 
the  serious 
scrape  Mr. 
Albert  had  got 
into,  and,  while 
I  was  meditat  ing 
how  to  relate  the 
facts  without  re- 
vealing any  lack 
of  sagacity  on 
the  part  of  the 
young  man  I  be- 
came conscious 

that  the  massive  hall  door  had  been  quietly  opened 
behind  me. 

"I  wish  to  see  Sir  Bramley  Pope,"  I  said,  turning 
round. 

"  Sir  Bramley  is  too  ill  to  see  anyone,"  replied  a 
solemn  voice. 

The  speaker  was  apparently  the  butler,  judging  from 
his  pompous  manner  and  his  decorous  suit  of  black,  with 
shirt  front  and  swallow  tails ;  but  my  surprise  may  be 
imagined  when  I  instantly  recognised  the  portly  figure, 
the  red,  clean-shaven  face,  and  the  respectable  grey 
hair  of  the  mysterious  individual  whom  I  had  seen  at 
the  office  in  the  morning  ! 

For  a  moment  I  was  too  much  startled  and  astonished 
to  speak,  while  the  butler,  mistaking  my  silence,  re- 
peated that  his  master  was  too  ill  to  see  anyone. 

"He  was  well  enough   to   come  up  to   town  this 


"what  do  you  want  with 


morning,"  I  said,  in  a  low  voice,  looking  him  straight,  in 
the  face. 

The  man  started  as  though  he  had  been  shot,  and  the 
ruddy  colour  deserted  his  fat  cheeks  in  patches.  He 
stared  at  me  in  speechless  discomfiture,  though  it  was 
evident  that  he  failed  to  recognise  me. 
"What  do  you  mean?"  he  said,  hoarsely. 
"  Can  I  speak  to  you?"  I  said,  stepping  briskly  inside 

the  hall.  "I 
have  come  from 
Messrs.  Stop- 
ford,  Halcroft 
and  Taylor,  of 
Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields." 

He  seemed  a 
trifle  relieved  to 
hear  this — prob- 
ably he  had 
feared  I  was  a 
police  officer — 
and,  without 
another  word, 
he  closed  the 
hall  door,  and 
led  the  way 
across  the  broad 
hall,  with 
fine  oak  stair- 
case and  gal- 
leries, into  a 
small  room  at 
the  back  of  the 
house,  which, 
from  its  con- 
tents, was  evi- 
dently the  gun 
room.  As  he 
closed  the  door, 
and  confronted 
me,  he  made  a 
blustering  at- 
tempt to  recover 
his  assurance. 

"Whatdoyou 
want  with  me, 
young  man  1 '  he 
said,  boister- 
ously. 

"  You  came 

to  our  place  this  morning,  and,  by  representing  yourself 
as  your  master,  you  obtained  possession  of  some 
securities,"  I  replied. 

"  It  is  a  lie,"  he  said,  hotly.  "  I  have  never  left  here 
all  day." 

"  I  saw  you  myself  coming  out  of  young  Mr.  Stopford's 
room.  I  have  traced  your  movements  since.  It  is  no 
use  denying  anything,"  I  replied,  with  firmness. 

"  I  was  sent  by  Sir  Bramley,"  he  said,  overwhelmed 
with  confusion.    "  I  have  given  the  bonds  to  him." 

"  That  is  what  I  came  to  assure  myself  of,"  I  returned, 
keeping  ray  eye  upon  him,  and  observing  that  his  brow 
was  moist  with  perspiration. 

"Who  sent  you?"  he  inquired,  more  calmly,  after  a 
pretty  long  silence. 

"  Nobody,"  I  answered,  fancying  from  his  manner  that 
I  saw  the  drift  of  the  question. 


134 


TO-DAY. 


Pecemeer  8,  1894. 


"  What  is  your  game,  then  1 "  he  asked,  dropping  his 
voice,  and  eyeing  me  with  a  look  of  cunning. 
"  Halves !" 

"  Eh  ? "  he  exclaimed,  starting. 

"  I'm  the  only  one  that  knows.  What  is  more,  you 
can't  get  rid  of  the  bonds  without  me.  I  can  dispose 
of  them  at  an  hour's  notice.  Now,  which  is  it  to  be? 
Am  I  to  refuse  to  leave  here  till  I  have  told  everything 
to  Sir  Bramley  or  one  of  the  family,  or  can  we  manage 
the  business  quietly  and  profitably  between  us  1 " 

My  heart  beat  tumultuously  while  I  made  this  out- 
rageous proposition,  but  I  thought  I  saw  my  way,  by  a 
little  dissimulation,  to  obtain  possession  of  the  bonds 
without  making  a  scandal.  My  eagerness  must  have 
been  apparent,  but  it  passed  very  well  for  a  symptom  of 
eelf-interested  sincerity. 

"You  are  a  cool  young  fish,"  he  replied,  with  a  low 
laugh,  after  a  moment's  consideration.  "  It  is  true  I 
haven't  given  the  bonds  to  Sir  Bramley  yet." 

"  You  surely  wouldn't  be  such  a  fool,"  I  said,  knowing 
full  well  that  he  had  never  meant  to.  "  You  are  leaving 
here,  I  suppose?" 

"  To-morrow  night,"  he  answered.  "  I've  just  given 
notice.  Urgent  private  affairs,"  he  added,  with  a  slow 
wink. 

"  Can  you  meet  me  at  Euston  in  time  to  catch  the 
nine  o'clock  mail  for  Liverpool,  to-morrow  evening  1 "  I 
said,  in  a  business-like  way. 

"Yes." 

"  I  will  bring  cash.  We  can  go  straight  away  to  New 
York." 

"  Halves  is  too  much,"  he  said,  in  an  agitated  tone. 

"  It  is  that  or  nothing,"  I  replied  decisively.  "  What 
are  we  wasting  time  for?  You  can't  do  without  me. 
I've  the  whip  hand  of  you  at  present.  I'm  innocent, 
you're  guilty     I've  only  to  ring  the  bell  " 

"Stop  that!"  he  cried,  as  I  made  a  movement  as 
though  I  intended  doing  so.  "  You  are  too  clever  for  me. 
I'll  consider.    You  wait  here." 

He  walked  slowly  and  deliberately  to  the  door  as  he 
spoke,  keeping  his  dull  eyes  fixed  upon  me  with  a  sulky 
air  of  indecision.  When  he  had  quitted'  the  room  I  had 
a  moment  of  uneasiness  lest  he  should  frustrate  my 
scheme  by  going  straight  to  Sir  Bramley.  Of  course, 
this  would  have  been  satisfactory  in  one  sense,  for  my 
main  purpose  was  to  secure  the  safety  of  the  bonds.  But 
I  was  hardly  less  anxious,  for  Mr.  Albert's  sake,  to  hush 
up  the  whole  affair,  and  I  felt  no  scruple  about  playing 
a  tempter's  part  because  I  entertained  no  doubt  that  the 
rascal  had  all  along  intended  to  be  dishonest,  though  I 
was  puzzled  to  account  for  his  having  returned  to  his 
master's  house,  instead  of  making  off  with  his  booty. 

He  was  absent  for  quite  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  I 
concluded  that  he  was  taking  time  to  think  over  the 
position.  When  he  returned,  he  had  recovered  his  as- 
surance, and  I  was  pleased  to  observe  that  he  carried  in 
his  hands  a  bulky  parcel  done  up  in  a  newspaper. 

"  Here  are  the  bonds,  but  I  don't  know  why  I  should 
part  with  them  to  you,"  he  said,  placing  the  bundle  on 
the  table,  but  retaining  his  hold  of  it. 

"  You  managed  the  job  cleverly,"  I  remarked,  by  way 
of  flattering  the  rascal. 

"  It  was  a  sudden  idea,"  he  replied,  with  a  self-satisfied 
grin.  "I  was  sent  up  to  town  by  the  guv'nor,  and  on 
the  journey  I  found  a  letter  in  my  pocket  which  I  had 
forgotten  to  give  him.  I  opened  it  just  out  of  curiosity, 
and  it  set  me  thinking.    I'd  heard  the  guv'nor  say  lie 


didn't  know  young  Mr,  Stopford,  so  thinka  I  to  myself, 
'By  J ove !  I'll  present  the  letter,  and  see  if  I  can  get  hold 
of  the  bonds.'  The  young  man  mistook  me  for  the 
guv'nor,  and  if  I  hadn't  had  to  come  back  here  for  my 
things  " 

"You've  done  the  trick,  and!  no  mistake,"  I  inter- 
rupted impatiently.  "  But  it's  no  good  chattering 
about  it  now.    Give  me  the  bonds  and  let  me  be  off." 

"  No,  you  don't  I"  he  exclaimed,  pushing  me  aside, 
a3  I  attempted  to  take  possession  of  the  parcel.  "  That 
is  the  part  of  the  business  I  d'on't  like.  How  do  I  know 
you'll  act  square?  Where  is  the  hurry?  Help  me  to 
get  rid  of  the  bonds,  and  I'll  share  with  you,  as  you  know 
too  much,  but  I'd  be  a  fool  to  hand  'em  over  to  you." 

His  objection  was  certainly  reasonable,  and  for  me  to 
threaten  to  raise  an  alarm  unless  he  gave  me  the  parcel 
would  be  foolish  and  futile  on  the  part  of  a  pretended 
confederate.  While  I  was  wondering  what  excuse  I  could 
urge  for  carrying  off  the  precious  parcel,  we  were  both 
of  us  startled  by  a  light  footstep  and  the  rustle  of  a 
woman's  dress  just  outside  the  door. 

"  Bates,"  said  a  lady's  voice,  "  where  are  you  ? " 

With  a  guilty  start,  my  companion  opened  the  door4 
but  contrived  to  place  himself  in  front  of  the  parcel. 
From  my  position  I  was  not  visible  from  outside,  as  the 
door  opened,  and  the  butler,  evidently,  did  not  intend 
to  admit  anyone  if  he  could  help  it. 

"  What  are  you  doing  in  here  ? "  inquired  the  lady, 
severely. 

"  I — I  was  speaking  to  my  cousin,  Miss  Agnes,"  re- 
plied the  butler,  very  much  abashed. 

"  This  is  not  a  room  to  receive  your  friends  in,"  re- 
marked the  lady.  "  My  father  is  very  displeased  at  your 
requiring  to  leave  so  suddenly.  What  is  the  meaning 
of  it?" 

"  I  explained  to  Sir  Bramley,"  replied  the  butler,  in- 
solently. 

"  Your  explanation  is  quite  unsatisfactory,  and  my 
father  doesn't  think  he  can  let  you  go  to-morrow.  Stand 
aside,  please,  and  allow  me  to  pass,"  added  the  lady  in 
a  peremptory  tone. 

The  butler  stepped  back,  half  involuntarily,  and  a 
ladv  walked  into  the  room.    She  was  middle-a^ed  and 

*■'  O 

severe- looking,  ana'  I  could  see  very  plainly  from  her 
manner  that  she  regarded  my  companion  with  con- 
siderable suspicion.  The  lady  stared  haughtily  at  me, 
and  I  felt  impelled  to  excuse  myself. 

"Beg  pardon,  Miss,  for  intruding,"  I  said  respect- 
fully. "  I  came  over  from  Norwich  to  speak  to  my 
cousin.  I  have  said  what  I  had  to  say,  and  with  your 
permission  I  will  now  ieave." 

With  these  words  I  took  up  my  hat,  and  at  the  same 
time  I  lifted  the  parcel  from  the  table  with  all  :he  as- 
surance I  could  muster,  and  quietly  put  it  under  my  arm, 
as  though  I  were  merely  carrying  away  my  own  pro- 
perty. I  did  this  from  a  sort  of  inspiration  on  the  spur 
of  the  moment,  and  the  suddenness  of  the  manocuvro 
rendered  it  completely  successful.  The  butler  gave  a 
start,  but  restrained  himself  and  said  nothing,  while 
Miss  Pope,  though  she  looked  pointedly  at  the  parcel, 
did  not  feel  justified,  I  suppose,  in  asking  any  qucslions. 
I  walked  straight  out  of  the  room  ami  out  of  the  house, 
looking  neither  to  right  nor  left,  and  hardly  realising 
my  extraordinary  good  fortune.  Each  moment  T  ex- 
pected to  hear  Bates'  footsteps  in  hot  pursuit,  but  I 
suppose  he  was  held  in  eonversa'.ioii  by  Miss  Pope,  and  I 
certainly  did  not  allow  the  ijrass  to  grow  under  my  feet. 


December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY, 


135 


il  did  the  journey  back  to  the  station  in  -what  was  pro* 
oably  the  shortest  time  on  record,  pausing  only  to  hur- 
riedly open  the  parcel  as  soon  as  I  could  do  so  unobserved 
to  allay  a  passing  qualm  that  I  might  have  been  de- 
ceived as  to  its  contents,  and  catshm:;  the  train  to  Nor* 
wich  with  barely  a  minute  to  »pare,  I  readied  London  in 
safety. 


The  bonds,  which,  by-the-bye,  were  worth  nearly 
£7,000,  were  quietly  put  back  in  the  box  at  Bartle's 
next  day  by  Mr.  Albert  himself,  who  rewarded  me  very 
handsomely  for  my  lucky  interference.  The  affair  was 
kept  a  dead  secret  between  him  and  Mr.  Coles 
and  me,  and  this  is  the  first  time  that  it 
"lias    ever    been    divulged.     I    duly    kept   my  ap- 


pointment with  Mr.  Bates  the  following  even- 
ing at  Euston  Station,  but  as  I  was  accompanied  by  a 
Police  Inspector  in  uniform,  he  bolted  precipitately 
the  instant  he  caught  sight  of  me,  and  I  never  saw  him 
afterwards.  This  was  only  a  ruse  designed  to  convey  a 
wholesome  shock  to  the  rascal's  nervous  system,  for  the 
Police  Inspector  was  an  acquaintance  of  mine,  who  had 
no  idea  why  I  so  urgently  requested  him  to  accompany 
me  for  a  stroll  to  the  L.  &  N.  W.  terminus  on  that  occa- 
sion. It  was  a  thousand  pities  that,  owing  to  circum- 
stances, Mr.  Bates  escaped  punishment  for  his  impudent 
fraud ;  but  he  was  prosecuted  and  convicted  by  Sir 
Bramley  for  vulgar  thefts  discovered  after  he  left  Star- 
linghurst,  and  with  characteristic  modesty  he  refrained 
from  avowing  the  much  more  ingenious  attempt  which 
luckily  did  not  meet  with  the  success  it  deserved. 


A   CHRISTMAS  PRESENT 
ASSURANCE  COMPANY. 

BY 

C.  H.  GRINLING. 

Illustrated  by  Ernest  Goodwin. 


I  was  so  worn  out  when  I  got  home  on  the  Saturday 
'before  Christmas  Day,  that  I  was  obliged  to  go  straight 
•off  to  bed.  You  see,  I  had  been  out  shopping  all  day, 
buying  Xmas  presents.  It  is  an  old  custom  in  our 
family  always  to  give  every  member  a  present  at  Xmas 
time.  It  is  not  the  price  of  the  gift  we  value  so  much  as 
the  affectionate  spirit  which  it  shows.  And  yet  for  all 
that  we  are — every  one  of  us — always  more  "touchy" 
after  our  Xmas  shopping  than  at  any  other  time  in  the 
year. 

Indeed,  it  was  to  escape  from  the  general  irritation 
just  as  much  as  from  over-fatigue  that  I  was  glad  to  get 
off  to  bed  early  that  evening.  I  fell  asleep  directly  I 
got  between  the  blankets,  and  presently  I  dreamed  the 
most  extraordinary  dream. 

In  the  first  place,  I  dreamed  that  I  was  an  old  and 
valued  contributor  to  the  public  Press,  a  sufficiently 
wild  idea,  considering  that  I  have  at  home  a  large  box 
full  of  manuscripts  returned  with  "  The  Editor's  com- 
pliments and  regrets."  Then  I  found  myself  entering 
an  office,  on  the  door  of  which  was  inscribed  "  The 
Christmas,  Wedding,  and  Birthday  Present  Assurance 
Company." 

The  Manager  of  the  Company  received  me  cordially. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  my  queries — and  then  at 
once  it  flashed  upon  me  that  I  must  be  "  interviewing" 
him  for  an  article.  "  Yes,  the  idea  of  our  Company  has 
caught  on,  and  we  are  doing  a  rattling  business 
•  already." 

"What  precisely  is  the  object  of  your  business?"  I 
■enquired,  or  at  least  I  dreamt  I  did,  and  I  remember 
feeling  pleased  that  I  was  doing  the  thing  in  the  right 
style. 

"  Why,  to  save  people  trouble  and  expense  in  buying 
Xmas,  birthday,  and  wedding  presents,"  was  the  re- 
ply. "You  see  everyone  has  to  give  such  gifts  now- 
a-days,  and  to  people  with  many  relations  and  friends, 
it  is  becoming  an  important  item  of  expenditure,  as  well 
as  a  serious  call  on  their  time.  You  know  how,  you  feel 
yourself  when  Xmas  is  drawing  near,  or  a  friend  is  go- 
ing to  be  married,  or  a  birthday  in  the  family  is  ap- 
proaching. You  say  to  yourself,  '  I  must  give  So-and-so 
a  present,  but  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  what  to  get,  and 
I  really  can't  afford  the  time  just  now  to  spend  half  a 
day  ransacking  shops.'  And  so  you  put  the  thing  off 
till  it  can't  be  postponed  any  longer.  Then  you  go  in 
desperation  into  the  first  shop  you  come  to,  and  either 
-spend  twice  as  much  as  you  meant  to,  or  buy  something 
which  you  are  ashamed  to  send." 


"  Yes,  that's  so,"  I  said,  "  but  how  do  you  propose  to 
help  me?" 

"  By  taking  the  whole  thing  off  your  hands.  You 
take  out  a  policy  with  us,  pay  a  year's  premium,  and 
we  choose  and  pay  for  the  presents  you  have  occasion 
to  give  in  the  year." 

"But  who  judges  what  I  ought  to  give?"  I  asked,  re- 
membering how  long  I  had  discussed  with  myself 
whether  my  wife's  aunt  would  be  offended  if  I  left  her 
out  this  year. 

"  Oh,  trust  that  to  us.  We  have  experts  in  etiquette 
who  can  decide  those  points  to  a  nicety.  Now  suppose 
you  want  a  general  policy  covering  all  sorts  of  presents. 
Well,  you  are  a  middle-class  man,  with  a  small  family,  a 
moderate  number  of  relations,  and  a  not  very  large  circle 
of  middle-class  friends.  Our  actuary  would  probably 
estimate  our  risk  at  taking  you  at  about  £1 5  per  annum. 
For  that  we  should  undertake  to  give  your  wife  and 
children  each  two  suitable  presents  during  the  year — 
Xmas  and  birthday.  Then  we  should  give  one  present 
each — probably  at  Xmas — to  half-a-dozen  selected  re- 
lations annually.  We  should  also  send  wedding  pre- 
sents to  such  of  your  friends  as  might  be  married  during 
the  year." 

"That  last  would  be  an  uncertain  item,  would  it  not?" 
I  queried. 

"A  little  so,  perhaps,  but  one  year  balances  another. 
You  see  we  have  a  very  strict  set  of  rules — drawn  up  by  a 
committee  of  authors  of  etiquette  primers — -as  to  what 
persons  are  called  upon  to  give  one  another  wedding  pre- 
sents. When  you  want  us  to  send  a  wedding  gift 
on  your  behalf  you  would  have  to  prove  either  that  the 
bridegroom  or  bride  had  given  such  a  present  to  you  or 
your  wife,  or  that  you  were  in  the  habit  of  taking  at 
least  one  meal  in  a  month  in  the  house  of  the  parents 
of  one  or  other  of  the  happy  pair.  Afternoon  teas 
don't  count  as  meals.  Tn  the  case  of  old  schoolfellows 
we  don't  admit  liability  unless  an  uninterrupted  -;or- 
n.'.spondence  has  been  maintained  since  separation.  Tn 
the  case  of  ladies,  we  require  at  least  monthly  letters. 
We  have  not  so  far  had  an  instance  of  a  man  wishing  us 
to  give  a  present  to  an  old  school  chum." 

"  And  do  I  have  no  voice  in  the  selection  of  the 
gifts?"  I  asked. 

"You  may  if  you  like,  within  certain  fixed  limits — ■ 
but  we  recommend  our  clients  to  leave  the  matter  er- 
tircly  in  our  hands.  You  see  from  our  large  experience 
we  are  thoroughly  qualified  to  decide  matters  of  (ho 
greatest  delicacy.  Already  we  have  statistics  carefully 
compiled,  which  show  the  precise  age  to  a  month  at 
which  rattles  and  india-rubber  suckers  bepin  to 
pall  on  infants,  and  we  can  also  advise  with  confidence 
as  to  when  it  is  safe  to  entrust  young  children  with  tin 
soldiers,  mechanical  toys,  etc.,  which  it  would  do  them 
harm  to  suck  or  swallow. 

"'In  cases  of  special  difficulty  we  usually  ask  for 
photographs  of  the  recipients.  By  a  glance  at  a  boy's 
tie  or  boots,  we  can  always  tell  whether  he  will  most 


136 


TO-DAY. 


Deckmclh  8,  1894k 


appreciate  a  book  or  a  malacca  cane,  and  if  a  girl  has 
her  hair  up,  we  know  we  are  safe  in  sending  gloves  or 
trinkets." 

"  Do  the  gifts  you  send  usually  give  satisfaction? " 

"  In  nearly  all  instances.  You  see,  our  experience  is 
so  valuable  in  delicate  cases,  such  as  mothers-in-law  and 
maiden  aunts.  We  never  commit  the  common  blunder 
of  giving  such  ladies  a  costly  present  one  year  and 
nothing  the  next.  More  family  quarrels  are  caused  by 
•the  sudden  stopping  of  presents  previously  given  than  by 
not  making  any  gifts  at  all. 

"  But  perhaps  you  would  like  to  see  our  store-rooms. 
Walk  this  way." 

I  followed  my  guide  into  a  large  warehouse,  which  had 
all  the  appearance  of  a  fancy  fair.  One  counter  looked 
like  a  toy-shop,  another  resembled  a  tobacconist's,  a 
third  a  bookseller's,  and  so  on.  In  the  children's  sec- 
tion, I  found  a  very  large  assortment  of  most  ingenious 
m  ec  hanical 
toys  and 
puzzles,  but  I 
looked  in  vain 
for  the,  Noah's 
Arks,  picture 
books,  and 
fairy  tales, 
which  so  de- 
lighted my 
own  child- 
hood. 

"Have 
c  h  i  1  d  r  e  n's 
tastes  s  o 
changed?"  I 
asked,  with 
reference  to 
these. 

"No,"  was 
the  reply. 
"Thechildren 
still  like 
them ;  but, 
n  o  w  a  d  ays, 
toys,  like 
ostensibly  for 


I  FOUND  MY  TV'O  YOUNGSTERS  SITTING  ON  THEIR  BED,  AND  HOWLING. 


pantomimes  and  circuses,  though 
the  children,  have  to  interest  and 
amuse  the  parents  as  well.  This  toy  music-hall,  for 
example,  with  its  automatic  skirt-dancers  and  knock- 
about artistes,  is  a  very  popular  line,  and  so  are  these 
musical-boxes,  which  play  all  the  latest  coster  songs. 
Both  of  those  are  presents  sure  to  give  satisfaction  in 
ca,ses  of  children  from  one  year  old,  upwards.  But 
come  this  way,  and  I  will  show  you  our  latest  develop- 
ment." 

So  saying,  the  manager  led  me  into  an  adjoining  room, 
which,  to  my  amazement,  I  found  filled  with  such  articles 
as  coal-scuttles,  saucepans,  brooms,  basins,  and  ewers, 
and  other  miscellaneous  domestic  utensils. 

"  What ! "  I  exclaimed.  "  You  don't  mean  to  say  that 
people  give  useful  things  like  those  as  presents?  Why, 
the  Millennium  must  be  approaching  !  " 

The  manager  smiled. 

"No,"  he  said.  "This  is  a  separate  undertaking 
from  the  '  Present  Assurance.'  We  call  this  the  '  Wed- 
ding Present  Clearing  House.'  All  the  articles  you  see 
on  this  shelf  are  marked,  '  Equivalent  to  Salad  Bowls.' 
New,  a  salad  bowl  is  a  very  favourite  article  for  a  wed- 
ding present.  You  see,  it  is  handsome,  and  genteel, 
and  not  too  expensive,  and  it  looks  well  in  a  printed 
list  of  gifts.  The  result  is  that  it  is  not  an  uncommon 
thing  for  a  young  married  couple  to  receive  from  ten  to 
twenty  of  these  bowls.  Well,  one  salad  bowl  is  quite 
sufficient  for  a  family  of  two  persons,  even  if  they  are 
vegetarians.  So  something  must  be  done  with  the 
others.  Some  ladies  make  them  up  into  flower  vases, 
but  many  now  bring  them  to  us,  and  exchange  them  for 
any  of  the  useful  articles  on  this  shelf,  which  they  may 
be  in  need  of.  We  are  glad  of  the  bowls,  which  we  send 
cut  again  in  our  next  batch  of  wedding  gifts. 


'  These  articles  on  the  next  shelf  are  a  better  class  of 
goods.  We  give  them  in  exchange  for  silver  candle- 
sticks or  side-dishes,  of  which  young  couples  usually 
have  a  large  surplus." 

"  I  wish  your  clearing  house  had  been  in  existence  when 
I  married  !  "  I  exclaimed,  with  a  distant  recollection  of  a 
number  of  silver  articles,  which  my  wife  put  away  years 
ago  in  tissue  paper,  and  which  now  never  saw  the  light. 
"  Perhaps  even  now  it  is  not  too  late.  What  do  you  say, 
Madeleine,  my  dear?"  I  said  to  my  wife,  who  now 
seeme  l  to  Le  by  my  side. 

''  What's  that  you're  talking  about?"  came  the  reply, 
in  my  wife's  voice.  "  I  asked  you  to  go  to  the  nursery, 
to  see  what's  the  matter  with  the  children.  They've 
been  crying  for  the  last  ten  minutes,  and  I  think  one  of 
them  must  have  tumbled  out  of  bed." 

I  hurriedly  pulled  on  some  clothes,  and  sallied  forth. 
I  found  my  two  youngsters  sitting  on  their  bed,  and  howl- 
ing. It  ap- 
peared they 
had  got  up 
in  the  middle 
of  the  night  to 
see  whatSanta 
C 1  a  u  s  had 
put  in  their 
stockings,and 
were  weeping 
because  there 
was  only  one 
layer  in  the 
boxes  of  cho- 
colates in- 
stead of  two, 
like  last  year. 
I  comforted 
them  with 
promises  of 
another  box 
each,  and 
went  back  to 
bed. 

"  It's  dis- 
graceful," I  said  to  my  wife  ;  "  and  I  shall  write  to  the 
company  about  it  to-morrow  morning." 

Madeleine  stared  at  me,  and  then  I  tmembered  that 
I  had  bought  the  chocolates  myself,  Oi>  a  bargain,  at  the 
confectioner's,  round  the  corner,  and  that  the  Christ- 
mas, Wedding,  and  Birthday  Present  Assurance  Company 
was  only  a  dream. 

BARR1LLI   AND   THE  POPE. 


Barrilli,  the  singer,  was  on  his  way  through  Lyons- 
at  the  time  Pope  Pius  XII.  was  exiled  by  Napoleon. 
It  was  very  cold,  and  he  had  put  on  a  red  cap  that  came 
down  over  his  ears.  Arrived  at  the  hotel,  he  asked 
them  what  time  they  served  supper.  "Monsigneur,  at 
any  time  you  wish,"  said  the  host.  "  It  shall  be  served 
to  you  in  your  own  room."  "  But  this  will  be  too  expen- 
sive for  me.  I  will  dine  at  the  table-dhole."  "  We 
know  that  anyone  who  is  forced  to  quit  his  country  has 
often  to  put  up  with  a  great  deal,  but  here  we  are  only 
loo  happy  to  receive  -nu.  Do  not  trouble  about  ex- 
pense.'. They  brought  him  an  exquisite  supper  much 
beyond  his  means,  and  he  again  tried  to  explain — "T 
am  not  what  you  think.  I  am  only  a  singer."  "  We 
know  all  about  that ;  exiled,  proscribed,  it  is  natural 
that  vou  should  not  reveal  yourself.  Be  assured  of  our 
discretion."  Barrilli  resigned  himself  and  stayed  there 
some  days.  At  his  departure,  he  found  the  whole  house- 
hold drawn  up,  begging  for  his  blessing.  "You  refuse 
my  money,"  said  he,  "  it  would  be  ingratitude  to  refuse 
you  my  blessing."  And  he  gave  it  them,  and  drove  off 
quickly.    Thev  had  taken  him  for  the  Tope- 


December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY.. 


DE  OMNIBUS. 


BY 


THE  CONDUCTOR. 


The  other  dye  me  and  'Ankin  and  a  few  others  were 
'avin'  of  a  glass  o'  sutthink,  when  hin  comes  a  chap  by 
the  nime  o'  Chawles  Stebbings,  as  is  mostly  called  Ike 
fur  shortness.  Now  this  'ere  Ike,  bein'  one  o'  them  as 
fancies  theirselves,  'adn't  got  no  more  sense  than  ter 
tike  'Ankin  on  about  the  Perish  Carncils  Ac.  Ike  was 
dead  aginst  it  and  'Ankin  was  fur  it.  Presintly 
Ankin  says :  "  Tike  it  'ome,  Ike.  You  dunno  whort 
yer  talkin'  abart.  I'll  lye  yer  a  bob  yer  caunt  even 
egspline  the  pervisions  o'  the  Ac."  Ike  first  tikes  the 
bet,  an'  then  tries  ter  shuffle  art  of  it.  Arrever,  it 
were  a  fair  bet  and  we  wouldn't  let  'im  off.  "  Either 
you  egsplines  that  Ac,"  says  I,  "  or  else  yer  kin 
pye  up  an'  own  yerself  beat."  "Ho,  very  well 
then,"  says  Ike,  savidge  at  bein'  druv  to  it, 
"  first  yer  tikes  yer  bloomin'  perish  ;  then  yer 
gives  it  a  bloomin'  Carncil  ;  and  then  the  Carncil 
does  whort  it  bloomin'  likes,  and  'ow's  that  ? " 
Ankin  said  that  were  no  egsplanishun  at  all,  and  Ike 
told  us  wheer  'e'd  like  the  Perish  Carncils  Ac  ter  go  to, 
and  that  Ankin  could  go  arter  it,  an'  I  could  foller. 
But  'arrever  we  guv  it  against  Ike  ;  so  'e  pide  'is  money 
an'  hoff  'e  went,  with  no  ill-feelin'  on  either  side.  I 
turns  to  Ankin.  "  Nar  then,  Ankin,"  I  says,  "you 
give  us  the  rights  o'  the  kise  abart  this  'ere  bloomin' 
Ac.  I've  seen  bits  abart  it  in  the  pipers,  but  I  dunno 
as  I've  took  it  in  altugether."  "Well,"  says  Ankin, 
"  if  yer  awsts  me,  I  dart  if  you'll  find  one  man  in  ev'ry 
tharsand  Perish  electors  as  really  understand  that  Ac 
through  an'  through,  inside  and  art.  Theer's  a  deal  of 
ignerrunce  abart."  "  So  there  is,"  says  I.  "Nar  whort 
abart  this  Ac?"  "  It's  a  demycratic  Ac,"  says  'Ankin, 
"  an'  theirs  a  good  deal  of  it."  "  Ho  yus,"  says  I,  "  but 
whortlwantsterknowis  whort  kin  the  Perish  Carncils  do, 
and  whort  cawnt  they  do,  and  ow  is  they  goin'  ter  do  it?" 
"  Ah  !  "  says  Ankin,  "  them  is  the  important  pints,  and 
no  mistike.  'Arrever,  it's  lite  as  it  is,  and  I  must  be 
movin'  'ome,  else  we  might  'a  gone  inter  them  pints," 
and.  with  that  'e  chineges  the  subjic.  I  'ad  'awf  a  ideer 
that  even  'Ankin  'isself  weren't  ^altogether  clear  in  'is 
mind  abart  the  pervishuns  of  the  Ac.  Honly,  as  I 
says  ter  myself,  if  this  'ere  Ac  is  pollertics,  and  Ankin 
cawnt  give  yer  the  long  and  the  short  on  it,  then  'oo 
the  dickens  kin  ? 

*  *  *  * 

If  any  man  as  'appens  ter  read  this  wornts  ter  buy  a 
dorg,  I  'as  one  ter  sell.  'E  aint  prorp'ly  my  dorg,  but  I 
don't  surpose  as  no  objections  'ud  be  rised.  It  was  this 
wye,  yer  see.  Abart  a  week  ago  I  went  'ome,  an'  my 
missus  said  as  a  man  'ad  bin  an'  left  a  dorg.  "  An' 
whort  did  'e  do  that  fur?"  says  I.  "  Ho,"  says  she,  "'e 
said  the  dorg  'ad  been  bought  an'  pide  fur,  and  this 
were  the  address."  Now  and  agin,  yer  see,  I  do  buy  a 
dorg  when  I  sees  my  wye  to  a  deal.  'Arrever, 
I  'adn't  bought  this  one,  and  when  I  saw  'im 
I  said  I  didn't  want  'im.  'E  were  a  fox  terrier,  with  a 
long  tile,  an'  looked  like  a  disgrice.  "  Shell  I  turn  'im 
art  ?  "  says  my  missus.  "  Turn  'im  art  be  blowed  !  " 
says  I.  "Witetill  'e's  climed,  an'  chawge  'is  keep  a 
shillin'  a  dye,  an'  do  a  bit  o'  business."  So  I  shet  'im 
up  in  the  yawd,  an'  I  noticed  as  'e  seemed  parful  fond 
o'  me.  I  mye  'ave  left  the  door  opun  or  I  mye  not. 
Hall  I  knows  is,  that  I  was  woke  at  one  o'clock  in  the 
mornin'  by  that  dorg  a  sittin'  on  my  chest  an'  lickin' 
my  nose.  I  swung  art  with  one  awm,  and  'eard  'im  go 
bump  agin  the  wall.  Thinks  I,  "That  dorg's  dead." 
Well,  I  gort  up  early,  an'  was  goin'  darn  steers  in  the 
dark,  when  I  tumbles  over  that  sime  dorg,  an'  goes  'ead 
over  'eels  to  the  bottom.  'E  follers  me,  and  begins  ter 
lick  my  nose  agin.  I  'its  'im  another  smack,  an'  goes 
ter  git  my  breakfust.  'E  comes  an'  sits  aginst  my  cheer, 
lookin'  at  me  as  if  'e  loved  me.  'E  were  as  affeckshnit 
as  ever  I  seed.    Well,  I  shets  'im  up  in  the  yawd  agin, 


an'  goes  ter  work.  The  'bus  'adn't  stawted  afore  I  sees 
'im  runnin'  be'ind  it.  'E  follered  it  fur  tew  journies, 
bringin'  the  'ole  'bus  inter  corntempt  along  of  'is  tile 
nort  bein'  docked.  Well,  I  give  a  boy  a  penny  ter  tike 
'im  'ome,  an'  liter  in  the  dye  blessed  if  'e  didn't  turn  up 
agin.  An'  'e's  done  thet  sime  ever  since.  'E's  a  nice 
dorg,  but  'e's  tew  affeckshnit.  Does  any  man  wornt  ter 
buy  'im  ? 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Cockspur   Street,  London. 

JNVESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 
JgESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 


\OR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 


^jEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
j^ARKET  REPORT. 

UR  SPEICALLY  SELECTED 


0 


J^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES   PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A. 
O       HALF  PER  CENT. 
"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
rjYVVENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 
gENT  POST  FREE. 

rjMLE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 

PART  II.— HOW  TO  OPERATE 


PART   I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Mi  d  •. 
How  the  Accounts  arc  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
The  Fortnightly  Settlements  System.      Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements      Operations  of  Short  Duration. 

System.  Operations  of  Long  Duration. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of  F     „               e; ,  ■ ™  " 

Dealing.  "an   Country   Residents  Operate 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts  Successfully  ? 

Compare  with  And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts.  people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
'■  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
I  Ugliest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1S93  inclusive. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


gETTLEMENT   SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  acconuts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Cure  Headache  and  Sickness. 

Cure  Indigestion. 

Cure  Flatulence  and  Heartburn. 

DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Strengthen  the  Whole  System. 
Induce  Cheerfulness 
Invaluable  as  a  Family  Medicine. 

DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Cure  Loss  of  Appetite. 

Cure  all  Disorders  of  the  Blood. 

Cure  Lassitude  and  Nervousness. 

DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

are  wrapped  in  a  square  green  package  bearing  the  name  of  the  Proprietor, 
W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  London,  or  by  post  for  14  or  34  stamps 

H1 

-l-L  MRS.  GRABURN,  13,  Bonchurch-road,  North  Kensington  (closa 
to  Notting-hdl  station).  Speciality— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  Measure  supplied  complete  from  2£  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
Frer  eh  principles.   Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


138  TO-DAY. 


THE  REMINISCENCES  OF  AN 
ARTIST. 


In  the  opening  chapter  of  this  book 

*■  an  artists  remin-   Mr.  Lehmann  gives  us  an  idea  of  the 

is'  'v.y  ( 1  f.s  itv  0 
rudolph  lehmann.  difficulties  he  experienced  in  writing  his 
smith,  elder^and  reminiscences.  He  has  had  scarcely 
any  notes  to  go  upon,  and  the  book  is 
written  in  what  is  to  him  a  foreign  language.  The  little 
apology,  so  gracefully  tendered,  is  really  not  necessary. 
The  book  is  absorbingly  interesting.  There  is  a  charm- 
ing simplicity  about  the  telling  of  the  tales — there  is 
one  on  nearly  every  page — which  gives  one  a  good  clue 
to  the  author's  character. 

Mr.  Lehmann's  unassuming  modesty  is  delightful. 
Take,  for  instance,  his  discovery  of  Dante's  portrait : — 

My  sketching  rambles  took  me  to  one  of  the  most  inte- 
resting monuments  of  mediaeval  architecture  which  abound  in 
Florence,  I  mean  the  staircase  in  the  courtyard  of  the  Palazzo 
del  Bargello,  where  I  drew  some  of  the  splendidly  carved 
coats  of  arms  which  adorn  it.  On  the  gallery  at  the  top  was  a 
scaffolding,  and  on  it  a  workman  leisurely  occupied  in  re- 
moving from  the  outer  wall  the  thin  coat  of  whitewashing 
which  was  supposed  to  hide  some  ancient  fresco  paintings. 
Half  in  jest,  he  asked  me  if  I  was  inclined  to  assist  him, 
and  on  my  assenting  gave  me  a  flexible  sort  of  palette  knife, 
a  sponge,  and  a  basin  of  water.  I  set  to  work.  The  coat- 
ing of  lime  yielded  easily  after  abundant  wetting,  and  pre- 
sently under  my  careful  manipulation  appeared  first  a 
human  eye,  and  by-and-by  a  male  profile,  which  turned  out 
to  be  Dante's,  and  is  now  generally  recognised  as  the  only 
authentic  contemporary  likeness  of  the  great  Tuscan  poet. 

Mr.  Lehmann  was  at  Rome  at  the  time  of  the  death 
of  Pope  Gregory  XVI.,  and  had  the  rare  experience  of 
viewing  the  ceremonies  in  connection  with  that  im- 
portant event,  and  the  election  of  Pope  Pio  IX.  It  is 
not  every  artist  who  has  had  a  sitting  from  a  Pope  : — • 
My  joy  is  easily  imagined  when  I  received,-  through  a 
friend  at  Court,  the  permission  to  join  a  sitting  which  the 
l'ope  was  to  give  on  the  following  day  to  a  Piedmontese 
sculptor.  Presenting  myself  at  the  appointed  hour,  I  was 
ushered  into  a  vast  apartment,  with  a  high  fresco-painted 
ceiling.  On  a  baize-covered  platform,  like  a  studio  model 
throne,  was  a  gilt  armchair,  in  which  I  induced  one  of  the 
attendants  to  sit  for  a  moment,  in  order  to  find  out  the 
best  position  for  the  proper  lighting  of  the  face.  Presently 
His  Holiness  appeared,  entirely  clad  in  white,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  red  slippers  (mules),  the  gold-embroidered 
cross  on  which  the  faithful  are  allowed  to  kiss. 
He  was  followed  by  two  Monsignori,  in  violet  robes 
with  numberless  buttons  and  a  broad  sash  of  purple  silk. 
The  Pope  at  once  ascended  the  platform,  the  Monsignori 
standing  on  either  side  behind  him,  the  one  holding  a 
Breviary,  the  other  a  capacious  snuff-box.  I  started  at 
once  to  try  to  make  the  best  of  the  very  short  time 
allotted  me,  having  previously  asked  and  obtained  permis- 
sion to  sit  down.  A  shapeless  heap  of  clay  on  a  modelling 
stool  near  the  window  reminded  me  of  the  absent  sculptor. 
Hamlet  without  the  ghost !  The  Pope  .  .  .  made 
frequent  use  of  the  snuff-box,  each  time  handed  him  by  the 
Monsignore  who  held  it,  and  ended  by  asking  the  other 
for  the  Breviary,  from  the  daily  recital  of  which  the 
Pope  alone  among  priests  is  dispensed.  He  began 
to  recite  it,  however,  in  a  subdued  voice  with 
half-closed  eyes,  thereby  greatly  interfering  with 
my  work.  Meanwhile  no  sculptor  had  made 
his  appearance.  "Sara  morto"  (he  must  be  dead), 
said  the  Pope,  when  the  young  man  suddenly  appeared  in 
the  open  door,  in  evening  dress,  threw  himself  down  on  the 
threshold,  the  perspiration  streaming  down  his  face,  and, 
with  uplifted  arms,  implored  the  Pope's  pardon.  By  some 
unfortunate  mishap  the  appointment  had  not  reached  him 
at  the  proper  time.  Feverishly  he  began  to  pommel  the 
prepared  mass  of  clay,  but  presently  the  Pope  rose,  saying 
that  he  had  granted  an  audience  in  the  pavilion  in  the 
grounds  to  the  Princess  Albreeht  of  Prussia.  Before  leaving, 
His  Holiness  examined  my  drawing,  and  paid  me  the  doubt- 
ful compliment  that  I  had  well  observed  the  disparity  of 
his  two  cheeks,  as  one  side  of  his  face  had  been  paralysed 
when  on  a  voyage  to  Chili.  As  he  held  my  sketch  in  his 
hand  I  made  bold  to  ask  him  to  sign  his  name  under  it,  which 
he  smilingly  consented  to  do.  I  only  afterwards  learnt  how 
bold  my  request  had  been.  When  he  was  gone  I  carefully 
collected  the  snuff  which  covered  the  green  baize  all  round 
*  the  gilt  chair,  and  presented  it  to  a  young  lady,  an  enthusi- 
astic admirer  of  the  Holy  Father. 

In  view  of  the  interest  that  is  now  being  taken  in 
the  proper  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  a  foreigner^-*  ii>- 


December  8,  1894. 


pressions  of  his  first  Sunday  in  England  are  well  worth 
our  attention.  It  is  true  that  Mr.  Lehmann  is  writing 
of  London  in  1850,  but  our  Sundays  have  not  altered 
much  in  the  last  forty-four  years : — 

In  aristocratic  Mayfair,  where  my  friend  had  located  me, 
dead  silence  reigned  on  the  Sunday  morning  after  my  arrival 
on  the  previous  evening.  At  11  a.m.  all  doors  opened 
simultaneously,  and  out  walked  solemn  gentlemen  in  black 
(butlers,  as  1  since  learned)  with  black  books  under  their 
arms.  The  doors  were  slammed  to  in  quick  succession. 
Then  came  the  carriages  to  fetch  the  masters  or  rather 
mistresses,  and  finally  the  servants  emerged  from  the  area, 
all  with  prayer-books.  Silence  followed  again  till  about 
one  o'clock,  when  the  whole  party  returned  in  inverse 
order.  That  was  my  first  experience  of  an  English  Sunday, 
so  different  from  a  Continental  one. 

The  latter  half  of  the  book  is  entitled  "  People  I 
Have  Met,"  and  contains  some  capital  stories  about 
celebrities.    Here  is  one  about  the  Prince  of  Wales  : — 
On  his  first  journey  to  Rome  in  1859  H.R.H.  the  Prince 
of  Wales  honoured  my  studio  with  a  visit,  accompanied  by 
his  tutor,  General  Bruce.    The  Prince,  then  a  boy,  at  once 
took  me  aside  to  inform  me  in  a  whisper  that  he  could  talk 
German.  A  few  days  later  he  sent  the  General  to  invite — or, 
I  should  rather  say,  command — me  to  dine  with  him.  I 
was,  however,  so  ignorant  of  etiquette   that  I  naively 
answered  that  I  would  look  over  my  engagements  before 
accepting  the  invitation  ;  and  I  well  remember  the  old 
courtier's  ironical  smile  when  he  replied  :  "  Oh,  of  course, 
if  you  are  engaged  you  must  not  make  ceremony."  I  dined, 
nevertheless,  with  the  Prince  at  his  hotel. 

Of  the  late  Sir  Andrew  Clark,  Mr.  Lehmann  says  that 
"  his  secret  was  his  sincere  belief  in  himself,  the  confi- 
dence with  which  he  inspired  his  patients,  and  his  power 
to  convince  them  of  his  deep,  almost  exclusive,  interest 
in  the  special  case  before  him." 

The  list  of  well-known  people  of  whom  Mr.  Lehmann 
has  interesting  stories  to  tell  includes  Dickens, 
Thackeray,  George  Eliot,  Robert  Browning,  Frai 
Liszt,  Sir  Edwin  Landseer,  Wilkie  Collins,  Lord  Lytton, 
and  many  others.  In  the  last  few  pages,  entitled 
"  Anecdotage,"  we  have  evidence  of  Mr.  Lehmann's 
versatility.  He  can  tell  you  tales  about  a  Pope,  or  an 
Italian  brigand,  or  Sarah  Bernhardt,  or  a  London  model. 
After  reading  the  book,  it  is  impossible  not  to  envy  the 
author  his  eventful  life  with  its  varied  experiences.  But 
after  the  sigh  of  envy  will  come  the  sigh  of  gratitude  to 
Mr.  Lehmann  for  giving  us  such  an  enjoyable  book.  It 
is  certainly  as  captivating  as  a  romance,  and  possesses 
the  additional  charm  of  being  absolutely  true. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


To  those,  and  they  are  many  and  increasing,  who  ask 
me  for  the  latest  publication  in  Mr.  Fisher  Unwin's 
Autonym  Series,  "  By  Reef  and  Palm,"1 1  am  enabled,  on 
the  information  of  an  occasional  customer,  to  give  some 
account  of  the  history  and  personality  of  its  author, 
Mr.  Louis  Becke.  That  he  is  a  master  of  the  unteach- 
able  art  of  story-telling  his  pages  testify.  His  ex- 
periences were  stored  up  during  a  chequered  career,  not 
in  any  wise  as  a  literary  pioneer  with  notebook  and 
pencil  and  letters  of  introduction,  but  as  supercargo, 
mate,  deck-hand,  storekeeper,  always  a  wage-earner  in 
the  rough  time  among  the  South  Seas.  And  times  were 
rough  there,  fifteen  and  twenty  years  ago.  Law  was 
lost  then,  mostly,  and  "  blackbirding  "  for  the  Queens- 
land sugar  estate  was  not  the  kid-glove  business  it  has 

since  become. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Becke  knows  his  Polynesia,  from  the  Line 
Islands  south,  as  he  knows  his  alphabet,  from  A. 
to  Z,  and  his  pictures  of  the  islanders  in  all  their  gentle- 
ness and  ferocity,  and  of  the  white  men  as  moulded  by 
their  trading  and  fighting  in  those  Southern  Seas,  are 
the  unexaggerated  fruits  of  the  shrewd  observation 
of  many  years.  Circumstances  drove  him  in  later  times 
to  Australia,  and  taste  to  journalism.  His  style  is  un- 
forced and  little  eflurt  is  given  to  polishu^'.  Whatever 


December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


139 


mastery  he  gains  over  his  readers  is  won  by  downright 
earnestness. 

*  *  *  # 

There  are  no  limits  to  the  enterprise  of  modern 
journalism.  Among  the  contributors  to  the  excellent 
No.  3  of  The  Realm  is  the  Sultan  of  Turkey.  He  did  not 
write  the  article  on  Armenia,  it  is  true,  but  he  dictated 
it  almost  word  for  word  to  one  of  his  Ministers. 
*  *  *  * 

The  "complete  romance,"  by  Mr.  Hall  Caine,  en- 
titled, "  The  Mahdi :  a  Story  of  Love  and  Heroism," 
which  forms  the  Christmas  number  of  the  Christian 
World,  is  not  our  old  friend,  or  rather  enemy,  in  the 
Soudan,  but  a  fictitious  Mahdi,  who  proves  the  saviour 
of  Morocco.  Though  in  form  a  story,  it  is  practically  a 
drama,  for  it  abounds  in  thrilling  dramatic  incidents, 
and  the  reader  is  taken  into  the  dramatist's  confidence 
throughout,  as  a  theatrical  audience  would  be.  I  feel 
quite  safe  in  prophesying  that  when  it  is  once  on  the 
boards  it  will  hold  them  for  many  months.  Indeed, 
I  doubt  if  there  is  any  writer  but  Mr.  Hall  Caine 
who  could  have  put  such  fire  and  life  into  an 
Oriental  story.  It  will  not,  I  understand,  appear  in 
book  form  for  a  lengthy  period.  I  am  very  glad  to  hear 
that  Mr.  Hall  Caine  has  taken  the  precaution  of  securing 
the  stage  rights  for  a  romance  which  has  all  the  makings 
of  such  a  great  drama. 

*  *  *  « 

The  Christmas  number  of  the  Queen  is,  as  usual,  the 
best  of  all  the  Christmas  numbers  which  are  not  extras, 
but  merely  specially  sumptuous  issues  of  the  ordinary 
paper. 

*  *  * 

It  is  such  a  pleasure  to  me  that  my  old  customer,  Mr. 
George  Gissing — whose  novels  are  so  unique  that  he  will 
surely  find  his  way  into  the  very  front  rank— is  back  from 
Italy  and  staying  down  in  Surrey.  No  one  can  come  into 
the  shop,  when  he  is  there,  without  noticing  such  a  strik- 
ing personality.  He  isatallish  man  with  luxuriantaubum 
hair,  and  a  face  singularly  full  of  intelligence  and 
sympathy.  Messrs.  Lawrence  and  Bullen  have  ready 
his  new  novel,  "  In  the  Year  of  J ubilee,"2  in  three 
volumes. 

*  *  *  * 

Another  old  customer  of  mine  is  Mr.  William  le  Queux, 
a  slight  dark  man,  with  black  hair  and  thin,  aquiline 
features.  He  wrote  "  The  Great  War  of  1897,"3  and  has 
been  extraordinarily  successful  with  it.  It  is  already  in 
its  eighth  or  ninth  edition. 

*  *  * 

I  have  been  ordering  a  big  pile  of  the  hundred 
thousand  copies  of  the  new  Windsor  Magazine,  which 
Ward,  Lock  and  Co.  will  issue  on  December  12th, 
because  I  am  so  struck  with  its  announcement  of  marriage 
insurance.  This  is  not,  so  I  learn  from  my  old  customer, 
Mr.  Coulson  Kernahan — of  whose  "  Sorrow  and  Song  " 
the  same  publishers  are  about  to  issue  a  third  edition — 
an  insurance  to  protect  the  new  woman  from  the  loss  of 
the  affections  of  her  spouse  ;  it  does  not  even  ensure  her 
getting  a  husband,  except  as  a  corollary  to  the  dowry. 
To  start  with,  the  serialists  will  be  Mr.  Henry  Seton 
Merriman,  whose  name,  as  it  stands  on  the  books  of  the 
Authors'  Club,  is  Mr.  H.  S.  Scott,  the  author  of  that 
great  book  "  With  Edged  Tools,"  and  Mr.  Guy  Boothby, 
the  "  Australian  Kipling."  In  form  it  will  be  a 
sumptuous  version  of  the  Strand  Magazine,  and  its  price 
will  be  sixpence. 

*  *  *  * 

There  is  no  book  of  all  the  year  which  lias  been  so 
asked  for,  and  thumbed,  and  dog's-eared  as  Miss  Violet 
Hunt's  "  A  Maiden's  Progress," 4  and  no  wonder.  The 
man  about  town,  and  the  new  woman,  find  it  so  witty 
and  up-to-date,  and  the  old-fashioned  subscribers, 
mostly  women,  on  whom  a  library  really  lives,  because 
they  take  their  reading  as  regularly  as  their  meals,  like 
it  for  its  womanliness,  and  the  tender  vein  of  sentiment 


which  underlies  it.  No  one  but  a  woman,  human, 
gentle,  and  tender,  could  have  written  this  book, 
which  is  yet  witty  and  terse  enough  to  put  me  in 
mind  of  Mr.  Anthony  Hope. 

*  *  45-  is 

The  "  Maiden's  Progress  "  is  certainly  one  of  the  most 
charming  novels  in  dialogue  we  have  in  English,  and  I 
am  not  surprised  that  Mr.  Louis  Austin  has  given  Miss 
Hunt's  portrait  in  "The  Books  of  the  Year,"  which 
he  contributed  to  the  excellent  Christmas  English 
Illustrated. 

*  *  a  * 

A  book  with  which  I  expect  to  do  very  well  is  the 
third  series  of  Mr.  W.  S.  Gilbert's  plays,6  which  has  just 
come  in.  It  contains  Comedy  and  Tragedy,  Foggerty's 
Fairy,  Rosencrantz  and  Guildenstern,  Patience,  Princess 
Ida,  The  Mikado,  Ruddigore,  Yeomen  of  the  Guard,  The 
Gondoliers,  The  Mountebank,  and  Utopia. 

-*  *  * 

"  An  Unrecorded  Chapter  in  the  Mutiny  "8  is  one  of 
the  best  written  of  all  the  multitudinous  books  which 
have  appeared  on  the  Tragedy  of  India.  It  is  the  work 
of  Mr.  R.  G.  Wilberforce,  a  son  of  the  famous  Bishop  of 
Oxford,  and  I  can  safely  prophesy  that  no  one  who 
reads  the  first  thirty  pages  will  be  able  to  lay  the  book 
down  till  he  has  finished  it ;  it  is  written  in  such  a 
simple,  soldierly,  graphic  way,  and  presents  a  great  hero 
and  a  great  siege  with  such  lime-light  vividness. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  this  morning  been  arranging  on  my  counter 
neat  little  piles  of  two  Socialist  novels,  "  Helen,"7  the 
latest  Pseudonym,  and  "  An  Altar  of  Earth,"8  the  latest 
Pioneer.  Pseudonyms  always  sell.  People  know  that 
they  never  fall  below  Mr.  Fisher  Unwin's  high  stan- 
dard, though  "  Helen  "  is  certainly  not  a  unique  book 
like  Mrs.  Craigie's,  or  "The  Home  of  the  Dragon." 
"An  Altar  of  Earth,"  on  the  other  hand,  is  about  the  best 
of  all  the  Pioneer  Series — about  as  readable  a  book  as 
one  could  expect  a  Socialist  novel  to  be.  It  has  a 
charming  little  heroine,  and  an  admirably  drawn  City 
speculator  who  has  waxed  fat.  The  plot  is  original,  and 
Thymol  Monk  writes  with  such  a  pleasant  touch  that 
most  people  will  follow  my  example,  and  not  lay  the  book 
down  till  they  have  finished  it. 

*  *  *  * 

Am  doing  very  well  with  John  Strange  Winter's 
annual,  "  The  Stranger  Woman."9  Like  all  Mrs. 
Stannard's  books,  it  is  just  the  tiling  to  read  when  one 
is  tired.  She  is  never  heavy.  If  she  wrote  full  length 
novels  they  would  be  as  good  stock  as  a  circulating 
library  could  wish  for. 

*~  *  *  * 

"  Greenhill,"  who  has  something  to  do  with  a  literary 
institute  at  Harrow,  which  is  doing  excellent  work,  but 
has  very  insufficient  means,  writes  to  know  if  I  can  put 
him  into  communication  with  the  trustees  of  the  Peel 
Fund,  which  exists  for  the  purpose  of  making  grants  of 
£25  to  such  institutions.  I'm  afraid  all  I  can  do  is  to 
print  his  appeal,  and  trust  to  Romeike  and  Curtice  for 
its  reaching  the  Peel  trustees. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

A  Journalist. — For  instruction  in  black  and  white  drawing, 
read  "  Pen  Drawing  and  Pen  Draughtsmen:  Their  Work  and 
Methods,"  by  J.  Pennell.   (Macmillan,  73s.  6d.) 

E.  A.  C. — The  books  of  Paul  Heyse  and  Gustav  Freytag  would 
suit  you. 

M. — I  cannot  remember  a  poem  by  Rudyard  Kipling  called 
"  The  Rivals."  "  The  Ballad  of  the  Clampherdown,"  and  others 
in  "  Barrack  Room  Ballads,"  are  suitable  for  recitation. 


1.  By  Reef  and  Palm.   (T.  Fisher  TJnwin.   Is.  6d.) 

2.  In  the  Year  of  Jubilee.   (Lawrence  and  Bullen.   Price  not  stated.) 

3.  The  Great  War  of  1897.   (Tower  Publishing  Company.  6s.) 

4.  A  Maiden's  Progress.   (Osgood,  Mcllvaine  and  Co.  6s.) 

5.  W.  S:  Gilbert's  Original  Plays,  Third  Series.  (Chatto  and  Windus. 
2s.  6d.) 

6.  An  Unrecorded  Chapter  in  the  Mutiny.   (John  Murray.   7s.  6d.) 

7.  Helen.  (T.  Fisher  VJnwin.   Is.  6d.) 

8;  An  Altar  of  Earth.    (Heinemann.     Is.  6d.J 
9.  The  Stranger  Woman.   (F.  White,    is  j 


TO-DAY. 


■December  S,  1894. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


My  dear  Helen, — I  wish  you  could  have  seen  the 
bonnets  at  Church  Parade  on  Sunday.  They  were  very 
wild.  A  black  one  with  two  fans  of  bright  green  velvet 
set  base  to  base  above  the  forehead  was  eccentric  enough, 
but  a  small  poke,  with  feathers  starting  out  indepen- 
dently all  over  it,  suggested  a  dishevelled  turkey  hen  in 
a  most  ludicrous  way.  The  latest  development  of  the 
sable  boa  has  a  bunch  of  violets  pinned  at  one  side,  and 
a  small  cataract  of  old  lace  drooping  at  each  side  of  the 
front  from  a  rosette  of  ivory  watered  ribbon.  Guipure 
is  worn  on  everything,  and  I  saw  a  very  handsome  woman 
dressed  in  black  satin  and  black  velvet,  with  a  deep 
square  of  creatn-coloured  guipure  on  her  bodice,  edged 
all  round  with  a  pleated  frill,  and  no  other  protection 
from  the  November  weather  than  a  necklace  of  perfect 
pearls  and  the  indispensable  sable  boa.  Her  large  pic- 
ture hat  was  in  black  velvet,  broad-brimmed,  and 
trimmed  with  a  huge  black  satin  bow  and  many  feathers 
of  the  rampant  order. 

Jim  was  with  me,  and  he  trod  on  a  lady's  gown,  much 
to  her  annoyance  and  to  his  own  intense  disgust,  for  you 
know  how  he  prides  himself  on  his  freedom  from  clum- 
siness in  such  matters.  But  it  led  to  a  discovery.  The 
skirt  was  wired  all  round  the  edge.  Now,  could  there 
be  a  subtler  trap  for  masculine  feet  than  this?  I  need 
scarcely  tell  you  that  all  the  smart  people  wear  their 
skirts  well  off  the  ground,  but  this  little  lady,  being 
short,  probably  preferred  being  out  of  the  fashion,  since 
the  long  skirt  added  half  an  inch  or  so  to  her  apparent 
height.  No  doubt,  it  is  right  enough  not  to  sacrifice 
one's  points  to  fashion,  but  can  a  long  dress  in  the  street 
or  park  ever  be  quite  excusable1?    I  think  not. 

The  most  useful  little  devices  for  evening  dress  are 
now  sold  ready-made  in  the  large  drapery  warehouses. 
With  these,  one  can  wear  any  familiar  old  low  bodice, 


and  give  it  an  air  of  novelty.  One  of  them  is  a  square- 
cut  ruby  velvet  and  lace  arrangement,  which  has  revers 
turned  back  in  the  velvet,  and  falling  over  a  sort  of 
berths  of  the  lace.  Another  is  made  of  folds  of  pink  and 
green  velvet  twisted  about  each  other,  and  forming  a 
square,  with  accoideon-kilted  pink  chiffon  falling  from 
under  it,  and  well  puffed  out  on  the  shoulders.  I 
believe  wire  is  used  to  distend  the  puffs  here,  as  well  as 
in  the  hems  of  dresses. 

I  thought  these  squares  such  a  good  idea,  that  I  manu- 
factured one  for  myself  of  turquoise-blue  velvet  and 
some  deep-tinted  old  Irish  lace,  with  the  addition  of  large 
puffed  elbow  sleeves  in  the  velvet.  I  hunted  up  a  dis- 
carded old  black  satin  bodice,  took  all  the  trimming  off 
it,  and  put  a,  fresh  band  of  black  satin  round  the  waist, 
with  the  antique  silver  buckle  you  gave  me  long  ago. 
With  my  velvet  and  lace  additions,  my  old  bodice,  which 
always  fitted  well,  is  now  the  most  becoming  that  I 
possess.    Don't  you  call  it  a  happy  thought? 

You  know  the  lovely  water-lily  leaves  in  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lotus.  Well,  I  am  having  them  carried  out  in  green 
velvet  veined  with  gold,  for  the  trimming  of  a  white 
satin  bodice,  and  the  sleeves  are  to  be  in  white  satin, 
veiled  with  gold  sequin  net,  and  turned  up  from  the  arm 
with  some  of  the  lily  leaves.  The  green  is  a  very 
bright  shade,  almost  metallic  in  appearance,  and  in- 
tensely becoming.  Don't  you  want  to  see  that  bodice 
finished?  I  do.  I  think  I  shall  have  a  skirt  made  to 
wear  with  it  of  Liberty  brocade  in  green  and  gold. 

The  much-postponed  Teck-Grosvenor  wedding  is  now 
fixed  for  the  12th.  The  bride  is  to  wear  the  richest 
white  English  satin,  trimmed  with  fine  old  Brussels  lace 
and  orange  blossom.  Her  bridesmaids  are  to  wear 
white  corded  silks,  trimmed  with  white  chiffon  and  sky- 
blue  velvet,  with  Italian  lace  and  sable  tail.  The  white 
felt  hats  have  crowns  of  sky-blue  velvet  and  many  white 
ostrich  feathers,  one  resting  on  the  hair  under  the  up- 


EVERY  MOTHER  and 
EVERY  DAUGHTER 

should  see 

SINGERS 

NEW  SEWING  MACHINE 

XOs.  to  20s.  allowed 

FOR 

any  sort  taken  in  part  exchange, 
Per     Is.  <ScL  Week. 

BEAUTIFUL  ART  SAMPLES 
Submitted  for  inspection 

on  application  by  letter. 

Best  Machine  for  Plain  Work. 

Best  Machine  for  Art  Work. 

LIGHT,   EASY,  ELEGANT, 

and  a  Real  Treasure. 


The  Singer  Manufacturing  Company, 

City  Showrooms-147,  CHEAPSIDE,  E.C 

BRANCH  OFFICES  EVERYWHERE. 


OTCH  SHORTBREAD, 

DIRECT   FROM   SCOTLAND.  _  7 

Finest  quality  sent  to  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

Sample  Cake,  1  lb.  post  free,  Is.  3d.  ;  Ornamented  Cakes  for 
Christmas  Gifts,  a  Speciality,  from  2s.  6d.  to  21s. 

ROBERT  BROWN,  206,  Cumberland  St.,  SLAS&OW. 

Svery  lady 
pleased 

WITH  TITE 

BUSK! 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13J 
inches 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cut  through  cloth. 
—To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  Cd.  Ask  for  it.  .Sample  Busk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Maker.-;,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochrane- 
street,  Glasgow,  

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,   Oxford    Street,  London,  W.    Pamphlet  and 

Testimonials  one  stamp.  

MARKING  INK  FOR  gD. 


ARABINE 


LINEN  is-THE  BEST! 


NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


PER 

bottle 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfleld  Street,  Glasgow. 

"CREME   DE  VIOLET 

Has  attained  enormous  popularity  since  we  introduced  it  into  Great 

It  is^a  pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonic,  absolutely  free  from  any  ingre- 
dients that  will  injure  the  most  delicate  skin.  It  cleanses  the  pores,  and 
nroducing  a  clear  and  healthy  complexion.  Prevents  and  removes 
Wrinkles  Pimples,  Koughness,  Kedness,  and  all  Skin  Imperfections. 
Counteracts  the  disagreeable  effects  of  sun,  wind,  and  sea  air.  Ia 
deliriously  cool  and  refreshing  to  the  skin.  Makes  the  skin  soft  and 
smooth  as  a  baby's.  Will  make  the  most  faded  complexion  assume  all 
the  natural  tints  of  youthful  health  and  beauty.  Suitable  for  old  and 
voung  of  both  sexes.  Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers,  price  Is.  and  2s.  6d. 
See  that  the  signature  Le  Frera  et  Cie  is  on  the  label,  or  sent  direct, 
pos  free,  in  plain  wrappers  3d.  extra  from 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


141 


lifted  brim  at  the  left  side.  The  bride's  going-away 
gown  is  to  be  pale-blue  velvet,  trimmed  with,  sable  tail, 
her  hat,  cloak,  and  muff  en  suite.    Pretty,  isn't  it  1 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

The  printer  took  all  the  meaning  out  of  my  interpolated  sic 
last  week  in  commenting  upon  W.  S.  F.'s  communication,  by 
spelling  the  word  "  dose  "  correctly.    W.  S.  F.  spelt  it  "  doze.:j 

Seventeen. — My  dear  "  Seventeen,"  I  could  almost  have 
guessed  your  delightful  age  by  your  letter.  I  can  fancy  Mr. 
Jerome's  smile  if  he  were  to  read  your  request  that  he  would 
cut  down  the  "  page  called  '  In  the  City,'  to  make  room 
for  more  of  your  frivolous  topics."  Why,  my  child, 
"  In  the  City  "  is  a  most  important  matter,  as  you 
will  find  out  some  day.  Money,  money,  money  is  the  great  fact 
of  life,  in  one  sense,  and  to  thousands  of  people  is  such  a  big  one 
that  it  excludes  all  others,  even  the  power  to  enjoy  the  money 
when  it  is  made  ;  and  to  "  Seventeen  "  money  seems  such  a  trifle, 
such  a  mere  nothing.  The  truth  is  somewhere  halfway.  Money 
is  far  from  being  everything,  but  it  is  much.  It  means  culture, 
refinement,  the  lilies  and  roses  of  life,  both  literally  and 
figuratively,  respect  and  consideration  wherever  we  go,  unless 
we  prove  ours3lves  flagrantly  unworthy  of  them ;  and, 
in  addition,  the  power  of  helping  others,  which  is  in 
itself  a  great  happiness.  Add  to  this  list  all  the  creature  com- 
forts, and  we  have  an  imposing  show  of  pros,  have  we  not  ? 
Among  the  conn  comes  first  the  encouragement  to  indulge  our 
national  indolence  that  wealth  brings,  and  the  want  of  sympathy 
with  the  poor  and  needy  which  those  feel  who  have  never  known 
what  it  is  to  want  any  necessary  of  life.  But  to  get  back  to  you, 
my  dear  "Seventeen."  I  would  gladly  make  you  my  "debtor  for 
life,"  as  you  put  it,  by  telling  you  how  to  prevent  your  nose 
from  getting  red  and  your  eyelashes  from  falling  out,  but  I  fear 
that  my  advice  may  lack  particularity.  Do  not  lace  tight.  That 
makes  noses  rosy.  In  winter  wear  a  thick  veil  when  the  weather 
is  frosty.  Wash  your  face  in  hot  water  without  soap  every  night 
when  you  are  going  to  bed,  and  give  your  nose  a  good  rubbin:; 
with  a  not  too  soft  towel.  You  have  evidently  a  thin  skin.  As 
to  getting  hot  and  flushed  at  dances,  nearly  all  girls  do.  About 
the  eyelashes  I  am  thoroughly  at  sea.    Have  you  weak  eyes  ? 

Althea. — Try  Mrs.  Leslie,  102,  Brompton  Road.    She  has 


started  a  Household  Service  Bureau,  and  intends  to  have  only 
good  servants  on  her  books.  For  ladies  living  in  flats  she 
provides  servants  who  attend  daily  for  so  many  hours,  a  sort 
of  service  that  exactly  meets  a  want  just  now,  there  being 
such  limited  sleeping  accommodation  in  flats.  Besides,  the  work 
of  the  household  is  so  much  reduced  by  the  centralisation  of  the 
rooms,  that  there  is  often  not  enough  to  fill  the  time  of  three 
servants,  and  yet  too  much  for  two.  Here  steps  in  the  peri- 
patetic parlourmaid  or  the  pieced-out  lady's-maid.  It  is  a  good 
idea,  is  it  not? 

Our  Cookery  Column. 

Apricot  Cream. — Procure  a  tin  of  preserved  apricots.  Open 
it  carefully,  and  take  out  the  fruit  without  breaking  it.  Allow 
the  apricots  to  drain  on  a  dry  plate.  Dissolve  half  an  ounce  of 
Nelson's  gelatine  in  cold  water.  While  it  is  preparing  take 
half  the  number  of  your  apricots,  free  them  from  skin  and 
kernels,  and  press  them  to  a  pulp  in  a  large  flat  basin.  Add 
two  tablespoonfuls  of  glebe  sugar.  Whip  half  a  pint  of  double 
cream  for  twenty  minutes.  Add  it  and  the  gelatine  to  the 
apricot  pulp.  Beat  all  up  together,  and  when  they 
are  thoroughly  amalgamated  pour  the  whole  into  a  mould  which 
his  been  rinsed  out  of  cold  water,  drained  but  not  dried.  Next 
dry  turn  it  out  and  garnish  it  with  the  apricots  left,  having 
previously  cut  them  in  half.  This  is  a  very  popular  dish  for 
children's  parties.  It  is  well  to  make  at  least  double  the  above 
quantity  for  these  entertainments. 

Venison  Steaks. — Cut  them  half  an  inch  thick  and  broil  them 
over  a  bright  fire.  When  they  are  done,  dust  them  over  with 
salt  and  pepper.  Melt  over  the  fire  in  a  tiny  saucepan  a  table- 
spoonful  of  red-currant  jelly,  and  an  ounce  of  butter,  and  when 
this  sauce  is  quite  hot,  pour  it  over  the  steaks  and  serve  them. 

Suzette. 


CHANNEL  ISLANDS. 

FRUIT  AND  FLOWER  GROWING.  Several  Valuable 
Properties  for  Sale,  or  in  some  cases  partnerships  could  be 
arranged.    Profits  15  per  cent,  to  30  per  cent,  on  money  invested. 

FURNISHED  HOUSES  TO  LET.  Full  particulars,  plans, 
photos,  &c,  on  application  to  Messrs.  CONSTABLE,  TOWN- 
END  &  MORRISH,  55  &  56,  Chancery  Lane,  London,  W.C., 
and  at  Guernsey. 


«T.     T  U  E  O  B 

Y/HAT  EVERY  ONE  SAYS  MUST  BE  TRUE. 

OVER  120  NEWSPAPERS  RECOMMEND 

TH  EOBALD'S 
LOCKSTITCH  SEWING  MACHINES. 

Which  we  are  probably  now  offering  for  the  last  time  at 
lees  than  half  proper  price.  Send  for  a  circular  telling  you 
in  full  what  all  the  leading  newspapers  say  and  what 
scores  of  customers  write  us  about  them.  Do  not  forget  the 
proper  price  of  these  Machines  is  35s.,  and  we  are  oflei  ing 
them  at  15s.  (a  great  deal  less  than  they  cost  to  make), 
just  to  get  them  well  known.  If  you  want  a  valuable 
present  for  any  of  your  friends,  you  "cannot  do  better  than 
give  them  one  of  these. 

The  Times  says:  "  It  is  a  marvellous  machine,  well  and 
soundly  constructed."— I'm*//  Chronicle:  " The  Machine  is 
a  gem."— The  People:  "Same  as  those  sold  at  four  times 
the  price."— Society :  "  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  it  is  to  be 
beaten."— The  Queen :  "  Strongly  recommended  to  schools, 
families,  and  dressmakers.''— The  Ladu :  "The  cheapest 
and  best  Machine  in  the  market."—  Weldon't  "A  wonderful 
Machine."—  Chunk  Brlis:  Remarkably  cheap  and  effec- 
tive "—SvuntQ-Machine  Gtuette:  Of  best  British  make,  the 
wonder  is  that  it  can  be  produced  for  the  money."—  Western 


RUT>    &    C  O.'S  SPECIALITIES, 

Douglas :  "We  are  all  delighted  with  it."  Mrs.  Colley,  Link 
Hall,  Chathill;  "It  is  wonderful."  Mrs.  Diffy,  Allwood 
Farm,  Corfe  Castle :  "Am  greatly  pleased  with  it  both  in 
work  and  appearance."  Mrs.  Hose,  29a,  Loud  Street,  Trow- 
bridge :  "lam  sure  it  is  quite  a  bargain."  Mrs.  Le  Page, 
19,  Paris  Street,  Guernsey :  I  am  very  proud  of  it ;  it  is 
a  wonderful  machine."  Mrs.  S.  Bridge,  14,  Alfred  Street, 
West  Bromwich:  "  It  works  quite  equal  to  one  I  gave  four 
guineas  for  "   


Morning  News: 


Equal  t 

The  first 
than  half  <. 
public.  W 
the  cost 
them  kno 


f  t! 


hing  we  haw  ^een." 
usand  we  shall  sell  at  less 
to  introduce  them  to  the 
rc  prepared  to  lose  £500  on 
!  Machines,  in  order  to  get 
Not  more  than 


Machine  will  be  sold  to  one  person,  and 
,  it  is  to  be  understood  that  if  they  are 
thoroughly  satisfied  witli  it  (as  we  know 
they  must  be)  they  shall,  whenever  they 
get  an  opportunity,  recommend  it  to 
their  friends  at  our  proper  price.  We 
agree  to  supply  any  person  writing  to  us 
with  one  of  these  Beautiful  British- 
nade     Family    Lockstitch  Sewing 
Machines  for  15s.,  and  they  can  take 
jit  to  any  Machine  Manufacturer,  and 
if  he  will  make  them  one  for  anythirg 
like  the  money,  we  will  return  the  cash 
in  full  and  give  them  the  Machine  us  well. 

Every  Machine  is  guaranteed  to  lie  liritish-niakc,  full- 
sized  superior  lockstitch  motion,  the  shuttle  is  the  best 
make  (boat  shape),  the  same  as  in  Singer  and  Howe  type, 
it  will  make  any  size  stitch,  work  any  thieknessof  material, 
from  thin  to  stout,  has  vertical  feed,  patent  winder,  large 
plated  fly  wheel,  on  polished  walnut  stand.  Each  Machine 
is  13J  inches  long,  13  inches  high,  and  9*  inches  from  back 
to  front,  and  is  packed  in  a  neat  wooden  case.  This  is  an 
onportunity  not  to  be  met  with  more  than  once  in  a  life- 
time. Of  course,  everybody  knows  they  ran  never  in  the 
ordinary  way  get  a  perfectly  new  English-made  Family 
Sewing  Machine  complete  for  15s.,  but,  this  is  what  we 
guarantee.  If  you  have  friends  in  London,  let  them  call 
at  our  place  and  see  them  ■  we  much  prefer  t  his,  but  don't 
lose  anv  time,  as  it  is  only  the  first  thousand  we  offer  at 
this  price. 

We  have  also  fitted  lno  of  these  Machines  as  Treadle 
Sewing  Machines,  and  t  hese  will  be  sold  at  40s.  each  to 
the  first  hundred  applicants  for  them.  The  Coupon  below 
must  he  cut  out  and  sent  with  the  order. 

Extra  needles  Is.  Id.  per  Doz. ;  2  extra  spoon,  tid. ;  special 
oil  and  oil-can,  6d. ;  one  dozen  reels  of  cotton,  Is.  Each 
Machine,  packed  in  box,  weighs  18  lbs.  Fuller  particulars, 
specimens  of  work,  and  testimonials,  Id.  Don*t  miss  this 
grand  opportunity.  You  can  sell  the  Machine  for  double 
what  it  cost  you  at  once.  No  reduction,  as  every  Machine 
is  sold  far  below  cost 

WHAT  PEOPLE  SAY.-Mrs.  Edwards,  Charnock 
Vicarage,  Chorley:  "Very  pleased  indeed  with  it.  It  is 
wonderful."  Mrs.  Gower,  The  Schools,  Croxton  :  "I  like 
it  immensely."  Mrs.  Henson,  Queensbury  Villa,  Kettering  : 
"Received  quite  safe,  beautifullv  packed,  much  pleased 
with  it."  Mrs.  Jones,  Belle  Vue,  New  Brighton:  "  It  was 
everything  I  expected."  Mrs.  Burdett,  Allesbv,  Loscombe  : 
"It  works  beautifully."  Mrs.  R.  M-  Edwards,  Ysyrysrsy 
Vicarage,  Bettws-y-Coed  -.  "Gives  great  satisfaction :  a 
perfect  marvel  "  Mr".  Goodman,  Thorpe  Malson,  Ket- 
tering: "Am  well p  leased  with  it:  it  is  a  beauty/'  Mrs 
Turner,  King"6  Cross,  Halifax  :  "  It  is  all  the  advertisement 
states  it  to  he."  Mrs.  Crisp,  24,"  Brook  Street,  Hanley: 
"  We  consider'it  a  perfect  wonder  "  Mrs.  Young,  Wormley, 
Godalming;  "  Have  tried  it  on  all  kinds  of  work  ;  it  is  far 
better  then  I  expected."  Rev.  H.  Jutsum,  5,  East  Terrace, 


eked  in  a  h: 


ids- 


"TO-DAY"  COUPON 
To  be  sent  with  Order. 
Please   send    me  One   English  Lockstite! 
Machine,  as  described  above,    for  which 

enclose   If  I  find  the  Machiu- 

what  you  state,  and  far  below  the  c  >st  of  maim 
facture,  and  am  thoroughly  satisfied  with  it.  1 
shall  be  pleased  to  recommend  it  to  my  friends 


Signed 


THIS  IS  YOUR  L_13T  CHAMCE.-One  Gentlemai 
writing  to  us  from  a  town  in  Scotland,  said  Mr  So-and-i: 
(mentioning  the  name  of  an  agent  for  one  of  the  large; 
Sewing  Machine  Companiesin  the  world)  saidit  was  no  ui 
his  offering  Machines  at  four  guineas  while  people  coul 
get  yours  at  ir>s.  He  might  as  well  6hut  up  shop  at  one 
He  had  seen  your  machine  that  I  got,  and  w  s  simp] 
astounded. 


WORKING  MODEli 
vv  STEAM  LOCOMO- 
TIVES.—Guaranteed.— 
With  large  japanned 
boiler  cylinder,  and  four 
wheels,  Is.  6d.  THE 
"FAKR1NGDON,"  with 
beautiful  br; 
steam  whistle 
and  fourwhe 
—greatest  bargain  ever 
iffered.  JAPANNED 


cyli 


iler. 
ider, 
.  tid. 


LOCOMOTIVE, 
er,  safety  valve,  and 
th  whistl"  5s.  fid. ; 


ith 
louble 
•wheel 
riVK, 


tmnsred  wheels,  start 
eylinders,  larger  size, 

ditto  with  dome,  &e.,Ss.6d'.  ALL  UK  A  SS  L0O0M 
verypowerful,  with  whistle,  water  tap,  ouffers,  steam  tap, 
safety  valve,  2  cylinders,  and  four  flanged  wheels,  ,Ss.  fid.  ; 
(■-wheel,  larger  ditto,  IDs.  tid.  Powerful  8-WHFEL 
EXPRESS  LOCOMOTIVE  with  all  fittings,  and  backwaid 
and  forward  motion,  ;{os  Complete  set  of  WORKING 
RAILWAY  SIGNALS,  with  Levei-s,  fee.,  2s.  Engine  parts 
of  every .  description.  Locomotive,  with  tender,  rarriages, 
and  set  of  circular  rails,  in  case,  17s.  6d.,  35s.,  60s.  Carriages 
an!  Trucks  with  flanged  wheels  Is.  6d.  each. 

■TRIGGERS'  WIGS.  —  Reliable  quality 
Is,  3d.  and  Is, '9d,;  best,  with  rising 
tuft,  2s.  lid.  and  ."is.  tid.  Collars,  white  or 
striped,  is.  2d. ;  best  frilled,  2s.  Cuffs, 
small,ls,  2d.;  large  and  frilled  (eobuiredj, 
Is,  (id. ;  white,  2s,  3d.  Fronts,  Is. tid.;  best 
quality,  2s.  tid.  Special  black  for  faces,  etc., 
1.  2d.  Bows,  is,  yd.  Umbrella  Cases,  Is.  2d. 
t  oats.  5s,  (id.,  Cs,  (id.  Waistcoats.  4s.  6d. 
Trousers,  5s.,  6d.  tid.  Crcpo  Masks,  to  fit 
face.  4s.  Nigger  Masks,  male  or  female, 
Is.  6d.,  2s.  tid.  Book,  Nigger  Dialogues,  etc. 
Is' 2dd.  Bones,  Is,  2d.,  Is.  £d„  2s.  tid.  Clap-' 
pers,  is.  Banjoes,  4s.  tid.,  6s.  6d.  7s.  tid.  Tambourines' 
Is,  2d„  Is.  0d.,  2s.  tid.  ^Tasks,  Wigs,  Costumes,  Make-ups  of 
tvery  description,  see  list. 

ARTIFICIAL  FROST  for  CHRIST- 
MAS.— In  boxes,  8d-,  Is.  2d-,  and 
■  "}..   Spangles  for  Costumes,  &c,  as- 


ouitment,  yd,,  Is.  2d-,  io.  < 
Witch's  Mask,  Is.  6d.  Fathe: 
Is.;  with  beard,  Is.  6d.  : 
rheatrical  Make-ups,  2s.  9d-, 


md 


(id.  Japai 


Is- 


F; 


•Lanterns,  fr 
v  Wands,  1: 
B  ar.  Cat. 


2s-6d.  EnXe 
lights,  &c> 


.  and 
",  and 
■  and 
Lime- 


V  ENTRILoQUISM.— All  aWl  it  and 
T  how  to  do  it,  Is.  2d.  Magic  and 
Mysteries,  Coniuring  Tricks  aud  how  to 
make  them.  Is.  2d,   Thought  IReading, 


the  real  secret,  Is.  2d.  Tricks  with  Cards,  Is.  2d.  Mess- 
merism,  Is. 2d.  Readings  and  Recitations,  Is.  2d,  Riddles 
and  Jokes,  Is.  2d.  Amateur  Theatricals,  Is.  2d.  How  to 
Read  Heads,  lsf.  2d.  How  to  Read  Faces  and  Tell  Home 
Acting,  Is.  2d. 

'phk  «  i-:u;r.ii  \ted  bijoi:  magic  lantern  and 

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THEOBALD  »fc  COMPANY,  Established  ovei 
HO  Years.  Local  Depot:  20,  CHURCH 
STREET,  KENSINGTON,  LONDON, 
Head  City  Warehouse,  to  which  address  all 
letters :  19,  FARRINGDON  ROAD,  LOND  OK 
E.C.   Telephones  8597  and  6767. 


December  8,  1894. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  JOHANNESBURG  CONSOLIDATED  INVEST- 
MENT COMPANY- 

THE    TRUST  DEED. 

In  accordance  with  our  promise  of  last  week,  we  give  below 
the  salient  paragraphs  of  the  Trust  Deed  of  this  company.  We 
do  not  believe  there  is  another  copy  of  this  Trust  Deed  in 
England.  We  shall  therefore  be  doing  a  service  to  the  many 
English  investors  who  have  put  money  into  the  Johannesburg 
Consolidated  Investment  company  by  showing  how  absolutely 
they  are  at  the  mercy  of  the  three  permanent  directors. 

The  original  capital  of  the  company  was  £175,000,  divided 
into  150,000  ordinary  and  25,000  founders'  shares  of  £1  each.  The 
25,000  founders'  shares  were  allotted  to  Messrs.  Barnato  Brothers 
as  fully  paid  up  "in  return  for  their  services,  carrying  the 
rights  and  privileges  hereinafter  mentioned."  Let  us  see  what 
these  rights  and  privileges  are. 

Section  106  provides  : — ■ 

After  payment  of  a  dividend  or  dividends  amounting  in  the  aggregate 
in  any  one  year  to  20  per  cent,  on  the  issued  share  capital  of  the 
company,  inclusive  of  founders'  shares,  any  further  or  surplus  dividend 
or  dividends  shall  be  distributed  as  follows— viz.,  one  half  of  the 
amount  shall  be  paid  to  the  holders  of  the  founders'  shares,  and  the 
other  shall  be  paid  to  the  members  according  to  their  right  and 
interest  in  the  profits.    (Page  19.) 

There  is  nothing  very  unusual  in  this  distribution,  but  it  is  to 
be  noted  that  any  reserve  fund  can  only  be  formed  after  the  pay- 
ment of  the  20  per  cent,  dividend,  and  from  the  moiety  of  the 
balance  of  profits  accruing  to  the  ordinary  shareholders.  The 
unique  character  of  the  Trust  Deed  is  to  be  found  in  the  powers 
it  gives  to  the  permanent  directors. 

Section  75  provides  that — 

The  first  directors  shall  be  Barnet  Isaac  Barnato,  Henry  Barnato 
and  Woolf  Joel,  hereinafter  referred  to  as  permanent  directors,  with 
power  to  add  nine,  or  fewer,  additional  directors  to  their  number. 
(Page  14.) 

The  shareholders  cannot  nominate  a  single  director.  Section 

82  provides  that — 

Two  of  the  assumed  directors  shall  retire  from  office  in  the  reverse 
order  in  which  they  may  be  nominated  from  time  to  time  by  the  per- 
manent directors.    (Page  15.) 

Under  the  Deed  the  qualification  of  an  ordinary  director  is  the 
holding  250  shares  of  the  company  in  his  own  right,  but  the 
permanent  directors  may  reduce  the  qualification,  or  do  away 
with  it  altogether ;  or  even  dispense  with  directors.  The 
permanent  directors  may  create  nine  directors — they  need  not 
create  one — or  having  created  them  need  not  fill  up  vacancies. 

Section  87  provides — 

The  permanent  directors  may  from  time  to  time  increase  or  reduce 
the  number  of  directors,  and  alter  their  qualifications,  and  may  also 
determine  in  what  manner  or  rotation  such  increased  or  reduced 
number  is  to  go  out  of  office.   (Page  15.) 

The  powers  given  to  the  directors  are  of  the  most  sweeping 

character.    Section  34  allows  them  to  increase  the  capital  of  the 

company  to  any  extent : — 

The  directors  may,  without  the  intervention  of  any  meeting,  increase 
the  capital  by  creating  new  shares  to  such  amount  and  under  such 
circumstances  as  hereinafter  set  forth.    (Page  10.) 
The  "  circumstances  "  are  "  set  forth  "  in  Section  35  : — 

Such  shares  may  be  issued  with  a  preferential  or  qualified  right  to 
dividends,  and  in  the  distribution  of  the  assets  of  the  company,  and 
with  a  special  or  ordinary  voting  power,  or  without  any  right  of 
voting,  provided  that  no  privileges  or  rights  shall  be  granted  so  as  in 
any  way  to  interfere  with  or  encroach  upon  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
the  founders'  shares.   (Page  10.) 

Everywhere  the  founders'  shares  are  protected  from  encroach- 
ment, but  the  ordinary  shares  already  issued  may  be  made 
absolutely  worthless  if  the  permanent  directors  chose  it. 

Note  again  the  borrowing  powers  given  to  these  same  gentle- 
men.   Section  39  provides  that — 

The  directors  may  from  time  to  time,  at  their  discretion,  borrow  from 
the  directors,  or  other  persons,  any  sum  or  sums  for  the  purposes  of 
the  company.  (Pago  11.) 
And  Section  40  provides  that — 

The  directors  may  raise  or  secure  the  repayment  of  such  moneys,  in 
such  manner  and  upon  such  t  erms  and  conditions  in  all  respects  as  they 
think  fit,  and  in  particular  by  the  issue  of  debentures  of  the  company. 
(Pages  11.) 

Shareholders  wanting  information  are  entirely  at  the  mercy  of 

the  directors.    Section  120  provides  that— 

The  directors  shall  from  time  to  time  determine  whether  and  to 
what,  extent,  and  at  what  limes  anil  places,  and  under  what  conditions 
or  regulations  the  accounts  and  books  of  t  he  c  ompany,  or  any  of  them, 
shall  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  the  members,  and  no  member  shall 
have  any  right  of  inspecting  any  hook  or  document  of  the  companj ,  e\ 
cept  as  authorised  by  the  directors.   (Page  20.) 

Section  88  provides  that  two  directors  shall  form  a  quorum. 


and  no  alteration  of  the  Trust  Deed  is  possible  without  the 

unanimous  consent  of  the  permanent  directors.    Section  147 

provides  that — 

It  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  the  shareholders,  supported  by  the 
unanimous  vote  of  the  permanent  directors,  etc.,  to  repeal,  alter,  amend, 
or  modify  any  section  or  sections  of  this  deed,  and  to  make  new  pro- 
visions therein.   (Page  23.) 

The  Deed  may  be  altered,  some  little  control  over  their  own 

affairs  may  be  given  to  the  shareholders  :  but  not  if  any  one  of 

the  three  Life  Governors  objects.    What  sane  man,  acquainted 

with  the  terms  of  this  Trust  Deed,  would  put  his  money  into 

the  Johannesburg  Consolidated    Investment  Conrpany  ?  No 

directors,  let  their  character  and  standing  be  what  they  may, 

should  be  given  such  powers,  but  vested  in  such  men  as  the 

Barnatos  ! 

MR.   ROBERT  BUCHANAN. 

It  is  sometimes  assumed  that  when  a  man  becomes  a  bankrupt 
life  is  made  very  unpleasant  for  him.  The  popular  notion  is 
that  everything  he  earns  over  and  above  the  barest  pittance  goes 
to  his  creditors,  and  that  until  he  has  paid  them  10s.  in  the  £  he 
cannot  get  his  discharge.  Mr.  Robert  Buchanan's  experience  in 
Carey  Street  should  dissipate  this  delusion. 

The  Official  Receiver  stated  that — 

The  bankrupt  had  brought  on  his  bankruptcy  by  rash  and  hazardous 
speculations,  by  unjustifiable  extravagance  in  living,  and  gambling. 

Mr.  Buchanan  admitted  that — 

The  excess  of  his  household  and  personal  expenditure  over  his  income 
was  £3,000  up  to  1893,  and  for  the  twelve  months  preceding  this  receiv- 
ing order  it  amounted  to  £1,229.    He  had  lost  £1,200  by  betting. 

The  Registrar  granted  Mr.  Buchanan  his  discharge  on  con- 
dition that  he  should  set  aside  one  half  of  his  net  income  in  excess 
of  £900  a  year. 

For  aught  we  know,  Mr.  Buchanan  will  act  honestly,  and  set 
aside  the  whole  of  his  income  over  and  above  a  much  smaller 
sum  than  £900  per  annum.  It  is  proper  to  assume  that  he  will 
do  so.  But  if  not?  If  he  stands  by  the  letter  of  the  order  of 
the  Court?  What  does  struggling  honesty,  working  early  and 
late,  and  eating  the  bread  of  carefulness,  that  he  may  some  day 
be  clear  of  debt,  due  as  likely  as  not  to  illness,  unavoidable 
misfortune,  or  a  heart  too  big,  say  to  it  ?  May  not  he  be 
tempted  to  conclude  that  the  road  to  ease  and  rest  lies  through 
the  Bankruptcy  Court,  and  so  take  it  ?  There  is  honour  to  bar 
the  road  ?  Yes,  there  is  honour,  but  it  cannot  have  been  the 
intention  of  Parliament  that  there  should  be  nothing  else. 

MR.  McKINNON  WOOD  AND  "TO-DAY." 

We  have  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  McKinnon  Wood,  in 
which,  referring  to  remarks  in  our  issue  of  November  24th 
respecting  the  London  controversy,  Mr.  McKinnon  Wood  says 
we  speak  of  the  Local  Government  Committee  as  "the  com- 
mittee that  decides  how  the  large  advertisement  expenditure  of 
the  Council  is  to  be  allocated."  Mr.  Wood  assures  us  that 
"the  practice  of  the  Council  is  that  each  of  its  twenty-nine  com- 
mittees gives  out  its  own  advertisements  as  it  deems  wisest. 
The  Local  Government  Committee  has  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  the  advertisements  of  any  of  the  other  twenty-eight  com- 
mittees, or  with  any  of  the  advertisements  of  the  Council  except 
its  own,  and  it  is  far  from  being  one  of  the  largest  advertisers 
among  the  committees  of  the  Council." 

We  very  readily  print  this  correction.  Mr.  McKinnon  Wood 
will  remember  that  To-Day  has  repeatedly  ridiculed  the  absurd 
theory  that  he  and  other  leading  members  of  the  London 
County  Council  have  stooped  to  corruption  for  the  purpose  of 
benefiting  a  newspaper  in  which  they  happen  to  have  some  slight 
pecuniary  interest.      Parturiunt  monten,    naicitur  ridiculus 

THE  TOUTING  FRATERNITY. 

We  are  indebted  to  a  lady  for  sundry  circulars  sent  to  hot 
week  by  week  by — 

1.  Robert  Fairlie,  10,  Featherstone  Buildings,  Holborn. 

2.  Hugh  Armstrong,  Hi,  Great  Marlborough  Street,  W. 

3.  Francis  Ingram,  Palace  Gardens  Mansions,  W. 

The  first  of  these  persons  promises  £3(1  to  £4"  weekly  on  every 
£100  left  in  his  hands  ;  the  second  promises  to  win  a  IMO  stake, 
presumably  every  week,  if  .£200  is  lodged  ;  the  third  promises 
£30  per  week  on  every  £100  share. 

Each  of  these  men  works  a  "  system  "  which,  as  he  claims, 
makes  loss  impossible,  and  it  is  a  humiliating  reflection  that 
thousands  of  individuals,  apparently  sane,  read  and  believe- 


December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


143 


THE  TEA  TRADE  DODGE: 

The  latest  development  of  the  tea  trade  trick  is  at  Brighton, 
tvhere  the  Victoria  Tea  Company  is  offering  "an  exceedingly 
handsome  electro-plated  tea  service,"  "  at  the  exceptionally  low 
cost  of  13s.  4d.,  worth  at  least  thirty  shillings,"  to  every  person 
who  buys  forty  quarter-pound  packets  of  their  tea.  The  offer  is 
less  liberal  than  some  of  those  we  gave  last  week,  but  no  doubt 
many  silly  folk  will  be  hoodwinked  by  it. 

BANK  OF  VAN   DIEMANS  LAND,  LIMITED. 

The  paragraph  that  appeared  in  our  issue  of  November  24 
with  reference  to  the  "  distribution  of  properties  "  belonging  to 
this  company  "on  the  Art  Union  principle,"  has  brought  us  a 
number  cf  letters  from  co-respondents,  who,  to  quote  from  the 
letter  of  an  ingenuous  Tynesider,  "  would  like  to  do  a  small 
gamble,"  and  who  want  to  know  where  tickets  for  the  drawings 
can  be  obtained.  The  prospectus  before  us  says  that  "  all  appli- 
cations for  shares  must  be  addressed,  The  Trustees,  Bank  of 
Van  Dieman's  Land,  Limited  (in  Liquidation),  Hobart,  Tas- 
mania." 


SOME  NEW  ISSUES. 

Page  and  Overton's  Brewery  Company,  Limited.  Issue  of 
£80,00U  Four-and-a-Half  per  Cent.  First  Mortgage  Debentures.— This  issue  is 
to  be  used  to  pay  off  existing  debentures  amounting  to  £60,000,  carrying  5 
per  cent,  and  held  by  the  London  and  Northern  Assets  and  Debenture 
Companies,  and  to  extinguish  certain  other  charges.  The  security,  valued 
by  the  company  at  £131,115,  seems  fairly  good. 

John  Hetherington  and  Sons,  Limited.  Share  capital,  £300,000. 
—The  Six  per  Cent.  Cumulative  Preference  shares  and  Four-and-a-Half 
per  Cent.  First  Mortgage  Debenture  stock  now  offered,  in  our  opinion  repre- 
sent sound  investments. 

Strong  and  Co.,  of  Ramsay,  Limited.— The  £200,000  Four-and-a- 
Half  per  Cent.  First  Mortgage  Debenture  stock  now  offered  is,  in  our 
opinion,  well  secured. 

May's  Drug  Stores,  Limited.— This  company  offer  £10,000  (part  of 
£20,OjO  to  be  created)  Six  per  Cent.  First  Mortgage  Debentures,  but  the 
information  given  in  the  prospectus  as  to  the  position  of  the  company — 
incorporated  last  year — is  quite  inadequate. 

J.W.Cameron  and  Co.,  Limited.— The  Four-and-a-Quarter  per  Cent. 
Mortgage  Debenture  Stock,  and  the  Five-and-a-Half  per  Cent.  Cumulative 
Preference  Shares  of  this  issue,  should  be  desirable  investments. 

The  South  Sweden  Moss  Litter  Co.,  Limited.— If  the  estimates 
of  the  prospectus  are  to  be  relied  upon  this  company  will  pay  good  divi- 
dends. Lord  Shrewsbury  is  chairman,  and  he  should  know  whether  the 
£24,000  asked  for  the  3,000  acres  of  moss  land  to  be  taken  over  by  the 
company  is  excessive  or  not.   The  demand  for  this  kind  of  litter  is  growing. 

The  Pandora  Folding  Box  Company,  Limited.  Capital  £60,000. 
—We  do  not  think  it  likely  that  the  company  will  get  rid  of  anything  like  the 
number  of  boxes  they  name,  consequently  we  have  no  faith  in  the  estimated 
profit  being  realised.  We  understand  that  the  patentee  sold  the  invention 
to  a  syndicate  for  £5,000,  which  probably  is  much  nearer  its  value  than  the 
£40,000  the  public  are  asked  to  give  for  it. 

The  Baring  Estate  Company,  Limited.  Issue  of  First  and 
Second  Mortgage  Debentures,  £1,500,000.— The  application-list  was  closed 
almost  as  soon  as  opened,  and  the  debentures  are  quoted  at  a  big  pre- 
mium. We  think  those  of  our  readers  are  the  more  fortunate  who  got  no 
allotment.  The  issue  is  secured  on  stocks— mostly  unsaleable— valued  by 
the  Barings  at  £2,189,598,  and  a  guarantee  of  £500,000  given  by  persons  un- 
named. 


ANSWERS   TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 

Sundry  Mining  Shares.  Moses  (South  Shields).— All  the  shares  you 
name  are  of  a  very  speculative  character.    Johannesburg  Water 

Works.  E.  C.  M.  (Farnham).— If  the  facts  are  as  you  state,  then  you  are 
entitled  to  the  backwardation  ;  but  we  advise  you  to  take  the  shares  with- 
out haggling,  and  be  thankful  to  get  them.  Salvation  Army  Bank. 
J.  F.  (Glasgow).— Yes,  of  course;  it  is  one  thingto  save  souls,  another  and 
very  different  thing  to  run  a  bank— safely.  Profits  to  Promoter. 
Bex.— It  is  impossible  for  us  to  tell  you  "  what  part  of  nett  profit "  of  a 
patent  should  go  to  the  man  who  has  financed  you  ;  that  is  a  matter  for 
agreement  between  you.  Safe  Investment.  Boney  (Londonderry).— We 
advise  you  to  make  your  own  selection.  Raithby,  Lawrance  and  Co., 
Limited.  Printer  (G  lasgow). — We  fear  not ;  you  have  delayed  action  over 
long.  Sundry  Bonds.  A.  B.  (Leeds).— 1.  No,  the  risk  is  not  "more  "than 
racing  risks.  You  forget  you  have  the  Bond.  2.  The  Bonds  are  genuine. 
3.  Certainly,  the  price  is  improving.  4.  No,  the  prices  quoted  are  not 
"fair  value."  They  can  be  bought  much  cheaper  from  Gerald  Quin 
and  Co.,  29,  Royal  Exchange,  and  other  City  firms.  5.  We  have  no  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  people  whose  circular  you  send  us  are  not  quite 
solvent.  6.  City  of  Paris.  Congo  Bonds.  Congo  (Halfax).— 1.  The 
quotation  for  these  Bonds  at  the  close  of  last  week,  and  which  you 
say  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  quote  at  about  £4  10s.— in  the  book  you 
send  us,  at  page  13,  the  quotation  is  £4— was  about  £3  12s.  2.  The 
market  price  on  the  same  date  for  the  other  bonds  named  as  compared  with 
the  prices  given  by  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  in  the  pamphlet  you  send  us  is 
as  follows:— Ottoman  Bonds,£57s.0d.  to£5 10s.  Cunliffe, RussellandCo.(page 
H),'£7;  Panama  Canal  Bonds, £5  5s.  ;  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  (page  17),  £6; 
Government  of  Servia  Bonds,  £3  10s.  to  £3  12s.  6d. ;  Cunliffe,  Russell  and 
Co.  (page  18),  £4.  3.  We  have  no  doubt  that  in  the  event  you  speak  of 
Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  would  act  for  you,  but  if  you  win  the  prize  you 
could  afford  a  trip  to  Paris  to  look  after  it.  4.  As  to  whether  these  prizes 
ever  come  to  England,  we  were  under  the  impression  that  there  was  some 
ground  for  scepticism,  but  later  information  convinces  us  that  there  is  not. 
Two  cases  have  been  mentioned  to  us,  one  of  a  well-known  Regent  Street 
tradesman  who  drew  a  200,000fr.  Town  of  Paris  Bond,  another  of  an 
equally  well-known  City  man— true  a  Greek,  but  long  resident  in  England 
—who  drew  the  Russian  500,000  rouble  prize.  Joint  Stock 
Institute.  J.  L.  (Birmingham).— We  can  tell  you  nothing  about 
the  "  West  Australian  Mining  Company  operation  "  that  you  cannot 
gather  for  yourself  by  perusal  of  the  advertisement.  The  Joint  Stock 
Institute  is  in  as  good  a  position  as  most  people  in  the  City — in  a  better 
position  than  most  people— to  sift  the  good  from  the  bad,  the  promising 
from  the  fraudulent,  of  the  scores  of  West  Australian  claims  that  are  being 
put  upon  this  market.  And  it  is  equally  certain  thatpersons  likeyourself  ,'whn 


want  to  pu  t  moneyinto  these  speCnTatf  ve  ventures.and  know  nothing  whatever 
about  them  except  what  you  are  told  by  interested  parties,  would  gain  by 
i.ia  king  the  Joint  Stock  Institute  your  agents,  provided  the  controllers  of 
thelnstitute  use  their  knowledge,  as  they  promise  to  do,  on  your  behalf. 
But  you  will  do  well  to  remember  that  no  agency  can  insure  you  against 
loss.  Mining  speculations  must  always  be  very  risky,  and  no  one  should 
risk  money  upon  them  who  cannot  afford  to  lose  every  penny  of  the  sum  he 
risks.  Moore  and  Burgess,  Limited.  B.  W.  (St.  Germans).— We 
'•an  add  nothing  to  the  reply  we  gave  another  correspondent  a  week  or  two 
a  o  ;  namely,  that  the  London  show  is  doing  well ;  the  Provincial  less  well, 
o  ving  to  hampering  engagements,  for  which  the  present  management  is  not 
r  sponsible.  Dorman,  Long  and  Co.  T.  G.  O.  (Blackburn).— We  do 
.iot  know  that  we  can  tell  sou  anything  more  significant  than  is  to  be  found 
in  the  report  itself.  Small  Savings.  A.  D.  (Camden  Town).— One  is  as 
s  xfe  as  the  other.  Cycle  Rubber  Co.  T.  K.  (Dundee).— We  are  obliged 
ro  you.  Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land.  H.  C.  B.  (Leeds).— Apply  to 
t  iii  Agent-General  (see  "  Whittaker"  f  or  address).  Pigg's  Peak.  A.  B.  K. 
>  .;unnersbury).— About  5s.  Investment  of  £50.  W.  D.  (Enfield).— 
We  hare  no  ground  for  questioning  the  solvency  of  the  so-called  bank  you 
name,  but  we  advise  you  to  keep  your  £50  in  the  Savings  Bank.  True,  the 
interest  is  small ;  but  the  difference  between  that  and  the  possible  7  per 
cent,  you  might  get  from  the  "bank"  is  only  £2  5s.,  and  you  know  your 
money  is  safe,  and  can  be  handled  at  any  moment  if  you  leave  it  with  the 
Savings  Bank.  Position  of  Bank.  H.  C.  (Brighton).— It  is  a  60  per 
cent,  concern.  Very  few  particulars  are  obtainable,  so  that  is  one  of 
several  reasons  why  your  client  should  not  deposit  with  those  people. 
Respectable  Brokers.  E.  W.  (Warrington).— Better  go  to  a  member 

of  "  the  House."  The  Pandora  Folding  Box  Company.  (Leeds). 

— We  are  much  obliged. 

INSURANCE. 

Life  Assurance.  C.  S.  T.  (Manchester).— You  will  get  better  value  for 
your  money  from  the  English  company.    Endowment  Assurance. 

Typewriter  (South  Shields). — The  list  submitted  is  a  good  one.  You  will 
get  the  largest  bonus  from  Office  C  ;  B  may  possibly  come  next ;  A  should 
be  placed  last  of  the  six.  Life  Assurance.  D.  S.  (Inverness). — Take  the 
old  office  by  all  means,  for  security,  profit  and  conditions.  A  Certain 
Company.  C.  F.C.  (Salford). — You  must  not  judge  the  company  by  the  one 
case  you  refer  to  ;  but  even  that  case  tells  against  you  now.  The  woman 
had  no  interest  in  the  man's  living  ;  only  in  his  death.  The  insurance  was 
a  gambling  transaction.  The  agent  and  the  woman  may  have  conspired, 
but  because  the  agent  was  agent  for  the  company  that  is  no  reason 
why  the  company  should  be  victimised.  The  magistrate's  decision 
is  wrong,  both  morally  and  legally.  Annuity.  Sorter  (Notting- 
ham). —  The  office  is  not  one  of  the  strongest.  Life 
Office.  A.  B.  (Nottingham).— Both  offices  are  sound,  the  older  one  ex- 
ceedingly so,  and  much  to  be  preferred  in  point  of  bonuses  and  system  to 
the  younger  one,  although  the  latter  gives  a  very  fair  bonus.  Assurance 
for  £2,000.  S.  A.  (Leeds). — We  have  no  hesitation  in  recommending  the 
mutual  office  as  the  better  of  the  two  named.  The  other  office  is  run  too 
much  in  the  interests  of  shareholders.  The  wants  of  the  public  receive  too 
little  attention.  Sprinkler  Frost.  (Ardwick).—  The  pressure  will,  we 
lake  it,  be  the  same  in  all  directions,  but  inasmuch  as  the  Sprinkler  is  so 
arranged  that  by  turning  the  adjusting  screw  at  the  bottom  all  the  water 
can  be  run  out,  there  is  no  need  to  run  the  risk  of  frost.  Still,  if  that  pre- 
caution be  neglected,  we  think  the  Sprinkler  is  strong  enough  to  resist  the 
expansive  pressure.   Why  not  write  to  the  maker  on  the  question? 


THE  BIGGEST  AND  BEST  SIXPENNYWORTH  EVER  ISSUED. 

THE  FIRST  NUMBER  OF 


A  HOME  MAZAGINE  FOR  MEN  AND  WOMEN, 

CONDUCTED  ON  ENTHiELY  NEW  AND  ORIGINAL  LINES. 
Will  be  published  on  December  12th,  and  will  contain,  amongst  many 

others,  the  following  important  features,  any  one  of  which  would 

make  the  fortun  c  an  ordinary  magazine. 

First,  A  MAGNIF  CE  IT  COLOURED  PLATE  printed  in  a  beautifully 
harmonised  scheme  1 1  c  jlour  in  England,  entitled  Four  Generations 
of  Royalty. 

Second,  A  Fine  Art  Frontispiece,  "  A  Royal  Group,"  executed  in 
beautiful  tones. 

Third,  a  deeply  interesting  Serial  Story,  "The  Grey  Lady,"  by 

Henry  Seton  Merriman,  the  author  of  "With  Edged  Tools." 

Fourth,  "A  Bid  for  Fortune,"  a  fascinating  serial  story  by  Guy 
Boothby. 

Fifth,  the  "  Chronicles  of  Martin  Hewitt,  Investigator,"  the 
only  legitimate  successor  to  Sherlock  Holmes. 

Sixth,  "Unknown  London,"  a  deeply  interesting  collection  of  articles 
on  obscure  comers  of  London.  1. — "  Odd  Seenes  in  the  Walworth 
Road,"  Illustrated. 

A  GREAT  MARRIAGE  INSURANCE  SCHEME  that  will 
be  sure  to  be  The  Sensation  of  the  Hour. 


"THE    WINDSOR  MAGAZINE," 

PRICE  SIXPENCE, 

Should  be  ordered  AT  ONCE,  from  Booksellers  and  Newsagents  to 
prevent  disappointment,  as  the  demand  for  the  early  numbers  is  sure  to 
be  very  great. 

WARD,   LOCK,  AND    BOWDEN,  LIMITED, 

SALISBURY  SQUARE,   LONDON,  E.C 


144 


TO-DAY. 


December  8,  1894 


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A  THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
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Morton. 

MOORE  j  AND    BURGESS   MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
THIRTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  PROGRAMME. 
The  place  to  bring  your  Wives  and  Children. 
Last  week  of  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN. 
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Songs,  by  the  Elite  of  the  Troupe. 
New  Comic  Songs  and  Sketches.  A  screamingly  funny  Farce  has  been 

added.   Characters  by  the  most  laughable  of  Comedians. 
Every  Evening  at  8.  MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY  and  SATURDAY  AFTER- 
NOONS at  2.30.  Prices  5s.,  3s.,  2s.,  and  Is.— Farini,  Manager. 

"DOYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.  At  no 
place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen — ARTISTIC 
POSTER  EXHIBITION  (No  Extra  Charge).  Wet  or  Fine,  THOUSANDS 
CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  VARIETY  PERFORMANCES, 
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greater  than  the  number  of  those  losing  life  or  limb.  To  meet  such  cases 
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December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


145 


CONTENTS. 


PAGr. 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk— if.  A  Lucky  Journey.  By 


Herbert  Keen.  Illustrated  by  w.  Dewar    129 

A  Christmas  Present  Assurance  Company.    By  C.  H.  Urinli.no. 

Illustrated  by  Ernest  Goodwin   135 

Barrilli  and  the  Pope    13tf 

De  Omnibus.   By  the  Conductor    i:s7 

The  Reminiscences  of  an  Artist   i:;s 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller   13s 

Feminine  Affairs   140 

In  the  City   14-2 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J   nr. 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   lis 

Theory  in  Practice    140 

The  Prehistoric  Artist  and  Critic      150 

Morality  and  Fiction.  Crockett  v.  Hall  Caine    150 

Club  Chatter    15 1 

Clarencf.  By  Bret  Harte.  Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman   153 

An  Infant  Prodigy   157 

The  Country  and  People  of  Japan.— II   158 

The  Force  of  Habit   160 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


Lord  Spencer  made  out  a  good  case  the  other  day 
for  allotments.  Nothing  could  be  more  serviceable  to 
the  country;  nothing  could  be  better  for  the  citizens, 
than  that  the  largest  number  possible  of  them  should 
have  a  personal  and  practical  interest  in  the  land  on 
which  they  live.  Manufactures  come  and  go  ;  trade 
waxes  and  wanes ;  commerce  varies  as  with  the  wind ; 
but  the  tillers  of  the  soil  are  the  lif  eblood  of  eveiy  countiy, 
they  are  the  only  permanent  feature  in  it ;  the  only 
reliable  backbone  to  the  community.  There  should  be 
a  million  owners  of  freehold  land  in  the  British  Isles, 
xnd  we  should  then  hear  less  of  Socialism  and 
spoliation,  more  of  patriotism  and  honesty.  A  free- 
holder of  a  little  plot  of  from  one  to  ten  acres,  becomes- 
at  once  a  man  of  aims  and  hopes,  of  desires  and 
ambitions.  His  welfare  becomes  bound  up  with  that 
of  the  whole  community.  He  is  no  longer  a  drifting 
human  atom,  conscious  of  nothing  but  a  stomach, 
and  of  the  difficulty  of  filling  it ;  he  becomes  at  once 
a  rivet  in  the  social  machine,  dignified  with  use  and 
position. 

That  the  Conservatives  should  ever  have  opposed  the 
three-acresand-a-cow  principle  is  only  explained  by  the 
fact  that  few  politicians  can  see  an  inch  beyond  their 
noses,  and  that  each  political  party  always  seems  to  be 
under  the  impression  that  the  world  comes  to  an  end  with 
each  parliament.  As  to  the  cow,  I  would  leave  the 
labourers  to  acquire  that.  Cows,  I  fancy,  are  more 
profitable  when  kept  in  large  numbers,  but  the  three  acres 
I  would  strain  every  nerve  to  give  him.  With  the  ex- 
ample of  Franco  before  us,  it  is  clear  that  the  peasant 
proprietor  makes  an  admirable  citizen.  With  every 
labourer  the  owner  of  his  own  little  freehold,  we  should 
be  able  to  do  with  half  the  number  of  poor-houses, 
besides  giviDg  to  thousands  whose  lives  are  now  a  mere 
dull  animal  existence,  that  hope  which  turns  work  into 
delight.  If  the  Conservatives  are  wise  they  will  absorb 
the  allotment  question  into  their  own  policy.  It  is  a 
Conservative  measure  ;  it  works  for  Conservatism,  as  all 
really  useful  measures  do. 

I  shall  watch  with  curiosity  the  result  of  the  trial 


for  embezzlement  of  a  certain  tradesman  at  Trowbridge, 
who  is  accused  of  having  misappropriated  funds  belong- 
ing to  a  sick  society,  of  which  he  was  treasurer.  This 
gentleman  is  senior  deacon  of  Bethesda  Baptist  Chapel, 
senior  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school,  and  leader 
of  the  local  Band  of  Hope ;  the  newspaper  adds  "  etc."  to 
this  list  of  good  offices,  but  I  think  what  I  have  stated  is 
sufficient.  I  know  quite  well  that  there  are  plenty  of 
scamps  outside  religious  circles,  as  well  as  inside,  though 
I  doubt  if  the  proportion  is  any  greater ;  and  I  am  also 
aware  that  the  fact  of  a  professedly  religious  man  having 
given  way  to  temptation  is  no  reproach  to  religion. 
Some  of  the  best  men  in  the  world,  and  the  most  religious 
men,  have  sinned,  and,  what  is  of  more  importance  still  to 
the  argument,  have  been  found  out.  Our  first  parents 
were  not  immaculate;  but,  on  the  whole,  they  were 
worthy  people.  David,  a  man  after  God's  own  heart, 
sinned  more  than  once  or  twice.  Paul  was  not  a  con- 
sistent angel ;  and  the  lives  of  some  of  Christ's  most  de- 
voted followers  show  many  dark  pages. 

The  argument  I  wish  to  draw  is  the  argument  of 
toleration — the  argument  that  Christ  was  thinking  of 
when,  in  that  grandly  satirical  sentence,  he  suggested 
that  the  man  without  sin  should  cast  the  first  stone  at 
the  fallen  woman.  I  would  suggest  to  these  senior 
deacons,  and  senior  Sunday-school  superintendents,  and 
leaders  of  Bands  of  Hope,  that  they  should  think  more 
of  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  less  of  its  terrors  and 
denunciations  ;  that,  when  indignant  at  the  mote  in  their 
brother's  eye,  they  should  occasionally  think  of  the  beam 
in  their  own,  and  moderate  their  wrath ;  that  they 
should  thank  God  a  little  less  that  they  are  not  as  other 
men,  and  thank  God  a  little  more  earnestly  for  making 
their  passions  and  their  temptations  lighter. 

It  is  so'  easy  for  a  man  with  a  full  table  and  a  luxu- 
rious home  to  denounce  the  poor  devil  who  leaves  a 
sordid,  desolate  hearth  to  gain  a  few  moments'  respite 
amid  the  gas-glare  of  the  gin-palace,  and  to  forget  his 
utterly  colourless  life  in  a  brief  moment  of  drunken 
exhilaration.  It  is  so  easy  fora  man  with  an  ample  balance 
at  his  banker's  to  protest  against  the  wicked  desire  of 
a.  County  Council  gardener,  at  twenty-two  shillings  a 
week,  to  make  an  occasional  five-pound  note  by  putting 
seven-and-sixpence  on  an  "  outsider."  It  is  so  easy  for  a 
man  without  much  blood  stirring  in  his  veins,  blessed  by 
Nature — if  he  think  it  a  blessing — with  weak  and  easily- 
subdued  passions,  to  denounce  the  men  and  women  of 
stronger  vitality,  who  do  not  always  resist  the  ever- 
present  temptation  to  sin. 

But  are  such  vigorous  denouncers  of  other  people's 
evil-doing  always  so>  perfectly  sure  that  they  are  imper- 
vious to  temptation  when  it  comes  their  way,  and  in  a 
guise  that  appeals  to  their  peculiarities?  Can  these 
preachers,  who  are  for  ever  thundering  .against  the 
wickedness  of  the  outside,  woi'ld,  tell  their  souls  thai 
their  brain  has  never  harboured  an  evil  thought  1  Can 
they  pledge  themselves  that  never  in  their  lives  will  they 
admit  evil  desire  into  their  minds  1  If  not,  it  would  be 
better  that  they  should  be  a  little  more  tolerant,  a  little 
less  savage  in  their  anxiety  to  punish  evildoers,  a  little 
less  jubilant  when  a  weaker  brother  is  found  tripping. 

Are  any  of  us  so  very  much  superior  to  the  common 
standards  of  humanity  that  we  are  entitled  to  constitute 


TO-DAY. 


Decembee  8,  1894. 


ourselves  into  pursuers  and  executioners  of  others? 
The  original  disciples  of  Christ  pleaded  with  and 
besought  men.  With  knowledge  born  from  the 
bitter  experience  of  their  own  shortcomings,  they 
preached  the  gospel  of  kindness  and  love ;  our 
modern-day  Christians  demand  for  their  crusades  a 
policeman's  baton,  the  prison  cell,  and  the  hangman's 
rope.  They  are  never  happy  unless  they  are  hunting  a 
sinner  down  or  demanding  his  punishment ;  the  Eleventh 
Commandment  they  have  trampled  under  foot.  They 
have  more  faith  in  an  Act  of  Parliament  than  in  the 
teaching  of  their  Master.    It  is  a  pitiful  descent. 

Anyone  who  wants  an  intelligible  explanation  of  the 
constitution  and  powers  of  Parish  and  District  Councils 
cannot  do  better  than  procure  the  Daily  Graphic  sup- 
plement for  last  Saturday.  When  I  say  that  it  is  intel- 
ligible, I  do  not  mean  that  it  is  obvious ;  on  the  cont  rary, 
it  needs  to  be  read  very  carefully.  The  Act  has  been 
received  with  considerable  distrust  and  considerable 
enthusiasm  ;  and  neither  is,  I  think,  entirely  warranted. 
The  ratepayer  has  no  cause  to  be  alarmed.  The  expen- 
diture of  a  Parish  Council  is  strictly  limited  by  the  Act, 
and  its  power  to  exceed  the  limit  can  only  be  conferred 
upon  it  by  a  meeting  of  the  parish  electors.  In  a  word, 
if  more  money  is  spent  than  the  ratepayer  likes,  he  will 
only  have  himself  to  blame,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
Parish  Councils  will  save  valuable  property  to  the  pub- 
lic. By  the  preservation  of  commons  and  of  rights  of 
way,  the  Parish  Council  will  keep  public  property  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  land-grabber.  Similarly,  where  the 
water  supply  of  a  village  is  deficient,  it  will  be  possible 
for  Parish  Councils  to  make  full  use  of  any  natural 
source  for  the  benefit  of  the  village,  and  thus  save  it 
from  the  tender  mercies  of  private  enterprise. 

At  the  same  time,  if  the  inhabitants  of  Puddleton-in- 
the-Slosh  (with  a  scattered  population  of  five  hundred) 
think  that  they  are  going  to  get  a  public,  hall,  a  free 
library,  baths  and  washhouses,  electric  light,  and  wood 
jiaving  in  the  main  street,  and  a  variety  of  other 
luxuries,  as  the  result  of  the  Parish  Councils  Act,  then 
the  inhabitants  of  Puddleton-in-the-Slosh  will  find  them- 
selves very  much  disappointed.  Not  even  an  Act  of 
Parliament  can  get  more  than  a  pint  out  of  a  pint 
measure.  The  Parish  Councils  will  see  that  the  money 
is  spent  appropriately  to  the  needs  of  the  place  from 
which  the  money  comes.  It  can  do  no  more.  These 
needs  vary,  of  course,  in  different  parishes,  just  as  the 
means  of  supplying  these  needs  will  vary.  Only  the 
wealthy  and  densely-populated  parishes  will  be  able  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  Adoptive  Acts,  and  even  in  these 
the  expenditure  sanctioned  will  hardly  prove  more  than 
a  useful  supplement  to>  private  benevolence.  Probably 
the  most  important  action  of  the  Parish  Councils  will  be 
their  action  with  regard  to  allotments. 

Last  Sunday  was  Museum  Sunday.  The  arguments 
mi  belialf  of  the  opening  of  museums  and  libraries  on 
Sunday  are  so  well  known  and  so  unanswerable  that  I 
do  not.  think  it  worth  while  to  repeat  them  here.  If  they, 
have  not  yet  met  with  success,  the  reason  may  be  found — - 
partly,  at  any  rate — in  the  way  in  which  these  arguments 
have  been  urged.  Abuse  only  makes  the  Sabbatarian 
think  himself  a  martyr.  The  allurement  of  happiness 
does  not  entice  him ;  he  does  not  want  to  be  happy — 
he  wants  to  be  holy.  Nor  can  reason  alone  prevail  very 
far  with  a  man  who,  on  every  Sunday  of  his  life,  drive* 


a  cart  and  horse  through  three-quarters  of  the  Fourth 
Commandment,  and  then— and  not  till  then— finds  him- 
self pulled  up  by  his  conscience.  It  is  only  through 
his  church  or  chapel  that  the  Sabbatarian  can  be  reached, 
and  this  is  the  real  use  of  Museum  Sunday.  The  autho- 
rity of  the  clergy,  holding  out  to  him  the  one  entice- 
ment that  can  prevail  with  him,  must  win  the  Sabba- 
tarian in  the  end.  The  unfortunate  thing  is,  that  some 
of  the  less  educated  clergy  are  themselves  Sabbatarians. 
Quis  docebit  doctores?  Meanwhile  the  defeat  of  the 
Lord's  Day  Observance  Society  over  the  Leeds'  case 
comes  as  a  comfort  to  the  true  friend  of  religion. 

On  the  whole  I  think  that  Dr.  Parker  is  quite  justified 
in  his  views  on  property  in  sermons.  That  a  preacher 
should  regard  his  sermon  merely  as  a.  work  of  art.,  or 
that  he  should  think  merely  of  its  commercial  value,  would 
never  be  right,  and  would  generally  be  absurd.  Dr. 
Parker  does  neither  of  these  tilings,  though  he  is  an 
eloquent  man  and  an  author  whose  work  is  alwavs  cer- 
tain of  a  sale.  But  when  an  editor  or  publisher  takes 
one  of  Dr.  Parker's  sermons,  without  permission, 
without  even  gi-ving  the  author  a.  chance  to  correct  the 
proofs,  without  any  intention  to  do  good,  and  with  every 
intention  to  make  money,  and,  in  addition,  gives  the 
sermon  a  title  of  which  the  author  distinctly  disap- 
proves— then  not  only  is  Dr.  Parker  justified  in  trying 
to  stop  a  dishonest  trade,  but  he  would  be  morally  wrong 
if  he  did  not  try.  To  private  notes  of  his  sermons  and 
legitimate  Quotations  from  them  Dr.  Parker  makes  no 
objection  whatever. 

I  thank  somebody  for  having  sent  me  a  little  paper 
called  the  Crusader,  a  journal  for  Progressive  Methodises, 
IVeligious  papers,  as  a  rule,  do  not  appeal  to  me ;  butt  I 
find  a  note  of  manliness  in  the  Crusader  that  is  generally 
wanting  in  modern-day  Christianity.  The  Crusader  has 
given  itself  plenty  of  work  to  do ;  it  seems  to  have 
chosen  for  its  task  the  attacking  of  what,  in  its  own  lan- 
guage, it  calls  "the  psalm-singing,  tract-distributing  hum- 
bug," and  it  seeks  its  work  in  the  richest  soil  where  such 
fruit  grows — among  the  conventionally  religious,  and  the 
self-advertising  purists.  Throughout  its  pages  there 
is  a  note  of  independence  that  warms  me ;  and  it 
seems  to  hate  cant,  in  which,  again,  it  is  widely  different 
from  most  other  religious  papers.  At  present  it  is  doing 
good  work  in  showing  up  hypocrisy  at  Cardiff,  where,  it 
appears,  that  the  rents  of  certain  houses  of  ill-fame, 
known  to  be  such,  are  received  by  energetic 
professors  of  the  Nonconformist  Consqjjpce  ;  and  it 
points  out  the  anxiety  displayed  by  th#  Noncon- 
formist papers  of  the  district  to  hush  up  the 
scandal.  It  has  also  a  straight  word  to  say  about  the 
rich  men  who  prate  of  the  living  wage,  while  grinding 
down  their  own  employees.  The  religious  world  of  to-day 
needs  some  fresh  air  let  in  upon  its  doings.  The 
Pharisees  are  the  stumbling  block  to  religion  to  day,  as 
they  were  in  Christ's  time  ;  and  the  religious  Press  that 
would  set  to  work  to  cleanse  its  own  house  would  be 
doing  greater  work  for  Truth  than  could  ever  be  accom- 
plished by  the  denunciation  of  outside  sinners. 

I  am  sending  two  guineas  from  the  Gallantry  Fund 
to  a  foreman  stevedore,  named  William  Henry  Prosser, 
who  made  a  gallant  attempt  at  Bootle  the  other  night 
to  res-aie  an  old  man  who  had  fallen  into  the  dock. 
Vinssr.  seeing  the  accident,  threw  off  his  jacket  and  hat 


TO-DAY. 


14? 


and  plunged  in  without  a  moment's  hesitation.  The 
night  was  very  dark,  and  Prosser  was  compelled  to  swim 
about  for  some  time,  seeking  the  drowning  man.  He 
was  successful,  in  finding  the  body  and  keeping  it  afloat 
until  he  and  his  burden  Were  picked  up  by  a  boat.  Un- 
fortunately Prosser's  heroism  was  of  no  avail,  as  the 
poor  old  man,  although  alive  when  rescued,  eventually 
succumbed  in  the  hospital.  Prosser,  I  may  mention,  has 
been  instrumental  in  saving  more  than  twenty  lives  in 
the  course-  of  his  career.  A  medal  will  follow  when 
ready.  I  am  having  a  drawing  prepared  of'  this  medal 
to  show  to  my  readers.  I  am  also  sending  a  guinea  to 
George  Edward  Dickenson,  of  Goodhead  Street,  Notting- 
ham, a  horseshoer  at  Clifton  Colliery,  who  gallantly 
plunged  into  the  Trent  and  rescued  a  poor  woman  who 
was  attempting  to  commit  suicide.  A  medal  will  follow 
in  this  case.  I  have  received  five  shillings  from 
"J.  A.  K."  for  the  Fund. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

E.  H.  (Smethwick). — To  receive  a  temperate  and  unabusive 
letter  from  a  Socialist  opponent  is  a  pleasant  variety.  Socialism 
is  too  big  a  subject  to  be  treated  in  any  one  article,  or  m  any 
one  hundred  articles.  It  is  a  matter  that  a  public  journalist  is 
bound  to  be  continually  referring  to.  My  editorial  noces  in 
last  week's  To-Day  concerning  the  action  of  the  County  Council 
in  forbidding  workmen  to  seek  to  improve  their  position  formed 
another  argument  on  the  subject,  and  such  like  arguments  will 
be  continually  appearing  in  my  notes,  I  expect,  as  events  occur. 
Socialism  would  be'  an  excellent  scheme  for  the  lazy  and  the 
brainless,  as  it  would  put  them  on  an  equality  with  the  energetic 
and  the  talented.  Now,  the  brainless  and  the  lazy  are  to  the 
energetic  and  the  talented  as  ninety-nine  to  one  in  every 
human  community.  Therefore,  Socialism  is  bound  to  be  popular 
with  the  great  majority,  but,  fortunately  for  the  one  man,  it  is 
against  the  laws  of  Nature,  and  therefore  will  never  be  any- 
thing else  but  a  theory.  From  its  moral  point  of  view  Socialism 
assumes  that  the  highest  aim  of  the  Creator  is  to  make  men 
comfortable  in  this  world  as  regards  their  belly.  I  don't  take 
this  to  be  the  great  scheme.  Ten  thousand  acorns  are  wasted 
that  one  oak  tree  may  grow,  and  this  whirling  world  is  merely  a 
mill  for  the  development  of  individual  character  ;  Nature  in 
all  her  dealings  takes  no  account  of  quantity.  Her  single  aim  is 
selection.  If  you  are  one  who  feels  that  he  can  never  rise  by 
his  own  individual  efforts,  you  will  see  the  advantages  of 
Socialism.  If  you  have  talents  and  energy,  you  will  see  how 
very  objectionable  the  scheme  would  be. 

H.  J. — You  are  quite  correct.  I  much  prefer  a  man  who 
thinks  for  himself  to  a  man  who  always  agrees  with  me.  It  is 
always  immaterial  to  me  whether  the  reader  agrees  with  me  or 
not.  I  simply  try  to  find  out  what  I  think  myself.  There  must 
— as  the  old  Latin  proverb  has  it — be  as  many  opinions  as  there 
are  men.  The  truth  lies  somewhere  in  the  middle  of  them.  Each 
genuine  thinker  is  simply  an  advocate.  To  come  to  your  second 
argument,  even  the  small  sum  of  two  or  three  pounds  is  a 
distinct  inducement  among  the  very  poor  to  neglect  a  child.  One 
does  not  suppose  that  many  parents  insure  a  baby  with  the 
deliberate  intention  of  killing  and  getting  the  insurance  money, 
but  that  even  this  idea  occurs  to  some  among  them  has  often 
been  proved.  To  a  man  who  has  insured  his  child,  and  paid  the 
premiums  for  s»nie  two  or  three  years,  unexpected  trouble  comes 
and  every  penny%  of  importance.  He  looks  at  the  poor  helpless 
mite,  ailing^  feeble,  and  fretful,  and  before  his  mind  there  comes 
the  thought  of  those  two  or  three  golden  sovereigns  that  would  be 
his  if  the  faint  spark  of  life  went  out.  Can  one  blame  him  if  he 
does  not  take  much  trouble  to  keep  it  alive?  I  am  an  advocate 
for  individual  freedom,  but  I  want  to  see  the  helpless  child 
have  a  chance  of  individual  freedom.  When  a  human 
being  is  full-grown,  then  let  him  take  his  chances  and  fight  for 
himself  ;  but  children  and  animals  are  at  the  mercy  of  their 
owners,  and  civilisation  demands  their  protection. 

J.  G.  Alexander,  the  secretary  of  the  Society  for  the 
Suppression  of  the  Opium  Trade,  writes  to  me  in  reply  to  my 
notes  on  his  letter,  letting  in  much  light  upon  the  ethics  of 
missionary  life.  Speaking  of  what  is  a  lie  and  what  is  not  a 
lie,  Mr.  Alexander  says  : — "  To  say  thatjwhich  is  in  fact  untrue, 
but  which  you  honestly  believe  to  be  true,  however  gullible  and 
foolish  you  may  prove  yourself  by  entertaining  the  belief,  is  not 
lying."  Now  one  begins  to  understand  the  principles  of  our 
modern  reformers,  and  much  that  has  hitherto  been  inexplicable 
to  me  becomes  plainer.  The  reformer  has  no  knowledge  of 
truth  and  lies,  as  the  truth  is  to  him  the  thing  that  he  can  per- 
suade himself  is  true.  He  may  call  black  white ;  all  that  is 
necessary  is  that  he  shall  bring  himself  into  a  state  of  brain 
power  when  he  can  believe  that  black  is  white.  This  admission 
throws  a  grim  light  on  many  of  their  arguments  ;  but  I  would 
inforip  Mr    N*tajider  th  "*'<o  the  lay  mind  truth  is  truth  and 


a  lie  is  a  lie,  and  there  is  no  making  one  the  other  by  any 
amount  of  belief.  It  will  be  useful  to  remember  Mr.  Alexander's 
argument  in  future,  when  dealing  with  "facts"  brought  for- 
ward by  the  anti-opium  faddists.  We  shall  know  what  credence 
to  attach  to  them. 

E.  K.  E.  asks  me  if  a  person  is  justified  in  making  a  promise 
which  he  knows  he  will  break  in  order  to  set  a  loved  one's  mind 
at  rest,  also  if  people  are  justified  in  being  a  law  unto  themselves. 
The  two  questions  are  the  same,  and  it  all  depends  upon  the 
person  and  the  circumstances.  Strict  ethics  would  make  this 
world  unbearable.  A  strong  nature  invariably  does  make  a  law 
unto  itself,  but  it  must  take  the  responsibility  of  judging  its 
own  strength.  If  it  is  not  so  strong  as  it  thinks  itself  to  be,  it 
will  make  grave  blunders  and  land  itself  in  inextricable  woes 
and  troubles.  Indeed,  one  man  and  woman  out  of  every  million 
is  fit  to  control  their  own  life  ;  the  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  will  do  much  better  by 
following  general  convention. 

C.  A.  J.— The  accent  is  on  the  first  syllable.  B.  L.  M.— 
Your  correspondence  belongs  to  that  large  class  of  narrow- 
minded  bigots.  England  is  peculiarly  rich  in  its  supply  of  such 
monstrosities,  and,  of  course,  they  all  call  themselves  Christians. 
E.  J.  H.  (Victoria,  British  Columbia)  writes  me  a  long  and 
interesting  letter  showing  the  terrible  state  of  despotism  exer- 
cised by  the  bigots  in  that  colony.  In  New  Westminster  he  lells 
me  the  city  council  have  recently  passed  a  Sabbath  Observance 
Bye-law  preventing  the  opening  of  shops  on  Sundays,  and 
prohibiting  all  traffic  and  outdoor  enjoyments.  In  this  delight- 
ful city— and  it  is  a  good  object-lesson,  showing  what  would 
happen  in  other  cities  should  the  faddists  ever  gain  power — it  is 
illegal  to  go  driving,  fishing,  or  swimming  on  Sundays,  and  those 
transgressing  are  fined  and  imprisoned.  When  religion  is  made 
use  of  for  such  purposes  it  becomes  a  question  whether  religion 
is  not  played  out,  and  certainly  if  Christians  continue  to  behave 
in  this  way,  no  tbinli  ing,  self-respecting  man  will  care  to  call  him- 
self one. 

G.  B. — The  fallacy  has  been  proved  by  medical  evidence  ovei 
and  over  again.  It  is  like  asking  when  it  was  proved  to  every- 
body's satisfaction  that  the  world  is  round.  See  The  Provincial 
Medical  Journal  for  October,  and  To-Day  for  October  27. 

T.  F.  (Warrington)  writes  me  as  follows  : — "  Re  Christmas 
dinner  to  aged  people. — Your  correspondent,  James  Haysman, 
is  evidently  unaware  that  this  is  an  accomplished  and  an  old- 
established  fact  in  many  places,  and  he  will  probably  find  it  an 
easy  matter  to  establish  the  custom  in  his  own  district.  The 
one  I  am  connected  with  is  managed  by  a  small  voluntary  com- 
mittee. The  subscriptions  come  in  sufficiently  well  to  leave  a 
respectable  margin  to  carry  forward  to  the  next  year,  and  the 
total  number  entertained  is  not  far  short  of  one  thousand.  The 
men  have  a  dinner — hot  meats,  puddings,  &c. — with  beer  and 
a  packet  of  tobacco.  The  women  have  a  substantial  tea,  and 
take  home  with  them  a  carter  of  a  pound  of  tea  and  one  pound 
of  lump  sugar.  In  the  e-  ening,  after  the  tea  is  cleared  away, 
an  entertainment  is  given  to  the  men  and  women,  and  the 
whole  thing  is  a  great  success.  A  balance-sheet  is  published 
each  year.  The  thing  is  popular  amongst  both  the  feeders  and 
the  '  feedees,'  and  is  a  settled  permanent  institution.  It  is  not 
easy  to  get  at  the  actual  cost,  as  a  great  quantity  of  food  is 
given  by  local  tradesmen,  but  it  would  probably 
amount  to  about  2s.  each.  The  help  is  practically 
all  voluntary,  is  given  freely  by  all  classes,  and  it  would 
not  be  impossible  to  see  ladies  of  good  position  in  society  waiting 
on  those  who  might  once  have  been  their  own  servants.  The 
restriction  is  nominally  that  all  who  receive  tickets  shall  be  not 
less  than  sixty  years  old,  but  this  rule  is  very  much  relaxed  as 
regards  the  poor  women.  Those  who  are  infirm  are  brought 
from  their  homes  in  omnibuses  or  other  conveyances,  and  are 
sent  back  the  same  way,  and  care  is  taken,  as  far  as  possible,  to 
make  things  pleasant  in  small  matters.  If  Mr.  Haysman  wishes 
to  commence  anything  of  the  kind,  and  will  communicate  with 
me,  care  of  the  Editor,  I  shall  have  much  pleasure  in  giving  him 
any  information  he  requires  to  assist  him.  It  should  be  an  easy 
thing  to  arrange  almost  anywhere." 

T.  W.  sends  me  a  letter  from  a  South  Australian  colonist, 
dated  the  12th  of  October  this  year,  which,  as  it  bears  on 
the  present  Australian  gold  craze,  is  worth  quoting  : — "  The 
English  papers  are  full  of  the  great  gold  fields  opened  in  West 
Australia.  We,  on  the  spot,  know  the  seamy  side.  The 
country  is  described  in  alliterative  fashion  as  the  land  of  sin, 
sorrow,  sand,  and  sore  eyes.  I  was  talking  to  a  man  lately  from 
there — the  scarcity  of  water  is  an  unendurable  misery  ;  it  is  a 
fact  that  no  man  dare  be  seen  to  wash  his  hands,  even  could  he 
afford  the  luxury  ;  typhoid  is  rampant.  The  reef  mining  is 
done  by  syndicates  ;  no  comparison  exists  between  the  present 
and  the  old  style  of  gold  fields,  where  alluvial  diggers  made 
money.  Many  thousands  are  there  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 
such  an  '  olla  podrida '  of  humanity  as  only  these  latter  days 
have  made  possible." 

Yorkshireman. — You  certainly  appear  qualified  for  a  clerk- 
ship, but  the  calling— as  I  daresay  you  know — is  tremendously 
overcrowded.  I  suppose  you  know  the  groundwork  of  French, 
and  that  being  so  the  reading  of  French  books  and  newspapers 
ought  to  be  serviceable  to  you,  and  conversation  with  a  French 
master.  If  it  is  grammar  that  you  desire,  Ollendorf 's  is  decidedly 
the  easiest  method  of  learning  it. 

Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week- 


148 


TO-DAY. 


December  8,  1894. 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  dear  Dick, — We  were  all  of  us  startled  on  Saturday 
by  the  announcement  that  a  new  play  would  be  produced 
at  the  St.  James's  Theatre  on  January  5th.  This 
means  that  The  Masqueraders  has  comparatively  failed. 
It  drew  very  large  houses  during  the  season;  it  did 
well  on  tour ;  but  it  was  not  revived  with  success.  Now 
perhaps  you  will  confess  I  was  right  when  I  told  you 
at  the  start  that  I  did  not  understand  the  rampant  en- 
thusiasm of  the  audience  on  the  first  night.  The  bitr 
gambling  scene  was  theatricallv  effective,  but  it  was 
logically  ludicrous.  I  told  you  so  directly  after  I  saw 
it.  Now,  it  is  evident  that  the  bulk  of  the  public  is 
of  my  opinion,  and  so  up  goes  a  new  play.  Of  course, 
the  illness  of  Alexander  had  something  to  do  with  the 
collapse,  but  I  fancy  that  the  drop  had  commenced  before 
he  went  out  of  the  bill.  His  next  play,  Guy  Domville, 
by  Henry  James,  the  novelist,  is  a  sort  of  dramatised 
Orchardson  picture. 

"Last  nights"  are  in  the  fashion  for  the  moment. 
They  are  announced  at  some  theatres,  and  are  con- 
templated at  others  where  they  are  not  even  whispered 
about — publicly. 

The  Court,  as  you  know,  is  closed,  and  opens  on  Satur- 
day with  Doctor  Bill  ;  Money  is  coming  off  at  the  Gar- 
rick  ;  and  the  last  weeks  are  advertised  of  The  Gaiety 
Girl  at  Daly's,  and  of  Little  Cltristophcr  Columbus  at 
Terry's.     Mirette  at  the  Savoy  finishes  up  this  week. 

On  and  about  Christmas,  therefore,  we  shall  have  a 
lot  of  theatrical  novelties  knocking  around.  Amongst 
others,  I  shall  not  be  surprised  to  see  High  Jinks,  by- 
Basil  Hood  and  Walter  Slaughter,  replace  Claude  Duval 
at  the  Prince  of  Wales's.  A  revival  of  Don  Quixote  may, 
however,  come  first.  I  was  talking  to  Arthur  Roberts 
the  other  day  about  the  title  of  the  next  burlesque  at  the 
Prince  of  Wales's,  and  I  asked  him  whether  it.  would 
be  another  of  the  endless  series  that  Owen  Hall  origin- 
ally invented.  "  I  suppose  so,"  Arthur  replied.  "  Every 
musical  play  is  the  '  Something  Gal'  nowadays;  in  fact, 
I  am  seriously  thinking  of  rechristening  my  present 
show  Claude  Du-Gal !  " 

T  did  not  care  much  for  the  Wife  of  Dives  at  the  Opera 
Comique.  The  play  showed  decided  signs  of  talent 
in  its  making  here  and  there,  but  it  was  hopelessly  un- 
even, and,  on  the  whole,  weak.  It  was  well  played  all 
round,  but  if  it  runs  I  shall  be  surprised,  and  it  would, 
therefore,  be  a.  waste  of  time  to  say  much  more  about  it. 

The  season  of  Fancy  Dress  Balls  at  Covent  Garden 
commenced  auspiciously  on  Friday  last.  The  vast  opera 
house  was  densely  packed,  perfect  g-ood  temper  prevailed 
even  in  the  late  hours,  when  people  sometimes  wax 
whiskyful  and  quarrelsome.  One  of  the  prettiest  sights 
of  the  evening  was  the  dancing  of  the  Cotillon  figure  out 
of  The  Derby  Winner.  This  leaves  the  question  of 
partners  entirely  to  chance.  Some  very  queer  assort- 
ments resulted,  but  everybody  entered  thoroughly  into 
the  fun  of  the  thing,  and  a  great  deal  of  amusement  was 
provoked  in  consequence.  Bruce  Smith's  "Sunny 
South  ''  scheme  of  decoration  was  very  much  admired. 
A  popular  comedian  d  ied  to  make  a  speech  from  a  box, 
but  somebody  in  a  box  above  him  extinguished  his  ora- 
tory by  the  simple  expedient  of  pouring  a  tumbler  of 
champagne  on  his  head. 

The  next  Fancy  Dress  Ball  at  Covent  Garden  will 
take  place  on  December  14th. 

Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Pantomime,  Cinderella,  which 
was  such  an  enormous  success  at- Newcastle  last  Christ- 
mas, will  this  year  be  produced  at  the  new  Metropole 
Theatre,  Camberwell,  with  all  the  original  dresses, 
scenery,  and  effects. 


Cardinal  Vaughan  has  gone  one  better  than  Henry 
Irving  in  the  matter  of  municipal  amusements.  Irving 
only  wants  a  municipal  theatre.  The  Cardinal  asks  for 
a  municipal  "  beer  hall,"  on  the  German  principle.  As 
he  very  properly  says,  it  is  infinitely  better  that  the 
working  man  should  enjoy  light  refreshments  and  bright 
music  in  a  place  where  he  can  take  his  wife  and  children 
with  him,  than  that  he  should  sit  in  the  corner  of  a 
public-house  bar,  and  soak  all  by  himself. 

Clement  Scott  has  also  delivered  himself  of  a  very 
important  utterance.  In  the  Daily  Telegraph  of  Satur- 
day he  told  the  theatrical  managers  very  plainly  that 
unless  they  saw  the  error  of  their  ways  pretty  promptly, 
the  County  Council  would  arise  and  devour  them.  Scott 
generally  knows  what  the  leading  managers  are  thinking 
about  long  before  anyone  else,  and  it  has  evidently  come  to 
his  knowledge  that  some  of  the  managers  are  weak 
enough  to.  imagine  that  the  restrictions  which  once  ham- 
pered the  music  halls  can  be  reimposed.  If  anything 
of  the  sort  were  attempted,  ballet  would  be  stopped, 
sketches  suppressed,  and,  Scott  thinks,  a  public  agita- 
tion would  ensue.  This,  he  adds,  could  only  end  one 
way.  One  authority  would  be  demanded  for  all  places 
of  amusement.  Neither  the  police  nor  the  Lord  Cham- 
berlain have  the  money  or  the  machinery  at  their  dis- 
posal for  regulating  the  music  halls,  even  if  they  wanted 
to,  which  they  don't.  The  County  Council,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  already  asking  for  complete  authority  over  the 
theatres.  In. the  event  of  a  row,  Clement  Scott  thinks 
that  they  will  get  it.  For  myself,  I  will  merely  add  that 
by  the  simple  process  of  making  the  Licenser  of  Plays  a 
County  Council,  instead  of  a  Court  official,  the  thing 
could  be  instantly  done.  A  Bill  of  merely  two  lines  run 
through  Parliament  would  do  it. 

Two  things,  however,  are  perfectly  clear:  Clement 
Scott's  note  of  warning  has  been  excited  by  reliable 
information;  the  managers  are  going  to  do  something. 
But,  secondly,  public  amusement  is  not  a  question  for 
managers  alone.  If  managers  seek  a  trade  advantage 
by  utilising  for  their  own  benefit  an  antiquated  and 
arbitrary  law,  they  will  arouse  such  a  storm  of  public 
opinion  as  to  make  legislation  imperative.  The  County 
Council  will  then  be  thrust  forward  as  the  champions  of 
that  huge  public  which  patronises  the  music  halls,  and 
would  angrily  resent  any  interference  with  their  present 
form  of  entertainment. 

The  crisis  so  clearly  indicated  and  ably  commented 
on  by  Clement  Scott  is  one  of  the  most  serious  in  the 
history  of  modem  playgoing. 

We  shall  have  something  fairly  serious,  I  imagine,  at 
the  Playgocirs'  Club  on  Sunday  night.  Richard  Le 
Gallienno  is  going  to  lecture  on  the  right,  or  rather  the 
wrong,  of  public  interference  with  private  morality.  The 
Vice-President  will  occupy  the  chair.  Later  on — that 
is,  early  next  year — Carl  Armbuster  will  lecture  on 
Wagner,  with  the  aid  of  a  magic  lantern.  This  is  a 
new  departure,  and  I  like  it. 

I  shall  watch  with  a  good  deal  of  curiosity  the  recep- 
tion of  Yvette  Guilbert  on  her  return  to  the  Empire. 
Last  time  she  had  a  success  of  curiosity,  and  all  London 
talked  of  the  wonderful  spread  of  the  hand,  the  jerk  of 
the  shoulder,  and  the  raised  eyebrows.  She  is  an  artist, 
I  know — a  great  artist  in  her  particular  line — but  her 
songs  deal  with  subjects  that  an  English  audience  either 
does  not  want  to  understand,  or  cannot  understand.  Put 
Yvette  is  only  one  among  many  stars,  for  the  Empire 
has  never  had  a  stronger  programme. 

That  is  about  all  I  have  to  say  Ibis  week,  except  that 
I  hear  the  music-hall  people  are  organising  in  rivalry 
to  the  theatrical  managers.  The  two  associations  will 
probably  hate  each  other  violently,  but  it  will  be  to  the 
general  advantage  if  the  two  bodies  become  genuinely 
representative.  for  then,  at  least,  there  will  be  someone 
to  deal  with.  One  of  the  very  greatest  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  amusement  reform  is  in  the  hopeless  nebulosity 
of  entertainment  interests. — Your  affectionate  cousin, 

Randolph. 


December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


149 


THEORY  IN  PRACTICE. 


In  the  December  number  of  the  Idler,  Mr.  Zangwill  has 
a  clever  satire,  called  "  The  Abolition  of  Money." 
Needless  to  say  the  new  regime  did  not  prove  an  ideal 
"state  for  all  classes — "There  was,  for  instance,  the  poet 
who  went  round  among  the  workmen  to  chaffer  verses. 
But  there  were  few  willing  to  barter  solid  goods  for 
poetry.  Here  and  there  an  intelligent  artisan  in  love 
purchased  a  serenade,  and  an  occasional  lunatic  (for 
Nature  hath  her  aberrations  under  any  system)  became 
the  proprietor  of  an  epic.  But  the  sons  of  toil  drove 
few  bargains  or  hard  with  the  sons  of  the  Muses.  The 
best  poets  fared  worst,  for  the  crowd  sympathised  not 
with  their  temper,  nor  with  their  diction,  and  they 
were  like  to  die  of  starvation  and  so  achieve  speedy  recog- 
nition. But  the  minor  poets,  too,  were  in  sore  strait. 
The  market  was  exceedingly  limited.  Sellers  were  many 
and  buyers  few.  Rondeaux  were  hawked  about  from 
butcher  to  baker,  at  ten  to  the  joint  or  three  to  the 
four-pound  loaf,  and  triolets  were  going  at  a  h-jiiow- 
toothful  of  brandy.  A  balladeworth  of  butter  would 
hardly  cover  a  luncheon  biscuit,  while  a  five-act  blank 
verse  tragedy  was  given  away  for  a  pound  of  tea,  and 
that  only  when  the  characters  were  incestuous  and  the 
ctesuras  irreproachable. 

*  *  *  * 

"  The  professional  paradoxist  went  about  with  holes 
in  his  boots.  Epigrams  in  hand,  sickness  at  heart,  and 
emptiness  at  stomach,  he  crawled  through  the  town  in 
search  of  a  buyer.  He  offered  a  dozen  of  the  choicest 
apothegms  for  a  pair  of  hob-nailed  boots,  conjuring  the 
cobbler  like  the  veriest  'commercial'  to  note  the 
superiority  of  the  manufacture.  He  pointed  out  that 
he  travelled  with  the  latest  novelties  in  Impressionist 
Ethics,  perfect  unfitness  guaranteed.  He  even  offered 
to  make  a  reduction  if  the  cobbler  would  take  a 
quantity.  The  worthy  craftsman,  stung  by  the  pro- 
spect of  a  cheap  job  lot  of  epigrams,  was  prevailed  upon 
to  look  at  the  goods.  But  when  he  read  that  '  Yice  is 
the  foundation  of  all  virtue,'  that  '  Self-sacrifice  is  the 
quintessence  of  selfishness,'  and  that  '  The  Good  of  Evil 
outweighs  the  Evil  of  Good,'  he  felt  that  he  could  do 
much  better  with  his  boots,  even  if  he  only  employed 
them  to  kick  the  epigrammatist.  The  poor  wretch 
thought  himself  lucky  when  he  succeeded  in  pur- 
chasing two  epigramsworth  of  tobacco  and  a  paradox- 
worth  of  potatoes." 


MORALITY  IN  FICTION. 


CROCKETT  v.  HALL  CAINE. 

When  I  met  Mr.  Crockett  the  other  day  (writes  a  cor- 
respondent), I  jumped  at  the  opportunity  or  askng  him 
what  he  really  thought  about  Mr.  Hall  Caine' s  views  on 
the  "  novel  with  a  purpose."  You  are  to  understand 
that  Mr.  Crockett  had  been  lecturing  in  Edinburgh,  near 
his  pretty  home  at  Penicuik,  the  week  after  the  author 
of  "The  Manxman"  had  been  laying  down  the  law  at  the 
Philosophical  Institution,  and  he  had  taken  occasion  to 
traverse  certain  of  those  theories  of  Mr.  Caine  which 
have  been  so  freely  discussed  in  the  last  week  or  two.  I 
found  him  as  ready  as  could  be  desired  to  talk  on  a 
subject  that  must  always  be  interesting  to  a  novelist. 

"  The  fact  is,"  he  began,  "  Mr.  Hall  Caine's  oration 
amounted  to  a  statement  of  the  old  truth,  that  there  is 
nothing  like  leather.  All  his  books,  I  suppose,  have 
been  written  with  a  purpose,  and  he  wants  to  persuade 
the  rest  of  us  that  that  is  the  only  way  to  set  about 
novel -writing.    I  don't  see  it." 

"Mr.Caine's  lecture  was  a  kind  of  explanation  of  his 
own  raison  d'etre,  in  fact  1 " 

"  Something  of  that  sort.  Don't  let  me  be  construed 
into  saying  anything  disrespectful  of  Mr.  Caine,  you 
know.    I  have  a  great  respect  for  the  conscientious  way 


in  which  he  follows  his  own  laws,  and  marches  along  the 
path  he  points  out;  only  I  am  quite  ready  to  say  that  I 
think  he  is  on  the  wrong  path." 

"  His  contention  was  that  every  successful  novel  must 
hav  :i  a  'central  purpose,'  wasn't  it?" 

"  Well,  not,  perhaps,  quite  that,  but  at  least  a  '  central 
idea.'  I  hadn't  the  advantage  of  hearing  the  lecture, 
though  I  read  it  attentively ;  but  it  seemed  to  me  that 
the  laws  that  were  laid  down  for  the  novelist  in  it  were 
entirely  false  ones.  In  my  subsequent  lecture  I  alluded 
to  the  remarks  made  about  Scott,  which  had  rather 
annoyed  me.  Mr.  Caine:,  as  I  understood  him,  declared 
that  all  Scott's  great  books  were  the  outcome  of  some 
central  idea.  Now,  I  put  it  to  you,  could  there  be  a 
greater  delusion?  Scott  was  the  most  perfect  example 
we  have  ever  had  of  the  improvisatore.  His  stories 
flowed  from  him  without  an  effort,  certainly  with  the 
slightest  of  preconceived  notions  as  to  how  the  plot  was 
to'  turn  out  in  the  end." 

"  I  suppose,  in  fact,  Carlyle  explained  Scott's  '  central 
idea '  when  he  said  that  Sir  Walter  wrote  to  earn  £1 5,000 
a  year  for  his  descendants  ? " 

Mr.  Crockett  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  began  to  pace 
about  the  room. 

"  No,  I  don't  think  you  can  rightly  put  it  just  in  that 
way.  Scott  had  a  very  decided  literary  conscience. 
Perhaps  I  understand  him  better  because  I  often  fancy 
that  I  have  a  bit  of  the  same  myself — and  he  wrote,  in 
the  first  instance,  because  he  found  that  telling  stories 
was  a  thing  he  could  do  well,  and  a  thing  that  gave 
pleasure  to  many  other  people  in  the  world.  It  was 
only  natural  that,  as  a  secondary  matter,  he  should  like 
to  sell  those  stories  in  the  best  market  he  could  get  for 
them ;  we  all  dp  that.  Of  course,  I  am  not  talking  of 
the  time  after  his  bankruptcy,  when  he  undoubtedly  set 
to  work — nobly,  too — to  earn  money  and  pay  off  his 
creditors.  But,  at  his  best  time,  I  may  tell  you  that  he 
told  stories,  just  as  the  children  do,  merely  for  the  sake 
of  the  story,  and  because  he  liked  doing  it,  and  could  do 
it  well." 

"  Quite  so.  There  was  in  his  work  none  of  that  con- 
scious moralising,  which  Mr.  Hall  Caine  would  seem  to 
desiderate  ? " 

"  Assuredly  not,  and  if  there  had  been  it  would  only 
have  spoilt  the  work.  If  you  want  an  example  of 
conscious  moralising,  you  may  look  here."  The  speaker 
crossed  rapidly  to  his  open  bureau,  and  picked  up  three 
daintily-bound  volumes  that  were  lying  there.  "  Here 
is  the  first  edition  of  '  Robinson  Crusoe,'  just  come  home 
from  the  binder,  you  see,  with  the  '  Serious  Reflections,' 
that  third  part  of  the  work  which,  as  you  know,  is  not 
often  seen  nowadays.  Now,  here  was  Defoe,  who  wrote 
his  great  book  simply  as  a  story  ;  they  shall  never  per- 
suade mo  that  he  began  it  with  any  idea  of  an  allegory 
in  his  mind.  Well,  all  the  unco'  guid  people  of  his  day 
came  down  on  him  for  writing  immoral  books,  just  a'a 
Mr.  Hall  Caine  might  accuse  one  nowadays  of  writing 
stories  with  no  moral  aim.  What  did  Defoe  do,  being  a 
born  liar — he  helped  to  found  journalism — but  set  to 
work  and  write  a  third  part,  moralising  the  whole  book, 
in  the  hope  that  it  would  thereafter  be  appointed  to  be 
read  in  churches,  and  brinsr  him  in  no  end  of  fame  and 
money  among  the  pious.  That  is  what  this  talk  about  a 
moral  aim.  may  lead  to.  Or,  again,  take  another  in- 
stance. You  know  and  love  '  Alice  in  Wonderland,'  of 
course?"  I  nodded  intelligently.  "  Well,  ten  years 
after  he  had  written  that  delightful  piece  of  pure  fun  and 
nonsense,  the  dear  man,  who  had  grown  older  and  more 
serious,  conceived  that  it  was  his  duty  to  withstand  the 
Ritualists  ;  so  he  set  to  and  wrote  '  Sylvie  and  Brund.' 
Result:  'Alice'  sells  still  by  the  thousand,  but  I  never 
met  anyone  who  had  read  the  book  with  a  purpose." 

"  Then  you  think,  of  course,  that  to  write  with  a  pur- 
pose is  destructive  to  Art?" 

"  It  even  seems  to  me  that  the  two  things  can't  co- 
exist, _  Take  as  many  instances  as  you  like,  and  the  re- 
sult will  be  the  same.  In  George  Eliot,  now,  you  can 
watch  with  much  advantage  the  gradual  intrusion  of 
the  devotion  to  purpose  at  the  expense  of  Art.  She 


150 


TO-DAY. 


December  8,  1894. 


began  as  the  pure  artist,  the  story-teller,  in  fact,  and 
.she  gave  us  1  Silas  Marner.'  At  the  other  end  of  the 
scale  you  have  '  Daniel  Deronda,'  full  of  purpose,  no 
doubt,  but  is  it  readable?  Take  Hardy,  again.  In  his 
admirable  work  one  might  have  watched  the  cloud  of 
purpose  gradually  creeping  up  and,  to  my  mind,  detract- 
ing from  the  value  of  his  books.  I  saw  the  dawn  of  it 
in  the  '  Woodlanders,'  and  you  find  it  full-blown,  not  so 
much  in  '  Tess,'  where  the  Art  has  asserted  itself  once 
more,  but  in  the  1  Group  of  Noble  Dames'  and  in  '  LiiVs 
Little  Ironies.'  No,  the  fact  is  that  you  cannot  ask  the 
Art  of  the  novelist  to  be  consciously  moral,  .any  more 
than  the  Art  of  the  painter  or  the  musician.  The  De- 
calogue is  not  adapted  for  translation  even  into  a  Beet- 
hoven Trio." 

"Don't  you  find,  if  you  will  pardon  the  personality, 
that  you  have  rather  an  unfair  advantage  in  this  matter, 
Mr.  Crockett?  When  you  feel  tempted  to  preach,  as  we 
all  do  at  times,  you  can  work  it  off  in  one  of  your 
sermons;  whereas  Mr.  Hall  Caine  and  the  ordinary 
novelist  have  no  vehicle  for  their  preaching  but  their 
books." 

The  minister  of  Penicuik  laughed,  and  admitted  that 
there  might  be  something  in  this  view  of  the  case. 

"  You  remind  me  of  that  passage  in  the  '  Memories  and 
Portraits,' "  he  said,  "  where  Stevenson,  speaking  of  his 
grandfather,  says  that  both  were  fond  of  preaching  ser- 
mons, '  though  I  never  heard  it  maintained  that  either 
of  us  loved  to  hear  them.'  Now,  Stevenson  preaches 
as  much  and  as  well  as  you  can  desire,  but  he  is  too  good 
an  artist  to  preach  in  his  novels.  He  has  worked  it  ofr 
in  his  profound  and  delightful  essays.  It  might  be  as 
well  if  every  novelist  with  a  tu/n  for  preaching  had 
some  independent  occupation  of  this  sort  (if  it  were 
only  as  humble  as  Mr.  Dick's  famous  petition  with  its 
ever  recurrent  King  Charles's  head),  in  which  to  find 
an  outlet  when  he  felt  the  necessity  of  preaching  coming 
upon  him.  Why,  take  my  own  case.  I  believe  in  God 
and  the  Ten  Commandments,  and  the  morality  of  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  but  I  don't  think  it  needful  to 
lug  the  protest  of  all  this  by  head  and  ears  into  the  fore- 
front of  every  story  I  write." 

"Mr.  Caine  said  something  to  the  effect  that  a  book 
is  moral  or  immoral  just  as  its  author  is.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  by  so  doing  he  abandoned  all  the  foundation  of 
his  previous  argument." 

"Quite  so!  He  said,  I  think,  that  a  book's  morality 
was  the  morality  of  its  author.  That  is  bound  to  be  so, 
and  that  is  as  far  as  I  can  see  my  way  to  gO'  in  this  dis- 
cussion. Tt  always  seems  to  me  a  pity  to  talk,  indeed, 
of  moral  or  immoral  novels.  All  works  of  Art,  novels 
among  them,  are  really  a  moral,  that  is  how  I  should 
put  it.  After  all,  it  is  to  a  great  extent  a  matter  of 
juggling  with  words.  Hall  Caine  and  I,  though  we  say 
rather  different  things  at  times,  are  probably  in  reality 
on  very  much  the  same  path.  But  I  wish  he  would  not 
persist  in  this  heresy  of  'novels  with  a  purpose';  so 
long  as  he  does,  you'll  always  find  me  ready  to  uplift 
lay  humble  testimony  against  it." 


THE  PREHISTORIC  ARTIST  AND 
CRITIC. 


Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling  contributes  a  stirring  poem 
to  the  current  number"  of  the  Idler.    It  opens  : — 

Once  on  the  glittering  ice-field,  thousands  of  years  ago, 
Ung,  a  maker  of  pictures,  fashioned  an  image  of  snow. 
Fashioned  the  form  of  a  tribesman.    Gaily  he  whistled  and 

sung.  i 
Working  the  snow  with  his  fingers.    Read  ye  the  story  of  Uuq. 

*  *  *  * 

Later,  he  pictured  an  Aurochs — later,  he  pictured  a  bear — 
Pictured  the  Sabre-tooth  tiger  dragging  a  man  to  his  lair — 
1'ictured  the  mountainous  Mammoth,  hairy,  abhorrent,  alone  — 
Out  of  that  love  that  he  bore  them,  scribing  them  clearly  6n 
bona. 


Swift  came  the  tribe  to  behold  them,  pushing  and  peering  and 

still- 
Men  of  the  berg-battered  beaches,  men  of  the  boulder-hatched 

hill- 
Hunters  and  fishers  and  trappers,  presently  whispering  low  : 
"  Yea,  they  are  like — and  it  may  be  ;  but  how  does  the  Picture- 
man  know  ? 

And  so,  in  the  following  verses,  Mr.  Kipling  unfolds 
his  fable  for  the  benefit  of  critics  and  criticised — and 
especially  the  latter.    The  moral  is  not  difficult  to  find. 


The  SUBSCRIPTION  LIST  OPENED  on  Saturday,  December  1,  and  will 
CLOSE  on  THURSDAY,  December  6,  for  Town  and  Country. 


■ 

rpHE  SOUTH  SWEDEN  MOSS  LITTER  COM' 

J-  PANY  (Limited),  incorporated  under  the  Companies'  Acts,  1862  to 
1890.  Share  capital,  £50,000,  in  50,000  Ordinary  Shares  of  £1  each.  ISSUE 
of  45,000  SHARES  of  £1  each,  the  remainder  being  reserved  for  further 
Issue  as  may  be  required.  Payable — 2s.  6d.  per  Share  on  Application ; 
7s.  6d.  per  Share  on  Allotment;  and  the  balance  when  required  at  not 
less  than  two  months  notice. 

Directors. 

™he  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  SHREWSBURY  and  TALBOT,  13,  Upper 

Brook-street,  W.,  Chairman. 
Baldwin  Hodge,  Esq.,  Taplow,  Bucks,  Director  ot  Tattewall's  (of  New 

York)  (Limited). 

Donglas  A.  Onslow,  Esq.,  .T.P.,  The  Woodhouse,  5.  Upper  Richmond-road, 
Putney,  S.W.,  Chairman  Moorgate-street  and  Broad-street  Buildings 
(Limited). 

*H.  A.  Johnson,  Esq.,  Continental  and  General  Forwarding  Agent,  39, 

Great  Tower-street,  E.C. 
'Thomas  Skinner,  Esq.  (Messrs.  Thomas  Skinner  &  Co.,  Shipowners), 

108,  Fenchurch-street,  E.C. 
*  Being  interested  in  the  sale  will  join  the  Board  after  Allotment. 
Bankers  in  London. 
Parr's  Banking  Company  and  Alliance  Bank  (Limited),  Head  Office,  4, 

Bartholomew-lane,  E.C,  and  Sir  Samuel  Scott,  Bart.,  and  Co. 's  Branch. 

1,  Cavendish-square,  W.,  and  other  B*anches. 
Solicitors. — Messrs.  Hadden  Woodward,  McLeod,  and  Blyth,  6,  New- 
square,  Lincohi's-inn,  W.C. 
Auditors.— Messrs.  Harvey  Preen  and  Co.,  Chartered  Accountants, 

Basing  House,  Basinghall-street,  E.C. 
Broker— George  Allen  Phillips,  Esq.,  2,   St.  Michael's  House,  St. 

Michael's-alley,  Cornhill,  E.C,  and  Stock  Exchange,  London. 
Secretary  and  Offices.— W.  H.  Williams,  145  and  146,  Palmerston- 

buildings,  34,  Old  Broad-street,  E.C. 


ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  is  formed  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  and  working 
certain  Moss  Moors  situate  in  the  Districts  of  Asen  and  Landeryd,  in  the 
South  of  Sweden,  containing  in  all  an  area  of  about  3,000  acres,  and  con- 
ferring almost  a  monopoly  of  productive  ground. 

The  railway  facilities  offered  include  siding  accommodation  both  at 
the  moors  and  at  the  Port  of  Halmstad,  and  the  railway  sidings  at  the 
latter  terminus  run  right  on  to  the  quay. 

Special  attention  is  drawn  to  the  fact  that  the  cost  of  labour  in  Sweden 
is  33  per  cent  lower  than  the  lowest  cost  of  similar  English,  and  that  the 
supply  is  abundant. 


IHE  SOUTH  SWEDEN"  MOSS  LITTER  COM- 
PANY (Limited). 


An  inspection  of  the  Board  of  Trade  Returns  for  the  last  five  years  will 
show  that  the  imports  have  increased  from  43,392  tons  in  1890  to  108,171 
tons  for  the  first  ten  months  of  the  current  year. 

As  an  example  of  the  profits  that  may  be  made  in  an  enterprise  of  this 
nature,  attention  may  be  called  to  the  fact  that  the  Griendtsveen  Moss 
Litter  Company,  which  is  capitalised  as  follows: — viz.,  £250,000  in 
Ordinary  and  Preference  Shares  and  a  Debenture  issue  of  £65,000,  has 
earned  on  its  first  year's  working  a  net  profit  of  £63,139.  See  "Financial 
News,"  September  11th,  1894. 

The  quality  of  the  moss  has  been  very  favourably  reported  upon  by 
Mr.  Anthony  Gepp,  M.A.,  Fellow  of  the  Linnean  Society,  one  of  the 
highest  authorities  on  mosses,  whose  report  can  be  inspected  at  the 
offices  of  the  Company. 

The  depth  of  the  moss  deposits  on  the  Company's  moors  has  been 
reported  on  by  Professor  Heath,  aud  varies  from  a  minimum  of  four  feet, 
to  repeated  maxima,  reached  by  sections  and  borings,  which  gave  no 
bottom  at  an  average  mean  depth  of  32  feet. 

The  properties  to  be  acquired  being  freehold,  their  produce  is  abso- 
lutely free  from  the  payment  of  the  heavy  rents,  royalties,  aud  least-hold 
renewals  which  some  existing  companies  are  compelled  to  pay. 

The  directors  believe  that  in  calculating  the  profits  on  working  at  5s. 
per  ton  they  are  assuming  a  far  smaller  profit  than  that  made  by  existing 
companies.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  on  an  output  of  50.000"  tons  per 
annum,  a  profit  of  £12,500  per  annum,  or  25  per  cent,  on  the  capital  of 
£50,000  could  be  made,  and  that  with  this  output,  the  Company's  moors 
would  not  be  exhausted  for  80  years. 

From  the  danger  of  over  capitalisation  the  Directors  can  say  with  con- 
fidence that  this  Company  will  be  free.  The  small  amount  of  capital  as 
compared  with  the  potential  wealth  of  the  properties  to  be  acquired  will 
be  a  great  source  of  strength  to  the  Company  ;  aud  as  there  are  no  rents, 
royalties,  fixed  charges,  or  other  interests  to  be  provided  for,  even-  penny 
of  the  net  earnings  of  the  Compauy  will  go  towards  the  payment  St 
dividends  on  the  shares,  aud  tin'  building  up  of  a  substantial  reserve. 

The  purchase  price  for  the  whole  of  the  properties,  free  from  any 
charges  whatsoever,  is  £24,000  payable  as  to  £lt!,000  in  cash  ami  the 
balance  in  fully-paid  Shares  or  Cash  at  the  option  of  the  directors. 

Full  Prospectuses,  with  Forms  of  Application  for  the  Shares  now 
offered  for  subscription,  can  be  obtained  at  the  offices  of  the  Company, 
or  from  the  bankers,  brokers,  or  solicitors. 

London,  1st  December.  1S91 


December  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


151 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


If,  as  is  generally  the  case,  we  are  to  take  the  latest 
fashion  in  umbrellas  from  Paris,  the  old  humorists  will 
lose  their  finest  joke,  and  in  future  the  gentle  art  of 
umbrella-borrowing  will  become  a  penal  offence.  The 
newest  umbrella  handles  in  Paris  are  in  reality  jewels, 
and  are  sold  in  white  satin-lined  cases.  One  that  I 
saw  the  other  day  in  the  Rue  Royale  was  priced  at 
several  thousand  francs.  It  was  cut  egg-shaped  in  pure 
crystal,  and  a  serpent  in  diamonds  with  ruby  eyes  was 
inlaid.  Another  consisted  of  a  bronze  top  studded  with 
diamonds  and  sapphires  ;  and  still  another  was  made  to 
represent  a  spider's  web  woven  over  a  ball,  with  flies 
studded  with  precious  stones  entangled.  As  my  notes 
are  intended  for  the  plainer  sex,  I  will  not  run  the 
risk  of  causing  any  heartburning  among  ladies  by 
mentioning  the  cost  and  variety  that  are  prepared  for 
them. 


Although  it  has  never  really  gone  out  in  Paris,  the 
frill-fronted  shirt  for  evening  dress  has  become  more  than 
ever  popular  this  season,  and  what  is  more  significant  is 
the  fact  that  the  frilled  shirt  is  now  being  frequently 
worn  for  day  wear,  both  with  the  tie  and  the  bow.  This 
should  gladden  many  a  West  End  hosier  who  has  laid 
in  a  stock  of  the  frilled  shirts  ;  for  I  am  sure  that  it  only 
requires  a  very  small  impetus  to  populai'ise  the  frill,  and 
after  the  Monte  Carlo  season  I  am  quite  prepared  to  see 
the  position  of  the  plain  shirt  and  single  stud  weakened. 

In  view  of  the  dancing  season,  I  have  been  asked  by 
more  than  one  reader  to  prescribe  some  rule  that  will 
prevent  cold  when  leaving  a  heated  ball-room.  I  can 
only  repeat  the  opinion  of  a  German  scientist  that  I 
gave  last  winter,  which  several  have  since  told  me  is  an 
excellent  precaution.  This  is  to  take  a  long  breath 
before  leaving  the  warm  room,  and  to  retain  the  breath 
as  long  as  possible  after  getting  outside.  There  is  a 
medical  explanation  for  this,  and  I  believe  it  is  because 
the  pores  meanwhile  remain  closed. 


I  crossed  from  Paris  to  London  the  other  day  by 
what  is  described  as  the  "shortest  and  most  direct 
route."  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  Western  of  France 
and  the  London  and  Brighton  Railways  are  justified  in 
the  description,  but  as  the  journey  took  eleven  houre 
with  a  calm  sea,  I  conclude  that  certain  railways  who 
claim  to  do  the  journey  in  a  few  hours  less  time  are 
trifling  with  us.  Some  of  the  charms  of  this  service  are 
the  following  : — From  London  to  Newhaven  we  had  one 
footwarmer  in  the  carriage.  This  was  no  doubt  a 
delicate  compliment  to  the  size  of  our  feet,  but  it  was 
an  empty  one.  We  could  not  see  to  read  while  the 
light  was  burning  between  London  and  Newhaven,  but 
while  it  was  yet  pitch  dark  the  light  went  out  altogether 
between  Rouen  and  Paris.  What  finally  silenced  everyone 
though  was  the  treatmenton  Sunday  morning  at  Newhaven. 
It  had  been  bitterly  cold  in  crossing,  and  when  we  got 
there  we  hurried  to  the  buffet  for  some  coffee.  A  more 
desolate  place  I  never  have  seen.  The  door  was  kept 
wide  open,  and  let  in  the  cold  morning  air.  There 
was  no  fire  in  the  grate,  and  the  coffee  was 
served  to  me  in  a  small  tea  cup  on  the  coffee 
tavern  principle  with  milk  added  before  it  was  handed 
out.    For  this  I  was  chai'ged  sixpence,  which  seemed 

absolutely  the  "  shortest  and  most  direct  route  "  to  , 

but  let  it  pass. 

Novelties  in  Christmas  presents  for  men  this  year 
are  few  and  very  useless.  Amongst  others  I  have  noticed 
is  a  silver  cigar-case  to  hold  one  cigar.  The  fact  that  most 
men  hand  their  cases  to  their  friends  before  helping 
themselves  has  apparently  escaped  the  notice  of  the  in- 
ventor. There  was  a  large  silver  tobacco-box  in  the 
same  window,  but  I  have  not  yet  found  the  man  who 
would   discard  the  homely  rubber  or  purse-pouch  in 


favour  of  a  box  as  large  and  inconvenient  as  a  cricket- 
ball.  The  next  novelty  will  probably  be  an  eight-day 
clock  for  the  breast  pocket. 

I  mentioned  the  other  week  that  green  combined  with 
other  colours  would  be  the  fashionable  wear  in  suitings 
this  winter.  Perhaps  a  word  of  caution  to  intending 
purchasers  is  not  unnecessary.  Green  is  an  awk- 
ward shade  to  deal  with,  and  it  is  only  in  the  best 
cloths  that  it's  mixture  with  other  colours  is  ideally 
satisfactory.  In  the  cheap  imitations — and  these  are 
naturally  becoming  frequent — the  result  is  very  often  r 
dirty  grey. 


Even  quietly-dressed  men  generally  lay  themselves 
out  to  a  little  relaxation  in  the  matter  of  socks,  and  just 
now  there  is  every  opportunity  for  them  to  indulge  their 
fancies.  Manufacturers  vie  with  each  other  in  pro- 
ducing the  most  gaudy  combinations  of  reds,  blacks,  and 
yellows.  The  louder  the  pattern  the  better  it  is  liked  ; 
and  I  am  told  that  some  men  are  actually  wearing 
shoes  instead  of  boots  merely  to  display  as  much  sock  as 
possible,  which  is  quaint,  if  true. 

Mr.  James  Lowther,  whose  vigorous  speech  at  the 
Gimcrack  dinner  proves  that  he  does  not  intend  to 
withdraw  from  the  active  part  he  has  hitherto  taken  in 
Turf  legislation  and  reform,  is  probably  one  of  the  most 
respected  Turfites  of  the  present  day.  For  close  on  a 
century  the  Lowthers  have  been  closely  associated  with 
racing.  Mr.  Lowther,  who  is  now  54  years  of  age, 
studied  for  the  law,  after  taking  his  B.A.  and  M.A. 
degrees  at  Cambridge.  However,  he  soon  drifted 
into  politics,  and  it  was  during  his  connection  with  the 
Beaconsfield  Ministry  in  1877  that  he  won  the  Gimcrack 
Stakes  with  King  Olaf. 


One  of  the  best  racehorses  Mr.  Lowther  has  evei 
owned  was  King  Monmouth,  who,  during  his  career  won 
over  £11,000.  Mr.  Lowther  acted  as  Steward  of  the 
Jockey  Club  in  1887,  and  his  legal  training  stood  him  in 
good  stead  when,  in  conjunction  with  Lord  March  and 
Prince  Soltykoff,  he  investigated  the  famous  Turf 
scandals  of  a  few  years  back. 


I  have  been  reading  Mr.  Spencer  s  article  about  touts, 
which  appears  in  this  month' sBaily's  Magazine — without 
a  doubt  the  only  genuine  sporting  monthly  now  before 
the  public.  Mr.  Spencer,  who  appears  to  have  been 
kten  observer  during  his  long  career,  relates  some  very 
interesting  stories  concerning  the  old-time  men  of  ob- 
servation, lie  tells  us  that  on  the  occasion  of  Iroquois' 
Derby  trial,  a  tout  hung  about  the  stable  for  three  days 
and  nights,  and  witnessed  the  spin  from  the  artificial 
bank  erected  alongside  the  Cambridge  Road. 

But  Mr.  Spencer's  tout  was  not  the  only  watcher  who 
saw  the  American  horse  tried.  As  the  string  crossed 
the  Heath,  a  clergyman,  busily  engaged  searching  for 
curios,  was  passed  without  any  suspicion  being  aroused. 
The  clerical  clothing  was  only  a.  disguise  adopted  by  one 
of  the  cutest  touts  at  Newmarket,  and  he  was  the  first  to 
send  away  the  result  of  the  great  test  spin. 

As  Mr.  Spencer  rightly  says,  many  of  the  present-day 
touts  can  quote  a  favourite  Latin  author,  or,  like  Silas 
Wegg,  drop  into  poetry.  Several  of  the  Newmarket  men 
make  a  very  good  income  indeed.  The  majority  of  the 
recognised  touts  look  more  like  aldermen  than  men 
whose  vocation  compels  them  to  turn  out  at  any  hour 
and  in  all  sorts  of  weather. 


The  London  Football  Association,  as  I  anticipated  in 
this  column,  has  passed  a  resolution  throwing  its  meet- 
ings open  to  the  Press.  I  am  sure  the  Press  ought  to 
feel  very  much  obliged.  All  the  world  has  been  longing 
to  know  what  the  Council  of  the  London  Association  haa 
to  talk  about,  and  at  the  next  meeting,  I  quite  antici- 


152 


December  8,  1894. 


pate  a  crush  of  newspaper  representatives  from  all  parts 
of  the  world. 


Some  critics  contend  that  the  new  definition  of  the 
English  Association,  that  the  goalkeeper  must  not  be 
charged  unless  the  ball  is  within  two  or  three  feet  of 
him,  will  have  a  mischievous  effect  on  the  game,  and 
will  make  the  goalkeeper's  lot  even  more  dangerous  than 
it  now  is.  This  is  sheer  nonsense.  With  a  good  referee, 
who  will  do  his  duty  by  penalising  an  unfair  charge, 
the  game  should  become  more  fair,  and  less  a  matter  of 
brute  force. 


same  way  as  the  English  Association  did,  or  suffer  the 
rivalry  of  a  professional  body,  which  will  inevitably 
arise.  The  question  is  whether  'tis  better  to  recognise 
the  evil  of  professionalism  and  govern  it,  or  continue  to 
keep  the  Rugby  Union  as  a  purely  amateur  body,  whilst 
a  rival  union  is  gaining  strength  and  gathering  under  its 
banner  the  flower  of  the  clubs  in  the  North.  It  is,  in- 
deed, difficult  to  decide,  especially  looking  to  the  ex- 
ample of  the  English  Association,  in  which  the  profes- 
sional element  has  now  quite  outgrown  the  amateur,  and 
practically  has  captured  the  reins  of  government. 


Mr.  G.  S.  Sherrington's  letter  to  the  Daily  Chronide 
on  the  future  of  Rugby  fooLball  is  excellent,  though  I 
must  confess  to  a  repugnance  to  face  two  and  a  half 
columns  on  the  subject.  In  view  of  the  crisis,  which  is 
daily  becoming  more  and  more  acute  in  Yorkshire  and 
Lancashire,  Mr.  Sherrington  points  out  that  if  the 
Rugby  Union  wishes  to  be  the  governing  body  of  the 
game  it  will  have  to  recognise  professionalism  in  the 


Archie  Hunter,  whose  death  has  been  recorded,  was 
at  one  time  one  of  the  shining  lights  of  Association  foot- 
ball. To  his  efforts  the  Aston  Villa  club  owed  much, 
and  his  influence  remained  long  after  he  ceased  to  take 
an  active  pan  in  the  game.  As  an  exponent  of  the 
dribbling  and  passing  game,  Archie  Hunter  will  always 
be  remembered.  He  died  a  young  man,  from  acute  pneu- 
monia. 

The  Major. 


BINGHAM  sirad  CO 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitted 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 


LONDON. 


SEE  " TRADE  MARK" 


MATCHLESS 


FOR 


STYLE 


& 

PRICES: 


  13/0 

Hand  Sewn  1G/6  &  21/- 


STAMPED  ON  SOLE. 


AGENTS. 

OSBORNE  &  Co..  380  and  887,  Oxford-st.,  W. 

A.  A.  Tyson*.  *J7,  P.recknock  road,  N.W. 

H  OVENJ>EN,  Broadway,  Leyton. 

J;  H  Taylor,  Blachheith.  S.W. 

D.  Spence,  '243.  Lavender-hill,  S.E. 

J.  SOUTH  WOOD,  Ilanwell. 

Geo.  Wilkins.  Hollowayroad. 

C.  F.  Evans,  161,  Broadhurst-gardens,  West 

Hampstead. 
Bales  &  Son,  101,  Leytonstone-road,  E. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


ten house 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
c  arriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


'STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS"  an  eUyaiit  pamphlet, pott  frre  on  application  to 

WM.   STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


COM,  ilWi'MK  ff!t4QRAM7- 


TAKLIS!   What  is  Taklis ? 

WHY  TAKLIS  IS  EE  QUIRED  BY  EVERY  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK    HAT    RENOVATOR      No  ironing 
required.    Unaffected  by  rain. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  and  tube  of  TAKLIS, 
post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 

The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Grease  Street,  London,  W. 


LIELP  THE  POOH  in  the  mosl  effectual  manner  by 

»  landing  new  and  cast-tiff  clothing,  Kx»ts,  Imokff,  pictures,  toys,  carpet*,  musical 
instruments  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  lie  v.  ¥.  Haslock,  who 
M-lls  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumhle  sales.  t<>  Urns,-  in  n,<d.  The  sales  are  held  at 
hvpient  intervals,  for  the  hem-tit  "f  the  ihm.ii-  i7(Hu  in  number'  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
Pistriet,  Grays.  Essex.  AH  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  unine  ami  address  if 
sender  are  inside.  Nothing  is  too  uiucb  worn  ur  dilapidated. 


December  8,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


153 


CLARENCE. 

BY  - 

BRET  HARTE. 

Illustrated  by  Arthur  Jule  Goodma:i. 


PART  II. 
CHAPTER  VI. 

all  along  the  fate- 
ful ridge — now  ob- 
scured and  con- 
fused with  thin 
crossing  smoke 
drifts  from  file- 
firing — like  partly 
rubbed-out  slate- 
pencil  marks — or 
else,  when  cleared 
of  those  drifts, 
presenting  only  an 
indistinguishable 
map  of  zig-zag 
lines  of  straggling- 
wagons  and  horses, 
unintelligible  to 
any  eye  but  his — 

the  singular  magnetism  of  the  chief  was  felt  every- 
where ;  whether  it  was  shown  in  the  quick  closing  in  of 
resistance  to  some  sharper  onset  of  the  enemy  or  the  more 
dogged  stand  of  inaction  under  tire — his  power  was 
always  dominant.  A  word  or  two  of  comprehensive 
direction  sent  through  an  aide-de-camp,  or  the  sudden 
relief  of  his  dark,  watchful,  composed  face,  uplifted 
£.bove  a  line  of  bayonets,  never  failed  in  their  magic. 
Like  all  born  leaders,  he  seemed,  in  these  emergencies 
to  hold  a  charmed  life— infecting  his  followers  with  a 
like  disbelief  in  Death  ;  men  dropped  to  right  and  left 
of  him  with  serene  assurance  in  their  ghastly  faces  or  a 
cry  of  life  and  confidence  in  their  last  gasp.  Stragglers 
fell  in  and  closed  up  under  his  passing  glance  ;  a  hope- 
less, inextricable  wrangle  around  an  overturned  caisson, 
at  a  turn  of  the  road,  resolved  itself  into  an  orderly, 
quiet,  deliberate  clearing  away  of  the  impediment,  before 
the  significant  waiting  of  that  dark,  silent  horseman. 

Yet  under  this  imperturbable  mask  he  was  keenly 
conscious  of  everything  ;  in  that  apparent  concentra- 
tion th^re  was  a  sharpening  of  all  his  senses  and  his 
impressibilty ;  he  saw  the  first  trace  of  doubt  or  alarm 
in  the  face  of  a  subaltern  to  whom  he  was  giving  an  ord  jr  : 
the  first  touch  of  sluggishness  in  a  re-forming  line ;  the 
more  significant  clumsiness  of  a  living  evolution  that  he 
knew  was  clogged  by  the  dead  bodies  of  comrades  ;  the 
ominous  silence  of  a  breastwork  ;  the  awful  inertia  of 
some  rigidly  kneeling  files  beyond,  which  still  kept  their 
form  but  never  would1  move  again  :  the  melting  away 
of  skirmish  points  ;  the  sudden  gaps  here  arid  there  ; 
the  sickening  incurving  of  what  a  moment  before  had 
been  a  straight  line — all  these  he  saw  in  all  their  fatal 
significance.  But  even  at  this  moment,  coming  upon 
a  hasty  barricade  of  overset  commissary  wagons,  he 
stopped  to  glance  at  a  fami'iar  figure  he  had  seen  but 
an  hour  ago,  who  now  seemed  to  be  commanding  a  group 
of  collected  stragglers  and  camp  followers.  Mounted 
on  a  wheel  with  a  revolver  in  each  hand,  and  a  bowie 
knife  between  his  teeth — theatrical  even  in  this  paroxysm 
of  undoubted  courage — glared  Jim  Hooker.  And 
Clarence  Brant,  with  the  whole  i-esponsibility  of  the  field 
on  his  shoulders,  even  at  that  desperate  moment,  found 
himself  recalling  a  vivid  picture  of  the  actor  Hooker 
personating  the  character  of  "Red  Dick"  in  "Rosalie, 
the  Prairie  Flower,"  as  he  had  seen  him  in  a  California 
Theatre  five  years  before. 

It  wanted  still  an  hour  of  the  darkness  that  would 
probably  close  the  fight  of  that  day.  Could  he  hold  out. 
keeping  his  offensive  position  so  long]  A  hasty  council 
with  his  officers  showed  him  that  the  weakness  of  their 
position  had  already  infected  them.    They  reminded 


him  that  his  line  of  retreat  was  still  open — that  in  th» 
course  of  the  night  the  enemy,  although  still  pressing: 
towards  the  Division  centre,  might  yet  turn  and  outflank 
him— or  that  their  strangely  delayed  supports  might 
come  up  before  morning.    Brant's  glass,  however,  re- 
mained fixed  on  the  main  column  still  pursuing  its  way 
along  the  ridge.    It  struck  him  suddenly,  however,  that 
the  steady  current  had  stopped,  spread  out  along  the 
crest  on  both  sides  and  was  now  at  right  angles  with 
its  previous  course.    There  had  been  a  check  !    The  next 
moment  the  thunder  of  guns  along  the  whole  horizon 
and  the  rising  cloud  of  smoke  revealed  a  line  of  battle. 
The  Division  centre  was  engaged.    The  opportunity  he 
had  longed  for  had'  come — the  desperate  chance  to  throw 
himself  on  their  rear  and  cut  his  way  through  to  the  Divi- 
sion— but  it  had  come  too  late  !    He  looked  at  his  shat- 
tered ranks — scarce  a  regiment  remained.    Even  as  a 
demonstration — the    attack    would    fail    against  the 
enemy's  superior  numbers.    Nothing  clearly  was  left 
to  him  now  but  to  remain  where  he  was — within  sup- 
porting distance,  and  await  the  issue  of  the  fight  beyond. 
He  was  putting  up  his  glass,  when  the  dull  boom  of 
cannon  in  the  extreme  Western  limit  of  the  horizon 
attracted  his  attention.    By  the  still  gleaming  sky  he 
could  see  a  long  grey  line  stealing  up  from  the  vallev 
from  the  distant  rear  of  the  headquarters  to  join  the 
main  column.    They  were  the  missing  supports!  His 
heart  leaped.    He  held'  the  key  of  the  mystery  now. 
The  one  imperfect  detail  of  the  enemy's  plan  was  before 
him.    The  supports  coming  later  from  the  west  had 
only  seen  the  second  signal  from  the  window — when 
Miss  Faulkner  had  replaced  the  vase — and  had  avoided 
his  position.    It  was  impossible  to  limit  the  effect  of  this 
blunder.    If  the  young  girl  who  luid  thus  saved  him  had 
reached'  the  Division  Commander  with  his  message  in 
time,  he  might  be  forewarned,  and  even  profit  by  it. 
His  own  position  would  be  less  precarious  as  the  enemy 
already  engaged  in  front  would  be  unable  to  recover 
their  position  in  the  rear,  and  correct  the  blunder.  The 
bulk  of  their  column  had  already  streamed  past  him.  If 
defeated,  there  was  always  the  danger  that  it  might 
be  rolled  back  upon  him — but  he  conjectured  that  the- 
Division  Commander  would  attempt  to  prevent  the- 
junction  of  the  supports  with  the  main  column  by  break- 
ing between  them,  crowding  them  from  the  ridge  and 
joining  him.    As  the  last  stragglers  of  the  rear  guard 
swept  by,  Brant's  bugles  were  already  recalling  the 
skirmishers.    He  redoubled  his  pickets,  and  resolved 
to  wait  and  watch. 

And  there  was  the  more  painful  duty  of  looking  after 
the  wounded  and  the  dead.  The  larger  rooms  of  the  head- 
quarters had  already  been  used  as  a  hospital.  Passing 
from  cot  to  cot,  recognising  in  the  faces  now  drawn 
with  agony  or  staring  in  vacant  unconsciousness,  the 
features  that  he  had  seen  only  a  few  hours  before  flushed 
with  enthusiasm  and  excitement,  something  of  his  old' 
doubting,  questioning  nature  returned.  Was  there  no 
wav  but  this?  How  far  was  he — moving  among  them 
unscathed  and  uninjured — responsible?  And  if  not 
he — who  then?  His  mind  went  back  bitterly  to  the 
old  days  of  the  conspiracy — to  the  inception  of  that 
struggle  which  was  bearing  such  ghastly  fruit.  He 
thought  of  his  traitorous  wife,  until  he  felt  his  cheeks 
tingle,  and  he  was  fain  to  avert  his  eyes  from  those  of 
his  prostrate  comrades,  in  a  strange  fear  that  with  the 
clairvoyance  of  dying  men  they  should  read  his  secret. 

It  was  past  midnight,  when,  without  undressing,  he- 
threw  himself  upon  his  bed  in  the  little  convent-like  cell 
to  snatch  a  few  moments  of  sleep.  Its  spotless,  peaceful 
walls  and  draperies  affected  him  strangely,  as  if  he  had 
brought  into  its  immaculate  serenity  the  sanguine  stain 
of  War.  He  was  awakened  suddenly  from  a  deep  slum- 
ber by  an  indefinite  sense  of  alarm.  His  first  thought 
was  that  he  had  been  summoned  to  repel  an  attack. 
He  sat  up  and  listened  ;  everything  was  silent  except 
the  measured  tread  of  the  sentry  on  the  gravel  walk 
below.  But  the  door  was  open.  He  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  slipped  into  the  gallery,  in  time  to  see  the  tall 


Copyright,  1S94,  by  Bret  Harte- 


154 


TO-DAY. 


December  8,  1S34. 


figure  of  a  woman  glide  before  the  last  moonlit  window 
at  its  furthest  end.  He  could  not  see  her  face — but  the 
characteristic  turbaned  head  of  the  negro  race  was 
plainly  visible. 

He  did  not  care  to  follow  her  or  even  to  alarm  the 
.guard.  If  it  were  the  spy  or  one  of  her  emissaries,  she 
was  powerless  now  to  do  any  harm,  and  under  his  late 
orders  and  the  rigorous  vigilance  of  his  sentinels  she 
could  not  leave  the  lines — or,  indeed,  the  house.  She 
probably  knew  this  as  well  as  he  did ;  its  was,  therefore, 
no  doubt  only  an  accidental  intrusion  of  one  of  the  ser- 
vants. He  re-entered  the  room,  and  stood  for  a  few 
moments  by  the  window,  looking  over  the  moonlit  ridge. 
The  sounds  of  distant  cannon  had  long  since  ceased. 
Wide  awake,  and  refreshed  by  the  keen  morning  air, 
which  alone,  of  all 
created  things, 
seemed  to  have 
shaken  the  burden 
of  the  dreadful 
yesterday  from  its 
dewy  wings,  he 
turned  away  and 
lit  a  candle  on  the 
table.  As  he  was 
rebuckling  his 
sword  belt  he  saw 
■a  piece  of  paper 
lyins*  on  the  foot 
of  the  bed,  from 
which  he  had  just 
risen.  Taking  it 
to  the  candle,  he 
read  in  a  roughly 
-scrawled  hand  : — 

"You  are  asleep 
when  you  should 
be  on  the  march. 
You  have  no  time 
to  lose.  Before 
daybreak  the  sup- 
ports of  the 
column  you  have 
been  foolishly  re- 
sisting will  be  up- 
on you.  From 
one  who  would 
save  you  but 
hates  your  cause." 

A  smile  of  scorn 
passed  his  lips. 
The  handwriting 
was  unknown  and 
evidently  dis- 
guised. The  pur- 
port of  the  mes- 
sage    had  not 

alarmed  him — but  suddenly  a  suspicion  flashed  upon 
him — that  it  came  from  Miss  Faulkner !  She  had 
failed  in  her  attempt  to  pass  through  the  enemy's 
lines — or  she  had  never  tried' to.  She  had  deceived 
him — or  had  thought  better  of  her  chivalrous  impulse 
-and  now  sought  to  mitigate  her  second  treachery  by 
this  second  warning.  And  he  had  let  her  messenger 
escape  him  ! 

He  hurriedly  descended  the  stairs.  The  sound  of 
voices  were  approaching  him.  He  halted,  and  recog- 
nised the  faces  of  the  Brigade  Surgeon  and  one  of  his 
aides-de-camp. 

"  We  were  hesitating  whether  to  disturb  you,  General, 
but  it  may  be  an  affair  of  some  importance.  Under 
your  orders  a  negro  woman  was  just  now  challenged 
stealing  out  of  the  lines.  Attempting  to  escape,  she 
was  chased,  there  was  a  struggle  and  scramble  over  the 
wall,  and  she  fell,  striking  her  head.  She  was  brought 
into  the  guard-house  unconscious." 

"Very  good.  I  will  see  her,''  said  Brant,  with  a  feel- 
ing of  relief. 


HE  SPRANG  TO  HIS  FEET. 


"  One  moment,  General.  We  thought  you  would 
perhaps  prefer  to  see  her  alone,"  said  the  surgeon. 
"  For  when  I  endeavoured  to  bring  her  to,  and  was  spong- 
ing her  face  and  head  to  discover  her  injuries,  her  colour 
came  off!  She  was  a  white  woman — stained  and  dis- 
guised as  a  mulatto." 

For  an  instant  Brant's  heart  sank.  It  ivas  Miss 
Faulkner. 

"  Did  you  recognise  her?"  he  said,  glancing  from  the 
one  to  the  other.    "  Have  you  seen  her  here  before  1 " 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  the  aide-de-camp.  "  But  she  seemed 
to  be  quite  a  superior  woman — a  lady,  I  should  say." 

Brant  breathed  more  freely. 

"  Where  is  she  now  1 "  he  asked. 

"  In  the  guard-house.    We  thought  it  better  not  to 

bring  her  into 
hospital,  among 
the  men,  until  we 
had  your  orders." 

"You  have 
done  well,"  re- 
turned Brant 
gravely.  "And 
you  will  keep  this 
to  yourselves  for 
the  present ;  but 
see  that  she  is 
brought  here 
quietly  and  with 
as  little  publicity 
as  possible.  Put 
her  in  my  room 
above,  which  I 
give  up  to  her 
and  any  necessary 
attendant.  But 
you  will  look  care- 
fully after  her, 
doctor"  —  he 
turned  to  the 
Surgeon  —  "  and 
when  she  recovers 
consciousness  let 
me  know." 

He  m  o ved 
away.  Although 
a  ttaching  little 
importance  to  the 
mysterious  mes- 
sage, whether  sent 
by  Miss  Faulkner 
or  emanating  from 
the  stranger  her- 
self, which  he 
reasoned  was 
based  only  upon 
a  knowledge  of 
the  original  plain  of  attack — he  nevertheless  quickly 
despatched  a  small  scouting  party  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  attack  might  come,  with  orders  to  fall  back 
and  report  at  once.  With  a  certain  half  irony  of  re- 
collection he  had  selected  Jim  Hooker  to  accompany 
the  party  as  a  volunteer.  This  done,  he  returned  to 
(he  gallery.    The  surgeon  met  him  at  the  door. 

"  The  indications  of  concussion  are  passing  away," 
he  said,  "  but  she  seems  to  be  suffering  from  the  ex- 
haustion following  some  great  nervous  excitement.  You 
may  go  in — she  may  rally  from  it  at  any  moment." 

With  the  artificial  step  and  mysterious  hush  of  the 
ordinary  visitor  to  a  sick  bed,  Brant  entered  the  room. 
But  some  instinct  greater  than  this  common  expression 
of  humanity  held  him  suddenly  in  awe.  The  loom 
seemed  no  longer  his — it  had  slipped  back  into  that 
austere  conventional  privacy  which  had  first  impressed 
him.  Vet  he  hesitated  ;  another  strange  suggestion  — 
it  seei>:cd  almost  a  vague  recollection — overcame  'aim 
like  sonic  lingering  perfume,  far  off  and  pathetic,  in  its 
dying  familiarity.    He  turned  his  eyes  almost  timidly 


Dfcsmber  8,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


155 


towards  the  bed.  The  coverlet  was  drawn  up  near  the 
throat  of  the  figure  to  replace  the  striped  cotton  gown 
stained  with  blood  and  dust,  which  had  been  hurriedly 
torn  off  and  thrown  on  a  chair.  The  pale  face,  cleansed  of 
blood  and  disguising,  colour,  the  long  hair,  still  damp 
from  the  surgeon's  sponge,  lay  rigidly  back  on  the  pillow. 
Suddenly  this  man  of  steady  nerve  uttered  a  faint  cry 
and  with  a  face  as  white  as  the  upturned  one  before  him, 
fell  on  his  knees  beside  the  bed.  For  the  face  that  lay 
there  was  his  wife's  ! 

Yes,  tiers !  But  the  beautiful  hair  that  she  had 
gloiied  in— the  hair  that  in  his  youth  he  had  thought 
had  once  fallen  like  a  bened'iction  on  his  shoulder — was 
sneaked  with  grey'along  the  blue  veined  hollows  of  the 
temples ;  the  orbits  of  those  clear  eyes,  beneath 
their  delicately  arched  brows,  were  ringed  with  days  of 
suffering;  only  the  clear-cut  profile,  even  to  the  delicaco 
irnpeiiousness  of  lips  and  nostril,  was  still  there  in  all 
its  beauty.  The  coverlet  had  slipped  from  her  shoulder; 
its  familiar  marble  contour  startled  him.  He  remem- 
bered how,  in  their  early  married  days,  he  had  felt  the 
sanctity  of  that  Diana-like  revelation,  and  the  rtill 
nymph-like  austerity  which  clung  to  this  strange,  child'- 
less  woman.  He  even  fancied  that  he  breathed  again 
the  subtle  characteristic  perfume  of  the  laces,  em- 
broideries, and  delicate  enwrappings  in  her  chamber  at 
Robles.  Perhaps  it  was  the  intensity  of  his  gaze — 
perhaps  it  was  the  magnetism  of  his  presence — but  her 
lips  parted  with  a  half  sigh,  half  moan.  Her  head, 
although  her  eyes  were  still  closed,  turned  on  the  pillow 
instinctively  towards  him.  He  rose  from  his  knees. 
Her  eyes  opened  slowly.  As  the  first  glare  of  wonder- 
ment cleared  from  them,  they  met  him — in  the  old  an- 
tagonism of  spirit !  Yet  her  first  gesture  was  a  pathetic 
feminine  movement  with  both  hands,  to  arrange  her 
straggling  hair.  It  brought  her  white  fingers,  cleaned 
of  their  disguising  stains,  as  a  sudd'en  revelation  to  her 
•of  what  had  happened  ;  she  instantly  slipped  them  back 
under  the  coverlet  again.  Brant  did  not  speak,  but  with 
folded  arms  stood  gazing  upon  her.  And  it  was  her 
voice  that  first  broke  the  silence. 

"You  have  recognised  me?  Well,  I  suppose  you 
know  all,"  she  said,  with  a  weak,  half  defiance. 

_  He  bowed  his  head.  He  felt,  as  yet,  he  could  not  trust 
his  voice,  and  envied  her  her  own. 

"  I  mav  sit  up,  mayn't  1 1 "  £he  managed,  bv  sheer 
force  of  will,  to  struggle  to  a  sitting  posture.  Then,  as 
the  coverlet  slipped  from  the  bare  shoulder,  she  said,  as 
she  drew  it,  with  a  shiver  of  disgust,  around  her  again — 

"  I  forgot  that  you  strip  women,  you  Northern  sol- 
diers !  But  I  forgot,  too,"  she  added,  with  a  sarcastic 
smile,  "that  you  are  also  my  husband,  and  I  am  in 
your  room." 

The  contemptuous  significance  of  her  speech  dispelled 
the  last  lingering  remnant  of  Brant's  dream.  In  a 
voice  as  dry  as  her  own,  he  said — 

"I  am  afraid  you  will  now  have  to  remember  only  that  I 
am  a  Northern  General,  and  you  a  Southern  spy." 

"So  be  it,"  she  said,  gravely.  Then,  impulsively, 
"But  I  have  not  spied  on  you." 

Yet,  the  next  moment,  she  bit  her  lips  as  if  the  ex- 
pression had  unwittingly  escaped  her;  and,  with  a 
reckless  shrug  of  her  shoulders,  she  lay  back  on  her 
pillow. 

"It  matters  not,"  said  Brant,  coldly.  "You  have 
used  this  house  and  those  within  it  to  forward  vour 
designs.  It  is  not  your  fault  that  you  found  nothing 
in  the  despatch-box  you  opened. 

She  stared  at  him  quickly ;  then  shrugged  her 
shoulder  again. 

_  "  I  might  have  known  she  was  false  to  me,"  she  said, 
bitterly,  "and  that  you  would  wheedle  her  soul  away, 
as  you  have  others.  Well,  she  betraved  me  '  For 
what?" 

A  flush  passed  over  Brant's  face.  But  with  an  effort 
he  contained  himself. 

"  It  was  the  flower  that  betrayed  you !  The  flower 
whose  red  dust  fell  in  the  box  when  you  opened  it  on  the 


desk  bv  the  window  in  yonder  room — the  flower  that 
stood  in  the  window  as  a  signal — me  flower  I  myself 
removed,  and  so  spoiled  the  miserable  plot  your  friends 
tnat  concoted.;' 

A  look  of  mingled  terror  and  awe  came  into  her  face. 

"You  changed  the  signal!"  she  repeated,  dazedly; 
then,  in  a  lower  voice,  "  that  accounts  for  it  all ! "  But 
the  next  moment  she  turned  again  fiercely  upon  him. 
"  And  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  she  didn't  help  you — 
that  she  didn't  sell  me — your  wife — to  you  for — for 
what  was  it?    A  look — a  kiss!" 

"  I  mean  to  say  that  she  did  not  know  the  signal  was 
changed,  and  that  she  herself  restored  it  to  its  place. 
It  is  no  fault  of  hers  nor  yours  that  I  am  not  here  a 
prisoner." 

She  passed  her  thin  hand  dazedly  across  her  forehead. 

"  I  see,"  she  muttered.  Then,  again,  bursting  out 
passionately,  she  said — "  Fool !  you  never  would  have 
been  touched  !  Do  you  think  that  Lee  would  have  gone 
for  you,  with  higher  game  in  your  Division  Commander ! 
No  !  Those  supports  were  a  feint  to  draw  him  to  your 
assistance,  while  our  main  column  broke  his  centre. 
Yes,  you  may  stare  at  me,  Clarence  Brant.  You  are 
a  good  lawyer — they  say  a  dashing  fighter,  too.  I  never 
thought  you  a  coward,  even  in  your  irresolution;  but 
you  are  fighting  with  men  drilled  in  the  art  of  War  and 
strategy  when  you  were  a  boy  outcast  on  the  plains." 
She  stopped,  closed  her  eyes,  and  then  added,  wearily 
— "But  that  was  yesterday — to-day,  who  knows?  All 
may  be  changed.  The  supports  may  still  attack  you. 
That  was  why  I  stopped  to  write  you  that  note  an  hour 
ago,  when  I  believed  I  should  be  leaving  here  for  ever. 
Yes,  I  did  it ! "  she  went  on,  with  half-wearied,  half- 
dogged  determination.  "You  may  as  well  know  all. 
I  had  arranged  to  fly.  Your  pickets  were  to  be  drawn 
by  friends  of  mine,  who  were  waiting  for  me  beyond  your 
lines.  Well,  I  lingered  here  when  I  saw  you  arrive — 
lingered  to  write  you  that  note.    And — I  was  too  late !  " 

But  Brant  had  been  watching  her  varying  expression, 
her  kindling  eye,  her  strange  masculine  grasp  of  military 
knowledge,  her  soldierly  phraseology,  all  so  new  to  her, 
that  he  scarcely  heeded  the  feminine  ending  of  her 
speech.  It  seemed  to  him  no  longer  the  Diana  of  his 
youthful  fancy,  but  some  Pallas  Athene,  who  now 
looked  up  at  him  from  the.  pillow.  He  had  never  before 
fully  believed  in  her  unselfish  devotion  to  the  Cause 
until  now,  when  it  seemed  to  have  almost  unsexed  her. 
In  his  wildest  comprehension  of  her,  he  had  never 
dreamed  her  a  Joan  of  Arc,  and  yet  hers  was  the  face 
which  might  have  confronted  him,  exalted  and  inspired, 
on  the  battle-field  itself.  He  recalled  himself  with  an 
effort. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  would-be  warning,"  he  said, 
more  gently,  if  not  so  tenderly,  "  and  God  knows  I  wish 
your  flight  had  been  successful.  But  even  your  warning 
is  unnecessary.  For  the  supports  had  already  come 
up ;  they  had  followed  the  second  signal,  and  diverged 
to  engage  our  Division  on  the  left,  leaving  me  alone. 
And  their  ruse  of  drawing  our  Commander  to  assist 
me  would  not  have  been  successful,  as  I  had  suspected 
it,  and  sent  a  message  to  him  that  I  wanted  no  help." 

It  was  the  truth ;  it  was  the  sole  purport  of  the  note 
he  had  sent  through  Miss  Faulkner.  He  would  not  have 
disclosed  hissacrifice;  but  so  great  was  thestrange  domina- 
tion of  this  woman  still  over  him,  that  he  felt  compelled 
to  assert  his  superiority.  She  fixed  her  eyes  upon 
him. 

"And  Miss  Faulkner  took  your  message?"  she  said, 
slowly.  "Don't  deny  it!  No  one  else  could  have 
passed  through  our  lines;  and  you  gave  her  a  safe 
conduct  through  yours.  Yes,  I  might  have  known  it. 
And  this  was  the  creature  they  sent  me  for  an  ally  and 
confidant ! " 

For  an  instant  Brant  felt  the  sting  of  this  enforced 
contrast  between  the  two  women.    But  he  only  said  

"  You  forget  that  I  did  not  know  you  were  the  spy, 
noi  do  I  believe  that  she  suspected  you  were  my  wife." 

"  Why  should  she  ? "  she  said,  almost  fiercely.    "  I 


HE  FELL  ON  HIS  KNEES  BESIDE  THE  BED. 


am  known  among  these  people  only  by  the  name  of 
Benham — my  maiden  name.  Yes  !— ryou  can  take  me 
out,  and  shoot  me,  under  that  name,  without  disgracing 
yours.  Nobody  will  know  that  the  Southern  spy  was 
the  wife  of  the  Northern  General  !  You  see  I  have 
thought  even  of  that!  " 

"  And,  thinking  of  that,"  said  Brant,  slowly,  "  you 
have  put  yourself — I  will  not  say  in  my  power,  for  you 
are  in  the  power  of  any  man  in  this  camp  who  may 
know  you,  of  even  hear  you  speak.  Well,  let  us  under-- 
stand  each  other  plainly.  I  do  not  know  how  great  a 
sacrifice  you'-  devotion  to  your  cause  demands  of  you  : 
I  do  know  what  it  seems  to  demand  of  me.     Hear  me, 


then !  I  will  do  my  best  to  protect  you,  and  get  you 
safely  away  from  here;  but,  failing  that,  I  tell  you 
plainly  that  I  shall  blow  out  your  brains  and  my  own 
together." 

She  knew  that  he  would  do  it.  Yet  her  eyes  suddenly 
beamed  witli  a  new  and  awakening  light  :  she  put  back 
her  hair  again,  and  half  raised  herself  upon  the  pillow, 
to  gaze  at  his  dark,  set  face. 

"And  as  I  shall  let  no  other  life  but  ours  be  perilled 
in  this  affair,"  he  went  on  quietly,  "  and  will  accompany 
you  myself  in  some  disguise  beyond  the  lines,  we  will 
together  take  the  risks — or  the  bullets  of  the  sentries 
that  may  save  us  both  all  further  trouble.    An  hour  or 


December  8,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


157 


two  more  will  settle  that.  Until  then  your  weak  con- 
dition will  excuse  you  from  any  disturbance  or  intru- 
sion here.  The  mulatto  woman  you  have  sometimes 
personated  may  be  still  in  this  house;  I  will  appoint 
her  to  attend  you.  I  suppose  you  can  trust  her,  for 
you  must  personate  her  again,  and  escape  in  her  clothes, 
while  she  takes  your  place  in  this  room  as  my  prisoner." 
"  Clarence ! " 

Her  voice  had  changed  suddenly ;  it  was  no  longer 
bitter  and  stridulous,  but  low  and  thrilling  as  he  had 
heard  her  call  to  him  that  night  in  the  patio  of  Robles. 
Jle  turned  quickly.  She  was  leaning  from  the  bed — 
her  thin,  white  hands  stretched  appealingly  towards 
him. 

"  Let  us  go  together,  Clarence,"  she  said  eagerly.  "  Let 
us  leave  this  horrible  place — these  wicked,  cruel  people 
for  ever.  Come  with  me  !  Come  with  me  to  my  people 
— to  my  own  faith — to  my  own  house — which  shall  be 
yours !  Come  with  me  to  defend  it  with  your  good 
sword,  Clarence,  against  those  vile  invaders  with  whom 
you  have  nothing  in  common,  and  who  are  the  dirt  under 
your  feet.  Yes,  yes  !  I  know  it! — I  have  done  you 
wrong  —  I  have  lied  to  you  when  I  spoke  against  your 
skill  and  power.  You  are  a  hero — a  born  leader  of 
men !  I  know  it !  Have  I  not  heard  it  from  the  men 
who  have  fought  against  you,  and  yet  admired'  and  under- 
stood you,  aye — better  than  your  own  ?  Gallant  men, 
Clarence,  soldiers  bred — who  did  not  know  what  you 
were  to  me- — nor  how  proud  I  was  of  you  even  while  I 
hated  you !  Come  with  me !  Think  what  we  would 
do  together — with  one  faith — one  cause — one  ambition  ! 
Think,  Clarence,  there  is  no  limit  you  might  not  attain  ! 
We  are  no  niggards  of  our  rewards  and  honours — we 
have  no  hireling  votes  to  truckle  to— we  know  our 

friends !  Even  I — Clarence — I  -'  — there  was  a  strange 

pathos  in  the  sudden  humility  that  seemed  to  overcome 
her — "/  havo  had  my  reward  and  known  my  power.  I 
have  been  sent  abroad,  in  the  confidence  of  the  highest 
— to  the  highest.  Don't  turn  from  me.  I  am  offering 
you  no  bribe,  Clarence,  only  your  deserts.  Come  with 
me.  Leave  these  curs  behind,  and  live  the  hero  that 
you  are ! " 

He  turned  his  blazing  eyes  upon  her. 

"  If  you  were  a  man  "  he  began  passionately,  then 

stopped. 

"No!  I  am  only  a  woman,  and  must  fight  in  a 
woman's  way,"  she  interrupted  bitterly.  ''  Yes!  I  en- 
treat, I  implore,  I  wheedle,  I  flatter,  I  fawn,  I  lie  I  I 
creep  where  you  stand  upright,  and  pass  through  doors 
to  which  you  would  not  bow.  You  wear  your  blazon  of 
honour  on  your  shoulder ;  I  hide  mine  in  a  slave's  «own. 
And  yet  I  have  worked  and  striven  and  suffered  !  Listen, 
Clarence  " — her  voice  again  sank  to  its  appealing  minor — 
"  I  know  what  you  men  call  '  honour,'  that  which  makes 
you  cling  to  a  merely  spoken  word1,  or  an  empty  oath. 
Well,  let  that  pass  !  I  am  weary  ;  I  have  done  my  share 
of  this  work,  you  have  done  yours.  Let  us  both  fly ; 
let  us  leave  the  fight  to  those  who  shall  come  after  us, 
and  let  us  go  together  to  some  distant  land  where  the 
sounds  of  these  guns,  or  the  blood  of  our  brothers  no 
longer  cry  out  to  us  for  vengeance !  There  are  those 
living  here — I  have  met  them,  Clarence,"  she  went  on 
hurriedly,  "  who  think  it  wrong  to  lift  up  fratricidal 
hands  in  the  struggle,  yet  who  cannot  live  under  the 
Northern  yoke.  They  are,"  her  voice  hesitated,  "  good 
men  and  women— they  are  respected — -they  are  " 

"Recreants  and  slaves,  before  whom  you,  spy  as  you 
are — stand  a  Queen  ! "  broke  in  Brant  passionately.  He 
stopped  and  turned  towards  the  window.  After  a 
pause  he  came  back  again  towards  the  bed — paused 
again  and  then  said  in  a  lower  voice- — "  Four  years  ago, 
Alice,  in  the  patio  of  our  house  at  Robles,  I  might  have 
listened  to  this  proposal,  and — I  tremble  to  think — I 
might  have  accepted  it !  I  loved  you  ;  I  was  as  weak, 
as  selfish,  as  unreflecting,  my  life  was  purposeless — but 
for  you — as  the  creatures  you  speak  of.  But  give  me 
now,  at  least,  the  credit  of  a  devotion  to  my  cause  equal 
to  your  own — a  credit  which  I  have  never  denied  you! 


Lor  the  night  that  you  left  me,  I  awoke  to  a  sense  of 
my  own  worthlessness  and  degradation — perhaps  I  have 
even  to  thank  you  for  that  awakening — and'  I  realised 
the  bitter  truth.  But  that  night  I  found  my  true  voca- 
tion— my  purpose,  my  manhood  " 

A  bitter  laugh  came  from  the  pillow  on  which  she 
had  languidly  thrown  herself. 

"  I  believe  I  left  you  with  Mrs.  Hooker — spare  me  the 
details." 

The  blood  rushed  to  Brant's  face  and  then  receded  as 
suddenly. 

"  You  left  me  with  Captain  Pinkney,  who  had  tempted 
you,  and  whom  I  killed  !  "  he  said  furiously. 

They  were  both  staring  furiously  at  each  other.  Sud- 
denly he  said,  "  Hush  !  "  and  sprang  towards  the  door,  as 
the  sound  of  hurried  footsteps  echoed  along  the  passage. 
But  he  was  too  late ;  it  was  thrown  open  to  the  officer 
of  the  guard,  who  appeared,  standing  on  the  threshold. 

"  Two  Confederate  officers  arrested  hovering  around 
our  pickets.    They  demand  to  see  you." 

Before  Brant  could  interpose,  two  men  in  riding 
cloaks  of  Confederate  grey,  stepped  into  the  room  with 
a  jaunty  and  self-confident  air. 

"Not  demand,  General,"  said  the  foremost,  a  tall,  dis- 
tinguished-looking man,  lifting  his  hand  with  a  graceful 
deprecating  air.  "  In  fact,  too  sorry  to  bother  you  with 
an  affair  of  no'  importance  except  to  ourselves.  A  bit 
of  after-dinner  bravado  brought  us  in  contact  with  your 
pickets,  and,  of  course,  we  had  to  take  the  consequences. 
Served  us  right,  and  we  were  lucky  not  to  have  got  a 
bullet  through  us.  Gad — I'm  afraid  my  men  would 
have  been  less  discreet !  I  am  Colonel  Lagrange,  of  the 
5th  Tennessee ;  my  young  friend  here  is  Captain  Faulk- 
ner, of  the  1st  Kentucky.  Some  excuse  for  a  youngster 
like  him — none  for  me  !    I  " 

He  stopped,  for  his  eyes  suddenly  fell  upon  the  bed 
and  its  occupant.  Both  he  and  his  compaion  started. 
But  to  the  natural,  unaffected  dismay  of  a  gentleman 
who  had  unwittingly  intruded  upon  a  lady's  bedchamber, 
Brant's  quick  eye  saw  a  more  disastrous  concern  super- 
added. Colonel  Lagrange  was  quick  to  recover  him- 
self, as  they  both  removed  their  caps. 

"A  thousand  pardons,"  he  said,  hurriedly  stepping 
backward's  to  the  door.  "  But  I  hardly  need  say  to  a 
fellow-officer,  General,  that  we  had  no  idea  of  making 
so  gross  an  intrusion !  We  heard  some  cock-and-bull 
story  of  your  being  occupied — cross-questioning  an  es- 
caped or  escaping-  nigger — or  we  should  never  have 
forced  ourselves  upon  you." 

Brant  glanced  quickly  at  his  wife.  Her  face  had 
apparently  become  rigid  on  the  entrance  of  the  two 
men ;  her  eyes  were  coldly  fixed  upon  the  ceiling.  He 
bowed  formally,  and  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  toward'a 
the  door,  said — 

"I  will  hear  your  story  below,  gentlemen." 

He  followed  them  from  the  room,  stopped  to  quietly 
turn  the  key  in  the  lock,  and  then  motioned  them  to 
precede  him  down  the  staircase. 

(To  be  continued.) 


AN  INFANT  PRODIGY. 
A  wonderful  child  is  at  present  on  view  in  Berlin, 
hough  scarcely  two  years  old,  this  mite  can  read  fluently, 
not  merely  printed  matter, -but  manuscript,  and  that 
whether  the  Gothic  or  the  Latin  character  be  emploved. 
This  small  prodigy  began  to  exhibit  a  taste  for  litera- 
ture towards  the  end  of  Ms  first  year,  without  being  in 
the  least  pushed  or  incited  thereto  by  his  parents,  who 
are  ordinary  illiterate  folk.  He  commenced  by  asking 
the  meaning  of  the  inscriptions  beneath  pictures,  and 
proceeded  thence  to  the  titles  of  books  exposed  in  shop 
windows.  When  a  number  of  movable  letters  are  given 
him  he  arranges  them  into  words,  and  even  sentences, 
and  will  then  pronounce  the  result  in  a  tone  of  voice  in 
no  way  differing  from  that  of  any  other  infant  of  the 
same  age,  a  circumstance  which  adds  immensely  to  the 
quaint  effect  produced  by  the  spectacle  of  such  immix- 
ture erudition. 


158 


TO-DAY, 


December  8,  1894. 


Moving  House. 


December  8,  ISO*. 


TO-DAY. 


159 


I 


Homo  Kc — A  Fishing  Village  near  Yokohama. 
( lo  be  continued.) 


1G0 


TO-DAY. 


December  8,  1894. 


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REMINISCENCES  OF 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 


A 


BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 

Illustrated   by  W  Dewar. 


III. 

An  Abortive  Plot. 

CURIOUS  episode  happened  while 
I  was  acting  as  Managing  Clerk 
to  Mr.  Summers,  who  used  to 
carry  on  business  in  Southamp- 
ton Street,  Bloomsbury.  He 
was  an  old-fashioned  solicitor  who, 
in  his  palmy  days,  had  enjoyed  a 
very  fine  practice,  but  his  health 
had  begun  to  fail  for  some  years 
before  I  went  to  him ;  he  had  no 
son  or  successor  for  whom  he  desired 
to  keep  up  his  connection  ;  and  he 
possessed  ample  private  means. 
Thsse  circumstances  combined  had 
impaired  his  natural  energy  to  such 
an  extent  that  he  hardly  took  the 
trouble  to  conceal  from  clients  his  indifference  to  his  pro- 
fession occupations,  and  the  result  was  that  the  business 
had  become  stagnant  and  moribund.  If  he  would  only 
have  taken  a  young  and  energetic  partner  he  could  have 
retained  it  all,  for  he  was  personally  much  esteemed 
and  respected  ;  but  he  always  said  that  he  preferred  that 
his  practice  should  die  with  him,  the  truth  being  that 
he  was  growing  too  old  and  indolent  to  tolerate  any 
innovation. 

Nevertheless,  with  the  inconsistency  of  mankind  in 
general,  he  was  always  a  little  annoyed  when  a  client 
deserted  him ;  and  those  were  the  only  occasions  when 
I  ever  saw  him  out  of  temper.  He  was  a  most  amiable  old 
gentleman,  with  snow-white  hair,  aristocratic  features, 
and  a  fine  presence,  in  spite  of  his  seventy-five  years ; 
his  intellect  was  perfectly  clear,  and  when  he  chose  to 
exert  himself,  he  proved  that  he  was  still  a  capable  man 
of  business.  ■ 

One  morning  he  arrived  at  the  office  rather  late,  and 
on  my  presenting  myself  in  his  room  to  receive  instruc- 
tions about  the  day's  correspondence,  he  said,  irritably — 

"  Has  Mr.  Cuthbert  Chadwell  called  yet  1 " 

"No,  sir." 


"  What  do  you  suppose  he  means  by  this?"  inquired 
Mr.  Summers,  handing  me  an  open  letter. 

While  he  turned,  with  transparent  pretence  at  in- 
difference to  his  other  correspondence,  I  read  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"  Thexford  Park, 

"  Northamptonshire. 

"  Dear  Sir, — I  regret  to  inform  you  of  the  death  of 
my  father.  I  believe  his  will,  of  which  I  am  sole 
executor,  is  in  your  possession.  I  am  coming  up  to 
town  to-morrow  morning,  and  if  you  will  kindly  have 
the  will  looked  out  for  me,  I  shall  be  obliged,  as  I 
propose  to  take  it  away. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"  Cuthbert  P.  Chadwell." 

"  I  suppose  you  have  the  will,  sir,"  I  remarked,  per. 
ceiving  the  cause  of  my  principal's  irritation. 

"  Yes,  I  believe  it  is  in  the  strong  room ;  it  must  he 
ten  years  ago  since  the  testator  made  it,  and  I  have 
never  seen  him  since.  At  one  time  he  used  to  be  a  good 
client,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  with  a  sigh.  "  I  suppose  the 
son  intends  to  eo  to  somebody  else." 

"  He  says  that  he  wishes  to  take  the  will  away,"  I 
observed,  with  diffidence. 

"Well,  he  is  welcome  to  it,"  said  Mr.  Summers, 
sharply ;  "  his  father  was  a  decent  old  fellow,  though 
a  self-made  man.  Began  life  as  a,  shoemaker,  I  have 
heard.  But  I  have  only  seen  the  son  once,  and  I  wasn't 
favourably  impressed.    I  hear  he  is  a  skinflint." 

"  Not  much  good  as  clients,  that  sort,  sir,"  I  said,  to 
soothe  him. 

"  No.    Still,  it  would  have  been  more  decent  to  

Howeve",  /  don't  want  his  business.  Fetch  up  the  will, 
Millicent,  and  make  out  a  receipt." 

I  could  see  that  Mr.  Summers  was  annoyed  at  not 
being  asked  to  prove  the  will  and  to  wind  up  his  late 
client's  estate,  though  I  knew  veiy  well  that  when  his 
momentary  irritation  had  passed,  my  principal  would  be 
rather  relieved  than  otherwise  at  having  been  spared 
the  trouble.  I  descended  to  the  strong  room,  and  when  I 
returned  to  the  clerks'  office,  I  found  that  during  my 
brief  absence,  Mr.  Cuthbert  Chadwell  had  arrived,  and 
was  already  closeted  with  Mr.  Summers.  I  therefore 
wrote  out  a  receipt  for  the  will,  and  entered  Mr.  Sum- 
mers' room  with  the  document  in  my  hand. 

I  perceived  at  a  glance  that  the  interview  between 
Mr.  Summers  and  his  late  client's  heir  had  not  been  of 
a  particularly  cordial  description.  Mr.  Summers'  an- 
noyance was  manifested  by  his  punctilious  politeness, 
while  Mr.  Cuthbert  Chadwell  looked  sulky  and  ill  at 


Copyright,  1804,  by  Herbert  Keen 


102 


TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1394. 


cc.se.  My  principal  seemed  relieved  when  I  appeared, 
and  held  out  his  hand  for  the  will,  with  an  impatient 
gesture. 

"  With  your  permission,  Mr.  Chadwell,  I  will  open 
the  envelope,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  gravely.  "I  have  no 
doubt  that  you  are  sole  executor,  as  you  say ;  but  I 
cannot  trust  my  memory." 

Mr.  Chadwell,  by  a  surly  grunt,  signified  a  grudging 
assent  to  this  precaution,  and  I  had  leisure  to  observe 
him  while  Mr.  Summers  was  glancing  at  the  will.  He 
was  a  bald-headed,  corpulent,  middle-aged  man,  with 
coarse,  bloated  face,  a  hang-dog  look,  and  a  very  shifty 
expression  about  the  eyes.  He  was  evidently  ill  at 
ease,  and  when  he  happened  to  meet  my  gaze  he  ap- 
peared covered  with  confusion. 

"Here  is  the  will,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  replacing  the 
document  in  its 
envelope,  and 
handing  it  across 
the  table  to  Mr. 
Chadwell.  "I  will 
ask  you  to  sign 
the  receipt,  which 
my  clerk  has  pre- 
pared." 

The  executor 
took  possession  of 
the  will  with  evi- 
dent eagerness, 
and  stowed  it 
quickly  away  in 
his  pocket.  He 
then  affixed  his 
signature  to  the 
receipt  with  a 
very  shaky  hand, 
and  rose  to  take 
his  departure. 

"  Good  day,  Mr. 
Chadwell,"  said 
M  r.  Summers, 
offering  his  hand ; 
':  I  hope  you  will 
live  many  years 
to  enjoy  your  in- 
heritance." 

"All  right," 
said  the  other, 
shortly,  as  he  put 
on  his  hat  and 
made  for  the  door. 
"  If  I  can  ever 
put  a  job  in  your 
way,  Mr.  Sum- 
mers, I'll  bear  you 
in  mind." 

"  Thank  you.  At  my  time  of  life,  however,  I  do  not 
expect  new  clients,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  with  quiet 
irony. 

Mr.  Chadwell  shambled  out  of  the  room  in  rather  a 
shame-faced  way,  and  hurried  from  the  building.  Mr. 
Summers  glanced  up  at  him  through  the  wire  blind  as 
he  passed  the  window  in  the  street  outside. 

"Not  a  prepossessing  person,  eh,  Millicent?"  said 
Mr.  Summers,  with  a  smile. 

"  Sole  executor,  too  ! "  I  remarked,  answering  the 
thought  which  was  evidently  in  his  mind. 

"  His  father  trusted  him,  apparently,"  said  Mr.  Sum- 
mers, shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  Besides,  he  practically 
takes  everything  himself." 

"Did  he  mention  who  his  lawyer  is?"  I  inquired,  as 
I  turned  to  leave  the  room. 

"  He  does  not  employ  a  lawyer,"  answered  Mr.  Sum- 
mers, smiling.  "  He  said  when  he  came  in  this  morning 
that  he  considers  us  useless  and  wasteful.  He  is  going 
to  prove  the  will  himself  at  the  local  Registry  at  North- 
ampton." 

I  guessed  from  this  that  Mr.  Chadwell  had  put  Mr. 


Summers'  back  up  by  his  manner  of  announcing  his  in- 
tentions, which  accounted  for  the  coolness  I  had  re- 
marked. I  must  say  that  in  this  instance  I  did'  not  con- 
sider that  the  business  had  been  deprived  of  a  valuable 
client. 

With  this  reflection,  I  dismissed  the  matter  from  my 
mind,  and  I  do  not  suppose  that  either  Mr.  Summers  or 
I  Avould  ever  have  given  another  thought  to  Mr.  Chad- 
well  and  his  affairs  or  heard  anything  more  about  him, 
but  for  one  of  those  singular  accidents  which  are  some- 
times dignified  with  the  name  of  coincidences. 

Tnere  was  a  Chancery  suit  going  on  in  the  office  at 
the  time,  in  connection  with  which  a  series  of  adver- 
tisements had  been  inserted  by  order  of  the  Court  in 
various  London  and  Provincial  newspapers.  About  a 
week  after  Mr.  Chadwell's  visit,  one  of  my  fellow-clerks 

handed  me  a 
Northampt  on- 
shire  paper,  say- 
ing that  he  could 
not  find  the  ad- 
vertisement in 
that  issue,  and 
asking  me  to  see 
-whether  he  had 
overlooked  it.  I 
made  an  unsuc- 
cessful search,  and 
was  folding  up  the 
paper  to  return  it 
to  him,  when  my 
eye  alighted  upon 
a  brief  paragraph 
containing  an  obi- 
tuarynotice  of  the 
late  Mr.  Chad- 
well,  of  Thexford. 
It  stated,  among 
other  details,  that 
he  had  died  of  a 
paralytic  stroke 
on  the  18th  in- 
stant previous. 

Now  Mr.  Chad- 
well  had  called 
upon  us  on  the 
loth,  two  days 
earlier  :  and  as  he 
had  then  informed 
us  that  his  father 
had  died  the  day 
before,  it  followed 
that  the  date  of 
the  death  was 
the  15th.  The  dis- 
crepancy was  apparently  due  to  a  printer's  error  in  the 
paper;  still,  when  I  recalled  to  mind  Mr.  Cuthbert  Chad- 
well's  peculiar  manner  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  the 
office,  I  began  to  have  a  vague  suspicion  that  there 
might  be  something  wrong,  and  I,  therefore,  showed 
Mr.  Summers  the  newspaper  paragraph. 

"  Oh  !  It  is  a  mistake,  of  course,"  said  Mr.  Summers, 
when  I  pointed  out  the  date  of  death.  "What  does  it 
matter  whether  the  poor  fellow  died"  on  the  15th  or  the 
18th?" 

"Only  that  if  he  didn't  die  till  the  18th,  Cuthbert 
Chadwell  was  not  entitled  to  have  the  will,"  I  replied. 
"Why?"  said  Mr.  Summers,  sharply. 
"Because  his  father  was  alive." 

"  Pooh  !  It  is  all  nonsense,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  getting 
up  from  his  chair  with  a  troubled  txpression,  "I — 1 
must  admit  that  I  thought  the  son's  manner  was  odd," 
he  added,  after  a  pause.  "Anyhow  we  may  as  well  set 
doubt  at  rest :  send  a  wire  to  the  newspaper  people 
drawing  attention  toi  the  mistake  and  see  what  they  say." 

Accordingly,  after  some  deliberation,  I  drew  out 
and  despatched  the  following  message  to  the  Editor  of 
the  Thexford  Gazette  : — 


December  15,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


1G3 


"Ke  Matthew  Chadwell  deceased.— Your  issue  23rd 
;gives  date  death  18th.  Is  not  this  an  error?  Reply 
paid — important — confidential." 

Although  I  was  beginning  to  feel  almost  excited  at 
ihe  discovery  1  had  made,  I  cannot  say  that  I  enter- 
tained any  serious  suspicion,  ana"  I  quite  expected  that 
the  reply  to  my  telegram  would  be  of  a  reassuring  na- 
ture. But  to  my  surprise,  and  to  Mr.  Summers'  con- 
sternation, the  answer  which  arrived  in  due  course  was 
as  follows :  — 

"18th  correct  date.  Informant  doctor — have  seen 
certificate." 

"Good  gracious,  Millicent,  this  is  most  grave!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Summers,  on  seeing  the  telegram.  "  It  is 
obvious  that  Cuthbert  Chadwell  lied  to  me.  What 
could  his  object  have  been  in  getting  hold  of  the  will 
in  his  father's  lifetime?" 

"Perhaps  he  persuaded  his  father  to  destroy  it,"  I 
said.  . 

"He  ,  was  residuary  legatee,  and' — h'naWit  is  true 
there  were  some  annuities  and  one  or  two  big  legacies," 
said  Mr.  Summers,  thoughtfully. 

"  He  was  an  only  child,  wasn't  he? "  I  inquired.  "  If 
so,  everything  would  come  to  him  in  the  event  of  an  in- 
testacy." 

"  We  mustn't  jump  hastily  at  conclusions,  Millicent," 
said  Mr.  Summers,  evidently  greatly  disturbed  ;  "  the 
point  must  be  cleared  up.  If  there  is  anything  wrong, 
I  shall  feel  in  a  measure  personally  responsible.  I  don't 
know  what  to  do  exactly,  but  I  will  think  it  over,  and 
we  will  talk  about  it  to-morrow." 

It  was  then  Mr.  Summers'  usual  hour  for  leaving,  and 
he  went  home  in  a  state  of  considerable  agitation.  For 
my  part  I  began  to  think  it  quite  possible  that  Cuth- 
bert Chadwell  meditated1  some  fraud,  and  I  had  the 
curiosity  to  look  up  the  draft  of  his  father's  will.  As- 
suming that  Cuthbert  Chadwell  was  grasping  and  un- 
scrupulous, the  amount  of  the  legacies  and  annuities 
seemed  to  offer  quite  sufficient  incentive  to  him  to  sup- 
press it  or  at  least  to  induce  him  to  endeavour  to  get 
it  revoked.  He  had  certainly  not  acted  straightfor- 
wardly in  obtaining  possession  of  the  will  by  means  of 
a  subterfuge,  and  this  made  me  doubt  the  honesty  of  his 
intentions. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Summers  arrived  at  the  office  earlier 
than  usual,  looking  pale  and  determined,  and  after 
glancing  through  the  letters,  he  took  out  his  watch  and 
said  to  me — 

"Millicent,  I  have  decided  to  go  down  to  Thexford, 
■and  I  think  you  had  better  accompany  me,  as  you  were 
present  when  Mr.  Chadwell  called  the  other  day.  We 
must  start  in  half  an  hour." 

"You  propose  to  call  upon  Mr.  Chadwell.  sir?"  I  in- 
quired1. 

"Yes.  I  shall  insist  upon  an  explanation.  Mind,  I 
don't  suppose  there  is  anything  wrong.  To  destroy  a 
will  is  a  felony,  and  I  have  no  reason  to  suspect  Mr. 
'Chadwell  of  anything  so  bad  as  that.  But  I  must  be 
satisfied  that  the  will  still  exists,  or  has  been  properly 
revoked." 

In  spite  of  his  disclaimer,  I  could  see  that  the  result 
of  my  principal's  deliberations  had  been  to  arouse  his 
gravest  suspicions,  but  he  maintained  a  discreet  reti- 
cence, and  neither  then,  nor  during  our  journey  to  Thex- 
ford, did  he  offer  to  discuss  the  matter  further.  At 
Thexford  station  we  hired  a  fly  at  the  Inn,  and  drove  to 
the  Park,  which  we  reached  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
■afternon. 

It  was  a  fine  place,  I  remember,  though  the  surround- 
ing country  was  flat  and  uninteresting,  and  much  dis- 
figured by  workings  for  ironstone,  an  extensive  in- 
dustry in  those  parts.  The  house  was  a  big,  ugly  square 
brick  building,  more  like  an  hotel  than  a  mansion,  and 
looked  very  much  dilapidated'  and  neglected.  As  the 
fly  drove  up  to  the  entrance  door,  Mr.  Cuthbert  Chad- 
well  was  just  strolling  out,  and  he,  therefore,  came  face 
to  face  with  Mr.  Summers,  who  alighted  with  the  agilitv 
of  a  young  man  and  confronted  him.  My  doubts  of 
Cuthbert  Chadwell's  integrity  were  at  once  confirmed 


by  his  look  of  consternation  when  he  recognised  my' 
principal.  For  a  moment  he  seemed  literally  thunder- 
struck, and  stood'  staring  at  us  open-mouthed,  while 
his  colour  changed  from  red  to  white.  Pale  to  the  lips 
he  at  length  made  an  effort  to  recover  himself,  and  ad- 
dressed Mr.  Summers  with  an  evil  scowl. 

"What  do  you  want  here?"  he  exclaimed. 

"  A  few  words  only,  Mr.  Chadwell,"  replied  Mr.  Sum- 
mers, with  admirable  calmness.  "  I  think  indoors  would 
be  best." 

Cuthbert  Chadwell  took  the  hint  with  some  per- 
turbation, as  he  realised!  that  the  flyman  was  an  obser- 
vant spectator  of  the  scene,  and  ushered  us  into  the  hall. 
Here  for  the  first  time  he  seemed  to  become  conscious 
of  the  brusqueness  of  his  greeting,  for  he  murmured 
something  about  being  pleased  to  see  Mr.  Summers,  and 
led  the  way  into  a  sitting-room,  which  was  evidently 
the  library. 

"  Close  the  door,  Mr.  Millicent,"  said  Mr.  Summers, 
as  we  entered.  "  I  have  brought  my  Clerk,  Mr.  Chad- 
well,  because  he  was  present  the  other  day  when  you  said 
your  father  was  then  already  dead." 

"And'  now  you  have  found  out  lie  wasn't,  I  suppose," 
said  Mr.  Chadwell.  standing  with  his  back  to  the  fire- 
place, and  speaking  in  a,  would-be  jocular  manner. 

"He  did  not  die  till  the  18th,"  replied  Mr.  Summers 
gravely. 

"  That  is  quite  true.  He  wanted  his  will ;  he  wasn't 
well  enough  to  write  me  an  authority ;  I  knew  you 
lawyers  are  fond  of  raising  difficulties,  so  I  adopted  this 
plan  to  avoid  them,"  said  Mr.  Chadwell,  with  effrontery. 

"  Why  not  have  told  the  truth  ? "  remarked  Mr.  Sum- 
mers, sternly.  "  I  would  have  accompanied  you,  and 
brought  the  will  myself." 

"  That  was  just  what  I  didn't  want,"  said  Mr.  Chadwell, 
with  an  insulting  laugh. 

"  Possibly,"  observed  Mr.  Summers,  drily. 

"  I  mean  my  father  was  too  ill  to  be  bothered  with 
lawyers/*  added  Mr.  Chadwell,  changing  his  tone  rather 
quickly.  "I  have  no  wish  to  offend  you,"  he  added,  in 
a  cringing  tone. 

"It  is  not  a  question  of  anybody's  feelings,"  said  Mr. 
Summers  quietly.  "  Under  the  circumstances  it  is  my 
duty  to  find  out  what  happened  about  the  will." 

"My  father  destroyed  it,"  said  Mr.  Chadwell,  sullenly. 

"Destroyed  it!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Summers,  raising 
his  eyebrows. 

"  What  else  should  he  want  it  for  ? "  said  Mr.  Chadwell, 
insolently. 

"Did  he  destroy  it  himself?"  asked  Mr.  Summers, 
keeping  his  eyes  mercilessly  fixed  upon  our  host. 

"  It  was  all  in  order  if  that  is  what  you  mean,"  said 
Mr.  Chadwell,  beginning  to  display  increased  signs  of 
uneasiness. 

"Who  was  present?" 

"  I  was." 

"Who  else?" 

"  The  nurse  and — and  the  doctor,"  answered  Mr.  Chad- 
well,  with  manifest  hesitation. 
"  Is  the  nurse  in  the  house?" 
"  No.    She  has  left." 

"  Well,  I  must  call  and  see  the  doctor,"  said  Mr 
Summers,  taking  up  his  hat.  "  He  lives  in  the  village, 
I  suppose.    What  is  his  name?" 

"  Look  here,  Mr.  Summers,  what  is  the  meaning  of  this 
intrusion?  What  the  deuce  has  all  this  to  do  with 
you?"  cried  Mr.  Chadwell,  end'eavouring  to  hide  his 
evident  consternation  by  a  bullying  manner.  "  My 
father  chose  to  destroy  his  will.  That  is  enough  for 
you,  isn't  it?  And  a  devilish  deal  more  than  you  need 
to  be  told,"  he  added,  with  another  coarse  laugh. 

"  I  can  easily  ascertain  who  the  doctor  was,"  answered 
Mr.  Summers,  coolly.  "  As  for  your  question,  my  duty 
is  obvious.  I  must  communicate  the  facts  to  the  Court 
of  Probate,  certainly — possibly  to  the  police." 

"Why?"  asked  Mr.  Chadwell,  with  a  muttered  oath. 

"  The  destruction  of  a  will  is  a  serious  matter.  In 
some  cases  it  may  amount  to  a  criminal  offence,"  said 
Mr.  Summers,  significantly.    "  For  the  present,  I  have 


164 


TO-DAY. 


December  IS,  1894'. 


ascertainea1  all  I  want  to  know,  and  I  wish  you  good 
day." 

With  a  stiff  bow,  Mr.  Summers  turned  on  his  heel 
and  left  the  room,  while  I  followed  him  silently.  But 
before  I  had  closed  the  door  behind  me,  Mr.  Chad  well 
called  after  us  in  a  startled  voice,  and  joined  us  in  the 
hall. 

"Mr.  Summers,"  he  said,  in  a  more  conciliatory  tone, 
"I  don't  want  my 
affairs  talked 
about  all  over  the 
place.  I  don't 
wish  to  interfere 
with  3rour  doing 
what  you  think 
your  duty,  but  let 
us  come  to  my 
lawyer's.  He,  no 
doubt,  will  be  able 
to  satisfy  you." 

"  Who  is  your 
lawyer?"  inquired 
Mr.  Summers, 
coldly. 

"  Mr.  Brown, 
of  Stanford,"  an- 
swered Mr.  Chad- 
well,  seizing  his 
hat  from  the  hall 
table.  "  Stand- 
ford  is  only  three 
miles  off,  and  your 
fly  can  lake  us 
there." 

"  It  would  be 
satisfactoiy  to 
know  exactly 
what  happened,' 
said  Mr.  Summers, 
after  a  moment's 
reflection. 

"  Come  along,  then,"  said  Mr.  Chadwell,  eagerly 
will  leave  everything  to  my  lawyer." 

He  led  the  way  to  the  entrance  door,  and  we  all  three 
entered  the  fly.  Mr.  Summers  and  Mr.  Chadwell  sat  on 
the  front  seat,  while  I,  facing  them,  had  an  opportunity 
of  observing  both.  I  fancied  that  my  principal  seemed 
a  little  embarrassed  by  this  manoeuvre  of  our  com- 
panion, and  I  could  well  imagine  the  kind-hearted  old 
gentleman  beginning  to  reproach  himself  with  having 
been  too  hasty.  But  from  my  position,  I  could  also 
contemplate  Mr.  Chadwell's  sinister  expression,  and  I 
perceived  very  clearly  that  his  suggestion  of  a  visit  to 
his  lawyer  had  been  made  out  of  desperation.  Probably, 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  he  had  been  able  to  think 
oi  no  other  expedient  for  preventing  Mr.  Summers  from 
seeking  an  interview  with  the  doctor,  and  I  had  a  shrewd 
suspicion  that  the  intelligence  we  brought  would  be 
news  to  Mr.  Brown.  Rightly  or  wrongly,  I  had  arrived 
at  the  conclusion  that  Mr.  Chadwell  had  destroyed  his 
father's  will  himself,  unknown  to  the  testator;  his 
manner  at  the  recent  interview  had  left  no  doubt  what- 
ever in  my  mind  upon  this  point ;  and  I  looked  forward 
with  considerable  curiosity  to  what  would  transpire  at 
Mr.  Brown's  office. 

So,  it  seemed  to  me,  did  Mr.  Chadwell,  though  in  his 
case  there  was  far  less  curiosity  than  apprehension. 
He  never  addressed  a  single  word  to  Mr.  Summers 
duriii0,  the  drive,  but  sat  fidfretting  about  in  his  corner, 
biting  his  lips,  and  staring  blankly  out  of  the  window. 
It  was  not  a  comfortable  journey  for  any  of  us,  and 
Mr.  Summers  and  I,  at  all  events,  were  greatly  relieved 
when  the  fly  rattled  through  the  narrow  streets  of  Stan- 
ford. 

We  had  had  business  with  Messrs.  Brown,  Potter, 
and  Co.,  of  Stanford,  and  knew  them  to  be  a  highly 
respectable  firm.  It  was  this  fact  which  evidently 
puzzled  Mr.  Summers,  for  they  were  not  the  kind  of 


FOR  A  MOMENT  HE  SEEMED  THUNDERSTRUCK 


"I 


people  to  lend  themselves  to  any  shady  transaction. 
As  I  had  anticipated,  however,  as  soon  as  we  reached 
their  office,  Mr.  Chadwell  rushed  up  the  steps,  saying 
that  he  wished  to  speak  to  Mr.  Brown  before  we  saw 
him.  Mr.  Summers  and  I  followed  leisurely,  and  were- 
ushered  into  the  waiting-room.  When  we  were  alone, 
my  principal  turned  to  me  anxiously — ■ 

"What  do  you  think  of  it  all,  Millicent?"  he  in- 
quired. 

^  "Mr.  Chadwell 

^  destioyed  the  will 

himself,  and  he  is 
now,  for  the  first 
time,  giving  Mr. 
Brown  his  own 
version  of  the  oc- 
currence," I  said, 
with  conviction. 

"  Well,  well,  I 
hope  he  will  be 
quick  about 
i  t,"  said  Mr. 
Summers,  glanc- 
ing at  his  watch. 
"  I  don't  know 
whether  you  are 
beginning  to  rea- 
lise that  we  have 
not  lunched,  Milli- 
cent ;  but  I  am." 

I  was  indeed 
unpleasantly  con- 
scious of  the  fact, 
but  we  were  for- 
tunately not  de- 
tained very  long. 
After  an  interval 
of  about  five  or  ten 
minutes  a  clerk 
appeared,  and  con- 
ducted us  into  Mr. 

Brown's  room.  There  we  found  Mr.  Chadwell  seated 
in  a  corner,  looking  very  red  and  sulky,  as  though  his 
solicitor  had  been  speaking  to  him  pretty  plainly.  The 
latter,  a  little  bald  old  gentleman  with  bright  eyes,  and 
a  ruddy,  clean-shaven  face,  came  forward  to  greet  Mr. 
Summers,  and  shook  him  warmly  by  the  hand. 

'•  Delighted  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Summers.  We  have 
known  one  another  through  the  post  for  the  past  forty 
years." 

Mr.  Summers  murmured  his  acknowledgments,  while 
Mr.  Brown,  after  courteously  placing  chairs  for  us, 
resumed  his  seat  at  his  desk. 

"  I  have  been  away  fishing  in  Norway  for  a  month, 
and  only  reached  home  a  few  hours  ago,"  remarked  Mr. 
Brown. 

"  That  is  why  I  postponed  my  visit  till  to-day,"  inter- 
posed Mr.  Chadwell,  eagerly. 

"  Consequently,  I  have  only  just  heard  the  news 
of  the  death  of  my  late  client,  Mr.  Matthew  Chadwell," 
said  Mr.  Brown,  ignoring  the  interruption.  "Mr.  Cuth- 
bert  Chadwell  has  been  good  enough  to  say  that  he 
wishes  me  to  act  for  him  in  the  administration  of  his 
father's  estate." 

"  He  died  intestate,"  murmured  Mr.  Chadwell,  staring 
defiantly  at  Mr.  Summers. 

"  That  is  the  question,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  addressing 
Mr.  Brown.  "  I  don't  know  whether  your  client  has  told 
you  what  brings  us  here?" 

"Yes,  he  has,"  replied  Mr.  Brown,  taking  a  silver 
snuff-box  out  of  a.  drawer,  and  helping  himself  from  it 
with  grave  deliberation.  "  I  informed  Mr.  Cuthbert 
that  it  was  your  obvious  duty  to  ascertain  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  the  destruction  of  the  will.  I 
also  informed  him  that  I  should  not  attempt  to  defend 
his  conduct,"  he  added,  looking  very  straight  at  his 
client. 

"  How  was  I  to  know  anything  about  lee:al  formali- 


December  15,  1894.  TO-UAY.  165 


rties  ? "  said  the  latter,  scowling,  and  dropping  his  eyes. 
"  All  I  know  is,  that  I  destroyed  the  will  by  my  father's 
wishes." 

"In  the  presence  of  the  nurse  and  the  doctor?"  I 
interposed,  quickly. 

"  We  need  not  go  into  that,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  with  a 
significant  glance  at  me.  "  Fortunately,  the  question 
of  the  legality  of  the  transaction  will  not  arise.  I  say 
emphatically — fortunately  fcr  you,  Mr.  Chadwell." 

"  I  don't  see  that  I  did  any  harm,"  said  Mr.  Chadwell, 
•doggedly. 

"  No,  Mi-.  Summers,  no  harm  was  done,"  said  Mr. 
Brown,  ignoring  his  client:  with  ccol  contempt,  and 
■  addressing  my  principal. 

"  You  said  you  could  prove  to  Mr.  Summers  that  my 
father  intended  to  revoke  the  will  1 "  continued  Mr.  Chad- 
well,  evidently  puzzled  by  his  solicitor's  manner. 

"  When  I  last  saw  him  a  few  months  ago,  he  said  he 
was  going  to  write  to  you  for  it,"  said  Mi'.  Brown,  still 
addressing  Mr.  Summers. 

"  But  he  did  not,"  observed  bit  principal. 

"  No,  he  did  not — foolishly.  Therefore,  Mr.  Cuthbert 
Chadwell  was  most  unwise  in  acting  on  his  own  re- 
sponsibility. In  fact,  I  have  told  our  friend  here  that 
lie  has  narrowly  escaped  most  unpleasant  consequences." 

"It's  all  right  now,  isn't  it,  Mr.  Brown?  You  are 
going  to  act  for  me,  and  " 


he  added,  slowly  inhaling  another  pinch  of  snuff,  and 
looking  in  our  direction  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  '  the 
testator  himself  revoked  that  will  in  hi -5  lifetime." 

"  I  think  I  understand,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  quietly. 

"  Yes,"  continued  Mr.  Brown,  addressing  Mr.  Cuth- 
bert, with  ill-disguised  elation,  "  the  will  being  waste 
paper,  it  doesn't  matter  whether  it  was  destroyed  rightly 
or  wrongly.  The  late  Mr.  Chadwell's  will,  gentlemen, 
is  in  my  possession.  It  revokes  all  former  wills,  ap- 
points me  and  my  partner,  Mr.  Potter,  to  be  executors 
and  trustees,  and  disposes  of  his  property — ahem  ! — 
rather  differently  to  what  his  original  intentions  were." 

"  It's  a  lie ! "  cried  Mr.  Cuthbert  Chadwell,  jumping 
to  his  feet  in  a  sudden  passion.  "  My  father  made  no 
later  will." 

"  Becoliect  what  happened  two  years  ago,  sir,"  said 
Mr.  Brown,  starting  up,  and  speakinq-  in  a  very  meaning 
tone.  "You  thought  you  had  cowed  your  father  into 
telling  nobody,  but  he  told  me,  and  this  will  was  the 
result." 

"  I  shall  dispute  it,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Chadwell  furiously, 
though  evidently  startled  by  the  lawyer's  words. 

"  You  can  do  as  you  like  about  that,  but  if  you  do, 
the  facts  about  the  destruction  of  the  old  will  must  be 
dealt  with,  and  I  should  be  sorry  to  stand  in  your  shoes, 
Mr.  Cuthbert,  in  that  case,"  said  Mr.  Brown  sternly. 

"I — I  shall  obtain  independent  advice,"  cried  Mr. 


HE  WAS  TREMBLING  WITH  FURY. 


"'No,  sir,"  interupted  Mr.  Brown,  sharply,  "I  did 
rot  say  I  would  act  for  you.  All  I  said  was  that  I  could 
convince  Mr.  Summers  that  he  need  not  concern  him- 
-self  about  the  destruction  of  the  will.    The  fact  is," 


Chadwell,  taking  up  his  hat,  and  rushing  to  the  door  in 
ludicrous  'consternation.  "  You  shall  hear  from  me, 
Mr.  Brown,  through  my  solicitor." 

"  Meanwhile  my  partner  and  I  will  proceed  to  prove 


1G6 


TO-DAY, 


December  15,  1S04. 


the  will,  and  administer  the  estate,"  said  the  lawyer 
calmly. 

For  an  instant  Mr.  Chad'well  stood  still,  with  his  hand 
on  the  door  handle,  literally  glaring  at  Mr.  Brown,  with 
an  expression  that  was  absolutely  murderous.  He  was 
trembling  with  fury,  and  I  believe  had  we  not  been 
present,  he  would  have  assaulted  the  little  lawyer.  But 
he  had  just  sense  enough  to  control  himself,  and  with  a 
sort,  of  snarl,  he  suddenly  rushed  out  of  the  room  and 
vanished. 

"  That  man,  my  dear  sir,"  said  Mr.  Brown  to  Mr. 
Summers,  giving  way  to  momentary  excitement  when 
we  were  alone,  "  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  mur- 
derer. His  poor  father  liveo1  in  terror  of  his  life,  and 
two  years  ago — well,  well,"  he  added,  checking  himself, 
I  mustn't  reveal  a  professional  secret.  You  will  un- 
derstand from  what  I  have  hinted  that  the  poor  old 


IN   MEMORY   OF  JOHN 
CLINTON. 


The  above  sketch  is  cf  the  monument  being  prepared  by 
Mr  Pegram,  sculptor,  to  be  placed  in  Manor  Park  Ceme- 
tery, in  memory  of  the  gallant  little  lad,  John  Clinton, 
who  lost  his  life  in  rescuing  a  small  comrade  from  drown- 
ing, in  the  Thames,  near  London  Bridge.  Little  Clin- 
ton, as  stated  in  To-Day  for  September  8th.,  had  twice 
previously  saved  the  lives  of  younger  children.  Once 
he  flew  across  the  road  in  front  of  a  hansom  cab,  and 
just  succeeded  in  snatching  a  baby  from  before  the  horse's 
hoofs  and  rolling  with  it  into  the  gutter.  On  another 
occasion  he  found  a  child  en  fire  in  a  room,  and,  tearing 
down  the  window  curtains,  used  them  to  extinguish  the 
flames.  When  one  reflects  that  in  all  three  cases  this 
judgment,  coolness,  and  daring  were  exhibited  by  a  child 
under  ten  years  of  age,  one  feels  it  would  be  a  disgrace 
to  the  nation  to  leave  him  lying  in  an  unknown  grave. 

The  memorial,  which  will  cost  thirty  pounds,  in  spite 
of  the  generous  reductions  made  by  all  concerned  in  the 
work,  is  being  provided  for  cut  of  the  Pluck  Fund.  This 
has  been  a  greater  expense  than  we  first  anticipated,  and 
readers  who  sympathise  with  pluck,  and  who  have  not 
already  contributed  to  the  Fund,  might  bear  this  iu 
mind.  We  are  having  a  medallion  prepared  to  mark 
the  graves  of  those  who  died  doinir  heroic  duty.  This. 


father,  from  sheer  fright,  let  him  continue  under  the 
delusion  that  the  will  you  made  remained  valid.  Even 
that,  however,  didn't  satisfy  the  scoundrel.  He  must 
needs  try  to  suppress  it." 

"  He  must  be  mad,"  exclaimed1  Mr.  Summers. 

"  It  is  charitable  to  suppose  so.  Drink,  however,  has 
a  good  deal  to  do  with  his  condition.  My  partner  and 
I,  I  assure  you,  have  a  very  unenviable  task  before  us. 
He  may  shoot  us  if  he  likes,  but  he  shall  never  get  hold 
of  this  will,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  with  calm  determination. 

"  I  suppose  the  new  will  contains  disagreeable  sur- 
prises for  him  ? "  inquired  Mr.  Summers,  as  he  rose  to 
take  leave. 

"  He  gets  more  than  he  deserves,  but  the  bulk  of  the 
property  goes  to  charities,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  with  a  grim 
laugh, 


while  as  useful  in  commemorating  the  history  of  brave 
deeds,  will  be  a  less  drain  upon  our  limited  resources. 

The  medal,  which  is  in  course  of  preparation,  will  be 
the  principal  reward  for  any  gallant  behaviour,  not 
resulting  in  death  ;  but,  since  in  many  cases  pecuniary 
and  other  loss  is  sustained  by  the  doer  of  a  brave  action 
— as  a  man  may  readily  contract  some  illness,  or  may 
ruin  a  suit  of  clothes,  in  rescuing  another  from  a  burn- 
ing house,  or  from  drowning  ;  or  may  even  himself 
perish,  and  leave  a  wife  and  children  without  means  of 
support — it  is  proposed  to  supplement  the  medal,  in  alL 
necessitous  cases,  by  a  money  gift,  varying  in  amount 
according  to  the  circumstances. 


A   LITTLE   BIT    OF   A  BOY! 

BY    FRANK    L.  STANTON. 


There  was  never  a  smile  in  a  weary  while 

And  never  a  gleam  of  joy, 
Till  his  eyes  of  light  made  the  whole  world  bright — 

A  little  bit  of  a  boy ! 

He  came  one  day  when  the  world  was  May, 

And  thrilling  with  life  and  joy, 
And  with  all  the  roses  he  seemed  to  play — 

A  little  bit  of  a  boy ! 

But  he  played  his  part  with  a  human  heart, 

And  time  can  never  destroy 
The  memory  sweet  of  the  pattering  feet- 

Of  that  little  bit  of  a  boy  ! 

We  wondered  how  he  could  play  all  day 

With  never  a  gleam  of  rest  : 
But  once  he  crept  in  the  dark  and  slept 

Still  on  his  mother's  breast ! 

*  •        *  *  *  *  ^ 

There  was  never  a  smile  in  a  weary  while 

And  never  a  gleam  of  joy ; 
But  the  world  seems  dim  since  we  dreamed  of  him— - 

A  little  bit  of  a  boy  ! 

— Songs  of  the  Soil  (Applekm). 


TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1894. 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  PEOPLE  OF  JAPAN.— Ill 


167 


SLEEPING  BEAUTIES.     THE  RAISED  WOODEN  PILLOW,  WITH  A  SMALL  CUSHION  ON  THE  TOP,  IS  USED  SO  AS  NOT  TO  DISTURB 

THE  HAIR,  WHICH  TAKES  AX  HOUR  OR  TWO  TO  DO. 


168 


TO-DAY. 


DECBMnER  15,  1334, 


December  15,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


169 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


I  never  know'ed  'ow  fur  orkudness  could  go  until  one 
dye  lawst  week.  I  'ad  a  young  man  on  my  'bus  whort 
feerely  took  the  gingerbread.  I've  'ad  clumsy  people  on 
the  'bus  afore,  but  none  like  'im.  'E  were  a  tall  young 
man,  narrer-chested,  with  a  biggish,  turnup-shiped  'ead. 
'E  kerried  two  books  under  'is  awm,  an'  a  humbereller. 
As  'e  were  goin'  up  the  steps,  the  'bus  stawted,  and  I 
sharted  to  'im  to  'old  on.  Blest  if  'e  didn't  drop  the 
books  and  the  humbereller,  and  it  was  just  a  chawnst 
thet  they  didn't  go  inter  the  road.  "  It  ain't  often  I 
drop  anything,"  'e  said,  as  I  'anded  'im  them  back,  "  in 
fac,  it's  most  unushal."  Then  I  give  'im  'is  ticket.  It 
were  a  penny  fare,  and  'e  offered  me  a  shillin'.  Clumsy 
people  never  'as  the  right  change  'andy.  'Avin'  no 
silver,  I  was  forced  ter  give  'im  eleven  coppers, 
which  'e  took  and  then  dropped  the  'ole 
caboodle.  "Why,  I  shall  begin  ter  think  I'm  turnin' 
orkud,"  he  said  pyshuntly.  Theer  was  that  abart 
him — 'e  never  sim'd  ter  git  irrertited.  I've  knowed  men 
as  would  'ave  swore  theirselves  black  in  the  fice  for  less 
nor  whort  happened  ter  this  young  man.  Well,  I  left 
'im  on  'is  'ands  and  knees  'untin'  fer  the  lost  coppers.  'E 
wouldn't  let  me  'elp  'im,  and  so  I  went  darn  agin.  I 
'adn't  bin  stannin'  theer  mor'n  a  minnit  before  a  brarn 
felt  'at  blowed  pawst  me  and  inter  a  puddle.  I  didn't 
wite  to  awst  no  questshings ;  I  knowed  'oose  'at  that  'ud 
be.  I  'opped  off  the  'bus,  got  the  'at,  and  took  it  up  to 
'im.  He  thanked  me  and  give  me  twopence.  "  I  don't 
sim  ter  be  in  luck  ter  dye,"  he  said.  "  Theer  were  a  gust 
of  wind  come  just  as  I  were  miking  myself  a  cigarette." 
The  cigarette  looked  like  a  busted  caterpillar.  "  So," 
'e  went  on,  "  I  'adn't  a  'and  ter  'old  my  'at  on  with.  I'm 
sorry  to  'ave  troubled  yer."  ''No  trouble,"  says  I. 
I  kin  alwise  be  perlite  ter  them  as  is  perlite 
ter  me.  Darn  I  went  agin  ter  wite  fur  the 
next  awscerdunt  as  'e  might  'appen  to  'ave,  an'  I  'adn't 
ter  wite  long  neither.  This  time  it  were  a  silver  metch- 
box  as  went  flyin'  inter  the  road,  sime  the  felt  'at  'ad 
done.  I  got  it  back  fur  'im,  and  'e  give  me  another 
twopence.  "  'Ow  did  yer  come  ter  drop  that  over  the 
side,  sir ? "  says T.  "I  didn't  egsackly  drop  it,"  'e  said. 
"  I  throwed  it  awye  in  mistike.  The  wind  'adjust 
blowed  the  metch  art  that  I  was  lightin'  my  cigarette 
with,  and  I  throwed  awye  the  box  by  mistike  fur  the 
metch.  Very  keerless  of  me."  E  'adn't  no  more  awscer- 
dunts  as  I  seed  until  'e  come  darn  ter  git  off  the  'bus. 
"Don't  you  git  off  till  we  storps,  sir,"  says  I.  "Ho, 
no,"  says  'e  ;  "  yer  needn't  storp  fur  me.  I'm  yoosed  ter 
this  kind  o'  thing."  With  that  'e  gives  a  sort  o'  jump, 
gets  'is  humbereller  between  'is  legs,  and  hover  'e  goes 
flat  on  'is  fice.  'E  wasn't  'urt,  and  'e  told  the  copper  as 
it  was  all  'is  own  fault,  which  was  the  bloomin'  truth, 
an'  nutthink  else. 


Well,  it  were  foppence  inter  my  pockut,  but  all  the 
sime,  an'  yer  kin  berlieve  me  er  nort,  I  were  glad  when 
thet  young  man  was  done  with.  Anythink  as  orkud  as 
thet  mikes  me  feel  nervous.  On  my  soul,  if  I'd  'ad 
another  five  minnuts  of  'im,  I  should  'ave  stawted 
droppin'  things  myself.  It's  wunnerful  the  wye  sech 
things  mye  affect  yer.  Theer  was  a  ole  lyedy  gort  inter 
Ankin's  bus  one  dye,  an'  ev'ry  nar  and  thin  the  'ole  of 
one  side  of  'er  fice  give  a  twitch,  one  corner  of  'er  mug 
shootin'  up  like  as  if  she  were  grinnin'.  It  were  some 
sort  of  afflickshun  as  she'd  gort ;  a  cousin  of  my  wife's 
'ad  much  the  sime  thing,  only  it  took  'er  in  the  heye- 
brar.  Well,  Ankin  stood  theer  a-watchin'  of  'er  and 
a-watchin'  of  'er,  until  at  lawst  'e  farnd  'is  own  fice 
stawtin'  ter  wink  jest  the  sime  wye.  As  Ankin  said,  it 
were  'alf  as  if  'e  were  doin'  it  a-puppus,  and  'alf  as  if  'e 
couldn't  'elp  it.  As  luck  'ud  'ave  it,  she  were  the  only 
pussen  inside,  and  'e'd  gathered  as  she  didn't  know  'er 


wye  abart.  So  'e  told  'er  To'm  Court  Road  was  the 
Mawble  Awch,  which  was  wheer  she  wonted  ter  go,  an' 
she  said  she  didn't  see  no  awch  anywheer,  but  still  she 
berlieved  'im  and  got  art.  And  if  she  'adn't,  'e  might  a 
bin  afflicted  pummanunt  sime  as  'erself. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Oockspur  Street,  London. 

JN  VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 
RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
■pOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
CIEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
ARRET  REPORT. 


UR  SPEICALLY  SELECTED 


M 
0 

J^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES   PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
HALF  PER  CENT. 

"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


H 


gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
rjTWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 
gENT  POST  FREE. 

rnHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART   I. -STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
The  Fortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.-HOW  TO  OPERATE. 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  anil  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1893  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can  Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully  ? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


gETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Cure  Headache  and  Sickness. 

Cure  Indigestion. 

Cure  Flatulence  and  Heartburn. 

DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Strengthen  the  Whole  System. 
Induce  Cheerfulness 
Invaluable  as  a  Family  Medicine. 

DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Cure  Loss  of  Appetite. 

Cure  all  Disorders  of  the  Blood. 

Cure  Lassitude  and  Nervousness. 

DR.    SCOTT'S  PILLS 

are  wrapped  in  a  square  green  package  bearing  the  name  of  the  Proprietor, 
W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  London,  or  by  post  for  14  or  34  stamps. 

HICH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING^ 
MRS.  GRABTJRN,  13,Bonchurch-road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Speciality— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  Measure  supplied  complete  from  2J  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.   Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


170 


TO-DAY, 


December  15,  1894. 


BESIDE  THE  BONNIE  BRIER- 
BUSH.* 

The  killing  of  one's  hero  is  a  short  and  easy  road  to 
a  pathetic  climax,  but  when  the  cause  of  death  is  not 
stated  and  it's  approach  is  barely  hinted  at,  the 
pathos  of  the  idea  is  lost,  while  the  straining  after  e fleet 
is  only  too  visible.  When  reading  the  first  story  in 
this  volume  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  a  certain  little 
choir  boy  that  Mr.  Corney  Grain  sings  about : — "  Of 
course  he  soon  grew  pale  and  thin,  and  faded  day  by 
day,  And  just  about  the  last  verse  he  faded  quite  away." 
It  is  almost  a  pity  that  Mr.  Maclaren  began  his  book 
with  this  story.  It's  position  is  hardly  warranted  by 
the  very  slight  references  made  to  it  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  book,  where  there  are  many  passages  full  of 
genuine  pathos — passages  in  the  reading  of  which  the 
lump  will  come  to  one's  throat,  and  the  upper  lip  will 
require  stiffening.  This  being  so,  it  follows  as  a  matter 
of  course  that  Mr.  Maclaren  possesses  the  rare  power  of 
observing  life  from  the  humorous  point  of  view,  and 
proof  of  this  is  given  us  in  his  description  of  the 
funereal  ceremonies  in  a  Scotch  village  : — 

Drumtochty  gave  itself  to  a  "  beerial  with  chastened 
satisfaction,  partly  because  there  was  nothing  of  speculation 
in  it — partly  because  it  lay  near  to  the  sorrow  of  things. 
"Ye  can  liae  little  rael  pleesure  in  a  merrige,"  explained 
our  gravedigger,  in  whom  the  serious  side  had  been  perhaps 
abnormally  developed,  "  for  ye  never  ken  hoo  it  will  end, 
but  there's  nae  risk  about  a  beerial." 

It  came  with  a  shock  upon  townsmen  that  the  ceremony 
began  with  a  "  service  o'  speerits,"  and  that  an  attempt  of 
the  Free  Kirk  minister  to  replace  this  by  the  reading  of 
Scripture  was  resisted  as  an  "  innovation."  Yet  everyone 
admitted  that  the  seriousness  of  Drumtochty  pervaded  and 
sanctified  this  function.  A  tray  of  glasses  was  placed  on 
the  table  with  great  solemnity  by  the  "  wricht,"  who  made 
no  sign,  and  invited  none.  You  might  have  supposed  that 
tbe  circumstance  had  escaped  the  notice  of  the  company, 
so  abstracted  and  unconscious  was  their  manner,  had  it 
not  been  that  two  graven  images  a  minute  later  are 
standing  at  the  table. 

"  Ye'll  taste,  Tammas  ?  "  with  settled  melancholy. 

"  Na,  na  ;  I've  nae  incleenation  the  day  ;  it's  an  awfu' 
dispensation  this,  Jeems.    She  wud  be  barely  saxty." 

' '  Ay,  ay,  but  we  maun  keep  up  the  body  sae  lang  as 
we're  here,  Tammas." 

"  Weel,  puttin'  it  that  way,  a'm  no  sayin'but  yerricht," 
yielding  unwillingly  to  the  force  of  circumstances. 

"  We're  here  the  day  and  there  the  morn,  Tammas.  She 
was  afine  wumman — Mistress  Stirton — aweeldivin'wumman ; 
this  '11  be  a  blend,  a'm  thinkin'." 

"  She  slippit  aff  sudden  in  the  end;  a'm  judgin' its  frae 
the  Muirtown  grocer,  but  a  body  canna  discreeminate  on  a 
day  like  this." 

Before  the  glasses  are  empty  all  idea  of  drinking  is  dissi- 
pated, and  one  has  a  vague  impression  that  he  is  at  church. 

Under  the  title  of  "  A  Wise  Woman,"  Mr.  Maclaren 
gives  us  an  excellent  character  sketch  of  a  village  gossip. 
The  first  chapter  is  devoted  to  that  lady's  abilities  as  a 
"  sermon  taster." 

"  It's  curious,"  Mrs.  Macfadyen  remarked  to  me  one  day, 
"  hoo  the  pulpit  fashions  change,  just  like  weemen's  bonnets. 
Noo  a'  mind  when  ould  Doctor  Ferintosh,  him  'at  wrote 
'Judas  Iscariot  the  first  Residuary,'  would  stand  twa 
meenuts  facing  the  fouk,  and  no  sit  doon  till  he  hed  his 
snuff.  But  thae  young  birkies  gie  oot  'at  they  see  naebody 
comin'  in,  an'  cover  their  face  wi'  ae  hand  sore  solemn,  that 
if  ye  didna  catch  them  keekin'  through  their  fingers  tae  see 
what  like  the  kirk  is,  ye  wud  think  they  were  prayin'." 

"There's  not  much  escapes  you,"  I  dared  to  say,  and 
although  the  excellent  woman  was  not  accessible  to  gross 
flattery,  she  seemed  pleased. 

"A'm  thankfu'  that  a'  can  see  withoot  lookin'  ;  an'  a'll 
wager  nae  man  ever  read  his  sermon  in  Drumtochty  Kirk, 
an'  a'  didna  find  him  oot.  Noo,  there's  the  new  minister  o' 
Netheraird,  he  writes  his  sermon  on  ae  side  o'  ten  sheets  o' 
paper,  an'  he's  that  carried  awa'  at  the  end  o'  ilka  page  that 
he  disna  ken  what  he's  daein',  and  the  sleeve  o'  his  goon  slips 
the  sheet  across  tae  the  ither  side  o'  the  Bible. 

"  But  Doctor  Ferintosh  wes  cleverer,  sail  it  near  beat  me 
tae  detect  him,"  and  Elspcth  paused  to  enjoy  the  pulpit 
ruse.  "  It  cam  tae  me  sudden  ae  Sacrament  Monday,  hoo 
dis  he  aye  turn  up  twal  texts,  naitk.-r  tnair  nor  less,  and 
that  set  me  thinkin'.  Then  a'  noticed  that  he  left  the  Bible 
open  at  the  place  till  anither  text  was  due,  an'  I  wunnered 
a  d  been  sae  slow.  It  wes  this  wy,  he  askit  the  beadle  for  a 
gless  o'  water  in  the  vestry,  and  slippit  his  sermon  in  atween 


the  leaves  in  sae  mony  bits.  A've  wished  for  a  gallery  at 
a  time,  but  there's  mair  credit  in  findin'  it  oot  below — ay, 
and  pleesure,  tae  ;  a'  never  wearied  in  kirk  in  ma  life." 

There  comes  a  day,  however,  when  the  "sermon-taster" 
meets  her  match  in  the  person  of  a  Mr.  Mactavish,  who 
divides  his  sermon  into  so  many  heads  that  the  poor  old 
lady  is  bewildered,  and  has  to  own  to  being  beaten. 

The  story  of  "A  Doctor  of  the  Old  School"  is 
capitally  told.  Though  the  fine  old  fellow  is  nobly  un- 
selfish he  has  his  little  faults,  and  it  is  because  Mr. 
Maclaren  has  made  his  character  so  true  to  life  that 
the  intense  pathos  of  his  story  must  appeal  to  everyone's 
sympathy.  Indeed,  if  the  book  only  contained  this 
one  story  the  success  it  has  already  achieved  would  be 
more  than  deserved.  W.  P. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


The  modern  Marryat,  the  breeziest  of  all  our 
novelists,  that  great  writer,  Mr.  W.  Clark  Russell,  whose 
"  Life  of  Admiral  Lord  Colling  wood  " 1  is  announced  by 
Messrs.  Methuen,  was,  I  am  told,  in  spite  of  the 
currently  accepted  idea,  only  a  comparatively  short  while 
at  sea.    We  are  apt  to  forget  that  he  is  an  American, 

born  in  New  York  in  1844. 

*  *  *  * 

Can  anyone  tell  me  where  to  buy  some  more  copies  of 
the  Christmas  number  of  Black  and  White  ?  I  am  clean 
sold  out  of  them,  and  customers  are  asking  for  them 
all  the  time.  The  fact  is  that  it  has,  in  "  The  Last  Grip," 
one  of  the  most  interesting  supplements  of  the  year,  and 
the  proper  sort  of  British  schoolboy  won't  rest  till  he  gets 
it.  The  literary  part  is  Mr.  Barry  Pain's  and  Mr. 
Eden  Phillpotts'  "  The  Dream  Club,"  which  everybody 

is  talking  about. 

*  *  *  * 

The  Scotsmen  who  are  great  enough  to  follow  Mr. 
J.  M.  Barrie's  lead  with  their  character  studies,  find 
their  advance  much  more  rapid  than  his,  for  Mr.  Barrie 
had  to  make  his  road  through  the  wilderness  of  English 
apathy.  But  with  people  measuring  him  by  Mr. 
Barrie's  standard  at  every  turn,  success  like  that  of 
Ian  Maclaren's  "  Beside  the  Bonnie  Brier-bush  "  2  does 
not  come  without  very  high  merit.  Even  Mr.  Barrie's 
mouth  must  water  when  he  hears  of  it's  selling  ten 
thousand  coDies  in  the  first  month. 

*  *  * 

Talking  of  the  success  of  young  writers,  Ian  Mac- 
laren, it  must  be  remembered,  is  only  young  as  a 
writer.  That  great  man,  Mr.  George  Meredith,  was 
saying  last  time  he  came  into  my  shop,  that  nothing 
gave  him  so  much  pleasure  as  to  see  young  men  like  Mr. 
Anthony  Hope  and  Mr.  Stanley  Weyman  catching  the 
ear  of  the  public  so  early  in  life,  instead  of  enduring  all 
the  weary  years  of  hope  deferred,  which  he  himself  had 
to  go  through.  Mr.  Weyman  is  said  to  have  made 
£6.000  last  year,  which  he  could  hardly  have  done  un- 
less he  had  a  first-class  agent  like  Mr.  Watt,  and  several 
serials  running.    £2,000  of  this,  by-the-bye,  is  said  to 

have  come  from  America. 

*  *  *  * 

If  it  imperils  American  rights,  the  Canadian  copy- 
right question  is  certainly  a  matter  in  which  Lord 
Ripon  should  not  act  without  the  gravest  deliberation, 
for  even  Mr.  Weyman's  success  in  America  has  been 
exceeded  by  Mr.  Hall  Caine's.  He  has  had  nearly  a 
thousand  pounds  from  one  book  alone  in  four  months. 

*  *  *  * 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  rights  of  English  authors 
and  American  printers  are  nothing  in  comparison  with 
the  wishes  of  Canada,  the  most  loyal  part  of  Greater 
Britain.  If  Canada,  in  general,  demands  the  right  of 
withdrawing  from  British  copyright  arrangements,  we 
must  give  it  freely.    We  owe  it  to  loyal  Canadians  to 

*  "Beside  the  Bonnie  Brier-Bush,"  by  Ian  Maclaren.     (Hodder  and 
Stoughton,  Gs.) 


December  15,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


171 


consider  their  feelings  in  every  way,  apart  from  the 
fact  that  no  self-governing  colony  is  ever  refused  any- 
thing on  which  it  has  set  it's  heart,  unless  it  would  lead 
to  an  European  war.  What  Lord  Ripon  has  to  deter- 
mine is  whether  any  considerable  section  of  the 
Canadians  want  it — or  is  it  only  like  the  Deceased 
AVife's  Sister  Bill — the  Aunt  Sally  of  the  House  of 
Lords? 


I  was  looking  on  at  the1  opening  dinner  of  the  New 
Vagabonds  last  Friday  night.  The  Venetian  room 
at  the  Holborn  is  large  enough  for  a  quiet  spec- 
tator not  to  be  noticed.  Mr.  F.  W.  Robinson,  the 
novelist,  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the  Club,  was 
in  the  chair,  between  the  guests  of  the  evening, 
Mr.  Frankfort  Moore,  with  his  kind,  witty,  Irish  face, 
and  fair,  curly  hair,  and  Mr.  Trevor  Battye,  handsome, 
erect,  soldierly,  and  in  the  very  pink  of  health.  Close  by, 
with  venerable  white  hair  and  white  Spanish  beard, 
was  Mr.  Rudolf  Lehmann,  the  great  artist,  who 
has  just  given  to  the  world  his  interesting  re- 
miniscences of  famous  men,  of  whom  he  is  one. 
I  noticed  —  with  a  beard  also,  a  rare  thing  for  his 
countrymen  —  Captain  Yendo,  the  Japanese  naval 
attache. 


A  good  deal  of  curiosity  has  been  evinced  in  literary 
circles  as  to  the  identity  of  "  Z.  Z.,"  the  author  of  "  A 
Drama  in  Dutch."  It  would  not  be  fair  for  me  to  dis- 
close the  secret,  but  I  may  safely  say  that  the  author  is 
not  a  lady,  as  some  critics  would  have  us  believe,  and 
that  his  name  is  quite  familiar  to  any  reader  of  modern 
fiction. 


I  hear  that  Mr.  Zangwill,  of  the  Haymarket  Theatre, 
has  joined  the  ranks  of  the  lecturers.  All  our  literary  men 
seem  to  be  taking  to  it  just  now.  Mr.  Zangwill  will 
lecture  on  the  Ghetto  to  the  Glasgow  Society  in  Febru- 
ary, and  after  that  I  suppose  we  shall  soon  have  him  on 
the  road. 


I  have  had  a  considerable  run  on  "  Poste  Restante,"3 
and  in  the  library  I  have  had  as  many  as  six  people's 
names  down  for  it  at  one  time.  When  this  happens  I 
always  make  a  point  of  reading  the  book  myself.  The 
author  of  "  Poste  Restante  "  has  designed  an  original 
plot  for  a  story,  and  the  interest  is  well  maintained 
throughout  the  three  volumes. 

*  *  *  * 

•  I  have  had  an  advance  copy  of  the  Windsor  Magazine 
put  into  my  hands.  It  seems  to  be  a  mixture  of  the 
Woman  at  Home  and  the  Strand,  and  contains  most  of 
the  interesting  features  of  both  those  magazines. 


ANSWERS   TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Clarence  and  Susy. — The  following  is  a  complete  list  of 
Barry  Pain's  books,  with  publishers'  names  and  prices.  "In  a 
Canadian  Canoe"  (Henry  and  Co.,  2s.  6d.),  "Stories  and  Inter- 
ludes" (Henry  and  Co.,  3s.  6d. ),  "Playthings  and  Parodies" 
(Casselland  Co.,  6s.),  "  Graeme  and  Cyril  "  (Hodder  and  Stough- 
ton,  6s.),  "The  Kindness  of  the  Celestial "  (Henry  and  Co., 
3s.  6d.).  In  regard  to  your  application  for  one  of  Dudley  Hardy's 
"  Yellow  Girl  "  posters,  I  may  mention  that  Sagot,  the  great 
Parisian  collector,  quotes  them  at  twenty-five  francs  each,  and 
asks  five  francs  for  the  illustrated  display  bill  of  our  Winter 
Number. 

W.  B. — It  is  not  definitely  known  who  is  the  author  of  "  The 
Silver  Domino." 

X. — I  do  not  know  of  the  existence  of  such  a  book,  but  you 
could  obtain  all  particulars  from  Mr.  Tregaskis,  232,  High 
Holborn. 

Rake  Head. — You  would  find  what  you  want  in  numbers  50 
and  51  of  To-Day. 

1.  Life  of  Admiral  Lord  Collingwood.  (Methuen  and  Co.,  6a.) 

2.  Beside  the  Bonnie  Brier-bush.   (Hodder  and  Stoughton,  6s.) 

3.  Poste  Bestante.   (A.  and  C.  Black,  3  Vols.,  31s.  6d.) 


A   LETTER    FROM  THE 
CZARINA. 


Mr.  E.  W.  Darby,  of  Harrogate,  has  favoured  me 
with  a  letter  written  by  the  Princess  Alix  to  him  in 
thanks  for  a  story  sent  to  her.  Below  is  a  facsimile  of 
it 


172 


TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1894. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


My  dear  Helen, — Crinoline  is  coming!  I  feel  cer- 
tain of  it,  unless  we  Englishwomen  arise  in  our  might 
and  resist  the  hideous  thing.  You  would  be  convinced 
of  the  danger,  too,  if  you  could  see  the  newest  frocks 
from  Paris.  The  skirts  fit  as  clingingly  and  as  closely 
as  ever  upon  the  hips,  but  round  the  edge  they  are  im- 
mensely wide,  and  are  puffed  out  with  wire  or  othe^ 
sort  of  stiffening  in  the  hem.  The  folds  up  the  back 
are  stuffed  with  horsehair,  and  already  wired  petticoats 
are  being  sold  in  order  to  give  the  requisite  look  of 
distension  to  the  border  of  the  skirt,  and  to  the  pleats  at 
the  back. 

What  shall  we  do  if  this  dreadful  fashion  comes  in 
again  ?  I  was  talking  to  a  Court  milliner  about  it  the 
other  day,  and  she  says  that  the  huge  sleeves  we  are 
wearing  throw  the  body  so  completely  out  of  propor- 
tion that  some  width  in  the  skirt  is  needed  to  balance 
them.  Consequently,  we  are  drifting  towards  crino- 
line, so  that  our  sins  in  sleeves  lead  logically  to  crimes 
in  petticoats !  "  Oh,  what  a  tangled  web  we  weave, 
When  first  we  wear  a  bulged-out  sleeve !" 

But  what  are  we  to  do  to  avert  the  threatened  cala- 
mity? It  is  useless  to  appeal  to  our  Royalties,  for  they 
all  avoid  extremes  of  dress,  so  pointedly  that  the  "  smart" 
set  has  long  ignored  them  in  the  capacity  of  leaders  of 
the  fashions.  The  Princess  of  Wales,  since  she  left  off 
crinoline  in  1865,  has  never  disfigured  her  neat  and 
symmetrical  form  by  any  of  the  excrescences  that  Paris 
men-milliners  have  devised  for  the  wear  of  women.  The 
vulgar  and  hideous  dress-improver,  worn  by  all  classes, 
only  served  to<  make  the  Princess  shine  distinguished  by 
an  exquisite  simplicity  whenever  she  was  seen  among 
those  who  adopted  it.  Claudia  was  talking,  only  the 
other  day,  of  a  red  velvet  evening  dress  that  the  Princess 
wore  several  times  in  public,  and  in  which  she  had  seen 
her  no  less  than  three  times,  one  of  them  being  on  the 
occasion  of  the  glorification  of  Stanley  at  the  Albert 
Hall.  She  declared  that  the  absence  of  all  derelictions 
from  natural  outlines,  among  so  many  thousand  ex- 
amples of  error  in  that  direction,  would  in  itself  have 
rendered  the  beautiful  Royal  lady  the  most  conspicuously 
attractive  per  son  present. 

Someone  asked  mother  at  a  dinner  party  if  I  had 
been  taught  skirt-dancing.  I  could  not  help  laughing 
at  the  momentary  look  of  scorn  and  indignation  she  shot 
at  the  querist  However,  it  was  gone  in  a  moment,  and 
she  replied  in  the  quietest  of  voices,  "  No,  my  daughter 
has  never  studied  skirt-dancing.  I  am  behind  in  the 
times  in  many  respects,  and  that  is  an  instance.  She 
will  have  no  need  to  earn  her  living,  and  if  she  had  would 
choose  something  more  congenial  to  the  taste  of  a  well- 
brought-up  young  woman.  As  for  amusing  her  friends, 
she  will  probably  be  as  pleasant  a  companion  without 
skirt-dancing  for  them  as  she  could  possibly  be  were  she 
the  most  accomplished  rival  of  professional  ladies." 
She  then  turned  to  Colonel  Arthur,  and  said  :  "  Arthur, 
would  you  have  your  girls  taught  skirt-dancing?" 
"  God  bless  me,  no,  my  dear  creature,"  was  the  answer, 
rapped  out  with  a  suddenness  that  was  convincing 
enough. 

Then  Lady  Surface  joined  in,  "  Quite  right,  Colonel.  I 
have  observed  that  the  girls  who  skirt-dance  don't  marry, 
as  a  rule"  :  a  reason  that  was  far  from  dear  old  Colonel 
Arthur's  thoughts  ;  but,  like'  most  men,  he  did  not  take 
the  trouble  to  say  so.  We  know  dozens  of  girls  who 
are  learning  skirt-dancing,  and  who  display  the  accom- 
plishment and  the  daintiest  of  hosiery  at  their  friends' 
"  at  homes."  But,  as  one  of  the  crowd  of  spectators,  I 
mav  say  that,  notwithstanding  the  applause  that  in- 
variably follows,  the  remarks  that  are'  made  are  not  of 
the  sort  to>  encourage  those  who  hear  them  to  learn  the 
art  of  "  high  kicking." 

Mother  and  I  went  to>  Cheepside  the  other  morning,  to 
see  some  of  the  "Singer's"  sewing-machines  at  work. 


No  description  could  convey  any  idea  to  you  of  the 
beauty  ->f  the  embroideries  done  by  them.  Landscapes, 
animals,  birds,  flowers  —  all  are  painted  in  with  the 
needle,  in  the  most  wonderful  way  and  with  a  rapidity 
that  would  have  astounded  the  laborious  stitchers  of 
canvas  half  a  century  ago.  The  sight  of  them  made  me 
want  a  machine  and  start  at  once,  but  I  don't  know 
whether  mother  will  get  me  one  or  not. 

We  went  to  the  bazaar  at  Kensington  Town  Hall,  for 
giving  breakfasts  to  poor,  hungry  children,  and  winter 
dinners  to  the  poor.  Some  of  the  stalls  were  unusually 
prettily  furnished,  and  the  new  idea  of  raffling  articles 
of  dress  seemed  to  catch  on  rather  well.  An  opera 
mantle  and  a  silk  skirt  were  sold  in  this  way,  and  no 
doubt  fetched  a  good  price.  But  I  was  under  the  im- 
pression that  raffling  is  illegal.  Two  tall,  dark-haired 
sis'3rs  wore  very  pretty  dresses  in  black  and  salmon- 
pink.  The  skirts  were  black,  and  the  bodices  and  sleeves 
pink,  with  a  little  black  iace  and  black  satin  ribbon 
introduced.  A  very  handsome,  tall  girl  wore  a  charming 
combination  of  brown  and  pale  green,  with  a  touch  of  red 
in  her  toque.  A  wonderful  little  lady,  with  the  pinkest 
of  cheeks,  the  whitest  of  foreheads,  and  the  brightest 
of  golden  hair,  wore  a  brown  satin  pelisse  that  hung  in 
full  folds  straight  from  the  neck,  and  a  hat  so  large  and 
wide,  and  stuck  so  full  of  bird's  wings,  that  at  the  dis- 
tance of  a  few  yards  it  looked  like  a  basket  carried  on 
the  head  and  filled  with  larks  and  snipe  in  a  state  of 
agitation. 

I  heard  a  witty  woman  say  once,  "  I  always 
pray  that  I  may  never  be  delivered  over  to 
the  foolishness  of  fashion.  It's  a  good  servant, 
but  a  bad  master.  When  I  am  old,  I  trust  I 
shall  not  wear  large  baby  sashes,  or  daisies  in  my 
bonnet ;  and  if  ever  I  want  to  dye  my  hair,  I  hope  my 
friends  will  lock  me  up."  She  has  beautiful  white  hair, 
and  is  always  one  of  the  best-dressed  women  at  first 
nights  of  new  plays. 

Here  is  a  true  story  for  you.  A  certain  tradesman, 
who  used  to  be  employed  at  Windsor  Castle,  was  there 
on  one  occasion,  and  his  assistant,  having  done  some- 
thing to  annoy  him,  he  turned  round  and  swore  at  him, 
being  unaware  that  the  Queen  and  Princess  Beatrice 
had  that  instant  entered  the  room.  Both  Royal  ladies 
immediately  quitted  it,  and  the  tradesman  received  an 
intimation  that  his  connection  with  Windsor  Castle  was 
to  end  at  once  and  for  ever. — Your  affectionate  sister, 

Suzette. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Wife  to  Be. — There  is  no  reason  why  you  should  have  a  great 
number  of  dresses  in  your  trousseau,  especially  as  your  future 
husband's  income  is  too  small  to  allow  of  your  going  about  very 
much,  and  your  father  can  give  you  only  a  limited  sum  to  spend 
on  your  trousseau.  A  dinner  dress,  a  smart  afternoon  costume 
(your  going-away  gown),  a  good,  serviceable  tailor-made, 
and  a  warm  and  comfortable  tea-gown,  which  you  can 
wear  at  breakfast,  are  as  many  as  you  need  have. 
Should  you  go  to  a  dance,  it  is  far  better  to  buy  a 
dress  fresh  for  the  occasion.  But  you  could  include  a  very 
smart  and  dainty  ball  bodice  in  your  trousseau,  such  as  you 
could  wear  with  any  skirt.  And  you  will  want  a  silk  blouse, 
and  a  good  winter  coat,  up-to-date  in  every  particular.  Spend 
the  bulk  of  your  trousseau  money  on  what  you  must  have,  and 
reserve  any  you  have  over  for  additions  as  they  become 
necessary.  With  a  little  management  you  will  be  able  to  make 
a  very  good  appearance  for  the  sum  you  name.  Have  you  a 
sewing  machine  ?  It  is  such  a  help  to  the  home  dressmaker  and 
economist. 

Fairy  Tale. — The  nicest  books  I  have  yet  seen  for  children 
are  Miss  Braddon's  "Christmas  Hirelings,"  "Seven  Little 
Australians"  (Ward  and  Lock),  and  "  A  Battle  and  a  Boy" 
(Heinemann). 

Scotch  Lassie. — I  have  no  doubt  you  miss  your  favourite 
Scotch  shortbread,  but  I  think  I  can  help  you  out  of  the  diffi- 
culty. You  can  get  it  post  haste  from  Scotland  direct  if  you 
write  to  Robert  Brown,  206,  Cumberland  Street,  Glasgow.  I 
tried  it  myself  the  other  day,  and  found  it  perfect. 

Our  Cookery  Column. 
Chicken  and  Oysters. — Cut  up  a  tender  chicken  and  skin  the 
pieces.    Flour  them,  and  lay  them  in  a  stewpan,  with  a  blade  of 
mace  and  half  a  dozen  peppercorns.    Let  it  stew  slowly  for  an 
hour.    Then  take  it  out,  arrange  the  pieces  neatly  on  a  small, 


December  15,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


173 


hot  dish.  Keep  it  hot  in  the  oven,  covered  over,  while  you 
prepare  the  sauce.  In  a  basin  rub  a  tablespoonful  of  flour  to  a 
paste,  with  the  same  quantity  of  butter.  Put  it  in  the  strained 
liquor  in  which  the  fowl  has  been  boiled.  Add  two  hard-boiled 
eggs,  chopped  fine,  and  a  teaspoonful  of  chopped  parsley,  with 
salt  and  pepper  to  taste.  Make  all  this  very  hot,  and,  one 
minute  before  serving,  throw  in  a  dozen  cooking  oysters  cut  in 
halves.    Pour  the  sauce  over  the  fowl,  and  serve  it  very  hot. 

Boiled  Turkey,  with  Oyster  Sauce. — Prepare  the  turkey 
as  for  roasting,'  make  a  stuffing  of  breadcrumbs  seasoned  with 
pepper  and  salt,  a  teaspoonful  of  sweet  marjoram,  half  an  ounce 
of  sweet  basil,  three  ounces  of  melted  butter,  and  twenty-five 
raw  oysters  chopped  and  poured  in  with  a  few  spoonfuls  of 
their  juice  ;  mix  thoroughly  and  fill  the  turkey,  but  do  not  pack 
it,  sew  up  the  place  you  filled  it  through,  truss  the  legs  and 
wings  as  for  roasting,  and  put  it  in  a  large  meat  boiler,  with  a 
tablespoonful  of  salt,  and  cover  with  boiling  water  ;  keep  a 
kettle  of  boiling  water  to  replenish  with,  and  allow  fifteen 
minutes  to  every  pound  of  turkey.  If  you  put  oysters  in  the 
stuffing  serve  with  egg  sauce,  as  oyster  sauce  destroys  the  taste 
of  the  seasoning  ;  if  you  omit  the  oysters  in  the  stuffing  put  a 
small  chopped  onion  in  the  place  of  them,  and  serve  with  oyster 
sauce. 

A  Good  Sideboard  Dish. — Get  three  pounds  of  veal,  and 
pass  it  through  the  mincing  machine  with  half  a  pound  of  cold 
fat  ham  or  salt  pork.  Grate  some  breadcrumbs  very  fine,  and 
add  half  a  pint  of  them  to  the  minced  meat.  Beat  up  three  eggs, 
add  them  to  the  mass,  with  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  and  one  of 
pepper.  Mix  all  well  together,  and  press  the  mince  into  a  well- 
buttered  mould.  Put  half  a  dozen  bits  of  butter  the  size  of  a 
robin's  egg  on  the  top,  tie  it  over  with  white  paper,  and  bake  it 
in  a  quick  oven  for  two  hours.    When  cold,  turn  it  out. 

K.  B. — Here  is  the  recipe  for  Christmas  pudding  for  which 
you  ask :    One    pound    finely  -  chopped    beef   suet,   half  a 

Type-writers,  Second-hand,  thoroughly  perfect,  at  half 
makers' prices.  Machines  lent  on  hire,  also  bought  or  exchanged. 
Documents  type-written. — N.  Taylor,  Manager,  National  Type- 
writer Exchange,  74,  Chancery  Lane,  London.  Telephone  No. 
6690. 


pound  currants,  half  a  pound  sultanas,  half  a  pound  chopped 
apples,  half  a  pound  candied  peel  cut  small,  half  a  pound 
self-raising  flour,  half  a  pound  breadcrumbs,  half  a  pound  stoned 
raisiDs,  quarter  of  a  pound  stoned  French  plums,  three-quarters 
of  a  pound  moist  sugar,  quarter  of  a  pound  ground  almonds  or 
half  a  pound  Jordan  almonds,  blanched  and  chopped,  a  salt- 
spoonful  of  salt,  the  chopped  rind  of  two  large  lemons,  a 
dessertspoonful  of  mixed  spice,  four  well-beaten  eggs.  Having 
prepared  all  these  ingredients,  mix  them  well  together,  and  add 
the  eggs  last.  Then  pour  in  half  a  pint  of  old  ale  and  a  wine- 
glassful  of  Liquid  Sunshine  rum.  If  you  find  that  this  large  pudding 
is  beyond  the  size  you  require,  divide  it  into  different  portions. 
Tie  each  one  in  a  clean  cloth,  which  must  be  dipped  in  boiling 
water,  wrungout  and  well  floured  immediately  before  the  pudding 
is  put  in  it.  Tie  it  up,  but  not  too  tightly,  and  plunge  it  into  a 
saucepan  of  boiling  water,  or  an  oval  soup-kettle,  in  which  two 
or  more  puddings  can  boil  at  once.  Let  them  boil  for  eight  hours, 
adding  boiling  water  as  that  in  the  pot  decreases.  This  pudding 
can  also  be  boiled  in  a  basin  or  mould  which  has  previously  been 
buttered.  A  pudding  cloth  is  tied  over  it  as  described.  For 
Christmas  day  stick  the  pudding  all  over  with  blanched  Jordan 
almonds  when  dished,  put  a  sprig  of  holly  with  berries  in  the 
centre,  pour  over  the  pudding  a  wineglassful  of  Liquid  Sunshine 
rum,  and  set  it  alight  outside  the  dining-room  door. 

Potato  Balls. — Boil  very  dry  some  good  mealy  potatoes. 
Mash  them  up  thoroughly,  being  careful  to  remove  any  lumps, 
add  pepper  and  salt,  and  sufficient  egg  to  make  a  stiff  paste. 
Make  the  potatoes  into  balls  of  equal  size,  roll  them  in  finely- 
sifted  breadcrumbs,  dip  them  in  egg,  and  again  roll  them  in 
breadcrumbs.  Have  ready  some  good  frying  fat,  and  when  it 
boils  put  the  balls  into  the  wire  basket,  and  fry  them,  shaking 
lightly,  for  about  a  minute.  So  soon  as  they  assume  a  golden 
colour  they  are  done. 

Batter  for  Kromeskys. — Quarter  of  a  pound  of  flour,  one 
tablespoonful  of  salad  oil,  two  whites  of  eggs,  one  gill  of  tepid 
water,  one  saltspoonful  of  salt.  Put  the  flour  in  a  basin,  mix  in 
the  salt ;  make  a  well  in  the  centre,  and  drop  in  the  oil.  Mix 
to  a  batter  with  a  wooden  spoon,  adding  the  water  gradually. 
Whip  the  eggs  to  a  stiff  froth,  and  stir  them  lightly  in. 

Suzette. 


CHANNEL  ISLANDS. 

FRUIT  AND  FLOWER  GROWING.  Several  Valuable 
Properties  for  Sale,  or  in  some  cases  partnerships  could  be 
arranged.    Profits  15  per  cent,  to  30  per  cent,  on  money  invested. 

FURNISHED  HOUSES  TO  LET.  Full  particulars,  plans, 
photos,  &c,  on  application  to  Messrs.  CONSTABLE,  TOWN- 
END  &  MORRISH,  55  &  56,  Chancery  Lane,  London,  W.C., 
and  at  Guernsey-. 


THB  POPULAR  FRENCH  TONIC 


MARIAN1  WINE 

FORTIFIES 

NOURISHES 
STIMULATES 

REFRESHES 

Endorsed  by  eminent  Phy 

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Energy  and 

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Of  Chemists  or  Stores,  or  c 

Body- 
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sicians  everywhere 

t,  Strength, 
Vitality. 

:en,  45s. 
arriagepatd  from 

Joy's  Cigarettes 
afford  immediate  re- 
lief in  cases  of 

ASTHMA, 
WHEEZING,  AND 
WINTER  COUGH, 

and  a  little  perse- 
verance will  eBect  a 
permanent  cure.  Uni- 
versally recommended 
by  the  most  eminent 
physicians  and  medi- 
cal authors.  Agreeable 
to  use,  certain  in  their 
effects,  and  harmless 
in  their  action,  they 
may  be  safely  smoked 
by  ladies  and  children. 

All  Chemists  and 
Stores,  box  of  35, 
2s.  6cl.,  or  post  free 
from  Wilcox  le  Co., 
289,  Oxford  Street, 
London,  w. 


SCOTCH  SHORTBREAD, 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

Finest  quality  sent  to  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

Sample  Cake,  1  lb.  post  free,  Is.  3d.  ;  Ornamented  Cakes  for 
Christmas  Gifts,  a  Speciality,  from  2s.  6d.  to  21s. 

ROBERT  BROWN,  206,  Cumberland  St.,  GLAS&O W. 

Every  lady 
pleased 

.  .   WITH  THE 

"KI-MI" 

BUSK !  ^  iu.ii  ii  Mm^™**™™^ 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13J 
inches 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cat  through  cloth. 
—To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochrane- 
street,  Glasgow, 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 

ARABI N  E  rSTe^  6D 

NO  HEATING  OB  MIXING  REQUIRED.  per 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the  bottle 

Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfield  Street,  Glasgow. 

CREME   DE  VIOLET 

Has  attained  enormous  popularity  since  we  introduced  it  into  Great 
Britain. 

It  is  a  pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonic,  absolutely  free  from  any  ingre- 
dients that  will  injure  the  most  delicate  skin.  It  cleanses  the  pores,  and 
producing  a  clear  and  healthy  complexion.  Prevents  and  removes 
Wrinkles,  Pimples,  Eoughness,  Redness,  and  all  Skin  Imperfections. 
Counteracts  the  disagreeable  effects  of  sun,  wind,  and  sea  air.  Is 
deliciously  cool  and  refreshing  to  the  skin.  Makes  the  skin  soft  and 
smooth  as  a  baby's.  Will  make  the  most  faded  complexion  assume  all 
the  natural  tints  of  youthful  health  and  beauty.  Suitable  for  old  and 
young  of  both  sexes.  Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers,  price  Is.  and  2s.  6d 
See  that  the  signature  Le  Frere  et  Cie  is  on  the  label,  or  sent  direct! 
pos  free,  in  plain  wrappers  3d.  extra  from 

LE  FRERE  ET  GIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


174 


TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1894. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


TO  GENERAL  McLEOD  INNES.  VC,  R  E,  AND 
OTHERS. 

We  have  received  from  an  officer  a  lengthy  type- written  letter 
signed,  "  Clement  F.  Buttle,  Major  (late)  Royal  Engineers," 
which,  as  he  informs  us,  "has  been  sent  to  a  great  number  of 
army  officers."  This  letter  urges  those  to  whom  it  is  addressed 
to  invest  in  a  company  called  the  Welsh  Mining  Corporation, 
Limited,  formed  to  work  "  the  historical  Esgair-Hir  lead  mine 
in  Cardiganshire."  It  is  said  that  "  a  rich  course  of  ore  in  a 
gigantic  lode "  has  been  "  traced  for  upwards  of  a  mile,"  and 
that  "  two  centuries  ago,  in  the  superficial  working  of  the  same 
lode,  the  returns  were  calculated  at  £1,000,000."  There  is 
much  more  to  the  same  effect.  Similar  statements  are  made  in 
the  prospectus  attached  to  the  letter. 

Now  we  do  not  know  that  we  should  go  out  of  our  way  to 
direct  attention  to  these  documents,  which  do  not  differ,  save  in 
the  wildness  of  the  suggestions  of  possible  profit,  from  scores  and 
hundreds  of  other  documents  of  the  kind  issued  every  year,  but 
for  the  fact  that  the  letter  and  prospectus  in  question  are 
specifically  addressed  to  soldiers.    The  directors  are  : — 

General  McLeod  Innes,  V.C.,  R.E. 

Colonel  W.  J.  Engledue,  R.E. 

J.  Halcrow,  Esq. 
And  the  prospectus  goes  on  to  say  that  a  number  of  gentlemen, 
including  Sir  T.  E.  Gordon,  K.C.I.E.,  K.C.B.,  Colonel  J.  H. 
Gordon,  C.B.,  and  Colonel  Arthur  Conolly,  are  "  participating 
in  the  allotment  of  vendor's  deferred  shares."  We  do  not  for  a 
moment  question  the  good  faith  of  these  gentlemen.  We  are 
sure  they  believe  in  the  mine,  and  its  fabulous  wealth.  But 
we  put  [it  to  them  whether  they  have  given  the  matter  con- 
sideration. Do  they  believe  that  it  is  within  the  range  of 
probability,  as  the  prospectus  asserts' it  to  be,  that  the  mine  may 
yield  its  present  owners  "  three  million  three  hundred  thousand 
pounds  "  ?  And  if  they  have  not  tested  this  and  similar  esti- 
mates, can  they,  upon  reflection,  justify  their  action  in  lending 
their  names  to  a  prospectus  containing  such  promises,  and  thereby 
inducing  many  soldiers  who  cannot  afford  to  lose  the  money  they 
risk  to  apply  for  shares  ? 

THE  BANK  OF  VAN  DIEMAN'S  LOTTERY. 

As  we  continue  to  receive  many  inquiries  respecting  the 
"  distribution  of  properties,"  by  means  of  lottery,  referred  to  in 
previous  issues,  we  thought  it  well  to  ask  the  Agent-General  for 
Tasmania  to  give  us  an  authoritative  statement  on  the  matter. 
His  reply,  through  Mr.  W.  T.  Goodman,  is  as  below: — 

8th  December,  1894. 
Sir,— I  am  directed  by  Sir  Robert  Herbert  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  of  yesterday's  date,  and  in  reply  to  inform  you  that  the 
Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land  Lottery  is  a  bona-fide  affair,  sanctioned  as 
stated  by  Act  of  the  Colonial  Parliament. 

The  Government  of  Tasmania  does  not,  however,  take  part  in  the 
issue  of  the  prospectus,  and  cannot  guarantee  that  any  property  which 
may  fall  to  the  winner  of  a  prize  is  of  the  present  value  represented. 
The  trustees  were  appointed  by  special  Act  of  Parliament  (55  Vic, 
No.  17).  These  Acts  can  be  seen  in  this  department  any  day  between 
the  usual  office  hours  (10  a.m.  to  4  p.m.,  and  Saturdays  10  to  12).  The 
copy  of  the  prospectus  is  returned  herewith.—  I  am,  Sir,  your  obedient 
servant,  W.  T.  Goodman. 

NELSON  AND  CO 
We  have  referred  more  than  once  to  the  doings  at  Homerton 
of  people  trading  as  tea  dealers  under  this  title,  and  attracting 
custom  by  the  issue  of  ,£10  bonds  to  customers.  A  Hull  corre- 
spondent informs  us  that  a  firm  of  this  name  opened  a  shop  in 
that  town,  and  began  selling  tea  under  the  bond  system,  some 
twelve  months  ago.  After  three  or  four  months  the  shop  was 
quietly  shut  up,  and  the  people  disappeared.  Below  is  a  copy 
of  one  of  the  so-called  certificates 

NELSON  AND  CO.'S  BOND  CERTIFICATE. 

This  is  to  CERTIFY  that  Mr  

of  in  the  County  of  

is  the  holder  of  one  Bond  numbered  value  Ten  Pounds, 

subject  to  provisions  of  the  notices  sent,  out. 

W hen  the  25,000  boxes  of  Tea  are  sold  this  Bond  will  be  exchanged  for  a 
Draft  on  our  Bankers,  the  National  Provincial  Bank  of  England,  Landport 
Branch,  and  be  cashed. 

Signed  

Date  

£10  Head  Office:  Lake  Road,  Landport. 

We  have  compared  the  handwriting  of  "Nelson  and  Co."  on 
this  certificate  with  that  on  one  of  those  issued  by  Nelson  and 
Co.,  of  High  Street,  Homerton,  and  we  find  it  to  be  the  same. 

We  are  in  communication  with  Scotland  Yard  upon  the 
subject,  and  it  will  be  noted  with  satisfaction  that  the  Newcastle 


magistrates  have  convicted  persons  working  this  bond  swindle  of 
an  offence  against  the  Lottery  Acts,  and  inflicted  the  full  fine  of 
£25  and  costs.    But  punishment  by  fine  is  quite  inadequate. 

TURNER    LUPTON  AND  CO. 

As  these  people  continue  to  advertise  and  circularise  very 
largely,  it  may  be  useful  to  direct  attention  to  a  case  at  Edin- 
burgh where  they  have  just  figured  as  defendants. 

A  tutor  sued  for  £147  10s.  balance  due  to  him.  Turner, 
Lupton  and  Co.  bought  and  sold  certain  stocks  and  shares  for 
the  tutor,  who  deposited  with  them  £60  cover.  These  trans- 
actions gave  the  tutor  a  profit  of  £87  10s. ,  but  he  could  get  no 
payment  of  his  profit,  or  return  of  his  cover,  so  he  sued  before 
Lord  Kincairney  for  £147  10s. 

Turner,  Lupton  and  Co.  tried  to  shelter  themselves  under  the 
Gambling  Acts.  This  was  the  report  of  the  case  in  the  Evening 
Citizen : — 

"  They  (Turner,  Lupton  and  Co.)  pleaded  that  as  the  transactions 
were  speculations  for  differences,  and  the  sum  sued  for  was  a  gambling 
or  gaming  debt,  no  action  at  law  was  maintainable." 

That  is  the  swindler's  plea,  but  it  did  not  avail. 

"  Lord  Kincairney  held  that  the  defenders  acted  as  sharebrokers,  and 
sold  shares  to  the  puisuer,  and  he  was  of  opinion  that  even  if  the 
shares  were  fictitious,  the  pursuer  was  entitled  to  prevail.  He  gave 
decree  for  £147  10s.  and  interest,  and  found  the  pursuer  entitled  to 
expenses." 

Truly  "  Heads  I  win  and  tails  you  lose."  If  the  market  goes 
against  the  customer,  off  goes  the  cover  into  Messrs.  J.  V. 
Turner  Lupton  and  Co.'s  pockets  ;  if  by  chance  the  market  is  in 
his  favour,  they  stick  to  the  cover  and  plead  the  Gambling  Acts  ! 

And  in  their  advertisements  these  people  say — 

"The  firm  "—we  thought  it  was  a  company  by  the  way—"  unhesitat. 
ingly  state  that  it  offers  greater  facilities,  and  more  advantages  to  the 
public  to  deal  in  stocks  and  shares  than  any  other  stockbroking  house." 
It  is  really  very  impudent. 

TWO  COMPANIES  AND  "TODAY" 

It  is  pleasant  to  be  able  to  say  that  litigation  which  followed 
our  recent  references  to  the  London  and  Northern  Assets,  and 
Debenture,  Corporations  is  ended.  The  directors  of  these 
institutions  seemed  to  think  that  we  reflected  on  their  good 
faith,  and  the  solvency  of  their  companies.  This  reflection  we 
did  not,  and  did  not  intend  to,  convey.  For  once  in  a  way  the 
Law  Courts  have  cleared  away  misapprehensions.  The  plead- 
ings disclosed  the  grounds  of  resentment,  and  ours  have  shown 
that  they  were  not  well  taken.  Mutual  explanations  have 
followed,  and  harmony  reigns  again. 

M-  F  SCOTT- 

Recently  a  correspondent  received  a  letter  signed  "  M.  F. 
Scott,"  in  which  he  was  offered  shares  in  B/ack  and  White, 
Limited,  at  .£4  10s.  apiece.  Our  correspondent  informed  Mr. 
Scott  that  he  would  take  as  many  as  he  could  sell  him  at  that 
price,  and  by  return  of  post  received  the  following  reply  : — 

51,  Moorgate  Street,  London,  E.C. 

28th  November,  1894. 
Dear  Sir, — In  reply  to  yours  of  yesterday  I  beg  to  say  my  supply  of 
Black  and  Whites  is  now  exhausted,  but  should  I  hear  of  any  more  I 
will  at  once  make  you  an  offer.   There  are  now  a  good  many  more 
buyers  about  than  sellers. 

Yours  faithfully, 

Herbert  E.  Reid,  Esq.  M.  F.  Scott. 

We  challenge  M.  F.  Scott  to  show  any  sale  of  these  shares 
effected  by  him  at  £4  10s.,  or  any  other  price. 

Speaking  of  newspaper  shares,  it  may  be  noted  that  at  the 
Mart  on  Thursday,  twenty-three  shares  of  ,£10  each,  £7  paid, 
in  the  G raphic  and  Daily  Graphic  Newspaper  Company,  were  sold 
for  £1,083,  which  means  a  premium  of  570  per  cent. 

"HALFORDS,  LIMITED." 

A  Liverpool  correspondent  has  been  good  enough  to  send  us 
a  very  lengthy  type-written  letter  he  has  received  from  Messrs. 
Halford  and  Co.,  who  inform  him  that  they  have  decided  to 
turn  their  business  into  a  limited  liability  company,  under  the 
title  of  "  Halfoids,  Limited,"  and  with  a  capital  of  £30,000,  in 
30,000  preference  shares  of  i'l  each,  entitled  to  a  guaranteed 
preferential  interest  of  5  per  cent.,  and  100  deferred  shares  of 
£1  each.  The  ordinary  shares  arc  to  take  one-third  of  the  profits 
over  5  per  cent.,  the  remainder  going  to  the  holders  of  the  de- 
ferred shares,  the  vendors|themselves. 

Messrs.  Halford  and  Co. ,  who  are  outside  brokers,  virtually 
ask  the  public  to  give  them  £30,000,  on  the  promise  of  5  per 
cent,  interest,  and  a  third  of  what  profits  may  remain.  Our 
correspondent's  comments  upon  this  invitation  are  more  forcible 
than  polite.     But,  really,  this  invitation  of  Messrs.  Halfoid 


December  15,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


175 


and  Co.,  addressed  to  a  stranger,  is  courageous — a  rougher 
word  might  be  fitter — seeing  that  there  is  not  one  word  as  to 
past  profits,  as  to  who  are  to  be  the  directors  of  "  Halfords 
Limited,"  as  to — well,  as  to  many  other  things  that  ought  to  be 
explained,  but  are  not. 

MR.  WILFRED  WILBERFORCE- 

Mr.  Wilfred  Wilberforce,  of  11,  Stroud  Green  Road,  Fins- 
bury  Park,  N.,  advertises  largely  his  willingness  to  lend  money 
upon  easy  terms.  A  correspondent,  who  made  application  to  him, 
states  that  before  his  application  was  considered  he  had  to  send 
a  preliminary  fee  of  £1.  The  loan  was  not  negotiated,  and  no 
part  of  the  £1  was  returned.  Mr.  Wilberforce  would  probably 
say  that  the  following  "  Special  Notice  "  on  the  "  Application 
for  Advance  " — 

Whether  the  loan  be  granted  or  not  the  expenses  paid  will  not  be 
returned. 

— saves  him.  May  be.  But  what  guarantee  is  there  that  Mr. 
Wilfred  Wilberforce  makes  any  inquiries  ? 

MR-  P  G.  H.  CARVILL,  M  P- 

We  understand  that  it  is  not  unlikely  that  Mr.  Carvill,  an 
Irish  Nationalist  M.P.  —  Mr.  Carvill  sits  for  Newry  —  will 
give  occasion  for  an  action  in  the  Courts  which,  should  it  be 
carried  through,  promises  to  be  of  interest  to  others  besides 
politicians.  Mr.  P.O.  H.  Carvill,  M.P.,  is  associated,  in  this 
connection,  with  Mr.  Byrne,  Mr.  T.  J.  Marron,  and  Mr.  T.  H. 
Ridsdale.  Also  with  Messrs.  King  and  Co.,  of  3,  Trafalgar 
Buildings,  Northumberland  Avenue. 


We  hear  that  there  is  trouble  in  the  Londonderry  camp.  The 
difficulties  may  be  overcome— probably  they  will  be ;  but  if  they 
are  not  there  will  be  nothing  for  it  but  return  of  subscriptions. 


Mr.  Bottomley  will  be  one  of  the  first  witnesses  called  by  the 
Committee  on  the  Companies'  Acts. 


We  understand  that  Messrs.  Lyons  and  Co.  have  purchased 
the  Trocadero,  and  will  run  it  on  the  Duval  system — good  feed- 
ing at  cheap  rates. 


The  directors  of  the  Cycle  Rubber  Company  have  given 
prompt  reply  to  the  action  of  dissentient  shareholders.  They 
have  called  an  extraordinary  general  meeting  for  Friday  next, 
the  14th,  when  they  will  submit  a  resolution  for  voluntary 
liquidation.  We  shall  have  something  to  say  about  this  concern 
next  week. 


STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 

Mono  Lake  Gold  Fields  of  California,  Limited.  X.  Y.  Z.  (Bir- 
mingham).—No.  Loan  of  £9,000.  777  (Paisley).— You  say  that  you  "  know 
theie  are  many  who  would  be  only  too  thankful  to  get  this  chance,"  and 
that  you  are  "  confident"  we  shall  find  such.  We  can  say  more  as  to  that 
when  you  send  us  the  valuation  of  some  well-known  Arm  in  your  town,  but 
your  offer  of  4  per  cent,  will  not,  we  think,  strike  the  Southron  in  the  same 
way  it  presents  itself  to  you.  Two  Banks.  Nelson  (Nelson).— These 
"banks"  are  among  the  best  of  their  kind— 60  per  cent,  gentry. 
African  Consolidated.  Idler  (Cupar).— (1)  Certainly  not ;  sell  upon 
any  rise.  (2)  Too  high.  (3)  Fairly  so.  (4)  They  are  likely  to  go  higher, 
but  it  would  be  a  speculative  purchase.  Limited  Liability  Agency. 
Mack  (Dentham.)— We  know  nothing  about  it.  If  you  want  shares,  why 
not  to  go  to  a  member  of  the  Stock  Exchange?  Hamburg  Lotteries. 
Hamburg  (London).— Have  nothing  to  do  with  them.  Sydney  Pneu- 
matic Tyre  Company.  A  Poor  Victim  (Camberwell).— We  are  look- 
ing into  the  matter.  It  seems  a  very  disgraceful  business.  Hillrings- 
berg  Akticbolag.  C.  B.  (Berlin).— The  matter  is  having  consideration. 
Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land.  W.  H.  C.  (Tipperary).— You  will  see 
what  is  said  in  another  column.  Griffith,  Farran  and  Co.,  Limited. 
G.  and  G.  (Glasgow). — We  fear  the  Receiver  has  accurately  stated  the 
position,  namely,  that  "there  will  only  be  enoueh  of  a  balance  to  satisfy 
the  debentures,  etc."  Recovery  of  Stamp  Moneys.  G.  (Derry).— 
Somerset  House.  The  Elastic  Enamel  Paint  Company.  T.  J.  C. 
(Torquay).  We  have  no  information  respecting  it.  The  lists  will  be  sent 
you,  but  there  is  more  difficulty  than  was  anticipated.  Frank  Johnson 
and  Co.,  Limited.  Briarindino  (London).— (l),  Fairly  good,  if  the 
amalgamation  scheme  is  quashed.  (2)  Have  nothing  to  do  witli  the 
people  you  name.  Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land.  W.  S.  (Hyde).— 
We  thank  you  for  your  kindly  expressions.  Your  question  is  answered  in 
another  column.  The  General  Credit  Company,  Limited.  J.  H  B. 
(Moseley).— It  is  very  difficult  to  "  hurry  up  "  a  liquidator  ;  we  fear  nothing 
can  be  done.  Send  us  what  other  papers  you  have.  Bergvik  Timber 
Company.  Miles  (Dover).— It  is  as  well  to  leave  well  alone.  Great 
Eastern  Stock.  F.  C.  N.  K.  (Ludlow).— 1.  A  very  good  investment  at 
the  present  quotation.  2.  The  building  society  is  sound  and  respectable. 
Raithy,  Lawrance,  and  Co.  T.  K.  (Dalkeith).— We  will,  as  you 
request,  send  the  memo,  you  enclose  to  "  Printer."  Bank  Lottery. 
C.  M.  H.  (London).— We  thank  you  for  the  cutting  from  the  Hobart  Mercury. 
We  refer  to  the  matter  again  elsewhere.  Cycle  Rubber  Works.  J.  K. 
(Uundee).—  Thanks  for  letters  and  enclosures.  The  matter  is  having  our 
attention. 

INSURANCE. 

Your  Investment.  G.  A.  (Eccles).-'l  he  conditions  which  members 
have  to  observe  in  older  to  keep  in  benefit  are  so  numerous  and  so  onerous, 
that  it  will  be  possible  for  only  a  few  to  receive  anything  like  a  fair  return 
from  the  association.  Further,  the  rate  of  interest  is  less  than  that  which 
can  be  obtained  from  sound  building  societies,  and  where  you  would  forfeit 
none  of  your  principal.   £1,000  Lire  PoUcy.    Market  Street  (Man- 


chester).—The  system  eeems  to  us  to  be  reliable  for  the  object  foi 
which  it  is  designed,  especially  as  the  company  is  thoroughly 
sound.  Insurance  Verax.  (Stoke-under-Ham).— Few  things  offered 
in  the  name  of  insurance  are  so  unsafe  as  the  one  you  inquire  about.  The 
concern  is  bound  to  fail  in  a  few  years.  Accident  Policy.  J.  O.  M. 
(Sheffield).— The  company  is  thoroughly  sound,  has  ample  capital  for  the 
fulfilment  of  its  engagements,  and  a  respectable  board  of  directors.  There 
is  no  reason  whatever  why  you  should  leave  it.  Insurance 
Agencies.  A.  E.  D.  (Cinderford). — We  do  not  care  to  make  selections. 
There  are  many  good  companies.  Submit  a  few  names,  and  we  will 
gladly  give  you  our  opinion  of  them.  Be  careful,  however,  to  have 
nothing  to  do  with  companies  which  do  not  publish  their  accounts. 
Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society,  U.S.  W.  E.  S.  (Bradford). 
— It  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  American  companies.  Upon  the  special  point 
to  which  you  refer,  we  will  answer  you  next  week. 


LONDON   AND  NORTH  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


CHRISTMAS    AND    NEW    YEAR  EXCURSIONS 
FROM  LONDON. 

(EUSTON,  BROAD  STREET,  AND  KENSINGTON). 


On  December  20th,  to  Dublin,  Cork,  Killarney,  Limerick,  Thurles, 
Galway,  Sligo,  and  other  places  in  the  South  and  West  of  Ireland.  To 
Return  within  16  days. 

On  December  21st,  to  Belfast,  Londonderry,  Portrush,  Enniskillen. 
Warrenpoint,  Dundalk,  Newry,  and  other  places  in  the  North  of  Ireland 
To  Return  within  16  days. 

On  December  21st,  l  to  Carlisle,  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  Greenock, 
Aberdeen,  Perth,  Dundee,  Arbroath,  Callander,  &c.   For  5  or  8  days. 

On  December  22nd,  to  Londonderry,  via  Fleetwood,  and  via  Liver- 
pool, and  thence  by  Steamer  direct.  To  Return  within  16  days. 

On  December  22nd  (Evening),  to  Coventry,  Leamington,  Bir- 
mingham, South  Staffordshire  Stations,  Wolverhampton,  Nuneaton. 
Tamworth,  Lichfield,  Liverpool,  Warrington,  Wigan,  Preston,  Windermere, 
Penrith,  Lancaster,  Keswick,  Cockermouth,  Barrow,  Grange,  Whitehaven, 
Workington,  Manchester,  Staleybridge,  Stockport,  Oldham,  Ashton, 
Macclesfield,  Stoke,  Chester,  Birkenhead,  Rhyl,  Bangor,  Llandudno 
Junction,  Carnarvon,  Holyhead,  Hereford,  Leominster,  Ludlow,  Shrews- 
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GEO.  H.  TURNER, 
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GREAT     NORTHERN  RAILWAY. 

CHRISTMAS  AND  NEW  YEAR  HOLIDAYS. 
CHEAP  EXCURSIONS 

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HENRY  OAKLEY,  General  Manager. 
London,  King's  Cross,  December,  1884. 


176 


TO-DAY. 


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TO-DAY. 


177 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.— III.  An  Abortive  Plot. 


By  Herbert  Keen.   Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar   161 

In  Memory  of  John  Clinton    166 

A  Little  Bit  op  a  Boy.   By  Frank  L.  Stanton    166 

The  Country  and  People  of  Japan.— Ill   167 

De  Omnibus.   By  the  Conductor    169 

Beside  the  Bonnie  Brier-bush   170 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller  ;.  170 

A  Letter  from  the  Czarina    171 

Feminine  Affairs   172 

In  the  City   174 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J  177 

Souvenirs  of  De  Lesseps.  By  Robert  H.  Sherard  180 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   181 

Club  Chatter    183 

Clarence.   By  Bret  Harte.  Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman  1°5 

Adventures  of  a  Christmas  Hamper.  By  Fred  Whishaw.  Illus- 
trated by  J.  w.  Manuel    190 


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Perhaps  my  readers  may  remember  the  case  of  the 
cabman  Jarvis,  supposed  to  have  been  murdered  by 
some  of  his  old  mates,  during  the  late  cab  strike.  My 
readers  may  remember  also  that  Sir  Edward  Bradford, 
on  my  drawing  the  case  to  his  attention,  simply  said  in 
effect  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  bothered  with  it ;  he 
at  that  time  being  rather  busily  engaged  in  suppressing 
the  gambling  spirit  in  London.  Upon  that  I  took  the 
matter  to  the  Home  Office,  and  laid  the  evidence  which 
I  had  collected  before  them.  They  promised  to  look 
into  the  matter,  and  to  communicate  with  the 
police.  They  have  done  so,  and  now  merely 
inform  me  that  the  police  have  satisfied  them 
that  all  that  was  necessary  has  been  done. 
This  being  so,  I  publish  the  following  letter,  which  I 
have  received  from  the  son  of  the  alleged  murdered 
man  : — 

Dear  Sir, — I  wish  to  thank  you  most  sincerely  for 
the  trouble  you  have  taken  to  unravel  the  mystery,  sur- 
rounding the  death  of  my  father.  There  is  no  doubt 
in  my  mind — and  I  know  my  opinion  is  shared 
by  many  Union  cabmen,  to  whom  I  have  spoken  on 
the  subject — that  my  father  was  deliberately  set  upon 
and  murdered  by  a  gang  of  the  men  out  on  strike  last 
J une  ;  and  it  is  certain,  from  a  statement  my  father  made 
shortly  before  his  death,  that  a  man  called  Charlie  West, 
an  old  acquaintance  of  his,  had  been  the  ringleader  in 
the  assault.  The  police  produced  a  Charles  West  at  the 
adjourned  inquest,  who  swore  that  he  had  never  known 
my  father  ;  but  none  of  the  family  was  asked  to  identify 
him,  and  it  is  remarkable  that  this  Charles  West  was 
recognised,  in  the  ante-room  of  the  court,  by  one  of  my 
sisters,  as  a  man  she  had  seen  talking  to  my  father 
some  weeks  previously.  I  have  seen  the  reply  you 
have  received  from  the  Home  Office,  and  must  say  I 
am  surprised  at  it.  I  see  that  it  says  "  that  although 
there  may  be  grounds  of  suspicion  against  Charles 
West,  yet  no  sufficiently  clear  evidence  exists  re- 
specting him  to  warrant  any  steps  being  taken ; " 
and  that  in  any  case  "the  police  have  throughout 
the  matter  done  all  in  their  power  to  procure  evidence 
of  the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Jarvis  met  his  death." 
If  no  sufficiently  clear  evidence  exists  against  Charles 
West,  why  did  the  police  compel  him  to  come  to  the 
inquest?  The  evidence  against  him  is  certainly  much 
stronger  now  than  it  was  then.  When  he  appeared,  he 
simply  swore  that  he  did  not  know  my  father,  and  the 
police  were  quite  content  with  his  mere  statement,  with- 
out seeking  any  identification.  I  distinctly  disagree 
with   the  opinion  of    the   Home   Office,    that  the 


police  have  done  all  in  their  power  to  clear  the 
matter  up.  I  may  say  that  Mr.  T.  E.  Saunt,  the 
barrister  who  appeared  at  the  inquest  on  behalf 
of  the  family,  informed  me  that  in  his  opinion  the 
manner  in  which  the  police  conducted  the  case  was 
simply  disgraceful ;  and  it  is  quite  plain  that  the  police 
themselves  are  conscious  of  the  slipshod  way  in  which 
they  have  worked  in  this  affair,  from  the  fact  that,  after 
letting  the  matter  completely  drop  for  several  months, 
as  soon  as  you  threatened  in  To-Day  to  have  the  matter 
brought  up  in  Parliament,  two  detectives  from  the 
Criminal  Investigation  Department  called  at  my  mother's 
house,  to  question  my  sister  as  to  her  recognition  of 
Charles  West.  Furthermore,  Mr.  Hime,  musical  instru- 
ment seller,  of  the  Fulham  Road,  who  knew  my  father 
for  many  years,  and  also  knew  a  man  called  Charlie 
West  as  an  old  acquaintance  of  his,  is  quite  willing  to 
see  the  Charles  West  who  was  called,  in  order  to  identify 
him.  Yet  the  police  will  not  take  the  trouDle  to  bring 
Charles  West  (who,  I  understand,  refuses  to  come 
of  his  own  accord)  to  ascertain  if  Mr.  Hime  recognises 
him  as  my  father's  acquaintance.  Can  there  be  any 
more  flagrant  neglect  of  duty  than  this  ?  If  this 
Charles  West  is  not  the  Charlie  West  we  want, 
then  the  one  we  want  has  vanished,  as  Mr.  Hime  has 
not  seen  him  in  the  neighbourhood  since  the  strike  ; 
and,  in  that  case,  the  authorities  should  find  where  he 
has  gone  ;  they  cannot  have  much  difficulty  in  tracing  a 
man  whose  license  they  have  issued.  The  police  made 
so  little  enquiry  that  they  never  even  discovered  that 
Mr.  Hime  knew  my  father  and  his  acquaintance, 
Charlie  West.  Since  your  notes  have  stirred  them  up, 
they  have  made  one  call  on  Mr.  Hime  (when  he  had 
gone  to  bed  for  the  night),  and  put  some  stupid 
questions,  apparently  under  the  impression  that  he  had 
seen  the  assault  himself.  I  hope  this  matter  will  not  be 
allowed  to  rest  here,  merely  because  the  police  do  not 
want  to  be  bothered  with  it.  This  case  is  one  of 
deliberate  murder,  in  broad  daylight,  in  the  streets  of 
London.  Surely  the  Home  Secretary  will  take  more 
notice  of  it  than  he  appears  to  have  done.  Again 
thanking  you  for  the  great  exertions  you  have  used  in 
order  to  clear  up  the  case,— I  am,  dear  sir,  your 
obedient  servant,  T.  W.  Jarvis. 

I  must  now,  I  suppose,  wait  until  Parliament  meets. 
A  more  disgraceful  case  of  police  neglect  I  could 
hardly  have  imagined.  I  have  always  been  under  the 
impression  that  the  charges  brought  against  the  police 
from  time  to  time  in  the  Press  were  exaggerated  or 
prejudiced.  This  causes  one  to  change  one's  opinion, 
and  to  begin  to  enquire  whether  there  may  not  be 
some  resemblance  between  the  methods  of  the  police 
in  London  and  those  notorious  in  New  York.  Would 
the  police  have  allowed  such  a  case  to  rest  where 
it  is,  if  Jarvis  had  been  a  rich,  instead  of  a  poor, 
man?  Are  no  enquiries  into  murder  cases,  and  no 
efforts  in  the  cause  of  justice  to  be  made,  unless  the 
victim's  family  be  in  a  position  from  which  large  fees, 
and  other  tokens  of  gratitude,  may  be  expected  ? 

From  the  time  of  the  inquest  until  the  time  I  com- 
municated with  the  Home  Office  no  steps  whatever  were 
taken  by  the  police  to  investigate  this  case.  What 
they  have  done  since,  appears  from  Mr.  Jarvis's  letter. 
No  wonder  some  hundred  or  so  murders  are  committed 
every  year,  the  last  about  which  we  hear  being  that 
the  police  have  a  clue.  They  appear  to  be  not  only 
utterly  stupid  and  incompetent,  but  they  are 
impertinent.  Sir  Edward  Bradford  has  "  nothing 
whatever  to  say  on  the  matter."  I  should  like  to 
know  what  class  of  subjects  he  considers  that  his 
duties  necessitate  his  taking  an  interest  in.  I  am  now 
writing  on  the  matter  to  the  member  for  the  division  in 
which  the  alleged  murdered  man  resided.  Perhaps, 
before  I  have  done,  I  shall  find  someone  who  does 


i 


178 


TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1894. 


consider  that  a  deliberate  murder  in  the  streets  of 
London  is  a  matter  upon  which  something  is  to  be  said. 

I  am  by  no  means  satisfied  with  the  termination  of 
the  action  of  Mr.  Charles  Coborn  against  the  Palace 
Theatre.  I  cannot  see  why  the  clause  in  the  agreement 
forbidding  artistes  to  address  the  audience  should  have 
been  taken  to  have  only  a  special  and  restricted  mean- 
ing when  there  is  nothing  in  the  wording  of  the  clause 
to  justify  it.  It  seems  to  me  a  great  pity  that  artistes 
should  be  allowed  to  take  upon  themselves  an  office 
which,  if  it  is  to  be  discharged  at  all,  should  be  dis- 
charged by  the  manager  of  the  music-hall.  It  is  the 
manager  who  is  held  responsible  for  all  that  is  said  or 
sung  upon  the  stage,  and  it  is  only  fair  that  he  should 
know  exactly  what  it  is  that  will  be  said  or  sung. 
And  why  should  the  public  be  exposed  to  the  chance 
remarks — possibly  ill-judged  ;  possibly  even  offensive — 
of  any  artiste  who  chooses  to  resent  his  own  want  of 
popularity. 

A  grave  tactical  error  has  been  made  by  the  Liberal 
Party  in  forcing  Lord  Rosebery,  against  his  will,  to  make 
a  party  question  of  the  abolition  of  the  House  of  Lords. 
One  would  have  thought  that  their  experience  over 
Home  Rule  would  have  taught  them  the  inadvisability 
of  irrevocably  attaching  the  fortunes  of  their  party  to  a 
proposal  for  which  public  opinion,  to  say  the  least,  is  not 
ripe.  I  have  spoken  to  many  Liberals  of  influence 
in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  I  have  never  met 
a  man  who,  whatever  his  own  personal  opinion  may  be, 
did  not  think  the  time  ill-chosen,  and  who  was  not  com- 
pelled to  admit  that  enthusiasm  for  the  abolition  of  the 
House  of  Lords  was  conspicuous,  at  the  present 
moment,  by  its  ostentatious  absence. 

As  it  is  now,  the  Liberal  Party  will  be  compelled  to 
stand  or  fall  by  this  policy.  That  they  will  be  defeated 
upon  it,  they  themselves  are  beginning  to  see  very 
clearly  ;  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  even  the  benefit 
they  will  obtain  by  Home  Rule  being  lost  to  sight  behind 
the  shadow  of  this  new  standard,  will  be  a  sufficient  com- 
pensation for  t  he  difficulties  they  will  experience  before  they 
disentangle  themselves  from  its  folds.  Whatever  advan- 
tage there  is  to  be  gained  by  the  opening  of  the  question, 
could  easily  be  reaped  by  the  Conservatives,  if  they  would 
seize  the  opportunity  to  propound  and  force  through  a 
reasonable  reform  which,  while  removing  many  of  the 
absurdities  of  its  constitution,  would  really  strengthen 
the  second  chamber  in  the  opinion  of  the  public,  by 
making  it  representative  of  the  real  spirit  of  the  nation. 
In  these  times,  when  statesmanship  has  given  place  to 
mere  popularity-hunting,  a  strong  and  able  second 
chamber  is  absolutely  needed,  and  the  weight  and 
opinion  wanted  will  never  be  acquired  by  a  body  depen- 
dent merely  on  the  hereditary  principle. 

I  HAVE  been  sent  an  invitation  by  the  Anti-Corset 
League  requesting  the  pleasure  of  my  company  to  an 
exhibition,  but  I  have  refrained  from  availing  myself  of 
it,  not  knowing  what  the  exhibition  may  be,  and  fearing 
that  perhaps  my  sense  of  modesty  might  be  shocked. 
With  the  object  of  the  society,  however,  I  have  s  ime 
sympathy.  I  quite  agree  with  them  that  the  wearing 
of  tightly-laced  corsets  conduces  to  the  moral  and 
physical  degradation  of  women,  and  I  would  propose  that 


there  be  a  male  branch  of  this  league,  formed  to  promote 
legislation  on  the  subject.  W©  husbands,  fathers,  and 
brothers  have  a  right  to  be  heard  on  this  subject.  The 
matter  touches  us  closely.  Our  homes  are  being  ruined, 
our  children's  future  is  being  endangered,  and  crime 
is  being  engendered  by  this  growing  vice.  When 
the  ladies  are  waiting  upon  the  Home  Secretary 
to  insist  that  we  should  not  be  allowed  to 
drink  a  glass  of  beer,  to  put  half-a-crown  on  a  horse,  or 
play  a  game  of  nap,  it  is  time  we  had  our  little  deputa- 
tion, our  association,  and  our  league  to  reform  and  im- 
prove them.  The  spirit  of  interference  with  everybody 
else's  affairs  is  about,  and  with  so  many  of  my  own  pet 
sins  threatened  with  extinction,  I  feel  I  should  like  to 
interfere  with  somebody  else's  enjoyments.  Besides, 
it  would  enable  so  many  of  us  to  square  matters  with 
our  consciences.  When  we  have  been  extra  wicked  and 
our  better  feelings  are  beginning  to  lecture  us  un- 
pleasantly, we,  too,  should  enjoy  the  advantage  of  being 
able  to  turn  round  upon  the  inward  monitor  with,  "I 
know  I  am  very  wicked  myself,  but  then  look  what  good 
I  am  trying  to  do  to  other  people." 

One  is  glad  to  see  that  at  last  a  jury  has  awakened 
to  the  fact  that  in  cases  of  cruelty  to  children,  the  father 
is  often  as  much  to  blame  as  the  mother.  At  the 
Clerkenwell  Sessions  recently,  a  stepmother  was  sen- 
tenced to  twelve  months'  hard  labour  for  cruelty  to 
two  little  girls.  The  jury  expressed  an  opinion  that  the 
husband  was  deserving  of  very  severe  censure,  and  Mr. 
Loveland  ordered  that  he  should  contribute  fourteen 
shillings  a  week  towards  the  support  of  the  children,  who 
were  handed  over  to  the  custody  of  the  Society  for  the 
Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Children.  A  man  must  know 
what  sort  of  life  his  children  are  living.  If  he  does 
not,  it  is  his  own  fault,  and  it  is  his  duty  to  protect 
them.  He  cannot  shirk  his  responsibility,  and  shelter 
himself  behind  his  wife's  petticoats.  It  is  a  pity  that 
this  blackguard  could  not  have  been  sentenced  to  twelve 
months'  hard  labour  as  well  as  his  beast  of  a  wife.  No 
stepmother  would  desire  to  be  cruel  to  her  children  if 
she  did  not  feel  sure  that  the  father  would  only  be  a 
grinning  spectator.  It  seems  to  me  in  these  cases,  very 
often,  that  the  father,  glutting  his  taste  for  cruelty,  goes 
scot  free,  while  the  woman,  who  is  only  the  active  in- 
strument, under  his  supervision,  gets  all  the  punishment. 
If,  in  all  cases  of  cruelty  to  children,  the  father  were 
punished  equally  with  the  mother,  I  doubt  that  we  should 
hear  so  many  of  them. 

"  Consul,"  the  West  African  chimpanzee,  whose  death 
has  recently  saddened  Manchester,  is  said  to  have  been 
the  most  remarkable  monkey  ever  brought  to  Europe. 
He  would  sit  at  dinner  with  human  beings,  use  the 
implements  of  the  table  correctly,  and  take  his  wine 
With  enjoyment.  When  he  was  handed  a  big  bunch  of 
keys,  he  would  at  once  select  the  right  one.  unlock  his 
cage  with  it,  and  let  himself  out.  He  delighted  in  rail- 
way travelling,  and  had  a  seat  to  himself  against  the 
carriage  window.  He  died  before  his  education  was  by 
any  means  finished,  and  it  would  be  idle  to  guess  how 
far  he  might  have  gone.  He  seems,  at  any  rate,  to  have 
gone  further  than  mere  instinct —  to  have  acquired,  at 
least  to  some  extent,  those  qualities  of  reason  and 
conscience  that  are  popularly  supposed  to  distinguish 
man  from  the  other  animals.  Perhaps  the  missing  link 
may  yet  bo  discovered. 


December  15,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


179 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

E.  C.  R. — I  have  no  objection  to  a  man  persuading  another 
against  drink ;  but  you  teetotallers  are  not  content  with  per- 
suasion and  example.  You  want  your  Local  Veto  Bills,  you  want 
to  forcibly  close  all  the  public-houses,  and  to  prohibit  a  man 
from  drinking  anything  that  you  yourselves  do  not  like.  Now, 
this  is  gross  tyranny — so  gross  that  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  its 
originating  in  the  mind  of  any  man  born  on  British  soil.  What 
right  have  you  to  dictate  to  me  what  I  shall  drink  or  wh;.t  I 
shall  not  drink  ?  You  must  remember  that  this  world  was  not 
intended — as  Carlyle  has  it — to  be  a  lubber-land  of  roast  beef 
and  plum-pudding,  in  which  everybody  is  to  be  happy.  It  is  a 
school  for  character,  and  if  you  take  away  freedom  you  take 
away  manhood.  So,  too,  with  Socialism.  I  have  read  a  good 
deal  of  the  book  you  mention,  and  often  look  into  it.  If  it  were 
possible  to  create  a  millennium  without  referenee  to  human 
nature  or  the  laws  of  the  Creator,  this  book  might  afford  help ; 
but  this  world  happens  to  be  a  battle-field,  not  a  sleeping-couch, 
as  Socialism  would  make  it. 

Friend  of  "  To-Day  "  sends  me  a  report  of  a  speech  made  at 
Swansea  by  the  Rev.  C.  E.  Shipley.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Shipley  does 
me  the  honour  of  coupling  my  name  with  that  of  Charles 
Dickens,  and  abusing  both  of  us.  He  says  that  when  he  turns 
over  the  pages  of  my  books  he  finds  they  smell  of  stale  beer. 
Where  the  smell  of  stale  beer  could  have  been  acquired  I  don't 
profess  to  say.  The  books  would  certainly  not  possess  such  a 
smell  when  they  left  the  bookseller's  hands,  and  I  should  like  to 
know  where  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shipley  has  been  with  them.  The 
rest  of  his  speech  is  also  interesting.  He  is  reported  as  saying 
that  '*  in  no  time  in  the  history  of  the  country  has  the  evil  (of 
drink)  assumed  such  proportions  as  to-day."  Now,  this  will  be 
useful  evidence  in  argument,  because,  if  this  be  true,  what  of 
the  work  that  for  the  last  fifty  years  our  ardent  teetotal  friends 
have  been  accomplishing  ?  After  all  their  exertions,  they  have  to 
admit  that  the  matter  they  started  to  reform  is  worse  to-day 
than  it  was  at  the  beginning.  It  proves,  as  I  have  been 
telling  them,  that  they  are  entirely  on  the  wrong  track  ; 
they  are  doing  more  harm  than  good  to  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance. Then  this  logical  Mr.  Shipley,  after  making  the 
admission  I  have  just  quoted,  goes  on  to  abuse  another 
temperance  reformer  for  saying  that  the  teetotal  abstinence 
society's  work  had  been  a  failure.  I  am  really  afraid  that  the 
smell  of  that  stale  beer  has  been  too  much  for  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Shipley.  In  two  points  I  agree  with  him.  He  ridiculed  the 
Gothenburg  system,  and  evidently  did  not  think  much  of  Local 
Option. 

J.  K.  P.  (Liverpool)  draws  my  attention  to  a  report  of  a 
sermon  by  the  Reverend  T.  W.  M.  Lund,  which,  for  daring, 
manly  common-sense,  love  of  liberty,  and  hate  of  tyranny  and 
cant,  is  a  credit  to  the  Church.  The  reverend  gentleman  took 
for  his  argument  the  text,  "  With  freedom  did  Christ  set  us 
free  ;  stand  steadfast,  therefore,  and  be  not  entangled  again  in 
the  yoke  of  bondage."  "  Liberty  of  conscience,"  said  the 
preacher,  "the  right  to  judge  and  act  for  ourselves,  was  a  great 
principle  to  be  maintained  in  our  own  interests,  and  even  more 
in  the  interests  of  posterity.  The  Puritans,"  continued  the 
reverend  gentleman,  "  who  began  by  dying  for  liberty  ended  by 
imposing  burdens  under  which  we  had  groaned  ever  since. 
They  were  only  happy  when  robbing  us  of  joy  and  brightness." 
He  urged  his  hearers  to  stand  for  liberty,  "  since  its  withdrawal 
from  conscience  created  Pharisees  on  the  one  side,  cant  and 
hypocrisy  on  the  other."  Religion  would  still  be  a  power  in  the 
land  to-day  if  more  of  its  exponents  were  men  of  Mr.  Lund's 
stamp. 

W.  S.  F.  sends  me  a  report  of  a  discussion  among  the  Gates- 
head guardians  as  to  whether  the  poor  old  souls  in  the  work- 
house should  have  their  usual  glass  of  beer  at  Christmas.  Of 
course  the  lady  guardian,  Miss  Connell,  was  most  eager  that  the 
poor  old  people  should  be  deprived  of  this  one  luxury,  but  I 
am  glad  to  see  that  kindliness  was  not  entirely  absent  from  the 
Board.  A  Mr.  Ford,  who  said  he  was  a  teetotaller  himself,  voted 
in  favour  of  the  beer  being  given  as  he  liked  freedom,  and  Dr. 
Abraham  said  that  "  if  teetotallers  thought  they  were  advancing 
their  cause  by  such  a  line  of  action  he  could  tell  them  straight 
that  instead  of  doing  good  to  their  cause,  they  were  doing  it  a 
great  deal  of  harm."  Mr.  Lambert  said  "  he  believed  the 
teetotal  party  did  considerable  harm  by  the  extreme  arguments 
and  measures  they  resorted  to.  If  they  would  only  use  a  little 
moderation,  and  exercise  a  little  persuasion  instead  of  saying,  in 
effect,  that  because  they  were  teetotal  they  would  make  every- 
body else  teetotal,  they  might  do  some  good." 

Wee  Bit  Puzzled. — Your  letter  gave  me  great  pleasure.  To 
get  one's  self  understood,  even  in  a  limited  degree,  is  a  great 
point.  Can't  you  see  that  Pharisaism  is  the  greatest  of  all  evils? 
Christ  did  not  seem  to  have  many  unkind  words  for  the 
publicans  and  sinners,  and  His  last  words  were  to  a  crucified 
thief.  But  I  think  you  will  find  that  He  was  somewhat  bitter  on 
the  Scribes  and  Pharisees.  He  loved  what  you  would  call 
human  nature.  He  knew  something  about  it,  and  He  knew 
that  the  human  sinner  was  much  nearer  heaven  than  the 
earnestly  reforming  Pharisee.  I  am  convinced  that  the 
majority  of  so-called  reformers  are  working  with  a  view  to  a 
good  place  in  the  next  world.  They  do  more  evil  than  all  the 
sinners  in  the  world  put  together. 


Ambitious. — Why  use  French  in  writing  to  an  English  paper? 
You  are  quite  right  to  abandon  a  calling  if  you  feel  that  you  can 
never  prosper  in  it  or  like  it,  and  to  cast  about  for  some  occupa- 
tion more  congenial  to  you.  The  great  aim  of  a  man  in  this 
world  should  be  to  find  out  what  he  was  meant  to  do,  but  be 
sure  that  you  will  like  your  new  business  better  than  your  old. 
Life  is  too  short  to  make  many  mistakes. 

Mignon  asks  me  if  I  consider  Byron's  poems  suitable  reading 
for  young  people.  Not  the  whole  of  them,  certainly.  I  think 
great  harm  is  done  by  leaving  literature  quite  open  to  the  very 
young.  One  of  two  things  is  bound  to  happen.  Either  people 
with  unformed  minds  and  thoughts  are  given  reading  which  is  unfit 
for  them,  or  else  all  literature  is  degraded  down  to  the  level  of 
the  school-girl's  understanding.  Conversations  that  are  pleasant 
and  interesting  to  the  matured  we  should  not  allow  our  children 
to  partake  of,  and  we  should  exercise  a  similar  discrimination  in 
books. 

J.  M.  G.  argues  in  favour  of  Nelson  and  Co.'s  methods  from 
the  individualistic  point  of  view,  but  trade  is  essentially 
Socialistic  in  its  general  laws  and  must  protect  itself  from 
unfair  competition.  Otherwise  the  simple  plan  to  an  exception- 
ally powerful  tradesman  would  be  to  go  round  with  an  axe  and 
kill  all  the  weaker  tradespeople  within  a  radius  of  half  a  mile, 
and  then  secure  all  the  trade  of  the  district  to  himself.  Com- 
petition must  be  kept  within  reasonable  bounds.  The  principles 
of  individualism  cannot  be  worked  out  according  to  pure  logic, 
but  according  to  sense.  Any  policy  carried  out  logically  would 
result  in  foolishness. 

E.  H.  C.  (Sheffield). — Your  letter  gave  me  extreme  pleasure. 
One  likes  to  hear  manly  words  from  young  fellows  with  their 
lives  before  them.  I  am  sure,  from  the  spirit  breathed  into  your 
letter,  that  if  you  can  keep  your  courage  to  the  sticking-point, 
you  will  succeed  in  life,  and,  what  is  of  far  more  importance, 
make  a  true  man  of  yourself.    You  have  all  my  best  wishes. 

Hemans  is  the  possessor  of  a  tea-urn,  once  the  property  of 
Mrs.  Hemans,  the  poetess,  and  wishes  to  know  if  it  is  valuable. 
She  does  not  say  of  what  metal  the  tea-urn  is.  If  of  silver,  it 
would  readily  be  saleable,  apart  from  its  connection  with  Mrs. 
Hemans  ;  if  merely  plated,  it  would  be  comparatively  valueless, 
except  to  an  admirer  of  that  poetess.  I  thank  her  for  her  en- 
closure in  the  poetess's  handwriting,  which  I  shall  value. 
A.  B.  C. — I  cannot  take  any  notice  of  letters  from  anonymous 
writers.  If  you  will  guarantee  your  accuracy  by  your  name 
and  address  I  will  go  into  the  matter.  J.  M. — Your  letter, 
without  meaning  it,  is  a  mere  repetition  of  my  own  argument. 
Evil  is  sent  into  the  world  to  be  fought  against.  If  you  did 
away  with  evil  you  would  do  away  with  the  necessity  of  struggle, 
and  our  souls  would  die  from  want  of  exercise.  Eight  Hours' 
Day. — When  did  I  clamour  for  an  eight  hours' day?  S.  W. 
(Brighton). — Thank  you  for  your  genial  letter.  So  much  de- 
pends upon  the  man.  It  was  the  schoolmaster  of  the  Dr.  Grim- 
stone  type  of  whom  I  was  thinking.  W.  B.  W. — To-Day  is 
published  in  London  on  Wednesday,  but  does  not  get  down  to 
some  country  places  till  Thursday.  I  am  not  responsible  for  the 
matter  you  mention.  Jubilee  Plunger.— Can't  you  get  the 
firm  to  take  back  the  lathe  ?  If  you  were  under  age  at  the  time 
you  made  the  contract  it  would  not  hold,  and  they  might  be  as 
glad  as  you  to  close  the  transaction  without  much  damage  on 
either  side.  You  certainly  have  not  acted  too  well  to  the  firm. 
You  should  have  found  out  the  value  of  your  bonds  before 
reckoning  on  them.  I  should  explain  the  matter  frankly  to  them. 
J.  J.  — I  should  have  liked  to  argue  with  you  the  question  as 
to  whether  the  workman  is  an  actual  slave  of  his  employer, 
owing  to  him  the  whole  of  his  life,  or  whether  he  simply  gives 
so  much  labour  in  return  for  so  much  wages,  and  is  his  own 
master  as  regards  the  rest  of  his  time.  I  am  not  sure,  however, 
how  far  the  word  "  private "  placed  on  your  letter  applies. 
F.  W.  D.  E. — I  do  not  know  whether  the  Maskelyne  type- 
writer people  sell  on  the  three  years'  system,  but  I  will  inquire  for 
you.  That  would  be  the  most  practical  way  of  your  obtaining 
the  machine.  I  can  quite  sympathize  with  your  position,  but  it 
should  be  a  comfort  to  you  to  know  that  you  are  better  off  than 
many  others.  W.  L.  B.  (Trinity  Hall).— Yes,  Dagonet  is  very 
much  alive.  Manchester. — One  penny  each  copy.  Joe. — Do 
you  remember  Lord  Tennyson's  answer  when  a  lady  asked  him 
to  explain  his  poems  ?  I  should  not  like  to  publish  the 
answer  I  know  the  author  would  make  if  I  were  to  put  your 
question  to  him.  Admirer. — Supposing  there  are  seven  and  a 
half  columns  of  advertisements,  that  leaves  fifty-six  and  a  half 
columns  of  matter  from  such  writers  as  Bret  Harte,  Stanle}' 
Weyman,  and  others,  and  this  for  twopence.  S.  F.  and  Others. 
— The  accent  is  on  the  first  syllable.  This  question  is  answered 
once  a  week  on  an  average.  Belfast.  — The  only  thing  I  can 
suggest  is  that  you  ought  to  appoint  some  trustworthy  person 
your  attorney,  who  alone  shall  be  entitled  to  sign  cheques  in 
your  name.  You  must  get  some  local  solicitor  to  draw  a  power 
of  attorney.  Cymro.  —  You  must  keep  the  name  by  which 
you  subscribe  yourself  in  your  letter  ;  that  is  your  legal 
name.  It  will  not  prevent  you  being  entitled  to  any  pro- 
perty which  may  come  to  you  in  the  name  your  father 
previously  had,  nor  are  you  likely  to  suffer  in  any  other  respect. 
Lothian  Lass. — Art  has  no  meaning,  some  Art  less  than 
other.  That  is  not  the  way  to  judge  Art.  The  title  simply 
means  "  The  Passers."  It  is  a  study  in  strong  blacks  and  white. 
Several  answers  are^  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week. 


180 


TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1894. 


SOUVENIRS  OF  DE  LESSEPS. 

BY 

ROBERT  H.  SHERARD. 


When  I  first  went  to  live  in  Paris,  more  than  eleven 
years  ago,  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps  was  without  any  doubt 
the  most  popular  man  in  France,  and  apart  from  a  few 
professional  blackmailers  and  a.  certain  number  of  un- 
successful and  jealous  rivals,  there  was  nobody  in  France 
who  was  not  glad  and  proud  to  apply  to  him  that  title 
of  "le  grand  Francais,"  which  of  late  has  been  so  bit- 
terly contested. 

There  was  no  man  better  known  nor  more  generally 
liked,  and  it  was  quite  a  sight  to  see  the  people  saluting 
him,  as  heading  the  cavalcade  of  his  children,  he  used 
to  ride  out  to  the  Bois  de  Boulogne. 

My  first  introduction  to  him,  which  did  not  take  place 
until  I  had  resided  some  years  in  Paris,  came  about  in 
a  somewhat  unusual  way.  I  was  sitting  one  afternoon 
in  Baron  de  Haussman's  study,  listening  to  the  then 
already  moribund  architect  of  modern  Paris,  as  in  a 
slow  and  quiet  voice  he  told  me,  sketching  out  the  pur- 
port of  his  memoirs,  of  his  relations  with  his  Imperial 
master,  of  the  Tuileries  as  seen  from  behind  the  scenes, 
of  the  real  causes  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  of  Paris 
as  he  had  found  it,  and  as  he  had  hoped  to  leave  it,  a 
conversation  so  interesting  from  its  subject  matter,  and 
from  the  strange  personality  of  my  interlocutor  that  I 
could  hardly  suppress  a  gesture'  of  impatience  when  we 
were  interrupted  by  the  sound  of  a  bell  and  the  entrance 
of  the  Baron's  valet,  who  came  to  announce  the  call  of  a 
visitor.  I  was  rising  to  go  when  the  Baron  stopped 
me  and  said,  "  It  is  M.  de  Lesseps,  would  you  not  like  to 
see  him?" 

The  call,  it  appeared,  was  only  one  of  inquiry  as  to  the 
Baron's  health,  and  I  could  not  help  wondering  as  I  saw 
the  eyes  of  Haussman  fix  themselves  on  the  face  of  his 
visitor,  whether  no  natural  envy  was  gnawing  at  his 
heart,  as  he  contrasted  himself  with  De  Lesseps.  The 
contrast,  indeed,  between  these  two  old  men  was  a  most 
striking  one.  De  Lesseps,  although  more  than  ten 
years  the  senior  of  Baron  de  Haussman,  might  for 
vitality  and  vigour  well  have  been  his  son.  The  man 
Who  Had  Built  lay  back,  wrapped  in  rugs,  although  it 
was  a  fine  warm  day  without,  in  a  high-backed  arm- 
chair, from  which  a  Napoleonic  face  looked  out  with  the 
waxen  pallor  of  a  death  mask.  Facing  him,  restless 
from  excess  of  vitality,  was  the  man  Who  Had  Dug, 
whiter  of  hair  perhaps,  but  with  the  light  of  life  flash- 
ing from  his  eyes.  De  Haussman  spoke  in  a  low- 
broken,  halting  voice,  as  if  every  word  was  enun, 
ciated  with  weariness,  while  De  Lesseps,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  almost  boisterous,  breaking  each  sentence 
with  a  hearty  and  rolling  laugh.  At  that  time  he  was 
very  full  of  the  Panama  scheme,  and  spoke  at  some 
length  on  the  magnificent  prospects  of  the  enterprise. 
I  noticed  more  than  once  a  pale  smile  creeping  over  the 
waxen  face  that  fronted  him,  but  the  only  comment 
vith  which  De  Haussman  interrupted  De  Lesseps'  golden 
dreams  was  that  he  knew  that  he  should  never  live  to 
6ee  them  realised. 

"  Que  si,  Que  si"  cried  Lesseps.  " You  have  only 
gloomy  fancies  in  your  head."  But  the  Baron  again  shook 
his  head. 

In  the  course  of  our  conversation  the  name  of  a  com- 
mon friend  and  American  newspaper  proprietor  having 
been  mentioned,  De  Lesseps,  who  at  my  first  introduction 
to  him  had  merely  bowed  with  some  indifference,  caught 
me  by  the  hand  and  gripped  it  so  that  the  fingers  tingled. 

"You  must  come  and  lunch  with  me  at  the  Avenue 
Montaigne  one  day,"  he  cried,  with  the  heartiest  hospi- 
tality, "  and  I  will  introduce  you  to  my  children.  lis 
sont  tellement  gentils,  que  c'est  un  plasir  de  les  con- 
naitre."  Whilst  he  was  speaking  I  again  noticed  that 
pale  and  enigmatic  smile  on  the  face  of  the  Baron. 

We  left  De  Haussman's  together,  De  Lesseps  asking 
me  to  walk  with  him  ae  far  as  the  Avenue  Montaigne 


"  That  house,"  he  said,  "  was  bought  with  the  profit  on 
a  certain  number  of  Suez  Canal  shares  which  I  pur- 
chased for  my  wife  on  the  day  of  our  marriage,  that  is 
to  say,  on  the  day  of  the  inauguration  of  the  Suez  Canal, 
and  which  increased  fifteenfold  in  value."  As  we  walked 
along  he  detailed  figures,  and  it  was  millions  and  mil- 
lions that  he  spoke  about,  dinning  the  rattle  of  gold  and 
the  rustle  of  bank-notes  into  my  ears  till  I  saw  all  the 
poetry  of  finance  which  was  lately  to  inspire  Emile  Zola  for 
one  of  the  most  striking  and  most  successful  of  his  novels. 
As  I  listened  to  this  exuberant  old  man  I  had  the  best 
evidence  of  his  great  popularity  by  the  number  of  times 
on  which  I  was  obliged,  in  response  to  the  salutes  of  the 
passers-by,  to  raise  my  hat  when  he  did  so.  I  remember 
that  between  the  Rue  d'Anjou  and  the  Avenue  Montaigne 
he  was  bowed  to  more  than  a  hundred  times,  and  it  was 
noticeable  that  most  of  these  salutes  came  from  peonle 
of  the  working  classes. 

"Those  all  have  money  in  the  Panama  Canal,"  said 
De  Lesseps,  adding  that  the  huge  majority  of  his  sup- 
porters were  workmen  and  peasants.    "  It  is,"  he  said, 
from  the  woollen  stocking  that  we  are  drawing  the 
funds  with  which  this  work  is  to  be  finished." 

When  I  left  him  that  day,  my  confidence  in  the  success 
of  his  new  enterprise  was  absolute.  The  man  seemed 
endowed  with  almost  hypnotic  power,  and  no  longer  did 
I  wonder  at  the  extraordinary  influence  he  had  been  able 
to  wield  over  his  fellow-countrymen. 

The  next  time  that  I  saw  him  was  at  the  offices  of  the 
Suez  Canal  Company.  I  called  there  one  afternoon 
and  found  the  ante-chamber  crowded  with  people  await- 
ing an  audience.  It  was  the  usual  ante-chamber  crowd 
with  its  pathos  and  its  grotesqueness,  of  such  human 
interest  to  observe  and  to  study,  shabby  inventors  with 
haggard  and  eager  faces,  anxious  women,  portly  busi- 
ness men  with  bursting  and  plethoric  portfolios  and  all 
the  strange  and  typical  crowd  that  dances  round  the 
Golden  Calf.  The  be-liveried  huissiers  were  swelling  with 
importance,  and  when  I  asked  to  see  M.  de  Lesseps, 
the  valet  to  whom  I  had  addressed  my  request  caught 
me  up  with  a  sharp  "  I  suppose  that  you  mean  '  Monsieur 
le  President.'" 

I  noted  with  interest  the  spiteful  glances  that  the 
other  suitors  cast  at  me  when  the  valet  returning,  with 
great  deference1,  asked  me  to  follow  him.  We  had  been 
told  that  M.  le  President  was  "  in  conference,"  and  that 
it  was  hopeless  to  expect  to  see  him  that  day. 

I  found  him  sitting  all  alone  in  the  big  board-room, 
apparently  totally  disengaged.  He  professed  himself 
glad  to  see  me. 

"  I  was  boring  myself  not  a  little,"  he  said. 

It  was  on  that  occasion  that  it  first  struck  me  that 
perhaps  he  was  too  old  to  carry  out  the  gigantic  scheme 
on  which  he  was  engaged,  and  in  which  such  huge  in- 
terests were  at  stake,  for  his  conversation  might  be  de- 
scribed as  frivolous,  and  he  showed  a  great  disinclina- 
tion to  speak  seriously.  Inviting  me  to  sit  by  his  side 
at  the  fire,  he  insisted  on  entertaining  me  with  anec- 
dotes of  a  trivial  nature,  and  I  remember  his  almost 
childish  laughter  at  some  story  which  he  had  told  to  the 
Prince  of  Wales  one  night  at  Marlborough  House,  and 
which  the  Prince  had  advised  him  to  repeat  to  the 
Duchess  of  Sutherland,  next  to  whom  De  Lesseps  was 
sitting  at  dinner.  I  could  not  help  tliinking  as  we  sat 
and  gossipped  so  lightly,  of  the  eager  crowd  outside 
and  of  the  nature  of  the  conference  that  M.  le  President 
was  at  that  moment  engaged  in.  I  fancy  that  had  1 
been  a  shareholder  in  the  Panama  Canal  Company,  my 
first  step  on  leaving  De  Lesseps  that  day  would  have 
been  to  sell  out,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  whenever  the 
president  would  speak  about  the  affairs  of  the  company 
he  was  most  enthusiastic.  His  enthusiasm  had.  moreover, 
a  genuine  ring,  and  I  am  perfectly  convinced  that  never 
once  did  he  doubt  of  his  eventual  success,  a  conviction 
which  rendered  his  failure,  to  my  thinking,  all  the  more 
pathetic  and  lamentable. 

"In  1889,"  he  said,  "France  will  have  two  triumphs 


December  15,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


181 


to  celebrate — the  Paris  Exhibition  and  the  opening  of  the 
Panama  Canal.    The  one  is  as  certain  as  the  other." 

His  charm  of  manner  was  the  most  subjugating  that 
I  have  seen  in  any  man,  and  in  De  Lesseps  was  realised 
completely  the  English  ideal  of  that  type  of  the  manly 
virtues  and  accomplishments  to  which  we  give  the  name 
of  gentleman.  His  carriage  towards  women  was  distin- 
guished by  an  old-world  courtesv  which  one  rarely  meets 
with  in  these  bustling  and  ungallant  days,  and  I  can  quite 
understand  why  so  very  large  a  number  of  women  were 
auiungst  his  warmest  supporters.  I  remember  on  one 
occasion  meeting  him  at  the  Suez  Canal  offices  as  he  was 
escorting  downstairs,  and  with  the  ceremoniousness  of  the 
last  century  marquis,  a  shabby  little  American  reporter- 
girl,  who  had  been  boring  him  for  the  best  part  of  an 
hour  with  an  interview. 

But  it  was  in  society  that  he  best  displayed  his  pos- 
session of  those  rare  and  enviable  arts  which  enlist  the 
affection  and  admiration  of  women.  I  frequently  met 
him  in  society,  and  I  always  noticed  that  he  enjoyed  the 
monopoly  of  the  society  of  the  prettiest  women  present. 
His  way  of  addressing  women,  his  courtesy,  his  deference 
t0>  the  sex  in  general  and  his  undisguised  admiration  of 
female  beauty  in  particular,  were  models  to  be  studied 
by  those  who  sought  laurels  in  that  most  pleasant  arena.  I 
have  seen  young  beaux,  superb  in  appearance,  neglected, 
and  idly  twisting  the  most  attractive  of  moustaches, 
while  round  the  octogenarian  a  whole  court  of  loveliness 
was  collected  in  eager  appreciation.  Not  that  at  any 
time  was  his  conversation  particularly  brilliant,  for 
Lesseps  could  never  have  been  described  as  a  distin- 
guished talker ;  but  it  was  so  unegotistical  and  so  im- 
pregnated with  a  flattering  assumption  of  interest  in  the 
person  to  whom  he  was  talking.  His  courtesy  was  alike 
to  all.  I  have  seen  him  speaking  to  a  king,  and  I  have 
seen  him  talking  to  a  blue-bloused  workman ;  and  it  was 
certainly  to  the  latter  that  the  greater  deference  was 
shown.  A  few  months  before  the  final  collapse  of  his 
enterprise  he  was  so>  typical  of  the  happiness  to  be  de^ 
rived  from  a  useful  and  active  life,  that  I  quite  agreed 
with  Renan,  when  one  day  he  remarked  to  me  that  the 
personality  of  De  Lesseps  was  the  best  answer  that  could 
be  given  to  the  pessimistic  young  writers  of  the  Left 
Bank  of  the  Seine.  It  was  indeed  a  remarkable  sight, 
that  of  this  very  old  man,  full  of  life  and  energy,  who,  at 
an  age  when  most  men  are  pleased  to  turn  their  faces  to 
the  wall,  was  marching  forward  full  of  hope  and  resolu- 
tion towards  an  object,  the  realisation  of  which  seemed 
impossible  to  men  fifty  years  his  junior.  He  seemed  the 
one  man  on  whom  age  and  the  approach  of  death  could 
ti  k  j  no  hold,  either  when  one  watched  him  walking,  with 
a  firm  step  and  upright  carriage,  along  the  street,  or  saw 
him  in  the  midst  of  his  family,  with  baby  children  of 
his  own  dancing  on  his  knee.  I  remember  him  once 
running  after  me  to>  communicate  some  news  about  his 
arrangement  with  M.  Eiffel,  which  he  considered  of  great 
importance  and  was  anxious  to  make'  known.  He  actu- 
ally ran,  and  with  considerable  agility.  On  another 
occasion,  as  I  was  walkng  with  him  down  the  Boulevard 
Haussman,  I  saw  him  seize  upon  and  vigorously  shake 
a  wretched  street-hawker  who  was  selling  some  libellous 
broadsheet  attacking  the  Panama  Canal  Company,  and 
crying  his  wares.  The  old  gentleman  repented  of  his 
violence  immediately,  and  gave  the  man,  who  seemed  a 
good  deal  terrified,  a.  piece  of  silver  as  a  consolation. 
As  a  general  rule,  De  Lesseps  was  most  indifferent  to  the 
attacks  of  the  swarms  of  enemies  which  his  success  had 
brought  him. 

"  I  care  no  more,"  he  once  said  to'  me,  "  for  their  out- 
cry against  me  than  I  do  for  the  barking  of  a  dog." 

I  was  never  more  pained  than  when,  upon  an  absence 
of  some  months  from  Paris,  I  saw  M.  de  Lesseps  again 
just  before  the  final  collapse  of  the  company.  He  was 
quite  a  changed  man,  and  reminded  me  of  Baron  Hauss- 
man as  I  had  seen  him  some  weeks  before  his  death.  He 
was  sitting  with  his  children  in  the  little  room  half-way 
up  the  grand  staircase  of  the  Avenue  Montaigne  man- 
sion, the  "  Wohnstube,"  which  he  preferred  to  the  sump- 


tuous apartments  elsewhere  in  the  house,  and  a  greater 
change  in  a  man  in  so  short  a  time  was  never  seen 
before.  Old  age  had  galloped  up  at  last,  and  had 
laid  upon  my  old  friend  a  hand  all  the  heavier  for  the 
long  delay.  The  eyes  seemed  to  have  lost  all  their  light 
of  life,  the  hand  was  cold,  the  figure  sunken,  and  a  heavy 
silence  had  settled  upon  the  man  who  so  little  a  time  ago 
was  the  gayest  and  most  voluble  of  talkers.  It  was  In 
this  room,  by  the  way,  that,  owing  to  the  clumsiness  of 
a  newspaper  reporter,  De  Lesseps  learned  that  criminal 
proceedings  had  been  instituted  against  him.  I  was 
present  at  the  time,  and  I  shall  not  forget  the  indignation 
of  Madame  de  Lesseps'  cry :  — "  You  might  have  killed 
him ! "  when  the  tactless  reporter  had  briskly  asked 
the  old  gentleman  what  defence  he  proposed  to  offer 
when  he  should  appear  before  the  Court  of  Appeal, 
"  for,"  he  said,  "  as  a  Grand  Cross  of  the  Legion  of 
Honour,  you  will  be  tried  before  the  Court  of  Appeal." 
De  Lesseps  looked  quite  dazed  for  a  moment,  and  then 
some  of  his  old  vigour  seemed  to  return,  for,  springing 
to  his  feet,  he  cried  out  for  his  insignia,  that  he  might 
put  them  on  and  confront  his  judges  with  all  his  honours 
upon  him.  It  is  on  account  of  this  incident,  by  which 
the  fact  of  a  prosecution  was  impressed  upon  her  husband, 
that  Madame  de  Lesseps  feared  at  times  that  the  old 
man,  for  all  his  apparent  ignorance  of  what  was  going 
on,  was  well  aware,  and  did  only  lend  himself  for  her 
sake  to  the  heroic  comedy  which  she  and  her  children 
played  around  him  at  La  Chesnaye,  where  he  spent  the 
long  and  anxious  months  during  which  the  Panama 
scandals  were  so  fully  exposed. 

Such  was  not,  however,  my  opinion  on  any  of  the 
occasions  on  which  I  saw  De  Lesseps  after  his  fall  at 
La  Chesnaye.  His  mind  seemed  to  me  to  have  given 
way,  though  occasional  flashes  of  intelligence  did  from 
timei  to'  time  light  up  the  night  of  an  anticipated  death. 
I  remember  that  the  last  time  I  saw  him,  which  was 
at  lunch  at  La  Chesnaye,  he  watched  me  for  some  time 
with  evident  curiosity,  and  that  suddenly  his  face  lighted 
up,  and  he  gave  me  a  pleasant  smile,  doubtless  of  recog- 
nition. The  minute  afterwards,  however,  he  had  sunk 
into  himself  again,  only  rousing  himself  to  the  appear- 
ance of  life  when  one  of  his  children,  rising  from  his  seat, 
ran  up  to'  the  old  father  to  press  or  to  kiss  his  hand. 
There  were  times,  also,  when,  after  reading  the  papers 
with  which  he  wag  supplied — papers,  by  the  way,  of  the 
previous  year — he  would  comment  on  something  that  he 
had  read.  I  once  heard  him  say  to  his  wife,  quite  in  his 
old  tones,  "  Oh,  I  see  that  De  Ressmann  has  been  ap- 
pointed Italian  ambassador.  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it." 

It  was  very  touching  to  seei  his  devotion  to  his  wife. 
When  she  was  not  in  the  room  his  eyes  would  wander 
about  seeking  for  her,  and  the  rare  times  on  which  the 
settled  gloom  upon  his  countenance  would  clear  away 
were  when,  after  a  short  absence,  she  would  return  to 
the  room.  His  great  sorrow  was  that  he  could  not 
attend  the  sittings  of  the  French  Academy,  his  member- 
ship of  which  was  his  chief  pride ;  and  his  greatest  hope 
lay  in  Queen  Victoria — "  La  Bonne  Reine,"  as  he  used  to 
call  her.  It  was  almost  a  fixed  idea,  with  him  that  she 
would  come  to  La  Chesnaye,  and,  having  dispelled  all 
the  trouble  that  was  weighing  upon  him,  would  enable 
him  to  return  to  Paris,  once  more  triumphant  and  the 
people's  idol.  ~ — 

LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  dear  Dick, — Fog,  and  a  fiendish  cold,  combined, 
drove  me  out  of  London  last  week ;  and  I  do  not  particu- 
larly care  what  becomes  of  the  drama  until  I  feel  better. 

Meantime',  as  you  are  always  eager  for  information, 
I  may  tell  you  that  since  he  wrote  The  Second  Mrs. 
Tanqueray,  Pinero  has  completed  two  plays.  One  of 
them  has  been  secured  by  Comyns  Carr,  and  it  will,  I 
expect,  follow  The  New  Woman  at  the  Comedy.  What 
has  become  of  the  other,  I  don't  quite  know ;  but  I  have 


182 


TO-DAY. 


December  16,  1894. 


a  strong  suspicion  that  George  Alexander  has  got  it, 
and  I  am  moved  to  this  conclusion  because  Alexander 
has  more  courage  than  most  managers,  and  the  piece  to 
which  I  allude  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  ever  put  on 
any  stage — English  or  Continental. 

Alexander,  I  am  happy  to>  say,  has  returned  to  the 
St.  James's,  but  I  am  afraid  it's  rather  early  for  him  to 
resume  work.  You  will  be  delighted  to>  hear  that  Marion 
Terry  will  rejoin  the  St.  James's  company  in  January. 
She  is  such  a  charming  actress  that  her  recent  retire- 
ment has  been  most  deplorable. 

The  third  play  on  which  Pinero  is  engaged  will  be 
destined  for  the  Garriek.  The  third  act  is  at  present 
unfinished.  I  do>  not  think  that  we  shall  see  it  before 
the  autumn.  I  also  think  that  Elizabeth  Robins  will 
play  the  lead  in  it,  because  when  the  autumn  comes 
round  you  will  find  Forbes  Robertson  and  Kate  Rorke 
in  management  together,  and  the  first  play  they  open  in 
will  not  be  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Neil,  although  this 
strange  drama; — for  it  is  practically  a  drama! — was  re- 
ceived in  Manchester  with  the  wildest  enthusiasm  on  the 
occasion  of  its  first  representation. 

The  Gaiety  Girl  is  being  played  down  here  in  Brighton 
this  week,  and  a  better  provincial  company  I  have 
neve/  seen.  Indeed,  it  is  hardly  fair  to  speak  of  it  as  a 
provincial  company  at  all.  Marion  Hood  is  charming 
in  the  title-role  ;  Chrissie  Mayne  is  the  best  "  Lady 
Virginia  Forest"  I  have  seen,  and  why  Edwardes  let  her 
remain  out  of  London  I  don't  know.  Albert  Christian 
is  also1  admirable.  His  singing  of  "Tommy  Atkins" 
is  a,  thing  to  hear.  Henry  Hamilton,  who>  wrote 
"  Tommy,"  is,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  away  at  Folkestone, 
very  far  from  well.  The  Gaiety  Girl  in  America  has 
dropped  on  bad  times.  Harry  Monkhouse  has  got 
smalbpox,  all  the  company  have  been  vaccinated,  and 
Juliette  Nesville  will  shortb-  return  home  invalided. 

Of  course,  you  have  followed  the  controversy  in  the; 
Times  between  Beerbohm  Tree  and  "  X.  Y.  Z."  It  is  a 
very  pretty  bit  of  fighting,  and  honours  are  very 
evenly  divided,  but  it  strikes  me  as  rather  a  futile  com- 
bat, because  general  principles  can  never  be  laid  down 
about  thei  drama.  The  old  dramatists  thought  differ- 
ently. They  were  all  for  rules  and  axioms  which  were 
no  sooner  determined  on  than  they  were  upset.  Victor 
Hugo'  at  one  time,  and  Tom  Robertson  at  another,  revo- 
lutionised the  drama,  in  France  and  in  England.  The 
question  of  the  "woman  with  a.  past"  merely  amounts 
to  this  —  a  dozen  interesting  plays  might  be 
■woven  right  round  a  "woman  with  a,  past," 
but  the  appearance  of  a  "woman  with  a  past" 
does  not  necessarily  make  a  play  interesting. 
Pinero  having  written  a  very  successful  play 
round  a  "woman  with  a  past,"  in  The  Second  Mrs. 
Tanqueray ,  it  stood  to'  reason  that,  other  dramatists 
would  follow  suit.  The  particular  field  had  not  been 
much  worked,  and  it  looked  fertile.  So  did  French  farce 
some  years  ago.  But  we>  werei  satisfied  with  French 
farce.  It  eventually  bored  us.  The  "  woman  with  a 
past  "  is  doing  the  same  thing. 

I  mentioned  this  fact  to  a  well-known  dramatist  the 
other  day,  and  he  told  nie  that  he-  intended  to  deal  with 
the-  "  woman  with  a  past"  from  a  new  point  of  view 
shortly.  His  hero  having  determined,  like  Mr.  Tan- 
queray, to  build  Tip  an  edifice  of  happiness  on  a  founda- 
tion of  misery,  looks  about  for  a  woman  sufficiently 
disreputable  to  suit  his  purpose,  and  he  imagines  that 
he  has  found  the  right  article.  He  marries  her.  After 
the  wedding  husband  and  wife  are  left  alone.  The  wife 
takes  off  her  wreath,  puts  down  her  bouquet,  and  then 
suddenly  falling  on  her  knees  before  her  husband,  says 
she  has  something  to  confess.  He  anticipates  a  lurid 
declaration,  but  she  humbly  owns  that  she  knows  his 
views  of  life,  but  she  has  bitterly  deceived  him.  She 
is  a  perfectly  virtuous  woman,  and  recently  taught  in,  a 
Sunday  school.  My  friend  has  not  quite  made  up  his 
mind  how  to  finish  the  play,  but  he  thinks  that  the 


horrified  husband  should  commit  suicide  by  swallowing 
the  marriage  certificate. 

The  lecture  on  "  The  World,  the  Flesh,  and  the— Puri- 
tans" that  Richard  le  Gallienne  gave  at  the  Playgoers' 
Club  on  Sunday,  was  a  remarkable  one  in  many  views. 
\o\i  got  the  views  of  the  poet  on  love  and  marriage, 
and  the  views  of  a  man  of  the  world  on  worldliness,  or, 
as  Le  Gallienne  brutally  called  it,  "  sin."  With  me- 
mories of  the  events  of  the  past  few  weeks  in  mind,  he 
conjured  up  a  time  when  we  should  want  a  Purity  ticket- 
of-leave  in  order  to  stay  out  after  dark,  and  went  on 
to  attack  the  Modern  Puritan  spirit  that  was  cruel  only 
to  be  kind ;  and  in  the  process  broke  the  highest  moral 
law,  "  Thou  shalt  not  be  cruel."  He  suggested  a  sound 
remedy — the  same  remedy  that  I  have  harped  upon 
to  you  again  and  again — that  is,  the  formation  of  a 
Trades  Union  of  Sinners.  He  explained  that  by  sin, 
he  only  meant  the  breaking  of  the  conventional  laws 
which  man  had  made,  and  which  had  now  become  obso- 
lete. Such  laws  were  answerable  for  much  cruelty  in 
the  world,  for  they  did  not  direct  the  passions  of  man- 
kind, they  only  dammed  them  up  till  they  burst  through 
with  irresistible  force.  He  did  not  deprecate  disci- 
pline and  self-restraint,  without  which  all  life  lost  its 
comeliness.  Nor  did  he  plead  for  greater  sensuality, 
but  for  the  acceptance  of  the  plain  facts  of  life.  By  the 
present  system  of  society  it  was  our  virtues  which  were 
cramped  and  not  our  vices.  The  lecturer  was  warmly 
received,  and  discussion  which  followed  was  joined  in  by 
Messrs.  Hurst,  S.  L.  Hughes,  Herbert  Murray,  Jerome  K. 
Jerome,  and  Jope  Slade. 

Percy  House  the  popular  secretary  of  the  Playgoers', 
was  married  on  Friday  last  to  Miss  Lily  Magna,  a  charm- 
ing little  lady,  as  sweet  as  she  is  pretty.  Everybody 
wishes  them  all  happiness  and  luck. 

Although  Dr.  Bill  was  very  well  received  on  Saturday 
night  at  the  Court,  I'm  half  afraid  Mr.  Arthur  Chudleigh 
has  not  been  well  advised  in  his  selection  of  a  company. 
Those  of  us  who  remembered  the>  tragic  earnestness  with 
which  Miss  Fanny  Brough  played  thei  part  of  "  Mrs. 
Horton"  werei  a  trifle  disappointed  on  Saturday  night 
with  the  light-hearted  way  in  which  Miss  Lottie  Venne 
disposed  of  the  character.  In  Miss  Lottie  Venne's  hands 
the  farcical  side  of  the  idea  was  too  apparent ;  while  Miss 
Fanny  Brough  reallv  got  far  more  fun  out  of  the  part  by 
her  intense  seriousness.  The  first  piece  of  theevening— The 
Birthday — is,  I  believe,  the  maiden  effort  of  the  author, 
George  Bancroft.  The  little  play  is  rather  overweighted 
with  dialogue,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  Mr.  Bancroft 
should  not  do  better  work  in  the  future  if  he  would 
get  away  from  conventionality,  and  unlearn  the  few 
tricks  of  the  stage  that  he  has  managed  to  pick  up. 

Mrs.  Tree  and  Miss  Mary  Anderson  (Madame 
Novarro)  have  both  presented  their  respective  husbands 
with  babies  this  week. 

Your  aff°ctionate  cousin, 

Randolph. 


Now  ready,  768  pages,  price  6s. 

CHAMBERS'S   CONCISE  GAZETTEER 

OF 

THE  WORLD. 

TOPOGRAPHICAL,  STATISTICAL,   HISTORICAL,  PRONOUNCING. 

FEATURES  OF  THE  WORK. 

The  latest  and  most  reliable  information  about  places  at  home 
and  abroad. 

The  populations  according  to  the  latest  census. 

The  most  authentic  official  figures  in  reference  to  revenue, 

expenditure,  debt,  trade,  army  and  navy,  &c,  of  every 

country  and  state. 
The  etymology  of  the  names  where  it  is  significant  and 

interesting. 

The  pronunciation  in  all  cases  where  doubt  could  arise. 

W.  &  R.  CHAMBERS,  Limited, 
47,  PATERNOSTER  ROW,  LONDON ;  and  EDINBURGH. 


Decembur  15,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


183 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


Possibly  because  of  thei  conduct  of  the  past  summer, 
winter  has  not,  so  far,  seemed  very  anxious  to  punish 
us  unduly;  but,  all  the  same,  the  heaviest  winter 
clothing  is  being  ordered.  Furs  axe  unusually  popular, 
and  assuredly  there  is  no  safer  investment ;  for  a  fur 
coat  that  will  not  maintain  a  fashionable  appearance 
for  several  winters  must  have  been  cut  on  some  very  pe- 
culiar lines.  By  those  who  can  afford  it — for  such  a  pur- 
chase means  a,  noticeable  inroad  into  a  small  banking 
account — sable  is  being  ordered,  with  musquash  lining, 
the  cloth  being  as  soft  as  broadcloth,  either  in  black  or 
a  dark  blue  shade.  Many  are  being  made  with  the  slits  at 
the  sides,  instead  of  the  middle.  As  a  rule,  they  do  not 
reach  to  the  length  to  which  the  Irish  friezes  are  being 
cut,  the  average  being  a  little  below  the  knees.  Astra- 
chan  is  still  in  demand,  but  it  has  suffered  from  the 
ease  with  which  it  can  be  imitated  ;  while  beaver 
and  otter  still  command  a  steady  sale.  It  seems  simply 
a.  matter  of  taste'  as  to  whether  the  coat  is  •frogged  in 
the  military  style,  or  simply  buttoned ;  but  in  all  cases 
where  froggings  are  ordered  they  are  of  the  pronounced 
Hussar  pattern. 

I  remember  receiving  complaints  last  winter  from 
many  readers  who  had  been  tempted  to  invest  in 
"  genuine  fur  coats,"  at  a  low  figure,  through  seeing  some 
plausible  advertisement  in  the  "Wants"  columns  of 
newspapers.  As  a  rule,  the  reason  given  for  the  sale  is 
that  the  owner  has  "no*  further  use  for  the  same."  In 
reality,  the  address  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  is  simply  a 
house  of  call  for  some  shoddy  furrier,  who  has  scores  of 
these  coats  on  hand.  I  would  recommend  any  reader 
who  may  yet  be  tempted  by  them  to  demand  a  written 
warranty  and  if  he  has  any  dou  bts  to  then  submit  the  gar- 


ment to  an  author  ity.  Hewillgenerally  find  the  accredited 
West  End  dealers  willing  to  render  him  every  assistance, 
for  these  swindles  do  them  unjustifiable  damage  with 
country  customers. 

I  notice,  with  satisfaction,  that  platinum  nails  have 
been  introduced,  with  complete  success,  into  the  German 
army  for  the  soldiers'  boots.  There  are  few  men  whose 
'step  is  so  regular  that  they  can  afford  to  dispense  with  a 
slight  metal  protection  somewhere,  and  both  iron  or 
brass  rivets  have  always  been  heavy  and  cumbersome, 
while  platinum  is  as  light  as  leather.  It  is  not  alone  for 
daily  wear  that  platinum  will  be  appreciated  when  it 
comes  to  England,  for  it  will  be  a  boon  to  every  golfing 
and  sporting  man,  and  the  mountain  climber  and  tourist 
will  give  it  a  hearty  welcome. 

I  AM  indebted  to  a  correspondent  for  the  following 
cutting  from  the  Maidenhead  Advertiser : — 

FOR  SALE,  a  good  GARDEN  FRAME,  belonging  to 
a  lady,  6  ft.  by  4  ft.  ;  upper  and  lower  lights  strongly 
hinged. 

This  little  lot  can  be  procured  for  two  guineas  by 
applying  to  "  Plevna,"  Norfolk  Park,  Maidenhead. 

The  delight  expressed  at  Sandown  on  Saturday,  when 
the  result  of  the  Brigg  election  was  known,  shows  that 
the  National  Sporting  League  are  in  earnest.  It  was 
the  first  time  they  had  thrown  in  their  lot  with  any 
candidate,  and  a  victory  at  the  first  attempt  is  bound 
to  give  the  League  a  tremendous  impetus.  I  hope 
it  will  not  become  a  Conservative  organisation. 
There  are  good  sportmen  on  both  sides  of  the  House, 
am!  the  enthusiasm  of  the  anti-gamblers  will  evaporate 
ii  they  find  that  they  cannot  turn  their  cause  into  a 
party  question. 


There    is    not    the    slightest  doubt  that  Captain 


IF  YOU  COUGH 


T  .A.  IK  E 


L'S  PASTILLES 


(Which  act  by  Inhalation  and  Absorption  directly  upon  the  Respiratory  Organs)  for 

Coughs,  Colds,  Bronchitis,  Hoarseness, 
Catarrh,  Asthma,  Laryngitis,  &e. 

Much  Preferable  to  Pills,  Potions,  and  Syrups,  Sfc,  'which  only  Irritate  the 
Stomach  without  reachinq  the  seat  of  the  disease. 

THEIR   EFFECT  is'  INSTANTANEOUS, 

GEEATJDEL'S  PASTILLES  are  most  agreeable  to  the  taste,  and  contain  the  purest  essence  of  Norway  pine 
tar,  which  has  attained  greater  success  in  bronchial  and  catarrhal  affections  than  any  other  substance  or  drug  hitherto 
employed.  They  contain  no  narcotic  or  other  injurious  drug,  and,  unlike  numerous  other  cough  remedies,  are  not 
required  by  the  Act  of  Parliament  to  bear  the  label  "  Poison."  They  are  entirely  harmless,  and  can  be  used  by  old  and 
young  without  danger.   They  can  be  used  at  all  hours,  before  or  after  meals,  without  the  slightest  inconvenience. 

Slowly  dissolved  in  the  mouth,  they  give  off  a  soothing,  refreshing,  and  healing  vapour  of  pine  tar,  which  is  thus 
breathed  into  the  bronchia  and  lungs  upon  the  very  seat  of  disease,  affording  immediate  relief,  and  effecting  a  gradual 
and  lasting  cure.  Owing  to  their  direct  action  upon  the  bronchial  tubes  and  lungs,  they  are  infinitely  superior  to  all 
other  remedial  agents. 

GEEATJDEL'S  PASTILLES  are  admirable  in  voice  affections,  strengthening  the  larynx  and  preserving  the 
voice.  They  should  be  used  constantly  by  smokers,  and  by  all  whose  vocal  organs  have  any  unusual  strain  to  undergo. 
They  are  invaluable  to  those  who  are  liable,  owing  to  their  occupation,  to  inhale  irritating  and  noxious  vapours  or 
dust. 

GEEATJDEL'S  PASTILLES  were  the  only  pine  tar  preparation  to  which  an  award  was  given  by  the 
InternationalJury  of  the  Exposition  Universelle  of  1878;  Gold  Medal,  Paris,  1885;  tried  by  the  French  Government, 
by  Ministerial  decision,  on  the  advice  of  the  Board  of  Health.  Authorised  in  Russia  by  the  Imperial  Government,  with 
the  approval  of  the  Medical  Board. 

Price  per  case,  Is.  lid.,  with  directions  for  use.    Can  be  ordered  through  any  Chemist, 
or  will  be  sent  post  free  on  receipt  of  price,  from  the 


GtaJDEL'S  PASTILLES 

"""'NO  bv  ABSORPTION  IINMAUIH* 
IftRtTIONAL  &  EFFICACIOUS USi 

Norway0 pine  tab 

fe'CoLDS-  BMWHfflf-  ClTl'^ 
•  Lmyngitis^  Phthisis 

to 


WHOLESALE  DEPOT  FOR 
GREAT  BRITAIN  : 


FASSETT  &  JOHNSON,  32,  SNOW  HILL,  LONDON,  E.G. 


184 


TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1894. 


Bewicke  is  the  finest  amateur  cross-country  rider  of  the 
day ;  indeed,  few  professionals  can  cope  with  him  over  a 
difficult  course.  Captain  Bewicke,  who  is  still  a  young 
man,  was  born  in  the  North  of  England.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Harrow,  and  there  he  excelled  in  all  field  sports. 
He  has  won  many  prizes  at  lawn  tennis  and  shooting, 
but,  to  use  his  own  words,  he  "  would  rather  have  a  good 
day's  fishing  than  the  best  day's  shooting  imaginable." 


I  mentioned  a  few  weeks  ago  that  Mr.  Sidney  Fry,  the 
son  of  Mr.  "  Red  Hot"  Fry,  was  as  good  a  billiard  player 
as  one  could  find  in  the  amateur  ranks.  Mr.  Fry,  how- 
ever, is  not  to  be  relied  on  when  playing  in  public,  and  he 
easily  succumbed  in  the  recent  Amateur  Championship. 
Mr.  Maughan,  who  defeated  Mr.  Fry,  is  a  left-handed 
player,  and  this  may  have  had  some  effect  upon  him. 
I  know  from  experience  that  it  is  extremely  puzzling  to 
leave  the  balls  for  one  who  uses  his  left.  There  are  very 
few  who  do  so1,  but  these  few  appear  to  be  remarkably 
skilful  players. 


About  one  hundred  Old  Bedfordians  have  arranged  to 
dine  together  at  the  Cafe  Monica,  Piccadilly  Circus,  on 
Thursday  evening,  the  20th  inst.,  under  the  presidency 
of  General  Sir  Henry  A.  Smyth,  K.C.M.G.,  late  Governor 
of  Malta.  After  the  dinner  there  will  be  a  smoking  con- 
cert, in  which  many  favourite  Old  Bedfordians  will  take 
part.  Full  particulars  can  be  obtained  from  Mr.  Roland 
G.  Hill,  of  1,  St.  James's  Street,  Pall  Mall,  who  is  direct- 
ing the  proceedings. 


After  his  display  in  the  meeting  between  Blackheath 
and  Cardiff  I  fully  expected  the  young  three-quarter, 
Fegan,  to  be  selected  for  the  South  team  against  North  to- 


day. The  Southern  team  is  about  as  good  as  it  can 
possibly  be,  although  one  misses  several  names  which 
might  have  been  expected  to  be  included,  but  the  fact 
is  there  is  a  superabundance  of  choice,  and  only  fifteen 
to  be  selected.  S.  M.  J.  Woods  has  been  chosen,  and 
his  reappearance  is  somewhat  of  a  surprise.  The  ab- 
sence of  Maud  and  Lohden  has  caused  some  comment. 
General  satisfaction  is  expressed  that  W.  B.  Thomson 
has  been  given  a  place  at  three-quarter.  With  Fegan, 
Baker,  and  Leslie  Jones,  behind  Wells  and  Cattell,  the 
attack  should  be  most  dangerous,  and  I  fully  expect 
the  South  to  win. 


Reference  to  our  advertising  columns  will  help  my 
readers  to  settle  the  question  "Where  shall  I  spend 
Christmas  ? "  If  you  are  inclined  for  a  turn  on  ths 
Emerald  Isle,  you  have  only  to  put  yourself  in  the  hande 
of  the  London  and  North-Western,  either  on  December 
20th,  21st,  or  22nd,  who  have  arranged  three  fine  ex- 
cursions. On  December  22nd  the  same  company  run  a 
special  excursion  to  Scotland,  while  on  the  evening  of  the 
same  day  their  Christmas  service  includes  almost  every 
town  of  importance  in  the  North,  the  Midlands,and  Wales. 
The  Midland  have  a  cheap  excursion  arranged  for 
December  21st  from  St.  Pancras  to  the  principal  towns 
in  Scotland,  and  tickets  will  be  also  issued  for  the  trip 
from  their  principal  provincial  stations.  On  the  22nd 
there  is  another  excursion  to  the  Midlands,  including 
the  Lake  district.  There  are  'also  special  trains  for  Ire- 
land. The  Great  Northern  announce  tickets  at  a  single 
fare  for  the  21st  to  the  North  and  Scotland,  and  on 
Saturday  to  all  the  principal  centres  on  their  service 
throughout  the  Midlands  and  the  North. 

The  Major. 


TAKLIS!  What  is  Taklis ? 

WHY  TAKLIS  IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK   HAT   RENOVATOR.     No  ironing 
required.    Unaffected  by  rain. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  and  tube  of  TAKLIS, 
post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 

The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Greese  Street,  London,  W. 

BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 

THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT    FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  Bhaped  bottles,  witli  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "  Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


M//fl/fACfl//{ED  fl{0/A  Seiecjed  Leaf //vd 


'  STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS. '  an  elegant  t>amphlei,  pint  free  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


T-I ELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 

^  ■*  sending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpet*,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  F.  Haslock,  woo 
sells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  bemnt  of  the  i*»>r  (7000  in  iiumlvn  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  Grays.  Essex.  All  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  uaiue  and  address  of 
sender  are  inside.  Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 


December  15,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


155 


CLARENCE. 

BY 

BRET  HARTE. 

Illustrated  by  Arthur  Jule  Goodman. 


PART  II. 
CHAPTER  VII. 

OT  a  word  was  ex- 
changed till  they  had 
reached  the  lower 
landing  and  Brant's 
private  room.  Dis- 
missing his  subaltern 
and  orderly  with  a 
sisn.  Brant  turned 
towards  his  prisoners. 
The  jaunty  ease,  but 
not  the  self-posses- 
sion, had  gone  from 
Lagrange's  face  ;  the 
eyes  of  Captain 
Faulkner  were  fixed 
on  his  older  com- 
panion with  a  half- 
humorous  look  of  per- 
plexity. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  can  only  repeat,  General,  that  our 
foolhardy  freak  has  put  us  in  collision  with  your  sen- 
tries," said  Lagrange,  with  a  slight  hauteur,  that  re- 
placed his  former  jauntiness;  "and  we  were  very  pro- 
perly made  prisoners.  If  you  will  accept  my  parole,  I 
have  no  doubt  our  Commander  will  proceed  to  exchange 
a  couple  of  gallant  fellows  of  yours,  whom  I  have  had 
the  honour  of  meeting  within  our  own  lines,  and  whom 
you  must  miss  probably  more  than  I  fear  our  superiors 
miss  us." 

"  Whatever  brought  you  here,  gentlemen,"  said  Brant, 
drily,  "  I  am  glad,  for  your  sakes,  that  you  are  in  uni- 
form, although  it  does  not,  unfortunately,  relieve  me 
•of  an  unpleasant  duty." 

"I  don't  think  I  understand  you,''  returned  Lagrange, 
•coldly. 

"  If  you  had  not  been  in  uniform,  you  would  probably 
have  been  shot  down  as  spies,  without  the  trouble  of 
capture,"  said  Brant,  quietly. 

"Do  you  mean  to  imply,  sir  "  began  Lagrange, 

sternly. 

I  mean  to  say  that  the  existence  of  a  Confederate 
spy  between  this  camp  and  the  Division  Head  Quarters 
is  sufficiently  well  known  to  us  to  justify  the  strongest 
action." 

''  And,  pray,  how  can  that  affect  us  ?  "  said  Lagrange, 
haughtily. 

"I  need  not  inform  so  old  a  soldier  as  Colonel  La- 
grange that  the  aiding,  abetting,  and  even  receiving 
information  from  a  spy  or  traitor  within  one's  lines  is 
an  equally  dangerous  service." 

"  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  satisfy  yourself,  General," 
said  Colonel  Lagrange,  with  an  ironical  laugh.  "  Pray 
do  not  hesitate  on  account  of  our  uniform.  Search  us  if 
you  like." 

"  Not  on  entering  my  lines,  Colonel,"  replied  Brant, 
with  quiet  significance. 

Lagrange's  cheek  flushed.  But  he  recovered  himself 
quickly,  .and,  with  a  formal  bow,  said — ■ 


"You  will,  then,  perhaps,  let  us  know  your  pleasure?" 

My  duty,  Colonel,  is  to  keep  you  both  close  prisoners 
here  until  I  have  an  opportunity  to  forward  you  to  the 
Division  Commander,  with  a  report  of  the  circumstances 
of  your  arrest.  That  I  propose  to  do.  How  soon  I  may 
have  that  opportunity,  or  if  I  am  ever  to  have  it,"  con- 
tinued Brant,  fixing  his  clear  eyes  significantly  on  La- 
grange, "  depends  upon  the  chances  of  war,  which  you 
probably  understand  as  well  as  I  do." 

"  We  should  never  think  of  making  any  calculation 
on  the  action  of  an  officer  of  such  infinite  resources  as 
General  Brant,"  said  Lagrange,  ironically, 

"  You  will,  no  doubt,  have  an  opportunity  of  stating 
your  own  case  to  the  Division  Commander,''  continued 
Brant,  with  an  unmoved  face.  "And,"  he  continued, 
turning  for  the  first  time  to  Captain  Faulkner,  "  when 
you  tell  the'  Commander  what  I  believe  to  be  the  fact — 
from  your  name  and  resemblance — that  you  are  a  rela- 
tion of  the  young  lady  who  for  the  last  three  weeks  has 
been  an  inmate  of  this  house  under  a  pass  from  Washing- 
ton, you  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  favourably  explain  your 
own  propinquity  to  my  lines." 

"  My  sister  Tilly  !  "  said  the  young  officer,  impulsively. 
"But  she  is  no  longer  here.  She  passed  through  the 
lines  back  to  Washington  yesterday.  No,"  he  added, 
with  a  light  laugh,  "  I'm  afraid  that  excuse  won't  count 
for  to-day." 

A  sudien  frown  upon  the  face  of  the  elder  officer,  added 
to  the  perfect  ingenuousness  of  Faulkner's  speech,  satis- 
fied Brant  that  he  had  not  only  elicited  the  truth,  but 
that  Miss  Faulkner  had  been  successful !  But  he  was 
sincere  in  his  suggestion  that  her  relationship  to  the 
young  officer  would  incline  the  Division  Commander  to 
look  leniently  upon  his  fault,  for  he  was  conscious  of 
a  singular  satisfaction  in  thus  being  able  to  serve  her. 
Of  the  real  object  of  the  two'  men  before  him  he  had  no 
doubt.  They  were  "  the  friends  "  of  his  wife,  who  were 
waiting  for  her  outside  the  lines !  Chance  alone  had 
saved  her  from  beincr  arrested  with  them,  with  the  conse- 
quent exposure  of  her  treachery  before  his  own  men, 
v  ho,  as  yet,  had  no  proof  of  her  guilt,  nor  any  suspicion 
of  her  actual  identity.  Meanwhile,  his  own  chance  of 
conveying  her  with  safety  •  beyond  his  lines  was  not 
affected  by  the  incident ;  the  prisoners  dare  not  reveal 
what  they  knew  of  her,  and  it  was  with  a  grim  triumph 
that  he  thought  of  compassing  her  escape  without  their 
aid.  Nothing  of  this,  however,  was  visible  in  his  face, 
which  the  younger  man  watched  with  a  kind  of  boyish 
curiosity,  while  Colonel  Lagrange  regarded  the  ceiling 
with  a  politely  repressed  yawn.  "I  regret,"  concluded 
Brant,  as  he  summoned  the  officer  of  the  guard,  "  that  I 
shall  have  to  deprive,  you  of  each  other's  company  during 
the  time  you  are  here ;  but  I  shall  see  that  you,  sepa- 
rately, want  for  nothing  in  your  confinement." 

"  If  this  is  with  a  view  to  separate  interrogatory, 
General,  I  can  retire  now,"  said  Lagrange,  rising,  with 
ironical  politeness. 

'*  I  believe  I  have  all  the  information  I  require,"  re- 
turned Brant,  with  undisturbed  composure.  Giving  the 
necessary  orders  to  his  subaltern,  he  acknowledged  with 
equal  calm  the  formal  salutes  of  the  two  prisoners  as 
they  were  led  away,  and  returned  quickly  to  his  bedroom 
above.  He  paused  instinctively  for  a  moment  before 
the  closed  door,  and  listened.  There  was  no  sound  from 
within.    He  unlocked  the  door,  and  opened  it. 

So  quiet  was  the  interior  that  for  an  instant,  without 


Copyright,  1S94,  by  Bret  Harte. 


186 


TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1894. 


glancing  at  the  bed,  he  cast  a  quick  look  at  the  window, 
which,  till  then,  he  had  forgotten,  and  which  he  remem- 
bered gave  upon  the  verandah  roof.  But  it  was  still 
closed,  and  as  he  approached  the  bed,  he  saw  his  wife 
still  lying  there,  in  the  attitude  in  which  he  had  left  her. 
But  her  eyes  were  ringed,  and  slightly  filmed,  as  if  with 
recent  tears. 

It  was  perhaps  this  circumstance  that  softened  his 
voice,  still  harsh  with  command,  as  he  said — 
"I  suppose  you  knew  those  two  menl" 
"  Yes." 

"And  that- 1  have  put  it  out  of  their  power  to  help 
you  1 " 
"  I  do." 

There  was  something  so  strangely  submissive  in  her 
voice  that  he  again  looked  suspiciously  at  her.  But  he 
was  shocked  to  see  that  she  was  quite  pale  now,  and  that 
the  fire  had  gone  out  of  her  dark  eyes. 

"  Then  I  may  tell  you  what  is  my  plan  to  save  you 
But,  first,  you  must  find  this  mulatto  woman  who  has 
acted  as  your  double." 

"  She  is  here." 

"  Here?" 

"  Yes." 

"How  do  you  know  it?"  he  asked,  in  quick  suspicion. 

"  She  was  not  to  leave  this  place  until  she  knew  I 
was  safe  within  our  lines.  I  have  some,  friends  who  are 
faithful  to  me."  After  a  pause  she  added :  "  She  has 
been  already." 

He  looked  at  her  startled.    "  Impossible — I  " 

"  You  locked  the  door.  Yes !  but  she  has  a  second 
key.  And  even  if  she  had  not,  there  is  another  entrance 
from  that  closet.  You  do  not  know  this  house;  you 
have  been  here  two  weeks ;  /  spent  two  years  of  my  life, 
as  a  girl,  in  this  room." 

An  indescribable  sensation  came  over  him  ;  he  remem- 
bered how  he  had  felt  when  he  first  occupied  it;  this 
was  followed  by  a  keen  sense  of  shame  on  reflecting  that 
he  had  been,  ever  since,  but  a  helpless  puppet  in  the 
power  of  his  enemies,  and  that  she  could  have  escaped 
if  she  would,  even  now. 

"Perhaps,"  he  said  grimly,  "you  have  already  ar- 
range your  plans  ? " 

She  looked  at  him  with  a  singular  reproachfulness 
even  in  her  submission. 

"  I  have  only  told  her  to  be  ready  to  change  clothes 
with  me  and  help  me  colour  my  face  and  hands  at  the 
time  appointed.    I  have  left  the  rest  to  you." 

"  Then  this  is  my  plan.  I  have  changed  only  a  detail. 
You  and  she  must  both  leave  this  house  at  the  same  time, 
by  different  exits,  but  one  of  them  must  be  private — 
and  unknown  to  my  men.    Do  you  know  of  such  a  one  ? " 

"  Y"es,"  she  said,  "in  the  rear  of  the  negro  quarters." 

"  Good,"  he  replied,  "  that  will  be  your  way  out.  She 
will  leave  here,  publicly,  through  the  parade,  armed 
with  a.  pass  from  me.  She  will  be  overhauled  and  chal- 
lenged  by  the  first  sentry  near  the  guard  house,  below 
the  wall.  She  will  lie  subjected  to  some  delay  and 
scrutiny,  which  she  will,  however,  be  able  to  pass  better 
than  you  would.  This  will  create  the  momentary  di- 
version that  we  require.  In  the  meantime,  you  will 
have  left  the  house  by  the  rear,  and  you  will  then  keep 
in  the  shadow  of  the  hedge  until  you  can  drop  down 
along  the  Run,  where  it  empties  into  the  swamp.  That," 
he  continued,  fixing  his  keen  eyes  upon  her,  "  is  the  one 
weak  point  in  the  position  of  this  place  that  is  neither 


overlooked  or  defended.  But  perhaps,"  he  added,  again 
grimly,  "you  already  know  it." 

"  It  is  the  marsh  where  the  flowers  grow,  near  the  path 
where  you  met  Miss  Faulkner.  I  had  crossed  the  marsh 
to  give  her  a  letter,"  she  said  slowly. 

A  bitter  smile  came  over  Brant's  face,  but  passed 
as  quickly. 

"  Enough,"  he  said  quietly,  "  I  will  meet  you  beside 
the  Run,  and  cross  the  marsh  with  you  until  you  are 
within  hailing  distance  of  your  lines.  I  will  be  in  plain 
clothes,  Alice,"  he  went  on  slowly,  "  for  it  will  not  be 
the  Commander  of  this  force  who  accompanies  you,  but 
your  husband,  and,  without  disgracing  his  uniform,  he 
will  drop  to  your  level,  for  the  instant  he  passes  his 
own  lines,  in  disyuise,  he  will  become  like  you,  a  spy, 
and  amenable  to  its  penalties." 

Her  eyes  seemed  suddenly  to  leap  up  to  his  with  that 
strange  look  of  awakening  and  enthusiasm  which  he  had 
noted  before.  And  in  its  complete  prepossession  of  all 
her  instincts,  she  rose  from  the  bed  unheeding  her 
bared  arms  and  shoulders  and  loosened  hair,  and  stood 
upright  before  him.  For  an  instant  husband  and  wife 
regarded  each  other  as  unreservedly  as  in  their  own 
chamber  at  Robles. 

"When  shall  I  go?" 

He  glanced  through  the  window  already  growing 
lighter  with  the  coming  dawn.  The  Relief  would  pass 
in  a  few  moments ;  the  time  seemed  propitious. 

"  At  once,"  he  said.    "  I  will  send  Rose  to  you." 

But  his  wife  had  already  passed  into  the  closet,  and  was 
tapping  upon  some  inner  door.  He  heard  the  sound  of 
hinges  turning  and  the  rustling  of  garments.  She  re- 
appeared, holding  the  curtains  of  the  closet  together 
with  her  hand,  and  said — 

"  Go !  When  she  comes  to  your  office  for  the  pass, 
you  will  know  that  I  have  gone." 

He  turned  away. 

"  Stop  !  "  she  said  faintly. 

He  turned  back.  Her  expression  had  again  changed. 
Her  face  was  deadly  pale  ;  a  strange  tremor  seemed  to 
have  taken  possession  of  her.  Her  hands  dropped  from 
the  curtain.  Her  beautiful  arms  moved  slightly  for- 
ward ;  it  seemed  to  him  that  she  would  in  the  next 
moment  have  extended  them  towards  him.  But  even 
then  she  said  hurriedly — - 

"  Go !    Go  ! "  and  slipped  again  behind  the  curtains. 

He  quickly  descended  the  stairs  as  the  sound  of 
trampling  feet  on  the  road  and  the  hurried  word  of  com- 
mand announced  the  return  of  the  scouting  party.  The 
officer  had  little  report  to  make  beyond  the  fact  that  a 
morning  mist,  creeping  along  the  valley,  prevented  any 
further  observation,  and  bade  fair  to  interrupt  their  own 
communications  with  the  camp.  Everything  was  quiet 
in  the  West — although  the  enemy's  lines  along  the 
ridge  seemed  to  have  receded. 

Brant  had  listened  impatiently,  for  a  new  idea  had 
seized  him.  Hooker  was  of  the  party,  and  was  the  one 
man  in  whom  he  could  partly  confide,  and  obtain  a  dis- 
guise. He  at  once  made  his  way  to  the  commissary 
wagons — one  of  which  he  knew  Hooker  used  as  a  tent. 
Hastily  telling  him  that  he  wished  to  visit  the  picket* 
without  recognition,  he  induced  him  to  lend  him  his 
slouched  hat  and  frock  coat,  leaving  with  him  his  own 
distinguishing  tunic,  hat,  and  sword.  He  resisted  the 
belt  and  pistols  which  Hooker  would  have  forced  upon 
him.  As  he  left  tho  wagon  he  was  amusedly  conscious 
that  his  old  companion  was  characteristically  examining 


l).;.::.\iu:cr.  15,  1094. 


TO-DAY. 


187 


the  garments  he  had  left  behind  with  mingled  admiration 
and  envy.  But  he  did  not  know,  as  he  slipped  out  of  the 
camp,  that  Mr.  Hooker  was  quietly  trying  them  on, 
before  a  broken  mirror  in  the  wagon  head  ! 

The  grey  light  of  that  summer  morning  was  already 
60  strong  that,  to  avoid  detection,  he  quickly  dropped 
into  the  shadow  of  the  gulley  that  sloped  towards  the 
Hun.  The  hot  mist  which  the  scouts  had  seen  was  now 
lying  like  a  tranquil  sea  between  him  and  the  pickets  of 
the  enemy's  rear-guard,  which  it  seemed  to  submerge, 
and  was  clinging  j 
in  moist  tenuous 
swathe  s — 1  ike 
drawn  out  cotton 
wool  —  along  the 
ridge,  half  ob- 
literating its  face. 
From  the  valley  in 
the  rear  it  was 
already  stealing  in 
a  thin  white  line 
up  the  slope  like 
the  advance  of  a 
ghostly  column, 
with  a  stealth  iness 
that,  in  spite  of 
himself,  touched 
him  with  super- 
stitious signifi- 
cance. A  warm 
perfume,  languid 
and  treacherous — 
as  from  the  swamp 
magnolia  —seemed 
to  rise  from  the 
half-hidden 
marsh.  An 
ominous  silence 
that  appeared  to 
be  a  part  of  this 
veiling  of  all 
things  under  the 
clear,  opal-tinted 
sky  above,  was  so 
little  like  the  hush 
of  rest  and  peace 
that  he  half 
yearned  for  the 
outburst  of 
musketry  and 
tumult  of  attack 
that  might  dispel 
it.  All  that  he 
had  ever  heard  or 
dreamed   of  the 

insidious  South,  with  its  languid  subtleties  of  climate, 
and  of  race,  seemed  to  encompass  him  here. 

But  the  next  moment  he  saw  the  figure  he  was  wait- 
ing for  stealing  towards  him  from  the  shadow  of  the 
galley  beneath  the  negro  quarters. 

Even  in  that  uncertain  light  there  was  no  mistaking 
the  tall  figure,  the  gaudily  striped,  clinging  gown  and 
turbaned  head.  And  then  a  strange  revulsion  of  feeling 
quite  characteristic  of  the  emotional  side  of  his  singular 
temperament,  overcame  him.  He  was  taking  leave  of 
his  wife — the  dream  of  his  youth — perhaps  for  ever ! 
It  should  be  no  parting  in  anger  as  at  Robles  ;  it  should 


HE    TURNED  BACK. 


be  with  a  tenderness  that  would  blot  out  their  past 
in  their  separate  memories — God  knows  !  it  might 
even  be  that  a  parting  at  that  moment,  was  a  joining  of 
them  in  eternity.  In  his  momentary  exaltation  it  even 
struck  him  that  it  was  a  duty,  no  less  sacred, no  less  unsel- 
fish than  the  one  to  which  he  had  devoted  his  life.  The 
light  was  growing  stronger ;  he  could  hear  voices 
in  the  nearest  picket  line,  and  the  sound  of  a  cough  in 
the  invading  mist.  He  made  a  hurried  sign  to  the  on- 
coming figure  to  follow  him,  ran  ahead,  and  halted  at 

last  in  the  cover 
of  a  hack-ma-tack 
bush.  Still  gazing 
forward  over  the 
marsh,  he 
stealthily  held  out 
his  hand  behind 
him  as  the  rustling 
skirt  came  nearer. 
At  last  his  hand 
was  touched — but 
even  at  that  touch 
he  started  and 
turned  quickly. 

It  was  not  his 
wife,  but  Rose  ! — 
her  mulatto 
double  !  Her  face 
was  rigid  with 
fright,  her  beady 
eyes  staring  in 
their  china 
sockets;  her  white 
teeth  chattering. 
Yet  she  would 
have  spoken . 

"  Hush  !  "  he 
said,  clutching  her 
hand,  in  a  fierce 
whisper.  "Not  a 
word  ! " 

She  was  holding 
something  white 
in  her  fingers  ;  he 
snatched  it 
quickly.  It  was 
a  note  from  his 
wife — not  in  the 
disguised  hand  of 
her  first  warning, 
but  in  one  that 
he  remembered 

as  if  it  were  a 
voice  from  their 


past. 


"  Forgive  me  for  disobeying  you  to  save  you  from  cap- 
ture, disgrace,  or  death — which  would  have  come  to  you 
where  you  were  going  !  I  have  taken  Rose's  pass.  1  ou 
need  not  fear  that  your  honour  will  suffer  by  it,  for  if 
I  am  stopped  I  shall  confess  that  I  took  it  from  her. 
Think  no  more  of  me,  Clarence,  but  only  of  yourself. 
You  are  in  danger." 

He  crushed  the  letter  in  his  hand. 

"  Tell  me,"  he  said  in  a  fierce  whisper,  seizing  her 
arm,  "  and  speak  low.    When  did  you  leave  her?" 

"  Sho'ly  just  now  !  "  gasped  the  frightened  woman. 

He  flung  her  aside.    There  might  be  still  time  to 


188 


TO-DAY. 


overtake  and  save  her  before  she  reached  the  picket 
lines.    He  ran  up  the  gully,  and  out  on  to  the  slope  to- 
wards the  first  guard  post.    But  a  familiar  challenge 
reached  his  ear  and  his  heart  stopped  beating. 
"  Who  goes  there?" 

There  was  a  pause,  a  rattle  of  arms — voices — another 
pause — and  Brant  stood  breathlessly  listening.  Then  the 
voice  rose  again  slowly  and  clearly  :  "  Pass  the  mulatto 
woman ! " 

Thank  God !  she  was  saved !  But  the  thought  had 
scarcely  crossed  his  mind  before  it  seemed  to  him  that  a 
blinding  crackle  of  sparks  burst  out  along  the  whole 
slope  below  the  wall,  a  characteristic  yell  which  he  knew 
too  well  rang  in  his  ears,  and  an  undulating  line  of  dusty 
figures  came  leaping  like  grey  wolves  out  of  the  mist 
upon  his  pickets.  He  heard  the  shouts  of  his  men  fall- 
ing back  as  they  fired ;  the  harsh  commands  of  a  few 
officers  hurrying  to  their  posts,  and  knew  that  he  had 
been  hopelessly  surprised  and  surrounded  ! 

He  ran  forward  among  his  disorganised  men.  To  his 
consternation  no  one  seemed  to  heed  him  !  Then  the 
remembrance  of  his  disguise  flashed  upon  him.  But 
lie  had  only  time  to  throw  away  his  hat  and  snatch  a 
sword  from  a  falling  lieutenant,  before  a  scorching  flash 
seemed  to  pass  before  his  eyes  and  burn  through  his  hair, 
and  he  dropped  like  a  log,  beside  his  subaltern. 

***** 

An  aching  under  the  bandage  around  his  head  where 
a  spent  bullet  had  grazed  his  scalp,  and  the  sound  of 
impossible  voices  in  his  ears  were  all  he  knew  as  he 
struggled  slowly  back  to  consciousness  again.  Even 
then  it  still  seemed  a  delusion,  for  he  was  lying  on  a 
■cot  in  his  own  hospital,  yet  with  officers  of  the  Division 
staff  around  him,  and  the  Division  Commander,  him 
self,  standing  by  his  side,  and  regarding  him  with  an 
air  of  grave  but  not  unkindly  concern.  But  the  wounded 
man  felt  instinctively  that  it  was  not  the  effect  of  his 
physical  condition,  and  a  sense  of  shame  came  suddenly 
over  him,  which  was  not  dissipated  by  his  superior's 
words.  For,  motioning  the  others  aside,  the  Major- 
General  leaned  over  his  cot,  and  said — 

"  Until  a  few  moments  ago,  the  report  was  that  you 
had  been  captured  in  the  first  rush  of  the  rear-guard 
which  we  were  rolling  up  for  your  attack,  and  when  you 
were  picked  up,  just  now,  in  plain  clothes  on  the  slope, 
you  were  not  recognised.  The  one  thing  seemed  to  be 
as  improbable  as  the  other,"  he  added  significantly. 

The  miserable  truth  flashed  across  Brant's  miind. 
Hooker  must  have  been  captured  in  his  clothes — perhaps 
in  some  extravagant  sally — and  had  not  been  recognised 
in  the  confusion  by  his  own  officers.  Nevertheless,  he 
raised  his  eyes  to  his  superior. 

"  You  got  my  note  1 " 

The  General's  brow  darkened. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  slowly,  "  but  finding  you  thus  unpre- 
pared— I  had  been  thinking  just  now  that  you  had  been 
deceived  by  that  woman- — or  by  others — and  that  it  was 
a  clumsy  forgery."  He  stopped,  and  seeing  the  hopeless 
bewilderment  in  the  face  of  the  wounded  man,  added 
more  kindly  :  "  But  we  will  not  talk  of  that  in  your  pre- 
sent condition.  The  Doctor  says  a  few  hours  will  put 
you  straight  again.  Get  strong — for  I  want  you  to  lose 
no  time — for  your  own  sake — to  report  yourself  at  Wash- 
ington." 

"Report  nryself — at  Washington!"  repeated  Brant, 
slowly. 

"That  was  last  night's  order,"  said  the  Commander, 


with  r/iili-ary  c  irtness.  Then  he  burst  out:  "I  don't 
understand  it,  Brant !  I  believe  you  have  been  misun- 
derstood, misrepresented,  perhaps  maligned — and  1 
shall  make  it  iwj  business  to  see  the  thing  through — 
but  those  are  the  Department  orders.  And  for  the  pre- 
sent— I  am  sorry  to  say  you  are  relieved  of  your  crm- 
mand." 

He  turned  away,  and  Brant  closed  his  eyes.  With  them 
it  seemed  to  him  that  he  closed  his  career.  No  ono 
would  ever  understand  his  explanation — even  had  he 
been  tempted  to  give  one,  and  he  knew  he  never  would. 
Everything  wis  over  now !  Even  this  wretched  bullet 
had  not  struck  him  fairly,  and  culminated  his  fate  as  it 
might :  For  an  instant,  he  recalled  his  wife's  last  offer 
to  liy  with  him  bey  end  the  seas — beyond  this  cruel  in- 
justice—  but  even  as  he  recalled  it,  he  knew  that  flight 
meant  the  worst  of  all — a  half-confession !  But  slut 
had  escaped!  Thank  Gcd  for  that!  Again  and  asrain 
in  his  hopeless  perplexity  this  comfort  returned  to  him. 
he  had  saved  her.  He  had  done  his  duty.  And  harp- 
ing unon  this  in  his  strange  fatalism,  it  at  last  seemed 
to  him  that  this  was  for  what  he  had  lived — for  what  he 
had  suffered — for  what  he  had  fitly  ended  his  career. 
Pei haps  it  was  left  for  him  now  to  pass  his  remaining 
years  in  forgotten  exile — even  as  his  father  had — his 
father  ! — his  breath  came  quickly  at  the  thought — God 
knows!  perhans  as  wrongfully  accused!  It  may  have 
been  a  Providence  that  she  had  borne  him  no  child,  to 
whom  this  dreadful  heritage  could  be  again  transmitted. 

There  was  something  of  this  strange  and  fateful 
resignation  in  his  face,  a  few  hours  later,  when  he  was 
able  to  be  helped  again  into  the  saddle.  But  he  could 
see  in  the  eyes  of  the  few  comrades  who  commiseratingly 
took  leave  of  him,  a  vague,  half-repressed  awe  of  some 
indefinite  weakness  in  the  man,  that  mingled  with 
their  heartfelt  parting  with  a  gallant  soldier.  Yet 
even  this  touched  him  no  longer.  He  cast  a  glance 
at  the  house  and  the  room  where  he  had  parted  from  her, 
at  the  slope  from  which  she  had  passed — and  rode  away. 

And  then,  as  his  figure  disappeared  down  the  road, 
the  restrained  commentary  of  wonder,  surmise  and 
criticism  broke  out :  — 

"  It  must  have  been  something  mighty  bad,  for  the  old 
man,  who  swears  by  him,  looked  rather  troubled.  And 
it  was  deuced  queer,  you  know,  this  changing  clothes 
with  somebody,  just  before  this  surprise  !  " 

"Nonsense!  It's  something  away  back  of  that! 
Didn't  you  hear  the  old  man  say  that  the  orders  for  him 
to  report  himself  came  from  Washington  last  night? 
No  !  " — the  speaker  lowered  his  voice — "  Strangeways 
says  that  he  had  regularly  sold  himself  out  to  one  of 
them  d — d  Secesh  woman  spies !  It's  the  old  Marc 
Antony  business  over  again  !  " 

"  Now  I  think  of  it,"  said  a  younger  subaltern,  "  he  did 
seem  mightily  taken  with  one  of  those  quadroons  or 
mulattoes  he  issued  orders  against.  I  suppose  that  was  a 
blind  for  us  !  I  remember  the  first  day  he  saw  her  ;  he 
was  regularly  keen  to  know  all  about  her." 

Major  Curtis  gave  a  short  laugh. 

"  That  mulatto,  Martin,  was  a  white  woman,  burnt- 
corked  !  She  was  trying  to  get  through  the  lines  last 
night,  and  fell  off  a  wall,  or  got  a  knock  on  the  head 
from  a  sentry's  carbine.  When  she  was  brought  in. 
Doctor  Simmons  set  to  washing  the  blood  off  her  face ; 
the  cork  came  off.  and  the  whole  thing  came  out.  Brant 
hushed  it  up — and  the  woman,  too — in  his  own  quarters! 


DECEMBER  15,  1S04. 


TO-DAY. 


189 


It's  supposed  now  that  she  got  away  somehow  in  the 
rush ! " 

"  It  goes  further  back  than  that,  gentlemen,"  said  the 
adjutant,  authoritatively.  "They  say  his  wife  was  a 
howling  Secessionist,  four  years  ago,  in  California,  was 
mixed  up  in  a  conspiracy,  and  he  had  to  leave  on  account 
of  it.  Look  how  thick  he  and  that  Miss  Faulkner 
became,  before  he  helped  her  off !  " 

<;  That's  your  jealousy,  Tommy ;  she  knew  he  was,  by 
all  odds,  the  biggest  man  here,  and  a  good  deal  more, 
too,  and  you  had  no  show ! " 

In  the  laugh  that  followed,  it  would  seem  that  Brant's 
eulogy  had  been  spoken  and  forgotten.  But  as  Lieu- 
tenant Martin  was  turning  away,  a  lingering  Corporal 
touched  his  cap. 

"  You  were  speaking  of  those  prowling  mulattoes,  sir. 
You  know  the  General  passed  one  out  this  morning." 

"  So  I  have  heard." 

"  I  reckon  she  didn't  get  very  far.  It  was  just  at  the 
time  that  we  were  driven  in  by  their  first  fire,  and  I  think 
she  got  her  share  of  it,  too.  Do  you  mind  walking  this 
way,  sir?" 

The  Lieutenant  did  not  mind,  although  he  rather  lan- 


guidly followed.  When  they  had  reached  the  top  of  the 
gully,  the  corporal  pointed  to  what  seemed  to  be  a  bit  of 
striped  calico  hanging  on  a  thorn  bush  in  the  ravine. 

"  That's  her,"  said  the  Corporal.  "  I  know  the  dress  ; 
I  was  on  guard  when  she  was  passed.  The  searchers, 
who  were  picking  up  our  men,  haven't  got  to  her  yet ; 
but  she  ain't  moved  or  stirred  these  two  hours.  Would 
you  like  to*  go  down  and  see  her  ? " 

The  Lieutenant  hesitated.  He  was  young,  and  slightly 
fastidious  as  to  unnecessary  unpleasantness.  He  believed 
lie  would  wait,  until  the  searchers  brought  her  up,  when 
the  corporal  might  call  him. 

The  mist  came  up  gloriously  from  the  swamp  like  a. 
golden  halo.  And  as  Clarence  Brant,  already  forgotten, 
rode  moodily  through  it,  towards  Washington,  hugging 
to  his  heart  the  solitary  comfort  of  his  great  sacrifice, 
his  wife,  Alice  Brant,  for  whom  he  had  made  it,  was 
lying  in  the  ravine,  dead  and  uncared  for.  Perhaps  it 
was  part  of  the  inconsistency  of  her  sex  that  she  was 
pierced  with  the  bullets  of  those  she  had  loved,  and 
was  wearing  the  garments  of  the  race  that  she  had 
wronged. 

END  OF   PART  II. 

( To  be  continued.) 


PIERCED  WITH  THE  BULLETS  OF  THOSE  SHE  HAD  LOVED. 


90  TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1894. 


ADVENTURES    OF  A 
CHRISTMAS  HAMPER. 

BY 

FRED  WHISHAW. 
{Illustrated  by  J.  W.  Manuel.) 

£L  '|  "^T    was  Christ- 

I      mas  Eve,  and 
i      a    most  un- 
precedented 
eventoccurred 
in     Alpha  Street, 
Latimer  Road.  At 
two  o'clock   in  the 
afternoon  a  Carter 
Paterson  vehicle  had 
rumbled    into  that 
unsavoury  thorou  gh- 
fare  and  stopped  at 
the  first  door  ;  here 
it  shot  out  a  porter 
who  had  surprised 
the  neighbourhood 
by  violently  agitat- 
i  n g    the  rusty 
knocker — an  indig- 
nity to  which  that 
instrument  had  not 
been  put  for  years, 
for   the   door  was 
always  open,  and  was 
so,  indeed,  at  this 
moment.  Neverthe- 
less the  agent  of  Messrs.  Carter,  Paterson  knocked 
lustily,  and  brought  around  him  the  entire  population 
•of  the  street  by  so  doing. 

"  Anyone  of  the  name  of  Smith  live  here — E.  Smith  ? " 
he  had  inquired. 

It  so  happened  that  someone  of  that  classic  name  did 
live  at  No.  1,  Alpha  Street;  which  fact  being  ascer- 
tained, the  porter  returned  to  the  vehicle,  selected  a 
package  from  the  load  of  similar  packages  composing 
the  cargo  of  his  van,  lifted  it  in  at  the  doorway,  and 
drove  off  again,  rumbling  away  down  the  street  in  a  way 
to  set  the  whole  double  row  of  disreputable-looking  little 
houses  trembling  again. 

A  dozen  inquisitive  faces  immediately  bent  over  the 
package  thus  mysteriously  deposited  at  No.  1.  It 
proved  to  be  a  hamper  of  fair  size,  securely  corded  and 
labelled.    The  label  bore  the  following  legend  :  — 
E.  Smith  (or  possibly  A.  Smith), 

1,  Alpha  Street  (number  uncertain), 
Latimer  Road, 
which  legend  was  deciphered  and  read  out  by  a  learned 
youth  of  fourteen,  who — bavins:  mastered  its  exact  sig- 
nification— quickly  published  it  to  every  inhabitant  of 
the  house  who  might  not  have  congregated  below  at  the 
carman's  knock. 

"  Hamper,"  cried  the  boy,  "  hamper  for  E.  Smith ! 
Where's  E.  Smith;" 

One  of  the  spectators — an  outsider  no  doubt — in- 
quired of  her  neighbour  who  E.  Smith  was. 

"Why,  Ted  Smith,  of  course,"  said  the  other,  "old 
Ted  Smith,  as  buys  old  rags." 

The  fortunate  Ted  Smith  was  soon  found — indeed,  lie 
now  appeared  coming  down  the  street  wiping  his  mouth 
■with  the  back  of  his  hand,  an  action  which  always  tells 
a  tale  of  the  Corner  House  and  of  Nature  refreshed. 

"  Ted  Smith — ere,  look  up,  there's  something  for 
you,  just  come  by  the  van,"  cried  half  a  dozen  excited 
voices.  ' 

"  Well,  all  right,  can't  my  rich  relations  send  me  a 
(  hrstmas  present  without  your  tellin'  all  the  street?" 
said  Ted,  who — for  all  his  assumed  unconcern — was 
mightily  astonished  at  the  news  of  a.  parcel  for  him. 

"Rich  relations  be  boiled  !  "  said  someone,  disrespect- 
fully ;  ''  you  come  and  see  what  it's  all  about !  " 


Old  Ted  carried  the  hamper  up  to  his  own  room — the 
chamber  in  which  he  lived  and  slept  with  his  entire 
family  of  seven  children,  not  to  mention  the  tired  woman, 
his  wife. 

"  Now  then,  all  of  you,  git  out  of  this !  Why  carn't 
yer  let  a  man  enjoy  the  privacy  of  his  own  apartments  '  " 
Ted  remarked,  as  he  reached  his  room  and  set  down  the 
hamper  in  the  midst.  "  Come,  git,  every  one  of  yer  !  " 
Ted  accompanied  these  inhospitable  words  with  actions 
corresponding,  and  the  accompanying  host  was  forced 
to  retire.  Ted  shut  the  door;  but  this  did  not  secure 
for  him  the  privacy  he  sought,  for  half-a-dozen  eyes 
found  available  chinks  in  keyhole  and  panels  through 
vldch  they  were  enabled  to  watch  subsequent  events 
whh  more  or  less  of  convenience  and  comfort. 

The  old  man  first  proceeded  to  cut  the  cords,  after 
which  he  drew  out  of  the  hamper,  first,  a  slip  of  paper 
Willi  writing  upon  it,  which  he  placed  aside  for  future 
reference  ;  next  a  cold  roast  goose ;  then  a  pound  of 
ban  pork  sausages;  then  a  cold  plum  pudding,  a  cake, 
a  pot  of  yellow  plum  jam,  some  apples  and  a  bottle  of 
currant  wine.  Ted  shook  his  head  over  this  last,  but 
surveyed  pleasantly  enough  the  rest  of  the  tempting 
collection,  though  oppressed  with  an  uncomfortable 
conviction  that  there  was  a  mistake  somewhere  and  that 
the  pood  things  did  not  rightly  belong  to  him,  but  might 
yet  be  claimed  by  their  lawful  owner.  However,  the 
label  said  clearly  enough,  "  E.  Smith,  1,  Alpha  Street," 
and  Ted  was  undoubtedly  known  by  that  name  and 
owned  to  the  address  as  given.  True,  there  was  the 
doubt  in  the  sender's  mind,  as  shown  in  the  added  hint 
that  the  E.  ought  possibly  to  be  an  A.,  and  that  the 
number  of  the  house  might  not  be  i,  but  some  other 
number.  However,  Ted  was  not  the  man  to  refuse 
manna  if  the  clouds  chose  to  rain  it  upon  him,  and  he 
■would  undoubtedly  have  proceeded  to  put  the  good  things 
away  and  collect  his  family  from  their  playgrounds  in 
the  courts  and  alleys  around  in  order  to  tell  them  the 
joyous  news,  when  his  eye  fell  upon  the  slip  of  paper 
which  had  lain  upon  the  top  of  everything  else,  inside 
the  .hamper.    The  note  contained  these  words  :  — 

"  For  my  little  victim,  E.  Smith,  as  compensation  for 
my  carelessness — A.  S." 

Ted  scratched  his  head.  This  made  it  clearer  than 
ever  that  a  mistake  had  taken  place  somewhere.  For 
the  life  of  him  he  could  not'rci  all  any  circumstance 
which  would  lend  itself  to  the  requirements  of  that  label : 
no  one  had  victimised  him  in  any  way — indeed,  the  old 
man  did  not  look  as  though  he  would  easilv  fall  a  victim 
to  anybody,  either  careless  or  designing.  Then  a  thought 
struck  him. 

"Why,  of  course,"  he  said,  "what  a  up-the-chimney 
ijiot  I  am!    There's  little  'Enery — it's  him  of  course!" 

Now  little  'Enery  was  the  youngest  of  the  family  of 
seven,  and  might  be  found  in  any  of  the  gutters  within 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  paternal  residence.  Old  Ted 
cheerfully  prepared  to  sally  forth  in  search  of  the  young 
hopeful  in  order  to  prime  that  youth  in  his  double  role 
of  late  victim  and  present  proprietor  of  the  array  of 
good  things  now  set  forth  in  appetising  profusion  upon 
the  floor  of  the  .chamber. 

But  Enery  saved  his  father  the  trouble  of  going  very 
far  afield  to  look  for  him,  by  showing  his  grimy  little 
face  among  the  crowd  of  other  smeared  countenances 
and  ragged  little  bodies  assembled  at  the  door  to 
scramble  for  the  peep  holes  when  that  door  was  opened 
and  sent  them  Hying.  There  were  "grown-ups"  there, 
too,  and  no  sooner  was  there  a  possibility  of  entering  the 
chamber  and  obtaining  a  closer  view  of  the  riches  dis- 
played therein,  than  the  entire  crowd  forced  their  way 
into  the  sanctum  of  Ted  Smith,  and  stood  around  the 
goose  and  the  pudding  and  other  delights  in  a  gaping 
band,  speechless  with  admiration  too  deep  for  words. 
One  young  person,  the  same  educated  individual  who 
had  originally  read  the  label,  now  fixed  his  attention 
upon  the  slip  of  paper  which  set  forth  the  end  and  object 
of  the  srift,  and  having  made  it  out  privately,  proceeded 
to  read  it  aloud  for  the  benefit  of  the  rest  of  the  com- 
munitv. 


December  15,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


191 


There  was  siience  for  a  moment  as  the  import  of  the 
-document  sunk  into  the  minds  of  the  hearers ;  then  an 
untidy  lady  in  the  crowd,  a  lady  who  appeared  to  have 
neglected  to  "  do  her  hair,"  and  to  fasten  her  dress  on 
this  occasion,  raised  her  voice  and  spoke. 

"'Ere,  'old  on  a  minute,"  she  said,  "what  I  wants 
to  know  is,  'oo  are  these  ere  things  for  ? " 

"  For — why  for  me,  of  course,"  said  old  Ted,  feeling, 
however,  that  the  hamper  was  slipping  from  his  grasp ; 
"  leastways  for  us  !  " 

"You— why  you  ain't  a  little  victim,  are  yer?"  asked 
the  woman,  and  her  remark  received  the  compliment  of 
roars  of  rude  mirth  from  the  appreciative  crowd. 

"Oh,  the  little  victim — that's  'Enery,  of  course  !"  re- 
plied Ted  as  calmly  as  the  somewhat  disturbing  cir- 
cumstances permitted.  "  'Ere,  'Enery,  you  remember 
that  gent  as  nearly  run  over  you  on  the  'orse  in  Uxbridge 
Road.    Well,  ee's  sent  you  a  hamper." 

"What  gent?"  asked  'Enery,  removing  a  huge  crust 
from  his  mouth  to  make  the  remark,  but  fixing  his  eyes 
immovably  upon  the  cold  plum  pudding — a,  circum- 
stance which  prevented  him  from  witnessing  the  expres- 
sion of  his  father's  face,  an  expression  eloquent  with 
unspoken  suggestion. 

"  Why  the  <?ent  as  nearly  rode  over  yer,  and  'arf  killed 
yer  with  fright — you  know." 

There  was  a  note  of  impatience  discernible  in  the  voice 
of  the  father. 

"  There  warn't  no  gent  as  rode  over  me"  said  'Enery, 
gazing  with  all  eyes  at  the  puddinsj.  'Enery  was  too 
younc  to  dissemble  thus  easily  at  a  word. 

"  Garn,  yer  old  liar,"  said  the  lady  rudely,  "  'ee  ain't 
the  victim,  nor  you  neither;  this  'amper  ain't  for  you 
at  all !  It's  my  belief  as  it's  meant  for  the  Alf  Smiths 
at  No.  8 — you  come  along  with  me  and  ask,  Ted  ;  fair's 
fair — yer  carn't  eat  them  things  until  you've  found  out 
if  they're  meant  for 
you  or  someone  else  !  " 

Things  were  un- 
propitious,  certainly  ; 
'Enery  had  proved  a 
lame  horse,  the  crowd 
looked  threatening  ; 
there  was  nothing  to 
be  done.  Ted  cleared 
tire  mob  from  his 
apartment,  locked  the 
door,  and  followed  the 
rest  of  the  world 
towards  No.  8. 

Alf  Smith  was  at 
home,  and  it  was  re- 
solved to  appoint  a 
spokesman — not  Ted, 
whose  remarks  might 
be  prejudiced,  it  was 
thought — to  lay  before 
Alf  the  circumstances 
of  the  case.  The  lady 
whose  hair  has  been 
described  as  still  un- 
smoothed,  did  the 
talking. 

"It's  just  like  this 
'ere,"  she  began,  "  a 
'amper  of  goose  and 
sweet  stuffs  'as  been 
sent  to  E.  Smith — or  it 

may  be  A.,  the  label  says,  at  No.  1  or  some  other  number, 
Alpha  Street ;  inside  is  a  letter  saying  as  it's  from  a  gent 
as  a  make-up  to  somebody  ee's  'urt— -victim's  the  word. 
It  ain't  you,  of  course,  Ave  can  see  that — but  it  might  be 
your  Edgar,  or  Edie  either,  or  p'raps  little  Alf?" 

Old  Alf  was  taken  by  surprise,  or  perhaps  he  might 
have  made  a  better  job  of  it.    He  hesitated. 

"  Why,"  he  said,  thoughtfully,  "  there  was  summat  o' 
that  sort  the  other  day.    Little  Edgar,  'ee  came  home 


ETIE,  OLD 


complaining  of  something,  but  I  don't  rightly  remember 
what." 

The  fact  of  the  matter  was  that  young  Edgar  had  been 
pursued  by  a  policeman  for  throwing  stones  at  the  win- 
dow of  an  unoccupied  house ;  he  had  narrowly  escaped 
capture,  and  had  actually  received  two  cuffs  over  the 
head  before  writhing  out  of  the  grasp  of  the  "  copper." 
But  if  old  Alf  did  not  remember  the  details  of  the  cir- 
cumstance, there  were  many  present  who  did,  and  some- 
one remarked  it  was  rather  improbable  that  a  "  copper  " 
would  feel  remorse  under  any  circumstances,  and  that 
undoubtedly  young  Edgar  had  merely  received  the  just 
punishment  for  his  offences,  and  was  in  no  sense  a  victim. 
The  donor  of  the  hamper  was  certainly  not  the  man  of 
law ;  Edgar  was  not  the  proprietor.  The  crowd  were 
about  to  leave  the  Alf  Smiths,  when  a  far  more  doughty 
warrior  came  upon  the  field — none  other  than  the  strong- 
minded  spouse  of  Alf,  and  the  regulator  of  his  establish- 
ment. 

A  very  different  person  was  this  to  her  thick-witted 
lord,  who  was  slow  in  his  intellectual  movements,  and 
unable  to  rise  to  an  emergency  such  as  the  present. 
Mrs.  Smith  hurtled  into'  the  apartment,  scattering  spec- 
tators right  and  left,  and  made  for  the  centre  of  the 
crowd  ;  she  thought  it  was  a  quarrel,  and  that  her  hus- 
band was  being  abused  by  the  lady  of  the  unkempt  locks. 

"Now,  then,"  she  said,  bursting  in  upon  the  privy 
council,  "  what  is  it — what's  my  man  done< — and  what  do 
yer  all  want  1 " 

The  situation  was  explained  in  a  few  words. 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  said  Mrs.  Alf ;  "  it's  my  Ede. 
Here,  Ede,  come  along  'ere.  She  was  'arf  drowned  the 
other  day.  That's  it ;  all  right.  I  was  thinkin'  they'd 
do  the  'andsome  by  'er.  Now,  then,  where's  this  'ere 
'amper  ? " 

"  Steady  on,  Eliza,'"  said  an  unbeliever  :  "  'oo  drowned 
'cr  1 " 

"  'Oo  drowned  'er  1 
Why,  this  'er  A.  S.,  as 
signed  the  letter,  of 
course  ■ —  Annie  Sar- 
gent," added  Mrs.  A. 
Smith,  with  marvellous 
presence  of  mind  — ■• 
"  'ousemaid  in  Royal 
Crescent,  No.  114. 
Little  Ede  there  was 
passin'  by,  doin'  no 
'arm,  when  the  girl 
ups  and  empties  a 
large  pail  o'  slops  down 
the  front  stairs  as 
nigh  took  my  Ede  off 
'or  legs,  and  swamped 
her  through  —  didn't 
she,  Ede  ?" 

"Ah!  she  did,"  said 
the  small  child 
addressed,  who  looked 
as  though  a  pail  of 
soapy  water  would  be 
no  more  than  a  bless- 
ing in  disguise  in  her 
case,  at  any  time,  and 
however  applied;  "she 
did — but  I  gave  her 
what-for!" 

This  was  literally 
true ;  for  Miss  Edith 
Smith  favoured  her  mother  in  the  readiness  of  her  tongue, 
and  came  behind  no  child  in  Alpha  Street  as  regards  the 
facility  with  which  she  could  turn  again  and  abuse  an 
enemy.  On  the  particular  occasion  in  point  she  had  indeed 
given  the  erring  housemaid  "what-for;"  she  had  addressed 
remarks  to  that  careless  young  person  such  as  her  polite 
ears  had  possibly  never  before  listened  to,  and  which 
caused  her  to  retire  behind  the  front  door  as  quickly  as 
she  could  effect  a  retreat  from  the  child's  withering 


TO-DAY. 


December  15,  1894. 


sarcasms.  It  is  probable  that  the  housemaid  had  not 
sent  the  hamper. 

"  What  did  the  'ousemaid.  say  after  she  swamped 
yer?"  inquired  the  unkempt  lady,  who  had  appointed 
herself  manageress  of  these  proceedings. 

"  She  didn't  say  nothin',  but  '  Oh,  Lor ! '  and  went  ln: 
side,"  said  Ede. 

"  Didn't  she  ask  your  address,  nor  nothing  1 " 

"  I'd  'ave  addressed  her  pretty  sharp  if  she  had,"  said 
Ede. 

The  company  were  divided.  Some  felt  that  a  case 
had  been  made  out  by  Ede,  and  that  the  heart  of  the 
housemaid  had  possibly  softened  towards  the  child  she 
had  doused  with  her  soapsuds;  others  thought  this  im- 
probable. The  mother  expressed  herself  "  sure  of  it"  ; 
but  she  did  not  jump  at  the  suggestion  made  by  some- 
one that  a  deputy  should  be  sent  to  inquire  for  "Annie 
Sargent."  Mrs.  Smith  was  unable  to  recollect  how  she 
had  become  acquainted  with  the  name  of  the  servant, 
but  eventually  stated  that  she  had  "  been  to  complain." 
In  the  end,  however,  the  claim  was  rejected,  and  it  was 
decided  to  look  up  other  families  of  Smiths  in  the  street 
— there  were  three  other  such  families,  at  least — and  an 
adjournment  was  made  by  the  crowd,  with  this  object. 

It  was  really  astonishing  how  unfortunate  all  the  E. 
and  A.  Smiths  in  Alpha  Street  had  been  of  late.  There 
was  not  one  who  had  not  received  a  scare  or  an  injury  of 
some  sort  during  the  last  fortnight  or  so.  True,  none 
were  suffering  at  the  moment  from  the  effects  of  these 
alarms  and  injuries  ;  but  all  had  been  much  upset  at  the 
time,  according  to  their  parents.  Little  Edwin  Smith, 
at  No.  11,  for  instance,  had  been  knocked  into  the  gutter 
by  a  passing  bicycle,  and  had  had  a  tooth  knocked  out. 
There  was  a  gap  in  the 
child's  mouth,  sure  enough,  as 
the  fond  mother  pointed  out, 
and  this  leant  colour  to  the 
tale  ;  but  then,  as  one  neigh- 
bour stated,  the  cyclist  had 
taken  no  notice  of  the  accident 
— had  not,  in  fact,  touched 
the  child,  which  had  merely 
tripped  and  fallen  as  he 
passed  ;  while  anothor  neigh- 
bour declared  that  the  boy's 
mother  had  pulled  out  the 
tooth  herself,  and  she  (the 
neighbour)  had  seen  her 
(the  mother)  perform  the 
operation  ;  therefore,  little  Edwin's  claim  to  the  hamper 
fell  through. 

On  examination,  all  the  Smiths'  claims  were  found  to 
be  equally  weak,  and  eventually  no  better  solution  of  the 
problem  could  be  found  than  that  proposed  by  the  lady 
ol  the  locks — namely,  that  the  Smith  families  should 
divide  the  good  things  in  equal  proportions  among  them- 
selves. This  amicable  arrangement  was  agreed  to,  and 
after  some  hours  devoted  to  the  investigations  of  \vhich 
a  short  sketch  has  been  given,  the  assembled  Smiths, 
escorted  by  a  large  crowd  of  witnesses,  returned  to  the 
apartment  of  old  Ted  Smith,  in  order  to  carry  out  the 
terms  of  the  arrangement.  But  now  a  shocking  discovery 

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was  made.  When  the  room  of  the  last-named  was  un- 
locked and  entered,  there  was  not  a  trace  of  the  good 
things  which  had  erewhile  offered  such  a  fascinating 
spectacle,  save  and  except  the  bottle  of  currant  wine,  a 
bag  of  apples,  ditto  of  oranges,  and  the  empty  hamper 
itself.  Now,  there  were  plenty  of  keys — skeleton  and 
otherwise — in  Alpha  Street  which  would  open  the  lock, 
of  Mr.  E.  Smith's  door,  or  any  other  door ;  therefore,  it 
would  not  be  fair  to  throw  the  entire  weight  of  suspicion 
upon  that  gentleman.  Moreover,  when  the  above  strange 
discovery  was  made,  there  was  no  person  among  the- 
crcwd  of  shocked  and  wondering  people  present 
who  was  more  shocked  and  surprised  than  old 
Ted  himself.  At  the  same  time,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  during  the  excitement  attending  the  examination 
of  various  candidates  for  the  possession  of  that  hamper, 
ho  had  ample  opportunities  for  a  visit  to  his  own  apart- 
ment— a  visit  which  might  easily  have  been  paid  without 
attracting  much  attention ;  while  Ted's  facilities  for  con- 
cealing geese  or  other  articles  were  considerable,  Ted 
being  a  dealer  in  rags  and  bones,  and  having  at  his 
disposal  sacks  half  filled  with  papers  and  other  refuse, 
extremely  convenient  for  that  purpose. 

If  the  present  writer  were  examined  as  to  his  private 
opinion  in  this  matter,  he  would,  he  fears,  after  carefully 
weighing  the  question  in  all  its  bearings,  be  obliged  to 
own  to  the  conviction  that  the  E.  Smiths  had  roast  goose 
for  dinner  on  Christmas  Day ;  moreover,  it  is  also  the 
writer's  private  belief  that  Mrs.  Alf  Smith  and  family 
included  a  pound  of  best  pork  sausages  in  the  menu  of 
their  Christmas  repast ;  and,  furthermore,  that  the  lady 
of  the  unkempt  locks  became  possessed  of  a  cold  plum- 
pudding — perhaps  as  "  hush-money."    As  for  the  other 

and  milder  members  of  the 
Smith  family,  it  is  certain 
that  they  received  no  share 
of  the  spoil ;  having  estab- 
^^^J  lished  no  claim  to  any  such 

\         ^^s^         share,  they  could  not,  of 
/         ^  >y      course,  expect  it.    So  they 

had  nothing  to  complain  of. 
— —      "  At  No.  1 9,  Alpha  Street, 

a  child,  with  his  arm  in  a 
sling,  lay  tossing  upon  his 
\  [  bed — a  pretty  child  named 

Eddie  Brown.  Poor  Eddie 
had  been  run  over  by  a 
bicycle  on  the  previous  dav 

G    UPON    HIS    BED.  J  .  1  i  11 

He  was  not  very  badly 
hurt,  but  had  been  considerably  upset,  in  both  senses  of 
the  word.  His  mother  sat  at  the  window  watching  with 
distaste  the  movements  of  the  noisy  Smiths  and  their 
friends.  Poverty  obliged  her  to  live  among  these  people, 
but  she  was  not  of  them,  and  knew  nothing  of  their 
affairs. 

"  Mother,"  said  little  Eddie,  "  the  gentleman  on  the 
bicycle  was  going  to  send  me  a  lovely  hamper  this  after- 
noon !    I  wish  it  would  come  !  " 

And  poor  Eddie  continued  to  toss  upon  his  hot  bed 
until  the  night  came.  But  no  hamper  arrived.  Beat* 
possidentes  !    Such  is  life  ! 

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E^ite\By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Yol.  V.— No.  59.     LONDON,  SATURDAY,  DECEMBER  22,  1894.     Price  Twopence. 


REMINISCENCES  OF 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 


A 


BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 

Illustrated   by  W.  Dewar. 


IV. 

The  Apotheosis  op  Bill  Smith. 

It  is  a  far  cry  from  the  solid  and  sober  respectability 
•of  an  old-fashioned  West-end  firm  to  the  squalid,  dingy 
office  of  a  fifth-rate 
practitioner  in  Pen- 
tonville.  The  old  say- 
ing that  one  half  the 
world  does  not  know 
liow  the  other  half 
lives  is  strikingly  ex- 
emplified in  the  con- 
trast presented  be- 
tween the  business  of 
a  respectable  solicitor 
and  that  of  a  strug- 
gling, out-at-elbows, 
impecunious  Police- 
court  attorney,  who  is 
hard  put  to  it,  each 
autumn,  to  raise  the 
necessary  fees  for  the 
renewal  of  his  Certifi- 
cate at  the  Law  Insti- 
tute. I  have  had  per- 
sonal experience  of 
this  shady  side  of  pro- 
fessional life,  for  I 
once  found  a  haven  of 
refuge  for  a  short  time 
as  "tout,"  or  irregular 
assistant,  to  Mr.  Pack- 
man, of  Little  Elliot 
Street,  Pentonville 
Road. 

I  am  not  going  to 
speak  unkindly  of  a 
man  who  befriended 
me,   and,   indeed,  Mr 
specimen  of  his  class. 


"SHE  KNOWS  I  WAS  IN  TROUBLE  ONE'ST. 


Packman  was  a  very  fair 
It  was  rather  his  misfortune 
"than  his  fault  that  his  practice  was  of  a  dubious  descrip- 
tion. It  is  easy  to  be  punctilious  on  points  of  profes- 
sional etiquette  and  to  disdain  equivocal  methods  of  de- 


fence when  one's  clients  are  respectable  citizens.  He 
was  honest  according  to  his  lights,  but  business  inter- 
course with  the  lowest  class  of  criminals  is  not  calcu- 
lated to  promote  a  high  standard  of  morality. 

I  am  not  very  proud  of  my  connection  with  Mr.  Pack- 
man, and  have  no  desire  to  dwell  upon  that  portion  of  ray 
career.  Fortunately  it  was  brief,  for  after  a  few  months 
I  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  more  reputable  berth.  I 
should  probably  have  passed  over  the  disagreeable  epi- 
sode in  silence  had  it  not  been  the  means  of  introducing 
me  to  Mr.  William  Smith,  to  whose  memory  I  consider 
that  I  owe  the  justice  of  revealing  an  unsuspected  side 

of  his  character. 

When  the  adjacent 
Police-court  was  closed 
and  there  was  no  pro- 
fessional job  to  be 
picked  up  by  lounging 
about  its  precincts  or 
at  the  bar  of  the  pub 
lie-house  opposite,  Mr. 
Packman  and  I  used 
to  smoke  a  pipe  to- 
gether occasionally  in 
the  little  back  room 
over  the  saddler's  shop 
which  served  him  for 
an  office.  There  was 
no  pride  of  station 
about  Mr.  Packman, 
and,  for  that  matter, 
I  was  by  birth  and 
education  more  than 
his  equal.  Moreover, 
I  was  not  precisely  his 
clerk,  for  my  engage- 
ment with  him  was 
based  upon  an  illicit 
system  of  partnership 
or  division  ef  profits 
derived  from  business 
which  I  managed  to 
introduce.  Therefore, 
Mr.  Packman  never 
stood  upon  ceremony 
with  me,  and  being 
of  a  feebly  sociable  turn  of  mind,  was  always  very 
confidential  and  friendly. 

We  were  chatting  together  one  afternoon  and  bewail- 
ing the  slackness  of  business  when  the  door  opened  and 
Mr.  William  Smith  revealed  his  existence  to  me  for  the* 


Copyright,  1894,  by  Herbert  Keen. 


194 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


first  time.  He  was  a  tall,  stalwart  young  fellow,  with 
a  massive  lower  jaw  and  a  handsome  lace  and  figure.  He 
wore  a  billycock  hat,  and  his  muscular  neck  was  enve- 
loped in  a  coloured  silk  handkerchief,  the  ends  of  which 
were  tied  in  rather  a  jaunty  bow.  The  rest  of  his  attiro 
was  that  of  a  respectable  mechanic  with  a  tendency  to 
flashiness ;  but  his  appearance  was  marred  by  that  inde- 
scribable furtiveness  which  marks  the  professional 
wrongdoer.  His  entrance  was  abrupt,  and  on  beholding 
me  he  retreated  a  step  in  a  very  significant  manner. 

"  It  is  all  right,  Bill,"  said  Mr.  Packman,  with  mingled 
familiarity  and  deference,  "  this  gentleman  is  my  assist- 
ant, Mr.  Millicent." 

"  I  thought  you  was  alone,"  said  Mr.  Smith,  in  a  some- 
what husky  voice,  eyeing  me  very  sulkily. 

"  It  is  just  the  same  as  if  I  was,  Bill,"  said  Mr.  Pack- 
man, in  a  reassuring  tone.    "What  is  it?    Business  1" 

"  Well,  I  did  want  a  word  or  two  on  business.  You're 
right,  guv'nor,"  replied  Bill,  evidently  not  at  all  recon- 
ciled to  my  presence. 

"  This  is  my  client,  Mr.  William  Smith,"  said  Mr. 
Packman,  turning  to  me  in  a  manner  which  plainly  im- 
plied that  he  had  no  particular  anxiety  to  be  left  alone 
with  him.    "  What  is  it,  Bill  ?    In  trouble  again  1 " 

"  No,  guv'nor,  'tain't  that,"  replied  Bill,  who  seemed 
mollified  by  the  formal  introduction.  "  I  ain't  on  that 
lay  any  more  now." 

"  Oh  !  "  ejaculated  Mr.  Packman. 

"No,  I've  turned  it  up,  s'help  me!"  said  Bill,  with 
vigour.    "  I'm  working  at  my  trade." 

Mr.  Packman's  lips  looked  as  though  they  were  about 
to  frame  the  compromising  question,  "Which?"  but 
before  he  could  speak,  his  client  proceeded — ■ 

"  I'm  a  wheelwright,  I  am.  That's  my  trade.  That's 
what  I'm  working  at,  I  am,"  said  he,  with  the  vehement 
reiteration  of  the  uneducated. 

"  A  wheelwright,  eh  ? "  said  Mr.  Packman,  encourag- 
ingly. 

"  Yus  !  Got  a  job  out  Camberwell  way.  Been  there  a 
week.    I'm  gettin'  on  foine." 

"  That's  right,"  said  Mr.  Packman. 

"  Yus !  It  is  right.  I  tell  yer  straight,  guv'nor,  I'm 
agoin'  to  stick  to  it.  Wot's  more,  I'm  goin'  to  get 
spliced,"  added  Bill,  with  an  ingenuous  blush. 

"  Married  !  "  ejaculated  Mr.  Packman  politely. 

"Yus!  Reg'lar  married.  At  a  church  with  a  real 
parson,"  said  Bill,  with  growing  excitement.  "  The 
bangs  is  goin'  off  every  Sunday." 

"  Who  is  the  young  woman?"  enquired  Mr.  Packman. 

"  Hemmer,  'er  name  is.  Hemmer  Styles.  Comes 
from  up  North,  near  Birmingham.  She's  got  a  uncle 
wot  keeps  a  public  'ouse.  She's  a  servant  in  a  gen'el- 
man's  family,"  said  Bill,  lowering  his  voice. 

"  Oh !  "  remarked  Mr.  Packman,  rather  meaningly. 

"  i  tell  yer  it's  straight,  guv'nor,"  cried  Bill,  as  though 
repudiating  some  unspoken  insinuation.  "  It  ain't  no 
fake.  She's  got  religion,  my  gal  has.  That's  why  we're 
going  to  be  married  in  a  church." 

"  Wei!,  that  is  all  right,  Bill,"  said  Mr.  Packman 
impatiently,  evidently  less  interested  than  I  by  the  young 
man's  uncouth  enthusiasm ;  "  mustn't  get  into  trouble 
any  more.  Does — does  the  young  woman  know?"  he 
added,  with  delicate  hesitation. 

"  She  knows  I  was  in  trouble  one'st,"  said  Bill,  looking 
shamefaced. 

"  Once  !  "  repeated  Mr.  Packman,  raising  his  eyebrows. 

"Well,  it's  enough,  ain't  it?"  cried  Bill,  with  sudden 
fierceness.  "  There  ain't  no  call  to  tell  her  everythink. 
She  got  that  out  of  me  along  of  her  religion,"  he  added 
in  rather  an  awestricken  voice,  "  and  now  she  thinks  she 
knows.    Well,  wot's  the  odds?    It's  all  over  now  !  " 

"And  what  can  I  do  for  you,  Bill  ? "  inquired  Mr.  Pack- 
man, turning  the  conversation  either  from  delicacy  or 
from  business  motives. 

"  I  want  to  buy  a  little  place  up  my  way  ;  a  four  room 
'ouse  it  is,  with  a  garding.    Wot's  more,  I'm  going  to 


furnish  it  in  slap-up  style.  I  promised  her  a  'ouse  of 
'er  own.    I've  got  the  money ;  see  'ere." 

As  he  spoke,  Mr.  Smith  produced,  from  various 
pockets,  sundry  small  parcels,  some  paper,  others  dirty 
rag  tied  round  with  string,  and  ranged  them  in  front  of 
him  on  the  office  table. 

"There's  nigh  on  thiee  hundred  quid  there."  he  said 
with  pride,  "  all  in  golden  soverings." 

"  H'm ! "  coughed  Mr.  Packman,  looking  on  doubt- 
fully while  Bill  undid  the  parcels. 

"  It's  an  old  job.  Blowed  over  long  ago.  But  ths 
stuff  had  to  be  taken  to  Amsterdam,  and  I've  only  just 
got  my  share,"  said  Bill,  in  answer  to  Mr.  Packman's 
cough. 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  do  with  it  1 "  said  Mr. 
Packman,  avoiding  my  eye  rather  nervously.  "  These,  I 
understand,  are  your  savings,  Bill  ? " 

"  That's  right.  I  want  you  to  take  the  money  and  do 
the  law  work  about  buying  this  little  'ouse.  Then  I 
want  you  to  tie.it  all  up,  'ouse,  furniture  and  everythink, 
so  as  it'll  be  'ers." 

"Your  future  wife's?" 

"  That's  it.  You  know  what  I  mean,  and  how  it's 
done  " 

"  A  marriage  settlement,"  murmured  Mr.  Packman, 
with  manifest  astonishment. 

.  "  I  don't  care  what  it's  called,  so  long  as  it*s  done," 
said  Bill,  thumping  the  table  emphatically  with  his 
brawny  fist.    "You  understand,  eh,  guv'nor?" 

"You'll  want  a  trustee,"  said  Mr.  Packman, beginning 
to  recover  himself. 

"  Trust  who  ?  I  tell  yer  I  don't  want  to  trust  nobody. 
It's  all  'to  be  tied  up  for  V ,"  cried  Bill,  impatiently. 

Mr.  Packman  explained,  and  his  client,  who  seemed 
by  no  means  wanting  in  intelligence,  soon  grasped  the' 
situation.  But  a  difficulty  arose  owing  to  the  fact  thai: 
Mr.  Smith  apparently  possessed  no  reliable  friends,  and 
he  invited  Mr.  Packman  to  undertake  the  post.  To 
this  the  lawyer  demurred,  probably  from  motives  of  pru- 
dence, though  he  had  not  the  manliness  to  refuse  out- 
right ;  he  mumbled  something  about  one  trustee  being 
no  good — that  there  ought  to  be  two. 

"  Well,  there's  your  mate  there,  guv'nor.  He'll  do, 
won't  he?"  inquired  Bill,  referring  to  me. 

"I'm  a  stranger  to  you,  Mr.  Smith,"  I  interposed, 
naturally  taken  aback. 

"  Never  mind.  I  like  the  looks  on  yer.  And  if  the 
guv'nor  here  says  you're  straight,  that's  good  enough  for 
me,"  said  Bill,  magnanimously. 

"Well,  Millicent;  what  do  you  say?"  inquired  Mr. 
Packman,  turning  to  me,  with  a  grin. 

"  I've  no  objection,"  I  answered,  carried  away  by  some 
reckless  impulse. 

"  That  is  all  right,  then,"  said  Mr.  Packman,  1  anishing 
his  own  scruples.  "  What  did  you  say  the  young  woman's 
name  was?"  he  added,  taking  up  his  pen  to  note  down 
his  client's  instructions. 

"  There's  mine  fust,"  interrupted  Bill,  with  some 
embarra  ssment . 

"  William  Smith,"  said  Mr.  Packman,  writing  it  down. 

"  'Old  'ard,  guv'nor.  That  ain't  it.  William  South- 
port,  my  name  is,"  said  Bill,  defiantly. 

"  You  can't  be  married  in  a  false  name,"  protested  Mr. 
Packman. 

"  It  ain't  false.  I've  been  down  to  the  old  place- 
yonder,  and  they  give  me  this,"  said  Bill,  producing  a 
document  from  his  pocket. 

"You  mean,  at  the  Reformatory  School?"  asked  Mr. 
Packman. 

"  Yus — wdiere  I  was  brought  up.  I  got  to  be  called 
Smith,  but  somehow  it  didn't  seem  right.  I  recollected 
there  was  another  name  on  the  books  at  the  school.  So 
I  went  down  there,  and  they  give  me  this,"  said  Bill, 
with  satisfaction. 

Mr.  Packman  glanced  at  the  document,  and  handed  it 
silently  to  me.  It  was  a  copy  of  a  certificate  of  baptism 
from  a  London  Union,  referring  to  a  male  child  chris- 


Pf.cemder  22,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


195 


tenei  William  and  surnamed  Southport,  after  the  locality 
from  which  the  infant  was  supposed  to  have  come.  The 
details  wera  so  meagre  that  it  was  evident  that  Bill's 
origin  was  shrouded  in  mystery.  The  space  for  the  names 
of  the  father  and  mother  was  left  blank. 

"That's  me.  That 
was  my  number  at  the 
school— 2,749.  That's 
how  they  knew  me," 
said  Bill,  cheerfully. 
"  That's  the  name  I  go 
by  now,  and  I  ain't  Bill 
Smith  any  more." 

"  What  does  she  call 
you  1 "  inquired  Mr. 
Packmxn,  facetiously. 

"  I'm  William  South- 
port  to  'er,"  said  Bill, 
with  dignity.  "  That  is 
my  real  name,  and  she 
don't  know  no  other. 
No,  nor  never  shall, 
s'heip  me  !  "  he  added, 
with  determination. 

"  Well,  Bill,  you  are 
quite  right  to  turn  over 
a  new  leaf,  and  start 
fair  and  square  in  your 
proper  name,"  said  Mi1. 
Packman,  with  some 
feeling.  "  I  daresay 
you  will  live  to  be  proud 
of  your  name,  and  to 
make  the  young  woman 
proud  of  it,  too."  ^ 

"  You're  right,  guv- 
'nor.  She's  a  good  girl, 
and  I  mean  to  do  what's 
right  by  'er,"  said  Bill, 
simply. 

I  was  touched  by  the 
young  man's  evident 
sincerity,  and  I  think 
Mr.  Packman  was  also. 
At  all  events,  he  made 
no  further  allusion  to 
the  past,  and  occupied 
himself  with  the  business 
in  hand.  For  my  part,  I 

was  pleased  to  behold  this  sturdy,  good-looking  young  fel- 
low displaying  an  honest  intention  to  amend  his  ways  for 
the  sake  of  a  girl  who  had  evidently  inspired  him  with  a 
genuine  passion.  I  hoped  that  she  was  a  good  girl, 
and  the  respect  with  which  he  had  spoken  of  her  piety 
suggested  that  her  beneficial  influence  might  have  a 
permanent  basis.  I  hoped,  also,  that  Bill's  past  career, 
if  not  free  from  blemish,  might  at  least  have  been 
chequered  by  only  occasional  offences,  and  those  not  of 
a  serious  character.  On  this  point,  however,  I  confess 
that  I  had  uncomfortable  misgivings,  which  were  speedily 
realised. 

When  the  young  man  had  taken  his  departure,  leaving 
his  money  behind  him,  after  authorising  Mr.  Packman 
to  carry  out  the  purchase  and  to  draw  up  the  settlement, 
the  latter  turned  to  me,  and  said,  nervously  — 

"A  queer  start,  eh,  Millicent?" 

"The  young  man  seems  in  earnest,"  I  remarked, 
apprehensively. 

"He  is  alwavs  in  earnest.  The  most  determined 
young  ruffian  the  police  have  ever  had  to  deal  with," 
said  Mr.  Packman,  with  professional  coolness. 

"I  gathered  he  has  been  in  trouble,"  I  said. 

"He  is  the  most  daring  and  reckless  burglar  in  the 
Met.onolis,"  said  Mr.  Packman.  "That  is  saying  a 
good  deal  :  but  it  is  no  more  than  his  due.  But  for  his 
cxtraoHiriarv  luck,  which  is  chiefly  owing  to  his  courage 
and  coolness,  he  would  be  in  penal  servitude  at  this 


UE  FLUNG  UIMSEI.F  INTO  THE  NEAREST  CHAIR. 


minute.  I  got  him  off  on  an  alibi  last  time.  It  was  a 
narrow  squeak,  though,"  he  added,  reflectively. 

"Good  gracious  I  Think  of  the  poor  girl!"  I  ex- 
claimed. 

"  She  must  look  after  herself,"  said  Mr.  Packman,  with 
—         1  a  shrug.     "  I  don't  see 

that  it  is  any  affair  of 
mine     or     yours.  / 
wouldn't   interfere  on 
any  account." 
"  Why  1 " 

"  Well,  I  would  sooner 
blow  my  brains  out  de- 
cently. He  is  capable 
of  anything,  that  chapis, 
when  he  is  roused,"  said 
Mr.  Packman,  whose 
chief  characteristic  was 
certainly  not  physical 
courage.  "  Besides,  it 
wouldn't  be  fair  to  a 
client  to  go  and  tell  his 
sweetheart  all  you  know 
about  him." 

I  suppose  this  argu- 
ment had  some  weight 
with  me,  but,  anyhow, 
I  abandoned  my  first 
impulse  to  seek  out 
Bill's  future  wife  and 
warn  her.  What  re- 
conciled me  to  keeping 
silence  was  a  conviction 
that  the  young  man 
meant  to  reform  for  the 
girl's  sake,  and  was 
capable,  as  far  as  force 
of  character  went,  of 
carrying  out  his  inten- 
tions. I  saw  him  two 
or  three  times  while 
Mr.  Packman  was  con- 
ducting his  business, 
and  I  saw  the  girl  also. 
I  could  not  help  being 
favourably  impressed 
by  Bill,  in  spite  of  what 
I  knew  of  his  ante- 
cedents, and  his  love  for 
the  girl  was  manifestly  honest  and  heartfelt.  As  for 
the  latter,  she  was  a  little,  pale-faced,  delicate-looking 
ycung  woman,  who  adored  her  handsome  lover,  and  was 
prepared  to  make  any  sacrifice  for  his  sake.  I  was 
relieved  to  find  that  she  did  not  care  to  inquire  too 
curiously  into  his  past,  but  was  absolutely  convinced  of 
his  present  penitence,  and  believed  that  she  had  tho- 
roughly reformed  him.  For  the  rest,  the  match,  from 
her  point  of  view,  was  a  sufficiently  good  one,  for  Bill 
promised  to  become  a  clever  workman,  and  already 
earned  good  wages  :  while  the  young  couple  started  in 
a  cottage  of  their  own,  with  their  own  brand-new  furni- 
ture, everything  being  securely  tied  up  by  deed  for  the 
benefit  of  the  bride. 

Mr.  Packman  and  I  were  invited  to  the  wedding,  but 
declined,  and  it  took  place,  by  Bill's  wish,  with  the 
strictest  privacy.  For  that  matter  neither,  probably, 
had  many  available  friends,  for  the  girl  was  an  orphan 
who  came  from  the  country,  while  Bill  had  laudable 
reasons  for  avoiding  old  associates.  On  the  day  of  the 
marriage  I  remember  remarking  to  Mr.  Packman,  from 
an  uneasv  sense  of  responsibility  towards  the  girl,  that 
I  hoped  Bill  would  not  disappoint  our  sanguine  expecta- 
tions. 

"  Oh,  he  will  be  all  right,  if  he  is  let  alone,"  said  Mr. 
Packman,  carelessly. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  the  police  are  likely  to  come- 
down upon  him?"  I  inquired,  startled. 


196 


TO-DAY. 


Dixembek  22,  1894. 


"The  police  have  nothing  against  him,  so  far  as  I 
know,"  replied  Mr.  Packman.  "  If  they  had  they  would 
have  nabbed  him  before.  His  employer  is  all  right, 
too;  he  is  a  crony  of  the  prison  chaplain's,  through 
whom  Bill  got  the  berth." 

"What  is  the  danger,  then?"  I  inquired. 

"  Bill  was  a  smart  cracksman,  and  his  pals  appreciated 
Lis  talents,"  said  Mr.  Packman,  sententiously. 

"It  is  a  question,  then,  of  the  young  fellow's  firm- 
ness?" 

"  It  comes  to  that,  I  suppose,"  replied  Mr.  Packman, 
rather  doubtfully. 

N-t  being  so  Avell  acquainted  with  the  habits  and 
idiosyncrasies  of  the  criminal  classes  as  Mr.  Packman 
was,  I  failed  to  appreciate  the  significance  of  this  warning 
note,  and  relying  upon  my  own  opinion  of  the  young 
man's  temperament,  I  was  inclined  to  regard  his  future 
with  hopefulness.  Nor  did  anything  happen  for  the 
first  few  months  to  arouse  my  apprehensions ;  on  the 
contrary,  Bill  appeared  to  be  settling  down  into  sober 
respectability.  He  brought  his  young  wife  up  to  see  us 
one  day,  and  both  seemed  happy  and  contented.  Bill 
retained  his  situation,  and  had  already  obtained  an 
increase  of  wages,  while  his  love  and  admiration  for  his 
bride  continued  unabated.  His  manner  was  very  much 
in^proved  and  subdued,  and  his  wife  dropped  hints  that 
Bill  was  taking  kindly  to  religion.  Bill,  it  is  true,  was 
a  little  shamefaced  on  the  subject,  which  made  me 
doubt  his  sincerity ;  but,  at  least,  it  was  a  sign  of  grace 
in  him  that,  even  after  two  months  of  married  life,  he 
evidently  still  regarded  his  wife  as  a  model  of  piety  and 
goodness. 

Mr.  Packman  annoyed  me  a  good  deal  by  his  cynical 
incredulity  of  these  favourable  appearances.  The  innate 
vulgarity  of  the  man  betrayed  itself  in  his  insensibility 
to  the  poetic  side  of  this  humble  romance.  The  spec- 
tacle of  a  gross,  ignorant  nature  being  uplifted  by  the 
•divine  element  of  love  did  not  appeal  to  him  at  all.  His 
•estimate  of  human  virtue  was  by  no  means  high,  and  he 
regarded  Bill's  good  intentions  with  scoffing  mistrust. 
And  the  worst  of  it  was  that  Mr.  Packman  turned  out 
to  be  right,  or  at  least  partly. 

One  afternoon,  about  three  months  later,  I  was  sit- 
ting alone  in  Mr.  Packman's  office,  when  the  door  opened 
and  Bill  Smith  entered  abruptly.  He  turned  the  key  in 
the  lock  and  Hung  himself,  panting  and  exhausted,  into 
the  nearest  chair.  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  quite  horrified 
and  startled  by  the  change  in  him.  His  clothes  were 
torn  and  mud-stained  ;  his  face,  deadly  pale,  was  dis- 
figured by  a  three  days'  beard  :  and  his  whole  aspect  was 
suggestive  of  a  fierce  animal  kind  of  desperation. 

"  Good  God,  Bill !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  What  has  hap- 
pened 1 " 

"  Hush ! "  he  exclaimed,  starting  up  and  listening 
rigidly. 

There  was  a  footstep  on  the  stair,  but  it  passed  on  to 
the  floor  above.    Bill  gave  a  gasp  of  relief. 

"  They've  seen  me  !    It's  a  safe  cop,"  he  muttered. 
"Who?    The  police?" 

"Yus.  I  came  to  give  myself  up,  but  I  wanted  a 
word  with  the  guv'nor  fust.  As  he's  out,  you'll  do," 
he  said,  controlling  himself,  and  speaking  rapidly. 

"What  is  it?"  I  inquired  apprehensively. 

"  God  knows  !  a  lifer  anyway.    Listen  here  now." 

H©  proceeded  to  tell  me  that  he  had  been  concerned 
in  a  recent  burglary,  that  a  "  pal "  had  denounced  him  ; 
that  the  police  were  on  his  track ;  that  his  wife,  who 
suspected  nothing,  was  on  her  way  to  join  him,  as  she 
supposed,  at  Liverpool. 

"And  look  'ere,  mate,  she  must  never  know,  whatever 
happens,"  he  cried  emphatically. 

"  How  can  she  help  knowing  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"I'm  Bill  Smith,  d'ye  see?  That  s  the  name  that'll 
appear  in  the  charge  sheet  and  in  the  p'lice  reports.  Sho 
v  on't  know  it's  me." 

"  Perhaps  you  won't  get  caught,"  I  suggested  impul- 
sively— in  my  horror  and  distress. 

"  I've  thought  of  everything.    Better  to  give  myself 


up  and  get  it  over  quiet  than  be  took  from  her  side.  It 
would  have  been  bound  to  come.    Not  a  chance  of 
giving  'em  leg-bail,  for  I'm  known — and  it's  murder  !" 
"  Murder  ! "  I  gasped. 

"  Yus.  I  didn't  mean  it,  but  I  fired  the  pistol.  We 
was  disturbed,  and  if  I'd  been  took  she'd  have  known. 
I  was  bound  to  get  clear  away  somehow.  But  s'help  me, 
I  didn't  aim !  But  that  won't  matter.  I'm  done  for, 
and  a  good  thing  too." 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  do?"  I  inquired  tremu- 
lously. 

"  I'd  arranged  to  take  her  abroad.  When  my  pals 
found  me  out  I  saw  I  couldn't  stay.  I  wanted  money 
and  I  was  desperate.  I  agreed  to  go  into  this  job  to 
prevent  them  from  splitting  and 'to  raise  funds." 

"  I  understand,"  I  murmured,  remembering  Mr.  Pack- 
man's prediction. 

"  Knowing  I  should  have  to  keep  out  of  the  way  afte> 
it,  I  told  her  I  was  going  to  Liverpool  to  see  about  our 
passages.  After  the — the  job,  I  started  and  got  there. 
Then  I  saw  by  the  papers  the  man  was  dead.  I  tele- 
graphed to  her  to  join  me  there.  She's  there  oy  now, 
and — and  I'm  here,"  said  the  murderer  with  a  great  sob. 

"  You  didn't  see  her  then?" 

''  I  didn't  wait.  See  here,  mate ;  that's  what  I  come 
here  for.  She  must  think  I  died  up  yonder.  You  must 
arrange  that.  For  God's  sake,  promise  me  you  will ! 
It'll  be  better  for  her  and  the  little  'an  that's  coming 
that  she  should  believe  I'm  dead.  You  can  sell  the 
'ouse  and  the  furniture.  Give  'er  the  money,  and  send 
her  to  British  Columbia,  to  her  brother — where  we  was 
thinking  of  goin'." 

"But  if  you  get  off?"  I  exclaimed,  carried  away  by 
the  young  man's  pathetic  appeal. 

"  I  shan't  get  off.  It's  a  lifer  at  least ;  more  likely 
the  rope.  But  even  if  I  got  off,  she'd  know.  I  mustn't 
never  see  'er  again.  I  didn't  ought  to  have  dragged  'er 
down.  She  was  too  good  for  me.  My  God  !  but  it's 
'aid !  It's  'ard !  I'd  shoot  myself  'ere,  with  this  re- 
volver, if — if  I  could  do  it  without  her  knowing.  But 
she  mustn't  know — promise  me  she  shan't  never  know." 

"  She  shan't  know  if  I  can  help  it,"  I  replied,  deeply 
moved  by  the  unhappy  man's  emotion. 

"  God  bless  you,  mate  !  I'll  die  easier  if  you  promise 
mo  that.  Here's  her  address.  I  told  her  I  might 
be  gone  a  day  or  two  when  she  arrived,  on  a  loading  job, 
but  she  was  to  wait." 

"  Why  did  you  send  for  her  ? "  I  inquired,  as  I  took  the 
slip  of  paper. 

"  The  p'lice  might  have  come  to  our  place,  and  she 
might  have  found  out  from  them.  I  wanted  to  get  her 
away  from  London.  Will  you  go  to  her,  mate?  They 
won't  follow  her  if— if  I  give  myself  up  at  one'st.  Here's 
a  couple  o'  thick  'uns  to  pay  for  your  ticket.  They're 
honest,  s'help  me  !  " 

He  laid  two  sovereigns  on  the  desk  as  he  spoke,  and 
rose  slowly  from  his  seat.  His  strong  features  worked 
convulsively,  but  his  expression  was  fiercely  determined. 
I  am  an  emotional  creature,  I  suppose,  for  the  sight  of 
him  and  the  thought  of  his  terrible  fate  and  his  touching 
anxiety  for  his  young  wife,  seemed  to  have  got  upon  my 
nerves.  I  forgot  his  crime  and  his  wickedness,  and  was 
conscious  only  of  the  tortured  man  before  me.  I  gave 
an  hysterical  sob  and  held  out  my  hand. 

"God  help  you,  Bill,"  I  murmured. 

"Never  mind  me,  mate,"  said  Bill,  moving  to  the  door 
and  refraining,  with  the  delicacy  which  was  perhaps 
born  with  prison  discipline,  from  touching  my  hand. 
"I'm  done  for,  and  a  good  job  too.  But  God  help  her  I 
And  bless  you,  mate,  again  for  your  promise." 

"  I'll  keep  it.  She  shall  never  know,"  I  murmured, 
quite  overcome. 

"Then  I'll  die  happy!"  he  said  more  calmly.  "'If 
you  can  manage  it  somehow  natural,  let  her  have  this, 
mate — from  Bill  Southport,  her  old  man." 

I  hardly  noticed  that  he  drew  frcm  his  thick  finger 
a  tawdry  gold  signet  ring  which  he  wore  there,  and  laid 


December  22,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


1S7 


it  gently  in  front  of  me.  When  I  looked  up  and  saw  it 
there,  he  was  gone. 

Five  minutes  later,  while  I  still  sat  dazed  and  agitated, 
Mr.  Packman  came  bustling  in  full  of  the  news  that  Bill 
had  walked  into  the  Police-station  up  the  street  and 
had  coolly  surrendered  himself  to  the  authorities  in  con- 
nection  with  a  recent  burglary  and  shooting  at  Highgate. 


"she  shall  never  know." 

I  had  not  seen  the  case  in  the  papers,  but  Mr.  Packman 
had,  and  knew  all  about  it. 

"  I  told  you  how  it  would  end.  Those  chaps  never  re- 
form. How  about  your  beautiful  theories,  Millicent?" 
he  said  iestingly. 

"He  has  learnt  how  to  sacrifice  himself,"  I  exclaimed. 


"He  has  shot  a  man,"  said  Mr.  Packman,  staring 
at  me. 

"  He  has  seen  God  !  "  I  murmured. 

*  *  *  * 

Bill  Smith  was  hanged  and  made  what  the  newspaper 
reporters  described  as  "  an  edifying  end."  That  is  to 
say,  he  confessed  his  crime,  expressed  penitence  and  con- 
trition, attended  reverently  to  the  ministrations  of  the 
prison  chaplain,  and  met  his  death  with  courage  and 
cheerfulness.  This  was  because  he  had  been  informed 
that  I  had  contrived  that  his  wife  should  never  know. 

I  went  down  to  Liverpool  greatly  exercised  in  my 
mind  as  to  how  I  should  discharge  my  task.  I  dis- 
covered Mrs.  Southport  as  though  by  accident,  and 
feigning  business  in  the  town  I  hired  a  room  in  the  house 
iu  which  she  was  lodging.  The  poor  young  woman  was 
not  alarmed  at  her  husband's  absence  in  consequence  of 
his  thoughtful  message,  and  waited  for  him  patiently. 
She  had  no  suspicion  of  the  truth,  and  fortunately  she 
was  not  a  newspaper  reader.  Even  if  she  had  been, 
there  was  nothing  in  the  reports  of  Bill's  trial  to  suggest 
the  identity  of  the  prisoner. 

While  I  was  endeavouring  to  devise  some  plausible 
story,  I  heard  a  rumour  at  the  docks  of  a  sad  event 
which  had  recently  happened.  An  outward  bound  ship 
being  pressed  for  time,  had  taken  with  her  some  lal inur- 
ing hands  to  complete  the  stowage  of  her  cargo.  These 
men  were  sent  back,  when  their  work  was  finished,  by 
a  pilot  boat,  but  they  arrived  minus  one  of  their  num- 
ber. The  poor  fellow  had  fallen  overboard  and  had  been 
drowned.  He  was  one  of  those  human  waifs  and  strays 
who  pick  up  a  precarious  livelihood  in  the  docks  of  large 
seaports;  nobody  knew  anything  about  him  or  even 
his  name ;  but  by  a  coincidence  he  was  called  "Bill." 

By  that  time  I  had  heard  from  Mr.  Packman  that  his 
unfortunate  client's  fate  was  sealed,  and  that  the  death 
sentence  was  a  foregone  conclusion.  I  therefore  car- 
ried to  poor  Mrs.  Southport  the  news  I  had  learnt  at  the 
docks,  and  I  gave  her  Bill's  ring,  saying  that  it  had  been 
found  upon  the  finger  of  the  unknown  dead.  I  added 
details  on  my  own  account  which  seemed  to  prove  be- 
yond question  that  Bill  Southport  had  lost  his  life  upon 
the  loading  job,  and  lay  buried  fathoms  deep  beneath  the 
sea. 

The  poor  woman  was  too  much  overwhelmed  and 
stricken  with  grief  to  notice  any  discrepancies  in  my 
story ;  she  mourned  for  her  husband  sincerely  and  pas- 
sionately ;  spoke  touchingly  of  his  goodness,  and  of  her 
undying  respect  for  his  memory,  and  donned  widow's 
weeds.  When,  yielding  to  my  urgent  advice,  she  shortly 
sailed  straight  away  from  Liverpool  to  join  her  brother 
in  the  far  West,  she  was  a  widow  indeed,  and  she  carried 
Bill's  portrait  next  her  heart. 


INTELLECTUAL  TURBIDITY  IN 
CHINA. 


Nothing  is  more  common  in  conversation  with  an 
uneducated  Chinese  than  to  experience  difficulty  in 
ascertaining  what  he  is  talking  about.  At  times  his 
remarks  appear  to  consist  exclusively  of  predicates, 
which  are  woven  together  in  an  intricate  manner,  the 
whole  mass  seeming,  like  Mohammed's  coffin,  to  hang  in 
the  air,  attached  to  nothing  whatever.  To  the  mind  of 
the  speaker,  the  omission  of  a  nominative  is  a  point  of 
no  consequence.  He  knows  what  he  is  talking  about, 
and  it  never  occurs  to  him  that  this  somewhat  important 
item  of  information  is  not  conveyed  to  the  mind  of  his 
auditor  by  any  kind  of  intuition.  It  is  remarkable 
what  expert  guessers  long  practice  has  made  most 
Chinese,  in  reading  a  meaning  into  words  which  do  not 
convey  it,  by  the  simple-  practice  of  supplying  subjects 
or  predicates  as  they  happen  to  be  lacking.  It  is  often 
the  most  important  word  in  the  whole  sentence  which  is 
suppressed,  the  clew  to  which  may  be  entirely  unknown. 


There  is  very  frequently  nothing  in  the  form  of  the 
sentences,  the  manner  of  the  speaker,  his  tone  of  voice, 
nor  in  any  concomitant  circumstance,  to  indicate  that 
the  subject  has  changed,  and  yet  one  suddenly  discovers 
that  the  speaker  is  not  now  speaking  of  himself  as  he 
was  a  moment  ago,  but  of  his  grandfather,  who  lived  in 
the  days  of  Tao  Kuang.  How  the  speaker  got  there 
and  also  how  he  got  back  again,  often  remains  an 
insoluble  mystery,  but  we  see  the  feat  accomplished  every 
day.  To  a  Chinese  there  is  nothing  more  remarkable  in 
a  sudden,  invisible  leap,  without  previous  notice,  from  one 
topic,  one  person,  one  century  to  another,  than  in  the 
ability  of  a  man  who  is  watching  an  insect  on  the 
window-pane  to  observe  at  the  same  time  and  without  in 
the  least  deflecting  his  eyes,  a  herd  of  cattle  situated  in 
the  same  line  of  vision  on  a  distant  hill. 

Chinese  Characteristics.    By  A.  H.  Smith. 

{Fleming  H.  Revdl  Co.)  • 


STANLEY    J.   WEYMAN'S    new    story,    "THE  RED 

COC  KADE,"  a  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced 
in  the  New  Year's  Number  (January  5,  1893)  of  "TO  DAY." 


198 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


CHRISTMAS  DAY 
DIALOGUES. 

BY 

VIOLET  HUNT. 

Illustrated  by  Sydney  Adamson. 

Edwin  {to  Angelina).  I  wish  you  would  try  to  walk 
properly.  Look  !  my  trousers  are  all  splashed  with  mud 
on  the  side  next  you. 

Angelina  {crossly).  I  can't  help  it,  Edwin.  I  didn't 
want  to  come  out. 

Edwin.  Anything's  better  than  sitting  at  home 
listening  to  your  father  snoring,  and  your  mother  turn- 
ing pages,  and  your  little  brother  cracking  nuts.  What 
are  you  stopping  for  ? 

Angelina.  Please,  Edwin,  would  you  mind  holding 
my  umbrella  while  I  find  my  pocket  ? 

Edwin.    What  for? 

Angelina.    To  find  my  purse  to  find  a  sixpence  to 
give  the  crossing-sweeper. 
Edwin.    What  for  1 

Angelina.  Jt's  Christmas  Day,  you  heathen.  .  .  . 
Come  down  this  turning.  There's  a  bonnet-shop  I 
always  have  a  look  at.  Oh,  I  forgo  t !  it  will  be  shut 
How  hateful ! 

Edwin.  Cannot  you  do  without  shopping  for  one  day  ? 

Angelina.  Three  days  !  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday  ! 
If  it  wasn't  for  the  January  sales  after,  one  would  go 
naad.  Here  we  are  at  Aunt  Caroline's.  Now,  if  you 
love  me,  Edwin,  do  be  polite,  and  ask  after  her  influenza, 
and  remember  what  she  says  her  symptoms  are,  and 
don't  be  slangy.  .  .  .  You  know  how  important 
it  is.    If  you  and  I  are  ever  to  get  married— — 


•*  WOVLD    YOU    MIND    nOLDING    MY    UMBRELLA  1 


Edwin.  Yes,  dear,  I  know.  Only  you  must  promise 
not  to  stay  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ! 


Angelina  hinging  Aunt  Caroline's  bell).  Only  a 
quarter  of  an  hour !  A  Christmas  visit !  Think, 
Edwin  ! 

Edwin.  Blow  Christmas  !  I  always  thought  it  was 
a  holiday  ! 

**.#** 
Betsey  Jane  {to  Mary  Ann).    So   she  says  to  me 


and  the  short  of  it  was  I  got  the  place. 

Mary  Ann.  But  I  suppose  as  you  don't  mean  to  go 
on  with  it? 

Betsey  Jane.  Lor,  no !  not  a  bit  wot  I've  been  used 
to  !  I've  always  been  whei'e  there's  been  a  man  kept ! 
I'll  just  stop  long  enough  for  the  old  girl  to  give  me  a 
character  and  then  

Mary  Ann.  What  sort  of  a  Christmas  do  they  keep 
at  your  place  now  ? 

Betsey  Jane.  Very  mean  .  .  .  Look  'ere,  she 
gave  me  this  comforter  .  .  .  not  my  style  at  all.  I 
thought  for  to  give  it  to  little  Billy.  .  .  .  Well,  my 
good  gurl,  where  are  you  takin'  us?  We  ain't  ripe  for 
the  river  yet,  please  God  ! 

Mary  Ann  {pileously).  There  ain't  nowhere  to  go. 
One  ugly  street  is  just  like  another.  There  ain't  no 
shops  open  neither.  I'd  as  soon  be  at  home,  and  I  do 
believe  its  coming  on  to  rain. 

Betsey  Jane.  Well,  then,  we  may  as  well  go  to 
church,  and  do  the  religious. 

Mary  Ann.  Sooner  than  spoil  my  bonnet.  Come  on. 
*•*■■*** 

Algy.  Have  your  people  got  a  beastly  family 
gathering  to-night  they  want  you  to  stay  in  for? 

Begy.  Yes,  I  wanted  to  get  out  of  it,  but  they 
insisted. 

Algy.    So  did  mine.    Infernal  nuisance  ! 

Regy.  Deuced  plague  !  Had  to  do  it,  though.  An 
aunt  with  expectations. 

AlGY.    An  uncle  with  lots  of  tin. 

REGY.  Even  then  it's  hardly  worth  it.  All  the  old 
maids  of  the  family,  and  all  the  new  babies  —Christmas 
tree — sticky  children — got  to  kiss  them — and  jump 
them — kind  Uncle  Regy — don't  you  know  the  sort  of 
thing  ? 

Algy.  Stale  jokes — speeches — too  much  to  eat — 
horrid  noise  of  crackers  going  oil' — and  so  on. 


December  22,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


199 


Regy.  They  wouldn't  even  ask  Russell  Square  rela- 
tions— too  vulgar  !    But  the  girls  are  fun. 

Algy.  I  got  mine  to  ask  the  Mays  from  Clapham 
to  amuse  me.    And  now  the  pretty  one  isn't  coming. 

Regy.    Cut  it,  old  man,  and  come  to  me. 


"i    WANTED    TO    GET    OUT    OF  IT.:' 


Al/iy.    Well,  I'll  see  if  I  can  sneak  away.    Hang  it 
all,  Christmas  is  meant  to  be  a  time  of  rejoicing. 
***** 

Alpiionse  (to  Auguste).    Tiens,  mon  vieux  ! 
Auguste.    Tiens,  mon  bon  ! 
Alphonse.    Merree  Crismasse  ! 

Auguste.  Vous  m'embutez  avec  votre  Merree  Cris- 
masse ! 


"  MERREE   CRISMASSE  !  " 


Alphonse.  Allons,  voyons  !  Tachez  done  de  vous 
amuser  un  peu. 


Auguste.    Pas  moyen,  a  Londres. 
Alpiionse.    C'est  vrai.    Triste  ville  .' 
Auguste.    Sale  pays,  va  ! 

***** 

Mrs.  Gummidge  (to  her  husband).  Take  the  baby  a 
bit,  Tom,  my  arm's  nearly  broke  orf. 

Tom.    But  'eres  little  Joe  won't  leave  'old  of  my  'and. 

Mrs.  Gummidge.  Come  'ere  to  your  mother,  Joe, 
while  I  blows  yer  little  nose  for  ye.  There  !  There — 
what;  a  smarty  you  are,  in  your  red  plush  and  reel  lace. 

Tom.    Lucky  it's  a  fine  day,  M'ria,  ain't  it  1 

Mrs.  Gummidge.  Didn't  I  just  go  'oping  and  praying 
it  might  bo  fine  all  last  night  1 

Tom  (grimly).  Couldn't  ye  'a  prayed  for  something 
more  important  when  you  were  about  it  1  There's  the 
rent  

Mrs.  Gummidge.    Oh,  Tom,  d'ye  think  he'll  take 

less  1 

Tom.  I  dunno.  Christmas  may  melt  'is  flinty  'art, 
p'raps.  Don't  speak  of  it  to-day.  Ain't  the  'oardings 
ii:io  !    There's  a  new  one  I  ain't  seen  before. 

Mrs.  Gummidge.  Poor  Man's  Picture  Gallery,  I  calls 
it.    It's  all  /  ever  see. 

Tom.  Yes,  they  shuts  every  blooming  place  on  Christ- 
mas Day  for  the  good  of  our  souls. 


"  TAKE   THE    BABY    A    BIT,  TOM." 


Mrs.  Gummidge.  It's  a  good  thing  if  they'd  shut 
some  places  (glancing  at  a  public-house). 

Tom  (glancing  too).  Lock  here,  missus  ;  I'm  that 
dry  

Mrs.  Gummidge  (hastening  the  pace  a  little).  Oh, 
deary  a  me  !  There's  a  stone  got  in  my  shoe.  They're 
a  bad  old  pair,  and  Joe  do  pull  so.  Seems  as  if  it 
wan't  for  the  honour  and  glory  of  the  thing,  I'd  rather 

be  indoors  ■ 

Tom  (doubtfully).    Is  there  anything  for  tea  1 
Mrs.  Gummidge.      You  just  come  along,  and  see 
what  you'll  see     D'ye  think  ye  can  manage  baby  till 
there  ? 

Tom  (gallantly).  Go  on,  missus.  I'm  with  yer,  and 
it's  beginning  for  to  rain,  too. 

***** 

The  Modern  Mother.  Ethel,  my  dear,  how  dread- 
fully red  your  nose  is  ! 

The  Revolting  Daughter.  Can't  help  it,  mamma. 
I  didn't  want  to  come  out  this  beastly  day.  It's  the 
cold  that  does  it. 


200 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1391. 


The  Modern  Mother.  I  am  sure  it  is  not  the  cold. 
(Significantly)  It  is  


The  Revolting  Daughter.    It  is  not. 

The  Modern  Mother.    I  am  sure  it  is. 

The  Revolting  Daughter.  Well,  then,  you're  quite 
wrong,  for  I  haven't  got  them  on  at  all — there  ! 

The  Modern  Mother.  You'll  catch  cold,  to  a 
certainty  !    Oh,  dear  

The  Revolting  Daughter.  Nonsense,  mother! 
Do  let  me  alone. 

(A  silence.) 

The  Modern  Mother.    Say  something,  Ethel. 

The  Revolting  Daughter.  What's  the  good  ?  You 
jump  on  me  every  time  I  speak. 

The  Modern  Mother.  Jump  on  you  !  What  an 
expression ! 

The  Revolting  Daughter.    Everybody  says  it. 

The  Modern  Mother.  Ethel,  I  cannot  allow  you 
to  be  so  intimate  with  those  young  men  next  door. 
It  is  from  them  you  learn  

The  Revolting  Daughter.  It  isn't,  and  I  mean  to 
go  on  knowing  who  I  like.  There  are  the  bells ! 
Nothing  but  bells  on  Christmas  Day  !  It's  sickening  ! 
Can't  we  go  in  ?  Haven't  we  had  enough  of  this  hate- 
ful constitutional  ? 

The  Modern  Mother   (sententious! >/).  Christmas 
bells.    .    .  . 

The  Revolting  Daughter  (sneering).  They  say 
peace  on  earth  and  goodwill  to  men,  don't  they  1  You 
give  me  no  peace  on  earth  and  you  abuse  my  friends. 
Let's  go  in. 

***** 

Sandford  (to  young  Merlon).    I  say,  Tommy,  how  ; 
many  mince  pies  did  you  do? 
Merton.    Three  and  a  half. 

Sandford.  I  was  an  idiot.  I  began  with  plum-pud- 
ding ;  choked  me  off  rather  

]\1  ERTON.  I  don't  think  our  cook  makes  good  ones.  I 
had  five  helps,  so  I  ought  to  know. 


Sandford.  Where  shall  we  go?  Old  Barlow  said 
we  might  go  where  we  liked. 

Merton.  What's  the  good  of  that  1  There's  nowhere 
to  go. 

Sandford.    And  ma  gave  me  ten  shillings  to  spend. 
Merton.    What's  the  good  of  that  ?    Nowhere  to 
spend  it. 

Sandford.  Beastly  dull.  It's  not  even  snowing,  so 
that  we  could  put  snow  into  the  letter  boxes. 

Merton.    We  could  runaway  ring. 

Sandford.  I'm  sick  of  that.  Takes  such  a  lot  of 
running.  Let's  go  in  here — "  Straight  talk  to  young 
men." 

Merton.    They'd  never  let  us  in  ! 

Sandford.  What  rot !  It's  said  to  us.  And  then 
we  can  go  and  set  up  Tom  Martin's  kind  of  booby  trap 
— you  know — against  Mr.  Barlow  comes  to  bed  to-night. 
I've  got   ,    ,    .    and  a   .    ,    ,  (ivhisjiers). 


"  let's  go  in  here." 


Merton.  Oh,  what  larks  !  I  do  believe  we  shall  have 
some  fun  this  Christmas  after  all  ! 


AN   LCCENTRIC  MILLIONAIRE. 


A  French  medical  journal  is  responsible  for  the  state- 
ment that  a  certain  Boston  millionaire,  named  Coatcs, 
has  attained  to  the  age  of  eighty-three  years  without 
ever  having  taken  medicine  of  any  sort  or  description. 
It  was  his  hobby  to  consult  numerous  physicians,  and 
to  have  the  various  prescriptions  ordered  by  them  made 
up  ;  but,  instead  of  swallowing  the  drugs,  he  used  to 
stow  them  away  carefully  in  large  presses.  According 
to  an  enumeration  lately  made,  this  unbelieving  patient 
is  now  in  possession  of  1,900  bottles  and  flasks,  1,370 
packages  of  powders,  and  870  pill  boxes,  all  full. 


STANLEY  J-  WEYMANS  NEW  STORY,  "THE  RED 
COCKADE,"  A  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced  io 
the  New  Year's  Number  (January  5,  lS05)of  "  TO-DAY." 


DECKtoBEJt  2L>,  1S04. 


TO-DAY. 


201 


DE  OMNIBUS, 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


I  SEE  as  someone  'as  bin  a-lettin'  of  'isself  art  in  the 
pipers  on  the  subjic  of  the  pawcels  and  boxes  whort  gits 
tiken  inter  'busses,  and,  in  course,  'e  goes  fur  the  corn- 
ducter.  Ho  yus,  that's  the  yushal  thing,  thet  is,  we're 
on  the  'bus  ter  be  cussed  at  and  reported  ;  that's  wort 
we're  pide  for,  I  surpose.  Why  cawn't  them  clawsy 
gents  as  is  so  bloomin'  particler  leave  the  'busses  alone  ? 
A  'bus  is  a  'bus  ;  it  ain't  a  merrown-lined  privit  broom, 
'ighly  scented  with  hoderkerlone,  and  no  amarnt  of  jaw 
will  mike  it  such.  This  'ere  'igh-toned  gent  as  wrote 
ter  the  pipers  complined  because  'e  barked  'is  shins 
aginst  a  box  in  gettin'  inter  a  'bus,  an'  because  a  woman 
inside  was  kerryin'  of  a  sheep's  'ead  as  were  a  little  orf. 
Well,  whort's  'e  egspeck  1  Bawskits  o'  flars  tied  up  with 
velvet-plush  ribbings  t  This  'ere's  a  practicil  world,  an' 
there's  a  'eap  of  people  in  it  as  is  a  sight  too 
pore  ter  be  ible  ter  spend  anythink  on  style. 
They  'as  to  kerry  pline  boxes,  an'  they  buys  their 
butcher's  meat  at  the  shorp  an'  tike  it  'ome  theirselves, 
an'  they  cawn't  afford  kebs.  Theer's  the  long  an'  the 
short  on  it.  Mind  yer,  I  won't  'ave  nothink  brought  on 
my  'bus  as  would  damidge  the  'bus,  nor  nothink  as  'as  a 
smell  that's  audible,  so  ter  speak,  nor  wouldn't  no  other 
cornducter  as  I  knows  on.  'Arrever,  awxidents  will 
'appen  nar  and  then.  Then  some  silly  juggins  goes  off 
a-writin'  ter  the  pipers,  jest  as  if  whert  were  really  a 
awxident  were  the  reg'ler  thing ;  or,  else  'e  reports  the 
cornducter,  an'  likely  gits  a  pore  man  inter  trouble 
withart  doin'  'isself  no  good.  Then  theer's  another  pint 
■ — if  we  was  alwise  refoosin'  tu  tike  pawcels  on  the  'bus, 
them  as  brought  the  pawcels  would  slang  us;  we  might 
slang  back  agin,  an'  then  o'  course  we  shud  be  reported 
agin  fer  insevvility.  Yes,  as  long  as  the  bloomin' 
public  kin  report  us,  it's  'appy.    Ho,  it's  disgustin' ! 


'Ankin,  I  regrets  ter  sye,  is  in  the  wust  o'  tempers  ; 
it's  Chrismus  as  'e  cawn't  stend.  Yer  see,  Chrismus  is 
sorter  old-esteblished,  and  'Ankin  never  could  stend 
nothink  as  were  old-esteblished.  Then  lawst  Chrismus 
'e  'ad  ter  go  to  church,  because  his  ole  missus  would  tike 
him.  They'd  bin  a  deckeritin'  the  church,  and  'Ankin 
set  dorn  on  a  bit  o'  'oily  and  'urt  'isself,  and  that  put  'im 
aginst  Chrismus  terreble — wus  than  ever.  'E's  perticler 
'ot  aginst  Chrismus-boxes.  "  In  the  fust  place,"  'e  says, 
"  wheer  the  emplyed  gits  Chrismus-boxes  the  emplyers 
knocks  a  bit  off  the  screw  to  allar  fer  it.  The  folks  as 
give  'em  don't  give  'em  ter  the  emplyed  at  all ;  as  a 
matter  of  fac,  they  gives  'em  ter  the  emplyers,  which  is 
yooseless.  And  if  they  did  give  'em  ter  the  emplyed  it 
'ud  be  bloomin'  pauperism.  Whort  we  wornts  is  feer 
pye  fur  ar  wuk,  and  no  bloomin'  charity."  Well,  thur 
mye  be  sutthink  in  whort  'e  syes  or  theer  mye  not ; 
it  don't  trouble  me,  becus  nobody  never  gives 
me  nutthink.  All  I  knows  is  that  it  were 
misfortshnit  that  jest  as  'Ankin  were  a-'oldin'  forth,  in 
came  ole  Ike,  as  were  tryin'  ter  git  up  a  raffle  fur  a 
tukkey,  an'  wanted  'Ankin  ter  put  in  fur  it.  It  were 
very  misfortshnit.  'Ankin  says,  "  An'  whort  do  I  wornt 
with  any  bloomin'  tukkey  ?"  "  Bein'  Chrismus,"  says 
Ike.  "  Ho  !"  says  'Ankin,  "egsackly.  It's  Chrismus, 
ain't  it  ?  Bloomin'  fine  Chrismus,  too,  ain't  it  ? "  Well, 
yer  knaw,  and  then  'e  told  Ike  thet  'e  could  tike  thet 
tukkey  to  a  suttun  plice,  and  Ike  didn't  'arf  like  it.  So 
they  set  to  a  slangin'  of  each  other,  till  the  wunner  is 
we  didn't  have  the  coppers  in.  I  took  'Ankin  awye. 
It's  a  pity,  tew,  thet  'e  'as  thet  sort  of  'ot  temper.  One 
of  these  dyes — and  you  mawk  my  words — 'e'll  get 'isself 
inter  trouble  along  of  it.  Fortshnitly  theer  is  only  a  foo 
subjics  as  reg'larly  gits  'is  dander  up,  and  they  is  mostly 
perlitical.    There  ain't  a  thing  in  the  'ole  of  pollertics  as 


could  mike  me  turn  a  'air,  and  I'm  thenkful  fur  it.  And 
I  ain't  gort  nutthink  against  Chrismus,  either.  So,  'ere's 
wishin'  hev'rybody  the  complimunts  of  the  seasing. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Cockspur   Street,  London. 

JNVESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 

J)ESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 

J-.OR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 

£1EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 

j^J  ARRET  REPORT. 

QUR  SPEICALLY  SELECTED 

J^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES    PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUU-AND-A- 
HALF  PER  CENT. 

H  JJOW  TO  OPERATE 
gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
rj\ WENT Y- SEVENTH  EDITION. 
gENT  POST  FREE. 

fJYHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART  I. -STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

llow  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modesof  Dealingin  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
The  Fortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers*  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.-HOW  TO  OPERATE 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "A Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
HighestandLowest  Prices  Recoidod 

from  1888  to  1833  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duvation. 
Can  Country  Residents  Operata 

Successfully  ? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


gETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  ;  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Cure  Headache  and  Sickness. 

Cure  Indigestion. 

Cure  Flatulence  and  Heartburn. 

DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Strengthen  the  Whole  System. 
Induce  Cheerfulness 
Invaluable  as  a  Family  Medicine. 

DR. 

SCOTT'S 

PILLS 

Cure  Loss  of  Appetite. 

Cure  all  Disorders  of  the  Blood. 

Cure  Lassitude  and  Nervousness. 

DR.    SCOTT'S  PILLS 

are  wrapped  in  a  square  green  package  bearing  the  name  of  the  Proprietor, 
W.LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  London,  or  by  post  for  14  or  31  stamps. 


H 


JGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 

-1J-  MRS.  GRABUKN,  13,  Bonchurch-road,  North  Kensington  (close 
toNotting-hill  station).  Speeialite— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  Measure  supplied  complete  from  24  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.    Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


202 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


TWO  NEW  CROCKETTS.* 


The  popularity  of  "The  Lilac  Sunbonnet"  will  never 
stale.  We  all  of  us  in  our  heart  of  hearts  have  a  weak- 
ness for  a  genuine  love  story,  and  "  The  Lilac  Sun- 
bonnet"  is  just  a  love-story.  From  beginning  to  end  two 
people  hold  the  stage  for  the  reader,  as  they  might  in  a 
Greek  play.  Cleverly  as  they  are  drawn,  Ralph's  father 
and  the  other  minister  of  the  Marrow  Kirk,  to  which 
ministry  Ralph  has  been  consecrated  by  the  subscrip- 
tions of  the  faithful  for  his  education  ;  Winifred's  grand- 
parents, their  women  servants  and  their  droll  farming 
men,  are  only  bye  players,  whose  intrusion  on  the  privacy 
of  the  lovers  you  rather  resent,  necessary  as  they  are 
to  supply  the  book  with  its  plot.  The  plot  is  certainly 
novel,  but  in  a  book  like  this  you  feel  as  if  you  did  not 
want  a  plot ;  it  is  sufficient  to  enjoy  the  delightful  love- 
making,  the  Arcadian  setting  of  the  story ;  you  can  read 
almost  any  page,  at  which  you  open  the  book,  by  itself. 
Mr.  Crockett  is  in  his  favourite  Calloway,  and  his  de- 
scriptions of  Calloway  are  always  prose  poems,  instinct 
with  open-air  freshness — with  morning  freshness — full 
of  happily-chosen,  sonorous,  eloquent  phrases.  Of  wild 
country,  of  the  young  of  both  sexes  he  writes  with 
such  contagious  enthusiasm  that  one  could  forgive  the 
touch  of  pedantry  or  lack  of  a  man  of  the  world's  sense 
of  humour  which  some  critics  lay  to  his  charge. 
The  heroine  is  original,  one  of  the  most  charm- 
ing in  Scottish  fiction,  young,  beautiful,  full  of 
the  pride  of  life,  with  as  much  archness  and 
cavoirj'uire  as  if  she  had  been  bred  in  the  society  of  a 
great  city.  And  all  the  time  she  is  the  real  farmer  of 
Craig  Ronald, with  her  common  sense  and  knowledge  of 
things  agricultural  and  instinct  for  management. 

Ralph  Peden,  the  hero,  is  a  divinity  student  who  has 
lived  in  James  Court,  an  old-world  Edinburgh  close,  with 
his  father,  one  of  the  two  ministers  of  a  curious  little 
sect  called  the  Marrow  Kirk,  who  imagine  themselves 
the  only  rightly  guided  believers.  His  father  had 
thought  him  without  human  feelings  when  he  sent  him 
to  finish  his  training  with  his  old  friend  the  other 
minister  of  that  tiny  sect.  Once  in  Calloway,  in  some 
admirable  "situations,"  the  young  man  is  thrown  in  the 
way  of  the  bewitching  heroine,  Winifred  or  Winsome 
Charteris.  the  grand-daughter  of  a  neighbouring  farmer  of 
the  degree  known  in  Scotland  as  a  "  bonnet  laird."  For  a 
time  all  is  smooth  sailing.  Winsome,  the  belle  of  the 
district,  is  so  accustomed  to  men  falling  in  love  with 
her  that  she  is  not  startled  by  Ralph's  precipitateness, 
and  her  grandparents  are  attached  to  Ralph  because  his 
father  was  the  man  whom  they  wished  to  marry  her 
beautiful  young  mother.  The  first  contretemps  comes 
from  the  half  gipsy  servant  Jess,  who  covets  Ralph 
for  herself  and  makes  Winsome  furious  by  contriving  to 
lie  found  in  a  semi-compromising  position  with  him. 
Not  content  with  this,  she  almost  succeeds  in  sacrificing 
Winsome  to  dishonour  at  the  hands  of  a  wild  young 
laird  by  intercepting  and  altering  the  destination  of  a 
letter  from  the  girl  to  her  lover — while  she  lures  that 
lover  by  a  forged  letter  to  meet  herself.  Winsome  is 
only  saved  by  the  village  natural,  who  has  followed  her 
like  a  dog,  and  fastened  in  dog-fashion  on  the  laird's 
throat,  and  held  fast.  When  these  obstacles  have  been 
triumphed  over,  larger  and  graver  obstacles  supervene. 
Winsome  will  not  think  of  marriage  with  him,  be- 
cause she  has  gleaned  from  her  grandparents  just 
enough  to  know  that  marriage  with  her  entails  dis- 
grace in  Mime  mysterious  way.  But  Allan  Welsh, 
minister  of  the  exclusively  righteous  Marrow  Kirk, 
is  more  explicit  when  he  finds  how  far  (natters 
have  gone.  Winsome  Charteris  proves  to  be  Winifred 
Charteris  Welsh,  his  daughter  born  out  of  wedlock,  for 
her  mother,  on  the  eve  of  marriage  with  Ralph's  father, 
had  run  away  and  lived  with  him  in  Cumberland 
for  six  years  in  no  more  hallowed  union  than  a  Gretna 
Green  marriage,     lie  tells  the  young  man  that,  having 


been  bred  up  for  the  ministry  of  the  Marrow  Kirk, 
with  his  education  paid  for  by  the  pence  of  the  poor 
people  who  form  that  community,  he  cannot  marry  a 
woman  with  the  slur  of  illegitimacy.  Ralph  refuses 
to  give  up  Winsome,  and  is  turned  out  of  the  Manse, 
and  out  of  his  father's  Manse  also  when  he  returns  to 
Edinburgh  and  refuses  to  explain  the  cause  of 
his  expulsion.  In  the  interval  Winsome  has 
yielded,  and  promised  to  marry  him  when  he  is 
able  to  come  back  for  her.  How  much  he  has  told  her 
of  the  knowledge  he  has  gained  from  her  father  is  wisely 
left  to  the  reader's  imagination.  Fortunately  for  Ralph, 
he  is,  when  denied  his  father's  house,  received  with  open 
arms  by  his  uncle,  a  dry-as-dust  old  professor,  whose 
daughters  were  the  only  women  he  had  known  before 
Winsome,  and  one  of  whom  he  had  almost  been  expected 
to  marry. 

The  story  ends  happily.  Winsome's  grandfather,  the 
bonnet  laird  of  Craig  Ronald,  who  had  lived  in  a  sort  of 
paralysis  ever  since  his  daughter's  disgrace,  when  his 
grand -daughter's  happiness  was  assured,  forgave  his 
daughter's  betrayer,  and  died,  leaving  his  property  to 
AVinsome,  subject  to  certain  conditions.  And  Ralph,  who 
had  in  the  interval  become  a  successful  author — a  poet, 
by  the  way — found  the  place  which  his  wife  farmed  an 
ideal  place  for  work.  The  book  winds  up  with  a  charm- 
ing chapter  of  their  post-connubial  happiness. 

I  have  no  space  to  more  than  barely  mention  the 
brilliant  bits  of  courtship  among  the  Galloway  rustics, 
the  opening  idyll  of  Ralph  coming  upon  Winsome  at 
her  blanket  washing,  a  modern  Nausicaa  described  with 
Homeric  breeziness  and  grace,  the  spirited  description 
of  her  trout  tickling  expedition  with  Andra,  or  the 
very  powerfully  drawn  scene  in  which  the  two  ministers 
of  the  Marrow  Kirk  hold  a  synod,  and  depose  each 
other.  But  I  can  safely  prophesy  a  permanent  place  in 
fiction  for  a  pure  love-story  with  such  an  ingenious  plot, 
and  full  of  such  exquisite  pieces  of  writing. 

*  *  *  *  * 

Nowhere  is  Mr.  Crockett's  delightful  poetical  style 
shown  to  greater  advantage  than  in  the  opening  of 
"  The  Play  Actress,"  the  latest  volume  in  Mr.  T.  Fisher 
Unwin's  Autonym  Series.  The  Galloway  parts  of  the 
book  are  full  of  touches  of  Mr.  Crockett's  eloquence,  his 
deep  religious  feeling,  his  sympathy  and  familiarity  with 
Nature,  but  I  cannot  give  the  story,  for  I  have  devoted 
all  my  space  to  that  Galloway  love-poem,  "  The  Lilac 
Sunbonnet."  But  I  must  pause  one  minute  to  ask 
the  secret  of  Mr.  Crockett's  amazing  hold  on 
the  world  of  readers  ?  More  than  his  gift  of 
poetry  (half  his  prose  .  is  poetry) ;  more  than 
his  intimate  knowledge  of  Galloway  and  its  folk ; 
more  than  the  industry  with  which  he  collects  his 
data  of  history  and  customs  and  the  ability  with  which 
he  welds  them  into  his  stories,  does  it  consist  in  his 
moral  courage — he  writes  what  he  likes,  not  caring  in 
the  least  what  the  superior  person  will  say.  The  public 
is  hardly  less  anxious  to  see  the  author,  as  he  really  is,  in 
what  he  writes  himself,  than  in  the  interviews  which  give 
the  most  minute  details  of  his  life.  Mr.  Crockett  writes 
his  books;  as  great  books  should  be  written,  for  himself, 
and  only  publishes  them  for  his  readers.  D.  S. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

All  my  patrons  are  delighted  with  the  new  Acme 
Library.  In  appearance  it  comes  first,  and  all  its  rivals  are 
no wher&  Except  in  expensive  editions  de  luxe,  no  more 
delightfully  got  up  little  book  can  be  imagined  than 
"The  Parasite,"1  with  its  large  black  artistic  type,  its 
lovely  title  page,  and  binding  of  the  new  vertical-ribbed 
cloth  in  exactly  the  right  shade  of  blue,  with  a  recherche 
little  gold  ornament  on  it.    It  is  a  simply  beautiful 

*  "  The  Lilac  Sunbonnet,"  by  the  Rev.  S.  R.  Crockett.  (T.  Fisher  Unwin,  lis.) 
•'The  Play  Actress,"  by  Hie  Rev.S.  R.  Crockett.  (T.  Fisher  Unwil).  la.  6d.l 


December  22,  1894.  TO-DAY. 


book.  The  contents  are  worthy  of  leading  off  such  a 
series.  It  has  not  a  pleasant  subject,  dealing  as  it  does 
with  the  brilliant  professor  whosedomestic  life  and  profes- 
sional career  came  within  an  ace  of  being  ruined  by  the 
parasite  soul  projected  into  him  by  a  mesmerist,  to  whose 
power  he  has  voluntarily  submitted  in  order  to  be  able 
to  write  a  scientific  account  of  the  phenomena.  But  the 
story  ends  happily  and  it  is  admirably  told— indeed,  one 
is  at  a  loss  which  to  wonder  at  most,  the  striking  felicity 
of  the  literary  style  or  the  brilliant  conversion  to  popular 
use  of  scientific  knowledge.  It  will  add  to  Mr.  Doyle's 
laurels  by  its  unforgetable  horrors  ;  after  reading  it  I 
would  never  let  anyone  belonging  to  me  submit  to  a 
mesmerist. 

*  *  *  * 

From  the  time  that  I  first  opened  "  Com  in'  through 
the  Rye,"  I  have  always  regarded  Miss  Helen  Mathers 
as  one  of  the  womanliest  of  our  writers,  and  she  is  a 
womanly  woman,  too,  womanly  enough  to  find  pleasure 
in  what  most  of  her  sex  find  an  unmitigated  bore — 
darning  stockings.  Mrs.  Reeves — which  has  been  her 
name  for  nearly  twenty  years — is  a  frequent  customer  of 
mine,  and  a  noticeable  one,  with  her- beautiful  auburn 
hair. 

*  *  *  * 

I  don't  generally  stock  medical  books,  but  Miss  Ethel 
Lamport's  "  Medical  Nursing,"2  prepared  from  notes  by 
the  late  James  Anderson,  M.D.,  a  book  of  brief  plain 
instructions  what  to  do  in  case  of  illness,  is  so  useful  in 

every  house,  that  I  stock  it  and  do  well  with  it. 

*  *  *  * 

Two  of  the  leading  literary  papers  have  referred  to 
Alan  St.  Aubjm,  whose  "  Tragic  Honeymoon,"  in  two 
vols,  has  recently  been  brought  out,  as  Mr.  St.  Aubyn. 
Alan  St.  Aubyn  is  one  of  my  customers,  and  she  is 
not  a  gentleman,  but  the  middle-aged  wife  of  a  Cam- 
bridge Don. 

*  *  *  * 

I  hardly  look  at  the  Christmas  magazines  I  stock  now, 
they  are  getting  too  like  the  music  halls  ;  as  }tou  may  go 
to  two  or  three  music  halls,  and  find  the  same  leading- 
performers  doing  a  turn  at  each,  so  you  will  find  J.  M. 
Barrie,  Mr.  Anthony  Hope,  and  one  or  two  other  first 
favourites  doing  a  turn  in  almost  every  Christmas 
number. 

*  *  *  * 

Can  it  be  only  a  year  ago  that  Mr.  Hawkins — a 
young  barrister  who  had  fought  a  first  rate  uphill  fight 
as  Gladstonian  candidate  for  a  Buckinghamshire  divi- 
sion— said  in  my  shop  to  someone  who  was  congratula- 
ting him  on  his  literary  successes,  that  he  wrote  as 
Anthony  Hope,  because  he  was  afraid  it  might  damage 
his  prospects  at  the  Bar  if  it  got  about  that  he 
was  a  scribbler  ?  His  prospects  of  the  Woolsack  cannot 
trouble  him  much  now  ;  he  occupies  a  much  more  im- 
portant position  than  the  new  Q.C.'s  do,  and  he  has 
attained  it  by  sheer  merit. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Percy  Hemingway's  "  Out  of  Egypt "  3  is  sure  to  be 
very  popular  among  my  subscribers,  even  if  being  by  a 
Mew  man  and  coining  from  a  publisher  not  hitherto 
much  identified  with  fiction,  it  does  not  command  the 
sale  it  ought  to.  "  Gregorio,"  which  takes  up  most  of  it, 
is  a  particularly  clever  story,  handling  a  theme  which 
otherwise  could  hardly  be  hinted  at,  with  the  delicacy 
and  discretion  of  Mr.  Thomas  Hardy.  It  is  full  of 
bright  local  colour  from  the  life  led  by  the  foreign  scum 
in  Egypt.  The  author,  whose  name  is  not  Hemingway, 
but  Addleshaw,  is  a  customer  of  mine,  one  of  the  very 
able  men  who  are  allowed  to  sign  their  reviews  in  the 
Academy,  and  he  was  President  of  the  Union  at  Oxford. 

My  old  patron,  Mrs.  Alfred  Hunt,  whose  "  A  Black 
Squire  " 4  has  lately  been  issued  by  Chapman  and  Hall, 
is  wife  of  the  well-known  landscape  painter,  and  mother1 
of  Miss  Violet  Hunt,  whose  "A  Maiden's  Progress  "  I 
mentioned  last  week.    Everyone  knows  her  also  as  the 


203 


favourite  serial  writer  in  Longman's  Magazine,  and  a 
novelist  of  established  repute.  The  story  hangs  upon 
the  old  themes  of  social  mistakes  and  county  society  ; 
but  it  is  written  with  such  a  sure  and  delicate  touch, 
and  moves  so  briskly,  that  one  does  not  demand  novelty 
— and  the  book  has  the  novelty  of  leading  out  of  a 
marriage  instead  of  into  one. 
'     "* '''  *    ".         #*  ' 

A  book  that  I  am  trying  to  do  all  I  can  for  is 
"  Bibliotheca  StafFordiensis," 5  by  Rupert  Simms.  It  con- 
tains a  bibliographical  account  of  books  and  other  printed 
and  manuscript  matter,  relating  to,  printed  or  published 
in,  or  written  by  a  native,  resident,  or  person  deriving 
title  from  any  portion  of,  the  county  of  Stafford.  The 
story  of  the  author's  life  is  singularly  pathetic. 

*  *  *     .  * 

When  he  was  only  nine  years  old  he  lost  both  his 
hands  and  one  arm  in  an  accident.  His  parents  being 
in  humble  circumstances,  it  can  be  imagined  what  a  hard 
fight  Rupert  Simms  must  have  had,  not  only  to  produce 
the  book  he  has  just  completed,  but  even  to  main- 
tain himself,  his  wife,  and  family.  It  has  taken 
him  eleven  years  to  collect  the  material  for  his  book, 
which,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  has  not  yet  repaid  him  for 
the  trouble  and  time  he  took  to  compile  it.  In  short, 
he  is  in  financial  difficulties,  and  a  fund  has  been  opened 
on  his  behalf  at  the  office  of  the  Staffordshire  Advertiser, 
Stafford,  where  subscriptions  may  be  sent,  and  all  infor- 
mation obtained. 

*  *  *  * 

One  of  the  cheapest  penny  worths  I  have  seen  for  some 
time  was  last  Sunday's  Sim.  In  addition  to  the  usual 
paper,  there  was  added  a  sixteen-page  literary  supple- 
ment, containing,  amongst  other  things,  a  first-rate 
article  on  "  The  Literature  of  the  Year,"  by  Arthur 
Waugh,  another  on  "  Poets  and  Poetry  of  To-day,"  by 
Richard  Le  Gallienne,  a  chat  with  Anthony  Hope,  and 
two  short  stories  by  R.  S.  Hichens  and  Mrs.  Mona 
Caird. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  added  to  my  library  "The  Christmas  Hire- 
lings," 6  by  M.  E.  Braddon,  illustrated  by  F.  H.  Town- 
send  ;  and  a  useful  "Thoughts  from  Gladstone."  7 

*  *  *  * 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

H.  J.  G.— (Nos.  1,  3,  4)  You  would  probably  find  the  pieces 
in  "Carpenter's  Popular  Readings."  (2)  "Idle  Thoughts  of 
an  Idle  Fellow,"  by  Jerome  K.  Jerome.  (5)  There  is  no  objec- 
tion to  your  making  use  of  "  De  Omnibus  "  for  recitation  pur- 
poses if  you  acknowledge  its  source.  (6  and  7)  Apply  to  Mr. 
F.  Upton,  Prince  of  Wales  Club. 

P.  P. — "Working  and  Management  of  an  English  Railway," 
by  G.  Findlay  (Whittaker,  7s.  (id.).  "  Railways  of  England,"  by 
M.  M.  Ack worth  (Murray,  14s.). 

A.  D.  J. — A  dealer  in  curios  would  ask  about  thirty  shillings 
for  such  a  pack,  if  in  good  condition. 

Art. — "  Anecdotes  of  Painting,"  by  H.  Walpole  (Sonnen- 
schein,  3  vols.,  27s.).  "Lives  of  British  Painters,' by  A.  Cun- 
ningham (Bell  and  Daldy,  3  vols.,  10s.  Cd. ). 

P.  B. — D.  J.  Keymer"  and  Co.,  1,  Whitefriars  Street,  E.C. 
are  agents  for  Indian  and  Colonial  newspapers. 

Viola. — Have  you  tried  Boosey  and  Co.,  205,  Regent  Street, 
W.  ? 

A  Reciter. — Yes,  Artemus  Ward  did  write  a  piece  called 
"  The  Showman."  Try  Ward,  Lock  and  Co.,  who  publish  some 
of  his  works. 

Bridget. — I  think  you  mean  "  That  Hindoo  Poena,"  w  hich 
appeared  in  To-Day  for  February  24th.  Try  some  of  the 
volumes  of  recitations  mentioned  above. 

Mack.— See  reply  to  Bridget. 

Willeth.— The  books  you  name  are  very  common,  and  are 
only  worth  about  a  shilling  a  volume. 

L.  N.  H.  (Wakefield).— Kay e  and  Malleson's  "History  of  the 
Indian  Mutiny"  (W.  H.  Allen  and  Co.,  six  vols.,  36s.). 

1.  The  Parasite,  by  A.-  Conan  Doyle.    (The  Acme  Library,  Archibald 
Constable.   Paper.  Is.) 

2.  Medical  Nursing.   (Lewis.    Price  not  stated.) 

3.  Out  of  Egypt,  by  Percy  Hemingway.   (Elkin  Matthews.   Price  not 
stated. ) 

4.  A  Black  Squire.   (Chapman  and  Hall,  3s.  Cd.) 

5.  Bibliotheca  Staffordiensis.   (B.  Simms,  Newcastle  under-Lyme.  Price 
not  stated.) 

6.  The  Christmas  Hirelings.    (Simpkirii  Marshall  and  Co.,  3s.  Oil.) 

7.  Thoughts  from  Gladstone.    (Waul,  Lock  and  Co.,  5s.) 


204 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

Mr  dear  Helen,— Do  ycu  know  those  pretty  little 
fan-shaped  cases  for  invitations  that  have  a  different 
compartment  for  every  day  in  the  week?  Mother  gave 
mo  one  last  month,  and  it  is  now  overflowing  with  cards. 
We  are  engaged  for  four  dances,  five  dinner  parties,  and 
two  wedding  teas.  This  means  new  frocks  to  any  ex- 
tent, and  consequently  we  have  been  very  busy  shop- 
ping. It  is  a  most  interesting  occupation,  but  I  assure 
yoi:  that  it  is  really  difficult  to  drag  ourselves  past  the 
jewellers'  windows,  so  lovely  are  the  contents.  Do  you 
remember  how  mother  used  to  say  to  us  as  children: 
"  Learn  to  admire  without  wanting  things  for  yourself." 
It  is  really  the  only  way  to  enjoy  pretty  things,  and  both 
she  and  I  have  stood  entranced  before  the  exquisite 
diamond  ornaments  in  one  window,  the  profusion  of 
heavenly  blue  torquoises  and  their  guardian  brilliants 
in  another,  and  the  rubies,  sapphires,  black,  white,  and 
grey  pearls  in  a  third.  There  is  a  spray  of  maidenhair 
fern  that  we  both  simply  adore.  It  is  carried  out  in 
diamonds  on  an  almost  invisible  silver  setting,  and  it 
looks  like  the  beautiful  spirit  of  the  maidenhair  trans- 
lated, immortal,  glorified.  Tiaras  do  not  make  us  love 
them.  There  is  necessarily  a  stiffness  in  their  arrange- 
ment that  repels  affection,  but  the  rose-sprays,  sprigs  of 
ivy  and  berries,  leaves  of  bramble  veined  with  gold  or 
silver,  and  other  floral  fancies  carried  out  in  diamonds, 
are  as  poetic  in  their  conception  as  they  are  intrinsically 
costly.    Don't  you  think  so  1 

How  I  hope  you  will  like  the  little  ring  I  have  sent  you 
for  a  Christmas  box.  It  is  at  least  uncommon,  and  the 
strange,  faint  blue  of  the  curiously  marked  stone  is  very 
becoming  to  a  white  hand.  Perhaps  the  day  will  come 
when  diamonds,  rubies,  sapphires,  and  emeralds  will  be 


so  common  that  only  these  rare  old  curios  will  be  worn  by 
persons  of  taste  and  discrimination.  The  inexpensive 
imitations  are  already  so  cleverly  done  that  only  an 
expert  can  distinguish  the  false  from  the  true.  In  Bond 
Street  yesterday  I  fell  very  deeply  in  love  with  an  imi- 
tation diamond  Marquise  ring,  which  looked  exactly  like 
the  real  thing.  As  mother  said,  if  one  had  not  known 
it  to  be  imitation,  one  would  wear  it  with  as  much  plea- 
sure and  as  little  chance  of  detection  as  if  it  had  been 
worth  £100,  as  its  counterpart  in  real  stones  would  be. 

This  is  a  busy  and  festive  month  all  over  England. 
Btdls,  bazaars,  and  wedding  bells  are  going  on  all  over 
the  country.  You  should  see  the  lovely  evening  dresses 
prepared  for  the  first-named ;  and  still  is  rose-petal 
pink  supreme  favourite  among  all  colours.  Fancy  a 
fine  silk  chiffon  in  this  adorable  tint,  made  up  over  soft 
white  satin  in  two  skirts,  both  equally  long,  and  both 
hemmed  with  velvet  rose  petals  sewn  on  with  mother-o'- 
pearl  sequins,  which  not  only  hide  the  stitches,  but  glitter 
like  dew  drops  among  the  leaves.  The  bodice  is  chief  y 
composed  of  a  corselet  band  of  rose-pink  velvet,  sewn 
all  over  with  these  sequins,  and  the  sleeves  are  large 
frills  of  chiffon  bordered  with  a  band  of  gauze.  Tight 
under-sleeves  of  old  lace  come  a  little  way  down  the 
arms,  and  end  in  a  wide  band  of  open-work  jet.  Round 
the  shoulders  is  a  similar  band  of  jet,  into  which  pink 
chiffon  is  gathered  above  the  velvet  corselet.  Don't  you 
think  that  is  a  very  becoming  sort  of  gown? 

Mother  has  just  had  a  blue-and-gold  Liberty  brocade 
made  up.  The  design  is  Japanese,  and  represents  golden 
almond  blossom,  through  which  the  far  blue  sea  is  seen 

Type-writers,  Second-hand,  thoroughly  perfect,  at  half 
makers'  prices.  Machines  lent  on  hire,  also  bought  or  exchanged. 
Documents  type-written. — N.  Taylor,  Manager,  National  Type- 
writer Exchange,  74,  Chancery  Lane,  London.  Telephone  No. 
6690. 


EVERY  MOTHER  and 
EVERY  DAUGHTER 

should  see 

SINGER'S 

NEW  SEWING  MACHINE 


lOs,  to  20s.  allowed 

FOR 

any  sort  taken  in  part  exchange, 
Per    Is.  <6cl.  Week. 

BEAUTIFUL  ART  SAMPLES 
Submitted  for  inspection 

FREE 
on  application  by  letter. 

Best  Machine  for  Plain  Work. 

Best  Machine  for  Art  Work. 

LIGHT,   EASY,  ELEGANT, 

and  a  Real  Treasure. 


The  Singer  Manufacturing  Company, 

City  Showrooms-147,  CHEAPSIDE,  E.C 

BRANCH  OFFICES  EVERYWHERE. 


SCOTCH  SHORTBREAD, 

DIRECT   FROM   SCOTLAND.  7 

Finest  quality  sent  to  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

Sample  Cake,  1  lb.  post  free,  Is.  3d.  ;  Ornamented  Cakes  for 
Christmas  Gifts,  a  Speciality,  from  2s.  6d.  to  21s. 

ROBERT  BROWN,  206,  Cumberland  St.,  GLASGOW. 
"Every  lady 
pleased 

.  .   WITH  THE 

"KI-MI" 

BUSK! 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13J 
inches 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cut  through  cloth. 
—To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  nost  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  ^RITCHIE,  Cochrane 
Street,  Glasgow.  

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 

w 

PER 
BOTTLE 


ARABINE 


MARKING  INK  FOR 
LINEN  is  the  BEST! 


NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED. 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  RenDeld  Street,  Glasgow^ 

CREME   DE  VIOLET 

Has  attained  enormous  popularity  since  we  introduced  it  into  Great 
Britain. 

It  is  a  pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonic,  absolutely  free  from  any  ingre- 
dients that  will  injure  the  most  delicate  skin.  It  cleanses  the  pores,  and 
producing  a  clear  and  healthy  complexion.  Prevents  and  removes 
wrinkles,  Pimples,  Roughness,  Redness,  and  all  Skin  Imperfections. 
Counteracts  the  disagreeable  effects  of  sun,  wind,  and  sea  air.  I» 
deliciously  cool  and  refreshing  to  the  skin.  Makes  the  skin  soft  and 
smooth  as  a  baby's.  Will  make  the  most  faded  complexion  assume  nil 
the  natural  tints  of  youthful  health  and  beauty.  Suitable  for  old  and 
young  of  both  sexes.  Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers,  price  Is.  and  2s.  B«l 
See  that  the  signature  Le  Frere  et  Cie  is  on  the  label,  or  sent  direct, 
post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d.  extra  from 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street.  Glasgow. 


December  22,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


205 


in  glimpses.  Thia  ia  lined  with  pink,  and  the  bodice 
turned  back  with  revers  of  pink  miroir  velvet  bordered 
with  sable,  the  sleeves,  large  puffs  of  the  brocade,  being 
finished  the  same  way,  with  cuffs  of  the  velvet 
t  irning  the  elbows,  and  edged  with  sable. 

We  have  chanced  now  and  then  on  some  pretty 
trousseau  gowns  in  preparation  for  the  various  brides 
prospective.  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  a  tea-gown 
of  pale  green  velvet,  embroidered  in  gold,  silver,  and 
ivory,  and  hung  with  crystal  fringes.  The  front  was 
in  pale  green  accordeon-kilted  crepe,  bordered  the  whole 
way  up  with  a  narrow  band  of  mink.  And  you  would 
also  have  appreciated  a  rhododendron  velvet  dinner 
gown,  slashed  with  oream  and  gold  brocade,  both  on 
bodice  and  skirt;  and  a  black  satin  pelisse  with  a  deep 
collar  of  ivory  velvet  edged  with  skunk,  and  a  corselet 
of  fine  cut  jet,  from  which  hung  long  fringes  over  the 
skirt. 

No  children's  Christmas  party  can  be  considered 
complete  without  a  plentiful  supply  of  crackers, 
and  hostesses  will  find  abundant  variety  as  usual  in  the 
goods  offered  by  the  well-known  firm  of  Tom  Smith 
and  Co.  Among  the  novelties  this  year  that  will  be 
sure  to  please  the  boys  are  the  "  Catling  Gun  "  crackers, 
which  go  off  six  times,  and  contain  a  pistol  and  cap,  and 
the  "  Musical  Elves,"  in  each  of  which  will 
be  found  a  musical  instrument  of  some  sort.  For  the 
older  children,  there  are  the  "  Snapshot "  crackers,  con- 
taining miniature  albums  of  photographs  of  celebrities, 
and  "  The  Old  Curiosity  Shop  "  crackers,  which  have 
mock  curios  inside.  Perhaps  the  most  novel  of  all  are 
the  Japanese  crackers.  In  each  one  there  is  an  animal 
— I  suppose  of  the  kind  peculiar  to  Japan.  The  noise 
mine  made  when  I  set  it  going  was  certainly  peculiar 
to  itself. 


Lady  Edith  Ward  is  to  be  married  to  Lord  Wolverton, 
at  St.  Mary  Abbott's,  Kensington,  on  January  5th. 
Threa  other  peers  are  to  be  married  early  in  the  new  year 
• — viz.,  the  Earl  of  Stamford,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Theo- 
bald; the  Earl  of  Carnarvon,  to  Miss  Almina  Womb- 
well,  niece  of  Sir  George  Wombwell,  Bart. ;  and  Lord 
Teynham,  to  Miss  Green  Wilkinson.  There  is  also  to 
be  a  fashionable  Irish  wedding  next  month,  the  bride- 
groom being  the  Hon.  Burton  Percy  Bingham,  second 
son  of  the  late  Lord  Clanmorris,  and  Master  of  the  Gal- 
way  Blazers,  and  the  bride  the  third  daughter  of  the 
late  Mr.  Burton  Persse,  M.F.H.,  of  Moyode  Castle,  Gal- 
way.  The  betrothed  couple  are  cousins.  I  wonder  if 
it  will  be  a  hunting  wedding.  They  are  always  so 
pretty. — Your  affectionate  sister,  Suzette. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Teufelchen. — What  a  name  you  have  chosen!  The  trim- 
mings you  suggest  would  look  very  well  on  a  tussore  silk.  Satin 
cloth  is  the  best  material  I  can  think  of  for  a  dress  that  you  could 
wear  now,  and  also  in  the  summer.  You  would  have  to  choose 
one  that  is  not  too  heavy.  Crepons  are,  of  course,  the  nicest, 
as  you  say,  but  they  ate  decidedly  costly.  Pease  and  Co.  have 
a  very  pretty  material,  which  looks  like  crepon,  and  is  made  of 
pure  wool.  It  is  called  the  Mongarry  Serge,  is  made  in  several 
different  colours,  and  is  2s.  6d.  the  yard,  forty-four  inches  wide. 
It  is  very  soft  and  light,  and  yet  is  sufficiently  substantial  to 
look  well  for  winter  wear.  A  capital  one  is  in  the  Guards' 
colours,  sapphire  and  ruby.  Send  for  patterns  to  Pease  and 
Co.,  The  Mills,  Darlington,  Yorks.  The  only  remedy  I  can 
think  of  for  the  minute  wrinkles  caused  by  the  use  of  cosmetics 
is  massage,  and  whether  the  effect  of  this  is  really  permanent  is 
more  than  I  can  say. 

Lyonnaise  of  Potatoes. — An  American  dish.  Cut  a  quart 
of  cold  boiled  potatoes  in  slices,  put  in  a  frying-pan  two  ounces 
of  butter,  in  which  fry  an  onion  chopped  fine  until  it  is  about 
half  done,  add  the  potatoes  with  two  more  ounces  of  butter,  a 
tablespoonful  of  chopped  parsley,  pepper  and  salt,  stir  and  toss 
them  gently  until  a  light  brown  colour,  and  serve  very  hot. 


FROM  SUNNY  CEYLON. 

UPTON'S  DELICIOUS  TEAS 


have  reached  a  pinnacle  of  success  never  before  attained  by  any 
other  teas  in  the  world  and  their  increasing  popularity  IN 
EVERY  HOME  is  the  surest  test  of  their  apprecia- 
tion by  the  public. 


If  you  wish  to  enjoy  a  Cup  of  Tea  that  Excels  All  Others 

DRINK  ONLY  UPTON'S  TEAS 


UPTON'S 
TEA  S 

GAINED  THE 

(HIGHEST  &  ONLY  AWARD) 


THE  MOST  POPULAR  OP  THE  AGE. 

Direct  from  the  Tea  Gardens 

HO  MIDDLEMEN'S  PROFITS  TO  PAV. 


UPTON'S 

TEAS 

GAINED  THE 


>N  the  British  section  of  the  /    NOTE  THE  PRICES.    RICH,  PURE,  &  FRAGRANT,    fl!  Pe^on^Jhb 


WORLD'S  FAIR, 

CHICAGO, 


Unparalled 

Success. 


WORLD'S  FAIR. 
CHICAGO. 


"1/ -  and  1/4  per  11).  ~ 

THE   FINEST   TEA  THE  WORLD   CAN  PRODUCE. 


NO  HIGHER  PRICE. 


LIPTON, 


per  1/7  ft- 


NO  HIGHER  PRICE. 


PLANTER,  CEYLON. 
COFFEE,   AND  PRO- 


TEA    AND  COFFEE 
THE   LARGEST  TEA, 

VISION  DEALER  IN  THE  WORLD. 

?s!,™>ruPriet£r  uf  thc  M'cw'nff  celebrated  Tea  and  Coffee  Estates  in  Ceylon:  Dambatenne,  Laymastotte.  Monerakande,  Mi 
C.wanella,  which  cover  Thousands  of  Acres  of  the  best  TEA  and  COFFEE  LAND  in  Ceylon.  Ceylon  Tea  and  Coffee  Shi 
r  i  K      meylon.i0fflc£:  UX'er  Chatham  Street  Colombo.   Indian  Tea  Shipping  Warehouses  and  Export  Stores:  Hare  Stref 


Jahadambatenne,  Mousakelle,  Pooprassie,  Hanagalla,  and 
■  Shipping  Warehouses;  Maddema  Mills,  Cinnamon  GardenB, 
ruE^u?   nE'^i.i'SKS'  UJ',,":'  «"™n"g!  oireei,  uolomoo.   Indian  Tea  Shipping  Warehouses  and  Export  Stores:  Hare  Street,  Strand,  Calcutta.    Indian  Offices:  D.ilhousie  Square. 
tlS'ii?  Sli     «f  Sai..iv,.,ns  :Mmcmg  Lane,  LONDON.  E.C.  Wholesale  Tea  Blending  and  Duty  Paid  Stores:  Bath  Street,  and  Cayton  Street.  LONDON,  E.O.   Bonded  and 
fcxport  stores ;  Peerless  street,  LONDON,  E.C.   Coffee  Eoasting  Blending  Stores,  and  Essence  Manufactory:  Old  Street,  LONDON,  E.C.   Wholesale  and  Export  Provision  Warehouses: 

Nelson  Place,  LONDON,  E.C.  Fruit  Preserve  Factory :  Spa  Road,  Bermondsey,  LONDON,  S.E. 

General  Offices    B  ATM  STREET,  CITY  ROAD,  LONDON,  E.C. 

LARGEST   TEA  SALE  IN  THE  WORLD- 


BRANCHES  EVERYWHERE. 


AGENTS  THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD. 


206 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  JOHANNESBURG  CONSOLIDATED  INVEST- 
MENT COMPANY.  LIMITED. 

A  correspondent,  referring  to  our  analysis  of  the  Trust 

Deed  of  this  company,  sends  us  a  letter,  from  which  we  take  the 

following.    It  will  repay  perusal  by  those  of  our  readers  who 

are  interested  in  the  Barnato  Companies  : — 

I  was  in  Johnnesburg  at  the  time  of  the  inception  of  the  above  com- 
pany, and  at  the  risk  of  boring  you  by  traversing  ground  you  doubtless 
know,  I  give  you  the  following  particulars  as  they  recur  to  me,  and 
which  I  believe  are  substantially  correct.  Barney  bought  a  piece  of 
ground  in  Johnnesburg,  and  pulling  down  the  buildings  on  it,  erected  a 
lot  of  new  buiidings,  and  with  his  usual  "acumen"  preferred  to  use 
the  money  of  the  public  to  his  own  ;  so  he  floated  a  company  to  take 
the  concern  over,  making  a  good  profit  on  what  he  had  paid  for  the 

f round  to  what  he  charged  the  company.  The  public  did  not  take  very 
indly  to  the  new  venture,  and  Barney  had  acenrdir,gly  the  bulk  of  the 
shares  on  his  hands,  and  they  stood  at  a  considerable  discount  in  the 
market.  Mr.  Barney  was  not,  however,  done  with  yet,  for  he  and  his 
creatures  held  the  controlling  interest  on  the  boards  of  several  gold 
mining  companies,  which  included  the  "Eagle,"  "Compton  and 
Gardner,"  and  one  or  two  others,  one  of  which  was  the  "  National,"  I 
think.  These  companies  were  at  a  standstill,  their  properties  not  being 
worth  developing  further  ;  but  they  each  had  a  bit  of  capital  on  hand, 
one  about  £9,000,  another  £12,000,  and  so  on.  This  money  was  lodged 
in  the  bank,  I  think,  or  at  any  rate  in  some  safe  place  ;  so  our  friend 
called  meetings  of  the  different  boards,  and  explained  that  it  was  a  pity 
to  see  this  money  lying  idle,  and  that  it  would  be  much  more  to  the 
shareholders'  interests  (sic)  were  it  placed  in  some  profitable  investment. 
The  boards  controlled  by  Barney  were  easily  persuaded,  and  he  set  out 
to  look  for  this  "  profitable  investment."  In  the  meantime,  he  had  run 
up  Consolidated  Investment  shares  to  a  good  big  premium,  and  then 
stepped  in  and  sold  his  holding,  or  at  any  rate  all  he  could,  to  tho 
above  gold  companies,  who  found  themselves  with  shares  in  his  precious 
Consolidated  Investment  Company,  in  place  of  the  hard  cash  they  had 
before.  Then  the  shares  dropped,  .and  the  gold  company  shareholders 
wakened  up  to  find  they  had  been  done,  and  there  was  a  big  row.  Some 
men  set  out  to  find  Barney,  and  treat  him  to  some  tar  and  feathers  ; 
but  he  had  gone  off  to  Europe  for  his  health,  and  he  had  the  sense  to 
stay  there  till  the  storm  blew  over. 

THE  MONACO  JOINT  PROPRIETARY  FUND, 

Last  week  we  had  occasion  to  complain  of  sundry  general  and 
other  officers  lending  their  names  for  the  purpose  of  persuading 
soldiers  to  risk  their  money  in  a  wild-cat  mining  enterprise. 
Now  we  have  to  direct  attention  to  something  worse.  General 
Innes  may  have  been  persuaded  that  "  the  historical  Esgair- 
Hir  Lead  Mine  in  Cardiganshire  "  contains  "  a  rich  course  of  ore 
in  a  gigantic  lode,"  but  that  "  General  W.  Bryce  Rawlings,  of 
Tollington  Park,  Middlesex,"  should  believe  in  the  statements  of 
the  prospectus  before  us  passes  comprehension. 

The  first  line  of  this  precious  production  promises — 
"A  Living,  a  Competency,  probably  a  Fortune." 

And  then — 

"Wells's  infallible  method  of  acquiring  enormous  wealth 
discovered.  his  marvellous  system,  scientifically  based  upon 
the  law  of  averages  and  mathematical  calculations,  solved 

AT  LAST." 

In  other  words,  the  promoters  of  this  concern  ask  the  public 
to  apply  for  "  Proprietary  Subscriptions  of  £5  each,"  in  order 
that  they  may  gamble  with  the  money  at  Monte  Carlo.  We 
know  nothing  about  General  Bryce  Rawlings,  but  if  he  wears  the 
British  uniform,  as  he  would  have  us  believe,  we  take  leave  to 
say  that  in  associating  himself  with  this  Proprietary  Fund,  he 
smirches  it. 


We  learn  that  the  principal  creditors  of  Mr.  Robert  Buchanan 
are  much  incensed  at  the  terms  of  release  he  has  obtained  from 
the  Court,  and  think  of  petitioning  the  Board  of  Trade  on  the 
subject. 


SOME  NEW  ISSUES. 

The  White  Feather  Main  Reef  Gold  Mining  Company, 
Limited.  Capital,  £75,000.— This  company  is  to  buy  and  work  two 
claims,  covering  24  acres,  at  White  Feather,  Coolgardie  ;  and  the  purchase 
price  is  £65,000,  of  which  £7,000  is  to  be  in  cam  These  claims  may  be 
worth  £7,000  or  they  may  not  be  worth  as  many  farthings.   It  is  a  toss  up. 

Gold  Estates  of  Australia,  Limited.  Capital,  £100,000.— This  is 
a  promoting  company,  with  the  right  to  certain  options  that  may  or  may 
not  lie  valuable.  Apparently  the  promoters  think  an  "abridged"  pro- 
spectus sufficient  for  the  public  who  arc  to  find  the  money  necessary  for 
carrying  on  the  company.    It  isa  highly  speculative  venture. 

Thomas's  Pneumatic  Hub  Company,  Limited.  Capital 
£12,000.'— Described  as  "a  preliminary  company  formed  to  manufacture 
and  push  this  valuable  invention,"  the  Invention  being  the  Thomas  Pneu- 
matic Hub.  The  vendor  is  to  get  £8,000  for  his  patent  rights, arid  t he  com- 
pany is  to  get  as  much  more  as  it  can  from  the  public'.  There  is  nothing  to 
show  that  there  is  value  in  the  patent.  Its  main  claim  is  that  it  stops 
vilnation,  but  the  pneumatic  tyre  does  that. 

Humber  and  Company  (America),  Limited.  Capital  £7">,OOo.— 
This  company  is  to  pay  £?0, 000,  and  a  royalty  of  1  del.  on  every  machine 
sold,  for  the  right  to  manufacture  and  sell  Humber  cycles  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  assumed  that. because  the  B  umber  'cycle  is  popular  in  this 
country,  it  will  te  in  America— a  mere  assumption.  Speed,  lightness, 
durability  are  the  chief  requisites,  and  in  these  respects  tho  American 
manufacturer  i.s  not  easily  beaten.   The  IVard  is  a  very  weak  one. 


Slater's,  Limited.  Capital,  £300,000.— Some  five  years  ago  one  Slater,  a 
butcher,  turned  his  business  over  to  a  company.  It  was  a  good  business,  and 
the  company  has  earned  good  dividends.  Now  this  company  sells  to  a  new 
company,  taking  in  payment  175,000  fully  paid  £1  ordinary  shares,  and 
making  a  present  issue  of  £50,000  Preference  shares.  These  Six  per  Cent. 
Preference  Shares  should  be  a  sound  investment. 

Buckley's  Brewery,  Limited.  Share  Capital,  £100,000.  Issue  at 
par  of  £70,000  Four-and-a-Half  per  Cent.  First  Mortgage  Debenture  Stock. — 
The  prospectus  of  this  company  leaves  a  good  deal  to  be  explained,  and 
we  are  not  satisfied  that  it  is  correct  when  it  says  that  this  issue  ia 
secured  by  assets  worth  £162,350 ;  but  the  actual  security  is  probably 
sufficient. 

Gartside  and  Company  of  Manchester,  Limited.  Issue  of 
£300,<V~o  Four-and-a-Half  per  Cent.  First  Mortgage  Debentures.  —The 
security  for  this  issue  appears  to  be  ample. 

The  British  Aluminium  Company,  Limited.  Capital  £300,0f  0. 
— The  present  issue  is  of  15,000  Seven  per  Cent.  Cumulative  Preference 
shares  of  £10  each.  A  speculative  enterprise  vouched  for  to  some  extent 
by  Lord  Kelvin.  But  the  price  to  be  paid  to  the  vendor  for  the  process  to 
be  worked  by  the  company — £100,000  in  fully-paid  Ordinary  shares  oi  £10 
each,  and  £17,500  in  cash— seems  very  excessive. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Assay  of  Ore.  A  Victim.— It  is  impossible  to  say.  There  is  much 
dodgery  in  these  reports.  You  are  one  of  veiy  many  who  have  been  the 
victims  of  the  Bavnatos,  and  they  are  still  reaping  the  golden  harvest  that 
sometimes  conies  of  bold  and  cunning  misrepresentation.  Transvaal 
Estates  and  Development  Company.  G.  H.  (Birmingham).— Yes. 
We  have  not  space  to  give  the  list,  and  we  do  not  know  any  reference-book 
that  would  give  it,  but  if  you  will  name  any  particular  company  we  will 
say  yes  or  no.  London  and  Scottish  Banking  and  Discount 
Corporation.  G.  It.  (Edinburgh).— We  are  obliged  to  you.  We  under- 
stand the  matter  to  be  before  the  Courts.  Sundry  Shares.  J.  McD. 
(Perth).— Sell  Nos.  2,  3  and  5.  Hold  1  and  4.  Uruguays  should  get  to  55 
by  spring  time,  and  we  should  hold  the  railway  stocks  for  a  better  price. 
Oriental  Leatherette  Company.  Zadot  (Ealing).— We  have  not 
been  able  to  get  any  information  respecting  it.  Ottoman  and  other 
Bonds.  Soma  (Aberystwyth). — The  list  is  published  in  the  JUoniteur  des 
'lirages,  Brussels.  The  prices  written  upon  Cunlirle,  Rupell  and  Co.'s  list 
are  the  correct  middle  prices  of  the  bonus  specified  on  December  4th  and 
December  (ith,  but  you  could  not  buy  at  those  prices.  W.  T.  (Bradford).— 
See  previous  answer.  Bowls  (Goole).— We  have  nothing  to  add  to  what 
we  have  said  in  previous  issues.  Barrett's  County  Bottling  Com- 
pany, Limited.    Expectant  (Huntingdon).  —  JSot  particularly  so. 

Sydney  Pneumatic  Cycle  Tyre  Company.  (Dublin).— We 

are  much  obliged  to  you. 

INSURANCE. 

Investment  in  Life  Assurance.  Ireland's  Eye.— We  place  the 
companies  you  name  in  the  following  order— 'J,  1,  5,  3,  4.  All  are  safe  ;  2,  1, 
and  5,  profitable  ;  2,  especially  so  ;  3,  good  ;  4,  would  probably  disappoint 
you.  Assurance  Company.  Doubtful— You  should  not  be.  it  is  a 
first-class  concern.  Has  never  yet  disputed  a  claim.  Carefully  managed, 
and  satisfactory  to  everybody.  Assurance  Company.  Medical 
(Edinburgh).— The  company  is  not  as  prosperous  as  some;  due,  in 
a  great  measure,  to  the  lowness  of  the  premiums  charged.  There 
is,  however,  a  substantial  shareholders'  capital,  the  whole  of  which 
is  available  for  payment  of  the  sums  assured  in  case  of  need,  but 
that  we  do  not  apprehend.  We  advise  you  to  continue  payment 
of  your  premiums.  Promotion  of  Mine.  L.  M.  (Whitehaven).  —  We 
do  not  know  any  stockbroker  who  would  be  likely  to  be  of  service  to  you 
in  the  matter.  Loan  of  £20.  S.  A.  W.  (Hanley).— We  do  not  know  what 
you  can  do,  except  communicate  with  the  police.  If  you  will  send  us  any 
correspondence  you  may  have  had  with  Jones  v.e  will  see  if  anything  can 
be  done.  Turner,  Lupton  and  Co.  W.  J.  R.  (Maryhill).— We  are 
obliged  to  you  for  the  cutting.  It  must  be  presumed  that  the  people  in 
Glasgow  would  not  enter  such  a  plea  without  instructions  from  London. 
Provident  Association  of  London.  A.  H.  N.  (Notting  Hill).— We 
consider  it  quite  safe.  British  Equitable  Assurance  Company. 
W.  G.  (Moseley).— Your  letter  reached  us  too  late  to  be  answered  to-day. 
It  shall  be  dealt  with  fully  next  week. 


CHANNEL  ISLANDS. 

FRUIT  AND  FLOWER  GROWING.  Several  Valuable 
Properties  for  Sale,  or  in  some  cases  partnerships  could  he 
arranged.    Profits  15  per  cent,  to  30  per  cent,  on  money  invested. 

FURNISHED  HOUSES  TO  LET.  Full  particulars,  plans, 
photos,  &c,  on  application  to  Messrs.  CONSTABLE,  TOWN- 
END  &  MORRISH,  55  &  56,  Chancery  Lane,  London,  W.C., 
and  at  Guernsey. 


STANLEY  J.  WEY MAN'S 


NEW  STORY, 

11  THE   RED  COCKADE," 

A  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced  in  tho 
New  Year's  Nuinber  (January  5,  1895)  of 

"TO-DAY.." 


.rr$T  rr/:r.is///;i>. 

EDEN  PHILLPOTT'S  DUOLOGUE 
".A.  BREEZY  JVrOE3Nri3NTGr--" 

A  Version  of  this  piece  as  an  Operetta  is  also  ready,  tl.e 
music  by  Hakot  d  VlCAES. 

Alt  particulars  of  the  Publisher  :-S.  FEENCH,  89,  Strand,  W.C 


Dscember  22,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


207 


MY  EXPERIENCE  OF  SWEAR- 
ING AND  DANCING. 


Only  those  who  have  passed  beyond  the  "  three  score 
years  and  ten,"  can  recall  the  many  peculiarities  which 
characterised  family  life  in  New  England's  earliest) 
days.  Any  violation  of  the  stern  Puritanical  rules  were 
regarded  as  sinful.  In  the  moral  education  of  children 
there  was  no  middle  ground,  and  the  least  deviation 
from  strict  morality — even  the  use  of  careless  language 
approaching  profanity — was  always  severely  punished. 

Among  my  earliest  schoolmates  there  were  a  few 
children  who  were  utterly  unrestrained,  and  whose  every 
other  word  almost  was  an  oath.  I  was  afraid  to  go 
near  them  or  hear  them  talk  and  they  well  knew  it. 

One  day  at  recess  I  was  playing  alone,  the  others 
having  gone  off  for  a  ramble  in  the  woods,  when  some 
of  the  children  of  this  dreaded  family  approached  me. 
I  started  to  run,  but  was  soon  caught  and  taken  to  a 
broad  plank  which  crossed  a  neighbouring  millpond.  I 
was  then  informed  that  they  intended  showing  the  doctor 
(my  father)  that  his  children  could  swear  as  well  as  any- 
one else,  and  that  if  I  did  not  repeat  after  them  the  words 
they  told  me  to  they  would  throw  me  into  the  pond.  I 
cried  bitterly,  but  staunchly  refused ;  so  they  held  me 
down  so  close  to  the  water  that  my  hair  was  wet,  but  I 
still  refused,  saying  that  if  I  uttered  the  prompted  oaths, 
1  knew  I  should  go  "  to  the  bad  place."  Finally  they 
threatened  to  drown  me,  and  actually  did  plunge  my 
head  under  the  water. 

Half  strangled,  and  gasping  for  breath,  when  they 
pulled  me  up,  I  cried  out,  "  By  God  !  "  fearing  that  they 
would  carry  out  their  threat  if  I  did  not,  but  was  so  wild! 
with  horror  on  account  of  what  I  had  said,  that  I  went 
into  convulsions. 

Alarmed  at  what  they  had  done,  they  carried  me  up 
to  the  school-house,  and,  after  laying  me  on  the  grass, 
fled.  I  was  still  unconscious  when  the  others  returned 
from  play,  and  it  was  several  hours  before  I  roused 
enough  to  remember  what  had  happened,  and  many 
weeks  before  I  could  leave  my  bed.  My  illness  was 
more  due  to  the  dread  of  the  eternal  misery  that  awaited 
me  than  to  what  I  had  gone  through.  It  was  not  until  I 
had  confessed  all  to  my  father,  and  received  his  grave 
assurance  that  under  the  circumstances  he  did  not  think 
I  would  be  held  responsible  that  I  began  to  recover. 

At  that  time,  while  theatres,  cards  and  dancing  were 
considered  sinful  by  those  claiming  to  be  Christians, 
they  were  not  rejected  by  many  moral,  respectable 
people.  In  the  village  below  my  home,  a  dancing  school 
was  opened,  and  many  schoolmates  of  my  own  age 
attended.  I  once  asked  my  father  to  let  me  go,  "just 
to  see  how  they  did  it,"  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  look 

of  surprise  and  horror  my  childish  question  caused  :  ■ 

"  What  you,  my  child !  You  want  to  go  to  dancing- 
school  ? " 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  was  thirty  years  old  before  I  had 

ever  witnessed  a  dance,  and  then — strangely  enough  

it  was  at  the  home  of  a  celebrated  Brooklyn  clergyman, 
and  the  music  was  furnished  by  his  wife,  on  the  piano  ! 
^Printed  by  special  permission  of  Neio  York  "  Truth." 


A  GAIETY  GIRL. 


If  walls  could  speak,  what  a  charming  auti-biography 
might  be  written  by  a  Gaiety  dress'ng-room.  Such  was 
the  reflection  I  made  to  myself  when  I  saw  Miss  Topsy 
Sinden  sitting  before  the  dressing-table  where  I  had  once 
seen  Rejane  giving  the  last  touches  of  rouge  to  Madame 
Sans  Gene. 

The  young  lady  whose  graceful  dance  is  one  of  the 
leading  features  of  The  Shop  Girl  is  still  on  the  right 
side  of  eighteen,  and  looks  even  younger  than  her  age. 

Like  most  of  those  engaged  in  that  delightful  form  of 
dramatic  art,  she  thoroughly  enjoys  her  work  and  looks 
none  the  worse  for  it.  Indeed,  an  amateur  skirt  dancer 
might  envy  Miss  Topsy's  bright  eyes  and  perfect  com- 
plexion. 

"  No,  this  is  not  my  first  appearance.  I  have  been 
at  the  Gaiety  Theatre  nearly  three  years.  My  engage- 
ment terminates  in  a  few  months,  and  I  have  excellent 
offers  as  soon  as  I  am  at  liberty,"  she  said,  smiling, 
in  answer  to  a  question  "About  this  time  last 
\ear  I  was  taking  the  part  of  Don  Juan's  Vision,  and 
once  before,  when  Miss  Sylvia  Grey  sprained  her  foot,  I 
took  her  place.  In  another  sense,  I  have  also  been  a 
Gaiety  Girl,  for  during  last  year  I  formed  part-  of  Mr. 
George  Edwardes'  provincial  company." 

"  How  did  you  come  to  make  your  debut  at  an  age 
when  most  girls  are  still  in  the  schoolroom  or  .confined 
to  pantomime  parts?" 

"  Well,  I  played  the  title-role  of  Cinderella  in  Sir 
Augustus  Harris's  pantomime  of  1889,  and  even  as  a 
child  I  acted  and  danced  with  my  brother,  Bert  Sinden, 
in  some  short  dramatic  sketches  in  which  we  were  both 
very  successful.  I  shall  never  forget,"  she  continued, 
"  acting  before  the  survivors  of  those  who  rode  in  the 
charge  of  the  famous  '  Six  Hundred.'  It  was  a  benefit 
entertainment  given  in  honour  of  the  veterans  some  four 
years  ago  in  St.  James's  Hall.  The  piece  that  Bertie 
and  I  acted  on  this  occasion  was  written  by  our  father, 
and  was  called  The  Blue  Hussar,  and  greatly  delighted 
our  gallant  old  audience. 

"  The  truth  is,"  said  Miss  Topsy  frankly,  "nothing 
is  so  popular  as  dancing,  and  I  shall  always  be 
glad  that  I  have  had  so  thorough  an  apprenticeship 
with  Madame  Katti  Lanner.  I  worked  with  her  for  nine 
years,  and  was  thoroughly  grounded  in  every  kind  of 
dancing,  old  or  new,  English  or  foreign,  for  you  must 
know,"she  added,  laughing,  "dancing  is  not  such  easy 
work  as  some  people  think  it  is,  for  serious  and  inces- 
sant practice  is  the  sine  qua  non,  and  the  different  kinds 
of  steps  to  be  learnt  are  practically  unending  :  as  soon 
as  you  think  you  have  learnt  them  all,  you  find  there  is 
another." 

"  I  believe,  Miss  Sinden,  that  you  are  one  of  the  lead- 
ing exponents  of  skirt  dancing?" 

"  I  certainly  think  that  skirts,  accordeon-pleated  or 
otherwise,  add  greatly  to  apparent  grace  or  movement, 
but  a  good  dancer  should  not  depend  on  her  skirts,"  she 
observed  thoughtfully.  "  I,  personally,  like  something 
rather  neat  and  plain.  The  pure  white  dancing  dress  in 
which  I  am  now  performing  is  extremely  comfortable, 
and  looks,  I  am  told,  well  from  the  front,  but  nowadays 
not  a  little  of  one's  success  depends  on  the  power  of  in- 
venting new  kinds  of  dances  or  movements.  The  public 
are  always  craving  for  something  fresh,  and  originality 
is  the  quality  now  most  in  demand." 

"And  how  do  you  find  your  audiences?" 

"  Everyone  has  always  been  very  kind  to  me,"  she  re- 
plied candidly.  "  I  think  what  strikes  one  most  is  the 
extreme  fairness  of  the  British  public  :  they  seem  to 
realise  when  a  performer  has  done  his  or  her  best. 
I  remember  once  in  the  provinces  I  became  faint  on 
the  stage,  and  only  got  through  my  dance  with  difficulty, 
and  a  number  of  people  sent  round  to  inquire  how  I  was, 
and  the  next  time  I  appeared  I  received  ouite  an  ova- 
tion ;  but,  fond  as  I  am  of  provincial  audiences,  it  is  a 
threat  pleasure  to  be  daneirig  again  in  dea,r  old  London*" 


208 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894 


TJRURY  LANE   THEATRE    ROYAL.— Sole  Lessee,  SIR 
AUGUSTUS  HARRIS.    On  BOXING  NIGHT  and  Twice  Daily,  the 
New  Grand  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.   Box  Office  open  from  10.0  a.m. 

ROYAL    PRINCESS'S     THEATRE— SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.   SATURDAY  EVENING,  December 
22nd,  and  EVERY  EVENING,  at  7.30. 

TEE  DERBY  WINNER, 
by  Sir  Augustus  Harris,  Cecil  Raleigh,  and  Henry  Hamilton. 
Box  Office  open  10.0  a.m.  all  day.    For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers. 

PALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 

THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  ii 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Fud 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 


MOORE  AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
THIRTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  PROGRAMME. 
The  place  to  bring  your  Wives  and  Children. 
An  entirely  New  First  Part,  consisting  of  New  Ballads  and  Sentimental 

Songs,  by  the  Elite  of  the  Troupe. 
New  Comic  Songs  and  Sketches.  A  screamingly  funny  Farce  has  been 

added.   Characters  by  the  most  laughable  of  Comedians. 
Every  Evening  at  8.  MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY  and  SATURDAY  AFTER- 
NOONS at  2.30.   Prices  5s.,  3s.,  2s.,  and  Is. — Fabini,  Manager. 

JJOYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  .Wet  or  Fine, 

THOUSANDS     CAN    WITNESS    the    MARVELLOUS  VARIETY 

PKliFOUMANCES,    2  and  7  MUSICAL   EXHIBITION    (No  Extra 

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TO-DAY. 


209 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.— IV.  The  Apotheosis  of 
Bill  Smith.  By  Herbert  Keen.  Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar  193 


Intellectual  Turbidity  in  China  '   197 

Christmas  Day  Dialogues.  By  Violet  Hunt.  Illustrated  by 

Sidney  Adamson   . .  \us 

An  Eccentric  Millionaire   SCO 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor                        201 

Two  New  Crocketts  ,  202 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller        202 

Feminine  Affairs   204 

In  the  City   206 

My  Experience  of  Swearing  and  Dancing.    By  Mrs.  Henry 

Ward  Beecher   207 

A  Gaiety  Girl      207 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J  209 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer     213 

Club  Chatter   .  '  214 

Clarence.  ByBretHarte.  Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman 217 

The  Country  and  People  of  Japan.— IV   220 

Among  the  "New"  Portraits     221 

The  Turkish  Woman  at  Home.  By  Constance  Eaglesto'ne  .    "  223 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 

The  report  of  the  inquiry  into  police  corruption  in 
New  York  is  well  worth  following  by  English 
readers.  It  affords  a  good  commentary  upon  the  value 
of  government  by  popular  representation.  We  are 
always  being  taught  to  look  to  America  as  the  example 
that  the  rest  of  the  world  should  aim  at.  There  we 
have  the  democratic  principle,  unhampered  by  any  old- 
world  aristocratic  notions.  The  natural  virtue  and 
morality  of  the  People — with  a  capital  P — is  allowed  its 
free  bent,  and  Tammany  Hall  is  the  result.  The  thieves 
and  blackg-w  :ds  who  are  being  shown  up  just 
now  in  -Tew  York  are  the  selected  candidates 
of  the  people  of  New  York.  They  are  elected  amidst 
cheers ;  their  noble  sentiments,  spoken  from  the  plat- 
form and  published  in  the  Press,  are  cherished  and 
gloated  over.  Their  denunciations  of  wickedness  are 
the  sermons  by  which  the  young  of  New  York  are 
taught  to  become  citizens.  The  truth  is,  there  is  a 
good  deal  of  sameness  about  human  nature,  whether  we 
examine  the  items  of  an  aristocracy,  a  bureaucracy,  or 
a  democracy.  Man  is  very  much  the  same,  whether  he 
wear  a  linen  collar  or  a  pair  of  corduroy  trousers,  and 
the  silly  talk  so  popular  just  now,  which  would  have  us 
believe  that  every  labouring  man  is  an  angel  in  human 
form,  and  that  every  person  with  a  balance  at  his  bank 
is  of  necessity,  by  prima  facie  evidence,  an  emissary  of 
the  Devil,  is  every  whit  as  idiotic  as  the  faith  it  has  re- 
placed, which  represented  every  decently-dressed  man 
as  a  gentleman,  and  contemptuously  referred  to  the 
poor  as  brainless  canaille. 

Of  course,  no  one  imagines  that  human  nature  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic  in  any  way  resembles  its 
counterpart  on  this  ;  and,  therefore,  one  dismisses  from 
one's  mind  the  idea  that  the  police  officials  in  London 
are  ever  bribed,  either  to  silence  or  to  action  ;  or  that 
they  ever  work  with  any  other  hope  than  that 
of  accomplishing  their  duty.  But,  with  murders 
committed  in  the  open  day,  and  never  inquired 
into,    when    the    victim    happens    to    be    a  poor 


man,  while  the  murderers'  friends  are  possibly  in  a 
position  to  distribute  funds,  one  has  to  fix  this  convic- 
tion very  firmly  in  one's  brain.  I  believe  many  murders 
have  been  committed  in  New  York,  within  the  last 
few  years,  which  it  was  to  the  interest  of  political 
societies  and  unions  to  hush  up  ;  and,  where  this  has 
been  so,  the  cases  have  usually  quietly  dropped  from 
public  ken.  One  hopes  that  the  same  sort  of  thing 
never  occurs  in  London. 

While  Christmas  boxes  are  given  to  every  conceivable 
individual,  some  of  whom  are  entitled  to  a  slight 
acknowledgment,  while  others  are  not,  it  has  always 
struck  me  as  curious  that  the  omnibus  conductor  and 
driver  never  come  in  for  a  present  of  any  sort.  As  a 
rule,  they  are  the  most  obliging  servants  of  the  public. 
They  are  hard  worked,  and  by  no  means  overpaid  ;  they 
are  out  in  all  weathers,  and  have  to  bear  patiently  an 
amount  of  grumbling  and  impertinence  that  I  doubt  if 
any  other  class  of  workmen  would  put  up  with  for  five 
minutes.  Every  old  woman  in  a  'bus  thinks  her  penny 
entitles  her  to  prod  the  conductor  with  a  dirty  umbrella; 
to  tell  him,  when  she  has  not  counted  her  change 
correctly,  that  he  is  a  thief,  and  to  threaten  to  report 
him  for  impertinence  when  he  points  out  that  the  mis- 
take is  her  own.  He  is  expected  to  carry  parcels,  to 
pick  up  sticks  and  umbrellas  that  people  are  unable  to 
hold  for  themselves,  and  to  act  as  temporary  nursemaid 
to  all  children.  Nobody  ever  thinks  of  giving  him  so 
much  as  a  threepenny-bit.  Whether  the  giving  of 
Christmas  boxes  is  a  good  system  or  not,  I  am  not 
arguing  here  ;  but,  while  it  exists,  I  think  he  is  entitled 
to  it  as  well  as  any  other. 

If  the  happiness  of  mankind,  and  the  future  and 
fortunes  of  the  British  race,  were  matters  of  less  mo- 
ment than  they  are,  one  would  feel  inclined,  for  the 
comedy  it  would  afford,  to  wish  that  the  one-Chamber 
advocates  might  enjoy  for  a  time  a  free  hand  for  the 
testing  of  their  plan.  With  a  party  composed  of  fifty 
groups  of  faddists,  each  living  and  breathing  for  only 
one  object,  and  perfectly  indifferent  to  all  questions 
other  than  their  own,  one  can  readily  imagine  the  class 
of  legislation  to  which,  in  the  first  twelve  months,  the 
country  would  find  itself  irrevocably  committed.  The 
Trades  Union  members  would  at  once  pass  an  Act  con- 
demning to  death  every  workman  who  refused  to  go  out 
on  strike  when  ordered,  and  enlarging  the  meaning  of 
the  word  "  persuasion,"  so  as  to  include  bricks,  pewter 
pots,  and  tar. 

In  return  they  would  assist  the  Socialists  to  leclare 
capital  common  property,  and  to  place  its  control  and 
distribution  in  the  hands  of  a  committee  selected  from 
members  of  the  Fabian  Society.  The  temperance  party 
would  at  once  pass  a  Bill  prohibiting  the  drinking  of 
any  beverages  except  Kops'  Ale  and  tea,  and  permitting 
the  police  to  search  every  man's  house  twice  a  day  for 
liquor,  and  compelling  every  family  to  dine  in  the 
presence  of  a  policeman,  whose  duty  it  would  be  to 
certify  that  the  soup  did  not  contain  sherry,  and  that 
the  Stilton  cheese  had  never  had  a  glass  of  port  poured 
into  it.  The  purity  party  would  close  every  place  of 
entertainment  in  the  country,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Salvation  Army  halls.  The  Auti  -  Gambling  League 
would  prohibit  the  playing  of  cards  and  dominoes,  and 


210 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


appoint  inspectors  to  be  present  at  all  the  clubs,  to  see 
that  their  orders  were  carried  out.  The  prudes  would 
abolish  evening  dress  for  ladies,  and  insist  on  football 
players  wearing  trousers. 

1HB  Lord's  Day  Observance  Society  would  make  it  a 
penal  offence  for  any  man  to  absent  himself  from  church 
or  chapel  on  Sunday  without  a  medical  certificate,  and 
would  compel  every  citizen  to  learn  two  fresh  hymns 
and  a  chapter  out  of  the  Old  Testament  and  repeat  the 
same  by  heart  on  Saturday  evenings  to  local  examiners, 
appointed  by  the  Act  for  the  purpose.  The  anti-to- 
bacconists would  forbid  smoking,  and  the  vegetarians 
forbid  the  eating  of  meat.  The  New  Woman  party 
would  clamour  for,  and  easily  obtain,  an  Act  forbidding 
young  unmarried  men  from  going  outside  the  front  door 
unless  in  charge  of  a  responsible  female  relation.  The 
Labour  party  would  make  it  penal  by  Act  of  Parliament 
for  any  man  to  work  more  than  two  hours  a  day,  or  to 
accept  less  wages  than  ten  pounds  a  week.  Mr.  Labou- 
chere  and  the  little  Englanders  would,  in  a  single  sitting, 
give  India,  to  Russia,  Africa  to  the  Boers,  and  Ireland  to 
America,  and  unless  the  subsequent  Parliament  should 
change  its  mind,  the  Peace  party  would  force  the  Govern- 
ment to  burn  the  Navy  and  disband  the  Army. 

A  single  session  would  easily  suffice,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, for  the  passing  of  these  and  a  hundred 
kindred  measures,  and  fanciful  as  the  list  may  appear 
experience  has  taught  us  that  Acts  quite  as  silly  ajid 
mischievous  would  undoubtedly  be  attempted  to  be 
made  law.  A  weak  Government  would  be  the  slave  of 
each  faction  in  turn.  Our  excellent  reformers  having 
got  rid  of  the  check  of  a  second  Chamber  would  make 
short  work  of  opposition  in  the  one.  Discussion  would 
soon  become  a  mere  farce.  After  Bills  were  introduced 
by  the  Government  members'  criticism  would  be  confined 
to  five  minutes'  speeches,  and  Bills,  each  capable  of  ruin- 
ing 1 1  le  country  by  itself,  would  be  raced  through  all 
the  stages  at  the  rate  of  two  or  three  a  week.  It  is  very 
great  and  clever  to  talk  of  the  Wisdom  of  the  People, 
especially  in  these  days  when  the  people  is  king.  Kings 
have  always  been  flattered  by  servile  sycophants,  both 
in  the  Press  and  on  the  platform.  But  a  Majority  is 
capable  of  making  as  many  mistakes  as  any  single  in- 
dividual, and  the  absence  of  responsibility  makes  it 
more  domineering  and  reckless.  Time  is  the  only  thing 
capable  of  checking  the  excesses  of  a  democracy,  and  it 
is  time  that  a  second  Chamber  gives  us  lovers  of  liberty 
the  opportunity  of  calling  to  our  aid. 

It  is,  perhaps,  just  as  well  that  a  Prime  Minister 
should  understand  the  British  public,  and,  at  present, 
Lord  Rosebery  seems  still  to  have  something  to  learn. 
The  British  public  distinguishes  definitely  between  the 
serious  man  and  the  humourist ;  the  serious  man,  by 
this  distinction,  is  one  who  never  makes  a  joke,  and 
the  humourist  is  one  who  never  dues  anything  else 
except  mala-  jokes.  Lord  Rosebery  must  not  risk  his 
claim  to  be  considered  a  serious  politician  by 
joking  any  further.  It  is  already  beginning  to  be 
generally  understood  that  he  does  occasionally  make  a 
joke.  By  this  time,  probably,  even  Mr.  Chamberlain  is 
fully  aware  of  it.  This  means  that  Lord  Rosebery  is 
trembling  on  the  verge  of  a  disaster  :  without  in  the 
least  intending  it,  and   without  any  gn  at  fault  on  his 


part,  he  may  find  himself  saddled  for  life  with  the  repu< 
tation  of  humourist. 

But,  surely  people  have  been  rather  too  hard  on  Mr. 
Chamberlain.  It  appears  that  Lord  Rosebery  made  an 
ironical  remark,  using  the  word  "  forsooth  "  ;  but  some 
of  the  newspaper  reporters  neglected  to  put  in  the  word 
"  forsooth."  What  other  result  could  have  been  ex- 
pected 1  How  was  the  average- thinking  politician  to 
know  that  a  remark  was  ironical,  when,  apparently,  no 
use  whatever  was  made  of  the  word  "  forsooth "  ? 
To  be  ironical  without  the  use  of  "  forsooth  "  is 
deliberately  to  neglect  the  means  for  satire  which 
Providence  has  placed  within  the  reach  of  the  very 
meanest  of  us.  Mr.  Chamberlain  has  attempted  a 
retort,  asking  when  Lord  Rosebery  is  really  serious ; 
but,  after  all,  retort  and  apology  were  unnecessary. 
Mr.  Chamberlain  has  by  one  simple  tour-de-force  shown 
that  he  has  just  the  right  kind  of  mind  to  qualify  him 
for  the  post  of  literary  critic  on  a  leading  weekly  review. 
Let  him  be  just  as  proud  of  it  as  he  is  justified  in 
being. 

There  is  probably  but  little  in  he  Wesleyan  church 
at  Bournemouth,  as  a  general  rule,  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  outside  public,  but  of  late  it  has  been  some- 
what amusing.  It  happened  that  the  relations  between 
the  Wesleyan  church  and  the  local  gas  company  were 
distinctly  strained,  in  consequence  of  a  disputed  bill. 
The  gas  company  seems  to  have  thought  that  the 
relations  were  strained  to  breaking  point ;  it  severed  the 
connection  ;  in  other  words,  it  cut  off  the  gas.  How, 
then,  was  the  evening  service  to  be  held  on  the  following 
Sunday  1  One  member  suggested  an  open-air  service. 
In  the  beautiful  words  of  the  newspaper  report,  "  he 
would  like  to  meet  and  warm  the  gas  company  up,  and 
would  be  willing  to  sing."  This  glorious  and  militant 
proposal  did  not  meet  with  much  support ;  perhaps  it 
was  thought  that  an  open-air  meeting  on  a  winter 
night  would  have  but  little  warmth  to  spare,  while  a 
gas  company  would  naturally  have  sufficient  appliances 
for  warming  itself  without  external  assistance ;  or 
perhaps  it  was  thought  that  this  member's  singing  was 
a  weapon  which  would  cut  both  ways.  At  any  rate, 
the  proposal  was  rejected,  and  it  was  decided  to  hold 
the  evening  service  in  the  afternoon.  And  then,  the 
report  says,  "  the  proceedings  concluded  with  the 
Benediction." 

In  America,  according  to  recent  newspaper  reports,  the 
price  of  a  silk  hat  is  from  thirty  to  forty-eight  shillings, 
while  an  ordinary  felt  hat  is  not  to  be  purchased  for 
less  than  a  sovereign.  Asa  natural  consequence  the  Amer- 
ican hatter  makes  a  fortune ;  and  the  hat-makers  think 
that  they  ought  to  be,  at  any  rate,  rather  nearer  a  fortune 
than  they  are  at  present.  The  masters  appear  to  bo  willing 
to  grant  the  extra  wages  that  the  men  ask,  but  will  not 
consent  to  one  or  two  minor  demands.  The  American 
hiit-maker,  for  instance,  demands  coflVe  and  dough-nuts 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  his  master  pertina- 
ciously refuses  to  give  him  them.  So  the  American  hat- 
makers  are  on  strike.  This  is  a  pity,  because  the  hat — 
especially  the  silk  hat — has  from  lime  immemorial  been 
given  up  to  the  humorist,  and  ro  one  connected  with  hats 
can  possibly  expect  to  be  taken  seriously.    The  agonised 


December  22,  1894. 


TO-DAY, 


211 


cry  of  the  American  hat-maker  for  coffee  and  dough-nuts 
may  continue  to  go  up  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic, 
hut  it  will  never  awake  one  responsive  sob.  It  is  hard, 
hut  one  cannot  fight  against  farce. 

In  spite  of  the  constant  protests  of  coroners,  juries, 
and  a  great  portion  of  the  Press,  the  unrestricted  sale  of 
carbolic  acid  still  goes  on,  and  the  fatalities  which  occur 
in  consequence  still  form  one  of  the  more  familiar  items 
in  the  newspapers.  Recently  it  was  a  boy  of  fourteen 
at  Birmingham  who  poisoned  himself,  and  the  jury  at 
the  inquest  once  more  made  the  usual  protest. 
If  carbolic  acid  were  the  one  possible  disinfectant, 
or  if  restrictions  on  its  sale  would  prevent 
the  purchase  of  it  for  legitimate  purposes,  there  might 
be  something  to  say  for  the  present  state  of  things. 
But,  as  it  is,  I  do  not  see  what  can  be  said  for  the 
present  anomaly  in  the  law  that  regulates  the  sale  of 
poisons.  What  is  the  use  of  making  it  difficult  for  even 
a  grown  man  to  poison  himself  with  one  thing  when,  at 
the  same  time,  you  make  it  perfectly  easy  for  even  a 
boy  to  poison  himself  with  another  ? 

A  new  experiment  has  been  made  in  the  propagation  of 
apple-trees.  It  has  been  thought  that  better  results 
might  possibly  be  obtained  from  layers1  than  from  the 
common  method  of  grafting.  The  new  idea — which 
looks  like  part  of  the  modern  tendency  to  avoid  the 
middleman — has  already  been  put  into  practice  with 
success,  although  the  experiments  do  not  seem  to  have 
been  conducted  yet  on  a  very  large  scale.  The  modern 
English  fruit-grower,  is  not,  as  a  rule  much  given  to 
experiment.  This  is  a  pity,  because,  I  believe,  there  is 
still  much  to  be  discovered.  The  anomalies  of  grafting 
are  numberless.  Darwin,  in  his  "  Origin  of  Species," 
has  a  most  interesting  page  on  some  of  the  apparent  para- 
doxes that  the  gardener  has  to  deal  with.  The  general 
principles  may  be  well  known,  but  I  fancy  that  practical 
research  is  still  wanted ;  it  would  certainly  be  inter- 
esting and  might  be  remunerative. 

Anything  that  can  be  said  regarding  the  loss  inflicted 
on  English  literature,  by  the  death  of  Robert  Louis 
Stevenson,  is  already  a  platitude.  This  loss  comes  at 
an  ill  time,  as  healthily-minded  artists  are  much  wanted 
in  these  days,  to  combat  the  present  ghoulish  irruption 
into  the  pleasant  fields  of  literature  of  the  mental  freak, 
the  morbid  egotist,  and  the  sexless  sensualist,  who  pos- 
sibly for  a  time  will  carry  all  before  them.  Mr.  Stevenson 
has  never  had  the  wide  popularity  of  a  Conan  Doyle,  a 
Rider  Haggard,  or,  in  these  late  months,  of  a  Stanley 
Weyman,and  possibly  it  was  for  this  reason  that  the  little 
critic — who  has  never  changed  a  hair  since  the  days  when 
Thackeray  so  scathingly  sketched  him,  and  with  -whom 
to  be  successful  is  for  ever  to  incur  his  enmity — took 
him  for  his  own  particular  idol.  But  the  man  was  great 
enough  to  shine  brightly,  in  spite  of  the  bespatterings  of 
their  slimy  adulation.  His  deep  and  kindly  nature  knew 
how  to  value  both  the  flattery  of  himself  and  the  deprecia- 
tion of  his  fellow  workers ;  and  his  criticisms  of  some 
of  his  critics  would  have  made  an  amusing,  if  somewhat 
bitter  chapter.  I  have  a  certain  pained  pleasure  in 
recollecting  that  it  was  in  To-Day  that  his  last  work 
appeared;  and  I  hoped  in  1896  to  have  given  another 
story  of  his  in  this  paper,  for  I  had  the  promise  from 
him  of  his  next  uncommissioned  novel. 


At  last  the  silver  and  bronze  medals  of  the  Gallantry 
Fund  have  been  completed,  and  next  week  I  will 
show  my  readers  an  illustration  of  them.  They  have 
been  designed  and  executed  by  Mr.  H.Evans,  of  Gerrard 
Street,  Soho,  and  my  readers  will  be  able  to  judge  of  his 
success.  I  am  sending  silver  medals  to  Samuel  Wilkin- 
son and  John  William  Robinson,  the  two  young  railway 
porters  who  so  pluckily  risked  their  lives  in  dragging  an 
unfortunate  woman  almost  from  under  the  wheels  of  an 
express  train.  The  Marquis  of  Londonderry  has 
kindly  consented  to  make  the  presentation. 
I  am  also  sending  a  silver  medal  to  James  Barry,  the 
gallant  little  Woolwich  lad,  who  has  a  record  of  three 
lives  saved,  each  one  at  imminent  peril  to  himself.  Mr. 
S.  Brighouse,  coroner  for  Durham,  will  present  the 
silver  medal  of  the  Fund  to  foreman  William  Henry 
Prosser,  whose  rescue  of  an  old  man  from  a  dock  I  men- 
tioned a  couple  of  weeks  ago.  Bronze  medals  are  being 
sent  to  David  Adams,  the  engine-driver,  and  George 
Dickenson,  who  saved  a  would-be  suicide  from  drown- 
ing in  the  Trent ;  and  the  silver  medal  will  be  presented 
to  Nathaniel  Burney,  of  Liverpool,  who  had  a  narrow 
escape  from  losing  his  own  life  in  rescuing  a  boy  from 
drowning  in  an  old  pit  bottom. 

I  AM  also  asking  Mr.  Evans  to  prepare  the  medal- 
lion to  commemorate  the  death  of  the  miner,  Robert 
Evans,  who  lost  his  life  in  rescuing  a  comrade  from  a 
gas-poisoned  mine.  It  may  be  remembered  that  the 
authorities  of  the  chapel  at  which  poor  Evans  worshipped 
"  did  not  wish  to  be  troubled  "  with  the  memorial  to 
their  dead  friend.  The  chairman  of  the  public  hall  at 
Rhos  is  a  little  more  human  in  his  sympathies  than 
these  good  chapel  folk,  and  has  kindly  consented  to 
allow  the  tablet  to  be  placed  in  the  public  hall.  I  have 
to  thank  the  county  coroner,  Mr.  W.  Wynne  Evans,  for 
his  kind  assistance  in  this  matter.  The  following  addi- 
tional sums  have  been  received  for  the  Gallant  ry  I'm  id  : 
— W.  G.Kemp,  £1  ;  Sir  Frederick  Milner,  Bart,  M.P., 
£1  Is.  (annual  subscription) ;  Frederick  Reeves,  £2 ; 
An  English  Boy,  2s.  6d. ;  Dadabhai  Naoroji,  M.P, 
£1  Is.  ;  Right  Hon.  A.  H.  D.  Acland,  M.P.,  £5  •  A 
Scot,  10s.;  A.  B.  S.,  £1  ;  African  Admirer,  10s.;  H. 
Mather,  £1  ;  Rob  Roy,  10s  ;  J.  Pattinson,  10s. 

Mr.  Kemp,  who  writes  me  from  Cairo,  says  : — 

"In  a  country  that  particularly  prides  itself  upon  its 
admiration  for  heroism,  etc.,  it  is  at  first  sight  a  little  sur- 
prising to  find  a  so  comparatively  small  response  to  your 
Gallantry  Fund. 

"  This  is  due,  I  believe,  more  to  a  kind  of  hidebound 
habit  of  conventionality,  rather  than  to  any  real  want  of 
generosity,  a  habit  that  leaves  '  the  genial  current  of  their 
souls  '  and  purses  rather  frosty. 

"  There  isa  certain  attractive  air  of  wise,  paternal  morality 
in  repeating  that  virtue  should  be  its  own  and  sole  reward  ; 
but  for  my  part,  I  believe  this  to  be  a  mere  menial  sub- 
terfuge, by  which  we  stifle  our  infant  good  intentions,  and 
so  save  our  pockets. " 

The  following  letters  from  Sir  Charles  Dilke  and  Sir 
Frederick  Milner  speak  for  themselves  :  — 

"  Dear  Sir, — I  regret  that  I  cannot  spare  more  for  sub- 
scriptions, which  I  am  compelled  more  to  reduce  than  to 
increase.  But  I  cannot  hulp  saying  that  we  must  all 
approve  of  your  object,  and  all  feel  that  we  ought  to  help 
either  your  fund  or  individual  cases  known  to  us.  I 
helped,  with  all  who  knew  of  it,  in  one  such  ease  in  this 
neighbourhood.  If  I  ever  coiro  across  another  I  will  sub- 
scribe through  your  fund,  r;ither  than  directly. — Truly 
yours,  "  Charles  S.  Dilke  " 

"  Dear  Sir, — Though  I  fear  I  cannot  at  present  give  sub- 


212 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


stantial  help  to  your  Gallantry  Fund,  I  shall  be  very  happy 
to  subscribe  a  guinea  annually.  I  think  the  idea  an  ex- 
cellent one,  and  I  hope  you  may  be  liberally  supported. 

"Noble  deeds,  such  as  you  seek  to  reward,  should  be 
encouraged  in  every  possible  way  by  Englishmen.  I  shall 
be  glad  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  support  you. — Very  truly 
yours,  "Fred.  Milker,  Bart.,  M.P." 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

VV.  Watts,  lessee  of  the  Queen's  Theatre  at  Gateshead,  sends 
me  a  report  of  the  Gateshead  Town  Council  meeting,  held  to 
discuss  the  question  whether  his  theatre  should  enjoy  the  same 
privileges  that  every  other  theatre  in  the  country 
does.  Something  was  carried  by  two  votes,  but  I 
arn  not  at  all  sure  now  whether  Mr.  Watts  is  able 
to  sell  drink  or  not.  I  notice  that  everybody  spoke  well 
of  Mr.  Watts's  management  ;  and  I  notice  another  thing  which, 
if  possible,  gave  me  still  greater  pleasure,  and  that  is  that 
one  of  the  councillors— namely,  Mr.  Flynn,  himself  a  teetotaler 
— spoke  in  favour  of  allowing  the  people  of  Gateshead  to  judge 
and  act  for  themselves  in  this  matter.  There  has  been  a  refresh- 
ing change  lately  in  the  attitude  of  many  teetotalers,  especially 
those  placed  in  a  public  position,  and  I  notice  a  healthy  spirit 
of  common  sense  and  tolerance  beginning  to  creep  into  their 
ranks.  If  this  continue,  a  temperate  England  may  even  yet 
be  an  accomplished  fact. 

W.  J.  S. — Your  letter  is  merely  a  repetition  of  old,  hackneyed 
arguments  that  have  been  exploded  a  hundred  times  over.  What 
"  class  legislation  "  prevents  you  from  gaining  that  position  in 
the  world  to  which  your  talents  entitle  you?  I  never  knew  a 
man  yet  with  talents  combined  with  will  that  found  any  perma- 
nent difficulty  in  making  his  way.  This  talk  about  insurmount- 
able obstacles  and  crushing  weights  is  always  the  wail  of  the  weak. 
Why  not  study  a  question  before  you  argue  about  it?  You  ask 
why  taxation  is  taken  olf  the  land  ?  My  dear  fellow,  you  buy  a 
bit  of  land,  and  you  will  very  soon  find  out  that  taxation  is  by 
no  means  taken  off  it.  I  never  could  understand  how  sensible 
men  could  be  taken  in  by  the  vapid  talk  that  is  poured  out  over 
this  matter.  Do,  for  heaven's  sake,  think  for  yourself  a  bit.  If 
the  wild-cat  ideas  you  favour  ever  came  to  laws,  you  would  soon 
find  your  £250  a  year  cut  down. 

G.  T.  S. — It  is  a  kind  idea,  and  1  hope  the  success  it  deserves 
will  attend  the  plan.  Marion  asks  me  the  surest  way  for  a 
woman  of  forty-three  to  make  herself  a  pleasant  companion 
to  a  gentleman  of  sixty-five.  Marion  means  as  a  comrade, 
not  as  a  wife.  Upon  my  word  I  don't  know.  If  Marion 
will  wait  a  little  while  till  I  am  sixty-five  myself,  possibly  [ 
shall  be  able  to  tell  her.  Perhaps  some  reader  of  To- Day, 
who  is  near  the  age,  may  be  able  to  help.  W.  B.  (Manchester) 
calls  my  attention  to  the  following  advertisement  appearing  in 
the  Manchester  Guardian: — "A  Child  of  God,  seeking  employ, 
ment,  would  like  to  take  charge  of  property,  and  collect 
rents."  He  is  just  the  sort  of  child  who  would.  I  wonder  if 
anybody  is  going  to  trust  him.  R.  de  M. — I  attack  the 
special  evil  that  I  most  hate.  I  think  that  all  sins  are  forgive- 
able  except  hypocrisy.  Hypocrisy  is  not  a  human  sin,  it  comes 
straight  from  hell.  H.  1).  (Teignmouth).  — I  thank  you  tor 
your  kind  letter.  A.  B.C.  (Manchester).  — A  man  is  not  made  back- 
boneless  by  drinking.  Abackboneless  man  drinks  too  much.  There 
is  a  great  difference  between  the  two.  Of  course  the  audience 
were  intelligent ;  they  showed  it  by  coming.  Anne  A.  —  Send 
me  specimens  of  your  work.  G.  C.  W.  (Birmingham).  —  Your 
thoughtful  letter  gave  me  much  pleasure.  H.  A.  S.  tells  me 
how  much  To-Day  is  appreciated  by  the  officers  in  the  merchant 
service.  Factor  asks  me  my  opinion  of  matrimonial  agencies 
as  a  means  of  obtaining  a  suitable  wife.  I  should  say  that  any- 
one who  went  to  a  matrimonial  agency  to  get  a  wife  must  be  a 
drivelling  idiot,  and  a  matrimonial  agency  is  just  the  place  from 
which  he  should  get  suited. 

T.  H.  G.  (Mahoba  Hamiapur). — Your  kind  letter,  so 
pleasantly  appreciative  of  To-Day,  gave  me  much  enjoyment. 
The  paper  seems  to  have  made  friends  for  itself  in  all  corners  of 
the  world,  and  such  messages  as  yours  make  editorship  a 
delight.  The  railway  insurance  covers  railway  employes  travel- 
ling in  an  ordinary  carriage  with  the  company's  pass,  and  not  on 
duty.  Your  risk  would  therefore  not  be  covered  wheu  you 
were  travelling  officially. 

D.  Mc.  K.  sends  me  a  report  of  a  sermon  by  the  Reverend  J. 
Robertson,  of  Glasgow.  Says  this  reverend  gentleman  — and 
these  be  the  gentry  that  propose  to  guide  and  reform  til's 
world :  — 

'.'  The  objectionable  part  of  the  theatre  is  that  it  is  not  only 
a  distinctively  worldly  institution,  but  that  it  is  more,  even 
a  distinctively  devilish  one.  The  theatres  are  mere  houses 
of  assignation,  where  rich  and  bloated  men  meet  their 
mistresses  and  harlots.  The  whole  stage  reeks  with  vice, 
and  we  say  it  is  a  damnable  shame  that  any  such  paragraph 
can  be  read  in  any  paper  that  '  the  Moderator  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland  and  many  other  ministers'  were  in  front  of 
the  wretched  footlights  in  a  Glasgow  theatre.  Oh  !  the 
harm  those  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing  are  doing  among  the 
llock  of  God  !  .  .  .  The  Moderator  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland  and  a  bevy  of  ministers,  while  three-fourths  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Glasgow  are  going  headlong  to  hell,  sitting 


wasting  an  evening  in  a  theatre,  the  rendez-vous  of  well-to-do 
rascality,  and  amid  the  jewelled  glitter  and  painted  rotten- 
ness of  lewd  men  and  women— it  is  enough  to  make  the 
Covenanters  turn  in  their  graves.    The  theatre  is  the  very 
porch  of  the  pit ;  it  is  the  vestibule  of  hell." 
M.  M.  M. — You  are  living  a  drama  that  has  ever  been  one  of 
the  most  intense  interest  to  all  thinkers,  but  the  working  out  is  too 
serious  a  matter  for  anyone  to  dare  to  advise  you.  The  responsi- 
bility is  yours  and  yours  alone.  It  is  a  question  between  you  and 
your  conscience.    There  can  be  no  hard-and-fast  law  on  the  sub- 
ject.   By  following  the  world's  convention  you  might  be  acting 
rightly,  you  might  be  acting  wrongly.    By  sacrificing  yourself 
you  might  be  doing  no  good,  and  you  might  be  doing  the  right 
thing.     If  I  were  in  your  place  I  should  try  to  listen  to  no 
voices  other  than  those  that  come  from  within.    Each  person's 
life  is  a  thing  in  itself,  apart.    It  has  nothing  to  do  with  other 
lives,  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  There 
are  four  people  in   this  drama — the  man,  the  other  woman, 
yourself,  and  your  conscience.  You  must  work  it  out  as  it  seems 
good  to  you,  you  knowing  the  whole  story.    The  world's  opinion 
one  way  or  the  other  is  always  a  very  small  matter  when  we 
come  down  to  the  realities  of  life.    It  is  not  what  others  think 
of  us,  but  what  we  think  of  ourselves,  that  is  of  real  importance. 

C.  W.  H. — Thank  you  for  your  kindly  criticism.  After  all, 
art  is  frequently  a  matter  of  personal  taste.  F.  C.  H. — You 
should  send  your  play  to  an  actor  or  actress  who  is  not  too  high 
up  in  the  world. 

Dealing  with  some  notes  in  To-Day  on  the  vagaries  of  the 
Waterloo  officials,  a  Putney  correspondent  writes  : — "  For  a  fact 
]  know  one  man  who  gave  up  his  house  at  Kingston  solely  on 
account  of  the  staff  at  Waterloo.  He  always  went  down  half 
an  hour  before  the  train  was  advertised  to  go,  and  considered 
himself  lucky  if  he  was  on  board  any  of  them  within  an  hour. 
He  told  me  that  in  order  to  kill  the  weary  hours  while  waiting 
for  the  return  of  various  search  parties,  he  spent  enough  money 
on  penny-in-the-slot  machines  to  pay  a  comfortable  10  per  cent, 
dividend  on  every  known  automatic  invention.  Pressed  for 
time  the  other  night  I  asked  an  official  where  my  train  started. 
He  said  he  did  not  know,  but  it  was  somewhere  from  the  station. 
I  pointed  out  that  the  station  covered  some  acres,  and  that 
there  was  a  north  station,  a  loop  line,  and  a  central. 
He  seemed  to  regard  the  remark  in  the  light  of 
a  compliment  to  the  extent  of  his  employers'  property,  and 
said  that  it  was  so  Finally,  hy  the  aid  of  »  board,  I  found  the 
platform,  and,  carrying  out  instructions,  jumped  in  on  the  left. 
I  might  have  been  there  till  now  had  it  not  been  foi  a  friendly 
official,  who  told  me  that  the  carriage  had  simply  been  shunted 
in  there,  and  that  my  train,  which  was  in  the  front,  had  long 
since  gone.  1  would  suggest  to  brother  season-ticket  holders 
the  employment  of  a  qualified  explorer  at  our  expense." 

Nancy  Ross.  — I  wish  all  my  correspondents  had  your  dis- 
cretion ;  but,  my  dear  lady,  how  can  I  have  impressed  you  with 
the  idea  that  I  think  poorly  of  women?  No  one  has  a  greater 
admiration  for  them,  I  feel  sure.  It  is  only  when  they  forget 
their  position  and  stoop  from  it  that  I  am  shocked  and  grieved. 
You  would  enjoy  Mr.  Keighley  Snowden's  "  Tales  of  the  York- 
shire Wolds"  (Sampson,  Low  and  Co). 

H.  G.  B. — These  silly  tirades  really  do  no  harm.  Their  ex- 
aggeration is  so  evident  that  they  can  impose  on  nobody  who  ia 
capable  of  reading.  In  fact,  I  often  think  that  the  Almighty 
has  touched  the  energetic  teetotaler  with  madness  on  purpo.se 
that  he  may  run  over  these  steep  places  and  shatter  himself.  It 
is  lucky  for  the  cause  of  freedom  that  they  are  not  clever  men. 
P.  H.  L.  —  You  will  get  a  list  of  children's  plays  from  Samuel 
French,  Ltd.,  89,  Strand,  W.O.  Yon  might  try  The  Toy  Shop, 
.Snow;  White,  or  Prime  B'dbo  (adapted  from  Thackeray' s  fairy 
story,  "  The  Rose  and  the  Ring").  Postal. — I  am  delighted 
to  find  To-Day  so  much  to  your  taste,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  that 
I  find  most  young  men  do  like  it.  I  know  of  no  people  in  the 
postal  service  myself,  and  1  expect  all  the  good  berths  are  kept 
for  friends  and  relations  of  the  higher  officials.  E.  P. 
(Nebraska)  writes  to  correct  a  statement  as  to  the  temperature 
of  the  United  States.  He  tells  me  that  in  Nebraska  last 
summer  they  registered  over  a  hundred  and  twenty  degrees. 
A.C.  B.  — I  tell  you  what  men  like  you  who  sympathise  with 
omnibus  horses  might  do.  You  might  draw  my  attention  to 
every  case  of  cruelty  you  come  across,  and  be  prepared  to  sub- 
stantiate it.  M.  W.  (Nova  Scotia). — As  an  editor,  I  suppose  I 
have  opened  my  columns  to  more  unknown  men  than  do  most 
papers.  My  having  to  close  them  now  for  a  period  is  due  to  my 
having  taken  so  much  from  them.  For  the  next  two  years  or  so 
you  must  try  other  editors.  You  will  find  plenty  of  new  names 
in  both  Tun  IDLER  and  To-Day,  but  the'pagos  of  both  are  only 
limited.  Regular  Reader. — I  cannot  see  what  football  has  to 
do  with  Christianity,  or  Christianity  with  football.  Cannot  a 
man  be  both  a  Christian  and  a  football  player,  and  why  mod  he 
mix  the  two  things  up?  A  Christian  theatre,  and  a  Christian 
football  club,  and  a  Christian  dance  savour  of  hypocrisy.  I 
should  certainly  leave  the  letter  alone.  Enquirer,  who  is  not 
very  good  at  figures,  would  be  glad  to  know  how  to  become  an 
expert  and  good  financier  ;  also  to  know  how  to  become  a  good 
extempore  speaker.  Financiers  and  speakers  are  born,  not 
made.    I  should  advise  him  not  to  attempt  either. 

Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week. 


December  '2-2,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


213 


JLETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

'  My  dear  Dick, — The  air  is  full  of  shouting,  and  there 
is  blood  on  the  face  of  the  moon. 

The  "Modern  Society  Play"  controversy  is  raging 
like  an  influenza  epidemic.  Everybody  is  inclined  to 
takd  sides.  At  the  Actors'  Benevolent  Fund  dinner, 
hints  and  allusions  flew  round  like  crackers,  and  even 
within  the  sacred  portals  of  the  Garrick  Club,  a  manager 
and  an  author  have  tackled  a  critic  with  such  unwonted 
warmth  and  persistency,  that  the  latter,  refusing  to 
disturb  social  amenities  by  contributing  to  an  acri- 
monious discussion,  was  reduced  to  taking  up  his  hat 
and  walking  out  of  the  club,  to  avoid  recriminations 
that  followed  almost  to  his  cab  door. 

This  is  all  very  regretable,  and,  curiously  enough,  it 
nearly  all  results  from  a  misunderstanding.  An  old 
patron  of  the  drama*  who  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
Club,  wrote  to  the  Times  a  letter  that  Beerbohm 
Tree  believed  was  written  by  a  well-known  critic.  Tree 
answered  back,  and  so  the  row  began.  As  I  told  you  last 
week,  there  was  not  very  much  in  the  controversy  as  a 
controversy,  but,  unfortunately,  Tree  was  betrayed  into 
saying  that  in  one  of  the  letters  he  thought  that  he 
could  trace  "  the  ink-stained  finger  of  the  old  journalistic 
hand." 

What  did  he  mean  ?  I  don't  know.  I  believe,  person- 
ally, that  he  merely  wrote  the  line  because  it  flowed 
nicely  from  his  pen.  That  it  can  convey  any  sort  of 
imputation  I  fail  to  perceive.  But  it  was  not  very 
polite.  Different  men  use  different  things  to  earn  their 
living  with,  and  to  talk  of  ink-stained  fingers* 
in  connection  with  a  journalist  is  not  more  rele- 
vant than  to  say  that  the  phrasing  of  an 
actor's  letter  is  an  example  of  "  the  greasy 
che<  k,  or  the  wig-pasty  wit,  of  the  professional  actor." 
If  the  arguments  of  an  actor  are  strong,  you  do  not  rebut 
them  by  telling  him  that  his  face  is  painted  and  his 
stomach  padded.  Equally,  you  cannot  confute  a  critic 
by  telling  him  that  there  is  ink  on  his  fingers — or,  for  that 
matter,  on  his  cuffs. 

It  seems  to  me  that  ever  since  the  great  battle  over 
Ibsen  we  are  inclined  too>  much  to  controversy,  and  too 
little  to  common  sense.  Nothing  is  more  deplorable 
than  the  absence  of  unanimity  which  prevails  amongst 
those  who  are  interested  in  public  amusements  at  this 
particular  moment.  Just  consider  for  yourself  how 
things  stand. 

Irving,  while  admitting  that  music  halls!  have  their 
uses,  does  not  consider  that  they  ought  to  be  allowed  to 
dabble  in  drama. 

Clement  Scott,  who  is  quite  as  enthusiastic  in  the  cause 
of  Art  as  Irving,  warmly  upholds  Theatrical  Free  Trade. 
Wyndham,  I  am  glad  to  know,  is  of  the  same  opinion. 
But  both  stick  to  the  censorship. 

Edward  Rose,  dramatist  and  critic,  confesses  this  week 
in  the  columns  of  the  Sunday  Times  that  we  want  the 
complete  and  absolute  freedom  for  which  I  have  so  fre- 
quently pleaded  in  this  letter.  Haddon  Chambers,  I 
believe,  is  of  the  same  way  of  thinking.  Tree  hovers  on 
the  brink.  One  manager  of  my  acquaintance  is  thirst- 
ing to  follow  the  example  of  go-ahead  Brighton,  and 
start  a  smoking  theatre.  The  Lord  Chamberlain  is 
willing  to  consent  if  all  the  managers  will  unite  in  asking 
for  the  permission.  Another  manager,  an  inveterate 
smoker  himself,  thinks  the  bare  idea  of  smoking  in  a 
theatre  little  short  of  sacrilege. 

Amongst  the  music-hall  people,  a  strong  effort  is  being 
made  to  hand  the  licensing  over  to  the  Lord  Chamber- 
Iain^  but  the  Newson-Smith  syndicate,  controlling  the 
lavihon,  the  Oxford,  and  the  Tivoli,  and  a  total  capital 
of  half  a  million,  refuse  to  join  the  movement  j  and  a 
Similar  line  is  taken  by  the  Alhambra  and  the  Palace 


together  with  several  of  the  smaller  halls.  Meantime,  thi 
Censor,  just  to  help  things  along,  has  vetoed  a  play  by 
W.  Hineman,  who  will  probably  publish  it  at  once  in  booV 
form,  and  has  refused  to  license  a  one-act  play  written  by 
Captain  Marshall,  in  which  George  Alexander  himself 
meant  playing  at  the  St.  James's.  George,  I  hear,  thinks 
so  highly  of  this  work  that  he  means  to  give  one  private 
"invitation"  performance  of  it  to  the  critics  and  his 
friends.  Meantime,  he  is,  naturally,  not  predisposed  in 
favour  of  the  censorship. 

Under  these  circumstances,  is  it  wonderful  that  a  prac- 
tically unanimous  County  Council  should  bo  within  mea- 
surable distance  of  obtaining  the  object  of  its  desires — - 
the  absolute  control  of  all  places  of  amusement  in  the 
metropolis,  without  exception? 

It  was  a  decided  relief  to  get  away  from  controversial 
excitements  to  the  unemotional  joys  of  the  Savoy  on 
Thursday.  The  Chieftain  is  a  decidedly  polite  and  de- 
corous little  work,  harmless  and  agreeable  in  every  fea- 
ture. The  first  act  was  produced  as  a  complete  operetta 
at  the  German  Reeds  in  the  middle  sixties  ;  the  second 
act  is  a  decided  advance  upon  it  in  evety  way,  but  the 
entire  entertainment  has  still  a  strong  flavour  of 
St  George's  Hall  about  it.  Nevertheless  it  is  pretty 
sure  to  enjoy  a  considerable  share  of  Christinas  popu- 
larity, for,  such  as  it  is,  it  is  fairly  faultless.  Burnand's 
taste  is  above  reproach,  and  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan  couldn't 
compose  a  dull  number  if  he  tried  :  so  the  piano  scores 
will  sell  in  cartloads,  and  Carte's  comfortable  theatre  will 
be  filled  for  a  period.  I  do  not  anticipate,  however,  that 
The  Chieftain  will  run  in  any  way  like  any  of  the  great 
Gilbert-Sullivan  series.  It  is  excellently  mounted  and 
strongly  cast,  but  nobody  has  sufficient  to  do  to  call  for 
individual  mention. 

Much  the  same  is  true  of  the  new  ballet  at  the  Al- 
hambra. Ali  Baba  is  a  good  subject,  but  its  treatment 
i:»  thoroughly  conventional  and  common -place.  Wild 
'tus  horses  will  not  apparently  drag  the  Alhambra  out 
of  the  good  old-fashioned  groove  into  which  its  ballet  has 
fallen.  In  face  of  the  repeated  success  of  up-to-date 
ballet  at  the  Empire,  the  Alhambra  plods  doggedlv  on. 
In  its  last  ballet  we  had  pantomime  monkeys.  Now  we 
have  a  pantomime  donkey.  We  get,  as  before,  an  ex- 
ample of  traditional  Italian  mimicry  in  the  dramatic 
posturing  of  the  Captain  of  the  Forty  and  Mor- 
giana.  We  get  the  military  evolutions  of  the  Thieves, 
and,  finally,  we  get  the  Early  Penny  Valentine  sort  of 
Fairy  Palace,  before  which  eveiybody  assembles,  and 
stands  in  a  hollow  square,  whilst  the  premiere  danseuse, 
in  stiff  muslin  skirts,  performs  her  time-honoured  gyra- 
tions. This  is  all  very  charming,  but  there  is  only  one 
place  in  London  for  which  it  is  exactly  suited,  and  that 
is  the  British  Museum. 

One  introduction  is  distinctly  noticeable,  and  that  is 
tli3  show  of  the  Flying  Grigolates.  They  are,  to  put 
it  briery,  JZnea  multiplied  by  seven.  Their  leader  is  a 
singularly  beautiful  woman  blessed  with  an  almost  per- 
fect figure,  and  the  scene  in  which  she  appears  is  most 
certainly  worth  seeing.  For  the  rest,  it  is  good  of  its 
6ort — but  oh,  dear !  it  is  such  a  very,  very  old  sort. 

Next  week  the  programme  at  the  Alhambra  will  be 
strengthened  by  the  accession  of  Lonnen  and  Alice  Leth- 
bridge,  who  are  freed  by  the  termination  of  Little  Chris- 
t  >pher  Columbus,  which  has  reached  the  end  of  its  re- 
markable run  at  last.  In  the  provinces,  however,  it 
still  careers  gaily,  and  in  New  York  it  is  enjoying  con- 
spicuous prosperity. 

!  The  Gaiety  Girl  at  Daly's  has  also  come  to  an  end,  and 
Owen  Hall's  new  musical  comedv  is  in  active  rehearsal. 
I  am  told  that  it  is  to  be  called  The  Model,  but  I  believe 
no  name  has  been  finally  fixed  upon  yet. 

Horace  Sedger  has  taken  the  Trafalgar,  and  will  open 
it  with  a  musical  show  called  The  Taboo.  It  is  rather 
an  ominous  title,  isn't  it? — Your  affectionate  cousin, 

Randolph. 


214 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 

Some  time  ago  I  spoke  of  the  attempt  of  inventors  to 
disguise  articles  of  eveiy-day  use  in  some  ridiculous 
form,  instancing  the  latest  in  tobacco-pouches,  which  was 
made  to  look  like  a  cricket-ball.  The  Globe,  in  a  kindly- 
article,  supported  my  views.  It  was  only  the  other  day, 
though,  that  I  fully  appreciated  the  lengths  to  which 
this  practice  had  gone.  I  went  into  a  Regent  Street 
house,  and  asked  for  a  match-box  of  simple  pattern. 
The  assistant  came  back,  and  presented  me  with  a  long 
cylinder,  with  a.  whistle  at  one  end.  I  said  that  I  wanted 
a  match-box,  and  he  told  me  that  it  was  one,  and  that 
the  whistle  was  thrown  in.  When  I  told  him  that  I 
failed  to  see  the  use  of  it,  he  said  that  it  was  handy  when 
you  wanted  a  cab,  and  that  it  had  the  sound  of  the 
pclice^alarm  combined.  We  discussed  the  question,  and 
he  agreed  with  me  finally  that  it  was  quite  possible  that 
this  blend  might  lead  to  peculiar  complications. 


Then  he  came  back  with  another  made  to  look  like'  a 
hunting-horn,  and  with  a  ring  on  the  top.  He  remarked 
that  this  fitted  on  to  the  watch-chain,  and  seemed  sur- 
prised when  I  suggested  that  a  man  did  not  as  a  rule 
ur.dress  each  time  he  wanted  a  light.  At  his  third  essay 
ho  brought  a  neat  little  affair  that  seemed  exactly  what  I 
wanted.  He  was  a  little  disappointed  at  this  ready 
appreciation,  and  explained  that  I  did  not  see  the  real 
advantage.  It  was  a  puzzle.  You  pressed  it  in  two 
places,  scratched  at  a  spring  elsewhere,  and,  presup- 
posing that  you  had  not  forgotten  to  fill  your  case,  there 
were  the  matches.  Ho  added  that  I  should,  of  course, 
know  the  trick,  but  that  it  would  provide  me  with  a  fund 
of  perpetual  jest  at  the  expense  of  my  friends. 


By  this  time  I  was  getting  a.  little  disheartened,  and 
again  solicited  his  kind  offices  in  procuring  my  original 
order.  Then  he  came  back  again  with  one  more 
specimen.  It  was  several  ounces  in  weight,  and  opened 
all  over.  When  it  was  opened  fully  you  saw  a  wheel,  with 
phosphorus  tips,  and  a,  small  rope,  and  all  you  had  to 
do  was  to  press  a  spring,  and  one  thing  set.  alight  to 
another,  and  you  got  a  fire  at  which  you  could  warm 
your  feet  or  cook  a  moderately-sized  potato.  Finally,  I 
actually  got  what  I  wanted,  but  to-day  the  ribs  are 
clogged  up,  and  I  am  wondering  why  some  good  Samari- 
tan does  not  sot  his  mind  on  trying  to  invent  a.  friction 
surface  that  will  carry  out  its  contract,  instead  of  per- 
petuating these  strange  devices. 


It  is  just  the  same  with  cigar  cases.  The  inventor  of  to- 
day seems  to  think  that  this  is  the  only  luggage  a.  man 
carries  on  a.  long  journey.  Accordingly,  he  makes  pro- 
vision for  sufficient  stationery  and  stamps  to  maintain 
a  liberal  correspondence  for  some  months,  provides  for  a 
set  of  rules  in  regard  to  postal  rates,  also  facts  as  to  the 
Inland  Revenue  charges  for  dogs,  and  room  for  a  few 
dozen  visiting  cards  ;  finally,  as  an  after  thought,  he 
makes  a  space  for  four  cigars,  and  then,  out  of  sheer  de- 
pravity, devotes  a  larger  compartment  to  the  transport 
of  cigarettes. 


I  note  these  facts  because  I  take  it  that  the  usual 
demand  encourages  the  supply,  and  that  there  are  among 
my  readers  t hose  who  appreciate  these  distractions.  But 
for  the  very  large  number  who  have  recently  asked  me 
to  give  some  suggestion  for  a  present  which  is  at  once 
useful  and  seasonable  I  would  mention  those  very  com- 
fortable fancy  waistcoats  made  either  in  leather  or  con- 
duroy  ;  travelling  bags,  which  I  am  glad  to  see  are  now 
almost  invariably  being  built  without  those  ridiculous 
compartmtents  for  perfumers  that  no  sane  man  ever 
wanted  ;  lined  travelling  rugs  of  the  Highland  tartan 
pattern  ;  scarfs  or  ties  of  a  dark  pattern — because  every- 
thing is  in  a.  quiet  shade  since  the  Court  went  into 
n>ourning — with  small  dots  either  in  white  or  dark  red. 


All  these  presents  are  of  reasonable  cost,  and  are  ser- 
viceable. For  those  who  still  use  the  Christmas  card, 
I  may  add  that  no  end  of  ingenuity  has  been  ex- 
pended on  the  production  of  sportingfnovelties.  You  can 
get  golf,  rowing,  football,  or  racing  trophies  mounted 
on  cards  in  a  very  neat  fashion,  and,  all  said  and  done,  I 
believe  that  a  Christmas  card  is  the  easiest  solution  of 
the  present  question  ;  when  one  is  in  doubt. 

If  among  my  readers  there  aie  any  interested  in 
mineralogy,  I  should  be  only  too  pleased  to  supply  them 
with  every  single  fact  on  every  single  metal.  This  lib- 
eral education  has  been  forced  upon  me  during  the  last 
few  days  by  a  printer's  error.  I  attribute  the  error  to 
the  printers  without  going  fully  into  the  question  of  re- 
sponsibility, because  I  have  had  to  deal  with  printers  for 
very  many  years,  and  don't  trust  them.  One  printer 
I  know  blighted  the  career  of  one  of  my  most  promising 
friends.  He  described  a  religious  festival,  and 
spoke  of  the  imposing  ceremony  in  the  "  growing 
darkness."  The  printer  set  it  up  "  drunken- 
ness," and  now  the  writer  is  lost  to  his  family  in  the 
Colonies  somewhere.  I  was  recently  told  of  a  young 
man  who  was  anxious  to  conciliate  a  lady  love  by  a  flat- 
tering reference  in  a  public  print  to  her  share  in  the  re- 
citative, "  Come  down,  and  in  the  dust  be  humbled," 
The  compositor  set  it  up  "  Come  down,  and  in  the  dust 
he  tumbled,"  and  the  sub-editor,  at  a  loss  to  make  the 
context  read  evenly,  added  that  it  was  "  most  laugh- 
able." That  poor  writer  is  now  an  unmarried  widower. 
Even  more  recently,  I  was  shown  the  vagaries  of  a  com- 
positor in  the  setting  up  of  Mr.  Bret  Harte's  "  Clarence  " 
in  To-Day,  where  a  lady's  distraction  was  translated 
into  "  dirty  action."  It  is  for  these  reasons  that  I  de- 
cline to  fully  accept  the  responsibility  of  the  use  of  the 
v-ord  "platinum"  in  last  week's  notes,  when  it  should 
have  been  "  aluminium." 


Within  a  few  hours  of  the  publication  of  the  paper,  I 
was  awakened  to  the  sense  of  my  responsibility.  My 
first  correspondent  very  kindly  told  me  that  he  always 
took  my  suggestions  blindly.  When  he  saw  that  pla- 
tinum nails  were  being  introduced  into  the  German 
Aimy  for  their  boots,  he  went  out  and  ordered  some. 
The  bootmaker  suggested  that  he  was  drunk,  and  a  friend 
whom  he  met  subsequently  worked  out  the  whole  ques- 
tion and  found  that  it  would  take  just  £14  8s.  to  sub- 
stitute platinum  for  the  existing  iron  or  brass.  Another 
correspondent  told  me  that  if  I  would  vouch  for  the  ac- 
curacy of  my  statement  he  would  naturalise  as  a  German 
to-morrow,  get  his  boots,  bolt,  and  then  set  up  house- 
keeping. Smooth  iambics  and  flowing  dactyls  have  been 
thrown  about  regardlessly,  "leather"  rhyming  with 
"  feather,"  and  "  gold  "  with  "  sold."  But  I  must  seri- 
ously thank  many  score  of  my  readers  for  their  kindly 
action  in  taking,  no  doubt,  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in 
working  out  for  my  benefit  the  respective  density  of 
practically  every  metal. 

I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  pity  of  the  decision  in 
the  Coborn-Palace  case  by  an  incident  at  the  Pavilion  on 
Saturday  night.  A  singer — Bessie  Bellwood  by  name — 
had  rendered  a  couple  of  indifferent  songs,  and  there  was 
some  hissing.  We  were  at  once  treated  to  her  opinion 
of  the  opinion  of  the  audience.  A  good  deal  of 
talk  about  her  "best  efforts,"  "earning  a  living," 
and  fo  forth,  followed  ;  and  there  was,  naturally,  a 
counter- demonstration  on  her  behalf.  Finally,  she 
wound  up  with  some  reference  to  meeting  any  of  her 
opponents  about  her  own  Weight  at  the  stage  door.  No 
doubt  the  woman  laboured  under  some  sense  of  provoca- 
tion ;  but  such  displays  do  not  lend  to  the  gaiety  of  an 
evening,  and  I  regret  that,  so  far,  the  Palace  Company 
have  been  thwarted  in  a  laudabN  attempt  to  enforce  an 
excellent  rule. 


It  is  satisfactory  to  hear  that  Bradford  is  out  of 
danger,  and  that  Tom  Loates  has  picked  up  wonderfully 


December  22,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


215 


since  ho  placed  himself  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  T. 
Kobinson.  Bradford's  life  was,  at  one  time,  despaired 
of,  whilst  it  was  rumoured  that  the  excitement  of  last 
season  had  so^  impaired  Loates's  nervous  system  that  there 
were  doubts  as  to  his  being  well  by  next  season.  G. 
Barrett,  whose  riding  of  late  years  has  shown  a  great 
falling  off,  has,  I  notice,  gone  to>  South  Africa.  Last 
winter  Barrett  was  in  Palestine,  and  there  he  made  a 
memorable  race  with  a  bishop.  He  proposes  to  ride  in 
the  land  of  Cecil  Rhodes. 


When  certain  winters  have  chosen  professions  as  their 
theme,  it  lias  been  their  custom  to  dwell  on  fees  earned 
by  a  leading  jockey,  and  compare  his  salary  with  that 
of  a  Prime  Minister  or  Archbishop.  But,  as  is  the  case 
with  every  other  calling,  horsemanship  has  its  drawbacks, 
and  not  the  least  of  these  is  the  continual  wasting,  and 
thn  ordeals  which  the  knights  of  the  pigskin  undergo  in 
order  to  reduce  "  this  all  too  solid  flesh  "  are  really  sur- 
prising. 


According  to>  an  old-time  writer,  a.  jockey's  fare  con- 
sists of  a  Turkish  bath  for  breakfast,  use  of  a  toothpick 
for  lunch,  and  a  seidlitz  powder  for  supper.  That  the 
present-day  horseman  thinks  too  much  of  the  winning- 
post  cannot  be  denied,  and  in  his  eagerness  to  gain  the 
plaudits  of  the  great  B.P.,  he  becomes  oblivious  of  the 
great  risk  he  is  running,  with  the  result  that  ere  long 
Ids  health  breaks  down,  and  the  saddle  knows  him  no> 
more. 


In  one  of  Sterne's  works  appears  the  following:  — 
"  Blessed  health  :  he  that  has  thee  lias  little  else  to  care 
for  ;  and  he  who  is  so  wretched  as  to  want  thee  wants 
everything  with  thee."  Maybe,  if  the  eyes  of  our  young 
horsemen  light  upon  these  lines,  they  will  feel  some- 
what impressed,  and  will  not  go>  on  undermining  their 


LONDON     AND     NORTH     WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


CHRISTMAS  HOLIDAYS,  1894. 


Tickets  for  all  princi"M  places  on  the  London  and  North  Western 
System,  available  from  (it  ler  Euston  or  Kensington  (Addison  Road),  and 
dated  to  suit  the  convenience  of  passengers,  can  be  obtained  at  the  Spread 
Eagle  Office,  Piccadilly  Circus,  and  other  principal  Town  Receiving 
Offices  of  the  Company,  and  at  Messrs.  Gaze  and  Sons'  Offices,  142, 
Strand,  W.C. ;  4,  Northumberland  Avenue,  W.C. ;  18,  Westbourne  Grove, 
W. ;  The  Army  and  Navy  Co-operative  Society's  Stores  ;  105,  Victoria 
Street,  Westminster ;  and  the  D.  B.  &  S.  C.  Co.'s  Offices,  8,  Grand  Hotel 
Buildings,  Charing  Cross  ;  as  well  as  at  the  Railway  Stations. 

On  Saturday,  December  22nd,  Special  Trains  will  be  run  from 
Willesden  Junction  at  2.55  p.m.  for  Bletchlcv,  Wolverton,  Rushy,  princi- 
pal Stations  on  the  Trent  Valley  Line,  and  Stafford,  in  advance  of  the 
2.45  p.m.  ordinary  train  from  Euston ;  and  from  Euston  at  4.'25  p.m.  for 
Coventry  and  Birmingham. 

On  Monday,  December  24th,  the  Nigrht  Irish  Mail,  due  to 
leave  Euston  at  8.20  p.m.,  will  not  leave  until  9.5  p.m.  The 
Mail  Steamer  for  Kingstown  will  wait  the  arrival  of  the  Train  at 
Holyhead. 

The  12.0  night  Train  from  London  (Euston),  due  at  Warrington  at 
5.15  a.m.  on  Tuesday,  December  25th,  will  be  extended  from  Warrington 
to  Kendal  and  Carlisle  as  on  ordinary  week  days. 

CHRISTMAS  DAY. — A  Special  Train  will  leave  Euston  at  6.15 
a.m.  for  Northampton,  Rugby,  Birmingham,  Stafford,  Crewe,  Manchester, 
Liverpool,  Chester,  Ireland,  Lancaster,  Carlisle,  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  etc. 
The  ordinary  Sunday  Service  of  Trains  will  be  run. 

On  Bank  Holiday,  Wednesday,  December  26th,  the  Express 
Trains  usually  leaving  London  (Euston;  at  12.0  noon  and  4.0  p.m.  will 
not  be  run,  passengers  will  be  conveyed  by  the  12.10  p.m.  and  4.10  p.m. 
Trains  respectively.  The  4.30  p.m.,  London  (Euston)  to  Birmingham  and 
Wolverhampton,  will  also  be  discontinued,  and  passengers  will  be  con- 
veyed by  the  5.0  p.m.  Train,  except  those  for  Market  Harboro',  Melton 
Mowbray,  Nottingham,  Wellingboro',  &c,  who  must  travel  by  the  3.15 
p.m.  Train  from  Euston.  The  8.10  p.m.,  Euston  to  Northampton,  will 
not  run.  Numerous  residential  Trains  in  the  neighbourhood  of  impor- 
tant Cities  and  Towns  will  not  be  run. 

The  Up  and  Down  Dining  Saloons  between  London,  Liverpool,  and 
Manchester,  will  not  be  run  on  Bank  Holiday,  but  the  Corridor  Dining 
Car  Trains  between  London  and  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow  will  be  run  as 
urual. 

For  further  particulars,  see  Special  Notices  issued  by  the  Company. 
London,  December,  1894.  FRED.  HARRISON,  General  Manager. 


TAKLIS!   What  is  Taklis  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS  IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK    HAT    RENOVATOR.      No  ironing 

required.    Unaffected  by  rain. 
Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  and  tube  of  TAKLIS, 

post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Greese  Street,  London.  W. 


constitutions,  and  soon  dare  to  "  bewitch  the  world  "  with 
their  horsemanship. 


Plxjmpton  is  a.  good  many  miles  from  London,  hut  the 
London,  Brighton  and  South  Coast  Railway  Company 
seem  to  favour  the  meeting,  and  thus  metropolitan 
sportsmen  are  not  above  supporting  the  little  Sussex 
fixture.  At  last  Saturday's  gathering,  I  noticed  most 
of  the  leading  members  of  the  ring,  and  the  wagering  at 
times  was  quite  as  heavy  and  brisk  as  at  Sandown  on  a 
Grand  Military  day.  The  weather  was  perfect,  but  my 
day's  enjoyment  was  marred  by  the  sad  accident  to  that 
popular  cross-country  rider,  Sensier. 

It  appeared  to  the  onlookers  on  the  stands  and  enclo- 
sures that  after  Sensier  had  come  to  grief,  one  of  the 
other  competitors  jumped  right  on  to  him.  His  injuries 
were  terrible,  and  it  is  wonderful  that  he  was  not  killed 
outright.  It  is  understood  that  Topthorne  is  one  of  tho 
most  awkward  animals  in  training,  but  Sensier  displayed 
no  hesitation  in  accepting  the  mount.  '  Fancy  riding 
horses  like  Topthorne  for  a  fee  of  five  guineas  ! 

I  have  seen  it  stated  that  the  London  Athletic  Club, 
Laving  decided  to  accept  the  challenge  of  the  New  York 
A  G,  have  asked  C.  A.  Bradley,  F.  Bacon,  and  G.  Cross- 
land  to  make  the  journey  to  America  next  autumn.  I 
hardly  think  this  can  be  correct,  as  neither  of  the  men 
are  members  of  our  premier  athletic  club,  and  I  believe 
only  L.A.C.  men  were  included  in  the  challenge. 

The  crushing  defeat  of  the  North  by  the  South  will 
have  a  good  effect  in  the  present  crisis  in  the  Rugby 
Union.  The  Yorkshire  clubs  have  hitherto  assumed  an 
independent  attitude,  owing  to  their  vaunted  superiority 
over  Southern  teams,  but  Saturday's  thrashing — which, 
by-the-bye,  is  aiecord  one  (3f>  points  to  nil) — will  have  a 
soothing  effect,  and  the  meeting  on  December  28th  may, 


216 


TO-DAY. 


Dechmbeh  22,  189 1. 


after  all,  pass  off  more  peaceably  than  was  at  first 
imagined.  Moreover,  the  modification  of  the  obnoxious 
circular  by  the  Committee  may  meet  to  some  extent  the 
objections  against  the  original  manifesto.  There  is  a 
rumour,  to  which  I  do  not  attach  much  credence,  that 
negotiations  for  a  settlement  have  reached  such  a  stage 
that  the  meeting  0f  the  28th  will  not  be  held  after  all. 


How  came  the  North  to  succumb  so  easily?  There  is 
but  one  answer.  They  were  over -played  all  round. 
Forward,  where  they  were  thought  to  be  strongest,  they 
were  simply  smothered,  and  the  Southern  backs  were 
cleverer  and  faster  all  round.  The  South  team  would,  I 
believe,  be  good  enough,  as  they  played  at  Blackheath, 
for  the  first  International  contest,  and  I  hope  to  see  them 
thosen  en  masse. 


The  divisional  final  ties  in  the  qualifying  competition 
of  the  English  Cup  resulted  in  six  finished  matches  and 
four  draws,  the  drawn  games  being  Tottenham  Hotspur 
and  Luton,  Leicester  Fosse  and  Loughborough,  Long 
Eaton  and  Chesterfield,  and  Workington  and  Southport 
Central.  Writing  before  the  draw  for  the  competition 
proper  is  known,  I  cannot  attempt  any  forecast  of  the 
first  round,  but  I  shall  have  an  opportunity  of  referring 
to  it  next  week. 


Swindon  and  Chatham  will  probably  be  the  next  two 
Southern  clubs  to  join  the  professional  ranks,  and  it  is  not 
improbable  that  before  another  season  comes  round  the 
Kent  Association,  and  perhaps  the  London  Association, 
will  admit  professional  clubs  to  their  ranks. 


Sunderland  and  Everton  are  still  running  neck  and 
neck  for  the  League  Championship.  Both  won  their 
matches  on  Saturday  by  the  narrow  margin  of  a  single 
goal,  and  both  got  the  winning  point  in  the  last  ten 
minutes  of  the  game.  Sunderland,  at  home,  found  the 
Blackburn  Rovers  a  hard  nut  to  crack  ;  and  the  Black- 
burn men  may  be  seen  to  better  advantage  in  the  Eng- 
lish Cup,  in  which  they  invariably  make  a  good  show. 
Everton  had  to  visit  Preston  North  End  ;  and,  consider- 
ing the  latter's  broken-down  team,  Everton  were  very 
lucky  to  take  away  two  points  with  them.  In  view  of 
Preston's  stout  defence,  it  will  be  interesting  to  note  how 
Sunderland  will  fare  in  their  visit  to  Deepdale  to-day. 

The  battle  royal  between  the  Corinthians  and  Aston 
\iila  at  the  Oval  ended  in  favour  of  the  professionals  by 
five  goals  to  three.  The  Corinthian  team  originally 
selected  was  a.  very  powerful  one,  but  unfortunately 
Lodge  and  Cotterill  were  unable  to  play,  whereas  the 
Villans  were  full  strength.  Veitch,  Sandilands,  and  R. 
C.  Gosling  played  a  sterling  forward  game,  but  on  the 
day  the  Birmingham  men  were  undoubtedly  the  better 
team,  their  combination  and  condition  being  superior 
to  that  of  the  amateurs. 


Christmas  tours  are  now  the  order  of  the  day.  Many 
of  the  principal  Rugby  and  Association  clubs  are  on 
these  excursions,  including  Corinthians,  Richmond, 
and  Oxford  and  Cambridge  Universities.  Christmas 
football  is  like  Christmas  pudding — somewhat  hard  to 
digest. 


The  League  players  who  were  captured  by  American 
agents  and  taken  across  the  Atlantic  have  returned  like 
whipped  curs.  They  tell  a  doleful  tale  of  extravagant 
promises,  desertion  by  agents,  and  fiasco  generally. 
The  American  League  has  broken  down  utterly,  owing 
to  want  of  public  support.  What  about  the  projected 
tour  of  Sunderland  after  this? 


In  England  the  referee  has  sometimes  to  seek  police 
protection.  In  America  the  police  go  in  force  to  the 
Inter-'Varsity  matches  to  see  fair  play,  and  prevent  the 
players  from  maiming  each  other.  That  was  the  case 
iu  the  Yale-Harvard  match.  The  Amercan  game  is  a 
brutal  one.  It  is  a  sort  of  bastard  Rugby,  with  hacking, 
tripping,  and  all  kinds  of  fouls  permitted. 


The  Old  Etonians  are  going  very  strongly  this  season, 
as  their  last  victory  over  Old  Westminsters  by  nine 
goals  to  two  proves.  They  have  only  once  as  yet  suf- 
fered defeat. 


The  wave  of  professionalism  in  the  Association  game 
is  spreading  over  the  South.  Chatham,  Reading,  and 
Swindon  will  probably  ere  long  enter  the  ranks  of  the 
paid  players.  The  London  Football  Association  is  to 
be  attacked  by  the  advocates  of  professionalism,  and 
should  they  be  successful,  Kent  and  Surrey,  and  pro- 
bably Middlesex,  will  follow.  The  Major. 


TO-DAY  JOOTS. 

MATCHLESS  FOR  STYLE  ANO  COMFORT. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT  FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


In  three  qualities,  from 
Hand-sewn  „ 


13s.  6d.  per  pair. 
16s.  6d.  „ 


AGENTS : 


Oseohne  &  Co.,  380  and  387,  Oxford 

Street,  W. 
A.  A.  Tyson,  27,  Brecknock  Rd, N.W. 
H.  Ovenden,  Broadway,  Leyton. 
J.  H.  Tayi.oii,  Blackheath,  S.E. 
I).  Spence,  213,  Lavender  Hill,  S.W. 
J.  South  wood,  Hanwell. 
Geo.  Wilkins,  259,  Holloway  Rd.,  N. 
Bales  &  Son,  101,  Leytonstone  Rd,E. 


C.  F.  Evans,  161,  Broadhnrst  Gar- 
dens, West  Hampstead. 

P.  Tufnell,  72,  Peckham  Rye,  S.E. 

T.  Fisher,  108,  High  Street,  Plum- 
stead,  Kent. 

J.  Mtnois  &  Co.,  517,  Harrow  Rd.,  W. 

A.  J.  Spabey,  Oxford  Road,  Wal- 
tharustow. 

W.  G.  Curryer,  '69,  Oxford  St.,  W. 


BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

  LONDON. 

U  ELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 

**■  sending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
Instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  F.  Haslock,  who 
■ells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
Ireouent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  (7000  in  number)  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  l!rayn,  Ewsex.  AH  parcels  wttl  bo  aekni  wled  t> *<1  if  name  aud  address  of 
■euder  are  iuside.  Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapiuuud 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  In  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  fret  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


STANLEY  J.  WEYMAN'S  new  story.  "  THE  RED  COCK- 
ADE," a  story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced  in  the  Now 
Year's  Number  (January  6,  T895)  of  11  TO  DAY." 


December  2,2,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


217 


CLARENCE. 

BY 

BRET  HARTE. 

Illustrated  by  Arthur  Jule  Goodman. 


PART  III. 
CHAPTER  I. 

T  was  sunset  of  a  hot 
day  at  Washington. 
Even  at  that  hour  the 
broad  avenues,  which 
diverged  from  the 
Capitol  like  the  rays 
of  another  sun,  were 
fierce  and  glittering. 
The  sterile  distances, 
between,  glowed  more 
cruelly  than  ever,  and 
pedestrians  keeping 
in  the  scant  shade, 
hesitated  on  the  kerb- 
stones, befoie  plung- 
ing into  the  Sahara- 
like waste  of  cros- 
sings. The  city 
seemed  deserted. 
Even  that  vast 
army  of  contractors, 
speculators,  place-hunters,  and  lobbyists,  which  hung 
■  in  the  heels  of  the  other  army,  and  had  turned  this 
pacific  camp  of  ihe  nation  into  a  battlefield  of  ignoble 
conflict  and  contention — more  disastrous  than  the  one 
to  the  South — li ad  slunk  into  their  holes  in  hotel  b;,ck 
bedrooms,  in  shady  bar-rooms,  or  in  the  negro  quarters 
of  Georgetown,  as  if  the  majestic,  white-robed  Goddess 
enthroned  upon  the  dome  of  the  Capitol  had  at  last  de- 
scended among  them,  and  was  smiting  to  right  and  left 
with  the  flat  and  flash  of  her  insufferable  sword. 

Into  this  stifling  atmosphere  of  greed  and  corruption. 
Clarence  Brant  stepped  from  the  shadow  of  the  War 
Department.  For  the  last  three  weeks  he  had  Limited 
its  ante-rooms  and  audience-chambers,  in  the  vata  hope 
of  righting  lumself  before  his  superiors,  who  were  con- 
tent, without  formulating  charges  against  him,  to  keep 
him  in  this  disgrace  of  inaction  and  the  anxiety  of  sus- 
pense. Wnublfc  to  ascertain  the  details  of  the  accusa- 
tion, and  conscious  of  his  own  secret,  he  was  debarred 
i he  last  resort  of  demanding  a  court-martial,  which  he 
knew  could  only  exonerate  him  by  the  exposure  of  the- 
guilt  of  his  wife,  whom  he  still  hoped  had  safely  escaped. 
His  Division  Commander,  in  active  operations  in  the 
£  eld,  had  no  time  to  help  him  at  Washington.  Elbo-ved 
aside  by  greedy  contractors,  forestalled  by  selfish  poli- 
ticians, and  disdaining  the  ordinary  method  of  influence, 
he  had  no  friend  to  turn  to.  In  his  few  years  r.f  cam- 
paigning lie  had  lost  his  instinct  of  diplomacy,  without 
ac  ;uiring  a  soldier's  bluntness. 

The  nearly  level  rays  of  the  sun  forced  him  at  last  to 
turn  aside  into  one  of  the  openings  of  a  large  building — a 
famous  caravansary  of  that  hotel-haunted  capital,  and 
he  presently  found  himself  in  the  luxurious  bar  room, 
fragrant  with  mint,  and  cool  with  ice-slabs  piled  symme- 
trically on  its  marble  counters.  A  few  groups  of  men 
were  seeking  cocness  at  small  tables  with  glasses  before 
them  and  palm  leaf  fans  in  their  hands,  but  a  larger 
and  noisier  assemblage  was  collected  before  the  bar, 
where  a  man,  collarless  and  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  with  his 
back  to  the  courter,  was  pretentiously  addressing  ihem. 
Brant,  who  had  moodily  dropped  into  a  chair  in  the 
corner,  after  ordering  a  cooling  drink  as  an  excuse  for 
his  temporary  refuge  from  the  stifling  street,  half  re- 
gretted his  enforced  participation  in  their  conviviality. 
But  a  sudden  lowering  of  the  speaker's  voice  into  a  note 
of  gloomy  significance,  seemed  familiar  to  him.  He 
glanced  at  him  opiickly,  from  the  shadow  of  his  corner. 
He  was  not  mistaken — it  was  Jim  Hooker ! 


For  the  first  time  in  his  life,  Brant  wished  to  evadet 
him.  In  the  days  of  his  own  prosperity  his  heart  had/ 
always  gone  out  towards  this  old  companion  of  his  boy- 
hood ;  in  his  present  humiliation  his  presence  jarred  upon 
him.  He  would  have  slipped  away,  but  to  do  so  he- 
•  would  have  had  to  pass  before  the  counter  again,  and 
Hooker  with  the  self-consciousness  of  a  story-teller  had 
an  eye  on  his  audience.  Brant,  with  a  palm  leaf  fan 
before  his  face,  was  obliged  to  listen. 

"  Yes,  gentlemen,"  said  Hooker,  examining  his  glass 
dramatically,  "  when  a  man's  been  cooped  up  in  a 
Bebel  prison,  with  a  death  line  before  him  that  he'* 
obliged  to  cross  every  time  he  wants  a  square  drink,  it 
seems  sort  of  like  a  dream  of  his  boyhood  to  be  standin' 
here  comf'ble  before  his  liquor,  alongside  o'  white  men 
once  more.  And  when  he  knows  he's  bin  put  to  all  that 
trouble  jest  to  save  the  reputation  of  another  man,  and 
the  secrets  of  a  few  high  and  mightv  ones,  it's  almost 
enough  to  make  his  liquor  go  agin  him  ! "  He  stopped 
theatrically,  seemed  to  choke  emotionally  over  his 
brandy  smash,  but  with  a  pause  of  dramatic  determina- 
tion, finally  dashed  it  down.  "No,  gentlemen,"  he  con- 
tinued gloomily,  "I  don't  say  what  I'm  back  in  Wash- 
ington for — I  don't  say  what  I've  been  sayin'  to  myself 
when  I've  bin  picking  the  weevils  outer  my  biscuits  in 
Libby  Prison — but  ei  you  don't  see  some  pretty  big 
men  in  the  War  Department  obliged  to  climb  down  in 
the  next  few  days,  my  name  ain't  Jim  Hooker,  of  Hooker, 
Meecham  and  Co.,  Army  Beef  Contractors,  and  the  man 
who  saved  the  fight  at  Grey  Oaks !  " 

The  smile  of  satisfaction  that  went  around  his  audience 
— an  audience  quick  to  seize  the  weakness  of  any  per- 
formance— might  have  startled  a  vanity  less  oblivious 
than  Hookers;  but  it  only  aroused  Brant's  indignation 
and  pity,  and  made  his  position  still  more  intolerable. 
But  Hooker,  scornfully  expectorating  a  thin  stream  of 
tobacco  juice  against  the  spittoon,  remained  for  an  in- 
stant gloomily  silent. 

"  Tell  us  about  the  fight  again,"  said  a  smiling  auditor. 

Hooker  looked  around  the  room  with  a  certain  dark 
suspiciousness,  and  then,  in  an  affected  lower  voice,  which 
his  theatrical  experience  made  perfectly  audible,  went 
on  :  — 

"  It  ain't  much  to  speak  of,  and  if  it  wasn't  for  the- 
principle  of  the  thing,  I  wouldn't  be  talking.  A  man 
who's  seen  Injin  fightin',  don't  go  much  on  this  here 
West  Point  fightin'  by  rule-of-three — but  that  ain't  here- 
or  there!  Well,  I'd  bin  out  a  scoutin' — just  to  help 
the  boys  along,  and  I  was  sittin'  in  my  wagon  about 
daybreak,  when  along  comes  a  Brigadier-General,  and' 
he  looks  into  the  wagon  flap.  I  oughter  to  tell  you 
first,  gentlemen,  that  every  minit  he  was  expecting  an 
attack — but  he  didn't  let  on  a  hint  of  it  to  me.  '  How 
are  you,  Jim?'  said  he.  'How  are  you,  General?'  said 
I.  'Would  you  mind  lendin'  me  your  coat  and  hat?'' 
says  he,  '  I've  got  a  little  game  here  with  our  pickets, 
and  I  don't  want  to  be  recognised.'  '  Anything  to  oblige, 
General,'  said  I,  and  with  that  I  strips  off  my  coat  and 
hat,  and  he  peels  and  puts  them  on.  '  Nearly  the  same 
figure,  Jim,'  he  says,  lookin'  at  me,  '  suppose  you  try 
on  my  things  and  see.'  With  that  he  hands  me  his  coat 
— full  uniform,  by  G — d  ! — with  the  little  gold  cords  and 
laces  and  the  epaulettes  with  a  star,  and  I  puts  it  on — ■ 
quite  innocent-like.  And  then  he  says,  handin'  me  his  sword' 
and  belt,  '  Same  inches  round  the  waist,  I  reckon,'  and 
I  puts  that  on  too.  'You  may  as  well  keep  'em  on  till 
I  come  back,'  says  he,  'for  it's  mighty  damp  and  ma- 
larious at  this  time  around  the  swamp.'  And  with  that 
he  lites  out.  Well,  gentlemen,  I  hadn't  sat  there  five 
minutes  before  Bang  !  bang !  rattle  !  rattle  !  kershiz  !  and' 
I  hears  a  yell.  I  steps  out  of  the  wagon ;  everything's 
quite  dark,  but  the  rattle  goes  on.  Then  along  trots  an 
orderly,  leadin'  a  horse.  '  Mount,  General,'  he  says, 
'  we're  attacked — the  rear-ouard's  on  us  ! '  " 

He  paused,  looked  round  his  audience,  and  then  in  a- 
lower  voice,  said  darkly — 

"  I  ain't  a  fool,  gentlemen,  an'  in  that  minute  a  man's> 
brain  works  at  high  pressure,  and  I  saw  it  ail !    I  saw- 


Coj>yright,  1894,  by  Bret  Ilarte. 


218 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1SD1. 


the  little  game  of  the  Brigadier — to  skunk  away  in  my 
clothes  and  leave  me  to  be  captured  in  his.  But  I  ain't 
a  dog  neither,  and  I  mounted  that  horse,  gentlemen,  and 
lit  out  to  where  the  men  were  formin' !  I  didn't  dare  to 
speak,  lest  they  should  know  me,  but  I  waved  my  sword, 
and  by  G — d !  they  followed  me  !  And  the  next  minit  we 
was  in  the  thick  of  it.  I  had  my  hat  as  full  of  holes 
as  that  ice  strainer ;  I  had  a  dozen  bullets  through  my 
coat,  the  frirge  of  my  epaulettes  was  shot  away,  but  I 
kept  the  boys  at  their  work — and  we  stopped  'em/ 
Stopped  'em,  gentlemen,  until  we  heard  the  bugles  of 
the  rest  of  our  division,  that  all  this  time  had  been  roll- 
ing that  blasted  rear-guard  over  on  us !  And  it  saved 
the  fight ;  but  the  next  minute  the  Johnny  Rebs  made  a 
last  dash  and  cut  me  off — and  there  I  was — by  G — d,  a 
prisoner  !    Me  that  had  saved  the  fight !  " 

A  ripple  of  ironical  applause  went  round  as  Hooker 
gloomily  drained  his  glass,  and  then  held  up  his  hand  in 
Bcornful  deprecation. 

"  I  said  I  was  a  prisoner,  gentlemen,"  he  went  on, 
bitterly  ;  "  but  that  ain't  all !  I  asked  to  see  Johnstone, 
told  him  what  I  had  done,  and  demanded  to  be  exchanged 

for  a  general  officer.    He  said,  4  You  be  d  d.'  I 

then  sent  word  to  the  Division  Commander-in-Chief,  and 
told  him  how  I  had  saved  Grey  Oaks  when  his  Brigadier 

ran  away,  and  he  said,  '  You  be  d  d.'    I've  bin  '  You 

be  d — — d'  from  the  lowest  Non.-Com.  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, and  when  I  was  at  last  exchanged,  I 
was  exchanged,  gentlemen,  for  two  mules  and  a  broken 
wagon.    But  I'm  here,  gentlemen — as  I  was  tliar  /  ' 

"Why  don't  you  see  the  President  about  it?"  asked  a 
bystander,  in  affected  commiseration. 

Mr.  Hooker  stared  contemptuously  at  the  suggestion, 
and  expectorated  his  scornful  dissent. 

"  Not  much  !  "  he  said.  44  But  I'm  going  to  see  the 
man  that  carries  him  and  his  Cabinet  in  his  breeches 
pocket — Senator  Boompointer." 

44  Boompointer's  a  big  man,"  continued  his  auditor 
doubtfully.    "Do  you  know  him?" 

"Know  him  ?  "  Mr.  Hooker  laughed  a  bitter,  sardonic 
laugh.    "  Well,  gentlemen,  I  ain't  the  kind  o'  man  to  go 


in  for  family  influence;  but,"  he  added,  with  gloomy 
elevation,  41  considering  he's  an  intimate  relation  of  mine, 
by  marriage,  I  should  say  I  did." 

Brant  heard  no  more;  the  facing  around  of  his  old 
companion  towards  the  bar  gave  him  that  opportunity  of 
escaping  he  had  been  waiting  for.  The  defection  of 
Hooker  and  his  peculiar  inventions  were  too  character- 
istic of  him  to  excite  surprise,  and,  although  they  no 
longer  awakened  his  good-humoured  tolerance-,  they  were 
powerless  to  affect  him  in  his  greater  trouble.  Only 
one  thing  he  learned — that  Hooker  knew  nothing  of  his 
wife  being  in  camp  as  a  spy — the  incident  would  have 
been  too  tempting  to  have  escaped  his  dramatic  embel- 
lishment. And  the  allusion  to  Senator  Boompointer, 
monstrous  as  it  seemed  in  Hooker's  mouth,  gave  him  a 
grim  temptation.  He  had  heard  of  Boompointer's  won- 
derful power ;  he  believed  that  Susy  would  and  could 
help  him — Clarence — whether  she  did  or  did  not  help 
Hooker.  But  the  next  moment  he  dismissed  the  idea, 
with  a  flushing  cheek.  How  low  had  he  already  sunk, 
even  to  think  of  it ! 

It  had  been  once  or  twice  in  his  mind  to  seek  the 
President,  and  under  a  promise  of  secrecy,  reveal  a  part 
of  his  story.  He  had  heard  many  anecdotes  of  his  good- 
ness of  heart  and  generous  tolerance  of  all  things,  but 
with  this  was  joined — so  said  contemporaneous  history — 
a  flippancy  of  speech  and  a  brutality  of  directness  from 
which  Clarence's  sensibility  shrank.  Would  he  see  any- 
thing in  his  wife  but  a  common  spy  on  his  army ;  would 
he  see  anything  in  him  but  the  weak  victim,  like  many 
others,  of  a  scheming  woman  ?  Stories  current  in  camp 
and  Congress  of  the  way  that  this  grim  humorist  had, 
with  an  apposite  anecdote  or  a  rugged  illustration, 
brushed  away  the  most  delicate  sentiment  or  the  subtlest 
poetry,  even  as  he  had  exposed  the  sham  of  Puritanic 
morality  or  of  Epicurean  ethics.  Brant  had  even  solicited 
an  audience,  but  had  retired  awkwardly,  and  with  his 
confidence  unspoken,  before  the  dark,  humorous  eyes, 
that  seemed  almost  too  tolerant  of  his  grievance.  He 
had  been  to  levees,  and  his  heart  had  sunk  equally  before 
the  vulgar  crowd,  who  seemed  to  regard  this  man  as 
their  own  buffoon,  or  the  pompousness  of  position,  learn- 


ERA  NT  WAS  OBLIGED  TO  LISTEN. 


December  22,  1S94. 


TO-DAY, 


219 


ing,  and  dignity,  which,  he  seemed  to  delight  to  shake 
and  disturb. 

Ona  afternoon,  a  few  days  later,  in  sheer  listlessnesa 
of  purpose,  he  found  himself  again  at  the  White  House. 
The  President  was  giving  audience  to  a  deputation  of 
fanatics,  who, 
with  a  pathetic 
sirn  plicity  almost 
equal  to  his 
own  pathetic 
tolerance,  was 
urging  upon  this 
ruler  of  millions 
the  policy  of  an 
insig  n  i  ficant 
score,  and  Brant 
listened  to  his 
patient,  prac- 
tical response  of 
facts  and  logic, 
clothed  in  simple 
but  sinewy  Eng- 
lish, up  to  the  in- 
evitable climax 

0  f  humorous 

1  1 1  u  s  trat ion, 

which  the  young 

Brigadier  could 

now     see  was 

necessary  to  re- 
lieve the  grim- 

ness  of  his  re, 

fusal.     For  the 

first  time  Brant 

felt  the  courage 

to  address  him- 

and  resolved  to 

wait   untd  the 

deputation  re- 
tired.   As  they 

left  the  gallery 

he    lingered  in 

the  ante  -  room 

for  the  Presi- 
dent to  appear. 

But,  as  he  did 

not  come,  afraid 

of  losing  his 
chances,  he  re- 
turned to  the 
gallery.  Alone 
in  his  privacy 
and  shadow,  the 
man  he  had  just  left  was  standing  by  a  column, 
in  motionless  abstraction,  looking  over  the  distant 
garden.  But  the  kindly,  humorous  face  was  almost 
tragic  with  an  intensity  of  weariness !  Every  line  of 
those  strong,  rustic  features  was  relaxed  under  a  burden 
which  even  the  long,  lank,  angular  figure — overgrown 
and  unfinished  as  his  own  West — seemed  to  be  distorted 
in  it3  efforts  to  adjust  itself  to ;  while  the  dark,  deep-set 
eyes  were  abstracted  with  the  vague  prescience  of  the 
prophet  and  the  martyr.  Shocked  at  that  sudden 
change,  Brant  felt  his  cheek  burn  with  shame.  And  he 
was  about  to  break  upon  that  wearied  man's  unbending  ; 
he  was  about  to  add  his  petty  burden  to  the  shoulders  of 
this  Western  Atlas.  He  drew  back  silently,  and  de- 
scended the  stairs. 

But  before  he  had  left  the  house,  while  mingling  with 
the  crowd  in  one  of  the  larger  rooms,  he  saw  the  Presi- 
dent reappear  beside  an  important,  prosperous-looking 
figure,  on  whom  the  kindly  giant  was  now  smiling  with 
humorous  toleration.  He  noticed  the  divided  attention 
of  the  crowd ;  the  name  of  Senator  Boompointer  was 
upon  every  lip  ;  he  was  nearly  face  to  face  with  that 
famous  dispenser  of  place  and  preferment — this  second 
husband   of    Susy !     An    indescribable  feeling — half 


HE    WAS   STANDING    BY    A  COLUMN. 


cynical,  half  fateful — came  over  him.  He  would  not  have 
been  surprised  to  have  seen  Jim  Hooker  join  the  throng, 
which  now  seemed  to  him  to  even  dwarf  the  lonely 
central  figure  that  had  so  lately  touched  him !  He 
wanted  to  escape  it  all  I 

But  his  fate 
brought  him  to 
the  entrance  at 
the  same  mo- 
ment that 
Boo  mpointer 
was  leaving  it, 
and  that  dis- 
tinguished man 
brushed  hastily 
by  him  as  a 
gorgeous  c  a  r- 
riage,  drawn  by 
two  spirited 
horses,  and 
driven  by  a  re- 
splendent negro 
coachman, 
dashed  up.  It 
was  the  Boom- 
pointer  carriage. 

A  fashionably- 
dressed,  pretty 
woman,  who,  in 
style,  bearing, 
opulent  content- 
ment, and  in- 
genuous self- 
consciousness, 
was  in  perfect 
keeping  with 
the  slight  osten- 
tation of  the 
equipage,  was  its 
only  occupant. 
As  Boompointer 
stepped  into  the 
vehicle,  her  blue 
eyes  fell  for  an 
instant  on 
Brant.  A 
happy,  child  like 
pink  flush  came 
into  her  cheeks, 
and  a  violet  ray 
of  recognition 
and  m  i  s  c  h  i  ef 
darted  from  her 


eyes  to  his.   For  it  was  Susy  ! 

(To  he  continued.) 


Not  Inclusive  Terms. — Visitor  {on  being  shoion  his 
room  in  Swiss  hotel) :  Very  well,  landlord,  I  will  take 
this  room  ;  I  like  it  because  of  the  lovely  view.  (Gazes 
meditatively  out  of  window).  Yes,  the  sight  of  these 
noble  hills  awakens  in  me  a  whole  crowd  of  pleasant 
memories. 

Landlord  (to  chief  waiter)  :  William,  take  a  note. 
Number  27,  awakening  crowd  of  pleasant  memories — 
ten  francs. 

Practical. — "  Well,  doctor,  how  do  you  find  my 
husband?"  "  Not  very  well,  madam;  it  is  absolutely 
indispensable  that  he  should  have  perfect  rest.  I  will 
leave  a  prescription  for  some  sleeping  powders."  "  And 
when  shall  I  give  him  them  1 "  "  Him  1  The  powders 
are  for  you,  madam  !  " 


STANLEY  J.  WEYMAN'S  new  story,  "  THE  RED  COCK- 
ADE," a  story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  coavmsncad  in  the  New 
Year's  Number  (January  5,  1895)  of  "  TO  DAY  " 


220 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  PEOPLE  OF  JAPAN.— IV. 


GIRLS  PLATING  A  GAME.      THE  OBJECT  IS  TO  PASS  THE  HAND  THROUGH  THE  LOOP  AND  SEIZE  THE  TEA-CUP  BEFORE  THE  GIRLS 
AT  EITHER  END  PULL  THE  SASH  TIGHT  AND  THUS  CATCH  THE  PLAYER  EY  THE  ARM. 


DOORWAY   OF   THE   TEMPLE   OF    IYEYASU    AT  NIKKO. 

(To  be.  continued.) 


December' 22,  1834. 


TO-DAY. 


221 


AMONG   THE    "NEW " 
PORTRAITS, 


At  the  New  Gallery.  (The  rooms  are  hung  with 
portraits — big  and  little,  good  and  bad  ;  the  walls  have  a 
hundred  eyes  watching  the  careless  visitors.) 

Miss  Dodo  Hall  (sister  to  the  aesthetic  critic,  Elles- 
mere  Hall,  as  she  enters).  How  cold  it  looks,  and 
empty  !    Why  is  it  ? 

Mr.  Upto-Deight  (a  yowig  man  absolutely  unknown 
last  July,  now  a  lion — in  certain  circles).  You  see  they 
have  only  portraits  here  now  \  not  arts  and  crafts,  like 
last  year. 

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  I  know  !  But  I  like  portraits. 
They  tell  one  the  way  to  sit  down,  and  what  frocks  not 
to  wear. 

Mr.  Upto-Deight  (hoping  he  may  not  muddle  the 
celebrities  he  feels  he  ought  to  be  able  to  recognise  at  a 
glance).  It  is  always  pleasant  t'o  see  portraits  of  one's 
friends.  The  modern  fashion  is  certain  to  make  them 
V)ok  their  worst. 

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  ,Yes  !  That's  why  I  prefer  oil 
paintings  to  be  of  other  people.  If  one  is  made  pretty, 
one's  friends  say,  of  course,  that  "it  is  shamefully  flat- 
tering," and  to  pay  for  being  caricatured  seems  foolish. 

Mr.  Upto-Deight.  I  see  by  these  later  pictures  that 
women  never  sit  on  chairs,  but  always  choose  the  end 
of  a  sofa. 

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  Where  they  sit,  like  Britannia, 
on  an  old  Cape  of  Good  Hope  postage  stamp — you  re- 
member the  triangular  things  one  used  to  love  ? — trying 
not  to  come  a  cropper. 

Mr.  Upto-Deight  (with  a  mental  glance  at  his  past, 
when  he  visited  galleries,  a  conscientious  shilling-expend- 
ing suburban,  not  as  now  a  privileged  private  viewer). 
Yes.  Mrs.  Hugh  Hammersley  sat  on  a  sofa  ;  so  did 
Lady  Colin  Campbell.  Now  everybody  sits  on  sofas — 
even  at  the  New  English  Art  Club  ! 

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  The  next  time  I  am  painted  I 
shall  sit  on  a  table  and  smoke  a  gold-tipped  cigarette 
the  wrong  end — like  a  New  Woman.  To  light  the  wrong- 
end  is  a  proof  of  virtue  to-day,  you  know! 

Mr.  Upto-Deight.  "  Prove  thy  red  gold  in  the  fire," 
is  doubtless  the  maxim  it  symbolises. 

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  Who  is  that  elephantine  person 
in  No.  130  running  amuck  through  a  laundress's  back- 
garden  ?  Letty  Lind  ?  No  !  That's  too  bad  ;  I  won't 
allow  Herkomer  to  paint  me,  if  that  is  how  he  sees 
people. 

Mr.  Upto-Deight.  Yes,  really  !  even  a  skirt  dance 
is  not  quite  so  wooden  as  that  !  Is  the  rainbow  in  the 
corner  meant  to  imply  a  promise  that  so  long  as  summer 
and  winter  remaineth,  skirt  dances  shall  never  fail  ? 

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  I  thought  they  danced  before  the 
ark,  I  mean  before  it  was  built ;  and  the  rainbow  was 
after,  wasn't  it?  I  wish  people  would  not  mix  allegories, 
like  the  Church  and  Stage  Guild  !  Let  us  try  another ! 
Look  at  that  charming  creature  in  white  !  The  Princesse 
Chimay.  Isn't  she  divine  ?  Gandara  knows  how  to 
paint  a  woman. 

Mr.  Upto-Deight  (with  transparent  subtlety).  As 
well  as  she  knows  herself — yes  !    That  lily  

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  — Is  not  as  white  as  she  is 
painted,  you  bet !  I  wonder  what jpowder  she  uses  ;  it 
does  not  show ! 

Mr.  Upto-Deight.  Who  are  those  funny  people  1 
{Consults  catalogue.)  The  Lord  Battersea,  the  Lady 
Battersea.    I  thought  they  were  designs  for  posters  ! 

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  They  are  by  Sandys — one  must 
not  sneer  at  him ;  I  don't  know  why  !  But  he  is  a 
genius  who  lives  in  a  mystery,  and  you  must  not  make 
fun  of  mysteries  unless  they  are  Mahatmas — just  at 
present. 

Mr.  Podsnap  (joining  them).  There  is  a  lack  of 
dignity  about  modern  portraits  that  I  object  to  strongly. 


Mr.  Upto-Deight.  Dignity  is  not  worn  this  season. 
Like  belief  in  oneself,  it  is  only  evident  when  best 
concealed. 

Miss  Dodo  Hall  (sweetly).  One  doubts  oneself, 
dear  Mr.  Podsnap. 

Mr.  Podsnap.    My  dear  young  lady,  I  never  do  ! 

Miss  Dodo  Hall  (innocently).  Ah  !  there  lives 
more  doubt  in  honest  faith,  believe  me,  than  in  half  the 
creeds. 

Mr.  Podsnap  (oblivious  of  the  perverted  quotation). 
I  wish  to  go  down  to  my  grandchildren  as  a  serious  per- 
son, not  a  flippant  cynic. 

Mr.  Upto-Deight.  Their  memories  will  make  them 
doubt  any  painter  who  represented  you  otherwise.  But 
do  come  and  see  this  No.  26,  "  Mrs.  E.  Walton."  Isn't 
it  stunning  ?  By  Jove  !  Mr.  Podsnap,  it  is  worthy  to 
hang  by  a  Sir  Joshua  ! 

Mr.  Podsnap  (with  a  fine  generosity).  It  is  clever, 
very  clever.  I  suppose  you  like  the  next,  "  Mrs.  Fitz- 
roy  Bell,"  by  Lavery,  don't  you?  But  these  things 
seem  to  me  a  little  too  clever — don't  you  know — too 
■ — too  (  halts  for  a  non-committal  word) — too  obvious  ! 

Miss  Dodo  Hall  (in  ecstasy).  That  dress  is  a  perfect 
inspiration !  I  shall  bring  my  dressmaker  here  ;  it  is 
better  than  looking  at  The  Queen. 

Mr.  Upto  -  Deight.  You  mean  the  paper  old 
tabbies  read,  on  the  principle  "a  cat  may  look  at  a 
queen." 

Mr.  Podsnap.  Really,  sir,  if  that  be  humour  I  pre- 
fer dulness  !  (Consults  his  catalogue.)  Who  is  Mr. 
Walter  Darnrosch  ? 

Mr.  Upto-Deight.  Oh  !  that  is  Walter  Damrosch, 
the  swagger  conductor  of  New  York.  I  suppose  they 
hardly  like  to  spell  his  name  D — rosch,  so  split  the  dif- 
ference with  a  mild  darn  ! 

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  Look  at  that  poached-egg-on- 
spinach  person  by  Besnard  ;  it  is  like  a  placard  for 
Coleman's  mustard,  mixed  with  Reckitt's  blue,  isn't  it? 

Mr.  Upto  -  Deight  (looking  at  his  catalogue). 
"  Agthanike,  Daughter  of"  —  what  a  queer  name! — 
"Miss  Toby  Cockell,"  "Tottie  Boucham."  These  titles 
are  very  flippant ;  they  sound  like  a  chorus  in  the  pro- 
vinces! 

Mr.  Podsnap.  Please  remember  they  are  not  owned 
by  public  characters,  Mr.  Upto-Deight.  In  my  young 
days  people  did  not  ridicule  the  names  of  private 
persons. 

AIiss  Dodo  Hall.  I  think  I  like  photographs  best 
— in  a  shop  window  ;  they  are  always  so  delightfully 
mixed  there  !  Take  me  to  the  tea-room,  Mr.  Upto- 
Deight,  I  am  tired  of  pictures.  Now,  say  something 
pretty. 

Mr.  Upto-Deight  (with  meaning  .  .  .)  Portraits 
unpainted  are  fairest ;  the  sweetest  songs  are  those  un- 
sung, you  know  ! 

Miss  Dodo  Hall.  I  quoted  that  to  a  girl  last  night, 
after  she  had  sung  a  dozen  or  so.   She  looked  so  happy  ! 

Mr.  Slater  (an  art  critic).  I  wonder  why,  when 
people  come  to  galleries,  they  never  glance  at  the  best 
things  there!  J.J.  Shannon's  "Mrs.  Creelman,"  Her- 
komer's  "Herman  Herkomer,"  painted  in  1881  (with  a 
sigh) — he  could  paint  then! — or  Guthrie's  "Mrs. 
Garnier,"  for  instance? 

Mr.  Podsnap  (snappishly).  Why,  for  just  the 
reason  you  point  out :  to  become  awful  examples  to 
superior  people  like  yourself !  I  like  a  good  solid 
portrait,  calm  and  self-possessed,  that  goes  well  in  a 
dining-room.  Not  these  flighty  attempts,  which  are 
light  enough  for  a  drawing-room,  and  one  should  only 
have  water-colours  there  ! 

Mr.  Slater  (aghast).  My  dear  sir  !  Do  you  really 
think  that  Art  is  concerned  with  what  goes  on 
before  it? 

Mr.  Podsnap.    Not  a  jot,  my  dear  sir  !    Not  a  jot, 
since  it  permits  you  to  babble  on  in  any  gallery  ! 

(Exeunt  omnes.) 


222 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1S94. 


THE   TURKISH    WOMAN  AT 
HOME. 


NE  has  been  so  used  all 
one's  life  to  look  at  the 
Turkish  woman  as  a 
miserable  prisoner  and 
hapless  slave,  that  when 
one  visits  her  home  in 
Constantinople  one 
looks  with  annoyance 
and  suspicion  on  those 
who  attempt  to  argue 
that  her  lot  admits  of 
certain  compensations. 

Passing  by,  for  the 
moment,  those  terrible 
disadvantages  of  her 
position  which  certainly 
exist,  mitigated  though 
they  may  be  for  one  of  her  race  and  her  faith, 
let  us  describe  the  life  of  some  beauty  on  the  Bosphorus 
in  what  would  be  known  among  ourselves  as  the  upper 
classes,  and  see  if  some  hurried  and  worried  leader  of 
society  at  home  would  not  be  glad  to  occasionally  in- 
troduce a  little  of  the  luxurious  indolence  and  easy- 
going mindlessness  of  her  Oriental  sister  into  her  own 
life. 

In  order  to  create  a  personal  interest  in  our  beauty, 
we  will  call  her  Zuleika.  In  all  probability  it  was  her 
name,  for  those  pretty  syllables  with  which  the  "  Arabian 
Nights"  have  made  us  familiar  are  as  common  there  as 
Mary  once  was  among  ourselves. 

Zuleika  lies  in  a  corner  of  the  room  on  a  pile  of  silken 
cushions,  and  silk  is  silk  in  the  East,  not  that  harsh 
combination  of  cotton  and  jute  unknown  to  the  little 
worm  of  the  mulberry  leaf,  which  does  duty  for  this 
fabric  so  often  among  ourselves.  Were  the  beauty 
asked  to.  throw  her  slight  form  on  what  answers  to  the 
word  bed  in  England,  she  would  exclaim — 

"  What !  Risk  knocking  my  head  against  horrid  bars 
of  brass  and  iron,  and  hurting  my  feet  against  those  at 
the  other  end,  smother  myself  under  weighty  blankets, 
and  draw  that  ice-cold  linen  sheet  up  to  my  chin ! 
Never ! " 

She  might  also  remark  that  her  couch  was  so  ar- 
ranged that  she  was  spared  the  necessity  of  a  nightly 
search  beneath  it  for  a  burglar,  a  rite  which  must  be 
carefully  performed  by  any  English  girl  who  hopes  to 
avoid  eight  hours  of  agonised  wakefulness. 

On  another  silky  pillow  placed  on  the  floor  sits  a 
slave  girl,  as  lovely  and  dainty  in  the  eyes  of  the  casual 


BY 


CONSTANCE  EAGLESTONE. 


observer  as  the  Queen  of  the  Harem  herself.  In  her 
hand  she  idly  waves  a  fly-brush,  lest  any  indiscreet  in- 
sect should  attempt  to  cause  the  sleeping  beauty  to  open 
her  heavily-fringed  eyes  one  moment  before  she  is  so 
pleased.  The  hour  is  still  early,  not  yet  seven  o'clock, 
but  as  it  is  the  height  of  summer  a  flood  of  warm  sun- 
light is  already  streaming  in  at  the  latticed  window. 
Zuleika  has  no  special  hour  for  rising  in  the  morning 
nor  for  retiring  at  night,  and  to  attempt  to  impose  such 
on  her  would  be  an  act  of  tyranny  few  rulers  of  the  Harem 
would  dare  to  attempt.  Sometimes  she  will  elect  to  rise 
at  four,  sometimes  it  will  be  her  pleasure  to  lie  till  nine, 
sometimes  she  will  remain  where  she  is  the  whole  day. 
Why  not  ?  She  is  a  long  way  above  social  or  household 
duties  as  understood  in  the  West,  and  as  laziness  is  no  vice 
in  the  East,  she  would  only  reply  with  the  Ottoman  equi- 
valent of  "How  very  funny!"  if  one  tried  to  point  out 
to  her  the  moral  contained  in  our  cradle  song,  "  The 
Voice  of  the  Sluggard." 

"  However  it's  hard  on  Ayesha,  the  slave  girl,  to  have 
to  wait  about  from  dawn  to  dusk,"  says  someone  who 
likes  justice  all  round. 

By  no  means !  Ayesha  is  perfectly  happy  where  she 
is,  her  cushions  are  as  soft  as  those  of  her  mistress,  and 
she  might  go  to  sleep  if  she  liked ;  long  practice  would 
cause  her  to  leap  into  instant  wakefulness  at  the  first 
slight  movement  Zuleika  might  make,  and  if  she  pre- 
ferred to  slumber  undisturbed,  there  are  a  score  of  other 
girls  dying  to  have  the  honour  of  taking  her  place, 
though  if  they  presumed  to  hint  as  much,  Ayesha  would 
break  the  handle  of  her  fly-brush  over  their  heads  for 
their  presumption,  as  jealousy  and  impetuosity  are 
among  her  prominent  characteristics. 

Now  Zuleika  opens  her  eyes.  How  dark  and  beau- 
tiful they  are.  Ayesha  throws  some  silky  wraps  round 
her,  and  she  thrusts  her  little  feet  into  a  pair  of  high- 
heeled  velvet  slippers,  gold-embroidered  and  sewn  with 
pearls ;  that  done,  she  is  considered  fully  dressed  for 
the  house,  and  she  now  indulges  in  a  stretch  and  a  yawn. 
We  have  all  seen  her  go  through  this  performance  on 
the  walls  of  the  Academy  and  in  the  illustrated  papers, 
so  we  know  how  gracefully  she  does  it. 

Ayesha  meanwhile  claps  her  hands,  and  more  slave 
girls  enter  with  golden  bowls  filled  with  rose-water, 
trays  of  sweetmeats  and  coffee,  and  a  box  of  daintily- 
perfumed  cigarettes.  These  Turkish  women  eat  won- 
derfully little  excepting  at  their  one  big  meal  a  day, 
and  often  Zuleika  does  not  seem  to  require  much  beyond 
a  spoonful  of  rose-leaf  jam — such  horrid  stuff,  though 


December  22,  1S94.  TO-DAY.  W$ 


the  inhabitants  of  the  palaces  love  it,  so  must  you  pro- 
fess to  do  if  you  are  to  find  favour  with  them,  and  be 
asked  to  come  again.  She  then  takes  up  what  we  should 
call  an  egg-cup  of  gold  filigree  studded  with  coral  and 
pearls,  and  in  this  is  inserted  a  tiny  cup  filled  with  coffee, 
the  blackest  of  the  black,  which  she  fills  and  empties 
many  times,  and  then  her  breakfast  is  over. 

Ayesha  now  offers  her  a  lute  or  zither ;  she  accepts 
it  languidly  and  strikes  a  few  chords,  then  throws  it 
impatiently  aside,  an  expectant  attendant  catching  it 
cleverly  in  one  hand. 

Why  should  Zuleika  trouble  "  to  keep  up  her  music  ? " 
She  is  no  longer  on  her  promotion.  She  is  Queen.  Let 
others  concern  themselves  with  dance  and  song. 

She  strolls  to  the  window  and  looks  out  into  the  court 
below ;  the  walls  around  it  are  high,  so  her  lattices  are 
not  so  closely  woven  as  on  the  other  side,  where  the  case- 
ment gives  on  to  the  Bosphorus  and  the  public  pathway  ; 
then  she  decides  to  do  a  little  shopping.  Her  method 
of  amusing  herself  thus  is  certainly  convenient.  She 
merely  throws  herself  back  on  a  divan  and  orders  the 
shop  to  walk  in.  There  is  a  moment's  pause  while  a 
yashmak  is  thrown  over  her  head,  then  the  wide  door- 
ways open,  and  the  shopmen  march  forward.  A 
jeweller  comes,  first,  and  in  his  hands  he  bears  a  tray 
whereon  rich  glittering  cems  are  set  out  on  a  billowy 
sheet  of  crimson  plush  after  the  manner  of  a  goldsmith's 
window  in  Bond  Street.  He  takes  up  a  heavy  bracelet 
consisting  of  a  massive  band  of  gold,  studded  round  with 
large  pearls ;  it  is  of  beautiful  workmanship,  though  per- 
fectly plain. 

The  bevy  of  maidens  glance  anxiously  at  their  mis- 
tress. Even  the  Beauty  of  a  Harem  has  her  duties,  and 
one  is  to  provide  opinions  for  the  attendants. 

"  Handsome,  but  most  uninteresting,"  is  Zuleika' s 
verdict  on  the  bauble,  and  then,  waking  from  her 
lethargy,  she  seizes  on  a  necklet  of  gold  filigree  from 
which  dangles  a  kind  of  fringe  of  emeralds,  rubies, 
amethysts,  sapphires,  diamonds,  and  the  rest.  All  are 
uncut — it  is  wonderful  how  indifferent  Turkish  women 
to     the     beauty     of     well-cut  stones — and 


carelessly     set     that     a  valuable 
from    its    place    as    it  catches 
being     clasped     round  about 


are 

they  are  so 
sapphire  drops 
in  the  laces  on 
Zuleika's  throat.  No 
matter,  precious 
stones  often  fall,  and 
they  are  easily '  put 
back  again.  Zuleika 
does  not  stoop  to  ask 
the  price  of  her  trin- 
ket. The  man  will 
send  in  his  bill  later 
on,  and  it  will  be 
paid — somehow.  Nob 
in  all  things  does  the 
East  differ  from  the 
West.  Salaaming 
deeply,  the  jeweller 
retires,  and  a  dealer 
in  bric-a-brac  brings 
forward  another  tray 
of  "  daintie  de- 
lyghtes  " ;  from  these 
are  selected  a  hand 
mirror,  a  velvet  case, 
and  a  little  casket. 
The  first  was  neces- 
sary to  replace  that 
which  Zuleika  shat- 
tered, with  a  stamp 
of    her   little  heel, 

last  night,  because  it  showed  her  that  the 
dainty  velvet  toque,  with  an  aigrette  and  a  diamond 
clasp,  which  she  wears  in  the  house  when  in  full  dress, 
had  been  set  awry  on  her  little  crop  of  short,  fluffy 
curls.  The  case  is  of  rich  violet  velvet;  the  imperial 
colour  is  in  favour  here,  and  is  heavily  embroidered  in 


A    BEAUTY     OF    THE  HAREM. 


gold.  No  trade  is  carried  on  so  briskly  in  the  bazaars 
as  that  of  gold  thread  and  lacquer.  The  pretty  Turkish 
name  for  this  case  is  a  hiding-place  for  love  letters ; 
but  of  these,  Zuleika,  for  obvious  reasons,  receives  few, 
and,  instead,  she  puts  in  it  scraps  of  verses,  inscribed  in 
beautiful  Arab  characters.  They  are  very  flowery,  and 
might  have  been  taken  from  either  "  Lalla  Rooke"  or 
from  Tom  Smith's  Christmas  crackers.  The  casket  is 
of  olive  wood,  and  its  cover  is  encircled  by  a  thick  band 
of  turquoises.  The  purpose  for  which  this  is  destined 
is  distinctly  original.  When  my  lord  goes  to  his 
barber's,  the  cuttings  from  his  hair  and  beard  will  be 
collected  and  forwarded  by  special  messenger  to  Zuleika, 
who  will  carefully  preserve  them  in  her  casket,  than 
which  she  can  show  him  no  greater  proof  of  devotion, 
for  these  hairs  are  destined  to  supply  the  place  of  such 
as,  he  has  lost  through  age,  and  will  re-sow  themselves 
into  his  head  in  his  future  life.  A  mantle  of  brilliant 
emerald  green,  the  Prophet's  colour,  is  selected  from 
another  tray,  and  then  the  morning's  work  is  done,  and 
Zuleika  decides  to  go  for  a  drive.  The  horses  have  been 
waiting  her  orders  for  hours,  so  have  the  six  stalwart 
caigees,  who  might  have  been  required  to  row  her  in 
that  most  graceful  of  all  barques,  the  Ottoman  caik,  had 
she  not  decided  to  go  by  land  to  the  Sweet  Waters  of 
Asia,  whither  she  is  bent.  However,  no  one  minded 
this  delay.  The  sturdy  little  nags  of  the  country,  which 
are  best  suited  for  Turkey's  villainous  roads,  slept  as 
comfortably  between  their  shafts  as  though  they  stood 
in  their  stables ;  the  driver  snored  contentedly  upon 
his  box,  and  the  caigees,  resting  their  handsome  heads 
and  muscular,  brown  arms  heavily  on  the  great,  curious 
oars,  cut  into  the  form  of  a  half-moon  at  the  end,  were 
as  happy  as  the  rest. 

Her  out-door  robes,  embroidered  boots,  and  large 
mantle,  or  ferighee,  put  on,  Zuleika's  yashmak  is  thrown 
over  her  head ;  this  is  of  the  most  delicate  muslin,  and 
perfectly  transparent,  and  woe  betide  the  handmaid 
who,  in  drawing  it  over  the  curly  hair,  or  round  the 
slender  throat,  shall  so  do  that  her  mistress's  beauties 
are  concealed,  and  not  enhanced,  by  the  gauzy  veil, 
which,  moreover,  leaves  her  luminous  eyes  absolutely 
uncovered  ;  in  fact,  the  prim  little  black  veil  of  the  West 
is  a  disguise  far  more  effectual  than  the  snowy  film  of 

the  East,  as  those 
who  "  ha'e  tried 
b  li  tli  "  declare.  Now 
and  then  an  order 
comes  from  Yildiz 
Kiosk  that  the  veil 
is  to  be  of  thicker 
material  and  more 
closely  drawn  than 
before.  The  imperial 
command  is  scrupu- 
lously obeyed  —  for 
three  weeks — during 
which  most  of  the 
female  set  really 
worth  inspection  stay 
at  home  and  yawn ; 
then,  little  by  little, 
it  is  proved  that 
woman  is  still  the 
l:>rd  of  all,  and  she 
comes  forth  more 
thinly  veiled  than 
ever.  Much  unne- 
cessary pity  is 
lavished  on  the 
wearers  of  the  yash- 
mak ;  but  ask  a  little 
will  put  on  hers, 
all     over  her 


girl  of  eleven  how  soon  she 
and  she  will  glow  and  colour 
little  face  as  she  delightedly  confides  to  you  that  she 
has  only  one  more  year  to  wait  now.  As  Zuleika  crosses 
the  court  to  enter  her  carriage,  she  perceives  her 
husband  at  the  other  end.    He  beats  a  hasty  retreat, 


224 


TO-DAY. 


December  22,  1894. 


as  it  is  not  etiquette  for  him  to  even  turn  his  eyes  on  his 
consort  in  public  ;  she,  therefore,  must  dispense  with  his 
hand  t  >  help  her  in  ;  but  then,  in  compensation,  there  is 
no  one  to  growl  out :  "  Do  you  know  those  horses  have 
been  standing  here  half  the  day?"  She  transgresses 
•one  of  our  notions  of  etiquette  very  thoroughly  on  her 
arrival  at  the  Sweet  Waters,  as  she  begins  to  chat  with 
perfect  familiarity  to  her  coachman,  learning  from  him 
all  the  gossip  of  the  city,  which  she  will,  in  turn,  retail 
to  that  group  of  bright-coloured  butterflies  flitting  under 
the  trees,  whom  she  is  now  about  to  join.  Her  carriage 
is  drawn  as  near  to  the  spot  as  possible,  for  the  Turkish 
woman  never  willingly  takes  one  unnecessary  step,  nor 
yet  does  she  stand  about  for  one  instant  if  she  can  sit. 
Hence  the  unwieldiness  of  frame  which  frequently  over- 
takes her  in  life  at  an  age  when  a  European  woman  looks 
forward  to  retaining  the  slenderness  of  nineteen  for  a 
dozen  years  to  come. 

On  Zuleika's  return  home,  having  no  visitors  to  re- 
ceive to-day,  she  wanders  into  one  of  the  gaily-painted 


kiosks,  which  are  dotted  about  the  gardens,  some  of 
them  forming  little  residences  in  themselves,  so  com 
fortably  are  they  furnished  and  appointed.  Here  the 
ubiquitous  sherbet  and  coffee  cups  follow  her,  and,  thus 
refreshed,  she  moves  to  a  more  distant  part  of  the 
grounds,  where  her  lord,  being  a  man  of  wealth,  keeps 
a  miniature  wild-beast  show.  To  this  he  has  recently 
added  a  tiger  cub  from  India,  and  the  keeper  hands  this 
t->  Zuleika,  who  plays  with  it,  thrusting  her  slim  fingers 
between  its  jaws,  and  withdrawing  them  with  little 
shrieks  of  excitement,  as  its  infantine  teeth  graze  her 
delicate  skin.  Tired  of  the  tiger,  she  returns  to  the 
palace  to  drink  more  coffee,  to  read  a  French  novel,  to 
wrangle  with  her  friends,  to  discuss  her  enemies,  to 
watch  the  fairy-footed  Fatima  dance,  or  to  hear  the 
sweet-voiced  Zoe  sing  the  Song  of  the  Bower.  In  the 
evening — and  who  shall  say  she  has  not  as  much  liberty 
r.s  is  good  for  her  on  learning  this  1 — in  the  evening  she 
will  visit  the  Imperial  Harem  for  the  purpose  of  watch- 
ing Madame  Sarah  Bernhardt  and  her  company  go 
through  a  performance  of  Theodora. 


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A.      A  WEEKLY 

MAGAZINE -JOURNAL 
E\ite\By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Vol.  V.— No.  GO.     LONDON,  SATUEDAY,  DECEMBER  29,  1894.      Price  Twopence. 


REMINISCENCES  OF 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 


A 


BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 
Illustrated   by  W.  Dewae. 


V. 

A  Narrow  Escape. 

HEN  Mr.  Summers  died,  his 
will  was  found  to  contain  ex- 
press directions  to  the  execu- 
tors to  take  effectual  steps  to 
prevent  any  other  solicitor 
from  succeeding  to  his 
business.  He  always  had 
very  strict  notions  about  his 
duty  to  his  clients,  and  I  sup- 
pose he  was  anxious  not  to 
leave  them  and  their  affairs  at 
the  mercy  of  strangers.  At 
all  events,  his  will  provided 
that  his  name  should  imme- 
diately be  removed  from  the 
office  door  ;  that  all  deeds  and 
documents  should  be  des- 
patched to  their  respective 
owners ;  that  all  unclaimed 
papers  should,  after  due 
advertisement,  be  destroyed  ;  and  that  the  lease 
of  his  office  should  not  be  sold  to  a  solicitor.  For 
the  purpose  of  ensuring  the  carrying  out  of  this  arrange 
ment,  he  bequeathed  to  me  and  to  another  clerk  one 
year's  salary  upon  condition  that  we  placed  our  services 
at  the  disposal  of  his  executors  for  such  period  of  time 
as  might  be  necessary. 

It  was  a  melancholy  and  irksome  task,  and  involved 
daily  attendance  at  the  office  for  nearly  six  months. 
The  work  was  monotonous  and  uninteresting,  for  it 
consisted  in  sorting  masses  of  old  papers,  making 
Bchedules  of  deeds  and  important  documents,  and  cor- 
respondence with  former  clients  as  to  the  disposition  of 
their  property.  My  colleague  and  I  acted  under  the 
supervision  of  one  of  the  executors,  who  kept  the  keys 
of  the  strong-room,  and  saw  that  all  deeds,  etc., 
were  sent  off  to  their  proper  destinations.  I  do  not 
think  that  I  ever  spent  a  more  wearisome  time,  and  the 


only  incident  which  occurred  to  enliven  the  very 
depressing  proceedings  was  so  startling  that  I  could 
very  well  have  dispensed  with  it. 

We  found  in  the  strong-room  a  bundle  of  deeds, 
labelled  "J.  L.  Woods,  Olive  Villa,  High  Road,  Chis- 
wick."  This  gentleman  had  never  had  any  business 
transactions  with  Mr.  Summers  in  my  time,  and  was 
consequently  a  stranger  to  me;  but  I  wrote  liim  the 
usual  letter,  to  the  above  address,  informing  him  of  the 
death  of  my  late  principal,  and  asking  instructions  as 
to  the  disposal  of  his  deeds.  In  due  course  I  received 
a  reply  from  him,  expressing  regret  at  the  news  my 
letter  contained,  and  requesting:  me  to  forward  the  deeds 
to  him  by  registered  post.  There  was  nothing  in  the 
communication  to  excite  suspicion,  and  I  therefore  sent 
off  the  deeds — which,  by-the-bye,  related  to  some  free- 
hold house  property  in  Walworth — in  the  manner  di- 
rected, with  a  form  of  receipt  for  signature.  The  latter 
was  duly  returned  with  a  polite  note  of  acknowledgment, 
and  that,  I  naturally  supposed,  was  the  end  of  the 
matter. 

About  a  month  later,  however,  I  received  a  visit  from 
a  Mr.  Derwent,  a  young  solicitor,  who  informed  me  that 
ho  had  been  instructed  by  Mr.  Woods  to  soli  the  pro- 
perty, and  who  wished  to  ask  some  technical  question 
about  the  title.  As  I  had  never  had  occasion  to  inves- 
tigate it,  I  was  unable  to  assist  him,  but  his  inquiry 
was  not  very  important,  and  he  departed  after  some 
friendly  chat  about  Mr.  Summers  and  his  affairs.  It 
was  not  until  afterwards  that  I  realised  the  true  motive 
of  Mr.  Derwent's  call. 

One  afternoon,  in  the  course  of  the  following  week, 
my  colleague  said  to  me,  when  I  returned  to  the  office 
after  the  dinner-hour — 

"  An  old  gentleman  called  while  you  were  out ;  he 
came  to  sec  Mr.  Summers,  and  was  very  much  shocked 
to  hear  of  his  death.  He  said  there  are  some  deeds 
of  his  here,  but  he  couldn't  wait,  as  he  was  only  passing 
through  town.  He  wants  them  sent  to  him  in  the 
country." 

"What  was  his  name1?"  I  inquired  unsuspectingly. 

"  I  put  his  card  on  your  desk.  There  it  is.  '  Mr. 
James  Law  Woods,  Tapnenden  House,  Cheltenham."" 
added  my  colleague,  reading  the  address.  "  He  said  he 
used  to  live  at  Chiswick." 

"At  Chiswick'?"  I  interrupted  with  a  start,  "Olive 
Villa,  High  Road,  Chiswick?" 

"  Yes  ;  but  he  removed  from  there  into  the  country  a 
year  or  two  ago." 


Copyright,  1894,  by  Herbert  Keen. 


226 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1 89 1. 


"  But  I  sent  him  his  deeds  some  time  back,"  I  ex- 
claimed.   "  Didn't  you  tell  him  so?" 

"  I  didn't  know  it.  You  must  have  done  them  up 
yourself.  Anyhow,  he  evidently  hasn't  received  them," 
said  my  colleague,  startled  by  my  manner. 

'"  I  have  his  receipt  for  them.  Besides,  Mr.  Derwent, 
his  present  solicitor,  called  here  one  day  last  week,  and 
mentioned  that  the  property  was  to  be  put  up  for  sale. 
I  hope  there  is  nothing  wrong,"  I  added,  with  a  dismal 
£>]  prehension. 

"  The  old  gentleman  seemed  to  know  what  he  was 
talking  about.  He  made  no  mention  of  any  intention  of 
dealing  with  the  property." 

"  1  must  go  into  the  City  and  see  Mr.  Derwent  at 
once,"  I  exclaimed,  jumping  up  from  my  seat.  "  There 
is  a  misunderstanding,  at  all  events,  which  ought  to  be 
cleared  up." 

In  a  great  fluster,  I  hailed  a  hansom  and  drove  to  Mr. 
De-  went's  office,  which  was  in  Fenchurch  Street.  For- 
tunately he  was  within  and  disengaged.  While  waiting 
to  be  shown  into  Iris  room,  I  noticed  on  the  wall  of  the 
outer  office,  a^placard,  evidently  fresh  from  the  printer's, 
announcing  the  sale  by  auction  of  Mr.  W oods'  property 
at  an  early  date.  Mr.  Derwent,  who  recognised  me  at 
once,  looked  rather  startled  at  seeing  me. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? "  he  exclaimed  apprehensively. 

"Your  client,  Mr.  Woods,  called  at  our  place  to-day," 
I  began. 

"  Impossible,"  he  interrupted,  "  my  client  left  town 
yesterday." 

"  I  supposed  he  was  detained.  I  didn't  see  him  my- 
self, but  he  said  that  he  was  going  down  into  the 
country  to-day.  The  curious  thin?  is,"  I  added,  "that 
he  called  for  his  deeds." 

"  I  have  them  here,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Derwent,  indi- 
cating the  safe  behind  him. 

"  What  did  he  mean,  then  ?  He  asked  that  they  should 
be  forwarded  to  him  down  at  Cheltenham,  saying  that 
he  had  left  Chiswick  a  year  or  two  back." 

"Left  Chiswick?"  interrupted  Mr.  Derwent  quickly. 
He  hasn't  left  Chiswick.  Yon  know  that  because  you 
sent  him  the  deeds  there.  Your  visitor  was  evidently 
an  impostor,"  added  the  young  man,  with  an  uneasy 
laugh. 

"  My  colleague  describes  him  as  a  most  respectable 
old  gentleman,"  I  replied. 

"  Mr.  Woods  isn't  old,"  returned  Mr.  Derwent  trium- 
phantly.   "  He  can't  be  more  than  forty." 

"  How  long  have  you  known  him  ? "  I  inquired. 

"  Well,  he  is  a  stranger,  but  he  brought  an  introduc- 
tion from  a  client  of  mine,"  answered  Mr.  Derwent,  look- 
in  g  uneasy  again. 

"  I  understand  now  why  you  called  the  other  day,"  I 
remarked  meaningly. 

"  It  is  is  true  that  I  wished  to  verifv  his  account  of 
himself,"  replied  Mr.  Derwent,  who  was  a  young  prac- 
titioner, and  therefore  easily  disconcerted.  "  I  was 
satisfied  with  what  you  told  me  about  him." 

"  Which  didn't  amount  to  much,"  I  said,  observing 
that  the  young  man  seemed  unaccountably  embarrassed, 
"  for  I  have  never  met  him." 

"  The  client  who  introduced  him  to  me  said  that  he 
was  only  a  casual  acquaintance,  so  I  thought  I  would 
satisfy  myself  that  his  late  solicitor  had  really  died,  and 
so  on.  However,  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  all  right,"  said 
Mr.  Derwent,  with  a  forced  air  of  assurance. 

"  It  looks  to  me,  Mr.  Derwent,  as  though  somebody 
is  attempting  to  nersonate  Mr.  Woods.  Whether  the 
real  person  is  the  old  gentleman  who  called  upon  me  to- 
day, or  your  client,  I  don't  know,"  I  observed. 

"My  man  is  perfectly  genuine,"  he  exclaimed,  almost 
rudely,  in  his  manifest  perturbation. 

"  That  may  be,  sir,"  I  said,  rising.  "But  I  must  give 
you  notice,  on  behalf  of  the  real  Mr.  Woods,  not  to  part 
with  the  deeds.  Fortunately,  there  is  no  harm  done  at 
present." 

"I  hope  not,"  said  Mr.  Derwent,  suddenly  losing  his 
self-possession,  and  turning  pale;  "but  the  fact  is,  I 


have  already  advanced  money  on  the  property,  pending 

the  sale." 

"  Not  much,  I  hope,"  I  said,  perceiving  the  cause  of  his 
emotion. 

"  Five  hundred  pounds.  He  wanted  the  money  at 
once,  for  a  purpose  which  he  explained,  and  I  advanced 
it  on  his  signing  a  memorandum  of  equitable  deposit," 
replied  the  young  man,  evidently  yielding  to  a  growing 
conviction  that  he  had  been  swindled,  and  speaking  with 
bated  breath. 

"When  was  that?"  I  asked. 

"  Only  yesterday." 

"  How  did  you  pay  the  money?"  I  inquired,  my  sym- 
pathy fully  aroused  by  the  young  man's  distress. 

"  He  asked  for  an  open  cheque,  as  he  had  to  take  up 
a  bill.  I  gave  him  a  cheque  '  to  bearer,'  and  directed 
him  to'  my  bank- — the  British  Joint  Stock,"  said  Mr. 
Derwent,  ruefully. 

"'  He  was  probably  paid  chiefly  in  bank-notes,  and  you 
had  better  ascertain  the  numbers.  I  would  suggest  that 
we  should  then  go  down  to  Chiswick  together,  and  if, 
from  inquiries  at  Olive  Villa,  we  discover  that  your  client 
is  a  swindler,  you  can  give  information  to  the  police  at 
once,  and  stop  the  notes,"  I  said. 

"  All  right.  Come  along  ! "  exclaimed  the  young  man, 
in  great  excitement,  seizing  his  hat,  and  starting  off. 

The  City  branch  of  the  British  Joint  Stock  Bank  was 
near  at  hand,  and  when  we  reached  it,  I  waited  in  the 
porch,  while  Mr.  Derwent  rushed  inside  the  building. 
There  seemed  to  me  to  be  no  doubt  whatever  that  some 
thief  had  contrived  to  get  hold  of  Mr.  Woods'  deeds, 
owing  to  the  latter  having  omitted  to  give  notice  of  his 
change  of  address,  and  that  Mr.  Derwent  was  the  victim 
of  an  ingenious  fraud.  It  was  not  the  first  instance  I 
had  known  of  a  young  solicitor,  just  starting  in  busi- 
ness, being  honoured  with  the  patronage  of  a  swindler. 
Young  practitioners  are  naturally  credulous  and  eager 
for  business,  and,  as  had  evidently  been  the  case  with 
Mr.  Derwent,  are  easily  beguiled  by  a.  plausible  manner. 
There  are  unscrupulous  persons  who  make  themselves 
acquainted  with  the  details  revealed  by  the  Law  List, 
and  every  young  solicitor  starting  in  practice  on  his  own 
account,  receives  a  visit,  early  in  his  career,  from  some 
mysterious  person  who  cannot  be  induced  to  reveal  the 
name  of  the  "friend"  who  had  recommended  him  as  a 
client. 

Mr.  Derwent,  however,  had  been  victimised  under 
rather  special  circumstances,  for  not  only  had  the  soi- 
disant  Mr.  Woods  brought  him  title  deeds  which  were 
absolutely  genuine,  but  had  accounted  for  coming  to  a 
stranger  in  a  manner  which  was  capable  of  verification. 
Mr.  Derwent  had  taken  the  precaution  of  calling  at  Mr. 
Summers'  late'  office  to  check  his  client's  statement,  and 
I  was,  therefore,  all  the  more  sorry  for  the  young  man, 
for  I  regarded  his  £500  as  irretrievably  and  hopelessly 
lost. 

To  my  great  surprise,  however,  when  Mr.  Derwent 
rejoined  me,  he  was  radiant  with  delight,  and  exclaimed, 
breathlessly — 

"  It  is  all  right !    We  needn't  go  down  to  Chiswick." 

"  Why  ? "  I  murmured,  taken  aback. 

"My  cheque  wasn't  presented  yesterday.  You  are 
evidently  mistaken  about  my  client.  The  swindler  must 
be  your  respectable  old  gentleman,"  said  Mr.  Derwent. 
in  high  good  humour.  "  No  doubt  Mr.  Woods  has  paid 
the  cheque  into  his  bank  in  the  usual  way." 

"I  thought  you  told  me  he  particularly  asked  for  an 
open  cheque,  in  order  that  he  might  cash  it  at  once,"  I 
remarked. 

"  So  he  did  :  but  I  suppose  he  changed  his  mind,  which 
he  wouldn't  if  he  had  been  a  swindler,"  laughed  Mr. 
Derwent.  "  In  that  case,  you  may  be  sure  that  he 
would  have  got  the  money." 

"You  have  stopped  the  cheque,  I  suppose?"  I  said. 

"  Yes,  and  if  you  care  to  make  inquiries  down  at 
Chiswick,  you  can.  I  shall  probably  have  to  apologise 
to  mv  client,  but  I  shall  hold  you  responsible,"  said  the 
young  gentleman,  jauntily. 


Uecemjcek  23,  ISO t. 


TO-DAY. 


227 


"  i  ou  can  do  as  you  like  about  that ;  but  if  you  are 
foolish  enough  to  pay  the  money  after  what  I  have  told 
you,  you  will  have  nobody  but  yourself  to  blame.  I 
must  again  warn  you  not,  on  any  account,  to  part  with 
the  deeds,'"'  I  added,  impressively. 

"  I  shall  wait  until  I  have  communicated  with  my 
client,  of  course,"  said  Mr.  Derwent,  rather  pompously. 

"My  opinion  remains  the  same,  sir,"  I  said,  emphati- 
cally. "  The  reason  the  cheque  wasn't  presented  yester- 
day we  shall  probably  find  out ;  it  may  be  that  you  have 
had  a  lucky  escape;  but  I  am  certain  that  this  is  an 
attempted  fraud." 

I  turned  away  with  these  words,  feeling  somewhat 
irritated  by  the  young  gentleman's  superior  manner  ; 
but,  of  course1,  the  fact  of  the  cheque  not  having  been 
presented  for  payment  suggested  a  possibility  that  his 
Mr.  Woods  might  be  the  genuine  person.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  modus  operandi  of  Mr.  Derwent's  client  had 
been  that  which  an  ingenious  thief  would  have  adopted, 
except  in  the  important  particular  above  mentioned. 
A  dishonest  person  who  had  wrongfully  obtained  pos- 
session of  title  deeds  would  probably  select  a  young 
solicitor  for  his  victim,  would  hand  him  the  deeds,  with 
instructions  to  sell,  in  order  to  inspire  confidence,  and 
would  then  secure  his  plunder  in  the  form  of  a  tem- 
porary loan,  with 
which  he  would  ab- 
scond before  the 
publicity  caused  by 
the  placards  had  ex- 
posed the  fraud. 

I,  therefore,  did 
not  hesitate  to  take 
the  first  train  to 
Chiswick,  .and  was 
not  suprised  to  find 
that  Olive  Villa  had 
recently  been  va- 
cated. It  was  a 
picturesque  cottage 
of  the  old-fashined 
kind  occasionally  to 
be  found  in  outlying 
suburbs,  overgrown 
with  ivy  and  creeping 
plants,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  large 
garden.  Though  the 
house  was  empty, 
there  was  no  bill  in 
the  window,  and  from 
the  litter  of  paper 
and  straw  on  the 
footpath  and  road- 
way in  front,  it  was 
evident  that  the  fur- 
niture had  been  re- 
moved within  the 
last  day  or  two. 

There  was  no  care- 
taker upon  the  pre- 
mises, but  I  learnt, 
from  inquiries  in  the  !  haile: 

neighbourhood,  that 

the  late  tenant  had  been  a  man  named  Hunter,  with  a 
family  consisting  of  a  wife  and  two  children.  His  departure 
had  evidently  been  abrupt,  and  he  had  lived  in  the  house 
so  short  a  time  that  very  little  was  known  about  him. 
He  was  described  to  me  as  middle-aged,  inclined  to  stout- 
ness, with  florid  face  and  red  whiskers,  and  was  sup- 
posed to  be  a  betting  man  or  in  some  way  connected 
with  the  turf. 

With  regard  to  Mr.  Woods,  the  information  I  ob- 
tained was  much  more  complete  and  satisfactory.  Mr. 
Summers'  old  client  had  resided  at  Chiswick  for  many 
years,  and  I  easily  obtained  from  the  local  tradespeople 
a  reliable  description  of  his  personal  appearance.  There 


could  be  no  doubt  that  the  old  gentleman  who  had  called 
at  my  office  was  Mr.  Woods  himself,  and  that  Mr.  Der- 
went's client  was  the  man  Hunter. 

I  was  very  much  upset  at  this  discovery,  for  now  that 
it  was  too  late,  I  blamed  myself  for  having  despatched 
the  deeds  to  Chiswick  without  making  sufficient  in- 
quiries. I  ought  to'  have  taken  the  precaution  to  com- 
pare the  handwriting  of  the  letter  which  I  had  received 
from  the  person  who  had  personated  Mr.  Woods,  with 
genuine  le'ttersi  which  I  might  possibly  have  found 
among  old  papers.  It  was  easy  to  be  wise  after  the 
event,  and  the  incident  suggested  disagreeable  mis- 
givings that  there  might  have  been  other  instances  of 
the  same  kind  of  fraud  in  connection  with  my  present 
occupation.  Even  though  Mr.  Summers'  estate  might 
not  be  legally  responsible  for  anv  loss  that  had  occurred, 
I  should  be  accused  of  culpable  carelessness  and  stu- 
pidity, with  the  result  of  forfeiting  the  testimonial  from 
the  executors  upon  which  I  greatly  relied  for  obtaining 
a  fresh  situation. 

I  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  Derwent  that  evening,  inform- 
ing him  of  the  result  of  my  visit  to  Chiswick,  but  I  de- 
cided to  do  nothing  further  until  I  had  consulted  Mr. 
Summers'  executors.  One  of  them,  Mr.  Rolandson,  a 
barrister,  was  to  have  come  to  the  office  early  the  next 

day,  and  I  thought 
it  would  be  wise  to 
ascertain  from  him 
our  legal  position 
before  seeing  Mr. 
Derwentagain.  But 
to  my  great  annoy- 
ance, Mr.  Roland- 
son  was  late,  and  I 
sat  waiting  for  him, 
fuming  and  fidget- 
ting  till  nearly  one 
o'clock.  I  was  just 
making  up  my  mind 
to  go  down  into  the 
City  without  fur- 
ther delay,  when 
Mr.  Derwen  t 
walked  into  my 
room.  He  was 
Hushed  and  excited, 
and  I  saw  at  once 
that  something  had 
happened. 

"  Here  is  a  nice 
complication,"  he 
said, irritably.  "My 
cheque  has  been 
presented." 

"  Well  1  Pay- 
ment was  refused, 
I  suppose?"  I  re- 
marked. 

"Yes,  but  the 
cheque  came  from 
a  bona  fide  holder. 
It  was  paid  into 
l   iiaxsoii.  Bartle's  Dank  by  a 

most  respectable 
customer  of  theirs,  who  has  a  large  account,  and  was 
presented  by  Bartle's  this  morning,"  said  Mr.  Derwent, 
mopping  the  perspiration  from  his  forehead. 

"How  do  you  know  theholder  is  bona  fide?"  I  inquired. 
"  The  bank  told  me  there  is  no  doubt  of  it,"  said  Mr. 
Derwent.  "  He  is  a  most  respectable  ironmonger,  named 
Dillon,  in  a  large  way  of  business  over  in  Lambeth.  Of 
course,  it  is  a  serious  thing  not  to  honour  one's  cheque. 
I  hardly  like  to  withhold  payment." 

"  That  is  your  own  affair,"  I  replied.  "  But  I  think 
it  might  be  worth  while  to  call  upon  this  Mr.  Dillon.  It 
is  all  very  well  to  say  he  is  respectable.  How  came  he> 
by  the  cheque  ? " 


?28 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1394. 


"  Woods  or  Hunter,  or  whatever  his  name  is,  endorsed 
it,  and  Dillon  paid  it  into  his  own  bank,"  said  Mr.  Der- 
went  impatiently. 

"It  looks  suspicious  to  me,"  I  replied.  "I  see  you 
have  a  cab  at  the  door.  Let  us  drive  over  at  once  and 
learn  exactly  what  this  gentleman  knows  about  the 
matter." 

"  A  man  of  his  posi- 
tion is  not  the  least 
likely  to  be  a  party  to 
a  fraud,"  said  the  young 
man  despondently. 
"  He  no  doubt  gave 
value  for  the  cheque 
and  the  only  question 
is  whether,  under  those 
circumstances,  I  am 
legally  liable.  That 
will  be  for  a  Court  o{ 
Law  to  decide." 

"  It  will  save  time 
if  we  can  contrive  to 
get  back  the  cheque,"  I 
answered.  "  Anyhow, 
it  is  worth  trying." 

After  some  demur, 
Mr.  Derwent  agreed  to 
my  suggestion,  and  we 
drove  with  all  speed  to 
Nelson  Street,  Lambeth, 
where  we  found  that 
Mr.  Dillon's  establish- 
ment was  a  considerable 
one,  consisting  of  tv,  o 
or  three  shops,  which 
showed  every  indication 
of  a  thriving  business. 
Mr.  Derwent,  with  some 
irritation  at  having  been 

brought  on  what  he  evidently  considered  a  fool's  errand, 
whispered  to  me  as  Ave  entered  to  leave  the  conduct  of 
the  interview  to  him. 

He  sent  in  his  card,  and  after  a  short  delay  we  were 
ushered  into  Mr.  Dillon's  private  office.  Mr.  Dillon  was 
a  tall,  heavy,  prosperous-looking  man,  dressed  in  black, 
with  a  pompous  manner  and  a  deep  solemn  voice.  But 
the  expression  of  his  fat,  clean-shaven  face  inspired  me 
with  vague  distrust,  which  seemed  to  be  reciprocated, 
for  when  I  followed  Mr.  Derwent  into  the  room,  he  said 
sharply — 

"Which  is  Mr.  Derwent?" 

"  I  am,"  replied  my  companior.. 

"And  you,  sir?"  inquired  Mr.  Dillon  addressing  me. 

"  Oh,  only  a  friend  of  mine,"  interposed  Mr.  Derwent 
quickly.    "  I  called,  Mr.  Dillon,  about  my  cheque." 

"What  cheque?"  asked  Mr.  Dillon,  glancing  uneasily 
at  me. 

"  A  cheque  for  £500,  which  was  paid  in  by  you.  and 
which  my  bank  refused  to  cash  by  my  orders,"  said  Mr. 
Derwent  nervously., 

"  You  dishonoured  your  cheque  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Dillon, 
with  a  portentous  frown. 

"Yes;  at  least  I  have  at  present.  My  object  in  call- 
ing is  to  inquire  how  you  came  by  it?"  said  Mr.  Der- 
went. 

"  That  cheque,"  replied  Mr.  Dillon,  leaning  back  in  his 
chair  and  speaking  with  grave  deliberation,  "  careus  to  me 
from  a  customer  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business.  I 
paid  it  into  my  bank  with  other  cheques,  and  I  expect 
\t  to  be  met." 

"  But  who  did  you  pet  it  from  ? "  repeated  Mr.  Derwent. 

"Really,  sir,  I  must  ask  the  object  of  your  inquiry." 
said  Mr.  Dillon,  whose  uneasy  side-glances  in  my  direc- 
tion convinced  me  that  his  assurance  was  assumed. 

"Did  you  give  value  for  the  cheque?"  inquired  Mr. 
Derwent,  who  was  manifestly  disconcerted  by  Mr. 
Dillon's  manner. 


"WHICH  IS  MR.  DERWENT?" 


"  Most  certainly,  sir,  I  did,"  replied  the  latter  emphati- 
cally. _ 

"  Did  you  cash  it  for  the  payee?" 

"  No,  sir,  I  did  not.    I  have  never  heard  of  the  payee- 

What  was  the  name?    Jones — Smith  ?" 

"  Woods,"  interposed  Mr.  Derwent. 
"Ah,  yes.    I  remember.    I  know  nobody  of  that 

name  ;  the  cheque 
was  sent  to  me  by  a 
customer,  but  if  you 
will  excuse  me,  I 
must  decline  to  dis- 
cuss the  matter.  Are 
you  going  to  meet 
the  cheque  or  not, 
sir?"  said  Mr.  Dillon, 
addressing  my  com- 
panion in  a  bullying 
tone. 

"Not  unless  " 

began  Mr.  Derwent. 

"Then,  sir,  my 
solicitor  will  commu- 
nicate with  you,"  in- 
terrupted Mr.  Dillon, 
rising  from  his  seat 
with  a  stiff  bow  in- 
tended to  dismiss  us. 

Mr.  Derwent  got 
up  also,  partly  from 
pique,  but  partly,  I 
could  see,  because  he 
wras     overawed  by 
Mr.  Dillon's  impres- 
sive manner ;  but  I, 
sitting    apart,  had 
been  quietly  taking 
stock  of  this  gentle- 
man    during  the 
interview,  and  had  arrived  at  a  tolerably  firm  convic- 
tion that,  in  spite  of  his  outward  respectability,  the  man 
was  a  rogue.    I  therefore  said  significantly — 

"  Can  you  give  us  the  address  of  your  friend  Hunter,. 
Mr.  Dillon?" 

"  I  don't  know  such  a  person,"  replied  Mr.  Dillon,  with 
suspicious  quickness. 

"  Otherwise  Woods,"  I  continued,  looking  straight  at 
him. 

"  I  have  already  answered  that  question.  Who  may 
you  be,  sir?"  he  added,  addressing  me  half  defiantlv, 
half  apprehensively. 

"  I  am  a  private  detective,"  I  said  quietly,  giving  Mr. 
Derwent  a  sly  kick  under  the  table. 

"What  the  deuce  do  you  mean,  sir,  by  coming  into 
my  office  with  a  spy  in  this  manner  ? "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Dillon,  addressing  my  companion  with  blustering  indig- 
nation. 

"  This  is  a  serious  matter,  Mr.  Dillon,"  I  interposed. 
<;A  thief,  named  Hunter,  obtains  possession  of  a  cheque 
by  fraud.  It  is  presented  for  pavment  by  a.  gentleman, 
who  refuses  any  explanation.  You  do  not  seem  to 
realise  your  own  position." 

"  I — I  certainly  didn't  understand  that  there  was  any 
— ahem  ! — fraud,"  replied  Mr.  Dillon,  changing  his  tono 
in  a  wonderful  manner  and  becoming  civil  all  of  a  sudden. 

"  That  is  the  worst  of  cashing  cheoues  for  people  you 
don't  know — though  I  think  you  said  it  was  paid  you  by 
a  customer?"  I  said  politely. 

"  Well,  now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  that  particular 
cheque — you  must  remember  I  pay  in  numbers  of 
cheques  every  day — came  to  me  in  rather  a  curious  way. 
But  first,  I  must  know  how  I  stand  ' "  he  said,  glancing 
at  me  shrewdly. 

"The  matter  need  go  no  further  than  this  room."  I 
answered,  lowering  my  voice. 

"Is  that  so.  Mr..  Derwent?"  he  inquired,  turning  to 
my  companion  with  risible  roliaf. 


T>E<-Evn:w  29,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


229 


"  Certainly "  replied  Mr.  Denvent,  nearly  betraying 
•me  by  his  evident  bewilderment. 

"  That  cheque,"  said  Mr.  Dillon,  opening  a  drawer  in 
front  of  him,  and  producing  an  envelope,  "  reached  me 
by  yesterday  morning's  post,  enclosed  in  this,  without 
any  note  or  message  whatever." 

He  handed  me  an  envelope  as  he  spoke,  directed  to 
him  in  pencil,  and  bearing  the  City  district  post-mark. 
The  address  had  evidently  been  hurriedly  written,  but 
the  handwriting  was  unmistakably  Hunter's.  Mr.  Der- 
went  recognised  it  at  once,  and  said  so. 

"  Who  Woods  or  Hunter  may  be,  I  can't  say,"  rejoined 
Mr.  Dillon,  in  an  innocent  tone ;  "  receiving  the  cheque 
in  that  mysterious  manner,  I  naturally  concluded,  as  it 
was  endorsed  by  the  payee,  that  it  came  from  some 
•customer  who  had  omitted  to  enclose  a  letter  with  it. 
I  therefore  paid  it  into  my  account,  expecting  to  receive 
an  explanation  later." 

"  You  said  you  gave  value  for  it,"  said  Mr.  Derwent, 
sharply. 

"  For  aught  I  knew,  I  might  have  done,"  replied  Mr. 
Dillon,  colouring.  "  I  have  large  accounts  outstanding, 
and  I  concluded  this  cheque  came  from  one  of  my 
debtors,  who  had  received  it  from  Woods,  whoever  he 
may  be.  Of  course,  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  with  the 
-explanation  you  now  give  me,  Mr.  Derwent.  I  abso- 
lutely decline  to-  have  anything  whatever  to  do  with  the 
•cheque,"  he  added,  with  a  virtuous  air. 

At  that  moment  there  came  a  knock  at  the  door,  and 
a  clerk  entered  with  a  sealed  envelope. 

"From  the  bank,"  he  said,  handing  it  to  his  master. 

"  Ah !  here  it  is,  I  expect ! "  exclaimed.  Mr.  Dillon, 
opening  the  letter,  and  producing  Mr.  Derwent's  cheque, 
which  was  marked,  "  Refer  to  drawer."  "  If  you  want 
it,  sir,  you  are  welcome  to  have  it  back." 

He  threw  thei  cheque  on  the  table  as  he  spoke,  and 
Mr.  Derwent  pounced  upon  it  eagerly. 

"  It  is  a  very  extraordinary  thing,  Mr.  Dillon,"  I  re- 
marked, significantly,  "  that  the  thief  should  have  senL. 
the  cheque  to-  you  direct." 

"It  is  most  unaccountable,"  acquiesced  Mr.  Dillon, 
avoiding  my  gaze.  "  I  rely  upon  your  assurance,  Mr. 
Derwent,  that  the  affair  will  end  here." 

"  I  shan't  prosecute  Hunter,  if  you  mean  that,"  replied 
Mr.  Derwent,  promptly,  overjoyed  at  recovering  the 
cheque ;  "  as  I  haven't  lost  my  money,  I  am  not  disposed 
to  waste  any  more  time  over  it." 

"  I  ha-e  given  you  every  information,"  continued  Mr. 
Dillon,  addressing  me,  "and  my  conduct  has  been  quire 
straightforward  ;  but  I  naturally  do>  not  wish  my  name 
to  be  mixed  up  in  any  criminal  proceedings." 

"  You  have  heard  Mr.  Derwent's  decision.  Of  course. 
I  have  nothing  further  to  say,"  I  replied,  as  wo  all  moved 
towards  the  door.  "  But  I  should  like  to-  know  why 
Hunter  sent  the  cheque  to  you." 

"  So  should  I,"  returned  Mr.  Dillon,  visibly  confused, 
•opening  the  door  for  us  with  ponderous  politeness.  "  If 
you  ever  find  out,  you  can  let  me  know." 

I  was  unable  to  gratify  Mr.  Dillon's  veiy  natural 
•curiosity  on  this  point ;  but  a,  couple  of  days  afterward  •> 
J  came  across  a  paragraph  in  a  newspaper  which,  as  it 
seemed  to  me  to  throw  some  light  upon  the-  subject,  I 
cut  out  and  sent  to  him.    It  ran  as  follows : — 

"Clever  Capture.  —  George  Parry,  a  well-dressed, 
middle-aged  man,  who  was  charged  on  Tuesday  last  at 
this  Court  with  assaulting  Detective  Sergeant  Balus- 
trade, and  who  was  remanded,  at  the  request  of  the 
police,  for  inquiries,  was  again  brought  up  yesterday, 
when  sensational  developments  ensued.  It  will  be 
remembered  that,  on  Monday  last,  Sergeant  Balustrade 
chanced  to  meet  the  prisoner  outside  the  British  Joint 
Stock  Bank  in  the  City,  and  recognising  him  as  a  notorious 
burglar  who  was  '  wanted,'  started  in  pursuit.  The 
sergeant  explained  that,  being  not  quite  certain  of  his 
man,  he  refrained  from  summoning  assistance,  but 
followed  him  for  the  best  part  of  two  hours  through 


various  City  lanes  and  by-ways,  with  which  the  prisoner 
appeared  to  be  well  acquainted.  Once  the  sergeant  lost 
sight  of  his  quarry  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  but  ulti- 
mately came  across  him  again,  just  as  he  was  emerging 
from  the  back  entrance  of  a  block  of  City  offices  in 
which  the  prisoner  had  taken  refuge.  The  episode 
culminated  in  the  prisoner  roughly  pushing  past  the 
sergeant  in  attempting  to-  escape,  which  was  the  assault 
complained  of.  The  sergeant  now  came  forward,  and 
requested  the  magistrate  to  grant  a  further  remand,  as 
he  had  since  been  able  to  verify  his  suspicions  about  the 
prisoner's  identity.  The  police  are  reticent  at  present, 
but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  capture  is  regarded  as  a 
most  important  one,  and  the  prisoner  is  said  to  be  the 
chief  perpetrator  of  a  number  of  daring  burglaries  in 
the  West  End,  who  has  hitherto  succeeded  in  evading 
arrest.  The  prisoner,  who-  appeared  to-  be  a  person  of 
superior  education,  indignantly  protested  his  innocence, 
but  the  magistrate  remanded  him  for  a  week,  and  refused 
bail." 

Mr.  Dillon  never  acknowledged  my  civility,  and  per- 
haps, at  first  sight,  the  above  announcement  may  not 
have  been  intelligible  to  him.  But  fuller  details  were 
f,iven  in  the  newspapers,  after  the  next  appearance  of 
the  prisoner  before  the  magistrate,  and  it  then  inci- 
dentally transpired  that,  among  other  aliases,  he  had 
called  himself  Hunter.  This  was  undoubtedly  the  person 
who  had  personated  Mr.  Woods,  and  the  reason  why  he 
had  never  cashed  Mr.  Derwent's  cheque  was  now  appa- 
rent. He  was  evidently  on  his  way  to  the  bank  when 
he  came  face  to  face  with  the  detective,  and  made  off 
with  the  cheque  still  in  his  possession.  In  the  short 
interval  during  the  chase,  while  the  sergeant  was  tem- 
porarily at  fault,  Hunter  had  contrived  to  slip  the  cheque 
into  an  envelope,  and  post  it  to  Mr.  Dillon.  Probably 


SF.Rf.EANT  BALUSTRADE   STARTKD  IN  PURSUIT. 


he  was  apprehensive  of  capture,  and  wished  to  get  rid  of 
this  awkward  slip  of  paper,  which  he  would  have  found 
it  difficult  to  account  for. 

What  induced  him  to  send  the  cheque  to  Mr.  Dillon, 


230 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1894. 


when  he  might  undoubtedly  have  destroyed  it,  is  a 
mystery  which  can  only  bo  explained  in  a  very  startling 
hypothesis.  Hunter  was  committed  for  trial,  and  was 
finally  convicted  and  sentenced  to  a  long  term  of  penal 
servitude,  but  nothing  came  out  during  the  proceedings 
about  the  attempted  fraud  on  Mr.  Derwent.  I  never 
came  across  Mr.  Dillon  again,  but  I  believe  he  still 
carries  on  his  thriving  business.  That  the  prisoner  was 
not  a.  stranger  to  him  I  am  absolutely  convinced,  but  I 
have  never  been  able  to  make  up  my  mind  about  that 
cheque.  It  is  charitable  to  assume  that  Hunter's  trial 
was  an  appalling  revelation  to  the  respectable  Mr. 
Dillon,  and  that,  when  he  paid  the  cheque  into  his 
account,  he  had  not  the  remotest  suspicion  of  the  cha- 


racter and  antecedents  of  his  correspondent.  While 
absolutely  discrediting  Mr.  Dillon's  own  version  of  the 
incident,  I  find  it  hard  to  believe  that  he  had  any  guilty 
knowledge,  though  a  police  inspector  of  my  acquaint- 
ance, to  whom  I  afterwards  told  the  story,  seemed  to» 
think  otherwise. 

As  for  Mr.  Derwent,  he  was  pleased  to  consider  that 
ha  was  in  some  measure  indebted  to  my  interference  for 
recovering  his  cheque  without  further  trouble,  and  ho 
therefore,  at  my  request,  despatched  the  deeds  by  regis- 
tered post  to  the  rightful  owner,  who,  to  this  moment, 
has  no  suspicion  that  they  did  not  come  direct  from  Mr. 
Summers'  strong-room. 


TIRED. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  man,  and  the  man  was 
weary.  He  heard  the  chatter  and  clatter  of  the  world, 
the  new  ideas  which  were  always  old,  the  speculations 
which  were  never  new,  the  hopes  which  ever  dissolved  in 
tears,  and  beneath  the  tumult  the  helpless  moan  of  a 
morbid  pessimism. 

He  was  young,  and  strong,  and  full  of  courage,  but 
youth  soon  gave  way  to  premature  age,  his  strength 
failed,  and  his  head  ached  with  unprofitable  thought. 
Then  a  voice  within  him  whispered,  "  Go !  They  talk 
and  dream  !    Go  thou,  and  live."    So  the  man  departed 

He  journeyed  for 
many  days  and 
ni flits,  and  at  last 

o 

he  came  to  a  quiet 
country,  unsullied  by 
the  voice  or  foot  of 
man.  The  heavens 
were  clear,  and  blue, 
and  smiling,  the 
earth  was  veiled  in 
many  colours,  and 
flowers  blossomed, 
and  birds  sang,  all 
the  day  long. 

The  man  rejoiced 
as  he  looked 
around,  and  cried, 
"  Dehold  !  the  earth 
is  fair ;  the  blue 
heavens  are  above 
m  e ;  the  trees  give  she!  - 
ter  from  the  heat ;  the 
river  water  to  quench 
my  thirst.  Here  will 
I  live  in  peace." 

But  it  came  ta 
pass  on  a  certain 
day  that  he  heard  a 
vague  and  distant 
tumult,  and  knew 
the  world'  was  com- 
ing to  find  him.  Then  the  birJs  sang  of  "original 
Bin,"  and  the  monkeys  prated  of  "  rights,"  and  the  trees 
•discussed  the  "labour  question,"  and  the  flowers  whis- 
pered "  defeat,"  and  the  sunset  spake  of  departed  hopes, 
and  the  stars  murmured  of  death. 


So  the  man  arose  and  left  his  dwelling,  and  journeyed 
further  and  further  away,  till  he  came  to  the  shores  of 
a  great  sea,  and  there  he  built  a  hut.  And  the  man 
smiled  to  himself,  and  said,  "  The  blue  heavens  are  still 
above  me,  the  brown  earth  is  beneath,  and  these  are  the 
waters  of  a  great  sea." 

And  he  lived  there  happy  and  contented  for  two  full 
years. 

Then  he  heard  again  the  distant  tumult,  and  knew 
the  world  was  coming  his  way ;  and  the  waves  were 
fierce,  and  wild,  and  restless,  and  the  wind  wailed  like  a 
little  child,  and  questions  that  never  found  an  answer 
filled  the  air. 

The    man  looked 
/    <^  like  a  hunted  crea- 

ture, and  a  terrible 
pain  was  in  his  heart 
and  black  despair  in 
his  eyes.  He  rose 
and  stood  on  the 
shining  beach,  and 
gazed  long  at  the 
coming  world,  and 
his  voice  had  a  sound 
of  tears. 

"  I  wanted  life,, 
and  you  gave  me 
philosophy  ;  I  wanted 
love,  and  you  offered 
me  gold  ;  I  cried  for 
death,  and  you  prof- 
fjred  disease.  I  gave 
you  a  heart,  and  lin- 
taintedintellect.  You 
devoured  the  one 
and  corrupted  the 
other.  I  gave  you 
young  hopes  and 
ardent  prayers.  You 
filled  me  with 
folly  and  empty 
delusion.  I  rought 
to  escape.  You 
have  followed  me  here.  One  way  only  is  left 
t<.  mo  now  "  ;  and  he  plunged  to  rest  in  the  restless 
sea. 

M.  J.  M.\nsHAi.L. 


December  29,  1S04. 


TO-DAY. 


231 


"  TOMMY    ON  RUDYARD. 


i  ? 


He  was  "sitting*'  for  P«eyne  Eyre,  A.R.A.  To  be 
more  accurate,  he  was  sitting  waiting,  stoically,  discon- 
solately, and  tapping  his  boots  with  something  a  cross 
between  a  whip  and  a  cane,  when  I  entered  that  huge, 
bare  stuuio  in  search  of  its  owner. 

"  Good  afternoon,  Atkins,"  I  said,  for  we  had  made 
friends  before,  when  he  was  posing  for  Pleyne  Eyre's 
famous  picture,  '  Tho'  I  walks  with  twenty  'ousemaids 
outer  Chelsea  to  the  Strand ' — for  that  A.R.A.  is  one  of 
those  artists  whose  pictures,  critics  say,  palpitate  with 
actuality.  He  would  scorn  to  paint  a  mere  model  decked 
in  theatrical  uniform.  Hence  Atkins'  frequent  "  engage- 
ments"— the  only  ones,  I  strongly  suspect,  he  had  ever 
seen. 

"  Mr.  Pleyne  Eyre  not  in? "  I  said. 

"No,  sir.  'That  dratted  frame  maker  is  a  hass' — 
them  were  his  very  words,  sir  !  "  (This  I  doubted  ;  no 
effect  of  palpitating  modernity  would  make  Pleyne  Eyre 
say  "dratted.")  "So  he  bolted  off,  sudden-like;  and 
now  it's  gettin'  dull,  I'm  afraid  he  won't  'urry  back." 

Then  I  saw  my  chance,  as  my  eye  fell  on  a,  disreputable 
copy  of  "  Barrack  Room  Ballads,"  kept  to  give  local 
atmosphere  to  these  British  Army  pictures  Pleyne  Eyre 
lovei.  A  book  thumbed  and  tatted  enough  to  satisfy 
the  most  bumptious  minor  poet. 

"Been  reading  Rudyard  Kipling,  Atkins?" 

"  Ra-ther,"  he  replied.  "  Not  but  what  I  knows  'im 
by  'art  almost." 

"  Do'  you  ?  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  him — I  mean, 
all  of  you  ? " 

"  He's  blooming  fine  as  a  writer — that's  wot  'e  is ;  'but 

I'm  d  d  if  I  can  make  out  where  he  got  to  know  all 

about  sojers  as  he  does.  That  licks  me !  'E's  all  wool, 
and  a  yard  wide.  You  know  what  I  mean  by  that, 
sir?"  he  added,  anxiously,  lest  I  was  straining  my  intel- 
lect to  follow  him. 

"  I  think  I  do.  But  do  your  chums  read  him  much  ? 
I  have  never  been  able  to  find  out  what  the  rank  and  file 
think  of  him." 

"Well,  they  don't  read  much,  any  way,"  said. Atkins, 
conscientiously,  "  but  t'other  night  a  fellow  read  cub 
some  of  his  '  Plain  Tales,'  and  you  should  have  just  seen 
'ow  they  all  liked  'em." 

"Which  was  their  favourite?" 

'"The  Taking  of  Lungtungpen,'"  said  Atkins  instantly, 
without  a  second's  consideration.  "  Lor !  'ow  they  did 
larf.  '  Foive-and-twenty  privits  and  a  orficer  ov  the  line 
in  review  ordher,  an'  not  so  much  as  would  dust  a.  fife 
betune  'em  all  in  the  way  of  clothes.  They  was  nakid 
as  Vanus.'  That  fetched  'em.  The  boys  all  say  'e 
must  'a  bin  a  sojer  himself ;  no  civilian  could  'a  got  into 
the  men's  confidence." 

"I  have  heard  all  sorts  of  people  claim  Kipling  as  a 
tellow  professional,"  I  said.  "  Tell  me,  do  they  like 
his  ballads  as  well  as  his  stories?" 

"  Not  all  of  'em,"  Atkins  cautiously  replied.  " '  Sol- 
dier, Soldier,'  they  say  is  all  tommy-rot.  Catch  a  gal 
a-waiting.  When  you  came  home  you'd  find  her  bloom  in' 
well  married." 

"I  see;  they  like  his  comic  ones  best?" 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  Don't  get  that  in  your  'ed.  They 
like  that  story  of  Snarleyow,  bringing  up  the  guns,  and 
drivin'  right  over  his  brother's  bloomin'  'ed.  But  you 
must  'a  been  a  'orse  artilleryman  yourself  to  appreciate 
that.  It's  bally  good.  No  ;  they  don't  care  for  'Screw- 
guns  '  near  so  much,  but  they  likes  the  '  Widdy  at 
Windsor.' " 

This  rather  upset  my  notions;  like  a  coster's  choice  of 
Chevalier's  ditties,  it  showed  that  insiders  have  different 
etandards  to  ordinary  folks. 

"  Of  course,  they  like  £  Mandalay '  and  '  Danny 
Deever'?"  I  added. 

"No,"  said  Atkins,  glumly.  "  'Danny  Deever'  is  too 
bloomin'  dismal,  and  that  '  Mandalay'  gal's  no  good. 


You  see  a  lot  of  'em  'ave  bin  there,  and  they  know  'er. 
Tommy  ain't  nuts  on  sentiment,  but  when  he  gets  real 
in  love,  'e  goes  mad  about  it.  But  t'ain't  over  a  yeller 
gal,  you  bet !  " 

"  Then  what  the  dickens  does  he  like  ? " 

"Well,  he  likes  the  'Young  British  Sojer'  and  the 
'Widdy  at  Windsor' — they  touch  him  up." 

"  And  '  Belts,  Belts,'  I  suppose  ?  That  ought  to  touch 
him  up  still  more." 

"  No,  it  don't ;  vou  see  it's  different  in  the  artillery. 
It's  easy  enough  to  keep  straight  in  the  infantry  ;  all  you 
has  to  do  is  to  keep  clean — then  you're  sure  to  get  off  all 
right." 

"Do  they  like  'Bobs'?" 

"  I  should  say  they  did,"  said  Atkins,  now  really  ex- 
cited. "  '  Bobs'  is  first-class.  How  he  picked  it  all  up's 
wot  puzzles — and  that  reglar  staggers  me.  Not  in 
London ;  why,  bless  you  "  (confidentially),  "  here  they  are 
that  blooming  particular,  a  Guardsman  ain't  allowed  to 
be  seen  talking  to  his  own  sister,  let  alone  a  bloomin' 
toff.    Why  they'd  run  'im  in  for  that." 

"  So  '  Bobs '  is  first  favourite  ? " 

"Yes;  lie's  all  right.  Ain't  he,  Bobs?  I  tell  you 
another  just  bowls  'em  over.  The  B.  Company,  as  drink 
themselves  into  clink-by-squads — that's  cells,  you  know." 
"  H'm  !    What  is  Tommy's  favourite  tipple — gin  ? " 

"Not  offin!  Mild  and  bitter's  'is  booze.  R.  K. 
knows  that;  and  he  knows  the  queer  lingo  the  boys 
talk.  It's  gospel  true,  them  queer  oaths  ;  why,  I  heard 
a  man  in  for  '  cells,'  only  t'other  night,  say  of  the 
fellow  who'd  got  his  monkey  up,  '  May  Gawd  throw 
rubub  in  'is  eyes  ;  may  'e  'ave  the  itch  in  'is  ears ;  may 
'is  finger  niles  drop  off,  so  that  'e  can't  scratch  hisself  1 ' 
— that's  the  sort  o'  thing  they  do  say." 

"  I  see.    Tommy  has  a  pretty  wit." 

"  I  don't  know  o'  that ;  but  he  can  sling  words  about 
when  you  puts  'is  back  up." 

."How  does  he  like  the  Gaiety  Girl  '  Tomn  y  Atkins'  V 

"  'E  jest  'ates  it — you  take  that  straight  from  me.  I 
never  knew  a  Guardsman  go  twice  to  see  that  blooming 
sIioav  ;  why,  they  make  all  the  orficersl  e' ave  like  bloom- 
ing cads — there  ain't  one  of  'em  knows  how  to  walk." 

"  Have  you  read  the  '  Light  that  Failed '  ? " 

Here  Atkins'  spirits  sank,  but  he  owned  he  '  never 
could  get  through  with  it,'  and  I  felt  a  sneaking 
sympathy. 

Just  then  Pleyne  Eyre  entered,  and  Atkins  froze  up — ■ 
but  even  a  glimpse  into  Kipling's  standing  in  the  army 
seemed  worth  putting  on  record. 


Phlegmatic. — Yes,  he  was  a  cool  customer,  was  Tran- 
quilsby.  I  never  knew  anything  or  anybody  put  him 
out.  But  let  me  just  give  you  an  instance.  One  even- 
ing he  rang  for  a  glass  of  water,  and  the  servant  took 
it  up  to  him.  About  two  minutes  later  she  was  rung 
for  again.  Tranquilsby  wanted  another  glass,  and  this 
the  servant  also  brought  him.  After  another  very 
short  interval,  Tranquilsby's  bell  again  rang.  "Oh, 
just  fetch  me  a  glass  of  water,  will  you?"  he  said,  with 
the  utmost  calmness.  "Why,  whatever's  wrong,  sir?" 
asked  the  girl  in  alarm  ;  "  I've  brought  you  two  glasses 
within  the  last  three  minutes."-  "  Oh,  thanks,"  said 
Tranquilsby,  with  a  grateful  smile ;  "  I've  used  them, 
though.  My  bedroom's  got  on  fire,  you  see."  (The 
sitting-room,  in  fact,  was  rapidly  filling  with  smoke.) 
"  Ah,  yes  !  I'm  afraid  I  shall  still  want  another  !  " 


Looking  Ahead. — Solomon  Cohenstein  (to  his  son 
Isaac) :  Vat !  you  haf  now  von  leedle  brodersh — yet 
you  are  not  glatt — you  haf  not  joy  ! 

Isaac :  And  why  should  I  haf  joy,  when  dot  leedle 
brodersh  make  me  go  down  fifty  per  sheets  ? 

STANLEY    J,    WEYMAN'S   new  story,    "THE  RED 

COCKADE,"  a  story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced 
in  the  next  Nurr.tw"-  (January  5,  1835)  of  11  TO  DAY." 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1S91. 


(  To  be  continued. ) 


December  29,  1894.  TO-DAY. 


233 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


These  Chrismus  festiverties — they  'as  much  ter 
avmser  for.  I've  bin  told  by  one  as  ought  ter  knaw, 
an  'e  were  a  young  lad  as  worked  at  a  chemist's,  that 
the  run  on  digestive  pills  at  this  season  of  the  year  is 
suthink  crule.  The  fact  is,  theer's  a  lot  of  people  as  acts 
joodishus  enough  in  the  or'nery  course,  but  cawnt  bring 
theirselves  ter  act  joodishus  when  their  ,on 
their  'ollerdies.  Oh,  yer  may  berliev  me,  thet  ain't 
at  all  uncommon.  I  knawed  a  kise  of  that  in 
a  young  nevvy  o'  mine,  as  prop'ly  speakin'  is  my  cousing, 
but  calls  me  uncle  for  the  sike  of  cornvenience.  Nar 
that  boy,  when  'e's  in  school,  is  a  reg'lar  lamb,  and  ax 
as  sich.  But  as  soon  as  ever  the  summer  'ollerdies  comes 
rarnd,  you'll  ketch  'im  spilin'  a  noo  soot  by  shinnin'  up 
a  apple  tree,  which,  belongin'  as  it  do  to  a  cormperitive 
strineger,  kin  only  git  'im  inter  trouble.  I  ain't  like 
'Ankin,  I  ain't  ollwise  a  shovin'  forrud  my  objicktion 
ter  things  in  gen'ral.  But  I  must  sye  as  the  wye  the 
or'nery  wukkin'-man  'as  ter  manidge  'is  ollerdies  is  a 
disgrice  and  nutthink  else.  Fust  of  all.  as  like  as  nort, 
'e  'as  ter  wuk  extry  'awd,  and  by  the  time  the  'ollerdy 
comes'  e's  too  tired  ter  be  fit  ter  enjy  it.  Then  'e  goes 
horf  on  a  bust,  so  thet  when  is  'ollerdy's  over  'e  ain't  no 
more  fit  for  the  wuk  than  'e  were  for  the  'ollerdy.  Nar 
thet  ain't  as  it  should  be  ;  I've  said  it  afore,  and  I  sye 
it  agen,  thet  the  wukkin'-man's  'ollerdies  is  manidged 
shockin'.  I  awsk  yer  ter  cornsider  it.  London's  a  big 
plice,  and  when  all  trides  stops  wuk  fur  three  or  four 
dyes  tergither,  whort's  the  effec'?  The  effec'  is  a 
deal  of  ill -cornvenience,  and  hev'ry-body  feels  it. 
Nar  whort  I  says  is,  whur's  the  sense  of  it  ?  I  don't 
deny  that  if  diff'runt  trides  tuk  their  'ollerdies  at 
diffrunt  times,  theer  might  be  orbstercles  in  the 
wye  of  family  meetin's  and  sich.  But,  tikin' 
all  things  tergether,  I  don't  see  as  'ow  any 
arringement  could  be  wus  than  whort  we  'as  at  present. 
And,  mind  yer,  I  don't  sye  that  from  no  pussonal 
motives.  I  'appened  ter  win  thet  tukkey  as  ole  Ike  put 
up  fur  a  raffel,  and  I  dunno  as  I've  ever  done  a  Chris- 
mus better  nor  cheaper.  Still,  it's  the  principul  of  the 
thing  as  I  looks  at. 


'Ankin  'as  a  'abit  of  lookin'  beck  at  the  end  of  each 
year  and  tikin'  whort  'e  calls  a  gineral  survey  of  the 
stite  of  the  pollertics  of  the  nyshun.  'E  awsts  'isself,  'as 
the  pawthwye  bin  mide  smoother  fur  the  advawnce  of  a 
triumphint  dimocricy — ah,  whort  'Ankin  don't  know 
abart  langwidge  yur  cawn't  teach  'im  ! — an'  does  the 
pawty  of  pi-ogriss  stand  whc-er  it  did  ?  And  'is  awnsers 
to  sich  questshings  is  mostly  of  a  'ighly  onsatisfactery 
nycMur.  Pussonally,  I  don't  look  beck  on  pollertics  ;  I 
prefers  to  look  beck  on  myself,  as  being  to  myself  a 
subjic  of  deeper  hinterest.  Well,  I  dunno  as 
I'm  any  forrader  nor  any  backwarder  nor  I  was  twelve 
months  ago.  I  ain't  no  richer  and  I  ain't  no  poorer. 
As  fur  whort  I've  done,  I  could  carnt  up  the  number  of 
journeys  as  I've  done  on  the  'bus,  if  I  thought  it  were 
worth  it,  which  I'm  'anged  if  I  do.  Per'aps  the  wust 
of  a  'bus  cornducter's  life  is  thet  it  is  so  bloomin'  mer- 
noternous.  The  only  remawkable  chinge  as  I've  noticed 
is  thet  I'm  'awf  a  stone  lighter  nor  whort  I  was  last  year, 
an'  I  puts  thet  darn  to  'Ankin.  'Is  'abit  of  argyin'  with 
hev'rybody  mye  be,  as  'e  says,  a  hinterleckshal  egsercise ; 
but  it  is  also  most  uncommun  wearin',  and  I  don't  dart 
as  I've  lost  parnds  of  flesh  in  tryin'  ter  show  'im  'ow 
artrigusly  wrong  'e  is  on  most  pints.  Well,  'ere's  another 
year  on  the  top  of  us  any  wye.  Tgher  up  theer,  'ninety- 
four  t 


1 


Cockspur   Street,  London. 

N  VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


•RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 

JiOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 

t]EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


ARKET  REPORT. 


UR  SPEICALLY  SELECTED 


M 
0 

J^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES    PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A. 
HALF  PER  CENT. 

"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


IT 


gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
rjWVENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 
gENT  POST  FREE. 

rjIHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON  . 
PART  I. 


PART  II.-HOW  TO  OPERATE. 

Why  Money  is  jtpst  mi  the  .Stoc" 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"A  Stock  "I  Operations. 
How  ti>  Select  "A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  stuck." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 
from  188S  to.  IS'.ri  inclusive. 
TheFortniglitlySettlenientsSystem.       Different  Systems  of  Healing. 
The  Three  -  Monthly   Settlements      Operations  of  Short  Duration. 

System.  .  Operations  of  Long  Duration. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of         r  ? . 

Dealino-  (  an   Country   Residents  Operate 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts         Successfully  ? 

Compare  with  And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

Johbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts.  people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


-STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


j^ETTLEMENT   SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commence!  itself  to 
everyone  who  bus  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  an  1 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

O  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


N 


A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite, 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E  C. 
October  25th,  1S!U. 

Bf.au  Sin,— I  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efUc  icy  of 
Dr.  Seott's  Pills  us  a  family  medicine.   We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  many 

years,  and  are  never  without  them.   

Yours  faithfully,  J.  SELLARS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  buy  anyone  to  by  any  other  Medicine  instead. 
Prepared  only  by— 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 


H 


IGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 

MRS.  GRABURN,  13,Bonehurch  road,  North  Kensington  (close 
toNotting-hill  station).  Speciality— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  Measure  supplied  complete  from  2A  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.    Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


STANLEY  J-  WEYMANS  NEW  story,  "THE  RED 
COCKADE,"  A  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced  ill 
next  week's  number  of  "  TO-DAYi" 


2;H 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1801. 


THE    TRUTH  ABOUT 
COOLGARDIE. 


A  CHAT  WITPI  MR.  ALBERT  F.  CALVERT. 

During  the  last  few  months  the  British  investor  has 
been  invited  to  subscribe  millions  for  the  purchase  and 
development  of  Western  Australian  mining  lands. 
Seldom  a  week  passes  without  two  or  three  new  com- 
panies appealing  to  the  public.  During  the  last  few 
days  we  have  seen  one  company  asking  for  £375,000, 
and  others  for  smaller,  but  still  large  sums.  With  the 
beginning  of  the  New  Year  we  are  certain  to  have 
further,  and  even  heavier  appeals,  and  it  is  very  neces- 
sary that  we  should 
get  some  indepen- 
dent information 
as  to  the  value  of 
these  Coolgardie 
properties.  We  do 
not  know  anyone 
more  competent 
to  give  this  infor- 
mation than  Mr. 
Calvert.  For 
several  years  past 
this  gentleman  has 
been  spending  time 
and  money  in 
making  Western 
Australia  better 
known  to  his 
countrymen  at 
home.  Long  be- 
fore most  people 
knew  anything  of 
the  mineral  riches 
of  the  Colony, 
Mr.  Calvert  was 
predicting  that  in 
the  gold  industry 
it  would  find  its 
s  a  1  v  a  t  ion,  and 
that  soon  the 
richest  gold  fields 
in  the  world  would 
be  opened  in  West- 
er n  Australia. 
Since  then  Mr. 
Calvert  has  twice 
renewed  his 
acquaintance  with 
the  various  gold- 
producing  districts 
of  the  Colony, 
and  he  is  pecu- 
liarly well  fitted 
to  give  an  opinion 
upon  them.  He 
is  not  over  here 
to  promote  com- 
panies, and  fill  his  i 

own  pockets  at  the  expense  of  the  investor.  He  is, 
indeed,  associated  as  a  managing  director  with  one 
West  Australian  company — the  Consolidated  Gold 
Mines  of  Western  Australia  ;  but  that  is  a  company  that 
was  floated  this  year,  that  has  all  the  capital  it  wants, 
and  is  obtaining  excellent  results — and  as  director 
of  the  big  Blow  Gold  Mines.  When,  therefore,  op- 
portunity occurred  to  have  a  chat  with  Mr.  Calvert,  ad- 
vantage was  taken  of  it,  that  readers  of  To-Day  might 
be  put  in  possession  of  information  not  to  be  found  in 
the  prospectuses  crowding  in  upon  them  week  by  week. 
As  many  of  our  readers  may  like  to  know  what  manner 
of  man  Mr.  Calvert  appears  to  be,  we  give  his  portrait ; 
and  it  may  be  convenient  to  summarise  his  views  in  the 
form  of  question  and  answer,  which  we  proceed  to  do. 


"  What  do  you  say,  Mr.  Calvert,  as  to  the  prospects 
of  the  numerous  companies  recently  formed  to  work 
claims  in  Western  Australia  1 " 

"  It  is  impossible  to  give  any  very  decided  opinion  as 
to  the  value  of  most  of  these  properties.  Bayley's 
Reward  has  been  proved  to  be  a  good  property,  and  we 
know  that  there  are  rich  deposits  on  the  Londonderry 
and  the  Wealth  of  Nations.  But  by  far  the  greater 
number  of  the  claims  brought  out  on  this  side  are  un- 
developed, and  many  of  these  companies  with  small 
working  capital  must  amalgamate,  or  collapse,  unless 
their  claims  prove  rich  immediately." 

"May  I  take  it  that  the  public  are  asked  to  give  far 
too  much  for  most  of  these  claims  1 " 

"  Your  public,  yes.    Most  of  these  claims  may  be  got 

on  the  spot  for 
very  little.  The 
Coolgardie  district 
covers  32,000 
miles,  and  Govern- 
ment will  let  you 
have  as  much  of  it 
as  you  want  at  £1 
an  acre.  Here  these 
claims,  with  a 
little  bit  of  de- 
velopment work 
ione,  are  offered 
at  £2,000  or 
£3,000  an  acre. 
It  is  really  ludi- 
crous." 

"  What  value  is 
to  be  attached  to 
the  reports  from 
mining  engineers 
that  figure  in  the 
prospectuses?" 

"Very  little. 
Speaking  gene- 
rally the  reporters 
know  little  or 
nothing  about  the 
claims  they  report 
upon.  They  are 
not  <rold  mining 
experts,  or  if  they 
are  they  are  per- 
sons of  no  reputa- 
t  i  o  n.  And  the 
direct  ors  know 
even  less  of  the 
properties  they  are 
to  control." 

"I  suppose  the 
local  people  keep 
the  really  valuable 
claims  in  their 
own  hands  ?  " 

"  No,  not  neces- 
sarily.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  the 
people  of  Western 

Australia  have  been  extremely  sceptical  as  to  the 
value  of  the  gold  discoveries.  When  I  was  in  Perth 
two  or  three  years  ago,  they  laughed  at  the 
idea.  Most  of  the  work"  has  been  done  by  outsiders. 
Nearly  all  the  miners  come  from  the  Eastern  Colonies. 
No  doubt  the  local  people  are  coming  in  more  now  ;  but 
you  must  remember  that  there  is  not  much  capital  in  the 
Colony,  and  times  have  been  bad  in  the  other  Colonies. 
Moreover,  there  is  strong  antagonism  between  the 
Colonies,  and  the  people  of  Western  Australia  would 
rather  see  foreigners — that  is,  others  than  Colonists — 
than  their  kinsmen  on  the  fields." 

"  Do  you  consider  the  Coolgardie  district  the  best  1 
"No.  It  may  turn  out  to  he,  but  at  present  it  does  not 
come  near  the  Murchison.    Let  me  repeat ;  we  have,  af 


TO-DAY. 


matters  stand,  very  few  actual  results  to  rest  upon,  so 
far  as  Coolgardie  is  concerned.  We  must  wait  awhile  ; 
but  I  have  no  doubt  that  many  of  the  claims  will  give 
handsome  returns,  and  then,  if  ever  you  get  the  pro- 
perties upon  fair  terms,  which  you  are  certainly  not  doing 
at  present,  good  dividends  may  be  looked  for  with 
confidence." 

"  Can  you  suggest  any  means  by  which  the  investor 
may  be  protected  from  the  unscrupulous  promoter  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  question  to  which  I  have  given  much  atten- 
tion, but  I  do  not  see  my  way  clearly  as  yet.  Something 
might  be  done  through  the  Agent  General,  and  it  has 
occurred  to  me  that  some  system  might  be  devised  which 
would  enable  investors  to  get  trustworthy  particulars 
from  his  office  as  to  the  value  of  properties.  But  there 
are  many  difficulties  in  the  way.  If  the  officials  were 
experts,  and  had  the  necessary  time,  they  might  be  em- 
ployed to  give  a  report  upon  each  claim ;  but  they  have 
neither  the  knowledge  nor  the  time  necessary  for  this. 
On  my  next  visit  to  Western  Australia  I  intend  to 
discuss  the  matter  with  the  Premier,  Sir  John  Forrest, 
who  I  know  to  be  anxious  to  do  something  in  this 
direction." 

"  Does  the  presence  of  local  men  on  a  board  give  any 
real  security  to  investors  that  their  property  is  worth 
something  like  the  money  paid  for  it,  and  will  be  well 
managed  1 " 

"  Broadly,  no.  If  you  examine  a  list  of  the 
directors  of  these  West  Australian  companies,  you  will 
find  that  few  of  them  know  anything  about  mining  ;  and 
as  to  the  local  board — well,  Adelaide  is  a  thousand  miles 
from  Coolgardie,  and  you  may  as  well  be  in  London." 

"  You  have  a  wide  experience  of  Australian  mining, 
Mr.  Calvert?" 

"Yes,  I  have  made  myself  acquainted  with  it  in 
all  the  colonies,  as  well  as  in  Africa  and  California. 
I  have  been  round  the  world  three  times,  and  I  hope  to 
be  in  Australia  again  early  next  year.  I  am  strongly 
of  the  opinion  that  the  West  Australian  gold  mines 
■will  by-and-bye  be  second  to  none  in  profitable  yield." 

AVe  heartily  hope  that  in  his  coming  conferences  with 
Sir  John  Forrest  Mr.  Calvert  will  be  able  to  devise  some 
scheme  for  the  better  protection  of  the  investor. 
Nothing  that  the  wit  of  man  can  invent  will  save  the 
money  of  foolish  or  careless  people  who  simply  swallow 
everything  they  read  in  a  prospectus.  All  that  it  is 
possible  to  do,  if  it  is  possible  to  do  it,  is  to  issue 
accurate  information,  brought  within  the  reach  of  all 
who  are  really  anxious  to  get  ic.  It  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  that  can  be  done  ;  but  meantime,  all  who  have 
local  knowledge,  and  are  not  interested  in  company  pro- 
moting, should  do  their  best  through  the  Press  to  warn 
the  public  against  the  wild-cat  schemes  with  which 
they  are  being  deluded.  Mr.  Calvert  has  himself  done 
good  service  in  this  direction  by  means  of  his  weekly 
journal,  the  West  Australian  Revieiv. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


One  of  the  most  illustrious  of  my  patrons  will  never 
again  enter  the  old  shop,  which  I  always  hold  was  trod- 
den by  the  feet  of  Ben  J onson,  for  my  shop  was  stand- 
ing— and  not  so  very  new,  either — in  the  days  of  rare 
old  Ben,  and  was  a  tavern  to  boot.  Of  course,  I  never 
expected  to  see  brave,  brilliant  Robert  Louis  Stevenson 
again ;  but  death  severs  more  surely  than  ten  thousand 
miles  of  sea,  and  the  tired  brain,  which  had  wrought  its 
owner  an  imperishable  reputation  as  one  of  the  great 
masters  of  style  in  the  prose  and  poetry  of  England, 
but  dreaded  lest  its  magic  was  lost,  is  sleeping  half-way 
between  the  English  of  America  and  the  English  of 
Australia.  I  hear  on  the  best  authority  that  though 
he  began  to  realise  the  market  value  of  his  work  to- 
wards the  end,  he  was  so  "  had,"  as  my  informant  put 
it,  over  some  of  his  novels  that  his  literary  income  was 
by  no  means  what  it  should  have  been. 


For  the  past  six  months  my  patrons  have  been 
asking  me  what  book  they  were  to  read  about 
China.  My  answer  has  invariably  been  Profes- 
sor Douglas's  "Society  in  China." 1  And  while  I 
have  added  quite  an  abnormal  number  to  my  library, 
there  is  never  a  copy  in — every  copy  is  booked  several 
deep  in  advance.  And  though  it  is  a  big  expensive 
book  I  have  been  able  to  sell  it  freely.  For  it  is  far 
and  away  the  best  book  to  give  one  an  idea  of  China, 
and  had  there  been  no  war  at  all,  it  must  have  com- 
manded a  large  circle  of  readers,  for  its  very  succinct 
and  brightly  written  account  of  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing peoples  in  the  world,  who  have  handed  down  almost 
unchanged  to  our  own  times  a  system  of  national  life 
that  was  already  old  when  Moses  drew  up  his. 

*  *  ■  *  * 

Unfortunately  corruption  was  recognised  in  pre- 
Mosaic  Asia,  so  China  has  come  tottering  down  when 
bumped  against  Japan,  run  on  the  advanced  Western 
ideas  of  only  cheating  your  enemies,  and 

"  Blest  is  the  man  whose  cause  is  just, 

But  doubly  blest  is  he  who  gets  his  blow  in  fust." 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  capable  Japanese 
Government  should  make  short  work  of  the 
plans  of  the  Nuiko,  or  Cabinet,  which  consists 
of  "  three  Chinese  and  three  Manchu  chancellors, 
together  with  a  large  body  of  Mandarins  of  the  six 
highest  grades  (whose  duties,  as  defined  by  the  Imperial 
statutes,  are  to  deliberate  on  the  government  of  the 
Empire,  to  proclaim  abroad  the  Imperial  pleasure,  and  to 
regulate  the  canons  of  State,  together  with  the  whole 
administration  of  the  great  balance  of  power,  thus  aiding 
the'Emperor  in  directing  the  affairs  of  State  "),  and  meets 
every  morning  at  daylight  to  present  the  Emperor  with 
annotated  State  papers  relating  to  e^ery  branch  of 
administration  on  which  he  declares  his  will  with  a  ver- 
milion pencil,  which  is  authenticated  with  twenty-five 
different  seals  of  Government. 

Besides,  the  Nuiko  initiates  nothing.  That  is  done 
by  the  Chiinchi  Chu,  or  Council  of  State,  which,  "  at  an 
hour  in  the  morning  when  the  capitals  of  Europe  are 
wrapped  in  slumber,  meets  in  the  Forbidden  Palace, 
and  discusses,  in  the  presence  of  the  Son  of  Heaven, 
all  affairs  of  State,  from  the  most  important  Imperial 
concerns  down  to  the  promotion  and  degradation  of 
mandarins  of  the  lowest  rank." 

*  *  -»  * 

The  principal  duties  of  the  Board  of  War,  which 
executes  the  more  important  behests  of  the  Chiinchi 
Chu,  are  apparently  the  transmission  of  secret  orders 
to  countermand  the  fulfilment  of  treaties.  Professor 
Douglas's  book  is  one  of  the  most  entertaining,  as  well 
as  the  best,  ever  written  on  China.. 

*  *  *  * 

One  of  the  prettiest  children's  books  I  have, 
seen  and  read  for  some  time  is  "  Lily  and  the 
Lift,"2  by  Mrs.  Herbert  Railton.  The  story  and 
illustrations  —  both  by  Mrs.  Railton  —  are  really 
capital,  and  remind  me  of  "  Alice  in  Wonderland," 
though  the  idea  of  the  story  is  entirely  new.  The 
wonder  is  that  no  one  has  thought  of  it  before.  I 
know  one  little  child  who  has  already  been  through  the 
book  three  times,  and  the  pictures  are  still  a  never- 
failing  source  of  delight  to  her.  My  juvenile  customers 
are  sometimes  hard  to  please,  but  they  know  a  good 
thing  when  they  see  it. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
F.  S.  (Durham)  and  other  correspondents  call  my  attention 
to  the  ignorance  of  the  writer  of  the  London  letter  in  the  New- 
castle Daily  Journal.  This  gentleman  calmly  announces  that 
Stevenson's  "  Ebb  Tide  "  has  never  appeared  in  serial  form.  He 
is  not  the  only  literary  critic  who  writes  concerning  matters  of 
which  he  knows  nothing. 

1.  Society  in  China.   (A.  D.  Innes  anil  Co.) 
LUy  and  the  Lift.  (Seeley  and  Co.) 


236 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1894. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

My  dear  Helen, — I  told  you  last  Aveek  that  I  disliked 
tiaras,  but  since  then  have  seen  one-  that  no  one  could 
help  adoring,  in  Hunt  and  RoskelFs  window.  Instead  of 
the  stiff  designsi  of  spikes  and  fleur-de-lys  to  which  one  is 
accustomed,  this  consists  of  a  lovely  spray  of  wild  roses, 
buds,  and  leaves,  all  carried  out  in  brilliants,  and  of  a 
most  perfect  workmanship.  Does  it  not  sound  beauti- 
ful? 

Frances  ia  going  to  a  Hunt  ball,  and  has  had  a  most 
delicious  gown  made  up  for  it.  It  is  made  of  white 
satin,  the  skirt  very  full  about  the  feet,  but  only  just 
long  enough  to  touch  the  ground  at  the  sides  and  back. 
Half  the  bodice  and  all  the  sleeves  are  in  the  palest 
sea-green  velvet,  and  the  skirt  is  edge  d  with  similar  velvet 
sewn  on  with  green  and  silver  sequins.  A  band  sewn 
over  with  these  sequins  finishes  the  puffs  of  the  sleeves 
round  V  e  arms,  and  from  under  the  band  falls  a  long 
cascade  of  fine  old  point,  one  of  Frances's  most  trea- 
sured  possessions.  Will  not  that  gown  look  pretty  with 
a  "pink"  coated  partner? 

The  new  blouses  are  quite  a  study  in  themselves. 
The  velvet  ones  are  mostly  made  with  a  wide  pleat  in 
front,  after  the  fashion  which  has  heen  raging  in  Paris 
for  so  long.  When  not  exaggerated,  this  pleat  is  rather 
becoming  to  a  tall,  slim  figure. 


I  saw  a  plain  red  velvet  blouse  the  other  day,  fitted  like  a 
bodice  to  the  figure,  and  fastening  invisibly  down  one 
side,  under  knots  of  black  satin  ribbon,  which  were  re- 
peated on  the  other  side,  bars  of  the  ribbon  crossing 
fiom  one  bow  to  the  other  the  whole  way  down  to  the 
waist,  and,  of  course,  gradually  narrowing  as  they  ap- 
proached it.  You  can't  think  how  very  becoming  this 
trimming  is.  The  sleeves  were  large  puffs  of  black  satin, 
diminishing  into  tightness  at  the  wrists,  where  they  were 
covered  with  bands  and  bows  of  ribbon. 

Do  you  remember  the  story  with  a  moral,  about  the 
r.ew  carpet  that  necessitated  refurnishing  the  drawing- 
room,  and  gradually  led  to  expense  upon  expense,  which 
resulted  in  ruin  to  the  wretched  man  who  had  yielded 
to  his  wife's  insistent  wish  to  indulge  in  a  new  carpet 
because  Mrs.  Somebody  Else  had  just  had  one  ?  We 
have  just  known  a  very  handsome  bracelet  to  lead  di- 
rectly up  to  an  entire  revolution  in  the  wardrobe !  Like 
the  carpet,  it  had  to  be  lived  up  to.  New  gloves,  and 
plenty  of  them,  were  the  first  immediate  consequence. 
Then  the  sleeves  had  to>  be  brought  into  harmony  with 
the  gloves,  the  bodices  with  the  sleeves,  the  skirts 
with  the  bodices,  the  coats  with  the  skirts,  and  the  hats 
and  bonnets  with  the  coats.  Marvellous  was  the  trans- 
formation effected  by  that  skilfully-wrought  ribbon  of 
gold.  The  dowdy  became  well-dressed.  The  coiffure 
was  careful,  the  chaussure  reformed,  and  with  fresh 
pride  in  his  wife,  who  had  begun  to  grow  careless  as  she 
felt  youth  slipping  from  her,  the  husband  blessed  the 


Tyj'e- writers,  Second-hand,  thoroughly  perfect,  at  half 
makers' prices.  Machines  lent  on  hire,  also  bought  or  exchanged. 
Documents  type-written. — N.  Taylor,  Manager,  National  Type- 
writer Exchange,  74,  Chancery  Lane,  London.  Telephone  No. 
(1690. 

SCOTCH  SHORTBREADT 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

Finest  qualify  sent  to  "Any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

Sample  Cake,  1  lb.  post  free,  Is.  3d.  ;  Ornamented  Cakes  for 
Christmas  (lifts,  a  Speciality,  from  2s.  6d.  to  21s. 

ROBERT  BROWN,  206,  Cumberland  St.,  GLASGOW. 

Every  lady 
pleased 

.  .   WITH  Till' 

"Kl-M!" 


"K.-Mi" 


TWO  7  DID  STEEL       WARRANTED  FPU  WEftH  \\  lnCHT^ 


BUSK! 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13J 
inches 

Made  of  two  fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

b iges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cut  through  cloth. 
—To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  post  free 
i  even  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochrane 
Street,  Glasgow.   

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
St  net  ,    Oxford    Street,  London,  W.     Pamphlet  and 

Testimonials  one  stamp. 


howannoyiiic! 

T  ITISTOFIND         _  . 


a  hole  burnt 

BECAUSE  YOU  FORGOT  TO  USE 


FLEMINGS  AHABBME 

B         MARKING  INK 


MARKING  INK  everywhere; 
"giggggg-  %T^S6°&1/-  D.FLEMING  rehfield eh  Glasgow 


CREME   DE  VIOLET 

Has  attained  enormous  popularity  since  we  introduced  it  into  Great 

Britain. 

It  is  a  pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonic,  absolutely  free  from  any  ingre- 
dient l  that  will  injure  the  most  delicate  skin.  It  cleanses  the  pores,  and 
producing  a  clear  and  healthy  complexion.  Prevents  and  removes 
Wrinkles,  Pimples,  Roughness,  Kedness,  and  all  Skin  Imperfections. 
Counteracts  the  disagreeable  effects  of  sun,  wind,  and  sea  air.  Is 
deliriously  cool  and  refreshing  to  the  skin.  Makes  the  skin  soft  and 
Braooth  as  a  baby's.  Will  make  the  most  faded  complexion  assume  all 
the  natural  tints  of  youthful  health  and  beauty.  Suitable  for  old  and 
young  of  both  sexes."  Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers,  price  Is.  and  '2s.  6d. 
Bee  that  the  signature  Le  Frere  et  Cie  is  on  the  label,  or  sent  direct, 
post  free,  in  plain  wrappers.  3d.  extra  from 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE.  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


CHANNEL  ISLANDS. 

FRUIT  AND  FLOWER  GROWING.  Several  Valuable 
Properties  for  Sale,  or  in  some  cases  partnerships  could  be 
arranged.    Profits  15  per  cent,  to  30  per  cent,  on  money  invested. 

FURNISHED  HOUSES  TO  LET.  Full  particulars,  plans, 
photos,  &c,  on  application  to  Messrs.  CONSTABLE,  TOYVX- 
END  &  MORRISH,  55  &  56,  Chancery  Laxe,  London,  W.C., 
and  at  Guernsey. 


SAMUEL  S 

MARVELLOUS  WATCHES 


FOR  GENTLEMEN. 


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PRESENTS. 


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Ileal  Silver,  £1  10s. 

Keal  Gold,  £4. 


EVERY  WATCH  WARRANTED  FOR  FIVE  YEARS. 

A  Month's  Free  Trial  allowed.       Full  amount  returned  if  dissatisfied. 

Readers  of  "  To-Day  "  effect  a  large  savins  by  sending  for  H.  SAMUEL'S 
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December  29,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


237 


brain  that  had  designed,  and  the  cunning  artificer  who 
had  wrought,  that  particular  bracelet. 

The  moral  of  this  story  is — Husbands,  givei  your  wives 
nice  bracelets!    Isn't  it  a  pleasant  moral? 

The  very  prettiest  hat  I  have  seen  this  season  had  a 
brim  of  gathered  black  velvet,  a  crown  of  rose  pink  velvet, 
and  black  feathers  and  satin  ribbons.  The  way  in 
which  the  brim  was  curved,  was  quite  perfect,  with  a 
little  dip  over  the  right  eye,  a  deeper  one  over  the  right 
ear,  and  a  dainty  fold  of  pink  velvet  lifting  the  whole 
at  the  left  side.  The  lovely  soft,  dark  hair  beneath  was 
arranged  with  the  usual  (artificial)  crinkles,  and  was 
drawn  back  into  the  chignon  in  those  harmonious  lines 
that  are  half  the  charm  of  a  skilfully-arranged  coiffure. 
Do  you  know  what  I  mean?  Sometime®  the  hair  is 
dragged  up  in  one  place,  straight  back  in  another,  and 
drawn  down  behind  *he  ears.  When  it  is  all  combed 
back  in  one  direction,  the  lines  all  running  one  way,  the 
effect  is  a  hundred  times  better. — Your  affectionate- 
sister,  Suzette. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Angie. — The  new  veils  are  to  be  had  of  Mr.  Lee,  100,  Wig- 
more  Street,  and  I  believe  the  price  to  be  5s.  for  half  a  dozen. 
He  is  going  to  have  a  cheap  sale,  so,  if  you  hurry  up,  you  may 
get  some  at  a  lower  price.  They  are  made  of  very  fine  meshed 
net,  with  small  dots  over  them,  and  are  drawn  in  at  the  top,  so 
as  to  fit  over  bonnet  or  hat  without  resting  on  the  eyelids, 
which  is  such  an  uncomfortable  thing. 

Jeannette. — I  have  been  a  long  time  trying  to  get  a  satis- 
factory answer  to  your  question  about  coffee,  and  have  not 
yet  succeeded.  Some  people  declare  that  good  coffee  ca.n  only 
be  made  in  a  cafetiere  which  is  furnished  with  a  spirit  lamp, 
bo  that  the  moment  the  water  boils  it  infuses  the  freshly -ground 
coffee.  Others  think  the  success  of  the  brew  depends  upon  the 
elaborated  method  they  follow.  Half  the  failures  arise  from 
using  cheap  coffee,  and  grudging  enough  of  even  that. 


Dorothea. — Very  glad  you  found  the  recipe  I  gave  for  mince- 
meat so  successful,  and  hope  the  Christmas  pudding  will  be 
equally  satisfactory.  For  the  prune  cream,  first  stew  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound  of  the  fruit  in  just  sufficient  water  to 
cover  them.  In  twenty  minutes  they  will  be  sufficiently  soft 
for  you  to  take  out  the  stones  with  ease.  In  the  meantime 
soak  half  an  ounce  of  Marshal's  leaf  gelatine  in  three-quarters  of 
a  pint  of  claret.  When  it  is  dissolved  put  it  into  a  stewpan, 
with  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  loaf  sugar,  the  prunes  chopped 
very  small,  and  a  saltspoonful  of  essence  of  lemon.  Stir  occa- 
sionally until  the  mixture  thickens  slightly,  and  then  turn  it  into 
a  mould  which  has  just  been  drained  (but  not  dried)  from  clean, 
cold  water.  Turn  it  out  next  day,  and  serve  it  with  whipped 
cream  in  glasses. 

A  Commonplace  Person. — I  am  very  glad  you  liked  the 
recipes.  I  take  pains  to  make  them  practical.  Prunes  are 
French  plums,  not  cherries.  I  have  used  tinned  oysters  con- 
stantly for  years,  and  have  never  once  met  with  any  that  were 
"  wrong."  I  always  recommend  Crosse  and  Blackwell's 
"Cove"  brand.  A  tin  of  these,  with  the  liquor  added,  makes 
a  very  good  supplement  to  a  dozen  cooking  oysters  in  the 
making  of  oyster  soup.  There  is  a  great  scare  about  raw 
oysters  just  now,  but  I  don't  believe  in  it  much.  I  attribute 
much  of  the  typhoid  that  attacks  the  upper  classes  at  this 
season  to  eating  "  high  "  game  and  venison  in  addition  to  the 
live  cheese,  the  taste  for  which  is  acquired  just  as  much  as  the 
other.  Next  week  I  will  give  you  recipes  for  the  puddings  you 
want. 

Our  Cookery  Column. 

Sweet  Tooth. — I  have  inquired  about  the  Australian  dishes, 
and  find  that  they  deal  with  meat  and  rabbit.  One  of  them  is 
lamb  and  mushroom  pudding.  Fresh  New  Zealand  mutton  will 
do,  but  it  must  not  be  too  fat.  Fresh  mushrooms  must  also  be 
used,  seasoned  with  pepper  and  salt.  The  pudding-dish  is  lined 
with  suet  crust.  Boil  for  from  two  to  three  hours.  It  is  said 
to  be  delicious  and  economical.  Boiled  New  Zealand  lamb, 
with  onion  sauce  and  mashed  turnips,  is  another  of  these  dishes. 
Coney  in  cream,  with  shallots  and  roast  potatoes,  is  also  an 
Antipodean  dainty.  The  rabbit  is  stewed  in  cream  with  a  few 
shallots.  To  prepare  the  cream  have  new  milk,  and  thicken 
with  yolk  of  egg  and  a  little  tine  arrowroot.  All  these  dishes 
can  be  prepared  at  little  cost. 


"JUST  THE  SOAP  FOR  YOUR  BATH." 


IT  FLOATS!! 


Is  it  not  most  annoying,  when  having  a  bath,  to  lose 
the  soap  or  to  find  you  have  left  it  wasting  in  the  water? 
Neither  will  happen  with  "IVY"  Soap,  which  is  always 
in  sight  floating  on  the  surface.  Children  are  no  longer 
any  trouble  on  "Bath  Night"  when  "IVY"  Soap  is  I 
used — they  are  so  delighted  to  see  it  sailing  on  the  water. 

"IVY"  Soap  is  a  beautiful,  white,  "Milky"  Soap, 
hard  and  very  lasting.    Guaranteed  pun:  and  free  from 
irritating  Chemicals.     (.lives  a  creamy  lather,   and   is  > 
SPLENDID  FOR   WASHING    Lacks,    Prints,    Fine  ► 
Underclothing,    and   all  delicate  goods,  the  colour  and  I 
texture  of  which  suffer  damage  from  common  soaps.  > 


T\  PER 

LARGE 
DOUBLE  CAKE, 


Ask  your  Grocer  for  "IYY"  Soap.    If  any  difficulty,  we  will  send  you  Three 
Cakes  in  a  handy  box,  carriage  paid,  on  reteipt  of  your  Address  and  Twelve 
Stamps  or  Is.  Postal  Order. 


&.  W.  GOODWIN  &  SON,  ► 

ORDSALL    LANE.  I 

MANCHESTER  ► 


238 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1894. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE   JOHANNESBURG    WATERWORKS  COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 

Several  correspondents  have  asked  us  if  they  should  sell 
their  shares  in  this  company.  We  think  they  would  be 
acting  wisely  in  doing  so.  To  day  they  can  get  about  27s.  per 
share,  and  that  is  more  than  they  are  likely  to  get  later  on. 
We  will  explain  why. 

The  Johannesburg  Waterworks  Company  has  two  main 
sources  of  revenue — the  income  it  gets  from  the  town  that  gives 
it  its  name  for  the  supply  of  water,  and  the  rentals  it  receives 
from  property  it  is  possessed  of  in  that  town.  But  the  first  and 
main  source  of  revenue  is  very  seriously  threatened  by  the  fact 
that  what  we  may  call  a  municipal  scheme  for  the  supply  of 
water  to  the  town  has  been  sanctioned  by  the  Council,  passed  by 
the  Volksraad,  and  approved  by  the  Executive.  The  directors 
of  the  Johannesburg  Waterworks  Company  are  fond  of  saying 
that  they  hold  a  concession  for  the  supply  of  water,  implying 
that  they  have  a  monopoly.  But  they  have  nothing  of  the  kind. 
All  they  have  is  the  right  to  lay  piping,  but  that  may  be  given, 
and  has  been  given,  to  other  people,  too. 

This,  then,  is  the  position.  The  present  company  has  not 
given,  and  does  not  give  satisfaction.  Its  water  is  bad,  and  its 
rates  are  very  high.  The  municipality  will  supply  good  water  at 
reasonable  rates.  If  it  can  come  to  terms  with  the  existing 
3ompany  it  will  do  so  ;  if  not,  it  will  proceed  on  its  own  account, 
and  within  two  years  it  will  be  in  a  position  to  supply  the  town. 
And  it  will  start  with  this  enormous  advantage — it  will  have 
the  right  to  levy  a  water  rate,  which  mean3  practically  that  it 
will  have  a  monopoly  of  the  supply.  Men  like  Mr. 
George  Gooch,  Mr.  Edward  Hancock,  and  Mr.  Henry  Salmon — 
leading  and  respected  citizens— will  control  the  enterprise,  and 
it  will  treat  with  the  Johannesburg  Waterworks  Company  with 
very  much  in  its  favour.  Is  it  likely  that  under  these  circum- 
stances it  will  consent  to  buy  out  that  company  upon  terms  that 
would  represent  the  present  value  of  its  shares  ? 

We  say,  then,  that  shareholders  of  the  Johannesburg  Water- 
works Company  will  do  well  to  sell  whilst  the  shares  are  quoted 
at  their  present  price.  Deprive  the  company  of  its  water 
business,  and  its  rentals  would  hardly  cover  the  cost  of 
administration. 

THOMAS   HERBERT  AND   CO,,  LIMITED. 

Our  readers  will  remember  that  some  months  ago  we  entered 
a  protest  against  respectable  newspapers  giving  insertion  to  a 
touting  advertisement  of  persons  trading  as  outside  stock- 
brokers, under  the  title  ef  Thomas  Herbert  and  Co.  We  spoke 
of  their  "system,"  as  they  called  it,  as  "an  impudent  impo- 
sition," and  we  are  glad  to  know  that  our  exposure  of  it  went 
far  to  kill  it. 

On  Wednesday  last  these  people  were  sued,  at  the  Guildhall,  to 
recover 200  fully-paid  £1  shares  in  F.  Joyce  and  Co.,  or  their 
value,  and  damages  for  their  detention.  Of  course  there  was  no 
appearance  on  their  part.  Thomas  Herbert  and  Co.  were  really 
a  man  named  Harrison,  who  has  now  gone  away.  The  house- 
keeper, to  whom  he  owes  £2  10s.  6d.,  would  like  to  know  where 
he  is.  Meantime  a  man  has  been  in  possession  for  rent,  and  a  day 
or  two  ago  a  handbill  was  posted  up  from  which  wo  take  the 
following  :  — 

Under   Distraint   for   Rent.       To   Office  Furniture 
Dealers  and  Others. 
15,  New  Broad  Street. 
MR.     W  M .  JACOBS 
Will  Sell  by  Auction, 
On  the  Second  Floor  of  the  above  premises, 
On  Friday  next,  December  14th,  1894, 
At  Twelve  o'clock  precisely,  about  Fifty  Lots  of  excellent 
Office  Furniture. 

Among  these  "  lots  "  we  note  : — 

Neatly  new  bordered  Turkey  carpet,  4  by  4  yards. 
Clear  plate  chimney  glass  in  ebonized  and  gilt  frame,  plate  47  inches 
by  60  inches. 

Bordered  Turkey  carpet  ,  3  by  3  yards. 

What  do  our  friends  of  the  daily  Press  say  to  it  ? 

THE  AMERICAN  OXYZONE  SYNDICATE. 

<  Ky/.une  is,  it  seems,  "  a  combination  of  Oxygen  and  Ozone," 
and  we  are  assured  that  "  it  relates  to  the  most  astouishing 


and  incomprehensible  thing,  the  most  surprising,  the  most 
marvellous,  the  most  momentous,  the  most  triumphant,  the 
most  astounding,  the  most  extraordinary,  the  most  miraculous, 
the  most  incredible,  the  most  prodigious,  the  most  unique, 
and  the  most  brilliant  of  all  the  wonders  among  men."  The 
Oxyzone  Syndicate  are  offering  £20,000  in  prizes,  and  they  say, 
frankly  enough,  that  "  there  is  no  pretence  of  philanthropy,  or 
anything  else  except  the  most  energetic  kind  of  business  in  con- 
nection with  this  remarkable  advertisement."  Everyone 
"  between  the  ages  of  16  and  70  "  is  invited  to  supply  correct 
answers  to  "Four  Skeleton  Word  Studies,"  and  those  who 
succeed  are  to  have  £4,  whilst  others,  partially  successful,  are 
to  be  paid  in  proportion.  But  it  appears  that  a  condition 
precedent  to  obtaining  a  prize  is  the  remittance  of  a  postal  order 
for  10s.  6d.  for  a  bottle  of  Oxyzone,  said  to  be  sold  ordinarily  for 
21s.  If  a  prize  is  won  the  10s.  6d.  is  deducted ;  if  there  is  no  prize, 
the  10s.  6d.  will  be  returned  if  the  sender  wants  it,  and  does 
not  want  the  Oxyzone. 

This  is  what  is  called  "  the  cash  for  brains  "  system  of  adver- 
tising, and  it  is  not  our  business  to  express  an  opinion  upon  it. 
But  we  have  had  many  letters  from  correspondents  in  doubt 
as  to  whether  the  prizes  are  really  paid,  and  while  we  have  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  they  are  not,  we  direct  attention  to 
sundry  stipulations  upon  which  we  should  like  to  have  the 
explanation  of  the  company. 

On  page  1  we  read  : — 

The  right  is  reserved  to  throw  out  any  list  of  answers  when  the 
patronage  of  the  sender,  for  any  reason,  is  not  desired. 

A  rather  curious  stipulation,  that.    Then,  on  page  2  :  — 

In  those  cases  where  an  error  has  been  made  by  the  Awarding  Com- 
mittee there  is  no  appeal. 

On  page  3  :— 

When  the  sealed  duplicate  reward  bearing  your  File  Number  is 
opened,  if  it  is  found  that  none  of  your  answers  were  successful  you 
will  then  owe  us  nothing. 

What,  then,  is  meant  by  the  certificate  (file  number)  which 
says  that  the  answers  were  correct  ? 

Perhaps  Mr.  G.  Webber,  Treasurer,  Jersey  City,  New  Jersey, 
U.S.A.,  will  explain  these  little  matters  ? 

INGENUOUS  MR.  BEGEHOLE. 

One  of  the  West  Australian  companies  brought  out  last  week 
gives  a  report  from  Mr.  Begehole,  from  which  we  take  the 
following  : — 

I  am  of  opinion  you  possess  a  very  valuable  property,  and  no  time 
should  be  lost  in  its  development.  By  doing  a  little  more  work  you  will 
probably  obtain  some  startling  results.  To  my  personal  knowledge 
some  wonderful  discoveries  have  already  been  made  in  this  district,  of 
which  nothing  has  been  reported  over  here. 

We  can  well  believe  that  last  sentence.  When  the  "  wonder- 
ful discoveries  "  are  made— wonderful  in  fact,  not  merely 
wonderful  for  the  purposes  of  a  prospectus — the  claims  upon 
which  they  are  made  are  apt  to  remain  in  the  possession  of  the 
local  folk— a  fact  too  often  forgotten  by  the  home  investor, 
dazzled  by  glowing  reports,  and  misleading  assays.  By  the  way. 
why  did  Mr.  Begehole  leave  Bayley's  Reward  ? 

PROSPECTUS  ASSAYS. 

Immediately  preceding  the  extract  from  the  report  to  which 
we  make  reference  above,  reports  from  Messrs.  Johnson,  Matthey 
and  Co.  and  Messrs.  Johnson  and  Sons  as  to  the  value  of  ore 
taken  from  the  properties  to  be  boughtby  the  company  in  question 
are  set  out.  These  reports  are  essentially  misleading.  What 
do  they  say?    Here  is  the  first : — 

We  have  assayed  the  two  specimens  of  quartz  as  under,  and 

find  the  following  to  be  the  result : — 

Produce  of  Gold, 
oz.  dwl. 

Australian  ..  ..  81  15 

Australian  (North)  411  6 

Per  ton  of  2,240  lb.  of  quartz. 

"  Two  specimens  of  quartz."  Nothing  is  said  as  to  the  weight 
of  these  specimens,  only  that  at  the  same  rate  of  gold  in  one  case 
81  oz.  of  gold  would  be  got  to  the  ton,  in  the  other  411.  In  the 
second  report  we  are  told  specifically  that  the  assay  is  of  two 
tons  of  ore,  and  that  one  of  these  tons  gave  202  oz.  and  the 
other  51  oz-  of  gold. 

What  is  the  object  of  gettiug  such  reports  ?  There  can 
only  be  one,  and  that  is  to  persuade  the  public  that  the 
"  claims  "  fiom  which  this  ore  was  taken  are  marvellously  rich 
in  gold.  One  ounce  to  the  ton  would  give  good  profits  upon  the 
working;  what,  then,  may  not  we  expect  from  411  oil  Of 


December  29,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


239 


course  this  sort  of  thing  does  not  deceive  experts,  but  then 
prospectuses  are  not  issued  for  experts.  Doubtless  the  assayers 
make  a  perfectly  honest  report  upon  the  ore  submitted  to  them, 
but  it  is  not  their  duty  to  tell  the  public  that  an  assay  of  this 
kind  proves  nothing  beyond  this,  that  "  pockets  "  of  more  or  less 
value  are  to  be  found  upon  the  property.  It  may  be  said  that 
the  public  ought  not  to  be  deceived  by  suoh  statements.  Perhaps 
not ;  but  they  are  deceived. 

We  are  requested  by  Messrs.  Maddisons  to  say  that  the 
announcement  of  the  failure  of  Messrs.  Harvey  and  Co., 
merchants,  of  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  circulated  here  in 
various  papers,  is  untrue,  and  tiiat  legal  proceedings  are  being 
taken  against  the  author  of  the  story. 


We  understand  that  the  amount  subscribed  by  outsiders  on 
the  Londonderry  issue  was  £83,000.  Colonel  North  wants  to 
be  quit  of  "The  Wealth  of  Nations." 


Messiis.  Fitch  and  Lorillard  are  about  to  bring  out  another 
West  Australian  Mining  Company,  the  West  Londonderry. 


Not  conteut  with  his  South  African  ventures,  Mr.  Barney 
Barnato  has  just  sent  out  a  prospecting  party  to  Western 
Australia.    To-Day  will  await  the  results  with  interest. 


The  Egypti  in  Cotton  Company  hangs  fire. 


And  so  the)  want  to  wind  up  Martiny,  Limited?  What  about 
those  valuable  asbestos  properties  of  the  New"' Asbestos  Com- 
pany—eh, Mr.  Simpson  ? 

Will  Mr.  Gangee  tell  us  what  has  become  of  The  Metropolitan 
Ice,  Limited?  Or  perhaps  Messrs.  W.  H.  Pannell  and  Co.,  or 
Mr.  James  Drake  Digby,  will  say  what  has  become  of  the  money 
subscribed  for  preliminary  expenses  ? 


How  is  it  that  the  two  girls  in  the  office  of  the  Morocco  Joint 
Proprietary  Fund  know  nothing  of  General  W.  Bryce  Rawlings, 
of  Tollington  Park,  Middlesex,  or,  shall  we  say,  Holloway 
Road,  N.  ? 


A  TEMPTING  OFFER. 

We  take  the  following  from  a  morning  paper  : — 

LADY  PARTNER. — A  gentleman,  .T.P.,  widower,  having  £1,400  a 
yeix,  town  and  country  residence,  titled  society,  wishes  to  meet  lady 
who  will  redeem  bank  charge  about  £8.000,  retaining  it  her  property 
and  the  interest  on  it.  Substantial  thanks  to  friend  or  guardian  effect- 
ing object.-Reply,  Partner,  O'Keefe's  Advertising  Agency,  Dublin. 

"  Substantial  thanks  "  is  good. 


SOME  NEW  ISSUES. 
The    Associated   Gold    Mines  of    Western  Australia, 

Limited.  Capital,  £375,000.— The  price  asked  for  the  nineteen  claims  — 
£325,000,  of  which  £135,000  is  to  be  in  cash— is  preposterous. 

The  Brighton  and  District  Co  operative  Meat  Supply 
Association.  Share  Capital,  £42,500.— The  retail  meat  business  is  a 
profitable  trade,  but  the  prospectus  of  this  company  does  not  convince  ui 
that  the  business  and  premises  to  bs  taken  over  are  worth  £15,500,  of 
which  £11,500  is  to  be  in  cash. 

The  New  Rind  Gold  Mines,  Limited.  Capital,  £150,000.— The 
property  to  be  taken  over  is  of  considerable  extent,  but  the  only  crushing 
made  from  it  gave  over  the  plates  only  7 '18  dwt.  The  promoters  think  that 
the  improved  methods  of  winning  the  gold  available  nowadays  will 
enable  a  substantial  profit  to  be  made  from  such  ore.  It  may  be  so,  but 
£80,000  is  a  big  price  to  pay  for  the  right  to  try  the  experiment.  There  is, 
too,  the  waiver  clause. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Imperial  Deposit  Bank.  R.  H.  (N.B.).—  If  we  are  to  form  an 
opinion  worth  having  you  must  send  us  the  correspondence  on  both  sides, 
with  particulars  as  to  the  amount  you  applied  for,  the  security  you  offered, 
etc.  The  Boudard  Universal  Gear  Company.  A.  S.  E.  (Cow- 
bridge).— We  have  forwarded  your  letter  to  the  shareholder  referred  to, 
and  he  will  no  doubt  communicate  with  you.  "  Cash  for  Brains,"  D.  V.  H. 
(BalhamV— We  are  obliged  to  you.  We  have  made  reference  to  the  matter, 
as  you  will  see,  in  another  column.  Cautious  (Newcastle-on-Tyne).— We 
return  the  papers  under  cover.  We  are  looking  into  the  matter.  Market 
Quotations.  A.  G.  T.  (Newport).— The  special  edition  of  the  Evening 
Standard  gives  the  full  list,  and  you  get  the  whole  of  the  Official  List  in 
the  Financier,  publi-hed  every  day  save  Saturday.  Probably  the  Financial 
News  or  the  Financial  Times  would  be  best  suited  to  your  re- 
quirements. Brooke,  Bond  and  Co.  A.  (Birmingham).  —  Our 
information  is  to  the  same  effect.  Tho  Londonderry  Company. 
Subscriber.— They  are  at  a  small  discount.  We  expect  the  matter  to 
which  vou  vefer  will  be  arranged.  Van  Dieman's  Land  Bank. 
Luck  (Liskeard)  —We  cannot  put  our  hand  upon  it,  but  if  we  find  it  we 
will  send  it  to  you  under  cover.  Uruguays.  Investor  (Lincoln).— Yes, 
if  you  are  willing  to  take  the  risk  inseparable  from  the  best  South  American 
stocks ;  but  we  remain  of  the  opinion  that  this  stock  will  go  to  55  before 
long. 


ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON'S 

LAST   PUBLISHED  STORY, 

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The  EBB-TIDE 
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240 


TO-DAY. 


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TO-DAY. 


241 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.— V.  A  Narrow  Escape. 


By  Herbert  Keen.   Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar   225 

Tired    230 

"Tommy  on  Rudyard"   231 

The  Country  and  People  of  Japan.— V   232 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    233 

Mr.  Albert  F.  Calvert    234 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller   235 

Feminine  Affairs   236 

In  the  City   238 

To-Day.   By  J.  K.  J   241 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   245 

The  Genii  of  Drury  Lane    245 

Club  Chatter    247 

Clarence.  By  Bret  Harte.  Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman   249 

The  City  at  Four  O'clock.  By  \V.  Pett  Ridge.  Illustrated  by 

Hal  Hurst    254 

Frank  L.  Stanton  :  the  American  Poet    255 

How  Shall  I  Love  You?  By  Frank  L.  Stanton   256 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
.Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


It  is  reported  that  John  Burns  has  said  that  no'  man  is 
worth  more  than  five  hundred  pounds  a  year.  John 
Burns  is  one  of  the  most  broad-minded  and  reasonable  of 
the  Socialists,  so  we  may  take  this  statement  of  his  as 
on  outside  limit  ;  and  from  it  the  eager  and  ambitious 
— in  other  words  all  real  live  men — may  gain  a  glimpse 
of  the  sort  of  world  chat  would  be  in  store  for  them. 
Our  Socialistic  dreamer's  five  hundred  pounds  would  be 
the  uttermost  limit  that  any  man  might  hope  to  attain ; 
and  such  extravagant  salaries  would,  we  may  be 
pretty  sure,  be  reserved  for  the  political  leaders  and 
"bosses."  In  commerce  or  art,  enterprise  could  never  hope 
for  anything  beyond,  say,  three  hundred  pounds  a  year. 
As  the  labourers,  being  in  the  majority,  would  control 
the  voting-,  we  may  take  it  that  labour  would  be  paid 
for  at  tnei  very  highest  possible  rate.  The  necessities 
of  life  would  be  a,  good  deal  more  expensive  than  they 
are  now,  and  the  luxuries  almost  prohibitive.  No  one 
would  ever  be  able  to  keep  a  horse,  or  live  in  anything 
larger  than  a  four-roomed  house.  Very  rich  men 
would  possibly  be  able  to  afford  a  glass  of  wine  on 
Sundays,  and  a  man,  with  economy,  might  be  able  to 
keep  a  dog,  provided  it  was  not  a  large  eater.  And 
such  are  the  prizes  that  these  lovers  of  mankind  would 
hold  out  as  an  encouragement  to  energy,  enterprise,  and 
genius.  It  would  be  a  pleasant  world ;  one  feels  com- 
f cited,  when  contemplating  such  a  picture,  by  the  re- 
flection that  the  span  of  life  is  only  seventy  years',  and 
that  we,  in  this  generation,  at  all  events,  will  be  happily 
dead  and  buried  before  its  realisation  can  possibly  take 
place. 

I  do  not  think  I  shall  be  mistaken  for  a  prude  on  the 
prowl,  but  I  am  anxious  for  further  information  con- 
cerning a  publication  that  lias  just  come  under  my 
notice,  called  "  The  Chameleon."  It  is  issued  from 
Oxford,  and  published  by  a  West-end  firm.  As  far  as  I 
can  judge,  it  can  be  purchased  by  anyone  who  likes  to 
pay  the  subscription.  If  I  am  wrong — if  it  is  a  private 
publication,  intended  only  to  circulate  among  a  limited 
and  known  clientele — there  is  an  end  of  the  matter.  A 
hundred  gentlemen  or  so  have  as  much  right  to  circu- 
late indecency  among  themselves,  by  means  of  the  print- 


ing press,  as  they  have  to  tell  each  other  dirty  stories  in 
the  club  smoking-room.  Each  to  his  tast.  But  if 
"The  Chameleon"  is  issued  broadcast,  and  any  imma- 
ture youth,  or  foolish  New  Young  Woman,  can  obtain  it, 
then  it  is  certainly  a  case  for  the  police.  The  publica- 
tion appears  to  be  nothing  more  nor  less  than  an  advo- 
cacy for  indulgence  in  the  cravings  of  an  unnatural 
disease. 

About  vice  I  never  care  to  argue ;  it  is  a  much- 
abused  word,  and  means  different  things  to  different 
people.  Indulgence  or  control  of  the  passions,  placed 
within  us  by  thei  Creator,  is  a  matter  for  each  man's  indi- 
vidual conscience  ;  but  the  passions  stirred,  and  intended 
to  be  stirred  up  by  the  literature  of  this  precious 
periodical  are  not  the  passions  of  man,  woman,  or  beast. 
The  practice  of  them  is  an  insult  to  the  race.  Humanity 
ha.s  a  right  to  say  to  the  creature  allowing  himself  to 
become  a,  slave  to  them,  "  You  are  not  of  our  flesh  and 
blood.  You  do  not  belong  to  our  world.  If  you  do  not 
cleanse  yourself,  you  shall  not  live  among  us.  You 
shall  not  contaminate  our  souls  with  your  foul  disease. 
You  have  less  right  to  come  near  us  than  has  the 
leper.  Take  yourself  to  yourself  and  your  kind,,  and,  as 
you  value  your  carcass,  do  not  poison  the  minds  of  our 
young  with  your  vile  thoughts." 

That  young  men  are  here  and  there  cursed  with  these 
unnatural  cravings,  no  one  acquainted  with  our  public 
school  life  can  deny.  It  is  for  such  to  wrestle  with  the 
devil  within  them ;  and  many  a  long  and  agonised 
struggle  is  fought,  unseen  and  unknown,  within  the  heart 
of  a  young  man.  A  publication  of  this  kind,  falling'  into 
his  hands  before  the  victory  is  complete,  would,  unless 
the  poor  fellow  were  of  an  exceptionally  strong  nature, 
utterly  ruin  him  for  all  eternity.  This  magazine,  which 
is  to  be  issued  three  times  a  year,  is  an  insult  to  the 
animal  creation.  It  is  an  outrage  on  literature.  How 
any  body  of  men,  having  the  fear  of  God  before  their 
eyes,  could  dare  to  issue  it  passes  my  comprehension. 
It  can  serve  no  purpose  but  that  of  evil.  It  can  please 
no  man  or  woman  with  a  single  grain  of  self-respect  left 
in  their  souls.  Let  us  have  liberty  ;  but  this  is  unbridled 
license.  Let  all  things  grow  in  literature  which  spring 
from  the  seeds  of  human  nature.  This  is  garbage  and 
offal. 

A  report  in  the  Leicester  Daily  Uercury  affords  me 
another  argument  against  child  insurance.  The  scene 
was  the  customary  Coroner's  court.  The  dramatis  per- 
sonae,  the  voluble  woman  and  the  small,  wizened  corpse. 
The  woman  had  lost  six  children  besides  the  one  under 
discussion.  The  oldest  of  the  six  who  had  died  was 
three  years  and  six  months  of  age.  They  were  all  in- 
sured. Witness  received  sums  for  their  death  varying 
from  ten  shillings  to  two  pounds  ten.  The  Coroner 
remarked  that  it  was  an  unsatisfactory  case.  There 
was  strong  suspicion  that  the  mother  had  more  or  less 
neglected  the  child.  He  did  not  want  to  judge  the  in- 
surance company  hardly  ;  but  he  thought  it  might  have 
been  advisable  if  they  had  flatly  declined  to  keep  on 
insuring  child  after  child.  The  jury  thought  the  woman 
had  been  making  her  children  a  source  of  gain.  The 
inquiry  then  terminated.  Ladies  who  are  doing  excel- 
lent Christian  work  in  rescuing,  from  life-long  misery, 
the  unfortunate  foundlings  cast  upon  a  world  where 
they  are  not  wanted,  and  who,  in  the  course  of  their 


242 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1894. 


labours,  are  brought  much  into  contact  with  the  still 
numerous  baby  farmers  who  exist  all  over  the  country, 
teli  me  that  child  insurance  is  a  recognised  asset  held 
by  the  baby  farmer.  The  child  is  handed  over  to  her 
for  ten  pounds  ;  she  insures  its  life,  starves  and  neglects 
it  to  death,  and  pockets  the  extra  two  or  three  pounds. 
It  is  a  hideous  trade.  As  I  have  said  again  and  again, 
there  is  no  legitimate  excuse  for  child  insurance.  It 
ought  to  be  utterly  abolished. 

During  these  Christmas  holidays,  and  while  no  more 
burning  question  is  agitating  the  breasts  of  our  politi- 
cal enthusiasts  throughout  the  country,  I  would  suggest 
that  they  occupy  their  leisure  time  by  discovering  some 
new  song  with  which  to  greet  their  favourites.  I  am 
becoming  so  tired  of  reading  that  "  the  right  honourable 
gentleman  upon  rising  was  greeted  with  loud  and  pro- 
longed cheers,  the  whole  audience  rising  and  singing 
'  For  he's  a  jolly  good  fellow.' "  I  have  every  due  re- 
spect for  Lord  Salisbury,  Mr.  Balfour,  the  Right  Honour- 
able Joseph  Chamberlain,  and  Mr.  Tim  Healy,  for  in- 
stance, but  by  no  picture  of  the  imagination  do  they 
realise  my  ideal  of  the  genial,  rolling,  rollicking,  devil- 
may-care,  good  comrade  conjured  up  in  one's  mind 
by  the  refrain  "  For  he's  a  jolly  good  fellow."  Sir 
Wilfrid  Lawson  is  also  greeted  as  "  a  jolly  good  fellow." 
When  abusing  bishops,  sneering  at  the  apostles,  or  ex- 
tolling the  genial  properties  of  sugar  and  water  he  is 
excellent,  but  I  think  some  more  appropriate  song 
might  be  selected  with  which  to  greet  him.  I  expect 
at  the  next  County  Council  election  to  hear  that  Mr. 
McDougall  has  been  musically  alluded  to  as  a  "  jolly  good 
fellow."  Everybody  is  a  "  jolly  good  fellow  "  nowadays. 
We  always  did  take  our  pleasures  sadly,  and  I  suppose 
our  notion  of  a  "jolly  good  fellow  "  does  not  quite  accord 
with  that  of  other  people's. 

My  wanderings  have  taken  me  recently  among  many 
provincial  towns  in  the  North  of  England ;  and  nothing 
has  struck  me  more  forcibly  than  the  waste  of  Sunday 
that  prevails  throughout  these  gloom-haunted  hives  of 
labour.  In  the  small  manufacturing  and  mining  towns 
the  men  and  boys  who  work  hard  throughout  the  week 
lounge  listlessly  about  the  squalid  streets,  leaning  against 
grimy  posts  and  cinder-stained  walls,  with  their  hands 
in  their  pockets.  They  have  nothing  to  do ;  they  have 
nothing  to  think  of.  They  quarrel  a  little  among  them- 
selves ;  confide  to  one  another  a  few  coarse  jokes  and 
stories,  and  perhaps  vary  the  monotony,  when  the  police- 
man is  not  in  sight,  with  an  occasional  game  of  pitch-and- 
toss  ;  but,  for  the  most  part,  they  remain  in  sullen  silence, 
listening  to  the  harsh  voice  of  the  cracked  bell  of  some 
distant  chapel,  or  grinning  at  the  inane  vagaries  of  some- 
wandering  troup  of  Salvationists. 

How  much  better  that  these  men  should  be  playing 
a  healthy  game  of  cricket,  or  golf,  or  football — doing 
something  to  stir  their  blood,  to  rouse  their  torpid  brains  ; 
and  what  possible  harm  could  it  do  to  their  souls,  I 
wonder  1  Yet,  I  suppose,  that  if  the  poor  fellows  dared 
to  start  some  wholesome  sport,  to  make  their  one  day 
of  rest  a  real  enjoyment  to  them,  instead  of  a  period  of 
weariness  and  boredom,  all  the  little  Bethels  in  the 
country  would  be  up  in  arms,  clamouring  for  the  Homo 
Secretary  to  march  the  police  into  each  village,  and 
drive  them  back  to  their  soulless  waste  of  time;  insist- 


ing that  their  one  hope  throughout  the  day  should  be 
for  the  hour  when  the  public-house  door  is  opened. 

The  truth  is,  religion  in  England  is  becoming  behind 
the  times,  and,  as  a  consequence,  is  losing  its  grip  upon 
the  people,  and  especially  upon  the  young.  Religion 
for  hundreds  of  years  has  stood  still,  while  the  human 
race  has  advanced.  It  is  being  left  far  in  the  rear,  and 
thought  and  manhood  are  beginning  to  feel  that  itspresent 
ideals  and  aims  are  distinctly  a  drag  upon  human  advance- 
ment. A  thing  must  move  forward,  or  it  dies.  God 
himself  moves;  but  religion  in  England  seems  to  bo 
only  standing  and  marking  time  with  a  great  stamping 
of  feet,  and  much .  shouting.  It  is  no  longer  in  touch 
with  the  wants  and  opinions  of  the  day.  It  is  a 
popular  religious  conundrum,  just  now,  to  ask  what 
Christ  would  do  if  he  came  to  London.  I  think  myself 
ho  would  set  to  work  to  stir  the  dust  that  lies  upon  our 
altars ;  to  scout  at  the  meaningless  jargon  that  falla 
from  tho  lips  of  our  modern  Pharisees. 

If  Mrs.  Ormiston  Chant  be  in  search  of  new  fields,  I 
can  recommend  to  her  New  Brighton,  near  Liverpool. 
The  promenade  in  front  of  the  sea  might  with  advantage 
to  decency  be  improved.  In  the  course  of  some  five 
hundred  yards,  I  was  stopped  and  accosted  over  a  dozen 
times,  and  this  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon ;  and  in 
one  cr  two  cases  I  had  to  use  some  exertion  to  escape 
from  the  uninvited  embraces  of  various  ladies,  who  were 
r.nxious  to  inveigle  me  into  what  they  called  "  tea  rooms." 
Whether  these  places  are  used  for  legitimate  purposes 
or  otherwise,  I  am  unable  to  say,  but,  from  the  wording 
of  the  invitations  I  received,  I  am  inclined  to  thuik 
otherwise.  Possibly  my  appearance  may  have  sug- 
gested an  eager  tea-drinker,  but  if  most  men  who 
venture  along  the  promenade  receive  the  same 
class  of  attention  that  was  accorded  to  myself,  then 
some  useful  work  might  be  done  by  the  New 
Brighton  Town  Council  in  looking  after  this  place.  I  do 
not  think  I  am  unduly  prudish,  but  a  seaside  promenade 
in  tho  middle  of  the  afternoon  should  be  possible. 

A  short  time  ago  there  appeared  in  the  London  papers 
seme  account  of  the  exposure  of  a  spiritualist,  a  Mrs. 
Mellon,  in  Sydney.  I  have  procured  and  read  a  full 
report  of  what  happened  in  the  columns  of  the  Sydney 
Daily  Telegraph.  It  is  asserted  that  a  materialised 
spirit  of  a  child  was  seized  by  a  man  who  was  present 
at  the  seance,  that  the  lights  were  turned  up,  and  the 
man  found  that  he  was  grasping  by  the  wrist  the  me- 
dium herself,  and  recognised  the  properties  by  which 
she  had  disguised  herself  as  the  suppose'  oiiild,  walk- 
ing on  her  knees  to  aid  the  deception.  The  medium 
has,  of  course,  explained ;  mediums  are  rarely  back- 
ward in  the  matter  of  explanation.  However,  I  do  not 
propose  to  go  into  this  case.  But  I  have  been  asked  by 
correspondents  to  give  them  some  notion  of  the  truth, 
about  spiritualism,  and  I  am  glad  to  take  this  oppor- 
tunity of  doing  so. 

One  has  first  to  consider  the  nature  and  value  of  evi- 
dence. There  are  some  who  consider  that  they  them- 
selves have  received  at  seances  sufficient  proof  of  the 
bond  fides  and  the  power  of  spiritualists  ;  there  are 
many  more  who  have  friends  of  known  probity  auJ 


December  29,  189-L 


TO-DAY. 


243 


average  common  sense,  who  consider  that  they  have 
received  similar  proof.  Is  this  valuable  evidence?  Ag 
a  rule,  it  is  of  no  value  whatever,  as  I  will  proceed  to 
show.  "  Can  I  not  trust  my  senses  ? "  That  is  a  ques- 
tion that  one  often  hears  urged  as  an  argument.  Place 
one  hand  in  a  bowl  of  very  hot  water,  and  the  other  hand 
in  a  bowl  of  iced  water,  and  then  place  both  hands  tow 
gether  in  water  of  a  moderate  temperature.  To  one 
hand  it  will  seem  warm,  and  to  the  other  cold;  in  a 
word,  the  evidence  of  your  senses  will  contradict  itself. 
We  are  all  familiar  with  diagrams  which  show  that  sight 
is  not  to  be  trusted ;  in  them  two  lin^s  of  equal  length 
appear  to  be  of  unequal  length.  Shut  your  eyes,  and 
see  if  you  can  always  detect  accurately  the  direction 
from  which  the  click  of  one  coin  against  another  comes. 
You  will  find  that  you  cannot.  Eat  a  lump  of  sugar, 
ond  immediately  afterwards  try  if  you  cam  taste  cham- 
pagne correctly.  You  will  find  that  you  cannot.  Corn- 
rare  your  sens©  of  smell  with  that  possessed  by  a 
woman  who  suffers  from  hyperaesthesia^  and  see  if  that 
sense  is  trustworthy. 

Then  cannot  we  trust  our  senses  at  all  1  Certainly  we 
can,  under  certain  conditions.  The  absolutely  normal 
person  may  trust  his  senses  under  absolutely  normal 
conditions.  Now,  are  the  seances  of  spiritualists  con- 
ducted under  normal  conditions  %  In  the  first  place,  the 
lights  are  turned  down ;  the  room  is  almost  dark,  and 
the  evidence  of  the  eyesight  is  worth  very  little ;  it  is 
easy  enough  to  do  conjuring  tricks  in  the  dark.  Then, 
again,  the  expectations  of  those  present  are  aroused,  and 
it  is  well  known  that  expectation  is  a  great  factor  in  the 
production  of  illusions.  It  may  be  hard  enough  to  create 
an  illusion  from  no  starting  point,  but  the  spiritualist 
has  a  starting  point.  Some  mother  longs  ardently  to 
see  her  lost  child,  and  pays  her  half-sovereign  to  the 
medium ;  the  medium  shows  her,  almost  in  darkness,  a 
bundle  of  draperies  in  the  shape  of  a  child.  The  mother's 
imagination  starts  from  that  and  completes  the  likeness ; 
she  goes  away  convinced.  It  has  been  well  said  by  an 
eminent  psychologist :  — "  Emotion  is  the  great  disturber 
of  all  intellectual  operations."  What  mother,  in  such  a 
case  as  this,  could  be  said  to  be  a  normal  person  exer- 
cising her  senses  under  normal  conditions? 

And  the  professional  medium  does  what  he  can  to  foster 
emotion.  Music  is  introduced  ;  those  present  are  made 
to  sing  together.  Now,  the  effect  of  music  is  as  certain 
on  some  temperaments — I  believe  that  I  might  say,  on 
mos  j  temperaments — as  the  effect  of  a  cut  with  a  knife. 
It  is  not  for  nothing  that  in  the  pathetic  scene  on  the 
stage  we  have  the  trembling  on  the  violin-strings  in  the 
orchestra.  It  is  the  singing  as  much  as  the  testifying 
that  brings  hysterical  women  to  the  penitent-forms  at 
Salvation  Army  meetings.  Excitement,  expectation, 
emotion,  the  darkened  room — eveiything  is  done  by  the 
professional  medium  to  vitiate  the  evidence  of  what  takes 
place.  As  for  the  hearsay  evidence,  the  evidence  of 
friends  who  have  been  present  at  seances,  how  many 
honest  people  wish,  though  unconsciously,  to  be  de- 
ceived ;  and  how  few  could,  even  with  the  best  inten- 
tions, repeat  accurately  any  elaborate  story  that  had 
been  told  them  twenty  minutes  before  ?  Allow  for  the 
lapses  of  mempry.  No;  if  the  professional  medium 
wishes  me  to  believe  that  the  spirit  of  a  dead  man  is  per- 
mitted by  the  Deity  to  return  to  the  earth  in  a  material 


form,  for  the  conjoint  purposes  of  playing  the  abject  asa 
and  putting  half-sovereigns  into  the  pockets  of  the  pro- 
fessed medium,  he  must  submit  himself  to  tests  from 
which  hitherto  he  has  never  emerged  undetected. 

It  may  happen— it  has  frequently  happened— thai 
even  when  professional  mediums  are  not  present,  and  the 
honesty  of  the  people  sitting  is  beyond  question,  things 
are  seen  and  heard  which  might  seem  to  point  to  a 
supernatural  origin.  Stories  of  such  occurrences  have 
been  brought  to  me,  too  well  authenticated  for 
it  to  be  possible  for  me  to  doubt  them.  But, 
at  the  same  time,  I  have  no  belief  whatever 
in  their  supernatural  character.  I  believe  that 
the  things  seen  and  heard  are  hallucinations.  They  are 
subjective  and  not  objective.  They  come  from  within, 
and  the  brain  creates  what  the  eye  seems  to  see  or  the 
ear  seems  to  hear.  Such  hallucinations  are  more 
common  than  many  people  suppose,  and  they  are  by  no 
means  confined  to  the  insane  ;  they  may  be  experienced 
even  by  minds  of  a  very  high  order.  Descartes,  Dr. 
Johnson,  Byron,  Goethe,  Sir  Walter  Scott,  all  expe- 
rienced such  hallucinations. 

There  are  several  causes  which  may  produce  them. 
Amongst  them  are  great  exhaustion  of  mind  or  body 
and  morbid  emotional  conditions.  It  is  quite  possible, 
too,  that  much  which  has  been  assigned  to  the  agency  of 
spirits  is  really  the  result  of  hypnotic  suggestion.  I 
should  advise  anyone  who  has  experienced  such 
hallucinations,  and  cannot  account  for  them,  to 
see  a  doctor,  and,  at  the  same  time,  not 
to  be  nervous  ;  they  do  not  necessarily  point  to  disease 
or  even  to  disorder  of  the  brain,  and  they  may  be  due 
to  some  curable  affection  of  an  organ  of  sense.  After  all, 
there  is  no  need  to  be  afraid  of  the  word  hallucination. 
There  are  those  who  think  that  tlie  whole  material 
world  is  an  hallucination  of  the  senses,  and  it  is  much 
easier  to  disagree  with  them  than  to  disprove  their 
conclusions. 


The  Right  Hon.  A.  H.  D.  Acland,  M.P.,  I  am  de- 
lighted to  say,  promises  to  join  the  committee  of  our 
Gallantry  Fund.  The  names  now,  therefore,  definitely 
pledged,  will  give  us  a  very  representative  list  to  start 
with,  and  one  which  is  bound  to  add  greatly  to  the 
value  of  recognition.  The  following  subscriptions  have 
come  in  since  last  week : — Miss  M.  Lees,  £1  Is.  ;  W. 
H.  Tayler,  2s.  6d. ;  Theodore  Lloyd,  £1  Is.  Above  I 
give  drawings  of  the  medals  which  have  been  struck  ; 


244 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1894. 


they  present  a  very  handsome  appearance  in  the  metal, 
and,  as  I  do  not  wish  to  be  anything  more  than  an 
intermediary  between  the  public  and  the  man  that  it 
wishes  to  honour,  I  have  not  thought  it  necessary  that 
"  To-Day  "  should  appear  upon  the  medal  in  any  form. 
There  is  every  hope,  having  regard  to  the  class  of  men 
and  women  who  have  already  come  forward  to  support, 
us,  that  this  Fund  will  be  far  more  representative  than 
anything  confined  to  one  particular  newspaper  could 
hope  to  be,  and  I  wish  to  do  nothing  to  hamper  its 
extension. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

/  must  decline  to  give  opinions  upon  contribution*  sent  to  me. 
Will  correspondents  kindly  abstain  in  future  from  seeking  my 
views  ? 

Letters  are  becoming  so  numerous  that  I  cannot  answer  the  whole 
of  my  correspondence  in  these  columns.  Will  correspondents 
who  do  not  find  any  reply  here  kindly  consult  the  pages  of 
"Feminine  Affairs,"  "Club  Chatter,"  "Bookmarker,"  or 
"  In  the  City,"  according  to  the  nature  of  their  letters  ? 

Correspondents  are  requested  to  make  their  letters  as  short  c.s 
possible.    Enquiries  cannot  be  answered  through  the  post. 


Phillipus. — I  fear  I  am  not  with  you  on  the  vivisection 
question.  To  the  killing  of  animals  I  have  no  objection  ;  the 
dissection  of  them  under  anaesthetics  I  would  also  permit.  But 
I  strongly  doubt  if  our  right  oyer  our  fellow  creatures  ever 
extends  to  cruelty.  I  am  not  such  a  believer  in  the  value  of 
human  life  as  to  think  its  cause  justifies  the  degradation  of 
character  that  must  ensue  from  cruelty.  I  see  no  particular 
object  in  prolonging  lives  beyond  the  time  that  Nature  says  they 
are  to  die.  The  high-fallutin'  talk  about  the  importance  of 
human  life  savours  to  me  of  sentimentality.  The  great  thing 
is  to  live,  not  to  be  always  shirking  death.  If  I  thought  my 
life  was  to  be  prolonged  by  ten  years  as  the  result  of  knowledge 
gained  by  the  infliction  of  horrible  tortures  upon  some  animal, 
I  would  prefer  to  give  up  the  ten  years. 

O.  A. — I  was  not  thinking  of  the  nautical  phrase,  but  of  the 
colloquial  phrase,  "on  his  track."  T.  B.  W.  (Middlesboro') 
draws  my  attention  to  the  following  advertisement  in  a  Darling- 
ton paper  : — "  Paradise  Chapel  Dorcas  Entertainment.  Wednes- 
day, December  19th.  Living  Pictures,  with  Limelight  Effect. 
Music  at  intervals.  Miss  Fry  has  kindly  consented  to  be  present 
and  distribute  the  clothing.  Admission,  Is.  and  6d.  Commence 
at  seven  o'clock."  Would  it  not  be  better,  having  regard  to  the 
class  of  audience  likely  to  be  present,  for  Miss  Fry  to  distribute 
the  clothing  a  little  while  before  seven  o'clock  ?  If  Mrs.  Chant 
sees  those  living  pictures  before  the  clothing  is  distributed,  there 
will  possibly  be  trouble.  C.  T.  I).  (Liverpool). — My  art 
editor  tells  me  that  the  sketches  show  a  good  deal  of  talent, 
but  London  is,  as  you  know,  exceedingly  over-crowded.  If  you 
like  to  communicate  with  us,  I  might  possibly  be  able  to  put 
some  work  in  your  way.  H.  C.  draws  my  attention  to  the  des- 
picable, narrow  minded,  and  cruel  conduct  of  some  among  the 
Lewisham  guardians,  who  wish  to  take  from  the  poor  old  people 
at  Christmas,  both  their  beer  and  tobacco.  J.  D.  K. — The  law 
has  no  right  to  say  what  a  man  shall  drink.  The  simile  between 
man  and  furniture  is  hardly  a  dignified  one.  According  to  your 
argument  the  law  might  step  in  and  prevent  a  man  from  eating 
indigestible  food,  which  might  result  in  a  visit  to  the  workhouse 
infirmary.  W.  H.  B.  (Dublin)  sends  me  an  amusing  account  of 
the  anti-opiumist  meeting  at  Dublin.  Two  lady  anti-opiumists 
persisted  in  such  unmannerly  interruptions  that  no  argument 
could  be  made  at  all.  From  their  point  of  view  they  were  quite 
right.  Any  genuine  argument  on  the  opium  question  would  at 
once  show  up  the  folly  of  their  fad.  W.  W.  sends  me  a  report 
of  a  sermon  by  a  Mr.  Baumer  at  Blackpool.  Mr.  Baumer  seems 
anxious  about  Heaven.  He  wants  to  feel  sure  that  no  publicans 
shall  be  there.  Heaven,  according  to  the  estimate  of  some  of  our 
new 'Christians,  will  be  an  exceedingly  unpleasant  place.  It  will 
be  the  home  of  no  one  but  Pharisees,  faddists,  and  prigs. 

A.  H.  (Perth). — You  have  again  wandered  away  from  the 
original  argument.  Now,  all  I  say  is,  that  if  a  man  does  his 
work  satisfactorily  his  employer  has  no  other  claim  upon  him. 
To  take  the  whole  time  of  a  man  is  to  make  him  a  slave.  You 
may  call  it  by  a  pleasanter  name  if  you  like,  but  it  does  not 
alter  facts.  Your  letter — if  you  will  excuse  my  saying  so — 
shows  how  utterly  impossible  it  is  for  us  little  men  to  regulate 
Cod's  world.  In  one  part  of  your  notes  you  are  arguing  for 
practical  Socialism,  in  another  part  you  are  showing  the  evils 
of  undue  State  interferences.  We  men  are  very  clever,  but  I 
would  lather  live  in  a  world  reguUted  by  ( i oil's  laws,  in  spite 
of  all  the  fault  I  may  sec  in  them,  than  be  a  citizen  in  acouutry 


governed  by  the  wisest  men  that  ever  existed.  The  great  con- 
solation is  that  we  can  argue  and  re-argue,  legislate  and  re- 
legislate  as  much  as  we  like.  We  have  been  doing  it  for  a  good 
many  thousand  years  as  it  is,  but  we  have  altered  nothing 
essential,  and  never  shall. 

Board  School  Teacher  writes  me,  telling  me  of  the  diffi- 
culties that  he  and  his  fellows  have  to  encounter  too  often 
through  the  meddling  of  ignorant  Boards.  "  Not  long  ago,"  he 
says,  "  I  was  giving  a  geography  lesson.  While  speaking  of 
Burton-on-Trent  one  of  the  managers  came  into  the  room,  and 
when  I  had  finished  he  proceeded  to  tell  the  boys  (nine  to  eleven 
years  of  age)  that  Burton  was  one  of  the  capitals  of  hell,  and 
that  the  people  of  Burton  were  the  devil's  servants,  etc.,  simply 
because  they  make  ale  there.  Another  Board  member  came  to 
a  class  where  a  new  teacher  had  just  commenced  work.  He 
prides  himself  that  he  cannot  write  more  than  his  own  name, 
and  that  he  has  never  worn  a  collar  in  his  life.  After  giving 
the  boys  what  was  nearly  a  sermon,  he  said.  '  Now,  boys,  them 
that  is  good  this  new  teacher  '11  like,  an'  them  as  isn't  '11  have 
to  suffer  for  it  when  they  dies.'  I  never  smoke  during  the  day, 
yet  I  have  been  threatened  by  one  of  the  members  that  he 
should  do  his  best  to  get  rid  of  teachers  who  set  the  example  of 
smoking  to  the  children.  Another  often  used  to  come  to  me  in 
school  and  tell  me  that  I  was  breaking  the  Fourth  Command- 
ment because  I  didn't  go  to  church  on  Sunday.  He  also  wanted 
to  know  what  I  did  in  the  evenings,  and  '  hoped  I  didn't  have 
anything  to  do  with  theatres,  and  such  like-places.'  These 
are  samples  of  what  we  get,  not  by  any  means  seldom." 

F.  H.  J.  writes  me  from  the  New  Hebrides.  He  tells  me 
that  oranges  are  eaten  when  they  are  green,  and  then  goes  on  to 
more  important  matters  : — 

"  Seeing  that  your  paper  has  apparently  been  established 
for  the  purpose  of  exposing  humbug,  I  should  very  much 
like  to  pen  an  account  of  the  doings  of  smug  missionaries  in 
this  group,  but  will  spare  you  the  infliction.  These 
beautiful  homes  of  dusky  maidens  and  cannibal 
warriors  are  very  interesting.  Life  is  dull  on 
the  whole,  but  lively  at  times,  with  savages,  earth- 
quakes, volcanoes,  hurricanes,  fever,  etc.  Morals  of 
both  white  and  black  are  low,  decidedly,  slightly  relieved 
by  the  white  choker.  Gin  and  parsons  are  the  two  powers. 
The  especially  blessed  island  on  which  it  is  my  privilege  to 
exist  is  wholly  (?)  Christian. 

"  We  have  a  sawmill  here  established  by  the  ubiquitous 
Scotch,  and  if  annexation  took  place  it  would  boom.  Would 
that  the  powers  at  home  could  be  moved  to  annex. 
France  will  never  let  the  group  alone  until  the  question  is 
settled. 

"  I  am  an  admirer  of  your  paper,  which  seems  to  be  one 
of  the  most  '  live  '  periodicals  of  the  day,  and  in  this  dull 
hole,  where  good  literature  is  scarce,  it  comes  particularly 
welcome." 

T.  F.  T. — All  things  in  their  place  are  good.  Take  broader 
views,  and  do  not  condemn  everything  that  is  not  to  your  own 
individual  taste.  Agnostic — The  list  has  been  sent  you.  The 
individual  constable,  on  his  25s.  a  week,  does,  as  a  rule,  all  that 
can  be  expected  from  him.  The  fault  lies  with  his  superior 
officers.  With  reference  to  your  other  matter,  I  speak  of  what 
I  believe.  Subscriber  suggests  a  cryptogram  being  set,  and  a 
small  prize  being  offered  for  its  solution,  but  I  fancy  the  puzzle 
and  the  prize  have  been  rather  done  to  death  of  late.  J.  A.  C. — 
One  regrets  the  narrow-mindedness,  but  the  matter  itself  is  of 
slight  importance.  Verbum  Sap. — I  doubt  if  English  readers 
take  much  interest  in  American  politics. 

E.  S.  (Nottingham). — I  am  glad  to  see  that  the  Umpire  is 
taking  up  the  case  of  the  cruelty  on  cattle  boats.  If  the  Liver- 
pool papers  take  the  matter  up  they  might  do  great  work,  and 
insist  upon  prosecutions. 

H.  R.  M. — Your  kind  and  sympathetic  words  come  quite  as  a 
help.  F.  G. — It  would  hardly  be  etiquette  for  me  to  express 
an  opinion  on  the  matter. 

E.  L.  (Cheshire). — I  am  not  an  advocate  for  the  Church 
mixing  itself  up  with  outside  affairs,  and  though  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Reed  appears  lamentably  narrow-minded  and  strangely  un- 
Christlike  in  fancying  that  joy  is  harmful,  there  is  much  in  his 
sermon  with  which  1  agree. 

T.  C.  G.  B.  (Swansea). — I  thank  you  for  sending  me  cutting  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Shipley's  letter  from  the  Cambrian  Daily 
Leader,  in  which  that  gentleman  is  at  some  effort  to  explain 
what  he  really  did  mean.  But  the  matter  is  really  not  worth 
any  more  printers'  ink.  To  argue  w  ith  such  a  man  would  be 
undignified.  I  notice  his  allusions  to  myself,  because  they  appear 
to  me  to  be  amusing,  not  because  they  call  for  any  answer. 

C.  C.  C— I  am  with  you  that  much  may  be  done  by  individual 
influence.  I  have  always  advocated  the  employment  of  indivi- 
dual influence  ;  it  is  the  only  practical  way  <>f  combating  vice. 
I  receive  numerous  letters  from  young  nu  n,  and  I  find  that,  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  they  quite  understand  the  position  I  rake  up. 
The  moment  you  bring  forward  force  as  an  argunicnt.x  on  w  eaken 
tin  i  p:sc.  A  mail  mutt  be  left  free  to  judge  for  himself,  or 
there  is  no  value  in  his  conduct. 


December  29,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


245 


LETTERS    OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  Dear  Dick, — Christinas  comes  but  once  a  year, 
and  I  am  exceedingly  glad  of  it,  for  it  generally  means 
that  the  candid  playgoer  is  trotted  about  from  pillar  to 
post  in  the  vain  endeavour  to  see  everything  out  of  its 
turn,  and  nothing  well.  Well,  to  deal  with  the  panto- 
mime at  Drury  Lane — and  that  is,  after  all,  what  we 
always  look  for  at  Christmas  first — I  think  that 
this  year  it  is  about  as  good  as  it  has  ever 
been  ;  sometimes  I  think  it  is  better.  The 
big  scene  is  the  marriage  of  the  Prince  and  Princess 
of  China,  but  what  is  going  to  take  all  our  breaths 
away  is  the  scene  where  the  Japanese  blow  an  ironclad 
belonging  to  the  many-syllabled  nation  out  of  the 
water.  The  scene  that  will  appeal  most  to  the  children 
will  be  the  camp  of  the  cats,  the  termination  of 
the  truce  with  the  cat-king,  and  the  start  for 
the  campaign.  In  its  way,  the  wedding  of  Dick  to  his 
beloved  lass  at  Highgate  Church  is  almost  as  pretty 
as  the  historic  scene  on  Highgate  Hill,  when  the 
bells  ring  to  him  the  "  thrice  Lord  Mayor  of  Lon- 
don." Of  the  glories  of  the  Lord  Mayor's  procession  I 
need  not  speak  ;  you  will  have  to  come  to  London  to 
see  them  yourself.  And  really  I  cannot  suggest  a  better 
evening's  amusement  for  the  holidays  than  at  the  Lane. 

Another  pantomime  that  is  becoming  an  annual 
institution  is  Mr.  Oscar  Barrett's  at  the  Lyceum.  This 
year  it's  Santa  Glaus,  and  if  the  youngsters  aren't  pro- 
perly pleased  with  it  they  ought  to  be.  Charles  Lauri 
is  immense  as  a  pet  collie  dog.  The  great  spectacular 
scene  at  the  end  of  Part  I.  is  simply  magnificent.  There 
are  some  beautiful  sets  by  Henry  Emden  and  Hawes 
Craven,  and  the  ballets  have  the  advantage  of  Madame 
Katti  Lanner's  supervision.  When  I  add  that  the  book 
is  by  Horace  Lennard,  and  the  music  by  Oscar  Barrett 
himself,  I  have  given  you  an  assurance  that  the  whole 
is  a  capital  show. 

Of  the  other  pantomimes  there  are  a  variety,  but,  as 
I  never  go  out  of  Europe  for  my  amusements,  I  am  not 
able  to  tell  you  what  is  happening  in  Whitechapel  or 
Wapping.  Speaking  of  something  nearer  home,  the 
Tyne  Theatre,  at  Newcastle  on-Tyne,  is,  if  possible, 
more  successful  than  last  year.  Then  there  was  Cin- 
derella, now  it  is  Robinson  Crusoe,  Alma  Stanley  and 
William  Morgan  playing  the  leading  parts  in  the  most 
admirable  manner. 

The  Tyne  is,  as  you  know,  one  of  the  theatres  under 
Sir  Augustus  Harris.  One  of  his  latest  and  newest 
ideas  is  the  Children's  Fancy  Dress  Ball  at  Covent 
Garden  on  New  Year's  Day.  The  little  ones,  I  am 
told,  are  going  to  have  no  end  of  a  time,  and  the  prizes 
for  the  best  dresses  will  tempt  every  married  man  with 
a  family.  If  you  or  any  of  your  friends  want  tickets, 
you  can  get  them  from  the  theatre  or  any  of  the  leading 
libraries. 

Forecasting  the  future,  Grundy's  new  play,  Slaves  of 
Che  Ring,  is  to  come  on  at  the  Garrick  on  the  29th.  It 
deals  with  a  certain  phase  of  the  social  question,  and  is 
written  in  his  most  brilliant  fashion.  It  will  be  followed 
by  Henry  James's  Guy  Domville  at  the  St.  James's,  and 
then  we  shall  get  Oscar  Wilde's  Ideal  Husband.  Tree 
will  conclude  his  brilliantly  successful  season  by  a  final 
performance  of  Handet,  and  possibly  after  it  with  a 
speech  to  the  audience,  prior  to  his  going  to  America. 

I  generally  find  that  if  you  expect  a  good  deal,  you 
are  d  sappointed  if  you  do  not  get  a  little  more  than 
you  expected.  Possibly  this  is  why,  after  watching  the 
rehearsal  of  the  new  show  at  Olympia,  I  was  slightly 
disheartened.  We  had  an  excellent  lunch,  excellent 
company,  and  witty  speeches.  Willy  Wilde  was  smart, 
Horner  would  have  been  passable  if  he  had  forgotten 
(bat  he   was  contesting   a   Southwark  constituency, 


Byron  Webber  worked  in  a  joke  that  he  did  not  know 
what  to  do  with,  and  Clement  Scott,  Lyons, 
Spencer  Edwards,  Kiralfy — who  would  persist  in  rising 
when  we  drank  his  health — all  accepted  a  free  and  easy 
entertainment  in  a  fitting  spirit.  But  what  I  could 
not  understand  was  the  persistence  of  the  directors 
in  using  the  expression  "  Ladies  and  gentle- 
men" whenever  they  addressed  the  Press.  I  don't 
think  there  was  a  lady  journalist  present,  and,  as  a 
certain  representative  of  a  well-known  comic  journal 
remarked  to  me,  "If  there  is,  I  think  a  man  of  honour 
might  respect  her  grief." 

But  to  return  to  my  disappointment.  I  have  alway7s 
regarded  the  Addison  Boad  show  as  a  place  where  you 
could  go  to  see  something  different  to  anything  you  had 
seen  before.  We  got  this  in  Venice,  and  again  in 
Constantinople.  Now  we  get  the  rechauffe — the  water 
of  Venice,  and  the  Turkish  decorations  of  Constanti- 
nople. The  colour  of  the  arches  may  have  varied— they 
have  called  "The  Harem  "  the  "Temple  of  Venus  "  and 
the  "  Garden  of  the  Seraglio,"  but  still  it  seems  very 
largely  like  a  second  edition.  As  to  the  grand  ballet 
itself,  nobody  could  wish  for  a  more  brilliant  blending 
of  colour,  or  a  more  masterly  arrangement  of  grouping. 
But  again  you  tire.  Last  year  the  ballet  reached 
its  full  glory  when  the  stage  was  shot  out 
across  the  water  in  a  V  pattern ;  this  year 
it  comes  out  in  a  circle.  The  water  pageant  also 
only  differs  in  nationality,  and  we  get  something 
nearer  home  than  the  R  ial  to  and  the  Bosphorus. 
But  the  moderate  charges,  the  liberal  spirit  of  the 
directors,  and,  above  all,  the  open  air  festival  they 
intend  to  provide  for  the  summer,  should  ensure  a  long 
and  successful  career  for  The  Orient. 

By  the  way,  I  must  congratulate  Mr.  Lyons  on  the 
excellent  restaurant  he  has  added.  But  if  I  were 
the  directors  I  would  go  still  one  further,  and 
fix  up  one  in  the  centre  of  the  building  to 
overlook  the  central  stage.  All  London  would  be  at- 
tracted by  the  novelty,  I  am  sure.  Just  one  final 
suggestion.  If  the  directors  think  we  want  music  to  eat 
to,  let  us  have  something  new.  The  band  played  the 
intermezzo  from  the  Cava/leria  Rusticana  the  other  day. 
Now,  everyone  who  does  not  live  in  foreign  parts 
knows  that  this  is  served  up  by  barrel-organs  for 
breakfast,  by  German  bands  for  lunch,  and  chanted  by 
the  maimed,  the  halt,  and  the  blind  at  irregular,  but 
certain  intervals.  I  can  see  a  fortune  for  the  man  who 
would  give  us  special  music  for  meals,  instead  of  ever- 
lastingly going  to  the  halls  and  the  opera  for  old 
numbers  untouched  by  the  Berne  Convention. 

Your  affectionate  cousin, 

Randolph. 


THE  GENII  OF  DRURY  LANE. 

A  CHAT  WITH  SIR  AUGUSTUS  HARRIS. 

It  seems  but  yesterday  that  the  great  Drury  Lane  stage 
was  filled  with  the  whirl  of  the  Wagnerian  drama  ;  but 
where  Tristram  and  Isolde  met,  loved,  and  parted,  The 
Derby  Witinir  has  been  nightly  running  for  great  stakes, 
and  his  last  race  on  these  classic  boards  was  scarce  over 
before  Drury  Lane  once  more  became  synonymous  with 
the  Christmas  joys  and  wonderment  of  pantomime1. 

"  I  found  Sir  Augustus  Harris,"  writes  a  representa- 
tive of  To-Day,  "  in  the  cosy-looking  apartment  where 
all  the  famous  impress  ario's  multitudinous  business  is 
conducted.  Sir  Augustus  presses  every  great  actor  and 
singer  into  his  service  by  turn,  and  all  and  each  of  them, 
from  Melba  to  Ristori,  are  familiar  with  his  sanctum. 

"The  Christmas  season  is  the  busiest  in  the  year  to  my 
host  and  the  army  of  which  he  is  general.  Every  detail 
is  referred  to  him,  and  each  moment  spent  by  him  in  the 


TO-DAY.  December  '29,  lsSh 


24  6 


theatre  brings  at  least  one  or  two  interruptions,  and  ques- 
tions which  brook  of  no  delay  in  the  answering ;  but 
every  matter  is  dealt  with  in  turn,  and  at  last  Sir 
Augustus,  with  a  smile,  declares  himself  ready  to  answer 
every  query  regarding  the  past,  present,  or  future  of 
any  one  of  his  many  enterprises." 

"  How  is  a  pantomime  produced  ?  Heavens  !  what 
a  question.  A  man  who  is  prepared  to  offer  a  recipe  for 
producing  a  pantomine  knows  nothing  of  the  subject. 
Begin  a  long  time  beforehand,  andgo  on  working,  working, 
working,  and  then  if  you  are  not  satisfied  begin  all  over 
again,  that  would  be  my  advice.  Those  engaged  in 
producing  a  pantomine  should  know,  not  a  little,  but  a 
good  deal,  about  everything ;  you  can't  know  too  much, 
and  you  can't  know  too  little,"  went  on  Sir  Augustus, 
pacing  up  and  down  the  room  like  a  caged  lion.  "  I 
will  tell  you  one  thing — a  good  deal  depends  on  one's 
co-workers.  If  the  people  who  are  helping  you  are  loyai 
and  true  the  battle  is  half  won.  I  consider  that  I  have 
been  in  this  respect  exceptionally  fortunate  this  year ; 
you  see,  so  much  depends  on  whether  an  actor  or  actress 
will  do  the  thing  in  a  way  you  wish  it  done.  Sometimes 
they  can't  see  it,  or  don't  want  to  see  it,  or  they  have 
an  idea  themselves  of  how  the  things  should  be  carried 
out.  Again,  a  comedian  may  not  be  satisfied  with  his 
part,  and  then  he  throws  no  heart  into  what  he  his 
doing." 

"  And  do  you  attach  great  importance  to  the  songs 
in  your  pantomime'? " 

"  Who  was  it,"  he  observed,  ingenuously,  "  who  said, 
'  Let  me  write  the  songs  of  my  country  ;  I  care  not  who 
makes  her  laws '  I  A  song  is  all-important.  Why,  be- 
fore now,  a  popular  ditty  has  made  and  unmade  the  fate 
of  nations.  Remember  the  effect  of  '  We  don't  want  to 
fight ;  but,  by  Jingo,  if  we  do ! '  and,  again,'  Here  stands 
a  post ! '  I  think  I  can  make  no  better  answer  to  your 
question." 

"  What  is  the  special  feature  of  Dick  Whittingtor , 
Sir  Augustus  1 " 

"  Special  feature ! "  he  cried  "  Why,  there  are  endless 
special  features !  No  one  great  scene,  but  ten  great 
scenes,  all  embodying  different  ideas  worked  up  to  their 
utmost,  capacity." 

"  What  do  you  expect  will  especially  appeal  to  tha 
children  among  your  audience?" 

"How  can  I  tell?"  asked  Sir  Augustus,  laughing. 
"  It  may  be  the  great  Cat  scene,  or  the  great  Highgate 
Hill  scene,  or  the  great  Chinese  tableau  ;  and  the  splen- 
did Transformation  Scene ! "  He  stopped  to  draw  a 
long  breath. 

"Now,  about  this  Transformation  Scene?" 

"Well,  it  will  embody  a,  child's  dream  of  Christmas. 
I  think  it  will  strike  you  as  very  charming,  especially 
coming  as  it  does  after  the  more  gorgeous  and  showy 
side  of  the  performance.  Probably  the  young  people 
among  our  audience  will  be  delighted  with  the  intro- 
duction of  a  real  hansom  cab  bringing  home  the  father 
laden  with  Christmas  gifts  for  the  little  ones.  We  have 
tried,  and,  I  think,  succeeded,  in  giving  a  reflection  of 
what  would  be  a  happy  child's  dream  of  Christmas.  We 
have  forgotten  nothing  ;  there  is  the  carol,  the  stockings 
hung  up  overnight,  and,  finally,  the  appearance  of  good 
old  Santa.  Claus  himself.  Yes,"  added  Sir  Augustus, 
"  I  really  think  the  Transformation  Scene  will  be  ex- 
ceptionally pleasing  to  the  minds  of  the  more  youthful 
as  well  as  to  the  older  portion  of  our  audience." 

"  Just  one  word,  now,  about  the  Chinese  tabl<  a'l." 

"  Well,  perhaps  you  remember  in  the  original  old 
story,  Dick  Whittington  went  to  Morocco ;  this  time  he 
goes  to  China.  Still,  you  must  not  think  by  this  that 
I  have  abandoned  the  familiar  lines  of  the  story.  I  be- 
lieve in  keeping  to  the  main  facts  of  whatever  tale  I 
select  to  form  the  base  of  my  Christinas  pantomime,  but 
the  final  result  not  only  embodies  a  story,  but  has  a 
great  deal  added  to  it,  and,  like  Topsy  of  immortal 
memory,  it  grows." 

"  The  growing  seems  to  be  an  expensive  process." 


"  So,  so,"  he  replied  coolly,  "  some  £20,000  were  spent 
on  what  may  be  called  the  preliminary  expenses  of  my 
last  pantomime,  and  when  once  the  performances  are 
in  full  swing  my  weekly  salary  list  comes  to  over 
£3,000." 

"Then  the  clown  does1  not  have  so  bad  a  time  of  it 
after  all,"  I  observed. 

"  There  are  clowns  and  clowns,"  answered  Sir  Augus- 
tus diplomatically,  "  perhaps  you  might  get  one  for  £2 
or  £3,  I  am  paying  mine  over  £60  a  week ;  it  is  the 
same  with  everything.  Doubtless  some  singers  would 
be  glad  to  go  out  at  5s.  per  evening.  Special  people  are 
paid  special  prices,  and  a  good  comedian  is  specially 
valuable  in  pantomime  work." 

"'  And  the  rank  and  file ;  say,  the  ballet  girls  ? " 

"  Including  the  morning  performance  they  are  paid 
two  or  three  pounds  a  week,  with  extra  for  rehearsals," 
replied  Sir  Augustus,  promptly,  "  but  there  are,  of 
course,  a  whole  army  of  people  employed  about  a  theatre 
of  whose  existence  the  public  scarcely  know;  you  will 
hardly  believe  it  when  I  tell  you  that  a  stage  carpenter 
can  sometimes  make  twenty-four  working  days  in  one 
week,  yet  the  explanation  is  easy  ;  he  is  paid  double  for 
every  hour  overtime,  and  should  we  require  him  and 
he  be  willing  to  work  on  Christmas  day,  he  is  given  six 
ordinary  working  days'  wages." 

"  I  just  want  to  ask  you,  Sir  Augustus,  what  impres- 
sion was  produced  on  you  by  America? " 

"  America  struck  me,"  he  answered  quickly,  "  much 
as  it  must  strike  all  those  who  visit  it  for  the  first  time, 
as  being  essentially  a  big  country.  From  a  theatrical 
manager's  point  of  view  there  are  many  things  to  be 
observed ;  take,  for  instance,  the  six  shilling  parterre, 
I  only  wish  we  could  imitate  the  Americans  in  that  par- 
ticular, but  such  an  innovation  would  never  be  popular 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  In  America  every  play- 
goer considers  himself  as  good  as  his  fellow  ;  you  might 
find  a  certain  number  of  New  York  men  ready  to  give  a 
guinea  for  a  stall,  but  you  would  not  find  many  content  to 
occupy  an  excellent  place  in  a  2s.  6d.  pit.  Oh,  yes,"  he 
continued,  thoughtfully,  "  I  got  a  good  many  useful 
hints  from  my  tour  in  America,  and  am  even  now  light- 
ing Covent  Garden  Theatre  according  to  the  system  in 
use  at  the  Chicago  Opera  Theatre. 

"  And  how  about  the  fee  question  ? " 

"  They  have  never  had  a  fee  system  there  at  all,  so 
there  is  nothing  to  say  about  it.  By  the  way,  I  myself 
was  one  of  the  first  people  to  abolish  fees*  in  England, 
but  after  giving  the  thing  a  three  years'  trial,  I  had  to 
take  them  on  again,"  he  added,  "  and  why  ?  because  I 
found  that  it  made  no  difference — none  at  all — excepting 
to  the  receipts  of  the  theatre.  People  went  on  tipping 
the  attendants  just  the  same  in  spite  of  the  placards  and 
notices  about  the  building.  One  evening  I  saw  an  em- 
ploye accepting  a  gratuity;  I  stepped  forward,  remon- 
strated, and  was  received  by  the  too  generous  donor 
with  '  Mind  your  own  business.'  '  So  I  will,'  said  I, 
and  the  next  day  the  fee  system  was  once  more  in  full 
force.  I  did  not  see  why  the  theatre  should  lose  a  large 
income  over  a  question  of  sentiment,"  concluded  Sir 
Augustus,  grimly. 

"  I  suppose  the  vexed  question  of  music  hall  versus 
theatre  hardly  touches  you  at  all  ? " 

"  I  can  only  repeat  what  I  have  often  remarked  be- 
fore, when  all  is  said  and  done,  there  is  very  little  differ- 
ence between  a  music  hall  artiste  and  any  other  actor, 
provided  that  they  both  are  actors  in  the  truest  sense 
of  the  word.  For  instance,  I  engaged  Mr.  Dan  Leno 
to  take  a  part  in  my  pantomime,  not  because  he  was 
a  music  hall  singer,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  I  consider 
him  one  of  the  most  admirable  comedians.  The  public 
always  come  to  see  a  thoroughlygood  performance,  whether 
it  be  at  the  theatre  or  music  hall,"  and  with  this  decided 
utterance  Sir  Augustus  turned  his  attention  to  the 
patient  crowd  of  business  visitors  and  co-workers  re- 
quiring his  assistance  and  advice. 


December  29,  18S4. 


VO-DAV. 


247 


CLUB  CHATTER. 

w  hat  I  told  you  in  regard  to  the  Albert  Club 
case  has  turned  out  to  be  quite  correct.  All  the 
sporting  papers  and  most  of  the  dailies  said  that  this 
prosecution  was  to  finally  settle  the  question  of  the 
legality  of  betting.  I  suggested  that  the  whole  thing 
would  be  fought  out  on  a  side  issue,  and  if  the  newspaper 
reports  are  correct  I  am  right,  and  the  point  that  will 
be  raised  is  as  to  whether  the  members  of  a  club  can  bet 
with  men  outside.  The  case  is  subjudice,  and  so  I  can- 
not fully  deal  with  it,  but  I  am  fairly  certain  that  the 
Lord  Mayor  will  give  a  learned  decision  on  what  no  one 
is  peculiarly  doubtful  about. 


question.  I  cannot  help  thinking,  though,  that  the 
League  might  find  a  better  mouthpiece  than  Mr. 
Lowther.  Local  authorities  may  safely  be  trusted  to 
have  a  voice  in  their  own  legislation.  A  sportsman's 
love  of  fair  play  demands  it. 


Lord  Coventry,  who  presided  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Sporting  League,  was,  some  years  ago,  Master  of  tb? 
Buckhounds,  and  he  did  a  lot  to  improve  the  Asco 
Meeting.  The  big  two-year-old  race,  the  Coventrj 
Stakes,  was  instituted  out  of  compliment  to  his  lordship. 
Lord  Coventry  will  be  remembered  as  a  witness  in  the 
famous  Baccarat  case  of  a  few  years  back. 


Meanwhile,  we  seem  to  be  getting  at  some  sort  of 
an  understanding  as  to  the  aims  of  the  Anti-Gambling 
League  and  the  Sporting  League.  Mr.  Hawke 
apparently  thinks  they  are  at  one,  so  long  as  you  keep 
betting  out  of  the  question.  Mr.  Lowther  disagrees — 
and  rightly,  to  my  thinking — though  he  should  never 
have  talked,  as  he  did,  of  the  day  when  all  sport  would 
be  attacked  by  Mr.  Hawke.  This  is  really  nonsense, 
and  it  would  have  been  fairer  if  he  had  admitted  that 
his  well-meaning,  but  misguided,  enemies  were  only 
wi'ona;  in  their  methods — not  in  their  intentions. 


We  have  been  told  on  numerous  occasions  that  boxing 
has  no  hold  on  the  public.  J udging,  however,  from  the 
huge  crowd  present  at  the  Craig-Pritchard  contest,  the 
game  has  taken  a  new  lease  of  life.  It  was  agreed  that 
such  an  attendance  had  never  before  been  seen  at  a 
boxing  carnival.  Even  the  five  pound  seats  sold  well. 
But  what  value  for  the  money  !  The  fight  lasted  1  min. 
3 G  sees.,  which  pans  out  at  a  little  over  Is.  a  second. 
Craig  is  a  very  clever  black  ;  not  only  does  he  box,  but 
as  a  dancer  and  player  on  the  mouth-organ  he  pro- 
bably has  few  equals.  He  does  not  drink,  and  rarely 
smokes. 


The  fact  is,  race  committees  derive  their  income 
from  the  money  that  is  brought  them  by  betting,  and  it 
would  be  impossible  for  them  to  exist  otherwise.  It  is 
illogical  to  suppose  that  all  betting  is  earned  on  at  race- 
courses ;  the  opportunities  for  gambling  are  made  far 
too  easy  for  that.  I  am  glad  to  see  that  Mr.  Lowther 
agrees  with  me  that  it  would  be  a  great  pity  if  the 
Sporting  League  were  made  political,  for  it  would  cer- 
tainly he  to  its  advantage  if  politics  were  kept  out  of  the 


So  far  the  billiard  season  in  London  has  been  rather 
quiet,  but  no  doubt  matters  will  become  more  lively 
when  the  holidays  are  over.  The  tour  to  South  Africa 
did  not  do  Roberts  any  good,  and  possibly  he  will 
think  twice  ere  he  consents  to  give  exhibitions  the 
whole  year  round.  The  interest  taken  in  Diggle's  play 
increases  day  by  day.  Not  so  very  long  ago  Diggle 
was  a  marker  at  a  well-known  Manchester  resort.  He 
now  owns  the  place,  and,  in  my  opinion,  has  no  equal, 
barring  Roberts. 


Packed  in  Embossed) 


M///i/fAc/-0/[£D  p{o/A  Selected  Leaf //vd 


All  Health- Seekers  should  wear  the 


World -Famed 


PRICE, 

21s. 

POST  FKEE.I 


ELECTROPATHIC 


LADY  S   ELEC'.'HUPATHIC  BELT. 


It  is  delightfully  comfortable  to  wear,  and  the 
mild  continuous  currents  of  electricity,  which  it 
imperceptibly  generates, 
assist  nature  in  speedily 
restoring  debilitated  Consti- 
tutions. It  effectively  pre- 
vents chills  and  rheumatic 
pains  which  so  many  people 
are,  unfortunately,  subject  to 
in  this  -country,  where  the 
climate  is  so  changeable.  Tt 
seems,  and  is,  a  simple  remedy,  but  it  is  as  sure  as  it 
is  simple,  and  the  numerous  unsolicited  testimonials 
gentleman's  electro patiiic  belt,  we  have  received  from  all 
classes  of  society  amply  prove 
that  we  do  not  exaggerate 
when  we  say  that  the  ELEC- 
TROPATHIC BELT  has 
relieved  thousands  of  men 
and  women  in  all  parts  of  the 
world.  Call,  if  possible,  or 
send  at  once  for  Pamphlets,  which  may  be  had,  post 
free,  on  application  to  the 


Medical  Electrical  Institute,  Ltd. 

52,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W. 

(corner  of  rathbone  place.) 


248 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1894. 


As  I  foretold  in  this  column,  not  a  single  amateur  club 
in  the  South  has  survived  the  qualifying  rounds  of  the 
English  Cup  competition.  The  three  clubs,  Southampton 
St.  Mary's,  Luton  and  Millwall,  who  have  fought  their 
way  into  the  competition  proper,  are  all  professional 
teams.  Fate  has  been  very  unkind  to  the  South  in  the 
draw  for  the  first  round  to  be  played  on  February  2nd. 
Woolwich  Arsenal  have  to  travel  to  Bolton  to  probably 
receive  their  quietus  from  the  Wanderers  of  that  ilk. 
Millwall  Athletic  are  drawn  to  go  to  Sheffield,  where 
the  United  will  certainly  put  them  out  of  further  misery. 
Luton  have  better  luck  in  having  the  right  to  play  at 
home,  but  as  their  opponents  are  the  redoubtable 
Preston  North  End,  I  would  not  give  a  pinch  of  snuff 
for  their  chances.  Southampton  St.  Mary's  are  in  a 
similar  plight,  as  they  will  receive  a  visit  from  Notts 
Forest. 


the  door  the  "  Wolves  "  look  like  starving.  Meanwhile 
Everton  and  Aston  Villa  are  rolling  in  money. 


Was  there  ever  so  sensational  a  match  as  the  first  of 
the  test  games  between  Mr.  Stoddart's  team  and 
Australia  !  Against  the  large  total  of  586  compiled  by 
the  Cornstalks,  the  Englishmen  battled  pluckily,  leaving 
the  home  team  177  runs  to  get  to  win.  On  the  fifth 
day  113  were  knocked  up  for  the  loss  of  two  wickets, 
leaving  sixty-four  runs  to  be  compiled,  an  easy  enough 
task  one  would  think.  What  a  rot  must  have  set  in  for 
the  Englishmen  to  have  won  by  ten  runs.  The  match 
is  a  record  one  in  several  points.  The  586  score  of  the 
Australians  in  their  first  innings  is  the  largest  made  in 
these  test  matches  at  home  and  abroad,  the  previous 
best  being  the  551  made  by  Scott's  Australian  team  at 
the  Oval  in  1884.  The  aggregate  of  the  scores  is  also 
the  largest  ever  totalled  in  a  first-class  match. 


League  clubs  and  sound  finance  are  not  synonymous 
terms,  spite  of  the  large  "  gates  "  of  which  we  hear  so 
much  in  connection  with  League  matches.  Stoke  and 
Wolverhampton  Wanderers  are  both  said  to  be  on  their 
last  legs.  The  Stoke  club  is  £1,200  in  debt  to  its  secre- 
tary, and  unless  something  is  done  to  keep  the  wolf  from 


I  have  been  glancing  through  the  list  of  nominations 
for  the  big  races  of  1895.  As  usual  the  names  of  seve- 
ral well-known  theatrical  people  figure  in  the  list. 
Last  year  we  had  Henry  Irving  and  Maggie  Duggan, 
now  I  find  Loie  Fuller  ancTlNIrs.  Langtry. 

The  Major. 


TAKLIS!  What  is  Taklis? 

WHY  TAKLIS  IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK    HAT    RENOVATOR.      No  ironing 

required.    Unaffected  by  rain. 
Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  and  tube  ot  TAKLIS 

post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Greese  Street,  London,  W. 

BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDO" 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


BORD'S  PIANOS 

25  per  cent  discount  for  cash,  or 
14s.  6d.  per  month  (second-hand, 
10s.  Cd.  per  month)  on  the  three  years' 
hire  system.  Illustrated  Lists  free, 
of  Chas.  Stiles  &  Co.,  40  &  4-2,  South- 
ampton Row,  Holborn.London,  W.C. 
Pianos  exchanged. 


ATERBURY 

"WATCHES. 

SENT  TO  ANY  ADDRESS  ON 
RECEIPT  OF  PRICE 

MONEY  RETURNED  IF  NOT 
APPROVED 

WRITE  FOR  CATALOGUE. 

ALLAN  ROSS  &  CO., 

I  induct;  27,LuilyateHiU. 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "  Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


COUPON  TICKET 

SPECIALLY  GUARANTEED  BY  THE 

OCEAN  ACCIDENT  &  GUARANTEE 

CORPORATION, 

LIMITED, 

40,  42,  44,  MOOT.GATE  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C.  (to  whom  notice  of  claims,  under 
the  following  conditions,  must  be  sent  within  ten  days  of  the  accident  to  the 
above  address). 

The  following-  offer  is  not  restricted  to  one  claim,  but 

applies  to  any  number  of  individual  cases. 
The  Coupon,  which  must  be  signed,  can,  if  desired,  be 
cut  out  and  carried  in  the  pocket,  or  left  at  home. 

INSURANCE  TICKET 

Applicable  to  passenger  trains  in  the  United  Kingdom  and  the  Channel  islruids- 

/>..■  ued  under  Sutton  'Si  of  the  "  Ocean  Accident  and  Guarantee  Company,  LimUed, 
Act,"  1890. 

_p-i  r\AA  (One  Thousand  Pounds)  will  be  paid  by  the  above  Corporation  to 
X^X. \J  v \J  tho  legal  representative  of  any  person  killed  by  an  accident  to  the 
train  in  which  the  deceased  was  an  ordinary,  season,  or  excursion  ticket  bearing 
passenger,  or  a  railway  employee  travelling  in  an  ordinary  carriage  with  the 
Company's  pass,  and  not  on  duty;  provided  that  the-  said  sum  will  be  paid  to 
the  legal  representative  of  such  person  injured  should  death  result  from  such 
accident  within  three  calendar  months  thereafter  ;  or 
O  CAA  iFive  Hundred  Pounds)  will  be  paid  by  the  above  Corporation  to  the 
XtO\J\J  iegal  representative  of  any  such  person  losing  two  limbs  (both  arms 
or  both  legs,  or  one  of  each,  by  actual  separation  above  the  wrist  or  ankle),  or 
two  eyes,  or  one  limb  and  one  eve,  as  the  direct  result  of  such  accident ;  or 
jppcA  (Two  Hundrcdand  Fifty  Pounds',  will  be  paid  by  the  above  Corpora- 
<&&0\J  tion  to  the  legal  representative  of  any  such  person  losing  one  limb  or 
one  eve  as  the  direct  result  of  such  accident 

PROVIDED  in  each  case  that  tho  person  <=o  killed  or  injured  had  upon  his  or 
her  person  or  in  his  or  her  luggage,  or  h:  d  left  at  homo  this  coupon  with  his 
or  her  usual  signature,  written  in  ink  (  r  pencil  in  tho  space  provided  below, 
whicli  is  tho  essence  of  this  contract. 

This  insurance  extends  from  18  o'clocl:,  midday,  on  tho  Thursday  prcvlousto 
tin-  date  of  this  copv  of  TO-DAY  until  u  o'clock  p.m.  on  the  following  Thurs- 
day,  and  is  subject  to  tho  conditions  of  tho  "Ocean  Accident  and  Guarantee 
Company,  Limited,  Act,"  lsun,  Risks  Nos.  2,  3,  c  and  G. 

i  Tie  purchase  «./  this  publication  is  admut>  d  to  be  the  payment  oj  a  Premium  under 
See,  31  of  the  Act.  A  I'rint  of  the  Act  can  be  yeen  at  the  office  ot  this  Journal,  or  oj 
the  "aid  Corporation.  iVu  person  can  recover  on  more  than  one  Coupon  Ticket  in 
respect  of  the  same  risk. 


Signature* 


Dec.  29,  1894. 

SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Any  person  becoming  an  annual  subscriber  to 
TO-DAY  will  bo  INSURED  fur  ONE  YEAR.   For  particulars  seo  page  366. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 

FOUNDED  1871. 

THE  OCEAN 

Accident  and  Guarantee  Corporation, 


LIIVIITEID. 


SUBSCRIBED  CAPITAL— £255,000. 

Branches  of  Business  Transacted:  — 
ACCIDENT  INSURANCE  (in  all  its  Branches). 
FIDELITY    GUARANTEES    (Bonds    accepted    by  all 
departments  of  Government). 
BURGLARY,  SICKNESS,  MORTGAGE. 
APPLICATION  FOR  FULL  PROSPECTUS  IS  INVITED. 
AtiENTS  WANTED.    Apply  to 
RICHARD  J.  PAULL.  General  Manager  and  Secretary. 
Head  Office:  40  to  44,  MOORGATE  STREET,  LOXDOX. 

TTELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 

sending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  tovs,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc,  etc.,  to  the  ROT.  V.  Haslock,  wh» 
sells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  s.iles,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  (700J  in  numl»eri  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  Uniys.  Essex.  All  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  name  ami  address  of 
sender  are  iuside.  Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 


STANLEY  J.  WEYMAN'S  new  story,  "THE  RED 
COCKADE,"  a  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced 
in  the  next  number  (January  6,  1895)  of  "TO  DAY." 


December  29,  1894.  TO-DAY.  249 


CLARENCE. 

BY 

BRET  HARTE. 

illustrated  by  Arthur  Jule  Goodman. 


f 


PART  III. 
CHAPTER  II. 

Brant  returned  to  his  hotel 
there  was  an  augmented 
respect  in  the  voice  of 
the  clerk  as  he  handed 
him  a  note  with  the 
remark  that  it  had  been 
left  by  Senator  Boom- 
pointer's  coachman.  He 
had  no  difficulty  in 
recognising  Susy's  pecu- 
liarly Brobdingnagian 
6chool-ghi  hand. 
<  "Kla'uns,  I  call  it  real 
mean  !  I  believe  you  just 
hoped  I  wouldn't  know 
you.  If  you're  a  bit  like 
your  old  self  you'll  come 
right  off  here — this  very 
^  -  •  night !     I've  got  a  big 

•  party    on — but    we  can 

talk  somewhere  between  the  acts  !  Haven't  I  growed  ? 
Tell  me  !  And  my  !  what  a  gloomy  swell  the  young 
Brigadier  is  !  The  carriage  will  come  for  you — so  you 
have  no  excuse." 

The  effect  of  this  childish  note  upon  Brant  was 
strangely  out  of  proportion  to  its  triviality.  But  then 
it  was  Susy's  very  triviality — so  expressive  of  her  char- 
acteristic irresponsibility — which  had  always  affected  him 
at  such  moments.  Again,  as  at  Robles,  he  felt  it  react 
against  his  own  ethics.  Was  she  not  right  in  her  de- 
lightful materialism?  Was  she  not  happier  than  if  she 
had  been  consistently  true  to  Mrs.  Peyton,  to  the  con- 
vent, to  the  episode  of  her  theatrical  career,  to  Jim 
Hooker — even  to  himself  ?  And  did  he  conscientiously 
believe  that  Hooker  or  himself  had  suffered  from  her 
inconsistency 1  No!  From  all  that  he  had  heard,  she 
was  a  suitable  helpmate  to  the  Senator,  in  her  social 
attractiveness,  her  charming  ostentations,  her  engaging 
vanity  that  disarmed  suspicion,  and  her  lack  of  respon- 
sibility even  in  her  partisanship.  Nobody  ever  dared  to 
hold  the  Senator  responsible  for  her  promises,  even 
while  enjoying  the  fellowship  of  both,  and  it  is  said  that 
the  worthy  man  singularly  profited  by  it.  Looking  upon 
the  invitation  as  a  possible  distraction  to  his  gloomy 
thoughts,  Brant  resolved  to  go. 

The  moon  was  high  as  the  carriage  whirled  him  out  of 
the  still  stifling  avenues  towards  the  Soldiers'  Home — 
a  sylvan  suburb  frequented  by  Cabinet  Ministers  and 
the  President — where  the  good  Senator,  had  "  decreed," 
like  Kubla  Khan,  "a  stately  pleasure  dome"  to  enter- 
tain his  friends  and  partisans.  As  they  approached 
the  house,  the  trembling  light  like  fireflies  through  the 
leave?,  the  warm  silence  broken  only  by  a  military  band 
playing  a  drowsy  waltz  on  the  verandah,  and  the  heavy 
odours  of  jessamine  in  the  air,  thrilled  Brant  with  a 
sense  of  shame  as  he  thought  of  his  old  comrades  in 
the  field.  But  this  was  presently  dissipated  bv  the  uni- 
forms that  met  him  in  the  hall,  with  the  presence  of 
some  of  his  distinguished  superiors.  At  the  head  of 
the  stairs,  with  a  circling:  background  of  the  shining 
crosses  and  ribbons  of  the  Diplomatic  Corps,  stood  Susy 
— her  bare  arms  and  neck  glittering  with  diamonds,  her 
face  radiant  with  childlike  vivacity.  A  significant  pres- 
sure of  her  little  glove  as  he  made  his  bow  seemed  to  be 


his  only  welcome,  but  a  moment  later  she  caught  hia 
arm.  " You've  yet  to  know  him"  she  said  in  a  half 
whisper ;  "  he  thinks  a  good  deal  of  himself — just  like 
Jim.  But  he  makes  others  believe  it,  and  that's  where 
poor  Jim  slipped  up."  She  paused  before  the  man 
thus  characteristically  disposed  of,  and  presented  Brant. 
It  was  the  man  he  had  seen  before — material,  capable, 
dogmatic.  A  glance  from  his  shrewd  eyes — accustomed 
to  the  weighing  of  men's  weaknesses  and  ambitions — and 
a  few  hurried  phrases,  apparently  satisfied  him  that 
Brant  was  not  just  then  important  or  available  to  him, 
and  the  two  men,  a  moment  later,  drifted  easily  apart. 
Brant  sauntered  listlessly  through  the  crowded  rooms, 
half  remorsefully  conscious  that  he  had  taken  some 
irrevocable  step,  and  none  the  less  assured  by  the  pre- 
sence of  two'  or  three  reporters  and  correspondents,  who 
were  dogging  his  steps,  or  the  glance  of  two  or  three 
pretty  women  whose  curiosity  had  evidently  been 
aroused  by  the  singular  abstraction  of  this  handsome, 
distinguished,  but  sardonic-looking  officer.  But  the 
next  moment  he  was  genuinely  moved. 

A  tall  young  woman  had  just  glided  into  the  centre 
of  the  room  with  an  indolent  yet  supple  gracefulness 
that  seemed  familiar  to  him.  A  change  in  her  position 
suddenly  revealed  her  face.  It  was  Miss  Faulkner. 
Previously  he  had  known  her  only  in  the  riding  habit 
of  Confederate  grey  which  she  had  at  first  affected,  or 
in  the  light  muslin  morning  dress  she  had  worn  at  Grey 
Oaks.  It  seemed  to  him,  to-night,  that  the  studied 
elegance  of  her  full  dress  became  her  still  more ;  that 
the  pretty  wilfulness  of  her  chin  and  shoulders  was 
chastened  and  modified  by  the  pearls  round  her  fair 
throat.  Suddenly  their  eyes  met ;  her  face  paled  visi- 
bly ;  he  fancied  that  she  almost  leaned  against  her  com- 
panion for  support ;  then  she  met  his  glance  again  with 
a  face  into  which  the  colour  had  as  suddenly  rushed, 
but  with  eyes  that  seemed  to  be  appealing  to  him  even 
to  the  point  of  pain  and  fright.  Brant  was  not  con- 
ceited ;  he  could  see  that  the  girl's  agitation  was  not 
the  effect  of  any  mere  personal  influence  in  his  recog- 
nition, but  of  something  else.  He  turned  hastily  away; 
when  he  looked  around  again  she  was  gone. 

Nevertheless  he  felt  filled  with  a  vague  irritation. 
Bid  she  think  him  such  a  fool  as  to  imperil  her  safoty 
by  openly  recognising  her  without  her  consent?  Did  she 
think  that  he  would  dare  to  presume  upon  the  service 
she  had  done  him?  Or,  more  outrageous  thought — 
had  she  heard  of  his  disgrace,  known  its  cause,  and 
feared  that  he  would  drag  her  into  a  disclosure  to  save 
himself  ?  No — no — she  could  not  think  that !  She 
had  perhaps  regretted  what  she  had  done  in  a  freak  of 
girlish  chivalry  ;  she  had  returned  to  her  old  feelings 
and  partisanship  ;  she  was  only  startled  at  meeting  the 
single  witness  of  her  folly.  Well,  she  need  not  fear ! 
He  would  as  studiously  avoid  her  hereafter,  and  she 
should  know  it.  And  yet — yes,  there  was  a  "  yet."  For 
he  could  not  forget — indeed,  in  the  past  three  weeks 
it  had  been  more  often  before  him  than  he  cared  to 
think — that  she  was  the  one  human  being  who  had  been 
capable  of  a  great  act  of  self-sacrifice  for  him — her 
enemy,  her  accuser,  the  man  who  had  scarcely  treated 
her  civilly.  He  was  ashamed  to  remember  now  that 
this  thought  had  occurred  to  him  at  the  bedside  of  his 
wife — at  the  hour  of  her  escape- — even  on  the  fatal 
slope  ,  on  which  he  had  been  struck  down.  And  now 
this  fond  illusion  must  go  with  the  rest — the  girl  who 
had  served  him  so  loyally  was  ashamed  of  it !  A  bitter 
smile  crossed  his  face. 

"Well,  I  don't  wonder!  Here  are  all  the  women 
asking  me  who  is  that  good-looking  Mephistopheles,  with 
the  burning  eyes,  who  is  prowling  around  mv  rooms  as 
if  searching  for  a  victim.  Whv  you're  smiling  for  all 
the  world  like  poor  Jim  when  he  used  to  do  the  Red 
Avenger." 

Susy'svoice — and  illustration — recalled  him  to  himself. 


Copyright,  1S94,  by  Bret  Harle. 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1894. 


"Furious  I  may  be,"  lie  said  with  a  gentler  smile,  al- 
though his  eyes  still  glittered,  "furious  that  I  have 
to  wait  until  the  one  woman  I  came  to  see — the  one 
woman  I  have  not  seen  for  so  long,  while  these  puppets 
have  been  nightly  dancing  before  her — can  give  me  a 
few  moments  from  them,  to  talk  of  the  old  days." 

In  his  reaction  he  was  ouite  sincere,  although  he  felt 
a  slight  sense  of  remorse  as  he  saw  the  quick,  faint 
colour  rise,  as  in  those  old  days,  even  through  the  to- 
night's powder  of 
her  cheek. 

"  That's  like  the 
old  Kla'uns,"  she 
said,  with  a  slight 
pressure  of  his  arm, 
"  but  we  will  not 
have  a  chance  to 
speak  until  later. 
When  they  are 
nearly  all  gone, 
you'll  take  me  to 
get  a  little  refresh- 
ment, and  we'll 
have  a  chat  in  the 
conservatory.  But 
you  must  drop  that 
awfully  wicked  look 
and  make  yourself 
generally  agreeable 
to  those  women 
until  then." 

It  was,  perhaps, 
partof  this  reaction 
which  enabled  him 
to  obey  his  hostess' 
commands  with  a 
certain  recklessness 
that,  however, 
seemed  to  be  in 
keeping  with  the 
previous  Satanic 
reputation  he  had 
all  unconsciously 
achieved.  The 
women  listened  to 
the  cynical  flip- 
pancy of  this  good- 
looking  soldier  with 
an  undisguised  ad- 
miration which  in 
turn  excited  curio- 
sity and  envy  from 

his  own  sex.  He  saw  the  whispered  questioning,  the 
lifted  eyebrows,  scornful  shrugging  of  shoulders — and 
knew  that  the  story  of  his  disgrace  was  in  the  air.  But  I 
fear  this  only  excited  him  to  further  recklessness  and 
triumph.  Once  he  thought  he  recognised  Miss  Faulkner's 
figure  at  a  distance,  and  even  fancied  that  she  had  been 
watching  him — but  he  only  redoubled  his  attentions  to 
the  fair  woman  beside  him,  and  looked  no  more. 

Yet  he  was  glad  when  the  guests  began  to  drop  off, 
the  great  rooms  thinned,  and  Susy,  appearing  on  the 
arm  of  her  husband,  coquettishly  reminded  him  of  his 
promise. 

"For  I  want  to  talk  to  you  of  old  times.  General 
Brant,"  she  went  on,  turning  explanatorily  to  Boom- 
pointer,  "married  my  adopted. mother  in  California — at 
Robles,  a  dear  old  place  where  I  spent  my  earliest  years. 
So,  you  see,  we  are  sort  of  relations  by  marriage,"  she 
added,  with  delightful  naivete. 

Hooker's  own  vainglorious  allusion  to  his  relations  to 
the  man  before  him  flashed  across  Brant's  mind,  but  it 
left  now  only  a  smile  on  his  lips.  He  felt  he  had  already 
become  a  part  of  the  irresponsible  Comedy  played 
around  him.  Why  should  he  resist  or  examine  its  ethics 
too  closely?  He  offered  his  arm  to  Susy  as  they  de- 
scended the  stairs,  but,  instead  of  pausing  in  the  supper 


room,  she  simply  passed  through  it  with  a  significant 
pressure  on  his  arm,  and,  drawing  aside  a  musiin  cur- 
tain, stormed  into  the  moonlit  conservatory.  Behind 
the  curtain  there  was  a  small  rustic  settee;  without 
releasing  his  arm  she  sat  down,  so  that  when  he  dropped 
beside  her,  their  hands  met,  and  mutually  clasped. 
'Now,  Kla'uns,"  she  said,  with  a  slight,  comfortable 

it's  a  little  like 


shiver  as  she  nestled  beside  him 
your  chair  down  at   old  Bobles, 


AT  THE  HEAD  OF  THE  STAIRS  STOOD  SUS'i 


isn't  it — tell  me  ? 
And  to  think  it's 
five  years  ago  !  Bub 
Kla'uns,  what's  the 
matter?  You  are 
changed,"  she  said, 
looking  at  his  dark 
face  in  the  moon- 
light, "  or  you  have 
something  to  tell 
me." 

"  I  have." 

"And  it's  some- 
thing dreadful,  I 
know  ! "  she  said, 
wrinklingher  brows 
with  a  pretty  terror. 
"  Couldn't  you  pre- 
tend you  had  told  it 
to  me,  and  let  us  go 
on  just  the  same  ? 
Couldn't  you, 
Kla'uns?  Tell  me!" 
|  "I  am  afraid  I 
couldn't,"  he  said, 
with  a  sad  smile. 
|  "Is  it  about 
yourself,  Kla'uns  ? 
.  You  know,"  she 
went  on  with  cheer- 
ful rapidity,  "  I 
know  everything 
about  you — I  al- 
ways did,  you  know 
!  — and  I  don't  care, 
and  never  did  care, 
and  it  don't,  and 
never  did,  make 
the  slightest  differ- 
ence to  me.  So- 
don't  tell  it,  and 
waste  time, 
Kla'uns." 

"It's  not  about 


me,  but  about  my  wife  !  "  he  said,  slowly. 

Her  expression  changed  slightly. 

"Oh,  her."  she  said,  after  a  pause.  Then,  half- 
resignedly,  "  Go  on,  Kla'uns." 

He  Logan.  He  had  a  dozen  times  rehearsed  to  him- 
self his  miserable  stoiy,  always  feeling  it  keenly,  and 
even  fearing  that  he  might  be  carried  away  by  emotion 
cr  morbid  sentiment  in  telling  it  to  another.  But,  to  his 
astonishment,  he  found  himself  telling  it  practically, 
calmly,  almost  cynically,  to  his  old  playmate,  repressing 
the  half  devotion  and  even  tenderness  that  had  governed 
him,  from  the  tinu  that  his  wife,  disguised  as  the  mulatto 
woman,  had  secretly  watched  him  at  his  office,  to  the 
hour  that  he  had  passed  through  the  lines.  He  with- 
held only  the  incident  of  Miss  Faulkner's  complicity  and 
sacrifice. 

"  And  she  got  away,  after  having  kicked  you  out  of 
voftr  place,  Kla'uns  ? "  said  Susy,  when  he  had  ended. 

Clarence  stiffened  beside  her.  But  he  felt  he  had 
gone  too  far  to  quarrel  with  his  confidante. 

"  She  went  away.  I  honestly  believe  we  shall  never 
meet  again,  or  I  should  not  he  telling  you  this  ! " 

"Kla'uns,"  she  said,  lightly,  taking  his  hand  again. 
"  don't  you  believe  it !  She  won't  let  you  go.  You're  one 
of  those  men  that  a  woman,  when  she's  once  hooked  on  to. 


December  29,  1S04. 


TO-DAY. 


251 


won't  let  go  of,  even  when  she  believes  she  no  longer 
lo'ses  him,  or  meets  bigger  and  better  men.  I  reckon 
it's  because  you're  so  different  from  other  men; 
maybe,  there  are  so  many  different  things  about 
you  to  hook  on  to,  and  you  don't  slip  off 
as  easily  as  the  others.  Now,  if  you  were  like 
old  Peyton,  her  first  husband,  or  like  poor  Jim,  or 
even  my  Boompointer,  you'd  be  all  right !  No,  my 
boy,  all  we  can  do  is  try  to  keep  her  from  getting  at  you 
here.  I  reckon  she  won't  trust  herself  in  Washington 
again  in  a  hurry." 

';  But  I  cannot  stay  here ;  my  career  is  in  the  field." 

"Your  career  is  alongside  o'  me,  honey — and  Boom- 
pointer.  But  nearer  nie.  We'll  fix  all  that.  I  heard 
something  about  your  being  in  disgrace,  but  the  story  was 
that  you  were  sweet  on  some  Secesh  girl  down  there,  and' 
neglected  your  business,  Kla'uns.  But,  Lordy  !  to  think 
it  was  only  your  own  wife !  Never  mind ;  we'll 
straighten  that  out.  We've  had  worse  jobs  than  that 
on.  Why,  there  was  that  commissary  who'  was  buying 
up  dead  horses  at  one  end  of  the  field,  and  selling  them 
to  the  Government  for  mess  beef  at  the  other;  and  there 
was  that  General  who  wouldn't  make  an  attack  when  it 
rained ;  and  the  other  General — you  know  who  I  mean, 
Kla'uns — who  wouldn't  invade  the  State  where  his  sister 
lived  ;  but  we  straightened  them  out,  somehow,  and  they 
were  a  heap  worse  than  you.  We'll  get  you  a  position 
in  the  War  Department  here,  one  of  the  bureau  offices, 


where  you  keep  your  rank  and  your  uniform — you  don't, 
look  bad  in  it,  Kla'uns — on  better  pay.  And  you'lL 
come  and  see  me,  and  we'll  talk  over  old  times." 

Brant  felt  his  heart  turn  sick  within  him.  But  he  was* 
at  her  mercy  now  !    He  said,  with  an  effort — 

"  But  I've  told  you  that  my  career — nay,  my  life — 
now  is  in  the  field." 

"  Don't  you  be  a  fool,  Kla'uns,  and  leave  it  there ! 
you  have  done  your  work  of  fighting — mighty  good  fight- 
ing, too — and  everybody  knows  it.  You've  earned  a* 
change.    Let  others  take  your  place." 

He  shuddered,  as  he  remembered  that  his  wife  had 
made  the  same  appeal.  Was  he  a  fool,  then,  and  these 
two  women — -so  totally  unlike  in  everything — right  in 
this  ? 

'■'Come,  Kla'uns,"  said  Susy,  relapsing  again  against 
his  shoulder.  "  Now  talk  to  me  !  You  don't  say  what 
you  think  of  me,  of  my  home,  of  my  furniture,  of  my 
position — even  of  him  !    Tell  me  !  " 

"  I  find  you  well,  prosperous,  and  happy,"  he  said, 
with  a  faint  smile. 

"  Is  that  all  1    And  how  do  I  look  ?  " 

She  turned  her  still  youthful,  mischievous  face  lowarda. 
him  in  the  moonlight.  The  witchery  of  her  blue  eyes 
was  still  there  as  of  old,  the  same  frank  irresponsibility 
beamed  from  them  ;  her  parted  lips  seemed  to  give  him 
back  the  breath  of  his  youth.  He  started,  but  she  did 
not. 


THE    WITCHERY    OF    1IEK    ULVE    EYES    WAS    STILL    I  .IE  RE    AS    O'J  OLD. 


252 


TO-DAY. 


December  29,  1894. 


':  Susy,  dear  !  " 

It  was  her  husband's  voice. 

"  I  quite  forgot,"  the  Senator  went  on,  as  he  drew  the 
curtain  aside,  "  that  you  are  engaged  with  a  friend ;  but 
Miss  Fattikner  is  waiting  to  say  '  Good-night !'  and  I 
voluteered  to  find  you." 

"  Tell  her  to  wait  a  moment, "  said  Susy,  with  an  im- 
patience that  was  as  undisguised  as  it  was  without  em- 
barrassment or  confusion. 

But  Miss  Faulkner,  unconsciously  following  Mr.  Boom- 
pcinter,  was  already  upon  them.  For  a  moment  the 
whole  four  were  silent,  although  perfectly  composed. 
Senator  Boompointer,  unconscious  of  any  infelicity  in 
his  interruption,  was  calmly  waiting.  Clarence,  op- 
posed suddenly  to  the  young  girl,  whom,  he  believed,  was 
avoiding  his  recognition,  rose1,  coldly  imperturbable. 
Miss  Faulkner,  looking  taller  and  more  erect  in  the  long 
folds  of  her  satin  cloak,  neither  paled  nor  blushed,  as  she 
regarded  Susy  and  Brant  with  a  smile  of  well-bred 
apology. 

"  I  expect  to  leave  Washington  to-morrow,  and  may 
not  be  able  to*  call  again,"  she  said,  "  or  I  would  not  have 
so  particularly  pressed  a  leave-taking  upon  you." 

"  I  was  talking  with  my  old  friend,  General  Brant," 
said  Susy,  more  by  way  of  introduction  than  apology. 

Brant  bowed.  For  an  instant  the  clear  eyes  of  Miss 
Faulkner  slipped  icily  across  his  as  she  made  him  an  old- 
fashioned  Southern  curtesy,  and,  taking  Susy's  arm,  she 
left  the  room.  Brant  did  not  linger,  but  took  leave  of 
his  host  almost  in  the  same  breath.  At  the  front  door 
a  well-appointed  carriage  of  one  of  the  Legations  had 
just  rolled  into  waiting.  He  looked  back  ;  he  saw  Miss 
Faulkner,  erect  and  looking  like  a  bride  in  her  gauzy 
draperies,  descending  the  stairs  before  the  waiting  ser- 
vants. He  felt  his  heart  beat  strangely.  He  hesitated, 
recalled  himself  with  an  effort,  hurriedly  stepped  from 
the  porch  into  the  path,  as  he  heard  the  carriage  door 
close  behind  him  in  the  distance,  and  then  felt  the  dust 
from  her  norse's  hoofs  rise  around  him  as  she  drove  past 
him  and  away. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Although  Brant  was  convinced  as  soon  as  he  left  the 
house  that  he  could  not  accept  anything  from  the  Boom- 
pointer  influence,  and  that  his  interview  with  Susy  was 
fruitless,  he  knew  that  he  must  temporise.  While  he 
did  not  believe  that  his  old  playmate  would  willingly 
betray  him,  he  was  uneasy  when  he  thought  of  the  vanity 
and  impulsiveness  which  might  compromise  him — or 
of  a  possible  jealousy  that  might  seek  revenge.  Yet  he 
had  no  reason  to  believe  that  Susy's  nature  was  jealous, 
or  that  she  was  likely  to  have  any  cause  ;  but  the  fact 
remained  that  Miss  Faulkner's  innocent  intrusion  upon 
their  tete-htete  affected  him  more  strongly  than 
anything  else  in  his  interview  with  Susy.  Once  out  of 
the  atmosphere  of  that  house,  it  struck  him,  too,  that 
Miss  Faulkner  was  almost  as  much  of  an  alien  in  it  as 
himself.  He  wondered  what  she  had  been  doing  there. 
Could  it  be  possible  that  she  was  obtaining  information 
for  the  South?  But  he  rejected  the  idea  as  quickly  as 
it  had  occurred  to  him.  Perhaps  there  could  be  no 
stronger  proof  of  the  unconscious  influence  the  young 
girl  already  had  over  him. 

He  remembered  the  liveries  of  the  Diplomatic  car- 
riage that  had  borne  her  awav,  and  ascertained  without 
difficulty  that  her  sister  had  married  one  of  the  foreign 
Ministers,  and  that  she  was  a  guest  in  his  house.  But 
he  was  the  more  astonished  to  hear  that  she  nnd  he*- 
sister  were  considered  to  be  Southern  Unionists — and 
were  greatly  petted  in  Governmental  circles  for  their 
sacrificing  fidelity  to  the  flag.  His  informant,  an  official 
in  the  State  Department,  added  that  Miss  Matilda  might 
have  been  a  jrood  deal  of  a  madcap  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  war — for  the  sisters  had  a.  brother  in  the  Confederate 
Service — but  that  she  had  changed  greatly,  and  indeed 
within  a  month.  "For,"  he  added,  "she  was  at  the 
White  House  for  the  first  time  last  week,  and  thev  riv  the 
President  talked  more  to  her  than  anv  other  woman." 


The  indescribable  sensation  with  which  this  simple 
information  filled  Brant,  startled  him  more  than  the 
news  itself.  Hope,  joy,  fear,  distrust  and  despair  alter- 
nat  *Jydistracted  him.  He  recalled  Miss  Faulkner's  almost 
agonising  glance  of  appeal  to  him  in  the  drawing-room 
at  Susy's,  and  it  seemed  to  be  equally  consistent  with 
the  truth  of  what  he  had  just  heard — or  some  monstrous 
tieaehery  and  deceit  of  which  she  might  be  capable. 
Even  now  she  might  be  a  secret  emissary  of  some  spy 
within  the  President's  family ;  she  might  have  been  in 
correspondence  with  some  traitor  in  the  Boompointer 
clique,  and  her  imploring  glance  only  the  result  of  a 
fear  of  exposure.  Or,  again,  she  might  have  truly 
recanted  after  her  escapade  at  Grey  Oaks,  and  feared 
only  his  recollection  of  her  as  go-between  of  spies.  And 
yet  both  of  these  presumptions  were  inconsistent  with 
her  conduct  in  the  conservatory.  It  seemed  impossible 
that  this  impulsive  woman,  capable  of  doing  what  he 
had  himself  known  her  to  do,  and  equally  sensitive  to 
the  shame  or  joy  of  such  impulses,  should  be  the  same 
conventional  woman  of  society,  who  had  so  coldly  recog- 
nised and  parted  from  him. 

But  this  interval  of  doubt  was  transitory.  The  next 
day  he  received  a  despatch  from  the  War  Department, 
ordering  him  to  report  himself  for  duty  at  once.  With 
a  beating  heart  he  hurried  to  the  Secretary.  But  that 
official  had  merely  left  a  memorandum  with  his  assist- 
ant directing  General  Brant  to  accompany  some  fresh 
levies  to  a  camp  of  occupation  near  the  Front  for 
"  organisation."  Brant  felt  a  chill  of  disappointment. 
Duties  of  this  kind  had  been  left  to  dubious  regular 
army  veterans,  hurriedly  displaced  general  officers,  and 
favoured  detrimentals.  But  if  it  was  not  restoration, 
it  was  no  longer  inaction,  and  it  was  at  least  a  release 
from  Washington. 

It  was  also  evidently  the  result  of  some  influence — 
but  hardly  that  of  the  Boompointers,  for  he  knew  that 
Susy  wished  to  keep  him  at  the  Capital.  Was  there 
another  power  at  work  to  send  him  away  from  Wash- 
ington? His  previous  doubts  returned.  Nor  were  they 
dissipated  when  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  placed  a  letter 
before  him  with  the  remark  that  it  had  been  entrusted 
to  him  by  a  lady  with  the  request  that  it  should  be 
delivered  only  into  his  own  hands. 

"  She  did  not  know  your  hotel  address,  but  ascer- 
tained you  were  to  call  here.  She  said  it  was  of  some 
importance.  There  is  no  mystery  about  it,  General." 
continued  the  official  with  a  mischievous  glance  at 
Brant's  handsome,  perplexed  face,  "  although  it's  from  a 
very  pretty  woman- — whom  we  all  know." 

"Mrs.  Boompointer?"  suggested  Brant  with  affected 
lightness. 

It  was  a  maladroit  speech.  The  official's  face 
darkened. 

"  We  have  not  yet  become  a  Postal  Department  for 
the  Boompointers,  General,"  he  said  drily,  "however 
great  their  influence  elsewhere.  If  was  from  rather  a 
different  style  of  woman — Miss  Faulkner.  You  will 
receive  your  papers  later  at  your  hotel,  and  leave  to- 
night." 

Brant's  unluckv  slip  was  still  potent  enough  to  divert 
the  official  attention,  or  he  would  have  noticed  the 
change  in  his  visitor's  face,  and  the  abruptness  of  his 
ceparture. 

Once  in  the  street.  Brant  tore  off  the  envelope.  But 
beneath  it  was  another,  on  which  was  written  in  a  deli- 
cate, refined  hand: "Please  do  not  open  this  until  you 
reach  your  destination." 

Then  she  knew  he  was  going !  And  perhaps  this  was 
her  influence?  All  his  suspicions  again  returned.  She 
knew  he  was  going  near  the  lines,  and  his  very  appoint- 
ment, through  her  power,  might  be  a  plot  to  serve  her 
and  the  enemv  !  Was  this  letter,  which  she  was  entrust- 
ing to  him,  the  cover  of  some  missive  to  her  Southern 
friends  which  she  expected  him  to  carry — perhaps  as  a 
return  for  her  own  act  of  self-sacrifice?  Was  this  the 
appeal  she  had  been  making  to  his  chivalry,  his  crrati- 
tude,  his  honour?    The  perspiration  stood  in  beads  on 


December  29,  1894. 


TO-DAY. 


253 


his  forehead.  What  delect  lay  hidden  in  his  nature 
that  seemed  to  make  him  an  easy  victim  of  these  in- 
triguing women?  He  had  not  even  the  excuse  of  gal- 
lantry; less  susceptible  to  the  potencies  of  the  sex 
Man  most  men,  he  was  still  compelled  to  bear  that  re- 
putation. He  remembered  his  coldness  to  Miss  Faulk- 
ner in  the  first  days  of  their  meeting,  and  her  effect 
upon  his  subalterns.  Why  had  she  selected  him  from 
among  them — when  she  could  have  modelled  the  others 
like  wax  to  her  purposes?  Why?  And  yet  with  the 
question  came  a  possible  answer  that  he  hardly  dared  to 
think  of — that  in  its  very  vagueness  seemed  to  fill  him 
with  a  stimulating  thrill  and  hopefulness.  He  quickened 
his  pace.  He  would  take  the  letter,  and  yet  be  master 
of  himself  when  the  time  came  to  open  it. 

That  time  came  three  days  later,  in  his  tent  at  Thr.?a 
Pines  Crossing.  As  he  broke  open  the  envelope,  he  was 
relieved  to  find  that  it  contained  no  other  enclosure, 
and  seemed  intended  only  for  himself.  It  began 
abruptly:  — 

"  When  you  read  this,  you  will  understand  why  I  did 
not  speak  to  you  when  we  met  last  night ;  why  I  even 
dreaded  that  you  might  speak  to  me,  knowing,  as  I  did, 
what  I  ought  to  tell  you  at  that  place  and  moment- 
something  you  could  only  know  from  me.  I  did 
not  know  you  were  in  Washington,  although  I  knew  you 
were  relieved ;  I  had  no  way  of  seeing  you  or  sending 
to  you  before,  and  I  only  came  to  Mrs.  Boompointer's 
party  in  the  hope  of  hearing  news  of  you. 

"You  know  that  my  brother  was  captured  by  your 
pickets  in  company  with  another  officer.  He  thinks  you 
suspected  the  truth— that  he  and  his  friend  were  hover- 
ing near  vour  lines  to  effect  the  escape  of  the  spy.  But 
he  says  that,  although  they  failed  to  help  her,  she  did 
escape,  or  was  passed  through  the  lines  by  your  con- 
nivance. He  says  that  you  seemed  to  know  her,  that 
frcm  what  Rose — the  mulatto  woman — told  him,  you  and 
she  were  evidently  old  friends.  I  would  not  speak  of 
this,  nor  intrude  upon  your  private  affairs,  only  that  I 
think  you  ought  to  know  that  /  had  no  knowledge  of  it 
when  I  was  in  your  house,  but  believed  her  to  be  a 
stranger  to  you.  You  gave  me  no  intimation  that  you 
knew  her,  and  I  believed  that  you  were  frank  with  me. 
But  I  should  not  speak  of  this  at  all — for  I  believe  that 
it  would  have  made  no  difference  to  me  in  repairing  the 
wrong  that  I  thought  I  had  done  you — only  that,  as  I 
am  forced  by  circumstances  to  tell  you  the  terrible 
ending  of  this  story,  you  ought  to  know  it  all. 

''  Mv  brother  wrote  to  me  that  the  evening  after  you 
left,  the  burying  party  picked  up  the  body  of  what  thev 
believed  to  be  a  mulatto  woman  lying  on  the  slope.  Tt 
was  not,  Rose,  but  the  body  of  the  very  woman — the  real 
and  only  spy — whom  you  had  passed  through  the  line<». 
She  was  accidently  killed  by  the  Confederates  in  the  first 
attack  upon  you,  at  daybreak.  But  only  my  brother  and 
hisfriend  recognised  he™  through  her  blackened  face  an  1 
disguise,  and  on  the  plea  that  she  was  a  servant  of  one 


of  their  friends,  they  got  permission  from  the  Division. 
Commander  to  take  her  away,  and  she  was  buried  by 
her  friends  and  among  her  people  in  the  little  cemetery 
of  Three  Pines  Crossing,  not  far  from  where  you  have- 
gone.  My  brother  thought  that /ought  to  tell  you  this  : 
it  seems  that  he  and  his  friend  had  a  strange  sympathy 
for  you  in  what  they  appear  to  know  or  guess  of  your 
relations  with  that  woman,  and  I  think  he  was  touched 
by  what  he  thought  was  your  kindness  and  chivalry  to 
him  on  account  of  his  sister.  But  I  do  not  think  he  ever 
knew,  or  will  know,  how  great  is  the  task  that  he  has 
imposed  upon  me, 

"  You  know  now,  do  you  not,  why  I  did  not  speak  to 
you  when  we  first  met ;  it  seemed  so  impossible  to  do  it 
in  an  atmosphere  and  a  festivity  that  was  so  incongruous 
with  the  dreadful  message  I  was  charged  with.  And  when 
I  had  to  meet  you  later — perhaps  I  may  have  wronged 
you — but  it  seemed  to  me  that  you  were  so  pre-occv/ned 
and  interested  tvith  other  tilings,  that  I  might  perhaps 
only  be  wearying  you  with  something  you  cared  little 
Jor,  or  perhaps  already  knew  and  had  quickly  forgotten. 

"  I  had  been  wanting  to  say  something  else  to  you 
when  I  had  got  rid  of  my  dreadful  message.  I  do  not 
know  if  you  still  care  to  hear  it.  But  you  were  once 
generous  enough  to  think  that  I  had  done  you  a  service 
in  bringing  a  letter  to  your  Commander.  Although  / 
know  better  than  anyone  else  the  genuine  devotion  to 
your  duty  that  made  you  accept  my  poor  service,  from 
all  that  I  can  hear,  you  have  never  had  the  credit  of  it. 
Will  you  not  try  me  again?  I  am  more  in  favour  here, 
and  I  might  yet  be  more  successful  in  showing  your 
superiors  how  true  you  have  been  to  your  trust,  even 
if  you  have  little  faith  in  your  friend,  Matilda  Faulk- 
ner." 

For  a  long  time  he  remained  motionless,  with  the 
letter  in  his  hand.  Then  he  arose,  ordered  his  horse, 
and  galloped  away. 

There  was  little  difficulty  in  finding  the  cemetery  of 
Three  Pines  Crossing — a  hillside  slope,  hearsed  with  pine 
and  cvpress,  and  starred  with  white  crosses,  that  in  the 
distance  looked  like  flowers.  Still  less  was  there  in  find- 
ing the  newer  marble  shaft  among  the  older  lichen- 
spotted  slabs,  which  bore  the  simple  words:  "Alice 
Benham,  Martyr."  A  few  Confederate  soldiers,  under 
still  plainer  and  newer  wooden  headstones,  carved  onhr 
with  initials,  lay  at  her  feet.  Brant  sank  on  his  knees 
beside  the  grave,  but  he  was  shocked  to  see  that  the  base 
of  the  marble  was  stained  with  the  red  pollen  of  the  fate- 
ful lily,  whose  blossoms  had  been  heaped  upon  her 
mound,  but  whose  fallen  petals  lay  dark  and  sodden  in 
decav. 

How  long  he  remained  there  he  did  not  know.  And 
then  a  solitary  bugle  from  the  camp  seemed  to  summon 
him,  as  it  had  once  before  summoned  him,  and  he  went 
away — as  he  had  gone  before — to  a  separation  that 
he  no-'  knew  was  for  all  time. 

(To  be  concluded.) 


COLOURED  DOCTORS  IN  AMERICA. 


At  the  last  examination  for  the  post  of  house-physi- 
cian to  the  Indianopolis  Hospital,  the  candidate  who 
defeated  all  his  competitors  and  gained  the  appointment 
was  a  negro,  pur  sang ;  but  so  deeply  rooted  are  the  pre- 
judices against  his  race  in  the  United  States  that  the 
unfortunate  man's  position  is  well-nigh  untenable.  All 
the  paying  patients  at  once  left  the  establishment,  and 
the  non-payers,  who  are  obliged  to  remain,  are  loud  in 
their  protests  against  the  insult  they  are  subjected  to 
in  being  placed  under  a  black  doctor.  The  general  feel- 
ing in  the  district  is  well  expressed  in  the  following  ex- 
trace  from  a  letter  to  a  local  paper  :  — 

"  The  worst  of  it  is  that,  according  to  the  standing  re- 


gulations, in  four  months'  time  this  young  man  will  be 
charged  with  the  management  of  the  obstetrical  de- 
partment of  the  hospital ;  and  white  women,  for  no  other 
crime  than  poverty,  will  be  subjected  to  the  unspeakable 
degradation  of  having  to  bring  innocent  children  into 
the  world  through  the  instrumentality  of  this  descendant 
of  liam." 

A  generation  since  the  Northerners  poured  forth  their 
blood  like  water  in  internecine  war  on  behalf  of  the 
cause  of  the  negro ;  was  he  not-  a  man  and  a  brother  ? 
And  yet  here  we  have  their  sons  boycotting  the  coloured 
race  with  unexampled  virulence. 


STANLEY  J.  WEYMAN'S  new  story,  "THE  RED 
COCKADE,"  a  Story  of  the  French  Revolution,  will  be  commenced 
in  the  next  number  (January  5,  1895)  of  "TO  DAY." 


TO-DAY.  DK3BMEBU  29,  1394. 


THE  CITY  AT  FOURO'CLOCK. 

BY 

W.    PETT  RIDGE. 

Illustrated  by  Hal  Hurst. 


'Tea  rooms  inCity,  four  p.m.  Every  chair  at  every  marble 
table  occupied ;  figures  of  occupants  multiplied  by 
mirrors  to  a  toted  that  cannot  be  counted.  White 
pinafored  tvaitresses  flush  uith  exertion  ;  superior 
person  at  counter  cuts  scones  and  takes  the  cake. 
Young  men  ivho  are  in  hurry  to  become  Lord 
Mayors  drink  tea  s iv if tly  and  silently;  those  who 
arh  not,  talk. 

Joyous  Youth.  Cup  of  tea  and  a  roll,  dearest.  {Turns 
•to  companion).  Regular  swell  of  a  dance  I  tell  you. 
Good  people  there,  too.    Why,  there  was  me  and  • 

Second  Youth  (languidly).  Nice  girls  ? 

Joyous  Youth  (with  ecstacy).  My  boy  !  "Were  there 
■any  nice  girls?  Why,  I  never  saw  such  a  lot  of  rattlers 
in  all  my  born  days.  There  was  one  girl  there  who  was 
simply — well,  Al. 

Second  Youth  (with  blase  air).  Good-looking  Tottie  ? 

Joyous  Youth.  Abso- 
lutely lovely,  my  boy.  I 
tell  you  she  even  knocked 
•me  silly.  I  haven't  felt 
such  a  fool  for  years  and 
years.  She  said  she  liked 
my  dress  tie  very  much. 

Second    Youth.  Oh, 
•only  your  dress  tie. 

Joyous  Youth.  One 
thing  made  me  awfully 
mad,  though.  I  had  her 
name  on  my  card  for  the 
barn  dance,  and  so  I  went 
up  to  her,  and  I  tapped 
her  on  the  shoulder,  and 
said,  "  This  is  our  little 
trot  round,  I  think."  And 
■she  looked  up  and  she  said, 
"  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry." 

Second  Youth.  Rough 
•on  you,  old  chap. 

Joyous  Youth.  Not  at 
all ;  not  at  all.  Nothing 
■of  the  kind.  She  was  sorry 
because  she  had  promised 
to  go  down  to  supper  just 
then  with  her  cousin, 
Legal  Johnny.  What 
annoyed  me  was  that  she 
stuck  to  him  all  the  rest  of 
the  evening.    I  was  mad. 

Second  Youth  (pen- 
sively). Girls  are  a  rum  lot 

Joyous  Youth.  Never 


"Oil,  I  AM  SO  SORRY  !" 


know  how  to  take  them,  do 


you  ?    How  are  you  getting  on  with  your  little  affair  ? 

Second  Youth  (crossly).  Oh,  I  don't  know.  (Confi- 
dentially) To  tell  the  truth,  I'm  getting  the  hump  of  it. 
What  d'you  think  the  latest  is  1 

Joyous  Youth.  Heaven  knows  ! 

Second  Youth  (bitterly).  So  do  I  !  She  wants  me  to 
look  out  for  a  house. 

Joyous  Youth.  Well,  I'm  hanged  ! 

Second  Youth.  Says  I  ought  to  save,  too. 

Joyous  Youth.  Cheek  ! 

Second  Youth.  Why,  you  can't  take  your  girl  out 
•without  it  costing  money,  can  you  ?  Look  at  me.  We 
■went  the  other  night  to  the  South  Kensington  Museum. 
That  sounds  like  a  cheap  outing,  doesn't  it?  Very 
■well,  then.  We  go  into  the  refreshment-room  ;  she 
has  a  cup  of  coffee — I  have  a  drink  and  a  cigar  to 
einoke  outside.    (Gesture  of  despair.)    One  and  three! 


I  tell  you,  when  you're  engaged  it's  pay  out — pay  out- 
pay  out  all  the  blessed  time. 

*  *  *  •* 

(Senior  Cleric,  of  much  importance,  seats  himself  at  next 
table,  beside  a  junior.    Junior  anxiously  boivs.) 

Senior  (with  elephantine  buoyancy).  Ah,  Mr.  Wake- 
ley  !  (Junior  bows  again.)  Taking  a  cup  of  the  bever- 
age that — er — cheers  but  does  not  inebriate  ?    Eh  ? 

Junior.  Yes,  sir.  ( With  diffidence.)  Extraordinary 
weather  this  afternoon  ? 

Senior.  Er — yes.  Yes. 

Junior  (with  increasing  courage).  I  see  the  papers 

say  

Senior  (impressively).  I  pay  no  attention  to  what  the 
papers  say ;  I  know  too  much  of  the  world. 

Junior.  But  I  suppose,  sir,  one  ought  not  to  disbelieve 
everything  one  sees  in  print. 

Senior  (mysteriously).  I'm  not  so  sure  about  that.  If 
you  only  knew  the  kind  of  men  who  write  these  things, 
you — well,  it's  a  queer  business  altogether.  I  should  be 
ve-ry  sorry  to  see  a  son  of  mine  get  mixed  up  with 
authors  and  writers  and  (vaguely)  what  not.  I  like  to 
see  a  man  work  for  his  living.  Why,  I  often  take  up  a 
book  at  home — my  girls  belong  to  Mudie's — take  it  up 
in  the  evening  just  to  pass  the  time.    Very  well.  What 

do  I  find  ?  (Stirs  tea 
and  pauses.  Junior, 
fearful  of  being  caught, 
does  not  venture  to  reply.) 
I  find  there,  sir  (sips 
tea) — I  find  there  a  lot 
of  nonsense  about  a  lot 
of  people,  who  in  all 
probability  never 
existed.  The  leaves  of 
a  book  are  of  no  more 
interest  to  me  (looks 
round  as  though  for 
illustration)  than — er — 
the  leaves  of  a  tree. 
( Chuckles.  JvsiORsmiles 
generously.)  Now  that's 
not  half  a  bad  way  of 
putting  it,  is  it?  (Drinks 
Ids  own  health.) 

Junior  (with  enthu- 
siasm). I  think  it's 
capital,  sir.  Capital  ! 
I've  never  heard  it  put 
that  way  before.  Leaves 
of  a  book  and  leaves 
of  a  tree.  That's  good 
enough  for  one  of  the 
comics. 

Senior  (modestly). 
Oh,  I  often  find  myself 
putting  things  rather 
aptly. 

Junior  (persistently).  You  ought  to  put  them  down  in 
black  and  white,  sir.  I've  seen  worse  than  that  in  Punch 

(Repeats  phrase  softly  to  himself  and  laughs  again.) 

Senior.  Not  married,  are  you,  Mr.  Wakeley  ? 

Junior.  Not  yet,  sir.    Thinking  about  it. 

Senior  (benevolently).  Let  me  see,  what  is  your 
screw  ? 

(Junior  mentions  a  sum  that  is  really  not  a  screic,  but 
only  a  tin  lack.) 

Senior.  Ah,  well.  We  must  see  if  the  firm  will  do 
something  for  you,  Mr.  Wakeley.  I  must  be  oil*  now. 
Gee  back  sha  rp  to  your  work. 

Junior. -Yes,  sir,  thank  you.  And  I  shan't  forget  that 
capital  joke  of  yours  about  the  leaves. 

Senior  (delimited).    Oh,  nonsense,  nonsense. 
(Goes.  Junior  looks  at  mirror  a >id  /rinks  at  himself ' t trice 
congratulating/ y.    Two  Youthful  Blades  enter.) 

First  Blade.  The  biggest  old  beano — two  coffees, 
sweetest — biggest  old  beano  /  was  ever  mixed  up  in,  in 


December  29,  1S94. 


TO-DAY. 


255 


was  there,  and  Banks  can 

lly).  Banks  is  a  treat, 
lanager  comes  to  the  door  of 


"two  coffees,  sweetest. 


lly  his  way.  We're  none  of 
k  and  rise.) 

on  Damsel  behind  counter). 
sar. 

uiiUeur).  I  beg  your  pardon. 


First  Blade.  Shan't  give  it  to  you.  Where  did  that 
flower  come  from  ? 

Superior  Damsel  (coldly).  I  assume  that  it  came 
from  a  garden. 

Second  Blade.  She  had 
you  there,  old  man  ;  she  had 
you.  (Superior  Damsel 
relents  at  tidings  of  victory. 
Second  Blade  takes  the  attack 
in  hand.)  We've  been  hav- 
ing an  argument  about  you, 
Miss. 

SuperiorDamsel.  Indeed! 
Second  Blade.  I  say  that 
I  think  you  belong  to  the 
Montmorency  family  of 
Yorkshire.  There  used  to 
be  two  or  three  rather  fine 
daughters  at  the  old  manor, 
and — ■ — 

Superior  Damsel.  Well, 
P\  J.  ^.•^^P'      must  <>f   in v    people  come 

\W  from— 

Second  Blade.  And  he 
says  that  he  thinks  you  be- 
long to  the  family  of  Smith 
in  the  Walworth  Road. 

Superior  Damsel  (very 
annoyed).  Oh,  go  along  with 
your  impudence. 

(They  (jo  along  with  their 
impudence.    Others  yo  too.) 
Superior  Damsel  (to  hare-armed  menial  washing  cups) 
Mary,  get  on  with  your  work  there. 

Mary.  Ain't  I  a'getting  on  with  me  work  'ere  1 
Superior  Damsel  (unsatisfied).  Well,  then  leave  off 
and  come  here  this  minute  and  clean  the  counter. 

Mary  (sotlo  voce).  It's  a  mystery  to  me  why  some 
people  was  ever  born. 


all  my  born  days.  Banks 
shift  the  liquor,  mind  you. 

Second  Blade  (approving 

First  Blade.  Well,  the  m 
the  box,  and  he  says, 
"  I  hope  you  gentlemen 
won't  make  too  much 
noise,"  and  Banks — you 
know  his  style  

Second  Blade.  Ra-tf/ief. 

First  Blade.  Banks 
says,  "It's  a'right,  old 
chap.  We're  not  gen'le- 
nien,  we're  only  just 
or'nary  chaps  like — hie — 
yourself.  What  goin- 
tave  ? "  And  then  the 
manager  got  raw.  "What 
am  I  going  to  have  ? '' 
he  says.  "  Why,  I'm 
goiag  to  have  you  turned 
out."  And  I'm  blessed 
if  he  didn't,  too.  And 
Banks  lost  his  hat,  and 
■ — oh,  it  was  great,  my 
boy,  great.  Warm 
member,  Banks. 

Second  Blade.  Warm 
as  they  make  'em.  (Hesi- 
tatingly) He's  a  bit  too 
handy  with  his  walking- 
stick  sometimes,  when 
he's  a  trifle  on. 

First  Blade.  Oh,  it's  or 
us  perfect. 

(They  finis) 
First  Blade  (to  Superk 
Sophonisba ;  Sophonisba,  de 
Superior  Damsel  (with  h 


FRANK    L.    STANTON:  THE 
AMERICAN  POET. 


Of  Frank  L.  Stanton,  whose  work  has  been  reprinted 
in  our  pages  for  the  past  twelve  months,  the  Phila- 
delphia Press  gives  this  biographical  sketch: — Having 
lost  his  father  at  a  very  early  age,  Frank  Stanton  spent 
the  three  years  of  his  life  from  nine  to  twelve  in  sawing 
wood  for  a  living.  From  then  on  for  a  number  of  years 
he  worked  in  the  fields  under  the  hot  Southern  sun,  gaining 
1  is  knowledge  of  books  from  his  voracious  application  to 
them  after  the  sun  had  gone  down  on  his  field  of  daily 
labour.  It  is  to  this  period  of  his  life  that  the  poet 
has  recourse  for  the  materials  of  his  "  Songs  of  the  Soil," 
but  it  is  to  the  mellowing,  idealising  intervention  of 
years  that  the  inspiration  is  due.  As  he  himself  says, 
a  man  who  is  in  daily  contact  with  a  plough  doesn't 
wax  poetical  on  the  subject.  When  about  nine  years 
old  the  poet  was  for  a  little  while  office  "  imp  "  on  the  Sa- 
vannah Morning  Nevus,  and  while  there  it  was  part  of 
his  duty  to  sweep  the  office  of  a  slim  young  news  re- 
porter, by  the  name  of  Joel  Chandler  Harris.  Uncle 
Remus  had  not  then  been  born  into  the  world  of  stories, 
and  Mr.  Harris  was  employing  his  spare  moments  in 
writing  verses.  From  the  News  office  their  paths  led 
apart,  and  each  passed  out  of  the  other's  memory  till 
very  recent  years  brought  them  together  again. 

From  farm  labour  Mr.  Stanton  went  into  the  news- 
paper office,  drifting  about  through  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  as  a  typesetter  and  printer,  all  the  time  scat- 
tering his  verses  like  flowers  along  the  way.  A  good 
Providence  kept  the  youth  in  the  fields  till  his  heart 
was  bound  to  Nature,  and  thence  led  him  into  cir- 
cumstances where  he  might  pour  out  on  the  hearts  of 


men  the  sunshine  that  had  been  garnered  in  his  own. 
From  printer  and  contributor,  he  became  an  editor. 
And  while  at  the  head  of  a  little  paper  called  the  Hmttk 
ville  News  he  received  a  letter  from  Joel  Chandler  Harris 
asking  for  poetical  contributions  to  the  Constitution 
Little  did  Mr.  Harris  suspect  that  the  verses  which  were 
charming  people  far  and  near  were  from  the  pen  of  the 
little  black-eyed  chap  who  had  played  the  "devil"  in 
his  office  in  Savannah. 

In  a  short  time  came  the  offer  of  a  reportorial  posi- 
tion on  the  Constitution,  from  Henry  W.  Grady.  This 
Mr.  Stanton  declined,  and  it  was  not  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Grady  that  he  accepted,  through  the  influence  of 
Mr.  Harris,  an  editorial  position  on  that  paper.  From 
then  on  his  popularity  has  been  on  the  increase,  till  he 
is  known  and  read  in  two  hemispheres.  Though  our 
poet  is  by  no  means  without  honour  in  his  own  country, 
it  is  from  distant  places  that  the  most  flattering  testi- 
monials come.  In  Paris  his  genius  has  been  recognised 
and  complimented,  while  in  England  he  has  made  a  place 
for  himself  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  At  a  recent 
meeting  of  London  authors,  Mr.  Stanton's  little  ballad, 
'  Clarisse,"  was  read.  Those  who  know  the  gem  can 
appreciate  the  reception  it  received.  When,  in  reply 
to  a  question,  the  name  of  the  author  was  given,  one  of 
the  number  exclaimed  enthusiastically:  "Well,  he  has 
beaten  Dobson  on  his  own  grounds  ! " 

During  the  Columbian  Fair,  Mr.  Stanton  was  once 
the  honoured  guest  at  the  Forty  Club  in  Chicago,  and 
received  quite  an  ovation  from  its  members.  So  far, 
Mr.  Stanton  has  only  published  two  small  volumes  of 
poems — "Songs  ol  a  Day"  and  "Songs  of  the  Soil." 
Though  the  former  work  passed  through  several  edi- 
tions, and  won  a  success  unhoped  for  by  its  modest 
author,  he  has  allowed  three  years  to  pass  before  coming 
before  the  public  again,  except  through  periodicals. 


256 


TO-DAY. 


December  20,  1894. 


HOW  SHALL  I  LOVE  YOU? 

BY 

FRANK  L.  STANTON. 


OW  shall  I  love  you  1 

I  dream  all  day, 
Dear,  of  a  tenderer, 

sweeter  way  : 
Songs  that  I  sing  to 

you,  words  that  I 

say, 

Prayers  that  are 
voiceless  on  lips 
that  would  pray  ; 

These  may  not  tell 
of  the  love  of  my 
life  : 

How  shall  I  love 
you,  my  sweet- 
heart, my  wife  ? 


How  shall  I  love  you  ?    Love  is  the  bread 

Of  life  to  a  woman — the  white  and  the  red 

Of  all  the  world's  roses,  the  light  that  is  shed 

On  all  the  world's  pathways,  till  life  shall  be  dead ! 

The  star  in  the  storm  and  the  strength  in  the  strife : 

How  shall  I  love  you,  my  sweetheart,  my  wife  ? 

Is  there  a  burden  your  heart  must  bear  ? 

I  shall  kneel  lowly  and  lift  it,  dear ! 

Is  there  a  thorn  in  the  crown  that  you  wear  1 

Let  it  hide  in  my  heart  till  a  rose  blossom  there  ! 

For  grief  or  for  glory — for  death  or  for  life, 

So  shall  I  love  you,  my  sweetheart,  my  wife  ! 

From  The  Ladies'  Home  Journal. 


STANLEY  J.  WEYMAN'S  NEW  STORY,  "THE  RED 
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Vol.  V.— No.  61.       LONDON,  SATURDAY,  JANUARY  5,  1895. 


Price  Twopence. 


THE    RED  COCKADE, 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WlYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  11.  Caton  Woodvillc. 


CHAPTER  I. 
TnE  Marquis  de  St.  Alms. 

V|  '  ^       '.  ''HEN  we  reached  the  terraced 

^  '  /      walk,  which  my  father  made 
a  little  before  his  death,  and 
|       which,  running  under  the 
| j     windows  at  the  rear  of  the 
Chateau,  separates  the  house 
from  the  new  lawn,  St.  Alais 
looked  round  him  with  eyes 
of  scarcely-veiled  contempt. 
"  What  have   you  done 
with  the  garden?"  he  asked,  his  lip  curling. 

"My  father  removed  it  to  the  other  side  of  the  house," 
I  answered. 

"  Out  of  sight?" 

"  Yes,"  I  said  ;  "  it  is  beyond  the  rose  garden." 

"  English  fashion ! "  he  answered,  with  a  polite 
sneer.  "  And  you  prefer  to  see  all  this  grass  from  your 
windows?" 

"Yes,"  I  said;  "I  do." 

"  And  that  plantation  ? "  he  continued.    "  It  hides  the 
village,  I  suppose,  from  the  house?" 
"  Yes." 
He  laughed. 

"Yes,"  he  said.  "I  notice  that  that  is  the  way  of 
your  friends,  who  prate  of  the  people,  and  freedom,  and 
fraternity.  They  love  the  people ;  but  they  love  them 
at  a  distance,  on  the  farther  side  of  a  park  or  a  high 
yew  hedge.  Now,  at  St.  Alais  I  like  to  have  my  folks 
under  my  eye,  and  then,  if  they  do  not  behave,  there  is 
the  carcan.  By  the  way,  what  have  you  done  with 
yours,  Vicomte?  It  used  to  stand  opposite  the  en- 
trance." 


"  I  have  burned  it,"  I  said,  feeling  the  blood  mount  to 
my  temples. 

"Your  father  did?"  he  answered,  with  a  glance  of 
surprise. 

"No,"  I  said,  stubbornly,  hating  myself  for  being 
ashamed  of  that  before  St.  Alais  of  which  I  bad  been 
proud  enough  when  alone.  "  I  did.  I  burned  it  last 
winter.    I  think  the  day  of  such  things  is  past." 

The  Marquis  was  not  my  senior  by  more  than  five 
years ;  but  those  five  years,  spent  in  Paris  and  Versailles, 
gave  him  a  wondrous  advantage,  and  I  felt  his  look  of 
contemptuous  surprise  as  if  it  had  been  a  blow.  How- 
ever, he  did  not  say'  anything  in  answer,  but  after  a 
momentary  pause  he  changed  the  subject  and  began  to 
speak  of  my  father ;  recalling  him  and  things  in  connec- 
tion with  him  in  a  tone  of  respect  and  affection  that  in 
a  moment  disarmed  my  resentment. 

"  The  first  time  that  I  shot  a  bird  on  the  wing,  it  was 
with  him!"  he  said,  with  that  wonderful  charm  of 
manner  that  had  been  St.  Alais'  even  in  boyhood. 

"  Twelve  years  ago,"  I  said. 

"Even  so,  monsieur,"  he  replied,  with  a  laughing 
bow.  "  There  was  a  small  boy  with  bare  legs,  who  ran 
after  me  in  those  days,  and  called  me  Victor, 
and  thought  me  the  greatest  of  men.  I  little- 
dreamed  that  he  would  ever  live  to  expound 
the  rights  of  man  to  me.  And,  Dicu !  I  must 
keep  Louis  from  you,  or  you  will  make  him  as- 
great  a  reformer  as  yourself.  However,"  he  continued, 
with  a  smile  and  an  easy  gesture,  "  I  did  not  come  here 
to  talk  of  him,  but  of  someone,  M.  le  Vicomte,  in  whom 
3'ou  should  feel  greater  interest." 

I  felt  the  blood  mount  to  my  temples  again,  but  for  a. 
different  reason. 

"Mademoiselle  has  come  home?"  I  saitl. 

"  Yesterday,"  he  answered.  "  She  will  go  with  my 
mother  to  Cahors  to-morrow,  and  have  her  first  peep  at 
the  world.  I  do  not  doubt  that  among  the  many  new 
tilings  she  will  see,  none  will  interest  her  more  than  the 
Vicomte  de  Saux." 

"  Mademoiselle  is  well  ? "  I  said,  clumsily. 

"  Perfectly,"   he  answered,   with  grave  politeness. 


Copyright,  ISO '4,  by  Stanley  J.  Weyman. 


2b8 


TO-DAV. 


Januakt  5,  1895. 


"  But  you  will  see  for  yourself  to-morrow  evening,  if 
we  do  not  meet  on  the  road.  I  daresay  that  you  will 
like  a  week  or  so  to  commend  yourself  to  her,  M.  le 
Vicomte.  After  that,  whenever  Madame  la  Marquise 
and  you  can  settle  the  date,  and  so  forth,  the  match 
had  better  come  off — while  I  am  here." 

I  bowed.  I  had  been  expecting  to  hear  this  for  a 
week  past ;  but  from  Louis,  who  was  like  a  brother  to 
me,  not  from  Victor.  The  latter  had  indeed  been  my 
boyish  idol ;  but  that  was  years  ago,  before  Court  life 
and  a  long  stay  at  Versailles  and  St.  Cloud  had  changed 
him  into  the  splendid-looking  man  I  saw  before  me,  the 
raillery  of  whose  eye  I  found  it  as  difficult  to  meet  as 
I  found  it  impossible  to  match  the  aplomb  of  his 
manner.  Still,  I  strove  to  make  such  acknowledgments 
as  became  me ;  with  that  nice  mixture  of  self-respect, 
politeness,  and  devotion  which  I  knew  that  the  occasion, 
formally  treated,  required.  But  my  tongue  stumbled, 
and  in  a  moment  he  relieved  me. 

"  Well,  you  must  tell  that  to  Denise,"  he 
said,  pleasantly ;  "  doubtless  you  will  find  her 
a  patient  listener.  At  first,  of  course,"  he  continued, 
pulling  on  his  gauntlets,  "  she  will  be  a  little  shy.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  the  good  sisters  have  brought  her  up 
to  regard  a  man  in  much  the  same  light  as  a  wolf ; 
but,  eh  bien,  mon  ami !  women  are  women,  after  all,  and 
in  a  week  or  two  you  will  commend  yourself.  We  may 
hope,  then,  to  see  you  to-morrow  evening — if  not 
before  1 " 

"  Most  certainly,  M.  le  Marquis." 

"  Why  not  Victor  ? "  he  answered,  laying  his  hand  on 
my  arm,  with  a  touch  of  the  old  bonhomie.  "  We  shall 
soon  be  brothers,  and  then,  doubtless,  shall  hate  on© 
another.  In  the  meantime,  give  me  your  company  to 
the  gate3.  There  was  one  other  thing  I  wanted  to  name 
to  you.    Let  me  see — what  was  it?" 

But  either  he  could  not  immediately  remember,  or  he 
found  a  difficulty  in  introducing  the  subject,  for  Ave 
were  nearby  half-way  down  the  avenue  of  walnut-trees 
that  leads  to  the  village  when  he  spoke  again.  Then 
he  plunged  into  the  matter  abruptly. 

"  You  have  heard  of  this  protest  ? "  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  reluctantly,  and  with  a  foresight 
of  trouble. 

"  You  will  sign  it,  of  course  ? " 

I  hesitated  before  I  answered  the  question,  as  he  had 
hesitated  before  he  asked  it.  The  protest  in  question — 
how  formal  the  phrase  still  sounds,  though  we  know 
now  that  under  it  lay  the  beginning  of  trouble  and  a 
new  world — was  one  which  it  was  proposed  to  mov  j 
in  the  coming  meeting  of  the  noblesse  at  Cahors ;  its 
aim,  to  condemn  the  conduct  of  our  representatives  at 
Versailles,  in  consenting  to  sit  with  the  Third  Estate. 

Now,  whatever  had  been  my  original  views  on  this 
question — aj^J,  as  a  fact,  I  should  have  preferred  to 
see  reform  following  the  English  model,  the  nobles' 
liouS3  remaining  separate — I  regarded  the  step,  now  it 
was  taken,  and  legalised  by  the  King,  as  irrevocable ; 
protest  as  useless.  Moreover,  I  could  not  help 
knowing  that  those  who  were  moving  this  protest 
desired  also  to  refuse  all  reform,  to  cling  to  all  privi- 
leges, to  balk  all  hopes  of  better  government ;  those 
hopes,  which  had  been  rising  higher,  day  by  day,  since 
the  elections,  and  which  it  might  not  now  be  so  safe  or  so 
easy  to  balk.    Without  swallowing  convictions,  there- 


fore, which  were  pretty  well  known,  I  could  not  see  my 
way  to  supporting  it. 

"  Well  ?  "  he  said,  at  last,  finding  me  still  silent. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  I  can,"  I  answered,  flushing 

"Can  support  it?" 

"  No,"  I  said. 

He  laughed  genially. 

"  Pooh  !  "  he  said.  "  I  think  that  you  will.  I  want 
your  promise,  Vicomte.  It  is  a  small  matter;  but  we 
must  be  unanimous.    That  is  the  one  thing  necessary." 

I  shook  my  head.  We  had  both  come  to  a  halt 
under  the  trees,  just  within  the  gates.  His  servant 
was  leading  the  horses  up  and  down  the  road. 

"Come,"  he  persisted,  pleasantly;  "you  do  not 
think  that  anything  is  going  to  come  of  this  chaotio 
States  General,  which  His  Majesty  was  mad  enough  to 
let  Neckar  summon?  They  met  on  the  4th  of  May; 
this  is  the  17th  of  July;  and  they  have  done  nothing 
to  the  point  yet  except  wrangle  !  Nothing  !  Presently 
they  will  be  dismissed,  and  there  will  be  an  end  of  it  1 " 

"  Why  protest,  then  1 "  I  said,  rather  feebly. 

"  I  will  tell  you,  my  friend,"  he  answered,  smiling 
indulgently,  and  tapping  his  boot  with  his  whip. 
"  Have  you  heard  the  latest  news  ? " 

"  What  is  it?"  I  replied,  frankly.  "Then  I  will  tell 
you  if  I  have  heard  it." 

"  The  King  has  dismissed  Neckar  ! " 

"  No  !  "  I  cried.    I  had  never  felt  greater  surprise. 

"Yes,"  he  answered  ;  "the  banker  is  dismissed.  In 
a  week  his  States  General  or  National  Assembly,  or 
whatever  you  please  to  call  it,  will  go  too,  and  we  shall 
be  where  we  were  before.  Only,  in  the  meantime,  and 
to  strengthen'  the  King  in  the  wise  course  he  is  at  last 
pursuing,  we  must  show  that  we  are  alive.  We  must 
ehow  our  sympathy  with  him.    We  must  protest." 

"  But,  M.  le  Marquis,"  I  said,  a  little  heated,  perhaps, 
by  the  news,  "  are  you  sure  that  the  people  will  quietly 
endure  this  ?  Never  was  so  bitter  a  winter  as  last 
winter :  never  a  worse  harvest.  On  the  top  of  these, 
their  hopes  have  been  raised,  and  their  minds  excited 
by  the  elections,  and — — " 

"Who  is  to  be  thanked  for  that?"  he  said,  with  a 
whimsical  glance  at  me.  "  But,  never  fear,  Vicomte ; 
they  will  endure  it.  I  know  Paris  ;  and  I  can  assure 
you  that  it  is  not  the  Paris  of  the  Fronde,  though  M. 
do.  Mirabeau  would  play  the  Retz.  It  is  a  peaceable, 
sensible  Paris,  and  it  will  not  rise.  Except  a  bread  riot 
or  two,  it  has  seen  no  rising  to  speak  of,  remember,  for  a 
century  and  a  half :  nothing  that  two  companies  of 
Swiss  could  not  deal  with  as  easily  as  d  Argenson 
cleared  the  Cour  des  Miracles.  No  ;  believe  me,  there 
is  no  danger  of  that  kind :  with  management,  all  will 
go  well ! " 

But  his  news  had  roused  my  antagonism,  and  I  found 
it  more  easy  to  resist  him  now. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  I  said,  coldly  ;  "  I  do  not  think  that 
the  matter  is  so  simple.  The  King  must  have  money, 
or  be  bankrupt ;  the  people  have  no  money  to  pay  him. 
1  do  not  sec  how  things  can  go  back  into  the  old  state." 

M.  de  St.  Alais  looked  at  me,  his  lip  curling. 

"  You  mean,  Vicomte,"  he  said,  "  that  you  do  not 
wish  them  to  go  back?" 

1  mean  that  the  old  state  was  impossible,"  I  said, 
Stiffly.    "It  could  not  last.    It  cannot  return." 

For  a  moment  he  did  not  answer,  and  we  stood  con- 


Jasuary  5,  1805. 


TO-DAY. 


259 


fronting  one  another — he  just  without,  I  just  within,  the 
gateway — the  cool  foliage  stretching  over  us,  the  dust  and 
J  uly  sunshine  in  the  road  beyond  him  ;  and  if  my  face  re- 
flected his,  it  was  flushed,  and  set,  and  determined. 
But  in  a  twinkling  his  changed ;  he  broke  into  an  easy, 
Wite  laugh,  and  shrugged  his  shoulders  with  a  touch 
of  contempt. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  we  will  not  argue ;  but  I  hope 
that  you  will  sign.  Think  it  over,  M.  le  Vicomte, 
think  it  over.  Because  " — he  paused  on  the  word,  and 
looked  at  me  gaily — "we  do  not  know  what  may  be 
depending  upon  it." 

"  That  is  a  reason,"  I  answered,  quickly,  "  for  thinking 
more  before  I  " 

"  It  is  a  reason 
for  thinking  more 
beforeyou  refuse," 
he  said,  bowing 
very  low,  and  this 
time  without  smil- 
ing. Then  he 
turned  to  his 
horse  ;  his  servant 
held  the  stirrup 
while  he  mounted. 
When  he  was  in 
the  saddle,  and 
had  gathered  up 
the  reins,  he 
turned  to  me 
again. 

"  Of  course,  M. 
le  Vicomte,"  he 
said,  speaking  in  a 
low  voice,  and  with 
a  searching  look 
at  me,  "a  contract 
is  a  contract ;  and 
the  Montagues 
and  Capulets,  like 
your  carcan,  are 
out  of  date.  But, 
all  the  same,  we 
must  go  one  way 
— comprenez  vous 
— we  must  go  one 
way — or  separate ! 
At  least,  I  think 
so." 

And,  nodding 
pleasantly,  as  if 
he  had  uttered  in 
these  words  a  com- 
pliment instead  of 
a  threat,  he  rode 
off,  leaving  me  to 

stand  and  f rtt  and  fume  ;  and  finally  to  stride  back  under 
the  trees  with  my  thoughts  in  a  whirl,  and  all  my  plans 
and  hopes  jarring  one  another  in  a  petty  copy  of  the 
confusion  that  that  day  had  prevailed,  though  I  guessed 
it  but  dimly,  from  one  end  of  France  to  the  other. 

For  I  could  not  be  blind  to  his  meaning  ;  nor  ignorant 
that  he  had,  no  matter  how  politely,  bidden  me  choose 
between  the  alliance  with  his  family,  which  my  father 
had  arranged  for  me,  and  the  political  views  in  which 


1  ii    ..-7T 


ST.   A  LAIS  LOOKED  ROUND   WITH  SCARCELY- VEILED  CONTEMPT. 


my  father  had  brought  me  up,  and  which  a  year's  resi- 
dence in  England  had  not  failed  to  strengthen.  Alone 
in  the  Chateau  since  my  father's  death,  I  had  lived  a 
good  deal  in  the  future — in  day-dreams  of  Denise  de  St. 
Alais,  the  fair  girl  who  was  to  be  my  wife,  and  whom  I 
had  not  seen  since  she  went  to  her  convent  school ;  in 
day-dreams  of  work  to  bo  done  in  spreading  round  ma 
the  prosperity  I  had  seen  in  England.  Now,  St.  Alais' 
words  menaced  one  or  other  of  these  prospects,  and 
that  was  bad  enough.  But,  really,  it  was  not  that  so  much 
as  his  presumption  that  annoyed  me ;  that  made  me 
swear  one  moment  and  laugh  the  next,  in  a  kind  of  irri- 
tation not  difficult  to  understand.  I  was  twenty-two, 
he  was  twenty-seven ;  and  he  dictated  to  me  !     We  were 

country  bump- 
kins, he  of  the 
haute  politique  ; 
and  he  had  come 
from  Versailles  or 
from  Paris  to  drill 
us  !  If  I  went  his 
way  I  might  marry 
his  sister ;  if  not, 
I  might  not !  That 
was  the  position. 

No  wonder  that 
before  he  had  le*"*" 
me  half-an-hour  I 
had  made  up  my 
mind,  and  spent 
the  rest  of  the  day 
composing  sound 
and  unanswerable 
reasons  for  the 
course  I  intended 
to  take  ;  now  con- 
ning over  a  letter 
in  which  M.  de 
Liancourt  set  forth 
his  plan  of  reform, 
now  summarising 
the  opinions  with 
which  M.  de 
Itochef  oucau  1  d 
had  favoured  me 
on  his  last  journey 
to  Luchon.  In 
half-an-hour  and 
the  heat  of  tem- 
per !  thinking  no 
more  than  ten 
thousand  others, 
who    that  week 

chose  one  of  two 
courses,whatIwa.s 

doing.  GargouC, 

the  St.  Alais'  steward,  who  doubtless  heard  that  day  the 
news  of  Neckar's  fall,  and  rejoiced,  had  no  foresight  of 
what  it  meant  to  him.  Father  Benoit,  the  Cure,  who 
supped  with  me  that  evening,  and  heard  the  tidings 
with  sorrow — he,  too,  had  no  special  vision.  And  the 
ii-nkeeper's  son  at  La  Bastide,  by  Cahors — probably  he 
heard  the  news  :  but  no  shadow  of  a  sceptre  fell  across 
his  path,  nor  any  of  a  baton  on  that  of  the  Notary  at 
the  other  La  Bastide.    A  notary,  a  baton!    An  inn- 


-J 


260 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1895. 


keeper,  a  sceptre!  Mon  Dieu !  what  conjunctions  they 
would  have  seemed  in  those  days !  We  should  have 
been  wiser  than  Daniel,  and  more  prudent  than  Joseph, 
if  we  had  foreseen  such  things  under  the  old  regime — 
in  thj  old  France,  in  the  old  world,  that  died  in  that 
month  of  July,  1789! 

And  yet  there  were  signs,  even  then,  to  he  read  by 
those  with  eyes,  that  foretold  something,  if  but  a  tithe 
of  the  incon  ivable  future;  of  which  signs  I  myself 
remarked  enough  by  the  way  next  day  to  fill  my  mind 
with  other  thoughts  than  private  resentment;  with 
some  nobler  aims  than  self-assertion.  Hiding  to 
Cahors,  with  Gil  and  Andre  at  my  back,  I  saw  not  only 
the  havoc  caused  by  the  great  frosts  of  the  winter  and 
spring,  not  only  walnut-trees  blackened  and  withered, 
vines  stricken,  rye  killed,  a  huge  proportion  of  the  land 
fallow,  desert,  and  unsown :  not  only  those  common 
sign j  of  poverty  to  which  use  had  accustomed  me — 
though  on  my  first  return  from  England  I  had  viewed 
them  with  horror — mud  cabins,  I  mean,  and  unglazed 
windows,  starved  cattle,  and  women  bent  double,  gather- 
ing weeds.  But  I  saw  other  things  more  ominous  ;  a 
strange  herding  of  men  at  cross-roads  and  bridges,  where 
they  waited  for  they  knew  not  what;  a  something  gloomy 
in  these  men's  silence,  a  something  expectantin  their  faces  ; 
ivorsfc  of  all,  a  something  dangerous  in  their  scowling 
eyes  and  sunken  cheeks.  Hunger  had  pinched  them  ; 
the  elections  had  roused  them.  I  trembled  to  think  of 
the  issue,  and  that  in  the  hint  of  danger  I  had  given 
St.  Alais  I  had  been  only  too  near  the  mark. 

A  league  farther  on,  where  the  woodlands  skirt 
Cahors,  I  lost  sight  of  these  things,  but  for  a  time  only. 
They  reappeared  presently  in  another  form.  The  first 
\  iew  of  the  town,  as  girt  by  the  shining  Lot,  and  protected 
by  ramparts  and  towers,  it  nestles  under  the  steep  hills, 
is  apt  to  take  the  eye;  its  matchless  bridge,  and  time-worn 
Cathedral,  and  great  palace  seldom  failing  to  rouse  the 
admiration  even  of  those  who  know  them  well.  But  that 
day  I  saw  none  of  these  things,  foras  I  passed  downtowards 
the  market-place  they  were  selling  grain  under  a  guard 
of  soldiers  with  fixed  bayonets  ;  and  the  starved  faces  of 
the  waiting  crowd  that  rilled  all  that  side  of  the  square, 
their  shrunken,  half-naked  figures,  and  lowering  looksj 
and  the  sullen  muttering,  which  seemed  so  much  at  odds 
with  the  sunshine,  occupied  me,  to  the  exclusion  of 
everything  else. 

Or  not  quite.  I  had  eyes  for  one  other  thing,  and 
that  was  the  astonishing  indifference  with  which 
those  whom  curiosity,  or  business,  or  habit  had  brought 
to  the  spot,  viewed  this  spectacle.  The  inns  were  full 
of  the  gentry  of  the  province,  come  to  the  Assembly ; 
they  looked  on  from  the  windows,  as  at  a  show,  and 
talked  and  jested  as  if  at  home  in  their  chateaux. 
Before  the  doors  of  the  Cathedral  a  group  of  ladies  and 
clergymen  walked  to  and  fro,  and  now  and  then  thev 
turned  a  listless  eye  on  what  was  passing  ;  but  for  the 
most  part  they  seemed  to  be  unconscious  of  it,  or,  at  the 
best,  to  have  no  concern  with  it.  I  have  heard  it  said  since, 
that  in  those  days  we  had  two  worlds  in  France,  as  far 
apart  as  hell  and  heaven  ;  and  what  I  saw  that  day  went 
far  to  prove  it. 

In  the  square  a  shop  at  which  pamphlets  and  journals 
were  sold  was  full  of  customers,  though  other  shops  in 
the  neighbourhood  were  closed,  their  owners  fear- 
ing mischief.  On  the  skirts  of  the  crowd,  and  a  little  aloof 


from  it,  I  saw  Gargouf,  the  St.  Alais'  steward.  Fe  wa* 
talking  to  a  countryman  ;  and,  as  I  passed,  he  said, 
gibingly,  to  the  fellow — "  Well,  has  your  National 
Assembly  fed  you  yet?" 

"Not  yet,"  the  clown  answered,  stupidly,  "but  I  am 
told  that  in  a  few  days  they  will  satisfy  everybody." 

"  Not  they  !  "  the  agent  answered  brutally.  "  Why, 
do  you  think  that  they  will  feed  you  1 " 

"Oh,  yes,  by  your  leave;  it  is  certain,"  the  man  said. 
"And,  besides,  everyone  is  agreed  " 

But  then  Gargouf  saw  me,  saluted  me,  and  I  heard 
no  more.  A  moment  later,  however,  I  came  on  one  of  my 
people,  Buton,  the  blacksmith,  in  the  middle  of  a 
muttering  group.  He  looked  at  me  sheepishly,  finding 
himself  caught ;  and  I  stopped,  and  rated  him  soundly, 
and  saw  him  start  for  home  before  I  went  to  my 
quarters. 

These  were  at  the  Trois  Rois,  where  I  always  lay 
when  in  town  ;  Doury,  the  innkeej^er,  providing  a 
supper  ordinary  for  the  gentry  at  eight  o'clock,  at 
which  it  was  the  custom  to  dress  and  powder. 

The  St.  Alais  had  a  house  in  Cahors,  and,  as-  the- 
Marquis  had  intimated  to  me,  entertained  that  evening. 
The  greater  part  of  the  company,  therefore,  repaired 
thither  after  the  meal.  Going,  myself,  a  little  late, 
that  I  might  have  no  more  private  talk  with  the  Mar- 
quis, I  found  the  rooms  already  full  and  brilliantly 
lighted,  the  staircase  crowded  with  valets,  and  the* 
strains  of  a  harpsichord  trickling  melodiously  from  the 
windows.  Madame  de  St.  Alais  was  in  the  habit  of 
entertaining  the  best  company  in  the  province  ;  with 
less  splendour,  perhaps,  than  some,  but  with  so  much 
ease,  and  taste,  and  good  breeding,  that  I  look  in  vain 
for  such  a  house  in  these  days. 

Ordinarily,  she  preferred  to  people  her  rooms  with 
pleasant  groups,  that,  gracefully  disposed,  gave  to  a 
salon  an  air  elegant  and  pleasing,  and  in  character 
with  the  costume  of  those  days,  the  silks  and 
laces,  powder  and  diamonds,  the  full  hoops  and  red- 
hceled  shoes.  But  on  this  occasion  the  crowd  and  the 
splendour  of  the  entertainment  apprised  me,  as  soon  as 
I  crossed  the  threshold,  that  I  was  assisting  at  a  party 
of  more  than  ordinary  importance ;  nor  had  I  advanced 
far  before  I  guessed  that  it  was  a  political  rather  than  a 
social  gathering.  All,  or  almost  all,  who  would  attend 
the  Assembly  next  day  were  hire;  and  though,  as  I 
wound  my  way  through  the  crowd,  I  heard  very  little 
serious  talk — so  little,  that  I  marvelled  to  think  that 
people  could  discuss  the  respective  merits  of  French  and 
Italian  opera,  of  Gretryand  Bianchi,  and  the  like,  while 
so  much  hung  in  the  balance — of  the  eii'ect  intended  I 
had  no  doubt ;  nor  that  Madame,  in  assembling  all  the  wit 
and  beauty  of  the  province,  was  aiming  at  things  higher 
than  amusement. 

With,  I  am  bound  to  confess,  a  degree  of  success : 
so  much  so,  at  least,  that  it  was  dillicult  to  mix 
with  the  throng  which  filled  the  rooms,  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  bright  eyes  and  witty  tongues,  to  breathe 
that  atmosphere  laden  with  perfunie  and  music,  without 
falling  under  the  spell,  without  forgetting.  Inside  the 
door  M.  de  Gontaut,  one  of  my  father's  oldest  friends, 
was  talking  with  the  two  Harincourts.  lie  greeted  me 
with  a  sly  smile,  and  pointed  politely  inwards. 

"  Pass  on,  Monsieur,"  he  said.  "  The  farthest  room. 
Ah  !  I  wish  I  were  young  again  !  " 


January  5,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


"  Tour  gain  would  be  my  loss,  M.  le  Baron,"  I  said, 
and  slid  by  him.  Next,  I  had  to  speak  to  two  or  three 
ladies,  who  detained  me  with  wicked  congratulations  of 
the  same  kind ;  and  then  I  came  on  Louis.  He  clasped 
my  hand,  and  we  stood  a  moment  together.  The 
crowd  elbowed  us;  a  simpering  fool  at  his  shoulder 
was  prating  of  the  social  contract.  But  as  I  felt  the 
pressure  of  Louis'  hand,  and  looked  into  his  honest 
eyes,  it  seemed  to  me  that  a  breath  of  air  from  tne 
woods  penetrated  the  room,  and  swept  aside  the  heavy 

perfumes.   ~  " 

Yet  there  was  h 
trouble  in  bis  look. 
He  asked  me  if  I 
had  seen  Victor. 

"Yesterday,"  I 
said,  understand- 
ing him  perfectly, 

and    what  was 

amiss.    "Not  to- 

•day." 

"  Nor  Denise  1 
"No.     I  have 

■not   had  the 

•honour  of  seeim* 

o 

Mademoiselle." 
"Then,  come," 

heanswered.  "My 

-mother  expected 

you  earlier.  What 

did  you  think  of 

Victor  1 " 

"  That  he  went 

Victor,   and  has 

returned  a  great 

personage  !  "  I 

said,  smiling. 
Louis  laughed 

faintly,  and  lifted 

his  eyebrows  with 

a  comical  air  of 

sufferance. 

"  I  was  afraid 

so,"  he  said.  "He 

did  not  seem  to 

be  very  well 

pleased  with  you. 

But  we  must  all 

do  his  bidding — 
eh,       Monsieur  1 

And,  in  the  mew  >->- 
time,  come.  My 
•motherand  Denise 
«re  in  the  farthest  room." 

He  led  the  way  thither  as  he  spoke ;  but  we  had  first  to 
go  through  the  card-room,  and  then  the  crowd  about  the 
•doorway  was  so  de  ze  that  -we  could  not  immediately 
enter,  so  that  I  had  time- — while  outwardly  smiling  and 
bowing — to  feel  a  little  suspense.  Finally  we  slipped 
"through  and  entered  a  smaller  room,  where  were  only 
Madame  la  Marquise,  who  was  standing  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor  talking  with  the  Abbe  Mesnil,  two  or  three 
'ladies,  and  Denise  de  St.  Alais. 

Mademoiselle  was  seated  on  a  couch  by  one  of  the 
ladies ;  and  naturally  my  eyes  went  first  to  her.  She 


was  dressed  in  white,  and  it  struck  me  with  the  force  of 
a  blow  how  small,  how  infantine,  she  was !  Very 
fair,  of  'the  purest  complexion,  and  perfectly  formed, 
she  seemed-  to  derive  a  childish,  an  absurd,  air 
of  dignity  from  the  formality  of  her  dress,  from  the 
height  of  the  powdered  hair  that  was  strained  upward* 
from  her  forehead,  from  the  stiffness  of  her  brocaded 
petticoat.  But  she  was  very  small.  I  had  time  to  note 
this,  to  feel  a  little  disappointment,  and  to  fancy  that, 
cast  in  a  larger  mould,  she  would  have  been  supremely 

handsome ;  and 
then  the  lady  he- 
side  her,  seeing 
me,  spoke  to  her, 
and  the  child 
— she  was  little 
more — looked  up, 
her  face  grown 
crimson.  Our  eyes 
met — thank  God  ! 
she  had  Louis' 
eyes  —  and  she 
looked  down 
again,  blushing 
painfully. 

I  advanced  to 
pay  my  respects 
to  Madame,  and 
kissed  the  hand, 
which,  without  at 
once  breaking  off 
her  conversation, 
she  extended  to 
me. 

"But  such 
powers  !  "  the 
Abbe,  who  had 
something  of  the 
reputation  of  a 
phUosophe  was 
saying.  "  With- 
out limit !  With- 
out check  !  Mis- 
used, Madame 


i  saw  t:ie  havoc  gauged  by  the  or. eat  frosts. 


"  But  the  King 
is  too  good !  "■ 
Madame  la  Mar- 
quise answered- 
smiling. 

"  "W  nen  wel 
advised,  I  agreo. 
But  then  the  de- 


ficit ? " 

The  Marquise  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  His  Majesty 
must  have  money,"  she  said. 

"  Yes — but  how]"  the  Abbe  asked,  with  an  answering 
shrug. 

"  The  King  was  too  good  at  the  beginning,"  Madame 
replied,  with  a  touch  of  severity.  "  He  should  have 
niLde  them  register  the  edicts.  However,  the  Parlia- 
ment has  always  given  way,  and  it  will  again." 

"  The  Parliament — yes,"  the  Abbe  retorted,  smiling 
indulgently.  "  But  it  is  no  longer  a  question  of  the 
Parliament;  and  the  States  General  " 


262 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1895. 


"States  General  pass,"  Madame  responded,  grandly. 
"  The  King  remains  ! " 
"Yet  if  trouble  comes?" 

"  It  will  not,"  Madame  answered.  "  His  "Majesty  will 
prevent  it."  And  then  with  a  word  or  two  more  she  dis- 
missed the  Abb^  and  turned  to  me.  She  tapped  me  on  the 
shoulder  with  her  fan.  "  Ah !  truant,"  she  said,  with  a 
glance  in  which  kindness  and  a  little  austerity  were 
mingled.  "  I  do  not  know  what  I  am  to  say  to  you ! 
Indeed,  from  the  account  Victor  gave  me  yesterday, 
M.  le  Vicomte,  I  hardly  knew  whether  to  expect  you  this 
evening  or  not.  Are  you  sure  that  it  is  you  who  are 
here  ? " 

"  I  will  answer  for  my  heart,  Madame,"  I  answered, 
laying  my  hand  upon  it. 
Her  eyes  twinkled  kindly. 

"  Then,"  she  said,  "  bring  it  where  it  is  due,  Monsieur." 
And  she  turned  with  a  fine  air  of  ceremony,  and  led  me 
to  her  daughter.  "  Denise,"  she  said,  "  this  is  M.  le 
Vicomte  de  Saux,  the  son  of  my  old,  my  good  friend. 
M.  le  Vicomte — my  daughter.  Perhaps  you  will  amuse 
her  while  I  po  back  to  the  Abbe." 

Probably  Mademoiselle  had1  spent  the  evening  in  an 
agony  of  shyness,  expecting  this  moment,  for  she  curt- 
esied  to  the  floor,  and  then  stood  dumb  and  confused, 
forgetting  even  to  sit  down,  until  I  covered  her  with  fresh 
blushes  by  begging  her  to  do  so.  When  she  had  com- 
plied, I  took  my  stand  before  her,  with  my  hat  in  my 
hand ;  but  between  seeking  for  the  right  compliment, 
and  trying  to  trace  a  likeness  between  her  and  the 
wild,  brown-faced  child  of  thirteen,  whom  I  had  known 
four  years  before — and  from  the  dignified  height  of 
nineteen  immeasurably  despised — I  grew  shy  myself. 

"  You  came  home  last  week,  Mademoiselle?"  I  said  at 
last. 


"  Yes,  Monsieur,"  she  answered,  in  a  whisper,  and  with- 

downcast  eyes. 

"  It  must  be  a  great  change  for  you !" 
"  Yes,  Monsieur." 

"Doubtless  the  Sisters  were  good  to  youf  I  sug- 
gested. 

"Yes,  Monsieur." 

"  Yet,  you  were  not  sorry  to  leave  V 
"Yes,  Monsieur." 

But  then,  I  suppose,  the  meaning  of  what  she  had  last 
said  came  home  to  her,  or  she  felt  the  banality  of  her 
answers  ;  for,  on  a  sudden,  shi  looked  swiftly  up  at  me, 
her  face  scarlet,  and  if  I  was  not  mistaken,  she  wa8 
within  a  little  of  bursting  into  tears.  The  thought 
appalled  me.    I  stooped  lower. 

"  Mademoiselle !"  I  said  hurriedly,  "  pray  do  not  be 
afraid  of  me.  Whatever  happens,  you  shall  never  have 
need  to  fear  me.  I  beg  of  you  to  look  on  me  as  a  friend 
— as  your  brother's  friend.    Louis  is  my  " 

Crash  !  While  the  very  name  hung  on  my  lips,  some- 
thing struck  me  in  the  back,  and  I  staggered  for- 
ward, almost  into  her  arms ;  amid  a  shiver  of  broken 
glass,  a  flickering  of  lights,  a  sudden  chorus  of  screams 
and  cries.  For  a  moment  I  could  not  think  what  was 
happening,  or  had  happened ;  the  blow  had  taken, 
away  my  breath.  I  was  conscious  only  of  Mademoiselle 
clinging  terrified  to  my  arm,  of  her  face,  wild  with  fright 
looking  up  to  me,  of  the  sudden  cessation  of  the  music. 
Then,  as  people  pressed  in  on  us,  and  I  began  to  recover, 
I  turned  and  saw  that  the  window  behind  me  had  been 
driven  in,  and  the  lead  and  panes  shattered;  and1  that 
among  the  debris  on  the  floor  lay  a  great  stone.  It 
was  that  which  had  struck  me. 

(To  be  continued.) 


MARY,    AFTER  CALVARY. 


BY  FR 

In  the  night  when  they  scourged  Him  and  crowned 
With  thorns  that  were  sharp  as  their  spears, 

They  struck  my  white  arms  from  around  Him, 
And  fast  fell  my  tears. 

But  weeping  and  following  slowly — - 
They,  mocking  my  love  and  my  loss, 

Knew  not  that  my  lips  leaning  lowly 
Kissed  His  steps  to  the  cross ! 

They  knew  not  my  down-streaming  tresses, 
With  myrrh  and  with  spikenard  made  sweet, 

Had  covered  with  golden  caresses 
His  beautiful  feet ! 

So,  weeping,  I  followed  my  Master, 

Till  the  cross  on  the  hill  was  laid  down, 

And  the  night  in  the  heavens  gloomed  faster' 
On  Calvary's  crown 


s'K   L.  STANTON. 

im       And  there,  as  He  rested  Him  weary, 
My  love  knew  its  sweetest  reward  ; 
For  His  lips  seemed  to  speak  to  me  :  "  Mary  ! 
My  name  from  my  Lord  ! 

No  crown  of  sharp  thorns  did  I  weave  Him, 
To  crimson  His  forehead  of  white  ; 

The  last  in  the  darkness  to  leave  Him — 
The  first  in  the  light  ! 

For  there,  at  the  gates  of  His  prison, 
Faith,  freed  from  its  darkened  control, 

I  knew  that  my  Master  had  risen, 
And  joy  filled  my  soul ! 

He  liveth  !    No  more  am  I  weeping  ; 

But  stili,  where  God's  angels  are  fair,. 
My  love  to  His  footstool  is  creeping, 

And  He  smiles  on  me  there  ! 


January  5,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


2G3 


MODERN  DOGS.* 


The  vanity  of  every  self-respecting  dog  will  most 
assuredly  be  increased  when  he  catches  sight  of  the 
three  massive  volumes  compiled  by  Mr.  Kawdon  B.  Lee. 
Of  whatever  breed  the  dog  may  be  he  will  find  in  one  of 
these  books  a  description  of  himself,  and  an  account  of 
his  early  history — if  he  has  one — dating  from  the  earliest 
recollection  of  man,  and  continued  right  up  to  the 
present  day.  He  will  also  find  a  portrait  of  himself  as 
he  should  be,  not  a  mere  likeness  of  the  nearest  thing 
to  perfection  that  Nature  and  enthusiastic  dog-breeders 
have  produced  in  his  particular  line,  but  an  idealised 
portrait,  a  standard  to  live  up  to,  a  model  to  be  copied. 
Surely  such  books  as  these  must  be  invaluable,  net  only 
to  dogs  themselves,  but  to  the  thousands  of  men  who 
would  be  as  unhappy  without  their  favourite  dog  as  a 
wife  without  a  child. 

The  first  of  these  three  volumes  is  devoted  to  sporting 
dogs,  the  opening  chapter  dealing  very  exhaustively 
with  the  bloodhound.  Now,  it  is  a  sad  thing  to  think 
about,  and  must  be  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  of  every 
aristocratic  dog,  but  the  origin  of  even  this  stately 
animal  must  not  be  inquired  into.  "  The  origin  of  the 
bloodhound  cannot  be  traced  with  any  degree  of  satis- 
faction," says  Mr.  Lee,  "  but  we  believe  that  no  modern 
breed  of  dog  is  so  like  that  progenitor  of  his  that  may 
have  lived  three  or  four  hundred  years  ago  as  is  this 
well-favoured  variety."  To  anyone  who  knows  a  blood- 
hound when  he  sees  one  such  a  remark  must  seem  almost 
a  heresy,  and,  whatever  a  dog  may  do,  there  are  probably 
few  ladies  who,  if  you  told  them  they  resembled  their 
ancestors  in  face  and  figure,  would  regard  the  statement 
as  a  compliment.  To  make  up  for  this  sad  state  of 
things,  however,  the  bloodhound  has  one  unique  feature 
in  his  character.  Nearly  all  other  dogs  first  find  their 
noses  when  trying  to  discover  their  master's  where- 
abouts. With  a  bloodhound  it  is  different;  his  chief 
delight  is  to  hunt  strangers— which  is  consolatory  news 
to  anyone  who  intends  going  in  for  bloodhounds. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  tell  from  the  succeeding 
chapters  which  hound  is  Mr.  Lee's  favourite,  for  like 
every  true  lover  of  dogs  he  seems  to  have  a  warm  corner 
in  his  heart  for  all  of  them,  and  something  nice  to  say 
about  each.  Perhaps  the  general  public  will  feel 
especially  interested  in  the  chapter  dealing  with  the 
whippet,  as  it  is  only  quite  lately  that  that  breed  has 
come  into  prominent  notice.  The  whippet  is  a  small 
dog,  and  should  resemble  a  miniature  greyhound  in  ap- 
pearance. Originally  the  breed  was  probably  founded 
by  a  cross  between  an  Italian  greyhound  and  some  terrier 
or  other.  In  1892  the  breed  was  recognised  by  the 
Kennel  Club,  and  a  class  is  now  provided  for  it  at  some 
of  the  leading  shows.  The  whippet  is  very  well  known 
in  the  North,  where  he  is  used  by  the  miners  for  rabbit 
coursing  and  dog  racing.  Mr.  Lee  gives  a  very  interest- 
ing description  of  how  these  dogs  are  trained  to  race 
each  other. 

All  preliminaries  being  arranged,  the  dog  makes  an 
appearance  at  one  of  the  many  running  grounds.  Here  a 
course  is  laid  out  on  the  cinder  path,  the  distance  usually 
being  two  hundred  yards.  At  one  end  the  various 
handicaps  are  marked  ost,  three  start  in  a  heat,  and 
each  dog,  as  in  ordinary  pedestrianism,  has  a  side 
allotted  to  it  by  draw  or  otherwise.  The  starter  is  behind 
the  dogs,  pistol  in  hand.  A  friend  of  the  owner  holds 
his  dog  on  the  mark  ;  the  owners  or  trainers  run  in  front  of 
their  dogs  up  the  course,  calling  to  them,  and  dangling 


something  attractive — a  chicken's  or  a  pigeon's  wing,  per- 
haps, or  a  piece  of  rag  ;  rabbits  or  live  stock  are  not 
allowed.  These  owners  or  trainers,  having  reached  the 
limit  of  the  course,  the  pistol  is  fired,  the  dogs  are  slipped, 
and,  at  their  full  pace,  urged  on  to  the  goal  where  their 
trainer  awaits  them.  Near  there  the  judge  is  placed,  who 
quickly  and  promptly  pronounces  which  dog  wins,  and  so 
the  fun  goes  on.  ...  I  need  scarcely  say  that  the 
training  of  these  dogs  is  made  a  profession,  a  skilled  man 
obtaining  good  pay  for  his  work. 

The  second  volume  is  devoted  entirely  to  terriers, 
and  will  probably  be  the  most  popular  of  the  three. 
Judging  from  the  numbers  one  sees  about,  the  fox- 
terrier  must  be  considered  the  public's  favourite,  but 
the  Irish  terrier  is  rapidly  coining  to  the  front,  and  Mr. 
Lee  is  loud  in  his  praises  of  the  breed.  A  very  good 
idea  of  what  an  Irish  terrier  should  look  like  may  be 
gathered  from  the  illustration  by  Mr.  Arthur  Wardle. 
In  fact,  the  illustrations  throughout  the  three  books  are 
unusually  true  to  life,  and  are .  beautifully  produced. 
"With  regard  to  the  Welsh  terrier — a  breed  that  has 
only  lately  come  before  the  notice  of  the  public  at 
shows — we  learn  that  there  has  been  considerable  con- 
troversy as  to  his  native  country.  The  breed  has  only 
been  recognised  by  the  Kennel  Club  under  the  name  of 
Welsh  terrier  for  the  last  eight  years,  though,  as  Mr. 
Lee  says,  it  has  been  clearly  proved  that  this  identical 
dog  has  long  flourished  in  the  North  of  England  under 
a  different  name.  I  doubt  if  many  people  not  in  the 
know  could  have  distinguished  the  Old  English  wire- 
haired  terriers  from  the  Welsh  terriers  at  the  last 
Crystal  Palace  Show,  where  they  were  benched  side  by 
side.  Mr.  Lee  has  been  successful  in  getting  three  or 
four  diverse  opinions  on  the  subject,  and  so  the  matter 
must  be  left  unsettled.  The  writer  met  with  the  same 
experience  this  summer  when  in  Wales.  The  natives 
themselves  are  apparently  uncertain  whether  their  dogs 
are  Welsh  terriers  or  not,  though  I  heard  of  one  that 
changed  hands  for  the  respectable  sum  of  £150.  After 
all,  it  is  a  case  of  "a  rose  by  any  other  name,"  for  there 
can  be  no  denying  that  these  black-and-tan  rough 
terriers  make  game  and  handsome  companions. 

The  third  of  these  volumes  contains  histories  and 
descriptions  of  non-sporting  dogs.  Mr.  Lee  has  a  very 
good  word  to  say  for  the  bulldog  : — 

He  is  very  faithful  to  his  master,  and  his  appearance  i9 
certainly  worse  than  his  disposition.  When  he  has  the 
chance  he  is  quite  as  sociable  as  most  dogs,  his  temper  is 
reliable,  and,  on  the  show-bench,  he  may  be  petted  and 
caressed  by  the  stranger  with  far  less  likelihood  of  being 
bitten  than  would  be  the  case  with  the  terriers  and  collies. 
Then  he  is  rot  addicted  to  barking  too  much  ;  is  not  liable 
to  run  away,  when  kept  in  the  country,  on  hunting  ex- 
cursions ;  but  he  is  not  built  on  the  proper  lines  to  follow  a. 
dog-cart  or  run  after  a  bicycle.  In  modern  days  the  bull- 
dog is  valued  for  amusement  and  for  show  purposes  ;  and 
when  making  his  living  on  the  benches  he  is,  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten,  kept  in  a  kennel  along  with  other  dogs  of  the 
same  breed,  and  seldom  given  the  social  advantages  which 
fall  to  the  more  fortunate  St.  Bernard,  terrier,  or  collie. 

Mr.  Lee  has  not  been  content  with  giving  us  his  own 
opinions  on  dogs,  but  in  many  cases  has  collected  in- 
formation from  the  principal  breeders  in  the  world. 
The  result  of  his  work  is  seen  in  the  completeness  with 
which  every  breed  of  dog  is  dealt  with.  These  three 
volumes  deserve  to  rank  as  the  standard  work  on  dogs, 
for  though  fashions  may  change,  yet  no  breed  can  alter  to 
any  great  extent  from  the  type  that  is  generally  accepted 
as  correct.  I  think  the  author  has  done  wisely  in 
omitting  from  the  book  the  usual  chapters  on  the  feed- 
ing and  rearing  and  general  management  of  dogs.  In 
such  matters  a  Very  little  experience  is  worth  a  book- 
f  ul  of  hints,  and  besides,  these  books  were  not  written 
for  men  unacquainted  with  the  ways  of  dogs,  but  rather 
for  those  who  have  already  learned  something  of 

The  rich  man's  guardian,  and  the  poor  man's  friend, 
The  only  creature  faithful  to  the  end. 

W.  P. 


*  "Modern  Dogs."  By  Bawdon  B.Lee.  (Horace  Cox.  3  Vols.  15s., 
10s.  6d.,  10a.  Gd.) 


264 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  18^5. 


( To  be  continued.  ) 


January  5,  1893. 


TO-DAY. 


265 


DE  OMNIBUS 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


'Ankin  come  ter  me  the  other  dye  with  some  cock- 
and-bull  story  abart  the  real  Titchbung  'avin'  bin  farad 
at  lawst.  "Stow  it !  "  I  says  to  'im.  "  Tike  it  'ome  !  I 
ain't  yousin'  any  on  it."  An'  no  more  I  ham.  Why, 
bless  my  soul,  I  kin  remember  thet  Titchbung  business 
years  ago,  long  afore  I  were  merried,  an'  I  don't  wornt 
it  cooked  up  agin.  "It's  in  all  the  pipers,"  says  'Ankin. 
"  Then  the  pipers  ought  to  be  ashimed  o'  theirselves," 
says  I.  So  they  ought.  'Ere  we  is  a  stawtin'  a  noo 
year,  and  I  don't  keer  ter  stawt  it  with  a  ole  second-'ancl 
story  with  the  bottom  knocked  art  of  it.  Give  us 
sutthink  noo,  if  we  is  ter  'ave  a  sensishun.  Why,  a  sea- 
serpint's  fresh  compeored  ter  that  Titchbung.  I  shawn't 
road  nutthink  abart  it.  Give  me  a  good  Sunday 
piper,  with  a  proper  long  list  <>'  sooicides,  mudders, 
an'  fatelities  o'  the  week.  J'd  sooner  'ave  it. 
Theer's  no  pretensions  abart  thet.  It  jest  let's  yer 
'ave  a  good  pline  niudder  an'  a  ole-f ashioned  sooicide  or 
so,  an'  lyes  no  clime  ter  be  any  think  art.  of  the  ornery. 
Titchbung'?  I've  furgot  'im.  I've  done  with  'im.  I 
ain't  tikin'  any  of  im.  I'd  as  soon  eat  a  veal-and-'am  as 
were  mide  six  months  beck  as  'ear  any  more  on  the 
subjic  of  thet  Titchbung.  'E's  plyed  art.  'Im  and  'is 
pals  mye  tike  the  office  from  me  ter  keep  their  'eads 
shut.  Theer  ain't  no  enthoosiasm  on  the  pint  and  no 
money  in  it. 

*  *  *  * 

Me  and  'Ankin  put  in  sixpennorth  at  the  Egriculshral 
— the  World's  Feer,  they  calls  it.  Tark  abart  a  crard — 
theer  was  sutthink  like  a  crard,  I  can  tell  yer  ;  aye,  and  a 
bloomin'  big  menawgery  stuck  right  in  the  middle  on  it, 
with  elefunks  an'  monkeys  an'  all  manner.  Whort 
with  the  menawgery,  an'  the  crard,  an'  the  lights  a- 


fleerin',  yer  might  'ave  took  the  hatmousphere  awye 
in  cawts  an'  cut  it  up  inter  slabs  ter  pive  the  road  with. 
So  yer  might.  Has  fur  the  show,  hall  I  says  is  that  it 
jest  'its  my  tiste.  Theer  yer  'as  the  different  caryvana 
all  round  the  plice,  an'  if  yer  don't  like  one  thing  yer 
can  try  another.  That's  whort  I  calls  liberty  and  free- 
dom. I  don't  sye  as  theer  were  many  o'  your  fancy  sort 
theer ;  I  didn't  see  but  one  top  'at  in  the  ole  plice,  but 
in  spite  o'  that  we  gort  along  pretty  comfortable.'  In 
course,  theer  were  a  foo  as  sim'd  ter  be  on  the  reg'ler 
ole  hi-ti-hi,  but  I  didn't  see  no  one  as  could  feerly  be  said 
to  be  any  the  wus  fur  whort  he'd  took.  You  mawk  my 
wuds,  theer  ain't  enough  sixpenny  shows  in  this 
metropolis.  'Ankin  says  the  sime.  As  he  puts  it,  give 
us  the  dimycritic  price,  and  the  grite  dimocricy  will  pye 
ter  go  in.  We  chaunces  the  tanner,  but  we  tikes  some 
time  ter  think  afore  we  busts  a  shillin'  without  being 
jolly  sure  that  theer's  a  bob's  worth  on  the  other  side  o' 
the  turnstile. 

*  *  *  * 

Ignerunce  ain't  a  tiling  as  I've  over  been  specially 
dawn  on  myself,  though  theer's  plenty  of  them  'ighly 
eddicited  lot  as  sims  to  look  on  it  as  a  crime.  Still 
ignerunce  is  like  polertics  an'  most  other  things — it  mye 
be  kerried  tew  faw.  I  seed  a  bit  in  the  pipers  lawst  Mon- 
day abart  a  boy  as  was  a  witness  in  a  coroner's 
ingkwes.  This  'ere  boy  couldn't  spell  pertiter  well.  I 
don't  know  as  I  mikes  much  o'  thet,  pertiter  bein'  one  o' 
them  ketchy  words.  But  that  worn't  all.  This  'ere  boy 
didn't  eving  know  whort  is  own  bloomin'  nime  was.  'E  saii  I 
'is  pals  called  'im  Jack  and  'is  fawther  an'  mother  called 
'im  Willy.  At  fust  sight  thet  do  sim  a  bit  thick.  But, 
'arrever,  W  many  on  us  remembers  theer  own  chrisnin'  1 
Oh,  and  the  nimes  we  get  christened  by  ain't  always  the 
nimes  we  get  called  by.  Look  at  the  men  called  Ike,  as 
worn't  properly  called  Ike  at  all.  Pursonalky,  I  think 
as  a  man  should  choose  'is  own  nime  when  'e's  grpwed  up. 
Ther's  'Ankin  says,  if  'e'd  'ad  any  vice  in  'is  own  nimin', 
'e'd  'ave  'ad  'isself  called  Algynun,  which  'e  ain't. 


(Which  act  by  Inhalation  and  Absorption  directly  upon  the  Respiratory  Organs)  for 

Coughs,  Colds,  Bronchitis,  Hoarseness, 
Catarrh,  Asthma,  Laryngitis,  &e. 

Much  Preferable  to  Pills,  Potions,  and  Syrups,  6\c,  which  only  Irritate  the 
.  ■  Stomach  without  reaching  the  seat  of  the  disease. 

THEIR   EFFECT   IS  INSTANTANEOUS. 

GEEATJDEL'S  PASTILLES  are  most  agreeable  to  the  taste,  and  contain  the  purest  essence  of  Norway  pine 
tar,  which  has  attained  greater  success  in  bronchial  and  catarrhal  affections  than  any  other  substance  or  drug  hitherto 
••mpl.jyed.  They  contain  no  narcotic  or  other  injurious  drug,  and,  unlike  numerous  other  cough  remedies,  are  not 
"•'dfuired  by  the  Act  of  Parliament  to  bear  the  label  "Poison."  They  are  entirely  harmless,  and  can  be  used  by  old  and 
\  oung  without  danger.   They  can  be  used  at  all  hours,  before  or  after  meals,  without  the  slightest  inconvenience. 

'  Slowly  dissolved  in  the  mouth,  they  give  off  a  soothing,  refreshing,  and  healing  vapour  of  pine  tar,  which  is  thus 
bqejlthed  into  the  bronchia  and  lungs  upon  the  very  seat  of  disease,  affording  immediate  relief,  and  effecting  a  gradual 
iirul  lasting  cure.  Owing  to  their  direct  action  upon  the  bronchial  tubes  and  lungs,  they  are  infinitely  superior  to  al 
oilier  remedial  agents. 

GEKAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  are  admirable  in  voice  affections,  strengthening  the  larynx  and  preserving  the 
voice.  They  should  be  used  constantly  by  smokers,  and  by  all  whose  vocal  organs  have  any  unusual  strain  to  undergo. 
They  are  invaluable  to  those  who  are  liable,  owing  to  their  occupation,  to  inhale  irritating  and  noxious  vapours  or 
(hisir. 

GEBAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  were  the  only  pine  tar  preparation  to  which  an  award  was  given  by  the 
International  Jury  of  the  Exposition  Universelle  of  1878;  Gold  Medal,  Paris,  1885 ;  tried  by  the  French  Government, 
by  Ministerial  decision,  on  the  advice  of  the  Board  of  Health.  Authorised  in  Russia  by  the' Imperial  Government,  with 
'.lie  approval  of  the  Medical  Board. 

Price  per  case,  Is.  lid.,  with  directions  for  use.    Can  be  ordered  through  any  Chemist, 
or  will  be  sent  post  free  on  receipt  of  price,  from  the 
WHOLESALE  DEPOT  FOR 
GREAT   BRITAIN  : 


IRttHM  ev  ADSORPTION  ilKH'u!ltB 
IKMlONAL  a.  EFfiCACiGVSUtt 

■  Norway0 pine  tar 

Sw.CcLDS.BROUcnTlS-C'".^ 
■"ta^SEKESS.  jsiUTATiCN  OF  J*  U' 
UrvNCITIS       PKthlSIS  / 


FASSETT  &  JOHNSON,  32, 


266 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1895. 


HISTORIAN  OR  NOVELIST? 

R.  L.  STEVENSON  AND  THE  SCOTTISH  BAR. 


Every  reminiscence  of  the  late  Mr.  Stevenson  that 
can  be  gathered  up  just  now  is  full  of  a  melancholy 
interest.  Therefore  (writes  a  correspondent)  I  seized 
gladly  upon  the  opportunity  of  having  a  brief  talk  on 
this  subject  with  Professor  Kirkpatrick,  of  Edinburgh 
University,  who  coached  Mr.  Stevenson  when  he  was 
reading  up  for  the  Scottish  Bar  just  twenty  years  ago. 
"  I  necessarily  saw  a  great  deal  of  him,  and  had  many  a 
delightful  chat  about  literature  with  him,"  remarked 
Mr.  Kirkpatrick.  "  I  suppose  his  interest  in  law  was 
never  very  strong?  "  I  said. — "  No,  I  don't  think  it  ever 
was.  Even  in  those  days  Stevenson's  great  desire  was 
to  collect  literary  capital.  He  used  to  amuse  me  with 
his  attachment  to  the  note-book  that  he  always  carried 
about  with  him,  as  he  has  since  told  the  world." 

"  The  notes  he  took  in  it  were  not  like  those  of  the 
average  student,  I  suppose?" — "No;  the  human  inte- 
rest in  things  solely  attracted  him.  I  remember,  for 
instance,  how  keenly  interested  he  would  be  if  in  the 
course  of  our  work  I  had  occasion  to  recall  any  romance 
of  an  irregular  Scottish  marriage.  Out  would  come  the 
note-book  instantly.  '  Oh,  I  must  take  that  down  ! '  he 
would  cry.  '  That  is  a  first-rate  story,  which  I  may  use 
one  of  these  days.'  And  down  it  went  as  part  of  the 
equipment  of  the  future  novelist." 

"What  did  you  think  of  him  in  those  days?" — 
"  Like  all  who  knew  him,  I  felt  sure  that  if  he  lived 
he  would  make  his  mark  in  life  pretty  deeply.  He  was 
a  brilliant  talker,  and  a  delightful  companion.  AVhen 
I  was  coaching  him,  our  talk  often  roamed  far  away 
from  the  matters  in  hand." 

"  But  you  never  expected  him  to  make  his  mark  in 
the  law,  J  suppose?  " — "  Well,  he  did  not  expect  to  do 
so  himself.  I  remember  very  well  talking  once  about 
the  advantage  of  being  a  good  speaker,  when  he  sprang 
up  and  began  to  pace  the  room,  laughingly  affecting 
horror  at  the  impossibility  of  his  doing  anything  of  the 
kind.  '  I  am  certain  I  never  could  face  a  solemn  judge, 
nor  a  jury,  nor  an  audience  of  any  kind,' he  said.  'I 
should  abhor  the  thing,  I  should  never  have  the  face 
to  do  it.'  And  then  we  agreed  that  the  men  who  had 
the  face  to  do  it  were  not  always  the  cleverest." 

"  Did  Stevenson  ever  hold  a  brief,  then  ?  That  he 
got  into  the  Faculty  of  Advocates,  of  course,  I  know. 
How  did  he  pass  his  examination ? " — "Oh,  he  passed 
quite  creditably.  He  had  any  amount  of  talent,  though 
he  was  not  exactly  a  diligent  student  of  law.  As  to 
his  holding  a  brief,  I  am  not  sure,  but  I  doubt  if  he 
ever  had  one.  He  may  have  earned  what  we  call  a 
complimentary  guinea  now  and  then  by  making  some 
formal  motion,  but  I  do  not  think  he  ever  attempted 
any  contentious  business.  I  suppose  he  went  to  the 
Bar  chiefly  to  please  his  father  ;  but  from  the  first  he 
was  devoted  heart  and  soul  to  literature."  i 

"  By  the  way,"  I  asked,  "  was  not  Stevenson  one  of 
vo  ir  competitors  for  the  Chair  of  History  here  ?  " — ■ 
"He  was.  That  was  in  1881;  he  was  one  of  several 
candidates." 

"  Was  he  a  serious  candidate  ?  " — "  Certainly  ;  at 
least,  he  went  to  the  poll.  But  he  did  not  get  a  great 
many  votes.  At  any  rate,  I  know  that  I  was  pre- 
ferred to  all  the  other  candidates  by  a  large  majority 
of  my  brethren  of  the  Bar.  But,  of  course,  I  had  some 
thirteen  years  more  experience  of  the  world  than 
Stevenson,  and  bssides,  he  could  hardly  claim  to  have 
had  an  adequate  training  for  the  post." 

"  Do  you  think  he  would  have  been  a  success  if  he 
had  been  elected?" — "  Unquestionably  he  might  have 
been.  He  had  one  of  the  most  important  qualities 
of  a  well-equipped  historian  in  his  admirable  literary 
style  ;  and  he  had  another  in  his  brilliant  imagination. 
And,  moreover,  lie  had  an  undoubted  taste  for  historical 


studies.  In  order  to  be  something  more  than  a  mere 
archseologist,  you  know,  the  historian  needs  a 
great  deal  of  what  Thiere's  calls  the  divination  historique. 
Perhaps  Stevenson  might  never  have  had  strength  for 
a  magnum  opus,  but  I  am  sure  that  he  would  have  done 
admirable  and  conscientious  work  if  he  had  been  elected 
to  the  chair.  I  fancy  it  would  have  been  something  of 
the  nature  of  historical  essays,  perhaps  some  delightful 
mixture  of  Macaulay,  Charles  Lamb,  and  Montaigne." 

"  So,  instead  of  Stevenson  the  novelist,  we  might 
have  been  mourning  the  loss  of  Stevenson  the  historian  ! 
Still,  do  you  think  the  world  would  have  gained  or  lost 
by  the  exchange  ? "  But  Professor  Kirkpatrick  wisely 
declined  to  commit  himself  to  an  opinion  on  this  matter, 
and  the  interview  came  here  to  a  sudden  and  regretted 
end. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER 


I  have  recently  had  a  great  disappointment.  Dr. 
Conan  Doyle  spent  a  day  or  two  in  London,  for  almost 
the  first  time  in  his  life,  without  coming  into  my  shop, 
and  I  was  so  anxious  to  hear  from  his  own  lips  all 
about  his  American  successes,  and  how  he  had  over- 
come the  terrible  fatigues  of  a  lecturing  tour  in 
America.  As  he  is  a  doctor  by  profession,  the  latter 
would  have  been  particularly  interesting,  for  poor  Pro- 
fessor Matthew  Arnold  used  to  tell  me  that  they  nearly 
killed  him.  However,  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  know 
ing  that  about  the  only  people  in  London  that  he  did 
see  were  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  E.  W.  Hornung,  with 
whom  he  was  staying,  and  Mr.  A.  P.  Watt,  who 
manages  all  Dr.  Doyle's  immense  literary  interests. 
•***■* 

It  was  by  Mr.  Watt's  advice  that  Miss  Schreiner, 
when  Messrs.  Hutchinson  and  Co.  took  over  "  The  Story 
of  an  African  Farm  "  from  Chapman  and  Hall,  raised 
its  selling  price  from  Is.  to  3s.  6d.  The  result  has 
justified  the  change,  for  the  book  sells  quite  as  fast  at 
the  higher  price  as  it  did  at  the  lower.  About  80,000 
copies  in  all  have  been  sold  of  this  remarkable  book. 

*  *  *  * 
Another  popular  authoress   Avho   has   migrated  to 

Hutchinson  and  Co.  is  "  Rita,"  whose  "  Peg  the  Rake 
is  very  popular  with  my  library  subscribers.  In  point 
of  workmanship  it  is  one  of  "  Rita's  "  best,  and  the  story 
has  rather  an  original  motive,  in  that  its  heroine  is  a 
passe  belle  when  it  begins.  Fast,  poor-genteel  Irish 
society  is  depicted  with  great  spirit  and,  I  should  say, 
fidelity ;  but,  of  course,  this  a  bookseller  cannot  be  ex- 
pected to  know.  There  are  some  tragic  little  touches 
here  and  there.  In  fact,  the  only  fault  my  subscribers 
find  with  it  is  that  people  whose  lives  are  in  pinched 
and  not  particularly  happy  surroundings,  as  so  many  of 
theirs  are,  enjoy  reading  about  young  heroes  and 
heroines  full  of  vitality,  who  finally  force  their  way  out 
of  the  valley  of  the  shadow. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Eric  Mackay,  the  poet,  who  charmed  all  the 
world  with  his  "  Love  Letters  of  a  Violinist,"  dropped 
into  my  shop  again  yesterday,  as  he  does  from  time  to 
time.  He  told  me  rather  an  interesting  thing  about  the 
way  in  which  he  managed  to  do  his  writing  when  he 
was  threatened  with  the  loss  of  his  sight.  He  took 
long  strips  of  proof  paper,  and  folded  them  in  a  kind  of 
flattened  cylinder  of  folds  about  half  an  inch  wide.  He 
wrote  a  line  in  the  first  fold,  moving  the  forefinger  and 
thumb  of  his  left  hand  along  immediately  behind  his 
writing,  and  when  he  came  to  the  end  of  one  fold  simply 
gave  a  turn  of  the  paper,  and  went  on  with  the  next. 
The  result  was  almost  as  clear  as  if  he  had  used  his 
sight  in  writing  it. 

*  *  *  * 

Surely  the  critic,  who  in  "Literature  of  the  Year" — 


January  5,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


267 


wrote  that  the  principal  literary  successes  of  the  year 
were  Mr.  Du  Maimer's  "Trilby,"  and  Mr,  Ian  Maclaren's 
"  Beside  the  Bonnie  Briar  Bush"  had  overlooked  "  The 
Manxman."  Off  that  single  book  Mr.  Hall  Caine,  in 
four  months,  not  counting  dramatic  rights,  cleared 
almost  as  much  as  Mr.  Stanley  J.  Weyman  made  in  the 
whole  of  1893,  and  Mr.  Weyman  is  generally  credited 
with  having  made  more  money  out  of  books  than  any 
other  English  writer  in  1893.  And  when  we  take  into 
consideration  the  literary  quality,  there  has  been  a  sort 
of  general  consensus  among  the  critics  that  not  only 
was  "  The  Manxman  "  the  book  of  the  year,  but  that  it 
would  go  down  to  posterity  like  one  of  Hawthorne's  or 
George  Eliot's  masterpieces. 

*  *  *  # 

Lucas  Malet,  Charles  Kingsley's  favourite  daughter, 
the  customer  whose  departure  for  India  I  was  regretting 
a  few  weeks  ago,  has  reached  Bombay. 

The  same  gentleman  tells  me  that  Mr.  J.  M.  Barrie  is 
devoting  all  his  time,  at  present,  to  finishing  the  story 
which  is  to  follow  George  Meredith's  story  in  Scribner's, 
and  that  Mr.  Thomas  Hardy  has  just  completed  the  story 
which  he  has  been  writing  for  Harper's,  the  story  whose 
name  he  had  so  unexpectedly  to  change. 

*  *  *  * 

Have  added  "  Une  Culotte  "2  by  Tivoli  to  my  library. 
It  is  written  brightly  enough ;  I  daresay  plenty  of  my 
subscribers  will  like  it.  But  an  Oxford  patron,  now 
the  editor  of  one  of  our  leading  dailies,  says  that  "  it  is 
awful  rot,  and  must  have  been  written  by  a  woman," 
by  which  I  suppose  he  means  that  the  scenes  of 
university  life  are  the  work  of  an  outsider.  The  story, 
of  course,  deals  with  the  adventures  of  two  girls  who 


disguise  themselves  as  men,  and  enter  at  an  Oxford 
college. 

*  «  *  * 

All  the  same  "  Verdant  Green  "  was  written  by  an 
outsider,  and  no  one  can  say  that  that  is  not  as  good  as 
if  it  had  been  written  by  an  Oxford  man. 

*  *  *  *■ 

I  am  doing  very  well  with  Miss  Jane  Barlow's  "  Ker- 
rigan's Quality."3  It  is  not  equal  to  her  particularly  good 
"Irish  Idylls  "  brought  out  by  the  same  publishers,  but 
it  is  written  with  a  great  deal  of  delicacy  and  finish.  It 
is,  of  course,  much  above  the  average. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  glanced  at  Baron  Verdigris,"4  which  I 
have  recently  added  to  my  library.  The  fun  is 
made  out  of  a  twelfth  century  baron's  being  ac- 
quainted with  the  latest  inventions  and  knowledge  of 
to-day,  but  only  at  liberty  to  use  what  comes  into  his 
own  era.  He  constantly  forgets  that  he  is  committing 
anachronisms,  and  has  to  pull  up  sharp.  I  can  imagine 
the  story  sounding  very  funny  if  it  was  told  by  Mr. 
Frederick  Upton  with  his  inimitable  dryness  of  deliver)', 
but  when  read  in  cold  blood  it  has  a  decided  want  of 
smack. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Reference  Library. — You  could  not  do  better  than  consult 
Mr.  Tregoskis,  232,  High  Holborn.  Space  does  not  permit  my 
answering  your  query  in  full. 

D.  G. — I  know  of  no  such  publication. 

Kedah. — You  are  right.  I  have  since  heard  from  a  reliable 
authority  that  "  The  Silver  Domino  "  is  by  the  lady  you  name. 

X.  Y.  Z. — I  can  confidently  recommend  Mrs.  Gill,  35,  Lud- 
gate  Hill. 

1.  "  Peg  the  Rake  "  (Hutchinson  &  Co.) 

2.  "  Une  Culotte." 

3.  " Kerrigan's  Quality."  (Hodder  anil  Stoughton). 

4.  "  Baron  Verdigris"  (Henry.  3s.  6il.) 


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(Jerome  K.  Jerome). 


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(Bret  Harte.    With  59  illustra- 
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Sally  Dows 

(Bret  Harte.    With  47  illustra- 
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In  Sugar  Cane  Land 

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tions). 

Colonel  Starbottle's  Client 

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Told  by  the  Colonel 

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humorous  book"). 
A  Romance   of   the  Nineteenth 

Century 

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(Tales  of  Soldiers  and  Civil- 
ians, A.  Bierce.    6s.  edition). 

Carlyle's    Oliver   Cromwell's  Let- 
ters and  Speeches 
(Complete  in  one  volume). 

Santa  Barbara 

(Ouida.   6s.  edition). 


Urania 

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tial Romance.    Splendidly  il- 
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(Chas.  Dudley  Warner.  6s.  edi- 
tion). 

Selections  from  Charles  Reade 
(With  Portrait.  6s.  edition). 

Robert  Helmont. 
Kings  in  Exile. 
Artists'  Wives. 

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Bacon's  Essays 

The  Vicar  of  Wakefield. 

Machiavelli's  Prince. 

Hobbes'  Leviathan. 

Essays  of  Elia 

The  Golden  Owl 

(Mrs.  Greet.  Printed  on  browi 
paper.  Illustrated.  6s.  edi- 
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208 


TO-DAY. 


.January  5,  1895, 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

My  Dear  Helen, — What  pretty  costumes  one  occa- 
sionally sees  in  Bond  Street  and  Piccadilly !  You  are 
cut  out  of  all  that  sort  of  thing  now,  in  your  far-away 
Indian  station,  so  I  must  tell  you  or  ft  few  we  have 
noticed  quite  lately.  The  first  was  a  I  all  girl  with  grey 
eyes  and  fair  hair,  whose  graceful  figure  was  garbed  in 
grey  cloth,  the  skirt  very  full,  and  the  bodice  made  with 
a  basque  at  the  back,  and  with  a  deep  fold  of  ermine 
down  the  front,  hanging  slightly  over  a  silver  belt  in 
the  fashion  of  the  hour.  An  ermine  collar,  not  too  pro- 
nounced in  size  or  shape-,  relieved  the  grey  of  the  dress 
at  the  back,  and  a  flat  ermine  muff,  lined  with  grey 
satin,  gave  a  finishing  touch  to  this  most  covetable 
gcwn.  Another  charming  dress  was  in  green  satin  cloth 
opened  up  for  nearly  half  a  yard  at  each  seam  to  show  a 
scarlet  silk  lining  braided  across  with  dark  green  frogs. 
The  bodice  was  slashed  on  the  chest  to  show  the  under- 
lying scarlet,  and  the  sleeves,  in  the  same  way,  dis- 
played glimpses  of  it  high  on  the  arms,  and  again  at 
the  elbows.  The  back  of  the  skirt  was  fastened  upon 
the  bodice  by  means  of  an  emerald  and  diamond  safety 
pin.  A  sable  boa  and  a  green  cloth  muff,  edged  with 
sable,  formed  the  accompaniments,  and  a  boat  hat  of 
dark  green  velvet  with  trimmings  of  black  feathers  and 
knots  of  scarlet  velvet. 

I  should  not  have  sufficient  confidence  in  the  honesty 
of  the  world  at  large  to  wear  a  valuable  safety  pin  at 
she  back  of  my  gown.    Should  you  ? 

Then,  emerging  from  a  well-appointed  carriage,  and 
crossing  the  pavement  to  a  shop  in  Bond  Street,  we  saw 
a  tall  woman  of  fine  carriage  and  stately  presence,  wear- 
in"  a  black  broche  silk,  most  beautifuly  made,  and  worn 

Type-writers,  Second-hand,  thoroughly  perfect,  at  half 
makers'  prices.  Machines  lent  on  hire,  also  bought  or  exchanged. 
Documents  type-written. — N.  Taylor,  Manager,  National  Type- 
writer Exchange,  74,  Chancery  Lane,  London.  Telephone  No. 
6690. 


with  that  undulating  grace  that  only  the  owner  of  a  good 
figure  can  command.  The  bodice  was  in  the  brightest 
possible  pink  silk  bengaline,  but  the  sleeves  were  made 
of  the  broche.  The  back  of  the  bodico  was  perfectly 
plain,  all  glowing  pink,  but  the  front  was  partly  covered 
with  a  sort  of  breast-plate  of  sparkling  jet,  from  which 
hung  a  fringe  much  deeper  at  the  sides  than  in  the 
centre.  This  fringe  was  continued  under  the  arms,  the 
strands  reaching  to  the  waist.  The  black  hat  worn  with 
this  dress  was  almost  entirely  covered  with  a  mass  of 
bright  pink  ribbon  arranged  in  upright  loops,  probably 
wired  to  a  permanent  erectness.  It  was  a  conspicuous 
costume  for  the  street,  but  then  it  was  worn  in  a  car- 
riage, which  made  all  the  difference.  A  pedestrian  in 
such  a  dress  would  be  in  execrable  taste. 

We  noticed  a  crowd  one  day  assembled  at  the  side 
door  of  a  large  draper's  establishment,  and  soon  found 
that  the  cause  of  it  was  a  lovely  girl  seated  in  a  victoria 
with  her  mother,  and  dressed  in  Mephistopheles  red 
from  head  to  foot.  She  seemed  for  a  moment  unwilling 
to  alight  and  face  the  staring  spectators,  but  as  the 
situation  was  becoming  oppressive,  her  mother  said  a 
few  words  to  her,  and  she  got  out  and  crossed  the  pave- 
ment through  a  lane  of  human  beings,  all  intent  upon 
her.  She  must  surely  have  wished  that  she  had  worn  a 
less  conspicuous  costume. 

One  more  striking  instance  we  saw  last  week,  and 
that  was  a  white  cloth  skirt  and  coat,  both  bordered  with 
sable,  and  both  trimmed  with  straight  lines  of  jet  nar- 
rowing as  t hey  rose  from  the  hem.  The  front  of  the 
coat  was  made  without  revers,  being  merely  turned  back 
with  a  band  of  fur  in  a,  way  that  suggested  a  complete 
lining  of  this  costly  trimming  ;  but  probably  this  appear- 
ance was  delusive,  as  the  coat  fitted  so  perfectly  to  a 
slim  waist,  and  it  could  not  have  looked  so  small  had 
there  been  fur  beneath. 

Now,  what  do  you  think  of  all  these  "pretties"?  I 
hope  they  may  give  you  some  ideas,  for  your  trousseau 
gowns  will   soon   need    some   reorganising.  These 


Successful  Men 

Of  business  will  always  be  found  punctual.  We  cannot  undertake  to  endow  every  one 
«  itli  this  admiral  il.-  quality,  but  we  do  what  is  just  as  good,  we  help  to  its  attainment  by 
supplying  a  really  reliable  and  serviceable  Timekeeper,  in  a  handsome  and  uell- 
liiiish'od  rase,  for  a  merely  nominal  price.   Such  arc  all  our  Watches,  one  of  which, 

our  Sterling  Silver  "ACME"  WATCH,  is  illustrated. 
GENTLEMAN'S    WATCH.   Solid  Sterling  Silver  Casa.  Three-quarter 
Plate  Extra  Jewelled  Movement,  Most  Accurate  Timekeepers,  Crystal 
Class  Front.    Worth  Three  Guineas,  'i..s. 


Every  Watch 
warranted 
for  Five  Years 


A  Month's  Free 
Trial  allowed. 


Hi  SAMUEL'S 
PRICE: 


25/- 

Wcrth 
3 

Guineas. 


FULL   AMOUNT    RETURNED    IF  DISSATISFIED. 
The  LADY'S  "ACME"  lias  richly  engraved  Sterling  Silver  Cases,  and 
the  Dial  is  elagantly  tinted  and  ornamented,  or  plain  white  enamel, 
as  preferred. 

THESE  WONDERFUL  WATCHES  ufJ&^^CS 

Inscriptive  Catalogue,  iust  published  ;  containing  hundreds  of  m  m  iukahi.i:  i  ktters,  and 

ri  thousand-aud-one  W  lerful  -Bargains  in  Gold  and  Silver  Watches,  from  us  Bd  ; 

•  leuelleri,  Klcrtlo-Silvcr-l'late,  (  locks,  itc.    Pliers  from  Is.    All  Koods  guaranteed  and  " 
delivered  free  without  extra  charge.   Tins  intuieshno  Hook  will  he  sent.  t<> all  intending 
purchasers  gratis  and  iKwt  free.   Readers  of  "TO-DAY"  effect  a  large  saving 
by  sending  direct. 

HQ  A  TV/rTTTPT       ENGLISH  LEVE3  WATCH  MANUFACTURER, 
.     Oi^IVJ.  U  HiJLi,  m  DIAMOND  MERCHANT, 

97,  99, 101,  89,  &  121,  Market  St.,  Manchester. 

Also  at  ROCHDALE  and  BOLTON.  Telegrams—" Accurate  Makohestkb." 


SCOTCH  SHORTBREAD, 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

Finest  quality  sent  to  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

Sample  Cake,  1  lb.  post  free,  Is.  3d.  ;  Ornamented  Cakes  for 
Gifts,  a  Speciality,  from  2s.  6d.  to  21s. 

ROBEET  BROWN,  206,  Cumberland  St.,  GLASGOW. 


Every  lady 
pleased 

'run  rnr. 

'.'Ki-Mr' 

BUSK! 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13$ 

inches 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cut  through  cloth. 
—To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochrane 
Street,  Glasgow. 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Benin's 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


ARABINE 


MARKING  INK  FOR  D 
LINEN  is  THE  BEST!  D 


NO  HEATING  Oil  MIXING  REQUIRED. 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


PER 
BOTTLE 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  G9,  Reufield  Street,  Glasgow. 


'/  woubl  >f'<i-4  you  romr  violet*.*  —  SuAKi:>ri  are. 


CREME   DE  VIOLET 


pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonio,  trbtch  cleanses  the  pores  of  all  impurities. 
Nourishing  and  l>e:.ut  lying  the  ikin.  [*ix,rentiniiaiul  removing  all  hlernisltes.  Refreshing 
ami  soothing  alter  the  heat  of  the  hall-room,  or  exposure  toeohi  and  hi  ting  winds.  Suitahle 
fur  the  nursery  and  dressing  room  of  hoth  sexes.    It  ts  ttt**o!uteltt  purr  ami  colourO  *. 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers ;  price  Is,  and  2s.  till,  (see  that  the  itgnaten— 
£E  PRE  RE  BTC9LC- is  on  the  Label);  orient  direct*  pott  tree,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
exl  ra  from 

LE  FRERE  ET  CiE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


January  5,  1893, 


ro-DAY. 


269 


pointed  bands  of  jet  appear  to  be  in  favour  for  evening 
dresses,  as  well  as  for  those  for  afternoon  wear.  At  a 
dinner  party,  last  week,  we  saw  a  "chemical"  blonde  in 
a  turquoise  satin,  trimmed  with  these  bands,  only  in  this 
case  they  went  downwards  from  the  waist,  ending 
irregularly  on  the  skirt,  long  at  the  sides,  and  shorter 
in  front.  The  foldsi  at  the  back  were  almost  covered 
with  jet. 

Bodices  for  both  day  and  evening  wear  are  as  elabo- 
rate as  ever,  all  the  trimming  being  still  piled  on  these', 
while  the  skirts  are  left  quite  plain.  I  saw  an  electric- 
blue  silk  bodice  the  other  day,  with  a  square  of  lovely 
old  Indian  embroidery  trimming  the  yoke,  and  let  into 
the  tops  of  the  .sleeves  on  the  shoulders.  A  bit  of  the 
same  embroidery  was  let  in,  vest  fashion,  in  the  front, 
and  everywhere  at  the  junction  of  the  embroidery  with 
the  silk  a,  band  of  narrow  gimp  in  scarlet  and  jet  was 
laid  on  to  hide  the  seam.  The  waist  was  defined  by 
black  satin  ribbons,  with  two  rosettes  back  and  front — 
one  at  either  side  of  the  point  i.  Similar  ro  settes  finished 
the  embroidery  on  the  chest  and  shoulders. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  have  always  a  dozen  yards  of  black 
satin  ribbon  at  hand,  for  it  turns  up  so  usefully  for  bands 
and  rosettes,  being  used  by  the,  furlong  just  now  on  every 
kind  of  dre  -;s.  I  shall  send  you  some  in  the  next  parcel. 
— Your  affectionate  Suzette. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Mincing  Meekness. — If  your  pug  is  thoroughbred,  he  will 
have  a  sort  of  dark  wart  on  each  cheek,  a  black  muzzle,  and 
black  ears,  and  a  thumb  mark  on  his  forehead.  His  tail  will 
have  a  triple  curl.  I  will  inquire  about  the  other  signs  and 
tokens,  and  let  you  know  further  next  week.  He  must  have 
but  one  meal  a  day,  with  a  bone  now  and  then  entirely  denuded 
of  meat.  Never  give  him  poultry  bones,  as  they  are  likely  to 
break  up  in  splinters  and  damage  him  more  or  less.  Be  careful 
about  his  eyes,  as  draughts  affect  them  and  cause  them  to 
become  too  prominent  and  liable  to  injury.    If  he  is  really 


thoroughbred  you  will  find  him  very  easy  to  teach,  and  a  verj 
lively  and  amusing  companion,  full  of  fun,  with  no  vice. 

Mirette. — Don't  rush  your  fences  like  that !  Give  the  affair 
time  to  develop,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  your  eyes  open. 
Much  harm  is  done  by  the  endeavour  to  become  a  special  provi- 
dence. If  your  daughter  is  going  to  fall  in  love  with  him,  you 
must  hope  that  he  will  reciprocate,  but  you  cannot  meddle  in 
the  matter  at  this  stage  without  risk  of  disjointing  the  whole 
business. 

OUR  COOKERY  COLUMN. 

A  Commonplace  Person. — Here  are  the  recipes  for  boiled 
puddings  for  which  you  asked  : — 

Cherry  Pudding. — Butter  a  quart  mould,  and  stick  it  all 
over  with  preserved  cherries,  from  which  the  kernels  have  been 
taken  in  the  process  of  preserving.  Spread  some  thin  slices  of 
bread  with  butter,  and  arrange  them  in  layers  alternately  with 
more  dried  cherries.  Beat  two  eggs  for  ten  minutes,  add  a 
pint  of  milk,  quarter  of  a  pound  of  sugar,  and  the  peel  of  half 
a  lemon  grated.  Beat  all  together  for  five  minutes  more.  Pour 
it  over  the  pudding,  and  cover  the  mould  tightly  with  a  clean 
cloth  tied  firmly  down.  Set  the  mould  in  boiling  water  to  come 
within  half  an  incli  of  the  top.  Cover  the  saucepan  containing 
the  mould  and  the  water,  and  let  all  boil  for  an  hour  and  a  half. 
Then  turn  it  out,  and  serve  with  the  following  sauce  : — 

Take  one  tablespoonful  of  cornflour,  three  ounces  of  butter, 
one  tablespoonful  of  moist  sugar,  a  tumbler  and  a  half  of 
boiling  water,  and  a  wineglassful  of  Liquid  Sunshine  rum. 
Work  the  cornflour  and  the  butter  together  with  the  back  of  a 
spoon,  then  add  the  hot  water  by  degrees,  let  all  simmer 
together  for  ten  minutes,  stirring  the  sauce  occasionally,  and 
add  the  Liquid  Sunshine  just  before  serving  it. 

N.B.  —This  pudding  can  be  made  with  carefully-stoned  raisins 
if  there  are  no  preserved  cherries  at  hand. 

Erizzled  Beef. — If  you  have  an  underdone  joint,  whether 
salt  or  fresh  beef,  you  will  find  this  an  excellent  way  to  cook  it 
for  table  : — Shave  the  beef  as  thin  as  paper,  melt  in  a  frying- 
pan  a  piece  of  butter  the  size  of  a  large  egg  ;  when  hot  stir  in 
the  beef,  and  toss  it  about  for  a  minute  ;  have  ready  a  teacup  of 
cream  or  rich  milk,  with  the  yolk  of  an  egg  beaten  in  it  and  a 
saltspoonful  of  mixed  mustard  ;  dust  the  beef  with  flour,  stir  it 
about,  then  pour  in  the  cream,  shake  it  through  the  meat,  boil 
up  and  serve. 

Suzette. 


A  Ghapming  Birthday  of  Christmas  Present.    CONVINCING  TESTIMONY^ 


'iii'-'>iii'  x  'r  '<iii'"t  'Mi'' -'Hi'  'r   ■i|i'-ii]  |i'-Tir'iiiii"(i|(.--i|iii 


ESTAS.  1830. 


PHOTOGRAPH 


or  that  of  any   lisnu  or  .Relative  whose  memory  you  cherish,  and  wo  will  reproduce  a  very  beautiful  and 

HIGHLY-FINISHED    PERMANENT  ENLARGEMENT 

IN  MONOCHROME  FOR 


FINISHED  IN  BLACK  AND  WHITE. 

Measuring  18  by  H\  ins.,  and  send 

Carefully  Packed  and  Carriage  Paid 

To  any  Address  in  the  United  THngdom 
for  6d.  EXTRA. 

USUAL  PBICF.  ONE  GUINEA.  u 

ORIGINAL  PHOTOGRAPHSreturned 
UNINJURED. 

Kindly  call,  if  possible,  and  inspect 

*sr  SPECIALLY 'NOTE,  ^ 


AN  ABSOLUTE  GUARANTEE.— If  any 

of  our  patrons  can  reasonably  complain 
of  the  fidelity  of  a  likeness,  or  the  quality 
ami  finish  of  our  productions,  we  will 
citherdo  the  work  over  again,  FREE  OF 
r)  i  \  RGE,  or  return  the  money,  without 
any  reduction. 


IMPORTANT.  -  ,)„;/••,., 

these  beautiful  Enlargements  will  be  sent 
for  inspection  on  receipt  of  6d.  in  stamps  to 
defray  postage,  and  an  undertaking  to  re- 
turn it  within  tim  e  days  from  receipt. 

Address  all  Orders  accompanied  by  Photo- 
graph and  Postal  Order  to— 

The  ARTISTIC  PHOTOGRAPHIC  CO. 

(Enlargement  Department', 
72,  OXFORD  ST.,  LONDON.  W. 

To  Visitors.— Our  Studios  and  Showrooms  are 

opposite  Hie  Koho  Bazaar 
High-Class  Portraits  taken  daily  (irrespective 
of  weather)- 


"MORE  THAN  PLEASED 
WITH  IT." 

H.  P.  Simpson,  Esq.,  5,High 
St.,  Bedford,  .July  12th,  l«)4, 
writes  :  —  "  Enlargements  to 
hand,  with  thanks.  I  must  say 
that  I  am  more  than  pleased 
with  them.  The  people  I  have 
shown  them  to  think  them  good, 
ami  have  asked  me  for  your 
address  with  the  intention  or*, 
having  some  done." 
"PERFECTLY  SATISFIED." 

Mr.  J.  W.  Mitchell,  4,  Rail- 
way  Terrace,  East  Ardsley, 
June  'JSth,  lS!)t,  writes:—  "I 
received  the  Enlargement,  and 
I  am  perfectly  satisfied  with  it. 
I  shall  send  another  one  soon." 

"VERY  PLEASED  WITH  I  T." 

Mr.  John  Hird,  Ellergrjen,  , 
Kendal, Jure,  1894,  writes:— "I 
received  the  Photographic  En- 
largement all  right  this  morn- 
ing, and  I  am  very  pleased 
with  it." 

I  THINK  IT  SPLENDID." 

iss  F.  Emerson,  64,  Inder- 
wick  Road,  Stroud  Green,  N., , 

writes  : — "  The  Enlargement  to 
hand,  I    think   it   splendid. , 
Thanking  you  very  much  for 
your  kindness  in  sending  it  so  \ 
soon." 

"A  MOST  FAITHFUL 
LIKENESS." 
A.  Robertson,  Esq.,  High* 
Court, Madias,  May  10th,  1S94, 
wiites: — "I  have  received  thel 
two  Enlaigementsofthe  Photc 
graph.  It  is  very  well  donel 
indeed,  and  is  a  most  faithful 
likeness,  and  1  have  to  tender.' 
you  my  thanks  for  the  manner 
in  which  you  have  executed4 
the  work." 

"EXCEEDINGLY  GOOD." 

Mrs.  M.  E.  Mcintosh,  3,  Mall , 
Road,    Hammersmith,  July 

■23rd,  1894,  writes:  "I  have, 
received  Photos,  also  Enlais 
ment  safely,  and  am  verjJ 
pleased  with  them.  The 
Enlargement  I  think  exceed- 
ingly good." 


270 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  WEST  AUSTRALIAN    COMPANY  "  BOOM." 

The  Financial  Times  of  December  29th  publishes  an  extract 
from  a  private  letter  which  so  accurately  describes  what  we 
believe  to  be  the  truth  about  Coolgardie,  and  most  of  the  com- 
panies now  being  floated  on  this  side  to  buy  and  work  claims  in 
that  district,  that  we  make  no  excuse  for  quoting  from  it.  As 
we  have  repeatedly  insisted,  even  when  a  company  has  a  fairly 
promising  claim,  it  is,  as  a  rule,  enormously  over-capitalised. 
Upon  this  point  the  writer  to  whom  we  refer  says  : — 

The  fact  is  that  the  mines,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  which  were 
purchased  at  the  commencement  of  the  boom,  have  been  floated  for 
altogether  too  large  an  amount,  and  in  many  cases  the  values  of 
the  properties  are  purely  hypothetical.  They  may  turn  out  right,  but 
the  probability  is  that  they  won't,  and  to  pay  dividends  on  the  immense 
capital  will  require  not  only  a  reef  bearing  gold,  but  the  gold  must  be 
in  abnormal  quantities. 

The  modus  operandi  of  the  vendor  and  promoter  cannot  be 
better  described  than  in  the  following  passage  : — 

It  has  been  quite  enough  if  one  man  makes  a  good  find  for  the  next 
one  to  come  along  and  peg  out  so  many  acres  and  do  no  work,  but  to 
idle  away  the  time  while  the  holders  of  the  original  mines  are 
developing  their  property.  Then  presently  the  holders  of  No.  2  go  on 
to  the  London  market  and  say,  "Our  claim  joins  so  and  so,  and  tlie 
rich  reef  runs  right  through  our  property."  That,  in  plain  words,  isall 
that  is  done.  For  this  they  get  so  many  thousands  of  pounds  and  so 
many  shares.  In  too  many  cases  it  will  be  found  that  the  reef  does 
indeed  run  through  the  property,  but  without  carrying  gold. 

Of  course  there  is  gold  at  Coolgardie.  It  may  turn  out  to  be 
a  veritable  El  Dorado,  but  the  public  should  remember  that  up 
to  the  present  only  about  a  dozen  claims  have  been  proved  to 
be  valuable.  But  the  price  asked  for  these  unproved 
claims  would  be  large  if  they  had  been  proved  to  be 
valuable  mining  properties.  A  company  is  brought  out  with 
a  capital,  say,  of  £100,000,  and  the  sum  proposed  to  be  set  aside 
for  working  capital  is  about  an  eighth.  Could  anything  be  more 
preposterous?  The  claims  have  been  got  for  a  song,  there  has 
been  little  or  no  development  work,  as  likely  as  not  there  is  not 
enough  gold  upon  the  claim  to  pay  for  working,  but  the  British 
investor  is  asked  to  pay  a  price  that  makes  it  imperative  that 
the  mine  shall  be  rich  in  gold  if  he  is  ever  to  get  anything  in  the 
way  of  substantial  dividend.  Vendor,  mining  engineer,  pro- 
moter rake  in  the  dollars  which  fools  jostle  each  other  in  their 
haste  to  subscribe. 

We  do  not  know  that  most  of  these  fools  are  much  to  be 
pitied.  They  cannot  plead  that  they  have  been  misled  by  big 
names,  for,  with  a  few  exceptions,  the  directors  of  these  several 
companies  are  not  men  of  any  note  ;  they  cannot  plead  that 
they  have  been  misled  by  the  reports  of  mining  engineers  of 
reputation,  for,  truth  to  say,  they  know  nothing  about  the  men 
who  most  frequently  figure  as  sponsors  for  the  value  of  the 
claim  ;  they  ought  not  to  be  misled  by  the  fact  that  now  and 
again  a  local  politician  is  upon  the  Local  Board,  for  these  men, 
mostly  impecunious,  are  generally  "  in  the  swim."  We  will 
undertake  to  say  that  if  these  subscribers  gave  a  tithe  of  the 
time  and  trouble  to  the  examination  of  a  mining  prospectus  they, 
or  their  agents,  would  give  to  the  examination  of  a  London  pro- 
perty upon  which  they  were  asked  to  take  a  mortgage,  three- 
fourths  of  the  mining  companies  recently  floated  would  never 
have  gone  to  allotment. 

THE   MOROCCO  JOINT   PROPRIETARY  FUND- 

In  a  previous  issue  we  directed  attention  to  the  prospectus  of 
this  concern,  whose  object  is  to  induce  foolish  persons  to  entrust 
money  to  the  promoters  of  a  so-called  Proprietary  Fund  for 
gambling  purposes.  These  persons  have  not  thought  it  desirable 
to  answer  the  questions  we  put  to  them.  We  must,  therefore, 
dispense  with  their  assistance. 

The  prospectus  parades  "General  W.  Bryce  Rawlings,  of 
Tollington  Park,  Middlesex,"  as  president  of  the  fund.  Who 
is  General  Bryce  Rawlings?  We  can  see  no  mention  of  him  in 
the  "  Army  List."  And  where  does  he  live  in  Tollington  Park  ? 
The  local  post-master  knows  nothing  of  him.  His  address  is 
refused  at  the  office,  and  though  the  prospectus  says  all  the  pre- 
liminary expenses  of  starting  thcFund  will  be  defrayed  by  General 
Rawlings,  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  bits  of  furniture  in  the  room 
where  the  Association  does  its  business  were  taken  there  by  Mr. 
Tarrant. 

After  "  General  W.  Bryce  Rawlings  "  we  have  Mr.  W.  Tarrant 
as  secretary.  Who  is  Mr.  Tarrant  ?  In  taking  offices  at  22, 
Budge  Row,  he  gave  as  his  references  Messrs.  H.  Lee  and  Co., 
of  30,  Haymarket,  Messrs.  W.  T.  Chester  and  Co.,  of  South 


Place,  Finsbury,  and  Mr.  Fowler,  of  20,  Bucklersbury.  But  the 
last-named  gentleman  says  Mr.  Tarrant  had  only  rooms  at  2C» 
Bucklersbury, for  three  weeks,andhe  knows  nothing  further  of  him; 
whilst  the  statements  of  the  other  sponsors  are  so  vague  that 
we  are  surprised  that  Messrs.  Alder  and  Co. ,  the  agents  of  the 
landlord,  should  have  thought  them  sufficient. 

This  Morocco  Joint  Proprietary  Fund  is  an  impudent  swindle, 
and  we  commend  it  to  the  attention  of  that  excellent  officer,  the 
Chief  of  the  City  Detective  Department,  Mr.  McWilliam.  If  we 
are  not  mistaken  it  was  exposed  by  him  some  fifteen  years  ago. 

SAPPHIRE  AND  RUBY    COMPANY    OF  MONTANA, 
LIMITED. 

At  the  general  meeting  of  this  company,  held  a  day  or  two 
ago,  Lord  Chelmsford,  who  has  been  chairman  since  its  forma- 
tion, said  that  "  Should  it  be  necessary  for  the  company  to  go 
into  liquidation,  he  would  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that 
he  had  been  working  in  the  interests  of  shareholders,  and  had 
never  put  himself  first." 

It  is  but  hnmble  consolation.  It  is  no  merit  to  the  chairman 
of  a  company  that  he  does  not  "put  himself  first."  He  is  primus 
inter  pares,  and  he  ought  to  "  put  himself  first."  Lord  Chelms- 
ford's name  was  used  by  more  cunning  men  than  himself  to 
induce  the  public  to  subscribe  to  one  of  the  most  impudent 
flotations  of  recent  years,  and  that  is  saying  much.  It  was  the 
same  with  the  other  founders,  dukes,  and  earls,  and  smaller  folk, 
who  were  used  as  decoys.  Lord  Chelmsford  is  as  little  fit  to  be 
chairman  of  a  joint  stock  company  as  to  be  in  command  in  the 
field.  He  is  a  brave  and  honourable  man,  but  he  cannot  evade 
responsibility  for  the  gross  imposture  represented  by  the  Sapphire 
and  Ruby  Company  of  Montana,  Limited,  any  more  than  he 
could  rid  himself  of  responsibility  for  Isandula. 


"THE  WEST  AUSTRALIAN  MINING  INVESTORS' 
HANDBOOK"* 

Between  January  and  November  of  the  past  year,  sixty 
West  Australian  gold  mining  companies  were  put  upon  the 
London  market.  These  companies  represent  an  aggregate  capital 
of  £5,056,100,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  three-fourths  of 
them  will  pass  by  short  stages  to  bankruptcy.  Much  has  been 
said  of  the  fraudulent  companies  floated  in  the  beginning 
of  1889,  and  for  a  time  the  public,  disgusted  with  the 
disclosures  of  liquidators,  fought  shy  of  the  shady  pro- 
moter. But  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Western  Australia  has 
brought  him  to  the  front  again.  Company  after  company  is  being 
brought  out  which  is  nothing  better  thana  swindle.  The  ingenuity 
of  Baron  Grant  in  his  prime  is  equalled  by  the  men  who  are 
engineering  the  West  Australian  "boom,"  and  no  prospectus 
that  he  ever  drew  was  more  cunningly  worded,  more 
cynically  misleading,  more  crafty  in  its  array  of  worthless 
evidence  than  the  prospectuses  that  are  being  brought  out  week 
by  week  by  the  promoters  of  these  West  Australian  companies. 
Claims  for  which  a  hundred  or  two,  sometimes,  rarely,  a  thousand 
or  two,  have  been  given  on  the  spot  are  brought  to  London,  and 
often,  as  in  a  recent  notable  case,  hawked  about  for  months  until 
some  promoter,  more  venturesome  or  more  contemptuous  of  the 
public  intelligence  than  others,  makes  terms  with  the  owner, 
finds  the  money  necessary  for  prospectuses  and  advertisements, 
and  asks  the  public  to  subscribe  £75,000,  £100,000,  £150,000, 
£300,000,  or  more  for  land  that  may  be  utterly  worthless  for 
mining  ventures.  If  the  public  are  fools  enough  to  bite,  four- 
fifths  of  the  capital  goes  to  the  vendors,  and  the  sum  left  foi 
working  capital  would  be  utterly  inadequate  even  if  the  property 
were  as  valuable  as  it  is  said  to  be. 

In  this  state  of  things  anyone  who  sets  himself  to  give  the 
public  true  information  as  to  the  properties  they  have  been 
and  are  being  asked  to  buy,  does  a  public  service,  and 
for  this  reason  we  are  glad  to  welcome  the  handbook  just 
issued  by  Mr.  A.  F.  Calvert,  the  iitle  of  which  is  at  the  head 
of  this  article.  Mr.  Calvert  tells  us  that  he  wishes,  if  possible,  to 
direct  the  investments  of  his  readers  in  a  safe  and  profitable 
direction,  and  though  the  book  before  us  docs  not  give  very 
much  information  as  to  the  value  of  the  lands  owned  b}'  the 
companies  already  formed,  there  is  much  in  it  that  is  useful,  and 
we  hope  that  by-andbye  Mr.  Calvert  will  see  his  way  to  giving 
some  of  what  we  may  call  his  inside  information  as  to 
these    compan  es.      The    book,     useful    as    it     is,  would 

-  "The  West  Australian  Mining  Investors'  Handbook."   By  Albeit  F. 


January  5,  1895. 


TO-DAY.  271 


be  of  much  greater  value  if  Mr.  Calvert  had  included 
in  his  notice  of  each  company  the  names  of  the  people 
who  sold  the  claims  to  the  company,  the  price  they  got,  the 
names  of  the  promoters,  and  the  record  of  the  engineers  whose 
reports  are  found  in  the  prospectuses.  We  hope  that  by-and-bye 
he  will  see  his  way  to  supplying  this  information.  It  is  only 
whilst  they  work  in  the  dark  that  it  is  possible  for  the  promoters 
of  the  majority  of  these  mining  companies  to  succeed  in  bam- 
boozling the  public.  An  examination  of  Mr.  Calvert's  "Directory 
of  Directors  "  should  be  in  itself  sufficient  to  convince  the  public 
of  the  highly  speculative  character  of  these  mining  ventures. 
We  find  in  this  list  five  directors  who  have  directed  between  them 
eighty-nine  companies  not  one  of  which  has  ever  paid  a 
dividend  !  Surely  the  Government  of  Western  Australia  could 
do  something,  if  it  had  the  will,  to  checkmate  the  men  who  are 
doing  so  much  to  discredit  their  colony  ?  Unfortunately  leading 
members  of  that  Government  have  been  put  upon  their  feet,  in 
one  way  or  another,  by  this  gold-mining  boom,  and  about  this 
aspect  of  the  matter  we  may  have  more  to  say  on  another 
occasion. 


We  have  had  put  before  us  certain  papers  which  show  that  a 
Birmingham  tradesman,  well  known  in  that  town,  not  only  in 
his  own  particular  business  but  in  Sunday  School  and  such  like 
work,  has  instituted  and  carried  on  outside  Birmingham,  under 
the  cover  of  other  persons  and  names,  a  system  of  business  that 
can  only  properly  be  described  as  fraudulent.  In  our  next  issue 
we  shall  give  particulars. 


A  company,  the  North  London  Cycling  and  Athletic  Grounds 
Company,  has  been  formed,  with  a  capital  of  ,£16,000,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  providing  for  North  London  a  first-class  cycling  and 
athletic  ground.  The  South  and  the  West  of  London  are 
fully  supplied  with  such  grounds,  but  they  are  wanting  in 
the  North.  The  suppression  of  road  racing  upon  the  great 
north  road  intensifies  this  want.  The  new  cycling  track  is — 
so  say  the  promoters — to  be  the  finest  and  fastest  in  Great 
Britain.  A  meeting  of  representatives  of  metropolitan  cycling 
clubs  has  expressed  its  cordial  approval  of  the  scheme,  and  we 
hope  it  may  be  carried  through.  The  capital  is  offered  for  private 
subscription  to  persons  interested  in  the  undertaking  and  their 
friends. 


SOME  NEW  ISSUES. 

The  North  Croesus  Gold  Mine,  Limited.  Capital,  £40,000.— The 
West  Australia  Mining  Company,  Limited,  ask  the  public  to  give  them 
£30,000,  of  which  £19,000  is  to  be  in  cash,  for  a  twelve  acre  claim.  There 
are  two  reports  from  persona  designated  as  mining  engineers,  and  if  any  of 
our  readers  give  them  careful  study  we  have  no  fear  that  they  will  apply 
for  shares.  There  are  some  assays,  too,  which,  it  seems,  '•  have  yielded 
fabulously  large  results,"  but  the  directors— good  folk — "  do  not  base  their 
calculations  on  these  assays."  Why,  then,  say  anything  about  them  ? 

The  .White  Feather  United  Gold  Mines,  Limited.  Capital. 
£75,000. — Here  we  have  just  double  the  ground,  two  claims,  twenty-four 
acres,  for  which  the  Britisher  is  asked  to  pay  the  modest  sum  of  £57,500, 
£20,000  of  it  being  in  cash.  There  are  two  reports,  one  from  "William 
Clarke,  mining  engineer  of  the  White  Feather  district,"  the  other  from 
"  J.  Besford,  mining  engineer,  of  Coolgardie,"  dated  May  and  June  respec- 
tively. Clarke  thinks  that  with  "a moderate  amount  of  capital"  the 
property  "is  certain  to  prove  a  dividend  paying  mine,"  and  Besford 
"  substantially  confirms  "  Clarke.  And  then  we  have  Mr.  John  Grant 
Birch,  consulting  engineer  to  the  company,  saying  that  he  is  satisfied  these 
reports  "  represent  the  opinion  of  competent  men."  Well,  let  us  hope  so, 
and  let  us  hope,  too,  that  the  British  public  will  leave  it  to  these  compe- 
tent gentlemen  and  their  friends  to  find  the  £57,500  asked  for  this  twenty- 
four  acre  lot. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Syrian-Ottoman  Railway.  Sov.  (Manchester).— We  cannot  advise 
without  fuller  information  as  to  the  nature  of  the  offer  and  your 
own  position  than  is  to  be  found  in  your  letter.  Brooke,  Bond  and 
Company.  Veritas  (Manchester). — The  Company  is  doing  a  large  and 
increasing  business,  and  has  just  declared  a  handsome  dividend ;  but  if 
you  can  get  £12  10s.  for  your  £5  share,  we  think  you  would  do  well  to  take 
it.  Western  Australian  Mining  Company.  Canadian  (Kingston). 

—We  answer  your  question  respecting  Mr.  E         B         under  cover. 

Woolwich  Equitable  Building  Society.  R.  H.  T.  (Enfield).— We 
are  disposed  to  agree  with  the  opinion  of  your  friend.  Sundry  Shares. 
W.  G.  E  (Chesterfield).— 1.  We  should  hold  the  Canadian  Pacifies.  2. 
Gordon  Hotel  Preferred  represent  a  sound  investment.  3.  Better 
have  nothing  to  do  with  them.  Cheque  Bank,  Limited.  Syar 
(Darlington).— We  write  you  under  cover.  Oxygen.  Crafty  (Notting- 
ham).—If  you  refer  to  our  issue  of  December  29th,  you  will  find  a  lengthy 
reference  to  this  matter.  We  advise  you  to  do  without  the  Oxyeen  and 
keep  your  10s.  6d.  Lancashire,  Derbyshire  and  East  Coast  Rail- 
way Company.  Mug.  (Whitby-by-Sea)— 1.  Yes,  there  are  works.  Write 
to  the  Secretary  about  the  interest,  and  let  us  have  his  reply.  2.  We  do  not 
see  how  you  can  resist  payment.  Investment  of  £150.  J.  N.  (Bradford). 
The  railway  stock  you  mention  would  hardly  be  suitable  ;  and  we  think 
the  shares  you  name  are  at  too  high  a  quotation  for  your  purpose.  Ottoman 
Bonds.  F.  D;  (Woodbridge). — If  you  refer  to  our  issue  of  December22nd 
you  will  find  your  questions  answered.  There  has  been  no  niatei -ial  change 
since  then.  Bayley's  West  Gold  Mining  Company  Limited. 
Bayley's    West       (Strcatham).  —  Sell     for     what    you     can  get. 


Pecos  Irrigation  and  Improvement  Company.    .T.  W.  B. 

(Wolverhampton). — Do  not  move  until  you  hear  from  us.  The  Beeston 
Pneumatic  Tyre  Company,  Limited.  Durham  (Durham).— You 
can  do  nothing  except  in  concert  with  other  shareholders.  Sydney 
Pneumatic  Cycle  Tyre  Company,  Limited.— We  thank  you  for 
the  papers  sent.  It  is  a  miserable  business.  Santa  Elena  Nitrate 
Company,  Limited.  H.  E.  (Dewsbury).— We  do  not  see  much 
likelihood  of  improvement  in  the  quotation.  Chartered. 
Mac  (Glasgow).  — 1.  They  will  probably  go  higher,  but  it  is 
well  to  be  content  with  a  good  profit.  2.  Yes.  3.  We  expect 
to  see  them  better,  but  we  should  prefer  Uruguays.  Kempincot 
Gold  Field,  Limited.  W.  C.  (Glasgow).— They  are  again  at  3s.  6d.  We 
do  not  advise  you  to  increase  your  holding.  Barrett  and  Elers. 
Expectant.— We  have  no  information.  Metropolitan  Ice,  Limited. 
F.  R.  (Coldfield).— Owing  to  the  holidays  we  went  to  press  earlier  last 
week,  and  your  letter  reached  us  too  late  to  be  acted  upon.  We  are  glad 
to  know  that  Mr.  Digby's  circular  letter  satisfies  you.  Cash  for  Brains. 
—We  have  to  thank  the  numerous  correspondents  who  have  sent  us  adver- 
tisements, prospectuses,  and  circulars  of  all  sorts  with  respect  to  this  busi- 
ness, but  we  do  not  want  any  more.  Our  advice  to  all  may  be  summed  up 
in  a  sentence—"  Have  nothing  to  do  with  Mr.  G.  Webber  and  his  oxygen." 
Universal  Stock  Exchange.  D.  C.  (Leeds).— We  do  not  consider  our- 
selves at  liberty  to  give  you  the  address  of  Mr.  without  his  sanction, 

which  could  only  be  got  by  a  direct  application  we  do  not  think  it 
necessary  to  make,  but  if  you  will  send  us  full  particulars  we  will  look  into 
the  matter.  At  the  same  time  we  must  remind  you  that  men  who  speculate 
must  expect  to  pay  when  they  lose.  Having  on  several  occasions  communi- 
cated with  the  company  on  behalf  of  readers  of  To-Day,  we  are  justified  in 
saying  that  the  managing-director  is  ready,  and  even  anxious,  to  rectify 
anything  in  the  nature  of  "grievance,"  properly  so  described.  Safe 
Investment.  C.  N.  (Ramsgate). — Everything  depends  upon  the  rate  of 
interest  that  will  satisfy  you.  Palace  Theatre  Shares.  E.  T.  S. 
(Tulse  Hill).— They  are  fully  paid.  We  think  these  shares  will  be  worth  a 
good  deal  more  by-and-bye,  but  we  cannot  take  the  responsibility  of  advising 
you  to  put  so  large  a  sum  as  you  name  into  them. 

INSURANCE. 

Life  Assurance  Companies.  J.  D.  W.  (Kilmarnock).— All  the  com 
panies  you  mention  have  ample  reserves  for  the  fulfilment  of  their  engage- 
ments, and  if  you  had  policies  in  each  of  the  four  you  would  be  well 
assured.  Endowment  Assurance.  Palette  (Belfast).— Try  the 
Liverpool  and  London  and  Globe,  National  Provident,  Royal  Exchange, 
and  Sun  of  Canada.  Liability  of  Life  Policy  Holders.  J.  S. 
(Plymouth).— The  writer  of  the  letter  to  which  you  refer  has  mixed  to- 
gether circumstances  which  have  no  relation  to  each  other.  Possibly  he 
was  a  shareholder.  We  have  no  hesitation  in  confirming  the  denial  of  the 
company  you  are  assured  with.  British  Natural  Premium  Com- 
pany. G.  S.  (Birmingham). — The  accounts  were  issued  in  the  summer. 
They  prove  that  the  debenture-holders  have  a  preferential  charge  on  the 
deposit  of  £20,000,  and  that  the  policy-holders  are  unprotected. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


I 


Gockspur   Street,  London. 

N VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


JgESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
JiOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
gEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
jy ARRET  REPORT. 
QUR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 
■J^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES    PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
HALF  PER  CENT. 
"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


s 


H( 


UCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 


rjVWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 
J^lENT  POST  FREE. 

fTlHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART  I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settleraen  ts  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.-HOW  TO  OPERATE 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1H93  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can   Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully  ? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


QUR  THREE-MONTHLY 
SETTLEMENT   SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON'. 


272 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1893. 


T)RURY  LAKE   THEATRE   ROYAL.-SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HABRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.    Twice  Daily,  at  1.30  and  7.30, 

Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand  New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day . 


"ROYAL    PRINCESS'S     THEATRE — SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.   EVERY  EVENING,  at  7.30. 
THE  DERBY  WINNER, 
by  Sir  Augustus  Harris,  Cecil  Raleigh,  and  Henry  Hamilton. 
Box  Office  open  10.0  a.m.  all  day.    For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers. 


PALACE,    Shaftesbttry-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 

THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.    Prices  from  6d.    Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Ch^blks 

M  OBION. 


MOORE  AND    BURGESS   MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
GRAND  HOLIDAY  PROGRAMME, 
Including  "  The  Popping  Coon."   Twice  daily,  at  2.30  and  8,  Messrs.  Sims 
and  CarVil's  Comic  Plantation  Operetta, 

"THi:  YALLER  GAL." 
Miss  Daniels  specially  engaged  to  play  the  principal  part,  supported 
by  Mr.  Morton;  Mr.  Callan,  and  the  whole  of  the  Troupe.   Prices  5s.,  3s., 
2s.,  and  Is.;  at  Trees'  Offices,  'iti,  Piccadilly,  and  304,  Regent  Street. 

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January  5,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


273 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 


The  Red  Cockade.  By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.  Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville   257 

Mary,  After  Calvary.  By  Frank  L.  Stanton   262 

Modern  Dogs    203 

The  Country  and  People  ok  Japan.— VI   261 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    265 

Historian  or  Novelist?  R.  L.  Stevenson  and  the  Scottish  Bar  266 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller   266 

Feminine  Affairs   268 

In  the  City   270 

To-Day.   By  J.  K.  J  273 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   27c 

A  Principal  Boy.  Ten  Minutes  with  Miss  Ada  Blanche  277 

Club  Chatter    278 

Clarence.  By  Bret  Harte.  Illustrated  by  A.  J.  Goodman  281 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.— VI.  "In  the  Goods  of 
John  Casement."  By  Herbert  Keen.  Illustrated  by  W. 
Dewar    284 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


One  must  congratulate  our  less  bigoted  religious 
friends  upon  their  discovery  that  healthy  amusements 
are  not  harmful  ;  that  a  pleasant  game  of  cards  or 
billiards,  a  visit  to  the  theatre,  and  a  glass  of  good  wine 
are  likely  to  make  a  man  a  better  Christian  ;  but  it 
would  have  been  better  for  the  cause  of  religion  had 
they  learned  these  simple  truths  a  little  earlier.  Nothing 
has  damaged  the  cause  of  religion  among  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  races  more  than  the  savage  narrow-mindedness  of 
these  true  descendants  of  the  bitter-minded  Pharisees 
who  crucified  Christ  nineteen  hundred  years  ago.  Puri- 
tanism is  the  enemy  of  God,  the  handmaiden  of  the 
Devil.  It  practically  says  to  the  world,  "  Look  what 
religion  makes  of  men.  To  be  religious  you  must  be 
narrow-minded  and  stupid,  full  of  evil  thinking  and  evil 
speaking.  You  must  stifle  all  kindly  and  generous  in- 
stincts. You  must  enjoy  none  of  the  glorious  gifts  that 
God  has  planned  for  man.  You  must  not  enjoy  life 
yourself.  You  must  take  care  that  no  living  being,  as 
far  as  you  can  help  it,  shall  enjoy  his.  You  must  pass 
through  seventy  years  of  weary  existence,  ever  frown- 
ing, scolding,  and  abusing.  You  must  be  for  ever  seek- 
ing to  injure  and  ruin  your  neighbour.  You  must  hunt 
down  the  weakling  and  the  sinner  with  your  pack  of 
police  and  judges.  You  must  persecute  and  enchain  all 
men,  and  forbid  them  free  thought  or  free  action.  You 
must  endeavour  to  turn  this  pleasant  world  of  God  into 
a  hell." 

What  wonder  that  men  of  thought  and  character  have 
been  driven  to  regard  religion,  as  taught  by  the 
Puritans,  as  the  curse  of  humanity.  Religion  was 
never  intended  to  be  man's  tyrant.  It  was  meant 
to  work  in  unison  with  the  laws  of  Nature  ;  not  in  per- 
petual opposition  to  them.  It  was  meant  to  give  to  life 
a  completeness  ;  not  to  drain  it  of  its  joys.  It  was  meant 
to  elevate  a  man's  thought  ;  not  to  deny  him  the  right 
to  think.  It  was  intended  to  bring  comfort  and  peace  ; 
not  to  be  for  ever  threatening  the  prison  cell  and  the 
magistrate's  frown.    It  was  meant  to  enlarge  the  inner 


life  of  a  man ;  not  to  contract  his  work  and  his  enjoy- 
ments. The  Creator  planned  the  world  to  give  enjoy- 
ment to  man.  All  natural  functions  of  our  nature  are 
enjoyments.  Mere  eating  and  drinking  is  a  joy,  sleep 
is  a  joy ;  the  love  of  wif<~  and  child  and  friend  is  a  de- 
light. Had  God  thought  with  the  wretched  bigots  who 
blaspheme  His  name,  He  would  have  made  these  necessi- 
ties a  misery  instead  of  a  happiness.  His  whole  spirit 
breathes  joy ;  the  smell  of  the  flowers,  the  sweep  of  the 
hills,  the  sunlight  and  the  moonlight,  all  things  are 
meant  to  give  pleasure,  to  make  men  and  women  happy- 
Joy  is  of  God,  and  sourness  of  the  Devil. 

I  am  informed  that  The  Chameleon  has  been  with- 
drawn from  publication,  and  that  no  further  issue  will 
appear,  or  that  at  all  events  it  will  be  circulated  in  strict 
privacy,  and  will  not  be  allowed  to  fall  into  the  hands 
of  any  people  outside  the  precious  cdterie  that  is  likely 
to  enjoy  its  peculiar  class  of  literature.  The  attention 
I  called  to  the  matter  is  therefore  justified  by  results. 
According  to  first  intentions  it  was  to  be  sold,  for  by  a 
no  means  extravagant  price,  to  any  young  Oxford  under- 
graduate or  others  who  might  care  to  purchase  it.  To 
talk,  as  some  correspondents  have  done,  about  the  inad- 
visability  of  drawing  attention  to  the  matter  at  all,  is 
extremely  foolish.  It  is  this  walking  about  with  our 
eyes  shut,  and  pretending  not  to  see  evil,  which  we  know 
exists  all  around  us,  that  makes  us  the  nation  of  hypo- 
crites that  we  are,  and  gives  the  Devil  an  opportunity 
for  doing  his  work  unmolested.  It  is  necessary  some- 
times to  tell  the  unthinking  in  plain  language,  not  what 
the  prudes  think  on  those  matters,  but  what  is  the 
opinion  concerning  them  of  those,  whom  John  Burns 
would  call,  tolerably  healthy  decent  animals,  one  of  which 
I  also  claim  to  be. 

Many  a  young  man  into  whose  hands  this  publication 
may  have  fallen  would  have  gone  upon  his  way  with  the 
impression  merely  that  he  was  readingbroad-minded  litera- 
ture, free  from  the  narrowing  trammels  of  conventional 
prudery.  It  is  the  duty  of  those  who  know  to  see 
that  poison  is  labelled  poison,  so  that  those  alone  may 
touch  it  who  are  determined  on  moral  suicide.  Silence 
is  only  useful  where  a  thing  of  this  sort  is  likely  to  die 
if  unnoticed.  Here  was  a  filthy,  soul-destroying  publi- 
cation, offered  for  sale  throughout  England,  thrust  under 
the  nose  of  every  young  man  studying  at  Oxford  and 
Cambridge,  advertised  as  an  organ  of  the  intellectual 
and  the  advanced,  and  bearing  world-wide  names  in  its 
contents  list.  The  only  way  to  stop  it  was  to  make 
these  people  ashamed  of  their  connection  with  such  a 
thing. 

During  the  next  two  or  three  days  it  is  certain  that 
many  people,  beginning  to  write  letters,  '  will  put  at 
the  top  of  the  paper  the  date  1894,  in  mistake  for 
L895,  and  it  is  probable  that,  if  they  discover  the 
mistake  at  all,  they  will  consider  it  a  defect  of 
memory.  It  is,  on  the  contrary,  an  instance  of  memory 
acting  in  a  normal  way.  Memory  is  at  its  best  when 
it  ceases  to  be  called  memory :  perfect  memory  is 
unconscious.  You  would  not  say  that  you  remembered 
that  the  name  of  the  animal  between  the  shafts  of  your 
hansom  was  horse  ;  but,  if  you  were  just  beginning  to 
learn  French,  you  would  say  that  you  remembered  the 
name  was  cheval.    As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  both  cases 


274 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1895. 


there  has  been  memory.  "  Memory  is  the  recurrence  of 
a  mental  state  that  has  occurred  before."  But  in  the 
first  case  the  memory  has  been  perfect  and  unconscious, 
in  the  second  case  less  perfect  and  conscious. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  one  may  make  a  mistake 
about  the  name  of  the  month  or  the  day  of  the  month 
in  dating  a  letter,  but  this  is  a  mistake  of  quite  a  different 
kind ;  it  is  not  due  to  the  unconsciousness,  the  absence 
of  thought,  which  comes  from  frequent  repetition.  In 
the  case  of  the  date  of  the  year,  memory  has  time  to  be- 
come automatic  and  unconscious,  and  its  correction 
becomes  correspondingly  difficult.  But  though  this 
tendency  of  the  memory  may  prove  inconvenient  in 
dating  a  letter  in  the  early  days  of  January,  it  is  obviously 
in  most  cases  a  great  advantage.  For  instance,  it 
would  be  something  worse  than  an  inconvenience  if  we 
always  had  to  make  a  special  mental  effort  to  recall  the 
names  of  objects  with  which  we  are  really  familiar. 
What  happens  in  the  case  of  memory  happens  also  in 
the  case  of  action  of  nervous  processes — repetition  tends 
to  unconsciousness.  For  instance,  the  action  of  walking 
is  automatic,  it  can  be  controlled  by  the  higher  nerve 
centres,  but  it  is  habitually  left  to  the  lower  centres. 

In  the  same  way  the  pianist,  by  dint  of  practice, 
places  the  action  of  his  hands  under  the  control  of  the 
lower  centres ;  if  it  were  not  so  the  mechanical  part  of 
his  performance  would  never  have  the  requisite  facility. 
The  beginner,  on  the  other  hand,  has  to  do  consciously 
what  the  practised  pianist  does  automatically.  Suppose, 
for  instance,  that  a  student  to  whom  it  has  become 
automatic  to  play  in  the  same  time  with  both  hands 
has  to  deal  with  a  passage  in  which  the  left  hand  is 
playing  triplets  and  his  right  hand  in  common 
time.  He  is  invariably  told,  even  by  teachers  who  know 
nothing  about  nerve  centres,  to  make  one  hand  work 
automatically  while  he  fixes  his  attention  on  the  other 
hand.  In  fact,  in  this  case  one  hand  is  controlled  by 
the  higher  centres  and  the  other  by  the  lower. 

To  return  to  our  wrongly-dated  letter,  the  asso- 
ciation of  the  two  ideas,  the  dating  of  a  letter  and  the 
writing  of  1894,  has  been  SO'  frequently  repeated  that 
the  former  suggests  the  latter  at  once.  That  is  always 
the  case  when  an  association  is  frequently  repeated. 
There  is  a  very  old  story  of  a  City  man  who  frequently 
slept  in  the  train  as  he  went  to-  and  from  business,  and 
on  one  occasion  fell  asleep  in  church.  The  offertory 
collector  came  round  and  touched  him  on  the  shoulder. 
''  Season  ticket,"  murmured  the  City  man.  We  can, 
most  of  us,  remember  the  time  when,  if  anybody  hap- 
pened to  say,  "  What,  never  1 "  somebody  else  was  pretty 
certain  to1  remark,  "  Well,  hardly  ever."  This  went  on 
not  only  long  after  the  remark  had  ceased  to  be  funny, 
but  even  long  after  the  very  people  who  used  it  had 
ceased  to  think  it  funny.  The  association  of  the  two 
phrases  had  been  so  frequently  repeated  that  it  really 
seemed  to  be  inevitable. 

All  this  may  be  perfectly  well  known,  but  it  is  certain 
that  it  is  very  often  forgotten.  The  fact  that  two  things 
have  been  frequently  associated  is  still  quite  enough  to 
make  many  people  accept  them  as  if  inevitably  con- 
nected. Many  of  the  illusions  of  conjurers  depend  on  litis 
fact.  Much  of  the  success  of  the  professional  medium — 
of  whom  I  spoke  last  week — depends  upon  it.    Many  of 


the  frauds  that  are  most  commonly  perpetrated  are 
based  upon  nothing  else.  A  woman,  for  instance,  may 
repeatedly  receive  telegrams  purporting  to  come  from 
her  husband,  and  invariably  find  that  he  really  sent 
them.  One  day  she  receives  the  following  telegram  :  — 
"  Man  will  call  for  account  marked '  Private.'  Pay  guinea 
cash."  Thei  man  calls,  and  the  money  is  paid.  In  the 
evening  she  finds  that  the  whole  tiling  is  a  fraud,  and  her 
husband  never  sent  the  telegram.  This  case  was  in  the 
papers  last  week.  The  reception  of  a  telegram,  and  the 
sending  of  it  by  the  person  from  whom  it  purports  to 
come,  are  frequently  associated,  but  not  inevitably  con- 
nected. From  the  frequency  of  the  association,  one 
accepts  it  unconsciously,  without'  inquiry. 

The  professional  medium  is  asked  to  show  a  mother  the 
spirit  of  her  dead  daughter,  who  had  long  black  hair. 
The  medium  procures  the  necessary  wig,  and,  in  a 
darkened  room,  shows  the  mother  something  more  or 
less  like  a,  human  figure  with  long  black  hair.  The 
mother  goes  away,  and  says,  in  all  sincerity,  that  she 
saw  her  daughter,  and  recognised  her  as  being,  even  in 
the  minutest  details,  exactly  as  she  had  been  in  life.  <  If 
course,  shei  has  been  shown  one  of  her  daughter's  charac- 
teristics, and  her  imagination  has  immediately  supplied 
the  other  characteristics  with  which  in  life  it  was  always 
associated.  In  a  word,  she  has  been  the  victim  of  much 
the  same  mistake  as  the  man  with  the  normal  memory 
who,  at  the  beginning  of  a.  year,  puts  a  wrong  date  on 
his  letter. 

Mr.  William  Archer,  the  dramatic  critic,  talking 
about  Dr.  Doyle's  beautiful  play,  A  Waterloo  Veteran, 
asks,  "  Why  does  not  Dr.  Doyle  write  more  for  the 
stage  1 "  And  he  goes  on  to  regret  that  our  clever 
authors  turn  all  their  attention  to  novel  wrriting,  while 
our  dramatists  can  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one 
hand.  Does  my  friend,  Mr.  Archer,  know  anything  of 
the  condition  under  which  dramatic  literature  has  to  be 
produced?  Is  he  not  aware  that  were  Dr.  Doyle  to  go 
round  to  the  theatres  with  a  play  in  his  pocket  he 
would  find  his  name  utterly  unknown  at  two-thirds  of 
the  stage-doors  in  England,  and  at  most  of  the  others  he 
would  receive  a  message  to  the  effect  that  they  did  not 
want  amateur  dramatists,  and  would  lie  kindly  get  out- 
side 1  While  editors  and  publishers  are  eagerly  on  the 
look-out  for  new  blood,  the  theatrical  manager  regards 
any  man  who  has  written  a  play  as  a  cross  between  a 
fool  and  a  criminal. 

A  Nottingham  correspondent  sends  me  an  account  of 
gross  cruelty  inflicted  upon  a  young  horse  by  a  hunt- 
ing farmer  named  Wilson,  of  Hoveringham.  The  Bench, 
composed  of  hunting  men,  stigmatised  Mr.  Wilson's 
conduct  as  atrocious  cruelty,  inflicted  for  no  other  pur- 
pose than  to  vent  his  own  villainous  temper ;  and  one 
regrets  that  they  did  not  follow  up  this  vigorous  condem- 
nation by  imprisoning  the  fellow  instead  of  merely 
fining  him.  Last  season  a  stigma  was  cast  upon  the 
whole  body  of  hunting  men,  by  a  case  of  fiendish  bru- 
tality committed  by  a  Scarborough  man.  It  is  a  pity  that 
hunting  men  do  not  take  more  practical  steps  to  rid 
themselves  of  the  company  of  such  characters.  They 
must  know  the  disposition  of  the  men  ;  for  when  a  man 
is  convicted  of  cruelty,  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  tli.it 
he  has  indulged  his  brutal  passions  many  a  time  pre- 
viously.   ITunting  men.  as  a  rule,  arc  kindly  and  con- 


January  5,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


275 


siderate  to  their  beasts,  and  it  is  a  reproach  to  them 
that  such  as  Wilson  are  not  driven  out  of  the 
field  with  the  dog  whips. 

I  have  to  acknowledge  the  following  subscriptions 
to  the  Gallantry  Fund  since  last  week  : — R.  G.  Richards, 
2s.  6d. ;  R.  H.  Tookey,  5s. ;  A.  H.  Montgomery,  £1  Is.; 
R.  C.  Sudlow,  £1  Is.  I  am  sure,  if  readers  were  aware 
of  the  surprised  and  gratified  pleasure  with  which  their 
gifts  have  been  received  by  the  brave  men  who  have 
risked  life  and  limb,  and  suffered  loss  that  their 
scanty  means  could  ill  afford,  in  doing  their 
duty,  cheques  would  pour  into  this  Office  in 
shoals.  With  the  limited  means  at  my  disposal  I 
have  been  able  to  assist  in  only  about  half  of  those  cases 
which  deserved  recognition.  It  is  not  only  the  money, 
useful  as  that  must  be,  that  gives  delight ;  it  is  the 
proof  that  their  simple  heroism  has  won  them  the 
honour  of  their  fellow-men.  The  medals,  I  know,  will 
be  treasured  and  handed  down  with  honest  pride  ;  the 
brave  story  centering  around  them  will  be  remembered 
by  the  sons  and  daughters,  and  the  memory  of  noble 
actions  kept  green.  I  hope  in  the  coming  year  that 
Englishmen  who  love  pluck  and  devotion  to  duty 
will  help  me,  by  subscribing  to  this  fund,  to  spread 
abroad  the  spirit  of  modern  knighthood. 

Especially  would  I  appeal  to  our  colonial  friends. 
They  know  better  than  we,  who  sit  at  home  in  peace 
and  security,  what  British  pluck  has  done  for  the  human 
race — the  great  value  of  courage.  It  is  the  heroism  of 
the  English  soldier  and  sailor  that  has  opened  up  these 
lands  to  their  enterprise.  It  is  the  English  mechanic, 
shop-boy,  and  peasant  of  the  past  who  have 
rescued  for  them  swamp  and  jungle,  who  have  battled 
for  them  against  a  million  foes,  who  have  made  the  land 
fertile  with  their  sweat  and  blood.  It  is  this  same 
spirit  that  stirs  these  humble  workmen  of  to-day  to 
fling  aside  all  thought  of  personal  danger  and  personal 
loss,  and  fly,  in  the  face  of  all  risks,  to  the  succour  of  a 
brother  in  distress.  Let  them  at  least  feel  that,  if  they 
die  doing  their  duty,  there  is  some  fund  which  will  hold 
out  help,  however  small,  to  the  near  and  dear  ones  that 
they  will  leave  to  fight  the  world  alone ;  that  if  sickness 
and  loss  arise,  their  fellow-citizens  will  not  pass  them  by 
with  merely  a  pat  on  the  back. 

The  dozens  of  letters  that  come  in  every  day  from 
subscribers  give  me  great  pleasure,  for  they  show  the 
close  sympathy  between  To-Day  and  its  readers. 
Indeed,  I  sometimes  flatter  myself  by  thinking  that 
there  can  be  few  journals  that  have  established  so  close 
and  intimate  a  relationship  with  their  readers.  Having 
evidently  pleased  and  satisfied  them,  I  am  emboldened 
to  beg  of  them  a  personal  favour  that  would  result  to 
the  benefit  of  all  of  us.  If  every  man  or  woman  who 
reads  and  likes  this  paper  would  obtain  for  us  one  other 
subscriber  we  could  make  To-Day  even  better  than  it 
is.  I  want  To-Day  to  have  the  very  best  literature  and 
the  very  best  ai  t  that  can  possibly  be  obtained  and  the 
very  best  journalism.  If  my  readers  will  help  me,  as  they 
easily  could  do,  to  an  enormously  increased  circulation, 
they  would  soon  see  that  To-Day  would  not  be  the  only 
one  to  benefit.  We  have  no  fear  of  losing  readers  that  we 
once  attract.  If  every  friend  would  draw  the  attention  of 
one  stranger  to  our  subscription  list,  and  induce  him  to 


join,  that  is  all  the  assistance  I  would  ask.  Some  of  ouf 
friends  have  obtained  us  dozens  of  subscribers,  and  have 
apparently  found  no  difficulty  whatever  in  doing  so. 
If  each  one  only  obtained  one  other,  that  alone  would 
now  be  sufficient  to  give  to  To-Day  an  enormous  power 
and  position.    Will  those  who  approve  of  us  help  1 

ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

With  reference  to  our  paragraph  in  last  week's  paper 
on  the  subject  of  coloured  doctors  in  America,  a  correspondent 
writes  me  as  follows: — "Pall  Mall  Club,  6,  Waterloo  Place, 
December  28th,  1894.  Dear  Sir, — I  was  much  interested  by 
your  remarks  on  coloured  doctors  in  America,  for  I  am  inte- 
rested in  the  whole  matter  of  the  relations  between  the  races. 
1  understand  your  point  of  view  very  well ;  it  was  my  own, 
before  I  had  four  years'  experience  of  the  negro.  Now,  my 
sympathy  is  entirely  with  the  men  who  are  boycotting  the 
Indianapolis  doctor.  1  began  my  association  with  the  negro, 
believing  that  he  was  a  man  and  a  brother  ;  I  was  indignant  at 
the  dislike  with  which  he  was  said  to  be  regarded  by  the  whites. 
Now,  though  I  would  not  assert  that  he  is  not  a  man,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  he  is  not  a  brother.  It  is  a  conviction  founded  on 
experience,  and  I  have  yet  to  find  the  white  man  who  knows 
the  negro,  and  does  not  share  it.  With  regard  to  dislike,  the 
negro  is  not  disliked,  as  long  as  he  does  not  attempt  any  of  the 
more  intimate  relations  of  life.  The  white  man  will  employ 
him,  or  will  do  business  with  him  in  a  fair  and  friendly  fashion. 
But  let  him  attempt  any  of  the  more  intimate  relations,  and  he 
excites  the  race  repulsion  to  fury.  It  is  afeeling  that  isimpossible 
of  analysis,  resting  on  the  very  bed-rock  of  human  nature  ;  but  it 
will  drive  men  to  more  violent  actions  than  any  other  passion. 
The  idea  of  a  negro  doctor  attending  his  wife  is  beyond  words 
loathsome  to  any  white  man  who  has  lived  amongst  them.  It  is 
simply  unbearable.  Surely,  then,  a  man  has  a  right  to  say, 
'  the  coloured  doctor  to  the  coloured  folk,'  and  insist  on  having 
a  doctor  of  her  own  race  for  his  wife.  There  will  be  no  in- 
justice to  the  negroes  in  it ;  for,  if  the  fee  be  the  same,  they  will 
always  employ  a  white  doctor  rather  than  a  negro.  At  any 
rate,  it  is  time  that  men  should  begin  to  realise  that  there  is  far 
more  in  the  matter  than  mere  irrational  prejudice. — I  am,  yours 
faithfully,  E.  A.  Jepson." 

Nan  Higgs.— Copies  of  pictures,  even  though  the  originals 
are  of  great  value,  seldom  fetch  any  price  to  speak  of.  Your 
only  chance  is  to  dispose  of  them  privately,  or  by  arrangement 
with  some  shopkeeper  or  framer,  who  may  show  them  for  you. 
I  cannot  recommend  this  class  in  London,  as  they  are  nearly  all 
frauds.  If  you  will  send  me  full  descriptions  of  your  coins  I  will 
tell  you  whether  they  are  worth  selling.  Very  common  coins 
are  sold  merely  as  old  metal. 

H.  W. — It  is  purely  a  matter  of  personal  taste,  and  not  a  sub- 
ject for  public  comment. 

Alpha. — Nearly  every  colony  is  over-crowded  with  emigrants, 
though  ^skilled  artizans  could  always  find  openings.  You  would 
get  your  query  answered  fully  at  the  Emigrants'  Information 
Office,  31,  Broadway,  Westminster. 

E.  F.  H. — The  religious  Press  are  notoriously  the  greatest 
sweaters  of  authors  throughout  the  world.  You  have  only 
been  served  the  same  as  many  another  unfortunate  writer. 
Salop  sends  me  a  stirring  account  of  the  Tay  Bridge  disaster, 
cut  from  the  Glasgow  Herald  for  Boxing  Day.  From 
this  account  it  would  appear  that  the  Tay  Bridge  was 
blown  by  the  force  of  the  wind  into  the  Forth 
—a  hurricane  truly  marvellous,  unless  the  effect  of 
Christmas  upon  the  writer  of  the  article  accounts  for  the  occur- 
rence. W.  A.  L.  B. — I  quite  agree  with  your  remarks,  but  the 
subject  is  a  terribly  difficult  one  to  deal  with.  In  the  case  of 
The  Chameleon  it  was  necessary  to  speak  publicly,  but  as  a 
general  rule  more  good  could  be  done  by  the  direct  intfuenue 
of  parents,  friends,  and  guardians.  Rivers  tells  me  that  the  New 
Brighton  syrens  were  only  inviting  men  to  tea.  It  may  be  so, 
but  even  in  that  case  I  can  imagine  a  pleasanter  way.  G.  L.  S. 
— -I  confess  to  not  understanding  much  about  the  matter  myself. 
I  will  bear  in  mind  what  you  say,  and  think  it  over.  H.  H.  K. 
— Most  compilers  find  it  difficult  to  quite  sever  their  brains  from 
the  words  and  phrases  made  use  of  by  their  authorities.  The 
only  thing  to  do  is  to  acknowledge  as  much  as  one  can. 

E.  C.  N.  (Sheffield). — I  should  certainly  send  the  lad  abroad 
to  finish  his  education.  English  education  is  not  worth  calling 
by  the  name.  For  all  practical  purposes  a  man  wastes  his  time 
at  Oxford  or  Cambridge,  cramming  his  head  with  "loads  of 
learned  lumber,"  which  results  in  making  him  a  prig.  German 
education  is  undoubtedly  the  best,  and  in  the  better  class 
German  schools  the  boys  are  carefully  looked  after.  A  boy  runs 
the  risk  of  having  his  mind  tainted  in  any  public  school,  but 
much  can  be  done  by  plain  sensible  talk.  Parents  should  tell 
boys  plainly  the  dangers  before  them,  and  impress  upon  them 
the  necessity  of  self-respect.  Great  harm  is  wrought  by  the 
criminal  silence  of  parents  on  these  matters.  A  boy  is  launched 
into  a  world  full  of  evil  without  a  word  of  warniug  or  counsel 
being  given  him,  and  sin  finds  him  so  unprepared  that  he  does 
not  even  know  that  it  is  sin. 

Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  v;z-Jl:, 


276 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1895. 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  dear  Dick. — The  last  words  spoken  in  Grundy's 
new  play  are,  so  far  as  I  can  remember,  these  : 
Mr.  Egerton.    How  will  this  end  1 
Douglas.    It  will  never  end  ! 
If  I  had  been  Douglas  I  should  have  replied,  "  Under 
fifty  nights." 

Mind,  there  is  some  admirable  acting  in  Slaves  of  the 
Ring,  but  there  is  not  enough  of  it  to  save  the  play 
from  failure.  A  more  gloomy,  fitful,  and  unsatisfactory 
piece  I  have  rarely  seen.  Two  sisters,  Ruth  and  Helen, 
are  about  to  be  married.  On  their  wedding  day  Harold, 
the  affianced  of  Helen,  realises  that  he  loves  Ruth,  and 
she  discovers  that  she  loves  him  also.  They  wrestle  with 
their  bosoms  and  confide  in  various  friends,  but  they 
have  not  got  the  pluck  to  do  anything  else,  so  when  the 
chimes  ring  out,  they  go  to  church. 

They  must  have  been  a  cheerful  party  at  the  break- 
fast afterwards. 

Under  the  circumstances  it  is  not  surprising  to  find, 
when  the  second  act  commences,  that  everybody  is  in 
deep  mourning,  that  Harold  has  gone  away  to  Africa 
and  has  got  killed,  that  Ruth  has  had  a  baby,  which 
has  died,  that  she  herself  is  at  death's  door  and  in 
delirium,  that  her  ravings  about  Harold  have  nearly 
broken  Helen's  heart,  and  that  Helen  is  so  fearful  lest 
the  painful  secret  should  be  revealed,  that  she  nearly 
kills  herself  in  nursing  Ruth  night  and  day.  To  this  very 
serious  family  there  enters  Captain  Douglas.  He  has 
loved  Ruth  all  along,  but  has  never  mentioned  it.  Helen 
tells  him  what  she  has  just  discovered,  whereupon  he 
fills  up  her  cup  by  saying  that  Harold  is  not  dead  after 
all,  but  is  waiting  downstairs  on  the  hall  mat. 

Helen  is  left  to  sob  her  heart  out,  but  during  the 
process  Ruth  appears  in  a  becoming  nightgown.  She 
raves  a  little,  and  then  goes  for  a  walk  round  the  conser- 
vatory. Helen,  recovering,  misses  her,  and  also  goes  into 
the  conservatory.  Then  Harold  enters.  Ruth  comes 
back,  and  more  raving  ;  they  embrace  just  as  Helen  enters 
and  turns  up  the  lamp.  She  then  and  there  makes 
arrangements  for  the  future.  Harold  is  to  be  as  a 
stranger,  at  home  ;  as  a  husband,  to  the  world.  He 
does  not  reply  "  Chestnuts,"  as  well  he  might.  He 
hangs  his  head  and  waits  for  the  next  act,  in  Avhich,  his 
spirits  having  recovered,  be  spoons  Ruth  for  all  he  is 
worth.  Ruth  does  not  seem  to  dislike  it.  Helen  is 
furiously  jealous,  and  amiably  remarks  that  though 
there  is  nothing  between  the  lovers  at  present,  there 
soon  will  be,  and  if  she  can  only  find  it  out  she  will 
denounce  them. 

Then  everybody  proceeds  to  walk  round  and  round  a 
very  superior  Rowland-W aid-like  jungle  that  occupies 
the  centre  of  the  stage,  and  nothing  in  particular  happens 
until  Ruth's  husband  takes  her  into  a  room  apart,  and 
gives  her  some  of  his  mind.  She  returns  and  tells 
Harold  that  they  must  part  for  ever,  and  he  is  humbly 
preparing  to  hang  his  head  and  slink  as  usual  when 
Ruth  suddenly  exclaims  that  she  can't  help  it,  she  loves 
him — oh  !  she  loves  him  !  At  this  juncture  Helen,  who 
has  apparently  got  tired  of  walking  round  and  round 
the  jungle,  vai-ies  the  monotony  by  plunging  straight 
through  it.  She  pours  out  a  cataract  of  scathing 
denunciation  on  Harold  and  Ruth,  and  then  everybody 
enters.  Ruth's  husband,  George,  with  great  prompti- 
tude hits  the  unoffending  Douglas  in  the  eye,  and 
Douglas,  being  a  hero,  does  not  retaliate.  Harold, 
however,  suddenly  breaks  his  own  head  hanging  record, 
and  exclaims,  "  Stay,  /  am  the  man  !  "  George,  making 
it  a  rule  never  to  hit  more  than  one  man  in  one  evening, 
sits  down  heavily  in  a  small  wicker  chair.  Helen  flings 
herself  at  the  feet  of  Ruth,  and  asksj  "  What  have  I 
done  1 "  But  Ruth  does  not  know  the  answer,  or  has 
forgotten  it,  so  her  father,  Mr.  Egerton,  lets  go  the 


other  conundrum  with  which  I  commenced  this  letter, 
and  down  comes  the  curtain. 

The  play  has  been  written,  so  far  as  I  can  make  out, 
to  prove  that  the  present  condition  of  the  marriage 
laws  is  unsatisfactory.  If  two  people  are  married,  and 
cannot  get  on,  one  of  them  must  sin  before  either  can 
get  free,  which  is  absurd.  But  then  lots  of  things  under 
the  marriage  laws  are  imperfect.  The  art  of  playwriting 
is  one  of  them.  The  cast  at  the  Garrick  is  another.  Gilbert 
Hare  does  wonderfully  well,  considering  that  he  is 
definitely  a  character  actor,  and  has  to  play  an  in- 
vertebrate and  rather  contemptible  walking  gentleman. 
Bouchier  looks  well,  dresses  well,  speaks  well,  but  also 
is  condemned  to  play  a  comparatively  pulseless  part. 
How  far  he  would  succeed  with  anything  better  I  don't 
know.  I  have  a  recollection  of  his  playing  a  sort  of 
villain  at  the  St.  James's  that  impressed  me  favourably. 
I  don't  think  that  he  has  quite  the  method  for  heroic 
leads,  and  I  shall  curiously  await  his  appearance  in  a 
good  character  part.  I  believe  he  will  succeed. 
Brandon  Thomas  as  Douglas  did  not  appeal  to  me. 
The  part  wanted  a  Forbes  Robertson,  a  George 
Alexander,  or  a  Lewis  Waller,  though  it  was 
not  big  enough  for  either  of  them.  Brandon  Thomas 
evidently  felt  his  responsibility,  and  he  tried  his  very 
best,  but  his  little  peculiarities  of  expression  and  gesture 
are  against  him.  It's  odd  how  unimportant  things 
sometimes  fascinate  your  attention  on  a  big  occasion. 
All  Saturday  night  I  kept  on  wondering  why  Brandon 
Thomas  wore  such  very  voluminous  trousers.  They  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  play,  of  course,  but  they  worried 
me.  Dennis,  as  Mr.  Egerton,  I  liked  immensely, 
and  John  Hare,  as  the  Earl  of  Ravenscroft, 
was  absolutely  admirable.  It  was  a  vivid,  rather 
lurid  study,  but  from  his  boots  to  his  eyebrows 
it  "was  perfect.  Miss  Calhoun  was  good  and  pathetic  as 
Ruth,  and  Miss  Kate  Rorke  simply  excelled  herself. 
She  looked  lovely,  and  never  before  displaj'ed  so  much 
passion  and  power.  She  divided  the  honours  of  the 
acting  with  Hare  himself. 

As  I  told  you  some  weeks  ago,  I  expect  you  will  see 
that  the  School  for  Scandal  will  be  revived  at  the 
Garrick  before  Pinero's  piece  is  produced.  I  hope  young 
Gilbert  Hare  will  be  cast  for  Joseph. 

From  the  Garrick  I  hurried  to  the  Hay  market,  but 
was  too  late  for  Tree's  speech.  I  hear  that  he  merely 
delivered  himself  of  the  regulation  farewell,  and  made 
no  allusion  to  the  "  Modern  Society  Play  "  controversy. 
He  will  be  home  from  America  at  Easter,  when  the  run 
of  Jolm-a-Dreams  will  be  resumed. 

I  told  you  something  about  the  pantomimes  last  week. 
Santa  Claus  at  the  Lyceum  I  sat  out  again  this  week, 
and  I  am  constrained  to  confess  that  at  the  con- 
clusion it  bored  me.  The  death  of  Tatters,  the 
collie  dog,  is  a  mistake  for  two  reasons.  Lauri  has 
done  the  same  thing  before  very  often — he  does  it  as  a 
monkey  best  —and,  also,  as  Santa  Claus  is  designed 
specially  as  an  afternoon  entertainment  for  children  you 
don't  want  to  make  them  cry.  When  Tatters  lay  dead 
with  a  nasty  looking  red  wound  in  his  chest,  when  the 
Babes  lay  down  to  die  on  top  of  Tatters,  and  when  the 
first  scene  in  the  Transformation  revealed  a  gloomy 
snow-clad  mountain,  I  was  really  prepared  for  the 
introduction  of  an  artistic  funeral,  and  a  dirge  for  the 
souls  of  the  departed  by  the  entire  strength  of  the 
chorus. 

At  Drury  Lane  everything  makes  for  light  and 
brightness,  and  the  great  Chinese  Feast  of  Lanterns 
has,  as  I  predicted,  turned  out  a  veritable  triumph  of 
stage  illusion.  The  show  lias  now  been  cut  down  to 
reasonable  limits,  the  comic  scenes  go  with  shouts,  and 
the  success  of  the  pantomime  eclipses  any  previous 
record. 

You  will  see  another  version  of  Dick  Whittington  at 
the  Avenue  in  six  or  eight  weeks  time.  The  book, 
which  is  by  G.  R.  Sims,  will  be  completed  this  week. 
Ivan  Caryll  will  compose  the  music,  and  a  powerful 


January  5,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


277 


company  is  being  selected.  May  Yc-he  will,  of  course, 
play  Dick,  and  a  very  delightful  Dick  she  is  pretty  sure 
to  be. 

A  new  drama  is  also  being  got  ready  for  the  Adelphi. 
The  authors  are  Haddon  Chambers  and  Ralph  Lumley, 
who  wrote  Aunt  Jack,  and  married  Mrs.  John  Woods' 
charming  daughter  Florrie. 

At  the  Court  I  do  not  think  you  will  see  anything 
before  the  new  play  by  Godfrey,  which  is  practically 
finished.  When  he  wants  a  little  relaxation  from  his 
serious  labours  Pinero  will  write  a  farcical  play  for  the 
Court,  but  at  least  a  year  will  have  to  elapse  before  its 
production  need  be  anticipated. 

Other  new  plays  will  blossom  out  in  the  spring,  for  in 
April  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  Charles  Cart- 
wright  will  go  into  management  for  himself.  In  his 
company  you  may  expect  to  find  J ulia  Neilson  and  Fred 
Terry. 

Claude-du-Val  is,  I  fancy,  coming  to  the  end  of  its  run 
at  the  Prince  of  Wales',  when,  pending  a  new  production, 
Arthur  Roberts  will  go  for  a  short  season  to  the  Newson- 
Smith  syndicate  halls. 

That  is  about  all  I  have  to  tell  you  for  the  minute. 
Happily  the  festive  season,  or  perhaps  the  rush  of  work, 
has  distracted  controversialists,  and  a  general  peace  and 
a  holy  calm  reigns  between  the  most  hostile  of  theatrical 
disputants.  I  trust  it  may  so  continue,  and  that  they 
■ — and  you,  too — may  enjoy  a  thoroughly  happy  and 
prosperous  New  Year. 

Your  affectionate  cousin, 

Randolph. 


A  PRINCIPAL  BOY. 

TEN  MINUTES  WITH  MISS  ADA  BLANCHE. 

In  Dick  Whittington,  the  audience  called  together 
by  Sir  Augustus  Harris,  at  Drury  Lane,  will  recognise 
an  old  favourite — not  old  in  years,  but  in  length  of 
popularity.  Miss  Ada  Blanche  has  a  splendid  record, 
both  on  the  burlesque  and  music-hall  stage,  where  her 
latest  success,  "  Oh  !  Marguerite,"  is  probably  present 
to  most  of  us. 

Dick  Whittington,  in  every-day  life,  is  a  vivacious- 
looking  young  lady,  full  of  interest  and  delight  in  her 
work,  and  who  welcomed  a,  representative  of  To-Day 
with  flattering  kindliness. 

"  We  are  working  morning,  noon,  and  night,"  she 
declared;  "  but  ask  me  anything  you  like,  and  I  will  do 
my  best  to  answer  your  questions  during  my  present 
short  rest?" 

"  Well,  to>  begin  with,  how  do  you  like  your  new  part? " 

"  I  am  simply  delighted  with  it ! "  she  cried,  enthu- 
siastically. "  Dick  Whittington  is.  such  a  dear  fellow  ; 
and,  of  course,  it  is  not  everyone  who  has  a  chance  of 
being  Lord  Mayor  of  London  !  You  know,  I  wear 
robes  exactly  copied  from  those  in  use  at  the  Mansion 
House;  they  have  been  embroidered  in  Paris,  and  are 
too  lovely  for  anything  !  " 

"  I  notice  that  you  have  quite  a  feminine  love  for 
clothes,  Miss  Blanche,  although  you  are  Principal  Boy  !  " 

"  But,  you  know,"  seriously,  "  the  clothes  of  a  Prin- 
cipal Boy  are  tremendously  important,  and  those  of  Dick 
Whittington  especially  so.  Sir  Augustus  Harris  has 
taken  an  immense  lot  of  trouble  about  the  costuming  of 
this  pantomime.  My  suits  are  delightfully  pic 
turesque',  and  really  reproduce  those  worn  by  the  London 
apprentice  of  the  Middle  Ages.  I  think,"  she  added, 
pensively,  "that  it  will  be  the  first  time  that  a  woman 
has  worn  parti  coloured  knickerbockers — you  know,  in 
these  days  they  had  a  mania  for  wearing,  say,  sleeves  of 
a  different  colour ;  pairs  were  quite  out  of  fashion. 
Ycu  understand?"  concluded  Miss  Blanche',  with  a 
slightly  embarrassed  air. 

"You  doubtless  feel  very  charming  in  these  'odd' 
nether  garments,"  I  replied,  discreetly.  "  Have  you  dor  e 
much  pantomime  work  1 " 


"  Well,  I  was  Robinson  Crusoe  in  last  year's  show ; 
and  my  first  appearance  on  any  stage  was  at  a  children's 
pantomime  produced  at  the  Adelphi.  I  was  a  tiny  little 
thing,  scarcely  taller  than  a  table,  and  yet  I  sang — I  am 
told  with  considerable  success. — 'The  Bay  of  Biscay.' 
But  you  must  not  think,"  continued  Miss  Blanche, 
briskly,  "  that  I  have  spent  the  whole  of  my  professional 
life  in  music-hall  work  and  burlesque  opera.  I  was  for 
a  long  time  in  Mr.  Dion  Boucicault's  company  ;  and,  as 
Eily,  in  The  Colleen  Baum,  I  scored  a  great  success,  in 
the  provinces,  and  notably  in  Dublin.  Another  very 
favourite  part  of  mine  has  been  Little  Jack  Sheppard, 
I  don't  believe  in  getting  rusty.  Any  work  is  better 
than  none.  I  delight  in  my  profession,  and  feel  quite 
strange  when  my  name  is  out  of  the  bill." 

"  I  need  hardly  ask  you  if  you  believe  in  the  magic 
potency  of  a  good  song?" 

"No,  indeed.  Why,  look  at  'Marguerite';  people 
are  still  never  tired  of  hearing  it.  I  don't  mind  telling 
ycu,  however,  that  I  like  a  song  with  a,  little  pathos  in 
it.  When  a.  pathetic  song  does  catch  on,  it  becomes  a 
permanent  favourite  with  the  public.  Of  course,  audi- 
ences differ  enormously;  verses  set  to  a  touching  air, 
which  may  draw  tears  east  of  Temple  Bar,  will  he 
listened  to  with  indifference  at  the  Oxford  or  the  Tivoli. 
Still,  '  one  touch  of  Nature  makes  the  whole  world  kin,' 
and  I  have  no  doubt  that  Dick  Whittington's  sad  lines  to 
his  faithful  cat  will  prove  one  of  the  most  successful 
numbers  in  the  new  pantomime.  I  may  add  that  I  am 
delighted  with  the  music  composed  by  Mr.  Clover  for 
this  pantomime;  it  is  very  tuneful,  and  full  of  exquisite 
harmony." 

"  Do  you  find  that  children  take  any  interest  in  the 
musical  side  of  a.  play  or  pantomime  I" 

'"  Yes,  indeed  ;  they  make  a  most  delightful  audience, 
and  thoroughly  enter  into  the  spirit  of  everything  said 
oi'  sung.  I  think  all  those  engaged  in  a  pantomime 
will  tell  you  how  pleasant  it  is  to  see  before  you  rows  of 
little  folks,  all  enjoying  themselves,  and  having  a  tho- 
roughly good  time." 


"Ye  Olden  Time"  Witney  Blankets. 

HIGH-CLASS  GOODS  direct  from  Factory,  and  made  specially 
for  this  offer.  Of  the  quality  and  make  that  last  a  Life- 
time—the "  Olden  Time  "  Wool  make,  not  present  day  Shoddy 
sort.  At  25  to  40  per  cent,  below  prices  that  would  be  charged 
by  ordinary  retailers.  In  four  weights  and  sizes  :  at  13/6,  18  -, 
22/6,  and  27/-  per  pair.  All  the  sizes  are  finished  in  Single 
Blankets.  Carriage  Paid  on  Orders  of  22/6  and  upwards  to  any 
Railway  Delivery.  Cash  with  Order.  P.O.  Orders  may  have 
payment  delayed.    Money  returned  if  Blankets  not  approved. 

THE  YORKSHIRE  WITNEY  BLANKET  CO.,  DEWSBURY. 

GOLF!  GOLF!!  GOLF!!! 

The  Chance  of  a  Lifetime! 


Sflflfl  GOLF  CLUBS 
—  Hfl  II  11  Must   be     Cleared   out   by  end 
of  the  year. 

THE  TRUSTEE  on  the  estate  of  a  well-known  maker  has 
instructed  us  to  dispose  of  upwards  of  5  000  FIRST- 
QUALITY  GOLF  CLUBS.  To  accomplish  this  we 
now  offer  these  at  the  absurdly  Low  Price  of  4s.  S'.d. 
each— Carriage  paid  to  any  address.  The  usual  prices  for  these 
Clubs  run  from  5s.  6d.  to  7s.  6d. ,  and  Golfers  should  not  miss 
this  opportunity.     Address — 

"  ~Et  Dept.,"  McAULAY  &  CO.,  257,  Argyle  Street,  Glasgow 


Volume  I.  of  "  TO-DAY,"  containing  the  whole  of 

R,  L.  STEVENSON'S  LATEST  STORY, 

"THE  EBB-TIDE," 

COPIOUSLY  ILLUSTRATED, 

Is  offered  as  a  premium  to  any  person  sending  us  an  Annual 
Subscription  (Eleven  Shillings)  to  "TO-DAY." 


278 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


One  of  the  most  striking  features  with  regard  to  men's 
dress  during  1894  was  the  abandonment  of  the  struggle 
to  get  back  to  1845.  Up  till  the  close  of  1893,  and  right 
into  the  early  months  of  last  year,  everything  tended 
towards  a  revival  of  thei  fashions  of  our  grandfathers,  or 
fathers,  as  the  case  may  be.  Prints  of  the  days  of  "  Tom 
and  Jerry"  were  at  a  premium;  old-fashioned  seals 
were  displayed  in  the  best  shops;  and  medallions  of 
ladies,  whose  history  and  character  were  a>  blank  to  us, 
were  purchased  for  scarf-pins. 


Suddenly  there  was  a  general  shamefaced  scuttle. 
The  flowing  skirts  of  the  frock-coat  began  to>  decrease, 
the  waist  lost  its  narrowness,  peg-top  trousers  gave  place 
to>  those  cut  on  the  "drain-pipe"  principle,  and  the 
crowning  glory  of  half  a  century  ago — the  bell-shaped 
hat — shrunk  back  to  very  mild  curves.  So  that,  except 
for  minor  details,  we  are  standing  pretty  much  where  we 
did  a  couple  of  years  ago:  Possibly  some  explanation 
for  the  collapse  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  a  number 
of  men,  who  are  in  the  van  of  fashion  leaders,  went  to 
such  extraordinary  lengths  that  the  average  well-dressed 
man  fell  back  appalled.  I  can  recall  the  appearance  of 
two  young  bloods  in  the1  Bow,  in  exact  reproductions  of 
their  grandfathers'  clothes,  and  the'  pained  expression 
of  the  crowd  was  equal  to  that  of  Regent  Street  when  an 
enterprising  lady  journalist  walked  about  there  in  a 
crinoline. 


If  I  were  to<  indulge  in  a  forecast,  I  should  say  that  the 
present  year  will  see  the  finish  of  the  frock-coat  for 
general  wear.  During  its  long  career  of  popularity  it 
has  practically  ousted  all  others;  but  now  the  morning- 
ceat  seems  destined  more  than  ever  for  favour.  The 
tails  will  be  very  full,  and  cut  away  sharp  from  the  body ; 
while  the  collar  will  be  fashioned  fairly  deep,  to  allow  of 
the  wearing  of  the  never-to-leave-us  four-in-hand  scarf. 


Another  noticeable  feature  in  connection  with  last 
year  was  the  remarkable  variety  of  brilliant  colours  in- 
troduced for  all  kinds  of  men's  clothing — pyjamas,  socks, 
pants,  ties,  and  handkerchiefs  appearing  in  all  the  colours 
i>f  the  rainbow.  They  were  not  a  success,  and  hosiers 
quickly  fell  back  to  more  delicate  patterns. 


The  soft  felt  hats  are  as  much  in  demand  as  ever, 
and  they  have  lived  down  a  certain  prejudice  that  at 
one  time  existed  against  them  for  general  wear  in  town. 
To  my  thinking  there  is  no'  hat  that  looks  better  with  an 
overcoat.  The  favourite  colour  is  still  a  lightish  brown, 
with  a  somewhat  broad  brim. 


Few  sportsmen  will  regret  that  the  Anti-Gambling 
League  have  decided  to  drop  guerilla  warfare,  and  go  in 
for  a  pitched  battle  with  the  Jockey  Club.  We  shall 
now  get  the  whole  law  on  the  subject,  and  a  final 
decision  as  to  whether  or  not  race  meetings  shall  in  the 
future  be  opened  with  singing  and  prayer.  For  my  own 
part — and  in  this  view  I  am  supported  by  a  well-known 
solicitor  who  has  studied  the  question — I  have  no  doubt 
that  the  League  will  win,  unless  the  Club  escape  on  some 
technical  point.  The  Law  re;  orts  bristle  with  convictions 
against  owners  of  land,  whose  position  seems  exactly 
relative  to  that  which  the  Jockey  Club  will  hold  when 
they  appear  as  defendants.  Large  umbrellas,  boxes,  and 
bookmaking  paraphernalia  generally  have  been  held  to  be 
"  betting  places"  within  the  meaning  of  the  Act,  and  I  be- 
lieve that  it  was  necessary  to  go  to  the  Court  of  Appeal  in 
order  to  quash  a  convict  ion  for  allowing  a.  man  to  wander 
here  and  there  in  the  crowd,  and  make  surreptitious 
ready-money  bets. 


Supposing, then, thattheClub — which, as  you  all  know, 
includes  as  members  the  Prince  of  Wales,  the  Premier, 
and  the  Lord  Chief  Justice — is  convicted,  what  is  to 


become  of  racing  and  ihe  thousands  who  live  by  it  1  You 
are  never  going  to  get  the  crowds,  whose  money  provides 
the  bulk  of  the  prizes,  to  go  miles  simply  to  mentally 
speculate  on  what  coloured  jacket  is  going  to  be  first  past 
the'  post.  No,  no;  stamp  out  betting  on  the  race- 
course, and  you  will,  so  far  as  the  average  man  is  con- 
cerned, stamp  out  horse-racing.  If  the  League  had  an 
alternative  scheme,  one  might  discuss  the  question 
amicably.  In  France,  when  the  bookmaker  was  assailed 
the  pari  mutuel  was  suggested,  and  although,  as  every- 
one knows,  this  conflict  broke  down  after  a  while,  the 
mechanical  penciller  was  accepted  more  or  less  for  the 
time  being. 

But  the  League  are  optimistic  about  their  campaign, 
and  an  optimist  is  generally  an  impracticable  being  in 
serious  matters.  They  say  that  England  is  being  ruined 
by  gambling,  and  issue  pamphlets  showing  the  awful  fate 
that  befei  A  B  and  C  through  betting.  From  their  point  of 
view  it  would  seem  that  every  man  who  ever  made  a  bet 
finished  up  in  gaol,  and  left  a  wife  and  four  to  lament 
him.  I  fancy  there  is  something  fateful  in  having  four 
children,  for  it  is  invariably  at  this  stage  that  the  hus- 
band is  sent  to>  penal  servitude  through  gambling 
(according  to  Mr.  Hawke),  dies  from  drink  (according 
to  Sir  Wilfrid  Lawson),  or  falls  into  the  water  while 
boating  on  the  Sabbath  (according  to  the  Lord's  Day 
Observance  Society). 


To  close  the  subject,  though.  If  the  League  do  win 
then  they  will  go  one  better,  and  try  to  get  a  law  passed 
suppressing  betting  "  on  the  nod."  Up  to  that  time 
they  would  have  only  scored  half  a  victory,  for  all  the 
race-goer  would  have  to  do  would  be  to  deposit  so 
much  with  a  bookmaker  before  racing  started,  and  eke 
it  out  as  his  fancy  might  choose  till  the  last  race.  We 
shall  all  watch  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  the  progress 
of  what  will  be  one  of  the  hardest  fought  cases  of  the 
century,  and  there  will,  no  doubt,  be  many  interesting 
developments  in  the  world  of  sport  before  the  saddling- 
bell  rings  on  the  Carholme. 

I  THiNKthat  the  lastrace  meeting  I  saw  Lord  Randolph 
Churchill  at  was  Epsom.  On  the  Derby  afternoon  his  lord- 
ship met  Lord  Rosebeiy  near  the  weighing-room,and  con- 
gratulated him  upon  the  glorious  victory  of  Ladas  ;  then, 
ascending  the  steps  of  the  stand,  Lord  Randolph  made  his 
way  to  the  side  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  remained  con- 
versing with  our  future  king1  for  some  considerable  time. 
As  the  horses  wended  their  way  to  the  starting-post,  Lord 
Randolph  crossed  to  the  betting-ring  to  execute  a  little 
commission  for  the  Prince — a  task  his  lordship 
always  undertook  when  His  Royal  Highness  graced  a 
race-meeting  with  his  presence. 


Lord  Randolph  Churchill's  connection  with  uhe  Turf 
commenced  some  years  ago.  His  lordship  started  rather 
quietly,  but  about  the  time  Colonel  North  became  a 
patron  of  the  Sport  of  Kings,  the  leader  of  the  Fourth 
Party  launched  out  and  got  together  a  stud  of  respectable 
dimensions.  He  met  with  a  fair  amount  of  success,  and 
his  horses  were  trained  by  the  late  R.  Sherwood. 


Colonel  North  also  placed  his  horses  under  the  care 
of  Sherwood,  and  it  was  generally  understood  that 
Lord  Randolph  Churchill  had  something  to  do  with  the 
management  of  them.  When  his  lordship's  health  began 
to  cause  him  trouble,  lie  quickly  got  rid  of  most  of  his 
racehorses,  only  retaining  a  half  share  in  a  few,  which 
ran  in  the  name  of  Lord  Dunraven. 


It  was  in  1889  that  Lord  Randolph  won  the  Oaks 
with  L'Abbesse  de  Jouarre.  The  filly,  if  I  remember 
rightly,  made  her  debut  in  a  race  at  Croydon,  won  by 
Amphion,  Her  two-year-old  form  was  far  from  excel- 
lent; but,  like  so  many  of  her  sex — to  wit,  Mrs.  Butter- 
wick,  Memoir,  and  Amiable — she  improved  wonderfully 
during  the  interval,  and  on  the  Oaks  day  she  was,  with- 


January  5,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


279 


out  a  doubt,  the  best  filly  of  her  year,  although  many 
have  found  fault  with  the  manner  in  which  Minthe  was 
riclden. 


Amongst  other  races  won  by  L'Aljbesse  dc  Jouarre — ■ 
who,  by-the-bye,  is  a  daughter  of  Trappist — Festivity 
— may  be'  mentioned,  the  Hardwicke  Stakes,  Portland 
Plate,  and  Manchester  Cup;  and  Lord  Randolph 
Churchill's  name  does  not  appear  in  the  list  of  winning 
owners  in  1893  or  1894  ;  but  I  take  it  that  half  of  the 
sums  credited  to  Lord  Dum  aven  in  1891  and  1892  were 
taken  by  Lord  Randolph. 

When  there  has  been  a  lull  in  the  proceedings 
at  Sandown  Park,  I  have  frequently  examined  the 
stands,  and  wondered  why  the  executive  do  not  erect 
new  ones.  The  present  structures  are  almost  entirely 
composed  of  wood,  and  they  have  certainly  far  from  an 
elegant  appearance.  Sandown  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  fashionable  racing  resorts  in  England,  but  there 
are  several  racecourses  which  are  provided  with  better 
stands,  and  one  of  these  is  Sandown' s  rival,  Kempton 
Park — to  say  nothing  of  Hurst  Park,  if  only  a  favourite 
would  occasionally  win. 


The  Rugby  crisis  is  at  an  end.  Absolute  and  com- 
plete collapse  is  the  only  term  applicable  to  the  attitude 
taken  up  by  the  Yorkshiremen,  and  the  action  of  the 
Union  Committee  was  vindicated  by  what  was  practi- 
cally an  unanimous  vote  of  confidence.  The  meeting  did 
not  pass  over  quite  smoothly  owing  to  the  ill-judged 
proposal  of  Messrs.  Maud  and  Carpmael  to  offer  a  £20 
reward  to  "  informers,"  but  the  sense  of  the  meeting  was 
shown  by  the  decisive  rejection  of  the  proposition.  All's 
well  that  ends  well — and  although  some  people  are  very 


much  afraid  that  veiled  professionalism  is  not  yet  ended, 
and  that  there  will  be  trouble  in  the  near  future — yet 
the  strength  of  amateurism  has  been  so  plainly  shown 
that  when  the  fight  does  come  there  will  be  little  doubt 
as  to  the  result. 


When  the  South  defeated  the  North  in  so  decisive  a 
fashion,  I  suggested  that  the  Selection  Committee 
might  do  worse  than  choose  the  Southern  team  en  bloc 
for  the  first  of  the  Internationals,  viz.,  against  Wales 
to-day  (Saturday,  January  5th).  In  spite  of  the  criti- 
cism of  some  superior  individuals,  the  committee  have 
done  exactly  what  I  suggested,  with  the  single  excep- 
tion that  they  have  substituted  E.  W.  Taylor  for  C.  M. 
Wells  as  half-back.  I  do  not  see  the  necessity  for 
such  a  change,  unless  it  be  to  throw  a  sop  to  the 
northern  contingent.  Wells's  play  last  year  against  the 
Welshmen  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  in  the 
North  v.  South  match  he  showed  not  the  least  sign  of 
any  falling  off.  While  I  fail  to  see  .any  reason  for 
putting  him  out  of  the  team,  I  quite  agree  that  the 
Northumbrian  is  worthy  of  a  place,  and  will,  doubtless, 
justify  his  selection  in  to-day's  struggle  at  Swansea. 

Sunderland  are  having  a  run  of  bad  luck  just  now  in 
the  League  championship.  The  strain  of  holiday  engage- 
ments, the  postponement  of  the  Preston  fixture,  and  the 
fact  that  they  have  had  to  play  three  League  matches 
within  a  week  has  proved  too  much  even  for  so  well 
trained  a  lot  as  the  Wearsiders,  and  they  have  accord- 
ingly had  twice  to  acknowledge  defeat  by  a  single  goal 
in  each  instance,  viz.,  from  Notts  Forest  and  Preston 
North  End.  This  gives  Everton  a  lead,  but  as  only 
about  half  of  the  League  games  have  been  completed, 
there  is  still  every  prospect  of  an  exciting  finish,  and  I 


CRIP 


CURED  HIM ! 


Chief  Officer  Mutton,  of  the  ss.  Braganza,  says  .— "  In  the 
early  part  of  the  year  1882,  I  felt  a  pain  in  the  region  of  the 
right  hip,  which  rapidly  developed  into  a  pain  so  intense  that 
at  times  I  could  not  walk  ten  yards  without  halting.  Medical 
men,  both  in  England  and  on  the  Continent,  pronounced  it 
sciatica  ;  they  prescribed  for,  and  signally  failed  to  give  me  the 
slightest,  relief.  At  last  I  determined  to  give  St.  Jacobs  Oil 
a  fair  trial. 

"  With  the  second  bottle  I  felt  most  decided  relief ;  after 
using  the  third  I  walked  one  day  fully  ten  miles  without 
feeling  a  twinge  ;  with  the  fourth  I  was  virtually  cured  ;  and 
after  using  the  fifth  bottle  I  had  no  longer  any  need  of  its  use, 
and  am  now,  thanks  to  its  marvellous  properties,  entirely  free 
from  pain,  never  having  had  any  return  of  it,  and  I  am  firmly 
convinced  that  had  it  not  been  for  St.  Jacobs  Oil  I  should  now 
have  been  very  near,  if  not  quite  a  cripple."    Price  1/L£  &  2/6. 

It  JLcts  Like  Magic 


The  Charles  A.  VOGELER  Co.,  45,  Farringdon  Road,  London ; 
Avenue  Kleber  72,  Paris  ;  Pharniacie  Anglaise,  Montague  de 
la  Cour,  Bruxelles ;  Sole  Proprietors. 


280 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1895. 


shall  still  pin  my  faith  to  Sunderland  as  the  better 
players.  Meanwhile,  Blackburn  Rovers  and  Aston 
Villa  are  both  exhibiting  excellent  form. 


The  Southern  League  clubs  are  exhibiting  extra- 
ordinary form  just  at  present,  and  the  explanation  must 
be,  I  suppose,  the  festive  season.  It  is  difficult  to 
explain  otherwise  the  defeat  of  Swindon  by  Chatham 


(the  latter's  first  victory),  and  the  subsequent  victory 
of  Swindon  over  Royal  Ordnance.  Then,  again,  there 
was  the  draw  made  by  Reading  with  Millwall  Athletic. 
Southampton  St.  Mary's,  beaten  by  Luton  on  their  own 
ground,  were  yet  able  to  visit  Uford  and  administer  a 
defeat  to  the  Essex  club.  These  are  some  of  the  vagaries 
of  form  for  which  Christmas  is  always  responsible. 

The  Major. 


EYLON. 


UPTON'S  DELICIOUS  TE 


haYe  reached  a  pinnacle  of  success  never  before  attained  by  any 
other  teas  in  the  world  and  their  increasing  popularity  IN" 
EVERY  MOJVIE  is  the  surest  test  of  their  apprecia- 
tion by  the  public. 


wish 


Excels  All  Others 


UPTON'S 
TEAS 


THE  MOST  POPULAR  OF  THE  AGE. 

Direct  from  the  Tea  Gardens 


gained  the  ^  MO    MIBDLEBIEN'S   PROFITS   TO  PAY 

HIGHEST  &  ONLY  AWARD. 

m  the  dritish  sect.on  of  the  J    NOTE  THE  PRICES.    RICH,  PURE,  &  FRAGRANT. 

WORLD'S  FAIR, 


CHICAGO. 


Unparalleled 
Success. 


and       per  lb. 


Enormous 
Demand. 


UPTON'S 
TEAS 

GAINED  THE 

[HIGHEST  &  ONLY  AWARD) 

IN  THE   BRITISH   SECTION   OF  THE 

WORLD'S  FAIR, 

CHICAGO. 


THE  FINEST   TEA  THE  WORLD   CAN  PRODUCE. 
NO  HIGHER  PRICE.       per  ^       H0  H,GHER  PR,CL 

TEA    AND    COFFEE    PLANTER,  CEYLON 
THE   LARGEST   TEA,  COFFEE,  AND  PRO- 
VISION DEALER  IN  THE  WORLD. 

Sole  Proprietor  of  the  following  celebrated  Tea  and  Coffee  Estates  in  Ceylon:  Bambatenne,  Layniastotte,  Monerakande,  Mnliadainnateiine,  Mousakelle,  Pooprassie,  IIan.1g.1lla,  ,in<\, 
(iigranella,  which  cover  Thousands  of  Acres  of  the  best  TEA  and  COFFEE  LAND  in  Ceylon.  Ceylon  Tea  and  Coffee  Shipping  Warehouses;  Maddema  Mills,  Cinnamon  (.m-.l.-h-, 
ColornlH),  Ceylon  Office:  Upper  Chatham  Street,  Colombo.  Indian  Tea  Shipping  Warehouses  and  Export  Stores:  Hare  Street,  Strand,  Calcutta.  Indian  Offices:  Dalhoufcie  Square, 
Calcutta.  Tea  and  Coffee  Salerooms  :  Mincing  Lane,  LONDON,  E.C.  Wholesale  Tea  Blending  and  Duty  Paid  Stores:  Bath  Street,  and  (  :ivton  Street,  LONDON,  E.G.  Pondeo  raid 
Export  Stores:  Peerless  Street,  LONDON,  E.C.   Coffee  Uc  as  ting,  Blending  Stores,  and  Essence  Manufactory:  Old  Street,  LONDON.  EC.    Wholesale  and  Export  Provision  Warehouses; 

Nelson  Place,  LONDON,  E.C.   Fruit  Preserve  Factory:  Spa  Road,  Bermondsey,  LONDON,  S.E. 

General  Qffices-BATH   STREET,  CITY  ROAD,  LONDON,  E.C. 

LARGEST   TEA  SALE  IN  THE  WORLD. 


BRANCHES  EVERYWHERE. 


AGENTS  THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD. 


BINGHAM  ana  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


TAKLIS!   What  is  Taklis  ? 

WHY  TAms  IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK    HAT    RENOVATOR.      No  ironing 

required.    Unaffected  by  rain. 
Is.  box,  including-  velvet  pad  and  tube  of  TAKLIS 

post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Greese  Street,  London,  W. 
VOLUME""!!,  of 


9f 


NOW  READY,  FROM  ALL  BOOKSELLERS. 
Price  3s.  6d.  ;    or  Post  Free  from  this  Office,  4s. 

COVFRS  FOR  BINDING  trTO-DAY,'' 

Together  with  Title  PaSc  and  Index,  can  he  ordered 
through  any  Newsagent  or  Bookseller,  Price  Is.  Gd.  ;  or 

Post  free  from  this  Office,  1-;.  !><1. 
TITLE  PAGE  AND  INDEX,  Price  Id.,  Post  Free. 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
■WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Hottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  bo  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  thou  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  <Sr  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  lias  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STI.Vrr.ASTS  AND  DIETETICS, ' . 


ill  ihtmphlet,  pott  frte  on  application  to 


WiYi.  STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


Jaxuat-.y 


ICC  3. 


TO-DAY. 


281 


CLARENCE. 

BY 

BRET  HARTE. 

Illustrated  by  Arthur  Jule  Good:^a^. 


PART  III. 
CHAPTER  TIL  {Continued). 

followed  a  month  cf 
superintendence  and 
drill,  and  the  infusing 
into  the  little  camp 
under  his  instruction 
the  spirit  which 
seemed  to  be  passing 
out  of  his  own  life  for 
ever.  Shut  in  by 
alien  hills  on  the  bor- 
derland of  the  great 
struggle,  from  time  to 
time  reports  reached 
him  of  the  bitter 
lighting,  and  almost 
disastrous  successes  of 
his  old  Division  Com- 
mander. Orders  came 
from  Washington  to 
hurry  the  preparation 
of  his  raw  levies  to  the  field,  and  the  faint  hope  sprang 
up  in  his  mind.  But  following  it  came  another  despatch 
ordering  his  return  to  the  Capital. 

He  reached  it  with  neither  hope  nor  fear — so  benumbed 
had  become  his  spirit  under  this  last  trial,  and  what 
seemed  to  be  now  the  mockery  of  his  last  sacrifice  to  his 
wife.  Though  it  was  no  longer  a  question  of  her  life 
and  safety,  he  knew  that  he  could  still  preserve  her 
memory  from  stain  by  keeping  her  secret,  even  though 
its  divulgings  might  clear  his  own.  For  that  reason,  he 
had  even  hesitated  to  inform  Susy  of  her  death,  in  the 
fear  that,  in  her  thoughtless  irresponsibility  and  im- 
pulsiveness, she  might  be  tempted  to  use  it  in  his  favour. 
He  had  made  his  late  appointment  a  plea  for  her  with- 
holding any  present  efforts  to  assist  him.  He  even 
avoided  the  Boompointers'  house,  in  what  he  believed 
was  partly  a  duty  to  the  memory  of  his  wife.  But  he 
saw  no  inconsistency  in  occasionally  extending  his  lonely 
walks  to  the  vicinity  of  a  foreign  Legation,  or  in  being 
lifted  with  a  certain  expectation  at  the  sight  of  its 
liveries  on  the  Avenue.  There  was  a  craving  for  sym- 
pathy in  his  heart,  which  Miss  Faulkner's  letter  had 
awakened. 

Meantime,  he  had  reported  himself  for  duty  at  the 
War  Department — with  little  hope,  however,  in  that 
formality.  But  he  was  surprised  the  next  day  when  the 
Chief  of  the  Bureau  informed  him  that  his  claim  was 
before  the  President. 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  I  had  presented  any  claim,"  he 
said,  a  little  haughtily. 

The  Bureau  Chief  looked  up  with  some  surprise.  This 
quiet,  patient,  reserved  man  had  puzzled  him  once  or 
twice  before. 

"Perhaps  I  should  say  'case,'  General,"  he  said,  drily. 
"  But  the  personal  interest  of  the  highest  executive  in 
the  land  strikes  me  as  being  desirable  in  anything." 

"  I  only  mean  that  I  have  obeyed  the  orders  of  the 
Department  in  reporting  myself  here,  as  I  have  done," 
said  Brant,  with  less  feeling,  but  none  the  less  firmness ; 
"  and  I  should  imagine  it  was  not  the  duty  of  a  soldier  to' 
question  them.  Which  I  fancy  a  '  claim '  or  a  '  case ' 
would  imply." 

He  had  no  idea  of  taking  this  attitude  before,  but  thei 
disappointments  of  the  past  month,  added  to  this  first 
official  notice  of  his  disgrace,  had  brought  forward 
that  dogged,  reckless,  yet  half-scornful  obstinacy  that 
"was  part  of  his  nature. 

The  official  smiled. 


"  I  suppose,  then,  you  are  waiting  to  hear  from  the 
President,"  he  said  drily. 

"  I  am  awaiting  orders  from  the  Department,"  re- 
turned Brant  quietly,  "  but  whether  they  originate  in 
the  President  as  Commander-in-Chief,  or  not — itisnot 
for  me  to  inquire." 

Even  when  he  reached  his  hotel  this  half-savage 
indifference  which  had  taken  the  place  of  his  former 
incertitude  had  not  changed.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he 
had  reached  the  crisis  of  his  life  where  ho  was  no  longer 
a  free  agent,  and  could  wait,  superior  alike  to  effort  or 
expectation.  And  it  was  with  a  merely  dispassionate 
curiosity  that  he  found  a  note  the  next  morning  from 
the  President's  private  Secretary,  informing  liim  that 
the  President  would  see  him  early  that  day. 

A  few  hours  later  he  was  ushered  through  the  public 
rooms  of  the  White  House  to  a  more  secluded  part  of 
the  household.  The  messenger  stopped  before  a  modest 
door  and  knocked.  It  was  opened  by  a  tall  figure — the 
President  himself.  He  readied  out  a  long  arm  to  Brant, 
who  stood  hesitatingly  on  the  threshold,  grasped  hia 
hand  and  led  him  into  the  room.  It  had  a  single,  large, 
elaborately  draped  window  and  a  handsome  mudallioned 
carpet,  which  contrasted  with  the  otherwise  almost  ap- 
palling simplicity  of  the  furniture.  A  single  plain  an- 
gular desk,  with  a  blotting  pad  and  a  few  sheets  of  large 
foolscap  upon  it,  a  waste-paper  basket  and  four  plain 
arm  chairs,  completed  the  interior,  with  a  contrast  as 
simple  and  homely  as  its  long-limbed,  black-coated 
occupant.  Releasing  the  hand  of  the  General  to  shut 
a  door,  which  opened  into  another  apartment,  the  Presi- 
dent shoved  an  armchair  towards  him  and  sank  some- 
what wearily  into  another  before  the  desk.  But  only 
for  a  moment;  the  long  shambling  limbs  did  not  seem 
to  adjust  themselves  easily  to  the  chair  :  the  high  narrow 
shoulders  drooped  to  find  a  more  comfortable  lounging 
attitude,  shifted  from  side  to  side,  and  the  long  legs 
moved  dispersedly.  Yet  the  face  that  was  turned  to- 
wards Brant  was  humorous  and  tranquil. 

"  I  was  told  I  should  have  to  send  for  you  if  I  wished 
to  see  you,"  he  said  smilingly. 

Already  mollified,  and  perhaps  again  falling  under 
the  previous  influence  of  this  singular  man,  Brant  began 
somewhat  hesitatingly  to  explain. 

But  the  President  checked  him  gently — 

"You  don't  understand.  It  was  something  new  to 
my  experience  here  to  find  an  able-bodied  American  citi- 
zen with  a  genuine  healthy  grievance  who  had  to  have 
k  drawn  from  him  like  a  decayed  tooth.  But  you  have 
been  here  before.    I  seem  to  remember  your  face." 

Brant's  reserve  had  gone.  He  admitted  that  he  had 
twice  sought  an  audience — but  

"You  dodged  the  dentist!  That  was  wrong."  As 
Brant  made  a  slight  movement  of  deprecation  the  Presi- 
dent continued :  "  I  understand  !  Not  from  fear  of 
giving  pain  to  yourself  but  to  others.  I  don't  know  that 
that  is  right,  either.  A  certain  amount  of  pain  must  be 
suffered  in  this  world — even  by  one's  enemies.  Well, 
I  have  looked  into  your  case,  General  Brant."  He  took 
up  a  piece  of  paper  from  his  desk,  scrawled  with  two 
or  three  notes  in  pencil.  "  I  think  this  is  the  way  it 
stands.  You  were  commanding  a  position  at  Grey  Oaks, 
when  information  was  received  by  the  Department  that 
either  through  neglect  or  complicity,  spies  were  pass- 
ing through  your  lines.  There  was  no  attempt  to  prove 
your  neglect  ;  your  orders,  the  facts  of  your  personal 
care  and  precaution,  were  all  before  the  Department. 
But  it  was  also  shown  that  your  wife,  from  whom  you 
were  only  temporarily  separated,  was  a  notorious  Seces- 
sionist; that  before  the  war,  you  yourself  were  sus- 
pected, and  that,  therefore,  you  were  quite  capable  of 
evading  your  own  orders,  which  you  may  have  only 
given  as  a  blind.  On  this  information  you  were  relieved 
by  the  Department  of  vour  command.  Later  on  it  was 
discovered  that  the  spy  was  none  other  than  your  own 
wife,  disguised  as  a  mulatto  :  that  after  her  arrest  by 
vour  own  soldiers,  you  connived  at  her  escape — and 


Co2<yri<jht,  1S94,  by  Brit  JIa  te. 


282 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1805* 


this  was  considered  conclusive  proof  of — well,  let  us 
say — your  treachery." 

"But  I  did  not  know  it  was  my  wife  until  she  was 
arrested,"  said  Brant  impulsively. 

The  President  knitted  his  eyebrows  humorously. 
"  Don't  let  us  travel  out  of  the  record,  General. 
You're  as  bad  as  the  Department.  The  question  -was 
one  of  your  personal  treachery,  but  you  need  not  accept 
the  fact  that  you  were  justly  removed  because  your 
ivije  was  a  spy.  Now,  General,  I  am  an  old  lawyer, 
and  I  don't  mind  telling  you  that  in  Illinois  we  wouldn't 
hangayellowdog  on  that 


evidence  before  the  De- 
partment. But  when  I 
was  asked  to  look  into 
the  matter  by  your 
friends,  I  discovered 
something  of  more  im 
portance  to  you.  I  had 
been  trying  to  find  a 
scrap  of  evidence  that 
would  justify  the  pre- 
sumption that  you  had 
sent  information  to  the 
enemy.  I  found  that  it 
was  based  upon  the  fact 
of  the  enemy  being  in 
possession  of  knowledge 
at  the  first  battle  all 
Grey  Oaks,  which  could 
only  have  been  obtained 
from  our  side,  and  which 
led  to  a  Federal  disaster, 
— that  you,  however, 
retrieved  by  your  gal- 
lantry. I  then  asked 
the  Secretary  if  he  was 
prepared  to  show  that 
you  had  sent  the  infor- 
mation with  that  view, 
or  that  you  had  been 
overtaken  by  a  tardy 
sense  of  repentance. 
He  preferred  to  consider 
my  suggestion  as  humor- 
ous. But  the  inquiry 
led  to  my  further  dis- 
covery that  the  only 
treasonable  correspon- 
dence actually  in  evi- 
dence was  found  upon 
the  body  of  a  trusted 
Federal  officer,  and  had  been  forwarded  to  the  Division 
Commander.  But  there  was  no  written  record  of  it  in 
the  case." 

"  Why,  I  forwarded  it  myself,"  said  Brant  eagerly. 

"So  the  Division  Commander  writes,"  said  the  Pre- 
sident, smiling,  "  and  he  forwarded  it  to  the  Depart- 
ment. But  it  was  suppressed  in  some  way.  Have 
you  any  enemies,  General  Brant?" 

"  Not  that  I  know  of." 

"Then  you  probably  have.  You  are  young  and  suc- 
cessful. Think  of  the  hundred  other  officers  who  natu- 
rally believe  themselves  better  than  you  are,  and  haven't 
a  traitorous  wife.  Still,  the  Department  may  have  made 
an  example  of  you  for  the  benefit  of  the  only  man  who 
couldn't  profit  by  it." 

"  Might  it  not  have  been.  Sir,  that  this  suppression 
was  for  the  srood  report  of  the  service — as  the  chief 
offender  was  dead  1 " 

*  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so.  General,  for  it  is  the 
argument  I  have  used  successfully  in  behalf  of  your 
wife." 

"Then  vou  know  it  all.  Sir?''  said  Brant>  after  a 
gloomy  pause. 

"All,  I  think.    Come,  General,  you  scorned  just  now 


to  be  uncertain  about  your  enemies.  Let  me  assure  you 
you  need  not  be  so  in  regard  to  your  friends." 

"  I  dare  to  hope  I  have  found  one,  Sir,"  said  Brant  with 
almost  boyish  timidity. 

'*  Oh,  not  me ! "  said  the  President,  with  a  laugh  of 
deprecation.    "  Someone  much  more  potent." 

"  May  I  know  his  name,  Mr.  President?  " 

"No,  for  it  is  a  woman.  You  were  nearly  ruined 
by  one,  General.  I  suppose  it's  quite  right  that  you 
should  be  saved  by  one.    And,  of  course,  irregularly." 

"  A  ~z  oaian  1 "  echoed  Brant. 

"  Yes !  one  who  was 
willing  to  confess  her- 
self a  worse  spy  than 
your    wife — a  double 
t 


YOUR  WISH   FOR  ACTIVE  SERVICE   IS  GRANTED. 


Upon  my  word,  General, 
I  don't  know  if  the  De- 
partmentwas  farwrong; 
a  man  with  such  an  al- 
ternately unsettling  and 
convincing  effect  upon 
a  woman's  highest 
political  convictions 
should  be  under  some 
restraint.  Luckily  the 
Department  knows  no- 
thing of  it." 

"Nor  would  anyone 
else  have  known  from 
me,"  said  Brant,  eagerly. 
"  I  trust  that  site  did 
rot  think — that  you, 
sir,  did  not  for  an  instant 

believe  that  I  " 

"  Oh  dear,  no  !  No- 
body would  have  be- 
lieved you  !  It  was  her 
free  confidence  to  me. 
That  was  what  made 
the  affair  so  difficult  to 
handle.  For  even  her 
bringing  your  despatch 
to  the  Division  Com- 
mander looked  bad  for 
you  ;  and  j'ou  know  he 
even  doubted  its  authen- 
ticity." 

"  Does  she — does  Miss 
Faulkner  know  the  spy 
was  my  wife?"  hesi- 
tated Brant. 

The  President  twisted  himself  in  his  chair,  so-  as  to 
regard  Brant  more  gravely  with  his  deep-set  eyes,  a,.d 
then  thoughtfully  rubbed  his  leg. 

''  Don't  let  us  travel  out  of  the  record.  General,"  ho 
said,  after  a.  pause.  But  as  the  colour  surged  into 
Brant's  cheek,  he  raised 4iis  eyes  to  the  ceiling,  and  said, 
in  half-humorous  recollection — 

"  No,  I  think  that  fact  was  first  gathered  from  your 
other  friend — Mr.  Hooker." 

"  Hooker !  "  said  Brant,  indignantly  ;  "  did  he  come 
here?" 

"  Pray  don't  destroy  my  faith  in  Mr.  Hooker,  General," 
said  the  President,  in  half-weary,  half-humorous  depre- 
cation. "Don't  tell  me  that  any  of  his  inventions  aro 
true  !  Leave  me  at  least  that  magnificent  liar — the  one 
perfectly  intelligible  witness  you  have.  For  from  the 
time  that  he  first  appeared  here  with  a  grievance  and  a 
claim  for  a  commission,  he  has  been  an  unspeakable  joy 
to  me  and  a  convincing  testimony  to  you.  Other  wit- 
nesses have  been  partisans  and  prejudiced  ;  Mr.  Hooker 
was  frankly  true  to  himself.  How  else  should  I  have 
known  of  the  care  you  took  to  disguise  yourself,  save  the 
honour  of  your  uniform,  and  run  the  risk  of  being  shot 
as  an  unknown  spy  at  your  wife's  side,  except  from  hi ^ 
magnificent  version  of  his  part  in  it?    How  else  should 


traitor — to  save 


you 


January  5,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


283 


I  have  known  the  story  of  your  discovery  of  the  Cali- 
fornian  conspiracy,  except  from  his  supreme  portrayal 
of  it,  with  himself  as  the  hero?  No,  you  must  not  for- 
get to  thank  Mr.  Hooker  when  you  meet  him.  Miss 
Faulkner  is  at  present 
more  accessible  ;  she  is 
calling  on  some  mem- 
bers of  my  family  in 
the  next  room.  Shall  I 
leave  you  with  her?" 

Branfc  rose  with  a 
pale  face  and  a  quickly 
throbbing  heart  as  the 
President,  glancing  at 
the  clock,  untwisted 
himself  from  the  chair, 
and  shook  himself  out 
full  length,  and  rose 
gradually  to  his  feet. 

"  Your  wish  for 
active  service  is 
granted,  General 
Brant,"  he  said, 
slowly,  "  and  you  will 
at  once  rejoin  your  old 
Division  Commander, 
who  is  now  at  the  head 
of  the  Tenth  Army 
Corps.  But,"  he  said, 
after  a  deliberate 
pause,  "  there  are  cer- 
tain rules  and  regula- 
tions of  your  service 
that  even  /  cannot, 
with  decent  respect 
to  your  Department, 
override.  You  will, 
therefore,  understand 
that  you  cannot  rejoin 
the  army  in  your 
former  position." 

The  slight  flush  that 
came  to  Brant's  cheek 
quickly  passed.  And 
there  was  only  the  un- 
mistakable sparkle  of 
renewed  youth  in  his 
frank  eyes  as  he.said — • 

"  Let  me  go  to  the 
front  again,  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, and  I  care  nob 
how." 

The  President 
smiled,  and,  laying  his  heavy  hand  on  Brant's  shoulder, 
pushed  him  gently  towards  the  door  of  the  inner  room. 

"  I  was  only  about  to  say,"  he  added,  as  he  opened 
the  door,  "  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  you  to  rejoin 
your  promoted  commander  as  a  Major-General.  And,"  he 
continued,  lifting  his  voice,  as  he  gently  pushed  his 
guest  into  the  room,  "  he  hasn't  even  thanked  me  for  it, 
Miss  Faulkner  ! " 

The  door  closed  behind  him,  and  he  stood  for  a 
moment  dazed,  and  still  hearing  the  distant  voice  of  the 


POINTING  OUT  THE  VARIOUS  OBJECTS  OF  INTEREST. 


Fresident,  in  the  room  he  had  just  quitted,  now  wel- 
coming- a  new  visitor.  But  the  room  before  him,  open- 
ing into  a  conservatory,  was  empty,  save  for  a  single 
figure,  that  turned,  half  timidly,  half  mischievously, 

towards  him.  The  same 
quick,  sympathetic 
glance  was  in  both  their 
faces  ;  the  same  timid, 
happy  look  in  both 
their  eyes.  He  moved 
quickly  to  her  side. 

"  Then  you  knew 
that  —  that  —  woman 
was  my  wife  1 "  he 
said,  hurriedly,  as  he 
grasped  her  hand. 

She  cast  a  half-ap- 
pealing look  at  his  face 
— a  half-frightened  one 
ar.»und  the  room  and  at 
the  open  door  beyond. 

"  Let  us,"  she  said, 
faintly,  "  go  into  the 
conservatory." 

*  *  -ji- 
lt is  but  a  few  years 
ago  that  the  veracious 
chronicler  of  these 
pages  moved  with  a 
wondering  crowd  of 
sightseers  in  the  gar- 
dens of  the  White 
House.  The  war  cloud 
had  long  since  lifted 
and  vanished ;  the 
Potomac  flowed  peace- 
fully by  and  on  to 
where  once  lay  the 
broad  plantation  of  a 
great  Confederate 
leader — now  a  national 
cemetery  that  had 
gathered  the  soldier 
dead  of  both  sections 
side  by  side  in  equal  rest 
and  honour,  and  the 
great  goddessoncemore 
looked  down  serenely 
from  the  dome  of  the 
white  Capitol.  The 
chronicler's  attention 
was  attracted  by  an 
erect,  handsome,  sol- 
dierly-looking man,  with  a  beard  and  moustache  slightly 
streaked  with  grey,  pointing  out  the  various  objects  of 
interest  to  a  boy  of  twelve  or  fourteen  at  their  side. 

"  Yes ;  although,  as  I  told  you,  this  house  belongs 
only  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  hia 
family,"  said  the  gentleman,  smilingly,  "  in  that  little 
conservatory  I  proposed  to  your  mother." 

"Oh!  Clarence,  how  can  you t"  said  the  lady;  re- 
provingly, "  you  know  it  was  long  after  that ! " 

THE  END. 


WOMAN'S  INHUMANITY  TO  MAN. 

A  Progressive  wife  has  had  a  cruel  truth  told  her  by  a 
heartless  doctor.  He  said  her  husband  would  not  live 
long  unless  he  got  some  rest.  Last  night,  as  she  sat 
in  an  easy-chair  and  watched  him  take  off  his  coat  on 
coming  from  the  office,  put  on  a  gingham  apron  and  go 
to  work  cheerfully  washing  potatoes  for  supper  and 
pounding  steak,  occasionally  stopping  to  rock  the  baby, 
her  heart  smote  her. 

She  noticed  that  he  looked  thin  and  careworn  and  that 
he  brought  the  bucket  only  half  full  of  water  from  the 
well.  She  spoke  to  him  kindly,  and  her  heart  smote 
her  a  second  time  when  he  looked  up  surprised.  "Was 
it  true  that  in  the  rush  and  worry  of  stirring  the 


country  up  to.  political  truths  she  had  forgotten  to  be 
kind  to  him  ?  She  kissed  him  tenderly  when  he  handed 
her  a  cup  of  tea  at  the  table,  and  his  eyes  filled  with 
tears  ;  it  was  so  long  since  he  had  heard  a  tender  word. 
She  praised  his  biscuits  ;  then  he  broke  down  and  cried. 

The  result  of  this  tender  little  scene  was  that  this- 
morning  the  woman  cancelled  all  lecture  engagements 
and  resigned  from  all  committees.  She  realised  that 
since  it  would  not  do  to  hire  a  strong  girl  to  assist  him 
with  the  heavy  housework,  it  would  be  better  for  her 
to  stay  at  home  and  aid  him  by  tender  sympathy  and 
loving  words.  Oh,  wives,  take  warning  from  this  little 
tale.  Speak  gently  to  your  husbands  ere  the  cold  sod 
closes  over  them.  Praise  their  coffee  and  biscuits.  A  kind 
word  costs  so  little  and  goes  such  a  long  way. 


234 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  13S5. 


REMINISCENCES  OF 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 


A 


BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 
Illustrated   by  W.  Dewar. 


VI. 

8  In  the  Goods  of  John  Casement." 

NEVER  fully  realised  the  true 
significance  of  this  mysterious 
business  until  after  Mr.  Summers' 
death,  when  in  the  course  of  my 
melancholy  task  of  dismantling 
his  office  and  winding  up  pend- 
ing matters  I  came  across  the 
papers  connected  with  it.  It 
happened  before  my  time,  but 
I  recollect  Mr.  Summers  telling 
me  the  story  one  day  as  illus- 
trating the  danger  of  acting  for 
strangers,  for  he  always  believed 
that  it  was  nothing  more  than 
an  impudent  attempt  at  fraud  and  robbery,  whereas  I 
discovered,  as  hereafter  described,  that  the  affair  was 
a  cunning  and  ingenious  conspiracy,  the  motive  of  which 
was  very  different  from  what  my  late  employer  had 
imagined. 

Twenty  years  before  the  date  I  am  speaking  of,  a 
country  client  of  Mi-.  Summers',  who  happened  to  be 
staying  at  an  hotel  in  Fleet  Street,  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  gentleman,  a  fellow  gnest,  who  remarked,  in 
the  course  of  conversation,  that  he  wished  to  consult  a 
■London  solicitor,  but  did  not  know  who  to  go  to.  As 
the  stranger  seemed  respectable,  the  client  gave  him 
Mr.  Summers'  name  and  aduress,  but  prudently  warned 
the  lawyer  by  a  private  note  that  he  knew  absolutely 
nothing  of  the  gentleman  or  his  business. 

The  consequence  was  that  when  the  latter  presented 
himself,  Mr.  Summers  was  on  his  guard,  and  was  in- 
clined to  look  upon  him  with  suspicion.  The  new  client, 
who  gave  the  name  of  Mr.  Charles  Lethbridge,  appeared 
to  bo  about  five-and-thirty  years  of  age,  well-dressed, 
apparently  well  educated,  and  of  prepossessing  appear- 
ance. His  manner  seemed  perfectly  frank  and  honest, 
and  though  he  manifested  considerable  nervousness,  Mr. 
Summers  was  favourably  impressed  by  him. 

"Well,  what  can  I  do  for  you?"  inquired  Mr.  Sum- 
mers, after  a  short  preliminary  conversation. 

"  I  am  left  executor  to  the  will  of  a  friend,"  replied 
Mr.  Lethbridge,  carelessly  producing  a  document  from 
his  pocket.  "  I  don't  know  what  I  have  to  do,  but  I 
suppose  there  are  some  formalities  to-  be  gone  through  ?  " 

"  Most  certainly.  The  will  must  be  proved  in  solemn 
form,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  gravely. 

"  All  right,  I  want  you  to  do  whatever  is  necessary," 
said  Mr.  Lethbridge,  as  he  handed  the  document  to  Cue 
lawyer,  together  with  another  paper.  "  Here  is  the  will 
find  here  is  a  list  of  my  friend's  property  so  far  as  I  am 
aware  of  it." 

Mr.  Summers  took  the  papers  and  glanced  through' 
them.  The  first  purported  to  be  the  last  will  and  testa- 
ment of  John  Casement,  who  was  described  as  of  90, 
Sydney  Place,  Bath,  Gentleman  ;  it  appeared  to  have 
been  duly  executed  and  attested  in  the  presence  of  a 
well-known  local  solicitor  and  his  clerk  ;  and  on  the  face 
of  it,  seemed  perfectly  genuine.  The  second  paper  was 
apparently  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr.  Lethbridge  him- 
self, and  contained  a  list  of  shares  and  securities  repre- 
senting a  total  value  of  about  £5,000. 


"Mr.  Casement  was  a  married  man,  I  see,"  observed 
Mr.  Summers,  as  he  read  the  will. 

"  Yes,  he  has  left-  a  widow ;  unfortunately  my  poor 
friend  and  his  wife  were  separated.  He  made  a  settle- 
ment upon  her  by  deed ;  she  has  money  of  her  own,  and 
has  lived  for  some  years  down  at  Dawlish,"  said  Mr.  Leth- 
bridge readily. 

"He  only  leaves  her  £1,000,"  commented  Mr.  Sum. 
incrs,  watching  his  client  closely. 

"  It  is  more  than  she  has  any  right  to  expect,"  re- 
marked Mr.  Lethbridge,  with  a  nervous  laugh.  "He 
made  a  handsome  settlement  upon  her." 

"Have  you  communicated  with  her?" 

"  No,  I  will  ask  you  to  do  that.  She  knows  I  was  a 
great  friend  of  her  husband's  a  id  naturally  she  and  I  are 
not  particularly  well  disposed  to  one  another." 

"  I  can  imagine  that  when  she  knows  of  this  will  she 
will  be  less  friendly  to  you  than  ever.  I  see  that  you  are 
residuary  legatee,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  looking  straight 
at  his  client. 

"  She  will  hardly  be  surprised,"  replied  Mr.  Leth- 
bridge, a  trifle  embarrassed  by  the  lawyer's  direct  gaze. 
'  It  was  quite  understood  that  her  husband  was  free 
to  dispose  of  his  property  as  he  chose.  She,  no  doubt, 
has  done  the  same  with  her  own." 

"  I  suppose  you  and  the  deceased  were  very  intimate?  " 
said  Mr.  Summers,  his  vague  suspicions  struggling  with 
a  sort  of  conviction  that  his  client  was  an  honest  man. 

"  We  were  boys  together.  I  am  a  bachelor,  and  after 
his  separation  from  his  wife,  we  lived  together." 

"Where?"  inquired  Mr.  Summers. 

"  Well,  nowhere  in  particular  ;  we  have  travelled  round 
the  world.  Poor  John  died  at  Malta  on  the  way  home," 
said  Mr.  Lethbridge. 

"Abroad  !"  ejaculated  Mr.  Summers. 

"  Yes,  I  have  the  necessary  certificates,  and  can  prove 
the  death,  if  required.  Thoucrh  he  died  at  Malta,  he 
died  practically  on  board  the  Royal  Indian  mail  steamer 
Darjeelinff,  but  he  was  taken  on  shore,  and  actually 
breathed  his  last  there." 

"  Mr.  Lethbridge,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  after  a  pause, 
during  which  he  was  turning  over  the  facts  in  his  mind, 
"  I  had  better  say  outright  that  before  I  can  act  for  you 
I  must  make  some  inquiries.  You  and  I  are  complete 
strangers." 

"  I  quite  understand,"  interrupted  Mr.  Lethbridge, 
a  little  sharply  but  without  resentment.  "  Make  what 
inquiries  you  please,  only  don't  be  long  about  it,  for  I 
want  to  get  the  business  finished." 

"I  wonder  you  did  not  take  the  will  to  the  solicitor 
at  Bath,  who  prepared  it,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  cautiously. 
*'  Do  you  know  him  ? " 

"  No,  he  was  poor  John's  lawyer,  not  mine.  In  fact,  I 
have  never  before  had  occasion  to  indulge  in  the  luxury 
of  a  lawyer,"  replied  Mr.  Lethbridge.  "  I  would  sooner 
get  the  business  done  in  London  if  I  can.'' 

"  Why?"  inquired  Mr.  Summers. 

"  Because  I'm  in  love,  and  the  young  lady  is  in  Lon- 
don," said  Mr.  Lethbridge,  colouring.  "  What  is  more, 
I  hope  to  accompany  her  back  to  Australia,  where  she 
comes  from,  in  a  month's  time,  and  that  is  why  I  wish 
to  get  this  business  settled  as  soon  possible." 

Though  he  laughed  good-naturedly  as  he  spoke,  there 
was  an  undercurrent  of  impatience  in  Mr.  Lethbridge'a 
tone  and  manner  which  warned  the  lawyer  that  he  was 
not  to  be  trifled  with  any  longer.  Inwardly  resolving, 
therefore,  to  make  private  inquiries  about  his  new  client, 
Mr.  Summers  expressed  his  readiness  to  undertake  the 
Drovine  of  the  late  Mr.  Casement's  will,  and  proceeded 
to  ascertain  necessary  details,  and  to  take  instructions 
in  a  matter-of-fact  way.  The  result  of  their  further  con- 
versation was  that  Mr.  Summers  felt  more  than  ever  con- 
vinced of  his  client's  good  faith,  and  arranged  an  ap- 
pointment for  that  day  week  for  Mr.  Lethbridge  to  call 


Copyright,  1S94,  by  Herbert  Keen. 


January  5,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


2S5 


to  make  the  necessary  affidavits  for  a  grant  of  probate 
of  the  will. 

I  am  speaking  from  recollection  of  the  story  as  Mr. 
Summers  related  it  to  me  many  years  ago,  and  I  cannot 
remember  precisely  what  precautions  he  told  me  that 
he  took  to  verify  Mr.  Lethbridge's  account  of  himself. 
He  apparently  made  inquiries  at  the  British  India  Com- 
pany's office,  for  I  found  among  the  papers  a  list  of  pas- 
sengers of  the  s.s.  Darjeeling  on  her  voyage  from  Bom- 
bay to  England  in  the  autumn  of  18 — ,  containing  the 
names  of  Mr.  John  Casement  and  Mr.  Charles  Lethbridge. 
There  was  also  a  letter  from  the  widow,  curtly  acknow- 
ledging his  information  respecting  the  contents  of  her 
late  husband's  will.  But  the  most  important  piece  of 
evidence  was  a  letter  from  the  solicitor  at  Bath,  which 
ran  as  follows  :  — - 

"Dear  Sir, — The  late  Mr.  John  Casement  was  a.  clerk 
in  the  Monarchy  Insurance  Office  in  this  town,  and  the 
will  you  mention  was  made  for  him  by  me  after  his 
separation  from  his  wife.  The  event  upset  him  a  good 
deal,  and  having  inherited  some  £10,000  (about  half  of 
which  he  settled  on  his  wife)  he  threw  up  his  appoint- 
ment and  went  abroad  with  the  gentleman  you  mention 
Mr.  Charles  Lethbridge.  The  latter  was  a  clerk  in  the 
Manchester  branch  of  the  same  Insurance  Office,  but 
was  personally  unknown  to  me.  I  have  no  reason  to 
doubt,  however,  that  your  client  is  the  person  he  repre- 
sents himself  to  be.  If  I  can  give  you  any  further  in- 
formation I  shall  be  pleased. — Yours  faithfully, 

"  Ephraim  Knight." 

Mr.  Summers  evidently  caused  inquiries  to  be  made 
at  Manchester  or  elsewhere  about  Mr.  Lethbridge,  for 
the    above   letter  is 

endorsed  in  Mr.  Sum  „   

mers'  handwriting, 
with  the  following 
memo  :  —  "  L.  went 
abroad  with  deceased 
at  the  latter's  expense. 
Respectable,  but  un- 
steady. Nothing 
against  his  character." 

Without  going  into 
further  details,  Mr. 
Summers,  atall  events, 
satisfied  himself  of 
the  genuineness  of  the 
will  and  of  his  client's 
good  faith,  and  he  was 
not  the  man  to  act  in- 
cautiously. The  affi- 
davits headed  "  In  the 
Goods  of  John  Case- 
ment "  were  duly  pre- 
pared and  engrossed, 
and  with  the  will  an- 
nexed, were  all  readj 
to  be  sworn  to  by  the 
executor.  At  this 
point  I  will  resume 
the  story  as  Mr.  Sum- 
mers related  it  to  me. 

Mr.  Lethbridge 
failed  to  keep  tlie 
appointment  which 

had  been  made,  and,  after  waiting  a  day  or  two,  Mr. 
Summers  sent  a  note  to  him  at  his  hotel  in  Fleet  Street. 
This  produced  no  result,  and  Mr.  Summers  wrote  a 
second  time,  and  sent  the  letter  by  hand.  The  clerk 
returned  with  the  rather  surprising  news  that  Mr.  Leth- 
bridge had  abruptly  left  the  hotel  a  few  days  back,  and 
that  Mr.  Summers'  first  letter  remained  unopened  on  the 
rack  in  the  vestibule  of  the  hotel. 

Naturally,  the  lawyer  was  a  little  puzzled  at  this,  for 
Mr.  Lethbridge's  conduct  was  not  only  discourteous,  but 
extraordinary,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  matter  of  £5,000 


'  I  SHOULD  LIKE  TO  SEE  THE  \VILL.: 


was  at  stake.  He  walked  across  to  the  hotel,  but  could 
learn  nothing  except  that  Mr.  Lethbridge  had  departed 
somewhat  abruptly  with  his  luggage,  leaving  no  address. 
He  had  mentioned  something  about  returning  shortly, 
and  in  consequence  of  this  Mr.  Summers  waited  patiently 
for  nearly  a.  month. 

By  that  time  he  had  naturally  began  to  feel  uneasy, 
and  to  suspect  that  some  accident  or  foul  play  had  hap- 
pened to  his  client.  He  at  first  thought  of  communi- 
cating with  the  police ;  but,  remembering  that  Mr.  Leth- 
bridge had  admitted  that  he  was  in  love,  which  might 
possibly  account  for  his  eccentric  disappearance,  ho 
decided  instead  to  insert  an  advertisement  in  the  Times, 
which  I  also'  found  among  the  papers. 

"  Mr.  Charles  Lethbridge  is  requested  to  communicate 
at  once  with  liis  solicitor  respecting  the  business  on 
hand." 

The  day  after  this  notice  appeared,  Mr.  Summers  was 
seated  in  his  office,  when  a  clerk  brought  in  word  that  a 
lady  wished  to  see  him  on  important  business,  and 
handed  him  in  a  card,  inscribed,  "  Mrs.  John  Casement." 

Mr.  Summers  ordered  the  visitor  to  be  ushered  in, 
guessing,  of  course,  that  she  was  the  widow  of  the 
testator.  Mrs.  Casement  was  tall  and  slim,  still  young, 
apparently,  and  rather  handsome,  but  the  expression  of 
her  face  was  unpleasantly  determined,  her  demeanour 
cold  and  formal.  She  was  dressed  in  widow's  weeds, 
and  seemed  to  be  a  person  of  refinement  and  good  taste. 

"What  was  the  meaning  of  the  advertisement  in  yes- 
terday's Times  ?"  she  inquired,  barely  acknowledging 
the  lawyer's  salutation. 

"You  have  travelled  up  from  Dawlish,  I  suppose?" 
inquired  Mr.  Summers,  rather  taken  aback  by  the 
abruptness  of  the  question. 

"  Yes.  Of  course,  I 
 „_. — ,  a  guessed  the  advertise- 
ment was  inserted  by 
you,"  said  Mrs.  Case- 
ment, sitting  very 
upright  on  the  chair 
which  the  lawyer 
politely  brought  for- 
ward. 

"Well,  the  fact  is 
that  Mr.  Lethbridge, 
after  instructing  me 
to  prove  your  late  hus- 
band's will,  has  mys- 
teriously disappeared," 
replied  Mr.  Summers, 
rather  resentfully. 

"When was  that?" 
inquired  the  widow. 

"  Shortly  after  the 
date  of  my  letter  to 
you." 

"You  have  had 
no  reply  to  the  adver- 
tisement ? " 

"  None  at  present ; 
but  there  has  hardly 
been  time." 

Mr.  Summers  pro- 
ceeded to  describe  the 
course  of  events,  to 
which  Mrs.  Casement 
listened  silently,  with 
compressed  lips.    The  lawyer,  struck  by  her  manner, 
ended  by  asking  her  if  she  could  suggest  any  explana- 
tion. 

"  I  should  like  to  see  the  will,"  she  said,  without 
answering. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Mr.  Summers,  beginning  to  feeL 
vaguely  uneasy,  and  turning  to  the  safe  behind  his  chair. 

When  he  had  found  it,  he  handed  it  to  the  lady,  and 
watched  her  as  she  deliberately  read  it  through. 

"Well?"  he  asked,  anxiously,  as  she  returned  the 
document. 


286 


TO-DAY. 


January  5,  1893. 


"  It  is  undoubtedly  genuine,''  remarked  the  widow, 
-quietly. 

"  1  am  quite  aware  of  that,  ma'am,"  replied  Mr. 
Summers,  nettled  by  her  manner.  "  The'  question  is, 
what  has  become  of  Mr.  Lethbridge?" 

"  What  was  he  like?"  inquired  the  lady,  abruptly. 

"  He  is  a  tall,  dark,  clean-shaven  young  man  about 
thirty-five.  You  have  seen  him,  of  course?"  said  Mr. 
Summers. 

"  Yes,  I  have  seen  Mr.  Lethbridge,"  replied  Mrs.  Case- 
ment, with  deliberation  ;  "  but  you. have  described  him 
wrongly.  Mr.  Lethbridge  is  rather  stout,  with  reddish 
hair  and  blue  eyes." 

"What!"  ejaculated  Mr.  Summers,  starting  from  his 
chair. 

"  You  have  been  imposed  upon,"  said  the  lady,  with  a 
sort  of  cool  contempt  which  maddened  the  lawyer.  "  It 
was  this  impostor,  then,  who  informed  you  of  my  hus- 
band's death  ? "  she  added,  with  sudden  animation. 

"  Ye3,  it  was  he ;  but  the  fact  can  be  verified  at  the 
British  India  Shipping  Office,"  said  Mr.  Summers, 
greatly  annoyed  and  confused. 

"Is  that near  here? "  inquired  Mrs.  Casement. 

"  It  is  in  the  City." 

"  Would  you  mind  coming  there  with  me  ? "  said  tli9 
lady,  with  more  civility,  evidently  startled  by  the  possi- 
bility which  her  first  question  had  suggested. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  reaching  down  his  hat, 
and  hailing  a  passing  cab  from  the  window. 

A  few  moments  later  the  lady  and  Mr.  Summers  were 
seated  in  a  hansom,  on  their  way  to  the  City.  Mr. 
Summers  was  naturally  a  good  deal  agitated  by  the 
suspicion  that  he  had  been  imposed  upon,  but  he  was 
more  especially  annoyed  by  his  companion's  attitude 
towards  him.  She  maintained  an  odd  sort  of  reserve, 
which  was  very  galling  to  the  lawyer's  self-esteem,  and 
he  could  not  help  thinking  that  she  knew  more  about 
the  matter  than  she  chose  to  impart  to  him.  She  did  not 
address  a.  word  to  him  during  the  journey,  but  sat  grimly 
staring  resolutely  in  from,  of  her.  Only  once  did  Mr. 
Summers  venture  to  interrupt  the  lady's  meditations, 
and  that  was  to  inquire  whether  she  was  quite  certain 
that  her  description  of  Mr.  Lethbridge' s  personal  appear- 
ance was  correct. 

"  Absolutely  certain,"  replied  the  widow,  without  turn- 
ing her  head. 

"  Have  you  any  idea,  then,  who  the  person  was  who 
personated  him?"  asked  Mr.  Summers,  casting  sidelong 
glances  at  her  pale,  impassive  face. 

"  None  whatever." 

"  How  could  he  have  got  possession  of  your  husband's 
will  ?  "  queried  the  lawyer  irritably. 

"  I  cannot  possibly  tell,"  answered  Mrs.  Casement, 
resting  her  keen,  dark  eyes  for  an  instant  on  Mr. 
Summers'  puzzled  face. 

Mr.  Summers  did  not  attempt  to  pursue  the  conver- 
sation, and  not  another  word  was  spoken  till  the  ship- 
ping office  was  reached.  Here  Mr.  Summers  assisted  the 
widow  to  alight,  and  when  they  had  entered  the  building 
he  addressed  one  of  the  clerks. 

"  This  lady,"  he  explained,  "  is  the  widow  of  a  gentle- 
man, who'  was  a  passenger  by  one  of  your  steamers — the 
Darjeeling,  and  who  died  at  Malta  on  the  voyage  home.'' 

"  Yes,"  said  the  clerk,  looking,  as  Mr.  Summers  re- 
membered afterwards,  rather  startled. 

"  The  gentleman's  name  was  Mr.  John  Casement,  and 
we  wish  to  verify — " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon — what  name  did  you  say?"  inter- 
rupted the  clerk. 

"  Mr.  John  Casement,"  repeated  Mr.  Summers.  "  This 
ladv  is  Mrs.  Casement,  and  we  wished  to  know  " 

"  Excuse  me  a  moment,"  interposed  the  clerk  again. 

The  lad  hastily  withdrew  as  he  spoke,  and  went 
behind  a  glass  partition,  whence  the  sound  of  whispered 
conversation  became  audible.  Mr.  Summers,  beginning 
to  perceive  that  his  question  had  caused  some  com- 
motion, looked  at  his  companion  in  bewilderment.  Tho 
widow  was  still  perfectly  calm,  but  there  was  a  flush  on 


her  cheeks,  and  her  hand,  with  which  she  was  pulling 
down  her  veil,  trembled  slightly. 

"  What  does  this  mean? "  exclaimed  Mr.  Summers. 

Before  the  lady  could  reply — if,  indeed,  she  had  any 
intention  of  doing  so — the  clerk  again  came  forward, 
followed  by  an  elderly,  bald-headed  gentleman,  who 
was  evidently  one  of  the  superior  officials. 

"  There  has  been  an  unfortunate  misunderstanding," 
said  the  latter,  addressing  Mr.  Summers,  but  glancing 
apprehensively  at  his  companion.  "  It  seems  that  the 
gentleman  who  died  at  Malta  was  a  Mr.  Charles  Leth- 
bridge, and  not  Mr.  Casement." 

"  How  do  you  know  that? "  inquired  the  lady,  placing 
her  hand  on  the  desk  in  front  of  her,  apparently  for 
support,  but  not  otherwise  betrayng  emotion. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Casement  came  here  himself  about  it  only 
yesterday,"  said  the  clerk,  hesitatingly.  "  Do  I  under- 
stand that  you  are  Mrs.  Casement? "  he  added,  in  a  tone 
of  sympathy. 

'  Yes.  I — I  am  naturally  confused,"  said  the  lady, 
with  a  catch  in  her  breath.  "  I  was  told  my  husband 
was  dead." 

"  It  is  very  strange,"  said  the  clerk,  with  a  warning 
glance  at  Mr.  Summers  to  prepare  himself  for  some 
ebullition  of  emotion  on  the  part  of  his  client ;  "  but 
there  appears  to  have  been  a  mistake.  The  death  of 
Mr.  Casement  is  duly  entered  in  the  captain's  log ;  but  a 
gentleman  called  yesterday  who  claimed  to  be  Mr.  Case- 
ment, and  said  it  was  his  friend  Mr.  Lethbridge  who 
died." 

"  My  client  knows  nothing  of  all  this,"  murmured  Mr. 
Summers,  placing  a  chair  for  the  lady,  whose  fortitude 
appeared  at  length  to  be  giving  way. 

"  Has  not  Mr.  Casement — the — the  gentleman,  com- 
municated with — with  your  client  ? "  inquired  the  clerk, 
looking  puzzled. 

"  Not  a  word.  How  came  such  an  extraordinary  mis- 
take to  have  happened  ? "  exclaimed  Mr.  Summers,  grow- 
ing irritable  in  his  bewilderment. 

"We  cannot  possibly  tell  till  the  Darjeeling  returns 
from  her  present  voyage.  We  only  have  the  captain's 
log  to  go  by.  Mr.  Casement  had  heard  somehow  that 
a  mistake  had  occurred.  He  was  most  indignant  and 
annoyed.  I — I  suppose  the  gentleman  who  called  really 
was  Mr.  Casement?"  added  the  clerk,  suspiciously. 

"What  was  he  like?"  inquired  Mr.  Summers  quickly. 

"  A  tall,  dark  gentleman,"  interposed  the  junior  clerk, 
who  had  been  standing  by  listening  open-mouthed.  "  I 
noticed,  when  he  wrote  his  address  on  his  card,  that  his 
little  finger  of  his  right  hand  had  a  sort  of  double  nail." 

"  That  is  certainly  my  husband,"  said  Mrs.  Casement, 
rising  hurriedly  to  her  feet;  "you  say  he  left  his  ad- 
dress ? "  - 

"  Yes,  he  wished  us  to  write  in  case  we  could  throw 
any  light  upon  the  matter  after  further  inquiries,"  said 
the  senior  clerk,  hastily  disappearing  behind  the  glass 
partition.  "Here  is  the  card,"  he  added  the  next  in- 
stant, as  he  laid  it  on  the  desk. 

The  slip  of  pasteboard  bore  the  name  of  "  Mr.  John 
Casement,"  and  beneath  it  was  scrawled  in  pencil,  "  Star 
and  (larter  Hotel,  Richmond." 

"  My  husband's  writing,"  murmured  the  lady. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  M*-  Summers,  as  his  companion 
turned  abruptly  from  the  desk  and  made  a  move  towards 
the  door.  "  There  seems,  as  you  sav,  to  have  been  a  mis- 
take." 

"  H'm,  the  first  time  such  a  mistake  has  happened  in 
my  experience,"  said  the  elderly  clerk,  who  seemed  as 
much  puzzled  by  the  lady's  calmness  as  by  the  incident 
itself.  "I  suppose  you  will  satisfy  yourself  that  the 
gentleman  who  called  yesterday  is  the  real  man?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Summers,  hurrying 
after  his  companion,  who  was  already  passing  throutrh 
the  glass  entrance  doors.  "  Well,  ma'am,  what  is  to  be 
done?"  he  inquired,  when  he  reached  the  lady's  side. 

"Nothing,"  replied  Mrs.  Casement,  coolly. 

"  Nothing  !  "  repeated  Mr.  Summers,  with  a  start. 

"  I  am  quite  satisfied  that  my  husband  is  alive,  and  I 


January  5,  1SC5. 


TO-DAY. 


287 


el'all  go  down  at  onco  to  Richmond,"  said  Mrs.  Case- 
ment, in  a  matter-of-fact  tone. 

"Do  you  not  wish  me  to  accompany  you?"  inquired 
Mr.  Summers. 

"No,  thank  you,  there  is  no  occasion,"  replied  the 
lady,  preparing  to  re-enter  the  hansom.  "  Can  your 
horse  take  me  to  Richmond  1 "  she  inquired  of  the  driver. 

"Yes,  ma'am,"  said  the  man  with  alacrity  as  he 
lifted  the  reins. 

"I — I  shall  no  doubt  hear  from  you  or  your  hus- 
band, madam,"  said  Mr.  Summers  sharply,  standing  on 
the  pavement  while  the  lady  settled  herself  in  the  cab. 

"  My  husband  will  write,  no  doubt,"  replied  Mrs.  Case- 
ment. 

"  Tell  him  that  I  have  his  will." 
"  Yes." 

"He*  will,  of 
course,  prosecute 
the  rascal  who  pei- 
sonated  him  1 "  said 
Mr.  Summers,  boil- 
ing over  with  sup- 
pressed indigna- 
tion. 

"  Possibly,  he 
must  decide  that. 
Good  day,  Mr. 
Summers.  Thank 
you  so  very  much. 
My  husband  will, 
of  course,  pay  your 
bill.  Go  on, 
driver ! " 

"  I  never  in  my 
life  felt  such  a 
fool,"  laughed  Mr. 
Summers,  in  tel- 
ling me  the  story, 
"  as  when  the  cab 
drove  off,  leaving 
me  gaping  on  the 
kerb.  Of  course, 
the  lady  was  no 
client  of  mine,  but 
at  the  same  time 
her  behaviour  was 
most  discourteous." 

"  Did  you  ever 
see  her  again  ? "  I 
inquired. 
"  Never." 
"And  her  hue- 
band  1. " 

"Not  a  line  from 
that  day  to  this. 
I  wrote  to  him 
after  about  a  week, 
reminding  him  that 
his    will    was  in 

my  possession,  but  the  letter  was  returned  from  the 
hotel  'Gone  away,  no  address.'  After  the  way  I  had 
heeu  treated  I  did  not  trouble  myself  any  more  about 
the  matter,  and  the  will  is  in  the  strong  room  to  this 
day." 

"Toil  didn't  comn.-umcate  with  the  police  or  any- 
body?" 

"Why  should  I?"  said  Mr.  Summers,  shrugging  his 
sroulders.  "Evidently  some  swindler  had  got  hold  of 
the  will,  and  if  Ids  plans  had  succeeded,  might  have 
perpetrated  a  clever  fraud  and  realised  £5,000  by  an 
impudent  robbery.  But  I  suppose  that  Mr.  Casement 
returned  from  abroad  or  got  wind  somehow  of  what 
was  happening,  and  frustrated  the  scheme." 

"  Very  strange  that  Mr.  Casement  should  never  have 
communicated  with  you,"  I  remarked. 

"H'm !  It  is  my  belief  that  that  woman  was  at  the 
botlcm  of  the  whole  conspiracy,  and  that  the  person 


"what  is  to  be  done?" 


who  called  himself  Lethbridge  was  her  accomplice,"  said 
Mr.  Summers  slily.  "  Her  husband  unexpectedly  re- 
turned from  abroad  or  somewhere,  and  the  lady's  call 
upon  me  and  subsequent  proceedings  were  all  a  piece 
of  play-acting  to  put  her  husband  off  the  scent  in  case  he 
should  suspect  her.  She,  no  doubt,  took  very  good 
care  not  to  mention  my  name  to1  her  husband,  and  that 
is  the  reason  I  have  never  heard  from  him.  I  have  often 
thought  of  discovering  his  address  and  writing,  but,  after 
all,  what  would  be  the-good?  I  have  other  things  to 
think  of  than  to  gratify  a  private  grudge.    Only  if  Mr. 

Casement  ever  does  turn  up,  I  won't  spare  the  lady." 
***** 

I  saw  no  reason  to  doubt  that  Mr.  Summers'  theory  of 
the  solution  of  the  mystery  was  correct,  and  I  did  not 
feel  sufficiently  interested  about  a  bygone  incident  to 

waste  thought  on 
t'ae  subject.  But 
the  discovery  of 
Mr. Casement's  will 
whilegoing  through 
the  contents  of  the 
strong-room  after 
Mr.  Summers' 
death  reminded  me 
of  the  story,  and 
1  then  refreshed 
my  memory  by  re- 
ferring to  the  con- 
temporary papers. 
T  felt  little  doubt 
that  Mr.  Casement 
had  long  ago  made 
a  fresh  will  revok- 
ing the  one  which 
had  remained  so 
.  long  in  Mr.  Sum- 
mers' possession, 
but  I  had  never- 
theless considered 
it  my  duty  to  insert 
a  notice  in  the 
Times  headed  with 
Mr.  Casement's 
name,  and  request- 
ing him  or  his  re- 
presentatives t  o 
apply  for  the  docu- 
ments. 

I  hardly  expected 
to  receive  any  ap- 
plication for  them, 
but  one  day  a 
young  gentleman 
called  and  asked 
to  see  Mr.  Sum- 
mers.  Upon 
being  requested 
to  state  his  busi- 
ness he  said  that  he  was  a  nephew  of  the  late  Mr.  Case- 
ment, and  had  looked  in  respecting  the  notice.  He  was 
a  dissipated-looking,  over-dressed  youth  of  the  "masher" 
type,  quite  untroubled  by  bashfulness,  and  the  least  bit 
in  the  world  "  on" — to  adopt  his  own  expressive  phrase- 
ology— although  it  was  only  midday.  He  came  into  my 
room  with  his  hat  tilted  on  one  side,  and  addressed  me 
with  free-and-easy  familiarity. 

"  My  name  is  Tomlinson,"  he  said,  gracefully  sub- 
siding into'  the  armchair,  and  stretching  out  his  legs. 
"  I"m  Casement's  nephew,  and  he  left  me  his  heir." 
"He  is  dead,  then?"  I  remarked. 
"  Oh !  yes.    Died  three  years  ago.    Jumps  !    He  had 
'em  bad  at  the  end.    It's  been  a,  warnm'  to  me,"  he  * 
added,  cheerfully,  with  a,  slight  hiccough. 

"  The  papers  are  of  no  value,"  I  replied.    "  I  suppose 
your  uncle  left  a  will  ? " 

"  Of  course  he  did.    Didn't  I  tell  you  I'm  his  heir.  It 


288 


TO-DAY. 


Januarv  5,  18C3. 


was  close  on  fifty  thou.,  but  I've  nearly  blued  the  lot, 
and  if  there  is  a  bit  more  it  will  come  in  handy." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  be  disappointed,"  I  said ;  <:  all 
I  have  is  an  old  will  which  came  into  Mr.  Summers'  pos- 
session years  ago  under  rather  peculiar  circumstances." 

"Wh*t  circumstances?"  inquired  my  visitor,  with 
some   show  of  interest. 

i  related  briefly  the  story  as  Mr.  Summers  had  told  it 
to  me.     When  I  had 


expose  him,  and  got  ten  thou,  out  of  him  for  hush-money, 
though  you  bet  the  old  cat  didn't  tell  me  that.  I  found 
it  out  from  his  papers.  I  say,  do  you  think  I  could 
recover  it  from  her  1  I'm  his  heir,  you  know,"  he  said, 
with  tipsy  solemnitv. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  can't,"  I  replied,  laughing.  "  What 
about  the  Australian  young  lady?" 

"  My  aunt  paid  her  a  morning  call." 

"  Oh  ! " 


finished,  Mr.  Tomlinson 
slapped  his  knee,  and 
burst  into  a  laug'  . 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  it,  was 
true  then'!  I  thought 
the  old  woman  was  gas- 
sing." 

"  What  old  woman  \  " 
I  inquired,  with  curi- 
osity. 

"My  old  aunt,"  Mrs. 
Casement." 

"  Is  she  alive  still  ?  " 
I  asked.  . 

"  Oh,  yes;  lives  down' 
at  Dawlish.  She  told 
me  once  that  my  uncle 
fell  in  love  with  an 
Australian  girl,  and 
wanted  to  marry  her. 
Being  already  married, 
he  passed  himself  off  as 
a  dead  friend,  and  tried 
to  prove  his  own  will.    Understand,  eh?  " 

"Perfectly,"  I  replied,  recalling  to  mind  that  he  had 
doubtless  hoped  by  this  means  to  prevent  his  wife 
making  inquiries  about  him. 

"  Hanged  if  I  do !  But  I  know  this  much — that  when 
he  was  just  on  the  point  of  getting  himself  legally 
buried,  so  to  speak,  he  heard  that  he  had  come  into  a 
fortune." 

"  John  Casement  had  !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  Yes.  Well,  of  course  it  wasn't  good  enough  to  put 
himself  out  of  the  way  just  then,  so  he  dropped  his 
friend's  name1,  and  claimed  his  fortune,  and  got  it. 
Somehow  my  aunt  discovered  his  little  game." 

"  She  came  here,"  I  explained. 

"She  kicked  up  a  deuce  of  a  row,  and  threatened  to 


1 


HE  WAS  A  DISSIPATED-LOOK 'XG  YOUTH. 


"  Yes  ;  so,  of  course, 
there  was  an  end  of 
that.  Consequently  my 
uncle  went  on  the 
bend." 

"On  the  what?" 
"  Well,      took  to 
drink.    That  is  what  it 
came    to.  Shocking, 
wasn't  it?" 
"Very." 

"  Lucky  for  me, 
though,  eh  ? " 
"  I  suppose  so." 
"  Wish  he  had  lived 
a  few  years  longer, 
though.  I  wasn't  so 
steady  a  man  when  he 
died  as  I  am  now.  If 
I  had  that  money 
to-day  I'd  be  a  better 
sort  of  man." 

"What  about  the  papers?" 

"  Bother  the  papers !  You  can  hang  'em  round  your 
neck.  They  are  no  good  to  me.  I  say !  Is  there  any- 
where near  here  where  I  can  get  a  B.  and  S.  1 " 

"Fifty  places." 

"  It's  been  rather  a  dry  picnic,  and  I  ain't  used  to  busi- 
ness.   Come  'long." 
"  No,  thanks." 
"  Mornin." 
"Good  morning!" 


["  Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Cleric." 
will  be  re-commenced  in  March.l 


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January  5,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


CAPTAIN  SHAW'S  BROTHER. 

Rev.  E.  F.  Shaw,  F.R.A.S.,  122,  Elgin-avenue,  Lon- 
don, W.,  October  25th,  writes  : — "The  Appliances 
which  I  procured  from  you  sixteen  months  since — viz., 
an  Electric  Battery  and  Electropathic  Belt,  have  proved 
most  valuable  to  me ;  my  general  health  is  very  much 
better  ever  since  I  began  to  use  them,  and  my  throat 
is  restored  from  chronic  tenderness,  from  which  I  had 
suffered  for  many  years.  You  can  refer  anyone  you 
please  to  me." 


CHRONIC  BRONCHITIS. 

Richard  Smith,  Esq.,  Inventor  of  Hovis  Bread,  152, 
Buxton  Road, Macclesfield, writes, November  29th,  1894: 
— "  Dear  Sir, — Some  four  years  ago  I  was  suffering  from 
Chronic  Bronchitis,  and  purchased  an  appliance,  which 
I  have  worn  ever  since  with  pronounced  benefit.  I  am 
pleased  to  say  I  am  completely  cured.  I  should  like 
another  set  of  appliances  to  keep  by  me.  I  feel  it  to  be 
a  public  duty  to  give  you  this  testimony,  and  you  can 
make  use  of  my  name." 


A  CLERGYMAN'S  OPINION. 

"  deliverance  from  perpetual  pain." 

SCIATICA. — Rev.  William  John  Edge,  late  Vicar 
of  Holy  Trinity,  Upper  Tooting,  S.W.,  writes: — "Having 
for  some  three  years  or  more  suffered  from  Sciatica, 
which  at  length  became  almost  intolerable,  I  was  advised 
to  purchase  a  full-power  Electropathic  Belt  on  the  16th 
of  August  last,  which  from  that  day  forward  I  have 
persistently  worn  without  intermission,  except  at  night. 
After  three  or  four  weeks  the  Sciatica  left  me,  and  not 
only  has  never  returned,  but  I  may  say  with  truth  that, 
as  far  as  my  feelings  are  concerned,  I  am  not  conscious  of 
the  existence  of  a  Sciatic  nerve.  This  deliverance  from 
almost  perpetual  pain,  which  at  times  amounted  to  tor- 
ture, I  cannot  but  ascribe  to  your  Electropathic  Belt, 
and  I  feel  bound  thus  to  give  public  expression  to  my 
gratitude."   

Write  for  Book  of  1,000  Testimonials.     Post  free. 
THE  MEDICAL  ELECTRICAL  INSTITUTE,  LIMITED, 

53,  OXFORD   STEEET,  I,  OUST  TOO  TXT,  "W. 


ALL 

HEALTH  SEEKERS 
SHOULD  TRY 
THE  TREATMENT 

at  the 

ELECTROPATHIC 
and 

ZANDER  INSTITUTE. 

The  Treatment  Departments  at  this 
Institute  for 

ELECTRO-MASSAGE, 
the  Administration  of  Statical  and 
current  Electricity,  the  Zander  Me- 
chanical Exercises,  Eleetrolysis,  &c, 
have  been  thoroughly  reorganised. 
Should  you  or  your  medical  adviser 
desire  you  to  undergo  a  course  of  any 
of  the  above  modes  of  treatment,  our 
staff  of  qualified  officers  and  nurses 
■will  be  pleased  to  undertake  such 
duties  under  the  supervision  of  our 
Medical  Officer. 

THE  NEW  COMPANY, 
under  the  order  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Justice,  has  taken  over  the  elabo- 
rate scientific  machinery,  apparatus, 
and  appliances  of  the  old  Company, 
and  is  able  to  administer  treatment 
at  a  scale  of  charges  within  the  reach 
of  all.  In  this  way  we  hope  to  extend 
more  widely  the  benefits  of  electrical 
treatment  in  suitable  cases. 
APPENDED  IS  THE 
SCALE  OF  CHARGES 
for 

ELECTRICAL  TREATMENT : 

STATICAL  ELECTRICITY— 
10s,  6d.  EACH  TREATMENT, 

Or  Twelve  for  Five  Guineas. 
ELECTRO-MASSAGE— 
One  Guinea  each  treatment,  or  Twelve 
for  Ten  Guineas. 

ELECTROLYSIS— 
10s.  Cd.  each  treatment,  or  Twelve 
for  Five  Guineas. 
Inhalations  of  Ozone— 
10s.  6d.  each  treatment,  or  Twelve 
for  Five  Guineas. 
Zander  Mechanical  Exercises — 
7s.  6d.  each  treatment,  or  Twelve  for 
Three  Guineas. 

THE  ELECTROPATHIC 

and 

LADIES'  ABDOMINAL  BELT, 
TRUSS,  AND  SURGICAL 
APPLIANCE 

Departments  include  all  kinds  of 
Abdominal  Belts,  Bandages,  Elastic 
Stockings,  &c,  and  will  be  found  to  be 
of  the  most  complete  character. 

IN  CONCLUSION, 
We  have  only  to  say  that  every 
measure  will  be  adopted  to  promote 
the  comfort  of  patients  entrusted  to 
our  care,  and  their  speedy  restoration 
to  health  and  strength. 

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52,  OXFORD  ST.,  LONDON,  W. 
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it  has  gone  it  is  be- 
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recover  it  the  only 
detective  which  can 
be  relied  on  is 


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~~ lost  treasure  to  those 
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or  neglect. 

DISEASE  IS  THE  THIEF  I 


THE  BELT  I 


The  Medical  Electrical  Institute,  Ltd., 

52,  OXFORD  ST.,  LONDON,  W. 


l.-COUNTERCHECKS  THE  INTRUDER 
2.-AND  ARRESTS  THE  OFFENDER. 


January  5,  ]S9t". 


TO-DAY. 


A  SUICIDE. 


Court  of  Assizes 
Bouches-du-Rhone 
lately  sentenced  a 
young  villain,  sixteen 
years  old,  named  Fran- 
cois Berthollier,  to  the 
House  of  Correction 
for  having,  at  the  ear- 
nest request  of  the 
victim  himself,  assassi- 
nated an  old  man 
named  Blancharcl, 
whose  dead  body  was 
found  in  October,  1893, 
by  a  woodcutter  of  the 
Nerthe,  in  a  culvert 
under  the  road  leading  from  l'Estaque  to  Rove. 

Here  are  a  few  passages  from  the  interrogation  which 
Berthollier  underwent :  — 

Prisoner. — On  Friday,  13th  October,  the  day  before 
the  arrival  of  the  Russians,  Blanchard  and  I  took  a  trip 
to  Toulon.  That  day  was  the  first  occasion  on  which 
he  spoke  to  me  about  his  desire  to  be  done  with  life.  He 
was  most  persistent ;  and  during  several  hours  kept  on 
bewailing  his  melancholy  state,  begging  me  most 
earnestly  to  deliver  him  from  his  sufferings. 

Judge. — Did  you  ask  him  why  he  hesitated  to  commit 
suicide? 

•  P. — He  told  me  he  hadn't  the  courage  to  do  so  ;  and 
that,  moreover,  he  had  religious  scruples  on  the  point. 

J. — When  did  he  next  broach  the  subject  1 
■  P. — Two  days  afterwards.  In  the  early  morning  Ee 
came  into  my  room  and  awoke  me.  "  Francois,"  said 
he,  "  I  count  upon  you  for  to-day.  I  want  to  be  done 
with  it  before  the  evening."  I  was  dumfounded. 
Then  he  added,  "  I  will  sign  you  an  order  for  1,800  francs, 
which  you  can  get  from  any  notary  at  Carpentras." 

J. — This  sum  of  1,800  francs  decided  you? 

P. — It  did.  I  went  out  and  bought  a  sixty-centime 
sheet  of  stamped  paper,  on  which  to  draw  up  the  order, 
and  Blanchard  immediately  signed  it.  After  that  we 
went  down  towards  La  Joliette  to  take  the  steam  tram- 
way :  and,  while  we  were  waiting;  we  went  into  a  neigh- 
bouring cafe,  where  my  friend  made  m©  drink  several 
glasses  of  peppermint, 
go  and  buy  a  knife  in  the  bazaar. 

Next  we  took  the  tramwav,  and  Blanchard  said, 
"  Smoke  a  lot.  Keep  on  smoking  ;  it  will  make  you 
giddy."  When  we  arrived  at  the  station  of  l'Estaque, 
we  again  entered  a  cafe,  where  I  had  to  drink  four  or  five 
absinthes. 

We  then  set  out  to  walk,  and,  after  a  while,  Blanchard 
suddenly  stopped,  and  said  to  me,  "  This  seems  a  good 
spot :  we  shall  do  well  here." 


Then  he  gave  me  twelre  sous  to 


Upon  this  we  went  down  under  the  bridge  which 
crosses;  the  road,  where  my  companion  undressed  him- 
self and  bandaged  his  eyes. 

J. — Did  Blanchard  lie  down  on  the  stone  of  his  own 
accord  ? 

P. — Yes,  Monsieur. 

J. — How  many  blows  did  you  give? 

P. — Four.  While  we  were  walking  along  he  enjoined 
me  to  strike  him  frequently.  "  Hit  me  several  times," 
he  kept  on  repeating,  "  so  that  I  may  not  suffer  much. 
Hit  me,  for  choice,  on  the  temples,  or  on  the  cartoid 
artery:  it  will  make  death  easier." 

J. — -You  did  not  fail  to  follow  his  advice.  Tour  hand 
struck  with  a  dexterity  that  a  professional  assassin  might 
envy.    Did  Blanchard  die  quickly  ? 

P. — Yes ;  he  merely  raised  himself  up  a  little,  and 
gave  a  sigh,  that  was  all ! 

J. — What  did  you  do  next? 

P. — There  was  a  little  blood  on  the  tips  of  my  fingers. 
I  went  to  wash  myself  in  the  sea,  which  was  about 
300  metres  off. 

J. — Did  you  return  at  once  to  l'Estaque? 

P. — Of  course  I  did.  I  went  to  a  gallery,  and  had  a 
few  shots — to  amuse  myself. 

J • — And  have  you  felt  no  remorse — no  terror  ? 

P.— Yes ;  just  a  little  ! 

Tho  jury  having  declared  that  Berthollier  "acted 
without  discernment "  he  was  acquitted  ;  but  the  Court, 
nevertheless,  decided  that  he  should  be  shut  up  in  a 
house  of  correction  till  the  age  of  twenty  years. 

Further  particulars  regarding  the  two  actors  in  this 
lugubrious  drama  would  be  of  great  interest  from  a 
scientific  point  of  view.  Suicide  under  these  conditions 
must  be  extremely  rare.  We  can  scarcely  conceive  it 
possible  that  a  man  should  be  able  to  take  steps  in  cold 
blood  for  putting  an  end  to  himself,  and  yet  lack  the 
courage  to  do  the  deed  with  his  own  hand.  In  this  case 
there  is  no  similarity  whatever  with  the  comparatively 
frequent  double  suicides,  where  a  man  kills  himself 
after  having  first  taken  the  life  of  a  woman  who  was  a 
willing  victim. 

Wo  once  heard  a  story  of  a  woman  who,  in  the  hopes 
of  strangulation,  persuaded  another  to  push  with  all  her 
might  against  a  door  behind!  which  she,  the  persuader, 
had  carefully  fitted  her  own  neck;  but  here  both  the 
dramatis  personce  were  inmates  of  a  lunatic  asylum,  and 
the  pusher  was  a  hopeless  idiot. 

What  is  to  be  said  regarding  the  moral  condition  of 
the  youth  of  sixteen  who  became  a  suicider  in  such  a 
light-hearted  manner,  without  seeming  to  realise  the 
nature  of  the  crime  he  committed?  Had  he  done  the 
act  out  of  complaisance,  he  might  plead  kind-hearted- 
ness and  a  desire  to  render  service  to  a  fellow-creature  ; 
but  the  sum  of  1,800  francs,  which  so  easily  turned  the 
scale,  puts  an  entirely  different  complexion  on  the  matter. 
We  do  ibt  very  much  whether,  under  an  English  jury, 
this  boy  murderer  would  have  escaped  so  easily. 


AS 


Joys  Cigarettes 
afford  Immediate  re- 
lief in  cases  of 

ASTHMA, 
WHEEZING,  AND 
WINTER  COUGH, 

(I  a  little  perse- 
v  ranee  will  effect  a 
p  rmanentcure.  Uni- 
,  v*rsally  recommended 
b  •  the  most  eminent 
p  lysicians  and  medi- 
c  1  authors.  Agreeable 
t  >  use  certain  in  the'r 
eTects.  and  harmless 
in  their  act'o  i,  they 
m  iv  be  safelv  smoked 
by  ladies  and  children. 

All  1  homists  and 
Stores,  box  of  .'{5, 
'-is,  <>«!.,  or  post  free 
from  Wilcox  &  Co., 
•2:v.>  oxfoud  Street, 
London.  W. 


ttjSj     THE   POPULAR   FRENCH  TONIC  fjjS 


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T.J  ELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 


instinme 

sells  them  at  low  prices,  .— 

frcmetil  intervals.  f«r  tin-  benefit  <<;  t!i«-  in.nr  iTO(H)  in  number)  of  All  MiinU  Mission 
Dfprrict,  Gray*.  Pwwx.  Ml  purcels  will  b*.  neknowledirod  if  mum*  and  uuuiess  vi 
lender  ar    usiile.  Nothing  is  too  much  woru  r  dilapidated. 


sending  new  and  cast-ofT  clothinR,  hoots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets;  musical 
iments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  F.  HaslOCK,  who 
them   at   b>w   prices,   at  jumble  s:iles,  to  those   in  need.    The  Miles  are  held  at 


H 


IGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 
MRS.  GRABURN,  13,  Bonchurch-road,  North  Kensington  (close 
toNottiiiK-hill  station).  Speciality — Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  Measure  supplied  complete  from  '2$  Guineas.  AH  Bodices  cutou 
French  principles.    Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  €1  Is. 


A  WEEKLY 

MAGAZINE-JOURNA 


EMte\By    JEROME  K.  JEROME 


Vol.  V.— No.  62.       LONDON,  SATURDAY,  JANUARY  12,  1895.      Price  Twopence. 


SHOOTING  TO  KILL, 

BY 

"  VOLUSIA." 
Illustrated   by    Max  Cowper. 


O  M  E  years  ago  I  crossed  the  ocean 
from  New  York  to  Liverpool, 
and,  as  is  usual  after  a  few  days 
out,  we  in  the  saloon  got  pretty 
friendly  with  each  other. 

I  made  the  particular  acquaint- 
ance of  a  man  of  about  thirty- 
five  years  of  age,  whose  name 
was  Compton.  Tall,  thin,  deeply 
bronzed,  he  looked  like  one  who 
had  seen  some  knocking  about ; 
but  anyone  could  see,  with  half 
an  eye,  the  unmistakable  imprint 
of  a  gentleman. 

He  was  returning  home  to 
England  after  twelve  years  absence,  during  which  he 
had  made  his  "  pile  "  in  silver  mine  prospecting. 

Looking  into  his  berth  one  morning  just  after  break- 
fast, I  found  him  busy  cleaning  a  Winchester  magazine 
rifle.  Always  fond  of  firearms,  I  examined  the  weapon 
with  care,  and  we  fell  to  talking  about  various  shooting 
episodes. 

"  By-the-bye,"  said  he,  "  there  is  a  story  connected 
with  that  rifle  which  I  think  will  interest  you,  and,  if 
you  care  to  hear  it,  we  will  go  on  deck,  and  smoke  a 
cigar  while  I  tell  it  to  you." 

Of  course,  I  was  only  too  glad,  and  I  will  give  the 
story  in  his  own  words,  as  nearly  as  I  can  remember 
them. 

"  About  four  years  ago,  having  lent  some  money  on 
the  security  of  a  cattle  ranch  in  Wyoming — far  out 
West,  you  know — circumstances  arose  which  compelled 
me  to  go  to  the  property  and  remain  there  some 
months.  My  visit  was  of  a  character  calculated  to 
rather  prejudice  me  in  the  eyes  of  the  little  colony  of 
cowboys  and  farmers  in  the  neighbourhood,  inasmuch 
as  it  was  connected  with  money  difficulties  concerning 
my  mortgage. 


"  I  found  the  proprietor  by  no  means  a  prepossessing 
sort  of  a  man,  but  he  did  his  best  to  be  civil  to  me, 
seeing,  no  doubt,  that  it  was  policy  to  be  so,  and  as, 
also,  I  had  so  far  been  very  lenient  with  him. 

"  Amongst  the  hands,  and  more  or  less  in  the  posi- 
tion of  an  under  boss,  was  a  fellow  called  Crockford,  a 
tall,  heavy  man,  who  from  the  very  first  showed  me 
marked  incivility,  and  whom  I  instinctively  felt  would 
do  me  harm  if  he  could.  His  record  was  decidedly 
bad,  and  not  long  before  that  time,  in  another  neigh- 
bourhood, he  had  only  escaped  lynching  for  horse- 
thieving  by  flight;  in  fact,  he  was  notoriously  a 
'  tough  '  all  round. 

"  Every  man  about  the  neighbourhood  carried  a  heavy 
revolver,  and  mostly  a  Winchester  as  well.  I  deemed 
it  best,  as  a  matter  of  policy,  not  to  carry  any  firearms 
at  all.  Even  amongst  those  men  a  rough  code  of 
honour  prevailed,  and  it  was  deemed  'bad  form'  to  draw 
o  l  a  man  who  hadn't  a  gun.  Again,  I  was  a  very  bad 
shot  with  the  revolver — a  fault  which  I  have  since  then 
rectified.  I  may  say,  however,  that  I  was  a  rather  good 
rifle  shot,  but,  up  to  that  time,  oddly  enough,  I  had 
never  used  a  Winchester.  All  these  men  shoot  well, 
some  of  them  marvellously  well,  and  this  fellow  Crock- 
ford,  although  not  reckoned  anything  wonderful,  could 
riddle  a  powder  canister  with  all  six  barrels  of  his 
revolver  at  thirty  yards,  and,  of  course,  do  much  better 
with  the  rifle.  At  two  hundred  yards  he  could  put 
almost  every  bullet  into  the  crown  of  your  hat. 

"  Well,  I  had  been  at  the  place  about  a  month  when  I 
slipped  down  to  the  store  one  Saturday  afternoon, 
partly  to  buy  some  things  I  wanted  and  partly  to  have 
a  chat  with  Dalziel,  a  very  intelligent  Scotchman,  who 
kept  the  establishment.  Out  West,  as  you  may  know, 
the  store  is  a  place  for  the  sale  of  everything,  and  also 
a  sort  of  rendezvous  for  the  'boys'  around  the  neigh- 
hood  when  they  have  any  spare  time.  I  had  made  my 
purchases,  and  had  been  chatting  with  Dalziel  a 
few  minutes,  when  in  came  seven  or  eight  of  the  cow- 
boys, with  Crockford  amongst  them. 

"  The  man  was  in  a  ferocious  humour,  that  was  per- 
fectly evident  from  his  countenance,  and  we  soon  learnt, 
from  the  boisterous  chaff  of  which  he  was  the  victim, 


Copyright,  1894,  by  the  Author, 


200 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  18S5. 


that  lie  had,  for  a  wager  of  drinks  round,  backed 
himself  to  ride  a  particularly  ugly-tempered  colt  over 
an  awkward  jump,  and  had  got  a  '  cropper '  for  his 
pains. 

"Calling  for  the  liquors,  he  rudely  brushed  past  me 
to  the  counter,  and  contrived  to  upset  my  drink  in 
doing  so.  I  said  nothing  at  all  to  him,  but  called  for 
another  glass.  The  banter,  which  had  been  loud  up  to 
the  moment,  died  away,  as  everyone  saw  that  Crockford 
had  tried  to  insult  me. 

"  After  an  awkward  silence,  he  turned  to  old  Mottram, 
the  veteran  of  the  party,  and  said — 

"  '  Some  people's  mighty  meek  and  forgivin'-like  : 
ought  to  be  angels,  I  guess — yes  !  and  may  be,  sooner 
than  they  reckon  on,  too.  Say,  mister,'  he  continued, 
turning  to  me,  '  how  long  do  you  intend  staying  round 
these  here  parts?  Take  my  advice,  and  git,  and  git 
quick  ;  'tain't  healthy  fur  you  ! ' 

" '  I  am  going  to  stay  about  four  months,'  I  replied, 
quietly ;  '  but,  if  necessary,  I  will  stay  four  years. 
When  I  am  ready  to  go,  however,  do  you  think  you 
could  sell  me  a  horse  to  ride  away  on  1 ' 

"  A  burst  of  laughter  greeted  this  allusion  to  Crock- 
ford's  former  horse-stealing  exploits,  and,  without  an 
instant's  pause  he  flung  his  tumbler  of  whisky  full  in 
my  face.  Expecting  something  of  the  kind,  I  flew  from 
my  chair,  and,  being  within  a  yard  of  him,  I  struck  him 
a  heavy  blow  on  the  mouth.  He  reeled  back,  and, 
catching  a  seat  with  his  leg,  he  fell  to  the  floor.  He  was 
on  his  feet  in  a  second,  revolver  in  hand,  and  I  was  sure 
that  my  last  minute  had  come,  and  so  it  would  have  had 
not  Dalziel  seized  his  arm,  and,  by  a  wrench,  tore  the 
weapon  from  his  grasp.  Only  just  in  time,  too,  as  a 
bullet  flew  past  me  and  buried  itself  in  the  woodwork. 

"  '  For  shame1,  Crockey,'  said  Mottram  ;  '  you  know  that 
the  stranger  don't  carry  no  gun.  Would  have  been 
murder ;  yes,  an'  me  an'  the  rest  of  the  hoys  would  hey 
let.  you  know  of  it,  too.'  A  murmur  of  assent  warned 
Crockford  that  he  had  transgressed  the  unwritten  laws 
of  frontier  life.  The  man  was  deadly  pale  with  passion, 
and,  save  where  some  blood-stains  on  the  lips  showed  the 
severity  of  the  blow,  all  traces  of  colour  had  left  his 
usually  ruddy  face. 

"  '  Boys,'  he  said,  with  an  effort,  '  I  did  wrong  to  draw 
my  gun,  and  I  acknowledge  it  ;  but,'  turning  to  me, 

'  the  earth  ain't  big  enough  for  us  two,  by  G  .  You 

must  fight  me,  or  I  will  shoot  you  dead  on  sight ! ' 

"  I  suppose  I  ought  to  have  declined,  but  I  didn't.  I 
was  fighting  mad,  and  longed  to  punish  the  ruffian,  even 
at  the  imminent  risk  of  my  own  life  ;  so  I  said — 

'"I  will  fight  you,  and  fight  you  now;  but,  mark 
you,  we  will  fight  on  something  like  equal  terms.  With 
revolvers  I  should  be  nothing  but  a  victim  to  your 
skill ;  so,  as  f  am  entitled  to  the  choice  of  weapons,  we 
will  use  Winchesters,  for,  although  I  never  fired  one  in 
my  life,  I  can  use  the  rifle  better  than  the  revolver.' 

"A  dead  quiet  fell  on  the  group  as  Crockford  nodded 
his  head  in  token  of  assent.  I  had,  as  I  knew,  chosen 
the  deadliest  style  of  duelling  in  force  out  there. 

"  Old  Mottram  broke  the  silen  e  by  saying  '  It  seems, 
boys,  that  this  affair  must  go  on.  Crockey,  hev  ye  yer 
weapon  here  V 

"'No,  but  I  will  soon  bring  it,'  was  the  response,  as 
he  turned  and  walked  out  of  the  store. 

"I  had  now  about  an  hour  at  my  disposal,  and, 
taking  Dalziel  aside,  I  asked  him  to  be  my  second,  which 
he  acceded  to.    I  gave  him  all  the  money  I  had  on  me. 


some  six  hundred  dollars,  and  told  him  that,  if  I  shouhl 
be  killed,  he  was  to  bury.me  decently,  and  that  he  might 
keep  any  balance  left  over.  Then,  on  a  sheet  of  note- 
pr.per,  I  wrote  a  brief  will,  disposing  of  my  interests  in 
certain  concerns. 

"  I  did  not  waste  any  time  in  thinking  of  my  poor 
mother,  my  sisters,  or  any  dearer  one  than  all.  The 
fact  was  that  I  hadn't  any  sweetheart  or  relations  of 
any  kind,  save  and  except  my  dear  old  dad,  and  well  I 
knew  that  he,  a  major  under  the  flag  of  old  England, 
would  have  rather  helped  to  bury  me  with  his  own 
hands  than  that  his  son  should  turn  tail  in  such  a  case. 
Neither  was  I  disturbed  in  my  mind  about  what  re 
spectable  old  ladies  (of  both  sexes)  would  call  the  awfu! 
responsibility  which  must  rest  on  me  if  I  killed  this 
man.  No,  sir!  I  just  meant  to  drill  as  many  and  as 
deadly  holes  in  his  rascally  carcass  as  good  fortune  and 
my  skill  could  together  effect.  Brutal,  no  doubt,  you 
will  say !  Perhaps  it  was ;  but  I  was  going  to  shoot 
to  kill,  for  all  that,  for  if  ever  a  man  meant  bloodshed 
in  this  world,  Bill  Crockford  meant  it  when  he  went  out 
of  that  store. 

''  What  I  did  think  of,  however,  was  how  to  increase 
my  chances  of  success,  as  I  certainly  did  not  want  to  be 
killed,  or  even  wounded  ;  so  I  mentally  laid  down  apian 
of  campaign,  or  method  of  operation,  as  it  were. 

"  There  was  still  about  half  an  hour  before  my  ad- 
versary could  get  back,  so  Dalziel  proposed  my  having 
a  few  shots,  to  get  used  to  the  Winchester  which  I  was 
to  use.  About  two  hundred  yards  away  stood  an  old 
shanty,  empty  and  tumble-down.  On  this  Dalziel  stuck 
the  white  lid  of  a.  box,  offering  a  plain  mark  of,  perhaps, 
twelve  inches  square.  I  took  the  rifle,  and,  after  firing 
two  shots  for  direction  and  elevation,  I  walked  over  to 
sec  how  I  had  got  on,  then  came  back  and  resumed 
firing.  When  I  had  got  through  three-and-twenty 
cartridges,  we  all — that  is,  the  rest  of  the  men  in  the 
store,  with  Dalziel  and  myself — walked  over  to  the 
target. 

"  '  Great  Scott !  '  exclaimed  old  Mottram.  '  Why, 
there  ain't  a  single  bullet  within  five  feet  of  that  box-lid. 
You  ain't  got  no  show  at  all  agin  Crocky,  Mr.  Compton, 
an',  if  I  was  you,  I'd  up  and  apologise.' 

"  '  I  thank  you  for  your  advice,'  I  replied  ;  '  I  believe 
I  have  more  chance  than  you  fancy ;  but,  if  I  had  none, 
this  affair  would  have  to  go  on  ;  unless,  indeed,  your 
man  should  beg  my  pardon  for  throwing  his  glass  in  my 
face.' 

" '  There  ain't  much  chance  of  that,  I  fear.  He's 
dead  set  on  shooting  yer,  sir  ;  but  I  wish  there  was  some 
way  of  steppin'  this  affair.  It  seems  onreasonable  that 
you  should  meet  a  man  sich  a  tremenjous  lot  better  ner 
yourself,  when  your  life  will  most  likely  hev  to  pay  the 
stake.' 

"  Crockford  soon  arrived  at  the  store,  bringing  his 
rifle  with  him  ;  and,  of  course,  a  whisper  or  two  from 
his  friends  made  him  acquainted  with  the  results  of  my 
target  practice.  Dalziel  made  a  last  attempt  to  pre- 
vent a  meeting,  and  addressed  Crockford  upon  the  evil 
of  carrying  this  affair  to  a  termination,  which  must 
almost  inevitably  result  fatally  for  one  if  not  for  both 
of  us. 

'"There  ain't  no  particular  reason  for  fi'tin',  if  he  will 
a'ppolergise  fer  strikin'  that  blow  :  but' he's  got  ter  do  it, 
and  got  ter  do  it  humble,  too,  or  else  let  him  git  hold 
of  his  rifle.    I  won't  say  no  more.' 


TO-DAV. 


291 


.  "  I  impatiently  waved  to  Dalziel  to  desist,  and  signed 
to  Mottram  to  proceed  with  the  necessary  preliminaries. 
Taking  the  two  rifles  from  our  hands,  he  pressed,  one  by 
one,  into  the  magazines  of  each  of  them,  seven  cart- 
ridges. 

"  '  Now,'  said  he,  when  this  was  done,  'you,  Crockford, 
are  well  posted  as  to  how  these  affairs  are  managed 
here  ;  but,  for  fear  that  you '  (turning  to  me)  '  may  not 
be  so  well  acquainted  with  them,  I  will  tell  yer  the  con- 
ditions. These  two  rifles  will  be  laid  down  on  the 
middle  of  the  road  where  it  goes  orer  the  plain  in  a 
straight  line  ;  they  will  be  placed  about  two  hundred 
yards  apart,  and  you  will  stand  each  beside  his  gun. 
We — that  is,  Dalziel  and  myself- — will  stand  on  the  little 
hillock  about  half-way  between  you,  and  to  one  side. 
When  I  throw  my  hat  up,  you  are  each  at  liberty  to 
get.  your  gun  and  make  the  best  us©  of  it  again  one 
another.  You  may  stand  and  fire1,  kneel  and  fire,  or  lay 
down  and  fire,  as 
you  please.  You 
kin  run  in  on  one 
another,  or,  if  either 
of  you  chooses,  lie 
kin  runback  —  trier's 
plenty  of  road,  too. 
Each  of  you  has 
about  fifty  miles  of 
straight  travellin' 
behind  him,  ef  he 
don't  like  the  look 
of  things  in  front ; 
but  neither  of  you 
must  leave  the  road, 
and  the  seven  shots 
in  each  of  your  guns  j[ 
must  decide  the 
affair,  hit  or  miss. 
Mind,  if  these  con- 
ditions are  broken 
by  either  men,  me 
and  Dalziel  are  here 
to  see  fair  play,  and 
we  have  guns,  and 
will  use  them  too.' 
Without  another 
word  we  all  left  the 
store,  and  the  two 
seconds,  placing  the 
rifles  on  the  road, 
bsside  Crockford 
and  myself,  retired 
to  the  little  hillock  to  give  the  signal. 

"  I,  perhaps,  ought  to  give  you  a  description  of  my 
feelings  at  that  moment  ;  but,  really,  I  can  hardly  do 
so,  nor  do  I  remember  any  very  predominant  emotion, 
save  that  I  felt  a  sort  of  stony  calm,  mixed  with  a  strong 
desire  to  draw  bead  on  that  figure  standing  quietly  beside 
h  s  weapon  some  two  hundred  yards  away. 

"  As  I  before  told  you,  I  had  laid  down  my  method  of 
proceeding,  and  the  basis  of  it  was  to  remain  on  the 
defensive,  for  I  felt  sure  that  Crockford,  despising  my 
abilities  with  the  Winchester,  would  advance  upon  me, 
nor  was  I  at  all  mistake.].  Directly  the  signal  was 
given,  he  seized  his  rifle,  and,  almost  instantly  dis- 
charging a  shot,  which  passed  within  a  foot  of  me,  he 
#t&rtc3  0:1  a  zigzag  run  towards  me.    Meanwhile,  I  had 


gone  down  flat  on  the  road,  bringing  my  rifle  to-  bear 
upon  him,  and,  getting  sight  after  he  had  rim  in  per- 
haps fifty  yards,  I  fired  my  first  shot. 

"  I  shot  primarily  to  stop  him,  of  course,  if  I  could, 
but  also  with  the  intention  of  throwing  a  thin  clcSid  of 
smoke  immediately  in  front  of  me,  beneath  which  I 
could  again  take  sight.  The  day  was  still,  bright,  and 
warm,  and,  far  along  the  road  behind  Crockford,  a  little 
white  puff  of  dust  told  me  that  I  had  missed  my  man. 
Jerking  the  lever  of  the  rifle  forward  and  back  to  its 
place  again,  I  had  my  second  shot  ready  for  delivery. 
This  time  I  waited,  judging  that,  when  he  came  to  a 
stop,  either  to  lie  down  or  stand,  I  should  have  the  best 
chance  I  was  likely  to  get;  but  still  my  rifle  muzzle 
followed  his  every  movement.  On  he  came,  till  less 
than  one  hundred  yards  separated  us.  Dropping  en  to 
his  hands  and  knees,  he  was  just  reaching  the  prone 
position,  when,  once  more,  my  rifle  rang  out.    This  time 

T  did  not  see  the 
puff    of   dust  be- 
tokening  a    miss ; 
but  I  had  no  time 
to  speculate  about 
results.  Hugging 
the  ground  closely, 
I  jerked  the  empty 
cartridge  out,  and 
got  another  into  its 
place.    Zip  came  a 
bullet    not  three 
inches     from  my 
cheek,  and  again, 
as  I  brought  my 
gun    up,  another 
struck  the  road  al- 
most  straight  in 
front  of  me,  and 
tore  its  way  through 
the    cloth    of  my 
coat  on    the  arm. 
This    shot  nearly 
blinded    me,  and 
rendered    it  im- 
possible for  mo 
to  return  the  fire 
effectively  for  the 
dust,    and    so,  I 
might  say,  for  the 
next  two,  as,  both 
being  in  front,  and, 
fortunately,  a  little 
to  one  side,  I  absolutely  could  not  see  even  the  end  of  my 
own  rifle.    In  a  few  seconds  the  dust  was  cleared  suffici- 
ently to  allow  me  to  dimly  sight  my  opponent;  my  finger 
had  almost  pressed  the  trigger  when,  somehow  or  another, 
I  seemed  to  feel  that  I  need  not  shoot.    There'  was 
no  motion  about  my  adversary,  nor  was  his  face  visible, 
and,  even  at  that  distance,  I  could  see  that  his  rifle  was 
not  in  position,  but  was  grasped  in  his  right  hand,  wide 
out  from  his  body.    I  kept  my  rifle  on  him,  hesitating 
what  to  do.    He  still  had  two  shots  in  his  magazine,  ami 
f  had  a  right  to  fire  on  him,  and  make  certain  ;  bu still, 
as  I  say,  I  hesitated.    As  I  did  so,  Mottram  waved  to 
me  to  hold  my  fire,  and,  leaving  their  position  on  the 
hill,  the  two  seconds  ran  hastily  to  the  silent  figure  in 
front  of  me.    A  wave  of  the  hand  released  me  fr&iu 


HE  WAS  ON  HIS  FEET  IN  A  SECOND. 


292 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1895. 


suspense,  and  informed  me  that  the  duel  was  over.  On 
reaching  Crockford  I  found  him  insensible  from  pain 
end  loss  of  blood.  My  second  shot  had  struck  him  fair 
on  the  left  shoulder,  shattering  the  bone  at  the  joint  in 
a  terrible  manner,  and  flooding  the  road  with  blood. 
Even  then  the  man  had,  before  insensibility  set  in, 
managed,  goodness  knows  how,  to  send  those  four 
bullets  in  rapid  succession,  any  one  of  which,  had  it 
been  three  inches  truer,  would  have  either  killed  or 
badly  wounded  me.  We  got  him  to  the  store,  and 
Dalziel,  who  pos- 
t  essed  some  surgical 
skill,  managed  to 
stanch  the  flowing 
blood,  and,  in  a  day 
or  two,  he  was  pro- 
nounced out  of  any 
absolute  danger  of 
his  life.  Recover 
he  did,  although  it 
was  three  months 
before  he  could 
leave  his  berth.  As 
the  Ranch  had 
passed  into  my 
hands  during  that 
time,  I  saw  that  he 
was  properly  at- 
tended to ;  but, 
when  he  was  able 
to  travel,  I  directed 
that  he  be  paid  up 
all  wages,  and  gis'en 
an     extra  fifty 

dollars,  but  discharged  from  the  employ.  You  see,  my 
life  felt  very  unsafe  while  he  was  within  forty  miles. 
I  heard  that  he  ultimately  recovered  the  use  of  his  arm, 
but  it  was  a  long  time  before  it  was  anything  like  sound. 

'  Little  more  remains  to  be  told,  excepting  that  I 
gave  Dalziel  a  hundred  dollars  for  that  Winchester,  as 
a  souvenir  of  the  affair." 


Tlir.  DUEL  WAS  OVEE. 


"  But,  Mr.  Compton,"  said  I,  "  how  on  earth  did  you 

manage  to  make  such  a  good  shot  at  your  man  on  your 
second  attempt,  when,  as  you  pointed  out,  you  shot  so 
badly  at  the  box-lid  ?  '  Was  it  simply  a  fluke  1 " 

Compton  looked  at  me  rather  curiously,  and  said— 
"  I  notice  that  you  sometimes  play  at  whist,  but  I 
don't  perceive  that  you  let  the  adversaries  see  your 
hand.  It  is1  true  that  I  was  never  within  five  feet  of 
the  box-lid  ;  but  then,  you  see,  I  never  shot  at  that  lid  at 
all.    I  aimed  at  a  dozen  different  parts  of  the  shanty — 

knots,  blotches  on 
the  wood,  etc.,  but 
never  at  the  lid. 
Knowing  what  I 
was  shooting  at  I 
was  satisfied,  be- 
cause all  my  shots 
were  within  six  to 
ten  inches  of  where 
I  aimed  them,  and 
of  course  the  others 
thought  I  was  blaz- 
ing away  at  the  lid 
all  the  time;  though, 
mind,  I  never  said 
so,  and  Crockford 
naturally  got  the 
impression  that  I 
was  a  very  bad  shot 
from  what  the 
others  had  told  him. 
I  i-ather  expected 
the  result  would  be 
that  way,  and  iv 

was  unlucky  for  Crockford. 

"  Supposing  we  have  a  drink  now.  I  can  never  think 
of  those  infernal  bullets  whizzing  past  me  without 
feeling  a  certain  dryness  in  the  throat  and  mouth. 
Upon  my  soul,  the  remembrance  makes  my  flesh  creep 
more  now  than  it  did  at  the  time ;  but,  you  know,  I  was 
fighting  mad  then,  and  was  '  shooting  to  kill.'  " 


THE   MARRIAGE  LOTTERY. 


First  Voice.  I  hear  you  hold  some  wondrous  views 
on  the  marriage  question  ;  will  you  kindly  enlighten  me? 

Second  Voice.  With  pleasure.  My  idea  is  this  :  to 
give  every  man  and  woman  two  chances  of  happiness  in 
married  life.  Two  I  consider  ample,  as,  if  after  one  un- 
fortunate experience  people  were  so  foolish  as  to  choose 
badly  again,  it  would  really  be  their  own  fault.  Even 
then,  I  think,  I  would  give  them  the  alternative  of 
living  alone. 

As  the  law  now  stands,  a  young  girl,  with  no  experi- 
ence of  men,  and  ignorant  of  what  is  before  her,  has  to 
choose  a  mate  for  life  !  Now,  the  man  who  would  fasci- 
nate a  young  girl  is  perhaps  the  last  one  whom  she 
would  accept  when  older  and  wiser.  While  fresh  from 
the  schoolroom  she  thinks  it  would  be  "so  unromantic  " 
to  be  engaged  to  a  man  who  did  not  resemble  a  hero  of 
a  three-volume  novel — so  chooses  a  handsome  face  with 
no  brains  behind  it,  and  sutlers  for  her  mistake  life- 
long. The  middle-aged  woman  knows  that  the  steady 
little  man,  all  good  heart  and  no  good  looks,  would  be 
the  one  "  for  wear." 

In  the  same  way,  a  man  marries  a  girl  for  her  looks, 
to  find,  too  late,  that  these  soon  disappear,  leaving  only 
selfishness  and  bad  temper  behind  them. 


First  Voice.  But  what  about  the  children  1 
Second  Voice.  This  is  really  a  simpler  question 
than  might  at  first  appear.  I  should  certainly  let  the 
mother  keep  the  children,  unless  she  could  be  proved 
unfit  for  their  charge,  for  she  it  is  who  has  the  pain 
and  trouble  of  them.  A  divorced  father  should  be 
obliged  to  pay  so  much  per  head  to  the  mother  for  his 
children's  maintenance. 

First  Voice.  What,  then,  do  you  consider  the 
special  advantages  of  your  system  over  that  now  in 
vogue  ? 

Second  Voice.  In  every  way  I  consider  mine  the 
best.  Marriage  would  then  be  more  like  an  engage- 
ment, and  the  couples,  instead  of  growing  careless  of 
each  other's  feelings,  would  remain  lovers,  knowing 
they  were  only  on  probation,  as  it  were,  and  married 
people  would  not  be  forced  to  seek  for  romance  outside 
their  own  homes. 

Owing  to  this  constant  practice  of  being  on  best 
behaviour,  character  would  improve,  and  most  of  the 
first  marriages  remain  permanent  and  happy.  People 
would  be  proud  of  keeping  tiue  to  their  first  choice, 
instead  of  chafing  against  the  fetters  which  bind  them 
for  life  to  someone  who,  feeling  quite  sure  of  them,  doe* 
not  trouble  to  treat  them  with  any  consideration  or 
courtesy. 


January  12,  1895 


TO-DAY. 


293 


■A 


By  Forain. 


The  Banker  (to  susceptible  young  friend,  about  to  make  warm  advances  to  Miss  X.)  :  Hold  yourself 
in,  my  clear  fellow.    I've  just  had  private  intelligence  that  her  father's  in  Queer  Street. 


THE    FAUNTLEROY  BOY. 


Allegiance  to  The  Unquestionable  may  be  as  good  as 
it  is  popular ;  and  I  maintain  that  much  depends  upon 
what  is  included!  in  The  Unquestionable.  It  has  always 
included  Political  Economy,  Shakespeare,  Bradshaw's 
Time-Table,  Medical  Advice,  The  Tunes,  and  All  the 
»  Royal  Family.  I  am  not  angry  with  that ;  on  the  con- 
trary, I  like  it,  although  I  have  sometimes  wondered 
what  they  used  for  the  purposes  of  unthinking  assent, 
before  these  things  arrived.  But  I  see  that  The  Un- 
questionable is  daily  enlarging  its  borders  ;  we  are  put- 
ting things  into  that  category  about  which  at  one  time 
we  used  to  reason.  Before  it  is  too  late — before  he  is 
filially  enshrined — I  wish  to  protest  against  the  admis- 
sion of  the  Fauatleroy  Boy  into  the  category  of  The  Un- 


questionable. Before  we  say  definitely  that  this  is  the 
final  nicest,  highest,  holiest  type  of  Boy,  and  that  none 
other  is  genuine,  I  feel  sure  that  we  ought  to  stop  ancJ 
think.  It  is  areal,imminentdanger.  Ever  since  we  became 
acquainted  with  the  character  of  Little  Lord  Fauntle- 
roy,  the  type  has  been  repeated  and  repeated  over  and 
over  again.  I  would  not  presume  to  condemn  that  type ; 
I  would  only  question  it.  Our  ideals  should  be  impro- 
bable, but  not  impossible.  I  would  ask  the  fathers  of 
sons  if  they  are  able  to  keep  their  boys  up  to  the  Fauntle- 
roy  level,  or  anywhere  near  it. 

Take  the  case  of  my  nephew,  Richard,  lie  is  in  a 
preparatory  school  and  this  is  the  way  he  writes  honi3  :  — ■ 

"  I  was  put  on  but  only  two  overs,  Phelps  no-balled 
me  I  was  not  shying  but  I  have  had  several  quarrils  with 
him  and  so  he  dia'  it  afterwards  I  hit  him  in  his  stumuck 


Published  bij  arrangement  with  the  "Granla." 


294 


TO-DAY. 


Jasvaey  12,  1S9.3. 


ho  has  more  pocket-money  than  me  and  the  subs  come 
to  more  than  usual  this  term  it  is  one  and  six  more — if 
you  would  rather  I  did  not  lose  by  it  because  I  do  not 
settle  how  much  it  will  be  and  you  are  looked  down  on 
here  if  you  do  not  go  in  for  it." 

What  is  to  be  done  in  a  case  like  that?  Did  the 
original  Fauntleroy  hit  an  umpire  in  the  stomach?  No. 
Did  he  find  himself  perpetually  in  want  of  money?  No, 
certainly  not.  He  wore — when  I  saw  him  on  the  stage 
— yellow  curls,  very  long,  a  pale  blue  silk  sash,  and  a 
Mack  velvet  suit.  I  dare  not  dress  Richard  like  that; 
I  dare  not  even  introduce  to  him  another  boy  who  was 
dressed  like  that.  It  is  a  very  pretty  diess,  but  I  do  not 
want  to  be  censured  by  the  jury  at  a  coroner's  inquest. 
Public  life  has  no  attractions  for  me.  Then  again 
Richard  has  a  mother  ;  he  has  for  her  a  blind  uncon- 
scious natural  affection  ;  it  is  not  ostentatious  but  you 
can  depend  upon  it.  As  his  mother  happens  to  be  his 
mother  Richard  calls  her  his  mother — there  is  nothing 
subtle  about  Richard.  He  does  not  say  "  Dearest,"  or 
'•'  Darlingest,"  or  "  Light  of  my  Soul,"  or  allow  himself 
ti  be  indebted  in  any  way  to  the  vocabulary  of  a  ro- 
mantic grocer's  apprentice  addressing  his  inamorata. 
And  it  would  be  exceedingly  difficult  to  persuade  Richard 
to  exchange  natural  affection  (which  he  does  not  know 
that  he  has)  for  an  inexpensive,  treacly,  Demarara  sen- 
tin  entality  ;  and  if  the  exchange  were  effected  the  only 
person  who  would  loathe  it  more  than  Richard  would  be 
Richard's  mother.  Again,  Richard  has  no  turn,  for 
affairs;  he  could  not  tidy  up  a  family  quarrel.  His 
grandfather  is  not — and  never  has  been — an  earl  ;  but 
if  that  grandfather  were  an  earl  until  he  was  tired,  he 
would  not  use  an  infant  to  support  his  weight,  when  he 
could  get  a  servant,  and  he  would  not  allow  Richard  a 
chance  to  play  the  fool  with  uncertain-tempered  dogs, 
and  he  would  not  allow  Richard  to  say  two  words  on 
certain  subjects.  Consequently,  the  boy  has  no  chance. 
He  did  once  interfere  in  a  question  of  affairs;  he  gave 
definite  orders  to  the  garJener  for  the  construction  of  a 
canal  through  the  centre  of  the  lawn,  to  be  supplied  from 
the  tap  in  the  scullery.  "  Did  your  paw  saye  you  were 
to  tell  me  that?"  asked  the  gardener.      "No,"  said 


Richard,  but  explained  that  his  father  did  not  have  time 
to  think  about  everything.  The  gardener  did  not  think 
that  it  was  worth  while  to  risk  twenty-four  shillings  a 
week  and  his  dinner  by  obeying  these  instructions. 
But — supposing  that  Richard  had  had  his  own  way — 
would  it  have  smoothed  over  a  family  difference  ?  On  the 
contrary,  it  would  have  created  a  family  difference,  and 
Richard  woidd  have  been  one  of  the  persons  differing. 
At  least,  so  I  should  judge.  Personally,  I  am  a  plain 
hard  man,  and  if  a  boy  of  mine  dug  a  canal  through  my 
lawn,  I  would  whip  him  to  a  froth,  as  they  say  in  the 
cookery-books.  One  does  not  whip  the  Fauntleroy  type  ; 
if  you  are  feeling  very  harsh,  you  may  forgive  them, 
and  even  then  it  takes  slow  music,  and  you  feel  a  beast 
for  your  presumption.  That  is  my  argument ;  if  you 
are  going  to  make  your  boy  into  a  Fauntleroy-Boy,  you 
must  place  him  with  a  set  of  people  who  will  treat  him 
according  to  the  books.  I  could  not  do  that ;  I  believe 
in  the  justice,  utility  and  necessity  of  the  common  spank. 
It  would  be  no  good  to  turn  the  Fauntleroy-Boy  loose  in 
a  crowd  of  ordinary  ratepayers.  He  would  only  hurt 
himself. 

It  is  the  type  that  I  call  in  question  ;  the  original 
Little  Lord  Fauntleroy  was  a  splendid  variation,  not 
beyond  criticism,  but  as  a  variation  desirable.  There  is 
room  for  one  Fauntleroy-Boy ;  there  are  enough  extra- 
ordinary people  to  make  up  for  him  a  suitable  environ- 
ment. But  a  perpetuation  of  the  type  would  be  deplor- 
able. All  Fauntleroy-Boys  win  all  races  ;  and  conse- 
quently if  all  boys  were  Fauntleroy-Boys  athletics  would 
become  uninteresting.  Inactivity  would  set  in  every- 
where, because  each  generation  would  be  lost  in  the 
ecstacy  inspired  by  the  promise  of  the  next.  It  is  just 
possible,  however,  that  the  ecstacy  would  die  out.  For 
time  tones  down  and  mellows  ;  the  ord'inary  human  bov 
is  a  common  amusing  pig  with  a  taste  for  ginger  beer 
and  the  high  seas  ;  toned  down,  he  becomes  a  man  and 
a  good  fellow.  But  the  silk-sashed  boy,  however  closely 
he  was  watched,  would  probably  in  after-life  publish 
minor  poems. 

B.  E.  0.  P. 


HONEYMOON  SOUVENIRS. 


"  1  suppose,"  said  a  society  woman  to  a  writer,  "  that 
you  have  hear  A  of  the  newest  fad  for  brides?  No,  I 
don't  mean  bouquets  of  purple  flowers,  which  I  should 
hate  to  have  anyone  I  cared  for  carry  ;  they  must  be  so 
unlucky,  purple  being  emblematic  of  mourning,  ycu 
know.  1  mean  the  bridal  albums,  which  sc<  many  of 
this  summer's  fashionable  brides  are  getting  up  to  cele- 
brate their  honeymoons.  I  think  the  notion  is  charm- 
ing, and  a  friend  of  mine  has  one  that  is  lovely.  She 
made  every  bit  of  it  herself,  including  the  cover.  She 
paints  very  well  in  water  colours,  and  that  made  it  much 
easier  to  have  the  book  pretty.  For  the  cover  she  took 
two  pieces  of  rough  cardboard  about  nine  inches  square, 
and  then  she  had  quite  a  lot  of  heavy  linen  paper  cut 
to  the  same  size-,  with  two  holes  through  one  side  of  it 
to  put  the  pink  ribbons  through  to  tie  it  together.  The 
bridegroom  had  a  bunch  of  white  carnations  in  his  but- 
tonhole during  the  ceremony,  and  these  she  painted  in 
the  centre  of  the  upper  cover,  while  over  the  rest  she 
scattered  the  Catherine  Mermet  roses  which  composed 
her  bouquet.    The  effect  was  simply  lovely — very  dainty. 

What  did  she  have  inside  all  this  gorgeousness  i 
Wliy,  all  softs  of  souvenirs  of  the  trip,  of  course.  First 
there  was  a  picture  of  the  first  hotel  they  stopped  at, 
M  ine')  she  cut  from  the  bill  of  fare,  and  a  sketch  of  the 
picturesque  old  darkey  who  waited  on  them  at  the  first 
meal  they  ate  together  as  husband  and  wife.  They  took 
a  country  drive,  and  while  out  chanced  upon  a  wandering 
photographery  who  took  a  picture  of  them  and  their  con- 
veyance, and  this  was  pasted  in  and  framed  with  the 


blossoms  of  the  wild  hydrangea  which  they  bought  from 
a  barefooted  urchin  on  the  road.  The  boy,  as  he  stood 
with  the  great  bunch  of  flowers  in  his  hand,  makes  a 
cunning  little  sketch  in  the  corner.  Another  page 
shows  a  sketch  of  a  couple  strolling,  arm  in  arm,  through 
a  field  of  daisies,  and  a,  chain  of  these  modest  flowers 
frames  the  little  picture.  One  page  is  given  up  to 
violets,  some  being  pressed  and  tied  up  with  little  bows 
of  the  light-blue  ribbon  she  wore  on  her  dress  when  her 
husband  brought  them  to*  her,  and  others  were  painted 
in.  Photographs  of  all  the  pretty  or  interesting  places 
they  visited  are  used,  with  an  occasional  bill  of  fare  or 
theatrical  programme,  each  being  accompanied  by  Mime 
memento  of  the  occasion,  either  a  flower,  a  ribbon,  or  a 
sketch  depicting  some  little  incident.  Stems  of  rasp- 
berries, with  their  leaves,  served  as  a  reminder  of  an 
afternoon  they  had  spent  in  an  old-fashioned  garden, 
and  as  the  goldenrod  was  just  out  last  week  when  they 
went  home,  they  are  to  appear  on  the  back  of  the  ppver. 
Just  think  what  a  delightful  souvenir  it  makes  to  keep 
all  your  life." 

— Current  Literature 


Time  is  no  doubt  a  great  teacher;  the  pity  is  that  ho 
should  have  to  kill  his  pupils. 

Man  is  always  proud  to  have  cut  his  name  somewhere 
or  other — were  it  only  on  the  bark  of  a  tree.  He  is 
always  astonished  when  he  finds  it  no  longer  there. 

If  mind  and  intellect  serve  to  distinguish  men  from 
each  other,  the  human  heart  levels  them.  They  weep 
i'i  the  fields  the  same  as  in  the  (own,  and  they  are  the 
same  tears.    We  are  equal  only  in  our  griefs. 


January  12,  18f)o. 


TO-DAY. 


295 


m  THE  YEAR  OF  JUBILEE.* 


Readers  of  Mr.  Gissing's  previous  books  know  well 
the  kind  of  people  he  likes  best  to  write  about.  The 
dreary,  commonplace  lives  of  the  lower  middle  class 
afford  the  novelist  all  the  material  he  requires.  His 
characters  are  unmistakably  real,  and,  for  the  most 
part,  painfully  vulgar.  But  from  the  first  few  lines  of 
the  first  volume  the  author  forces  us  to  take  an  interest 
in  their  doings,  their  petty  meannesses,  their  everyday 
troubles.  The  plot  seems  of  small  importance  in  the 
boo!:.  We  hardly  get  an  inkling  of  it  until  the  last  few 
paces  of  (he  first  volume — which,  however,  is  certainly 
the  most  interesting  of  the  three.  It  is  because  the 
scenss  and  characters  have  life  in  them  that  they  are  so 
interesting. 

The  following  description  of  an  evening  in  a  Camber- 
well  drawing-room  is  artistically  exact  in  its  details 
without  being  exaggerated  ; — 

One  of  the  guests, 
Mrs.  Miikllemist, 
was  a  stout,  coarse, 
high  -  coloured 
woman, with  fingers 
much  bejewelled. 
Until  a  year  or  two 
ago  she  had  adorned 
the  private  bar  of  a 
public-house  kept 
by  her  husband  ; 
retired  from  this 
honourable  post,  she 
now  devoted  her- 
self to  society  and 
the  domestic  vir- 
tues. The  other 
guest,  Mrs.  March 
by  name,  pro- 
claimed herself  at  a 
glance.  Of  less  pros- 
perous condition, 
though  no  less 
sumptuously  ar- 
rayed,her  face  had  a 
hungry,  spiteful, 
leering  expression , 
she  spoke  in  ashrill, 
peevish  tone,  and  wriggled  nervously  on  her  chair.  In 
eleven  years  of  married  life,  Mrs.  Mureh  had  borne  six 
children,  all  of  whom  died  before  they  were  six  months  old. 
She  lived  apart  from  her  husband,  who  had  something  to  do 
with  the  manufacture  of  an  infants'  food. 

Fanny  was  requested  to  sing.    She  sat  down  at  the  piano, 
rattled  a  prelude,  and  gave  forth  an  echo  of  the  music-halls — 
"It's  all  up  with  poor  Tommy  now, 
I  shall  never  more  be  happy,  I  vow, 
It's  just  a  week  ago 
Since  my  Sairey  went  away, 
And  it's  all  up  with  poor  Tommy  now." 

Mrs.  Middlemist,  who  prided  herself  upon  serious  vocal 
powers,  remarked  that  comic  singing  should  be  confined  to 
men. 

"  You  haven't  a  bad  voice,  my  dear,  if  you  would  only 
take  pains  with  it.  Now  sing  us  '  For  Ever  and  For  Ever.'  " 
This  song  being  the  speaker's  peculiar  glory,  she  was,  of 
course,  requested  to  sing  it  herself,  and  after  entreaty,  con- 
sented.   Her  eyes  turned  upwards,  her  fat  figure  rolling 
from  side  to  side,  her  mouth  wide  open,  Mrs.  Middlemist 
did  full  justice  to  the  erotic  passion  of  this  great  lyric — 
"  Perchawnce,  if  we  'ad  never  met, 
We  'ad  been  spared  this  mad  regret, 
This  bendless  striving  to  forget — . 
For  hever — hand — for  he-e-e-ver  ! " 
There  are  only  two  people  in  the  story  who  really 
gain  the  reader's  sympathy  at  all,  and  even  they  are  not 
particularly  loveable.     One  is  a  hen-pecked  husband, 
Arthur  Peachey  by  name,  who  comes  home  one  night 
and  finds  his  house  in  an  uproar.    His  wife  has  detected 
a  servant  in  a  petty  theft,  and  is  giving  her  in  charge. 
Peachey  is  indignant,  and  much  to  his  wife's  astonish- 
ment, asserts  his  authority  in  the  house.    His  two 
sisters-in-law,  Beatrice  and  Fanny  French,  are  enjoying 
the  scene. 

Peachey  looked  at  his  sisters-in-law,  and  in  neither  faco 

perceived  compassionate  softening  Ada  (his  wife) 

reappeared  hurriedly,  clad  for  going  forth  ;  but  no  one  had 
fetched  a  cab.    Incensed,  she  ordered  her  husband  to  do  so. 


MR.  GEORGE  GISSING. 


"  Who  are  you  speaking  to  ?  "  he  replied  wrathfully.  "I 
am  net  j  our  servant. " 

Fanny  laughed.  The  policeman,  professionally  calm, 
averted  a  smiling  face. 

"It's  nothing  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Peachey.  "I'm  quite 
willing  to  walk.    Come  along,  constable." 

Her  husband  interposed. 

"  The  girl  doesn't  go  from  my  home  until  she's  properly- 
dressed." 

They  wait  down  in  the  hall,  while  the  wretched  girl 
goes  upstairs  to  put  on  her  things — and  cut  her  throat. 
A  baby  boy  is  sleeping  in  the  room. 

"  It'll  be  attempted  suicide,  now,  as  well  as  stealing," 
cried  Ada. 

Terrified  by  the  crowd  of  noisy  people,  the  child  began  to 
cry  loudly.  Peachey  lifted  him  out  of  the  cot,  wrapped  a 
blanket  about  him,  and  carried  him  down  to  his  own  bed- 
room. 

He  is  soothing  the  child  when  his  wife  enters. 

"  I  should  think  you'd  better  go  and  look  after  your  dear 
Emma.  As  if  I  didn't  knew  what's  been  going  on  !  It's  all 
come  out,  so  you  needn't  tell  me  any  lies.  You've  been 
giving  her  money.  The  other  servants  knew  of  it  ;  she  con- 
fessed it  herself.  Oh,  you're  a  nice  sort  of  man,  you  are  '. 
Men  of  jour  sort  are  always  good  at  preaching  to  other 
people.  You've  given  her  money — what  does  that  mean  ?  I 
suspected  it  all  along.  You  wouldn't  have  her  sent  away  ; 
oh,  no  !  She  was  so  good  to  the  child — and  so  good  to  some- 
body else  !  A  dirty  servant  !  I'd  choose  some  one  better 
than  that,  if  I  was  a  man.  How  much  has  she  cost  you  ? 
As  much,  no  doubt,  as  one  of  the  swell  women  in  Piccadilly 
Circus  " 

Peachey  turned  upon  her,  the  sweat  beading  on  his  ghastly 
lace. 

"  Go  !— out  of  this  room— or  by  God  I  shall  do  something 
fearful !  Out  !  " 

She  backed  before  him.  He  seized  her  by  the  shoulders, 
and  flung  her  forth,  then  locked  the  door.  From  without 
she  railed  at  him  in  the  language  of  the  gutter  and  the 
brothel.  Presently  her  shouts  were  mingled  with  piercing 
shrieks ;  they  came  from  the  would-be  suicide,  who,  restored 
to  consciousness,  was  being  carried  down  for  removal  in  the 
cab.  Peachey,  looking  and  feeling  like  a  man  whom  passion 
had  brought  within  sight  of  murder,  stopped  his  ears  and 
huddled  himself  against  the  bedside.  The  child  screamed 
in  terror. 

In  the  character  of  the  heroine,  Nancy  Lord,  there  is 
a  strange  combination  of  love  and  selfishness,  vulgarity 
and  superficial  refinement.  One  can  hardly  be  sorry  for 
her  when  she  is  in  lifelong  trouble ;  it  is  all  so  much  of 
her  own  making. 

"  In  the  Year  of  Jubilee "  is  very  easy  reading. 
The  sequence  of  events  is  so  natural,  and  the  effects  are 
so  fairly  gained  that  we  almost  forget  the  work  is  fiction. 
It  is  a  book  that  requires  a  careful  perusal,  for  the 
minutest  details — the  details  that  stamp  the  scenes  as 
real — do  not  escape  Mr.  Gissing's  observant  eye.  Ho 
never  tries  to  produce  an  effective  contrast  by  dragging  in 
a  comedy  scene  into  the  middle  of  his  drama  ;  there  is 
no  light  and  shade  in  this  book — it  is  all  shade.  And  at. 
the  end,  however  much  we  may  deplore  the  fact  that 
such  people  are  in  our  midst,  for  Mr.  Gissing's  art  there 
can  only  be  the  warmest  praise  and  admiration. 

W.  P. 


In  one  of  the  finely-laid-out  city  cemeteries  in  the 
West,  a  rich  citizen,  who  was  a  notorious  sceptic  arid 
scoffer,  had  erected  a  massive  mausoleum  on  what  ho 
was  pleased  grandiloquently  to  call  "his  ancestral  plot," 
with  a  view  to  perpetuats  his  somewhat  worthless 
memory.  One  day  he  met  a  worthy  douce  elder  of  the 
kirk — a  devout,  simple-minded  man — coming  away  from 
the  vicinity  of  the  imposing  mass  of  masonry  ;  and  the 
infidel  said  : — 

"  Weel,  Dauvit,  ye've  been  up  seein'  that  graurid 
erection  o'  mine  1 " 

'"Deed  have  I,  sir." 

"  Gey  strong  place  that,  isn't  it  1  It'll  tak'  a  man  a'  his 
time  to  rise  out  o'  yon  at  the  Day  o'  Jeedgenient." 

"  Hech,  ma  mon,"  said  the  elder,  "ye  can  gie  yersel' 
little  fash  aboot  risin'  fin  that  day  comes.  They'll  tak' 
the  boddom  oot  o't  tae  lat  ye  doon  !  "—From  "  The 
Humour  of  the  Scot,"  by  J.Inglis. 

*  "In  the  Year  of  Jubilee,  "  by  George  Oissing.  (Lawrence and  Bullen. 
3  vols..  31s.  6d.) 


296 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1875. 


THE  COUNTRY  AND  PEOPLE  OF  JAPAN.— VII. 


V^X  MODELS,  REPRESENTING  A  SCENE  FROM  A  JAPANESE  PLAT.     THE  FIGURES  ARE  ROBED  IN  LIVING  CHRYSANTHEMUM!!. 


WALKING -OUT  COSTUME.  BUDDHIST  PRIESTS. 


(to  be  continued. ) 


JANtiAfeV  12,  1893. 


TO-DAY. 


DE  OMNIBUS, 


EY 


THE  CONDUCTOR. 


CorntenTMUnt  is  a  wunnerful  thing.  'Ankin  ain't 
gort  it,  and  I've  'eard  'im  remawk  frequent  as  'e  don't 
want  it,  seein'  as  'e  ain't  gort  nutthink  ter  he  corntentid 
abart.  But  'e 's  mistook.  As  a  rool,  I'm  thenkful  ter 
sye  I'm  corntentid.  Mind  yer,  I  don't  sye  as  I  olwise 
goes  abart  my  wuk  with  a  Crischun  smile  o'  resignition 
on  my  fice.  I've  'ad  my  troubles,  with  the  bloomin' 
jumpers,  with  the  coppers,  with  artrijus  femiles,  and  on'y 
laust  week  with  a  gent  as  were  intoxercited  shimeful  an' 
worntid  ter  ride  the  'ole  threepennuth  fur  one  French 
penny  and  a  'ipeny  stamp.  -  Ho,  yus,  it  ain't  all  'oney. 
But  on  the  'ole,  it  might  be  a  deal  wuss.  Tike  the  kise 
of  a  siler,  fur  eqsaumple.  •  Nar,  I  worntid  ter  be  a  siler 
when  I  were  a  lad  ;  I'd  'eard  some  song  abart  the  foamin' 
billers,  and  I  might'a  run  awye  ter  sea,  if  my  fawther  'adn't 
took  an' strapped  it  art  o' me.  And  I'm  gled 'e  did.  Lawst 
week  I  read  a  bit  in  the  pipers  about  the  giles  as 
they've  'ad  in  the  Chennel.  Theer  were  one  steamer  as 
were  tryin'  to  git  inter  Calayse  'awbur,  and  along  'o  the 
gile  she  missed  'er  tip  an'  went  ashore.  Thinks  I  to 
myself,  you're  a  bloomin'  sight  better  horf  on  a  'bus  nor 
you  would  be  on,  any  bloomin'  ship.  Giles  don't  hurt 
us ;  leastwise  I've  never  'eard  of  a  'bus  as  were  trying 
tu  mike  Cherrin'  Crorse,  and  gort  druv  into  the 
Neshnul  Gellery  awscidentul.  It's  an  astonishin'  thing 
tu  me  whort  little  diff'runce  the  weather  mikes  to  us. 
In  course,  theer  is  the  undergrarnd  rilewye  ;  when  it's 
fine  the  rats  come  art  'o  the  sewers,  and  when,  it's  wet 
they  goes- beck  agin,  but  it  ain't  nutthink  perticler.  It's 
my  belief  as  the  traffic  o'  the  foochur  will  be  pretty  nigh 
all  'buses  an'  trams.  Yer  gits  in  wheer  yer  like,  and 
yer  gits  art  when  yer  like.  Theer  aint  no  bloomin' 
styshuns,  and  instead  of  yer  'avin'  ter  go  ter  the 
bookin'-orfus,  the  bookin'-orfus  comes  ter  you.  The 
jumpers  is  a  noosance,  and  people  'ites  'em.  A  man 
wornts  ter  tike  'is  tickut  and  'ave  done  with  it ;  'e  don't 
wornt  ter  be  pullin'  it  art  ev'ry  five  minutes  ter  show 
ter  seme  bloomin' jumper.  But,  'arrever,  I 'opes  as  one 
dye  we  shell  see  the  end  o'  them  jumpers.  Whort  I 
sye  is,  let  the  'bus  pye  a  fair  price  fer  a  fair  dye's  work. 
Put  a  figser  on  it.  Then  "we  gits  a  hinterest  in  whort 
we're  doin',  instead  o'  bein'  a  set  o  jumper-reggylited 
machines,  and  a  gent  kin  set  comf'terbly  withart  bein' 
disturbed  fur  ter  show  'is  tickut. 
'•  £  \..T  t  :i  _'*•.*..-.:•'*•,--•  * 

But  if  yer  wornts  anythink  reverlooshnery,  yer  go  ter 
'Ankin.  'E's  in  fivur  of  the  Stite  ownin'  the  rilevvyes, 
the  trams,  the  'buses,  the  gas-wuks,  the  water-wuks, 
and  hall  other  sort  o'  wuks.  "Gar'n!"  I  says 
tu  'im,  "  the  more  mawsters  yur  'as  the  wus  yer 
gits  treated.  If  yer  wuks  fur  one  man,  'e  mye 
think  sutthink  of  yer ;  if  yer  wuks  fur  a  Comp'ny,  the 
comp'ny  thinks  very  little  of  yer ;  and,  sim'lar,  if  yer 
wuk'd  fur  the  Stite,  the  Stite  wouldn't  keer  a— well,  in 
the  presunce  o'  lyedies — wouldn't  keer  a  straw  fur  yer." 
Mind,  I  ain't  stickin'  up  fur  'avin'  gort  the  better  of 
'Ankin  in  a  pint  of  awgyment ;  theer  ain't  no  manlivin' 
ken  do  thet;  in  feet  I  should  like  to  see  Lord  Sorlsbry 
come  darn  ar  wye  an  'ave  a  bit  of  a  turn  up  with 
'Ankin.  'Ankin  mikes  yer  corntradict  yerself,  and  sye 
whort  yer  don't  mean,  and  mean  whort  yer  don't  sye,  an' 
wuks  yer.rarnd  gradshal,  till  at  lawst  yer  finds  yerself 
ownin'  up  ter  the  very  thing  as  yer'd  stawted  art  ter 
disprove.  But  the  unfortshnit  thing  abart  'Ankin  is 
thet  as  soon  as  yer  gits  awye  from  'im  yer  finds  yerself 
thinkin'  jest  the  sime  as  yer  did  afore  'e  stawtid,  and 
pyin'  no  more  attenshing  to  'is  jaw  nor  as  if  'e  'adn't 
ever  spoke.  Sime  as  a  man  I  knowed,  as  were  relidjus  : 
'e'd  call  'isself  a  mis'ruble  sinner  when  'e  were  in  church  ; 
but  'e'd  knock  any  man  over  the  kisser  as  called  'im  the 
eime  when  'e  come  art. 


ISSUE  OP  £50,000  FIRST  MORTGAGE  DEBENTURES  AGAINST 
UNCALLED  CAPITAL  AND  OTHER  ASSETS. 

THE  MACHINERY  TRUST,  Limited,  will  receive 
SUBSCRIPTIONS  at  par,  for  £50,000  (part  of  £220,000  authorised 
and  ranking  pari  passu J  of  5  per  cent.  Mortgage  Debentures  of  £10  each,  or 
any  multiple  of  £10,  payable  as  follows:— On  Application  £1,  on  Allotment 
£2,  one  month  after  allotment  £3,  two  months  after  allotment  £4.  Per 
£10  Debenture. 

Subscribers  can  prepay  In  full  on  allotment  or  at  any  subsequent  date,  and 
receive  interest  at  the  rate  of  5  per  cent,  per  annum  on  all  pre- 
payments. The  interest  is  payable  half-yearly  on  30th  June  and  31st 
December  in  each  year.  These  Debentures  are  reDayable  at  par  on  the 
30th  day  of  June,  1901,  or  earlier  at  the  option  of  the  Directors,  on  giving 
three  months'  notice ;  but  no  Debenture  can  be  redeemed  earlier  than  the 
30th  of  June,  1895. 

The  option  of.  converting  these  Debentures  into  a  like  amount  of  Shares 
at  par  is  given  to  every  subscriber  until  1st  January,  1896. ' 
.  A-  dividend  at  the  rate  of  10  per  cent,  per '  annum  was  paid  on  26th 
January,  1894  (to  31st  December,  1893),  and  a  dividend  at  the  rate  of  15 
per  cent,  per  annum  on  29th  September,  1884  (to  30th  June,  1894),  on  the 
Share  Capital  called  up ;  and  at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent,  per  annum  on  calls 
on  Shares  paid  in  advance. 

Trustees  fob  the  Debenture  Holders. 
Ernest  T.  Janson,  Esq.,  Banker,  32,  Abchurch-lane,  London,  E.C. 
T.  I.  Birkin,  Esq.,  J.P.,  D.L.,  Euddington  Grange,  Nottingham. 
Henry  J.  Norman,  Esq.,  21,  Cadogan-square,  London,  W. 

Directors. 

J.  Lawrence  (Dep.  Chairman  Linotype  Co.,  Ltd.),  Chairman. 
A.  Montague  Haines  (Haines  and  Co.),  155,  Fenchurch-street,  E.C. 
F.  Lewes  Gower  (Buckler,  Norman  and  Gower),  11,  Angel-court,  E.C. 
H.  R.  Schmettau  (Hays,  Schmettau,  and  Ancrum),  31,  Abchurch-lane, 
E.C. 

Bankers— Brown,  Janson  and  Co.,  32,  Abchurch-lane,  Lombard-street, 

E.C. 

Solicitors— Minet,  Harvie,  Smith,  and  Mat,  4,  King  William-street,  E.C. 
Auditors— Herman  Lescher  and  Co.,  chartered  accountants,  6,Clement's- 
lane,  E.C.  , 
Secretary— R.  Millman  Mackay. 
Offices— 16,  Serjeants'  Inn,  Fleet-street,  London,  E.G. 

THE  MACHINERY  TRUST,  Limited. 
ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS.  1 
The  Recurity  to  the  holders  of  these  Debentures  consists  of  uncalled 
capital  to  the  extent  of  £4  10s.  per  £5  Share  (specially  hypothecated  for 
that  purpose  by  the  terms  of  a  Deed  of  Trust  dated  29th  March,  1891), 
subject  only  to  the  amount  of  £5,010  received  in  advance  of  calls  prior  to 
the  charge  in  favour  of  the  Trustees  as  mentioned  below.  The  Debentures 
are  also  charged  as  a  floating  security  on  the  remaining  property  of  the 
Trust. 

Under  the  Trust  Deed,  the  security  for  the  present  issue  of  £50,000 
Debentures  is  uncalled  capita],  amounting  to  £65,158,  of  which  £5,217  is 
now  on  deposit  in  the  Trust's  bank  in  the  Trustees'  names,  having  been 
paid  in  advance  of  calls,  since  the  date  of  the  exeention  of  the  Trust  Deed. 

The  shares  represented  by  this  £65,158  of  uncalled  capital  are  held  by 
194  shareholders,  a  copy  of  whose  names  and  addresses  will  be  supplied  to 
subscribers  for  Debentures  on  application. 

The  authorised  capital  of  the  Machinery  Trust  is  £250,000,  in  50,000 
shares  of  £5  each,  of  which  shares  representing  £77,965  have  already  been 
issued. 

The  Trust  has  already  an  annual  income  from  rental  of  machines  alone 
amounting  to  £8,800,  which  is  constantly  Augmenting. 

The  Trust  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  newspaper  proprietors 
and  printers  generally  to  acquire  machinery  for  their  businesses  on  de- 
ferred terms,  or  on  the  rental  system,  commonly  known  as  "  hire-purchase;" 
Operations  have  already  assumed  such  important  proportions  as  to  call 
for  the  introduction  of  Debenture  Capital  to  provide  for  an  increasing  and 
highly  profitable  business. 

Under  the  sale  contracts  all  machinery  sold  or  hired  remains  the  pro- 
perty of  the  Trust  until  payment  has  been  received  in  f  ull ;  consequently 
the  floating  capital  of  the  Trust  practically  remains  intact,  and  the  risk  of 
bad  debts  is  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

The  principal  business  of  the  Trust  at  present  consists  of  the  sale  or 
hire  to  printers  and  newspaper-owners  of  Linotype  Composing  Machines. 

THE  MACHINERY  TRUST,  Limited.— To  show 
the  growing  importance  of  this  branch  of  business,  the  following 
statistics  will  be  interesting— 
The  Gross  Revenue  of  the  Linotype  Company  (Limited) 

For  the  year  ending  December  31st,  1892,  was  f  11,135  14s.  lid. 
„  „  „  „     1893,    „  £29,301  lis.   8d.  ' 

And  for  the  ten  months  of  the  year  1894  the  number  of  printing  establish- 
ments fitted  With  machines  is  already  nearly  double  the  same  number  at 
work  on  December  31st,  1893. 

In  the  United  States,  where  the  Linotype  Machine  was  first  introduced, 
and  had  four  years'  start  of  Great  Britain,  the  growth  and  volume  of  busi- 
ness can  be  gleaned  from  the  following  facts — 

Year  -  s~  Revenue  from  — >  Total 

ending  Sales.       Rentals.  Revenue. 

30th  Sept.  ,£  £  £ 

1892  "      ......         9  800  24,200    34.C0O 

1993    68,400  67,980    126,380 

1894    122,000         105,940    227.940 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  operations  of  this  Trust  are  unlike  those  ot 
Trusts  which  invest  in  the  share3  and  other  securities  of  undertakings 
beyond  their  own  control.  The  Machinery  Trust  has  tangible  property 
(not  liable  to  Stock  Exchange  fluctuations),  which  is  readily  saleable»niis 
under  the  direct  control  and  constant  super\ision  of  the  Trust  and  its 
officers. 

No  promotion  money  was  paid  in  tte  formation  of  the  Trust.  The 
original  formation  expenses,  including  furniture  for  offices,  stamp  duti es, 
and  fees  and  legal  charges,  only  cime  to  £350. 

There  are  no  founders'  or  preference  shares.  - 

A  printed  copy  of  the  debenture  trust  deed  and  debenture  form,  printed 
reports  of  meetings  of  shareholders,  and  other  information,  will  be  fur- 
nished to  subscribers  for  debentures  on  application  to  the  Secretary. 

Applications  for  Debentures,  in  the  form  enclosed  with  the  Prospectus^ 
and  accompanied  by  the  stiuulfited  deposit,  will  be  received  by  the  Bankers 
to  the  Trust,  Messrs.  Brown,  Janson,  &  Co.,  32,  Abchurch-lane,  London, 
E.C. 

Copies  of  the  full  Prospectus  cau  be  obtained  from  the  Trust's  Bankers, 
or  the  Secretary. 
Dated  December  15th,  1894.  By  order  of  the  Board, 

E.  MILLMAN  MACKAY,  Secretary. 

HELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 
sending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc..  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  F.  Haslock,  wbo 
sells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  (7000  in  number)  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  Grays,  Essex.  All  parcels  will  lie  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
sender  are  inside.   Nothing  is  too  much  woru  or  dilapidated. 


298 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1895. 


THE  DIARY  OF  _A_  BOOKSELLER. 

It  is  very  appropriate  that  the  memorial  evening  for 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  which  constituted  last  Friday's 
"  uncut  leaves "  in  New  York,  should  be  under  the 
presidency  of  Mr.  Edmund  Clarence  Stedman.  Mr. 
Sladen  once  called  Mr.  Stedman  "  the  pivot  of  literary 
New  York,"  and  since  the  death  of  Lowell,  the  ex- 
millionaire  poet  is  acknowledged  by  all  Americans  as 
their  leading  critic  of  belles  lettres. 

*  *  «  * 

St.  John's  Wood  boasts  a  nourishing  subscription 
library,  conducted  by  a  man  who  might  be  called  the 
Quaritch  of  contemporary  literature.  A  well-known 
critic  catechised  my  rival  the  other  day  upon  the  subject 
of  the  vogue  of  our  novelists  among  the  readers  of  the 
garden  suburb.  Marie  Corelli  was  first,  and  the  rest 
nowhere.  The  success  of  "  Barabbas  "  has  been  astonish- 
ing. As  many  as  30,000  copies  have  been  sold  in 
England,  and  Miss  Corelli  has  made  some  thousand 
pounds  by  it. 

*  *  *  * 

A  Manchester  paper  has  been  finding  fault  with  the 
"  New  Vagabonds  "  for  not  choosing  a  different  name. 
As  there  are  fifty  out  of  the  hundred  "Old  Vagabonds  " 
in  the  reconstituted  club  they  surely  have  an  uncommonly 
good  title  to  the  name.  It  seems  to  me  a  mistake  to  say 
that  the  club  is  in  the  hands  of  the  new  humourists  and 
others  unfit  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  its  being 
founded  by  the  friends  of  Philip  Bourke  Marston.  Mr. 
Marston's  two  principal  disciples  in  England  at  t  he  present 
moment — Mr.  Coulson  Kernahan  and  Mr.  William  Sharp 
— are  both  members  of  the  club,  as  are  Mr.  F.  W. 
Robinson,  Mr.  H.  Edwin  Clarke,  Dr.  Todhunter,  Mr. 
Norman  Gale,  Mr.  W.  B.  Yeats,  Mr.  Eric  Mackay,  and 
Mr.  Moncure  D.  Conway  ;  and  one  can  hardly  speak  of 
Mr.  Crockett  or  Mr.  Stanley  Weyman  or  Dr.  Conan 
Doyle  as  "  New  Humourists." 

*  *  *  * 
Talking  of  Dr.  Doyle,  a  correspondent  raises  the  ques- 
tion how  many  doctors  there  are  writing  belles  lettres 
in  England  at  the  present.  There  is  of  course 
"  Sherlock  Holmes  "  himself,  who  never  practises  now, 
and  never  regarded  his  profession  as  anything  but  pot- 
boiling  until  he  could  live  by  what  he  felt  to  be  his 
metier — literature  ;  though  there  are  plenty  of  people  still 
left  in  Southsea  who  swear  by  him  as  a  medico  as  well 
as  the  author  of  that  great  Hampshire  epic  "  The  White 
Company."  Then  there  is  Dr.  J.  Beattie  Crozier, 
who  received  a  literary  pension  last  year,  and  who  is  now 
engaged  in  writing  another  important  sociological  work  ; 
and  a  Norwood  doctor  who  collaborates  with  L.  T.  Meade, 
and  (is  said  to  a  fashionable  physician  with  a  large 
practise.  As  a  bookseller,  I  do  not  know  much  about 
the  matter,  but  perhaps  some  correspondent  can  favour 
me  with  a  complete  list. 

*  *  *  * 

Several  popular  authoresses  are  wives  of  doctors. 
Helen  Mathers  is  married  to  Dr.  Reeves ;  Annie  S. 
Swan  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Burnett  Smith  ;  "  Iota :'  is  the 
wife  of  an  Australian  doctor  named  Caffyn  ;  and  Mrs. 
Hodgson  Burnett  of  a  doctor  living  in  Washington, 
U.S. 

*  *  *  * 

The  name  of  the  son-in-law  of  the  late  Professor- 
Henry  Morley,  who  will  write  his  life,  is  the  Rev.  H. 
Shaen  Solly. 

*  *  *  * 

"The  old  order  changeth,  giving  place  to  new." 
Last  time  Mr.  Buckle  came  into  my  shop  he  told  me 
that  there  was  to  be  a  serial  in  the  Times — the  weekly 
edition  for  the  present.  The  first  will  lie  Mrs.  M.  E. 
Francis's  new  novel,  "  A  Daughter  of  the  Soil."  How- 
well  I  remember  the  greatest  author  of  the  day,  who 
lias  been  dead  for  a  good  many  years  now,  bringing  Mr. 
Buckle  into  my  shop  as  a  young  New  College  man  who 


had  just  won  the  prize  poem  at  Oxford,  and  now  he  is 

the  editor  of  "  The  Thunderer." 

*  *  *  * 

Why  will  people  ride  a  fad  to  death  1  When  Mr. 
Heinemann  brought  out  his  sumptuous  "Life  of  Villiers 
de  l'isle  Adam,"  I  thought  the  faint  bronzing  of  its 
ribbed  green  cover  charming  ;  but  since  then  there  has 
been  a  murrain  of  tawdrier  and  tawdrier  bronze-green 
covers,  the  last  of  which  remind  me  of  nothing  but  the 
bronze  plaques  sold  in  shops  which  have  "  everything  in 
this  window  sixpence  halfpenny." 

*  *  *  * 

Am  I  to  infer  from  the  Daily  Chronicle  that  Mr. 
Humphreys,  of  the  famous  Piccadilly  bookselling  house 
of  Hatchard's,  is  going  to  publish  the  collection  he  has 
just  made  of  writings  in  print  and  manuscript  which 
bear  on  Napoleon's  residence  in  St.  Helena  1  If  he  con- 
templated doing  so,  I  wonder  if  he  knows  that  Mr. 
Douglas  Sladen  has  three  water-colour  sketches  of 
Napoleon,  done  in  St.  Helena  in  the  year  18 17,  among 
the  autographed  portraits  and  sketches  with  which 

his  little  hall  is  packed  to  the  ceiling  ? 

*  *  *  * 

The  Mr.  Charles  Lowe,  whose  "  Alexander  the  III. 
of  Russia  "  has  been  brought  out  with  such  wonderful 
promptness,  was  formerly  the  Times'  correspondent  in 
Berlin.  His  loss  of  that  post  led  to  the  famous  action 
of  Lowe  v.  Walter  a  year  or  two  back. 

*  *  *  * 

When  I  was  over  in  America  I  met  Mr. — or  does  he 
call  himself  the  Honourable? — P.  F.  Collier,  who  adver- 
tises in  the  leading  literary  papers  that  he  can  give  our 
great  authors  more  for  their  American  rights  than  any- 
one else.  It  may  be  so,  but  over  there  Mr.  Collier  is 
principally  known  as  the  proprietor  of  Once  a  Week,  a 
servant  girl's  newspaper  which  has  achieved  an  immense 
circulation  by  the  distribution  of  pirated  English  standard 

works  among  its  annual  subscribers.     Verbum  sap. 

*  *  *  * 

I  heard  a  capital  bon  mot  the  other  day,  credited  to 
Alexandre  Dumas.  A  friend  asked  him  whom  he  con- 
sidered the  most  happy  of  the  Forty  Immortals. 
"  God  bless  me  !  "  said  Dumas,  "  there  is  no  question 
about  that.      We  '  Forty '  are  '  immortals,'  but  the 

secretary  is  permanent." 

*  *  *  -» 

If  I  am  not  very  much  mistaken,  Miss  Belloc,  whose 
book  on  the  De  Goncourts  is  causing  so  much  interest, 
is  one  of  my  most  charming  lady  customers.  As 
conversant  with  France  as  England,  and  speaking  both 
languages  with  equal  fluency,  she  is  probably  the  best- 
known  lady  interviewer  in  the  two  countries.  Among 
personal  acquaintances  she  reckons  Bernhardt,  Cheret, 
Mounet-Sully,  Zola,  Rochefort,  and  in  England  her 
friends  are  legion.  Her  criticism  on  Zola's  "  Lourdes  " 
was,  to  my  thinking,  the  fairest  and  most  scholarly  on 

a  much  debated  work. 

*  *  *  * 

A  correspondent  lias  asked  me  to  devote  a  small 
space  at  the  foot  of  this  column  for  private  advertise- 
ments. Of  course  he  means  book  advertisements.  I 
am  not  much  in  favour  of  the  idea  myself.  However, 
I  should  be  glad  to  have  other  correspondents'  opinions, 
and  if  the  wish  is  general,  I  will  accede  to  it. 

*  *  *  * 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Tee  See. — You  might  try  "T-Leaves,"  and  "More  T. 
Leaves,"  by  E.  R.  Turner. 

W.  U.  M. — "  Ever}-  Day  Christian  Life,"  by  Archdeacon 
Farrar,  would  suit  you. 

C.  R. — The  price  of  the  paper  is  one  penny.  It  is  published 
by  W.  H.  Everett  and  Sons,  Salisbury  Square,  Fleet  Street. 

R.  C.  C. — You  have  not  been  reading  your  To-Day  properly. 
Your  query  was  answered  in  No.  55. 

J.  M.  (Dublin). — The  edition  you  name  is  of  no. value. 

BONUS. — If  it  contains  all  the  plates,  you  might  get  ten 
shillings  for  it  from  a  second-hand  bookseller. 

.1.  W.  T.  —They  are  worth  about  three  shillings  a  vear.  Apply 
to  Mr.  J.  Tregaskis,  23-2,  High  Holborn. 


January  12,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


299 


The  LIST  OF  APPLICATIONS  will  OPEN  on  THURSDAY,  January  lOth,  and  CLOSE  on  or  before 
5  o'clock,  FRIDAY,  January  11th,  for  LONDON,  and  Noon,  SATURDAY,  January  12th,  for  COUNTRY. 


THE  HOME  AND  COLONIAL  STORES,  LIMITED 


(Incorporated  under  the  Companies  Acts,  1862  to  1890.) 


CAPITAL  £1,000,000. 

Divided  into  100,000  Six  per  Cent  Cumulative  Preference  Shares  and  100,000  Ordinary  Shares  of  £5  each. 


The  Preference  Shares  rank  in  priority  to  the  Ordinary  Shares  as  to  both  capital  and  dividend. 

The  whole  £500,000  of  Ordinary  Shares  will  be  issued  as  fully  paid  up,  and  be  taken  by  the  Vendor  Company  in  part  payment  of  the 
purchase  price. 

Issue  of  the  100,000  Six  per  Cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shares  of  £5  each  (£500,000), 

Of  which  33,200  Shares  (£166,000)  have  been  subscribed  by  the  Directors  and  their  friends  in  cash  at  par,  and  will  be  allotted  in  full,  and  the 
balance  of  66,800  Shares  (£334,000)  are  now  offered  for  subscription  at  par,  payable  as  follows  :— 10s.  on  application,  £2  10s.  on  allotment, 
and  £2  on  the  11th  February,  1895.    '  1 

The  first  Preference  dividend  for  the  half-year  will  be  payable  on  the  1st  July,  1895,  and  thereafter  it  is  intended  that  the  dividend  shall  be 
payable  quarterly. 


DIRECTORS. 

W.  CAPEL  SLAUGHTER,  Chairman. 
Sir  CHAS.  E.  G.  PHILIPPS,  Bart. 
G.  G.  FISHER,  J.P. 
A.  C.  WILLIAMS. 
(The  Directors  of  the  Vendor  Company.) 
BANKERS. 

PARK'S  BANKING  COMPANY  &  THE  ALLIANCE  BANK,  LIMITED. 
Bartholomew  House,  Bartholomew  Lane,  E.C. 
AUDITORS. 
TURQUAND,  YOUNGS  &  CO. 
BROKERS. 

PANMURE  GORDON,  HILL  &  CO.,  Hatton  Court,  E  C. 
PIM,  VAUGHAN  &  CO.,  1,  Drapers'  Gardens,  E.C." 

SOLICITORS. 

SLAUGHTER  &  MAY,  18,  Austin  Friars,  E.C. 
SECRETARY. 
A.  M.  GILFILLAN, 
OFFICES. 

114,  Paul  Street,  Finsbury,  E.C. 


PROSPECTUS. 

THE  Company  has  been  formed  for  acquiring,  carrying  on,  and  extending 
the  well-known  business  of  The  Home  and  Colonial  Stores,  which  has  ex- 
perienced an  uninterrupted  and  highly  successful  development  since  its 
establishment  in  1888. 

The  business,  which  is  carried  on  in  Two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  (C37) 
leasehold  retail  stores  in  London  and  various  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom, 
consists  in  supplying  the  million  with  the  necessaries  of  daily  life  of  the 
best  quality  at  the  lowest  prices. 

The  sales  being  entirely  for  cash,  and  no  credit  being  given,  the  Company, 
wh:le  extending  to  its  customers  the  advantages  of  the  large  discounts 
obtainable  for  cash,  avoids  all  risks  of  bad  debts. 
The  property  to  be  acquired  by  the  Company  consists  of  :— 
(A)  The  large  and  convenient  leasehold  premises  at  114,  Paul  Street, 
Finsbury,  consisting  of  the  Central  Offices  and  range  of  Warehouses 
where  the  business  is  conducted : 
(r>)  Two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  Retail  Stores  (held  on  leases)  in  the 
best  business  centres  of  London  and  its  suburbs  and  the  principal 
towns  in  the  United  Kingdom.    The  fixtures  aud  fittings  alone  in 
the  above  premises  stand  at  cost  in  the  Books  of  the  Vendor  Com- 
pany at  £94,638  2s.  3d.,  and  have  always  been  maintained  equal  to 
new  out  of  revenue, 
(c)  The  stock-in-trade  at  the  Stores  and  Branches  and  in  Warehouse, 
and  which  taken  on  the  29th  December,  1894,  at  cost  amounted  to 
£212,762  3s.  7d. 

(D)  Cash  at  Stores,  Branches,  and  in  hands  of  Bankers  at  the  same  date 
£42,054  7s.  9d. 

(E)  The  goodwill  of  the  business  and  all  property  of  every  kind  or  de- 
scription in  connection  therewith  held  by  the  Vendor  Company  on 
the  29th  December,  1894. 

The  business  will  be  taken  over  as  from  the  29th  December,  1894.  The 
Directors  of  the  Vendor  Company  have  agreed  to  act  as  Directois  of  this 
Company  for  five  years,  and  the  Heads  of  Departments  and  Managers  will 
be  retained  by  the  New  Company,  thereby  securing  a  continuity  of  the 
existing  successful  management. 

The  business  is  not  a  manufacturing  one,  but  depends  on  the  daily  de- 
mands of  an  ever-increasing  public,  and  is  not  liable  to  fall  off  with  change 

f  I  ?'le  stoc'k  is  turned  over  many  times  a  year,  and  the  magnitude 
of  the  business  and  its  recognised  position  enaMe  its  purchases  to  be 
made  on  the  most  favourable  conditions  and  in  the  best  and  cheapest 
markets,  while  the  annual  inerease  of  its  turnover  has  been  large  and 
continuous. 

Notwithstanding  the  general  depression  existing  in  all  departments  of 
trade  during  the  past  three  years,  the  business  has  steadily  grown  and 
shown  an  interrupted  and  largely  increased  yearly  profit. 

Its  capabilities  of  expansion  in  the  future  may  be  estimated  by  the 
growth  of  the  profits  realised  during  the  last  three  years,  as  shown  by  the 
figures  appearing  in  the  following  certificate  of  Messrs.  Turquand,  Youngs, 
and  Co. :— 

■i  ri  "  To  the  Directors  of  tlie  Home  and  Colonial  Stores,  Limited, 
Gentlemen,— We  have,  in  accordance  with  your  insttuctions,  ex- 
amined the  books  and  accounts  relating"  to  the  business  carried  on  by 
Ihe  Home  and  Colonial  Stores,  Limited,  at  their  Head  Office,  114,  Paul 
,Ye^'  Finsbury,  and  Branches,  and  find  therefrom  that,  after  deducting 
all  the  sums  expended,  for  maintenance  and  repairs  of  premises,  fixtures- 
and  fittings,  but  without  making  any  allowance  in  respect  of  depreciation 
—for  which,  as  certified  by  Mr.  Willey,  Architect,  no  provision,  beyond  the 
sums  annually  expended  for  maintenance,  is,  in  his  opinion,  necessary— 
the  net  profits  for  the  three  years  ended  31st  December,  1892,  3Cth 
December,  1893,  and  29th  December,  1894,  were  as  follows  :— 

"1892   £38,376     6  10 

"1893   £58,217     5  0 

"1894   £65  288    4  4 

London,  •«  (Signed)  TURQUAND,  YOUNGS  &  CO, 

bth  January,  1895." 
As  only  £30,000  a  year  is  required  to  provide  the  full  dividend  of  6  per 
cent,  on  the  preference  shares  now  issued,  it  is  obvious  that  these  shares> 
eonstitute  a  safe  home  investment, 


The  certificate  of  Mr.  Willey,  referred  to  by  Messrs.  Turquand,  Youngs  & 
Co.,  is  as  follows  :— 

"33,  New  Bridge  Street,  Blackfriars, 

"London,  E.C,  bth  January,  1895. 
"  I  hereby  certify  that  nearly  the  whole  of  the  leasehold  stores  in  the 
occupation  of  The  Home  and  Colonial  Stores,  Limited,  have  been 
fitted  up  for  the  business  of  the  Company  under  my  supervision, 
and  in  a  very  excellent  and  careful  manner. 
"  Many  of  them  have  again  come  under  my  care  for  renovation  from 
time  to  time  (especially  where  repairs  of  any  magnitude  were 
needed),  and  my  instructions  have  been  to  maintain  the  business 
poitions  thereof  in  a  thorough  condition,  both  as  to  substantial 
and  decorative  repair,  and  this  I  accordingly  did.  From  my 
experience  thus  acquired  I  consider  that  this  is  not  a  case  Which 
requires  a  provision  for  maintenance  beyond  an  annual  amount 
proportionate  to  that  which  has  hitherto  been  expendtd  for  that 
purpose. 

Robert  Willey,  F.R.I.B.A." 

In  addition  to  their  general  powers  of  creating  a  reserve  fund,  the 
directors  have  determined  that  before  any  dividend  is  paid  upon  the 
ordinary  shares  a  sum  equal  to  at  least  10  per  cent,  of  the  net  profits  of 
each  year  shall  be  carried  to  reserve,  and  will  be  invested  in  first-class 
securities.  Provision  to  this  effect  has  been  accordingly  made  in  the 
Articles  of  Association  of  the  Company. 

The  holders  of  preference  shares  will  only  be  entitled  to  attend  and  vote 
at  Extraordinary  General  Meetings  of  the  Company  incase  their  yearly 
dividend  shall  not  have  been  paid,  and  in  respect  of  any  matter  directly 
affecting  their  interest  as  against  any  other  class  of  shares,  or  in  respect 
of  any  proposed  debenture  issue ;  and  it  is  provided  by  the  Articles  of 
Association  that  no  debentures  can  be  created  to  rank  in  front  of  this  issue 
■without  the  consent  of  three-fourths  of  the  Preference  Shareholders  present 
in  person  or  by  proxy  at  a  meeting  of  Prefeience  Shareholders  convened 
for  the  purpose. 

All  the  Directors  of  the  Company  were  the  Directors  of  and  are  interested 
in  the  Vendor  Company,  and  their  remuneration  has  always  been  and  will 
continue  to  be  payable  entirely  out  of  and  in  proportion  to  profits. 

The  purchase  price  has  been  fixed  by  the  Vendor  Company  at  £775,000, 
payable  as  to  £500,000  by  the  allotment  of  the  ordinal  y  shares  of  the  Com- 
pany, and  as  to  £275,000  in  cash. 
The  proceeds  of  the  present  issue  will  be  applied  as  follows  :— 
£125,000  in  paying  off  the  whole  debenture  stock  issue  of  the  Vendor 
Company  ; 

£275,000  in  part  payment  of  the  purchase  price  as  above,  and  the 
remaining 

£100,010  will  be  left  in  the  business  of  the  New  Company,  and  be  in- 
vested in  first-class  securities  until  required  fiom  time  to  time  for 
additional  working  capital  and  the  further  development  of  the 
business. 

The  current  trade  liabilities  of  the  business  existing  on  the  29th  of 
December,  1894,  and  amounting  to  £157,428  6s.  lid.,  will  be  assumed  and 
paid  by  the  New  Company  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business. 

The  business  connections  of  the  Company  are  extensive,  and  it  is  intended 
to  make  a  liberal  allotment  of  shares  to  applicants  having  trading  relations 
with  and  to  employes  of  the  Company,  thereby  securing  their  direct  interest 
in  its  increasing  prosperity. 

The  favour  with  which  preference  shares  of  successful  trading  concerns 
aro  regarded  by  the  invcstii  g  public  is  shown  by  the  present  market  quota- 
tions ruling  for  such  investments,  e.g. : — 

Thomas  Wallis  G  per  cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shares  of  £5  each  stand 
at  7i,  eq.  £145  per  £100. 

Denny  and  Sons  6  per  cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shares  of  £10  each 
stand  at  13  5-8,  eq.  £136  5s.  per  £100. 

Bucknall  and  Sons  6  per  cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shares  of  £5  each 
.stand  at  7i,  eq.  £145  per  £100. 

Oakey  and  Sons  6  per  Cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shaves  of  £10  each 
stand  at  13},  eq.  £137  10s.  per  £100. 

Waterlow  and  Sons  6  per  cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shares  of  £10 each 
stand  at  10,  eq.  £100  per  £100. 

The  following  Contract  has  been  entered  into,  viz.  :  a  Contract  dated  7th 
January,  1895,  and  made  between  the  Vendors,  The  Home  and  Colonial 
Stores,  Limited  (the  Vendor  Company),  and  James  Toole,  as  Trustee  for 
and  on  behalf  of  The  Home  and  Colonial  Stores,  Limited  (New  Company), 
and  this,  together  with  copy  of  the  Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Associa- 
tion of  the  Company,  can  be  seen  at  the  Offices  of  the  Solicitors,  18,  Austin 
Friars,  E.C,  by  intending  applicants  for  shares. 

There  are  other  Contracts  relating  to  the  preliminary  expenses  of  the 
present  Company  and  the  subscription  of  its  capital,  but  the  obligation  of 
these  Contracts  resting  with  the  Vendors,  applicants  for  shares  shall  be 
■deemed  to  have  notice  of  them,  and  to  have  waived  further  compliance 
with  Section  38  of  the  Companies'  Act,  1867,  in  respect  thereof. 

Application  will  be  promptly  made  for  a  settlement  and  quotation  on 
Ihe  Stock  Exchange  for  the  Preference  Shares. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  can  be  obtained  at  the  Com- 
pany's Offices,  114,  Paul  Street,  E.C,  and  of  the  Bankers  and  Brokers  of 
the  Company.  Failure  to  pay  on  the  due  date  any  instalment  in  accord- 
ance herewith  will  render  all  previous  payments  liable  to  forfeiture. 

Applications  for  Shares  should  be  made  on  the  accompanying  Form, 
•and  forwarded  to  the  Company's  Bankers. 

London,  114,  Paul  Street,  Finsbury, 
-  Jamiary,  1895. 


300 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1995* 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

My  Dear  IiELEX,^Don't  you  think  the  costumes  Worn 
by  Lady  Edith  Ward's  bridesmaids  were  sweetly  pretty  1 
Pure  white  satin  trimmed  with  Parma  violets,  and  hats 
in  velvet  of  the  exact:  colour  of  the  flowers,  trimmed  with 
feathers  and  violets,  all  in  the  same'  soft  tint.  Georgina 
Lady  Dudley's  excellent  taste  is  apparent  in  these,  *as 
well  as  in  the  dress  of  the  little  pages,  which  were  white 
satin,  slashed  with  mauve,  and  trimmed  with  silver 
bullion.  Their  white  satin  cloaks  were  lined  with  violet- 
velvet,  and  their  white  felt  hats  trimmed  with  ostrich 
plumes.  Two  of  the  bridesmaids  were  the  nice-looking 
twin  daughters  of  the  Duchess  of  Manchester.  Those 
children  always  seem  to'  enjoy  life  very  much,  and  to 
talk  to  one  another  as  if  .they  were  only  thinking  aloud. 
The  Prince  of  Wales's  present  to  Lady  Edith  was  a 
diamond  and  ruby  brooch ;  and  how  lovely  was  Lord 
Wolverton's  present  to<  his  bride  of  a.  pearl  collar,  con- 
sisting of  eight  rows,  divided  by  three  upright  diamond 
clasps.  It  will  look  beautiful  on  her  pretty  neck.  She 
is  so  tall,  graceful,  and  poetic-looking,  that  pearls  will 
suit  her  well. 

The  bride's  lovely  satin  gown  was  in  a  beautiful  tone 
of  ivory-white,  the  skirt  hemmed  with  orange-blossom 
and  girdled  with  a  long  spray  of  the  same,  which  hung 
down  in  long  trails  at  the  left  side.  A  little  costly  point 
d*Alencon  trimmed  the  neck,  with  large  buttons  made 
of  orange-blossom.  Her  tulle  veil  was  fastened  on  over 
a  small  diadem  of  orange-blossom. 

The  Prince'  of  Wales  gave  the  bridegroom  a  very  un- 
common pair  of  Russian  claret-jugs,  made  of  fluted  glass, 
with  a  dolphin  scaled  with  silver  for  handle,  and  lip  on 
each.  These  were  immensely  admired  as  almost  unique. 
With  the  Princess,  he  gave  the  bride  a  diamond  and  ruby 
brooch,  also  Russian. 

The  Duke  and  Duchess  of  York,  together  with  the 


Duke  and  Duchess  of  Fife,  and  the  Princesses  of  Wales, 
gave  a  handsomei  diamond  brooch  on  a  bar,  with  birds' 
wings  and  large  pearls  at  each  end.  A  tiny  Watch,  no 
bigger  than  a  sixpence,  set  in  pearls,  was  a  present  from 
the  bride's  uncle,  Mr.  Ronald  Moncrieffe.  Sir  Horace 
Farquhar,  who  on  the  same  day  resigned  celibacy  after 
fifty  years'  trial  of  it,  gave  Lady  Edith  a  handsome 
diamond  and  ruby  bracelet.  Lady  Dudley1  s  present  to 
her  only  daughter,  whom  she  will  terribly  miss,  was  a 
beautiful  diamond,  tiara,  which  she  can  wear  with  a 
single-stone  necklace  of  diamonds,  worth  £2,000  or  .so, 
given  her  by  Lord  Wolvertcn.  He  is  not  only  very  hand- 
some, but  looks  thoroughly  nice  and  kind  ;  so  they  were 
an  ideal  couple  on  their  wedding  morn.  Youth,  beauty, 
birth,  wealth,  health,  and  happiness !  What  a  glorious 
combination !  May  they  enjoy  them  all  for  many  a  long 
year,  before  the  glory  fades  into  the  light  of  common 
day. 

The  cheap  sales  are  very  absorbing.  At  Redfern's 
there  were  lovely  things  at  prices  so  low  that  it 
is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  people  came  up  from 
Brighton  on  purpose  for  this  sale.  Costumes,  evening 
cloaks,  smart  capes,  fur-trimmed  coats,  and  some  of  the 
most  useful  and  fascinating  blouses  and  waistcoats,  of 
which  one  can  never  have  too  many. 

The  newest  muff  is  at  this  present  moment  sitting 
in  Jay's  window,  and  resembles  nothing  so  much  as  a 
dumb-bell  enlarged,  and  wearing  silk  accordeon-kilted 
frills  over  the  raised  portion  at  either  end.  These  frills 
stand  out  very  wide  and  broad,  and  are  made  of  silk  in 
a  curious  and  uncommon  shade  of  wood  vioiet,  the  most 
fashionable  colour  of  this  season.  The  centre  is  in 
pansy  velvet,  a  soft,  deep  purple  like  the  evening  sea 
under  a  sunset  sky.  The  head  of  some  furry  animal 
is  fastened  upon  the  velvet,  and  looks  out  on  the  gazer 
with  glittering,  beady  eyes. 

One  of  the  other  novelties  of  the  youthful  year  is  a 
kind  of  horse-collar-shaped  trimming  for  the  neck.  I 


Successful  Men 

Of  business  will  always  lie  found  punctual.  We  cannot  undertake  to  endow  every  one 
with  this  uilmirahlf  quality,  hut  we  do  what  is  just  as  good,  we  help  to' its  attainment  hy 
supplying  a  really  I'olialslo  and  serviceable  Timekeeper,  in  a  handsome  and  well- 
rinMi'ril  case  for  a  ni--relv  nominal  price.    Such  are  all  our  Watches,  one  of  which, 

our  Sterling  Silver  "ACME"  WATCH,  is  illlustrated. 
GENTLEMAN'S   WATCH.-Solid  Sterling  Silver  Case.  Three-quarter 
Plate  Extra  Jewelled  Movement.  Most  Accurate  Timekeepers,  Crystal 
Glass  Front.    Worth  Three  Guineas,  25s. 


Every  Watch 

warranted 
for  Five  Years. 


A  Month's  Free 
Trial  allowed. 


(',  S  AMUEL'S 
PRICE: 


FULL   AMOUNT    RETURNED    IF  DISSATISFIED. 
The  LADY'S  "ACME"  has  richly  engraved  Sterling  Silver  Cases,  and 
the  Dial  is  elegantly  tinted  and  ornamented,  or  plain  white  enamel, 
as  preferred. 

THESE  WONDERFUL  WATCHES  ffi.SS5»W?i32 

T>p«fHi>.  ivo  Cfit  ilotrue  iust  published  ;  containing  hundreds  of  hi  m  \hk  \hi.k  i.kttkiis,  and 
,.  1 1 1 '  "i ^  i iii I ■  ■  iii'  1  "up  Wonderful  Kanrains  in  Gold  and  Silver  Watches,  from  12s.  6d. ; 
.Tewellerv  Fleet m-Silver-Pliite,  Clucks,  &c.  Prices  from  Is.  All  goods  guaranteed  and 
delivered  free  without  extra  eharge.  Tins  intkhkstino  ihhik  will  he  sent  tonll  intending 
HiiviiiiMcs  gratis  and  post  free.  Readers  of  "TO-DAY"  effect  a  large  saving 
uv  sending  direct. 

Tj  A  a  -R/TTT-CiT  ENGLISH  LEVER  WATCH  MANUFACTURER, 
±1.     billVl  U  Hj Li,  AND  DIAMOND  MERCHANT, 

97,  99, 101,  89,  &  121,  Market  St.,  Manchester. 

Telepwi*— *■  Acer  rate,  Manchester." 


Every  lady 
pleased 

.  WTTIl  THE 

"KI-MI" 

BUSK! 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  H  to  13J 
inches 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.   Tl  9 

e.lges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  out  through  cloth. 
—To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochrane 
Street,  Glasgow. 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


HOW  ANNOYING! 

.    r  IT  IS  TO  FIND 

&  a  hole  burnt 


BECAUSE  TOU  FORGOT  TO  USE 

FLEMING'S  ARAB1NE 

■        MARKING  INK 

x«*  gg&PefaV-  D.FLEMING  renfield st  Glasgow 


-SHAKESrEARE. 


CREME   DE  VIOLET 

Ts  a  pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonic,  which  cleanses  the  pores  of  all  impurities. 
Nourishing  and  beautifying  the  akin.  l*reventing  and  removing  all  blemishes.  Refreshing 
and  soothing  after  the  heat  of  the  ball-room,  or  ex|>osure  to  cold  and  bit  m?  winds.  Suitable 
for  the  nursery  and  dressing  room  of  both  sexes.   //  in  ahmtutvly  pure  atut  cotourtr**. 

Of  chemists  and  IVrfumrrs;  price  Is.  and  2s.  Gil.  tsee  that  the  signature— 
TiK  FRERE  ET  CIE—  is  on  the  label';  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  \vrapi>ers,  3d. 
extra  from— 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


Also"  BOCHOALE  and  BOLTON. 


HIGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING.. 
MRS.  GRABURN  IS,  BonChuiclh-xoaH,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).    Speciality— Country  Orders.    Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  lit  Guineas.    AU  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.    Ladies'  own  Materials  made  as  from  £1  la. 


January  12,  1S95, 


TO-DAY. 


301 


cannot  think  of  any  other  way  to  describe  it.  The  out- 
line is  exactly  that  of  a  horse-collar,  and  is  defined  with 
an  irregularly  pleated  bias  fold  of  serpent>green  velvet, 
within  which  are  similar  folds  of  velvet  in  two  shades  of 
reddish  mauve.  The  rest,  with  a  space  for  the  neck, 
was  filled  in  with  fine  lace  in  a  beautiful  shade  of  deep 
cream  colour.  The  large  muff  to  match  is  composed 
of  all  these  materials  put  together  in  the  wonderful  way 
that  only  Parisian  fingers  can  command.  The  price  of 
these  two  small  articles  is  what  Bob  calls  an  "eye- 
opener."  But,  then,  there  is  a  style  about  such  things 
that  enables  the  wearer  to  feel  that  she  is  the  observed 
of  all,  and  the  envied  of  many. 

The  new  bonnets  are  mostly  large  in  front,  with  high 
trimmings,  and  a  sort  of  dishevelled  air,  like  a  turkey 
blown  about  by  a  strong  wind.  Do  you  like  these  wild- 
looking  things?  No,  I  know  you  don't.  I  love  a  neat 
head,  like  the  dear  Princess's.  And  apropos  to  neat- 
ness, I  want  to  fall  foul  of  some  of  the  so-called  "  sable" 
boas,,  which  look  so  fearfully  frowsy  where  they  touch 
the  back  hair.  Some  of  them,  though  only  a.  guinea, 
are  real  sables,  but  pulled  out  to  the  utmost  stretching 
capacity  of  the  skin,  both  as  to  length  and  width.  Ori- 
ginally small  and  unimportant  specimens,  they  are 
given  imposing  dimensions  by  this:  process,  but  lose  all 
that  close  richness  of  furriness  which  is  the  best  point 
in  the  skin  of  this  precious  little  animal. 

Hoping  that  the  New  Year  may  bring  both  you  and 
me  some  pretty  clothes, — I  am,  your  affectionate-  sister, 

SUZETTE. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Humble  Housewife. — I  always  recommend  good  tinned 
foods,  but  not  cheap  ones.  How  can  anyone  expect  to  buy  for 
a  few  pence  half  a  pound  of  reliable  salmon  when  even  at  the 
cheapest  this  fish  costs  some  fifteen  pence  a  pound  ?  Remem- 
ber, there  are  all  the  expenses  of  cooking  and  tinning  to  be  rec- 
koned with  in  addition  to  the  cost  of  the  fish  itself.  Here  is 
the  menu  of  a  dinner  recently  given  in  America  at  which  all 
the  dishes  were  tinned  foods  :  Hare  soup,  salmon  and  green 
peas,  curried  fowl,  asparagus,  ox  tongue,  ham  (whole  and  bone- 
less, turkey,  cranberry  sauce,  sweet  potatoes,  beans,  green 
corn,  celery,  plum-pudding  and  sauce,  peeled  apricots,  figs, 
cheese,  coffee. 

Ellem — Dip  your  face  in  the  water  and  then  your  hands,  soap 
the  hands  well  and  pass  them  with  gentle  friction  over  the 
whole  face.  Having  done  this  thoroughly  dip  the  face  in  the 
water  a  second  time  and  rinse  it  well.  This  is  the  right  way  to 
wash  the  face — there  are  several  wrong  ways — these  are  using 
the  towel,  the  sponge,  or  the  flannel  as  a  means  of  conveying 
and  applying  the  soap  to  the  face,  and  also  omitting  the  rinsing 
at  the  conclusion.  As  regards  drying  the  face,  a  moderately  soft 
and  thick  towel  should  be  used  ;  a  very  rough  towel  is  not 
desirable,  nor  one  of  thin  texture.  With  a  very  rough  towel  it 
is  impossible  to  use  friction,  for  its  tenderest  pressure  may  be 
enough  to  excoriate  the  skin  ;  and  a  very  soft  towel  is  equally 
open  to  objection  from  its  inadequacy  to  fulfil  the  obligation  of 
friction  during  the  process  of  drying.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  in  washing  the  face  there  are  three  objects  to  fulfil  :  to  re- 
move the  dirt,  to  impart  freshness,  and  to  give  tone  and  vigour  to 
the  skin. 

Mincino  Meekness.— I  have  made  inquiries  about  your  pug, 
and  find  that  as  much  as  £30  has  been  given  for  a  good  specimen. 
According  to  Dr.  Stables,  the  points  of  a  pug  are  as  follows  : 
Mastiff  colour  ;  weight,  about  ten  pounds  ;  height,  about  fifteen 
inches  ;  small,  rounded,  firm  body  ;  flat,  round  head  ;  high  fore- 
head ;  short  nose,  not  turned  up  ;  wrinkled  brow  ;  ears,  thin, 
soft,  small  and  black,  lying  close  to  the  head  ;  square  jaw  ;  eyes, 
full  and  protruding  ;  straight  legs  ;  broad  chest.  In  the  male  the 
tail  generally  curls  to  the  right  ;  female,  left.  The  thumbmark 
on  the  forehead  and  the  mole  on  each  cheek  are  distinguishing 
traits. 

OUR  COOKERY  COLUM.V. 

Walnut  Cake. — Take  a  pint  of  carefully  skinned  walnuts  and 
grind  them  in  a  nut-mill.  Beat  up  the  yolks  of  nine  eggs,  adding 
to  them  by  degrees  the  ground  nuts,  and  half  a  pound  of  Glebe 
sugar.  This  done,  whisk  the  whites  of  the  eggs  to  a  very  stiff 
froth,  mix  them  in  with  the  cake  lightly,  and  bake  it  in  one  of 
the  new  perforated  cake  tins,  well-buttered.  Walnuts  are  now 
sold  at  6d.  per  lb. 


Tyy-  writers,  Second-hand,  thoroughly  perfect,  at  half 
makers' prices.  Machines  lent  on  hire,  also  bought  or  exchanged. 
Documents  type-written. — N.  Ta  vlor,  Manager,  National  Type- 
writer Exchange,  74,  Chancery  Lane,  London,    Telep]  ionc  No. 


The  SUBSCRIPTION  LISTS  will  be  OPENED  on  TUESDAY,  January 
8th,  and  will  be  closed,  both  for  TOWN  and  COUNTRY,  at  or  before 
4  p.m.  on  WEDNESDAY,  Januaiy  9th,  and  for  the  Continent  on 
THURSDAY  MORNING,  Januaiy  10th. 

THE  SOUTH-WEST  AFRICA  COMPANY,  LIMITED. 
— Incorporated  under  the  Companies'  Acts  with  Limited 
Liability.— Capital  £500,000,  in  500,000  Shares  of  £1 
of  which  215,184  are  already  issued. 

200,000  SHARES  are  NOW  OFFERED  for  SUBSCRIPTION. 
PAYABLE  2s.  6d.      -       r       -       -    on  Application; 

7s.  6d.      -       -      -       -    on  Allotment ; 

6s.  -       -       -       -    on  1st  April,  1895 ; 

5s.    -      -      -      -      -   on  1st  July,  1895. 


£1  0s.  0d. 

DIRECTORS. 

GEORGE  CAWSTON,  Esq.,  19,  St.  Swithin's-lane,  London,  E.C.  (Director 

of  the  British  South  Africa  Co.).  Chairman. 
HIS  EXCELLENCY  M.  VON  BRANDT,  Wiesbaden,  late  German  Imperial 

Minister  to  China.  • 
ADOLPH  WOEBMANN,  Esq.,  Ham-^  Members  of  the  Imperial  Colonial 

burg.  J.  Council  of  the  German  Empire, 

De. JULIUS  SCHABLACH,  Hamburg /  Berlin. 
HENRY   GALE,   Esq.,  M.I.C.E.,   44,  Elvaston-place,  Queen's  Gate, 

London,  S.W. 

ADOLF  GOEBZ,  Esq.  (Managing  Director  of  Messrs.  Ad.  Goerz  and  Co. 

(Limited)  Berlin,  London  and  Johannesburg). 
EDMUND  DAVIS,  Esq.,  27,  Old  Jewry,  London,  E.C. 
C.  WICHMANN,  Esq.  (Director  of  the  Nobel-Dynamite  Trust  Co.,  Limited), 

London  and  Hamburg. 
Captn.  JAMES  INMAN,  WiUoughby  House,  Sydenham. 

BANKERS. 

LLOYDS  BANK  (Limited),  72,  Lombard-street,  London,  E.C,  and 
Branches. 

CONSULTING  CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 

Messes.  Sie  GEORGE  B.  BRUCE  and  WHITE,  Victoria-street,  West- 
minster, S.W. 

CONSULTING  MINING  ENGINEER. 
JOHN  DARLINGTON,  Esq.,  25a,  Old  Broad-street,  E.C. 
SOLICITORS. 

Messbs.  LINKLATER,  HACKWOOD,  ADDISON   and    BEOWN,  2, 
Bond-court,  Walbrook,  London,  E.C. 

AUDITORS. 

Messes.  COOPER  BROTHERS  and  CO.,  14,  George-street,  Mansion 
House,  London,  E.C. 

SECRETARY  AND  OFFICES. 

H.  K.  EVANS,  Esq.,  19,  St.  Swithin'e-lane,  London,  E.C. 


ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  was  incorporated  on  the  18th  August,  1892,  to  acquire 
the  Damaraland  Concession,  by  which  important  rights  aud  piivilegts  in 
the  Protectorate  of  South-West  Africa  were  granted  by  the  Imperial 
German  Government. 

Damaealand  Concession. 
Under  the  Concession  the  Company  acquired — 

1.  The  mineral  rights  over  an  area  of  about  11,000,000  acres,  toba 
selected. 

2.  The  right  to  select  freehold  land  to  the  extent  of  about  3,000,000 
acres. 

3.  The  right  to  construct  railways  frjm  the  coast  through  the 
Northern  portion  of  the  Protectorate  to  t  he  frontier  of  Bechuana- 
land,  a  distance  of  about  350  miles,  and  other  extensive  rights  for 
the  consiruction  of  railways.  All  these  rights  are  coupled  with 
eventual  grants  of  a  strip  of  land  of  about  six  miles  in  breadth  on 
each  side  of  the  railways. 

The  concession  contains  other  important  privileges,  and  also  specifies 
the  conditions  and  qualifications  subject  to  which  the  above  lignts  are 
granted,  and  for  the  further  information  of  intending  shareholders  a  full 
copy  of  the  concession,  with  protocol  of  14th  November,  1S92,  amending 
it,  is  enclosed. 

Total  Possessions. 

When  the  proposed  arrangements  are  completed,  the  mineral  andlvnded 
rights  and  interests  of  the  Company  should  extend  to  about  30,000,000 
acres  and  20,000,000  acres  respectively.  Whilst  the  Company  will  thus 
eojoy  valuable  rights  over  this  vast  area,  the  civil  and  military  adminis- 
tration of  the  country,  and  the  expenditure  entailed  thereby,  devolve 
upon  the  German  Government. 

The  Directors  consider  that  the  Company  has  now  passed  through  the 
initial  stage  of  its  career,  and  that  the  time  has  arrived  for  the  active 
development  of  its  territorial  and  miuing  rights  and  interests. 

Capital; 

Cash  capital  of  about  £58,000  has  been  subscribed  and  paid  up  from  time 
to  time  by  the  Directors  and  their  friends.  Further  capital  is  now  re- 
quired for  the  attainment  of  the  various  objects  of  the  Company,  and  the 
Directors  have  therefore  resolved  to  make  an  issue  of  200,000  shares, 
which,  with  the  46,900  shares  to  be  issued  under  the  contract  of  the  6th 
December,  1894,!will  bring  up  the  total  issued  capital  to  the  sum  of  £462,084. 

Copies  of  Contracts,  <Sc,  can  be  seen  by  intending  Subscribers  at  the 
offices  of  the  Company. 

Complete  Prospectuses,  containing  copy  of  the  Concession  and  ot  the  Map, 
as  well  as  the  list  of  Contracts,  may  be  had  of  the  Bankers,  <Ssc.,  and  at  the 
Offices  of  the  Company. 

rj\rIE    SOUTH    WEST  AFRICA  COMPANY,  LIMITED. 

CAPITAL,  £500,000,  in  Shares  of  £1  each. 
ISSUE  of  200,0)0  SHARKS. 

Payable  2s.  Cd  on  Application  ; 

7s.  Od.       ..       ..       ..       ..       ..    on  Allotment  ; 

5s.   on  April  1,  1895  ; 

5s.   . .    on  July  1,  1895. 


£1  0s.  Od. 
To  the  Directors. 

GENTLEMEN, 

Having  paid  to  your  Bankers  the  sum  of  £  ,  being 

2s.  Od.  per  Share  upon  Shares  of  £1  each  in  the  above  Company, 

I  hereby  request  you  to  allot  the  same  to  me,  and  I  agree  to  accept  an 
allotment  thereof  (or  of  any  less  number)  and  to  pay  up  the  said  Shares  as 
above  mentioned,  and  I  authorise  you  to  insert  my  name  in  the  Register  of 
Members  in  respect  thereof,  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the  Pro- 
spectus, 

Name  (in  full)   

Address  and  description  


Dated    1895. 


302 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  SOUTHERN  AMALGAMATION- 

In  most  of  the  comments  upon  the  revision  of  faves  con- 
sequent upon  the  working  agreement  between  the  London  and 
Chatham,  and  South  Eastern  Railway  Companies  it  is  stated 
that  the  public  anticipated  as  first  fruit  of  this  agreement  a 
reduction  of  fares.  We  do  not  believe  there  was  any  such 
anticipation  by  the  small  section  of  the  public  who  gave  the 
matter  consideration.  One  of  the  arguments  against  the 
working  agreement  was  the  probability  that  the  public  would 
be  sufferers.  If  rancorous  rivalry  could  not  induce  the  two 
companies  to  give  the  public  value  for  their  money,  what  likeli- 
hood was  there  that  with  the  Boards  unchanged,  save  by  the 
shelving  of  Sir  Edward  Watkin,  the  public  would  be  better 
served  when  a  working  agreement  came  into  operation  ?  It  is 
not  as  if  it  were  an  agreement  between  an  enterprising,  powerful 
and  sagaciously  managed  company  and  a  retrograde  and  less 
strong  organisation.  •  Then  we  might  have  reasonably  expected 
that  the  policy  of  the  more  powerful  would  stamp  itself  upon 
the  agreement.  It  is  an  agreement  between  two  of  the  worst- 
managed  lines  in  England  agreed  in  this,  if  in  nothing  else — that 
the  third-class  passenger  has  no  claim  to  comfort,  speed,  punc- 
tuality, and  low  fares. 

The  result  is  what  should  have  been  expected.  The  revision 
of  fares  means  in  the  large  majority  of  cases  increase  in  fares. 
Upon  the  suburban  lines  controlled  by  these  two  companies 
the  increase  in  third-class  fares  is  very  general  and  material,  and 
first  and  second  class  travellers  do  not  escape.  For  example, 
the  first-class  return  ticket  from  Rochester  has  been  raised  from 
6s.  9d.  to  9s.  4d. ,  the  second-class  from  Catford  from  lOd. 
to  Is.  As  for  any  improvement  in  the  service,  it  would  be 
absurd  to  expect  it  whilst  the  present  men  control  the 
policy  of  the  two  companies.  The  shareholders  of  the  South 
Eastern  may  do  something — a  good  deal — by  electing  Mr.  Eddy 
to  the  chairmanship,  but  shareholders  are  indolent  folk,  and  it 
is  to  Parliament  we  must  look  for  redress.  The  House  of 
Commons  has  not  the  power  to  fix  passenger  fares,  but 
fortunately  the  indirect  pressure  it  can  exercise  is  sufficient. 
The  South  Eastern  have  a  Bill  in  Parliament  this  year,  and  the 
Chatham  Company's  powers  to  run  steamboats  from  Dover  to 
Calais  must  also  be  renewed  by  Parliament  if  they  are  to 
continue  after  August.  It  will  be  for  the  House  of  Commons 
to  refuse  these  new  powers  unless  the  companies  concerned 
revise,  in  the  interest  of  the  travelling  public,  their  recent 
revision  of  fares. 

MR.  BEGELHOLE. 

We  have  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Begelhole  answering  our 
question,  "By  the  way,  why  did  Mr.  Begelhole  leave  Bayley's 
Reward  ? "  and  criticising  a  statement  made  by  Mr.  A.  F. 
Calvert,  in  the  interview  recently  published  by  To-Day.  The 
paragraphs  of  this  letter  which  refer  to  Mr.  Begelhole  we  give 
below.    He  writes  : — 

In  your  issue  of  20th  December,  in  commenting  ou  a  report  by  me  of 
a  certain  property,  you  wind  up  by  asking,  Why  did  I  leave  Bayley's 
Mine  ?  If  it  is  any  interest  to  yourself  or  your  readers  I  will  tell  you. 

First,  it  was  in  consequence  of  a  personal  quarrel  with  the  local 
director. 

Secondly,  because  it  was  very  much  to  my  advantage  financially  to 
do  so.  In  severing  my  connection  with  the  Bayley  Mine,  so  far  as  I 
am  concerned,  there  is  nothing  that  will  not  bear  the  broadest  day- 
light, and  the  strictest  scrutiny. 

In  this  statement  Mr.  Begelhole  implies,  and  in  a  personal 
interview  with  the  present  writer  he  stated,  that  the  question 
put  by  To-Day  was  an  improper  one.  Mr.  Begelhole  is  mis- 
taken. His  modesty  encourages  him  to  forget  that  he  is  not  a 
mere  private  individual.  He  is  a  man  who  has  come  to  Eng- 
land claiming  to  be  a  great  authority  upon  Coolgardie.  In  that 
capacity  his  reports  upon  numerous  mining  claims  have  been 
published,  and  upon  his  opinion  of  the  value  of  such  claims  pro- 
moters have  done  their  best  to  induce  the  British  public  to 
risk  over  a  million  of  money.  Upon  every  prospectus  in 
which  Mr.  Begelhole's  name  appears  the  public  are  re- 
minded that  he  was  lately  manager  to  Bayley's  Reward 
Mine,  until  now  the  most  prosperous  of  the  Coolgardie 
mines.  There  can  only  be  one  object  in  making  this  state- 
ment, namely,  to  persuade  the  public  either  that  it  was  Mr. 
Begelhole  who  discovered  this  valuable  property,  or  that  his 
mining  capacity  went  far  to  make  the  yield  what  it  has  been. 
Under  these  circumstances,  wc  opine  that  it  is  a  proper  and  a 


pertinent  question  to  ask  Mr.  Begelhole  why  he  left  the  mine. 
That  question  does  not  imply  that  the  reasons  which  led  to  his 
resignation  are  in  any  way  a  reflection  upon  his  personal 
honour.  He  may  have  left  because  he  differed  from  the  managing 
director  in  the  policy  to  be  followed  at  the  mine,  and  if  that  be 
so  then  the  public,  whose  support  and  money  he  seeks  to  win 
on  the  ground  of  his  exceptional  and  expert  knowledge  of 
Coolgardie,  have  the  right  to  be  made  acquainted  with  the 
points  at  issue,  that  they  may  judge  for  themselves,  if  that  be 
possible,  how  far  time  has  justified  Mr.  Begelhole's  views  with 
respect  to  this  particular  property.  It  is  for  Mr.  Begelhole  to 
say  whether  he  will  give  these  particulars.  Meantime,  whilst 
we  repeat  that  our  question  did  not,  and  does  not  now,  insinuate 
anything  touching  that  gentleman's  personal  honour,  we  state  as 
a  fact  that  Mr.  Sylvester  Browne,  the  managing  director  of 
Bayley's  Reward — the  man  who  bought  the  claim  and  formed  the 
company — telegraphed  to  the  Board  at  Melbourne,  requesting  the 
Board  to  dispense  with  Mr.  Begelhole's  services,  and,  when  the 
Board  hesitated,  forced  it  to  this  course  by  saying  that  under  no 
circumstances  would  he  consent  to  work  longer  with  Mr. 
Begelhole. 

Whilst  we  are  upon  the  subject  of  Mr.  Begelhole,  it  may  be 
useful  to  give  a  few  particulars  of  Coolgardie  claims  that  in 
recent  months  have  been  sold  to  the  British  public  upon  Mr. 
Begelhole's  recommendation.  The  list  does  not  pretend  to  be 
exhaustive,  but  it  is  representative. 


TWELVE  PROPERTIES   REPORTED   UPON  BY 
MR.  BEGELHOLE. 


Capital 
of  Com- 
pany. 

Name  of 
Company. 

Present  Market  Prices. 

Vendor's  Price. 
Cash.       Shares.  Total. 

£ 
60,000 

90,000 

50,000 

375,000 

40,000 

90,000 
90,000 
50,000 
85,000 

Cashman's  . . 

Empress 

Bayley's  West 

Assoc  iated, 

G.  M. 
Bayley's  West 

Extended. 
McCulloch  .. 
Golden  Link 
Mt.  Charlotte 
Great  Cool- 
gardie. 

(  Partly  paid  shares  J 
j  dis.,  fully  paid  share, 
(  no  market. 
1  Partly  paid  shares  £  to 
<  }  dis.,   fully  paid 
(_  shares  no  market. 
1  Partly  paid  shares  0 
I  to  i  dis.,  fully  paid 
(.  shares  no  market. 
(Partly  paid  shares  J 
•J  to  J  dis.,  fully  paid 
(.  shares  no  market. 
Not  dealt  in. 

Not  dealt  in. 
Not  dealt  in. 
Not  dealt  in. 
Not  dealt  in. 

1        £  £ 

[     25,000  20,000 

|     15,000  60,000 

|     10,003  30,000 

|   135.0CO  190,000 
6,000  24.00J 

8,500  61,500 
15,000  50,000 

5,000  50,000 
20,000  50,000 

£ 

45,000 

75,000 

40,000 

325,000 

30,000 

70,000 
65,000 
55,000 
70,000 

£930,000 

Kurnalpi    . . 

Coolgardie 
(Aust.),  G.M. 
Bayley's  Ex- 
tended. 

( Issued,  but  no  allot- 
t  ment. 

/  Issued,  but  no  allot- 
\  ment. 

J  Issued,  but  no  allot- 
t  ment. 

£239,500  £535,500 

£775,0CC 

70,000 
55,000 
25,000 

j     32,000  32,000 
|-    1 10,000  30,000 
]-      7,500  10,000 

55,000 
40,000 
17.5C0 

£150,000 

£49,500  £63,000 

£112,50C 

Here  we  have  twelve  properties  issued  with  a  total  capital  of 
£1,080,000,  of  which  the  vendors  were  to  take  £887,500,  and 
£289,000  was  to  be  in  cash.  All  these  properties  were  favour- 
ably reported  upon  by  Mr.  Begelhole.  How  do  they  stand 
to-day  ?  The  shares  of  four  of  them  are  at  a  big  discount,  the 
shares  of  five  others  are  quite  unsaleable,  the  remaining  three 
were  still-born.  Of  course,  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that 
because  shares  are  below  par,  or  unsaleable,  the  property 
they  represent  is  of  no  value.  Mr.  Begelhole  may  tell  us  that 
he  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  capitalisation,  but  it  is  surely 
significant  that  the  companies  that  availed  themselves  of  Mr. 
Begelhole's  reports  are  one  and  all  of  them  thought  badly  of  ou 
the  market. 

Wo  do  not  suggest  that  Mr.  Begelhole's  recommendation  is 
ever  a  corrupt  recommendation.  We  have  read  somewhere  a 
statement  of  Mr.  Begelhole's  to  the  effect  that  he  might  have 
made  much  money  by  recommending  claims  he  refused  to  recom- 
mend. We  accept  that  statement,  and  we  are  content  to  assume 
that  Mr.  Begelhole  has  never  written  a  line  about  a  mining 
claim  he  did  not  believe  Ufbe  true.  Only  if  that  be  so  his  honour 
is  saved  at  the  expense  of  his  head. 

THE  ORION  (NEW)  MINING  COMPANY. 

Tins  company  has  just  been  reconstructed,  and  its  capital  has 
been  increased  to  £100,000.  This  was  done  because  the  life  of 
the  mine  was  limited  to  three  years,  and  now  by  taking  in  some 


Januaey  12,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


ground  called  "Mulder's  Farm"  its  life  is  doubled.  But 
a  six  years'  life  for  a  mine  is  a  very  short  one  indeed,  and 
investors  should  be  warned  about  it,  as  great  efforts  are  being 
made  to  make  a  market  for  the  scrip  in  Europe.  In  taking  in 
Mulder's  Farm  a  large  piece  of  ground  was  overlooked.  It 
consists  of  150  claims  on  the  extension  and  deep  level.  These 
are  pegged  off,  and  are  in  the  hands  of  private  parties.  Before 
the  Orion  can  be  said  to  be  in  a  satisfactory  way  for  the  future 
these  claims  will  have  to  be  taken  in,  and  this  will  necessitate  a 
fresh  reconstruction,  probably  on  the  top  of  the  reconstruction 
just  effected.  The  ground  of  the  Orion,  as  also  that  of  the 
150  claims,  is  unquestionably  rich  in  gold,  but  like  all  the 
properties  on  what  is  called  the  Black  Reef  of  Witwatersrand, 
it  pays  only  when  worked  on  a  large  scale. 

MESSRS-  NELSON  AND  CO- 

In  a  recent  issue  we  gave  currency  to  the  statement  of  a  corre- 
spondent that  the  man  who  trades  as  Nelson  and  Co.  opened  a 
shop  at  Hull  last  year,  and  after  keeping  it  open  some  months 
quietly  closed  it  and  left  the  town.  We  have  since  made 
inquiries  at  Hull,  and  we  find  that  our  correspondent  misled  us. 
Messrs.  Nelson  and  Co.  have  changed  their  agent  at  Hull,  but 
that  is  all.  Under  these  circumstances,  we  withdraw  our 
statement,  and  we  regret  that  it  appeared  in  our  columns.  We 
have  done,  and  we  intend  to  do,  all  in  our  power  to  put  an  end 
to  this  bond  trick,  which,  if  left  alone,  must  utterly  demoralise 
a  great  trade  ;  but  it  is  not  our  wish,  or  intention,  to  say  any- 
thing that  is  unjust  with  respect  to  Messrs.  Nelson  and  Co.,  or 
anybody  else. 

METROPOLITAN   ICE,  LIMITED. 
In  our  issue  of  December  29th,  we  asked  Messrs.  W.  H. 
Pannell  and  Co.,  or  Mr.  Gamgee,  to  tell  us  what  has  become  of 
the  Metropolitan  Ice,  Limited.    We  have  since  received  a  letter 
from  Mr.  W.  H.  Pannell,  in  which  he  says  : — 

As  neither  I,  nor  anyone  connected  with  me,  knew  anything  of  the 
promotion,  or  were  connected  with  the  company,  I  must  ask  you  to 
correct  the  impression  which  your  paragraph  clearly  conveys,  that  I 
either  participated  in  the  money  subscribed  for  preliminary  expenses, 
or  am  responsible  to  some  person  or  persons  for  expenditure.  I  was 
approached  on  the  subject  of  the  ice  company  in  August,  1893,  and  I 
enclose  you  a  copy  of  the  letter  which  I  wrote  in  reply  to  the 
invitation. 

The  letter  to  which  Mr.  Pannell  refers  is  one  in  which  he 
declines  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  venture.  We  put  the 
question  to  Messrs.  Pannell  and  Co.  because  on  the  prospectus 
of  the  company  sent  to  us  they  appear  as  auditors. 

We  have  also  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  David  Guillord, 
"manager  to  the  late  John  Gamgee,"  in  which  he  says  that 
Professor  Gamgee  died  on  the  19th  ult. ,  after  a  long  illness,  and 
proceeds  : — • 

Professor  Gamgee's  illness,  amongst  other  causes,  prevented  his  see- 
ing the  completion  of  his  work,  but  those  who  were  connected  with 
him  in  that  work  still  hope  to  justify  his  claim  to  have  invented  the 
most  economical  and  efficient  ice  machine  known. 

THE  MONACO  JOINT  PROPRIETARY  SWINDLE- 

It  will  be  observed  that  we  have  substituted  the  word 
"swindle"  for  "  fund,"  as  used  in  previous  references  to  this 
concern,  and  we  have  done  so  because  we  have  now  satisfied  our- 
selves that  the  thing  is  a  swindle  pure  and  simple. 

The  president  of  the  fund  is  said  to  be  "General  Bry  e 
Rawlings,  of  Tollington  Park,  Middlesex."  General  Ravvlings 
is  a  myth.  A  letter  addressed  to  him  at  Tollington  Park  has 
been  returned  through  the  Dead  Letter  Office. 

One  of  the  references  given  by  the  secretary,  Mr.  W.  Tarrant, 
to  the  landlord  at  22,  Budge  Row,  was  Messrs.  H.  Lea  and  Co. ,  of 
30,  Haymarket.  Messrs.  H.  Lea  and  Co.  is  a  swindling  racing 
tout  who  has  operated  under  the  names  of  "Lea"  and  "  Pier- 
point,"  and  who  has  now  decamped  owing  the  landlord  a  year's 
rent,  and  forgetting  to  pay  the  washerwoman. 

Inasmuch  as  Mr.  W.  Tarrant,  secretary  of  the  fund,  and 
founder  of  the  new  City  Club  in  Budge  Row,  parades  as  presi- 
dent a  person  with  a  mythical  address,  and  gives  as  a  reference  a 
swindler,  it  is  pretty  plain  that  he,  too,  is  a  rogue,  and  once 
more  we  commend  him  to  Mr.  Mc William  and  his  men. 


As  we  go  to  press  we  hear  that  Messrs.  Nelson  and  Co.  have 
been  convicted  at  Manchester — where  their  managers  were 
arrested  and  their  books  seized — and  fined  £5  and  costs,  for 
selling  tea  by  the  methods  we  have  exposed. 

•  We  understand  that  Mr.  Harmsworth,  of  Answers  and  the 
Evening  News,  offered  £20,000  for  the  Morning  as  a  going  con- 
cern, an  offer  promptly  refused— much  to  Mr'  Harmsworth's 
surprise. 


SOME  NEW  ISSUES. 

The  Exploring  and  Development  Syndica'.  3,  Limited.  Capital, 
£52,000. — "The  essentials  of  success  in  a  company  of  this  description,"  says 
a  paragraph  in  the  prospectus,  "  are  honest  and  capable  management  at 
homeand  trustworthy  and  experienced  pvjspectors  and  engineers  at  the 
seat  of  operations."  We  agree.  The  present  company  claim  to  command 
these  "essentials,"  and  if  they  do  the  shareholders  should  make  money. 
The  promoters  take  payment  in  shares  only. 

The  Golden  Horse  Shoe  Gold  Mining  Company,  Ltd.  Capital 
£80,000.— Last  week  we  had  Mr.  George  P.  Dorlette— Mr.  Dorlette  is  an 
Adelaide  draper— on  the  Board  of  the  Associated  Gold  Mines  of  Western 
Australia,  Limited,  now  we  have  him  on  the  Golden  Horse  Shoe,  with  his 
son,  Mr.  D.  L.  Dorlette— a  young  gentleman,  whose  mining  experience 
cannot  be  great— reporting  upon  it.  Notwithstanding  the  support  of  the 
Dorlette  family,  we  cannot  advise  readers  of  To-Day  to  lind  any  of  the 
capital.  There  is  nothing  in  the  prospectus  that  proves  the  claim  to  be  of 
value.   The  best  that  is  said  about  it  is  that  it  is  near  a  rich  claim. 

The  South-West  African  Company,  Limited.  Capital,  £500,000. 
— This  company  has  a  very  considerable  advantage  over  one  it 
resembles  in  some  respects — the  British  South  African  Company— namely, 
that  the  cost  of  administration,  which  weighs  so  heavily  on  that  company, 
is  defrayed  in  the  case  of  the  other  by  the  German  Government.  The 
South-West  African  Company  has  a  concession  from  the  German  Govern- 
ment of  mineral  rights  over  some  14,000,000  acres,  and  freehold  land  to  the 
extent  of  3,000,000  acres.  Well  managed  the  company  should  have  a 
prosperous  future  before  it. 

The  Machinery  Trust,  Limited.— Issue  of  £50,000  Five  Per  Cent. 
Mortgage  Debentures  of  £10  each.  Security  uncalled  capital  amounting 
to  £65,158  specially  hypothecated,  and  the  remaining  property  of  the 
Trust.  The  Trust  has  an  annual  income  from  rentals  by  machines  alone 
amounting  to  £8,800  per  annum,  and  it  steadily  increases. 

Home  and  Colonial  Stores.  Limited.  Capital  £1,000,000.— 
Divided  into  100,000  Six  Per  Cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shares,  and 
100,000  Ordinary  Shares  of  £5  each.  The  present  issue  is  of  the  Preference 
Shares,  which  rank  in  priority  to  the  Ordinary  Shares  as  to  both  capital 
and  dividend.  The  Company  takes  over  the  business  of  the  Company  of 
the  same  name,  and  the  purchase  price  has  been  fixed  at  £775,000,  of  which 
£275,000  is  to  be  in  cash,  and  the  balance  in  the  Ordinary  Shares.  Messrs. 
Turquand,  Youngs,  and  Co.  certify  that  the  net  profits  have  improved  from 
£38,376  in  1892  to  £65,288  last  year.  The  Directors  of  Lthe  Vendor  Company 
will  act  as  Directors  of  this  Company  for  five  years. 

«j  ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 

London  and  Scottish  Banking  and  Discount  Corporation 
Limited.— It  should  be  obvious  to  you  that  statements  of  the  kind  con- 
tained in  your  communication,  dated  December  31st,  1894,  but  only  received 
on  the  5th  inst,  ought  to  be  accompanied  —as  they  are  not  in  your  cose — 
with  the  name  and  address  of  the  writer.  Illinois  Central.  J.W.M. 
(Didsbury).— We  think  you  had  better  hold.  Broken  Hill  Proprie- 
tary. Neanias  (Uttoxeter). — We  think  you  mightmake  a  better  selection, 
although  some  recovery  in  the  quotation  is  not  unlikely.  Financial 
Position.  G.  S.  (Leeds).— We  thank  you  for  your  kindly  expressions,  but 
To-Day  does  not  seek  or  give  information  as  to  the  financial  position 
of  individuals.  West  Australia  Mining  Co-operation.  A.  B.  C. 
(Birmingham).  —  The  profit  is  clearly  a  paper  profit  only.  Whether 
it  will  become  a  real  profit  depends  upon  whether  the  shares  allotted  to 
you  improve  in  value.  The  managers  of  the  co-operation  are  confident 
that  they  will,  and  they  ought  to  know.  They  tell  you  that  "the  list 
undoubtedly  comprises  shares  which  will  almost  immediately  be  saleable 
at  various  premiums,"  and  that  they  "anticipate  no  difficulty  in  realising 
the  whole  of  these  shares  between  now  and  March  25th."  These  are  very 
confident  predictions,  and  if  they  come  true  you  will  not  only 
get  your  50  per  cent,  profit,  but  something  handsome  besides. 
Anyway,  if,  as  we  assume,  the  risk  of  a  few  pounds  is  not  a 
matter  of  much  moment  to  you,  we  think  you  should  act  upon 
the  "strong  advice"  of  the  Institute,  and  "take  up  the  certificates." 
Preservation  Syndicate,  Limited.  G.  A.  J.  (Rotherham).— If  you 
have  any  papers,  the  last  report,  statement  of  accounts  to  30th  June  last, 
etc.,  please  let  us  have  them.  Hydraulic  Cycle  Gear.  T.  P.  (Rich- 
mond).— We  are  unable  to  form  any  opinion  upon  the  value  of  your  invention 
on  the  "  slender  facts,"  to  quote  your  own  words,  you  send  us.  Sundry 
Shares.  Investor  (London).— \ou  will  have  seen  the  unexpectedly  dis- 
couraging report  from  the  first  company  you  mention,  which  is  largely 
over-capitalised.  The  shares  of  the  others  named  by  you  represent  very 
speculative  investments,  and  Nos.  3 ami  5  are,  of  course,  exceptionally  depen- 
dent upon  good  management.  With  the  collapse  of  the  amalgamation 
scheme,  thoso  of  No.  2  would  be  worth  buying  at  their  present  price. 
Philadelphia  and  Reading.  E.  J.  H.— Next  week.  Low  priced 
Shares.  A.  Trent  (Liverpool).— You  cannot  do  better  than  buy  Balkis- 
Esterlings  if  you  want  a  low-priced  South  African  mining  share.  Apart 
fioin  the  fact  that  this  concern  possesses  43,000  Lionsdales,  and  that  it  may 
come  into  possession  of  a  portion  of  a  valuable  mining  charter  over 
certain  Transvaal  ground,  a  reef  was  lately  discovered  which  is  said  to  be 
very  rich.  Crushing  is  about  to  begin,  and,  if  the  results  come  apparently 
unsatisfatory,  we  shall  not  be  surprised.  Cyanide  plant  will  have  to  be 
put  up  no  doubt,  and  then  you  may  look  for  great  results.  Meantime  some 
cute  people  have  obtained  options  to  float  portions  of  the  property— itl 
baing  too  big  for  one  mine— and  within  a  month  or  two  the  first  portion 
will  probably  be  floated  for  £80,000,  of  which  £30,000  in  cash  is  to  be  work- 
ing capital.  The  flotation  of  other  four  pieces  of  the  company's  ground 
will  then  follow,  and  out  of  each  the  holders  of  Balkis-Esterlings  will  of 
course  benefit.  Burielsdorms.  E.  C.  (Brighton).— We  entirely  agree 
with  the  article  in  the  Financial  Times  to  which  you  refer.  The  price  can 
be  made  anything,  but  it  is  all  bunkum  from  start  to  finish  in  order  to  get 
the  public  in.  Sundry  Shares.  E.  E.  D.  (Buntingford).— 1  and  2.  We 
know  nothing  about  the  companies  you  mention  under  heads  Nos.  1  and  2. 
3.  We  do  not  advise  purchase  of  Answers,  Limited,  or  even  the  other 
shares  you  name.  Gordon  Hotels  promise  well.  4.  Our  opinion  of  the 
Tyre  Company  you  name  is  not  favourable.  We  do  not  think  you  will  get 
anything  from  the  Sala's  Journal,  Limited,  liquidation.  Sundry 
Shares.  Sophonisba  (Edinburgh).— 1.  Hampden  Lands  are  worth  hold- 
ing. 2.  As  to  the  Edinburgh  United  Breweries  and  Prairie  Cattle  Company, 
you  had  better  sell  if  you  can.  3.  We  know  nothing  about  the  General 
Steam  Fishery  Company.  Printing,  Telegraph,  and  Construction 
Company.  S.  B.  G.  McK.  (Nunhead).— It  is  not  sufficient  to  release  you 
from  liability  to  show  that  a  director,  whose  presence  upon  the  Board 
induced  you  to  apply  for  shares,  retired  almost  immediately  afterwards. 
You  should  employ  a  solicitor.  We  really  cannot  undertake  to  get  all  the 
information  you  ask  us  to  get  for  you.  Chargola  Tea  Associa- 
tion. Acneas  (Witley).— Yes,  we  think  the  shares  worth  their  present 
price.  Most  of  the  tea  companies  are  doing  better  ;  but,  at  best,  investment 
in  tea  shares  is  very  speculative.  Great  Dundas.  Anxious  (London).— 
Our  information  is  to  the  effect  that  the  company  cannot  pay  with  its 
present  property,  and  has  not  money  to  buy  another?  The  Giles  Syndi- 
cate. Investor  (Kingston.)— Certainly  not.  Mr.  Giles  can  know  but 
little  of  Western  Australia.  Jagersfontein.  H,  L.  (Leamington).— 
There  has  been  improvement :  but  we  expect  to  see  further  and  substantial 
rise  in  the  quotation.  The  Consolidated  Gold  Mines  of  Western 
Australia.   A.  M.  (London)  —It  is  a  sound  company. 


304 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1895, 


T)RURY  LANE   THEATRE   ROYAL. -SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.    Twice  Daily,  at  1,30  and  7.30, 
Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand  New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day. 

ROYAL    PRINCESS'S     THEATRE— SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HABRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager,    EVERY  EVENING,  at  7.30. 
THE  DERBY  WINNER, 
by  Sir  Augustus  Harris,  Cecil  Raleigh,  and  Henry  Hamilton. 
Box  Office  open  10.0  a.m.  all  day.    For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers; 

PALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
x  THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 

MOORE  AND  BURGESS  MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 
*■ x  HALL,  PICCADILLY. 

GRAND  HOLIDAY  PROGRAMME, 
Including  "  The  Popping  Coon."   Twice  daily,  at  2.30  and  8,  Messrs.  Sims 
and  Carjll's  Comic  Plantation  Operetta, 

"THE  YALLER  GAL." 
Miss  Daniels  specially  engaged  to  play  the  principal  part,  supported 
by  Mr.  Morton,  Mr.  Callan,  and  the  whole  of  the  Troupe.   Prices  5s.,  3s,, 
2s.,  and  Is.;  at  Trees'  Offices,  28,  Piccadilly,  and  304,  Regent  Street. 

Farini,  Manager. 

JJOYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 

2  and  7  MUSICAL  and  POSTER  EXHIBITIONS.   (No  Extra  Charge), 

GIGANTIC  CHRISTMAS  CARNIVAL  continued  to  Feb.  2. 

MIAGARA  HALL,  ST.  JAMES'  PARK    STATION.  — Real 

Ice  Skating.   Largest  and  Finest  Skating  Hall  in  the  world. 
9  a.m.  to  1.30  p.m.   3/-  Admission. 
3  p.m.  to  7.  0  p.m.   5/-  „ 
8  p.m.  to  11.30  p.m.  3/- 
First-class  Orchestra  under  the  personal  direction  of  Mr.  Edward 
Solomon.    Ladies  Orchestra  every  Morning,  Afternoon,  and  Evening, 
under  Miss  A.  V.  Mukle. 


THE 


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10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.O. 
October  25th,  1894. 

Dkar  Sir,— I  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  in  the  undoubted  efficacy  of 
Dr.  Scott's  FlUs  as  a  family  medicine.  We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  many 
years,  and  are  never  without  them. 

Yours  faithfully,  J.  SELLARS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead. 
Prepared  only  by— 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 


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January  12,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


305 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Shooting  to  Kill.  By  "  Volusia."  Illustrated  by  Max  Cowpek.  289 


The  Marriage  Lottery   292 

At  The  Theatre.  By  Forian    293 

The  Fauntleroy  Boy  ...  293 

Honeymoon  Souvenirs   294 

In  the  Year  op  Jurilre    295 

The  Country  and  People  of  Japan.— VII   296 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor     297 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller   298 

Feminine  Affairs  300 

In  the  City   302 

To  day.  Bt  J.  K.  J.    . .    305 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   309 

Club  Chatter  310 
The  Red  Cockade.  By  Stanley  i.  Weyman.  Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville   313 

Ski-running  in  Russia.    By  Fred  Whishaw.    Illustrated  by 

A,  S.  Forrest    318 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


Count  Tolstoi's  reply  to  his  critics  breathes  the  true 
spirit  of  Christianity  as  promulgated  by  Christ  Himself — 
a  very  different  thing  to  the  political  clap-trap  into 
which  it  has  been  since  degraded.  Count  Tolstoi  takes 
his  stand  upon  the  text,  ".The  Kingdom  of  God  is  within 
you."  The  modern  preacher  looks  for  it  on  the 
hustings,  and  thinks  to  promulgate  it  by  aid  of  the 
police.  Count  Tolstoi  points  out  that  Christianity  has 
nothing  to  do  with  government,  with  politics,  with 
parties,  or  with  vestries.  It  is  of  the  nature  of  things 
eternal,  not  a  party  cry  ;  it  concerns  itself  neither  about 
the  House  of  Lords  nor  the  House  of  Commons.  Its 
work  is  neither  to  spy  round  public-house  bars  nor  to 
hound  the  Magdalen  from  every  shelter.  Had  Christ 
been  a  mere  Jewish  demagogue,  stumping  Palestine  to 
denounce  the  State,  or  clamouring  for  Roman  laws  to 
bind  men  to  do  this,  and  for  Roman  spears  to  make 
men  do  that,  Christianity  would  have  died  with  its 
Pounder. 

One  wishes  that  there  were  more  professing  Christians 
who  could  see  with  Count  Tolstoi,  that  the  Christianity 
that  concerns  itself  only  with  the  outer  life  of  men,  to 
the  neglect  of  the  inner,  is  at  its  best  an  error,  and  at 
its  worst  a  blasphemy.  Laws  and  police  and  politics 
deal  with  the  little  things  of  life,  the  passing  temporali- 
ties that  are  nothing  more  than  the  furniture  amid 
which  each  generation  passes  its  existence.  They  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  soul  of  a  man,  and  the  soul  of  a 
man  has  nothing  to  do  with  them  ;  the  two  things  are 
utterly  and  distinctly  apart.  Yet  it  is  only  through 
these  outer  trivialities  that  your  modern  Christian  ever 
dreams  of  speaking  to  his  brother.  Do  they  understand 
even  what  is  meant  by,  "  The  Kingdom  of  Cod  is  within 
you?"  Do  they  think  that  by  their  laws  and  their 
police  they  are  ever  helping  a  man's  soul  1  Do  they 
imagine  that  by  dragooning  a  nation  they  are  making  a 
people  of  Christians?  The  modern  Church  would  seem 
to  have  washed  its  hands  of  Christianity  ;  it  is  growing 
into  little  less  than  a  political  caucus. 


To  those  desirous  of  forming  a  just  and  true  estimate 
of  the  great  drink  question,  I  would  recommend  the 
perusal  of  an  admirable  little  pamphlet,  "  Temperance 
or  Total  Abstinence?"  compiled  by  F.  Baker,  A.C.P.,  of 
the  London  University.  The  book  is  in  its  eleventh 
thousand,  and,  as  it  is  sold  for  the  modest  price  of  one 
j>enny,  it  is  within  the  reach  of  all.  No  teetotal  bigot, 
with  a  grain  of  sense  in  his  brain,  could  read  it  without 
seriously  asking  himself  whether — if  his  true  object  be 
temperance,  and  not  mere  spitefulnes3  to  his  fellow-men 
and  self  -  seeking  righteousness — he  is  sailing  on  the 
right  tack.  Mr.  Baker,  who  is  an  advocate  of  real 
temperance,  has  proved  his  sincerity  and  earnestness, 
having  lost  the  mastership  of  a  school  under  the  patron- 
age of  Lady  Carlisle  by  refusing  to  sacrifice  his  prin- 
ciples. For  having  issued  this  present  pamphlet  he 
was  at  once  discharged  from  his  post  by  Lady  Carlisle's 
agent,  who  would  seem  to  be  an  ideal  representative  of 
the  New  Christianity.  The  pamphlet  deals  with  the  ques- 
tion in  a  moderate  and  common-sense  tone,  and  forms  a. 
clear  and  logical  argument  on  the  subject. 

I  notice  that  the  Democratic  papers  have  been  careful 
to  keep  the  New  York  police  scandalsoutof  their  columns. 
I  suppose  it  would  never  do  for  their  readers  to  see  to 
what  depths  of  infamy  the  representatives  of  the  almighty 
Voter  can  sink.  Tammany  Hall,  it  must  never  be  for- 
gotten, is  a  Democratic  institution.  It  is  pregnant  with 
the  spirit  of  our  new  king,  the  Majority,  who,  we  are 
told,  can  do  no  wrong.  And  the  reports  would  also  form 
unpleasant  reading  for  those  who  are  advocating  the 
control  of  the  police  by  the  County  Council.  The  pre. 
sent  councillors  may  be  excellent  gentlemen,  above  re- 
proach ;  but,  with  the  mighty  weapon  of  the  police  to  their 
hands,  the  temptations  would  be  certain  toprove  too  strong; 
for  your  windy  demagogue  has  ever  been  at  heart  a  self- 
seeking  humbug  ;  while  as  to  the  class  of  men  who  get 
hoisted  into  office  upon  the  shoulders  of  an  easily  de- 
ceived body  of  electors,  it  is  sufficient  simply  to  remember 
that,  of  the  London  County  Councillors  elected  less  than 
three  years  ago,  two  have  already  been  convicted  of  dirty 
and  contomptible  theft. 

Sir  Edward  Bradford  seems  to  have  introduced 
among  the  police  a  spirit  of  fussy  and  unnecessary 
interference,  that  will  soon  make  the  Force  the  laughing- 
stock of  London.  The  other  day  an  unfortunate  'bus- 
driver  was  hauled  up  before  the  Court  for  drinking  a 
glass  of  ginger  brandy.  The  case  was  dismissed  with 
contempt.  A  day  or  two  later  a  grave  charge  of 
bribery  was  brought  against  a  publican  for 
offering  a  policeman  a  glass  of  beer.  I  am 
glad  to  say  that  here  also  the  magistrate  took 
little  pains  to  disguise  his  indignation  at  the  trumperi- 
ness  of  the  charge.  Under  Sir  Edward  Bradford  the 
whole  police  force  appears  to  be  losing  to  a  great  extent 
its  utility.  The  traffic  question  is  growing  important. 
Piccadily  Circus  is  always  one  hopeless  jam  of  vehicles, 
and  therj  is  never  a  policeman  to  regulate  it  ; 
while  the  police  carriage  regulations  for  theatres  and 
music-halls  seem  devised  wholly  and  solely  with  the  view 
of  preventing  the  public  from  getting  into  their  cabs  and 
carriages.  Coachmen,  called  up,  are  imperiously  sent  back, 
and  their  shivering  owners  left  to  trot  about  the  muddy 
roads.  Cabs,  according  to  the  police,  are  the  last 
things  that  can  be  required  by  people  leaving  a  theatre, 


306 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1895. 


and  the  object  of  the  officers  is  apparently  to  chase  them 
away  from  the  neighbourhood  of  every  place  of  entertain- 
ment. If  Sir  Edward  would  spend  less  time  in  instructing 
his  men  in  the  art  of  useless  irritation,  and  occasionally 
manage  to  find  time  to  look  into  murders  committed  by 
daylight  in  the  West-end  of  London,  he  would  the 
better  earn  his  salary. 

A  correspondent,  present  in  the  St.  James's  gallery 
on  Saturday  night,  assures  me  that  it  was  the  very  same 
men  who  called  "  Author !  "  who  hissed  Mr.  Henry  James 
when  he  appeared.  If  so,  a  strange  element  has  crept 
in  amongst  first-nighters  since  my  own  pit  and  gallery 
days.  I  remember  distinctly  then  that  it  was 
always  a  fight  between  the  genuine  public  and  the 
friends  of  the  management  as  to  whether  the 
author  should  be  called  or  not.  The  guests  of 
the  management  would,  on  the  fall  of  the  curtain, 
immediately  call  for  the  author ;  the  paying  public 
would  do  their  best  to  prevent  his  appearance.  "  No  ! 
No  !  We  don't  -want  the  author.  Don't  let  him  come 
On  ;  he  will  only  be  hooted,"  they  would  cry.  And  if, 
in  spite  of  this  advice,  he  did  appear,  their  hooting  was 
only  intended  as  a  protest  against  the  cheers.  To  call 
a  man  on  merely  to  insult  him  would  be  such  a  dirty 
trick  that  I  cannot  imagine  my  old  first-night  friends 
indulging  in  it ;  and  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  from  one 
or  two  who  were  present  if  this  change  has  taken 
place. 

The  excellent-hearted  juror  who  passed  severe  comment 
upon  the  neglect  of  the  Salvation  Army  to  provide 
eider-down  quilts  and  Witney  blankets  for  each  sleeper 
in  their  shelters,  at  twopence  a  night,  is  a  type  of  the 
"  humane  man,"  so.  very  prominent  at  present,  who  is 
always  full  of  indignation  that  "  somebody "  or  other 
does  not  do  "something"  or  other  to  make  everybody 
else  happy.  The  juror  said  it  was  disgraceful  ;  that  it 
was  shocking.  The  coroner  mildly  asked  to  whom  was 
the  disgrace.  The  juror  replied,  "  To  some  authority,  I 
think."  That  authority  never  will  do  its  duty. 
Generally  it  is  the  Government :  it  will  not  provide 
work  at  three  pounds  a  week  for  every  human  being 
under  the  sun.  Or  it  is  the  local  vestry :  that  allows  a 
woman  to  starve  on  Christmas  Eve.  Or  the  Church;  or 
the  publican  ;  always  "  somebody."  And  so  we  go  about 
passing  severe  censure  on  this  wicked  "  somebody  "  who 
positively  refuses  to  make  this  earth  a  happy  dwelling- 
place  for  all  its  inhabitants.  It  is  shocking  to  think 
that  there  is  this  misery  and  wretchedness  around  us, 
and  all  the  while  this  "  somebody  "  will  not  raise  a  hand 
to  dismiss  it. 

Oh  !  this  mysterious  "  somebody  "  that  so  neglects  his 
plain  duty  ;  that  lets  his  brother  die  by  his  side  ;  that  lets 
his  sister  freeze  to  death  while  he  lies  warm  and  comfort- 
able. And  how  much  good  it  does  us  to  wax  virtuous  < »ver 
the  disgraceful  shortcomings  of  this  "  somebody."  What 
letters  full  of  heartfelt  indignation  we  can  write  to  the 
papers  about  "  somebody's  "  misdoings,  and  how  worthy 
and  charitable  it  makes  us  feel  to  be  able  to  call  this 
"  somebody  "  to  account  in  noble  and  becoming  language, 
and  to  express  our  hatred  and  contempt  at  his  passing, 
Levi-like,  on  the  other  side  of  the  way,  leaving  the 
poor  traveller  to  die  in  the  ditch.    I  wonder  who  this 


"  somebody  "  is,  upon  whom  we  are  all  so  severe.  It 
would  be  interesting  to  track  him  down  and)  see  him  face 
to  face.  It  is  terrible  to  think  that  such  a  heartless, 
callous,  duty-shirking  "somebody"  actually  lives  among 
us  good  people.  He  certainly  ought  to  be  sought  and 
dragged  forth.  I  suppose  it  would  be  no  use  glancing 
into  the  looking-glass  to  see  if  he  lurked  there? 

A  girl  was  charged  at  the  North  London  Police-court 
a  few  days  ago  with  being  concerned  in  the  stealing  of  a 
cash-box.  She  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  well-educated, 
of  good  abilities,  and  respectably  connected.  Her  pre- 
vious career  was  sketched  by  Detective-Sergeant  Nursey. 
He  had  first  heard  of  her  as  a  preacher  in  the  Salvation 
Army,  from  which  she  was  expelled.  Then  she  turned 
lip  at  ai  house  in  East  London,  where  she  was  being  very 
kindly  treated,  having  procured  this  kind  treatment  by 
a  cleverly-concocted  story.  She  stole  money  and  left, 
accounting  for  her  sudden  departure  by  a  story,  entirely 
unfounded,  of  assault.  She  then,  by  a  misrepresenta- 
tion, got  a  quantity  of  valuable  books  from  a  publisher, 
and  sold  them  at  private  houses.  She  obtained  half-a- 
sovereign  from  a  domestic  servant.  She  stole  a  baby, 
intending  to  use  it  to  excite  the  pity  of  the  charitable. 
There  were  many  other  instances  of  her  deceptions.  She 
stated  that  she  was  an  artist,  and  certainly  she  seems  to 
possess  some  of  the  characteristics  of  the  artistic  tem- 
perament. Shei  has  good  looks,  and  can  apparently  use 
them.  Now,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  she  has  been  sent 
to  three  months'  hard  labour.  And  it  does  not  seem  to 
me  to  be  a  wise  method  of  dealing  with  her. 

It  had  been  urged  in  her  defence  that  she  was  at  times 
unaccountable  for  her  actions.  However,  her  counsel 
preferred  to  have  the  case  settled  at  once,  and  a  magis- 
trate can  oidy  deal  with  law  as  he  finds  it.  The  law 
gives  three  definitions  of  insanity,  but  at  present  we  are 
only  concerned  with  the  definition  in  criminal  cases,  and 
by  that  definition,  and  on  the  evidence  given,  the  girl 
was  sane.  She  knew  the  nature  and  quality  of  her  acts, 
and  that  they  were  wrong.  The  legal  definition  is  not 
good.  The  homicidal  maniac  frequently  knows  the 
nature  and  quality  of  his  act,  and  that  it  is  wrong ;  he 
struggles  against  it  in  agony  and  horror ;  he  may  even 
try  tc  get  himself  placed  under  control.  If  he  kills,  he 
may  have  no  delusion  about  the  act,  though  the  un- 
governable impulse  which  drives  him  to  it  may  he 
founded  upon  a.  delusion — as,  for  instance,  that  he  hears 
a.  voice  bidding  him  kill.  And,  although  this  girl's  case 
hardly  seems  to>  come  within  the  legal  definition  of  in- 
sanity at  present,  it  is  not  impossible  that  further  evi- 
dence might  cause  one  to  -change  one's  opinion. 

The  girl  had  been  in  the  Salvation  Army,  had  brought 
an  unfounded  charge  of  a  certain  kind  against  a  man, 
and  had  stolen  a  child.  From  these  three  things,  taken 
together,  one  would  be  inclined  to  conjecture  hysteria. 
It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  it  was  said  that 
she  brought  that  charge,  and  stole  the  child,  for  ulterior 
motives — in  one  case,  to  cover  her  escape  from  the  de- 
tection of  a  theft,  and  in  the  other  to  help  her  in  beg- 
ging. That  may  be  the  correct  explanation,  and  it  may 
not.  Certainly,  both  acts  would  not  be  unexpected  in  a 
woman  suffering  from  the  results  of  religious  and  other 
excitement  ;  and  with  equal  certainty  it  may  be  said,  on 
the  other  hand,  that  both  acts  are  consistent  with  the  rest 


January  12,  1895. 


TO-DAY, 


307 


of  her  career  of  fraudulence.  Even  then,  when  one  con- 
siders the  girl's  position,  attainments,  and  qualities, 
such  a  career  seems  so  abnormal  that  one  would  not  be 
surprised  if  a  further  examination  detected  insanity. 

There  are  those  who'  distrust  the  plea  of  moral  in- 
sanity ;  they  find  it  difficult  to  believe  that  where  there 
is  no  illusion  there  can  be  insanity.  Their  comfortable 
optimism  thinks  that  it  is  in  the  power  of  everyone  to 
be  good  or  bad.  Well,  Dr.  Forbes  Winslow  quotes  a 
case  which  had  come  within  his  experience.'  A  youth  of 
eighteen  had  fever ;  in  his  delirium  he  cut  his  ankle,  and 
considerable  hemorrhage  followed.  This  was  the  re- 
sult :  — "  From  being  a  well-conditioned  boy,  kind  and 
affectionate  to  his  parents,  steady  in  his  habits,  sober, 
and  of  unimpeachable  veracity,  he  became  a.  drunkard, 
liar,  and  thief,  being  lost  to  all  sense  of  decency  and 
decorum.  He  was  clever,  intelligent,  and  sharp-witted  ; 
but  his  every  action  was  perfectly  brutal."  I  preach  no 
fatalism  ;  most  of  us  can  choose  between  good  and  bad. 
But  there  are  these  extraordinary  cases  ;  and,  in  the 
name  of  common  sense,  do'  not  let  us  deal  with  them  as 
we  should  deal  with  the  ordinary  criminal.  Three 
months'  hard  labour  will  do  this  girl  no  good,  and  will 
probably  do  her  harm. 

A  correspondent  in  Sydney  writes  to  me  with  refer- 
ence to  the  English  cricketers  in  Australia.  I  gather 
from  his  letter  that  at  the  matches  the  crowd  backs 
Australia  to  the  point  of  unfairness,  and  that  the  news- 
papers, in  their  headlines,  always  do  their  best  to  make 
the  Australian  performance  look  well,  while  entirely 
neglecting  an  equally  fine  performance  on  the  part 
of  the  English  team.  That,  after  all,  is  very 
much  what  one  would  have  expected,  though 
it  does  not  seem  very  sportsmanlike.  At 
public  schools  house  matches  are,  perhaps,  even 
more  keenly  and  bitterly  contested  than  matches  with 
other  schools.  I. am  aware,  of  course,  that  among  the 
working  classes  in  Australia  there  is  a  distinct  feeling  of 
animosity  towards  England,  and  a  great  belief  in  a 
country  that  my  correspondent  says — not  quite  fairly — - 
"  exports  nothing  but  wool  and  frozen  mutton,  and 
imports  everything  except  frozen  mutton  and  wool." 
But,  powerful  though  the  working  classes  are  in 
Australia,  there  must  be  a  more  educated  opinion  as 
well,  otherwise  this  paper  would  not  circulate  there  as 
it  does. 

When  will  the  railway  companies  learn  sufficient 
sense  to  see  the  advantage  of  reducing  their  first-class 
fares  1  These  fares  are  fixed  by  men  who  never  by  any 
chance  have  to  put  their  hands  into  their  pockets  to  buy 
a  railway  ticket.  They  travel  all  over  the  world  with 
passes,  and  they  seem  unable  to  conceive  the  feelings  of 
a  man  who  has  to  pay  his  fare.  The  result  is  that  the 
first-class  carriages  on  nearly  all  trains  are  comparatively 
empty.  Every  day  from  every  railway  terminus  whole 
first-class  coaches  start  on  their  journeys  with  an  average 
of  one  man  to  each  twelve  seats,  while  the  third-class 
carriages  are  crowded  with  people  who  could  easily  afford 
to  pay  a  reasonable  first-class  fare.  Every  year  these  first- 
class  passengers  become  fewer  and  fewer  ;  no  one  but  a 
fool  cares  to  pay  the  extravagant  difference  in  price 


demanded  for  the  infinitesimal  difference  in  comfort. 
Thousands  of  people  who  now  travel  third  would  be 
willing  to  pay  twenty  or  twenty-five  per  cent,  in  addition 
for  the  advantage  of  a  little  more  room  ;  but  when  it 
conies  to  a  hundred  or  a  hundred  and  twenty  per  cent, 
added,  a  man  naturally  says  to  himself,  "  Oh  !  I  will  put 
up  with  third." 

From  London  to  Aberdeen  the  third-class  fare  is  forty 
shillings ;  the  first,  seventy-eight  shillings  and  sixpence. 
Now  there  are  very  few  men  to  whom  a  matter  of  thirty- 
eight  shillings  and  sixpence  is  immaterial.  When 
travelling  with  one's  family  the  difference  would  soon 
run  into  a  five  pound  note.  The  result  is  that  ninety- 
five  per  cent,  of  those  who  would  be  willing  to  pay  a 
reasonable  excess  for  first-class  make  up  their  minds  to 
squeeze  into  the  third.  In  cross-country  routes  the 
differences  are  even  still  more  marked.  Liverpool  to 
Penzance,  for  instance,  is  thirty  shillings  and  eleven- 
pence-halfpenny third  and  sixty-nine  shillings  and  a 
penny  first.  Liverpool  to  Hereford  is  nine  shillings  and 
sixpence-halfpenny  third  and  twenty-one  shillings  and 
ninepence  first.  And  the  railway  directors  foolishly  ask 
each  other  why  the  first-class  traffic  is  yearly  falling  oft. 
If  they  were  made  to  pay  their  own  railway  fares  for  six 
months  they  would  soon  understand  the  reason. 

With  reference  to  my  note  the  other  week  on  the 
subject  of  the  promenade  at  New  Brighton,  near  Liver- 
pool, a,  Manchester  correspondent  sends  me  an  account 
of  an  experience  which,  if  correct — and  I  can  see  no' 
reason  to  doubt  him,  as  the  gentleman  gives  me  his  name 
and  address,  and  is,  I  suppose',  willing  to  substantiate 
his  statements — should  be  sufficient  to  close  every  tea- 
house on  the  promenade,  and  place;  their  proprietors  in 
the  Liverpool  police-court.  When  Liverpool  correspon- 
dents assured  mei  that  I  was  mistaken  in  my  surmise® 
as  to  the  character  of  these  houses,  I  accepted  the  correc- 
tion meekly,  feeling  that  if  the  language  of  these  New 
Brighton  touts  was  the  voice  of  virtue,  then  the  voice 
of  virtue  was  somewhat  unfamiliar  to  me. 

My  correspondent's  letter  would  stamp  these  houses 
as  far  worse  than  I  had  even  imagined ;  and  to  his 
experience  I  have  to  add  the  evidence  of  another  infor- 
mant, dating  from  Preston,  whose  account  more  than 
confirms  my  suspicions.  The  matter,  anyhow,  must  be 
easy  of  investigation.  New  Brighton  is  a  pleasant  suburb 
cf  Liverpool.  It  should  be  a  place  where  Liverpudlians 
could  take  an  afternoon  outing  in  comfort  and  with 
pleasure.  These  touts  would  make  its  beach  impossible, 
even  if  tea-drinking  were  their  only  object.  The  Liver- 
pool police  must  know  the  real  nature  of  the  houses,  and 
I  shall  be  glad  of  some  authoritative  statement. 

Will  the  very  many  friends  who  have  kindly  sent  me 
Christmas  and  New  Year  cards  allow  me  to  thank  them 
through  this  column  for  their  kindness  and  good  wishes  1 
The  number  is  too  great  for  me  to  reply  to'  each  indi- 
vidually, even  in  the  cases  where  the  name  and  address 
has  accompanied  the  pleasant  souvenir  ;  but  I  am  none 
the  less  delighted  and  grateful  for  the  friendly  feeling 
that  has  prompted  the  remembrance — a  feeling  that  I 
reciprocate  most  heartily. 


308 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1895. 


.  ANSWERS  TO  ENQUIRERS. 

Anti-Opium  League. — If  readers  who  are  not  already  tired 
of  these  silly  people  will  refer  to  To-Day  for  November  3rd, 
they  will  see  that  I  made  some  severe  strictures  on  the  anti- 
opium  faddists.  To  these  the  secretary  replied  in  a  letter  which 
I  published  on  November  24th.  I  added  comments  on  this 
letter  which,  having  regard  to  the  attitude  taken  up  by  the 
society,  required  an  answer.  A  letter  reached  me  from  the 
secretary  which  I  did  not  consider  an  answer,  but  merely  as  a 
further  dodge  by  means  of  which  the  secretary  of  the  society 
tried  to  obscure  the  plain  issue  by  long  rigmaroles  as  to  what 
was  a  lie  and  what  was  not  a  lie,  his  opinion  of  a  lie  differing 
very  widely  from  mine — the  difference,  indeed,  being  so  great 
that  further  argument  between  us  would  be  impossible.  I  am 
now  informed  that  this  letter  was  considered  to  be  an  answer  to 
the  grave  strictures  I  made,  and  as  I  wish  to  do  no  one  an 
injustice,  I  publish  this  letter  in  extenso.  I  would  refer  those 
interested  to  the  facts  stated  in  To-Day,  and  also,  if  they  care 
to  go  further  into  the  matter,  to  the  evidence  produced  at  the 
same  time  by  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  and  the  Daily  Chronicle. 
This  being  the  final  answer  of  the  society  to  the  charge  of  con- 
ducting their  case  by  means  of  lying  evidence,  the  matter  must 
be  closed  so  far  as  To-Day  is  concerned. 

"  Sir, — I  am  obliged  for  your  courtesy  in  inserting  my 
former  letter.  I  assure  you  that  I  have  no  objection  to 
your  '  going  minutely  into  the  case '  of  the  Bombay 
missionaries  if  you  think  fit.  I  am  so  fully  convinced  of 
their  perfect  good  faith — I  do  not  say  as  much  about  their 
discretion,  but  we  are  all  sometimes  indiscreet — that  I 
shall  be  only  too  glad  for  the  case  to  be  reheard  in  your 
columns,  of  course  on  the  understanding  that  you  will  allow 
both  sides  to  be  fairly  represented. 

"  Meanwhile,  will  you  allow  me  to  say  that  the  extracts 
you  have  given  from  the  magistrate's  judgment  appear  to 
me  entirely  to  confirm  my  statement,  that  he  '  disbelieved 
the  evidence  whieh  connected  the  prosecutor  with  the 
mismanagement,'  that  he  had  previously  found  to  be 
proved.  I  understood  your  statement  that  the  charges 
made  by  the  missionaries  'were  proved  to  be  lies,'  as  mean- 
ing that  they  were  themselves  proved  guilty  of  telling  lies, 
and  I  submit  that  that  is  the  fair  meaning  of  your  words. 
To  '  tell  a  lie,'  if  I  understand  plain  English,  is  either  (a) 
to  say  something  which  you  know  to  be  untrue,  or  \b)  to 
state  that  which  is  in  fact  untrue,  and  as  to  which  you  have 
no  knowledge  or  belief  as  to  its  truth.  To  say  that  which 
is  in  fact  untrue,  but  which  you  honestly  believe  to  be  true, 
however  gullible  and  foolish  you  may  prove  yourself  by 
entertaining  the  belief,  is  not  lying,  though  it  may  be 
libellous.  It  is  of  this  latter  offence  only  that  the  magistrate 
found  Mr.  Praxtch  guilty,  as  appears  clearly  from  the 
following  passage  in  the  judgment  (p.  72  of  Mr.  Rustone's 
reprint)  :  '  I  do  not  think  it  can  be  contended  that  the 
accused  had  good  reason,  after  due  care  and  attention,  to 
believe  the  evidence  of  such  a  witness  uncorroborated.' 

"  For  my  own  part,  I  place  far  more  confidence  in  the 
opinion  formed  as  to  the  value  to  be  attached  to  the  natives' 
statements  by  these  missionaries — with  all  of  whom  I  am 
personally  acquainted,  and  know  them  to  be  honourable  and 
upright  men,  who  have  resided  long  in  India,  are  intimately 
acquainted  with  the  language  of  the  people,  and  in  constant 
contact  with  them — than  in  that  of  an  English  magistrate, 
judging  only  from  their  statements  made  under  examination 
in  open  court. — Yours,  etc., 

"  Josepu  G.  Alexander, 
"  The  Editor  of  To-Day."  "  Hon.  Sec. 

R.  M.  (Glasgow)  sends  for  my  edi6cation  a  little  publication 
written  by  people  who  call  themselves  Christian  Scotsmen. 
Here  is  a  gem,  showing  the  Christian  spirit  of  these  people. 
"  The  most  equitable  consideration  for  the  publicans  that  could 
be  given  would  be  to  string  them  all  to  the  nearest  lamp-post." 
These  Christians  are  also  very  angry  with  God  that  He  only 
made  ten  commandments,  and  said  nothing  against  drinking. 
I  also  notice  a  long  screech  against  the  sin  and  wickedness  of 
smoking  !  And  yet  people  go  about  asking  why  the  young  and 
intellectual  are  turning  aside  from  religion.  Modern  religion 
would  seem  to  be  intended  only  for  fools. 

W.  B.  S. — The  exaggerated  lies  of  these  silly  fanatics  defeat 
their  own  end.  They  are  too  absurd  to  impose  upon  any  but 
the  utterly  idiotic.  <!.  P.  O.  tells  me  that  the  berths  in  the 
Post  Office  are  always  the  result  of  merit  .  I  am  glad  to  hear  it. 
It  must  be  the  only  place  in  the  world  where  such  is  the  case. 
J.  F. — See  editorial  notes  in  To- Day  of  the  week  before  last.  These 
things  are  hallucinations.  A  man  can  always  see  what  he  thinks 
lie  sees,  just  as  an  anti-opium  faddist  can  always  believe  what  he 
thinks  it  suits  him  to  believe. 

Opium. — Your  two  friends  are  prejudiced  witnesses.  You 
must  remember  that  the  great  body  of  unprejudiced  evidence  is 
in  favour  of  opium  in  these  countries  as  a  medicinal  necessity. 
The  British  Medical  Journal  gave  the  opinions  of  all  the  leading 
doctors  in  India,  and  they  were  almost  unanimous.  Of  course, 
excessive  indulgence  in  opium  is  ruin,  but  so  is  excessive  in- 
dulgence in  tea.  The  New  York  hospitals  just  now  contain 
many  patients  suffering  from  a  horrible  disease  brought  about 
merely  by  tea-drinking,  but  I  suppose  you  would  not  prohibit 
tea-drinking,  would  you  ? 


J.  R.  B.-^This  seems  to  be  rather,  a  weak  case.  Tilling'? 
stables  I  know,  and  his  average  of  horse  flesh  is  exceedingly 
good.  I  shall  be  thankful  to  correspondents  who  draw  to  my 
attention  cases  of  omnibus  horses  of  poor  condition.  W.  T.  C. 
tells  me  that  at  a  certain  school  in  the  North  of  London,  the 
South  Kensington  Art  certificates  obtained  by  the  pupils  have 
been  deprived  of  their  border  by  the  principal,  who  thought  the 
design  indelicate.  I  should  like  to  know  the  name  of  this  school, 
so  as  to  avoid  the  risk,  among  one's  friends,  of  a  child  ever  going 
to  it.  E.  S.  M. — The  fashion  sketch  will  shortly  be  replaced. 
A.  S.  H.  and  Others. — Are  you  quite  sure  that  you  yourselves 
quite  understand  Socialism  ?  The  picture  drawn  by  wild-headed 
enthusiasts,  and  the  actual  facts  known  by  cool-headed  men, 
are  not  always  the  same.  Tell  me  how  deeply  you  have 
studied  the  subject.  Have  you  read  the  history  of  the  Latin 
republics — the  speeches  of  their  demagogues,  with  their 
results  ?  Are  you  quite  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  Greek 
democracies  ?  Have  you  devoted  the  necessary  two  or  three 
years'  study  to  the  history  of  the  French  Revolution  ?  Have 
you  considered  the  aims  and  hopes  of  the  enthusiasts  who 
brought  it  about,  and  compared  them  with  the  actual  resulting 
facts  ?  When  you  have  done  this,  you  will,  perhaps,  not  take 
for  truth  all  the  vague  fancies  placed  before  you  by  the  shallow 
enthusiasts  who  think  they  know  more  about  human  nature  and 
the  management  of  this  particular  planet  than  does  its  Creator. 
I  am  quite  aware  that  my  views  of  what  Socialism  is  are  very 
different  from  those  of  the  Socialists  themselves.  At  nineteen 
years  I  was  an  ardent  Socialist  ;  at — well,  never  mind  figures, 
I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  a  folly  suitable  only  to 
the  dreams  of  a  boy. 

Anatkh. — If  your  tale  is  not  the  result  of  a  diseased  or 
morbid  brain,  then  truly  your  life  is  one  of  the  grimest  trage- 
dies that  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  But,  frankly,  though  I  be- 
lieve you  are  saying  what  you  fully  believe  yourself,  I  cannot 
credit  you.  I  think  it  is  a  hallucination  on  your  part,  and  I 
wish,  finding  out  some  thoroughly  capable  scientific  doctor,  you 
would  talk  to  him  as  frankly  as  you  have  in  your  letter  to  me. 
It  is  a  generally  held  tenet  of  science  that  miiul  and  body  are, 
of  necessity,  one  and  the  same  ;  that  the  one  being  formed  by 
the  other,  they  cannot  possibly  differ.  That  they  should  would 
be  like  saying  that  a  beech  tree  could  produce  acorns  and  ivy 
yield  forth  figs.  The  laws  of  Nature  are  fixed  ;  they  cannot 
make  these  errors.  A  long  course  of  morbid  and  unhealthy 
literature,  and  early  friendship  with  morbid  and  unhealthy 
minds,  might  have  produced  these  ghastly  fancies  in  your  brain. 
It  would  serve  a  useful  purpose  if  you  would  add  to  your  ex- 
haustive and  intensely  interesting  account  your  age  and  the 
surrounding  circumstances  of  your  youth  and  early  manhood. 
Believe  me,  I  am  not  asking  this  with  any  motive  of  mere 
curiosity.  Sympathy,  even  if  your  own  account  of  yourself  were 
true,  I  could  not  offer  you,  for  such  things  are  beyond  an 
ordinary  man's  understanding  ;  they  are  outside  the  limits  of 
comprehension.  That  what  you  are  speaking  of  is  a  disease,  I 
am  confident  ;  it  is  a  disease  that  perhaps  science  might  hope  to 
cure,  and  therefore  anything  throwing  light  on  the  mental  side 
of  it  would  be  of  immense  value. 

Lutetian. — Paris  is  as  overcrowded  with  clerks  as  London, 
and  they  certainly  would  not  give  the  preference  to  an 
Englishman.  Unless  you  have  influence  it  would  be  useless 
your  attempting  to  obtain  a  situation  there. 

J.  H.  W.  (Leeds). — You  have  not  read  the  earlier  numbers  of 
To-Day,  or  you  would  not  have  written  as  you  do.  I  have  been 
arguing  this  child  insurance  question  for  months.  If  you  will 
refer  to  old  numbers  you  will  find  that  former  correspondents 
have  advanced  exactly  the  same  arguments  in  favour  of  child 
insurance  that  you  advance  now,  and  I  have  already 
answered  them — giving  my  reasons  for  coming  to  the  conclusion 
after  much  study  of  the  subject  and  much  enquiry — that  child 
insurance  serves  no  legitimate  end  whatever,  that  it  is  entered 
into  either  thoughtlessly,  or  with  a  vague  or  definite  wish  that 
the  child  may  die.  I  was  speaking  to  a  working-man  only  last 
week.  He  had  insured  his  four  children.  I  asked  him  what 
benefit  could  possibly  accrue  to  him.  He  admitted  he  could 
see  none  himself,  but  told  me  that  he  had  been  "worried"  into 
it  by  the  persistency  of  the  insurance  agent. 

Will  the  many  correspondents  who  write  me  from  week  to 
week  with  sound  and  excellent  advice  as  to  how  to  edit  this 
paper,  how  to  manage  it,  what  advertisements  to  put  in  and  what 
advertisements  to  leave  out,  where  to  place  the  advertisements, 
etc.,  etc.,  kindly  accept  my  grateful  and  sincere  thanks  !  There 
are  too  many  for  mc  to  answer  each  individually,  so  I  am  com- 
pelled to  adopt  this  method  of  replying  to  them  in  bulk.  They 
must  forgive  me  if  they  do  not  see  all  their  suggestions  carried 
out,  as,  with  the  best  intentions  in  the  world,  the  matter  becomes 
somewhat  impracticable.  Some  want  me  to  leave  out  serials 
and  some  short  stories,  some  object  to  any  humour  in  t he  paper, 
others  want  to  see  seriousness  entirely  eliminated.  Many  want 
to  do  away  with  "  Feminine  Affairs''  and  "  In  the  City  "  ;  others 
demand  that  I  should  leave  out  "Bookseller''  and  "Club 
Chatter,"  and  the  great  majority  are  most  emphatic  that  from 
beginning  to  end  there  should  be  no  advert  isenients.  The  only 
way  1  can  see  of  pleasing  all  my  advisers  would  be  to  issue 
thirty-two  blank  sheets,  but  even  then  there  might  be  some  1 
should  not  satisfy. 

Several  answers  arc  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week. 


January  1-2,  1895.  TO-DAY. 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  Dear  Dick, — Although  everybody  is  supposed  to 
be  out  of  town,  the  audience  at  the  Hayinarket  Theatre 
on  Thursday  night  was  smart  and  representative. 
Amongst  others  I  was  very  pleased  to  see  the  clever 
lady  who  writes  as  "Frank  Danby  "back  with  us,  look- 
ing none  the  worse  for  her  recent  severe  illness.  But  I 
must  confess  that  I  was  not  equally  delighted  to  find 
myself  compelled  to  breathe  the  same  air  with  a  number 
of  pale-faced,  feeble-looking,  emaciated  young  fops  who 
made  themselves  obnoxiously  conspicuous  and  ridiculous 
in  the  foyer  during  the  intervals  between  the  acts. 

Oscar  Wilde's  play  was  really  a  very  good  play.  If 
the  characters  had  talked  dialogue  remotely  approaching 
ordinary  conversation,  it  would  have  been  better. 
Copy-book  paradox  and  machine-made  epigram  palls 
upon  the  most  indulgent  after  the  first  hour.  It  makes 
you  yearn  for  Ollendorf,  and  words  of  one  syllable.  It 
also  demonstrates  that  Oscar  is  -not  quite  so  observant 
as  you  might  suppose.  Surely  he  ought  to  know  that 
everybody  does  not  habitually  converse  in  elaborately 
artificial  phraseology ;  and  besides,  if  they  did,  their 
gapes  and  gibes  would  lose  force  and  value  from  lack  of 
contrast.  This  is  the  cardinal  fault  of  An  Ideal 
Husband.  The  atmosphere  of  the  play  is  that  of  a 
phrase-raising  forcing-house.  It  is  all  so  impertinently 
polite,  and  priggishly  pedantic,  that  at  times  you 
literally  gasp  for  a  breath  of  fresh  swear — just  one 
homely,  healthy,  natural  damn,  to  arrest  the  turgid  tide 
of  tawdry  twaddle  that  trickles  so  tediously  through 
every  act.    The  rest  is  good  sound  Adelphi  melodrama. 

Sir  Robert  Chiltern,  early  in  his  political  career,  has 
sold  a  Cabinet  secret,  and  has  written  a  compromising 
letter  about  it  to  a  cosmopolitan  Baron,  who  has  died, 
leaving  his  fortune  and  the  letter  to  an  English  adven- 
turess. Sir  Robert  has  married  an  irreproachable  wife. 
She  looks  upon  him  as  the  quintessence  of  all  the  vir- 
tues. The  adventuress,  Mrs.  Cheveley,  comes  to 
England,  and  proceeds  to  blackmail  Sir  Robert.  At 
his  house  she  drops  a.  diamond,  bracelet.  Lord  Goring 
picks  it  up  and  starts  with  surprise.  Of  course  you 
will  be  astounded  and  astonished  to  learn  that  Mrs. 
Cheveley  has  stolen  the  bracelet,  and  that  when  she  is 
alone  with  Lord  Goring  he  has  merely  to  mention  the 
police  in  order  to  get  the  compromising  letter  away  from 
her.  And  so  on.  This  is  the  kind  of  plot  poor  Harry 
Pettitt  could  write  in  his  sleep.  And  very  excellent 
plot  it  is,  too.  The  audience  on  Thursday  appreciated 
the  fact.  They  were  interested  and  excited,  and  they 
applauded  enthusiastically. 

Lewis  Waller  played  remarkably  well  as  Sir  Robert. 
His  wife,  Miss  Florence  West,  was  very  good  as  the 
adventuress,  though  an  actress  of  more  inherent  power 
and  force  would  have  made  the  character  more  dominant. 
The  weight  of  the  play  fell  on  Charles  Hawtrey.  He 
was  obviously  nervous,  and  consequently  a  little  stiff  and 
restrained  at  times.  But  as  a  whole  his  acting  was 
admirable,  and  in  a  few  nights  time  it  will  be  one  of 
the  very  best  things  he  has  ever  done.  So  thorough  an 
artist  was  bound  to  attempt  serious  business  sooner  or 
later,  and  for  one  I  heartily  welcome  his  new  departure. 
I  only  hope  that  his  success  will  not  tempt  him  too  far. 
I  don't  want  to  see  him  play  Hamlet  at  a  matinee. 

Miss  J ulia  Neilson  had  not  very  much  to  do,  but  she 
did  it  most  sweetly.  Miss  Fanny  Brough  did  not  amuse 
me.  She  spoke  too  rapidly  and  had  not  the  pitch  of  the 
house,  consequently  she  was  not  always  quite  audible. 
Alfred  Bishop  had  the  advantage  of  playing  about  the 
only  ordinary  natural  human  part,  and  very  excellent  he 
was.  A  small  part  was  well  and  neatly  played  by  Cosmo 
Stuart.  Two  years  ago  he  was  about  the  wickedest 
amateur  I  ever  saw  ;  but  he  has  worked  hard  and 
thoroughly  since,  and  he  has  undoubtedly  the  makings  of 


309 


an  actor  in  him.  His  voice  is  a  little  husky,  which  spoils 
his  delivery,  but  this  is  a  fault  easily  cured.  Also,  if  he 
will  forgive  the  suggestion,  I  should  earnestly  recom- 
mend to  him  the  use  of  a  bicycle.  For  Cosmo  waxes 
portly. 

When  the  show  was  over,  Waller  made  a  short  speech 
in  capital  taste.    Oscar  Wilde  also  made  a  short  s/jech. 

On  Friday,  I  dropped  in  at  the  Moore  and  Burgess 
Minstrels,  to  see  the  new  plantation  operetta  by  Sims 
and  Caryll,  called  the  Yaller  Gal.  Some  years  ago  Sims 
wrote  a  musical  farce,  which  Tom  Thorne  put  on  at  the 
Vaudeville  when  he  was  running  The  Half-way  House, 
a  three  act  play,  also  by  Sims.  The  .little  one  act  piece 
was  called,  I  think,  The  Girl  He  Left  Behind  Him,  and 
from  what  I  recollect  of  it,  I  rather  fancy  that  in  the 
Yaller  Gal,  Sims  has  given  to  the  burnt  cork  minstrels 
The  Girl  He  Left  Behind  him,  blacked  and  polished.  In 
any  case  it  is  a  nice,  neat,  bright  entertainment,  and 
Caryll  has  provided  some  pretty  music  for  it. 

There  was  a  tremendous  crush  at  the  St.  James's  on 
Saturday  night  to  see  Guy  Domville,  by  Henry  James,  the 
well-known  novelist.  When  the  last  curtain  fell  I  re- 
called to  mind  a  conversation  that  I  had  with  George 
Alexander  several  months  ago.  I  had  been  comment- 
ing on  the  excellent  judgment  he  showed  in  the  selection 
of  his  plays,  and  I  remarked  that  he  was  very  lucky  in 
getting  such  a  rare  assortment  of  unusually  good  work 
to  choose  from.  Alexander  looked  rather  solemn  for  a 
minute  or  two,  and  gazed  into  space.  Then  he  said, 
with  curious  intensity,  "Yes — but  still  it's  there.  I  do 
my  very  utmost  to  play  only  what  will  please  the  public, 
and  be  artistically  creditable,  but  it's  waiting  for  me  all 
the  same— Failure — not  a  half-and-half  failure,  but  a 
real,  regular,  right  down  twenty  pounds  a  night  failure. 
I  shan't  like  it,  but  I  know  it's  coming,  and  I  do  my 
best  to  be  ready  for  it." 

The  failure  has  come.  It  would  be  useless  to  mince 
words  on  Guy  Domville.  The  play  is  beautifully 
mounted,  and  in  some  cases  well  acted,  but  it  is  doomed. 
Willie  Elliot  was  hopelessly  at  sea  as  a  wicked  noble- 
man, and  looked  as  if  he  belonged  to  a  comic  ballet, 
and  had  strayed  into  the  St.  J ames's  by  mistake.  At  a 
most  critical  moment  in  the  second  act  poor  Mrs. 
Saker  appeared  in  a  strictly  correct,  but  hopelessly 
ridiculous,  pannier  crinoline,  of  vast  proportions, 
which  sent  everybody  into  fits  of  laughter,  unnerved  the 
actress,  and  damned  the  end  of  the  scene.  Alexander 
wrestled  like  a  veritable  Samson  with  an  idiotic  drunken 
scene,  which  meant  nothing,  retarded  the  action,  and 
tried  the  patience  of  the  audience  ;  but  not  more  so  than 
did  the  series  of  sermons  that  the  author  put  into  the 
mouth  of  the  hero  at  the  finish. 

I  did  not  like  the  last  act  set  at  all.  It  looked  to  me 
like  three  bare  flats  that  the  scenic  artist  had  not  time 
to  finish,  and  so  the  stage  manager,  in  a  moment  of 
inspiration,  got  out  of  the  difficulty  by  saying,  "  Oh  ! 
never  mind,  sketch  in  a  few  panels  with  charcoal,  and 
we'll  call  it  the  White  Chamber."  Some  people  liked  it 
very  much,  however  ;  but  such  a  blare  of  strong  light 
background  is  fit  only  for  a  shadow  pantomime.  In  a 
real  play  it  wearies  the  eyes  of  the  audience. 

Taking  all  things  into  consideration,  Alexander  was 
undoubtedly  right  in  producing  a  play  by  Henry  James. 
If  a  modern  drama  is  to  be  made  all  the  best  men 
should  help  to  make  it.  Moreover,  there  has  been  so 
much  said  about  the  sexual  question  lately,  it  was 
unquestionably  wise  to  try  something  clean  and 
idyllic.  The  present  experiment  failed  because  the 
treatment  was  faulty.  Mr.  Henry  James  has  not  yet 
learnt  the  trick  of  writing  for  the  stage.  I  would 
remind  you  that  Claude  Carton  has.  We  all  of  us 
remember  his  delightful  Liberty  Hall.  I  hope  it  will 
not  be  very  long  before  Alexander  gives  us  something 
of  the  same  sort  by  the  same  author  again.  Indeed,  a 
revival  of  Liberty  Hall  would  very  well  serve  to  fill  a 
gap  until  a  new  play  is  ready.  What  the  new  play 
will  be  I  don't  know  for  certain,  but  I  am  inclined  to 


310 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1895. 


believe  that  it  will  be  a  new  and  very  strong  play  by 
Pinero. 

I  had  spent  so  many  jolly  evenings  in  the  Palais  de 
Glace,  in  Paris,  that  I  was  delighted  when  I  heard  that 
Niagara,  down  Westminster  way,  was  to  be  turned  into 
a  natural  skating  rink.  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  was  dis- 
appointed. I  have  nothing  to  say  against  the  rink, 
which  seemed  as  good  as  it  could  be,  but  whereas  in 
Paris  we,  spectators,  got  a  genial  atmosphere,  at  Niagara 
we  were  simply  frozen.  The  restaurant  was  cold,' 
bitterly  cold,  and  the  proprietors  evidently  thought  we 
,were  Americans,  inasmuch  as  they  iced  the  claret. 
Round  the  rink  it  was  a  question  of  either  freezing  or 
turning  up  your  coat  collar  and  wrapping  a  thick  muffler 
round  your  throat.  The  fittings  also  seemed  to  me  taw- 
dry. For  the  background  we  had  that  beautiful 
old  scenery  of  "Niagara  in  Winter";  in  the  front 
it  was  commonly  upholstered,  with  chilly-looking 
mirrors,  which  are  needless.  Surely  the  Company, 
with  the  knowledge  that  they  have  at  their  disposal  a 
novelty  that  would  attract  all  London,  will  improve  upon 
this.  Nor  do  I  think  that  diners,  for  whose  comfort 
Niagara  was  in  the  old  days  famed,  will  appreciate  the 
stove  pipes  that  are  among  the  main  decorations  of  the 
dining  hall. 

Miss  May  Yohe  was  married  to  Lord  Francis  Clinton- 
Hope  late  in  November.  Lord  Francis  is  a  charming 
young  fellow,  without  an  atom  of  "  side,  "  and  possessed 
of  very  considerable  ability. 

Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


1 


Gockspur  Street,  London. 

N VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


j_)ESERYE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
■pOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
J  EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


S 


C 

j^JARKET  REPORT. 

UR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


0 

L 

SECURITIES   PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 

HALF  PER  CENT. 
"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


If 

SUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
^TWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 


tENT  TOST  FREE. 


LIE 


PHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


FART   I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  .Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Tliree  Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.— HOW  TO  OPERATE 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
''A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1893  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can   Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


^ETTLEMENT   SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnight ly. 

No  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible" parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


I  have  an  announcement  to>  make  that  I  am  sure  will 
givei  a  very  large  body  of  my  readers  considerable  satis- 
faction— namely,  that  I  shall  take  up  Solo  Whist  again 
immediately.  When  my  notes  on  the  game  were  started 
last  year,  I  was  congratulated  on  all  sides,  and  this  time 
I  shall  the  better  deserve  support,  as  I  have  enlisted  the 
good  services  of  Mr.  A.  S.  Wilks,  whose  book,  "  Solo 
Whist,  and  How  to  Play  It"  (Chatto  and  Windus),  places 
his  judgment  beyond  dispute.  It  will  be  our  endeavour 
to  place  To-Day  in  the  position  of  the  recognised 
authority  on  the  many  disputed  points  that  occur. 
Another  game  that  I  intend  to  devote  some  space 
to  is  Poker,  which  is  yearly  becoming  more  popular 
in  England,  and  which  has  only  to  be  more  thoroughly 
understood  to  be  a  general  favourite.  I  am  also  making 
arrangements  to  deal  with  Golf,  and,  in  fact,  all  the 
games  that  are  popular  to-day.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, I  should  be  deeply  indebted  to  you  if  you  will 
bring  this  under  the  notice  of  your  clubs,  where  these 
games  are  played. 


I  am  told  that  the  regions  of  the  North  Pole  are  shortly 
to  be  turned  into  a  hunting  ground  for  big  game.  The 
guns  have  already  been  tested  by  the  best-known  experts, 
and  a  quantity  of  material  has  been  despatched,  to 
await  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  which  leaves  London 
in  May.  Meanwhile,  a  certain  amount  of  time  will  be 
devoted  io  geographical  research,  the  party  having  de- 
termined to  reach  two1  islands  that  are  known  to  exist, 
but  which  have  never  been  explored.  I  commend  this 
paragraph  to  our  French  neighbours,  who  are  still  con- 
vinced what  every  English  sportsman  in  search  of  novelty 
is  going  to  Madagascar  to  shoot  their  soldiers. 


France,  by  the  way,  has  another  grievance  against  us. 
This  time  it  is  because,  wben  we  go  South,  we  like  to  go 
quickly.  The  Parisian  hotel  -  keepers  and  tradesfolk 
protest  against  the  through  services  of  trains  now  run, 
contending  that  there  should  be  a  break  of  a.  day  or  so 
in  Paris,  in  order  that  English  travellers  may  be  induced 
to  spend  a  certain  sum  of  money  with  them. 


When  February  is  out  we  shall  get  the  first  instal- 
ment of  novelties  in  dress  for  the  coming  spring  and 
summer,  and  among  these  I  fancy  that  little  space  will 
be  given  to  rough  cloths.  They  have  enjoyed  a  longer 
spell  of  popularity  than  they  have  probably  ever  had 
before.  Diagonal  cloths  will  almost  certainly  be  revived 
for  general  wear.  The  diagonal  has  one  great  advan- 
tage, and  a  certain  disadvantage.  It  will  wear  for  years, 
but  it  will  persist  in  wearing  shiny.  The  first,  and  even 
the  second,  growth  of  this  can  be  easily  got  rid  of,  but 
afterwards  it  becomes  an  impossibility,  and  a  garment 
sound  in  every  other  respect  has  to  be  discarded. 


Black  spats  are  being  worn  everywhere,  to  the  ousting 
of  those  in  lighter  shades,  which  earlier  in  the  winter 
were  in  common  use.  Another  revival  is  the  worsted 
waistcoat,  which  is  now  just  as  popular  as  those  in 
corduroy. 


I  saw  a  remarkably  smart-looking  overcoat  that  had 
been  designed  for  a  well-known  man  about  town.  It  is 
cut  exactly  like  a  double-breasted  frock  coat,  with  fairly 
long  skirts.  To  avoid  the  drawing  at  the  legs,  which  is 
involved  in  most  long  coats,  the  cloth  behind  is  allowed 
to  underlap  considerably.  The  scams  are  broad  and 
raised,  and  the  waist  is  narrow.  Altogether,  the  coat  is 
one  of  the  dressiest  in  appearance  I  have  seen  for  some 
time-. 


The  use  and  otherwise  of  the  dining  jacket  has  puzzled 
a  number  of  my  correspondents.  It  may  he  generally 
taken  that  the  dining  jacket  is  only  permissible  where 
ladies  are  not  present,  or  where  the  ladies  belong  to  the 


Jani*  vry  12,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


311 


circle  of  personal  friends.  For  card  parties,  it  is  pre- 
i'era'  le  to  the  ordinary  evening  coat,  and  it  is  not  out  of 
place  at  music  halls. 

Brown  felt  hats  are  a.  safe  investment  for  the  coming 
spring.  The  coloured  hat  has  always  been  a  favourite 
with  the  Prince  of  Wales  ;  and  this  year  it  seems  destined 
for  general  popularity.  The  brims  are  fairly  broad,  and 
curled  sharply  at  the  sides,  while  the  crown  is  higher 
than  has  been  the  case  for  several  years  past. 


Smokers  will  thank  the  British  Medical  Journal  for 
its  timely  warning  as  to  the  danger  of  carrying  chlorate 
of  potash  lozenges  loose  in  the  pockets.  A  gentle- 
man, it  seems,  who,  like  many  of  us,  was  forgetful  of 
the  laws  of  chemistry,  had  the  lozenges  in  his  waistcoat 
pocket,  and  thoughtlessly  stowed  away  a,  box  of  safety 
matche-  among  them.  The  result  was  that  the  lozenges 
ignited  on  the  friction  surface,  and  set  the  matches  on 
rire.  It  was  only  the  fact  that  a  bucket  of  water  was 
handy  that  saved  his  life,  and,  as  it  was,  he  was  shock- 
ingly burned. 


For  ordinary  morning  wear,  a>  well-fitting  Chester- 
field is  the  correct  thing.  The  sack-back  over  coat  of 
last  season  is  going  out,  as  are  also  the  wide  trousers, 
which,  however  well  they  were  cut,  could  never  be  made 
to  look  very  smart.  They  are  now  being  made  nar- 
rower, with  the  slightest-  attempt  to'  fit  close  to  the  boot. 
This  change  from  "  sloppy "  clothes  to  garments  that 
fit  to  the  figure  will  be  welcomed  by  every  straight- 
limbed,  well-built  man. 


I  put  it  to  my  sporting  friends  whether  the  following 
does  not  over-reach  the  limits  : — 

"Dear  Major,— Does  the  horse  that  wins  the  Waterloo  Cuo  incur  any 
penalty  if  entered  for  the  Spring  handicaps?  I  am  told  it  does. 

"  Yours,  &c." 


Quite  a  small  sensation  has  been  caused  by  the  pub- 
lishing of  the  news  that  those  smart  animals,  Stow- 
market,  Contract,  and  Beggars'  Opera,  are  the  property 
O''  Mr.  Barney  Barnato.  People  are  wondering,  too,  how 
it  is  that  Mr.  Barnato  came  to  place  his  horses  in  Marsh's 
stable,  the  same  establishment  which  shelters  the  horses 
belonging  to  the  Prince  of  Wales,  the  Duke  of  Devon- 
shire, Lord  Wolverton,  and  Baron  de  Hirsch.  Readers 
of  the  City  columns  of  To-Day  during  the  last  few 
months  will  quite  readily  understand  the  cause  of  the 
surprise. 


A  friend  at  Newmarket  writes  me  to  the  effect  that 
there  is  no  more  improved  three-year-old  at  headquarters 
than  Sir  Visto.  Matthew  Dawson  is  not  the  sort  of 
man  to  go  into  ecstasies  over  any  animal,  but  he  ex- 
presses himself  as  being  very  well  satisfied  with  Sir  Visto, 
and  we  may  see  Lord  Rosebery  win  the  Derby  for  the 
second  year  in  succession.  I  know  of  several  people  who 
have  accepted  6  to  1  about  the  chance  of  the  son  of  Bar- 
caldine — Vista. 


The  appearance  of  the  entries  for  the  Spring  Handi- 
caps has  caused  sporting  men  to  think  of  Lincoln  and 
that  wonderful  "  saddling-bell  on  the  Carholme."  All 
things  considered,  the  entries  are  excellent,  and  it  is 
pleasing  to  note  how  staunchly  the  old  patrons  of  the 
Turf  have  supported  the  various  events  which  closed  on 
January  1. 


One  can  well  imagine  that  Mr.  Mainwaring  is  paying 
particular  attention  to  the  weights  for  the  Grand 
National  Steeplechase.  His  task  is  not  an  enviable  one ; 
and,  no-  matter  what  weight  he  apportions  Cloister,  he 
is  sure  to'  be  soundly  rated  by  certain  critics.  If  Cloister 


PACKED) !  N|  |M;iO  SS|D) 


BINGHAM  axxa  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON.  . 


TAKLIS!  What  is  Taklis  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS  IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK    HAT    RENOVATOR.      No  ironing 

required.    Unaffected  by  rain. 
Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  and  tube  of  TAKLIS 
post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 

The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Greese  Street,  London,  W, 

THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


t  c  n  h  o  u  s  e 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "  Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, 


elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 


WM.  STENHOUSE   &  CO., 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


TO-DAY. 


tfANtJAfefc  12,  1895. 


pets  more  than  13st.  41b.,  it  is  quite  on  the  cards  that 
Mr.  Duff  will  decline'  to  accept. 

A  CHEAT  discussion  is  raging  in  steeplechase  circles  as 
to  the  weight  Cloister  should  be  apportioned.  After 
bis  marvellous  exhibition  at  Liverpool,  and  his  success  at 
Sandown  Park,  it  is  pretty  clear  that  Mr.  Duff's  horse  can 
concede  a  considerable  amount  of  weight  to  any  steeple- 
chaser in  training.  But  I  hope  Mr.  Mainwaring  will 
not  crush  the  son  of  Ascetic  out  of  the  race.  The  limit 
now  is  9st.  71b.,  and  if  Cloister  gets  a  few  pounds  over 
13st.  he  will  be  set  a  hard  task.  Some  people  say  the 
horse  should  have  nearly  list.  Cloister  could  never 
win  under  such  a  weight. 


'  I  some  time  ago  asserted  that  Diggle  was,  next  to 
John  Roberts,  the  finest  billiard  player  we  have.  I 
think  that  after  Diggle'a  marvellous  performance  the 
other  day  few  will  dare  to'  dispute  my  assertion.  Diggle 
greatly  pleased  those  preisent  by  his  style,  winch  is 
devoid  of  all  ostentation.  One  thing  in  his  favour  is 
his  remarkably  long  reach.  He  can  play  a  rattling 
game  with  his  left  hand. 


Diggle  is  quite  a  young  man,  so  far  as  professional 
billiard  players  go,  having  only  just  reached  his  thirtieth 
year.  His  early  days  were  passed  at  Manchester,  where 
he  acted  as  marker  at  an  establishment  which  is  now  his 
own  property.  He  says  that  he  learned  to  play  from 
observation,  backed  by  practice  and  perseverance.  He 
had  no  lessons  from  any  crack  player. 

The  victory  of  England  at  Swansea,  though  ample 
enough,  was  not  so  easily  obtained  as  most  people  thought 
it  would  be.  The  Welshmen,  worn  down  by  the  strong 
work  of  our  forwards,  played  through  to  the  finish  with 
a  dogged  determination  which  prevented  an  increase  in 
the  score,  which  at  the  end  was  a  goal  and  three  tries  to 
two  tries..  The  English  majority  should  have  "been 
larger  but  for  the  singular  failure  of  Mitchell  in  covert- 
ing,  one  of  the  kicks  missed  being  particularly  easy. 
Fegan  was  responsible  for  one  blunder,  which  gave  the 
Welshmen  a  try,  but  he  retrieved  this  later  on  by  stopping 
an  otherwise  certain  score.  The  other  Blackheath  three- 
quarter,  Thomson,  got  one  of  the  tries,  and  S.  M.  J. 
Woods  justified  his  selection  by  scoring.  It  was 
hardly  to  be  expected  that  England  would  repeat  the 
ridiculously  easy  victory  of  last  year  at  Birkenhead  Park. 
The  struggle  was  a  tough  one,  but  the  better  team  won. 

The  League  competition  is  assuming  a  very  interest- 
ing phase  owing  to  the  failure  of  Sunderland  and 
Everton  to  keep  up  their  form.  Following  upon  their 
defeat  by  Sheffield  Wednesday,  Everton  came  another 
cropper,  this  time  from  the  despised  Wolverhampton 
Wanderers,  one  of  the  candidates  for  the  wooden  spoon. 
Then  Sunderland,  after  being  beaten  by  Notts  Forest  at 
Nottingham,  could  only  draw  against  them  at  Sunder- 
land. Meanwhile  Aston  Villa  go  on  their  way 
rejoicing,  and  now  enjoy  the  distinction  of  being  at  the 


GOLF!  GOLF!!  GOLF ! ! ! 

The  Chance  of  a  Lifetime! 


5nnn  golf  globs 
nfftjf  njH  nW  Must  be  Cleared  out  by  end 
■  of  the  month. 

THE  TRUSTEE  on  the  estate  of  a  well-known  maker  has 
instructed  us  to  dispose  of  upwards  of  5,000  FIRST- 
QUALITY  GOLF  CLUBS.  To  accomplish  this  we 
now  offer  these  at  the  absurdly  Low  Price  of  4s.  J2  hd. 
each — Carriage  paid  to  any  address.  The  usual  prices  for  these 
Clubs  run  from  5s.  6d.  to  7s.  6d.,  and  Golfers  should  not  miss 
this  opportunity.     Address — 

"  H  Dept.,"  McAULAY  &  CO.,  257,  Argyle  Street,  Glasgow. 


top  of  the  table,  but  as  they  have  played  two  matches 
more  than  Sunderland,  and  four  more  than  Everton, 
they  are  not  likely  to  stop  there  long.  The  other 
League  matches  on  Saturday  were  remarkable  for  the 
big  scores  of  Blackburn  Rovers  (who  pub  on  nine  goals 
to  one  against  Small  Heath),  and  of  Sheffield  Wednes- 
day, who  sent  Liverpool  home  pointless  with  a  thrashing 
of  five  goals.  Preston  North  End  won  a  good  game  by 
5 — 4  at  West  Bromwich,  and  Burnley  just  beat  Bolton 
by  a  single  goal. 

Southern  League  form  is  inexplicable.  It  seems  im- 
possible to  explain  the  defeats  of  Luton  by  Ilford,  and 
Southampton  St.  Mary's  by  Reading.  Almost  as  sur- 
prising was  the  victory  of  Clapton  over  Royal  Ordnance 
at  Greenwich.  With  Millwall  Athletic  out  this  com- 
petition would  be  decidedly  interesting,  as  with  the 
exception  of  Chatham  and  Swindon,  the  clubs  are  on 
the  same  level,  and  there  does  not  seem  a  pin  to  choose 
between  them. 


A  scandal  of  some  magnitude  is  likely  to  come  to 
light  soon  in  connection  with  the  London  Football 
Association,  and  if  the  allegations  made  prove  true  it 
is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  suspensions  will  be  made 
which  will  create  quite  a  sensation.  I  am  not  at  liberty 
just  yet  to  say  anything  more,  as  the  matter  is  still  sub 
judice  at  the  time  of  writing. 

Woolwich  Arsenal  supporters .  are  very  angry  at 
the  conduct  of  Boyd  and  another  playing  in  deserting 
their  club  just  when  they  were  most  needed,  and  the 
chances  of  the  club  getting  into  the  top  four  of  the 
second  division  of  the  League  are  growing  "  small  by 
degrees  and  beautifully  less."  Boyd  has  been 
permanently  suspended,  and  is  said  to  have  returned  to 
his  native  land.  His  behaviour  is  all  the  more 
inexplicable  as  the  directors  of  the  club  treated  him 
handsomely  when  he  was  laid  up  through  his  injury. 

I  spoke  some  time  ago  of  the  danger  to  health  caused 
by  the  sale  of  cigarettes  with  imitation  gold  mouthpieces. 
Under  these  circumstances  it  will  be  a  satisfaction  to 
everyone  who  appreciates  the  pleasant  sensation  to  the 
lips  of  the  metal  foil,  to  hear  that  Messrs.  W.  D.  and  H. 
O.  Wills  have  taken  up  the  manufacture  and  guarantee 
that  22-carat  gold  only  is  used. 

Travellers  to  the  North  will  appreciate  the  news  that 
the  London  and  North- Western  Railway  Company  are 
now  running  a  dining  saloon  for  Liverpool  on  the 
r>.30  p.m.  train  from  Euston.  This  arrangement  does 
away  with  the  bother  of  Liverpool  passengers  having 
to  travel,  as  formerly,  in  the  Manchester  dining  car 
between  London  and  Crewe.  A  new  type  of  dining 
saloon,  upwards  of  60  feet  in  length,  and  capable  of 
seating  twenty  passengers,  will  be  run  by  the  same 
train  from  London  to  Manchester.  Dining  saloons  will 
still  be  run  on  the  4.10  p.m.  train  from  Euston  to  Liver- 
pool. The  Major. 


VOLUME  IV.  of 


NOW  READY,  FROM  ALL  BOOKSELLERS. 
Price  3s.  6d.  ;    or  Post  Free  from  this  Office,  4s. 


COVERS  FOR  BINDING  "TO-DAY," 

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TITLE  PAGE  AND  INDEX,  Price  Id.,  Post  Free 


January  12,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


313 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  II. 
Thk  Ordeal. 

T  was  wonderful  how  quickly 
the  room  filled — filled  with 
angry  faces,  so  that  almost 
before  I  knew  myself  what 
had  happened,  I  found  a 
crowd  round  me,  asking 
what  it  was ;  M.  de  St. 
Alais  foremost.  As  all 
spoke  at  once,  and  in  the 
background  where  they 
could  not  see,  ladies  were 
screaming  and  chattering,  I  might  have  found  it  difficult 
to  explain.  But  the  shattered  window  and  the  great 
stone  on  the  floor  spoke  for  themselves,  and  told  more 
quickly  than  I  could  what  had  taken  place. 

On  the  instant,  with  a  speed  which  surprised  me,  the 
sight  blew  into  a  flame  passions  already  smouldering  in 
the  breasts  of  many  present.  A  dozen  voices  cried, 
"Out  on  the  Canaille  !  "  and  in  a  moment  someone  in 
the  background  followed  this  up  with  "  Swords,  Mes- 
fiaurs,  swords ! "  In  a  trice  half  the  gentlemen  were 
elbowing  one  another  towards  the  door,  St.  Alais,  who 
burned  to  avenge  the  insult  offered  to  his  guests,  taking 
the  lead.  M.  de  Gontaut  and  one  or  two  of  the  elders 
tried  to  restrain  him,  but  in  vain.  In  a  moment  the  room 
was  almost  emptied  of  men.  They  poured  out  into  the 
street  in  a  body,  and  began  to  scour  it  with  drawn  blades 
looking  for  the  offenders.  A  dozen  valets,  running  out 
officiously  with  flambeaux,  aided  in  the  search  ;  so  that 
for  a  few  minutes  the  street,  as  we  who  remained  viewed 
it  from  the  windows,  seemed  to  be  alive  with  moving 
lights  and  figures. 

But  the  rascals  who  had  flung  the  stone,  whatever  the 
motive  which  had  inspired  them,  had  fled  in  time ;  and 
]  reseutly  our  party  returned,  some  a  little  ashamed  of 
t'.ieir  violence,  others  laughing  as  they  entered,  and  be- 
wailing their  silk  stockings  and  spattered  shoes  ;  while 
a  few,  less  fashionable  or  more  impetuous,  continued 
to  denounce  the  insult,  and  threaten  vengeance  At 
an<  ther  time,  the  act  might  have  seemed  trivial,  a 
childish  insult;  but  in  the  strained  state  of  public  feel- 
ing it  had  an  unpleasant  and  menacing  air  which  was 
not  lost  on  the  more  thoughtful.  During  the  absence 
of  the  street  party,  the  draught  from  the  broken  window 
had  blown  a  curtain  against  some  candles  and  set  it 
alight ;  the  stuff  had  been  torn  down  with  little  damage, 
but  it  slill  smoked  among  the  debris  on  the  floor;  and 
tins,  with  the  startled  faces  of  the  ladies,  and  the  shat- 
tered glass,  gave  a  look  of  disorder  and  ruin  to  the  room, 
where  a  few  minutes  before  all  had  worn  so  seemly  and 
festive  an  air. 

It  did  not  surprise  me,  therefore,  that  St.  Alais'  face, 
stern  enough  at  his  entrance,  grew  darker  as  he  looked 
round. 

"Where  is  my  sister?"  he  said,  abruptly,  almost 
rudely. 

"  Here,"  Madame  la  Marquise  answered. 


Denise  had  flown  long  before  to  her  side,  and  waa 
clinging  to  her. 
"  She  is  not  hurt  1" 

"No,"  Madame  answered,  playfully  tapping  the  girl's 
cheek.    "  M.  de  Saux  had  most  reason  to  complain." 

"  Save  me  from  my  friends,  eh  Monsieur  ?  "  St.  Alais 
said,  with  an  unpleasant  smile. 

I  started.  The  words  were  not  much  in  themselves, 
but  the  sneer  underlying  them  was  plain.  I  could 
scarcely  pass  it  by. 

"  If  you  think,  M.  le  Marquis,"  I  said,  sharply,  "  that 

I  knew  anything  of  this  outrage  " 

'  "  That  you  knew  anything  1  Ma  foi,  no  !  "  he  replied 
lightly,  and  with  a  courtly  gesture  of  deprecation. 
"  We  have  not  fallen  to  that  yet.  That  any  gentleman 
in  this  company  should!  sink  to  play  the  fellow  to  those 
— is  not  possible !  But  I  think  we  may  draw  a  useful 
lesson  from  this,  gentlemen,"  he  continued,  turning  from 
me,  and  addressing  the  company,  "  a  lesson  to  hold  our 
own,  or  we  shall  lose  all." 

A  hum  of  approbation  ran  round  the  room. 

"  To  maintain  privileges,"  he  cried  more  loudly,  "  or 
we  shall  lose  rights." 

Twenty  Aroices  were  raised  in  stern  assent. 

"  To  stand  now,"  the  Marquis  continued,  his  colour 
high,  his  hand  raised,  "  or  never  !" 

"  Then  now  !  Now  !  "  The  cry  rose  not  from  one, 
but  from  a  hundred  throats — of  men  and  women  ;  and  in 
a  moment  the  room  seemed  to  throb  with  enthusiasm, 
with  the  pulse  of  resolve.  Men's  eyes  grew  bright  under 
the  candles,  they  breathed  quickly,  and  with  heightened 
coiour.  Even  the  weakest  felt  the  influence  ;  the  fool 
who  had  prated  of  the  social  contract  and  the  rights  of 
man  was  as  loud  as  any.    "  Now  !    Now  !  "  they  cried. 

What  followed  on  that  I  have  never  thoroughly  under- 
stood ;  nor  whether  it  was  a  thing  arranged,  or  merely 
a  a  inspiration,  born  of  the  common  enthusiasm.  But 
while  the  windows  still  shook  with  that  shout,  and  every 
eye  was  on  him,  M.  de  St.  Alais  stepped  forward,  the  most 
gal  ant  and  n>ble  of  figures,  and  with  a  splendid 
gesture  drew  his  sword. 

"  Gentlemen  !  "  he  cried,  "  we  are  of  one  mind,  of  one 
voice.  Let  us  therefore  be  in  the  fashion.  If  while 
all  the  world  is  fighting  to  get  and  hold,  we,  we  alono 
stand  still  and  on  the  defensive,  we  court  attack,  and, 
what  is  worse,  defeat !  Let  us  unite  then,  while  it  is 
still  time,  and  show  that,  in  Quercy  at  least,  our  order 
•will,  stand  or  fall  together.  You  have  heard  of  the 
oath  of  the  Tennis  Court  and  the  20th  of  Jur.e.  Let  us, 
too,  take  an  oath — this  22nd  of  July  :  no.  with  up- 
lifted hands  like  a  club  of  wordy  debaters,  promising 
all  things  to  all  men;  but  with  uplifted  swords.  As 
nobles  and  gentlemen,  let  us  swear  to  stand  by  the  rights, 
the  privileges,  and  the  exemptions  of  our  Order  !" 

A  shout  that  made  the  candles  flicker  and  jump,  that 
filled  the  street,  and  was  heard  even  in  the  distant  mar- 
ket-place, greeted  the  proposal.  Some  drew  their 
swords  at  once,  and  flourished  them  above  their  heads ; 
while  ladies  waved  their  fans  or  kerchiefs.  But  the 
majority  cried  "  To  the  larger  room  !  To  the  larger 
room  !  "  And  on  the  instant,  as  if  obeying  an  order,  the 
company  turned  that  way,  and  flushed,  and  eager, 
pressed  through  the  narrow  doorway  into  the  next  room. 

There  may  have  been  some  among  them  less  enthu- 
siastic, than  others;  some  more  earnest  in  show  than  at 
heart ;  but  none,  I  am  sure,  who,  on  this,  followed  so 


Copyright,  1S05,  by  Stanley  J.  Weyman. 


814 


TO-DAY. 


January  12,  1S05. 


slowly,  so  reluctantly,  with  so  heavy  a  heart,  and  sure  a 
presage  of  evil  as  I  did.  Already  I  foresaw  the  dilemma 
before  me  ;  but  angry,  hot-faced,  and  uncertain,  could 
discern  no  way  ou';  of  it. 

If  I  could  have  escaped,  and  slipped  clear  at  this 
moment,  I  would  have  done  so  without  scruple  ;  but  the 
.stairs  were  on  the  farther  side  of  the  great  room  which 
we  were  entering,  and  a  dense  crowd  cut  me  off  from 
them  ;  to  crown  all,  I  felt  that  St.  Alais'  eye  was  upon 
me,  and  that,  if  he  had  not  framed  this  ordeal  to  meet 
my  case,  and  extort  my  support,  whether  I  would  or  no, 
he  was  at  least  determined,  now  his  blood  was  fired, 
that  I  should  not  evade  it. 

Still  I  lingered  near  the  inner  door,  hoping;  but  the 
Marquis,  on  leaching  the  middle  of  the  room,  mounted 
a  chair,  and  turned  round  ;  and  so  contrived  still  to  face 
m=.  The  mob  of  gentlemen  fcrmed  themselves  round 
him,  the  younger  and  more  tumultuous  uttering  cries 
of  "  Vive  la  Noblesse  !  "  and  a  fringe  of  ladies  encircled 
ail.  The  lights,  the  brilliant  dresses  and  jewels,  the  im- 
passioned faces,  the  waving  kerchiefs  and  bright  eyes, 
rendered  the  scene  one  to  be  remembered,  though  at  the 
moment  I  was  conscious  only  of  St.  Alais'  gaze. 

"  Messieurs,"  he  cried,  "  draw  yom  swords,  if  you 
please  !" 

They  flashed  out  at  the  word,  with  a  steely  glitter, 
which  the  mirrors  reflected  :  and  M.  de  St.  Alais  passed 
Lis  eye  slowly  round',  while  all  waited  for  the  word.  He 
stopped  ;  his  eye  was  on  me. 

M.  de  Saux,"  he  said,  politely,  "we  are  waiting  for 
ycu  " 

Naturally  all  turned.  I  strove  to  mutter  something, 
and  signed  to  him  with  my  hand  to  go  ou.  But  I 
was  too  much  confused  to  speak  clearly ;  my  hope  was 
that  he  would  comply,  out  of  prudence. 

But  that  was  the  last  thing  he  thought  of  doing. 

"Will  you  take  your  place,  Monsieur?''  he  said, 
smoothly. 

Then  I  could  escape  no  longer.  A  hundred  eyes, 
some  impatient,  some  merely  curious,  rested  on  me.  My 
face  burned. 

"  I  cannot  do  so,"  I  answered. 

There  fell  a  great  silence  from  one  end  of  the  room 
to  the  other. 

"  Why  not,  Monsieur,  if  I  may  ask?"  St.  Alais  said, 
?till  smoothly. 

"  Because  I  am  not — entirely  at  one  with  you,"  I 
stammered,  meeting  all  eyes  as  bravely  as  I  could.  "Mv 
opinions  are  known,  M.  de  St.  Alais,"  I  went  on  more 
steadfastly.    "I  cannot  swear." 

He  stayed  with  his  hand  a  dozen  who  would  have  cried 
out  upon  me. 

"  Gently,  Messieurs,"  he  said,  with  a  gesture  of  dignity, 
"  gently,  if  you  please.  This  is  no  place  for  threats. 
It.  de  Saux  is  my  guest ;  and  I  have  too  great  a  respect 
lor  him,  not  to  respect  his  scruples.  But  I  think  that 
there  is  another  way.  I  shall  not  venture  to  argue  with 
him  myself.  But — Madame,"  he  continued,  smiling 
ivi  he  tinned  with  an  inimitable  air  to  Ins  mother,  "I 
think  that  if  you  would  permit  Mademoiselle  de  St. 
Alais  to  play  the  recruiting-sergeant  for  this  one  time 
— she  could  not  fail  to  heal  the  breach.'' 

A  murmur  of  laughter  and  subdued  applause,  a  flutter 
of  fans  and  women's  eyes  greeted  the  proposal.  But,  for 
a  moment,  Madame  la  Marquise,  smiling  and  sphinx- 
like, stood  still,  and  did  not  speak.    Then  she  turned 


to  her  daughter,  who,  at  the  mention  of  her  name,  had 
ccwered  back,  shrinking  from  sight. 

"Go,  Denise,"  she  said,  simply.  "Ask  M.  do  Saux 
to  honour  you  by  becoming  your  recruit." 

The  girl  came  forward  slowly,  and  with  a  visible 
tremor ;  and  never  shall  I  forget  the  miserv  of  that 
moment,  or  the  shame  and  obstinacy  that  alternately 
surged  through  my  brain  as  I  awaited  her.  Thought, 
quicker  than  lightning,  showed  me  the  trap  into 
which  I  had  fallen,  a  trap  far  more  horrible  than 
the  dilemma  I  had  foreseen.  But  the  poor  girl 
herself,  as  she  stood  before  me,  tortured  by  shyness, 
and  stammering  her  little  petition  in  words  barely  in- 
telligible, was  not  the  least  part  of  my  pain. 

For  to  refuse  her,  in  face  of  all  those  people,  seemed 
a  thing  impossible.  It  seemed  a  thing  as  brutal  as  to 
strike  her;  an  act  as  cruel,  as  churlish,  as  unworthy  of  a 
gentleman  as  to  trample  any  helpless  sensitive  thing 
under  foot.  And  I  felt  that ;  I  felt  it  to  the  utmost.  But 
I  felt  also  that  to  assent  was  to  turn  my  back  on  consis- 
tency, and  my  life;  to  consent  to  be  a  dupe,  the  victim  of  a 
ruse  ;  to  be  a  coward,  though  everyone  there  might  ap- 
plaud me.  I  saw  both  these  things,  and  for  a  moment 
I  hesitated  between  rage  and  pity ;  while  lights  and 
fair  faces,  inquisitive  or  scornful,  shifted  mazily  before 
my  eyes.    At  last — 

"Mademoiselle,  I  cannot,"  I  muttered.    "I  cannot." 

"  Monsieur  1" 

It  was  not  the  girl's  word,  but  Madame' s,  and  it  rang 
high  and  sharp  through  the  room ;  so  that  I  thanked 
God  for  the  intervention.  It  cleared  in  a  moment  the 
confusion  from  my  brain.  I  became  myself.  I  turned 
to  her ;  I  bowed'. 

"  No,  Madame,  I  cannot."  I  said  firmly,  doubting"  no 
longer,  but  stubborn,  defiant,  resolute.  "  My  opinions 
are  known.  And  I  will  not  even  for  Mademoiselle's 
soke,  give  the  lie  to  them." 

As  the  last  word  fell  from  my  lips,  a  glove,  flung  by 
an  unseen  hand,  struck  me  on  the  cheek  ;  and  then  for  a 
moment  the  room  seemed  to  go  mad.  Amid  a  storm  of 
hisses,  of  "Vaurien!"  and  "A  bas  le  traitre !"  a  dozen 
blades  were  brandished  in  mv  face,  a  dozen  challenges 
were  flung  at  my  head.  I  had  not  learned  at  that  time  how 
excitable  is  a  crowd,  how  much  less  merciful  than  any 
member  of  it ;  and  surprised  and  deafened  by  the  tu- 
mult, which  the  shrieks  of  the  ladies  did  not  tend  to 
diminish,  I  recoiled  a  pace. 

M.  do  St.  Alais  took  advantage  of  the  moment.  He 
sprang  down,  and  thrusting  aside  the  blades  which 
threatened  me,  flung  himself  in  front  of  me. 

"  Messieurs,  listen !"  he  cried,  above  the  uproar. 
"  Listen,  I  beg !  Thi?.  gentleman  is  my  guest.  He  is 
no  longer  of  us,  but  he  must  go  unharmed.  A  way ! 
A  way,  if  you  please,  for  M.  le  Vicomte  de  Saux." 

They  obeyed  him  reluctantly,  and  falling  back  to  one 
side  or  the  other,  presently  opened  a  way  across  the 
room  to  the  door.  He  turned  to  me,  and  bowed  low, 
his  courtliest  bow. 

"  This  way.  Monsieur  le  Vicomte,  if  you  please,"  he 
said.  "  Madame  la  Marquise  will  not  trespass  on  your 
time  any  longer." 

I  followed  him  with  a  burning  face,  down  the  lane  of 
shining  parquet,  under  the  chandelier,  between  the  lines 
of  mocking  eyes,  and  not  a  man  interposed.  In  dead 
silence  I  followed  him  to  the  door.  There  St.  Alais 
stood  aside,  and  bowed  to  me,  and  I  to  him,  and  I  walked 
out  mechanically. 


Fanuary  12,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


I  was  in  the  lobby.  The  crowd  of  peeping,  grinning 
jUck'eys  th.it  filled  it  stared  at  me,  all  cj'es ;  but  I  was 
scarcely  conscious  of  their  impertinence  or  their  pre- 
sence. Until  I  reached  the  street,  and  the  cold  air  re- 
vived me,  I  went  like  a  man  stunned,  and'- unable  to 
think.  The  blow  had  fallen  on  me  so  suddenly,  so  un- 
expectedly. 

When  I  did  come  a  little  to  mvself,  my  first  feeling  was 
rage,  i  had  gone  into  M.  de  St.  Alais'  house  that 
evening,  possessing  everything;  I  came  out,  stripped 
of  friends,  reputation,  1  etrothed  !  I  had  gene  in, 
trusting  to  his  friendship,  the  friendship  that  was 
a  tradition  in  our 
families  ;  and  he 
had  worsted  me 
by  a  trick.  I 
stood  in  the  street, 
and  groaned  as  I 
thought  of  it ;  a,s 
I  pictured  the 
sorry  figure  I  had 
cut  amongst  them, 
and  reflected  on 
what  was  before 
me. 

For,  presently, 
I  began  to  think 
that  I  had  been  a 
fool  —  that  I 
should  have  given 
way.  T  could  not, 
as  I  stood  in  the 
street  there,  fore- 
see the  future  ; 
nor  know  for  cer- 
tain that  the  old 
France  was  pass- 
ing, and  that  even 
now,  in  Paris,  its 
death  -  knell  had 
g  me  forth.  I  had 
to  live  by  the 
opinions  of  the 
people  round  me  ; 
to  think,  as  I 
paced  the  streets, 
how  I  should  face 
the  company  to- 
morrow, and 
whether  I  should 
fly,  or  whether  I 
should  fight.  For 
in  the  meeting  on 
the  morrow  

Ah !  the  Assembly.  The  word  turned  my  thoughts 
into  a  new  channel.  I  could  have  my  revenge 
there.  That  I  might  not  raise  a  jarring  note  there, 
they  had  cajoled  me,  and  when  cajolery  failed, 
had  insulted  me.  Well,  I  would  show  them  that  the 
new  way  would  succeed  no  better  than  the  old,  and  that 
where  they  had  Jhought  to  suppress  a  Saux  they  had 
raised  a  Mirabedu.  From  this  point  I  passed  the  night  in 
a  fever.  Resentment  spurred  ambition ;  rage  against 
mv  caste,  a  love  of  the  people.  Every  sign  of  misery 
and  famine  that  had  passed  before  my  eyes  during  the 
day  recurred  now,  and  was  garnered  for  use.  The 


THEY  POURED  OUT  INTO  THE  STREET  IN  A  BODY, 


early  daylight  found  me  still  pacing  my  room,  still 
thinking,  composing,  reciting ;  when  Andre,  my  old 
bedy-servant,  who  had  been  also  my  father's,  came  at 
ceven  with  a  note  in  his  hand,  I  was  still  in  my  clothes. 

Doubtless  he  had  heard  downstairs  a  garbled  account 
of  what  had  occurred,  and  my  cheek  burned.  I  took 
no  notice  of  his  gloomy  looks,  however,  but,  without 
speaking,  opened  the  note.  It  was  not  signed,  but  the 
handwriting  was  Louis'. 

"  Go  home,"  it  ran,  "  and  do  not  show  yourself  at  the 
Assembly.  They  will  challenge  you  one  by  one ;  the 
event  is  certain.      Leave  Cahors  at  once,  or  you  are 

a  dead  man." 

That  was  all ! 
I  smiled  bitterly 
at  the  weakness  of 
the  man  who  could 
do  no  more  for  his 
friend  than  this. 

"Who  gave  it 
to  you  ? "  I  asked 
Andre*. 

"  A  servant, 
Monsieur." 
"Whose?" 
But  he  mut- 
tered that  he  did 
not  know  ;  and  I 
did  not  press  him. 
He  assisted  me  to 
shange  my  dress  , 
when  I  had  done, 
he  asked  me  at 
what  hour  I 
needed  the  horses. 

"  The  horses  ! 
For  what  ? "  I 
said,  turning  and 
staring  at  him. 

"To  return, 
Monsieur." 

"But  I  do  not 
return  to-day  !  " 
1  said  in  cold  dis- 
pleasure. "  Of 
what  are  you 
speaking  ?  We 
came  only  yester- 
day." 

"True,  Mon- 
sieur," he  mut- 
tered, continuing 
to  potter  over  my 
dressing  things, 

witli  his  back  to  rne.  "Still,  it  is  a  good  day  for  returning." 

"  You  have  been  reading  this  note ! "  I  cried,  wrath- 
fully.    "  Who  told  you  that  " 

"  All  the  town  knows ! "  he  answered,  shrugging  his 
shoulders,  coolly.  "  It  is,  'Andre,  take  your  master 
home  ! '  and  '  Andre,  you  have  a  hot-pate  for  a  master',, 
and  Andn'j  this,  and  Andre  that,  until  I  am  fairly 
muddled !  Gil  has'  a  bloody  nose,  fighting  a  Harin- 
nourt  lad  that  called  Monsieur  a  fool ;  but  for  me,  I  am 
too  old  for  fighting.  And  there  is  one  other  thing1 1 
am  too  old  for,"  he  continued,  sniffing — "  and  that  is,  to- 
bury  another  master." 


816  TO-DAY. 


I  waited  a  minute.    Then  I  said — 

'■You  think  that  I  shall  be  killed  1" 

'It  is  lbs  talk  of  the  town!" 

I  thought  a  moment.    Then — 

<:  You  sfivec!  my  father,  Andre?"  I  said 

"  Ah '.  Mo-isieur." 

"  Yet  you  would  have  me  run  away  1 " 

tie  turned  to  me,  and  flung  up  his  hands  in  despair. 

"  Mon  Dieu  !  "  he  cried,  "  I  don't  know  what  I  would 
have !  We  are  ruined  by  these  canaille.  As  if  God  made 
them  to  do  anything  but  dig  and  work  ;  or  we  could  do 
without  poor.  If  you  had  never  taken  up  with  them, 
Monsieur  " 

"Silence,  man!"  I  said,  sternly.  "You  know 
nothing  about  it.  Go  down  now,  and  another  time 
be  more  careful.  You  talk  of  the  canaille  and  the 
poor!    What  are  you  yourself?" 

"I,  Monsieur?"  he  cried. 

"  Yes— you  !  " 

He  looked  at  me  with  a  stare  of  utter,  astonishment. 
Then  he  shook  his  head,  sorrowfully,  and  went  out.  He 
began  to  think  me  mad. 

I  thought  it  likely  that  if  I  showed  myself  in 
the  streets  before  the  Assembly  met,  I  should  be 
challenged,  and  forced  to  fight,  I  waited,  therefore, 
until  the  hour  of  mooting  was  past;  waited  in  the 
dull  room,  feeling  the  bitterness  of  isolation,  and 
thinking,  sometimes  of  Louis  St.  Alais,  who  had  let.  me 
go,  and  spoken  no  word  in  my  behalf,  sometimes  of 
men's  unreasonableness  ;  for  in  some  of  the  provinces 
half  of  the  nobility  -were  of  my  way  of  thinking.  I 
thought  of  Saux,  too  j  and  I  will  not  say  that  I  felt  no 
temptation  to  adopt  the  course  which  Andre  had  sug- 
gested— to  withdraw  quietly  thither,  and  then  at  some 
later  time,  when  men's  minds  were  calmer,  to  vindicate 
my  courage.  But  a  certain  stubbornness,  which  my 
father  had  before  me,  and  which  I  have  heard  people 
say  comes  of  an  English  strain  in  the  race,  conspired 
with  resentment  to  keep  me  in  the  way  I  had  marked 
out.  At  a  quarter-past  ten,  therefore,  when  I  thought 
that  the  last  of  the  Members  would  have  preceded  me 
to  the  Assembly,  I  went  downstairs,  with  hot  cheeks, 
but  eyes  that  wore  stern  enough  ;  and  finding- 
Andre  and  Gil  waiting  at  the  door,  bade  them  follow 
me  to  the  Chapter  House  beside  the  Cathedral,  where  the 
meetings  were  held. 

Afterwards  I  was  told  that,  had  I  used  my  eyes,  I  must 
have  noticed  the  excitement  which  prevailed  in  thestreets; 
the  crowd,  dense,  yet  silent,  that  filled  the  Square  and  all 
the  neighbouring  ways ;  the  air  of  expectancy,  the 
closed  shops,  the  cessation  of  business,  the  whispering 
groups  in  alleys  and  at  doors.  But  I  was  wrapped  up 
in  myself,  like  one  going  on  a  forlorn  hope ;  and  of 
all  remarked  only  one  thing— that  as  I  crossed  the 
Square  a  man  called  out,  "  God  bless  you,  Monsieur ! " 
and  another,  "  Vive  Saux  !  "  and  that  thereon  a  dozen 
or  mora  took  off  their  caps.  This  I  did  notice ;  but 
mechanically  only.  The  next  moment  I  was  in  the 
entry  which  leads  alongside  one  wall  of  the  Cathedral 
to  the  Chapter  House,  and  a  crowd  of  clerks  and 
servants,  who  blocked  it  almost  from  wall  to  wall,  were 
making  way  for  me  to  pass ;  not  without  looks  of 
astonishment  and  curiosity. 

Making  my  way  through  them,  I  entered  the  empty 
vestibule,  which  two  or  three  ushers  kept  clear.  Here 


January  12,  1S-j. 


the  change  from  sunshine  to  shadow,  from  the  life  and 
light  and  stir  which  prevailed  outside,  to  the  silenco 
of  this  vaulted  chamber  was  so  great  that  it  struck 
a  chill  to  my  heart.  Here,  in  the  greyness  and  stillness, 
the  importance  of  the  step  I  was  about  to  take,  the 
madness  of  the  challenge  I  was  about  to  fling  down,  in 
the  teeth  of  a  province,  rose  before  me ;  and  if  my 
mind  had  not  been  braced  to  the  utmost  by  resentment 
and  obstinacy,  I  must  have  turned  back.  But 
already  my  feet  rang  noisily  on  the  stone  pavement, 
and  forbade  retreat.  I  could  hear  a  monotonous  voice 
speaking  in  the  Chamber  beyond  the  closed  door;  and 
I  crossed  to  that  door,  setting  my  teeth  hard,  and  pre- 
paring myself  to  play  the  man,  whatever  awaited  me. 

Another  moment,  and  I  should  have  been  in.  My 
hand  was  on  the  latch,  when  someone,  who  had  been 
sitting  on  the  stone  bench  in  the  shadow  under  the  win- 
dow, sprang  up,  and  hurried  to  stop  me.  It  was  Louis 
de  St.  Alais.  He  reached  me  before  I  could  open  the 
door,  and,  thrusting  himself  in  front  of  me,  set  his  back 
against  the  panels. 

"  Stop  !  for  God's  sake,  stop  !"  he  cried,  passionately, 
but  keeping  his  voice  low.  "  What  can  one  do  against 
two  hundred  ?    Go  back,  man,  go  back,  and  I  will  " 

"  You  will  /  "  I  answered  with  fierce  contempt,  yet 
the  same  low  tone — the  ushers  were  staring  at  us  from 
the  door  by  which  I  had  entered.  "You  will?  You 
will  do,  I  suppose,  as  much  as  you  did  last  night, 
Monsieur." 

"  Never  mind  that  now  ! "  he  answered,  earnestly  ; 
though  he  winced,  and  the  colour  rose  to  his  brow. 
"  Only  go  !  '  Go  to  Saux,  and  " 

"  Keep  out  of  the  way !  " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  and  keep  out  of  the  way.  If  you 
will  do  that  " 

"  Keep  out  of  the  way?"  I  said,  savagely. 

"Yes,  yes  ;  then  everything  will  blow  over." 

"Thank  you!"  I  said,  trembling  with  rage.  "And 
how  much,  may  I  ask,  are  you  to  have,  M.  le  Comte, 
for  ridding  the  Assembly  of  me?" 

He  stared  at  me.    "  Adrien  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

But  I  was  ruthless.  "  No,  Monsieur  le  Comte — not 
Adrien  !  "  I  said  ;  "  I  am  that  only  to  my  friends." 

"  And  I  am  no  longer  one  ?  " 

I  raised  my  eyebrows  contemptuously.  "  After 
last  night  I  said.  "  Is  it  possible,  Monsieur, 
that  you  fancy  you  played  a  friendly  part  ?  I 
came  into  your  house,  your  guest,  your  friend ;  and 
you  laid  a  trap  for  me,  you  held  me  up  to  ridicule  and 
odium,  you  " 

"  I  did  1 "  he  exclaimed. 

"Perhaps  not.  But  you  stood  by  and  saw  it  done} 
You  stood  by  and-  said  no  word  for  me  !  You  stood 
by  and  raised  no  finger  for  me  !  If  you  call  that  friend- 
ship " 

He  stopped  me  with  a  gesture  full  of  dignity. 
"  You  forget  one  thing,  M.  le  Vicomte,''  he  said,  in  a 
tone  of  proud  reticence. 

"  Name  it  !  "  I  answered,  disdainfully. 

"  That  Mademoiselle  de  St.  Alais  is  my  sister ! " 

"  Ah ! " 

"And  that,  whether  the  fault  was  yours  or  not,  you 
last  evening  treated  her  lightly — before  two  hundred 
people !    You  forget  that,  M.  le  Vicomte." 

"  I  treated  her  lightly  ? "  I  replied,  in  a  fresh  „  /ess  of 
rage.    We  had  moved,  as  if  by  common  consent,  a  little 


January  12,  1S35. 


TO-DAY. 


317 


from  the  door,  and  by  this  time  were  glaring  into  one 
another's  eyes.  "  And  with  whom  lay  the  fault  if  I 
did?  With  whom  lay  the  fault,  Monsieur?  You  gave 
me  the  choice — nay,  you  forced  me  to  make  choice 
between  slighting  her  and  giving  up  opinions  and  con- 
victions which  I  hold,  in  which  I  have  been  bred,  in 
which  -" 

"  Opinions .' "  he  said,  more  harshly  than  he  had  yet 
spoken.    "What  are,  after  all,  opinions?    Pardon  me, 

I  see  that  I  annov  ■™l  

you.  But  I  am 
not  philosophic ; 
and  I  cannot 
understand  a 
man  " 

"Giving  up 
anything  for  his 
opinions  !  "  1  re- 
torted, with  a 
savage  sneer.  "No, 
Monsieur,  I  dare- 
say not.  If  a  man 
will  not  stand  by 
his  friends,  he  will 
not  stand  by  his 
opinions.  To  do 
either  the  one  or 
the  other,  M.  le 
Comte,  a  man 
must  not  be  a 
coward." 

He  grew  pale, 
and  looked  at  me 
strangely.  "Hush, 
Monsieur  !  "  he 
said  — involun- 
tarily, it  seemed. 
And  a  spasm 
crossed  his  face,  as 
if  a  sharp  pain 
shot  through  him. 

But  I  was  be- 
side myself  with 
passion.  "A 
coward  ! "  I  re- 
peated. "  Do  you 
understand  me, 
M.  le  Comte  1  Or 
do  you  wish  mo 
to  go  inside  and 
repeat  the  word 
before  the  As- 
sembly ? " 

"There  is  no  need,"  he  said,  growing  as  red  as  he 
had  before  been  pale. 

"  There  should  be  none,"  I  answered,  with  a  sneer. 
"  May  I  conclude,  therefore,  that  you  will  meet  me  after 
the  Assembly  rises'?" 

He  bowed  without  speaking ;  and  then,  and 
not  till  then,  something  in  his  silence  and 
his  looks  pierced  the  armour  of  my  rage ;  and 
on  a  sudden  I  grew  sick  and  cold.  It  was  too  late, 
however  ;  I  had  said  that  which  could  never 
be  unsaid.  The  memory  of  his  patience,  of  his  good- 
ness, of  his  forbearance,  came  after  the  event.  I 


"MESSIEURS,"  HE  CRIED,   "DRAW  YOUR  SWORDS,  IF  YOU  PLEASE 


saluted  him  formally ;  he  replied ;  and  I  turned  grimlv 
to  the  door  again. 

But  I  was  not  to  pass  through  it  yet. 

I  had  the  latch  in  my  grasp,  and  the  door  an  inch  open, 
when  a  hand  plucked  me  back  ;  so  forcibly,  that  the 
latch  rattled  as  it  fell,  and  I  turned  in  a  rage.  To  my 
astonishment  it  was  Louis  again,  but  with  a  changed 
face — a  face  of  strange  excitement.  He  retained  his 
hold  on  me. 

"  No,"  he  said, 
between  his  teeth. 
"You  have  called 
me  a  coward,  M. 
..e  Vicomte,  and  I 
will  not  wait  ! 
Not  an  hour.  You 
shall  fight  me 
now.  There  is  a 
garden   at  the 

back,  and  " 

But  I  had 
grown  as  cold  as 
he  hot. 

"I  shal  do 
nothing  of  the 
kind,"  I  said. 
"After  the  As- 
sembly- " 

He  raised  his 
hand  and  deliber- 
ately struck  me 
with  his  glove 
across  the  face. 

"  Will  that  per- 
suade you, then?" 
he  said.  "  After 
that,  Monsieur,  if 
you  are  a  gentle- 
man, youwill  fight 
me.  There  is  a 
garden  at  the 
back,  and  in  ten 

minutes  " 

"In ten  minutes 
the  Assembly  may 
have  risen,"  I 
said. 

"I  will  not 
keep  you  ten 
minutes  !  "  he  an- 
swered, sternly 

"  Come,  sir  !  Or 


must  I  strike  you  again  ? " 

"  I  will  come,"  I  said,  slowly, 
sieur." 

(To  be  continued.) 


After  you,  Mon- 


He  who  will  be  duped  by  nothing,  ends  by  being  the 
dupe  of  his  own  distrust. 

In  this  world  it  is  not  enough  to  be  logical.  One 
must  know  how  to  live  among  people  who'  are  not  lo- 
gical. 

There  is  the  same  passion  equally  in  the  greatest  and' 
the  least ;  nor  is  she  any  Letter  who  wears  awav  the 
black  paving-stones  with  her  feet,  than  she  who  was. 
carried  on  the  neck  of  Syrian  slaves. 


jASUAtlY  12,  180". 


SKI-RUNNING  IN  RUSSIA. 

BY 

FRED   W  HI  5  HAW- 

Illustrated  by  A.  S.  FORRE3T. 


OST  readers  of  periodical  literature 
have  heard  lately  all  about  the 
Norwegian  »S'/«-competitions,  and 
of  the  delights  of  descending  the 
slippery  hill-sides  upon  snow-shoes, 
for  it  certainly  is  a  delightful 
sensation  to  fly  like  a  shooting  str.r 
over  the  soft  snow  when  you  have 
arrived  at  the  requisite  degree  of 
skill  to  enable  you  to  do  so  without 
making  a  Catherine-wheel  of  your- 
self half-way  down,  or  less  ;  but 
before  those  readers  attempt  to 
emulate  the  doings  of  these  doughty 
Norseman  let  them  listen  to  my 
tale  of  woe,  for  it  is  a  true  tale,  and 
what  happened  to  Atkins  and  me 
will  also  happen  to  them  if  they  are 
i\ish  enough  to  aspire  to  be  skilled 
snow-shoers. 

Atkins  and  I  were  paying  a 
visit  to  Russia,  where  there 
is  also  snow,  as  well  as  in  Norway.  Moreover,  tlurj 
are  snow-shoes  of  the  Norwegian  type,  though  it  is 
mostly  the:  English  who1  use  them,  and  Atkins  and  I 
were  recommended  to  take  a  couple  of  pairs  of  these, 
and  drive  down  to  a  certain  gully  a  few  miles  from 
town,  and  there  practice  by  ourselves.  Our  friends 
gave  us  plenty  of  valuable  valedictory  advice,  which  wo 
digested  as  we  drove  along,  and  which — when  we  had 
digested  it — only  proved  one  thing,  and  that  was  that 
if  we  had  any  sense  we  would  go<  home  again  without 
putting  on  the  snow-shoes.    Here  is  some  of  it:  — 

"  Choose  a,  hill  with  nice  soft  snow  on  it  to.  fall 
about  in." 

"  If  you  feel  yourself  going  sit  down  on  your  heel:?." 
"If  you  I'eeL yourself  going  throw  yourself  forward." 
"  If  you  feel  yourself  going,  lean  to  one  side." 
"  If  you  feel  yourself  going  chuck  both  heels  into  the 
fair,  and  sit  down  on  the  middle  of  your  back." 
"  Look  out  for  '  drops.'  " 

"  Don't  attempt  to.  steer  your  slices  at  first ;  they'll 
cross  if  you  do." 

"  Be  sure  to  steer  your  shoes,  and  keep  them  straight, 
or  they'll  cross." 

And  so  on — nice  and  contradictory,  you  sec  ;  but 
(Len  there  are  so  many  systems,  in  snow-shoeing.  On 
one  point,  however,  every  adviser  seemed  agreed — 
namely,  that  we  were  pretty  certain  to  "  feel  ourselves 
going"! 

"  I  wonder  what  a  '  drop '  is,"  said  Atkins,  as  wo 
Wf\v  alone  in  that  most  luxurious  of  all  vehicles,  a 


Russian  Zroi/.-fl-sledge. 


We 


I  didn't  know  then ;  I  do.  now ;  so  does  Atkins, 
were  both  to  learn  all  about  it  presently. 

The  shoes  are  long,  narrow  tilings — about  seven  feet 
long,  I  should  think,  and  a  few  inches  in  width  ;  they 
arc  fastened  to  the  foot  by  a  thong  round  the  heel,  and 
another  ever  the  instep. 

Arrived  at  our  destination  Bobby  Atkins  and  I  sent 
the  driver  home,  and  watched  him  well  out  of  sight — 
lor  we  didn't  want  spectators — and  then  we  put  those 
shoes  on. 

First  we  practised  walking  on  the  level.  I  don't  know 
what  Atkins  did,  for  whenever  I  glanced  at  him  he  was 
just  getting  up,  or  else  still  lying  down  where  he  had 
last  fallen;  but  my  proceedings  were  something  like 
this:  — 

First  I  would  boldly  push  out  my  l  ight  foot,  making 
sure  that  the  shoe  would  slide  along  the  snow,  which  it 


didn't  do  ;  instead,  it  went  up  in  the  air,  and  the  other 
followed  it,  and  I  was  left  behind,  with  the  back  of  my 
head  burrowing  in  the  snow.  If  I  succeeded  in  sliding 
one  shoe  forward,  and  tried  to  follow  up  this  f-uccess  with 
the  other,  the  things  crossed,  and  I  went  forward  on  my 
nose.  Presently,  however,  I  found  myself  improving.  I 
took  half-a-dozen  steps  successfully,  but  was  brought 
up  by  a  tree.  Now,  since  I  had  nothing  handy  to  fell 
the  tree  with,  I  rightly  concluded  that  I  must  go  round 
it ;  but  the  shoes  each  wanted  to.  go  round  that  tree 
on  its  own  side — the  right-foot  shoe  took  to  the  right 
of  it,  and  the  left  one  to  the  other  side.  They  both  lost 
sight  of  the  fact  that  we  couldn't  get  by  in  that  way, 
because,  naturally,  I  was  in  the  way.  So  the  shoes 
took  me,  and  plastered  me  tight  against  the  tree  before 
they  remembered  that  this  was  a  foolish  thing  to  do,  and 
couid  lead  to  no  good  results.  Then  I  had  to  back  out 
of  the  situation,  and,  if  the  shoes  had  crossed  one 
another  going  forwards,  they  did  so  tenfold  when  I 
essayed  travelling  backwards.  In  a  Avord,  when  I  was 
net  falling  forward  on  my  nose,  I  was  sitting  down  vio- 
lently backwards,  until  I  got  clear  of  that  tree,  and  then 
I  looked  round  to'  see  what  Bobby  was  about — Bohby 
was  picking  himself  out  of  a  snow-grave. 

"How  are  you  getting  on?"  I  inquired. 

"Grandly!'''  he  said.  "I  walked  ten  yards  then 
before  I  went,  over." 

"You  are  doing  well!"  I  said,  bracingly.  "  Let'r, 
see  you  try  the  hill  now.  You  won't  mind  going  first  ; 
I'm  not  getting  on  a  bit!" 

'  Not  me!"  said  Atkins,  who  is  never  grammatical  if 
lie  can  help  it ;  "  we'll  toss !  " 

I  am  glad  to.  think  that  Bobby  lost  a  shilling  by 
attempting  to  toss  a,  coin  on  snow-shoe? ;  when  heflipj  ed 
the  shilling  into,  the  air  he  toppled  over  on  his  face,  one 
shoe  darting  towards  the  south-west,  and  the  other  to- 
wards the  north-east.  As  for  the  ; hilling,  it  plunged, 
like  Bobby,  into  the  snow,  but,  unlike  Atkins,  it  remaineJ 


i  n>r>  i   mvm.i.i  i :.i it.ovixc 


there  while  he  struggled  to  his  feet  ai  d  said  thing? 
which  arc,  perhaps,  more  excusable  when  on  snow-shoea 
than  at  almost  any  other  time.  Now.  I  felt  capable  of 
an}-  perfidy  rather  than  go  down  the  hill  first  :  there- 
fore,  1  proposed  to  Atkins  that  he  should  gueflS  Lho 


January  12,  1S'J5. 


TO-DAY. 


319 


date  of  tli©  coin  i  held  in  my  hand — whether  an  even  or 
uneven  number.  If  he  had  guessed  right,  I  should  cer- 
tainly have  basely  swindled  him  ;  but  he  guessed  wrong, 
and  prepared  himself  for  the  sacrifice.  I  helped  him  as 
well  as  I  could,  but  my  good  nature  nearly  launched  us 
both  into  the  Ewigkeit,  locked  in  one  another's  arms; 
for,  as  I  was  straightening  his  shoes  for  him  at  the  top 
of  the  hill,  one  of  us  suddenly  threw  his  heels  into  the 
air — goodness  only  knows  why,  nor  do>  I  know  which — 
and  the  next  instant  it  was  impossible  to  say  where  I 
began  or  Bobby  ended,  or  which  were  whose  shoes.  We 
had  already  begun  to  glide  ... .    _  .  . 

slowly  down  hill,  when  one 
of  the  four  shoes  providentially  3 
caught  its  end  in  the  snow, 
and  arrested  our  progress.  At 
last  we  unravelled  ourselves, 
and  I  managed  to  get  Bobby 
fairly  straight,  and  started 
him  off.  Ifc^  _ 

Like  an  arrow  from  a  bow 
away  went  Atkins  upon  bis    ff  -V  *  ■  ^ 

mad  career.  For  an  instant  /j  '  ■.  ■  .  :v 
he  was  a  flying  human  form 
rushing  wildly  through  space, 
the  next  he  was  a  Catharine- 
wheel.  Bits  of  him  appeared 
to  be  shot  forth  in  every  direc- 
tion, together  with  showers  of 
spraying  snow  ;  now  I  caught 
a  glimpse  of  an  anguished 
joimtenance  as  it  whirled 
around  in  its  devil's  delight, 
with  here  a  leg  and  there  a 
snow-shoe ;  now  I  thought  I 
recognised  what  must  be  one 
of  his  arms  revolving  in  its 
giddy  dance,  with  no  apparent 
shoulder  to  keep  it  company. 
I  remember  wondering,  in 
helpless  horror,  whether  there 
would  be  a  piece  of  Bobby 
left  big  enough  to  take  home 
to  his  poor  mother  in  England. 

Then  suddenly  there  was  a 
plunge ;  a  tornado  of  snow 
rose,  and  whirled  away  into 
space,  and  all  was  still. 
"  The  boy — oh  !  where  was 
he?" 

I  think  I  was  going  to  do 
something  very  brave  :  I  was 
going  to  throw  myself  down 
that  hill  in  search  of  poor 
Bobbie  Atkins'  remains ;  I 
am  sure  I  was,  though  I  had 
not  actually  started  upon 
that  suicidal  enterprise,  when 
an  extraordinary  thing 
happened.  Out,  apparently, 
from  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
there  suddenly  appeared  first 
a  snow-shoe,  then  a  leg,  then 
a  second  snow-shoe,  and 
another  leg. 

These  waved  and  kicked  awhile,  as  though  impelled 
by  some  uncontrollable  passion,  until  presently  a  portion 
of  a  human  trunk  struggled  into  view. 

How  wonderful  a  thing  muscular  action  is,  I  reflected  ; 
and  what  enormous  vitality  does  a  strong  young 
Knglishman  possess ;  probably  poor  Bobby's  head  and 
arms  are  yards  away  from  these  other  hits  of  his  body, 
and  yet  just  see  Iioav  those  legs  kick  and  struggle  !  But, 
10  my  unbounded  astonishment,  in  another  moment 
'hat  very  head  and  those  very  arms  appeared  also,  and, 
so  far  as  I  could  see.  they  were  still  in  company  with  the 


legs  ami  trunk,  though  how  that  young  man's  limbs  con- 
trived to  standby  one  another  throughout  that  firework 
performance  of  his  has  always  been,  and  must  always 
remain,  a,  puzzle  to  me.  Moreover,  the  vital  spark  was 
stiil  alight.  This  I  ascertained  from  the  circumstance 
that  language  was  proceeding  from  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy  of  a  kind  which  spirits  would  not  think  of 
using. 

There  was  no  doubt  of  the  joyful  fact;  Bobby  was 
alive — cohesive — he  was  all  there  ;  none  of  him  was  lost, 
that  is,  always  excepting  his  gentlemanly  feeling — he  leit 
that  behind  in  the  snow.  For  when  Atkins  had  emptied 
his  pockets,  and  his  neck,  and  his  boots,  and  his  tie, 
and  his  cap  of  the  snow  which  pervaded  them,  and  had 
taken  off  his  shoes  and  cast  them  from  him  with  persona- 
lities, and  had  floundered  up  the  hill ;  and  when  I  said 
I  was  glad  to  see  he  was  really  all  in  one  piece,  and  that 
it  was  getting  late,  and  we  had  better  be  sauntering  home 
wards,  that  irate  individual  turned  a  cold,  grey  eye 
upon  me,  and  said — 

"  Look  here,  young  fellow,  no  rotting,  please  ;  I've 
given  you  a  free  show,  and  I'm  not  goino-  away  from  thi? 
hil!  till  you've  done  the  same  by  me.  If  you  don't  go 
down  by  yourself  I'll  shove  you  down.  I  swear  it.  Nov/ 
tnen,  which  is  it  to  be?" 

It  was  to  be  voluntary  self-sacrifice,  of  course — better 
that  than  murder.  The  fellow  was  determined,  I  could 
see  that  much,  and  besides,  he  had  taken  his  snow-shoes 
off,  and  was  therefore  my  master.  I  said  I  would  go 
down,  of  course.  I  explained  that  I  had  meant  wo 
would  go  home  after  I  had  had  my  treat.  Then  Bobby 
fixed  me  up  and  sent  me 
flying. 

For  twenty — thirty  de- 
?iriously  delightful  yards  I 
went  as  straight  as  a 
meteor,  and  as  swiftly. 
Oh,  the  delight  of  it  !  I 
fancied 
whizzing 
the  aii- 
ears — I 
knew 


myself      a  bullet 
th  rough    space — 
whistled    past  my 
saw      nothing — 
nothing,      but  the 


LIKE  AN  ARROW  FROM  THE  E0W 


joy  f  of  having  wings.  It 
was  a  wild,  short,  splendid 
frenzy  of  delight.  My 
snow-shoes  behaved  magnifi- 
cently— they  kept  a  bee- 
line  all  the  way,  and  never 
so  much  as  looked  at  one 
another  :  it  was  business 
hours,  and  they  felt  that 
larking  would  be  out  of 
place. 

Then  suddenly  my  heart 
leapt  into  my  mouth  —  my 
feet  had  lost  touch  of  earth 
• — I  was  whirling  giddily 
in  space  —  what  was  I 
1  now,  a  firework  ?  A 
somersault,  another  — 
the  first  in  air,  the 
second  apparently  in  a 
cloud,  then  a  plunge,  and 
lastly,  silence  as  of  the 
tomb,  and  tha  darkness  thereof,  and  the  chill. 

This  was  death,  of  course,  and  burial  too,  so  I 
concluded,  but  I  was  to  giddy  to  think  much  about 
it. 

And  yet,  they  couldn't,  surely,  have  buried  a  felloe 
in  this  absurd  position.  My  two  legs  were  bent  back 
over  my  head,  I  now  discovered,  and  my  face  was  fixed 
between  my  two  knees,  and  was  staring  into  a  white 
wall  of  snow.  There  was  snow  above  me  and  around 
me — I  was  buried  in  it.  I  tried  to  move,  but  could  not, 
for  my  snow-shoes  had  jammed  themselves  somehow 


320 


TO-DAY. 


Jamary  12,  1S95. 


and  prevented  me.  The  position  does  not  sound  luxu- 
ricusly  comfortable  when  described,  but  it  was  not 
actually  so  very  bad,  and  I  felt  no  pain  whatever.  I 
was  not  hurt,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  though  I  was  a  trifle 
giddy. 

So  I  just. lay  still  and  waited  for  Bobby  to  come  and 
help  me,  which  he  presently  did,  tugging  tentatively 
first  at  one  shoe  and  then  at  the  other.  Then  he  did  the 
only  wise  thing — he  unfastened  the  straps  of  my  shoes 
and  freed  my  legs  and  enabled  me  to  struggle  out. 

"  I  didn't  like  to  tell  you  before  you  started,  old  chap," 
said  Bobby,  ladling  snow  out  of  my  neck  and  pockets, 
while  I  disburdened  my  mouth  and  ears,  for  I  was  "  full 
up,"  inside  and  out,  like  a  London  omnibus,  "but  I 
think  it  must  be  a  '  drop '  that  floored  both  of  us." 


Then  we  inspected  the  hillside,  and  found  that  its 

was  evjn  as  Buboy  supposed;  it  was  a  drop — i.e.,  a  small 
precipice  of  ten  feet  or  so,  a  meie  nothing  when  you 
are  used  to  the  pretty  art  of  snow-shoe  running,  a  mere 
bagatelle  to  the  Norwegian  flyer— but,  to  us  beginners, 
distinctly  a  drop  too  much. 

Then  Bobby  Atkins  and  I  sought  out  and  found  a  little 
hill — a  tiny  slopeling,  innocent  of  drops  or  of  steepness  or 
r  f  any  offence  to  the  beginner,  and  there  we  practised 
ourselves  into  tolerable  efficiency.  It  is  wonderfully 
easv  when  you  once  learn  the  trick  of  it. 

So'  is  catching  cannon-balls  and  descending  from  thn 
clouds  on  a  parachute — but  you  must  mind  the  "  dr^  " 
in  all  these  things,  and  not  object  to  being  knocked 
about  a  bit  while  learning. 


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EfctefcBy    JEROME  K.- JEROME. 

Vol.  V.— No.  6:J.       LONDON,  SATURDAY,  JANUARY  19,  1895.      Pmce  Twopence. 


The  mate,  acknowledging  the  introduction,  led  the 
•way  to  the  cabin,  where  they  remained  so  long  that  by 
the  time  they  came  on  deck  a~ain  the  schooner  was  off 
Limehouse,  slipping  along  well  under  a  light  wind. 

"How  do  you  like  the  state-room?"  inquired  the 
skipper,  who  was  at  the  wheel. 

"  Pretty  fair,"  replied  Miss  Cooper.  "  It's  a  big  name 
for  it  though,  ain't  it?    Oh,  what  a  large  ship." 

She  ran  to  the  side  to  gaze  at  a  big  liner,  and  as  far 
as  Gravesend  besieged  the  skipper  and  mate  with  ques- 
tions concerning  the  variou-;  craft.  At  the  mate's  sug- 
gestion they  had  tea  on  deck,  at  which  meal  William 
Henry  Cooper  became  a  source  of  much  discomfort  to 
his  host  by  his  remarkable  discoveries  anent  the  fauna 
of  lettuce.  Despite  his  efforts,  however,  and  the  cloud 
under  which  Harris  seemed  to  be  labouring,  the  meal 
was  voted  a  big  success,  and  after  it  was  over  they  sat 
laughing  and  chatting  until  the  air  got  chilly  and  the 
banks  of  the  river  were  lost  in  the  gathering  darkness. 
At  ten  o'clock  they  retired  for  the  night,  leaving  Harris 
and  the  mate  on  deck. 

"  Nice  gal,  that,''  said  the  mate,  looking  at  the  skipper, 
who  was  leaning  moodily  on  the  wheel. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  replied  he.  "  Bill,"  he  continued,  turning 
suddenly  towards  the  mate.  "  I'm  in  a  deuce  of  a  mess. 
You've  got  a  good,  square  head  on  your  shoulders.  Now^ 
what  on  earth  am  I  to  do  ?  Of  course,  you  can  see  how 
the  land  lays? " 

"  Of  course,"  said  the*  mate,  who  was  not  going  to 
lose  his  reputation  by  any  display  of  ignorance.  "  Any- 
one could  see  it,"  he  added. 

"  The  question  is  what's  to  be  done  ? "  said  the  skipper. 

"  That's  the  question,"  said  the  mate,  guardedly. 

"  I  feel  that  worried,"  said  Harris,  "  that  I've  actually 
thought  of  getting  into  collision  or  running  the  ship 
ashore.  Fancy  them  two  women  meeting  at  Llan- 
dalock." 

Such  a  sudden  light  broke  in  upon  the  square  head  of 
the  mate  that  he  nearly  whistled  with  the  brightness 
of  it. 

"  But  you  ain't  engaged  to  this  one  ?  "  he  cried. 


MATED. 


BY 

W-    W.  JACOBS. 

Illustrated  by  Scott  Rankin. 


SCHOONER  Falcon  was 
ready  for  sea.  The  last 
bale  of  general  cargo  had 
just  been  shipped,  and  a 
few  hairy,  unkempt  sea- 
men were  busy  putting 
on  the  hatches  under  the 
able  profanity  of  the 
mate. 

"All  clear?"  inquired 
the  master,  a  short, 
ruddy-faced  man  of  about 
thirty-five.  "  Cast  off 
there." 

"  Ain't  you  going  to 
wait  for  the  passengers, 

then  V  inquired  t'.-ie. ma'  e. 

"No,  no,"  replied  the  skipper,  whose  features  were 
working  with  excitement.  "  They  won't  come  now,  I'm 
sure  they  won't.  We'll  lose  the  tide  if  we  don't  look 
sharp." 

He  turned  aside  to  give  an  order  just  as  a  buxom 
young  woman,  accompanied  by  a  loutish  boy,  a  band- 
box, and  several  other  bundles,  came  hurrying  on  to  the 
jetty. 

"  Well,  here  we  are,  Cap'n  Harris,"  said  the  girl, 
springing  lightly  on  to  the  deck.  "  I  thought  we  should 
never  get  here ;  the  cabman  didn't  seem  to  know  the 
way  ;  but  I  knew  you  wouldn't  go  without  us." 

"  Here  you  are,"  said  the  skipper,  with  attempted 
cheerfulness,  as  he  gave  .the  girl  his  right  hand,  while 
his  left  strayed  vaguely  in  the  direction  of  the  boy's  ear, 
which  was  coldly  withheld  from  him.  "  Go  down  below, 
and  the  mate'll  show  you  your  cabin.  Bill,  this  is  Miss 
Cooper,  a  lady  friend  o'  mine,  and  her  brother." 


Copyright,  1S05,  by  W.  W.  Jacobs. 


THEY   HAD  TEA  ON  DECK. 


"We're  to  be  married  in  August,"  said  the  skipper 
desperately.    "  That's  my  ring  on  lier  finger." 

"  But  you're  going  to  marry  Mary  Jones  in  Septem- 
ber," expostulated  the  mate.  "You  can't  marry  both 
of  'em." 

"That's  what  I  say,"  replied  Harris,  "that's  what  I 
keep  telling  myself,  but  it  don't  seem  to  bring  much 
comfort.  I'm  too  soft-'earted  where  wimmen  is  con- 
cerned, Bill,  an'  that's  the  truth  of  it.  D'reckly  I  pet 
alongside  of  a  nice  gal  my  arm  goes  creeping  round  her 
before  I  know  what  it's  doing."' 

"  What  on  earth  made  you  bring  the  girl  on  the  ship  1 " 
inquired  the  mate.  "  The  other  one's  sure  to  be  on  the 
quay  to  meet  you  as  usual." 

"I  couldn't  help  it,"  groaned  the  skipper,  "she  would 
come,  she  can  be  very  determined  when  she  likes.  She's 
awful  gone  on  me,  Bill." 

"  So's  the  other  one.  apparently,"  said  the  mate. 

"  I  can't  think  what  it  is  the  gals  see  in  me,"  said  the 
other  mournfully.    "Can  you?" 

"No,  I'm  blamed  if  I  can,"  replied  the  mate  frankly. 

"  I  don't  take  no  credit  for  it,  Bill,"  said  the  skipper, 
"  not  a  bit.  My  father  was  like  it  before  me.  The 
worry's  killing  me." 

"Well,  which  are  you  going  to  have.'"  inquired  the 
mate.    "Which  do  you  like  the  best?" 

"I  don't  know,  an'  that's  a  fact,"  said  the  skipper. 
"  They've  both  got  money  coming  to  'em  ;  when  I'm 
in  Wales  I  like  Mary  Jones  best,  and  when  I'm  in  Lon- 


don it's  Janey  Cooper.  It's  dreadful  to  be  like  that, 
Bill." 

"  It  is,"  said  the  mate  drily.  "  I  wouldn't  be  in  your 
shoes  when  those  two  gals  meet  for  a  fortune.  Then 
you'll  have  old  Jones  and  her  brothers  to  tackle,  too. 
Seems  to  me  things'll  be  a  bit  lively." 

"  I  hev  thought  of  being  took  sick  and  staving  in  mv 
bunk,  Bill,"  suggested  Harris  anxiously. 

"An'  having  the  two  of  'em  to  nurse  you,"  retorted 
Bill.      Nice  quiet  time  for  an  invalid." 

Harris  made  a  gesture  of  despair. 

"How  would  it  be,"  said  the  mate  after  a  long  pause 
and  speaking  very  slowly,  "  how  would  it  be  if  I  took 
this  one  off  your  hands." 

"You  couldn't  do  it,  Bill,''  said  the  skipper  decidedly 
"  Not  while  she  knew  I  was  above  ground." 

"Well,  I  can  try,"  returned  the  mate  shortly.  "I've 
took  lather  a  fancy  to  the  girl.    Is  it  a  bargain  V 

"  lb  is,"  said  the  skipper,  shaking  hands  upon  it.  "  if 
you  git  me  out  of  this  hole,  Bill,  I'll  remember  it  the 
longest  day  I  live." 

With  these  words  he  went  below,  and  after  cautiously 
undoing  W.  H.  Cooper,  who  had  slept  himself  into  a  knot 
that  n  professional  contortionist  would  have  envied, 
tumbled  in  beside  him  and  went  to  sleep. 

His  heart  almost  failed  him  when  he  encountered  the 
radiant  Jane  at  breakfast  in  the  morning,  but  he  con- 
cealed his  feelings  by  a  strong  effort,  and  after  the  meal 
was  finished,  and  the  passengers  had  gone  on  deck. 


January  19, 


TO-DA.Y. 


323 


he  laid  hold  of  the  mate,  who  was  following,  and  drew 
him  into  the  cabin. 

"You  haven't  washed  yourself  this  morning,"  he  said, 
eyeing  him  closely.  "  How  do  you  s'pose  you  are  going 
to  make  an  impression  if  you  don't  look  smart  ? " 

"  Well,  I  look  tidier  than  you  do,"  growled  the  mate. 

"Of  course  you  do,"  said  the  wily  Harris.  "I'm  go- 
ing to  give  you  all  the  chances  I  can.  Now  you  go  and 
shave  yourself,  and  here — take  it." 

He  passed  the  surprised  mate  a  brilliant  red  silk  tie 
embellished  with  green  spots. 

"No,  no,"  said  the  mate  deprecatingly. 

"Take  it,"  repeated  Harris,  'if  anything'!!  fetch  her 
it'll  be  that  tie,  and  here's  a  couple  of  collars  for  you 
they're  a  new  shape,  quitei  the  rage  down  Poplar  way 
just  now." 

"  It's  robbing  you,"  said  the  mate,  "  and  it's  no  good 
cither.    I  ain't  got  a  decent  suit  of  clothes  to  my  back." 

Harris  looked  up,  and  their  eyes  met,  then  with  a 
catch  in  his  breath  he  turned  away,  and  after  some  hesi- 
tation went  to  his  locker,  and  bringing  out  a,  new  suit, 
bought  for  the  edification  of  Miss  Jones,  handed  it 
silently  to  the  mate. 

''  I  can't  take  all  these  things  without  giving  you  some- 
thing for  'em,"  said  the  mate.    "  Here,  v>ait  a  bit." 

He  dived  into  his  cabin,  and  after  a  hasty  search, 
brought  out  some  garments  which  he  placed  on  the  table 
before  his  commander. 

"  I  wouldn't  wear  'em,  no,  not  to  drown  myself  in," 
declared  Harris,  after  a  brief  glance,  "  they  ain't  even 
decent." 

"  So'  much  the  better,"  said  the  mate,  "  it'll  be  more 
•of  a  contrast  with  me." 

After  a  slight  contest  the  skipper  gave  way,  and  the 
mate,  after  an  elaborate  toilette,  went  on  deck  and  began 
to  make  himself  agreeable,  while  his  chief  skulked  below 
trying  to  muster  up  courage  to'  put  in  an  appearance. 

"Where's  the  Captain?"  inquired  Miss  Cooper,  after 
his  absence  had  been  so  prolonged  as  to  become  notice- 
able. 

"  He's  below,  dressin',  I  b'leeve,"  replied  the  mate 
simply. 

Miss  Cooper,  glancing  at  his  attire,  smiled  softly  to 
herself,  and  prepared  for  something  startling,  and  she 
got  it;  for  a  more  forlorn,  sulky-looking  object  than 
the  skipper  when  he  did  appear  had  never  been  seen  on 
the  deck  of  the  Falcon,  and  his  London"  betrothed  glanced 
ai  him  hot  with  shame  and  indignation. 

"Whatever  have  you  got  those  things  on  for?"  she 
whispered. 

"  Work,  my  dear— work,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"  Well,  mind  you  don't  lose  any  of  the  pieces,"  said 
the  dear,  suavely,  "  you  mightn't,  be  able  to  match  that 
cloth." 

"I'll  look  after  that,"  said  the  skipper,  reddening. 
"  You  must  excuse  me  talkin'  to  you  now.    I'm  busy." 

Miss  Cooper  looked  at  him  indignantly,  and,  biting  her 
lip,  turned  away,  and  started  a  desperate  flirtation  with 
the  mate,  to  punish  him.  Harris  watched  them  with 
mingled  feelings,  as  he-  busied  himself  with  various 
small  jobs  on  the  deck,  his  wrath  being  raised  to  boiling 
point  by  the  behaviour  of  the'  cook,  who,  being  a  poor 
hand  at  disguising  his  feelings,  came  out  of  the  galley 
several  times  to  look  at  him. 

From  this  incident  a  coolness  sprang  up  between  the 
.skipper  and  the  girl,  which  increased  hourly.    At  times 


the  skipper  weakened,  but  the  watchful  mate  was  always 
on  hand  to  prevent  mischief.  Owing  to-  his  fostering 
care  Harris  was  generally  busy,  and  always  gruff,  and 
Miss  Cooper,  who  was  used  to-  the  most  assiduous  atten- 
tions from  him,  knew  not  whether  to-  be  most  bewildered 
or  most  indignant.  Four  times  in  one  day  did  he 
remark  in  her  hearing  that  a.  sailor's  ship  was  his  sweet- 
heart, while  his  treatment  of  his  small  prospective 
brother-in-law,  when  he  expostulated  with  him  on  the 
state  of  his  wardrobe,  filled  that  hitherto  pampered 
youth  with  amazement.  At  last,  on  the  fourth  night 
out,  as  the  little  schooner  was  passing  the  coast  of 
Cornwall,  the  mate  came  up  to  him  as  he  was  steering, 
and  patted  him  heavily  on  the-  back. 

"  It's  all  right,  cap'n,"  said  he.  '*  You've  lost  the 
prettiest  little  girl  in  England." 

"What?"  said  the  skipper,  in  incredulous  tones. 

"'Fact,"  replied  the  other.  "Here's  your  ring  back. 
I  wouldn't  let  her  wear  it  any  longer." 

"  However  did  you  do  it  ?  "  inquired  Harris,  taking  the 
ring  in  a  dazed  fashion. 

"  Oh,  easy  as  possible,"  said  the  mate.  "  She  liked 
me  best,  that's  all." 

"  But  what  did  you  say  to  her  I "  persisted  Harris. 

The  other  reflected. 

"I  can't  call  to  mind  exactly,"  he  said,  at  length. 
"  But,  you  may  rely  upon  it,  I  said  everything  I  could 
against  you.  But  she  never  did  care  much  for  jou.  She 
told  me  so-  herself." 

"I  wish  you  joy  of  your  bargain,"  said  Harris, 
solemnly,  after  a  long  pause. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  demanded  the  mate, 
sharply. 

"  A  girl  like  that,''  said  the-  skipper,  with  a  lump  in 
his  throat,  "  who  can  carry  on  with  two  men  at  once 


"I  WOULDN'T  WEAR  'EM — NO,  NOT  TO  DROWN  MYSELF  IN." 


ain't  worth  having.    She's  not  my  money,  that's  all." 
The  mate  looked  at  him  in  honest  bewilderment. 


!24 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1895. 


"Mark  my  words,"  continued  the  skipper,  loftny, 
"you'll  live  to  regret  it.  A  girl  like  that's  got  no 
ballast.     She'll  always  be  running  after  fresh  neckties." 

"  You  put  it  down  to  the  necktie,  do  you  1 "  sneered  the 
mate,  wrathfully. 

"  That  and  the  clothes,  cert"nly,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"  \\  ell,  you're  wrong,"  said  the  mate.  "  A  lot  you 
know  about  girls.  It  wasn't  your  old  clothes,  and  it 
wasn't  all  your  bad  behaviour  to  her  since  she's  been 
aboard.  You  may  as  well  know  first  as  last.  She 
wouldn't  have  nothing  to  do  with  me  at  first,  so  I  told 
her  all  about  Mary  Jones." 

"You  told  her  thatV  cried  the  skipper,  fiercely. 

"  I  did,"  replied 
the  other.  "  She 
was  pretty  wild  at 
first  ;  but  then  the 
comic  side  of  it 
struck  her  —  you 
wearing  them  old 
clothes,  and  going 
about  as  you  did. 
She  used  to  watch 
you  until  she 
couldn't  stand  it 
any  longer,  and 
then  go  down  in 
the  cabin  and 
laugh.  Wonderful 
spirits  that  girl's 
got.  Hush  !  here 
she  is  !  " 

As  he  spoke  the 
girl  came  on  deck, 
and,  seeing  the  two 
men  talking  to- 
gether, remained  at 
a  short  distance 
from  them. 

"It's  all  right, 
Jane,"  said  the 
mate  ;  "  I've  told 
him." 

"Oh  !  "  said  Mi.  s 
Cooper,  with  a 
little  gasp. 

"  I  can't  bear 
deceit,"  said  the 
mate  ;  "  and  now 
it's  oft"  his  mind, 
he's  so  happy  he 
■can't  bear  him- 
self." 

The  latter  part  of  this  assertion  seemed  to  be  more 
warranted  by  facts  than  the  former,  but  Harris  made  a 
choking  noise,  which  he  intended  as  a  sign  of  unbear- 
able joy,  and,  relinquishing  the  wheel  to  the  mate,  walked 
forward.  The  clear  sky  was  thick  with  stars,  and  a 
mind  at  ease  might  have  found  enjoyment  in  the  quiet 
beauty  of  the  night,  but  the  skipper  was  too  interested 
in  the  behaviour  of  the  young  couple  at  the  wheel  to  give 
it  a  thought.  Immersed  in  each  other  they  forgot  him 
entirely,  and  exchanged  little  playful  slaps  and  pushes, 
which  incensed  him  beyond  description.  Several  times 
he  was  uoq  the  point  of  exercising  his  position  as  com- 
mander, and  ordering  the  mate  below,  but  in  the  circum- 


HE  DEPOSITED  II I M   IN  THE  MATES  BUNK. 


stances  interference  was  impossible,  and  with  a  low- 
voicad  good-night  he  went  below.  Here  his  gaze  fell  on. 
William  Henry,  who  was  slumbering  peacefully,  and, 
with  a  hazy  idea  of  the  eternal  fitness  of  things,  he  raised 
the  youth  in  his  arms,  and,  despite  his  sleepy  protests,, 
deposited  him  in  the  mate's  bunk.  Then,  with  head  and 
heart  both  aching,  he  retired  for  the  night. 

There  was  a  little  embarrassment  next  day,  but  it 
soon  passed  off,  and  the  three  adult  inmates  of  the  cabin 
got  on  quite  easy  terms  with  each  other.  The  most 
worried  person  aft  was  the  boy,  who  had  not  been  taken 
into  their  confidence,  and  whose  face,  when  his  sister 
sat  with  the  mate's  arm  around  her  waist,  presented  to 

the  skipper  a  per- 
fect study  in  emo- 
tions. 

"  I  feel  quite 
curious  to  see  this 
Miss  Jones,"  said 
Miss  Cooper 
amiably,  as  they 
sat  at  dinner. 

"  She'll  be  on  the 
quay,  waving  her 
handkerchief  to 
him,"  said  the 
mate.  "  We'll  be 
in  to-morrow  after- 
noon, and  then 
you'll  see  her." 

As  it  happened 
the  mate  was  a  few 
hours  out  in  his- 
reckoning,  for  by 
the  time  the 
Falcon's  bows  were 
laid  for  the  smalt 
harbour  it  was 
quite  dark,  and  the 
little  schooner 
glided  io,  guided 
by  the  two  lights, 
which  marked  the 
e  n  t  r  a  n  c  e.  The- 
quay,  seen  in  the 
light  of  a  few 
scattered  lamps, 
looked  dreary 
enough,  and,  ex- 
cept for  two  or 
three  indistinct 
figures,  appeared  to 
be  deserted.  Be- 
yond, the  broken  lights  of  the  town  stood  out  more 
clearly  as  the  schooner  crept  slowly  over  the  dark  water 
towards  her  berth. 

"Fine  night,  cap'n,"  said  the  watchman,  as  the 
schooner  came  gently  alongside  the  quay. 

The  skipper  grunted  assent.  He  was  peering  anxiously 
at  the  quay. 

"  It's  too  late,"  said  the  mate.  "  You  couldn't  expect 
her  this  time  o'  night.    It's  ten  o'clock." 

"  I'll  go  over  in  the  morning,"  said  Harris,  who,  now 
that  things  had  beou  adjusted,  was  secretly  disappointed 
that  Miss  Copper  had  not  witnessed  the  meeting.    "  If 


Jam-akv  19,  1893. 


TO-DAY. 


325 


you're  not  going  ashore,  we  might  have  a  hand  o'  cards 
as  soon's  we're  made  fast." 

The  mate  assenting,  they  went  below,  and  were  soon 
deep  in  the  mysteries  of  three-hand  cribbage.  Harris, 
who  was  a  good  player,  surpassed  himself,  and  had  just 
won  the  first  game',  the  others  being  nowhere,  when  a 
head  was  thrust  down  the  companion-way,  and  a  voice 
like  a'strained  foghorn  called  the  captain  by  name. 

"  Ay  !  ay !  "  yelled  Harris,  laying  down  his  hand. 

"I'll  come  down,  cap'n,"  said  the  voice,  and  the  mate 
just  had  time  to  whisper  "  Old  Jones"  to  Miss  Cooper, 
when  a  man  of  mighty  bulk  filled  up  the  doorway  of  the 
little  cabin,  and  extended  a  huge  paw  to  Harris  and  the 
mate.  He  then  looked  at  the  lady>  and,  breathing  hard, 
waited. 

"  Young  lady  o'  the  mate's,"  said  Harris,  breathlessly, 
— "Miss  Cooper.  Sit  down,  cap'n.  Get  the  gin  our. 
Bill." 

"  Not  for  me,"  said  Captain.  Jones,  firmly,  but  with  an 
•obvious  effort. 

The  surprise  of  Harris  and  the  mate  admitted  of  no 
concealment,  but  it  passed  unnoticed  by  their  visitor, 
who,  fidgetting  in  his  seat,  appeared  to  be  labouring 
with  some  mysterious  problem.  After  a  long  pause, 
during  which  all  watched  him  anxiously,  he  reached  over 
th?  table,  and  shook  hands  with  Harris  again. 

"  Put  it  there,  cap'n,"  said  Harris,  much  affected  by 
this  token  of  esteem. 

The  old  man  rose,  and  stood  looking  at  him,  with  his 
hand  on  his  shoulder  ;  he  then  shook  hands  for  the  third 
ti_s>,  and  patted  him  encouragingly  on  the  back. 


"  Is  anything  the  matter  1 "  demanded  the  skipper  of 
the  Fahoi,  as  he  rose  to  his  feet,  alarmed  by  those 
manifestations  of  feeling.    "Is  Mary — is  she  ill?" 

"Worse  than  that,"  said  the  other — "worsen  that, 
my  poor  boy :  she's  married  a  lobster." 

The  effect  of  this  communication  upon  Harris  was 
tremendous;  but  it  may  be  doubted  whether  he  was 
more  surprised  than  Miss  Cooper,  who,  utterly  unversed 
in  military  terms,  strove  in  vain  to  realise  the  possibility 
of  such  a  mesalliance,  as  she  gazed  wildly  at  the  speaker, 
and  squeaked  with  astonishment. 

''  When  was  it? "  asked  Harris,  at  last,  in  a,  dull  voice. 

"  Thursday  fortnight,  at  ha'  past  eleven,"  said  ihv 
old  man.  "  He's  a>  sergeant  in  the  line.  I  would  have 
written  to  you,  but  I  thought  it  was  best  to'  come  and 
break  it  to>  you  gently.  Cheer  up,  my  boy ;  there's  more 
than  one  Mary  Jones  in  the  world." 

With  this  undeniable  fact,  Captain  Jones  waved  a 
farewell  to'  the  party,  and  went  off,  leaving  them  to 
digest  his  news.  For  some  time  they  sat  still,  the  mate 
and  Miss  Cooper  exchanging  whispers,  until  at  length, 
the  stillness  becoming  oppressive,  they  withdrew  to  their 
respective  berths,  leaving  the  skipper  sitting  at  the  table, 
gazing  hard  at  a  knot  in  the  opposite  locker. 

For  long  after  their  departure  he  sat  thus,  amid  a 
deep  silence,  broken  only  by  an  occasional  giggle  from 
tlis  state-room,  or  an  idiotic  sniggering  from  the  direc- 
tion of  the  mate's  bunk,  until,  recalled  to'  mundane 
affairs  by  the  lamp  burning  itself  out,  he  went,  in  be- 
fitting gloom,  to  bed. 


SITTING  GAZINU  AT  A  KKOT  IN  THE  OPrOSITE  LOOKER. 


32G 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1895. 


PHILIP  AND  HIS  WIFE.* 

In  this  book  Mrs.  Deland  has  set  herself  the  task  of 
solving  the  following  problem  : — "  Is  not  marriage  with- 
out love  as  spiritually  illegal  as  love  without  marriage 
is  civilly  illegal?"  There  are  several  pairs  of  lovers 
from  whose  actions  the  reader  can  form  his  own  opinions, 
though  it  can  hardly  be  admitted  that  the  author  has 
furnished  a  definite  answer  to  this  question.  Philip 
Shore,  the  hero  of  the  story,  finds  that  after  nine 
years  of  married  life  the  passion  that  prompted  the 
union  has  died  out,  and  affection  is  not  there  to  take 
its  place.  His  beautiful  wife  is  unloved,  but  as  a 
hindrance  to  their  separation  there  is  a  baby-girl.  He 
has  made  the  common  mistake  of  deceiving  himself — the 
usual  mistake  that  makes  some  men  see  their  ideal  in 
the  first  woman  that  chance — or  a  designing  match- 
maker— throws  in  their  way.  One  night,  after  a 
difference  of  opinion  about  nothing  more  serious  than 
the  child's  bed-time,  Philip  takes  a  solitary  ramble,  in 
which  to  criticise  his  own  life.  His  position  is  not  an 
enviable  one.  Before  his  marriage  he  was  an  unsuccessful 
artist,  but  his  wife  brought  him  money  and  rendered 
any  further  struggles  on  his  part  unnecessary.  His  life 
was  pathetic,  as  must  necessarily  be  the  lives  of  all  men 
who  have  lofty  ideals  without  the  strength  to  realize 
them.  The  chapter  dealing  with  the  remembrance  of 
his  youth  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  book  : 

His  love  was  a  form  of  art  to  him — it  was  a  religion  ;  it 
was  life  ;  it  was  his  inmost  self.  It  created  in  him  the 
purity,  the  truth,  the  reverence  which  it  revealed  in  her. 
That  she  should  love  him  filled  him  with  that  fine  humility 
which  exalts  instead  of  depresses.  It  was  the  mystery 
of  the  Divine  coming  down  to  earth  for  us  men  and  for  our 
salvation  ;  it  was  not  to  be  understood  ;  it  was  to  be 
accepted.  Her  potentiality  did  not  trouble  him  ;  her  sweet 
ignorance  of  human  passion  exhilarated  him. 

Love  such  as  this  dwells  less  upon  the  beauty  of  the  be- 
loved, the  touch  of  her  hand,  the  ivory  curve  of  her  soft 
throat,  the  things  on  which  a  young  lover  writes  lame  verses, 
and  of  which  he  is  as  proud  as  though  he  were  responsible 
for  their  perfection — such  love  thinks  less,  or  not  at  all,  of 
those  things,  and  much  of  the  God  who  is  revealed  in  them. 
Of  course,  with  the  pathetic  belief  of  youth  that  absolute 
confidence  is  possible  between  human  souls,  Philip  used  to 
write  to  her  of  all  this  spiritual  significance  of  love  ;  and 
she,  with  gentle  and  non-committal  sympathy,  would  answer 
that  what  he  said  was  true,  or  wonderful,  or  beautiful  ;  and 
her  lover's  heart  would  glow  at  the  "reserve,"  the  "in- 
sight "  which  those  words  indicated. 

Philip  Shore  was  a  man  capable  of  sustained  ecstasy  ;  a 
man  who  lived,  not  upon  those  occasional  sunlit  peaks  of 
emotion  which  most  of  us  touch  now  and  then,  but  upon  a 
high  plateau  of  noble  idealism,  and  the  three  years  of  wait- 
ing became  almost  the  novitiate  of  a  holy  life,  so  complete 
was  his  idealisation  of  marriage,  of  love,  and  of  the  woman 
he  loved. 

That  is  a  beautiful  picture  of  a  young  man's  love. 
Having  read  it,  we  are  brought  back  to  consider  the 
reasons  why  that  love  has  ceased  : — 

He  had  thought  to  marry  a  beautiful  soul,  but  had 
married  instead  a  beautiful  body.  The  woman  whom  he 
had  loved  had  never  existed.  The  woman  who  had  for  a 
time  chained  him  to  his  senses,  stifled  his  soul,  insulted  his 
heavenly  vision — that  woman  he  had  never  loved  as  he 
counted  love.    And  that  woman  was  his  wife. 

Turning  to  the  heroine,  Cecil  Shore,  we  have  a 
woman  whose  character  simply  repels  all  sympathy. 
Perhaps  the  author  has  exaggerated  her  weaknesses  in 
order  to  bring  out  more  strongly  the  contrast  between 
this  thoughtless  woman  of  the  world  and  her  husband, 
with  his  earnest  views  of  life.  It  is  an  unwelcome  truth 
that  some  people  find  kindness  to  strangers  much  easier 
of  accomplishment  than  the  simplest  acts  of  generosity 
to  their  own  kin.  So  it  is  that  Cecil  Shore's  generous 
act — a  very  small  one — in  giving  work  to  a  confirmed 
drunkard,  only  shows  how  false  her  real  emotions  are. 
We  cannot  even  regard  the  act  as  adding  in  any  way 
to  the  attractiveness  of  her  character.  Her  nature 
contains  no  redeeming  feature.    Such  women  do  exist. 


and  sometimes  they  increase  their  sin  of  living  by 
getting  men  to  marry  them. 

It  is  a  relief,  therefore,  to  get  away  from  Cecil  Shore 
to  another  and  a  more  lovable  character.  Alicia 
Drayton  is  her  half-sister,  several  years  younger  than 
Cecil.  She  has  been  brought  up  in  a  quiet  village  by 
her  invalid  mother.  The  story  of  her  simple  love- 
making  is  charming — 

They  did  not  go  home  at  once,  but  wandered  about 
in  the  churchyard  and  talked  to  each  other.  Once  they 
grew  so  earnest  that  they  stopped,  and  Lyssic  sat  down  on 
an  old  tomb  that  stood  like  a  low  granite  table  under  the 
shadow  of  a  tulip  tree.  She  wore  a  little  grey-and- white- 
striped  gingham,  and  she  had  a  bunch  of  laburnum  in  her 
belt.  She  took  off  her  hat,  and  sat  leaning  her  open  palm 
on  the  lichen-covered  name,  looking  up 'at  Roger  Carey 
with  candid  eyes  of  that  colour  which  lies  on  distant  hills, 
and  is  neither  blue  nor  violet.  The  sunshine  touched  her 
face  and  dress  ;  a  leaf  shadow  swung  back  and  forth  across 
her  hand  and  over  the  assertion  of  endless  love  and  grief  on 
the  old  stone  ;  and  there  they  talked  and  listened,  and 
looked,  and  lived. 

It  was  the  usual  talk  ;  the  girl's  tentative  expressions  of 
opinion  on  great  subjects  ;  the  man's  instant  acquiescence 
in  them  ;  the  mutual  astonishment  at  their  unity  oi 
thought : 

"You  think  so,  too?  Why,  how  strange  !  I've  always 
felt  that," 

"  You  would  rather  see  Egypt  than  any  other  country  in 
the  world  ?  How  odd  that  is  !  Do  you  know,  I've  always 
said  that  I'd  rather  go  to  Egypt  than  any  place  else." 

"  You  really  feel  that  a  lie  is  the  only  thing  yen  couldn't 
forgive,  Mr.  Carey?  Well,  if  I  couldn't  forgive  everything 
— forgiveness  isn't  hard  to  me — why,  I  think  I  should  draw 
the  line  at  a  lie  !  " 

Ah  !  well,  well,  it  is  the  old  beautiful  story.  We  laugh  at 
the  two  souls  and  the  single  thought  ;  the  conviction  of  the 
glorious  and  harmonious  future,  built  up  in  a  moment, 
because  views  of  Shakespeare  and  the  musical-glasses  coin- 
cide ;  but  all  the  same,  it  is  a  divine  time  and  a  true  time, 
and  it  does  survive  ! 

The  author  has  also  bestowed  much  care  upon  the 
character  of  Mrs.  Drayton,  a  querulous  invalid,  who 
makes  herself  and  her  companions  as  miserable  as  cir- 
cumstances permit.  The  little  child,  too,  is  wonderfully 
life-like.  I  strongly  suspect  that  the  notion  of  a  child 
praying  to  the  devil  instead  of  God  because  "  If  God 
isn't  quite  big  enough  to  kill  him,  why,  it's  safer  to  say 
a  prayer  to  him,  too, "  is  fact ;  but  this  child  is  not 
always  so  charmingly  simple — which  makes  the  picture 
even  more  true. 

I  do  not  think  that  Mrs.  Deland 's  argument  on  the 
marriage  question  will  lead  to  any  fresh  thought  on  the 
subject.  Most  men  in  the  position  of  poor  Philip  Shore 
are  quite  willing  to  admit  that  "  reaj  divorce  takes  place 
without  a  decree."  It  simply  depends  upon  circum- 
stances and  the  wishes  of  the  contracting  parlies 
whether  that  divorce  shall  be  public  or  not. 

The  argument  is  as  old  as  the  world.  If  the  characters 
in  "  Philip  and  His  Wife  "  had  been  unskilfully  treated 
the  book  would  not  engage  our  attention  for  a  single 
chapter.  As  it  is,  we  can  see  each  man  and  woman 
clearly  before  us  as  we  read  of  their  doings  and  so  the 
book  is  interesting.  After  finishing  it  the  most  natural 
thing  to  do  is  to  comfort  one's  self  with  the  thought  that 
Cecil  Shores  are  happily  uncommon.  It  is  an  old-fash- 
ioned belief  that  woman  was  created  for  the  express 
purpose  of  loving  and  being  loved,  and  an  intelligent 
public  is  still  waiting  to  be  convinced  of  the  delusion. 

W.  P. 


GEORGE  II.  AT  DETTINGEN. 
During  the  battle  the  king  was  several  times  in  danger. 
At  last  his  horse  bolted  with  him,  and  carried  him  nearly 
into  the  enemy's  lines,  when  an  officer  stopped  him  just 
in  time,  and  helped  his  Majesty  to  dismount.  "  Now 
that  I  am  on  my  own  legs  again,"  said  George,  "  I  am  sure 
that  I  shall  not  run  away. — From  "  Her  Majesty'* 
Arm;/." —  Walter  Ricliards. 

•  Philip  ami  His  Wife,  by  Margaret  Deland.    Longmans,  tireen  and 

Co.  (is. 


(COSCJiUSION  OF  SEKIES  ) 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1S~5. 


-  ?s 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Mr  dear  Helen, — This  is  the  time  of  year  for  econo- 
mists to  get  their  wardrobe  together  for  the  next  few 
months.  There  is  so  little  doing,  that  all  the  best  houses 
make  dresses,  and  mantles,  and  bonnets  at  much  lower 
rates  than  during  the 
busy  seasons,  and  it 
is  a  capital  oppor- 
tunity of  securing 
good,  skilled  work 
at  moderate  prices. 
Madame  Oliver 
Holmes  even  makes 
up  ladies'  own  mate- 
rials just  now,  and 
the  dress  lengths  we 
bought  at  the  cheap 
sales  can  in  this  way 
receive  artistic  treat- 
ment at  the  hands  of 
her  clever  fitters.  Do 
you  remember  that 
black  serge  of  yours 
that  they  converted 
into  one  of  the  smart- 
est possible  of  cos- 
tumes ?  I  saw  a 
brown  and  blue 
tweed  the  other  day 
that  rominded  me  of 
it.  The  blue  was 
very  faint  and  vague, 
and  there  was  not 
much  of  it,  and 
the  brown  was  a 
warm,  full,  and  sat- 
isfying tone  of  rich 
colour.  The  skirt 
was  lined  with  orange 
silk,  and  the  front  of 
the  bodice  was 
covered  with  a 
pointed  plastron  of 
orange  velvet,  barred 
across  with  bands  of 
black  sarin  ribbon, 
each  <  f  which  ended 
under  a  rosette  of  the 
same.  The  rosettes 
on  the  left  side 
had  a  hook  hidden 
under  each,  and 
these  fastened  into 
small  silk  loops  on 
the  dress.  Bows  of 
black  satin  also  fin- 
ished the  plastron  on 
the  shoulders. 
Simple  enough,  you 
know,  yet  very  effec- 
tive. 

Another  very  new 
and  pretty  gown 
was  in  dark  green 

satin  cloth,  the  skirt  being  set  out  in  three  organ-pleats 
at  the  back,  and  in  front  with  a  box-pleat  in  brown  fur, 
three  la.-ge  steel  buttons  ornamenting  the  centre  of  it. 
The  skirt  was  bordered  with  brown  fur,  and  a  line  of  it 
finished  the  cuffs  and  collar.  A  very  knowing  little 
arrangement  about  this  gown  was  that  the  fur  pleat  could 
bo  taken  completely  away,  and  replaced  by  one  in  prawn- 
pink  bengaline,  sewn  over  with  black  sequins,  and 
finished  with  three  immense  jet  buttons. 

Fancy  Paris  setting  the  fashion  of  wearing  cotton 


velvets !  They  are  seen  in  bright  colours,  such  as  old 
rose,  raspberry  and  cream,  mauve,  sapphire  and  tur- 
quoise-blue, emerald-green,  ruby,  orange,  and  yellow. 
You  can't  think  how  effective  they  are  when  well  cut  and 
well  made,  and  trimmed  with  one  of  the  new  and  very 
"deep  Vandyke  lace  collars. 
Don't  you.  like  the  pretty 


costume  of 
sketched 


Redfern's, 
on  this 


New  Redfern  Costume. 


page?  The  material 
is  heliotrope  cloth  in 
a  lovely  shade,  the 
skirt  being  embroid- 
ered with  sable.  The 
bodice  is  trimmed 
with  braiding  in  a 
novel  and  effective 
style,  which  the 
sketch  illustrates 
better  than  I  can 
describe.  The  whole 
thing  explains  the 
fashion  in  skirts, 
sleeves,  and  general 
outline  more  com- 
pletsly  than  twenty 
letters  could  manage 
it. 

At  a  picture  gal- 
lery, yesterday,  I 
saw  a  very  sweet 
gown ;  the  skirt  in 
s§rpent-green  cloth 
cut  out  in  stars  and 
showing  blue  velvet 
through  the  spaces, 
while  the  blouse  was 
in  green  velvet,  with 
a  blue  check,  the 
play  of  the  two 
colours  giving  it  a 
shot  effect,  like  that 
on  a  peacock's  neck. 

I  see  that  evening 
bodices  are  to  be 
worn  well  oft'  the 
shoulders  this  season. 
I  saw  one  in  magenta 
chiffon  over  white 
satin  with  quite  small 
sleeves  and  straps  of 
black  velvet  crossing 
the  shoulders,  and 
almost  covered  with 
diamond  brooches 
and  clasps.  I  thought 
^c.^  it  a  good  idea  to  pin 

them  there  instead  of 
on  the  bodice,  where 
they  catch  in  lace  and 
are  only  half  seen. 

We  went  to  the 
Garrick  the  other 
night,  and  came  away 
full  of  good  ideas,  in- 
spired by  the  pretty 
gowns  on  the  stage. 
Calhoun  first  appears  in  maize  cloth, 
Charles  II.  collar  of  embroidered 
cambric,  edged  with  lace  and  trimmed  with  a  knot  or 
two  of  bronze-green  velvet.  The  two  brides  look  charm- 
ing in  their  wedding  gowns,  Miss  Calhoun's  being  modern 
in  style,  and  trimmed  with  very  narrow  satin  tucks. 
Miss  Kate  Horke's  is  an  Empire  dress  witli  a  long  pleat 
from  the  shoulders,  falling  over  the  skirt.  It  is  a  very 
graceful  dress,  and  will  probablv  revive  the  rather 
drooping  taste  for  dresses  of  the  Empire  period.  The 


Miss  Eleanor 
with    a  deep 


January  19,  1895. 


TO-DAY.  w 


same  lady's  modification  of  widow's  weeds  is  of  a  highly 
becoming  kind,  the  folds  of  cambric  on  the  front  of  the 
bodice  being  arranged  in  vest-fashion,  the  crape  falling 
in  full  folds  over  the  top  of  it.  I  liked  as  well  as  any- 
thing Miss  Kate  Phillip's  black  serge,  worn  with  a  white 
silk  bodice,  big  black  sleeves,  and  an  Eton  coat  turned 
back,  with  black  and  white  striped  silk.  In  the  last 
act  Miss  Calhoun  wears  a  beautiful  ball  dress  made  of 
white  satin  with  a  flight  of  glittering  white  butterflies 
ascending  the  skirt.,  and  finishing  with  a  very  large  one 
on  the  front  of  her  bodice.  The  sleeves  are  airy  puffs 
of  chiffon.  A  lovely  effect  is  gained  by  lining  this 
snowy  satin  gown  with  rose-pink  silk,  which  reminded 
me  of  Tennyson's  "  lily  that  the  sun  looks  through,  and 
a  rose-bush  leans  upon."  Miss  Rorke's  ball  dress  is 
Empire  in  period,  and  is  made  of  maize  satin  all 
a  glitter  with  gold  sequins,  and  lined  with  pink.  This 
combination  was  unheard  of  a  twelvemonth  ago,  and 
has  now  become  one  of  the  successes  of  the  day. 

The  sweet  little  ball  gown  of  turquoise  blue  china 
crepe,  trimmed  with  ropes  of  rcses,  and  thick  trails  of 
violets,  and  worn  by  Miss  Vanbrugh  in  the  first  piece,  is 
a  most  attractive  bit  of  millinery. 

I  simply  love  an  evening  at  a  good  theatre,  and  the 
intervals  are  never  too  long  for  me,  for  I  find  the 
audience  are  always  as  interesting  as  the  play  itself.  You 
must  miss  all  these  things  very  much,  far  away  in  your 
little  Indian  station.  Suzette. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Meta. — The  black  serge  will  be  quite  fashionable  if  you  will 
take  out  the  old  sleeves  and  put  in  very  large  ones  of  black  satin 
or  velvet,  with  fresh  satin  ribbons  defining  the  points  at  the 
waist,  back,  and  front.  If  the  bodice  is  a  little  tight  across  the 
chest  have  it  let  out  down  the  hem  of  the  fronts,  and  cover  all 
alterations  and  defects  with  a  coloured  plastron  of  some  tint 
that  suits  your  complexion.  Perhaps  pink  cloth  or  turquoise 
blue  would  do.  This  plastron  is  sewn  on  down  the  right  side 
and  hooks  on  the  left,  bretelles  of  satin  ribbon  hiding  the  edges. 

Puzzled  Prue. — Every  bit  of  meat  that  is  brought  into  the 
house  should  be  wiped  witli  a  clean  cloth  dipped  in  clean  cold 
.water.  Joints  are  often  very  much  handled,  and  if  you  watch 
the  butchers  trimming  the  chops  you  will  see  that  it  is  impossi- 
ble for  them  to  do  so  without  fingering  them  a  great  deal.  The 
meat  should  all  be  weighed  and  compared  with  the  ticket  sent 
with  it  by  the  butchers.  If  they  do  not  send  a  ticket  of  the 
weight,  insist  upon  having  one.  It  is  well,  if  possihle,  to  do  all 
your  marketing  yourself.  You  know  much  better  than  anyone 
else  can  what  you  want.  Besides,  the  sightof  the  various  things 
gives  you  fresh  ideas.  One  is  apt  to  get  so  groovy  in  matters  of 
food,  and  be  content  to  ring  the  changes  on  half-a-dozen 
different  things,  when  there  are  scores  from  which  to  take 
one's  choice  and  make  a  nise  variety.  Lettuces  are  now 
three-halfpence  each,  so  that  salads  are  expensive,  for 
there  is  much  waste  with  these  lettuces.  Try  artichokes  ;  most 
people  like  them.  They  make  delicious  Palestine  soup.  One 
gets  sick  of  sea-kale,  for  everyone  has  it.  Spinach  is  always 
nice  when  well  cooked,  but  it  has  been  very  scarce  all  this 
season  ;  it  is  now  4d.  per  lb.  New  potatoes  are  Is.  per  lb.,  and 
a  tiny  bunch  of  English  asparagus  costs  fifteenpence,  foreign 
about  two-thirds  of  that  sum.  These  are  London  prices.  Green 
peas  are  Is.  6d.  a  basket  with  about  three  dozen  pods  in  it. 
Celeriac  is  a  root,  not  a  foliage  vegetable.  Some  people  like  it 
very  much. 

OUR  COOKERY  COLUMN. 

How  to  Cook  Vegetables. — Greens  should  be  soaked  head 
downwards  in  salted  water,  to  improve  the  flavour  and  drive 
the  insects  out ;  they  should  then  be  placed  in  a  wire  basket, 
and  thoroughly  rinsed  ;  frequently  the  reasons  for  ordinary 
boiled  greens  not  being  half  as  palatable  as  they  ought  to  be  are 


that  they  have  been  more  or  less  squeezed  into  too  small 
a  saucepan,  with  about  one-third  of  the  quantity  of  water 
that  there  should  have  been  ;  that  an  abundance  of  salt 
has  not  been  used,  and  that  the  vegetables  have  not 
been  rapidly  boiled  with  the  lid  off  the  saucepan.  In  boiling 
potatoes  (steaming  is  better  with  a  careless  cook)  very  little 
water,  but  rather  a  considerable  amount  of  salt,  is  required. 
When  they  are  tender  (as  proved  by  the  insertion  of  a  fork) 
the  water  should  be  run  off,  and  the  saucepan  with  the  lid  partly 
off  placed  beside  the  fire.  A  cover  should  not  be  put  over  the 
dish  in  which  potatoes  are  served,  as  they  rapidly  absorb  mois- 
ture, which  is  often  the  distinguishing  characteristic  of  a  badly 
cooked  potato.  Choux-fleurs  au  Gratin. — Squeeze  with  a  cloth 
the  water  from  a  boiled  cauliflower  after  removing  t  le  outside 
leaves  ;  mix  half  ounce  of  flour  and  half  ounce  of  butter  in  a 
stewpan  ;  add  one  gill  of  cold  water,  and  let  these  ingredients  be 
stirred  and  boiled  till  they  thicken  ;  then  add  one  tablespoonful 
of  cream,  a  little  cayenne  and  salt ;  grate  two  ounces  of 
Parmesan  cheese,  and  stir  rather  more  than  half  of  it  into  the 
sauce  ;  pour  this  sauce  over  the  cauliflower,  adding  the  rest  of 
the  cheese,  sprinkled  evenly,  and  brown  it  with  a  salamander 
Serve  very  hot. 

Cream  Oyster  Pie. — Line  a  pic-plate  with  good  puff  paste ; 
fill  it  with  slices  of  stale  bread  laid  evenly  within  it,  butter  that 
part  of  the  crust  lining  the  rim  of  the  dish,  and  cover  with  a  top 
crust.  Bake  it  quickly  in  a  brisk  oven,  and  while  still  hot,  the 
upper  crust  must  be  dexterously  and  carefully  lifted.  The  but- 
tered rim  will  cause  it  to  separate  easily  from  the  lower.  Have 
ready  a  mixture  of  minced  oysters  and  thickened  cream  seasoned 
with  pepper,  and  having  taken  out  the  stale  bread  (put  there  to 
keep  the  top  crust  in  shape),  fill  the  pie  with  the  oyster  cream. 
Replace  the  cover,  set  in  the  oven  for  two  minutes,  or  until  hot, 
and  serve. 

Suzette. 


*i  would  give  you  some  violets.'  —Shakespeare. 


CREME  DE  VIOLET 

Is  a  pure  and  exquisite  skin  tonic,  which  cleanses  the  pores  of  all  impurities. 
Nourishing  and  beautifying  the  skin.  Preventing  and  removing  all  blemishes.  Refreshing 
and  soothing  after  the  heat  of  the  ball-room,  or  exposure  to  cold  and  biting  winds.  Suitable 
for  the  nursery  and  dressing  room  of  both  sexes.   //  w  absolutely  pure  and  colourless. 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is.  and  2s.  6<1.  (see  that  the  signature— 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label) ;  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from— 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 

Every  lady 
pleased 

.  .   WITH  THE 

"KI-MI" 

BUSK! 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13i 
inches 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  out  through  cloth. 
— To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochrane 
Street,  Glasgow. 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented). — Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


ARABINE 


MARKING  INK  FOR  OD. 
LINEN  is  the  BEST!  O 


NO  HEATING  OB  MIXING  REQUIRED. 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


PER 
BOTTLE 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfield  Street,  Glasgow. 


NORTH'S  TYPE-WRITER. 

Special  Features: — Visible    Writing,    Brief  Carriage,    Universal  Keyboard, 
Perfect  Alignment,  an  English  Invention. 

'  NORTH'S "  has  just  received  the  Diploma  of  Honour  (Highest 
Award)  at  the  Antwerp  Universal  Exhibition. 


Tha 


For  all  Particulars  apply 


NORTH'S  TYPEWRITER  MANUFACTURING  CO,,  LIMITED, 

53,  QUEEN  VICTORIA  STREET,  LONDON,  E,C, 


330 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1895. 


DE  OMNIBUS, 


BY 


THE  CONDUCTOR. 


Th  e  other  dye  I  'appened  ter  pick  up  a  extry  'alf- 
fchick-un  throo  puttin'  money  on  my  opinyun  of  them 
Horstrylyun  cricketers.  Well,  nar,  the  fancy  tikin'  me, 
I  drops  in  on  a  plice  as  were  a  cut  above  whort  I 
patterinizes  as  a  ushal  thing.  As  I  sye,  I  were  a  goin' 
ter  enjy  myself,  so  I  orders  my  steak,  cut  thick,  under- 
dun,  and  a  bit  o'  fat  to  it,  an'  my  pint  o'  Burton,  sime  as 
if  I'd  bin  the  Lord  Meer  'isself.  Then  I  tikes  a  look 
rarnd.  Theer  were  two  femiles,  as  'ed  jest  done.  They 
were  settin'  doin'  nutthink.  Theer  were  a  witer  oppo- 
site ter  them,  close  enuf  ter  'ave  bit  'em,  ami  'e 
weren't  doin'  nutthink  neither.  Pressintly  a  gint  eiills 
'im  an'  orf  'e  goes.  The  momint  'e  stawts  ter  wite  on  sum- 
mun  else  they  both  of  'em  'oilers  art  "Witer!"  as  if 
they  'adn't  a  secund  ter  speer.  Pressintly  'e  comes.  One 
of  'em  says,  "  Give  me  the  bill,  witer,"  'E  pulls  'is 
shoulders  up  ter  wheer  an  Hinglishmun  would  weer  'is 
'at,  and  begins  ter  mike  art  theer  bill.  "  Tew  breads  an' 
tew  butters,"  'e  says.  "  Nutthink  o'  the  sort,"  says  the 
femile,  "  It 's  tew  butters  an' one  bread."  'E  orlcers  it 
an'  'ands  'er  the  bill.  "  Oh,  you  silly  man,"  she  syes, 
"  I  wants  tew  bills.  My  lyedy-friend  'ere  pyes 
fur  'er  own."  So  'e  shrugs  up  'is  shoulders 
agin  till  'e  pretty  nigh  fetches  the  roof  orf 
the  restyrornt,  an'  mikes  art  tew  bills  instead. 
"  Look  'ere,"  syes  one  o'  the  femiles  "  yur've  chawged 
me  a  jinte,  an'  I  never  'ad  no  jinte."  "  Yus,"  syes  the 
other,  an'  yer've  chawged  me  a  ongtry,  and  I  never  'ad 
no  ongtry."  "  Eet  is  all  the  sime,"  said  the  witer,  "one 
'ad  jinte  an'  one  'ad  ongtry,  an'  both  is  the  simo  price, 


and  I  do  not  remember  which 'ad 'oo."  "Very  well,'' 
said  one  of  the  femiles,  "  then  we  must  exchinge  bills/ 
an'  even  then  they  weren't  'appy.  "  Look  'ere,"  says 
one  of  'em,  "  yer've  chawged  me  a  butter  which  I  never 
'ad,  an'  yer  'aven't  chawged  me  fur  bread."  "  Mine's 
wrong  too,"  says  the  other  femile,  "  because  'e's  chawged 
me  fur  a  bread  as  I  never  'ad,  an'  no  butter,  as  is  right." 
Thet  pore  forrin  witer  'e  sorter  tied  'is  eye-brars  in 
a  knot  tryin'  ter  unnerstan'  it.  "  Yer  tell  me 
one  bread,  two  butters,"  'e  syes.  "Yus,"  syes 
she,  "but  I  meant  ter  sye  tew  breads  and 
one  butter,  an'  any  wye  yer  ought  ter  know  withart 
tellin',  an'  I  never  'ad  neither."  "Ah,"  said  that 
witer,  "  I  see,  yer  'ad  tew  breads  an'  one  butter,  at 
'cast,  yur  friend  'ad."  Then  'e  orlters  them  tew  bills 
agin,  an'  gits  'em  wus  nor  they  was  afore.  'E  tears 
up  both  bills  and  stawts  fresh.  Arter  about  three 
tries  'e  gort  both  bills  mide  up  seppyrit  so  as  ter  soot 
'em.  an'  'as  soon  as  'e'd  done  that,  one  o'  the  lyedies 
pulls  art  'er  purse  and  says  that  arter  all  she'll  pye  fur 
both,  because  she  owes  the  other  -'alf-a-crown,  an'  the 
other's  bill  bein'  two  an'  nine  if  the  other  pyes  'er  six- 
pence thet'll  be  right  because  six  an'  three  is  nine. 
Well,  that  witer  went  horf,  perspirin'  freely,  an' 
a-yoosin  Italyun  langwidge,  with  a  'ipeny  tur  'isself. 
Then  them  two  femiles  stawted  another  discusshung  as 
to  which  owed  the  other..  What !  No,  I  didn't  storp  tu  see 
the  finish,  when  I  left  one  of  'em  was  eleven-an'-fippence 
tu  the  good  an'  accoosin'  the  other  of  swindlin'  'er,  an' 
the  other  were  saying:  "If  I  tikes  back  the  shillin'  an' 
the  penny  stamp  as  I  gives  yer,  an'  then  'ands  yer  the 
difference  atween  whort  you've  pide  an'  whort  I  pide 
yesterday,  then  you'll  owe  me  twopence,  an'  I'm  sorry  I 
ever  mide  a  friend  of  yer."  Well,  as  I  says,  I  don't 
unner,sfcan'  femiles. 


UPTON'S  0 


have  reached  a  pinnacle  of  success  never  before  attained  by  any 
other  teas  in  the  world  and  their  increasing  popularity  IN 
EYERY  HOJVI1E  is  the  surest  test  of  their  apprecia- 
tion by  the  public. 


If  you  wish  to  enjoy  a  Cup  of  Tea  that  Excels  All  Others 

NK  ONLY  LIPTON'S  TE 

THE  MOST  POPULAR  OP  THE  AGE. 

Direct  from  the  Tea  Gardens 

IAINED  THE  \ 

(HIGHEST  &  ONLY  AWAI 


MO  MIDDLEMEN'S  PROFITS  TO  PAY. 


NOTE  THE  PRICES,    RICH,  PURE,  <b  FRAGRANT. 


Unparalleled 
Success. 

THE  FINEST  TEA 
NO  HIGHER  PRICE.  pCf 


Enormous 
Demand. 


1/7 


WORLD   CAN  PRODUCE. 

It).       NO  HIGHER  PRICE. 


BTee  Estates  in  Coylon:  Dambatc 
*  TEA  and  COPFEE  LAND  in 
•  ••uloiiilw.  Indian  Tea  Sliippim;  Wnrchu' 
mi.',  I.0NIH1N,  i:.c.  Wlx.lrsaW  Tea  UU 
Itci-  It  casting  r.lelldhr;  stores,  ami  Km 
Place,  LONDON,  B.C.    Fruit  Preserve 


TEA    AND    COFFEE    PLANTER,  CEYLON. 
THE    LARGEST   TEA,  COFFEE,   AND  PRO- 
VISION DEALER  IN  THE  WORLD. 

no.  Laymastotte,  Monerakande,  MahMamliatenne.  Mousakolle,  Poonrassic,  Han.agalln.  and 
eyloli    teylon  Tea  and  Cutler  shipping  Warehouses ;  Mnddema  Mills,  cinnamon  Uardcns, 


and  Export  Stores:  Hare  Street,  Strand,  Calcutta.    Indian  Offices :  Dalhousio  Square, 
id  Duty  Paid  Stores:  Bath  St  ec  .and  raj  ton  street.  LONDON,  F..C.    liondod  and 
nta.-tor.v:  old  Street.  LoM>.>V  l-:.r.    W  holesale  and  Export  Provision  Warehouses: 
—  Kuad,  Ilermundsey,  LONDON.  S.E. 


LARGEST   TEA  SALE   IN  THE  WORLD. 

AGENTS  THKOUGHOUT  THE  WOULD. 


BP-INCHES  EVERYWHERE- 


January  19,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


331 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

What  are  the  ethics  of  syndicates  ?  The  editor  of  a 
great  weekly — the  one  who  comes  into  my  shop  oftener 
than  any  of  his  fellows  in  the  judgment  seat — bought 
the  "  exclusive  original  publication,  of  a  story  in  Great 
Britain,"  and  paid  a  large  sum  for  it.  He  brought  it 
out,  and,  in  answer  to  enquiries  from  the  syndicate 
(which  enquiries  he  presumed  merely  to  be  made  with 
a  view  to  simultaneous  publication  in  America)  let  them 
know  that  he  was  bringing  it  out  on  such  and  such  a 
Tuesday.  A  few  days  later,  in  the  same  week,  the  leading 
papers  in  three  of  our  most  important  centres  of 
population,  began  to  run  the  story  as  a  serial. 

The  syndicate  had  pressed  him  for  payment  before 
the  dates  on  which  these  other  papers  began  publication 
of  the  serial.  It  is  conceivable  that  they  expected 
"  ructions  "  when  he  saw  what  was  happening. 

When  he  wrote  and  expostulated,  they  pointed  out 
that  in  the  final  letter  of  the  agreement  was  written 
not  "exclusive  publication,"  but  "exclusive  original 
publication,"  and  that  he  had  agreed  to  this  without 
demur.  They  added,  moreover,  insolently,  that  thitj 
was  their  way  of  doing  business.  They  seemed  to  think 
that  giving  him  a  couple  of  days'  start  constituted 
"  exclusive  original  publication." 

*  *  *  * 

Now  one  of  the  most  important  results  of  all  the 
negotiations  about  international  copyright  has  been 
the  decision  that  simultaneous  publication  does  not 
mean  publishing  at  the  same  moment  by  a  specially-laid 
electric  wire,  but  publication  within  a  reasonable  time. 
I  hope  that  my  friend  whose  firm  is  wealthy  enough  to 
fight  the  question  to  the  bitter  end  will  take  the  matter 
to  the  Courts  and  get  the  decision  of  a  judge  that 
"  simultaneous  publication  in  Great  Britain  "  is  to  be 
interpreted  in  the  same  common-sense  way  as  "inter- 
national simultaneous  publication."  Anyhow  one  result 
of  the  matter  will  be  to  drive  editors  in  quest  of  first- 
class  serials  more  and  more  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
A.  P.  Watt ;  for  in  dealing  with  him  "  they  know 
where  they  are." 

*  *  *  * 

A  correspondent,  not  exactly  in  the  same  line  of 
business  as  myself,  wishes  to  know  if  it  is  any  good 
starting  as' a  newsagent  in  London  or  the  suburbs  on  a 
capital  of  £20  or  £25.  Not  knowing  myself,  I  took 
my  "afternoon  off"  last  Saturday  in  a  'bus  ride 
down  to  Hammersmith  to  see  an  old  friend,  who  started 
nearly  thirty  years  ago  in  this  line  when  the  tobacco 
trade  became  "  no  longer  what  it  was."  His  reply  was, 
"  Your  correspondent  had  much  better  throw  his  £25 
into  the  Thames,  then  he'll  only  lose  his  own  money, 
and  not  run  into  debt."  All  the  same  I  think  he  might 
do  something  if  he  can  hire  a  corner  in  a  busy  barber's 
shop  or  a  betting  public-house.  I  saw  by  my  visit  to 
America  that  the  English  have  not  by  any  means 
awakened  to  the  profitable  opei  ings  there  are  for  stalls 
in  such  places. 

*  *  *  * 

A  customer  of  mine,  a  great  friend  of  Mr.  William 
Holden  Hutton,  whose  "  William  Laud  "  1  has  just  been 
brought  out,  is  an  ex-scholar  of  Trinity,  Oxford,  which  is 
only  separated  by  an  antique  grey  stone  wall,  with  wild 
snapdragon  and  wallflowers  on  it,  from  St.  John's,  the 
place  above  all  others  identified  with  the  great  Arch- 
bishop who  was  executed  two  centuries  and  a  half  ago 
last  Thursday.  This  customer  tells  me  that  not  only 
was  Laud  a  President  of  St.  John's  and  builder  of  the 
exquisite  garden  front  of  the  college — one  of  the  gems 
of  17th  century  architecture — but  that  his  ghost  still 
haunts  the  college  library,  in  which  hangs  the  famous 
picture  of  King  Charles  I.  with  the  whole  Book  of  Psalms 
painted  in  the  hairs  of  its  head,  so  legibly  that  they  can 
be  read  with  a  microscope. 


I  expect  great  things  of  the  new  edition  of  Smollett 
which  Gibbings  and  Co.  are  bringing  out.  No  bette 
editor  could  be  found  than  Mr.  Saintsbury,  whose  eru 
dition,  judgment,  and  fine  taste  give  him  a  high  place 
among  the  first  half-dozen  of  our  critics  ;  and  the  illus- 
trations by  Mr.  Frank  Richards  are  delightful.  Mr. 
Richards,  a  man  of  medium  height,  whose  well-set  frame, 
fresh  colouring,  and  fibrous  red  moustache  betoken 
unusual  energy,  was  long  one  of  the  principal  figures  in 
the  Newlyn  School,  but  has  now  joined  the  artist  colony 
in  West  Kensington.  Dowdeswell's  opened  their  present 
season  with  an  exhibition  of  his  pictures. 

*  *  *  * 

The  second  series  of  Mr.  Henry  James's  "Theatricals"2 

has  been  brought  out  by  Osgood,  Mcllvaine  and  Co., 

almost  simultaneously  with  the  production  of  his  play 

at  the  St.  James's.    I  am  not  surprised  that  the  critics 

complain  of  the  prolixity  of  the  speeches — for  when  Mr. 

James  meets  a  friend  in  my  shop,  I  have  noticed  that 

the  friend  never  gets  a  word  in  even  edgeways.  Mr. 

J ames  is  a  great  talker,  unfortunately,  in  both  senses. 
'*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Clements  R.  Markham,  the  clean-shaven,  genial- 
looking  naval  officer  who  has  been  presiding  over  the 
proceedings  at  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  for  nearly 
a  year  past,  was — though  he  looks  far  too  young — one  of 
the  officers  sent  to  look  for  Sir  John  Franklin. 

*  #  *  * 

I  hope  that  Mr.  R.  H.  Sherard — whose  "  Alphonse 
Daudet,"3  lately  published  by  Mr.  Edward  Arnold,  and 
"  Zola,"4  published  a  year  back  by  Chatto,  all  my  sub- 
scribers pronounce  the  most  readable  biographies  since 
Sir  George  Trevelyan's  great  Life  of  Macaulay — will  per- 
suade Daudet  to  re-consider  his  decision  of  not  appearing 
in  public  at  all  in  England  to  the  extent  of  accepting  the 
dinner  which  I  hear  is  to  be  offered  to  him  by  the  Authors' 
Club.  It  would  be  a  thousand  pities  for  the  French 
Hardy  to  visit  England  without  meeting  any  of  his 
literary  peers  on  this  side. 

*  *  *  -:«• 

It  is  not  a  bookseller's  business  to  ruin  himself  by  lay- 
ing in  a  large  stock  of  books  that  can  never  be  widely 
popular.  That's  the  only  reason  why  I  didn't  order 
more  of  "  A  Book  of  English  Prose,  1387— 1649."5  The 
book  will  be  interesting  to  all  lovers  of  English  litera- 
ture, and  forms  a  distinctive  collection  of  prose  extracts. 
It  is  refreshing  to  read  such  a  book  after  all  the  slip- 
shod English  that  one  has  to  wade  through  nowadays. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

J.  M.  W. — Here  is  a  list  of  good  books  of  general  reference. 
I  give  the  published  prices,  and  the  total  comes  well  within  the 
sum  you  name: — Chambers'  Encyclopaedia  (10  vols.),  £5; 
Ogilvie's  Imperial  Dictionary  of  England  (4  vols. ),  £5;  Green's 
History  of  English  People  (4  vols.),  12s.  ;  Bryce  and  Johnston's 
Dictionary  of  Geography,  15s.  ;  Gates'  Dictionary  of  Biography, 
28s.  ;  Bartlett's  Familiar  Quotations,  3s.  6d.  ;  Brande's  Dic- 
tionary of  Science,  Literature,  and  Art  (3  vols. ),  £3  3s. ;  Brewer's 
Dictionary  of  Phrase  and  Fable,  3s.  6d.  ;  Brewer's  Reader's  Hand- 
book, 7s.  Gd.  ;  Smith's  Glossary  of  Terms  and  Phrases,  12s.  ; 
Edward's  Words,  Facts,  and  Phrases,  7s.  ;  Hazell's  Annual,  3s.  ; 
Whitaker's  Almanac,  2s.  6d.  ;  Statesman's  Year  Book,  10s.  6d.  ; 
Haydn's  Dictionary  of  Dates,  ISs. ;  Irving's  Annals  of  our  Time, 
18s.  ;  King's  Classical  and  Foreign  Quotations,  5s.  ;  Mulhall's 
Dictionary  of  Statistics,  7s.  6d. 

St.  Augustine's. — There  is  no  authentic  list  of  the  characters 
you  want. 

EB.  A. — Your  edition  is  worth  5s.;  there  is  not  one  worth 
£100. 

A.McR. — The  story  you  name  has  not  been  published  in  book 
form. 

S.G.L. — Try  Staunton's  Chess-players'  Handbook,  price  5s. 

1.  "  William  Laud."    By  W.  Holden  Hutton.    (Metliuen,  3s.  Cd.) 

2.  "Theatricals."   By  Henry  James.   (Osgood,  Mcllvaine  and  Co.  Price 

not  stated  ) 

3.  "Alphonse  Daudet."     By  R.  H.  Sherard.   (Edward  Arnold.  16s.) 

4.  "  Zola."   By  R.  II.  Sherard.   (Chatto.    Price  not  stated.) 

5.  "  A  Book  of  English  Prose,  1387— 1M9."   (Metliuen  and  Co.,  6s.) 

Type  writers,  Second-hand,  thoroughly  perfect,  at  half 
makers'  prices.  Machines  lent  on  hire,  also  bought  or  exchanged. 
Documents  type-written. — N.  Taylor,  Manager,  National  Type- 
wi  iter  Exchange,  74,  Chancery  Lane,  London.  Telephone  No, 
6CS0. 


332 


January  19,  1895 


rJlHE  ROTHERY  BLOCK  GOLDMINE,  LIMITED.  FLEET  STREET  FAILURES, 


bs,  Esq.,  "l 
:ler,  Esq.,  V 
?,  Esq.  J 


Johannesburg,  S.A.U. 


The  LIST  OF  APPLICATIONS  WILL  OPEN    on  THURSDAY, 
January  17th,  and  WILL  CLOSE  on  or  before  MONDAY,  January  21. 

rpHE  ROTHERY  BLOCK  GOLD  MINE,  LIMITED 

_L  (Witwatersrantl,  South  Africa).  Incorporated  under  the  Companies 
Acts,  18P2  to  1890  —Capital  £120,000,  in  120,000  Shares  of  £1  each,  whereof 
60,000  are  now  offered  for  Subscription  at  par,  payable  as  follows  :  Is.  per 
Share  on  Application,  4s.  per  Share  on  Allotment,  2s.  6d.  per  Share  One 
month  after  Allotment,  2s.  6d.  per  Share  Two  months  after  Allotment,  and 
the  balance  in  Calls  of  not  exceeding  5s.  per  Share  at  intervals  of  not  less 
t'.ian  One  month. 

Directors. 
James  Adames,  Esq.,  Lewes,  Sussex. 
Easton  J.  Cox,  Esq.,  The  Lynch,  Eastry,  Dover. 

Albert  Hess,  Esq.,  C.E.,  7,  Lothbury.  E  C,  London— Director  of  the  New 

Reitfontein  Estate  Gold  Mines,  Limited. 
Herbert  Knatchbull-Hugessen,  Esq.,  M.P.,  Carlton  Club,  and  Lynstead, 

Sittingbourne. 

Albert  E.  Ross,  Esq.,  Abingdon  Mansions.  Kensington,  W. 

Local  Directors. 

F.  Vincent  Stokes,  Esq., 
Julius  Friedlander 
Alljert  Herzburg, 

Bankers— The  City  Bank,  Limited,  20,  Threadneedle  Street,  London,  E.C. 
Solicitor— Walter  F.  Stokes,  Esq.,  30,  Bedford  Row,  London,  W.C. 
Brokers— Messrs.  J.  PMlak  &  Co.,  8,  Drapers'  Gardens,  E.C,  and  Stock 
Exchange. 

Auditors— Messrs.  W.  H.  Pa-inell  &Co.,  F.C.A.,  13  &  14,  Basinghall  Street, 
E.C. 

Secretary  and  Offices  (pro  tern.)— Mr.  John  P.  Knott,  31,  Threadneedle 
Street,  London,  E.C. 

ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS.  » 
This  Company  is  foimed  to  acquire  an  d  work  a  valuable  gold  mining 
property  known  as  the  Rothery  Block  in  the  Randfontein  district,  South 
Africa. 

The  property  is  situated  on  the  farm  "  Middlevlei,"  about  twenty-four 
miles  west  of  Johannesburg.  It  consists  of  a  block  of  ninety-two  claims, 
in  immediate  proximity  to  the  Randfontein  Estates  Company,  and  is 
traversed  by  the  same  reefs. 

The  reefs  have  been  traced  through  the  entire  length  from  north  to 
south,  a  distance  of  3,200  feet.  The  block  is  four  claims  deep  throughout 
(in  one  part  five),  or  a  total  breadth  of  1,600  feet. 

From  the  reports  accompanying  the  prospectus,  it  will  be  seen  that  two 
shafts  have  been  sunk  on  this  property,  and  four  on  the  Mynpaeht  im- 
mediately adjoining  to  the  north,  from  which  levels  have  been  driven 
intersecting  the  reefs,  seven  in  number,  varying  from  one  to  seven  feet  in 
thickness,  and,  as  these  reefs  outcrop  nearly  through  the  centre  of  the 
property  and  are  practically  vertical,  the  block  is  believed  to  contain  in  its 
breadth  both  the  outcrop  and  its  deep  level,  thus  insuring  an  abundant 
supply  of  ore  for  a  very  considerable  period. 

There  is  an  excellent  water-right  along  the  course  of  the  Wonderboom- 
fontein,  about  1,200  feet  in  length,  with  ample  supply  for  all  require- 
ments. 

air.  S.  Pedersen,  the  manager  of  the  Randfontein  Estates  Gold  Mining 
Company,  certifies  that  the  reefs  are  in  a  direct  continuation  of  the 
Randfontein  Estates  Reefs,  as  follows : — 

"  During  the  period  of  my  management  of  the  Randfontein  Estates  and 
Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited,  I  have  taken  every  opportunity  of 
examining  and  studying  the  Randfontein  Company's  ground."  "I  have 
traced  these  reefs  from  our  South  Mynpaeht  through  the  Middlevlei  Gold 
Prospecting  Development  Syndicate,  and  through  the  Rothery  or  Rand- 
fontein Extension  Block,  and  find  them  to  continue  in  an  unbroken  line 
until  their  contact  with  the  Black  Reef,  south  of  the  Rothery  Block." 

Samples  of  the  banket  ore,  taken  from  the  dumps,  at  the  shafts  on  this 
property,  and  also  on  the  adjoining  Mynpaeht,  have  been  assayed  by  the 
Bank  of  Africa  at  Johannesburg,  and  give  the  following  results  in  fine 
gold : — 

No.  1  Shaft,  on  Rothery  Block  property,  1  oz.  16  dwts.  14  grs. 
No.  2  do.  do.  do.      8  „  16    „    12  „ 

No.  3  do.  on  the  Mynpaeht,  adjoining  on  the  north,  1  oz.  14  dwts.  0  gr. 
Nos.  4  &  5  shaft      do.  do.  do.    2  ,,    5    „   18  ,, 

In  forming  an  estimate  of  the  probable  profits,  the  directors  have  been 
guided  by  the  results  per  ton  obtained  by  the  Randfontein  Estates  Com- 
pany. 

This  company,  the  reefs  of  which  are  identical  with  those  of  the  Rothery 
Block,  had,  according  to  the  report  for  the  twelve  months  ending  31st 
December,  1893,  a  40  stamp  mill  at  work,  which  crushed  54,652  tons,  yield- 
ing 23,118  ozs.  19  dwts.  of  gold,  besides  6,623  ozs.  3  dwts.  recovered  from 
41,956  tons  of  tailings  by  the  Cyanide  process.  According  to  the  reportsfor 
1894  the  returns  show  a  much  higher  average  of  value  per  ton  treated,  and 
at  a  less  cost  per  ton.  If  a  similar  mill  be  erected  on  the  "  Rothery  Block," 
and  taking  an  average  of  4,000  tons  crushed  per  month,  at  a  yield  of  12  dwts. 
only  per  ton,  and  working  expenses  at  8  dwts.  per  ton,  or  a  profit  of  14s.  per 
ton  milled,  the  year's  result  would  work  out  as  follows  : — 

4.000  tons  milled  per  month  equal  48,000  tons  per  annum,  yielding,  at  a 
profit  of  14s.  per  ton,  £33,600 ;  equal  to  28  per  cent,  on  the  capital  of  the 
Comrany. 

Of  i ne  shares  now  offered  for  subscription  the  directors  have  decided 
to  appropriate  30,000  for  providing  working  capital,  leaving  £20,00(j- 
unissued  for  future  requirements. 

Applications  for  shares  can  be  made  on  the  form  issued  with  the 
prospectus,  and  forwarded  to  the  City  Bank,  Limited,  20,  Threadneedle 
Street,  or  to  the  Company's  offices,  31,  Threadneedle  Street,  London, 
together  with  a  deposit  of  Is.  per  share.  Where  no  allotment  is  made, 
the  deposit  will  be  returned  in  full.  Full  prospectuses  and  reports  can  be 
obtained  from  the  bankers,  brokers,  solicitor,  and  the  secretary,  at  the 
Company's  offices. 

OUR  SPECIALTY. 

Ladies  dispense  with  Petticoats  by  wearing  our  Seamless 

KNITTED  PANTALOONS 

st  comfortable  garment  for  riding,  cycling,  touring,  &c, 

AS  WELL  ASFOlt  OIUHNAKY  WEAK. 

Elastic,  ^fck,^       "Will  Wash  without  Shrinking-. 

Durable. 

Healthy      ~*^Jj&W  KNITTED  CORSET  CO., 

Write  for  illus-      Wrfy  _ 

ii  ted  price  i>-t  '  wtr      118     Mansfield  Road,  Nottingham. 

and  pat  terns ) 


HIOH-CLASS  AUTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 
MRS.  GRABTJRN  13,  Bonchurch-road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  SpecialiM— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  i!*  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.    Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is 


There  is  no  limit  to  the  ease  with  which  two  very  p<*»r 
men  can  find  material  for  a  quarrel.  I  saw  a  pleasing 
instance  of  this  the  other  evening.  The  quarrel  took 
place  at  the  White  Horse  Chambers,  Fetter  Lane,  a 
house  that  catered  for  the  aristocracy  a  century  ago,  but 
has  lately  fallen  from  its  high  estate.  If  you  ask  me  in 
what  particular  room  in  the  Hotel,  I  can't  answer  you. 
I  am  not  used  to  hotel  life,  and  I  do  not  know  the  proper 
name  for  that  room  which  is  used  as  a  coffee-room, 
kitchen,  dining-room,  scullery,  dressing-room,  and 
smoking-room. 

This  is  how 
the  quarrel  hap- 
psned.  I  had 
been  drinking 
some  inferior 
whisky  and 
needed  sym- 
pathy. Accord- 
ingly, I  handed 
the  man  at  the 
other  end  of  the 
bencli  a  cigar- 
ette. He  lit  it. 
And  then  the 
quarrel  began. 
Three  little 
words  were 
enough  to  start 
it.  They  came 
from  a  tall, 
middle-aged 
man.  His 
clothes  were 
greasy.  There 
was  an  un- 
healthy, sallow 
fattiness  about 
his  puffy  cheeks; 

his  beard  and  whiskers  were  thin  and  straggly— 
— possibly  on  account  of  the  bad  soil  that  nourished 
them. 

"  Cadgin'  cigarettes."    "  Yer  a  liar.  " 

There  followed  a  brilliant  exchange  of  unprintable 
repartee,  which  was  soon  interrupted  by  a  third  man.  The 
third  man's  nose  seemed  to  have  been  broken  recently, 
and  he  put  up  his  fists  in  quite  a  professional  manner. 
When  he  had  finished  with  the  man  with  the  straggly 
beard  the  latter  was  grovelling  on  the  floor.  He  picked 
himself  up  and  sat  down  next  to  me.  I  offered  him  a 
little  whisky,  and  he  talked  quietly  after  the  third  glass. 

"  Staying  'ere  ternight  ?  "  "Yes."  "Six  or  nine?" 
"Nine." 

"  Well,  it  don't  matter  if  yer  'as  a  sixpenny  or  a  nine- 
penny;  they're  all  smothered  in  fleas — all  on  'em.  Now 
you  take  and'  bresh  'em  off  afore  yer  gets  into  bed,  and 
you'll  sleep  comferable.    They  don't  trouble  me  now." 

"Used  to  'em?" 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  and  I  thought  his  voice  became  a  trifle 
sad,  "  used  to  'em,  though  I  wasn't  once." 

He  drew  closer  to  me,  and  whispered — 

"  I  was  a  doctor  in  Edinburgh  once,  and  I  can  speak 
good  English  when  it  suits  me — which  it  don't  in  thi9 
place.  I — I  did  something — and  they  kicked  me  out. 
My  own  family — yer  wouldn't  believe  it,  wouldn't  'ave 
nuthin'  to  do  with  me — me,  a  Scotchman  !" 

"  Yes,"  he  continued,  after  he  had  proved  his  pa- 
triotism by  drinking  three-pennyworth  of  very  bad  whisky 
at  one  gulp,  and  without  any  water,  "  I  was  a  doctor  once. 
Then  I  come  'ere,  and  now  I'm  the  best  newspaper  man 
and  the  fastest  shorthand  writer  in  London.  'Ere's  my 
book  ;  vou  can  see  for  vourself.  You  in  the  newspaper 
line?"  ' 
I  nodded. 


January  19,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


333 


"  Dear  me,  dear  me,  and  you've  been  a  genelman  once, 
like  me.  I  can  see  it,  blessyer.  And  now  we're  both 
a'own  on  our  luck." 

"  Yes,"  I  assented,  "  down  on  my  luck.  I  could  see  you 
were  a  gentleman  by  your  hands — and  this." 

"  No,"  said  he,  quickly  drawing  away  his  hand,  "  that 
ring  ain't  nuthin',  I  never  had  a  wife.  That  ring's  an 
old  brass  thing  that  I  bought  the  other  day  for  luck." 

It  was  an  obvious  lie,  but  I  didn't  think  it  worth  while 
to  contradict  him.  He  was  silent  for  a  few  moments, 
and  then  turned  his  face  towards  the  fire.  It  was  a 
large  fire  on  which  several  suppers  were  being  cooked. 
Each  man  was  his  own  chef.  A  few  potatoes,  accom- 
panied' by  what  seemed  to  be  a  lump  of  fat  ham,  were 
spluttering  on  an  old  tea-tray.  It  required  some  little 
manipulation  to  get  the  tray  from  the  fire  without  spilling 
the  potatoes.  A  large  mackerel  shared  a  rusty  grid- 
iron with  a  kipper,  and  a  saucepanful  of  potatoes  seemed 
to  be  the  property  of  six  men.  Thinking  the  "best 
newspaper  man  in  London  "  might  be  hungry,  I  suggested 
we  should  go  out  and  have  supper. 

"  No,"  said  lie,  "  I  ain't  'ungry,  but  I'll  'ave  two  o'  rum 
wi'  yer.  What,  going?  Well,  good  night."  He  put 
his  mouth  to  my  ear,  and  whispered — "  Lend  us  a  penny 
to  get  some  beer  with  when  you're  gone,  and  don't  forget 
to  bresh  'em  off." 

It  was  half-past  one  in  the  morning  when  I  returned. 
I  wished'  to  see  my  friend  the  journalist  once  more,  but 
the  authorities — there  Avere  two  barmen — prevented  me. 
"  Hupstairs  or  houtside,"  they  said.  They  gave  me  my 
candle.  It  was  a  piece  about  an  inch  long,  fastened  by 
its  own  grease  to  an  old  mustard  tin,  and  one  barman 
showed  the  way. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  you  can 

lie    here   till   twelve  o'clo. k 

to-merrer,  if  you  like,  and  yer 

3an  have  some  more  drink  as 

soon  as  yer  comes  down." 

I  thanked  him  for  this  con- 
soling information,   and  shut 

the  door. 

There  were  two  beds  in  tho 

room.    On  one  of  them  a  man 

was  sleeping    heavily — in  hits 

clothes.    I  turned  down  tho 

clothes  of  my  bed,  and  remem- 
bered the  ex-doctor's  advice. 

Then  I  put  out  the  light  and, 

without  undressing,  lay  down. 

When  I  awoke  I  found  the 

other   man  was   also  awake. 

We    talked    for    some  time, 

and  I  examined    the  room. 

There  was  not  a  single  whole 

piece  of  furniture  in  the  place. 

The  mantelpiece  and  hearth- 
stone were  cracked,  a  grimy 

chandelier  (even  the  room  had 

seen  better   days)  was  quite 

disabled  ;  the  beds  were  only 

kept   together    by   pieces  of 

string.      Industrious  spiders 

had  filled  in  every  available 

corner  and  crevice.    The  dust 

and  dirt  of  at  least  five  years 

lay  thick  on    the  walls  and 

windows. 

Then  I  suggested  a  drink,  and  we  descended,  and  had 
some  beer.  Several  men  were  standing  round  the  fire, 
discussing  the  best  method  of  cashing  a  £1,000  Bank  of 
England  note. 

"  Look  'ere,"  said  a  short  man,  whose  distinguishing 
features  seemed  to  be  large,  fishy  eyes,  and  an  excep- 
tionally dirty  collar,  "  if  you  takes  a  note  up  to  the  bank, 
they  must  pay  over,  that's  straight."  Derisive  laughter 
followed  this  statement. 


AND  YOU  VE  BEEN  A  GENELMAN  ONCE,  LIKE  MI 


"  That  'oodn't  do  for  you,  Bill,  eh  1 "  asked  one  of  tho 
scornful  ones. 

"  Do  1 "  and  there  was  more  in  Bill's  tone  than  can  be 

put  on  paper — "  do  1    No,  I   d  d  well  think  it 

wouldn't ! " 

"  You  can  say  what  yer  like,"  said  the  fishy-eyed  one ; 
''but  I  say  that  if  ye're  on  a  straight  erringd,  ye're  all 
right." 

"  Ocs  goin'  on  a  straight  erringd  ] "  asked  Bill,  in  an 
injured  tone.    Then  he  turned  to  me,  and  said — 

"  If  yer  found  a  'undred-pun  note  wouldn't  yer  rather 
tike  it  down  the  Lane  and  get  seventy-five  per  cent,  for 
it,  and  no  questions  axed,  than  go  smellin'  about  in 
some  duzzy  benk  for  the  sike  of  the  extry?  Why,  on 
course.  Keep  yer  eyes  open,  that's  all  yer  got  to  do. 
If  yer  wants  to  go  to  sleep,  go  to  bed  to  do  it ;  though  I 
reckon  I  alius  loses  somethin'  every  time  I  goes  to 
bed.'' 

Later  on  the  circle  was  joined  by  a  pale-faced  man, 
with  a  thick,  red  moustache.  I  soon  discovered  that  he 
was  a  comic  singer  by  profession.  Having  announced 
to  an  envious  audience  that  he  had  had  a  "  skinful "  on 
the  previous  evening,  and  was  feeling  particularly  seedy, 
he  proceeded  to  prepare  his  breakfast.  For  a  man  who 
owned  to  feeling  seedy  he  consumed  a  fairly  large  break- 
fast, consisting  of  six  rounds  of  toast  soaked  in  mar- 
garine, and  seven  cups  of  tea.  I  think  he  was  the 
wealthiest  man  in  the  room.  But  for  all  his  riches  he 
was  not  happy.  A  corn  troubled  him.  Naturally 
enough,  the  conversation  drifted  round  to  corns  and 
their  cures. 

"  Corns  is  rummy  things,"  said  a  thin  man,  who  was 
cooking  a  rabbit,  "  no  one 
knows  'ow  they  comes,  and  it 
licks  me  'ow  the  toffs  get  'em, 
when  they  can  'ave  thin  leather 
to  their  boots,  and  low  'eels  an' 
all.  I  knows  they  get  'em,  cos 
I  see  a  place  the  other  day 
where  they  cuts  'em." 

"  Pointed  toes,"  suggested 
another  man. 

"Pointed  toes  is  hout ;  they 
ain't  worn  now." 

I  treasured  up  this  little  bit 
of  information  for  my  friend 
the  Major,  though  I  cannot 
vouch  for  its  accuracy. 

But  no  amount  of  talking 
could  put  the  comic  singer  out 
of  his  misery,  and  it  was  not 
until  a  chiropodical  operation 
had  been  performed,  that  he 
could  take  any  interest  in  his 
breakfast. 

"Now  then,  Bottle  Bully," 
said  the  comic  singer,  as  soon 
as  he  had  finished  his  breakfast, 
"  come  along,  if  ye're  comin'  ?  " 

An  old  man,  with  a  grey, 
stubbly  beard,  shuffled  up. 
He  carried  an  empty  beer 
bottle,  into  which  he  poured 
the  leavings  of  all  the  mugs 
and  cups  that  he  could  lay  his 
hands  on.  Tea,  coffee,  and 
cocoa  all  went  into  the  same  bottle.  I  believe  he  after- 
wards drank  the  mixture. 

All  this  time  I  had  been  looking  out  for  my  friend  of 
the  previous  evening — the  ex-doctor.  I  went  into  the 
bar  to  enquire  where  he  Avas,  and  learned  that  he  had 
left  very  early  in  the  morning.  I  was  told  of  his  pro- 
bable whereabouts,  so  I  said  I  would  go  out  to  find  him. 
And  I  went  out.    And  I  didn't  go  back  again. 

U.  G. 


334 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE   GROCERS'   ASSOCIATION    OF  BIRMINGHAM. 

FACTS  AND  QUESTIONS  FOR  THE  COMMITTEE. 

This  association  is  a  highly  respectable  and  influential  con- 
cern, well  known  in  Birmingham,  but  it  includes  in  its  long  list 
of  members  sundry  persons  whose  recent  action  will  seem  to 
most  people  to  have  disqualified  them  for  membership.  As  an 
organisation,  this  body  is,  of  course,  opposed  to  the  bond  system 
in  selling  tea  of  which  we  have  heard  so  much  lately.  The 
chairman  of  its  committee,  Mr.  J.  Noiris,  is  as  stoutly  oj  possd 
to  this  system  as  anyone  can  be  ;  but  his  brother,  Mr.  William 
Norris,  who  is  also  a  member  of  the  association,  has,  with  some 
four  or  five  other  members,  gone  into  the  same  kind  of  business, 
emboldened  so  to  do  by  the  opinion  of  the  Birmingham  Watch 
Committee,  since  reversed,  that  the  system  is  legal.  These 
grocers  defend  their  action  on  the  plea  that  they  take  it  in  self- 
defence — a  plea  the  value  of  which  will  be  perceived  when  wc 
say  that  their  operations  are  not  confined  to  the  town  in  which 
their  own  proper  businesses  are  situated,  but  extend  to  many 
provincial  towns,  and  to  Loudon. 

Let  us  take  Mr.  W.  Norris.  This  person  has  started  the  Public 
Benefit  Tea  Association,  with  offices  at  5,  Nelson  Passage,  Bull 
Ring,  Birmingham,  and  at  9,  Mincing  Lane,  E.G.  He  has  as 
"  general  manager  :'  one  James  Frederick  Edwards,  a  chartered 
accountant,  made  an  associate  in  September  of  last  year,  and 
until  recently  a  clerk  to  a  Mr.  W.  E.  Fowkes,  chartered 
accountant,  of  S3,  Colmore  Row,  Birmingham,  who  is  the  secretary 
to  the  Grocers'  Association  of  that  town;  and,  as  "manager," 
a  person  who  signs  "B.  Sinclair,"  but  whose  real  name  is  Wren, 
and  whose  principal  duty  appears  to  be  to  sign  the  bonds.  This 
association  has  branches  in  various  parts  of  London,  and  its 
representations,  as  found  in  its  printed  matter  scattered 
broadcast,  are  eminently  misleading. 

For  example,  the  association  claims  that  its  tea  "is  really 
pure  and  delicious,  and  ordinarily  sold  at  2s.  8d.  per  pound." 
Ludicrously  untrue  ;  the  wholesale  price  of  the  tea  is  something 
less  than  Is.  per  pound,  the  retail  about  Is.  3d. 

Again,  the  association  pledged  itself  to  "a  weekly  ballot  of 
£12  10s.  to  bondholders  Nos.  1  to  10,000,"  every  customer  who 
has  bought  half  a  pound  taking  part  in  it  ;  but  as  a  matter 
of  fact  the  ballot  did  not  take  place,  the  manager  picking  out 
five  names — that  is  to  say,  he  selected  one  customer  from  each 
depot  district  for  £2  10s. 

The  bond  for  £25  is  not  worth  the  paper  it  is  written  upon. 
It  could  not  be  sued  upon,  and  it  is  signed  in  a  fictitious  name. 
If  Mr.  Norris  wishes  to  act  above  board  why  does  not  he  sign 
these  bonds  himself,  and  if  he  wants  to  remain  in  the  back- 
ground why  does  he  select  to  act  for  him  a  person  willing  to 
sign  a  name  other  than  his  own  ? 

Mr.  J.  F.  Edwards  is  acting  for  others  besides  Mr.  Norris, 
and  is  running  a  rival  show  called  the  King's  Bond  Tea 
Association,  with  branches  at  Croydon  and  the  New  Cut.  Be- 
sides Mr.  Norris,  Messrs.  Boraston,  and  other  members 
of  the  Birmingham  Grocers'  Association,  are  running  these 
shops  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  trying  by  one 
ingenious  device  or  another  to  dodge  the  law.  What  right  have 
such  men  to  belong  to  an  association  whose  object  is  the  protec- 
tion of  legitimate  trade  ? 

THE  SOUTH  EASTERN  MEETING. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  special  general  meeting  was 
practically  unanimous  in  its  support  of  the  present  Board.  Sir 
George  Russell's  defence  was  vehement,  weak,  and  misleading, 
hut  the  strength  of  his  position,  and  that  of  the  Board,  is  to 
be  found  in  the  general  repudiation  of  the  policy  of  that 
cantankerous  dreamer,.  Sir  Edward  Watkin.  Sir  Charles 
Russell  spoke  of  the  "wicked  competition"  with  the 
Chatham,  now  ended.  Lord  I'm  Ion  said  (hat  Sir  Edward 
Watkin's  V  policy  of  extension  was  at  an  end,  he  hoped 
for  ever."  Mr.  Cosmo  Bonsor,  "a  regular  grumbler  for 
twenty-two  years,"  said  that  "  the  Board  had  recognised  flic 
fact  that  the  only  way  to  do  good  business  was  to  give  a  good 
article  to  the  public  for  the  money  they  paid,"  and  Sir  jVTyles 
FenLon  pleaded  that  "  his  hands  had  been  practically  tied-for 
the  last  ten  years."     After  these   declarations   it  is,  "nlv 


natural  that  the  meeting  should  wish  to  give  the  new  Board  a 
fair  trial. 

MR.  BEGELHOLE. 

We  have  received  the  following  letter.    It  will  be  seen  that 

Mr.  Begelhole  is  an  old  hand  at  rosy  predictions  : — 

The  name  "Begelhole"  is  not  a  name  us  poor  Anglo-Indians 
remember  with  affection.  Long  before  Bayley's  Beward  Claim  he  was 
busy  in  India,  as  an  expert  giving  us  his  views  on  the  gold  in  Chota. 

We  have  also  received  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  who  held 
shares  in  several  of  the  Indian  gold  mining  companies  brought  out 
during  the  gold  boom  of  1889-90.    He  writes  :— 

I  held  shares  in  several  and  was  induced  to  pnrchase  on  the  faith  of 
reports  made  by  Mr.  Begelhole  and  others  of  his  "profession."  Not 
having  the  papers  I  cannot  now  state  the  exact  names  of  the  com- 
panies he  was  interested  in,  as  there  were  so  many.  None  have  ever 
paid  a  dividend  and  most  of  them  are  now  defunct.  Among  those  now 
existing  are  the  Sonapet,  Western  Patkoom  and  the  Kalyanpu.-  Behar, 
with  shares  unsaleable  or  quoted  nominal.  Among  the  defunct  are 
the  Dhadlta,  Padres  Hill,  Ambar,  which  have  been  wound  up  after 
losing  all  their  capital.  It  is  much  to  be  desired  that  some  check 
should  be  put  on  these  so-called  mining  experts.  I  have  lost  heavily 
in  all  the  above  companies,  and  am  certain  Begelhole  was  employed  by 
some  of  them. 

We  are  informed  that  Mr.  Begelhole  was  connected  with  two 
or  more  of  these  Chota  Nagpore  Mines — none  of  them  dividend 
paying. 

THE  MONACO  PROPRIETARY  FUND:  A  DISCLAIMER. 

We  have  received  from  Mr.  A.  Tumbrell,  solicitor,  of  23, 
Martin's  Lane,  E.C.,  a  letter,  in  which  he  complains  of  our 
reference  to  his  clients,  Messrs.  Chester  and  Co.,  of  South  Place, 
Finsbury.  We  said  that  the  man  Tarrant  gave  Messrs.  Chester 
and  Co.  as  a  reference  when  taking  rooms  at  22,  Budge  Row. 
Mr.  Tumbrell  admits  it,  but  explains  that  Mr.  Chester  was 
induced  to  write  the  very  guarded  letter  received  by  the  land- 
lord because  Tarrant  lives  at  Leyton,  and  Mr.  Chester,  also  a 
resident  at  Leyton,  had  heard  him  spoken  of  as  a  very  respectable 
man.  Mr.  Chester  has  no  personal  knowledge  of  Tarrant,  and 
never  heard  of  the  Monaco  Proprietary  Fund  until  it  was  referred 
to  in  To-Day, 

We  desired  to  insinuate  nothing  to  the  discredit  of  Messrs. 
Chester  and  Co.,  nor  have  we  done  so. 

A  well-informed  correspondent,  who  has  just  returned  to 

Johannesburg,  writes  us  :  — 

The  Paarl  Central  will,  of  course,  continue  their  operations,  and 
take  up  t  he  60,000  reserve  shares,  but  this  will  only  just  liquidate  the 
debts  of  the  company.  Further  working  capital  will  be  vequhed  to 
further  develop  the  mine,  and  put  up  iiioie  stamps.  It  is  only  on  a 
large  milling  scale  that  such  mines  can  be  worked  eommerci  illy.  The 
control  of  the  company  is  in  Eckstein's  hand.-.  They  or  the  Rand 
mines  hold  the  immediate  dip  claims,  and  I  expect  before  long  seme 
scheme  of  reconstruction  to  provide  further  working  capital,  and 
taking  in  the  dip  claims,  will  be  announced.  It  will  all  depend  upon 
tiie  terms  of  such  reconstruction  as  to  whether  investment  in  this 
company  will  turn  out  profitable. 

Our  correspondent  adds  that  at  the  Langlaagte  Ro3'al  he  has 

found  great  changes.    Sixty  stamps  are  going  at  present,  and 

forty  more  are  to  be  running  this  month. 


We  have  reason  to  believe  that  .our  comments  of  last  week 
with  respect  to  Balkis-Esterlings  were  misunderstood.  We  said 
that  cyanide  plant  will  have  to  be  put  up,  but  it  is  no  fatal 
drawback  to  get  gold  in  a  pyritic  state.  All  the  Rand  mines 
have  to  contend  with  this  class  of  ore,  and  do  so  with  the  best 
results. 


We  understand  that  it  is  Mr.  Z.  Lane  who  has  been  sell  cted 
by  Mr.  Barney  Barnato  to  go  out  for  him  to  Western  Australia 
and  pick  up  claims.  It  was  Mr.  Lane — who  by  the  way  has 
had  no  recent  experience  in  gold-mining,  he  is  a  silver  man — 
who  brought  Mr.  Begelhole  to  the  front.  Let  us  hope  that  in 
repotting  for  his  present  employers  Mr.  Lane  will  consider 
personal  examination  of  moic  importance  than  he  did  w  hen  he 
made  his  report  upon  Abbott's. 

Mu.  Begelhole  sails  for  Australia  in  the  Austral.  His 
reception  is  likely  to  be  a  warm  one.  Mr.  Alee  Forrest  is 
on  his  way  home  lrom  that  happy  land.  Mr.  Forrest  is  a  brother 
of  the  present  Prime  Minister  of  Western  Australia,  and  is  as 
smart  as  they  make  them  in  those  parts.  He  is  Mayor  of 
I'*  rt'i,  arid  a  money-lend*  r. 

Who  is  to  succeed  Mr.  Begelhole  as  Reporter-General  for  Coo." 
gardie?  Mr.  II.  T.  Saunders?  We  hear  he  has  a  heap  of 
claims  lie  would  be  willing  to  part  with. 


January  19,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


335 


"TODAY'S"  BLACK  LIST. 
THE    CO-OPERATIVE    MUTUAL    BENEFIT    SOCIETY. — This 

society  professes  to  iind  situations  for  clerks  and  others  out  of 
work.  It  takes  the  shillings  of  these  poor  people— and  keeps 
them. 

THE  MONACO  GUARANTEE  FUND.  — Messrs.  Jackson  and  Co. 
are  sending  out  circulars  inviting  subscriptions  to  this  fund  and 
promising  large  profits.  The  waste-paper  basket  is  the  place  for 
such  circulars. 

THE  OXYGEN  SYNDICATE.  — We  must  again  beg  correspondents 
not  to  send  us  papers  received  from  this  syndicate.  We  have  a' 
barrowful  of  them.  Everybody  who  tries  for  the  £4  prize  is 
told  he  has  won  it.  We  have  before  us  two  different  solutions 
of  the  puzzle,  one  sent  by  Mr.  J.  Kinch,  of  284,  St.  Leonard's 
Road,  Bromley-by-Bow,  the  other  by  Mr.  J.  Bitten,  of  29, 
Philip's  Road,  Peckham.  Each  was  told  he  had  given  the 
correct  rendering.  The  man  Webber  is  never  to  be  seen,  and 
we  are  surprised  that  Messrs.  Gibbs,  Smith  and  Co.  continue  to 
act  for  him.  They  will  do  well  to  look  more  closely  into 
matters. 

SOME  NEW  ISSUES. 
E.  Balestreri  and  Co.,  Limited.  Share  capital,  £250,000 ;  Deben- 
ture capital,  £100,000.— The  public  are  asked  to  take  up  an  Issue  of 
£100,000  Five  per  Cent.  First  Mortgage  Debentures.  We  do  not  think  it  a 
desirable  investment.  The  money  is  said  to  be  wanted  "  as  the  present 
works  are  not  large  enough  to  keep  pace  with  the  orders."  If  that  be  so, 
we  should  have  thought  it  could  have  been  got  locally.  The  information 
as  to  profits  is  very  general,  while  the  price  asked  for  the  business  is 
very  high. 

The  Smoke  and  Fumes  Annihilator,  Limited.  Capital,  £120,000. 
—  This  company  is  formed  to  work  a  patent  for  the  annihilation  of  smoke. 
We  have  had  many  such  patents,  but  we  do  not  know  of  one  that  has 
squared  promise  with  performance.  The  vendor  wants  £75,000  for  his  in- 
vention.   We  do  not  advise  readers  of  To-Day  to  find  any  part  of  it. 

Russell's  Gravesend  Brewery,  Limited.  Share  capital,  £90,000. 
—This  is  an  issue  of  £10,000  Four-and-a-Half  per  Cent.  Debenture  Stock, 
balance  of  an  authorised  sum  of  £70,000.  The  security  seems  fairly  sufficient. 

Crompton  &  Co..  Limited.  Issue  of  £100,000  Five  per  Cent.  First 
Mortgage  Kegisteied  Debentures.— The  security  upon  which  this  issue  is 
offered  is  property  valued  at  £242,688  ;  but  this  is  the  company's  valuation. 
£80,000  or  the  issue  is  to  be  applied  to  paying  off  existing  debentures. 
Perhaps  the  security  is  sufficient,  hut  more  particulars  as  to  the  position  of 
the  business  would  have  been  welcome.  It  is  not  an  investment  we  can 
recommend. 

The  Pandora  Folding  Box  Company,  Limited.  Capital, 
£60,000.— This  company  is  to  work  a  patent  for  making  boxes.  If  the 
expectations  of  the  prospectus  are  realised  shareholders  will  do  well,  and 
the  company  takes  over  a  going  concern. 

The  North  London  Cycling  and  Athletic  Grounds  Com- 
pany, Limited.  Capital  £16,000.— Formed  for  the  purposes  implied  by 
its  name,  substantially  supported  by  the  directors  and  their  friends,  and 
an  enterprise  that,  well  managed,  should  do  well. 

The  Rothery  Block  Gold  Mine,  Limited.  Capital  £120,000.— 
Formed  to  work  a  mining  property  in  the  Randfontein  district,  South 
Africa.  Various  reports  speak  to  the  value  of  the  property.  Mr. 
Knatchbull-Hugessen,  M.P.,  is  upon  the  Board. 

STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Cheque  Bank.  Syen  (Darlington).— We  understand  that  the  business 
of  the  Bank  is  going  on  satisfactorily,  and  that  a  balance-sheet  will  soon  be 
issued  which  will  snow  this.  The  shares  of  the  bank  are  not  quoted  in  the 
Official  List.  Safe  Investment.  Blank  Cheque  (Bolton).— The  Tram- 
way Company  to  which  you  refer  is  doing  well,  but  having  regard 
to  the  action  of  the  County  Council,  we  do  not  think  London  Tram- 
way shares  a  desirable  investment.  Oxyzone  Syndicate.  A 
Yankee  Dupe  (Walthamstow).— Do  not  send  the  10s.  6d.  This 
answer  will  apply  to  many  similar  enquiries  as  to  whether  the  half-guinea 
should  be  sent.  One  and  All,  Limited.  One  and  ALL(Hepworth).— 
Very  speculative.  Newport  Co-operative  People's  Bank.  S.S.D. 
(Newport). — We  are  without  the  local  knowledge  necessary  to  answer  your 
question.  Lagunas.  C.  B.  T.  F.  (Keighley).— We  think  them  worth 
buying  at  their  present  price.  Engineering  Work.  No.  1640 
(Bolton).— Every  company  has  an  office,  and  the  address,  is  given 
on  the  prospectus.  Black  and  White.  Shareholder  (London).— We 
advise  you  to  hold.  You  have  had  a  trying  time,  but  the  position  of  the 
company  is  rapidly  improving,  and  with  the  continuance  of  the  present 
management  there  should  be  rapid  appreciation  in  the  value  of  the 
property.  Ottoman  Bonds.  E.  W.  M.  (Birmingham).— Yes ;  these 
bonds  are  "  bona  fide."  St.  Augustine's.  F.  L.  (Norwich).— It  is  not  a 
purchase  we  should  have  recommended,  nor  should  we  have  advised  you  to 

fo  to  the  people  you  name.  North  Coolgardie  Company.  F.S.  (Bury  St. 
Idmunds).— We  think  it  very  doubtful  whether  the  shares  are  worth  the 
£17 10s.  you  would  have  to  pay.  We  do  not  think  there  is  much  chance  of 
improvement  in  the  two  other  shares  you  name.  Spiers  and  Pond. 
T.  H.  C.  (Manchester).— You  have  a  sound  investment,  but  it  wants 
watching.  Cassell's,  Bryant  and  May's,  Bodegas,  and  J.  and  P.  Coats' 
Preference  are  all  excellent  investments.  Sundry  Mining  Shares. 
Speculations  (Glasgow).- We  do  not  like  any  of  them.  Railway  Per- 
manent Building  Society.  F.  L.  (Birkenhead).— Yes,  quite  sound. 
Cheque  Bank.  E.  M.  (Reading).— Seo  answer  to  Syen.  Van  Die- 
man's  Bank.  Luck  (Wishaw).— We  have  not  been  able  to  find  it.  These 
bonds  are  to  be  got  from  Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.,  10,  Place  de  la 
Bourse,  Paris.  West  Australian  Mining  Co-operation.  A.  B  C. 
(Birmingham).— We  take  note  of  your  letter.  Sundry  Shares.  South- 
port  (Southport). — We  do  not  advise  you  to  increase  your  holdings.  Home 
and  Colonial  Stores.  A.  H.  (Edgbaston).— We  should  prefer  another 
selection.  West  Australian  Gold  Fields.  H.  C.  R.W.  (Newcastle-on- 
Tyne).—  The  author  is  Mr.  A.  F.  Calvert,  and  we  have  no  doubt  you  can  get 
a  copy  if  you  communicate  witli  him  at  47,  Old  Broad  Street,  E.C.  The 
Becston  Pneumatic  Tyre  Company.  C.  W.  (Forest  Hill).— We  will 
forward  your  letter  to  "Durham."  Bailey's  Reward.  G.  F.  (Leicester). 
—Yes,  we  have  heard  the  explanation  given  that  the  fall  is  due  to  "lie 
vendors,  who  want  to  increase  their  holdings  on  favourable  terms,  but  tha< 
is  very  improbable.  Note  the  admissions  of  the  latest  cable— rich  ore 
exhausted,  water  scarce  ! 

INSURANCE. 

Land  Union  and  Crown  Insurance  Company.  Ulster  Boy 
(Donnybrook).— Yes,  perfectly  safe.  We  will  refer  next  week  to  your 
friend's  opinion.  Two  Offices.  SUBSCRIBER  (London).— Both  are  first- 
class  offices.    British  Natural  Premium  Insurance  Company. 

J.  T.  C.  (Manchester).— A  good  deal  would  depend  upon  when  it  fell  due. 


The  Subscription  Lists  are  now  open,  and  close  on 
Tuesday,  January  22nd,  for  Town,  and  on  Wednesday, 
January  23rd,  for  Country. 


HE     NORTH     LONDON    CYCLING  AND 

ATHLETIC   GROUNDS   COMPANY,  LIMITED. 


Incoiporated  under  the  Companies  Acts,  1862  to  1893.  Capital  £16,000 
(nearly  one-half  of  which  has  already  been  subscribed  by  the  directors  and 
gentlemen  interested  in  cycling  and  kindred  sports),  in  16,000  shares  of  £1 
each,  payable  as  follows :  On  application,  2s. ;  on  allotment,  5s. ;  and  the 
balance  as  may  be  required,  in  calls  of  nob  more  than  5s.  per  call,  and  at 
intervals  of  not  less  than  one  month. 

Directors. 

*A.  W.  Gamage,  Esq.  (London  County  C.  Club),  118  to  529,  Holborn. 
A.  J.  Wilson,  Esq.,  President  North  Hoad  Cycling  Club,   8,  Theobald's 
Eoad,  W.C. 

W.  Charles  Russell,  Esq.,  Director  Essex  Cycling  Union  (Limited),  7,  Cam- 
bridge Gardens,  Leytonstone. 

F.  Percy  Low,  Esq.,  Manager  of  "  Wheeling,"  152,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 
*  Who  will  join  the  Board  after  Allotment. 

Bankers— London  and  Provincial  Bank  (Limited),  Wood  Green  Branch, 
Head  Office,  7,  Bank  Buildings,  Lothbury;  and  Branches. 

Solicitor — A.  Pyke,  Esq.,  56,  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  W.C. 

Auditors— Messrs.  Sydney  Jeffreys  and  Co.,  20,  Bucklersbury,  E.C. 

Secretary  (pro  tem.) — J.  H.  Hammon,  Esq. 

Registered  Office  (pro  tern.)— 128,  Holborn,  London,  E.C. 


ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 
This  Company  has  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  such  vacant 
ground  in  and  around  London  as  may  be  conveniently  reached,  and  which 
can  be  made  suitable  for  outdoor  sport.    Particularly  in  the  case  of  the 
North  of  London  there  has  long  been  an  urgent  need  for  a  first-class  cycling 
'  and  athletic  ground. 

Arrangements  have  been  made  to  acquire  the  freehold  of  about  eleven 
acres  of  land  known  as  the  Nightingale  Hall  Estate,  situate  at  Wood  Green, 
N. 

The  property  to  be  acquired  ''on  terms  which  are  considered  most  favour- 
able to  the  Company)  is  situate  just  outside  Palace  Gates  Station  on  the 
Great  Eastern  Railway  (giving  direct  access  to  the  whole  North-Eastern 
district),  and  within  three  minutes'  walk  of  Wood  Green  Station  on  the 
Great  Northern  Railway,  main  line. 

The  growing  popularity  of  athletics,  .more  particularly  in  connection  with 
football  and  cycling,  especially  in  long-distance  events,  together  with  the 
ever  increasing  number  of  spectators,  point  to  a  big  future  for. all  invest- 
ments dependent  upon  the  success  of  such  pastimes.  It  is  a  fact  that  the 
proprietors  of  similar  Londm  undertakings  to  the  one  projected  have 
•expressed  themselves  as  highly  satisfied  with  the  financial  result  of  last 
year's  business-  while  it  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  that  the  Heme 
Hill  track  in  die  south  of  London  has  yielded  a  handsome  revenue  to  its 
proprietors  and  to  the  ground  club  in  addjtipn. 

The  returns  of  a  number  of  provincial  tracks  have  shown  continuously, 
for  the  past  few  years,  a  distinctly  upward  tendency,  proving  conclusively 
•that  the  future  of  tlio  undertaking  suo'n  as  is  proposed  is  highly  promising. 

The  property,  which  has  been  surveyed  and  reported  on  by  H.  J.  Swindley, 
Esq.  (who  has  a  wide  reputation  in  matters  of  this  kind),  is  spoken  of  as 
admirably  adapted  for  the  purposes  of  the  Company. 

The  full  Report  can  be  seen  at  the  office  of  the  solicitor. 


IHE     NORTH     LONDON     CYCLING  AND 

ATHLETIC   GROUNDS   COMPANY,  LIMITED. 


It  is  proposed  to  lay  down  a  cycling  track  three  and  a  half  laps  to  the 
mile,  in  accordance  with  the  most  modern  ideas  and  requirements,  and  the 
'directors  have  sought  the  advice  and  taken  the  opinions  of  the  leading 
authorities  on  the  sub-Vet,  in  o'der  that  it  may  prove,  when  completed,  the 
finest  and  fastest  track  in  Greut  Britain. 

A  cinder-path  will  be  laid  inside  that  for  cycling,  as  well  as  a  grass  track. 

Tlie  space  within  the  cycling  track  will  be  used  for  lawn  tennis,  lacrosse, 
and  first-class  football  matches,  and  with  this  object  plans  have  been  drawn 
under  the  personal  suggestion  of  leading  experts. 

The  directors  intend  to  inaugurate  a  refreshment  department  on  a  popular 
scale.    It  is  expected  that  a  large  revenue  will  be  thus  obtainable. 

A  large  revenue  may  be  expected  from  the  letting  of  the  hoardings  in  and 
around  the  grounds  for  advertisements. 

A  portion  of  the  land  fronting  the  high  road,  which  will  not  be  required 
for  the  purposes  of  the  athletic  grounds,  will  be  available  for  building  pur- 
poses, li.us  providing  additional  revenue  to  the  Company. 

The  directors  anticipate  from  the  materials  furnished  them  that  the 
Company  will  derive  an  income  sufficient  to  pay  remunerative  dividends 
from  the  letting  of  the  ground  to  clubs  for  cycling,  football,  lawn  tennis,  etc, 
the  sale  of  refreshments,  the  letting  of  the  track  for  cycle  meetings,  prac- 
tice, and  record  breaking,  the  storing  of  machines,  the  renting  of  the  hoard- 
ing  enclosing  the  ground  by  cycle  manufacturers  and  others  for  advertis- 
ing purposes,  and  from  rents,  or  sale  of  the  surplus  ground. 

An  additional  factor  of  success  arises  from  the  suppression  of  road  racing 
upon  the  Great  North  Road,  owing  to  the  action  of  the  police.  The  promi- 
nent fixtures  of  all  cycling  clubs  which  were  previously  held  on  the  highway 
must  now,  therefore,  be  taken  to  the  path.  The  North  Road  Cycling  (.lull, 
which  had  previously  held  all  its  fixtures  on  the  highway,  has  now  in 
general  meeting  taken  powers  to  race  upon  the  path ;  and  this  example  will 
no  doubt  be  largely  followed. 

The  great  value  of  this  prospectus  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  property  to  be 
acquired  is  freehold,  and  steadily  increasing  in  value. 

The  consideration  to  be  paid  for  the  freehold,  the  mansion,  and  timber  has 
been  fixed  by  the  vendor  at  £8,000. 

All  expenses  incident  to  the  promotion  of  the  Company  up  to  allotment 
will  be  defrayed  by  vendor.    No  promotion  money  has  been  or  will  be  paid. 

So  sanguine  are  the  Directors  of  the  success  of  the  undertaking,  that  thev 
have  agreed  to  take  no  fees  until  5  per  cent:  has  been  paid. 

The  only  contract  entered  into  for  and  on  behalf  of  the  Company  is  one 
dated  December  31,  1891,  between  the  vendor,  Albert  W  alter  Gamage,  of  the 
one  part,  and  James  Howard  Hamilton,  for  the  Company,  of  the  other  part. 

The  Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association  may  be  seen  at  the  office  of 
the  solicitor  to  the  Company. 

Applications'  fur  shares  should  be  forwarded  to  the  Bankers  of  the  Com- 
pany, together  with  a  deposit  of  2s.  per  share. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  may  be  obtained  at  the  Banker's, 
or  at  the  registered  office  of  the  Company. 


336 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1895. 


T)RURY  LANE  THEATRE  ROYAL—SIR  AUGUSTUS 
*^  HAKBIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.  Twice  Daily,  at  1.30  and  7.30, 
Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand  New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day. 


T  YCEUM.— KING  ARTHUR,  by  J.  Comyns  Carr.  EVERY 
NIGHT  at  8  o'clock.  Mr.  Irving,  Mr.  Forbes  Robertson,  Miss 
Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  Music  by  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan. 
Scenery  and  Costumes  designed  by  Sir  Edward  Burne-Jones.  Box  Office 
(Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  daily  10  to  5,  and  during  the  performance.  Seats  also 
bocked  by  letter  or  telegram. 

POYAL    PRINCESS'S     THEATRE— SIR  AUGUSTUS 
*     HABBIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.   EVEBY  EVENING,  at  7.30. 
THE  DEBBY  WINNEB, 
by  Sir  Augustus  Harris,  Cecil  Baleigh,  and  Henry  Hamilton. 
Box  Office  open  10.0  a.m.  all  day.    For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers; 

PALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
THEATBE  in  EUBOPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SEBIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 


JAMES'S 


MOORE   AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,  ST. 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
GBAND  HOLIDAY  PBOGBAMME, 
Including  "  The  Popping  Coon."   Twice  daily,  at  2.30  and  8,  Messrs.  Sims 
and  Caryll's  Comic  Plantation  Operetta, 

"THE  YALLEB  GAL." 
Miss  Daniels  specially  engaged  to  play  the  principal  part,  supported 
by  Mr.  Morton,  Mr.  Callan,  and  the  whole  of  the  Troupe.    Prices  5s.,  3s., 
2s.,  and  Is.;  at  Trees'  Offices,      Ticcadilly,  and  304,  Regent  Street. 

Farini,  Manager. 

TJOYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 
place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen.  _  Wet  or  Fine. 
THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MABVELLOUS  PEBFOBMANCES, 

2  and  7  POSTEB     EXHIBITION.     YACHTING  EXHIBITION, 

Jan.  29.   GIGANTIC  CHRISTMAS  CARNIVAL  to  Feb  2. 

MIAGARA  HALL,  ST.  JAMES*  PARK    STATION.  — Real 
Ice  Skating.  Largest  and  Finest  Skating  Hall  in  the  world. 
9  a.m.  to  1.30  p.m.  3/-  Admission. 
3  p.m.  to  7.  0  p.m.   5/-  „ 
8  p.m.  to  11.30  p.m.   3/-  „ 
First-class  Orchestra  under  the  personal  direction  of  Mr.  Edward 
Solomon.    Ladies  Orchestra  every  Morning,  Afternoon,  and  Evening, 
under  Miss  A.  V.  Mukle. 

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A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite, 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.O. 
October  25th,  1894. 

Dear  Sir,— I  have  much  pleasure  In  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  of 
Dr.  Scott's  Pills  as  a  family  medicine.  "We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  many 
years,  and  are  never  without  them. 

Yours  faithfully,  J.  SELLAKS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead 
Prepared  only  by — 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 
Volume  I.  of  "  TO-DAY,"  containing  the  whole  of 


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R.  L.  STEVENSON'S  LATEST  STORY, 

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The  GREAT  EASTERN  HOTEL, 

LIVERPOOL  STREET,  E.C. 

Centrally  Situated.   Electric  Light  Throughout.  Moderate  Charges. 

RESTAURANT  adjoining  HOTEL  for  MID-DAY 
LUNCHEONS  and  PUBLIC  DINNERS. 


H.  C.  AMENDT,  Manager. 


"South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHONALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON  every  SATURDAY. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  callatLISBONandTENERIFE. 
Union  "Cine  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton  ;  14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 

The  Colonial  Mutual  Life  Assurance  Society, 

LI3VEITEID. 
S3,  POULTRyTlONDON,  E.C. 

FUNDS  EXCEED  ZZ.  £1,750,000 

POLICIES  ifioued  under  the  ORDINARY,  MODIFIED  TONTINE,  and  Mortuary 
Dividend  Systems. 

EDWARD  W,  BROWNE,  P.S.S.,  Manager. 

PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  «MY  JMted. 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.C. 


FOUNDED  1S48. 


Invested  Funds 


£20,000,000 


NOT  A  TROUBLESOME  TASK  ! 

To  write  a  line,  when  doing  so  is  of  such  great  advantage  as  it 
is  in  the  case  we  indicate.  We  have  just  prepared  a  New  Edition 
of  our  handsome  Book  of  Reference,  handsomely  and  profusely 
illustrated.  This  book  is  not  only  interesting— it  contains 
information  that  is  Really  Yaluable  to  everyone,  imparting  as 
it  does,  knowledge  that 

SAVES  POUNDS  OF  EXPENSE. 

That  is  the  object  of  our  business.  We  are  in  the  most 
favourable  position  for  supplying  any  requirement  within  our 
province,  at  a  far  lower  sum  than  would  be  charged  if  purchased 
in  the  ordinary  way.  By  sending  to  us,  three  profits  that  are 
usually  put  on  become  needless,  and  we  give  you  the  full 
benefit.    As  an  instance,  we  may  mention  our  wonderful 

SOLID  REAL  GOLD 

Keyless  Patent  Lever  Watch,  of  finest  finish,  extra  jewelled, 
three-quarter  plate  movement,  compensation  balance,  crystal 
glass  front.  This  watch  is  strongly  and  substantially  made, 
and  is  a  perfect  timekeeper.  In  appearance  it  cannot  be  dis- 
tinguished from  watches  sold  at  twice  the  price.  Our  price  of 
£4  15s.  brings  it  into  your  hands  safe,  and  free  of  all  further 
expense. 

We,  moreover,  give  a  Five  Years'  Warranty,  and  allow  a 
month's  Free  Trial  for  testing  and  proving.  Full  amount 
returned  if  dissatisfied.  Without  these  advantages,  the  prices 
charged  in  London  and  elsewhere  would  be  considerably  more. 
So  greatly  are  our  manufactures  appreciated,  that  we  have  nine 
establishments  in  Lancashire  alone,  which  are  scarcely  sufficient 
to  enable  us  to  cope  with  the  demand. 

Our  Book  of  Reference  gives  you  fullest  particulars  of  Gold 
and  Silver  Watches  from  12s.  6d.  to  £25 ;  also  finest  Gold  and 
Silver  Jewellery,  Electro-Silver  Plate,  Clocks,  Cutlery,  etc.,  at 
large  reductions.  Even  if  you  are  not  in  immediate  want  of 
anything  it  will  be  useful  to  you.  We  shall  have  much  pleasure 
in  sending  it  free  in  cither  case  on  receipt  of  j  our  name  and 
address,  so  that  it 

COSTS  YOU  NOTHING 

but  a  penny  stamp  ! 

H.  SAMUEL,  Largest  English  Watch  Manufacturer, 

97,  99,  101,  89  &  121.  Market  Street,  \  MANCHESTER 
also  1  and  3,   Marsden  Square,  i  ■ 

Ami  al  Koclidalc  ami  Bolton. 


TO-DAY. 


337 


CONTENTS. 


TAGE. 

Mated.   By  W.  VV.  Jacobs.   Illustrated  by  Scott  Rankin  .  321 

Philip  and  His  Wife    32a 

The  Country  and  People  of  Japan.— viii. •••••••  ^ 

Feminine  Affairs   328 

De  Omnibus.   By  the  Conductor   330 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller  331 

Fleet-Street  Failures      332 

In  the  City     334 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J  ...V.'.'.'.'.'.  '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.  337 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   341 

Club  Chatter   342 

The  Bed  Cockade.  By  Stanley  J.  Weyman!  Illustrated  by 

B.  Caton  Woodville   345 

What  Love  Is.   By  Frank  L.  Stanton   !•"...!!!!""!•! 350 

Paula  in  the  Provinces.  A  Chat  with  Miss  Cynthia  Brooke'!  351 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appeab  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


The  secretary  of  the  Woman's  Convalescent  Home 
Association  asks  me  to  draw  attention  to  the  following 
facts,  bearing  as  they  do  on  the  narrow-minded 
uncharitableness  of  our  modern  reformers.  Last  week 
I  spoke  of  Lady  Carlisle's  conduct  in  discharging  a 
schoolmaster  for  no  other  reason  than  that  he  would  not 
declare  himself  a  teetotaller — preferring  to  advocate  the 
claims  of  temperance  rather  than  those  of  fanatical 
abstinence  and  interference  with  other  people's  liberty. 
Now  it  is  another  bigoted  teetotaller,  Lady  Henry 
Somerset,  who  withdraws  her  support,  and  persuades 
her  friends  to  withdraw  their  support  also,  from  a 
worthy  charity,  because,  under  medical  advice,  poor 
women  being  cared  for  at  the  Home  are  occasionally 
given  a  glass  of  stout  at  dinner.  Many  of  the  poor 
workers  who  are  sent  to  this  Home,  the  secretary  tells 
me,  are  in  an  utterly  weak  and  worn  out  state,  and  an 
occasional  glass  of  wholesome  malt  liquor  is  found  quite 
as  efficacious  as  the  mere  rest  in  restoring  them  to 
health.  Beer  is  never  given  without  the  permission  of 
the  doctor,  and  the  matron  of  the  Home  is  herself  an 
abstainer,  though  evidently  not  of  the  self-righteous 
Pharisaical  order,  who  only  wear  a  virtue  that  it  may 
be  seen  of  all,  and  who  make  the  giving  up  of  a  luxury 
they  do  not  themselves  care  for  an  excuse  for  the 
pleasure  of  tyrannizing  over  others  with  more  natural 
appetites. 

Lady  Henry  Somerset  herself  seems  to  have  felt  that 
her  withdrawal  upon  so  uncharitable  a  plea  needed 
strengthening,  and  the  excuse  discovered  is  so  remark- 
able and  throws  such  a  flood  of  light  upon  the  tyrannical 
methods  of  the  Puritan  party  that  I  give  the  details 
at  length.  A  woman  named  Waghorn,  who  had  been 
a  dipsomaniac,  was  brought  to  the  Woman's  Con- 
valescent Home  at  Southend-on-Sea,  from  the  Tunbridge 
Wells  branch  of  the  British  Women's  Temperance 
Association,  which  is  under  the  control  of  Lady  Henry 
Somerset.  The  Convalescent  Home  people  consented  to 
accept  her,  her  weakness  being  explained  to  the  matron. 
That  lady  took  the  poorgirl  under  herown  personal  control, 


sitting  next  to  her  at  meals  and  giving  her  as  a  companion 
a  young  woman  uj    -  whom  they  could  rely — a  lifelong 
abstainer.    No  beer  or  ini  "icant  of  any  kind  was  per- 
mitted to  the  woman  Waghorn  whatever.     But  mean- 
while, Lady  Henry  Somerset  had  discovered  that  beer 
was  often  given  to  the  other  inmates  of  the  Home, 
especially  to  those  who  had  always  been  used  to  it. 
Women  of  this  class  do  not  sit  down  every  day  to 
tables     spread    as    are    the    tables    of    the  class 
to   which    Lady    Henry    Somerset   belongs.  They 
have  not  fashionable  doctors  to  prescribe  stimulants  for 
them  under  Latin  names.    The  one  glass  of  beer  or 
stout     a     day    is     their     stay    aad    luxury.  So 
the  British  Women's  Temperance  Association  writes 
that  Miss  Waghorn  is  surrounded  with  evil  influences, 
and  must  be  removed.      By  what  right  Lady  Henry 
Somerset  and  the  British  Women's  Temperance  Asso- 
ciation take  upon  themselves  to  deal  with  the  bodies 
of  free  English  women  I  am  ignorant.      But  Miss 
Waghorn,  I  am  given  to  understand,  is  a  woman  of 
property,  without  friends  or  relations,  and  the  temperate 
British  women  might  have  thought  that  under  the  cir- 
cumstances it  was  worth  while  stretching  the  law  a  little1 
to  obtain  so  valuable  and  helpless  an  acquisition. 

However  that  may  be,  the  missionary  of  the  British 
Women's  Temperance  Association  arrived  at  the  Home 
during  the  temporary  absence  of  the  matron,  and  dragged 
Miss  Waghorn  away  by  main  force,  and  in  spite  of  her 
tears  and  protestations.  She  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
stay ;  she  fled  and  hid  herself  in  the  servants'  bedroom, 
and  was  hunted  out  and  borne  away  in  triumph  by  the 
apostle  of  temperance,  who  seems  to  have  succeeded  in 
striking  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  servants  and 
other  inmates  of  the  house.  The  secretary  of  the 
Woman's  Convalescent  Home  wrote  to  Lady  Henry 
Somerset,  denouncing  the  outrage  in  very  fit  and 
proper  terms,  and  asked  for  an  explanation  of  the 
tyranny  exercised  upon  the  poor  woman  Waghorn. 
Lady  Henry  Somerset  and  the  British  Women's  Tem- 
perance Association  have  avoided  answering  this  plain 
question,  and  have  repeated  the  slander  that  Miss 
Waghorn,  known  to  be  a  dipsomaniac,  was  encouraged 
to  fall  again  into  drinking  habits  while  under  the 
control  of  the  matron  of  the  Convalescent  Home.  This 
the  Convalescent  Home  asserts  to  be  a  falsehood.  Lady 
Henry  Somerset  brings  forward  no  proof  in  support  of 
her  statement,  but,  as  I  have  said,  makes  it  an  excuse 
to  withdraw  her  support.  As  for  that  I  should  think 
the  Home,  or  any  other  decent  society,  would  be  better 
without  the  support  of  such  narrow-minded  fanaticism, 
but  the  facts  remain  as  an  example  of  the  spirit  which  ani- 
mates our  bigots.  It  is  the  old  spirit  of  the  stake  and  the 
thumb-screw  modified  by  the  necessities  of  modern  law. 
There  is  to  be  no  charity  for  those  who  do  not  think 
exactly  with  us  on  all  points.  Our  sister  is  to  be 
dragged  to  reformation,  screaming  and  protesting,  and 
slander  is  to  be  concocted  as  an  excuse  for  spite. 

A  correspondent  informs  me  that  he  was  at  the  back 
of  the  St.  James's  pit  cn  the  first  night  of  Guy  Dumville, 
and  iS  certain  that  some  of  the  men  who  called  for 
the  author  hissed  and  hooted  him  on  his  appear- 
ance. This  correspondent  tells  me  that  he  distinctly 
heard  a  well-dressed  man,  standing  close  to  him,  say, 


338 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1895. 


"Let's  have  him  out,"  and  the  man  at  once  proceeded  to 
call  "  Author,"  only  to  hoot  the  unfortunate  gentleman 
when  he  did  come.  This  tallies  with  the  story  told  me  by  a 
friend  of  mine,  who'  was  at  the  back  of  the  gallery.  To 
call  the  author  merely  to  insult  him  is  the  act  of  a 
dirty  little  cad.  First-nighters  used  to  be  a  very  dif- 
ferent class.  I  was  one  of  them  myself  for  over  four 
years ;  and  I  am  positive  that,  during  the  whole  of  that 
time,  none  of  them  were  guilty  of  such  contemptible 
action.  Where  has  the  new  generation  of  first-nighters 
learnt  manners  ?  I  wish  they  would  join  the  Play 
goers'  Club,  and  get  the  old  members  there  to  give  them 
a  few  lessons  in  decency.  We  would  have  kicked  a 
man  out  from  amongst  us  in  my  time;  who  misbehaved 
himself  in  this  way.  Energetic  first-nighters  we  want 
to  see  among  us  again. v  The  drama  was  never  in  such 
a  nourishing  state,  as  in  the  old  days  of  first  night 
rows ;  but  those  rows  were  legitimate  and  healthy  ex- 
pressions of  opinion.  If  an  author  insists  on  forcing 
himself,  or  allows  himself  to  be  forced  in  front,  when 
it  is  evident,  that  a  strong  section  of  the  audience  dis- 
approve of  his  play,  he  has  only  himself  to  blame  for 
being  made  to  listen  to  hisses  as  well  as  cheers.  When 
the  people  who  call  "  Author,"  and  the  people  who  hoot 
him  are  opposing  parties,  there  is  nothing  to  be  said. 
When  they  are  one  and  the  same  body,  (hey  stamp 
themselves  as  bullies. 

More  power  to  the  elbow  of  the  Rev.  A.  R.  Gibson, 
of  Carnoustie.  It  would  be  good  for  religion  were  there 
more  of  his  stamp.  I  quote  from  the  Dundee  Advertiser  : 
"Local  Veto,"  said  this  broad-minded  priest,  "was  an 
unjust,  hypocritical,  and  foolish  nostrum.  It  would 
allow  the  rich  man  his  private  supply,  and  take  from  the 
poor  man  his  only  wine-cellar.  Total  abolition  was  still 
less  justifiable.  Alcohol  was  a  product  of  infallible 
Nature,  and,  wisely  used,  was  good  for  men.  To  call 
the  use  of  it  a  sin,  except  in  the  case  of  the  dipso- 
maniacally  inclined  and  the  young,  was  nothing  but 
Manichreism  or  materialism.  Surely  there  were  plenty 
of  sins  already  without  inventing  a  new  one !  No 
doubt  drink  was  a  temptation  to  many.  But  it  was  not 
wise  to  remove  it  merely  because  it  was  so.  They  were 
a  great  deal  the  better  for  having  a  few  tempta- 
tions. Take  them  all  away,  and  they  left  man  no  moral 
battle  to  fight  and  no  moral  victory  to  win.'' 
I  really  could  not  have  put  the  matter  better  myself. 

Tiie  French  appear  to  be  rather  excited  just  at 
present  on  the  subject  of  spies.  If  there  are  mistakes 
in  the  French  temperament,  one  of  them  is  probably 
this  tendency  to  get  excited.  Last  week  a  Frenchman 
had  the  audacity  to  travel  in  France  with  an  actual  map 
and  a  real  guide-book  in  his  possession.  This,  of  course, 
was  too  obvious  a  case  to  be  passed  over,  and  the  astute 
police,  with  great  firmness  and  promptitude,  arrested 
him  as  a  spy.  He  was  also  kept  without  food  for  thirty 
hours,  which  is  probably  just  the  thing  for  a  spy.  As 
the  man  was  not  a  spy,  but  a  cyclist,  and  was  in  a 
position  to  prove  that  he  was  not  a  spy,  the  magistrate 
discharged  him,  though  with  reluctance.  If  this  kind 
of  thing  continues,  travelling  iu  France  will  become 
unpopular. 

Ouu  merits  do  not  alw  ays  meet  with  their  row  aid  ; 
ven  the  ingenuity  of  the  smuggler  is  rather  recognised 


than  rewarded  by  the  Customs  officials.  A  passenger 
recently  landed  at  Dover  with  a  pneumatic-tyred  bicycle, 
having  previously  taken  the  precaution  to  fill  the  tyres 
with  fine  Turkish  tobacco.  Such  an  action  shows  a 
readiness  of  resource  which  would  have  been  admirable 
in  a  general,  and  useful  in  a  statesman.  The  mere  fact 
of  the  man  having  thought  of  the  thing  should  mark 
him  out  as  one  with  a  future  before  him  ;  and  yet  these 
brutal  and  inconsiderate  Customs  officials  have  relegated 
him  to  the  larger  and  unhappier  class  of  those  who  have 
a  past  behind  them. 

Aglaia,  the  organ  of  the  Healthy  and  Artistic  Dress 
Union,  seems  to  be  doing  useful  work  in  pointing  out 
the  hideousness  of  modern  fashion,  male  and  female, 
and  exhibiting  the  beauty  of  the  might-be's.  On  one 
page  of  this  month's  issue  there  is  a  sketch  of  a  gentle- 
man in  evening  dress  side  by  side  with  a  picture  of  his 
ancestor  of  the  fourteenth  century.  The  contrast  brings 
home  to  the  least  artistic  of  us  the  fact  that  our  dress 
makes  us  appear  ridiculous  and  hideous,  that  it  serves 
no  purpose  of  utility,  that  all  it  does  is  to  keep  before 
our  minds  the  Darwinian  argument  by  making  every 
man  look  like  a  monkey  on  a  stick.  On  another  page 
we  have  a  sketch  of  what  might  be  without  going  back 
to  the  picturesqueness  of  former  times. 

The  world  is  getting  old,  and  has  a  horror  of  anything 
dashing  and  brave.  It  is  growing  sober,  dull,  and  grey, 
but  even  in  its  old  age  it  might  dress  decently.  Here 
we  have  a  man  in  buckle  shoes,  silk  stockings,  knee- 
breeches,  silk  waistcoat,  and  serviceable  coloured  velvet 
coat.  It  is  the  dress  of  a  man.  *  Our  modern  garments 
make  us  nothing  but  clothes  props.  Can  anything  more 
painfully  ugly  and  absurd  be  imagined  than  the  European 
dress  of  to-day,  the  sloppy  bags  in  which  we  hide 
our  legs,  the  silly  exhibition  of  meaningless  shirt 
front,  the  toy  coat,  the  idiotic  little  tie,  the  stiff 
stand-up  collar  that  prevents  all  ease  of  movement, 
the  Inverness  cape,  which  looks  like  an  old  woman's 
shawl,  and  the  chimney-pot  hat !  The  whole  costume  is 
typical  of  the  age.  It  is  the  costume  of  an  age  that  is 
ashamed  of  itself,  that  is  frightened  to  assert  itself,  that 
dare  not  be  what  it  likes,  that  is  the  slave  of  every- 
body's opinions  but  its  own,  that  is  dull,  and  stupid, and 
uninteresting — and  strictly  respectable — which  means 
the  same  thing. 

The  Daily  Chronicle  enumerates  the  various  bodies 
who,  during  the  coming  County  Council  elections,  may 
be  expected  to  range  themselves  against  the  Progressive 
party ;  but  it  omits  the  most  important  element  in 
opposition.  The  greatest  support  the  Moderates  will 
receive  will  be  from  the  lovers  of  personal  freedom,  and 
the  haters  of  canting  Puritanism.  With  much  of  the 
Progressive  programme  the  average  citizen  is  in  sym- 
pathy. He  does  not  even  mind  his  rates  being  raised 
for  the  purpose  of  improving  London  ;  and,  provided 
they  do  -  their  work  satisfactorily,  is  even  willing 
to  put  up  with  the  bumptious  self-importance  and  silly 
egotism  of  the  fussy  little  jacks  -  in -office  who, 
bewildered  at  suddenly  finding  themselves  possessed  of  a 
certain  amount  of  importance,  think  that  civic  dignity 
is  best  expressed  by  the  underbred  vulgarities  of  an  un- 
educated bully  ;  but,  whatever  our  opinions  may  be  con- 
cerning their  ability  and  energy  in  other  directions,  we 


January  19,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


339 


are  heartily  sick  of  their  tyrannical  interference  in 
matters  about  which  they  know  nothing  whatever. 
When  they  have  turned  out  of  their  ranks  the  Stigginses 
and  the  Chadbands  London  may  perhaps  vote  again  Pro- 
gressive ;  but  for  the  present  the  most  important  thing 
is  to  show  the  Council  that  the  savage  Puritan  spirit, 
which  once  when  it  got  its  chance  turned  England  into 
a  hell,  and  is  only  waiting  its  opportunity  to  do  so  again, 
is  not  so  popular  as  they  fancy. 

The  correspondence  that  pours  in  upon  me  concern- 
ing what  is  locally  known,  I  believe,  as  the  "ham  and 
eggs  parade  at  New  Brighton,"  puts  the  character  of 
these  tea-houses  and  their  touts  beyond  all  question. 
They  are  simply  a  row  of  houses  of  ill-fame.  That  such 
houses  always  will  exist  wherever  civilisation  has 
spread,  history  lias  placed  beyond  a  doubt.  But  there 
is  surely  a  place  for  everything,  and  a  public  seaside 
holiday  resort,  frequented  by  all  classes,  is  a  spot  from 
which  such  things  should  be  swept  without  a  moment's 
loss  of  time.  It  is  the  people  whose  virtue  consists  in 
hypocritically  pretending  not  to  see  vice,  that  have 
allowed  this  source  of  evil  to  contaminate  our  public 
places.  Such  things  should  be  sternly  forced  back  into 
their  dark  corners,  and  not  allowed  to  poison  the  air 
that  all  are  compelled  to  breathe.  In  no  Continental 
city  would  such  a  state  of  things  as  exist  at  New 
Brighton  be  permitted  for  a  moment.  It  is  only  in 
Pecksniffian  England  that  sin  is  paraded  in  the  open 
horoughfares. 

I  spoke  last  week  of  the  legal  definition  of  insanity 
in  criminal  cases,  and  tried  to  show  what  an  exceedingly 
Lad  definition  it  was.  Neither  society  a.t  large,  nor  the 
morally  insane  themselves,  can  possibly  be  benefited 
by  the  imprisonment,  as  at  present,  of  the  morally  in- 
sane. But  this  is  only  one  point  in  our  method  with 
the  criminal,  and  the  method  is  equally  wrong  in  almost 
all  points.  I  am  not  making  a  strong  statement  for  the 
sake  of  its  strength  or  novelty ;  the  statement  is  not 
new;  I  am  saying  nothing  that  may  not  be  found  in 
text-books,  written  by  those  who  have  specially  studied 
the  subject  and  published  years  ago.  Facts  and  the 
opinions  deduced  from  them  must  however  get  from 
the  text-books  into  the  popular  press  before  they  can 
have  a  general  effect.  So>  far,  I  have  merely  expressed 
an  opinion ;  I  say  that  I  think  our  method  with  the 
criminal  is  wrong,  fundamentally  wrong.  I  will  now 
briefly  show  why  I  hold  this  opinion. 

To  assign  as  the  causes  of  crime  such  things  as  drink 
or  want  of  education  is  to  give  a  very  imperfect  explana- 
tion. One  must  go  further  back.  What  is  the  cause  of 
the  tendency  to  drink?  Frequently  it  is  inherited,  as 
many  other  evil  tendencies  are.  Let  anyone  who  doubts 
the  force  of  heredity  look  at  such  a  case  as  that  oi  the 
well-known  American  Jukes  family.  Seven  hundred 
and  nine  descendants  of  this  family  have  been  traced. 
Among  these  the  percentage  of  crime,  prostitution,  and 
pauperism  was  quite  abnormal.  Heredity  is  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  production  of  crime.  Again,  a 
want  of  education  is  the  result  of  the  young  criminal's 
early  surroundings.  I  speak  of. education  in  the  widest 
sense;  it  has  been  by  no  means  found  that  reading, 
writing,  and  arithmetic  are  an  infallible  cure  for  crime. 
The  surroundings  of  a  child  born  into  the  criminal 


class  tend  to  make  him  familiar  with  crime,  and  to  have 
no  horror  of  it.  Of  moral  education  he  has  none.  He 
may  even  be  taught  and  trained  to  commit  crime.  Sur- 
roundings or  environment  form,  therefore,  another  im- 
portant factor.  Now  our  method  of  dealing  with  the 
criminal  should  be,  and  is  not,  specially  adapted  to 
meet  and  overcome  these  two  factors  in  the  production 
of  crime — heredity  and  environment. 

Pass  to  another  point — the  terms  to  which  criminals 
are  sentenced.  As  Mr.  Havelock  Ellis  says,  in  "  The 
Criminal,"  "  The  haphazard  fashion  in  which  the  period 
of  a  prisoner's  detention  is  fixed  on  beforehand  is  quite 
in  harmony  with  the  unsatisfactory  character  of  the 
results  obtained."  He  adds  some  interesting  figures. 
On  the  31st  of  March,  1888,  there  were  6,970  persons  in 
English  convict  prisons.  Of  these  only  six  persons 
had  been  given  nine  years'  penal  servitude,  one  thousand 
and  twenty-two  persons  had  ten  years,  and  only  one  had 
eleven  years.  While  sentences  are  so  little  considered 
that  a  tendency  to  use  round  figures  influences  them, 
can  we  expect  satisfactory  results  1  If  at  the  end  of  his 
sentence  a  man  is  obviously  unfit  to  go  at  large,  and 
certain  to  renew  his  offence  against  society,  still  he  must 
be  released.  If  the  continuation  of  his  sentence  is  turn- 
ing the  poor  wretch  who  has  committed  one  crime  into  a 
hardened,  brutalized,  desperate  criminal,  the  term  will 
not  bo  lessened  on  that  account.  The  short  sentence  is 
mostly  futile,  and  the  long  sentence  frequently  unjust. 

The  criminal,  then,  having  been  sentenced,  without  any 
regard  to  the  real  causes  of  crime,  to  the  number  of 
years  that  the  judge  thinks  of,  is  relegated  to  a  punish- 
ment which  will  seem  to  him  severe  indeed  if  Ids  previous 
life  has  been  luxurious,  much  less  severe  if  he  is  an 
habitual  criminal  who  has  previously  been  often  sen- 
tenced, and  absolutely  desirable  if  he  is  an  inmate  of  a 
workhouse.  Self-respect  is  an  essential  factor  in  self- 
improvement,  and  self-respect  is  destroyed  by  imprison- 
ment. The  criminal's  offence  is  against  society,  and  in 
order  to  teach  him  how  to  conduct  himself  towards 
society  he  is  shut  off  from  society  altogether.  Monotony 
produces  depression  and  destroys  the  energies;  his  life 
is,  therefore,  made  as  monotonous  as  possible.  I  Have 
been  compelled,  from  want  of  space,  to  notice  only  a  few 
of  the  more  important  points.  But  I  think  they  are 
enough  to  support  the  opinion  I  expressed,  that  our 
method  with  the  criminal  is  wrong,  and  to  suggest  at 
least  some  possible  improvements. 

I  am  sending  a  guinea  and  a  Gallantry  Fund  medal 
to  a  postman  named  Cotton,  who  rescued  a  lad  from  fall- 
ing in  front  of  a  train  at  Pontypridd  railway  station  some 
ten  days  back.  Cotton  only  just  succeeded  in  escaping 
with  his  limbs,  his  boot  being  torn  between  the  carriages 
and  the  platform  ;  he  seems  to  have  made  himself  famous 
in  his  neighbourhood  for  saving  life  at  level  crossings,  this 
making,  according  to  my  information,  his  third  success. 
I  am  also  sending  a  guinea  and  a  medal  to  Thomas 
Swinney,  a  collier,  who  gallantly  rescued  two  children 
from  an  ice  accident  on  New  Year's  Day,  at  Sunderland. 
It  frequently  happens  that  men  show  great  promptitude 
and  coolness  of  judgment  in  rescuing  life,  though  at  the 
same  time  there  is  no  actual  risk  or  danger  to  them- 
selves ;  and  to  meet  and  encourage  such  conduct,  I  am 
thinking  of  preparing  a  form  of  diploma  for  presentation 


340 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1893. 


in  such  cases.  I  have  received  the  following  subscrip- 
tions during  the  last  two  weeks  : — Miss  Edith  C. 
Pollock,  £1  Is,  Od.  ;  Phinlay  Glenelg,  £1  Is.  Od.  j  E.  S., 
£1  0s.  Od.  ;  The  Mayor  of  Rochester,  £1  Is.  Od.  ;  E.B., 
£2  0s.  Od.  ;  J.  K.  (Worcester),  10s.  6d.  ;  Tommy 
Atkins,  2s.  6d.  ;  J.  H.  E.  Hart,  5s.  6d. ;  J.  M.  F. 
(Edinburgh),  10s.  6d.  ;  G.  S.  Doorman,  5s.  Od.  j  W.  H. 
Tayler,  2s.  6d.  ;  G.  Taylor,  2s.  6d. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

C.  D. — You  say  you  read  simply  because  it  gives  you  pleasure, 
not  to  improve  your  mind.  You  are  quite  right.  Reading  is  a 
recreation,  not  an  education.  Books  at  their  best  are  as  clever 
men  and  women.  We  listen  to  them,  sometimes  we  agree  with 
what  they  say,  and  that  strengthens  our  own  opinions.  Some- 
times they  throw  a  new  light  upon  an  argument,  or  suggest  a 
new  train  of  ideas,  but  five  minutes'  observation  of  the  world  are 
worth  more  for  educational  purposes  than  a  hundred  books. 
You  must  remember  that  "  the  men  who  wrote  the  best  hundred 
books  never  read  them."  Books  are  friends.  We  sit  among 
them  because  we  like  them.  They  are  good  company,  in- 
telligent company,  but  the  strong  man  will  always  read  little 
and  think  much.  You  might  learn  French  sufficiently  well  for 
your  purpose  at  the  Metropolitan  School  of  Shorthand  in 
Chancery  Lane. 

S.  H.  writes  : — "  It  is  now  over  a  3-ear  since  I  first  saw  and 
purchased  yourpaper  ata  railway  bookstall,  and,  of  course,  I  have 
not  missed  a  number  since,  as  I  have  an  admiration  for  the  fresh 
piquant  style  in  which  it  is  edited,  and  especially  for  the  City 
article.  I  was  rather  astonished  to  find  that  none,  or  I  should  say 
few,  of  my  relations  or  friends  knew  of  the  paper,  but  maintcnant 
nous  avons  change  tout  cela,  and  simply  through  lending  them  a  copy 
or  two  now  and  then,  some  of  them  are  now  regular  purchasers. 
.  .  .  When  I  introduced  the  paper  to  my  friends'  notice  I 
was  not  thinking  of  the  welfare  of  the  paper,  but  thought  it  a 
pity  they  should  be  missing  such  enjoyable  reading,  so  I  deserve 
no  thanks  from  you,  but  am  glad  to  say  I  have  received  no  end 
of  thanks  from  those  I  showed  the  paper  to.  You  have  my  best 
wishes  for  a  prosperous  new  year."  I  publish  this  delightful 
letter  pour  encowager  les  autres. 

H.  M.  E. — A  newsagent  gets  almost  as  much  by  obtaining  a 
subsciiber  as  he  would  by  selling  the  fifty-two  copies  over  the 
counter,  and  he  gets  his  commission  at  once  instead  of  waiting  a 
year  for  it.  Newsagents  might  make  this  branch  of  their  busi- 
ness pay  very  well,  if  they  were  more  alive  to  their  own  in- 
terests, but  as  a  body  they  are  a  sleepy  lot.  Thank  you  for  all 
the  pleasant  things  you  say  about  To-Day. 

Senex. — Mexico,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  Texas  are  places 
where  a  man  suffering  from  a  weak  chest  would  from  all  accounts 
do  well  to  emigrate  to,  but  then  there  is  the  question  of  employ- 
ment. I  doubt  if  at  any  of  those  places  employment  such  as  you 
are  capable  of  would  be  obtainable.  The  south  of  England  would 
be  better  for  you  than  Yorkshire. 

Tommy  Atkins. — Your  friend,  with  her  knowledge  of  French, 
Italian,  Dutch,  and  German,  ought  to  make  a  good  secretary  or 
foreign  correspondent  to  some  house  of  business.  I  should  advise 
her  to  look  in  the  advertisement  columns  of  the  Times  and 
Telegraph. 

S.  S.  D.— It  certainly  would  be  a  good  thing  if  life-saving 
implements  were  handy  in  the  case  of  ice  accidents,  but  it  would 
be  impracticable  to  have  them  at  every  pond  side.  In  the  sad 
case  you  mention  the  spectators  might  have  done  much  by 
promptly  making  a  rope  of  their  scarves,  belts,  handkerchiefs, 
etc.,  but  unfortunately  the  majority  of  people  lose  their  heads 
on  the  few  occasions  when  the  use  of  them  is  required.  1  should 
like  to  know  the  name  of  the  man  who  was  drowned  saving 
the  boy. 

F.  N.  C— The  Polytechnic,  the  Birkbeck,  and  the  Metro- 
politan School  of  Shorthand  in  Chancery  Lane  all  lay  them- 
selves open  to  provide  an  education  for  those  who  have  been 
unable  to  obtain  it  in  their  youth.  You  could  not  do  better 
than  take  a  course  at  some  such  school.  I  am  glad  you  have 
made  such  good  use  of  the  pars.  I  am  sure  our  teetotal 
friends  would  accomplish  much  more  by  temperate  ideas  and 
language. 

J.  P.  H.  J.  P. — To  take  another  man's  plot  and  make  a  play 
ot  it  would  be  theft  morally,  and  having  regard  to  the  recent 
Fauntleroy  case  would,  I  hope,  be  regarded  so  legally.  If  you 
cannot  evolve  a  plot  for  yourself,  then  leave  play-writing  to 
people  intended  for  it  by  nature,  which  you  are  evidently  not. 

Palette. — You  might  send  your  pictures  to  the  New  English 
Art  Club,  the  Royal  Academy,  the  Royal  Institute  of  Painters 
in  Water  Colours,  and  the  Royal  Society  of  British  Artists. 
The  secretaries  of  these  institutions  would  send  you  full  par- 
ticulars as  to  sending-in  days,  etc. 

T.  T.  (Preston),  in  a  delightful  letter,  writes  to  To-Day  as 
follows: — "The  paper  only  wants  to  be  known  to  be  read. 
Happening  to  point  out  the  conductor's  litllc  joke  on  the 
'  Sunday  piper  '  to  my  rext  door  neighbour  at  dinner  to-day  (he 
is  one  of  the  staff  of  a  local  paper),  I  asked  him  if  he  ever  read 


To-Day.  He  replied  he  had  never  seen  the  inside  of  it  before, 
but  was  much  struck  with  it,  and  ihat's  what  everyone  else 
whom  I  show  it  to  says.  For  myself,  I  cannot  say  too  much  for 
it.  I  read  it  from  beginning  to  end,  and  push  it  as  if  it  were  a 
special  job  line.    Most  of  all  I  admire  its  straightforwardness." 

Colonial  Reader. — We  exchange  with  some  American 
papers,  and  the  matter  is  pure  business.  I  should  hardly  like 
to  advise  you  as  to  an  evening  paper  ;  so  much  depends  upon 
your  own  taste.    Thanks  for  all  your  good  wishes. 

B.  T.'s  opinion  of  us  is  as  follows : — "  Your  excellent 
magazine,  To-Day,  is  better  this  week  than  ever.  I  have  been 
a  reader  of  it  from  the  first,  and  am  bound  to  say  I  consider  it 
by  far  the  best  all-round,  plain-spoken,  honest  common-sense 
journal  I  ever  took  in  hand.  It  seems  tome  to  fear  no  one  or 
court  the  favour  of  anybody,  but  to  content  itself  simply  by 
publishing  the  truth  and  letting  in  the  light  on  all  matteis 
of  public  interest." 

Curry-and-Rice  writes  me  from  Ceylon,  begging  me  to  advise 
no  one  to  go  out  there  without  capital.  He  tells  me  that  many 
young  men  land  on  the  island,  which  is  already  overstocked 
with  labour,  and  drift  into  mere  loafers.  With  people  with 
money  and  enterprise,  who  do  not  mind  a  lonely  existence, 
it  is  another  story. 

C.  B.  M. — Many  singers  take  a  wineglassful  of  whiskey  and 
egg  or  sherry  and  egg  before  going  on  the  platform.  Edward 
Lloyd  takes  the  former  ;  and  sherry  and  egg  is  very  popular 
with  public  speakers.    Mr.  Gladstone  always  had  it  by  him. 

Seventeen.  —  We  are  giving  a  page  and  a  half  to  our  lady 
readers.  W.  P.  D. — The  Rev.  David  Graham  seems,  so  far  as  I 
can  judge,  to  agree  with  me.  I  have  a  good  many  extreme 
views.  J.  F.  W. — I  quite  agree  with  your  view  ;  iortunately 
such  cases  are  rare.  Number  Four. — I  am  glad  we  are  so  much 
at  one  on  this  point.  N.  K.  C. — You  should  go  to  the  hospital, 
where  you  would  see  a  fiist-class  physician.  Warts  are  easily 
got  rid  of,  but  don't  be  led  into  taking  quack  remedies.  E.  J.  M. 
—  Your  letter  gave  me  much  pleasure,  and  I  thank  you  for  it. 

Icarus. — No  one  can  enter  the  profession  except  by  becoming 
articled  to  a  solicitor  and  passing  the  three  necessary  examina- 
tions. Particulars  can  be  obtained  on  application  to  the  Incor- 
porated Law  Society,  Chancery  Lane,  London. 

K.  X. — Yes  ;  they  can,  and  inherit  property. 

Twenty-Four. — You  will  find  that  all  newspapers  do  the 
same.  We  cannot  reform  the  world  at  our  own  expense.  If 
you  will  find  fifty  thousand  people  who  will  pay  sixpence  fcr 
To-Day  instead  of  twopence,  we  will  undertake  to  eliminate 
advertisemeBts  from  our  columns. 

T.  R.  A. — I  suppose  those  good  people's  argument  would  be 
that  the  end  justifies  the  means.  Such  a  lottery  is  certainly 
illegal,  and  could  be  stopped  by  law. 

Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  weel:. 


ZOLA'S   LETTERS    CN  "NANA." 


Medan,  1879,  13th  December. — Splendid  weather  for 
working.  .  .  .  "Nana"  is  getting  on;  I  am  in  tho 
middle  of  the  hist  chapter  but  one.  The  snow  excites 
me.  You  can  have  no  idea  of  the  horror  of  the  land- 
scape, with  the  white  plain  and  the  frozen  river.  .  . 
Oh,  by  the  way,  I  forgot.  I  shall  want  an  exact,  scientific, 
and  very  detailed  description  of  the  death-mask  of  a 
woman  who  has  died  of  common  small-pox.  Thanks  in 
advance.  December  18. — I  have  received  your  book  on 
small-pox.  Evidently  that  will  be  enough  for  my  pur- 
pose. I  will  invent  the  death-mask  by  a  comparison 
of  the  various  documents.  I  am  very  much  tempted 
to  make  it  black  small-pox,  which,  in  point  of  horror,  is 
the  most  original.  Only  I  will  confess  that  if  you  could 
manage  to  see  a  corpse  of  a  person  who  died  of  this 
disease,  without  taking  too  much  trouble — I  say,  this 
h  a  nice  little  job !  .  .  .  You  would  oblige  me 
greatly.  In  that  way  I  should  not  have  to  invent  any- 
thing— I  should  have  a  real  death-mask.  Be  sure  to 
dwell  at  length  on  the  state  of  the  eyes,  of  the  nose,  and 
of  the  mouth,  to  give  me  a  precise  and  geographical 
chart.  January  7,  1880- -Let  me  tell  you  a  great  piece 
of  news — I  finished  "Nana"  this  morning.  What  a 
sigh  of  relief.  Never  has  a  piece  of  work  so  upset  me. 
Now  let  the- novel  be  worth  what  it  maybe  worth,  it  has 
ceased  to  exist  for  me.  .  .  .  Never  mind  troubling 
any  further  about  the  death-mask — I  have  don©  what  I 
wanted  to  do,  and  I  am  SO  satisfied  with  it  that  I 
wouldn't  change  it  even  to  be  in  accordance  with  pre- 
cise documents.  I  write  t;>  you  in  the  joy  of  deliver- 
ance, and  my  last  chapter  appears  to  me  to  be  the  most 
successful  thing  that  I  have  written. — From  "JOmile 
Zolar—li.  II.  Slusrard. 


January  19,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


341 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  dear  Dick, — Everybody  will  go  and  see  King 
Arthur  at  the  Lyceum.  Whether  anybody  will  go 
twice  is  another  matter. 

I  shan't. 

Let  me  candidly  admit,  however,  that  I  am  not  an 
unbiassed  judge  of  the  poetic  drama.  It  is  emphatically 
antipathetic  to  me,  because  of  its  hopeless  unreality. 
I  can  stand  a  fairy  story  or  a  lurid  legend  like  Faust. 
There  is  no  nonsense  about  it.  It  is  fair  and  square 
makebelieve  from  the  start,  and  you  can  accept  it  as 
you  accept  a  pantomime  or  a  Gaiety  burlesque. 

With  the  poetic  idyll  it  is  different.  You  are  given 
human  nature,  not  idealised,  but  sentimentalised  and 
puerilised.  You  get  a  situation  that  is  human  and. 
possible,  and  it  is  talked  about  in  language  that  is 
essentially  unhuman  and  impossible.  You  get,  as  it 
were,  a  glass  of  fine  old  pungent,  aromatic  brandy 
diluted  with  some  nauseating  stuff  like  lemonade  or 
ginger  ale. 

With  all  due  deference  to  ecclesiastical  historians, 
I  do  not  believe  in  unnatural  unions  between  the  dwellers 
in  Olympus  and  members  of  the  Blue  Ribbon  Army. 

Now  in  King  Arthur  the  supernatural  is  insisted  on  at 
the  outset.  Merlin  the  Wizard  has  apparently  brought 
up  Arthur  till  he  comes  to  man's  estate.  Then  he  takes 
him  to  the  magic  mere,  where  a  mysterious  maiden 
hands  the  sword,  Excalibur,  with  which 
he  is  to  make  England.  He  also  shows 
him  a  vision  of  Guinevere.  This  is  all  very  good  and 
very  impressive.  Directly  the  play  proper  begins,  how- 
ever, the  plot  turns  on  jealousy,  conspiracy,  treachery, 
and  adultery.  Common  betrayal,  common  passions, 
commonplace  dramatic  complications,  and  spectacular 
theatrical  effects.  When  all  is  over  we  go  back  to  the 
supernatural,  and  we  come  away  disturbed  and  con- 
fused. 

Mind,  I  am  not  blaming  anyone  in  particular.  What 
I  say  is,  this  blank  verse  is  an  unreal  phraseology,  and  if 
you  employ  it  at  all,  you  have  got  to  keep  a  high  ideal 
before  you.  I  can't  stand  blank  verse  myself  at  any 
price.  It  is  an  artificial  phraseology  such  as  never 
was  used  by  mortal  man  or  woman  since  the  world 
began.  In  a  gorgeous  declamatory  or  descriptive 
passage,  its  use  may  be  perhaps  excused.  But  people 
cannot  talk  blank  verse.  Fancy  Arthur  asking 
Guinevere  why  she  ate  no  breakfast,  and  Guinevere 
explaining  in  blank  verse  that  her  liver  was  a  bit  wrong. 
Well,  breakfasts  and  livers  are  with  us  always,  and  so 
is  the  false  friend,  and,  indeed,  the  adulterer.  It  is  as 
difficult  as  unreal,  and  as  impossible  to  deal  with  one  as 
the  other  in  language  that  never  was  or  can  be. 

That  is  why  I  detest  the  poetic  drama.  You  give 
your  characters  real  hearts  and  artificial  tongues.  Just 
when  a  man  ought  to  say  "I  love,"  "I  hate,"  or  "Curse 
you  in  two  words,  he  has  to  speak  a  dozen.  His  emo- 
tions are  watered  and  weakened  with  words. 

Putting  aside  this  particular  point,  however,  and 
coming  to  this  particular  play,  apart  from  plays  in 
general,  I  cannot  help  feeling  that  the  Arthur  of 
Tennyson  was  a  vastly  superior  person  to  the 
Arthur  of  Comyns  Carr.  Tennyson  was  a  great 
poet.  He  took  a  great  but  very  imperfectly  known 
national  legend,  and  he  immortalised  it  —  at  any 
rate,  he  vitalised  and  beautified  it.  I  am  perfectly 
sure  that  the  majority  of  people  will  refuse  to 
believe  in  any  Arthur  other  than  that  of  Tennyson.  If 
Arthur  had  to  be  put  on  the  stage  at  all,  it  is  assuredly 
Tennyson's  Arthur  who  should  have  been  given  us. 
The  play  of  Hamlet  is,  we  know,  adapted  partly  from 
Dbscure  history  and  partly  from  an  old  romance.  But 
heaven   help   the    author   who   ignored  Shakespeare, 


and  went  back  to  that  old  romance  for  a  new  Prince  of 
Denmark.  Tennyson's  Arthur  was  an  idealised, 
etherealised  semi-saint,  "  Soul  warring  against  Sense." 
Comyns  Carr's  Arthur  is  little  more  than  the  con- 
ventional, high-minded  but  deluded  and  outraged 
husband  of  a  French  comedy  drama  of  conjugal  intrigue. 
The  husband  in  Le  Maitre  de  Forges — seen  here  as  The 
Iron  Master,  and  played  by  Kendal — was  every  bit  as 
noble  andheroic.  Indeed,  the  parallel  between  Arthur  and 
Phillipe  Derblay,  Guinevere  and  Madam  Derblay, Lancelot 
and  the  Due  de  Bligny,  Elaine  and  Athenais,  so  far  as  their 
lives  worked  out,  is  curiously  close.  But  the  new 
Arthur  is  not,  on  the  whole,  even  as  dramatically  pro- 
minent and  dominant  as  Phillipe.  He  may  be  a  saint, 
but  we  are  not  shown  it.  We  are  shown,  though,  that 
he  is  a  weak  and  foolish  man.  He  is  a  mild,  amiable, 
mawkish  monarch,  who  cannot  see  much  further  than 
the  end  of  his  nose.  Merlin  the  Wizard  has  been  his 
best  and  earliest  friend.  But  because  Merlin  does  not 
prophecy  as  pleases  him,  Merlin  is  dismissed  the  Court. 
Surely  his  early  training  should  have  assured  Arthur 
that  prophets,  other  than  sporting  prophets,  do  not  lie. 
Then  again,  why  did  he  keep  a  tame  wizard  on  licensed 
premises  if  he  himself  was  a  Christian  1  If  he  was  not 
a  Christian,  why  did  he  worry  about  the  Holy  Grail  1 
Certainly  he  did  not  worry  much.  In  view  of  the  fact 
that  an  inconsequent  angel  was  in  the  habit  of 
wandering  aimlessly  about  the  corridors  of  his  castle, 
Grail  and  all,  the  spotless  and  peerless  king  evinced  a 
very  perfunctory  interest  in  the  quest  after  the  Holy  Cup. 
At  a  rathf  r  critical  moment  in  the  history  of  his  time, 
the  flower  of  his  chivalry  elects  to  depart  on  what  is 
known  to  be  a  very  hopeless'  mission.  He  has  just 
sense  enough  not  to  go  himself,  but,  barring  Lancelot, 
he  lets  the  others  go  with  his  blessing.  This  is  not 
clever,  and  it  is  not  consistent.  If  it  was  a  big  business, 
he  should  have  gone  himself.  If  it  was  not,  he  ought 
to  have  forbidden  the  departure  of  the  others.  What 
is  more,  the  quest  is  a  dramatic  false  scent.  Our 
attention  is  fixed  on  it  at  the  end  of  Act  II.  ;  but  for 
ever  after  the  author  is  silent  regarding  it. 

He  comes  back  solidly  to  the  domestic  intrigue,  and 
crams  down  our  throat  the  every-day  fact  that  every 
second  person  about  the  Court  knew,  what  Arthur 
never  suspected.  This  is  all  very  well  in  Mayfair,  but 
we  don't  like  to  think  it  of  Camelot. 

Then  look  at  the  finish.  Mordred  deposes  Arthur, 
locks  up  the  Queen,  condemns  her  to  the  stake,  unless 
some  champion  will  defend  her,  and  even  when  the 
wounded  King  comes  forward  in  her  cause,  Mordred 
defeats  and  slays  him.  That  is  bad  enough,  but  worse 
remains  behind,  when  Lancelot,  of  all  people,  comes 
forward,  slays  Mordred,  and  saves  the  Queen  !  Such  is 
the  reward  of  prehistoric  unchastity,  according  to 
Comyns  Carr. 

I  have  told  you  the  story  as  briefly  as  I  can.  To  my 
thinking,  it  is  not  poetic,  neither  is  it  nice. 

I  may  be,  and  if  you  like  I  will  admit  that  I  am,  pre- 
judiced, but  I  infinitely  prefer  the  Arthur  of  Tennyson 
to  the  new  Lyceum  Arthur-Up-to-Date.  I  rather  enjoy 
the  delusions  of  the  past.  I  like  to  think  that  Richard 
Cceur  de  Lion  was  a  hero,  and  I  should  strongly  object 
if  anyone  proved  that  he  was  addicted  to  drink.  Cain 
may  have  been  misjudged,  but  I  don't  want  to  be  told 
that  the  slaying  of  Abel  was  not  murder,  and  was 
justifiable  homicide.  When  I  ask  for  my  legend  I  see 
that  I  get  it,  "and  I  use  no  other." 

For  this  reason  I  won't  have  any  more  of  Comyns 
Carr's  Arthur.  It  is  not  the  Arthur  I  believe  in,  and 
I  don't  like  it. 

It  may  interest  you  to  know  that  Irving's  reception 
lasted  exactly  thirty -four  seconds  and  four -fifths, 
Forbes  Robertsc  n  s  twenty-nine  seconds  and  a  half,  Miss 
Terry's  twenty-two  seconds  and  three-fifths. 

Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

RANDOLPH 


342 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1895. 


A  Miniature  Pandora  Folding  (Millinery)  Box  will  be  immediately  for- 
warded, post  free,  to  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom  on  written 
application  to  the  Secretary. 

THE   PANDORA   FOLDING  BOX  COMPANY 
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BRADBURY,  GREATOREX  and  Co.  (Ltd.),  Aldermanbury,  E.C. 
Madame  CHARLES,  108,  Edgware-road,  W. 
CIVIL  SERVICE  SUPPLY  ASSOCIATION  (Ltd.). 
COOK,  SON,  and  Co.,  St.  Paul's-ehurchyard,  E.C. 
CRISP  and  Co.  (Ltd.),  Seven  Sisters  road,  Holloway,  N. 

C.  and  A  DANIELS,  Kentish  Town-ioad,  N.W. 
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C.  HARDWICK,  Bon  Marche,  Kentish  Town. 
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A.  C.  HARROLD,  S4,  High-street,  Clapham,  S.W. 
THOMAS  HARROLD,  82,  Upper-street,  Islington,  N. 
CHARLES  HODGKINSON,  116, 118,  120,  and  122,  Edgware-road,  W. 
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REDMAYNE  and  Co.  (Ltd.),  19  and  20,  New  Bond-street,  W. 
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portant cities  and  towns  in  the  United  Kingdom. 


THE  PANDORA  FOLDING  BOX  COMPANY  (Limited'. 
CAPITAL   £60',000 

In  60,000  Shares  of  £1  each. 
Directors. 

The  Right  Hon.  Lord  Bellew,  54,  Sloane-square,  London. 
R.  Fischer,  145,  Bermondsey-street,  S.E. 

T.  Gardner  (Gardner  &  Co  ,  outfitters),  10,  20,  22,  Queen  Victoria-street, 

EC,  and  Princes-street,  Hanover-square,  W. 
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(Managing  Director). 
Bankers.— London  and  South-Western  Bank  (Limited),  168,  Fenchuich- 
street,  EC,  and  Branches. 
Solicitors. 

Goodchild  and  Hammond,  1,  Queen  Victoria-street,  E.C. 
Gover  and  Chiles,  71,  Queen-street,  E.C. 

Brokers. — Short  and  Powell,  Copthall  House,  Copthall-avenue,  E.C,  and 
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Auditors.— J.  F.  Lovering  and  Co.,  Church-passage,  Guildhall,  E  C. 
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ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  has  been  formed  (1)  to  acquire  the  Patent  for  the  United 
Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  No.  19,279  of  1892,  issued  December 
27th,  1893,  for  the  valuable  space-saving  invention  known  as  the  "Pandora 
Folding  Box,"  (2)  to  take  over  as  a  going  concern  the  Leasehold  Box 
Works  in  the  occupation  of  the  Vendors,  situate  at  145,  Bermondsey-street, 
London,  S.E.,  the  plant,  machinery,  trade  fixtures,  &c,  thereat,  and  the 
goodwill  of  the  business  carried  on  by  them  in  connection  with  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  the  invention  at  such  works,  and  (3)  to  acquire 
extensive  manufacturing  premises  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  said 
works  or  elsewhere,  and  to  equip  such  additional  premises  with  the 
necessary  plant,  machinery,  &c,  for  enabling  the  Company  to  turn  out  in 
all  at  least  l,00o  gross  of  the  boxes  weekly. 

The  validity  of  the  British  Patent  has  been  reported  upon  in  satisfactory 
terms  by  J.  Fletcher  Moulton,  Esq.,  Q.C.,  M.P.,  and  the  fact  that  the 
Patent  for  the  invention  has  been  granted  in  Germany  (in  which  country  it 
is  also  being  successfully  introduced),  is  further  satisfactory  evidence  as  to 
novelty. 

According  to  information  furnished  by  the  Vendors,  the  accuracy  of 
which  has  been  verified,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Directors,  by  Mr.  James 
Barley,  box  manufacturer  (who  has  joined  the  Company  as  Managing 
Director),  the  net  profits  from  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  the  boxes  at 
the  expected  rate  of  production  of  1,000  gross  weekly  may  be  safely 
estimated,  after  deducting  cost  of  production,  Royalty,  trade  discounts, 
commissions,  Ac,  and  making  liberal  allowance  for  establishment  charges, 
to  average,  ac  cording  to  size  and  quality,  9s.  per  gross. 
Taking  as  a  basis  the  above  estimated  average  all  round  profit, 

the  sale  of  1,000  gross  weekly,  will  produce  a  clear  net  profit, 

per  annum,  of    £23,400 

Deduct  therefrom  25  per  cent,  for  Advertising,  Administration 

Expenses,  and  a  Reserve  Fund,  say   7.S50 


Leaves  a  balance  of    £15,550 

More  than  sufficient  for  the  payment  of  Dividends  at  the  rate  of  25  per 
cent,  per  annum  upon  the  total  c  apital  of  the  Company, 

Prospectuses,  with  Formsof  Application  for  Shares,  can  be  obtained  at 
the  Offices  of  the  Company,  or  of  its  Bankers,  Brokers,  Solicitors,  or 
Auditors, 


CLUB  CHATTER. 

It  lias  always  been  one  of  my  ambitions  to  enjoy  the 
friendship  of  one  of  those  Americans  who  "do"  Eng- 
land, and  whose  views  on  the  island  are  considered 
worthy  of  reproduction  in  Yankee  journals.  I  don't 
mean  an  observant  pilgrim,  because  we  all  know  that 
he  will  say  the  country  is  played  out,  that  the  Queen 
is  still  residing  in  the  Tower  of  London,  and  that  the 
fashionable  fad  of  the  hour  with  the  aristocracy  is  to 
run  lodging-houses  in  Bloomsbury.  The  man  I  want 
to  know  is  the  one  who  strolls  quietly  about,  and  seea 
and  remembers  simple  innocent  things,  which  we,  in' 
our  careless,  blundering  fashion,  overlook. 


Just  such  a  man  has  recently  got  back,  and  so  I  have 
missed  another  chance.  A  reporter  quickly  found  him 
cut,  and  when  he  was  found  out  we  were  lost.  It  seems 
— and  the  Yankee  is  a  truthful  man — that  the  English 
counterpart  to  the  American  dude  delights  in  immense 
checks  and  startling  colours,  in  shooting  clothes  in  Picca- 
dilly, in  knee-breeches  and  a  cape  in  the  Strand,  and  in 
turning  up  at  afternoon  tea  in  shooting  boots.  Tweeds 
with  five-inch  squares  are  of  such  common  occurrence 
that  our  candid  critic  simply  mentioned  them  as  an  after- 
thought. 

Now,  how  is  it  that  we  miss  all  this  sweetness  and 
light?  We  sigh  in  the  public  papers  about  the  dearth 
of  amusements  in  London,  say  the  streets  are  ugly  and 
cold,  and  yet  right  under  our  very  noses  all  this  feast  of 
innocent  amusement — possibly  the  National  Vigilance 
Association  would  object  to  the  knee  -  breeches — - 
is  unfolded.  There  is  something  wrong  some- 
where, but  we  must  pardon  these  frank  criticisms, 
for  if  the  American  deserted  us,  every  "  con- 
fidence trick"  man  in  Great  Britain  would  be  thrown 
out  of  employment,  and  our  pockets  can  ill  afford  in- 
creased poor  rates. 

Our  young  friend,  the  average  schoolboy,  has  been 
allowed  to  publicly  ventilate  his  views  on  the  warning  of 
the  British  Medical  Journal  as  to  the  danger  of  carrying 
matches  and  chlorate  of  potash  lozenges  in  juxtaposition. 
He  ridicules  the  notion.  If  his  parents  are  not  par- 
ticularly anxious  to'  keep  him,  and  will  rid  me  of  all  re- 
sponsibility in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  I  will  undertake,  on 
the  first  open  afternoon  I  have  got,  to  take  him  on  to 
Wimbledon  Common,  and  amuse  a  party  of  friends  of 
the  family — and  two  or  three  of  my  own — by  watching 
him  pound  chlorate  of  potash  and  sulphur  in  a  mortar. 
I  will  further  provide  a  match-box  to  carry  the  remains 
back  from  Putney  to  the  Necropolis  station,  outside 
Waterloo. 


Since  the  oyster  scare  was  started  the  succulent 
bivalve  has  been  a  drug  in  the  market.  The  oysfcer-bara 
have  been  almost  deserted,  and  in  some  of  the  restaur  nta 
it  no  longer  figures  in  the  menu  of  the  table  d'hote.  I 
am  now  wondering  what  we  can  take  in  safety.  Only 
during  the  past  few  weeks  everyone's  stomach  has  been 
turned  with  the  stories  of  the  part  played  by  stale  egga 
in  the  manufacture  of  pastry,  the  vile  condition  of  bake- 
houses ;  and  the  tale  of  the  red  ochre  sausage-rolls  would 
have  been  amusing  had  it  not  killed  one  of  the  finest 
gems  of  the  old  humour.  A  review  of  the  general 
situation  seems  to  be  this  :  Milk  gives  you  all  the 
fevers  and  several  other  light  disorders  ;  you  get  tuber- 
culosis through  eating  beef  or  mutton ;  pigeons 
and  pork  have  a  tendency  to  produce  skin  diseases ; 
alcohol  is  certain  death,  and  the  use  of  tobacco  only  pro- 
longs the  agony  ;  a  dozen  years  ago  mackerel  was  con- 
demned ;  soups  and  entrees,  the  French  scientists  say, 
are  simply  a  blend  of  dyes  and  drugs  ;  and  anyone  who 
remembers  the  scares  of  the  last  twenty  years  can 
hardly  recall  a  viand  that  has  not  been  attacked  for 
some  oiience  or  another. 


January  19,  189o. 


TO-DAY. 


343 


Personally  speaking  I  am  of  the  same  view  as  Maggie 
Tulliver — isn't  it  1 — who  thought  death  lost  half  its 
horror  if  you  died  in  company,  and  I  am  content  to 
order  what  I  fancy  like  an  average  man.  But  these 
scares  are  annoying,  and  sometimes  I  wonder  whether 
it  is  right  or  just  to  paralyse  from  time  to  time  whole 
industries,  in  order  to  get  newspaper  copy.  The  fact 
that  a  high-class  medical  journal  started  the  question 
tends  to  show  that  it  was  raised  in  good  faith,  but 
if,  as  I  believe  is  the  case,  Sir  Benjamin  Richardson 
declined  to  express  an  opinion  on  the  oyster  question, 
one  wonders  whether  there  is  not  a  very  grave  doubt 
connected  with  the  charge.  As  a  rule  these  scares  are 
dead,  decently  buried,  and  forgotten  in  a  few  months.  If 
there  was  anything  genuine  in  them,  the  originator 
should  in  and  out  of  season  stick  to  his  guns.  But  fit 
the  present  time  milk  and  oysters — the  two  most  common 
foods  ordered  by  doctors  to  the  sick — are  under  the  ban, 
which  would  seem  to  show  that  they  know  little  about 
diet,  and  are  very  human  individuals,  who  have  to  rely 
upon  public  prints  for  their  information. 


between  a  "  backer  "  and  a  "  bookmaker."  Any  school- 
boy would  blush  to  acknowledge  such  ignorance,  and, 
for  the  life  of  me,  I  cannot  make  out  why  the  judicial 
bench  attempts  to  oust  the  Church  for  being  the 
racognised  receptacle  for  the  fool  of  the  family. 


This,  from  the  Ulster 
lost  :— 


Gazette 


Reviews.— We  have  received  a  number  < 
could  not  possibly  make  room  for  the  umi  u 
the  large  space  devoted  to  the  alleged  iijuid 
and  the  effects  of  Alcohol  on  the  liver. 


is  too  good  to  be 


f  mngazines  for  review,  but 
i.oticea  this  week  owing  to 
case,  the  quarter  sessions, 


The  last  sentence  seems  a  blasting  admission  on  the  part 
of  the  writer. 


If  all  I  hear  is  true,  the  enterprising  members  of 
Lloyds  who  conceived  the  idea  of  guaranteeing  race- 
course executives  against  loss  by  postponement,  have  not 
made  a  very  auspicious  commencement,  as  Ling-field 
was  insured  for  £500,  and  Windsor  for  a  like  sum. 
I  wonder  what  Mr.  Hawke  will  have  to  say  about  this 
new  form  of  gambling. 


The  buttonhole  is  by  degrees  reaching  the  dimensions 
of  a  lady's  bouquet.  At  one  time  a  rose  or  a  few 
picotees  sufliced  for  winter  wear,  but  now  the  fashion  is 
to  go  in  for  seven  to  eight  blooms  in  red  and  white,  the 
favourite  flowers  being  white  and  red  roses.  Myrtle 
and  very  dark  ivy  leaves  are  used  to  mount  them. 


Although  the  Waterloo!  Cup  is  to  be  decided  next 
month,  little  attention  has,  SO'  far,  been  paid  to  the  Blue 
Riband  of  the  Leash,  and  even  the  most  enthusiastic 
courser  must  admit  that  coursing  is  slowly  but  surely 
losing  favour  with  the  general  public.  Colonel  North 
made  a  great  effort  a>  few  years  ago-  to  revive  the  sport, 
but  even  he  appears  to  be  losing  heart. 


For  morning  wear  the  red  pattern  is  becoming  more 
and  more  popular  for  ties,  although  electric  blue  is 
largely  worn.  In  both  cases  the  colours  are  used  in 
conjunction  with  black. 


It  is  reassuring  to  hear  that  in  the  course  of  the 
hearing  of  the  Albert  Club  case,  it  was  necessary  for 
counsel  to  explain  to  the  magistrates  the  distinction 


Sir  Arthur  Sullivan  does  not  appear  to  be  disheart- 
ened by  the  bad  luck  which  attended  his  racing  ventures 
last  season;  and  I  hope  the  popular  composer  will  pick 
up  several  good  races.  His  horses  could  not  be  in  better 
hands,  and  nothing  would  please  Jewitt  more  than  to 
train  a  bip;  winner  for  Sir  Arthur. 


The  billiard  match  between  Roberts  and  Diggle  will 


WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  1 

TAKLIS    IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
"  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Gresse  Street,  London,  W- 

BINGHAM  and  CO., 

ts  &  Military  Outfitters, 

,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND, 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 

Stenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  hi  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  Jrcc  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


344 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1895. 


long  be  remembered  as  on©  of  the  most  sensational  of 
modern  times.  The  word  "  record  "  has  formerly  been 
associated  with  the  name  of  Roberts,  but  although  he 
is  undoubtedly  still  the  "  King  of  Cueists,"  he  will  always 
have  to  play  up  to'  his  very  best  form  when  he  takes  on 
such  an  opponent  as  Diggle. 


The  first  sensational  incident  in  the  match  v/as  when 
Diggle  made  his  great  break  of  985.  This  total  was 
compiled  in  almost  strict  Itobertsian  style,  without  a 
semblance  of  a  fluke.  Diggle  afterwards  told  his  friends 
that  he  had  no  idea,  he  had  made  so  many.  He  is  con- 
fident that  ere  long  he  will  make  a  record  likely  to  stand 
for  many  a,  day.  Diggle  smokes  and  drinks,  but  only 
in  moderation.    He  is  a  bachelor. 


Maybe  Roberts's  trip  to  South  Africa  did  him  harm. 
He  certainly  has  had  very  poor  health  since  his  return. 
With  Diggle  having  gained  so  easy  a  victory,  it  is  just 
possible  that  a  genuine  money  match  will  be  arranged 
between  Roberts  and  Dawson.  Should  this  turn  out 
to  be  the  case,  my  money  and  that  of  most  of  the  cute 
division  would  go  on  Roberts. 


Gt'Y  and  Vivian  Nickalls,  our  champion  oarsmen, 
have  turned  their  attention  to  Association  football. 
Last  week  they  appeared  in  the  ranks  of  the  Formosa 
Swifts  in  a  match  with  Cookham  St.  George's. 


The  Welsh  team  selected  to  do  battle  with  Scotland 
next  Saturday,  at  Raeburn  Place,  is  somewhat  altered 
from  that  which  England  defeated,  four  changes  having 
been  made.  The  Scottish  team  is  a  powerful  one,  in- 
cluding Gowans,  W.  Neilson,  Campbell,  Gedge,  and  Mac- 
millan.  The  game  will  be  a  tough  one,  but  I  rather 
fancy  the  chances  of  the  Scotchmen,  who  will  be  on  their 
native  heather. 


Saturday's  League  results  were  in  some  oases  very 
surprising.  Everton,  who  seem  to  be  going  to  pieces, 
could  only  draw  with  Derby  County.  Aston  Villa 
showed  how  strong  they  are  just  now  by  defeating  Pres- 
ton at  Deepdale,  though  only  by  a  goal  to  nil.  Sun- 
derland went  to  Wolverhampton  in  fear  and  trembling, 
for  had  not  the  AVanderers  beaten  Everton  the  previous 
week?  The  Wearsidsrs,  much  to  their  surprise,  found 
they  had  an  easy  job.  The  most  astonishing  results 
were  the  victory  of  Liverpool  over  Notts  Forest,  and 
the  defeat  of  Bolton  Wanderers  by  Stoke.  In  both 
cases  the  score  was  five  goals  to  nil.  Burnley,  as  usual, 
on  Turf  Moor,  managed  to  beat  Blackburn  Rovers.  The 
great  game  of  the  day  was  that  between  the  two  Shef- 
field clubs,  and,  contrary  to  expectation,  the  United 
just  managed  to  win,  this  making  their  second  victory 
over  the  Wednesday  club  this  season.  I  am  still  back- 
ing Sunderland  to  win  the  Championship,  though  I  must 
confess  Aston  Villa  has  a  good  outside  chance. 


Had  the  London  Cup  tie  between  the  Old  Carthusians 
and  the  Old  Foresters  not  been  postponed  last  Saturday 
through  the  Oval  being  frost-bound  Londoners  would  have 
been  glad  to  welcome  back  to  the  Old  Carthusians'  ranks 
the  brothers  Walters.  They  have  not  played  in  first- 
class  matches  since  the  death  of  their  brother  through 
an  injury  on  the  football  field  a  couple  of  years  ago. 


Yorkshire  has  another  grievance.  As  champion 
county  they  would  be  entitled  to  play  a  match  against 
the  Rest  of  England.  Because  the  Rugby  Union  has 
declined  at  present  to  fix  a  date  for  the  match,  there  is 
some  big  talk  amongst  the  Yorkshire  big-wigs,  with 
covert  threats  that  they  will  refuse  to  play  their  matches 
with  Midlands  and  Devonshire.  Taken  as  a  whole,  the 
County  Championship  has  not  proved  an  unqualified 
success.  If  it  does  not  fall  through  I  shall  expect  to 
see  Yorkshire  at  the  top,  with  Lancashire  second,  and 
Devonshire  third. 

Tin:  Ma.ior. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Cockspur   Street,  London. 

N"V  ESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


1 


RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £50\000. 
■pOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 


S 


1EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


j^JARKET  REPORT. 

UR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


0 
L 

SECURITIES  PAYING  from  THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
O      HALF  PER  CENT. 

"  JJ°W  T°  0PERATE 
gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 

HIWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 


iENT  POST  FREE. 


1HE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


TART  I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  S*ocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Trans  f  erred. 
Different  Modesof  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Sett  lements  System. 
The  Three  •  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II. 


HOW  TO  OPERATE 
is  Lost  on  the  Stock 


Why  Money 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  I/O  west  Pnces  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1833  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can   Country    Residents  Operate 

Successfully? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


j^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 
rPHE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
1  is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commitsions  and 
"ontansoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DFALING-S  rv  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd.' 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


>Q|    THE  POPULAR   FRENCH   TONIC  |Q0 

0 
® 


MARIANI  WINE 


Body^ 
Brain 


FORTIFIES 

NOURISHES 
STIMULATES 

REFRESHES 

Endorsed  by  eminent  Physicians  everywhere 

Restores  Health,  Strength, 
Energy  and  Vitality. 

Bottle,  4s.  Dozen,  45s. 

Of  Chemists  or  Stores,  or  carriage  paid  front 


®©|   Wilcox  &  Co..  239.  Oxford  St..  London.  |>6 


Joy's  Cigarettes 
p tlurd  immediate  re- 
lief! n  cases  of 

ASTHMA, 
WHEEZING,  AND 
WINTER  COUGH, 

and  a  little  perse- 
verance will  effect  a 
p  ^rmanent  cure.  Uni- 
versal ly  recommended 
bt>*  the  most  eminent 
physicians  and  medl- 
cilauthors.  Agreeable 
!■!;<■  certain  in  their 
effects,  and  harmless 
in  their  action,  they 
may  be  safely  smoked 
by  ladies andchildren. 

All  Chemists  and 
Stores,  box  of  ,15, 
'.Is.  t>t I.,  or  post  free 
from  Wilcox  A  Co., 
vx» ,  Oxford  Strkkt, 
London.  W. 


January  19,  130o.  TO-DAY. 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

STANLEY    J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Catox  Woodville. 


plain  <jf  him,  whatever 
he    was   the  instrument 


CHAPTER  HI. 

In  the  Assembly. 

HE  blow,  and  the  insult 
with  which  he  accompanied 
it,  put  an  end  for  the  mo- 
ment to  my  repentance,  but, 
short  as  was  the  distance 
across  the  floor  from  the  one 
door  to  the  other,  it  gave 
me  time  to  think  again  :  to 
remember  that  this  was 
Louis  ;  and  that  whatever 
cause  I  had  had  to  com- 
grounds  to  suspect  that 
of  others,  no  friend  could 
have  done  more  to  assuage  my  wrath,  nor  the  most 
hcnest  more  to  withhold  me  from  entering  on  an  im- 
possible task.  Melting  quickly,  I  felt  that  if  kindness 
alone  had  led  hjm  to  interpose,  I  had  made  him  the 
worst  return  in  the  world ;  and,  in  fine,  before  the  outer 
door  could  be  opened  to  us,  I  repented  anew.  When  the 
usher  held  it  for  me  to>  pass,  I  bade  him  close  it, 
and,  to  Louis'  surprise,  turned,  and,  muttering  some- 
thing, ran  back.  Before  he  could  do  more  than  utter  a 
cry  I  was  across  the  vestibule  ;  one  moment,  and  I  had 
the  door  of  the  Assembly  open. 

I  saw  before  me — I  suppose  that  my  hand  had  raised 
the  latch  noisily — tiers  of  surprised  faces  all  turned  my 
way.  I  heard  a  murmur  of  mingled  annoyance  and 
laughter.  The  next  moment  I  was  threading  my  way 
to  my  place  with  the  monotonous  voice  of  the  President 
in  my  ears,  and  the  scene  round  me  so  changed — from 
that  low-voiced  altercation  outside,  to  this  Chamber  full 
of  light  and  life,  and  thronged  with  starers — that  I  sank 
into  my  seat,  dazzled  and  abashed ;  and  almost  forgetful 
for  the  moment  of  the  purpose  which  brought  me 
thither. 

A  little,  and  my  faoe  grew  hotter  still.  Each  of 
the  benches  on  which  we  sat  held  three.  I  shared  mine 
with  one  of  the  Harincourts  and  M.  d'Aulnoy,  my  place 
being  between  them.  I  had  scarcely  taken  it  five 
seconds,  when  Harincourt  rose  slowly,  and,  without 
turning  his  face  to  me,  moved  away  down  the  gangway, 
and,  fanning  himself  delicately  with  his  hat,  assumed  a 
leaning  position  against  a  desk  with  his  gaze  on  the 
President.  Half  a  minute,  and  d'Aulnoy  followed  his 
example.  Then  the  three  behind  me  rose,  and  quietly 
found  other  places.  Then  the  three  before  me.  In 
'wc  minuter  I  sat  alone,  isolated,  a  mark  for  all  eyes  ;  a 
kind  of  leper  in  the  Assembly. 

I  ought  to  have  been  prepared  for  some  such  demon- 
stration, but  I  was  not,  and  my  cheeks  burned  as  if  the 
curious  looks  to  which  I  was  exposed  were  a  hot  fire.  It 
was  impossible  for  me,  taken  bv  surprise,  to  hide  my 
embarrassment,  for,  wherever  I  gazed,  I  met  sneering 
eyes  and  contemptuous  glances  ;  and  pride  would  not  let 
me  hang  my  head.  For  many  minutes,  therefore,  I  was 
unconscious  of  everything  but  that  scorching  gn/e.  T 


could  not  even  hear  what  was  going  forward.  The 
President's  voice  was  a  dull,  meaningless  drawl  to  me. 

But  all  the  while  anger  and  resentment  were  har- 
dening me  in  my  resolve;  and,  presently,  the -cloud 
passed  from  my  mind,  and  left  me  exulting.  The 
monotonous  reading,  to  which  I  had  listened  without 
understanding  it,  came  to  an  end,  and  was  followed  by 
short,  sharp  interrogations — a  question  and  an  answer, 
a  name  and  a  reply.  It  was  that  awoke  me.  The 
drawl  had  been  the  reading  of  the  cahier ;  now  they 
were  voting  on  it. 

Presently  it  would  be  my  turn ;  it  was  coming  to  my 
turn.  With  each  vote — I  need  not  say  that  all  were 
affirmative — more  and  more  faces  were  turned  to  the 
place  where  I  sat  ;  more  eyes,  some  hostile,  some  trium- 
phant, some  merely  curious,  were  directed  to  my  face. 
And  under  other  circumstances  this  might  have  cowed 
me ;  but  now  it  did  not.  I  was  wrought  up  to  face 
it.  The  unfriendly  looks  of  so  many  who  had 
called  themselves  my  friends,  the  scornful  g'.ances 
of  new  men  of  ennobled  families,  who  had 
been  glad  of  my  father's  countenance ;  the  con- 
sciousness that  all  had  deserted  me  merely  because  I 
maintained  in  practice  opinions  which  half  of  them  had 
proclaimed  in  words,  hardened  me  to  a  pitch  of  scorn 
no  whit  below  that  of  my  opponents ;  while  the  knowledge 
that  to  blench  now  must  cover  me  with  lasting  shame 
closed  the  door  to  thoughts  of  surrender. 

The  Assembly,  on  the  other  hand,  felt  the  novelty  of 
its  position.  Men  were  not  yet  accustomed  to  the  war 
of  the  Senate ;  to  duels  of  words  more  deadly  than  those 
of  the  sword  :  and  a  certain  doubt,  a  certain  hesitation, 
held  the  majority  in  suspense,  watching  to  see  what  would 
happen.  Moreover,  the  leaders,  both  M.  de  St.  Alais, 
who  headed  the  hotter  and  prouder  court  party,  and  the 
nobles  of  the  Robe  and  Parliament,  who  had  only  lately 


& 


V 


I  BADE  HIM  CI-OSE  IT. 


discovered  that  their  interest  lay  in  the  same  direction, 
found  themselv  s  embarrassed  by  the  very  smallness  of 
th«  opposition ;  r.ince  a  substantial  majority  must  have 


Cejyr'ght,  180 J,  by  Stanley  J.  Weymai, 


340 


TO-DAY. 


Jamary  19,  1S05. 


been  accepted  as  a  fact,  whereas  one  man — one  man 
standing  in  the  way  of  unanimity — presented  himself  as 
a  thing  to  be  removed,  if  only  the  way  could  be  discovered. 

"M.  le  Comte  de  Cantal?"  the  President  cried,  and 
looked,  not  at  the  person  he  named,  but  at  me. 

"  Content  I"  . 

"  M.  le  Vicomte  de  Marignac  1" 

"  Content !" 

The  next  name  I  did  not  hear,  tor  in  my  excitement  it 
seemed  that  all  in  the  Chamber  were  looking  at  me,  that 
voice  was  failing  me,  that  when  the  moment  came  I 
should  sit  dumb  and  paralysed,  unable  to  speak,  and  foi 
ever  disgraced.  I  thought  of  this,  not  of  what  was 
passing;  then,  in  a  moment,  self-control  returned;  I 
beard  the  last  name  before  mine,  that  of  M.  d'Aulnoy 
heard  the  answer  given.  Then  my  own  name,  echoing 
in  hollow  silence. 

"  M.  le  Vicomte  de  Saux  1" 

I  stood  up.  I  spoke,  my  voice  sounding  alien,  and 
like  another  man's.  "  I  dissent  from  this  cahier  ! "  I 
said. 

I  expected  an  outburst  of  wrath ;  it  did  not  come. 
Instead,  a  peal  of  laughter,  in  which  I  distinguished 
St.  Alais'  tones,  rang  through  the  room,  and  brought 
the  blood  to  my  cheeks.  The  laughter  lasted  some 
time,  rose  and  fell,  and  rose  again ;  while  I  stood 
pilloried.  But  it  had  one  effect  the  laughers  did  not 
contemplate.  On  occasions  the  most  taciturn  become 
eloquent.  I  forgot  the  periods  from  Rochefoucauld  and 
Liaucourt,  which  I  had  so  carefully  prepared ;  I  forgot 
the  passages  from  Turgot,  of  which  I  had  made  notes, 
and  I  broke  out  in  a  strain  I  had  not  foreseen  or  in- 
tended. 

"  Messieurs  !"  I  cried,  hurling  my  voice  through  th 
Chamber,  "  I  dissent  from  this  cahier  because  it  is 
effete  and  futile  ;  because,  if  for  no  other  reason,  the 
time  when  it  could  have  been  of  service  is  past.  You 
claim  your  privileges  ;  they  are  gone  !  your  exemptions  ; 
they  are  gone  !  You  protest  against  the  union  of  your 
representatives  with  those  of  the  people ;  but  they 
have  sat  with  them,  and  you  can  no  more  undo  that  by  a 
protest  than  you  can  set  back  the  tide !  The  thing  is 
done.  The  dog  is  hungry,  you  have  given  it  a  bone. 
Do  you  think  to  get  the  bone  back,  unmouthed,  whole, 
without  loss  ?  If  so,  you  are  mad.  But  this  is  not  all, 
nor  the  principal  of  my  objections  to  this  cahier.  France 
to-day  stands  naked,  bankrupt,  without  treasury,  with- 
out money.  Do  you  think  to  help  her,  to  clothe 
her,  to  enrich  her,  by  maintaining  your  privileges,  by 
maintaining  your  exemptions,  by  standing  out  for  the 
last  jot  and  tittle  of  your  rights?  No,  Messieurs.  In 
the  old  days  those  exemptions,  those  rights,  those  privi- 
leges, wherein  our  ancestors  gloried,  and  gloried  well, 
were  given  to  them  because  they  were  the  buckler  of 
Fiance.  They  maintained  and  armed  and  led  men  :  the 
commonalty  did  the  rest.  But  now  the  people  fight, 
the  people  pay,  the  people  do  all.  Yes,  Messieurs,  it  is 
true;  it  is  true  that  which  we  have  all  heard,  'Lemanant 
jmye  pour  tout  !  " 

I  paused  ;  expecting  that  now,  at  last,  the  long-delayed 
outburst  of  anger  would  come.  Instead,  before  any  in 
the  Chamber  could  speak,  there  rose  through  the 
windows,  which  looked  on  the  market  place,  and  had 
been  widely  opened  on  account  of  the  heat,  a,  great  cry 
of  applause  ;  the  -shout  of  t he  street,  that  for  the 
first  time  heard  its  wrongs  voiced.    It  was  full  of  assent 


and  rejoicing  ;  hut  no  attack  could  have  disconcerted 
ire  more  completely.    I  stood  astonished,  and  silenced. 

The  effect  which  it  had  on  me  was  slight,  however,  in 
comparison  with  that  which  it  had  on  my  opponents.  The 
cries  of  dissent  they  were  about  to  utter  died  still-born 
at  the  portent  ;  and,  for  a  moment,  men  stared  at  one 
another  as  if  they  could  not  believe  their  ears.  For  that 
moment  a  silence  of  rage,  of  surprise,  prevailed  through 
the  whole  Chamber.  Then  M.  de  St.  Alais  sprang  to. 
his  feet. 

"  What  is  this?"  he  cried,  his  handsome  face  dark  with 
excitement.  "Has  the  King  ordered  us,  too,  to  sit  wit! 
the  third  estate?  If  not,  M.  le  President — if  not,  I  say.' 
lie  continued,  sternly  putting  down  an  attempt  at 
applause,  "  and  if  this  be  net  a.  conspiracy  between  some 
of  our  body  and  the  canaille  to  bring  about  another 
Jacquerie  " 

The  President,  a  weak  man  of  a  robe  family,  inter- 
rupted him;  "  Have  a  care,  Monsieur,*'  he  said.  "  The 
windows  are  still  open." 

"Open?" 

The  President  nodded. 

"And  what  if  they  are?  What  of  it?"  St.  Alais 
answered,  harshly.  "What  of  it,  Monsieur?"  he 
continued,  looking  round  him  with  an  eye  which  seemed 
to  collect  and  express  the  scorn  of  the  more  fiery  spirits. 
"  If  so  it  is  better  !  Let  them  be  open.  Let  the  people 
hear  both  sides,  and  not  only  those  who  flatter 
them  ;  those  who,  by  building  on  their  weakness  and 
ignorance,  and  canting  about  their  rights  and  our 
wrongs,  think  to  exalt  themselves  into  Retzs  and  Crom- 
wells !  Yes,  Monsieur  le  President,"  he  continued,  while 
I  strove  in  vain  to  interrupt  him,  and  half  the  Assembly 
rose  to  their  feet  in  confusion,  "  I  repeat  the  phrase— 
who,  to  the  ambition  of  a  Cromwell  or  a  Retz  add  their 
violence,  not  their  parts  !" 

The  injustice  of  the  reproach  stung  me,  and  I  turned 
on  him.  " M.  le  Marquis!"  I  cried,  hotly,  "if,  by  that 
phrase,  you  refer  to  me  " 

He  laughed  scornfully.  "As  you  please,  Monsieur," 
he  said. 

"  I  fling  it  back  !  I  repudiate  it !"  I  cried.  "  M.  de  St. 
Alais  has  called  me  a  Retz — a  Cromwell  " 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  interposed,  swiftly ;  "  a  would-be 
Retz  \" 

"A  traitor,  either  way!"  I  answered,  striving  against 
the  laughter,  which  at  his  repartee  flashed  through  th: 
room,  bringing  the  blood  rushing  to  my  face.  "A 
traitor  either  way!  But  I  say  that  he  is  the  traitor 
who  to-day  advises  the  King  to  his  hurt.'' 

"  And  not  he  who  comes  here  with  a  mob  at  his 
back?"  St.  Alais  retorted,  with  heat  almost  equal  to  my 
own.  "  Who,  one  man,  would  brow-beat  a  hundred,  and 
dictate  to  this  Assembly?" 

"  Monsieur  repeats  himself,"  I  cried,  cutting  him 
short  in  my  turn,  though  no  laughter  followed  my  gibe. 
"  I  deny  what  he  says.  I  fling  back  his  accusations ;  I 
retort  upon  him!  And,  for  the  rest,  L  object  to  this 
cahier,  I  dissent  from  it,  I  " 

But  the  Assembly  was  at  the  end  of  its  patience.  A 
roar  of  "  Withdraw  !  withdraw  !"  drowned  my  voice,  and, 
in  a  moment,  the  meeting,  so  orderly  a  few  minutes 
before,  became  a  scene  of  wild  uproar.  A  few  of  the 
elder  men  continued  to  keep  their  seats,  but  the  ma- 
jority i'OSS  ;  some  had  already  sprung  to  the  windows,  and 
closed  tb-cnt,  and  still  stood  with  their  feet  on  the  ledce. 


January  19,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


looking  down  on  the  confusion.  Others  had  gone  to  the 
door  and  taken  their  stand  there,  perhaps  with  the  idea  of 
resisting  intrusion.  The  President  in  vain  cried  for 
silence.  His  voice,  equally  with  mine,  was  lost  in  the 
persistent  clamour,  which  swelled  to  a  louder  pitch  when- 
ever I  offered  to  speak,  and  sank  only  when  I  desisted. 

At  length  M.  de  St.  Alais  raised  his  hand,  and  with  little 
difficulty  procured  silence.  Befor  e  I  could  take  advan- 
tage of  it,  however,  the  President  interposed.  "The 
Assembly  of  the  noblesse  of  Quercy."  he  said,  hur  riedlv, 
"is  in  favour  of  this  cahier,  maintaining  our  ancient 
rights,  privileges,  and  exemptions.  The  Vicomte  de 
Saux  alone  protests.    The  cahier  will  be  presented." 

"I  protest!"  I  cried,  weakly. 

"  I  have  said  so,"  the  President  answered,  with  a 
sneer.  And  a  peal  of  derisive  laughter,  mingled  with 
shouts  of  applause,  ran  round  the  Chamber.  "  The 
cahier  will  be  presented.    The  matter  is  concluded." 

And  then,  in  a  moment,  magically,  as  it  seeemed  to 
me,  the  Chamber  resumed  its  ordinary  aspect.  The 
Members  who  had  risen  returned  to  their  seats,  those 
who  had  closed  the  windows,  descended,  a,  few  retired, 
the  President  proceeded  with  some  ordinary  business. 
Every  trace  of  the  storm  disappeared.  In  a  twinkling 
all  was  as  it  had  been. 

Even  where  I  sat ;  for  no  isolation,  no  division  from 
my  fellows  could  exceed  that  in  which  I  had  sat  before. 
But  whereas  before  I  had  had  my  weapon  in  reserve  and 
my  revenge  in  prospect;  that  was  no  longer  so.  I  had 
shot  my  bolt,  and  sat  miserable,  fettered  by  the  silence 
and  the  strange  glances  that  hemmed  me  in,  and  growing 
each  moment  not  only  more  depressed  but  more  self- 
conscious;  so  that,  though  I  longed  to  escape,  I  shrank 
from  moving,  even  from  looking  about  me. 

Not  the  least  of  my  misery  lay  in  the  reflection  that  I 
had  done  no. good  :  that  I  had  suffered  for  a  quixotism, 
and  shown  myself  stubborn  and  obstinate  to  no  purpose. 
Too  late,  I  reflected  that  I  might  have  maintained  my 
principles  and  yet  conformed  ;  I  might  have  stated  my 
convictions  and  waived  them  in  deference  to  the  ma- 
jority.   I  might  have  

But,  whatever  I  might  have  done,  I  had  not  done 
it,  and  the  die  was  cast.  I  had  declared  myself  against 
my  order,  and  forfeited  all  I  could  claim  from  my  order. 
Henceforth,  I  was  not  of  it.  It  was  no  fancy  that  al- 
ready men  who  had  occasion  to  pass  before  me  drew 
their  skirts  aside  and  bowed  formally  as  to  one  of  another 
class ! 

How  long  I  should  have  endured  this  penance — these 
veiled  insults  and  the  courtesy  that  stung  deeper,  be.'oro 
I  plucked  up  spirit  toi  withdraw,  I  cannot  say.  It  was 
an  interposition  from  without  that  broke  the  spell.  Ar, 
usher  came  to  me  with  a  note.  I  opened  it  with  clumsy 
Angers  under  a  fire  of  hostile  eyes,  and  found  that  it  was 
from  Louis. 

"If  you  have  a  spark  of  honour" — it  ran— "you  will 
meet  me,  without  a  moment's  delay,  in  the  garden  at  tire 
back  of  the  Chapter  House.  Do  so,  and  yon  may  still 
live  to  call  yourself  a  gentleman.  Refuse,  or  delay  even 
for  ten  minutes,  and  I  will  publish  your  shame  from  one 
end  of  Quercy  to  the  other.  He  cannot  call  himself 
Adrien  du  Pont  de  Saux,  M.  le  Vicomte,  who  puts  up  with 
a  blow ! " 

,  I  read  it  twice  while  the  usher  -waited.  The  words 
had  a  cruel,  heartless  ring  in  them ;  the  taunting  chal 
lence  was  brutal  in  its  directness.    Yet  my  heart  grew 


soft  as  I  read,  and  I  had  much  ado  to  keep  the  tears  from 
my  eyes — under  all  those  eyes.  For  Louis  did  not 
deceive  me  this  time.  This  note,  so  unlike  him,  this 
desperate  attempt  to  draw  me  out,  and  save  me  from 
opponents  more  ruthless,  were  too  transparent  to  delude 
me  ;  and,  in  a  moment,  the  icy  bands  which  had  been 
growing  over  me  melted.  I  sat  alone  still;  but  I 
not  quite  deserted.  I  could  hold  up  my  head  again,  for 
I  had  a  friend.  I  remembered  that,  after  all,  through 
all,  I  w^as  Adrien  du  Pont  de  Saux,  guiltless  of  aught 
worse  than  holding  in  Quercy  opinions  which  the 
Larneths  and  Mirabeatis,  the  Liancqurts  and  Rochefou- 
caulds  held  in  their  provinces;  guiltless,  I  told  myself, 
of  aught  besides  standing  for  right  and  justice. 

But  the  usher  waited.  I  took  from  the  desk  before 
me  a  scrap  of  paper,  and  wrote  my  answer.  "Adrien 
does  not  fight  with  Louis  because  St.  Alais  struck 
Saux." 

1  wrapped  it  up  and  gave  it  to  the  usher ;  then  I  sat 
back  a  different  man,  able  to  meet  all  eyes,  with  a  heart 
armed  against  all  misfortunes.  Friendship,  generosity, 
love,  still  existed,  though  the  gentry  of  Quercy,  the 
Gontauts,  and  Marignacs,  sat  aloof.  Life  would  still 
hold  sweets,  though  the  grass  should  grow  in  the  walnut 
avenue,  and  my  shield  should  never  quarter  the  arms  of 
St.  Alais. 

So  I  took  courage,  stood  up,  and  moved  to  go  out. 
But  the  moment  I  did  so,  a  dozen  Members  sprang  to 
their  feet  also;  and,  as  I  walked  down  one  gangway 
towards  the  door,  they  crowded  down  another  parallel 
with  mine ;  offensively,  openly,  with  the  evident  inten- 
tion of  intercepting  me  before  I  could  escape.  The  com- 
motion was  so  great  that  the  Pr  esident  paused  in  his  read 
ing  to  watch  the  result ;  while  the  mass  of  Members 
who  kept  their  places,  rose  that  they  might hat o  a  better 
view  I  saw^  that  I  was  to  be  publicly  insulted,  and 
a  fierce  joy  took  the  place  of  every  other  feeling.  If  I 
went  slowly,  it  was  nob  through  fear  ;  the  pent-up 
passions  of  the  last  hour  inspired  me,  and  I  would  not 
have  hastened  the  climax  for  the  world.  I  reached  the 
foot  of  the  gangway,  in  another  moment  we  must 
have  come  into  collision,  when  a  wild  explosion  of  voices, 
a  great  roar  in  the  street,  that  penetrated  through 
the  closed  windows,  brought  us  to  a  halt.  We 
paused,  listening  and  glaring,  while  the  few  who  had  not 
stood  up  before,  rose  hurriedly,  and  the  President, 
startled  and  suspicious,  asked  what  it  was. 

For  answer  the  sound  rose  again — dull,  prolonged, 
shaking  the  windows  ;  a  hoarse  shout  of  triumph.  It  fell 
— not  ceasing,  but  passing  away  into  the  distance — and 
then  once  more  it  swelled  up.  It  was  unlike  any  shout 
I  had  ever  heard. 

Little  by  little  articulate  words  grew  out  of  it,  or 
succeeded  it  ;  until  the  arr  shook  with  the  measured 
rhythm  of  one  stern  sentence.  "A  has  la  Bastille!  A 
has  la  Bastille !" 

We  were  to  hear  many  such  cries  in  the  time  to  come, 
Mid  grow  accustomed  to  such  alarms;  to  the  hungry 
roar  in  the  street,  and  the  loud  knocking  at  the  door 
that  meant  fate.  But  they  were  a  new  thing  then,  and 
the  Assembly,  as  much  outraged  as  alarmed  by  this 
second  trespass  on  its  dignity,  could  only  look  at  its 
President,  and  mutter  wrathful  threats  against  the 
canaille.  The  canaille  that  had  crouched  for  a  century 
seemed  in  some  unaccountable  way  to  be  changing  its 
posture ! 


318  TO-DW. 


January  10,  ISC). 


1  THE    BASTILLE    IIAS    FALLEN  ! " 


One  man  cried  out  one  thing,  and  one  another ;  that 
the  streets  should  be  cleared,  the  regiment  sent  for,  or 
complaint  made  to  the  Intendant.  They  wero  still 
speaking  when  the  door  opened  and  a  Member  came  in. 
It  was  Louis  de  St.  Alais,  and  his  face  was  aglow  with 
excitement.  Commonly  the  most  modest  and  quiet  of 
men,  he  stood  forward  now,  and  raised  his  hand  im- 
peratively for  silenco. 


"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  in  a  loud,  ringing  voice,  "  there 
is  strange  news  !  A  cornier  with  letters  for  my  brother, 
M.  do  St.  Alais,  has  spoken  in  the  street.  He  brings 
strange  tidings." 

"What?    What?"  two  or  three  cried. 

"The  Bastille  has  fallen  1" 

No  one  understood — how  should  they? — but  all  were 
eilcat    Then,  "What  do  you  meant"  the  President 


TO-DAY.  349 


January  19,  1805. 


asked,  in  bewilderment ;  and  he  raised  his  hand  that  the 
silence  might  be  preserved.  "  The  Bastille  has  fallen  1 
How?    What  is  it?" 

"  It  was  captured  on  Tuesday  by  the  mob  of  Paris," 
Louis  answered,  distinctly,  his  eyes  bright,  "  and  M.  de 
Launay,  the  Governor,  murdered  in  cold  blood." 

"  The  Bastille  captured?  By  the  Mob  ?"  the  President 
exclaimed,  incredulously.  "  It  is  impossible,  Monsieur. 
You  must  have  misunderstood." 

Louis  shook  his  head.    "  It  is  true,  I  fear,"  he  said. 

"And  M.  de  Launay?" 

"That  too,  I  fear,  M.  le  President," 

Then,  indeed,  men  looked  at  one  another ;  startled, 
pale-faced ;  asking  each  mute  questions  of  his  fellows ; 
while  in  the  street  outside  the  hum  of  disorder  and  re- 
joicing grew  moment  by  moment  more  steady  and 
continuous.  Men  looked  at  each  other  alarmed,  and 
could  not  believe.  The  Bastille  which  had  stood  so 
many  centuries,  captured  ?  The  Governor  killed  ?  Im- 
possible, they  muttered,  impossible.  .For  what,  in  that 
case,  was  the  King  doing?  What  the  army?  What  the 
Governor  of  Paris? 

Old  M.  de  Gontaut  put  the  thought  into  words.  "  But 
the  King?"  he  said,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  a  hearing. 
"  Doubtless  His  Majesty  has  already  punished  the 
wretches  V 

The  answer  came  from  an  unexpected  quarter,  in  words 
as  little  expected.  M.  de  St.  Alais,  to  whom  Louis  had 
handed  a  letter,  rose  from  his  seat  with  an  open  paper  in 
his  hand.  Doubtless,  if  he  had  taken  time  to  consider, 
he  would  have  seen  the  imprudence  of  making  public  all 
he  knew ;  but  the  surprise  and  mortification  of  the  news 
he  had  received — news  that  gave  the  lie  to>  his  confident 
assurances,  news  that  made  the  most  certain  doubt  the 
ground  on  which  they  stood,  swept  away  his  discretion. 
He  spoke. 

"  I  do  not  know  what  the  King  was  doing,"  he  said, 
in  mocking  accents,  "  at  Versailles ;  but  I  can  tell 
you  how  the  army  was  employed  in  Paris.  The  Garde 
Fiancaise  were  foremost  in  the  attack.  Besenval,  with 
such  troops  as  have  not  deserted,  has  withdrawn.  The 
city  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Mob.  They  have  shot 
Flesselles,  the  Provost,  and  elected  Bailly,  Mayor. 
They  have  raised  a  Militia  and  armed  it.  They  have 
appointed  Lafayette,  General.  They  have  adopted  a 
badge.    They  have  " 

"But,  mon  Dieu !"  the  President  cried,  aghast,  "  This 
is  a  revolt !" 

"  Precisely,  Monsieur,"  St.  Alais  answered. 

"  And  what  does  the  King?  " 

"He  is  so  good — that  he  has  done  nothing,"  was  the 
bitter  answer. 

"  And  the  States-General  ? — the  National  Assembly  at 
Versailles  ?" 

"Oh,  they?    They,  too,  have  done  nothing." 

"  It  is  Paris,  then  ?"  the  President  said. 

"Yes,  Monsieur,  it  is  Paris,"  the  Marquis  answered. 

"But  Paris?"  the  President  said,  helplessly.  "Paris 
has  been  quiet  so  many  years." 

To  this,  however,  the  thought  in  everyone's  mind,  there 
seemed  to  be  no  answer.  St.  Alais  sat  down  again, 
and,  for  a  moment,  the  Assembly  remained  stunned  by 
astonishment,  prostrate  under  these  new,  these  mar- 
vellous facts.  No  better  comment  on  the  discussions  in 
which  it  had  been  engaged  a  few  minutes  before  could 


have  been  found.  Its  members  had  been  dreaming  of 
their  rights,  their  privileges,  their  exemptions ;  they 
awoke  to  find  Paris  in  flames,  the  army  in  revolt,  order 
and  law  in  the  utmost  peril. 

But  St.  Alais  was  not  the  man  to  be  long  wanting  to> 
his  part,  nor  one  to  abdicate  of  his  free  will  a  leadership 
which  vigour  and  audacity  had  secured  for  him.  He 
sprang  to  his  feet  again,  and  in  an  impassioned  harangue 
called  upon  the  Assembly  to  remember  the  Fronde. 

"  As  Paris  was  then,  Paris  is  now  !"  he  cried.  "  Fickle 
and  seditious,  to  be  won  by  no  gifts,  but  always  to  be 
overcome  by  famine.  Rest  assured  that  the  fat  bourgeois 
will  not  long  do  without  the  white  bread  of  Gonesse,  nor 
the  tippler  without  the  white  wine  of  Arbois  !  Cut  these 
off,  the  mad  will  soon  grow  sane,  and  the  traitor  loyal. 
Theii  National  Guards,  and  their  Badges,  and  their 
Mayors,  and  their  General?  Do  you  think  that  these 
will  long  avail  against  the  forces  of  order,  of  loyalty, 
against  the  King,  the  nobility,  the  clergy,  against 
France?  No,  gentlemen,  it  is  impossible,"  he  continued, 
with  warmth.  "  Paris  would  have  deposed  the  great 
Henry  and  exiled  Mazarin ;  but  in  the  result  it  licked 
their  shoes.  It  will  be  so  again,  only  we  must  stand 
together,  we  must  be  firm.  We  must  see  that  these  dis- 
orders spread  no  farther.  It  is  the  King's  to  govern, 
and  the  people's  to  obey.  It  has  been  so,  and  it  will  be 
so  to  the  end  !" 

His  words  wero  not  many,  but  they  were  timely  and 
vigorous,  and  they  served  to  reassure  the  Assembly. 
All  that  large  majority,  which  in  every  gathering  of  men 
has  no  more  imagination  than  serves  to  paint  the  future? 
in  the  colours  of  the  past,  found  his  arguments  perfectly 
convincing ;  while  the  few  who  saw  more  clearly,  and  by 
the  light  of  instinct,  or  cold  reason,  discerned  that  the 
state  of  France  had  no  precedent  in  its  history,  felt, 
nevertheless,  the  infection  of  his  confidence.  An 
universal  shout  of  applause  greeted  his  last  sentence, 
and,  amid  tumultuous  cries,  the  concourse,  which  had  re- 
mained on  its  feet,  poured  into  the  gangways,  and  made 
for  the  door ;  a  desire  to  see  and  hear  what  was  going 
forward  moving  all  to  get  out  as  quickly  as  possible; 
though  it  was  not  likely  that  more  could  be  learned  than 
was  already  known. 

I  shared  this  feeling  myself,  and,  forgetting  in  the 
jxcitement  of  the  moment  my  part  in  the  day's  debate, 
I  pressed  to  the  door  with  the  rest.  The  Bastille  fallen  ? 
The  Governor  killed;  Paris  in  the  hands  of  the  Mob? 
Such  tidings  were  enough  to  set  the  brain  in  a  whirl, 
and  breed  forgetfulness,  of  nearer  matters.  Others,  in 
the  preoccupation  of  the  moment,  seemed  to  be  equally 
oblivious,  and  I  forced  my  way  out  with  the  rest. 

But  at  the  door  I  happened,  by  a  little  clumsiness,  to- 
touch  one  of  the  Harincourts  somewhat  sharply.  He 
turned  his  head,  saw  who  it  was  had  touched  him,  and 
tried  to  stop.  The  pressme  was  too  great,  however, 
and  he  was  borne  on  in  front  of  me,  struggling  and  mut- 
tering something  I  could  not  hear.  I  guessed  what  it 
was,  however,  by  the  manner  in  which  others,  abreast  of 
him,  and  as  helpless,  turned  their  heads  and  sneered  at 
ins :  and  I  was  considering  how  I  could  best  encounter 
what  was  to  come  when  the  sight  which  met  our  gaze,  as 
wc  at  last  issued  from  the  narrow  passage  and  faced  the- 
Market-place — two  steps  below  us — drove  their  existence- 
for  a  moment  from  my  mind. 

{To  be  continued.} 


350 


TO-DAY. 


J/kitaisv  13,  LS55 


..ove  ij'  folly— Loye,;r  hate 
Let  uj  dxv.eii  wifcil  Love: 
He  \  a  cfiud  cf  low  estate 


cpot- 


He'j  dCod  above: 
Rpi^'g  robm  -moaning  dove-— 
Loved  because  h.^  name  i<;  Love! 


ie  oath  a 
Dwell  rug  i  a  'the  lipht. 
If  lie  hath  axevage  cot, 
Covered  by  lire  night:— 
We  mujt  love  in  praise  or  blame, 
Since  y/eet  ioye^Kjyftame-  ki^ 

"fraaK.  J 


name'. 

cJtauton. 


GREEN  WAS  AN  UNLUCKY  COLCUR. 
I  started  for  the  turban-maker's  shop  on  horseback, 
attended  by  Salem.  The  caftans  were  all  ready  and  Salem 
reached  up  to  the  shelf  to  get  them,  when  a  Berber 
standing  by  gave  him  a  violent  blow  with  the  staff  of 
his  spear,  telling  him  not  to  touch  the  caftans  of  true 
believers.  I  was  very  angry.  I  gave  the  Berber  a 
cut  across  the  head  with  my  riding-whip,  his  turban 
rolling  off  into  the  gutter.  The  turban  was  green  !  1 
had  struck  a  descendant  of  Mahomet.  Cries  of  rage 
burst  from  the  bystanders.  We  were  in  a  little  side 
street,  if  they  had  had  any  gumption  they  could  have 
cut  us  up  in  a  moment.  The  only  way  out  was  through 
the  mass.  Poor  Salem  looked  yellow.  I  don't  know 
if  I  was,  but  my  knees  were  bumping  against  my  horse's 
sides.  I  thought  we  should  never  leave  alive.  The 
caftan  maker  then  said  it  was  not  my  fault.  The  crowd 
turned  on  him,  and  said  it  was  his  for  bringing  Christians 
there.  At  this  diversion,  we  charged  through,  pistol  in 
hand,  reached  the  main  street,  and  finished  our  busi- 
ness, not  liking  to  leave  under  compulsion.  The  Berbers 
followed,  and  endeavoured  to  get  up  a  religious  row. 
I  expected  every  minute  to  have  a  knife  stuck  in  me 
bv  one  of  the  excited  crowd.  We  managed  to  get  home, 
where  I  found  the  caftan  maker.  The  Berbers  had 
given  him  a  good  flogging  when  I  left,  and  wrecked  his 
shop.  He  stayed  in  my  garden  for  three  days,  but  not 
feeling  safe  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  lie  took  refuge 
in  a  mosque. — From  "Morocco  As  It  Is." — Stcplten 
Jtonsal. 


Z.LA  ON  WORK.  * 
How  many  mornings  have  I  sat  down  to  my  work- 
able with  my  head  in  confusion,  my  mouth  bitter,  tor- 
tured by  some  great  mental  or  physical  anguish.  And 
on  each  occasion,  in  spite  of  the  reluctance  that  was 
prompted  by  my  sufferings,  my  work,  after  the  first 
minutes  of  pain  and  revolt,  brought  me  relief  and  com- 
fort. I  have  invariably  risen  up  from  my  daily  task 
with  a  feeling  of  relief,  my  heart  sore,  perhaps,  but  never- 
theless conscious  that  I  was  still  erect,  with  strength 
enough  to  continue  living  until  the  morrow. — From 
"  Emile  Zola."— II.  II.  SHerkrd. 


FREDERICK   THE   GREAT   AND   HI^  PAGE. 

The  great  Frederick  was  very  fond  of  snuff.  He  had 
u  box  of  ir  put  on  every  mantel-piece  in  the  palace. 
One  day  he  saw  his  page  helping  himself  liberally.  He 
said  nothing  then,  but  a  little  while  afterwards  he  told 
the  boy  to  bring  him  the  box.  "Take  a  pinch,"  said 
the  king,  "how  do  you  find  it?"  "Excellent,  sire." 
"And  the  box.''-  "Superb,  sire."  "Very  well,"  re- 
turned Frederick,  "keep  it,  then,  it  does  not  hold 
enough  for  two." 

THE  ENGLISH  IN  ijco. 
"And  they  think,"  says  a  Venetian  traveller,  "no 
greater  honour  can  be  conferred  or  received  than  to 
invite  others  to  eat  with  them,  or  to  be  invited  them- 
selves, and  they  would  sooner  give  five  or  six  ducats 
to  provide  an  entertainment  for  a  person,  .than  a  groat 
to  assist  him  in  any  distress." 


January  19,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


PAULA  IN  THE  PROVINCES. 


A  CHAT  WITH  MISS  CYNTHIA  BROOKE. 

There  was  only  one  difficulty  in  the  way  of  interview- 
ing Miss  Cynthia  Brooke,  the  lady  who  is  playing  Paula 
so  successfully  in  Mr.  F.  G.  Latham's  Second  Mrs.  Tan- 
queray comuany.  The  difficulty  took  the  form  of  a 
handsome  bull  puppy,  who  interrupted  the  conversation 
at  every  possible  opportunity.  Perhaps  the  fact  that  he 
was  teething  may  be  accepted  as  an  excuse  for  his  rest- 
lessness. He  began  by  worrying  my  glove,  out  of  which 
he  seemed  to  get  little  satisfaction. 

"He  wants  something  harder,  you  know,"'  said  Miss 
Brooke.  "Here, 
Bim,  come  on  my 
lap ;  yes,  and  you 
can  gnaw  my  wrist 
if-  you'll  use  your 
blunt  teeth." 

Occasionally  Bim 
disregarded  this 
latter  command., 
when  he  was  de- 
servedly ■ —  though 
not  effectively- 
spanked.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  conversa- 
tion, of  which  the 
first  sentence  ran 
much  as  follows  : — 

"  I  really  have  " 
(spank)  "  very  little 
to  tell  you.  I've  on-" 
(spank)  "  ly  been  on 
the  stage  four  years, 
and  this — Bim,  be 
quiet— this  is  my 
first  emo- "  (spank) 
"  tional  part." 

"And  what,  came 
before  Paula?" 

"  Farcical  corn 
edy.  I  believe  it. 
was  the  best  train- 
ing I  could  have 
had."-  - 

"  But  you'll  never 
go  back  to  it  now  1 " 

"Well,  I  don't 
think  so.  One 
mustn't  pick  and 
choose  too  much, 
you  know.  But  I 
love  my  present  part. 
Unless  I  am  not 
feeling  very  well — 
and  playing  Paula 
every  night  is  not 
light  work — I  al- 
ways look  forward 
to  going  to  the 
theatre  in  the  evening." 

And  how  do  you  find  provincial  audiences  like  The 
Second  Mrs.  Tanqueray  ?  ''' 

"  Very  well,  on  the  whole.  My  best  audience  was  at 
Cambridge.  They  gave  me  the  best  kind  of  applause 
that  one  can  have  in  such  a.  play,  and  that  is  absolute 
silence1.  I  am  sorry  to  say  they  have  refused 
mission  to  play  at  Oxford." 

"  Is  it,  possible  that  anyone  can  -find  fault  with  the 
moral  teaching  of  such  a  play ? " 

"  Oh !  yes,  they  can,"  replied  Miss  Brooke,  with  a 
laugh.  "  Why,  you  have  no  idea  what  curious  notions 
folks  get  about  Paula.  I  have  known  some  people  who 
have  come  away  from  the  play  thinking  that  Aubrey 
Tanqueray  had  lived  with  Paula  before  marriage.  Of 


MISS  CYNTHIA  BROOKE. 


us  per- 


course,  if  people  wilfully  misunderstand  every  line  of  the 
dialogue,  it  might  not  be  difficult  to  get  that  idea.  Then 
there  are  others — only  a  few,  though — who  identify  the 
actress  with  the  part;  that's  about  as  far  as  narrow- 
mindedness  can  go-,  I  think." 

i:  Are  you  one  of  those  who  forget  their  own  existence 
when  they  are  playing  1 " 

"  Yes.  I'm  Paula  all  the  time  I'm  on  the  stage.  I 
don't  think  I  could  play  it  otherwise." 
"  And  how  long  does  the  illusion  last?" 
"  Until  I'm  back  in  my  dressing-rom.  I  don't  get 
my  nerves  quieted  down  again  until  I'm  ready  to  leave 
the  theatre.  It's  a  good  thing  I  have  to  change  and  take 
off  my  make-up — I  could  never  walk  from  the  stage  to 
the  singe  door." 

"What  is  yoi.r 
.opinion  as  to  the  im- 
portance of  make- 
up ?  Will  you  give 
me  a  few  hints,  now, 
to  beginners  ? " 

"  Do  you  think  I 
have  had  experi- 
ence enough  for 
that  ?  "  replied  Miss 
Brooke,  modestly. 
"Well,  for  my  part, 
I  think  the  less 
make-up  the  better. 
It  hides  the  facial 
expression.  All 
amateurs  and 
novices  use  too 
much.  I  remember 
at  my  first  appear- 
ance "  And  the 

sentence  was 
finished  with  a  laugh 
at  her  early  igno- 
rance. 

"  Well,  do  tell 
me,  please.  It  will  be 
so  useful  to  others." 

"  WThy,  I  had  no 
idea  how  to  make- 
op,  and  I  began  by 
spending  two 
pounds  on  grease 
paints,-  when  two 
shillings  would  have 
been  plenty.  Then 
I  laid  so  much  colour 
on  that  my  mother 
didn't  know  me. ' 

"Where  was 
that  ? " 

"  At  the  Adelphi, 
in  The  Green  Bvsltes. 
I  had  a  small  part 
and  a  small  salary, 
but  I'm  sure  I 
robbed  them  of  it. 
Of  course  I  thought 
all  London  was  waiting  for  me — every  novice  does — but 
I  soon  found  it  wasn't." 

'"Do  you  believe  in  dramatic  schools?'' 
"No,  I  don't,"  and  there  was  no  doubt  about  the  em- 
phatic way  in  which  Miss  Brooke  said  "don't."  "My 
advice  to  beginners  would  be  to  get  on  the  stage,  if 
possible1,  in  farcical  comedy.  ,It  does  knock  the  corners 
off  one  so  well.  Then  there's  nothing  like  a  good  train- 
ing in  the  provinces.  I  don't  think  acting  can  be  taught.  If 
you  are  to  act  well  you  will  not  require  much  tuition. 
Experience  is  another  matter,  though  I  mustn't  say 
much  about  that,  because  I've  had  very  lirtle  myself. 
Although  I'ye  been  on  the  stage  -  four  years,  I 
don't  think  I've  been  acting  for  more  than  two 
of  them." 


S52 


TO-DAY. 


January  19,  1S95. 


"Let  me  congratulate  you  on  your  success.  There 
are  few  actresses  who  could  show  such  a  record." 

"Do  you  think  so?  Well,"  and  Miss  Brooke  smiled 
good-humouredly,  "you'll  find  plenty  who  will  tell  you 
they  had  the  part  of  Paula  offered  them,  and  refused  it." 

Here  Bim  climbed  down  from  his  mistress's  lap,  and 
took  up  a  comfortable  position  in  front  of  the  fire. 

"  I  know  just  what  he  wants,"  said  Miss  Brooke,  draw- 
ing off  a  gold  bangle  from  her  wrist.  "  Here  you  are, 
Bim,  you  mav  bite  that  until  all  those  poor  teeth  are 
through." 

"  Does  Bim  like  going  on  tour  1 "  I  asked. 

"  I  believe  he  has  a  good  time.    Everybody  likes  him. 


and  if  I  don't  keep  an  eye  on  his  movements  I  lose  him, 
only  to  find  that  he  is  being  fed  in  the  kitchen." 

"  A  dog's  life,"  I  suggested,  quoting  from  the  play. 

"Yes,"  replied  Miss  Brooke,  gaily,  "a  dog's  life, 
'  You're  sleek,  well-kept,  well-fed,'  aren't  you,  Bim1?" 

It  says  much  for  the  enterprise  of  Mr.  F.  G.  Latham 
that  he  was  the  only  manager  who  dared  to  take  The 
Second  Mrs.  Tanqueray  into  the  provinces.  The  re- 
sult has  been  in  every  way  satisfactory.  But  even 
wiser  than  Mr.  Latham's  enterprise  was  his  foresight  in 
selecting  so  charming  and  gifted  an  actress  to  play  the 
finest  part  in  the  finest  play  of  the  century. 


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E^ite^By    JEROME  K.- JEROME. 


Vol.  V.— No.  64.       LONDON,  SATURDAY,  JANUARY  26,  1895.      Price  Twopence. 


MR.  SAMPSON'S  CONVERT. 


BY 


B.   A.  CLARKE. 

Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 


"  Pleasant  Sunday  Evenings  for  the  People.  A  Free 
Seat,  a  Free  Hymn-book,  a.  Free  Salvation.  Mr.  Samp- 
son, at  6.30." 

Thus  ran  the  large 
bill  on  the  door  of 
the  Bempton  Street 
Mission.  The  facts 
were  stated  in  bold 
characters.  The 
hall-keeper's  eldest 
son  (fifth  standard) 
was  responsible  for 
the  execution,  and 
by  using  for  pen  and 
ink  a  piece  of  smooth 
firewood  and  a  pot 
of  blacking,  he  bad 
succeeded  in  impart, 
ing  to  his  letters — 
to  the  capitals  in 
particular  —  well- 
nigh  the  dignity  of 
print.  "  Have  it  so 
that  he  who  runs 
may  read,"  Mr. 
Samps  on  had 
directed  at  the  close 
of  the  morning 
school.  The  lan- 
guage, of  course,  was 
figurative.  It  was 
not  the  habit  of  the 
Bempton  Street 
people  to  run  any- 
where, and  had  they 
felt  disposed  to 
break  a  custom,  Sunday 
last    time    they  would 


*'  can't  you  read  ? 


afternoon  was  the  very 
have  selected  for   the  out- 


burst. Mr.  Pope  had  just  fixed  up  the  placard,  and  waa 
walking  backwards,  with  half-closed  eyes,  to  study  the 
effect,  x he  verdict  was  evidently  favourable.  "If  that 
don't  bring  'em  in  to-night,"  he  said  aloud,  "  nothink 
won't  do  'em  any  good." 

"  It  ain't  bin  put  up  strite,"  a  voice  remarked,  from 
his  elbow. 

I.Ir.  Pope  turned  round.    A  threadbare  man  was  lean- 

ing  abstractedly 
against     a  lamp- 
-~*  post, 

"What's  the 
matter  with  it, 
then  1 "  he  growled, 
discouraglngly 

"  That  side's  too 
'igh,"  said  the 
loafer,  indicating 
with  the  stem  of  a 
clay  pipe  to  what 
he  referred. 

The  complaint 
was  well  founded. 
Fortunately,  the 
paste  was  still  wet, 
and  it  took  Mr. 
Pope  but  a  few 
seconds  to  rectify 
the  mistake. 

"  Wot's  hon  ?  " 
the  stranger  vouch- 
safed to  inquire. 

"Can't  you 
read  1 "  snapped  the 
hall  -  keeper.  Al- 
though he  had 
accepted,  he  had 
not  forgiven,  the 
dirty  man's  criti- 
cism. 

"  A — free — seat. 
A — free  'im-book. 
A — free  salvation.    Rawther  thick,  ain't,  it  ? " 

"  That's  what  it's  meant  to  be.    So  as  it  can  be  read  a 


Arprn  the  hall-keetek. 


Copyright,  1895,  by  B.  A.  Clarke. 


354 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1895. 


long  way  orf,"  explained  Mr.  Pope.  His  good  humour 
had  quite  returned  at  the  opportunity  to  play  the  show- 
man to  his  son's  handiwork. 

"Ar!  I  doan  mean  the  writin',  but  all  that  bein' 
free." 

"  You  'ad  better  join  us  this  evening,  my  friend,  and 
see  for  yourself,"  said  Mr.  Pope,  unctuously.  "  You'll 
find  one  or  two  inside  'ool  give  you  a  'arty  shake  of  the 
'and ! " 

"  And  a  fat  lot  of  good  that  'ud  do  me." 

"You  might  get  more  good  than  you  think  for,"  said 
Mr.  Pope,  by  way  of  parting  shot  as  hei  retired  within 
the  building.  The  afternoon  scholars  were  beginning 
to  arrive,  and  it  was  not  for  a  man  in  official  position  to 
be  caught  in  altercation  (whatever  the  subject)  with  a 
common  person. 

Mr.  Jarman  retained  his  position  against  the  lamp- 
post. "  They  give  everything  free,"  he  reflected  aloud — ■ 
"  'im-book  and  all.  Slowed  if  I  can  see  where  the  ketch 
comes  in."  He:  moved  away  at  last,  but  the  question 
continued  to  trouble  him.  He  possessed  the  best — in- 
deed, the  only  reliable  assurance  against  fraud,  and  the 
hint  that  the  chapel-keeper  had  thrown  out  about  a  great 
benefit  to  be  secured  recurred  to  him  again  and  again. 
He  was  loitering  along  Bempton  Street  as  the  people 
were  flocking  to  the  evening  service,  but  it  was  twenty 
minutes  later  before  he1  himself  entered,  and  was  shown 
up  the  flight  of  narrow  steps  that  led  to  the  large  school- 
room. The  place  was  crowded  to  the  doors,  but  the 
minister  caught  sight  of  Jarman  hunting  about'  for  a 
seat,  and  beckoned  him  to  the  platform.  A  good  many 
envious  glances  were  directed  towards  the  stranger  as 
he  pushed  his  way  to  the  front,  for  to  listen  to  the 
Gospel  from  the  platform  was  in  Bempton  Street  circles 
a  distinction  of  some  value.  There  was  a  general  im- 
pression— and  even  the  most  radical  evangelists  were 
unable  to  shake  it  off — that  evil-doers  were  located  ex- 
clusively in  the  body  of  the  hall.  "If  there  is  any 
sinner  here  to-night,"  they  would  say  (there  frequently 
was),  "  an  opportunity  is  afforded  him  to<  come  to  his 
right  mind,  whilst  the  friends  upon  the  platform  are 
singing  the  next  hymn."  Jarman  found  a  seat  imme- 
diately behind  the  speaker.  In  close  proximity  to  him 
were  a  couple  of  silk  dresses,  and  a,  shiny  hat,  brim 
upwards,  lay  temptingly  near  his  feet. 

For  somei  time  he  paid  little  attention  to  what  was  in 
progress.  He  was  more  ignorant  of  religion  than  any 
savage,  and  had  he  listened  to  the  reading  from  the 
Epistle  to>  the  Hebrews,  the  odds  are  that  he  would  not 
have  understood  a  word.  Then  a  hymn  was  sung  with 
the  attractive  refrain,  "Nothing  to  do-,  sinner,"  and  the 
minister  started  upon  the  address. 

Mr.  Sampson,  pastor  and  superintendent,  was  an  ora- 
torical genius  who  trifled  with  a  greengrocer's  business 
in  the  intervals  of  evangelistic  toil.  His  fame  was  by 
no  means  confined  to*  the  region  of  Bempton  .Street.  At 
revivals  in  all  parts  of  London  his  services  were  in 
request,  and  but  for  an  unwillingness  to  earn  a  liveli- 
hood from  what  was  to  him  a  labour  of  pure  love,  his 
worldly  position  might  have  been  considerably  en- 
hanced. He  put  the  interests  of  those  to  whom  he 
ministered  before  everything,  and  he  expected  his  audi- 
ences to  do  the  same,  for  he  combined  a  life  free'  from 
selfishness  with  an  oratory  that  had  not  a,  single 
generous  appeal.  To  frighten  or  bribe  one  lot  of  wan- 
derers into  the  fold,  and  then  to  turn  his  attention 
immediately  to  another  batch,  was  his  plan  of  rmer.a- 


tions,  which  he  believed  had  only  to  be  adopted  on  a 
sufficiently  general  scale  to  inaugurate  a  millennium. 
Finally,  Mr.  Sampson  possessed  the  rare  gift  of  being 
able  to  drop  H's  by  accident. 

Jarman  listened  to-  the  evangelist,  and  as  he  did  so 
impressions  began  to  form  themselves  upon  his  mind. 
He  was  in  a  position  of  deadly  peril.  All  the  sins  that 
he  had  ever  committed — there  were  a  good  many — 
were  to  be  visited  upon  him  with  hideous  severity. 

He  tried  at  first  to  comfort  himself  with  the  notion  that 
the  speaker  was  trying  to  "  kid  him,"  but  Mr.  Sampson 
turned  his  face  towards  the  platform  for  a  second,  and 
the  heathen  knew  that  it  was  not  thus  men  look  that 
play  the  fool.  Then  another  hope  arose.  The  sentence 
might  be  dodged.  How,  was  not  clear  yet ;  but  Jarman 
was  now  listening  intently,  and  determined  to  find  out. 
Ere  long  the  speaker's  note  changed.  The  threatenings 
of  the  law  were  laid  aside  for  the  entreaties  of  the  Gospel. 
A  free  pardon  was  offered  to  everyone  present,  to  the 
wickedest  and  most  ignorant,  and  with  it  such  happi- 
ness in  this  world  and  the  next  as  no  unsaved  soul  had 
ever  dreamed  of.  "  And  you  will  not  have  it !  "  he  ex- 
claimed, with  a  passionate  gesture.  "Your  salvation, 
to  purchase  which  a  God  died  in  agony,  you  will  not  so 
much  as  stretch  out  a  hand  to  accept ! " 

There  were  not  many  conversions  that  evening.  A 
couple  of  senior  scholars — hobbledehoys,  who  had  been 
under  influence  for  some  weeks,  were  understood  to  have 
got  religion  during  the  singing  of  the  closing  hymn,  and 
the  stranger  who>  had  been  accommodated  with  a  seat 
upon  the  platform  seemed  unwilling  to  go  away.  That 
was  all.  The  pastor  took  the  simple  cases  first,  and 
disappeared  with  the  two  youths  into  an  adjacent  class- 
room. It  was  more  than  twenty  minutes  before  they 
reappeared,  Mr.  Sampson  triumphant,  and  the  senior 
scholars  making  a.  noble  attempt  to  look  entirely  pleased 
with  what  they  had  done.  They  shook  hands  shame- 
facedly with  their  captor,  and  left  in  a  burn'.  Then 
Mr.  Sampson  turned  towards  the  stranger. 

"  Did  you  wish  to  speak  to  me?"  he  inquired,  courte- 
ously. 

"  Yessir,"  said  Jarman,  with  some  awkwardness. 
"  That  orfer  you  spoke  abart,  'eaven  and  all  that.  I'll 
take  it." 

Mr.  Sampson's  eyes  glistened. 

"There's  only  one  way  of  salvation,"  he  said  ;  "you 
know  what  that  is." 
Jarman  nodded. 

"  Where,  then,  does  your  difficulty  come  in  about  at  once- 
accepting  it?" 

"  There  ain't  none." 

The  evangelist  was  at  a  loss  how  to  proceed.  "  Shall 
we  have  a  word  of  prayer  together  /  "  he  said. 

Mr.  Jarman  made  no  objection,  and  when  they  arose 
from  their  knees  both  men  seemed  to  regard  the  trans- 
act ion  as  complete. 

"  If  you  doan.  mind,  I  should  like  us  two  to  shake* 
'ands  over  this  'ere,"  said  the  convert. 

"  Mind ! " 

"Now  that  that's  fixed  up  so  there's  no  goin'  back  on 
iU"  said  Mr.  Jarman,  "  I  suppose  I  'ad  better  be  movin' 

on." 

"  Oh !  you  don't  get  out  of  my  clutches  as  easily  as 
that,"  said  Mr.  Sampson,  cheerily  ;  "  you're  coining  home 
with  me  to  supper.  The  wanderer  mumbled  that  "lie 
didn't  mind,"  his  formula  of  thanks :  and  the  strangely- 
assorted  pair  left  the  hall  together  arm-in-arm.  As. 


January  26,  1895.  TO-DAY.  355 


IN   CLOSE   PROXIMITY   TO    HIM    WERE   A   COUPLE   OF   SILK    DRESSES,    AND   A   SHINY  HAT. 


they  walked  down  the  road,  they  were  made  the  target 
of  a  good  deal  of  comment  from  the  superfluous  humanity 
that  upon  a  summer  evening  Bempton  Street  exudes 
from  every  pore.  Each  doorway  had  its  knot  of  loud- 
talking  idlers;  there  was  scarcely  a  bedroom  window- 
sill  that  did  not  support  the  elbows  of  some  contem- 
plative smokers,  and  babies  were  everywhere.  They 
sat  in  rows  along  the  kerb  stones,,  rolled  in  the  gutters, 
and  writhed  upon  the  footway  like  worms  after  a  shower 
of  rain. 

"  It  was  twenty  years  ago  to-day,"  said  Mr.  Sampson, 
"that  I  walked  down  this  street  for  the  first  time. 
How  well  I  remember  it.  It  looked  just  the  same  then 
as  it  does  to-night.  I  was  fresh  from  the  country,  and 
something  told  me  that  what  I  was  looking  upon  would 
never  leave  my  thoughts.  It  never  has.  I  tried  at 
first  to  drown  it  in  pleasure ;  but  when  I  was  sitting 
at  the  Polytechnic,  or  enjoying  myself  at  an  Improve- 
ment Society,  bits  of  Bempton  Street  would  come  up 
and  mar  all.  At  last  I  throw  up  the  sponge.  There 
was  a  small  business  for  sale  in  the  neighbourhood ;  I 
bought  it,  and  here  I  have  been  since.  Sometimes  I 
almost  wish  that  I  had  never  come.  Inside  the  walls 
of  the  Mission  I  can  believe  that  I  am  doing  good,  but 
out  here  in  the  streets  I  know  that  it  is  only  the  merest 
fringe  of  the  evil  that  has  ever  been  touched, 

"  Think,  Jarman,"  he  said,  stopping  in  the  middle  of 
the  road,  and  indicating  with  a  sweep  of  his  arm  the 


houses  around  him,  "of  the  hundreds  drifting  towards 
Hell  at  the  present  second,  and  the  responsibility  for 
all  these  souls  resting  upon  just  us  few." 

"  'Ere — none  of  that,'"'  said  his  companion  indignantly. 

"What's  the  matter?" 

"None  of  that  tryin'  to  make  me  responsible.  What 
we  fixed  up  together  don't  depend  on  all  these  comin' 
into  it,  do  it  ? " 

"  Certainly  not." 

"  Then  why  can't  I  take  my  bit  of  'eaven  and  be 
'appy.  If  'E  means  to  come  down  'eavy  on  these — 
you  don't  think  that  you  and  me  are  goin'  to  stop  Tin." 

Mr.  Sampson  looked  at  his  convert  steadily. 

"  You  use  strange  words,"  he  said,  "  but  it  may  be 
you  have  hit  upon  the  truth.  This  is,  after  all,  the 
Lord's  work,  and  not  ours.  We  are  but  day  labourers 
in  His  vineyard.  Had  I  jogged  along  doing  what  I 
could  and  leaving  the  issues  in  other  hands  I  might 
have  accomplished  more.  Bempton  Street  is  too 
great  a  burden  to  be  carried  between  one  man's 
shoulders." 

They  walked  on  for  a  hundred  yards  or  so  in  silence. 

"  You  must  forgive  me,"  said  Mr.  Sampson,  "  for 
making  you  the  victim  of  my  low  spirits.  As  you  say, 
this  should  be  a  season  for  feasting  and  dancing — for 
killing  the  fatted  calf,  and  for  putting  on  the  new  robe. 
The  prodigal  has  returned,  and  there  is  joy  in  the 
Father's  house." 


356 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1895. 


"All  right,  governor.  No  'arm  done.  I've  'ad  the 
'ump  merself  before  now." 

When  they  reached  the  greengrocer's  house,  they 
found  the  family  already  at  supper.  Mrs.  Sampson 
received  them  cordially,  and  the  children  were  too 
inured  to  strange  visitors  to  show  any  embarrassing 
surprise. 

"  If  you  haven't  made  your  arrangements  yet  for  to- 
night," said  Mr.  Sampson,  after  the  young  people  had 
trooped  off,  "  I  daresay  we  could  manage  to  put  you 
up." 

Again  Mr.  Jarman  "  did  not  mind,"  and  being  shown 
his  bed,  he  evinced  such  a  desire  to  tumble  into  it  with- 
out further  ceremony,  that  the  long  spiritual  conversa- 
tion to  which  his  host  had  been  looking  forward  was 
postponed  indefinitely. 

"My  dear,"  said  Mr.  Sampson  to  his  wife  after  break- 
fast the  next  morning,  "  I  have  been  thinking  about 
what  you  said  last  Friday.  You  were  quite  right.  We 
do  need  someone  to  help  in  the  business." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  have  engaged 
Jarman  ? " 

"  I  did  mention  it  to  him,"  said  her  husband  guiltily. 
"And  why  not?  Jarman  became  a>  new  man  in  Christ 
last  evening,  you  forget  that." 

"Very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Sarrpson,  "everything  is 
settled,  I  can  see ;  but  in  future  when  you  and  the  boys 
go  out,  I  go  too." 

"  What    do  you 
mean,  Lucy?" 

"  Only  that  I 
won't  be  left  alone 
in  the  house  with 
your  new  man,  that's 
all." 

Mr.  S  a  m  p  s  o  n 
shrugged  his 
shoulders.  He  had 
the  greatest  faith  in 
his  wife's  judgment, 
and  felt  sure  that 
she  would  soon  come 
round  to  his  way  of 
thinking. 

So  the  wanderer, 
Jarman,  was  in- 
stalled at  the  Samp- 
son's. Before  long 
he  knew  the  re- 
straint would  be- 
come irksome  ;  but 
for  the  present  he 
resolved  to  stop 
where  he  was,  and 
although  by  no 
means  a  glutton  for 
work  he  got  through 
enough  to  give  his 
employer — who  was 
rarely  at  home — per- 
fect satisfaction.  In 

other  ways  he  made  himself  of  service.  A  new  block  of 
model  buildings  had  just  been  opened  in  Bempton  Street, 
increasing  at  a  stroke  Mr.  Sampson's  parish  by  over  a 
thousand  souls.  It  was  a  relief  to  him  to  have  in  his 
employment  a  man  like  Jarman,  who  was  always  ready 


THEY   SHOOK    HANDS   SHAMEFACEDLY   WITH  THEIR  CAPTOR. 


to  run  upon  any  errand  of  mercy  that  might  be  sug- 
gest :-d  to  him  in  the  hours  of  work.  His  leisure  time 
he  insisted  upon  keeping  for  himself.  Sundays  he  made 
an  exception.  He  went  regularly  to  the  Mission  for  two 
services;  in  the  evening  he  acted  as  self-constituted 
sidesman,  and  he  shared  with  the  hall-keeper  the  labour 
of  re-arranging  the  forms  at  the  close  of  the  afternoon 
school.  During  this  operation  he  directed  and  patronised 
the  hireling  with  much  ease  and  self-possession.  His 
casa  was  regarded  by  the  Mission  workers  as  one  of 
great  encouragement.  "When  we  feel  down-hearted," 
said  Mr.  Sampson  to  the  secretary,  "  we  need  only  look 
at  Jarman,  and  think  of  what  he  was  less  than  a  month 
ago.  I  thought  the  night  of  his  conversion  that  I  had 
never  seen  a  more  miserable  object.  Now  he  comes 
to  the  service  as  neatly  and  quietly  dressed  as  you  or 
1 "  (it  was  the  pastor's  own  clothes  that  Jarman  wore, 
but  Mr.  Sampson  had  a  short  memory  for  generosities), 
"  and  even  his  face  has  entirely  alt?red."  This  was  no 
fancy.  Jarman's  growing  sleekness  was  a  matter  of 
general  comment.  "  That  man  will  eat  us  out  of  house 
and  home,"  said  Mrs.  Sampson,  whose  original  preju- 
dice remained  unabated.  There  was  one  thing,  however, 
that  even  she  did  not  question.  The  new  help  was 
honestly  concerned  about  his  soul. 

"  That  orfer  I  accepted  the  other  evenin',"  he  said 
one  day  to  his  employer — "it  stands  all  right,  eh?" 

"  Do  you  doubt 
it  ?" 

"  Nothink  noo 
can't  be  introduced 
into  it  now,  I  sup- 
pose ?  Free,  and 
without  price,  just 
as  you  said  ?  " 
"  Certainly." 
"  You  'ave  'Is 
authority  to  arst 
anyone  ? " 

Mr.  Sampson 
smiled. 
I  "  Go  ye  into  the 
highways  and  bye- 
ways  and  compel 
them  to  come  in. 
I  have  those  in- 
structions." 

"  In  writin'?" 
"In    the  Lord's 
own  book." 

"Very  well  then. 
T  shall  'old  Tm  to 
it." 

"  'Ave  you  entirely 
give  up  sin  1 "  he' 
i  n  q  u  i  r  e  d  u  p  o  n 
another  occasion. 

"Alas!"  said  the 
greengrocer,  "  that 
after  all  these  years 
I  dare    not  answer 

yes." 

"No  more  ain't  I,"  said  Jarman  to  himself;  but  in 
his  heart  there  was  neither  despondency  nor  sorrow. 
Mr.  Sampson's  reply  indeed  had  relieved  him  of  an 
anxiety.    Lately  he  had  begun  to  fear  that  he  had  mis- 


January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


357 


understood  the  terms  of  his  contract — that  the  condi- 
tions upon  which  Heaven  was  held  out  to  him  were 
not  so  purely  nominal  after  all.  With  the  knowledge 
of  his  employer's  peccability,  these  misgivings  vanished. 
A  saved  man  might  sin  then  without  vitiating  his  agree- 
ment. This  is  precisely  what  he  had  been  wanting  to 
ascertain.  Henceforth  he  asked  no  more  theological 
questions.  Upon  the  subject  of  his  eternal  destiny 
his  mind  was  now 
completely  at  rest. 

One  evening,  about  t  n 

five  weeks  after 
Jarman's  conversion, 
Mrs.  Sampson  was 
conducting  the 
Mothers'  Meeting, 
when  she  saw  her 
husband  enter  and 
take  a  seat  at  the 
back  of  the  hall. 
There  was  nothing 
very  remarkable  in 
this.  Nevertheless 
it  was  enough  to 
make  the  orator  put 
a  full  stop  to  her  re- 
marks and  hurry 
down  to  the  in- 
truder. 

"I  thought  this 
was  the  night  of  the 
Penny  Bank  1 "  she 
whispered. 

"Yes,"  he  replied, 
"  but  in  the  summer, 
you  know,  we  close 
at  a  quarter  to  nine. 
I  took  home  the 
money,  and  have 
come  back  here  to 
fetch  you." 

Mrs.  Sampson  \rz? 
not  satisfied. 

"  Was  there  much 
paid  in  to-night  1 "  she  inquired. 

Yes;  more  than  usual.  Over  twenty  pounds,  in 
fact." 

"And  you  left  twenty  pounds  in  an  empty  house?" 

'How  women  jump  to  conclusions,"  said  the  superin- 
tendent indignantly.  "  Jarman  came  in  for  his  supper 
before  I  went  out.  The  money  is  safely  locked  up  in 
my  desk,  never  fear." 

"Jarman!  Jarman!  Didn't  I  tell  you  over  and 
over  again  that  that  man  would  ruin  us,  and  you  wouldn't 
listen.    Now  he  has  done  it." 

Mr  Sampson  ridiculed  these  terrors. 

"  I  would  as  soon  suspect  my  own  brother  of  theft," 
he  added,  waxing  warmer.  Nevertheless,  no  sooner  did  he 
find  hir-self  in  the  street  (to  reassure  Mrs.  Sampson  he 
had  consented  to  go  home)  than  he  began  running  at 
the  top  of  his  speed.  With  every  step  his  misgivings 
multiplied.  By  the  time  he  reached  his  destination 
his  panic  was  such  that  he  could  not  wait  to  pull  to  the 
street  door  behind  him,  but  dashed  straight  upstairs 
tr>  his  room.    With  all  this  hurry  he  was  too  late.  The 


THE    CRIME    HAD    BEEN*  COMJIITTr.: 


crime  had  been  committed,  and  the  poker  with  which 
the  lid  of  his  desk  had  been  smashed  open  was  lying 
across  the  study  table.  Mr.  Sampson  searched  no 
further. 

He  did  not  even  leave  the  room.  A  hundred  spectres 
had  sprung  up  confronting  him,  and  he  was  trying  to 
deal  with  them  all  at  once.  The  minutes  ticked  on,  but 
nothing  came  of  these  cogitations.    At  a  moment  wheu 

decision  was  every- 
thing, he  had  lost 
A  the  power  of  direct- 

ing his  own  thoughts. 
Matters  of  instant 
urgence  were  jostled 
aside  by  things  that 
could  have  been  left 
unconsidered  .  for 
days. 

He  found  himself, 
for  instance,  arrang- 
ing the  heads  of  his 
Sunday  evening'sser- 
mon,  and  repeating 
the  exact  phrases  in 
which  he  would  tell 
his  flock  of  Jarman's 
deceit.  Upon  how 
this  was  done  every- 
thing would  depend. 
Then  his  fancy  took 
another  direction, 
and  he  attended  the 
reception  of  the  news 
in  the  different 
Bempton  Street 
circles,  and  listened 
to  all  manner  of  pro- 
fame  comments  from 
the  ungodly,  against 
whom,  lately,  Jar- 
man's faith  and  new 
life  had  been, 
urged  as  a  re- 
proach. The  money 
(twenty  pounds  was 


upon 


this 


difficulties  followed 
a  crushing  blow  in  their  straitened  circumstances, 
however  would  he  and  his  little  ones  pull  through?), 
and  worried  him  only  less  than  the  injury  to  the  cause. 

There  was  another  matter,  and  it  lay  upon  his  heart 
like  a  cold  clod.  In  a  few  minutes  he  would  be  called 
upon  to  break  the  news  to  his  wife.  This  terror,  the 
worst  of  all,  was  taken  from  him.  He  felt  a  soft  arm 
creep  round  his  neck.  It  was  Mrs.  Sampson,  who,  en- 
tering noiselessly,  had  seen  the  broken  desk  and  her 
husband  beside  it  upon  his  knees. 

So  far  there  had  been  nothing  in  Jarman's  actions  to 
distinguish  him  from  the  common  hypocrite.  In  his 
next  step  he  was  more  original.  It  was  ascertained 
afterwards  that  upon  leaving  his  benefactor's  house 
he  had  gone  straight  across  to  Southwark  to  visit  his 
youngest  brother.  This  was  foolhardy  in  the  extreme. 
Jarman  had  a  past,  and  on  the  occasion  of  his  first 
trouble  the  police  had  taken  him  in  that  very  house. 
Hither,  obviously,  they  would  come  again  directly  they 
were  put  upon  the  track.    The  fugitive  could  not  reckon 


SOS 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1895. 


with  safety  upon  more  than  an  hour's  law.  Only  for  a 
strong  motive  will  a  man  cut  things  so  fine  as  this.  The 
fact  was  Jarman  meditated  leaving  London  for  good, 
and  lie  was  anxious  about  his  brother's  soul. 

His  evangelical  effort  was  quite  successful.  The 
younger  Jarman  closed  with  the  Gospel  offer  (it  was 
by  this  relic  of  the  Mission  Hall  that  our  hero  dignified 
his  misconception)    the  moment  that  its  preposterous 


IN  A  44  SECOND  SMOKING.'' 


The  compartment  is  occupied  by  four  passengers  in 
corner  seats.  Two  in  animated  chatter — these  are  total 
strangers,  who  know  not  each  other's  name  :  two  more, 
next  door  neighbours,  glowering  at  each  other  silently. 

No.  19,  Dovedale  Crescent,  W.  (to  himself.  I  .wish 
that  beast  wouldn't  always  catch  the  9.32.  I  believe  he 
does  it  just  to  annoy  me. 

No.  20,  Dovedale  Crescent,  W.  (to  himself).  I 
suppose  that  blithering  idiot  always  chooses  to  sit  oppo- 
site me  just  to  exasperate  me.  (They  rattle  crisp  news- 
papers in  a  truculent  fashion  and  retire  behind  them.) 

First  Total  Stranger.  Yes  (catching  up  the  thread 
of  an  exciting  narrative),  but  I  just  caught  it.  (Pauses 
for  applause.) 

Second  Total  Stranger.  So  did  I,  by  the  skin  of 
my  teeth  (smiles  at  his  wit),  but  (ivith  honourable  frank- 
ness) it  was  a  minute  late.  (This  with  a  sigh,  as  one  ivho 
for  eg  es  much  reward.) 

First  Total  Stranger  (ungratejully  forgetting  that 
its  tard'ness  insured  his  punctuality).  That  is  the  worst 
of  tin's  line.  Why  only  last  Friday  I  was  three  minutes- 
full  three  minutes  late  at  Cannon  Street.  (A  sudden  jerk 
stops  conversation,  a  cold  blast  enters,  accompanied  by 
threieiger  City  e'erks.) 

FiR5T  City  Clerk  (with  a  black  sailor 's-knotted  tie 
transfixed  by  a  pearl  pin).  Mornin ',  old  boy  !  (Settles 
hirruef.)  Well,  here's  a  "New"  Year,  up  to  date.  I 
thought  the  "New"  Boy,  and  the  "New"  Woman, 
would  S3tthe  fashion. 

Second  City  Clerk  (gloomily).  Wish  you  would  try 
to  follow  it,  with  a  "  new  "  joke  or  two. 

Fi  rst  C.  C.  Not  till  you  see  the  old  ones,  sonny  ! 
Been  to  Olympia  yet  ? 

Third  C.  C.  (young,  with  a  plaid  silk  bow).  Jolly 
good  show,  isn't  it ? 

First  C.  C.  All  very  well  in  its  way.  Tons  of 
Totties,  and  must  have  cost  a  mint  of  money.  /  can't 
think  how  they  make  it  pay.  They've  got  some  rippin' 
gals  in  the  ballet  this  year ! 

Second  C.  C.  (morosely).  You — (with  the  passe  air 
of  twenty-two  summers) — you  just  see  'em  go  home  by 
the  la,st  train,  as  I  do.  Regular  old  frumps  with 
bundles. 

First  C.  C.  (more  knowingly).  Get  out.  You  don't 
suppose  the  smart  ones  catch  trains,  do  you?  They  keb  it. 

Third  C.  C.  (remorsefully).  It  comes  blooming  dear. 
The  night  I  was  there  I  saw  an  awfully  jolly  girl  in  the 
front  row  ;  was  just  mashed  on  me.  Regular  nuts,  my 
boy.  So  I  waited,  and  as  we  came  out  said,  '•  Drive 
you  home,  ducky?"  (This  is  unveracious  ;  what  lie  said 
ivas,  "  /  am  going  your  tray,  miss  ;  may  I  drop  you  any- 
ivltere  ?  ")  She  smiles  and  jumps  in,  and  her  blooming  old 
mother  gets  in  too.  I  had  to  ride  on  her  lap.  Cost  me 
5s.  6i. 

Second  C.  C.  (vindictively).  I  see  why  you  liked 
the  show.  (Another  jerk.  They  nearly  fall  into  each 
other's  laps.  More  people  come  in;  trying  to  escape  un- 
seen toes  they  execute  a  sort  of  Highland  si  cord  dance  in  a 
very  limited  spa:e.) 

Very  Superior  Person  (in  a  loud  voice,  to  explain  the 
intrusion  of  his  very  superior  person  among  the  loin-r 
orders).  Not  at  all.  (With  affable  renunciation.)  I  often 
go  second  when  I  meet  a  man  T  know. 

His  Friend  (humbly).    I  suppose  first-class  is  worth 


terms  were  submitted  to  him.  He  had  often  h*eard 
religion  expounded  before,  but  never,  it  seemed  to  him,  in 
a  way  that  so  commended  itself  to  his  judgment  and  com- 
mon-sense. It  may  be  imagined  that  Jarman  did  not 
protract  his  visit  needlessly.  The  minute  his  errand 
of  mercy  was  accomplished  he  disappeared,  and  neither 
Mr.  Sampson  nor  the  brother  (who,  by-the-bye,  was  an 
honest  man)  ever  heard  of  him  again. 


the  difference.  I  think  I  shall  get  a  first  next  season. 
(Pause).    Have  you  been  to  the  New  Gallery  ? 

V.  S.  P.  No  ;  didn't  know  there  was  a  New  Gallery. 
What's  on  there? 

His  Friend.    Oh!  Venice  this  year ;  just  opened. 

V.  S.  P.  I  thought  it  was  the  Orient.  Surely  they  had 
Venice  years  ago  ! 

His  Friend  (explaining).  I  mean  the  New  Gallery, 
Regent  Street,  you  know.  Lots  of  old  pictures  of 
Venice,  and  books,  and — and — all  sorts  of  curios. 

V.  S.  P.  Oh!  (Uninterestedly.)  I  don't  care  for  old 
pictures.  (Leans  over  confidentially.)  I  like  good 
etchings.  I  bought  some  first-class  ones — all  hand 
work,  you  know — at  Barkley's,  4s.  ll£d.  each,  framed. 

His  Friend  (who  is  an  expert,  and  would  not  Jiang 
up  a  draper's  picture  to  save  his  life).  Did  you  ? 
(Bushes  to  change  the  subject.)  Have  you  seen  Beardsley's 
new  poster? 

V.  S.  P.  (irri'ated  at  being  baulked  of  his  praise  as  a 
patron  of  the  arts).  I  can't  stand  Beardsley.  A  man 
showed  me  a  thing  of  his  in  Punch,  "  Britannia."  It's 
all  very  well  (piously)  ;  but,  for  my  part,  I  think,  with 
the  French  navy  ahead  of  ours,  it's  just  exasperating 
Providence  to  do  such  things. 

His  Friend  (nervously).  Do  you  really  think  we  are 
in  as  bad  a  way  as  they  make  out  ? 

V.  S.  P.  (solemnly,  as  one  who  had  foretold  it  for 
years,  till  they  wouldn't  be  warned  in  time).  Worse. 
Old  England  played  out,  the  old  country  done  for. 

His  Friend.  Yes.  I  suppose  Japan  is  the  coming 
power.  (  With  an  attempt  at  gay  stoicism.)  Before  fifty 
years  wt>  shall  be  all  wearing  pigtails,  and  talking 
pigeon  English. 

V.  S.  P.  (testily).  Japs  don't  wear  pigtails.  Besides, 
by  that  time  they  will  be  more  civilised  than  we  are. 
(  Unfolds  Ids  paper,  and  in  so  doing  knocks  h  is  friend's 
cigar  out  of  his  mouth,  and  doesn't  notice  it.)  Already 
they  are  the  politest  people  in  the  world. 

His  Friend  (with  the  sarcasm  of  a  turned  worm).  You 
admire  Japanese  politeness,  then  ? 

V.  S.  P.  (obtusely).  Yes,  manners  are  shocking  now- 
adays.   (Another  jerk.    Exit  of  City  Clerk  No.  1.) 

First  C.  C.  '  Ta-ta.  See  you  to-night,  old  man. 
Same  old  place,  8.30  sharp.  (Smiles  meaningly,  as  a  gay 
Lothario  with  hints  of  orgies  at  8.30  nightly.) 

Second  C.  C.  What  side  he  puts  on.  Why,  at  the 
club  last  night  he  stood  whiskeys  and  split  sodas  twice, 
just  for  bounce — he  is  a  bounder  ! 

Third  C.  C.  Who  is  this  Stevenson  they  make  such 
a  fuss  over? 

Second  C.  C.  He  was  a  missionary  Johnnie,  I  think, 
out  in  Samoa.    Got  into  a  row  with  lepers,  didn't  he  ? 

Third  C.  C.  Didn't  know  leopards  grew  there.  Did 
he  shoot  them,  or  did  they  eat  him  ! 

No.  19,  Dovedale  Crescent  (as  Xo.  20  opens  the 
door  for  him,  with  an  air  of  aggravated  martyrdom). 
Thanks.  (This  in  a  tone  of  snappish  insolence.  J>o.  20, 
who  h as  half  sprained  his  wrist  in  getting  at  a  ha 'idle 
jammed  under  his  left  elbow,  looks  volcanoes.) 

Very  Superior  Person.  I  shall  get  out  here  and 
wa'k  to  the  Temple. 

His  Friend.  So  will  I.  ( 1!'///;  an  air  of  a  discoverer.) 
It  does  one  good  to  stretch  one's  legs  a  bit. 

Very  Superior  Person.  Yes,  ami  to  escape  the 
rubbish  they  talk  On  the  Underground. 

His  Friend.  They  do  :  but  that  is  only  because  you 
listen  to  it.  {Gloomily.)   People  talk  rot  everywhere. 


TO-DAY.  359 


January  26,  1895. 


NAPOLEON,    ACCORDING  TO 
DUMAS.* 


In  his  life  of  Alexandre  Dumas,  Percy  Fitzgerald 
tells  us  that  Harel,  the  manager  of  the  Odeon,  asked 
him  to  write  a  play  on  the  career  of  Napoleon.  This 
was  in  1830,  and  in  1831  the  play  was  still  untouched. 
Then  Harel,  as  a  last  resource,  furnished  an  apartment 
in  handsome  fashion,  and  having  induced  Dumas  to 
enter,  told  him  that  he  could  not  leave  till  he  had 
written  it.  Dumas  was  incarcerated  for  eight  days,  and 
was  released  on  payment  of  nine  thousand  lines  of 
matter,  involving  twenty-five  tableaux.  It  was  a  dead 
failure,  and  there  is  a  pardonable  excuse  for  it.  A 
quarter  of  a  century  or  so  later,  Dumas  told 
the  story  of  Napoleon  in  book  form,  and  Mr.  John 
B.  Larner,  an  American  gentleman,  now  presents  an 
English  translation,  with  a  strong  American  accent.  It 
was  placed  in  his  hands,  it  seems,  while  he  was  learning 
the  French  language  for  critical  study,  which  may 
mean  more  than  one  thing.  For  instance,  it  is  possible 
to  suggest,  with  some  show  of  fairness,  that  the  present 
version  is  the  result  of  translations  taken  in  the  form  of 
exercises.  Mr.  Larner  remarks  in  a  peculiarly  worded 
preface  that  it  has  been  his  object  "  to 
make  the  translation  as  nearly  literal  as  possible," 
adding  that  "  much  of  the  force  and  beauty  of 
the  French  is  lost  by  liberal  translations."  Possibly 
there  is  something  in  the  idea,  but  you  can  be  too 
literal,  and  the  too  liberal  literalism  of  this  translation 
almost  spoils  a  splendid  work.  From  the  time  you 
open  the  book  till  the  scene  closes  at  St.  Helena 
you  are  disappointed  with  the  mechanical  language 
with  which  Mr.  Larner  tells  the  tale.  It  is  a  crude 
translation,  and  yet,  even  as  it  stands,  you  cannot  fail  to 
appreciate  the  sterling  qualities  of  Dumas'  story.  In 
his  hands  the  Corsican  adventurer,  hero,  great-little 
man — have  it  as  you  like,  for  his  true  position  is 
mainly  dealt  with  nowadays  in  essays  by  schoolboys 
— becomes  the  Edmond  Dantes  of  a  great  his- 
torical romance.  As  the  story  unfolds  you  wonder 
how  much  is  true  and  how  much  is  fiction — whether 
Dumas  simply  appears  as  a  Harrison  Ainsworth  or  a 
Stanley  Weyman,  or  whether  he  is  recounting  pure 
-facts.  This  very  doubt  suggests  in  itself  the  excellence 
of  the  work.  Here  is  an  interesting  story  of  Bonaparte's 
boyhood : — 

One  of  the  most  usual  amusements  of  young  Bonaparte 
was  the  cultivation  of  a  little  flower  garden  surrounded  by 
fences,  into  which  he  habitually  retired  in  the  hours  of 
recreation.  One  day  one  of  his  comrades,  who  was  curious 
to  know  what  he  could  do  thus  alone  in  his  garden,  scaled 
the  fence  and  saw  him  engaged  in  arranging  in  military 
order  a  great  number  of  pebbles,  the  size  of  which  designated 
their  rank.  At  the  noise  which  the  indiscreet  one  made 
Bonaparte  turned,  and,  finding  himself  surprised,  ordered 
the  scholar  to  descend.  Instead  of  obeying  he  laughed  at 
the  young  strategist,  who,  little  disposed  to  the  pleasantry, 
picked  up  the  largest  of  his  pebbles  and  with  it  struck  the 
joker  in  the  middle  of  the  forehead,  who  fell  instantly  quite 
dangerously  wounded. 

So  much  has  been  said  of  the  superstition  of  Bona- 
parte, that  this  little  anecdote  reads  with  interest.  He 
had  tried,  one  morning,  to  rouse  his  little  brother, 
Louis,  in  order  to  give  him  lessons  in  mathematics,  but 
the  child  was  drowsy,  and  gave  by  way  of  explanation 
the  excuse — 

"Oh!  brother,"  answered  the  child,  "I  was  having  a 
beautiful  dream." 

"  And  what  did  you  dream  ?" 
"  I  dreamt  that  I  was  king." 

"And  what  was  I  then,  Emperor?"  said  the  young 
under-lieutenant,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "Go!  to  your 
duty." 

And  the  daily  lesson  was,  as  customary,  taken  by  the 
future  king  and  given  by  the  future  emperor. 

j  t  is  to  the  story  of  Waterloo  that  we  turn,  and  this 
is  Dumas'  version  of  that  appalling  moment  in  the 


struggle  when  Napoleon  mistook  the  approaching 
Austrians  for  the  army  of  Grouchy  : — 

Then  from  the  heights  from  which  he  commanded  the 
whole  battle-field,  Napoleon  saw  a  deep  mass  emerge  from 
the  Wavre  road. 

At  last  Grouchy,  whom  he  had  so  long  awaited,  was 
arriving  ;  late,  it  is  true,  but  still  in  time  to  complete  the 
victory.  At  the  sight  of  this  reinforcement  he  sent  aides- 
de-camp  everywhere  to  announce  that  Grouchy  had  appeared, 
and  would  enter  into  line.  In  fact  masses  in  succession  de- 
ployed and  put  themselves  in  order  of  battle.  Our  soldiers 
redoubled  their  ardour,  for  they  believed  that  they  had  only 
to  strike  the  last  blow.  Suddenly  a  formidable  artillery 
thundered  in  front  of  these  new-comers,  and  the  balls,  in- 
stead of  being  directed  against  the  Prussians,  tore  away 
whole  ranks  of  our  army.  Every  one  around  Napoleon 
looked  at  each  other  with  stupefaction  ;  the  Kmperor  struck 
himself  on  the  forehead ;  it  was  not  Grouchy,  it  was 
Blucher. 

The  close  of  the  fight  is  told  in  simple  language  : — 
Napoleon  in  vain  attempted  to  arrest  this  disorder.  He 
threw  himself  in  the  midst  of  the  ruin,  found  a  regiment  of 
the  Guards  and  two  reserve  batteries  behind  Planchenoit, 
and  tried  to  rally  the  fugitives.  Unfortunately  night  pre 
vented  him  from  being  seen,  and  in  the  tumult  he  could  nc 
be  heard.  Then  he  dismounted,  threw  himself  into  a  square, 
sword  in  hand.    Jerome  followed  him,  saying — 

"  You  are  right,  brother.  Here  should  fall  all  who  bear 
the  name  of  Bonaparte." 

But  he  was  taken  by  his  generals  and  staff  officers  and 
forced  back  by  his  Grenadiers,  who  were  willing  to  die,  but 
who  did  not  wish  their  Emperor  to  die  with  them. 

Dumas'  recollections  of  Napoleon  are  bound  to  be 
interesting.    He  says  : — 

He  who  writes  these  lines  saw  Napoleon  but  twice  in  his 
life  a  week  apart,  and  then  only  during  the  short  space  of  a 
change  of  horses.  The  first  time  when  he  was  going  ta 
Ligny  ;  the  second  time  when  he  was  returning  from 
Waterloo.  The  first  time  by  sunlight ;  the  second  time  by 
the  light  of  a  lamp.  The  first  time  in  the  midst  of  the 
acclamations  of  the  multitude;  the  second  time  in  the 
silence  of  a  populace. 

Each  time  Napoleon  was  seated  in  the  same  carriage,  of 
the  same  seat,  dressed  in  the  same  coat.    Each  time  it  wf 
the  same  vague  and  unoccupied  look.    Each  time  it  was  t\u 
same  face,  calm  and  impassible,  only  his  head  was  a  littl 
more  inclined  upon  his  chest  in  returning  than  in  going. 

Was  that  weariness  caused  by  the  impossibility  of  getting 
any  sleep,  or  by  grief  at  having  lost  the  world  ? 

An  incident  in  the  death  scene  is  thus  described  : — 

"I  am  better  to-day,  but  I  feel  none  the  less  that  my  end 
is  approaching.  When  I  am  dead  every  one  of  you  will 
have  the  sweet  consolation  of  returning  to  Europe.  Home  of 
you  will  again  see  your  relatives,  others  your  friends.  As 
for  myself,  I  shall  find  my  brave  companions  in  Heaven. 
Yes  !  Yes  ! "  he  added,  animating  and  raising  his  voice 
with  an  inspired  accent.  "  Yes  !  Kleber,  Desaix,  Bessieres, 
Duroc,  Ney,  Murat,  Massena,  Berthier,  will  come  to  meet 
me.  They  will  spsak  to  me  of  that  which  we  have  done 
together,  and  I  will  relate  to  them  the  last  events  of  my 
life.  On  seeing  me  again  they  will  all  become  full  of 
enthusiasm  and  glory.  We  will  converse  about  our  wars 
with  the  Scipios,  the  C;esars,  and  Hannibal,  and  there  will 
be  pleasure  in  that.  Unless,"  he  continued  smilingly,  "they 
should  be  frightened  in  Heaven  to  see  so  many  warriors 
to  jether. " 

Some  days  later  he  sent  for  his  chaplain,  Vignali. 

"  I  was  born  in  the  Catholic  religion,"  said  he  to  him.  "  1 
wish  to  fulfil  the  duties  which  it  imposes  upon  me,  and  to 
receive  the  sacraments  which  it  administers.  You  will  say 
mass  every  day  in  the  neighbouring  chapel  ;  you  will  expose 
the  blessed  sacrament  during  forty  hours.  When  I  am 
dead  you  will  place  your  altar  at  my  head  in  the  '  Chambre 
ardcnte.'  Then  ycu  will  continue  to  celebrate  mass.  You 
will  perform  all  the  customary  rites,  and  you  will  not 
cease  until  I  have  been  interred." 

One  could  fill  pages  with  extracts,  but  these  will 
briefly  show  the  qualities  of  Dumas'  great  historical 
work.  It  is  more  than  passing  strange  that  English 
translators  have  overlooked  the  book  so  long,  for  in  fc&e 
proper  hands  I  am  sure  the  translation  would  have 
ranked  witli  the  most  popular  of  his  works.  It  is 
eminently  a  book  to  read  now,  when  hardly  a  week 
passes  that  does  not  include  the  anniversary  of  one 
of  Napoleon's  great  achievements. 


*  "  Napoleon,"  bv  Alexander  Dumas,  tianslated  by  Jolin  B.  Larner.  (G,i 
P.  Putnam,  21,  Xiedford  Street,  W.C.) 


3G0 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1S95. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dearest  Nell, — Smart  London  is  mad  on  skating  just 
now.  The  real  ice  rink  at  Niagara  Hall  is  the  afternoon 
rendezvous  of  the  sweetness  and  light  of  society,  and 
there  could  scarcely  be  a  more  agreeable  way  of  spending 
a  couple  of  hours  than  it  affords.  You  remember 
Niagara?  The  platform  in  the  centre  is  now  removed, 
and  the  whole  of  the  immense  arena  is  covered,  by  scien- 
tific means,  with  the  most  perfect  ice  that  it  is  possible 
to  imagine.  As  it 
is  only  some  three 
inches  thick,  and 
there  is  no  water 
beneath  it,  the 
safety  of  the  whole 
thing  is  a  pleasant 
element.  You 
might  fancy  it 
would  be  too  warm 
to  skate  with  any 
enjoyment  under 
cover;  but  you 
must  not  forget 
that  the  great 
extent  of  ice  throws 
off  a  freezing  air, 
which  is  quite 
appropriate  to  the 
occasion.  Mother 
declares  she  got  a 
chilblain  on  her  ear 
^vhile  sitting  look- 
ing on.  There  is  a 
sort  of  corridor 
round  the  circle,  in 
which  there  are  com- 
fortable lounges, 
chairs,  and  small 
tables,  at  which 
one  may  sit  and 
have  tea  or  coffee, 
while  resting  from 
skating,  or  while 
watching  the  per- 
formances of  one's 
friends.  The  after- 
noon is  the  correct 
time  to  go,  the 
price  of  admission 
being  then  5s.,  as 
compared  with  3s. 
in  the  morning  and 
evening. 

We  saw  a  few 
falls  while  we  were 
there,  but  these 
were  chiefly  caused 
by  beginners  get- 
ting in  the  way. 
Not  a  single  lady 
fell.  It  was  only 
men  and  boys,  and 

they  were  up  in  a  moment  and  off  again.  There  was 
some  splendid  skating.  Lady  Chelsea  and  Lady  Lurgan 
are  very  expert,  and  wore  charming  dresses.  Mrs. 
Hwfa  Williams's  was  the  prettiest,  though  we  thought 
it  rather  long  for  skating  in.  It  was  made  of  pale  blue 
cloth,  with  a  touch  of  green  in  the  shade,  and  the  skirt 
seemed  to  have  been  cut  out  in  a  complete  circle,  so  full 
were  the  folds  about  the  feet.  It  was  edged  all  round 
Avitli  chinchilla.  The  bodice  was  a  very  elaborate  and 
becoming  arrangement  of  white  satin,  embroidered  in 
silver  and  seaweed  tints,  the  inevitable  and  indispensable 
box-pleat  down  the  centre  being  in  embroidered  satin, 
edge!  with  the  fur.    Her  dainty  little  toque  was  a  deft 


Beating  Costume. 


amalgam  of  white  satin,  pale  blue  velvet,  roses,  ai.u 
gardenias. 

The  sketch  I  am  sending  you  is  done  from  a  gown  worn 
by  one  of  the  most  expert  of  the  skaters.  The  skirt  is 
cloth,  in  a  perfectly  adorable  tone  of  purple1,  something 
between  pansy  and  heliotrope;  and  the  very  full  skirt 
is  bordered  all  round  with  sable.  The  panel  down  the 
side  is  pink  velvet,  embroidered  in  arabesques  laid  on  in 
black  velvet,  and  sewn  all  round  with  jet  and  purple 
chenille.  The  bodice  is  made  of  purple  velvet,  with  dia- 
mond buttons  holding  the  bows  of  ribbon,  that  seem  to 

fasten  the  front 
down  diagonally. 
The  little  vest  and 
sailor  collar  are 
pink  velvet,  em- 
broidered to  match 
the  panel,  and 
edged  with  fur.  A 
bow  of  white  satin 
at  the  neck  has 
Neapolitan  violets 
in  a  little  bunch  at 
the  side.  The 
toque  and  muff 
match  each  other, 
being  composed  of 
purple  velvet,  pink 
velvet,  black  satin 
ribbons  and  violets. 
The  deep  cuffs  are 
sable. 

Among  the  on- 
lookers we  saw 
F rince  Adolphus  of 
leek,  the  Portu- 
guese Ambassador, 
and  Georgina 
Countess  of  Dudley* 
looking  beautiful  as 
ever  in  the  dress 
she  wore  at  her 
daughter's  wedding 
— green  cloth, 
brown  fur,  and 
white  velvet  vest, 
and  revers  em- 
broidered all  over 
with  jet.  There 
were  some  mar- 
vellous toilettes 
among  the  spec- 
tators, and  many 
of  the  skaters  were 
exquisitely  dressed. 
One  wore  white 
velvet,  edged  with 
sable;  another 
ruby  velvet,  hem- 
med with  ermine ;. 
while  some  of  the 
cloth  costumes  vied 
with  those  of  more 
sumptuous  material 

in  elaboration  of  finish  and  detail, 

Niagara  is  evidently  to  be  the  fashionable  rendezvous, 
and  skating  the  fashionable  accomplishment.  Smart 
folks  have  long  wanted  a  place  in  which  to  meet  each 
other  and  display  those  wonderful  dresses  which  they 
(some  of  them)  embellish  so  immensely  in  the  wearing. 

And  to  think  that  we  have  now  to  be  so  economical !  Is 
it  not  disappointing?  However,  we  must  make  the  best 
of  it,  and  take  practical  lessons  in  economy  from  the* 
sternest  of  all  teachers — experience.  Father  says  that 
for  at  least  five  years  we  shall  be  very  much  straitened 
in  circumstances,  but  he  hopes  it  will  all  come  right 
then.    You  should  see  how  clever  I  am  getting  already 


I 

January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


361 


For  several  weeks  past  the  riost 
artistic  illustrated  paper  of  Paris, 
Le  Courrier  Francais,  has  been,  and 
will  continue,  publishing  the  bio- 
graphies, together  with  several 
drawings— for  the  most  part  ap- 
pearing for  the  first  time — of  our 
best  artists.  The  most  interesting 
feature  of  this  is  the  personal 
criticism  of  each  artist  made  by  the 
Editor-in-Chief.  Moreover,  this  is 
t  he  first  time  that  a  series  of  articles 
of  this  kind  has  taken  place  in 
France.  Putting  aside  a  few 
moderate  criticisms,  the  general 
opinion,  gathered  from  the  habitual 
readers  of  the  Courrier  Francais 
(wiio  more  especially  comprise 
artists  and  persons  of  taste)  is 
rather  favourable  to  our  artists, 
and  the  superiority  of  their  produc 
tions  taken  as  a  whole— in  contra- 
distinction to  that  of  the  French 
artists— is  in  no  way  discussed. 
Coming  as  it  does  from  a  paper  as 
essentially  Parisian  as  the  Courrier 
Francais,  this  declaration  is  agree- 
able to  note. 

The  first  series  of  portraits  of 
English  artists  announced  by  the 
Courrier  FraiigaiscompvisesMessrs. 
Phil  May,  A.  Chantrey  Corbould, 
Dudley  Hardy,  Raven  Hill,  Grieff  en- 
hagen,  Beardsley,  Manuel,  Eckhart, 
Townsend,  Pegram,  Sullivan, 
Hardtrick,  etc. 

Nearly  all  the  above-named 
artists  understanding  how  interest- 
ing and  at  the  same  time  how  useful 
it  is  to  unite  artistic  sentiment 
with  industrial  advertising  have  not 
hesitated  to  compose  some  very  ex- 
cellent drawings  (of  which  some 
have  already  appeared  and  others 
are  about  to  appear  in  all  the  illus- 
trated papers  of  London)  for 
Ge>audel's  Pastilles,  the  remedy — 
so  popular  in  England— for  Coughs, 
-  Colds,  Bronchitis,  Laryngitis, 
Asthma,  etc.,  and  in  general 
all  the  maladies  of  the  respira- 
tory organs  so  frequent  in  this 
cold  and  damp  weather.  Some 
of  the  best  French  artists, 
contributors  also  to  the  Courrier 
Francais,  M.M.  Forain,  Cheret, 
Willette,  Louis  Legrand,  Lunel, 
Henri  Pille,  had  already  shewn 


A    HAPPY  UNION. 

Drawn  by  WILLETTE, 


The  Arts  Applied  to  Industry 


them  the  example  by  dedicating 
to  Ge'raudel's  Pastilles  some  ex- 
ceedingly remarkable  and  artistic 
drawings.  Among  the  foremost 
M.  Che'ret  must  be  cited.  Many 
Londoners,  at  the  Exhibition  of 
Posters  at  the  Royal  Aquarium, 
were  able  to  admire  the  very 
remarkable  poster  of  Geraudel's 
Pastilles  signed  "Che'ret."  This 
was  certainly  the  finest  poster  in 
the  Exhibition. 

Again,  it  is  curious  to  remark 
the  zeal  displayed  by  English  and 
foreign,  scenic,  dramatic  "and  lyric 
artists,  in  announcing  the  excellent 
results  obtained  by  the  use  of  these 
Pastilles ;  their  numerous  testi- 
monials are  sufficient  proof  of  this. 
They  emanate  from  Mesdames 
Albani,  Langtry,  Florence  St.  John, 
Marie  Roze,  Melba,  Sigrid  Amold- 
son,  Sarah  Bernhardt,  Yvette 
Guilbert,  Jeanne  Granier,  Ugalde, 
The're'sa,  and  MM.  Coquelin, 
Paulus,  etc.,  who  testify  in  the 
highest  manner  to  the  marvellous 
cures,  almost  instantaneous,  that 
they  have  obtained  in  the  course  of 
their  theatrical  career,  thanks  to 
the  use  of  Ge'raudel's  Pastilles. 

In  the  medical  world,  in  the 
literary  world,  in  the  judicial  world, 
and  in  the  learned  and  religious 
world  the  testimonials  are  equally 
as  high,  and  quite  as  convincing. 

Here,  then,  isaconvenient  remedy 
to  take  in  all  weathers  in  all  places, 
at  home,  in  the  street,  whilst 
travelling,  whilst  hunting,  whilst 
fishing,  etc.,  which  affords  protec- 
tion to  the  bronchia  and  lungs  in 
cold  and  damp  weather,  fogs,  etc., 
their  moderate  price  allowing  of 
their  being  purchased  by  all  parties 
as  they  cost  no  more  than  Is.  l&d. 
the  case  of  72  Pastilles. 

Those  who  do  not  even  make  a 
trial  of  these  Pastilles  in  order  to 
convince  themselves  might  almost 
be  deemed  guilty,  and  can  have  no 
excuse  if  they  catch  a  severe  cold, 
get  an  acute  attack  of  bronchitis 
or  any  other  complaint  affecting 
the  respiratory  organs  which  might 
be  expensive  tocure,  not  to  mention 
the  question  of  generally  impaired 
health. 


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362 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1895. 


in  making  those  small  decorative  fichus,  and  collar  bands, 
and  even  toques,  that  run  away  with  such  a  lot  of  money 
if  bought  ready-made.  I  have  just  finished  the  most 
becoming  band  I  have  ever  had  on.  It  is  merely  a  strip 
of  the  brightest  vermilion  satin,  with  a  little  fine  black 
lace  ruched  over  it,  and  a  small  bunch  of  violets  at  each 
side  of  the  front,  with  a  tassel  of  the  lace  depending 
from  the  flowers.  This  sort  of  thing  can  be  made  from 
odds  and  ends,  that  otherwise  lie  by  till  they  are  out 
of  condition  and  become  useless. 

I  have  made  mother  one  in  white  satin  (a  bit  of  one  of 
my  discarded  evening  gowns),  with  a  little  of  her  lovely 
old  Swiss  lace  put  on  so  as  to  form  a,  point  in  front 
over  a  lining  of  white  satin,  the  lace  frilled  round  it. 
With  her  diamond  buckle  fastened  in  a  knot  of  the  satin 
at  one  side,  it  looks  lovely. 

I  expect  to  become  soon  an  economist  of  the  first 
water,  and  am  now  busy  on  a  skating  costume,  which 
is  to  be  mads  out  of  two  others.  Does  not  that  sound 
clever? — Your  affectionate  Susie. 


"Get  the  CREME  DE  VIOLET  sold  by  Lo  Frere  et  Cie.  It  is  a  splendid  pre- 
paration for  the  skin,  and  if  you  will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  all  those  ugly  spots 
and  discolourations  disappear,  and  in  addition  to  t  his  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin 
gradually  improve,  becoming  soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a 
sweet  expression,  that  any  face  could  have.  The  violet  cream  can  be  had  through 
druggists  or  perfumers,  or  direct  from  the  makers.  If  you  have  really  been  so  foolish  as 
to  try  cosmetics  as  a  means  of  embellishing  a  faulty  skin,  you  cannot  do  better  th  in 
persistently  use  the  Creme  de  Violet,  for  it  will  gradually  do  away  with  all  ill  effects  left 
by  the  paint.   It  has  a  very  delicious  perfume  of  a  refined  kind." 

"  Slzeite"  in  "TO-DAY." 


Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is.  and  2s.  6ll.  (see  that  the  signature— 
LE  FIIERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label);  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from — 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 

Every  lady 
pleased 

.  .    WITH  THE 

"KI-MI" 

BUSK!    %    -  36.^*^ 

IN  ALL  SIZES 

From  11  to  13J 
inches 

Made  of  two-fold  spring  steel,  GUARANTEED  UNBREAKABLE.  The 

edges  are  carefully  bound  so  that  steel  cannot  possibly  cut  through  cloth. 
—To  be  had  of  all  Drapers,  price  6d.  Ask  for  it.  Sample  Busk,  post  free 
seven  stamps  from  Sole  Makers,  WALLACE  and  RITCHIE,  Cochrane 
Street,  Glasgow. 


ARABINE 


MARKING  INK  FOR 
LINEN  is  the  BEST! 

NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED. 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


6D- 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfleld  Street,  Glasgow. 

The  LISTS  will  CLOSE  at  Ten  a.m.  on  WEDNESDAY,  23rd  January. 

THE  NEW  ZEALAND  JUBILEE  GOLD  MINE 
(Limited). 

Incorporated  under  the  Companies  Acts,  1862  to  1890. 
Share  Capital  £100,000,  divided  into  100,000  Shares  of  £1  each. 

ISSUE  of  25,000  SHARES  of  £1  each,  at  par,  payable  2s.  6d.  on  Appli- 
cation, 7s.  6d.  on  Allotment,  and  the  balance  when  required  ;  one  month's 
notice  to  be  given,  and  no  call  to  exceed  5s.  per  Share,  of  which  £10,000 
will  be  available  as  working  capital.  The  remaining  75,000  Shares  will  be 
alloted  to  the  Vendor  as  fully  paid-up  in  part  payment  of  purchase  money. 

DIRECTORS. 

•WILBERFORCE  BRYANT,  Esq.,  Stoke  Park,    \     Directors  of  the 

Bucks  (Chairman).  I         New  Zealand 

•HUGH   ASTLEY,   Esq.,  59,  Cadogan-place,    I      Jubilee  Syndicate 

S.W.  ;  (Limited). 

MATTHEW  G.  HALE,  Esq.,  25,  Wvnnstay-gardens,  Kensington,  S.W. 
DUDLEY  A.  C.  SCOTT,  Esq.,  45,  Eaton  Square,  S.W.  (Director  Luipaards 

Vlei  Estate  and  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited). 
*F.  A.  THOMPSON,  Esq.  (Managing  Director),  93,  Oxford  Gardens,  North 
Kensington,  London,  W.  (late  Chairman  of  the  South  Simmer  and  Jack 
Deep  Level  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited). 

*  Will  join  after  allotment. 
BANKERS 

THE  BANK  OF  NEW  ZEALAND,  1,  Queen  Victoria  Street,  London,  E.C. 
SOLICITORS. 

Messrs.  WILSON,  BHISTOWS,  and  CAlfPMAEL,  1,  Copthall  Buildings,  E.C. 
BROKERS. 

Messrs.  SHEPPARDS,  PELLYS,  SCOTT,  and  Co.,  57,  Old  Broad  Street,  E.C. 
AUDITOR. 

RI  HARD  RABBIDGE,  Esq.,  F.C.A.,  32,  Poultry,  E.C. 
SECRETARY  AND  OFFICES. 

B.  O.  C.  ORLEBAR,  Esq.,  Broad  Street  House,  E.C. 
PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  has  been  formed  for  t lie  purpose  of  acquiring,  and  work- 
ing on  nn  extended  scale,  a  large  and  rich  mining  Special  Claim  niuned 
"  The  Jubilee,"  having  an  area  of  103  acres  15  perches,  and  situated  in  the 
Upper  Thames  District,  North  Island,  New  Zealand.  The  property  entirely 
surrounds  the  Waitokauri  Company's  Mine,  which  has  produced  gold  to  the 
extent  of  upwards  of  £80,000  (see  "  Handbook  of  New  Zealand  Mines," 
published  by  the  Government),  and  the  reefs  which  have  produced  this 
amount  of  gold  are  proved  by  their  underlay  and  extensions  to  pass  through 
tlir  Jubilee  property.  It  is  also  in  the  same  district  as  the  celebrated  Waihi 
Gold  Mine,  and  is  stated  to  be  in  identically  the  same  geological  formation. 

The  tenure  is  leasehold  direct  from  the  Government,  and  was  granted  on 
the  10th  dav  of  November,  1887,  to  Mr.  E.  Kersey  Cooper,  under  the  pro- 


visions of  the  Now  Zealand  Mining  Act,  1886,  for  a  period  of  21  years,  re- 
newable indefmitelv,  the  rent  being  fixed  at  2s.  6d.  per  acre  for  the  first 
year,  5s.  per  acre  for  the  second  and  third  years,  10s.  per  acre  for  the  next 
four  years,  and  20s.  per  acre  for  the  next  fourteen  years. 

The  property  was  acquired  by  the  New  Zealand  Jubilee  Syndicate  (Limi- 
ted), in  the  month  of  May,  1894,  from  Mr.  Cooper,  who  has  since  been  em- 
ployed in  its  management  and  development  on  behalf  of  the  Syndicate. 
At  the  time  of  the  sale  of  the  property  to  the  Syndicate,  the  present  Vendor, 
Mr.  F.  A.  Thompson,  secured  an  option  over  it  which  he  has  now  exercised, 
such  cption  having  been  obtained  prior  to  the  recent  important  develop- 
ments in  the  neighbouring  Waihi  property. 

The  property  is  suitably  equipped  with  Manager's  House,  Stable,  three 
Blacksmiths'  Shops,  a  House  for  the  Battery  Hands,  four  Miners'  Dwellings, 
a  new  substantially-built  Battery,  consisting  of  ten  9-cwt.  stamps,  two 
M'Kie  Pans,  five  Berdans,  five  Settling  Pits,  run  by  a  good  double-cylinder 
25-h  p  engine  and  large  Cornish  boiler,  connected  with  the  "  Queen  "  Low 
Level  by  means  of  a  tramway  substantially  constructed,  and  equipped  with 
seven  trucks  and  two  timber  trolleys,  thus  enabling  the  delivery  of  quartz 
and  fuel  to  the  Battery  at  the  cheapest  possible  rate,  as  well  as  running 
timber  to  the  mouth  of  the  Level ;  a  wire  tramway  is  also  erected  conneet- 
ing  the  works  at  the  gully  with  this  Battery,  and  Mr.  Cooper,  in  his  Report, 
states  that  30  ton9  of  ore  can  be  daily  transported  to  the  Battery  from  the 
Gully  deposit  alone. 

Upwards  of  £11,000  has  been  expended  upon  the  development  and  equip- 
ment of  the  mine,  and  Mr.  Bohm  states  in  his  report  (see  copy  enclosed 
with  the  Prospectus)  that  there  are  now  in  sight  ready  for  immediate  ex- 
traction and  treatment  25,000  tons  of  ore,  as  follows:  — 

Ore  in  sight  at  Queen  Low  Level  20,000  tons,  value  1  oz.  per  ton 
at  £3    £60,000 

Ore  in  sight  Alexandra  Gully,  say  certainly  5,000  tons  (but  prob- 
ably much  more)  at  £10  per  ton    50,000 

Total   £110,000 

Estimated  cost  of  production  and  treatment  at  £1  10s.  per  ton...  37,500 

Net  value  of  ore  in  sight    ^7?'52° 

Mr.  Cooper,  in  his  report,  states  that  about  nine  tons  of  ore  which  ne 
brought  from  the  Alexandra  Gully,  and  which  he  divided  into  three  classes, 
were  sold  by  Messrs.  Johnson,  Mathey,  and  Co.  to  the  smelters  at  the  rate 
of  :  — 

No  i    £80  10s.  per  ton. 

No.'  2    £30  0s. 

No.  3    12s.  „ 

and  that  nine  tons  of  ore  taken  from  Butler's  Beef  were  sold  to  the  smelters 
for  £19  15s.  per  ton.  .  „  .. 

It  is  estimated  by  Mr.  Cooper  that,  upon  the  completion  of  the  Cyanide 
Plant  (now  in  course  of  construction),  the  Company  will  be  able  to  treat 
20  tons  of  assorted  ore  per  day  of  a  class  that  should  yield  at  least  £8  per 
ton,  and  after  making  a  liberal  allowance  for  mining  and  treatment  expenses, 
he  estimates  a  minimum  profit  of  £5  per  ton,  which  would  be  equal  to 
£100  per  day,  and,  allowing  for  working  300  days  in  the  year,  should  pay 
a  yearly  profit  of  £30,000. 

There  is  an  ample  supply  of  water  for  boiler  and  battery  purposes,  and  it 
is  believed  that  the  above' production  of  gold  can  be  largely  increased  by 
the  addition  of  further  crushing  machinery,  for  which  the  working  capital 
now  provided  will  suffice. 

The  following  tabulated  statement,  taken  from  the  published  reports  ot 
the  Waihi  Gold  Mining  Company  (Ltd.),  shows  the  crushings  made  by  that 
Company  and  the  value  obtained  in  sterling,  viz:  — 

From  To  Tons  crushed.  Value. 

Jan.  1st,  1892  Dec.  31st,  1892  ....  18,297  ....  £44,349 
Jan.     1st,  1893         Aug.  26th,  1893    ....    13,072    ....  40,800 

Aug.  26th,    „  Sept.  23rd   1,600    ....  4,800 

Sept  23rd,    „  Oct.    22nd,  „      ....     1,550    ....  4,600 

Oct    22nd,  „  Nov.  20th,   ,   1,650    ....  5,400 

Nov    20th,  „  Dec.  23rd,    „      ....     1,950    ....  5,700 

Jan     3rd,  1894         Feb.  10th,  1894    ....     2,279    ....  6,588 

Feb    10th,  ,,  Mar.  10th,    „    1,818    4,755 

Mar.  10th,  „  April   7th,    „      ....     1,737    ....  5,053 

April    7th,  „  May    6th,    1,633    ....  4,496 

May     5th,  „  June    2nd,  ,   2,030    ....  6,263 

June    2nd,  „  June  30th,   „      ....     2,100    ....  6,397 

June  30th,  „  July  23rd,    „      ....     2,107    ....  6,509 

July    28th,  „  Aug.  25th,   „      ....     2,070    ....  6,171 

Aug.    25th,  „  Sept.  22nd,  „      ....     2,070    ....  7,716 

Sept    22nd  „  Oct.    20th,   ,   2,100    ....  7,800 

Oct      20th.  „  Nov.   17th,    „      ....      2,150    ....  8,860 

Nov.    17th,  ,,  Dec.    17th,    „      ....     2,200    ....  10,290 

Total  crushed  during  above  period    ....   62,413 (Value  £186,452 

Mr.  Bohm  states  that  the  characteristics  of  the  stone  from  parts  of 
Butler's  and  the  main  reef  on  this  property  are  identical  with  those  of  the 
Martha,  the  chief  gold-producing  reef  of  the  Waihi. 

The  statements  made  in  this  Prospectus  are  based  on  the  reports  of 
Messrs.  D.  H.  Bavldon,  M.E.,  E.  K.  Cccper,  and  W.  D.  Bohrn,  M  R. I., 
F.C.S.,  copies  of  which  accompany  the  Prospectus,  and  the  published  re- 
ports 'of  the  Waihi  Gold  Mining  Company  (Limited),  the  £1  Shares  ol 
which  Company  are  now  quoted  at  about  £7  per  Share. 

The  Vendor,  Mr.  F.  A.  Thompson,  who  is  reselling  the  property  to  the 
Company  at  a  profit,  has  fixed  the  purchase  prioe  at  £90,000  (including  all 
charges  connected  with  the  formation  of  the  Company  up  to  allotment, 
except  registration  fees  and  legal  expenses),  payable  as  to  £15,000  in  cash 
or  Shares,  and  the  balance  of  £75,000  in  fully-paid  Shares  of  the  Company. 

The  following  contracts  have  been  entered  into:  — 

1.  Between  Edward  Kersey  Cooper  of  the  one  part,  and  Sidney  Herbert 
Waller,  as  trustee  for  the  New  Zealand  Jubilee  Syndicate  (Limited),  of  th< 
other  part,  dated  22nd  December,  1893. 

2.  Between  the  New  Zealand  Jubilee  Syndicate  (Limited)  of  the  one  part 
and  Frederick  Augustus  Thompson  of  the  other  part,  dated  2nd  May,  1894. 

3.  Between  the  New  Zealand  Jubilee  Syndicate  (Limited)  of  the  one  part, 
and  Frederick  Augustus  Thompson  of  the  other  part,  dated  9th  January,  1895. 

4.  Between  Frederick  Augustus  Thompson  of  the  one  part,  and  B.  O.  C. 
Orleiiar,  as  Trustee  for  the  Company,  of  the  other  part,  dated  11th  Janu- 
ary, 1895. 

There  arc  also  various  contracts  or  arrangements  relating  to  the  carry- 
ing on  of  the  mine,  and  to  the  formation  of  the  Company,  and  the  guarantee 
of  a  portion"  of  the  capital,  which  may  come  within  the  provisions  of  Sec- 
tion 38  of  the  Companies  Act,  1867;  Messrs.  Astley  and  Bryant,  two  of  the 
Directors  of  .the  New  Zealand  Jubilee  Syndicate  (Limited),  who  will  join 
the  Board  of  this  Company  after  the  allotment  of  Shares,  have  joined  in  tins 
guarantee,  for  which  they  will  receive  certain  payments  from  the  Vendor 
out  of  the  purchase  consideration.  Subscribers  for  Shares  will  be  deemed 
to  subscribe  with  notice  of  such  contracts  or  arrangements,  and  to  waive  any 
further  compliance  with  the  said  section  than  is  herein  contained. 

Copies  of  the  Prospectus  and  Forms  of  Application  can  be  had  of  the 
Bankers,  lirokors,  and  Solicitors,  or  at  the  Offices  of  the  Company,  where 
also  can  be  seen  copies  of  the  articles  of  association,  contracts,  original 
reports,  maps,  photographs,  specimens  of  the  ore,  &c. 

The  total  quantity  and  value  of  gold  exported  from  New  Zealand  to  31st 
March,  1894,  according  to  the  last  Government  Blue-book,  is  12,600,944  ol.. 
of  the  value  of  Forty-nine  Millions  Five  Hundred  and  Sixty-six  Thousand 
Eight  Hundred  and  Seventy-eight  Pounds  (£49,566,878). 


January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


363 


DE  OMNIBUS 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


'Ankin  ain't  on  terms  with  'is  nyeburs.  No,  I  don't 
sye  as  'e's  to  blime  altugither  ;  'e's  a  unfortshunit  man, 
is  'Ankin.  Yer  see,  'e  was  troubled  with  mice  in  'is 
kitchiag,  so  'e  took  and  spread  pisun  on  a  bit  o'  bread 
and  put  it  darn  there  ter  kill  them  mice,  and  at  the  sime 
time  'is  ole  missus  borrerd  the  cat  from  next  door  fur  a 
sim'lar  reasing.  Well,  the  mice  never  touched  thet 
pisun,  and  the  cat  never  touched  them  mice ;  as  fur  as 
thet  goes,  'Ankin  was  no  wuss  off  nor  'e  was  afore.  The 
trouble  was  as  thet  cat  'adn't  no  more  sense  than  ter 
eat  the  pisun,  so  she  took  an'  died  under  the  dresser. 
Well,  'Ankin  did  the  gin'rus  thing  abart  it.  'E  slid 
rarnd  and  told  'em  abart  the  axerdunt,  and  offered  'em 
a  bob  darn  to  square  it.  Now,  seein'  yer  can 
git  a  barrerful  o'  cats  in  London  any  dye 
fur  nuthink  and  the  trouble  o'  cawtin'  'em  awye,  thet 
were  a  'andsome  offer.  You'd  'ave  thought  they'd  'ave 
jumped  at  it.  Arrever  they  didn't.  They  said  as  the 
cat  were  a  pet,  and  money  couldn't  replace  it,  and^they 
wished  they'd  never  lent  it,  and  they'd  alwise  knowed 
whort  'ud  'appen  if  they  had  any  dealin's  with  them 
Ankins.  Thet  were  bad  enough,  but  thet  weren't  all. 
'Is  nyeburs  on  the  other  side  began  a  row.  They  was 
the  Arrises,  and  friends  with  them  as  lent  the  cat, 
which  was  the  Barkers.  Yer  see,  the  cat  'ad  been  give 
to  Mrs.  Barker  as  a  torn,  and  not  turnin'  out  as  'ad  bin 
egspected  Mrs.  Barker  'ad  promised  a  kitting  to  Mrs. 
Arris.  So  the  cat  bein'  dead  accidentul,  that  were  all 
horf,  and  they  natshrally  said  as  'Ankin  were  re- 
sponserble.  Well,  old  'Ankin  didn't  want  ter  'ave 
no    quarril    with    the     Barkers  ;      so    thet  night 

Vosreler's 


Curative 

ound 


—    FOR  — 

DYSPEPSIA 

HEADACHE 

MENTAL  EXHAUSTION 

NEURALGIA 

INDIGESTION 

TORPID  LIVER 

DIZZINESS 

DROWSINESS 

CONSTIPATION 

NAUSEA 


ores 


Price  \IVA  and  2/6.  of  all  reliable  dealers  in  medicine  everywhere  ; 
or  sent  post  free,  with  explanatory  pamphlet,  on  receipt  of  ]4  or  30 
penny  stamps  (or  equivalent)  by  the  Sole  Proprietors,  The  Charles  A. 
Vogeler  Co  .  45.  Farringdon  Road,  London, 


'e  sent  'em  a  present  of  a  dorg  as  'e'd  farnd  stryin'  in  the. 
street.  Just  at  fust  it  seemed  as  if  thet  might  smooth 
things  darn  a  bit,  but  thet  'ud  'ave  bin  too  good  fur 
Ankin's  luck.  Next  dye  Mrs.  Barker  took  thet  dorg 
art,  and  ommust  the  fust  person  as  she  met  was  the 
man  as  'ad  lost  the  dorg,  and  'e  accoosed  'er  of  'avin' 
stole  it.  Pore  old  Ankin  !  I  feels  sorry  fur  'im.  The 
Barkers  don't  speak  ter  'im,  and  no  more  does  the 
Arrises,  and  'is  ole  missus  says  as  'e  was  ter  blime  fur 
leavin'  the  pisun  abart. 

Feelin'  as  I  worntid  a  little  chynge  the  other 
dye,  I  took  tewpennuth  on  the  undergrarnd  rilewye. 
'Ow  some  gints  manerges  ter  yoose  the  undergrarnd 
ev'ry  dye,  when  there's  'buses  runnin'  in  the  hopen  air, 
is  more  nor  I  can  unnerstand.  I'd  sooner  be  on  a  'bus, 
though  it  was  full  up  of  women  and  byebies,  with  young 
coppers  as  don't  know  theer  werk  a  reggylitin'  the 
treffic,  and  a  jumper  comin'  up  ev'ry  three  minnits. 
Arrever,  there's  no  accarntin'  fur  tystes.  I  knowed  a 
man  as  were  implyed  at  a  gas-wux  ;  'e  was  theer  fifteen 
year,  and  yur  knaw  whort  the  smell's  like  in  a  gas-wux. 
Well,  at  the  end  of  the  time  'e  come  inter  a  bit  of 
money  and  give  up  wuk.  As  soon  as  e'  did  that  'e  fell 
ill.  Yer  see,  'e'd  goort  yoosed  ter  the  smell,  and 
or'nery  air  worn't  strong  enough  fur  'im,  didn't  sim  ter 
give  'im  no  surport.  One  night  they  thought  'e  was 
dyin',  though  the  dorcters  couldn't  put  no  nime  ter  'is 
comphnte.  But,  'arrever,  the  nuss  'appened  ter  turn 
the  gas  on  axerdentul  withart  lightin'  it,  an'  that  sived 
'is  life.  Next  mornin'  'e  were  well  agin.  It  were  a 
wunnerful  kise,  ev'rybody  said. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Cockspur   Street,  London. 

N"VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


1 


RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 

OR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 


gEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
~  TARKET  REPORT. 


W 

0 

T 


UR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 
1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


SECURITIES   PAYING   from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
HALF  PER  CENT. 
"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


IT 


gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
ri TWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 


8 


3ENT  POST  FREE. 


fJIHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 

PART  I.-STOCK    EXCHANGE  PART  II.— HOW  TO  OPERATE 
USAGES. 

.,  _  .  .  „  ,  .  .  Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 
How  the  Business  is  Conducted.  Market 

How  Profits  are  Made.  mi    m      c.    .  r 

How  the  Accounts  are  Kept.  The  True  S?*tem  of  Operating. 

How  Orders  should  be  Given.  "  A  Stock  "  Operations. 

Prices  of  Stocks.  How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 

UTraiKfereedaml  Sh°M  b6  How  to  Watch  "  A  stock-" 

DiffCTenuiodesofDealintjinStocks.  Holiest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 
The  Cash  Cover  System.  *  flom  1888  t0  1833  inclusive. 

TheFortnightlySettlementsSystem.  Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 

The  Three  ■  Monthly   Settlements  Operations  of  Short  Duration. 

Cmnparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of  °Pe™tio»s  °f  L™S  Duration. 

Dealing  Can  Country  Residents  Ope-ate 
How  Brokers;  Fortnightly  Accounts         Successfully  ? 

Compare  with  And  many  others  of  interest  to  al 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts.  people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


^ETTLEMENT   SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


364 


TO-DA\ . 


JaKuaHy  26,  i8te 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

I  thought  my  appeal  to  my  readers  to  supplement 
my  list  of  doctors  and  doctors'  wives  eminent  in  litera- 
ture, would  not  be  slighted.  Mr.  E.  Williams,  writing 
from  the  North  of  England,  makes  the  most  interesting 
addition.    He  says — 

"  Dear  Sir, — In  your  list  of  popular  authoresses  who  are 
wives  of  doctors,  in  the  current  number  of  To-Day,  you 
omit  Madame  Sarah  Grand,  whose  husband  is  a  surgeon  in 
the  army,  stationed  here." 
"  Medicus"  writes  :— 

"  Dear  Sir, — I  observe  in  To-Day  you  ask  for  the  names  of 
doctors  who  are  engaged  in  belles  lettres.  I  do  not  know 
whether  science  can  be  regarded  as  a  branch  of  belles  lettres, 
but  if  so,  you  may  feel  interested  to  note  the  name  of 
Dr.  Andrew  Wilson,  who  writes  the  'Science  Jottings'  in  the 
Illustrated  every  week,  who  contributes  to  Lloyd's,  who  is 
author  of  half-a-dozen  text-books,  and  who  is  a  Gilchrist 
lecturer  with  Sir  Robert  Ball  as  a  colleague  (and  others). 
There  is  no  busier  man  than  Dr.  Wilson,  and  he  is  editor 
and  proprietor  of  Health,  which  is  published  by  Mr.  A.  P. 
Watt.  Sir  Henry  Thompson,  F.R.C.S.,  was  author  of  a 
novel  (more  than  one  I  think)  ;  '  David  Macbeth  Moir,'  a 
doctor,  wrote  the  immortal  '  Mansie  Wauch.'  Dr.  Wills 
wrote  that  brilliant  romance  '  Behind  an  Eastern  Veil,' 
just  brought  out  by  Blackwoods,  and  other  books,  and  Dr. 
Reginald  Horsley  is  a  writer  of  boys'  books, 

"  Yours  truly, 

"  Medicus." 

The  list,  therefore,  at  present  of  doctors  and  wives  of 
doctors  eminent  in  literature  stands  — 

Dr.  A.  Conan  Doyle,  Dr.  J.  Beattie  Crozier,  Dr. 
"Clifford  Halifax"  (collaborator  with  L.  T.  Meade), 
Dr.  Andrew  Wilson,  Sir  Henry  Thompson,  Dr.  C.  J. 
Wills,  Dr.  Horsley ;  and  to  this  I  can  add,  myself,  Dr. 
Robertson,  the  army  doctor,  who  is  the  authority  on 
Kafiristan ;    Annie    S.    Swan.    Sarah    Grand,  Helen 

Mathers,  Frances  Hodgson  Burnett,  "  Iota." 

*  *  *  * 

I  hope  my  correspondents  will  supplement  this  list ; 

there  must  be  many  works  of  travel  by  doctors. 

*  *  *  * 

Two  or  three  of  the  Ambassadors  of  the  Great  Powers 
in  London,  who  are  among  my  patrons,  tell  me  that 
they  are  pretty  constant  contributors  or  correspondents 
to  Notes  and  Queries.  I  tell  them  in  vain  how  much 
more  interested  the  British  Public  would  be  in  them,  if 

they  only  did  this  over  their  own  names. 

*  *  *  * 

Doubtless,  the  subsequent  contradiction  of  the 
announcement  of  the  sale  of  The  World  was  due 
to  the  discovery  by  the  would  -  be  buyers  or 
sellers  that  the  terms  of  Mr.  Yates's  will  made 
the  sale  impossible.  A  patron  of  mine  whose 
information  is  always  unusually  correct,  tells  me  that 
Mr.  Yates  did  his  best  to  make  it  impossible.  The  late 
proprietor  of  the  Standard  had  his  will  drawn  up  with 

the  same  object. 

*  *  *  * 

The  January  Bookman  is  a  capital  number  throughout. 
I  supply  quite  a  number  of  people  with  the  Bookman 
regularly.  But  this  month  I  am  selling  a  lot  of  extra 
copies  for  the  articles  by  Mr.  Crockett  and  Mr.  Ian 
Maclaren,  and  a  lovely  memorial  poem  on  Mr.  Stevenson 
by  Mr.  J.  M.  Barrie — a  ballad  in  Scotch  worthy  of 
It.  L.  S.  himself  ;  with  quite  a  Kipling  "go"  about  it. 

*  *  *  * 

There  are  few  publishers  from  whom  I  have  bought 
better  books  lately  than  Messrs.  A.  D.  Innes  and  Co.,  and 
now  I  see  that  they  are  bringing  out  a  volume  of  short 
stories  by  one  of  the  wittiest  of  all  the  younger  writers, 
Mr.  Frankfort  Moore.  Mr.  Moore,  who  has  constantly 
been  in  the  shop  since  he  came  over  from  Belfast  and 
settled  at  Kew  some  months  since,  is  a  soldier-looking 
man  with  fair  curly  hair,  and  light  eyes.  His  geniality 
and  good  nature  make  him  a  universal  favourite. 
Though  his  dialogue  is  so  brilliant,  he  is  one  of  our 
fastest  workers.  He  will  write  a  whole  novel  in  six 
weeks,  and  when  the  afflatus  (as  another  Irishman,  dear 
old  Charles  Mackay,  the  poet-father  of  a  poet-son,  would 


have  expressed  it)  is  upon  him,  he  can  write  ten  hours 
a  day  without  effort. 

*  *  *  * 

This  suggests  another  subject  on  which  I  should  like  to 
receive  information  from  my  correspondents— the 
number  of  hours  a  day  which  famous  authors  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  working,  and  their  favourite  time 
for  work. 

*  *  «•  * 

I  shall  lay  in  a  huge  pile  of  the  London  Home 
Monthly,  for  I  hear  it  is  to  contain  a  serial  from  the 
great  author  of  "  The  Manxman" — which  the  critic? 
almost  unanimously  pronounced  the  book  of  the  year. 
When  his  brother — who  is  to  edit  this  new  magazine, 
which  will  rival  the  Strand,  but  at  half  the  price — was 
in  my  shop  the  other  day,  he  told  me  that  the 
first  number  would  contain  a  ballad  by  Hall  Caine, 
founded  on  an  old  Manx  ballad,  which  will  be,  I  fancy, 
the  first  poem  he  has  published  for  many  years.  This 
will  doubtless  excite  great  curiosity.  Mr.  Hall  Caine's 
favourite  time  for  work,  by-the-bye,  is  dusk.  He  sits 
perfectly  motionless  in  one  of  the  big  chairs  that  were 
Rossetti's  until  he  has  composed  all  that  he  means  to 
write,  phrase  for  phrase  and  word  for  word.  Then  he 
strikes  a  light,  and  writes  it  down  as  fast  as  ever  a  pen 
will  fly. 

*  *  *  * 

My  old  customer  Sir  George  Chesney,  M.P.,  has  just 
brought  out  a  new  edition  of  his  "  Indian  Polity."  the 
most  important  work  on  the  subject.  Sir  George  is  a 
very  versatile  man.  He  knows  much  about  golf  as  well 
as  Indian  polity,  and  once  he  set  all  the  world  ringing 
with  his  "  Battle  of  Dorking  "  one  of  the  numerous  tours 
de  force  "  discovered  "  in  Blackwood's  Magazine — the 
only  magazine  which  the  late  Mr.  W.  H.  Smith,  M.P., 
who  sold  magazines  by  the  million,  ever  read. 

*  .  *  *  * 

Sir  George  is  a  little,  wiry,  sallow  man,  with  keen  dark 

eyes,  and  an  expression  of  restless  energy  tempered  by 
good  fellowship.  He  is  the  father  of  an  extremely  clever 
daughter,  who  began  to  sweep  the  honours  at  Cam- 
bridge just  at  the  time  that  her  father  was  elected  M.P. 
for  Oxford. 

*  *  *  * 

How  many  of  the  people  who  read  Archdeacon 
Farrar's  magnificent  and  sumptuously  illustrated  "  The 
Life  of  Christ  as  Represented  in  Art,"  brought  out 
by  the  same  publishers,  will  remember  that  Dr. 
Farrar  once  belonged  to  Mr.  Hall  Caine's  tight  little 
Island  of  Man,  and  that  "  Eric  ;  or  Little  by  Little,"  be- 
loved of  generations  of  boys,  describes  the  life  of  King 
William's  College  in  Castletown,  where  he  was  once 
master.  T  wonder  if  any  boy's  book  has  had  a  greater 
influence  than  "Eric." 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
A.  N.  J. — "  That  Telephone  "  appeared  in  To-Day  for  Decem- 
ber 23rd,  1894. 

D.  A.  P. — You  could  not  do  better  than  go  to  Mr.  Tregaskis, 
232,  High  Holborn,  for  the  books.  The.  African  Review  can  be 
depended  upon  for  information  relating  to  South  African 
mining  affairs. 

A.  J.  H. — Carlyle  was  installed  Lord  Rector  of  Glasgow  in 
1S65,  but  his  speech  on  that  occasion  cannot  be  obtained. 

Red  Cockade. — "Ghosts,"  by  Ibsen,  is  published  by  WaltSS 
Scott,  and  its  price  is  one  shilling. 

B.  W. — I  do  not  know  of  an}'  up-to-date  literature  on  the 
Bubject. 

Historian. — The  book  you  mention  is  worth  five  shillings. 
If  you  read  the  paper  a  little  more  carefully  you  would  see  that 
the  books  mentioned  at  the  foot  of  this  column  refer  to  those 
noticed  in  the  Diary. 

Tsenre  and  LuCKNOW. — The  only  way  to  get  the  books  you 
want  is  by  advertising  for  them. 

W.  H.  P.— The  volume  is  of  no  value.  Someri.kd.  Three 
shillings  is  about  what  you  would  get  for  it. 

H.  F. — The  first  edition  has  the  author's  portrait  as  frontispiece. 

Painter. — It  is  purely  a  matter  of  opinion.  Personally,  I  do 
not  think  the  work  is  worth  the  price  asked  for  it. 

1.  "  Indian  Polity."   By  Sir  George  Cliesnev.    (Longman's.  21s.) 

2.  "  The  Life  of  Christ  as  Represented  in  Art."  By  the  Yen.  F.  W.  Farrar. 

(A.  and  C.  Black.  21s.) 


January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


365 


HOW  TO  BE  "  PRESENTED." 

IN  WHICH   IT  IS   SHOWN  HOW  THE 
PATRICIAN  HELPS  THE  PLEBEIAN, 
AND  THE  SOVEREIGN  MAY 
BE  DECEIVED. 


It  is  well  known  to  the  few,  but  the  many  have  only  a 
misty  notion,  that  certain  ladies  of  high  station  make 
large  sums  of  money  by  introducing  rich  plebeians  to 
what,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  may  be  called  Court 
circles.  An  illustration  of  this  pecular  way  of  adding 
to  income  has  accidently  come  under  my  notice,  and  it 
may  be  interesting  to  readers  of  To-Day  if  I  show  the 
initial  steps. 

A  week  or  two  ago  the  following  advertisement 
appeared  in  Lloyd's  Newspaper,  and,  if  I  am  not  mis- 
taken, a  similar  one  is  to  be  found  in  the  last  issue  of 
that  journal.  Here  it  is  : — 

"  A  lady  in  the  smartest  society  in  London  wishes  to 
chaperone  a  young  lady.  Terms,  £1,000  for  one  year. 
Highest  references  giv^i  and  required.  Write,  '  Society,' 
Willing's  Adverting  Offices,  1G2,  Piccadilly,  W." 

The  person  from  whom  I  have  the  correspondence 
answered  the  advertisement,  and  I  give  his  letter,  not 
because  of  any  intrinsic  interest  it  possesses,  but  as 
showing  that  this  grande  dame  was  so  anxious  to  put 
her  hands  upon  the  £1,000  that  she  was  content  to 
communicate  with  an  agent  instead  of  principals,  and, 
without  making  any  inquiries  as  to  character  or  position, 
compromised  herself  in  a  way  that  would  have  been  very 
awkward  for  her  if  her  correspondent  had  chosen  to  make 
public  her  identity.  I  give  the  letter  word  for  word, 
withholding  only  the  number  of  the  house  from  which 
it  is  addressed. 

"  Euston  Road,  London. 

"  Sunday  of  the  New  Year,  1895. 

"Madam, — I  have  observed  your  advertisement  in  this 
week's  issue  of  Lloyd's  Newspaper,  and,  in  that  confidence 
which  I  trust  will  be  fully  reciprocated,  address  you  on  the 
subject  matter  of  the  advertisement  referred  to. 
I  am  the  agent  and  in  some  respects  adviser 
to  an  American  family  possessing  great  means,  and  who 
intend  residing  in  Europe  until  the  autumn  of  the  present 
year.  The  lady  of  the  house  is  extremely  ambitious,  and 
desirous  that  her  only  daughter  should  become  one  of,  and 
enter  upon  terms  of  equality  with, (the  '  smart '  set  of  London 
and  Paris  society,  with  a  possible  introduction  at  the 
English  Court,  and  if  the  latter  could  be  arranged,  the  ex- 
penditure of  a  few  thousands  would  not  be  considered  too 
lavish  an  expenditure  for  the  procuration  of  such  a 
distinction.  Candidly,  I  may  mention  that  the 
young  lady  is  not  yet  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
Though  not  averse  to  these  ambitious  projects,  yet 
she  does  not  enter  into  them  with  that  zeal  necessary 
to  their  due  accomplishment.  She  is  fully  aware  of  the 
disadvantages  caused  by  defective  education,  and  the  lack  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  usages  of  that  society  into  which  it  is 
desired  she  should  become  a  member.  It  is  to  overcome 
this  that  a  chaperone  is  needed.  This  lady  must  be  of 
irreproachable  character — one  of  high  birth,  capable  to 
introduce  a  debutante  into  the  society  of  the  English  upper 
classes  as  an  equal,  for  the  young  lady  refeired  to  is  high- 
spirited,  and  I  may  remark  considered,  from  an  American 
point  of  view  of  feminine  beauty,  very  pretty. 
Repeating  again  that  the  strictest  confidence  must  be 
mutually  observed,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to 
inform  you  that  there  is  one  fearful  drawback, 
and  that  is  illegitimacy.  The  lady  was  mother  of  the 
daughter  prior  to  marriage  with  the  father.  Of  course  this 
is  known  only  to  a  few,  and  there  is  no  reason  on  earth  why 
the  fact  should  be  circulated. 

"  Anyway,  does  this  mean  a  decided  negative  ?  If  not  a 
sum  considerably  larger  than  that  mentioned  in  Lloyd's 
would  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  one  able  to  accomplish 
the  end  alluded  to  in  this  communication.  To  many 
Americans  the  family  are  well  known  as  being  eminently 
respectable,  and  whose  cheques  would  be  accepted  to  a  very 
large  amount. 

"  An  early  reply  will  oblige, 

"  Yours  very  faithfully, 

>i  » 

Let  me  say  one  word  about  this  publication.  The  letter 
came  to  me  unsought.  It  was  written  to  a  stranger,  who 
in  his  discretion  handed  it  to  me.  It  is  of  interest,  as  I 
think,  in  lifting  the  veil  from  a  corner  of  English  life, 


and  as  such  I  publish  it.  But  if  the  lady  who  wrote  it 
sees  it  in  these  columns,  she  may  rest  assured  that,  so 
far  as  To-Day  is  concerned,  every  precaution  has  been 
taken  to  preserve  the  secret  of  her  name  and  address. 
The  letter  has  been  seen  only  by  the  present  writer, 
who  has  copied  it  for  the  purposes  of  the  printer, 
and  one  other,  and  if  the  lady  desires  to  have  it 
returned  to  her,  I  will  send  it  under  seal.  The 
letter  is  given,  word  for  word,  with  the  exception  of 
omitting  name,  address,  and  date,  and  two  or  three 
words  in  the  body  of  the  letter — omissions  made  with  the 
object  of  guarding  against  the  possibility  of  identification. 
It  may  be  added  that  what  the  lady  says  about  herself 
is  absolutely  true.  She  is  a  member  of  one  of  the 
noblest  families  in  England. 

"January  — ,  1895. 

"  Dear  Sir, — 
"  It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  just  struck  on  what  I 
want,  and  trust  you  have  struck  on  what  you  want ;  but  as 
you  ask  me  to  respect  your  confidence,  which  I  shall  do 
sacredly,  I  must  also  ask  you  to  respect  mine,  and  I  will 
answer  you  word  by  word. 

' '  First  of  all  I  prefer  Americans.  Lady  Randolph  Churchill 
is  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  am  very  fond  of  Americans. 
Either  I  will  not  undertake  it  at  all,  or  your  friend  will  go 
to  Court,  and  be  in  the  smartest  society.  I  know  you  will 
not  think  me  vulgar  if  I  say  that  we  are  in  the  best  society  ; 

for  instance,  the  Duke  of  Cambridge  dined  with  us  last  

here.    My  husband  holds  a  high  official  position  in  London, 

and  my  father  is  .     Nothing  but  want  of  means 

prevents  my  being  a  leader  of  society,  more  or  less. 
But  first  of  all  I  must  see  the  young  lady,  and  form  my 
own  opinions  ;  and  secondly,  I  confess  that  the  drawback  of 
birth  would  make  me  more  exacting  about  money,  as  more 
would  have  to  be  done  to  overcome  this  difficulty  than 
otherwise.  I  think  my  character  is  irreproachable,  and  I 
will  give  you  the  very  highest  references.  The  fact  of  the 
illegitimate  birth  would  not  affect  my  power  of  introducing 
her  in  the  best  society,  but  there  are  a  hundred  things  to 
be  considered,  and  to  receive  a  large  sum  would  not  induce 
me  to  undertake  anything  I  could  not  carry  out. 

"I  shall  be  at  home  from  3  to  5.30  to-morrow,  if  you 
would  make  it  convenient  to  call.  Please  wire  or  write 
another  appointment. 

"  Yours  faithfully, 


"  I  have  relations  who  are  in  waiting  on  the  ." 

Not  having  received  any  reply  to  this  letter,  the  lady 
wrote  again  saying  that  her  correspondent  must  decide 
"  quickly,"  as  two  other  ladies  wished  for  her  services. 
Really,  one  is  amazed  at  the  way  in  which  some  of 
these  great  ladies  play  with  their  reputations.  Not  long- 
ago  a  packet  of  letters  written  by  an  illustrious  person- 
age to  a  lady  famous  for  her  beauty,  and  bearing  one 
of  the  proudest  names  in  England,  was  bandied  about 
from  hand  to  hand  ;  and  here  we  have  another  great 
lady  writing  letters  to  a  perfect  stranger,  which  made 
public  with  her  name  attached  to  them,  must  inevitably, 
oae  would  imagine,  lead  to  ostracism.  Nor  is  it  a 
pleasant  thing  to  think  that  this  lady  of  "  irreproach- 
able" character  can  see  nothing  inconsistent  with  such 
a  description  of  herself  in  her  willingness  to  deceive  her 
Sovereign,  and  mislead  her  friends,  by  playing  the 
sponsor  to  an  impostor  in  consideration  of  a  cheque  big 
enough  to  pay  some  of  her  most  pressing  bills. 


ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON'S 

LAST  PUBLISHED  STORY, 

The  EBB-TIDE 

IS  PUBLISHED 

COMPLETE   AND   FULLY  ILLUSTRATED 

In  Vol.  I.  of  "  TO-DAY," 

Price  3s.  6d.    Postage  6d. 

It  has  since  been  issued  in  book  form  at  6s, 


A  FEW  COPIES  CAN  STILL  BE  HAD 


366 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


CUNLIFFE,  RUSSELL  AND  CO-  AND  "TO-DAY." 

SOME  CORRESPONDENCE. 

For  some  years  past  Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.,  of  10, 
Place  de  la  Bourse,  Paris,  have  been  spending  much  money  in  the 
distribution  over  the  United  Kingdom  of  a  pamphlet  in  which 
they  advise  those  whom  it  may  reach  to  buy  Ottoman  and  other 
lottery  bonds,  and  to  buy  them  of  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  In 
consequence,  we  often  receive  inquiries  from  readers  of  To-Day 
as  to  whether  they  should  deal  with  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co., 
and  we  invariably  advise  them  not  to  do  so.  We  give  this  advice 
not  because  the  bonds  are  not  perfectly  genuine,  or  because 
Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  act  dishonestly  by  their 
clients.  The  bonds  are  good,  and  we  have  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  do  not  promptly  deliver 
them  when  paid  for,  and  at  the  price  they  quote  to  the  buyer. 
We  advise  as  we  do  because  these  bonds  can  be  brought  through 
other  London  or  Paris  brokers  for  about  30  per  cent,  less  than 
they  can  be  bought  from  Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  Any 
reader  who  wants  the  exact  difference  will  find  it  given — a3  at 
that  date — in  our  issue  of  December  8. 

It  is  not,  perhaps,  surprising  that  Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and 
Co.  resent  this  advice,  and  some  two  months  ago  we  received  a  letter 
from  them  in  which  we  were  informed  in  very  insolent  language 
that  unless  %ve  ceased  to  advise  as  we  were  advising — that  is  to 
say  unless  we  ceased  to  tell  the  truth — Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell 
and  Co.  would  pay  some  gutter  organ  to  abuse  us.  This  letter, 
it  should  be  needless  to  say,  was  left  unanswered,  and  we  had  no 
further  communication  direct  or  indirect  with  Messrs.  Cunliffe, 
Russell  and  Co.  until  January  7,  when  we  received  a  com- 
mication  from  them,  addressed  to  ihe  City  Editor  of  To-Day,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  copy  : — 

10,  Place  de  la  Bourse,  Paris, 
January  5th,  1S95, 

Dear  Sir, 

Repeated  inquiries  having  been  made  to  you  about  the  Bank 
of  Van  Dieman's  Land's  distribution  of  properties,  we  beg  to  inform  you 
that  arrangements  have  now  been  come  to  enabling  us  to  supply  shares 
in  this  scheme  to  intending  investors,  thus  avoiding  the  delay  of  about 
Ihree  months  necessary  for  obtaining  a  reply  from  Hobart. 

We  should  feel  obliged  if  you  will  find  an  early  opportunity  to  notice 
the  enclosed  circular  in  your  columns. 

As  we  are  at  all  times  pleased  to  pay  for  services  rendered,  we  take 
ihi.  opportunity  to  hand  you  enclosed  £10  as  a  small  New  Year's 
offering,  and  we  trust  that  we  may  next  year  have  reason  to  increase 
that  amount. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co. 

Below  we  give  in  miniature  the  cheque  : — 


St?  ni& 


f.T>  %•)'  io.  Pt*ce  d 

mm  «#^7- 


flO- 


The  City  Editor  of  To-Day  replied  as  follows  :— 


Sirs, 


Arundel  Street,  January  8th,  1805 


I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  5th  inst.  informing  me 
that  you  have  become  agents  for  the  supply  of  Bank  of  Van  Dieman 
lottery  shares,  thereby  saving  the  delay  of  reference  to  Hobart  ; 
enclosing  a  circular  having  reference  to  this  matter,  which  you  ask  me  to 
notice  in  To-Day  ;  and  further  enclosing  cheque  for  £10  "as  a  small 
New  Year's  offering.' 

The  Agent  -  General  for  Tasmania  has  satisfied  me  that  the  lottery  is 
worked  fairly  ;  and  as  the  letters  of  numerous  correspondents  have  con- 
vinced me  that  it  would  be  a  great  convenience  if  they  could  deal  with  a 
Home  agency  instead  of  having  to  si'nd  to  Hobart,  I  shall  have  no  objec- 
tion, when  occasion  arises,  when  1  am  asked  where  the  bonds  can  be 
bought,  to  say  they  can  be  got  from  you,  provided  you  satisfy  me  that 
your  rates  are  fair. 
The  cheque  for  £10  is  returned  herewith. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

The  City  Editor  of  To-Dav. 

Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co. 
To  that  came  the  following  reply  ; — 

10,  Place  de  la  Bourse,  Paris, 
_      _  January  10th,  1st)?. 

Dear  Sib, 

We  are  in  receipt  of  your  favour  of  the  8th  inst,  in  which 


you  express  yourself  willing  to  state  in  reply  to  inquiries  that  shares  in 
the  distribution  of  properties  in  connection  with  the  winding-up  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land  may  be  obtained  direct  from 
us  (thereby  avoiding  for  the  purchaser  the  delay  in  obtaining  sucli  from 
Hobart),  "  provided  you  can  satisfy  me  that  your  rates  are  fair." 

We  think  you  must  have  overlooked  the  fact  that  the  selling  price  of 
such  shares  to  the  public  has  been  fixed  by  the  trustees  of  the  Bank. 
It  is  clearly  stated  in  the  circular,  and  is  exactly  the  same,  whether 
applied  for  from  the  Bank  trustees  at  Hobart,  or  from  us. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co. 

Inside  the  letter  was  a  Bank  of  England  note  for  £10,  No. 
*  78059,  dated  3rd  April,  1894,  signed  H.  G.  Bowen.  To  this 
communication  the  City  Editor  of  To-Day  replied  as  below  : — 

Arundel  Street,  12th  January,  1895. 
Sirs,— I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  10th,  in  which  you  say 
that  the  price  of  the  shares  to  the  public  is  exactly  the  same,  whether 
applied  for  from  the  Bank  trustees  at  Hobart  or  from  you,  and 
enclosing  a  Bank  of  England  note  for  £10. 

If  sent  from  Hobart  the  shares  cost  20s.  each,  with  an  additional 
sixpence  for  each  application,  to  cover  foreign  postage,  exchange,  etc. 
Do  I  understand  from  you  that  if  a  reader  of  To-Day,  or  anybody  else, 
sends  £20  0s.  6d.  to  you  for  twenty  fully-paid  shares  you  will  bend  them 
without  any  further  charge  of  any  kind  whatsoever? 
The  Bank  of  England  note  for  £10  is  returned  herewith. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

The  City  Editor  of  To-Day. 

Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co. 
The  answer  to  this  inquiry  is  as  below  : — 

10,  Place  de  la  Bourse,  Paris, 
January  15tb,  1895. 

Dear  Sir, 

We  are  receipt  of  your  favour  of  the  12th  inst.,  in  which  you 
ask  us  if,  when  anyone  remits  us  £20  0s.  6d.  for  20  shares  in  the  Distri- 
bution of  the  Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land's  properties,  we  should  send 
the  20  shares  without  further  charge  of  any  kind  whatever. 

Most  certainly  we  should.  In  fact  we  have  already,  in  reply  to  a 
former  letter  of  yours,  very  clearly  stated  that  the  selling  price  to  the 
public  is  exactly  the  same  whether  application  be  made  to  us  or  to  the 
Bank  trustees  at  Hobart,  and  the  selling  price,  whether  applied  for 
from  us  or  from  the  Bank  trustees,  is  very  clearly  stated  in  the  circular 
to  be  20s.  per  share,  with  an  addition  of  sixpence  per  applica- 
tion to  cover  foreign  postage,  exchange,  &c. 

Having  been  appointed  agents  for  the  trustees  of  the  Bank  of  Van 
Dieman's  Land  for  the  sale  of  these  shares  in  Europe,  we  are  acting  in 
the  matter  entirely  as  the  agents  of  the  trustees  who  have  fixed  the 
selling  price  at  20s.  per  share,  with  6d.  per  application  added,  and  are 
in  fact  responsible  for  the  wording  of  the  circular  which  is  printed  f ;  om 
stereos  supplied  to  us,  and  has  not  been  drawn  up  by  us  or  by  our 
order. 

Yours  sincerely, 

i      Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co. 

We  are  satisfied  that  in  this  matter  Messrs.  Cunliffe,Russell  and 
Co.  speak  the  truth.  We  have  been  in  further  communication 
with  the  Agent-General  for  Tasmania,  and  he  tells  us  that  whilst 
the  Government  of  that  Colony  does  not  guarantee  that  the  prizes 
are  of  the  value  they  are  said  to  be,  the  statement  of  the  prospec- 
tus that  a  special  Act  of  Parliament  authorises  the  lottery  is  a 
true  statement.  With  regard  to  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.,  the 
Agent-General  informs  us  that  some  time  ago  Mr.  W.  G.  Brown, 
late  Hobart  manager  of  the  Bank,  came  to  Europe  with  the  object 
of  finding  agents  for  the  sale  of  the  tickets,  and  finally  appointed 
Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.,  who  are  paid  for  their  trouble 
by  a  commission  from  the  trustees  of  the  Bank.  It  may  be 
taken,  therefore,  that  any  person  who  wants  these  lottery  shares, 
and  applies  to  Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  for  them,  will 
get  them  at  the  price  he  would  pay  if  he  sent  to  the  trustees  at 
Hobart. 

But  whilst  we  have  nothing  to  say  against  persons  who  want 
these  bonds  getting  them  from  Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co., 
we  think  it  well  to  expose  the  attempt  of  these  people  to  bribe. 
Intimidation  having  failed  to  prevent  our  giving  the  advice  we 
have  thought  it  right  to  give  as  to  the  price  of  Ottoman  and 
other  bonds  sold  by  them,  they  offered  money.  Sj  far  as  the 
bribery  is  concerned,  they  tried  the  same  game  with  the  City 
Editor  of  Sketch — a  solicitor  in  large  practice- — sending  him  a 
letter  identical  with  the  first  of  those  published  above.  He  kept 
the  money — and  two  charities  are  the  gainers-  The  double 
dose  of  insolence  was  reserved  for  To-Day. 

LORD  SAYE  AND  SELE; 

Since  its  formation  in  1890  Lord  Saye  and  Sele  has  been 
chairman  of  Veuve  Monnier  et  Ses  Fils,  Ltd.  Given  the 
appointment  for  the  sake  of  his  name,  he  has  never  been  move 
than  a  figurehead.  But  even  a  figurehead  need  not  go  out  of 
his  way  to  proclaim  himself  a  fool.  The  Veuve  Monnier 
Company  is  hopelessly  bankrupt  :  yet  only  >x  few  weeks  ago  the 
secretary  was  assuring  shareholders  that  it  was  doing 
a  profitable  business,  and  asking  them  to  take  up  more 
shares.  Not  many  months  ago  the  company  paid  £5,000  for 
the  Max  Sutaine  brand,  but  though  if  parted  with  the  money 
it  never  got  the  transfer.  According  to  the  balance-sheet  to 
October  ~"'th,    1893,  the  sundry  debts,  stock-in-trade,  &c, 


January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


367 


amounted  to  £83,896,  now  the  whole  of  these  assets  are 
represented  by  debentures  issued  for  £20,000.  Truly  a 
discreditable  state  of  affairs.  What  has  Lord  Saye  and  Sele  to 
say  to  it  ?  His  explanation  is  worthy  of  the  record.  At  the 
extraordinary  general  meeting  held  a  day  or  two  ago  for  the 
purpose  of  winding  up  the  company  Lord  Saye  and  Sele 
presided,  and  we  cull  some  of  the  gems  of  his  speech,  as 
here  : — 

The  directors  were  the  victims  of  the  recklessness  ol  the  manager. 

The  directors  had  been  living  in  a  fool's  paradise. 

They  (the  directors)  believed  that  the  company  had  received  the 
brand  vf  Max  Sutaine,  but  it  had  not. 

They  (the  directors)  were  anxious  to  call  in  the  auditors,  but  could 
not. 

They  (the  directors)  expected  the  company  would  pay  a  dividend— 
instead  it  is  bankrupt. 

Was  there  ever  a  more  painful  exhibition  of  imbecility  ?  But 

Lord  Saye  and  Sele's  withers  are  unwrung.    "His" — we  quote 

from  the  report  of  his  speech — "  conscience  was  perfectly  clear 

in  these  matters,  for  did  he  imagine  that  any  action  or  want  of 

action  on  his  part  had  conduced  to  the  downfall  of  the  company 

he  should  indeed  be  a  very  miserable  man."    If  any  reader  is 

disposed  to  accuse  us  of  unfair  quotation  let  him  turn  to  the 

report  of  the  meeting  in  the  Financial  News.     A  company's 

assets  may  drop  in  a  single  year  from  £80,000  to  £20,000  ;  the 

chairman  may  believe  the  company  to  be  flourishing  when  it  is 

hopelessly  bankrupt ;  the  secretary  may  urge  shareholders  to 

increase  their  holdings  on  the  assurance  that  it  is  thriving,  when 

liquidation  is  inevitable  ;  a  business  may  be  bought  and  paid 

for  without  anybody  troubling  to  see  that  the  transfer  is  made  ; 

and  then,  when  the  crash  comes,  the  ornamental  noodle  in  the 

chair  thanks  God  that  he  has  nothing  to  reproach  himself  with, 

that  neither  the  sin  of  omission  nor  of  commission  can  be  laid  to 

his  door  ! 

And  there  was  a  de  Saye  at  Runnymede  !  I 

THE  LONDONDERRY. 

We  learn  that  the  promoters  of  the  Londonderry  have,  after 
protracted  negotiations,  bought  the  claims  surrounding  the 
property,  and  which  were  thought  in  the  first  instance  to  be 
included  in  those  sold  by  the  vendors  of  the  Londonderry  to 
the  company.  Colonel  North  and  his  friends  have  paid  down  a 
certain  sum  in  cash,  the  remainder  of  the  purchase-money  being 
taken  in  shares.  Colonel  North  and  his  friends  bear  the  whole 
cost,  and  the  Londonderry  Company  gets  the  entire  benefit  of 
the  purchase.  Colonel  North  was  urged  to  start  another  com- 
pany to  work  these  additional  claims,  but  he  has  acted  very 
honourably  in  the  matter.  He  was  determined  that  the  share- 
holders of  the  Londonderry  shall  get  all  he  thought  he  had 
sold  them,  and  the  arrangement  just  effected  gives  them  at  least 
five  additional  claims. 

C.  WINDOVER  AND  CO.,  LIMITED. 

Several  shareholders  of  this  company  have  asked  our 
advice  as  to  an  offer  that  has  been  made  them.  Up  to  1890 
Hie  company  paid  good  dividends,  but  since  then  it  has 
paid  none,  and  there  is  a  considerable  debit  balance.  The 
directors,  who  are  mainly  of  the  Windover  family,  are  offering 
to  buy  the  ordinary  fully-paid  £10  shares  at  £2  5s.  per  share, 
failing  which  the  company  will  be  wound-up.  The  offer  of 
£2  5s.  is  conditional  on  3,500  shares,  outside  those  held  by  the 
family,  coming  in  at  £2  5s.  per  share.  One  correspondent,  who 
gave  £490  for  40  of  these  shares,  is  naturally  very  unwilling  to 
sacrifice  them  for  £90 ;  but  if,  as  seems  to  be  the  case,  the  alterna- 
tive to  £2  5s.  is  liquidation,  it  is  the  wiser  course  to  take  the 
offer. 

BANKS  AND  JOINT-STOCK  COMPANIES. 

A  Berlin  correspondent  writes  to  us  on  this  subject  as 
follows  :— 

Here  in  Germany  when  a  further  issue  is  made  the  bankers  who 
receive  applications  undertake  a  moral  guarantee  at  least,  and  when 

the  Company  was  advertised  lately  (as  you  will  see  from  the 

enclosed  cutting)  it  asked  a  Berlin  bank  to  receive  subscriptions,  and 
it  refused  to  do  so.  A  good  thing  if  English  banks  would  be  equally 
particular. 

We  heartily  agree.  With  us,  unfortunately,  banks  of  the 
highest  standing  consent  to  act  for  the  shadiest  enterprises. 
At  the  present  moment  one  of  the  greatest  of  our  banks  is  allow  ing 
the  people  trading  as  Nelson  and  Co. ,  men  who  are  disorganising  a 
great  trade,  and  who,  as  court  after  court  has  decided,  are  carrying 
on  unlawful  business,  to  proclaim  throughout  the  country 
that  it  is  acting  as  their  bankers.  As  for  joint-stock  companies, 
there  is  no  swindle  put  upon  the  market  that  is  ever  hampered 
by  difficulty  in  getting  a  bank  of  high  standing  to  be  its  bankers. 


" TO-DAY'S"  BLACK  LIST. 
Oxyzone  Syndicate.— The  police  have  arrested  two  of  the  men 
who  ran  this  swindle.  We  regret  to  say  that  they  have  allowed  a 
third  to  get  off  to  America  with  most  of  the  cash.  The  letters  the 
police  took  from  the  advertising  agents,  Gibbs,  Smith  and  Co.— one 
morning's  mail — included  3001etters  with  ren.ittancesof  10s.  6d.in 
them.  It  will  be  for  Messrs.  Gibbs,  Smith  and  Co.  to  explain  their 
connection  with  these  swindlers.  A  correspondent  tells  us  that 
he  called  at  the  office  in  Hol'.oin  and  asked  for  Webber.  He  saw 
the  head  of  the  adverti  ng  department,  who  in  reply  to  his 
demand  to  see  Webber,  asked  "  What  do  you  want  him  for  ?  " 
Our  correspondent  replied  that  he  was  one  of  the  prize-winners, 
and  before  he  sent  his  10s.  6d.  he  wanted  to  know  more  about 
the  business,  whereupon  the  representative  of  Gibbs,  Smith  and 
Co.  answered — "Then  you  can't  see  Mr.  Webber,  you  can  write 
to  him  if  you  like  and  we  will  hand  him  your  letter."  It  would 
be  interesting  to  know  how  much  Messrs.  Gibbs,  Smith  and  Co. 
have  made  out  of  the  syndicate  in  the  way  of  commission  for 
advertising, 

"  Good  News.  "—A  sheet  published  in  Ostend,  run  by  one 
"Holman,"  claiming  to  give  "  £5  notes  for  shillings  in 
easy  and  bona-fide  competions."    On  the  face  of  it  a  fraud. 

James  Brothers  and  Co.,  3,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within, 

"  bankers,  financiers,  and  stock  and  share-brokers  and  dealers," 
to  quote  their  absurd  description  of  themselves. — These  people 
are  issuing  circulars  grossly  and  deliberately  misleading, 
with  the  object  of  raking  in  dollars  from  fools. 


That  must  have  been  a  pleasant  dinner  at  the  Criterion  the 
other  evening  when  friend  Begelhole  was  entertained  by  his 
admirers,  and  Mr.  Emile  Oppert  was  in  the  chair.  How  they 
must  have  laughed,  these  two  good  men  and  true,  when  they 
thought  of  Bayley's  West,  and  Bayley's  West  Extended. 


Last  week,  by  a  slip  of  the  pen,  we  spoke  of  Mr.  Lane  in  con- 
nection with  Abbott's.    We  meant  Mr.  Saunders. 


NEW  ISSUE. 

The  New  Zealand  Jubilee  Gold  Mine,  Limited.  Share  capital, 
£100,000.  Formed  to  buy  for  £90,(00,  103  acres  in  the  Upper  Thames  dis- 
trict, North  Island,  New  Zealand,  said  to  be  rich  in  gold.  Upwards  of 
£11,000  has  been  spent  in  the  development  and  equipment  of  the  mine,  arrd 
25,000  tons  of  ore  are  in  sight,  estimated  to  be  of  the  net  value  of  £72,500. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Balkis  Eerstelings.  Roseau  (Keighley).—  (1)  Yes,  the  same;  (2)  It 
promises  well,  but  all  such  enterprises  are  speculative ;  (3)  No,  it  is  not. 
George  Evans  and  Co.  J.  H.  (Glasgow).— Better  have  nothing  to  do 
with  their  "  options."  Value  of  Shares.  J.  II.  (I5romsgrove).— None 
of  the  shares  you  name  are  quoted.  Manor  Park  Cemetery  Shares. 
A.  J.  H.— £120.  Ottoman  Bonds.  Oxonian.  —  If  you  can  get  the 
purchase  rate,  less  5s.  for  each  drawing,  we  advise  you  to  take  rt.  We 
shall  be  obliged  if  you  will  send  us  the  " stereotyped  letter"  to  which 
you  refer.  Mining  Shares.  W.  F.  D.— (1)  We  do  not  advise  you  to  buy  the 
shares  you  name.  (2)  The  handbook  can  be  got  orr  application  to  the  author 
at47,  Old  Broad  Street.E.C.  Aerated  Bread  Shares.  H.H.  (York).— In 
face  of  the  very  severe  competition  with  which  the  company  has  now  to  reckon 
we  think  even  the  present  price  of  the  shares  above  their  valrre,  and  do  not 

recommend  purchase.  .  E.  S.  A.  (Walsall).  —  We  have  mislaid  the 

circular.   Can  you  send  us  another  and  give  the  name?   "  Good  News." 

 .   (Bury).— Better  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.    Jamicson  Sheba 

Gold   Mining    Company.   .    (Newcastle-on-Tyne).  —  We  will 

see  what  can  be  done.  Kern  County  Land  Company.  Annual 
Subscriher  (Maidstone).  —  We  will  make  some  inquiries,  and  let  you 
know  next  week.  Outside  Brokers.  Inspector  (St.  Burj  an).— 1.  Nos. 
1  and  2  would  treat  you  fairly  ;  the  other-  four  are  rogues.  2.  Balkis- 
Eerstelings  are  good  to  buy  at  their  present  price.  Huanchacas. 
Subscriber  (Birkenhead).— We  think  not.  Bank  of  Van  Dicman's 
Land.  H.  K.  (Southampton).  —  You  will  rind  full  reference  to  this 
matter  in  another-  column.  E.  H.  L.  (Newcastle  -  on  -  Tyne).— Ditto. 
Rcpanji  Quicksilver.  Robert  (Fulham).  —  We  do  not  advise 
further  purchase.  Trust  Moneys.  Caution.— Yes,  certainly  it  would 
be  very  easy  to  make  a  better  selection.  London  Road  Car  Company. 
C.  A.  L.  (MirfieH)  — We  do  not  look  for-  much  early  improvement  in  price. 
British  Aluminium  Company.  Oak  Tree  (Sheffield).— We  have 
been  unable  to  make  the  necessary  inquiries,  but  will  answer  your  question 
next  week.  Ottoman  Bonds.  .1.  L.  H.  (Harrogate).— About  £4  15s.  ; 
but  practically  these  shares  are  unsaleable  in  London,  owing  to  the 
facility  with  which  they  can  Ire  "stopped"  in  Paris,  and  tire  difficulty  of 
redress,  except  by  appeal  to  the  Fr  ench  Courts.  There  would  be  no  diffi- 
culty in  disposing  of  them  in  Paris.  Harrod's  Stores,  Limited. 
G.  I..  (Birmingham).— An  excellent  investment.  A  dividend  of  12  per- 
cent, on  tlie  ordinary  shares  for  the  six  months  ended  December  31st  W 
about  to  be  paid,  and  this  with  the  inter  im  dividend  of  5  per  cerrt.  paid  in 
July  last  will  make  17  per  cent,  for  tire  year.  You  cannot  want  much 
better  than  that.  The  Stores  are  now  under  very  able  management.  C. 
Windover  and  Co.,  Ltd.  G.  E.  J.  (Shepherd's  Bush).— You  had  better 
sell.  There  are  no  means  by  which  you  could  compel  a  reconstructed  com- 
pany to  give  you  "a  propor  tionate  share  of  the  profits."  African  Gold 

Concessions.   (Creditorr).— The  present  price  is  about  12s.  Cd. 

North  Sheba  Gold  and  Exploration  Co.  1).  F.  (Plymouth).—  They 
are  £1  shares,  ISs.  paid,  rrow  about  Gs.  We  understand  that  the  company 
has  an  extensive  properly  iir  lliu  near  neighbour  hood  of  the  Sheba,  and 
that  reports  are  favourable.  London  and  Scottish  Banking  and 
Discount  Corporation,  Ltd.*— We  are  obliged  to  you  for-  your  letter, 
which  explains  the  absence  of  name  ami  address,  arrd  for  the  fur  ther  in. 
formation  you  send  us  respecting  this  mailer.  Pawson  and  Leafs. 
Shareholder  (Bristol). -The  company  is  doing  a  little  better  again,  but 
the  amalgamation  was  a  mistake,  arrd  {he  management  is  too  expensive. 


368 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1895. 


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The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead 
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Testimonials  one  stamp, 


January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


369 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Mr.  Sampson's  Convert.    By  B.  A.  Clarke.    Illustrated  by  W. 


Dew  ah   353 

In  a  "Second  Smoking"   358 

Napoleon,  according  to  Dumas   359 

Feminine  Affairs   360 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    363 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller   3C4 

How  to  be  Presented   3C5 

In  the  City   366 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J   369 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   S73 

Club  Chatter— Solo  Whist,  by  A.  S.  Wilks   £74 

The  Bed  Cockade.  By  Stanley  J.  YVeyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville   £77 

Working  Class  Women  in  Constantinople   382 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


One  can  find  little  to  disagree  with  in  Lord 
Rosebery's  remarks  upon  Welsh  disestablishment. 
The  distinction  his  lordship  drew  between  a  Church  and 
an  Establishment  was  perfectly  just.  The  two  things 
are  utterly  and  entirely  distinct,  and  any  Church  must 
suffer  from  its  religious  side,-  by  legal  connection  with 
the  State.  No  State  can  be  Christian.  Christ  felt  tins 
when  he  answered,  "  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things 
which  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things  which  are 
God's."  A  State  with  its  armies  and  its  fleets,  its 
prisons  and  its  police,  its  diplomacy  and  its  policy,  can 
have  nothing  to  do  with  Christianity,  and  any  attempt 
to  run  the  two  together  can  only  result,  and  has  only 
resulted  in  what  Lord  Rosebery  very  properly  defined 
as  hypocrisy  and  sham.  Christianity,  when  it  is 
degraded  into  the  tool  of  a  party,  has  never  been  any- 
thing else  than  a  curse  to  humanity.  In  such  con- 
nection it  has  produced  nothing  more  worthy  than  the 
turbulence  of  Roman  mobs,  the  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  the  Spanish  Inquisition,  and  the  fires  of 
Smithfield.  Christianity  has  been  the  blessing  it  was 
intended  to  be  only  when  it  has  confined  itself  to  its 
true  mission,  as  plainly  laid  down  by  its  Founder,  and 
appealed  to  the  inner  life  of  the  individual.  A 
Christian  State  and  a  State  Christianity  is  a  lie  in 
terms.  There  can  be  no  honest  traffic  between  the 
two. 

Let  the  Welsh  Church  be  disestablished  by  all  meanr. 
To  identify  the  Government  with  a  religious  dogma 
opposed  by  the  majority  of  the  populace  is  ridiculous, 
even  from  the  political  point  of  view ;  and  even  in 
England,  where  the  great  mass  of  the  people  are  un- 
doubtedly Anglican,  the  Church  of  England  will  gain 
by  the  disestablishment  that  is  preparing.  But  when 
Lord  Rosebery  talks  about  dealing  with  the  Church 
funds  he  treads  upon  more  debatable  ground.  There  is 
something  unpleasantly  sordid  in  this  apparent  desire 
on  the  part  of  the  Dissenters  to  dip  their  hands  into  the 
pockets  of  the  Church.  It  drags  the  whole  argument 
down  to  the  level  of  a  City  scandal.  It  is  a  contention, 
not  of  principle,  but  of  greed.  Lord  Rosebery  appeals 
to  historical  precedent.     Does  he  think  that  Henry 


VIII's  government  gained  any  particular  lustre  from 
that  monarch's  discreditable  robbery  and  spoliation  of 
the  Romish  Church  1 

And  does  he  think  that  England  as  a  nation 
benefited  by  the  funds  collected  for  religious  and 
charitable  purposes  being  distributed  among  pan- 
derers  and  courtiers  ?  It  would  seem  as  if  Lord 
Rosebery  were  so  enamoured  of  the  example,  that 
he  thinks  the  Church  funds  of  to-day  might  be  em- 
ployed for  a  similar  purpose — to  bribe  the  electorate 
and  buy  their  votes,  for  that  is  what  it  comes  to  in 
plain  language.  Does  Lord  Rosebery  think  that  France 
gained,  either  from  the  religious  or  from  the  temporal 
point  of  view,in  robbing  herChurch  in  1789?  Historians 
as  a  body  have  held  otherwise.  Let  the  disestablishers 
cleanse  from  their  banner  the  motto,  "  The  spoils  to 
the  victor."  They  may  lose  a  good  many  followers ; 
the  remnant  may  go  forward  with  somewhat  less 
enthusiasm,  but  the  victory,  when  it  comes,  will  be 
cleanly  purchased  and  the  result  more  lasting. 

The  following  letter  puts  the  character  of  the  New 
Brighton  "  Ham-and-Egg  Parade  "  beyond  question  : — 

"  Sir- -As  clerk  to  F.  W.  Gibb,  C.B.,  Q.C.,  I  have 
attended  the  Assizes  at  Liverpool  for  the  past  25  years, 
and  during  the  greater  part  of  this  period  I  stayed  at 
New  Brighton.  I  am,  therefore,  qualified  to  substantiate 
the  statement  of  your  Manchester  correspondent  as  to 
the  character  of  the  refreshment  houses  on  '  Ham-and- 
Egg  Terrace  ' ;  and,  further,  if  it  were  necessary,  I  could 
bring  dozens  of  witnesses  to  prove  open  solicitation  for  im- 
moral purposes  by  the  female  attendants  at  them.  This  is 
not  my  sole  purpose  in  writing,  for  I  wish  to  point  out  to 
you  thatyour  assumptionthat  the  Liverpool  police  are  re- 
sponsible is  incorrect.  New  Brighton  is  on  the  Cheshire 
side  of  the  Mersey,  and  therefore  comes  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Cheshire  County  Constabulary.  I  feel  sure 
you  do  not  wish  to  place  blame  on  the  wrong  shoulders. 
— I  am,  Sir,  yours  faithfully,  Robt.  Geo.  Coveney." 
I  have  already  corrected  my  error  in  assuming  that 
it  was  the  Liverpool  police  who  were  responsible  for  the 
government  of  New  Brighton.  The  truth  is,  that  Liver- 
pool has  made  itself  so  busy  of  late  in  looking  after  the 
morals  of  London  and  other  places,  which  must,  to  a 
certain  extent,  be  out  of  its  way,  that  one  naturally 
assumes  that  it  would  have  interfered  in  a  place  so  near 
home. 

Another  correspondent,  writing  from  the  Liverpool 
Junior  Reform  Club,  says  : — "  I  have  read  with  some 
degree  of  interest  your  remarks  as  to  the  conduct  of  the 
houses  on  the  above,  more  familiarly  known  as  'The 
Plam-and-Egg  Terrace,'  and  am  somewhat  surprised  that 
any  Liverpool  correspondent  should  attempt  to  dis- 
guise the  fact  that  this  one  black  spot  in  New  Brighton 
is  any  other  than  a  disgrace  to  a  respectable  community. 
It  is  almost  impossible  for  any  young  man  to  walk 
along  this  place  at  any  time  of  the  day  without  being- 
accosted  in  some  objectionable  or  filthy  manner  by  one 
or  other  of  the  many  women  employed  at  these  houses. 
Many  and  many  a  time  have  I  seen  them  throwing  their 
aims  about  young  men,  addressing  them  in  the  most 
familiar  and  endearing  terms,  almost  dragging  them  into 
their  rooms,  and  exhibiting  generally  in  a  marked 
degree  the  object  of  their  attentions." 


370 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1895. 


These  two  letters  are  merely  samples.  Many  others 
have  reached  me,  all  to  the  same  purpose.  My  own 
experiences  left  me  no  doubt  whatever  as  to  the  character 
A  the  invitations  that  were  personally  addressed  to 
myself.  I  am  acquainted  with  Kew  Gardens,  and  I  am 
acquainted  with  Rosherville.  I  know  the  objectionable 
importunity  of  the  genuine  tea-house  tout;  but  if  tea 
were  the  only  inducement  meant  to  be  held  out  to  me 
by  these  New  Brighton  syrens,  then  I  am  strangely 
ignorant  of  the  ways  of  this  wicked  world.  On  the 
other  side  I  should  mention  that  I  have  received  an 
evidently  well-intentioned  letter  from  a  public  man  in 
Wallasey,  assuring  me  that  I  am  libelling  New 
Brighton  and  informing  me  that  I  have  been  shamefully 
misled.  I  fancy  my  correspondent's  natural  enthusiasm 
for  the  good  report  of  his  local  habitation  must  rather 
have  misled  him.  The  evidence  that  has  come  to  my 
hand  has  really  placed  the  matter  beyond  argument, 
and  it  is  for  the  Wallasey  authorities  now  to  take  up 
the  inquiry  for  themselves.  The  whole  business  is  so 
disgracefully  open  that  it  could  not  be  much  trouble  to 
investigate. 

Mr.  J.  W.  Benn,  of  the  London  County  Council,  has 
been  in  America,  and  is  naturally  and  praiseworthily  in- 
dignant with  its  municipal  arrangements ;  and  he  lays 
his  finger  on  the  chief  blot  when  he  says,  "  We  saw 
policemen,  firemen,  scavengers,  gaolers,  and  even  men 
engaged  on  building  a  sewer,  who  were  all  liable  to  be 
discharged  on  any  swing  of  the  political  pendulum.  The 
efficiency  of  public  work  is  constantly  sacrificed  on  the 
altar  of  this  abominable  sjwils  system,  and  an  army  of 
crime-breedingcriminalscreated  "  (Mr.  Benn  has  evidently 
been  studying  alliteration  from  the  sub-editor  of  the 
Morning  Advertiser  ;  but  his  good  sense  renin  ins  excel- 
lent) "  which  is  a  standing  menace  to  the  safety  and 
purity  of  American  society."  Now  will  Mr.  Benn  ex- 
plain to  me  why  the  same  thing  exactly  should  not  happen 
were  the  Progressive  party  on  the  Council  given  its 
point,  and  the  Council  allowed  to  become  a  vast  em- 
ployer of  labour  throughout  London  ?  The  Progressive 
party  desires  to  be  master  of  an  army  of  a  quarter  of  a 
million  workers,  "policemen,  firemen,  scavengers,  gaolers, 
men  engaged  on  building ; "  in  fact,  all  the  workers 
required  to  serve  the  community,  every  one  of  whom 
would  possess  a  vote  for  the  County  Council.  Can  Mr. 
Benn  assure  me  that  the  members  of  the  London  County 
Council  are  so  superior  to  their  fellow-beings  in  America, 
and  in  every  other  civilised  community,  as  never  to 
make  a  bargain  with  these  electors  ? 

To  take  over  all  the  matters  that  the  Progressive 
party  on  the  County  Council  considers  to  be  its  peculiar 
business,  millions  a  year  would  have  to  be  handled  by 
them.  Half  the  building  operations  of  London  would 
be  in  their  hands  ;  the  tram  lines  and  the  railways,  the 
omnibuses  and  the  cabs ;  the  gas  factories  and  the 
electric  light  stations ;  the  steamboats  and  the  docks  ; 
the  parks  and  the  streets.  Would  no  gang  of 
"  boodlers "  arise  in  London,  as  they  have  arisen  in 
every  town  throughout  America,  to  line  their  pockets 
by  robbing  the  ratepayers,  and  secure  their  continuance 
in  office  by  bribing  the  electorate  with  high  wages  at 
the  expense  of  the  public  purse  1  Our  own  County 
Council  has  only  been  in  existence  six  years,  and  already 
two  members  of  the  party  that  is  clamouring  to  handle 


these  enormous  sums  of  money  have  been  convicted  ot 
petty  theft.  What  hope  have  we  when  the  opportunity 
for  swindling  is  to  be  counted  by  millions  of  pounds, 
instead  of  bundles  of  halfpence,  that  our  masters,  drawn 
from  the  same  class,  will  prove  themselves  above  tempta- 
tion ?  I  am  no  believer  in  the  perfection  of  human 
nature,  and  human  nature  in  a  body  is  always  ten  times 
worse  than  human  nature  taken  singly.  The  city  sharks 
of  Chicago  are  not  one  whit  worse  than  the  average  citizen 
of  London  or  of  any  other  town.  They  like  money; 
we  all  do.  The  opportunity  is  made  easy  to  them 
to  enrich  themselves  without  danger,  and  they  naturally 
fall.  I  would  not  trust  a  council  of  archangels  with 
these  vast  sums,  and  at  the  same  time,  by  the  electoral 
machinery,  give  them  the  power  to  make  the  majority 
of  the  voters  interested  in  glossing  over  their  mal* 
appropriations  and  maintaining  them  in  a  position  where 
they  could  diddle  the  public  with  impunity ;  and  where 
I  would  not  trust  archangels  I  would  not  trust  County 
Councillors — though,  I  daresay,  the  Radical  papers  will 
be  offended  at  the  analogy. 

The  meeting  of  the  Church  of  England  Temperance 
Society,  at  Newcastle,  affords  an  interesting  comment 
upon  the  disinclination  of  the  teetotal  faddists  ever  to 
listen  to  any  argument  other  than  their  own  foolish 
yelling.  What  was  called  a  public  demonstration  was 
announced  to  be  held  on  the  subject  of  licensing  reform, 
under  the  presidency  of  the  Bishop  of  Newcastle. 
Immediately  on  the  chairman  taking  his  seat  a  Mr. 
Wynell-Mayow  rose  to  ask  a  question.  The  following 
is  from  the  Newcastle  Evening  Chronicle : — 

My  Lord  Chairman,  will  you  allow  me  to  ask  you  a  ques- 
tion ?  (Cries  of  "  Chair  !  "  and  "Sit  down!")  My  Lord 
Chairman,  will  you  permit  me  to  ask  you  a  question  ? 
(Disorder.)  You  call  this  a  public  demonstration? 
(Disorder.)  I  claim  the  right,  as  a  member  of  the  public,  to 
ask  a  question  in  a  public  demonstration. 

While  Mr.  Wynell-Mayow  had  been  speaking,  there  was  a 
loud  and  continual  chorus  of  b'ooing,  and  only  by  shouting 
was  he  able  to  make  his  words  audible. 

The  meeting  was  now  unanimous  in  booing  at  Mr.  Wynell- 
Mayow,  and  the  Rev.  E.  Sidney  Savage  and  others  ap- 
proached him,  and  appeared  to  be  remonstrating  with  him. 
They   seized  him  roughly  by  the  coat  collar  and  other 
parts  of  his  clothing,  and  hustled  him  towards  the  exit. 
Mr.  Wynell-Mayow  struggled  and  fell,  but  was  pulled  up 
again,  and  ejected  from  the  meeting. 
The   Rev.   Sidney  Savage  seems   to    have  been  an 
aptly-named  leader  of  such  an  argument.    One  is  re- 
minded by  this  meeting  of  the  attempt  of  the  licensed 
victuallers  some  two  years  ago  to  hold  a  public  meeting 
in    Trafalgar    Square,    which    was    defeated    by  the 
organised  rowdyism  of   Sir  Wilfrid   Lawson's  trained 
bands  ;  and  these  be  the  folk  clamouring  that  the  whole 
drink  question  should  be  settled  by  "  the  voice  of  the 
people." 

Last  week  I  spoke  of  the  mistakes  in  our  method 
with  the  criminal.  Ssvcral  correspondents  have  written 
to  ask  me  why  I  did  not  suggest  the  remedies.  Wei!, 
my  space  was  limited  ;  this  week,  though  one  cannot  re- 
form the  penal  system  in  four  paragraphs,  I  will  say 
something  of  the  lines  on  which  we  should  proceed,  and 
some  of  the  changes  that  we  might  make.  The  criminal 
ii  best  prevented  from  committing  offences  against 
society,  not  by  vindictive  punishment — the  punishment 
that  makes  an  "example"  of  him,  but  by  reformative 
treatment.  In  devising  this  treatment,  one  must  guard 
against  excessive  leniency.  There  must  be  no  weak- 
ness.   We  must  guard  equally  against  "the  other  ex- 


January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


371 


treme — excessive  severity.  The  use  of  the  lash,  for  in- 
stance, effective  though  it  may  be  in  some  cases,  tend  s 
an  the  whole  to  brutalize,  which  is  the  very  opposite  of 
what  we  want ;  a  third  point  to  notice  is  that  the  younger 
the  criminal  the  more  effective  will  reformative  treat- 
ment be.  There  will  always  be  a  percentage  of  habitual 
criminals  for  whom  no  system  can  do  anything.  And, 
lastly,  it  is  obvious  that,  the  reform  of  our  penal  system 
must  be  gradual,  and1,  at  first,  experimental. 

When  a  criminal  is  convicted,  he  is  then  sentenced. 
The  only  merit  that  I  can  see  in  that  system  is  that  it 
saves  time.  After  the  man  is  convicted,  but  before  he*  is 
sentenced,  he  should  be  made  the  subject  of  an  inquiry ; 
his  antecedents,  environment,  character  should  all  be 
taken  into  consideration.  The  First  Offenders  Act  is 
really  a  step  in  this  direction.  Two  men  may  commit 
precisely  the  same  crime  and  receive  precisely  the  same 
punishment ;  yet  the  guilt,  of  one  man  may  bei  much1 
greater  than  the  other,  and  the  punishment  may  be  really 
unjust.  Last  week  I  spoke  of  the  frequent  futility  of 
short  sentences  and  frequent  injustice'  of  long.  A  man 
sentenced  to'  seven  years  may  turn  out  to  be  really  fit 
to  be  released  in  one ;  it  may  be  certain  that  the  remain- 
ing six  years  will  do.  him  more  harm  than  good,  and. 
through  him  will  do  harm  to  society,  for  the  protection 
o:  which  the  sentence  was  passed.  After  the  inquiry  I 
mentioned  has  been  held,  let  the  judge  advise  a  sen- 
tence*— not  definitely  pass:  a  sentence — and  let 
it  be  in  the  power  of  the  authorities  at  the 
prison — or,  as  I  should  prefer  to'  call  it,  reformatory 
— subsequently  to  modify  the  sentence  advised,  whenever 
in  their  opinion,  such  modification  is  needed. 

The  intellectually  defective  and  physically  defective 
are  accustomed  to  receive  individual  attention  from 
skilled  men.  But  the  present  system  of  treating  the 
morally  defective  is  almost  as  absurd  as  it  would  be  if 
every  patient  in  a,  hospital  were  given  exactly  thei  same 
medicine,  and  that  medicine  had  been  prescribed  by  a 
lawyer  and  made  up  by  a  commissionaire.  The  warders 
are  probably  good  enough  for  the  work  which  they  have 
to  do'  now ;  but  that,  work  by  no-  means  represents  the 
work  which  ought  to'  bei  done*.  We  shall  never  teach  the 
criminal  his  duty  to  society  merely  by  shutting  him  off 
from  society.  There  would  be  work  in  the  reformatories 
for  those  who  cared  to'  undertake  it,  and  they  would  have 
to  be  men  of  ethical  stability  and  intelligence,  firm  and 
sympathetic  ;  this  work  would  not  be  less  noble  than  the 
noble  work  which  is  performed  by  doctors  and  nurses. 
They  would  do  their  best  to  keep  alive  in  the  criminal 
that  self-respect  without  which  there  can  be  no  improve^ 
ment ;  let  a  man  be  ashamed  of  going  into  a  prison,  if 
you  will ;  but  if  you  want  him  to  do  anything  in  the 
world,  make  it  the  business  of  the  prison  to  give  him 
back  his  self-respect. 

Convicts  should  work  harder  than  they  do  now,  but 
they  should  be  given  an  interest  in  the  work  itself  and  its 
results.  The  use  of  military  drill  and  discipline  might 
be  tried ;  it  would  help  to  give  that  regularity  and  obedi- 
ence vhich  are  rarely  found  in  the  criminal ;  and  it  would 
be  no  hard  thing  if  the  disgraced  man,  who  once  called 
himself  a  gentleman,  had  a  chance  of  redeeming  his 
character  on  active  service.  The  question  of  moral 
insanity  should  be  fully  dealt  with  by  men  of  science  ; 


the  disease^  should  be:  treated  as  a  disease,  instead  of 
being  punished  as  a  crime,  and  the  present  legal  defini- 
tion of  insanity  in  criminal  cases  should  be  revised.  Side 
by  side  with  a  more  reasonable  treatment  of  the  criminal 
we  should  have  more  reasonable  methods  adopted  for  the 
prevention  of  crime1.  The  children  of  habitual  criminals 
should  be  taken  out  of  the  control  of  their  parents,  and 
their  environment  arranged  to  counterbalance  bad  he- 
reditary tendencies.  The  dangers  from  excessive  drink- 
ing should  bei  counteracted  by  the  teaching  of  self-control 
and  self-respect,  rather  than  the  nervous  cowardice  of 
the  total  abstainer.  The  workhouse  should  be  made 
more  comfortable  than  the  prison ;  and!  the  words 
"  prison"  and  "  workhouse,"  with  their  fatal  and  paralys- 
ing effects,  should  be  banished  from  the  language.  I 
have  only  space  to  give  hints.  Some  of  them,  as  I  will 
show  next  week,  have  already  been  tried. 

The  Little  Englanders  are  indignant  with  Mr.  Cecil 
Rhodes.  It  is  the  indignation  of  the  frog  at  the  absurd 
and  ostentatious  size  of  the  ox.  To  the  man  with  small 
ideas  and  a  mind  cast  in  a  small  mould,  the  mere 
existence  of  larger  sentiments  becomes  an  insult.  Men 
of  the  Laboucherean  stamp  are  quite  unable  to  see 
beyond  their  own  age,  nor  are  their  sympathies  with 
humanity  wide  enough  to  care  for  what  comes  after 
the  generation  in  which  they  have  their  little  being. 
The  expansion  of  an  empire,  the  opening  up  of 
new  paths  for  human  enterprise  and  industry  in 
the  future  seem  meaningless  to  them.  They 
are  hardly  able  to  grasp  the  idea  that  the  human 
race  will  be  marching  forward  when  they  and  the  little 
questions  that  seem  so  great  to  them  are  laid  in  the 
dust  of  the  past.  The  Daily  Chronicle  indignantly 
wants  to  know  what  benefit  this  opening  up  of  Africa 
is  to  the  worker  in  Whitechapel  of  to-day.  The  Daily 
Chronicle,  had  it  existed  a  few  hundred  years  ago,  would 
have  asked  the  same  question  of  Christopher  Columbus, 
of  Frobisher  and  Drake,  of  Clive  and  Warren  Hastings. 
I  suppose  there  were  Roman  citizens  who  indignantly 
wanted  to  know  what  Julius  Cpesar  meant  by 
risking  the  Roman  legions  in  a  dangerous 
expedition  against  an  unknown  island  north  of 
Gaul.  But  humanity  marches  under  orders  that  do  not 
come  from  either  newspaper  offices  or  parish  hustings  ; 
and  when  the  work  is  wanted  to  be  done,  men  of  the 
Rhodes  stamp  will  be  sent  to  do  it,  without  permission 
being  obtained  even  from  the  almighty  journalist. 

The  other  day  a  man  knocked  a  woman  down.  She 
was  carrying  a  saucepan  of  boiling  water  at  the  time  ; 
her  head  was  cut,  and  she  was  badly  scalded.  When 
the  case  came  on  at  the  North  London  Police-court  last 
week,  the  man  expressed  his  regret,  and  offered  to 
become  a  teetotaler,  and  marry  the  woman.  I 
am  not  in  the  least  surprised  at  that,  but 
it  is  startling  to  read  that  the  woman  was 
perfectly  willing  to  accept  these  terms.  It 
seems  to  me  to  be  carrying  courage  far 
beyond  the  point  where  it  could  be  suitably  acknow- 
ledged by  a  remittance  from  the  Pluck  Fund  ;  in  fact, 
it  may  be  said  to  be  not  so  much  pluck  as  foolhardiness. 
Besides,  though  the  New  Woman  may  have  a  very  low 
opinion  of  marriage,  one  would  hardly  like  to  see  the 
institution  substituted  in  the  police-courts  for  the  more 
usual  fine  or  imorisonment. 


372 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1895. 


I  am  sending  two  guineas  from  the  Gallantry  Fund  to 
Police-constable  Harvey,  who  risked  his  life  in  attempt- 
ing to  save  a  man  and  a  lad  from  drowning  in  the  canal  at 
Leicester  while  skating.  Many  correspondents,  writing 
to  the  Leicester  papers  on  the  subject,  observe  that  they 
wish  there  were  some  fund  to  mark  their  appreciation  of 
such  gallant  conduct.  I  wish  they  would  remember 
that  there  is  such  a  fund,  and  that  it  is  greatly  in  need 
of  subscriptions.  Some  editors,  I  know,  are  generous 
enough  in  a  good  cause  even  to  advertise  another 
paper;  and  perhaps  some  of  the  Leicester  journals  who 
publish  these  letters  might  in  a  short  note  draw  the 
attention  of  their  readers  to  my  scheme.  I  am  also 
sending  a  Bronze  Medal  to  Mr.  H.  Thompson,  the  cor- 
respondent of  the  Northern  Echo,  who  went  to  the 
assistance  of  a  lad  who  had  disappeared  through  thin 
ice  on  the  Tees,  near  Walsall.  It  requires  a  good  deal 
of  courage  to  venture  upon  ice  which  one  has  just  seen 
give  way  beneath  a  previous  skater.  Mr.  H.  Thompson 
is  happily  in  a  position  to  render  pecuniary  aid  need- 
less. I  thank  the  editor  of  the  Middlesborough 
Falcon  for  drawing  my  attention  to  this  case.  I  am 
also  inquiring  into  a  case  where  three  young  fellows  at 
Monaghan  railway  station  rescued  a  drunken  man  from 
the  metals  before  an  approaching  train,  at,  I  am  in- 
formed, much  personal  risk  to  themselves.  The  fol- 
lowing subscriptions  have  been  received  since  last 
week  :  W.  J.  Dart,  2s.  Gd.  ;  Jas.  Blakiston,  5s.  ;  "  An 
Annual  Subscriber,"  5s.  ;  A.  Villar,  jun.,  2s.  6d. ; 
F.  J.  Dale,  2s.  6d. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

W.H.T. — Sec.  33  of  the  Act  is  not  an  adoptive  one  ;  but  under  it 
you  may  make  application  to  the  Local  Government  Board  for 
pow  er  to  appoint  Overseers  and  Assistant  Overseers.  The  Board 
may  grant  or  refuse  your  application  as  they  think  fit.  If  an  order 
is  made  granting  the  application,  it  will  contain  all  necessary 
provisions  as  to  what  course  is  to  be  pursued  with  regard  to 
existing  officers. 

J.  N.  (Manchester). — Please  thank  "Jo"  for  her  exceed- 
ingly pretty  and  artistic  card.  I  will  certainly  keep  a  most 
prominent  corner  for  it.  W.  F. — The  story  you  send  me,  cut 
from  Short  Stories,  is  a  gross  plagiarism  of  one  of  the  tales  in 
"In  the  Midst  of  Life,"  by  A.  Bierce.  In  fact,  it  is  taken 
bodily  and  hacked  about.  J.  H.  W.  (Leeds). — Are  not  you 
connected  yourself  with  an  insurance  office  ?  If  so,  your  remarks 
must  of  a  necessity  be  prejudiced,  and  your  argument  to  a 
great  extent  valueless. 

A.  M. — If  your  letter  represents  your  own  real  feelings  not  in 
the  least  coloured  by  your  imagination,  and  your  brother-in-law 
feels  all  for  you  that  you  say,  I  do  not  think  I  can  give  you 
better  advice  than  to  marry  him  in  spite  of  the  law.  You  could 
be  married  abroad,  and  even  in  England  many  such  menages 
exist.  Morally  your  marriage  would  be  above  reproach,  and  the 
legal  question  need  only  enter  into  your  consideration  in  the  case 
of  money  being  left  to  the  children.  T.  H.  W.  tells  me  that  the 
Wallasey  bench  of  magistrates,  responsible  for  the  condition 
of  New  Brighton,  ate  a  set  of  rabid  teetotallers  who  insist  upon 
the  police  under  their  control  devoting  their  whole  time  and 
attention  to  getting  up  cases  against  publicans,  and  that,  in  con- 
sequence, they  have  no  time  to  attend  to  thair  proper  duties. 
H.  D. — Thank  you  for  your  letter  and  enclosure.  You  will 
understand  that  it  would  not  be  etiquette  for  me  to  express  an 
opinion  ou  the  matter  you  mention.  Printers'  Ink. — Bee 
answer  to  T.  H.  W.  ;  I  thank  you  for  your  information. 

J.  D.  A.  has  been  swindled  by  a  man  who  advertised  ferrets 
for  sale.  He  sent  eight  shillings  for  two,  and  has  never  got  the 
ferrets.  Personally  I  would  give  a  shilling  apiece  to  get  rid  of  any 
ferrets  if  I  had  some,  but  my  correspondent  seems  anxious  for 
them,  and  I  sympathize  with  him.  It  is  very  unsafe  to  purchase 
through  the  post  in  this  way  except  where  the  advertiser  is 
known.  W.  F.  S. — I  thank  you  for  cuttings,  but  I  do  not  know 
enough  about  the  circumstances  to  comment  upon  the  case. 
J.  B.— Thanks  for  your  information  about  New  Brighton.  R. 
J.  A.  (Kendal).— I  thank  you  greatly  for  your  excellent  assist- 
ance.   The  date  is  the  24th  of  this  month. 

E.  S.  writes  me  from  Sydney,  New  South  Wales,  to  tell  me  a 
story  of  pluck.  A  lad  named  Horace  Georgo  Hewison  was 
attacked  by  a  large  shark  while  bathing.    The  monster— about 


twelve  feet  long — began  by  gripping  the  boy's  right  arm.  Without 
losing  his  presence  of  mind  young  Hewison  fought  bravely  with  his 
left  hand,  and  at  the  same  time  shouted  for  assistance.  Meanwhile 
Hewison's  brother  Hereward,  aged  seventeen,  swam  to  his  assist- 
ance, and  catching  him  round  the  body  prevented  the  shark 
from  drawing  him  out  to  sea.  The  fight  ended  by  the  shark 
snapping  oft'  the  arm  at  the  elbow,  and  making  off  with  it. 
Hereward  then  carried  his  unfortunate  brother  to  shore,  and 
had  him  conve3'ed  to  the  hospital,  where  the  arm  had  to  be 
further  amputated  at  the  shoulder.  I  am  glad  to  be  informed 
that  Hewison's  fellow  townsmen  took  the  matter  up,  and 
raised  a  prompt  and  handsome  subscription,  amounting  to  a  sum 
rendering  it  needless  for  To-Day  to  add  its  assistance.  1  would, 
however,  be  delighted  to  send  one  of  our  silver  Pluck  medals 
to  young  Hereward.  Perhaps  the  Mayor  of  Newcastle,  N.S.W. 
— near  which  town  the  accident  happened — would  receive  and 
present  it  on  our  behalf.  E.  S. — Our  accident  insurance  applies 
to  Australian  annual  subscribers  by  the  payment  of  one  shilling 
exVra. 

J.  T.  G.  (Birmingham). — I  drew  attention  to  the  matter  in 
a  former  number  of  To-Day.  If  you  could  give  me  more  par- 
ticulars I  would  see  if  it  is  a  case  for  public  comment  or  not. 

T.  B. — Religion  has  got  to  be  a  business  all  over  the  world, 
and,  generally  speaking,  a  very  well  paid  one.  One  of  the 
great  arguments  in  favour  of  disestablishment  is  that  Churchmen 
get  more  social  influence  and  more  money  than  their  Non- 
conformist brethren.  The  Church  party  wish  to  retain  their 
privileges.    It  is  a  petty  argument  on  both  sides. 

T.  B.  G. — My  sympathies  are  rather  with  the  objectors. 
£115  is  a  good  price  to  pay  for  a  book,  and  needs  looking  into. 

Contented,  in  a  charming  letter,  rebuking  the  many 
kind  correspondents  who  wish  to  run  this  paper  for  us,  says : 
"  You  give  your  subscribers  the  best  twopennyworth  of  amuse- 
ment and  sound  common-sense  published,  and  I  am  sure  the 
vast  majority  of  them  would  be  sorry  if  any  attention  was 
paid  to  faddists."  E.  Y.,  another  subscriber,  says:  "I  should 
like  to  say  I  have  taken  every  number  from  the  very  first  and 
like  it  more  and  more.  There  is  no  part  I  should  like  left  out, 
and,  as  to  advertisements,  I  am  so  delighted  to  see  them  on  the 
increase.  Why,  we  in  the  country  would  miss  many  and  many  a 
thing  were  they  not  put  before  us  by  advertisement.  But  I  am 
well  aware  that  it  would  be  quite  impossible  to  write  to  please 
some  folks,  especially  those  with  a  little  knowledge.  If  an 
article  gives  me  no  pleasure  I  simply  leave  it,  knowing  full 
well  it  will  just  suit  some  minds.  How  you  can  sell  it  for  so 
modest  a  sum  is  beyond  me.  Wishing  you  the  success  you  so 
well  deserve,"  etc. 

Remorse. — Give  yourself  plenty  to  think  about,  and  take  all 
the  exercise  you  can.  Don't  dwell  on  the  subject.  A  busy  brain 
and  body  make  the  best  cure  for  a  morbid  mind.  As  to  your  pre- 
sent trouble  that  is  common  enough  with  men  of  your  age  (even 
with  those  who  have  led  the  purest  lives),  and  is  a  matter  that 
you  need  not  hesitate  for  a  moment  to  speak  to  any  doctor 
about. 

Frigid.— Apply  to  the  secretary  of  the  company,  1,  Lime 
Street,  E.C. 

T.  W. —  I  found  your  kind  letter  most  delightful  reading. 
F.  L. — The  spelling  is  certainly  primitive. 
F.  M. — Thanks  for  your  friendly  letter. 

M.  wishes  me  to  advise  young  men  to  provide  against  sick- 
ness by  joining  some  provident  club.  He  also  hopes  that  the 
Jarvis  case  will  be  heard  of  when  Parliament  meets.  J.  de  M. 
sends  me  the  following  advertisement  which  appeared  in  the 
Daily  Telegraph:  "Man  and  Wife,  who  are  on  the  Lord's 
side,  without  children,  require  a  Place  of  Trust."  M.  D. — 
Your  enclosure  is  delightfully  amusing.  No  doubt  the  letters 
S.P.Q.R.  greatly  impress  the  small  child  who  has  bought  his 
ha'porth  of  sweets. 

F.  P. — Thanks  for  your  kind  inquiries.  To-Day  progresses 
steadily  from  a  circulation  point  of  view,  but  we  should  prefer 
to  see  it  going  up  by  thousands  a  week  instead  of  hundreds. 
But  then  they  say  "  slow  growth,  long  life."  I  am  delighted  with 
the  use  you  made  of  the  pars. 

Pater  asks,  "Can  a  French  girl  under  age  marry  without 
consent  of  parents  ?  "  No.  "  De  cs  she  attain  her  majority  only 
at  twenty-one  ?  "  Yes.  "  What  preliminary  notice  has  to  be 
given  by  contracting  parties?"  The  consent  of  the  parents, 
and  the  publication  of  the  banns  at  the  residences  of  the 
parents  and  the  contracting  parties.  "How  is  the  legal 
marriage  carried  out?"  At  the  office  of  the  mayor,  by  the 
mayor.  "  In  the  presence  of  what  witnesses  ?  "  Four  witnesses, 
two  for  each  contracting  party.  "Is  a  certificate  granted?" 
The  deed  is  recorded  in  a  register.  "  Is  the  religious  marriage 
by  itself  invalid  ?"  Yes,  in  the  eye  of  the  French  law,  but  Dot 
iii  the  eye  of  the  English  law  if  the  ceremony  ia  performed  with 
the  Church  of  England  -service.  "An  Englishman  of  age 
marries  a  French  girl  under  age  in  Paris  ;  what  are  the  fewest 
formalities  through  which  he  must  go  to  enable  his  children  to 
inherit  property  in  England  ?  "  If  English  people  get  married 
in  France,  they  must  submit  to  all  the  formalities  of  the 
French  law. 

Sutral  answers  art  unavoidably  crwdtd  out  this  wtsk. 


January  26,  1865.' 


TO-DAY. 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  Dear  Dick, — On  Saturday  night  I  wont  to  t!ie 
Trafalgar  and  sa  w  The  Taboo. 

The  title  of  this  mournful  work  is  its  own  criticism. 
Early  in  the  evening  there  was  a  lot  of  trouble  in  the 
gallery,  but  I  couldn't  quite  understand  why.  Some 
said  the  "  no  fee  "  agitation  had  suddenly  taken  a  fresh 
lease  of  life  ;  others  asserted  that  there  were  no  pro- 
grammes to  be  obtained  in  the  gallery  at  all.  The 
distribution  of  a  number  of  programmes  before  the 
curtain  rose  induced,  if  not  peace,  at  least  comparative 
good  temper,  and  loud  applause  greeted  anything  worth 
hearing — like  Miss  St.Quintin's  delightfully  sung  ballad, 
for  instance  ;  while  a  little  mild  chaff  and  uproarious 
laughter  were  reserved  for  those  scenes  and  situations 
which  were  most  conspicuously  feeble  and  inane. 
Seeing  that  a  lady  was  concerned,  I  think  the  gods  might 
have  abandoned  their  practical  joke  with  regard  to 
calling  for  author  and  composer,  two  deluded  persons  who 
reluctantly  yielded  to  bad  advice  behind  the  curtain,  and 
so  submitted  themselves,  before  it,  to  a  veritable  Niagara 
of  execration.  Mr.  Carnes  is  a  man,  and  if  he  likes  to 
come  and  be  howled  at  that  is  entirely  his  own  affair. 
But  when  a  lady  like  Miss  Ethel  Harraden  is  making 
her  first  attempt,  it  would  have  been  more  generous, 
and  certainly  more  courteous,  had  silence  been  preserved 
while  she  was  on  the  stage.  Of  course  she  was  very 
foolish  to  dream  of  taking  a  "  call."  But  she  is  new  to 
the  fierce  traffic  of  first  nights,  and  she  was  unlucky  in 
striking  a  period  when  the  "  call  "  question  was  being 
rather  angrily  debated. 

As  a  fact,  the  position  of  an  author  on  a  first  night, 
when  the  last  curtain  has  fallen,  is  both  distracting 
and  perplexing.  He  is  generally  much  too  confused 
and  perturbed  to  know  whether  his  play  is  a  success  or 
not.  He  does  not  want  to  offend  or  annoy  anybody 
by  coming  before  the  curtain  unless  he  is  wanted. 
On  the  other  hand  his  manager  is  sure  to  say, 
"  Go  on,  my  boy ;  it's  all  right,  take  your  call  ! "  For 
the  manager  knows  that  it  will  look  well  in 
the  papers  to  see  it  stated  that  "  the  author 
was  called  before  the  curtain  and  loudly  applauded." 
As  a  consequence  an  author  occasionally  gets  offered  up 
as  a  sacrifice  to  the  stern  justice  of  the  pit  and  gallery. 
The  amount  of  labour  and  anxiety  involved  in  writing 
and  producing  a  play  is  so  great  that  I  cannot  see  why 
the  pit  and  gallery  should  grudge  the  author  the  small 
satisfaction — if  it  is  a  satisfaction — of  standing  for  a 
dozen  seconds  before  the  curtain.  But  as  under  certain 
circumstances  they  do  object  to  such  a  course,  the  best 
thing  an  author  can  do  is  to  remain  in  discreet  seclusion 
unless  the  call  for  him  is  very  emphatic  and  unanimous. 
As  things  stand  to-day,  when  the  success  of  a  play  is 
doubtful  the  appearance  of  an  author  irritates  the 
audience,  and  the  very  last  thing  that  any  sensible 
author  desires  is  to  irritate  those  who  are  always 
most  ready  to  welcome  his  successful  efforts.  This 
is  the  root  of  the  matter.  Audiences  to-day^  are 
most  generous— indeed,  prodigal — of  applause,  and  they 
will  spontaneously  accord  overwhelming  ovations  to 
actors  and  authors  alike,  when  their  efforts  meet  with 
success.  It  is  for  this  reason  I  imagine  that  audiences 
resent  their  favour  being,  as  it  were,  presumed  upon. 
When  they  want  an  author  they  will  tell  him  so  plainly 
enough,  but  they  are  rather  inclined  to  treat  him  like  a 
naughty  child,  and  smack  him  for  asking  out  of  turn. 

A  question  is  being  stirred  up  just  now  which  is  quite 
as  important  to  authors  as  the  question  of  "  calls,"  and 
that  is  the  question  of  copyright. 

To  begin  with,  Morocco  Bound  is  about  to  be  played 
in  Belgium  and  Germany.  Mr.  F.  Harris  and  Mr.  A. 
H.  Chamberlyn  have  made  an  arrangement  with  Mr. 
Amberg,  whereby  they  undertake  to  find  the  company 


and  the  play.  Now  the  author,  composer,  and  Mr. 
Pierson,  who  claims  to  have  acquired  certain  rights  in 
the  play  for  everywhere,  object.  Mr.  Harris  and  Mr. 
Chamberlyn  say,  so  far  as  I  can  understand,  that  the 
copyright  law  does  not  protect  Morocco  Bound  in 
Belgium  and  Germany,  and  therefore  that  they  will 
play  the  piece,  whether  the  author  and  composer  like  it 
or  not.  They  will,  however,  voluntarily  pay  some  fees.  If 
the  author  and  composer  do  not  think  the  fees  sufficient 
and  will  not  accept  them,  then  Mr.  Harris  and  Mr. 
Chamberlyn  propose  to  hand  the  fees  to  an  English 
theatrical  charity. 

I  certainly  should  not  like  this.  I  should  equally  object 
to  anyone  taking  a  play  in  which  I  had  an  interest,  and 
giving  me  for  it — not  what  I  chose,  but  what  he  chose. 
If  the  law  does  permit  this  sort  of  thing  in  Belgium  and 
Germany,  it  is  high  time  that  authors  combined 
to  protect  themselves.  The  German  Emperor  has  a 
literary  turn  and  literary  sympathies.  I  feel  sure  that 
a  representation  made  to  him  by  the  British 
Ambassador  would  not  be  ineffectual ;  and,  being  a 
sovereign  of  promptness  and  resource,  His  Majesty 
would  take  very  effective  measures  to  protect  the 
property  of  English  subjects  within  his  dominions. 
Meantime,  something  in  the  nature  of  what  Mr. 
Gladstone  calls  "  exclusive  dealing,"  and  what  ordinary 
people  call  a  boycott,  might  be  developed  over  here. 

The  boycott  has  proved  a  most  valuable  instrument 
with  which  to  work  in  Africa.  The  Queen's  law 
prevails  in  Natal  and  the  Cape  Colony,  where  an 
English  author  can  protect  his  plays  as  easily  as  he  can 
at  home.  He  cannot  protect  them,  however,  as  yet,  in 
the  Transvail — wherein  is  situated  the  most  valuable 
theatrical  town,  Johannesberg — or  in  the  Orange  Free 
State.  But  it  is  not  worth  anyone's  while  to  play  in 
the  Transvaal  or  the  Free  State  alone.  So  a  nice  little 
system  has  been  established,  whereby  anyone  playing  a 
piece  and  not  voluntarily  paying  the  fees  required  in  the 
Transvaal  and  the  Free  State,  is  not  allowed  to  play  in 
the  Cape  Colony  or  Natal  at  all.  To  Mr.  Arthur 
Shirley,  the  well-known  writer  of  thrilling  melodramas, 
is  due  the  credit  for  having  at  last  put  a  stop  to  South. 
African  piracy.  His  agent  in  Africa,  Mr.  Albert 
Marsh,  has  fought  and  won  in  the  Law  Courts  a  case 
that  puts  the  rights  of  English  authors  on  the  firmes'o 
possible  basis.  Particulars  of  Mr.  Marsh's  agency  will 
shortly  be  published.  Numbers  of  well-known  author: 
have  already  placed  their  business  in  his  hands.  He  con- 
trols in  Africa,  and  it  is  infinitely  to  be  hoped  that  Mr. 
Marsh  will  receive  overhere  the  warmsupport  he  deserves. 

Don't  forget  the  annual  dinner  of  the  Playgoers' 
Club  on  Sunday,  the  27th.  George  Alexander  will  bo 
very  proper!  r  the  guest  of  the  evening,  for  playgoers 
owe  George  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude  for  his  indefati- 
gable efforts  in  the  cause  of  new,  vigorous,  and  always 
artistic  and  refined  drama.  I  am  looking  forward  very 
eagerly  to  his  speech.  Joseph  Knight,  that  most  good- 
natured,  kindly,  yet  keen  dramatic  critic,  will  respond 
for  the  toast  of  the  Press.  It  will  be  altogether  a 
record  evening ;  so  mind  you  are  in  town  for  it,  and  try 
to  get  a  seat  near  me. 

I  congratulate  the  people  who  are  running  Niagara 
as  a  real  ice  skating-rink  on  opening  on  Sundays.  Any- 
thing to  relieve  the  dulness  of  the  British  Sunday  is 
welcome.  But  I  cannot  stand  their  ice.  I  went  down 
on  Sunday  and  found  a  crowd  of  several  hundred,  which 
included  some  of  the  best  known  men  about  town.  But 
the  ice  was  absolutely  the  iciest  ice  I  have  ever  known. 
In  point  of  fact,  it  was  more  like  polished  marble  than 
anything  else.  Try  as  I  would  I  could  not  get  my 
skates  to  bite,  and  it  involved  just  the  same  amount  of 
balancing  as  is  necessary  for  roller  skating — really  it  is 
roller  skating  on  a  single  blade.  By  the  way,  they  have 
warmed  the  place  since  I  was  there  last,  and  now  it  is 
too  warm. 

Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 


374 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 

Solo  whist  is  based  upon  whist;  is  played  mainly 
upon  the  same  lines  and  principles  as  whist,  but  it  is 
not,  and  has  never  been  claimed  to  be,  the  whist  of  the 
Portland  Club.  A  variation  of  the  American  game  Boston, 
which,  with  certain  modifications,  is  played  in  Flanders 
as  Ghent  whist,  it  makes  its  appearance  here  in  a  still 
further  slightly  altered  form,  as  that  delightful  but  much 
vilified  compromise,  solo  whist.  Had  its  infancy  not 
been  nurtured  in  the  obscurity  of  one  or  two  private 
family-circles,  the  hatred,  ridicule,  and  contempt — as  the 
libsl  suits  put  it — with,  which  it  has  been  honoured  by 
the  conservative  adherents  of  classic  whist  would  long- 
ago  have  been  snuffed  out  of  existence'.  In  re- 
viewing a  recently  published  volume  on  whist,  in  which 
appears  a  rather  lengthy  treatise  on  solo,  one  writer 
refers  to  the  latter  game  as  "glorified  nap,"  another 
terms  it  "  a  bastard  fungoid  growth,"  and  a  third  dubs  it 
"  only  child's  play."  I  would  like  to  give  the  gentleman 
who  thinks  it  "  only  child's  play,"  an  opportunity  of 
testing  his  superiority  for  an  evening  with  three  old  solo 
whist  stagers  at  fairly  heavy  stakes,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
the  old  stagers  would  like  it  also. 


The  fact  is,  opinions:  such  as  these  are  passed  by  per- 
sons who  know  solo  whist  only  as  a  name,  who  have 
never  played  it,  and  who  resent  it  as  taking  liberties 
with  whist.  It  is  easy  to  detect  the  reviewers:  who  have 
a  practical  acquaintance  with  their  subject  by  the  cor- 
diality with  which  they  welcome  an  attempt  to  make  it 
popular. 


So  please  let  it  be  clearly  understood  that  solo  is  not 
whist ;  whistis  only  its  family  name.  Whist  is  classic 
drama,  ours  is  a  variety  entertainment,  and  one  much 
easier  to  follow,  much  more  lively,  and  certainly  much 
more  popular  than  its  solemn  and  scientific  relative. 
Not  but  what  solo  requires  brains,  indeed,  one  form  of 
it,  the  play  against  a  misere,  demands  as  much  strategy 
as  does  almost  any  phase  of  whist.  Solo  whist  players, 
however,  have  another  consolation — it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  find  anmong  them  the  incredible  incompetence 
Avhich  characterises  whist  play  at  nine  out  of  every  ten 
tables  in  middle-class  houses.  The  Bumblepuppy  family 
might  have  a  chance  if  they  went  in  for  solo,  but  at 
whist  they  are  hopeless.  On  another  occasion  I  shall 
point  out  where  solo  suffers  by  comparison  with  whist. 

By  the  way,  can  any  of  the  readers  of  To-Day  inform 
me  in  what  respect  Ghent  whist  differs  from  Boston  and 
solo  ?    I  have  never  been  able  to  get  quite  definite  de 
tails  of  the  points  at  variance,  and  I  should  be  obliged 
for  any  information  on  the  subject. 


_  The  new  method  of  exacting  penalties  for  irregulari- 
ties in  miseres  is  coming  very  generally  into  vogue,  and 
1  think  it  the  preferable  plan.  The  difference  is  brieflv 
this:— That  for  every  offence  for  which  formerly  the 
caller  claimed  the  stakes,  and  so  brought  the  game  at 
once  to  a  finish,  he  can  now  only  call  upon  the  offender 
to  pay  the  stakes  to  the  winning  side  after  the  call  has 
been  played  out  in  the  ordinary  way ;  exposed  or  irre- 
gularly played  cards  being  subjected  to  the  same  re- 
strictions as  in  a  solo  call.  If  by  the  play  of  the  cards 
the  caller  wins,  the  offender  pays  him  the  stakes :  if  he 
loses,  the  offender  pays  the  stakes  for  him  to  the  re- 
maining two  adversaries.  The  only  exception  to  this  is 
in  the  case  of  a  revoke,  when  the  caller  can  at  once 
claim  the  stakes  under  the  old  ruling. 


_  The  new  law  owed  its  inception,  I  believe,  to  the  ac- 
tion of  those  card  sharpers  who  are  generally  to  be  met 
within  indiscriminate  card  gatherings,  such  as  railway 
carriages — more  particularly  on  the  journeys  to  anil 
from  race  meetings— or  in  some  of  the  shady  so-called 

'sporting  clubs."    The  stakes,  as  a  rule,  are  high,  and 


two  men  play  in  collusion.  One  of  the  others  calla 
solo,  and  would  doubtless  make  his  call,  and  take  money 
all  round.  This,  however,  is  frustrated  by  one  of  the 
confederates  declaring  misere,  and  the  other  leading 
out  of  turn,  or  exposing  a  card,  or  committing  some 
offence,  for  which  the  caller  immediately  claims  the 
stakes,  which  the  offender  pays  over.  As  the  two'  are  in 
secret  partnership,  the  effect  of  this  is  that  no  cash  has 
really  passed,  and  that  the  "square"  players  have  no 
chance  of  calling  and  making  a  solo-,  or  taking  money. 
Sometimes  one  of  the  confederates  will  attempt  a  misere 
"  on  his  own,"  his  ally  extricating  him  in  the  manner 
described  directly  difficulties  threaten.  This  is  all 
obviated  by  the  new  misere  law,  where  a  caller  can  by 
no  possibility  receive  money  unless  he  wins  on  the 
merits  of  his  hand  and  the  play,  and  by  which,  if  he  loses, 
the  other  side  takes  money.  A  revoke  must  necessarily 
be  an  exception,  but  it  would  not  be  likely  to'  occur  more 
than  once  without  attracting  unpleasant  attention. 


It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  the  reasons 
for  the  searching  penalties  enacted  for  offences 
against  the  misere  call.  In  every  other  decla- 
ration atl  solo'  whist  the  caller  starts  on  the 
assumption  that,  unless  the  adverse  combination  is 
unusually  unfavourable,  his  declaration  is  safe.  The 
misere  caller,  however,  tacitly  says,  "  Unless  the  adverse 
combination  is  unusually  favourable,  I  must  be  caught." 
He  has  a  marked  element  of  danger  in  his  hand,  or  he 
would  have  called  an  open  misere  for  double  the  stakes ; 
and  if  he  fails  on  only  one  solitary  trick  he  has  lost  his 
call.  His  is  a  leaky  boat  in  a,  dangerous  storm,  and  he 
ought  to  be  protected  in  every  way  against  irregular 
opposition.  The  ordinary  misere  would  doubtless  have 
been  the  highest  and  most  expensive  declaration  in  solo 
whist,  had  it  not  been  that  its  combined  risk  and  costli- 
nesi  would  have  precluded  its  being  called. 


The  following  illustration  of  judicious  leading  and  dis- 
carding against  a.  solo  call  came  under  my  notice  a  few 
evenings  ago.  It  is  one  of  the  few  instances  in  which  an 
opening  lead  of  trumps  down  to>  the  solo-  caller,  who  sits 
to  the  leader's  right,  is  advisable.  The  Queen  of  Dia- 
monds was  turned  up.  First  hand  held  Jack,  10,  2 — 
diamonds ;  Ace,  Queen,  9,  3 — clubs ;  Ace,  Queen,  3 — 
hearts ;  Ace1,  Queen,  2 — spades  ;  and  he  proposed.  Second 
and  third  hands  passed.  The'  dealer — fourth  hand — 
called  solo.  As  caller  knows  that  the  strongest  adverse 
hand  is  over  him,  he  must  necessarily  either  have  a 
powerful  run  of  trumps — in  which  case,  first  hand  having 
no  prospect  of  over-trumping,  he  will  doubtless  make 
his  solo  anyway — or  he  has  Kings  in  the  strange  suits, 
and  trusts  to  the  opening  lead  from  his  left  to  establish 
at,  least  one  of  them.  First  hand,  however,  boldly 
tackled  the  latter  contingency  by  leading  Jack  of  trumps, 
and  so-  relieved  himself  of  the  initiative  in  the  strange 
suits.  The  cards  of  the  first  player  have  been  men- 
tioned ;  the  other  hands  were  as  follows  :  — 

Second  hand :  9,  8,  5,  4 — diamonds  ;  Jack,  6,  5 — 
spades;  Jack,  7,  5 — hearts;  8,  7,  2 — cluhs. 

Third  hand:  3— diamonds  ;  10,  9,  8,  7— spades  ;  10, 
9,  8,  6— hearts  ;  10,  6,  5,  4— clubs. 

Fourth  hand  (the  caller) :  Ace,  King,  Queen,  7,  6 — 
diamonds;  King,  Jack — clubs:  King,  8 — hearts:  King, 
4,  3,  2— spades. 

It  would  seem  at  first  view  that  the  presence  of  another 
trump  in  the  first  hand  would  have  been  still  further  to 
the  prejudice  of  the  caller.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  would 
have  assured  his  game,  for,  after  drawing  three  rounds 
of  trumps,  the  caller  would  have  led  trumps  on  the 
fourth  round,  and  thus  left  the  lead  with  the  first  hand, 
who,  having  then  to  open  from  one  of  his  Ace-Queen 
suits,  would  thus  have  given  the  caller  his  solo,  which 
in  the  present  instance,  however,  he  happened  to  lose. 
The  following  was  the  play:  — 

First :  Jack — diamonds,  4 — diamonds,  3 — diamonds. 
Queen — diamonds.    Caller's  first  trick. 

Second:  Ace,  2,  5 — diamonds;  4 — clubs.  Caller's 
second  trick. 


i 

January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


375 


Third  :  King,  10,  8 — diamonds ;  5 — clubs.  Caller's 
third  trick. 

Fourth :  3,  2,  Jack,  7 — spades.  Trick  with  second 
hand. 

Fifth:  9 — diamonds;  G — clubs;  7  diamonds;  Queen 
■ — spades.    Trick  with  second  hand. 

The  discard  of  the  Queen  of  Spades  here  is  imperative, 
for  it  warns  the  partners  against  leading  them,  and  so 
compelling  first  hand  to  open  either  hearts  or  clubs  to  the 
caller.  Had  the  Queen  of  Spades  not  been  thrown  away, 
the  first  hand,  holding  three  Aces  supported,  must  even- 
tually have  had  tb1  open  to  one  of  the  caller's  Kings,  no 
matter  what  suit  was  led  by  the  second  hand. 

Sixth :  5,  8,  King,  Ace — hearts.  Trick  with  first 
hand. 

The  King  of  Hearts  on  the  first  round  of  the  suit  was 
weak  play  on  the  caller's  part,  and  actually  lost  him  his 
call.  Had  he  held  it  up  for  the  second,  or  even  the 
third  round,  he  would  then  have  driven  the  strong  first 
hand  to  take  the  trick,  and  open  a.  fresh  suit. 

Seventh:  Queen,  7,  6,  2 — hearts.  Trick  with  first 
hand. 

Eighth:  3,  Jack,  9,  4 — hearts.  Trick  with  second 
hand. 

Ninth :  8,  10,  Jack,  Queen— clubs.  Trick  with  first 
hand. 

Tenth:  Ace,  2— clubs  ;  10— hearts;  King— clubs. 
Trick  with  first  hand. 

Eleventh  :  9 — clubs ;  7 — clubs  ;  8 — spades. 

Caller  can  now  only  make  his  last  trump,  and  loses  the 
solo  by  one  trick 

This  game  illustrates  an  important  principle  in  the 
play  against  a.  solo  which  should  be  carefully  borne  in 
mind — namely,  that  when  the  first  player  opens  the 
s;ame  by  leading  losing  trumps  down  to  the  caller,  he  is 
doing  so  because  he  has  divided  head  strength  in  the 
strange  suits ;  and  his  partners  should  therefore  change 


the  lead  as  often  as  possible,  instead  of  following  up  in 
one  suit. 


Communications  from  my  readers  narrating  experi- 
ences1 of  unusual  phases  of  play  will  always  be  welcome. 
It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that,  while  play  illustrating 
fresh  principles  is  always  interesting,  accounts  of  unusual 
combinations  of  cards,  as  a  rule,  are  not. 


Lord  Dunraven,  who  will  probably  be  a  member  of 
the  next  London  County  Council,  is  perhaps  one  of 
the  most  ardent  yachtsmen  in  England.  His  vessel,  the 
Valkyrie,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  sunk  by  the 
Satanila  last  autumn.  His  lordship  is  not  unknown  in 
Turf  circles,  and  when,  with  Lord  Randolph  Churchill 
ao  his  partner,  he  raced  L'Abbesse  de  Jouarre  and 
several  other  animals,  he  met  with  a  fair  amount  of  suc- 
cess. The  last  big  race  that  fell  to  his  share  was  the 
Cambridgeshire  of  1893,  Molly  Morgan  being  the  win- 
ning horse. 


I  see  some  discussion  has  been  taking  place  regard 
ing  the  racing  of  two-year-olds,  and  the  bearing  it  has 
on  the  future  of  the  racehorse.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
but  that  the  early  training  of  thoroughbreds  was  simply 
brought  about  by  the  Mammoth  Two-year-old  Stakes, 
instituted  a  few  years  back,  and  perhaps  some  of  the 
big  three  and  four-year-old  prizes  will  soon  be  dropped, 
or,  at  any  rate,  reduced  in  value,  as  hardly  any  of  them 
have  brought  out  large  fields. 


Those  who  advocate  the  early  training  of  thorough- 
breds point  to>  the  old  laws  of  racing,  in  which  it  was 
stated  that  yearlings  could  run  in  races  of  two  furlongs. 
The  rule,  however,  was  only  put  into1  force  once.  This 
was  at  the  Shrewsbury  Meeting  of  1859,  when  nine  year- 


Amend  m  Ebmssib 
Mi  Fmmrm  ^mmmm 

Afarefoc/vqep  ftp/*  Selected  Leaf ////> 


TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS    IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Gresse  Street,  London,  W- 

BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 

3, 


St  e  n  h  o  u  s  e 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, •  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


376 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  189a. 


lings  started  for  the  Anglesey  Stakes,  victory  resting 
with  Lord  Stamford's  filly,  Little  Lady. 


The  threat  that  the  Anti-Gambling  League  made  some 
time  ago  was  no  idle  one.  John  Hawke  and  Co.  are 
evidently  in  dead  earnest.  The  proceedings  at  New- 
market were  not  veiy  exciting,  but  on  the  day  the 
summonses  are  returnable,  there  is  likely  to  be  some 
fun.  The  Jockey  Club  have  well-informed  legal  ad- 
visers, and  their  counsel  are  capable  of  holding  their 
own  against  any  others  in  the  land. 


Although  Mr.  Hawke  has  such  a  strong  antipathy 
to  racing,  I  understand  he  takes  a.  deep  interest  in 
athletics.  His  young  son,  I  may  mention,  is  a  fair  per- 
former on  the  running  path,  and  Mr.  Hawke  delights  to 
dwell  on  his  son's  prowess.  I  wonder  if  he  would  be  an 
ardent  racing  enthusiast  were  his  son  a  jockey. 


I  fancy  that  in  spite  of  the  patronage  of  Lady  Florence 
Dixie,  the  ladies'  football  club  is  hardly  likely  to  ma- 
terialise, though  Miss  Nellie  Honeyball,  the  "  cap- 
tainess,"  is  tiying  very  hard  to  organise  a.  couple  of 
teams  to<  give  a  public  exhibition.  The  lady  footballers 
will  adopt  a  modified  gymnastic  costume.  I  am  not 
one  of  those  who  think  that  women  should  be  kept  under 
glass  cases,  but  I  really  think  that  football  is  hardly 
a  game  in  which  one  would  care  to  see  one's  sister  or 
sweetheart  engaged. 


The  Football  Association's  resolution  not  to  admit  the 
Press  to  its  deliberations  has  caused  some  adverse  com- 
ment, but  as  an  official  report  of  the  proceedings  is  to 
be  supplied  to  the  reporters,  I  fail  to  see  what  there  is  to 
grumble  at.  Much  of  the'  business  is  of  a  private  cha- 
racter, and  the  presence  of  the  Press  would  muzzle  the 
speakers  and  burke  necessary  inquiry. 


The  signs  of  revolt  amongst  the  Rugby  clubs  in  the 
North  have  not  yet  entirely  disappeared.  The  latest 
idea  is  to  establish  a  Northern  League  of  the  leading 
clubs  in  Yorkshire  and  Lancashire.  Such  an  organisa- 
tion would  undoubtedly  strengthen  that  section  which 
leans  towards  professionalism,  and  if  a  dispute  were  to 
arise  with  the  Rugby  Union  would  undoubtedly  form  a 
nucleus  for  open  rebellion. 

With  two  successive  wins  in  the  Second  Division  of 
the  League,  against  Newcastle  and  Burslem  Port  Vale, 
Woolwich  Arsenal  have  materially  improved  their  posi- 
ticn,  and  will  probably  end  up  fourth — not  a  bad  place 
considering  this  is  their  first  year  in  the  League.  • 


There  has  been  some  adverse  criticism  over  the 
Border  of  the  team  selected  to  do  battle  for  Scotland 
to-day  (Saturday)  against  Wales.    The  choice  of  Gowans 

TYl'E- WRITERS,  Second-hand,  thoroughly  perfect,  at  half 
makers' prices.  Machines  lent  on  hire,  also  bought  or  exchanged. 
Documents  type-written. — N.  Taylor,  Manager,  National  Type- 
writer Exchange,  74,  Chanceiy  Lane,  London.  Telephone  No. 
CC90. 


MATCHLESS  FOR  STYLE  AND  COMFORT, 


In  three  qualities,  from 
Hand  -sewn 


...  13s.  6d.  per  pair. 
...  16s.  6d.  „ 


AGENTS  : 


Osborne  &  Co.,  SSO  and  387,  Oxford 

Street,  W. 
<\.  A.  Tyson,  27,  Brecknock  Bd.N.W. 
H.  Ovendkn,  Broadway,  Leyton. 
J.  H.  Taylor,  Blackheath,  S.E. 
D.  Spence,  243,  Lavender  Hill,  S.W. 
J.  Southwood,  Hanwell. 
<;i  10,  \\  n.  kins,  259,  HollowayBd.,N. 
Bales  &  Son.  101.  Ley  tonstone  lid.lv 


C.  F.  Evans,  161,  Broadhurst  Gar- 
dens, West  HampsteaJ. 

P.  Tufnell,  72,  l'eckham  Rye,  S.E. 

T.  Fisher,  108,  High  Street,  Plum- 
stead,  Kent. 

J.  Mynois  &  Co.,  517,  Harrow  Ed.,  W. 

A.  J.  Sparey,  Oxford  Boad,  Wal- 
thamstow. 

W.  G.  Cuuryer,  69,  Oxford  St.,  W. 


at  back,  in  place  of  George  Turner,  does  not  please  tht 
cognoscenti.  In  England  th>  chief  cause  for  surprise 
i.,  the  exclusion  of  W.  P.  Donaldson  and  A.  R.  Smith. 
London  Scottish  supply  five  of  the  team.  Of  these 
George  is  a  much  improved  player,  as  those  who  saw  him 
at  Richmond  last  Saturday  testify. 


Although  without  Thomson,  Blackheath's  team  at 
Cardiff  are  execeptionally  strong,  and  therefore  their  de- 
feat was  all  the  more  inexplicable,  except  it  be  that  the 
heavy  ground  was  against  the  forwards.  Cardiff's  victory 
— a  narrow  one  by  a  dropped  goal  and  a  try  to  a.  goal — 
was  .very  popular  with  the  locals,  who  thus  saw  their 
club  reverse  the  verdict  of  the  first  game  at  Blackheath. 


Most  of  the  first  division  League  clubs  being  engaged 
in  the  Lancashire  Cup  last  Saturday,  the  table  this 
week  shows  little  alteration.  Notts  Forest  secured  a 
meritorious  win  against  Sheffield  Wednesday.  The 
other  Sheffield  club  could  only  just  beat  Wolverhampton 
Wanderers,  while  Stoke,  who  seem  to  be  improving, 
managed  to  draw  at  Derby.  The  Wolverhampton  and 
Stoke  clubs  are  both  in  financial  difficulties,  but  the 
former  is  receiving  a,  good  deal  of  public  support,  and 
will  weather  the  storm.  Stoke  is  indebted  to  its  secre- 
tary to  the  tune  of  a  cool  thousand,  and,  as  misfortunes 
never  come  singly,  have  lost  his  services,  owing  to  the 
Football  Association  suspending  him  for  some  irregu- 
larity. 


Interest  in  the  proposed  athletic  contest  between  re- 
presentatives  of  the  London  and  New  York  Athletic 
Clubs  increases.  Interviews  and  suggestions  are  cabled 
from  America  at  great  length  by  Reuters  agency,  whilst 
the  American  journals  devote  great  space  to  articles  on 
the  subject. 

The  Major. 


ICHMOND 


ETTES. 


UNEQUALLED 
FOR   DELICACY  AND  FLAVOR, 


January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


377 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 

Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
L'Ami  du  Peuple. 

HERE  were  others  who  stood 
also ;  impressed  by  a  sight 
which,  in  the  light  of  the  news 
we  had  just  heard,  that  aston- 
ishing, that  amazing  news, 
seemed  to  have  especial  signi- 
ficance. We  had  not  yet 
grown  accustomed  in  France 
to  crowds.  For  centuries  the 
one  man,  the  individual,  King, 
Cai-dinal,  Noble,  or  Bishop, 
had  stood  forward,  and  the 
many,  the  multitude,  had 
melted  away  under  his  eye ; 
had  bowed  and  passed. 

But  here,  within  our  view,  was  the  dawn  of  a  new  day. 
Perhaps  it'  we  had  not  heard  what  we  had  heard — that 
news,  I  mean — or  if  the  people  had  not  heard  it,  the 
effect  on  us,  the  action  on  their  part,  might  have  been 
different.  But,  as  it  was,  the  crowd!  that  faced  us  in  the 
square  as  we  came  out,  the  great  crowd  that  faced  us 
and  stretched  from  wall  to  wall,  silent,  vigilant,  mena- 
cing, showed  not  a  sign  of  flinching ;  and  we  did.  We 
stood  astonished,  each  halting  as  he  came  out,  and  look- 
ing, and  then  consulting  his  neighbour's  eyes  to  learn 
Avhat  he  thought. 

We  had  over  our  heads  the  great  Cathedral,  from  the 
shadow  of  which  we  issued.  We  had  among  us  many 
who  had  been  wont  to  see  a  hundred  peasants 
tremble  at  their  frown.  But  in  a  moment,  in  a  twinkling, 
as  if  that  news  from  Paris  had  shaken  the  foundations  of 
Society,  we  found  these  things  in  question.  The  crowd 
ia  the  square  did  not  tremble.  In  a  silence  that  was 
grimmer  than  any  howling  it  gave  back  look  for  look. 
Nor  only  that,  but  as  we  issued,  they  made  no>  way  for 
us  ;  and  those  of  the  Assembly  who  had  already  gone 
down,  had  to  walk  along  the  skirts  of  the  press  to  get 
to  the  inn.  We  who  came  later  saw  this,  and  it  had  its 
■weight  with  us.  We  were  Nobles  of  the  province  ; 
but  we  were  only  two  hundred,  and  between  us  and  the 
Trois  Rois,  between  us  and  our  horses  and  servants, 
stretched  this  line  of  gloomy  faces,  these  thousands  of 
silent  men. 

No  wonder  that  the  sight,  and  something  that  under- 
lay the  sight,  diverted  my  mind  for  a  moment  from  M. 
Harincourt  and  his  purpose,  and  that  I  looked  abroad  ; 
whil?he,  too,  stood  gaping  and  frowning,  and  forgot  me. 
Perforce  we  had  to  go  down ;  one  by  one,  reluctantly ; 
a  meagre  string  winding  across  the  face  of  the  crowd ; 
sullen  defiance  on  one  side,  scorn  on  the  other.  In 
Cahors  it  is  remembered  as  the  first  triumph  of  the 
people,  the  first  step  in  the  degradation  of  the  privileged. 
A  word  had  brought  it  about.  A  word,  the  Bastille 
fallen,  had  combined  the  floating  groups,  and  formed 
of  them  this  which  we  saw — the  people. 

Under  such  circumstances  it  needed  only  the  slightest 
spark  to  bring  about  an  explosion ;  and  that  was  pre- 


sently supplied.  M.  de  Gontaut,  a  tall,  thin,  old  man,, 
who  could  remember  the  early  days  of  the  late  King, 
walked  a  little  way  in  front  of  me.  He  was 
lame,  and  used  a  cane,  and  generally  a  servant's 
arm.  This  morning,  the  lackey  was  not  forth- 
coming, and  he  felt  the  inconvenience  of  skirting 
instead  of  crossing  the  square.  Yet  he  was  not 
foolish  enough  to  thrust  himself  into  the  crowd ; 
and  all  might  have  gone  well,  if  a  rogue  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  throng  had  not,  perhaps  by  accident,  tripped 
up  the  cane  with  his  foot.  M.  le  Baron  turned  in  a 
flash,  every  hair  of  his  eyebrows  on  end,  and  struck 
the  fellow  with  his  stick. 

"Stand  back,  rascal!"  he  ad'ded,  trembling,  and 
threatening  to  repeat  the  blow.  "  If  I  had  you,  I  would 
soon  '' 

The  man  spat  at  him. 

M.  de  Gontaut  uttered  an  oath,  and  in  ungovernable 
rage  struck  the  wretch  two  or  three  blows — how  many 
I  could  not  see,  though  I  was  only  a  few  paces  behind.  Ap- 
parently the  man  did  not  hit  him  back,  but  shrank,  cowed, 
by  the  old  noble's  fury.  But  those  behind  flung  him 
forward,  with  loud  cries  of  "  Shame  !  A  bas  la  Noblesse!" 
and  he  fell  against  M.  de  Gontaut,  and  in  a  moment  the 
Baron  was  on  the  ground. 

It  happened  so  quickly,  while  we  were  walking  three 
or  four  paces,  that  only  those  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood, St,  Alais,  the  Harincourts,  and  myself  saw  the 
fall.  Probably  the  mob  meant  no  great  harm  ;  they  had 
no:  yet  lost  all  reverence.  But  at  the  time,  with  the- 
tale  of  De  Launay  in  my  ears,  I  thought  that  they  in- 
tended M.  de  Gontaut's  death,  and  as  I  saw  his  old  head 
fall,  I  sprang  forward  to  protect  him. 

St.  Alais  was  before  me,  however.  Bounding  forward, 
with  rage  not  less  than  Gontaut's,  he  hurled  the  aggressm- 
back  with  a  blow  which  sent  him  into  the  ai'ms  of  his- 
supporters.  Then  dragging  M.  de  Gontaut  to  his  feet, 
the  Marquis  whipped!  out  his  sword,  and  darting  the- 
bright  point  hither  and  thither  with  the  skill  of  a  prac- 
tised fencer,  in  a  twinkling  he  cleared  a  space  round  him,, 
and  made  the  nearest  give  back  with  shrieks  and  curses.. 

Unfortunately  he  touched  one  man;  the  fellow  was 
not  hurt,  but  at  the  prick  he  sank  down  screaming,  and' 
in  a  second  the  mood  of  the  crowd  changed.  Shrieks, 
half-playful,  gave  way  to  a  howl  of  rage.  Someone  flung 
a  stick,  which  struck  the  Marquis  on  the  chest,  and  for 
a  moment  stopped  him.  The  next  instant  he  sprang  at 
the  man  who  had  thrown  it,  and  would  have  run  him 
through,  but  the  fellow  fled,  and'  the  crowd,  with  a  yell 
of  triumph,  closed  over  his  path.  This  brought  up  St. 
Alais  in  mid  course,  and  left  him  only  the  choice  between 
retreating,  or  wounding  people  who  were  innocent. 

He  fell  back  with  a  sneering  word,  and  sheathed  his 
sword.  But  a  .  soon  as  his  back  was  turned  a  stone- 
stiuck  him  on  the  head,  and  he  staggered  forward.  As 
he  fell  the  crowd  uttered  a  yell,  and  half-a-dozen  men- 
dashed  at  him  to  trample  on  him. 

Their  blood  was  up ;  this  time  I  made  no  mistake,  I 
read  mischief  in  their  eyes.  The  scream  of  the  man 
whom  he  had  wounded,  though  the  fellow  was  more 
frightened  than  hurt,  was  in  their  ears.  One  of  the 
Harincourts  struck  down  the  foremost,  but  this  only 
enraged  without  checking  them.  In  a  moment  he  was 
swept  aside  and  flung  back,  stunned  and  reeling ;  and  the 
crowd  rushed  upon  their  victim. 

I  threw  myself  before  him.    I  had  just  time  to  do» 


Copyright,  1895,  by  Stanley  J.  Weyman, 


378 


TO-DAY. 


J.\xrART  26,  1895. 


that,  and  cry  "  Shame  !  Shame  !"  and  force  back  one  or 
two ;  and  then  my  intervention  must  have  come  to 
nothing,  it  must  have  fared  as  ill  with  me  as  with  him, 
if  in  the  nick  of  time,  with  a  ring  of  grimy  faces  threaten- 
ing us,  and  a  dozen  hands  upraised,  I  had  not  been  recog- 
nised. Buton,  the  blacksmith  of  Saux — one  of  the  fore- 
most— screamed  out  my  name,  and  turning  with  out- 
stretched arms,  forced  back  his  neighbours.  A  man  of 
huge  strength,  it  was  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  stem  the 
torrent;  but  in  a  moment  his  frenzied  cries  became 
heard  and  undoi  stood.  Others  recognised  me,  the  crowd 
fell  back.  Someone  raised  a  cry  of  "  Vive  Saux  !  Long 
live  the  friend  of  the  people  !"  and  the  shout  being  taken 
up  fii  st  in  one  place  and  then  in  another,  in  a  trice  the 
square  rang  with  the  words. 

I  had  not  then  learned  the  fickleness  of  the  multi- 
tude, or  that  from  A  has  to  vive  is  the  step  of  an  in- 
stant ;  and  despite  myself,  and  though  I  despised  myself 
for  the  feeling,  I  felt  my  heart~swell  on  the  wave  of  sound. 
"  Vive  Saux  !  Vive  l'ami  du  peuple  !"  My  equals  had 
scorned  me,  but  the  people — the  people  whose  faces  wore 
n  new  look  to-day,  the  people  to  whom  this  one  word, 
the  Bastille  fallen,  had  given  new  life — acclaimed  me. 
For  a  moment,  even  while  I  cried  to  them,  and  shook 
my  hands  to  them  to  be  silent,  there  flashed  on  me  the 
things  it  meant  ;  the  things  they  had  to  give,  power  and 
tribuneship  !  "  Vive  Saux  !  Long  live  the  friend  of  the 
people ! "  The  air  shook  with  the  sound  ;  the  domes 
above  me  gave  it  back.  I  felt  myself  lifted  up  on  it; 
I  felt  myself  for  the  minute  another  and  a  greater  man  ! 

Then  I  turned  and  met  St.  Alais'  eye,  and  I  fell  to 
•earth.  He  had  risen,  and  pale  with  rage,  was  wiping 
the  dust  from  his  coat  with  a  handkerchief.  A  little 
blood  was  flowing  from  the  wound  in  his  head,  but  he 
paid  no  heed  to  it,  in  the  intentness  with  which  he  was 
staring  at  me,  as  if  he  read  my  thoughts.  As  soon  as 
something  like  silence  was  obtained,  he  spoke,  his  voice 
trembling  a  little. 

"  Perhaps  if  your  friends  have  quite  done  with  us,  M. 
de  Saux — we  may  go> home  ?"  he  said. 

I  stammered  something  in  answer  to  the  sneer,  and 
turned  to  accompany  him,-  though  my  way  to  the  inn 
lay  in  the  opposite  direction.  Only  the  two  Harm- 
courts  and  M.  de  Gontaut  were  with  us.  The  rest  of 
the  Assembly  had'  either  got  clear,  or  were  viewing  the 
fracas  from  the  door  of  the  Chapter  House,  where  they 
still  stood,  cut  off  from  us  by  a.  wall  of  people1.  I  offered 
my  arm  to  M.  de  Gontaut;  but  he  declined  it  with  a 
frigid  bow,  and  took  Haiincourt's  ;  and  M.  le  Marquis, 
when  I  turned  to  him,  said,  with  a  cold  smile,  that  they 
reed  not  trouble  me. 

"  Doubtless  we  shall  be  safe,  if  you  will  give  orders  to 
that  effect,"  he  sneered. 

I  bowed,  without  retorting  on  him  ;  he  bowed  ;  and  he 
turned  away.  But  the  crowd  had  either  read  his  atti- 
tude aright,  or  gathered  that  there  was  an  altercation 
between  us,  for  the  moment  he  moved  they  set  up  a 
howl.  Two  or  three  stones  were  thrown,  notwith- 
standing Buton's  efforts  to  prevent  it  ;  and  before  the 
party  had  retired  ten  yards  the  rabble  began  to  press 
nn  them  savagely.  Embarrassed  by  M.  de  Gontaut 's 
presence  and  helplessness,  the  other  three  could  do 
rothing.  For  an  instant  I  had  a  view  of  St.  Alais  stand- 
ing gallantly  at  bay  with  the  old  noble  behind  him,  and 
the  blood  trickling  down  his  cheek.  Then  I  followed 
"them,  the  crowd  made  instant  way  for  me,  again  the 


air  rang  with  cheers,  and  the  Square  in  the  hot  July  sun- 
shine seemed  a  sea  of  waving  hands. 

M.  de  St.  Ala;s  turned  to  me.  He  could  still  smile, 
and  with  marvellous  self-command,  in  one  and  the  same 
instant  he  recovered  from  his  discomfiture  and  changed 
his  tactics. 

"I  am  afraid  that  we  must  trouble  you,"  he  said 
politely.  "  M.  le  Baron  is  not  a  young  man,  and  your 
people,  M.  de  Saux,  are  somewhat  obstreperous." 

"What  can  I  do?"  I  said,  sullenly.  I  had  not  the 
heart  to  leave  them  to  their  fortunes;  but  I  was  as 
little  disposed  to  accept  the  onus  he  would  lay  on  me. 

"  Accompany  us  home,"  he  said  pleasantly,  drawing 
out  hit.  snuff  box  and  taking  a  pinch. 

The  people  had  fallen  silent  again,  but  watched  as 
heedfully. 

"  If  you  think  it  will  serve  ? "  I  answered. 

"It  will,"  he  said  briskly.  "You  know,  M.  le  Vi- 
comte,  that  they  say  a  man  is  born  and  a  man  dies  every 
minute  ?  Believe  me  no  King  dies — but  another  King 
is  born." 

I  winced  under  the  sarcasm,  under  the  laughing  con- 
tempt of  his  eye.  But  I  saw  nothing  for  it  but  to  com- 
ply, and  I  bowed  and  turned  to  go  with  them.  The 
crowd  opened  before  us,  and  amid  mingled  cheers  and 
yells  we  moved  away.  I  intended  only  to  accompany 
them  tr.  the  outskirts  of  the  throng,  and  then  to  gain 
the  inn  by  a  by-path,  get  my  horses,  and  be  gone.  But 
a  party  of  the  crowd  continued  to  follow  us  through 
the  streets,  and  I  found  no  opportunity.  Almost  before 
I  knew  it,  we  were  at  the  St.  Alais'  door;  still  with  this 
rough  attendance  at  our  heels. 

Madame  and  Mademoiselle,  with  two  or  three  women, 
were  on  the  balcony,  looking  and  listening  ;  at  the  door 
below  were  a  group  of  scared  servants.  While  I  looked, 
however,  Madame  left  her  place  and  appeared  at  the 
door,  the  servants  making  way  for  her.  She  stared, 
wondering,  from  us  to  the  rabble  that  followed ;  then 
her  eye  caught  the  bloodstains  on  M.  de  St.  Alais'  cravat, 
and'  she  cried  out,  to  know-  if  he  was  hurt. 

"  No,  Madame,"  he  said  lightly.  "  But  M.  de  Gontaut 
has  had  a  fall." 

"  What  has  happened  ? "  she  asked  quickly.  "The  town 
seems  to  have  gone  mad  !  I  heard  a  great  noise  a  while 
ago,  and  the  servants  brought  in  a  wild  tale  about  the 
Bastille." 

"  It  is  true." 

'  What  '.    That  the  Bastille  " 

"  Has  been  taken  by  the  mob,  Madame ;  and  M.  de 
Launay  murdered." 

"Never?"  Madame  cried,  with  flashing  eyes.  "That 

old  man  1 " 

"Yes,"  M.  cite  St.  Alais  answered,  suavely.  "Messieurs 
the  Mob  are  no  respecters  of  persons.  Fortunately, 
however."  he  continued,  smiling  at  me  in  a  way  that 
brought  the  blood  to  my  cheeks,  "they  have  leaders 
more  prudent  and  sagacious." 

But  Madame  had  no  ears  for  his  last  words,  no  thought 
save  of  this  astonishing  news  from  Paris.  She  stood, 
her  cheeks  on  fire,  her  eyes  full  of  tears ;  she  had  known 
de  Launay.  "  Oh,  but  the  King  will  punish  them  .'"*  she 
cried  at  hast.  "  The  wretches !  The  Lignites  !  They 
should  all  be  broken  on  the  wheel !  Doubtless  the  King 
has  already  punished  them." 

"  He  will,  bv-and-bv,  if  he  has  not  yet,"  St.  Alais 
answered.  "But  for  the  moment,  you  will  easily  under- 
stand, Madame,  that  things  are  out  of  joint.  Men's 


January  26,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


379 


beads  are  turned,  and  they  do  not  know  themselves. 
Wo  have  had  a  little  trouble  here.  M.  de  Gontaut  has 
been  roughly  handled,  and  I  have  not  entirely  escaped. 
If  M.  de  Saux  had  not  had  his  people  well  in  hand,"  he 
continued,  turning  to  me  with  a  laughing  eye,  "  I  am 
afraid  that  we-  should  have  come  off  worse." 

Madame  stared  at  me,  and,  beginning  to  comprehend, 
seemed  to  freeze  before  me.  The  light  died  out  of  her 
haughty  face.  She  looked  at  me  grimly.  I  had  a 
glimpse  of  Mademoiselle's  startled  eyes  behind  her,  and 


"With  those?"  she  said,  scornfully. 

"  With  those  or  from  tl;  >se,"  he  answered,  gaily. 
."  Besides,  for  a  day  or  two  we  may  need  his  protection. 
I  am  sure  that,  if  you  ask  him,  Madame,  he  will  not 
refuse  it." 

I  stood,  raging,  helpless,  under  the  lash  of  his  tongue  ; 
and  Madame  de  St.  Ala  is  looked  at  me.  "  Is  it  possible," 
she  said  at  last,  "  that  M.  de  Saux  has  thrown  in  his  lot 
with  wretches  such  as  those?"  And  she  pointed,  with 
magnificent  scorn,  to  the  scowling  crew.  "  With  wretches 


'stand  back,  rascal!" 


•of  the  peeping  servants ;  then  Madame  spoke.  "  Are 
"those  some  of — M.  de  Saux's  people  !"  she  said,  step- 
ping forward  a  pace,  and  pointing  to  the  crew  of  ruffians 
who  had  halted  a  few  paces  away,  and  were  watching  us 
doubtfully. 

"A  handful,"  M.  de  St.  Alais  answered,  lightly.  "Just 
bis  bodyguard,  Madams.    But  pray  do  not  speak  of  Mm 
so  harshly ;  for,  being  my  mother,  you  must  be  obliged 
"to  him.    If  he  did  not  quite  save  my  life,  at  least  he 
■eared  my  beauty." 


who- 


"Hush,  Madame,"  M.  le  Marquis  said,  in  his  gibing 
fo,shion.  "  You  are  too  Lold.  For  the  moment  they  are 
our  masters,  and  M.  de  Saux  is  tl  eirs.  We  must,  there- 
fore " 

"  We  must  not !"  she  answered,  impetuously,  standing 
forward  with  fl-'ang  ere  •.  "What?  Would  you  have 
me  palter  with  the  scum  of  the  streets?  With  the  dirt 
under  our  feet?  Never  !  I  and  mine  have  no  part  with 
traitors  !" 


380 


TO-D  VV. 


January  23,  1895. 


"Madame!"  I  cried,  stung  into  speech  by  her  in- 
justice. "  You  do  not  know  what  you  say !  If  I  have 
been  able  to  stand  between  your  son  and  danger,  it  has 
been  through  no'  vileness  such  as  you  impute  to  me." 

"  Impute  1 "  she  exclaimed.  "  What  need  of  imputa- 
tion, Monsieur,  with  those  wretches  before  us?  Is  it 
necessary  to  cry  'A  bas  le  roi !'  to  be  a  traitor?  Is  not 
that  man  as  guilty  who  fosters  false  hopes,  and  misleads 
the  ignorant?  Who  hints  what  he  dare  not  say,  and 
holds  out  what  he  dares  not  promise?  Is  he  not  t-iia 
worst  of  traitors?  For  shame,  Monsieur,  for  shame!" 
she  continued.    "  If  your  father  " 

"  Oh  ! "  I  cried.    "  This  is  intolerable  ! " 

She  caught  me  up  with  a  bitter  gibe.  "  It  is  !  "  she 
retorted.  "It  is  intolerable  that  the  King's  fortresses 
should  be  taken  by  the  rabble,  and  old  men  slain  by 
scullions!  It  is  intolerable  that  nobles  should  forget 
whence  they  are  sprung,  and  stoop  to  the  kennel !  It 
is  intolerable  that  the  King's  nam©  should  be  flouted, 
and  catchwords  set  above  it !  All  these  tilings  are  in- 
tolerable; but  they  are  not  of  our  doing.  They  are 
your  acts.  And  for  you,"  she  continued — and,  suddenly 
stepping  by  me,  she  addressed  the  group  of  rascals  who 
lingered,  listening  and  scowling,  a  few  paces  away — "  for 
you,  poor  fools,  do  not  be  deceived.  This  gentleman  has  told 
you,  doubtless,  that  there  is  no  longer  a  King  of  Trance  ! 
That  there  are  to  be  no  more  taxes  nor  corvees ;  that  the 
poor  will  be  rich,  and  everybody  noble !  Well,  believe 
him  at  your  peril.  There  have  been  poor  and  rich,  noble 
and  simple,  spenders  and  makers,  since  the  world  began, 
and  a  King  in  France.  But  believe  him  if  you  like. 
Only  now  go !  Leave  my  house.  Go,  or  I  will  call  out 
my  servants,  and  whip  you  through  the  streets  like  dogs  ! 
To  your  kennels,  I  say  ! " 

She  stamped  her  foot,  and  to  my  astonishment,  the 
men,  who  must  have  known  that  her  threat  was  an 
empty  one,  sneaked  away  like  the  dogs  to  which  she  had 
compared  them.  In  a  moment — I  could  scarcely  believe 
it — the  street  was  empty.  The  men  who  had  come  near 
to  killing  M.  de  Gontaut,  who  had  stoned  M.  de  St.  Alais, 
quailed  before  a  woman  !  In  a  twinkling  the  last  man 
was  gone,  and  she  turned  to  me,  her  face  flushed,  her 
eyes  gleaming  with  scorn. 

"  There,  sir,"  she  said,  "  take  that  lesson  to  heart. 
That  is  your  brave  people  !  And  now,  Monsieur,  do  you 
go,  too  !  Henceforth  my  house  is  no  place  for  you.  I 
will  have  no  traitors  under  my  roof — no,  not  for  a 
moment." 

She  signed  to  me  to  go  with  the  same  insolent  con- 
tempt which  had  abashed  the  crowd  ;  but,  before  I  went, 
I  said  one  word.  "  You  were  my  father's  friend, 
Madame." 

She  looked  at  me  harshly,  but  did  not  answer. 

''It  Avould  have  better  become  you,  therefore,"  I  con- 
tinued, "  to  help  me  than  to  hurt  me.  As  it  is,  were  I 
tiie  most  loyal  of  his  Majesty's  subjects,  you  have  done 
enough  to  drive  me  to  treason.  In  the  future,  Madame 
la  Marquise,  I  beg  that  you  will  remember  that." 

And  1  turned  and  went,  trembling  with  rage. 

The  crowd  in  the  square  had  melted  by  this  time  ;  but 
the  streets  were  full  of  those  who  had  composed  it,  and 
who  now  stood  about  in  eager  groups,  discussing  what 
had  happened.  The  word  Bastille  was  on  every  tongue  ; 
and,  as  I  passed,  way  was  made  for  me,  and  caps  were 
lifted.  "  God  bless  you,  M.  de  Saux,"  and  "  You  are  a 
good  man,"  were  muttered  in  my  ear.  If  there  seemed 
less  noise  and  less  excitement  than  in  the  morning,  the 


air  of  purpose  that  everywhere  prevailed  was  not  to  be 
mistaken. 

This  was  so  clear  that,  though  noon  was  barely  past, 
shopkeepers  had  closed  their  shops  and  bakers  their 
bakehouses,  causing  a  calm,  more  ominous  than  the  storm 
that  had  preceded  it,  to  brood  over  the  town.  The 
majority  of  the  Assemblj'  had  dispersed  in  haste,  for  I 
saw  none,  though  I  heard  that  a  large  body  had  gone  to 
the  barracks.  No  one  molested  me — the  fall  of  the- 
Bastille  served  me  so  far — and  I  mounted,  and  rode  oft 
without  seeing  anyone,  even  Louis. 

To  tell  the  truth,  I  was  in  a  fever  to  be  at  home ;  in  a 
fever  to  consult  the  only  man  who,  it  seemed  to  me, 
could  advise  me  in  this  crisis.  In  front  of  me,  I  saw 
it  plainly,  stretched  two  roads,  the  one  easy  and 
smooth,  if  perilous,  the  other  arid  and  toilsome.  Madame 
had  called  me  the  Tribune  of  the  People,  a  would-be  Retz, 
a  would-be  Mirabeau.  The  people  had  cried  my  name, 
had  hailed  me  as  a  saviour.  Should  I  fit  on  the  cap? 
Should  I  take  up  the  role?  My  own  caste  had  spurned 
me.  Should  I  snatch  at  the  dangerous  honour  offered  to 
me,  and  stand  or  fall  with  the  people  ? 

With  the  people?  It  sounded  well;  but,  in  those 
clays,  it  was  a  vaguer  phrase  than  it  is  now,  and  I  asked 
myself  who  that  had  ever  taken  up  that  cause  had  stood  ? 
A  bread  riot,  a  tumult,  a  local  revolt — such  as  this  which 
had  cost  M.  de  Launay  his  life — of  such  things  the  people 
had  shown  themselves  capable  ;  but  of  no  lasting  victory. 
Always  the  King  had  held  his  own,  always  the  nobles  had 
kept  their  privileges.    Why  should  it  be  otherwise  now  ? 

There  were  reasons?  Yes,  but  they  seemed  less  cogent, 
the  weight  of  precedent  heavier,  when  I  came  to  think, 
with  a  trembling  heart,  of  acting  on  them.  And  the 
odium  of  deserting  my  order  was  no  small  matter  to  face. 
Hitherto  I  had  been  innocent ;  if  they  had  put  out  the 
lip  at  me,  it  had  been  wrongfully.  But  if  I  accepted  the 
part  they  assigned  to  me,  I  must  be  prepared  to  face  not 
only  the  worst  in  case  of  failure,  but  in  success  to  be  a 
pariah,  Tribune  of  the  People,  and  an  outcast  from  un- 
kind ! 

Riding  hard,  I  did  not  doubt  that  I  should  be  the- 
first  to  bring  the  tale  to  Saux.  But  in  those  days  nothing 
was  more  marvellous  than  the  speed  with  which  news  of 
this  kind  crossed  the  country.  It  passed  from  mouth  to- 
mouth ;  the  air  seemed  to  carry  it.  It  went  before  the 
quickest  traveller. 

Everywhere,  therefore,  I  found  it  known.  Known 
by  people  who  had  stood  for  days  at  cross-roads,  waiting 
for  they  knew  not  what ;  known  by  scowling  men  on 
village  bridges,  who  talked  in  low  voices  and  eyed  the 
towers  of  the  Chateau;  known  by  stewards  and  agen-s, 
men  of  the  stamp  of  Gargouf,  who  smiled  incredulously, 
or  talked,  like  Madame  St.  Alais,  of  the  King,  and  how 
good  he  was,  and  how  many  he  would  hang  for  it.  Known, 
last  of  all,  by  Father  Benoit,  the  man  I  would  consult.  He- 
met  aia  at  the  gate  of  the  Chateau,  opposite  the  place 
where  the  carcan  had  stood.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  his 
face  but  I  knew  the  fall  of  his  soutane  and  the  shape  of 
his  hat.  I  sent  on  Gil  and  Andre,  and  he  walked 
beside  me  up  the  avenue,  with  his  hand  on  the  withers  of 
my  horse. 

•'  Well,  M.  le  Vicomte,  it  has  come  at  last,"  he  said. 
"  Sou  have  heard?" 
"  Buton  told  me." 

"  What  ?  Is  he  here  ? "  I  said.  "  I  saw  him  at  Cahors 
less  than  three  hours  ago." 

"Such  news   gives  a   man   wings,"   Father  Benoit 


January  26,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


381 


.answered,  with  energy.    "  I  say  again,  it  has  come.  It 
has  come,  M.  le  Vicomte." 

"Something,"  I  said,  prudently. 
"Everything,"  he  answered,  confidently.    "The  mob 
took  the  Bastille,  but  who  headed  them  J     The  soldiers  ; 
the     Garde  Fran- 
chise.   Well,  M.  le 
Vicomte,  if  the  army 
cannot  be  trusted, 
there  is  an  end  of 
abuses,    of  exemp- 
tions, of  extortions, 
of  bread  famines,  of 
Foulons   and  Ber- 
thiers,  of  grinding 
the   faces    of  the 

poor,  of  " 

The  Cure's  list 
was  not  half  ex- 
hausted, when  I  cut 
it  short.  "But  if 
the   army  is  with 

the  mob,  where  will 
things  stop? "  I  said, 
-wearily. 

"  We  must  see  to 

that,"  he  answered. 
"  Come  and  sup 

with   me,"  I  said, 

"  I  have  something 

to  tell  you,  and  moro 

to  ask  you." 

He  assented  glad- 
ly.   "  For  there  will 

be  no  sleep  for  me 

to-night,"  he  said. 

"  This  is  great  news, 

glorious    news,  M. 

le  Vicomte.  Your 

father  would  have 

heard  it  with  joy." 
"  And     M.  de 

Launay  ? "  I  said,  as 

T  dismounted. 

"  There  can  be  no 

change  without  suf- 
fering," he  answered,  stoutly,  though  his  face  fell  a 

little.  "His  fathers  sinned,  and  he  has  paid  the  penalty. 

But  God  rest  his  soul  !   I  have  heard  that  he  was  a  good 

man." 

"  And  died  in  his  duty,"  I  said,  rather  tartly. 

"  Amen,"  Father  Benoit  answered. 

Still  it  was  not  until  we  were  sat  down  in  the  Chestnut 
Parlour  (which  the  servants  called  the  English  Room), 
and,  with  candles  between  us,  were  busy  with  our  cheese 
and  fruit,  that  I  appreciated  to  the  full  the  impression 
which  the  news  had  made  on  the  Cure.  Then,  as  he 
talked,  as  he  told  and  listened,  his  long  limbs  and  lean 
form  trembled  with  excitement ;  his  thin  face  worked. 
, '  It  is  the  end,"  he  said.  "  You  may  depend  upon  it, 
M.  le  Vicomte,  it  is  the  end.  Your  father  told  me  many 
times  that  in  money  lay  the  secret  of  power.  Money,  he 
used  to  say,  pays  the  army,  the  army  secures  all.  A 
while  ago  the  money  failed.  Now  the  army  fails.  There 
is  nothing  left." 


M  TO  TOUR  KENNELS,  I  SAY  ! 


"  The  King  1 "  I  said,  unconsciously  quoting  Madame 
la  Marquise. 

"God  bless  his  Majesty!"  the  Cure  said,  heartily. 
"  He  means  well,  and  now  he  will  be  able  to  do  well, 
because  the  nation  will  be  with  him.    But,  without  the 

nation,  without 
money  or  an  army 
- — a  name  only. 
And  the  name  did 
not  save  the  Bas- 
tille." 

Then,  beginning 
-with  the  scene  ab 
Madame     de  St. 
Alais'  reception,  I 
told  him   all  that 
had    happened  to 
me ;  the  oath  of  the 
sword,  the  debate 
in    the  Assembly, 
the  tumult  in  the 
Square — last  of  all, 
the    harsh  words 
with  which  Madame 
had  given  me  my 
conge  ;  alL    As  he 
listened     he  was 
e  x  t  r  ao  rdinarily 
moved.  When 
1  described  the  scene 
in  the  Chamber,  he 
could  not  be  still, 
but,  in  his  enthu- 
siasm, walked  about 
the  parlour  mutter- 
ing.   And,  when  I 
told  him  how  the 
ci'owd     had  cried 
"  Vive  Saux  !  "  he 
repeated  the  words 
softly,   and  looked 
at  me  with  delighted 
eyes.     But,  when 
I     came  —  halting 
somewhat    in  my 
speech,  and  colour- 
ing and  pla37ing  with  my  bread  to  hide  my  disorder — to 
tell  him  my  thoughts  on  the  way  home,  and  the  choice 
that,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  was  offered  to  me,  he  sat  down, 
and  fell,  also,  to  crumbling  his  bread,  and  was  silent. 
(To  be  concluded,) 

IN  LA  VENDEE. 

The  horrors  of  the  Revolution  were  not  confined  to 
the  Republican  side.  The  Royalists  in  La  Vendue, 
slaughtered  the  Jacobin  lot  without  pity.  They  killed 
them  with  regularity  for  five  weeks  at  Machecoul, 
shooting  thirty  a  day  ;  each  lot  of  thirty  they  called  a 
rosary.  They  drew  up  each  party  with  their  back 
against  a  trench  and  shot  them ;  the  victims  fell  into 
the  trench,  sometimes  living,  and  were  buried  alive. 
Joubert,  the  president  of  the  district,  had  his  hands 
sawn '  off  at  the  wrists.  They  manufactured  sharp 
handcuffs  to  put  on  the  Blues  (national  soldiers)  whom 
they  made  prisoners.  One  of  their  noble  leaders  shot  a 
lawyer  of  the  Commune,  and  robbed  him  of  his  watch. 
Charette  burnt  the  city  of  Pornic  with  its  inhabitants 
in  their  houses.    Terror  replied  to  terror. 


382 


TO-DAY. 


Jasfaky  26,  1805. 


WORKING   CLASS  WOMEN 
IN  CONSTANTINOPLE. 


BY 


CONSTANCE  EAGELSTONE. 

Illustrated  by  H.  Salmon. 


When  the  master  of  the  establishment  is  fairly  well- 
to-do — and  on  how  little  a  Turk  with  simple  tastes  can 
contrive  to  exist,  an  English  reader  would  not  believe 
even  if  he  were  told — the  lot  of  his  women  differs  little 
from  that  of  those  who  are  hidden  away  behind  the 
pink  or  cream-tinted  walls  of  the  palaces  in  Stamboul 
or  on  the  Bosphorus  ;  the  hue  of  the  houses  is  specially 
namad  as  the  Sultan,  with  the  Imperial  family,  alone 
has  the  right  to  a  residence  of  pure  white  marble,  though, 
as  he  often  makes  presents  of  kiosks  and  smaller  palaces 
to  his  followers,  this  rule  has  not  always  the  appearance 
of  being  carried  out. 

well-stocked  stall  in  the  hv. 


izaars 


A  merchant  with 
and  a  good  financial 
connection  with 
those  of  Smyrna  or 
Cairo,  which  brings 
him  in  profits  to  the 
amount  of  from  one 
to  three  hundred  a 
year,  or  a  landowner 
with  wide  fields  of 
tobacco  or  maize, 
or  perhaps  with  the 
rights  of  grazing 
land  for  some  scores 
of  sheep,  under  the 
charge  of  a  coupk 
of  fierce,  pictur 
esque  brigands,  whc 
o  re  playing  at  being 
shepherds  for  the 
nonce,  will  have  a 
roomy  house  in 
Stamboul,  at  the 
back  of  which  is  one 
large  room,  with 
half-a  dozen  cup- 
boards disposed 
around  it.  This  is 
where  his  women 
live,  and  in  these 
cupboards  they 
carry  on  those  occu- 
pations of  cooking, 
sleeping  and  the 
like,  which  cannot 
be  conveniently 
pursued  in  the 
apartment  all  share 
in  common. 

Disposing  of  this  lower  middle  class,  though  Turkey 
knows  not  that  word,  in  these  few  lines,  let  us  consider 
the  existence  of  such  as  are  lower  in  the  social  scale. 

As  a  rule  the  poor  Turk,  whether  he  be  soldier  or 
zaptieh,  water-carrier  or  hamal,  is  intensely  poor.  If 
one  of  the  first  two  named,  he  is  a  Government  official, 
so  for  him  there  is  little  question  of  pay,  and  it  is  n  ar 
vellous  how  his  women  and  children  are  kept  alive 
when,  during  the  long  summer  months,  he  is  camped 
out  on  the  hills,  scouring  them  in  search  of  brigands, 
and  of  those  who  are  trying  to  prove  non-existence,  that 
they  may  avoid  the  visits  of  a  mounted  tax-collector. 
Should  the  husband  be  a  sougee  (water-carrier)  or  hamal 
(carrier  of  burdens),  his  family  finances  are  usually  in 
better  condition.  One  must  drink  water,  and  the  con- 
venient tap  and  pipe  which  placed  the  beverage  at  our 
lips  so  long  ago  that  the  pump  and  the  bucket,  at  the 
well  have  become  as  obsolete  as  Johnsonian  English, 


TYPE  OK  TURKISH  BEAUTY. 


are  not  so  universal  as  to  allow  the  sougee  to  pass  many 
houses  in  Stamboul  without  a  call.  The  hamal,  too,, 
can  count  on  constant  employment,  while  the  largesse  he 
receives  when  some  opulent  bey  moves  from  town  to 
country  and  back  at  the  beginning  of  the  summer,  would 
do  something,  though  not  much,  to  satisfy  an  Italian  ice- 
cream vendor  on  the  August  Bank  Holiday.  For  the 
rest  of  the  year  his  gains  are  few,  and  he  will  be 
rewarded  for  carrying  huge  bales,  which  would  tax  the 
powers  of  strength  of  three  British  porters,  stalwart 
race  though  they  be,  from  the  quay  up  the  steep  streets 
to  some  shop  in  the  Rue  de  Pera,  by  a  sum  in  piastres 
representing  considerably  less  than  an  English  shilling. 
Even  this  constitutes  for  him  a  red-letter  day,  as  he  may 
earn  a  few  pence  more  later  on  in  the  cool  of  the  after- 
noon. When  one  hears  how  underpaid  even  the  most 
industrious  and  intelligent  of  workmen  are  here,  and 
how  overstocked  are  all  trades  in  a  country  where  so- 
few  are  pursued,  one  is  not  surprised  to  learn  that,  as 
a  rule,  for  six  months  in  the  year,  a  poor  Turkish  woman 
is  always  cold,  and  for  twelve  months  in  the  year  she  is 
always    hungry.     Add    to    this    that    her  husband 

beats  her,  and  her 
lot  does  not  seem 
enviable.  It  is 
probable'  that  the 
last  grievance  is 
borne  most  lightly 
of  the  three.  As 
she  may  take  for 
granted  that  all  her 
friends  are  likewise 
beaten  by  their 
husbands,  and  that 
precedent  for  this 
chastisement  can 
be  quoted  in  every 
stage  of  her 
country's  history, 
it  is  not  likely  that 
her  pride  suffers 
much,  and,  for  the 
rest,  the  Turk  is 
not  bynature  cruel; 
one  who  is  as  a 
rule  so  gentle  with 
his  horse  and  his 
dog  is  not  likely  to 
make  his  hand  very 
heavy  when  it  falls 
on  a  woman,  even 
if  she  be  his  wife 
Moreover,  personal 
ill-usage  constitutes 
good  ground  for 
divorce  in  Eastern 
Courts,  and  a  threat 
to  this  effect  will 
often  be  a  wonder- 
ful  deterrent, 
especially  if  made  in  the  sharp  shrill  tones  in 
which  a  Turkish  woman  complains  of  her  wrongs. 
Divorce  is  obtained  with  most  unfortunate  facility, 
and  is  almost  invariably  followed  by  immediate 
re-marriage  ;  but  though  it  is  an  important  factor  in 
the  life  of  the  women  of  Turkey,  especially  among 
the  lower  orders,  the  subject  cannot  be  treated  here. 

Let  us  now  look  more  closely  at  the  wife  of  the  work- 
ing man  of  Constantinople  in  her  own  home  :  beyond  its 
walls,  if  a  denizen  of  the  city,  work  for  her  is  unknown. 
Custom  and  religious  precept  alike  forbid  it.  She  could 
not  be  employed  in  a  factory  nor  a  shop,  nor  even  as  a 
domestic  servant  in  any  household  but  that  of  her  hus- 
band, or  of  her  master  if  she  be  a  slave.  In  the  suburbs 
the  houses  are  usually  constructed  of  clay  or  a  mixture 
of  straw  and  clay  :  in  the  towns  they  are  built  of  wood, 
sometimes  with  a  foundation  of  brick,  sometimes  with- 
out.   The  one  window  allowed  to  each  low-built  room  is 


January  26,  1S95.  TO-DAY.  383 


very  small  and  heavily  latticed  ;  as  a  rule,  it  is  not 
glazed,  and  the  intensely  cold  wind  which  sweeps  in  from 
north  and  east  during  the  winter  rushes  in  with  ter- 
rible force  through  the  wooden  frame,  and  the  chinks 
which,  in  any  corner,  would  allow  you  to  thrust  your 
hand  into  the  open  air.  Down  one  side  is  the  rough 
divan,  bed  chair,  table  in  turn,  which  is,  as  a  rule,  the 
one  piece  of  furniture  the  house  contains.  At  the  oppo- 
site side  is  a  pan  containing  an  oke  or  two  of  black 
bread,  and  cast  down  near  it  are  a  few  okes  of  charcoal, 
from  which  the  woman  feeds  the  pan  in  the  middle  of 
the  room,  and  over  this  she  crouches  when  she  has  time 
to  spare.  In  another  corner  are  the  boots,  which  she 
throws  off  directly  she  comes  into  the  house,  her  feet 
being;  covered  only  by  thick,  coarse  woollen  socks,  reach- 
ing little  above  the  ankle.  Wooden  pegs  driven  into 
the  wall  hold  the  family  wardrobe  in  summer  ;  in  winter 
the  family  wears  its  wardrobe  complete.  The  floor  is 
of  beaten  clay,  and  about  it  sprawl  half-a-dozen  of  the 


petually  fanned  it  will  not  boil  the  pot  upftn  it ;  funds 
are  lacking  to  such  an  extent  that  a  separate  journey 
must  be  undertaken  every  morning  for  the  hand- 
ful of  wheat  required  to  make  the  Burghal, 
which,  with  the  addition  of  fat  or  butter,  alter- 
nates with  boiled  rice  for  the  mid-day  meal.  The 
padded  clothes  worn  by  the  husband,  his  kooshbah,  or 
gaily  embroidered  waistband,  are  made  at  home,  as  is 
everything  put  on  by  the  women  and  children,  and  their 
skill  in  manufacturing  these  garments  is  wonderful  when 
one  considers  the  implements  with  which  they  have  to- 
work.  The  clay  floor  is  a  constant  source  of  anxiety, 
as  the  rain,  streaming  in  at  the  defective  roof  reduces 
it  to  a  pulp,  and  incessant  labour  is  required  to  dry  and 
beat  it  hard  again.  The  water,  of  which,  as  good  Moslems, 
large  supplies  are  needed,  is  often  brought  from  great 
distances,  and  it  is  a  pathetic  sight,  on  a  windy  day,  to 
see  some  shivering  woman  or  little  girl  stumbling  up 
the  precipitous  slope  of  the  roughly-paved  steep  street, 


BRIDGE   AND  LANDSCAPE. 


naughtiest  children  that  the  world  knows.  Their  mother 
evidently  adores  them,  but  they  are  always  fighting  and 
generally  yelling,  and  thev  bite,  spit,  scratch,  and  claw 
each  other,  and  do  all  that  Dr.  Watts  tells  them  not  to 
do.  Away  from  home,  the  little  things  are  much  more 
amenable  to  reason,  and  it  is  amusing  to  notice  how 
very  early  in  life  a  tiny  Turkish  maiden  will  assume 
that  look  of  demure  modesty,  rarely  dispelled  in  this 
class  by  an  arch  g-lance  from  between  the  folds  of  her 
yashmak,  which  is  her  armour  of  defence  when  she  walks 
in  the  open  air. 

Poor  little  girl,  the  years  of  her  childhood  are  veiy 
few,  and  when  they  are  pronounced  to  be  past,  she  is  in- 
cessantly occupied  in  helping  her  mother  at  the  hard  work 
of  the  domestic  day  till  she  leaves  her  own  home  to  pass 
under  the  dominion  of  a  step-mother.  It  is  not  that  the 
labour  is  itself  toilsome,  but  it  is  pursued  under  such 
difficult  conditions.    Unless  the  pan  of  charcoal  be  per- 


her  "  clogs  "  falling  off  every  yard  she  advances,  the  icy 
water  streaming  over  her  ankles,  and  her  thin  brown 
hand  holding  hard  on  to  her  ferighee,  as  to  let  it  blow 
back  from  her  lips  and  brow  would  be  an  indelible 
disgrace.  However,  the  great  hardship  the  woman  of 
this  class  has  to  endure  is  cold,  and  of  this  scores,  ay, 
hundreds  die  every  winter,  if  it  be  severe.  The 
intensity  of  this  cold  can  hardly  be  imagined  by  any 
but  herself  ;  her  clothing  is  utterly  inadequate  to  pro- 
tect her;  her  house  is  such  as  has  been  described ;  her 
bed  is  a  straw  mattress  with  one  rough  rug ;  her  meals 
consist  almost  entirely  of  farinaceous  food,  fruit,  and 
vegetables ;  of  meat  or  fat  or  other  heat-giving  viands 
she  often  tastes  nothing  for  months  together ;  and,  finally, 
she  is  so  attired  and  so  shod  that  on  her  rare  walks  In 
the  open  air  during  the  cold  season,  she  can  never  move 
at  more  than  a  snail's  pace.  In  summer  her  lot  is  far 
happier,  for  she  absolutely  revels  in  the  sunshine  and 


331 


TO-DAY. 


January  26,  1S95. 


-warm,  balmy  air,  and  every  moment  of  the  time  she  can  with  her  companions  round  some  lovely  marble  well,  or 
snatch  from  her  housework  she  is  tj  be  seen  chattering      among  the  ruined  walls  of  some  old  monument  of  the  past. 


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know  it.  Many  a  time  that  little  schooner  o'  mine 
has  kept  up  with  a  steamer." 

"  Wher'd  you  ha'  been  if  the  tow  rope  had  parted, 
though?  "  said  the  master  of  the  Thistle,  with  a  wink  at 
the  landlord. 

At  this  remark  Captain  Berrow  took  fire,  and  with  his- 
temper  rapidly  rising  to  fever  heat,  wrathfully  repelled 
the  scurvy  insinuation  in  language  which  compelled 
the  respectful  attention  of  all  the  other  customers  and 
the  hasty  intervention  of  the  landlord. 

"Put  up  the  stakes,"  he  cried  impatiently,  "put  up 
the  stakes,  and  don't  have  so  much  jaw  about  it." 

"  Here's  mine,"  said  Berrow,  sturdily  handing  over  a 
greasy  fiver.    "Now,  Cap'n  Tucker,  cover  that." 

"  Come  on,"  said  the  landlord,  encouragingly,  "  don't 
let.  him  take  the  wind  out  of  your  sails  like  that." 

Tucker  handed  over  five  sovereigns. 

"High  water's  at  12.13,"  said  the  landlord, 
pocketing  the  stakes ;  "  you  understand  the  conditions : 
each  of  you  does  the  best  he  can  for  hisself  after  eleven, 
an'  the  one  what  geta  to  Poole  first  has  the  ten  quid. 
Understand  ? " 

Both  gamblers  breathed  hard,  and  fully  realising  the 
desperate  nature  of  the  enterprise  upon  which  they  had 
embarked,  ordered  some  more  gin.  A  rivalry  of  long- 
standing as  to  the  merits  of  their  respective  schooners 
had  led  to  them  calling  in  the  landlord  to  arbitrate,  and 
this  was  the  result.  Berrow,  vaguely  feeling  that  it  would 
be  advisable  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  the  stakeholder, 
offered  him  one  of  the  famous  cigars.  The  stakeholder, 
anxious  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  his  stomach,  de- 
clined it. 

"Yoii've  both  got  your  moorings  up,  I  s'pose?"  he 
inquired. 

"  Got  'em  up  this  evening,"  replied  Tucker.  "  We'r& 
just  made  fast  one  on  each  side  of  the  Dolphin  now." 

"The  wind's  light,  but  it's  from  the  right  quarter," 
said  Captain  Berrow,  "an'  I  only  hope  as  "ow  the  best 
ship'il  win.  I'd  like  to  win  myself,  but  if  not  I  can. 
only  say  as  there's  no  man  breathing  I'd  sooner  have 
lick  me  than  Cap'n  Tucker.    He's  as  smart  a  seaman 


OUTSAILED. 


BY 


W.   W.  JACOBS. 

Illustrated  by  Scott  Rankin. 


^  p  T  was  a  momentous 
occasion.  The  two 
skippers  sat  in  the 
private  bar  of  the 
Old  Ship,  in  High 
Street,  Wapping, 
solemnly  sipping  cold 
gin  and  smoking 
cigars  whose  sole 
merit  consisted  in  the 
fact  that  they  had 
been  smuggled.  It 
is  well  -  known  all 
along  the  water-side 
that  this  greatly  im- 
proves their  flavour. 

"  Draw  all  right  ?  " 
queried  Captain  Ber- 
row,  a    short,  fat 
man   of   few  ideas, 
who  was  the  exulting  owner  of  a  bundle  of  them. 

"Beautiful,"  replied  Captain  Tucker,  who  had  just 
made  an  excursion  into  the  interior  of  his  with  the  small 
blade  of  his  penknife.  "  Why  don't;  you  keep  smokes 
like  these,  landlord?" 

"He  can't,"  chuckled  Captain  Berrow  fatuously. 
"  They're  not  to  be  'ad — money  couldn't  buy  'em." 

The  landlord  grunted.  "  Why  don't  you  settle  about 
that  race  o'  yours  an'  ha'  done  with  it,"  he  cried,  as  he 
wiped  down  his  counter.  "  Seems  to  me,  Cap'n  Tucker's 
hanging  fire." 

"I'm  ready  when  he  is,"  said  Tucker,  somewhat 
shortly. 

"It's  taking  your  money,"  said  Berrow  slowly,  "the 
Thistle  can't  hold  a  candle  to  the  Good  Intent,  and  you 


Copyrvht,  1895,  by  W.  W.  Jacobs. 


386 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  1895. 


as  ever  comes  into  the  London  river,  an'  he's  got  a 
schooner  angels  would  be  proud  of." 

"Glasses  o  gin  round,"  said  Tucker  promptly. 
"  Cap'n  Berrow,  here's  your  very  good  health,  an'  a  fair 
field  an'  no  favour." 

With  these  praiseworthy  sentiments  the  master  of  the 
Thistle  finished  his  liquor,  and  wiping  his  mouth  on 
the  back  of  his  hand,  nodded  farewell  to  the  twain,  and. 
departed.  Once  in  the  High  Street,  he  walked  slowly, 
as  one  in  deep  thought,  then,  with  a  sudden  resolution, 
turned  up  Nightingale  Lane,  and  made  for  a.  small,  un- 
savoury thoroughfare  leading  out  of  Ratcliffe  Highway. 
A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  he  emerged  into  that  famous 
thoroughfare  again,  smiling  incoherently,  and,  retracing 
his  steps  to  the  waterside,  jumped  into  a  boat,  and  was 
pulled  off  to  his  ship. 

"  Comes  off  to-night,  Joe,"  said  he,  as  he  descended 
to  the  cabin,  "  an'  it's  arf  a  quid  to  you  if  the  old  gal 
wins." 

"  What's  the  bet? "  inquired  the  mato,  looking  tip  from 
his  task  of  shredding  tobacco. 

"  Five  quid,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"Well,  we  ought  to  do  it,"  said  the  mate  slowly, 
"  't'won't  be  my  fault  if  we  don't." 

"Mine  neither,"  said  the  ikipper.  "As  a  matter  o' 
fact,  Joe,  I  reckon 
I've,  about  made 
sure  of  it.  All's 
fair  in  love  and  war 
and  racing,  Joe." 

"Ay,  ay,"  said 
the  mate,  more 
slowly  than  before, 
as  he  revolved  this 
addition  to  the 
proverb. 

"  I  just  nipped 
round  and  saw  a 
chap  I  used  to 
know  named 
Dibbs,"  said  the 
skipper.  "  Keeps 
a  boarding  -  house 
for  sailors.  Won- 
derful sharp  little 
chap  he  is. 
Needles  ain't  no- 
thing  to  him. 
There's  heaps  of 
needles,  but  only 
one  Dibbs.  He's 
going  to  make  old 
Eerrow's  chaps  as 
drunk  as  lords." 

"  Does  he  know 
'em  ? "  inquired  the 
mate. 

"He  knows 
where  to  find  'em," 
said  the  othtr,  "  I 

told  him  they'd  either  be  in  the  Duke's  Head  or  the 
Town  o'  Berwick.  But  he'd  find  'em  wherever  they 
was.  Ah,  even  if  they  was  in  a  coff  ae  pallis,  I  b'leeve 
that  man  'ud  find  'em.*' 

"Ihey're  steady  chaps,"  objected  the  mate,  but  in  a 


"  GLASSES   O*   GIN  ROUND.' 


weak  fashion,  being  somewhat  staggered  by  this  tribute 
to  Mr.  Dibbs'  remarkable  powers. 

"  My  lad,"  said  the  skipper,  "  it's  Dibbs'  business  tc. 
mix  sailors'  liquors  so's  they  don't  know  whether  they're 
standing  on  their  heads  or  their  heels.  He's  the  most 
Avonderful  mixer  in  Christendom ;  takes  a  reglar  pride 
in  it.  Many  a  sailorman  has  got  up  a  ship's  side  think- 
ing it  was  stairs,  and  gone  off  half  acrost  the  world  in- 
stead of  going  to  bed,  through  him." 

"We'll  have  a.  easy  job  of  it,  then,"  said  the  mate. 
"  I  b'leeve  we  could  ha'  managed  it  without  that  though. 
'Tain't  quite  what  you'd  call  sport,  is  it?" 

"  There's  nothing  like  making  sure  of  a  thing,"  said 
the  skipper  placidly.  "  What  time's  our  chaps  coming 
aboard?" 

"  Ten  thirty,  the  latest,"  replied  the  mate.  "  Old 
Sam's  with  'em,  so  they'll  be  all  right." 

"  I'll  turn  in  for  a  couple  of  hours,"  said  the  skipper, 
going  towards  his  berth.  "  Lord !  I'd  give  something 
to  see  old  Berrow's  face  as  his  chaps  come  up  the  side." 

"  P'raps  they  won't  git  as  far  as  that,"  remarked  the 
mate. 

"  Oh,  yes  they  will,"  said  the  skipper.  "  Dibbs  is 
going  to  see>  to  that.  I  don't  want  any  chance  of  the 
race  being  scratched.  Turn  me  out  in  a  couple  of 
hcurs." 

He  closed  the 
door  behind  him, 
and  the  mate,  hav- 
ing stuffed  his  clay 
with  the  coarse 
tobacco,  took  some 
pink  note  -  paper 
with  scalloped  edges 
from  his  drawee, 
and,  placing  the 
paper  at  his  right 
side,  and  squaring 
his  shoulders,  began 
some  private  corre- 
spondence. 

For  some  time  he 
smoked  and  wrote 
in  silence,  until  the 
increasing  darkness 
waimed  him  to 
finish  his  task.  He 
signed  the  note, 
and,  having  put  a 
few  marks  of  a 
tender  nature  below 
his  signature,  sealed 
it  ready  for  the 
post,  and  sat  with 
half  -  closed  eyes 
finishing  his  pipe. 
Then  his  head 
nodded,  and, 
placing  his  arms  on 
the  table,  he  too 
slept. 

It  seemed  but  a  minute  since  he  had  closed  his  eyes 
when  he  was  awakened  by  the  entrance  of  the  skipper, 
who  came  blundering  into  the  darkness  from  his  state- 
room, vociferating  loudly  and  nervously. 

"  Ay,  ay  !  "  said  Joe,  starting  up. 


February  2,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


387 


"Where's  the  lights?"  said  the  skipper.  "What's 
Hie  time?  I  dreamt  I'd  overslept  myself.  What's  the 
time?" 

"  Plenty  o'  time,"  said  the  mate,  vaguely,  as  he  stifled 
a.  yawn. 

"Ha'-past  ten,"  said  the  skipper,  as  he  struck  a 
match.    "You've  been  asleep,"  he  added,  severely. 

"  I  ain't,"  said  the  mate,  stoutly,  as  he  followed  the 
other  on  deck.  "  I've  been  thinking.  I  think  better  is 
the  dark." 

"  It's  about  time  our  chaps  was  aboard,"  said  the 
skipper,  as  he  looked  round  the  deserted  deck.  "  I  hope 
they  won't  be  late." 

"  Sam's  with  'em,"  said  the  mate,  confidently,  as  he 
went  to  the  side;  "there  ain't  no  festivities  going  on 
aboard  the  Good  Intent,  neither." 

"There  will  be,"  said  his  worthy  skipper,  with  a 
grin,  as  he  looked  acrossi  the'  intervening  brig  at  the 
rival  craft ;  "  there  will  be." 

He  walked  round  the  deck  to  see  that  everything  was 
snug  and  ship-shape,  and  got  back  to  the  mate  just  as  a 
howl  of  surprising  weirdness  was  heard  proceeding  from 
the  neighbouring  stairs. 

"  I'm  s'prised  at  Berrow  allowing  his  men  to'  make  that 
noise',"  said  the  skipper,  waggishly.  "  Our  chaps  are 
there,  too,  I  think.    I  can  hear  Sam's  voice." 

"  So  can  I,"  said  the  mate-,  with  emphasis. 

"  Seems  to  be  talking  rather  loud,"  said  the  maeter 
of  the  Thistle,  knitting  his  brows. 

"  Sounds  as  though  he's  trying  to  sing,"  said  the  mate, 
as,  after  some  delay,  a.  heavily-laden  boat  put  off  from 
the'  stairs,  and  made  slowly  for  them.  "  No,  he  ain't ; 
he's  screaming." 

There  was  no1  longer  any  doubt  about  it.  The  re- 
spectable and  greatly-trusted  Sam  was  letting  off  a  series 
of  wild  howls  which  would  have  done  credit  to-  a.  penny- 
gaff  Zulu,  and  was  evidently  very  much  out  of  temper 
about  something. 

"Alioy,  Thistle/  Ahoy!"  bellowed  the  waterman,  as 
ho  neared  the  schooner.    "  Chuck  us  a  rope: — quick  ! " 

The  mate  threw  him  da©,  and  thei  boat  came  alongside. 
It  was  then  seen  that  another  waterman,  using  impatient 
and  deplorable  language1,  was  forcibly  holding  Sam  down 
in  the  boat. 

"  What's  he  dene  ?  What's  the  row  ? "  demanded  the 
mate. 

"Done?"  said  the  waterman,  in  disgust.  "Done? 
He's  'ad  a  small  lemon,  an'  it's-  got  into  his  silly  old  head. 
He's  making  all  this  fuss  'cos  he  wanted  to  set  the  pub 
on  fire,  an'  they  wouldn't  let  him.  Man  ashore  told  us 
they  belonged  to  the  Good  Intent,  but  I  know  they're 
your  men." 

"Sam!"  roared  the  skipper,  with  a  sinking  heart,  as 
his  glance  fell  on  the  recumbent  figures  in  the  boat ; 
"  come  aboard  at  once1,  you  drunken  disgrace1.  D'ye 
hear?" 

"  I  can't  leave  him,"  said  Sam,  whimpering. 

"Leave  who?"  growled  the  skipper. 

"  Him,"  said  Sam,  placing  his  arms  around  the  water- 
man's neck.    "  Him  an'  me's  like  brothers." 

"  Get  up,  you  old  loonatic  ! "  snarled  the  waterman, 
extricating  himself  with  difficulty,  and  forcing  the  other 
towards  the  side.    "Now,  up  yen  go!" 

Aided  by  the  shoulders  of  the  waterman  and  the  hands 
of  his  superior  officers,  Sam  went  up,  and  then  the 
waterman  turned  his  attention  to  the  remainder  of  his 


fares,  who>  were  snoring  contentedly  in  the  bottom  of 
the  boat. 

-'  Now,  then ! "  he  cried ;  "  look  alive  with  you  !  D'ye 
hear  ?    Wake  up  !  wake  up  !    Kick  'em,  Bill !  " 

"  I  can't  kick  no  "arder,"  grumbled  the  other  water- 
man. 

"What  the  devil's  the  matter  with  'em?"  stormed  the 
master  of  the  Thistle.     "  Chuck  a  pail  of  water  over  'em, 

Joe  ! " 

Joe  obeyed  with  gusto;  and,  as  he  never  had  much 


113  SMOKED  AND   WROTE  IX  SILENCE. 

of  a  head  for  details,  bestowed  most,  of  it  upon  the 
watermen.  Through  the  row  which  ensued,  the 
Thistle's  crew  snored  peacefully,  and  at  last  were  handed 
up  over  the  sides  like  sacks  of  potatoes ;  and  the  indig- 
nant watermen  pulled  back  to  the  stairs. 

"  Here's  a  nice  crew  to'  win  a  race  with ! "  wailed 
the  skipper,  almost,  crying  with  rage.  "  Chuck  the 
water  over  'em,  Joe !    Chuck  the  water  over  'em  !  " 

Joe  obeyed  willingly,  until  at  length,  to  the  skipper's 
great  relief,  one  man  stirred,  and,  sitting  up  on  the 
deck,  sleepily  expressed  his  firm  conviction  that  it  was 
raining.  For  a,  moment  they  both  had  hopes  of  him, 
but  as  Joe  went  to  the  side  for  another  bucketful,  he 
evidently  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  been 
dreaming,  and,  lying  down  again,  resumed  his  nap.  As 
he:  did  SO'  the  first  stroke  of  Big  Ben  came  booming  down 
the  river. 

"  Eleven  o'clock  !  "  shouted  the  excited  skipper. 

It  was  too  true.  Before  Big  Ben  had  finished,  the 
neighbouring  church  clocks  commenced  striking  with 
feverish  haste,  and  hurrying  feet  and  hoarse  cries  were 
heard  proceeding  from  the  deck  of  the  Good  Intent. 

"  Loose  the  sails !  "  yelled  the  furious  Tucker.  "  Loose 
the  sail  3 !    Damme,  we'll  get  under  way  by  ourselves  ! " 

He  ran  forward,  and,  assisted  by  the  mate,  hoisted  the 
.jibs,  and  then,  running  back,  cast  off  from  the  brig,  and 
began  to  hoist  the  mainsail.  As  they  disengaged  them- 
selves from  the  tier,  there  was  just  sufficient  sail  for 
them  to  advance  against  the  tide;  while  in  front  of 
them  the  Good  Intent,  shaking  out  sail  after  sail,  stood 
boldly  down  the  river. 

*  *  *  »  * 

"  This  was  the  way  of  it,"  said  Sam,  as  he  stood  before 
the  grim  Tucker  at  six  o'clock  the  next-  morning,  sur- 
rounded by  his  mates.  "  He  came  into  the  Town  o' 
Berwick,  where  we  was,  as  nice  a.  spoken  little  chap  as 
ever  you'd  wish  to  sec.  He  said  he'd  been  a-looking  at 
the  Good  Intent,  and  he  thought  it  was  the  prettiest 


3SS 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  1895. 


little  craft  'e  ever  seed,  and  the  exact  image  of  one  hia 
dear  brother,  which  was  a  missionary,  'ad,  and  he'd  like 
to  stand  a  drink  to  every  man  of  her  crew.  0'  course, 
we  all  said  we  was  the  crew  direckly,  an'  all  I  can 
remember  arter  that  is  two  coppers  an'  a  little  boy 
trying  to  giv'  me  the  frog's  march,  an'  somebody  chuck- 
ing pails  o'  water  over  me.    It's  crool  'ard  losing  a  race, 


what  we  didn't  know  nothink  about,  in  this  way;  but 
it  wani't  our  fault — it  warn't,  indeed.  It's  my  belief 
that  th3  little  man  was  a  missionary  of  some  sort  hisself, 
and  wanted  to  convert  us,  an'  that  was  his  way  of  start- 
ing on  the  job.  It's  all  very  well  for  the  mate  to  'av& 
highstirriks  :  but  it's  quite  true,  every  word  of  it,  an'  if. 
you  go  an'  ask  at  the  pub  they'll  tell  you  the  same." 


THE  "coon  INTENT"  stood  boldly  down  the  river. 


AMERICAN  FOOTBALL  ARMOUR. 


Mechanical  appliances  have  from  time  to  time  been 
introduced  to  protect  the  athletic  knights  of  "  the  grid- 
iron" from  sudden  death,  but  even  these  cannot  wholly 
prevent  strains1  and  bone  fractures.  A  knight  of  old, 
armed  cap-a-pie,  with  corselet  and  greaves,  and  visor- 
hidden  face*,  might  break  a  lance  with  the  social  idol, 
tut  he  could  not  kick  with  him,  for  the  college  sprinter 
would  outdo  him  at  every  turn.  In  the  window  of  a 
famous  athletic  goods  establishment  is  displayed  a  lay 
figure  ready  for  the  noble  sport  of  football.  It 
resembles  a  compromise  between  an  armoured  lay 
figure  in  the  Tower  of  London  and  the  divers  in  sub- 
marine armour  on  the  pier.  Whether  a  man  in  this 
costume  could  stop  bullets,  like  Herr  Dowe,  or  defy  a 
cable  car,  is  immaterial.  He  is  simply  accoutred  for 
sport.  The  most  striking  feature  of  the  equipment  is 
the  head-gear,  or  head-harness.  It  is  the  result  of  an 
evolution.  First  the  rubber  mouthpiece,  which  gives 
the  intensely  excited  player  something  to  clinch  his  teeth 
on,  and  thereby  prevent  the  breaking  of  the  same  by 
some  sudden  shock,  was  invented.  Then  the  nose  mask 
was  designed  by  someone  to  protect  a  nasal  bono  already 
fractured  from  further  injury.  Now  it  is  to  come  into 
genera^  use  as  a.  preventive  of  first  injury.  Then  came 
the  padded  guards  for  the  cars,  which  seemed  to  suffer  a 
good  deal  in  the  rushes.  But  previous  to  this  shin  pro- 
tectors made  of  canvas  and  whalebone  had  been  added  to 
the  quilted  canvas  knickerbockers  (now  adopted  by  base- 
ball tossers)  and  the  tightly-laced  canvas  jacket.  For  the 
protection  of  the  abdomen  an  ingenious  arrangement  of 
wire,  cotton,  and  chamois-skin,  was  produced  to  fill  a 
long-felt  want,  and  a  ready  sale  was  found  for  elastic 
caps  and  supporters  for  shoulders,  elbows,  forearms, 


knee-caps,  ankles,  and  wrists.  An  aspiring  athlete  clad, 
in  all  of  these  extraneous  adjuncts  to  the  football-player's 
outfit  would  be  safe  from  injury  by  anything  short  of  a 
railroad  collision.  The  nose-masks  have  been  worn  more 
numerously  each  season.  The  elaborate  head-gear  will 
be  greatly  in  evidence  during  this  season.  It  is  made  of 
light  watchspring  steel,  leather  straps  with  lamb's  wool 
facings  and  vulcanised  rubber. 

A  wide  band  of  leather,  with  the  lambskin  next  to  the 
-flesh,  passes  across  the  forehead  to  the  rear  of  the  head. 
A  centre  strap,  similarly  constructed,  passes  back  over 
the  head.  From  the  encircling  band  are  wide  padded 
straps,  which  encompass  the  ears  in  horseshoe  shape 
and  extend  well  forward  to  the  cheeks.  The  rubber  nose- 
mask,  a  stiff  affair  extending  over  the  mouth  and  to  the 
chin-line,  is  attached  to'  the  forehead  strap  and  the  cheek 
pieces.  Four  little  slots  in  its  widest  part  permit  breath- 
ing. The  whole  harness  is  held  securely  in  place  by 
elastic  bands  under  the  chin  and  at  the  back  of  the  head 
and  neck  by  elastic  bands  and  buckles.  A  team  equipped 
with  these  unbeautiful  arrangements  might  easily  be 
mistaken  for  a  crew  of  submarine  divers  or  for  a  band 
of  gnomes  escaped  from  a  Christmas  pantomime.  The 
eyes  peer  solemnly  through  the  lamb's  wool  goggles,  and 
a  mere  patch  of  the  cheeks  is  presented  to  view.  Yet 
it  is  questionable  whether  tliis  harness  in  its  very  con- 
struction is  not  after  all  a  temptation  for  a  good,  safe- 
grasp  by  an  adversary,  with  the  subsequent  churning  of 
the  head  of  the  wearer  until  the  surrounding  turf  will 
look  as  if  pigs  had  been  rooting  there  for  potatoes.  The 
gearing  looks  odd  just  now,  but  so  did  base-ball  catchers' 
masks  and  body-shields  when  first  introduced.  Tho 
pioneers  were  unmercifully  guyed.  To-day  a  cautious 
club  manager  will  not  permit  his  players  to  dispense  with 
the  approved  safeguards. — Current  Literature. 


Febbuary  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


389 


A  LAWYER'S  LETTER, 


BY 


WILLIAM  TURVILLE, 

Illustrated  by  Max  Cowper. 


'OHN  WARBURTON 
had  reached  the  nadir 
of  misfortune. 

Five  years  ago  an 
unsuccessful  soli- 
citor, who,  in  spite  of  a 
life  of  hard  work,  could 
hardly  do  more  than  make 
both  ends  meet,  he  had 
suddenly  come  into  a  for- 
tune of  three  thousand  a 
year  by  the  will  of  an 
eccentric  relation. 

Then  he  had  come  across 
Cynthia,  was  fascinated  by 
her,  and  married  her.  Ah  ! 
what  bliss  it  had  been,  in 
spite  of  the  disparity  of 
their  ages, 

And  now  a  new  will  had  been  found.    He  had  con- 
tested it,  and  been  defeated.    Had  he  won  his  case  he 
would  have  been  comparatively  wealthy ;  now  he  was 
almost  penniless.  Worse 
than  this,  his  wife,  always 
fragile,  fell  ill,  and  passed 
rapidly  into  a  galloping 
consumption. 

As  Warburton  heard  his 
doom,  and  realised  all  that 
it  meant  for  his  dainty, 
delicate  Cynthia,  he  was 
filled  with  horror. 

It  would  be  only 
cruelty  to  tell  her,  for 
the  doctor,  who  had  just 
left  the  house,  had  assured 
him  that  she  could  not 
last  another  twenty-four 
hours. 

Like  most  consumptives, 
she  was  confident  of  re- 
covery, and  used  to  declare 
she  was  getting  better  every 
day.  She  wTas  often  quite 
lively,  and  in  the  middle 
of  her  gaiety  would  drop 
off  into  a  half-fainting 
state  from  pure  exhaus- 
tion. 

She  had  just  dozed  off 
thus,  and  John  sat  idly 
twirling    in   his    hand  a 
mechanically  picked  up  at 

he  received  the  overwhelming  news  of  his  loss.  It 
was  a  blank  sheet  of  their  office  note-paper,  with  the 
name  of  the  firm  at  the  top. 

Suddenly  his  movements  stopped,  and  a  glad  light 
shone  in  his  eyes,  and  illumined  his  gaunt  features  with 
tenderness.    He  looked  on  his  wife,  who  still  slept. 

Then  he  took  up  a  pen — he  was  an  expert  engrosser — 
and  for  a  few  minutes  was  very  busy. 

Presently  his  wife  awoke. 

Brightly  smiling,  with  a  joyful  air,  he  came  forward 
to  her,  briskly,  waving  an  open  letter  in  his  hand. 

"  Now,  love,  what  will  you  give  me  for  this  ? " 

"Oh!  John— what?  Can  it  he?"  And  with  the 
eagerness  of  a  child,  her  trembling  hands  took  the 
letter.    She  read  it,  and,  bursting  out  into  tears  of  joy, 


HE   LOOKED   AT   HIS  WIFE. 


piece  or  paper  he  had 
his  lawyer's   office,  when 


held  out  her  arms.  He  folded  her  to  his  breast  as  he 
listened  to  her  exclamations. 

"  Why,  we  shall  be  millionaires !  Why  didn't  you  let 
me  open  the  letter  ?  I  know,  you  cunning  old  fox !  If 
it  had  been  bad  news,  you  wouldn't  have  told  me.  Ah  ! 
well ;  it  is  all  right  now.  I  don't  know  how  ever  I  shall 
be  able  to  sleep'  to-night.  It  is  too'  exciting.  Just 
fancy  !  No  more  worrying  about  money  !  I  feel  almost 
too  happy  to  live ! "  Presently — "  How  dull  you  are, 
John !  Can't  you  realise  our  good  fortune  ?  No  wonder, 
poor  boy ;  you  have  been  so>  buffeted  about,  and  I  have 
been  such  a  burden  to  you,  that  now,  when  it  has  come, 
you  can't  take  it  in.  But  I  will  brighten  you  up  as 
soon  as  I  have  got  rid  of  this  horrid  cough.  I  tell  you 
what.  We  are  rich  now.  I  should  like  some  cham- 
pagne, to>  drink  success  to  our  new  fortune.  Will  you 
give  me  some  ? " 

"What  capital  ideas  you  have,  dear!  I  will  go  out 
and  get  some  at  once." 

"  Mind,"  she  said,  as  he  was  going — "  a.  magnum. 
We  can  afford  it  now.  It  doesn't  matter  if  some  of  it 
is.  wasted." 

"  Of  course  not."  He  had  about  ten  shillings  in  his 
pocket,  and  it  was  all  the  ready  money  in  the  house. 
"  I  won't  be  long." 

He  soon  returned,  and  they  drank  together,  but  she 
could  not  takei  more  than  one  glass.    Then — 

"  Now,  I  am  going  to'  sleep,  and  you  must  hold  my 
hand  until  I  go>  off."    Overpowered  by  the  draught  she 

had  just  drained  so  joy- 
fully, she  slept  soundly 
for  nearly  an  hour. 
With  a  little  start, 
she  awoke.  "  Oh  !  I 
have  had  such  a  lovely 
dream  !  Where  am  1 1 
Oh,  yes  !  I  am  getting 
confused.  It  is  true  and 
not  a  dream.  Oh  !  John  ! 
we  will  be  so  happy 
now." 

Joy  was  dancing  in 
her  eyes  as  they  turned 
on  him,  and  he  kissed 
her  lingeringly.  As  he 
did  so,  she  sank  limply  in 
his  arms,  and  her  spirit 
sighed  away. 


John  Warburton  took 
the  letter  that  had  served 
its  purpose  so  well,  folded 
it  up,  and  gut  it  away 
caressingly  in  his  breast 
pocket.  It  was  now 
more  precious  to  him 
than  when  it  had  been 


a  charter  of  wealth  to  her. 


A   STREET   IN  CHINA. 

The  interest  of  the  streets  cannot  be  surpassed ;  all 
are  narrow,and  even  this  is  further  reduced  by  the  singular 
manner  of  hanging  out  signboards  at  right  angles  to*  the 
shops,  some  suspended  like  the  signs  of  old  English  inns, 
and  some  set  up  in  carved  and  gilded  stands  at  the 
corners  of  the  shop.  They  are  planks,  ten  to  fifteen 
feet  in  height — black,  scarlet,  blue',  white,  and  green,  on 
which  are  embossed  strange  characters  in  scarlet  or  gold. 
Some  shops  hang  up  a,  pasteboard  model  of  their  goods : 
a  satin  skull  cap,  a,  conical  straw  hat,  denote  a.  hatter ; 
a  shoe  for  a  shoemaker;  a.  fan  or  an  umbrella,  for  the 
seller  of  these;  a  huge  pair  of  spectacles  on  a  great 
gilded  dragon — each  convey  their  invitations  to;  all 
comers. 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  1895. 


OUR   EARTHLY  WINGS. 

I  was  alone  on  the  road  ;  a.  country  road  hardened 
by  the  sharp  frost,  which  made  the  hedges  glitter.  I 
was  Hying  through  the  keen  air,  and  I  felt  that  with 
osvery  revolution  of  the  pedals  I  breathed  health  and 
gathered  strength  for  work.  It  was  the  last  day  of  the 
year,  and  that  was  the  last  of  my  holiday  rides.  "  The 
world  and  its  cares  will  have  to  be  faced  again  to- 
morrow,"' I  said  to  myself.  "  A  happy  New  Year  to  you, 
ma'am  ! "  shouted  at  that  moment  the  old  village  post- 
man in  his  gruff  yet  kindly  voice.  I  slackened  speed  to 
reciprocate  the  greeting;  then  I  went  on,  on,  until,  as 
the  sun  was  setting  in  a  cloud  of  silver,  I  dismounted  at 
my  door.  A  few  minutes  later  J.  WSJ*  «Jsthy*  on  ttr~ 
hearth-rug  of  my  little 
drawing  -  room,  my 
blood  tingling  from 
the  lovely  exercise, 
and  my  heart  glad 
with  that  quiet  happi- 
ness  which  the 
beauties  of  Nature 
always  bring  to  it- 
Then  I  fell  into  a, 
reverie,  and  to  day — 
a  week  later — I  write 
the  thoughts  which 
came  to  my  mind  on 
New  Year's  Eve. 

Why  do  women  nob 
take  to  bicycling  more 
than  they  do  ?  Is  it 
laziness  which  pre- 
vents them  ?  Is  it 
nervousness?  Surely 
the  former  reason  ii 
easily  contradicted  by 
the  girl  win  will 
walk  miles  to  fetch  a. 
novel  from  the  circu- 
lating library.  And 
certainly  it  cannot  be 
nervousness,  for  are 
not  English  women 
the  bravest  among  the 
brave  of  their  sex  ? 
Can  it  be  the  dread 
of  Mrs.  Grundy  ?  Poor, 
much  -  abused  Mrs. 
Grundy  !  She  is  a 
dear  old  soul  after  all, 
and  she  means  better 
man  people  think. 
Every  day  sire  proves 
to    us    that    if  we 

speak  out  our  opinion  to  her  she  will  smile  benignantly 
on  us.  She  only  wants  to  be  convinced.  Years  ago 
she  was  shocked  at  the  sight  of  a  woman  climbing  up 
to*  the  top  of  a  'bus  ;  now  the  good  old  dame  herself 
ascends  the  stairs  of  our  town  cars.  Formerly  she 
went  so  far  as  to  call  "  fast"  any  of  the  fair  ones  who 
dared  to  step  in  a  hansom;  nowadays  Mrs.  Grundy 
cannot  bear  to  drive  in  a,  four-wheeler. 

To'  my  idea — I  speak  generally,  of  course — women  are 
divided  into  two  distinct  parties  ;  one  of  these  is  too  much 
afraid  of  Mrs.  Grundy,  the  other  has  not  sufficient  re- 
spect for  her.  Both  appear  to  me  to  be  wrong.  In 
advocating  bicycling  for  women,  I  do  not  say  that  I 
admire  the  girl  who  "scorches"  the  mad  on  a.  diamond 
frame.  Not  that  I,  personally,  condemn  her  for  it,  if 
she  chooses  to  do  so.  But  I  should  like  her  to  feel  that 
she  looks  more  graceful  when  riding  at  moderate  speed 
or.  a  bicycle  of  dropped  lines,  and  that  the  elegance  of 
lier  seat  can  receive  the  same  amount  of  appreciation  as 
would  the  fact  of  her  having  beaten  a  record.  The 


My  Cos 


necessity  of  a  more  rigid  frame  cannot  be  adduced  as  an- 
excuse  if  a  really  good  machine  is  procured. 

I  find  that  the  question  of  the  cycling  dress  worries 
ladies  unnecessarily.  It  did  not  trouble  me  long,  for  I 
settled  it  in  my  mind  pretty  quickly  after  my  first  fall. 
To  insist  that  women  should  ride  with  a  skirt  is  in- 
artistic and  cruel.  Inartistic,  for  the  gown  looks  dowdy ; 
and  cruel,  because  the  practice  in  itself  is  very  dangerous. 
Besides,  do  we  join  a  shooting  party  on  the  moors  in  a 
low-necked  ball-dress  ;  and  do  we  have  a  swim  in  our 
riding-habit  ?  The  skirt  on  a  bicycle  is  equally  out  of 
place.  Gaiters,  too,  I  dislike ;  they  are  ungainly  and 
uncomfortable;  They  seem  to  me  an  apology  of  the 
prude  for  the  knickerbockers,  and  I  do  not  see  the  need 
of  any  apology  when  I  have  the  conviction  of  my  opinion. 
1  cannot  understand  why,  ^  soon  as  the  autumn 

arrives,  so  many  people 
steep  their  machines 
in  vaseline,  and  give 
cycling  up  for  the 
winter  months.  I 
found  out,  a  long  time 
ago,  that  it  cannot  be 
May  all  the  year 
round  on  this  earth  ; 
therefore,  if  I  cannot 
gather  roses  in  De- 
cember I  make  the 
best  of  the  pvickly, 
winter  holly.  Thus,  I 
go  out  for  a  short  spin 
every  day  when  work 
is  over,  no  matter 
what  the  weather  is. 
And  I  enjoy  it.  I 
was  out  from  morning 
till  dusk  during  my 
Christmas  week  —  ba- 
the rain,  in  the  wind, 
in  the  cold,  on  muddy 
roads,  and  on  flint- 
stones.  I  experienced 
all  the  disadvantages 
which  cycling  is  sup- 
posed to  carry  with  it 
in  the  bitter  season. 
Yet  I  must  say  that 
never  did  I  feel  better, 
sleep  more  soundly, 
or  eat  with  so  good  an 
appetite  than  I  do  at 
present.  I  never  caught 
cold,  and  my  mind  is 
now,  after  my  holiday, 
■tcme.  fresh,  and  ready  once 

more  to  grapple  with 
my    share    of    "  the 
struggle  for  life."    In  this  respect  I  feel  as  I  do  when  I 
have  been  playing  chess  regularly  for  a  fortnight. 

If  only  one  among  my  readers  who  may  at  this 
moment  be  feeling  depressed  and  worried,  who  may  be 
suffering  from  indigestion,  and  from  all  the  ills  which 
seem  to  accumulate  on  people  who  happen  to  be  in  the 
blues — if,  I  say,  only  one  of  them,  after  reading  my 
words,  were  to  put  aside  for  a  while  all  bottles  of  medi- 
cine, if  she  were  to  don  a  comfortable  cycling  costume  (a 
becoming  one,  please),  and  try  a  bicycle,  I  would  be 
happy.  I  would  be  happy,  for  ere  long  she  would  thank 
me  for  my  advice.  And  when  anyone  thanks  me  for  the 
advice  I  give  them,  I  always  feel  quite  sure  that  I  have 
done  them  good. 

Elvira  Tai!\ev-Arciier. 


If  history  has  to  be  constantly  rewritten  it  is  not 
only  because  it  has  been  badly  written  but  because  it  if 
constantly  forgot*  on. 


I 

February  2,  189u. 


TO-DAY. 


391 


EPISODES.* 


One  of  the  dictionary  meanings  to  the  word  episode 
is  "an  interesting  incident,"  and  as  this  is  the  case  it 
must  be  admitted  that  Mr.  Street's  little  volume  has 
fairly  earned  the  right  to  its  title.  There  is  hardly  a 
plot,  in  the  generally  accepted  sense  of  the  word,  to  be 
found  in  the  twenty-one  sketches  that  make  up  this 
volume.  Mr.  Street  has  given  us  that  which  is  of  more 
value  than  many  plots — some  real  live  characters, 
pictures  of  people  who  are  living  around  us, 
and  are  loving,  hating,  marrying,  divorcing,  and  eloping 
under  our  very  eyes.  It  is  not  the  author's  fault  if 
some  of  the  men  and  women  in  his  book  are  not  very  nice 
people.  After  all,  it's  the  naughty  children  who  aro 
the  most  interesting.  It  must  not  be  supposed,  how- 
ever, from  this  that  all  Mr.  Street's  characters  have 
weak,  erring  natures.  Some  of  the  men  have  the  right 
ideas  about  managing  their  lives,  and  they  carry  out 
their  plans  without  displaying  any  priggishness.  The 
first  episode,  for  instance,  records  the  doings  of  a  man 
who  was  tempted  to  do  a  mean  action  and  stopped 
in  time.  Lord  Charles  was  a  very  poor  man,  and  one 
day  the  devil,  in  the  form  of  his  maiden  sister,  put  it  in 
his  power  to  blackmail  a  rich  member  of  Parliament. 
Here  is  the  way  he  met  the  temptation  : — - 

It  is  fair  to  say  that  Lord  Charles  had  never  done  a  mean 
thing  in  his  life.  He  had  never  consciously  told  lies  of  an 
enemy  or  too  much  of  the  truth  of  a  friend.  He  had  never 
borrowed  without  intending  to  repa_v,  or  betrayed  a  secret. 
He  was  withal  good-natured,  would  listen  to  anybody's 
grievances,  and  gave  presents  to  his  nephews. 

Nevertheless,  Lord  Charles  put  these  questions  to  him- 
self :  When  there  were  so  many  undiscovered  blackguards, 
what  did  it  matter  to  the  world  if  Sir  John  continued  to  be 
one  of  these  ?  Would  it  not  be  a  good  thing  if  some  of  the 
money  of  a  brute  like  that  were  diverted  to  the  pockets  of 
an  excellent  and  amiable  person  ?  If  he  made  up  his  mind 
not  to  tell  the  secret  in  any  case,  would  it  be  very  base  to 
plunder  the  Egyptians  ?    Not  to  bargain,  but  to  ask  a  loan. 

You  see,  the  possibility  of  plundering  a  man  he  disliked, 
without  hurting  anybody  else,  had  not  occurred  in  his  life 
before.  I  repeat  my  assertion  that  he  had  so  far  never 
done  a  mean  thing.  Lord  Charles  called  on  Sir  John  and 
showed  him  the  letter.  Sir  John  entreated,  made  excuses, 
and  abased  himself,  and  appeared  to  Lord  Charles  the 
most  comtemptible  hound  he  had  ever  seen.  Sir  John 
offered  him  money. 

"God  damn  you,"  said  Lord  Charles,  "  what  the  devil 
do  you  mean  ?  If  you  were  not  such  a  cur,  I'd  " 

What  he  did  was  to  walk  out  of  the  house.  He  did  not 
tell  the  secret  ;  he  had  made  up  his  mind  not  to  do  so.  Nor 
did  he  speak  to  Sir  John  again. 

It  is  rather  a  tame  ending,  not  at  all  cynical.  But  3-ou 
see  Sir  John  was  so  very  offensive  a  cur,  and  Lord  Charles 
was  a  little  fastidious.  It  was  wholly  impossible  to  ask 
such  a  man  for  a  loan. 

The  careless  reader  of  that  last  paragraph  will  miss 
the  subtlety  of  Mr.  Street's  meaning.  "  Lord  Charles 
was  a  little  fastidious,"  and  I  gather  from  this  that  it  was 
not  the  knowledge  that  he  was  doing  a  wrong  action  that 
prevented  him  from  blackmailing  the  man ;  it  was  simply 
because  his  pride  would  not  permit  it.  The  whole  book 
is  full  of  touches  of  this  kind.  The  author  has  studied 
his  fellow  men.  He  knows  the  secret  impulses  that 
prompt  their  actions,  the  terrible  thoughts  that  force 
themselves  into  men's  minds  at  the  most  inopportune 
moments,  the  hidden  conflicts  that  passions  cause.  With 
this  knowledge  of  human  nature  it  is  only  to  be  expected 
that  the  greater  number  of  these  little  scenes  from  real 
life  are  tragedies.  Perhaps  the  best  in  the  book  is  "  The 
End  of  all  Things."  It  is  quite  a  simple  story,  told  in 
the  first  person,  of  a  faithless  woman. 

"  Madame  died  early  this  morning. — LuciLE."  That  was 
to  say  Jean,  whom  I  cared  for  more  than  for  the  rest  of 
the  world,  was  dead.  It  was  Tuesday,  no,  Wednesday, 
that  I  saw  her  last.  I  was  to  dine  with  her  that  day.  Jean 
was  dead.    We  must  look  straight  at  facts  and  consider  how 


they  affect  us.  Let  me  think.  All  was  over  ;  Jean  was  dead  ; 
there  was  nothing  to  interest  me.  .  .  I  remembered  how  a. 
few  mornings  before  I  had  read  of  some  thousands  of  Chinese 
being  destroyed  by  a  flood,  and  had  attempted,  as  I  ate  my 
breakfast,  to  realise  what  that  fact  meant,  and  had  failed 
to  find  in  myself  an  atom  of  genuine  sympathy.  As 
I  sat  with  this  telegram  in  front  of  me  I  was  (I 
believe)  for  a  while  in  the  same  case.  A  woman  was 
dead  ;  the  fact  confronted  me,  and  I  repeated  it  to 
myself  mechanically.  How  it  affected  me  I  could  not  tell. 
Gradually  her  qualities,  as  I  knew  them,  passed  before  my 
mind,  as  though  I  had  called  on  my  memory  to  answer  a 
question  asked  of  me.  She  was  nominally  English,  and  one 
took  her  at  sight  for  a  Frenchwoman.  She  was  a  widow 
and  lived  alone  in  a  toy  house,  and  we  had  argued  about 
marriage  and  agreed  it  was  too  great  a  risk.  We  saw  each 
other,  by  arrangement,  three  days  a  week  ;  on  the  first  of 
them  she  was  absurdly  domestic,  on  the  second  cynical  and 
captious,  on  the  third  w  ild  and  a  paradox.  Her  eyes  were 
always  contradicting  her  speech,  and  I  never  quite  under- 
stood her  smile.  When  I  thought  of  her  smile,  I  finished 
dressing  quickly  and  went  out  and  hailed  a  cab  ;  I  remember 
waving  to  a  man  I  knew  in  the  street. 

I  pushed  past  the  servant  who  opened  the  door  and  was 
going  upstairs,  when  Lucile  ran  quickly  down  and  stopped 
me.  "Ah,  no,  Monsieur,"  she  said,  breathlessly,  "you 
must  not  go  in.  Why  distress  oneself  without  cause  ? 
One  cannot  change  things  ;  it  is  better  to  go  away."  A 
sense  of  oddity  struck  through  my  stupor,  and  I  looked 
down  at  Lucile.  She  was  a  pretty,  demure  little  French- 
woman, who  Jean  used  to  say  was  one  of  her  two  tyrants. 
As  she  raised  her  eyes  for  a  moment  she  looked  anxious, 
and  not  as  though  she  had  been  crying.  "  Tell  me,"  I  said. 
"  The  doctor  said  it  was  the  heart ;  he  is  coming  back  soon. 
It  was  late  last  night  she  was  ill.  She  died  peacefully, 
Monsieur,  and  her  last  words  were  of  you.  Poor  Madame, 
I  never  thought  she  was  not  strong — that  treacherous 
heart ! "  She  pressed  a  hand  against  her  breast,  and  J 
noticed  a  big  emerald,  which  I  remembered.  She  had 
followed  my  eyes  and  cried,  "  Ah,  how  I  forget  everything. 
I  mean,  Madame  gave  me  the  ring."  "  Damn  the  ring  !"  I 
said  ;  "let  me  pass,  Lucile."  "Ah,  no,  no,"  she  cried,  and 
as  I  pushed  her  aside  she  clung  to  my  arm  ;  "  it  is  a  friend 
— he  came  by  accident  this  morning,  and  would  go  up-  I 
will  tell  him  to  go  ;  come  to  the  drawing-room.  You  must 
not  compromise  Madame." 

But  something  in  her  voice  made  me  thrust  her  aside  and 
go  straight  into  the  bedroom.  A  man  rose  from  the  side  of 
the  bed,  and  1  stood  facing  one  I  had  known  all  my  life. 

Ideas  seemed  to  rise  up  in  my  brain  and  hold  each  other 
at  a  deadlock.  I  remember  nothing  but  that  I  turned  on 
my  heel  and  left  the  room.  1  heard  him  following  me. 
Upstairs  was  a  dead  woman  on  a  bed  with  what  had  seemed 
a  smile  upon  her  lips. 

It  may  possibly  be  objected  that  some  of  these  episodes 
are  too  slight,  and  the  intention  of  the  author  almost 
too  obscure,  but  this  fault — if  it  be  a  fault — has  a  ready 
excuse.  In  reality  the  stories  do  not  stop  with  the 
actual  printing  of  them.  There  is  far  more  thought  in 
these  little  sketches  than  many  an  author  would  put 
into  a  long  story.  It  would  have  been  quite  easy  to 
expand  any  one  of  them,  but  Mr.  Street  has  known 
better  than  to  do  this.  He  has  passed  over  the 
uneventful  years  of  men's  lives  and  has  given  us 
glimpses  of  their  few  really  important  hours.  The 
dullest  of  existences  must  have  at  least  one  red-letter 
day,  either  of  crime  or  error. 

This  little  book  will  not  appeal  to  those  whose  one 
idea  of  a  good  book  is  that  the  reading  of  it  shall  make 
six  hours  seem  as  one.  But  it  will  be  eagerly  read  by  all 
who  are  trying  to  understand  mysterious  human  nature, 
and  who  will  therefore  welcome  gladly  the  many 
suggestions  for  fresh  thought  that  this  book  contains. 

I  cannot  compliment  the  publishers  on  the  binding. 
Can  it  be  that  there  is  as  much  difficulty  in  being 
original  in  binding  a  book  as  in  writing  one  1  Mean- 
while, the  cover  of  each  succeeding  new  book  seems 
more  hideous  than  its  predecessors.  In  the  presen* 
instance  the  title  is  almost  hidden  away,  and  tn- 
design  of  the  whole  thing  is  certainly  not  beautifu. 
Perhaps,  however,  we  shall  have  this  defect  remedied  in 
the  later  editions.  The  book  really  deserves  a  good 
binding. 

W  R_ 

*  Episodes,  by  <J.  .s.  Street.   (Heinemarm.    3s.  Gd.) 


m  TO-DAY.  February  2,  1895 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dearest  Nell, — After  all,  there  are  satisfactions  of  a 
sort  in  being  poor.    One  takes  pleasure  in  one's  own 
cleverness  in  contriving.    When  you  come  back  from 
India  you  shall  see  what  a  talented  creature  your  Susie 
has  become.    I  have  taken  all  sorts  of  pains  with  the 
cookery,  and  am  beginning  to  think  I  may  some  day 
develop  some  talent  in  that  line.    We  have  sent  away 
our  stately  and  dignified  cook,  and  are  now  managing 
with  two  servants  only,  and  very  well  tco.    We  have  had 
gas-stoves  put  in 
in  all  bedrooms 
and   sitti  ng- 
rooms,  an  initial 
expense  that 
enables  us  to  be 
comfortable  with 
far  less  work  for 
the  servants.  I 
do   not  intend 
them   to  waste 
the  gas  either, 
and  mean  to  be 
a    strict  super- 
visor    in  that 
particular. 
There  are  many 
ways  of  saving 
when  you  come 
to  think  of  them, 
and  of  making  a 
good  appearance 
without  spend- 
ing   a    lot  of 
money.  Mother 
and  I  have  been 
looking  over  our 
wardrobes,  and 
seeing  how  we 
can  manage  to 
do  without  buy- 
ing much.  We 
shall  manage 
capitally  with 
what    we  had 
happened  to  buy 
at    the  cheap 
sales  before  the 
bad    news  of 
father's  losses 
had  come. 
Mother  bought 
two    or  three 
dress  lengths  at 
first-class  houses 
for  about  a 
fourth  of  their 
usual  price,  and 
also  linings  and 
remnants  of  silk 
for    fronts,  or 
bodices,  or 

sleeves.  One  of  these  dresses  is  a.  crepon  with  black 
"waves"  on  a  moss-green  ground.  I  have  settled  that 
mother  is  to  have  it  made  up  with  a  moss-green  silkette 
lining,  with  a  little  frill  round  the  edge.  The  bodice  will 
have  a  yoke  of  moss-green  Bengaline  or  Oudine  silk, 
outlined  with  some  beautiful  cut  jet,  that  was  once  on  a 
ruby  velvet  gown.  You'll  remember  it?  And  the 
sleeves  are  to  have  long  green  cuffs,  with  a  little 
pleated  frill  overhanging  the  hand,  and  some  of  mother's 
old  lace  inside.  Old  lace  lasts  for  ever,  you  know,  if 
only  carefully  cleaned  and  done  up. 

The  fashionable  skirt  is  about  nine  yards  wide,  but  for 
everyday  walking  wear  there  is  no  necessity  for  any  such 
extravagance.    Five  are  quite  enough.    Do  you  remem- 


■ 


AT  MONTE  CARLO. 


her  a  grey  gown  with  black  fur  that  I  had  two  winters 
since  1  The  fur  is  all  right,  for  I  had  it  done  up  when 
it  was  taken  off  the  dress,  and  I  am  now  having  it  put 
round  the  skirt  of  a  dress  in  cornflower-blue  serge,  that 
I  bought  at  Redfern's  cheap  sale  for  a  few  shillings. 
There  is  enough  to  border  a  collar  of  pale  blue  silk, 
over  which  I  shall  have  my  lovely  old  bit  of  Flemish 
point  laid  flat,  and,  edged  with  the  dark  fur,  it  will  look 
lovely. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  both  capes  and  skirts  are  going 
to  be  fuller  than  ever  in  the  season.  The  beautiful  dress 
at  Jay's,  of  which  I  am  sending  you  a  sketch,  has  both 

very  full.  The 
gown  is  in  a 
lovely  shade  of 
blue  silk,  neither 
sky  nor  tur- 
quoise, but  be- 
tween the  two. 
The  plain  skirt 
is  so  full  that  it 
stands  out  in 
very  large  de- 
cided pleats  all 
round,  and  at 
the  back  these 
are  crowded 
closely  together, 
so  full  are  they. 
The  arrange- 
ment of  the  cape 
is  very  similar, 
the  folds  hang- 
ing with  a  very 
large  and  liberal 
fulness.  The 
material  is  blue 
satin,  edged  with 
a  double  frill  of 
silk  muslin  to 
match,  and  there 
is,  besides  a 
double  cape  of 
the  satin,  the 
deep  collar 
edged  with  sable. 
A  ruff  of  the 
c  h  i  ff'o  n  sur- 
rounds the  neck, 
all  cerulean  soft- 
ness and  billowy 
lightness.  At 
the  back  the 
collar  stands  up, 
clusters  of  pale 
pink  roses  show- 
ing at  the  base 
of  it.  Again,  in 
front,  pink  roses 
nestle  where  the 
collar  ceases,  and 
tucked  into  the 
pretty  corselet  of 
heliotrope  velvet 
embroidered  ingold  and  silverand  jewelledtints,isabunch 
cf  violets  with  a  gardenia  or  two.  The  long  chiffon  ends 
of  the  cape  are  edged  with  double  frills  of  the  chiffon. 
There  is  a  quantity  of  detail  in  this  very  beautiful 
costume,  for  which  reason  it  will  be  most  useful  as  a 
guide  to  the  very  newest  and  most  up-to-date  modes  of 
the  day.  Mother  says,  "  Always  get  a  gown  from  a  good 
house,  and  then  you  need  not  be  afraid  that  it  will  be 
out  of  fashion  before  you  are  tired  of  it." 

The  above  is  a  dress  for  Monte  Carlo,  and  is,  of  course, 
in  the  richest  materials.  But  in  the  matter  of  outline, 
if  will  stand  good  for  many  a  month  as  a  model  from 
which  the  most  inexpensive  costumes  may  be  copied. 
The  large  and  becoming  hat  was  an  O'Shanter  crown 


*1ibbtjaby  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


393 


Telegram  from  Russia. 


J 


A  subsequent  letter,  ordering  a  further  supply  of  50  bottles  of  Mariani  Wine,  states  that 
H.l.M.  the  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia  has  derived  the  greatest  benefit  from  its. use. 


Mariani  Wine  fortifies,  nourishes,  and  stimulates  the  Body  and  Brain. 
It  restores  Health,  Strength,  Energy,  and  Vitality. 

Bottles,  %s.  ;  Dozen,  45s.  ,  of  Chemists  and  Stores,  or  Carriage  Paid  from  WILCOX  &  Co.,  239,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W. 


"Get  the  CREME  DE  VIOLET  sold  by  Le  Frere  et  Cie.  It  Is  a  splendid  pre- 
paration f  »r  the  skin,  and  if  you  will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  all  those  ugly  spots 
and  decolourations  disappear,  and  in  addition  to  this  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin 
trradually  improve,  becoming  soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a 
sweet  expression,  that  any  face  could  haTfl.  The  violet  cream  can  be  had  through 
druggists  or  perfumers,  or  direct  from  the  makers.  If  you  have  really  been  so  foolish  as 
to  try  cosmetics  as  a  means  of  embellishing  a  faulty  skin,  you  cannot  do  better  than 
persistently  use  the  Creme  de  Violet,  for  it  will  gradually  do  away  with  all  ill  effects  left 
by  the  paint.   It  has  a  very  delicious  perfume  of  a  refined  kind." 

"  Sczette  "  in  "  TO-DAY." 


PER 
BOTTLE. 


Of  Chemists  and  Perfumprs ;  price  Is.  and  2s.  Gd.  Isee  that  the  signature— 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label) ;  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from— 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 

MADAME  COHISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corlsande,"  matchless  for  delicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  9/3.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Food, "2/9  &  5/3.  Onlyaddress  548,  Oxford  St.Hyde  Pk.,V. 

ADADIMC  MARKING  INK  FOR  OD, 

AnADI  IN  £.  linen  is  the  best!  D 

NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED. 

-  Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 

Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfleld  Street,  Glasgow. 
HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street^  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 

The  SUBSCRIPTION  LIST  will  CLOSE  on  or  before  THURSDAY,  Janu- 
ary 31st,  1895. 

The  following  information  was  received  by  cable  on  January  9th: — "  Esti- 
mate of  ore  in  sight,  10,000  tons,  which  will  average  3  oz.  to  the  ton." 


MANAGERS. 

The  NORTH  QUEENSLAND  MINES  AGENCY  (Limited). 
BANKERS. 

The  WESTERN  AUSTRALIAN  BANK,  Perth,  W.A. 
BROWN,  JANSON,  and  CO.,  32,  Abchurch  Lane,  E.C. 
LLOKERS. 

London:  J.  S.  THOMPSON  and  Co.,  7,  Copthall  Court,  and  Stock  Exchange 
Glasgow:  J.  M    SINCLAIR  and  Co.,  41,  St.  Vincent  Place,  and  Stock 
Exchange. 
SOLICITORS. 

LIMLltEY  1IIGGS  and  WOLFENDEN,  43,  Finsbury  Square,  E.C,  and  11, 
Great  George  Street,  Westminster,  S.W. 
AUDITORS. 

WILLIAM  H.  P  ANN  ELL  and  Co.,  Chartered  Accountants,  13  and  14,  Basing, 
hall  Street,  E.C. 
SECRETARY 
JAMES  B.  HUTCHINS. 
OFFICES  (PRO.  TEM.) 
11,  Great  George  Street,  Westminster,  3.  W. ;  50,  Broad  Street  nouse,  Old 
Broad  Street,  E.C. 


The  WEST  AUSTRALIAN  MINE  OWNERS'  EXPLORATION  SYNDI- 
CATE (Limited)  INVITE  SUBSCRIPTIONS  for  SHARES  in  the  under- 
mentioned undertaking: — 

■gING   SOLOMON'S   GOLD    MINES  (Limited). 

Claims  82  and  376  (24  acres),  Coolgardie  Goldfields,  Western  Australia. 
Capital  £75,000,  in  75,000  Shares  of  £1  each,  of  which  25,000  are  taken  by 
the  Vendor  in  part  payment  for  the  property,  and  the  balance  of  50,000  Shares 
are  now  offered  for  public  subscription  at  par.  Payable — 2s.  on  Application, 
8e.  on  Allotment,  5s.  one  month  after  Allotment,  and  the  balance  as  and 
when  required. 


Mine 


DIRECTORS. 

D.    BOYD,    Wroxall,    Isle    of    Wight,  Director,    West  Australian 

Owners'  Exploration  Syndicate  (Limited). 
A.  W.  HASSELL,  member  for  Plantagenet,  Perth,  of  the  W.A.  Legislative 
Assembly,  Local  Director. 
M.  noWITT,  Consulting  and  Mining  Engineer,  16,  Tavistock  Street 
W.C.,  and  52,  Queen  Street,  Melbourne. 
GEORGE  LEWIS,  Cookham  Dene,  Berks. 
L.  MORAN,  Chairman,  Perth  and  Coolgardie  Stock  Exchanges,  member 
for  Coolgardie,  Local  Director. 
•  JAMES  PUTNEY,  85,  Gower  Street,  W.C. 
JOHii  S.  READ,  Stock  Exchange,  Perth,  W.A.,  Local  Director. 
•  Will  jein  after  allotment. 


N 


c 


ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  is  formed  to  acquire  and  work  "  The  King  Solomon's  Gold 
Mines,"  two  claims  comprising  24  acres,  and  numbered  82  and  37C,  situated 
300  yards  from  Coolgardie  township,  in  the  colony  of  Western  Australia,  and 
in  close  proximity  (about  a  quarter  of  a  mile)  to  "  Bay  ley's  Reward  "  claim. 

Particular  care  has  been  taken  to  scertain  the  value  of  this  property,  and 
it  has  been  reported  on  by  Mr.  C.  E.  Watkins,  C.E.,  M.E.,  L.S.,  Manager  of 
"  The  Big  Blow  "  Geld  Mining  Company,  and  Mr.  T.  E.  Warn,  M.E..  Manager 
of  "  The  looleardie  and  Dundas I"  Gold  Mining  Company,  and  Manager  and 
Director  of  the  "  Great  Republic  "  Gold  Mining  (  ompany.  The  full  reports, 
as  well  as  copy  of  information  furnished  by  Mr.  Read,  of  Perth,  well  known 
as  an  authority  on  mines,  accompany  the  Prospectus. 

Special  attention  is  drawn  to  the  following  features:  — 

The  amount  of  development  work  done  on  (he  property.  One  shaft  on 
December  3rd  being  down  127  ft.  6  in. 

The  plentiful  supply  of  suitable  waterj  struck  at  a  depth  of  120  ft,  and 
rapidly  increasing  as  depth  is  attained.  This  supply  will  materially  affect 
and  considerably  reduce  the  cost  of  working,  as  it  will  enable  the  battery  to 
be  placed  in  close  proximity  to  the  reef.'  This  fact  makes  this  particular 
property  exceptionally  valuable. 

The  latest  telegram  received  from  Mr.  Read  estimates  the  ore  now  in 
sight  as  10,000  tons,  which  will  average  3  oz.  of  gold  to  the  ton;  this,  :it 
only  £3  15s.  per  ounce,  would  realise  £112,500 

The  lode  formation  at  main  shaft  has  been  proved  for  over  20  feet  wide, 
carrying  gold  all  through. 

The  property  is  at  present  being  developed  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Read.    The  Manager  reports  as  follows:  — 

November  26th. — ■"  Since  my  last,  have  sunk  the  main  shaft  -3  ft.,  total 
124  ft.  6  in.,  still  in  hard  Diorite,  highly  mkieralisod.  If  the  water  keeps 
increasing,  as  it  has  done  the  last  few  days,  we  will  be  able  to  start  crush- 
ing in  three  or  four  weeks.  You  are  aware  there  is  a  2-head  battery  with  a 
4-H.P.  engine  on  the  claim." 

December  "rd. — "  Since  last  report  have  sunk  the  main  shaft  3  ft,  total 
127  ft.  6  in.  No.  2  shaft  driven  4  ft.  6  in.,  total  59  ft.  6  in.  Passed  through 
several  quartz  leaders,  all  carrying  fine  gold.  Expect  to  strike  the  reef 
within  a  few  weeks." 

December  12th. — "  Main  shaft  now  down  130  ft  Water  increasing  ns 
sinking  is  continued,  and  we  have  now  thousands  of  tons  of  payable  stuff 
which  could  be  raised  for  treatment.  All  we  require  is  a  10-head  battery 
and  good  supply  of  water.  It  is  necessary  now  to  continually  bale,  in  ordi  r 
to  keep  the  water  below  the  timber  in  the  shaft." 

December  21st— Since  writing  the  above,  they  have  had  over  an  inch  "f 
rain  at  Coolgardie,  with  the  result  that  the  dam  at  King  Solomon's  w.-.s 
filled  to  overflowing. 

For  particulars  of  contracts  see  full  prospectus. 

The  Vendors  have  fixed  the  price  to  be  paid  for  the  property  at  £55  0ml. 
payable  as  follows:— (1)  £5,500  in  cash;  (2)  £24,500  in  cash  or  fully  (nM 
Shares,  or  partly  in  cash  and  partly  in  fully-paid  Shares,  at  the  option  of  the 
I)k* ct or s ;  and  of  525,000,  in  fully-paid  Shares. 


394 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  1895. 


of  pale  mirror-green  velvet,  and  a  brim  of  plaited! 
cream-coloured  chenille,  quite  a  novelty.  A  light 
drapery  of  black  chiffon  makes  a  sort  of  delicate  mist 
ever  this,  the  effect  of  which  is  intensified  by  the  feathery 
aigrette  rising  from  it.  Shaded  roses,  in  tones  of  crim- 
son and  aubergine,  form  the  trimming,  some  of  them 
resting  on  the  hair  just  above  the  ear  at  the  left  side. 

We  saw  some  lovely  bodices  while  there,  one  of  which 
was  made  entirely  of  chiffon  in  a  bright  rose  colour, 
with  black  velvet  and  black  lace  introduced  as  a  soften- 
ing and  modifying  influence.  The  chiffon  was  accordion- 
pleated  in  both  sleeves  and  bodice. 

I  mean  to  hs  quite  thorough  in  my  new  system  of 
economising.  I  have  discovered  a  place  where  I  can 
have  accordion-pleating  done  at  a.  very  moderate  price, 
and  with  my  bodice-  pattern  cut  to  fit  so  beautifully  by 
the  Scientific  Dress-cutting  Association,  I  shall  begin 
to  turn  out  lovely  things  with  the  aid  of  a.  Singer  sewing- 
machine.  Materials  are  so  cheap,  you  know,  that  the 
home  dressmaker  can  manage  to  "go  beautifully"  for 
,,  very  small  outlay.  So-  don't  be  too  sorry  for  your 
affectionate  Susik. 

OUR  COOKERY  COLUMN'. 

Devilled  Meat — Rechauffe,. — Cut  the  cold  meat  in  small 
thick  pieces,  and  put  them  on  to  simmer  slowly  for  an  hour  in 
stock  made  from  the  bones,  or  a  little  gravy.  Mix  in  a  basin 
four  tablespoonfuls  of  brown  stock,  one  of  curry-powder,  one  of 
ketchup,  one  of  tarragon  vinegar,  a  teaspoonful  of  raw  mustan', 
a  grain  or  two  of  cayenne,  and  a  saltspoonful  of  salt.  Beat  all 
these  ingredients  well  together.  Pour  the  mixture  into  a  frying- 
pan.  When  it  is  hot,  lift  out  the  pieces  of  meat  from  the  stew- 
pan  and  lay  them  in  it.  Turn  them  once  or  twice,  and  serve 
them  very  hot  with  the  sauce  poured  over  them.  Keep  the  liquor 
in  which  they  were  stewed  as  a  foundation  for  soup  or  sauce. 

Scalloped  Oysters. — Ingredients  : —  Two  tins  of  thoroughly 
good  oysters,  one  teacupful  of  very  dry  bread-crumbs  or 
pounded  biscuit,  two  ounces  but  ter,  half  pint  of  milk  or  cream, 
pepper  to  taste,  a  little  salt.  Cover  the  bottom  of  a  baking-dish, 
well   buttered,    with   a  layer    of    crumbs,    and    wet  these 


with  the  cream,  put  on  spoonful  by  spoonful.  Pepper  and  salt, 
and  strew  with  minute  bits  of  butter.  Next  put  in  the  oysters 
with  a  little  of  their  liquor.  Pepper  them,  stick  bits  of  butter  in 
among  them,  and  cover  with  dry  crumbs  until  the  oysters  are 
entirely  hidden.  More  pieces-of-  butter,  very  small,  are  arranged 
thickly  on  top.  Set  in  the  oven,  invert  a  plate  over  it  to  keep  in 
the  flavour,  and  bake  until  the  juice  bubbles  up  to  the  top.  Re- 
move the  cover,  and  brown  on  the  tipper  grating  for  two  or  three 
minutes — certainly  not  longer.  Send  to  table  in  the  baking- 
dish. 

Hygeia. — Frame-food  soda  scones  are  delicious,  and  very 
wholesome  and  nutritious.  Here  is  the  recipe,  as  given  in  the 
capital  little  cookery  book  published  by  the  proprietors  of  the 
excellent  frame-food.  Ingredients  :  Two  pounds  of  pastry  flour, 
two  ounces  of  castor  sugar,  three  ounces  of  butter,  a  large  tea- 
spoonful  of  frame-food  extract,  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  carbonate 
of  soda,  half  an  ounce  of  cream  of  tartar,  and  one  pint  of  milk, 
just  warmed  enough  to  "  take  the  chill  off."  Mode:  Mix  the 
flour,  extract,  sugar,  and  cream  of  tartar,  rub  the  butter,  in 
until  as  fine  as  breadcrumbs,  put  the  soda  in  the  milk,  and  mix 
the  whole  to  a  light  dough,  handling  very  little,  and  as  lightly 
as  possible.  Divide  into  four  parts,  roll  out,  and  cut  each  into 
four  scones.  Bake  on  a  greased  tin  in  a  sharp  oven  for  about 
t  wenty  minutes.  When  almost  done,  brush  them  over  with  a 
teaspoonful  of  milk  (tepid)  in  which  a  morsel  of  butter  and  a 
lump  of  sugar  have  been  dissolved. 

Economy  Pudding. — Take  all  the  pieces  of  stale  (but  not 
musty)  bread  in  the  larder,  put  them -in  a  basin,  pour  boiling 
water  over  them  to  completely  cover  them,  .and  put  a  close 
lid  on  the  basin — a  plate  turned  upside  down  will  do.  In  an 
hour  strain  off  all  the  water,  beat  the  bread  with  a  fork,  add  ' 
two  eggs  to  every  quart  after  beating  them  well,  with  half  a 
pound  of  well-picked  sultanas  and  half  a  pound  of  blanched 
chopped  almonds,  sweeten  the  mixture  to  taste,  and  mix  all  well 
together.  Tie  the  pudding  up  in  a  cloth  that  has  been  wrung 
out  of  boiling  water  and  thoroughly  well  floured,  plunge  it  in 
boiling  water,  and  let  it  boil  for  three  hours.  Serve  with  sauce 
as  above.  <  . 

Nincompoop. — If  you  are  tired  of  the  old  rose  brocade,  turn 
the  skirt  into  a  petticoat.  Keep  the  sleeves  as  they  are,  an£ 
have  a  bodice  to  wear  with  them  made  of  pale  pink  satin 
covered  with  accordion-kilted  chiffon.  If  you  want  it  very 
up-to-date,  have  the  leversed  pleating,  some  of  the  folds  of 
which  go  one  way,  some  another.  This  is  quite  the  latest 
development  of  kilting.  . 


LIPTONS   DELICIOUS  TEAS. 

Direct   from   the   Tea  Gardens. 


Unparalleled  Success. 


Note  the  Prices. 


RICH,PURE, 

FRAGRANT? 
Is. 

AND 

Is.  4cL 


Per  lb. 


Enormous  Demand. 


THE 


FINEST  TEA 

THE  WORLD 

Can  Produce, 

Is.  7d. 

Per  lb. 

NO  HIGHER  PRICE. 


LARGEST    TEA    SALE    IN    THE  WORLD. 

y  TpFpAM        TEA  AND  COFFEE  PLANTER,  CEYLON. 
MmA  JL  JtT  JL  \Jr  The  Largest  Tea,  Coffee,  and  Provision  Dealer  in  the  World. 

Rule  Proprietor  of  the  following  celebrated  Tea  and  CoTfce  Estates  In  Ceylon  :  Daml. atomic,  Lnvr.iastotle,  Monernkande.  Mahadamuatenno,  Mousakelle,  Poonranie,  llanagalla,  ami 
liinriiiifllu  wind,  run  r  'Ihousands  of  Aries  of  tin-  hest  TEA  stn.t  COEEEE  UND  in  CYvlun.  Ccvlon  Tea  and  Coffee  Shipping  Warehouses:  Maddcma  Mills,  Cinnamon  Gardens, 
cuhiiiiliii  ivvlun  other'  Upper  Chatham  Street,  Ciiloinh.i  I  n  li-tn  Tea  Shipping  Warehouses  and  Export  Stores  :  Hare  Street,  Strand.  Calcutta.  Indian  others:  DalhoUSie  Square. 
Calcutta  Tea  ami  Coffee  Sale  Rooms* :  M  Hiring  Lane.  LONDON,  E.C  Wholesale  Tea  Elemlin ;  an  I  Duty  Paid  Stores  :  Rath  Street  and  Cayton  Street.  LONDON.  EC  lioii.le.l  and 
Export  Stoies  Peerless  Stieet  LONDON,  EC  Coffee  Roasting,  Wending  Stoles,  unci  Essene  •  Manufactory:  old  Street.  LONDON.  E.C.  Wholesale  and  Export  1'ruw.ioll 
Warehouses-  Nelson  Place  [.O.N  DUN  EC.    1'r.iit  Preserve  Factory  :  Spa  Road,  lier.u  0:1  Jsev.  LONDON,  S.E.    General  OBiees:  Rath  Street.  City  Koail,  LONDON,  E.C. 


BRANCHES  EVERYWHERE. 


AGENCIES  THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD. 


Fmmahy  2,.1o03.  TO-DAY.  39-V 


THE  DIARY  OF _A  BOOKSELLER. 

There  is  no  clay  in  all  the  year,  except  St.  Andrew's 
Day,  so  dear  to  North  Britons,  in  whatever  part  of 
the  globe  they  may  be  gathered,  as  the  anniver- 
sary of  Robert  Burns's  birth — the  25th  of  January. 
My  old  customer  Mr.  (George)  Eric  Mackay,  the  fore- 
most Scotch  poet  of  the  day,  was  oddly  enough  born  on- 
this  anniversary.  "Which  year  it  was  I  cannot  say,  for 
I  do  not  find  the  date  of  his  birth  recorded  in  any 
of  the  books  of  reference  in  which  his  name  occurs. 
His  father  was  a  poet  also,  the  celebrated  Charles 
Mackay,  whose  "  Thousand  and  One  Gems  of  English 
Poetry  "  is  one  of  the  most  popular  anthologies  in  the 
English  language.  Mr.  Eric  Mackay's  first  book  that  I 
find  recorded  was  "Songs  of  Love. and  Death."  Both 
"Pygmalion  in  Cyprus"  and  "Ad  Reginam "  were 
published  under  the  pseudonym  of  "  George  Eric  Lan- 
caster." His  most  popular  poem  is,  of  course,  "The  Love 
Letters  of  a  Violinist,"  which  has  just  gone  into  its 
thirty-fifth  thousand.  I  hope  ere  long  to  have  copies  on 
sale  of  the  sumptuously  illustrated  edition,  which  is 
being  brought  out  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Mackay 
is  a  half  brother  of  the  celebrated  novelist  Miss 
Corelli. 

*  *  #  * 

Another  customer,  who  must  be  nameless,  but  who  has 
the  very  best  opportunity  of  knowing,  tells  me  that  the 
delightful  article  on  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  which 
appeared  in  the  Saturday  Review  a  week  or  two 
back,was,  as  the  initials  "  M.  R."  would  have  indicated, 
by  that  able  novelist,  Mr.  Morley  Roberts.  None  of 
the  numerous  notices  of  the  author  of  "  Treasure  Island" 
which  I  read  gave  such  a  vivid,  exquisitively  sketched 
picture  of  Stevenson  in  Samoa.  The  matter  was  fresh 
and  the  style  artistic  to  the  last  degree.  Mr.  Roberts 
was  one  of  the.  last  people  in  this  country  who  saw  him, 
,  *.  *  .  *  * 

Mr.  Percy  White,  whose  "  A  King's  Diary  "  Cassell 
and  Co.  announce  in  some  special  pocket  form  (I  pre- 
sume of  the  Pseudonym  and  Acme  order),  was  the 
author  of  one  of  the  best  and  most  successful  books  I 
added  to  my  library  last  year — "  Mr.  Bailey  Martin  " — 
a  ruthless  exposure  of  middle-class  snobbery  at  Surbiton, 
purporting  to  be  autobiographical.  The  book  was 
trenchant,  witty,  and  brilliant  to  the  last  degree.  Mr. 
White,  a  tall  handsome  man,  with  dark  eyes,  and 
almost  golden  hair,  and  a  face  brimming  over  with  bon- 
hommie,  as  well  as  brains,  is  editor  of  Public  Opinion, 
and  was  until  recently  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Evening 
News. 

*  *  *.  * 

I  expect  "  Modern  Sea-Fishing"1  to  be  one  of  the  best 
selling  of  all  Messrs.  Longmans'  excellent  Badminton 
Library,  for  it  is  to  be  edited  by  John  Bickerdyke,  and 
will  contain  contributions  by  Mr.  W.  Senior, who,  under 
the  nom  de  plume  of  "  Red-Spinner,"  is  an  oracle  to 
thousands  of  sporting  men  who  read  The  Field,  and 
what  English-speaking  sporting  mandoes  not  ?  Mr.  Alfred 
C.  Harmsworth,  the  spirited  young  newspaper  proprietor, 
who  equipped  the  more  or  less  successful  expedition  to 
the  North  Pole  last  year,  will  also  contribute. 

*  *.  *  * 

Am  stocking  a  number  of  copies  of  Mrs.  B.  M. 
Croker's  "Mr.  Jervis"2  (Chatto),  which  seems,  at  a 
hurried  glance,  to  be  the  best  book  that  charming 
writer  has  yet  produced.  My  Irish  patrons  tell  me  that 
Colonel  Croker  has  a  delightful  country  house  about 
eight  miles  outside  Dublin,  and  that  Mrs.  Hungerford  in 
all  her  books  has  never  described  a  more  beautiful  and 
charming  Irish  girl  than  Mrs.  Croker's  daughter. 

*  *  *  * 

Dr.  Arabella  Kenealy,  whose  "  Some  Men  are  Such 
Gentlemen"3  I  have  added  to  my  library,  is  the  author 
of  "  Dr.  Janet,  of  Harley  Street,"  and  of  "  Molly  anil 


Her  Man  of  War,"  from  which  1  quoted  such  a  brilliant, 
episode  in  To-Day,  a  year  ago.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
the  celebrated  Dr.  Kenealy,  who  defended  the  Tichborne 
Claimant. 

*  *  * 

Miss  Kenealy  should,  of  course,  have  been  included 
in  my  list  of  doctors  who  write  belles  letlres,  as  should 
Dr.  Gordon  Stables,  the  beloved  of  thousands  of  boy 
readers — a  retired  Naval  officer  who,  though  not  much 
over  fifty,  has  written  seventy-five  books,  many  of  which, 
like  "Our  Friend  the  Dog,"  and  "The  Cruise  of  the' 
Snowbird,"  are  household  words. 

*  *  K  * 

A  correspondent  asks  where  he  can  find  a  life  of  that 
brilliant  romance  writer,  Mr.  Stanley  J.  Weyinan.  I  am 
pretty  sure  that  the  reader's  friend,  The  Bookman 
(published  by  Hodder  and  Stoughton),  has  given  one, 
and  I  know  that  Mr.  R.  H.  Sherard,  author  of  the  de- 
lightful biography  of  Daudet  recently  brought  out  by 
Mr.  Edward  Arnold,  has  done  one  for  an  American" 
magazine.  My  correspondent  might  write  to  Mr. 
Sherard,  care  of  his  publisher. 

*  #      '         *'.  '  •' )  - .  '#>  ■  <>;■< 

Here  is  a  description  of  Daudet,  who  is  about  to  visit 
England,  quoted  by  Mr.  Sherard  from  Theodore  de' 
Banville  : — 

"A  marvellously  charming  head,  the  skin  of  a  warm 
and  amber-coloured  paleness,  the  eyebrows  straight 
and  silken ;  the  eye  bright,  burning,  and  liquid,  at  once 
fiery  and  moist — lost  in  dreams,  it  sees  nothing,  but  it 
is  delicious  to  look  upon  ;  the  voluptuous  dreamy  mouth, 
purple  with  blood,  the  soft  and  child-like  beard,  the 
abundant  dark  hair,  the  small  and  delicate  ear,  combine 
in  an  ensemble  which  is  proudly  virile,  in  spite  of  its 
feminine  grace."    I  use  Mr.  Sherard's  translation. 

*  *  *  * 

There  is  no  surer  sign  of  an  author's  popularity  than 
his  becoming  the  subject  of  a  bet.  Two  men  have  had 
a  dispute  about  the  date  of  publication  of  "  The 
Manxman,"4  the  number  of  editions,  whether  it  has 
been  dramatised,  and  the  nationality  of  Hall  Caine? 
I  will  ask  Mr.  Hall  Caine  next  time  that  the  great 
novelist  drops  into  my  shop.  I  meant  to  have 
mentioned  by-the-wayj  that  the  magazine  which  his 
brother  is  editing,  and  in  which  he  takes  so  much 
interest,  is  being  published  by  Mr.  Horace  Cox  at  the 

Field  and  Queen  office. 

*  *  #  * 

Mr.  F.  T.  Neely,  of  Chicago,  who  is  bringing  out  the 
American  edition  of  Miss  Elizabeth  Banks's  interesting 
"  Campaigns  of  Curiosity,"  had  the  honour  of  publish- 
ing a  great  curiosity — a  book  written  in  a  state  of 
unconciousness  by  Mr.  Walter  Besant,  called  as  far  as- 
I  remember,  for  .  I  bought  it  on  my  - American  tour, 
the  "  Chaplain's :'  something  or  other.  I  say  written 
in  a  state  of  unconsciousness,  partly  because  Mr. 
Besant  had  not  the  slightest  knowledge  of  it  until  his 
attention  was  drawn  to  it,  and  partly  because  it  does 
not  exhibit  a  single  characteristic  of  our  great  novelist's 
writing,  in  other  words,  it  was  a  new  form  of  literary 
theft — that  of  stealing  the  novelist  himself  as  a  label  for 
somebody  else's  writing.  I  was  pointed  out  Mr.  Neely 
at  one  of  the  evening  receptions  given  by  Mrs.  Frank 
Leslie  in  her  New  York  fiat — receptions  catholic  enough 
to  include  a  bookseller  like  myself.  Mr.  Neely  is  the 
most  accomplished  amateur  whistler  in  the  United 
States,  and  the  name  under  whi«h  he  trades  is  F.  • 
Tennyson  Neely. 

*  *  '*  * ' . 

Dr.  Gordon  Hake,  the  poet,  who  has  just  died  at  the 
ripe  age  of  eighty-  dx,  was  a  happy  man.  He  lived  long 
enough  to  see  his  son  achieve  a  first-class  success  in  the 
world  of  letters.  I  refer  of  course  to  Mr.  Egmont  Hake,- 
author  of  the  "Life  of  General  Gordon/'  and  many- 
other  well-known  books.  He  was  a  relation  of  the  Hero 
of  Khartoum.     At  one  time  or  another  Dr.  Hake  came 


396 


TO-DAY. 


Feuruary  2,  1395. 


into  my  shop  with  almost  every  famous  literary  man.  of 
two  generations. 

*  #  *  + 

I  hope  to  do  extremely  well  with  Mr.  Frederick 
Greenwood's  "Imagination  in  Dreams,"5  just  in  rough  t  out 
by  Mr.  John  Lane.  It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate 
the  influence  which  this  old  and  valued  customer  of  mine 
has  exercised  on  his  generation.  The  editor  of  the  Pall 
Mall  Gazette  in  its  first  Conservative  administration,  and 
the  founder  of  the  St.  James's  Gazette  when  the  Con- 
servatives went  out  of  office  at  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette,  he 
has  been  one  of  the  unpolitical  chiefs  of  the  Conserva- 
tive Party  for  many  years.  It  would  be  superfluous  to 
mention  his  brilliance  as  a  writer,  or  his  goodness  to 
emerging  talent. 

*  *  *  * 

Messrs.  A.  and  C.  Black's  fine  edition  of  Scott's  poems, 
edited  by  Mr.  Andrew  Lang,  of  which  the  first  volume 
has  just  been  issued,  comss  very  opportunely.  There 
has  been  a  distinct  rehabilitation  of  Scott's  poems, 
which  ought  never  to  have  been  "  seconded."  When 
are  critics  going  to  recognise  how  many  of  Wordsworth's 
best  qualities  are  shown  by  the  more  human  and 
manly  and  romantic  Scott  ?  Messrs.  Black's  will  be  the 
edition  which  I  shall  stock,  for  the  future,  of  so  steadily 
selling  a  poet. 

*  * 

At  a  private  ladies'  reading  club  in  Bayswater,  the 
other  night,  a  lawyer  produced  and  handed  round  a 
number  of  unpublished  letters  from  George  Eliot  to 
himself  about  legal  questions  in  one  of  her  books.  She 
would  also  see  him  two  or  three  times  a  week  while  she 
was  writing  it.  I  mention  this  to  show  her  wonderful 
attention  to  correctness  of  detail. 

*  *  *  * 

One  of  my  customers  who  was  present,  tells  me  that 
the  second  dinner  of  the  "  New  Vagabonds "  was  as 
successful  as  the  first.  Mr.  Douglas  Sladen,  who  was  in 
the  ehair,  coupled  the  name  of  Mr.  Yorke  Powell,  the 
new  Regius  Professor  at  Oxford,  with  that  of  Mr. 
Joseph  Knight,  the  guest  of  the  evening.  Mr.  Knight 
gave  a  very  entertaining  account  of  the  Vagabond 
Clubs  of  two  generations  ago,  and  Mr.  William  Nichol, 
the  great  tenor  singer,  took  the  Club  by  storm  with 
his  "  Loch  Lomond." 

*  §  ft  * 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENT*. 

R.  B.  (Sunderland). — Try  Mr.  Kimpton,  Medical  Bookseller, 
Holborn,  London,  W.C.  He  is  likely  to  have  them,  and  will 
inform  you  of  the  price. 

J.  P.  H. — "  Peck's  Bad  Boy"  is  published  by  Gay  and  Bird, 
with  100  illustrations,  at  3s.  6d.  There  is  also  a  cheap  edition 
published  by  Routledge  at  6d. 

D.  C.  P. — The  two- volume  edition,  2s.  6d.  each,  published  by 
Chapman  and  Hall,  would  suit  you. 


1.  "  Modern  Sea-Fishing."   By  John  Biekerdyke.   (Longmans,  price  not 

stated.) 

2.  "  Mr.  Jervis."   By  Mrs.  B.  M.  Crocker.   (Chatto,  3  vols.,  15s.  net.) 

3.  "Borne  Men  are  Such  Gentlemen."   By  Dr.  Arabella  Kenealy.  (Digby 

and  Long,  6s.) 

4.  "  The  Manxman."   By  Hall  Caine.  (Heineman.  6s.) 

5.  '•  Imagination  in  Dreams."   By  Mr.  Frederick  Greenwood.  (John 

Lane,  Oa.  net  ) 


THE  MARSEILLAISE. 

The  Marseillaise  was  written  by  Rouget  de  Lisle,  an 
artillery  officer,  during  the  French  Revolution.  His 
brother  served  in  the  army  with  distinction,  and  lived 
on  into  the  reign  of  Louis  XVIII.  A  lady  of  the  Court 
once  asked  him,  "  How  is  it,  my  dear  General,  that 
your  services  were  so  poorly  recognised  by  the  King?" 
''  Family  matters,  madame,"  replied  the  general.  "  I 
have  a  niece  who  has  done  me  no  end  of  harm."  "  A 
niece?  Who  is  she?"  "My  poor  brother's  daughter." 
"  Indeed  !  Did  your  poor  brother  leave  a  daughter  behind 
him?"  "Yes,  madame,  the  Marseillaise,  and  I  have 
never  been  forgiven  her  existence." 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


If  I  was  'awst  my  opinyun  of  helectriserty,  I  shud 
sye  as  I  likes  the  helectric  light,  but  the  helectris<  rly 
itself  is  a  bit  too  unsuttun  in  the  temper  ter  soot  my 
fancy.  Blimey,  yer  cawnt  tike  up  a  noos-piper  nar-a. 
dyes  withort  comin'  acrost  an  accarnt  of  some  pivement 
bein'  bloowed  up  throo  the  helectric  wires  runnin' 
underneath  it.  It  mye  be  as  the  helectriserty  gets  mixf  d 
up  with  a  gas-leak,  or  it  mye  be  through  it 's  jist  'avin' 
gone  wrong  on  its  own.  Thet  I  leaves  ter  them  as 
studies  the  subjic,  which  I  don't  perfess  ter  do.  Hall  I 
syes  it  thet  these  ascerdunts  is  gettin'  a  sight  too 
commun,  and,  mind  yer,  yer  ain't  sife  anywheer 
nar-a-dyes.  Theer's  the  helectriserty  runnin'  under 
the  pivements  and  under  the  road-wye,  and 
the  'ole  caboodle  mye  bust  up  any  minnut.  I  c  m 
tell  yer,  it's  mikin'  some  folks  pretty  nervous.  Nar 
theer's  a  awnt  of  mine ;  she's  a  ole  lyedy,  and  a  widder, 
merried  well,  and  is  nar  living  on  whort  'e  left  her,  and 
whort  she  gets  by  pline  dress-mikin'.  And  very  nicely 
horf  she  is  tew,  with  a  'ouse  to  'erself  in  the  best  pawto' 
Wandsworth,  as  they  sticks  'er  twenty-ite  paund  a  year 
fur.  Nar  thet  'ouse  as  a  helectric  bell  ter  the  front  door, 
and  very  prard  of  it  she  yoosed  ter  be  tew — helectriser  ty 
bein'  a  noo  thing  when  she  fust  took  the  'ouse,  and  a 
good  deal  spoke  of.  Well,  hever  since  she  'eard  o'  tin  s  3 
awxidents  throo  the  helectric  wires,  she  ain't  bin  heasy 
in  er  mind  abart  thet  bell,  expectin'  of  it  ter  egsplode 
constunt.  Fust  she  pinned  a  notice  on  'er 
front  door :  "  Do  not  ring  this  bell "  So  in 
course  hev'ry  boy  in  the  street  went  up  'er 
clean  steps  fur  ter  read  thet  notice,  and  then 
rung  the  bell  and  bolted  to  show  'is  bloom  in'  inder- 
pendence.  Boys  will  be  boys,  and  yer  cawnt  storp 
'em.  So  she  took  the  notice  down,  and  went  for  ter 
cut  the  wire  'erself,  jest  that  moment  another  boy 
'appens  ter  ring  the  bell,  and  she  says  as  it  give  'er  a 
shock  all  darn  the  harm.  Any  wye,  she  'ad  a  man  in 
to  tyke  the  old  thing  awye,  and  cost  'er  a  bob.  And 
it  might  a  cost  'er  a  survering,  but  she'd  'ave  'ad  it 
done.  When  she's  mide  'er  mind  up  abart  anythink, 
orbstinit's  no  wurd  fur  'er,  so  nar,  if  yer  goes  to  see  'er, 
yer  'as  to  knock,  and  if  she  'ears  ytr  she  let's  yer  irt 
and  if  she  don't  yer  stops  outside.  Me  or  my  missus 
goes  ter  'ave  a  look  at  'er  ev'ry  nar  and  then. 
Yer  see,  she's  no  child  ring  of  'er  own,  an' 
when  Proverdunce  tikes  'er  she'll  leave  a 
bit.  I  cawn't  sye  what  it  'ull  be  egsacl  1 
na  'av  she's  left  it,  she  bein'  close  on  the  subjic.  But 
'ar.ever  any  time  as  yer  spends  on  a  aunt  with  money 
and  no  childring  ain't  time  throwed  awye — does  'er 
good  an' mye  do  yerself  gocd.  Well,  as  I  werj  s  iu', 
abart  thet  helectriserty — 'Ankius  ideer  is  as  hall  them 
wires  orter  run  over'ead  sime  as  the  telygrawph.  Thet's 
whort  I  calls  halterition  fur  halterition's  sike.  If  t'.ey'd 
run  over  'ead  'e'd  'ave  said  they  orter  'ave  run  darn 
below.  We've  gort  a  sight  tew  many  over  'ead  wires 
in  London  as  it  is.  Yer  don't  want  ter  blort  art  the 
bloomin'  dye-light,  do  yer?  Then  agin',  when  them 
wires  brak,  which  they  would,  we  shud  ave  wi  s 
awxidents  nor  ever.  No,  as  I  said  afore,  I  don't  ui.d'r- 
stan'  the  subjic,  an'  I  leaves  it  ter  them  as  do,  an'  if 
they  kin  avoid  blowin'  up  my  'bus  I'll  be  obliged  to  'em. 
'Ankin  aint  that  sort.  'E'll  talk  abart  anythink.  'E 
were  talkin'  abart  this  helectriserty  to  'er.  She  as 
knows  no  wore  abart  it  nor  'Ankin  does.  "  Kin  yer 
tell  me  whart  helectriserty  is?"  "  It's  a  sorter  gas," 
says  she.  "  No  it  aint,"  says  'Ankin,  "  it's  a  kiud  of 
bloomin'  thrill."  "  Prove  it,"  says  she.  An'  e 
couldn't.    We  larft  at  'im. 


February  2,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


397 


THE  NEGRO  OF  SONG-. 

By  Barry  Pain. 


I  want  it  to  be  quite  understood  that  I  have  done  with 
/he  Nesrro  of  Song.    He  may  now  go  away. 

I  should  not  speak  like  this  if  I  had  not  reason.  I 
i.ii  not  telling  rue  Negro  of  Song  to  die.  That  is  what 
Lf  ia  always  doing ;  for  my  part,  I  would  rather  not  die 
at  all  than  make  so  much  fuss  about  my  own  simple  and 
perfectly  commonplace  death  as  the  negro  habitually 
does  about  his.  I  have  no  objection  to  his  head  being 
bare  and  his  matted  hair  being  buried  (prematurely)  in 
the  sand.  That  is  all  right;  one  must  have  English 
Poetry,  if  only  for  the  purposes  of  the  Latin  Elegiacs. 
It  is  when  it  comes  to  the  songs  that  are  sung,  that  the 
negro  annoys  me.  The  lights  are  always  low.  M°y 
Afric's  sunny  fountains  roll  down  Greenland's  icy 
mountains,  if  I  can  stand  such  sickening  monotony  ! 
1  would  sooner  roll  down  the  icy  mountains  myself, 
than  hear  once  more  that  allusion  to  the  defective 
illumination  of  the  Negro's  death-scene.  Then  there  is 
the  Negro's  excessive  and  terrible  familiarity  with  the 
angels.  He  thinks  he  hears  the  angels  calling  "  Poor 
Old  Joe."  I  cannot  believe  it.  I  will  not  believe  it. 
When  he  tells  me  that  Sister  Mary  walks  like  that,  I 
have  nothing  to  say ;  he  knows  Sister  Mary,  and  I  do 
not;  if  he  chooses  to  ridicule  her  misfortunes  in  the 
public  streets,  that  is  his  affair.  But  when  he  tells  me 
that  the  angels  talk  like  that,  I  utterly  decline  to  listen 
to  him.    I  have  not  so  low  an  opinion  of  the  Hereafter. 

And  I  do  not  think  that  his  past  life  justifies  his 
presumption.    "  I  lub  a  lubbly  gal,  I  do ! "  he  says. 

The  sternest  moralist  would  have  nothing  to  say  to 
that.  But  how  does  he  continue  1  "  And  I  hab  lubbed 
a  gal  or  two."  Shocking !  He  goes  on  to  inform  us 
that  we  may  bet  he  knows  how  a  girl  "  should  be  lubbed." 
This  is  too  monstrous.  More  missionaries  is  what  we 
want.  Something  must  be  done  to  stem  this  furious 
tide  of  flirtation.  One  does  not  dispute  the  man's 
temptations ;  if  her  eyes  are  like  the  sparkling  waters 
of  the  Ohio,  of  course,  being  a  man,  he  should  be  im- 
pressed by  it.  But  his  lovesongs  are  like  the  table 
waters  that  have  been  opened  for  a  fortnight — they 
have  gone  flat ;  they  are  unseemly. 

His  virtues  are  worse  than  his  vices.  His  domesticity 
would  even  sicken  a  suburb — it  is  so  domestic.  He 
smells  the  cakes  a-baking  that  Susy's  been  a-making. 
That  is  his  high  ideal.  His  wife  does  the  cooking, 
and  he  sits  in  a  long  sweet  ecstacy,  drinking  in  the 
fragrance  of  food,  enjoying  food  by  anticipation,  with 
all  his  soul  sunk  in  thoughts  of  food.  As  he  dreams  of 
his  coming  supper,  "  every  prospect  pleases,  and  only 
man  is  vile."  That  is  where  Hornsey  Rise  and  Africa 
clasp  hands  in  sympathy.  Of  course,  Susy  has  children 
— wildly,  improbably,  too  many  children.  They  clasp 
his  knees.  I  am  not  a  cruel  man;  but  if  a  child 
clasped  my  knees,  I  would  strike  it.  Yet,  for  the  pur- 
poses of  song,  he  is  hardly  ever  a  father,  in  name; 
he  is  called  an  uncle — "  Old  Uncle  Pete  " — and  every- 
body loves  him.  There  is  no  taste  in  the  tropics.  He 
is  fond  of  his  home ;  he  is  so  terribly  fond  of  his  home 
that  for  three  verses  at  a  time  he  will  talk  about 
nothing  else.  One  song,  in  particular,  still  madly  to 
my  memory  rushes,  no  matter  where  I  rove.  It  pre- 
supposes an  interest  in  the  negro's  private  and  personal 
affairs  which  I,  for  one,  do  not  take.  It  is  full  of  the 
most  over-ripe,  dropping,  flaccid,  fly-consumed  senti- 
mentality that  ever  attracted  a  British  audience. 

Then  there  is  his  music.  The  negro  of  song  is 
always  musical.  Yet  does  he  express  a  wish  to  attend 
the  next  Richter  concert  1  Never.  He  wants  to  hear 
the  baby's  tumming  down  in  his  good  old  home.  That 
it  all  that  he  wants.  On  one  occasion  he  tells  us  to 
hang  up  the  shovel  and  the  hce.  Wo  can  believe  that ; 
the  sentimentalist  never  does  a  decent  day's  work  if 
he  can  help  it.  But  he  also  bids  us  to  hang  up  the  fiddle 
and  the  Low.    Is  it  likely?    If  you  did  hang  them  up, 


he  would  take  them  down  again,  and  ten  minutes  after- 
wards be  blasting  and  blighting  the  crops  of  an  entire 
cotton  plantation  by  playing  "  Belle  Mahone "  too  out 
of  tune  for  halting  human  speech  to  express.  His 
vices  are  bad,  his  virtues  are  worse,  but  his  accomplish- 
ments taken  alone  are  simply  enough  to  account  for  the 
influenza. 

After  that,  it  is  a  vain  thing  to  speak  of  his  dialect. 
Ho  says  "  ob  "  instead  of  "  of."  He  is  proud  of  it ;  yet 
I  could  teach  a  child  to  pronounce  as  badly  as  that. 
He  calls  his  wife  "honey";  if  she  were  a  lady,  she 
would  resent  it,  but  she  never  does.  No,  I  am  tired  of 
the  negro  of  song.  I  never  liked  him,  and  now  much 
iteration  has  made  me  mad.  Therefore,  I  bid  him  to 
go  away.  The  world  is  large ;  there  is  a  land  beyond 
Eng'and,  the  geographies  tell  us.  Let  him  experiment 
upon  France ;  soon  afterwards  the  French  nation  would 
pay  him  highly  to  go  and  experiment  upon  Germany. 
Used  as  a  weapon,  he  would  supersede  the  torpedo,  and 
add  to  the  horrors  of  war.  Or,  if  he  is  so  fond  of  his 
good  old  home,  let  him  go  to  it.  Let  him  go  to  Africa, 
where,  I  fervently  believe,  he  does  not  exist?,  and  never 
has  existed. 

(By  arrangement  with  "  The  Granta." 

In  George  III. 'si  time,  Colonel  Gardner  went  out  to 
India  in  his  service.  He  says,  "  When  a  young  man,  I 
was  entrusted  to  negotiate  a  treaty  with  a  native 
prince.  During  the  consultation,  a  curtain  near  me 
was  pulled  tack,  and  I  saw  the  most  beautiful  black 
eyes  in  the  world.  I  forgot  the  treaty;  I  felt  flattered 
tliat  this  lovely  creature  should  dare  to  gaze  on  me.  To 
what  danger  might  she  be  exposed,  should  the  natives 
see  her?  On  leaving,  I  discovered  that  this  bright-eyed 
beauty  was  the  daughter  of  the  prince.  I  demanded 
her  in  marriage.  Her  father  was  at  first  indignant, 
but  as  ambassador,  he  did  not  dare  to  refuse  me,  and 
finished  by  consenting.  '  Remember,'  said  I,  '  it  will 
be  useless  to  try  and  deceive  me.  I  stall  know  those 
eyes  again,  nor  will  I  marry  any  other.'  On  the  day 
of  the  marriage  I  raised  the  veil,  and  in  the  glass  placed 
between  us,'  according  to  custom,  I  saw  the  wonderful 
eyes  that  had  bewitched  me.  Our  marriage  probably 
saved  both  our  lives.  I  had  a  more  narrow  escape  from 
another  Indian  prince.  In  1803,  when  war  broke  out 
with  England,  he  tied  me  to  a  gun,  and  threatened  to 
blow  me  from  it  if  I  refused  to  fight  my  countrymen. 
Finding  me  firm,  he  untied  me,  and  put  me  in  charge  of 
a  guard.  Walking  along  a  steep  cliff  by  the  river,  I  waa 
suddenly  seized  with  the  thought  of  a  dash  for  liberty. 
I  shouted  '  Bismillah,'  and  threw  myself  down  the  pre- 
cipice. None  liked  to  follow  me,  but  they  sounded  the 
alarm.  I  swam  for  life,  but  they  were  gaining.  I 
made  for  some  reeds,  and  with  only  my  mouth 
above  water,  waited  till  they  had  passed.  I  managed  to 
reach  the  British  lines  in  the  disguise  of  a  grass  cutter." 

When  the  Duke  de  Valentinois,  son  of  Alexander  VI.» 
visited  Louis  XII.  of  France,  his  horse  was  loaded  with 
gold  leaves,  according  to  Brantome,  and  his  cap  had 
double  rows  of  rubies  that  threw  out  a  great  light. 
Charles  of  England  had  ridden  in  stirrups  hung  with 
four  hundred  and  twenty-four  diamonds.  Richard  II. 
bad  a  coat  valued  at  30,000  marks,  which  was  covered 
with  balas  rubies.  Hall  described  Henry  VIII.,  on  his 
way  to  the  Tower,  previous  to  his  coronation,  as  wearing 
a  jacket  of  raised  gold,  the  sleeves  embroidered  with 
diamonds  and  other  rich  stones,  and  a  great  Vanderike 
about  his  neck  of  large  balasses.  "  The  favourites  of 
James  I.  wore  earrings  of  emeralds,  set  in  gold  fila- 
grane.  Edward  II.  gave  to  Piers  Gaveston  a  suit  of  red 
gold  armour,  studded  with  jacinths,  a  collar  of  gold 
roses,  set  with  turquoise  stones,  and  a.  skull  cap  par- 
seme,  with  pearls.  Henry  II.  wore/  jewelled  gloves, 
reaching  tu  the  elbow,  and  had  a  hawk-glove  sewn  with 
twelve  rubies  and  fifty-two  great  orients.  The  ducal 
hat  of  Charles  the  Rash,  the  last  Duke  of  Burgundy,  of 
his  race,  was  hung  with  pear-shaped  pearls,  and  studded 
with  sapphires, 


398 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  189.5. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


MR  JUSTICE  VAUGHAN  WILLIAMS 

The  rumour  lias  been  about  for  some  little  time  past  that  Mr. 
Justice  Vaughan  Williams  is  no  longer  to  preside  in  the  Court 
which  deals  with  companies  winding-up  business.  We  have 
riot  credited  this  statement,  but  we  fear  it  is  no  longer  open  to 
doubt  that  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams  is  to  be  transferred. 
We  wouldnot  believe,  whilst  it  was  possible  to  doubt  theannounce- 
ment,  that  so  scandalous  a  change  would  be  sanctioned  by  the 
Government — for  scandalous  it  will  be  in  the  highest  degree. 

We  start  with  the  fact  that  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams 
does  not  want  to  have  this  company  business  taken  from  him. 
Nor  can  it  be  pretended  that  the  public  interest  would  benefit 
by  the  change.  There  are  judges  of  the  High  Court  as  able,  it 
may  be  more  able,  than  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams  ;  there 
may  be  judges  of  the  High  Court  as  conversant  with  company 
law  as  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams  ;  there  may  be  judges  of 
the  High  Court  as  indifferent  to  official  and  other  rank  when  fraud 
has  to  be  unearthed  as  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams.  But 
where  is  the  judge  of  the  High  Court  who  has  proved  himself  to 
be  so  impervious  to  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  by  men  in  high 
place  as  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams  proved  himself  to  be  in  the 
New  Zealand  Loan  and  Merchantile  Agency  matter?  The  Law 
Journal  says  plainly  that  it  is  because  he  was  so  fearless  in  that 
business  that  he  is  to  be  transferred,  and  what  our  contemporary 
says  with  the  weight  that  justly  attaches  to  its  statements  upon 
such  subjects  public  opinion  will  endorse  if  the  transfer  be  made. 

Let  us  recall  the  position  of  the  men  who  were  affected  by 
Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams'  determination  to  bring  to  light 
the  whole  truth  with  regard  to  the  action  of  the  directors  of  this 
Agency  Company.  First  and  foremost  there  was  the  President 
of  the  Board  of  Trade,  the  head  of  the  Department  whose  duty 
it  was  to  insist  upon  public  inquiry.  That  Department  did  all 
it  could  to  burke  inquiry  in  the  light  of  day  ;  and  it  was 
only  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams's  strenuous  insistence 
that  compelled  it,  with  the  result  that  the  President 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  had  to  resign.  Then  there  were  Sir 
James  Fergusson  and  Sir  John  Gorst,  leading  members  of  Lord 
Salisbury's  administration,  Sir  George  Russell,  just  elected 
chairman  of  the  South-Eastern  Railway  Company,  and  Sir 
Edward  Stafford,  a  colonial  magnate.  We  all  know  how  these 
gentlemen  fought  in  the  Courts  against  public  inquiry  into  their 
conduct  as  directors.  Those  who  were  present  will  not  readily 
forget  the  duel  between  their  champion,  Sir  Henry  James,  and 
Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams,  and  the  pressure  that  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  judge  not  to  insist  upon  public  inquiry 
may  be  better  imagined  than  described.  But  he  knew  his  duty 
and  did  it.  The  inquiry  was  held,  and  who  is  there  that  will 
say  in  the  light  of  the  facts  brought  out  that  it  ought  not  to 
have  been  held,  as  it  was  held,  publicly. 

But  these  are  not  the  only  high-placed  directors  whose  action 
as  company  directors  requires  to  be  inquired  into,  and  will 
be  if  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams  continues  to  preside  in 
the  Bankruptcy  Court.  And  so  he  is  to  be  removed  !  As  well 
might  a  rat  hope  for  mercy  from  a  terrier  as  a  defaulting  director 
expect  to  escape  from  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams  because 
he  is  a  peer  or  a  cabinet  minister,  or  something  of  that  sort. 
And  so  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams  is  to  be  transferred  ! 
■Well,  if  the  men  in  power  are  parties  to  this  plot  the  Press 
has  a  plain  duty  to  perform,  and  that  is  to  baulk  it.  Lord 
Rosebery,  whose  nonsensical  reference  to  Mr.  Mundella's 
"chastity  of  honour"  is  remembered,  may  not  trouble  himself 
one  way  or  another,  but  Lord  Herschell's  assent  must  be 
obtained  before  any  such  transfer  is  made,  and  if,  as  we  are 
compelled  to  assume,  that  assent  has  been  given,  it  will  have  to 
be  revoked. 

HULL  BROTHERS,  LIMITED 

THE  Textile  Trade  Review  is,  as  we  are  informed,  a  leading 
textile  trade  journal,  but  we  cannot  congratulate  it  upon  the 
accuracy  of  its  information.  In  its  December  number  this 
review  had  a~  lengthy  article — two  columns  and  a  half — upon 
Hull  Brothers,  Limited.  In  this  article—  which  faces  a  full- 
•page  likeness  of  Mr.  John  Scot  t  Hull,  the  leading  spirit  of  the 
concern---wo"  are 'informed  that  the  company  is  one  of  "  pro- 
'liouneed  enterprise'  and  vitality'';  that  Mr.  John  Scott  Hull 
"  has  been  well  known  as  one  of  the  most  successful  of  men  "  ; 


that  the  firm — meaning  the  company — has  "  attained  a  position 
which,  in  repute  and  popularity,  is  unique  in  our  trade";  that 
"  no  retailer  who  wishes  to  be  abreast  of  the  times  can  afford  to 
ignore"  Hull  Brothers,  Limited,  with  much  more  tosimilareffect. 
Not  content  with  lavish  praise  of  the  business,  the  Beview 
speaks  of  Mr.  John  Scott  Hull,  as  "  not  only  an  author,  but  a 
poet "  whose  "  works  have  the  impress  of  a  great,  generous,  and 
original  mind."  And  harking  back  to  the  business,  we  are 
assured  that  it  contains  "  all  the  elements  of  success,  with  many 
special  advantages  peculiar  to  itself." 

Will  it  be  believed  that  the  company  spoken  cf  in  these  terms, 
which  would  be  almost  excessive  if  applied  to  a  house  like 
Morley's,  has  never  been  anything  but  a  tin-pot  affair,  and  that 
a  few  days  after  this  article  appeared  a  Receiver  was  appointed  ? 

Registered  in  October,  1893,  with  a  nominal  capital  of  £10,000 
in  shares  of  £1  each,  only  1,505  of  these  shares  have  been  taken  up, 
and  of  these  1,500  are  held  by  the  brothers  John  and  Alfred  Hull. 
It  may  be  said  that  since  the  two  Hulls  hive  practically  found  the 
whole  of  the  capital  the  concerns  of  the  company  have  no 
interest  to  the  public.  But  if  that  weie  the  case  we  should  not 
be  referring  to  the  matter.  The  Hulls  appear  to  have  found 
the  money  to  start  the  company,  but  upon  the  strength  of  it 
they  have  got  credit  all  round.  Orders  to  a  large  amount  were 
in  course  of  execution  when  the  Receiver  for  the  debenture- 
holder  was  appointed,  and  this  Receiver  has  actually,  in  the 
exercise,  doubtless,  of  powers  given  him,  sold  privately,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  person  he  represents,  goods  so  recently  delivered 
to  the  company  that  the  bills  had  not  been  sent  in.  Nothing  was 
known  of  this  debenture  lien  by  the  creditors  until  the  Receiver 
was  appointed.  The  Articles  of  Association  of  the  company  give 
the  directors  the  widest  powers,  authorising  them  to  raise  money 
bydebentures,  or  in  any  other  way, 'without  consul  ting  shareholders. 
The  debenture  upon  which  the  receiver  has  been  appointed  is, 
it  is  true,  only  for  £2,000,  but  then  the  whole  subscribed  capital  of 
•the  company  is  only  £1,500,  and  the  general  body  of  creditors 
are  not  likely  to  see  a  penny  of  their  money. 

Such  is  the  company  which  ihe  Textile  Trade  Review  no 
later  than  December  last  described  as  having  "attained  a 
position  which  in  repute  and  popularity  is  unique  in  the  trade!'1 

THE   INVICTA  PATENT    BRICK  MANUFACTURING 
COMPANY,  LIMITED. 

Our  attention  has  been  directed  to  this  company,  which  has 
been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  working  a  patent  for  making 
bricks.  It  is  claimed  for  the  invention  that  it  has  been  worked 
with  "  eminent  success  in  the  Colony  of  New  South  Wales,"  and 
that  it  is  well  worth  the  £28,000  asked  for  it.  There  are  three 
testimonials  attached  to  the  prospectus,  but  they  come  from 
interested  parties.  The  first  is  from  Mr.  W.  Carlin,  manager 
of  the  Excelsior  Brick  Company,  Croydon.  These  works  are  the 
property  of  Mr.  Castner,  the  well-known  Australian  brick  manu- 
facturer, and  we  understand  that  Mr.  Castner  is  interested 
in  the  success  of  the  patent.  The  second  testimonial 
is  from  Mr.  Thomas  O.  Partridge,  engineer,  of  Ashfield.  This 
person  is  a  brickyard  engine  tenter  at  the  Croydon  Works.  A 
third  testimonial  is  from  Mr.  A.  H.  Collings,  who  addresses 
from  "Sydney."  Mr.  Collings  was  manager  of  the  Core  Hill 
Brickworks,  where  the  Invicta  machine  was  adopted  with  un- 
toward resuits.  The  prospectus  says  nothing  of  the  experiments 
with  the  same  machine  at  Gentle  Brickworks,  St-  Peter's, 
Sydney,  where  it  was  tried  and  discarded. 

The  prospectus  claims  that  the  Invicta  machine  turns  out 
12,000  bricks  per  day  of  ten  hours.  Assuming  that,  we  have 
machines  in  this  country  which  will  turn  out  upwards  of  20,000 
bricks  per  day  with  a  minimum  cost  in  production — machines 
that  are  proven  successes.  There  are  the  usual  estimates  of 
profit  based  upon  hypothetical  figures. 

C    WINDOVER  &  CO  LTD. 

REFERRING  to  our  remarks  of  last  week  upon  the  offer  of  the 
directors  to  buy  the  ordinary  fully  paid  £10  shares  at  £2  5s.  per 
share,  failing  which  the  company  will  be  wound-up,  an  accoun- 
tant writes  to  us  to  say  that  he  views  such  purchases  with  very 
great  suspicion.    And  for  these  reasons  : — 

The  parties  anxious  to  buy  have  particular  knowledge  of  the  concern. 
They  are  trustees  for  the 'gemir.il  hody  of  shareholileis.  As  trustees 
they  are  morally  (if  not  legally)  prohibited  from  using  such  knowledge 
to  their  own  advantage,  especially  so  if  at  the  expense  of  their  share- 
holders.  As  an  example  of  how  this  works  out  1  limy  quote  a  case  of 
which  1  have  definite  Knowledge. 

A  private  limited  company  was  formed  and  shares  allotted  to  many 
outsiders.  The  directors  have  the  power  of  pre-emption.  Thebalaiui  • 
sheet  is  privately  circulated,  and  is  of  the  most  meagre  form.  The 


February  2,  1893. 


TO-DAY. 


399 


dividends  have  always  been  at  a  uniform,  rate  of  7J  per  cent.  So 
far  so  good.  But  herfe  comes  the  rub.  7$  per  cent  does  not  represent 
the  profit.  Nor  does  the  inclusion  of  the  reserve  fund  exhaust  the 
profit.  The  stocks  and  book  debts  are  annually  written  down  by  the 
balance  of  profit  left  after  providing  for  the  7^  per  cent,  the  usual  re- 

•  serve  fund  contribution,  and  the  small  balance  to  carry  forward.  As 
the  shares  come  into  the  restricted  market.  Those  "  in  the  know  "  snap 
them  up  and  are  content  to  look  forward  to  the  future.  Posterity, 
too,  has  its  claims,  but  to  benefit  your  own  posterity  by  robbing  your 
confiding  neighbours  is  not  the  thing.  If  Windovers  goes  to  liquidation 
all  the  parties  will  be  served  alike,  as  in  justice  they  ought  ;  but  to  fall 
in  with  the  arrangements  of  the  family,  is,  to  my  mind,  like  tempting 

.  Providence. 

IMPUDENCE: 

In  our  last  issue  we  said  that  persons  trading  as  James 
^Brothersand  Co.,  "  Bankers,  Financiers,  and  Stock  and  Share 
Brokers  and  Dealers,"  were  issuing  circulars  "grossly  and 
deliberately  misleading,  with  the  object  of  raking  in  dollars  from 
fools."  We  have  since  received  the  following  letter  from  these 
people  : — 

We  have   seen    the  remarks   contained  in  your  issue  of 
To-Day's  date,  and  consider  that  you  have  overstepped  the  bounds  of 
editorial  licence,"  and  unless  you  withdraw  the  imputations  made 
we  shall  have  no  other  alternative  than  to  commence  legal  proceedings 
against  you  for  libel. 
P.S.— We  trade  in  our  own  name. 
We  have  not  the  faintest  intention  of  withdrawing  anything, 
but  as  last  week  we  did  not  give  our  reasons  for  bracketing 
Messrs.  James  Brothers  and  Co.  with  the  rogues,  we  will  do  so 
now.     In  a  circular  they  sent_  out  broadcast  Messrs..  James 
Brothers  and  Co.  recommended  the  purchase  of  Home  Rails, 
especially  Metropolitans,  Districts,  and  Brighton  *'  A,"  and 
buttressed  their  recommendation  by  the  following  : — 

"  Purchasers  now  will  receive  the  dividends  on  the  three  above-men- 
tioned stocks,  which  will  be  declared  about  January  18,  and  we  expect 
they  will  be  at  the  rate  of  about  6  per  cent,  (or  £6  for  every  £1  invested 
on  the  cover  system),  and  these  stocks  will,  we  feel  certain,  recover 
the  dividend  almost  immediately." 

We  characterise  this  as  false  and  fraudulent,  and  if  Messrs. 

James  Brothers  and  Co.  think  differently  let  them,  by  all  means, 

move  along  with  their  "  legal  proceedings." 

CUNLIFFE.  RUSSELL  AND  CO,  AND  "TODAY" 

We  have  received  the  following  letter  from  Messrs.  Cunliffe, 
Russell  and  Co.,  which  we  think  it  fair  to  publish  : — 

You  are  entirely  wrong  in  supposing  and  stating  that  we  have  at- 
tempted to  bribe  you.  we  asked  you  to  render  us  a  service  in  stating 
in  your  columns  that  shares  in  the  Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land's 
Distribution  of  Properties  could  now  be  obtained  from  us,  thus  avoiding 
to  the  public  the  delay  in  writing  for  such  to  Hobart,  and  having  no 
reason  to  suppose  that— contrary  to  usual  custom— you  would  give  us 
a  gratuitous  advertisement,  we  enclosed  a  cheque  in  payment  for  the 
service  asked  for  ;  or  in  plain  words— rightly  or  wrongly— we  offered  to 
pay  for  an  advertisement  of  the  bare  fact  that  the  public  could  obtain 
such  shares  direct  from  us  at  the  same  price  as  at  Hobart. 

You  will  readily  admit  that  at  the  time  we  wrote  you  (January  5th, 
1895),  you  had  not  rendered  us  any  service  whatever  ;  we  were  therefore 
not  indebted  to  you  for  any  services  rendered  by  you  to  us.  And  you  will 
further  admit  that  in  none  of  our  letters  do  we  ask  you  to  render  us 
any  other  service  than  merely  to  state  in  your  columns  that  shares  in 
the  Distribution  of  Properties,  in  connection  with  the  Bank  of  Van 
Dieman's  Land,  Limited,  could  be  obtained  from  us,  all  our  letters  being 
clearly,  frankly,  and  exclusively  on  the  one  subject,  the  Bank  of  Van 
Dieman's  Land. 

If  in  asking  you  to  render  us  this  service,  and  in  offering  to  pay  you 
for  such  service,  we  acted  injudiciously,  we  regret  it  and  are  prepared 
to  apologise,  but  we  certainly  had  no  intention  to  offer  you  a  bribe  as 
you  try  to  make  out. 

We  trust  to  your  sense  of  fairness  to  give  to  this  letter  the  same 
publicity  as  you  have  given  to  our  other  letters. 

"TODAY'S "  BLACK  LIST. 

Serial  Bonds.— Messrs.  M.  Lindon  and  Co.,  of  Rotterdam,  are 
inviting  people  in  this  country  to  send  them  money  for  these 
bonds,  on  the  promise  of  a  certain  prize  of  greater  value  than 
the  subscription.  We  have  no  belief  in  the  fulfilment  of  a 
promise  of  this  kind. 

General  W.  Bryce  Rawlings.—  It  will  be  remembered  that 
this  person  was  paraded  by  Tarrant,  of  the  Monaco  Proprietary 
Fund,  as  its  president,  and  that  his  address  was  given  as  "  Tol- 
lington  Park,  Middlesex."  A  letter  sent  to  him  at  that  address, 
came  back  through  the  Dead  Letter  Office,  and  we  have  since 
learned  that  William  Bryce  Rawlings  lives  in  a  small  house 
at  Leyton,  a  poor  neighbourhood  adjoining  Stratford  New 
Town.  Rawlings,  described  as  a  man  about  sixty-five  years  of 
age,  tall  and  grey,  with  a  military  bearing,  is  supposed  by  his 
neighbours  to  be  "something  in  the  City." 

Henry  Tonbridge  Pockett. — This  man  is  better  known  as 
Wilfrid  Wilborforce,  money-lender,  and  according  to  his  own 
description  of  himself — private  gentleman.  We  have  had 
several  complaints  lately  of  fees  being  sent  to  him  for  inquiries, 
which  resulted  in  nothing.  A  case  tried  at  the  Clerkenwell 
County  Court  recently  proves,  if  proof  were  needed,  that 
the  5  per  -cent,  interest  with  which  he  says  he  is  content  very 
often  changes  into  60  per  cent. 


Herbert  Groves  and  Co.,  9,  South  Street,  E  C  — Bucket  -  shop 
people,  who  have  just  issued  a  grossly  misleading  circular. 
NEW  ISSUE. 

The  Rhodesia  Gold  Fields,  Limited.    Capital,  £1,000,030.  A 

blind  pool,  which  Mr.  Rhodes  is  putting  through  before  his  departure  to 
strengthen  Chartered's. 

King  Solomon's  Mines.  Capital,  £75,000.— Formed  to  acquire 
and  work  two  claims  in  the  Coolgardie  District.  Various  reports  speak 
highly  of  the  value  of  the  property,  and  the  vendors  ask  for  only  a  small 
portion  of  the  pui  chase-money  in  cash.  There  is  said  to  be  10,000  tons  of 
ore  in  sight. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 

The  Yorkshire  Penny  Bank.  T.  A.  J.  (Weston-super-Mare).— It  is 
an  institution  of  high  standing.  The  Harrogate  Coal  Supply 
Association,  Limited.  (Harrogate).— We  know  nothing  about  the 
person  you  name,  nor  do  we  keep  a  detective  agency.  Ottoman  Bonds. 
E.  E.  T.  (Sheffield).— These  bonds  can  be  got  at  market  rates  from  Messrs. 
Gerald  Quin,  Cope  and  Co.,  of  29,  Royal  Exchange,  E.C.  Rebate  ofl 
Income  Tax.  C.  S.  C.  (Catford).— You  must  make  your  claim,  and  it 
will  be  allowed.  The  Oxyzone  Syndicate.  P.  T.  R.  (Hampstead).— 
No  doubt  more  care  should  have  been  exercised,  but  we  are  quite  sure  the 
Christian  Million  would  not  have  taken  the  advertisement  had  its  pro- 
prietors  known  what  they  now  know.  Fortis  Powder  and  Explosive 
Company,  Limited.  V.  H.  C.  (Truro).— We  do  not  remember  them. 
Can  you  give  us  particulars  ?  J.  R.  Roberts's  Stores,  Limited.  E.C. 
(London).— We  think  these  shares  worth  the  price  you  quote.  Tea  and, 
Lottery  Bonds.  Justice  (Harley).—  Thanks.  T.  N.  (Newcastle).— 
Many  thanks.  "  Good  News  "  F.  S.  S.  (  Leicester).— We  have  received 
the  papers.  As  we  said  last  week,  the  thing  is  a  swindle.  Fern  Hill  Gold 

Reefs  Syndicate,  Limited.   (Crediton).— Of  course  the  directors 

of  a  limited  company  have  no  right  "to  stop  operations  and  disappear 
without  rendering  any  report  or  account  to  the  shareholders." 
Your  money  is  gone,  the  license  having  lapsed  ;  but  why  not  invite  Mr. 
Macbeth  to  give  you  the  particulars  as  to  the  company  you  require,  and 
have  a  right  to  demand  ?  Kern  County  Land  Company.  Annual 
Subscriber  (Maidstone).— We  have  satisfied  ourselves  that  this  company 
is  a  respectable  and  sound  concern.  The  Wendigo  Copper  Com- 
pany. Matab.  (Manchester.)  —  We  think  not.  The  other  investment 
you  name  is  an  extremely  speculative  one.  Texas  Ice  Company. 
C.  Mc.  C.  (Cork). — We  have  no  information  respecting  this  Vancouver 
Company.  Financial  Journalist.  G.  J.  H.  (South  Hackney).— Any 
"daily  or  weekly  paper"  will  publish  your  advertisement,  if  you  send 
the  cost  of  it.  We  can  give  you  no  advice  as  to  the  best  paper  to  advertise 
in.  Advertising  is  not  of  much  use  in  your  case.  Overdue  Accounts 
J.  F.  (Newcastle-on-Tyne).  —  Yes,  reasonable  interest  on  overdue 
accounts  can  be  legally  enforced  after  giving  the  debtor  notice  that 
interest  will  be  charged  if  the  account  remains  unpaid.  Ottoman  Bonds. 
Oxonian  (Birmingham).— We  return  your  papers.  The  "  best  market 
price"  would  not  help  you,  the  present  selling  price  of  these 
bonds  being  from  £4  15s.  to  £i  17s.  6d.  The  word  "stopped"  surely 
explains  itself.  Anybody  can  stop  one  of  the  bonds,  and  such 
stoppage  means  a  good  deal  of  bother  to  the  legitimate  holder.  We  must 
not  be  taken  as  implying  that  bonds  got  from  Cunliffe,  Russell,  and  Co. 
are  stopped  of tener  than  others.  The  risk  is  indeed  less  with  them.  In- 
vestment of  £7,000.  Phillimore  (Kensington).— There  is  risk  in  all 
investments,  even  in  Consols.  We  do  not  think  you  could  go  far  wrong  in 
taking  some  of  the  Preference  stock  of  the  City  and  South  London.  Shares 
of  some  of  the  best  of  the  Insurance  companies  are  well  worth  buying  at 
their  present  price  ;  but  if  you  keep  within  the  margin  of  trustee  invest- 
ments we  cannot  put  you  in  the  way  of  getting  securities  yielding  from  5 
to  6  per  cent.  La  Plata.  Chips  (Earlstown).— It  depends  to  some 
extent  upon  the  price.  Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land.  Vox  (Kes- 
wick). — (1.)  We  do  not  know  if  there  is  any  liability  for  rates  and  taxes, 
probably  they  could  tell  you  at  the  Agent-General's  office.  (2.)  Yes  ;  the 
lotteries  are  "  perfectly1  bona  fide."  (3.)  Do  not  touch  either  of  the  two 
new  issues  you  name.  Electric  Construction  Debentures.  Davis 
(Holywood).— (1.)  We  are  much  of  the  opinion  of  your  solicitor.  (2.)  The 
other  debentures  are  fairly  sound  securities,  but  we  think  you  might  make 
a  better  selection.  North  Sheba  Gold  and  Exploration  Com- 
pany. W.  W.  G.  (Hastings).— We  gave  no  "opinion."  For  the  rest  we 
are  looting  into  the  matter.  Buffelsdoorns  H.  B.  (Sandbach).— Better 
not.  Three  African  Companies.  A.  H.  L.  (Newport).— All  highly 
speculative.  The  London  General  Machine  Printing  and  Pub- 
lishing Company.  Overburdened  (Oxford)  —Send  us  all  the  cor- 
respondence. Balkis  Eerstelings.  C.  H.  D.  (Brighton). —We  cannot 
advise  you  to  buy  more  just  at  present.  Some  unfavourable  news 
has  been  received  upon  the  top  of  reports  of  a  very  different  character, 
a  matter  we  shall  have  something  to  say  about  next  week.  Do  not 
touch  the  other  shares  you  mention.  Thanks  for  your  information 
re  Otto's  Kopje?  Novice  (Sheffield).  —  The  same  answer  applies 
to  your  question.  Gold  Mines  of  East  Oregon.  E.  J.  M. 
(Walthamstow).  —  We  can  do  nothing  without  fuller  information. 
Notes  Weekly  Paper  Company,  Limited.  L.  H.  S.  (Padstow).— 
The  matter  shall  have  attention.  Ottoman  Bonds.  E.  E.  T.  (Sheffield]. 
—You  cannot  do  better  than  go  to  Messrs.  Gerald  Quin,  Cope  and  Co.,  of 
29,  Royal  Exchange,  E.C.  Inquirer  (Hastings).— Not  without  special 
authorisation.  Mr.  C.  E.  Hogg.  A  Westralian  (London).— A 
very  interesting  letter,  but  you  must  send  us  your  address.  Two 
Investments.   J.  F.  W.  (Exeter).— We  cannot  recommend  either. 

INSURANCE. 

Endowed  Assurance.  W.  H.  (Newport).—  Seeing  that  you  have  paid 
only  one  premium  we  think  you  might  make  the  proposed  change  with 
advantage.  Doubtful  Life  Office  H.  V.  F.  K.  (Burton-on-Trent).— 
The  concern  you  mention  bears  and  deserves  a  bad  name.  It  is  making  no 
profit,  and  it  is  extremely  improbable  that  the  money  will  ever  be  paid  as 
you  describe.  The  itinerant  representatives  of  the  company  have  for  many 
years  past  made  it  the  chief  part  of  their  business  to  deceive  the  public  by 
the  system  you  are  insured  under.  Surrender  your  policy,  but  assure  first 
in  another  office.  Life  and  Fire  Office.  Novice  (Sheffield).— You  do 
not  say  whether  you  ask  as  intending  policyholder  or  shareholder.  If  the 
former,  say  what  kind  of  insurance  you  are  thinking  cf ;  if 
the  latter  whether  as  buyer  or  seller.  Fire  Insurance 
Company.  Subscriber  (Handsworth).  —  The  company  you  name 
charges  reasonable  rates,  and  acts  fairly  in  case  of  loss. 
Two  Companies.  (Wigan).— No.  1  is  more  a  sham  than  a  life  office 
No.  2  is  a  good  office,  and  will  give  you  good  value  for  your  money. 
Security  Company.  County  Agent.  (Finsbury).— This  company  has 
ample  resources  wherewith  to  meet  claims,  and  you  will  do  well  if  you 
obtain  an  agency  for  it.  Annuity.  Avon.  (Brighton).— 1.  Nearly  all  Life 
Assurance  Companies  sell  annuities.  2  Name  two  or  three  and  state  your 
age,  and  we  will  give  you  our  opinion  of  them.  3.  Yes  ;  but  a  special  rate 
would  have  to  be  obtained  from  the  company  granting  a  joint  annuity.  4. 
Depends  entirely  on  age.  You  can,  when  prepared  for  the  transaction,  ne- 
gotiate and  settle  the  mat  ter  through  the  local  agent  of  the  company  selected. 

British  Workman's  and  General  Assurance  Company, 
Limited.  ■  A.  G.  (Birmingham].— The  business  of  the  company  continues 
to  increase  rapidly 


400 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  1895. 


£)RURY  LANE    THEATRE    ROYAL.— SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.    Twice  Daily,  at  1.30  and  7.30, 
Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand  New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day. 

LYCEUM.— KING  ARTHUR,  by  J.  Comyns  Carr.  EVERY 
NIGHT  at  8  punctually  Mr.  Irving,  Mr.  Forbes  Robertson,  Miss 
Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  Music  by  Arthur  Sullivan. 
Scenery  and  Costumes  designed  by  Sir  Edward  Burne-Jones.  Box  Office 
(Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  daily  10  to  5  only.  Seats  also  booked  by  letter  or 
telegram. 

ROYAL    PRINCESS'S     THEATRE— SIR  AUGUSTUS 

HABBIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.   EVEBY  EVENING,  at  7.30. 
THE  DEBBY  WINNEB, 
by  Sir  Augustus  Harris,  Cecil  Raleigh,  and  Henry  Hamilton. 
Box  Office  open  10.0  a.m.  all  day.    For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers. 

PALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
THEATBE  in  EUROPE.    The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.    Prices  from  6d.    Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 

Morton. 

MOORE  AND  BURGESS  MINSTRELS,  ST.  JAMES'S 
*  HALL,  PICCADILLY. 

The  Best  Entertainment  in  London. 
Fun  without  Vulgarity. 
If  you  want  to  laugh,  go  to  Moore  and  Burgess'. 
Immense  Success  of  George  B.  Sims  and  Ivan  Caryll's  Operetta, 
THE  YALLEB  GAL. 
AFTEBNOONS  at  4 ;  NIGHTS  at  10. 
Book  your  seats  at  Tree's.    Standing  room  only.   EVEBY  NIGHT  at  8. 
MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY,  and  SATUEDAY  MATINEES,  at  2.30. 

Faeini,  Manager. 

POYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFOBMANCES, 

2.30  and  7.30  POSTER   EXHIBITION.   YACHTING  EXHIBITION, 

CONCERT.    SWIMMING.    SKATING.  BILLIARDS. 


NIAGARA  HALL,  ST.  JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 

The  Latest  and  Greatest  Novelty. 
REAL     ICE     SKATING     UNDER  COVER. 
In  all  weathers,  Breakages  and  Immersions  impossible. 
9.30  to  1.0,  3/-;  3  to  6.30,  3/- ;  8.0  to  11.30,  3/-. 
The  most  fashionable  resort  in  London. 
NIAGABA  HALL,  ST.   JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 


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(Third  Edition. — Eleventh  Thousand.) 

This  pamphlet  has  proved  a  handy  hook  of  reference  to  Lady  Cecilia 
Roberts  at  the  North  of  England  Temperance  League  Conference. 

J.  Grant  Lawson,  Esq.,  M.P.  and  Dr.  Oliver  Pemberton  (Coroner 
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A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Fou 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

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Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 
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Deau  Sir,—  I  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  of 
Dr.  Scott's  Pills  as  a  family  mediciue.  We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  many 
years,  and  arc  never  without  them. 

Yours  faithfully,  J.  SELLARS. 
The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead 
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ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON'S 

LAST  PUBLISHED  STORY, 

The  EBB-TIDE 

IS  PUBLISHED 

COMPLETE   AND   FULLY  ILLUSTRATED 

In  Volume.  I. 


66 


99 


Price  3s.  6d.    Postage  6d. 

It  has  since  been  issued  in  book  form  at  6s. 


W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W.    A  FEW  COPIES  CAN  STILL  BE  HAD- 


February  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


401 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 


Outsailed.    By  \V.  W.  Jacobs.   Illustrated  bv  Scott  Rankin  . .  385 

American  Football  Armour   388 

A  Lawyer's  Letter.   By  William  Turville.   Illustrated  by 

Max  Cowpsr    3S9 

Our  Earthly  Wings   390 

Episodes    391 

Feminine  Affairs   392 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller  395 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor   :   . .  396 

The  Negro  of  Song.  By  Barry  Pain    397 

In  the  City  398 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J   401 

A  Principal  Girl.   Miss  Marie  Montrose  at  Drury  Lane   404 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   405 

Club  Chatter— Solo  Whist,  by  A.  S.  Wilks  406 

The  Red  Cockade.  By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville    410 

A  Chat  with  Miss  Jeanne  Douste      415 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appeab  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


Lady  Henry  Somerset  prefers  not  to  explain  why 
the  girl  Waghorn  was  hunted  down  like  an  escaped 
slave  and  dragged,  protesting  and  screaming,  from  the 
Convalescent  Home  at  Southend-on-Sea,  and  taken  back 
a  prisoner  into  the  hands  of  the  British  Women's  Tem- 
perance Association.  Lady  Henry  Somerset's  secre- 
tary, writing  to  the  Daily  Chronicle,  says  that"  her  lady- 
ship does  not  control,  and  therefore  is  not  called  upon 
to  account  for  the  actions  of  individual  members  of  the 
Association."  I  can  quite  understand  Lady  Henry 
Somerset's  anxiety  to  sever  herself  from  all  connection 
with  this  very  disgraceful  action.  But  Lady  Henry 
Somerset  is  really  too  modest  in  her  repudiation  of  all 
controlling  influence  with  the  action  of  the  British 
Women's  Temperance  Association.  Lady  Henry  Somer- 
set is  president  and  chief  patroness  of  the  British.  Wo- 
men's Temperance  Association.  I  do  not  think  that  the 
British  Women's  Temperance  Association  would  ven- 
ture to  do  much  that  would  not  be  approved  of  by  her 
ladyship.  Does  Lady  Henry  Somerset  wish  to  imply 
that  the  woman  who  represented  herself  as  coming 
direct  from  the  Tunbridge  Wells  branch  of  the  British 
Women's  Temperance  Association,  and  who,  by  brute  force 
and  threats — a  disgrace  to  any  citizen  of  a  free  country 
and  a  distinct  insult  to  its  laws — dragged  this  poor, 
wretched  girl  against  her  will  from  the  home  where  she  was 
comfortable,  and  in  which  she  desired  to  stay,  was  acting 
in  her  own  'individual  capacity,"  and  not  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  association  of  which  her  ladyship  is 
the  president,  patroness,  and  moving  spirit?  It  would 
.  be  a  good  thing  for  Lady  Henry  Somerset  if  she  could 
prove  the  disconnection.  In  face  of  the  documents 
before  me  at  this  moment,  I  am  curious  to  see  if  the 
British  Women's  Temperance  Association  will  formally 
disclaim  the  action. 

Lady  Henry  Somerset  also  prefers  not  to  explain  how 
and  why  the  statement,  which  the  Women's  Convalescent 
Home  authorities  designate  as  a  disgraceful  and  lying 
libel,  came  to  be  made,  and  to  be  still  maintained  against 
them.    This  statement  to  the  effect  that  the  girl  Wag- 


horn,  known  to  be  a  dipsomaniac,  was  given  alcoholic 
drinK  at  the  Convalescent  Home,  appears  to  have  been 
made  by  a  Mrs.  Fothergill,  the  Tunbridge  Wells  repre- 
sentative of  the  British  Women's  Temperance  Asso- 
ciation, in  the  summer  of  last  year.  Lady  Henry  Somei- 
set  was  immediately  appealed  to,  with  the  request  that 
the  alleged  slander  should  either  be  substantiated  or 
withdrawn.  In  September,  ^ady  Henry  Somerset  re- 
plies to  the  effect  that  she  is  inquiring  into  the  matter, 
and  is  sorry  that  her  absence  in  America  prevents  her 
being  able  to  deal  with  it  herself.  Nothing  has  been 
done  in  the  matter  between  that  date  and  the  present 
time.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to  substantiate  the 
statement,  and,  failing  this,  no  offer  has  been  made  to 
withdraw  it.  Now — in  January,  1895 — her  ladyship's 
secretary  writes  to  the  Daily  Chronicle  stating  that 
Lady  Henry  Somerset's  departure  for  America  hinders 
the  sifting  of  these  allegations.  America  seems  to  be 
growing  into  quite  a  convenient  continent.  Perhaps 
when  Lady  Henry  Somerset  returns  from  America  she 
will  eventually  find  time  to  inquire  into  these  very 
serious  matters.  At  present  it  looks  as  though  the 
British  Women's  Temperance  Association  wished,  by 
means  of  innuendoes  and  unfounded  statements,  to  injure 
a  rival  charity  because  it  does  not  agree  with  them  on 
the  question  of  whether  a  poor  woman  is  to  be  allowed 
to  obey  her  doctor's  orders,  and  have  an  occasional 
glas1?  of  beer  with  her  dinner. 

Correspondents  from  New  Brighton  are  vigorously 
objecting  to  my  strictures  upon  their  "  Ham  and-Eggs 
Parade,"  and  I  am  informed  that  the  Wallasey 
Dogberries  have  publicly  condemned  the  Wallasey 
Chronicle  for  publishing  a  report  of  police-court  pro- 
ceedings, the  result  of  which  has  been  to  show  up  beyond 
a  question  the  character  of  the  business  carried  on. 
The  Wallasey  magistrates  would  be  better  employed  in 
doing  their  duty,  and  keeping  the  town  under  their 
control  in  a  decent  state,  than  by  getting  angry  and 
trying  to  hush  up  the  inquiry  into  the  matter.  New 
Brighton  is  within  handy  distance  of  Liverpool.  It 
might  be  an  extremely  pleasant  residential  suburb  to 
that  city.  It  might,  at  all  events,  bo  a  pleasant 
breathing-place  for  the  tired  worker.  But  the 
disgraceful  negligence  of  the  authorities  has  rendered  it 
a  plague-spot  to  be  utterly  shunned.  Never,  until  I 
visited  the  town  myself,  could  I  have  conceived  the 
possibility  of  natural  advantages  being  so  utterly 
destroyed.  To  no  respectable  person  is  New  Brighton 
possible  at  all,  and  the  wretched,  sordid  appearance  of 
its  streets  is  quite  accounted  for.  I  have  received 
scores  of  letters  from  residents  at  Liverpool,  hoping, 
though  dimly,  that  now  the  question  has  been  taken  up 
by  outsiders  some  improvement  may  be  achieved.  They 
tell  me  what  I  can  quite  understand — that  they,  with 
their  wives  and  families,  can  never  think  of  going  near 
the  place.  If  properly  controlled  by  a  town  council 
with  .tmse  and  spiri'.  New  Brighton  might  be  one  of 
the  most  attractive  resorts  of  the  neighbourhood. 

The  action  of  Judge  Gaynor,  of  Brooklyn,  is  an 
admirable  object-lesson  of  what  might  happen  over  here, 
did  the  Progressive  party  obtain  their  desires  and 
become  the  purchasers  of  the  voting  power  for  the 
County  Council,    Judge  Gaynor,  I  take  it,  is  one  of  the 


402 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  1895. 


numerous  New  York  officials  dependent  for'  their 
livelihood  upon  the  bounty  of  "  Tammany  Hall."  We 
have  heard  how  judges  and  magistrates  are  kept  in  the 
pay  of  this  precious  gang,  and  made  to  do  their  bidding, 
and  manipulate  law  and  order  to  their  necessities.  The 
tram  workers  of  Brooklyn  have  struck  for  higher  wages. 
They  may  be  justified  in  doing  so,  or  they  may  not ;  that 
is  beside  the  present  question.  Judge  Gaynor  issued  a 
writ  of  mandamus  requiring  the  tramway  companies  to 
resume  work  instantly,  under  penalty  of  forfeiting  their 
charter.  If  the  company  cannot  obtain  men  to  run  the 
cars  at  a  reasonable  rate  of  wages,  says  J  udge  Gaynor, 
they  must  pay  unreasonable  rates.  Why  does  Judge 
Gaynor,  holding  a  high  official  position,  outrage  justice 
and  common  sense  by  such  a  monstrous  order  ?  The 
answer  is  simple ;  if  he  did  not  do  so  the  tramway 
workers  would  at  the  next  election  see  that  he  was 
ousted  from  his  living.  It  is  a  shameful  and  discredit- 
able bargain  between  the  two.  Judge  Gaynor  has  to 
disgrace  his  profession  in  order  to  secure  his  income, 
which  can  be  given  or  taken  away  from  him  by  one  of 
the  parties  to  the  dispute. 

Were  the  London  County  Council  to  -  obtain  all  the 
power  they  desire  to  obtain,  the  same  thing  would  be 
happening  over  here.  Supposing  that  they  had  the  control 
of  the  police,  and  a  dispute  arose  between  a  tramway 
company  and  its  workers,  the  men  might  strike  for 
higher  wages,  and  refuse  to  allow  the  cars  to  be  run,  or 
any  new  men  to  be  employed  by  the  tramway  company, 
and  threaten  violence  if  their  orders  were  disobeyed. 
Would  the  members  of  the  County  Council,  elected  by 
the  votes  of  these  tramway  workers,  dare  to  order  the 
police  to  interfere  in  the  cause  of  freedom  ?  Certainly 
not.  The  police  would  be  withdrawn  from  action ;  the 
tramway  companies  would  be  told  that  they  must  pay 
the  wages  asked,  and  if  they  could  not  afford  to  do 
this  at  present  fares  the  fares  would  be  raised,  and  the 
public  would  have  to  pay,  or  the  tramway  company 
placed  in  the  Bankruptcy  Court.  Or  imagine  that  the 
tramways  themselves  were  in  the  possession  of  the 
County  Council,  controlled  by  a  Progressive  majority. 
Six  months  before  the  election  the  men  would  be  certain 
to  demand  a  permanent  increase  of  wages — they  would 
be  fools  if  they  did  not  do  so — and  to  threaten  defeat 
at  the  polls  if  their  demands  were  not  complied  with  ; 
and  the  same  plan  would  be  adopted  by  all  the  other 
trades  concerned.  The  result  would  be  one  gigantic 
conspiracy,  between  the  quarter  of  a  million  or  so  of 
workmen  employed  by  the  County  Council,  and  the 
members  of  the  Council.  Wages  would  be  increased 
year  by  year.  The  members  would  be  returned  con- 
tinually by  the  votes  of-  their  own  employees,  and 
allowed  to  recompense  themselves  for  their  labours  by 
"boodling  "  the  public  funds,  and  the  unfortunate  rate- 
payer would  soon  be  reduced  to  ruin. 

My  remarks  on  Sunday  recreation,  and  the  opposition 
such  would  be  likely  to  arouse  on  the  part  of  the 
Church,  have  received  ample  confirmation  from  the  vicar 
of  Hyde.  The  Ryde  Golf  Club  allows  its  members  to 
play  on  the  Sabbath;  and  the  Rev.  A.  J.  W.  Cross  is 
indignant.  He  says  that  *<>  play  golf  on  Sundays  is 
silly  and' wicked  ;  that  the  playing  of  golf  at  Ryde  will 
bring  a  curse  on  the  town;  that  "these  places  where 
golf  is  played  on  Sundays  stink  in  the  nostrils  of  Eng- 


lishmen already."  It  is  this  kind  of  silly  and  wicked  talk 
that  makes  one  despair  of  religion.  Will  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Cross  explain  what  there  is  silly  and  wicked  in  the  play- 
ing of  golf?  And  will  he  point  to  any  commandment, 
*  either  in  the  New  Testament  or  in  the  Old,  against  inno- 
cent recreation,  on  either  the  old  Jewish  Sabbath  or  the 
Christian  Sunday?  Sunday  in  working-class  England 
is  a  day  thought  of  with  a  groan.  Our  religion  has  made 
it  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing  to  men.  A  Sunday  can 
never  come  round  in  England  without  a  man  feeling 
angry  at  the  religion  that  has  made  this  day  a  hateful 
blank  to  him.  In  other  Christian  countries  the  Sunday 
is  looked  forward  to  as  a  day  of  decent  worship  and  of 
healthy  recreation.  The  Norwegian  peasant  will  go  to 
chapel  in  the  morning,  and  to  a  dance  in  the  evening. 
His  Sunday  is  the  brightest  day  in  the  week  ;  to  English- 
men it  is  a  day  of  weary  loafing,  of  over-eating,  over- 
drinking, and  over-sleeping,  broken  by  two  hours  of 
mechanical  religion  ;  and  ministers  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Cross's)  stamp  consider  that  this  is  healthy  for  body  and 
soul. 

Mr.  James  Haysman  writes,  asking  why  there  should 
not  be  a  workman's  class  on  all  trains,  so  that  the  un- 
employed labourer  seeking  work,  or  the  employed  having 
to  move  about  during  the  day,  might  be  able  to  travel 
at  a  price  within  his  means;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
the  ordinary  third-class  passenger  need  not  run  the  risk 
of  having  his  clothes  spoiled  by  too  close  proximity  to 
the  labourer  in  his  working  garb.  There  is  much  to  be 
said  in  favour  of  the  argument.  I  am  inclined  to  agree 
with  Mr.  Haysman  that  a  working-man's  carriage  might 
be  worked  profitably  on  every  train  at,  say,  a  halfpenny 
a  mile,  or  even  less.  It  would  be  sure  to  be  densely 
crowded,  and  by  these  means  the  railway  companies 
would  be  able  to  compete  with  the  cheap  'bus  and  tram 
fares.  Very  few  of  those  who  can  afford  the  ordinary 
prices  would  force  themselves  into  the  workmen's  car- 
riages, so  that  in  all  probability  it  would  be  tapping  a 
new  source  of  income.  I  have  often  wondered  that  some 
.railway  company  has  not  tried  the  experiment. 

Another  correspondent  makes  an  excellent  suggestion 
tha  t,  while  benefiting  the  public,  would  also  put  money 
into  the  pockets  of  the  railways.  He  asks  that  on  the 
long-journey  night  trains  there  might  be  sleeping  com- 
partments for  third-class  passengers.  There  are  a  large 
number  of  people  to  whom  time  is  precious,  who  invari- 
ably, when  they  can,  travel  by  night,  and  I  am  sure 
that  every  one  of  these  would  pay  an  additional  twenty- 
five  or  thirty-three  per  cent,  for  the  benefit  of  being  able 
to  lie  down  comfortably.  The  ordinary  third  class  com- 
partment now  carries  at  night  certainly  not  more  than  an 
average  of  four  passengers,  and  in  the  same  space  exactly 
four  beds,  one  on  top  of  the  other,  could  easily  be  con- 
structed, and  the  new  coaches  would  soon  pay  for  them- 
selves. I  know  it  is  very  little  use  making  suggestions 
to  railway  companies.  As  I  pointed  out  a  week  or  two 
ago,  they  are  managed  by  people  who  never  have  to  put 
their  hands  into  their  pockets  for  railway  fares,  and 
who,  always  travelling  themselves  with  first-class  free 
passes,  can  never  understand  the  feelings  and  require- 
ments of  tin  ordinary  paying  public. 

The  death  of  Lord  Randolph  Churchill  has  been  fol- 


.February  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


403 


lowed,  as  a  matter  of  course,  by  numerous  biographical 
notices  and  criticisms,  both  of  the  politician  and  the 
man.  At  the  age  of  thirty-seven  he-  was  leader  of  the 
House  of  Commons — a  position  only  once  before  held 

i  by  so  young  a  man ;  less  than  ten  years  afterwards  he 
died  ;  and  long  before  his  death  his  political  career 
was  practically  at  an  end.  Brilliant,  blunt,  independent, 

.  unstable,  flippant,  and  yet  capable  of  hard  and  serious 
work,  his  character  seems  to  have  been  as  strange  as 
his  political  history.  Both  contained  in  them  much 
that  his  friends  and  foes  to-day  are  alike  willing  to 

'  admire.  He  was  a  remarkable  man,  less  the  man  of 
talent  than  the  genius  manque  one  who  under  happier 
circumstances  might  possibly,  if  he  had  lived,  have 
gained  as  high  a  reputation  as  any  living  politician 
holds.  He  was  a  child  of  promise — and  the  promise  was 
unfulfilled. 

He  has  been,  I  said,  criticised  not  only  as  a  politician 
but  also  as  a  man.  Writers  in.  certain  prints  have  not 
hesitated  to  point  out  that  he  sometimes  gambled,  that 
ho  "  ate  recklessly,"  that  he  smoked  cigarettes  to  excess, 
and  so  on ;  they  have  even  traced  the  way  in  which,  in 
his  latter  years,  the  symptoms  of  approaching  para- 
lysis showed  themselves.  This  sort  of  thing  is  inevi- 
table. Good  taste  is  only  the  outward  expression  of 
good  feeling,  and  good  feeling  is  rare.  But  it  seems  to 
me  a  pity  that  any  man's  private  failings  should  be  so 
freely  advertised  within  a  few  hours  of  his  death,  while 
IBs  friends  and  relations  are  stiff  suffering  the  severest 
pangs  of  bereavement;  it  is  hardly  decent.  It  is, 
perhaps,  fair  that  we  should  like  to  know  as  much  as 
possible  of  the  private  life  of  those  who  pass  into  his- 
tory ;  but  it  is  also  fair  that  we  should  be  asked  to  wait 
until  they  really  have  passed  into  history. 

However,  as  these  personal  details  of  Lord  Randolph 
Churchill's  life  have  been  given,  it  might  be  as  well  to 
add  a  few  words  on  the  foolishness  of  judging  the  genius 
as  one  would  judge  the  ordinary  person.  Genius  is  an 
abnormality,  and  is  frequently  accompanied  by  other 
abnormalities.  It  is  a  good  thing,  but  a  thing  for  which 
the  possessor  generally  has  to  pay  the  price.  Lom- 
broso's  work  on  "  The  Man  of  Genius "  traces  the  ana- 
logies and  coincidences!  between  the  phenomena  of  genius 
and  mental  aberration.  "It  seems^"  he  says,  on  the 
last  page  of  that  book,  "  as  though  nature  had  intended 
to  teach  us  respect  for  the  supreme  misfortunes  of  in- 
sanity ;  and  also  to  preserve  us  from  being  dazzled  by 
the  brilliance  of  those  men  of  genius  who  might  well 
be  compared,  not  to  the  planets  which  keep  their  ap- 
pointed orbits,  but  to  falling  stars,  lost  and  dispersed 
over  the  crust  of  the  earth."  Certainly  it  is  impossible 
1  to  read  through  the  many  instances  and  examples  given 
in  the  course  of  his  book,  without  coming  to  the  con- 
clusion that  one  must  judge  the  genius  with  much  greater 
lenience  than  the  average  unremarkable  man. 

"People  of  genius,"  wrote  Schopenhauer,  "are  not 
only  unpleasant  in  practical  life,  but  weak"  in  moral 
sense,  and  wicked."    He  may  have  been  generalising 

-from  his  own  special  case,  but  there  is  much  truth  in 
v.  hit  he  saya.    A  firm  moral  sense  would,  for  instance, 

"resist  the  excessive  and  unadvised  use  of  drugs,  control 
temper,   check  vanity,  -live  regularly.     Yet,  among 


authors  alone,  how  many  have  used  drugs  to  excess,  or 
been  brutal,  or  absurdly  vain,  or  unhappy  in  their  do- 
mestic relations  1  Biographies  are  too  often  written  by 
:  personal  friends  of  the  dead,  and  in  the  same  spirit  as 
eulogies  on  tombstones ;  but  even  so,  enough  has  been 
revealed  to  enable  any  man  who  reads  to  give  scores  of 
instances.  Men  of  genius,  more  than  any  other  men, 
need  to  keep  a  close  watch  on  themselves ;  self-restraint 
in  their  case  seems  likely  to  be  more  often  needed  and 
more  difficult  to  impose.  Those  that  should  be  judged 
most  leniently  by  others  need  to  be  judged  most  strictly 
by  themselves. 

The  other  day  a  tailor,  in  giving  evidence,  describea 
himself  as  an  "artist  in  cloth  riixlli  secundus." 
Naturally,  he  has  since  fallen  a  victim  to  the  para- 
graphist.  "  Nidli  secundus "  is  not  only  Latin,  but 
positively  vain,  and  he  should  have  left  it  to  his 
customers  to  say  that.  As  for  the  "  artist  in  cloth,"  I 
can  only  say  that  I  am  always  glad  to  see  a  man  taking 
pride  in  his  work.  After  all  it  is  probably  much 
cleverer  to  make  a  good  coat  than  a  bad  book,  just  as 
it  is  much  cleverer  to  make  a  bad  book  than  a  good 
review  of  it.  But  when  one  considers  the  perfect 
English  ugliness  of  the  perfect  Englishman's  clothes,  the 
word  "  artist  "  seems  out  of  place.  If  a  tailor  allowed 
his  own  individual  fancy  to  revel  much  in  the  making  of 
a  frock-coat,  he  would  find  that  frock-coat  left  on  his 
hands.  No  ;  let  the  plumber  describe  himself  as  a  poet 
in  pipes — much  burst  of  late  ;  or  let  the  butcher 
proclaim  that  he  is  a  musician  in  mutton ;  but  if  the 
tailor  is  to  be  an  artist  in  cloth,  he  must  give  us  new 
fashion-plates. 

On  the  whole  I  am  inclined,  comparatively,  to  admire 
Mr.  James  Taylor.  The  name  is  not  an  uncommon  one, 
and  it  is  possible  that  in  a  world  which  forgets  so  readily  the 
doings  of  famous  men,  Mr.  James  Taylor  may  be  too  soon 
forgotten.  He  was  in  the  habit,  it  appears,  of  asking 
people  to  give  him  sums  of  money — not  in  consideration 
for  any  value  received  whatever,  but  merely  sums  of  money. 
The  police  interfered.  The  police-court  missionary 
offered  to  get  him  into  a  labour  home.  James  Taylor 
enquired  if  that  was  a  home  where  lie  would  be  expected 
to  work.  The  missionary  acknowledged  the  accuracy  of 
the  surmise.  "  Then,"  said  James,  "don't  put  my  name 
down."  As  a  whole,  the  character  may  not  be  admir- 
able, but  I  prefer  the  unusual  straightforwardness  to 
the  hypocrisy  of  those  professional  unemployed,  who  are 
always  complaining  that  they  cannot  get  a  job,  ;  nd  if 
they  did  would  sooner  die  than  do  it. 

Colonial  correspondents  tell  me  that  they  are  made 
to  pay  exorbitant  prices  for  To-Day  in  the  Colonies,  as 
much  as  sixpence  often  being  charged  for  it.  This  is  a 
monstrous  imposition,  and  I  would  draw  my  friends' 
attention  to  the  fact  that  for  twelve  shillings  and  six- 
pence per  annum  they  can  have  To-Day  sent  them  direct 
from  London,  post-free,  to  any  part  of  the  Colonies,  and 
"that  they  can  also  receive,  in  addition,  the  various  special 
premiums  we  offer  to  annual  subscribers.  They  would 
get  To-Day  cheaper  and  sooner  than  by  purchasing  it 
from  these  extravagant  book-agents- 


404 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  1895. 


ANSWERS  TO  ENQUIRERS. 

Correspondents  are  requested  to  make  their  letters  as  short  as 
possible.    Enquiries  cannot  be  ansivered  through  the  post. 

J .  C,  in  a  kindly  letter,  says  :  "  I  have  been  a  reader  for  some 
time,  and  the  more  I  see  of  it  the  better  I  admire  the  straight- 
forward, manly,  English  way  in  which  you  expose  all  shams, 
both  religious  and  otherwise, which  in  the  present  age  of  growing 
false  sentiment  and  humbug  seem  to  be  undermining  all  true 
liberty  of  personal  responsibility  and  action,  which  if  not  checked 
and  brought  before  people  by  writing,  such  as  yours,  will  destroy 
all  that  makes  a  nation  truly  great  and  free." 

A.  B.  D.,  writing  from  Southport,  Queensland,  sends 
me  an  interesting  letter  respecting  the  value  of  the  Queens- 
land climate  for  consumptive  invalids:  "(1)  Immediately 
that  there  is  any  suspicion  of  the  disease  the  patient  must  come 
out ;  it  is  of  no  use  when  the  disease  has  advanced.  The  benefit 
derived  from  this  climate  by  young  men  having  consumptive 
family  histories,  but  who  have  not  themselves  shown  any  marked 
signs  of  having  consumption,  is  inestimable.  (2)  He  must  be 
sufficiently  well  off  to  be  able  to  move  with  the  seasons,  so  that 
for  two  years  or  so  he  may  have  no  concern  other  than  his 
health.  During  the  winter  months  (April  to  September)  the 
coast — ocean  coast — should  be  chosen  ;  during  the  summer  the 
patient  must  go  inland.  I  shall  be  very  pleased  to  communicate 
directly  with  any  inquirers.  I  have  been  practising  in  Australia 
for  five  and  a  half  years." 

E.  H.  P. — You  require  a  license  for  selling  tobacco  in  any 
form.  Beatrice  — The  ladies  you  name  are  not  sisters. 
Thos.  D. — F.  R.  Benson,  the  actor,  is  a  nephew  of  the  present 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  D.  M.  sends  me  a  cutting 
from  a  Glasgow  paper,  from  which  it  appears  that  the 
half  dozen  members  of  Sir  George  Trevelyan's  Habitual 
Drunkards'  Commission  had  the  good  sense  to  allow  them- 
selves the  following  daily  refreshment  while  in  Glasgow : 
Half  a  dozen  lager  beer,  half  a  dozen  bitter  beer,  half 
a  dozen  mineral  waters,  a  bottle  of  whisky,  and  a  bottle  of 
sherry.  Anti-Socialist  tells  me  that  in  "  Flint's  Socialism  " 
To-Day  is  put  down  as  a  paper  expounding  Socialism.  Anti- 
Socialist,  being  a  constant  reader  of  To-Day,  objects  to  this,  but 
I  am  not  inclined  to  quarrel  with  the  statement  myself.  I  think 
I  do  expound  Socialism  far  more  truly  than  do  my  Socialist 
friends.  The  Major  tells  me  there  is  a  difficulty  in  obtaining 
To-Day  from  the  newsagents  in  Edinburgh.  Newsagents  are 
not  a  very  enterprising  class.  Last  year  at  Folkestone  I  asked 
for  a  Referee,  and  the  newsagent  had  never  heard  of  it. 
Gibs.  —  Mr.  Chamberlain  has  spoken  a  good  deal  on  the 
affirmative  side.  I  daresay  you  would  get  all  particulars  by 
writing  to  his  secretary.  The  benefit  societies,  generally  speak - 
i  lg,  take  the  opposite  view.  You  could  only  fit  yourself  for 
discussion  by  reading  the  various  speeches  that  have  appeared 
frem  time  to  time,  but  I  don't  think  they  have  been  collected. 

I  have  received  the  following  letter,  and  as  1  am  quite  unable 
to  get  at  its  meaning  I  publish  it  in  the  hope  that  some  in- 
telligent reader  may  assist  in  discovering  the  mystery  : — 

"Sir, — I  and  a  friend  happened  to  be  passing  along  Ox- 
ford Street,   the  other  evening  close  to  the  Princess's 
Theatre,   when  my  friend  who  know's  London  and  the 
Criminal  Classes  well,  said  to  me  do  you  notice  this  little  lame 
man  coming  along  well  I  should  not  be  surprised  to  hear 
him  be  saluted  by  those  three  fatheaded  loafers  well  they 
no  sooner  saw  the  person  mention  than  one  nudge  the  other 
and  deliberately  utter  in  his  face  0  Gaud  blimey  and  im- 
mediately walked  acrossthe  street  into  the  public  House.  My 
friend  said  what  did  he  go  away  for  so  quickly.    Well  I 
told  him  the  reason  these  people  have  been  told  by  some 
Officus  person  that  this  little  Man  is  their  enemy,  what  they 
call  a  Nark,  now  I  know  different.  The  reason  is  that  some 
of  their  Pals  tryed  to  deliberately  Kill  this  man  at  the 
instigation  of  some  of  the  London  financiers.    I  saw  with 
my  own  Eyes  this  little  man  thrown  into  the  Thames  by 
some  of  the  above's  pals  up  at  Barnes  Bridge  from  the  tow 
parth  I  happened  to  be  there  in  fact  it  was  a  Boat  Race 
day  with  me  I  and  the  little  lame  man  belonging  to  the 
same  Club  the  reason  I  have  since  found  by  casual  inquiry 
a  gang  knew  this  man  belong  to  some  benefit  Society,  and 
so  incapacitated  him  so  that  this  subscription  would  lapse 
and  After  Years  of  paying  up  be  outed  as  'Ankin  says  (he 
was  worth  more  money  dead  than  alive)  that  is  the  expres- 
sion I  overheard.    London  must  be  cleared  of  this  gang 
Your's  a  Constant  Reader.    (More  Anon)  I  can  now  under- 
stand why  they  tryed  to  drowned  him.    This  gang  managed 
to  Kill  t  wo  of  this  little  mans  (Sisters)  and  Mortgaged  one 
of  their  papers.    You  Know  what  I  mean.    Any  way  the 
poor  Devil  had  to  suffer  and  pay." 
Ci.eddan. — No  books  will  supply  the  place  of  observation.  An 
ounce  of  observation  is  worth  a  whole  library  as  far  as  self- 
improvement  is  concerned.     If  men  thought  more  and  read  less 
wc  should  have  more  men  and  fewer  learned  parrots.     F.W. — 
I  know  of  no  musical  song  called  "  The  Ghost  of  Sherlock 
Holmes."    R.E.D.— I  thank  you  for  your  kind  and  sympathetic 
letter.    I  was  not  trying  to  speak  by  the  book,  but  to  make  my 
meaning  plain  to  readers  as  a  whole,  who  would  not  perhaps 
know  the  niceties  of  distinction  you  point  out. 

Several  answers  a/re  unavoidably  crowded  put  this  week- 


A    PRINCIPAL  GIRL. 

MISS  MARIE  MONTROSE  AT  DRURY  LANE. 

Not  an  actress  on  the  burleque  stage  but  would  esteem 
it  an  honour  to  play  the  part  of  Principal  Girl  in  a  Drury 
Lane  pantomime.  This  winter  the  coveted  position  is 
being  held  by  Miss  Marie  Montrose,  a  young  lady  well- 
known  to  Provincial  playgoers  as  Little  Christopher 
Columbus,  Maid  Marion,  and  many  other  popular  parts. 

"  Am  I  pleased  at  coming  to  London  ? "  she  echoed, 
Why  it  has  been  the  dream  of  my  life  to  take  part  in 
a  Drury  Lane  pantomime,"  cried  the  sylph-like  little 
lady  brightly.  "  I  must  tell  you  that  I  made  my  debut 
before  I  was  seven  years  old  in  this  very  theatre,  as 
Prince  Mamillius  in  A  Winter's  Tale.  I  do  not  think," 
she  added  thoughtfully,  "that  an  actress  can  begin  her 
tiaining  too  young,  and  I  shall  always  be  glad  that  my 
first  part  was  cast  in  one  of  Shakespeare's  most  beau- 
tiful plays." 

"  You  must  have  been,  Miss  Montrose,  a  kind  of  infant 

prodigy]" 

She  laughed  merrily.  "Oh,  well,  I  did  not  escape 
the  schoolroom  any  more  than  other  children  do,  and  I 
was  already  thirteen  when  I  acted  the  part  of  St.  Pat- 
rick in  Mr.  William  Holland's  Pantomime  of  St.  George 
and  the  Dragon  at  Covent  Garden.  But  you  must  not 
think  I  had  been  idle  in  the  interval,  for  I  went  through 
a  regular  course  of  training  in  elocution,  dancing,  and 
singing.  My  first  successes  in  the  provinces  were  made 
as.  a  comic  opera  singer ;  but  I  ought  to  tell  you  that  I 
have  always  been  devoted  to  pantomime,  and  whenever  I 
have  had  the  chance  I  have  always  taken  part  in  one." 

"  Then  you  have  had  plenty  of  experience  in  the  work 
you  are  now  undertaking? " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  but  it  does  not  prevent  my  feeling  awfully 
nervous,"  she  answered  modestly.  "  I  delight  in  playing 
Principal  Girl,"  she  went  on.  "  Among  other  parts  of  the 
kind  I  have  played  I  may  mention  that  of  Fatma  in  the 
HuddevsHeld  Blue  Beard pantomime,  that  of  the  Girl-Babe 
in  the  Babes  of  the  Wood,  a  nd  then,  more  recently,  Cin- 
derella in  Sir  Augustus  Harris's  pantomime  produced 
a-  the  Tyne  Theatre,  Newcastle." 

"  I  suppose  it  was  your  success  in  this  part  that  led 
to  your  present  engagement?'  ' 

"  Well,  whatever  I  owe  it  to,  I  am  delighted  to  find 
myself  appearing  once  more  before  a  London 
audience,"  she  replied.  "  Not  but  what  I  am  de- 
voted to  my  thousands  of  kind  provincial  friends,  but 
you  know  one  need  not  love  the  nast  times  less  because 
one  looks  forward  to  the  present  and  future." 

"  Da  you  really  suffer  from  stage  fright  ? " 

'  Horribly!  And  the  more  anxious  I  am  to  do  well 
the  more  frightened  I  feel.  When  once  I  am  on  friendly 
and  confidential  terms  with  those  in  front  all  my  terror 
disappears;  this  is  especially  the  case  when  singing 
what  I  call  a  good  song,  one  that  is  likely  to  catch  on 
and  be  popular." 

"'  Then,  like  your  chief,  Sir  Augustus  Harris,  you  con- 
sider that  'the  song  is  the  thing '  in  pantomime  ? "  . 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  why  one  of  my  greatest  successes  was 
made  some  two  years  ago  in  Liverpool,  taking  the  part 
of  little  Red  Riding  Hood,  all  on  account  of  a  little  song 
I  sang  called  '  Oo-ley-Oo-ley-Oo.'  Of  course,  it  is  not 
only  the  words,"  and  she  smiled  roguishly,  "but  the  u-ay 
in  which  they  are  sung  which  tells.  Once  your  audience 
likes  a  song  you  are  singing,  they  are  put  in  a  good 
humour  with  both  the  singer  and  themselves." 

"  If  it  is  not  an  impertinent  question,  may  I  ask  if 
you  often  receive  communications  from  those  in  front  I" 

The.  charming  actress  laughed  heartily.  "  Of  course  I 
do,  especially  from  children.  Small  Inns  write  and 
ask  me  to  be  their  sweetheart,  and  I  get  even  more 
letters  from  little  girls.  The  public  have  always  been 
i -wfully  kind  and  good-natured,  and  I  only  hope  with 
r.]]  my  heart  that  I  shall  find  my  way  to  the  hearts  of 
the  citizens  of  ffood  old  London  town." 


February  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


405 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  Dear  Dick, — There  appeared  in  the  Referee  of 
last  Sunday  a  paragraph  which  I  think  is  excessively 
regrettable.  Speaking  of  the  No  Fee  system  "  Carados  " 
says  in  effect  that,  although  he  by  no  means  approves  of 
first  night  rows,  he  hopes  that  pits  and  galleries  will 
continue  to  protest  against  what  he,  "  Carados," 
describes  as  a  "  silly  extortion."  Now  just  let  me  point 
out  to  you  that  "  Carados  "  is  really  "  Richard-Henry," 
Mr.  Richard  Butler  and  Mr.  H.  Chance-Newton,  the 
writers  of  many  successful  burlesques.  "Dagonet" 
of  the  Referee,  as  everybody  knows,  is  Mr.  Gr. 
R.  Sims,  who  is  also  part  proprietor  of  the 
paper.  Mr.  G.  R.  Sims  has  a  new  burlesque 
entitled  Little  Dick  Whittington  coming  out  at  the 
Avenue  Theatre  in  three  or  four  weeks'  time.  The 
Avenue  Theatre  is  a  Fee  house.  How  does  Mr.  Sims  of 
the  Referee  like  the  idea  of  the  pit  and  gallery  being  in- 
vited to  "  protest  "  on  his  first  night  by  his  colleagues, 
Mr.  Richard  Butler  and  Mr.  H.  Chance-Newton.  There 
is  nothing  like  a  personal  argument ;  that  is  why  I  put 
it  in  this  way.  With  regard  to  the  Fee  system  it  is  a 
question  that  is  not  nearly  so  simple  as  a  variety  of 
people  seem  to  suppose.  A  certain  number  of  managers 
think  it  unwise  to  charge  for  programmes  and  do  not  do 
so.  A  certain  number  of  managers  think  it  wise 
to  charge  for  programmes  and  do  do  so. 
Certain  other  managers  do  not  think  it  wise,  but  are 
obliged  to  do  so  in  consequence  of  contracts  having  been 
entered  into  by  their  superior  landlords,  who  control  the 
front  of  the  house. 

There  are  also  certain  playgoers  who  object  emphati- 
cally to  pay  for  programmes.  There  are  also  certain 
other  playgoers  who  do  not  object  particularly,  but  are 
very  glad  not  to  pay.  There  are  certain  other  playgoers 
who  will  insist  upon  tipping  the  girl  who  gives  them  a 
programme,  whatever  the  rules  of  the  theatre  may  say. 
In  one  of  the  large  metropolitan  theatres  Fees 
were  at  one  time  abolished,  bub  the  manager  noticed 
that  the  people  who  went  to  his  stalls  habitually 
tipped  the  attendants.  At  last  he  thought  it  wise  to 
remonstrate,  and,  going  to  a  gentleman  who  had  just 
presented  a  programme-seller  with  a  shilling,  said,  "  I 
beg  your  pardon,  but  tipping  is  against  the  rule  of  this 
house,  and  by  giving  this  girl  a  present  you  subject  her 
to  the  possibility  of  instant  dismissal."  Now,  the  gen- 
tleman in  question  did  not  apologise,  but  said,  "  It's  a 
free  country ;  I  shall  tip  the  girl  if  I  choose,  and  you 
can  mind  your  own  business,  and  go  to  the  devil  as 
soon  as  you  feel  inclined."  The  manager  did  mind  his 
own  business,  but  he  took  a  new  view  of  it.  He 
promptly  restored  the  Fee  system,  which  in  his  theatre 
at  lease  is  worth  from  £20  to  £50  a  night.  The 
financial  considerations  are  so  large  that  this  is 
obviously 'a  matter  to  be  left  to  managers  to  settle  for 
themselves. 

Personally,  I  wish  fees  were  abolished  everywhere, 
but  because  I  wish  it,  and  however  much  I  wish  it,  I 
am  bound  to  admit  that  I  have  no  earthly  right  to  go 
to  a  theatre  and  interrupt  somebody's  play  because  I 
have  been  asked  to  pay  for  somebody  else's  programmes. 
That  there  can  be  any  doubt  on  this  question  I  can 
never  understand.  If  one  man  sells  butter  and  wraps 
it  up  in  paper  for  nothing,  and  another  man  sells  butter 
and  charges  a  penny  for  the  paper,  granted  that  the 
butters  are  of  equal  value,  I  should  go  to  the  man  who 
wrapped  up  his  butter  in  the  paper  for  nothing  ; 
out  nothing  on  earth  would  justify  my  howling 
at  anybody  who  wished  to  pay  for  something 
that  I  didn't.  If  I  protested  by  kicking  up  a  row  I 
should  be  moved  on  and  possibly  locked  up,  and  it 
would  serve  me  thoroughly  well  right.  I  commend 
these  remarks  to  Mr.  G.  R.  Sims,  Mr.  Richard  Butler, 


and  Mr.  H.  Chance-Newton,  and  I  trust  they  will  see  if 
they  cannot  give  their  vast  circle  of  readers  better 
advice  than  to  suggest  they  should  interrupt  plays, 
frighten  actors  and  actresses,  and  disturb  the  more 
orderly  portions  of  audiences,  for  the  sake  of  a  quibble 
about  the  price  of  a  twopenny  programme.  In  music- 
halls,  which  are  always  held  up  as  models  of  successful 
management,  programmes  are  invariably  charged  for,  so 
are  drinks,  so  are  cigars.  If  we  are  going  to  have  a 
series  of  protests  against  the  price  of  programmes  we 
shall  be  having  a  Cheap  Whiskey  League,  and  instead 
of  a  fuss  about  the  promenade  we  shall  be  having  a 
penny  smoke  riot  at  the  Empire. 

In  the  course  of  the  admirable  debate  that  took 
place  at  the  Playgoers'  Club  on  Sunday  week,  Mr.  Carl 
Hentschel  put  the  views  of  the  average  playgoer  very 
clearly.  Mr.  Hentschel  has  been  a  typical  pittite  for 
some  considerable  time,  and  he  said  that  the  intelligent 
pittite  has  usually  one  view  nowadays,  which  is  that  a 
play  should  be  received  with  the  most  patient  and 
careful  attention,  that  nothing  should  be  done  in  any 
way  to  upset  or  disturb  it  until  the  final  curtain 
has  fallen,  and  that  at  that  moment  the  playgoer  may 
claim  the  right  to  express  his  verdict. 

Talking  of  the  Playgoers'  Club,  the  annual  dinner  on 
Sunday  was  a  brilliant  and  conspicuous  success.  I 
absolutely  agree  with  every  word  that  was  said  by  the 
president  in  his  address,  and  I  must  say  that  I  look 
forward  as  he  does  to  the  time  when  the  revenues  of  the 
club  will  be  sufficiently  large  to  justify  the  committee 
in  securing  premises  where  the  club  will  not  be  at  the 
meroy  of  the  licensing  laws.  George  Alexander  had  a 
splendid  reception,  which  must  have  assured  him  of  the 
popularity  with  which  he  is  regarded,  and  he  made 
a  most  excellent  little  speech,  though  he  was 
obviously  a  trifle  nervous.  The  two  best  speeches 
of  the  evening  were  certainly  those  made  by 
Comyns  Carr,  who,  amongst  other  clever  things,  described 
the  gentlemen  who  translate  Ibsen's  plays  as  im- 
porters of  dry  goods  from  Scandinavia,  and  Edwaid 
Rose,  who  suddenly  scintillated  in  a  manner  which  took 
even  his  warmest  admirers  by  surprise.  Two  Or  three 
young  idiots  got  a  little  noisy  at  one  part  of  the  evening 
I  am  sorry  to  say,  but  they  were  sat  upon  by  the  prompt- 
ness which  immediately  extinguished  their  ardour,  ar.d 
they  were  happily  heard  of  no  more.  A  rapturous 
reception  was  accorded  to  Arthur  Roberts,  mcie 
especially  after  his  pantomimic  exhibition.  It 
was  a  distinct  proof  of  the  real  interest  which 
the  Playgoers'  take  in  true  dramatic  art.  Ben. 
Davies  sang  delightfully,  so  did  Harrison  Brockbank, 
R.  Greene,  and  a  number  of  other  admirable  artists. 
The  Hungarian  band  played  at  intervals,  and  most  of 
us  had  headaches  the  following  morning. 

I  have  not  got  very  much  news  for  you  this  week, 
but  I  may  tell  you  that  when  Sarah  Bernhardt 
comes  to  London  she  will  not  go  to  the 
Princess's,  but  to  Daly's,  when  The  Artist's  Model 
will  be  moved  to  make  room  for  her.  Daly's 
own  company  will  play  in  the  provinces  until  Sarah 
Bernhardt  makes  room  for  them  in  their  own  home. 

I  am  glad  to  tell  you  that  Winifred  Emery  is  progress- 
ing as  favourably  as  can  be  expected.  There  seems  to  be 
every  hope  that  she  will  soon  recover  from  her  present 
attack  of  typhoid.  Miss  Marion  Terry,  who  will 
temporarily  take  her  place  at  the  Comedy,  does  not  leave 
theSt.  James's  company,  as  she  has  only  beenlent  to  Mrs. 
Comyns  Carr  for  a  short  time.  There  is  no  truth  in  the 
report  that  Cyril  Maude  and  Winifred  Emery  are  going 
to  America,  as  their  engagement  with  Comyns  Carr 
does  not  run  out  for  the  next  two  years. 

I  hear  of  all  sorts  of  pantomimes  that  are  to  be 
played  at  every  second  London  theatre  next  year,  but 
as  they  are  only  vague  and  uncertain  rumours  I  will 
tell  you  no  more  about  them  until  I  verify  them  for 
myself.  Your  Affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 


406 


TO-DAY. 


Febrfary  2,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 

SOLO  WHIST. 
The  reasons  why  solo  will  never  attain  the  same 
scientific  status  as  whist  are  not  difficult  to  understand. 
When  a  player  begins  a  game  of  whist  he  is,  before  the 
commencement  of  the  play,  ignorant  of  the  character  of 
the  respective  hands  of  his  partner  and  adversaries. 
The  fall  of  the  cards  will  alone  reveal  the  whereabouts 
of  the  strong  and  the  weak  hands ;  and  to  ascertain  this 
by  the  play  is  the  first  object  in  whist.  Now,  imagine 
an  onlooker  walking  round  the  table  before  a  card  is 
played,  and  saying,  "  This  player  has  a  powerful  hand  "  • 
"  This  is  a  very  indifferent  one  "  ;  "  This  also  is  poor  "  ; 
and  "  This,  in  partnership,  has  promise  of  four  or  five 
tricks'' ;  and  then  pitting  the  two  strong  hands  against 
the  two  weak  ones.  This  is  actually  what  is  done  by  the 
declarations  at  solo  whist.  You  get  declared  strength 
ranged  against  declared  weakness,  and  half  the  refine- 
ments of  play  in  whist  are  consequently  lost. 

Another  comparative  disadvantage  to  solo  is  the 
drawing  of  trumps  in  a.  proposal  and  acceptance.  In 
whist,  the  question  when  to  lead  or  when  to  signal  for 
trumps  is  an  important  consideration,  based  upon  a  nice 
appreciation  of  the  state  of  the  game,  and  is  one  of  the 
surest  tests  of  a  sound  player.  Signalling  for  trumps 
(or  petering)  is,  I  may  mention  for  the  information  of 
those  solo  players  who  are  unacquainted  with  whist, 
giving  first  an  unnecessarily  high  card  under  the  trick, 
and  subsequently  a  lower  one  of  the  same  suit ;  the  usual 
procedure  being,  when  you  cannot  head  a  trick,  to  first 
throw  off  your  lowest  card  ;  and  the  motive  is  to  ask  your 
partner  to  lead  trumps  at  the  first  opportunity.  This 
is  only  done  when  you  have  a  big  run  of  trumps,  a 
strong  all-round  hand,  or  to  bring  in  the  winning  cards 
of  a  long  suit.  In  a  proposal  and  acceptance,  signalling 
for  trumps  by  the  declaring  players  is  superfluous ;  they 
know  before  the  game  is  started  that  they  hold  strength 
between  them,  and  their  first  aim,  as  a  rule,  is  to  extract 
trumps.  Indeed,  the  great  consideration  for  the  pro- 
poser and  acceptor  is  to  know  exactly  when  to  cease 
leading  trumps,  an  excess  round  being  the  most  fruitful 
;f.use  of  disaster  to  the  call. 


Playing  against  the  proposal  and  acceptance,  the  ad- 
vantage of  signalling  will  be  occasionally  manifest.  Of 
two  remaining  trumps,  one  of  the  non-declaring  players 
may  be  left  with  the  better,  but  he  is  uncertain  whether 
his  partner  or  the  adversaries  hold  the  other.  His 
partner  can  intimate  that  it  is  with  the  other  side  by 
the  trump  signal,  and  thus  prevent  the  perpetration  of 
what  votaries  of  the  classic  game  would  call  a  "  whist 
atrocity." 

In  an  abundance,  the  necessity  for  the  trump  call 
could  scarcely  arise ;  but  it  may  occasionally  be  required 
in  a  solo.  When  the  solo  caller  does  not  lead  trumps,  he 
is  either  playing  a  ruffing  game,  or  he  has  divided 
strength  in  trumps,  and  wants  his  adversaries  to  lead 
them  to  enable  him  to  finesse.  In  either  event,  the 
trump  lead  is  largely  a  question  for  the  discretion  of  the 
adversary  on  the  caller's  right,  and  if  he  is  not  up  to 
the  responsibility  of  the  situation  he  is  not  likely  to 
notice  and- appreciate  a  trump  signal  from  a  partner. 
He  may,  however,  be  a  keen  player,  and  if  the  character 
of  his  hand  demanded  a  lead  of  trumps,  even  from  the 
caller's  left,  he  would,  if  he  were  unable  to  take  the  trick, 
signal  for  them  in  the  conventional  way. 

But  all  such  refinements  of  play  are  worse  than  use- 
less with  partners  who  are  inattentive  to  the  fact,  or 
ignorant  of  the  motive.  It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted 
tlkat  the  majority  of  solo  whist  players  only  half  play 
the  game:  that  is,  although  they  .may  correctly  note 
how  many  cards  of  a  particular  suit  are  out,  they  are 
practically  oblivious  of  the  order  in  which  the  small 


cards — those  under  an  eighff  or  nine— have  fallen. 
With  three,  four,  and  five  of  a  suit,  the  five  is,  without 
motive,  frequently  thrown  before  the  trey.  This  is 
utterly  ignoring  the  most  elementary  system  of  whist,  a 
system  by  which,  if  consistently  observed,  each  player 
at  the  final  stages  of  a  game  should  be  able  to  locate 
every  card  in  the  respective  hands  as  though  it  were 
double  dummy.  Every  player  should  thoroughly  fami- 
liarise himself  with  these  rudimentary  principles,  and  I 
know  of  no  .better  medium  for  the  purpose  than  Dr. 
Pole's  "  Theory  of  the  Modern  Scientific  Game  of  Whist,'.' 
an  inexpensive  and  lucid  little  work. 


And  now  to  put  the  skill  and  ingenuity  of  my  solo 
whist  readers  to  the  test.  In  playing  against  a  misere 
one  of  the  principal  points  is  to  avoid  giving  the  caller 
a  discard,  as  he  would  thus  be  enabled  to  throw  away 
anv  dangerous  card  he  might  hold.  Another  very  im- 
portant object  is  to  give  every  opportunity  of  discarding 
to  your  partners,  as  they  thereby  show  which  are  their 
short  suits  by  renouncing  them,  and  leave  you  a  clear 
field  for  your  attack  in  those  suits  upon  the  caller.  Now 
the  great  art  in  solo,  as  in  regular  whist,  is  to  know 
when  to  vary  an  established  rule,  and  I  offer  a 
prize  of  a  silver-mounted  cigar-case  with  monogram 
for  the  best  illustrative  misere  game  in  which  the  neces- 
sity for  the  reversal  of  these  two  principles  is  most 
clearly  shown  ;  that  is,  the  game  must  so  develop  itself 
that  the  leading  hand  must  play  to  prevent  his  partner's 
discarding,  and: — though  this  departure  need  not  neces- 
sarily be  by  the  same  player — the  leading  hand  may 
permit  the  caller  to  discard,  and  by  the  adoption  of 
this  system  of  play  the  caller  is  eventually  caught.  So- 
lutions must  reach  the  office  on  or  before  February 
28th — the  earlier  the  better — and  should  be  addressed 
to  Mr.  A.  S.  Wilks,  To-Day  Office,  Howard  House, 
Arundel  Street,  W.C.  Competitors  are  not  restricted  to 
one  illustration,  but  each  attempt  must  be  accompanied 
by  the  date  cut  from  the  cover  of  the  current  issue  of 
To-Day. 


I  am  glad  to  see  that  the  question  of  the  legality  of 
cropping  dogs'  ears  has  been  finally  settled.  It  remains 
to  be  seen,  however,  how  far  the  magisterial  decision  in 
the  case  tried  at  Worship  Street  Police-court  last  week 
will  affect  the  owners  of  dogs  already  cropped.  Judging 
from  the  report  of  this  case  I  see  no  reason  why  the 
Royal  Society  for  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals 
cannot  at  once  prosecute  any  man  who  possesses  a  dog 
with  cropped  ears.  At  any  rate,  there  can  be  no  more 
cropping  after  this  date,  and  as  the  age  of  every  dog 
exhibited  at  any  show  under  Kennel  Club  rules 
has  to  be  clearly  stated,  I  do  not  think  fanciers 
will .  have  any  other  course  open  to  them  but 
to  show  their  dogs  in  the  unmutilated  state.  The 
cropping  of  dogs'  ears  could  have  been  prevented  years 
ago  if  the  Kennel  Club  had  taken  a  decided  action  in 
the  matter.  It  would  only  have  required  a  law  pro- 
hibiting any  dog  which  had  been  cropped,  cut,  or 
mutilated  in  any  way  from  being  exhibited  at  any  show 
held  under  theirrules.  Some  years  ago  an  uncropped  Irish 
terrier  was  as  rare  a  sight  as  an  uncropped  bull-terrier 
is  to-day,  but  the  Irish  Terrier  Club  saw  the  foolishness 
of  trying  to  improve  on  Nature,  and  now  the  Kennel 
Club,  acting  on  the  advice  of  the  Irish  Terrier  Club, 
has  passed  a  rule  which  prevents  any  cropped  Irish 
terrier  born  since  December  31st,  1889,  from  being  ex- 
hibited at  any  of  their  shows. 

It  may  be  objected  that  our  present  race  of  bull- 
terriers — to  name  one  of  the  breeds  that  are  always 
cropped — would  look  awkward  and  ungainly  if  they 
were  left  with  all  the  ear  that  nature  gave  them.  But 
fanciers  alone  are  to  blame  for  this.  We  have  only  to 
look  at  the  bull-dog  to  see  what  can  be  effected  by 
judicial  breeding.  If  it  has  been  possible  to  get  that 
exaggerated  head  in  a  bull-dog  by  careful  selection  of 


Fi-:nr.r\r.Y  2,  1SC3. 


TO-DAY. 


Ri  O  El  Y  & 


COOL .  SWEET  pR&QftAMT 


BINGHAM  stY%a  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 

TO-DAY  BOOTS. 

MATCHLESS  FOR  STYLE  AND  COMFORT, 


In  three  qualities,  from 
Hand-sewn  „ 


..  13s.  6d  per  pair. 
..  16s.  6d.  ,, 


AGENTS  : 


Osborne  &  Co.,  380  and  337,  Oxford 

Street,  W. 
A.  A.  Tyson,  27,  Brecknock  Rd,  N.W. 
H.  Ovende-n,  Broadway,  Leyton. 
3.  H.  Tmoit,  Blackheath,  S.B. 
D.  Spence,  243,  Lavender  Hill,  S.W. 
J.  Southwood,  Han  well. 
Geo:  Wilkins.,259,  Holloway  Rd.,  N. 
Bai.es  &  Son,  101,  Ley  tonstone  Rd,E. 


C.  P.  Evans,  161,  Broadburst  Gar- 
dens, West  Hampstead. 

P.  TtJFNEEL,  72,  Peckham  Rye,  S.E. 

T.  Fisher,  108,  High  Street,  Plum- 
stead,  Kent. 

J.  Mynois  &  Co.,  517,  Harrow  Rd.,  W. 

A.  J.  Sparey,  Oxford  Road,  Wal- 
thamstow. 

W.  G.  Corryer,  69,  Oxford  St.,  W. 


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408 


TO-DAY. 


FEBRUARY  2,  1895. 


parents,  it  must  be  quite  easy  to  breed  for  a  pretty  ear 
in  a  bull-terrier. 


The  Irish  terrier  of  the  present  day  has  a  neat  little 
ear  lying  close  to  the  head.  Nothing  could  suit  the  dog's 
head  better,  but  it  took  some  years  to  convince  fanciers 
that  an  uncropped  Irish  terrier  was  not  ugly.  Bull- 
terriers  have  been  cropped  for  so  many  years  that  the 
first  few  generations  of  dogs  left  with  their  ears  intact 
will  probably  appear  very  unsightly  to  the  enthusiastic 
fancier.  But  custom  is  largely  responsible 
for  this.  If  the  Bull  -  Terrier  Club,  acting 
through  the  Kennel  Club,  were  to  discourage  the 
cropping  of  dogs — and  since  the  decision  in  the  case  last 
week,  they  will  have  to  take  some  action  in  the  matter 
— I  do  not  think  it  would  be  long  before  we  should  have 
bull-terriers  with  pretty  drop  ears  appearing  on  the 
show  bench. 


But  more  important  than  the  question  of  appearance 
is  the  charge  of  cruelty  to  which  every  owner  of  a  crop- 
ped dog  must  render  himself  liable.  The  operation 
of  cutting  a  dog's  ears  is  a  tedious  and  pain- 
ful process.  In  addition  to  this  it  is  not 
performed  until  the  dog  is  about  a  year  old,  so 
that  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  agony  the  poor 
brutes  suffer.  I  am  even  inclined  to  the  belief  that  all 
dogs  would  look  better  if  they  were  left  unmutilated  in 
any  way.  I  suppose  the  original  reason  of  the  docking 
of  a  fox  terrier's  tail  was  that  he  might  be  able  to  go  to 
ground  easier,  but  in  the  case  of  dogs  who  spend  the 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


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SECURITIES  PAYING  from  THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
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II 


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SUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
riVVVENTY-SEVENTII  EDITION. 


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PHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART  I.-STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modesof  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
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System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

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PART  II.— HOW  TO  OPERATE 

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Can  Country   Residents  Operate 

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And  many  others  of  interest  to  al' 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


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contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

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greater  part  of  their  existence  on  the  show  bench  this 
excuse  is  meaningless.  Fashion  has  decreed  that  a 
fox-terrier  shall  have  his  tail  docked,  and  a  bull-terrier 
his  ears  cropped,  but  it  is  only  fashion.  Common 
kindness  has  another  law. 

To-day  (Saturday)  the  English  Cup  ties,  first  round, 
will  be  decided.  I  do  not  fancy  the  chances  of  any  of 
the  four  Southern  clubs  to  survive  to-day's  encounters. 
Preston  North  End  and  Notts  Forest  should  easily  ac- 
count for  Luton  and  Southampton  St.  Mary's.  Millwall 
Athletic  have  no  chance  against  Sheffield  United,  and 
Woolwich  Arsenal  will  probably  go  down  before  Bolton 
Wanderers,  though  this  should  prove  a  tough  struggle. 
The  other  clubs  which  should  come  victorious  out  of  the 
round  are  Sunderland,  Middlesbrough,  Everton,  Dar- 
wen,  Astonj  Villa,  Small  Heath,  Liverpool,  Bury,  Sheffield 
Wednesday,  Stoke,  Blackburn  Rovers,  and  Burnley. 


Everton's  failure  to  do  more  than  draw  with  Sheffield 
United,  coupled  with  Sunderland's  easy  win  at  Stoke, 
has  put  a  different  aspect  on  the  League  table,  and 
Sunderland  have  now  a  clear  lead  of  one  point.  With 
ordinary  luck  they  will  increase  this,  and  should  finish 
at  the  top,  with  Everton  and  Aston  Villa  next.  The 
bottom  thffee,  who  will  have  to  enter  for  the  test 
matches,  will  probably  be  Liverpool,  Derby  County,  and 
Stoke. 


In  view  of  the  form  displayed  by  Richmond  against 
London  Scottish,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  match  with 
Blackheath,  which  had  to  be  abandoned  last  Saturday 
through  frost,  will  be  rearranged  to  take  place  on  a 
future  date.  Mr.  Bromet's  merry  men  have  shown  such 
marvellous  improvement  that  the  total  abandonment 
of  the  fixture  would  be  most  regrettable. 

Type-writers,  Second-hand,  thoroughly  perfect,  at  half 
makers' prices.  Machines  lent  on  hire,  also  bought  or  exchanged. 
Documents  type-written. — N.  Taylor,  Manager,  National  Type- 
writer Exchange,  74,  Chancery  Lane,  London.  Telephone  No. 
6690. 

TAKLIS  !    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS   IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
~~ GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED,     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Gresse  Street,  London,  W. 

THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


rtenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
Constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
ipecial  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "  Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETE1ICS.'  an  elegant  pamphlet,  pot  free  on  application  U 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO., 

"WEST    REGENT    STREE  T,  GLASGOW. 


T_T  ELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 

II  *  a    _  as-     I.1L1  1  M  ■  s>am>     /isnuili  amtlttii'll 


sending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  tors,  carneU.  B>usic.d 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  i.  Hassock,  .who 


sens'  "thenT at"  low'  prices,"  at" Tumble  sales  "to' those'  in  need.  The  soles  are  held  ri 
frequent intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  tin  poor  .TlXXl  in  number!  of  All  Snmte 
District    Bran,  Emu.    All  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
sender  are  Inside.    Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 


February  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


403 


I  was  talking  to  a  friend  the  other  day  about  the  ex- 
cessive car©  which  some  men  bestow  on  their  clothes,  and 
in  the  course  of  the  conversation  two  curious  cases 
cropped  up.  The  first  referred  to  a  well-known  City 
man,  who  has  a  beautiful  house  in  Brighton,  and  more 
spare  time  and  money  than  he  quite  knows  what  to  do 
with.  Some  years  ago>  this  man.  started  collecting 
trousers,  and  liis  wardrobe  has  reached  such  enormous 
proportions  that  he  has  been  obliged  to  have  shelves 
arranged  all  round  his  room.  Each  shelf  has  a,  number 
over  it,  and  holds  a  dozen  pairs  of  trousers.  This 
arrangement  was  earned  out  so  that  the  different  thick- 
nesses of  the  materials  might  be  sorted  out  and  kept 
together.  It  is  the  duty  of  this  man's  valet  to  consult 
the  thermometer  every  morning,  and  then  to'  take  down 
from  the  shelf,  winch  is  numbered  with  the  corresponding 
figure  to>  the  degree  of  heat  or  cold  registered,  twelve 
-pairs  of  trousers  for  his  master  to  choose  from. 

The  second  case  was  even  more  remarkable  than  this, 
and  concerned  a  man  who  had  lately  had  a  special 
trouser-box  made  to>  his  own  design.  The  box  is  long 
enough  to>  take  a  pair  of  trousers  without  folding,  and  in 
shape  and  size  resembles  a  coffin.  In  fact,  the  man  has 
had  the  usual  coffin  furniture — bra,ss  handles  and 
massive  rings— fastened  to  the  outsidei  of  the  box.  The 
wood  is  polished  oak.  The  inside  of  the  box  is  con- 
structed with  movable  shelves,  and  when  the  first  pair 
of  trousers  is  put  in  the  box  all  the  shelves  have  to  come 

OUtw 


The  first  pair  of  trousers  having  been  carefully  folded 
and  laid  at  the  bottom  of  the  box,  a  shelf  is  put  in  which 
rests  on  small  supports,  so  that  the  weight  of  the  other 
trousers  is  kept  off  the  bottom  pair.  The  second  pair 
i?,  laid  out  on  this  shelf,  another  shelf  is  laid  on  the 
top,  and  so  the  process  goes  on  until  the  box  is  full. 
In  order  that  the  box  may  appear  as  much  like  a  coffin 
as  possible  this  eccentric  individual — who,  in  point  of 
age,  is  very  far  from  his  second  childhood — has  had  a 


very  heavy  lid  made,  which  screws  on.  I  am  told  that 
the  man — who  does  not  employ  a  valet — is  very  pleased 
with  the  result  of  his  invention,  though  I  should  think 
it  must  be  a  sharp  lesson  in  patience  for  him  when  his 
evening  trousers  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  box  and  he 
has  only  ten  minutes  to  dress  in.  I  wonder  how  long 
it  takes  him  to  get  those  top  eleven  pairs  out. 

That  the  proposed  contest  between  the  London  and 
New  York  Athletic  clubs  will  take  place  is,  I  am  assured,  a 
certainty ;  but  the  London  Athletic  Club  executive  is  not 
going  to  make  final  arrangements  until  they  see  every 
obstacle  completely  removed.  The  task  of  getting  a 
team  together  will,  of  course,  be  a  hard  one,  and  few  of 
the  competitors  will  be  at  liberty  to  stay  in  the  States 
more  than  three  weeks.  A  postponement  would,  of  a 
surety,  upset  all  calculations  ;  and  for  the  affair  to  end 
in  smoke  would  be  a  terrible  disaster. 


I  believe  there  will  be  some  official  announcement 
made  at  the  annual  general  meeting  of  the  London 
Athletic  Club  on  February  6th.  With  regard  to  the 
finances,  I  understand  they  are  in  a  satisfactory  state. 
I  notice  in  my  copy  of  the  "  articles  of  association  "  of  the 
club  that,  for  the  purposes  of  registration,  the  number  of 
members  is  declared  not  to  exceed  800.  It  is  needless  to 
add  that  if  the  management  desired  it  the  roll  of  member- 
ship could  be  largely  increased ;  but,  without  a  doubt, 
the  L.A.C.  is  the  most  select  and  the  premier  athletic 
club  in  the  world. 


I  have  received  an  early  copy  of  the  prospectus  of 
the  new  Ealing  Golf  Club,  which  has  secured  the  well- 
known  Links  at  Twyford  Abbey,  which  were  played 
over  up  till  last  January,  when  the  Old  Ealing  Club 
(now  the  West  Middlesex)  relinquished  them  owing  to 
the  failure  of  the  negotiations  as  to  their  tenure  of  the 
course.  The  hon.  sec.  is  Mr.  A.  T.  W.  McCaul,  21,  St 
Helen's  Place,  E.C- 

The  Major. 


ONE   GO-D   TURN    DESERVES  ANOTHER 


THE   MAGICIAN   AND   THE   SPORTSMAN  : 


410 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  1895. 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

EY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  V. 
The  Deputation. 

TIe  sat  silent  so  long,  with  his  eyes  on  the  table,  that 
presently  I  grew  nettled,  wondering  what  ailed  him,  and 
why  he  did  not  speak  and  say  the  things  that  I  expected. 
I  had  been  so  confident  of  the  advice  he  would  give  me, 
that,  from  the  first,  I  had  tinged  my  story  with  the  ap- 
propriate colour.  I  had  let  my  bitterness  be  seen ;  I  had 
suppressed  no  scornful  word,  but  supplied  him  with  all 
the  ground  he  could  desire  for  giving  me  the  advice  I 
supposed  to  be  upon  his  lips. 

And  yet  he  did  not  speak.  A  hundred  times  I  had 
heard  him  declare  his  sympathy  with  the  people,  his 
hatred  of  the  corruption,  the  selfishness,  the  abuses  oi 
the  Government ;  within  the  hour  I  had  seen  his  eye 
kindle  as  he  spoke  of  the  fall  of  the  Bastille.  It  was  at 
his  word  I  had  burned  the  carcan;  at  his  instance  I  had 
spent  a  large  sum  in  feeding  the  village  during  the 
famine  of  the  past  year.  Yet  now — now,  when  I  ex- 
pected him  to  rise  up  and  bid  me  do  my  part,  he  was 
silent ! 

I  had  to  speak  at  last.  "  Well  ? "  I  said,  irritably. 
"  Have  you  nothing  to  say,  M.  le  Cure?  *'  And  I  moved 
one  of  the  candles,  so  as  to  get  a  better  view  of  his 
features.  But  he  still  looked  down  at  the  table,  he  still 
avoided  my  eye,  his  thin  face  thoughtful,  his  hand  toying 
with  the  crumbs. 

At  last,  "  M.  Ie  Vicomte,"  he  said,  softly,  "  through 
my  mother's  mother  I,  too,  am  noble." 

I  gasped ;  not  at  the  fact  with  which  I  was  familiar, 
but  at  the  application  I  thought  he  intended.  "  And  for 
that,"  I  said,  amazed,  "  you  would  " 

lis  raised  his  hand  to  stop  me.  "  No,"  he  said  gently, 
"  I  would  not.  Because,  for  all  that,  I  am  of  the  people 
by  birth,  and  of  the  poor  by  my  calling.    But  " 

"  But  what  ? "  I  said,  peevishly. 

Instead  of  answering  me,  he  rose  from  his  seat,  and, 
taking  up  one  of  the  candles,  turned  to  the  panelled 
wall  behind  him,  on  which  hung  a  full-length  portrait  of 
my  father,  framed  in  a  curious  border  of  carved  foliage. 
He  read  the  name  below  it.  "  Antoine  du  Pont,  Vicomte 
de  Saux,"  he  said,  as  if  to  himself.  "  He  was  a  good 
man,  and  a  friend  to  the  poor.    God  keep  him." 

He  lingered  a  moment,  gazing  at  the  grave,  handsome 
face,  and  doubtless  recalling  many  things;  then 
he  passed,  holding  the  candle  aloft,  to  another  picture 
which  flanked  the  table :  each  wall  boasted  one. 
"  Adrien  du  Pont,  Vicomte  de  Saux,"  he  read,  "  Colonel 
of  the  Regiment  Flamancle.  He  was  killed,  I  think, 
at  Minden.  Knight  of  St.  Louis,  and  of  the  King's  bed- 
chamber. A  handsome  man,  and  doubtless  a  gallant 
gentleman.    I  never  knew  him." 

I  answered  nothing,  but  my  face  began  to  burn,  as  he 
passed  to  a  third  picture  behind  me.  "Antoine  duPont, 
Vicomte  de  Saux,"  he  read,  holding  up  the  candle, 
"  Marshal  and  Peer  of  France,  Knight  of  the  King's 
Orders,  a  Colonel  of  the  Household,  and  of  the  King's 


Council.  Died  of  the  plague  at  Genoa,  in  1710.  I 
think  I  have  heard  that  he  married  a  Rohan." 

He  looked  long,  then  passed  to  the  fourth  wall,  and' 
stood  a  moment  quite  silent.  "And  this  one?"  he  said, 
at  last.  "He,  I  think,  has  the  noblest  face  of  all. 
Antoine,  Seigneur  du  Pont  de  Saux,  of  the  order  of  St. 
John  of  Jerusalem,  Preceptor  of  the  French  tongue. 
Died  at  Valetta  in  the  year  after  the  Great  Siege — of 
his  wounds,  some  say ;  of  incredible  labours  and  exer- 
tions, say  the  Order.    A  Christian  soldier." 

It  was  the  last  picture,  and,  after  gazing  at  it  a 
moment,  he  brought  the  candle  back  and  set  it  down  with 
its  two  fellows  on  the  shining  table ;  that,  with  the 
panelled  walls,  swallowed  up  all  the  light,  and  left  only 
our  faces  white  and  bright,  with  a  halo  round  them,  and 
darkness  behind.  He  bowed  to  me.  "  M.  le  Vicomte," 
he  said,  at  last,  in  a  voice  which  shook  a  little,  "  you  come 
of  a  noble  stock." 

I  shrugcred  my  shoulders.  "It  is  known,"  I  said. 
"And  for  that?" 

"  I  dare  not  advise  you." 

"  But  the  cause  is  good  !  "  I  cried. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  slowly.  "  I  have  been  saying  so 
all  my  life.  I  dare  not  say  otherwise  now.  But — the 
cause  of  the  people  is  the  people's.  Leave  it  to  the 
people." 

"  You  say  that ! "  I  answered,  angry  and  perplexed. 
"  You,  who  have  told  me  a  hundred  times  that  I  am  of 
the  people  !  that  the  nobility  are  of  the  people ;  that  there- 
are  only  too  things  in  France,  the  King  and  the  people." 

He  smiled  somewhat  sadly ;  tapping  on  the  table  with 
his  fingers.  "  That  was  theory,"  he  said.  "  I  try  to- 
put  it  into  practice,  and  my  heart  fails  me.  Because  I, 
too,  have  a  little  nobility,  M.  le  Vicomte,  and  know  what 
it  is." 

"I  don't  understand  you,"  I  said,  in  despair.  "You 
blow  hot  and  cold,  M.  le  Cure.  I  told  you  just  now  that 
I  spoke  for  the  people  at  the  meeting  of  the  noblesse, 
and  you  approved." 

"  It  was  nobly  done." 

"  Yet  now  ? " 

"  I  say  the  same  thing,"  Father  Benoit  answered,  his 
fine  face  illumined  with  feeling.  "  It  was  nobly  done. 
Fight  for  the  people,  M.  le  Vicomte,  but  among  your 
fellows.  Let  your  voice  be  heard  there,  where  all  you  will 
gain  for  yourself  will  be  obloquy  and  black  looks.  But 
if  it  comes,  if  it  has  come,  to  a  struggle  between  your 
class  and  the  commons,  between  the  nobility  and  the 
vulgar ;  if  the  Noble  must  side  with  his  fellows  or  take 
the  people's  pay,  then" — Father  Benoit's  voice  trembled 
a  little,  and  his  thin  white  hand  tapped  softly  on  the 
table — "  I  would  rather  see  you  ranked  with  your  kind.  ' 

"Against  the  people?" 

"  Ye.<,  against  the  people,"  he  answered,  shrinking  a 
little. 

I  was  astonished.  "  But,  great  heaven,"  I  said,  "  the 
smallest  logic  " 

"  Ah  ! "  he  answered,  shaking  his  head,  sadly,  and 
looking  at  me  with  kind  eyes.  "Yes,  logic  is  against 
me.  Reason,  too.  The  cause  of  the  people,  the  cause 
of  reform,  of  honesty,  of  cheap  grain,  of  equal  justice. 
must  be  a  good  one.  And  who  forwards  it  must  be  in 
the  right.  That  is  so,  M.  le  Vicomte.  Nay,  more  than 
that.    If  the  people  are  left  to  fight  their  battle  alone,. 


Copyright,  1S95,  by  Stanley  J.  Wiymcin. 


February -2,  1895.  TO-DAY.  411 


(he  danger  of  excesses  is  greater.  I  see  that.  But  in- 
l  :  inct  does  not  let  me  act  on  the  knowledge." 

"  Yet,  M.  de  Mirabeau?"  I  said.  "I  have  heard  you 
call  him  a.  great  man." 

"  It  is  true,"  Father  Benoit  answered,  keeping  his 
eyes  on  mine,  while  he  drummed  softly  on  the  table  with 
Lis  fingers. 

"  I  have  heard  you  speak  of  him  with  admiration." 
'*  Often." 

"And  of  M.  de  Lafayette?" 
"Yes." 

"  And  the  Lameths  1 " 
M.  le  Cure  nodded. 

"Yet  all  these,"  I  said  stubbornly,  "are  nobles — 
nobles  leading  the  people  ! " 
"  Yes,"  he  said. 

"  And  you  do  not  blame  them  ? " 
"  No,  I  do  not  blame  them." 

"  Nay,  you  admire  them  !  You  admire  them,  Father," 
I  persisted,  glowering  at  him. 

"  I  know  I  do,"  he  said.  "  I  know  that  I  am  weak  and 
a  fool.  Perhaps  worse,  M.  le  Vicomte,  in  that  I  have 
not  the  courage  of  my  convictions.  But,  though  I  admire 
those  men,  though  I  think  them  great  and  to  be  ad- 
mired, I  have  heard  men  speak  of  them  who  thought 
otherwise  ;  and — it  may  be  weak — -but  I  knew  you  as  a 
boy,  and  I  would  not  have  men  speak  so  of  you.  There 
are  things  we  admire  at  a  distance,"  he  continued,  look- 
ing at  me  a  little  drolly,  to  hide  the  affection  that  shone 
in  his  eyes,  "  which  we,  nevertheless,  do  not  desire  to 
find  in  those  we  love.  Odium  heaped  on  a  stranger  is 
nothing  to  us ;  on  our  friends,  it  were  worse  than  death." 

He  stopped,  his  voice  trembling ;  and  we  were  both 
silent  for  a  while.  Still,  I  would  not  let  him  see  how 
much  his  words  had  touched  me,  and  by-and-by — 

"  But  my  father  1 "  I  said.  "  He  was  strongly  on  the 
dde  of  reform  ! " 

"  Yes,  by  the  nobles,  for  the  people." 

"But  the  nobles  have  cast  me  out !  "I  answered, 
warmly.  "  Because  I  have  gone  a  yard,  I  have  lost  all. 
Shall  I  not  go  two,  and  win  all  back?" 

"  Win  all,"  he  said,  softly — but  lose  how  much  1 " 

"  Yet  if  the  people  win  ?   And  you  say  they  will  ? " 

"Even  then,  Tribune  of  the  People,"  he  answered, 
gently,  "  and  an  outcast !  " 

They  were  the  very  words  I  had  applied  to  myself  as 
T  rode,  and  I  started.  With  sudden  vividness  I  saw 
the  picture  they  presented ;  and  I  understood  why 
Father  Benoit  had  hesitated  so  long  in  my  case.  With 
the  purest  intentions  and  the  most  upright  heart,  I 
could  not  make  myself  other  than  what  I  was ;  I  should 
rise,  were  my  efforts  crowned  with  success,  to  a  point 
of  splendid  isolation ;  suspected  by  the  people,  whose 
benefactor  I  had  been,  hated  and  cursed  by  the  nobles 
whom  I  had  deserted. 

Such  a  prospect  might  have  been  far  from  deterring 
some;  and  others  it  might  have  lured.  But  I  found  myself 
in  this  moment  of  clear  vision  no  hero.  Old  prejudices 
stirred  in  the  blood,  old  traditions,  born  of  centuries  of 
precedence  and  privilege,  awoke  in  the  memory.  A 
shiver  of  doubt  and  mistrust — such  as,  I  suppose,  has 
tormented  reformers  from  the  first,  and  caused  all  but 
the  hardiest  to  flinch — passed  through  me,  as  I  gazed 
across  the  candles  at  the  Cure.  I  feared  the  people — 
the  unknown.  The  howl  of  exultation,  that  had  rent 
the  air  in  the  Market  place  at  Cahors,  the  brutal  cries 


that  had  hailed  Gontaut's  fall,  rang  again  in  my  ears.. 
I  shrank  back,  as  a  man  shrinks  who  finds  himself  on 
the  brink  of  an  abyss,  and  through  the  wavering  mist, 
parted  for  a  brief  instant  by  the  wind,  sees  the  cruel 
rocks  and  jagged  points  that  wait  for  him  below. 

It  was  a  moment  of  extraordinary  prevision,  and, 
though  it  passed  immediately,  and  left  me  conscious  of  ' 
the  silent  room  and  the  good  Curt — who  affected  to  be 
snuffing  one  of  the  long  candles — the  effect  it  produced 
on  my  mind  continued.  After  Father  Benoit  had  gone, 
and  the  house  was  closed,  I  walked  for  an  hour  up  and 
down  the  walnut  avenue ;  now  standing  to  gaze  between 
the  open  iron  gates  that  gave  upon  the  road;  now  turn- 
ing my  back  on  them,  and  staring  at  the  grey,  gaunt, 
steep-roofed,  house  with  its  flanking  tower  and  round 
tourello. 

Henceforth,  I  made  up  my  mind,  I  would  stand 
aside.  I  would  Avelcome  reform,  and  do  in  private  what 
I  could  to  forward  it;  but  I  would  not  a  second  time 
set  myself  against  my  fellows.  I  had  had  the  courage 
of  my  opinions.  No  man  could  say  that  I  had  hidden 
them,  but  after  this  I  would  stand  aside  and  watch  the 
course  of  events. 

A  cock  crowed  at  the  rear  of  the  house — untimely  ; 
and  across  the  hushed  fields  came  the  barking  of  a 
distant  dog.  As  I  stood  listening,  while  the  solemn 
stars  gazed  down,  the  slight  which  St.  Alais  had 
put  upon  ma  dwindled — dwindled  to  its  true  dimen- 
sions. I  thought  of  Mademoiselle  Denise,  of  the 
bride  I  had  lost,  with  a  faint  regret  that  was  almost 
amusement.  What  would  she  think  of  this  sudden  rup- 
ture, I  wondered.  Of  this  strange  loss  of  her  fiance  I 
Would  it  awaken  her  curiosity,  her  interest?  Or  would 
she,  fresh  from  her  convent  school,  think  that  things  in 
the  world  went  commonly  so — that  fiances  came  and 
passed,  and  receptions  found  their  natural  end  in  riot? 

T  laughed  softly,  pleased  that  I  had  made  up  my 
mind.  But,  had  I  known,  as  I  listened  to  the  rustling 
of  the  poplars  in  the  road,  and  the  sounds  that  came  out 
of  the  darkened  world  beyond  them,  what  was  passing 
there — had  I  known  that,  I  should  have  felt  even 
greater  satisfaction.  For  this  was  Wednesday,  the 
twenty-second  of  July,  and  that  night  Paris  still  pal- 
pitated after  viewing  strange  things.  For  the  first  time- 
she  had  heard  the  horrid  cry,  "  A  la  lanterne ! "  and  seen 
a  man,  old  and  white-headed,  hanged  and  tortured,  until 
death  fresd  him.  She  had  seen  another,  the  very  Inten- 
dant  of  thei  City,  flung  down,  trampled,  and  torn  to  pieces 
in  his  own  streets — publicly,  in  full  day,  in  the  pre- 
sence of  thousands.  She  had  seen  these  things,  trem- 
bling ;  and  other  things  that  had  made  the  cheeks  of 
reformers  grow  pale,  and  betrayed  to  all  thinking  men 
that  below  Lafayette,  below  Bailly,  below  the  Munici- 
pality and  the  Electoral  Committee,  roared  and  seethed 
the  awakened  forces  of  the  Faubourgs,  of  St.  Antoine, 
and  St.  Marceau ! 

What  could  be  expected  but  that  such  outrages,  re- 
maining unpunished,  should  spread.  The  provinces 
within  a  week  followed  the  lead  of  Paris.  Already,  on 
the  twenty-first,  the  mob  of  Strasbourg  had  sacked  the 
Hotel  de  Ville  and  destroyed  the  Archives ;  during  the- 
same  week,  the  Bastilles  at  Bordeaux  and  Caen  were' 
taken  and  destroyed.  At  Rouen,  at  Rennes,  at  Lyons, 
at  St.  Malo,  were  great  riots,  with  fighting ;  and  nearer 
Paris,  at  Poissy,  and  St.  Germain,  the  populace  hung 
the  millers.    But,  as  far  as  Cahors  was  concerned,  it. 


41-2 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  1895. 


was  not  until  the  astonishing  tidings  of  the  King's  sur- 
render reached  us  a  few  days  later — tidings  that  on  the 
seventeenth  of  July  he  had  entered  insurgent  Paris,  and 
■tamely  acquiesced  in  the  destruction  of  the  Bastille — it 
was  not  until  that  news  reached  us,  and  hard  on  its 
heels  a  rumour  of  the  second  rising  on  the  twenty-second, 
and  the  slaughter  of  Foulon  and  Berthier — it  was  not 
until  then  that  the  country  round  us  began  to  be  moved. 
Father  Benoit,  with  a  face  of  astonishment  and  doubt, 
brought  me  the  tidings,  and  we  walked  on  the  terrace 
discussing  it.  Probably  reports,  containing  more  or 
less  of  the  truth,  had  reached  the  city  before,  and,  giving 
men  something  else  to  think  of,  had  saved  me  from  chal- 
lenge of  molestation.  But  in  the  country,  where  I  had 
spent  the  week  in  moody  unrest,  and  not  unfrequently 
reversing  in  the  morning  the  decision  at  which  I  had 
arrived  in  the  night,  I  had  heard  nothing  until  the  Cure 
came — I  think  on  the 
morning  of  the  twenty- 
ninth  of  July. 

"  And  what  do  you 
think  now  1"  I  said, 
thoughtfully,  when  I  had 
listened  to  his  tale. 

"Only  what  I  did 
before,"  he  answered 
stoutly.  "It  has  come. 
Without  money,  without 
soldiers  who  will  fight, 
with  a  staivi  ig  people, 
with  men's  minds  full  of 
theories  and  abstractions, 
that  all  tend  towards 
change,  what  can  a 
Government  do  ? " 

"  Cease  to  govern,"  I 
said,  tartly  ;  "  and  that 
is  not  what  anyone 
wants." 

"  There  must  be  a 
period  of  unrest,"  he 
replied,  but  less  con- 
fidently. "  The  combined 
forces  of  order,  however, 
have  always  triumphed. 
And  I  don't  doubt  that 
they  will  again." 

"  After   a   period  of 
unrest  ? "  I  said. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered. 
And,  I  confess,  I  wish  that  we  were  through  that. 
But  we  must  be  of  good  heart,  M.  le  Vicomte.  We 
■must  trust  the  people ;  we  must  confide  in  their  good 
sense,  their  capacity  for  government,  their  modera- 
tion " 

"What  is  it,  Gil?"  I  said,  interrupting  him  with  a 
gesture  of  apology.  The  servant  had  come  out  of  the 
house  and  was  waiting  to  speak  to  me. 

"M.  Doury,  Monsieur,  from  Cahors,"  he  answered. 

"  2\\&  innkeeper  1 " 

"Yes,  Monsieur,  and  Buton.    They  ask  to  see  you." 
"Together?"  I  said.    It  seemed  a  strange*  conjunc- 
tion. 

"  Yes,  Monsieur." 

"  Well,  show  them  here,"  I  answered,  after  consulting 


my  companion's  face.  "But  Doury?  I  paid  my  bill. 
What  can  he  want  ? " 

"  We  shall  see,"  Father  Benoit  answered,  his  eyes  on 
the  door.  "  Here  they  come.  Umph !  M.  le  Vi- 
comte," he  continued  in  a  lower  tone,  "  I  feel  less  con- 
fident." 

I  suppose  he  guessed  something  akin  to  the  truth ; 
but  for  my  part  I  was  completely  at  a  loss.  The  inn- 
keeper, a  sleek,  complaisant  man,  of  whom,  though  I 
had  known  him  some  years,  I  had  never  seen  much  be- 
yond the  crown  of  his  head,  nor  ever  thought  of  him  as 
separate  from  his  guests  and  his  ordinary,  wore,  as  he 
advanced,  a  strange  motley  of  dignity  and  subservience  ; 
now  strutting  with  pursed  lips,  and  an  air  of  extreme 
importance,  and  now  stooping  to  bow  in  a  shame-faced' 
and  half-hearted  manner.  His  costume  was  as  great  a  sur- 
prise as  his  appearance,  for.  instead  of  his  citizen's  suit 

of  black,  he  sported  a  blue 
suit  with  gold  buttons, 
and  a  canary  waistcoat, 
and  he  carried  a  gold- 
headed  cane;  sober 
splendours,  which,  never- 
theless, paled  before  two 
large  bunches  of  ribbons, 
white,  red,  and  blue, 
which  he  wore,  one  on  his 
breast,  and  one  in  his  hat. 

His  companion,  who 
followed  a  foot  or  two 
behind ;  his  giant  frame 
and  sun-burned  face  set- 
ting off  the  citizen's 
plumpness,  was  similarly 
bedizened.  But  though 
be-ribboned  and  in  strange 
company,  he  was  still 
Buton,  the  smith.  His 
face  reddened  as  he  met 
my  eyes,  and  he  shielded 
himself  as  well  as  he 
could  behind  Doury 's 
form. 

"Good  morning, 
Doury,"  I  said.  I  could 
have  laughed  at  the 
awkward  complaisance 
of  the  man's  manner,  if 
something  in  the  gravity 
of  the  Cure's  face  had 
not  restrained  me.  "What  brings  you  to  Saux?"  I 
continued.    "  And  what  can  I  do  for  you  1 " 

"  If  it  please  you,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  he  began.  Then  he 
paused,  and  straightening  himself — for  habit  had  bent 
his  back — he  concluded  abruptly,  "  Public  business, 
Monsieur.  And  to  have  the  honour  of  conferring  with 
you  on  it." 

"  With  me  ? "  I  said,  amazed.    "  On  public  business  1 " 

He  smiled  in  a  sickly  way,  but  stuck  to  his  text. 
"  Even  so,  Monsieur,"  he  said.  "  There  are  such  great 
changes,  and — and  so  great  need  of  advice." 

"That  I  ought  not  to  wonder  at  M.  Doury  seeking 
it  at  Saux?" 

"  Even  so,  Monsieur." 

I  did  not  try  to  hide  my  contempt  and  amusement; 
but  shrugged  my  shoulders,  and  looked  at  the  Cur6. 


HE  SPORTED  A  BLUE  SUIT  WITH  GOLD  BUTTON'S. 


February  2,  1395. 


TO-DAY. 


413 


"  Well,"  I  said,  "  and  what  is  it  1  Have  you  been  soil- 
ing bad  wine  1  Or  do  you  want  the  number  of  courses 
limited  by  Act  of  the  States-General  ?    Or  " 

"  Monsieur,"  he  said,  with  an  attempt  ci,  dignity,  "  this 
is  no  time  for  jesting.  In  the  present  crisis  inn-keepers 
have  as  much  at  stake  as,  with  reverence,  the  noblesse ; 
and  deserted  by  those  who  should  lead  them  " 

"  What,  the  inn-keepers  1 "  I  cried. 

He  grew  as  red  as  a  beetroot.  "  M.  le  Vicomte  under- 
stands that  I  mean  the  people,"  he  said  stiffly.  "  Who, 
deserted,  I  say,  by  their  natural  leaders  ■" 

"For  instance?" 

"  M.  le  Due  d'Artois,  M.  le  Prince  de  Conde,  M.  le  Due 

de  Polignac,  M.  " 

"  Bah  !"  I  said.    "  How  have  they  deserted  1 " 
"  Pardieu,  Monsieur  !    Have  you  not  heard  %  " 
"What?" 

"  That  they  have  left  France  ?  That  on  the  night  of 
the  seventeenth,  three  days  after  the  capture  of  the 
Bastille,  the  princes  of  the  blood  left  France  by  stealth, 
and  " 

"  Impossible  \"  I  said.    "  Why  ? " 

"  That  is  the  very  question,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  he 
answered,  with  eager  forwardness,  "  that  is  being  asked. 
Some  say  that  they  thought  to  punish  Paris  by  with- 
drawing from  it.  Somo  that  they  did  it  to  show  their  dis- 
approval of  his  most  gracious  Majesty's  amnesty,  which 
was  announced  on  that  day.  Some  that  they  stand  in 
fear.  Some  even  that  they  anticipated  Foulon's 
fate  " 

"Fool!"  I  cried,  stopping  him  sternly — for  I  found 
this  too  much  for  my  stomach — "  you  rave  !  Go  back 
to  your  menus  and  your  bouillis !  What  d\>  you  know 
about  State  affairs?  Why,  in  my  grandfather's  time," 
I  continued,  wrathfully,  "  if  you  haa  spoken  of  princes 
of  the  blood  after  that  fashion,  you  would  have  tasted 
bread  and  water  for  six  months,  and  been  lucky  had  you 
got  off  unwhipped !" 

The  inn-keeper  quailed  before  me,  and  forgetting  his 
new  part  in  old  habits,  muttered  an  apology.  He  had 
not  meant,  to  give  offence,  he  said.  I  was  preparing  to 
read!  him  a  lesson  on  this,  when,  to  my  astonishment, 
Buton  intervened. 

"But,  Monsieur,  that  is  thirty  years  back,"  he  said 
doggedly. 

"Why,  you  villain,"  I  exclaimed,  almost  breathless 
with  astonishment,  "  what  do  you  in  this  galere  ?  " 

"I  am  with  him,"  he  answered,  indicating  his  com- 
panion by  a  sullen  gesture. 

"  On  State  business  ? " 

"Yes,  Monsieur." 

"  Why,  mon  Dieu,"  I  cried,  staring  at  him  between 
amusement  and  incredulity,  "  if  this  is  true,  why  did 
you  not  bring  the  watch-dog  as  well?  And  Farmer 
Jean's  ram  ? .  And  the  good-wife's  cat,  and  M.  Doury's 
turnspit,  and-  " 

M.  le  Cure  touched  my  arm. 

"  Perhaps  you  had  better  hear  what  they  have  to  say," 
he  said  softly.    "  Afterwards,  M.  le  Vicomte  " 

I  nodded  sulkily  "  What  is  it,  then  ? "  I  said.  "Ask 
what  you  want  to  ask." 

"The  Intendant  has  fled,"  Doury  answered,  recover- 
ing something  of  his  lost  dignity,  "  and  we  are  form- 
ing, in  pursuance  of  advice  received'  from  Paris,  and 
following  the  glorious  example  of  that  city,  a  Com- 
mittee ;  a  Committee  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the  dis- 


trict. From  that  Committee,  I,  Monsieur,  with  my  good' 
friend  here,  have  the  honour  to  be  a  deputation." 

"  With  him  1 "  I  said,  unable  to  control  myself  longer. 
"  But  in  heaven's  name,  what  has  he  to  do  with  the  Com- 
mittee?   Or  the  affairs  of  the  district?" 

And  I  pointed  with  relentless  finger  to  Buton,  whb* 
reddened  under  his  tan,  and  moved  his  huge  feet  un- 
easily, but  did!  not  speak. 

"  He  is  a  member  of  it,"  the  inn-keeper  answered,  with 
a  side  glance  at  his  colleague,  which  seemed  to  express 
anything  but  liking.  "  This  Committee  to  be  as  perfect 
as  possible,  Monsieur  le  Vicomte  will  understand,  must 
represent  all  classes." 

"  Even  mine,  I  suppose,"  I  said,  with  a  sneer. 

"  It  is  on  that  business  we  have  come,"  he  answered, 
awkwardly.  "To  ask,  in  a  word,  M.  le  Vicomte,  that 
you  will  allow  yourself  to  be  elected  a  member,  and  not 
only  a  member  " 

"  What  elevation  !  " 

"  But  President  of  the  Committee." 

After  all — it  was  no  more  than  I  had  been  foreseeing. 
It  had  come  suddenly,  but  in  the  main  it  was  only  that 
in  sober  fact  which  I  had  foreseen  in  a  dream.  Called 
the  mandate  of  the  people,  it  had  sounded  well ;  by  the 
mouth  of  Doury,  the  inn-keeper,  Buton  assessor,  it 
jarred  every  nerve  in  me.  I  say,  it  should  not  have- 
surprised  me ;  while  such  things  were  happening  in  the 
world,  with  a  King  who  stood  by  and  saw  his  fortress 
taken,  and  his  servants  killed,  and  pardoned  the  rebels ; 
with  an  Intendant  of  Paris  slaughtered  in  his  own 
streets  ;  with  rumours  and  riots  in  every  province,  and' 
flying  princes,  and  swinging  millers,  there  was  really 
nothing  wonderful  in  the  invitation.  And  now,  looking 
back,  I  find  nothing  surprising  in  it.  I  have  lived  to 
see  men,  one  of  the  same  trade  as  Doury,  stand  by 
the  throne,  glittering  in  stars  and  orders ;  and  a  smith 
born  in  the  forge  sit  down  to  dine  with  Emperors.  But 
that  July  day,  on  the  terrace  at  Saux,  the  offer  seemed 
of  all  farces  the  wildest,  and  of  all  impertinences  the 
most  absurd. 

"Thanks,  Monsieur,"  I  said,  at  last,  when  I  had  re- 
covered from  my  astonishment.  "If  I  understand  you 
rightly,  you  ask  me  to  sit  on  the  same  Committee  with, 
that  man?"  And  I  pointed  grimly  to  Buton.  "With 
the  peasant  born  on  my  land,  and  subject  yesterday  to- 
my  justice?  With  the  serf  whom  my  fathers  freed? 
With  the  workman  living  on  my  wages  ? " 

Doury  glanced  at  his  colleague.  "  Well,  M.  le 
Vicomte,"  he  said,  coughing,  "to  be  perfect,  you  under- 
stand, a  Committee  must  represent  all." 

"  A  Committee ! "  I  retorted,  unable  to  repress  my 
scorn.  "  It  is  a  new  thing  in  France.  And  what  is  the 
perfect  Committee  to  do  ?  " 

Doury,  on  a  sudden,  recovered  himself,  and  swe'lsd 
with  importance.  "  The  Intendant  has  fled,"  he 
said,  "and  people  no  longer  trust  the  magistrates. 
There  are  rumours  of  brigands,  too  ;  and  corn  is  re- 
quired. With  all  this  the  Committee  must  deal.  It 
must  take  measures  to  keep  the  peace,  to  supply  the 
city,  to  satisfy  the  soldiers,  to  consider  future  steps. 
Besides,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  he  continued,  "it  will  corres- 
pond with  Paris  ;  it  will  ■" 

"  In  a  word,"  I  said,  quietlv,  "  it  will  govern.  The 
King,  I  suppose,  having  abdicated." 

Doury  shrank  bodily,  and  even  lost  some  of  his 
colour.  "  God  forbid  ! "  he  cried,  in  a  whining  tone. 
"  It  will  do  all  in  his  Majesty's  name." 


TO-DAY. 


Fkbruaky  2,  1805. 


"And  by  his  authority  1" 

The  inn-keeper  stared  at  me,  startled  and  nonplussed, 
and  muttered  something  about  the  peop'.e. 

"Ah?"  I  said.  "It  is  the  people  who  invite  me  to 
govern,  then,  is  it?  With  an  innkeeper  and  a  peasant  I 
And  other  innkeepers  and  peasants,  I  suppose  ?  To 


"  Euton,"  I  answered,  suavely,  "  permit  me.  For  a 
man  who  aspires  to  govern  the  country,  you  are  too  to? 
sp-jctful." 

"You  have  omitted  one  thing  it  is  for  the  Committer*, 
to  do,"  the  smith  answered,  hoarsely,  looking — like  a 
timid,  yet  sullen,  dog — anywhere  but  in  my  face. 


I  STAKED  AT  HIM  BET  WEEK  ANGER  AND  SDEPIUf.E. 


govern!  To  usurp  his  Majesty's  functions?  To  super- 
sede his  magistrates;  to  bribe  his  forces?  In  a  word, 
friend  Doury,"  I  continued,  suavely,  "  to  commit  treason. 
Treason,  you  understand  ? " 

The  inn-keeper  did;  and  he  wiped  his  forehead  with  a 
shaking  hand,  and  stood,  scared  and  speechless,  looking 
at  me  piteously.  A  second  time  the  blacksmith  took  it 
on  himself  to  answer. 

"  Monseigneur,"  he  muttered,  drawing  his  groat  black 
hand  across  his  beard. 


"And  that  is?" 

"  To  protect  the  Seigneu: «/" 

I  stared  at  him,  between  anger 
was  a  new  light.  After  a  pause, 
said,  curtly. 

"  Their  people,"  bo  answered. 

"  Their  Butons,"  I  said.    "  I  see. 
in  our  beds,  are  we?" 

He  stood  sulkily  silent. 

"Thank  3-011,  ButOD,"  I  said.  "And  that  is  your  return 


and  surprise.  Thai 
"From  whom?"  I 


We  are  to  be  burned 


February  2,  1S33. 


415 


for  a  -winter's  corn.  Thanks  !  In  this  -world  it  is  profit- 
able to  do  good  ! " 

The  man  reddened  through  his  tan,  and  on  a  sudden 
looked  at  me  for  the  first  time.  "  You  know  that  you 
lie,  M.  le  Vicomte  !  "  he  said. 

"Lie,  sirrah?"  I  cried. 

"Yes,  Monsieur,"  he  answered.  "You  know  that  I 
-would  die  for  the  seigneur,  as  much  as  if  the  iron 
collar  were  round  my  neck.  That  before  fire  touched 
the  house  of  Saux  it  should  burn  me.  That  I  am  my 
lord's  man,  alive  and  dead.  But,  Monseigneur,"  and,  as 
he  continued,  he  lowered  his  tone  to  on©  of  earnest- 
ness, striking  in  a  man  so  rough,  "  there  are  abuses, 


and  there  must  be   an   end  of  them.      There  are 

tyrants,  and  they  must  go.  There  are  men  and  women  and 
children  starving,  and  there  must  be  an  end  of  that.  There 
is  grinding  of  the  faces  of  ti.e  poor,  Monseigneur — not 
here,  but  everywhere  round  us — and  there  must  be  an 
end  of  that.  And  the  poor  pay  taxes  and  the  rich  go 
free ;  the  poor  make  the  roads,  and  the  rich  use  them ; 
the  poor  have  no  salt,  while  the  King  eats  gold.  To  all 
these  things  there  is  now  to  be  an  end — quietly,  if  the 
seigneurs  will — but  an  end.  An  end,  Monseigneur, 
though  we  burn -chateaux,"  he  added,  grimly. 
(To  be  continued ;  not,  as  erroneously  stated  last  week, 
<    to  be  concluded.) 


A  CHAT  WITH  MISS  JEANNE 
DOUSTE. 


As  I  climbed  the  staircase  to  Miss  Jeanne  Douste's 
■drawing-room  I 
heard  the  sounds  of 
music — a  piano,  the 
song  of  a  canary, 
and  the  voice  of  a 
woman  occasionally 
joining  in.  When 
the  door  was  opened 
i\  couple  of  toy- 
terriers  broke  into 
the  chorus  and  a 
tame  sparrow 
chirped  noisily; 
but  Miss  Douste 
quickly  silenced  the 
boisterous  greeting 
of  her  numerous 
pets,  and  I  soon 
found  myself  pleas- 
antly chatting  with 
her  on  a  variety  of 
interesting  sub- 
jects, music  of 
course  taking  the 
foremost  place. 

ItwasTosti,  Miss 
Douste  told  me,  wh  o 
first  "  discovered  " 
that  she  possessed 
a  voice.  "  He  quite 
by  chance  heard  me 
sing  at  one  of  our 
concerts  in  the 
Prince's  Hall,  and 
he  told  me  I  should 
have  a  very  fine 
voice  if  I  studied. 
So  I  put  myself 
entirely  into  his 
hands,  and  the  re- 
sult is  '  Gretel  ' !  " 

I  could  not  but 
helpmarvellingth.it 
Miss  Douste's  voice 
had  remained  un- 
heard so  long  ;  but 
she  told  me  that, 
though  she  was 
always  singing  parts 
of  an  opera  or  hum- 
ming certain  airs  at 
home,  she  never 
thought  her  voice 
worth  cultivation. 


"  You  see  my  career  as  a  vocalist  has  been  so  short " 
laughed  Miss  Douste  "  that  there  is  really  nothing  to 
tell  you  of  any  interest." 

"  The  manner  in  which  I  obtained  my  engagement  for 
'  Hansel  and  Gretel '  is  rather  funny.  After  Tosti  had 
given  me  a  few  lessons  he  introduced  me  to  Sullivan, 

and  Sullivan  took 
me  to  D'Oyly  Carte, 
and  he  told  the  Carl 
Rosa  Opera  Co. 
many  nice  things 
ibout  my  voice,  and 
then  one  day,  a  long 
time  after  the  origi- 
nal introduction  to 
Sullivan,  I  received 
the  offer  of  'Gretel.' 
That  was  my  first 
appearance  in 
Opera,  but  I  hope 
it  will  not  be  the 
last." 

"  There  is  no  fear 
about  that,"  I 
answered  smilin™. 

TT  • 

"Havingonce  heard 
j'ou  Londoners  will 
not  be  content  until 
they  have  heard  you 
again  and  again." 

"  And  I  shall  be 
glad  to  stop  in 
London  now  I  have 
made  my  home  here 
and  gathered  all 
my  pets  around  me. 
1  was  born  in  this 
great  city  you 
know  and  am  very 
fond  of  it,  though 
the  fogs  areterrible. 
Yes  ;  J  have  travel- 
led a  little.  France 
— the  home  of  my 
parents — Germany, 
and  my  sister  and 
I  have  visited  the 
greater  part  of  the 
American  conti- 
nent. Everyone 
was  kind  to  us 
there,  and  we  were 
most  successful." 

Then  Miss  Douste 
showed  me  a  few  of 
the  many  charming 
tokens  of  friendship 
and  respect  she  and 
her  sister  \  have 
received    from  all 


MISS  JEAXXE  DOUSTE  AS  Gr.ETEL, 


416 


TO-DAY. 


February  2,  189.". 


sorts  and  conditions  of  people — great  and  small — in  the 
musical  world.  She  told  me  the  following  amusing 
story  of  her  first  introduction  to  Rubenstein: — 

"  I  was  quite  a  small  child.  He  happened  to  be 
having  supper.  He  took  me  on  his  knee  in  his  rough 
yet  kindly  fashion,  and  continued  eating.  With  his 
long  thick  fingers  he  rapidly  dropped  long  green  stalks 
of  asparagus  into  his  mouth.  Every  now  and  again  in 
an  absent  yet  forcible  manner  he  pushed  a  stalk 
between  my  unwilling  teeth.  I  hated  '  grass,'  but  feared 
to  offend  the  great  man  by  refusing  to  eat.  Oh,  how 
miserable  I  felt !  But  since  then  I  have  grown  fond 
of  asparagus." 

"  Who  is  your  favourite  composer,  Miss  Douste  1 " 
"  Ah !    I  have  many  '  favourites. '    Rubenstein,  of 
course,  and  Bach  and  Beethoven.     You  are  doubtless 
aware  that  my  sister  and  I  studied  music  entirely  under 
Chevalier  Bach." 


"  Are  you  not  sorry  to  have  given  up  your  pianistic 

career  1 " 

"Just  a  little,  perhaps.  Of  course,  the  voice  requires 
more  care  and  attention  than  the  '  hands,'  and  I  cannot 
run  about  as  I  used  to.  But  as  long  as  I  study  music 
in  any  branch  I  am  happy." 

And,  indeed,  everyone  who  has  seen  Miss  Jeanne 
Douste's  "  Gretel "  can  well  understand  this.  It  is  rare 
one  finds  songstress,  actress,  and  danseuse  so  happily 
combined  in  one  person. 

Miss  Jeanne  Douste  is  as  charming  off  as  she  is  on 
the  stage.  The  musical  world,  or  that  portion  of  the 
musical  world  which  understands  and  appreciates  a 
beautiful  voice — pure,  true,  strong — will  ever  be  grateful 
to  Signor  Tosti  for  having  been  the  means  of  letting  us 
hear  Miss  Jeanne  Douste  as  a  vocalist. 


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T  O-DAY 

WEEKLY  MAGAZINE  -  JOURNAL. 

EDITED  BY 

JEROME  K.  JEROME. 

VOLUME  VI. 


LONDON : 

W.  A.  DUNKERLEY,  HOWARD  HOUSE,  ARUNDEL  STREET,  W.C. 


1 895. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

American  Estimate  of  Beerbohm  Thee,  An    -----  345 

Ancient  Marriage  Customs.  Laura  B.  Stark  63 

Answers  to  Correspondents — 

19,  51,  83,  115,  147,  179,  211,  243,  275,  307,  339,  371,  403 

Bookmarker,  The — 

The  Great  God  Pan  -7 

Civilisation  in  Progress  71 

Across  Europe  on  a  Bicycle  -  103 

A  Street  in  Suburbia   135 

Hints  From  a  Hercules                                      -    .  -  166 

The  Fox  Terrier   223 

Neighbours  of  Ours  -     -  254 

On  the  Cars  and  Off      -      --   319 

Case  of  Delia  Harding,  The      -      --      --      --      -  364 

Case  of  "  The  Passport  "  and  "  Vanity  Fair,"  The     -      -      -  395 

Chats  and  Interviews — 

M.  Cheret  on  Posters      --------  4 

A  Trance  Man  on  Hypnotism   12 

A  Chair  Man  on  Skaters  -   85 

Rev.  J.  S.  Hilliard  on  "  The  Manxman  "   -  139 

Mr.  W.  J  Bastard  on  Aerial  Navigation  -     -      -      -  191 

Professor  Oppenheim  on  Character  Reading       -     -  222 

A  Ballet  Girl  on  Olympia    -------  235 

Mr.  F.  Villiers  on  Superstition   253 

Mr.  J.  W.  Crossley  on  Ireland    ------  295 

Mr.  Raven-Hill  on  Black-and-White  Art       -  316 
City,  In  the— 

14,  46,  78,  110,  142,  174  ,  206,  238,  270,  302,  334,  366,  398 

Close  Shave,  A-----------     -  313 

Club  Chatter — 

22,  54,  86, 118, 150, 182,  214,  246,  278,  309,  341,  373,  406 

Coming  Race,  The   255 

Conan  Doyle  on  Fiction  -----   102 

Concert,  At  A.  W.  Pett  Ridge   332 

Curious  Church  Customs  ...124 

De  Omnibus.  The  Conductor — 

12,  45,  75, 107,  139, 171,  203,  235,  267,  299,  331,  363,  395 
Devil's  Own  Luck,  The.   "  Z.Z."  (Louis  Zangwill  )  (Illustrated  by 

Sydney  Adamson)  -33 

Diary  of  a  Bookseller,  The — 

11,  44,  76, 108, 140, 172,  204,  236, 276,  300,  327,  359,  391 
Du  Maurier  and  his  Novels  --------     -  313 


Editorial  Notes— 

17,  49,  81, 113,  145,  177,  209,  241,  273,  305,  337,  369, 401 
Feminine  Affairs— 

8,  40,  72, 104, 136, 168,  200,  232,  264,  296,  328,  360,  392 


Hockey  in  Canada   94 

Hints  on  Long-Distance  Cycling      -------  340 

How  a  Greyhound  is  Trained.  (Illustrated  by  Douglas  Fry)     -  95 

How  a  Story  is  Dictated     -      --      --      --      --  287 

How  Charles  Sanson  de  Longval  became  Headsman      -      -  326 

How  I  was  "  Brought  Out  "   383 

How  to  See  Venice.   By  W  L.  Aldbn     -      -            -      -      -  388 


page 


Injudicious  Pbksent,  An.  W.  L.  Alden.  (Illustrated  by  A.  S.  Forrest)  220 
Ivan  the  Terrible  ----------      -  286 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer — 

21,53,  85, 117, 149, 181,  212,  244,  277 
Life  at  a  Ladies'  College    -       -      --      --      --      -  318 

Little  Grey  Nun,  The.   Lilian  Quiller  Couch.   (Illustrated  by 

W.  Dewar)       -  321 

Magaziner,  From  the  ---------37 

Marie  Corelli  and  her  Critics  --------25 

McKknna-Quinn  Feud,  The.   W.  L.  Alden.    (Illustrated  by  A.  S. 

Forrest)   125 

Mercantile  Marine,  In  The.    An  Apprentice's  Life  in  the 

Half-Deck.   S.  J.  Rea.   348,  358 

Miss  Extra-Turn.     W.  Pett  Ridge.    (Illustrated  by  Sydney 

Adainson)  ------------38 

Modern  Girl  in  Bbittany,  A   159 

Nobodies  at  Home  :  The  Friend  in  Need.    G.  Gissing.  (Illus- 
trated by  L.  Baumer)  385 

Not  in  a  Club.   H.  F.  Gethen.     --------  387 

Novel  Probation,  A.  W.  Ktlllngworth.  (Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar)  353 
"Oscar  Wilde''  First  Night,  An       -------  263 

Our  Ash-Wednesday  Entertainment.  (Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar)  99 
Ourselves  as  Others  May  See  Us------      -  158 

Play,  After  the.   W.  Pett  Ridge.  (Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar)  - 
Poetic  Justice.   W.  L.  Alden.  (Illustrated  by  Hal  Hurst)   -      -  324 
Poetry- 
Sorrow.    F.  L.  Stanton  39 

A  Love  Song.   F.  L.  Stanton  -  -  57 

The  Major  and  I.  F.  L.  Stanton  -  70 

Her  Little  Valise.  Elliott  Flower      -     -      -     -  121 

At  Parting.   F.  L.  Stanton    -      -  153 

The  Old  Rail  Fence.  F.  L.  Stanton  -----  185 
Good  Night,  Sweetheart.  F.  L.  Stanton       -     -      -  221 

A  Broken  Spring.  Harry  Bell  250 

Poppies  and  Mandragora.  Alfred  Slade      -      -      -  326 

My  Wife.  F.  L.  Stanton  •  -     -     -  350 

The  Taking  of  the  Tenor.   F.  L.  Stanton      -      -      -  377 

A  Love  Note.  F.  L.  Stanton  -      -  390 

Poker ;  and  How  to  Play  it-      -  249 

Queen  of  Italy's  Tact,  The       -     --     --     --  -70 

Rank,  On  the.   W.  Pett  Ridge   --------  356 


Red  Cockade,  The.    Stanley  J.  Weyjian.  (Illustrated  by  R. 

Caton  WoodviUe)  26,  58,  92, 122, 154, 1 86,  218,  251,  282,  314,  346,  378  410 
Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.  Herbert  Keen.  (Illustrated 


by  W.  Dewur) — 

The  Great  Mr  Balhazzar     -------  129 

The  Little  Widow    ---------  161 

The  Basket  of  Peaches  -  -  193 

A  Peculiar  Case  ----------  225 

In  re  Wrottesley      -      -   257 

A  Forgotten  Episode      --------  289 


PAGE 

Reminiscences  of  a  Short  Lite,  Some  -  -  -     L  333 

Reminiscences  of  the  Late  Mb.  Corney  Grain  -  205 
Riviera  v.  Cheque-Book.  Clement  Scott      -----  127 

Ruminations  of  Randolph,  The        ------  372,  405 

Scylla  and  Charybdis.  E.Lynn  Linton.  (Illustrated  by  Sydney 

Adamson)  -      ^     -      -      -      -      -      -  65 

"Second  Smoking,"  In  a  -     -     -     -     -     -      -     -     -    13,  301 

Sermons  of  To-Day    Rev.  T.  W.  M.  Lund,  M.A.     -      -     -      -  351 

Sherlock  Holmes  Americanised-     -     -  331 


Solo  Whist  ------  23,  57,  88,  121,  152,  217,  280,  310,  377 


PAGE 


Story  of  Amy  Gregory,  The.  Clement  Scott    -  268 

Sunk  Fence,  The.   W.  K.  Honnywill.  (Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar)  97 

Test  of  Ability,  The     -     -     -     -     -     -      -     -           -  190 

Turn  of  the  Years,  With  the.    J.  F.  Fraser.  (Illustrated  by 

Max  Cowper)    -      --      --      --      --      --  1 

Umpire's  Boat,  On  the  414 

Unlawful  Interference,  G.  Flambron.  (Illustrated  by  Penrrn 

Stanley)  ---.--------89 

Wife  of  Thomas  Hardy,  The      -     --     --     --     -  409 

Woman  on  Marriage,  A  126 


« 


A  WEEKLY 

MAGAZINE -JOURNAL  4 
Efctek By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Vol.  VI.— No.  66.    LONDON,  SATURDAY,  FEBRUARY  9,  1895.     Price  Twopence. 


WITH  THE  TURN  OF  THE 
YEARS, 


BY 


JOHN    FOSTER  FRASER. 

Illustrated  by  Max  Cowper. 


V 


TALL,  steel-eyed,  austere  man 
^^yT<M    /BIaM\       was    Phi'ip  Staninore. 

r**%:.'4H  1™\  man  keen  in  business,  they 
would  tell  you  in  the  City, 
but  upi'ight  and  fair  dealing. 
Not  a  man,  however,  given  to 
making  friends.  Life  had  not 
brought  joy  into  his  heart. 
The  struggle  had  been  hard 
and  bitter.  And  now  he  had 
won  the  race,  and  could  be 
called  successful,  he  was  too 
old  to  begin  man's  pleasures. 
He  was  just  over  forty  years 
of  age.  Sentiment  had  flown 
away  long  ago.  No  time  had 
been  given  him  for  books. 
He  was  too  busy  to  cultivate 
-acquaintanceship.  A  woman  had  never  smiled  upon 
him.  No ;  he  was  only  Philip  Stanmore,  the  cold, 
determined,  prosperous  City  merchant. 

He  lived  in  a  gaunt,  rambling  sombre-looking  place 
in  Bayswater.  The  rooms  were  chilly;  the  furniture 
was  dark.  These  things  did  net  trouble  Stanmore,  for 
money-making  had  been  the  idol  of  his  life.  Yet  the 
housekeeper  would  whisper  to  the  cook  that  he  watched 
the  accounts  very  closely. 

In  the  evening,  when  he  walked  home,  he  would 
quietly  total  up  his  wealth,  and  smile'.  He  was  a  rich 
man.  In  the  days  that  were  dull  and  murky  a,  cloud 
would  sometimes  float  before  his  mind.  Where  would  it 
all  go  when  he  passed  away?  He  only  sneered  at 
charitable  societies.    He  had  no  thought  of  leaving  a 


legacy  either  to'  his  cook  or  a  crossing-sweeper.  He  w".s 
a  very  selfish  man.  Let  others  spend  their  money  in 
helping  the  poor,  and  the  ailing,  and  the  thriftless.  He 
was  not  so1  foolish. 

He  could  never  tell  how  it  happened,  but  a  desire, 
feeble  at  first,  but  growing  strong  as  the  months  rolled 
round,  entered  his  heart.  At  the  commencement  he  only 
laughed,  and  pushed  the  thought  from  him.  It  was  out 
of  the  question.  But  often  his  evening  paper  fell  from 
his  hand,  and  he  watched  the  gloAV  of  the  embers.  His 
heart  grew  warm,  and  the  stern  features  relaxed,  and 
something  like  happiness  crept  over  him  as,  in  a  reverie, 
he  pictured  what  he  might  be.  He  could  not  throw  off 
the  desire.  It  took  possession  of  his  soul.  It  enveloped 
him.  He  was  hungering  to  have  a.  son — someone  to  bear 
his  name  and  be  kindly*  to  him. 

"  Oh  !  my  son,"  he  would  say,  "  how  I  would  love  you  ! 
You  would  be  my  one  joy.  I  see  you  now,  as  you  will 
be — as  you  must  be !  What  a  fine  fellow  you  are ! 
How  tall  and  how  strong !  Yes,  I  am  proud  of  you,  my 
son !  Let  me  hold  your  hand,  my  boy.  That's  it ! 
Look  at  me.  Be  happy!  I  have  much;  but  it  is  all 
j  ours.    God  bless  you,  my  boy  ! " 

Then,  with  a  sigh,  he  resumed  his  evening  paper.  He 
could  not  read.  His  mind  was  in  a  whirl.  He  went  to 
the  window,  and  watched  the  heavy,  lumbering  omni- 
buses roll  along  the  street. 

"Well,"  he  thought,  returning  to'  his  chair,  ''what  a 
fool  of  a  man  I  must  be !  I  am  not  married,  and  I  don't 
know  a  woman  who  would  many  me.  I  don't  know 
that  I  want  to  be  married.  No-  doubt  I  would  soon  make 
some  poor  creature  very  unhappy.  But  I  do  want  a 
son !    Yes ;  I  do  want  one !  " 

The  paper  was  thrown,  aside,  and  he  thought  and 
dreamt  it  all  over  again. 

Constantly  he  would  ask  himself  the  question — "  Why 
not?"  Why  should  he  not  marry?  Other  men  had  the 
jcy;  why  not  he?  It  was  perplexing.  Away,  deep 
down  in  his  soul,  was  a  sentiment,  almost  crushed  during 
these  years.  There  was  a  great  depth  of  love;  but  he 
had  never  known  it  till  now.  Unconsciously  a  change 
came,  and  the  harshness  of  the  man  softened. 


TO-DAY. 


FEBRUARY  9,  18!»j. 


"  I  will  have  a  son  !  I  know  I  will  have  a  son  !  "  He 
was  filled  with  gladness. 

So  he  went  into  thei  world.  He  did  not  refuse  invita- 
tions. Once  he  had  a  dinner-party  at  his  house.  He 
became  kind  and  considerate-.  Gentle  women  and  the 
charm  of  homely  life  were  attractive.  He  could  lie  a 
pleasant  man. 

And  thus  it  was  that  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  took 
Miss  Florence  Hutchinson  to  be  his  wife.  She  was  a 
cold  and  stately  lady.  Stanmore  told  himself  often  he 
did  not  love  her.  His  marriage  was;  a  plan  to  cany  out 
his  great  desire.  Miss  Hutchinson  would  be  a  goo  I 
mother  to-  his  boy. 

As  the  months  flew  by  Philip  Stanmore  knew  happi- 
ness. 

For  many  hours  he  would  wander  in  the  parks,  He 
had  very  sweet  reveries.  What  should  he  call  his  boy? 
A  name,  surely,  that,  was  noble  and  manly !  When 
young  men  passed,  he  shook  his  head,  and  said,  "  Better 
than  any  of  these — far  better." 

The  time  came  for  the  arrival  of  his  child.  It  was 
long  and  anxious  waiting.  No  one  took  much  notice  of 
him.  For  the  moment  he  was  forgotten.  There  was 
hurrying  backwards  and  forwards  to  the  room  upstairs. 

"Ah!  my  friend,"  said  Dr.  Evans,  "why  be  worried' 


HE  REMAINED  CROITIIINO. 


Tt  will  be  all  right  in  another  half-hour,  and  you  will  be 
the  happiest  man  in  all  London,  no  doubt." 


"  I  will !  "  said  Philip  ;  and  then  he  passed  into  the 
little,  enclosed  garden. 

It  was  a  beautiful  night.  He  could  hear  the  roll  of 
traffic  along  Westbourne  Grove.  He  looked  upwards, 
and  tried  to  recall  the  names  of  some  stars.  He  had 
never  done  so  since  he  left  school,  and  he  had  forgotten. 
Then  he  glanced  towards  his  wife's  window.  There  was 
a  bright  light  cast  against  the  blind.  He  was  sad,  and 
yet  he  knew  he  had  cause  for  much  thankfulness. 

He  stood  bareheaded  in  the  night  air,  leaning  on  the 
rockery.  Peace  settled  upon  him.  The  world  might 
think  him  weak;  but  tears  flooded  his  eyes.  He  made 
no  endeavour  to  stop  them.  It  was  the  first  time  as  a 
man  he  had  ever  wept.  He  slipped  upon  his  knee,  and, 
burying  his  face  in  the  palms  of  his  hands,  sobbed. 
"  0  God !  I  thank  you.  I  have  never  thanked  you  for 
anything.    But  now,  0  God !  I  do  thank  you." 

He  remained  crouching  for  a  long  time. 

The  light  still  shone  in  his  wife's  room.  He  cnten  1 
the  house. 

"  Why,  man  alive ! "  said  the  doctor,  cheerily,  "  yo;t 
look  like  a  ghost !  Here,  let  me  congratulate  you. 
Everything  has  gone  we'd,  and  your  wife  is  quite  safe." 

"  And  my  son? " 

"  Your  son !    Why,  it  isn't  a  son,  but  a  daughter." 
Philip  Stanmore  said  nothing.    He  turned  into  the 
library,  and  locked  the  door  afterhim. 

*  *  •  •     '  *  *  * 

It  was  all  darkness  and  bitterness  of  sor.l  again. 
Never  for  a  moment  had  he  contemplated  the  possibility 
of  a  daughter.  He  felt  cheated.  This  was  not  the 
bargain  he  had'  made.  He  saw  sneers  in  the  congratula- 
tions of  those  who  had  become  his  friends. 

Once  more  he  was  a  selfish,  discontented  man. 

His  feelings  were  unkind  to  his  wife  and  to  the  little 
stranger.  He  blamed  them  when  he  knew  there  was  no 
blame. 

"  A  girl — only  a  girl !  "  he  muttered.  "  After  all  these 
years  of  waiting ;  after  so  many  hopes  and  dreams — 
only  a  girl !    Oh,  that  I  had  never  married  ! " 

He  was  unreasonable.  He  was  cold  and  stern.  When 
he  sat  brooding,  Mrs.  Stanmore  would  watch  his  face 
and  see  dark  thoughts.  He  never  wished  to  look  upon 
the  child. 

"  Keep  it  out  of  my  sight !  "  he  once  exclaimed,  angrily, 
when  Mrs.  Stanmore  brought  little  Madge  into  the 
library.    "  Why  was  it  not  a  boy?" 

His  wife  stood  transfixed,  and  gazed  curiously  at  him. 
Then  she  understood  all.  She  did  not  bring  the  child 
to  him  again. 

So  year  by  year  slipped  round.  There  was  an  es- 
trangement, perfectly  conscious  to  each,  but  never  re- 
ferred to,  between  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stanmore.  Madge  was 
not  even  as  other  children.  She  was  a  cripple.  The 
little  limbs  wero  twisted.  She  never  laughed  or  ran 
about  the  house.  She  sat  meekly,  uncomplainingly,  look- 
ing out  upon  the  world  with  large  frightened  eyes. 

"  It  is  awful !  "  thought  the  father.  "  Keep  her  out 
of  my  sight." 

When  Madge  was  ten  years  of  age  her  mother  died. 
With  tearless  eyes  Philip  placed  his  wife  away.  His 
hair  was  quite  grey  now.  His  face  was  drawn.  His 
eyes  were  always  sad.    The  mouth  was  more  firm. 

He  sent  Madge  to  a  girl's  school  in  Derbyshire. 

It  was  very  lonely  for  him.  Just  like  the  old  days 
when  he  was  the  keen,  vigilant  business  man.    But  the 


February  9,  1S9-3. 


TO-DAY. 


3 


dreariness  was  greater  than  ever.  Joy  was  so  near  to 
him,  and  then  it  had  passed  away. 

Every  Saturday  he  had  a  letter  from  his  daughter. 
At  first  he  took  little  notice.  The  letters  were  about 
her  lessons,  her  music  and  drawing.  They  always  closed 
with  the  expression,  "  With  fondest  love*  to  my  dear, 
dear  papa."  Occasionally  he  heard  from  the  head  mis- 
tress that  Miss  Stanmore  was  unwell.  He  replied  she 
was  to  have  every 
care.  But  in  the 
letters  Madge  sent 
there  was  never 
.•illusion  to  her 
health.  When 
she  had  been 
away  for  two 
years  she  wrote  : 
"  Are  you  not 
very  lonely,  papa, 
dear?  Won't  you 
let  me  come  home 
in  the  holidays. 
Tt  is  so  dreary 
here  when  all  the 
girls  are  away.  I 
could  play  to  you 
and  sing  to  you, 
and  make  you 
happy.  Papa,  it 
is  such  a  long 
time  sine?  I  saw 
you.  I  want  to 
SL-e  you  and  to 
kiss  you." 

Philip  smiled 
faintly.  She 
wanted  to  kiss 
him!  He  wanted 
somebody  to  love 
him,  but  it  should 
be  a  son.  Yet 
the  sting  was  not 
so  great  as  in 
years  gone,  and 
he  thought  kindly 
of  his  poor  little 
girl  in  Derby- 
shire. 

At  the  end  of  the  summer  term  she  came  home  for 
the  vacation.  She  walked  with  the  aid  of  a  stick,  for 
ona  foot  dragged.  She  did  not  notice  the  coldness  of 
her  father's  greeting.  She  was  soft  and  gentle  of  fea- 
ture, and  her  hair,  like  her  mother's,  was  very  black. 
The  eyes  were  large.  She  would  sit  and  dream  like  her 
father. 

A  pang  of  pain  shot  through  Philip's  heart  as  he  saw 
her  climb  the  staircase.  She  never  asked  his  leave, 
but  she  arranged  the  ornaments  in  his  room,  and  in  the 
evening,  after  dinner,  she  drew  a  footstool  near  to  him, 
vnd  sitting  upon  it  would  rest  her  head  on  his  knee. 
They  rarely  conversed,  these  two.  Before  going  to  Tied 
she  kissed  him  on  the  forehead,  and  said,  "God  bless  my 
dear  papa." 

On  the  night  before  she  returned  to  school  he  kissed 
her. 

***** 
The  following  rear  she  came  home  again.  Then 


"  l'APA,"  SHE  WHISKERED,    "LET  ME  SIT  ON  YOUR  KNEZ." 


Tliilip  Stanmore  went  abroad.  He  had  no  desire,  but 
his  doctor  told  him  he  must  have  constant  change  to 
repel  the  attacks  of  morbid  depression.  So  he  planned 
a  lengthened  tour.  He  shut  up  the  house  in  Bayswater, 
and  made  provision  for  Madge's  welfare.  He  went 
away.  He  intended  to  be  absent  for  two  years.  But  a 
far  longer  time  went  by  and  he  did  not  return.  Madge 
would  hear  from  him  in  distant  corners  of  the  earth  just 

saying  he  was 
well.  Five  years 
elapsed  before  he 
again  saw  Lon- 
don. 

*  *  * 
He  was  just 
the  same  man  as 
ever,  only  his  hair 
was  white,  and 
sadness  was 
settled  firmly  on 
his  countenance. 
lie  rarely  read, 
but  he  would  go 
to  the  library  and 
brood.  The  awful 
futility  of  his  life ! 
He  was  becoming 
an  old  man,  and 
life  seemed  to 
have  been  quite 
wasted.  If  he 
only  had  .a  son 
how  different  it 
would  have  been  I 
Madge  came 
home.  She  was  in 
her  eighteenth 
year.  The  sweet 
girl's  face  had 
become  that  of  a 
sweet  woman. 
The  eyes  were 
soft  and  loving. 
She     was  still 

lame. 

She  put  her  arm 
across  her  father's 
s  h  oulder,  and 

placing  her  cheek  against  his,  said,  "  Now  you  will  let 
me  be  your  little  housekeeper,  won't  you  ?  I  will  make 
this  dreary  old  place  quite  bright.  In  the  evenings  you 
will  tell  me  all  you  have  seen.  I  have  learnt  a  great 
deal  about  geography.  Whenever  I  had  a  letter  from 
you  I  got  a  book  out  of  the  library  about  the  place  you 
were  staying  at.  So  you  see  we  can  have  long,  long 
chats,  can't  we  I" 

Madge  put  the  house  in  order.  She  insisted  on  the 
drawing-room  being  quite  refurnished.  "  What's  the 
good  of  a  father,"  she  said  slyly,  "  if  he  can't  buy  nice 
things'.'  So,  please,  I  want  two  sovereigns  to  buy 
flowers  with,  and  you  really  must  have  a  new  piano. 
That  is  a  tinkling  old  thing  in  the  dining-room." 

It  was  a  new  experience  to  Stanmore  to  be  spoken  to 
like  this.  He  feigned  rebellion,  but  a  smile  stole  across 
his  lips  and  he  would  give  in. 

When  Madge  was  ill  and  near  to  death  he  watched 
her  tenderlv. 


4 


TO-DAY. 


February  9,  1S93. 


She  came  down  to  the  library  when  convalescent,  and 
sat  on  the  stool  by  her  father's  side.  The  curtains  were 
drawn,  for  it  was  a  cold,  foggy  night.  She  looked  long 
into  the  glowing  fire.  Her  father's  hand  was  against 
her  cheek.  She  took  it  and  kissed  it,  Stanmore  did  not 
move.  His  eyes  were  closed,  and  his  mind  was  survey- 
ing the  past  twenty  years. 

Madge  rose.  "Papa,"  she  whispered,  "let  me  sit  on 
your  knee.  I  feel  so  tired  to-night."  She  put  her  arms 
about  his  neck  and  pressed  her  lipg  to  his. 

When  Philip  looked  up  he  saw  tears. 

"  What  is  it,  my  lassie?"  he  asked. 

"  Oh,  father,  you  are  so  very,  very  good  to  me." 

H3  lifted  her  gently  and  placed  her  in  the  large  chair. 


"  One  minute,"  he  said  huskily,  "  one  minute  ! " 
He  felt  a  pulling  at  his  heart,  and  he  walked  about 
the  room  t,uickly. 

"  Madgev,"  hi  said,  "  come  here." 

She  went  to  him,  the  tall,  stern,  white-haired  man. 

"  Madgey,  do  you  love  your  father?" 

"  Yes,  papa." 

He  took  her  hand. 

She  knelt  by  his  side.  Thare  was  only  the  tick  of  the 
clock  to  be  heard. 

Then  Philip  Stanmore,  stooping  over  his  deformed 
daughter,  said  with  a  new  light  in  his  eyes,  and  love  in 
his  voice — 

"  Better  than  all  the  sons  on  earth.    God  bless  you  !  " 


ART  ON  THE  HOARDINGS. 


A  CHAT  WITH  THE  MASTER. 

It  is  impossible  to  estimate  what  place  will  be  given 
in  future  ages  to  Jules  Cheret.  He  is  acknowledged  not 
only  Master,  but  originator  and  creator,  of  his  own 
special  form  of  art — that  dealing  with  the  pictorial 
poster ;  for  he  is,  even  in  the  brilliant  school  of  which 
he  is  chief,  facile 
princeps. 

I  found  M. 
Cheret,  busily 
superintending  the 
actual  production 
of  a  pictorial  ad- 
vertisement, des- 
tined to  spread  to 
the  four  corners  of 
Paris  the  fame  of  a 
certain  mineral  oil. 
Le  Maitre,  as  his 
friends  call  him, 
belongs  to  the  tall, 
elegant  type  of 
Frenchman,  and 
his  figure,  even 
when  clad  in  a 
rough  corduroy 
suit,  bears  a  strik- 
ing resemblance  to 
that  of  the  Marquis 
journalist,  Henri 
Rochefort,  for,  al- 
though the  artist  is 
considerably  the 
younger  man  of 
the  two,  his  hair, 
like  that  of  the 
famous  duellist,  is 
fast  turning  white. 

"  I  am  always 
pleased  to  see  a 
Londoner,"  ob- 
served M.  Cheret, 
smiling,     "  for  it 

was  in  London  that  I  spent  some  happy  years  of  my 
youth.  I  suppose  you  know  that  I  began  life 
as  a  lithographer  and  designer?  My  first  pic- 
torial advertisement,"  he  continued,  in  answer  to  a 
question,  "was  a  sort  of  accident,  for  you  know  how 
difficult  it  is  to  make  people  take  to  anything  new  or 
fresh  ;  and  yet,"  added  M.  Cheret,  meditatively,  "  I  can- 
not say  I  am  at  all  sorry  for  the  time  I  spent  in  the 
workshop ;  it  proved  an  invaluable  training  for  my 
future  career.    You  see,  not  one  artist  in  a  thousand 


M.  CHERET. 


knows  anything  about  the  practical  reproduction  of  his 
designs,  and  he  has  to  learn  that  part  of  his  business 
painfully,  by  dint  of  hard  experience  and  numberless  mis- 
takes. Now,  thanks  to  my  training  as  a  lithographer, 
I  easily  surmounted  these  preliminary  difficulties;  I 
knew  from  the  first  exactly  what  each  colour  would  pro- 
duce, and  how  to  place  my  light  and  shade." 

"  You  are  a  great  believer  in  colouring,  are  you  not  ? " 

"  Certainly.  I  regard  the  colouring  of  an  advertise- 
ment as  being  all-important ;  bright  tints  harmoniously 

blended  first  at- 
tract the  eye,  and 
draw  attention  to 
the  whole  composi- 
tion. Personally, 
I  work  almost  en- 
tirely with  red, 
blue,  and  yellow  ; 
it  is  surprising 
all  that  can  be 
achieved  with  these 
three  tints.  Of 
course,  I  often 
superpose  one  upon 
the  other.  People 
who  look  upon  my 
ad  vertisements  find 
it  impossible  to 
believe  that  they 
.are  produced  with 
the  primary  colours, 
and  yet  I  rarely 
if  ever  make  use 
of  composite  tints." 

"  YTou  are  not  a 
lover  of  black  and 
white  1 " 

"  Certainly  not, 
as  regards  adver- 
tisements ;  you 
must  remember 
that  a  poster  is  not 
meant  to  be  looked 
at  in  a  room.  Now, 
something  very 
striking  and  start- 
ling must  be  pre- 
sented before  people  will  take  the  trouble  to  look 
at  it,  far  less  to  read  what  is  written  across  it. 
You  will  notice  I  am  talking  exclusively  of  pictorial 
advertisements.  Where  anything  in  the  shape  of  a 
picture  or  elaborate  composition  is  concerned,  the  prob- 
lem is  very  different :  and  when  working  with  pastel — 
a  medium  in  which  1  have  become  very  interested  of 
late — softness,  as  well  as  brilliancy  and  completeness 
of  design,  must  be  our  first  aim.  Just  now,  much  of  my 
time  is  taken  ud  by  a  number  of  frescoes,  which  I  have 


February  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


5 


been  asked  to  do  for  one  of  the  reception  rooms  of  the 
Hotel  de  Ville.  Perhaps  you  are  not  aware  that  this  splen- 
did building  will  become  in  time  a  Temple  of  the  Arts,for  a 
number  of  painters,  more  or  less  well  known,"  observed 
M.  Cheret,  modestly,  "  have  each  been  given  an  order  in 
connection  with  its  interior  decoration ;  and  as  we  are 
all  to  be  paid  about  £20  the  square  yard,  no  jealousy 
is  possible.  Among  those  who  have  worked,  or  are 
working,  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville  are  Puvis  de  Chauvannes, 
Piquart,  Gervex,  Duez,  and  many  others." 

"  And  to  return  to  the  homely  poster,  M.  Cheret,  what 
do  you  think  constitutes  an  ideal  advertisement,  apart 
from  the  wares  advertised  thereon'?" 

"  Well,  an 
ideal  pictorial 
affiche  should 
be  as  simple  as 
possible,  and  I 
consider  the 
introduction  of 
at  least  one 
figure,  and 
need  I  hardly 
say,  that  of  a 
lady  for  choice, 
is  indispens- 
able; whenever 
it  is  possible 
this  figure 
should  be  life- 
size.  My  own 
posters  are 
never  smaller 
than  sixty  cen- 
timetres by 
eighty-six,  and 
my  favourite 
size  is  two 
hundred  and 
fifty  by  ninety ; 
the  figure 
should,  of 
course,  be 
elegant  and 
b  r  i  g  h  t  1  y 
dressed  in  some 
striking  cos- 
t  u  m  e  ,  not 
likely  to  go 
out  of  fashion 
as  long  as  the 
poster  is  to  be 
in  use.  I  al- 
ways make  a 
point  of  de- 
signing the 
lettering  of  the 
actual  adver- 
tisement. I  do 
not  believe  in 
black  and 
white  letters, 
but  have  no 
objection  to 

their  being  very  dark  blue,  red,  or  violet ;  this  produces 
the  effect  of  black  without  giving  a  jarring  note." 

"  I  have  heard,  M.  Cheret,  that  you  are  your  own  busi- 
ness manager  ;  is  that  so?" 

"  Yes ;  I  should  not  like  my  designs  to  be  reproduced 
in  any  but  my  own  ateliers,"  he  replied,  glancing  affec- 
tionately at  the  huge  stone  at  which  he  evidently  had 
been  working  when  I  interrupted  him.  "Of  course,  I  do 
not  enjoy  this  part  of  my  labours,  but  as  I  consider  the 
reproduction — in  other  words,  painting  the  designs  on  to 
the  stone — as  far  more  difficult  and  important  than  in- 
venting a  composition,  I  make  a  point  of  always  doing 
it  mvself." 


CZIlstiKT  s  STUDIO. 


"  And  how  many  copies  of  each  advertisement  ara 
distributed?" 

"  That  greatly  depends.  I  consider  a  thousand  a  fab- 
number  for  a  first  order,  but  of  late  I  have  been  giving 
up  more  of  my  time  to  pastels  and  serious  com- 
positions than  to  advertisements,  for  each  poster  takes 
a  great  deal  of  time ;  and  after  my  design  is  entirely 
complete  my  real  work  is  scarcely  begun.  Again,  dur- 
ing the  summer  months,  I  always  retire  to  the  country 
or  seaside  in  order  to  paint  for  my  own  pleasure  the 
two  things  in  nature  I  most  admire — namely,  flowers 
and  sunsets." 

"  By  the  way,  Monsieur,  do  you  work  from  models,  or 

are  yourdainty 
•  Parisiennes  en- 

tirely evoked 
from  out  of 
your  own  im- 
agination 1 " 

"  Almost  all 
my  figures  are 
done  de  chic," 
he  cried,  laugh- 
ing. "I  do 
not  feel  the 
want  of  living 
models,  al- 
though I  am 
often  inspired 
by  the  sight  of 

^pl  Wt  *  ■■  a  particularly 

IB**.* '  •  smarfc  or  eleg_ 

ant  looking 
group.  I  am 
never  so  happy 
as  when  at 
work,  and  my 
wife  shares  my 
tastes ;  in  her 
I  find  my  best 
critic,  and  she 
is  also  a  great 
assistance  to 
me  in  the  busi- 
ness details  of 
my  work." 

"  And  do 
you  consider 
that  there  is  a 
future  for  ar- 
tistic adver- 
tisements, or 
will  this  mater- 
ialist age  be- 
come, as  time 
goes  on,  more 
practical  and 
less  beautiful?" 

"  But  in  the 
matter  of  ad- 
vertisement," 
observed  M. 
Cheret,  "  the 
word  beautiful 
One  of  your  Eng];sn  poets  0nce 
a  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  for 
ever,'  and  surely  an  exquisite  design  strikes  the 
imagination,  and  is  more  likely  to  linger  in  the 
memory  than,  say,  the  name  of  a  patent  medicine  or 
ideal  paraffin,  written  in  black  letters  across  a  white 
ground.  To  produce  an  effect  with  the  latter  form  of 
advertisement  there  must  be  constant  repetition 
and  irritating  iteration,  but  a  comparatively  few 
good  copies  of  a  fine  pictorial  advertisement  will 
stamp  not  only  the  name  but  the  idea  the  advertiser 
wishes  to  convey  far  more  quickly  than  the  older  method. 
T  might  add  that  this  is  especially  the  case  where  a 


spells  practical, 
observed  that 


G 


TO-DAY. 


February  9,  1895. 


place  of  amusement  is  to  be  advertised  ;  one  of  the  first 
and  most  successful  of  my  ajjiches  was  to  make  known  a 
certain  popular  dancing  hall.  The  public  were  amused 
at  the  sight  of  my  three  figures  thoroughly  enjoying  a 
lively  jig ;  I  suppose  they  suggested  brightness  and 
gaiety,  at  least  that  was  my  object  when  composing  my 
design  ;  now  there  is  not  a.  single  cafe  concert  or  variety 
theatre  that  has  not  got  a  bright  and  sparkling  pictorial 
advertisement  to  set  forth  its  attractiveness." 

"  Do  you  make  a  point  of  making  some  connection 
between  your  composition  and  the  place  or  wares  it  is 
to  advertise?" 

M.  Cheret  hesitated.  "That  is  a  difficult  question  to 
answer ;  I  expect  my  clients  to  leave  me  at  clute  free- 
dom in  the  choice  and  nature  of  the  design,  but  I  always 
submit  what  I  have  done  to  them  before  proceeding  with 
the  reproduction.  In  some  cases  it  would  be  very  diffi- 
cult and  almost  impossible  to  suggest  the  object  adver- 
tised in  the  picture,  in  others  it  is  very  easy ;  but,"  he 
concluded,  smiling,  "  I  generally  find  that  my  patrons 
are  satisfied  with  what  I  have  done  for  them." 

"  Do  you  work  at  any  special  hour  of  the  day  1 " 

"It  would  be  hard  to  say  when  my  working  hours  are 
over,  for  I  am  never  so  happy  as  when  before  an  easel, 
cither  here,  which  is,  as  you  see,  more  a  workshop  ihari 


And  then,  greatly  to  my  delight,  M.  Cheret  and  hi- 
kindly,  beautiful  wife  drove  me  to  the  master's  real 
workroom,  a  large,  airy,  hall-like  studio,  in  which 
dozens  of  casts,  all  evidently  taken  from  the  better- 
known  antiques,  contrasted  curiously  with  the  very  chic 
and  up  to-date  pastels  and  water-colours  which  reposed 
in  various  stages  of  completion  on  the  wooden  easels 
standing  about  the  atelier. 

"  My  husband  should  have  told  you,"  said  Madam 
Cheret,  "  that  he  is  particularly  successful  when 
delineating  children  and  young  people." 

" Yes,"  observed  my  host,  "I  delight  in  everything 
that  is  fresh,  clean,  and  bright-looking.  There  is  so 
little  happiness  and  brilliancy  in  this  world,  surely  it  is 
something  to  be  able  to  make  the  total  larger." 

"Well,  Monsieur,  you  can  certainly  flatter  yourself 
on  having  considerably  added  to  the  gaiety  of 
nations." 

"  If  I  have,  indeed,  achieved  this,"  he  cried  heartily, 
"  neither  my  life  or  my  life-work  will  have  been  wasted." 
And  he  added  with  characteristic  good  nature,  "  But  I 
am  by^no  means  the  only  one.  A  great  deal  of  admi- 
rable pictorial  advertisement  work  is  now  being  done, 
not  only  in  Paris,  but  inJ London,  and  in  one  or  two  of 


POSTER  BY  CHEI1ET 

atelier,  or  in  the  far  distant  corner  of  Paris,  where  I  do 
my  painting  and  work  at  my  pastels;  it  is  there  that  I 


am  now  elaborating  my  designs  for  the  Hotel  de  Ville." 


the  exhibitions  held  lately  we  have  been  able  to  see  the 
astonishing  development  which  has  taken  place  in  this 
modern  form  of  art." 


February  0,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


7 


THE  GREAT  GOD  PAN.* 


There  are  probably  many  people  who  will  put  this 
book  down  with  a  shudder  when  only  half  way  through 
it.  It  certainly  is  not  a  book  that  the  average  man 
will  read  at  one  spell.  But  the  people  who  put  it  down 
half  read  will  be  sure  to  take  it  up  again  and  finish 
it.  When  once  the  author  has  got  his  grip  of  the 
attention  further  resistance  is  useless.  There  are  two 
stories  in  the  book,  and  they  are  both  artistically 
horrible,  and,  what  is  of  more  importance,  absolutely 
original.  The  author  completely  convinces  us  for  the 
time  that  his  theories  and  experiments  are  all  practicable, 
and  with  stories  dealing  entirely  with  the  spiritual 
world  this  is  surely  high  praise.  So  many  of  the 
remarkable  events  are  told  in  the  form  of  conversation 
by  ordinary  men,  amidst  ordinary  surroundings,  that  it 
becomes  an  easy  thing  to  lose  sight  of  the  author,  and 
to  read  his  chapters,  not  as  fiction,  but  as  reports  of 
actual  occurrences. 

In  the  first  of  the  two  stories  a  Dr.  Raymond 
endeavours  to  establish  communication  between  the 
material  and  the  spiritual  world.  To  do  this  a  young 
girl  has  to  be  employed  as  a  sacrifice.  An  operation  is  per- 
formed, and  the  result  leads  to  converting  the  woman  into 
an  insane  beast.  In  this  condition  she  gives  birth  to  a 
strange  monster  with  the  outward  form  of  a  fair  woman. 

The  author  has  gone  down  to  that  gloomy  gulf  which 
underlies  the  soil  of  human  nature  and  has  brought  up 
a  living  shapeless  figure  that,  though  it  is  a  thing  of 
horror,  fascinates  us.  Through  its  eyes  we  can  almost 
see  down  to  that  strange  swamp  of  evil  from  which  the 
very  root  s  of  our  own  nature  draw  their  sap. 

The  second  story,  though  not  so  original  as  the  first, 
is  better  constructed,  and  therefore  stronger.  The  teller 
of  the  story  sees  a  living  thing,  a  creature  from  another 
world. 

While  I  was  getting  out  my  pouch,  I  looked  up  in  the 
direction  of  the  houses,  and  as  I  looked  I  felt  my  breath 
caught  back,  and  my  teeth  began  to  chatter,  and  the  stick 
I  had  in  my  hand  snapped  in  two  with  the  grip  I  gave  it. 
It  was  as  if  I  had  had  an  electric  current  down  my  spine, 
and  yet  for  some  moment  of  time,  which  seemed  long  but 
which  must  have  been  very  short,  I  caught  myself  won- 
dering what  on  earth  was  the  matter.  Then  I  knew  what 
had  made  my  very  heart  shudder  and  my  bones  grind 
together  in  an  agon}'.  As  I  glanced  up  I  had  looked 
straight  towards  the  last  house  in  the  row  before  me,  and 
in  an  upper  window  of  that  house  I  had  seen  for  some  short 
fraction  of  a  second  a  face.  It  was  the  face  of  a  woman, 
and  yet  it  was  not  human.  You  and  I,  Salisbury,  have 
heard  in  our  time,  as  we  sat  in  our  seats  in  church  in  sober 
English  fashion,  of  a  lust  that  cannot  be  satiated  and  of  a 
fire  that  is  unquenchable,  but  few  of  us  have  any  notion 
what  these  words  mean.  I  hope  you  never  may,  for  as  I 
saw  that  face  at  the  window,  with  the  blue  sky  above  me, 
and  the  warm  air  playing  in  gusts  about  me,  I  knew  I  had 
looked  into  another  world  ;  looked  through  the  window  of 
a  commonplace  brand-new  house,  and  seen  Hell  open 
before  me. 

The  woman  dies,  how — no  one  can  say.  At  the 
inquest  one  of  the  doctors  who  had  made  a  post-mortem 
examination  of  the  body  was  called.  This  is  his  state- 
ment : 

'At  the  commencement  of  the  examination  Iwas  astonished 
to  find  appearances  of  a  character  entirely  new  to  me,  not- 
withstanding my  somewhat  large  experience.  I  need  not 
specify  these  appearances  at  present,  it  will  be  sufficient  for 
me  to  state  that  as  I  proceeded  in  my  task  I  could 
scarcely  believe  that  the  brain  before  me  was  that  of 
a  human  being  at  all.'  There  was  some  surprise  at  this 
statement,  as  you  may  imagine,  and  the  coroner  asked  the 
doctor  if  he  meant  to  say  that  the  brain  resembled  that  of 
an  animal.  '  No,'  he  replied,  '  I  should  not  put  it  in  that 
way.  Some  of  the  appearances  I  noticed  seemed  to  point 
in  that  direction,  but  others,  and  these  were  the  more  sur- 
prising, indicated  a  nervous  organisation  of  a  wholly 
different  character  from  that  either  of  man  or  of  the  lower 
animals.' 

In  a  later  chapter  we  have  the  life  story  of  this 
woman's  husband  told  by  himself. 

Ever  since  I  was  a  young  man  I  devoted  all  my  leisure. 


and  a  good  deal  of  time  that  oujht  to  have  been  given  to 
other  studies  to  the  investigation  of  curious  and  obscure 
branches  of  knowledge  My  professional  studies,  how- 
ever, and  the  necessity  of  obtaining  a  degree,  for  some  time 
forced  my  more  obscure  employment  into  the  background, 
and  scon  after  I  had  qualified  I  met  Agnes,  who  became  my 

wife  I  had  learnt  enough  of  the  paths  I  had  begun  to 

tread  to  know  that  they  were  beyond  all  expression  difficult 
and  dangerous,  that  to  persevere  meant  in  all  probability 
the  wreck  of  a  life,  and  that  they  lead  to  regions  so  terrible 
that  the  mind  of  man  shrinks  appalled  at  the  very  thought. 
Moreover,  the  quiet  and  peace  I  had  enjoyed  since  my 
marriage  had  wiled  me  away  to  a  great  extent  from  places 
where  I  knew  no  peace  could  dwell.  But  suddenly,  I  think, 
indeed  it  was  the  work  of  a  single  night,  as  I  lay  awake  on 
my  bed,  gazing  into  the  darkness — suddenly,  I  say,  the 
old  desire,  the  former  longing,   returned,  and  returned 
with  a  force  that  had  been  intensified  ten  times  by  its 
absence  ;  and  when  the  day  dawned  and  I  looked  out  of 
the  window,  and  saw  with  haggard  eyes  the  sunrise  in 
the  east,  I  knew  that  my  doom  had  been  pronounced  ; 
that  as  I  had  gone  far,  so  now  I  must  go  farther,  with 
steps  that  know  no  faltering.    .    .    .<   My  experiments 

were  many  and  complicated  in  their  nature,  and  it  was 
some  months  before  I  realised  whither  they  all  pointed, 
and   when  this    was  borne   in  upon  me  in  a  moment's 
tine,      I     felt     my     face     whiten     and     my  heart 
still  within  me.    But  the  power  to  draw  back,  the  power 
to  stand  before  the  doors  that  now  opened  wide  before  me 
and  not  to  enter  in,  had  long  ago  been  absent ;  the  way 
was  closed,  and  I  could  only  pass  onward.    My  position 
was  as  utterly   hopeless  as  that  of  the  prisoner  in  an 
utter  dungeon,  whose  only  light  is  that  of  the  dungeon 
above  him  ;  the  doors  were  shut,  and  escape  was  impos- 
sible.   Experiment  after  experiment  gave  the  same  reo.ilt, 
and  I  knew,  and  shrank  even  as  the  thought  passed  through 
my  mind,  that  in  the  work  I  had  to  do  there  must  be 
elements  which  no  laboratory  could   furnish,  which  no 
scales  could  measure.    In  that  work,  from  which  even  I 
doubted    to    escape  with  life,  life  itself  must   enter  ; 
from     some     human     being    there     must     be  drawn 
that  essence    which  men    call    the    soul,   and  in  its 
place  (for    in  the  scheme  of  the  world  there    is  no 
vacant  chamber) — in  its  place  would  enter  in  what  the  lips 
can  hardly  utter,  what  the  mind  cannot  conceive  without 
;i  horror  more  awful  than  the  horror  of  death  itself.  And 
when  I  knew  this  I  knew  also  on  whom  this  fate  would  fall. 
I  looked  into  my  wife's  eyes.    Even  at  that  hour,  if  I  had 
gone  out  and  taken  a  rope  and  hanged  myself,    I  might 
have  escaped,  and  she  also,  but  in  no  other  way.    At  last  1 
told  her  all.    She  shuddered  and  wept,  and  called  on  her 
dead  mother  for  help,  and  asked  me  if  I  had  no  mercy,  and 
I  could  only  sigh  .......   One  night  my  wife  consented, 

with  the  tears  running  flown  her(beautif  ill  face,  and  hot  shame 
flushing  red  over  her  neck  and  breast,  consented  to  undergo 
this  for  me.    I  threw  open  the  window,  and  we  looked 
together    at    the    sky    and    the    dark     earth    for  the 
last    time,   it    was    a    fine  starlight  night,   and  there 
was  a  pleasant   breeze    blowing,    and  I  kissed   her  on 
her  lips,  and  her.tear;>  ran  down  upon  my  face.    That  night 
she  came  down  to  my  laboratory,  and  then,  with  shutters 
bolted  and  barred  down,  with  curtains  drawn  thick  and 
close  so  that  the  very  stars  might  be   shut  out  from  the 
sight  of  that  room,  while  the  crucible  hissed   and  boiled 
over  the  lamp,  I  did  what  had  to   be  done,  and  led  out 
what  was  no  longer  a  woman.    .    .  .    My  wife  had  only 

asked  one  thing  of  mc — that  when  there  came  at  last  what 
I  had  told  her  I  would  kill  her.    I  have  kept  that  promise. 

This  is  not  a  book  to  be  put  into  the  hands  of  an 
imaginative  child,  and  many  people  will  find  a  prejudice 
against  reading  it  at  night.  But,  to  the  jaded  reader  of 
novels,  who  is  tired  of  the  conventional  j)lot  and 
characters,  this  book  will  come  as  a  most  welcome 
change.  W.  P. 


COST  PRICE. 

Marshal  Lefevre,  created  Duke  of  Dantzic  by  Napo- 
leon I.  for  his  services  in  battle,  was  called  upon  one  day 
by  an  old  comrade  who  had  not  succeeded  in  the  world. 
He  seemed  very  envious  of  his  friend's  riches  and 
beautiful  house,  and  made  unkind  remarks  about  them 
to  the  Marshal.  "Well,  now,"  said  Lefevre,  at  last, 
"  you  shall  have  it  all,  but  at  cost  price.  We  will  go 
down  into  the  garden ;  I  will  fire  at  you  sixty  times ; 
and  then,  if  you  are  not  killed,  everything  shall  be 
yours." — Memoirs  of  Mdme.  de  Kemusat. 

*  The    Great  God  Pan  and  the  Inmost  Light."   By  Arthur  Machen. 
(John  Lane.)   3s.  Hi. 


8 


TO-DAY. 


February  9,  1S35. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dearest  Nell, — You  remember  the  mother's  store 
of  old  buttons,  don't  you  ?  She  always  kept  them  in  a 
lovely  cedar-wood  box,  and  we  used  to  laugh  at  her  for 
preserving  them.  She  says  they  remind  her  of  dead- 
and-gone  dresses,  and  of  many  an  event  and  episode 
that  she  would  long  ago  have  forgotten  had  the  buttons 
been  discarded  with  the  gowns.  Well,  the  other  morn- 
ing, I  discovered  veritable  treasures  among  them,  for,  as 
you  know,  this  is  very 
much  a  button  season 
in  dress,  and  the  more 
quaint  and  antique  these 
are  the  more  suitable 
they  are  to  the  pictur- 
esque style  of  costume 
in  vogue.  There  are 
half-a-dozen  rococo  sil- 
ver buttons,  which 
mother  says  I  may  have, 
two  dozen  of  peculiar 
green  ones  set  in  rims  of 
oxydised  silver,  and  ten 
lovely  ones  in  white 
pearl  set  in  a  trellis  work 
of  fine  gilding,  and  em- 
bellished in  the  centre 
with  a  very  realistic- 
looking  fly.  These  are 
just  the  very  thing  for 
the  box-pleat  so  much 
worn  at  present,  which 
promises  to  be  almost 
an  indispensable  feature 
of  a  smart  spring  gown. 
Lilian  Young  has  pro- 
mised to  sketch  onei  for 
you,  and  I  will  send  it 
on  very  soon. 

Now  please  note  the 
sketch  herewith.  It  is 
done  from  a  model  by 
Worth,  and  shows  the 
new  (or  revived)  Prin- 
cess shape  at  the  back, 
and  in  front  a  perfectly 
new  sort  of  tablier 
formed  of  small  squares 
of  lace  folded  corner- 
wise,  and  arranged 
above  each  other. 
Mother  gave  me  her  old 
Limerick  lace  shawl, 
the  centre  of  which  was 
all  torn  away,  and  with 
the  remains  of  my  be- 
loved "  Marguerite  " 
brocade  and  the  old 
silver  buttons  afore- 
said, I  have  made  my 
self  a  quite  charming 

gown.  I  am  beginning  to  feel  quite  conceited  as  a 
perfect  paragon  of  successful  economy.  But  I  suppose 
the  real  tug-of-war  will  begin  when  there  are  none  of 
the  good  gowns  left  to  work  up  into  agreeable  rechauffes. 

The  bodice  is  square,  with  pointed  magenta  velvet 
fronts  made  loose  over  the  lace,  and  held  together  at 
the  waist  with  ribbon  of  the  same  colour,  a  button 
holding  it  at  either  side.  Two  more  buttons  appear 
on  the  velvet  gauntlets  of  the  elbow  sleeves,  and  a 
draped  collar  of  the  velvet  is  worn  round  the  neck. 
Under  the  lace  is  bright  pink  satin — ever  so  much  lighter 
in  tone  than  the  magenta  velvet.  Please  admire  me 
when  I  tell  you  that  this  satin  was  onee  the  lining  of 


COSTUME    AFTER  WORTH 


one  of  your  own  gowns,  a  rose-coloured  crepe,  that  you 
handed  over  to  me  when  your  trousseau  was  made. 

I  must  tell  you  of  some  smart  things  I  have  lately 
seen,  some  at  Niagara,  and  some-  at  picture  galleries. 
One  was  a  short  cape  of  brightest  crimson  velvet,  lined 
with  lime-green  satin  and  finished  with  a  frill  of  the 
same,  veiled  with  fine  cream-coloured  lace.  The  yoke 
into  which  the  fulness  of  the  cape  was  set  was  made  of 
black  velvet,  almost  hidden  by  a  network  of  chenille  and 
jet,  and  finished  at  the  neck  with  a  rolled  collar  of  the 
same,  edged  with  black  fox. 

A  very  fetching 
bodice  was  in  fine  jet 
work,  with  a  yoke  of 
white  crystal  beads, 
lined  with  rose-red  silk, 
and  a  band  of  rose 
velvet  round  the  neck. 
Like  all  the  bodices  of 
the  present  moment, 
this  finished  at  the 
waist.  People  who  have 
bought  blouses  at  the 
cheap  sales  will  have  to 
cut  off  the  basques,  and 
make  the  seams  fit  in  at 
the  waist.  This  is  very 
much  more  becoming  to 
the  figure  than  the 
basques,  which  were 
generally  loose  enough 
to  obscure  the  pretty 
lines  of  the  figure. 

At  the  Skating  I  saw 
a  tall,  handsome  woman 
in  a  closely-fitting  black 
satin  skirt,  which  spread 
out  in  many  pleats  at 
the  hem,  and  was  bor- 
dered with  a  band  of 
skunk.  Her  blouse  was 
striped  sky-blue  and 
white  silk,  and  was 
finished  at  the  waist 
witli  a  broad  band  of 
black  satin.  A  full  band 
of  velvet  in  a  rather 
more  decided  shade  of 
blue  made  a  very  be- 
coming collar,  and  the 
toque  was  in  velvet  to 
match,  with  a  garland 
of  pink  roses  nestled 
into  a  creamy  froth  of 
soft  lace. 

We  are  by  degrees 
settling  into  our  tiny 
flat.  It  seemed  hard  to 
give  up  my  lovely  room 
that  I  had  just  had  de- 
corated so  prettily,  but 
we  are  going  to  be  very 
cozy  and  happy  in  our  little  nest,  and  are  determined  to 
make  the  very  best  of  things.  After  all,  there  is  a 
certain  pleasure  in  economy — so  long  as  it  has  not  to  be 
carried  to  extremes.  I  feel  so  pleased  when  I  have  con- 
t  rived  some  little  thing  to  save  mother*s  housekeeping 
purse  from  having  to  be  too  widely  opened,  and  London 
is  a  wonderful  place  for  this  sort  of  thing.  For  every 
single  article  needed,  not  only  in  the  household,  but  the 
wardrobe,  there  is  a  place  where  it  can  be  got  good  as 
well  as  cheap.  One  has  some  difficulty  at  first  in  dis- 
covering the  exact  places  where  specialties  are  made 
of  such  things,  and,  as  mother  sometimes  says,  by  the 
time  we  have  fully  learned  the  subtle  art  of  economy,  we 


February  9,  189o. 


TO-DAV. 


9 


The  LIST  of  APPLICATIONS  will  OPEN  on  WEDNESDAY,  6th 
lEUKUAItV,  and  CLOSE  on  or  before  FRIDAY,  Sth  FiSBKUAKY,  at 
4  p.m.,  for  Town  and  Country. 

mHE  RHODESIAN  MINING  AND  FINANCE 

JL  COMPANY  (Limited) 

Capital  £25fl,000  ;  in  250  000  Shares  oi  pacti.  Present  issue  100,000 
Shares,  of  which  40,000  will  bo  allotted  to  the  Vendor  Company,  fully  paid, 
in  part  payment  for  the  properties  acquired,  and  the  rem, lining  tiO.OOO  Share* 
are  now  offered  for  public  subscription,  but  th_'  GrSiaary  Shareholders  of  the 
Matabeleland  Adventurers  (Landed),  have  t!ie  prior  right  to  allotment  of 
20,000  of  such  60,000  Shares ;  150,000  Shares  are  held  in  reserve,  to  be 
issued  hereafter  as  the  progress  of  the  Company  and  the  development 
of  ifs  properties  may  require. 

Payable — 2s.  b'd.  on  application,  2s.  Gd.  on  allotment,  and  the  remainder 
in  calls  of  5s.  each,  as  and  when  required. 

BOAH1)  OF  DiKKCTOIfS. 
S:r    GEORGE    W.    R.    CAMPBELL,    K.C.M.G.,    Chairman,  Buluwayo 

Syndicate  (Limited);   Director   United  Rhodesia  Goldfields  (Limited); 

50,  Cornwall  Gardens,  S.W.  (Chairman). 
F.  Lowrey,  Esq.,  Chairman,  New  Klcinfontein  Company  (Limited) :  Director 

New  chimes  Gold  Mining  Company  (Limited).;  Geldenhuis  Estate  Gold 

Mining  Company,  etc. 
Louis  <  ampbell-iohnston,  Esq,  Chairman,  Matabeleland  Adventurers 

(Limited) ;  1,  Iddesleigh  Mansions,  Victoria  Street,  S.W. 
Herbert  Kiiatchbull-Hugessen,  Esq..  M.P  ,  Lynstead.  Sittingbourne,  Kent. 
And  one  other  Director  to  be  nominated  by  the  Vendor  Company  after 
Allotment. 

r.jiOKFRS. — Messrs.   futlifi'o.   Ley  and  M'Gulloch,   7,   Adams  Court,  Old 

Broad  Street,  and  Stock  Exchange,  London,  E.  C. 
Solicitors. — Messrs  Nicholson,  Graham  and  Graham,  24,  Coleman  Street, 

London,  E.G. 

Bankers.-  the  Citv  Rank.  Ltd  .  Threadneedle  Street,  E.G.,  and  Branches 

The  Natal  Bank,  Ltd.,  156  and  157,  Leadenhatl  Street,  E.C. 
Consulting   Engineers. — Messrs.    Robert  Williams   and  Co-,  London, 

Johannesburg,  and  Buluwayo. 
Auditoks. — Messrs.     Curtis,     Thompson,     Lucey    and    Co.,  Chartered 

Accountants,  15,  George  Street,  Mansion  House,  E.C. 
Secretary  and  Offices  (pro  torn.). — John  Eustace,  Esq.,  10,  St.  Helen's 

r;aee,  London,  E.C. 

ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  has  been  formed  to  acquire  from  the  Matabele'and 
Adventurers  (I.im  ted),  certain  properties  which  that  Company  owns  in 
M  itibaleland  and  Mashonaland,  in  the  te  ritorics  (f  the  B  itish  .South 
Africa  Company.  Most  of  the  mining  properties  have  been  selcc:ed  by 
5-pacially  acc  edited  agenfs  of  the  Vendor  C<  mpany,  who  spent  consider- 
able time  last  year  explpiing  in  the  Chartered  Company's  territories,  mil 
examining',  with  expert  aid,  into  the  prospects  of  the  country  generally, 
and  of  the  particular  properties  which  came  under  their  notice.  They  also 
equipped  and  sent  out  in  various  directions,  under  the  command  of  compe- 
tent and  experienced  prospectot  s,  several  exploring  and  prospecting  expe- 
ditions. The  properties  acquired  are  s-o  extensive  that  the  Vendor  (  om- 
pany,  which  is  marely  a  pioneer  Syndicate,  finds  it  necessary  for  their 
proper  development  to  hand  them  over  to  a  larger  undertaking  possessed 
of  ample  working  capital.  The  Company  will  employ  part  of  its  capital  in 
making  advances  on  approved  Mining  claims  and  other  landed  property, 
especially  in  Matabeleland  and  Mashonaland,  whereat  present,  as  in  all 
new  and  sparsely-populated  districts,  money  is  extremely  scarce,  and  rat^s 
of  interest  are  veiy  high.  It  will  also  act  as  agent  in  London  for  Com- 
panies operating  in  South  Africa  or  elsev  here. 

The  propei  ties  to  be  acquired  by  this  Company  are  :— 
230  Gold  Mining  claims,  equal  to  nearly  seven  rni'cs  on  tho  line  of 
ropf.    hjodits  to  locate  CO  Mining  claims  in  Matabeleland  or 
Mashonaland. 

100  square  miles  of  specially-selected  agricultural  and  limber  lands 
in  the  district  of  Buluwayo  (special  grant  from  thev  British  South 
Africa  Company,  subject  to  the  foimation  of  a"  Brewery  and 
Di-tillery  Company). 

C  400  acres  of  laud  in  Matabeleland. 

5.230  at  res,  being  40  areas  of  132  acres  each,  of  recently  discovered 
Coal  Lands  in  Matabeleland. 
The  Gold  mining  properties  (230  claims  in  all)  include  several  blocks 
upon  which  considerable  development  work  has  already  been  effected. 
Tney  are  situated  mostly  in  the  Selukwe,  Belingwe,  Gwnnga,  Umchimgwe, 
and  Buluwayo  districts.  In  regard  to  the  Adventurers' Beef  (40  claims), 
situated  in  the  Umchingwe  district,  about  40  miles  east  of  Buluwayo,  and 
now  in  course  of  development,  the  Company's  Managers  in  South  Africa 
wrote  under  date  December  27th,  1894.  that  they  had  ordered  a  drive  to  be 
pat  in  at  the  50  ft.  level  to  cut  through  neighbouring  worRings  ;  and  on  the 
30th  January  ltst  the  Vendor  Company  received  tho  following  important 
cablegram  :— 

"  Struck  a  very  rich  body  of  ore,  50ft.  level  ;  in  width,  4ft.  Assays 
average,  per  ton  of  22401b.,  six  ounces. — Adventurers'  Reef,  Umchingwe 
district." 

Among  the  Selukwe  properties  may  be  mentioned  the  Swan  and  Raven, 
40  claims,  running  parallel  to,  and  touching  the  well-known  Dunraven 
property,  belonging  to  the  Willoughby  Consolidated  Company,  of  which 
Sir  John  Willoughby  in  his  recent  report  wrote  so  highly.  Messrs. 
Chalmers  and  Hatch  (assistants  to  Mr.  John  Havs  Hammond,  the  eminent 
mining  engineer),  speaking  of  the  Dunraven  property  before  the  Johannes- 
burg Chamber  of  Mines,  said,  "  It  contains  a  number  of  quartz  lodes,  some 
of  which  are  roughly  parallel,  others  intersecting  to  form  a  network  of 
veins.  On  the  hillsides  are  some  extensive  old  workings  .  .  .  several 
reefs  of  considerable  dimensions  have  been  discovered'  ....  the  gold 
is  free,  and  is  associate  1  with  the  usual  iron  and  copper  minerals."  Several 
of  these  lodes  lun  through  the  Swan  and  Raven,  and  the  development  work 
on  these  claims,  up  to  date,  po;nts  to  their  being  quite  as  rich  as  tho 
Dunraven. 

It  is  not  intended  that  this  Company  shall  continue  to  work  all  its  pro- 
perties ;  but  as  they  are  developed  they  will  b«  sold  to  other  Companies 
promoted  by  this  Company,  or  otherwise  but  it  is  proposed  that  in  every 
ease  this  Company  shall  retain  a  substantial  interest  therein.  Thepro- 
pcty  to  be  acquired  is  sufficiently  large  to  warrant  the  formation  of  many 
subsidiary  ventures. 

The  purchase  price  for  all  the  above-mention  d  properties  has  been 
fixed  by  the  Matabele'and  Adventurers  (Limited),  the  Vendors  to  the  Com- 
pany, at  the  sum  of  £-15.000,  payable  as  to  £40,000  in  fully-paid  ordinary 
'  shares  of  the  Company,  and  as  to  £5,000  in  cash  The  Matabeleland  Adveu- 
I'a  ers  (Limited)  will  out  of  the  purchase  money  pay  all  preliminary  ex- 
penses up  to  allotment,  except  legal  expenses  and  the  cost  of  registration 
of  the  Company. 

A  contract  has  bean  entered  into,  dated  February  4th,  1895,  between 
the  Matabeleland  Adventurers  (Limited)  of  the  one  part,  and  this  Company 
of  the  other  part,  being  the  contract  for  sale  to  this  Company.  Divers 
other  contracts  and  arrangements  have  been  entered  into  by  the  Matabele- 
land Adventurers  (Limited)  in  the  ordinary  course  of  its  business,  and  also 
with  divers  persons  in  relation  to  the  foima  tion  of  this  Company  and  the 
underwriting  of  a  portion  of  its  capital.  The  Company  is  not  parly  1 0  any 
of  such  contracts  or  arrangements  ;  but  in  order  to  avo'd  any  question  being 
taised  as  to  such  contracts  or  arrangements  falling  within  the  provisions 
of  the  Section  38  of  the  Companies  Act  1867,  applications  for  shares  will 
only  be  accepted  upon  the  basis  that  applicants  waive  the  insertion  in  this 
piospectus  of  the  dates  of,  and  the  names  of  parties  to,  such  contracts  and 


arrangements,  or  any  further  compliance  with  the  same  Section  than  above 
set  forth. 

The  statements  in  this  prospectus  are  based  upon  information  supplied 
by  the  Directors  and  Agents  of  thy  Vendor  Company,  and  are  verified  by 
.Statutory  Declarations. 

The  above-mentioned  contracts  and  declarations,  and  the  Memorandum 
and  Articles  of  Association,  can  be  inspected  by  applicants  for  shares  at 
the  offices  of  the  Solicitors  to  the  Company. 

One  of  the  Directors,  Mr.  Louis  Campbell-Johnston,  is  a  director  of  the 
V  endor  Company. 

Applications  for  shares  should  be  made  on  the  form  accompanying  the 
piospectus,  and  forwarded  to  the  Compan\  'a  Bankers,  Brokers  or  to  the 
Secretary,  together  with  the  amount  payable  on  application.  Where  no 
allotment  is  made  the  sum  so  deposited  will  be  returned  in  full  and  if  the 
number  of  shares  alloted  be  less  than  that  applied  for,  the  suiplus  will  be 
credited  in  reduction  of  the  payment  on  allotment,  and  any  balance 
will  be  returned.  The  Directors  reserve  the  right  to  refuse  to  allot  to 
any  applicant  for  shares. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  may  be  obtained  from  the 
Bankers,  Brokers,  and  at  the  offices  of  the  Company. 


"Get  the  CREME  DE  YIOLET  sold  bv  Le  Frere  et  f'io  Tt  n  „  i  j  j 
gutt.'  forthertin  and  if  ,^iU  rJ™  in'il,^,^  £  fifind'aU  tlSS&JS. 
and  dts< oloinat.ons  disappear,  and  in  addition  to  this  vou  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin 
^.tf1,^  ,mn.rov% bccoininx  soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  emu  rent  next  to  a 
mi tct  expression,  that  any  faec  could  have.  The  violet  cream  can  bebadtfi£*h 
..roggists  or  perfumers,  or  direct  from  the  makers.  If  you  have  reaHy  been foSkhS 
SSSk^tl8  a  'neans  of embellishing  a  faulty 'skin,  you  cannot  do  better  than 
lieisistently  use  the  < 'rente  de  \  tolet,  for  t  will  gradual!"  do  ,»  ,v  with  V  ill  .SSf  i  ,1 
"V  the  paint,  It  has  a  very  delicious  perfume  of  a  refined  kind."5  Mt 
 "St/tTTE" in  "TO-DAY." 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 
WW  ANNOYING! 

V  ITISTOFIND 

a  hole  burnt  »B 

BECAUSE  YOU  FORGOT  TO  USE 

FLEMINCS  ARABINE 

JL.-  MARKING  INK  EvlgttW 
v»»  ^Is6"ev1/-D.FLEHING  renfieid Glasgow 


MADAME  COEISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisande,"  matchless  for  delicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  5/3.  "  The  Ladv 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Ladv 
(■■orisande  Hair  Food,"  2/9  &  5/3.  Only  address  548,  Oxford  St  Hyde  Pk  W 


DIRECT  FROM 

Tiie  Manufacturer  to  Wearer 

SAVING  ALL  MIDDLE  PROFITS. 


H.  Samuel's 
Sterling  Silyer 
il  Acme " 


WORTH 
S  GUINEAS 


Lady's  size 
supplied  at 
same  price, 


FULL  AUDI  NT  RETURNED  IF  DISSATISFIED. 

H.  Samuel's  Splendid  Sterling  Silver  "Acme"  Watch  (stamped 
cases)  for  ladies  or  gentlemen.  Excellent  timekeepers.  Lady's  size, 
richly  engraved  and  with  dial  beautifully  t  inted  or  plain,  as  preferred. 
Sent  safe  and  post  free  on  receipt  of  P.  O.O.  for  25s. 

Every  reader  of  the  Magazine-.Tournal  "  To-Day  "  should  send  for 
H.  Samuel's  New  and  beautifully  Illustrated  Book  of  Reference,  con- 
taining Twelve  Hundred  Engravings  of  Wondevful  bargains,  and 
hundreds  of  testimonals.  Sent  to  any  address  FREE  OF  CHARGE. 
G£  4S  ¥  Y  "£T  T  ,      ENGLISH  WATCH 

a»^.lVJL  !U>  -H«JL-<,  MANUFACTURER. 
Department 

97,  99,  101,  89,  121,  MARKET  STREET,  1  vv,„raTI,n 
1  it  3,  MAKSHEN  SQUARE,  /  JlAJeL  HES1EK. 

Also  at  ROCHDALE  isii  BOLTON. 
Nixe  Establishments). 
P.O.  Orders  U  bo  payable  to  H.  Samuel  at  G.P.O.,  Manchester 


10 


TO-DAY. 


February  8,  189.5. 


shall  be  on  the  confines  of  a  world  where  it  will  not  he 
needed — so  far  as  we  can  guess. 

You  should  see  us  poring  over  the  price-lists,  of  the 
various  stores  and  comparing  them  with  each  other.  At 
one  we  find  that  tea  at  2s.  is  better  and  finer-flavoured 
than  that  sold  at  2s.  6d.  at  another.  By  buying  our 
flour,  barley,  ground  rice,  haricots,  oatmeal,  and  .entils 
direct  from  the  miller  we  get  a  much  better  article  at  a 
lower  price.  And  every  week  we  acquire  more  know- 
ledge of  this  science  of  economical  housekeeping.  I 
shall  make  an  excellent  wife  for  a  poor  man  some  day ! 

Apropos  !  We  were  talking  of  "  The  Ideal  Husband," 
at  the  Hayiiiarket,  out  at  dinner  the  other  evening;  end 
some  of  the  party  were  expressing  their  ideas.  Adeline 
thought  the  nicest  husband  was  he  who  gave  his  wife  a 
liberal  allowance,  and  bestowed  upon  her  as  little  of  his 
company  as  possible.  Sentimental  little  Frances  vas 
horrified  at  this,  and  said  she  hoped  her  husband  would 
be  as  much  at  home  as  possible ;  and  as  for  money,  it 
mattered  nothing  about  that.  Goose  !  But  then  she  is 
in  love. 

The  most  amusing  definitio--  of  an  ideal  husband  was 
that  given  by  Violet,  who  remarked  that  the  nicest  sort 
cf  husband  to  have  is  one  who  would  be  pleasant  to  live 
with  and  not  very  unpleasant  to  lose. — Your  affectionate 

Susie. 


OUR  COOKERY  COLUMN". 

Breast  ok  Mutton  Curried. — Lay  a  breast  of  mutton  in  a 
stewpan,  cover  it  with  water,  and  simmer  it  slowly  for  an  hour 
and  a  half  ;  cut  in  slices  a  large  onion  and  brown  it  nicely  in  a 
small  frying-pan  with  a  little  butter,  add  to  it  a  heaped  table- 
spoonful  of  curry  powder  and  a  little  salt;  take  the  meat  from 
the  stock  and  stir  in  the  curry  and  onion  ;  put  the  meat  back 
into  it,  and  simmer  slowly  for  an  hoiir  longer  :  then  lay  it  on  a 
hot  disli  and  pour  the  gravy  over  it;  if  it,  is  not  thick  enough, 


add  a  little  browned  flour,  give  a  boil  up  and  pour  over  the  meat. 
Serve  it  with  boiled  rice. 

Sprats  a  la  Neai-olitaine.— -  Butter  a  baking  dish  and  lay  the 
well-wiped  sprats  in  it,  sprinkling  them  well  with  pepper,  salt, 
and  a  few  drops  of  lemon-juice.  Kill  the  dish  in  this  way.  Put 
bits  of  butter  here  and  there  all  over  the  top,  and  bake  the  tish 
in  a  hot  oven  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  .Serve  the  sprats  in  the  same 
dish,  with  a  napkin  pinned  round  it. 

The  following  recipe  for  frying  fish  in  batter  is  the  one 
practised  by  the  London  Board  School  cookery  classes.  Four 
ounces  of  flour,  one  gill  of  tepid  water,  one  tablespoonful  of 
salad  oil,  salt,  and  the  whites  of  two  eggs  (these  may  be  left 
out).  Put  the  flour  into  a  large  basin  with  half  a  saltspoon  of 
salt ;  stir  in  gradually  the  salad  oil  and  tepid  water.  One  ounce 
of  butter  or  fat  will  do  instead  of  oil,  if  more  convenient,  but 
it  must  be;  melted  before  it  is  added  to  the  flour.  Beat  the 
whites  of  the  eggs  to  a  stiff  froth,  and  stir  them  into  the  flour 
very  lightly.  In  winter,  clean  snow  can  be  used  instead  of  the 
whites  of  eggs.  All  batter  is  the  better  for  standing  before  it  is 
used,  but  if  you  make  it  without  any  eggs  it  must  stand  about 
four  hours.  Take  the  fish  you  are  going  to  fry  off  the  bones, 
and  cut  it  up  into  nice  sized  pieces  ;  dip  them  into  the  batter, 
taking  tluin  in  and  out  with  a  skewer,  and  fry  them  in  boilnig 
fat. 

C.  R.  writes  :— "  Grouse  cooked  as  they  do  them  in  country 
houses  in  Wales  will  be  found  specially  delicious.  The  birds 
should  be  carefully  cleaned  and  trussed,  and,  before  roasting,  a 
dessertspoonful  of  finely-chopped  beef  suet  should  be  put  inside 
the  bird,  with  a  few  grains  of  salt  and  red  pepper.  While 
roasting  the  birds  should  be  well  basted  with  some  fresh 
butter  and  half  a  tea-cup  of  milk.  They  should  be  roasted 
quickly  for  half  an  hour,  and  served  witli  a  rich,  brown  gravy. 
No  sauce  of  any  kind  should  be  put  into  the  gravy,  only  a 
little  celery,  onion,  and  turnip  in  very  small  quantities.  This 
should  be  served  in  a  tureen,  together  with  bread  sauce,  carefully 
made,  with  cream  and  fresh  butter,  and  always  mountain  ash 
berry  jelly.  The  jelly  must  be  made  as  follows: — Place  fresh- 
gathered  berries  in  a  stone  jar  and  place  in  the  oven  until  the 
juice  is  extracted.  To  every  pint  of  juice  add  one  pound  of 
sugar ;  boil  well,  and  pour  into  small  jars.  This  will  keep  any 
length  of  time.  (The  rowan  jelly  can  be  bought  ready-made  at 
the  Women's  Gardening  Association,  62,  Lower  Sloane  Street.) 


\  6 


JUST  THE  SOAP  FOR  YOUR  BATH." 


Is  it  not  most  annoying,  When  having  a  bath,  to  lost- 
the  soap  or  to  find  you  have  left  it  wasting  in  the  water! 
Neither  will  happen  with  "IVY"  Soap,  which  is  always 
in  sight  floating  on  the  surface.  Children  are  no  longer 
my  trouble  on  "Bath  Night"  when  "IVY"  Soap  is 
used — they  arc  so  delighted  to  see  it  sailing  on  the  water. 

"IVY"  Soap  is  a  beautiful,  white,  "Milky"  Soap, 
lard  and  very  lasting.  Guaranteed  pure  and  free  from 
irritating  Chemicals.  Gives  a  creamy  lather,  and  is 
SPLENDID  FOll  WASHING  Laces,  Prints,  Fine 
Underclothing,  and  all  delicate  goods,  the  colour  and 
texture  of  w  hich  sutler  damage  from  common  soaps. 


n  PER 

.      '  LARGE 
DOUBLE  CAKE. 


3  Ask  your  Grocer  for  "IYY"  Soap.  If  any  difficulty,  we  will  send  you  Three 
e  Cakes  in  a  handy  box,  carriage  paid,  on  receipt  of  your  Address  and  Twelve 
*  Stamps  or  Is.  Postal  Order. 


G.  W.  GOODWIN  &  SCIn 

ORDSALL  LANE. 

MANCHESTER. 


February  9,  189£>. 


TO-DAY. 


11 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

A  book  I  expect  to  do  very  well  with  is  Rolf  Bold  re- 
wood's  "The  Sphinx  of  Eaglehawk  "' — a  pocket  volume 
in  a  pretty  blue  limp  cover.  Like  most  other  books 
written  by  that  ex-warden  of  goldfields,  Mr.  Tom 
Brown,  alias  Rolf  Bold  rewood,  the  scene  is  laid  in  a  min- 
ing town,  Eaglehawk — now  a  suburb  of  Bendigo — alias 
Sandhurst,  the  second  inland  city  of  Australia.  The 
old  male  dramatis  persons — the  police  magistrate,  the 
inspector,  the  murderers,  miners.,  publicans  and  other 
sinners  appear,  but  with  them  there  is  Winnie  Charles- 
worth,  Rolf  Boldrevvood's  most  charming  heroine.  She 
is  a  lady,  beautiful,  dignified,  modest,  yet  content  to  take 
the  rough  post  of  barmaid  at  a  goldfields'  hotel,  and  able 
to  do  it  without  loss  of  dignity  or  modesty.  Of  course, 
in  the  end  she  marries  her  old  lover,  who  becomes  a 
baronet  and  a  rich  man  as  soon  as  a  decent  interval 
has  elapsed  after  their  marriage.  I  recommend  this  book 
as  thoroughly  suitable  for  a  railway  journey. 
v       *  #  *  * 

I  have  been  stocking  also  "  The  Honour  of  Savelli,"2  by 
S.  Levett -Yeats,  which  looks,  at  the  slight  glance  I  was  able 
to  give  it  when  the  traveller  submitted  it  to  me,  as  if  it 
might  be  rather  a  clever  story  on  the  lines  of  Mr.  Stan- 
ley Weyman's  delightful  historical  romances.  I  augur 
well  of  the  book,  because  the  short  stories  Mr.  Levett 
Yeats  brought  out  a  year  or  more  ago  in  Mr.  Kipling's 
vein  were  so  good. 

*  #  #  * 

A  thoroughly  pleasant  volume  of  short  stories  is 
Lady  Lindsay's  "  The  Philosopher's  Window/'3  of  which 
A.  and  C.  Black  have  recently  brought  out  a  new  edition. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  Lady  Lindsay's  society 
people  are  the  genuine  article,  and  her  women  are  such 
womanly  women.  There  is  the  same  charm  about  her 
stories  that  one  finds  in  Mr.  Richard  Pryce's  delightful 
books,  and  there  is  that  sort  of  under-current  of 
sadness — hollowness — what  is  it? — which  runs  through 
the  writing  of  Miss  Beatrice  Harraden. 

##*•<<- 
I  am  doing  extremely  well  with  Mr.  Arthur  Morri- 
son's "Martin  Hewitt,  Investigator,' 4  a  book  of 
detective  stories  which  created  so  much  attention  when 
they  were  appearing  in  the  Strand  Magazine,  though 
they  had  the  trying  experience  of  following  the  detective 
stories  of  the  great  Sherlock  Holmes  himself.  None  of  my 
subscribers  hesitate  in  putting  Mr.  Morrison's  detective 
stories  next  to  Dr.  Doyle's.  Mr.  Morrisou,  the  author 
of  the  remarkably  striking  "  Tales  of  Mean  Streets  " 
wai  one  of  Mr.  Henley's  National  Observer  men.  He 
lives  no  longer  in  "midmost  London's  central  roar" 
but  in  Epping  Forest,  which  has  long  been  a  passion 
with  him.  He  is  still  quite  a  young  man,  though  he 
occupies  such  a  large  space  in  the  public  eye. 

»«■"#* 
I  have  been  stocking  a  few  copies  of  "Britannia's 
Bulwarks,"5  an  historical  poem  descriptive  of  the  deeds 
of  the  British  Navy,  by  Lieut.  Charles  Rathbone  Low, 
whose  "Great  Battles  of  th*  British  Army"  and  "Great 
Battles  of  the  British  Navy"  are  treasures  in  every 
properly-constituted  boy's  library,  It  begins  with  Sluys, 
and  is  carried  up  to  date. 
'.  -  ,  -  #  •  *  *  *:"♦; 

A  customer,  a  confirmed  first-nighter,  tells  me  that 
Mr.  Frankfort  Moore,  who  has  christened  his  new 
volume  of  short  stories,  which  Messrs.  A.  D.  Innes  and 
Co.  are  bringing  out,  "  Two  in  the  Bush,  "  is  a  brother- 
in-law  of  Mr.  Brain  Stoker,  the  popular  treasurer  of  the 
Lyceum  Theatre.  Oddly  enough,  both  brothers-in-law 
are  appearing  among  the  early  numbers  of  Archibald 
Constable  and  Co.'s  delightfully  got  up  little  Acme 
series  Mr.  Stoker's  "The  Watter's  Mou'  "6  is  already 
out,  and  Mr.  Moore's  Acme  is  promised  at  an  early  date. 
Both  these  gifted  brothers-in-law  are  Irishmen.  We  have 
no  wittier  novelist  than  Mr.  Moore. 


The  most  important  poem  which  has  appeared  in  a 
magazine  for  many  a  long  day  is  Sir  Edwin  Arnold's 
"  The  Passing  of  Muhammed,  Prophet  of  Arabia,'' 
which  takes  up  several  pages  of  the  February  Century, 
I  can  only  allow  myself  one  brief  quotation  to  show 
that  his  right  hand  has  not  lost  its  cunning 
Ayesha— But  the  morn  broke  rose  and  gold, 

And  the  cool  air  was  like  a  spring  to  drink, 
While  on  the  way  the  footfalls  of  the  folk 
Made  clatter,  and  the  pigeons  on  the  roof 
Cooed,  and  the  well-ropes  creaked,  awakening  him. 
tt  -fr  *  *k 

I  do  not  think  that  Mr.  Gibson's  pictures  in  the 
same  number  bear  out  what  I  have  so  often  heard  my 
patrons  maintain- — that  he  is  the  most  graceful  living 
illustrator  of  society,  though  they  are  charmingly 
pretty  ;  but  I  was  very  much  interested  in  Mr.  G.  W. 
Sheldon's  delightful  and  admirable  article  on  the  great 
American  landscape  painter  George  Inness.  Mr. 
Sheldon,  a  very  good  customer  of  mine,  is  the  London 
head  of  the  great  New  York  publishing  firm  of 
D.  Appleton  and  Co.,  and  the  author  ef  the  magnificent 
"Woman  in  French  Art,"  issued  by  the  Appletons, 
with  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  Goupil  photogravures, 
one  of  the  most  sumptuously  illustrated  books  I  ever  saw. 
I  have  imported  a  few  direct  from  New  York  for  custo- 
mers, as;  they  are  not  republished,  I  believe,  in  England. 
Mr.  Sheldon,  a  prematurely  grey  man,  with  a  typical 
American  face,  gentle,  vivacious,  and  alert,  is  a  very 
popular  member  of  at  least  two  of  our  literary  clubs. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  just  added  to  my  library  the  two  huge 
volumes  of  the  "Life  and  Adventures  of  George  Augustus 
Sala."7  They  are  full  of  entertaining  anecdotes  and 
curious  reminiscences  of  the  crowds  of  famous  people 
among  whom  he  has  passed  his  busy  and  distinguished 
life.  There  are  many  interesting  facts  in  his  own 
career  which  most  people  have  forgotten.  How  many, 
for  instance,  remember  that  for  some  time  in  his  child- 
hood the  great  journalist  was  totally  blind,  and  that  he 
began  his  career,  not  as  a  writer,  but  as  an  illustrator 
and  an  engraver  of  minute  etchings.  One  of  his 
illustrations  at  any  rate  has  found  an  honoured  niche 
— the  one  of  Hogarth  engraving  a  goblet  in  the  edition 
de  luxe  of  Thackeray. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  sold  a  good  few  copies  of  "Discords,"8  by 
George  Egerton,  the  young  married  lady  who  is  respon- 
sible for  the  latchkey  being  the  sign-manual  of  Mr. 
Lane's  series'  of  fiction.  "  Discords  "  show  a  distinct 
advance  on  "  Keynotes  "  in  literary  finish.  I  think  there 
was  a  good  deal  in  what  one  of  my  patrons — a  volu- 
minous critic— said  the  other  day  :  that  if  Mrs.  Cler- 
mont, which  is  George  Egerton's  domestic  name,  showed 
discernment  in  choosing  her  subjects,  there  was  no  rea- 
son why  she  should  not  develop  into  an  Oliver  Schreiner. 
And  he  is  not  a  man  afflicted  with  a  Nonconformist 
conscience  either,  only  he  likes  the  vices  with  which  he 
is  scourged  to  be  pleasant. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

In  answer  to  many  correspondents— the  pamphlet  on 
temperance,  recently  noticed  in  this  paper,  can  be  obtained 
from  the  author,  Mr.  F.  Baker,  Ely,  Cardiff. 

J.  D.  H. — You  will  be  able  to  get  a  copy  of  "Lowndes' 
Bibliographer's  Manual "  from  Messrs.  J.  and  M.  L.  Tregaskis, 
232,  High  Holborii,  London,  W.C. 

J.  H.— There  has  been  no  key  published  in  this  paper. 

J.  B.  H.— I  do  not  know  the  address  of  the  society  you 
mention,  nor  can  I  find  it  in  any  directory. 

1.  "The  Sphinx  of  Eaglehawk."   By  Rolf  Boldrewood.   (Macmillan  ami 

Co.,  2s.) 

2.  "Tne  Honour  of  Savelli."   By  S.  Levett  Yeats.  (Sampson  Low,  6s.) 

3.  " The  Philosopher's  Window."    By  Lady  Lindsay.   (A.  and  C.  Black, 

price  not  stated.) 

4.  "  Martin  Hewitt,  Investigator."    By  Arthur  Morrison.  (5s.) 

5.  "  Britannia's  Bulwarks."    By  Charles  Rathbone  Low.   (Horace  Cox, 

6.  "The  Watter's  Mou.'"  By  Bram  Stoker.  Acme  Series.  (Arch.  Constabl« 

and  Co.) 

".  "The  Life  and  Adventures  of  George  Augustus  Sala.     By  himself. 

(Cassell  and  Co.    2  Vols.,  32s.) 
8.  "  Discords."    By  George  Egerton.    (John  Lane,  3s.  (id.) 


12 


TO-DAY. 


f  ebruary  9,  1895. 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


Pursonally  I  cawn't  sye  as  I'm  interested  in  aggeri- 
culchur.  I've  growed  spring  unyungs  an'  mide  em  pye, 
though  nort  whart  yer'd  call  on  a  lawge  scile,  but  as  fur 
aggericulchur  in  gineral  I  knows  nutthink  abart  it.  In 
course,  ev'ry  nar  an'  then  yer  gits  the  country  fawmer 
up  ter  torn,  fur  the  Aggericulchural  Shows  or  sich  like. 
1  believe  as  theer's  a  gin'ral  idea  as  any  Lunnuner 
can  beat  a  fawmer  ;  well,  yee  mye  tike  it  from  me  thet 
'e  cawnt.  They  comes  up  'ere  with  the  noshing  as  we  is 
a  den  o'  thieves,  and  they  ax  accordin'.  They  knows 
jest  wheer  they  wornts^ter  go,  and  they've  wukked  it 
all  art  on  the  map,  and  the  odds  is  as  they  awsk  a 
copper  which  'bus  they  'as  ter  tike.  Yer  cawnt  kid  'em. 
Git  a  man  ort  o'  the  nor -west  darn  in  the  City  fur  the 
fust  time  and  yer  'as  a  better  chawnce.  Treat  a 
fawmer  fair,  an'  pint  artthe  hobjics  of  hinterest,  an'then 
if  'e's  'ad  a  bit  o'  luck  it  mye  be  worth  theprice  of  'awf  a- 
pint  to  yer.  But  as  fur  diddlin'  of  'em,  if  yer  think  of 
tryin'  it  on,  I  gives  yer  the  offus  thet  yer  mye  as  well 
let  it  alone.  Ah  !  and  I  respec's  'em  accordin'.  In 
course,  any  little  extry  as  mye  come  in  my  wye  I'm 
ready  tu  tike  an'  thenkful.  But  all  the  sime,  I  'as  a 
'igher  opinyun  of  them  as  kin  tike  keer  o'  theirselves 
withart  a  nussmide  ter  look  arter  'em  So  I'm  alwise 
sorry  to  'ear  as  these  country-people  ain't  doin'  as  well 
as  cud  be  wished.  Pawtly  it's  the  fault  o'  them  rilewye 
comp'nies.  Suppose  a  man  'as  a  pennuth  o'  bloomin' 
plums,  they  did  ought  to  be  wuth  a  penny  to  'im. 
Natshrally  if  they  costs  three'ipence  ter  get  'em 
ter  mawkit,  an'  a  risk  o'  nort  sellin'  'em  when  they're 
theer,  them  bloomin'  plums  don't  pye  fur  the  pickin'.  If 
the  rilewye  comp'nies  is  willin'  ter  tike  a  word  of  advice 
in  the  sperrit  as  offered,  they'll  go  a  bit  easier.  Look  at 
the  Pawcils  Post ;  it  pyes  'em,  'ere  an'  there, 
ter  yoose  'orses  instead  of  the  bloomin'  tin-kettle, 
'orses  is  slower  but  they  comes  cheaper.  So  we  'as 
paircils  brought  inter  Lunnun  by  coatch  sime  as  it 
yoosed  ter  be  in  the  ole-feshund  dyes.  I  believe  as 
there  is  plenty  o'  fawmers  near  Lunnun  as  mite 
chinge  a  losin'  business  inter  a  pay  in'  one  if  they'd  tike 
an  'int  from  the  Pawcils  Post.  I  mye  be  wrong,  as 
'Ankin  alwise  says  when  he  means  he's  bloomin'  well 
right,  but  I  orffers  'em  the  surgestshing  fur  whort  its 
wirth. 

*  *  *  * 

Spkakin'  of  'Ankin  reminds  me  as  that  pore  young 
man  'as  litely  been  goin'  a  bit  too  fur.  A  foo  of  us 
'appened  to  be  talkin'  abart  the  Volunteers  an'  the 
night  mawch  an'  the  defence  o'  Lunnun.  "  I  'ite  it," 
says  'Ankin,"  it  mucks  up  the  bloomin'  trelfic  an'  yer 
cawnt  keep  time  no-'ow.  An'  whart's  the  bloomin' 
yoose  ?"  "Ah,"  I  says,  "you'd  know  thet  if  Hingland 
was  invided,"  "Hoyus,"  says'e,  "and  whart  nyshun 's 
goin'  ter  invide  Hingland  ? "  "  None  on  'em  while  we 
'as  ar  Nivy,"  I  allows.  "  Thet  ain't  it,"  says  'e.  "  If 
ar  Nivy  was  bust  up  ter-morrer,"  'e  says 
with  a  bitter  lawf,  "  'appy,  'appy  Hingland, 
wouldn't  be  invided."  "An'  why  nort?"  one  man 
awsks.  "  Becos,"  says  'Ankin,  "  the  'ole  bloomin' 
country  ain't  worth  the  trouble  of  fetchin'  awye."  Nar 
thur  was  a  man  thur  as  goes  rarnd  with  a  coal-cawt.  'E 
'adn't  said  nuthink,  but  as  soon  as  'Ankin  let  art  them 
artrijus  wuds  this  man  goes  fur  'im.  'E  was  too  'eavy 
fur  'Ankin,  an'  so  we  seppirited  'em  contrary  ter  the 
wishes  of  both.  'Ankin  'ad  one  in  the  eye  'arrever  as  '11 
niawk  him  fur  a  bit.  I  kin  only  'ope  as  it  'ull  be  a 
lessing  to  'im.  'E  'as  tu  go  'bussing  nar  with  a  shide  over 
one  eye,  lookin'  a  disgrice,  and,  as  I  said  to  'im,  'e's  only 
gort  'isself  ter  thenk  fur  it.  Meny  a  time  'ave  I  advised 
that  pore  unfortshinit  young  man  ter  be  a  bit  modderit 
an',  speakin'  gin'rally,  ter  cheese  it.  But  'arrever,  'Ankin 
is  'Ankin  and  thet's  all  yer  kin  sye  abart  it. 


HOW  IT  FEELS  TO  BE 
HYPNOTISED. 

A  CHAT   WITH  THE  AQUARIUM  TRANCE 
MAN. 

In  this  happy  age  of  pessimism,  bad  weather,  and 
new  women,  the  exhibition  of  a  hypnotised  man  lying  in 
a  glass  coffin  is  sure  of  the  public  approval.  It  was 
unfortunate  that  the  doctors  in  attendance  on  the  case 
at  the  Aquarium  thought  fit  to  have  the  man  revived 
within  twenty-seven  hours  of  the  commencement  of  the 
performance.  Both  the  doctors  agreed  that  the  man 
Nolan  had  a  weak  heart.  Certainly  it  was  very  feeble 
when  I  felt  it,  which  was  within  a  few  minutes  of  his 
awakening.  But  Nolan  was  quite  as  disagreeable  about 
his  sudden  resurrection  as  the  doctors  will  probably  be 
the  next  time  anyone  disturbs  them  in  their  beauty 
sleep. 

"  Look  here,"  said  Nolan  to  me,  as  soon  as  he 
had  got  out  of  his  coffin,  "  I've  had  six  years' 
training  in  the  militia.  Don't  you  think  I  should  have 
been  kicked  out  before  now  if  I'd  got  a  weak  heart  1 " 

But  the  doctors  still  stuck  to  their  opinions. 

"  Never  mind  about  that,"  said  I,  "  tell  me  how  you 
feel  when  you  are  going  off;  of  course  you've  been 
hypnotised  before  ? 

"  Dozens  of  times.  As  to  my  going  off,  well,  at  first 
the  room  starts  moving — going  round.  Then  it  goes 
faster  and  faster,  and  then — well — it  stops,  and  I'm  off. ' 

"  Could  you  resist  if  you  wanted  to  ?  " 

"  No,"  ne  admitted,  "  I  couldn't.  Sometimes,  when 
I've  been  to  private  parties,  I've  tried  to  keep  my 
senses,  and  laughed  at  the  men  who  had  come  to 
hypnotise  me.  But  it's  no  use — they  nab  me  all  the 
same." 

"  Have  you  ever  had  an  accident  while  under  mesmerie 
influence  ? " 

"  Well,  yes — one  or  two.  I  was  lying  on  a  platform 
■ — hypnotised  you  know,  and  somehow  I  rolled  over  and 
caught  fire  at  the  footlights.  My  hair  was  burnt  and 
my  neck  singed  pretty  badly." 

"  That  '  touched  you  up  a  bit '  ? " 

"  No,  I  didn't  feel  it  until  they  brought  me  to. 
They've  just  told  me  that  someone  accidentally  dropped 
a  lighted  match  on  my  face  when  I  was  lying  there  " — 
pointing  to  the  coffin — "  half  an  hour  ago." 

"  Had  you  any  idea  how  long  you  had  been  off? " 

"  No,  I  hadn't.  I  thought  at  first  that  I'd  gone  for 
ray  eight  days.    It  was  silly  of  'em  to  wake  me  up." 

"  Do  you  ever  dream  when  you  are  off." 

"  Not  much.  I  think  I  must  do  a  little  though  ;  I've 
been  to  Portsmouth  this  time." 

"  How  do  you  feel  now  they've  brought  you  round  ? " 

"Oh,  I'm  all  right.  My  lips  get  rather  dry,  that's  all." 

"  But  don't  they  give  you  anything  while  you're  off  V' 

"  No,  nothing." 

"  Cheap  way  of  living  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Nolan,  "  and  very  pleasant. 

"  Do  you  think  that  so  much  hypnotism  affects  your 
health  in  any  way  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  does  me  good.  Why,  when  I'm  lying 
asleep  I  get  fat  ;  in  fact  I  feel  all  the  better  for  it." 

"  Then  you  haven't  the  slightest  objection  to  being 
hypnotised  as  often  as  you  can  get  an  engagement? " 

"  No,  "  said  Nolan,  "  I  haven't.  There's  only  one  man 
in  the  world  who  could  stop  me.  " 

"  And  that  man  is  ? " 

"  My  priest — I'm  a  Catholic.  You  may  think  it 
strange,  but  if  he  told  me  not  to  come  I  wouldn't,  not  if 
they  offered  me  £100  a  night  to  do  it.  " 

"  Then  you  think  he  would  object  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Nolan,  "  I  know  he  would — he  doesn't 
care  about  my  performances.  " 

"But  he  didn't  object  this  time?" 

"  I  didn't  give  him  the  chance,"  whispered  Nolan. 


FEFRfARY  9,  1893. 


TO-DAY. 


13 


IN  A  y  SECOND  SMOKING." 


Time,  near  midnight.  A  well-filled  compartment  on 
the  District  Railway,  that,  although  labelled  "  Smoking," 
has  an  air  of  domesticity  about  it.  People  facing,  converse 
loudly,  or  else  glare  at  each  other  like  newly  married 
couples.  Not  a  newspaper  is  visible,  but  several  ladies 
are  comfortably  enjoying  a  sense  of  trespass.  A  few  mild 
cigarettes  alone  betray  the  supremacy  of  man  in  his  special 
sanctuary. 

First  Young  Blood  (in  light  overcoat,  with  a  plaid 
silk  muffler,  ichich  he  nervously  readjusts  every  second, 
lest  he  should  betray  the  effidgence  of  a  while  made-up 
necktie).  I  say,  old  Chappie  (this  in  the  tone  of  one  who 
is  ending  a  night  of  wild  and  whirling  jollity),  Irvin' 
must  have  spent  a  lot  of  money  on  that  show — looks 
like  a  Burne-J ones  doesn't  it  1 

Second  Young  Blood  (who  has  no  idea  who,  what, 
or  why  a  Burne-Jones  may  be).  It's  very  high  toned, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  like  the  afternoon  show.  Good 
idea  to  run  two  fairy  tales  at  the  same  place.  I  sup- 
pose they  have  the  same  actors  in  both. 

First  Y.  B.  (knowingly).  In  Santa  Claus 
No,  I  don't  think  Ellen  Terry's  in  that.  She  was  last 
year— wasn't  she  1  No,  it  was  Ellaline  Terris,  I  re- 
member. Wonder  if  it's  the  same  actress  with  a  change 
of  name  ;  looks  like  it,  don't  it  ?  I  haven't  been.  Have 
you  1 

Second  Y.  B.  I  took  my  people  the  other  after- 
noon. (This  in  a  lordly  tone,  though  he  knows  that 
his  friend  knows  that  he  knows  his  friend  knows — that  he 
was  taken  by  his  mother  for  the  annual  January  school- 
boy treat.) 

First  Y.  B.  (ignoring  the  facts).  One's  people 
expect  such  a  lot  of  takin'  about,  don't  they? 

Second  Y.  B.  Yes.  I  had  an  awful  sell  last  week. 
Took  'em  to  "The  Shop  Girl"  as  I  thought,  and  it  turned 
out  to  be  some  duffin'  baby  opera.    Awful  slow. 

Elderly  Man  (in  solemn  Inverness  and  sojt  felt  hat, 
to  his  vis-a-vis,  a  soulful  youth  of  thirty-six  summers — 
all  wet  ones  apparently).  That  opera  of  Humperdincks, 
"  Hansel  and  Gretel,"  grows  on  one.  There  has  been 
nothing  like  it  since  "  Tristan  and  Isolde." 

Soulful  Vis-a-vis  (contemptuously).  I  thought 
you  raved  over  the  "  Cavalleria."    I  never  did. 

Elderly  Man  (taken  aback).  Yes  !  (  With  a  sud- 
den inspiration.)  But  that  was  Italian.  One  doesn't 
take  Italian  art  seriously. 

Soulful  Vis-a-Vis.  This  is  Ibsen  and  trombone,  I 
suppose. 

Elderly  Man's  Wife  (fat  and  placidly  vacuous). 
I  don't  wonder  my  husband  likes  it ;  it's  so  pretty. 
Those  dear  angels,  and  the  sweet  old  witch  and  the 
oven.    It  is  as  tuney  as  "  Patience."    You  should  go. 

Elderly  Man  (glumly).  That  is  not  the  aspect  in 
which  it  appeals  to  me  ;  but  the  wonderful  way  in  which 
the  orchestra  fulfils  the  function  of  the  chorus  in  the 
old  Greek  drama. 

Loud  Youth  (to  his  giggling  fiancee  opposite).  Let 
her  blush  in  'er  own  back-yard  Ain't  Herbert 
Campbell  stunning.  He  fairly  takes  the  bun  as  a  New 
Woman. 

His  Fiancee  (happy,  but  shocked).  What  would  ma 
say  if  she  knew  we  had  been  to  Drury  Lane — she 
thought  it  was  "  Santa  Claus"- — she  hates  comic  singers. 

Loud  Youth  (with  daring  parody).  Let  her  "  ate  in 
her  own  back-yard." 

His  Fiancee.    Oh,  Arthur,  you  are  loo  funny.  (Both 

Supercilious  Lady  (to  her  meek  husband).  The  next 
time  you  drag  me  in,  I  hope  you  will  drive  me  home. 
After  that  superb  lecture  all  this  vulgar  conversation 
jars  on  one. 

Her  Abettor  Half  (apologetically).  You  are  too 
intellectual,  my  dear  (hastily).    I  mean  you  cannot  ex- 


pect everybody  to  rise  to  your  level.  They  must  enjoy 
themselves  in  their  own  way. 

Supercilious  Lady  (sardonically).  I'd  make  them 
enjoy  themselves  if  I  had  mine  (chuckles  grimly  over  the 
programme  she  would  set  before  giddy  theatre-goers  was 
her  power  equal  to  her  will). 

First  Young  Blood.  I  liked  "  The  Ideal  Husband." 
"  Vulgarity  is  the  behaviour  of  other  people  "  was  a 
rattlin'  good  joke. 

Second  Young  Blood  (humbly).  It's  a  sequel  to  the 
New  Woman,  isn't  it  ?  I  can't  see  the  fun  of  those 
epitaphs.  A  Johnnie  told  me  you  had  to  wear  a  green 
carnation  to  see  the  jokes. 

First  Y.  B.  Oscar's  awfully  clever.  Everybody 
says  so. 

Second  Y.  B.  (doggedly).  He  may  be,  but  give  me 
"  Charley's  Aunt "  or  "  The  New  Boy." 

First  Y.  B.  (frankly).  Well,  I  didn't  like  to  say  so 
before,  old  boy,  seeing  it  was  your  "  bust "  to-night,  but 
"  King  Arthur  "  was  a  bit  slow. 

Second  Y.  B.  (cheering  up).    So  I  thought. 

Loud  Youth.  Why  shouldn't  we  go  to  the  Empire 
and  see  the  living  pictures  ? 

His  Fiancee  (shocked).  Oh,  Arthur  !  How  can  you 
talk  of  such  things  before  people. 

Loud  Youth  (ivhispers  something.  His  fiancee  looks 
coldly  out  of  the  windoiv.  He  grows  nervous).  I  say, 
Ethel  !    Never  mind,  we'll  go  to  Olympia. 

His  Fiancee  (brightening  up).  Oh,  Arthur,  how 
funny  you  are ! 

Elderly  Man.  "  Guy  Domville  "  is  the  best  play  I 
have  seen  for  years.  That's  w  hy  it  failed.  Failure  is 
the  only  proof  of  merit  nowadays. 

His  Soulful  Vis-a-vis  (spitefully).  Has  that  been 
your  experience  ?    It  is  a  comforting  doctrine  to  hold. 

Elderly  Man  (to  pacify  him).  I  saw  a  very  good 
notice  of  your  new  book  to-night.  I  mean  good  as  an 
advertisement. 

Soulful  Vis-a-vis.  Oh — in  the  "  Meteor  "  (conscious 
that  lie  dictated  it  to  a  chum  of  his  on  the  staff'  of  the 
paper — pauses ).  It  was  sympathetic  ! 

Elderly  Man.  I  should  hardly  have  called  it  that. 
I  thought  it  was  meant  to  be  ironical. 

Soulful  Vis-a-vis.  Ironical !  Why  it  said  the  book 
was  far  beyond  the  first  volume  of  poems  by  Keats, 
Swinburne,  or  anybody. 

Elderly  Man  (conscious  of  patting  his  foot  in  it). 
Ah,  I  just  read  it  hurriedly. 

First  Young  Blood  (getting  out — lets  off  a  parting 
bon-mot  tvith  the  manner  of  a  brilliant  epigram).  Shall 
you  catch  the  9.5  ? 

Second  Young  Blood  (catching  the  excitement  and 
resolved  to  eclipse  his  friend  by  a  still  wittier  last  word). 
No.    I  shall  go  by  the  8.50. 

Loud  Youth.  Gus  Harris  is  a  chap  to  spend  money. 
I  wonder  what  "  Dick  Whittington  "  brings  him  in. 

His  Fiancee.  A  tidy  penny,  I  expect.  (They  dis- 
cuss the  financial  position  of  Sir  Augustus  as  keenly  as 
if  they  were  his  residuary  legatees.) 

Supercilious  Lady  (to  the  pair  with  heads  almost 
touching).   May  I  trouble  you  to  allow  me  to  pass  ? 

Loud  Youth.  Don't  mention  it.  (Straightens  him- 
self as  she  crushes  by.) 

Supercilious  Lady.  I  didn't  (to  her  husband). 
Have  you  my  fan,  and  my  opera-glasses,  and  the  pro- 
gramme, and — (door  slams). 

Loud  Youth.  She's  dropped  her  fan.  (Picks  it 
up,  lets  down  windoiv  with  a  crash,  and  hurls  it  on  the 
platform,  where  it  catches  the  sup/ercilious  lady  full  in 
Iter  face.) 

His  Fiancee  (expiring  tvith  half-suppressed  giggles). 
Oh,  Arthur  !    How  funny  you  are  ! 

(All  subside  to  dozing  reveries.) 
Guard  (opening  door  suddenly).    All  out,  all  out ! 

\Exeunt  omnes. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  See  Hid.  Guide  (2S9  pgs.).  id-  Tobacconists' 
Outfitting  Co,,  1SS,  Euston-road,  London.  Est.  1866.— Advt, 


TO-DAY. 


Febkuaky  9,  180.3. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


MR.  JUSTICE  VAUGHAN  WILLIAMS. 

AVe  said  last  week  that  the  Press  would  have  to  stop  the 
transfer  of  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams,  and  the  Press  has 
stopped  it.  It  will  be  said  by  the  apologists  of  the  plotters  that 
it  was  all  moonshine,  the  idea  that  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan 
Williams  was  to  be  transferred.  He  went  circuit  last  year ; 
he.  has  gone  circuit  this  year;  Judges  like  going  circuit — it 
means  change,  and  fuss,  and  allowances — and  that  is  all.  It  may 
be  that  there  is  no  conclusive  answer  to  this  defence,  for  wc 
attach  no  credence  to  the  statement  of  a  Welsh  contemporary 
about  incriminating  correspondence.  But  the  fact  remains  that 
it  was  intended  to  transfer  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams,  and 
that  a  most  grave  mistake  has  been  prevented  by  the  protests 
of  the  Press. 

In  their  desire  to  make  it  plain  that  in  objecting  to  the 
transfer  of  this  judge  they  cast  no  doubt  upon  the  fitness  of 
other  judges  some  of  our  contemporaries  have  gone  further 
than  the  facts  warrant.  No  one  questions  the  probity  of  any 
judge  upon  the  bench,  and  as  to  the  particular  judge  who  has 
been  named  as  successor  to  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams  in 
the  Bankrupt!  y  Court,  he  is  known  to  be  an  exceptionally  able 
and  upright  man.  But  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Williams  is  the 
best  judge  fov  the  Bankruptcy  LCourt  not  only  be- 
cause his  practice  at  the  Bar,  and  his  experience 
since,  has  made  him  very  conversant  with  bankruptcy 
matters,  but  also  because  he  alone  of  all  the  judges  is  disposed 
to  act  rather  on  the  French  than  the  English  plan — to  be  some- 
thing of  the  prosecutor  as  well  as  the  judge.  It  will  be  said  that 
this  is  against  the  spirit  of  our  law,  and  so  it  is,  but  for  all  that 
it  is  what  is  wanted  in  the  Bankruptcy  Court.  It  is  necessary  that 
in  that  court  the  president  should  be  something  more  than  a  judge; 
that  upon  occasion  he  should  act  as  Public  Prosecutor  in  a  sense, 
as  well  as  judge.  And  this  is  what  Mr.  Justice  Vaughan  Wil- 
liams has  done,  and  will  do  again.  He  is  not  content  with  a 
passive  r6h,  as  other  judges  would  be.  For  this  reason  he  has  in- 
curred the  wrath  of  men  in  high  place,  and  in  doing  so  has  given 
the  best  proof  that  could  be  asked  of  his  special  fitness  for  the 
work  with  which  his  name  has  become  indissolubly 
associated. 

THE    GROCERS    ASSOCIATION    OF  BIRMINGHAM 
AND  TO-DAY- 

We  have  before  us  a  report  of  the  meeting  of  this  Associa- 
sion,  called  by  Mr.  Councillor  Jarvis,  who  presided,  and  who, 
in  his  opening  remarks,  said  that  "he  should  be  wanting  in  his 
duty  to  the  Association,  if  he-had  not  called  a  general  meeting 
to  consider  the  article  in  To-Day  referring  to  the  Bond  Tea 
System  in  Birmingham."  It  will  be  remembered  that  To-Day 
said  that  groceis  selling  tea  under  this  bond  system  ought  not 
to  be  allowed  to  remain  members  of  an  Association  whose  object 
is  the  protection  of  legitimate  trade.  Mr.  Jarvis  can  only  reply 
that  "  some  members  of  the  trade,  very  much  against  their  will, 
adopted  the  system  in  self-defence."  And  Mr.  Boraston,  whom 
we  named  as  a  member  of  the  Association  working  under  the 
bond  system,  could  find  no  better  excuse  for  his  action.  As 
well  might  the  respectable  tradesman  give  short  measure  be- 
cause there  are  rogues  in  the  trade  who  do  not  give  full  weight. 
The  duty  of  honest  tradesmen  when  they  have  to  reckon  with 
a  trick  like  this  bond  trick  is  to  appeal  to  the  law,  and 
to  see  that  the  law  is  strengthened  if  it  is  insufficient. 

We  observe  that  Mr.  W.  E.  Fowkes,  the  secretary 
of  the  Orocers'  Association  of  Birmingham,  defended  himself 
against  "the  imputations  made  upon  him  in  the  article  in 
To  Day."  We  made  no  imputations.  Our  only  statement  about 
Mr.  Fowkes  was  a  statement  of  fact,  viz.,  that  James  Frederick 
Edwards,  the  general  manager  of  the  Public  Benefit  Tea  Asso- 
ciation, was  until  recently  a  clerk  to  Mr.  Fowkes. 

.Mr.  Fowkes  was  preceded  by  Mr.  .1.  Norris,  to  whom  we  re- 
ferred in  our  article,  and  about  whom  it  is  necessary  to  say  a 
word  or  two.  Mr.  Norris  tells  us  that  respectable  grocers  took  up 
the  system  because  the  Public  Prosecutor  did  not  regard 
it  as  illegal.  But  Mr.  J.  Norris  wants  no  encourage- 
ment from  the  Public  Prosecutor  to  ignore  the  law 
uf  the  land.  Wc  find  that  .on  the  23rd  October,  1891, 
John  Norris  was  at  the  Birmingham  Police  Court,  where  he 
was  charged  with  an  offence  under  the  Margarine  Act  ,  found 


guilty,  and  fined  £3  and  costs.  Undeterred  by  this  lesson,  the 
same  John  Norris  was,  on  April  14th,  1893,  at  the  King's 
Hc-axli  Police  Court  charged  with  the  same  offence,  and  fined 
£10  and  costs.  His  brother,  William  Norris,  is  the  founder  of 
the  Public  Benefit  Tea  Association.  He,  too,  has  been  con- 
victed more  than  once  of  offences  against  the  Margarine  Act. 
Formerly  in  business  with  his  late  brother,  A.  J.  Norris,  there 
was  a  dissolution  of  partnership  in  1880.  William  Norris  be- 
came bankrupt  in  the  following  year. 

We  sympathise  with  the  grocers  who  throughout  the 
country  have  suffered  such  heavy  loss  from  the  bond  system 
initiated  by  Nelson  and  Company,  and  supported  for  their  own 
purposes  by  certain  wholesale  tea-dealers.  To-Day-  has  done 
more  than  any  other  paper  to  urge  the  authorities  to  action, 
and  to  put  an  end  to  tricks  that  are  rapidly  demoralising  a 
great  trade ;  but  we  contend,  and  we  are  sure  the  majority  of 
the  Birmingham  Grocers'  Association  will  agree  with  us,  that 
grocers  who  have  stooped  to  this  bond  dealing  ought  to  be  dis- 
qualified from  remaining  members  of  an  association  created 
and  managed  for  the  encouragement  and  protection  of  legiti- 
mate trading. 

THE  LONDONDERRY  GOLD  MINE,  LIMITED 

We  have  received  the  following  letter  from  the  secretary  oi 
'.his  company  : — 

3,  Gracechureh  Street,  London, 
January  31st,  1895. 

Dear  Sir,— In  your  issue  of  the  20th  instant  you  state  that  "ilie 
promoters  of  the  Londonderry  have  bought  five  claims  surrounding 
the  property,  which  were  thought  in  the  first  instance  to  be  included 
in  those  sold  by  the  vendors  to  the  Company,  and  although  urged  to 
start  another  Company  to  work  these  additional  claims,  Colonel  North 
has  very  honourably  added  them  to  the  Londonderry." 

This  statement  is  somewhat  misleading,  the  facts  being  as  fol- 
lows :— As  stated  in  the  prospectus,  the  Londonderry  Gold  Mining 
Company  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  the  Londonderry 
lease,  which  was  supposed  to  contain  an  area  of  twenty-five  acre.-. 
However,  upon  the  issue  of  the  lease  it  was  discovered  that  the  are:' 
pegged  out  by  the  discoverers  only  contained  sixteen  acres,  owing  to 
their  mistaken  measurements,  and  although  the  experts  had  reports d 
on  the  sixteen  acres  only,  thinking  that  it  was  twenty-five  acres,  and 
the  rich  discovery  being  also  situated  in  the  centre  of  those  sixteen  acres, 
Colonel  North,  the  Earl  of  Fingall,  and  Mr.  T.  H.  M)  ring,  the  vendors 
to  the  Company,  being  also  large  holders  of  shares  in  the 
Company,  decided  to  set  aside  a  considerable  sum  out  of  the  pur- 
chase-money to  acquire  seven  claims  adjoining,  and  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Londonderry  Mine,  and  make  a  present  of  them  to  the 
Company.  One  of  them  contains  the  deep  level  of  the  Londonderry 
lode,  whilst  experts  state  that  the  Londonderry  lode  along  its  length 
continues  through  some  of  them,  and  that  a  separate  valuable  lode  has 
been  discovered  on  another. 

The  area  of  these  blocks  added  to  the  area  of  the  Londonderry  make, 
as  near  as  can  be  fixed  at  present,  130  acres. 

At  the  outset  there  was  no  question  of  anything  else  but  the 
Londonderry  claim,  and  Lord  Fingall,  Colonel  North,  and  Mr  Myring 
were  under  no  obligation  to  give  anything  else.  On  the  other  lnnd 
other  parties  had  at  one  time  intended  to  bring  out  a  company  to  work 
these  seven  additional  claims  for  £280,000. 

The  shareholders,  therefore,  now  possess  a  property,  through  the 
liberality  of  the  vendors,  about  five  times  the  area  of  that  for 
which  they  originally  subscribed. — Yours  faithfully, 

John  H.  Ghettos,  Secretary. 

THE  BALFOUR  COMPANIES. 

In  our  issue- of  June  9th,  1894,  we  wrote  : — 

The  Government  have  not  only  decided  to  prosecute  certain  persons 
associated  with  Jabez  Balfour  in  the  management  of  these  Companies, 
they  are  ready  to  proceed  at  once,  and  any  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  persons  concerned  to  exchange  the  English  climate  for  that  oi 
say,  Argentina  will  only  hasten  matters. 

And  we  went  on  to  say  that  if  Jabez  Balfour  succeeded  in 
baulking  the  demand  for  extradition,  "his  associates, 
though  deprived  of  the  support  to  be  derived  from  his 
presence  among  them,  will  still  have  the  opportunity  of 
making  an  attempt  to  convince  a  jury  that  they  have  been 
unjustly  accused." 

On  Friday  last  it  was  authoritatively  stated  that  Insfectoi 
Tonbridge  is  to  return  home  by  next  mail.    On  Saturday  it  was 
announced  that,  at  the  instance  of  the  Public  Prosecutor,  the 
Lord  Mayor  had  granted  summonses  against  the  "associate 
referred  to  above. 

MR.   H.  J.   SMALLMAN  AND  SIR  JAMES 
WHITEHEAD,  M.p. 

We  continue  to  receive  from  that  excellent  but  very  combative 
citizen,  Mr.  H.  J.  Smallman,  batches  of  printed  matter— and 
such  batches  ! — bearing  more  or  less  directly  upon  his  quarrel 
with  Sir  .lames  Whitehead.  We  hope  he  will  not  send  us  any 
more,  for  life  is  short,  and  we  know  all  about  his  quarrel  with 
Sir  James.  It  may  well  be  that  the  Alderman's  action  with 
regard  to  the  Genera)  Phosphate  Corporation  was  in  some 
respects  open  to  censure.  We  think  it  was,  and  that  if  it  had 
not  been  Mr.  Smallman  would  have  been  hauled  up  for  libel 
long  before  now.  But,  after  all,  Sir  James  Whitehead  was  a 
considerable  loser  by  the  company.  Mr.  Smallman  complains 
that  the  Lord  Mayor  will  not  go  into  the  matter,  but  most 


February  9,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


15 


people  will  think  Sir  Joseph  Renal's  refusal  a  proper  refusal. 
If  he  is  to  arraign  aldermen  for  their  conduct  as  directors  he 
will  have  plenty  to  do,  and  he  will  hardly  besin  with  Sir  James 
Whitehead. 


We  have  received  complaints  from  shareholders  in  the  French 
Mines,  Limited.  Started  in  1891,  the  directors  went  to  allotment 
with  a  very  small  subscription,  and  the  result — liquidation — 
naturally  followed  in  less  than  two  years.  This  commenced  early 
hi  1893.  In  May  189+  a  meeting  was  called  but  nothing  was  done, 
there  being  no  quorum .  The  company  had  not  been  in  existence 
very  many  months  when  the  directors  mortgaged  calls  and  the 
company's  funds.  Perhaps  the  liquidator,  Mr.  John  S.  Piggott, 
of  26,  Lombard  Street,  will  let  us  know  how  the  liquidation 
stands. 

Shareholders  in  the  Lancashire,  Derbyshire,  and  East  Coast 
Railway  may  be  interested  to  know  that  a  Manchester  broker  is 
offering  ordinary  shares  £10  fully  paid  at  £6  10s.  net  per  share. 
They  are  dear  at  the  price. 

We  have  to  acknowledge  a  copy  of  the  new  issue  of  that  most 
excellent  periodical,  "The  Insurance  Directory,  Reference, 
and  Year  Book,"  published  by  our  contemporary  the  Post 
M agazine. 

With  reference  to  a  statement  made  at  the  dinner  to  Mr. 
Begelhole — that  it  was  that  worthy  man  who  "  with  three  shot  i 
from  his  revolver  got  free  gold  from  quartz  in  Western 
Australia,  this  at  Bayley's  Reward,"  a  correspondent  writes  : — 
"  Why  long  before  Bayley's  was  ever  heard  of  free  gold  was  being 
won  from  quartz  by  three  stampers  at '  Southern  Cross,'  and  else- 
where in  Westralia."    Of  course  it  was. 

We  remind  shareholders  of  the  Beeston  Pneumatic  Tyre 
Company  that  the  extraordinary  general  meeting  will  he  held  on 
the  11th  inst.  at  the  Institute  of  Chartered  Accountants,  Moor- 
gate  House,  Moorgate  Street,  E.G.,  at  twelve  o'clock  noon,  for 
the  purpose  of  discussing  certain  proposals  for  reconstruction. 
A  correspondent  complains  that  "  though  the  shareholders' 
committee  and  the  directors  appear  to  be  working  in  harmony 
they  send  rival  proxies." 

"  TO-DAY'S  "  BLACK  LIST. 

JAMES  BROTHERS  AND  CO.— We  are  informed  that 
these  "  Bankers,  Financiers,"  and  the  rest  of  it,  have  an  ill- 
furnished  room  at  3,  Bishopsgate  Street  Without.  When  our 
informant  visited  it  there  was  a  youth  in  charge. 

HERBERT  GROVES  AND  CO.— These  people,  with  their 
fine  promises  of  wealth  to  all  who  will  entrust  their  moneys  to 
them,  operate  from  9,  South  Street,  South  Place,  Finsbury 
Pavement,  where  they  have  one  small  room  at  4s.  6d.  per  week, 
near  the  sky.    The  staff  consists  of  a  small  boy. 

FRANCIS  INGRAM.— A  racing  tout  with  a  "  system."  This  man 
dates  from  3,  Palace  Gardens  Mansions,  W. 

NEW  ISSUE. 

The  Rhodosian  Mining  and  Finance  Company,  Limited. 

Capital,  £250,000. — This  company  has  been  formed  to  acquire  valuable  pro- 
perties in  Mashonaland  and.  Matabeleland.  Part  of  the  capital  of  the 
company  will  be  employed  in  making  advances  on  approved  mining  claims 
and  other  landed  property,  especially  in  Matabeleland.  The  properties  to 
lie  taken  over  by  the  company  include  230  gold  mining  claims,  with  100  square 
miles  of  specially  selected  agricultural  and  timber  lands,  besides  several 
thousand  acres  of  coal  lands.  Most  of  the  purchase  price  the  vendors 
take  in  shares.   With  sound  management  the  company  should  do  well. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Callao  Bis.   A.  E.  J.  (Widnes).— 1.  We  have  no  faith  in  it.     2.  The 

debenture  bonds  are  a  fair  investment.    Otto  Kopje.    We  will 

bear  in  mind  what  you  say.  Safe  Investment.  C.  A.  C.  (Manchester).— 
Much  depends  upon  what  interest  will  content  you.  Purchase  of 
Bonds.  Granville  (Sheffield).— Yes,  they  can  be  purchased  here.  The 
lists  of  winners  are  published.  The  Pneumatic  Syndicate,  Limited. 
G.  A.  J.  (Rotherham).— We  will  see  what  can  be  done.  Gold  Mining 
Company.  Cecil  (Leeds).— Sell  for  what  you  can  get.  Empire 
Palace  Shares.  Empire  (Dublin).— Sell.  The  managers  were  too  smart 
when  they  closed  the  hall.  The  Alhambra  is  the  gainer.  You  bought  at 
pretty  well  top  price.  The  dividend  is  payable  quarterly.  Lottery 
Bonds.  Inquirer  (Hastings).— If  you  will  send  the  numbers 
of  your  bonds,  with  stamped  addressed  envelope,  to  Messrs. 
Gerald  Quin,  Cope  &  Co.,  of  29,  Royal  Exchauge.E.C,  they  will  give  you  the 
information  you  want.  Discovery  of  Lode.  W.  G.  (Bingham).— No 
Sheba  lode  has  been  discovered  out  side  of  the  *heba  proper.  Formation  of 
Syndicate.  Victim. — Your  proposal  to  forrh  a  syndicate  to  save  your 
business  is  very  absurd.  O  n  your  own  showing  your  firm  is  hardly  solvent. 
Payment  of  Cheque.  Vincio  (Midleton)— If  you  know  the  drawer  to 
be  in  credit  why  not  "present  again?  Claim  for  Goods.    H.  G.  J.  K. 


(London).— The  director  could  not  recover  for  goods  supplied  unless 
special  and  formal  authority  was  given  for  such  supply.  Outside 
Brokers.  Cumbrian  (Carlisle).— The  company  and  the  person  you 
mention  are  amongst  the  best  of  the  outside  brokers,  and  either  would 
treat  you  with  perfect  fairness.  South  Australian  Petroleum 
Fields,  Ltd.  Crcesus  (Glasgow).— We  advise  another  selection.  Two 
Banks.  A.K.H.  (London).— 1.  The  Birkbeck  is  perfectly  safe  ;the  otheryou 
name  is  of  no  standing,  but,  so  far  as  we  know,  it  is  quite  solvent.  2. 
We  do  not  like  the  Australian  investment.  Sundry  Questions.  W.  A; 
—We  write  you  under  cover.  Scotia  (Keighley).— Most  of  the  concerns 
you  name  are  highly  speculative.  Some  of  them  are  being  rigged  to  a 
price  that  has  no  relation  to  intrinsic  value.  Machine  Printing  and 
Publishing  Company.  Overburdened  (Oxford).— We  have  received 
the  papers.  They  are  having  our  attention.  The  Montebello,  Limited. 
— Io  may  be  good  enough,  but  the  prospectus  leaves  a  good  deal  to  be 
desired.  Montgomeryshire  Brewery  Company.  W.  (Shrewsbury).— 
We  are  obliged  to  you  for  the  report  you  send  us.  A  disgraceful  business,  as 
we  si- owed  many  months  ago.  African  Coal  and  Exploration 
Company, Limited.  A.D.F.— Very  speculative.  F.H.  (Bath).— The  same 
answer  applies  to  your  question.  Reckitt's.  Thrifty  (Bristol)  —Quite 
safe.  You  have  a  first-class  investment.  Zapopan  Mines,  Limited. 
G.  D.  (Leicester). — We  advise  you  not  to  touch  them.  Anyway,  before  you 
do  so,  read  an  article  in  the  current  number  of  the  West  Australian 
Review  upon  the  subject,  page  402. 

INSURANCE. 

The  Norwich  Life  Union.  C  B.  A.  (Perth).— This  is  one  of  the  best 
offices,  but  as  you  tell  us  nothing  of  your  circumstances  we  cannot  say 
which  table  is  that  adapted  for  your  needs.  Imperial  Life  Insurance 
Company.  R.  R.  S.  (Darlington).— You  may  make  your  arrangements 
with  this  office  in  the  fullest  confidence  that  the  instalments  will  be  paid 
with  prompt  regularity  as  long  as  you  live.  Fine  Art  and  General 
Insurance  Company.  Shares.— The  company  has  sufficient  funds  for 
its  liabilities,  and  if  a  claim  arises  it  will  be  fairly  met.  An  Assurance 
Company.  E.  L.  B.  (Bayswater). — It  has  some  good  features,  but  they 
are  to  be  found  in  almost  every  other  Assurance  Company.  X.  Y.  Z. 
(Wandsworth  Common).— Some  of  the  figures  are  open  to  question. 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters.— We  have  repeatedly  warned  our 
readers  against  relyimg  upon  the  promises  of  this  society.  A  Stout 
Supporter  of  To-Day  (Belfast)— See  previous  answer.  We  will  answer 
your  questions  respecting  the  Metropolitan  next  week.  Purchase  of 
Annuity.  Small  Investor  (Northampton).— If  you  will  give  us  par- 
ticulars as  to  age,  amount,  etc.,  we  shill  be  better  able  to  answer  you. 
A  Revolution  in  Assurance.  X.  (Lincoln).— The  heading  a  "  Revo- 
lution in  Assurance  "  given  by  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  is  absurd.  Several 
offices  have  long  had  a  similar  scheme,  but  that  the  writer  in  the  Pall  Mall 
presumably  does  not  know.  A  policyholder  is  not  assured  for  the  face  value 
of  the  policy.  You  will  notice  that  the  actual  sum  payable  has  to  be 
adjusted  from  time  to  time  by  the  profits  of  the  company- 

uni?ersalTtock'Txchange,  limited; 


I 


Gockspur   Street,  London. 

N VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
■pOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 


"TEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


S 


C 

jyjTARKET  REPORT. 
AUR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 
1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


L 


SECURITIES   PAYING    from    THREE  to   FOUR- AND- A- 
O       HALF  PER  CENT. 
"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


H' 


SUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
ri  TWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 


TENT  POST  FREE. 


THE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART   I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  he 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Sett  lemen  t  s  System . 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.-HOW  TO  OPERATE 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
''  A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
H  ighest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recon  U-<  I 

from  1S88  to  1893  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can   Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully  ? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

peop'<>  (telling  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR    TUB EE-MONTHLY 


^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

>  BOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
/\    everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

'SMIE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULL\  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
L    istoTAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFIT  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
c oiitangoea  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settlcu  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  inc.  ponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHAiv  GE,  Ltd., 

CCCKSPUR  STREET,,  LONDON. 


432 


TO-DAY. 


February  9,  1895. 


J)RURY  LANE    THEATRE    ROYAL.-SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.    Twice  Daily,  at  1.30  and  7.30, 
Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand  New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
Tor  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day. 

LYCEUM.— KING  ARTHUR,  by  J.  Comyns  Carr.  EVERY 

NIGHT  at  8  punctually  Mr.  Irving,  Mr.  Forbes  Robertson,  Miss 
Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  Music  by  Arthur  Sullivan. 
Scenery  and  Costumes  designed  by  Sir  Edward  Burne-Jones.  Box  Office 
(Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  daily  10  to  5  only.  Seats  also  bocked  by  letter  or 
telegram. 


ROYAL    PRINCESS'S     THEATRE— SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.   EVERY  EVENING,  at  7.30. 
THE  DERBY  WINNER, 
by  Sir  Augustus  Harris,  Cecil  Raleigh,  and  Henry  Hamilton. 
Box  Office  open  10.0  a.m.  all  day.    For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers. 

PALACE,    Shafteshury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 

THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 


MOORE   AND    BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
The  Best  Entertainment  in  London. 
Fun  without  Vulgarity. 
If  you  want  to  laugh,  go  to  Moore  and  Burgess'. 
Immense  Success  of  George  R.  Sims  and  Ivan  Caryll's  Operetta. 
THE  YALLER  GAL. 
AFTERNOONS  at  4;   NIGHTS  at  in. 
Fook  vmir  seats  at  Tree's.    Standing  room  onlv.   EVERY  NIGHT  at  8. 
MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY,  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES,  at  2.30. 

Faiuni,  Manager. 


ROYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sight3  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 

2.30  and  7.30  POSTER   EXHIBITION.   YACHTING  EXHIBITION, 

CONCERT.    SWIMMING.    SKATING.    BILLIARD"  MATCH. 


NIAGARA  HALL,  ST.  JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 

The  Latest  and  Greatest  Novelty. 
REAL     ICE     SKATING     UNDER  COVER. 
In  all  weathers,  Breakages  and  Immersions  impossible. 
9.30  to  1.0,  3/-   The  celebrated  J3olian  Ladies  Orchestra. 
3.0  to  6.30,  8/-  \  The  Royai  Hungarian  Band.   The  finest  Band  i"> 
F.Oto  11.30,3/- (       England.    First  appearance. 

The  most  fashionable  resort  in  London. 
NIAGARA   HALL,  ST.   JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 


THE 


u 


MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

English  Invention— English  Manufacture. 

The  only  Perfect  Writing  Machine. 

<l Differential"  Spacing— Visible  Writing. 

THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

Unequalled  for  Manifolding. 
Perfect  alignment  secured. 
Pad  Machine— No  Ribbon. 

THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

Only  32  keys  writing  98  characters. 

Unequalled  for  Speed. 

The  First  and  Foremost  Type  Writer. 

THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

For  all  particulars  as  to  this  unique  invention,  address : 
41,  HOLBORN  VIADUCT,  LONDON,  E.C. 


The   GREAT  EASTERN  HOTEL, 

LIVERPOOL  STREET,  E.C. 

Centrally  Situated.   Electric  Light  Throughout.  Moderate  Charge;. 

RESTAURANT  adjoining^HOTElTfor  MID-DAY 
LUNCHEONS  and  PUBLIC  DINNERS. 


H.  C.  AMEND'!',  Mana  :er 


'South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHONALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON  every  SATURDAY. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers callatLISBONandTENERIFE. 
Union  Xtine  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton;   14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W.  ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 

PRUDENTIALASSURANCE  COMPANY,  Limited 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.C. 

FOUNDED  1848. 

invested  Funds       ...  £20,000,000 


ESTABLISHED 
1848. 


Lni 


(LTD.) 

Assets  Exceed  £5,250,000. 
Head  Office:  St.  Mildred's  House,  Poultry,  London,  E.C. 


KERN   COUNTY  LAND   COMPANY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 

96-93,  LEADENHALL  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C. 

W.  A.  NYGH,  European  Special  Agent. 

The  above  Company  calls  the  particular  attention  of  parents  and  gu  irdians 
to  the  mode  by  which  they  can  give  their  son-  and  wards  a  start  in  life  on 
its  lands— a  small  capital  only  being  required.  Special  Patty  (No.  2)  will 
leave  for  the  estates  of  the  Company  the  latter  part  of  February,  1S95, 
accompanied  by  its  European  Special  Agent.  Apply  for  full  particulars  at 
the  above  address  or  at  ti)e  Glasgow  Office, 

GEORGE  SMITH,  21,  Hope  Street, 


HEIGHT  INCREASED     MISS  BRADDON'S   NOVEL.  Cheap  Edition. 
Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,   Oxford    Street,  London,  W.     Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp.  MISS    BRADDON'S    NOVEL.    Now  Ready. 

THOU  ART  THE  MAN. 

MISS    BRADDON  S    NOVEL.         Picture  Boards. 

THOU  ART  THE  MAIL 

MISS   BRADDON'S   NOVEL.  23.  6d.  Cloth'Gilt 

THOU  ART  THE  MAN. 

MISS    BRADDON'S    NOVEL.   Cheap  Edition. 

THOU  ART  THE 


A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Fou 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 
October  S3th,  ls:u. 

Pk\k  S  i  ii ,  -  - 1  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  inetouhti-il  efheaey  of 
Dr.  Scott's  Pills  :is  a  family  mcili. nie.  We  have  Usui  them  in  our  hotiM  huhi  tin  many 
years,  and  are  never  without  them. 

Yours  faithfully,  ,T.  SEM.AUS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead 
Prepared  only  by — 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 


London:  SIMPKIN  &  CO.,  Ltd.,  and  all  Booksellers. 


February  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


17 


PAGE. 

With  the  Turn  of  the  Years.  By  John  Foster  Fraser.  Illus- 


trated by  Max  CoWper    1 

Art  on  the  Hoardings    4 

The  Great  God  Pan    7 

Feminine  Affairs    8 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    11 

De  Omnibus.   By  the  Conductor    12 

How  it  Feels  to  be  Hypnotised.    A  Chat  with  the  Aijuarium 

Trance  Man    12 

IN  a  "Second  Smoking"    is 

In  the  City    14 

To-Day.   By  J.  K.  J   17 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer    21 

Club  Chatter— How  to  be  Decent  though  English— A  Case  for 

the  N.C.U.  -Solo  Whist,  by  a.  S.  Wilks    22 

Marie  Corelli  and  her  Critics   25 

The  Bed  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 
R.  Caton  Woodvili.e   26 


After  the  Play.   By  W.  Pett  Ridoe.   Illustrated  uy  W.  Dewar  31 

SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY, 


The  Press  is  not  quite  so  useful  an  institution  as 
Pressmen  are  apt  to  imagine.  In  fact,  there  are  many 
able  and  experienced  thinkers  who  hold  that  it  is  one 
of  the  greatest  curses  of  the  time.  But  occasionally  it 
justifies  its  existence  by  doing  good  work ;  and  just 
now  it  can  take  to  itself  credit,  that  in  consequence  of 
the  outcry  that  has  been  made,  Justice  Vaughan  Wil- 
liams will  in  all  probability  be  left  to  superintend  the 
proceedings  of  the  Bankruptcy  Court,  and  to  be  a  terror 
to  the  swindlers  and  the  fools  whose  chicanery  and  care- 
lessness combined  have  degraded  enterprise  to  the  level 
of  the  three-card  trick,  and  turned  the  City  into  some- 
thing very  little  better  than  a.  third-rate  Continental 
gambling  hell.  The  attempt  to  disguise  the  real  reason 
for  the  removal  has  been  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of 
the  whole  job.  Undoubtedly  Justice  Vaughan  Williams 
has  made  himself  extremely  unpopular  with  "  influential 
men  in  high  position  "  who  have  come  before  the  Bank- 
ruptcy Court,  and  with  influential  men  who  are  waiting 
to  come  in  the  near  future.  Every  honest  man  can 
reckon  with  much  certainty  on  being  extremely  unpopu- 
lar with  very  many  "  influential  men  in  high  position.''  I 
do  not  suppose  that  Nathan  the  prophet  was  at  all  a 
popular  personage  in  court  or  ministerial  circles  during 
the  reign  of  King  David.  These  people  who  will  speak  the 
truth,  which  is  generally  so  unpleasant,  and  which  social 
life  makes  almost  impossible,  as  we  are  told,  never  are 
favourites  of  any  society.  But  we  do  not  choose  our 
judges  with  the  idea  that  they  shall  be  popular  with 
the  gentlemen  in  the  dock,  and  we  do  not  mean  to  have 
them  removed  on  the  petitions  of  the  criminal  classes, 
whether  "  men  of  influence "  or  not. 

The  conviction  of  a  County  Council  inspector,  named 
David  Edwards,  of  attempting  to  levy  blackmail  upon 
the  proprietor  of  the  Rose  and  Crown  public-house,  St. 
George's-in-the-East,  comes  at  an  awkward  moment  for 
the  electioneering  prospects  of  the  Progressive  party. 
The  Progressive  party  are  trying  to  convince  us  that  it 
would  be  a  good  thing  for  us  to  put  ourselves  entirely 
in  their  hands,    "  Give  us  the  powers  we  require,"  say 


the  Progressives,  "  and  we  will  see  to  your  morals,  to 
your  religion,  to  your  amusements,  to  your  trade  and 
commerce,  to  your  social  relations ;  in  short,  we  will 
organise  and  direct  for  you  your  life  from  the  cradle  to 
the  grave."  The  Progressive  party  appointed  inspectors 
a  few  years  ago,  to  assist  them  in  these  laudable  attempts. 
The  duty  of  these  inspectors  was  to  go  round  disguised, 
and  watch  for  an  opportunity  of  bringing  some  charge 
against  publicans  and  theatre  managers.  David  Ed- 
wards, among  other  places,  watched  carefully  the  Roso 
and  Crown,  and,  acting  on  his  evidence,  the  County 
Council  refused  a  licence  to  the  house.  It  now  appears 
that  the  price  upon  which  David  Edwards  valued  his 
information  was  three  pounds.  If  that  sum  was  paid 
by  the  publican,  the  evidence — we  can  imagine  the 
character  of  it — was  not  to  be  given.  If  the  publican 
would  not  pay  the  money,  then  he  would  have  to  reckon 
with  David  Edwards's  evidence  before  the  Council. 

This  is  the  class  of  man  who  is  employed  by  the  Pro- 
gressive party  of  the  London  County  Council  to  provide 
the  evidence  upon  which  it  acts.  The  jury  were  of 
opinion  that  the  Council  should  appoint  persons  of  greater 
standing  as  inspectors  of  places  of  public  amusement. 
But  perhaps  inspectors  of  greater  standing  would  not 
suit  the  purposes  of  their  omployers  quite  so  well.  The 
members  of  the  London  County  Council  are  not  only 
judges  in  these  cases,  but  they  are  advocates.  A  large 
proportion  of  them  have  deliberately  stated  their  inten- 
tion to  shut  up  every  public-house,  and  every  place  of 
amusement  in  the  metropolis  ;  if  they  cannot  accomplish 
this  at  one  coup,  they  go  about  it  piecemeal,  and  for 
their  purposes  inspectors  of  high  standing,  whoso  evi- 
dence could  be  relied  upon  as  truthful  and  just,  might 
not  bo  so  useful.  David  Edwards  happens  to  have  been 
caught.  Concerning  the  characters  of  the  others  of 
this  delightful  band  of  spies  in  the  employ  of  the  County 
Council  we  know  nothing,  except  that  they  are  drawn 
from  much  the  same  class,  that  they  receive  the  samo 
utterly  inadequate  wage,  that  their  tenure  of  employ- 
ment is  held  on  much  the  same  understanding — viz., 
that  their  evidence  is  to  give  satisfaction  to  the  Jesuitical 
fanatics  who  are  their  masters. 

And  if  three  pounds  are  the  amount  upon  which  the 
County  Council  spies  are  willing  to  open  up  negotiations 
of  this  kind  with  an  insignificant  house  such  as  the 
Rose  and  Crown,  of  St.  George's-in-the-East,  what  may 
have  been  the  sums  suggested — .or  all  we  know,  paid — 
by  big  West  End  hotels  and  restaurants,  to  whom  a 
licence  must  be  worth  many  thousands?  The  recent 
police  revelations  in  New  York  have  shown  us  what 
happens  under  a  system  such  as  the  Progressive  party 
are  desiring  to  bring  about  in  London;  and  they  have 
also  shown  us  that  the  collectors  of  the  amount  are  nob 
the  only  people  who  benefit  by  these  disgraceful  trans- 
actions. If  Londoners  know  their  own  business  they 
will  see  that  they  do  not  place  themselves  under  the 
thumb  of  any  council  or  any  party,  Moderate  or  Pro- 
gressive. Human  nature  is  not  made  honest ;  one  of 
the  chief  animal  instincts  is  the  instinct  to  thieve.  A 
child  is  taught  honesty  by  slow  degrees;  and  mankind 
in  the  bulk  is  kept  honest  by  making  the  opportunities 
for  theft  difficult  and  dangerous. 

A.  County  Council,  with  one  of  its  hundred  hands  on 


18 


TO-DAY. 


February  9,  1895. 


every  lever  of  London  life,  would  obtain  such  power  as 
to  be  practically  independent  of  the  law  and  also  of 
public  opinion.  Indeed,  Tammany  Hall  (and  "  Tam- 
many Hall "  can  never  be  rubbed  too  much  into  the 
minds  of  Londoners  at  the  present  moment,  for  we  are 
rapidly  drifting  towards  it)  proves  this  point  up  to  the 
hilt.  In  another  column  will  be  found  a  letter  from  Mr. 
J.  Williams  Benn,  in  which  that  gentleman,  desiring 
municipal  purity  as  much  as  any  of  us,  argues  that  the 
way  to  secure  it  is  by  giving  the  Council  this  vast 
extension  of  power.  I  publish  this  letter  at  length,  as 
it  gives  the  other  side  of  the  question  ;  and  I  have  taken 
the  liberty  of  placing  a  few  remarks  of  my  own  in  direc'. 
connection  with  it. 

The  Westminster  Gazette  has  lately  been  speaking 
some  plain  words  on  the  subject  of  log-rolling;  and  it 
was  perhaps  about  time  that  somebody  having  the  inter- 
ests of  literature  at  heart  should  take  the  matter  up. 
The  most  bitter  sarcasm  on  log-rolling  and  log-roller,-; 
was  penned  by  Mr.  Zangwill  in  the  story  entitled  "  The 
English  Shakespeare "  ;  but  the  members  of  the  log- 
rolling club  are  not  very  quick  at  seeim  satire,  and  it 
is,  therefore,  rather  a  useless  weapon  with  which  to  seek 
to  chastise  them.  Log-rolling  always  has  existed  in  every 
art,  and  at  every  period.  A  band  o*  young  journalists, 
who  find  the  general  public  a  litti  ,  sio  in  appreciating 
their  incursions  into  the  field  o  literature,  bind  them- 
selves together  under  a  written  compact,  by  which  each 
one  undertakes,  in  the  paper  or  napers  for  which  he 
writes,  to  praise  every  literary  attempt  made  by  every 
one  of  his  confreres,  upon  the  understanding  that  they,  in 
their  turn,  will  accord  him  the  same  service  whenever  he 
shall  demand  it;  and  the  Wezlminste  Gazette  has  been 
giving  some  extremely  amusing  examples  of  the  so-called 
'  criticism'"  indulged  in  by  this  mutual  admiration 
society. 

No  particular  harm  is  done,  and  th  log-rolling  gentle- 
men can  always  plead  human  nature  as  their  excuse. 
The  man  who  admires  our  work  naturally  appears  to  each 
oi  us  a  highly  intelligent  personage,  and  his  opinion  of  us 
is  apt  to  be  reflected  in  our  opinion  of  him.  Nor  is  the 
public  at  all  likely  to  be  misled  ;  for,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
it  takes  very  little  interest  in  literature  as  literature : 
if  it  likes  a  book,  it  reads  a  book ;  if  it  does  not  like  a 
book,  all  the  critics  in  the  world  will  not  nersuade  it  to 
read  that  book.  It  has  a  brutal  knack  of  paying  only 
for  what  it  wants,  and  seeing  that  it  gets  it.  Our  ardent 
young  critics  say  that  they  are  not  praising  each  other 
to  influence  the  public,  but  merely  to  secure  lasting  fame 
for  each  other.  But  it  occurs  to  one  that  Fame  has  her 
own  methods  of  acquiring  information.  The  dear  lady 
by  this  time  must  have  been  button-holed  so  often,  and 
urged,  as  smilingly  she  has  pushed  her  way  through  the 
crowded  galleries  of  the  generations,  to  say  a  good  word 
for  this  '.rival  friend  of  Jones,  and  for  this  marvellous 
genius  discovered  by  Brown,  and  for  this  wonderful  work 
known  only  to  Robinson,  that  she  has  probably  learnt 
much  wisdom  in  her  day. 

It  always  seems  to  me  amusing — this  desperate  atti- 
tudinising of  the  artist,  in  his  frenzied  endeavours  to 
batch  the  eye  of  Fame;  his  eagerness  to  live  in  the 
Inc. ilb  of  his  fellow-Men  for  twenty  years  longer  than 
another,  for  fifty  years  longer  than  a  third.  I  can 
imagine  the  music  of  a  fame  that  reaches  one's  own  ears 


being  sweet  to  a  man;  vanity  is  a  strong  component^ 
even  in  the  composition  of  the  greatest  of  us;  but  to 
trouble  whether  the  trumpet-blowing  still  sound,  when 
his  ears,  if  he  hear  at  all,  must  be  filled  with  far  other 
sound,  seems  small.  So  far  as  the  work  is  concerned, 
that  is  nothing  to  do  with  him ;  if  the  world  has  need 
of  it,  it  will  use  it  and  remember  it ;  if  the  world  does 
not  need  it,  then  his  friends  have  wasted  their  time  in 
troubling  Fame  about  the  matter,  and  Fame  would 
only  be  wasting  her  breath  tooting  above  his  grave. 

I  still  ontinue  to  receive  correspondence  confirming 
the  opinion  I  have  been  compelled  to  form  concerning  the 
character  of  the  houses  on  the  New  Brighton  Parade.  I 
also  continue  to  receive  local  newspapers,  in  which,  while 
vigorously  denouncing  me  for  slandering  the  town,  for 
seeking  to  take  the  bread  away  from  a  worthy  body  of 
tradespeople,  etc.,  etc.,  and  kindly  suggesting  actions  for 
libel,  they  at  the  same  time  confirm  my  statements  from 
their  own  observations,  and  suggest  what  a  good  thing  it 
would  be  if  the  town  were  cleansed  of  the  Ham-and  Egg 
Parade.  That  there  may  be  one  or  two  respectable  and 
legitimate  houses  of  refreshment  in  the  place,  I,  of 
course,  do  not  deny.  The  proprietors  of  such  should,  in 
their  own  interests,  urge  the  authorities  to  make  one 
sweep  of  the  foul  haunts  by  which  they  are  surrounded. 
T'or  the  present  I  have  done  with  the  matter  To-Day 
has  been  useful  n  waking  up  the  authorities,  and  the 
future  action  is  for  them 

The  opponents  of  research  by  vivisection  have  had 
much  to  sa^,  of  late  on  the  subject  of  anti-toxin.  With 
most  of  «he  anti-vivisectionists'  arguments  we  are 
familiar  They  say  that  we  have  learned  nothing  by 
this  method  of  research  ;  that  operations  on  living  sub- 
jects, being  always  performed  without  anaesthetics,  are 
a  needless  torture ,  and  that  the  men  of  science  who 
make  use  vivisection  do  so  merely  from  bestial  and 
revolting  cruelty.  The  chief  objection  to  arguments 
based  on  these  statements  is  that  the  statements  them- 
selves are  none  of  them  in  the  least  degree  true.  But 
there  is  another  argument  against  vivisection  which  has 
not,  I  think,  been  so  often  employed  by  the  eagei 
people  who  oppose  the  practice.  It  is  an  argument, 
however  which  is  based  on  a  statement  that  possibly 
the  anti-vivisectionists  would  hesitate  to  use. 

The  any  and  important  discoveries  which  have 
resulted  from  experiments  on  living  subjects  have 
greatlv  nlarged  our  knowledge  of  diseases  and  the 
methods  by  which  they  may  be  treated.  Briefly,  they 
have  tended  to  prolong  human  life.  We  may,  if  we 
like,  oast  with  truth  that  our  humanity  does  not 
permit  the  weakest  to  go  to  the  wall  ;  families  which  in 
ignorant  and  barbarous  times  would  have  simply  died 
out  have  been  enabled  to  increase  and  multiply.  This 
may  at  first  sight  seem  a  very  desirable  result,  one  on 
which  we  may  well  congratulate  ourselves;  it  is  obvious 
however,  after  a  little  thought  that,  so  far  from  being 
desirable,  it  is  absolutely  deplorable.  When  Nature,  wise 
and  beneficent  Nature,  is  left  to  herself,  the  weakest  go 
to  the  wall  and  the  fittest  survive  ;  there  is  no  Pasteur 
in  the  jungle  ;  man  is  the  only  animal  that  can  profit 
from  the  serum  of  another  animal  rendered  immune  to 
a  certain  disease.  Man  has  reversed  the  order  of 
Nature,  and  compelled  her  to  rescind  her  edict ;  but  if 


February  9,  18ilo. 


in 


we  think  that  Nature  will  not  have  her  revenge  in  the 
end,  we  are  much  mistaken. 

It  is  useless  and  absurd  to  say  that  vivisection  has 
led  to  nothing ;  it  is  reasonable  to  fear  that  it  will  lead 
to  too  much.  As  one  disease  after  another  is  taken  in 
hand  and  rendered  incapable  of  doing  its  proper  work, 
men  will  live  who  would  have  been  better  dead,  and  the 
result  will  be  a  deterioration  of  the  human  race.  Other 
sauses,  besides  the  advance  of  medical  science,  seem  to 
be  working  towards  the  same  end ;  the  change  now  at 
work  in  the  position  of  women  is  one  of  them  ;  the 
want  of  change  in  our  method  with  the  criminal  is 
another.  But  it  is  in  the  advance  of  medical  knowledge 
that  the  chief  danger  lies  ;  we  have  nothing  to  fear  from 
the  cruelty  of  science,  but  we  may  well  dread  its  mercy. 
It  is  very  commonly  thought  that  the  sanctity  of  human 
life  is  so  great  that  the  preservation  of  it  is  always 
desirable,  but;  it  is  manifestly  to  the  interest  of  the 
race  in  the  future  that  this  opinion  should  be  modified. 

Even  at  the  present  day  this  exaggerated  notion  of 
the  sanctity  of  human  life  causes  much  terrible  misery. 
A  patient  who  is  suffering  agonies  from  an  incurable 
disease,  and  must  inevitably  die  in  a  few  days,  implores 
his  doctor  to  give  him  something  that  will  end  his 
misery  at  once.  1  have  been  told  that  a  merciful  and 
courageous  doctor  does  sometimes  do  what  he  is  asked. 
I  do  not  know  whether  there  is  any  truth  in  this,  but, 
of  course,  the  law  forbids  it.  So,  too,  an  old  man  who 
has  outlived  everything — fortune,  friends,  even  most  of 
his  own  faculties — must  not  anticipate  by  a  day  the 
sentence  of  Nature.  As  has  been  often  said,  we  deny 
to  man  as  much  kindness  as  we  would  show  to  a  dog. 
I  am  acquainted  with  the  arguments  of  the  theologians 
against  any  such  practice,  and  I  am  aware  that  it  would 
seem  to  put  great  power  into  the  hands  of  doctors.  But 
in  the  one  case,  in  arguing  for  mercy,  I  could  not  think 
that  I  was  arguing  against  religion,  and  in  the  other  it 
may  fairly  be  said  that  the  supposed  murderous  doctor 
would  have  no  more  opportunities  than  he  has  now. 

Captain  Atthill,  of  the  Norfolk  Regiment,  draws  my 
attention  to  the  plucky  conduct  of  Bandmaster  Cum- 
mings,  who,  only  waiting  to  remove  his  overcoat  and 
sash,  plunged  into  the  river  on  the  night  of  Thursday  in 
last  week,  and  rescued  a  drowning  woman.  This  makes 
the  third  life  that  Bandmaster  Cummings  has  saved. 
The  Queen's  uniform,  if  damaged,  has  to  be  made  good 
by  the  soldier.  I  am  sending  Bandmaster  Cummings, 
through  Captain  Atthill,  a  couple  of  guineas,  and  a  medal 
will  follow.  I  also  thank  Mr.  Clarkson,  of  East  Boldon, 
Newcastle-on-Tyne,  for  telling  me  of  a  brave  rescue  from 
drowning,  accomplished  by  Mr.  Stephen  Renforth,  of 
Gateshead.  Renforth  was  sitting  in  his  parlour,  when 
someone  rushed  in  to  say  that  a  man  was  overboard  in 
the  dock.  Renforth,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  ran 
down  to  the  shore,  jumped  into  a  boat,  and  paddled  to 
where  he  thought  the  man  would  he.  It  was  pitch  dark 
at  thn  time,  and  he  could  see  nothing  ;  but  he  came  across 
a  raft  of  timber,  and  it  occurred  to  Renforth  that  the 
poor  fellow  might  be  underneath  it.  This  seems  to  have 
been  the  case ;  Renforth  plunged  into  the  water,  and 
succeeded  in  finding  the  drowning  man  and  saving  him. 
I  am  making  a  few  technical  inquiries  into  the  case,  and, 
on  these  proving  satisfactory,  as  I  am  confident  they 


will,  I  shall  forward  a  cheque  and  a  medal  next  week. 
The  following  subscriptions  to  the  Gallantry  Fund  have 
been  received  since  last  week:* — John  Williams,  Esq,, 
£1  Is.;  Gratitude,  £1  Is.;  W.  Jones  (annual),  2s.  Gd. ; 
W.  Tynall,  9s. ;  Clapton  Football  Club,  £2 ;  Miss  M. 
Smith,  2s.  6d. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRER?. 

Mr.  J.  Williams  Benn,  of  the  London  County  Council,  ad* 
chesses  me  the  following  letter  : — 

Gladstone  House,  203,  Cable  Street,  E., 
January  29th,  1895. 

To  the  Editor  of  To-Day. 
Sir, 

I  am  glad  that  you,  from  time  to  time,  find  space  in 
your  admirable  journal  for  a  few  paragraphs  on  the  work  of 
our  London  County  Council.  Criticisms  in  the  spirit  of 
To-Day  cannot  fail  to  benefit  any  public  body.  As  to  my 
comments  on  Municipal  Corruption  in  America,  you  ask, 
"  Why  the  same  thing  exactly  should  not  happen  were  the 
Progressive  party  on  the  Council  given  its  point,  and  the 
Council  allowed  to  become  a  vast  employer  of  labour  in 
London  ?  " 

My  American  experiences  taught  mc  this  lesson— that 
there  is  most  corruption  where  there  is  least  direct  employ- 
ment of  labour. 

The  contracts  and  "franchises"  in  the  cities  are  generally 
subject  to  political  influences,  and  in  many  cases  the 
"  aldermen  "  and  boodlers  live  out  of  them.  My  contention 
is  that  if  the  middleman  were  dispensed  with,  and  these 
works  split  up  into  departments,  by  direct  employment 
there  would  not  be  the  same  chance  for  gigantic  "jobs." 
Indeed,  you  supply  me  with  the  axiom  which  I  wanted  when 
you  say,  "  I  am  no  believer  in  the  perfection  of  human 
nature,  and  humau  nature  in  a  body  is  always  ten  times 
worse  than  human  nature  taken  singly."  Precisely,  we 
have  already  found  on  the  Council  that  we  can  escape  the 
contractors'  "  ring,"  and  produce  as  good  work — taking  the 
average — for  less  money. 

If  direct  employment  obtained  in  America  the  loodler 
could  hardly  go  to  the  mason  and  say — "unless you  give  ine 
half-a-dollar  a  week  out  of  your  wages  I  will  get  you  dis- 
charged." But  he  can  go  to  the  contractor,  and  does,  say- 
ing "  unless  you  allow  me  so  much  per  cent,  you  shall  not 
get  the  work."  There  is  something  in  your  fear  that  a  great 
army  of  municipal  employes  might  only  vote  for  those  who 
would  promise  high  wages.  We  have,  however,  the  rate- 
payers' vote  as  a  safeguard,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that 
the  workers  themselves  contribute  a  large  share  to  the  rates. 
I  would  rather  see  the  money  go  in  high  wages  and  I  think 
you  would,  than  in  building  up  fortunes  for  contractors,  or, 
as  in  America,  insubsidies  to  interested  politicians.  At  present 
there  is  no  suggestion  that  any  worker  for  the  Council, 
other  than  the  Deputy-Chairman,  has  been  selected  on  party 
lines.  If  a  census  were  taken  of  our  staff  at  Spring  Gardens 
I  fancy  that  the  majority  would  prove  to  be  "  Moderates." 
We  never  ask  and  we  do  not  know  the  politics  of  those  who 
serve  us,  either  in  the  Works  Department  or  in  any  other 
branch.  When  the  Council  commences  that  odious  system 
of  espionage,  if  it  ever  does,  bring  your  editorial  slrdge- 
hammer  to  bear  and  please  ask  me  to  take  a  turn  at 
the  anvil. 

Yours  faithfully, 

.t.  Williams  Bekit. 

My  reply  is  that  the  middleman  would  not  be  dispensed  with  ; 
the  name  would  simply  be  changed  to  foreman,  or  superinten- 
dent, or  paymaster  of  theworks.  A  five  hundred-pound  job  would 
be  done  for  a  thousand  ;  there  being  no  competition  between  con- 
tending contractors,  the  public  would  never  know  whether  five 
hundred  or  a  thousand  was  a  proper  amount  to  be  paid  for  this 
work.  Hammersmith  Bridge,  for  instance,  it  is  said,  could  have 
been  painted  fora  thousand  pounds,  instead  of  two  thousand;  and, 
indeed,  we  know  it  was  painted  for  this  sum  by  the  much-abused 
contractors.  The  difference  in  the  amount  would  be  divided 
among  the  Council.  The  public  in  a  vague  way  would  feel 
sure  that  this  sort  of  swindling  was  going  on;  but  they  would 
be  perfectly  unable  to  defeat  the  robbers  at  the  elections.  With- 
out putting  it  into  so  many  words,  the  workmen  would  say 
"  Pay  us  extra  wages  ;  we  will  vote  for  you,  and  you  need  not 
be  afraid  of  public  opinion.  Some  of  the  money  which  would  hi 
this  way  go  into  the  boodlers'  pockets,  would,  of  course,  be 
subscribed  in  the  shape  of  rates  and  taxes  by  a  small  proportion 
of  the  workers  themselves,  but  their  contribution  to  the  booty 
would  be  infinitesimal  compared  with  the  amount  paid  by  the 
shopkeeping  and  professional  classes,  whose  votes  would  be 
utterly  swamped  by  the  great  mass  of  the  electorate  interested  in 
maintaining  the  condition  of  affairs  under  which  they  themselves 
could  always  hope  to  benefit  ;  and  the  deliberate  offer  of  a  five 
shillings  a  week  rise  in  wage's  would  counterbalance  in  any  work- 
man's  mind  the  reflection  that  his  rates  would  go  up  ten  or 


7 


20 


TO-DAY. 


February  9,  1895. 


fifteen  per  cent,  in  consequence.  I  quite  agree  with  Mr.  Benn 
that  I  would  rather  see  the  money  go  in  high  wages  than  in 
building  up  the  fortune  of  a  contractor ;  but  I  Would  very  much 
prefer  that  it  did  not  go  in  either  way  ;  that  the  workman  was 
paid  a  fair  living  wage  for  his  work  ;  that  the  contractor  was 
paid  a  fair  percentage  for  his  capital,  bis  risk,  and  his  ex- 
perience ;  and  that  can  only  be  secured  by  public  opinion  being 
omnipotent,  and  by  jobbery  being  amenable  to  punishment.  We 
want  our  councillors  to  be  the  very  men  to  watch  these  things 
for  us  in  the  interests  of  the  community  as  a  whole  ;  if  they  be- 
came the  direct  employers  of  some  quarter  of  a  million  workmen 
they  would  simply  become  the  servants  of  a  class,  compelled  to 
do  its  bidding— and  allowed  to  charge  for  it  out  of  other  people's 
pockets. 

A  YACHTiN'fi  correspondent,  a  man  with  great  experience  in 
navigation,  writes  me  as  follows  : — 

It  seems  to  me  to  be  much  too  hastily  assumed  that  the 
Crathie  was  to  blame  for  not  standing  by  or  going  to  the 
assistance  of  the  Elbe  in  the  late  collision.    If  at  the  time 
of  the  collision  the  Elbe  was  going  fifteen  knots  an  hour, 
and  it  is  improbable  she  was  going  at  a  less  pace,  she 
probably  went  on  for  at  least  two  or  three  miles  further 
before  she  sank.    The  speed  of  the  Crathie,  which  was  goin;; 
in  a  different  direction,  was  probably  about  eight  knots  an 
hour,  but  as  her  bows  were  smashed  in,  and  her  engines 
were  stopped,  it  is  probable  that  for  at  least  a  quarter-of- 
an  hour  she  was  unable  to  leave  the  scene  of  the  collision. 
By  this  time  the  Elbe  was  probably  two  or  thre-3  miles  oft' 
and  out  of  sight  and  hearing.     The  crew  of  the  Crathie 
consisted  of  only  ten  men,  and  of  these  perhaps  three,  o.- 
at  most  four,  were  on  deck  at  the  time  of  the  collision.  All 
their  attention  must  have  been  devoted  to  their  own  ship 
for  the  first  few  minutes.    The  captain  was  quite  right  to 
back  out  of  the  Elbe  and  get  clear  of  her  as  quickly  as 
possible,  and  it  must  have  taken  at  least  a  quarter-of-an- 
hour  before  he  could  get  his  engines  started  again  and  have 
turned  his  ship  round  to  go  to  look  for  the  Elbe.    As  his 
bows  were  smashed  in  he  could  not  safely  go  more  than 
three  or  four  knots  an  hour,  and  he  could  not  reason- 
ably have  expected  to  have  overtaken  her.    As  a  matter  of 
fact  she  appears  to  have  sunk  within  twenty  minutes 
and  at  least  half  an  hour  before  the  Crathie  could  have 
reached  the  place  where  she  disappeared.    The  Crathie  was, 
I  think,  considering  the  state  of  the  weather,  quite  justified 
in  turning  back  to  Rotterdam  for  repairs.    A  little  thought 
will  show  what  a  danger  the  Elbe'*  high  rate  of  speed  was 
to  other  vessels.    She  was  passing  through  a  fleet  of  fishing 
vessels  on  a  dark  winter's  night,  utterly  regardless  of  whom 
she  might  come  in  collision  with.      Had  the  little  Crathie 
been  going  a  little  bit  faster,  she  would  have  been  cut  in 
two,  and  the  Elbe  would  have  passed  on  without  hardly 
feeling  the  shock.    How  many  small  steamers  and  fishing 
vessels  are  sunk  with  all  hands  in  this  way  every  winter  it 
is  impossible  to  conjecture,  but  it  should  certainly  be  illegal 
for  any  steamer  to  travel  after  dark  in  winter,  either  in  the 
North  Sea  or  English  Channel  at  more  than  ten  knots  an 
hour.    In  their  confusion  the  Elbe's  people  seem  to  have 
shown  the  wrong  coloured  lights,  and  the  crew  of  the  little 
Crathie  may  have  thought  she  was  in  less  need  of  assistance 
th  in  they  were  themselves. 
Newcastle  Temperance  Demonstration.— I  thank  several 
correspondents  for  sending  me  full  particulars,  but  they  have 
not  altered  my  opinion.    W.  P.  S.  M. — I  confess  it  :  Cambridge 
was  on  my  pen.    I  think  it  must  be  an  easy  word  to  write.  I 
differ  from  you  as  to  the  developing  qualities  of  University  life, 
but  it  is  too  big  an  argument  for  here.    Constant  Reader. — 
The  doctor  you  name  is  a  well  known  fanatic  on  this  subject.  You 
could  easily  show  that  everything  is  indigestible.    Indeed,  the 
Lancet  has  proved  over  and  over  again  that  every  food  and 
drink  known  to  mankind  is  utterly  ruinous  to  the  system.  And 
yet  we  live. 

H.  B. — The  State  has  supplied  the  Church  with  some  of  its 
funds,  but  the  property  of  the  Church  has  been  mainly  the  gift 
of  private  benefactors.  There  is  no  Act  of  Parliament  which 
either  "endows"  or  "establishes"  the  Church.  I  cannot  quite 
understand  the  rest  of  your  questions.  The  point  as  to  how 
much  of  the  Church  funds  were  given  direct  from  the  State  as  a 
State  is  open  to  almost  interminable  argument. 

Newsham  Park.-— When  I  was  in  the  North  a  short  time 
ago  I  inquired  fully  into  the  matter,  and  found  that  there 
certainty  had  been  many  genuine  cases  of  dogs  going  mad  in  or 
near  Liverpool.  Knowing  this  1  feel  compelled  to  agree  with 
the  muzzling  order. 

J.  O.  B.  (Northallert  >n),  sends  me  a  pamphlet  in  which  an 
exceedingly  silly  Methodist  parson  denounces  dancing  as  one  of 
the  most  terrible  crimes  against  God  and  man.  This  sort  of 
twaddle,  generally  speaking,  died  out  with  the  last  century,  but 
here  and  there  some  poor  old  stranded  fossil  remains  to  bring 
discredit  upon  his  cloth.  J.  W.  A.  (Dublin),  by  the  same  post 
tends  me  a  report  of  the  Dublin  Women's  Temperance  Associa- 
tion, in  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Moff'att  suggests  that  the  manu- 
facture or  sale  of  drink  is  one  of  the  greatest  sins  that  can  be 
committed.  Really  I  wonder  a  body  of  parsons  do  not  hold  a 
meeting  and  pass  a  vote  of  censure  on  God  Almighty  for  having 
made  only  ten  commandments. 


R.  M.  draws  my  attention  to  the  vigorous  way  in  which  the 

Bromley  and  West  Kent  Telegraph,  which  he  tells  me  is  a  Glad- 
stonian  organ,  attacks  puritanical  and  pharisaical  cant.  A 
little  more  courage  among  journalists  and  we  could  do  much  to 
scotch  if  Hot  to  kill  the  curse  of  the  country. 

LoVe  one  AnotiJer  points  out  to  me  how  largely  the 
Sheffield  Weekly  Teler/raj)h  depends  for  its  interesting  matter 
upon  To-Day  and  other  papers,  fiom  which  it  cribs.  These 
papers  live  on  other  papers'  brains  and  money,  but  there  seeins 
no  way  of  stopping  them. 

Typewriter.— Apply  to  Mr.  N.  Taylor,  Chancery  Lane,  W.C. 
Dick. — I  thank  you  for  your  interesting  letter.  Humour  — 
The  lecture  is  at  Sale  on  the  11th,  and  at  the  Athenceum, 
Manchester,  on  the  20th.  ClNQt'K  Port.— Thanks  for  your 
letter.    See  reply  to  M.  M.  G. 

J.  M.  (Sheffield). — You  are  quite  right  ;  much  more  could  be 
done  by  individual  help  and  encouragement.  These  public 
ravings  and  intolerant  attempts  to  employ  physical  force  in  a 
moral  argument  only  defeat  the  end  in  view.  F.  G. — I  was  very 
much  amused  with  your  letter.  In  case  of  famine  it  might  be 
economical. 

J.  S.  (Smethwick). — Some  of  the  gentlemen  you  name  I  know 
personally,  with  the  writings  of  the  others  I  am  tolerably  fami- 
liar. I  certainly  do  consider  some  of  them  "  wild-headed 
enthusiasts "  ;  but  with  regard  to  Mr.  Ruskin,  will  you 
kindly  refer  me  to  the  passages  in  which  he  advocates  State 
Socialism  ?  Their  ideals  are  admirable  ;  the  only  thing  to  be 
said  against  them  is  that  they  are  impossible  to  human  nature. 
If  we  were  discussing  the  building  of  an  Utopia  I  should  listen  to 
them  with  respect,  but  their  every  plan  proves  them  to  be  utterly 
unacquainted  with  the  rudiments  of  human  nature  and  the  pur- 
pose of  the  world.  My  dear  fellow,  there  is  no  royal  road  to 
happiness.  All  the  Acts  of  Parliament,  all  the  speeches,  all  the 
pamphlets,  all  the  "isms"  in  the  world  won't  make  one  man 
happy.  Happiness  is  a  thing  inside  us.  What  real  benefit  can 
be  done  by  States  and  parties  is  not  worth  considering. 

A.  W.  Hall. — The  return  half  of  an  ordinary  railway-ticket, 
on  which  is  printed  a  statement  that  the  ticket  is  available 
within  one  month  of  issue,  is  not  available  beyond  that  date,  and 
the  railway  company  can  enforce  that  condition. 

Scholastic. — The  only  way  to  perfect  children  in  a  language 
is  to  send  them  abroad.  Any  of  the  leading  schools  in  France 
or  Switzerland  would  give  you  testimonials  to  parents.  I  know 
some  friends  who  have  sent  their  little  girl  to  a  school  in  Switzer- 
land ;  I  could  ask  them  about  that  one  if  you  wish  it. 

C.  L.  D. — Australians  do  participate  in  all  the  advantages 
offered  to  subscribers,  by  payment  of  an  extra  shilling. 
For  a  year  you  can  have  To-Day  sent  you  post-free, 
free  accident  insurance  of  £1,000  in  case  of  death,  and 
a  lesser  sum  in  case  of  injury,  and  we  will  also  send  you  any 
book  from  our  list  "  A."  W.  H.  B. ,  sends  me  from  Brisbane  an 
account  of  a  savage  fight  among  sailors.  The  battle  arose  out 
of  an  argument  as  to  the  respective  merits  of  Captain  Marryat 
and  Mr.  Clarke  Russell,  the  nautical  novelists.  Cambridge 
Freshman. — It  is  rather  discourteous  to  send  an  anonymous 
letter  to  an  editor.  If  you  cannot  trust  him  do  not  write  to  him 
at  all.  I  should  like  to  take  the  matter  up.  Can  you  find  two 
or  three  other  men  who  have  received  similar  enclosures  ?  An 
isolated  case  is  not  sufficient  to  form  an  attack  upon. 

H.  D.— I  can  hardly  speak  with  knowledge  of  the  review  you 
mention.  A  library  ought  certainly  to  be  open  to  all  periodicals 
not  outrageously  in  advance  of  public  opinion.  Theoretically  its 
shelves  should  be  free  to  everything  that  can  be  called  literature, 
but  practically  it  is  useless  attempting  to  go  ahead  of  the  age 
we  live  in.  Medical.— I  thank  you  extremely  for  your  kind 
letter  of  appreciation.  Such  correspondence  makes  editorship  a 
delight. 

A  Resident  at  New  Brighton  thanks  me  for  exposing  the 
abuses  allowed  to  prevail  there,  and  speaks  in  glowing  terms  of 
the  advantages  the  town  would  possess,  and  the  position  it 
could  easily  take  were  it  under  proper  municipal  control. 

Dama  (Belfast). — I  am  glad  that  To-Day  was  of  so  much  help 
to  you  in  passing  the  weary  hours  of  your  illness.  You  are 
young  and  there  must  be  hope  for  you.  Belfast  I  know  has  a 
bad  reputation  for  sanctified  pharisaism.  The  pamphlet  is 
referred  to  in  the  "Diary  of  a  Bookseller."  T.  G.  D. — Thanks 
for  your  good  opinion  and  amusing  anecdote.  I  am  glad  the 
"conductor"  was  able  to  rescue  you  from  the  situation. 
M.  M.  G. — The  vicar  referred  to,  who  attacked  Sunday  golfing, 
was  the  vicar  of  Rye  ;  Ryde  was  a  printer's  error.  .1.  M.  1'. 
(Liverpool). — I  feel  myself  quite  in  agreement  with  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Adams  ;  thank  you  for  sending  me  the  cutting.  Connie. — 
I  read  your  anecdote  with  great  amusement,  and  your  advice 
is  certainly  the  best  I  have  ever  received  to  my  thinking. 

C.  L.  R. — You  are  considered  in  law  to  be  a  gratuitous  bailee 
of  the  article  in  question,  that  is  :  you  are  liable  only  to  use 
ordinary  care  in  preservii.g  it  from  damage,  destruction,  or  loss. 
You  were  not  bound  to  return  the  article  until  you  received 
postage  to  cover  the  return.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  you  did 
not  receive  postage  until  three  weeks  after  the  receipt  of  the 
article,  and  that  it  was  of  such  small  bulk  that  it  might  easily 
be  lost,  I  do  not  think  you  would  be  held  liable.  It  would  be 
wrong,  however,  to  put  any  article  sent  in  a  similar  way  in  the 
fire,  as  that  would  certainly  make  you  liable. 

{Several  Anfwersare  unavoidably  crowded  cuif  this  week.) 


fWtTARY  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


2i 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  dear  Dick, — Have  you  ever  seen  one  of  the 
"  final  returns  "  that  a  country  acting  manager  sends 
nightly  to  his  principal  in  town?  Well,  after  the 
statement  of  cash  taken  at  the  doors  there  invariably 
follows  a  brief  note  in  the  corner,  "  Weather,  fine, 
cold ;  rain  during  afternoon.  Opposition,  Chevalier  at 
music-hall  ;  circus ;  political  meeting  at  Corn  Ex- 
change." 

I  have  a  strong  impression  that  this  system  ought  to 
be  imported  into  dramatic  criticism. 

Critics  are  only  mortal  after  all.  They  do  not  always 
enjoy  perfect  health.  They  have  their  worries  like 
other  men,  and  consequently  they  are  not  always  in  the 
frame  of  mind  to  consider  leniently  the  imperfect  pro- 
duction of  an  unimportant  play.  Think  how  the  terrifi  j 
slating  of  some  trifle  would  be  explained  by  the  simple 
foot-note:  "Violent  indigestion,  heartburn.  Bad 
stall ;  talkative  neighbours.  Quarter  Day.  Youngest 
daughter  down  with  measles  !  " 

Think,  on  the  otht  r  hand,  of  the  new  light  shed  on 
the  genial  letting  down  of  a  fearsome  failure  by  the 
comments  :  "  Backed  three  winners  at  Sandown.  Dined 
with  the  Duke.  Excellent  stall,  next  Arthur  and  Lady 
Mabel !  " 

I  am  moved  to  these  considerations  by  the  fact  that 
on  Saturday  last  I  woke  up  with  ghastly  neuralgic 
headache.  Brandy  and  soda  would  not  better,  neither 
would  anti-pyrine  soothe  my  infinite  agony.  When  I 
got  to  Daly's  Theatre  in  the  evening  I  felt  like 
"  nothing,  on  a  stick."  I  had  to  clamber  across  half-a- 
dozen  people,  a  thing  I  loathe,  to  reach  my  seat,  so, 
candidly,  I  was  not  in  a  frame  of  mind  to  form  a 
favourable  opinion  of  An  Artist's  Model.  It  was  just 
the  sort  of  day  and  just  the  sort  of  evening  to  try  a 
man  with  a  headache  past  .all  endurance. 

So  far  as  I  could  gather,  the  audience  had  come  pre- 
pared to  be  pleased  with  everything.  They  cheered 
Sidney  Jones  when  he  entered  the  orchestra,  they  gave 
every  member  of  the  cast  a  splendid  reception,  and 
though  the  first  act  was  very  long,  they  evidently 
recognised  that  compression  was  an  easy  matter,  and 
they  waited  patiently  for  the  second  act. 

But  it  did  not  please  them.  Slowly — very  slowly  in- 
deed— but  surely  the  "comedy  with  music"  settled 
down  like  a  sinking  ship.  Boredom  was  followed  by 
irritation,  and  finally  when  the  end  came  a  very  large 
minority  expressed  their  disapproval.  One  remark  that 
came  from  the  pit  deserves  to  be  recorded.  While  some 
were  shouting  "Author!"  and  others  "No — no!"  a 
voice  exclaimed  "  No  !  It's  a  damn  shame  to  call  a  man 
on  to  be  hooted !  "  That  very  candid  pittite  put  the  author 
baiting  question  "  in  once,"  and  the  expression  of  his 
opinion  would  have  convinced  me,  had  I  needed  conviction, 
that  those  who  call  aimlessly  for  an  author  and  those 
who  hoot  him  are  never  the  same  people.  I  am  sure 
that  no  good  playgoer  would  ever  condescend  to  the  dis- 
honourable trick  of  calling  for  an  author  and  hooting 
him  when  he  obeyed  the  call.  An  author  after  all  is 
not  a  malefactor  engaged  in  the  perpetration  of  a  crime. 
When  he  writes  a  play  he  tries  to  please  the  public,  and 
the  public  know  it.  They  are  only  too  ready  to  be 
pleased,  and  to  applaud  his  successful  labours. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  entertainments 
like  An  Artist's  Model  appeal  to  a  class  that  does  not 
bother  itself  much  about  first  night  or  any  other  criticism. 
They  are  a  wealthy  class,  and  they  will  have  what  they 
want.  It  pays  a  manager  to  cater  for  them,  as  you  can 
readily  understand  when  you  recall  the  runs  of  Morocco 
Bound,  In  Town,  The  Gaiety  Girl,  and  Little  Christopher 
Columbus.  Shows  on  a  distinctly  higher  artistic  level, 
better  pieces  all  the  way  round,  plays  that  have  taken 
infinitely  more  pains  and  trouble  to  write,  have  often 


enough  failed  to  secure  half  as  much  popularity.  An 
average  first  night  audience  is  composed  so  largely  of 
those  who  are  experts  at  playgoing,  that  their  verdict  on 
such  pieces  as  those  I  have  named  is  not  an  absolutely 
final  pronouncement.  They  tell  you  truly  enough  what 
they  think  of  the  show,  just  as  they  tell  you  what  they 
think  of  Mrs.  Tanqueray  or  The  Masqueraders,  but  it 
strikes  me  that  they  sometimes  forget  that  the  people 
who  will  go  to  The  Gaiety  Girl  ten  or  a  dozen  times, 
would  not  go  to  Mrs.  Tanqueray  more  than  once.  You 
cannot  judge  every  play  from  one  fixed  standpoint. 
One  man's  meat  is  another  man's  poison  ;  and  before  you 
shout  out  "  No,  this  play  is  bad,"  you  might,  perhaps, 
sometimes  say  to  yourself,  "  I  know  I  think  it  bad,  but 
is  it  really  bad  when  judged  by  the  Morocco  Bound- 
In  Town  standard  1 "  No  useful  purpose  is  served  in 
protesting  that  a  thing  is  what  it  has  (jot  to  be  to  suit 
certain  tastes,  and  is  not  what  you,  individually,  want  it 
to  be. 

An  Artist's  Model,  I  admit,  bored  me  profoundly  ;  but, 
nevertheless,  it  contains  many  elements  of  success. 
Letty  Lind's  "  Tom-tit"  song  and  dance  were  delightful, 
and  as  street-boy  in  the  first  act  she  was  charming. 
Marie  Tempest  sang  exquisitely,  and  her  voice  has 
improved  a  good  deal  since  she  left  us.  Coffin  also  sang 
admirably,  and  Maurice  Farkoa  was  excellent.  Then 
there  were  the  choruses  of  artists  and  their  models,  the 
quaint  studio,  the  humours  of  Mr.  Blakeley  and  Mr. 
Robson,  winch  are  sure  to  work  up  later  on.  The  ball- 
room in  the  second  act,  with  the  majority  of  the  men 
dressed  as  Yeomanry  Hussars,  was,  of  course, 
unfortunately  like  the  big  Hussars'  ball  at  York,  in 
The  Derby  Winner,  which  it  did  not  in  any  way  surpass. 
In  fact,  the  Drury  Lane  scene  had  the  advantage  of 
being  on  a  much  more  complete  scale,  while  the 
sprinkling  of  red  uniforms  amongst  the  blue  heightened 
the  effect  of  the  stage  picture  and  gave  to  it  warmth 
and  relief.  The  best  thing  about  the  ballroom  at 
Daly's  was  unquestionably  the  ceiling. 

Plot  is  said  to  be  of  not  much  account  in  pieces  of  this 
class,  but,  personally,  I  put  plot  before  everything.  No 
matter  how  thin  and  simple  your  plot,  a  clear,  definite 
plot  atones  for  much.  The  plot  of  The  Gaiety  Girl  was 
as  plain  as  a  pikestaff.  What  the  plot  of  An  Artist's 
Model  is  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  How  or  why  any- 
body in  the  play  did  anything  I  have  not  the  faintest 
idea.  But,  perhaps,  that  was  the  fault,  not  of  the 
author,  but  of  my  headache,  and  as  I  have  got  a  section 
of  that  headache  with  me  still  I  shall  say  no  more. 

Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 


Chinese  customs  are  the  exact  opposite  of  ours.  We 
shake  hands  with  our  friends ;  they  wag  their  own 
clenched  fists.  English  women  cover  their  heads  when 
they  go  out;  Chinese  women  keep  theirs  uncovered.  An 
Englishman  takes  off  his  hat  to  salute  people  ;  a.  China- 
man keeps  his  on.  An  Englishman  keeps  his  hair  short  ; 
a  Chinaman  artificially  lengthens  his  long  plait.  (The 
long  plait  and  shaven  forehead  were  imposed  on  the 
nation  two  hundred  years  ago  by  the  Manchu  conqueror.) 
We  read  our  books  from  left  to>  right ;  the  Chinese  from 
right  to  left.  We  write  our  names  on  the  back  of  our 
books;  they  write  them  on  the  ends.  In  riding,  we  hold 
the  bridle  in  the  left  hand  ;  they  hold  it  in  the  right.  We 
ignore  advancing  years,  but  the  Chinese  glory  in  them. 
It  is  considered  polite  to  assure  your  guest  that  from 
his  or  her  appearance  you  would  have  supposed  him  or 
her  to  be  much  older  than  the  age  stated.  We  should 
not  ask  anyone  how  old  he  or  she  is,  but  it  is  a  polite 
Chinaman's  first  question.  In  mourning,  white  takes 
the  place  of  black.  An  Englishman  takes  his  dog  out 
with  him  ;  a  Chinaman  carries  his  caged  singing  bird.  A 
Chinese  bride  and  bridegroom  wait  upon  their  guests  ; 
and,  last  of  all,  the  needle  in  a  Chinese  compass  points 
to  the  south. 


22 


TO-DAY. 


FitlutJARY  9,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 

An  American  reader  sends  mo  a  letter  with  the  ex- 
pressive heading,  "  How  to  be  decent — though  English." 
The  plaint  is  called  forth  by  the  critical — too  critical— 
opinions  on  American  men  and  matters  of  well-known 
English  folk  after  they  have  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of 
the  country.  "  Possibly,"  Ire  says,  "  we  are  a  crude  and 
illiterate  people,  lacking  all  the  finer  requirements  of 
civilised  life.  Some  of  us  wear  low-cut  collars  and 
splay  footed  trousers],  instead  of  the  present  correct 
thing  in  Bond  Street ;  some  prefer  pie  with  their  break- 
fast, instead  of  marmalade  and  cold  muffins."  But 
the  writer  thanks  God  that  he  has  never  found  a  native 
vulgarian  to  rise,  as  Lady  Henry  Somerset  did  at  a 
banquet,  and  attack  William  Waldorf  Astor,  when,  as 
she  must  have  known,  he  was  at  that  moment  in  mid- 
ocean,  travelling  to  the  open  grave  of  his  wife. 


This  seems  a  little  hard  on  an  average  Englishman 
or  woman,  who  now  finds  for  the  first  time  that  her 
ladyship's  opinion  is  to  be  taken  as  representative  of 
British  thought.  It  would  further  console  my  correspon- 
dent if  he  could  get  a  collected  edition  of  Lady  Henry 
Somerset's  opinions  on  her  own  country.  If  he  had 
no  sense  of  humour,  such  a  book  would  be  a  liberal  educa- 
tion about  England  and  the  English.  Again,  he  thinks  it 
indecent  that  Mr.  John  Burns,  after  a  week  at  Chicago, 
and  with  only  such  knowledge  of  things  as  could  be  de- 
rivedfrom  attending  labour  meetings, should  describe  that 
great  city  as  "a  pocket  edition  of  hell,"  and  afterwards 
amend  it  to  "  liell  is  a  pocket  edition  of  Chicago."  Surely 
the  writer  must  have  failed  to  go  and  hear  Mr.  Burns. 


I  iiavk  heard  him  speak  many  times,  and  just 
one  such  remark  as  this  is  inevitable.  Once  he 
gets  hold  of  it  he  never  leaves  it.  It  doesn't  matter 
whether  it  is  apropos  of  anything,  but  once  he 
strikes  the  idea,  he  repeats  it,  pauses  over  it,  polishes 
it  up  a  few  minutes  later,  and  improves  on  it,  and  next 
day  his  speech  is  remembered  for  "  the  gilded  popinjay," 
"the  dynamite  parcel  post,"  "  George  Edwardes'  box  of 
cigars,"  or  "the  pocket  edition  of  etc."  Certainly  Mr. 
Burns,  asaguest,  showed  questionable  discretion  in  making 
such  a  remark.  It  is  not  original,  and  has  been  used  in 
regard  to  many  tilings  and  places,  but  I  could  quite  under 
stand  the  member  for  Battersea  rising  indignantly  if 
an  American  artist,  speaking,  of  course,  from  an  artistic 
romt  of  vie-v.  described  Battersea.  as  "it,  three-volume 
edition  of  etc." 


The  writer  of  the  letter  throughout  makes  out  his 
case  in  such  pleasant  and  well-chosen  language  that  I  take 
it  that  he  is  a  man  of  education,  and,  as  such,  not  in  the 
habit  of  reading  American  "  society  "  prints.  Otherwise 
lie  would  blush  at  his  temerity.  Specimens  of  these 
precious  journals  frequently  pass  through  my  hands,  and 
for  wilful  and  disgusting  attacks  on  the  English  aristo- 
cracy and  stage-folk,  I  have  never  seen  anything  to 
approach  them.  Nor  can  I  call  to  mind  any  note- 
worthy instance  of  any  prominent  American  returning 
our  hospitality  with  many  flattering  remarks.  Mr. 
Bayard  certainly  did,  but  the  whole  of  America  seemed 
to  rise  as  one  man  to  smite  him.  The  late  Ward 
M'Allister,  who  led  New  York  society,  was  well  treated 
here,  and  went  back  and  said  our  clubs  were  shabby,  our 
manners  boorish,  our  theatres  despicable,  and — un- 
kindest  cut  of  all — that  we  had  no  knowledge  of  how  to 
dress.  No  doubt  there  is  room  for  a  good  deal  of  inter- 
national courtesy,  but  we  should  miss  a  lot  of  quiet  fun. 

This  fine  old  English  winter — so  bracing  to  read  about, 
so  dirty  and  unpoetic  to  deal  with — has  brought  back  to 
popularity  our  old  friend  the  golosh.  Their  conspicuous 
presence  in  the  wardrobe  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Spalding 
made  people  blush  to  own  them  ;  but  during  the  last  few 


days  people  don't  seem  to  mind  anything  so  long  as  they 
are  warm.  They  are  made  invariably  now  without  heels, 
and  are  held  in  place  by  a  strap  behind  and  another  over 
the  instep.  But  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  inclina- 
tion to  make  them  less  ugly  than  of  old,  for  they  are  as 
broad  and  flabby  as  ever.  There  is  no  doubt  as  to  their 
usefulness,  and,  seeing  what  is  done  with  indiarubber 
nowadays,  I  cannot  see  why,  when  worn  with  a  pair  of 
spats,  anyone  should  be  able  to  notice  their  presence 
at  ail. 


Another  fact  that  the  cole,  lias  emphasised  is  the  popu- 
larity of  the  full-lengthed  ulster,  which  seems  to  have 
(piite  swept  the  Inverness  out  of  the  field.  Although 
the  weight  of  these  coats  has  to  be  taken  into  consi- 
deration, they  possess  one  advantage  over  fur,  inasmuch 
as  they  can  be  worn  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night, 
while  there  are  so  many  places  where  a  fur  coat  seems 
out  of  place.  Many  men  are  meanwhile  going  in  for 
the  Canadian  fur  caps.  In  their  full  glory,  when  they 
are  drawn  over  the  ears,  they  certainly  have  a  quaint 
appearance  to  the  insular  eye,  but  when  it  comes  to  a 
hat  for  skating,  they  have  no  rival. 

Speaking  of  skating,  I  was  told  by  a  large  dealer  the 
other  day  that  these  spasmodic  winters  do  not  influence 
the  sale  of  skates  in  the  way  that  might  be  expected. 
People  have  got  tired  of  taking  the  risk  of  a  purchase, 
and  prefer,  if  they  cannot  borrow  a  pair,  to  go  to  the 
pond  on  the  off  chance  of  being  able  to  hire.  One  man, 
he  told  me,  had  from  time  to  time  invested  in  at  least 
a  dozen  pairs,  and  the  thaw  had  set  in  forthwith,  and  he 
had  sold  each  pair  at  a  loss.  If  you  want  to  really 
enjoy  skating,  the  best  way  is  to  get  a  pair  of  boots 
with  skates  permanently  fixed.  They  give  you  confi- 
dence, and  that  grip  of  the  ice  that  every  skater  appre- 
ciates. The  market  nowadays  is  flooded  with  cheap 
imitations  on  the  "Acme"  principle.  The  metal  is  bad, 
and  the  fastenings  weak.  On  the  pond  in  Regent's 
Park  the  other  day,  there  seemed  to  me  to  be  about  as 
many  of  these  skates  running  about  on  their  own  ac- 
count as  there  were  skaters.  My  advice  to  a  skater  is 
that  if  he  cannot  afford  a  really  good  pair  of  patent 
fastening  skates,  to  stick  to  the  old-fashioned  wooden 
ones.  They  are,  at  least,  serviceable  and  moderate  in 
price. 

To  those  who  are  sufficiently  fond  of  skating  to  go 
far  afield  to  get  it,  the  telegrams  received  by  the  Asso- 
ciation for  the  Promotion  of  Home  and  Foreign  Travel 
will  be  interesting.  Their  representative  at  Amsterdam 
has  wired: — "Ice  very  good  here;  everyone,  young 
and  old,  is  skating.  There  were  3,000  people  at  the 
Amsterdam  Ice  Club.  Ice  on  Zuider  Zee  in  good  con- 
dition. Ice  splendid  on  canals ;  fancy  fair.  Amster- 
dam, skating  to-  Marken.  Ice  splendid;  party  simply 
enthusiastic ;  glorious  sport."  The  Association's 
"Through  Holland  on  Skates'*  parties  are  wonderfully 
popular'    There  is  one,  by  the  way,  on  the  Cth  inst. 

A  whiter  in  a  contemporary,  dealing  with  men'* 
clothes,  says  that  the  pyjama  is  completely  ousting:  the 
night  shirt.  I  mentioned  this  a  long  time  ago.  but  I 
seem  to  have  overlooked  the  principal  reason.  He  says 
that  they  give  anyone  such  an  air  of  yaminerie  / 

It  is  not  true,  as  stated  in  several  papers,  that  the 
Welcome  Club  has  1  >een  removed  to  Olvmpia.  The  old 
committee  has  started  another  Welcome  Club  at  Olvmpia, 
but  the  old  club  remains  at  Earl's  Court,  with  a  stronger 
and  more  influential  committee  than  ever. 


Here  is  a  point  for  the  consideration  of  my  friends  on 
the  N.C.U.  Some  time  ago  a  new  pneumatic 
tyre  was  invented.  Certain  advantages  were  claimed 
for  it  over  all  other  tyres,  and  a  friend,  who  is  an 
expert  in  these  matters,  assures  me  that  the  claim  is 
justified.      The  London  ^gent  approached  a  popular 


February  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


23 


amateur — one  whose  licence  is  granted  without  a  ques- 
tion by  the  Union.  He  was  asked  to  establish  a  record 
on  it.  He  replied  after  examining  it,  "  I  can  do  that 
easily."  "What  price  .do  you  want  1"  said  the  agent, 
"Will  £500  do?"  The  amateur  laughed.  "Nearer 
£1,000  !  "  he  replied. 


So  the  negotiations  were  broken  off,  and  the  tyre  is 
practically  unheard  of.  Personally  I  don't  care  a 
button  as  to  how  an  amateur  increases  his  income.  But 
I  do  object  to  the  persecution  of  men  who  openly  admit 
that  they  are  earning  their  livelihood  by  their  connec- 
tion with  a  cycle  manufacturer,  and  the  easy  way  in 
which  the  "  rats  "  of  amateurism  flourish  and  thrive. 
The  cost  to  the  public  is  enormous.  The  agent  in  ques- 
tion assured  me  that  he  could  easily  sell  his  tyres  at 
£12,  but  that  the  moment  some  record  is  established 
on  them,  through  this  bribery,  he  will  put  them  on 
the  market  at  £17  and  £20.  Another  thing  he  as- 
sured me  of  was  that  representatives  of  the  cycling 
journals  accept  a  present  of  a  machine  in  exchange 
for  a  "  good  notice,"  and  let  the  more  straightforward 
dealers  take  their  chance.  There  is  something  that 
should  be  inquired  into  somewhere,  but  I  am  afraid  that 
the  Union  are  not  the  people  to  undertake  it. 


Solo  whist  players  should  make  a  point  of  adhering 
to  one  uniform  system  of  leads,  more  especially  original 
leads.  The  advantages  held  by  two  partners  who  play 
ill  accordance  with  the  established  methods,  against 
adversaries  who  do-  not,  are  very  considerable.  liy  the 
card  originally  led  in  a  certain  suit,  a  player  tells  his 
partner  what  he  approximately  holds  in  that  suit.  If 
the  opponents  are  unfamiliar  with  this  code,  they  are  at 
a  double  disadvantage,  for  not  only  are  they  unable  to 
understand  the  information  openly  conveyed  from  one 
adversary  to  another,  but  they  are  debarred  the  adoption 
of  similar  tactics  on  their  own  side.  When  two  good  and 
two  poor  players  form  a  table,  it  is  interesting  to  note 
how  the  experts  adapt  their  play  to  the  changing  partner- 
ships. When  they  are  together,  they  scrupulously  con- 
form to  the  prescribed  leads  of  regular  whist ;  but  when 
they  are  in  opposition  they  abandon  these  methods  for 
tactics  which,  while  they  are  not  likely  to  mislead  an  in- 
different partner,  convey  as  little  information  as  possible 
to  a  skilful  opponent. 


Original  leads  by  a  proposer  and  acceptor,  and,  with 
one  or  two  exceptions,  by  their  opponents,  should  be 
those  of  whist.    Against  a  solo  or  abundance,  the  neces- 


EMPIRE  OF  INDIA  EXHIBITION,  1895. 

EARL'S  COURT,  LONDON,  S.W., 
OPENS       I  1ST  ^  . 

THE   OLD  WELCOME  CLUB. 


COMMITTEE. 

The  £arl  of  Warwick  and  Brooke. 
The  Earl  of  Dundonald,  Commanding  2nd  Life  Guards. 
General  Lord  Roberts,  of  Candahar,  G.C.B.,  V.C. 
Lord  Burton. 

Captain  The  Hon.  Alwyhe  H.  Fulke  Greville. 

The  Hon.  W.  F.  B.  Massey  Mainwaring. 

Sir  Edward  Lawson,  Bait. 

Sir  Frederick  Seager  Hunt,  Bart. ,  M.  P. 

Sir  Henry  Calcraft,  K.C.B. 

Sir  Eyre  Massey  Shaw,  K.C.B. 

Major-General  Sir  Owen  Tudor  Burne,  K.C.S.I.,  CLE.,  Mem- 
ber of  Council  for  India. 
Sir  Henry  Bergne,  K.C.M.G. 

Sir  Thomas  Sutherland,  K.C.M.G.,  M.P.,  Chairman  of  the 

P.  and  O.  Company. 
Sir  Charles  Malcolm  Kennedy,  K.C.M.G.,  C.B. 
Sir  George  C.  M.  Birdwood,  K.C.I.  E. 
Sir  Edwin  Arnold,  K.C.I.E.,  C.S.I. 
Sir  Allen  Young,  C.B. 
Sir  Arthur  Sullivan,  Mna.  Doc. 
Sir  John  Blundell  Maple,  M.P. 
Sir  James  D.  Linton,  P.R.I. 
R.  D.  Awdry,  Esq.,  C.B. 
A.  J.  R.  Trendell,  Esq.,  C.M.G. 
Walter  H.  Harris,  Esq.,  C.M.G. 
M.  M.  Bhownaggree,  Esq.,  O.I.E. 
C.  Purdon  Clarke,  Esq.,  CLE. 
Rear-Admiral  Albert  Hastings  Markham. 
Colonel  F.  H.  Rich,  R.  E. 
Edward  Carson,  Esq.,  Q.C.,  M.P. 
W.  Ellison  Macartney,  Esq.,  M.P. 
Major  L.  H.  Isaacs. 
Frederick  A.  Philbrick,  Esq.,  Q.C 
Frank  Travers  Birdwood,  Esq. 
Dr.  J.  Irvine  Menzies. 
James  N.  Paxman,  Esq. 
Paul  Cremieu-Javal,  Esq.,  A.C.A. 

This  Club  will  be  continued  as  heretofore  in  the  old  club-house, 
much  improved,  the  adjacent  lawn  being  retained  and  enlarged. 
Members  of  the  club  in  previous  years  desirous  of  continuing 
their  membership,  and  gentlemen  of  social  position,  members  of 
well-known  London  or  country  clubs,  wishing  to  join,  should 
communicate  with  W.  A.  Baskcomb,  Esq.,  the  Secretary,  of  the 
Old  Welcome  Club,  Exhibition  Buildings,  Earl's  Court,  S.W. 
Subscription  three  guineas,  including  season  ticket  to  the 
Exhibition. 


Type- writers,  Second-hand,  thoroughly  perfect,  at  half 
makers' prices.  Machines  lent  on  hire,  also  bought  or  exchanged. 
Documents  type-written. — N.  Taylor,  Manager,  National  Type- 
writer Exchange,  74,  Chancery  Lane,  London.  Telephone  No. 
C690. 

TAKLIS  I    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS   IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
°  ' GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  EE  QUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Gresse  Street,  London,  W- 

BINGHAM  and  CO,, 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


henhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  <md  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


•  STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS.  ' 


clrgant  pamphlet,  post  fr.'c  on  application  to 


H 


WSVs.  STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 

'  IGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 

MRS.  GKABTJEN  13,  Bonchurch-road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Specialite— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  '2J  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.   Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 

T-T  ELP  THE~POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 

-**  sending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  F.  Haslock,  who 
sells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  arc  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  (7000  in  number)  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  Grays,  Essex.  All  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
gender  are  inside.    Nothing  is  too  much  norn  or  dilapidated. 


24 


TO-DAY. 


FkbrCarY  9,  1895. 


sity  for  the  variation  of  a  hard-and-fast  rule  is  more 
frequent ;  but  when  that  necessity  is  not  obvious,  the 
conventional  system  should  be  adhered  to.  It  is  ]  erhaps 
.superfluous  to  mention  that  the  leads  of  a  solo  or  abun- 
dance caller  have  no  such  significance,  for,  as  a  rule,  his 
purpose  is  to  conceal  the  character  of  his  hand ;  and  a 
misere  has  an  entirely  distinct  system  of  leads,  of  which 
more  anon. 


-dia- 
2— 


The  suicidal  policy  of  a  caller  finessing  for  overtricks 
in  solo  whist,  before  he  has  assured  the.  call  itself,  I  again 
saw  exemplified  the  other  evening.  The  8  of  diamonds  was 
turned  up.  First  hand  proposed,  second  and  third 
hands  passed,  and  the  dealer  called  solo.  The  following 
were  the  hands  :  — 

First:  Jack,  10,  9,  7,  6 — diamonds;  King,  Queen, 
9,  8,  4 — spades;  9 — clubs;  10,  4 — hearts. 

Second:  2,  3 — diamonds;  King,  Queen,  Jack,  10,  5 — • 
clubs ;  King,  Queen,  8,  7,  3— hearts  ;  6 — spades. 

Third:  Ace,  8,  7,  6,  3— clubs;  Ace,  Jack,  9,  6— 
hearts;  10,  7,  3,  2— spades. 

Fourth  (caller) :   Ace,  King,  Queen,  8,  5,  4— 
monds ;  Ace,  Jack,  5— spades ;   4,   2 — clubs ;  5, 
hearts. 

First  hand  led  the  King  of  spades,  second  and  third 
followed  with  (5  and  deuce  respectively,  and  the  caller, 
thinking  to  make  two  tricks  with  Ace  and  Jack  if  first 
hand  continued  with  the  suit,  played  the  five  under  the 
trick.  First  hand  when  on  with  the  4  of  spades  ;  second 
hand,  having  no  more  spades,  trumped  with  the  deuce, 
and  led  Jack  of  clubs.  His  play  here  was  correct,  the 
trumps  being  his  only  chance  of  injuring  the  caller  if 
he  were  finessing,  for  if  third  hand  held  the  ace — first 
hand  obviously  led  from  King,  Queen — the  caller  would 
not  be  likely  to  hold  any  tricks  in  the  suit,  nor  could 
seeand  hand  overtrump  him  with  deuce  and  tray  of 
trumps  only.  Third  hand  takes  the  trick  with  the  Ace 
of  clubs,  and  returns  a  spade,  and  second  hand,  trump- 
ing the  caller's  Ace  of  spades,  goes  on  with  clubs,  and 
the  caller,  making  only  four  out  of  his  six  trumps,  loses 
Ids  solo,  which  he  could  not  possibly  have  done  had  he 
taken  the  first  trick  and  drawn  three  rounds  of  trumps. 
The  stakes  on  this  occasion  being  two  shillings  each  for 
solos,  and  threepence  each  for  overtricks,  the  caller  paid 
out  six-and-ninepence,  instead  of  receiving  six  shillings  ; 
so  that  he  really  risked  and  lost  twelve  shillings  and. 
ninepence  in  an  attempt  to  win  ninepence ! 


In  solving  solutions  of  last  week's  misere  problem,  I 
must  ask  competitors  to  simplify  their  papers  as  much 
as  possible.  The  best  plan  is  to  locate  the  players  as 
A,  B,  C,  and  D ;  A  being  the  first  player,  B  the  second, 
C  the  third,  and  D  the  dealer.  The  turn-up  card  and 
the  calls  should  then  be  specified,  and  each  hand  given 
in  full.  The  play  must  then  be  detailed,  each  round 
being  initialled  by  the  player  who  leads,  and  an  explana- 
tion of  motives  interpolated  where  the  play  varies  from 
the  usual  routine. 


What  I  expected  has  happened.  Dawson,  evidently 
under  the  impression  that,  whereas  he  has  improved, 
Roberts  has  deteriorated,  has  challenged  the  champion, 
and  has  announced  his  willingness  to  accept  8,000  start 
in  24,000.  This  is  1,000  points  less  than  Roberts  has  been 
conceding  his  opponents  for  many  years,  and  I  am  of 
the  opinion  that  Dawson  will  have  cause  to  regret  his 
boldness. 


If  it  it  true  that  Mrs.  Langtry  is  severing  her  con- 
nection with  the  Turf,  the  number  of  lady  owners  will 
be  reduced  to  three.  Mrs.  Lapiclus  confines  her  atten- 
tion to  racing  under  N.H.  rules,  but  Miss  Isabella 
Graham  and  Miss  P.  Betts  generally  manage  to  win  a 
race  or  two  during  the  legitimate  season. 


with  the  late  Mr.  Abington  presenting  her  with  Milford, 
it  was  anticipated  that  the  name  of  "  Mr.  Jersey"  would 
at  the  end  of  the  season  appear  high  up  in  the  list  of 
winning  owners ;  but  unfortunately  Milford  turned  out 
a  rogue,  and  several  other  animals  purchased  by  Mrs. 
Langtry  also  failed  to  realise  their  owner's  expectations. 
Mrs.  Langtry's  winnings  on  the  Turf  are: — 1892, 
£7,818;  1893,  £2,332;  1894,  £1,372. 


There  is  just  a  chance — though  a  poor  one,  I  admit — 
of  the  final  for  the  English  Cup  being  played  in  London 
this  year ;  but  I  do  not  think  it  will  be  at  the  Oval.  San; 
Apsted,  I  know,  does  not  wish  the  turf  to  be  injured 
so  late  in  the  season,  as  it  has  not  time  to  recover  before 
cricket  commences.  Richmond  and  Plumstead  are  two 
suggested  grounds ;  but  neither  would  draw  a  gate  like 
the  Oval. 


In  view  of  the  state  of  the  ground  at  Dublin,  on  wdiich 
England  met  Ireland  in  the  Rugby  International, 
criticism  goes  for  little.  Handling  the  ball  was  simply 
impossible ;  but,  on  the  whole,  the  better  team  won, 
January  and  February  are  the  worst  months  of  the  year 
from  a  climatic  point  of  view,  and  it  would  be  an 
improvement  if  the  Internationals  wore  brought  off  in 
March. 


With  such  a  formidable  rival  in  public  favour  as  the 
English  Cup,  the  Amateur  Trophy  is  not  coming  in  for 
much  notice.  Several  of  the  ties  had  to  be  postponed 
on  account  of  the  frost  and  snow  last  Saturday,  and  they 
will  be  played  to-day.  So  far,  the  only  clubs  which  have 
got  through  the  first  round  proper  are  Shrewsbury,  the 
Lancaster  Resriment,  and  Crewe  Alexandra. 


DON'T 
READ 
THIS! 


OR  it  is  an  advertisement 
that  tells  you  all  about 


St.  Jacobs 


Mrs.  Lancjtry's  colours  were  registered  in  1892,  and 


Which  cures  Rheumatism,  Neuralgia,  Gout, 
Sciatica,  Sprains,  Bruises,  Cramp,  Soreness, 
Bronchitis,  Sore  Throat,  Pains  in  the  Head, 
Pains  in  the  Chest  from  a  Cold  or  Cough, 
Pains  in  the  Back,  Weak  Back,  Pains  in  the 
Arms  and  Legs,  Pains  in  the  Feet,  Chilblains, 
Corns,  Muscular  Soreness,  and  al!  Bodily 
Aches  and  Pains.  It  penetrates  to  the  very 
seat  of  the  disease  and  removes  the  cause  of 
pain.  It  is  safe  and  sure.  Price  i/i£  and 
2/6.    Obtainable  wherever  medicine  is  sold. 


Acts  Like  Magic! 

ONQUERS 
INST  PAIN  ! 


February  9,  1S9.5. 


TO-DAY. 


25 


The  action  taken  by  the  Anti-Gamblers  in  America 
iias  disgusted  many  of  the  leading  owners  there,  and 
American  racehorses  in  England  during  the  summer 
will  be  plentiful.  The  Americans  have  on  previous 
occasions  proved  that  their  horses  are  up  to  the  standard 
of  the  English  thoroughbred,  and  a  glance  at  the  spring 
handicaps  will  show  that  Major  Egerton  holds  the  con- 
tingent forwarded  by  Messrs.  Croker  and  Dwyer  in  very 
high  esteem. 


Without  a  doubt  the  most  successful  American  in- 
vasion was  the  one  made  in  1881.  In  that  year  Iroquois, 
after  running  unplaced  in  the  Two  Thousand  Guineas, 
won  by  Peregrine,  carried  off  the  Derby,  Prince  of 
Wales's  Stakes,  Newmarket  Derby,  and  Doncaster  St. 
Leger.  Iroquois  was  trained  by  Jacob  Pincus,  and 
in  most  of  his  races  was  ridden  by  Fred  Archer.  Iroquois 
as  a  two-year-old  won  £16,805. 


Not  only  did  Iroquois  carry  off  two  of  our  chief  classic 
events  in  1881,  but  Foxhall  accounted  for  two  of  the 
principal  handicaps  of  the  year — viz.,  the  Cesarewitch 
and  Cambridgeshire.  He  was  then  a  three-year-old,  and 
in  the  Cesarewitch  won  under  7st.  121b.,  defeating 
eighteen  others.  His  burden  in  the  Cambridgeshire 
was  9st.  I  may  mention  that  only  two  other  horses 
have  equalled  Foxhall's  performance,  these  being  Rose- 
bery  and  the  French  mare,  Plaisanterie. 


Mr.  Keexe,  the  owner  of  Foxhall,  did  not  confina  his 
attention  solely  to  English  races,  but  sent  Foxhall  across 
to  France,  and  there  the  horse  won  the  Grand  Prize  of 
Paris.  Altogether  Foxhall  won  £10,870,  so  the 
American  brigade  returned  home  well  pleased  with  their 
campaign. 


Everyone  appears  to  be  satisfied  with  the  weight  Mr. 
R.  Mainwaring  has  apportioned  Cloister,  and  if  Mr. 


Duff  only  gives  Escott  orders  to  prepare  the  champion 
chaser  for  the  Grand  National,  backers  will  not  be  long- 
in  making  the  horse  a  firm  favourite.  Mr.  Duff  himself 
will  be  sure  to  back  his  horse  if  all  goes  well.  And 
what  is  to  beat  Cloister?  No  one  seems  to  care  to 
oppose  him,  although  I  hear  that  those  connected  with 
Fanatic  are  hopeful  of  overthrowing  the  crack.  Fanatic 
belongs  to  the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  a  staunch  patron  of 
racing  under  both  rules. 


The  attention  of  the  Football  Association  will  rightly 
be  directed  to  the  action  of  Notts  Forest,  who  have  re- 
fused the  transfer  under  League  rules  of  Mr.  Forman, 
an  amateur  player,  who  was  foolish  enough  to  sign  a 
League  form  and  help  the  Forest  in  their  matches. 
Mr.  Forman,  as  an  amateur,  is  entitled  to  play  for  what 
club  he  likes,  and  this  act  of  tyranny  is  not  to  be  tole- 
rated for  a  moment.  League  rules  must  not  be  allowed 
to  interfere  with  the  liberty  of  the  subject,  or  to  over- 
ride the  rules  of  the  English  Association. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
W.  H.  King. — They  were  printers'  errors,  and,  luckily,  did 
not  affect  the  scheme  of  the  game.    Thank  you  for  pointing 
them  out. 

S.  D. — If  A  proposes  and  B,  C,  and  D  pass,  A  is  at  liberty  to 
declare  solo,  or  any  higher  call  he  may  choose. 

Bare  Kino. — (1.)  If  your  solo  is  overcalled  by  a  misere  you 
can  amend  it  to  an  abundance  or  any  higher  call,  and  the 
same  applies  to  an  overcalled  proposal,  or  even  an  acceptance. 
(2.)  It  was  only  a  twelve  trick  abundance,  and  you  should 
not  have  called  an  abundance  declaree,  in  which  latter,  by  the 
way,  there  are  no  trumps,  all  suits  being  equal,  and  the  caller 
leads* out,  no  matter  where  he  sits. 

Oliver  Halford. — You  are  right,  it  is  unusual  to  see  the 
proposer  and  acceptor  not  make  a  single  trick ;  but  your 
partner's  was  scarcely  a  first  hand  proposal,  and  yours  was 
a  veiy  weak  acceptance.  It  is,  however,  an  interesting  illus- 
tration of  the  possibilities  of  the  game,  and  I  may  refer  to  it 
in  detail  later  on. 

The  Major. 


MARIE  CORELLI  AND  HER  CRITICS. 

Readers  of  the  Idler  are  already  familiar  with  Miss 
Corelli's  outspoken  views  on  critics  and  literature 
generally  through  her  contribution  to  the  "  My  First 
Book"  series.  In  the  February  number  she  further 
relieves  herself  on  the  subject  in  connection  with  her 
latest  work,  "  Barabbas  "  :  — 

"  When   '  Barabbas '   was   first  issued  by  Messrs. 
Methuen  in  the  library  form  of  three  volumes   it  had 
to  contend  against,  the  then  fashionable  'rage'  for  Mr. 
Benson's  '  Dodo.'    During  a  short  period  of  time  it 
seemed  that  the  world-famous  subject  of  Christ's  life  and 
death,  which  inspired  Raffaelle's  brush  and  Milton's  pen, 
had  no  chance  whatever  against  the  cleverly-conceived 
sketch  of  a  heartless  society  woman,  for  whom,  according 
to  the  story,  there  existed  neither  truth  nor  honour.  I 
was  not  discouraged  by  this  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  watched 
the  '  run '  of  '  Dodo '  with  interest.    Brilliant  as  it  was  in 
many  respects,  I  realised  that  it  was  a  '  firework '  novel 
merely,  dealing  with  purely  ephemeral  phases  of  cha- 
racter ;  and  that,  as  snch,  it  would  in  due  course  be  com- 
pelled, by  the  unwritten  but  exact  laws  of  Art,  to  take  its 
place  with  other  similar  ephemera.     That  I  was  right  in 
this  opinion  is  now  proved.    The  critical  faculty  wrote 
strongly  both  for  and  against  '  Dodo,'  thus  giving  it  the 
benefit  of  a  divided  verdict ;  but  they  were  well-nigh 
unanimous  in  falling  upon  '  Barabbas '  with  what  Mr. 
Coulson  Kernahan  described  to  me  when  speaking  of 
the  matter  as  '  brutal  bludgeoning.'    It  was  a  veritable 
'  Cry  havoc  and  let  slip  the  dogs  of  war ! '    The  Daily 
Chronicle  led  off  the  attack  with  an  article  which,  it  is 
not  too  much  to  say,  was  the  coarsest  and  worst-written 
piece  of  so-called  '  criticism '  it  ever  fell  to  my  lot  to 
read  in  any  paper,  daily  or  weekly.    The  '  reviewer ' 
appeared  literally  to  spit  and  splutter  venom.  He 
spared  no  pains  to  wilfully  misrepresent  my  book,  and 
give  the  public  a  deliberately  false  impression  of  its 
tendency  and  teaching,  csserting  that  I  had  '  vulgarised' 


and  '  degraded'  the  figure  of  Christ;  and  after  declaring 
that  'wherever  an  opportunity  can  be  made  or  found 
this  author's  pages  are  smeared  with  gore,'  which,  as  my 
multitude  of  readers  now  know,  was  maliciously  untrue, 
he  proceeded  to  accuse  me  of  '  blasphemy.'  This  indict- 
ment, though  in  itself  serious,  rather  diverted  me,  seeing 
that  it  was  brought  forward  in  the  Daily  Chronicle. 
For  that  estimable  journal  had,  not  so  long  previously, 
invited  and  encouraged  a  long  correspondence,  called 
'  Is  Christianity  a  Failure?'  the  very  title  of  which  is 
suggestive  of  irreverence,  to  say  nothing  of  the  letters 
published — letters  grossly  flippant  in  many  cases,  fre- 
quently blasphemous  and  openly  atheistical." 


THE  LUKE  OF  WELLINGTON  AS  EDWARD  III. 
"  I  received  a  letter  from  Lady  Mornington,"  writes 
Madame  de  Gontaut,  "  recommending  to  me  her  brother- 
in-law,  Arthur  Wellesley,  who  had  just  arrived  at  Chel- 
tenham from  India,  where  he  had  covered  himself  with 
glory.  He  knew  no  one,  she  said,  it  would  be  a  charity 
to  look  after  him.  I  was  only  too  delighted  to  gratify 
her  ;  he  was  brother  to  the  Wellesleys  whom  I  loved. 
My  companion.  Miss  Upton,  was  far  from  sharing  my 
enthusiasm.  She  was  bored  at  the  idea  of  entertaining 
a  '  man  whom  nobody  knew.'  Without  noticing  her,  I 
went  to  the  pump-room,  and  ran  down  the  list  of  ar- 
rivals. The  name  of  Wellesley  was  upon  it,  and  I  read 
it  aloud  to  my  companion.  A  stranger  beside  me  was 
reading  too.  He  laid  a  finger  on  a  name,  smiling,  and 
said,  '  Madame  de  Gontaut  1 '  Nothing  could  be  more 
piquant.  We  had  never  seen  each  other,  and  knew  one 
another  already.  We1  prepared  to  leave  the  pump-room. 
He  offered  me  his  arm,  which  I  accepted.  All  of  a 
sudden  my  garter  came  off,  and  fell  at  M.  Wellesley's 
feet.  I  blushed  crimson.  To  lose  my  garter-  in  broad 
sunshine,  in  full  view,  in  England  !  M.  Wellesley  picked 
it  up,  and  with  a  gracious  smile,  said,  '  Now  or  never  is 
the  time  to  say  "  Honi  soit  cpii  mal  y  pense.'"" 


26 


TO-DAY. 


February  9,  ISOo. 


THE    RED  COCKADE, 

BY 

STANLEY    J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
A  Meeting  in  the  Road. 
HE   unlooked-for  eloquence 
which  rang  in  the  black- 
smith's words,  and  the  re- 
assurance of  his  tone,  no 
less  than  this  startling  dis- 
closure of    thoughts  with 
which  I  had  never  dreamed 
of  crediting  him,   or  any 
other  peasant,  took  me  so 
aback  that  for  a  moment  I 
stood  silent.    Doury  seized 
the  occasion,  and  struck  in  : 
"You  see  now,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  he  said,  complacently, 
"  the  necessity  for  such  a  Committee.    The  King's  peace 
must  be  maintained." 

"  I  see,"  I  answered,  harshly,  "  that  there  are  violent 
men  abroad,  who  were  better  in  the  stocks.  Committee  1 
Let  the  King's  officers  keep  the  King's  peace!-  The 

proper  machinery  " 

"  It  is  shattered  !  " 

The  word?  were  Doury's.  The  next  moment  he 
quailed  at  his  presumption.  "  Then  let  it  be  repaired  !  " 
!  thundered.  "  Mon  dieu  !  that  a  set  of  tavern  cocks  and 
base-born  rascals  should  go  about  the  country  prating 
of  it,  and  prating  to  me !  Go,  I  will  have  nothing  to  do 
■with  you  or  your  Committee'.    Go,  I  say  !  " 

"  Nevertheless — a  little  patience,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  he 
persisted,  chagrin  on  his  pale  face: — "  nevertheless,  if 
airy  of  the  nobility  would  give  us  countenance,  you  most 
of  all  " 

"  There  would  then  be  someone  to  hang  instead  of 
Doury ! "  I  answered.  "  Some  one  behind  whom  he 
could  shield  himself,  and  lesser  villains  hide.  But  I  will 
not  be  the  stalking-horse." 

"  And  yet,  in  other  provinces,"  he  answered,  des- 
perately, his  disappointment  more  and  more  pronounced, 
"  M.  de  Liancourt  and  M.  de  Rochefoucauld  have  not 
■disdained  to — — " 

"  Nevertheless,  I  disdain  !  "  I  retorted.  "  And  more, 
I  tell  vou,  and  I  bid  you  remember  it,  you  will  have  to 
answer  f-r  the  work  you  are  doing.  I  have  told  you  it 
is  treason.  It  is  treason  ;  and  I  will  have  neither  act 
nor  part  in  it.    Now  go." 

"  There  will  be  burning,"  the  smith  muttered. 

"  Be<rone  !  "  I  said,  sternly.    "  If  you  do  not  " 

"  Before  the  morn  is  old  the  sky  will  be  red,"  he 
answered.    "  On  your  head,  Seigneur,  be  it !  " 

I  aimed  a  blow  at  him  with  my  cane,  but  he  avoided 
it  with  a  kind  of  dignity,  and  stalked  away,  Doury  fol- 
lowing him  with  a  pale,  hang-dog  face,  and  his  finery 
sitting  very  ill  upon  him.  I  stood  and  watched  them  go, 
and  then  I  turned  to  the  Cure  to  hear  what  he  had  to 
say. 

But  I  found  him  gone.  He,  too,  had  slipped  away  ; 
through  the  house,  to  intercept  them  at  the  gates, 
perhaps,  and  dissuade  them.  I  waited  for  him,  queru- 
lously tapping  the  walk  with  my  stick,  and  watching  the 


corn*"?  of  the  house.  Presently  he  came  round  it,  hold- 
ing his  hat  an  inch  or  two  above  his  head,  his  lean,  tall 
figure  almost  shadowless,  for  it  was  noon.  I  noticed 
that  his  lips  moved  as  he  came  towards  me ;  but,  when  I 
spoke,  he  looked  up  cheerfully. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  in  answer  to  my  question,  "I  went 
through  the  house,  and  stopped  them.  ' 

"  It  would  be  useless,"  I  said.  "  Men  so  mad  as  to 
think  that  they  could  replace  his  Majesty's  Government 
with  a  Committee  of  smiths  and  pastrycooks  " 

"  I  have  joined  it,"  he  answered,  smiling  faintly. 

"The  Committee?"  I  ejaculated,  breathless  with 
surprise. 

"  Even  so." 

"  Impossible ! " 

"Why?"  he  said,  quietly.  "Have  I  not  always  pre- 
dicted this  day?  Is  not  this  what  Rousseau,  with  his 
'  Social  Contract,'  and  Beaumarchais,  with  his  '  Figaro,' 
and  every  philosopher  who  ever  repeated  the  one,  and 
every  fine  lady  who  ever  applauded  the  other,  have  been 
teaching?  Well,  it  has  come,  and  I  have  advised  you, 
M.  le  Vicomte,  to  stand  by  your  order.  But  I,  a  poor 
man,  I  stand  by  mine  and  for  the  Committee  of  what 
seems  to  you,  my  friend,  impossible  people.  Is  not  any 
kind  of  government  "—this  more  warmly,  and  as  if  he 
were  arguing  with  himself — -"  better  than  none?  Under- 
stand, Monsieur,  the  old  machinery  has  broken  down. 
The  Intendant  has  fled.  The  people  defy  the  magis- 
trates The  soldiers  side  with  the  people.  The  uuis- 
siers  and  tax  collectors  are — the  Good  God  knavs 
where  !  " 

'"  Then,"  I  said,  indignantly,  "  it  is  time  for  the  gentry 

to  " 

"Take  the  lead  and  govern?"  he  rejoined.  "  L'  v 
whom?  A  handful  of  servants  and  game-keepers.' 
Against  the  people?  against  such  a  mob  as  you  saw  in 
the  square  at  Cahors  ?    Impossible,  Monsieur." 

"  But  the  world  seems  to  be  turning  upside  down," 
I  said,  helplessly. 

*'  The  greater  need  of  a  strong,  unchanging  hold'as" — 
not  of  the  world,"  he  answered,  reverently,  and  he  lifted 
his  hat  a  moment  from  his  head  and  stood  in  though: 
Then  he  continued,  "  However,  the  matter  is  this.  I 
hear  from  Doury  that  the  gentry  are  collecting  at 
Cahors,  with  some  view  of  combining,  as  you  suggest, 
and  checking  the  people.  Now,  it  must  be  useless,  and 
it  may  be  worse.  For  it  will  lead  to  the  very  excesses 
they  would  prevent." 

"In  Cahors?" 

"  No,  in  the  country.  Buton  did  not  speak  without 
warrant.  He  is  a  good  man,  but  lie  knows  some  who  are 
not.  And  there  are  lonely  chateaux  in  Quercy,  and 
dainty  women  who  have  never  known  the  touch  of  a 
rough  hand,  and — and  children." 

"  But,"  I  cried,  aghast,  "do  you  fear  a  Jacquerie?" 

"God  knows,"  he  answered,  solemnly.  "The 
fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  children's  teeth 
are  set  on  edge.  How  many  years  have  men  spent  at 
Versailles  the  peasant's  blood,  life,  bone,  flesh  !  To  pay 
back  at  last,  it  may  be,  of  their  own  !  But  God  forbid, 
Monsieur.    Yet,  if  ever — it  conies  now." 

*  *  *  *  *  . 

Wlien  he  was  gone  I  could  not  rest.  His  words  had 
raised  a  fever  in  me..  What  might  not  be  afoot,  what 
might  not  be  going  on,  while  I  lay  idle  ?  And,  presently, 
to  quench  my  thirst  for  news,  I  mounted,  and  rode  out 


Copyright,  1S05,  by  Stanley  J.  Wi  t/man. 


February  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


■on  the  way  to  Cahors.  The  day  was  hot,  and  the  time 
for  riding  ill-chosen  ■  but  the  exercise  did  me  good.  I 
began  to  recover  from  the  giddiness  of  thought  into 
which  the  Cure's  fears,  coming  on  the  top  of  Buton's 
warning,  had  thrown  me.  For  a  while  I  had  seen 
things  with  their  eyes  ;  I  had  allowed  myself  to  be 
carried  away  by  their  imagination;  and  the  prospect  of  a 
France  ruled  by  a  set  of  farriers  and  postillions  had  not 
seemed  so  bizarre  as  it  becan  to  Iook,  now  that  I  had 
time,  mounting  the  long  hill,  which  lies  one  league  from 
Saux  and  two  from  Cahors,  to  consider  it  calmly.  For 
the  moment,  the  wild  idea  of  a  whole  gentry  fleeing  like 
hares  before  their  peasantry  had  not  seemed  so  very 
wild. 

Now,  on  reflection,  beginning  to  see  things  in  their 
normal  sizes,  I  called  myself  a  simpleton.  A  Jacquerie  1 
Three  centuries  and  more  had  passed  since  France  had 
known  the  thing  in  the  dark  ages.  Could  any,  save  a 
child  alone  in  the  night,  or  a  romantic  maiden  solitary  in 
her  rock  castle,  dream  of  its  recurrence  ?  True,  as  I  skirted 
St.  Alais,  which  lies  a  little  aside  from  the  road,  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  I  had  seen  at  the  village- turning  a  sullen 
group  of  faces  that  should  have  been  at  that  hour  over 
the  hoe ;  a  group  gloomy,  discontented,  waiting — wait- 
ing, with  shock  heads  and  eyes  glittering  under  low 
brows,  for  God  knows  what.  But  I  had  seen  such  a 
gathering  before ;  in  bad  times,  when  seed  was  lacking, 
or  when  despair,  or  some  excessive  outrage  on  the  part 
of  the  fermier,  had  driven  the  peasants  to  fold  their 
hands  and  quit  the  fields.  And  always  it  had  ended  in 
nothing,  or  hanging  at  most.  Why  should  I  suppose 
that  anything  would  come  of  it  now,  or  that  a  spark  in 
Paris  must  kindle  a  fire  here  1 

In  fact,  I  as  good  as  made  up  my  mind  :  and  laughed 
at  my  simplicity.  The  Cure  had  let  his  predictions  fun 
away  with  him,  and  Buton's  ignorance  and  credulity  had 
done  the  rest.  What,  I  now  saw,  could  be  more  absurd 
than  to  suppose  that  France,  the  first,  the  most  st:;l>le, 
the  most  highly  civilised  of  States,  wherein  for  two  cen- 
turies none  had  resisted  the  royal  power  and  stood,  could 
become  in  a  moment  the  theatre  of  barbarous  excesses ! 
What  more  absurd  than  to  conceive  it  turned  into  the 
Petit  Trianon  of  a  gang  of  roturiers  and  canaille  ? 

At  this  point  in  my  thoughts  I  broke  off,  for  as  I 
reached  it,  a  coach  came  slowly  over  the  ridge  before  me 
and  began  to  descend.  For  a  space  it  hung  clear-cut 
against  the  sky,  the  burly  figure  of  the  coachman  and  the 
heads  of  the  two  lackeys  who  swung  behind  it  visible 
above  the  hood.  Then  it  began  to  drop  down  cautiously 
towards  me.  The  men  behind  sprang  down  and  locked 
the  wheels,  and  the  lumbering  vehicle  slid  and'  groaned 
downwards,  the  wheelers  pressing  back,  the  leading 
horses  tossing  their  heads  impatiently.  The  road  there 
descends  not  in  lacets,  but  straight,  for  nearly  half-a- 
mile  lxtween  poplars  ;  and  on  the  summer  air  the  scream- 
ing of  the  wheels  and  the  jingling  of  the  harness  came 
distinctly  to  the  ear. 

Presently  I  made  out  that  the  coach  was  Madame  St. 
Alais' ;  and  I  felt  inclined  to  turn  and'  avoid  it.  But 
the  next  moment  pride  came  to  my  aid,  and  I  shook  my 
reins  and  went  on  to  meet  it. 

T  had  scarcely  seen  a  person  except  Father  Benoit 
since  the  affair  at  Cahors,  and  my  cheek  flamed  at  the 
thought  of  the  rencontre  before  me.  For  the  same 
reason  the  coach  seemed  to  come  on  very  slowly,  but  at 
last  1  came  abreast  of  it,  passed  the  straining  horses,  and 


looked  into  the  carriage  with  my  hat  in  my  hand,  fear- 
ing that  I  might  see  Madame,  hoping  I  might  see  Louis, 
ready  with  a  formal  salute  at  least.  Politeness  required 
no  less. 

But  sitting  in  the  place  ol  honour,  instead  of  M.  le 
Marquis,  or  his  mother,  or  M.  le  Comte,  was  one  little 
figure  throned  in  the  middle  of  the  seat;  a  little  figure 
with  a  pale,  astonished  face  that  blushed  scarlet  at  sight 
of  me ;  with  eyes  that  opened  wide  with  fright,  and  lips 
that  trembled  piteously.    It  was  Mademoiselle  ! 

Had  I  known  a  moment  earlier  that  she  was  in  the 
carriage  and  alone,  I  should  have  passed  by  in  silence, 
as  was  doubtless  my  duty  after  what  had  happened1.  1 
was  the  last  person  who  should  have  intruded  on  her. 
But  the  men,  grinning,  I  dare  say,  at  the  encounter — ■ 
for  probably  Madame's  treatment  of  me  was  the  talk  of 
the  house — had  drawn  up  and  I  had  reined  up  instinc- 
tively ;  so  that  before  I  quite  understood  that  she  was 
a^ne,  save  for  two  maids  who  sat  with  their  backs  to  the 
horses,  we  were  gazing  at  one  another — like  two  fools  I 

"Mademoiselle!"  I  said. 

"  Monsieur  !"  she  answered  mechanically. 

Now,  when  I  had  said  that,  I  had  said  all  that  I  had  i 
right  to  say.    I  should  have  pone  on  with  that.  B 
ooniething  impelled  me  to  add — 

"Mademoiselle  is  going — to  St.  Alais?" 

Her  lips  moved,  but  I  heard  no  sound.  She  starer*  at 
me  like  one  under  a  spell.  The  elder  of  her  women, 
however,  answered  for  her,  and  said  briskly — 

"  Ah,  oui,  Monsieur.'' 

"Ana  Madame  de  St.  Alais?" 

"Madame  remains  at  Cahors,"  the  woman  answered 
in  the  same  tone,  "  with  M.  le  Marquis,  who  has  business." 

Then,  at  any  rate,  I  should  have  gone  on;  but  the 
girl  sat  looking  at  me,  silent  and  blushing ;  and  some- 
thing in  the  picture,  something  in  the  thought  of  her 
arriving  alone  and  unprotected  at  St.  Alais,  taken  with 
a  memory  of  the  lowering  faces  I  had  seen  in  the  village, 
impelled  me  to  stand  and  linger,  and  finally  to  blurt  out 
what  I  had  in  my  mind. 

"Mademoiselle,"  I  said  impetuously,  ignoring  her 
attendants,  "  if  you  will  take  my  advice — you  will  not. 
go  on." 

One  of  the  women  muttered  "Ma  foi!"  under  her 
breath.  The  other  said  ''Indeed?"  and  tossed  her  head 
impertinently.    But  Mademoiselle  found  her  voice. 

"  Why,  Monsieur?"  she  said  clearly  and  sweetly,  her 
eyes  wide  with  a  surprise  that  for  the  moment  over- 
came her  shyness. 

"  Because,"  I  answered  diffdently — I  repented  already 
that  I  had  spoken — "  the  state  of  the  country  is  such — 
I  mean  that  Madame  la  Marquise  scarcely  understands 
perhaps  that — that  " 

"What,  Monsieur?"  Mademoiselle  asked  primly. 

"That  at  St.  xVlais,"  I  stammered,  "there  is  a  good 
deal  of  discontent,  Mademoiselle,  and  " 

"At  St.  Alais?"  she  said. 

"  In  the  neighbourhood,  I  should  have  said,"  I  answered 
awkwardly.  "And — and  in  fine,"  I  continued,  very 
much  embarrassed,  "it  would  be  better,  in  my  poor 
opinion,  for  Mademoiselle  to  turn  and  " 

"  Accompany  Monsieur,  perhaps  ?  "  one  of  the  women 
said  ;  and  she  giggled  insolently. 

Mademoiselle  St.  Alais  flashed  a  look  at  the  offender, 
that  made  me  wink.  Then  with  her  cheeks  burning, 
she  said — 


28 


TO-DAY. 


February  9,  189.". 


IT  WAS  MADEMOIsHU.B  ! 


"Drive  on!" 

I  was  foolish.  "  But,  Mademoiselle,"  I  said,  "  a  thou- 
sand pardons,  but  " 

"  Drive  on  !"  she  repeated  ;  this  time  in  a  tone,  which, 
though  it  was  still  sweet  and  clear,  was  not  to  be  gain- 
said. The  maid  who  had  not  offended — the  other  looked 
no  little  scared — repeated  the  order,  the  coach  began 
to  move,  and  in  a  moment  I  was  left  in  the  road,  sitting 
on  my  horse  with  my  hat  in  my  hand,  and  looking 
foolishly  at  nothing. 

The  straight  road  running  down  between  lines  of 
poplars,  the  descending  coach,  lurching  and  jolting  as  it 
went,  the  faces  of  the  grinning  lackeys  as  they  looked 
hack  at  me  through  the  dust — I  well  remember  them 
now.  They  form  a  picture  strangely  vivid  and  distinct 
in  that  gallery  where  so  many  more  important  have  faded 
into  nothingness.    I  was  hot,  angry,  vexed  with  myself  ; 


conscious  that  I  had  trespassed  beyond  the  becoming, 
and  that  I  more  than  deserved  the  repulse  I  had  suffered. 
But  through  all  ran  a  thread  of  a  new  feeling — a  quite  new 
feeling.  Mademoiselle's  face  moved  before  my  eyes- 
showing  through  the  dust ;  her  eyes  full  of  dainty  sur- 
prise, or  disdain  as  delicate,  accompanied  me  as  I  rode. 
I  thought  of  her,  not  of  Buton  or  Doury,  the  Com- 
mittee or  the  Cure,  the  heat  or  the  dull  road.  I  ceased 
to  speculate  except  on  the  chances  of  a  peasant  rising. 
That,  that  alone  assumed  a  new  and  more  formidable 
aspect,  and  became  in  a  moment  imminent  and  pro- 
bable. The  sight  of  Mademoiselle's  childish  face  had 
given  a  reality  to  Buton's  warnings,  which  all  the  Cure's 
hints  had  tailed  to  impart  to  them. 

So  much  did  the  thought  now  harass  me,  that  to 
escape  it  I  shook  up  my  horse,  and  cantered  on,  Gil  and 
Andre  following,  and  wondering,  doubtless,  whv  I  did 


February  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


29 


not  turn.  But,  wholly  taken  up  with  the  horrid  visions 
which  the  blacksmith's  words  had  called  up,  I  took  no 
heed  of  time  until  I  awoke  to  find  myself  more  than 
half-way  on  the  road  to  Cahors,  which  lies  three  leagues 
and  a  mile  from  Saux.  Then  I  drew  rein  and  stood  in 
the  road,  in  a  fit  of  excitement  and  indecision. 
Within  the  half-hour  I  might  be  at  Madame  St.  Alais' 
door  in  Cahors,  and,  whatever  happened  then,  I  should 
have  no  need  to  reproach  myself.  Or  in  little  more  I 
might  be  at  home,  ingloriously  safe. 

Which  was  it  to  be?  The  moment,  though  I  did  not 
know  it,  was  fateful.  On  the  one  hand,  Mademoiselle's 
face,  her  beauty,  her  innocence,  her  helplessness,  pleaded 
with  me,  and  dragged  me  on — to  give  the  warning.  On 
the  other,  my  pride  urged  me  to  return,  and  avoid  such 
a  reception  as  I  had  every  reason  to  expect. 

In  the  end  I  went  on.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  I 
had  crossed  the  Valandre  bridge. 

Yet  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  I  decided  without 
doubt,  or  went  forward  without  misgiving.  The  taunts 
and  sneers  to  which  Madame  had  treated  me  were  too 
recent  for  that ;  and  a  dozen  times  pride  and  resentment 
almost  checked  my  steps,  and  I  turned  and  went  home 
again.  But  on  each  occasion  the  ugly  faces  and  brutish 
eyes  I  had  seen  in  the  village  rose  before  me ;  I  remem- 
bered the  hatred  in  which  Gargouf,  the  St.  Alais'  steward, 
was  held ;  I  pictured  the  horrors  that  might  be  enacted 
before  help  could  come  from  Cahors ;  and  I  went  on. 

Yet  with  a  mind  made  up  to  ridicule,  which  even  tho 
crowded  streets,  when  I  reached  them,  failed  to  relieve ; 
though  they  wore  an  unmistakable  air  of  excitement. 
Groups  of  people,  busily  conversing,  were  everywhere  to 
be  seen ;  and  in  two  or  three  places  men  were  standing 
on  stools — in  a  fashion  then  new  to  me — haranguing 
knots  of  idlers.  Some  of  the  shops  were  shut,  there 
were  guards  before  others,  and  before  the  bakehouses. 
I  remarked  a  great  number  of  journals  and  pamphlets 
in  men's  hands,  and  that  where  these  were,  the  talk  rose 
loudest.  In  some  places,  too,  my  appearance  seemed 
to  create  excitement,  but  this  was  of  a  doubtful  character, 
a  few  greeting  me  respectfully,  while  more  stared  at  me 
in  silence.  Several  asked  me,  as  I  passed,  if  I  brought 
news,  and  seemed  disappointed  when  I  said  I  did  not; 
and  at  two  points  a  knot  of  people  hooted  me. 

This  angered  me  a  little,  but  I  forgot  it  in  a  thing 
still  more  surprising.  Presently,  as  I  rode,  I  heard  my 
name  called ;  and  turning,  found  M.  de  Gontaut  hurry- 
ing after  me  as  fast  as  lias  dignity  and  lameness  would 
permit.  He  leaned,  as  usual,  on  the  arm  of  a  servant, 
his  other  hand  holding  a  cane  and  snuff-box ;  and  two 
stout  fellows  followed  him.  I  had  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  he  would  appreciate  the  service  I  had  done  him 
more  highly,  or  acknowledge  it  more  gratefully,  than  on 
the  day  of  the  riot ;  and  my  surprise  was  great  when  he 
came  up,  his  face  all  smiles. 

"Nothing,  for  months,  has  given  me  so  much  plea- 
sure," he  said,  saluting  me  with  overwhelming  cordiality. 

By  my  faith,  M.  le  Vicomte,  you  have  outdone  us  all ! 
You  will  have  such  a  reception  yonder !  and  you  have 
brought  two  good  knaves,  I  see.  It  is  not  fair,"  he 
continued,  with  senile  jocularity.  "  I  declare  it  is  not 
fair.    But  you  know  the  text?    'There  is  more  joy  in 

heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth  than  '    Ha ! 

ha !  Well,  we  must  not  be  jealous.  You  have  taught 
them  a  lesson ;  and  now  we  are  united." 

"But,  M.  le  Baron,"  I  said,  in  amazement,  as,  obeying 


his  gesture,  I  moved  on,  while  he  limped  jauntily  besida 
"  I  do  not  understand  you  in  the  least !" 
"You  don't?" 
"No!"  I  said. 

"  Ah !  you  did  not  think  that  we  should  hear  it  so 
soon,"  he  replied,  shaking  his  head  sagely.  "  Oh,  I  can 
tell  you  we  are  well  provided.  The  campaign  has 
begun,  and  the  information  department  has  not  been 
neglected.  Little  escapes  us,  and  we  shall  soon  set 
these  rogues  right.  But,  for  the  fact,  that  damned 
rascal  Doury  let  it  out.  I  hear  you  told  them  some 
fine  home-truths.  A  Committee,  the  insolents  !  And  in 
our  teeth !  But  you  gave  them  a  sharp  set-back,  I 
hear,  M.  le  Vicomte.    If  you  had  joined  it,  now  " 

He  stopped  abruptly.  A  man  crossing  the  street  had 
slightly  jostled  him.  The  old  noble  lost  his  temper, 
and  on  the  instant  raised  his  stick  with  a  passionate 
oath,  and  the  man  cowered  away,-  begging  his  pardon. 
But  M.  de  Gontaut  was  not  to  be  appeased. 

"  Vagabond  !  "  he  cried  after  him,  in  a  voice  trembling 
with  rage,  "you  would  throw  me  down  again,  would 
you?  We  will  put  you  in  your  place  by-and-bye.  Wa 
will ;  why,  Dieu  !  when  I  was  young  " 

"  But,  M.  le  Baron,"  I  said,  to  divert  his  attention, 
for  two  or  three  bystanders  were  casting  ugly  looks  at 
lis,  and  I  saw  that  it  needed  little  to  bring  about  a  fracas, 
"  are  you  quite  sure  that  we  shall  be  able  to  keep  them 
in  check  ? " 

The  old  noble  still  trembled,  but  he  drew  himself  up 
with  a  gesture  of  pathetic  gallantry. 

"  We  shall  see  ! "  he  cried.  "  When  it  comes  to  hard 
knocks,  we  shall  see,  Monsieur.  But  here  we  are; 
and  there  is  Madame  St.  Alais  on  the  balcony,  with  some 
of  her  body-guard."  He  paused  to  kiss  his  hand,  with 
the  air  of  a  Polignac.  "  Up  there,  M.  le  Vicomte,  you 
will  see  what  you  will  see,"  he  continued.  "And  I — I 
shall  be  in  luck,  too ;  for  I  have  brought  you." 

It  seemed  to  me  more  like  a  dream  than  a  reality.  A 
fortnight  before,  I  had  been  spurned  from  this  house  with 
insults ;  I  had  been  bidden  never  to  enter  it  again. 
Now,  on  the  balconies,  from  which  pretty  faces  and 
powdered  heads  looked  down,  handkerchiefs  fluttered 
to  greet  me.  On  the  stairs,  which,  crowded  with 
servants  and  lackeys,  shook  under  the  constant  stream 
of  comers  and  goers,  I  was  received  with  a  hum  of 
applause.  In  every  corner,  snuff-boxes  were  being  tapped 
and  canes  handled ;  the  flashing  of  roguish  eyes  behind 
fans  vied  with  the  glitter  of  mirrors.  But  through  all 
a  lane  was  made  for  me.  At  the  door  Louis  met 
me.  A  little  farther  on,  Madame  came  half-way  across 
the  room  to  me.  It  was  a  triumph —  a  triumph  which  I 
found  inexplicable,  unintelligible,  until  I  learned  that 
the  rebuff  which  I  had  administered  to  the  deputation 
had  been  exaggerated  a  dozen  times,  nay,  a  hundred 
times,  until  it  met  even  the  wishes  of  the  most  violent  ; 
while  the  sober  and  thoughtful  were  too  glad  to  hail  in 
my  adhesion  the  proof  of  that  reaction,  which  the  Royalist 
party,  from  the  first  day  of  the  troubles,  never  ceased  to 
expect. 

No  wonder  that,  taken  by  surprise,  and  intoxicated 
with  incense,  I  let  myself  go.  To  have  declared,  in 
that  company,  and  with  Madame's  gracious  words  in 
my  ears,  that  I  had  not  come  to  join  them,  that  I  had 
come  on  a  different  errand  altogether,  that  though  I 
had  repelled  the  deputation  I  had  no  intention  of  acting 
against  it,  would  have  required  a  courage  and  a  hard- 


.30 


TO-DAY, 


February  9,  lS'rt. 


ness  I  could  not  boast;  while  the  circumstances  of  the 
deputation,  Doury's  presumption  and  Buton's  hints, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  violence  of  the  Parisian  mob,  had 
not  failed  to  impress  me  unfavourably.  With  a  thou- 
sand others  who  had  prepared  themselves  to  welcome 
reform,  I  recoiled  when  I  saw  the  lengths  to  which 
il  was  tending ;  and,  though  nothing  had  been  farther 
from  my  mind  when  I  entered  Cahors  than  to  join 
myself  to  the  St.  Alais  faction,  I  found  it  impossible  to 
reject  their  apologies  on  the  spot,  or  explain  on  the 
instant  the  ical  purpose  with  which  I  had  c  'me  to 
them. 

I  was  in  fact,  the  sport  of  circumstances  ;  weak,  it  will 
be  said,  in  the  wrong  place  and  stubborn  in  the  wrong  ; 
betraying  a  boy's  petulance  at  one  time,  and  a  boy's 
fickleness  at  another  ;  and  now  a  tool  and  now  a  churl. 
Perhaps  truly.  But  it  was  a  time  of  trial ;  nor  was  I 
the  only  man  or  the  oldest 
man,  who,  in  those  days, 
changed  his  opinions,  and 
again  within  the  week  went 
back  ;  or  who  found  it  hard 
to  find  a  cockade,  white, 
black,  red,  or  tricolour,  to 
bis  taste. 

Besides,  flattery  is  sweet, 
rnd  I  was  young;  more- 
over, I  had  Mademoiselle 
in  my  head,  and  nothing 
could  exceed  Madame's 
graciousness.  I  think  she 
valued  me  the  more  for  my 
late  revolt,  and  prided  her- 
self on  my  reduction  in 
proportion  as  I  had  shown 
.myself  able  to  resist. 

"  Few  words  are  better, 
M.  le  Yicomte,"  she  said, 
with  a  dignity  which 
honoured  me  equally  with 
herself.  "  Many  things 
have  happened  since  I  saw 
you.  We  are  neither  of 
us  quite  of  the  same 
Opinion.  Forgive  me.  A 
woman's  word  and  a  man's 
sword  do  no  dishonour." 

I  bowed,  blushing  with 
pleasure.  After  a  fortnight 
spent    in    solitude  these 

moving  groups,  bowing,  smiling,  talking  in  low,  earnest 
tones  of  the  one  purpose,  the  one  aim,  had  immense  in- 
fluence with  me.  I  felt  the  contagion.  I  let  Madame 
take  me  into  her  confidence. 

"  The  King  " — it  was  always  the  King  with  her—"  in  a 
week  or  two  the  King  will  assert  himself.  As  yet  his 
ear  has  been  abused.  It  will  pass  ;  in  the  meantime  we 
must  take  our  proper  places.  We  must  arm  our  ser- 
vants and  keepers,  repress  disorder,  and  resist  encroach- 
ment," 

"And  the  Committee,  Madame?" 
She  tapped  me,  smiling,  with  the  ends  of  her  dainty 
fingers. 

"  We  will  treat  it  as  you  treated  it."  she  said. 
'  You  think  that  you  will  be  strong  enough  ] " 
"  We,"  she  answered. 


HE    PAUSED  TO  KISS  Ills  HAND, 


"  We  1"  I  said,  correcting  myself  with  a  blush. 

"Why  not?  How  can  it  be  otherwise?"  she  replied, 
looking  proudly  round  her.  "  Can  you  look  round  and 
doubt  it,  M.  le  Vicomte?" 

"But  France?"  I  said. 

"  We  are  France,"  she  retorted  with  a  superb  gesture. 
And  certainly  the  splend'id  crowd  that  filled  her  rooms 
was  almost  warrant  for  the  words;  a  crowd  of  stately 
men  and  fair  women  such  as  I  have  seen  only  once  or 
t  wice  since  those  days.  Under  the  surface  there  may  have 
been  pettiness  and  senility;  the  exhaustion  of  vice; 
jealousy  and  lukewarmness  and  dissension ;  but  the 
powder  and  patches,  the  silks  and  velvets  of  the  old 
regime,  gave  to  all  a  semblance  of  strength,  and  at  least 
(he  appearance  of  dignity.  If  few  were  soldiers,  all  wore 
swords  and  comd  use  them.  The  fact  that  the  small 
sword,  so  powerful  a  weapon  in  the  duel,  is  useless 

against  a  crowd  armed 
with  stones  and  clubs  had 
not  yet  been  made  clear. 
Nothing  seemed  more  easy 
than  for  two  or  three  hun- 
dred swordsmen  to  rule  5 
province. 

At  any  rate,  I  found 
nothing  but  what  was 
feasible  in  the  notion  ;  and 
with  little  real  reluctance, 
if  no  great  enthusiasm,  I 
pinned  on  the  white  cock- 
ade. Putting  ad  thoughts 
of  present  reform  from  my 
mind,  I  agreed  that  order 
— order  was  the  one  press- 
ing need  of  the  country. 

On  that  all  were  agreed, 
rnd  all  were  hopeful.  I 
heard  no  misgivings,  but  a 
good  deal  of  vapouring  ;  in 
which  poor  M.  le  G  on  taut, 
with  the  palsy  almost  upon 
him,  had  his  part.  No  one 
dropped  a  hint  of  danger 
in  the  country,  or  of  a  re- 
volt of  the  peasants.  Even 
to  me,  as  I  stood  in  the 
brilliant  crowd,  the  danger 
grew  to  seem  so  remote  and 
unreal,  that,  delicacy  as 
well  as  the  fear  of  ridicule, 
keeping  me  silent — I  could  not  speak  of  Made 
moiselle  without  awkwardness — the  warning  which 
I  had  come  to  give  died  on  my  lips.  I  saw  that  I  should 
be  laughed  at,  I  fancied  myself  deceived,  and  I  was 
silent. 

It  was  only  when,  after  promising  to  return  next  day. 
I  stood  at  the  door  prepared  to  leave,  and  found  myseif 
alone  with  Louis,  that  I  let  a  word  fall.  Then  I  asked 
him  with  a  little  hesitation  if  he  thought  that  his  sister 
was  <|uite  safe  at  St.  Alais. 

Why  not  ?"  he  said  easily,  with  his  hand  on  my 

shoulder. 

e  trouble  is  not  in  the  town  only,"  I  said.  "Nor 


pe 


3  the  worst  of  the  trouble.' 
h rugged  his  shoulders. 


February  9,  1S!)5. 


TO-DAY. 


31 


"  You  think  too  much  of  it,  mora  cJier,"  he  answered. 
"Believe    me,   now  that  we  are  at  one  the  trouble  is 

—  >*  '  .  ~ 

over. 

And  that  was  the  evening  of  the  fourth  of  August, 
the  day  on  which  the  Assembly  in  Paris  renounced  at  a 


AFTER  THE  PLAY. 

BY 

W.  PETT  RIDGE. 

Ilh i st rated  by  W.  DEWAE. 


Ludgate  Hill  Platform,  eleven  something  p.m.  Theatre- 
goers have  hurried  from  West,  a>id  are  waiting  for 


'c.r,  i  t;ii:;x  it  was  capital." 

train,  Peckham  way.     A  few  tired,  boreddpoking 
engines  stand  about  and  smoke.     The  other  plat  form 
is  having  a  wash,  and  brush  up. 
Cheerful  Girl  :  Well,  /  have  enjoyed  mesclf  a  treat 
(sits  dorvn  with   grateful   sigh).     I  never  laughed  so 
much  before,  not  in  all  my  life.    I  simply  ache  all  over. 

Companion  (relighting  pal-  brown  cigar') :  Wasn't  so 
dusty,  was  it  ? 

Cheerful  Girl  :  Oh,  I  think  it  was  capital.  The 
way  the  old  man  carried  on  when  he  thought  he'd  lost 
liis  boots  amused  me.  I  can't  think  how  in  the  world, 
William,  they  make  up  all  these  bits,  one  after  the 
other,  as  they  do.  Must  ave  a  pretty  good  'ead  on  'em, 
whoever  it  is. 

Companion  :  Oh,  it's  like  everything  else.  You've 
only  to  practise  at  it  long  enough.  I  knew  a  chap  once 
that  sent  a  kind  of  a  joke  to  Odd  Hits — chap  in  our 
workshop  he  was. 

Cheerful  Girl  :  And  did  they  print  it  ? 

Companion  :  Well,  they  didn't  exactly  print  it,  but  

Cheerful  Girl  :  Oh,  and  wasn't  that  good  where  the 
young  girl  comes  in  and  finds  the  two  there  and  says — 
what  was  it  she  said  ?  I  wish  I  could  keep  these  things 
in  me  'ead.  Mother's  sure  to  ask  me  when  I  get  'ome. 
First  thing  after  I  get  indoors  and  unpin  me  hat, 
mother'll  say,  "  Well,  Loo,  what  was  it  like  ? "    And  I 


single  sitting  all  immunities,  exemptions,  and  privileges, 
all  feudal  dues,  and  fines,  and  rights,  all  tolls,  all  tithes, 
the  salt  tax,  the  game  laws,  capitaineries  !    At  one  sit- 
ting ;  and  Louis  thought  that  the  trouble  was  over! 
{To  be  continued.) 


shall  have  to  set  down  and  tell  her  all  about  it,  and  I 
can  remember  what  they  wear,  but  {despairingly)  I  can't- 
for  the  life  of  me  call  to  mind  all  what  they  say. 

(Makes  room  on  seat  for  new  comers — Refined  Dam- 
sel and  Friend.) 

Refined  Damsel  (in  evening  dress  and  mackintosh 
cloak,  speaking  with  muclt  hauteur) :  Well,  lie  gets 
orders,  you  know,  now  and  again,  but  he  never  gets 
them  till  quite  the  last  thing,  and  then  it's  all  hurry 
scurry  to  get  ready,  and  it  is  so  annoying,  and  you  know 
how  easy  it  is  to  get  upset  when  you  want  everything 
just  so,  and  this  evening  I  gave  the  maid  threepence  to 
go  out  and  buy  some  roses,  and  she  hadn't  come  back 
when  I  started,  and  it  makes  you  look  so — well,  un- 
finished, doesn't  it?  What  /  like  when  I  go  out  is  to  have 
a  flower  in  my  hair  and  a  flower  at  my  waist,  and  two 
or  three  just  here,  and  I  do  think  it  sets  one  off  so,  you 
know.  The  last  young  gentleman  I  was  engaged  to  (I 
don't  think  you  knew  him,  he's  gone  to  live  at  Shep- 
herd's Bush  now)  used  to  send  me  flowers,  but  this  one 
somehow  never  seems  to  think  of  it,  and  /  don't  like 
to  suggest  it,  you  see,  and  so  

Spectacled  Youth  (lecturing  to  another  spectacled 
youth):  There's  a  certain  definiteness,  if  I  may  so  ex- 
press it,  about  his  acting,  a  preciseness  if  I  may  say  so 
and  an  exactitude.    Take  Becket  for  instance. 

Dojmatic  Gent,  (intero'upting)  :  You  are  talking  of 
Irving,  sir? 

Second  Spectacled  Youth  (blandly) :  Yes. 

Dogmatic  Gent.  :  You'll  pardon  my  interrupting 
you,  but  you  don't  happen  to  remember  Booth,  I  ex- 
pect. Now  he  was  a  man  if  you  like.  Before  your 
time,  perhaps. 

Second  Spectacled  Youth  (readily) :  Oh,  no,  oh, 
dear  no.    Remember  Booth  quite  well.    Quite  well. 

Dogmatic  Gent.  :  Well,  sir,  then  tell  me  now  your 
candid  opinion  '(with  truculence).  Your  candid  opinion. 
Put  Irving  here,  and  put  Booth  there,  and  let  them  both 


"don't  tell  me,  sir." 


play  the  same  piece,  and  then  tell  me,  sir,  tell  me  which 
of  those  two  the  public  would — er — flock  to  hear. 
Second  Spectacled  Youth  (with  diffidence)  :  Well,  I 


32 


TO-DAY. 


Fi'.r.RUAHY  9,  1895. 


must  know  when 


look  on  Booth  as  a  man  fairly  successful  in  a  certain 
line,  but  I  don't  regard  him  as  a  good  actor. 

Dogmatic  Gent,  (testily) :  Don't  tell  me,  sir. 

Second  Spectacled  Youth  :  He  may  manage  the 
Salvation  Army  pretty  well,  don't  you  know,  but  as 
an  actor,  my  dear  sir,  why  his  nose  and  his  beard  are  all 
against  him,  and  besides  

Dogmatic  Gent  (with  much  annoyance)  :  Pah  ! 

(lie  turns  away,  second  youth  tvinks  solemnly  behind 
spectacles  at  first  youth.) 

Breathless  Woman  :  Well,  you 
the  curtain  first  goes  up  there's  a  lot 
of  girls  there  on  the  stage  with 
baskets  of  flowers,  and  what  not,  and 
the  music  strikes  up,  and  they  begin 
to  sing  a — well,  a  chorus  I  s'pose 
you'd  call  it,  and  d'rectly  they've 
finished  in  comes  a  girl  in  blue  and 
white,  and  they  talk,  you  know, 
and  then  the  lot  of  girls  go  off 
singing  their  bit,  and  then  the  girl 
: — the  girl  I  spoke  about— she  comes 
down,  and  she  begins  to  sing,  and 
oh !  she'd  the  loveliest  voice  and 
boots,  my  dear,  you  can  possibly 
imagine,  and  she  was  as  like  in  her 
manner — not  her  face  or  her  voice 
or  anything,  but  on'y  her  manner — 
to  my  poor  sister  who  went  to  New 
Zealand  fifteen  years  ago,  her  name 
was  Annie,  but  she  was  a  fine  figure 
of  a  girl  for  all  that,  and  she  sends 
'ome  a  illustrated  paper  every  Chris'- 
mas  just  to  let  us  know  that  she's 
still  about,  you  know — well,  as  I 
was  explaining.  (Goes  on  explaining.) 

(Two  married  ladies  recognise  each 
other.  One,  a  limp  lady,  rubs  her 
nose  hard  with  handkerchief.) 

Limp  Lady  (with  lachrymose  air) '. 
Oh  !  I  don't  often  go  out,  Mrs.  What- 
is-it,  and  when  I  do  somehow  every- 
thing seems  to  go  wrong.  I  thought  we  was  going  to 
lose  this  train,  but  (with  a  sigh)  we  haven't.  It's  a 
wonder,  I'm  sure.  No,  I've  been  with  my  'usband  to 
the  theatre — he's  'aving  his  pipe  over  there — but  as  I 
said  to  him  just  now  before  we  come  out  of  the  place, 
it's  reelly  a  waste  of  money.  I  said,"'Orace,  believe  me, 
we  better  be  'alf  'ave  spent  the  money  on  something 
'andy  for  the  'ome." 

Neighbour  (cheerfully)  :  Oh,  I  don't  know.  It  livens 
you  up. 

Limp  Lady  (determinedly) :  It  don't  liven  me  up.  As 
I  said  to  'Orace,  it's  reelly  nothing  but  a  pack  of  non- 
sense from  beginning  to  end. 

Neighbour  :  That's  what  I  like  about  it. 

Limp  Lady  :  Well,  when  I  was  in  service  before  I 


IT  GIVES  ME  THE  FAIR  MISERABLES. 


met  'Orace  and  married  him,  I  was  a  rare  one  for  the 
theatres.  Me  and  cook  used  to  go  out  together.  Cook 
used  to  say,  "  Well,  Mary,  what's  it  to  be?"  and  I  used 
to  take  up  the  paper  and  just  what  you  may  call  scan  it 
down,  and  I'd  say, "Strand  " — just  like  that — and  cook 'd 
say,  "Bight  you  are,"  and  that  very  evening  off  we'd  go. 
My  word  !  (sighs)  they  was  times,  if  you  like  !  (Sighs 
again.)  Ah  !  if  we  only  know'd  when  we  was  well  off! 

Neighbour  (with  cheerful  optimism)  :   Ah,    well  ! 
there's  worse  troubles  'appen  at  sea,  I  always  think  ! 
Limp  Lady  ;    Ah,  Mrs.  What-is-it,  you  don't  know. 

(Xeighbour,  apparently  not  wanting 
to  know,  adroitly  makes  room  for 
white-faced  girl  to  sit  between  herself 
and  Limp  Lady.) 

White-faced  Girl  (to  male  friend 
leaning  on  walking-stick)  :  Oh,  I 
simply  love  the  Adelphi,  I  do!  I 
could  go  there  night  after  night. 
Only  I'm  so  silly,  you  know ;  I  get 
carried  away,  in  a  manner  of  speak- 
ing, and  I  cry  like  anything.  And 
then  George — you  know  what  a  one 
George  is  when  he's  out — he  makes 
fun  of  me,  and — oh!  but  I  can't  help 
it  really.  To  see  the  poor  woman  in 
the  piece  'aviDg  to  put  up  with  all 
she  does,  and  then  when  her  dear 
little  child  —  poor  little  innocent 
up  and  says, 
mamma  dear,  aren't  you 
happy  1  "  just  like  a  little  child 
would,  you  know,  and  it — oh,  well 
(pats  eyes  with  handkerchief  and 
sniffs)  it  gives  me  the  fair  miserables 
to  think  of  it ! 

(Sound  of  cheering  and  singing  , 
it  comes  nearer.) 

Noisy   Youths  (ascending  stair- 
case) : 

"  For  we  are  the  boys 
That's  fond  of  a  noise, 
And  we're  known  as  the  ricketty,  racketty  crew." 
First  Noisy  Youth  (to  porter) :  Stationmas'er,  you're 
(hie)  boozed. 

Porter  (with  much  earnestness)  :  Wish  to  'Eaven  I 
was.  (Trahi  comes  bustling  in.  With  the  usual  manner 
of  tardy  arrivals  it  insists  on  immediate  attention.) 

Third-Class  Passengers  :  Get  in  anywhere. 

Noisy  Youths  :  Now  then,  half-backs,  where  are  you  ? 
Get  a  goal  this  time.  (Guard  tohistles.)  It's  all  right, 
referee.  That  wasn't  a  foul ;  you  don't  und'stand  the 
game. 

Porters  :  Plenty  of  room  in  front.  Take  your  seats. 
'Urry  up  there  !  (They  hurry  up  ;  engine  whistles.  It 
hastens  with  train  across  the  bridge.  Lights  cn  platform 
are  turned  down.)  Bideau. 


thing  !  —  comes 
"  Mamma, 


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A  WEEKLY 

MAGAZINE -JOURNAL 
EUe\By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Vol.  VI.— No.  67.    LONDON,  SATURDAY,  FEBRUARY  16,  1895.    Price  Twopence. 


THE  DEVIL'S  OWN  LUCK, 

BY 

"Z.  Z."  (LOUIS  ZANGWILL.) 

Illustrated  by   Sydney   Adams  on. 


VERY  WHERE,  the 
heavy  rain  washed 
the  little  suburban 
streets.  They  had 
been  listening  to 
the  steady  down- 
pour, and  the  oc- 
casional  wild 
charges  of  the 
wind,  and  had 
nestled  closer  to- 
gether, feeling 
that  the  cosy 
dining-room,  with 
its  neat  walnut 
furniture   and  its 

warns  curtain?,  vas  inexpressibly  dear  to  them,  now 
that  they  were  about  to  lose  it. 

"  Eddie,  dear,  you'd  better  go  to  bed  and  rest." 

She  laid  her  hand  gently  on  his  shoulder,  and  its 
light  touch  seemed  to  ease  his  care-racked  brain.  He 
sat  bending  forward  into  tho  warmth  of  the  blazing 
fire,  resting  his  chin  on  both  hands,  his  elbows  sup- 
ported on  his  knees.  The  flame  played  upon  him  show- 
ing a  bloodless  and  haggard  face,  with  delicately-cut 
features  and  a  fair  moustache.  There  was  just  a  sug- 
gestion of  weakness  about  the  grey  eyes,  now  staring 
vacantly  into  the  fire ;  a  touch  of  effeminacy  about  the 
curves  of  the  profile  and  the  symmetrical  sweep  of  the 
small  chin. 

Edward  Poulton  was  in  the  toils  of  the  pitiless  law. 
For  years  he  had  sturdily  and  honourably  done  his 
share  of  the  world's  work ;  yet  brutal  forces,  over  whose 
reins  he  held  no  guiding  power,  set  in  motion  by  the 
very  complexity  of  that  civilization  which  has  abolished 
the  more  merciful  rack  and  thumbscrew,  had  caught 
him  in  their  swirl  as  a  reed  is  caught  in  a  tempest's. 


With  the  proverbial  stubbornness  of  his  stock,  he  had 
buffeted  bravely  long  after  efforts  could  be  of  any  avail, 
eyeing  anxiously  the  while  the  black  threat  of  the  im- 
pending storm-cloud.  Endowed  with  a  fine  sense  of 
honour,  the  inability  to  pay  his  debts  disgraced  him 
more  in  his  own  eyes  than  in  the  eyes  of  his  creditors 
and  the  world.  Unfortified  with  callousness,  indifference, 
or  philosophy,  he  found  the  position  intolerable,  and 
every  hour  had  its  full  meed  of  anguish.  His  .nights 
had  been  restless  and  fitful,  his  dreams  renewed  the  tor- 
ture of  his  waking  hours. 

And  now  at  last  the  unequal  combat  had  ended  with 
the  inevitable  result.  To-morrow  the  bailiffs  would 
come  to  take  possession  of  their  home.  He  would  have 
put  an  end  to  his  life  but  for  his  sweet  wife  and  his  two 
children.  May  had  received  the  news  of  the  calamity 
with  resignation,  and  had  kept  cheerful  for  his  sake, 
though  her  heart  was  leaden  at  the  sight  of  his  terrible 
despondency.  The  sunshine  of  her  presence  and 
sympathy  was  his  sole  stay,  and  now  that  the  end  had 
come,  he  yielded  himself  into  her  hands  like  a  child. 
She  had  fed  him  and  read  to  him,  had  tried  to  rouse 
him  by  speaking  hopefully  of  the  future.  Once  let  all 
this  bother  be  done  with,  she  assured  him,  he  would 
get  on  again  quickly  enough.  But  while  he  pressed 
her  hand  gratefully,  he  was  thinking  of  the  heavy  dis- 
count at  which  brains  stood  in  the  market.  It  was 
already  past  eleven,  the  children  had  long  since  been 
put  to  bed,  and  now  she  was  anxious  he  should  get  some 
sleep. 

"I  can't,  May,"  he  replied.  "You  go  up  and  leavo 
me  here.  I  know  I  shan't  sleep  to-night,  and  it's  no- 
use  trying." 

"  Nonsense,  Eddie,  you  must  go  to  bed." 

Her  hand  slid  along  his  shoulder  till  her  arm  was 
round  his  neck.  She  stooped  and  rubbed  her  cheek 
against  his. 

"Come,  Eddie,"  she  went  on  coaxingly.  "Don't  bo 
foolish — for  my  sake." 

He  took  her  other  hand  in  his.  For  the  moment  his 
face  lighted  up  with  a  love,  whose  purity  and  beauty 
even  the  rude  breath  of  the  brutal  city  could  not  tarnish. 


Copyright,  1805,  by  the  Author. 


34 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1895. 


"  I  want  to  stay  here  by  the  fire  a  little  longer,  May, 
darling,"  he  said.    "  I'll  be  up  in  an  hour." 

"  Promise  me  you  won't  sit  up  longer,  dear,"  she  in- 
sisted, still  pressing  close  to  him. 

"  I  promise." 

She  still  lingered,  a  tearful  smile  on  her  face.  She 
was  longing  to  tell  him  of  the  thirty  golden  sovereigns 
she  had  put  by,  literally  in  her  stocking.  Her  feminine 
scepticism  as  to  the  reliability  of  banking  institutions  in 
general  had  impelled  her  for  some  time  past  to  labori- 
ously save  a  few  shillings  each  week  out  of  the  housekeep- 
ing allowance.  If  Eddie's  bank  should  break  and  his  money 
get  lost,  there  would  be  at  least  a  little  store  for  their 

immediate  needs.  It  was  the  one  secret  he  did  not 
share;  and  she  had 
always  derived  a 
subtle  pleasure  from 
the  contemplation  of 
her  "stocking."  Of 
late  she  had  found 
it  sweet  to  count 
over  the  little  hoard. 
Though  the  present 
contingency  was  nob 
the  one  against 
which  it  had  been 
prepared,  still  it 
would  help  to  tide 
over  the  time  till 
Eddie  could  find 
some  employment. 
In  face  of  his  heart- 
sickness,  it  was  hard 
for  her  to  keep  * 
silent.  But  she 
knew  his  unflinch- 
ing— almost  morbid 
— honesty  too  well, 
and  there  was  just 
the  possibility  he 
might  insist  on  the 
money  being  given, 
up  for  his  creditors. 
So,  although  sorely 
tempted,  she  did  not 
yield. 

"Good  night, 
dear,"   she   said  a 
last,  holding  her  lips 
to  him. 

"Good  night,  my 
darling,"    he   re-  "  nonsense,  eddik, 

plied  huskily.  He 

drew  her  to  him,  and  held  her  in  his  arms  as  if  dreading 
to  part  with  her.  "  God  bless  you,"  he  said,  as  he 
kissed  her.    "  You  are  all  I  have." 

She  smiled  again,  thinking  cf  the  heaven-sent  meals 
she  would  provide  for  him  in  the  modest  apartments 
they  would  take. 

"  Kiss  me  again,  Eddie,"  she  said. 

He  kissed  her  again  and  yet  again,  then  gently  put 
her  from  him.    "  Do  £o  now,  dear." 

"Good  nift-ht,  pussy,"  and  she  stooped  to  stroke  her 
glossy,  black  pet  that  lay  contentedly  purring,  curled 
Tip  inside  the  fender;  then  in  a  moment  she  had  softly 
glided  from  the  room. 


Left  alone,  Edward  resumed  his  former  attitude. 
For  awhile  a  sort  of  stupor  came  over  him,  and  he  wag 
conscious  of  nothing  save  the  intensity  of  his  own  misery. 
Now  and  then  he  drew  his  breath  with  a  quick  gasp. 
He  was  roused  by  the  sudden  roaring  and  bubbling  of 
the  gas.  Turned  off  in  the  rest  of  the  house,  the  supply 
was  too  full  for  the  one  room.  He  got  up  and  turned  out 
the  lights  altogether ;  they  were  superfluous  and  in- 
volved waste.  Besides,  darkness  was  more  suited  to  his 
mood.  He  did  net  resume  his  seat,  but  paced  round  the 
room,  scarce  noticing  the  quivering  shadows  weirdly  cast 
by  the  flame  of  the  fire  that  flickered  lower  each  moment. 
He  found  some  relief  in  moving  about,  and  continued 
in  his  round  mechanically.-   Soon  he  fell  into  reverie, 

diving  back  into  the 
far  past.  It  was 
pleasant  to  recall  his 
hopes  and  aspira- 
tions, and  the  thous- 
and and  one  things 
he  had  meant  to  do. 
If  only  he  had 
directfd  his  affairs 
differently  at  such 
and  such  a  point  in 
his  career!  He 
busied  himself  trac- 
ing each  untried 
variation  to  some 
possible  conclusion, 
convinced  that  the 
possible  was  the 
logical  and  inevit- 
able. He  found 
oblivion  of  the  pre- 
sent in  diverging 
from  the  main  path 
of  the  actual  into 
the  pleasant  byways 
of  the  might-have- 
been.  In  each  the 
prospect  was  dazz- 
ling, for  the  imagi- 
nation is  rich  beyond 
the  dreams  of 
avarice,  and  has  no 
need  for  stint.  The 
pictures  were  en- 
chanting ;  his  vision 
of  them  was  so  in- 
tense, so  all-absorb- 
hed/'  K)g,  that  he  trembled 

with  the  excitement. 
By  now  he  would  have  amassed  at  least  a  moderate  for- 
tune. He  wcnld  have  had  a  better  house  in  town,  and  in 
the  summer  a  second  one  up  the  river,  with  a  tennis  lawn  ; 
perhaps  a  little  houseboat  as  well.  May  seemed  born  to 
preside  over  a  big,  hospitable  establishment.  lie  saw  her 
moving  amid  her  guests  with  her  tall,  stately  figure,  her 
well-poised  head,  her  sweet  face,  her  sparkling  eyes, 
and  her  red,  red  lips ;  a  gracious  queen  in  filmy,  gos- 
samer robes,  woven  of  purity  by  fairy  looms,  with  just 
one  rose  in  her  snowy  bosom,  and  a  string  of  diamonds 
round  her  neck.  May,  dear  May,  how  sweet  and  good 
she  was,  without  a  tin^e  of  selfishness  in  her  nature/ 


YOU  MUST  CO 


February  1G,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


35 


Oh,  for  a  fortune  to  surround  her  with  beauty,  that  he 
might  feast  his  eyes  on  her  happiness! 

Yes,  windfalls  did  come  at  times.  Did  not  everybody 
keep  alive  such  a  secret  spark  of  hope  in  the  innermost 
heart?  Suppose  an  enormous  fortune  should  suddenly 
come  to  him !  Eighty  thousand  pounds,  for  instance. 
Stranger  things  had  happened.  What  could  he  not  do  with 
such  a  sum?  He  breathed  hard.  Why,  even  the  half 
of  it,  forty  thousand  pounds,  would  be  a  tremendous 
heap  !  His  fifteen  hundred  pounds  or  so  of  debts  would 
be  crushed  out  by  a  few  strokes  of  his  pen  like  a  pigmy 
under  the  foot  of  a  giant !  His  fifteen  hundred  pounds 
of  debts — ah !  He  was  abruptly  shunted  back  to 
reality,  and  found  himself  on  earth  again.  Without,  the 
storm  still  continued,  sounding  loud  against  the  silence 
of  the  slumbering  suburb.  The  flame  had  died  away 
and  the  red  fire  cast  its  glare  into  the  room.  In  its 
warmth  the  sleeping  Tom  still  purred,  and  two  clocks 
ticked  in  emulous  race. 

"  Forty  thousand  pounds ! "  he  said  aloud,  as  his 
bitterness  resurged.  "  Why,  I'd  sell  my  soul  to  the 
Devil  for  just  enough  to  get  clear — and  a  bit  over  for 
May,"  he  hurriedly  added,  with  instinctive  cautiousness, 
realising  what  had  slipped  from  his  lips. 

"  Splendid  idea  that ! "  he  went  on  musingly,  still 
pacing  round  with  his  hands  in  his  trousers'  pockets. 
"  What  a  pity  one  can't  do  it  nowadays !  Not  only  we've 
done  away  with  the  Devil,  but  some  say  we've  not  even 
souls  to  sell." 

The  accounts  he  had  read  of  the  transaction,  which 
had  almost  frightened  him  out  of  his  wits  in  his  child- 
hood, came  flashing  back  to  him  across  the  dead  years. 
The  supernatural  had  then  possessed  a  morbid  fascina- 
tion for  him,  and  he  had  hovered  about  the  subject  with 
nervous  persistence.  He  recalled  the  details  of  the  pre- 
liminaries ;  the  black  cat  that  had  to  be  roasted  alive, 
its  heartrending  shrieks  unheeded  by  the  pitiless  ven- 
dor ;  the  ball  of  fire  that  came  rolling  by ;  the  accom- 
panying discordance  of  the  turbulent  elements.  He  even 
remembered  the  essential  condition  that  the  cat  must 
not  have  a  single  white  hair,  else  the  sacrifice  were 
futile.  He  stooped  over  the  sleeping  Tom  and  regarded 
it  fixedly,  realising  with  a  shock  that  it  was  fitted  for 
the  very  purpose.  May  had  more  than  once  directed 
his  attention  to  the  unimpeachability  of  its  tint.  He 
saw  the  whole  scene  enacted  before  him  vividly,  and  he 
fell  into  a  morbid  speculation  as  to  its  feasibility.  Could 
such  a  transaction  be  really  possible  or  was  it  all  a 
myth?  There  was  something  so  overpoweringly  tempt- 
ing about  it,  something  so  weird  and  unearthly,  that 
it  smacked  of  the  Devil.  Yes,  the  Devil  was  real — not 
the  mere  creation  of  man's  imaginings !  How  dared 
he  doubt  it  ? 

The  thought  held  him  in  a  spell.  Each  moment  his 
e  citcment  grew.  His  face  was  afire.  Of  a  sudden  he 
glanced  round  uneasily. 

"After  all,  would  I  sell  my  soul  to  the  Devil?"  he 
asked  himself  doubtfully.  "Bah!"  He  drew  himself 
together  determinedly.  "  No,  I  won't  draw  back  now. 
It  can't  be  much  worse  in  hell  than  the  hell  I've  been 
going  through  here.  Come,  Mr.  Devil,"  he  continued, 
raising  his  voice  in  grim  invocation,  half  wishful,  half 
credulous,  that  it  might  prove  effective.  "  Won't  you 
be  tempted  ?  For  two  thousand  pounds  I'll  clench  the 
bargain,  there ! " 


In  the  tense,  nervous  condition  into  which  he  had 
now  worked  himself,  his  own  words  rang  startlingly  in 
his  ears,  inspiring  him  with  a  clammy  fear. 

For  sole  answer,  a  live  coal  dropped  on  to  the  hearth 
with  gritty  thud.  By  force  of  habit,  he  picked  it  up 
with  the  tongs,  and  was  about  to  replace  it  in  the  fire, 
when  his  hand  moved  aside  in  answer  to  the  suggestion 
of  a  fantastic  impulse,  and  he  could  not  resist  touching 
the  cat  on  the  back  with  the  red-hot  coal.  A  sickening 
odour  of  burnt  fur  pervaded  the  air.  Tom  gave  a 
shriek,  and  with  a  great  leap  was  out  of  the  room. 
Unnerved,  he  let  go  his  hold  of  the  tongs,  and  they  fell 
with  a  boisterous  clatter  on  to  the  fender.  Almost 
simultaneously  came  the  sweep  of  a  sudden  heavy  gust, 
and  the  casements  throughout  the  house  made  furious 
rattle.  From  without  came  the  accompanying  ringing 
crash  of  falling  tiles.  Startled  by  the  din,  he  awoke  to 
the  perception  that  he  had  been  guilty  of  an  act  of 
cruelty. 

But  this  perception  was  dimmed  by  the  disappoint- 
ment he  undoubtedly  felt  despite  the  underlying  con- 


TOJI  GAVE  A  SHRIEK. 

sciousness  of  absurdity  he  had  had  all  along.  He  had 
half  expected  to  see  the  ball  of  fire  flash  by.  He  closed 
his  eyes,  and  a  luminous  sphere,  changing  through  all 


36, 


TO-DAY. 


Ffxr.UAiiy  16,  1S35. 


the  colours  of  the  rainbow,  hung  in  the  darkness.  He 
opened  them  again,  and  the  sphere  floated  up  from  the 
ground,  and  lost  itself  in  the  thick  shadows  m  the 
farthest  corner  of  the  room ;  then  another  but  fainter 
-one  followed  vaguely  in  its  path.  He  remembered 
asking  his  nurse  how  the  Devil  looked,  and  her  descrip- 
tion of  him  as  "  all  eyes."  And  the  childish  vision  he 
had  then  formed  recurred  to  him  afresh — a  squat,  frog- 
like figure,  mad©  up  of  ten  thousand  eyes — eyes  that  had 
glared  at  him  from  the  dark  and  made  him  scream.  He 
could  see  the  same  squat  figure  standing  over  there  by 
the  door.  Shapeless  patches  of  colour  hovered  in  black 
space,  the  room  seemed  to  be  full  of  moving  shapes,  of 
dim,  flitting  shadows.  The  air  was  alive  with  strange 
-sounds  and  mysterious  creakings.  A  continuous  ring- 
ing was  in  his  ears;  his  heart  gave  sharp,  quick  beats. 

"  I'm  all  unstrung!  "  he  gasped,  as  the  beads  of  a  cold 
■sweat  stood  out  on  his  forehead.  With  a  sudden  bound, 
he  cleared  the  door,  rushed  upstairs,  and  stumbled 
breathless  into  the  bedroom. 

An  uneasy  and  feverish  slumber  came  to  him  at  last, 
protracted  till  long  past  his  usual  rising  time.  He  was 
aroused  by  May,  who  had  just  kissed  him  lightly  on 
the  forehead. 

"  I'm  so  sorry,  Eddie,"  she  said,  as  she  saw  him  open 
his  eyes  ;  "  I  didn't  mean  to  wake  you." 

As  she  had  herself  been  awakened  by  an  abrupt 
•exclamation  from  him,  and  had  all  night  long  heard  him 
muttering  incoherently,  she  was  indeed  vexed  with  her- 
self. Her  one  care  all  along  had  be?n  to  get  him  through 
the  tro'ible  without  his  health  breaking  down. 

"  Wnat  time  is  it  1 "  he  asked,  brokenly. 

"  Half-past  ten,  dear." 

"As  late  as  that!  I  must  get  up  at  once.  Have 
they  come  yet?" 

"No,  not  yet,  dear."  She  kn:w  ony  too  well  whom 
he  meant.  She  hovered 
about  a  moment,  then 
decided  not  to  tell  him 
of  the  letter  waiting  f' 
him  downstairs.  He?', 
by  now,  practised  ej-.i 
bad  detected  the  subtle 
legal  air  that  seemed  to 
cling  to  the  envelope, 
Why  worry  him  need- 
lessly ?    It  could  wait. 

He  dressed,  and  drag- 
ged his  weary  limbs 
downstairs.  An  unna- 
tural, feverish  light  was 
in  his  eye.  The  thought 
that  now  the  sheriff's 
officer  might  come  at  any 
moment  with  his  attend- 
ant bailiffs  made  hira 
revolt  more  fiercely  than 
■ever  against  the  inevi- 
table. The  look  of  the 
hunted  animal  came  into 
his   face.      He  seated 

himself  at  the  table,  and  May  poured  out  his  coffee. 

"The  children  have  gone  to  school  as  usual?"  he 
casually  observed  as  he  sipped  it. 

"Yc3,  dear.    They  are  paid  for  till  the  end  of  the 


"  EDDIE  !  "  SHE  CALLED.  IN'  DISTRESS 


term,  so  I  thought  it  would  be  better  for  them  to  be  out 
of  the  way." 

He  swallowed  the  coffee  in  gloomy  silence1,  then  asked 
for  another  cup. 

"  I  suppose  they'll  be  here  directly."  The  remark 
indicated  the  trend  of  his  thoughts. 

"  I've  told  Jane  to  open  the  door  as  soon  as  she  sees 
them  coming.  She's  upset  at  leaving  us,  poor  girl.  Oh  ! 
by  the  way,  there's  a  letter  for  you." 

She  took  it  from  the  mantel-piece,  where  it  had 
stood  unnoticed  by  him,  and  handed  it  to  him.  He 
turned  it  over  languidly,  betraying  no  interest  in  it.  For 
a  moment  his  fingers  toyed  with  it  nervously,  then  he 
feebly  jerked  it  back  to  her. 

"Here1,  May.  Just  see  what  it's  about.  I'm  too  tired 
to  open  it." 

She  took  it  up,  broke  the  envelope,  and  unfolded  the 
letter.    The  red  blood  flooded  her  cheeks. 

"  'i?ethe  late  Thomas  Oliver,'"  she  gasped. 

"  The  late  Thomas  Oliver  !  "  he  repeated,  in  wonder. 
"  What !  Old  Oliver  dead  ?  Old  Tom  Oliver— my  god- 
father ?  Lucky  dog,  lucky  dog  !  That  man  always  had 
the  Devil's  own  luck  !  " 

But,  fortunately,  she  did  not  notice  his  words,  for  the 
letter  conta'ned  a  piece  of  news  so  astounding  that  for 
the  moment  her  faculties  were  deadened. 

"  He  leaves  you  two  thousand  pounds,  Eddie,  dar- 
ling ! "  she  exclaimed,  at  length,  trembling  all  over. 
u  Look,  Eddie ! "  She  held  the  shaking  sheet  before 
him.    "Thank  God!  we  are  saved!" 

The  writing  swam  before  his  eyes  in  a  muddy  blur. 
He  roughly  pushed  the  paper  away  in  an  excess  of 
nervous  energy. 

"  Thank  God  1  Ha  !  ha  !  "  he  laughed.  "  Thank  the 
Devil !  " 

"What  do  you  mean,  Eddie?"  she  asked,  sharply, 

blanching  at  his  strange 

demeanour. 

"  Oh  !  nothing,  no- 
thing !  Don't  bother 
me  !  "  he  mumbled,  irri- 
tably, passing  his  hand 
across  his  face,  as  if  to 
wave  off  a  vertigo.  He 
sat  on  in  silence,  his 
head  sunk  forward,  his 
brow  puckered,  his  eyes 
gaping  vacantly,  and  his 
lips  twitching,  the  while 
she  watched  him  in 
speechless  amazement. 
Unable  to  bear  the  sight 
any  longer,  she  at  last 
came  over  and  stood  be- 
hind him,  placing  a  hand 
on  his  shoulder. 

"  Eddie  !  "  she  called, 
in  distress. 

He  neither  moved  nor 
spoke.  Her  heart  grew  sick 
with  anxious  foreboding. 
"Eddie!"  she  called  again,  and  this  time  her  voice 
was  hoarse1  with  fear  and  anguish. 

"  I  haven't  sold  it!  I  haven't  sold  ik! "  lie  broke  out, 
abruptly. 


February  16,  1S9.1. 


TO-DAY. 


37 


"  You  haven't  sold  it ?  What?  I  don't  understand  ! " 
she  half  sobbed. 

"  I  tell  you  I  haven't  sold  it ! "  he  repeated,  fiercely. 
<;  I  didn't  mean  it !    I  shall  refuse  the  money  ! " 

Her  mind  was  in  a  whirl.  She  was  thoroughly  fright- 
ened now,  and  knew  not  what  to  say  or  do.  What  could 
he  mean?  Was  it  this  Heaven-sent  money  he  meant  to 
refuse  ? 

"±-.ot  the  two  thousand  pounds?"  she  could  only 
-exclaim. 

"  Yes,  the  two  thousand  pounds  !  I  tell  you  I  haven't 
sold  it !    I  shan't  take  the  money." 

"  But  we  must  take  it,  Eddie,  dear ! "  she  pleaded, 
making  a  great  effort  to  be  calm.  "  What  is  there 
■against  it?    It  is  from  your  godfather." 

"  Godfather !  "  he  shouted.  "  Devil-father,  you  mean  ! 
What !  Are  you,  too,  on  the  side  of  the  Devil  ?  Am  I 
-to  be  eternally  damned,  to  keep  you  in  fine  dresses? 
You  are  just  the  same  as  the  rest !  " 

She  shrank  back  from  him,  shuddering.  The  letter 
■seemed  to  burn  her  fingers.    She  let  it  fall. 


IN  THE  I  ONDON  DOCKS. 
It  is  probably  accidental,  but  still  very  appropriate, 
"that  one  of  the  first  warehouses  to  which  the  visitor 
comes  on  entering  the  London  Docks  is  that  where  ivory 
and  spices  are  accumulated.  The  whole  place  is  filled 
with  a  strong  odour  of  mace,  and  nutmeg,  and  cloves. 
On  the  ground-floor  the  ivory  is  collected.  There  are 
tusks  from  the  Soudan,  tusks  from  Western  Africa,  and 
some  from  India ;  some  of  them  have  been  cleaned  by  the 
natives  who  collected  them,  others  are  deep  brown  in 
colour,  being  discoloured  with  the  smoke  of  native  huts, 
where  they  have  long  been  stored,  or  perhaps  with  the 
soil  of  the  desert  where  the  elephant  which  used  them 
dropped,  and  died,  and  rotted,  and  lay  unseen  for  years. 
Some  of  the  tusks  show  bullet-holes  ;  sometimes,  indeed, 
a  bullet  will  enter  the  hollow  part  of  the  tusk,  drop  down 
into  its  narrowest  part,  and  finally,  if  the  elephant  live 
long  enough,  be  cut  out  of  solid  ivory,  which  has  grown 
over  it.  One  tusk  suggests  lamentable  visions  of  a  huge 
elephant  suffering  protracted  agonies  of  what  one  must 
call  toothache  for  want  of  a  better  word.  A  bullet  has 
entered  the  tusk  near  the  base,  but  the  elephant  has 
escaped  its  pursuers.  In  the  course  of  years  the  wound 
has  spread,  and  for  a  foot  or  more  in  length  the  tusk  is 
all  carious,  like  a  rotten  tooth.  If  the  elephant  had  not 
been  killed  by  the  hunters,  the  huge  mass  of  ivory  would 
eventually  have  fallen  off,  and  left  him  without  defence 
in  the  event  of  its  becoming  necessary  that  he  should  at 
■any  time  to  do  battle  with  his  peers. — The  Windsor 
Magazine.  

THE   PECLINE  OF   ENGLISH  DUELLING. 

The  last  duel — the  last  fatal  one,  at  least — was  fought 
in  a  field  in  Maiden  Lane,  in  a  solitary  part  of  Holloway, 
in  1843.  The  district  acquired  considerable  notoriety 
from  the  event.  It  was  the  duel  fought  between  Colonel 
Fawcett  and  Lieutenant  Munro.  The  former  was  killed. 
The  duellists  were  not  only  brother  officers,  they  were 
also  brothers-in-law,  having  married  two  sisters.  The 
coroner's  jury  on  the  inquest  returned  a  verdict  of  wilful 
murder ,  not  only  against  Lieutenant  Munro',  but  against 
the  seconds  also.  The  latter,  however,  were  acquitted. 
Munro  evaded  the  hands  of  justice  by  seeking  refuge 
abroad.  Four  years  later  he  surrendered  to  take  his 
trial  at  the  Old  Bailey.  He  was  found  guilty  and  sen- 
tenced to  death.  He  was,  however,  strongly  recom- 
mended to  mercy,  and  the  sentence  was  eventually  com- 
muted to  twelve  months'  imprisonment.  The  neigh- 
bourhood in  which  this  duel  was  fought  is  no*  longer 
solitary ;  a  wide  thoroughfare,  known  as  the  Brecknock 
Hoad,  runs  through  it,  and  a  rifle-ground  beside  the 
Brecknock  Arms  appropriately  indicat03  the  place 
where  the  final  ehet  was  fired. — Chambers' 'g  Journal. 


"  Eddie !  Eddie !  "  she  cried.  "  What  are  you  saying  1 " 
You  are  ill !  Don't  look  at  me  like  that !  Kiss  me, 
Eddie ! " 

He  rose  to  his  feet,  and  took  her  in  his  arms.  Her 
head  fell  on  to  his  shoulder.  He  placed  his  lips  against 
her  cheek.  A  racking  pain  shot  through  his  temples,  a 
loud  hooting  echoed  in  his  ears.  A  ball  of  fire,  bright 
and  dazzling,  rolled  past  him. 

"  You  devil !  "  he  hissed,  as  he  set  his  teeth  to. 

"  A-a-a-h !  "  Her  scream  rang  piercingly  through  the 
house'. 

"  Eddie !  "  she  moaned,  piteously.  "  What  have  you 
done?"  She  put  her  hand  to  her  cheek,  and  withdrew 
it,  covered  with  blood.  "  Oh,  Eddie !  Eddie  !  you've  bit 
me  !  you've  bit  me  ! " 

She  struggled  with  him,  and  wrenched  herself  free 
of  his  grasp,  and  he  fell  back  on  his  chair,  gibbering 
wildly. 

The  bailiffs  came  a  minute  later  to  take  possession 
and  make  their  valuation.  But  they  had  other  and  un- 
expected work  to  do  first. 


AN   INTERESTING  FIND. 

Considerable  interest  has  been  excited  in  Scotland 
by  the  discovery  of  a  supposed  "  prehistoric  cave "  at 
Oban,  which  was  found  in  excavating  for  the  foundations 
of  some  new  houses  in  that  town.  The  cave,  which  was 
revealed  in  blasting  a  large  rock,  is  of  considerable  size, 
and  contains  a  very  large  amount  of  human  bones,  with 
loose  sea-shells  and  other  objects.  A  further  critical 
examination  of  the  cave  seems  to  point  to  a  different 
explanation  of  the  presence  of  the  bones  and  shells  from 
that  adopted  at  first.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Stewart,  F.S.A., 
Scot.,  has  examined  the  cave,  and  he  has  come  to  a 
conclusion  regarding  it  which,  while  denying  its  archaeo- 
logical character,  is  of  scarcely  less  interest  than  that 
originally  assigned  to  it  when  first  opened  out.  Dr. 
Stewart  states  that  in  his  opinion  the  cave  is  of  the  same 
date  and  character  as  that  of  another  cave  which  was 
discovered  behind  the  Oban  Distillery  a  few 
years  ago.  It  never  was,  he  believes,  used  as 
a  dwelling-place,  nor  as  a  place  of  burial.  All 
the  shells  and  bones  were,  in  his  opinion,  thrown  up  into 
the  hollow  of  the  rock  by  a  marine  inundation  of  very 
ancient  date,  or  by  some  huge  tidal  wave,  which  seems 
to  have  overtaken  and  drowned  the  people  then  dwell- 
ing in  rude  huts  close  by  the  foreshores  of  the  bay.  Dr. 
Stewart  made  a  minute  examination  of  the  shells,  a  few 
of  which  are  not  now  to  be  found  in  the  waters  of  the 
western  seaboard.  The  presence  of  these  shells  seems 
to  indicate  an  Arctic  state  of  climate  at  the  time  of  the 
suggested  cataclysm. — The  Antiquary. 


REVIVAL   OF   THE  CURFEW-BELL. 

There  is  to  be  a  revival  of  the  curfew  in  Canada,  and 
if  it  prove  successful  in  the  cities  and  towns  of  the 
Dominion  it  is  not  unlikely  that  it  may  be  used  in  some 
parts  of  the  United  States.  The  law  which  has  been 
enacted  by  the  legislatures  of  Quebec  and  Ontario  was 
drafted  by  the  Society  for  the  Protection  of  Women  and 
Children,  and  provides  that  the  municipal  councils  in 
cities,  towns  and  incorporated  villages  shall  have  power 
to  pass  by-laws  for  the  regulation  of  the  time  after 
which  children  shall  not  be  in  the  streets  at  nightfall 
without  proper  guardianship.  The  law  also1  provides 
that  these  councils  shall  cause  a  bell  to  be  rung  at  or 
near  the  time  appointed,  as  a  warning,  to  be  called  the 
curfew-bell,  after  which  the  children  so  required  to  be 
at  their  homes  or  off  the  streets  shall  be  liable  to  bo 
warned  by  any  constable  or  police-officer  to  go  home. — 
Ladies'  Home  Journal. 


33 


TO-DAY. 


Feehuary  16,  18?  5. 


MISS  EXTRA-TURN. 

BY 

W.  PETT  RIDGE. 

Illustrated  by  Sydney  Adamsoi<, 


HERE  is  a  pause  of 
a  few  minutes  after 
the  infant  Charles 
Godfrey  has  finally 
closed  his  Gibus 
against  the  small 
shirt-front,  and 
bowed  himself  off. 
The  crowded,  smok- 
ing, talking  hall  re- 
sents the  pause.  Two 
performances  a  night 
are  given  at  Bar- 
ling's, and  the  two- 
penny gallery  knows 
that  as  this  (the 
hist)  must  close  at  9.15,  every  moment  is  golden.  The 
twopenny  gallery  whistles  the  Hoxton  signal ;  it  throws 
nutshells;  it  satirises  the  red  and  blue  curtain;  it 
reproaches  the  management  bitterly. 

"Pull  iio  the  blind,  mister.  Let's  see  wot  you're 
a-doin'  of." 

"Do  wike  up  there.    You're  snorin'  something  friful." 

"  Ply  the  ginie,  ply  the  gime."  (This  as  though  it  wera 
a  slow  match  of  football.) 

The  attendant,  in  brass-buttoned  frock-coat,  demands 
silence.  When  he  obta'ns  it,  a  shrill  treble  in  the  front 
row  speaks  an  encouraging  word. 

"  Don't  you  'urry,  mister.    To-morrer  night  will  do." 

On  the  o.p.  side  a  small  board  projects  itself,  and  the 
hall  groans  as  it  reads  :  — 

"  EXTRA  TURN." 

'•  Thenks."  The  voice  belongs  to  Shrill  Treble,  and 
speaks  bitterly.    "Thenks.    I've  'ad  some." 

The  curtain  goes  up,  and  a  back  cloth  is  let  down. 
Back  cloth  presents  a  rather  noble  mansion,  with  gravel 
paths  encircling  a  flower  plot  of  amazing  richness  of 
colour,  and  a  waterfall  and  a  rustic  bridge,  and  a  youth- 
ful pair,  arm-in-arm,  looking  into  each  other's  eyes  with 
much  tenderness.  The  gallery  says  to  the  painted 
couple,  "  Nort-y !  norty  !  "  and  settles  down  into  something 
like  quietude.  A  bell  rings.  The  conductor  of  the 
band  (of  four)  simultaneously  bobs  to  his  colleagues, 
draws  bow  across  ;>is  violin,  and  stamps  one  foot.  A 
confused  prelude.  It  is  played  again,  and  at  its  fourth 
bar  there  hurries  on  the  stage,  with  a  flattering  sug- 
gestion of  having  been  running  a  long  way,  in  order  not 
<.o  keep  us  waiting  

"Brivo!" 

It  is  Miss  Extra-Turn.  Miss  Extra-Turn,  thin  young 
lady  in  pale  blue,  somewhat  flat  as  to  figure,  and  with 
bare  arms  just  a  little  angular  and  red  at  the  elbows, 
but  with  a  smile  that  atones  for  all.  The  hall  revives 
at  the  s'ght  of  the  smile.  Miss  Extra-Turn  inclines  her 
head  genially,  and  coughs  in  a  lady-like  manner  under 
cover  of  a  blue-gloved  hand.  Then  she  sings:- — 
"  You  may  talk  of  England's  greatness  in  the  brave  old 

days  of  yore, 
When  Lord  Nelsin  fought,  and  Wellinton  also  ; 
And  no  doubt  their  'eavts  were  true,  boys — staunch  an' 

true  onto  the  core — 
When  they  sallied  forth  to  meet  the  foreign  foe. 
But—" 

(Now  with  much  decision,  as  one  who  is  forced,  against 
1  er  inclination,  to  speak  her  mind.) 

"  Hut  I  think  that  our  brave  soldiers  and  our  silors  now- 
adays 

Are  just  as  good  as  ever  in  a  fight ; 

For  our  gallant  tars  will  show  'em  that  Britannia  rules 
the  waves, 

And  our  soldier  boys  will  all  defend  the  right." 


Miss  Extra-Turn  commendably  spares  no  effort  to 
make  her  argument  clear.  She  has  set  out  obviously  to 
administer  a  stinging  reproof  to  the  pessimistic  school, 
and  she  means  to  do  it  effectually.  When  she  says 
"  soldier,"  she  stands  upright,  and  puts  her  hands  down 
straight  at  the  sides  of  her  pale  blue  skirt.  When  she 
says  '"earts,"  she  slaps  herself  quite  hard  above  the 
pale  blue  bodice.  When  she  says  "  sallied,"  she  starts 
so  threateningly  towards  the  conductor,  that  he  dodges 
back,  under  the  impression  that  his  life  is  in  peril.  And 
when  she  says  "  de-fend  the  right,"  she  clasps  her  hands, 
and  looks  upwards  reverently,  and,  the  notes  being  high, 
makes  a  wry  face.  In  a  general  way,  Miss  Extra-Turn 
speaks  the  words  accompanying  high  notes,  and  thus 
evades  exertion.  The  words,  "  Defend  the  right,"  are, 
however,  shrieked  with  a  fine  recklessness. 

"'Old  'im!  'old  'im  !  'old  W  " 

It  is  Shrill  Treble's  interjection.  He  makes  the  sug- 
gestion as  though  Miss  Extra-Turn's  voice  were  a  run- 
away horse. 

"  Don't  let  me  ketch  you  again,"  begs  the  attendant. 
'Cos  if  I  do  " 

"I'll  look  awfter  that,"  answers  Shrill  Treble. 

Three  verses.  At  the  end  of  each  a  chorus  so  easy  to 
secure,  that  at  the  last  Miss  Extra-Turn  is  relieved  from 
the  necessity  of  either  singing  it  or  speaking  it.  The 
hall  chants  it  loudly  what  time  Miss  Extra-Turn  slaps 


SHE  SPARKS  NO  EFFORT. 

herself,  and  hugs  herself,  and  sallies  forth  to  meet  the 
foreign  foe.  As  the  end  nears  she  bunches  up  her  pale 
blue  skirts,  and  backs  to  the  exit  — 

"Boys  that  are  so  ready,  faithful,  true,  and  steady; 

For  England  is  good  old  England  still." 

Much  enthusiasm;    The  gallery  stamps :  the  front 


Copyright,  1S95,  by  II'.  Pett  Ri<!<je. 


February  16,  ISOj. 


TO-DAY. 


row  kicks  at  the  boarding.     She  returns  immediately1, 
and    with  beaming  countenance,  sends  kisses   to  the 
enthusiastic  gallery.   Shrill  Treble  leans  over  and  speaks 
in  tones  of  languorous  love — 
"  Oh,  you  cough-drop  ! " 

"  I  shall  ev  to  out  you,"  says  the  attendant  sadly,  "  I 
know  I  shall  afore  you've  done." 

The  interval  seems  long  without  Miss  Extra-Turn,  but 
it  is  in  effect  but  two 
minutes.  Then  the  ring. 
Swift  symphony.  Comes 
Miss  Extra-Turn ;  this 
time  in  yellow  with  a 
bunch  of  imitation  roses 
at  her  breast. 

"  Si-lence  there,  if  you, 
please." 

The  hall  is  hushed. 

"I  don't  like  them 
flahrs,"  remarks  Shrill 
Treble. 

"  And  I  don't  like  you," 
says  the  attendant  defi- 
nitely, "and  if  you 
don't  " 

"  Sil-ence  there,"  repeats 
Shrill  Treble. 

It  was  a  song  of  the 
order  dramatic  : — 
"  See  the  pore  boy  at  his 

crossing, 
Working  hard  to  get  his 
bread, 

Everybody  looks  down  on 
him, 

Both  his  parents  dear  are 
dead 

Suddenly  " 

(Footlights  down.  A  green, 
ghostly  light  is  flashed  on 
Miss  Extra-Turn.  She 
raises  her  hands  in  attitude 
of  horror,  and  speaks  im- 
pressively.) 

Suddenly  a   horse  comes 

bolting, 
Carriage  with  the  Lady 

Kate, 

See  the  pore  boy  flies  " 

(Pause  with  much  dodging 
of  head,  as  she  peers  into 
the  auditorium ;  then  tri- 
umphantly)— 

«  he 'olds 'im, 

Saves  my  lady  " 

(Green   light  off. 
great  relief.) 


" shunt  ! " 


Miss    Extra -Turn    smiles  with 


-from  her  fate." 


Prelude.  Miss  Extra-Turn  once  mere. 
Short  skirts  this  time,  indicative  of  increased  gaiety 
of  manner  and  a  less  profound  attention  to  the  pro- 
blems of  life.  She  wears  a  big  straw  hat,  and  bites  one 
end  of  a  belaced  handkerchief  to  show  how  artless  she 
is.    It  is  a  merry  air : 

"  I  am.  the  shyest  girl  on  earth, 
I  couldn't  say  boo  to  a  goose, 

I've  been  quite  like  it  from 
my  birth, 

I  never  " 

It  seems  that  dancing  is 
not  Miss  Extra -Turn's 
forte.  She  sways  gently 
to  and  fro,  but  it  is  only  a 
movement,  and  there  is  no 
excuse  for  Shrill  Treble's 
prompt  request  of  "  Over, 
i-ver."  Nothing,  it  is  clear, 
isfurtherfrom  her  thoughts 
t  ban  a  somersault. 
"  Shy,  shy,  dreadfully  shy, 

/  can't  help  it  reely, 
Oh  my,  don't  wink  youreye, 
I'm  such  a  little  seely." 
The  gallery  likes  the 
chorus  very  much.  It 
shouts  it  with  amazing 
enthusiasm  ;  at  the  third 
line  of  the  refrain  it  winks 
as  one  man.  When  Miss 
Extra-Turn  bows  herself 
finally  off  there  is  much 
uproar.  Above  it  all  the 
voice  of  Shrill  Treble  in- 
sistently as  one  armed  with 
authority — 

" 'Ornpipe,  'ornpipe." 
The    attendant  comes 
heavily  down  the  gangway. 
He  taps  Shrill  Treble  on 
the  shoulder. 

"  You're  a  bit  too  funny," 
says  the  attendant  criti- 
cally.   " Shunt !  " 

And  takes  his  shoulder. 
Shrill  Treble,  resigning 
himself  to  the  inevitable 
with  excellent  tact,  affects 
to  take  from  his  pocket  a 
non-existent  watch  of  sur- 
passing value. 

"Grite  'eavens  !  "  He 
is  much  astonished  at  the 
hour.    "  I    must   be  off. 
promised  to  meet  her  at  the  stige- 
So  long,  you  swells." 


Noin  o'clock,  and  I 
door  at  free  minutes  to. 


If  this  song  has  a  fault  (and  even  minor  poets  of  the 
music  hall  are  not  perfect),  it  is  that  it  possesses  no 
chorus.  This  is  why,  despite  the  fact  that  each  verse 
contains  a  separate  agony  and  different  coloured  liine- 
light ;  despite,  too,  the  fact  that  Miss  Extra-Turn  gets 
quite  hoarse  with  excitement,  there  is  less  applause. 
When  she  goes  off  there  is  no  recall,  and  consequently 
no  envoy  of  kisses  to  the  gallery. 

"  What  ev  / done?"  demands  Shrill  Treble.  He  draws 
one  arm  across  his  eyes  with  much  show  of  feeling, 
"  She  no  longer  loves  me.    She  no  longer  loves  me." 

Shrill  Treble's  entourage  is  amused,  but  the  attendant 
somehow  does  not  seem  to  perceive  the  humour  of  the 
remark. 

"  For  two  pins,"  says  the  attendant  threateningly,  "  for 
just  about  two  pins  I'd  chuck  you." 

"  He's  got  the  needle,"  explains  Shrill  Treble  to  his 
friends  (but  he  explains  it  warily,  in  a  quieter  tone),  "  and 
rah  he  wants  pins." 


SORROW-A  PICTURE. 


One  day  my  soul  was  dreaming  in  the  light 
Alone — save  for  the  light's  sweet  company, 
When  Sorrow  came  and  smiled  and  spake  to  me 
Softly,  as  winds  that  whisper  of  the  night. 
Sorrow — but  0,  the  lovely-orbed  and  bright 

Unutterable  eyes ! — as  if  the  trace 
Of  tears  had  made  them  sparkle.    Was  it  right 

Sorrow  should  seek  me  with  that  strange,  sweet  face  1 
The  light  seemed  lovelier  to  my  soul ;  the  grace 
Of  rose-sweet  dawns  and  tearful  twilights  blended, 
Fell  like  a  benediction  on  the  place 

And  night  was  light — the  beautiful,  the  splendid  ! 
And  when  she  left  me  all  the  light  grew  less 
With  a  drear  sense  of  loss  and  loneliness. 

Frank  L.  Stanton. 


40 


February  1G,  1893 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dearest  Nell, — You  can't  imagine  what  a  sensation 
the  cloak  worn  by  Miss  Florence  West  makes 
in  the  last  act  of  An  Ideal  Husband.  It  is 
very  long,  very  full,  and  made  with  a  train 
which  almost  covers  that  of  her  evening  dress. 
The  material  is  richest  black  satin,  lined  through- 
out with  brightest  poppy-red,  also  satin,  the  collar  being 
so  finished  as  to  show  the  red  in  short  interludes.  There 
are  two  novel  features  in  the  lovely  evening  dress  of 
white  and  gold  brocade.  It  is  Princess  in  shape  at  the 
back,  and  the  sleeves  are  made  long  enough  to  reach  to 
the  wrists,  where  they  are  finished  with  small  mediaeval 
cuffs  lined  with  red 
velvet.  All  the 
dressy  women  in 
London  are  going 
to  see  that  gown 
and  cloak  ! 

But  what  I  want 
to  tell  you  about 
this  week  is  tho 
lovely  ball  at  War- 
wick Castle.  Eva 
went  to  it,  and  has 
come  back  in  a 
state  of  enchant- 
ment. It  was  fancy 
dress,  and  the  pe  riod 
was  restrict!  d  to 
that  of  Louis  XV. 
and  Louis  XVI. 
The  hostess  was 
Marie  Antoinette. 

The  complete- 
ness with  which  tho 
arrangements  were 
carried  out  may  be 
inferred  from  the 
fact  that  even  the 
servants'  liveries 
and  the  dresses  of 
the  musicians  were 
those  of  the  period 
chosen.  Most  of 
the  lights  were  wax 
candles  ;  but  in 
some  of  the  rooms 
the  electric  light 
was  arranged  to 
simulate  these,  the 
only  mode  of  illu- 
mination kno  w  n 
at  that  time.  The 
decorations  were 
all  consistent,  botii 
in  ball-room  and 
supper-room,  where 
the  fashionable  sub- 
stitution of  small 
tables  prevailed. 
The  menu  was  as 
follows  : — 

Consomme  de  volailk. 
Cailles  sur  canapes. 
Tet'ts  poulets  au  cresson. 
Cotclettes  d'agneau  Clamart. 

Entrees  Froides  : 
Filjts  de  saumon  Pariskr.s. 
Supreme  <le  faisans. 
Poulets  Medici?. 
Asperses  d'Argentei  il. 
Sandwiches  varies. 

En  ,'remets  : 
Macedoine  de  fruits  au  Champagne. 
Patisseries  assorties. 

Fraises. 


IN  THE  early  sprixg 


No  one  looked  as  lovely  as  the  beautiful  hostess,  in 
her  Marie  Antoinette  dress  of  Sir  Feter  Lely  brocade,  the 
lovely  pearl-coloured  ground  of  which  figured  in  so  many 
portraits  done  by  the  great  artist  that  it  is  known  by 
his  name.  It  was  flowered  over  with  blossoms  in  pale 
and  lovely  colours,  clustering  about  gold  roses.  The 
bodice  was  finished  round  the  shoulders  with  a  fichu  of 
cream-tinted  silk  muslin,  embroidered  here  and  there- 
with gold,  and  edged  with  gold  lace  of  a  light  and  airy 
texture.  The  blue  velvet  manteau  de  cour  was  em- 
broidered all  over  with  gold  rleurs-de-lis,  and  on  the 
powdered  hair  a  bright  blue  velvet  cap,  embroidered  in 
gold,  and  clasped  with  pearls  and  diamonds.  A  mag- 
nificent collar  of  diamonds  encircled  the  shapely  neck, 
and  the  manteau  de  cour  was  fastened  on  with  a  tiara  of 

diamonds,  drawn 
out  to  its  fullest 
extent. 

The  Duchess  of 
Sutherland  also 
personated  a  Royal 
lady,  the  celebrated 
Marie  Lesczynski, 
wife  of  Louis  XV. 
The  costume  was 
white  satin,  em- 
broidered lavishly 
witli  silver,  and 
made  with  a  sto- 
macher of  rubies,, 
emeralds,  and 
diamonds  on  the 
long,pointed  bodice. 
The  ruby  velvet 
manteau  de  cour, 
gold  -  embroidered, 
was  apparently  up- 
held by  a  riviere 
of  diamonds,  and  a. 
duchess's  coronet, 
also  in  diamonds, 
surrounded  the 
rather  low  coiffure. 
Her  young  sister, 
Lady  Angela  Er- 
skine,  was  dressed 
after  an  old  family 
portrait  of  the 
Sutherlands  at 
Trentham  in  white 
satin,  with  lace 
sleeves  and  a  blue 
satin  Gainsborough 
hat,  with  snowy 
plumes. 

The  charming 
Princess  Henry  of 
Pless  wore  a  highly 
elaborate  costume 
as  Duchesse  de 
Polig  n  a  c.  Her 
white  satin  gown 
was  richly  .-own. 
with  jewellery  in 
turquoise,  ame- 
thyst, and  gold.  The  over-skirt  was  lined  with  pale 
blue,  and,  being  turned  back,  showed  this  lin'ng,  all  sewn 
with  jewels  to  match  the  uiulerdress.  The  young 
Princess  wore  diamonds  and  turquoise  in  her  powdered 
hair.  Her  husband  was  dressed  as  a  French  officer  of 
the  period,  the  uniform  being  green,  faced  with  scarlet, 
and  piped  with  white,  a  rich  gold  embroidery  following 
all  the  outlines. 

Tho  Earl  of  Warwick  had  not  chosen  the  character  of 
Louis  XVI.,  but  wore  the  uniform  of  an  officer  of  the 
household  of  that  unfortunate  king,  a  loner-tailed  red 
coat,  turned  back  witli  white  cloth,  and  ruffled  with  lace 
at  neck  and  wrists.     The  Earl  of  Lonsdale  was  dressed 


I'EERUARY  16,  1893. 


TO-DAY. 


41 


Telegram  from 


A  subsequent  letter,  ordering  a  further  supply  of  50  bottles  of  Mariani  Wine,  states  that 
H.I.M.  the  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia  has  derived  the  greatest  benefit  from  its^use. 


Mariani  Wine  fortifies,  nourishes,  and  stimulates  the  Body  and  Brain 
It  restores  Health,  Strength,  Energy,  and  Vitality. 

Bottles,  4s.  ',  Dozen,  45s.  ,  of  Chemists  and  Stores,  or  Carriage  Paid  from  WILCOX  &  Co.,  239,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W. 

"Get  the  CREME  DE  VIOLET  sold  by  Le  Frere  et  Cie.  It  is  a  eplendid  pre- 
paration for  the  skin,  and  if  you  will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  all  those  ugly  spots 
and  discolouration s  disappear,  and  in  addition  to  this  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin 
gradually  improve,  becoming  soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a 
sweet  expression,  that  any  face  could  have.  The  violet  cream  can  be  had  through 
druggists  or  perfumere,  or  direct  from  the  makers.  If  you  have  really  been  so  foolish  as 
to  try  cosmetics  as  a  means  of  embellishing  a  faulty  skin,  you  cannot  do  better  than 
persistently  use  the  Creme  de  Violet,  for  it  will  gradually  do  away  with  all  ill  effects  left 
t>y  the  paint.   It  has  a  very  delicious  perfume  of  a  refined  kind." 

"  Suzette  "  in  "  TO-DAY.' 

A 

CREME  DE  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  ointment,  but  is  a  liquid,  pure  and 
exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  ingredientB  and  absolutely  colourless. 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is*  and  2s.  6<1.  fsee  that  the  signature-* 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label) ;  or  Bent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from— 


ADADIMC  MARKING  INK  FOR  CD. 
AriADl  IN  t.  LINEN  is  THE  BEST!  D 


NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED. 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


PER 
BOTTLE 


LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


AS 


afford  immediate  re- 
lief in  cases  of 

ASTHMA, 
WHEEZING,  AND 
WINTER  COUGH, 

and  a  little  peree* 
verance  will  effect  a 
permanent  cure.  Uni- 
versally recommended 
'V  the  most  eminent 
physicians  and  medi- 
cal authors.  Agreeable 
t^>  use,  certain  in  their 
effects,  and  harmbss 
.n  uieir  action,  they 
may  be  safely  emokea 
by  ladies  and  children. 

All  Chemists  and 
Stores,  box  of  3ft, 
2s.  6u.«  or  post  free 
from  Wilcox  and  Co., 
239,  Oxford  Street, 
London,  W. 


NATARA 


H  mm  m  mm  m  »*  ■  j)  DRIES  UP  A  COLD 

IN  THE  HEAD  IN 
A  PEW  HOURS. 

Bead  the  following  Testimonial  from  Mrs.  Varley,  the  wife  of 
Henry  Varley,  the  well-knoicn  Evangelist : — 

"  48,  Elgin  Crescent,  Notting  Hill,  W. 
"  Dear  Sir, — I  am  not  a  great  believer  in  special  remedies,  but  I  am 
compelled  to  speak  as  I  find.  As  long  as  I  can  remember  I  have  been 
subject  to  severe  '  colds  in  the  head,'  and  all  the  miseries  belonging  to 
that  disease.  Nothing  ever  seemed  to  do  me  any  good,  and  it  always  had 
to  take  its  course,  and  leave  me  weak  and  miserable.  I  was  persuaded 
to  try  your  '  Natara,'  and  as  I  took  it  at  an  early  stage  in  the  cold  I  was 
perfectly  surprised  to  find  that  it  entirely  prevented  its  continuance,  and 
the  next  day  I  had  no  sign  of  a  cold,  though  I  well  knew  I  was  in  for  a 
really  bad  attack  of  catarrh.  I  have  much  pleasure  in  giving  this 
testimony  to  its  wonderful  power  to  beat  back  a  cold. 

"Yours  very  truly,  Sarah  Varley." 

Price  Is.,  post  free  Is.  i|d.  per  Bottle. 


PREPARED  ON'LY  by 


Manufactnrer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfield  Street,  Glasgow. 
MADAME  CORISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisande,"  matchless  for  delicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  S/3.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  HairFood,"2/9  &  S/3.  Only  address.  548,  Oxford  St.,  Hyde  Pk.,W. 

WHY  NOT  TO-DAY? 

The  sooner  the  better  ; 
we  guarantee  you  will  be  amply  satisfied  and 
have  no  cause  to  regret  taking  our  advice.  It 
is  our  interest  to  treat  you  so  well  that  we  shall 
be  assured  of  your  future  patronage. 

A  GOOD  WATCH 

is  of  special  importance 
to  all  of  us  and  becomes  an  inseparable  and  life- 
long companion.  Such,  however,  is  the  experience 
of  thousands  of  wearers  of  our  celebrated  Manu- 
factures. Readers  of  "To-Day"  should  send  25/- 
for  our  Sterling  Silver  "Acme  "  "Watch  (Lady  or 
Gentleman's),  stamped  cases,  lady's  beautifully 
engraved  and  with  dial  handsomely  tinted,  or  plain, 
as  preferred.  Three-quarter  plate,  extra  jewelled 
movements,  splendid  timekeepers,  fully  realising 
all  that  could  be  expected  from  Watches  sold 
elsewhere  at  double  the  price.  Our  price,  25/-, 
including  a  Five  Years'  Warranty.  A  month's 
free  trial  allowed.  If  dissatisfied,  the  full  amount 
returned. 

DROP   A  LINE, 

and  we  will  have  pleasure  in 
posting  you  our  new  and  profusely  illustrated 
Book  Of  Reference.  Contains  upwards  of 
1,500  engravings — Watches,  Gold  and  Silver 
Jewellery  of  every  description,  Clocks,  Plate, 
Cutlery,  <fec,  at  large  reductions  on  London 
prices  ;  together  with  hundreds  of  unsolicited 
testimonials.    This  interesting  and  useful  Book 

will  be  sent  you  Free  of  Charge. 


J.  OCKENDEN,  Chemist,   H.  SAMUEL, 


18,  MOORFIELDS,  E.C. 

(OPPOSITE    MOORGATE    STREET  STATION,) 


ENGLISH  LEYER  WATCH 
MANUFACTURER, 

(NINE  ESTABLISHMENTS) 

97,  99,  101,  89  &  121.  Market  Street, \  manpwf^tfr 
1   and  3,   Marsden  Square,  f  MANCHESTER. 

And  ;it  IE<irl!4l:>lc  ;m«l  itoltoit. 


42 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1895. 


OVERFLOW 


JT  has  been  found  impossible  to  make  room  in  the  advertisement 
of  the  Patent  "OCTOPUS  "  Anti-Incrustator  and  the 
Patent  "SANITARY"  Sink  Basket,  on  th?  back  page,  for 
the  names  of  the  following  firms  of  Ironmongers,  and  we  beg  to 
call  the  attention  of  our  readers  to  the  fact,  that  they  should  be 
included  in  the  list  on  that  page. 

LOXDOY 


Londonderry 

Louth 

Lowestoft 
Lutnn 

Maidenhead 


Maldon  . . 
Manchester 


Wt.Hampstead  E.  &  F.  Harrowin,  114, 

West  End-lane 
West  Norwood  R.    W.    Hayward,  54, 
Knight's  Hill-road  1st. 
T.E.  Osborae,18,Shipqu.iy 
T.&  .T.Siniley,  Waterloo-pl. 
J.  Morton  &  Son,  72,  East- 
gate 

R.  Leach,  Harbour  Stores 
W.  L.  Gates,  George-st. 
Stuchbery  &  Thompson, 

63,  65  and  67,  High-st. 
G.  Butler  &  Sons,  High-st. 
OrtU'well  &  Sons,  Ltd 
W.WilsoniCo.,  50,King-st 
„  ..Hubert    K  itching,  luL*, 

ShudehiU 

„  ..  SamuelTarner^Waterfoot 

..       ..  Leech  Bros.  &  Co., 20,  Old 

Militate 
..      ..  H.  Luke,  14, Brazenose-st. 
„  rWithington)  W.  F.  Bunn,58,  Wilm- 
Mansfield  J.  &  E.  H.  Birks  [slow-rd 

March  ,.  ..  Johnson  &  Co.  fst. 
Margate  ..  ..  Coles  Bros. ,  95  &  97,  High- 
..  . .  T.  Bentley&Go., 31, High- 
Market  Drayton  Frederick  Gouldbourn[st 
Market Harboro'  .7.  Eaton  &  Co.,  lfi, High-st. 

„  „  E.  W.  Dicks, ,5,  Church-st. 
Maryborough  .  Jamas  J  Aird,  Main-st. 
Maryport  ..  Exors.  of  P.  Dodgson.Sen- 
Mere  (Wilts)  . .  Walton  &  Co.  [house-st. 
31iddlesburough  M.J.  Vcntress,2;i,  Sussex- 
st.        [Zetland  Works 

,  John  Livingston  &  Son*, 

Mil  ford  Haven..  John  Francis,  28  and  29, 
Charles-street 
Williami  :iavke,Pedder-st 
NooneyOt  Son.Earl-st.antl 
Church-streL't-avenue 
Naas(Co.Kild  ir^)  Win.  Farrell  &  Co. 
Newark-on-Trent  Mather  &  Toinlyn,  Castle 
Gate  &  Kirkgate  Iway 
Kewbury         ..  Ernest  Harris, :U:4,Broad- 
Kewcastle-on-Tyne  Emley  &  Sons,  Ld.,  42 
and  44  Westgate-rd. 
„      ..  H.  Walker  &  Son,  Ltd., 

55,  Westgate-rd. 
„      ..  J.  A  H.  Harrison, 44  &46, 
Grey-st. 
Newmarket    . .  A-  R.  Godding 
Newport  (Mon.)  R.  Alger &  Son,  160,  Dock- 
st.  &  44.  Commercial -st. 
KewportPasmoll  John  Odell 
Newport  (Salop)  W.  &  R.  S.  Underbill 
Northampton  ..Johnson  &  Wright,  Gold- 
st.  and  Woolmonqier-st. 
,,         ..  Sn  >w  &  Tansley,  13.  The 
Parade 
..  Poole  Bros.,Castle-st. 
Tln'obald,     Johnson  & 

Burton,  London-st. 
II.  1'.  (  olman &  Co.,  Ram- 
pant Horse-st. 
Nottingham        Iv-wisi;  Grundy, Pelbam- 
8t.  [Bar 
.  Geo.  M.  Webster,  Cha]  el 
.  J.  W.&  E.  Sowman,  M  u- 
ket-pl.,and  90,  High-st. 
.  W.  H-  Licon  &  Co. 
.  Jolin  Minshall  &  Co, 
.  Go-  »rge  Tvley 
.  Edward  'Thomas  &  Co., 
The  Cross  Ihouse-sr. 


Morecamlie 
Mullingar 


North  wk-h 
Nor  wich 


Olney  (Bucks) 
Oswestry 


Otley  .. 

.  Ja<  Sut  tie  &  Son,  Court- 

Oxford  .. 

.  Gill  &  Co..  5, 

High-st. 

.  6 jo.  Wyatt  S 

:  Son,  67,  St. 

Paignton 

.  W.  W.  felUs,14,  Palace-av. 

Paisley    - . 

..  Unlit.  Eidie 
High-st. 

&  Co.,  12, 

Pa  rkstone 

S  Urr  ,-;  s..n> 

,  Station-rd. 

Penzance 

ivUr&Son-, 

31,Market- 

pi. 

Perth  .. 

ne,  42  &  73, 

High-st 

Poiitefract 

.  CalebEnglan 

d, Market-])!. 

Pontypridd 

.  W   H  Allen 

&  Co.,Mar- 

Portadown 

low- 

.'"  in'  'm  '.ii.ini'.li;.Tlinin  s 

Preston  . . 

.  J.  Whit  head 

,9,Flsherg'tij 

.  J.  li.  Halln 

114.  Fisher 

Ramsbotham 

.  \V..rack.-o:i.  a 

3,  Stubhins'- 

Ramsgate 

lane  date  7 

Reacting  .. 

S  Sons,  s  to 

Redcar 
Re  Hull 
Reigate 


10,  Lo: 
G.  T.  Poller,  9,  Duke-st. 
.  Geo.  Hawkes  &  Sou,  7, 

High-st. 
.  Alfred  Callas,  70, 72,  &  71, 

Oxfoid-st. 
.  Jason.  East  &  Sons,  10, 
Oxfo  ' 


.  J.  T.  Ma 

.  J.  T.  Ma 
.  J.  G.  & 

Holm  .s.li.1,. 
)  Wright  Br 


[8 

.  Higl 


Batehelor, 
:-rd. 

Riehmond  (Surrey l Wright  Bros.,Ceorge-st. 
Rickni  inswoi'th  Ueeson  &  Suns,  Church-.- 1 . 
Ripun     ..      ..  B.  K.  Wiggleswoith,  27, 
Maikct-pl. 

Roath    ..      . .  W.  1 1   Allen  &  Co.,  246, 

Ciistle-rd. 
Rochdale  ..J.H.King 
Rochester!  Kent  I  Collis  \  Sr  lec 
Romford  ..  Norman  Hall:. Market-iil. 

Rotherham      ..Smith  Bros.,  Xd.,  14  &  SI 

I  [  i  -ii  4.,  and  Broad-  ; . 
Parkgate 

Rydc  (1. of  \V.|. .  W.  &  ■!.  Woods,  20  &  27, 
Cross-st.  (at. 
St.  Albans       .  S.W.  Bl  own,  3,  St.  Peter's- 
„  ..  H.G.  Leake,6,  Market-pl. 

„  ..  S.  W.  Brown,   3a,  St. 

Peter's-st. 
St.  Ives  (Hunts)  Ulph  &  Huston 
St.  Leonards    ..  Alderton   Keen  &  Co., 
Tjondon-rd.  [nian-rd. 
„  ..  Braundft  iimoore,  lO.Nor- 

„  ..  !•'.  A.  Iloll,  Silverhill 

St.  Neota        ..  W.  I'entelow.  Market-so. 
Salisbury        . .  Woodrow  &  Co. 
Saltbuni-liy-Sea  T.  Atkinson  &  Co. 


Sevenoaks 
Sheffield 


Sidcup 
Slough 
Southampton 


Sandwich  .  Jaeohs  Bros. ,  Market-st. 
Scarooro'  W.  W.  Bathbury,  loo  and 

107,  Westboro' 
1 .  Humph  rey,132,High-st. 
H.  Bramah  ft  Son,  11,  Far- 
gate,  and  Chapel-walk 
„  W.  Atkinson,  12,  EUes- 

mcre-rd, 
Su»pston-on-St't  Henry  F.  Sale 
Shrewsbury     ..  Shuker.t  Snn.09.Wyle  Cop 
.  E.  Watkina,  The  Stores 
Duffield&  Co. 
Lancaster  &  Son,  Ltd. 
G.  Phillips  &  Co.,  12,High- 
st  ,  and  3,  4  &  5,  East-st. 
..  J.  J.  Udall  &  Co.,  an, 
Carlton-pl. 

„  ..  Will.  Ililjbrll,?:I,Watei-l,,.:. 

pl.andso,  St.  Jian-Viv. 
..  Chaplin  t Roberts, Water- 
loo-place       Bridge-s  . 
,,  ..  E.  Hart  4  Co.,  7,8,9,& II, 

„  ..  H.B.  Kent&Co., 43,  Above 

Bar. 

Southend-on-SeaT.  Dowsctt,  High-st.,  and 
Alexander-st. 
J.  C.  Greenwood,  47,  East- 
bank  st.  [st. 
Rbt.  M.Iddon,38,London- 
J.  Southey,  4:1,  King's-rd. 
Bowerman  Bros.,  35,  Os- 

borne-rd. 
T.C.  Wheeler,  43,  Russel!- 

st.,  and  13,  Somera-rd. 
W.  Knights,  5,  Elm-grovs 
Dagleas  &  Sons 
Thorn  &  Co.  fMary's-s*. 
J.  W.  Willcoeks,  14,  St. 
R.  &  W.  Brownswood, 
and  36,  Lower  Hill-ga:e 
Stockton-on-Tees  Blakeborough  k  I'.hodes, 
57,  High-st.  [High-st. 
„  Birkbeck's     Stores,  93, 

Stoke-on-Trent   W.  H.  Toder,  Church-st. 
Stony  Stratford  J.  O.  Parker,  Market-sq. 
Stow  market    ..  William  Folkard 
Stow-on-the- 
Wold  ..      ..  Henry  Hollis 

rnish-sS, 

Newland   &  Stidolph, 
.  J.  W.  Jones  &  Co.,  Water^ 

,  Grubb  '  &    Willis,  120, 

Streatham  High-road 
.  A.  Miller,  Gloucester-st., 
Bath-st. 

Sudbury  (guff.)..  Oittewell  *  Sons,  Ltd. 

ii        H     . .  Portway  &  Co. 
Sumiury-on- 

Thames        . .  H.  M.  Brooke,  Thames-st. 
Sunderland     . .  Tonkinson  &  Bowdon,  10, 
Fawcett-st. 
„  . .  R.T.Vaux,12,Fawcett-st. 

Sutton  (Surrevl   Holmes  &  Sou,  High-st. 
Sutton  Coldfield  C.  Felton,  The  Parade 
Swansea  ..      ..A.  Paton  .S:  Co.,  Castle-st. 

..  S.BIundell.St.llelen-s-id 
Teigninouth    . .  W.  .1.  Burden,  0,  Bank-st. 
TetbuiyfGloa.)..  J.  W.  Gardner 
Torquay  . .  Holioway's  Ironmongery 

Stores,  3H,  Fleet-st. 
Tunbridge  Wells  S.  E.  Hay  ward 

„  Storey    &    Preston,  S3, 

( 'alverley-rd. 
Hop  •  Bros.,  35,  High-st. 
Twickenham G:i.  Deayton's  Stores 


Southport 


Southsea 


Sou.h  ShieUV 
Stafford 
Stamford 
Stockport 


Stratford-on- 

Avon  . . 
St  rat haven 

(X.B) 
Streatham 

Stroud  ., 


rjlverston 
Ventnor . . 

Walthamstow 
Waliner  . . 
Wanstead. 

(Essex) 
AVantagc 
Watford  .. 
Wave  illerts) 
Warwick 
Watelford 

Wellington 

"op) 


.  T.  If.  Kendall,  27,King-st. 
.  Williams  &  Co.,  113,  High- 
st.,  A  2,  Spring-hill. 
.  E.  Bright,  111,  Wood-st. 

Ii  Mantle,  Church-st 
.  Hudson  &  Co.,  l,Morning- 
ton-terrace 
Kent  &  Son,  Market-sq. 
Rogers  Bros.,  High-st. 
11,-ory  Wells,  High-,t. 
.  J.  Vf.  Mann 
Robert  O'Beary,  4,  Barron 

Straud-st. 
Pavies  &  Wilcox 


Wells  (Norfolk)  W.  F.  E.  Mann 
Westerham     . .  John  Sibley 
\\  estgate-on-Sea  Coles  Bros.,  7,  Station-nl. 
West  Hartlepool  H.  T.  Laird  Gibson,  3, 
Lynn-st. 

Westbn-suner- . .  J.  P.  Curtis,  32,  High-st. 


M  i  iv 
Wexford 
Weybridge 

Weymouth 
Whitchurch  . 

(Salop) 
Wigton  .. 

ii  lumberland) 
Wigtown,  X.I;. 
Willenhall 
Wlmbome 
Winchester 


Wishffw 
Woking 


V,.  H.  Shaw  &  Co. 
Weybridge  Furnishing 

Co.,  Queen's-rd. 
Pearce  k  Herbert 
W.  H.  Smith  &  Co. 


■T.   Aird  (opposite 

Fonntainl  [i 
J.Mi.-Uohert,  Agnew-, 
Henly  &  Co.,  M 


Hie 


Wolverliauiptn 

Woodbriage 

Woo  Ifi.rdGree 

Woolwich 
Worksop 
Worcester 
Worthing 


W  Stopher, 
T.  M.  King. 
•I.  Uoyd&Bi 
B.  Walters, 
11  W.  Glo 
(bobbam- 
W. 


H 


Butl 


Wrexham 


Veovil 
Yori; 


l  J. 

Be 

Alfred  Barnes 
i  A  li.  Stephens 
.  .I.Frankling.d,  Albion-rd 
.  Tom  M arris,.-' l,  Bi  i.'.-  -I. 
.  G,  Harrison,  89,  High-st. 

Tl  is  Page,3,South-st. 

and  i  in,  Montagu  st 
.  Iiulheld* Son, :«, Chapel- 
road 

.  W.  W.  Smith  &  Co.,  93, 

Ohapel-rd. 
.  .1.  Cob-mere  Gittins,  7, 

Fiop9-st. 
.  Ncal  .v  Williams 
.  B.  4  E.    Bush.  11,  Low 

Ousesatc  (Micklegate 
.  J.  H.  Shouksmlth,  69. 
.  (,;.  W.Thompson, 22,  Bo  it- 

ham 


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M  INCHESTEH   160  lo  164,  Dauugata. 

I.lVKltl'OOI.    101,  Bol.l  Street. 

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liI,AS(iOW-<n;,  Miller  Street. 
IH'BI.IN    1,  Stephen's  Crccil. 
PORT  ELIZABETH  n  ape  Colon*)— 

Lombard  CIuuiiIhts,  Main  Street. 


February  16,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


43 


as  a  beau  of  the  time  in  coat  and  kneebreeches  of  ruby 
velvet,  embroidered  in  gold  over  a  long  waistcoat  of 
white  satin,  sewn  with  small  flowers.  His' paste  buttons 
were  lovely  and  covetable,  as  were  the  diamond  buckles 
on  his  Court  shoes,  his  beautiful  lace  jabot  held  with  a 
diamond  clasp,  and  his  jewelled  sword-hilt.  The  Portu- 
guese Minister  never  looked  handsomer  than  in  his 
scarlet  and  gold  Mousquetaire  uniform  of  the  2nd  Com- 
pany, carried  out  in  minutest  detail.  The  Earl  of 
Rosslyn's  Dragoon  uniform  of  cherry  colour  and  lavender 
was  very  pretty.  His  lovely  wife  went  as  a  marchande 
coquette  in  a  rose  brocade  striped  with  gauze,  black 
gauze  fichu  and  butterfly  headdress.  Lady  Eva  Greville 
wore  a  white  satin  Watteau  gown  flounced  with  lace  and 
trimmed  with  bands  of  roses. 

One  of  the  loveliest  dresses  was  worn  by  Miss  Corn- 
wallis  West.  It  was  copied  from  Alexandre  Rostin's 
famous  picture  in  the  Louvre,  of  a  young  girl  in  Louis 
XVI.  costume,  decorating  the  statue  of  Love  with  rcBes; 
and  another  very  lovely  dress  was  that  worn  by  Mrs. 
Graham  Menzies,  the  skirt  rose-pink  satin,  the  bodice 
white  muslin,  with  a  wide  sash  of  pale  blue  satin  ribbon. 
A  sweet  little  cape  of  petunia  satin  fell  over  the  shoulders 
lined  with  blue  satin,  and  the  large  blue  satin  hat  was 
trimmed  with  petunia  ribbons,  ostrich  feathers,  and  a 
diamond  buckle. 

Most  of  the  ladies  wore*  white  kid  gloves,  instead  of 
the  lace  mittens  of  the  period,  which  are  decidedly  uncom- 
fortable to  dance  in  ;  but  a  few  were  guilty  of  the 
anacluonism  of  donning  tan-coloured  suede,  a  very, 
modern  material,  breathing  of  this  latter  half  of  tho 
century. 

The  young  Duke  of  Manchester  went  as  a  courtier  in 
a  coat  of  brocade  actually  woven  in  the  reign  of  Louis 
XVI.,  the  design  showing  "old  feathers  and  pink 
roses  cm  a  background  of  warm  cream  colour. 
The  lapels,  collar,  and  pockets  were  richly  em- 
broidered  in   gold,    as    was   his   white   satin  waist- 


coat. The  handsome  Earl  of  Chesterfield  word 
pale  blue  corded  silk,  with  a  yellow  brocade  waistcoat, 
scattered  over  with  pink  rosebuds.  The  buttons  were 
amethysts  set  in  diamonds.  Lady  Mordaunt  went  aa 
the  ill-fated  Princesse  de  Lamballe  in  white  brocade  over 
pink  satin. 

It  was  the  loveliest  ball  of  our  time,  and  fortunately 
for  business,  which  was  very  slack,  it  has  circulated 
very  large  sums  of  money.  Milliners,  dressmakers, 
tailors,  wigmakers,  and  costumiers  have  been  busy  for 
weeks.  Decorators  have  had  their  hands  full  of  work. 
Caterers,  too,  have  had  a  full  innings.  The  strawberries 
for  the  supper  cost  one  hundred  pounds.  The  flowers 
Avere  as  abundant  as  they  were  beautiful.  And  so,  good- 
night.— Your  affectionate,  Susie. 

P.S. — I  am  sending  a  sketch  by  Lilian  Young  of  a 
dress  for  early  spring  in  tan-coloured  crepon,  the  cape 
being  finished  with  black  satin,  the  sides  fastened  down 
to  show  the  white  satin  vest  with  box-pleat.  Long 
ends  of  the  satin  fall  over  the  skirt.  The  ruff  is  of  black 
feather.  The  little  bag  is  quite  Parisian.  The  skirt 
and  cape  are  lined  with  sky-blue  silk. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Viola. — You  should  become  a  member  of  the  Household 
Service  Register,  102,  Brompton  Road.  By  doing  so,  at  a  cost 
of  one  guinea  yearly,  you  become  entitled  to  obtain  four 
servants  free  of  charge,  and  your  requirements  will  be  adver- 
tised without  payment  in  the  Register.  The  Bureau  is  kept  by 
a  lady,  Mrs.  Leslie,  aud  I  strongly  advise  you  to  go  and  see 
her.  It  seems  to  me  that  she  will  end  in  solving  the  great 
servant  difficulty,  so  wisely  is  she  setting  to  work. 
,  E.  V. — A  suitable  dress  for  a  widow  to  wear  at  a  smart 
wedding  would  be  black  velvet,  made  with  the  relief  of  a  white 
batiste  square  collar  ;  or,  if  the  widowhood  be  not  too  recent, 
some  old  lace.  Sometimes  widows,  in  the  case  of  a  near 
relative's  marriage,  leave  off  mourning  for  the  day,  and  appear 
in  grey  or  lavender,  or  even  white,  subdued  by  dark  grey  or 
black  ribbons.  But  this  is  never  done  during  the  first  year  of 
widowhood. 


]Dl2?<e<32io  from  tla&   Tea  Gai?denSo 


Unparalleled  Success,  m 


Note  the  Prices 


Enormous  Demand. 


Per  lb. 


FINEST  TEA 

THE  WORLD 

Can  Produce, 

Per  lb. 

NO  HIGHER  PRICE. 


tdARG^ST    TEA    SiO-iEJ    IN    TOilS  WORLB. 

TEA  AND  COFFEE  PLANTER,  CEYLON. 
The  Largest  Tea,  Coffee,  and  Provision  Dealer  in  the  World. 

Sole  Proprietor  of  the  following  celebrated  Tea  and  Coffee  Estates  in  Ceylon:  Dambatenne,  Laymastotte,  Mouerakande,  Mrdiadambatenne,  Mousakelle,  Booprassie,  Hanagalla,  and 
Gigranella,  which  cover  Thousands  of  Acres  of  the  bi  si  TEA  and  ciiFFEE  L\ND  in  Ceylon.  «Vyi..ti  Tra  fm.J  0«Hw  Shipping  Warelir«iMS:  Maddoma  Mills,  Cinnamon  Gardens, 
Colombo.  Ceylon  Office:  Upper  Chatham  Street,  Colombo.  Indian  Tea  Shipping  Warehouses  and  Export.  Stores  :  Hare  Street,  Strand,  Calcutta.  Indian  offices  :  Dalliousie  Square, 
Calcutta.  Tea  and  Coffee  Sale  Rooms  :  Mincing  Lane,  LONDON,  B.C.  Wholesale  Tea-Blending  and  Duty  Paid  Stores:  liath  Street  and  Cayton  Street,  LONDON,  B.C.  Bonded  and 
Export  Stores:  Peerless  Street,  LONDON,  B.C.  Coffee  Roasting,  Mending  Stores,  and  Essence  Manufactory:  (III  Street,  LONDON,  B.C.  Wholesale  and  Export  Provision 
Warehouses:  Nelson  Place,  LONDON,  B.C.    Fruit  Preserve  Factory:  Spa  Road,  Bermondsey,  LONDON,  S.E.   General  Offices:  Bath  Street,  City  Road,  LONDON,  E.C. 


BRANCHES  EVERYWHERE. 


AGENCIES  THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD* 


44 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1S95. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


OTo  letter  I  have  received  lately  has  given  me  so 
much  satisfaction  as  the  following  from  Mr.  Charles 
Clark,  a  working-man  in  the  North.  It  shows  that  the 
love  of  real  literature  is  beginning  to  penetrate  our 
English  lower-classes,  as  it  has  long  since  penetrated 
those  of  Scotland  and  America  : — 

"  I  want  to  know  if  you  can  tell  me,  and  if  you  will, 
the  author  of  the  following  lines — 

"  Is  it  a  party  id  a  parlour, 

Crammed  just  as  they  on  earth  were  crammed, 
Some  sipping  punch,  some  sipping  tea, 
But,  as  you  by  their  faces  see, 

All  silent,  and  all — damned? 

I  see  Shelley  ascribes  it  to  Wordsworth,  but  I  can  find 
no  trace  of  it  there  either  in  '  Peter  Bell '  or  anywhere 
else.  I  think  I  also  remember  seeing  it  mentioned  by 
Oilier  in  an  anecdote  of  Lamb,  and  he  also  says  the 
lines  are  Wordsworth's.  I  should  be  much  obliged  if 
you  could  help  me  in  this." 

*  *  *  * 

Each  successive  dinner  of  the  New  Vagabonds — so 
my  Vagabond  customers  tell  me — is  more  successful  than 
its  predecessor.  Last  Friday  night  they  gathered  up  in 
great  force,  both  as  regards  quantity  and  quality,  to 
welcome  the  famous  author  of  "  The  Raiders  "  and  "The 
Lilac  Sunbonnet,"  who  towered  a  head  and  shoulders 
above  them  all.  At  any  rate,  his  fair  head  and  ruddy, 
healthy  face  did,  and  his  huge  shoulders  were  on  a  level 
with  most  of  their  heads.  Among  other  guests  were 
the  Hon.  Robert  P.  Porter,  who,  with  a  staff  of  50,000 
assistants  under  him,  took  the  last  United  States  Census, 
and  Mr.  Balch,  ex-president,  and  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Clover  Club,  of  Philadelphia,  the  best  attempt  at 
Bohemianism  in  the  United  States. 

*  #  *  # 

Mr.  Frankfort  Moore  took  the  chair,  and  intro- 
duced Mr.  Crockett  in  one  of  his  witty  and 
excellent  little  speeches.  Mr.  Crockett  made  an  admir- 
able speech  in  reply,  colloquial  in  its  manner,  but  full 
of  literary  touches.  Perhaps  the  thing  which  interested 
and  surprised  the  audience  most  was  his  reminding 
them  that  the  whole  of  his  literary  success  has 
been  accomplished  in  a  couple  of  years.  When 
Mr.  Crockett  sat  down,  Mr.  Porter,  whose  name  had  been 
included  in  the  toast,  made  a  typical  American  speech, 
quietly  brimming  over  with  the  sardonic  American 
humour.  He  was  a  journalist,  he  said,  before  he  re- 
ceived from  President  Harrison  the  job  of  counting  the 
people  in  the  United  States,  and  he  relapsed  into  a 
journalist  the  moment  he  knew  how  many  there  were. 
There  was  no  corner  of  the  United  States  which  had 
defied  his  efforts  except  the  Clover  Club,  which  was  so 
hospitable  that  no  one  in  the  room  was  able  to  count 
single.  Mr.  Balch  afterwards  made  a  very  humorous 
little  speech. 

*  *  *  * 

One  of  my  customers  is  quite  a  personage  in  the 
Horse  Guards.  He  tells  me  that  the  Duke  of  Cam- 
bridge is  taking  a  very  great  interest  in  Mr.  Le  Queux's 
book,  "  The  Great  War  in  England  in  1897."1  Imme- 
diately on  its  appearance  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Le  Queux  in 
most  flattering  terms  regarding  the  way  in  which  the 
strategical  problem  had  been  dealt  with,  and  declaring 
that  the  book,  which  had  interested  him  very  much, 
was  one  of  the  greatest  value  in  showing  the  grave 
dangers  to  which  England  is  exposed.  Learning  from 
the  newspapers  that  two  new  editions  (British  and 
Colonial)  are  in  the  press,  he  has  just  written  from 
Cannes  another  letter  warmly  congratulating  Mr.  Le 
Queux  and  expressing  a  hope  that  its  .success  will  be 
continued.  Eight  editions  have  been  exhausted  in  six 
months,  and  it  is  now  being  translated  into  French  for 
a  Continental  edition.    I  have  just  subscribed  for  the 


same  author's  Arab  romance,  "  Zoraida,"  due  on 
March  1st. 

*  *  *  * 

Poor  Francis  Adams,  who  died  just  as  he  had 
come  to  the  front  in  the  big  reviews,  was  the  son  of  a 
doctor — the  late  Surgeon  General  A.  Leith-Adams, 
F.R.S.,  LL.D.,  who  published  three  interesting  works 
upon  geology  and  natural  history,  i.e.,  "  Wanderings 
of  a  Naturalist  in  India  "  ;  "  Malta,  and  the  Nile  "  ; 
"  Field  and  Forest  Rambles  "  ;  the  last  giving  his  ex- 
periences with  his  regiment  (the  Cheshire)  in  Canada. 
I  learn  from  Mr.  Francis  Adams's  mother,  Mrs.  Leith- 
Adams,  the  novelist,  who  is  a  patron  of  mine,  that  her 
brilliant  son  was  an  alumnus  of  the  famous  old  school  of 
Shrewsbury—Sir  Philip  Sidney's  school — and  that  the 
poem  on  Sidney,  which  we  shall  publish  next  week,  was 
written  while  F.W.L.A.  was  at  Shrewsbury  at  the  age 
of  fifteen.  It  has  hitherto  appeared  only  in  the  school 
magazine. 

*  *  *  * 

Talking  of  Elizabethan  worthies,  I  have  just  stocked 
one  copy  of  the  first  part  of  the  sumptuous  edition  of 
Spenser's  "Faerie  Queene,"2  just  brought  out  by  Ruskin's 
publisher — Mr.  Allen.  It  is  edited  by  our  leading 
bibliographer,  Mr.  T.  J.  Wise,  and  illustrated  by  Mr. 
Walter  Crane  [as  Mr.  Sladen,  who  has  a  passion  for 
fifteenth  century  Italian  pictures,  puts  it] — with  the 
quaint  beauty  and  poetical  instinct  which  illuminate 
Sandro  Botticelli's  great  pictures,  such  as  the  Primavera. 
It  is  gloriously  printed,  but  as  it  only  has  paper  covers, 
and  each  book  costs  thirty -one  and  six  it  is  not  much  in 
my  line  of  business.  I  have  not,  like  my  brother-in- 
arms Mr.  Quaritch,  the  fat  perquisite  of  supplying 
noblemen's  libraries.  But  then  I  have  no  inner  know- 
ledge of  rare-book  collecting,  whereas  Mr.  Quaritch  is 
the  leading  authority. 

*  *  ♦  * 

I  have  added  Mr.  Gilbert  Parker's  "Trail  of  the 
Sword  "8  to  my  library.  It  is  an  extremely  graceful 
story  dealing  with  the  American  Colonies  and  Canada 
in  the  days  of  the  mighty  Frontenac — of  Louis  XI V.  and 
our  Stuart  kings.  The  local  colour  is  fascinating — Mr. 
Parker  has  for  English  readers  practically  a  virgin 
field,  and  both  hero  and  heroine  are  charming.  But, 
alas  !  they  never  marry — though  one  ought  not  to  wish 
for  another  ending  to  the  book — Mr.  Parker's  closing 
scene  is  so  thoroughly  graceful  and  original  and 
unexpected.  I,  at  any  rate,  who  read  to  inhabit  a 
fool's  paradise  for  the  time  being,  should  somehow  have 
liked  Jessica  and  Iberville  to  have  married.  But 
Mr.  Parker  is  truer  to  life.  They  would  not  have 
married.  The  characters  are  drawn  with  great  subtlety 
and  power. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

L.  N.  J. — One  of  the  best  text  books  on  the  study  of  the 
microscope  is  Dr.  W.  B.  Carpenter's  "The  Microscope  and  its 
Revelations,"  published  bv  Churchill  at  sixteen  shillings. 

W.  L.  E.—  The  1839  edition  of  "  Bradshaw's  Railway  Com- 
panion "  is  the  one  usually  sought  after  by  collectors.  Mr.  J. 
N.  Tregaskis,  232,  High  Holborn,  W.C.,  would  give  you  about 
five  shillings  for  your  1841  copy,  if  in  good  condition. 

Durham. — A  good  guide  for  builders  and  contractors  is  en- 
titled, "Erection  of  Dwelling-houses,  with  Estimates,"  by  S.  H. 
Brooks  (Lockwood,  2s.  6d. ). 

A  Regular  Reader. — The  speech  is  now  out  of  print,  but  you 
might  be  able  to  get  a  copy  from  Mr.  Turner,  Law  Bookseller, 
Chancery  Lane,  W.C. 

Rhodairlee. — Your  edition  of  the  "Pickwick  Papers"  is 
worth  about  ten  shillings.  Bertie. — I  do  not  think  there  is  a 
sequel,  but  the  author  introduces  the  same  families  into  several 
of  his  novels,  so  they  might  be  called  continuations.  Peach. — 
As  far  as  I  know  there  is  no  such  book.  F.iS. — Dr.  Carpenter's 
book,  published  by  Churchill  at  thirty-one  and  six,  would  suit 
you,  I  think. 

A  "  To-Dayite  "  wants  to  know  what  Cornish  town  was  the 
original  of  "QVTroy  Town.  He  had  better  write  to  A.  T.  Q. 
Couch,  Esq.,  care  of  Cassell  and  Co.,  Ludgate  Hill,  B.C. 

1.  "The  Great  War  in  England  in  1SH7."    By  M.  Le  Queux. 

2.  "  Faerie  Queene."   (George  Allen,  :Us.  Oil.) 

3.  "  Trail  of  the  Sword."   By  Gilbert  Parker.  (Methuen,  6s.» 


February  16,  1805. 


TO-DAY. 


45 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


I  'aven't  bin  ter  the  Rile  Aquerim  myself,  but  I've 
'eard  abart  a  bit  as  they  'as  theer.  They  tikes  a  man 
and  they  puts  'im  inter  a  trawnce,  which  is  a  kind  o' 
cross  between  bein'  asleep  and  bein'  dead.  Theer  the 
man  lies,  dye  arter  dye,  seein'  nutthink,  'earin' 
nutthink,  knowing  nutthink.  Well,  hall  I  can  sye  is  I 
wish  as  they'd  have  took  me  and  put  me  inter  a 
trawnce  larst  week.  So  I  do.  I've  bin  feerly  sick  on 
it,  and  I  should  a  bin  a  sight  'appier  asleep.  It  ain't 
so  much  bin  one  thing  in  pertickler  as  a  'ole  lot  o' 
things  together.  The  roads  is  bad  ;  your  fingers  git  so 
cold  yer  cawn't  give  a  man  chinge  fur  sixpence  withart 
blowin'  on  'em  an'  then  droppin'  it ;  your  pipes  is  froze  ; 
your  'ealth  i9  'orrid.  And  then,  on  the  top  o'  that, 
ev'ry  silly  idjut  as  gits  on  the  'bus  mikes  the  sime  re- 
mawk  about  the  weather,  and  grins  just  as  if  he  were 
the  fust  man  as  ever  thought  on  it.  Next  time  we  is  to 
'ave  a  spell  like  this,  let  me  be  put  inter  a  trawnce ; 
this  kind  o'  thing  ain't  wuth  living  for. 

*  *  »  * 

Ah,  and  speakin'  o'  the  weather,  it's  wunnerful  'ow 
some  o'  the  sharp  uns  will  tike  advawntige  of  it  tu  do  a 
bit  fur  theirselves.  One  arternoon  lawst  week  there 
were  a  bit  of  a  fog ;  I've  seen  it  thicker,  but  still  it 
were  a  good  pline  fog.  Summun  or  other  took  advawntige 
of  it — nipped  inter  a  jooler's  shop  in  Regent  Street, 
pinched  a  few  bits  o'  stuff,  and  were  horf  like  a  knife  and 
lost  in  the  fog  afore  the  pore  jooler  could  do  anythink. 
There  were  a  chap  I  'eard  tell  of  some  years  ago,  'e  were 
stone  broke.  Well  one  frosty  night  'e  went  tu  one  of 
them  squares  where  there  worn't  too  many  coppers 
abart,  mide  a  broad  slide  slap  across  the  pivement,  and 


covered  it  up  a  bit  with  a  'andful  or  two  o' 
snow.  Then  'e  stood  bye  in  a  dore  -  wye  and 
wited.  Theer  were  three  gents  an'  one  old  lyedy 
fell  darn  on  thet  slide.  'E  went  an'  'elped  'em  up,  and 
they  all  give  'im  sutthink  fur  'isself  egscep  one  ole  gent, 
and  'e  nicked  that  gent's  ticker  and  did  a  bunk.  I 
wouldn't  sye,  yer  know,  as  a  man  were  justified  in 
yoosin'  'is  talinks  in  thet  perticler  wye.  Still  it's  sut- 
think ter  'ave  the  talinks — ter  know  when  yer  'as  yer 
oppertoonity  and  mike  the  most  on  it.  Ah,  op- 
pertoonity's  a  grite  thing  !  Wheer  are  yer  withart  it  ? 
If  'Ankin  'ad  only  'ad  the  oppertoonities,  'e  might  a  bin 
Prime  Min'ster  this  dye.  Joodishusness  is  a  qualerty  as 
I  possesses  myself  and  vallies  accordin',  but  it's 
joodishusness  with  a  streak  o'  luck  at  the  back  on  it  as 
gits  yer  on  in  this  world. 

*  *  *  * 

So  the  Dily  Chronercle  'as  come  art  in  pickshurs. 
They  ain't  pickshurs  as  I  kin  understan'  the  gen'rul  'ang 
of  myself.  But  'Ankin  says  thet's  along  of  me  'avin'  no 
tiste,  which  mye  be  posserble.  Anywye  they  is 
pickshurs,  and  as  sich  mye  be  considud  a  noo  deparchur. 
Them  as  is  alwise  jawing  progressive  should  ack  pro- 
gressive, which  the  Dily  Chronercle  'as  done.  'Ankin 
were  particler  struck  with  the  one  as  they  'ad  on 
Monday  lawst,  entitled  Libur,  and  bein'  a  man  diggin' 
up  swedes  with  a  bulrush,  while  a  byeby  is  settin' 
close  by  embricin'  of  its  mother's  foot — nice  lawge  foot 
too.  As  I  sye,  I  'aven't  gort  the  'ang  of  it.  'Ankin 
says  it's  allygoricle,  and  'is  old  missus  says  it's  ondesunt 
becos  the  figgers  'asn't  enough  clothes  on.  They  mye 
be  right  or  they  mye  nort.  Any'ow,  ten  piges  of  that 
size  and  a  thumpin'  grite  pickshur  chucked  in  is  abart 
as  big  a  penn'uth  as  yer  can  git,  and  I've  alwise  bin 
one  as  went  fur  the  big  penn'uths. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Seellld.  Guide  (2.S9pgs.),  3d.  Tobacconists 
Outfitting  Co.,  186,  Euston-road,  London.   Est.  1866.— Advt. 


MEN  OF  THE  AGE.— MR.  HENRY  PORT. 


MR.  PORT  has  found  his  true  vocation  in  the  advocacy 
and  promotion  of  Life  Assurance,  and  has  been  one  of 
the  chief  pioneers  in  the  reforms  that  have  made  it  popular 
and  suitable  to  all  classes.  Mr.  Port  has  been  most 
intimately  associated  with  the  British  Workman's  and 
General  Assurance  Company,  of  which  he  was  the  founder, 
and  of  which  he  continues  to  be  the  inspiring  genius. 

We  present  our  readers  with  a  portrait  of  this  distinguished 
philanthropist.    The  drawing  is  by  Mr.  Joseph  Sargent. 


MR.   HENRY  PORT, 

Founder  and  Managing-  Director  of  the  British  Workman's 
and  General  Assurance  Company. 


The  British  Workman's  &  General  Assurance 
Company,  Limited. 

The  record  of  this  Company's  progress  has  no  parallel  in 
the  annals  of  Industrial  Life  Assurance.  No  other  Company 
has  distributed  equal  benefits  for  the  same  amount  of 
premiums.  The  Company  is  distinguished  for  liberality  in  the 
payment  of  surrender  values  ;  and  in  this  respect  it  stands 
the  very  first  among  the  industrial  assurance  companies  of 
the  United  Kingdom. 

It  is  no  longer  exclusively  an  Industrial  Life  Office.  It  has 
■\    outgrown  its  early  purpose.   The  equity  of  its  principles  and 
\  the  liberality  of  its  terms  have  created  a  demand  for  larger 
If  assurances,  and  rendered  it  necessary  to  extend  its  original 
*■  sphere  of  usefulness.    An  arrangement  to  this  effect  was 
completed  two  or  three  years  ago,  and  the  word  "General" 
was  added  to  the  Company's  title.    Since  that  date  a  very 
large  business  has  been  done  in  the  new  as  well  as  in  the 
original  department.    The  high  appreciation  of  the  Ordinary 
Department  by  the  public  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  in  7i  years 
the  income  has  increased  more  than  eight  times.    The  funds 
have  been  augmented  52  per  cent,  during  the  last  two  and  a 
half  years.    The  total  amount  paid  in  claims  amounts  to 
£1,365,634. 

For  further  particulars  apply  at  Chief  Offices,  Broad  Street 
Corner,  Birmingham ;  at  the  City  Offices,  West  Street,  Finsbury 
Pavement ;  or  of  any  of  the  Company's  Agencies, 


4(5 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1893. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


MOORE  V,  "TODAY" 

"  The  Jury  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  plaintiff's  cause 
of  action,  such  as  it  icas,  is  to  be  estimated  at  the  ridiculous  figure 
of  one  farthing.  I  mean  ridiculous  in  the  sense  of  conveying  con- 
temptuous opinion  on  the  part  of  the  Jury  as  to  the  cause  of 
action  in  relation  to  which  the  plaintiff  was  suing.  Under  these 
circumstances  I  certify  to  deprive  the  plaintiff  of  his  costs." — The 
Lord  Chief  Justice  of  England  upon  the  finding  of  the  Jury  in 
Moore  v.  J erome. 

In  our  issue  of  July  28,  1894,  there  appeared  the  following 
paragraph  : — 

"Aggrieved,  apparently,  at  the  references  to  him  in  the  last  issue  of 
To-Day,  Mr.  Moore  has  thought  fit  to  serve  writs  upon  the  pro- 
prietors of  this  journal.  The  writs  are  silent  as  to  the  character  of  the 
injury  which  Mr.  Moore  would  have  a  jury  believe  has  been  done  him  ; 
but  presumably  he  takes  exception  to  the  statement  of  To-Day  that 
his  management  of  the  Moore  and  Burgess  Company  was  not  a  for- 
tunate one  for  the  shareholders.  Whether  issue  is  joined  un  that  point 
or  any  other,  the  proprietors  of  To-Day  will  not  balk  Mr.  Moore  in 
his  wish— if  wish  theie  be— to  go  into  the  witness-box." 

Nor  have  they.  For  three  days  of  last  week  the  Lord  Chief 
Justice  of  England  and  a  special  jury  were  trying  Moore  v. 
Jerome  and  Another,  in  which  Mr.  Moore  sought  to  prove  that 
To-Day  had  grossly  maligned  him  in  an  article  published  on 
July  21,  1894,  and  asked  for  substantial  damages. 

It  may  be  well  to  recapitulate  the  main  statements  of  that 
article  in  so  far  as  they  affect  Mr.  Moore.  We  said  that  Moore 
engaged  for  the  Moore  and  Burgess  performance,  after  that 
entertainment  had  come  into  the  hands  of  Moore  and  Burgess, 
Limited,  players  whose  performances  disgusted  many  of  the 
best  patrons  of  the  Hall ;  we  observed  that  Moore  did  much  mis- 
chief before  lie  and  his  people  were  dispensed  with  ;  and  we 
charged  Moore  with  treachery— treachery  to  the  Company  which 
had  paid  him  and  his  partner  £36,000  for  his  business,  and  was 
paying  him  £1,500  a  year  for  management.  These  were  the 
charges  we  made  ;  these  were  the  charges  we  went  into  Court  to 
sustain  ;  these  were  the  charges  upon  which  Moore  asked  the 
Jury  for  substantial  damages.  What  was  the  answer  of  Judge 
and  Jury  ? 

So  far  as  the  first  two  allegations  are  concerned,  the  Lord 
Chief  Justice  directed  the  Jury  that  there  was  no  libel,  that  the 
observations  did  not  exceed  fair  comment  upon  a  matter  of 
public  interest.  But  upon  the  third  count  the  proprietors  of 
To-Day  found  themselves  in  an  awkward  position.  This  third 
count,  "  the  only  serious  thing  in  the  case,"  to  quote  the  Lord 
Chief  Justice,  charged  Moore  with  conduct  no  honest,  no  decent 
man  could  be  guilty  of — with  treachery  to  his  employers.  Now  in 
the  pleadings  our  Counsel,  with  the  caution  that  is  commoner 
with  lawyers  than  witli  newspaper  men,  pleaded — and  the  con- 
struction of  the  paragraph  gave  countenance  to  the  plea — 
that  the  word  "treachery"  was  not  intended  for  Moore  but  was 
meant  for  his  subordinate  Frizelle.  In  the  case  as  presented  to  the 
Jury  treachery  was  charged.  In  his  own  evidence  Mr.  Jerome 
said  that  whatever  the  literal  construction  of  the  words  of  the 
article,  he  considered  that  Moore's  conduct  had  been  treacherous, 
and  witness  after  witness  was  called  to  prove  it.  Unfortunately, 
the  pleadings  were  not  sufficiently  amended,  and  Lord  Russell 
directed  the  Jury  that  if  they  were  of  opinion  that  the  word 
"treachery"  as  used  in  the  article,  applied,  as  it  was  intended 
to  apply,  to  Mr.  Moore,  it  was  libellous,  and  since  justification 
had  not  been  pleaded,  let  the  evidence  given  in  support  of  the 
accusation  of  treachery  be  what  it  might,  "  the  only  question 
that  would  remain  as  regards  that"  (the  charge  of  treachery) 
"would  be  what  damages  Mr.  Moore  ought  to  have."  Upon 
this  ruling  the  Jury  thought  they  had  no  option  but  to 
rind  that  the  proprietors  of  To-Day  had  been  guilty  of 
libel  in  using  the  word  "  treachery."  What  the  Jury 
would  have  done  had  not  the  ruling  of  the  Judge  stood 
in  the  way  was  shown  by  the  damages  they  gave.  They  were 
bound,  obeying  the  judge,  to  find  that  To-Day  had  libelled 
Moore  ;  they  were  bound,  on  that  finding,  to  give  him  damages, 
and  the  damages  they  gave  him  were,  to  use  Lord  Russell's 
words,  "  estimated  at  the  ridiculous  figure,  the  contemptible 
figure  of  one  farthing." 

Upon  this  finding  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  was  asked  to  give 
Moore  costs,  but  he,  "  with  some  reluctance,"  decided  that 
the  plaintiff  should  be  deprived  of  hi;  costs.  Why  reluc- 
tance 1       We   will  venture    to    say  that  no  one   who  is 


acquainted  with  the  character  of  the  plaintiff,  and  who  saw 
him  in  the  witness-box  under  the  cross-examination  of  Mr. 
Carson — who,  by  the  way,  should  go  far — will  have  heard  with 
"reluctance"  that  upon  the  merits  the  Jury  have  found  for 
To-Day.  If  Moore,  whose  own  Counsel  had  to  tell  the  Jury  not 
to  believe  one  part  of  his  evidence,  has  to  bear  his  own  costs  in 
a  case  in  which  a  Jury  have  decided  that  he  deserves  no 
sympathy,  we  cannot  quite  understand  the  "reluctance"  of 
the  Lord  Chief  Justice  to  make  him  pay  those  costs. 

And  here,  perhaps,  we  may  be  permitted,  without  suspicion 
of  disrespect  to  one  who  has  already  proved  himself  a  strong 
judge,  and  bids  fair  to  leave  behind  him  the  reputation  of  a  great 
judge,  to  express  surprise  that  upon  the  second  morning  of  the 
trial  Lord  Russell  caused  it  to  be  intimated  to  the  proprietors  of 
To-Day  that  the  other  side  might  be  satisfied  with  payment  of 
their  costs — an  offer  declined,  much  to  his  ultimate  advantage,  by 
Mr.  Jerome.  With  respect,  we  submit  that  an  intimation  of 
that  kind,  made  doubtless  with  the  one  desire  of  saving  public 
time,  places  the  litigant  and  his  advisers  in  a  very 
difficult  position.  And  speaking  of  the  saving  of  public 
time  we  may  perhaps  be  permitted  to  make  another  observa- 
tion upon  Lord  Russell's  procedure  in  Moore  v.  Jerome. 
The  case  commenced  at  eleven  o'clock  on  Wednesday,  and  the 
case  for  the  plaintiff  closed  just  before  mid-day  on  Thursday. 
We  had  a  great  number  of  witnesses  to  examine,  but,  before  our 
Counsel  had  gone  far,  Lord  Russell  intimated  that  the  case  for  the 
defence,  so  far  as  evidence  was  concerned,  must  close  that 
night.  Again  we  respectfully  submit  that  whilst  it  is  the  right 
and  duty  of  the  Judge  to  cut  short  irrelevant  evidence,  a  new 
and  doubtful  departure  is  taken  when  he  intimates  that,  let  the 
evidence  be  relevant  or  not,  it  must  close  at  a  particular  time. 

BEN   EVANS  AND  CO.,  LIMITED- 

We  have  on  more  than  one  occasion  advised  readers  in  search 
of  sound  investments  to  subscribe  to  particular  drapery 
companies.  We  gave  this  advice  with  respect  to  J.  R.  Roberts' 
Stores,  Limited,  whose  ,£1  shares  are  now  quoted  27s.  6d. — 30s.; 
and  Crisp  and  Co.,  Limited,  whose  £1  shares  are  now  quoted 
25s. — 27s.  6d.  Now  we  have  Ben  Evans  and  Co.,  Limited, 
brought  out  by  the  same  people.  This  company  lias  been 
formed  to  take  over  the  drapery  business,  established  upwards 
of  twenty-five  years  ago,  in  Swansea,  by  Mr.  Benjamin  Evans, 
a  business  that  has  been  described  [as  the  "  Shoolbred  of  Wales.'' 
The  share  capital  is  £103,000,  and  there  are  £75,000 
in  Five  per  Cent.  First  Mortgage  Debentures.  The  free- 
hold and  leasehold  premises  and  plant  are  valued  at  £101,269, 
the  net  profits,  taking  the  average  of  the  past  four  years,  are 
£13,036,  and  the  price  paid  for  the  business  is  £133,750,  so  that 
the  amount  paid  for  the  goodwill  (£28,731)  is  very  little  over  two 
years'  purchase — a  very  moderate  price.  Mr.  Evans  is  selling 
the  business  owing  to  failing  health,  but  Mr.  White,  twho  has, 
under  him,  managed  it  for  sixteen  years,  will  be  the  managing 
director  of  the  new  company. 

We  often  enough  read  in  prospectuses  glowing  descriptions  of 
businesses,  and  the  men  who  are  selling  them — descriptions  that 
require  to  be  taken  with  a  very  big  grain  of  salt.  But  as  to  Mr. 
Evans'  position  in  Swansea,  and  the  character  of  the  new 
premises  in  which  he  carries  on  his  business,  we  cannot  have 
better  authority  than  that  of  the  late  Lord  Swansea,  a  hard- 
headed  Swansea  man,  of  great  business  experience,  who  at  the 
opening  of  Castle  Bailey  Street,  last  November,  spoke  of  Mr. 
Evans,  "as  our  perhaps  most  prominent  citizen,"  and  "our 
most  deserving  and  energetic  follow  citizen,"  and  of  his 
business  premises  as  "a  grand  building  internally  and  ex- 
ternally." 

The  profits  as  certified  in  the  prospectus  are  ample  to  meet 
fixed  charges  and  pay  a  handsome  dividend  upon  the  Ordinary 
shares,  and  the  Board  is  a  practical  one.  The  Lord  Mayor 
is  one  of  the  Trustees  for  Debenture-hoh'ers.  For  the  rest  we 
do  not  doubt  that  the  share  capital  of  Ben  Evans  and  Co., 
Limited,  will  be  largely  over-subscribed,  as  was  the  case  with 
Crisp  and  Co.,  Limited,  and  it  will  be  noted  with  satisfaction 
that  a  substantial  portion  will  be  taken  by  cmploy-s  and 
customers  of  the  linn. 

C,  WINDOVER.  LIMiTED. 

We  have  received  the  following  letter  front  the  chairman  of 
this  company.  We  have  also  been  placed  in  i  essessionof  all  the 
facts  bearing  upon  the  position  of  the  company,  and  they  con- 


February  10,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


vince  us  that  the  advice  given  in  our  issue  of  February  2 — 
advice  to  which  our  correspondent  of  last  week  took  exception — 
is  sound.  A  better  offer  than  the  £2  5s.  made  by  the  Messieurs 
Windover  cannot  be  got,  and  rejection  of  that  offer  means 
liquidation,  with  sale  of  stock  at  break-up  prices,  and  little  or 
nothing  for  the  shareholders.  If,  as  our  accountant  correspondent 
seemed  to  think,  the  Windovers  were  plotting  to  get  back  the 
business  into  their  own  hands,  careless  of  the  just  claims  of  share- 
holders, they  would  let  it  go  into  liquidation,  when  they  might 
get  it  for  a  song.  As  it  is,  and  partly  for  sentimental  reasons 
that  will  easily  bn  understood,  they  are  giving  some  £15,000 
for  what  remains  of  it.    Mr.  Bernard  writes  : — ■ 

As  I  am  the  person  appointed  by  the  shareholders  of  this  com- 
pany to  carry  out  on  their  behalf  the  purchase  of  the  shares  by  the 
Windover  family,  and  as  the  letter  of  an  accountant  in  your  current 
issue  is  calculated  to  mislead  those  unacquainted  with  the  facts,  I  beg 
to  enclose,  for  your  information,  the  report  of  the  general  meeting  at 
which  such  arrangement  was  proposed  and  approved,  and  a  copy  of 
the  agreement  which  has  been  signed  by  Messrs.  Windover.  1  venture 
to  think  that  a  perusal  of  these  documents  will  confirm  you  in  the 
opinion  you  expressed  in  your  previous  issue,  that  it  is  to  the  interest 
of  shareholders,  under  the  circumstances,  to  accept  the  terms  offered. 

I  wish  particularly  to  draw  your  attention  to  the  following  facts : — 

(1)  It  is  not  the  directors  who  offer  to  buy  the  shares,"  but  three 
members  of  the  Windover  family,  one  of  whom  is  a  director. 

(2)  The  suggestion  that  the  shares  should  be  so  bought  came  from 
the  shareholders. 

(3)  The  negotiations  with  the  purchaser  were  conducted  by  a  commit- 
tee appointed  by  the  shareholders  in  general  meeting  ;  the  committee 
were  afforded  all  information  for  which  they  called,  and  the  parties 
were  at  arms'  length  throughout. 

In  conclusion,  permit  me  to  say  that  whatever  may  be  the  suspicion 
with  which  your  correspondent  regards  purchases  of  shares  by  directors, 
I  have  an  equal  suspicion  of  the  objects  of  any  accountant  who,  under 
cover  of  anonymity,  advocates  in  the  Press  the  liquidation  of  a  public 
company  of  whose  affairs  he  is,  on  the  most  charitable  hypothesis, 
totally  ignorant. 

GLENCAIRNS. 

With  fifty  stamps  at  work  during  twenty-seven  days  in 
December,  the  Glencairn  turned  out  2,571  oz.  of  gold  from  the 
battery,  besides  2,013  oz.  more  by  means  of  the  cyanide — total 
4,584  oz.  The  official  announcement  explains  "shortfall 
through  stoppage  of  battery  connecting  new  stamps."  Well, 
the  twenty  new  stamps  causing  the  shortfall  in  December  were 
connected,  and  during  January  crushing  went  on  with  seventy 
stamps  for  Lwenty-niue  days — that  is  with  twenty  more  stamps 
at  work  than  during  December,  and  with  the  whole  seventy 
stamps  at  work  two  more  days  than  in  December.  Reckon- 
ing the  twenty  extra  stamps  and  the  two  extra  days,  an 
output  of  8,000  oz.  was  predicted.  Instead  of  an  increase, 
however,  there  was  a  falling  off,  the  total  amount  having  been 
4,413  oz.,  the  battery  having  given  3,190  oz.,  and  the  cyanide 
1,223  oz. 

We  have  repeatedly  warned  our  readers  against  putting  money 
into  this  concern,  but  the  shares,  thanks  to  the  boom  in  South 
African  mines,  have  been  rigged  to  a  very  inflated  figure,  and 
those  who  have  been  foolish  enough  to  touch  them  of  late  will 
soon  have  reason  to  repent  their  folly.  The  contention  of 
Mr.  Barnato  has  all  along  been  that  profits  would  increase  with 
the  increase  in  the  number  of  stamps.  The  exact  reverse  has 
occurred.  The  number  of  stamps  was  increased  by  twenty, 
and  seventy  stamps  were  working  two  days  more  in  January 
than  did  fifty  stamps  in  December,  and  yet  the  amount  of 
gold  won  was  171  oz.  less.  Excuses  for  the  shortfall  were 
made  both  months,  so  whatever  truth  there  may  be  in  the 
one  excuse  in  neutralised  by  the  other  excuse. 

CUNLIFFF,   RUSSELL  AND  CO. 

We  have  received  the  following  letter  from  a  correspondent, 

who  signs  himself  "  A  Scotchman  Resident  in  Paris,"  and  who  is 

a  well-known  man  in  commercial  circles  in  that  city.  The 

letter  is  dated  Paris,  February  4th,  and  speaks  for  itself 

I  get  your  piper  regularly  here.  I  have  been  amused  at  the  corre- 
spondence you  have  had  with  Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.,  and 
have  had  the  curiosity  to-day  to  ask  my  bankers  for  their  prices  of 
the  bonds  which  these  gentlemen  wish  to  sell  to  the  English  public 
at  such  extraordinary  profits  to  themselves.  The  quotations  are  as 
under:  — 

Prices. 
■ 

Cunliffe,  Russell 


Credit  Lyonnais.  and  Co. 
francs.  £ 
Ottoman  Bonds  130  8 
Panama  Bonds  . .  122  7 
Servian  Bonds  ..83  4 
Congo  Bonds         . .             92  5 


At  25f.  to  the  &  anyone  can  make  the  calculation  for  himself. 
Messrs.  C,  R.  and  Co.  say  they  will  refund  the  price  of  the  bonds  at  a 
difference  of  5s.  per  bond  ;  the  Credit  Lyonnais  does  so  for  If.  50c.  to  2f . 

The  moral  of  all  this  is  that  if  any  English  people  wish  "  to  try  their 
luck,"  they  will  do  better  to  buy  their  bonds  through  any  French  bank 
which  has  in  agency  in  London. 

We  endorse  the  advice  given  in  the  last  sentence. 


NEW  ISSUES. 
The  Robinson  Gold  Mines,  Limited.  CapiUl  £80,000.— Formed 
to  acquire  certain  mining  leases  in  the  White  Feather  district,  Coolgardie. 
Numerous  reports  from  competent  engineers  testify  to  the  value  of  the 
property.  The  purchase  price  is  £60,000.  The  first  10,000  shares  subscribed 
will  be  allotted  for  providing  working  capital.  Lord  Douglas  of  Hawick, 
better  known  as  Lord  Percy  Douglas,  is  on  the  Board. 

Ben  Evans  and  Co.,  Limited.  Share  Capital,  £103  000  ;  and  also 
£75,000  Five  per  Cent.First  Mortgage  Debenture  Stock. — Formed  to  acquire 
a  thriving  drapery  business  commanding  the  cream  of  the  trade  of 
Swansea  and  the  Khondda  Valley.  The  net  profits,  as  shown  for  the  past 
four  years,  and  facts  referred  to  elsewhere,  warrant  the  expectation  of 
substantial  dividends  on  the  Ordinary  share  capital  now  offered  to  the  public. 

STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Safe  Investment.  L.  A.— 1.  We  cannot  recommend  Aerated  Bread 
shares  even  at  their  present  price.  The  competition  the  company  has  to 
reckon  with  becomes  more  formidable  every  month.  2.  The  Birkbeck 
Bank  only  gives  a  very  low  rate.  3.  The  other  bank  is  financially 
strong.  Sundry  Questions  Enquirer  (Newcastle).— 1.  Have  nothing 
to  do  with  these  people.  2  and  3.  We  are  not  much  in  love  with  Moss-Litter 
companies.  4.  A  fan-  investment  5.  It  is  a  large  but  declining  business. 
Even  the  debentures  are  best  1  eft  alone.  Moore  and  Burgess, 
Limited.  Durham  (South  Shields).— We  are  inclined  to  advise  you  not 
to  sell  at  the  price  offered,  or  anything  near  it.  We  advise  you  to  buy 
more  to  average.  If  you  sell  now  you  will  lose  most  of  your  £190 ;  if  you 
follow  our  advice  you  may  by-and-by  recover  the  whole  of  your 
present  loss.  We  have  authority  for  saying  that  the  reconstructed  company 
has  been  doing  much  better,  and  the  publicity  given  to  the  management  by 
the  case  of  Moore  v.  Jerome  should  be  of  service  in  informing  old  patrons 
that  the  features  in  the  entertainment  objected  to  have  been  removed. 
Mind,  we  do  not  tell  you  that  Moore  and  Burgess,  Limited,  is  out  of  the  wood 
yet.  It  is  not,  or  anything  like  it.  What  we  do  say  is  that  the  business  has 
improved,  and  that  whilst  at  the  moment  it  is  suffering— as  all  caterers  for 
the  amusement  of  the  public  are  suffering — from  the  weather,  there  are 
grounds  for  hoping  that  before  very  long  the  company  will  be  within  sight 
of  dividends.  Stock  Exchange  Transactions.— F.  U.  (Bath).— No.  A 
poor  man  should  not  "dabble  in  stocks  and  shares."  Cunliffe, 
Russell,  and  Co. — J.  W.  A.  (Nottingham).—  Your  question  is  answered 
by  a  letter  that  appears  in  another  column.  East  London  Stock. 
H.  H.  (London).— No.  Sundry  Stocks,  etc.  J.  H.  T.  (Paisley).— l  and  2. 
Hold.  3.  Sell  for  what  you  can  get.  4.  The  Universal  Stock  Exchange  is  per- 
fectly sound,  and  will  treat  you  fairly.  5.  Noconnection.  Have  nothing  to  do 
with  them.  6.  We  congratulate  you  upon  getting  the  advance.  It  was  essen- 
tially a  matter  for  local  men .  We  cannot  help  you  to  the  further  advance  at 
the  interest  named.  Outside  Brokers.  A.  T.  (Littleborough).— They  are 
of  no  standing.  Write  again  and  let  us  know  the  result.  Clerks'  Mutual 
Benefit  Society.  J.  H.  (Stoke  Newington).— We  are  not  quite  sure,  but 
will  make  some  inquiries  and  reply  next  week.  Company  Promoter. 
Company  (Perth).— We  know  nothing  of  him  one  way  or  the  other.  'Safe 
Deposit.  R.  H.  B.  (Rutherglen).  —  It  is  a  60  per  cent.  shop. 
Investments.  Faith  (Newcastle).  —  1.  We  have  very  little  faith 
in  the  likelihood  of  improvement.  2.  We  should  sell  and  come 
nearer  home  upon  any  considerable  rise.  3.  It  is  a  fair  speculative 
investment.  4.  The  Brewery  Preference  shares  you  name  are  a 
good  investment.  5.  Do  not  buy  any  of  these  shares  at  theii 
present  or  any  other  price  except  for  a  gamble.  It  is  quite  possible  thej 
may  be  rigged  higher.  Options.  A  Reader  of  "  To-Day  "(Darlington).— 
Have  nothing  to  do  with  the  people  named  in  the  advertisement.  Two 
Mining  Shares.  J.  O.  (Burton-on-Trent).— We  see  no  likelihood  of  much 
improvement  in  the  quotation.  Manor  Park  Cemetery.  A.  I.  H.  (New 
Barnet). — We  remain  of  the  opinion  that  they  are  worth  £120,  but  that  of 
course  does  not  mean  that  you  could  get  £120  in  the  open  market.  Balkis 
Eerstelings,  Subscriber  (Belfast).— We  can  only  say  at  the  moment 
that  we  think  it  is  pretty  nearly  time  for  shareholders  to  move  in  the  mat- 
ter. Subaltern  (Brighton).— The  same  to  you.  Wassau  (Gold  Coast) 
Mining  Company.  F.  H.  S.  (Norwich).—  There  is  no  quotation.  Price 
of  Shares.  W.  F.  B.(Withington).— We  see  nothing  in  the  correspondence 
to  lead  us  to  suppose  that  you  are  "  not  being  fairly  and  honourably  dealt 
with."  The  footnote  on  the  transfer  gives  the  explanation  of  the  apparent 
discrepancy.  When  you  return  the  transfer  we  have  no  doubt  you  will 
get  a  cheque  for  the  selling  price  of  which  you  were  advised,  less  charges 
Gigantic  Wheel  and  Recreation  Towers  Company 
(Limited).  S.  H.  E.  (Manchester).— 1.  Fairly  good.  It  is,  of  course,  a 
very  speculative  investment.  2.  No  quotation.  Bank  of  Van  Die- 
man's  Land  — D.  McC  (Glasgow).— There  is  no  London  agency.  The 
Agent-General  for  Tasmania  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  lottery.  Lyons 
and  Co.  (Limited)  — L.  O.  (Lee).— Yes,  we  think  them  a  fair  invest- 
ment. 

INSURANCE. 

Sickness  and  Accident  Insurance  Association.  Margate 
(Trowbridge). — The  company  lias  plenty  of  funds  and  a  substantial  capital. 
You  need  not  hesitate  to  insure  in  it.  Marine  Insurance.  Portland. 
(Newcastle-on-Tyne).  "  The  Stock  Exchange  Year  Book"  contains  prob- 
ably all  you  want  to  know.  The  Globe  Marine,  Limited,  is  a  strong  office, 
No.  3  fairly  so.  It  also  trjnsacts  Fire  business.  The  Straits  Insurance 
Company  enjoys  a  gcod  reputation.  A  Certain  Life  Office  J.  C.  A. 
(Birmingham). — It  is  not  among  the  best.  The  expenses  are  high,  the  bonuses 
insignificant,  and  the  administration  very  defective.  Endowment  Assur- 
ance. R.  F.  S.  (Petersfield).— The  Liverpool,  London,  and  Globe  is  much 
the  best  office  in  your  list.  Indeed,  we  question  if  you  would  do  better 
with  any  other  office.  Then  take  1,  3,  4  and  2.  Nos.  2  and  4  are 
likely  to  give  much  disappointment.  Three  Policies.  W.  T.  (Dumfries). 
—For  the  first  two  policies  the  office  that  will  serve  you  best  is  the  Equity 
and  Law,  which  you  have  numbered  4  and  5.  For  the  Endowment 
Assurance  take  either  the  Scottish  Equitable  or  the  North  British  and  Mer- 
cantile. Why  not  apply  for  an  agency '?  We  are  not  prepared  to  name  an 
insurance  broker.  Half  the  so-called  specialists  know  no  more  of  this  sub- 
ject than  you  do.  The  Trustees  Insurance  Society.  S.  D.  N. 
(Belfast). — The  office  in  which  you  are  insured,  the  Metropolitan  Insurance 
Company,  is  a  good  one  in  every  respect.  Why  then  change  ?  If  you  read 
To-Day  you  know  what  we  think  of  the  Foresters'  Society.  Law  Onion 
and  Crown  Fire  and  Life  Office.  N.  (.Sheffield). — A  very  respectable 
office,  but  its  bonuses  will  not  be  so  large  in  the  future  as  they  have  been  in 
the  past.  You  can  do  better  in  some  other  offices.  The  stability  of  the 
British  Empire  Mutual  is  beyond  question,  but  its  bonuses  are  only 
moderate.  Scottish  Union  National  Insurance  Company. 
X.  Y.  Z.  (Newcastle)  —You  have  made  a  good  selection.  The  other 
concerns  5  ou  mention  are  unsound  in  principle  and  in  administration.  One 
of  these  has  no  money  to  pay  claims  with,  and  the  other  frequently  pays 
only  after  considerable  delav.  The  Sickness  and  Accident  Company's 
address  is  21,  York  Place,  Edinburgh.  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  New  York.  Small  Investor  (Northampton).— This  company 
realises  a  superior  rate  of  interest  on  its  investments,  hence  its  low  rate 
for  annuities.   It  is  a  company  of  high  standing. 


Mr.  Yates  Thompson  has  bought  London.  Under  the  new 
management  London,  which  has  done  excellent  service  to  the 
metropolis  during  its  brief  career,  will  be  enlarged  and  im- 
proved. 


48 


TO-DAY. 


Fkbkuary  ]G,  1895. 


])RURY  LANE    THEATRE    ROYAL.— SIR  AUGUSTUS 

HAKRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.  Twice  Daily,  at  3.30  and  7.30, 
Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand  New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day. 

T  YCEUM. — KING  ARTHUR,  by  J.  Comyns  Carr.  EVERY 

NIGHT  at  8  punctually  Mr.  Irving,  Mr.  Forbes  Robertson,  Miss 
Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  Music  by  Arthur  Sullivan. 
Scenery  and  Costumes  designed  by  Sir  Edward  Burne-Jones.  Box  Office 
(Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  daily  10  to  5  only.  Seats  also  bocked  by  letter  or 
telegram. 


POYAL    PRINCESS'S     THEATRE— SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.    EVERY  EVENING,  at  7.30. 
THE  DERBY  WINNER, 
by  Sir  Augustus  Harris,  Cecil  Raleigh,  and  Henry  Hamilton. 
Box  Office  open  10.0  a.m.  all  day.    For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers. 

PALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 

THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 


MOORE  AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
The  Best  Entertainment  in  London. 
Fun  without  Vulgarity. 
If  you  want  to  laugh,  go  to  Moore  and  Burgess'. 
Immense  Success  of  George  R.  Sims  and  Ivan  Caryll's  Operetta, 
THE  YALLER  GAL. 
AFTERNOONS  at  4 ;    NIGHTS  at  1". 
Book  vonr  seats  at  Tree's.    Standing  room  only.   EVERY  NIGHT  at  8. 
MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY,  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES,  at  2.30. 

Farinl  Manager. 


POYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 
2.30  and  7.30.—POSTER  EXHIBITION.  YACHTING  EXHIBITION, 
CONCERT.    SWIMMING.    SKATING.    BILLIARD  MATCH. 


NIAGARA  HALL,  ST.  JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 

The  Latest  and  Greatest  Novelty. 
REAL     ICE     SKATING     UNDER  COVER. 
In  all  weathers,  Breakages  and  Immersions  impossible. 
9.30  to  1.0,  3/-   The  celebrated  Mohan  Ladies  Orchestra. 
3.0  to  6.30,  8/-  \  The  Royal  Hungarian  Band.   The  finest  Band  in 
P.Oto  11.30,3/-  /      England.   First  appearance. 

The  most  fashionable  resort  in  London. 
NIAGARA  HALL,  ST.  JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 


THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

English  Invention — English  Manufacture. 

The  only  Perfect  Writing  Machine. 

'  Differential "  Spacing— Yisible  Writing. 

THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

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Perfect  alignment  secured. 
Pad  Machine— No  Ribbon. 

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Only  32  keys  writing  96  characters. 

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For  all  particulars  as  to  this  unique  invention,  address : 
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HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


The   GREAT  EASTERN  HOTEL, 

LIVERPOOL  STREET.  E.C. 

Centrally  Situated.   Electric  Light  Throughout.  Moderate  Charges. 

RESTAURANT  adjoining  HOTEL  for  MID-DAY 
LUNCHEONS  and  PUBLIC  DINNERS. 

H.  C.  AMENDT,  Manager. 


;South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHONALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON  every  SATURDAY. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  eallat  LISBON  and  TENERIFE. 
Union  Line  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton  ;   14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 

The  Colonial  Mutual  Life  Assurance  Society, 

LIMITED. 
33,  POULTRY,  LONDON,  E.C. 

FUNDS  EXCEED  ~  £1,750,000 

POLICIES  issued  under  the  ORDINARY,  MODIFIED   TONTINE,   and  Mortuary 
Dividend  Systems. 

 EDWARD  W.  BROWNE.  F.S.S.,  Manager. 

PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  Limited, 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.C. 


FOUNDED  1848. 


Invested  Funds 


£20,000,000 


SEEN  COUNTY  LAND   COMPANY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 

9G-98,  LEADENHALL  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C 

W.  A.  NYGH,  European  Special  Agent. 

The  above  Company  calls  the  particular  attention  of  parents  and  guardians 
to  the  mode  by  which  they  can  give  their  sons  and  wards  a  start  in  life  on 
its  lands— a  small  capital  only  being  required.  Special  Party  (No.  2)  will 
leave  for  the  estates  of  the  Company  the  latter  part  of  February,  1895, 
accompanied  by  its  European  Special  Agent.  Apply  for  full  particulars  at 
the  above  address  or  at  Uie  Glasgow  Office, 

George  Smith,  21,  Hope  Street. 

A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite. 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &e. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 
October  26th,  iim. 

Dear  Sir.— I  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  04 
Dr.  Scott's  Pills  as  a  family  medicine.  We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  many 
years,  and  are  never  without  them. 

Yours  faithfully,  ,T.  SELLARS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead 
Prepared  only  by — 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON.  W. 


NORTH'S  TYPE-WRITER. 

Special  Features:—  Visible    Writing,    Brief   Carriage,    Universal   Key  beard 
Perfect  Alignment,  an  English  Invention. 

Z~--3  "IIORTH'S"  has  just  received  the  Diploma  of  Honour  (Highest 
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NORTH'S  TYPEWRITER  MANUFACTURING  CO,,  LIMITED, 

53,   QUEEN  VICTORIA   STREET,   LONDON,  E.C- 


February  IG,  ISOo. 


TO-DAY. 


40 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

The  Devil's  Own  Luck.    By  "Z.  Z."  (Louis  Zangwill.)  Illus- 
trated by  Sydney  Adamson    33 

Prom  the  Magazines    37 

Miss  Extra-Turn.  By  W.  Pett  Ridge.   Illustrated  by  Sydney 

Adamson   38 

Sorrow.  By  F.  L.  Stanton   39 

Feminine  Affairs    40 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    44 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    45 

In  the  City    46 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J   49 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer    53 

Club  Chatter    54 

A  Love  Song.  By  F.  L.  Stanton   57 

The  Bed  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville    £8 

Ancient  Marriage  Customs.  By  Laura  B.  Starr    03 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


The  libel  suit,  by  means  of  which  Mr.  "  Pony  "  Moore 
hoped  to  vindicate  his  character  from  the  grave  charges 
that  I  felt  it  my  duty,  as  a  public  journalist,  to  bring 
against  him,  is  dealt  with  at  length  in  another  column, 
and  I  shall  not  speak  of  it  in  detail  here.  We  lost  a 
complete  verdict  in  our  favour  by  mere  ruling  of  law. 
Lord  Russell  felt  it  necessary  to  tell  the  jury  as 
regards  the  charge  of  treachery,  that  not  having  been 
stated  in  the  pleadings  (by  a  technical  omission  on  the 
part  of  our  counsel),  they  must  dismiss  from  their 
minds  all  evidence  on  that  point,  and  he  directed  them 
in  plain  terms  that  as  far  as  that  part  of  the  libel  was 
concerned,  they  must  find  for  the  plaintiff,  and  that  the 
question,  therefore,  was  merely  one  of  damages.  Thus 
legally  compelled,  willy-nilly,  to  find  for  the  plaintiff, 
and  damages  being  the  only  thing  left  for  them  to  con- 
sider, they  estimated  these  at  one  farthing,  and  there  is 
an  end  of  the  matter. 

To-Day  has  no  wish  to  act  the  part  of  the  light- 
hearted  libeller.  When  we  make  charges  against  a 
man,  they  are  charges  that  we  have  carefully  investi- 
gated, and  that  we  consider  it  is  our  duty  to  publish. 
Having  made  them,  we  do  not,  and  we  shall  not,  ever 
shirk  our  responsibility  for  them,  or  thwart  any  man 
fancying  himself  libelled  by  us  from  having  our  accusa- 
tions sifted  in  open  court.  If  it  were  not  for  the  fear 
of  the  law  of  libel,  and  the  terrible  expense  involved, 
there  would  be  much  less  swindling  and  cheating  of  the 
public  than  there  is  at  present.  It  is  not  that  chicanery 
and  roguery  are  not  known;  it  is  that  newspapers 
generally  hesitate  to  give  the  public  their  knowledge,  for 
fear  that  if  they  tell  the  truth  an  emotional  jury,  worked 
upon  by  clever  counsel,  or  a  judge  with  a  constitutional 
objection  to  the  Press,  will  punish  them  for  doing  their 
duty.  In  the  Moore  case,  I  am  left  to  pay  my  own 
costs.  In  other  words,  for  telling  the  plain,  unvarnished 
truth,  in  a  matter  where  seventy-five  thousand  pounds  of 
the  public  money  was  concerned,  belonging  to  a  thousand 
shareholders,  mostly  of  the  poorer  class,  who  can  ill 
ifford  to  see  their  savings  gambled  with,  I  have  to  pay 


some  three  or  four  hundred  pounds.  I  do  not  complain  of 
this  ;  it  is  the  ord'nary  result  of  serving  one's  fellow- 
men,  and  I  daresay  before  I  have  done  I  shall  have 
paid  much  more  for  a  like  privilege. 

Are  cheap  goods  a  boon  to  the  producer1?  In  other 
words,  is  free  trade  a  blessing  or  a  curse  to  a  nation  of 
manufacturers  ?  The  question  has  been  asked  with  some 
force  by  Mr.  Blatchford,  author  of  "  Merrie  England,'' 
a  gentleman  of  beautiful  ideals  but  childishly  impractic- 
able methods.  In  arguing  this  question  of  free  trade 
Mr.  Blatchford  has,  beneficially  for  his  cause,  put  his 
Arcadian  dreams  behind  him,  and  has  dealt  with  this 
world  of  strife  and  struggle  as  he  finds  it.  Free  trade, 
half-a-century  ago,  was  the  panacea  for  all  human  ills. 
Under  free  trade  everybody  was  to  be  happy,  healthy, 
wealthy  and  wise.  To  even  now  hint  a  word  against  it 
is  considered  rank  blasphemy  by  the  older  school  of 
political  thinkers.  But  the  young  men  everywhere  are 
asking  themselves  if  we  have  not  given  the  drug 
sufficient  experiment,  or,  at  all  events,  whether  the 
surroundings  have  not  changed  and  the  conditions 
altered  to  an  extent  sufficient  to  render  a  new  treatment 
advisable. 

Cheap  food  is  excellent  if  you  have  the  money  to  buy 
it;  but  a  threepenny  loaf  is  of  very  little  value  to  a  man 
with  only  three  halfpence  in  his  pocket,  and  of  less  value 
still  to  the  man  who  has  nothing.  Free  trade  has  given 
us  cheap  goods,  and  it  has  taken  away  employment 
from  English  workers  to  an  alarming  extent.  If  we 
were  all  consumers,  living  on  an  income  derived  from 
an  investment  in  Consols,  free  trade  could  not  be  too 
highly  praised  ;  but  our  political  guides  forget  that  we 
have  to  earn  our  income  as  well  as  to  spend  it,  and 
many  of  our  leading  industries  are  being  completely 
killed  by  the  unchecked  competition  of  countries  where, 
living  being  cheaper,  labour  is  content  with  a  much  Less 
wage. 

In  the  measurable  future  it  will  be  a  question 
whether  any  English  manufacturer  can  pay  his  way, 
and  then  what  is  to  become  of  our  army  of  workers  '? 
To  offer  them  "  a  free  breakfast  table "  will  be  no 
answer  to  a  man  looking  for  employment.  Free  trade 
has  practically  killed  agriculture  already,  and  made  us 
of  necessity  a  land  of  coal  pits  and  smoky  factories. 
That  may  be  very  good  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  what  is  to 
become  of  us  when  free  trade,  having  rendered  it- 
impossible  for  us  to  grow  our  own  food,  also  renders  it 
impossible  for  us  to  earn  our  living  by  manufacture  ? 
To  save  a  few  pence  a  yard  on  our  wife's  print  frock  we 
pay  the  price  of  thousands  of  out-of-work  operatives  in 
Lancashire.  We  hold  up  our  hands  in  horror  at  the 
hard-hearted  farmer,  but  it  is  we,  my  good  friends,  with 
our  cheip  loaf  made  from  imported  corn,  who  have 
driven  the  agricultural  labourers  to' swell  the  useless 
swarm  of  nnneeded  life  in  our  great  towns,  and  who 
pay  the  few  remaining  on  the  land  a  starvation  wage 
that  does  not  enable  them  to  keep  themselves  and  their 
families  from  actual  daily  hunger. 

I  shall  be  told  that  all  this  has  been  thrashed  out 
years  ago  :  that  the  thing  has  all  been  settled  and  done 
with.     But  who  are  the  people  vj      have  so  kindly 


50 


TO-DAY. 


Febkuaky  16,  1895. 


"settled  and  done  -with  it"  for  us1?  and  will  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Cobden  Club  give  me  some  proof  of  their 
superhuman  wisdom  that  will  force  me  to  believe  that 
when  once  they  have  considered  a  thing  there  is  no 
further  need  for  thought  upon  the  subject?  Catch- 
penny phrases  invented  to  bamboozle  votes  from  fools 
are  our  stock  political  arguments.  The  big  free-trade 
loaf  stuck  on  the  end  of  a  pole  can  win  an  election,  but 
it  does  not  fill  the  bellies  of  our  unemployed  thousands. 
Free  trade  has  been  of  immense  benefit — to  the  political 
wirepullers.  It  is  time  now  that  the  subject  was  con- 
sidered from  the  point  of  view  of  the  nation. 

Can  anyone  tell  me  how  Sir  Edward  Burne-Jones's 
cartoon  in  the  D.dhj  Chronicle  is  going  to  assist  the 
Progressives  in  the  County  Council  campaign?  It  is  a 
charming  picture,  representing  a  gentleman  with  his 
whole  mind  and  eyes  devoted  to  the  useful  and  praise- 
worthy work  of  hoeing  turnips  ;  while  a  lady  of  singular 
beauty,  but  clad  in  a  costume  that  must  shock  the 
McDougall  eye,  sits  watching  him.  Does  Sir  Edward 
mean  to  suggest  that  our  County  Councillors  should 
devote  their  time  and  attention  to  doing  really 
useful  work,  to  the  exclusion  of  fussy  inter- 
ference with  matters  that  they  know  nothing 
whatever  about,  and  with  which  they  are  not 
asked  to  concern  themselves?  If  so,  I  thank  Sir 
Edward;  and  I  would  recommend  his  little  lesson  to 
the  overblown  spouters  who  think  that  the  duty  of  the 
County  Council  is  to  relieve  God  Almighty  from  all 
trouble  in  running  the  universe.  The  real  aim  of  these 
Progressive  gentry  is  happily  suggested  by  the 
Chronicle,  when,  in  a  moment  of  inspiration,  it  alludes 
to  the  Council  as  "  London's  foster-mother."  That  they 
mean  kindly  to  us,  we  can  have  no  doubt.  They 
would  feed  us,  clothe  us,  teach  us,  smack  us, 
do  all  that  a  mother  should  for  a  foolish 
but  beloved  child ;  but,  with  all  due  respect  to 
the  Da;/)/  Chronicle,  I  do  not  think  the  London 
citizen  requires  a  "foster-mother."  It  never  occurs  to 
these  Radicals  that  the  ordinary  full-grown  man  is 
capable  of  managing  his  own  life,  without  the  imper- 
tinent interference  of  a-  body  of  shallow  tub-thumpers, 
who  have  persuaded  each  other  that  they  have  absorbed 
into  their  body  all  the  genius.,  and  all  the  goodness  that 
is  in  human  nature.  With  the  Daily  Chronicle's  per- 
mission, I  would  suggest  that  the  London  citizen  might 
dispense  with  these  "foster-mothers." 

The  Marquis  of  Lome's  letter  on  so-called  temperance 
reform  deserves  more  lasting  prominence  than  is  likely 
to  be  given  to  it  in  a  corner  of  a  daily  journal.  "  Pro- 
hibition," says  the  Marquis,  "  has  been  tried  over  and 
over  again  in  the  United  States  and  in  Canada,  and  has 
failed."  And  the  Marquis  of  Lome,  we  may  remember, 
has  had  exceptional  opportunities  for  studying  the  ques- 
tion in  Canada.  "It  has  failed,"  he  continues,  "not 
in  one  place,  but  in  many  places'.  Those  who  have  voted 
for  it  have,  on  experience,  voted  against  it,  finding  that 
temperance  is  not  promoted  by  such  measures.  The 
temperance  cause  can  be  aided,"  the  Marquis  concludes, 
"  by  persuading  men  to  enjoy  in  moderation  good  drink, 
and  in  punishing  those  who  tempt  men  to  drunkenness," 
To  deprive  men  by  force  of  drink  is  not  to  make  them 
sober  ;'  it  is  to  deprive  them  Of  the  right  of  manhood — 
the  right  to  judge  for  themselves,  and  to  live  their  life 


according  to  their  own  ideas.  It  is  a  tyranny  that  the  con- 
science of  a  Russian  autocrat  would  shrink  from  decree- 
ing. It  cannot  be  accomplished  until  you  have  deprived 
mankind  of  the  instinct  of  liberty,  and  reduced  them 
to  a  state  of  utter  slavery.  To  attempt  it  is  only  to 
irritate  and  anger  them,  and  to  make  the  word  temper- 
ance a  synonym  for  folly. 

I  suppose  that  in  some  happy  future  age  we  shall 
realise  that  the  English  climate  is  chiefly  made  up  of 
exceptions,  and  shall  prepare  for  them  accordingly.  At 
present  we  have  gone  from  exceptional  rains  to  an  ex- 
ceptional frost,  and  we  have  been  absolutely  unpre- 
p;ued  for  both.  Of  the  two,  the  frost  has,  perhap?,  done 
the  most  harm,  and  caused  the  most  misery.  .Certainly 
the  lists  that  have  appeared  of  deaths  through  the 
severity  of  the  weather  have  been  appalling.  Biic  if 
the  floods  occasioned  less — if  any  —actual  loss  of  life, 
they  did  enough  harm  to  property,  and  caused  enough 
inconvenience  to  make  it  desirable  that  we  should  be 
prepared  for  exceptional  rains.  We  keep  up  the  plea- 
sant fiction  that  we  have  a  temperate  climate.  In 
summer  we  may  be  baked,  in  winter  we  maybe  frozen, 
in  the  autumn  we.  may  be  washed  away,  but  we  slid 
continue  to  devise  houses  that  are  absolutely  unfitted  to 
withstand  either  heat  or  cold.  Traffic  is  at  the  mercy 
of  snow  or  floods.  And  when  any  inconvenience  is 
caused,  property  injured,  or  even  lives  lost,  we  con-ole 
ourselves  with  the  idea  that  this  is  quite  exceptional, 
and  will  not  occur  again. 

I  do  not  know  that  we  are  much  worse  than  other 
countries.  In  Italy  they  are  prepared  for  great  heat ; 
rooms  are  darkened,  windows  are  only  opened  at  early 
dawn  and  in  the  evening.  In  that  respect  we  have 
something  to  learn.  But  in  Italy  they  refuse  to  believe 
in  the  cold,  though  they  get  it.  The  big  rooms  with 
chilly  floors  of  brick  or  stone  are  heated  by  an  open 
fireplace,  which  burns  wood,  and  is  almost  useless.  Hera 
we  might  learn  from  north  Germany,  where  double 
windows  are  as  common  as  they  are  uncommon  with  us. 
In  Russia  and  America,  the  heating  of  rooms  is  much 
better  managed.  But  no — we  flatter  ourselves  that  this 
is  a  temperate  climate.  Our  pipes  in  the  house  are  still 
frozen ;  we  get  water  from  the  standpipes  in  the  streets, 
and  spill  enough  of  it  to  make  the  road  impassable  ;  a 
'bus-driver  dies  at  his  work,  or  a  postman  is  frozen  to 
death ;  trains  are  snowed  up  ;  the  thermometer  for  weeks 
never  rises  above  freezing-point,  and  frequently  fails 
twenty  degrees  below  it.  This,  we  own,  is  very  dis- 
tressing, but — and  we  make  a  great  point  of  it — it  never 
will  happen  again.    And  it  always  does. 

One  cannot,  of  course,  expect  to  talk  about  plumbers 
and  at  the  same  time  be  taken  seriously.  The  plumber, 
however,  has  the  best  of  the  joke.  In  weather  like  this, 
when  one  plumber  meets  another  he  smiles.  When  an 
ordinary  house  is  built,  the  pipes  are  put  where  they  will 
be  most  likely  to  freeze,  and  the  tanks  are  placed, 
entirely  unprotected,  on  the  roof.  Plumbers  set  that 
fashion,  because  they  know  that  plumbers  have  to  live. 
Sometimes  the  householder,  getting  nervous,  and  think- 
ing himself  wary,  bids  a  plumber  wrap  the  pipes  in  felt. 
Then  the  plumber  goes  away  to  some  quiet  place,  where 
he  can  laugh  without  being  disturbed.  He  comes  back 
with  a  boy,  a  short  piece  of  candle,  and  a  strong  smell 
o£    gas — plumbers    always   carry    a    smell   of  gas 


February  16,  1S35. 


TO-DAY. 


51 


with  them — and  wraps  most  of  the  pipe  in  felt,  and 
charges.  Of  course,  he  leaves  a  part  unwrapped ;  as 
long  as  the  pipe  freezes,  and  subsequently  bursts,  what 
dees  it  matter  to  the  plumber  where  it  bursts? 

It  is  generally  considered  to  be  necessary  that  every 
child  should  be  taught  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic ; 
if  the  child  is  ever  to  bo  a  householder,  he  had  better 
add  to  these  essentials  the  elements  of  plain  plumbing. 
Then,  when  he  sees  that  all  the  pipes  in  a  house  must 
freeze  with  six  degrees  of  frost,  and  that  the  house  must 
then  become  uninhabitable  until  after  a  thaw,  Ke  will 
refuse  to  take  the  house ;  or,  if  it  is  his  own  property, 
he  will  sell  or  let  it  to  his  nearest  enemy.  But  the  thing 
has  gone  past  a  joke.  We  have  advanced  a  little.  In 
the  old  days  houses  were  built  without  bath-rooms; 
it  has  since  been  seen  that  it  is  just  as  well  to  wash,  and 
bath-rooms  are  as  common  as  electric  bells.  Let  us 
progress  a  little  further,  and  build  houses  that  will  be 
habitable  even  in  that  exceptional  weather  which,  in  one 
form  or  another,  is  in  England  the  general  rule. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

F.  R.  S.—  Child  insurance  is  wrong  because  unless  the  child 
dies  it  is  a  dead  loss  to  the  parents,  and  therefore  there  can  be 
no  legitimate  reason  for  a  man  insuring  his  child  if  he  thinks 
about  jit.  If  a  poor  man  loses  his  child — we  are  discussing  the 
matter  purely  fr.om  a  pecuniary  point  of  view — he  is  prac- 
tically the  gaine*.  The  one  or  two  pounds  necessary  for  the 
funeral  expenses  may  drain  his  purse  but  he  saves  the  child's 
keep,  the  child's  clothes,  and  the  child's  schooling  for  the  next 
ten  or  twelve  years.  If  child  insurance  were  limited  to  such 
small  sums  as  the  actual  funeral  expenses  I  would  have  nothing 
to  say  against  it,  though  even  in  that  case  I  think  the  parent 
insuring  would  show  poor  business  aptitude,  for  he  would  have 
nothing  to  gain  and  everything  to  lose.  The  insurance 
company  would  only  be  paying  him  back  his  own  sub- 
scriptions, and  if  the  child  lived  the  money  would  be 
lost  to  him  entirely.  My  answer  about  reading  was 
to  a  different  correspondent.  I  meant  that  books  were 
only  second  -  hand  knowledge,  and  that  never  really 
enters  into  us.  General  reading  can  only  give  highly  superficial 
knowledge  and  smartness,  and  therefore"  I  hold  that  reading  for 
educational  purposes  is  waste  of  time.  One  might  as  well  seek 
to  study  navigation  by  looking  at  a  gallery  of  seascapes.  That 
much  help  to  the  imagination,  to  the  emotions,  and  to  the 
affections  can  be  obtained  from  books  I,  of  course,  do  not  deny. 
Books  are  art,  and  it  is  to  educate  and  strengthen  the  emotional 
side  of  us — which,  for  all  we  know,  maybe  the  only  side  worth 
considering— that  art  exists  ;  but  that  is  not  study.  No  art 
will  improve  the  mind.  When  we  speak  about  broadening  our 
culture  we  mean  widening  our  sympathies,  strengthening  our 
imagination,  deepening  our  emotional  side.  This  is  the  work  of 
art  and  literature,  but  a  man  might  read  all  the  histories  in  the 
world  and  yet  know  nothing  of  human  instincts.  He  might  read 
all  the  novels  in  the  world  and  yet  know  nothing  of  human 
emotions.  When  a  man  says  he  learns  from  books  he  means  that 
in  the  book  he  is  reading  he  has  his  own  unconscious  thoughts 
rather  suddenly  revealed  to  him.  It  is  a  complicated  subject,  I 
confess,  and  I  am  not  sure  I  have  made  myself  plain.  Your 
letter  interested  me  very  much. 

R.  L.  S.— Perhaps  the  Queen's  Westminster  Corps  (Queen's 
Hall,  off  Victoria  Street,  S.  W.)  would  suit  you  ;  the  uniform  is 
grey  with  red  facings,  the  entrance  fee  a  pound,  and  the  annual 
subscription  five  shillings.  The  London  Irish  Corps  (head- 
quarters, King  William  Street,  W.C.)  is  an  excellent  body  ;  the 
uniform  is  dark  green,  and  1  believe  there  are  no  fees  whatever. 
Apply  to  the  Scrgeant-Major,  at  headquarters,  in  each  case. 

Brooklynite  thinks  that  Judge  Gaynor,  who  threatened  to 
make  the  idiotic  and  monstrously  unjust  order  against  the 
Brooklyn  tramways,  depriving  them  of  their  charter  because 
they  could  not  work  the  cars,  the  men  being  on  strike,  acted 
quite  rightly.  "Brooklynite"  says  that  the  tramway  com- 
panies have  robbed  the  city,  and  that  therefore  Judge  Gaynor's 
action  would  have  served  them  right.  I  cannot  agree  with  my 
correspondent  on  the  subject  of  justice.  An  injustice  is  an 
injustice,  whether  directed  against  an  honest  man  or  a  scamp, 
and  a  judge  is  supposed  to  administer  justice,  irrespective  of 
persons.    Two  wrongs  never  yet  made  a  right. 

A.  A. — I  don't  suggest  that  disestablishment  would  conciliate 
Dissenters,  nor,  in  my  opinion,  is  that  the  purpose  for  which  it 
should  be  brought  about.  I  consider  an  Established  Church 
absurd  for  a  nation  of  which  the  majority  of  the  population  are 
of  a  different  denomination.     Whether  the  Dissenters  are 


conciliated  or  not  may  be  important  to  the  party  wira  pullers, 
but  it  is  quite  an  indifferent  matter  to  the  public  as  a  whole.  I 
can  see  no  benefit  to  the  Church  from  its  connection  with  the 
State.  All  the  good  it  has  done  could  have  been  done  much 
better  unhampered  by  worldly  officialdom. 

Cleek. — I  should  be  delighted  to  see  poor  men  playing 
cricket  or  football  on  Sundays.  The  "English  Sunday"  has 
done  tremendous  harm  in  making  the  working  classes  regard 
religion  as  their  enemy  and  a  thing  that  deprives  them  of 
rational  enjoyment  and  cheerful  lives. 

Another  correspondent  writes  me  agreeing  with  my  remarks 
on  Sunday  recreation,  and  says  "  Nothing  can  exceed  the  stag- 
nation and  hopelessness  of  a  village  Sunday.  Loafing,  gossip, 
disputation,  and  dnlness  is  the  order  of  the  day." 

P.  C.  sends  me  a  cutting  from  the  Lancashire  Evening  Express, 
containing  another  instance  of  the  selfish  and  cruel  bigotry 
which  is  usually  found  in  the  mind  of  the  rabid  teetotaler.  It 
seems  that  Alderman  Rutherford  sent  £50  to  the  suffering  poor 
of  Great  Harwood,  and  asked  some  Nonconformist  ministers 
to  distribute  it.  These  charitable  gentlemen  tried  to  prevent 
{ he  money  reaching  the  poor  unfortunates,  to  whom  it  would 
have  been  a  blessing. 

Vagabond. — I  cannot  see  that  your  letter  disproves  any  of 
the  statements  made  by  other  correspondents.  A.L. — Artists 
were  always  thus,  and  always  will  be.  W.  S.  (Newcastle).— 
What  is  the  use  of  your  writing  me  on  a  subject  and  then 
marking  yourletter"  Not  forpublication"?  H.  B.  N. — Perfection 
in  any  worldly  matter  is  utterly  impossible.  J.  H.  L. — I  really 
don't  know.  Why  not  write  direct  to  the  gentlemen  them- 
selves? A.  W. — Thanks  for  letter  and  enclosures.  J.  R.  K. — 
I  am  obliged  to  you  for  the  information.  A.  W.  H. — Your 
query  was  answered  in  last  week's  "  Diary  of  a  Bookseller." 
J.  R.  K. — I  thank  you  for  the  information.  A  Constant 
Reader. — You  would  get  your  facts  by  applying  to  the 
Editor,  The  African  Review,  10,  Basinghall Street,  E.G.  J.  C. — 
Thanks  for  your  letter  of  appreciation.  The  matter  has  now 
been  formally  brought  before  the  notice  of  the  Kennel  Club  by 
some  of  the  more  influential  bull-terrier  fanciers,  and  the 
custom  has  certainly  received  its  deathblow.  A  Correspon- 
dent sends  me  the  following  advertisement  cut  from  the  Glasgow 
Herald:  "A  Glasgow  gentleman,  whose  home  is  neglected  by 
its  young  women  in  favour  of  professional  careers,  is  desirous  of 
adopting  as  daughter  a  bright,  good-looking  little  girl,  prefer- 
ably an  orphan,  about  three  years  of  age."  T.  G.  D. — Thanks 
for  your  kind  and  amusing  letter.  I  am  glad  the  "  conductor  " 
was  the  means  of  ending  a  row  so  happily. 

W.  G. — The  reverend  gentleman  evidently  feels  strongly  on 
the  subject,  but  I  should  say  that  such  exaggerated  language 
would  rather  weaken  than  benefit  the  cause  of  Establishment. 

H.  B.  (Rochdale). — The  charge  against  Mr.  Rushworta 
having  been  dismissed,  one  is  bound  to  assume  that  ho  was 
innocent. 

W.  S.  (Newcastle-on-Tvne). — If  you  refer  to  the  announcement 
on  the  last  page,  you  will  see  that  by  becoming  an  annual  sub- 
scriber you  will  be  able  to  obtain  the  accident  policy  you  require 
at  a  reduction  of  10  per  cent. 

W.  S.  B. — It  is  rather  late  for  you  to  discover  that  To-Day 
is  in  antagonism  to  the  teetotal  party.  I  hate  this  party,  and  I 
have  been  attacking  it  ever  since  To-Day  started,  and  I  shall 
probably  be  attacking  it  up  to  the  day  of  my  death.  I  regard 
them  as  the  greatest  enemies  to  temperance  that  the  devil  ever 
introduced  into  the  world. 

E.  E.  (Bexley). — I  dislike  reading  such  advertisements,  and 
I  object  to  their  being  in  papers  that  lie  about  for  all  to  see. 
But  what  can  be  done  ?  The  birth-rate  is  undoubtedly  too 
high,  and  Europe  would  be  much  better  off  if  no  family  ex- 
ceeded two  or  three. 

A.  D.  and  other  correspondents  tell  me  that  there  is  a  song 
called  "  The  Ghost  of  Sherlock  Holmes."  Perhaps  F.W.,  who 
inquired  last  week  for  this  song,  will  note  this. 

T.  E.,  R.  W.  G.,  and  Others  call  my  attention  to  some 
sensible  and  broad-minded  remarks  on  teetotalism  by  the- 
Reverend  Dr.  Rankin,  of  Muthill.  The  report  says  that  "  he 
criticised  the  teetotal  position  as  an  endeavour  to  raise  up  a 
thing  into  a  virtue  which  was  no  virtue.  It  was  based  ou  a 
sham  virtue.  It  was  absolutely  without  foundation  in  Scripture, 
and  this  sham  virtue  people  were  trying  to  promote  by  violent 
and  tyrannical  means.  .  .  He  also  referred  to  the  system  of 
reviling  ministers  of  the  Gospel  who  did  not  agree  with  these 
rabid  teetotalers.  "  One  of  their  methods  of  working  was  to  get 
associated  with  divinity  halls,  and  catch  students  when  they 
were  green  ancrraw — especially  students  of  dissenting  places — 
and  then  go  and  say  they  had  three-fourths  or  nine-tenths  of 
these  pledged  for  teetotalism  at  an  early  period  of  their  lives, 
and  before  they  were  capable  of  properly  judging  for 
themselves." 

X.  writes  me  a  most  interesting  letter  discussing  the  communi- 
cation of  Mr.  Benn  concerning  the  County  Council,  which 
appeared  in  our  last  issue.  The  letter  is  too  long  to  insert,  but 
it  shows  the  alarm  with  which  a  plain  business  man  views  the 
possibilities  of  a  body  of  popularly  elected  men,  of  whose 
characters  we  can  know  nothing,  getting  into  their  hands  the 
control  of  vast  sums  of  public  money. 

Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  weefc 


52 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1893. 


THE  SUBSCRIPTION  LIST  WILL  CLOSE  AT  OR  BEFORE  FOUR  P.M.  TO  DAY, 
TUESDAY,  FEBRUARY  12,  FOR  LONDON,  AND  TO-MORROW,  WEDNESDAY, 
AT  TWELVE  NOON,  FOR  THE  COUNTRY. 


WHITE    FEATHER    DISTRICT.— COOLGARDIE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


ROBINSON  GOLD  MINES 

LIMITED. 

(FORMED  TO  ACQUIRE  THE  "  COCKTAIL "  AND  "BURSTER"  GOLD  MINING  LEASES.) 


INCORPORATED    UNDER    THE    COMPANIES'    ACTS,    1862    TO  1890. 


DIVIDED  INTO  80,000  SHARES  OF  £1  EACH.  OF  WHICH  30,000  ARE  NOW  OFFERED^FOR 

SUBSCRIPTION  AT  PAR. 

Payable :  2s.  6d.  on  Application  ;  7s.  6d.  on  Allotment ;  and  the  Balance  as  and  when  required  in  Calls  not 

exceeding  5s.,  at  intervals  of  not  less  than  One  Month. 


Directors. 

WILBERFOBCE  BET  ANT,  Esq.,  Stoke  Park,  Bucks  (Chairman). 
Lord  Douglas,  of  Hawick  and  Tibbers,  late  of  Perth,  Western  Australia. 
Herbert  Palmer,  Esq.,  Director  Roodepoort  Deep  Level  Gold  Mining 

Company  (Limited),  &c. 
Hon.  H.  J.  Saunders,  Member  of  the  Legislative  Council,  Perth,  'Western 

Australia. 

•F.  A.  Thompson,  Esq.,  M.A.I.M.E.,  Managing  Director,  54,  Old  Broad- 
street,  E.C.,  Chairman  White  Feather  Reward  Claim  (Limited). 
*  Will  join  the  Board  after  Allotment. 

Local  Board  in  Western  Australia. 
Hon.  Henry  J.  Saunders,  M.L.C.,  Perth. 
Robert  F.  Sholl,  Esq.,  M.L.A.,  Perth. 

Solicitors.— Messrs.  Burn  and  Berridge,  11,  Old  Broad-street,  E.C. 


ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  has  been  formed  to  acquire  Mining  Leases,  No.  636,  con- 
taining 18  acre9,  locally  known  as  the  "  Cocktail,"  and  No.  876  adjoining, 
aud  containing  12  acres,  locally  known  as  the  "  Burster,"  situate  in  the 
White  Feather  Mining  District,  Coolgardie,  West  Australia,  about  1\ 
miles  N.N.W.  from  McAuliife's  Reward  Claim,  now  being  successfully 
worked  by  the  White  Feather  Reward  Claim  (Limited),  and  to  amalgamate 
and  work  the  two  properties  as  one  large  mining  area  of  30  acres. 

The  property  has  been  inspected  and  reported  upon  by : — 

Messrs.  F.  Bissenberger,  Mining  Manager ;  W.  H.  C.  Lovely,  M.A.I.M.E.. 
N.  W.  Harper,  Mine  Manager.  Fraser's  Gold  Mine,  Southern  Cross  j  and 
F.  H.  Backhouse,  M.A.I.M.E.  The  statements  contained  in  this  Pro- 
spectus are  based  upon  their  reports,  and  the  report  of  G.  R.  Fearhy,  M.E., 
M.S.E.,  Coolgardie,  Western  Australia,  and  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  England, 
given  below,  full  copies  of  which  accompany  the  same. 

G.  H.  Fearby,  M.E.,  Member  of  the  Society  of  Engineers,  Coolgardie, 
Western  Australia,  and  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  England,  in  his  report  dated 
2Jrd  November,  1894,  on  the  ■'  Burster    Mine,  White  Feather,  states  :— 

There  are  two  reefs  exposed  on  the  surface.    .    .  . 

No.  1  Reef  has  been  opened  up  in  different  parts  of  the  mine — over  a 
distance  of  150  ft.,  and  ia  places  is  sunk  upon  to  a  depth  of  from  7  ft.  to 
10  ft.  In  these  trenches  the  reef  is  from  9  in.  to  1  ft.  in  thickness.  The 
quartz  I  tested  (which  I  took  from  this  reef)  will  yield  5  oz.  to  6  oz.  to  the 
ton. 

No.  2  Reef  is  50  ft.  to  the  south  of  No.  1  Reef.  It  is  opened  out  by  a 
cutting  of  16  ft.  in  length  by  a  depth  of  9  ft. 

In  this  cutting  the  reef  is  from  10  in.  to  1  ft.  2  in.  in  width,  and  the 
quartz,  which  I  tested,  will  give  a  return  of  5  oz.  to  the  ton. 

About  40  ft.  to  the  south  of  No.  2  Reef  a  shaft  has  been  sunk  to  a  depth 
of  54  ft.  In  this  shaft,  at  a  depth  of  33  ft.,  the  No.  2  Reef  was  cut,  and 
was  driven  upon  westwards  3  ft.,  and  shows  gold  freely.  The  reef  is  well 
defined,  and  making  stronger,  not  being  so  decomposed  as  in  the  cuttings 
above  referred  to. 

At  a  depth  of  46  ft.,  a  leader  5  in.  wide  has  been  cut.  At  a  depth  of  52ft. 
No.  1  Reef  his  been  cut.  I  thoroughly  tested  the  quartz  at  this  depth, 
and  the  gold  shows  freely  in  every  part  of  the  reef.  At  the  depth  of  54  ft. 
a  driva  has  been  started  to  the  south  on  the  west  reef  that  was  cut,  being 
No.  1  Reef. 

This  reef  is  running  on  the  ft  it,  with  a  slight  underlay  to  the  nouth.  This 
drive  is  in  fully  36  ft.  The  quartz  is  making  larger  and  stronger  in  a 
southerly  direction.    .    .  . 

All  the  veins  (four  in  number)  are  converging  towards  one  another  at 
this  depth  (54  ft  ),  there  being  only  from  teu  inches  to  a  foot  of  rock 
between  them,  and,  in  my  opinion,  will  join  and  form  a  good  solid  reef  of 
from  4  ft.  to  5  ft.  in  width.   .   .  . 

I  estimate  the  atone  at  grass  from  100  to  200  ton3.  Some  of  this  stone  is 
exceedingly  rich  in  gold,  and  ii  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  I  should  think 
thi3  stone  will  yield  quite  5  oz.  to  the  ton. 

I  also  estimate  in  the  mine  itself  that  there  are  2,000  tons  of  quartz  in 
si/ht.  Thi  gold  is  distinctly  visible,  and  goes  right  through  tho  stone. 
This  quartz  will  also  yield  5  oz.  to  the  ton.  The  2,000  tons  can  be  raised 
very  cheaply,  as  the  ground  is  soft.  I  have  examined  a  good  many  mines 
in  and  around  Coolgardie,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  sensational  mines, 
1  have  not  seen  a  property  I  like  so  well.  The  rock  is  decomposed  diorite, 
in  which  country  the  reef  is  sure  to  live,  and  consequently  the  "Burster" 
Mine  may  be  regarded  as  of  permanent  vilue. 

A  cable  renort  has  been  received  from  Messrs.  H.  J.  Saunders  aud  Co., 


Bankrbs.— Messrs.  Prescott,  Dimsdale,  Cave,  Tugwell,  and  Co.  (Ltd.),  50, 
Cornhill,  E.C. 

Brokers. 

J.  M.  Coppen,  Esq.,  IS,  Finch-lane,  E.C,  and  Stock  Exchange. 
Messrs.  Middleton  and  Fraser,  2C6,  Swan-arcade,  Bradford. 

Managers  in  Western  Australia.— Messrs.  Henry  J.  Saunders  and  Co.. 
Perth. 

Consulting  Engineers. — Messrs.  Bewick,  Moreing,  and  Co.,  Broad-street 
House,  E.C. 

Auditors.— Messrs.  Monkhouse,  Goddard,  and  Co.,  £8  and  29,  St.  Swithin's- 
lace,  E.C. 

Secretary  and  Offices.— Percival  Tibbs,  Esq.,  li,  Old  Broad-street,  E.C. 


stating  result  of  a  report  to  them  by  Mr.  F.  H.  Backhouse,  M.A.I.M.E., 
upon  the  " Burster "  and  "Cocktail"  Claims,  White  Feather,  to  the  fol- 
lowing effect : — 

Backhouse  reports  "Burster." — There  are  two  veins  embraced  in  this 
property ;  small  parallel  vein  runs  north  east  and  south-west ;  the  vein 
dips  at  an  angle  of  60  degrees.  .  .  I  estimate  the  amount  of  ore  in  sight 
at  2,500  tons,  assays  3  oz.  per  ton.  The  vein  has  been  proved  to  a  depth  of 
50  ft.  .  .  Have  driven  level  south  east,  a  very  large  ore  body  exposed. 
Vein  is  almost  horizontal,  assays  22  dwts.  per  ton ;  valuable  property. 
"  Cocktail "  Continuation  "  Burster's  "  reefs.  I  estimate  the  amount  of  ore 
in  sight  at  1,500  tons,  assays  2  oz.  per  ton.  Also  vertical  vein  to  a  depth  of 
30  ft.  The  width  of  the  vein,  3  ft.  Strongly  advise  amalgamation  of 
Claims. 

Cable  received  from  the  Hon.  William  Clarke, 
29th  January,  1895  :— 

"Burster. — In  driving  along  the  course  of  the  vein  west  have  struck  very 
rich  ore." 
For  Contracts  see  full  Prospectus. 

Applications  for  Shares  must  be  made  on  the  Form  below,  or  on  ths 
one  accompanj  ing  the  Prospectus,  and  sent  to  the  Bankers  of  the  Company, 
or  to  the  Secretary,  togeth«  r  with  a  deposit  of  2s.  6d.  per  Share. 

In  case  there  is  no  Allotment  of  Shares  the  deposit  will  be  returned  in 
full. 

London,  6th  February,  1S95. 


This  form  to  be  filled  up  and  sent  entire  to  the  Bankers,  Messrs.  Prescott 
Dimsdale,  Cave,  Tugwell  and  Co.,  Limited,  50,  Cornhill,  London,  E.C. 
together  with  a  remittance  of  2s.  6d.  iu  respect  of  each  Share  applied  for. 


FORM  OF  APPLICATION  FOR  SHARES. 

THE  ROBINSON  GOLD  MINES,  LIMITED. 

To  the  Directors  of 

THE  ROBINSON  GOLD  MINES,  LIMITED. 
Gentlemen, 

Having  paid  to  your  Bankers,  Messrs.  Prescott,  Dimsdale,  Cave. 
Tugwell  and  Co.,  .Limited,  50,  Cornhill,  London,  E.C,  to  the  account  of 
The  Robinson  Gold  Mines,  Limited,  the  sum  of  £ 
being  a  deposit  of  Two  Shillings  and  Sixpence  per  Share  on 
Shares  of  £1  each  in  the  above-named  Company,  I  request  you  to  allot  me 
that  number  of  Shares,  and  I  agree  to  accept  and  pay  for  the  same  or  any 
less  number,  upon  the  ternu  of  the  Prospectus  dated  the  6th  day  of 
February,  1S95,  subject  to  the  Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association  of 
the  Company,  and  I  agree  with  the  Company  as  Trustee  for  the  Directors 
and  other  persons  who  may  be  liable,  to  waive  any  fuller  compliance  with 
Section  33  of  the  Companies  Act,  1S67,  than  is  contained  in  the  said 
.Prospectus. 

Ordinary  Signature  

MUST  BE         Name  (in  full)   

WRITTEN         Address  (iu  full)   

DISTINCTLY.      Profession  or  Occupation   

Da'e  1S95. 


February  16,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


53 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  dear  Dick,— The  Alhambra  balance-sheet  is  out, 
and  a  very  interesting  document  it  is.  The  directors 
are  able  to  announce  that  instead  of  a  loss  of  £5,000 
they  have  now  made  a  profit  of  £3,000 

But  they  do  not  propose  to  pay  a  dividend. 

As  sound  and  careful  financiers  they  want  to  wipe 
out  their  loss  before  they  do  anything  else.  This  they 
will  very  soon  do  if  their  business  is  conducted  as  admi- 
rably and  vigorously  as  it  is  at  present.  After  that 
any  fluke  in  the  way  of  a  novel  attraction  will  send 
them  booming  up  into  the  big  per  cents. — so  stick  to 
your  shares.  Remember,  the  freehold  of  the  Alhambra 
increases  in  value  daily.  The  shareholders  own  the 
freehold.  They  have  always  an  absolute  security  for 
their  invested  capital. 

The  position  of  the  Pavilion  is  almost  as  good.  They 
have  a  reserve  of  over  £11,000,  and  they  pay  a  dividend 
of  seven  per  cent.  And  they  also  are  wise  in  their 
generation.  They  once  paid  sixteen  per  cent.  A  big 
reserve  on  a  falling  dividend  is  a  useful  thing  to  have 
about  the  house.  I  don't  suppose  that  their  dividend 
will  fall  much  lower,  but  the  fact  remains  that  a  music- 
hall  depression  is  prevailing,  and  until  it  passes  directors 
are  wise  to  "sit  tight"  on  their  cash-boxes. 

I  will  give  you  more  particulars  of  other  music  halls 
shortly,  when  you  will  see  for  yourself  how  curiously, 
and,  so  far  as  one  may  judge,  how  unaccountably  patron- 
age fluctuates  at  music  halls.  At  one  moment  all 
London  goes  to  one  particular  place.  Then  something 
happens,  and  the  place  is  practically  deserted.  The 
entertainment  may  be  the  same,  that  is,  may  be  just 
as  good  as  ever  it  was,  indeed  may  be  better,  but  that 
does  not  signify.  The  unwritten  decree  of  a  frivolous 
fashion  goes  forth,  and  the  "  White-Tie  Brigade  "  goes 
elsewhere. 

The  most  curious  part  of  the  business  is  that  theatres 
and  music  halls  seen  to  be  governed  by  totally  different 
laws.  When  about  three  years  ago  the  influenza,  the 
weather,  and  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Clarence  com- 
bined with  the  Ibsen  controversy  to  empty  the  theatres, 
the  music  halls  were  crammed.  Now,  if  the  conditions  I 
have  mentioned  induced  people  to  abandon  one  form 
of  amusement,  why  did  they  not  also  abandon  the 
other?  I  don't  know.  The  ways  of  the  public  are 
wonderful.  As  "  Dagonet  "  tells  us  in  the  Referee,  he 
went  last  week  to  a  theatre  where  only  two  rows  of 
the  pit  were  occupied.  Well,  on  Thursday  last— the 
night  of  the  terrible  frost — I  was  in  a  theatre  where  a 
serious  play  was  the  attraction,  and  the  pit  was  so  full 
that  people  were  standing  all  round  the  back  of  it.  And, 
mark  you,  the  play  in  question  has  already  run  for  nearly 
five  months. 

The  stalls  and  the  pit,  however,  seem  to  obey  entirely 
different  impulses.  Under  certain  circumstances  ap- 
parently the  patronage  of  the  stalls  is  a  certainty.  At 
Daly's,  for  example,  the  libraries  did  a  three  months' 
'■'  deal "  before  The  Artist's  Model  was  produced.  As  you 
possibly  do  not  know  what  a  library  "  deal  "  is,  I  will 
explain  it  to  you. 

Fees  for  booking  seats  in  advance  at  theatres  have 
long  since  been  abolished,  mainly  because  the  trans- 
actions in  the  box-office  were  in  ready  money.  People 
who  buy  seats  at  the  Bond  Street  and  other  libraries 
still  pay  a  booking  fee,  because  as  a  rule  they  do  not  pay 
ready  money.  A  smart  man  about  town,  or  a  great 
society  lady,  always  has  a  regular  account  at  some  well- 
known  library,  and  only  pays  it  once  a  year — and  not 
then  always.  The  libraries,  however,  settle  with  the 
theatres  for  the  seats  sold  fortnightly  or  monthly.  The 
library  system  is  therefore  a  system  of  credit  for  seats 
at  the  play.  The  theatres  allow  the  libraries  five 
per  cent,  on  their  sales.  That  is  to  say,  the  libraries 
pay    only     ten    shillings   for    a  ten-and-sixpenny 


stall.  But  they  charge  their  clients  a  shilling  or 
eighteenpence  for  booking.  Therefore  they  make  fifteen 
or  twenty  percent,  on  each  stall.  But  to  earn  this  profit 
they  have  to  give  long  credit,  and  occasionally  they  make 
large  bad  debts.  This  being  so,  they  do  all  they  can  to 
make  more  than  twenty  per  cent.  They  usually  hold  their 
seats  on  the  sale  or  return  principle  ;  but  in  order  to  get 
a  larger  percentage  out  of  the  theatres  they  will  some- 
times guarantee  to  sell  a  certain  number  of  seats  every 
night  if  the  theatres  will  allow  them  ten  per  cent,  in- 
stead of  five,  and  will  also  resign  their  seats  in  the  very 
best  positions.  There  are  two  reasons  why  a  theatrical 
manager  should  do  what  they  want.  Firstly,  if  he  is 
sure  of  receiving  the  price  of,  say,  two-thirds  of  his 
reserved  seats  for  a  couple  of  months  he  can  laugh  at 
failure.  Even  if  his  play  is  hopeless  he  will  have  time 
to  prepare  another  without  incurring  much,  if  any,  loss. 
Secondly,  it  is  in  the  power  of  the  libraries  to  "push"  a 
play.  When  a  man  goes  into  a  Bond  Street  library  and 
asks  for  a  stall  at  the  Oddity,  and  finds  he  can't  get  it,  he 
has  rarely  made  up  his  mind  where  else  he 
wants  to  go.  An  insidious  suggestion  that  "the 
new  play  at  the  Jollity  is  a  great  success,  sir," 
generally  ends  in  a  Jollity  stall  being  sold.  The  man 
wants  to  go  somewhere  ;  and  if  he  can't  go  to  the  Oddity 
he  goes  where  he  is  recommended.  The  theatrical 
manager  therefore  "  works  in "  with  the  libraries  as 
much  as  possible.  They  push  his  play.  He  gives  them 
an  extra  percentage. 

Plays  of  The  Gaiety  Girl  class  are  what  the  libraries 
love.  They  know  that  they  can  be  altered,  twisted, 
changed,  songs  can  be  cut  out,  others  can  be 
put  in,  dances  can  be  introduced,  and  the  show 
worked  up  even  if  it  is  a  first  night  failure 
— always  granting,  of  course,  that  the  management  is 
popular  and  enterprising.  After  the  success  of  The 
Gaiety  Girl,  Owen  Hall's  next  effort  was  from  a  library 
point  of  view  a  comparative  certainty ;  a  certain  class  of 
audience  would  flock  to  it  no  matter  how  it  was  received, 
or  how  it  was  criticised.  And  therefore  the  libraries 
did  a  three  months'  "  deal  "  at  Daly's. 

This  puts  the  management  on  velvet.  If  all  efforts  to 
work  up  the  play  fail,  Sarah  Bernhardt  arrives  to  com- 
mence her  season.  If  the  play  succeeds  it  can  be  trans- 
ferred to  some  other  house. 

I  do  not  regard  the  library  system  as  a  healthy  one 
myself,  as  I  believe  all  systems  of  artificial  credit  are 
bad.  But  there  it  is,  and  there  it  will  remain  for  some 
considerable  period. 

Whether  the  libraries  will  do  a  "  deal  "  at  the  Comedy 
over  A  Leader  of  Men  I  do  not  know.  It  is  a  very 
uneven  but  interesting  play,  and  the  author,  Mr. 
Charles  E.  D.  Ward,  has  very  decided  dramatic  ability. 
His  faults  are  mainly  those  of  inexperience.  His 
strength,  however,  is  unquestionable.  He  perceived  the 
theatrical  potentialities  of  the  Parnell  divorce  case,  and 
he  has  paraphrased  them.  He  has  also  been  not  un- 
mindful of  the  possibilities  of  the  problem  treated  by 
H.  A.  Jones  in  The  Bauble  Shop.  The  politician, 
at  a  critical  moment  in  his  career,  torn  between 
passion  and  power,  is  always  an  impressive 
figure.  Mr.  Ward's  hero,  however,  has  for  a 
clever  man  a  marvellous  aptitude  for  misunderstanding 
people  and  things,  and  the  simple  expedient  of  asking 
anyone  to  tell  him  in  a  few  plain  words  what  something 
means  never  occurs  to  him.  The  mere  fact  that  the 
woman  he  loves  has  gone  out  for  a  drive  without  leav- 
ing a  lengthy  explanation  behind  her  drives  him  into 
paroxysms  of  jealous  agony.  And  so,  though  we  are 
told  he  is  a  very  dominant,  masterful  man,  we  are  not 
always  ready  to  believe  it. 

The  play  was  very  warmly  received  and  the  acting 
was  admirable.     Wyes   made  quite  a  hit  in  a  small 
character  part,  and  both  Marion  Terry  and  her  brother 
Fred  were  admirable.    A  Leader  of  Men  is  a  play  you 
Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph 


54 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1S95. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


I  went  down  to  the  Aquarium  on  Saturday  night  to 
see  and  envy  the  man  who  for  six  days  had  enjoyed  a 
peaceful  dreamless  slumber  through  fog,  snow,  and  ice ; 
and,  it  necessary,  to  extend  my  sympathy  to  him  on 
being  once  more  aroused  by  Professor  Morritt  to  the  sad 
realities  of  life.  He  looked  very  ghastly  lying  in  a  coffin- 
like box.  The  eyes  were  those  of  a  dead  man,  and 
there  was  nothing  in  his  appearance,  as  he  slept,  to 
indicate  that  he  was  only  a  showman's  toy  and  not 
actually  a  corpse. 


He  woke  hard.  Mr.  Morritt  palmed  his-  face  and 
shouted  that  it  was  all  right,  but  he  never  moved,  and 
I  could  not  help  thinking  that  there  was  a  look  of  fear 
both  in  the  faces  of  Mr.  Ritchie,  the  manager,  and  Mr. 
Morritt,  when,  even  after  a  second  attempt,  there  was 
no  perceptible  movement.  Then,  by  degrees,  forecasts 
framed  themselves  into  facts,  and  the  man  came  back 
and  blinked  and  stared,  mumbled,  and  slowly  grasped 
the  situation.  The  last  thing  he  remembered  was  eat- 
ing his  dinner  on  Monday,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  realise 
the  fact  at  all  that  he  had  knocked  an  active  week  out 
of  his  career.  It  was  then  announced  that  he  was  going 
to  drink  some  patent  stimulant,  but  I  fancy  I  heard  Mr. 
Ritchie  whisper  that  it  was  brandy. 


It  has  now  been  shor/n  that  a  man  can  remain  for  a 
week  in  a  hypnotic  trance,  dead  to  pain,  dead  to  thought, 
dead,  in  fact,  for  all  practical  purposes.  Well,  the  fakirs 
of  India  have  proved  that,  any  time  for  the  last  few 
hundred  years,  and  Sir  Benjamin  Richardson  has  given 
readers  of  To-Day  many  interesting  facts  dealing  with 
this.  So  there  does  not  seem  very  much  left  to  prove. 
But  it  was  claimed  by  Mr.  Morritt  that  he  had  materi- 
ally aided  science,  and  that  hypnotism  could  take  its 
place  as  a  substitute  for  anaesthetics  in  cases  of  surgical 
operations.  Here  I  join  issue  with  Mr.  Morritt,  and  I 
cannot  help  thinking  that  he  would  have  done  better  to 
have  treated  the  whole  matter  as  a  show,  and  a  good 
catchy  show. 


There  is  no  prospect  of  hypnotism  ever  getting  into 
the  hospital.  In  France,  where  these  things  are  treated 
with  much  more  serious  thought  than  they  ever  attract 
in  England,  hypnotism  is  practically  under  a  ban.  It 
has  been  alleged  that  hypnotism  affects  the  brain  of  the 
subject,  and  the  law  looks  very  severely  on  its  expo- 
nents. No  doubt,  in  excess,  anaesthetics  have  the  same 
effect ;  but  in  the  latter  case  you  know  that  you  are 
being  treated  by  a  skilled  man,  and  the  very  fact  that 
Mr.  Morritt's  first  subject  had  to  be  aroused  by  doctor's 
orders,  after  a  fairly  good  night's  rest,  leaves  a  doubt 
in  my  mind  as  to  whether  every  mesmerist  would  have 
the  necessary  knowledge  of  the  state  of  the  heart  and 
the  general  health. 


Mr.  Morritt  has  certainly  proved  his  case.  There- 
fore, 1  say,  he  should  be  employed  by  the  South-Eastern 
Railway  Company  for  their  suburban  traffic.  A  man 
who  could  give  you  oblivion  as  the  weary  hours  rolled  by 
in  doing  a  five-mile  journey  would  be  a  public  bene- 
factor. Possibly  on  a  Channel  steamer  he  would  be 
equally  welcome,  and  critics  at  matinee  performances 
of  young  writers'  tragedies  should  fight  for  his  services. 
Beyond  that,  it  proves,  as  I  have  said,  nothing  but 
what  we  knew,  and  demonstrations  of  this  character  are 
not  soul-stirring. 


Speaking  of  the  Aquarium,  when  I  was  there  on 
Saturday  I  noticed  a  regretable  incident.  A  number  of 
members  of  the  staff  of  the  Chinese  Embassy  were 
seated  at  a  table,  dressed  in  the  national  costume.  Some 
soldiers,  noticing  them,  started  in  a  bchind-the-back 
fashion  to  chaff  them  by  saying,  audibly,  "Wci-Hai- 
Wci."    This  is  not  square  dealing  with  a  beaten  nation, 


and,  coming  from  men  wearing  Her  Majesty's  uniform, 
is  more  than  an  average  insult.  I  do  not  know  who 
the  soldiers  were,  but  there  were  some  dozen  or  so 
present,  wearing  a  Volunteer's  uniform,  and  belonging 
to  a.  Surrey  corps. 


Some  misunderstanding  seems  to  have  been  caused 
by  my  remark  about  bicycle  tyres  last  week,  several 
writers  asking  me  whether  the  price  I  quoted  was  for 
the  machine  complete  or  simply  for  the  tyres.  I  don't  think 
any  cyclist  could  have  misunderstood  me,  for  the  price 
plainly  showed  that  I  meant  a  machine  fitted  with  these 
tyres. 

I  have  heard  of  a  man's  character  and  habits  being 
detected  by  a  good  many  things,  and  the  latest  would 
seem  to  be  the  handkerchief.  The  borders  are  now 
being  decorated  with  playing  cards,  with  racehorses, 
with  golfing  sticks,  and  yachting  flags.  I  know  that 
for  many  years  handkerchiefs  have  been  sold  on  the 
Surrey  side  of  the  water  adorned  with  beautiful  illus- 
trations of  criminals,  but  I  can't  quite  understand  why 
Bond  Street  has  gone  there  for  ideas.  On  the  other 
hand,  I  think  the  idea  of  enamelling  ash  trays,  cigar 
cases  ,and  even  toilet  articles  with  the  racing  colours 
of  famous  owners  is  distinctive  and  pretty. 

The  cold  has  not  been  without  its  advantages.  Several 
merchants  who  had  stocked  heavy  goods  despaired  after 
Christmas  had  passed  of  getting  rid  of  them,  but  the* 
run  on  them  has  lately  been  so  great  that  they  have 
sold  out,  and,  sometimes,  at  famine  prices. 

I  am  told  by  the  designer  of  one  of  the  best-known 
Scotch  cloth  mills  that  they  are  at  their  wits'  ends  in 
trying  to  forecast  the  favourite  patterns  for  next  spring 
and  summer.  For  his  own  part  he  fancies  that  checks 
and  strong  contrasts  in  Glen  Urquharts  will  be  all  the 
rage.  After  the  run  on  serges,  and  the  taste  for 
mixtures  and  solids,  he  tells  me  that  he  believes  checks 
with  blacks,  browns,  and  good  clear  whites  will  be 
wanted.  I  have  said  before  that  nothing  definite  is 
likely  to  be  known  until  the  end  of  this  month,  but  for 
my  own  part  I  do  not  mind  hazarding  the  opinion  that 
we  shall  find  the  favourite  colour  for  the  coming  season, 
to  be  a  brown. 


Two  brothers,  the  Magees,  played  in  the  Rugby 
International  for  Ireland.  For  the  benefit  of  ihosj 
who  are  fond  of  statistics  of  this  kind,  I  subjoin  a  com- 
plete list  of  the  names  of  brothers  who  have  together 
championed  their  respective  countries.  For  England  we 
have  had  the  Gurdons  (Richmond  F.C.),  the  Birketts 
(Clapham  Rovers  F.C.),  the  Hunts  (Manchester),  aj.d 
*he  Giahams  (Wimbledon).  Scotland  has  hid  the 
Irvines,  the  Walkers  (Fettes),  the  Don  Wauchopes,  and 
the  Neilsons.  For  Wales,  there  have  played  together 
the  brothers  James  (Swansea),  and  the  Goulds.  For 
Ireland  there  were  the  Greenes  (Dublin),  the  Rosses,  and 
the  Magees. 


The  sentence  of  six  weeks'  closure  of  the  Arsenal 
ground  by  the  Football  Association  will  be  approved  by 
all  footballers,  except  the  local  partisans  ■>.  fro  cltlb. 

By  a  lapsris  calami,  I  last  week,  in  referring  to  i£lB 
Forman  case,  attributed  the  tyrannical  conduct© Notta 
Forest*  instead  of  Derby  County.  The  slip  w.js  evident, 
and  could  deceive  no  one.  Still,  I  am  obliged  to  "  An 
Old  Crock,"  who  writes  calling  my  attention  to  it. 


Everton  draws  the  biggest  "  gates  "  of  all  the  League 
clubs.  The  takings  for  the  last  five  months  have 
totalled  up  to  over  £6,000.  It  is  probable  that  the 
remaining  League  matches  to  be  played  will  bring  this 
up  to  £8,500.  If  Everton  is  lucky  enough  (as  seems 
probable')  to  get  into  the  semi-final  of  the  English  cup, 
the   total   will    be   £10,500.     By   the  addition  of 


February  10,  18J5. 


TO-DAY, 


55 


The  LIST  OF  APPLICATIONS  WILL  BE  CLOSED  at  or  before  4  p.m.  on 
•15th  of  February,  1895,  for  Town  ;  and  the  following  Morning  for  couul  ry. 


B 


EN  EVANS  AND  CO.  (Limited). 


Incorporated  under  the  Companies  Acts,  1862  to  1893,  whereby  the 
liability  of  the  Shareholders  is  limited  to  the  amount  of  their  Shares. 

SHAKE  CAPITAL,  £103,000,  divided  into  100,000  Ordinary  Shares  of  £1 
each,  and  3.000  Founders'  Shares  of  £1  each. 

DEBENTURE  STOCK,  £75,000  5%  First  Mortgage  Debenture  Stock. 

The  Debenture  Stuck  will  be  secured  by  First  Mortgage  to  the  Trustee* 
for  the  Debenture  Stuck  Holders  on  the  undermentioned  freehold  and  lease- 
hold premises,  and  by  a  floating  first  charge  in  their  favour  on  the  under- 
taking and  gem  rol  assets  of  the  Company.  The  Stock  will  be  registered  in 
the  Company's  Books  and  be  transferable  in  sums  of  £10,  or  in  multiples  of 
£10.  Interest  at  the  rate  of  5  per  cent,  per  annum  will  be  paid  halt-yearly 
thereon  from  the  1st  January,  1895,  and  a  full  half-year's  Interest  will  be 
payable  on  the  1st  July  next. 

The  Stock  will  be  redeemable  at  110  per  cent,  by  twenty  annual  drawings, 
commencing  on  the  1st  January,  1910,  or  the  whole  amount  may  be  paid 
off  at  the  same  rate  by  the  Company  at  any  time  after  that  date  on  giving 
six  months'  notice. 

After  payment  in  each  year  of  a  dividend  of  7  per  cent,  on  the  Ordinary 
Shares,  the  surplus  profits,  subject  to  the  provision  of  a  reserve  fun1,  whl 
be  divisible  in  equal  moieties  between,  the  Holders  of  the  Ordinary  and 
Founders'  Shares. 

46,700  Ordinary  Shares  and  £32,100  Debenture  Stock  have  a'ready  been 
subscribed  for  by  the  Directors,  Employes  and  others  (exclusive  of  what 
may  be  allotted  to  the  Vendors  as  part  of  the  purchase  price  in  accordance 
with  the  terms  of  the  Prospectus),  and  will  be  allotted  in  full. 

Applications  at  par  for  the  remaining  Ordinary  Shares,  and  at  105  per 
■cent,  for  Debenture  Stock,  payable  as  follows,  may  be  lodged  with  uio 
■Company's  Bankers — 

DEBENTURE  STOCK:  10  per  cent,  on  Application;  20  per  cent,  on 
Allotment;  75  per  cent,  on  the  "1st  of  March,  1805. 

ORDINARY  SHARES:  5s.  on  Application;  5s.  on  Allotment;  and  10s. 
on  the  1st  of  March,  1895. 

The  whole  amount  may  be  paid  up  on  allotment  under  discount  at  3  per 
cent,  per  annum. 

TRUSTEES  FOR  THE  DEBENTURE  STOCK  HOLDERS. 
Sir  JOSEPH  RENALS  (Renals  and  Co.),  108-109,  Fore  Street,  London,  E.C. 
ADOLF  VON  ANDRE  (Andre.  Mendel  &  Co.1,1.  Whittington  Avenue,  E.C. 
SOLICITORS  FOR  THE  TRUSTEES. 
BEAUMONT  and  SON.  48.  Gresham  House,  E.C. 
DIRECTORS. 

JAMES  JACKSON,  J.P.,  Director  J.  R.  Roberts'  Stores,  Limit' d. 
(iWILYM  EVANS,  J. P.,  Pencastell,  Llanelly. 
JAMES  PARKER,  1,  Whittington  Avenue,  London,  E.C. 
JOHN  WHITE,  Swansea,  Managing  Director. 

BANKERS. 

LLOYDS  BANK,  LIMITED,  London,  Swansea,  ami  Branches. 
THE  GLAMORGANSHIRE  BANKING  COMPANY,"  LIMITED,  Swansea, 
and  Branches. 
BROKERS. 
LINTON.  CLARKE  and  Co.,  London. 
STEPHEN  P.  WILLS,  Swansea. 

E.  J.  EVANS,  47,  Corn  Street,  and  Stock  Erchanr-e,  Bristol. 
J.  W.  COURTIS  and  Co.,  Bank  Buildings,  Cardia.'. 

AUDITORS. 

PERCY  MASON;  and  Co.,  64,  Gresham  Street,  E.C. 
SOLI  l'ITOR. 

ALFRED  R.  GERY,  2,  Vere  Street,  Oxford  Street,  W. 
SECRETARY  (pro  tem.1  AND  OFFICES. 
THOMAS  NEYELL,   2G,   Lcadonhall  Buildings,  Leadcnhall   Street,  E.C 

ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

The  Company  hi?  been  formed  to  purchase,  as  a  going  concern,  fchra  well- 
known  business  established  upwards  of  twenty-five  years  ago,  in  Swansea,  by 
Mr.  Benjamin  Evans,  who  has  recently  retired  owing  to  failing  health. 

The  business  is  one  of,  if  not  the  most  prosperous  in  South  Wales,  and 
has  from  very  small  proportions  steadily  grown  until  it  has  acquired  its 
present  position.  It  is  admirably  situated  in  the  important  Commercial 
Centre  ef  a  very  populous  and  thriving  district,  and  includes  departments 
for  Drapery,  Linens,  Dress  Materials,  Silk<.  Costumes,  Ladies'  Outfitting, 
Mantles,  MiJlinsry,  Men's  Mercery  and  Boys'  Outfitting,  Furniture,  Carpets, 
Ironmongery,  Boots  and  Shoes,  Sporting  requisites,  and  most  other  articles 
in  household  and  general  requirement. 

Owing  to  its  constant  and  rapid  growth  it  became  necessary  fr>  rebuild  the 
principal  part  of  the  premises,  an  improvement  which  has  taken  nearly 
two  years  to  accomplish,  and  Castle  Bailey  Street,  in  which  the  property  is 
situate,  formerly  a  narrow  street,  has  now,  by  the  widening  of  the  road, 
lieen  converted  into  one  of  the  most  important  business  thoroughfares  in 
the  town.  The  present  magnificent  building,  which  has  been  constructed 
with  special  regard  to  the  requirements  of  the  business,  and  is  shown  by  the 
«ncl(  sod  sketch,  represents  one  of  the  finest  structural  elevations  erected 
in  connection  with  the  Drapery  Trade. 

The  importance  of  the  opening  of  the  new  buildings  in  November  last 
■was  specially  recognised  by  the  Corporation  of  Swansea,  when  the  Mayor 
and  Town  Council,  accompanied  by  the  late  Lord  Swansea,  and  other 
prominent  men  in  the  district  'as  will  be  seen  from  the  enclosed  reprints  of 
speeches),  attended  at  the  premises  to  formally  declare  them  open. 

The  present  circle  of  customers  is  very  numerous,  and  the  increase  in 
their  number,  sine-  the  completion  of  the  new  promises,  is  the  best  proof 
that  the  public  appreciate  the  convenience  and  comfort  afforded  them. 

The  business  has,  in  addition  to  the  custom  derived  from  the  inhabitants 
of  Swansea,  the  population  of  which  exceeds  100,000,  for  many  years  been 
a  great  attraction  ft  c  visitors  from  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  and  from 
districts  25  or  :t0  miles  distant.  The  dm  et  facilities  afforded  by  the  open- 
ing of  the  Bhondda  and  Swansea  Bay  Railway  to  the  large  population  re- 
siding in  the  Rhondda  Valleys  and  other  neighbouring  centres  of  South 
Wales  industries,  carnot  fail,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Directors,  to  have  a 
beneficial  influence  cn  thj  business,  and  to  largely  increase  the  numbers 
contributing  to  its  trade. 

The  premises  consist  principally  cf  freehold  property,  situated  at  Nos.  15, 


Castle  Square;  2,  3,  4,  and  5,  Castle  Bailey  Street;  1,  Temple  Street;  1,  2,  3, 
4  and  5,  Caer  Street;  36,  37  and  38,  Goat  Street;"  Warehouse  in  Temple 
Lane;  Stables  and  Dwelling  House  in  Frog  Street;  and  of  the  fallowing 
leasehold  property,  viz.  : — Nos.  2,  3,  4,  tJ,  and  7,  Temple  Street,  he'd  on 
leases  for  terms  of  not  less  than  17  and  up  to  23  years  at  the  tow  annual 
rental  of  £790,  besides  a  short  lease  at  a  rental  of  £70  per  annum  of  46, 
Castle  Bailey  Street,  opposite  the  main  building,  and  used  as  a  depot  for 
sporting  requisites. 

The  continuous  window  frontage  of  more  than  370  feet  affords  admirable 
space  for  the  display  of  the  extensive  assortment  of  goods  sold  in  the 
establishment,  and  the  rebuilding  'of  the  premises  has  more  than  doubled 
the  area  of  the  floor  accommodation,  bringing  it  up  to  considerably  over  2 
acres,  thus  affording  ample  room  for  the  anticipated  increase  of  trade. 

The  chief  aim  of  the  firm  has  always  been  to  provide  for  their  customers 
in  Swansea  and  South  Wales  an  establishment  which  for  extent  and  quality 
of  the  stock  kept,  and  the  fashions  and  novelties  exhibited,  should  occupy  a 
place  in  the  first  rank  in  the  country,  and  the  success  of  the  business  in  a 
large  measure  is  due  to  the  superior  organisation  of  all  departments,  and 
to  the  principle  adopted  of  selling  at  a  small  profit. 

The  number  of  employes,  including  the  heads  of  departments,  exceeds 
350,  and  it  is  proposed'to  make  a  judicious  and  liberal  allotment  of  the. 
capital  to  such  applicants,  as  well  as  to  customers,  so  that  they  wilt  have 
a  direct  interest  in  the  increasing  prosperity  of  the  business.  Mr.  Benj  imin 
Evans,  the  founder  of  the  business,  has  also  applied  for  a  substantial  part  of 
the  Shire  t;nd  Debenture  Capital  of  the  Company. 

The  approximate  present  Market  quotation  ruling  for  such  investments  is 
an  indication  of  the  appreciation  in  which  investments  in  similar  successful 
concerns  are  held :  — 

Debentures,  comparing  with  the  present  5  per  c^nt.  issue,  which  is  redeem- 
able at  110  per  cent. 

Harrod's  Stores,  Ltd.,  £1  Shares,  77s.  Gd. — 80s. ;  5  per  cent.,  redeemable 
at  105  per  cent.— 110— 112. 

D.  H.  Evans  and  Co.,  Ltd.,  £1  Shares,  32s.  Gd.— 35s. ;  No  Debentures 
issued. 

J.  li.  Roberts'  Stores,  Ltl  .  £1  Shares,  27s.  6d.—  30s. ;  5  per  cent.,  re- 
deemable at  105  per  cent. — 106 — 107. 

Crisp  and  Co.,  Ltd.,  £1  Shares,  25s. — 27s.  6d. ;  i\  per  cent.,  redeemable 
at  105  per  cent— 105— 106. 

John  Barker  and  Co.,  Ltd.,  £1  Shares,  37s.  Gd.— 40s. ;  4£  per  cent.,  redeem- 
able at  par— 11G— 119. 

The  actual  outlay  in  connection  with  the  freehold  property,  buildings, 
fixtures,  fittings,  cart.-,  horses,  vans,  dynamos,  electric  lighting  apparatus, 

furniture,  gas  engine,  hydraulic  lift,  etc.,  has  been    £95,485 

The  leasehold  premises  are  of  an  estimated  value  of    5,784 


Making  together 


£101, 2G9 


nwards  which  amount  the  Corporation  of  Swansea  have  contributed  the  sum 
of  £16,000  in  consideration  of  Mr.  Evans  undertaking  the  widening  of 
Castle  Bailey  Street. 

The  business,  together  with  the  benefit  of  all  contracts  made  and 
profits  accruing  from  the  1st  January  last  will  be  trxnsferred  to  the  Com- 
pany, and  the  book-debts  outstanding  at  that  date  will  be  collected  by  the 
Company  for  account  of  the  Vendors,  who  will,  on  the  other  hand,  dis- 
charge all  liabilities  up  to  the  same  date,  whilst  the  stock-in-trade  is  to  be 
purchased  at  cost,  in  accordance  with  the  firm's  estimated  stock  books, 
plus  the  actual  outlay  on  goods  manufactured  on  the  premises. 

Messrs.  Percy  Mason  and  Co.,  the  well-known  accountants,  of  Mon- 
tague House,  61,  Gresham  Street,  E.C,  certify  the  average  annual  net 
profits  for  the  past  four  years  ending  28th  February  last  to  be  £13,036 18s.  lOd. 

Although  the  building  operations  have  only  quite  recently  been  com- 
pleted, the  business  has  promptly  responded,  and  Mr.  Ben  Evans  has 
shown  his  confidence  in  its  future  success  by  agreeing  to  guarantee  that 
the  net  result  of  the  current  financial  year  will  not  be  less  than  the  above 
axerage. 

The  sales  have  within  the  last  ten  years  increased  by  about  50  per  cent., 
and  the  increase  in  the  net  profits  exceeds  this  percentage.  With  the  grow- 
ing popularity  of  the  business,  the  greatly  enlarged  and  embellished  new 
premises,  ancl  the  publicity  created  by  its  conversion  into  a  Joint-Stock 
Company,  by  which  a  direct  interest  therein  will  be  given  to  employes  and 
customers,  t  here  is  every  reason  to  anticipate  a  similar  if  not  greater  ratio 
of  progress  in  the  future. 

Taking  the  average  net  profits  of  the  two  years  before  building 
operations  wei e  commenced  viz.,  £14,934,  as  a  basis,  without  any  further 
increase,  there  will  be  required  to  pay — 

5  per  cent.  Interest  on  £75,000  Debenture  Stock  .,  £3,7501  oinrrn 
7   „      „        „       on  100,000  Ordinary  Shares     ...     7,000/  fclu''ou 

leaving  a  surplus  of  £1,184  available  for  additional  dividend  or  reserves. 

The  value  of  the  freehold  and  leasehold  properties,  furniture,  fixtures, 
&c,  alone  exceeds  the  amount  of  the  Debenture  Stock,  irrespective  of  the 
value  of  the  stock-in-trade  and  other  working  capital  amounting  to  £45,000, 
and  consequently  not  only  the  Debenture  issue,  but  also  the  larger  part  of 
the  Ordinary  Share  Capital  is  represented  by  solid  tangible  assets.  The 
annual  interest  payable  on  the  Debenture  stock  will,  as  shown  above,  ab- 
sorb less  than  one-third  of  the  present  net  earnings  of  the  Company. 

It  will  also  be  seen  that,  compared  with  recent  similar  issues,  the  price 
paid  for  the  goodwill  has  been  fixed  at  a  very  low  figure. 

Application  will  be  made  for  a  settlement  and  quotation  on  the  Stock 
Exchange. 

Applications  for  Debenture  Stock  and  Shares,  on  the  forms  accompany- 
ing the  prospectus  may  be  lodged  with  Lloyds  Bank,  Limited,  London, 
Swansea,  and  branches,  or  the  Glamorganshire  Banking  Company.Limited, 
Swansea,  or  their  Branches,  with  a  remittance  for  the  amount  of  deposit. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  can  be  obtained  at  the  Offices 
of  the  Company,  and  from  the  Bankers,  Brokers,  and  Solicitor. 

London,  12th  February,  1S95. 

HIGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 
MRS.  GItABTJRN  13,  Bonchurch-road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Specialite — Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  2J  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.   Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


PURVEYORS  TO 
H.  R,  H, 
THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES, 


m   *  •  dJ^4Agx  i  i  ft        J/  Gold  and  Prize 

^M'i  GlNGtRALE 


(gebftoes 


JfizdaZs  Adwrded. 


Works  -  DUB  LIN   AND  "  BELFAST, 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Various  Climates. 


56 


TO-DAY. 


Februabt  16,  1893. 


season  tickets  and  shares  in  the  Lancashire  cup  ties,  the 
grand  total,  representing  the  gross  income  of  the  club, 
will  be  £12,000,  which  will  be  a  record. 


The  Ladies'  football  club  is  being  well  boomed,  and 
Lady  Florence  Dixie,  its  president  (should  it  be  presi- 
dentess?),  has  been  giving  her  views  on  it  in  tha  Pall 
Mall  Gazette.  With  regard  to  the  dress  question,  one 
can  agree  with  her  ladyship,  but  I  am  afraid  that  few 
persons  will  consider  the  rough-and-tumble  game  oi 
football  quite  the  thing  for  young  women,  especially 
as  it  is  intended  to  make  a  public  show  of  it.  Rational 
dress  may  be  very  well  for  a  lady  cycling,  but  were  lady 
cyclists  to  take  to  racing  on  the  path,  then  the  public 
would  probably  express  disapproval.  I  understand  that 
Miss  Nellie  Honeyball's  teams  are  to  give  an  exhibition 
at  Crouch  End  towards  the  end  of  the  month. 


Since  his  remarks  concerning  the  stay-at-home  backer, 
the  Duke  of  Portland  has  come  in  for  rounds  of  abusj,  and 
his  Grace  was  certainly  ill-advised  in  speaking  with 
such  scorn  of  people  who,  despite  what  he  says  to  the 


contrary,  have  the  welfare  of  the  Turf  as  much  at  heart, 
as  he  has  himself.  How  many  race  meetings  did  the 
Duke  of  Portland  attend  last  year?  Very  few,  and 
some  unkind  person  went  so  far  as  to  insinuate  that  his 
Grace  absented  himself  owing  to  the  fact  that  his  'mrses 
were  not  winning  many  races. 

Of  late  years  few  owners  have  won  more  valuable 
stakes  than  the  Duke  of  Portland,  but  he  does  not  appear 
to  be  anxious  to  act  as  a  steward  of  the  Jockey  Club,  and 
it  is  even  stated  that  he  proposes  to  discontinue  enter- 
taining his  friends  during  the  progress  of  such  meetings, 
as  Lincoln,  Nottingham,  and  Doncaster. 


Seeing  what  severe  weather  we  have  experienced  of 
late,  sportmen  are  naturally  very  eager  to  discover  what 
Lincolnshire  and  Grand  National  candidates  are  likely 
to  go  to  the  post  in  anything  approaching  racing  trim. 
For  the  benefit  of  intending  speculators,  I  may  mention 
that  from  reliable  information  to  hand,  I  shall  expect  to 
hear  that  Hayhoe  will,  after  all,  rely  on  Medicis,  whilst 
The  Owl  is  at  present  in  much  better  condition  than 
Macready. 


GREAT  SALE  OF  OVER  200,000  SILK  TIES. 

MUST  BE  CLEARED  AT  ONCE. 

All  Shapes— The  DERBY  (for  self  tying),  the  STRAND  BOW,  the  WATERLOO  KNOT,  etc. 
Three  Assorted  Silk  Ties  Is.  7d.  Six,  3b.  post  free.  Twelve,  5s.  9d.  post  free. 

Magnificent  value.   Usually  sold  at  Is.  eacn. 
SUPERIOR  QUALITY — Three  for  3s.,  Six  for  5s.  9 d.,  or  Twelve  for  lis. 
VERY  FINEST  QUALITY— Three  for  6s.,  Six  for  lis.,  or  Twelve  for  21s.  post  free. 
MONEY    RETURNED    IP    NOT  SATISFIED. 

fox*   our   Dress  Patterns. 

LIMITED,   1G1,   STRAND,  W.C. 


Ladies    should  send 

TEXTILE  SUPPLY  ASSOCIATION, 


TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ?   UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


WHY 


TAKLIS    IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
GENTLEMAN. 


The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Gresse  Street,  London,  W. 

BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 

THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


J|tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liquenr  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  yeans. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


XJ  ELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most'  effectual  manner  by 

sending  new  and  cast-off  clothinc,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Iter.  F.  Hadock,  who 
pells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumMe  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sides  are  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  (7000  in  number)  of  All  Smuts'  Mission 
IHstrict,  Grays,  Kwex.  All  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
•coder  are  inside.    Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 


I 


Cockspur   Street,  London. 

N "VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
Tj-,OR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
gEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
jyARKET  REPORT. 
kUR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


()' 


J^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES   PAYING    from    THREE  to   FOUR- AND- A- 
O      HALF  PER  CENT. 
(<  JJOW  TO  OPERATE 

^SUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 

rjYVVENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 

OENT  POST  FREE. 

rPHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART   I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  S'oeks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFort  nightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  ■  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly Recounts. 
kUR    THREE-MON  lliLY 


PART  II.  — HOW  TO  OPERATE 

Why  Monev  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
'  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  to  ls3J  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can  Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully  I 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  al? 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0' 


j^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  aui 
contangoos  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCK  SPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


February  10,  ISCj. 


TO-DAY. 


57 


Tile  following  epitome  of  leads  in  plain  suits  practi- 
cally covers  the  requirements  of  solo  whist.  Trump 
leads  will  be  discussed  on  a  future  occasion. 

When  you  are  opening  from  a  fresh  suit,  of  which  your 
highest  cards  are — ■ 

Ace,  King,  with  or  without  others ;  or  King,  Queen, 
alone  or  with  others — lead  the  King. 

From  Ace,  and  not  less  than  four  other  cards  of  the 
suit  (without  the  King) ;  or  from  Ace,  Queen,  Jack,  with 
or  without  others-^-lead  the  Ace. 

[It  is  sometimes  advisable  for  a  proposer  or  acceptor 
to  lead  Queen  from  Ace,  Queen,  Jack,  and  others.  This 
is  generally  towards  the  end  of  a  hand,  when  he  has  no 
card  of  re-entry,  and  fears  that  his  partner  has  no  more 
than  two  of  the  suit,  and  will  be  unable  to  help  him. 
But  with  only  one  trick  wanted  to  make  the  call  he 
would  play  Ace.] 

From  Queen,  Jack,  10,  with  or  without  others — lead 
the  Queen. 

From  King,  Queen,  Jack,  and  not  less  than  two  more 
cards  of  the  suit — lead  the  Jack. 

From  King,  Jack,  10,  with  or  without  others — lead 
the  10. 

From  any  combination  not  enumerated  above,  lead 
the  fourth-best  card  of  the  suit ;  or,  if  you  are  compelled 
to  open  from  a  suit  of  less  than  four,  lead  your  smallest, 
unless  the  highest  card  is  the  Jack  or  10,  when  you 
should  lead  that,  as  it  would  not  be  likely  to  deceive  your 
partner,  and  might  help  him  should  it  happen  to  be  his 


good  suit.  The  latter  is  a  forced  lead,  and  should  only 
be  resorted  to  when  you  have  no  more  promising  alter- 
native. 


These  leads  must  be  thoroughly  mastered,  and  con- 
sistently adopted  in  play,  or  solo  whist  is  but  little  letter 
than  the  contemptuous  term  of  "  glorified  nap  "  applied 
to  it  by  some  of  its  detractors.  For  a  really  valuable 
treatise  on  this  particular  phase  of  play  there  is  no 
better  modern  authority  than  "Foster's  Whist  Manual," 
which  I  would  strongly  recommend  every  solo  player  to 
study  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Pole's  "  Theory  of  Whist," 
referred  to  last  week. 


Messrs.  Kapp  and  Peterson,  of  Dublin,  have  sent  me 
one  of  their  patent  pipes  to  smoke  when  I  am  playing 
whist.  It  is  certainly  far  and  away  the  best  pipe  made 
on  scientific  principles  that  I  have  tried,  and  carries  out 
its  contract — to  keep  the  nicotine  and  moisture  out  of  the 
mouth — to  the  letter. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Intro. — The  substitution  of  a  petite  misere  for  the  proposal 
and  acceptance  seems  to  be  a  hash-up  of  the  Kimberley  game 
and  Boston,  and  does  not  strike  me  as  being  an  improvement, 
although  it  doubtless  has  interesting  features.  The  exclusion 
of  proposals  and  acceptances  would  greatly  lessen  the  popularity 
of  solo  whist. 

A.  L.  Thomas. — A  printer's  error.  I  am  obliged  for  your 
kind  expressions. 

The  Major. 


Where  Love  built  his  humble  nest, 
Tired  and  thankful  did  I  rest. 
Sweeter  rest  there  could  not  be, 
Though  the  black  night  covered  me  ! 
And  Love  whispered  :  "  Art  thou  blest  ?  " 
And  I  answered  :  ' '  Love  is  best  !  " 


A    LOVE  SONG. 

Where  Love  built  his  nest  I  knew 
Thorns  beneath  the  rose-leaves  grew, 
Sweeter  roses  could  not  be, 
Though  the  keen  thorns  crept  to  me  ! 
And  Love  whispered  :  "  Art  thou  blest  : 
And  I  answered  :  "  Love  is  best !  " 


So,  with  Love  abiding  still, 

I  am  Love's,  to  do  his  will ; 

So  his  lips  on  mine  are  laid — 

So  his  hand  my  couch  hath  made  ! 

Still  he  whispers  :  "  Art  thou  blest?  " 

Still  I  answer  :  "  Love  is  best  ! " 

Frank  L.  Stanton. 


58 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1885. 


THE    RED  COCKADE 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Alarm. 
T  that  time,  a  brazier  in  the 
market  place,  and  three  or 
four  lanterns  at  street  cros- 
sings, made  up  the  most  of 
the  public  lighting.  When 
I     paused,    therefore,  to 
breathe  my  horse  on  the 
brow  of  the  slope,  which 
rises  beyond  the  V aland  re" 
bridge,  and  looked  back  on 
Cahors,  I  saw  only  dark- 
ness, broken  here  and  there 
by  a  blur  of  yellow  light ;  that  still,  by  throwing  up  a 
fragment  of  wall  or  eaves,  told  in  a  mysterious  way 
of  the  sleeping  city. 

The  river,  a  faint,  shimmering  line,  conjectured  rather 
than  seen,  wound  round  all.  Above,  clouds  were  flying 
across  the  sky,  and  a  wind,  cold  for  the  time  of  year — • 
cold,  at  least,  after  the  heat  of  the  day — chilled  the 
blood,  and  slowly  filled  the  mind  with  the  solemnity  of 
right. 

As  I  stood  listening  to  the  breathing  of  the  horses, 
the  excitement  in  which  I  had  passed  the  last  few  hours 
died  away,  and  left  me  wondering — wondering,  and  a 
little  regretful.  The  exaltation  gone,  I  found  the  scene 
I  had  just  left  flavourless  ;  I  even  began  to  find  it  worse. 
Soms>  false  note  in  the  cynical,  boastful  voices  and  the 
selfish— the  utterly  selfish — plans,  to  which  I  had  been 
listening  for  hours,  made  itself  heard  in  the  stillness. 
Madame's  "  We  are  France,"  which  had  sounded  well 
enough  amid  the  lights  and  glitter  of  the  salon,  among 
laces  and  fripons  and  rose-pink  coats,  seemed  folly  in 
the  face  of  the  infinite  night,  behind  which  lay  twenty- 
five  millions  of  Frenchmen. 

However,  what  I  had  done,  I  had  done.  I  had  the 
white  cockade  on  my  breast;  I  was  pledged  to  order — 
and  to  my  order.  And  it  might  be  the  better  course. 
But,  with  reflection,  enthusiasm  faded ;  and,  by  some 
strange  process,  as  it  faded,  and  the  scene  in  which  I 
had  just  taken  part  lost  its  hold,  the  errand  which  had 
brought  me  to  Cahors  recovered  importance.  As 
Madame  St.  Alais'  influence  grew  weak,  the  memory  of 
Mademoiselle,  sitting  lonely  and  scared  in  her  coach, 
grew  vivid,  until  I  turned  my  horse  fretfully,  and  en- 
deavoured to  lose  the  thought  in  rapid  movement. 

But  it  is  not  so  easy  to  escape  from  one's  self  at  night 
as  in  the  day.  The  soughing  of  the  wind  through  the 
chesnut  trees,  the  drifting  clouds,  and  the  sharp  ring  of 
hoofs  on  the  road,  all  laid  as  it  were  a  solemn  finger  on 
the  pulses  and  stilled  them.  The  men  behind  me  talked 
in  sleepy  voices,  or  rode  silently.  The  town  lay  a 
hundred  leagues  behind.  Not  a  light  appeared  on  the 
upland.  In  the  world  of  night  through  which  we  rode,  a 
world  of  black,  mysterious  bulks  rising  suddenly  against 
the  grey  sky,  and  as  suddenly  sinking,  we  were  the  only 
inhabitants. 

At  last  we  reached  the  hill  above  St.  Alais,  and  I 
looked  eagerly  for  lights  in  the  valley  ;  forgetting  that, 


a 3  it  wanted  only  an  hour  of  midnight,  the  village  would 
have  retired  hours  before.  The  disappointment,  and 
the  delay — for  the  steepness  of  the  hill  forbade  any  but 
a  walking  pace — fretted  me;  and  when  I  heard,  a 
moment  later,  a  certain  noise  behind  me,  a  noise  I  knew 
only  too  well,  I  flared  up. 

"Halt,  fool !"  I  cried,  reining  in  my  horse,  and  turn- 
ing in  i.ie  saddle.  "That  mare  has  broken  her  shoe 
again,  and  you  are  riding  on  as  if  nothing  were  the 
matter !  Get  down  and  see.  Do  you  think  that 
I  " 

"  Pardon,  Monsieur,"  Gil  muttered.  He  had  been 
sleeping  in  his  saddle. 

He  scrambled  down.  The  mare  he  rode,  a  valuable 
one,  had  a  knack  of  breaking  her  hind  shoe  :  after  which 
she  never  failed  to  lame  herself  at  the  first  opportunity. 
Buton  had  tried  every  method  of  shoeing,  but  without 
success. 

I  leaned  down  while  he  lifted  the  foot.  My  ear  had 
not  deceived  me;  the  shoe  was  broken.  Gil  tried  to 
remove  the  jagged  fragment  left  on  the  hoof,  but  the 
mare  was  restive,  and  he  had  to  desist. 

"  She  cannot  go  to  Saux  in  that  state,"  I  said,  angrily. 

The  men  were  silent  for  a  moment,  peering  at  the 
mare.    Then  Gil  made  a  suggestion. 

"  The  St.  Alais  forge  is  not  three  hundred  yards  down 
the  lane,  Monsieur,"  he  said.  "And  the  turn  is  yonder. 
We  could  knock  up  Petit  Jean,  and  get  him  to  bring  his 
pincers  here.    Only  " 

"  Only  what  VI  said,  peevishly. 

"  I  quarrelled  with  him  at  Cahors  Fair,  Monsieur," 
Gil  answered,  sheepishly;  "and  he  might  not  come  for 
us." 

"  Very  well,"  I  said,  gruffly,  "  I  will  go.  And  do  you 
stay  here,  and  keep  the  mare  quiet." 

Andre  held  the  stirrup  for  me  to  mount.  The  smithy, 
the  first  hovel  in  the  village,  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
away,  and,  in  reason,  I  should  have  ridden  to  it.  But, 
in  my  irritation,  I  was  ready  to  do  anything  they  did  not 
propose,  and,  roughly  rejecting  his  help,  I  started  on 
foot.  Fifty  paces  brought  me  to  the  branch  road,  and, 
making  out  the  turning  with  a  little  difficulty,  I  plunged 
into  it ;  and  lost,  in  a  moment,  the  cheerful  sound  of  the 
jingling  bits  and  the  murmur  of  the  men's  voices. 

Poplars  rising  on  high  banks  on  either  side  of  the  lane 
made  the  place  as  dark  as  a  pit,  and  I  had  almost  to 
grope  my  way.  A  stumble  added  to  my  irritation,  and 
I  cursed  the  St.  Alais  for  the  ruts,  and  the  moon  for 
its  untimely  setting.  The  ceaseless  whispering  of  the 
poplar  leaves  went  with  me,  and,  in  some  unaccountable 
way,  annoyed  me.  I  stumbled  again,  and  swore  at  Gil, 
and  then  stopped  to  listen.  I  was  in  the  road,  and  yet 
I  heard  the  jingling  of  bits  again,  as  if  the  horses  were 
following  me. 

I  stopped  angrily  to  listen,  thinking  that  the  men 
had  disobeyed  my  orders.  Then  I  found  that  the  smnd 
came  from  the  front,  and  was  heavier  and  harder  than 
the  ringing  of  bit  or  bridle.  I  groped  my  way  forward, 
wondering  somewhat,  and  a  faint,  ruddy  light,  shining 
on  the  darkness  and  the-  poplars,  prepared  me  for  the 
truth — welcome,  though  it  seemed  of  the  strangest — that 
the  forge  was  at  work. 

As  I  took  this  in,  I  turned  a  corner,  and  came  within 
sight  of  it,  and  stood  in  astonishment.  The  forge  was 
in  full  blast.  Two  hammers,  at  least,  were  at  work ;  I 
could  see  them  rising  and  falling,  and  hear,  though  they 
seemed  to  be  muffled,  the  rhythmical  jarring  clang  as 


Copyright,  JSOo,  by  Stanley  J.  Weymai). 


February  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


59 


they  struck  the  metal.  The  ruddy  glare  of  the  fire 
Hooded  the  road  and  burnished  the  opposite  trees,  and 
fiung  long,  black  shadows  on  the  sky. 

Such  a  sight  filled  me  with  the  utmost  astonishment, 
for  it  was  nearly  midnight.  But  something  else  I  saw 
astonished  me  still  more,  and  fortunately  made  me 
pause.  Between  the  point  where  I  stood  by  the  hedge 
and  the  forge  a  number  of  men  were  moving,  and  flitting 
to  and  fro  ;  men  with  bare  arms  and  matted  heads,  half- 
naked,  with  skins  burned  black.  It  would  have  been 
hard  to  count  them,  they  shifted  so  quickly ;  and  I  did 


notwithstanding  the  occasional  jar  of  the  hammers, 
an  air  of  ferocious  stealth  marked  their  move- 
ments. 

For  a  moment  I  stood  rooted  to  the  spot.  Then,  in- 
stinctively, I  stepped  aside  into  the  shadow  of  the  hedge, 
and  looked  again.  The  man  who  acted  as  the  leader 
carried  an  axe  on  his  shoulder,  the  broad  blade  of  which, 
as  it  caught  the  glow  of  the  furnace,  seemed  to  be  bathed 
in  blood.  He  was  never  still — this  man.  He  moved 
from  group  to  group,  gesticulating,  ordering,  encourag- 
ing.   Now  he  pulled  a  man  out  of  one  troop  and  thrust 


I    STOLE   A    LITTLE  NEARER. 


not  try.  It  was  enough  that  one  half  of  them  carried  pikes 
and  pitchforks,  and  that  one  man  seemed  to  be  detailing 
them  into  groups,  and  giving  them  directions;  and  that, 


him  forcibly  into  another ;  now  he  mnde  a  little  speech', 
which  was  dur.  b  piny  to  me,  a  hundred  p'ces  away; 
now  he  went  into  the  forge,  and  his  huge  bulk  for  a 


CO 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1S95. 


moment  intercepted  the  light.  It  was  Petit  Jean,  the 
smith. 

I  took  advantage  of  the  momentary  darkness  which 
he  caused  on  one  of  these  occasions,  and  I  stole  a  little 
nearer.  For  I  knew  now  what  was  before  me.  I  knew 
what  all  this  meant— blood,  fire,  outrage  !  flames  rising 
up  to  heaven,  screams  startling  the  stricken  night.  But  I 
must  know  more.  I  went  nearer,  creeping  along  the 
hedge,  until  no  more  than  twelve  yards  separated  me 
from  the  muster.  Then  I  stood  still,  just  as  Petit  Jean 
came  out  again,  to  distribute  another  bundle  of  weapons, 
clutched  instantly  and  eagerly  by  grimy  hands.  I 
could  hear  now,  and  I  shuddered.  Gargouf  was  in 
every  mouth.  Gargouf,  the  steward,  coupled  with  grisly 
tortures  and  slow  deaths,  with  old  sins,  and  outrages, 
and  tyrannies,  now  for  the  first  time  voiced,  now  to  be 
expiated  ! 

At  last,  one  man  cried  aloud,  "  To  the  Chateau  !  To 
the  Chateau ! "  and  in  an  instant  the  words  changed 
the  feelings  with  which  I  had  hitherto  stared  into  imme- 
diate horror.  I  started  forward.  My  impulse,  for  a 
moment,  was  to  step  into  the  light  and  confront  them — ■ 
to  persuade,  menace,  cajole,  turn  them  any  way.  from 
their  purpose.  But,  in  the  same  moment,  reflection 
showed  me  the  hopelessness  of  the  attempt.  These 
were  no  longer  peasants,  dull,  patient  clods,  but  mad- 
dened beasts ;  I  read  it  in  their  gestures  and  the  growl 
of  their  voices.  To  step  forward  would  be  only  to  sacri- 
fice myself ;  and  with  this  thought  I  crept  back,  gained 
the  deeper  shadow,  and,  turning  on  my  heel,  sped  down 
the  lane.  The  ruts  and  the  darkness  were  no  longer 
anything  to  me.  If  I  stumbled,  I  did  not  notice  it.  If 
I  fell,  it  was  no  matter.  In  less  than  a  minute  I  was 
standing,  breathless,  by  the  astonished  servants,  striving 
to  tell  them  quickly  what  they  must  do. 

"  The  village  is  rising !  "  I  panted.  "  They  are  going 
to  burn  tli3  Chateau,  and  Mademoiselle  is  in  it !  Gil, 
ride,  gallop,  lose  not  a  minute,  to  Cahors,  and 
tell  M.  le  Marquis.  He  must  bring  what  forces  he  can. 
And  do  you,  Andre,  go  to  Saux.  Tell  Father  Benoit. 
Bid  him  do  his  utmost — bring  all  he  can." 

For  answer,  they  stared,  open-mouthed,  through  the 
dusk. 

"And  the  mare,  Monsieur?  "  one  asked,  at  last, 
dully. 

"  Fool !  let  her  go  !  "  I  cried.    "  The  mare  ?    Do  you 
understand?    The  Chateau  is — : — •" 
"And  you,  Monsieur?'' 

"I  am  going  to  the  house  by  the  garden  wing. 
Now  go  !  Go,  men  !  "  I  continued.  "  A  hundred  livres 
to  each  of  you  if  the  house  is  saved ! " 

I  said,  the  house,  because  I  dared  not  speak  what  was 
really  in  my  mind,  because  I  dared  not  picture  the 
girl,  young,  helpless,  a  woman,  in  the  hands  of  those 
monsters.  Yet  it  was  that  which  goaded  me,  it  was 
that  which  gave  me  such  strength  that,  before  the  men 
had  ridden  many  yards,  I  had  forced  my  way  through  the 
thick  fence,  as  if  it  had  been  a  mass  of  cobwebs.  Once 
the  other  side,  in  the  open,  I  hastened  across  one  field 
and  a  second,  skirting  the  village,  and  making  for  the 
gardens  which  abutted  on  the  east  wing  of  the  Chateau. 
1  knew  these  well ;  the  part  farthest  from  the  house,  and 
most  easy  of  entrance,  was  a  wilderness,  in  which  I  had 
often  played  as  a  child.  There  was  no  fence  round  this, 
except  a  wooden  paling,  and  none  between  it  and  the  more 
orderly  portion ;  and  from  the  latter  a  side  door  opened 


into  a  passage  leading  to  the  great  hall  of  the  Chateau. 
The  house,  a  long,  regular  building,  reared  by  the  Mar- 
quis's father,  was  composed  of  two  wings  and  a  main 
block.  All  faced  the  end  of  the  village  street  at  a  dis- 
tance of  a  hundred  paces  ;  a  wide,  dusty,  ill-planted 
avenue  leading  from  the  iron  gates,  which  stood  always 
open,  to  the  state  entrance. 

The  rioters  had  only  a  short  distance  to  go,  there- 
fore, and  no  obstacle  between  them  and  the  house  ;  none 
when  they  reached  it  of  greater  consequence  than  ordi- 
nary doors  and  shutters,  should  the  latter  Lc  closed.  I 
shuddered  to  think  how  defenceless  all  lay ;  and  how 
quickly  the  wretches,  bursting  in  the  doors,  would  over- 
run the  shining  parquets  and  sweep  up  the  spacious 
staircase. 

The  thought  added  wings  to  my  feet.  I  had  farther 
to  go  than  they  had,  and  over  hedges,  but  before  the 
first  sounds  of  their  approach  reached  the  house  I  was 
already  in  the  wilderness,  and  forcing  my  way  through 
it,  stumbling  over  stumps  and  bushes,  falling  more  than 
once,  covered  with  dust  and  sweat,  but  still  pushing  on. 

At  last  I  sprang  into  the  open  garden,  with  its  shadowy 
walks,  and  nymphs,  and  fauns ;  and  I  looked  towards 
the  village.  A  dull  red  light  was  beginning  to  show 
among  the  trunks  of  the  avenue ;  a  murmur  of  voices 
sounded  in  the  distance.  They  were  coming !  I 
wasted  no  more  than  a  single  glance ;  then  I  ran 
down  the  walk,  between  the  statues.  In  a  moment  I 
passed  into  the  darker  shadow  under  the  house,  I  was 
at  the  door.  I  thrust  my  shoulder  against  it.  It 
resisted  ;  it  resisted  !  and  every  moment  was  precious. 
The  angle  of  the  house  now  hid  the  approaching  lights 
and  deadened  the  voices  of  the  crowd,  but  I  could  imagine 
only  too  vividly  how  they  were  coming  on ;  I  fancied 
them  already  at  the  great  door. 

I  hammered  on  the  panels  with  my  fist ;  then  I  fumbled 
for  the  latch,  and  found  it.  It  rose,  but  the  door  held. 
I  shook  it.  I  shook  it  again  in  a  frenzy;  at  last,  forget- 
ting caution,  I  shouted — shouted  more  loudly.  Then, 
after  an  age,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  I  heard  halting  footsteps 
coming  along  the  passage,  and  saw  a.  line  of  light  grew, 
and  brighten  under  the  door.  A  quavering  voice  asked — 

"Who  is  it?" 

"  M.  de  Saux,"  I  answered,  impatiently.  "  Let  me 
in.  Let  me  in,  do  you  hear  ? "  And  I  struck  the  panels 
wrathfully. 

"Monsieur,"  the  voice  answered,  quavering  more  and 
mo -a,  "  Is  there  anything  the  matter?" 

"  Matter?  They  are  going  to  burn  the  house,  fool !  " 
I  cried.  "  Open !  open !  if  you  do  not  wish  to  be  burned 
in  your  beds !  " 

For  a  moment  I  fancied  that  the  man  still  hesitated. 
Then  he  unbarred.  In  a  twinkling  I  was  inside,  in  a 
narrow  passage,  with  ding}-,  stained  walls.  An  old 
man,  lean-jawed  and  feeble,  an  old  valet  whom  I  had 
often  seen  at  worsted  work  in  the  ante-room,  confronted 
me,  holding  an  iron  candlestick.  The  light  shook  in  his 
hands,  and  his  jaw  fell  as  he  looked  at  me.  1  saw  that 
I  had  nothing  to  expect  from  him,  and  I  snatched  the 
bar  from  his  hands,  and  set  it  back  in  its  place  myself. 
Then  I  seized  the  light. 

"  Quick  !"  I  said  passionately.     "  To  your  mistress." 

"  Monsieur? " 

"  Upstairs  !    Upstairs  !  " 

Ho  had  more  to  say,  but  I  did  not  wait  to  hear  it. 
Knowing  the  way,  and  having  the  candle,  I  left  him,,  and 


February  16,  189o. 


TO-DAY. 


61 


Lurried  along  ine  passage.  Stumbling  over  three  or 
four  mattresses  that  lay  on  the  floor,  doubtless  for  the 
servants,  I  reached  the  hall.  Here  my  taper  shone 
,a  mere  speck  in  a  cavern  of  blackness ;  but  it  gave  me 
light  enough  to  see  that  the  door  was  barred,  and  I  turned 
io  the  staircase.  As  I  set  my  foot  on  the  lowest  step 
the  old  valet,  who  was  following  me  as  fast  as  his  trem- 
bling legs  would  carry  him,  blundered  against  a  spinning 
wheel  that  stood  in  the  hall.  It  fell  with  a  clatter,  and 
in  a  moment  a  chorus  of  screams  and  cries  broke  out 
above.  I  sprang  up  the  stairs  three  at  a  stride,  and  on 
the  lobby  came  on  the  screamers — a  terrified  group,  whoss 
alarm  even  the  doubtful  light  of  a  tallow  candle,  that 
stood  beside  them  on  the  floor,  could  not  exaggerate. 
-Nearest  to  me  stood  an  old  footman  and  a  boy ;  their 
terror-stricken  eyes  met  mine  as  I  mounted  the  last 
-stairs.  Behind  them,  and 
■crouching  against  a  tape- 
stry-covered seat  that  ran 
along  the  wall  were  the 
rest;  three  or  four  women, 
who  shrieked  and  hid  thei  v 
faces  in  one  another's  gar- 
ments. They  did  not  look 
up  or  take  any  heed  of 
me ;  but  continued  to 
scream  steadily. 

The  old  man  with  a 
■quavering  oath  tried  to 
still  them. 

"Where  is  Gargouf?"  T 
asked  him. 

"  He  has  gone  to  fasten 
the  back  doors,  Monsieur/' 
he  answered. 

"  And  Mademoiselle  ? "  \ 

"  She  is  yonder." 

He  turned  as  he  spoke ; 
and  I  saw  behind  him  a 
heavy  curtain  hiding  the 
oriel  window  of  the  lobby.  ".- 
It  moved,  while  I  looked, 
and  Mademoiselle  emerged 
from  its  folds,  her  small, 
childish  face  pale,  but 
•strangely  composed.  She 
wore  a  light,  loose  robe, 
hastily  arranged,  and  had 

her  hair  hanging  free  at  her  back.  In  the  gloom  and 
confusion,  which  the  feeble  candles  did  little  to  disperse, 
she  did  not  at  first  see  me. 

'"Has  Gargouf  come  back?"  she  asked. 

"No,  Mademoiselle,  but  " 

The  man  was  going  to  point  me  out;  she  inter- 
rupted him  with  a  sharp  cry  of  anger. 

"  Stop  these  fools,"  she  said.  "  Oh,  stop  these  fools  ! 
I  cannot  hear  myself  speak.  Let  someone  call  Gargouf  ! 
Is  there  no  one  to  do  anything  1 " 

One  of  the  old  men  potterea'  off  to  do  it,  leaving  her 
standing  in  the  middle  of  the  terror-stricken  group ;  a 
white  pathetic  little  figure,  keeoing  fear  at  bay  with 
both  hands.  The  dark  curtains'  behind  threw  her 
"face  and  form  into  high  relief ;  but  admiration  was  the 
last  thought  in  my  mind. 

"Mademoiselle,"  I  said,  "you  must  fly  by  the  garden- 
■door." 


IN    A    TWIXKI/IXC    I    WAS  IXSIDE 


She  started  and  stared  at  me,  her  eves  dilating. 

"Monsieur  de  Saux,"  she  muttered  at  last.  "Are 
you  here?  I  do  not — I  do  not  understand.  I 
thought  " 

"  The  village  is  rising,"  I  said.  "  In  a  moment  they 
will  be  here." 

"  They  are  here  already,"  she  answered  faintly. 

She  meant  only  that  she  had  seen  their  approach  from 
the  window ;  but  a  dull  murmur  that  at  the  moment 
rose  on  the  air  outside,  and  penetrating  the  walls,  grew 
each  instant  more  sinister  and  menacing,  seemed  to  give 
another  significance  to  her  words.  The  women  listened 
with  white  faces,  then  began  to  scream  afresh.  A  reck- 
less movement  of  one  of  them  dashed  out  the  nearer  of 
the  two  lights.  The  old'  man  who  had  admitted  me 
be<ran  to  whimper. 

"  O,  raon  Dieu  !  "  I 
cried,  "can  no  one  still 
these  cravens  ? "  For  the 
noise  almost  robbed  me  of 
the  power  of  thought,  and 
never  had  thought  been 
more  necessary.  "  Be 
still,  fools,  no  one  will 
hurt  you.  And  do  you, 
Mademoiselle,  please  to 
come  with  me.  There  is 
not  a  moment  to  be  lost. 
The  garden  by   which  I 

entered  " 

But  she  looked  at  me  in 
such  a  way  that  I  stopped. 

"  Is  it  necessary  to  go?" 
she  said,  doubtfully.  "  Is 
there  no  other  way,  Mon- 
sieur ? " 

The  noise  outside  was 
growing  louder. 

"  What  men  have  you?" 
I  said. 

"  Here  is  Gargouf,"  she 
answered  promptly.  "  He 
will  tell  you." 

I  turned  to  the  staircase, 
and  saw  the  steward's  face, 
at  all  times  harsh  and 
grim,  rising  out  of  the 
well  of  the  stairs.  He 
had  a  candle  in  one  hand  and  a  pistol  in  the  other  ; 
and  his  features  wore  an  expression  of  dogged 
anger,  the  mere  sight  of  which  drew  fresh  cries  from 
the  women.  But  I  rejoiced  to  see  him ;  at  least  he  be- 
trayed no  signs  of  flinching.  I  asked  him  what  men 
he  had. 

"  You  see  them,"  he  answered,  betraying  no  surprise 
at  my  presence. 
"Only  these?" 

"  There  were  three  more,"  he  said.  "  But  I  found!  the 
doors  unbarred,  and  the  men  gone.  I  am  keeping  this," 
he  continued,  with  a  ferocious  glance  at  his  pistol,  "  for 
one  of  them." 

"  Mademoiselle  must  go  !"  I  said. 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  with  an  indifference  that 
maddened  me.    "  How  ?    he  asked. 
"  By  the  garden  door." 

"  They  are  there.    The  house  is  surrounded." 


03 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1805. 


I  cried'  out  at  that,  in  despair ;  and  on  the  instant, 
a 5  if  to  give  point  to  his  words  a  furious  blow  fell  on  the 
great  doors  below,  and  awakening  every  echo  in  the 
house,  proclaimed  that  the  moment  was  come.  A 
second  shock  followed;  then  a  rain  of  blows.  While 
the  maids  shrieked  and  clung  to  one  another,  I  looked 
at  Mademoiselle,  and  she  at  me. 

"  We  must  hide  you,"  I  muttered. 

"No,"  she  said  firmly. 

"There  must  be  some  place,"  I  said,  looking  round 
me  desperately,  and  disregarding  her  answer.  The 
noise  of  the  blows  was  deafening.    "  In  the  " 

"  I  will  not  hide,  Monsieur,"  she  answered.  Her 
cheeks  were  white  and  her  eyes  seemed  to  flicker  with 
each  blow.  But  the  maiden  who  had  been  dumb  before 
me  a  few  days  earlier  was  gone,  and  in  her  place  I  saw 
Mademoiselle  de  St.  Alais,  conscious  of  a  hundred  an- 
cestors. "  They  are  our  people.  I  will  meet  them," 
she  continued  bravely,  her  lip  trembling.  "  Then  if  they 
dare  " 

"  They  are  mad,"  I  answered.  "  They  are  mad  !  Yet 
it  is  a  chance;  and  we  have  few  !  If  I  can  get  to  them 
before  they  break  in,  I  may  do  something.  One  moment, 
Mademoiselle ;  screen  the  light,  will  you  1 " 

Someone  did  so,  and  I  turned  feverishly,  and  caught 
hold  of  the  curtain.  But  Gargouf  was  before  me.  He 
seized  my  arm,  and  for  the  moment  checked  me. 

"What  is  it?  What  are  you  going  to>  do?"  he 
growled. 

"  Speak  to  them  from  the  window." 

"  They  will  not  listen." 

"  Still  I  will  try.    What  else  is  there  ? " 

''  Lead  and  iron,"  he  answered,  in  a  tone  that  made  me 
shiver.  "  Here  are  M.  le  Marquis's  sporting  guns  ;  they 
shoot  straight.  Take  one,  M.  le  Vicomte  :  I  will  take 
the  other.  There  are  two  more,  and  the  men  can  shoot. 
We  can  hold  the  staircase,  at  least." 

I  took  one  of  the  guns,  mechanically,  amid  a  dismal 
uproar;  wailing  and  the  thunder  of  blows  within;  out- 
side the  savage  booing  of  the  crowd.  No  help  could 
come  for  another  hour ;  and  for  a.  moment,  in  this 
desperate  strait  my  heart  failed  me.  I  wondered  at  the 
steward's  courage. 

"You  are  not  afraid?"  I  said.    I  knew  how  he  had 


trampled  on .  the  poor  wretches  outside ;  how  he  had* 
ground  them  down,  and  misused  them  through  long  year3. 
He  cursed  the  dogs. 

"You  will  stand  by  Mademoiselle?"  I  said  feverishly. 
I  think  it  was  to  hearten  myself  by  his  assurance. 

He  squeezed  my  hand  in  a  grip  of  iron,  and  I  asked  no- 
more.    In  a  moment,  however,  I  cried  aloud — 

"  Ah,  but  they  will  burn  the  house  I"  I  said.  "  What  is 
the  use  of  holding  the  staircase,  when  they  can  burn  us 
out  like  rats?" 

"  We  shall  die  together,"  he  answered  ferociously. 
And  he  kicked  one  of  the  weeping,  crouching  women. 
"  Be  still,  you  whelp  !"  he  said.  "  Do  you  think  that 
will  help  you?" 

But  I  heard  the  door  below  groan,  and  I  sprang  to  the 
window  and  dragged  aside  the  curtain,  letting  in  a  ruddy 
glow  that  dyed  the  ceiling  the  colour  of  blood.  My 
one  fear  was  that  I  might  be  too  late ;  that  the  door 
would  yield  or  the  crowd  break  in  at  the  back  before 
I  could  get  a  hearing.  Luckily,  the  casement  gave  to 
the  hand,  and  I  thrust  it  open,  and  meeting  a  cold  blast  of 
air  in  a  twinkling  was  outside ;  on  the  narrow  ledge  of 
the  window  over  the  great  doors,  looking  down  on  such 
a  scene  as  few  chateaux  in  France  had  witnessed  since 
the  days  of  the  third  Henry — God  be  thanked  ! 

A  little  to'  one  side  the  great  dovecote  was  burning, 
and  sending  up  a  trail  of  smoke  that,  blown  across  the 
avenue,  hid  all  beyond  in  a  murky  reek,  which  the 
flames  now  and  again  flickered  hotly.  Men,  busy  as  devils, 
black  against  the  light,  were  plying  the  fire  with  straw. 
Beyond  the  dovecote,  an  outhouse  and  a  stack  were 
blazing ;  and  nearer,  before  the  house,  a  crowd  of  moving 
figures  were  hurrying  to  and  fro,  some  battering  the  doors 
and  windows,  others  bringing  fuel,  all  moving,  yelling, 
laughing — laughing  the  laughter  of  fiends  to  the  music 
of  crackling  flames  and  shivering;  glass. 

I  saw  Petit  Jean  in  the  forefront  giving  orders;  and 
men  round  him.  There  were  women,  too,  hanging  on  the 
skirts  of  the  men ;  and  one  woman,  in  the  midst  of 
all,  half-naked,  screaming  curses,  and  brandishing  her 
arms.  It  was  she  who  added  the  last  touch  of  horror  to 
the  scene ;  and  she,  too,  who  saw  me  first,  and  pointed 
me  out  with  dreadful  words,  and  cursed  me,  and  the 
house,  and  cried  for  our  blood. 

(To  be  continued.) 


THE  END  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 

There  is  an  alley  which  runs  down  to  the  Seine,  in 
whHi  it  is  said  that  every  Paris  Revolution  has  broken 
out.  Standing  at  its  entrance,  I  saw  three  or  four  shots 
fired,  and  dark  forms  with  guns  moving  in  the  alley,  and 
then  came  General  Changarnier,  with  his  cavalry,  and 
made  a  charge  before  which  I  tied.  I  had  to  dodge  more 
than  one  of  these  charges  during  the  day.  In  the 
Faubourg  Saint-Antoine  there  was  an  immense  barri- 
cade, made  of  old  beds,  waggons,  stones,  and  rubbish, 
guarded  by  a  dense  crowd  of  insurgents,  of  whom  I  was 
one.  At  least  three  thousand  were  singing  the  '  Mar- 
seillaise' and  the  '  Chant  des  Girondins.'  There  was  a 
discharge  of  muskets,  and  fifteen  fell  dead  close  to  me, 
while  the  mob  never  ceased  their  singing,  and  the  sounds 
of  that  tremendous  and  terrible  chorus,  mingled  with  the 
dying  groans  and  cries  of  the  victims,  and  the  roar  of 
the  great  bell  of  Notre  Dame.  It  was  like  a  scene  in  an 
opera.  Next  day  wo  tore  up  the  paving-stones,  and 
barricaded  the  Rue  de  la  Harpe.  While  fighting,  I  had 
many  a  chance  to  shoot  a  soldier,  but  I  must  confess  I 
felt  an  invincible  rcpngnance  to  do  so.    The  poor  devils 


were  only  unwillingly  led  against  us ;  we  knew,  unless 
they  came  over  to  our  side,  all  would  be  up  with  us.  All 
at  once  we  heard  a  terrible  outcry  down  the  street. 
There  was  a  tremendous  massing  of  soldiers  there,  and 
to  defend  that  barricade  meant  death.  I  confess  that  I 
hesitated  one  instant,  and  then  ran  headlong  to  join  the 
fight.  Merciful  God  !  the  troops  had  fraternized  w  ith  us 
and  they  were  handing  over  their  muskets  to  the  mob, 
who  were  firing  them  in  the  air.  The  scene  was  terribly 
moving.  My  men,  who  had  expected  to  be  shot,  em- 
braced, and  kissed  the  soldiers,  and  wept  like  children. 
We  had  conquered.  And  the  Revolution  had  marched 
sternly  on  through  years  of  discontent  to  the  year 
Forty-eight,  and  Franca  at  one  desperate  bound  had 
again  placed  herself  in  the  van.  —  Lei/lancfs 
"Memoirs." 


In  "  To-Day  "  for  March  9,  a  second  series  of 
Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk,  by  Herbert 
Keen,  Author  of  My  Landlady's  Stories,  will  be 

commenced. 


February  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


63 


ANCIENT  MARRIAGE 
CUSTOMS. 

BY 

LAURA   B.  STARR. 


In  browsing  about  among  some  old  books  I  find  the 
record  of  many  quaint  and  curious  ceremonies,  rites  and 
customs  connected  with  the  marriage  ceremony. 
Customs  which  have  been  in  vogue  since  early  J ewish 
■days  and  the  time  when  Cecrops  introduced  marriage  to 
the  Athenians. 

Among  the  Jews  certain  days  were  fixed  for  be- 
trothal and  marriage,  thus  the  fourth  day  was  appointed 
for  virgins,  and  the  fifth  day  for  widows.  To-day  the 
Jewish  spinsters  and  bachelors  celebrate  their  marriages 
on  Wednesday,  while  those  who  have  previously  been 
married  celebrate  their  nuptials  on  Sunda}'.  The 
custom  of  making  presents  from  the  man  to  the  woman 
has  come  down  to  us  from  the  days  of  Isaac  and 
Eebecca.  We  read  that  he  sent  her  as  pre-nuptial  gifts 
massive  earrings  and  bracelets,  and  "  jewels  of  silver 
and  jewels  of  gold  and  raiment." 

In  the  seventeenth  century  the  Jewish  bridegroom 
sent  to  his  bride  a  "matrimonial  cincture  or  girdle  with 
gold  buckle,  and  she  in  exchange  sent  a  similar  article 
to  him,  but  hers  had  a  silver  buckle."  At  the  close  of 
the  ceremonies,  which  were  rather  lengthy,  the  Rabbi 
took  a  glass  of  wine,  and  rehearsing  prayers  he  tasted 
it  and  gave  it  to  the  couple  to  drink.  If  the  bride 
were  a  virgin  he  used  a  narrow  glass,  if  a  widow  a  wide 
one  was  used.  Many  of  the  modern  Jews  still  retain 
the  old  custom  of  shattering  glasses  and  other  vessels, 
by  dashing  them  on  the  ground  after  the  ceremony. 
This  may  denote  the  frailty  of  life,  or  foretell  good  for- 
tune and  plenty,  or  it  may  be  to  remind  the  people  of 
the  destruction  of  J erusalem. 

In  Sparta,  under  the  laws  of  Lycurgus,  marriage  was 
a  duty,  and  old  bachelors  were  stigmatized,  and  obliged 
to  walk  naked  in  the  winter  through  the  Market  Place, 
singing  satirical  songs  on  themselves.  There  would  be 
rather  a  rattling  among  the  dry  bones  if  such  a  law  were 
in  force  to-day. 

In  Athens,  the  bride  was  conducted  from  her  father's 
house  to  that  of  the  bridegroom,  in  the  evening,  that 
time  being  chosen  to  conceal  her  blushes.  In  Bceotia 
and  other  places  the  axle-tree  of  the  carriage  was  burned 
upon  the  arrival  at  the  bridegroom's  house,  as  a  symbol 
that  the  bride  was  not  to  return,  or  to  go  abroad. 
Among  the  Greeks,  a  law  of  Solon  required  that  the 
bride  and  groom  should,  on  entering  their  bridal  chamber, 
•eat  a  quince  together,  to  indicate  that  their  mutual 
relationship  should  be  sweet  and  agreeable. 

A  Spartan  woman  covered  her  face  with  a  veil  as  soon 
as  she  was  married  and  never  went  abroad  without  it. 
At  Sparta,  Crete,  and  Olyinpia  virgins  were  permitted 
to  be  spectators  of  the  gymnastic  contests,  while  married 
women  were  denied  this  privilege.  The  revolting 
■daughters  of  the  present  day  should  make  use  of  this 
argument  in  their  favour.  A  queer  Grecian  anthem 
was  performed  at  the  end  of  the  services ;  the  bride  was 
conducted  to  her  husband's  abode,  and  there  she  was  care- 
fully lifted  across  the  threshold  by  her  parents.  Among 
the  Albanians  the  nuptial  bed  forms  a  conspicuous 
feature  of  the  bridal  procession. 

Among  the  Greeks  a  wedding  is  often  called  a 
"  crowning,"  because  crowns  made  of  olive  branches, 
surrounded  with  white  threads  interwoven  with  purple, 
were  used  at  the  marriage.  The  Roman  bridal  wreath 
was  made  of  verbena  gathered  by  the  bride  herself ; 
she  wore  a  veil,  which  was  of  a  bright  yellow 
colour,  the  same  as  her  shoes.  In  dressing  for  the 
wedding  the  bride's  hair  was  parted  with  the  point 
of  a  spear,  in  memory  of  the  Sabine  virgins  who  were 
espoused  by  violence.  Whenever  animal  sacrifices  were 
made  the  gall  was  taken  out,  that  no  bitterness  might 


follow  the  union.  We  read  that  before  the  bride 
entered  her  new  abode  she  wound  wool  around  the 
door-posts,  and  anointed  them  with  lard  or  wolf's  fat  in 
order  to  avert  enchantment. 

The  ancient  Etruscans  were  married  in  the  street 
before  the  door  of  the  house,  which  was  thrown  open 
after  the  ceremony.  The  Syracusan  virgins  used  to  go 
in  procession  to  the  Temple  of  Diana  preceded  by 
musicians,  and  accompanied  by  tigers  and  leopards. 
The  ancient  Scythians  would  not  marry  a  maiden  who 
had  not  killed  an  enemy.  The  Rhodians  sent  for  a 
bride  by  the  public  crier.  In  Chaldea  on  the  wedding- 
day  the  priest  came  into  the  bridegroom's  house  and 
built  a  fire,  which,  if  the  couple  wished  to  live  together 
happily,  they  never  let  go  out. 

The  Babylonians  and  Assyrians  put  their  daughters 
up  for  sale  on  certain  days  of  the  year,  and  the  money 
received  for  the  handsome  ones  was  given  to  those  less 
favoured.  The  Mahomedan  Copts  kill  a  sheep  as  soon 
as  the  bride  enters  her  husband's  house,  and  she  is 
obliged  to  step  over  the  blood,  which  is  made  to  flow 
upon  the  threshold  of  the  door.  The  Fez  husband  does 
not  go  out  until  the  seventh  day  after  the  ceremony, 
when  he  buys  a  fish  and  brings  it  and  casts  it  at  his 
wife's  feet  as  a  token  of  good  luck.  There  is  a  custom 
peculiar  to  many  Eastern  countries  of  covering  the 
bridegroom's  forehead  and  brow  with  gold  coins. 
Among  the  Nasamones,  a  people  of  Barbary,  the  only 
ceremony  of  marriage  is  that  of  drinking  out  of  each 
other's  hands. 

Burckhardt  writes  that  the  marriage  ceremony  among 
a  certain  Bedouin  tribe  is  very  simple.  "  The  marriage 
day  being  appointed,  the  bridegroom  comes  with  a  lamb 
in  his  arms  to  the  tent  of  the  girl's  father,  and  there  cuts 
the  lamb's  throat  before  witnesses.  As  soon  as  the 
blood  falls  upon  the  ground  the  ceremony  is  complete." 
The  people  of  Georgia  and  Circassia  go  through  a  most 
peculiar  rite  at  the  beginning  of  the  ceremony  :  "  The 
bride  and  the  rest  of  the  party  are  conducted  to  an 
apartment,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  a  pitcher  of  wine 
and  a  vessel  full  of  bread  dough,  standing  upon  a  carpet. 
As  soon  as  sho  has  entered  the  room  the  bride  kicks 
over  the  wine  and  scatters  the  paste  with  her  hands 
about  the  apartment." 

At  Malabar  the  bridegroom's  feet  are  washed  with 
milk  by  a  young  relation,  who  also  puts  a  silver  ring 
upon  his  toe.  The  people  of  Navis  marry  by  tying 
thread  around  the  neck  of  the  woman.  Among  the 
Burmese  the  couple  eat  out  of  the  same  dish,  and  taste 
and  exchange  with  each  other  a  mixture  of  tea  leaves 
steeped  in  oil,  which  is  the  form  of  sealing  all  contracts. 
In  many  countries  the  connubial  knot  is  tied  with  the 
corners  of  the  garment,  of  the  pair. 

It  was  once  the  custom  among  the  Russians  for  brides 
to  present  husbands  on  their  wedding-day  with  a  whip 
of  their  own  making  as  a  token  of  submission.  Marry- 
ing a  second  time  was  not  a  crime,  but  still  not  quite 
reputable.  A  man  taking  a  second  wife  was  not  allowed 
to  go  inside  the  church  door,  he  could  only  step  into  the 
porch ;  and  he  who  was  so  carnally  minded  as  to  marry 
the  third  time  was  excommunicated. 

Among  the  bridal  gifts  in  Sweden  in  olden  times  were 
a  shield,  a  sword,  and  an  axe,  that  the  bride  might  have 
weapons  for  defending  herself  from  her  husband's  blows 
if  necessary. 

The  customs  of  Finland  are  most  curious.  The  groom's 
best  man  is  chosen  to  do  the  honours  of  the  occasion, 
and  he  is  called  the  "  orator."  On  the  day  after  the  wed- 
ding he  takes  a  pair  of  the  bridegroom's  breeches  and 
strikes  the  bride  with  them,  telling  her  at  the  same  time 
to  be  fruitful.  In  Prussia  and  other  pirts  of  Central 
Europe,  we  read  that  it  was  a  regular  practice  to  throw 
broken  crockery  at  the  doors  of  newly  married  people. 

Peacocks'  feathers  were  the  distinctive  ornaments  of 
persons  attending  weddings  in  Dalmatia.  The  groom'? 
male  friends  ran  to  his  father's  house  to  tell  the  news  ol 
completion  of  the  ceremony,  and  whoever  arrived  first 


CI 


TO-DAY. 


February  16,  1SU5. 


was  presented  with  a  kind  of  towel  embroidered  at  the 
ends. 

A  usual  gift  from  a  bride  to  the  groom  in  Ireland  in 
early  days  was  a  pair  of  bracelets  made  of  her  own  hair. 
Natives  of  the  Isle  of  Man  carry  salt  in  their  pockets 
when  they  marry,  as  that  is  considered  to  be  lucky  ; 
they  also  walk  three  times  around  the  church  before 
they  enter  it. 

In  early  days  in  England  the  bride  was  led  to  the 
bridegroom  by  a  matron  who  was  called  brideswoman, 
followed  by  many  young  women  who  were  called  brides- 
maids. On  the  morning  after  the  wedding  the  new 
husband  gave  his  wife  a  morgengabe,  or  morning  gift, 
which  was  for  her  individual  use  and  was  the  ancient 
pin-money. 

Gosson  writing  at  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century 
says  :  "  In  some  countries  the  bride  is  crowned  by  the 
matrons  with  a  garland  of  prickles,  and  so  delivered 


unto  her  husband,  that  he  might  know  how  he  hath 
tied  himself  to  a  thorny  pleasure." 

The  giving  of  gloves  at  weddings  is  a  very  old  custom  > 
in  early  days  in  England  the  bride  gave  gloves  during 
the  dinner  time  to  the  men  who  had  escorted  her,  as 
rewards  for  their  services.  A  singular  custom  was  that 
of  a  bride  being  compelled  to  pay  toll.  In  the  reign  of 
Edward  II.  it  was  ordered  that  marriages  taking  place 
in  the  forest  of  Skipton,  in  Yorkshire,  should  be  subject 
to  a  toll.  Thus  :  "  Every  bride  coming  that  way  should 
either  give  her  left  shoe  or  3d.  or  4d.  to  the  forester  of 
Crookryse,  by  way  of  custom  or  gaytcloyes  ! " 

Among  the  many  superstitions  concerning  marriage 
there  is  none  more  thoroughly  believed  than  the  one  of 
which  Herrick  speaks  in  Hesperides  : 

"  While  that  others  do  divine 
Blest  is  the  bride  on  whom 
The  sun  doth  shine." 


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A  WEEKLY 

MAG  A  Z I N  E  -JOURNAL. 


E^ite^ By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Vol.  VI.— No.  68.    LONDON,  SATURDAY,  FEBRUARY  28,  1805.    Price  Twopence 


BETWEEN    SCYLLA  AND 
CHARYBDIS. 


BY 

E.    LYNN  LINTON. 

Illustrated  by  Sydney  Adamsox. 

HETTY  girls 
with  good  for- 
tunes and  sus- 
ceptible tem- 
peraments need 
careful  guar- 
dianship in 
smart  hotels, 
where  society 
13  mixed  and 
credentials  are 
not  always 
forthcoming. 
Harpies  of  both 
sexes  abound  ; 
and  more  than 
one  good  bag 
has  been  made 
for  the  benefit 
of  the  fowler 
and  the  ruin 
of  the  victim — 
always  under 
cover  of  fine 
xjanners  and  high-sounding  names.  This  being  so, 
it  was  a  little  doubtful  if  Mrs.  Brand  was  the  right 
kind  of  guardian  for  Ida  Maynard.  A  ladylike  woman 
vrho  had  less  self-respect  than  complaisance,  and  whose 
^opacity  for  belief  was  as  large  as  her  power  of  discri- 
mination was  small,  had  a  burden  of  responsibility  rather 
heavier  than  she  could  bear  in  the  charge  of  a  pretty 
young  person  of  romantic  tendencies  and  a  handsome  in- 
come. And  more  than  one  of  Ida's  old  family  friends 
lamented  the  chain  of  circumstances  which  had  given 


her  into  Mrs.  Brand's  nerveless  hands  as  the  sole  guar- 
dianship she  had.  So  far,  however,  no  harm  had  come 
to  the  young  heiress  with  a  chaperon  who  never  thwarted 
her,  but  also  who  never  knew  when  the  ice  was  thin  or 
when  there  were  rocks  ahead. 

The  hotel  was  crowded,  and  the  company  was  of  the 
gayest.  Butterflies  sporting  with  one  another  among 
the  flowers  best  expressed  their  general  condition,  and, 
because  the  place  was  so  overflowing  and  the  salle-d- 
manger  had  not  space  for  universal  segregation,  the  small 
tobies  usually  given  up  to  two  or  three  were  perforce 
tenanted  by  five  or  six.  Whence  resulted  intimacies 
which  were  sometimes  dangerous  even  when  most  de- 
lightful. Owing  then  to  this  congestion  the  mail  re 
d'hotel,  with  bows  and  apologies,  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  place  three  charming  people  at  the  table  of  the 
young  heiress  and  her  chaperon.  They  were  all  that  he- 
had  of  most  comme  il  faut  on  his  list ;  and  he  was  sure 
that  in  asking  this  accommodation  he  was  doingnothing 
that  would  be  displeasing  to  madame  or  mademoiselle. 

That  evening,  then,  at  dinner  three  strangers  were  at 
Ida's  table,  and  the  mental  stock-taking  began. 

Imprimis,  a  tall,  handsome  Englishman  about  thirty- 
two  or  three,  with  fine  features,  a  good  carriage,  good 
manners  if  somewhat  overbearing,  and  the, unmistakable 
look  of  one  who  had  seen  service  of  some  sort.  Se- 
condly, a  soft-voiced  young  Italian  with  the  caressing- 
eyes  and  soft, .  seductive  ways  of  his  country;  accom- 
panied by,  thirdly,  his  mother,  a  typical  southerner, 
graceful,  indolent,  astute  and  fascinating.  The  Eng- 
lishman was  Gerald  Frobisher  ;  the  Italian  was  II  Barone 
di  Siena ;  his  mother  was  la  Principessi  di  Certosaria. 
They  were  all  noticeable  because  of  manner,  dress  and 
general  appointments ;  and  soon  this  special  table  be- 
came the  cynosure  of  the  room,  as  rumour  magnified 
the  fortune  of  the  young  heiress  and  the  social  standing 
of  her  companions. 

In  the  sweetest  ointment  lurks  at  times  that  intru- 
sive fly.  Through  the  most  harmonious  combination  of 
circumstances  strikes  the  jarring  note  of  unpleasant 
friction.  And  this  little  coterie,  formed  by  chance, 
was  no  exception  to  the  rule.    The  jarring  note  camet 


Copyright,  1895,  by  Mrs.  Ly-nn  Linton. 


CO 


TO-DAY. 


February  23,  1895. 


from  the  Englishman.  From  the  first  he  seemed  to 
have  translated  his  condition  as  a  compatriot  into  the 
prh  ileges  of  a  friend  and  the  duties  of  a  guardian.  He 
drew  an  invisible  line  of  possession  round  Ida  and  Mrs. 
Brand,  and  before  they  well  knew  that  he  had  cast  his 
shoe  over  them  he  was  the  master  of  the  situation.  He  made 
no  overt  demonstration  of  authority,  such  as  the  world, 
could  see  and  comment  on.  He  simply  gave  them  to 
understand  that  they  must  not  do  such  and  such  things, 
and  that  it  would  be  better  for  them — indeed,  it  was 
imperative^-that  they  should  follow  his  advice. 

As  his  strong  will  coerced  Mrs.  Brand's  weaker  mind 
he  had  things  on  the  whole  pretty  much  his  own  way — 
which  was  not  always  Ida's.  Yet  somehow,  willing  or 
unwilling,  she  had  to  go  as  Gerald  Frobisher  ordained  ; 
and  bit  by  bit  she  felt  her  liberty  slipping  from  her 
without  ever  coming  to  the  moment  when  she  could  make 
a  stand  and  say  :  "I  will  not." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  young  baron  and  his  mother, 
the  princess,  were  the  very  heart  and  soul  of  complai- 
sance. They  seemed  to  live  simply  for  Ida's  pleasure. 
They  had  not  a  wish  which  was  not  la  signorina's — not 
a  thought  extra,  to  her  service.  Whatever  they  might 
propose  had  but  one  object — the  pleasure  or  convenience 
of  la  signorina,  for  whom,  had  they  the  power,  the  very 
elements  should  be  ruled  to  render  service  and  tribute. 
Always  suave  and  amiable,  they  made  a  decided  con- 
trast with  Gerald  Frobisher,  who  was  generally  the  very 
reverse  of  amiable,  with  a.  certain  arbitrariness  of  man- 
ner— a-  certain  subacidity  of  accent,  that  was  less  re- 
assuring than  threatening — less  enticing  than  compell- 
ing. "  The  bear,"  the  princess  used  to  call  him  in  her 
pretty  Italian  way — her  very  distaste  more  caressing 
than  Gerald's  praise;  and — "Ah!  he  is  your  typical 
Englishman  who  does  not  understand  love,  and  would 
beat  his  wife  or  sell  her  for  so  much  and  so'  much  " — 
as  the  young  baron  would  say,  with  that  little  shudder 
which  expresses  so  much — generally  adding:  "  PerBacco! 
that  is  not  the  way  we  Italians  treat  our  women  !  We 
Italians*  know  how  to  treat  women  as  they  should  bo 
treated — with  love  and  gentleness  and  courtesy  and  in- 
dulgence ■  but,  most  of  all,  with  love  ! " 

And  when  he  said  this  his  velvet-brown  eyes  would 
look  into  Ida's  with  something  behind  and  within  which 
made  that  erstwhile  frank  and  half-unconscious  young 
woman  drop  hers  to  the  floor,  overpowered  by  she  knew 
not  what,  All  that  she  did  know  was — it  was  something 
pleasant,  yet  something  that  made  her  feel  part  afraid 
and  part  ashamed,  and  especially  desirous  that  Gerald 
Frobisher  should  not  see. 

The  day  was  glorious — a  day  when  youthful  spirits 
weire  not  to  be  confined  within  the  four  walls  of  a 
house,  nor  yet  between  the  hedges  of  an  hotel  garden. 
It  was  a  day  for  amusements,  expeditions,  adventures, 
what  not — one  of  the  kind  which  holds  the  promise  of 
some  undeclared  joy  like  the  secret  perfume  lying  within 
the  closed  bud  of  the  lily-— one  of  those  when  Prince 
Charming  is  on  his  way,  and  the  princess  is  setting  forth 
in  her  golden  chariot  to  meet  him — when,  the  young 
feel  and  the  old  remember,  and  the'  joy  of  living  has  no 
flaw  from  either  regret  or  despair. 

"This  is  the  right  day  for  the  old  Sehloss,"  said 
Gerald  Frobisher,  at  breakfast. 

He  spoke  with  the  manner  of  command  rather  than 
suggestion — ordaining  for  the  others  according  tu  his 
own  ideas  of  fitness,  without  reference  to  their  wishes. 

"Just!"  said  Mrs.  Brand,  complaisant  as  usual. 


"It  would  bo  rather  jolly,"  said  Ida,  not  caring  to 
agree  too^  enthusiastically,  but  secretly  charmed  with 
the  idea.  "  What  do  you  say,  princess  ? "  she  added, 
turning  to  the  Italian  as  if  it  were  a  foregone  conclusion 
that  those  two,  who  were  their  table  companions,  should 
also  be  their  comrades  in  the  day's  pleasures. 

Gerald's  keen  eyes  flashed  impatiently,  and  his  stern 
mouth  hardened  to  a  line. 

"  Five  is  an  impossible  number,"  he  said,  as  if  to 
himself  ;  but  everyone  heard,  though  no  one  took  up  the 
challenge. 

"  It  will  be  lovely,"  said  the  princess,  smiling  in  her 
sweet,  way.  Her  eyes  and  her  smile  took  in  the  whole 
company.  "  Giulio'  had  already  suggested  this  little 
journey  to  me.  I  am  glad  that  Mr.  Frobisher  has  fallen 
in  with  the  idea  so  amiably." 

"  Pardon  me ;  I  have  fallen  in  with  no  idea  from  the 
baron  or  anyone  else,"  said  Gerald  ill-temperedly.  "I 
was  not  aware  that  the  baron  had  any  ideas — on  the 
subject,"  he  added,  as  a  rider  to  the  original  proposi- 
tion, and  when  he  thought  the  sarcasm  had  had  time  to 
strike. 

The  young  man  laughed,  and  showed  his  small,  white, 
pointed  teeth,  like  a  row  of  little  shark's  teeth  gleaming 
beneath  his  silken  moustache. 

"Ah!  my  friend,"  he  said  gaily.  "A  life  spent  in 
shooting  rhinoceroses  and  bears  is  not  the  best  school 
for  the  knowledge  of  mankind.  We  who  live  in  cities 
have  the  advantage  over  you  men  of  sport  and  the 
chase.  We  have  humanity  as  our  books.  You  study 
only  the  habits  of  bears  and  buffaloes." 

"We  learn  a  little  about,  men,  too,"  said  Gerald 
slowly.  "We  have  to  deal  with  slaves  and  thieves, 
cowards  and  adventurers  of  all  kinds.  We  learn  their 
ways  pretty  accurately,  I  assure  you." 

"  No  doubt,"  said  the  barm,  retreating  in  good  order, 
but,  adding,  as  his  last  shot — "  This,  however,  proves  my 
point.  These  slaves  and  cowards,  etc.,  do  not  make  up 
the  general  society  of  ordinary  European  drawing- 
rooms.  Hence  you  must  allow  us  stay-at-home  citizens 
to  have  some  advantages  ;  and  among  them  you  must 
giant  us  the  knowledge  of  our  own  world  of  gentlehood 
and  the  best  traditions  of  good  breeding  and  social  dip- 
lomacy." 

'•What  time  shall  we  start?"  said  Id?.,  to  create  a 
diversion. 

These  dangerous  fencings  and  bitter  double  meanings 
were  always  going  on  between  the  two  men — a  duel  as 
yet  with  the  foils  only:  but  the  young  heiress  was 
beginning  to  fear  a  more  serious  collision,  as  the  ani- 
mosity between  them  was  daily  growing  more  apparent 
and  more  extreme.  How  long  it  would  continue  re- 
stiained  within  the  due  boundaries  of  courtesy  remained 
to  be  seen.  As  things  were,  it  continually  looked  as  if 
it  would  break  loose  like  a  Hood,  and  carry  devastation 
and  destruction  into  the  little  settlement  they  had 
formed  among  themselves. 

Gerald  looked  at  his  watch. 

'  Be  ready  in  half-a7i-hour,"  he  said  shortly. 

"  That  will  be  a  little  too  quick  for  me,  Mr.  Fro- 
bisher,"' said  the  princess,  again  smiling  as  if  the  very 
soul  of  sweetness  were  lodged  in  her  handsome  body. 
If  they  could  have  read  her  heart  and  thoughts!  ''I 
am  not  so  energetic  as  you  English.  I  want  a  margin 
for  deliberation.'' 

"  If  your  margin  throws  us  t<  o  late  we  cannot  go  at 
all,"  said  Gerald  unpleasantly. 


I'l.-BEUAr.Y  2-5,  1  r 


TO-DAY. 


rv 


IT   WAS   TIME    TO    RETl  EN. 


"We  must  not  inconvenience  my  mother,"  said  the 
baron  with  a  fine  air  of  filial  piety  and  conventional 
courtesy. 

"  Of  course  not,"'  said  Ida. 

Whereupon  the  young  Italian  leaned  over  to  the 
pretty  girl,  and  said  "  Thank  you,  signorina ! "  with 
effusion,  holding  out  his  hand  as  one  under  the  influ- 
ence of"  strong  emotion.  Looking  into  the  flushing 
face  of  the  girl  with  a  world  of  tender  meaning  in  his 
eyes,  he  said,  speaking  to  his  mother,  but  still  looking 
at  Ida  ;  "  The  signorina,  always  does  and  says  exactly 
the-  light  thing  at  the  right  moment  and  in  the  right 
way.    Is  it  not  so,  my  mother?" 

■"  Assuredly  '    She  is  a  saint !  "  said  the  princess. 

Gerald  rose  abruptly  from  the  table. 

"Very  well,"  he  said,  holding  his  head  straight  and 
high.  "  I  will  give  you  a  quarter's  grace,  princess.  I 
will  order  the  carriage  for  the  half-hour,  when  I  shall 
expec  t  you  all  to  be  ready." 

"  If  our  proceedings  inconvenience  you,  my  friend,  I 
will  take  command  of  the  party,"  said  the  Italian,  with 
a  manner  suggestive  of  the  heathen  Chinee,  it  was  so 
bland  and  so  childlike. 

Gerald  disdained  to  reply,  save  by  a  look  that  was  de- 
cidedly contemptuous — as  contemptuous  and  as  essen- 
tially insulting  as  a  blow  would  have  been.  Then  he 
strode  out  of  the  room,  and  worked  off  a  little  of  his 
spleen  cm  the  unoffending  hall-porter,  who  chanced  to 
cross  his  path. 


Mother  and  son  exchanged  looks. 

"  Our  friend  is  nob  in  the  best  of  humours  to-day," 
laughed  the  baron. 

"Are  all  English  gentlemen  like  that?"  queried  the 
princess.  "And  yet" — correcting  herself — "how  foolish 
to  ask  such  a  question,  when  I  know  so  much  better  ! 
Who,  indeed,  knows  so  well  as  I  the  charm  of  the 
English  character?  Was  not  my  own  dear  mother  an 
Englishwoman  ? " 

"  They  are  adorable,"  said  the  baron  with  fervour. 
"Who  that  knows  them  would  not  love  them? — for  the 
sake  of  'one ! "  he  added,  in  a  low  voice,  those  velvety 
eyes  looking  into  Ida's  with  the  love  and  softness,  the 
passion  and  the  prayer  he  knew  so  well  to  throw  into 
them — "  for  the  sake  of  one,  loving  all !  " 

"Had  we  not  better  go  and  get  ready?"  said  Mrs. 
Brand,  with  the  fear  of  Gerald  Frobisher  before  her  eyes. 

"  Yes,  let  us  go,"  said  Ida  in  a  half-relieved,  half-em- 
barrassed kind  of  way. 

And  again  mother  and  son  exchanged  glances,  and  the 
smile  that  just  lifted  the  corner  of  each  well-shaped  but 
over-fleshy  mouth  meant  "Good  so  far."  "Winged  if 
not  yet  bagged  "  would  have  been  an  Englishman's  for- 
mula. 

The  morning  had  passed  into  the  early  afternoon 
without  untoward  accident  of  any  kind — unless  Gerald 
Frobisher' s  temper  might  be  called  untoward.  Never 
remarkable  for  amiability,  to-day  it  was  of  the  vilest 
kind  to  be  found.    His  rough  life  and  adventurous  ex- 


6S 


TO-DAY. 


February  23,  1S05. 


periences  seemed  to  have  hardened  him  to  so  much 
granite — granite,  abraded  at  all  four  corners  and  full 
of  jagged  edges  and  wounding  spikes.  It  served,  how- 
ever, to  bring  out  into  greater  relief  the  sweet  courtesies 
and  graceful  plasticities  of  the  baron,  whose  whole  ener- 
gies seemed  devoted  to  the  one  desire  to  please  and  en- 
tertain the  signorina — to  do  as  she  desired — to  anticipate 
her  unspoken  wishes  and  make  her  feel  that  she  was 
the  main  object  of  his  thoughts  and  the — as  yet  unde- 
clared— mistress  of  his  heart  and  life.  His  gentleness, 
his  unfailing  good  humour,  the  skill  with  which  he  par- 
ried Gerald's  rougher  onslaughts — but  in  the  parrying 
inflaming  the  Englishman's  anger  still  more,  thus  put- 
ting him  for  ever  more  and  more  in  the  wrong — his 
caressing  eyes  and  musical  voice,  his  subtle  tenderness, 
all  stole  over  Ida  as  some  irresistible  charm,  some  power- 
ful spell  spoken  by  a  potent  magician.  For  one  of  the 
few  times  in  her  young  life  she  contemplated  her  wealth 
with  a  glow  of  pride  and  delight,  and  rejoiced  that  she 
was  free,  rich,  and  the  mistress  of  her  own  destiny. 

All  this  Gerald  saw  and  understood.  And  the  feelings 
which  this  knowledge  roused  in  him  were  akin  to  those 
with  which  he  had  defied  a  savage  chief  at  the  head  of 
his  tribe,  stalked  a  rogue  elephant,  circumvented  a  man- 
eating  tiger,  fought  single-handed  with  a  cobra,  or  looked 
for  whipsnakes  in  the  grass  that  he  might  crush  them 
before  they  had  power  to  sting.  In  the  baron  he  recog- 
nised his  enemy,  whom  yet  he  despised,  and  forthwith 
set  himself  to  destroy,  with  the  same  feeling  if  not 
by  the  same  methods  as  those  with  which  he  had  de- 
stroyed these  others  in  the  jungles  and  the  wilds. 

The  object  of  the  expedition  had  been  accomplished. 
They  had  seen  the  Schloss  and  heard  the  legends ; 
peered  into  the  dungeons  and  admired  the  view  from  the 
battlements  ;  eaten  their  luncheon  spread  on  the  trestled 
tables  of  the  courtyard ;  talked  platitudes  with  an  air 
of  profundity ;  skirted  by  intense  feelings  with  an  air 
of  indifference ;  and  done  all  that  people  in  their  cir- 
cumstances are  wont  to  do.  And  now  it  was  time  to 
return — Ida  always  between  the  two  men  who  were  bat- 
tling together  for  her  possession  with  as  much  fierceness, 
and  to  the  same  purpose,  as  if  they  had  been  fighting 
with  clash  of.  steel,  not  mere  fire  of  words.  Fortune 
hunters  both  of  them,  they  were  the  Scylla  and  Charybdis 
of  the  girl's  perilous  voyage.  Into  whose  hands  so  ever 
she  might  fall  she  would  fall  to  her  enduring  sorrow. 

They  were  not  adventurers  of  the  vulgar  type — that 
is,  adventurers  in  the  sense  of  holding  a  different  social 
position  from  that  which  they  assumed.  They  were 
gentlemen  of  good  family;  but  fortune-hunters  to  whom 
the  income  was  of  more  account  than  the  woman,  and 
who  made  pretence  of  a.  love  they  did  not  feel.  For 
Gerald's  somewhat  brutal  attitude  of  command  was 
love-making  in  his  way — a  way  analogous  to  that  of  the 
savage  who  first  knocks  his  intended  wife  senseless  and 
then  carries  her  off  to  his  own  hut  in  the  bush — his  con 
quest,  lover,  wife,  and  victim  all  in  one. 

She  had  her  choice  then  between  the  two.  In  Gerald 
she  would  find  a  spirit  of  domination  that  would  crush 
her  to  the  earth — a  materialistic,  unpoetic  kind  of  na- 
ture that  would  leave  her  soul  as  arid  as  the  parched 
sands  of  the  Libyan  desert — a  tyrant,  a  master,  a  con- 
queror: In  Giulio  di  Siena  she  would  have  infidelity, 
intrigue,  jealousy,  and  what  to  an  Englishwoman,  accus- 
tomed to  much  open-air  exercise  and  absolute  freedom 
■of  movement,  would  be  practically  incarceration.  In 
the  princess  she  would  have  a  mother-in-law  who  would 


rule  her  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and  never  take  her  to  her 
heart  as  a  daughter  ;  who  would  persecute  her  to  become 
a  Catholic ;  who  would  ridicule  her  English  ways  and 
decry  her  nationality ;  who  would  make  up  for  her  hus- 
band's neglect  by  a  system  of  espionage  which  would 
not  leave  her  one  shred  of  spontaneous  freedom ;  and 
who,  in  all  of  whose  persecutions  here  and  glacial  bar- 
riers there,  would  be  joined  by  her  married  daughter, 
La  Conaessa  Maria  del  Sole,  who  would  repeat  and  ex- 
aggerate all  that  her  mother  might  say  and  do.  Of  the 
two  the  balance  of  unhappiness  would  be  on  the  side  of 
the  Italian  ;  but  neither  man  would  treat  her  well,  and  in 
a  marriage  with  each  alike  would  be  her  misery. 

The  two  aspirants  had  nearly  come  to  that  duel,  with 
the  buttons  off,  which  seemed  as  if  it  must  eventually 
take  place,  over  the  fifth  seat  of  the  carriage,  which 
meant  who  should  sit  outside  with  the  coachman.  The 
friction  had  been  so  great,  and  the  courtesy-disguise  so 
thin,  that  the  princess  had  half-laughingly  proposed 
drawing  lots  for  the  chance.  But  perhaps  because  she 
had  proposed  it,  perhaps  because  he  disdained  to  put 
himself  in  any  sense  on  an  equality  with  the  despised 
Italian,  Gerald  had  rejected  this  arrangement.  With  as 
much  haughtiness  as  sullenness  he  had  ended  the  con- 
test by  mounting  the  box — whence  he  revenged  himself 
by  turning  round  and  engrossing,  so  far  as  he  could, 
Ida's  whole  attention  by  his  persistent  talk.  He  spoke 
tc  no  one  else.  If  the  princess  or  the  baron  cut  into  the 
conversatien,  he  ignored  each  as  if  neither  existed — 
save  when  obliged  to  answer  a  question  directly  ad- 
dressed to  him  ;  and  then  he  answered  in  a  monosyllable  ; 
and  his  voice  was  more  like  a  bear's  growl  than  even 
before.  If  it  were  the  baron  who  spoke  to  him  on  any 
subject  independent  of  the  matter  in  hand,  he  contented 
himself  with  a  reply  that  effectually  put  a  stop  to  all 
such  advances,  for  this  time,  at  least.  He  was  more  un- 
pleasant than  could  have  been  believed,  as  the  princess 
said  in  her  pretty  broken  English,  and,  so  far  as  he  could, 
he  spoiled  the  day's1  pleasure  for  all  concerned,  anxious 
a 3  he  was  to  punish  all  and  sundry  for  the  infliction  of 
that  undesired  association.  For  this,  too,  as  for  some 
other  things,  the  baron  owed  him  more  than  one ;  and 
in  his  own  mind  resolved  to  pay  his  debt  with  interest. 
The  only  difficulty  was— How  could  he  pay  that  debt  ? 
The  Englishman  was  stronger  than  he,  and  braver. 
And  stabbing  in  the  back,  in  the  dark,  was  not  ap- 
parently very  feasible. 

The  way  from  the  Schloss  led  down  to  the  valley 
by  a  road  cut  in  the  side  of  the  mountain.  A  mass  of 
rock  and  unscalable  escarpments  rose  sheer  from  the 
path  above — a  precipice  with  eternity  at  the  bottom  fell 
sharply  down  below.  The  road  was  full  of  these  acute 
angles  and  hazardous  curves  so  well  known  to  conti- 
nental travellers — angles  and  curves  which  were  veri- 
table death-traps,  and  where  the  marvel  was  that  any- 
one should  escape  with  his  life.  Two  half-broken, 
lccsely-harnessed  horses,  mainly  guided  by  the  voice  of 
a  voluble  and  vociferous  coachman,  who  held  his  reSJM 
as  slack  as  a  bunch  of  ribbons  in  a  cotillon,  were  the 
locomotive  agents  of  the  carriage,  in  a  transit  where  the 
chances  of  disaster  were  as  innumerable  as  there  were 
flowers  on  the  broad  ledges  of  inaccessible  rocks.  Yet 
tragic  occurrences  were  as  rare  as  the  passing  of  a  herd 
of  chamois  or  a  fight  between  an  eagle  and  a  vulture 
in  the  sky.  Rains  had  washed  away  some  of  the  edges — 
both  of  the  cliffs  above,  whereby  the  road  was  strewn 
with  stones  that  rolled  as  the  horses  stepped  on  them, 


February  23,  lS9o. 


TO-DAY. 


GO 


and  of  the  outer  line'  against  the  sharp  decline  below. 
Still,  they  had  gone  up  in  safety  in  the  morning,  and 
thev  supposed  they  should  come  down  in  safety  in  the 
afternoon.  The  horses,  if  loosely  handled,  and  not 
broken  according  to  our  ideas,  were  familiar  with  the 
read;  and  the  coachman,  for  all  his  outlandish  methods 
of  driving,  knew  his  work. 

Something 
startled  them. 
The  horses,  used 
to  the  road  as 
they  were,  sure- 
footed, and,  as  a 
rule  trustworthy 
in    their  own 

wild  way,  sud- 
denly broke 
loose,  and  took 

matters  into 

their  own  keep- 
ing. Disdaining 

bit  and  bridle, 

they  tore  down 

the  steep  incline, 

■the  shouts  of  tha 

terrified  driver 

maddening  them 

still   more,  and 

the     hand  of 

Gerald  Frobishe  r 

on  the  rein  of  no 

avail.   They  had 

taken   the  bit 

between  their 

teeth,  and.  their 

teeth  were 

strong.  The 

•danger  was  im- 
minent. They 

were  close  to  the 

worst  bit  of  the 

road,  where  the 

most  capful 

•driver,  doing  all 

he  knew,  could 

never   be  quite 

■sure     of  safe 

steering.  Now, 

as  things  were, 

-destruction 

seemed  inevi- 
table. 

The  princess  shrieked,  and  flung  her  arms  abroad, 
calling  on  the  saints,  and  adding  to  the  horror  of  the 
moment  by  her  ungovernable  terror.  The  young  baron 
was  in  a  state  of  collapse.  Almost  fainting,  speechless, 
motionless,  his  eyes  closed,  his  form  drooping,  he  lay  as 
if  half  dead.  Ida  sat  perfectly  still,  her  eyes  wide  open, 
as  if  she  were  watching  how  things  would  go ;  and  Mrs. 
Brand,  looking  into  vacancy,  moved  her  lips  in  silent 
prayer.  The  carriage  swayed  from  side  to  side,  and  one 
wheel  hung  over  the  abyss,  when  Gerald  leaped  from 
the  box,  and  at  the  risk  of  his  life  somehow  managed  to 
secure  the  bridle  of  the  off  horse,  and  by  sheer  force  of 
strength  stopped  him  in  the  plunge  and  flung  him  back 
<ou  his  haunches.    His  grasp  missed  would  have  sent 


THEY   STROLLED   ABOUT   THE    HOTEL  GARDENS. 


them  all  to  the  bottom  of  the  abyss  together.  As  it 
was,  they  were  safe,  through  his  gallant  action,  gallantly 
performed ;  and,  however  unpleasant  his  temper  might 
have  been,  he  had  undoubtedly  saved  them  all  from 
destruction. 

But  the  contempt  with  which  he  grasped  the  baron  by 
the  shoulder  and  shook  him  as  a  terrier  shakes  a  rat ;  the 

driver  mean- 
while having  got 
to  the  head  of 
his  horses,  with 
whom  he  was 
reasoning  a  n  d 
arguing,  point- 
ing out  the  error 
of  their  ways, 
and  the  folly,  as 
j  well  as  wicked- 
ly ness,  of  which 
they  had  been 
guilty  — ■  the 
superb  tone  of 
disdainful  supe- 
riority with 
which  he  said : 
"  Come,  baron, 
pull  yourself 
together,  like  a 
man!  Your 
precious  life  is 
in  no  danger  — 
no  thanks  to  you 
tor  yourself  or 
the  others.  You 
■were  not  too 
frightened,  I  can 
see,"  he  added, 
turning  to  Ida, 
and  speaking 
with  more 
genuine  admira- 
tion than  he  had 
ever  yet  shown 
to  her.  "  You 
are  English,  and 
know  how  to 
face  danger  with 
courage  ! " 

"  It  is  well  to 
be  without 
nerves,"  sobbeo. 
the  princess. 

"  We  southerners  have  susceptibilities  which  you  cold 
northerners  want." 

"  They  are  inconvenient  things  at  times,"  said  Gerald 
significantly. 

By  now  the  baron  had  recovered,  and  could  take  part 
in  things  as  they  were. 

"  I  can  face  a,  bullet ! "  he  said,  quite  as  significantly. 
"  Where  my  mother  and  la  signorina,  are  concerned  I 
confess  I  lose  my  head.  Had  I  been  alone  you  would 
have  seen  a  different  man." 

"  Possibly,"  said  Gerald  with  a  sneer.  "  Meanwhile, 
the  man  we  have  seen  has  not  contributed  much  to  the 
safety  of  the  ladies  far  whom  he  professes  so  much 
regard.    We  can  judge  of  the  unseen  only  by  the  seen." 


70 


TO-DAY. 


February  23,  1895. 


"  We  will  speak  of  this  again,"  said  the  baron  with 
meaning,  lightly  touching  his  own  breast. 

"  At  your  pleasure,"  said  Gerald,  measuring  him 
from  head  to  foot  with  eyes  that  spoke  more  than  lips 
could  have  done.  It  was  as  if  they  had  said  :  "  Reluctant 
to  meet  you  ?  I,  the  crack  shot  of  the  African  wilds 
and  the  Indian  jungles,  afraid  to1  face  a  nerveless  coward 
like  you?" 

All  that  evening  the  Englishman  waited  for  the  chal- 
lenge which  never  came1.  When  dinner  was  over  he 
strolled  about  the  hotel  gardens,  and  made  love  to  Ida 
in  his  domineering  trenchant  way.  But  the  baron  and 
his  mother  did  not  appear.  They  had  been  at  the  table 
d'hote  dinner,  where  Gerald  had  almost  insulted  the 
young  man — where  Ida.  had  been  now  cool  and  now 
sorry  as  her  mind  dwelt  now  on  her  young  lover's 
cowardice  and  now  on  his  charms.  But  after  dinner 
they  had  vanished  into  space,  and  no'  message  came  to 
any  of  the  group.  Ida  was  restless  and  of  uncertain 
mood.  She  sometimes  laughed  almost  hysterically  and 
sometimes  was  near  to  tears.  The  brutal  strain  in 
Gerald's  character  had  never  rasped  her  as  it  rasped 
her  to-night  and  in  her  heart  she  hated  him  as  if  he 
had  been  a  murderer.  When  she  saw  that,  for  sure, 
the  Italians  would  not  come  back  this  evening,  she,  too, 
slipped  away  with  an  aching  heart  and  a  temper  nearly 
as  bad  as  Gerald's. 

The  one  a  brute  and  the  other  a  coward,"  she  said 
tolierf-elf ;  "  and  the  coward  the  best  of  the  two  !  " 


THE   QUEEN   OF   ITALY'S  TACT. 

One  day  last  year  during  the  festivities  which  cele- 
brated the  silver  wedding  of  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Italy,  the  German  Emperor  was  driving  with  King  Hum- 
bert through  the  streets  of  Rome.  There  was  no  parade. 
The  two  monarehs  were  merely  taking  an  airing.  Pre- 
sently Wilhelm,  who  is  much  more  fond  of  ceremonial 
than  Humbert  happens  to  be,  turned  to  the  King  and 
said— 

"Let's  call  out  the  troops  for  a.  salute  !" 

King  Humbert  suggested  that  it  was  hardly  practic- 
able;  that  it  was  not  the  custom  to  call  out  the  Italian 
troops  merely  to  salute  the  King. 

"Why!"  exclaimed  the  impulsive  German  monarch 
with  a.  laugh,  "  you  are  the  King !  Can't  you  call  out 
your  own  troops  when  you  like  ? " 

"  Oh,"  replied  the  King,  not  caring  to  have  the  issue 
pressed,  "  here  comes  Marguerite;  we  will  ask  her  !  " 

The  Queen's  carriage,  with  Her  Majesty  and  the  Ger- 
man Empress,  was  following,  so  they  waited  for  it.  Then 
the  King,  with  a.  quietly  humorous  show  of  deference, 
referred  the  matter  to  the  Queen,  who  took  in  the  pre- 
dicament instantly,  and,  gravely  addressing"  the 
Emperor,  said:  "You  see  we  are  close  to  the  Vatican, 
and  I  fear  it  would  alarm  the  Pope  if  we  were  to  call  out 
the  troops.  He  is  no.t  accustomed  to  such  displays 
under  his  windows,  and  I  should  not  like  to  alarm  the 
dear  old  man." 

There  was  no  salute  that  day. 

I  have  heard  Queen  Marguerite  called  "the  personi- 
fication of  charity."  When  one  of  her  friends  advised  her 
to  be  economical,  "  because  one  never  knows  what  may 
happen,"  the  Queen  replied :  "  No ;  what  comes  from 
the  country  must  go  back  to  the  country!"  She  is  an 
enthusiastic  and  discriminating  patrol!  of  art,  and  has 
done  much  to  encourage  lace  manufacture  and  the  pro 
duction  of  silk  embroidery  in  Italy  ;  she  is  actively 
interested  in  founding  industrial  schools  for  girls  ;  she 
contributes  liberally  to  hospitals,  and  orphan  and  blind 
asylums,  and  goes  to  the  children's  hospitals,  and  tells 
stories  to  the  youngsters,  and  brings  them  toys. 

— Ladies'  Home  Journal. 


The  next  morning  mother  and  son  had  gone,  and  a 
sweetly-worded  note  to  Ida  from  the  princess  told  the 
reason  of  this  sudden  flight.  They  went,  it  said,  because 
they  saw  how  things  were  between  her,  la  signorina,  and 
Mr.  Frobisher.  He  was  her  lover  and  she  loved  him. 
The  baron's  heart  was  broken;  he  loved  the  signorina 
to  distraction ;  but  he  was  too  delicate  to  interfere  in 
a  thing  already  arranged — and  his  only  duty  was  flight. 
Might  all  the  saints  bless  the  sweet  young  English  girl 
whom  they,  her  Italian  friends,  would  never  forget ! 

When  he  heard  of  this  sudden  flight  Gerald  laughed 
aloud, 

"  That  cur  !  that  coward  !  "  he  said,  contemptuously. 
"  He  has  shown  his  true  colours  at  last,  and  we  are  well 
rid  of  him.  Now,  Ida,  we  can  be  happy,  and  you  will 
be  my  wife  before  the  year  is  out." 

On  which  strength  came  to  the  girl  through  her  very 
terror. 

"Y'our  wife?"  she  said,  her  large  eyes  wide  open  and 
full  of  horror.  "  I  would  rather  die  first !  If  I  cannot 
marry  the  baron  I  will  many  no  one  else,  and  certainly 
not  you  who  treated  him  so  ill ! " 

So  there  it  was.  Th©  fortune-hunters  were  baulked 
of  their  bag,  and  the  young  heiress  escaped  the  Scylla 
of  brutality  and  the  Charybdis  of  deception.  She  went 
home  a  sadder  if  not  a  wiser  woman,  free  to  bestow 
herself  and  her  fortune  on  whom  she  would — as,  when  the 
right  man  came  along,  she  certainly  would. 


THE    MAJOR    AND  I. 
The  Major  and  I,  in  the  summer, 

When  twilights  were  tender  and  still, 
Oft  wandered  down  there  by  the  waters 

That  flow  by  the  judge's  old  mill. 

Right  often  we  sat  there  discussing 

The  various  features  of  life, 
I  fond  of  romance,  and  the  Major — 

A  practical  man — with  a  knife  ! 

"  Now,  here,"  ho  would  say,  "  is  a  flower  ; 

It's  extract  is  worth  a  &ood  deal — 
If  the  botanists  knew — "  and  he'd  criish  it 

As  if  the  poor  thing  couldn't  feel  ! 

The  water  is  talking,"  I  tell  him,' 
"  And  singing  a  song  as  it  goes  ;•" 
"Tut,  tut,"  says  the  Major,  and  coldly 
He  keeps  on  dissecting  the  rose ! 

"  The  trees  with  their  beautiful  banners 

Are  glassed  in  the  water,"  I  say  ; 
"  Y'es,"  the  Major  replies,  "  in  this  section 

A  saw  mil!  would  certainly  pay"! 

Thus  we  talk,  and  he  calmly  reduces 
My  dreams  till  no  longer  they  please; 

He'd  ruin  a  world  full  of  roses 

And  cut  down  the  last  of  the  trees! 

Frank  L.  Stanton. 


In  "  To-Day  "for  March  9,  a  second  wries  of 
Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk,  by  Herbert 
Keen,  Author  of  My  Landlady's  Stories,  u-iU  be 

commenced. 


February  23,  ISOj. 


71 


CIVILTSATIONIN  PROGRESS  ,* 

Tonga,  where  the  Rev.  Shirley  Baker — known  in  Aus- 
tralia as  the  Burly  Shaker — had  his  remarkable  diver- 
sions as  a  prime   minister,  travesties  representative 
institutions  by  the  absurdity  with  which  details  are 
carried  out.    Take  for  instance,  the  promulgation  of 
MR.  baker's  wild  birds'  protection  act. 
He  instructed    the   criers  to  cry  the  preamble  and  a 
resume  of  the  Act — That  whereas  certain  birds,  particularly 
specified,  were  of  public  utility  as  the  destroyers  of  worms 
fleas,  and  other  noxious  insects,  they  are  not  to  be  killed  on 
pain  of  heavy  penalties.     But  the  crier's  version  was  : 
"  Hear  me,  all  people.    It  is  the  command  of  the  Govern- 
ment— worms,  fleas,  and  all  creeping  things  are  useful  ;  so 
also  are  birds,  therefore  it  is  ordained  that  they  shall  not 
die  ;  whosoever  shall  kill  any  bug,  or  flea,  or  worm,  or  bird, 
or  other  such  thing,  shall  be  grievously  punished."     It  is 
right  to  say  that  the  Tongans  received  the  order  without 
surprise,  for  the  protection  of  insects  seemed  to  them  quite 
as  reasonable  as  the  protection  of  birds,  or  indeed  as  any 
other  of  Mr.  Baker's  statutes, 
or  the  description  of 

a  tonga  cabinet  minister. 
"  I  know,"  he  ci'ies.  "  I  have  not  been  to  my  office  for 
a  week.  And  why?  Because  I  am  alone  in  the  world. 
You  talk  of  work  ;  well,  I  have  been  at  work — my  work  is 
to  fill  my  stomach."  He  clutches  the  organ  in  question 
with  both  hands.  His  eyes  roll,  his  false  teeth  shut  with  a 
snap,  and  he  hisses  over  them.  "I  have  no  wife,  no  sons, 
no  daughters.  Who  is  to  fill  my  stomach  for  me  ?  Why," 
he  cried,  as  the  whole  piteousness  of  the  situation  thrust 
itself  upon  him,  "it's  empty  now.  Order  me  to  do  what 
you  will  and  I  will  do  it,  but  only  feed  me."  He  sat  down 
choked  with  his  impassioned  burst  of  eloquence.  The 
Premier  suggested  that  a  convict  should  be  told  off  to  catch 
fish  for  the  minister,  and  dig  his  yams.  This  was  a  straw  to 
the  drowning  financier.  "Yes,"  he  cried,  "give  me  a 
prisoner — two  prisoners,  or  even  three  to  feed  me,  but  I 
think  that  it  will  want  four  :  feed  me,  and  I  will  sit  in  my 
office  all  day."  It  was  eventually  decided  that  Goschen 
should  attend  his  office  on  alternate  days,  and  upon  this 
understanding  Campbell  withdrew  his  resignation.  Goschen 
can  scarcely  write  his  own  name,  much  less  add  up  figures  ; 
but  he  is  the  king's  nephew,  and  receives  £120  a  year  as 
Treasurer,  and  no  money  can  be  paid  out  of  the  Treasury 
except  in  his  presence. 

The  police  in  Tonga  have  very  fine  title they  ara 
classed  in  three  ranks — 

The  Inixipeketa  (inspector)  with  a  salary  of  £30,  the 
polisi  (policeman)  with  £20,  and  the  hateta  (cadet)  with  £10 
a  year.  Kubu  has  hit  upon  the  happy  idea  of  letting  promo- 
tion depend  upon  individual  activity,  as  shown  by  the  num- 
ber of  prosecutions  instituted  by  each  man. 

This  being  the  case  they  found  the  most  profitable 
duty  in  which  a  policeman  could  engage  was  the  detec- 
tion of  flirting,  which  Mr.  Baker  in  his  paternal  solici- 
tude (he  was  a  Nonconformist  missionary  as  well  as 
Prime  Minister,  Treasurer,  and  Auditor-General)  had 
made  an  indictable  offence.  The  police  were  highly 
indignant  when  Mr.  Basil  Thomson,  the  author  of  this 
diverting  book,  and  a  son  of  the  late  Archbishop  of 
York,  removed  it  from  the  list. 
Even  more  extraordinary  was  the 

treasury  order  system. 
Let  us  trace  the  career  of  one  of  these  ' '  Treasury 
Orders  "  now  before  me.  It  was  drawn  on  January  7th,  1889, 
infavour  of  Sekonaia  Tuhetoka  for  twenty-seven  dollars,  pro- 
bably a  quarter's  rent  of  one  of  the  leases  in  Haapai,  since 
it  is  indorsed  'Department  of  Leases.'  It  bears  Mr.  Baker's 
signature  lithographed,  besides  Sateki's  name  as  Minisitu 
Peimadta  (Minister  Paymaster),  and  S.  E.  W.  Baker's  as 
clerk  to  the  Premier.  Tuhetoka  has  long  ago  forestalled 
this  money  at  the  nearest  store,  and  he  hands  over  the 
"  Treasury  Order  "  towards  the  reduction  of  his  score  in 
the  hope  that  it  may  so  far  soften  the  heart  of  the  merchant 
as  to  procure  fresh  credit  for  him.  In  March  the  store- 
keeper buys  a  cartload  of  copra  from  a  native,  and  tenders 
Tuhetoka's  "Treasury  Order"  in  payment  ;  and  a  week 
later  the  man  hands  it  to  the  tax  clerk  in  settlement  of  his 
poll-tax,  now  two  years  in  arrear.  It  is  written  in  the  law 
that  the  sub-treasurers  shall  not  cash  "Treasury  Orders," 
but  it  is  nowhere  forbidden  to  receive  them  as  revenue. 
So  the  clerkgives  him  a  receiptin  full  for  his  taxes  (?),  and  the 
revenue  books  show  the  country  to  be  twenty-seven  dollars 
richer  for  the  worthless  paper  which  has  never  been  debited 
as  expenditure.  Then  the  Premier's  descent  upon  the  sub- 
treasury  is  made,  and  the  "  Treasury  Order  "  finishes  its 
mendacious  career  in  the  waste-paper  basket  in  Nukualofa. 


Aii  J—  >.     .  .  .  .  L 

THE  ETC.   IN  MR.   BAKER'S  BUDGET. 

Items  such  as  "  Police  uniforms,  hardware,  parlia- 
mentary expenses,  tanks,  medicines,  building  materials, 
lime,  etc.,  £769  6s.  2d.,"  flung  together  in  heterogeneous 
incongruity,  provoked  speculation  as  to  what  the  "  et-cetera  " 
might  comprise,  and  when  the  vouchers  disclosed  the  fact 
that  groceries  (£35  19s  2d.),  Mr.  Baker's  subscription  to 
the  Northern  Club,  Auckland,  his  son's  cab,  tram,  and  boat 
hire  (.£46),  and  boots  and  shoes  (£2  9s.  9d.),  were  included, 
it  was  felt  that  the  search  had  not  been  in  vain. 

At  one  time  there  was  a  cricket  boom  in  Tonga,  but 
as  the  natives  would  play  from  fifty  to  seventy  a  side, 
and  the  matches  often  ran  into  weeks,  it  was  felt  that 
the  industries  of  the  Islands  would  suffer.  When  fresh 
revenue  was  needed  even  Mr.  Thomson  entered  into  a 
deal  with  an  eminent  foreign  stamp  dealer,  and  issued  a 
new  set  of  postage  stamps.  When  the  Kelly  gang  was 
terrorising  Australia  they  had  a  bushranging  boom,  but 
the  bushrangers  grew  so  tired  of  the  bush  to  which  they 
had  taken  after  some  childish  outrages,  that  they  com- 
mitted suicide.  Mr.  Baker  had  hit  upon  the  idea  of 
allowing  the  people  who  took  the  collecting-plates  round 
in  church  to  dedicate  them  to  some  living  or  dead 
dignitary,  in  order  to  make  the  relatives  contribute. 
But  even  this  was  brought  to  a  fiasco  by  a  young  chief 
dedicating  the  collection  plate  to  his  favourite  dog. 

The  crowning  grotesqueness  was  perhaps  at 

THE  OPENING  OF  PARLIAMENT. 

It  is  an  anxious  moment  for  the  newly -appointed 
Scrgeant-at-Arms,  Kubu's  brother,  Kalauta,  who  is  charged 
with  the  duty  of  finding  room  for  everyone.  The  "  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  people"  (as  the  Constitution  calls  them), 
are  packed  into  the  benches  on  the  right  side  of  the  House 
above  the  gangway  :  the  nobles  on  the  left  behind  the  Trea- 
sury bench,  whete  sit  the  Cabinet  Ministers,  headed  by 
GOschen,who,  in  a  naval  frock-coat  and  check  trousers,  gives 
a  tone  of  elegance  to  the  whole  Ministry.  The  next  frcnt 
bench  has  with  difficulty  been  reserved  for  the  suite  of  the 
High  Commissioner,  whose  British  uniforms  are  thrown 
into  shade  by  the  magenta  satin  gowns  that  clothe  the  portly 
forms  of  the  Princesses  Charlotte  and  Anna  Jane  behind 
them.  On  the  crimson  dais  is  the  King's  gilt  chair,  and 
beside  it  the  royal  crown,  the  heaviest  in  the  world,  reclines 
upon  its  cushion  supported  by  a  three-legged  table.  The 
crown  was  bought  by  the  late  Premier  from  some  merchants 
in  Sydney,  and  but  for  the  verdigris  in  the  flutings,  might 
very  well  pass  for  gold. 

The  suspense  is  broken  at  last  by  the  rattle  of  saluting  - 
arms,  and  the  blare  of  the  Tongan  National  Anthem. 
Kalauta  shouts  "  Koe  Tu'i!"  and  we  all  rise  as  the  king 
strides  into  the  room  soberly  clad,  almost  erect  for  all  his 
ninety  years,  the  one  dignified  figure  in  all  this  motley 
assembly  of  his  subjects.  A  sovereign  who  wields 
absolute  power  may  well  tire  of  pomp  and  circumstance 
after  his  ninetieth  year.  He  is  followed  by  his  aides-de- 
camp, George  Finau,  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  a  British 
admiral,  and  Taufaahau  in  that  of  a  colonel  of  the  Colonial 

Defence  Forces   The  speech  consisted  of 

the  usual  Ministerial  platitudes,  congratulations  upon  "  our 
cordial  relations  with  the  other  Powers,"  and  premises  for  the 
future.  The  allusion  to  the  past  was  very  brief.  He,  the 
king,  gave  thanks  to  God  that  these  clouds  were  happily 
dispersed,  and  left  it  to  the  Legislature  to  provide  for 
the  future  by  revising  all  the  laws  and  regulating 
finance.  Convinced  that  their  efforts  in  pursuit  of  civilisa- 
tion would  not  be  crowned  with  complete  success  until  they 
had  mastered  another  language  besides  their  own,  and  that 
national  prosperity  could  not  be  assured  unless  the  popula- 
tion ceased  to  decrease ;  he  had  provided  them  with  a 
schoolmaster  for  their  minds,  and  a  doctor  for  their  bodies. 
In  conclusion,  he  commended  them  to  God,  and  trusted 
that  there  would  be  no  more  dissension  between  the 
Churches — the  expectation  which,  in  the  present  temper  of 
the  missionaries,  is,  of  all  thoss  conta'ned  in  the  Royal 
Speech,  the  least  likely  to  be  realised.  The  king  inter- 
rupted the  Speech  twice,  teliing  the  reader  impatiently 
to  speak  up. 

Like  the  late  Mr.  H.  H.  Romily,  Mr.  Thomson  has 
a  very  observant  eye  for  the  ridiculous,  and  the  con 
sequence  is  that  they  both  amuse  us  thoroughly,  while 
they  give  us  an  insight  into  the  very  interesting 
problem  of  the  civilisation  of  the  Kanaka,  which  will 
probably  result  in  the  said  Kanaka  being  civilised  off 
the  face  of  the  earth. 

D.  S. 

"  The  Diversions  of  a  Prime  Minister,"  by  Bisil  Thomson.    (W  Black- 
wood and  Sons,  15s.) 


'lO-DAY. 


February  23,  1895. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dearest  Nell, — Crinoline  is  openly  advancing  upon 
u-3  in  leaps  and  bounds,  without  even  the  precaution  of 
ar.  ambuscade.  It  is  not  agree;: hie  to  look  forward  to, 
is  it?  Meanwhile  skirts  grow  wider  and  wider,  the 
hems  are  wired,  the  pleats  stuffed  with  horsehair,  and 
every  imaginable  device  is  employed  to  produce  that 
fluted  roundness  in  the  perpendicular  folds  that  is  the 
indispensable  feature  of  this  season's  dresses. 

We  are  to  be  more  than  ever  parti-co'oured,  it  seems. 
An  evening  dress  worn  at  a  big  dinner-party  in  town 
this  week  had  a 
white  satin  skirt, 
pink  satin  bodice, 
and  pale  blue  vel- 
vet sleeves.  And 
one  of  the  newest 
coats  seen  at  the 
Wimbledon  Skat- 
ins;  Club  on  Sat- 
urday had  the 
body  in  sealskin, 
the  sleeves  and 
revers  in  Persian 
lamb,  and  the  col- 
lar in  sable. 

What  high 
revels  the  skat- 
ing world  is  en- 
joying this  win- 
ter !  We  have 
been  all  over  Lon- 
don  and  its 
suburbs  during 
the  last  week  with 
different  friends, 
hunting  out  the 
best  places  to 
skate  on.  In  our 
sweet  innocence 
we  tried  the 
Round  Pond  one 
day,  but  soon  left. 
The  rowdy  ele- 
ment was  in  the 
ascendant.  A  por- 
tion of  the  Long 
Water,  roped  off 
from  the  general 
public,  proved 
very  much  ploas- 
anter,  and  well 
worth  the  small 
charge  made. 
A  girl  was  there 
skating  in  a  re- 
markably pretty 

silver-grey  corduroy,  trimmed  with  chinchilla,  and  turned 
back  from  a  pink  satin  box-pleat  blouse.  Hdr  grey 
felt  hat  was  edged  with  chinchilla  and  trimmed  with 
roses.  Another  wore  a  bright  emerald-green  cloth  coat 
and  skirt  with  an  orange  velvet  blouse,  showing  its  box- 
pleat  down  the  centre  of  the  former.  Large  buttons 
of  jet  and  green  enamel  acted  as  studs.  A  touch  of 
orange  in  the  smart  brown  felt  hat  gave  the  toilette 
completeness. 

Another  day  I  went  with  the  Brownes  to  the  I 'al- 
dington Recreation  Grounds,  and  we  found  the  he  per- 
fect. Once  or  twice  we  fared  further  afield,  tiying 
Richmond  Park  and  Wimbledon,  so  you  see  we  have  had 
a  perfect  carnival  of  skating. 

I  am  not  tired  of  it — who  would  tire  of  so  agree* bl  1 
an  amusement?    But  I  heartily  wish  the  thaw  would 
come.    There  is  illness  in  every  family  we  know,  withou 
one  solitary  exception,  and  one  never  knows  where  thes2 


DRESS    FROM    PETER    ROEIXSON  S. 


violent  chills  will  end.    We  are  almost  thankful  that  we- 
have  no  longer  our  pretty  house,  but  live  in  a  flat; 
because  the  heating  of  it  all  through  is  such  a  com- 
paratively easy  matter.  I  pride  myself  very  particularly 
on  the  way  I  manage.    Just  half-way  down  the  corridor, 
on  which  all  our  rooms  open,  we  have  an  Ardent  lamp 
going  day  and  night,  and  it  warms  the  air  delightfully, 
besides  being  one  of  the  most  radiantly  comfortable- 
looking  things  you  can  possibly  imagine.    In  the  larder 
we  have  a  Defries  lamp,  which,  without  being  turned 
up  to  its  fullest  capacity,  just  keeps  the  food  from 
freezing  by  mellowing  the  air.      Each  bedroom  has 
either  a  gas  stove  or  a  safety  oil  stove,  and  the  conse- 
quence   is  that 
throughout  the 
whole   flat  a  de- 
cidedly agreeable 
t  emperature 
reigns. 

Eco  n  omical  ? 
Well,  no.  It  is- 
not  economical  in 
one  sense.  All 
this  expenditure 
of  oil  and  gas 
means  money,  but 
it  surely  means 
wisdom  and  pru- 
dence to  spend  it 
on  them  instead 
of  on  the  doctor 
and  his  medicines. 

If  it  chance  to 
be  weather  like 
this  for  the 
Drawing  Room, 
there  will  be 
plenty  of  work 
for  the  doctors. 
I  should  think  the 
Queen  would,  for 
once,  allow  her 
faithful  subjects 
to  be  admitted  to 
the  Palace,  in- 
stead of  shivering 
for  an  hour  or  so 
in  their  carriages 
on  the  Mall ;  and, 
perhaps,  too,  the 
barriers  that  keep 
them  away  from 
those  tantalisingly 
bright  fires  may, 
for  once,  be  re- 
moved. Ami,  the 
thin  end  of  the 
wedge  once  in- 
serted,  would  is 

not  be  nice  if  Her  Majesty  would  direct  the  officials 
to  offer  the  shivering  ladies  the  hospitality  of  hot  tea? 

I  feel  sure  she  would,  if  she  could  only  realize  what 
they  endure  ;  but  she  is  by  nature  debarred  from  doing 
so.  The  Queen  enjoys  cold  weather  as  much  as  the 
majority  of  her  subjects  delight  in  balmy  airs  and  lovely 
summer,  which  seems  elusive  and  unreal  as  a  phantom 
in  all  theso  bitter  frosts. — Your  affectionate  Susie. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Patty. — You  are  young,  Patty!  Don't  deny  it;  admit 
the  soft  impeachment.  And  what  a  delightful  tiling  it  is  tu 
he  younsr.  though  we  do  not  quite  realize  what  a  delightful 
thing  it  i*  until  youth  has  left  us.  It  is  only  because  you  are 
young  that  you  are  troubled  with  those  red  hands.  Don't 
wear  tight  gloves  cr  tight  sleeves.  Wash  the  hands  always  in 
tepid  water,  never  in  hot  or  cold,  and  spend  a  good  tlirco 
minutes  in  drying  thetn.  That  is  a  too  otten  neglected  pre- 
caution. If  you  can't  get  them  dry  enough  with  the  towel, 
linisli  them  off  with  a  niece  of  line  tlannel. 


Feeruaey  23,  1S05. 


TO-DAY. 


73 


AN  INCIDENT  DURING  the  LATE  SNOWSTORM. 


(Drawn    by   J.    W.   T.  MANUEL.) 


A  POSTMAN'S   WELCOME  MESSAGE. 


GEEAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  act  di- 
rectly, by  inhalation  ar.J  absorption, 
upon  the  respiratory  organs  in  a'l 
Throat  and  Chest  affections,  hoarse- 
less,  loss  of  voice,  colds,  nervous  cough, 
bronchitis,  asthma,  &c. 

Slowly  dissolved  in  the  mouth,  they 
give  off  a  soothing,  refreshing,  and 
healing  vapour  of  pine  tar,  which  is. 
thus  breathed  into  the  bronchia  and 
lungs  upon  the  very  seat  of  disease, 
affording  immediate  relief,  aud  effecting 
a  gradual  and  lasting  cure. 

UERAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  are  en- 
tirely harmless.  They  contaia  no  nar- 
cotic, or  other  injurious  dr.ig,  and, 
unlike  numerous  other  cough  remedies, 
are  not  required  by  the  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment to  bear  the  label  "  Poison." 

GEEAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  are 
most  agreeable  to  the  taste,  and  con- 
tain the  purest  essence  of  Norway  pine 
tar,  which  has  attained  greater  success 
in  bronchial  and  catarrhal  affections 
than  any  other  substance  or  drug 
hitherto  employed. 

Owing  to  their  direct  action  upon  the 
bronchial  tubes  and  lungs  they  are  in- 
finitely superior  to  all  pills  or  potions, 
which  only  irritate  the  stomach  without 
reaching  the  organs  of  respiration. 

GEEAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  are  ad- 
mirable in  voice  affections,  sirengthen- 
ing  the  throat  andlarjnx.andpreserving 
the  voice.  'I  hey  should  be  used  con- 
stantly by  singers,  actors,  preachers, 
lecturers,  and  all  whose  vocal  organs 
have  any  unusual  strain  to  undergo. 
They  are  invaluable  to  smokers  and  to 
those  who  arc  liable,  owing  to  their  oc- 
cupation, to  inhale  irritating  vapours 
or  dust. 

GEEAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  can  be 
taken  at  any  hour,  befo  e  or  after 
meals,  without  inconvenience. 


In  cases  of  7  2  Pastilles  1  • 


lid. 


FASSETT  AND 


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OF  COURSE, 

we  sell  best  Gold  and  Silver  Jewellery  ; 
and  shopping  by  post  has  many  advantages. 
A  quiet  and' careful  inspection  at  home  is  wiser 
than  a  hundred  visLs  to  a  retail  shop. 

We  hope  to  hear  from  you,  that  we  may  send 
our  interesting  ,nd  money-saving  book  of  reference 
by  next  post. 


H.  SAMUEL, 


ENGLISH  LEVER  WATCH 
MANUFACTURER, 


(NINE  ESTABLISHMENTS! 


97,  99,  101,  89  &  121.  Market  Street,\ MAMrHPSTER 
1   and  3,   Marsden  Square,  I  majnlh-^ijik. 

And  at  Rochdale  and  Bolton. 


74 


TO-DAY. 


February  23,  1895. 


WHY   WEAR   CORSETS  ? 

SO  INJURIOUS  TO  HEALTH!!! 

"KHIVA  "CORSELET 

ENTIRELY  SUPERSEDES 
THE  CORSET, 

ive^,  without  compres- 
sion, a  nice  elegant  figure 
and   good    health,  with 
perfect  freedom  of  action 
to  every  lady. 


Quality 


Price 


AA 


Mastic. 
5/11 


MARSHALL  &  SNELGEOVE,  Oxford  St. 
JOHN  BARKER  &  CO.,   Ltd.,  High  St., 

Kensington. 
HARVEY  NICHOLS  &  CO..  Knightsbridge. 
PETER  JONES,  King's  Road,  Chelsea. 
1.  W.  THOMPSON  &  CO..  164,  1C5,  &  16G, 

Tottenham  Court  Road. 


It  is  also  incompar- 
able for 
TENNIS, 

CYCLING, 
BOATING, 
GOLF,  RIDING, 

Domestic  &  Married 
Ladies. 

In  ordering  it  is  only 
necessary  to  give  correct 
bust  measurement. 

ABC  D  E 

Blk. .White,  Blk.,White,  Blk. .White, 
Blk.,  White.  Dove, Copper.   Dove.  Dove.  Silk 

6/11       7/11       lO/ll       12/11  19/11 
Or  by  post  3d.  extra. 

JONES  4  HIGGrNS.  Rye  Lane.  Peckham. 
J.    R.    ROBERTS'    STORES,    Ltd.,  The 

Broadway,  Stratford. 
NEW  CIVIL   SERVICE  CO-OPERATION, 

Ltd.,  122,  Queen  Victoria  St. 
KEMPTHORNE  &  PHILLIPS,  Richmond, 
Surrey. 


Or  of  the  leading  Draper  in  each  town  or  district  in  Great  Britain,  and  of  the 
Head  Depot,  Ac. 
Wholesale  of  SHARP,  PERRTN  &  CO.,  31,  Old  Change.  E.C. 

Head  Depot :  The  "  KHI YA,"  Limited, 

42N,  POULTRY,  LONDON,  E.C. 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


HOW  ANNOYING ! 

IT  IS  TO  FIND 

a  hole  burnt 

BECAUSE  YOU  FORGOT  TO  USE 

FLEMINGS  ARABINE 

B5s$Ii^>SJn«  .  MARKING  INK  .vti&W 
BOTiiBgky.  D.FLEMING  rehfield si  Glasgow 


NATARA 


GEORGE  GREGORY  &  CO., 

STOCK  &  SHARE  DEALERS, 

LONDON,  MANCHESTER,  LIVERPOOL,  BRIGHTON,  HASTINGS. 

^■i  a  ■  ?J  DRIES  UP  A  COLD 

IN  THE  HEAD  IN 
A  FEW  HOURS. 

Bead  the  following  Testimonial  from  Mrs.  Varlf.y,  the  wife  of 
Henry  Varley,  the  well-known  Evangelist : — 

"48,  Elgin  Crescent,  Notting  Hill,  W. 
"  Dear  Sir,— I  am  not  a  great  believer  in  special  remedies,  but  I  am 
compelled  to  speak  as  I  find.  As  long  as  I  can  remember  I  have  been 
subject  to  severe  '  colds  in  the  head,'  and  all  the  miseries  belonging  to 
that  disease.  Nothing  ever  seemed  to  do  me  any  good,  and  it  always  had 
to  take  its  course,  and  leave  me  weak  and  miserable.  I  was  persuaded 
to  try  your  '  Natara,'  and  as  I  took  it  at  an  early  stage  in  the  cold  I  was 
perfectly  surprised  to  find  that  it  entirely  prevented  its  continuance,  and 
the  next  day  I  had  no  sign  of  a  cold,  though  I  well  knew  I  was  in  for  a 
really  bad  attack  of  catarrh.  I  have  much  pleasure  in  giving  this 
testimony  to  its  wonderful  power  to  beat  back  a  cold. 

"  Yours  very  truly,  Sarah  Varley." 

Price  Is.,  post  free  Is.  i|d.  per  Bottle. 

PREPARED  ONLY  BY 

J.  OCKENDEN,  Chemist, 

18,  MOORFIELDS,  E.C. 

(OPPOSITE    MOORGATE    STREET  STATION.) 


"Sanitas  OtlL" 

Prevents  and  Cures 

BRONCHITIS,  INFLUENZA, 
DIPHTHERIA, 

"AND  ALL.  -  . 

,  LUNG  AND .  THROAT  AFFECTIONS. 

  ,   ■ 

,  (    DIRECTION ';  " 

INHALE  AND   FUMIGATE' WITH; 
"•SANITAS' OIL." 


■  Pamphlets  «Free  on  application .  j| 
THE  SANITAS  COMPANY,  LIMITED, 
Bethnal  Green.  London,  E. 


"  TO 
BREATHE 
SANITAS 

IS  TO 
BREATHE 
EE  ALT  H." 

Gordon  Stables, 
CM.,  M.D.,  R.fl. 


Sanitas  : 


Oil,  Is.  Bottles  ;  Pocket  Inhalers,  Is.  each ; 
Fumigators,  2s.  6d.  each. 
u  Sanitas  "-Eucalyptus  Disinfectors,  Is.  each. 

"  Sanitas  "-Eucalyptus  Oil,  Is.  Bottles.  

*'Get  the  CREME  D2  VIOLET  gold  by  Le  Frere  et  C'ie.  It  is  a  splendid  pre- 
paration for  the  skin,  and  if  you  will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  all  tho*e  ugly  spots 
and  discolouratiuns  disappear,  Jirui  in  addition  to  this  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin 
gradually  improve,  becoming  soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a 
sweet  expression,  that  any  face  could  have.  The  violet  cream  can  he  had  through 
druggists  or  perfumers,  or  direct  from  the  makers.  If  you  have  really  been  so  foolish  as 
to  try  cosmetics  as  a  moans  of  embellishing  a  faulty  skin,  you  cannot  do  better  than 
persistently  use  the  Creme  de  Violet,  for  it  will  gradually  do  away  with  all  ill  effects  left 
by  the  paint.    It  has  a  very  delicious  perfume  uf  a  refined  kind." 

«  Spare"  in  "TO-DAY.' 


CREME  T)E  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  ointment,  but  is  a  liquid,  pure  and 
exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  ingredients  and  absolutely  colourless 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  1*.  and  'is.  «i<l.  (see  that  the  signature— 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label) ;  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from — 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 

MADAME  COEISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "Cream  Corisande,"  matchless  for  delicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  5/3.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Food,"  2/9  &  3/3.  Only  address  548,  Oxford  St..  Hyde  Pk.,W. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


I 


Cockspur   Street,  London. 

NVESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


J^ESERVE  FUND  OVER  £300,033. 
•pOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
UEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


M 
0 


ARRET  REPORT. 


UR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 
1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


SECURITIES   PAYING   ttoia    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
O      HALF  PER  CENT. 
it  JJOW  TO  OPERATE 

gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 

rpWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 

LjENT  POST  FREE. 

n 

riiHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART   I.— STOCK  EXCHAXtlE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  lie 

Trans  ferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  SystCm. 
TlieFortnightly  Set  dements  SysteM. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  witli 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts, 
QUR    THREE-MO.N  l  lll.V 

SETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 


PART  II.-HOW  TO  OPERATE 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
'  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "A Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1S8S  to  1S33  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can   Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 
people  ilea  ling  in  Stocks. 


ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  Las  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OK  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
isto  TAK  E  SHOUT.  QUICK  PROFITS  mid  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  bat  this  cannot  bo  profitably  dons  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

CCCKSPCR  STREET.  LONDON. 


February  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


75 


Middle  Age. — Yes,  it  is  hard,  and  each  of  us  has  to  fight  our 
solitary  battle  alone  in  this  matter.  Let  me  quote  for  you  some 
eharming  lines  on  the  subject  that  I  met  with  in  an  American 
magazine.    They  are  by  Rose  Hawthorne  Lathrop  : — 

Yet  Am  I  Old. 
I  never  knew  that  I  was  old — 

Like  truth  in  dreams  that  truth  yet  seemed — 
Until  the  honest  "  photo  "  told 
Me  I  was  old  ! 

As  children  turn  from  ghostly  dark, 

As  our  hearts  chill  at  barbarous  tales, 
We  will  not  look,  we  will  not  hark, 
Our  age  to  mark  ! 

We  know  our  hope  has  broken  wing, 

We  know  we  shall  not  miss  the  world 
But  all  is  nothing  to  the  sting 
The  old  lines  bring  ! 

Yet,  after  all,  whence  once  we  bow 

Submissive  to  the  iron  fact, 
We  find  that  life  can,  even  now, 
Enthrall,  somehow  ! 

Eyes  that  are  kind  o'erlook  the  grey 

That  shimmers  on  our  whitening  head 
Kisses  from  lips  we  love  delay 
Joys  but  a  day  ! 

Sordello. — The  slices  are  cut  as  thin  as  a  wafer  and  rolled 
back  with  a  knife.  It  is  not  difficult,  for  the  bread  is  so  thin 
that  it  naturally  curls  up. 

Madame. — You  can  discharge  a  servant  for  refusing  to  do  her 
work,  or  for  gross  impertinence,  but  you  must  pay  her  wages  up 
to  the  moment  of  sending  her  away ;  and, if  she  chooses  to  summons 
you,  the  burden  of  proving  that  she  merited  discharge  would 
rest  on  you.  You  can  easily  discharge  a  servant  at  any  time  by 
paying  her  money  up  to  the  end  of  the  month.  This  is  much 
better  than  turning  them  out  at  a  couple  of  hours'  notice,  with 
only  just  the  amount  they  have  earned. 

OUE  COOKERY  COLUMN. 

Okra  or  Creole-Gumbo  Soup  is  not  nearly  so  well  known 
in  England  as  it  deserves  to  be.  I  have  just  tiicd  it  and  found 
it  a  great  success,  and  something  quite  new.  Tins  of  okra 
can  be  obtained  of  Mrs.  A.  \V.  Marshall,  30,  Mortimer  Street, 
W.,  and  the  method  of  using  the  contents  is  as  follows  : — Fry 
together  three-quarters  of  a  pound  of  veal,  half  pound  of  ham,  one 
pound  of  tomatoes,  and  one  large  tablespoonful  of  lard.  While 
this  is  cooking  add  -  salt  and  pepper  and  a  little  onion  or  garlic. 
Let  the  whole  cook  for  about  one  hoar  over  a  slow  fire,  then  add 
the  can  of  okra  (which  yc'tl  have  taken  care  to  keep  warm  by 
immersing  in  hot  water),  also  one  can  cf  shrimps.  If  too  rich 
a  little  warm  water  may  be  added.  Let  the  whole  cook  for 
about  six  minutes  and  serve  up. 

It  has  long  been  one  of  our  family  maxims  :  "  When  in  doubt 
play  Queen  of  Puddings."  Here  is  a  good  recipe  for  ic,  and  the 
beauty  of  it  is  that  the  materials  needed  for  it  are  usually  to  be 
found  on  the  premises  :  Place  in  a  bowl  half  a  pint  of  fine 
breadcrumbs,  the  grated  rind  of  a  lemon,  one  ounce  of  good 
butter,  three  tablespocnsful  of  castor  sugar,  the  beaten  yolks 
of  two  eggs,  stir  gradually  on  to  these  ingredients  one  pint  of 
boiling  milk.  Butter  a  piedish  and  put  at  the  bottom  an  inch 
thick  layer  of  jam  (raspberry,  strawberry,  or  blackberry  being 
the  best),  and  on  the  top  of  this  pour  the  mixture  already  pre- 
pared. Bake  in  a  moderate  oven  until  set  and  slightly  browned 
— then  before  serving  fill  up  the  dish  with  a  nice  cup  custard, 
and  if  to  be  served  cold,  whipped  cream  floating  on  the  top  of 
this  prettily  garnished  makes  it  a  dainty-looking  and  much 
appreciated  sweet. 

Cardoons  are  a  vegetable  not  generally  known.  They  are  in 
season  from  October  to  Mai'ch.  They  are  rather  like  globe 
artichokes,  but  the  long  inside  stalk  is  the  only  portion  eaten. 
They  can  be  boiled  by  soaking  the  sticks  previously  in  cold  water, 
then  rubbing  them  with  a  cut  lemon  and  throwing  them  into 
milk  and  water  in  an  enamelled  saucepan.  An  iron  one  would 
turn  them  black.  They  are  served  with  melted  butter.  Another 
way  of  cooking  cardoons  is  to  stew  them  in  pieces  about  two 
inches  long  in  veal  stock  with  a  glass  of  sherry  or  sauterne,  a 
small  bunch  of  sweet  herbs,  pepper,  salt,  a  little  flour  and  butter 
for  thickening,  and  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon.  The  botanic  name 
is  cynara  cardunculm. 

The  terrine  or  earthenware  pot  in  which  Luxette  is  prepared 
and  cooked  is  now  enclosed  in  a  hermetically  sealed  tin  box  in 
place  of  the  outer  cardboard  box  used  hitherto.  In  this  form 
the  article  does  not  touch  the  tin,  the  lard  covering  is  dispensed 
with,  and  it  may  be  safely  stocked  for  home  use  or  export  with- 
out any  fear  of  deterioration.  The  tin  box  containing  the 
terrine  is  easily  opened  by  the  simple  removal  of  the  metal  band, 
thus  leaving  a  perfect  box  to  retain  and  cover  up  the  earthen- 
ware pot,  whilst  only  part  of  its  contents  are  used.  If  you  have 
any  trouble  in  obtaining  Luxette,  you  must  send  the  name  of 
your  grocer  to  Mrs  A.  B.  Marshall,  School  of  Cookery,  30,  Mor- 
timer Street,  W.,  and  she  will  communicate  with  him  with  a 
view  to  his  keeping  it  in  stock  for  sale  at  the  advertised  price,  in 
order  to  save  postage,  which  has  to  be  charged  on  single  pots 
Bent  out. 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


Pore  ole  'Ankin's  been  done — done  brarn.  It  'appened 
this  wye.  Theer  were  a  boy  as  went  by  the  nime  oy 
Ginger,  in  cornsequence  of  'is  'air  bein'  carrots  ;  and  'e'd 
bin  annoyin'  'Ankin  fur  some  time,  'e  'ad.  'Ankin  'ad 
orfun  spoke  ter  me  abart  thet  boy.  'Im  and  some  others 
would  wite  till  'Ankin  were  a  punchin'  tickuts  on  the 
top  o'  the  'bus,  and  then  they'd  jump  onter  the  step  ter 
git  theirselves  a  free  ride,  and,  in  course,  as  soon  as  they 
seed  'Ankin  comin'  darn  again'  .horf  they'd  bolt.  'E'd 
tried  ter  cop  'em  scores  o'  times.  Once,  'owever,  'e  took  a 
lump  o'  coal  hup  onter  the  top  o'  the  'bus,  with  'im,  and 
when  thim  boys  gort  onter  the  step  'e  went  ter  drop  it 
on  'em.  'E  missed  thim  and  'it  a  lyedy  as 
were  jest  comin'  art  from  inside.  Do  whort  'e 
would  'e  couldn't  cop  them  boys.  Theer  were 
a  lot  on  'em,  but  Ginger  were  the  wust  and 
frequentest.  Well,  one  dye  lawst  week  'Ankin 
looks  over  from  the  top  o'  the  'bus  an'  sees 
Ginger  a  settin'  on  the  step  as  cool  as  a 
cowcumber,  crackin  nuts  an'  chuckin'  the  shells  inter 
pawsin  'ansoms.  'E  didn't  see  'Ankin,  and  Ankin 
come  darn  quick  and  jest  managed  to  collar  him. 
"  Gort  jTur  at  lawst  !  "  says  'Ankin,  "  and  I'll  give  yer 
a  lessing  this  time."  So  'e  storps  the  'bus  and  'ands 
over  Ginger  to  a  copper  fur  defrordin'  o'  the  comp'ny  by 
rid  in'  on  a  'bus  withart  pyin'  'is  fare.  "  Nar,  then," 
says  the  copper  ter  Ginger  shawp-like,  whort  do  yer 
mean  by  it  ?  Whort  did  yer  get  on  that  'bus  for  1 " 
"  'Cos  I  wanted  ter  ride  ter  To'm-Court-Iload,"  says 
Ginger.  "  Well,  then,  if  you  rides  on  'buses  you'll  'ave 
ter  pye  the  fare.  Why  didn't  yer  pye  ?  "  "  'Cos,"  says 
Ginger,  "  I  wasn't  never  awst,  I  dunno  whort  'e's  gettin' 
at.  I've  'ad  the  money  witin'  fur  'im  this  lawst  alf-hour." 
Yer  might  a  knocked  'Ankin  darn  with  a  'ymn-book,  'e 
were  so  took  a-back.  'E'd  mide  cocksure  that  Ginger 
were  lawkin',  sime  as  yooshall.  "  And  is  this  hall  you're 
stoppin'  the  traffic  an'  wistin'  my  time  fur  1  "■  says  the 
copper  ter  'Ankin.  "  Give  the  boy  'is  ticket,  and  be 
ashimed  of  yerself."  Pore  ole  'Ankin  !  It  worn't  no 
treat  to  him'  that  worn't.  That  boy  Ginger  never  so- 
much  as  grinned.  'E'd  got  'Ankin  proper,  an'  that  were 
all  'e  keered  abart.  As  yooshally  happens  when  any- 
think  goes  wrong  with  'Ankin,  'e  'as  become  more 
aggerivited  in  'is  perliticel  opinyuns  than  ever.  'Is 
remawks  the  sime  night  on  the  subjic  of  Chymeberlin 
was  a  disgrice. 

*  *  * 

I  see  as  the  other  dye  they  found  a  chap  settin'  in  the 
Edgweer  Road  with  nutthink  on  'is  feet.  In  course,  all 
the  pawsers-by  was  likely  to  pity  'ira  and  give  'im 
sutthink  fur  'isself.  The  coppers  searched  him,  and 
farnd  on  'im  three  pairs  o'  socks,  a  pair  o'  boots,  and 
nigh  on  ite  bob  in  money.  Nar  that's  the  kind 
of  man  as  jolly  well  wants  'is  'ead  punched, 
an'  I  should  enjoy  the  doin'  of  it.  'Ere  we  'as  plenty  o7 
real  genyine  distress  along  o'  this  bloomin'  weather, 
an'  any  amount  of  appeals  ter  the  public  fur  'elp.  If 
the  public  gits  took  in  by  a  dirty  frord  like  that  it'll 
get  too  suspicious  to  'elp  the  genyine.  'E  gort  off  with 
a  caution,  bein'  charged  with  a  pline  drunk  an'  not 
with  beggin',  and  I'm  sorry  for  it.  Genyine  distress 
don't  get  such  a  clinkin'  lot  of  'elp  horffered  it  that  it 
can  afford  ter  'ave  the  show  spiled  by  that  kind  o' 
blaggud.  Mye  'e  be  copped  agin,  and  copped  soon, 
an'  git  six  months  of  the  best ! 

Advice  free.— To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patents  for  Inven- 
tions see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  See  Illd.  Guide  (2f>9  pgs.),  3d.  Tobacconists' 
Outfitting  Co.,  186,  Euston-road,  London.   Est.  I860.— Advt. 


70 


TO-DAY. 


Febrcaky  23,  1895. 


THE  DJAEY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


I  have  often  wondered  where  in  the  world  Mr. 
Kipling  got  his  name  of  Rudyard.  A  certain  Rudyard 
Lake  in  Staffordshire  earned  the  distinction  of  a 
paragraph  in  the  Chronicle  last  week  by  freezing  itself 
two  feet  thick.  Has  it  the  further  distinction  of  being 
Mr.  Kipling's  godparent?  Perhaps  his  father,  Mr. 
Lockwood  Kipling,  or  his  aunts,  Mrs.  Poynter  and 
Lady  Burne  Jones,  would  enlighten  me  on  this  point. 

Artemus  Ward  once  remarked  that  Burns  was  a 
good  poet,  but  could  not  spell  a  bit.  In  running  through 
Mr.  Rhys's  interesting  preface  to  the  lyric  poems  of 
Robert  Burns  (just  brought  out  by  Messrs.  J.  M.  Dent 
and  Co.) — the  prettiest  edition  of  Burns  which  I  have 
ever  stocked,  I  was  reminded  of  the  fact  that  either  the 
poet  or  his  father  couldn't  spell  his  own  name,  for 
whereas  the  immortal  ploughman  signed  himself  Robert 
Burns,  his  father,  the  peasant  farmer,  signed  himself 
William  Burness. 

*  *  *  « 

For  years  the  best  book  on  Japan  I  had  on  my 
shelves  was  "The  Mikado's  Empire," by  the  Rev.  W.  E. 
Griffis,  D.D.,  whose  "The  Religions  of  Japan  from  the 
Dawn  of  History  to  the  Era  of  Meiji  "  is  about  to  be 
issued  by  Hodder  and  Stoughton.  These  were  the 
publishers,  whose  reader  discovered  that  remarkably 
successful  writer  Ian  Maclaren,  author  of  "  Beside  the 
Bonnie  Briar  Bush." 

%  *  *  * 

When  I  first  saw  Mrs.  Hinkson,  whose  "  Day  of  a 
Maid  "  is  about  to  be  published  by  Lawrence  and  Bullen, 
she  was  Miss  Katherine  Tynan,  and  lived  at  Whitehall, 
Clondalkin,  a  little  way  out  of  Dublin.  I  met  her  at  a 
tea-party  given  by  a  professor  at  Trinity  College,  who 
asked  me,  I  fully  believe,  in  order  that  his  books  might 
be  displayed  on  the  counter  of  at  least  one  London  book- 
shop. Mr.  Hinkson,  whom  she  married,  was  also  a 
Trinity  College  man.  They  now  live  at  Ealing.  In 
those  days  Mrs.  Hinkson  was  known  chiefly  as  a  writer 
of  graceful  and  rather  devotional  poetry,  published  by 
Mr.  Kegan  Paul. 

*■■*#* 

One  of  my  most  constant  customers  is  Mr.  Oswald 
Crawfurd,  C.M.G.,  who  has  the  courage  to  publish  the 
first  number  of  his  new  magazine,  which  is  to  consist 
entirely  of  high-class  fiction,  on  the  1st  of  April. 
Perhaps  he  has  chosen  this  date  because  even  fools  read 
fiction.  Anyhow  he  was  never  wanting  in  courage. 
Englishmen  who  were  in  Portugal  during  the  anti- 
British  riots  a  few  years  ago  will  not  easily  forget  how 
the  dignified  chairman  of  the  Authors'  Club,  who  was 
then  their  Consul  -  G  eneral,  and  whose  outspoken 
utterances  had  made  him  peculiarly  an  object  of  offence  to 
the  Portuguese  students  and  larrikins,  went  about  by 
day  and  by  night  as  usual — alone  and  unarmed  with 
anything  except  a  cane.  And  it  was  his  pluck  and 
perseverance  which  have  brought  the  Authors'  Club  to 
its '.present  pitch  of  prosperity. 

*  *  *  * 

The  Crockett  dinner  of  the  Authors'  Club  was,  my 
customers  tell  me,  the  most  entertaining  the  members 
have  ever  enjoyed.  Mr.  Crawfurd,  who  has  made  so 
many  neatly-turned  speeches  to  compliment  guests  of 
the  evening,  certainly  never  spoke  better,  and  Mr. 
S.  R.  Crockett,  the  guest  of  the  evening,  who  was  received 
with  rounds  of  applause,  made  a  most  spirited  speech  in 
excellent  taste — quite  the  best  speech  ever  made  by 
any  of  the  guests  whom  the  club  has  entertained — 
from  M.  Zola,  Mr.  Kipling  and  Mr.  Maarten  Maartens 
downwards.  And  then  Mr.  Frankfort  Moore  laid  the 
fust  stone  of  a  new  career  with  a  speech  which  every- 
one describes  as  admirably  delivered  and  simply  bubbling 


Over  with  wit.  It  was  a  long  speech,  but  provoked 
roars  of  laughter  from  beginning  to  end,  and  when  Mr. 
Moore  sat  down  people  knew  that  at  his  second  attempt 
at  a  set  speech  he  had  found  himself  every  whit  as 
brilliant  a  speaker  as  he  was  a  writer. 

*  *  *  * 

Among  the  members  present  were  Mr.  Anthony  Hope, 
Mr.  J.  Henniker  Heaton,  M.P.,  Sir  Somers  Vine,  Sir 
Frederick  Abel,  Mr.  H.  Irving,  Hon.  Gilbert  Coleridge, 
Mr.  M.  H.  Spielman,  Mr.  Trevor  Battye,  Mr.  Fred. 
Upton,  Mr.  A.  J.  R.  Trendall,  C.M.G.,  Mr.  Harry 
Jones,  Mr.  Morley  Roberts,  Mr.  Horace  Cox,  Col.  J.  C. 
Dalton,  R.A.,  Mr.  A.  P.  Watt,  Mr.  Cardwell,  Rector 
of  Soho,  Mr.  G.  Herbert  Thring.  Mr.  Oswald  Craw- 
furd, C.M.G.,  was  in  the  chair,  and  Mr.  Douglas  Sladen  in 
the  vice-chair.  Mr.  William  Nicholl,  the  celebrated  tenor, 
sang  four  songs  with  a  delicacy  and  finish  which  evoked 
prolonged  applause,  and  Mr.  Fred.  Upton  gave  the 
guests  of  the  evening  some  entirely  new  wrinkles  in  the 
art  of  novel  writing  by  reciting  a  couple  of  his  condensed 
novels. 

*  *  Y:  * 

Gyp,  whose  "  Leures  Amies  "  has  just  been  brought 
out  by  Calmann  Levy,  is  a  countess.  Why  can't  we 
produce  a  literary  countess  1  Some  of  our  countesses' 
autobiographies  would  be  highly  interesting. 

*  *  *  * 

The  roll  of  doctors'  and  doctors'  wives  who  write 
belles-lettres  swells  steadily.  Dr.  Gordon  Stables  must 
be  very  popular,  for  I  have  letters  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  to  know  why  I  forgot  to  include  him  at  first. 
I  must  now  add  the  names  of  the  well-known  Kensing- 
ton novelist,  Mrs.  Parr,  author  of  "  Dorothy  Fox,': 
"  Adam  and  Eve,"  etc.,  wife  of  Dr.  George  Parr ;  Dr. 
Samuel  Smiles,  the  genial  author  of  "  Self-Help,"  "  The 
Lives  of  the  Engineers,"  etc.,  who  after  studying 
medicine  practised  for  a  time  as  surgeon,  I  forget  at 
this  moment  where ;  and  the  late  Dr.  Thomas  Gordon 
Hake,  the  poet. 

*  *  *  * 

One  of  the  favourite  literary  topics  of  the  day  is 
the  over-production  of  our  most  popular  authors.  Mr. 
Crockett,  Mr.  Weyman,  Mr.  Gilbert  Parker,  and  Mr. 
Anthony  Hope  have  had  advice — and  remonstrances — 
on  that  subject  ladled  out  to  them, which  Mr.Crockett  has 
shown  to  be  unnecessary  in  his  instance.  The  announce- 
ment that  Mr.  Clark  Russell  will  have  the  "  Convict 
Ship  "  in  the  People,  "  The  Tale  of  Ten  "  in  the  St.  James's 
Budget,  and  "  A  Heart  of  Oak  "  in  Good  Words,  run- 
ning almost  simultaneously,  will  probably  bring  him 
similar  attentions.  But  though  they  appear  together 
their  production  ha;  been  spread  over  three  or  four 
years. 

*  *  *  * 

As  all  who  are  behind  the  scenes  Know,  the  great 
papers  make  their  arrangements  for  serials  a  long  way 
ahead.  Mr.  Crockett,  for  instance,  is  booked  up  to  1898. 
This  is  an  extreme  case,  but  two  years  ahead  is  nothing 
out  of  the  way.  I  understand  that  Mr.  Clark  Russell 
had  the  singular  ill-luck  to  sell  two  of  these  stories  in 
the  first  instance  to  firms  which  have  collapsed — so 
when  they  had  to  be  re-sold  they  had  lost  their  prece- 
dence— and  the  crop  of  three  years  was  sold  in  one. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

G.  P.  S. — You  will  find  some  good  recitations  in  "Voic, 
Speech  and  Gesture,"  a  large  volume  recently  published  by 
C.  W.  Deacon  and  Co. 

Tse:»'RE. — The  Grammars  of  Lindley  Murray  and  Mason  are 
both  very  good.  There  is  a  shorter  one  by  Morris,  published  by 
Macmillans  in  their  Shilling  Primer  series. 

S.  M.  E.— "  On  the  Stage  and  Off,"  was  the  first. 

THE  author  Qf  John  Halifax  was  Dinah  Moloch  (Mrs.  Craik). 
They  will  tell  you  at  the  Saturday  Rerun-  Otlice  which  number 
contained  M.R.'s  article  on  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


February  -2:),  1SD5. 


TO-DAY, 


77 


The  SUBSCRIPTION  LIST  will  OPEN;  on  WEDNESDAY,  FEBRUARY. 
20th,  1805,  and  will  close  on  THURSDAY  AFTERNOON,  at  4  o'clock, 
for  Town,  and  on  FRIDAY,  at  the  same  time,  for  the  Country. 

Applications  for  shares  may  be  sent  in  writing  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Company. 


Extract  from  cablegram,  dated  Coolgardie,  31sfc  January,  18D5,  from  Mr. 
J.  Howard  Taylor:  "Have  struck  rich  ore  in  the  upper  part  of  mine, 
the  richest  ore  we  have  yet  found;  developments  in  the  lower  levels 
opening  up  splendidly. 


LTNDSAY'S  EXTENDED  (EAST)  GOLD  MINES 
(Limit3,l). 

(Coolgardie  Gold  Fields,  Western  Australia).— Incorporated  under  the 
Companies  Acts.  1862  to  lS'JO.—  Capital  £65,000,  divided  into  65,000  shares 
of  £1  each,  of  which  21,000  shares  will  be  allotted  to  the  vendors  in  part 
payment  of  the  purchase  consideration,  and  the  balance,  namely,  44,000, 
are  new  offered  for  subscription,  payable  2s.  6d.  per  share  on  application, 
5s.  on  allotment,  2s.  6d.  one  inontn  after  allotment,  and  the  balance,  if 
required,  in  calls  not  exceeding  2s.  6d.  per  share,  at  intervals  of  not  less 
than  two  months. 


DIRECTORS. 

F.  E.  Harman,  Esq.,  F.C.S.,  F.G.S.,  , 

M.I.M.  and  M.  |  .       ...  .  - 

R.  Hoffman,  Esq.  I  Directors  of  Lindsay's  Goll 

Alfred  J.  New,  Esq.,  F.E.G.S.  Wines  (Limited). 

Edward  T.  Read,  Esq.  J 

Brigade-Surgeon  E.  C.  Bensley,  Bossholine,  South  Hampstead,  N.W. 
Consulting  Engineer — J.  J.  Cooper,  Esq.,  M.I.M.   and  M.,  110,  Cannon 

Street,  E.C.,  and  Coolgardie,  W.A. 
Bankers— The  London  and  Joint  Stock  Bank  (Limited!,  Lothbury  Branch, 
Lothbury,   E.C. ;  Messrs.  Chas.  Hopkinson  and  Sons",  3,  Regent  Street' 
W. ;  The  Commercial  Bank  of  Australia  (Limited),  l,  Bishopsgate  Street 
Within,  London,  E.C,  Melbourne,  Perth,  Coolgardie  Branches. 

Solicitors— London :     Messrs.    Williams    and    Neville,  23,  Austinfriars 
London,  E.C. 

Brokers— Messrs.  Pritchett  and  Young,  54,  Threadneedle  Street,  E.C,  ana 
Stock  Exchange.  * 

Auditors— Messrs.   Littlejohn,  Robertson,  and  Co.,  Chariorod  Accountants 
20,  Bucklesbury,  E.C. 

Secretary   and    OSces— Alfred   H.    Oxenford,    Esq.,    15,    Angel  Court 
London,  E.C. 


PROSPECTUS. 

This  company  has  been  formed  to  acquire  and  work  the  two  minin» 
blocks,  Nos.  125  and  396  (now  1,480),  having  an  area  of  28  acres  <r  there°- 
abouts,  situate  about  40  chains  north  of  Coolgardie  Township,  and  west  of 
Bavleys  Reward  Claim  respectively. 

From  the  sketch  accompanying  the  prospectus  it  will  be  seen  that  these 
blocks  adjoin  on  the  eastern  side  those  of  Lindsay's  Gold  Mines  (Limited), 
and  arrangements  are  in  contemplation  for  mutual  development  upon  such 
reciprocal  principles  as,  while  safeguarding  the  separate  interests  of  each 
company,  will  effect  important  economies  in  administration,  crushing 
arrangements,  and  notably  in  the  conservation  and  utilisation  of  water. 

The  property  has  been  reported  upon  by  the  following,  viz. :  David 
Lindsay,  F.R.G.S.,  Mining  and  Licensed  Surveyor,  M.S.A.,  Inst.  Surv 
M.R.G.S.A.,  J.  Francis  Markes,  F.G.S.,  F.G.S.A",  A.M.M,A,  (one  of  the 
vendors),  and  Captain  Thomas  Fowler,  mining  engineer  to  the  New 
Victoria  Gold  Mining  Company,  Coolgardie,  and  full  copies  of  their 
reports,  upon  whi:h  the  prospectus  is  chiefly  based  (the  originals  whereof 
have  been  furnished  by  the  vendors),  can  be  seen  at  the  offices  of  the 
solicitors  of  the  company. 

Lease  125. 

Mr.  David  Lindsay  says:  "No  1.  shaft,  on  the  southerly  part  of  the 
lease,  is  41  feet  deep,  with  a  drive  alcng  the  reef  to  the  south  for  21  feet. 
The  reef  here  is  5  feet  6  inches  wide,  with  fine  gold  showing  in  the  face 
and  in  the  stones  overhead. 

••  Eighty  feet  west  is  No.  2  shaft,  which  is  an  irregular-shaped  hole 
10  feet  deep  in  aj  fcimation  of  quartz  and  -mullock  11  feet  wide,  with  a 
northerly  strike  and  an  easterly  dip  of  about  one  in  two.  The  whole  of 
this  is  good  crushing  stuff,  carrying  coarse  and  fine  gold  freely.  Coarse 
pieces  of  gold  are  sticking  out  of  the  quartz  in  many  places.  170  ounces 
have  been  obtained  by  crushing  in  a  small  hand  mcrtar.  This  formation 
is  highly  payable.  The  country  is  soft  and  decomposed.  20  feet  further 
north  the  formation  is  again  exposed,  and  really  rich  specimens  are  to 
be  obtained,  coarse  gold  snowing  freely. 

"  On  bearing  35°,  which  is  evidently  the  strike  of  this  formation,  being 
{parallel  to  the  main  outcrop  at  210  feet,  a  solid  body  of  quartz  is  just 
exposed,  apparently  dipping  east,  and  about  10  feet  wide.  It  is  not  possible 
yet  to  estimate  the  size." 

"  The  main  outcrop  of  reef  carrying  such  a  large  body  of  stone  showing 
fine  gold,  and  the  parallel  formation  11  feet  wide,  carrying  rich  specimens 
of  gold,  as  well  as  fine  gold,  freely  disseminated  through  the  stone,  render 
this  property  one  which  may  be  characterised  as  a  safe  speculation,  and 
out  of  which  the  investor  may  confidently  expect  to  receive  dividends  as 
soon  as  a  machine  is  erected  to  treat  the  stone." 

Mr.  J.  Francis  Markes,  also  speaking  of  Lease  125,  of  which  he  mads 
a  very  careful  inspection  in  July,  1884;  says:  "The  ridge  separating  Pig 
Flat  Gully  and  Hogan  Gully  runs  through  it,  and  the  two  reefs  at  present 
opened  outcrop  on  the  top  of  the  ridge,  and  run  north  and  south  into 
these  gullies,  which  were  famous,  in  the  first  days  of  Coolgardie  (18!)3),  for 
the  heavy  alluvial  gold  found  in  them.  They  are  still  the  principal  alluvial 
workings  near  Coolgardie,  and  very  many  thousands"  of  ounces  of  gold  have 
been  taken  from  them.  Unfortunately,  no  exact  record  has  been  kept  of  the 
vields,  but  old  hands  now  working  here  estimate  it  at  30,000  to  40,000 
ounces,  much  of  it,  no  doubt,  having  come  from  the  reefs  on  this  lease." 

Speaking  of  the  Northern  part  of  the  property,  he  says:  "The  site  of 
this  discovery  is  on  the  line  of  the  West  Reef  now  thoroughly  opened  on 
the  surface  by  the  prospectors  who,  on  the  top  of  the  ridge,  422  feet 
from  the  North  boundary,  have  struck  extraordinarily  rich  gold  at  8  to  10 
feet  deep.  .  .  .  The  whole  width  of  the  present  face,  8  or  9  feet, 
carries  gold,  and  the  full  width  of  the  formation  is  not  yet  exposed.  On 
the  West  side  of  the  shift  very  rich  stone  has  been  struck,  and  some 
200  ounces  of  gold  were  dollied  out  by  the  owners  in  a  short  time.  I 
brought  down  a  quantity  of  this  stone  with  the  pick,  and  got  many 
beautiful  specimens  very  similar  in  appearance  to  some  of  the  rich  stuff 
in  Cockshot  and  Everard  shafts,  in  Bayley's  Reward." 

Captain  Fowler,  in  his  report,  dated"  11th  August,  1894,  after  pointing 


out  the  similarity  of  the  formations  on  this  property  with  those  of  the 
famous  Indicator  country  at  Ballarat,  says:  "should  my  anticipations 
prove  correct,  and  an  Indicator  be  found  adjacent  to  the  flat  veins  or  flows 
of  quartz,  yeu^have  a  mine  of  untold  wealth,  and  one  that  I  should  prefer 
to  scores  of  those  that  have  come  under  my  notice  as  investments  of 
great  promise." 

The  results  of  his  tests  of  the  value  of  the  ore  he  notes  as  follows: 
"  About  7  lbs.  weight  taken  from  all  parts,  and  sampled,  1  lb.  weight 
put  through  by  careful  panning  turned  the  scale  at  1}  grs.,  equal  to 
7  ozs.  per  ton.  That  taken  from  faco  to  big  10  feet  excavation,  where  gold 
was  seen  plentifully,  gave  a  return,  under  same  conditions,  of  over  28  ozs. 
per  ton. 

Length  of  Beef. 

Mr  Markes  says :  "  Both  reefs  appear  to  run  the  full  length  of  the 
lease,  15J  chains,  or  1,023  feet.  North,  on  Lease  168,  they  are  also  being 
worked.'' 

"  On  Lease  159,  the  property  of  Lindsay's  Gold  Mines  (Limited), 
adjoining  west,  a  reef  is  being  worked  132  feet  from  the  boundary,  its 
underlie  being  east  into  125." 

LSASE  1,480. 

Mr.  Lindsay  siys:  "Lease  396  (now  1,480),  containing  16  acras,  has  a 
surface  practically  untouched,  save  for  the  alluvial  workings.  A  shaft 
60  feet  deep  ha*  b'»en  sunk  upon  or  near  the  supposed  line  of  reef.  The 
large  area  contained  in  this  lease  should  make  it  a  valuable  prospecting 
property,  and  doubtless  other  reefs  besides  the  main  one  will  be  found 
when  looked  for.  The  leases  adjoining  it  on  the  south-east  and  west  are 
working  on  good  reefs,  and  some  of  which  must  strike  through  this  block." 

Captain  B'owler  says:  "And  last,  though  not  least,  the  acquisition  of 
Lease  396  (now  1,480)  is  of  great  importance." 

Water. 

Mr.  David  Lindsay  says:  "  Want  of  water  will  not  be  a  difficulty,  as  it 
will  be  obtained  at  250  feet." 

Mr.  Markes  says :  "  Can  be  conserved  either  on  the  surface,  the  gullies 
mentioned  affording  great  facilities,  or  by  a  water  shaft." 

Timber. 

Mr.  Lindsay  says:   "Timber  is  to  be  obtained  in  the  vicinity,  and  the 
property  is  situated  within  one  mile  of  the  proposed  railway  terminus." 
Mr.  Markes  says:  "Timber  is  plentiful  for  miles  around." 

Stone  at  Grass. 

Mr.  Markes  says:  "At  the  surface  workings  and  shafts  there  were,  at 
the  date  of  my  inspection  (July,  1894),  some  30  to  40  tons  of  stone.  That 
at  the  west  reef  is  estimated  to  contain  at  the  rate  of  8  ounces  per  ton, 
which  is  probably  a  fair  calculation." 

General  Remarks. 

Mr.  Markes  says:  "The  property  has  one  of  the  best  prospects  on 
Coolgardie  (excepting,  of  course,  the  phenomenal  mines).  Its  situation 
between  two  wonderfully  rich  alluvial  gullies,  the  workings  in  which 
extend  right  on  to  the  lease,  is  unequalled  on  the  field,  and  alone  justifies 
the  expectation  of  rich  returns,  while  the  splendid  stone  already  struck 
confirms  this  opinion." 

A  cablegram  from  Mr.  J.  Howard  Taylor,  the  vendors'  representative, 
dated  Coolgardie,  31st  January,  1S95,  states:  "Have  struck  rich  ore  in 
the  upper  part  of  mine,  the  richest  ore  we  have  yet  found;  developments 
in  the  lower  levels  opening  up  splendidly." 

The  special  correspondent  at  Coolgardie  of  the  "  Perth  Enquirer,"  in 
the  issue  of  the  3rd  August,  1S94,  says:  "  I  have  just  inspected  Lease  No. 
125,  which  comprises  12  acres.  ...  On  this  property  a  massive  line 
of  true  quartz  runs  right  through  the  block.  .  .  In  the  stone  in  excava- 
tions at  both  the  north  and  south  ends,  I  found  fine  and  coarse  gold  visible 
in  the  solid  stone.  .  .  .  About  80  feet,  and  parallel  with  the  main  reef 
is  a  lode  of  reef  formation  divided  by  bands  of  mullock,  the  bands  of 
stone  'varying  from  10  inches  to  over  2  feet  wide.    This  quartz  carries 

beautiful  rich  nuggetty  gold   in  the   solid  stone  From  this 

excavation  over  200  "ounces  have  been  taken.  The  largest  vein 
of  quartz  here —  which  is  over  two  feet  thick — carries  splendid  gold  in 
the  solid.  .  .  Tracing  this  line  of  reef  across  the  country,  it  seems  to  me 
to  correspond  in  its  continuity  with  the  Big  Blow,  and  to  be  an  out- 
cropping, or  rather,  an  upheaval,  of  the  same  deep  reef.  ...  I  regard 
this  is  a  valuable  property,  which  should  yield  payable  gold  with 
remunerative  returns  over  outlay  from  the  commencement,  if  properly 
managed." 

The"  vendors,  Wiliiam  Davis,  John  Bruce  Nixon,  and  James  Francis 
Markes,  have  fixed  the  consideration  to  be  paid  for  the  property  at  £50,000, 
payable  as  to  £3,000  in  cash,  £21,000  in  fully-paid  shares  of  the  company, 
and  the  balance  in  cash  or  shares,  at  the  option  of  the  directors,  subject 
to  the  provision  of  sufficient  working  capital,  for  which  15,000  shares 
are  reserved  for  subscription. 

As  showing  the  faith  of  the  vendors  in  the  merits  of  the  property,  they 
have  consented  to  accept  the  whole  of  the  purchase  consideration  in  shares, 
at  the  option  of  the  directors,  subject  to  a  nominal  fixed  payment  of 
£3,000  in  cash. 

The  following  contracts  have  been  entered  into :  (1)  dated  the  14th 
July,  1894,  and  made  between  William  Davis  and  John  Bruce  Nixon  of 
the  one  part,  and  James  Francis  Markes  of  the  other  part ;  (2)  dated  the 
26th  January,  1895,  and  made  between  the  said  William  Davis  and  John 
Bruce  Nixon  of  the  first  part,  the  said  James  Francis  Markes  of  the 
second  part,  and  Alfred  Henry  Oxenford,  as  trustee  for  this  company,  of 
the  third  part;  and  (3)  dated  the  28th  January,  1895,  and  made  between 
the  said  William  Davis  and  John  Bruce  Nixon  and  James  Francis  Markes 
of  the  first  part,  the  said  Alfred  Henry  Oxenford  of  the  second  part,  and 
Charles  Crisp  of  the  third  part,  whereby,  in  consideration  of  defraying 
the  preliminary  expenses  of  the  company,  and  of  other  services,  the  said 
Charles  Crisp  will  be  entitled  to  a  specified  participation  in  the  above 
consideration. 

These  contracts,  together  with  the  original  reports,  and  plan  mentioned 
in  this  prospectus,  may  be  seen  at  the  offices  of  the  solicitors.  Other 
contracts  have  been  entered  into  for  the  guarantee  of  the  necessary  capital, 
but  to  none  of  which  this  company  is  a  party.  Applicants  for 
shares  will  be  deemed  to  have  had  notice  of  such  contracts,  and  to  have 
waived  their  right  (if  any)  to  any  further  particulars  of  the  same,  whether 
under  Section  38  of  the  Companies  Act,  1867,  or  otherwise. 

Applications  for  shares  should  be  made  on  the  form  accompanying  the 
prospectus,  and  forwarded  to  either  of  the  company's  bankers,  together  with 
a  remittance  for  the  amount  payab'e  on  application.  The  allotment  will 
be  made  as  early  as  possible  after  the  subscription  is  clCLcd,  and  in  cases 
where  no  allotment  is  made  the  amount  deposited  on  application  will  be 
returned  at  once,  without  deduction.  If  the  number  of  shares  allotted  bo 
less  than  that  applied  for,  the  surplus  will  be  credited  in  reduction  of  the 
payment  on  allotment,  so  far  as  necessary,  and  any  balance  will  be 
returned. 

Prospectuses  and  forms  of  application  may  be  obtained  from  the  bankers, 
solicitors,  auditors,  and  at  the  offices  of  the  company. 
London,  Fibruary,  1895. 


78 


TO-DAY. 


February  23,  IS 95. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


MOORE  V-  "TODAY." 

We  have  to  thank  numerous  correspondents  for  kind  and 
congratulatory  letters  upon  the  result  of  this  litigation.  "  The 
verdict  of  the  jury,"  writes  one  correspondent,  the  head  of  a 
well-known  firm  of  solicitors,  "as  well  as  the  decision  of  the 
Lord  Chief  Justice,  furnish  a  complete  vindication  of  the  articles 
n  To-Day, "  and  that  appears  to  be  the  general  impression. 
iVe  have  also  to  say  to  several  correspondents  who  suggest  that 
the  readers  of  To-Day  should  among  them  subscribe  our  costs, 
and  offer  to  head  the  list  with  substantial  sums,  that  we 
are  none  the  less  sensible  of  the  kindness  that  prompts  these 
offers  because  we  are  unable  to  act  upon  their  suggestion. 
To  be  quite  accurate,  we  are  only  able  to  accept  one  of  these 
affers,  and  that  the  smallest.  A  very  young  lady — but  not  too 
young  to  appreciate  To-Day* — has  been  permitted  to  send  us 
from  Brighton  a  farthing — a  very  dirty  farthing,  but  not  too 
dirty,  as  she  thinks — to  cover  the  damages  awarded  Moore  by  a 
jury  of  his  fellow-countrymen.    That  farthing  we  keep. 

THE  LONDON  AND   NORTHERN  ASSETS 
CORPORATION. 

The  general  meeting  of  this  and  the  sister  corporation — the 
London  and  Northern  Debenture  Coq  ora  ion — will  be  held  after 
we  go  to  press  this  week,  and  we  defer  all  but  one  or  two  obser- 
vations upon  their  present  position.  We  direct  attention  to  the 
very  unsatisfactory  character  of  the  accountants'  certificate, 
which  is  identical  in  the  two  Reports,  and  which  runs  as 
below  : — 

We  have  examined  the  foregoing  balance-sheet  and  revenue  account, 
with  the  b^oks,  securities,  and  vouchers  of  the  corporation,  and 
hereby  certify  the  same  lobe  correct  in  accordance  therewith.  The 
assets  have  been  valued  by  the  directors.  We  are  not  in  a  position  to 
value  the  same,  but  we  arc  of  opinion  that  further  provision  should  be 
made  for  depreciation  beyond  the  present  reserve  f  and. 

Now,  upon  the  value  of  the  assets  it  depends,  of  course,  whether 

the  corporation  is  solvent  or  not,  and  the  auditors  tell  us  that 

they  are  not  in  a  position  to  value  them.    But  they  must  know 

something  about  their  value,  because  they  say  that  they  dissent 

from  the  opinion  of  the  directors — that  the  reserve  fund  is 

"sufficient  to  meet  any  ultimate  deficiency  that  is  possible  upon 

the  realisation  of  the  investments."  But  if  the  auditors  are  right, 

and  the  directors  wrong  in  this  matter,  the  5  per  cent,  dividend 

ought  not  to  be  paid,  because  it  has  not  been  earned. 

We  do  not  express  an  opinion  as  to  whether  auditors  or 

directors   are .  right,  since,  as    we   write,   we   are  without 

the  necessary  data.      But  we  hope  that  at  the  meeting 

on  Tuesday  the  directors  will  see  their  way  to  give  information 

as  to  the  value  of  the  assets,  for  some  of  the  securities  held  are 

of  very  doubtful  value.    As  here — 

Par  Value. 

1.  Hemp,   Yarn   and    Cordage  Company,    471  £5 

preference  shares   £2,355 

2.  Calderbank    Steel  and  Coal  Company,   5C5  £10 

preference  shvres    5,650 

3.  Calderbank  Steel  and  Coal   Company,  1228  £10 

ordinary  shares  ..       ..    12,280 

4.  Mortgage  Insurance  Company,  250  ordinary  shares  2,500 

5.  Lomlon  and  Nor  thern  Debenture  Corporation,  3,315 

ordina' y  shares   6,630 

£29,415 

The  first  of  these  companiesis  in  liquidation,  and  no  information 
is  obtainable  as  to  the  value  of  the  assets.  The  second  company 
has  paid  no  dividend  since  l,c91,  the  third  was  in  liquidation  last 
year,  and  the  shares  of  the  fourth  are  at  twenty-five  per 
cent,  discount,  and  would  be  difficult  to  sell  in  any  considerable 
number  at  that. 

Here,  then,  we  have  close  upon  £30,000  locked  up  in  securities 
that,  with  the  exception  of  the  last,  are  practically  unsaleable. 
At  what  price  do  these  securities  stand  in  the  books  of  the  com- 
pany ?  We  hope  shareholders  will  press  for  information  on  this 
point,  made  doubly  necessary  by  the  very  unsatisfactory  form 
of  the  auditors'  certificate. 

THE  BOND  TEA  TRICK. 

The  questions  put  by  Mr.  P.  C.  Frye  to  the  Home  Secretary, 
on  Tuesday  last,  were  very  much  to  the  point.  Mr.  Frye 
wanted  to  know  why  Sir  Edward  Bradford  has  made  no  attempt 
to  suppress  the  pernicious  Bond  Tea  System,  to  which  To-Day 
has  so  repeatedly  directed  attention,  and  all  Mr.  Asquith  could 
say  in  reply  was  that  he  does  not  know  of  cases  where  the  police 
"  have  failed  to  take  action  when  they  could  have  done  so." 
Now  for  the  facts. 


In  almost  every  great  town,  other  than  London,  in  England,  the 
police  have  prosecuted  bond  tea  sellers,  and  in  no  single  case  have 
they  failed  to  get  a  conviction.  Why  is  it  that  in  London  the 
police  have  left  it  to  a  private  trade  association  to  take  action? 
Some  months  ago  the  Federation  of  Grocers'  Associations  made 
strong  representations  to  the  Public  Prosecutor,  and,  acting 
upon  these  representations,  Mr.  Cust  caused  it  to  be  intimated 
to  heads  of  police  throughout  the  kingdom  that  they  would 
do  well  to  warn  bond  tea  sellers  to  discontinue  selling,  and 
if  the  warning  was  ignored  to  prosecute.  That  was  something 
— a  good  deal.  But  Sir  Edward  Bradford  has  done  nothing. 
Twice  the  secretary  of  the  Federation  of  Grocers'  Association's 
wrote  to  him  urging  him  to  move  in  the  matter,  and  there  was 
not  even  a  reply.  The  secretary  of  the  Association  made  a  third, 
communication,  and  to  this  a  reply  dated  February  12th,  which 
reached  the  Association  only  on  February  14th,  came,  in 
which  it  was  explained  that  the  delay  in  ^answering  was  due  to 
inadvertence."  Inadvertence  !  If  there  was  nothing  but  inad- 
vertence it  is  odd,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  that  the  matter  was 
only  remembered  after  notice  of  a  question  in  Parliament  had 
been  given.    And  what  a  reply  it  is  !  — 

The  matter  to  which  it  (the  letter  that  was  overlooked  by  "  inadver- 
tence ")  related  has  been  engaging  his  (Sir  Edward  Bradford's) 
attention,  and  although  the  ingenuity  shown  by  certain  tea  companies 
in  endeavouring  to  set  up  lotteries  without  violating  the  Lottery  Acts 
makes  police  action  somewhat  difficult,  the  Commissioner  hopes  to  put 
an  end  to  such  illicit  trading  in  the  metropolis. 

Truly  a  pretty  production  !  The  "  ingenuity  "  of  "  certain  tea 
companies  "  has  not  been  sufficient  to  prevent  their  being  con- 
victed and  punished  in  the  country  as  "rogues  and  vagabonds," 
but  to  prove  any  such  charge  in  London  is,  in  Sir  Edward  Brad- 
ford's opinion,  "  somewhat  difficult."  The  Grocers' Association 
found  no  difficulty  in  convicting  Nelson  ;  but  the  task  that  this 
private  association  found  easy  is  too  much,  it  seems,  for  the 
head  of  the  Metropolitan  Police. 

THE  WEST  LONDON  BANKING  COMPANY,  LIMITED- 

It  is  a  little  surprising  that  until  now  no  leading  joint-stock 
bank  has  had  its  head  office  in  the  West  End  of  London.  The 
West  London  Banking  Company  will  remove  that  anomaly. 
Brought  out  with  a  capital  of  ,£2,000,000,  and  a  strong  board, 
this  new  banking  company  breaks  away  from  the  old  lines  in 
material  particulars.  In  the  first  place  one  half  the  capital  is  in 
cumulative  fully-paid  preference  shares,  and  entitled  to  a  divi- 
dend of  5  per  cent,  per  annum.  These  preference  shares  will 
represent  a  very  desirable  investment.  Being  fully-paid,  they 
remove  the  chief  objection  of  investors  to  bank  shares,  namely 
the  heavy  liability  attached  to  most  of  them.  Then, 
again,  the  West  London  Banking  Company  will  meet 
the  legitimate  and  general  complaints  of  bank  share- 
holders— that  they  are  not  given  sufficient  information  as  to  the 
position  of  the  bank.  A  detailed  list  of  the  stocks,  shares, 
bonds  and  debentures  held  by  the  bank  as  investments  of  its 
funds  will  be  attached  to  the  yearly  balance-sheet,  and 
quarterly  summaries  will  be  issued  in  a  new  and  improved  form, 
which  will  give  the  fullest  possible  information  as  to  the  financial 
position  of  the  bank.  It  will  be  noted,  too,  with  much  satisfaction, 
that  the  articles  of  association  require  that  the  reserve  fund  shall 
be  a  real  reserve.  Its  amount  will  be  separately  stated  in  each 
balance-sheet  and  quarterly  summary  issued  to  shareholders,  and 
the  whole  of  it  must  be  invest,  d  in  Consols. 
.  These  are  excellent  features,  and  should  commend  the  company 
to  the  support  of  the  public.  Moreover,  *ho  board  of  directors  is 
a  very  influential  one  from  the  social  point  of  view,  and  should 
be  able  to  influence  a  good  deal  of  West  End  business  to  the 
new  bank. 

THE  LANCASHIRE  WATCH  COMPANY,  LIMITED 

We  hear  that  the  forthcoming  report  of  this  company  v,  ill 
show  very  satisfactory  progress.  Although  registered  in  1SSS, 
and  paying  good  dividends,  little  is  known  outside  Lancashire  of 
the  company,  which  is  unique  in  its  way.  There  are  plenty  of 
watch  companies  in  the  United  States,  but  the  Lancashire 
Watch  Company  is  the  first  of  its  kind  in  this  country.  The 
late  Lord  Derby,  one  of  the  shrewdest  men  in  the  kingdom,  was 
a  large  shareholder  in  the  company,  and  speaking  at  the  inaugu- 
ration ceremony  in  January,  1890,  lie  said  : — 

We  saw  what  the  Americans  had  done,  and  we  could  not  see  any 
reason  why  we  in  Prescot  should  not  do  the  same.  Capital  is  cheaper 
here  than  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Labour  also  is  cheaper 
than  it  is  likely  to  be  in  the  new  country,  and  as  for  industry,  inven- 
tion, and  ingenuity,  they  have  never  been  deficient  in  Lancashire,  or 
here  in  Prescot. 


FtT.RtTARY  23,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


79 


And  further  on  in  the  same  speech,  Lord  Derby  said  :— 

In  the  working  of  this  company  there  has  been  nothing  that  will 
not  bear  the  light.  No  guinea-pig  directors  sit  at  the  board,  no  pro- 
moters have  tilled  their  empty  pockets  at  the  expense  of  the  bona-Jide 
investor.  All  has  been  straightforward  and  above-board  1  here  is  an 
old  story  that  there  are  some  speculations  like  a  cold  bath,  very 
healthy,  if  you  do  not  stav  in  too  long.  Now,  ours  is  not  one  of  that 
sort.  I  mean  to  stay  in  it,  and  I  shall  recommend  all  my  friends  to  do 
the  same. 

Praise  from  a  man  of  higher  worth  or  influence  no  company 
could  want,  and  now  that  shareholders  are  about  to  be  made 
acquainted  with  the  result  of  another  year's  working,  and 
application  for  a  quotation  will  soon  be  made  to  the  Liverpool 
and  London  Stock  Exchanges,  we  think  the  time  opportune  to 
draw  attention  to  a  sound  home  undertaking  which  promises  to 
go  far  to  win  back  to  England  a  trade  that  for  many  years 
has  been  passing  with  ever-increasing  rapidity  to  foreign 
■countries. 

C  WINDOVER,  LIMITED. 

We  have  received  a  letter  from  our  correspondent,  "One 
Interested,"  in  reply  to  Mr. Barnard's  statement  of  last  week,  but 
this  letter  concerns  itself  rather  with  showing  that  the  business 
was  a  rotten  one  when  bought  than  with  proving  that  it  would  be 
unwise  to  accept  the  offer  of  the  Messrs.  Windover.  The  main 
question  for  shareholders  is  not  whether  they  paid  too  much  for  the 
business,  but  whether  liquidation— that  being  the  only  alternative 
to  sale— will  give  them  mors  than  they  will  get  if  they  accept 
the  offer  of  the  Windovers.  Our  correspondent  does  not  attempt 
to  prove  that  this  would  be  the  case. 

We  learn  that  forty-eight  summonses  have  been  taken  out 
against  a  well-known  London  butter  dealer  for  infringements  of 
the  Margarine  Act. 

BOOKS  RECEIVED. 

We  have  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  a  copy  of  "  Brewery 
Companies"  (the  Statist  office,  51,  Cannon  Street,  E.G.), 
originally  published  as  a  series  of  articles  in  our  able  con- 
temporary, the  Statist.  Tiie  information  has  been  carefully 
revised  up  to  date,  and  we  hope  to  make  more  extended  reference 
to  this  very  useful  and  really  interesting  book  next  week. 

We  have  also  to  acknowledge  a  copy  of  Mr.  Duusford's  very 
useful  Stock  Exchange  Handbook  (Follett  Divnsford,  Royal  Ex- 
change, Leeds).  The  handbook  is  admirably  arranged,  and 
carefully  compiled.  We  recommend  it  to  investors. 

"TO-DAY'S  "  BLACK  LIST. 
Hay  and  Foster,  10,  Copthall  Avenue,  E.C.— These  people  ask 
the  public  to  take  shares  in  what  they  call  the  Co-operative  Turf  Associa- 
tion. They  estimate  the  profits  of  the  association  at  416  per  cent,  per 
annum,  and  this  profit  does  not  appear  to  Messrs.  Hay  and  Foster 
"  excessively  high."  We  hope  no  reader  of  To-Day  will  try  to  get  it  by 
applying  for  shares  in  the  Co-operative  Turf  Association. 

The  Monochrome  Portrait  Company,  Ealing,  W.— These  people 
promise  an  "artistic  monochrome  portrait  free  of  charge,"  and  a  "  richly- 
engraved  aluminium  gold  watch"  free  of  charge,  to  any  person  "who  will 
distribute  a  few  of  our  circulars  amongst  their  friends."  Some  two  or  three 
years  ago  a  very  similar  dodge,  without,  we  think,  the  watches,  was 
*'  worked  "  for  some  time.  Finally  the  police  looked  in. 

NEW  ISSUES. 

The  West  London  Banking  Company,  Ltd.  Capital  £2,000,000 
divided  into  50,000  Ordinary  Shares,  and  a  like  number  of  5  per  cent, 
cumulative  preference  shares.  Formed  to  carry  on  banking  business  in 
West  London,  with  new  and  desirable  features,  as  explained  elsewhere. 
The  Company  is  promoted  by  the  Eanking  Securities  Corporation,  which 
■for  its  services  takes  per  cent,  of  the  nominal  amount  of  the  present 
issue  of  capital  (£1,000,000)  to  be  paid  out  of  the  premiums  received  on  the 
present  issue  of  preference  shares. 

Lindsay's  Extended  (East)  Gold  Mines,  Ltd.  Capital  £65,000. 
Formed  to  acquire  aajrt  work  two  mining  blocks  in  the  Coolgardie  district. 
The  plans  accompanying  the  prospectus  show  two  reefs  exposed,  on  which 
a  good  deal  of  work  has*  been  done,  and  the  reports  of  experts  speak  highly 
of  the  property.  The  Company  is  brought  out  by  the  promoters  of  Lindsay's 
Gold  Mines,  which  was  favourably  received  by  the  public,  and  four  of  the 
Lindsay  directors  are  on  the  board  of  the  new  Company. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
The  Commercial  Bank  of  Australia,  Ltd.  Mf.dicts  (Manches 
ter).— We  write  you  under  cover.  Costa  Rica  Pacific  Gold  Mining 
Company.  A.  S.  T.  (West  Hartlepool).— 1.  No  ;  there  is  no  chance  of 
selling,  'ihe  amalgamation  can  hardly  worsen  your  position.  2.  Little 
or  nothing,  we  fear.  Lodgings  Investment  Syndicate.  E.  H.  T. 
(London).— We  know  nothing  about  it:  Lancashire  and  Yorkshire 
Railway  Company.  Devonia  (Bideford).— No.  Skinnei's  "Stock 
Exchange  Year  Book  "  will  give  you  all  salient  particulars.  Lancashire, 
Yorkshire  and  East  Coast  Railway  Company.  F.  G.  F. 
(Newcastle). — "Mean  and  despicable "  are  terms  more  applicable  to  your 
letter  than  to  our  observations  upon  this  undertaking.  Will  you  buy  at 
£6  10s.  v  Hemp,  Yarn  and  Cordage  Company.  Interested.— 
(Broughty  Ferry).  — No  information  can  be  got  from  the  syndicate.  The 
reconstruction  scheme  has  not  been  carried  through.  We  may  be  able  to 
give  you  some  further  information  shortly.  Henry  Gaze  and  Son, 
Ltd.  J.  B.  (Kilmarnock).—  £100,000  seems  a  very  big  price  for  the  business, 
and  the  prospectus  does  not  convince  us  that  it  is  not  very  excessive. 
Printing  Company.  L.  Z.  Z  (Colchester).— It  is  an  old-established 
business  of  good  character,  but  we  are  not  prepared  to  recommend 
purchase  of  its  shares.  London  Bank  of  Australia.  »Ciusbrook 
■(Maidstone).  —  We  will  answer  next  week.  Two  Gold  Mines 
J.  O.  (Burton-on-Trent).— We  do  net  like  either  of  them.  Londonderry 
Gold  Mine.  Herbert  (Sandbank).— Those  who  should  know  say  the 
price  will  go  higher,  but  it  would  be  a  very  speculative  purchase.  An  Ex- 
ploring Syndicate.  G.  N.  H.  (West  Derby).— Have  nothing  to  do  with  it. 
Sundry  Shares.  A.  D.  F.  (Liverpool).— We  have  no  information  respecting 


No3.  1,  2,  and  4.  We  advise  you  to  sell  No.  3.  The  corporation  is  doing  little 
or  no  business,  and  has  much  of  its  money  invested  in  very  risky  securities. 
Sundry  Bonds.  Foreign  Lottery  (Mettley).— Of  the  lot  we  should 
prefer  Town  of  Paris.  Five  Per  Cent.  J.  W.  (Grimsby).— There  is  no 
bank  that  will  give  you  5  per  cent,  for  your  money,  or  anything 
approaching  it.  The  "bank"  you  name  is  a  sixty  per  cent,  shop, 
and  we  cannot  advise  you  to  leave  your  money  with  it.  You  should 
buy  shares  in  some  sound  home  industrial  concern,  such  as  T.  Wallis,  Ltd. 
Provident  Association  of  London.  Bondholder  (Birmingham).— 
Yes,  we  have  seen  it,  and  any  opinion  given  by  Truth  upon  a  commercial 
matter  deserves  attention,  but  we  do  not  agree  with  this  particular 
opinion.  The  article  implies,  if  it  does  not  directly  charge,  fraud 
in  the  management  of  the  Association,  and  the  same  insinuation  has 
often  found  place  in  the  pages  of  Truth  during  the  last  six  years. 
We  know  of  no  justification  for  it,  and  we  say  this  after  giving 
somewhat  close  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the  Association.  We  do  not 
think  Mr.  Laboucheie  will  succeed  in  obtaining  a  Parliamentary  inquiry. 
He  has  tried  before  and  failed,  and  will  fail  again  unless  he  has  other  facts 
than  those  given  in  Truth.  He  suggests  fraudulent  management,  but  does 
not  offer  a  tittle  of  proof.  No  doubt  there  is  a  good  deal  of  dissatisfaction, 
but  that  is  no  new  thing,  and  it  is  quite  natural.  A  man  has  taken  out  a  bond 
for  thirty  years,  he  has  paid,  we  will  say,  for  three  or  four  years, andfrom  one 
cause  or  another  he  decides  not  to  pay  any  longer.  Upon  that  he  makes 
application  for  surrender  value,  and  is  told  that  there  is  none.  Thereupon  he 
cries  aloud  that  he  has  been  cheated,  whereas  if  only  he  read  the  conditions 
printed  at  the  back  of  his  bond,  he  would  find  that  no  claim  for  surrender 
value  is  recognised  when  payments  have  not  been  made  for  five  years.  Or 
he  has  paid  for  five  years,  and  he  only  gets  one-third  of  the  sum  he  has 
paid,  when  he  thinks  he  ought  to  get  much  more.  But  here  again,  if  he 
would  only  read  the  printed  conditions,  he  would  see  that  the  Association 
has  done  what  it  contracted  to  do.  It  may  be  unwise  to  take  out  bonds 
under  the  conditions  described,  but  that  is  quite  another  matter.  It 
may  be  that  men  have  been  persuaded  to  take  out  bonds  upon 
misleading  statements  of  agents,  but  where  is  the  evidence  that  the 
agents  of  the  Association  indulge  in  looser  statement  thin  the  agents  of 
other  companies?  What  has  to  be  shown  if  the  management  at  headquarters 
is  to  be  justly  censured  is  that  canvassers  are  encouraged  to  make  such 
statements,  and  that  care  is  not  taken  at  headquarters  to  make  the  con- 
ditions of  membership  clear.  We  do  not  think  that  can  be  shown.  We 
have  never  seen  the  proofs,  and  probably  we  have  seen  more  complaints 
than  havejever  reached  Truth.  Among  other  things  Mr.  Labouchere  wants  to 
know  the  number  of  bonds  paid  off.  No  bonds  have  been  paid  off  in  the 
sense  in  which  he  uses  the  term,  and  for  t  he  simple  reason  that  as  yet  none 
have  matured.  As  for  the  solvency  of  the  Association,  the  opinion  of  no 
newspaper  man,  be  it  that  of  Mr.  Labouchere  or  another,  is  worth  twopence. 
But  we  cannot  forget  that  some  five  years  ago  the  books  of  the  Association 
weie  handed,  at  the  instance  of  the  Star,  to  one  of  the  most  emir  e  it  firms  of 
accountants  in  the  City  of  London,  with  instructions  to  make  an 
exhaustive  enquiry,  and  the  result  of  that  enquiry,  which  took  months,  and 
cost  the  Association  over  £1,500,  was  a  certificate  from  Messrs.  Whinney, 
Hurlljatt,  and  Smith  that  the  Association  could  pay  over  22s.  in  the  £. 
Since  then  a  quinquennial  period  has  passed,  and  Mr.  Ralph  Hardy,  one 
of  the  most  eminent  of  living  actuaries,  has  reported  that  the  financial 
position  of  the  Association  is  sound.  We  cannot  go  behind  these  autho- 
i  ities  and  join  Truth  in  asserting  without  evidence  that  the  Association  is 
not  financially  sound.  We  agree  with  Mr.  Labouchere  that  the  Association 
should  publish  a  revenue  account.  We  have  often  urged  it  to  do  so,  but 
because  it  does  not  we  are  not  warranted  in  arguing  that  it  cannot  meet 
its  obligations.  If  you  or  anyone  else  will  send  us  documentary  evidence 
in  support  of  the  allegations  and  insinuations  of  Truth  we  will  examine  it 
with  an  open  mind,  but  we  do  not  want  more  complaints  that  bondholders 
have  tired  of  paying  and  cannot  get  back  all  that  they  have  paid  in,  and  that 
agents  have  behaved  after  their  kind.  Boudard  Peveril  Gear 
Company.  W.  H.  (Tynemouth).—  The  calls  will  have  to  be  paid  unless 
you  can  prove  misrepresentation.  As  to  the  other  questions  of  your  letter 
we  will  reply  under  cover.  Mining  Shares.  Yarg  (Dublin).— We 
advise  you  to  take  your  profit.  The  rise  in  the  other  mining  shares  you 
name  has  little  to  do  with  intrinsic  value.  "  Debenture  Notes."  F.  M. 
G.  (Tunbridge  Wells).— It  is  of  course  open  to  you  to  offer  them  to  the 
public.  Whether  they  would  be  silly  enough  to  take  them  is  another 
matter.  We  think  it  highly  unlikely.  Outside  Brokers.  Komtr 
(Hexham). — We  advise  you  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  these  people. 
Balkis-Eersterling.  H.  M  (Cloves).— We  have  nothing  of  a  reassuring 
character  to  say  about  this  business.  We  entirely  agree  with  what  you  say 
about  the  call.  Abaris  Mining  Company.  S.  W.  (Edinburgh).— All 
you  say  is  true,  but  we  do  not  see  how  we  are  to  help  you.  Sound  In- 
dustrial Company.  A  Lone  Widow.— When  you  send  us  your  name 
and  address  we  shall  be  pleased  to  answer  your  questions.  Chemists' 

Co-operative  Company,   (Bradford).— We  take  note  of  what  you 

say.  Outside  Brokers.  J.  B.  (Manchester).— Better  go  to  a  member 
of  the  House.  Balkis-Eersterling.  E.  A.  G.  E.  (Dorchester) — We 
cannot  recommend  your  to  buy.  Madras  Railway  Stock.  Irvine 
(Bath). — You  would  have  the  guarantee  of  the  Government  of  India,  and 
you  could  hardly  want  anything  better  than  that.  Ben  Evans,  Limited. 
A  Man  from  South  Wales  (Llanishen).—  We  ate  much  cbliged  to  you  for 
your  very  interesting  letter.  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company. 
Brake  (Kensington).— 1.  The  company  pays  large  dividends.  We  know 
nothing  about  the  other.  2.  It  should  be  not  difficult  to  pay  7  per  cent, 
for  money  which  is  lent  out  at  60  per  cent.  3.  We  do  not  know  the 
patent  agents  you  name. 

INSURANCE. 

Securities  and  Accident  Insurance  Company.  G.  W.  6. 

(Exeter). — There  is  a  company  doing  business  under  this  title  at  24,  York 
Street,  Edinburgh.  Endowment  Assurance.  Subscriber  (London). 
—We  fear  your  first  letter  miscarried.  You  will  probably  do  better  with 
the  New  Bridge  Street  office.  It  affords  perfect  security.— Fire  Insur- 
ance. B.  T.  S.  (Bath).—  The  rate  you  now  pay  is  not  too  high  for  the 
risk.  We  do  not  know  the  firm  you  mention.  We  have  inquired  of  others 
and  it  does  not  seem  to  be  known.  The  course  taken  by  it  t  o  obtain  busi- 
ness is  most  unusual.  Probably  the  firm  represents  some  Continental 
and  American  Fire  offices,  some  of  which  are  "  wild  cat,"  and  none  of 
which  have  any  funds  in  this  country.  Most  of  them  leave  us  when  the 
losses  begin  to  fall  in.  Endowment  Assurance.  G.  E.  T.  (Hudders- 
field).— You  will  not  do  better  with  any  office  than  with  the  Equity  and 
Law.  Star  Life  Office.  Policy  Owner  (Liverpool).— You  have  not 
stated  the  material  facts.  We  may  be  able  to  advise  you  if  you  send  us 
the  policy  for  inspection,  together  with  the  last  two  or  three  letters  re- 
ceived from  the  office.  They  shall  be  returned.  National  Provident 
Institution.  G.  M.  (Inverness).— This  company  is  all  that  you  describe. 
Take  out  the  policy  by  all  means.  Sickness  and  Accident  Insur- 
ance Company.  C.  W.  L.  (Shipley).— This  company  will  answer  your 
purpose  much  better  than  the   .  We  consider  both  manage- 
ment and  security  to  be  better.  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 
J.  H.  H.  t>  (Edinburgh).— We  cannot  undertake  to  look  up  files  for  you 
for  back  numbers.  You  should  read  To-Day.  Sun  Life  Assurance 
Company  of  Canada.  S.  T.  (Sheffield)— We  do  not  think  you  could 
do  better.  The  Rock  Life  Assurance  Company.  Signata  (Mal- 
vern Wells).— It  may  be  recommended  for  your  purpose.  It  is  in  every 
way  a  very  respectable  and  sound  office.  Boiler  Insurance  and 
Steam  Power  Company.  W.  N.  (Whitley).— l.  Yes;  perfectly  safe. 
2.  Your  client  will  hardly  "  improve  on  the  Scottish  Widows' and  United 
Kingdom  Companies  fire  insurances." 


30 


TO-DAY. 


Ferruat-.y  -23,  1803. 


DRURY  LANE    THEATRE    FOYAL.-SIR  AUGUSTUS 

HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.  Every  eveDing  at  7.30,  and  every 
Monday,  Wednesday,  and  Saturday  at  1.30.  Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand 
New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTTXGTON. 
For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day. 

T  YCEUM.—  KING  ARTHUR,  bv  J.  Comyns  Carr.  EVERY 
NIGHT  at  8  punctually  Mr.  Tyars,  Mr.  Forbes  Robertson,  Miss 
Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  Music  by  Arthur  Sullivan. 
Scenery  and  Costumes  designed  by  Sir  Edward  Hume-Jones.  Box  Office 
(Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  daily  10  to  5  only.  Seats  also  becked  by  letter  or 
telegram. 

PALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 

THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Mokton. 


MOORE  AND    BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
The  Best  Entertauvnent  in  London. 
Fun  without  Vulgarity. 
The  Laughable  Operetta, 
THE  YALLER  GAL, 
By  G.  R.  Sims  and  Ivan  Carvll. 
MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY,  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES. 
EVERY  NIGHT  at  8. 

Tree's  for  Booking, 
Admission  5s.,  3s.,  2s.,  Is. 

Farini,  Manager. 


ROYAL  AQUARIUTJ.—  Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  manv  Sights  be  seen.  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 

2.30  and  7.30  POSTER   EXHIBITION.   YACHTING  EXHIBITION, 

CONCERT.    SWIMMING.    SKATING.    BILLIARD  MATCH. 


NIAGARA  HALL— 

11  ST.   JAMES'S   PARK  STATION. 

REAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
Daily,  9.30  to  1.0,  3s. ;  3.0  to  6.0,  5s. ;  8.0  to  11.30,  3s. 
EXCELLENT    ORCHESTRA.  FIRST  -  CLASS  RESTAURANT. 

OPEN  ALL  DAY. 


THE 


THE 


MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

English  Invention — English  Manufacture. 
Tho  only  Perfect  Writing  Machine. 
Differencial"  Spacing— Yisible  Writing. 

MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

Unequalled  for  Manifolding. 
Perrect  alignment  secured. 
Pad  Machine— No  Ribbon. 

THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

Only  32  keys  Y/riting  96  characters. 

Unequalled  for  Speed. 

The  First  and  Foremost  Type  Writer. 

THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

For  all  particulars  as  to  this  unique  invention,  address : 
41,   HOLBQRN   VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C. 

KERN  COUNTY  LAND   COMPANY  OF  CALIFORNIA," 

95-33,  LEADENHALL  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C 

W.  A.  NYGHj  European  Special  Agent. 

Hie  above  Company  calls  the  particular  attention  of  parents  and  guardians 
to  the  mode  by  which  they  can  give  their  soni  and  wards  a  start  in  life  on 
its  lands— a  small  capital  only  being  required.  Special  Party  (No.  2)  will 
leave  for  the  estates  of  the  Company  the  latter  part  of  February,  1895, 
accompanied  by  its  European  Special  Agent.  Apply  for  lull  particulars  at 
the  above  address  or  at  the  Glasgow  Office, 

George  Smith,  21,  Hope  Street. 


H 


JGIi  CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 

MBS.  GRABTJRN,  13,  Bonchurch  Road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Specialite— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  2}  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.    Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 

A  Ytf ONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite, 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet.  Street,  E.C. 
October  BStb,  ikm. 

Dear  Sir,— I  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  nniinnbted  efficacy  of 
Dr.  Scott's  Pills  as  a  family  medicine.  We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  many 
years,  and  are  never  without  titeui. 

Yours  faithfully,  J.  SELLARS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead 
Prepared  only  by — 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 


The   GREAT  EASTERN  HOTEL, 

LIVERPOOL  STREET,  E.C. 
Centrally  Situated.   Electric  Light  Throughout.   Moderate  Charges- 

RESTAURANT  adjoining  HOTEL  fop  MID-DAY 
LUNCHEONS  and  PUBLIC  DINNERS. 

II.  C.  AMENDT,  Manager. 


'South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHONALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIEAR. 

Departures  from  SO  UTHaIiPTOX  every  f>A  TURD  A  Y. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  call  at  LISBON  ami  TEXERIFE. 
Union  "Line  Express  from  Waterloo  everv  Saturday, 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Piisscn **'0i*s*  Friends 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton;   14,  Cockspur  Stre      London.  8.  TV-. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street     .thin,  LONDON,  E.C. 


SUN  LIFE 

ASSURANCE 


irrcortPORAxr 

1865. 


COMPANY 

OF  CANADA. 


Chief  Office  for 

United  Kingdom  : 
42,  POULTRY,  E.C. 

FUNDS  £822,283.  INCOME  £254,984. 

Annuities.       Investment  Policies.      Coupon  Endowments. 
For  Prospectus,  Ac.,  write  to  S.  J.  EYRE-HARTLEY,  General  Manager. 

PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  Limited, 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.G. 


FOUNDED  1848. 


Invested  Funds 


£20,000,000 


Gresham 
L 


ESTABLISHED 
1848. 


IFE 


FFICE 


(LTD.) 

Assets  Exceed  £5,250,000. 
Head  Office:  St.  Mildred's  House,  Poultry,  London,  E.C. 

THE     GRESHAM     LIFE     ASSURANCE     SOCIETY.  LIMITED 


FOUNDED  1871. 


THE  OCEAN 

Accident  and  Guarantee  Corporation, 


SUBSCRIBED  CAPITAL— £ 255,000, 

Branches  cf  Business  Transacted  :— 
ACCIDENT  INSURANCE  (in  all  its  Branches). 

FIDELITY    GUARANTEES    (Bonds    accepted    by  all 
departments  of  Government). 

BURGLARY,  SICKNESS,  MORTGAGE. 

APPLICATION  FOR  FULL  PROSPECTUS  IS  INVITED. 
AGENTS  WANTED.    Apply  to 
RICHARD  J.  PAULL.  General  Manager  and  Sserataiy. 
Head  Office:  10  to  14,  MOORGATE  STREET,  LONDON. 


February  2),  1G05. 


TO-DAY. 


Hi 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Between  Scylla  and  Charybdis.   Ey  E.  Lynn  Linton.  ILLUS- 


trated by  sydney  adamson    65 

The  Queen  of  Italy's  Tact   70 

The  Major  and  L  By  F.  L.  Stanton    70 

Civilisation  in  Progress   71 

Feminine  Affairs   72 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    75 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    76 

In  the  City    78 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J   81 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer    85 

On  Skates  and  Skaters,  a  Chat  with  a  Chair-Man    65 

Club  Chatter    66 

An  Unlawful  Interference.  By  G.  Flambron.  Illustrated  by 

Penryn  Stanley   89 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville    02 

How  a  Greyhound  is  Trained.  A  Visit  to  Mr.  M.  G.  Hale's 
Kennels.  Illustrated  by  Douglas  Fry    95 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
)  in  TO-DAY. 


We  always  hope — especially  we  who  are  moral,  and 
virtuous,  and  in  every  way  fit  examples  to  our  fellow-men 
— that  the  gambling  spirit  will  decrease  within  the 
human  heart.  I  believe  the  Egyptian  monarchs  were 
most  anxious  that  this  should  occur,  and  many  among 
the  Roman  Emperors  spoke  strongly  on  the  subject. 
But  I  cannot  quite  agree  with  the  Duke  of  Portland  in 
thinking  that  all  betting  might  be  done  on  racecourses, 
and  that  the  stay-at-home  bettor  alone  should  be  sup- 
pressed. The  City  clerk,  the  printer  s  apprentice,  <  r 
the  shop-boy  has  not  his  lordship's  opportunity  for 
attending  race  meetings,  and  if  the  instinct  is  to  be 
permitted  at  all,  I  do  not  see  why  he  should  be  denied 
his  small  excitement  because  he  is  compelled  to  spend 
the  day  in  London,  and  not  within  the  enclosure  at 
Ascot.  The  truth  is,  life  for  many  of  us  is  dull.  We 
crave  for  a  little  excitement.  A  day  spent  over  a  bank 
ledger  and  a  meat  tea.  at  Brixton  do  not  give  us  all  we 
require  in  existence.  You  may  point  out  the  folly  of 
hoping  to  win  money  by  betting,  but  you  will  never 
deprive  the  young  citizen  of  visions  of  what  he  could 
do  with  a  ten-pound  note,  supposing  the  particular  out- 
sider he  has  backed  at  50  to  1  should  happen  to  romp  in 
a  head  in  front  of  the  favourite. 

He  may  lose  his  few  shillings ;  but,  for  the  life  of  me, 
I  cannot  see  that  in  the  interest,  the  excitement,  the 
pleasurable  anticipation,  and  the  nervous  dread,  he  does 
not  gain  something  of  almost  as  much  value  to  him. 
When  he  indulges  in  this  very  natural  propensity  to  an 
extent  that  interferes  with  his  work,  and  seriously  eats 
into  his  income,  he  shows  himself  an  ass ;  but  then  it 
means  that  he  is  an  ass,  and  would  play  the  ass  in  some 
other  way  if  this  particular  outlet  were  denied  him.  The 
shilling  that  the  omnibus-conductor  ventures  on  the 
Derby,  and  the  half-crown  that  the  shopman  puts  on  his 
"fancy  "  really  do  very  little  harm  if  the  man  is  sensible 
and  able  to  control  himself,  as  a  man  should  be  in  all 
things.  Energetic  natures  cannot  live  without  some 
excitement,  and  betting,  kept  within  reasonable  bounds, 
seems  to  have  been  invented  by  Nature  to  counWact 


the  monotony  of  civilised  existence.  Anyhow,  moralise 
.  as  we  like  about  it,  the  instinct  will  be  co-existent  with 
human  nature.  The  only  thing,  so  it  seems  to  me,  is 
to  urge  a  man  to  be  moderate  in  this  as  in  all  things: 
never  to  play  nap  for  more  than  penny  points  when  his 
income  is  thirty  shillings  a  week,  and  never  to  bet  more 
than  four  times  a  year  on  horse-racing — to  be,  in  short, 
his  own  master,  and  not  a  slave. 

I  do  not  know  whether  I  stand  by  myself  in  this 
matter,  oi*  whether  other  playgoers  are  begin- 
ning to  think  with  me,  but  I  am  growing 
satiated  with  stage  luxury.  The  magnificence 
amid  which  stage  people  live  is  palling  upon  me. 
The  gorgeous  furniture,  the  sumptuous  liveries,  the  ex- 
travagant costumes,  are  beginning  to  have  the  same 
effect  upon  me  as  might  be  produced  by  a  long  course 
of  greasy  booking.  Everybody  in  stageland  now  is  a 
duke  or  a  baronet  at  least.  Their  houses  make  one  feel 
that  one  is  walking  through  Maple's  show  rooms,  and 
their  women  folk  are  always  dressed  like  Chicago  pork 
millionaires'  daughters.  Occasionally,  in  my  humble 
way,  I  am  invited  to  minor  crushes  at  the  houses  of 
what  the  society  journalist  would  call  "  the  upper-ten." 
I  know  my  nosts  to  be  people  considered  wealthy,  and 
some  of  them  can  even  boast  titles  not  altogether  un- 
familiar in  English  History ;  but  their  halls  and  cor- 
ridors I  find  poor  and  dowdy  compared  with  the  "  back 
pink  drawing-room  at  Sir  Joseph  Tomnoddy's."  Even 
could  the  aristocracy  afford  to  furnish  their  mansions  at 
a  cost  of  seventy  or  eighty  thousand  pounds  (which 
would  be  a  cheap  estimate  for  the  whole  house,  judging 
from  the  sample  room  shown  on  the  stage),  I  am  inclined 
'  to  think  that  they  would  consider  such  ostentation  bad 
taste  :  they  might  think  it  to  be  a  piece  cf  snobbery 
moie  congenial  to  the  ideas  cf  a  retired  draper. 

And  who  are  the  people  who  wish  to  see  this  display 
of  gaudy  luxury  on  the  stage  ?  It  must  be  painful  to 
people  of  taste ;  to  the  wealthy  themselves  it  must 
appear  ridiculous  and  overdone.  I  can  imagine  its 
giving  pleasure  only  and  solely  to  the  suburban  snob, 
who  likes  to  fancy  that  he  is  getting  an  insight  into 
the  habits  and  manners  of  the  aristocracy,  and  to  the 
servant-girl,  whose  idea  of  ducal  existence  is  gained  from 
the  "  London  Reader,"  and  who  would  consider  a  May- 
fair  breakfast-parlour  that  was  not  furnished  in  Louis) 
Quatorzj'  style,  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  pounds,  and  a 
Mayfair  breakfast  served  by  anything  less  than  four 
footmen  in  pink  silk  stockings  as  improbable.  Thai 
women's  dresses  are  often  still  more  ridiculous.  The 
broken-hearted  heroine,  who  has  not  slept  a  wink  all 
night,  in  consequence  of  her  husband  having  eloped 
with  her  sister,  or  some  trifle  of  that  sort,  comes  clown 
into  the  drawing-room  to  cry,  in  a  gown  that  must  have 
taken  her  five-and-twenty  minutes  to  get  into.  Her 
life  is  over ;  nothing  that  this  world  can  give  her  will 
ever  more  bring  a  smile  to  her  face  ;  but  she  goes  off  and 
dresses  for  lunch  in  a  still  more  expensive  frock.  If 
she  be  representing  a  very  2^oor  person,  a  governess,  or 
a  lady's  maid,  she  is  satisfied  with  seme  little  idea  of 
Russell  and  Allen's  or  of  Redfern's,  at  a  cost,  say,  of 
forty  guineas ;  but  if  she  be  a  well-to-do  person,  then 
it  takes  the  President  of  the  Royal  Academy  and  sis 
milliners  from  Paris  to  give  any  idea  cf  the-  way  sllQ 
dresses. 


°-  rO-DA  V;  February  23,  1895. 


It  tires  me — these  cloak-rooms,  with,  their  statue^s  by 
Canova,  their  marble  staircases,  their  carved  oak  gal- 
leries, their  gilded  ceilings,  their  mirrors,  their  ormolu 
tables,  their  Persian  carpets,  their  buhl  writing-tables, 
their  solid  gold  coal-scuttles,  their  Sevres  flower-pots, 
and  their  Gobelin  tapestry  curtains.  I  yearn  for  a  draw- 
ing-room with  a,  loo  table',  six  books,  and  a  case  of  wax 
flowers  on  it.  I  want  to  see  a  woman  dress  as  the 
ordinary  commonplace  woman,  whose  husband's  income 
is  thirty  or  forty  thousand  a  year,  does  dress;  and  to 
meet  a  stage  family  that  only  keeps  two  footmen.  But 
I  suppose  I  shall  never  realise  these  desires.  Clapham 
and  Brixton  and  the  servants'  hall  like  style;  and  so 
long  as  they  wish  it  I  suppose  managers  will  continue 
to  show  us  the  "  upper-suckles "  wallowing  in  stage 
luxury. 

I  have  always  felt  that  the  new  illustrated  journalism 
was  the  greatest  deterrent  of  crime  that  an  all-seeing 
Providence  has  as  yet  invented  to  check  the  evil  in- 
stincts of  humanity.  Often  as  I  have  felt  inclined  to 
murder  a  relation,  poison  a  critic,  or  strangle  an  after- 
dinner  funny  man,  have  I  been  restrained  in  my  mad 
impulse  by  the  reflection  of  the  figure  I  should  sub- 
sequently cut  in  the  Illustrated  Police  News,  and  of  the 
feelings  of  contempt  and  loathing  that  would  be  excited 
in  my  descendants  by  glancing  over  back  numbers  of 
the  Sunday  newspapers,  and  seeing  the  sort  of  man 
their  ancestor  was  supposed  to  be.  In  this  sense,  illus- 
trated journalism  is  a  boon  and  a  blessing  to  mankind  ; 
but  I  do  think  it  ought  to  stop  in  its  career  of  punish- 
ment at  murderers.  No  other  crime  is  sufficiently 
heinous  to  justify  the  torture  that  the  lightning  artist, 
combined  with  the  quickly  printing  rotary  machine,  can 
inflict  upon  a  fellow  creature. 

The  recent  Moore  v.  Jerome  case  has,  unfortunately 
for  me,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  journalistic  artist ; 
and,  if  my  opponent  has  not  hurt  me  much  in  pocket, 
he  can  have  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  he  has 
deprived  me  of  every  shred  of  vanity,  given  delight  to 
my  enemies,  and  sorrow  to  my  friends.  To  the  Daily 
Graphic  portrait  of  myself,  I  make  no  great  objection. 
I  look  a  comfortable  fifty-eight,  and  my  weight  should 
be  twenty-two  stone;  but  the  artist,  no  doubt,  feels 
that  he  cannot  give  the  public  too  much  of  me.  Lloyd's 
lias  branded  me  to  its  two  or  thre9  million  readers  as 
one  of  the  most  quaintly-conceived  bits  of  humanity  that 
a  curiosity-collector  could  ever  have  dreamed  of ;  while 
a  cutting  from  another  Sunday  paper  has  been  sent  to 
me  by  a  lady,  to  whose  hospitality  I  am  about  to  become 
indebted,  with  the  friendly  request  that  if  I  have  altered 
to  such  an  extent,  will  I  kindly  arrive  late  at  night? 
There  are  young  children  about  the  house,  and,  coming 
upon  them  unprepared,  I  might  inflict  on  them  a  mental 
injury  years  would  not  eradicate.  The  terrors  of  the 
law  courts  have  been  multiplied  a  million-fold  by  the 
illustrated  newspaper. 

The  police  regulations  for  theatre  traffic  are  rising 
from  farce  into  the  position  of  a  public  nuisance.  The 
plan  of  operations  adopted  by  Scotland  Yard  authorities 
poems  very  simple.  One  grinning  idiot  is  placed  at  one 
bide  of  the  exit  doors  to  prevent  any  cabman  from 
coming  near  the  theatre ;  and  another  ass  stands  oppo- 
site to  him,  to  see  that  no  coachman  draws  up  when  called 


by  his  people.  This  state  of  affairs  is  maintained  for 
about  half-an-hour,  while  the  unfortunate  theatre-goers 
stand  shivering  on  the  pavement ;  while  if  the  night  be 
wet,  the  fun  is,  of  course,  greatly  increased  for  the  spec- 
tators. At  last  the  police  move  away,  and  the  cabs  and 
carriages  coming  rapidly  up,  as  they  might  have  done 
at  the  very  first,  the  playgoers  are  able  to  get  home. 
Instructions  seem  to  have  been  given  to  the  men  merely 
to  do  as  much  as  they  can  to  annoy  the  public,  and 
prevent  cabmen  from  earning  fares.  The  regulation  of 
street  traffic,  perhaps,  like  interference  with  murder  in 
the  streets  of  London,  is  a  thing  about  which  Sir  Edward 
Bradford  does  not  care  to  trouble  himself ;  but,  in  that 
case,  the  public  would  be  greatly  benefited  if  he  would 
leave  the  matter  entirely  alone ;  he  does  not  receive  a 
salary  to  play  practical  jokes  on  the  citizens. 

Last  week  a  woman  was  given  the  option  of  a  fine  of 
£25,  or  one  month's  imprisonment,  for  having  obtained 
money  by  pretending  to  tell  fortunes  by  palmistry.  Her 
fees  were  low,  she  lived  in  a  street  off  Cheapside,  and  she 
received  domestic  servants  as  clients.  In  the  meantime 
some  who  advertise  in  high-class  papers,  and  more  who 
trust  to  private  influence  and  recommendations,  carry  on 
precisely  the  same  business  in  the  West  End  of  London, 
apparently  with  immunity.  It  is  often  said  that  there 
is  one  law  for  the  rich  and  another  for  the  poor ;  in  this 
case  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  fortune-teller  who  takes 
half-crowns  from  servants  is  looked  after  more  closely 
than  the  fortune-teller  who  takes  guineas  from  the 
wealthy — in  a  word,  that  the  poor  are  better  protected 
than  the  rich.  But  this  case  suggests  other  and  more 
important  considerations.  Firstly,  in  an  age  which  is 
pre-eminently  rational,  the  business  of  fortune-telling, 
whether  by  palmistry  or  some  other  means,  is  appa- 
rently on  the  increase ;  such  cases  as  the  one  I  have 
quoted  are  common  enough  in  the  daily  Press.  How  are 
we  to  account  for  this  1 

It  may  be  accounted  for  very  simply.  The  man  of 
science  and  the  logician  may  have  set  their  mark  on  the 
age,  but  the  world  is  still  not  inhabited  exclusively  by 
logicians  or  men  of  science.  The  woman  who  pays  a 
palmist  to  tell  her  whom  she  will  marry  is  not  rational, 
though  she  may  exist  in  a  rational  age.  And  she  exists 
as  much  in  the  upper  classes  as  in  the  lower ;  as  far  as 
belief  in  the  paid  prophet  is  concerned,  you  may  find 
as  great  silliness  "  in  Belgrave  Square  as  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Seven  Dials."  And  there  is  another  thing 
to  be  said :  superstition  gives  no  challenge  to  reason, 
and,  even  if  it  did,  reason  would  refuse  a  duel  with  so 
despicable  an  antagonist.  Reason  may  attack  a  faith, 
but  a  superstition  is  unworthy  of  its  steel.  True,  we 
may  say  that  superstitions  are  utter  nonsense;  but  we 
do  not  think  it  worth  while  to  show  why  they  are  non- 
sensical. Consequently,  the  superstitious  people  think 
that  certain  things  are  matters  of  opinion,  and  their  own 
opinion  is  as  good  as  another,  when,  in  reality,  these 
things  are  matters  of  fact. 

But  a  second  difficulty  arises.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
among  the  many  readers  of  To-Day  there  are  some  who 
would  tell  me  that  they  themselves  or  their  friends  have 
had  their  fortunes  told,  and  that  what  was  prophesied 
has  come  true.  I  do  not  doubt  that  this  may  be  so; 
what  I  do  doubt — in  fact,  deny — is  that  they  got  any- 


February  -'3,  189". 


TO-DAY. 


83 


thing  supernatural  for  their  half-crown.  There  arc 
three  reasons  why  fortunes  may  sometimes  be  told  cor- 
rectly. One  is  a  question  of  chance — if  anybody  tells 
fortunes  frequently,  it  is  much  more  likely  that  he  will 
sometimes  be  right  than  that  he  will  always  be  wrong. 
Secondly,  there  is  the  question  of  suggestion,  whore 
the  fortune-teller  foretells  something  which  depends 
upon  the  volition  of  his  client  rather  than  on  circum- 
stance y  it  is  possible — even  likely — that  the  client  will 
do  just  what  it  was  foretold  ho  would  do,  acting,  as  he 
believes,  on  his  own  initiative,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
under  the  force  of  suggestions.  I  come  to  the  third 
and  most  important  reason  why  the  fortune-teller  some- 
times hits  the  mark. 

Everyone  would  acknowledge  that  it  is  possible  to 
some  extent  to  judge  character  from  appearances.  With* 
out  any  special  study  one  can  frequently  conjecture  ac- 
curately from  a  man's  face  his  character,  temperament, 
or  profession.  There  is  no  doubt  that  very  much  may 
bo  learned,  too,  from  a  careful  observation  of  the  hands, 
*hen  the  observer  has  made  a  study  of  palmistry.  I 
do  not  think  that  the  palmist  can  foretell  the  future 
from  noting  the  lines  on  the  hands,  but  I  believe  that 
he  can  tell  something  of  a  man's  character  and  tempera* 
merit  in  this  way,  and  given  this  knowledge  he  may  be 
able  to  conjecture  from  it,  more  or  less,  what  the  man's 
future  is  likely  to  be  under  normal  circumstances.  It 
would  be  surprising  if  the  palmist  did  not  sometimes 
make  a  good  shot,  but  as  he  obtains  his  feea  from  his 
clients  by  pretending  to  possess  definite  knowledge,  and 
the  clients  pay  their  fees  under  an  impression  that  this 
knowledge  is  obtained  by  supernatural  means,  the  busi- 
ness is  really  fraudulent,  and  the  law  is  quite  right 
in  putting  a  stop  to  it. 

The  Daily  Chronicle  continues  to  carry  on  its 
campaign  with  ardour  and  pictures,  and  the  County 
Council  is  still  compared  to  a  choice  variety  of  female 
blessings.  I  suppose  our  hearts  ought  to  throb  the 
faster-  at  the  sight  of  the  exterior  of  Battersea  gym- 
nasium or  Mr.  Walter  Crane's  suggestion  for  a  Lord 
Mayor's  show,  but  with  some  of  us  the  enthusiasm  is 
slow  in  coming  even  where  it  is  assisted  by  descriptive 
letterpress.  Doubtless  the  County  Council  has  had 
the  ice  swept,  and  is  careful  about  inflammable  oil, 
and  so  on  and  so  on  ;  it  is  all  very  good  and  indispu- 
table. But  the  danger  which  threatens  us  is  not  the 
danger  that  we  may  be  looked  after  insufficiently ;  what 
we  have  to  fear  is  that  we  shall  be  looked  after  too  much. 
In  making  a  good  citizen,  there  is  a  chance  that  one  may 
spoil  a  better  man.  In  the  New  London  everything  may 
work  most  excellently  and  most  mechanically,  but  the 
loss  of  individual  independence  has  to  balance  against 
the  possession  of  many  rules  and  regulations,  however 
wise  and  motherly  they  may  be. 

ANSWERS  TO  ENQUIRERS. 
Sheffield  sends  me  a  cutting  from  a  local  paper  showing  how 
a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England  took  upon  himself  to  pre- 
vent a  large  number  of  starving  children  from  receiving  soupand 
bread  from  the  hands  of  a  publican.  I  am  sorry  to  see  a  clergy- 
man of  the  Church  of  England  degrading  his  cloth  by  such 
contemptible  and  anti-Christian  intolerance  and  spite.  How 
little  times  have  altered  since  the  days  when  the  Samaritans 
were  regarded  as  the  black  sheep  of  Israel— so  much  so  that 
Christ  was  censured  by  the  Eev.  C.  F.  Knight's  predecessors 
for  speaking  to  one  of  their  women,  while  it  was  left  to  one  of 
that  race  to  succour  the  man  fallen  by  the  wayside.    To-day  our 


Pharisees  are  not  content  with  merely  passing  by  ou  the  other 
side — their  virtue  even  necessitates  that  they  should  drag  the 
Samaritan  away  from  good  work. 

William  Liyesey,  who  describes  himself  as  the  "  eldest  roi 
of  the  father  of  tectotalism,"  writes  me  on  the  subject  of  the 
Veto  Bill  : — "  The  electors  in  999  places  out  of  1,000  will  scout 
vetoism  and  vote  for  reduction  in  number.  I  have  bocn  closely 
watching  the  veto  movement,  and  hesitate  not  to  say  the  veto- 
ing of  all  the  publichouses  in  any  place  in  England  \v  ill  never 
secure  a  majority  of  two-thirds  required  by  the  Act.  Hence  the 
whole  affair  when  looked  at  thoroughly  is,  from  a  temperance 
standpoint,  a  complete  delusion  ;  and  with  the  additional 
option  and  the  exemptions  in  the  seventh  clause  of  the  Go- 
vernment Bill,  with  both  those  in  the  Bill,  1  don't  think  the  trades 
men  need  trouble  themselves  very  much.  Their  present  policy 
should  be  to  get  the  Bill  'watered  down.'  They  will  easily  get 
five  years  '  grace '  in  place  of  three  years.  Mr.  Bruce  gave  them 
ten  years.  I  intend,  if  the  Bill  ever  gets  'on  its  legs,'  to  sug- 
gest to  some  M.P.  a  little  alteration  which  I  think  'vill  easily 
get  adopted,  if  done  quietly,  and  which  will  render  the  securing 
a  poll  a  far  more  difficult  operation.  .  .  .  But  I  don't 
expect  I  shall  get  a  chance.  The  temperance  people  may  wipe 
the  perspiration  from  their  foreheads  and  open  their  eyes  to  see 
what  simpletons  they  have  been  to  subscribe  above  three- 
quarters  of  a  million  of  money,  aud  give  forty  years  of  time  ii 
following  one  of  the  greatest  delusions  of  modern  days." 

New  Brighton  Resident  thanks  me  for  having  exposed  th5 
abuses  allowed  to  prevail  in  this  town.  This  correspondent  alsfl 
goes  on  to  tell  me  that  it  is  quite  unsafe  to  walk  along  the 
sand  hills  in  the  neighbourhood  because  of  the  presence  of 
prowling  tramps  who  terrify  and  blackmail  the  solitary  walker. 
Altogether  New  Brighton  seems  to  want  a  little  attention  paid 
to  it. 

X.  Y.  Z.  asks  me  what  reading  I  should  recommend  to  give 
a  man  a  sound  education.  It  all  depends  upon  what  is  meant 
by  a  sound  education.  What  some  people  would  call  a  sound 
education  would  be  the  result  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  years' 
work,  and  would  involve  the  reading  of  some  five  to  six  thou- 
sand volumes.  Let  "  X.  Y.  Z."  make  up  his  mind  first  as  to 
which  particular  subject  he  wishes  to  study.  Then  it  would  be 
easy  to  direct  him  to  the  books  connected  with  that 
subject. 

Fairness  tells  me  that  the  Church  of  England  has 
started  a  Nurses'  Guild,  hospital  nurses  being  encouraged  te 
join  it  on  the  understanding  that  if  they  do,  when  they 
desire  to  get  private  employment,  a  clergyman  of  any 
town  in  which  they  may  be  residing  will  use  his  influence  to 
obtain  it  for  them.  "  Fairness  "  asks  ine  if  I  do  not  think  this 
unfair  to  the  other  nurses  who  may  not  be  members  of  the 
Church  of  England.  I  think  it  always  unfair  for  religion  to 
force  herself  into  matters  with  which  she  has  nothing  to  do,  and 
to  seek — as  she  is  for  ever  doing — to  make  faith  a  mere  saleable 
commodity.  The  Church  of  England  is  no  worse  in  this  re- 
spect than  fifty  other  denominations.  They  are  all  tarred  with 
the  same  dirty  brush.  It  is  contemptible  ;  it  is  anti-Christian  ; 
it  is  an  insult  to  the  founder  of  their  religion  :  and  it  en- 
courages lying  and  false  profession.  For  myself  I  would  rather 
pick  up  a  nurse  from  the  gutter  than  hire  one  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  a  minister  of  any  creed.  Priests  never  have  been 
happy  except  when  they  have  had  their  fingers  in  every  human 
pie. 

C.  W.  — To  a  certain  extent  the  Church  of  England  is  supported 
involuntarily  b}'  people  who  do  not  believe  in  its  dectrincs. 
There  is  no  getting  over  this  elementary  fact.  Perhaps  you 
have  never  had  to  pay  tithes.  In  some  of  the  Eastern  counties 
the  Church  charges  on  the  land  are  so  heavy  that  no  one  will  take* 
farms  even  at  a  gift. 

Eleven  Men  in  Buckram  ask  me  to  explain  Low  it  is  that 
women  are  hastening  in  bringing  about  the  deteriofat  ion  of  the 
human  race.  I  should  say  by  tight-lacing,  unhealthy  feeding, 
novel  reading,  and  arguing. 

W.  W.  (Bootle). — If  you  will  start  by  telling  me  whafc  is 
humour,  I  should  find  no  difficulty  in  answering  your  question. 
As  I  have  not  the  faintest  idea  what  humour  is,  and  have  never 
come  across  any  human  being  of  any  intelligence  who  could 
define  it,  I  am  somewhat  hampered. 

G.  J.  W.  (Hull)  writing  with  reference  to  the  refusal  of  the 
Blackburn  Nonconformist  minister  to  distribute  charity  from  the 
hands  of  a  brewer,  which  I  commented  on  last  week,  says  : — "  I 
am  a  Wesleyan,  and  an  advocate  for  temperance,  but  I  cannot 
express  the  disgust  I  feel  at  the  conduct  of  the  contemptible 
creatures — ministers  of  the  Gospel — God  save  the  mark  ! :'  If 
one  could  only  get  these  narrow-minded  bigots  to  see  the  injury 
they  are  doing  to  the  cause  of  religion  ! 

Touring  Manager  asks  me  to  take  up  the  grievance  of 
theatrical  companies  having  to  travel  on  Sundays  against  the 
awful  railway  arrangements  by  which  neither  refreshment  nor 
waiting-rooms  are  open.  The  other  Sunday,  he  tells  me,  his 
company  travelled  from  eleven  to  four,  during  which  time  they 
could  get  nothing  to  eat,  neither  was  there  a  single  ladies'  room 
available. 

E.  W. — Offences  against  property  have  always  been  punished 
with  much  greater  severity  than  offences  against  a  person.  It  is 
one  of  the  scandals  of  the  English  law. 

{Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week) 


84 


TO-DAY. 


February  23,  1893. 


The  Banking  Securities  Corporation  (Limited),  26,  Pall  Mall,  London,  S.W.,  invite  Subscriptions  for  the  Shares  of  this  Bank. 
The  Lists  will  be  opened  on  TUESDAY,  19th  FEBRUARY,  and  close  on  WEDNESDAY,  20th,  for  London,  and  THURSDAY,  21st,  for  th,e  Country. 

THE  WEST  LONDON  BANKING  CO.,  Ltd. 


Divided  into  50,000  Ordinary  Shares  of  £20  each,  and  50,000  5  per  Cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shares  of9£20  each 
FIHST     ISSXJ£2    ....  £1,000,000, 

25,000  Ordinary  Shares  of  £20  each  at  par, and  25,000  5  per  Cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shares  of  £20  each  at  £2  prcm'wr, payable  as  follows, viz. : 

ORDINARY  SHARES.-£1  on  application,  £2  cn  allotment,  and  £2  on  1st  June.  1895. 

The  Ordiu&ry  Shares  will  be  entitled  to  receive  as  Dividend  four-fifths  of  the  annual  profits  remaining  after  payment  of  5  per  cent,  on  the 
Preference  Shares,  f  nd  after  setting  aside  any  balance  the  Directors  may  deem  it  advisable  to  carry  forwaid.   The  other  one- fifth  of  profits  is 

tr>  bp  carried  to  the  Feserve  Fund. 

PREFERENCE  SHARES  (issued  at  £2  premium).— £2  on   application,  £4  on  allotment  (  nc  .uding  £2  premium),  £4  on 
1st  June,  1895,  £4  on  1st  August,  1895,  £4  on  1st  October,  1895,  and  £4  on  1st  December,  1S95. 


The  preference  shares,  which  are  to  be  fully  paid  up,  will  be  entitled  to 
receive  a  £x<-& cumulative  preferential  dividend  of  5  percent,  per  annum, 
pa.yable  half-yeaiir,  and  will  rank,  both  as  regards  dividends  and  capital,  iu 
priority  to  the  ordinary  shares. 

DIRECTORS. 

Sie  VILLIERS  LISTER,  K.C.M  G.  (Chairman),  64,  Cndogan-square,  S.  W. 
Aldeiman  Sir  Stuart  Enill,  Bart.  (Viee-Chaiiinan),  Fresh  Wharf,  E.C. 
Vice- Admiral  P.  H.  Colome,  Steeple  Court,  Botley. 

Captain  the  Hon.  E.  S.  Dawson.  R.N.  (Chairman  the  Banking  Securities 

Corporation.  Limited).  23,  Eaton-square,  S.W. 
Conikgset  E.  Disraeli,  Esq.,M.P„  7,  Park-place,  St.  James's,  S.W. 
Eri.est  Farquhar,  Esq..  4,  Chester-street,  S.W. 

Levtis  V.  Loyd,  Esq.,  M.P.  (Director  the  Banking  Securities  Corporation, 

Limited),  8,  Rutland-gate,  S.W. 
The  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  V\  illiam  T.  Marriott,  Q.C.,  56,  Ennismore-gardens,  S.W. 
E.Leigh  t  Emberton,  Esq.  (Director  London,  Chatham,  and  Dover  Rail- 

way  Company),  5,  Warwick-square,  S  W. 
Chakles  Goy  Pym,  Esq.  (Director  North  British  and  Mercantile  Insurance 

Company,  West  End  Board),  35,  Cranlev-eardens,  S.W. 
Sir  Ai  bebt  E.  Rollit,  M  P.  (Director  National  Telephone  Company, 

Limited),  30,  Lowndes-squai  e,  S.W: 
General  Sir  Richard  Taylor,  E.C.B.,  16,  Eaton-place,  S.W. 
Brokers.— Messrs.  Moktagu,  Oppi-nheim  and  Co.,  22,  Austin-friars,  E.C. 
Auditors.— Messrs.  Prideaux,  Booker.  Frere  and  Co.,  48,  Lincoln's-inn- 
fields,  W.C 

Solicitors.— Messrs.  Nicholson  &  Patterson,  23  Parliament-street,  S.W. 

Messrs.  Rollit  and  Sons,  Dunster  House,  12,  Mark-lane,  E.C. 

Secretary. — E.  J.  Goodman  (pro  tern.). 
Temporary  Offices.— 26,  Pall-mall,  LondoD,  S.W. 

Prospectus. 

THE  WEST  LONDON  BANEING  COMPANY,  LIMITED,  has  been 
incorporated  in  order  that  the  residents  in  that  locality  may  have  the 
opportuni'y  of  keeping  their  accounts  at  a  local  bank,  in  which  they  may 
also  become  interested  as  shareholders,  for  notwithstanding  the  great 
wealth  and  increasing  business  of  the  district,  there  is  no  leading  joint 
stock  batk  having  its  head  office  in  the  West  End  of  L  ndon. 

It  will  be  one  of  the  objects  of  the  Bank  to  take  advantage  of  any  oppor- 
tunities that  may  occur  for  absorbing  existing  banking  businesses  on  equit- 
ible  terms. 

'J  Lis  Bank  will  be  established  on  the  principles  advocated  by  Mr.  William 
Gillott,  who  originated  and  carried  out  the  system  of  Country  Bankers' 
Clearing.  The  new  features  recommended  by  Mr.  Gillctt,  in  his  "  Sugges- 
tions respecting  Joint  Stock  Banks,"  are :  — 

1.  The  division  of  the  Capital  into  Ordinary  and  Preference  Shares. 

2.  The  insertion  of  such  additional  clauses  in  the  usual  Articles  of  Asso- 
ciation as  will  have  the  effect  of  providing  the  maximum  amount  of  security 
io  the  Shareholders  and  Customers  of  the  Bank.  viz. : — 

(a)  The  limitation  of  advances  to  be  made  for  long  periods,  to  a  specific 
proportion  and  description  of  the  Capital  of  the  Bank,  viz. : — To  the  amount 
paid  up  from  time  to  time  on  the  Preference  Shares. 

(b)  The  compulsory  investment  of  the  Reserve  Fund  in  Consols  together 
with  the  Dividends  received  frcm  time  to  time  thereon. 

(c)  The  issuing  of  quarterly  Summaries  of  the  accounts  of  the  Bank  in  a 
uew  and  improvedform,  in  addition  to  the  Yearly  Balance  Sheet,  so  as  to 
ifford  the  fullest  information  as  to  the  firancial  position  of  the  Bank,  and 
sending  a  copy  of  the  same  to  each  Shareholder  on  the  register. 

(d)  The  voluntary  winding  up  of  the  undeitaking  if  at  any  time  the 
Auditors  should  certify  that  the  losses  incurred  in  the.busines  s  and  not 
made  gooi  out  of  the  Reserve  Fund  or  otherwise,  equal  or  exceed  the 
amount  paid  up  on  the  Ordinary  Shares. 

The  following,  among  others,  are  the  provisions  which  illustrate  the 
principles  above  mentioned  and  which  will  be  adopted  by  the  Bank,  and 
are  incorporated  in  the  Articles  of  Association,  viz. : — 
ORDINARY  SHARES. 

Art.  21.— The  Ordinary  Shares  shall  be  of  the  value  of  £20  each,  but  not 
more  than  £5  shall  be  paid  up  on  each  Share.  The  remaining  £15  per 
Share  shall  constitute  a  reserved  liability,  and  shall  not  be  charged  or 
called  up  except  in  the  event  of  the  Company  being  wound  up. 

PREFERENCE  SHARES. 

An.  23.— The  Preference  Shares  shall  be  of  the  value  of  £20  each,  and  the 
holders  of  the  Preference  Shares  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  a  fixed  Cumu- 
lative Preferential  Dividend  of  5  percent,  perannum  on  the  capital  paid  up 
thereon,  and  the  Preference  Shares  shall  rank,  boJh  as  regards  Dividends 
and  Capital,  '^'priority  to  the  Ordinary  Shares. 

Art.  24.— The  div  dends  on  the  Preference  Shares  shall  be  paid  half- 
yearly,  and  if  the  profits  for  any  half-year  shall  prove  insufficient  to  pay  the 
full  dividend,  the  amount  necessary  to  make  up  the  deficiency  shall  be 
taken  from  the  reserve  fund,  and  if  at  any  time  the  amount  standing  to  the 
credit  of  the  reserve  fund  shall  not  be  sufficient  to  make  up  the  5  per  cent, 
for  asy  half-year,  then  the  holders  of  the  Preference  Shares  shall  be  entitled 
to  have  the  deficiency  made  up  out  of  subsequent  profits. 

Art.  26. — In  case  of  the  Company  being  wound  up,  the  full  amount  paid 
up  as  capital  by  the  holders  of  the  Preference  Shares  and  also  any  Divi- 
dends  due  and  unpaid,  shall  be  repaid  out  of  the  Asiets  before  any  pay- 
ment is  made  to  1  he  holders  of  the  Ordinary  Stares. 

It  is  provided  by  the  Articles  that  the  total  amount  of  Preference  Shares 
issued  shall  not  exceed  the  nominal  amount  of  the  Ordinary  Shares  issued. 
LIMITATION  OF  THE  EMPLOYMENT  OF  FUNDS. 

Art.  5. — Where  any  t  hree  or  more  of  the  Directors  object  to  any  advance 
be.ng  made  by  the  Comiauy,  or  credit  allowed  to  any  person,  firm,  or 
Company,  or  an  advance  haying  already  been  made,  desire  tie  same  to  be 
withdrawn,  the  matter  shall  be  considered  at  the  next  meftiug  of  the 
Dinctots,  and  no  further  advance  shall  be  made  or  credit  allowed  to  that 
person,  firm,  or  company,  or  the  advance  already  made  shall  bo  withdrawn, 
according  to  the  decision  of  the  Directors.  • 

Art.  115. — No  investment  shall,  under  any  circumstances,  be  made  iu 
the  shares  of  any  company  having  an  unlimited  liability,  nor  shall  any  joint 
transactions  bo  entered  into  with  any  person  or  firm,  or  company  which 
may  involve  the  Company  in  an  unlimited  liability. 

Art  116.— None  of  the  funds  of  the  Company  shall  be  applied  in  the 
purchase  of  or  in  'eadirg  on  shares  of  the  Company. 


Art.  1i7. — No  loans  or  advances  shall  be  made  for  periods  exceeding 
twelve  months  beyond  the  total  amount  paid  up  as  Capital  on  the 
Preference  Shares. 

RESERVE  FUND. 
Art.  118.— A  Reserve  Fund  shall  be  formed— 

1st.  By  placing  to  its  credit  the  premiums  received  on  any  shares  of  the 
Company  that  may  be  issued  less  any  expenses  incurred  in  the  issue 
thereof. 

2nd.  By  placing  to  its  credit  one-fifth  of  the  net  annual  profits  of  the 
Company,  as  specified  in  Article  122. 

3rd.  By  placing  to  its  credit  the  Dividends  that  may  be  received  from 
time  to  time  on  the  amount  standing  to  the  credit  of  the  Fund. 

Art.  119. — The  amount  standing  to  the  credit  of  the  reserve  fund  shaU 
be  invested  in  Consols,  and  the  amount  of  the  reserve  fund  shall  he  sepa- 
rately stated  in  each  balance  sheet  and  quarterly  summary  issued  to  the 
Shareholders. 

On  the  windiDg  up  of  a  hank,  it  has  often  been  found  that  the  amount 
nominally  standing  to  the  credit  of  the  reserve  fund  has  been  mixed  up 
with  tl  e  other  assets,  or  has  been  employed  as  capital. 

BALANCE  SHEET  AND  QUARTERLY  SUMMARIES. 

Art.  138. — A  detailed  list  of  the  Stocks,  Shares,  Bonds,  and  Debentures 
held  by  the  Bank  as  investments  of  its  Funds  shall  be  appended  to  the 
Yearly  Balance  Sheets. 

Art.  140.— In  addition  to  the  yearly  balance  sheet,  a  summary  of  the 
accounts  of  the  Bank  shall  be  made  out  at  the  end  of  each  quarter  and 
signed  by  the  Chairman  and  two  other  Directors,  or  by  any  three  Directors. 
The  summary  shall  be  printed  and  a  copy  sent  to  the  address  of  each 
Shareholder  as  entered  in  the  Register,  and  shall  also  be  published  in  one  or 
more  of  the  London  papers.  A  copy  shall  also  be  put  up  in  a  conspicuous 
position  at  the  Head  Office  of  the  Bank,  and  at  each  of  its  branches. 

The  summary  shall  give  on  one  side  the  total  liabilities  of  the  Bank, 
and  on  the  other  side  shall  state  :— 

1st.  The  amount  of  cash  in  hand,  at  call  and  short  notice,  and  the  amount 
Invested  in  Consols  and  other  British  Government  Securities. 

2nd.  The  amount  of  Loans  and  Bills  falling  due  and  receivable  within  six 
months,  and  the  amount  invested  in  Stocks,  Shares,  Bonds,  Debentures, 
and  Securities  other  than  British  Government  Securities. 

3rd.  The  amount  of  Loans  and  Bills  falling  due  and  receivable  between 
six  months  and  twelve  months. 

4th.  The  amount  of  Loans  and  Advances  made  for  periods  beyond  twelve 
months. 

It  shall  be  the  constant  duty  of  the  Directors  in  dealing  with  the  Funds 
of  the  Bank  to  see  that  as  far  as  practicable  the  following  proportions  are 
observed,  viz.  :  — 

1st.  At  least  two-fifths  of  the  total  Funds  of  the  Bank  (other  than  the 
amount  paid  up  on  the  Preference  Shares)  shall  be  kept  in  Cash,  Loans  at 
call  and  short  notice,  and  money  invested  in  Consols  and  other  British 
Government  Securities. 

2nd.  Not  more  than  two-fifths  shall  be  kept  in  Loans  and  fills  falling 
due  and  receivable  within  six  months,  and  in~estments  in  Stocks,  Shares, 
Bonds,  Debentures,  and  Securities  other  than  British  Government 
Securities. 

3rd.  Not  more  than  one-fifth  shall  he  kept  in  Loans  and  Bills  falling  due 
and  receivable  betneen  six  months  and  twelve  months. 

It  is  believed  that  a  statement  in  the  form  above  proposed  would  be 
satisfactory  to  many  who  find  it  difficult  to  understand  the  ordinary 
balance  sheets  of  a  Bank. 

The  Directors  are  of  opinion  that  the  adoption  of  the  system  of  Pre- 
ference Shares,  fully  paid  up  and  without  further  liability,  carrying  a 
fixed  cumulative  preferential  Dividend,  and  with  a  priority  as  regards 
Capital  and  Dividends,  will  attract  a  large  number  of  investors  who  have 
hitherto  avoided  Bank  Shares  as  an  investment  on  account  of  the  liability 
ittaching  thereto,  and  that  the  present  issue  of  Preference  Shares  at  £1 
premium  will  yield  a  safe  return  of  i\  per  cent,  per  annum  to  the  investor, 
while  at  the  same  time  the  division  of  the  Capital  into  Preference  and 
Ordinary  Shares  will  probably  enable  the  Directors  to  declare  much  larger 
Dividends  on  the  Ordinary  Shares  than  those  at  present  paid  by  the 
leading  Banks  in  the  kingdom. 

The  only  contract  entered  into  is  one  dated  21st  January,  1895,  between 
The  West  London  Banking  Company  (Limited  )aud  The  Banking  Securities 
Corporation  (Limited),  respecting  the  expenses  incurred  in  the  formation 
and  establishment  of  the  Bank. 

By  this  contract  it  is  provided  among  other  things  that  The  BankiDg 
Securities  Corporation  (Limited)  shall  defray  all  expenses  of  every  kind 
whatsoever,  up  to  and  inc'uding  the  first  allotment  of  Shares,  ir  eluding 
Brokerage  and  the  Government  Duties,  and  also  undertake  to  pay  all 
expenses  of  any  kind  whatsoever  if  the  Directors  do  not  proceed  to  allot- 
ment, in  order  that  the  deposits  may  be  returned  in  full  to  the  subscribers. 
The  consideration  to  be  paid  to  the  Banking  Securities  Corporal  kn 
(Limited)  in  respect  of  these  and  other  services  is  fixed  at  oreaud-a-half  rer 
cent,  upon  the  nominal  amount  of  the  present  issue  of  Capital,  viz., 
£1,(00,000,  such  amount  to  be  paid  exclusively  out  of  the  premiums  received 
on  the  present  issue  of  Preference  Shares. 

After  providing  for  the  amount  payable  to  The  Banking  Securities  Cor- 
poration (Limited),  as  above  stated,  the  premiums  on  the  present  issue  of 
Preference  Shares  will  be  credited  to  the  Reserve  Fund,  and  The  West 
London  Banting  Company  (Limited),  will,  therefore,  commence  bus:ness 
(should  the  whole  of  the  present  it  sue  be  subscribed)  with  its  Capi'al  in- 
tact, acd  with  a  Reserve  Fuud  of  £35,000  invested  iu  Consols. 

If  the  number  of  Shares  allotted  is  less  thau  the  number  applied  for,  the 
surplus  application  morey  will  be  applied  in  reduction  of  the  amount 
payable  on  allotment ;  and  where  no  allotment  is  made  tho  deposit  money 
will  be  returned  in  full. 

Application  will  be  made  in  due  course  for  a  quotation  on  the  Stock 
Exchange. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  for  Shares  may  be  oMaiued 
from  the  Banking  Securities  Corporation  (Limited), 26,  VttU-maU,  or  from 
the  Brokers  or  Solicitors  to  the  Company. 

Prospectuses:  and  Forms  of  Application  for  Shares  will  also  bo  forwarded, 
free  EY  POST,  on  sending  Name  and  Address  to  the  Dunking  SecmitiM 
Corporation  (Limited),  26,  Pall-null.  Loudon,  S.W. 


February  23,  1S93. 


TO-DAY. 


85 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  Dear  Dick, — If  this  beastly  frost  does  not  break 
soon  several  theatrical  managers  will. 

The  most  popular  entertainments  are  playing  to  little 
more  than  their  expenses,  and  wherever  the  attractions 
are  doubtful  the  business  is  simply  deplorable.  Illness, 
moreover,  is  rife  in  the  Profession,  and  nearly  every  cast 
reeks  of  understudies.  They  have  no  understudy 
for  George  Edwardes  at  the  Gaiety,  truly, 
but  George  is  exceedingly  unwell.  He  is  confined 
to  his  room  with  influenza,  and  is  not 
expected  out  for  several  days.  The  case  of  Harry 
Nicholls,  at  the  Adelphi,  is  worse,  I  regret  to  say,  for 
he  has  been  ordered  to  take  a  rest,  which  will  probably 
extend  to  the  autumn.  The  after  effects  of  typhoid  in 
his  case  have  left  lung  weakness,  which  requires  constant 
care  just  at  present.  Johnny  Toole  was  so  evidently  ill 
on  Wednesday,  when  he  produced  Lumley's  new  farce, 
that  I  don't  propose  to  say  anything  about  the  show  at 
present.  On  Thursday  he  did  not  appear,  and  on  the 
same  night,  at  the  St.  James's,  both  Miss  Vanbrough 
and  Miss  Rose  Leclercq  were  nearly  voiceless. 
The  Importance  of  Being  Earnest  was  a  very 
amusing  show  for  all  that.  There  would  probably  have 
been  more  money  in  it  if  Oscar  has  condescended  to  as 
much  conventionality  as  he  usually  permits  himself  in 
his  more  serious  work.  The  Stage  is  the  Stage.  A 
curtain  is  a  curtain.  "Why  don't  you  go  away?" 
"  Because  I  have  not  finished  my  tea  !  "  is  not  a  curtain. 
A  first-night  audience  may  like  this  sort  of  thing,  but 
the  audience  at  the  St.  James's  was  an  audience  that 
understand  Oscar,  and  it  came  to  be  amused  at  his 
eccentricities.  Paying  audiences  on  other  nights  will 
probably  gaze  in  blank  astonishment  on  things  that  out- 
rage their  cut-and-dried  ideas  of  fitness. 

I  cannot,  however,  imagine  an  audience  that  would  nob 
be  moved  to  roar  with  laughter  at  Oscar's  farce  as  a 
whole.  His  first  act  is  especially  bright.  The  dialogue 
is  effervescent,  witty,  and  almost  natural.  In  the 
second  and  third  acts,  Oscar  has  remembered  Gilbert. 
Still,  this  does  not  very  much  matter  when  the  result  is 
a  couple  of  hours  thorough  and  hearty  amusement.  I  am 
not  going  to  bore  you  with  an  analysis  of  the  plot,  be- 
cause the  plot  is  the  sort  of  plot  that  you  must  take  or 
leave.  If  you  consider  it  seriously  for  a  single  instant 
you  won't  enjoy  the  play. 

Directly  the  frost  breaks  and  the  frozen  money  in  the 
public  pocket  thaws  sufficiently  to  flow  theatrewards 
again  there  will  be  plenty  of  bustle  and  commotion  in 
Stageland.  Before  Waller  and  Morrell  leave  the  Hay- 
market  they  will  give  one  or  more  performances  of 
Claude  Carton's  new  play,  which  deals  with  politics. 
The  scenery  is  being  pushed  forward,  and  one  set, 
which  includes  a  very  real  built  out  conservatory, 
you  find  a  triumph  of  setting.  At  the  Court  rehearsals 
will  shortly  commence  of  Godfrey's  farce  in  which  Mrs. 
John  Wood  will  appear.  A  sort  of  syndicate  is  being 
formed  to  carry  on  the  Court  and  purchase  Mrs.  Wood's 
interest.  The  directors,  I  am  told,  will  include  Ban- 
croft, Pinero,  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan,  and  possibly  John 
Hare.  Nothing,  however,  has  been  definitely  settled  at 
present. 

At  the  Garrick,  Pinero's  new  play  is  being  actively 
rehearsed.  Mrs.  Campbell  plays  a  lady  who  believes 
in  Socialism,  but  objects  to  Christianity  and  children, 
the  result  of  holding  such  views  is  naturally  a  little 
startling,  but  I  believe  that  she  reforms  or  repents  at 
the  finish.  Whatever  you  may  think  of  the  morals,  you 
will  find  the  play  more  powerful  and  impressive  than 
Mrs.  Tanqueray.  The  only  thing  I  am  wondering  about 
is  what  Mr,  Pigott  will  think  of  it. 

Charles  Cartwright's  idea  of  entering  on  management 
in  April  is  for  the  moment  ofr.  I  expect,  however, 
that  he  will  make  a  start  in  August.    The  new  Adelphi 


drama,  by  Chambers  and  Lumley,  will  be  ready,  so  I 
hear,  by  March — which  probably  means  a  production  at 
Easter. 

High  Jinks,  or  whatever  it  is  going  to  be  called,  will 
be  out  at  the  Prince  of  Wales  directly,  and  Little  Dick 
Whitlington,  by  Sims  and  Caryll,  is  due  at  the  Avenue. 

Now  that  is  a  fair  amount  of  novelty  to  go  on  with, 
isn't  it  ?  Curiously  enough,  the  more  enterprise  the 
theatres  show  the  more  the  music  halls  adhere  timidly 
to  their  old  paths.  There  is  nothing  very  much  worth 
seeing  to  be  seen  at  any  one  of  them,  bar  the  two  big 
ballets  at  the  Empire  and  the  Alhambra.  The  reason 
for  this  is  simple — all  the  best  music-hall  artists  are  at 
this  time  of  year  engaged  in  the  London  and  provincial 
pantomimes.  But  why  should  not  music-hall  managers 
prepare  for  the  inevitable  emergency  ? — Your  affectionate 
Cousin,  Randolph. 


SKATES   AND  SKATERS. 

_  A  CHAT  WITH  A  CHAIR-MAN. 

The  morning  was  still  young,  but  the  Serpentine  was 
crowded,  and  an  equally  large  crowd  awaited  the  good 
pleasure  of  the  chair-men  to  release  them  from  the  shore. 
'They  did  their  work  quietly  and  without  hurry,  with  a 
knowledge  of  their  powerful  position,  for  nowadays  no 
one  seems  to  take  the  trouble  to  put  on  their  own  skates, 
or  possibly  through  the  rareness  of  the  ice  everyone  has 
forgotten  how  to  do  it. 

I  was  fJ  lotted  to  a  young  man  who  strongly  reminded 
me  of  one  of  Mr.  Chevalier's  lighter  creations.  He  had 
just  finished  with  a  contingent  from  a  girls'  school. 

"  Cawn't  stand  them  jobs,"  he  said.  "  They  cornea 
down  in  a  batch,  and  you  takes  'em  one  awfter  the  other, 
and  an  old  donah  stands  and  watches  you,  and  then  gives 
you  a  few  coppers,  and  thinks  she's  done  the  showprawd. 
Then  they  thinks  they've  made  a  friend  of  you  for  life, 
and  keeps  coming  back  to  have  the  straps  toightened, 
and  skate  up  quietly  from  behind  and  fall  over  you  as 
though  they  was  playing  leap-frog." 

I  asked  him  who  were  his  best  customers. 

"  Oh,  the  chaps  that  comes  with  girls.  They  chats 
to  the  girl,  and  I  say  something  friendly  about  the  soize 
of  her  foot,  and  there's  a  bob  for  a  certainty.  The 
queerest  old  fellow  I  ever  knowed  is  an  old  'un  who 
conies  here  every  morning,  and  'as  skated  every  day 
that  I  can  mind  when  there  has  been  any  ice  on  Serpen- 
tine. He's  got  one  of  them  old-fashioned  pairs  of  skates 
with  turn-up  toes,  and  he  won't  let  anyone  touch  them. 
He  borrows  my  chair,  and  screws  them  on,  as  though 
he  was  never  goin'  to-  toike  them  off  this  soide  of  the 
groive.  Then  he  stawts  off,  and  you  never  see  him 
again  till  noight,  when  he  wraps  them  up  in  poiper  and 
goes  'ome.  He  always  gives  me  a  couple  of  shillin's 
every  time,  and  leaves  a  drink  at  the  pub  for  me." 

"  By  the  way,  what  do  you  reckon  to  make  in  a  day  1 " 

"  Well,  this  winter's  bin  the  best  I  remember.  That 
bit  of  a  breakdown  at  fust  disappointed  them,  and  when 
it  came  hot  and  strong  they  flocked  down.  It's  a  jolly 
soite  better  than  four  years  ago,  'coz  then  everyone 
knew  they  were  soife  for  a  good  spell,  and  went  to  where 
the  oice  was  clean.  I  reckons  on  a  good  doiy  to  make 
the  best  side  of  'arf  a  thick  'un.  But,  as  I  said  just  now, 
I  don't  care  for  them  shipping  orders  with  gals'  schools." 

I  asked  his  opinion  on  skating  to-day  and  formerly. 

"  It's  queer,"  he  answered  ;  "  but,  you  know,  the  toffs 
cawn't  skats  like  the  wukking  clawse.  Look  at  the 
lad3  how  they  cut  about ;  but  them  in  the  fur  coats,  they 
goes  about  as  though  they  was  on  hot  bricks,  and  afraid 
to  roast  their  feet  too  quick.  No,  skating  ain't  what  it 
used  to  be,  and  none  of  the  young  'uns  can  come  up  to 
the  old  hands.  Them  patent  skates  ain't  no  clawse ; 
they  does  most  of  the  skating  on  their  own  account.  See 
them  all  over  the  place,  and  'arf-a-dozen  claimin'  each 
one.    No ;   give  me  the  good  old  wooden  ones. 

"  Well,  a  pleasant  toime  to  you,  sir.  And  thank  you. — 
Well,  it  is  dryish  work,  and  I  don't  mind  if  I  do  direct'y." 


86 


TO-DAY, 


February  23,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


The  proceedings  at  Newmarket  on  Saturday,  when  the 
Jockey  Club  stood  indicted  for  permitting  gambling, 
were  possibly  the  most  farcical  that  have  ever  been 
heard  in  a  court  of  justice.  The  Club  wa  charged  with 
allowing  ready-mcney  bookmakers  to  ply  their  calling 
on  the  course.  Every  mortal  man  knows  that  this  is 
done,  and  yet  the  defendants  sat  down  and  compelled 
the  League  to  go  in  for  facts  and  details,  as  though  they 
had  heard  for  the  first  time  of  the  existence  of  such  a 
man  as  a  bookmaker.  This,  is  all  very  well,  and  is  a 
capital  joke.  The  defendants  stuck  their  toiigr.es  in 
their  cheeks,  so  did  the  magistrates,  so  did  counsel,  and 
when  it  was  all  over  there  was  a  round  of  applause,  and 
everyone  went  away  satisfied.  The  joke  was  relished, 
and  in  this  dreary  weather  one  would  wish  that  Mr. 
Hawke  would  bring  one  such  action  every  day. 


Still,  I  must  admit  that  I  think  that  the  Jockey  Club 
are  not  working  properly.  Why  don't  they  go  straight 
to  this  quaint  organisation,  and  say,  "  Look  here,  we 
know  there  is  ready-money  betting  going  on  on  the  race-, 
courses.  But  the  public  won't  have  anything  to  do  with 
your  proposed  interference.  You  say  the  Act  of  1853 
applies  to  racecourses.  Well,  we  will  fight  you  in  the 
higher  Courts."  This  would  be  a  sportsman's  answer  to 
one  of  the  most  ill-conceived  pieces  of  meddlesomeness 
that  we  have  come  across,  even  in  England,  for  years. 
But,  no ;  the  Club  goes  on,  and  shuffles  out  of  the 
question  on  technical  grounds,  and  meanwhile  they  ke3p 
on  giving  way.  At  first  they  prohibited  the  display  of 
betting  lists.  That  was  one  victory  for  the  League ;  and 
now  they  cap  all  by  refusing  to  fight  the  battle  out  in 
the  public  interest,  and  at  the  same  time  notices  are 
being  posted  at  meetings  announcing  that  there  is  to  be 
no  ready-money  betting. 


Surely  they  know  that  public  opinion  is  behind  them  ; 
but  how  long  are  they  going  to  keep  it  if  such  a  powerful 
spokesman  as  the  Duke  of  Portland  is  allowed  to  get  up 
and  suggest  that  what  is  necessary  ii  to  prevent  betting 
off  the  course.  This  is  more  than  the  League  rsks.  I 
remember  when  all  this  chatter  about  suppressing  bet- 
ting was  going  on  in  Paris.  It  was  on  the  eve  of  the 
Grand  Prix,  and  everyone  was  wondering  what  Long- 
champs  would  look  like  without  the  pencillers.  Well, 
they  were  there  next  day  as  merrily  as  could  be,  in  lines 
on  lines — women  bookmakers  as  well  as  men.  The 
authorities,  backed  up  as  they  were  by  the  military, 
failed  hopelessly,  and  to-day  the  bookmaker,  regarded  in 
the  light  of  an  irrepressible  evil,  flourishes  merrily.  If 
this  can  go  on  in  France,  what  is  to  happen  in  England, 
where  sport  is  a  characteristic  of  the  race. 


I.  should  personally  like  to  see  bookmakers  licensed, 
and  I  should,  as  I  have  said  before,  welcome  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  pari  muluel,  with  a.  percentage  of  the 
profits  deducted  for  the  poor  and  the  benefit  of  the  rates 
in  the  districts  where  the  races  are  held.  Meanwhile,  I 
do  hope  that  the  club  will  adopt  a.  firm  stand,  and  put 
a  stop  to  these  ridiculous  proceedings.  These  kinds  •  f 
crusades  are  the  result  of  an  appreciation  ©f  philanthropic 
inertia.  No  one  connected  with  the  society  cares  what 
they  are  fighting  about,  but  they  must  fight  about  some- 
thing. The  heathen  has  been  done  already,  so  has 
drink,  so  have  our  morals,  and,  accordingly,  these  excel- 
lent gentlemen,  with  a  sprinkling,  I  suppose,  of  old 
ladies,  started  to  reform  bookmakers.  They  wanted  an 
advertisement,  and  they  have  got  it,  and  cranks  are 
applauding  them.  Now  they  have  had  their  little  ad- 
vertisement, and  it  is  time  for  the  Jockey  Club  to  see 
that  common-sense  gets  a  chance. 


I  saw  a  novel  pipe-case  the  other  day.  It  consisted  of 
two  leather  caps — one  to  go  over  the  bowl,  and  one  to 


fit  on  to  the  mouthpiece.  The  two  were  kept  in  their 
places  by  an  ingenious  arrangement  of  elastics.  As 
far  as  practical  utility  goes,  the  new  case  is  certainly  on 
a  par  with  the  old  cumbersome  box  that  we  know  so 
well. 


The  long  frost  has  proved  a  soriy  time  for  the 
strangers  in  our  midst  at  the  Zoological  Gardens.  There 
seemed  a  generally  subdued  look  on  every  face  last  Sun- 
day, and  the  keepers  told  me  that  they  were  beginning 
to  chafe  under  the  long  confinement  indoors.  No 
animal,  curiously  enough,  is  more  disgusted  than  the 
rhinoceros.  He  makes  no  attempt  to  hide  his  regret  at 
losing  his  constitutional  stroll,  and  his  neighbours,  the 
elephants,  are  in  accord  with  him.  The  latter,  by  the 
way,  have  lost  much  of  the  arrogance  they  affect  in  the 
summer  months  towards  the  would-be  donors  of  biscuits. 
Now  they  get  on  to  the  tops  of  their  tubs  in  order  to 
put  you  to  as  little  trouble  as  possible  in  reaching  their 
trunks,  and  they  show  remarkable  nimbleness  in  dodging 
their  heads  to  catch  contributions  hurled  at  their  open 
mouths. 


In  the  monkey-house  there  is  a  similarly  chastened! 
appearance.  They  have  ceased  to  regard  the  eating  of 
nuts  and  sugar  as  simply  one  of  the  obligations  the 
authorities  impose  upon  them,  and  now  climb  down  to 
a  soul  to  greet  the  children.  No  member  of  the  family, 
seems  more  humbled  than  the  big  fellow,  so  familiar  to- 
frequenters  of  the  Zoo  from  his  unerring  aim  when  in 
pursuit  of  eye-glasses  or  meerschaum  pipes.  He  took 
pieces  of  the  hard  elephant  biscuits  and  nibbled  them 
gratefully.  Outside  the  birds  were  having  a  lively 
time  in  fighting  the  sparrows  who  came  in  flocks  to  steal 
their  food,  but  the  most  disconcerted  animal  of  the  lot 
was  the  sea-lion,  who  had  been  frozen  out  of  his  pond 
for  over  a  week.  The  only  one  specimen  in  the  whole 
place  that  seemed  profoundly  indifferent  was  the  owl. 
He  sat  and  winked  his  amber-circled  eye,  and  tucked" 
himself  up  warmly,  and  stared  and  stared  straight  into 
space.  It  says  something  for  the  care  of  the  authorities 
that  in  spite  of  the  exceptional  weather  there  is  practi- 
cally no  illness  in  the  Gardens. 


I  have  to  thank  Mr.  H.  D.  Edi  5,  of  Fulham,  for  calling 
my  attention  to  a  shabby  piece  of  plagiarism  from  this 
column  in  the  Standard,  of  New  York.  In  a  December 
issue  I  devoted  some  space  calling  attention  to  idiotic 
novelties  in  match-boxes.  This  was  lifted  bodily  by  the 
sheet  without  acknowledgment,  and  signed  "0.  Oswald." 
It  is  not  the  first  time  that  paper  has  stolen  from 
To-Dat  ;  illustrations  having  been  reproduced  and  the 
names  of  fictitious  artists  put  to  them.  The  theft  is  the 
more  annoying,  as  I  am  sure  that  no  reader  of  To-Dat 
would  care  to  be  seen  in  a  forty-acre  field  with  a  copy  of 
the  Standard  lying  about. 

If  the  cropping  of  dogs'  ears  had  not  been  made  an 
illegal  act,  the  article  on  the  subject  which  appeared  in 
last  week's  Stock-keeper  would  probably  have  opened  the 
eyes  of  justice  to  the  horrible  cruelty  of  the  practice. 
The  article  in  question  gives  us  a  fair  idea  of  how  the 
ears  of  dogs  were  mutilated,  and  the  accompanying 
illustrations  of  a  dog  prepared  for  cropping,  and  the 
instruments  employed  in  the  operation,  are  sufficiently 
horrible  to  make  one  feel  glad  that  such  pictures  will 
be  impossible  in  the  future.  At  Cruft's  Dog  Show,  last 
week,  there  was  one  uncropped  bull  terrier  exhibited  in 
the  novice  class.  In  appearance,  of  course,  he  differed 
enormously  from  his  companions,  though  certainly  not 
to  his  own  disadvantage.  It  was  not  the  fault  of  his  un- 
cropped ears  that  he  could  get  no  further  than  "  Highly 
commended." 


Some  weeks  ago  I  mentioned  in  these  columns  that 
the  latest  fad  of  the  Parisian  gilded  youth  was  to  have 
his  umbrella  fitted  with  a  heavily  jewelled  handle.  Now 
I  notice  that  many  of  the  best  shops  in  Bond  Street  arp 


February  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


87 


FOUND  AT  LAST. 


A  CURE  FOR  ASTHMA. 

Asthma  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  diseases  to  treat 
successfully.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  hitherto  very 
little,  if  any,  progress  has  been  made  in  the  general 
treatment  of  Asthma.  The  medical  profession  seems  to 
have  ignored  this  distressing  disease,  or  at  least  to  have 
thought  very  little  about  it.  The  administration  of 
obnoxious  nostrums  through  the  stomach  has  never  yet 
•cured  a  single  case.  There  is  not  an  atom  of  reason  in  the 
adoption  of  this  mode  of  treatment.  Asthma  is  a 
•spasmodic  affection  of  the  bronchial  tubes  of  the  lungs. 
The  true  treatment  for  Asthma  must  be  by  inhalation. 
In  this  way  the  remedy  at  once  reaches  the  real  seat  of 
the  trouble.  It  acts  instantaneously.  It  promotes  free 
and  easy  expectoration,  loosens  the  phlegm,  and,  even 
in  the  most  severe  cases,  cures  the  diseases.  Within  a 
■comparatively  recent  period  Dr.  R.  Schiffmann,  a  re- 
cognised authority  and  specialist  in  Asthma,  Bronchitis, 
Hay  Fever,  and  Croup,  has  prepared  for  these  diseases 
a  remedy  known  as  "  SchifFmann's  Asthma  Cure."  With 
this  there  is  no  waiting  for  results.  Being  inhaled,  its 
action  is  immediate,  direct,  and  certain,  and  has  effected 
cures  where  every  other  treatment  has  failed.  Most 
chemists  have  it  on  sale  in  two  sizes,  retailing  at  2s.  6d. 
and  Is.  6d.  per  package ;  or  should  any  chemist  not  have 
.it  or  decline  to  order  it  for  a  sufferer,  a  package  will  be 
sent,  post  free,  on  receipt  of  the  amount  by  Dr.  R. 
SchifFmann's  British  Depot,  32  and  33,  Snow  Hill, 
Ijondon,  E.C.  A  most  convincing  list  of  testimonials 
and  pamphlets  will  be  sent  free  to  my  address. 

TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS   IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
T~ —  GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Js.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is,  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Gresse  Street,  London,  W- 

THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT    FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 
toe 


^B>t  e  n  h  o  u  s  e 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

"WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOY7. 


UNEQUALLED 
FOR   DELICACY  AND  FLAVOR. 

BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 


MATCHLESS  FOR  STYLE  AND  COMFORT. 


In  three  qualities,  from 
H^nd-sewu  „ 


13s.  6d.  per  pair. 
16s.  6d.  „ 


AGENTS  : 


Osborne  &  Co   380  and  387,  Oxford 

Street,  W. 
A.  A.  Tyson,  27,  Brecknock  Rd,N.W. 
H.  Ovenden,  Broadway,  Leyton. 
J.  H.  Taylor,  Blackheath,  S.E. 
D.  Spence,  213,  Lavender  Hill,  S.W. 
J.  Soxjthwood,  Hanwell. 
Geo.  Wilkins,  259,  Holloway  Rd.,  N. 
Bales  &  Son,  101,  LeytonstoneBd.E. 


C.  F.  Evans,  161,  Broadhurst  Gar- 
dens, West  Hampstead. 

P.  Tuenell,  72,  Peckham  Rye,  S.E. 

T.  Fisheb,  108,  High  Street,  Plum- 
stead,  Kent. 

J.  Mynois  &  Co. ,  517,  Harrow  Rd.,  W. 

A.  J.  Spabey,  Oxford  Road,  Wal- 
thamstow. 

W.  G.  Cobryer,  69,  Oxford  St.,  W. 


LT ELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 

Bending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instrument?,  jewellery,  curtnins,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  F.  Haslock,  who 
sells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  (7000  in  number)  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  Grays,  Essex.  All  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
sender  are  inside.    Nothing  is  tuo  murh  worn  or  dilapidated. 


PURVEYORS  TO 

Hi  Ri  Hi 

THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES. 


_  AjtAtmn  ii  3/  G.old.cuid  Prise 

iiSBiisi 


(QCfriMlCS 


"jWecZals  Awarded. 


WorfcsT- DUBLIN    AND  BELFAST. 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Various  Climates. 


88 


TO-DAY. 


February  23,  1895. 


showing  umbrellas  of  this  description,  with  the  idea,  I 
suppose,  of  making  them  fashionable  in  the  coming 
season.  I  do  not  think,  however,  that  they  will  catch  on 
here.  The  actual  frame  and  material  of  the  umbrella 
is  too  often  of  an  inferior  quality  to  enable  the  manu- 
facturer to  turn  out  an  umbrella  with  an  expensive 
handle  for  the  same  pric?  that  he  has  been  accustomed 
to  produce  the  more  plebeian  article.  At  any  rate,  if 
these  expensive  handles  do  become  popular,  the  um- 
brella thief  will  stand  a  good  chance  of  being  detected 
and  receiving  the  punishment  usually  meted  out  to  the 
ordinary  area  snei:k. 


The  coming  hat  this  season  will  be  brown,  in  colour, 
with  a.  high  crown  and  rather  a  close,  narrow  brim.  The 
band  and  bindings  will  be  of  a  darker  shade,  and  the 
appearance  of  the  hat  i.i  decidedly  smart. 


It  is  difficult  to  invent  a  novelty  in  head  wear,  but  an 
enterprising  manufacturer  is  making  an  attempt  by 
introducing  bi-coloured  and  variegated  hat-bands.  The 
only  hats  to  be  so  ornamented  at  present  are  those  made 
in  soft  felt ;  but  if  the  idea  catches  on,  no  doubt  it  will 
be  extended  to  others.  A  sober-looking  black  silk  hat 
decorated  with  a,  green-and-yellow  band  would  certainly 
bo  a  decided  novelty  in  the  Park.  Talking  of  hat-bands 
reminds  me  that  the  hats  now  worn  at  the  Riviera 
have  enormous  rolled  bands,  which  give  them  a  very 
picturesque  appearance,  especially  when  the  colour  of  the 
hat  is  a  steel-grey. 


A  correspondent  asks  me  the  best  way  to  cure  a  cold. 
There  are  probably  as  many  remedies  as  there  are  colds, 
but  one  of  the  best  is  the  wearing  of  a  woollen  abdominal 
belt.  A  doctor  tells  me  that  the  use  of  one  of  these 
belts  would  obviate  half  the  ills  that  this  severe  winter 
is  responsible  for.  In  this,  as  in  other  minor  complaints, 
prevention  is  the  best  cure. 


I  have  never  heard  of  a  cricketing  paper  coming  down 
on  a  writer  for  saying  that  a  batsman  made  a  huge  score 
with  so-and-so's  bat,  and  forgetting  to  mention  the  ball, 
nor  of  a  shooting  journal  that  talked  of  the  madness  of 
a  man  in  praising  a.  gun  and  forgetting  the  cartridges, 
but  the  cycling  journalists  are  particular  in  these  matters. 
I  have  been  accused  of  being  "  spoofed,"  "  fooled," 
"  bluffed,"  and  goodness  knows  what  else  because  I 
spoke  of  some  tyres  the  other  week  and  forgot  to  men- 
tion the  handles,  the  axle,  the  spokes,  the  saddle,  the 
gear,  and  the  oil  can  as  being  equally  important  in  the 
make-up  of  a  machine.  There  is  no  law  to  prevent  men 
going  out  of  their  way  to  indulge  in  a  game  of  voluntary 
misunderstanding,  and  there  is  no  harm  in  them  ex- 
plaining the  principle'to  their  readers.  Next  to  count- 
ing the  vowels  in  Shakespeare,  it  seems  to  me  one  of  the 
most  mirth  provoking  and  exhilarating  games  for  the 
winter  evenings  that  I  know  of. 


Although  in  a  proposal  and  acceptance,  when  the 
adverse  side  is  left  with  only  one  trump  against  you,  the 
best,  you  abandon  the  trump  lead  at  once,  this  is  not 
always  advisable.  Saj7  that  your  partner  has  no  trumps, 
one  long-established  suit  (of  which  you  have  only  one 
card  left),  and  presumably  no  card  of  re-entry.  Here  if 
you  play  the  single  card,  and  the  holder  of  the  master 
trump  ruffs  the  suit,  your  partner  will  be  unable  to 
come  in  again.  But  if  you  have  more  than  one  trump, 
or  one  only  and  certain  cards  of  re-entry,  you  should 
play  trumps,  and  your  single  card  will  subsequently 
reinstate  your  partner. 


Mr.  Oliver  Halford  has  favoured  me  with  his  recent 
experience  of  a  proposal  and  acceptance  in  which  the 
callers  did  not  take  a  single  trick.  Although  the  first 
hand  proposal  was  scarcely  justified  and  the  acceptance 
was  wofully  weak,  both  declarations  were  such  as  are 
often  seen  called  and  not  unusually  made. 


Small  spade  turned  up.  A  (first  hand)  proposes  on 
four  spades,  nine  the  highest.;  Ace,  King  and  two  small 
hearts;  King,  Queen,  eight  of  clubs-;  and  two  small 
diamonds.  B  (second  hand)  accepts  with  King  and  three 
more  spades  ;  Queen,  Jaek,  ten,  nine,  hearts ;  Jack,  ten, 
nine,  clubs ;  and  King,  ^  ack,  of  diamonds.  The  follow- 
ing hands  pass.  A  leads  a  small  trump,  B  follows  with 
King,  C  discards  a  small  heart,  and  the  dealer,  taking 
the  trick  with  his  Ace,  returns  Queen,  Jack  and  ten  of 
trumps,  with  which  he  draws  all  the  adverse  trumps  and 
still  retains  one  in  his  own  hand.  He  then  leads  a 
small  diamond,  his  partner  having  first  discarded  hearts- 
and  then  clubs.  B  plays  King  of  diamonds  which  C 
takes  with  the  Ace,  plays  back  Queen,  with  which  he 
catches  the  Jack,  continues  with  the  ten  and  three  more 
best  diamonds,  then  the  Ace  of  clubs,  and  his  partner's 
trump  takes  the  last  trick. 


Mr.  Halford  does  not  mention  whether  slams  were 
paid  for  at  this  particular  table,  but  this  again  brings 
up  the  vexed  question  of  what  is  a  slam.  I  have  always- 
understood  it  to  mean  the  thirteen  tricks  made  by  one 
side,  whether  it  be  that  of  the  caller  or  his  adversaries- 
— the  abundance  declaree  call  being,  of  course,  excepted. 
Double  overtricks,  and  at  some  tables  double  the  stakes- 
also,  are  generally  paid  for  slams,  the  details  being  a 
matter  of  custom  or  pre-agreement. 


But  although  the  callers  invariably  claim  the  excess 
when  they  make  the  slam  they  resent  paying  double 
price  when,  as  in  the  instance  narrated  above,  they  fail 
to  make  a  single  trick,  and  the  thirteen  tricks  are  taken 
by  their  opponents.  They  practically  ask,  with  Poor 
Joe,  "Ain't  I  unfort'nit  enough  for  yerV  and  I  have 
never  yet  seen  the  adversaries  insist  upon  the  double 

NEARLY  A 

CRIPPLE 

T.JACOBS  OIL 
CURED  HIM! 


Chief  Officer  Mutton,  of  the  ss.  Braganza,  says  :— "  In  the 
early  part  of  the  year  1S82,  I  felt  a  pain  in  the  region  of  the 
right  hip,  which  rapidly  developed  into  a  pain  so  intense  that 
atTtimcs  I  could  not  walk  ten  yards  without  halting.  Medical 
men.  Loth  in  England  and  on  the  Continent,  pronounced  it 
sciatica  ;  they  prescribed  for,  and  signally  failed  to  give  >ne  the 
Blightest  relief.  At  last  I  determined  to  give  St.  Jacobs  Oil 
a  fair  trial. 

"  With  the  sccor.d  bottle  I  felt  most  derided  relief :  after 
using  the  third  1  walked  one  day  fully  ten  miles  without 
feeling  a  twinge  ;  with  the  fourth  I  was  virtually  cured  ;  and 
after  iising  the  fifth  bottle  I  bad  no  longer  any  need  of  its  use, 
and  am  now,  thanks  to  its  marvellous  properties,  entirely  free 
from  pain,  never  having  had  any  return  of  it,  and  I  am  thinly 
convinced  that  had  it  not  been  for  St.  Jacobs  Oil  I  should  now 
have  been  very  near,  if  not  quite  a  cripple."    Price  I/IJ  &  2/6. 


It  acts  Like  Magic! 


ONQUERS 
w*  PAIN! 


The  Cii  \rt  RS  \  Xov.v. .krC'o.,  4">,  Farringdnri  Eoad,  London ; 
«L venue  Klein*  72.  Paris  ;  Piuunmcie  Aiigliuse,  Montague  d* 
la  Cour.  P.ium'I'cs;  Sole  Proprietors. 


lf?BRUARY  23,  ISOo. 


TO-DAY. 


89 


amount.  This  is  only  sentiment  without  reason,  but  it 
has  become  crystallized  into  law,  and  so  the  general 
acceptation  of  a  slam  is  when  the  thirteen  tricks  are 
made  by  the  declaring  side. 

A  correspondent — "  G,  T.  R." — wishes  to  know  if, 
when  the  dealer  and  first  player  are  partners  against  the 
proposer  and  acceptor,  and  the  dealer  has  turned  up  a 
King,  whether  the  first  player  should  lead  a  small  trump. 
I  know  of  no  exception  save  when  first  hand  has  the 
Ace  only,  when  he  should  lead  that,  as  he  may  otherwise 
be  compelled  to  cover  the  King.  If  the  King  be  sup- 
ported the  small  trump  lead  gives  it  a  certain  trick, 
whereas  if  it  were  led  through  by  the  fourth  hand  it 
would  probably  be  captured  if  second  hand  held  the 
Ace. 


The  other  occasions  where  the  adversaries  of  the 
proposer  and  acceptor  are  justified  in  attacking  the 
callers  by  leading  trumps  are,  roughly  (1),  when  the 
declaring  hands  are  cross-ruffing  ;  (2),  when  your  part- 
ner is  free  of  trumps,  the  callers  have  ceased  leading 
them,  and  you  see  no  chance  of  successfully  ruffing — 
you  here  bring  out  two  for  one  ;  (3),  with  first-class  all- 
round  cards  in  the  strange  suits.  The  callers  must 
have  proposed  and  accepted  mainly  on  trumps,  and  you 
must  try  and  prevent  the  trumps  being  utilised  simply 
for  ruffing  ;  (4),  and  of  course  when  you  have  best 
trumps  against  the  callers. 


"Knave  of  Clubs  "  asks  for  the  settlement  of  a  point 
in  dispute  which  has  certainly  never  been  contemplated 
by  any  existing  code  of  laws.  First  hand  passes ; 
second  calls  misere  ;  third  passes,  and,  before  the  fourth 
hand  has  declared,  the  first  hand  leads  out  against  the 
misere  call.  Fourth  hand  goes  abundance,  and  rightly 
calls  the  irregularly  played  card.  He  takes  the  first 
trick,  and  then  leads  out  without  pre-announcing  what 
is  his  trump  suit.  Second  hand  then  objects  to  the 
validity  of  his  call ;  and  "  Knave  of  Clubs  ''  requests 
me  to  put  the  matter  right. 


The  answer  to  this  is  that  an  abundance  caller  must 
specify  his  trump  suit  before  a  card  is  led  out  to  the 
first  trick  ;  but  should  an  adversary  lead  out  before  he 
has  so  announced  it  he  must  do  so  before  he  plays  to 
the  trick,  or  his  call  is  invalid.  In  the  case  in  dispute 
the  abundance  call  is  nullified,  and  the  misere  caller 
has  a  perfect  right  to  proceed  with  his  declaration,  and 
call  every  exposed  card,  and  should  be  decline  to  play 
it  the  cards  must  be  re-dealt. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Kingston  (Jamaica). — (1)  The  batsman  was  not  out  for  hit- 
ting the  ball  twice.  (2)  He  is  allowed  to  strike  the  ball  a  second 
time  to  guard  his  wicket.  (3)  He  was  out  for  attempting  to 
get  a  run. 

THE  MAJOR. 


AN    UNLAWFUL  INTER- 
FERENCE. 

BY 

G.  FLAMBRON. 

Illustrated  by  Penryn  Stanlct. 


had  been  talk- 
ing for  an  hour 
of  Trade-rights 
and  Supply- 
and  -  demand 
and  various 
other  shibbo 
leths,  and  had 
been  collec- 
tively con- 
temptuous of 
"  this  Socialist 
rot,"  and  the 
Old  Timer  had 
smoked  reflec- 
tively through 
it  all  with  never 
a  word. 

But  at  last 
we  perceived  by 
the  strenuous- 
nes  s  of  his  puffs 
that  the  spirit- 
was  m  o  v  i  n  g 
him.  So  we 
sanl;  into  expectant  silence,  because  when  this  Old  Timer 
did  speak  it  was  always  good  to  listen. 

"That's  all  very  well,"  he  said,  "that  talk  about 
Trade-rights,  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  but  it  doesn't  always 

work  out  fair.    Now  up  in  Cariboo  in  1860  " — (we 

drew  our  chairs  closer  in,  and  dropped  our  pipes  that 
wo  might  hear  him  the  better) — "yes,  in  1860 — or 
might  be  '61  now — I'm  not  sure  which.  However,  that 
year  I  bore  a  hand  in  a  racket  that  I've  never  repented 
of,  but  it  was  an  unlawful  thing  all  the  same. 

"  It  was  just  at  the  height  of  the  Caribco  rush,  and 
a  whole  crowd  of  us  had  got  through  to  the  new  camp 


at  Barkerville,  and  made  up  our  minds  to  winter  there 
rather'n  face  the  Canyon  trail  again.  The  road  hadn't 
been  built  then,  and  you  bet  that  was  just  an  all-fired 
ti ail,  that  was  !  I  reckon  that  out'n  every  hundred  men 
that  started  from  the  head  of  navigation  at  Yale  that 
year,  not  more'n  a  dozen  got  through.  Of  the  others 
seven  or  eight  would  get  smashed  or  die  of  water  or 
whisky  in  the  Canyons,  and  the  rest  would  go-  back  to 
the  coast  and  curse  the  country.  But  there  was  twenty 
oi  thirty  thousand  men  at  one  time  or  another  in  that 
rush,  so  even  still,  as  I  said,  there  was  a  whole  crowd 
of  us  did  get  through ;  and  for  the  time  we  had  left  to 
work  in  the  prospects  were  really  favourable. 

"  I  did  well  myself.  In  fact,  in  them  first  few  weeks  I 
did  better  than  ever  I  did  afterwards;  and  that  made 
me,  like  lots  more,  unwilling  to  go  out  for  the  winter. 

"Now,  when  once  the  snow  comes  on  in  that  British 
Columbia  back-country  it's  just  '  good-bye  everybody ' 
till  next  spring.  It  lies  thicker'n  any  snow  I  know  of. 
Why,  I  tell  you,  that  same  winter,  when  the  weather  got 
kind  of  settled  just  before  the  thaws,  we'd  go'  out  in 
parties  for  a  day  or  two's  elk-huntin' ;  and  I've  seen  us 
build  our  fire  for  the  night  on  logs  laid  close  together 
upon  the  snow,  and  wake  up  in  the  morning  to  find  it 
had  thawed  a  pit  twenty  to  thirty  feet  deep,  with  a  pile  of 
wood  ashes  at  the  bottom,  and  us  not  knowing  until 
then  but  what  we  were  within  a  couple  of  feet  of  the 
solid. 

"  Of  course,  in  a  country  like  that,  you  carn't  coax 
even  a  Siwash  along  in  the  winter-time,  and  for  that 
reason  all  the  supplies  that  the  camp  wanted  had  to  be 
carried  in  before  the  first  snows.  We  all  knew  that  well 
enough,  but  reckoned  on  laying  out  our  gold-dust  in 
flour  and  bacon  all  along  through  the  autumn  as  fast 
vs.  the  packers  came  in,  and  so  storing  up  what  would 
last  us  till  the  spring. 

"  There  were  two  traders  in  the  camp — smart  men, 
both  of  'em — Down-easters,  that  had  been  too  late  to 
do  any  good  on  the  Sacramento,  and  so  came  up  north. 
They  took  up  claims  and  pretended  to  do  some  mining, 
but  it  was  their  stores  that  was  their  chief  business,  and 
they  minded  to>  make  a  good  thing  of  it.  They  put 
their  heads  together  and  calculated  it  out  according  to 
the  number  of  men  that  was  going  to  winter,  and  then 
set  to>  work  quietly  to  biry  up  all  the  stuff  they  could 
lay  their  hands  on.    They  were  late  in  starting,  and 


Ccpyriyht,  1S05,  by  G.  Flambron. 


00  TO-DAY. 


February 


some  of  the  men  had  already  partly  laid  in  for  the 
winter,  but  the  traders  worked  it  somehow.  They  went 
about  privately,  first  to  one  man  and  then  to  another, 
saying  they  were  particular  short  of  some  particular 
thing,  and  would  give  a  good  profit  for  the  accommoda- 
tion if  he  cared  to  sell ;  and  as  like  as  not  he  would  think, 
like  a  fool,  that  he  was  gettin'  the  best  of  it,  and  could 
lay  in  again  cheaper  when  the  next  pack  reached  camp, 
and  would  sell  clean  out  to  them.  And,  of  course,  when- 
ever the  packs  came  up,  the  traders  nobbled  the  lot,  and 
'  wern't  sellers  just  then.' 

"  Well,  so  it  went  on.  The  traders  kep'  buying,  and 
the  price  of  things  kep'  rising,  till  the  first  snow  came — 
it  came  early  that  year,  I  remember — and  then  when  we 
wanted  to  buy  we  all  found  out  what  the  matter  was 
goin'  to  be,  mighty 
sharp  ! 

"But  the 
darned  Yanks 
didn't  put  the 
screw  on  all  ai 
once  ;  they'd  sell 
small  quantities 
at  season's  prices, 
they  said,  but  not 
much,  as  they 
were  speculating 
that  stocks  were 
low  in  camp  and 
things  would  be 
scarce  before  the 
winter  was 
through.  And  in 
that  way  they 
kep'  putting  us 
off,  and  rising  the 
prices  on  us  every 
other  day.  They 
kept  on  at  this 
until  Christina?, 
and  by  that  time 
there  was  scarcely 
any  grub  left  in 
camp  except  in 
their  own  hands, 
and  we  perceived 
well  enough  that 
in  the  ordinary 
course  of  trade 
they'd  rake  in 
every  ounce  of 
dust  there  was  in 
Barkerville  before 
the  opening  of  the 
trail,  not  to  speak 
of  running  debts 
on  us  for  a  bare 
living  that  would 
take  half  next 
season  to  pay ; 
and,  moreover,  meant  it. 

"Now,  if  these  men  had  tried  to  play  a  game  like 
that  in  California,  you'd  have  been  able  to  sift  beans 
through  their  darned  carcases  inside  of  no  time.  But 
things  went  different  in  British  Columbia  from  the  first, 
and  these  Yanks  knew  it.  There  was  that  blamed  old 
Jud  *e  down  there  in  Victoria,  with  his  etarnal  '  majesty 
of  the  law  '  to  be  reckoned  with,  and  he  was  tougher'n 
the  toughest  of  us.  He  taught  us  something  before  ever 
we  started.  Victoria  was  full  of  men  with  Californy 
ways  to  'em  that  first  winter,  and  there  was  masses  now 
and  agin,  but  the  city  gov'ment  put  on  more  officers, 
till  you  couldn't  even  look  like  a  fightin'  man,  much  less 
carry  your  gun  in  your  clothes,  but  you  were  haled  up 
before  the  Old  Man,  and  it  was  '  ten  dollars  or  a  fort- 
nigh';  '  every  time,  and  all  the  boys  laughing  at  you 
into  the  bargain.    Why,  once,  when  there'd  been  a  hit 


HALF-A-DOZEN  OF  US  DKOl'i'liD  IN  QUITE  ACCIDENTAL. 


of  a  scrape,  but  no  one  much  the  worse  for  it,  they 

roped  in  the  whole  crowd,  and,  d  n  it  !  he  sent  em 

all  up  for  a  month 

"'111  serve  all  alike  but  I'll  stop  this  thing,'  says  the 
Judge,  and  someone  in  court  yells  out,  '  Prison  ain't  big 
enough,  Jedge,'  and  the  Old  Man  rises  all  solemn,  and 
says,  '  If  that  New  Westminster  prison  ain't  big  enough 
I'll  have  another  built,'  sez  he,  '  and  another  after  that, 
and  then  another,  but  I'll  have  the  Queen's  Peace  kept,' 
sez  he.  'And,  moreover,  bring  me  that  man  here  that 
spo^-e.  It's  contempt  of  court,  and  he  shall  go  towards 
filling  up.' 

"Now,  you  bet  when  there's  Judges  like  that  in  a 
country  men'U  be  careful  how  they  meddle  with  things 
that'll  give  the  law  a  hold  of  'em.    And  I  expect  that's 

how  it  was  that 
there  wasn't  one 
of  us  so  much  as 
mentioned  that 
these  same  traders 
ought  to  be  shot, 
though  every  man 
of  us  felt  just  like 
doing  it. 

"  But,  anyhow, 
we  soon  saw  that 
something  had  got 
to  be  done,  and 
that  right  off".  So 
it  got  whispered 
about,  and  the 
boys  all  met 
quietly  to  ci  in- 
sider, and  fixed 
up  a  plan  that  was 
carried  out  as 
neatly  as  possible 
on  New  Year's 
Day,  with  no  fuss 
nor  bother.  Half- 
a-dozen  of  us  goes, 
careless  -  like,  to 
one  store,  and 
half-a-dozen  to  the 
other — not  all  at 
once,  but  just 
dropping  in  quite 
accidental  —  and 
placed  ourselves 
where  we'd  be 
usefulest  in  case 
of  any  kicking, 
and  then  the  man 
that  was  agreed 
on  opens  out, 
quite  innocent- 
like, and  wants 
to  know  '  what 
price  flour  was 
to-day  ? '  '  Get- 
tin' very  scarce  indeed,'  says  the  thief  of  a  trader, 
'  an'  I've  been  obliged  to  put  up  the  price  again.  Six 
bits  a  pound  it  is  to-day,  and  I  won't  sell  much  at  that.' 

'  Oh  !  h  to  your  six  bits  ! '  says  our  Cap,  '  didn't  you 

hear  flour  had  gone  down  sudden  in  this  camp?  Why, 
actually,  they're  sellin'  now  at  the  other  store  at  20 
cents,  and  that's  ths  proper  market  price,  and  we  arn't 
the  men  to  allow  any  swindling.  Here  are  all  the  boys 
waiting  to  take  what  you  have  at  that  price.  So  just 
you  look  sha.p  and  serve  'em.'  Well,  the  trader  looked 
round  from  one  to  another  of  us,  and  we  all  gave  him 
a  pleasant  smile  and  a  nod — just  so-so — and  he  saw 
then  what  the  matter  was,  and  groaned,  and  sorter 
turned  over  in  his  mind  if  there  was  any  way  out  of  it. 
but  couldn't  find  one.    It  turned  him  all  white  and 

shaky.    '  Boys,'  sez  he,  '  it's  d  d  robbery,  and  noihin' 

else;  lots  of  that  flour  cost  me  thirty  and  forty  cents.' 


February  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


01 


" '  More  fool  you  to  go  an'  pay  more'n  a  thing's  worth. 
We  can't  afford  to  do  it,  can  we,  boys?'  sez  our  Cap. 

"And  with  that  one  of  us  fixes  up  a  paper  on  the 
wall  near  the  door,  all  ready  written  out:  — 

'  BARKERVILLE  CAMP. 

Price  of  Flour,  20c. 
Ditto  Pig,  75c. 
Ditto  Sugar,  40c. 
Ditto  Coffee,  H  dol. 
Ditto  Tea,  2  dol. 

'  Everv  man  may  take  150  lb.  Flour,  5  lb.  Sugar,  40  lb. 
Pig,  3  lb.  Tea,  5  lb.  Coffee,  at  above  prices ;  but  not 
more. 

'  By  Order  of  the  Trading  Stores  Committee.' 

"  And  then  the  boys  came  crowdin'  in,  and  two  of  us 
stood  by  the  scales  over  the  trader,  and  made  him  serve 
out  the  quantities,  good  weight;  and  when  he  wouldn't 
we  did  it  for  him,  and  our  Cap  took  pay  of  every  man 
for  what  he  got  before  it  was  fetched  away,  and  we  carried 
on  the  game  as  long  as  there  was  any  stock  left.  They 
were  doing  just  the  same  thing  at  the  other  store,  and 
before  the  morning  was  over  we'd  distribtited  supplies 


for  the  rest  of  the  winter  to  the  whole  camp,  and,  just 
as  we  expected,  there  was  plenty  and  to  spare.  Then 
we  handed  over  our  takings  to  the  traders — every  cent 
— and  forced  'em  to  sign  proper  receipts  that  it  was  all 
right  what  we  had  done,  and  finished  up  by  making  'cm 
stand  us  whisky  round  for  putting  'em  into  such  a  good 
way  of  trade.  And  somebody  whispered  to  'em  not  to 
try-  playin'  tricks  again  in  our  camp,  for  fear  of  some- 
thing happening,  and  advised  'em  to  clear  out  as  soon  as 
the  snow  went,  which  you  bet  they  did.  And  right  glad 
we  were  to  get  rid  of  'em !  I  believe  the  jokers  laid 
some  sort  of  a  complaint  about  it  down  in  New  West- 
minster, but  the  whole  camp  was  in  it,  and  the  lawyers 
didn't  seem  exactly  to  know  how  to  take  hold  of  it. 
Anyway,  there  was  no  more  about  it  that  we  heard  of. 

"  Now  you  fellows  were  saying  just  now  a  trader  had 
a  right  to  his  profit  if  he  was  clever  enough  to  put  him- 
self in  the  way  of  making  one.  That's  all  right ;  I 
think  that  myself.  But  who's  goin'  to  say  what  that 
profit's  to  be?  And  if  he  wants  to  overdo  it,  ain't  we 
justified  in  saying,  'No!  you  don't'?  Anyway,  you 
won't  get  me  to  believe  that  there  was  a  wrong  thing  we 
did  at  the  Barkerville  Camp." 

Then  the  Old  Timer  relapsed  into  silence,  and  left  us 
to  think  it  over. 


'-'it's  jioebery,  asd  kcthis*  ;lss!" 


TO-DAY. 


February  23,  1 S95. 


THE   RED  COCKADE. 


STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodvillk. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Gargouf. 

OME  called  for  silence,  while 
others  stared  at  me  stupidly, 
or  pointed  me  out  to  their  fel- 
lows ;  but  the  greater  part 
took  up  the  woman's  cry,  and, 
enraged  by  my  presence,  shook 
their  fists  at  me,  and  shouted 
vile  threats.  For  a  minute 
the  air  rang  with  "  A  bas  les 
Seigneurs  !  A  bas  les  tyrans!" 
and  I  found  this  bad  enough. 
But,  presently,  whether  they 
caught  sight  of  the  steward,  or  merely  returned  to  their 
first  hatred,  from  which  my  appearance  had  diverted 
them,  the  cry  changed  to  a  sullen  roar  of  "  Gargouf  ! 
Gargouf !  "  A  roar  so  full  of  the  lust  for  blood,  and 
coupled  with  threats  so  terrible,  that  the  heart  sickened 
and  the  cheek  grew  pale  at  the  sound. 

"Gargouf!  Gargouf!  Give  us  Gargouf!"  they 
howled.  "  Give  us  Gargouf !  and  he  shall  eat  hot  gold  ! 
Give  us  Gargouf,  and  he  shall  need  no  more  of  our 
daughters  ! " 

I  shuddered  to  think  that  Mademoiselle  heard ;  shud- 
dered to  think  of  the  peril  in  which  she  stood.  The 
wretches  below  were  no  longer  men  ;  under  the  influence 
cf  this  frenzied  woman  they  were  mad  brut©  beasts, 
drunk  with  fire  and  license'.  As  the  smoke  from  the 
burning  building  eddied  away  for  a  moment  across  the 
crowd  and  hid  it,  and  still  that  hoarse  cry  came  out  or 
the  mirk,  I  could  believe  that  I  heard  not  men,  but 
maddened  hounds  raving  in  the  kennel. 

Again  the  smoke  drifted  away ;  and  someone  in  the 
rear  shot  at  me.  I  heard  the  glass  splinter  beside  me. 
Another,  a  little  nearer,  flung  up  a  burning  fragment 
that,  alighting  on  the  ledge,  blazed  and  sputtered  by 
my  foot.    I  kicked  it  down. 

The  act,  for  the  moment,  stilled  the  riot,  and  I  seized 
the  opportunity.  "  You  dogs !  "  I  said,  striving  to  make 
my  voice  heard  above  the  hissing  of  the  flames.  "  Be- 
gone !  The  soldiers  from  Cahors  are  on  the  road.  I 
sent  for  them  this  hour  back.  Begone,  before  they 
come,  and  I  will  intercede  for  you.  Stay,  and  do  farther 
mischief,  and  you  shall  hang,  to  the  last  man  !  " 

Some  answered  with  a  yell  of  derision,  crying  out  that 
the  soldiers  were  with  them.  More,  that  the  nobles 
were  abolished,  and  their  houses  given  to  the  people. 
One,  who  was  drunk,  kept  shouting,  "A  bas  la  Bas- 
tille!   A  bas  la  Bastille!"  with  stupid  persistence. 

A  moment  more  and  I  should  lose  my  chance.    I  waved 
my  hand  !    "  What  do  you  want  V  I  cried. 

"  Justice  !  '■'  one  shouted,  and  another,  "  Vengeance  ! " 
A  third  "Gargouf!"  And  then  all,  "Gargouf! 
Gargouf  !  "  until  Petit  Jean  stilled  the  tumult. 

"  Have  done!"  he  cried  to  them,  in  his  coarse,  brutal 
voice.  "Have  we  come  here  only  to  yell?  And  do 
you,  Seigneur,  give  up  Gargouf,  and  you  shall  go  free. 
Otherwise,  we  will  burn  the  house,  and  all  in  it." 


"  You  villain  !  "  I  said.    "  We  have  guns,  and  " 

"  The  rats  have  teeth,  but  they  1  urn  !  They  bum  !  a 
he  answered,  pointing  triumphantly  with  the  axe  he  held 
to  the  flaming  buildings.  "  They  burn !  Yet  listen, 
Seigneur,"  he  continued,  "  and  you  shall  have  a  minute 
to  make  up  your  minds.  Give  up  Gargouf  to  us  to  do 
with  as  we  please,  and  the  rest  shall  go." 

"All?" 

"All." 

I  trembled.  "But  Gargouf,  man?"  I  said.  "Will 
you — what  will  you  do  with  him  1 " 

"Roast  him!  "  the  smith  cried,  with  a  fearful  grin; 
and  the  wretches  round  him  laughed  like  fiends. 
Roast  him,  when  we  have  plucked  him  bare." 

I  shuddered.  From  Cahors  help  could  not  come  for 
another  hour.  From  Saux  it  might  not  come  at  all. 
The  doors  below  me  could  not  stand  long,  and  these 
brutes  were  thirty  to  one,  and  mad  with  the  lust  of  ven- 
geance. With  the  wrongs,  the  crimes,  the  vices  of  cen- 
turies to  avenge,  they  dreamed  that  the  day  of  requital 
was  come;  and  the  dream  had  turned  clods  into 
devils.  The  very  flames  they  had  kindled  gave  them 
assurance  of  it.  The  fire  was  in  their  blood.  A  bas  la 
Bastille  !    A  bas  les  tyrans  ! 

I  hesitated. 

"  One  minute  !  "  the  smith  cried,  with  a  boastful  ges- 
ture — "one  minute  we  give  you!    Gargouf  or  all." 
"  Wait ! " 

I  turned  and  went  in — turned  from  the  smoky  glare, 
the  circling  pigeons,  the  grotesque  black  figures,  and  the 
terror  and  confusion  of  the  night,  and  went  in  to  that 
other  scene  scarcely  less  dreadful  to  me ;  though  only 
two  candles,  guttering  in  tin  sockets,  lit  the  landing, 
and  it  borrowed  from  the  outside  no  more  than  the  ruddy 
reflection  of  horror.  The  women  had  ceased  to  scream  and 
sob,  and  crowded  together  silent  and  panic-stricken. 
The  old  men  and  the  lad  moistened  their  lips,  and  looked 
furtively  from  the  arms  they  handled  to  one  another's 
faces.  Mademoiselle  alone  stood  erect,  pale,  firm.  I 
shot  a  glance  at  the  slender  little  figure  in  the  white  robe, 
then  I  looked  away.  I  dared  not  say  what  I  had  in  my 
mind.    I  knew  that  she  had  heard,  and  

She  said  it !    "  You  have  answered  them  ? "  she  mut- 
tered, her  eyes  meeting  mine. 

"  No,"  I  said,  looking  away  again.    "  They  have  given 
us  a  minute  to  decide,  and  " 

"  I  heard  them,"  she  answered     shivering.    "  Tell 
them." 

"But,  Mademoiselle  " 

"  Tell  them  never  !  Never  !  "  she  cried,  feverishly. 
"Be  quick,  or  they  will  think  that  we  are  dreaming  of 

it," 

Yet  I  hesitated — while  the  flames  crackled  outside. 
What,  after  all,  was  this  rascal's  life  beside  hers  !  What 
his  tainted  existence,  who  all  these  years  had  ground  the 
faces  of  the  poor  and  dishonoured  the  helpless,  beside 
her  youth  ?  It  was  a  dreadful  moment,  and  I  hesitated. 
"  Mademoiselle,"  I  said  at  last,  avoiding  her  eyes,  "you 
have  not  thought,  perhaps.  But  to  refuse  this  offer 
may  be  to  sacrifice  all — and  not  save  him." 

"  I  have  thought  !  "  she  answered,  passionately.  "  I 
have  thought.  But  he  was  my  father's  steward.  Mon- 
sieur, and  he  is  my  brother's;  if  he  has  sinned,  it  was 
fur  them.  It  is  for  them  to  pay  the  penalty.  And — 
after  all,  it  may  not  come  to  that,"  she  continued,  her 
face  changing,  and  her  eyes  seeking  mine,  full  of  sudden 


Copyright,  JSdo,  by  Stanley  J.  Wcymait. 


February  23,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


93 


terror.  "  They  will  not  dare,  I  think.  They  will  never 
dare  to  -" 

"Where  is  he?"  I  asked,  hoarsely. 

She  pointed  to  a  corner.  I  looked,  and  could  scarcely 
believe  my  eyes.  The  man  whom  I  had  left  full  of  a 
■desperate  courage,  prepared  to  sell  his  life  dearly, 
crouched  a  huddled  figure  in  the  darkest  angle  of  the 
tapestry  seat.  Though  I  had  spoken  of  him  in  a  low 
voice,  and  without  naming  him,  he  heard  me,  and  looked 
up,  and  showed  a  face  to  match  his  attitude  ;  a  face  pallid 
and  sweating  with  fear ;  and  that,  vile  at  the  best  and 
when  redeemed  by  hardihood,  looked  now  the  vilest 
thing  on  earth.  Ciel !  that  fear  should  reduce  a  man  to 
that !  He  tried  to  speak  as  his  eyes  met  mine,  but  his 
lips  moved  inaudibly,  and  he  only  crouched  lower,  the 
picture  of  panic  and  guilt. 

I  cried  out  to  know 
v/hat  had  happened  to  him. 
41  What  is  it  ? "  I  said. 

No  one  answered ;  and 
then  I  seemed  to  know. 
While  he  had  thought  all 
in  danger,  while  he  had 
felt  himself  only  one 
among  many,  the  common 
courage  of  a  man  had  sup- 
ported him.  But  God 
knows  what  voices,  only 
too  well  known  to  him, 
what  voices  of  starving 
men  and  wronged  women, 
had  spoken  in  that  fierce 
cry  for  his  life  ?  What 
plaints  from  the  dead, 
what  curses  of  babes  hang- 
ing on  dry  breasts  !  At 
any  rate,  whatever  he  had 
heard  in  that  call  for  his 
blood,  his  blood,  it  had 
unmanned  him.  In  a 
moment,  in  a  twinkling,  it 
had  dashed  him  back  into 
the  corner,  a  trembling 
craven,  holdinguphis  hands 
for  his  life. 

Such  fear  is  infectious, 
and  I  strode  to  him  in  a 
rage  and  shook  him. 

"  Get  up,  hound  ! "  I  said, 
for  your  life  ;  or,  by  heaven,  no  one  else  will  ! " 

He  stood  up. 

"Yes,  yes,  Monsieur,"  he  muttered.    "  I  will ! 
stand'  up  for  Mademoiselle.    I  will  " 

But  I  heard  his  teeth  chatter,  and  I  saw  that  his  eyes 
wandered  this  way  and  that,  as  do  a  hare's  when  the  dogs 
draw  near ;  and  I  knew  that  I  had  nothing  to  expect 
from  him.  A  howl  outside,  too,  warned  me  at  the  same 
moment  our  respite  was  spent ;  and  I  flung  him  off  and 
turned  to  the  window.  Too  late,  however ;  before  I 
could  reach  it,  a  thundering  blow  on  the  doors  below 
set  the  candles  flickering  and  the  women  shrieking ; 
then  for  an  instant  I  thought  that  all  was  over.  A 
stone  came  through  the  window ;  another  followed  it, 
arid  another.  The  shattered  glass  fell  over  us ;  the 
draught  put  out  one  light,  and  the  women,  terrified  be- 
yond control,  ran  this  way  and  that,  shrieking  dismally. 


K-  Q  -v/ 


•  GJ.T     UP,  HOUND 


"  Get  up  and  strike  a  blow 


I  will 


This,  the  yelling  of  the  crowd  outside,  the  sombre 
light  and  more  sombre  glare,  the  utter  confusion  so  dis- 
tracted me,  that  for  a  moment  I  stood  irresolute,  in- 
active, looking  wildly  about  me  ;  a  poltroon  waiting  for 
someone  to  lead.  Then  a  touch  fell  on  my  arm,  and  I 
turned  and  found  Mademoiselle  at  my  side,  and  saw  her 
face  upturned  to  mine. 

It  was  white,  and  her  eyes  were  wide  with  the  terror 
she  had  so  long  repressed.  Her  hold  on  me  grew 
heavier ;  she  swayed  against  me,  clinging  to  me. 

"  Oh ! "  she  whispered  in  my  ear  in  a  voice  that  went 
to  my  heart,  "can  nothing  be  done?  Can  nothing  be 
done,  Monsieur?    Must  we  die?" 

"We  must  gain  time,"  I  said.  My  courage  returned 
wonderfully  as  I  felt  her  weight  on  my  arm.  "All  iii 
not  over  yet,"  I  said.    "  I  will  speak  to  them." 

And  setting  her  on  the 
seat,  I  sprang  to  the  win- 
dow and  passed  through 
it.  Outside,  things  at  a 
first  glance  seemed  un- 
changed. The  leaping 
flames,  the  glow,  the  trail 
of  smoke  and  sparks,  nil 
were  there.  But  a  second 
glance  showed  that  the 
rioters  no  longer  moved  to 
and  fro  about  the  fire,  but 
were  massed  directly  below 
me  in  a  dense  body  round 
the  doors.  I  shouted  to 
them  franticall}7,  hoping 
still  to  delay  them,  I 
called  Petit  Jean  by  name. 
But  I  could  not  make  my- 
self heard,  or  they  would 
not  heed ;  and  while  I 
vainly  tried,  the  great 
doors  yielded  at  last,  and 
with  a  roar  of  triumph  the 
crowd  burst  in. 

Not  a  moment  was  to 
be  lost.  I  sprang  back 
through  the  window,  clutch- 
ing up  as  I  did  so  the  gun 
Gargouf  had  given  mc ; 
and  then  I  stood  in 
amazement.  Tl.e  lmd 
ing  was  empty  !  The  rush  of  feet  across  the  hall 
below  shook  the  house.  Three  seconds  and  the 
mob,  whose  screams  of  triumph  already  echoed  through 
the  passages,  would  be  on  us.  But  where  was  Made- 
moiselle? Where  was  Gargouf  ?  Where  were  the  ser- 
vants, the  waiting-maids,  the  boy,  whom  I  had  left  here  ? 

I  stood  an  instant  paralysed,  like  a  man  in  a  night- 
mare ;  brought  up  short  in  that  supreme  moment.  Then, 
as  the  first  crash  of  heavy  feet  sounded  on  the  stairs,  1 
heard  a  faint  scream,  somewhere  to  my  right,  as  I  stood. 
On  the  instant  1  sprang  to  the  door  which,  on  that  side, 
led  to  the  left  wing.  I  tore  it  open  and  passed  through 
it — not  a  moment  too  soon.  The  slightest  delay,  and  the 
foremost  rioters  must  have  seen  me.  As  it  was  I  had 
time  to  turn  the  key,  which,  fortunately,  was  on  the  in- 
side. 

Then  I  hurried  across  the  room  and  through  an 
open  door  at  the  farther  end,  from  which  light  issued  ; 


94 


TO-DAY. 


February  23,  1S15. 


across  the  room  beyond,  which  was  empty,  then  into  the 
last  of  the  suite. 

Here  I  found  the  fugitives,  who  had  fled  so  precipi- 
tately that  they  had  not  even  thought  of  closing  the  doors 
behind  them.  In  this  last  refuge,  Madame's  boudoir, 
all  white  and  gold,  they  crouched  among  gilt-backed 
chairs  and  flowered  cushions.  They  had  brought  only 
one  candle  with  them ;  and  the  silks  and  gew-gaws  and 
knick-knacks  on  which  its  light  shone  dimly,  gave  a 
peculiar  horror  to  their  white  faces  and  glaring  eyes, 
as  almost  mad  with  terror,  they  huddled  in  the  farthest 
corner  and  stared  at  me. 

They  were  such  cowards  that  thev  put  Mademoiselle 
foremost ;  or  it  was  she  who  stood  out  to  meet  me.  She 
knew  me  before  they  did,  therefore;  and  she  quieted 
them.  When  I  could  hear  my  own  voice,  I  asked  where 
Gargouf  was. 

They  had  not  before  discovered  that  he  was  not  with 
them,  and  thev  cried  out  now,  saving  that  he  had  come 
that  way. 

"You  followed  him?" 

"Yes,  Monsieur." 

This  explained  their  sudden  flight,  but  not  the  steward's 
absence.  What  matter  where  he  had  gone,  however? 
His  help  could  avail  little.  I  looked  round  in  despair; 
the  simpering  Cupid's  on  the  walls  seemed  to  mock  our 
danger.  I  had  the  gun,  I  could  fire  one  shot,  I  had  one 
life  in  my  hands.  But  to  what  end  ?  In  a  moment,  at 
any  moment,  within  a  minute  or  two  at  most,  the  doors 
would  be  forced,  and  the  horde  of  mad  brutes  would 
pour  in,  and  

"  Ah,  Monsieur,  the  closet  stair  case !  He  has  gone 
by  the  closet  staircase  !" 

It  was  the  boy  who  spoke. 

"  Where?"  I  said'. 

The  lad  sprang  forward  to  show  me,  but  Mademoiselle 
was  before  him  with  the  candle;  She  flew  back  into  the 
passage,  a  passage  of  four  of  five  feet  only  between 
that  room  and  the  second  of  the  suite  ;  in  the  wall  of 
this  she  flung  open  a  door,  apparently  of  a  closet.  I 
looked  in.  and  saw  the  beginning  of  a.  staircase.  My 
heart  leapt  at  the  sight. 

"  To  the  floor  above  ? "  I  said 

"  No,  Monsieur,  to  the  roof  !" 


HOCKEY  IN  CANADA. 

The  curling  contingent  will  have  competition  thii 
winter  if  the  prospects  are  realized;  Hockey  on  the  ice, 
the  king  of  all  winter  games,  is  likely  to  have  a  strong 
hold  on  the  sympathies  of  the  younger  generation,  espe- 
cially. Hockey  on  the  ice  is  the  Canadian  game  that 
has  come  into  existence  within  the  last  few  years,  and  - 
has  taken  its  votaries  by  storm.  It  is  now  played  in 
nearly  every  city  and  town  in  Canada,  a  complete 
schedule  of  games  being  arranged  for  the  season,  and  a 
trophy  presented  to  the  final  victor.  While  baseball 
and  football  draw  their  crowds  of  admirers,  these  games 
are  positively  tame  wheii  compared  with  hockey. 

The  game  is  played  on  skates  by  teams  of  seven,  with 
a  "  puck  "  made  of  vulcanised  rubber,  one  inch  thick 
all  through,  and  three  inches  in  diameter.  Each  player 
lias  a  very  light  "  stick,"  with  a  blade  about  a  foot  in 
length,  three  inches  high,  and  half  an  inch  thick,  while 
the  handle  is  about  three  feet  long.  With  this  he 
"  plays  the  puck,"  never  striking  it  hard,  as  in  the  old 
<;ame  of  "  shinny,"  or  "  shinty."  The  game  is  played, 
as  a  rule,  in  covered  rinks,  with  nicely-boarded  sides,  so 
that  the  "puck"  will  "carom"  off  them  like  a  billiard 


"  Up,  up,  then  !"  I  cried  in  a  frenzy  of  impatience.  "It 
will  give  us  time.    Quick.    They  are  coming." 

For  I  heard  the  door  at  the  end  of  the  suite,  the  door 
I  had  locked,  creak  and  yield.  They  were  forcing  it,  at 
any  moment  it  might  give ;  where  I  stood  waiting  to 
bring  up  the  rear,  their  hoarse  cries  and  curses  came  to 
my  ears.  But  the  good  door  held  ;  held  long  enough.  Be- 
fore it  gave  way  we  were  on  the  stairs  and  I  had  shut 
the  door  of  the  closet  behind  me.  Then,  holding  to  the 
skirts  of  the  woman  before  me,  I  groped  my  way  up 
quickly — up  and  up  with  a  close  smell  of  bats  in  my  nos- 
trils— and  almost  before  I  could  believe  it,  I  stood'  with 
the  panting,  trembling  group  on  the  roof.  The  glare  of 
the  burning  outhouses  below  shone  on  a  great  stack  of 
chimneys  beside  us  and  reddened  the  sky  above,  and 
burnished  the  leaves  of  the  chestnut  trees  that  rose  on 
a  level  with  our  eyes.  But  all  the  lower  part  of  the 
steep  roofs  round  us,  and  the  lead  gutters  that  ran 
between  them,  lay  in  darkness,  the  denser  for  the  con- 
trast. The  flames  crackled  below,  and  a  thick  reek  of 
smoke  swept  up  past  the  coping,  but  the  noise  alike  of 
fire  and  riot  was  deadened  here.  The  night  wind  cooled 
our  brows,  and  I  had  a  minute  in  which  to  think,  to 
breathe,  to  look  round. 

"Is  there  any  other  way  up  to  the  roof?"  I  asked, 
anxiously. 

"  One  other,  Monsieur  !  " 

"Where?  Or  do  you  stay  here,  and  guard  this 
door,"  I  said,  pressing  the  gun  on  the  man.  "  And  let 
the  boy  come  and  show  me.  Mademoiselle  stay  there  if 
you  please." 

The  boy  ran  before  me  to  quite  the  farther  end  of 
the  roof,  and  in  a  lead  walk,  between  two  slopes, 
showed  me  a  large  trap-door.  It  had  no  fastening  on 
the  outside,  and  for  a  moment  I  stood  nonplussed  ;  then 
I  saw,  a  few  feet  away,  a  neat  pile  of  bricks,  left  there 
in  the  course  of  some  repairs.  I  began  to  remove  them 
as  fast  as  I  could  to  the  trap-door,  and  the  boy  saw 
and  followed  my  example ;  in  two  minutes  we  had 
stacked  a  hundred  and  fifty  on  the  door.  Telling  him 
to  add  another  hundred  to  the  number,  I  left  him.  and 
went  back  to  the  women. 

(To  be  continued.) 


ball.  The  goals  are  four  feet  high,  and  six  feet  apart, 
and  the  object  is  to  pass  the  "  puck  "  through  these  below 
the  top  of  the  posts.  One  man  is  stationed  in  goal  as 
the  goal-keeper  ;  another  a  little  in  front  of  him  is  "  the 
point";  in  front  of  the  point  stands  the  "cover-point," 
while  still  farther  forward  are  "  the  forwards."  The 
rules  are  somewhat  similar  to  Rugby  football  in  regard 
to  "  off-side"  plays,  but  no  interference  is  allowed.  The 
game  abounds  in  scientific  "  plays,"  '"  passes,"  and 
"  shots,"  a  good  player  being  able  to  shoot  the  "  puck 
a  little  off  the  ice,  like  a  cannon-ball,  or  raise  it  twenty 
feet  in  the  air  from  one  end  of  the  rink  to  the  other, 
and  this  when  the  puck  is  lying  on  the  flat  surface. 
Two  half-hours  are  played,  goals  being  changed  at  half- 
time,  and  the  side  scoring  the  most  goals  by  the  end 
ol  full  time  is  declared  the  winner  by  the  referee.  Of 
all  the  healthy,  hearty,  active  games  in  which  youth 
engages  there  is  none  better  for  bringing  out  the  muscle, 
nerve,  and  swiftness  that  each  may  have  power  to  bring 
into  play — none  that  more  severely  tests  the  temper, 
good  feeling,  and  discipline  of  the  player  than  a  well- 
organised  match  at  hockey  on  ice,  played  on  skates. — 
Current  Literature. 


February  23,  1805. 


TO-DAY. 


HOW  A  GREYHOUND  IS 
TRAINED, 

A  VISIT  TO  MR.  M.  G.  HALE'S  KENNELS. 
Illustrated  hy  Douglas  Fry. 


of 


Few  people,  I  venture  to  think,  are  aware  of  the 
time,  trouble,  patience,  and  money  which  have  to 
be  spent  on  the  breeding,  'rearing,  and  training  of 
first-class  greyhounds.  By  first-class  greyhounds  I  mean 
the  kind  of  dogs  that  are  good  enough  to  run  in  the 
Waterloo  Cup  which,  if  the  frost  is  not  a  spoil-sport,  is 
being  decided  this  week,  and,  which,  to  borrow  a  phrase 
from  the  sporting  reporter,  has  always  been  regarded  as 
the  "  blue-riband  of  the  leash."  One  of  the  foremost 
kennels  of  this  description  is  that  owned  by  Mr.  M.  G. 
Hale,  who  has  been  a  coursing  enthusiast  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Hale's  kennels  a"e  located  at  Claydon,  a 
sleepy  little  village  about  four  miles  from  Ipswich,  and 
it  was  with  feelings  of  gratitude  for  the  interesting 
morning  before  me  that  I  received  Mr.  Hale's  kind 
permission  to  go  over  his  kennels,  in  order  to  give  to  the 
readers  of  To-Day  a  little  idea  of  the  daily  routine  of  a 
coursing  establishment. 

The  dogs  had  just  come  in  from  their  exercise  when  I 
caller],  and  I  started  at  once  to  get  as  much  informa- 
tion as  possible  out  of  their  trainer,  Joseph  Harmon. 

"  Will  you  tell  me  first  of  all,"  I  asked,  "  the  kind 
greyhound  you  like  best  to  train?" 

We  passed  into  the  building,  and  Harmon  called 
one  of  the  beautiful  animals  to  act  as  a  model. 

"  I  like  a 
straight  back 
first  of  all,"  said 
Harmon,  running 
his  hand  down 
the  dog's  spine. 
"  There  used  to 
be  a  fancy  for  th<: 
'  roach  '  back  " — 
which  for  the 
benefit  of  the  un- 
informed I  may 
say  is  a  curved 
back — "  but  we 
know  better  than 
that  nowadays. 
Then  a  good  dog 
should  have  his 
hind  legs  tucked 
well  under  him, 
and  should  stand 
a  trifle  lower  in 
the  front  than  at 
the  back.  Hocks 
are  set  well  down, 
though  the  legs 
must,  of  course, 
be  perfectly  straight.  Then 
ders,  a  fairly  long  neck  so 


I  like  good  sloping  shoul- 
that  the  dog  can  pick  up 
his  hare  easily,  and  a  powerful  jaw.  When  you  have 
a  dog  shaped  like  that  you've  got  one  that  can  gallop." 
1  While  this  conversation  was  going  on  a  boy  had 
come  forward  with  a  dandy-brush,  and  was  carefully 
brushing  the  dogs'  feet  and  legs.  The  animals  seemed 
very  pleased  with  the  operation,  and  stood  as  though 
they  were  thoroughly  accustomed  to  it. 

The  interior  of  the  building  forming  the  kennels  is 
divided  up  into  compartments,  with  an  open  space  in 
the  centre  in  which  there  is  a  small  stove.  Each  of 
these  kennels  is  entirely  separate  from  the  rest,  and  is 
capable  of  holding  three  dogs  comfortably.  At  the  end 
of  each  one  is  a  spacious  bench  raised  about  two  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  covered  with  a  plentiful  supply  of 
clean  straw.    The  floor  is  littered  with  sawdust,  and 


the  walls  and  ceilings  are  whitew  ashed.  As  the  kennel 
doors  were  opened  the  dogs  resolved  themselves  into 
parties  of  three,  and  quickly  disappeared.  Every  dog 
knows  his  own  place,  and  the  three  occupants  of  a  ken- 
nel strongly  resent  the  intrusion  of  a  fourth.  In  a  re- 
markably short  space  of  time  all  the  dogs  vanished. 
Then  we  strolled  into  the  kitchen — the  dogs'  own  kitchen 
— for  all  the  necessary  cooking  is  done  on  the  premises. 
"  And  what  do  you  feed  them  on?"  I  enquired. 
"Oh,  beef  and  mutton  for  meat,  and  biscuits  and 
brown  bread.  The  great  thing  is  to  change  the  food  as 
much  as  possible.  Yes,  we  do  everything  ourselves. 
I  generally  have  the  meat  boiled,  it's  handier,  and  I 
can  then  soak  the  bread  or  biscuit  in  the  liquor  the  meat 
is  boiled  in." 

"  Do  you  give  them  a  vegetable  course  ? " 
"  Well,  we  season  the  food  up  a  bit  with  an  onion  or 
two.    Greyhounds  are  delicate  feeders  as  a  rule,  and 
soon  get  tired  of  one  food.    Its  near  dinner  time  now. 
This  is  their  principal  meal  of  the  day." 

And  a  very  good  meal  it  was.  The  smell  of  the 
cooking  meat,  with  its  accompaniment  of  onions,  was 
most  appetising.  In  a  few  minutes  the  joint — good, 
sound  English  beef — was  taken  out  of  the  copper,  and 
the  meal  was  prepared. 

"  They  live  well,"  I  remarked. 

"  Yes,"  replied   Harmon,  with  a  smile ;  "  we  must 
keep  'em  up  to  the  mark.    They  can  go  wrong  so  easily, 
and  then  they  have  to  be  physicked." 
"  WThat's  your  daily  routine  ?  "  I  asked. 
"  Well,  we  give  them  a  little  something  to  eat  about 
e:^,ht.    Then  the  kennels  are  cleaned  every  morning, 

and  after  that  I 
take  them  out 
for  exercise." 

"  How  much 
exercise  do  you 
give  them  a 
day  ? " 

"  About  two 
to  three  hours. 
I'm  a  strong  be- 
liever in  walking 
exercise  forgcey^ 
hounds.  It  gives 
them  nearly  all 
the  work  they 
want,  unless,  of 
course,  they  are 
going  to  run  at  a 
meeting." 

"  After  the 
exercise  you  feed 
them  as  you  arc 
doing  now,  I  sup- 
pose?" 

bed-time.  "  Yes,  and  in 

the  afternoon  we 
give  them  their 

grooming,  a  good  two  hours  it  takes  to  do  them  all.  It's 
my  belief  that  the  grooming  does  almost  as  much  good 
as  the  exercise,  in  the  way  of  getting  their  muscles  right. 
Then  after  the  grooming  comes  bedtime.  A  greyhound 
wants  plenty  of  rest.  It's  so  easy  to  overtrain  a  dog 
and  then  he's  stale  and  useless  for  running  until  he's 
round  again.  " 

"  And  how  do  you  train  them  for  coursing  ?  The  walk- 
ing exercise  alone  can't  be  enough  ? " 

"  No,  the  walking  alone  wouldn't  do.  When  we 
want  to  train  a  dog  to  run  at  a  meeting,  we  get  someone 
to  hold  him  in  a  meadow  while  I  go  on  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile.  The  dogs  will  always  run  to  me,  and  one  spin  a 
day  like  that  is  quite  enough — with  the  other  exercise 
and  an  occasional  hare — to  get  them  fit.  It's  a  great 
mistake  to  give  a  greyhound  too  much  work.  " 
"  You  don't  agree  with  horse  exercise  then?" 


V6 


TO-DAY 


Ft-xhi.Auv  23,  IS'Jj. 


"  Certainly  not.    I  know  many  people  have  an  idea 
that  to  get  a  dog  fit  all  you've  got  to  do  is  to  let  him 
run  behind  a  trap  for  an  hour  or  two  a  day,  but  it's  a 
great   mistake.     The   continued  exertion  knocks  the 
spirit  out  of  the 
dog,    and  when 
he's  wanted  to  do 
his  best  he  hasn't 
got  it  in  him." 

"  But  suppose 
now,"  I  asked, 
"a  dog  gets  a 
long  trying 
course  at  a  meet- 
ing, and  he  has- 
to  run  again  the 
same  day,  what 
do  you  do  then  ?  " 

" If  a  dog  has 
had  a  gruelling, 
and  lias  got  to 
run  later  on,  I 
give  him  a  little 
jelly  and  a  good 
rubbing  down 
with  some  em- 
brocation." 

"  What  is  your 

opinion  of  dog  playtime. 
shows?    Do  you 

think  that  the  dogs  who  win  prizes  on  the  show  bench 
would  be  any  good  for  coursing  1 " 

"  I  don't  think  much  of  shows,"  and  the  promptness 
with  which  this  answer  came  was  very  significant.  "I've 
seen  some  greyhounds  winning  prizes  at  shows  that  I 
wouldn't  look  at  for  coursing.  I've  only  come  across  a 
very  few  dogs  at  shows  that  I  liked  the  look  of 
myself." 


"  But  appearances  don't  count  very  much,  do  they  J" 
"  No,  they  don't,  especiaMy  with  a  greyhound.  You. 
may  have  a  dog  that's  as  right  as  any  dog  can  be  to  look 
at,  and  yet,  perhaps,  he  won't  be  any  use  for  tunning,  and 

what's  more,  no~ 
body  can  tell 
where  his  fault 
is.  On  the  other 
hand,  you  may 
have  a  dog  who 
isn't  much  tolook 
at,  but  who  is  a 
regular  clinker  in 
the  field." 

"  What  about 
colour?  Have  you 
any  preference  ? " 

"No,"  replied 
Harmon,  "a  good 
horse  can't  be  a 
bad  colour,  you 
know,  and  the 
same  remark  ap- 
plies to  a  grey- 
hound. If  you 
were  to  look  up 
the  list  of  Water- 
loo Cup  winners 
you'd  find  almost 
every  colour 

there." 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  outside  the  coursing 
world  that  all  Mr.M.G.  Hale'sdogsrunundernames with 
the  same  prefix — "  Happy."  And  judging  from  the 
beautiful  home  that  these  dogs  live  in,  and  the  care  and 
attention  that  are  paid  to  their  well-being,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  adjective  is  decidedly  appropriate. 

W.  P. 


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THE    SUNK  FENCE. 

BY 

W.    KEPPEL  HONNYWILL. 

Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 


E  had  brought 
his  stud  with 
him,  intending 
tohunt  through- 
out the  season. 
He  did  not 
know  why  he 
had  come  back. 
Perhaps  it  was 
a  certain  mor- 
bid curiosity 
which  had 
driven  him  to 
the  scene  of  his 
crime.  Many 
a  criminal  is 
impelled  by  some  subtle,  inner  force  to  revisit  the 
spot  where  his  victim  fell,  even  when  he  is  fully 
aware  that  by  so  doing  he  endangers  his  own  liberty, 
his  life ;  and  that  the  police — like  bloodhounds — 
are  sniffing  out  his  track,  bringing  the  guilt  home  to 
him.    But  no  shadow  of  suspicion  rested  on  this  man. 

He  had  no  reason  for  coming.  He  was  wealthy ;  the 
world  had  dealt  kindly  with  him ;  everything  that  he 
touched  turned  to  gold,  since  that  fatal  morning  when 
— to  the  right  of  the  plantation,  under  cover  of  the  sunk 
fence — he  had  shot  his  friend  behind  the  ear,  and  had 
so  disposed  the  gun  and  the  body  that  the  jury  brought 
it  in  as  "  accidental  death."  The  rest  of  England  and 
the  whole  world  were  open  to  him,  yet  he  had  come 
back  at  last  after  an  absence  of  ten  years. 

The  morning  was  dull,  misty,  the  grey  sky  obscured  by 
the  swiftly  travelling  clouds.  The  weather  for  scent 
was  excellent,  and  with  a  good  fox  portended  "a 
cracker,"  one  of  the  fastest  runs  of  the  season. 


Surely  never  was  such  a  run !  They  found  in  the  fir 
plantation  at  the  back  of  the  old  Priory,  lie  remem- 
bered the  spot  well.  He  knew  eveiy  fence  of  the- 
country  and  guessed  the  line  which  the  fox  would  take, 
for  he  had  ridden  to  hounds  here  so>  often  before. 

His  horse,  a  powerful,  clean-limbed  chestnut,  was  well' 
up  to  his  weight,  and  for  the  entire  run  he  led  the  field, 
without  a  mishap,  without  a  refusal,  avoiding  nothing 
that  came  in  his  way,  pressing  his  horse  when  necessary- 
and  lifting  him  with  an  iron  hand. 

Suddenly  the  pack  swerved  round  the  base  of  a  hill, 
and  continually  bore  away  to  the  southward  in  the  teeth 
of  the  wind.  There  was  no  sign  of  a  check,  the  hounds 
had  made  no  mistake,  they  were  still  in  full  cry. 

What  possessed  the  fox  to  double,  like  a  hare,  in  this- 
manner  1  Back,  back  they  came,  his  chestnut  still  well 
in  advance.    The  pace  was  now  tremendous. 

Across  the  Priory  garden,  across  the  home  meadow 
the  pack  led  the  way,  closely  followed  by  the  chestnut, 
who  showed  no  signs  of  distress  at  the  pace. 

"  He  rides  like  the  devil,"  muttered  the  master.  "  I 
wonder  if  he  knows  of  the  sunk  fence  and  the  stone 
masonry  1 " 

Another  five  hundred  yards  of  pasturage  and  he  would 
be  upon  it.  His  face  turned  ashy,  white,  bloodless, 
with  a  sudden  fear.  He  held  his  horse  more  in  hand. 
His  grip  tightened  on  the  curb.  A  look  of  deadly  terror 
shone  in  his  eyes.  Yet  he  had  no  fear  for  his  bones, 
he  had  often  risked  breaking  them,  and  his  neck,  too  ; 
besides  he  knew  every  inch  of  the  ground,  his  memory 
was  as  good  as  that  of  any  other  man,  perhaps  better. 
But  his  moral  courage  had  forsaken  him.  He  dared 
not  ride  at  that  fence,  dared  not  jump  on  to  that  spot 
where  his  victim  had  lain — cold,  with  blue  lips,  a  film 
glazing  over  his  eyes,  the  waxen  hue  of  death  upon  his 
countenance,  the  warm  life-blood  oozing  from  his  head 
and  coagulating  upon  his  fair,  curly  hair — a  stiffened 
corpse.    Involuntarily,  he  shuddered  at  the  thought. 

Another  three  hundred  yards  lay  between  him  and 
the  fence. 

He  would  pull — pull  his  horse's  mouth  to  pieces. 


Copyright,  1895,  by  W.  Keppel  HonnywUl. 


08  TO-DAY. 


rather  than  face  that  spot.  What  on  earth  induced  the 
icx  to  run  so  green?  Surely  it  must  have  been  in  the 
employ  of  the  deuce  himself,  to  double  and  almost  cover 
its  own  track,  and  to  make  for  there  ! 

He  rose  in  his  stirrups,  as  though  to  look  ahead.  His 
teeth  chattered,  he  lost  the  control  of  his  jaws.  The 
chestnut's  mettle  was  up ;  he  didn't  understand  the 
treatment;  he  heard  other  hoofs  thundering  after  him, 
and  tried  to  take  the  bit  between  his  teeth. 

Gradually  the  hand  loosened  its  grip  on  the  curb,  and 
the  animal  went  away  with  a  rush. 

Another  hundred  yards. 

He    heard    shouting    behind    him.    "  For  God's 

sake  "    He  lost  the  rest.    His  brain  reeled.  Were 

they  mocking  him  for  showing  funk,  or  were  they 
warning  him?  He  didn't  know,  he  didn't  care  in  that 
moment.  His  mind  was  made  up.  He  had  taken  the 
fence  before  scores  of  times  in  the  old  clays.  He  would 
take  it  again  to-day;  and  deuce  take  his  memory. 

Once  more  the  scene  of  the  past  flashed  like  lightning 
across  his  mental  vision.  His  friend's  merry  jest  and 
jovial  laugh,  his  own  treacherous,  laughing  reply,  and 
then  the  shot ;  and  the  grim,  ghastly  corpse  prone  upon 
the  ground. 

Horse  and  rider  were  close  now. 

He  must  jump  wide,  very  wide.  He  knew  that,  for  he 
had  to  clear  the  post  and  the  rails  under  the  bank  side, 
and  they  were  fifteen  feet  away. 

His  senses  seemed  numbed  and  dazed  ;  yet  he  gathered 
up  his  reins,  fixed  himself  firmly  in  his  seat,  setting  his 


March  2,  1305. 


teeth  tightly,  and  gave  the  chestnut  a  heavy  cut  with 
his  whip,  digging  his  spurs  deep  into  the  animal's  flanks. 

He  might  have  swerved  to  the  right  or  left,  to  cither 
side  of  that  dread  spot ;  but  something  seemed  to  force 
him  to  take  the  jump  there,  and  there  only. 

The  chestnut  responded  nobly,  his  blood  was  on  fire, 
and  he  yet  heard  the  thud  of  the  hoofs  behind  him  and 
the  shouts  of  the  horsemen. 

They  cleared  the  fence  easily;  but,  whilst  the  animal 
rose  to  the  leap,  his  rider's  eyes  stared  from  their 
sockets,  his  face  turned  livid.  He  saw  certain  death 
confronting  them  both,  and  strove  to  turn  his  horse 
aside  ;  but  it  was  too  late. 

A  piercing  shriek  rang  through  the  air,  and  horse  and 
rider  fell  together  in  a  heap,  mangled,  bleeding. 

They  had  crushed  into  a  rude  cairn,  composed  of 
rough,  unhewn  stones,  built  upon  the  spot  where  the 
dead  man  had  fallen — an  unsculptured  monument  in 
memory  of  his  sad  end. 

The  horse  with  wildly  lustrous  eyes  gazed  around 
him,  then  struggled  on  to  his  fore-legs.  Sparks  shot 
out  in  all  directions  as  his  shod  hoofs  struck  upon  the 
stones  in  his  vain  attempts  to  regain  his  foothold.  A 
thin  streak  of  blood  was  trickling  doAvn  his  master's 
temples.  The  animal  gave  a  low,  plaintive  whinny, 
and  rolled  over  backwards  upon  the  top  of  him. 

And  when  the  field  came  up  they  found  horse  and 
rider  lying  together  at  the  foot  of  the  monument,  their 
blood  mingled,  each  with  Ids  back  broken. 


M/ecii  2,  1S85. 


TO-DAY". 


00 


OUR   ASH  WEDNESDAY 
ENTERTAINMENT. 

Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 


Wh  usually  were  hard-up,  as  far  as  I  recollect; 
but  at  this  particular  period  of  our  joint  existence  we 
were  more  so  than  ever.  I  had  been  out  of  an  engage- 
ment for  months  (my  only  surprise,  now,  in  looking 
back  and  remembering  what  sort  of  an  actor  I  made, 
is  that  I  ever  was  in  one),  and  Will  was  singing  in  the 
chorus  of  the  Royalty  at  fifteen  shillings  a  week.  Fifteen 
shillings  a  week  is  a  nice  little  sum,  but  it  won't  keep 
two  fellows  in  comfort  for  any  lengthened  period.  This 
we  had  proved  to  our  entire  satisfaction.  In  less  tbxin  a 
month  from  the  time  of  our  commencing  to  try  it>  our 
uffairs,  as  Mr. 
Micawber  would 
have  said,  had 
arrived  at  a 
crisis,  and  ruin 
stared  us  in  the 
face.  It  did  even 
worse.  Meta- 
phorically speak- 
ing, it  knocked 
us  both  down, 
and  then  came 
and  sat  on  our 
jiests.  In  the 
first  week  Will 
pawned  his  dress 
suit,  and  I  sold 
my  top  hat  to 
the  baker.  On 
the  following 
Thursday  we 
sent  the  land- 
lady's boy  round 
the  corner  with 
a  large  brown 
paper  parcel,  and 
lie  came  back 
with  a  message 

that  it  wasn't  an  old  clothes  shop,  and  he'd  letter  tell 
his  mother  to  come  herself.  Will  went  round,  ond  got 
nine  shillings,  however.  On  Sunday,  we  sold  a  pair  of 
opera-glasses  in  Petticoat  Lane  for  four-and-ninepence, 
and  went  and  had  a  five-course  ordinary  in  Wardour 
.Street,  for  one-and-fcurpence  each,  and  the  proprietor 
said  he  guessed  he'd  lost  half-a-crown  on  the  contraef, 
and  thought  we  ought  to  buy  a  bottle  of  wine.  On 
Friday,  I  sold  my  two  pairs  of  tights  to  a  man  who  was 
going  to  play  Hamlet,  and  wanted  a  few  pairs  to  wear 
under  his  own,  as  he  said  black  always  made  your  legs 
look  so  thin.  On  the  Saturday,  we  put  aside  our  tooth- 
biushes  and  combs,  and  made  a  bundle  of  everything 
else  except  the  clothes  we  were  wearing,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  week  we  had  fourpence  and  an  ounce  of  bird's 
eye  between  us,  and  owed  nine  shilings  and  our  washing. 

It  was  now  the  beginning  of  the  \ second  week  aftei 
that,  and  we  were  standing  looking  out  of  window,  and 
discussing  our  position  somewhat  gloomily. 

"  Something  must  be  done,"  said  Will ;  "  things  can't 
go  on  like  this,  you  know." 

This  remark  of  Will's,  I  may  observe,  was  not  ori- 
ginal. He  had  picked  it  up  from  Mrs.  Crump,  our  land- 
lady. She  had  made  the  observation  on  one  or  two 
occasions  of  late,  and  she  had  reiterated  it  with  much 
emphasis  on  the  present  morning,  when  she  had  brought 
in  the  breakfast,  and  when,  on  her  explaining  that  she 
had  got  us  two  penny  bloaters,  as  the  ones  at  two  for 
three-ha'pence  were  too  skinny  for  anything,  we  had 
replied  that  she  had  done  quite' right,  and  had  requested 
her  to  put  it  down  on  the  bill. 


We  stood  silent  for  a  while,  gazing  down  into  Mrs.. 
Crump's  backyard  and  watching  the  rain.  Then  Will,, 
speaking  again,  said — 

"  If  things  don't  mend  soon  we  shall  have  to  turn 
managers  ourselves." 

I  opposed  that.  I  said  we  had  kept  respectriblo 
hitherto,  and  we  ought  not,  because  of  a  little  tem- 
porary difficulty,  to  give  way  now. 

"  Poverty,"  I  said,  laying  my  hand  on  Will's  shoulder,, 
"we  have  borne  and  will  bear.  Never  let  us  do  any- 
thing that  can  be  brought  up  against  us  in  after-life. 
Besides,"  I  added,  "  we've  got  fourpence.  It  would  be 
foolish  while  that  lasts." 

He  grasped  my  hand,  and  the  subject  dropped. 
"  What  about  an  entertainment  ? "  he  suggested,  after 
a  pause. 

with  vou," 
Readings 


"  Ah  !  there  I'm 
tainment  is  good. 


rns  sTors  confused  unr. 


I  replied.  "  An  enter- 
and  recitations  with  a 
little  music,  and 
a  comic  sketch 
to  wind  up 
with." 

"  By  Jove  ! 
we  might  easily 
clear  five  pouuds 
over  it,"  said 
Will. 

"Or  even 
ten,"  said  I, 
growing  enthusi- 
astic. "  W  h  y 
not  twenty !  A 
hundred  seats  at 
half  -  a  -  crown, 
twelve  pounds 
ten  ;  two  hun- 
dred at  a  shil- 
ling, ten  pound, 
and  a  row  or 
two  at  the  back 
for  sixpence. 
By  Jove  !  it's, 
more  than, 
twenty." 

"  It  would  be 
a     jolly  good 

thing,  you  know,"  said  he. 

"  Look  here,"  said  I,  seizing  him  by  the  coat,  as  the 
thought  flashed  across  me — "Ash  Wednesday — all  the 
theatres  closed — people  will  be  glad  of  something — 
gives  us  just  nine  days  to  get  ready." 

By  a  mutual  instinct  we  snatched  up  our  hats  and 
made  for  the  door. 

By  a  mutual  course  of  reasoning  it  occurred  to  us, 
when  we  got  to  the  door,  that  we  evidently  didn't  know 
what  we  were  doing  ;  upon  which  we  returned  to  the- 
fire,  and  prepared  to  discuss  the  scheme  sensibly. 

First  of  all  we  rang  the  bell,  and  requested  some  more 
coals. 

Mrs.  Crump's  preliminary  exclamation  was  to  the 
effect  that  she  did  like  our  style,  said  sarcastic-like ; 
but  we  soon  explained  matters  to  her,  and  sent  her  out 
of  the  room  in  high  spirits. 

"  On  Thursday  week,  Mrs.  Crump,"  we  ? aid,  "  you  shall 
be  paid  up  everything  ;  and,"  I  added,  inspired  by  that 
generosity  that  the  acquisition  of  sudden  wealth  ever 
bestows  upon  the  noble  mind — "  and,  Mrs.  Crump,  I 
think  we  ought,  considering  all  your  goodness,  to  maket 
you  some  little  present,  if  you  will  allow  us.  Now,  what 
do  you  say  to  a  new  bonnet  ? " 

Mrs.  Crump  laughed,  and  said  we  were  very  kind,  she 
was  sure,  and  that  a  Dolly  Varden,  which  she  could  trim 
herself  with  a  bit  of  lace  and  some  red  poppies,  would 
come  in  handy  against  the  spring. 

We  said  that  a  Dolly  Varden  it  should  be,  but  we 
insisted  on  paying  for  the  trimmings  also  ;  and  she 
brought  up  the  coals  and  a  bottle  of  whisky — the  dear 


100 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1S95. 


old  soul — out  of  which  we  drank  her  health  and  success 
to  our  project.  And  Mrs.  Crump  said,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  that  there  wasn't  a  living  soul  could  wish  us  better 
over  the  job  than  she  did,  though  she  was  but  a  poor 
woman,  and  Mr.  Crump  was  not — she  would  not  deceive 
us — always  what  he  should  be ;  and  there  was  the 
children — Lord  love  'em  ! — and  a  better  man  never 
bra  t  ied,  when  sober. 

We  settled  our  programme,  and  commenced  re- 
hearsing that  very  morning.  Will  undertook  to  do 
"The  Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade."  (What  entertain- 
ment was  ever  complete  without  that?)  "Poor 
Richard's  Sayings"  (in costume),  "The  Spanish  Mother," 
"  Polonius's  Ad- 
vice to  his  Son," 
and  a  poem  of  his 
own  about  a  man 
who  killed  a  bub, 
which  I  never 
could  understand 
the  meaning  of, 
but  didn't  like  to 
ask  him.  I  selec- 
ted "  The  Song  of 
the  Shirt,"  the 
oration  of  An- 
tony over  the 
body  of  Caesar, 
Bret  Harte's 
"  Society  upon  the 
Stanislaus"  (with 
accent),  and  a 
"Caudle  Lecture" 
for  my  dole ;  and, 
in  addition,  there 
were  to  be  four 
songs  (not  yet 
decided  on),  a 
scene  from  "  The 
Rivals  "  (T  forget 
which),  and  the 
farce  of  "An  Un- 
warrantable In 
trusion." 

Will  was  all 
right  for  his  share. 
He  had  been  ac- 
customed to  tea- 
meetings  a  n  d 
penny-readings  at 
his  uncle's  chapel 
down  in  York- 
shire ;  but  I  did 
not  feel  quite 
comfortable  my- 
self. Reciting  is 
a  very  different 
thing  to  acting, 
and  I  had  had 
no  practice  in  it 
The    only  time 

I  had  recited  in  public  had  been  at  a  "young  men's 
mutual  improvement  society"  (I  don't  know  what  we 
used  to  improve  each  other  in;  they  taught  me  nap), 
when  I  was  about  fifteen.  The  rule  of  that  society  was 
that  every  reading  or  recitation  should  be  criticised 
afterwards  by  the  other  members.  I  had  given  them 
"The  Spanish  Armada,"  on  the  occasion  in  question, 
and  fourteen  strong  men  had  got  up  and  criticised  me, 
and  I  had  "  never  done  anything  since"  in  the  recitation 
line.    Still,  it  seemed  simple  enough. 

A 1  unit  our  pitch  we  did  not  come  to  an  easy  conclusion. 
Will  was  for  taking  the  Steinway  or  room  in  St.  James's 
Hall  ;  but  I  was  for  somewhere  a  little  less  central.  As 
we  couldn't  decide  between  ourselves,  we  invited  a  friend 
•of  Will's,  who  knew  something  about  the  business,  and 
put  it  heroi  c  him.    He  heard  us  go  through  one  or  two 


WE    ASKED    HIM    WHAT    IT    WAS  FOR. 


pieces,  and  then  he  agreed  with  me  that  the  West  End 
district  was  too  central. 

"  An  outlying  suburb  is  what  you  want,"  said  he ;  "  or, 
better  still,  some  small  place  right  away,  where  it's 
difficult  to  get  at,  and  where  the  people  aren't  likely  to 
know  much  about  things  of  this  sort." 

He  also  recommended  us  not  to  go  in  for  any  singing 
at  all.  He  said,  "  No,  he  should  certainly  not  do  any 
songs  if  he  were  either  of  us." 

We  adopted  his  advice  on  all  points.  We  determined 
on  a  small  out-of-the-way  town,  about  twenty  miles 
from  London,  and  five  from  any  railway-station ;  and  I 
was  to  run  down  the  next  day,  and  prospect. 

At  this  point  it 
became  necessary 
to   go   into  the 
question  of  funds. 
Nothing  could  be 
done  without 
money,  of  course. 
So  we  set  to  work 
a  n  d  borrowed 
every  penny,  that 
our  friends  pos- 
sessed    in  the 
whole  wide  world 
— at  least,  that  is 
what  they  said. 
It   amounted  to 
£\  9s.  in  all.  Not 
one    among  'em 
possessed  more 
than   3s.   Gd.  I 
never     knew  a 
l.o  ly  of  men  all 
so  hard  up  at  the 
same  time  in  all 
my  life. 

On  Thursday  I 
went  down.  It 
was  a  pretty  little 
place — very  old- 
fashioned,  very 
quiet,  not  to  say 
dull.  I  did  a 
good  deal  that 
day.  I  found  out 
the  proprietor  of 
the  only  hall  in 
the  town,  and 
arranged  to  take 
it  for  Ash  Wed- 
nesday evening. 
The  price  w*as 
ten  shillings,  in- 
cluding gas.  He 
did  not  ask  for 
the  money  in  ad- 
van  ce,  th  ank  good- 
ness, and  I  did 
not  press  it  upon 

him.  I  asked  him  what  he  thought  about  our  chances. 
He  thought  they  ought  to  be  very  good.  There  hadn't 
been  an  entertainment  in  the  town,  he  said,  for  eighteen 
months,  and  he  fancied  the  people  would  welcome  it. 
I  asked  him  if  he  thought  Ash  Wednesday  would  make 
any  difference,  and  he  said,  "Oh,  no;  make  it  a  little 
religious." 

I  then  went  with  his  man  to  view  the  hall.  It  was 
a  big,  bleak,  draughty,  echoing  sort  of  room,  with  texts 
of  Scripture  placarded  round  the  walls,  and  a  ghastly- 
looking  plaster  bust  of  the  local  M.P.  on  the  platform. 
1  asked  the  man  what  tie  thought  of  the  chances,  and  he 
said:  "Oh,  aye.  He  didn't  see  why  you  shouldn't  do 
all  right."  He  also  was  of  opinion,  however,  that  there 
ought  to  be  something  religious  about  it. 

The  landlord  of  the  Red  Lion  opposite  was  likewise 


March  2,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


101 


sanguine  ;  lie  founding  his  opinion  upon  the  success 
achieved  three  yearsi  agO'  by  a  waxwork  show.  I  had 
a  drink  with  him,  patted  the  little  boy  on  the  head, 
shook  hands  with  his  wife,  and  was  surprised  at  the 
size  of  the  baby.  He  promised  to  put  the  thing  about, 
and  I  left  to  look  for  a  piano. 

A  piano  seemed  difficult  to  get.  The  only  letable 
one  in  the  place  was  undergoing  repairs.  It  had  been 
loaned  to  a  wedding-party  ten  days  before,  and  a  lady 
had  accidentally  sat  upon  it.  If  you  had  seen  the  lady, 
as  I  did  afterwards,  you  would  have  understood. 

I  was  told,  however,  that  Mr.  Jecks,  the  furniture 
man,  had  some  kind  of  a  musical  instrument  which  he 
occasionally  lent  out,  though  it  wasn't  known  what. 
I  went  to  Mr.  Jecks,  and  found  it  to  be  an  American 
-organ. 

He  said  it  was  just  the  thing  we  wanted. 

I  said,  "  It's  an  entertainment,  you  know." 

"What  is  it?"  said  he.    "Magic  lantern?" 

I  explained.  I  also  mentioned  that  it  was  to  be  on 
Ash  Wednesday. 

He  scratched  his  chin  at  that.  Then  he  said,  mus- 
ingly— 

"Oh,  'twill  be  all  right,  that  will.  Make  it  a  little 
serious,  you  know.  Throw  in  a  hymn  or  two.  They 
like  hymns  down  here." 

It  was  evident  that  something  a  little  more  elevating 
than  we  had  originally  contemplated  would  be  needed, 
and  I  began  to'  turn  over  in  my  mind  the  advisability  of 
giving  them  a.  sermon,  at  all  events,  for  the  first  part, 
and  I  wondered  if  the  Bishop  would  object.  That  they 
should  have  their  hymns  I  decided  upon  then  and  there, 
and  engaged  the  organ  with  that  view.  It  was  a  dismal- 
sounding  instrument,  even  for  an  American  organ,  but 
Mr.  Jecks  said  that  many  people  in  the  town  had  greatly 
admired  it.  Perhaps  its  exceptional  lugubriousness  oi 
tone  was  regarded  as  a  point  in  its  favour. 

Having  now  got  everything  arranged  I  went  back  tc 
town,  and  next  morning  Will  and  I  started  drawing  up 
our  bills  and  programme,  the  latter  setting  fort  I  that 

"  Messrs.   and  ■ — — — ,  from  the  leading  London 

theatres,  would  give  a  Musical,  Dramatic  and  Literary 
Entertainment,  interspersed  with  Hymns  played  on  the 

American  Organ  by  Mr.  (Will  wasn't  quite  sure 

whether  he  could  play  the  American  organ,  but  he  sup- 
posed it  was  much  like  the  piano,  and  he  would  try), 
on  the  evening  of  Ash  Wednesday,  February 
27th."  We  also  added  a  note  at  the  foot  to  the  effect 
that  we  were  prepared  to  attend  schools  and  private 
parties  at  special  terms. 

There  was  a,  good  deal  of  unpleasantness  over  the 
printing.  The  lad  on  bringing  the  parcel  said  he  was 
instructed  to  wait  for  the  money,  but,  as  explained  in 
the  letter  we  gave  him  to  take  back,  our  paying  then 
would  only  have  confused  the  accounts,  and  it  was  best 
that  everything  should  stand  over  and  be  dealt  with 
a=?  a  whole.  The  man's  coming  round  and  kicking  up  a 
row  in  the  passage  was  unbusinesslike,  and  did  no  good 
to  anyone. 

On  Saturday  I  went  down  again  to  "  bill "  the  place 
and  leave  tickets.  I  did  dispose  of  a  few,  but  not  as 
I  desired.  The  reporter  for  the  local  newspaper  accepted 
two,  and  requested  three  more  for  his  uncle  ;  and  the 
•clergyman  consented  to  take  six,  but  on  being  asked  for 
the  fifteen  shillings,  said,  Oh,  no,  that  wasn't  his  idea 
at  all.  He  did  not  mind  lending  his  countenance  to 
the  affair,  but  that  was  all. 

The  Wednesday  morning  dawned  raw  and  cold.  It 
had  been  intermittently  snowing  and  sleeting  for  the 
last  three  days,  and  the  by-streets  were  some  six  inches 
dee])  in  a  chilly  slosh.  At  ten  o'clock  the  snow  began 
to  come  on  again.  At  twelve  we  had  a  p-lass  of  beer  and 
a  bit  of  bread  and  cheese,  and  started  with  one  um- 
brella between  the  two  of  us  for  the  station. 

The  first  thing  I  did  when  I  got  to  the  town  was  to 
go  round  and  see  what  tickets  had  been  sold.  None  had 
been  sold  ;  none  had  been  asked  for.  The  chemist  fancied 
the  people  would  turn  up  more  at  the  doors.    The  sta- 


tioner and  bookseller  said  he  thought  the  general  de- 
pression in  trade  might  account  for  it. 

I  took  the  tickets,  went  to  the  inn,  ordered  a  hot 
dinner,  and  sat  down  to  wait  for  Will.  In  half-an-hour 
he  came  in,  soaked  and  dirty.  We  didn't  say  much,  but 
sat  in  front  of  the  fire,  and  thought — Will  with  his 
boots  off. 

Dinner,  though  it  only  consisted  of  some  very  fat 
mutton-chops,  made  us  a  little  more  cheerful,  and  sub- 
sequently, under  the  influence  of  that  and  a  glass  of 
mulled  claret  I  even  got  so  far  as  to  begin  to  sing. 
Will,  however,  begged  me  not  to,  as  he  said  it  made 
him  feel  worse,  and  I  gave  it  up. 

At  half-past  five  we  went  over  with  the  man  to  the 
hall.  The  chairs  were  ranged  in  solemn  rows.  The 
windows  rattled.  The  wind  whistled  in  the  chimney. 
It  was  nearly  pitch  dark.  The  place  looked  ghostly 
and  dismal.    The  man  lit  a  gas-burner. 

It  looked  more  dismal  then. 

Will  opened  the  organ  and  tried  it.  It  wasn't  so 
much  like  a  piano  as  he  thought.  The  stops  confused 
him  greatly.  He  kept  pulling  out  the  wrong  ones,  which 
had  a  curious  effect.    In  his  endeavours  to  master  the 


WE   SETTLED    DOWN    TO   A  STEADY  TRAMP. 


stops  his  playing  went  all  wrong;  and  when  he 
managed  the  other  things  fairly  well  he  forgot  to  blow 
the  bellows. 


102 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1895. 


I  should  not  have  recognised  any  of  the  hymns  the 
way  he  performed  them,  at  all. 

He  gave  up  after  a  while,  and  turned  and  looked 
rounl  the  room. 

"This  will  be  jolly  with  six  people  in  it,"  he  said. 

In  imagination  I  saw  them  scattered  about,  cold, 
miserable,  and  silent,  each  one  sorry  he  had  come.  I 
was  sorry  I  had  come  myself.  I  wished  I  was  back  in 
Sydnev  Street. 

I  mounted  the  platform  with  the  idea  of  going  through 
one  of  my  pieces  to  see  the  effect.  I  began  :  "  Caudle, 
you're  not  asleep,  Caudle."  The  words  rang  round  the 
room  with  a  hollow,  unearthly  sound,  and  echoed  and 
re-echoed  till  it  seemed  as  though  a  host  of  demons 
were  shrieking  some  wild  chorus  in  a  vault. 

I  got  frightened,  and  came  down. 

We  went  and  stood  at  one  of  the  windows,  and  gazed 
out  into  the  road.  The  snow  was  still  falling  heavily, 
and  melting  when  it  reached  the  ground.  Not  a  living 
soul  was  about — not  a  light  in  a  window.  One  flicker- 
ing gas-lamp  opposite  showed  us  the  road,  black  with 
patches  of  dirty  white,  and  pools  of  water. 

The  man  who  had  been  away  came  back,  carrying  a 
Imgo  box — a  box  you  could  have  put  a  flour  sack  in — 


with  a  small  hole  at  the  top.  We  asked  him  what  it 
was  for ;  he  said  it  was  to  put  the  money  in  1 

That  finished  us.  There  was  something  exquisitely 
comic  about  his  bringing  that  box  to  put  our  takings  in, 
but  we  didn't  see  it.  We  only  looked  at  one  another, 
and  each  saw  his  purpose  reflected  in  the  other's  face. 

Stealthily  we  glanced  round  the  room,  then  listened. 

The  clip-clop  of  the  man's  boots  crossing  the  street 
to  the  inn  died  away,  and  all  was  silent. 

Swiftly  and  noiselessly  we  gained  the  door,  sped  down 
the-  stairs,  and  were  out.  Keeping  close  in  the  shadow 
of  the  hall  we  passed  the  inn,  and  took  to  our  heels 
and  ran. 

We  ran  till  we  were  clear  of  the  town,  when,  thrusting 
our  hands  in  our  pockets,  and,  turning  up  our  coat 
collars,  we  settled  down  to  a  steady  tramp.  We 
reached  the  station  wet  through,  but  luckily  just 
caught  a  train.  We  got  back  at  nine,  and  went  straight 
into  Mrs.  Crump's  kitchen,  and  told  her  we  couldn't  pay 
her  after  all.  That  lady,  who  was  a  woman,  which  is 
the  only  observation  I  have  to  offer  about  her,  said 
nothing :  but  made  us  take  off  our  things,  and  put  on 
some  of  her  husband's,  and  stirred  the  fire  till  it  roared, 
and  toasted  some  cheese,  and  warmed  some  beer,  and 
then  told  us  supper  was  ready.    And  so  it  all  ended. 


CO  NAN  DOYLE  ON  FICTION. 

In  answer  to  the  question,  "  What  do  you  think 
is  the  special  tendency  of  fiction  in  this  country 
^  United  States)  and  in  England  ? "  Dr.  Doyle  said : 
— "  I  think  the  special  tendency  at  present  is 
toward  what  may  be  called  local  fiction — the  pre- 
sentation of  local  types- — and  I  think  this  is  likely 
to  become  a  great  danger.  Provincialism  is  a.  thing  to 
be  avoided  in  art.  The  value  of  the  local  type  depends 
entirely  upon  the  power  of  the  writer  to  make  it  signifi- 
cant of  universal  traits.  In  the  '  Window  in  Thrums,' 
Barrie  describes  with  charming  art  an  old-world  village, 
full  of  local  colour,  shut  off  in  a  way  from  the  movement 
of  life,  intensely  provincial,  but  that  which  he  describes 
under  these  local  forms  is  the  universal  substance  of 
human  nature.  We  are  interested  in  Thrums  because 
behind  those  local  types  and  that  local  dialect,  which 
have  a  novelty  for  us,  there  are  revealed  with  a  powerful 
hand  the  impulses,  the  passions,  and  the  experiences 
which  are  common  to  all  mankind.  This  is  the  secret  of 
the  power  of  Miss  Wilkins  in  '  Pembroke,'  which  deals 
with  a  little  New  England  village,  and  with  very  strongly- 
marked  New  England  types,  but  which  works  out  in 
that  village  and  through  those  characters  a  drama  of 
human  passion  and  suffering  which  is  local  only  in  the 
sense  that  it  is  placed  on  a  particular  stage.  In  Eng- 
land, as  in  this  country,  the  present  tendency  in  fiction 
is  very  strongly  toward  local  portraiture.  Almost 
every  new  work  of  fiction  is  a  study  of  some  section  of 
the  United  Kingdom.  Scotland  has  not  only  been 
divided  up  among  the  novelists,  but  England  is  fast 
being  divided  also.  There  are  novels  of  Devonshire,  of 
Cornwall,  of  Sussex,  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  of  Yorkshire,  of 
Somersetshire.  It  looks  as  if  the  map  of  literature 
were  being  broken  up  into  counties.  So  far,  these  local 
types  have  been  drawn  by  very  strong  hands,  and  they 
have  made  a  great  impression,  because  the  artistic 
instinct  behind  them  has  made  the  local  character  illus- 
trative of  universal  experience  ;  but  there  is  danger  that 
the  tendency,  if  carried  too  far,  will  end  in  a  very  bare 
and  unprofitable  study  of  details  and  local  minutiae 
without  general  significance.  I  have  heard  a  good  deal 
of  talk  in  this  country  which  has  seemed  to  me  essentially 
unsound,  because  it  has  emphasised  geographical  divi- 
sions rather  than  the  principles  of  art.  In  the  nature 
of  things  there  cannot  be  such  a  thing  as  a  sectional 
literature.  You  may  have  schools  of  writers  in  the  West 
and  the  South,  as  you  have  had  in  the  East,  but  the 
attempt  to  build  up  literature  on  sectional  lines  is 


doomed  to  failure.  Wherever  Eastern,  Southern,  and 
Western  life  has  been  touched  with  a  powerful  hand  it 
has  been  immensely  interesting,  not  because  of  its  sec- 
tional, but  because  of  its  universal  features.  In  all  true 
fiction  the  type  must  be  very  strongly  and  distinctly 
drawn,  and  in  this  way  all  literature  must  be  very  defi- 
nitely localised.  But  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  emphasis  must  be  laid  not  on  the  local,  but  on  the 
universal  elements,  and  it  will  be  a  great  mistake  to 
emphasise  the  sectional  tendency  as  opposed  to  the 
national  tendency. — Ladies'  Home  Journal. 


THE   IMPORTANCE   OF   BEING  EARLY. 

The  age  is  so  well  read  that  originality — which  is  but 
a  futile  thing  after  all — is  only  slightly  more  impossible 
than  successful  plagiarism.  One  intends  no  indelicate 
charges,  but — Oscar  is  unfortunate.  His  Salome,  like 
the  "great  novel  about  Iceland  '  in  the  "Green  Carnation," 
is  "  full  of  passion,  colour,  and  subtle  impurity,"  and 
withal  quite  as  original  as  anything  he  ever  did.  But 
it  is  with  a  certain  pain  that  I  remember  some  poems 
by  one  Adah  Isaacs  Menken,  a  Jewess  born  in  New 
Orleans,  creator  of  the  role  of  Mazeppa  in  the  famous 
play,  much  married  (once,  indeed,  to  a  prize-fighter), 
and  all  the  time  a  poet  and  friend  of  poets.  It  is  not 
likely  that  many  persons  have  her  "  Infelicia  "  among 
their  books,  but  if  those  who  have  will  read  "  Judith," 
they  may  discover  the  likeness  one  finds  between  the 
curiously  wild  and  vividly  -  coloured  picture  of  this 
woman's  fancy  and  the  Salome  who  cried  : 

'  rI  will  kiss  thy  mouth,  Iokanaan !  " 

It  would  be  unkind  to  call  Oscar's  work  an  imitation  ; 
let  one  rather  say  that  Adah  Isaacs  Menken's  was  an 
anticipation. — The  Chap  Book. 


CHINESE  MOURNING. 

The  widow,  sitting  down  on  the  grave,  commences  a 
low,  pitiful  wailing.  Though  the  ceremony  is  some- 
what theatrical,  this  voice  of  mourning  is  inexpressibly 
sad.  Gradually  she  works  herself  up  to  a  pitch  of  ap- 
parent agony,  and  throws  herself  prone  on  the  grave, 
weeping  and  wailing,  and  calling  on  the  dead  by  every 
endearing  name.  Her  cries  reecho  from  hill  to  hill  : 
they  certainly  are  most  distressing  to  us,  the  unwilling 
hearers.  By  the  time  one  might  suppose  her  to  bo 
stupefied  with  crying,  and  her  head  splitting  with  pain, 
a  neat  young  woman  comes  to  fetch  her.  She  at  one© 
arises,  tidies  her  dress,  and  the  two  walk  off  together, 
chatting  cheerily. 


Makcii  2,  1S93. 


TO-DAY. 


103 


ACROSS  EUROPE  ON"  A  BICYCLE. 


An  important  addition  to  the  literature  of  the  wheel 
is  furnished  by  the  remarkably  interesting  little  volume, 
in  which  Mr.  It.  L.  JelFerson  tells  the  story  of  his  ride 
from  London  to  Constantinople.  In  itself  the  feat  was 
a  daring  one,  and  the  risk  was  intensified  from  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Jefferson  is  not  a  linguist.  His  ride  brought 
him  into  contact  with  ten  different  languages,  and  he 
only  knew  one — English.  This,  naturally,  led  to 
complications  involving  at  times  amusement,  and  more 
frequently  danger.  As  might  be  expected  his  worst 
time  was  in  Bulgaria,  where  the  cycle  has  not  shed  its 
humanising  influence.  On  the  road  to  Phillipopolis 
he  met 

Whole  strings  of  Gipsies,  all  mounted,  and  all  as  black  as 
coal.  My  appearance  creates  quite  a  sensation  among  the 
swarthy  vagabonds.    And  once  I  am  the  cause  of  quite  a 


whose  yells  of  delight,  wonderment,  and  admiration  fill 
the  air.  The  road  through  the  town — which  is  of  the 
usual  Turkish  character — is  deep  in  sand,  and  I  have  to 
walk.  I  ask  the  way  to  a  mehana,  and  the  crowd,  which 
seems  quite  good-humoured,  though  dreadfully  inquisitive 
about  the  bicycle,  one  and  all  volunteer  to  show  the  way. 
Arrived  at  the  mehana  the  crowd  immediately  surges  in 
with  myself  and  the  bicycle  in  its  midst.  The  proprietor, 
taken  unawares,  is  swept  off  his  feet  and  pinned  against 
the  wall. 

Infuriated  at  his  house  being  thus  besieged  the  mehana- 
keeper  refuses  to  give  me  anything  to  eat,  but  the  crowd 
take  up  my  cause  since  they  are  anxious  for  me  to  get 
through  in  order  that  I  might  show  them  my  prowess  as  a 
rider.  Struck  with  a  brilliant  idea  the  mehana-keeper 
straddles  the  two  first  fingers  of  his  right  hand  across  the 
thumb  of  his  left  and  shouts  "  Bin  bin,"  evidently  inti- 
mating to  the  crowd  that  it  wouldn't  be  a  bad  plan  to  make 
me  ride  first.  The  idea  is  enthusiastically  received,  and  I 
am  forthwith  carried  bodily  out  into  the  road  again,  and, 
amidst  frantic  excitement,  I  wheel  up  and  down  half  a 
dozen  times,  while  the  younger  and  more  unruly  of  the  mob 
throw  their  fez  caps  at  the  wheel  and  caper  around  with 
delight. 

His  description  of  Constantinople  is  brightly  and 


CONSTANTINOPLE. 


commotion.  The  leading  mule  of  one  of  these  caravans 
takes  fright  at  my  appearance  and  scampers  off,  his  sudden 
start  snapping  the  cord.  The  others,  alarmed,  follow  his 
example,  the  cords  are  broken  right  and  left,  and  away 
they  go  across  the  prairie,  shedding  their  burdens  as  they 
fly,  with  the  babies — of  whom  there  seems  to  be  quite  a 
quantity — holding  on  like  grim  death  and  howling  with 
terror.  In  the  terrific  excitement  which  follows  I  put  toes 
to  my  pedals  and  made  myself  scarce. 

Bulgaria  has  some  of  the  Chinese  topsy-turvy dom 
in  its  customs  : 

All  the  way  from  Sofia  I  have  been  puzzled,  and  some- 
times annoyed,  at  a  Bulgarian  peculiarity.  This  is  the 
reversal  of  the  European  method  of  affirmative  and  nega- 
tive by  gesture.  The  Roumelian  will  shake  his  head  side- 
ways if  he  means  yes,  and  nod  his  head  if  he  means  no. 
This  is  annoying,  because  you  are  never  sure  under  what 
system  you  are  getting  your  replies. 

His  entry  into  Turkey  is  an  excuse  for  a  popular 
demonstration  : — 

I  am  soon  in  the  frontier  town  of  Mustapa  Pasha,  sur- 
rounded by  a  big  crowd  of  befezzed  Turks,  young  and  old, 


amusingly  told.  He  gives  this  anecdote  of  Turkish 
indolence  : — 

I  was  much  puzzled  at  a  practice  some  of  the  natives  have 
of  making  two  cigarettes  at  one  time,  sticking  the  reserve 
one  behind  the  ear  while  the  first  is  consumed.    It  struck 
me,  however,  that  this  was  done  in  order  to  save  the  trouble 
of  opening  the  tobacco-box  twice.    A  little  tailor  in  one  of 
the   bazaars   afforded   ample   food   for  my   study.  He 
appeared  to  have  reached  the  end  of  his  thread,  and  reached 
up  to  the  first  shelf  above  hiin  for  a  new  hank.   There  was 
none  there  ;  the  thread  was  on  a  shelf  higher,  just  out  of 
his   reach.     The  old  man  gazed    meditatively,  almost 
reproachfully,  at  the  shelf  for  a  time,  and  after  looking 
vainly  around  to  see  if  there  was  anybody  handy  to  reach 
down  the  thread,  sighed  heavily,  folded  his  arms,  and 
subsided  into  slumber. 
Everyone  fond  of  adventure  should  buy  this  little 
book,  which  comes  as  a  pleasant  change  to  the  ever- 
recurrent  big-game  and  mountain-peril  stories.     It  is 
capitally  illustrated. 

*  "  To  Constantinople  on  a  Bicycle."  By  R.  L.  Jefferson.  One  Shilling' 
(The  Cycle  Press,  108,  Fleet  htreet )  Our  illustration  is  reiroduced 
by  permission  of  the  proprietor. 


101 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1895. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dearest  Nell, — Skating  is  not  only  the  order  of  the 
day  just  now,  but  of  the  night  as  well,  and  you  cant 
imagine  anything  half  so  picturesque  or  so  inspiriting  as 
an  evening  party  on  the  ice,  with  flanrng  torches  and  tar 
barrels  streaming  their  mingled  flame  and  vapour  on  the 
air.    We  went  to  two  of  these  pretty  parries  last  week, 
and  I  made  a  few  mental  notes  of  the  dresses  for  your 
benefit.      At  the  Ranelagh  Club  fancy  costume  was 
adopted  by  most  of  the  men,  and  the  ladies  wore  domi- 
nos.     Huge    false  noses  contradicted  any  idea  that 
might  have  been  entertained  of  self  conceit  or  vanity 
entering  into  the  affair. 
A  Mexican  cowboy  was 
one  of  the  most  effective 
male    figures,    and  he 
skated    splendidly.  It 
was  exceedingly  funny 
to  see  a  Chinaman,  pig- 
tail, fan,  and  umbrella 
all  complete,  waltzing 
with   Celestial  gravity 
on  the  ice. 

At  the  evening  fete 
at  the  Paddington  Re- 
creation Ground  some 
of  the  women's  dresses 
were  highly  picturesque. 
Among    these    was  a 

vivid  scarlet  cloth,  made 

with     black  sleeves 

slashed    with  scarlet, 

and  a  warm  bolero  of 

sealskin,  bordered  with 

Persian  lamb.     I  fancy 

the    sleeves    were  '  in 

Persian  lamb  ;  but  you 

cannot  think  how  con- 
fusing the  torches  are. 

I  could  only  see  that 

they  were  black  with 

red  slashes. 

Another  very  pretty 

dress  was  black  crepon, 

with  a  band  of  sable 

round  the  edge  headed 

with  a  band  of  brightest 

turquoise     green,  if 

there  is  such  a  colour. 

The  short  blue  velvet 

coat  was    edged  with 

sable,    and   opened  in 

front  to  show  an  ivory 

box-pleat,  caught  down 

with  large  gold  buttons, 

a  pearl  in  the  centre 

of  each.    A   girl  in  a 

black  serge    wore  a 

cream  -  coloured  cloth 

coat    full    from  the 

shoulders,  and  very 

gracefully  hung  from  a 

yoke  that  was  one  mass  of  embroidery  in  gold  and  silver. 
It  was  lined  with  gold-coloured  silk,  a  border  of  pale 
gold  braid  being  just  visible  on  the  inside  edge,  when 
the  fronts  fell  back.  The  hat  worn  with  this  was 
cream-coloured  felt,  with  lining  of  scarlet  velvet,  and 
the  collarband  of  the  dress  was  covered  with  folds  of 
similar  velvet. 

We  all  came  to  the  conclusion  that  for  effectiveness  in 
stating  costume,  whether  by  day  or  night,  torchlight  or 
electricity,  there  is  nothing  to  equal  a  bit  of  scarlet  or 
orange.  The  good  old  "  Guards,"  red  and  blue,  carried 
out  in  ser<*e  and  cloth,  composed  as  successful  a  dress 
as  any.    The  skirt  was  blue  serge,  each  seam  opened  up 


COSTUME  WELiLl^ 


fcr  half  a  yard  to  show  a  red  cloth  under-skirt,  the  blua 
being  laced  across  and  across  over  it  with  round  black 
braid,  and  the  sides  of  the  open  breadths  being  bound 
with  a  line  of  astrakhan.  The  short  coat  was  blue,  lined 
with  red,  and  faced  with  scarlet  cloth,  hemmed  with 
astrakhan  and  with  lines  of  thick  braid  carried  across, 
Hussar  fashion,  at  the  waist.  The  toque  worn  with  this 
was  dark  blue,  with  a  turban  of  astrakhan,  and  bunches 
of  holly  tied  down  with  knots  of  dark  blue  ribbon,  with 
sprays  of  ivy  leaves  and  berries. 

A  dress  and  coat  of  caracul  was  rather  an  effet  minqi 
until  one  caught  sight  of  the  lovely  poppy  satin, 
lining  of  both,  and  of  the  beautifully-made  red  cotton 
velvet  blouse  with  its  fresh-looking  black  satin  ribbons. 

After  all,  it  is  this  qua- 
lity of  freshness  that  is 
so  immensely  valuable 
in  dress,  and  it  is  pre- 
cisely this  quality  that 
it  is  so  costly  to  main- 
tain. It  is  easy  enough 
to  achieve  a  new  and 
pretty  gown  three  or 
four  times  a  year,  but 
it  costs  many  shillings 
counted  o'er  and  o'er 
to  keep  it  up  to  its  pris- 
tine freshness. 

I  am  told  that  all  the- 
new  window  curtains 
are  a  deep  ecru,  almost 
a  butter  colour.  It  is 
better  than  cold,  crude 
white,  but  not  so  nice 
as  cream  colour,  is  it  ? 
No  doubt  in  dress  the 
same  lead  will  be  fol- 
lowed, and  we  shall  see- 
guipure  and  other  fine 
imitations  in  biscuit 
and  string  colour. 

Won't  it  be  lovely 
when  we  get  open 
weather  again  ?  Jim 
writes  that  evil  tempers 
rule  the  day  in  the 
Shires,  and  hunters  are 
eating  their  heads  off 
in  the  stables.  Six 
weeks  without  a  run 
are  enough  to  break 
Jim's  heai  !,  you  know  -r 
and  it  is  hard  on  him, 
for  he  sacrifices  almost 
every  other  amusement 
to  his  favourite  hunt- 
ing, and  had  spent  a 
lot  of  money  on  his 
horses  this  winter. 
"  I  can't  see  any  fun  in 
golf,"  he  writes,  "  tear- 
ing round  after  a  ball 
that  you  hit  yourself, 
and  then  run  after,  just 
like  a  blessed  kitten  with  a  cork." 

Meg  says  that  half-a-score  of  the  women  she  knows- 
are  taking  advantage  of  "  bad  colds  "  to  disappear  for  a 
week  while  they  undergo  facial  repairs  after  the  skin- 
cutting  weather.  One  certainly  needs  care  just  now, 
even  if  one  has  not  ploughed  up  one's  cheeks  with  the 
constant  application  of  rouge. — Your  loving  Susie. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPOXPF.XTS. 
Zero. — We  \.  ill  soon  give  an  illustration  of  a  good  Mouse. 
Your  silk  is  very  pretty.  Will  not  black  lace  make  it  too 
matronly?  Why  not  have  a  rounded  collar-piece  of  heliotrope- 
velvei,  into  which  the  full,  soft  silk  may  he  set,  und  a  box-pleat 
of  the  velvet  with  thice  large  and  pretty  buttons?  QuUlaift  wi\t 
clean  the  little  shoes  perfectly  ;  or,  have  you  tried  pipe-clay? 


March  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


105 


Telegram  from  Russia. 


A  subsequent  letter,  ordering  a  further  supply  of  50  bottles  of  Mariani  Wine,  states  that 
H.l.M.  the  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia  has  derived  the  greatest  benefit  from  its. use. 


Mariani  Wine  fortifies,  nourishes,  and  stimulates  the  Body  and  Brain, 
It  restores  Health,  Strength,  Energy,  and  Vitality. 

Bottles,  4s.  ;  Dozen,  45s.  ;  of  Chemists  and  Stores,  or  Carriage  Paid  from  WILCOX  &  Co.,  239,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


I 


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N  VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
j^OR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMEN 
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J^JARKET  REPORT. 
kUR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


0' 


^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES   PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
HALF  PER  CENT. 
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ff 


UCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 


rjWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 
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8' 


rjVHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 

PART   I.— STOCK    EXCHANGE      PART  II.-HOW  TO  OPERATE 

USAGES. 


How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept  . 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
'  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  p.nd  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1S93  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can  Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully  ? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 
people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 

MADAME  CORISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisande,"  matchless  for  delicate: 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/3  and  5/3.  "  The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Food,"  2/9  &  5/3.  Only  address  548,  Oxford  St., Hi  de  Pk.,W. 


fH^Tg^T'  TTVTO  "themostHcaltfcy 
\J  X  V>  J-4  JL  ASH  <UT  and  Delightful  Pas 

time  in  the  World. 
It  can  ba  EN- 
JOYED BY 
EVERYBODY 
irrespective  of 
Age,  Sax,  and 
Social  Position. 
Health  means 
Wealth,  and  Cy- 
cling is  the  safest 
and  surest  means 
o ;  keeping  "  fit." 

The  original 
cost  of  a  Bicycle 
i3  very  soon  repaid  by  tiie  absence  of  doctor's 
bills  and  similar  evils.  The  cost  of  keeping  a 
machine  is  practically  nothing,  if  it  is  built  by 


"f 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


j^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commi-sions  ani 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd  , 


THE  OLDEST  AND  LARGi  ST  CYCLE  MANUFAC- 
TURERS IN  THE  WORLD. 

Prices  front  SlO  to  £50. 

TERMS  : — Special  Discount  for  Cash.  Any  Machine  may  be  pur- 
chased from  any  branch  on  the  gradual  payment  system. 
A  guarantee  of  one  year  with  every  machine. 

Send  for  our  Descriptive  Catalogue,  a  work  teeming  with 
interesting  information,  which  will  be  sent  free  to  ai.y  aadr.ss  on 
application  to 

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BRANCHES  : 

SUNDERLAND— Salisbury  Buildings, 

3,  Borough  Road. 
LEEDS-H.  New  Station  Street. 
GLASGOW— lis,  Miller  Street. 
MJBLIX-1.  Stephen's  Green. 
PORT  ELIZABETH  (Cape  Colony)— 
Lombard  (...lumbers,  Main  Street. 


LONDON— 23,  Holliorn  Viaduct,  E.C. 

153.  Resent  Street,  W. 

BIRMINGHAM— s,  Stephenson  Place. 
MANCHESTER— 100  to  1(54,  Deansgate 
LIVERPOOL— I'll,  Bold  Street. 
NEWCASTLE-OX-TYNE-St.  John  St. 
Grainger  Street. 


106 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1895. 


Our  Illustration. — Costume  for  Early  Spring:  Cornflower 
blue,  rough  crepon.  The  skirt  is  disposed  in  three  large  box- 
pleats  at  the  back.  The  cape  fastens  down  each  side  of  the  front 
to  show  the  overhanging  pleat  of  the  light  silk  blouse.  The  bag 
hanging  on  the  arm  is  one  of  the  latest  fads  of  Paris  fashions. 

Alcestis.  — Your  brocade  is  a  most  covetable  possession.  It 
is  like  early  Florentine  weaving.  It  would  be  the  greatest 
possible  pity  to  cut  it  up  into  yokes.  It  would  look 
Temarkably  well  if  made  into  revers  from  the  waist  to  the 
shoulders  and  a  flat  rounded  collar  at  the  back.  Or, 
as  you  are  slight,  why  not  have  full  revers  made  of 
the  brocade,  bordered  with  a  narrow  line  of  brown  fur 
and  draped  gracefully  over  the  top  of  the  bodice  in  front  ? 
The  lower  part  of  the  sleeves  should  be  made  of  the  brocade, 
or  else  the  puffs  slashed  with  it.  A  black  crepon  skirt  lined 
with  your  favourite  colour,  perhaps  poppy  red  or  cornflower 
blue  or  spring-leaf  green,  would  look  best  with  it.  The  sleeves 
should  match  the  skirt.  Dark  blue,  or  green  or  purple  would 
look  very  well,  too,  with  the  beautiful  brocade.  Or  why  not 
biscuit  colour  or  tan  ? 

Florrie. — You  could  not  have  anything  prettier  to  cover  your 
bassinette  than  pale  blue  or  pale  pink  silk  muslin.  This  is  sold 
«.t  two  shillings  a  yard,  the  width  being  a  yard  and  a  half. 
You  can  hardly  call  that  expensive  !  but,  if  you  would  prefer 
■something  cheaper, why  not  have  an  art  muslin  with  a  tiny  sprig 
■scattered  over  it  ?  To  cover  hood  and  all  with  full  folds  and  an 
mpstanding  little  heading  would  require  from  five  to  six  yards. 
A  biscuit-coloured  ground  would  be  the  most  economical,  and 
"would  look  very  pretty  tied  up  with  pale-tinted  cotton  satin 
ribbon,  which  costs  about  twopence  per  yard. 
,  .  Mater. — Yes,  I  prefer  to  have  aerated  waters  in  bottles 
■fresh  from  the  manufactory  to  troubling  with  the  syphon.  I 
■was  recently  taken  over  the  extensive  works  in  Dublin  of 
Cantrell  and  Cochrane,  and  Sir  Henry  Cochrane,  the  genial  head 
of  that  world-famous  business,  allowed  me  to  sample  their 
waters,  and  my  grocer  now  supplies  me  regularly  as  required, 
and  I  find  every  bottle  of  unvarying  quality. 

Daisy. — You  could  not  find  a  prettier  song  than  "Life's 
Promise,"  composed  by  Clara  M.  L.  Meade,  and  published  by 
'Stanley  Lucas.  It  is  for  a  contralto  voice,  and  your  mezzo 
■could  manage  it  beautifully.  The  sentiment  is  sweet  and  whole- 
some, and  far  removed  from  the  maudlin. 


OUR  COOKERY  COLUMN. 

A  correspondent  kindly  sends  a  recipe  for  "  Our  Cookery 

Column."  : — 

Teisen  Froi — the  celebrated  Welsh  cream-cakes — for  after- 
noon-tea.— Take  flour,  cream,  sugar,  a  very  little  salt,  butter, 
and  currants.  The  cream  is  best  if  sour.  Rub  a  little  butter 
into  the  flour  to  prevent  its  being  lumpy.  Next,  put  as  much 
cream  into  the  bowl  as  you  mean  to  use,  ancL-add  the  flour 
gradually,  stirring  it  well  until  it  forms  a  thick  batter,  then 
add  sugar  and  currants.  Pour  the  batter  into  the  shallow  tin 
dish  of  a  Dutch-oven,  and  bake  be/ore  the  fire,  not  in  a  common 
oven  ;  remember  the  cream  must  be  thick  and  sour,  and  very 
little  butter  used.  The  flour  must  be  added  to  the  cream,  not 
the  cream  to  the  flour.  A  tea3poonful  of  brandy  should  be  used 
to  flavour.  The  cake  should  be  served  hot  with  powdered 
sugar  shaken  over  it.  (This  is  said  to  be  a  real  Glamorganshire 
recipe. ) 

From  an  American  scource  we  take  the  following  description 
of  a  new  drink  called  the  "  Boston  bamboo"  said  to  a  desirable 
before-dinner  appetiser.  It  is  a  certain  stomachic,  unquestionable 
in  its  tonic  effects,  and  so  far  as  can  be  discovered  harmless  as  a 
beverage.  The  "  Boston  bamboo  "  is  an  equal  mixture  of  sherry 
and  Italian  vermouth.  The  vermouth  detracts  from  the  soft- 
ness of  the  wine,  while  the  sherry  counteracts  the  acridncss  of 
the  bitters.  It  might  be  claimed  that  vermouth  itself  is  but  a 
partially  disguised  form  of  absinthe,  but  this  is  not  the  case. 
All  the  poisonous  qualities  of-absinthe  are  absent  in  well-decocted 
vermouth,  although  they  are  both  manufactured  from  the  same 
mother — wormwood.  There  is  almost  the  same  proportion  of 
alcohol  in  vermouth  as  there  is  in  absinthe,  but  any  drinker  of 
the  latter  will  tell  you  that  he  fails  to  get  the  old  familiar 
sought-after  effect  from  the  yellow  wine  of  Turin  that  he  never 
fails  to  obtain  from  the  green  demon  of  the  Gaul. 

Cocktail  drinkers  should  welcome  the  "  Boston  bamboo,"  for 
the  reason  that,  although  they  cannot  get  from  it  the  same  sus- 
pension of  thought  attributable  to  a  distillation  of  rye,  there  is  no 
doubt  as  to  its  efficiency  as  a  stomachic  tonic  and  appetiser. 

To  Women  who  Love  their  Homes.— You  will  find  really  useful 

hints  in  the  Decorative  Number  of  "  Hearth  and  Home  "  on  all 
questions  of  interest,  especially  on  making  the  home  beautiful. 
Don'tmissthisoryou  will  regret  it.  Of  all  Newsagents.  Sixpence. 


SANITAS  "  IS  THE  ONLY  REALLY 

Non-Poisonous  Disinfectant. 


DISINFECT 


"SANITAS" 

F LUID S,  POWDER  &  SOAPS 

iriterestlng.Pamphiet  sent  free.'  ; 
SAN'ITAS  CO.  L''Dm  BETHNAb  GRE EN ,  tON DON 


WIT*H 


*'  SANITAS  "  kills  all  Disease  Germs. 

*i  SANITAS  "— "  Valuable  Antiseptic  and  Disinfectant."— 
SANITAS  " — "  Enjoys  general  favour."— Lancet. 


Tints. 


I 

a 

IT  IS  TO  FIND 

a  hole  burnt 


FLEMINGS 

"S^^lSeB^"  r  MARKING  INK  e^Shere 
"  oup^V*  g&'r¥s60a>1/-  D.FLEMING  renfieidsi  Glasgow 


A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

Tor  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite , 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

DR.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 

October  •JStll,  18H4. 

Dear  Sin,- 1  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  of 
In.  Sott's  Pills  as  a  family  medicine.  We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  many 
tears,  and  are  never  without  theui. 

Yours  faithfully,  J.  SELLARS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead. 
Prepared  only  by— 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 


CREME    D£  VIOLET 

FOR   THE    COMPLEXION    AND  SKIN. 

"  Nadine"  in  "Our  Heme "  says  --" For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  is  an 
absolute  specific' 

M  Medica  "  in  l(  Woman  "  says—"  It  *v:ll  sooa  make  your  skin  as  soft  as  you  can  wish." 

*' Suzette " in  "To-Day" says—" It  is  a  splendid  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  you 
v  ill  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin  gradually  improve,  becoming 
soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a  sweet  expression,  that  any 
face  could  have." 

CREME  DE  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  ointment,  but  is  a  liquid  preparation 
pure  and  exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  iDgredients.  It  is  *bsolutely 
colourless,  and,  as  it  is  free  from  sediment,  it  does  not  clog  the  pores,  but  assist  their 
functions. 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is.  and  2s»»  lid.  .see  that  the  signature— 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label);  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  ^J, 
extra  from— 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


NO  EXPENSE 


is  incurred  beyond  the  stamp  for 
the  letter  or  post  card  of  application  on  receipt  of  which 
we  will  immediately  forward  to  a;.y  address  our  new 
and  profusely  illustrated  Book  of  liefer  fresh  from 
the  press.  Readers  of  "To-Day"  will  find  it  an  ad- 
vantage to  send  for  this  interesting  'work.  Its  pages 
teem  with  all  the  newest  and  best  designs  in  every  kind 
of  gold  and  silver  manufacture,  clocks,  cutlery,  &c, 
&c,  at  prices  that  will  be  found  equal  to 


LARGE  DISCOUNTS 


NO 


on  City  prices.  Nearly 
15,000  illustrations.  Watches  from  7s.  to  £-25.  -A 
month's  free  approval  allowed  fu-  all  orders.  This  book 
contains  far  linger  and  better  selections  than  are  to  be 
found  at  ordinary  iewellery  shops.  It  is  compiled  to 
give  every  knowledge  and  assistance  in  choosing  what- 
ever is  required  at  leisure,  home  selection  I  being  always 
so  much  more  satisfactory  than  shop  purchases. 

RISK! 

Full 

Just  drop  a  line  for 


amount  returned  if 
Book  of  Reference  to 


dissatisfied. 


English  Lever  Watch 
Manufacturer, 


H.  SAMUEL, 

(NINE  ESTABLISHMENTS) 

97,  99,  101,  89  &  121.  Market  Street,  1  m  a nt  wtt^titr 
Also  1  and  3  Marsden  Square,  J  MAHtHJ«>it.K. 

\ml   at   Korliilale  nii<l  Bolton. 

ThLEl-RAMS — "  ACCURATE,"  M ANCHKSTER. 


March  2,  IS93.  TO-DAY.  107 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


Ho  yus,  in  course — the  hinfluenzer  agin  !  They've 
got  it  all  over  the  plice,  so  I'm  told,  and  it's  a  ofi- 
chawnce  that  I  ain't  darn  with  it  myself.  If  them 
docters  don't  'old  a  'awvist  thenks-givin'  suvvice,  they 
orter.  They're  the  on'y  claws  o'  men  as  is  doin'  any- 
think  nar-a-dyes.  We  jest  seems  tu  go  from  one  mis- 
forchun  inter  another.  I  ain't  whort  yer'd  call  a 
discorntentid  man  in  the  orn'ery  wye,  but  whort  with 
hall  the  bloomin'  sufferin'  among  the  unimplyed,  and 
the  frost,  and  then  the  hinfluenzer,  I  think  as  this  year 
'ad  better  be  put  back  and  stawtid  afresh.  'Ankin's 
bin  showin'  'is  bloomin'  corntreriness  as  yushal,  by 
sying'  as  'e  rawther  likes  it  than  not.  If  there  worn't 
anythink  ter  grumble  at,  'e'd  be  the  fust  ter  grumble. 
Nar  'e  says  as  this  is  jest  the  kind  o'  thing  ter  clear 
art  the  supplus  poppilyshun,  which  is  whort  we  wants. 
'Arrever,  'e  don't  seem  anywise  ankshus  tu  be  cleared 
art  'isself.  'E  tikes  keer  of  'isself  does  'Ankin — wrapped 
up  so  yer  cawn't  'awdly  see  'is  flee,  'e  is.  'E's  took  ter 
suckin'  peppermints,  too,  ter  keep  art  the  bloomin'  hin- 
fluenzer. Which  it  mye  do  or  it  mye  nort,  but  it  drives  ' 
awye  custom  from  'Ankin's  'bus  fur  a  dead  suttunty. 
'Arrever,  thet's  a  questhin  between  'im  and  the  com- 
p'ny.  But  mawk  my  wuds — it's™  them  as  tikes  the  most 
keer  o'  theirselves  as  gits  the  hinfluenzer. 

*  *  *  * 

I  were  speakin'  jest  nar  on  the  subjic  o'  the  un- 
implyed. Theer  they  is,  and  plenty  on  'em,  and  I  feels 
for  'em.  All  the  sime  theer's  a  good  few  loafers  as 
wouldn't  do  a  dye's  work  tu  sive  their  lives,  as  is  mikin' 
money  by  not  'avin'  a  dye's  work  ter  do.  Some  on 
'em's  whort  yer  might  call  lizy.      Theer  was  one  of  'em 


settin'  on  a  fence  in  the  pawk  in  the  awternoon,  smokin' 
of  'is  pipe.  Another  chap  comes  up  ter  'im  and  saysr 
"  'Ello,  Bill,  whort  cheer  ?"  "  Bin  hunimplyed  all  the 
mornin',"  says  Bill.  "And  whort  did  yer  mike  by  it?" 
awsts  the  other.  "  One-an'  foppunce  and  a  bloomin'' 
tickut,"  says  Bill.  "Thet  ain't  so  dusty,"  the  other 
chap  says.  "  Why  don't  yer  go  on  with  it  1 "  "  Strike- 
me  pink,"  says  Bill,  "  yer  don't  think  I'm  goin'  to  wuk 
a  ten  'ar  dye  at  it,  do  yer  1  I'm  restin'."  Har,  yus,. 
theer's  some  o'  them  lizy  ones  abart,  and  they  does  a  lot 
of  'awm,  as  I  said  lawst  week.  People  gits  ter  be  afride 
o'  helpin'  gennyine  distress  fur  fear  o'  mikin'  bloomin' 
jugginses  o'  theirselves. 

*  *  *  * 

So  we  'as  another  hopun  spice  fur  the  public,  beins 
Linkin's  Inn  Fialds.  I  dessay  as  it  'ull  be  a  very  narce 
plice,  too,  fur  them  kids  as  swarms  in  Cleer  Mawkit,  but  I 
dunno  whort  the  lawyers  will  sye  to  it.  Yer  see,  Linkin's 
Inn  Fields  is  feerly  thick  with  lawyers,  and  hall  of  'em 
of  the  most  respeck'able,  gilt-edged,  double-finished 
sort.  'Ow'll  they  like  ter  'ave  the  bloomin'  squeer  filled 
with  'owlin'  childring,  destroyin'  of  the  quiut  and  'oly 
cawm  of  the  surroundin's  ?  I  should  sye  as  there'll  be 
a  bit  o'  complinin',  and  I  dessay  a  few  on  'em  won't 
feel  as  progressive  as  they  did.  'Ankin's  grite  on  the 
Carnty  Carncil  jest  nar.  "See  whort  they've  done,"" 
says  'e.  "  Yes,"  says  I,  "  they've  done  a  lot,  and  I 
don't  deny  it ;  and  it's  hall  very  fine  and  likewise  lawge- 
But  as  fur  as  I  know,  they  gives  Lunnun  precious  little 
but  whort  Lunnun  as  to  pye  fur.  It  'ud  be  a  very  fine 
thing  if  the 'buses  was  built  o'  gold,  and  penny  tickets 
was  mide  of  ten-parnd  notes,  and  'ave  a  very  pretty 
effec ;  honly  as  we  cawn't  afford  it  we  does  without  it. 
Sim'larly  it  ain't  much  good  a  Carnty  Carncil  givein'  us 
a  thumping  sixperinuth,  if  we  ain't  got  no  bloomin'' 
sixpence.  Yer  sees  the  pint  o'  them  remawks  1 "  Which 
'Ankin  observed  that!  could  blow  'im  tight  if  'e  did- 


UPTON'S  DELIC 


TEAS. 


Direct   from   the   Tea  Gardens. 


Unparalleled  Success. 


Note  the  Prices. 


RICH.PURE, 

AND 

FRAGRANT, 
x/- 

AND 

Per  lb 


m 

1  Hyh 


Enormous  Demand. 


111111 


THE 


FINEST  TEA 

THE  WORLD 

Can  Produce, 

Per  lb. 

NO  HIGHER  PRICE. 


LARGEST    TEA    SALE    INT    THE  WORLD. 

Y  Y^DTHO^KT     TEA  AND  coffee  planter,  ceylon. 

JLi  AJt  JL       J3I    The  Largest  Tea,  Coffee,  and  Provision  Dealer  in  the  World. 

Sole  Proprietor  of  the  following  celebrated  Tea  and  Coffee  Estates  in  Ceylon:  Dambatenne,  Laymastotte,  Monerakande  Mahadambatenne,  Mousakelle,  Pooprassie,  Hanagalla ,  am 
GigranefiW  which  cover  Thousands  of  Acres  of  the  best  TEA  and  COFFEE .LAND  in  Ceylon.   Ceylon  Tea  and  Coffee  Shipping  Warehouses :  Mad_dema  Mills,  Cinnamon  Garden* 


Colombo.  'Ceylon  "Office  V'Upper  Chatham"  Street,"  Colombo!  ~  Indian  Tea  Shipping  Warehouses  and  Export  Stores  :  Hare  Street,  Strand,  Calcutta.    Indian  Offices 

Tea.  and  Coffee  Sab-  Rooms  :  Mincing  Lane,  LONDON,  E.C.    Wholesale  Tea-Blending  and  Duty  Paid  Stores:  Bath  street  and  Cayton  Street,  LOIS  DON,  E.C 


Dalhousie  Square 
Bonded  anc 


Sport  Stores :  Peerlesf ?  Street,  LONDON,  £c.  Coffee  Roasting,  '  Blending  Stores,  and  Essence  Manufactory:  old  Street  LONDON  E.C  Wholesale  and  Export  Provision 
■Warehouses:  Nelson  Place,  LONDON,  E.C.   Fruit  Preserve  Factory  :  Spa  Road,  Bermondsey,  LONDON,  S.E.   General  Offices:  Bath  Street,  City  Road,  LONDON,  E.C. 

BRANCHES  EVERYWHERE.  AGENCIES  THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD. 


108 


TO-DAY. 


Maicch  2,  1S93. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

A  correspondent,  whom  I  take  to  be  a  foreigner  —I 
f  'rint  his  letter  verbatim — writes  : — 

Sir,— Could  you  or  "  Bookseller  "  tell  me  who  is  Mr. 
Sladen,  mentioned  in  To-Day  paper  of  February  16th,  with 
a  passion  for  fifteenth  century  Italian  pictures  ?  I  do  not 
know  his  name.  Has  he  written  anything  about  these  pic- 
tures ?  I  have  passion  for  them,  too,  and  should  like  to  read 
his  writings  if  he  is  a  proper  person.  I  think  I  have  seen 
him  mentioned  before  in  your  paper,  but  I  have  asked 
several  people,  only  they  never  heard  of  him. — Yours,  A 
Reader  of  "  To-Day." 

*  *  *  * 

Though  Mr.  Sladen  is  the  customer  I  know  best,  I 
cannot,  as  "  The  Bookseller,"  say  if  he  is  a  "  proper 
person "  or  not,  but  almost  any  person  in  London 
literary-Bohemian  society  would  be  able  to  tell  "A 
Header  of  To-Day."  For  Mr.  Sladen  is  hon.  sec.  of 
the  Authors'  Club  and  the  Vagabonds',  and  knows 
most  of  the  authors  and  prominent  journalists  in 
London.  He  has  not,  I  happen  to  know,  written 
anything  about  cinque  cento  Italian  pictures,  but 
he  has  written  a  book  about  Japan  ("The  Japs  at 
Home  ")  which  has  gone  through  several  editions,  and 
he  is  the  only  English  authority  on  Australian  poetry, 
concerning  which  he  published  three  books  seven  or 
eight  years  ago.  "  A  Reader  of  To-Day  "  can  find  out 
all  about  him  in  "  Men  of  the  Time,"  or  any  similar 
book  of  reference. 

*  *  *  * 

"  1 "  asks  what  are  the  qualifications  for  becoming  a 
member  of  the  Playgoers'  Club.  If  I  were  to  ask  the 
president — Mr.  Cecil  Raleigh — who  is  one  of  my  patrons, 
I  feel  sure  he  would  say,  "  the  possession  of  a  guinea 
and  dissipated  tastes."  I  did  ask  the  first  Playgoer  I 
knew  who  came  into  the  shop,  and  his  definition  was, 
"  anyone  who  likes  going  to  the  theatre,  and  has  a  guinea 
to  spare,  and  knows  a  Playgoer  to  put  him  up."  I 
should  advise  "  V  to  write  to  Mr.  Carl  Hen tschel  at  the 
Playgoers'  Club,  409,  Strand,  W.C. 

*  *  *  * 

My  prosperous  rival,  Mr.  A.  L.  Humphreys,  of 
Hatchards,  sends  me  "  Library  Wallflowers,"  a  sympo- 
sium on  "  Neglected  Books."  Mr.  Humphreys'  own 
part  is  excellent,  but  the  letters  he  prints  from  various 
authors  and  critics,  with  the  exception  of  the  Head 
Master  of  Eton's  and  Mr.  Le  Gallienne's,  do  not  throw 
much  fresh  light  on  the  subject.  I  presume  that  Mr. 
Humphreys  when  he  wrote  to  these  eminent  gentlemen 
for  their  opinions  did  not  want  themes  with  variations 
•on  the  hundred  best  books.  What  he  did  want  was  a 
reply  like  that  which  came  from  Eton,  "  The  Naturalist 
in  La  Plata  "  (Hudson),  "  Where  Three  Empires  Meet  " 
{Knight),  "  Irish  Idylls  "  (Jane  Barlow),  and  the  men- 
tion that  Eton  boys  are  still  devoted  to  Scott;  though 
they  have  done  with  Lytton,  Thackeray,  Dickens,  and 
Fenimore  Cooper.  Mr.  Le  Gallienne's  list  may  not 
please  everybody,  but  he  does  record  his  opinion  on 
books  of  the  day  which  are  not  sufficiently  known. 
>;>. 7.       *  *  *  <\~*1#*&& 

If  Mr.  Humphreys  had  asked  me  to  tell  him  some 
new  books,  not  no\  els,  which  ought  to  have  commanded 
a  wider  success,  I  should  have  mentioned  Mr.  Selous' 
"  Travels  and  Adventures  in  Mashonaland  " ;  two 
Pseudonyms,  "A  Study  in  Colour"  and  "  The  Home  of 
the  Dragon  "  ;  a  book  published  by  Blackwood,  which 
is  really  a  novel  though  written  in  the  form  of  a 
journal ;  "  In  Furthest  Ind  "  ;  Mr,  Sherard's  "  Life  of 
Alphonse  Daudet  "  (Edward  Arnold) ;  Mr.  Augustine 
Birrell's  last  book  ;  and  Professor  Douglas'  "  Social 
Life  in  China."  I  consider  these  about  the  best  recent 
books  in  my  library  outside  of  fiction. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Le  Gallienne's  books  are  always  capital  stock. 
He  has  a  distinct  public.  So  I  have  been  ordering  a 
number  of   copies   of   his    three    forthcoming  books 


announced  by  Mr.  John  Lane — "  Robert  Louis  Steven- 
son: An  Elegy  and  Other  Poems,  Mainly  Personal"; 
the  fourth  edition  of  his  "  English  Poems "  ;  and  his 
Retrospective  Reviews,  a  "  Literary  Log,  1891 — 1895." 
This  last  will  be  in  two  volumes,  and  will  contain  the 
cream  of  his  reviews  and  book  studies.  I  doubt  if  any- 
one has  done  so  much  literary  book- reviewing  in  these 
four  years. 

*  *  *  # 

Am  doing  very  well  with  the  Yellow  Book  this 
month.  My  customers  pronounce  it  a  very  interesting 
number.  According  to  them  Mr.  Marriott  Watson's 
story  is  excellent  writing  wasted  on  an  impossible  sub- 
ject, and  I  notice  that  Victoria  Cross'  story  is  thumb- 
marked  in  each  copy  that  comes  back  to  the  library. 
Miss  Sharp's  and  Miss  Dixon's  stories  are  cleverly 
written,  as  is  Max  Beerbohm's  forecast  of  a  retrospect  of 
1880.  Mr.  Kenneth  Grahame's  "A  Falling  Out"  is  a 
glimpse  into  child  life  which  shows  a  good  deal  of  intui- 
tion. Mr.  Noble  rehabilitates  a  delightful  writer, 
Alexander  Smith,  the  author  of  those  exquisite  idylls  of 
Linlithgow,  given  to  the  world  .  as  "  Dreamthorp." 
There  is  also  a  clever  story  by  Miss  Menie  Muriel  Dowie, 
who  is  always  worth  reading.  The  most  important  poem 
in  the  volume  is  Graham  Thomson's  "  Vespertilia,"  one 
of  her  very  best.  Most  people  will  like  "  A  Sussex 
Landscape  "  best  of  the  pictures,  but  the  gowns  of  Mr. 
Beardsley's  cover  piece,  "  The  Mysterious  Rose 
Garden,"  and  the  portrait  of  Miss  Winifred  Emery  are 
masterly. 

*  *  * 

"Tivoli,"  theanonymous  authorof  "UneCulotte,"  came 
into  the  shop  the  other  day  to  complain  that  Mr.  Mudie 
had  placed  his  book  in  the  "  Index  Expurgatorius,"  which 
the  leading  "  New  Woman  "  writer  says  is  the  Latin  for 
boycott. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  been  selling  "  In  the  Midst  of  Alarms,"  by  Mr. 
Robert  Barr  (Methuen),  very  briskly.  I  find  that  any- 
one who  has  ever  bought  one  of  Mr.  Barr's  books  goes 
on  buying  each  succeeding  one  which  he  brings  out. 
Mr.  Barr  resents  popularity,  or,  at  all  events,  all  the 
arts  which  force  early  popularity  like  early  potatoes. 
Otherwise  his  books  would  sell  to-day,  as  they  infallibly 
will  in  the  very  near  future,  like  those  of  the  men 
whose  names  are  the  favourite  baits  of  editors. 

*  *  *  -*  - 

Miss  Menie  Muriel  Dowie,  whose  new  novel  "  Gallia  " 
is  announced  by  Messrs.  Methuen  and  Co.,  belongs  to 
a  family  which  has  dealt  with  me  for  three  generations. 
A  few  years  ago  this  grandaughter  of  the  great  Robert 
Chambers  made  a  remarkably  plucky  journey  through 
the  Carpathians  and  wrote  a  book  about  it,  which  was 
a  book  of  the  season,  and  has  by  no  means  lost  its 
vogue  yet.  Miss  Dowie's  husband,  Mr.  Henry  Nor- 
man, is  about  to  issue  what  will  be  the  most  important 
book  on  far  eastern  questions  ever  issued  in  this 
country.  Like  his  excellent  The  RealJapau,"'  it  will 
be  published  by  Mr.  T.  Fisher  Unwin. 

#**-;.- 

People  are  always  dropping  into  my  shop  to  ask  me 
questions  about  the  Sunday  Lecture  Society.  The  lectures 
take  place  at  fovr  o'clock  on  Sunday  afternoons,  from 
October  to  March,  and  the  subjects  generally  seem  to  be 
scientific,  though  history,  literature,  and  art  arc  also  ad- 
mitted. The  programme  for  March  is — March  3rd,  C.W. 
Kimmins,  Esq.,  M.A.,  D.Sc,  on  "  Plants  and  their 
Inscci  Visitors"  (with  .  oxy-hydrogen  lantern  illustra- 
tions) ;  March  10th,  Douglas  Carnegie,  Esq.,  M.A.,  on 
'•  Pei  petual  Motion  "  (with  oxv-hydrogon  lantern  illus- 
trations); March  17th,  W.  Mayhowe  Heller,  Esq., 
B.Sc.  (Lond.),  on  "Silver  from  Clay  ;  the  Remarkable 
Story  of  the  Metal  Aluminium  "  (with  oxy-hydrogen 
lantern  illustrations). 


March  2,  1S35. 


TO-DAY. 


100 


21,250  Shares  have  been  already  subscribed  for  by  the  Directors  and  their  friends  and  will  be  allotted 
on  the  terms  of  the  Prospectus.    The  balance  of  45,750  Shares  is  now  offered  for  public  subscription. 

The  following  Telegram  has  been  received  from  the  Chairman  of  Directors  of  the  Bayley's  No.  2  South 
Gold  Mining  Company,  the  Syndicate  formed  by  Mr.  Webb  {vide  his  Statutory  Declaration)  : — 

"  Extracts  Reports.  MATTHEWS. — Claim  one  mile  and  half  south  Reward.  Lode,  north  south, 
"  four  feet  quartz  ;  decomposed  ironstone  very  promising ;  favourable  opinion.  Reef  right  through 
"  property ;  every  chance  success.  STERN. — Reef  right  through  property  ;  stone  first-class ;  should 
"  prove  most  valuable  property.  Four  shafts  now,  82,  71,  53,  30  feet.  Government  assay  twelve- 
"  third  ounces." 


No.  2  SOUTH  GOLD  MINING  COMPANY, 

I.IMITBD. 

COOLGARDIE  GOLD  FIELDS,  WESTERN  AUSTRALIA. 


CAPITAL    -      -      -      -      -  £100,000, 

In   100,000   Shares   of  £1  each, 

Of  which  the  Vendor  takes  £33,000,  credited  as  fully  paid,  to  be  allotted  to  him  in  part  payment  of  the  purchase-price. 

ISSUE     OF     100,000  SHARES, 

Of  which  45,750  are  now  offered  for  Subscription  at  par.   Payable :  2s.  6d.  on  Application,  5s.  on 
Allotment,  5s.  on  the  30th  March,  1895,  and  7s.  6d.  on  the  30th  April,  1895. 

Payment  in  full  (in  advance)  may  be  made  at  any  time,  and  for  any  Shares  fully  paid  Share  Warrants  to  Bearer  will  be  issued  if  required. 


DIRECTORS. 

«  Capt.  W.  B.  McTAGGART,  Chairman  of  the  Nundydroog  Gold  Mining 
Company,  Limited,  and  of  the  "  Big  Blow "  Gold  Mines,  Limited, 
Chairman. 

CODRINGTON  P.  BICKFORD,  Esq.,  Esperanza,  Essex  Grove,  Upper 
Norwood,  Surrey. 

MaJOR-General  G.  DE  LA  POER  BERESFORD,  Director  of  the  Gold 
Fields  of  Mysore,  Limited,  and  of  the  "  Big  Blow  "  Gold  Mines,  Limited. 

ALEXANDER  FRASER,  Esq.,  Westerfield  House,  near  Ipswich. 

ALBERT  F.  CALVERT,  ESQ.,  A.I.M.M.,  Managing  Director  of  Consoli- 
dated Gold  Mines  of  Western  Australia,  Limited,  47,  Old  Broad 
Street,  E.C. 

*  W.  H.  WEBB,  Esq.,  Advisory  Director  of  the  "Big  Blow"  Gold  Mines, 
Limited,  in  West  Australia. 

*  Will  join  the  Board  after  completion  of  the  Purchase. 

SOLICITORS. 

MESSRS.  FRANCIS  &  JOHNSON,  26,  Austin  Friars,  London,  E.C. 

AUDITORS. 

Messrs.  FOX,  SISSONS  &  CO.,  9,  Austin  Friars,  London,  E.C. 

BANKERS. 

BANK  OF  ADELAIDE,  79,  Cornhill,  London,  E.C. 

WESTERN  AUSTRALIAN  BANK,  Perth,  Western  Australia,  and  its 
Branches. 

MANAGERS. 

Messrs.  PUNCHARD,  McTAGGART,  LOWTHER  &  CO.,  151,  Cannon 
Street,  E.C. 

SECRETARY  and  OFFICES. 

MR.  A.  G.  HAMMOND,  52,  New  Broad  Street,  London,  E.C. 

Also  in  Paris— c/o  Mr.  W.  BALLIN,  19,  Rue  Louis-le-Grand,  Paris. 


PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  is  formed  to  acquire  the  Mining  Leases  (which  have  been 
granted  by  Government  on  the  usual  terms)  Nos.  207  and  423  adjoining  one 
another,  and  covering  an  area  of  about  24  acres,  giving  1,800  feet  on  the 
line  of  reef.  ' 

These  two  blocks,  which  are  well  known  in  Coolgardie  as  Bayley's  No.  2 
South,  have  been  worked  for  a  considerable  time,  and  are  in  an  advanced 
state  of  development,  and  the  reef  has  been  so  far  opened  up  as  to  leave 
little-doubt  both  as  to  its  continuity  and  richness. 

The  Mine  is  situated  only  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  the  Town  of 
Coolgardie,  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half  nearly-  due  South  of  Bayley's 
Reward  claim,  and  Bayley's  No.  1  South,  and  about  half  a  mile  East  of  the 
Big  Blow  Gold  Mines. 

The  property  has  been  recently  inspected  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Matthews,  the 
Manager  of  Bayley's  Reward  claim,  Solomon  Stern,  Mine  Manager,  by  the 
well-known  experts,  Mr.  W.  J.  Begelhole,  late  Manager  of  Bayley's  Reward 
Mine,  and  Mr.  J.  F.  MarP.es.  extracts  from  whose  reports  to  the  Directors 
are  enclosed  ;  also  by  Mr.  William  Henry  Webb,  who  has  been  personally 
connected  with  the  property  since  the  formation  of  the  original  Syndicate, 
and  whose  statutory  declaration  is  appended. 

The  work  that  has  been  done  towards  permanent  development  is  con- 
siderable, and  comprises  two  shafts  on  block  No.  207  which  have  been  sunk 
to  a  depth  of  about  82  and  SO  feet,  and  drives  north  and  south  have  been  put 
out  about  40  and  20  feet  respectively. 

On  block  No.  423  a  shaft  has  been  sunk  to  a  depth  of  about  60  feet  all  the 
way  on  the  reef.  The  stone  is  very  similar  in  character  to  that  on  block 
No.  207,  gold  showing  freely  all  through  the  quartz. 

All  the  shafts  and  drives  are  well  timbered  and  in  good  working  order. 

About  200  tons  of  stone  have  been  broken  from  the  shafts  and  drives  and 
stacked  ready  for  crushing,  which  it  is  estimated  will  yield  at  least  4  ozs.  to 
the  ton. 

There  is  an  abundant  supply  of  timber  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
good  quality,  both  for  timbering  the  mine  and  for  fuel. 


As  regards  water,  there  is  little  doubt  that  sufficient  can  be  obtained  for 
milling  purposes  by  sinking,  besides  which  it  is  close  to  two  Government 
reservoirs  which  have  just  been  constructed,  holding  at  least  1,000,000 
gallons,  in  addition  to  being  within  400  yards  of  a  valley  on  a  neighbouring 
property  which  has  been  partly  excavated  and  dammed,  and  which  it  is 
estimated  will  hold  17,000,000  gallons,  from  which  water  could  no  doubt  be 
purchased  if  necessary. 

The  statements  contained  in  this  Prospectus  are  based  upon  the  reports 
herein  mentioned,  the  statutory  declaration  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Webb,  and  cables. 
Mr.  Begelhole,  late  Manager  of  Bayley's  Reward  Mine.reports  that  he  has 
"  Carefully  examined  the  property  *  *  *  a  bold  outcrop  is  traceable 
"throughout  the  ent.'.e  length  of  both  blocks,  which  has  been  proved, 
"  by  costeening.   Wherever  stone  has  been  tested  from  an  outcrop  it 
"has  shown  gold.  The  reef  in  my  opinion  is  a  continuation  of  the  rich 
"reef  known  as  Gome's,  and  worked  with  great  success  on  Baylej's 
"No.  1  South  *  *  *" 
The  above  has  also  been  proved  by  three  shafts  80,  30  and  60  feet  deep. 

"This  mine  has  been  continuously  worked  for  the  last  twelve 
months,  and  is  systematically  and  considerably  developed  *  *  * . 

"  I  have  every  confidence  in  recommending  this  property  to  the 
"  public,  believing  that  with  proper  machinery  and  judicious  manage- 
"  ment,  the  mine  should  develop  into  a  dividend-paying  concern  in  a 
"  very  short  time." 
Mr.  J.  Francis  Markes,  F.G.S.,  states  :— 

"  *  *  *  The  mine  is  well  known  locally  and  I  have  personally  visited  it 
"on  several  occasions,  the  last  being  on  July  10th,  1894  *  *  *  and  at 
"  the  bottom  of  the  two  shafts  sunk  in  block  207  an  average  width  of 
"  three  to  four  feet  is  reported  *  *  *  On  block  423  south  the  reef  has 
"  been  traced  by  trenching  and  an  underlay  shaft  sunk  in  which 
"  splendid  gold  was  struck  on  21st  of  July  *  *  *  There  is  a  very  con- 
siderable quantity  of  stone  ready  for  crushing  *  *  *  With  regard  to 
"  its  value  it  is  probably  safe  to  estimate  it  at  from  2  ozs.  to  4  ozs. 
"  per  ton.  The  manager,  Mr.  Stern,  who  is  well-known  and  respected 
"at  Coolgardie,  estimates,  I  believe,  that  the  whole  amount  of  stone 
"  at  the  surface  ready  for  crushing  will  yield  over  5  ozs.  to  the  ton 
"  *  *  *  with  practical  and  careful  management  and  suitable  plant, 
"  very  satisfactory  returns  should  not  be  wanting." 
On  Mr.  William  Henry  Webb's  arrival  in  London,  he  found  there  was  an 
opportunity  to  acquire  the  capital  for  the  necessary  machinery  and  further 
development  of  this  well-known  property  (in  which  he  is  one  of  the 
largest  Shareholders)  by  placing  it  on  the  London  Market.  Consequently 
cables  passed  between  him  and  Mr.  Holman,  the  Chairman  of  Directors  at 
Perth,  dated  respectively  20th  and  21st  September,  9th  and  13th  October, 
and  12th  December,  1894.   By  a  contract  dated  18th  February,  1895,  and 
made  between  Mr.  William  Henry  Webb  of  the  one  part  and  this  Company 
of  the  other  part,  the  former  is  now  disposing  of  the  property  at  the  price 
he,  as  Vendor  and  Promoter,  has  fixed  upon  of  £80,000,  payable  as  to 
£20,000  in  cash,  as  to  £33,000  in  fully  paid  Shares,  and  as  to  the  balance  in 
cash  or  fully  paid  Shares,  or  partly  in  cash  and  partly  in  fully  paid  Shares 
at  the  option  of  the  Directors,  20,000  Shares  being  thus  reserved  for  the 
provision  of  the  working  capital. 

In  order  to  ensure  the  successful  issue  of  this  Company,  and  to  secure  the 
services  of  Messrs.  Punchard,  McTaggart,  I  owther  and  Co.,  an  agreement 
has  been  entered  into  between  Mr.  Webb  of  the  first  part,  Mr.  N.  J.  H. 
Schotborgh  of  the  second  part,  and  Messrs.  Punchard,  McTaggart, 
Lowther  and  Co.  of  the  third  part,  dated  the  22nd  January,  1695. 
No  Shares  in  the  Company  have  been  underwritten. 
The  above  Contracts,  cablegrams,  the  original  Reports,  the  Memoran- 
dum and  Articles  of  Association  of  the  Company,  and  the  Government 
Map  and  Statutory  declaration  by  the  Vender,  may  be  inspected  at  the 
offices  of  the  Company. 

There  may  be  other  contracts  in  connection  witli  the  working  of  the 
mine  at  Coolgardie,  and  in  connection  with  the  promotion  of  the  Company 
in  England  which  may  be  within  the  strict  interpretation  of  Section  38  of 
the  Companies  Acts,  1867.  Of  these,  if  any,  the  Directors  have  no  know- 
ledge, and  applicants  for  shares  are  required  to  waive  further  compliance 
with  the  provisions  of  such  section  in  respect  of  any  such  contracts,  and 
applications  will  only  be  received  and  allotments  made  on  that  footing. 

Applications  for  shares  should  be  made  on  the  form  accompanying  the 
Prospectus,  and  together  with  a  deposit  of  2s.  6d.  per  share,  be  forwarded 
to  the  Secretary  or  Bankers  of  the  Company,  or  to  Mr.  W.  Ballin,  19,  Rue 
Louis-le-Grand,  Paris. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  for  Shares  may  be  obtained 
from  the  Bankers,  Solicitors,  or  Secretary  to  the  Company. 
If  no  allotment  be  made,  all  application  money  will  be  returned  in  full. 

23rd  Febiua-y,  ISK- 


110 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  LONDON   WATER  COMPANIES. 

We  congratulate  Mr.  Stuart  upon  the  moderate  and  able 
speech  in  which  he  moved  the  second  reading  of  the  Lambeth 
Water  (Transfer)  Bill,  and  upon  the  result  of  the  division  that 
followed.  It  means  that  the  present  House  of  Commons  is 
favourable  to  the  transfer  of  the  water  supply  of  the  Metropolis 
to  the  County  Council,  and  it  is  highly  unlikely  that  the  next 
House  will  be  of  a  different  opinion.  We  are  all  of  us  pretty 
sick  of  a  system  under  which  London  is  at  the  mercy, 
in  respect  to  one  of  its  chief  requirements,  of  monopolists  who 
are  contemptuously  indifferent  to  the  just  claims  of  the  public. 

It  is  urged  in  some  quarters  that  under  the  terms  of  the  pro- 
posed reference  to  arbitrators  the  debenture  stockholders  will  be 
treated  unfairly,  and  "  Burdett"  lends  its  great  authority  to  this 
complaint.  Whatever  force  there  may  have  been  in  the  contention 
is  removed  by  Mr.  Stuart's  later  proposal,  that  the  arbitrators 
shall  be  instructed  to  take  into  consideration  any  points  favour- 
able to  either  party,  in  addition  to  those  specified  in  the  Bill. 
Nobody  wants  to  treat  the  water  companies — that  is  to  say,  the 
citizens  who  have  put  their  money  into  these  companies — un- 
fairly, nor  is  there  any  likelihood  of  unjust  treatment  so  far  as 
they  are  concerned.  It  is  rather  the  other  way  about.  The 
water  companies  will  get  all  they  are  entitled  to  ;  what  the 
public  has  to  fear  is  that  they  will  get  more. 

If  the  water  companies  had  been  less  greedy  and  more  far- 
seeing  ;  if  they  had  worked  their  monopolies  even  as  the  railway 
and  the  gas  companies  have  worked  theirs  ;  if  they  had  not 
played  the  Jew  and  persistently  flouted  the  householder,  the 
present  demand  for  change  might  not  have  arisen.  As  it  is,  they 
will  disappear — after  a  more  or  less  prolonged  period  of  haggling 
—to  the  general  content.  Sir  John  Lubbock  is  terrified — or  says 
he  is — at  the  enormous  responsibility  to  be  assumed  by  the  County 
Council,  and  at  the  increase  in  the  water-rate  that  must  follow. 
But  if  Birmingham  has  been  able  to  pay,  and  has  found  it  pro. 
Stable  to  pay,  some  £7,000,000  in  perfecting  its  water  schemes, 
London,  so  much  larger  than  Birmingham,  should  find  it  quite 
as  much  within  its  power,  and  to  its  advantage,  to  meet  the 
expenditure  that  will  be  required  under  the  water  schemes  of 
its  County  Council.  And  it  is  equally  obvious  that  if,  as  we 
are  bound  to  assume,  the  management  of  the  water  supply  after 
transfer  to  the  County  Council  is  wise  and  prudent,  the  uni- 
fication and  consolidation  of  all  these  undertakings  must  mean 
a  large  saving. 

The  flimsiest  of  the  pleas  urged  against  immediate  action  is 
that  made  so  much  of  by  Sir  John  Lubbock,  namely,  that  the 
present  Council  is  about  to  die,  and  the  next  one  may  be  of  a 
different  opinion  as  to  the  transfer  of  the  control  of  the  water 
supply.  If  there  were  any  such  change  of  opinion  the  new 
Council  would  not  be  prevented  by  anything  that  Parliament 
has  as  yet  done  from  postponing  the  question  indefinitely  ;  but- 
there  is  no  likelihood  of  any  such  change  of  opinion.  The 
desire  to  effect  the  transfer  is  not  confined  to  the  Progressives  of 
the  County  Council.  As  Mr.  Stuart  reminded  the  House, 
the  Richmond  Commission  of  1867  supported  the  principle  of  the 
transfer  ;  the  Harcourt  Committee  of  1880  advised  it  :  the 
White-Ridley  Committee  of  1891  was  in  favour  of  ft.  Even 
Sir  John  Lubbock  does  not  directly  oppose  it.  It  cannot  come 
x>o  soon. 

ENGLAND  AND  INDIA. 

The  debate  upon  the  reimposition  of  cotton  duties  hi  India 
was  worthy  of  the  best  traditions  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
and  the  refusal  of  the  Opposition  to  use  Lancashire  discontent  to 
force  a  dissolution  was  'patriotic.  Men  of  all  classes  in  India 
demanded  the  reimposition,  and  wc  have  it  on  the  word  of 
authorities  like  Lord  Roberts  that  continued  refusal  would  have 
meant  danger  to  our  rule.  But  whilst  it  would  be  eminently 
unwise  to  impose  an  income-tax,  such  as  was  suggested 
by  Sir  Henry  James,  rather  than  subject  Lancashire  goods 
to  a  small  duty,  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  ought  to 
be  necessary.  With  the  single  exception  of  the  Star,  which  on 
this  matter  has  always  spoken  soberly  and  well,  the  London 
daily  papers  ignore  this  vital  fact.  The  Government  of  India  is 
reduced  to  every  kind  of  strait  because  of  its  extravagant 
expenditure.  India  is  a  poor  country,  and  the  principal 
danger  to  the  maintenance  of  our  rule  is  the  exactions  of 


the  tax-gatherer.  The  greatest  of  the  Viceroys  were 
ceaseless  in  their  advocacy  of  economy,  eloquent  in  their  protests 
against  the  growth  of  expenditure.  But  of  late  years  what  is 
known  as  the  Forward  School  has  become  supreme  in  the  Councils 
of  the  State.  The  Lawrences  and  the  Mayos,  the  Barings  and 
the  Normans,  have  been  pushed  aside  by  the  men  who  think 
that  the  greatness  of  India  depends  upon  constant  expansion. 
North  and  west  that  expansion  has  proceeded,  with  the 
result  that  the  Army  Estimates  have  pretty  well  doubled  in  a 
generation,  and  whilst  there  has  been  this  enormous  increase  in 
military  expenditure  with  an  even  greater  loss  owing  to  the  de- 
preciation of  the  rupee,  there  has  been  no  attempt  whatever  to- 
lessen  the  enormous  waste  of  the  Civil  administration.  Lord 
Lytton  loved  glitter,  and  closed  his  eyes  to  abuses  ;  Lord 
Ripon,  well  intentioned  but  weak,  was  incapable  of 
grappling  with  the  tremendous  question  of  retrenchment  j 
it  did  not  appeal  to  the  brilliant  Irishman  who  followed  him  ; 
Lord  Lansdowne  was  hand  in  glove  with  officialdom,  and  Lord 
Elgin  has  neither  the  will  nor  the  grit  to  do  what  is  wanted. 
This  expenditure  has  gone  on  increasing  by  leaps  and  bounds 
where  a  great  administrator,  given  a  free  hand,  would  have 
effected  economies  that  would  have  made  these  import  duties 
unnecessary.  We  look  forward  to  the  future  of  English  govern- 
ment in  India  with  the  utmost  apprehension,  because  we  see  no 
likelihood  of  that  retrenchment  which  is  indispensable  if  the 
people  of  India  are  to  remain  content  with  our  rule.  The 
military  and  civil  charges  are  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  needs 
of  India,  and  so  they  will  remain,  and  the  resulting  evil  will 
grow  and  grow  until  we  are  in  the  death  grip  with  Russia.  And 
then — God  only  knows  what  will  happen. 

THE  WATCHSELLING  TRICK 

Hastings,  Limited,  is  a  company  whose  business  it  is  to  sell 
watches.  Watch  selling  is  an  ancient,  highly-respectable,  and 
useful  calling,  but  then  it  must  be  honest  selling,  and  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  many  of  the  agents  of  what  may  be  called  itinerant 
watch-selling  companies  are  not  so  particular  as  to  that  as  they 
should  be.   As  here  : — 

In  November  last  one  of  the  agents  of  Hastings,  Limited,  got 

into  conversation  with  a  maidservant  and  tried  to  persuade  her 

to  buy  a  watch.    She  declined,  but  finally  consented  to  allow- 

him  to  leave  one  with  her  on '  the  chance  of  her  changing  her 

mind.    Next  day  she  received  the  following  notification  from 

Hastings,  Limited  :— 

We  herewith  enclose  subscription  card  for  watch  sold  to  yon  by  our 
agent  at  5s.  per  month.     Please  send  all  your  instalments  here  direc 
by  post,  as  under  no  circumstances  has  the  agent  any  authority  to  calC 
upon  you  again.   We  note  you  will  pay  the  first  instalment  of  5s.  on 
December  15th. 

This  was  signed  "  Yours  truly,  Hastings,  Limited,  "  and  it  will 

be  observed  that  it  makes  two  specific  statements  :  the  one  that 

the  girl  had  bought  the  watch,  the  other  that  she  had  agreed  to 

pay  a  first  instalment  on  December  15.     She  had  done  neither 

the  one  thing  nor  the  other,  and  immediately  wrote  to  that  effect 

'  to  Hastings,   Limited,   a   letter  that  brought  the  following 

indignant  rejoinder  : — 

In  reply  to  your  letter  we  have  to  inform  you  that  under  no  circum- 
stances do  we  take  back  goods  once  sold.  The  watch  is  well  worth 
what  we  have  charged  for  it,  therefore  we  must  request  you  to  pay  for 
it,  as  per  arrangement  made  with  cur  agent,  otherwise  we  shall  have 
to  sue  you  for  recovery. 

Thereupon    the    handmaiden    wisely  resolved  to  go  to  her 

master,  who  fortunately  is  no  fool.    He  promptly  put  himself 

in  communication  with  Hastings,  Limited,  as  below  : — 

I  have  had  my  attention  called  to  letters  you  !i»ye  sent  about  a 
watch,  65811,  which  one  of  your  agents  left  with  my  domestic  servant, 
M  E  ,  on  approval. 

This  watch  is  not  being  kept  by  her,  nor  has  she  ever  said  *he  would 
buy  it,  and  I  shall  thank  your  agent  to  call  for  it  at  once,  and  be  pre- 
pared to  sign  for  it. 

I  consider  it  a  piece  of  impudence  on  your  part  to  write  the  letters 
you  have  about  it,  and  if  I  have  any  more  bother  about  it  I  shall  put 
it  in  the  hands  of  my  solicitor  to  deal  with. 

Hastings,    Limited,    were    still    on    the    high  horse.  They 

rejoin  : — 

In  reply  to  your  letter,  we  regret  that  we  are  quite  unable  to  do 
business  on  the  lines  you  seem  to  suggest.  We  cannot  afford  to  sell 
goods  one  day  to  take  them  bark  the  next.  The  watch  you  refer  to  was 
not  left  on  approval,  it  was  purchased  in  the  ordinary  fray,  r.nd  an 
agieement  was  signed  by  OUT  customer  arranging  to  pay  for  it  as  per 
the  terms  you  will  find  on  the  card  we  sent  her.  If  these  terms  are 
not  complied  frith,  we  shall,  as  we  have  indicated,  immediately  take 
the  necessary  proceedings  for  the  recovery  of  the  amount. 

"  An  agreement  was  signed,"  sa\s  Hastings,  Limited.  Not 

so,  replies  our  correspondent :  — 

I  am  much  surprised  hn  receive  your  letter  about  the  watch.  M» 


March  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


Ill 


servant  will  not  keep  the  same,  and  you  can  fetch  it  away  at  your 
risk.  You  can  take  whatever  proceedings  you  like,  but  you  cannot 
show  me  where  M  E  has  signed  any  agreement. 

That  last  sentence  settled  the  matter — Hastings,  Limited, 

surrendered  : — 

In  reply  to  your  letter  we  find  upon  further  inspection  that  you  are 
correct,  and  that  your  servant  did  not  sign  the  agreement,  therefore 
we  regret  that  the  watch  should  have  been  left  under  such  circum- 
stances, and  shall  esteem  it  a  favour  if  you  will  send  it  on  to  us  per 
registered  post,  and  we  will  at  once  cancel  the  order. 

But  the  Post  Office  does  not  carry  watches  for  nothing,  as  our 

correspondent  was  forced  to  remind  Hastings,  Limited  : — 

In  reply  to  yours  of  yesterday  you  will  either  have  to  call  for  your 
watch  or  send  me  Is.  for  postage  expenses,  for  my  letters,  etc.,  and  you 
may  thank  yourselves  you  are  so  well  out  of  the  affair. 

Hastings,  Limited,  did  not  like  the  notion  of  parting  with 
cash,  and  answered  : — 

In  reply  to  your  letter  we  herewith  enclose  stamped  addressed  label, 
which  will  cover  cost  of  postage  and  registration. 

But  that  would  not  do  for  our  correspondent,  who  rejoined  : — 

Yours  of  8th  to  hand,  with  five  stamps,  but  these  do  not  cover  my 
expenses.  This  is  my  fourth  letter,  and  I  want  4d.  more  before  the 
watch  goes— otherwise,  come  for  it. 

Hastings,  Limited,  were  in  a  corner,  and  they  knew  it,  and 

no — 

Herewith  we  enclose  the  four  stamps  you  demand. 

Upon  this  our  correspondent  returned  the  watch.  But 
suppose  the  maidservant  had  not  the  sense  to  go  to  her 
master,  or  he  had  been  a  fool  ?  The  methods  of  people  like 
the  agents  of  Hastings,  Limited,  are  disgraceful  methods,  and 
ought  to  be  exposed. 

Hastings,  Limited,  call  themselves  "  Watch  Manufacturers 
and  Goldsmiths,"  and  date  from  25,  Queen's  Parade,  Clapham 
Junction.  They  seem  to  have  a  place,  too,  at  1,  The  Pavement, 
Upton  Park,  E.  The  company  is  practically  one  man,  who  lives 
at  Streatham.  We  advise  him  to  keep  a  sharper  eye  upon  his 
agents. 

AN  EXCELLENT  MOVE- 

The  Confectioners'  Union  is  a  trade  journal  probably  known 
to  few  outside  the  trade  it  represents,  but  it  has  just  made  a 
move  deserving  of  high  commendation.  It  seems  that  the 
confectioners'  trade  has  no  charitable  organisation  of  any  kind, 
and  the  Confectioners'  Union  has  started  a  fund  in  the  interests 
of  the  sick  poor  children  of  the  Trade.  The  money  subscribed 
will  be  expended  in  the  support  of  cots  in  childrens'  hospitals 
and  seaside  convalescent  homes  in  different  parts  of  the  country, 
and,  when  means  will  allow,  in  country  holidays,  Christmas 
treats  in  different  centres,  and  such  like  work.  It  is  an  excellent 
move,  and  should  be,  as  we  hope  it  will  be,  the  nucleus 
of  a  valuable  benevolent  scheme  for  the  whole  industry. 
Trade  journals  might  do  a  good  deal  more  than  they  have  been 
accustomed  to  do  in  this  direction,  and  we  hope  the  Confec- 
tioners' Union  will  soon  have  to  acknowledge  the  flattery  of 
imitation. 

CREDITORS  AND  LIQUIDATIONS- 

A  Birmingham  correspondent  sends  us  two  statements  show- 
ing the  result  of  two  liquidations.  Here  are  the  salient  points  in 
relation  to  one  of  them  : 

The  bankrupt  estimated  that  his  estate  would  yield  £590  10s.  lid. 
The  net  realisation  was  £195  2s.  Id. 
The  cost  of  realisation  was  £191  5s.  lOd. 

The    amount    available    for  distribution  among   creditors  was 
£3  16s.  3d. 

The  first  and  final  dividend  paid  on  £916  5s.  was  Id.  in  the  £— 
£3  16s.  3d. 

Our  correspondent  complains  that  "  Creditors  are  not  only 
victimised  by  the  debtors,  but  by  the  law  which  should  protect 
them."  Beyond  doubt  the  statement  looks  very  bad  on  the  face 
of  it,  but  there  may  be  some  explanation  not  to  be  gathered  from 
the  document  issued.  We  think  there  should  be  explanation  of 
certain  payments.  For  example,  out  of  the  £195  2s.  Id.  which 
this  estate  realised,  £121  4s.  7d.  went  in  law  costs.  Surely  this 
requires  a  word  of  explanation  ? 

Lloyd's  Bank,  whose  statement  we  give  elsewhere,  continues 
to  expand  and  prosper.  The  low  Bank  rate  and  the  depressed 
condition  of  trade  during  the  past  year  have  had  their  influence 
on  the  profit-earning  capacity  of  the  bank,  but  notwithstanding 
these  adverse'circumstances  the  15jaer  cent,  dividend  is  main- 
tained. The  beginning  of  the  present  year  saw  yet  another 
transfer  to  the  company — namely,  that  of  the  well-known  and 
long-established  bank  of  Messrs.  Paget  and  Co. ,  of  Leicester. 

NEW  ISSUES. 
The  Australia  Limited.  Capital,  £120,000.— Formed  to  buy  the 
"Australia  "  Gold  Mine,  one  of  the  nine  properties  purchased  by  the 
Associated  Gold  Mines  of  Australia,  Limited.    Various  reports  and  tele- 


grams, dated  since  the  flotation  of  the  Associated,  speak  to  the  value  of  the 
stone  being  got  from  the  mine,  and  the  company  will  have  an  interest  in 
water-rights,  which  are  valuable.   The  purchase  price  is  £100,000. 

Bayley 's  No.  2  South  Gold  Mining  Company.  Capital,  £100,000. 
— Formed  to  acquire  two  mining  leases  in  the  Coolgardie  district,  which  are 
said  to  be  valuable  mining  properties.  A  good  deal  of  development  work 
has  been  done,  and  the  stone  crushed  has  given  satisfactory  results.  Mr. 
A.  F.  Calvert  is  upon  the  board.   The  purchase  price  is  £80,000. 

The  Black  Swan  Gold  Mine,  Limited.  Capital,  £85,000.— 
Formed  to  buy  and  work  a  mining  lease  of  twelve  acres  close  to  the  town- 
ship of  Coolgardie.  There  are  numerous  reports  speaking  to  the  value  of 
the  property,  but  none  of  them  independent.  The  purchase  price  is 
£65,000,  most  of  which  the  vendors  hope  to  get  in  cash.  We  do  not  advise 
readers  of  To-Day  to  find  any  of  it. 

The  Westraltan  (Premier  Gold  Minis^,  Limited.  Capital, 
£125,000.— For  some  reasons  this  property  is  to  be  sommended.  The 
directors  say  they  sent  out  their  own  man  to  value  the  property,  and  the 
vendors  take  all  the  'purchase  price— £90,000— in  shares,  only  to  receive 
dividend  after  those  now  offered  to  the  public— £15,000— have  received 
dividends  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  30  per  cent.  That  is  as  it 
should  be. 

The  McKenzie  Gold  Mines/.Limited.  Capital  £75,000.— A  twenty 
stamp  battery,  says  the  prospectus,  will  crush  from  20  to  25  tons  of  quartz 
per  day.  We  will  say  20  and  give  300  working  days  in  the  year.  That 
means  6,000  tons  of  quartz.  If  we  further  assume  that  each  ton  of  quartz 
will  give  two  ounces  of  gold,  and  that  each  ounce  of  gold  is  worth  £3  15s. , 
the  product  of  the  6,000  tons  of  quartz  will  be  £45,000.  If,  yet  again,  we 
ut  the  cost  of  mining,  milling,  and  all  other  expenses  at  £2  per  ton,  we 
ave  a  net  profit  left  of  £33,000.  Now  £33,000  would  be  sufficient,  as  the 
prospectus  truly  observes,  to  pay  dividends  upon  the  present  capital  of 
"  upwards  of  40  per  cent,  per  annum,"  and  leave  "  an  ample  margin  for 
contingencies,"  which  would  be  very  nice.  Only  the  investor  will  do  well  to 
bear  in  mind  that  all  these  estimates  are  pure  efforts  of  the  imagination. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Safe  Investment.  J.  P.  P.  (Liverpool).— We  would  rather  keep  out 
of  American  railways  ;  Demerara  Railway  Perpetual  Preference  would  give 
you  at  its  present  price  close  upon  5  per  cent.,  and  is  quite  safe.  Stocks 
and  Shares.  Limited.— Skinner's  "Stock  Exchange  Year  Book"  will 
give  you  what  you  want.  The  price  is  somewhere  about  8s.  nett.  Man- 
chester Broker.  F.  F.  (Felton).— We  did  not  keep  the  address.  The 
Preservation  Syndicate.  G.  A.  T.  (Rotterdam).— We  can  make 
nothing  of  it,  so  return  the  papers.  The  Tankerville  Consols, 
Limited.  J.  F.  T.  (Driffield).— No.  Stock  Exchange  Charges, 
Bantam  (Morley).— Yes ;  the  broker  is  entitled  to  make  the  charge 
Broken  Hill  Proprietary  Company.  F.  D.  (Glasgow).— Pay  no 
attention  to  anonymous  communications.  Sundry  Securities.  G.  H 
(Wandsworth).— 1.  The  Midland  Railway  of  Canada  has  been  absorbed 
by  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  Company.  2.  Yes,  we  think  so.  Mersey 
Railway  Company.  Banker  (Ballycastle).—  Yes,  we  think  it  would  be 
well  to  fall  in  with  the  scheme.  2.  We  see  no  sufficient  reason  to  oppose 
the  Bill.  Otto's  Kopje.  B.  B.  (Liverpool).— 1.  Very  little.  2.  We  consider 
Great  Eastern  Railway  Stock  a  fair  investment  at  present  price.  Price 
of  Stock.  Mrs.  F.  (Midleton).— We  cannot  understand  your  letter. 
What  is  it  you  want  to  know?  Dickens  Custer.  E.  L.  (London)— Sell 
for  what  you  can  get.  Outside  Broker.  Darby  (Dublin).— Close  the 
account  and  do  not  have  any  further  transactions  with  these  people. 
West  Argentine.  Paylend  (Broughty  Ferry).  —If  you  will 
send  us  the  correspondence  we  shall  be  better  able  to  answer  you. 
Boudard  Peveril  Gear  Company.  Viator  (Leeds).— The  litigation 
is  taking  its  course:  You  should  have  joined  with  other  shareholders  in  re- 
sistance. Fortnightly  Trust.  Taffy  (Trongoch). — You  have  given  your 
friend  excellent  advice.  Interest  Bearing  Premium  Bonds.  N.  K. 
and  C.  (City).— We  are  obliged  to  you  for  your  list,  which  we  will  keep  in 
mind.  Outside  Brokers.  Bothwell  Steel  (Glasgow).— We  know  nothing 
of  the  man  you  name.  Mysore  Harnhali  Gold  Mining  Company.  A 
Subscriber  (Cardiff)  No.  Remunerative  Employment.  Heather 
Bell  (Edinburgh). — It  would  be  much  less  remunerative  than  the  circulars 
suggest.  Money-Lending  Transaction.  Rhadamanthus  (Edinburgh). 
— We  cannot  advise  without  fuller  particulars  than  you  send.  Your  friend, 
widow  or  not,  must  pay  the  interest  unless  she  can  prove  misrepresentation. 
There  is  a  good  ileal  of  cant  in  the  denunciation  of  money-lenders.  You  do 
not  go  to  them  and  pay  your  30,  or  maybe  60,  per  cent,  whilst  you  have  a 
balance  at  your  bankers,  or  securities  in  your  safe.  You  go  when  you  cannot 
get  money  elsewhere,  and  your  security  is  of  the  poorest.  Sometimes  you 
get  cheated  ;  then  the  law  may  help  you  if  you  can  fee  counsel,  and  have  luck, 
but— a  truth  apt  to  be  forgotten  by  softheads— the  cheating  is  not  always 
on  the  side  of  the  money-lender.  "  To  Day  s  "  Black  List.  E.  A.  R.  H. 
(London). — We  are  obliged  to  you.  The  change  of  type  was  not  intended. 
City  of  Melbourne  Bank.  Bank  (Glasgow).— We  think  you  had  better 
hold.     Two  Railway  Stocks.    Excelsior  (Bradford).— 1.  Yes,  we 

think  so.    2.  London  and  South-Western.    J.  B.— The 

Financial  Times  and  the  West  Australian  Review.  James  Chadwick 
and  Brother.  Cotton  Rails  (Lincoln).— The  company  has  a  very  up- 
hill fight  before  it,  but  you  will  probably  find  it  to  your  advantage  to  hold. 

INSURANCE. 

Colonial  Mutual  Life  Office.  Persuasion  (Manchester).— It  is 
probable  the  investments  have  been  unfavourably  affected,  but  we  believe 
the  extent  to  be  so  small  as  to  not  be  worth  consideration.  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters.  A.  H.  W.  (Leeds).— It  is  one  of  the  last  things  we 
would  recommend  to  anybody.  There  is  nothing  in  the  scheme  to  commend 
itself  to  the  judgment  of  a  prudent  man.  British  Natural  Premium 
Provident  Association  T.  R.  M.  (Sunderland).— Pay  no  more.  Insure 
in  an  established  office,  although  you  may  be  rated  up.  We  do  not 
see  how  this  Association  can  be  permanent.  Globe  Marine. 
Alf.— We  are  obliged  by  your  friendly  note.  We  had  regard 
to  the  security  it  affords  to  insurers,  and  did  not  forget  that 
£350,000  is  at  call.  Life  Offices.  Curious  (Birmingham).— We  have  a 
high  opinion  of  both  offices  you  mention  on  all  the  grounds  specified. 
Scottish  Temperance  Life  Office.  Park  Street  (Newport) — This 
is  both  young  and  small.  It  is  nevertheless  in  an  excellent  position,  being 
well  managed,  and  doing  well  for  its  policyholders.  It  is  a  permanent 
institution.  Assure  in  it  by  all  means  if  you  can  raise  the  premium. 
Marine  and  General.  A.  L.  P.  (St.  Johns,  S.E.).— This  also  is  a  good 
office,  has  splendid  reserves,  and  pays  good  bonuses.  Insurance  of 
Illegitimate.  Alex  (Plymouth).— You  had  better  go  to  the  Norwich 
Union.  We  do  not  think  that  either  the  London,  Liverpool  and  Globe,  or 
the  Equity  and  Law,  would  care  for  the  business.  You  must  be  careful  to. 
agree  with  the  company  upon  an  age,  and  endorse  it  on  the  policy 
You  should  also  make  a  will.  Sickness  and  Accident  Insurance. 
V.  C.  (Ealing).— You  cannot  do  better.  The  Clergy  Mutual  have  a  system, 
but  that  is  only  for  a  few  of  their  own  people.  Most  of  the  other  offices 
have  given  it  up.  Positive  Life  Office.  C.  S.  B.  (Glasgow).— Stick  to 
the  Positive ;  it  is  an  improving  office,  and  has  come  to  ttay.  Sale  of 
Policy.  E.  D.  P.  (Bath).— We  may  take  it  that  it  is  an  Indian  policy, 
paying  Indian  rates.  If  that  be  so  it  is  hardly  a  saleable  policy  ;  anyway, 
it  is  of  extremely  little  value.  Two  Insurance  Offices.  W.  B.  B. 
(Blackburn). — You  are  between  the  devil  and  the  deep  sea.  Sell  the  bond 
for  what  it  will  fetch,  drop  payments  on  the  other  policy,  and  insure  In  a 
well-established  English  life  office. 


112  .._  „  TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1895. 


DRURY  LAKE    THEATRE    ROYAL.-SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRT'    Lessee  and  Manager.   Every  evening  at  7.30,  and  every 
Monday,  Weuuesday,  and  Saturday  at  1.30.   Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand 
New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
For  full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day. 

TYCEUM.— KING    ARTHUR.        EVERY  NIGHT  at  8 
puctually.    Box  Office  (Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  10  till  5  only.,  Seats 
can  also  be  bocked  by  letter  or  telegram— Lyceum. 

ROYAL    PRINCESS'S     THEATRE— ON  SATURDAY, 

March  2nd,  and  EVERY  EVENING,  by  arrangements  with  the 
Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company,  HuOperdinck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEL  and 
GRETEL  (in  English.   Box  Office  now  open. 

DALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 

A  THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 


MOORE   AND    BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
The  Best  Minstrels  in  the  World. 
New  Son<*s,  Ballads,  and  Choruses. 
"THE  YALLER  GAL," 
Operetta  by  G.  R.  Sims  and 

Ivan  Caryll. 
EVERY  NIGHT  at  8,  and 
MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY,  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30. 
Prices  5s.,  3s.,  2s.,  Is. 
Book  at  Tree's. 

Farini,  Manager. 


DOYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments.  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES. 

2.30  and  7.30  GREAT  YACHTING  and  BOATING  &c.  EXHIBITION, 

CONCERT.    SWIMMING.    SKATING.    BILLIARD  MATCH. 


NIAGARA  HALL— 

A1  ST.   JAMESS   PARK  STATION. 

REAL  ICE  SKATING.     Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
Daily,  9.30  to  1.0,  3s. ;  3.0  to  6.0,  5s. ;  8.0  V>  H-30,  3s. 
EXCELLENT   ORCHESTRA.  FIRST  -  CLASS  RESTAURANT. 

OPEN   ALL  DAY. 


Why  put  off  till  to-morrow,  what 
can  be  done  To-day  P 

ASK  YOUR  GROCER  for  a  Tin  of 

FREDERICK  MASON'S 


EF-TE 


It  will  only  cost  you  Is.,  and  it's  well 
worth  a  trial. 

ACRE  LANE,  BRIXTON,  S.W. 

HIGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 
MBS.  GrRABTJRN,  13,  Bonchurch  Road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station)  Speciality — Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  2V  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.    Ladiss'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


The  GREAT  EASTERN  HOTEL 

LIVERPOOL  STREET,  E.C. 

Centrally  Situated.   Electric  Light  Throughout.  Moderate  Charges 

RESTAURANT  adjoining  HOTEL  for  MID-DAY 
LUNCHEONS  and  PUBLIC  DINNERS. 

II.  C.  AMENDT,  Manager. 


UNION 


'South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHON ALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR 

Departures  from  SOUTH AMPTON  every  SA  TURD  A  Y. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  call  at  LISBON  andTENERIFE. 
„    VP-}?!*:  Li,*e  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Kail  Tickets  Loudon  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton;   14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 


"THE  TIMES"  Ees.  29,  1894,  says  in  a  leading  article  on 
" OUR  DAUGHTERS" 

"  FIVE  per  cent,  was  regarded  as  the  current  rate  of  interest  on  good 
"  security  when  paterfamilias  set  up  housekeeping;  now  he  must  think 
"  himself  lncky  when  he  can  get  Three." 

THE  MUTUAL  LIFE  INSURANCE  COMPANY  OP  NEW  YOEE 

Guarantees  Five  -per  cent. 

UNDER  ITS 

Debenture  Policy, 

Which  also  provides  for 

Dsath  Duties,  Children's  Education,  Marriage  Settlements 
or  Business  Capital  under  one  Contract. 

The  safe-keeping  and  repayment  of  the  principal  is  supported  by  a 
guarantee  unsurpassed  by  that  of  any  financial  institution  in  the  world. 


ACCUMULATED  FUNDS  EXCEED  £38,000,000. 

Apply  for  particulars  to  any  of  the  Branch  Offices,  or  to 
D   C.  KALDEUAN,  General  Manager  for  the  United  Kingdom, 

17  &  18,  Cornhill,  London.  E.C 

PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  COMPANYJMed, 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.C. 


FOUNDED  1843. 


Invested  Funds 


£20,000,000 


KSRN   COUNTY  LAND    COMPANY   OF  CALIFORNIA, 

96-9S,  LEADENHALL  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C 

W.  A,  NYGH,  European  Special  Agent. 

The  above  Company  calls  the  particular  attention  of  parents  and  guardians 
to  the  mode  by  which  they  can  give  their  son  -;  and  wards  a  start  in  life  on 
its  lands — a  small  capital  only  being  required.  Special  Party,  No.  S)  mil 
leave  for  tne  estates  of  the  Company  early  in  June.  1S!)5.  Apply  for  full 
particulars  at  the  above  address  or  at  the  Glasgow  Office, 

(IE  >:tGE  Smith,  21,  Hope  Street. 


NORTH'S  TYPE-WRITER. 

Special  Features:—  Visible    Writing,    Brief   Carriage,    Universal  Keyboard 
Perfect  Alignment,  an  English  Invention. 

Th9  "NORTH'S"  has  just  received  the  Diploma  of  Honour  (Highest 
Award)  at  the  Antwerp  Universal  Exhibition. 


For  all  Particulars  ajiply 


NORTH'S  TYPEWRITER  MANUFACTURING  CO.,  LIMITED, 

53,  QUEEN  VICTORIA   STREET,   LONDON,  E.C- 


March  2,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


113 


CONTENTS. 


TAGS. 

The  Sunk  Fence.  Ev  W.  Keppel  Honnywill.   Illustrated  by  * 

W.  Dewar   97 

Our  Ash  Wednesday  Entertainment.  Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar  99 

Con  an  Doyle  on  Fiction   102 

Across  Europe  on  a  Bicycle-.   103 

Feminine  Affairs   lu 

De  omnibus.  By  the  Conductor  K7 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller   .-   1(8 

In  the  City   110 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J   13 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   1j7 

Patriotism  Misunderstood    1.7 

Club  Chatter    118 

Her  Little  Valise   121 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville   122 

Curious  Church  Customs    124 

The  McKenna-Quinn  Feud.   By  W.  L.  Alden.  Illustrated  by 

A.  S.  Forrest  125 

A  Woman  on  Maiiriage   126 

Riviera  v.  Cheque  Book  !  By  Clement  Scott   127 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 

BOOKWORM  UNTIL  SlX  MONTHS  AFTER  THEIR  CONCLUSION 

in  TO-DAY. 


As  the  day  of  the  election  approaches,  and  the  Daily 
Chronicle's  appeal  to  us  to  vote  Progressive  becomes  more 
frenzied,  the  reasons  it  advances  grow  day  by  day  more 
comical.  We  were  to  vote  for  the  Progressives  because 
they  would  promise  to  be  our  "  foster  mother."  They 
were  anxious  and  ready  to  look  after  our  morals  and  our 
manners.  Then  we  were  to  vote  for  them  because  they 
knew  so  much  about  housekeeping,  and  were  ready  to 
instruct  our  wives  how  to  order  the  dinner,  and  bring 
up  the  baby.  Now  London,  as  a  body,  is  asked  to 
choose  them  for  its  masters  because  they  have  shown 
such  admirable  aptitude  in  the  care  and  management 
of  lunatics.  We  are  shown  in  glowing  pictures  what  a 
delightful  existence  is  that  of  an  imbecile  or>  maniac, 
under  the  kindly  and  experienced  sway  of  the  Mac- 
Dougallite  ;  and,  with  a  burst  of  ardour,  the  Chronicle 
calls  upon  us  to  choose  the  candidates  who  will  make 
us  happy  in  our  respective  asylums,  by  the  time  they 
have  driven  us  there. 

The  Daily  Chronicle  and  the  other  ardent  advocates 
of  the  Progressive  party  address  entirely  the  wrong 
argument  to  their  opponents.  They  impress  on  us  day  hy 
day  the  enormous  amount  of  work  that  the  County  Cju  - 
cil  has  done,  is  doing,  and  wants  still  more  to  do  for  us-. 
In  fact,  the  Chronicle  has  made  out  a  pretty  clear  case  for 
its  proteges,  to  prove  that  if  they  were  only  given  their 
way  there  would  be  nothing  more  left  in  life  for  the 
adult  citizen  to  do.  A  County  Councillor  would  call 
upon  him  on  Monday  morning,  give  him  a  printed  pro- 
gramme of  his  week's  work,  pleasure,  and  exercise,  and 
leave  him  to  follow  it  out  until  Saturday  night.  That 
is  the  wrong  bait  to  put  before  the  eyes  of  the  non-pro- 
gressive citizen,  who  as  a  rule  does  not  want  to  be 
managed,  and  br^sed,  an  I  controlled,  and  guided  by 
a  crew  of  broken-down  solicitors,  unsuccessful 
tradesmen,  and  loud  -  mouthed  "Labourers,"  who 
have  never  done  a  stroke  of  work  in  all  their  lives. 
He  does  not  want  his  morals  fixed  for  him  by  a  party 


whose  members  are  expert  in  robbing  prostitutes 
and  sneaking  railway  tickets  ;  he  does  not  want  his 
pleasures  arranged  by  men  who  have  publicly  announced 
that  their  chief  object  in  life  is  to  shut  up  every  public 
place  of  entertainment  from  one  end  of  London  to  the 
other  ;  and  he  does  not  want  his  taxes  figured  out  by 
gentry  who  boast  that  their  aim  is  to  tax  property  until 
it  becomes  a  burden. 

We  want  a  County  Council  of  business  men,  not  of 
bigots,  fanatics,  and  faddists.  We  want  men  who  can 
represent  a  city,  not  men  who  can  only  speak  for  a 
class,  a  clique,  or  a  coterie.  We  want  men  of  broad  views 
and  wide  sympathies,  not  men  stained  with  the  narrow 
prejudices  of  a  little  Bethel,  nor  men  who  take  their 
views  of  the  world  from  a  meeting  of  matrons  held 
in  Mrs.  Bunting's  back  parlour.  We  want  men  of 
business  habits  and  instincts,  not  prigs  crammed  with 
cheap  political  economy  learned  at  polytechnic  night 
schools.  In  short,  we  want  men  of  the  world,  not  fussy 
old  women.  The  ideals  of  the  Progressive  party  may 
be  excellent ;  but  your  well-meaning  fool  is  the  greatest; 
curse  that  the  world  has  ever  suffered  from.  We  have 
had  them  sitting  upon  us  in  London  now  for  six  years, 
and  I  for  one  should  be  glad  of  a  change. 

Whenever  a  society  arises  for  the  promulgation  of  a 
new  fad,  it  always  appears  from  its  prospectus  that  it 
is  supported  by  all  the  wit  and  wisdom  of  the  world.  I  am 
informed  by  my  Socialistic  friends  that  Shakspere, 
I»rnte,  Milton,  Julius  Caesar,  and  Geofge  Washington 
were  all  ardent  Socialists,  and  I  am  asked  to  accept 
Socialism  on  the  strength  of  this  simple  and  incontro- 
vertible fact.  The  Land  Nationalisation  Society  toll  us 
that  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer  is  in  favour  of  the  most  ad- 
vanced of  their  theories.  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer  says  he  is 
not  in  agreement  with  them  at  any  one  point ;  but,  after 
oil,  that  is  only  word  agamst  word.  Now  I  begin  to 
understand  how  the  thing  is  dene.  Some  years  ago  I 
wrolfc  what,  at  the  time,  I  hoped  was  a  light-hearted 
and  amusing  account  of  the  discomforts  of  Sunday  tra- 
velling, and  I.  dragged  in  my  conscience,  and  argued 
with  it  about  tho  matter.  I  intended  the  article  as  a 
pure  piece  of  nonsense  from  beginning  to  end.  I  thought 
in  my  innocence  that  anyone  reading  it  would,  unless  he 
happened  to  bo  a  natural  born  fool,  see  that  it  was  in- 
tended to  be  satirical.  Now  I  find  the  Lord's  Day  Rest 
Association  quoting  this  article  as  an  indignant,  pro- 
test on  my  part  against  the  sinfulness  of  Sunday  tra- 
velling. I  notice  also  that  the  Association  ranges  many 
other  names  upon  its  side.  I  hope,  for  the  credit  of 
S'  raightforward  dealing,  that  they  have  more  authority 
for  the  inclusion  of  the  other  names  than  they  have 
for  my  own. 

Allotments  arc  going  to  be  expensive.  I  believe  there 
is  no  spot  in  England  where  owners  of  land  would  not 
he  glad  to  let  allotments  at  a  pound  or  even  ten  shillings 
an  acre ;  but  tho  "  Friends  of  the  People,"  ignoring 
simple  facts,  have  always  talked  as  if  the  main  idea  of  a 
landlord  was  to  cover  over  his  land  with  a  cloth,  so  that 
nobody  could  touch  it.  They  have  clamoured  for  com- 
pulsory hiring  of  land,  and  they  have  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining elaborate  powers,  enabling  them  to  take  any 
land  they  may  wish,  fix  it  up  ready  for  letting  in  allot- 
ments, and  then  hand  it  over  tc  the  Parish  Councils — 


114 


TO-DAY. 


March  2.  1895. 


will]  the  bill.  And  here  is  an  example  of  how  the  ar- 
rangement works  out  in  practice.  The  Hampshire 
County  Council  fixes  its  eagle  eye  upon  a  certain  eight 
acres  of  ground  at  Stoneham,  gathers  round  it  all  the 
Acts  of  Parliament  that  it  can  find,  and  sets  to  work 
to  obtain  those  eight  acres.  That  there  are  hundreds 
»f, acres  lying  ready  to  their  hand  all  about  does  not 
distract  their  attention.  That  any  amount  of  land 
«ouId  be  hired  at  a  pound  an  acre  without  any  trouble 
whatever,  proves  no  attraction  for  them.  They  want 
those  particular  eight  acres,  and  they  mean  to  have 
them.  So  some  lucky  tenant  in  possession  is  promptly 
paid  sixty  pounds  as  compensation  for  being  "  disturbed  " 
and  goes  off  with  a  pretty  broad  grin,  one  expectsrSpon 
Lis  face. 

Then  the  Hampshire  County  Council  throw  them- 
|  selves  witH  ardour  upon  the  land.  They  have  it  surveyed 
and  re-surveyed,  measured  and  re-measured,  divided  and 
re-divided.  They  buy  some  twenty-two  pounds  worth 
of  galvanised  pegs,  and  stick  them  about  the  land— for 
what  purpose,  except  to  trip  up  the  future  tenants  and 
ereate  unpleasantness,  Heaven  and  themselves  alone 
know.  When  all  is  ready,  and  the  County  Council  can 
think  of  nothing  further  to  do  to  the  land  to  make  it 
pretty  (one  wonders  they  did  not  build  a  few  oyster- 
shell  grottoes  about  it),  they  hand  it  over  to  the  Parish 
Council  with  the  bill— a  hundred  and  fifty-seven  pounds 
and  eightpence.  The  Stoneham  Parish  Council  were  not 
unnaturally  indignant.  They  never  asked  the  County 
Council  to  get  the  land  for  them.  They  never  knew  it 
was  being  got.  The  Parish  Council  said  that  the  whole 
thing  was  monstrous,  and  asserted  that  they  could  have 
bought  the  land,  out-and-out,  for  less  money.  Their 
clerk  pointed  out  that  it  was  not  a  case  for  indignation, 
but  for  prompt  payment.  The  law  permits  the  County 
Council  to  make  these  experiments,  and  then  to  ask  the 
Parish  Council  to  pay  for  them.  It  is  evident  that 
between  the  County  Council,  the  Parish  Council,  and  the 
Compulsory  Allotments  Acts,  we  are  going  to  have  fun  ; 
and  the  moral  of  it  all  would  seem  to  be,  "  Be  a  sur- 
veyor ;  or,  if  ycu  cannot  be  that,  be  a  dealer  in  gal- 
vanised pegs." 

There  was  a  German  savant  once  who  invented  a 
deadly  poison  for  the  killing  of  blackbeetles,  and 
patented  it.  You  laid  in  wait  for  your  beetle,  and 
©aught  him  ;  then  by  a  quick  movement  of  the  thumb 
and  forefinger  you  compelled  him  to  open  his  mouth, 
put  two  or  three  grains  of  the  poison  down  his  throat, 
and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  he  was  a  corpse.  A  man 
to  whom  the  savant  explained  his  plan  did  not  seem  to 
think  highly  of  it.  "  I  kill  them  easier  than  that,"  said 
this  commonplace  individual,  "I  tread  on  them." 
"Yes,"  answered  the  savant  musingly,  "and  that  is  a 
good  way,  too."  I  am  reminded  of  this  little  story  by 
the  receipt  of  No.  1,  Vol.  I.,  of  "  The  Speler,"  which  is 
goiny  to  revolutionise  the  art  of  spelling,  and  to  make 
it  such  a  delightfully  simple  study  that  children,  when 
they  are  tired  of  playing  with  their  toys,  will  clamour 
for  someone  to  come  and  give  them  half-an-hour's  lesson 
in  spelling. 

"Tin:  SPELER,"  according  to  editorial  announcement, 
is  to  be  "  Devoated  (1)  tu  the  Wurship  and  Luv  ov  the 
Lord  God  and  Saivier  Jesus  Christ,  az  The  Aulmeiti." 


(I  suppose  it  is  mere  question  of  habit,  but  c  the  un 
accustomed  eye  there  appears  something  quite  blas- 
phemous about  this  last  word.)  "(2)  The  Kultiur  ov 
the  Relijtis  Leif,  and  thairbei  the  Ekstenshon  ov  the 
Kingdom  ov  God,  or  the  Church,  konsisting  ov  aul  hu 
wurship  the  Lord  and  keep  Hiz  Komandments  :  (3)  The, 
Investigashon  ov  Spiritiual  Tru'th ;  (4)  Speling  Reform ; 
(5)  Short  hand ;  (6)  Pees  on  Er'th." 

I  like  high  ideals,  but  I  cannot  quite  see  the  neces- 
sity of  mixing  up  "  pees  on  earth  "  and  shorthand  with 
the  worship  and  love  of  the  "  Aulmeiti  * ;  and  I  feel 
that  I  could  lead  a  more  religious  life  on  the  old 
spelling.  The  Commandments  with  a  K  would,  I  feel, 
lose  all  their  restraining  influence  over  me.  By  the  time  I 
had  learnt  to  write  about  my  "luv  "  for  the  only  woman 
on  the  earth  I  cared  for,  the  faith  of  my  fathers  would 
have  been  shattered  within  me.  I  have  had  a  good  deal 
of  difficulty  with  my  spelling  as  it  is,  and  I  feel  no 
anxiety  to  start  the  business  over  again.  "The 
Speler's  "  programme  I  can  conceive  as  being  popular 
with  youngsters.  A  child  takes  a  natural  pleasure  in 
seeing  a  thing  done  in  the  exactly  opposite  way  to 
which  it  has  always  hitherto  been  done.  As  a  boy 
I  should  have  loved  to  spell  what,  "  wot " ;  in  fact 
that  is  the  way  in  which  I  generally  did  spell  it.  But  I 
was  always  before  my  time.  Grown-ups,  however,  will 
never  become  enthusiastic  over  the  idea  of  relearning 
all  their  spelling. 

Experts  might  perhaps  be  defined  as  people  who  draw 
totally  different  conclusions  from  the  same  knowledge,  or 
ignorance,  of  the  same  facts.  Rather  more  than  a  year 
ago  there  was  an  interesting  case  with  regard  to  a  table- 
top  made  of  opal  matrix.  The  materials  and  manufac- 
ture were  said  to  have  cost  £287.  It  was  sold  for  £200. 
One  dealer  valued  it  at  £150,  but  was  not  prepared  to 
deny  that  he  had  asked  £1,000  for  it.  And  another 
dealer  valued  it  at  £2,000.  In  the  recent  case  in  the 
Queen's  Bench  Division,  in  which  a  young  man's  pur- 
chases of  jewellery  were  considered,  there  has  been  some 
similarly  amusing  evidence.  It  was  said  that  a  brooch 
was  sold  by  one  dealer  for  £5,000.  Another  expert 
valued  it  at  £2,750,  and  a  third  at  £4,000.  Evidence 
oi  this  kind  cannot  be  good  for  the  trade.  It  must  make 
purchasers  of  gems  hesitate  before  they  acquire  property 
the  value  of  which  is  a  matter  of  so  many  different 
opinions. 

There  are  other  dangers  as  well  for  the  purchaser  of 
gems.  A  very  short  time  ago  a  dealer  purchased  for 
rather  more  than  £100  a  supposed  ruby  ;  it  turned  out 
to  be  a  doublet  (glass  faced  with  garnet  ),  and  may  possibly 
have  been  worth  a  couple  of  shillings,  supposing  that 
you  could  have  found  anyone  who  wanted  to  buy  such 
rubbish.  Even  experts  have  been  deceived  by  the 
remarkable  external  resemblance  between  the  white 
Sapphire  and  the  diamond,  though,  of  course,  there  is  a 
difference  both  in  hardness  and  specific  gravity.  Stones 
set  solid  sometimes  have  their  colour  improved  by  foil 
hidden  at  the  back.  The  only  precious  stone  that  cannot 
be  imitated — the  opal — happens  to  be  one  that  many 
superstitious  people  refuse  to  wear  ;  tiiough  it  is  said  that 
Royal  patronage  is  now  bringing  it  back  into  favour. 
With  so  many  risks   the  love  of  precious  gems  still 


March  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


115 


continues.  What  are  the  attractions  that  make  the 
risks  seem  to  a  collector  of  comparatively  little  im- 
portance ? 

The  desire  for  something  curious  and  distinctive  may 
not  be  rational,  but  it  is  strong.  It  accounts  for  the 
collector.  One  of  the  stones  mentioned  the  other  day 
in  court  was  the  Hope  blue  diamond,  and  the  price  of  it 
was  given  as  £32,000.  The  Hope  blue  diamond  was 
described  in  Mr.  Emanuel's  work  on  precious  stones  a3 
"  the  most  beautiful  and  important  blue  diamond  in 
existence" — that  is  to  say,  since  the  disappearance  of 
the  French  blue  diamond.  This  latter  was  among  the 
French  crown  jewels,  and  was  estimated  in  the  inventory 
at  three  million  francs.  It  disappeared  at  the  time  of 
the  famous  robbery  of  those  jewels  in  1792,  and  nothing 
has  been  heard  of  it  since.  Many  men  may  possess 
£32,000  in  money,  but  only  one  can  possess  the  finest 
blue  diamond  in  the  world.  It  is  this  uniqueness— dis- 
tinction— which  appeals  to  a  collector.  But  what  is  it 
that  makes  an  average  woman  (who  is  not  a  collector, 
has  no  practical  knowledge  of  gems,  and  is  at  the  mercy 
of  the  honesty  or  dishonesty  of  the  dealer)  so  fond  of 
acquiring  precious  stones? 

It  is,  I  should  say,  less  from  personal  vanity  than 
from  a  general  tendency.  La  luxe  est  un  des  signes 
ie  la  civilisation.  One  pays  so  much  for  precious 
stones  because  it  is  quite  unnecessary  to  buy  them  at  all 
— because  the  purchase  of  them  is  a  luxury.  If  dia- 
monds equal  to  the  Hope  blue  diamond  were  to  be  had 
in  any  quantity  at  half-a-crown  a  dozen  they  would  not 
only  lose  the  attraction  of  rarity — they  would  also  lose 
the  attraction  of  expensiveness.  And,  again,  precious 
stones  have  always  had  their  romance.  Numberless  are 
the  legends  connected  with  them,  strange,  indeed,  the 
beliefs  which  have  been  held  as  to  their  mysterious 
powers.  Commerce  has  had  no  power  to  spoil  their 
poetry ;  crime — and  there  has  been  a  good  deal  of  crime 
in  connection  with  jewels — has  only  added  to  their  ro- 
mantic interest.  From  the  diamond  tiara  down  to  the 
ring  ("real  stones")  at  two  pounds  ten  the  fatal  at- 
traction ranges  and  finds  its  victim— though  the  victim 
may  not  know  if  the  thing  he  buys  is  the  thing  he  thinks 
he  is  buying,  or  the  price  he  pays  is  at  all  in  proportion 
to  the  value. 


ANSWERS  TO  ENQUIRERS. 
A.  H.  S.  —The  whole  community  would  be  benefited  by  Pro- 
tection, in  this  way :  That  where  we  now  have  unemployed 
men  who  have  to  be  supported  out  of  the  poor-rate,  we  should 
have  employed  men  spending  money  among  the  whole  com- 
munity. That  where  we  now  have  men  earning  a  precarious 
twelve  or  thirteen  shillings  a  week  we  should  have  men  earning 
thirty  shillings  a  week.  That  millions  of  pounds  which  now  go 
into  the  hands  of  foreigners  would  remain  in  this  country, 
circulating  up  and  down  and  watering  the  soil  of  trade 
and  commerce  in  every  direction.  Take  the  one  example  of 
wheat.  With  Protection,  instead  of  Free  Trade,  we  should  be 
paying,  say,  fifty  per  cent,  more  for  our  bread,  or  sevenpence 
halfpenny  instead  of  fivepence  for  the  quartern-loaf,  and  what 
would  be  the  result  ?  Thousands  of  acres  of  land  now  lying  idle 
would  be  rich  with  grain.  Thousands  upon  thousands  of  workers 
now  starving  in  the  slums  of  our  overcrowded  cities  would  be 
finding  employment  in  every  field  throughout  the  country.  Our 
poorhouses  would  be  empty,  and  our  workers  with  money  in 
their  pockets  to  spend.  You  must  remember  that  England  is 
the  only  Free  Trade  country.  Do  you  stamp  America,  and  our 
Colonies,  Germany,  France,  etc.,  as  nations  of  fools  who  do  not 
understand  their  own  business  ?  Do  not  always  jump  to  the 
conclusion  when  a  man  introduces  new  arguments  that  he 
has  of  necessity  never  thought  of  the  subject  before.  If  it  is  of 
any  consolation  for  you  to  know  it,  I  can  assure  you  that  I  have 
been  thinking  about  Free  Trade  with  all  my  head  for  the  last 
ten  years  and  more. 


E.  W.  B.  and  many  other  correspondents  draw  my  atten- 
tion to  the  action  of  a  professional  temperance  advocate,  who 
gave  his  daughter,  aged  seventeen,  in  charge  for  being  drunk  on 
his  own  doorstep.  There  is  nothing  to  be  surprised  about  at 
such  action  on  the  part  of  such  a  man.  These  hard  and  narrow 
beings  have  none  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness  within  them. 
Caged  in  their  own  self-righteousness,  they  have  neither  sym- 
pathies to  be  stirred  nor  feelings  to  be  pained. 

B.  O.  J.  (Cambridge).— -I  should  say  it  was  very  rare,  indeed, 
that  any  author  could  utilize  a  plot  supplied  him  by  another. 
As  a  rule  a  man  who  can  write  at  all  can  think  out  his  own 
plots,  and  only  the  plots  that  come  to  him  are  of  any  use  t® 
him.    Glad  we  are  in  agreement  on  many  matters. 

H.  D. — The  only  really  sensible  way  to  deal  with  the  habitual 
drunkard  would  be  to  quietly  poison  him  off,  but  society  is  not 
sufficiently  advanced  for  that.  If  you  are  going  to  punish  the 
people  responsible  for  him  you  would  have  to  start  with  his 
parents  and  also  his  grandfathers.  Am  glad  the  Newcastle 
Literary  and  Philosophical  Institute  had  sufficient  good  sense 
to  retain  the  Review.  As  you  say,  the  Christianity  that  fears 
i  criticism  must  be  a  poor  thing. 

1  W.  D.  (Birkenhead).  —I  fear  when  you  know  my  views  you 
will  be  equally  indignant  with  me.  I  quite  agree  with  your 
Dr.  Marsden  that  it  would  be  kind  and  charitable  that  deformed 
creatures  should  be  strangled  at  birth.  Certainly  if  a  child  of 
mine  were  born  deformed  I  should  take  the  responsibility  of 

.  quietly  putting  it  out  of  its  misery,  law  or  no  law.  As  Dr. 
Marsden  says,  such  poor  creatures  are  useless  to  God  and 
man.  1  have  seen  such,  and  noticed  their  hourly  agony  through, 
life.  To  my  thinking,  to  wish  to  preserve  them  is  monstrous  and 
refined  cruelty. 

H.  P.  B.  calls  my  attention  to  some  of  the  Echo  arguments  hi 
favour  of  allowing  to  the  County  Council  the  same  extensive 
control  of  public  funds  as  was  enjoyed  by  the  late  Tammany 
Hall.    The  Echo's  logic  is  delightful.    My  contemporary  says 

|  that  Lord  George  Hamilton  has  no  right  to  accuse  the 
County  Council  of  extravagance.  Why  ?  Because  he  once 
received  £4,000  a  year  from  a  Conservative  Government  for  his 

■  services.  The  Echo  goes  on  to  say  that  Sir  Blundell  Maple  ought 
not  to  accuse  the  County  Council  of  extravagance.  Why  ?  Be- 
cause Sir  Blundell  Maple  once  gave  £17,500  for  a  racehorse. 
The  Echo  thirdly  says  Lord  Dudley  has  no  right  to  accuse  the 
County  Council  of  extravagance.  Why  ?  Because  Lord  Dudley  's 
father  sold  coal.  It  is  delightful  reasoning.  The  Echo  does  not 
seem  to  see  any  difference  between  spending  your  own  money 
and  spending  other  people's.  This  is  the  mistake  its  Tam- 
many Hall  friends  have  more  than  once  committed. 

i  E.  Y.  E.  S.  writes  me  from  Sierra  Leona  with  a  thrilling 
account  of  a  snake  fight.  Two  very  large  snakes  of  the  constrictor 

.  kind  were  engaged  in  a  deadly  struggle,  for  about  a  couple  of 
hours  in  the  afternoon,  a  few  feet  off  the  highway  ;  whilst 
a  third  huge  reptile  co'led  itself  on  a  boulder  hard  by,  calm  I  v 
watching  the  fight.  As  each  of  them  was  over  twelve  feet  ii! 
length,  and  as  thick  as  the  thigh  of  an  ordinary  man,  it  can 
well  be  understood  what  a  fearful  appearance  the  fight  presented 
to  the  lookers-on.  The  cane  bramble  for  a  considerable  distance 
was  trodden  down,  and  the  struggle  waxed  more  furious  every 
minute.  Some  ladies,  watching  the  fight,  regarded  it  to  be  a 
battle  between  two  male  aspirants  for  the  favours  of  the  frail 

j  and  subtle  female  coyly  reposing  on  the  stone.  An  officer,  how 
ever,  appeared  on  the  scene,  and  shot  at  the  combatants.  The 
monsters  hastily  unwound  themselves  from  each  other,  and  made 
for  the  bush,  unscathed  ;  followed  by  tl  e  third.  The  lookers-on 
slowly  dispersed,  blaming  the  officer  very  much  for  interfering  in 

;  the  sport,  which  they  thought  he  ought  not  to  have  done  unless  he 
was  sure  that  he  was  a  good  marksman.    It  is  believed  that 

I  had  the  affair  been  allowed  to  continue,  it  would  have  resulted 
in  one  snake  killing  the  other,  and  then  walking  off  with  the 

'female  gazer  on  the  stone.  The  superstitious  believe  that  the 
officer  has  called  down  bad  luck  on  himself  by  his  interference  ; 
for  that  gallant  marksman's  sake  let  us  trust  not. 

Zaob. — Your  sketch  is  good  for  an  amateur,  but  no  one  coul<l» 
with  any  degree  of  certainty,  say  whether  yon  would  go  much 
further  or  not.  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  on  being  shown  an  early 
sketch  of  his  own,  which  he  had  forgotten,  and  which  his  frieiu:" 
said  was  done  by  a  promising  young  artist,  remarked  that  he 
could  express  no  opinion  as  to  whether  the  young  man  would 
ever  be  any  good  or  not.  Work  at  drawing,  if  you  like  it,  and 
as  you  go  on  you  will  discover  whether  you  have  much  to 
express,  and  if  you  can  express  it  well. 

F.  B.  writes  : — "I  am  a  farmer  and  manufacturer,  and  for  & 
long  time  have  looked  at  this  question  of  free  trade  from  both 
sides,  and  although  I  take  a  Liberal  daily  paper,  which  always 
denounces  free  trade,  I  have  been  unable  to  find  out  the  great 
benefit  to  England  derived  from  such  policy.  When  we  take 
poultry,  or  butter,  or  eggs  to  the  town  to  be  sold  we  have  to  pay 
a  tax  upon  the  poultry,  and  upon  each  basket  of  butter  or  eggs, 
in  order  that  the  town  authorities  may  meet  their  expenses, 
and  I  do  not  see  why  the  foreigner  should  not  pay  a  similar  tax 
towards  the  institutions  we  have  to  keep  up,  and  which  we  hava 
to  pay  for  him." 

{Several  Answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  weet  f 


116 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1893. 


The  List  is  now  open  and  will  close  To-morrow  for  both  Town  and  Country. 

The  'AUSTRALIA.'  Limited. 


CAPITAL 


£120,000, 


Divided  into  120,000  Shares  of  £1  each;  payable  2s.  6d.  per  Share  on 
Application,  7s.  6d.  on  Allotment,  and  the  balance  in  Calls  of  5s. 
each,  at  intervals  of  not  less  than  one  month. 

33,000  of  the  above  Shares  are  reserved  for  the  Vendors  in  part  .'payment  of  the  purchase 
price;  20,000  have  already  been  privately  Subscribed  for;  the  oalanc3  is  now  offered 
for  public  subscription. 


DIRECTORS  &C. 

Sir  GEORGE  SHENTON,  President  of  the  Legist 

lative  Council,  and  Chairman  of  the  Western  |  Ex-officio,  as  Advisory 

Australian  Bank,  Perth,  Western  Australia.  |  Board  of  Associated 
Hon.  H.  W,  VENN,  Member  of  the  Legislative  y      Gold  Mines  of 

Assembly,  Commissioner  of  Railways,  and  I    Wes  ern  Australia, 

Director  of  Public  Works,  Perth,  Western  |  Limited. 

Australia.  ) 
JAMES  JUDD,  Esq.,  J.P.,  (Chairman  Associated^ 

Gold  Mines  of  vVestern  Australia,  Limited), 

Chairman. 

C.  E.  LACE  Y,  Esq.,  35,  Lower  Belgrave  Street, 

London,  S.  W. 
R.  B.  TETLEY,  Esq.  (late  of  Adelaide),  Bagshot, 

Surrey. 

Major  GEORGE  DE  WINTON,  Upper  Tooting, 

London,  S.  W. 
WILLIAM    MOEFLIN,    Esq.,   J.P.,    Ade  aide'. 

(Director  of  the  Coolgardie  Gold  Mining  and) 

Prospecting  Co.  of  West  Australia).  { 
GEORGE  P.  DOULETTE,  Esq.,  J.P..  Adelaide  f 

(Director  of  the  Coolgardie  Gold  Mining  and  J 

Prospecting  Co.  of  West  Australia).  / 
BANKERS. 

THE  CAPITAL  AND  COUNTIES  BANK  (LIMITED)  39,  Threadneedle 

Sheet,  London,  E.C.,  and  its  Branches. 
ailE  BANK  OF  ADELAIDE,  South  Australia,  and  its  Branches. 
THE  WESTERN  AUSTRALIAN,  BANK,  Perth,  Western  Australia,  and 

its  Branches. 

SOLICITORS. 

Messrs.  DAVIDSON  and  MORKISS,  40-42,  Queen  Victoria  Street,  E.C. 
Messrs.  PARKER  and  PARKER,  Perth,  Western  Australia. 
Messrs.  GURDuN,  NESB1T  and  BRIGHT,  Adelaide. 

CONSULTING  ENGINEER. 
ZLBINA  LANE,  Esq.,  M.A.I.M.E.,  Coolgardie,  Western  Australia. 

BROKERS. 

Messrs.   J.   GIBBS,   SON  and  Co.,  31,  Threadneedle  Street,  and  Stock 
Exchange,  London,  E.C. 

SECRETARY    AND    OFFFTCES  (pro.  tem.). 
E.  FEWINGS,  Jiroad  Street,  Avenue,  London,  E.C. 


London  Directors. 


Local  Board  of 
Management. 


PROSPECTUS. 

This  Cumpany  has  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  the 
'  Australia"  gold  mine,  being  lease  No.  147  (the  application  for  which 
has  bsen  officially  approved)  in  the  Coolgardie  District  of  Western  Australia, 
and  one  of  the  principal  properties  belonging  to  the  Associated  Gold  Mines 
of  Western  Australia  (Limited);  together  with  a  part  interest  in  certain 
important  water  rights  to  which  that  Company  is  entitled. 

The  "  Australia  "  is  one  of  an  extensive  and  carefully  se'ected  group 
of  mines  originally  acquired  by  the  Coolgardie  Gold  Mining  and  Pre  spotting 
Company  of  Western  Australia,  one  of  the  earliest  and  principal  pioneers 
of  Western  Australian  mining.  From  the  outset  the  property  has  been 
I'jgarded  as  one  of  exceptional  value,  and  the  developments  which  have 
now  taken  place  would  appear  to  justify  the  belief  that  it  will  prove  to  be 
cue  of  the  principal  gold  producers  of  the  Coolgardie  field. 

Mr.  W.  J.  Sanfoid,  M.E.  (the  Manager  of  the  Lake  View  Mine),  in 
reporting  upon  the  "Australia"  says: — "It  has  carried  splendid  gold 
throughout,  and  as  somewhat  of  an  exception  to  the  general  rule,  is 
certainly  getting  richer  as  it  obtains  in  depth.  In  the  present  face,  gold 
is  showing  in  large  quantities  throughout  the  whole  width  of  the  lode, 
five  feet,  and  is,  in  fact,  the  best  I  have  yet  seen  in  this  line  of  country. 
The  gold  is  fine  and  '  free,'  and  the  ore  can  be  easily  treated  by  ordinary 
crushing  appliances,  as  sulphurets  are  not  likely  to  be  met  with  until 
considerable  depth  is  attained.  Three  other  parallel  lodes  exist  on  the 
property,  hut  have  not  been  sufficiently  developed  to  as  yet  ascertain  values. 
Irrespective  of  these,  the  lode  now  under  exploration  has  been  practically 
developed,  laterally,  the  entire  length  of  the  property,  and  has  proved  highly 
auriferous  throughout,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  I  consider 
the  success  of  this  mine  is  beyond  doubt  established." 

On  September  28th,  1894,  the  Directors  of  the  Coolgardie  Mining  and 
Prospecting  Company  telegraphed  to  their  London  representative  as 
follows : — "  Captain  Craze  reports  by  telegraph  'Australia  three  parallel 
lcdes  carrying  gold.'  " 

On  December  22nd,  1894,  the  following  telegram  was  similarly  received:  — 
"  Harvey  Patterson  lias  returned  from  Mines.  Reports  the  ore  as  richer 
than  ever;    believes  'Australia'  richest." 

On  December  28th,  1894,  a  further  telegram  was  received  as  follows:  — 
"  Recommend  '  Australia.'  Ore  in  shaft  is  improving  as  it  goes  down. 
The  ere  is  very  rich.    The  mine  lias  a  most  favourable  aspect." 

On  January  2fith,  1895,  the  following  telegram  was  received: — "New 
developments  and  crushings  very  much  enhance  value." 

Repotting  generally  upon  the  properties  of  the  Coolgardie  Gold  Mining 
snd  Prospecting  Company  of  Western  Australia,  Mr.  Z.  Lane  (late  Manager 
of  the  Broken  Hill  Proprietary  Block  14  Company)  says: — "The  mineral 
belt  in  which  your  property  is  situated  is  a  very  extensive  one,  and  has 
returned  a  large  amount  of  gold.  ...  I  feel  that  you  have  a  property 
which  promises,  with  careful  and  judicious  management,  to  give  substantial 
profits  to  the  Shareholders." 

Mr.  Begelhole  (late  Manager  of  Bayley's  Reward  Claim)  also  reporting 
generally,  says: — "  I  am  of  opinion  ypn  possess  a  very  valuablo  property. 
.  .  .  By  doing  a  little  more  work  you  will  probably  obtain  some  startling 
results."  .  .  .  You  have  also  the  great  advantage  of  a  plentiful  supply  of 
v  it  r.  Under  judicious  management  I  confidently  predict  a  great  future 
for  your  properly." 

As  illustrating  the  extraordinary  rich  character  of  the  "  Australia  "  ore, 
the  Directors,  whilst  not  wishing  to  attacli  undue  importance  to  assays 
made  in  the  course  of  preliminary  development,  feel  justified  in  directing 


attention  to  the  results  obtained  from  analyses  by  the  most  eminent  English 
assayers,  of  samples  taken  indiscriminately  from  a  box  forwarded  by  the 
local  Manager  of  the  Mine,  accompanied  by  a  sworn  and  notarially  attested 
declaration  that  they  were  "  a  fair  average  sample  of  the  quality  and 
kind  obtainable  there."  The  Directors  would  also  point  out  that,  unlike 
certain  specimens  recently  exhibited  in  London,  the  gold  in  this  ore  is 
practically  invisible,  and  they  are  advised  that  it  is  impossible  to  distinguish 
qualities  without  special  analysis. 

In  November  last,  samples  from  this  Mine  were  forwarded  to  Messrs. 
Johnson  and  Sons  and  Messrs.  Johnson,  Matthey  and  Co.,  Assayers  to  the 
Bank  of  England  and  Her  Majesty's  Mint.  The  results,  as  duly  certified 
by  these  firms  were  as  follows: — The  samples  submitted  to  Messrs.  Johnson 
and  Matthey  averaged  81  oz.  15  dwts.  per  ton,  and  those  submitted  to 
Messrs.  Johnson  and  Sons,  232  oz.  15  dwts.  per  ton,  whilst  certain  samples 
from  the  adjoining  property — the  "  Australian  North  " — were  certified  by 
Messrs.  Johnson  and  Matthey  to  yield  no  less  than  411  oz.  5  dwts.  per 
ton. 

During  the  month  of  January  the  whole  of  the  remaining  samples  at 
present  in  London  were  handed  to  Messrs.  Johnson  and  Sons  for  analysis, 
and  they  certify  that  the  yield  was  372  ounces  per  ton. 

It  would  appear  to  be  established  that  an  average  yield  of  half  an  ounce 
to  the  ton  is  sufficient  to  give  a  profit,  upon  the  class  of  ore  found  in  Western 
Australia,  regular  dividends  in  fact  now  being  paid  upon  crushings  of 
even  less  than  this  yield.  Apart  therefore  from  the  evidence  of  richness 
afforded  by  the  above  assays,  the  following  extract  from  a  Report  just  to 
hand  from  the  Chairman  of  the  Coolgardie  Gold  Mining  and  Prospecting 
Company  of  Western  Australia,  is  of  great  importance: — "  The  stone  from 
appearance  should  return  at  least  six  ounces  to  the  ton.  At  the  time  ot 
my  visit  some  splendid  stone  was  being  raised,  and  the  reef  had  widened  to 
the  full  width  of  the  shaft." 

Several  hundred  tons  of  ore  are  now  ready  for  crushing,  and  the 
pioceeds  will  belong  to  this  Company. 

The  Report  continues: — "The  Australian  group  is  working  into  fine  blue 
stone.  .  .  .  Mr.  Smith,  of  the  '  Mining  Standard,'  vas  with  me. 
He  had  heard  of  the  rumours  about  the  properties,  and  was  amazed 
at;  the  stone  we  got  from  the  Australian  reef.  One  piece  we  broke  open 
had  a  cavity  containing  half  an  ounce  of  gold." 

That  the  above  estimate  is  probably  correct  may  be  gathered  from  the 
fact  that  the  adjoining  property  of  the  "  Lake  View  and  Boulder  East," 
consisting,  it  is  reported,  of  a  direct  continuation  of  the  "  Australia  "  reef, 
and  discovered  by  means  of  it,  is  now  crushing  nearly  five  ounces  to  the 
ton.  This  property  is  owned  by  a  local  company,  and  was  part  of  the  same 
group  to  which  the  "  Australia  "  and  the  other  mines  of  the  Associated 
Gold  Mines  of  Western  Australia  belong. 

The  following  is  extracted  from  the  "  Australian  Mail  "  of  February  21st :  — 
"  Very  rich  stone  has  been  struck  in  the  Australia  Mine." 

The  Company  will  also  become  entitled  to  an  interest  in  the  important 
water  rights  in  favour  of  the  Coolgardie  Gold  Mining  and  Prospecting 
Company,  in  respect  of  certain  lakes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Company's 
property,  the  supply  from  which,  in  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Lane,  is  "  practically 
inexhaustible." 

It  may  be  pointed  out  that  several  Companies  much  less  favourably 
situated  than  this  are  deriving  large  profits  from  the  6ale  of  water 
alone. 

As  indicating  the  great  value  of  these  water  rights,  the  following  extract 
ftom  the  "Australian  Mail"  of  February  21st  is  of  interest: — "Mr.  Z. 
Lane,  the  Consulting  Engineer  of  the  Company,  is  at  present  in  Adelaide 
purchasing  an  immense  pumping  plant  to  supply  water  from  Hannan's 
Lake,  and  it  is  confidently  calculated  that  water  can  be  delivered  at  the 
Mine  in  tens  of  thousands  of  gallons,  there  being  a  practically  inexhaustible 
supply." 

The  work  of  development  is  rapidly  proceeding,  and  is  now  being  carried 
out  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Mr.  Lane,  who  will  also  become 
Consulting  Engineer  to  the  present  Company. 

The  whole  of  the  above  Reports  and  Cables  have  been  supplied  to  or 
upon  the  instructions  of  cither  the  Coolgardie  Gold  Mining  and  Prospecting 
Company  of  Western  Australia,  Limited,  or  the  Vendors  to  the  present 
Company. 

The  Proprietary  Gold  Mines  Syndicate,  who  ate  the  Vendors  to  and 
Promoters  of  the  Company,  have  fixed  the  price  ty  be  paid  for  the  property, 
including  the  said  water  interests,  at  £100,000,  payable  as  to  £33,000  in 
shares  of  the  Company,  and  as  to  the  balance  in  shares  or  cash,  at  the 
option  of  the  Directors.  This  will  leave  £20,000  reserved  for  working 
apital,  of  which  a  sufficient  portion  to  secure  allotment  lias  already  been 
subscribed. 

The  following  contracts  have  been  enterei  into: — Two  dated  the  22ml 
day  of  February.  1893  the  nn-  made  between  the  Associated  Gobi  Mines  of 
Western  Australia  (Limited)  of  the  one  part,  and  the  Proprietary  Gold  Mines 

Syndicate  by  Frank  Warner  Allen,  their  duly  authorised  Agent,  of  the  other 
part,  being  a  Contract  for  the  purchase  of  the  said  Mine  and  water  rieht 
interest;  and  the  other  made  between  the  Proprietary  Cold  Mines 
Syndicate  bv  Frank  Warner  Allen,  their  duly  authorised  Agent,  ot  the  one 
part,  and  Edwin  Fewiugs,  as  Trustee  or  Agent  for  and  on  behalf  of  this 
Cotrpar.y,  of  the  other  part,  being  for  the  resale,  at  a  profit,  to  this 
Compr.ny. 

Applications  for  shares  should  be  made  on  the  form  aeeompanyir.-  the 
Prospectus,  and  forwarded  to  the  Company's  Bankers,  together  witli  a 
remittance  for  the  amo'int,  payable  on  application.  The  allotment  will 
be  made  as  early  as  possible  nfter  the  subscription  is  closed,  ami  in  cases 
where  no  allotment  is  made,  the  amount  deposited  on  application  will  be 
returned  at  once  without  deduction.  The  Directors  reserve  the  rigtit  to 
refuse  to  allot  to  any  anplicant  for  shares,  and  if  the  number  of  shires 
allotted  be  loss  than  that  applied  for,  the  surplus  will  be  credited  in 
reduction  of  the  payment  on  allotment  so  far  as  necessary,  and  any  balance 
will  be  teturned. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  may  be  obtained  from  the  Banker* 
and  Brokers,  and  at  the  Offices  of  the  Company. 
22nd  February,  1  "95. 


March  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


117 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  dear  Dick, — Influenza  has  been  playing  havoc 
in  the  theatres  and  out  of  them.  The  most  curious  case  was 
that  at  the  Criterion, where  Rebellious  Susan  had  to  be 
taken  off  because  the  epidemic  had  run  not  only  through 
the  principal  characters  in  the  cast,  but  also  through 
the  understudies  two  deep.    As  everything  pointed  to 
Miss  Fanny  Coleman  being  left  like  the  boy  standing 
■alone  on  the  burning  deck  in  the  course  of  another  few 
«days,  Wyndham  was  certainly  well-advised  in  promptly 
shutting   his   theatre   rather   than   keeping  it  open 
with    a    lot    of    unknown   people,    and    to   a  cer- 
tain    extent    taking    public     money    under  false 
pretences.    It  is  infinitely  to  be  hoped  that  most  of  his 
brother  managers,  even  if  they  be  not  driven  to  such 
■dire  straits,  will  be  equally  candid.    If  a  man  books  his 
seat  on  the  faith  of  a  managerial  statement  concerning 
the  stars  in  a  cast,  it  should  be  distinctly  understood 
that  if  all  those  stars  do  not  appear,  he  has  a  right  to 
have  his  money  back.    As  a  general  rule  at  the  present 
day,  you  don't  learn  much  about  changes  in  the  cast 
.until  a  small  piece  of  paper  flutters  out  of  your  pro- 
gramme, and  falls  beneath  your  feet  when  you  take 
jour  seat  in  the  theatre.    You  make  a  dive  to  get  it ; 
it  eludes  you ;  you  make  another  effort ;  then  if  you 
are  persevering  and  not  apoplectic  the  probability  is 
that     you     will    pick    up    a    smudgy    little  fly- 
leaf   bearing    the     fateful    information    that  Miss 
Tottie  Smith  has  kindly  undertaken  to  play  the  leading 
part  at  a  few  hours'  notice,  and  that  in  the  absence  of 
Mr.  Barndoor  Boring,   the  unique  character  of  the 
villain  will  be  for  that  night  only  interpreted  by  the 
prompter.    If  you  have  a  sense  of  humour  you  will 
have  your  money's  worth ;  but  if  you  are  an  earnest 
and  somewhat  peevish  person,  you  will  have  a  row  with 
the  acting  manager,  but  you  won't  get  your  money  back. 
As  a  rule  the  bis:  managements  do  not  condescend  to 
these  discreditable  little  dodges,  but  there  are  theatres 
I  could  mention,  where  a   galaxy  of  radiant  stars 
is    occasionally    represented    by    very    little  more 
than    the    coruscations    of    a    scintillating  chorus. 
The  influenza,  my  dear  Dick,  is  the  understudy's  friend. 
It  has  given  no  end  of  people  chances  of  damning  them- 
selves before  their  time,  in  the  course  of  the  last  ten 
days.    But,  apart  from  understudies,  the  influenza  is  a 
curse,  and  it  will  do  incalculable  harm  to  all  show  busi- 
ness for  the  next  month  or  two.     One  may  as  well 
recognise  the  fact  at  once ;  there  is  no  good  talking 
about  it  as  a  passing  epidemic.     When  the  influenza 
c omes  the  theatrical  audience  goes,  and,  looking  back  on 
what  happened  in  1890-91,  the  latter  being  the  very 
worst  theatrical    year  to  which  the  memory  of  man 
runneth,  theatrical  managers  would  be  wise  to  curtail 
■every  possible  expense,  and  metaphorically  batten  down 
.  their  hatches,  and  stand  by  until  the  storm  is  past.  If,  as 
seems    probable,    a    bright    summer    is    before  us, 
the  influenza  will  be  forgotten  in  no  time.    If  not,  the 
man  with  the  cheap  production  will  live  the  longest. 
As  I  have  got  the  influenza  myself,  and  have  got  it 
very  badly,  I  am  not  going  to  trouble  you  with  a  very 
long  letter  this  week,  but  I  cannot  leave  without 
telling  you  how  much  we  all  regret  the  death  of  poor 
Pigott,  the  Licenser  of  Plays.    He  came  of  an  old 
West  -  country  family ;   he   was   a   staunch  Roman 
Catholic,  an  able  journalist,  a  thoroughly  honourable 
and  admirable  man.    To  my  thinking  he  was  always  a 
little  too  much  of  a  recluse  and  scholar.    To  fulfil  his 
office  with  complete  success,  certainly  a  Licenser  of 
Plays  to-day  ought  to  be  essentially  a  man  of  the 
world.    Pigott,  mainly  owing  to  the  presence  of  the 
complaint  to  which  he  finally  succumbed,  lived  a  good 
deal  in  retirement,  and  this  accounted  a  good  deal  for 
the  almost  unaccountable  little  prejudices  he  sometimes 


took  against  completely  harmless  expressions  He 
came  into  office  at  a  transition  period,  and,  singu- 
larly enough,  he  has  •  died  exactly  on  the  eve  of 
a  production  which  will  probably  create  more 
controversy  than  any  that  has  ever  preceded  i1.. 
There  was  but  one  question  concerning  Mr.  Pinero's 
new  play  at  the  Garrick.  All  of  us  who  knew  any- 
thing whatever  about  it  [asked  ourselves,  "  What  will 
Pigott  say  ?  "  And  while  we  certainly  hoped  he  would 
say  nothing,  we  dreaded  that  he  would  say  "No."  Who- 
ever the  new  Licenser  of  Plays  may  be  he  will  scarcely 
like  to  commence  his  career  by  vetoing  the  greatest, 
work  of  the  greatest  English  dramatist.  That  Pigott 
should  have  had  no  sympathy  with  the  "new  "  drama 
can  be  very  readily  understood.  For  a  man  of  his  faith, 
there  was  absolutely  but  one  sort  of  answer  to  all  the 
complicated  conundrums  that  incestuous  or  adulterous 
characters  ask  themselves  in  the  brief  intervals  when 
they  are  not  committing  suicide.  It  is  no  good  talking 
"  Hedda  Gabler  "  to  a  man  who  will  hurl  all  the  gospels 
at  your  head.  I  can  readily  understand  that  Pigott 
stood  aghast  at  the  notion  of  anyone  worrying  over  a 
conundrum  of  Ibsen's,  when  they  could  take  for  a  guide 
to  life  the  simple  law  of  God. 

Pigott,  like  everybody  else,  was  mortal,  and  conse- 
quently some  think  that  he  made  mistakes,  but  a 
better  or  sweeter-dispositioned  gentleman  never  lived  ; 
and  even  those  who  have  been  driven  to  have  rows  with 
him  never  for  a  single  instant  lost  for  him  their  respect, 
or  very  often  their  friendship. 

By  the  kindness  of  Mr.  George  Alexander  Miss 
Granville  has  left  the  St.  James's  Theatre  and  migrated 
to  the  Court,  where  she  will  appear  in  Mr.  Godfrey's 
new  piece  in  March.  Miss  Granville,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  a  General  in  tlie  Royal  Engineers,  was  with 
Mr.  Alexander  when  he  started  management  at  the 
Avenue. 

Mr.  H.  H.  Morell  asks  me  to  say  that  they  have  no 
intention  of  giving  performances  of  Mr.  Carton's  play 
before  they  leave  the  Haymarket.  "You  are  quite 
correct,"  he  says,  "  in  stating  that  the  scenery  is  being 
pushed  forward.  It  was  begun  last-December,  and  is 
now  in  quite  an  advanced  state.  Your  statement  that 
the  '  very  real  built  out  conservatory '  will  prove  a 
*  triumph  of  setting  '  is,  I  hope,  prophetic' 

Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 


PATRIOTISM  MISUNDERSTOOD. 
Madame  de  Coigne  was  a  violent  Republican,  and  on 
the  day  that  poor  King  Louis  XVI.  was  brought  back 
from  Varennes,  she  formed  one  of  the  crowd  that  waa 
gloating. over  his  discomfiture.  "Who  now,"  she  ex- 
claimed, in  her  delight,  "  would  dare  to  cry, '  Long  live  the 
King'?"  Unfortunately  for  her,  a  lad  near  her  over- 
heard the  last  part  of  her  speech.  He  instantly  de- 
nounced her;  she  was  hustled  and  menaced.  "But  I 
am  not  an  aristocrat !  I  have  always  been  the  Chevalier 
of  the  Democracy  ! "  "  Chevalier !  There  are  none  left 
in  France  !  To  the  lantern  !  "  Everyone  set  on  her,  her 
clothes  were  torn  from  her  back,  she  was  whipped  and 
nearly  torn  to  piece®,  before  she  was  rescued  by  the 
National  Guards.  Finding  herself  in  a  safe  place,  the 
poor  woman  began  to  cry.  "  How,  madame.  What  are 
you  crying  for?  Do  you  think  we  are  barbarians?^ 
'"  No,  messieurs;  I  am  net  crying  at  all,  I  assure  you. 
"All  the  worse.  You  must  convince  us  better  than 
that  "  "  Well,  then,  messieurs,  if  I  must  tell  the  truth, 
I  am  crying  with  all  my  heart,"  "What  for?  Do  you 
mean  to  say  you  are  afraid  of  us  ? "  "  Ah,  no  !  not  a,t 
oil !  not  at  all !  I  am  crying  with  gratitude  for  all  your 
goodness ! " 

None  need  die,  except  from  old  age  or  accident,  Radam's  Microbe  Killer 
destroys  all  disease  ft/rms  and  microbes  in  the  blood,  thus  cunng ^sump- 
tion, Cancer,  Brighfs  Disease,  and  all  other  ailments  Send  fjr  Pamphletu 
to  Radam's  Microbe  Killer  Co.,  Limited,  111,  Oxford  Street,  W. 


118 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


The  dress-suit  of  to-day  has  never  taken  my  fancy  to 
any  particular  extent.  It  necessitates  a  dead-level  ap- 
pearance. Youmay  wear  three  studs  or  you  may  wear 
one,  you  have  the  choice  of  a  butterfly  bow  or  one  with 
square  ends,  but  these  small  alterations  do  not  amount  to 
much.  The  result  is  that  all  you  get  at  ball  or  banquet 
is  a  sea  of  black  and  white.  The  latter  is  chilly  and  the 
former  entirely  outof  all  harmony  with  the  multi-coloured 
lights  and  decorations.  From  time  to  time  there  have 
been  endeavours  to  break  away  from  this.  Some  years 
ago  the  youth  of  Paris  decided  to  go  in  for  red  oows, 
and  for  a  period  they  flourished  ;  but  the  Faubourg  St. 
Germaine,  taking  its  cue  from  the  Elysee,  tabooed 
them,  and  the  colourless  triumphed; 


The  next  move  was  the  introduction  of  the  lounge 
evening-jacket.  This  met  with  a  storm  of  opposition, 
and  I  remember  one  journal,  now,  happily,  defunct, 
that  used  to  treat  with  venom  those  assemblies  at  which 
they  were  noticeable.  True  the  jacket  has  lived,  but 
nobody  knows  when  to  wear  it.  Still  another  variety 
was  the  smoking-jacket,  got  up  in  rich  colours  and 
frogged  in  the  military  style.  It  was  just  the  thing  to 
have  worn  at  a  pleasant  house-party,  but  still  the 
inevitable  swallow-tail  ousted  it.  During  the  last  two 
years  even  more  daring  incursions  into  this  conven- 
tionality have  been  attempted.  One  was  the  revival  of 
knee-breeches  —  always  favoured  by  the  Prince  of 
Wales — and  the  other  the  use  of  coloured  cloths  for 
the  coat. 

The  latter  essay  at  one  period  seemed  destined  to  win 
success,  but  it  tottered  and  then  collapsed,  and  we  seem 
to-day  as  far  off  as  ever  from  shaking  off  the  yoke  of 
the  ugliest  sign  of  respectability  the  world  has  pro- 
duced. I  am  speaking  from  memory,  and  am  open  to 
contradiction,  but  I  believe  that  the  evening  dress-suit 
of  the  present  day  is  the  first  on  record  that  has  at  the 
same  time  represented  the  badge  of  the  menial  and  the 
insignia  of  the  well-to-do.  You  go  into  a  little 
restaurant  at  twelve  o'clock.  You  are  waited  on  by. 
an  evening-suit,  dirty,  greasy,  and  frayed.  You  take  a 
liqueur  at  a  buffet  afterwards.  The  evening-suit  brings 
it  to  ycu,  a  little  less  dirty,  greasy,  and  frayed.  You 
go  to  your  club  and  the  evening-suit  still  looks  after 
you.  You  go  to  a  theatre  or  music-hall,  and  the 
evening-suit  asks  for  orders.  You  finally  go  to 
supper  in  the  West  End,  and  then  your  own  evening- 
suit  courts  comparison  with  the  faultless  linen  and 
white  tie  of  the  perfectly  dressed  waiter  It  is  the 
most  Gilbertian  state  of  things  one  can  imagine. 


In  Germany  some  months  ago  the  proprietors  of 
restaurants  ordered  their  waiters  to  wear  brass  buttons. 
The  waiters  struck,  and  rightly  so  too,  for  the  clothes 
are  certainly  nowadays  the  badge  of  their  profession. 
In  Paris  matters  are  better.  The  waiter  wears  a  cash- 
mere jacket  and  an  apron,  but  as  a  set-off  to  this  people 
go  to  funerals  in  evening-dress,  and  put  it  on  for 
weddings.  There  is  another  good  use  they  make 
of  it  in  France— they  bury  their  dead  in  it,  and 
I  cannot  help  wishing  that  this  was  the  only  use 
European  countries  put  it  to.  At  any  rate,  for 
goodness  sake  let  us  break  some  new  ground,  and 
get  rid  of  this  idiosyncratic  garment. 

The  cycling  papers  still  harp  on  those  tyres ;  but  I 
don't  see  so  many  replies  as  to  the  charge  I  made 
against  them  of  receiving  bribes  for  "  good  notices."  Of 
course,  I  am  prepared  to  hear  that  the  suggestion  is  too 
Utterly  wild  to  deserve  notice,  and  that  anyone  who  knew 
a  cycling  journalist  would  remember  that  he  was  only 
one  remove  from  an  angel.    But  I  have  a  few  facts  and 


names  before  me,  and  before  I  have  finished  I  will  giye> 
these  gentlemen  another  opportunity  or  two  of  telling 
mt  that  I  have  been  "  spoofed." 

The  cycling  editor  of  one  of  the  best-known  evening- 
papers  writes  me  on  the  subject : 

Itisquite  amusing  to  note  the  effect  of  the  bombshell  which  yon  recently: 
threw  into  cycling  circles  by  your  reference  to  the  payments  made  to 
amateur  cyclists  for  breaking  records  on  certain  kinds  of  pneumatic- 
tyres.  Exception  has  been  taken  to  the  statement  that  the  value  of 
the  tyres  is  increased  in  the  iriarket  by  records,  but  one  has  only  to  look 
at  the  advertisements  of  tyre  companies  to  prove  the  case.  You  said 
that  the  selling  value  was  materially  added  to  and  mentioned  that  in 
some  cases  the  increase  was  from  £12  to  £17.  Now  it  was  obvious  that 
this  applied  to  the  machine  with  tyres  fixed,  and  you  never  supposed 
for  an  instant  that  anyone  could  imagine  that  this  price  would  be  taken 
for  that  of  the  tyres  alone.  The  main  point  of  your  remarks  was  that 
amateurs  are  paid  directly  and  indirectly  by  tyre  companies  for  records. 
That  charge  has  passed  unchallenged. 


We  are  perfectly  within  our  rights  in  denying  that  we- 
take  our  pleasures  sadly ;  but  it  would  be  a  hardy  man 
who  would  suggest  that  we  take  our  news  with  cheerful- 
ness. We  had  a  good  hard  month  of  frost  lately,  and 
with  the  frost  came  some  grand  skating,  some  pleasant, 
ice  carnivals,  curling,  hockey,  and  a  dozen  other  season- 
able pleasures.  But  no-  writer  thought  of  that.  The 
humorist  wrote  of  frozen  pipes,  the  descriptive  reporter 
turned  out  death  and  starvation  by  the  yard,  the  young- 
man  who  knew  science  from  attending  classes  at  the 
Polytechnic  suggested  that,  barring  accidents,  we  were 
safe  to  get  a  third  glacial  period.  Every  paper  prayed 
for  the  thaw. 


Then  the  thaw  came,  and  there  was  a  general  wail  that 
the  healthy  atmosphere  was  gone,  and  the  only  news  we 
got  was  from  the  bedsides  of  the  sick.  Everyone  seemed 
to  want  the  frost  back.  Shortly  it  will  rain,  and  every- 
one will  pray  for  sunshine.  Sunshine  will  come,  and 
there  will,  be  no  bright  descriptions  of  river  parties  and 
picnics,  but  the  farmer  and  his  withering  crops  will  be 
trotted  out,  and  the  discussion  will  be  raised  as  to 
whether  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  is  acting  ultra 
vires  in  ordering  prayers  for  rain. 


I  never  could  understand  why  every  paper  refuses 
flatly  to  look  on  the  bright  side  of  things.  It  is  true 
the  police-courts  are  regarded  as  fair  prey  for  humorous- 
matter ;  but  now  that  Tottie  Fay  and  Jane  Cakebread 
are  resting  this  little  pleasure  is  taken  from  us.  This- 
journalistic  sadness  is  carried  on  with  a  consistency  that 
would  astonish  anyone  outside  a  newspaper  office.  I 
have  heard  witty  sayings  at  the  Playgoer's'  Club  that 
could  be  told  a  dozen  times  over,  and  speeches  at  dinners 
that  have  bristled  with  smartness  •  but  never  a  one  is 
reported.  A  few  sullen  facts  are  given,  and  the  public 
think  how  peculiarly  uninteresting  the  affair  must 
have  been.  A  future  historian  may  give  a  reason  for 
this  j  but  I  am  sure  I  cannot. 

While  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the  frost  (seasonable  or 
sepulchral,  according  to  taste),  there  were  other  joys 
provided  for  the  Antipodeans.  A  correspondent  sends 
me  an  account  of  a  lively  service  held  in  a  Hobart  church. 
A  swarm  of  bees  decided  to  feed  in  the  church  garden  and 
lodge-in' the  organ.  This  arrangement  went  on  smoothly 
ei  ough  until  Sunday  came — just  the  very  day.  too,  when 
the  bees  should  have  remembered  all  the  nice  things  Dr_ 
Watts  said  about  them,  and  have  been  on  their  best 
behaviour.  But,  instead,  directly  the  organ  started 
there  was  an  ominous  hum.  What  followed  is  described 
as  follows: — "Somehow  or  other  the  members  of  the 
choir  and  the  honey-gatherers  became  mixed  up.  Half- 
a-dozen  'stingers'  settled  on  the  leading  soprano's 
favourite  dimple,  the  contralto  fainted,  the  basses  as  one 
man  uttered  a  large  dark-blue  oath,  the  fair-haired, 
waxen-moustached  tenors  fled.  The  example  of  the 
tenors  was  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  choir,  and  that 
morning  the  church  singing  was  that  of  Auld  Kirk  before 
that  degenerate  day  when  the  '  kist  n'  whustles '  was  first 
introduced." 


March  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


119 


LLOYDS   BANK  LIMITED. 

HEAD  OFFICE— BIRMINGHAM.     REGISTERED  OFFICE— 72,  LOMBARD  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C. 


SUBSCRIBED  CAPITAL— 

222,500  SHARES  OF  £30  EACH 


'£11,125,009 


RESERVED  FUND 


CAPITAL  PAID  UP  ... £3  PER  SHAR" 

Dj.  UNCALLED   

RESERVE  LIABILITY"   


£1,780,000 
1,091,250 
8,343,751) 

£11,125,000 


£1,000,000 


THOMAS  SALT,  Es?.,  CHAIRMAN. 


CHARLES  EDWARD  BARNETT,  ESQ. . 
WALTER  RANDOLPH  FARQUHAR,  Eii. 
EDWARD  BRODIE  HOARE,  Esq. 
JOSEPH  SCRIVENER  KEEP,  Esq. 
•J.  ARTHUR  KENRICK,  Esq. 


DIRECTORS  * 

J.  SPENCER  PHILLIPS,  E^.,  Deputy-Chairm \v. 


GEORGE  BRAITHWAITE  LLOYD,  Esq. 
RICHARD  BORRADAILE  LLOYD,  ESQ. 
SAMPSON  SAMUEL  LLOYD,  Esq. 
CHARLES  TYRINGHAM  PR  A  ED,  Esq 
JOHN  CHARLES  SALT,  Esq. 


GENERAL  MANAGER 


HOWARD  LLOYD 


AUGUSTUS  WILLIAM  SUMMERS,  ESQ. 
RICHARD  VASSAR  VASSAH-SMIi'H,  ESQ. 
GEORGE  DUNBAR  WHATMAN,  ESQ. 
WILLIAM  DE  WINTON,  Esq. 
ROBERT  WOODWARD,  ESQ. 


STATEMENT  OF  LIABILITIES  AND  ASSETS  ON  31ST  DECEMBER  ISM 
LIABILITIES—  un^iao^B,  is.i. 

.Subscribed  Capital  (being  222,500  Shares  of  £50  eich)   

Capital  paid  up,  viz.,  222,500  Shares  at  £8  per  Share   

Reserve  Fund  ..  ..     

-Debts  owing  to  sundry  persons  by  the  Company — 

On  Bills  or  Notes  accepted  or  endorsed     

On  Current  and  other  Accounts 

On  Deposit  Accounts  at  notice  

Liability  in  respect  of  Guarantee  re  Baring  Bros.  &  Co.  (since  cancelled)  

J>rofit  (including  £33,171  13  0  brought  forward  from  last  year)  

Less  Interim  Dividend  for  Half-year  ending  30th  June,  at  15  per  cent,  per  annum 

Income  Tax  

Written  off  Bank  Premises  Account  

-Balance,  proposed  to  be  appropriated  as  follows  : 

In  payment  of  Half-year's  Dividend  to  31st  Dscember,  at  15  per  cent,  par  annum 

To  be  carried  forward  to  next  year  


£     s.  A. 

5,000    0  0 


£  1, 780,00')    0  0 


)0    0  0 


£11,114,939    0  11 
U'.295il83  is  11 


2,730,000   0  0 
341,043  11  9- 
23,410,163  19  10 


£02,500  0  0 

£133,509  0  0 

9,233  H  8 

10,000  0  0 


£133,500    0  0 
16,473   8  6 


£302,711  15  2 

152,733  6  8 
£149,978    8  6 


149,978    8  6 
£2S,681,191    0  1 

5,631,705  2  7 
3,199,093  14  I 

6,137,259   9  3 
14,971,063.  5  11 
12,731,215  16  0 
341,013  11  9 
637,863    6  5 

-    —  HOWARD  LLOYD,  General  Manager.  £28,6bl,l9l  0  1 

We  have  examined  the  above  Statement  with  the  Accounts  of  the  Company,  including  the  certified  Returns  from  the  Branches  ;  and;  having  satisfied 
-ourselves  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  Cash  and  Investments,  and  considered  in  detail  the  other  items  of  the  Accounts,  we  are  of  om.iion  that  such  State 
ment  correctly  sets  forth  the  position  of  the  affairs  of  the  Bank  on  the  31st  December,  1894. 

C.  A.  HARRISON,  BARRATT,  WEST  &  THORLEY,  \  CHARTERED  ACCOUNTANTS, 
PRICE,  WATERHOUSE  &  CO.  f  AUDITORS. 


.ASSETS— 

Cash  in  hand  and  with  the  Bank  of  England   £3  423  575   1  6 

Cash  at  Call  and  Short  Notice                                                                                                    "      '\       J  2.'i0ii'l30   1  1 

Bills  of  Exchange     

Oonsols  and  other  British  Government  Securities                                                                   '_'       '  '       "       "  £15377021911 

Indian  and  Colonial  Government  Securities,  Corporation  Stocks,  English  Railway  Debenture  and  Preference  Stocks  ~  '  ' 

and  Sundry  Investments  '  1,519,553  9  4 

Advances  to  Customers,  Promissory  Notes,  and  other  Securities    

Liabilities  of  Customers  for  Bills  accepted  or  endorsed  by  the  Company  

Bank  Premises  and  Furniture     ..      ...      .,      ^      u   ; 


TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS   IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING-  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Js,  box,  including  velvet  pad  £  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
■The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Gresse  Street,  London,  W- 

BINGHAM  ana  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

 LONDON.  

HELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 
sending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments*  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Kev.  P.  Haslock,  who 
■sells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  (7000  in  number)  of  AH  Saints'  Mission 
District,  Grays,  Essex.  All  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
-sender  are  inside.   Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 

"Volume  I.  of  "  TO-DAY,"  containing  the  whole  of 

R.  L,  STEVENSON'S  LATEST  STORY, 

"THE  EBB-TIDE" 


Is  offered  as  a  premium  to  any  person  send  in 
Subscription  (Eleven  Shillings)  to  "  TO-DAY  " 


'5 

Mne  us  an  Annual 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


J|tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produ«ed  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS. '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


PURVEYORS  TO 

Hi  R  i  Hi 

THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES. 


( ^4*r\  it  to         31  Gold  and  Prize, 
M™1!  GINGER  ALE' 

\y>vIylQlJvd      Medals Adwrded. 

Work  s  -  DUB  LIN   AN  D   B  ELF* A  S T. 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Yarious  Climates. 


120 


TO-DAY. 


MAbch  2,  1S95. 


Every  writer  on  sport  seems  to  agree  that  the  Jockey 
Club  are  bungling  in  their  campaign  with  the  Anti- 
Gambling  League.  If  they  had  faced  them  at  New- 
market they  would  have  gone  into  the  Higher  Courts 
with  better  grace  than  they  will  do.  We  all  know  that 
the  movement  is  meddlesome,  and  little  likely  to  succeed, 
but  the  League  has  any  amount  of  money  behind  it, 
and  means  to  fight.  The  bookmakers  are  meanwhile 
rallying,  and  enough  money  is  said  to  have  been  guaran- 
teed to  fight  every  case  for  years.  For  my  own  part  I 
should  not  be  surprised  if  the  League  do  not  apply  for  a 
change  of  venue  for  the  hearing  of  some  of  the  forth- 
coming cases. 


Mr  congratulations  to  Mr.  Coyle,  who  at  the  Fancy 
Dress  Ball  given  in  connection  with  the  Dublin  Cycle 
Show  carried  off  the  first  prize  dressed  as  To-Day's 
"Yellow  Girl."  Also,  on  the  Yellow  Girl's  behalf,  I 
venture  to  protest  against  the  part  she  was  compelled  to 
play  in  the  recent  St.  Valentine's  celebration.  Passing 
a  small  stationer's  shop  in  Soho,  the  other  day,  I  saw  her 
familiar  boa,  hat,  and  coat  reproduced  in  red  on  one  of 
those  quaint  prints  that  are  sent  anonymously  to  deadly 
foes.  The  verses  were  bad,  and  her  character  infinitely 
worse;  and  the  artist  had  attached  the  forked  tail 
peculiar  to  an  individual  who  is  sometimes  regarded  as 
not  being  so  black  as  he  is  painted. 


So  Mr.  B.  I.  Barnato's  horses  have  left  Marsh's  stable. 
It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  a  great  sensation  was 
caused  in  racing  circles  when  it  was  announced  that  the 
horses  of  the  notorious  financier  were  to  be  housed  in 
the  same  establishment  as  those  belonging  to  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  Duke  of  Devonshire,  and  Baron  do  Hirsch,  but 
many  who  are  familiar  with  the  doings  of  trainers  and 
managers  have  been  expecting  a  change.  And  it  has 
come;  for  in  future,  Stowmarket,  Beggar's  Opera,  and 
Contract  will  b©  trained  by  J.  Cannon. 


Amongst  the  patrons  of  J.  Cannon's  stable  is  Sir 
Samuel  Scott,  of  the  famous  banking  house.  Sir  Samuel, 
who  came  of  age  last  autumn,  is  a  capital  rider  across 
country,  and  he  may  have  the  mount  on  his  own  horse, 
Philactery,  in  the  Grand  National  Steeplechase.  It 
may  be  remembered  that.  -Sir  Samuel's  mother  was  re- 
cently married  to  Sir  Horace  Farquhar.  Sir  Horace 
also  dabbles  in  racmg. 


Steeplechase  jockeys  must  be  in  very  low  water  just 
now,  as  they  have  lost  a  month's  good  riding.  The  fee 
paid  for  a  winning  mount  is  £10,  whilst  £5  is  credited 
to  them  when  their  charge  fails  to  obtain  a  verdict. 
Now,  calculating  on  five  days'  racing  a  week,  and  six 
races  a  day,  with  seven  starters  for  each  event,  the  recent 
cold  snap  would  mean  a  loss  of  £5,400  to  the  cross- 
country jockeys;  but,  unfortunately  for  them,  amateur 
riders  at  present  are  far  too  plentiful, "  and  this  sum 
would  never  be  paid  in  fees  alone,  but  it  can  safely  be 
said  that  the  professionals  are  the  worse  off  by  nearly 
£3,000. 


The  rumour  has  reached  me  that  Major  E.  R.  Owen 
has  serious  intentions  of  riding  in  the  Grand  National 

As  a  pleasant,  palatable  and  invigorating  Tonic,  Radam's  Microbe  Killer 
has  no  equal.  Apply  for  Pamphlets  (f:te  by  post),  Radam's  Microbe  Killer 
Co.,  Limited,  111,  Oxford  Street.  W. 


again.  I  can  hardly  credit  this,  as,  after  winning  the 
great  steeplechase  on  Father  O'Flynn,  Major  Owen  told 
his  friends  he  would  never  ride  in  public  again.  He  was 
then  a  captain  in  a  Lancashire  regiment,  and  volunteered 
to  go  with  the  expedition  to  Uganda.  He  did  some 
excellent  work  in  Africa,  and  the  late  Sir  Gerald  Portal 
mentioned  him  in  his  despatches.  Major  Owen  was- 
recently  made  a  Companion  of  the  Distinguished  Sen-ice 
Order. 


With  the  frost  and  snow  having  taken  their  departure,, 
we  shall  shortly  be  deluged  with  fixture  cards  for. the 
leading  athletic  clubs.  The  London  Athletic  Club  pro- 
gramme will  be  a  remarkably  attractive  one  ;  and  many- 
records  are  expected  to  go  during  the  forthcoming- 
season.  Bacon,  I  believe,  is  confident  he  can  reduce 
several;  whilst  Bradley — whom,  I  may  state,  has  after 
all  been  elected  a  member  of  the  premier  athletic  club — 
is  going  to  run  at  the  majority  of  the  leading  London 
meetings. 


The  Association  team  to  meet  Ireland  next  Saturday- 
consists  wholly  of  professionals,  as  the'  team  against 
Wales  will  be  purely  amateur.  From  the  former,  one 
misses  the  names  of  Chadwick  and  Holt,  who  are  un- 
doubtedly worthy  of  the  honour;  but  the  absence  of 
their  names  is  due  to  a  formal  request  from  the  Everton 
club,  which  requires  their  services  in  a  Lancashire  Cup> 
tie.  This  action  on  Everton's  part  is  simply  disgraceful. 
The  "club  with  the  money  bags"  might  well  have 
spared  them  for  their  country.  Financial  considerations,, 
however,  proved  more  powerful  than  mere  honour.  , 


On  three  consecutive  Saturdays,  International  Rugby- 
matches  will  be  played.  To-day  the  Scotland  v.  Ireland 
match,  after  two  postponements,  will  be  played  at  Rae- 
burn  Place,  Edinburgh.  On  March  9th,  Richmond  will 
be  the  venue  of  the  England  v.  Scotland  match,  and 
on  the  following  Saturday  Ireland  and  Wales  meet. 
The  Rugby  Union  coffers  will  net  a  nice  sum  from  the- 
Richmond  match,  as  all  the  grand  stand  tickets 
have  been  sold.  The  English  team  remains  as> 
originally  selected,  but  we  shall  not  know  the  personnel 
of  the  Scottish  fifteen  till  after  to-day's  match  against 
Ireland.  In  any  case,  I  expect  England  to  win,  and  thus, 
carry  off  the  triple  event. 


That  the  English  Cup  is  not  losing  interest  with  the 
public  is  proved  by  the  "  gates."  In  the  second  round  the 
eight  ties  and  two  replayed  games  produced  takings  to 
the  amount  of  £3,536 — an  average  of  £350  a  match. 
The  largest  "gate"  was  that  of  Sunderland,  who  re- 
ceived a  visit  from  Preston  North  End,  the  total  being: 
£600.  The  third  round  is  played  to-day  (Saturday). 
Sunderland  has  an  easy  task  with  Bolton  Wanderers; 
Aston  Villa  should  account  for  Notts  Forest  ;  the  other 
two  ties  will  be  desperate  struggles.  Probably  Sheffield 
Wednesday  will  die  hard  at  the  hands  of  Everton,  and" 
West  Bromwich,  on  their  own  ground,  may  prove  a  bit. 
better  than  Wolverhampton  Wanderers. 


Advice  fiuce.—  To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patents  for  Inven- 
tions see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Seellld.  Guide  (2;>9  pgs.).  3<7.  Tobacconists" 
Outfitting  Co.,  186,  Euston-road,  London.   Est.  1866.  ADVT, 


ECONOMY 

AND 

FASHION. 


EVERY  GENTLEMAN  SHOULD  WEAR  OUR  SILK  TIES, 

All  Shapes— The  DERBY  (for  self  tying),  the  STRAND  BOW,  the  WATERLOO  KNOT,  etc. 
Three  Assorted  Silk  Ties  Is.  7d.  Six,  3s.  post  free.  Twelve,  5s.  9d.  post  free. 

Magnificent  value.    Usually  sold  at  Is.  each. 
SUPERIOR  QUALITY — Three  for  3s.,  Six  for  5s.  3d.,  or  Twelve  for  lis. 
VERY  FINEST  QUALITY— Three  for  6s.,  Six  for  lis.,  or  Twelve  for  21s.  post  free. 
lylOrJFV    RETURHEB    IF    WOT  SATISFIED. 

Ladies    should    send    fox*    our    Dress  Patterns. 

TEXTILE   SUPPLY  ASSOCIATION,    LIMITED,    161,   STRAND,  tV.C. 


GENTS 
SILK 
TIES. 


March  2,  1805. 


TO-DAY. 


121 


Mr.  Cyril  Dawson  accompanies  his  solution  of  the 
misere  problem  -with,  the  following  query: — D  calls 
solo.  A,  whose  turn  it  is  to  lead,  is  in  difficulties  over 
sorting  his  cards,  and  to  save  time  says,  "  King  of  clubs," 
but,  simultaneously,  B,  thinking  that  he  has  the  first 
lead  out,  plays  Queen  of  hearts.  D  calls  for  a  suit  as  a 
penalty  for  leading  out  of  turn.  A,  however,  contends 
that  Queen  of  hearts  was  not  a  lead  out  of  turn,  and 
that  he,  by  announcing  King  of  clubs,  constructively 
led  that  card,  and  that  B's  Queen  of  hearts  could  only 
be  considered  as  following  the  lead,  and  treated  as  an 
exposed  card. 


D  is  quite  in  order  in  calling  a  suit.  The  table  talks 
and  not  the  players,  and  A,  having  no  right  to  mention 
his  card,  cannot,  by  doing  so,  be  taken  to  have  played  it. 


In  reference  to  the  adoption  of  arbitrary  leads,  I 
hav3  been  asked  twice  within  the  present  week  if  the 


conventional  system  should  be  consistently  observed 
whether  you  sit  to  the  left,  right,  or  opposite  your 
partner.  Unquestionably  it  should,  for  if  you  both  un- 
derstand the  code,  each  original  card  conveys  its  special 
nit  aning,  no  matter  from  where  it  is  led.  But  the  case 
is  different  when  you  have  a  partner  to  whom  that  code 
is  unfamiliar.  You  must  here  substitute  any  method 
that  may  recommend  itself  as  being  most  likely  to  help 
him  to  read  your  hand.  Thus,  if  you  sat  on  his  right 
with  a  King,  Queen  suit,  you  would  lead  King  in  the 
regular  way,  but  if  you  were  leading  from  his  left  you 
play  Queen,  which,  if  the  King  did  not  cover,  might 
suggest  that  the  latter  was  held  by  you.  From  Ace, 
King,  lead  Ace  through  him — for  he  is  as  likely  as  not 
to  trump  your  King  if  you  lead  that  first  and  he  happens 
to  be  clear  of  the  suit — and  King  down  to  him.  Avoid 
leading  fourth  best  cards,  as  they  convey  information 
to  adversaries  and  nothing  to  him ;  and  help  his  hand 
all  you  can. 

The  Major. 


HER  LITTLE  VALISE. 


HE  had  five  or  six  trunks  of  remarkable  size 

And  a  tiny  valise. 
The  trunks  she  appeared  very  highly  to  prize. 
But  not  the  valise. 


The  uUoLUi.i-nouse  officer  sized  up  the  pile, 
And  thought  that  the  woman  must  travel  in  style, 
But  he  didn't  believe  it  was  really  worth  while 
To  touch  the  valise. 


He  opened  the  trunks  to  see  what  was  there, 
But  "passed"  the  valise. 

'Twas  such  a  diminutive,  dainty  affair — 
Was  the  little  valise. 


But  she  was  a  dancer,  a  star  on  the  stage, 

And  the  trunks  held  her  "notices" — page  after  page; 

But  the  costumes  she  wore  that  had  made  her  the  rage, 

Were  in  the  valise.  Elliott  Flower. 


122 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1S9.3. 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

EY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
IV  u  -trated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  VIII.— (continued). 

fill  HEY  might  burn  the  house 
under  us  ;  that  always,  and 
for  certain,  and  it  meant 
a  dreadful  death.  Yet  I 
breathed  more  freely.  In 
the  white  and-gold  room 
below,  among  madame's 
mirrors  and  Cupids,  and 
silken  cushions,  my  heart 
had  failed  me.  The  place, 
with  its  heavy  perfumes, 
had  stifled  me.  I  had 
pictured  the  brutish  peasants  bursting  in  on  us  there — on 
the  screaming  women,  crouching  behind  chairs  and 
couches;  and  the  horror  of  the  thought  had  overcome  me. 
Here,  in  the  open,  under  the  sky,  we  could  at  least 
die  fighting.  The  depth  ya  vned  beyond  the  coping ; 
the  weakest  had  no  longer  more  to  fear  than  death. 
And  we  had  a  respite,  for  the  house  was  large,  and  the 
fire  could  not  lick  it  up  in  a  moment. 

Besides,  help  might  come.  I  shaded  my  eyes  from 
the  light  below,  and  looked  into  the  darkness  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  village  and  the  Cahors  road.  In  an  hour, 
at  farthest,  help  might  come.  The  glare  in  the  sky  must 
be  visible  for  miles ;  it  would  spur  on  the  avengers. 
Father  Benoit,  too,  if  he  could  get  help — he  might  be 
here  at  any  time.    We  were  not  without  hope. 

Suddenly,  while  we  stood  together,  the  women  sobbing 
and  whimpering,  the  old  manservant  spoke. 

"Where  is  M.  Gargouf  1"  he  said,  under  his  breath. 
'  Ah  !  "  I  exclaimed  ;  "  I  had  forgotten  him." 
"  He  came  up,'"  the  man  continued.    "  This  door  was 
open,  M.  le  Vicomte,  when  we  came  to  it." 
"  Ah  !    Then  where  is  he  1 " 

I  looked  round.  All  the  roof,  I  have  said,  was  dark, 
and  not  all  of  it  was  on  the  same  level ;  and  here  and 
there  chimneys  broke  the  view.  In  the  obscurity,  the 
steward  might  be  lurking  close  to  us  without  our  know- 
ledge; or  he  might  have  thrown  himself  down  in  de- 
spair. While  I  looked,  the  boy  whom  I  had  left  by  the 
bricks  came  flying  to  us. 

"  There  is  someone  there ! "  he  said.  And  he  clung 
to  the  old  man. 

"  It  must  be  Gargouf !  "  I  answered.  "  Wait  here  !  " 
And,  disregarding  the  women's  prayers  that  I  would 
stay  with  them,  I  went  quickly  along  the  leads  to  the 
other  trap-door,  and  peered  about  me  through  the  gloom. 
For  a  moment  I  could  see  no  one,  though  the  light 
shining  on  the  trees  made  it  easy  to  discern  figures 
standing  nearer  the  coiling.  Presently,  however,  I 
caught  the  sound  of  someone  moving  ;  someone  who 
was  farther  away  still,  at  the  very  edge  of  the  roof.  I 
went  on  cautiously,  expecting  I  do  not  know  what  ;  and 
close  to  a  stack  of  chimneys  I  found  Gargouf. 

He  was  crouching  on  the  coping  in  the  darkest  part, 
where  the  end  wall  of  the  east  wing  overlooked  the 


garden  by  which  I  had  entered.  This  end  wall  had  no 
windows,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  garden  below  it 
lay  in  darkness ;  the  angle  of  the  house  standing  be- 
twc:%  it  and  the  burning  buildings.  I  supposed  that 
the  steward  had  sneaked  hither,  therefore,  to  hide ;  and 
set  it  down  to  the  darkness  that  he  did  not  know  me, 
but,  as  I  approached,  he  rose  on  his  knees  on  the  ledge, 
and  turned  on  me,  snarling  like  a  dog. 

"  Stand  back ! "  he  said,  in  a  voice  that  was  scarcely 
human.    "  Stand  back,  or  I  will  " 

"  Steady,  man,"  I  answered,  quietly,  beginning  to 
think  that  fear  had  unhinged  him.    "  It  is  I,  M.  de  Saux." 

"  Stand  back  !  "  was  his  only  answer  ;  and,  though  he 
cowered  so  low  that  I  could  not  get  his  figure  against 
the  shining  trees,  I  saw  a  pistol-barrel  gleam  as  he 
levelled  it.  "  Stand  back !  Give  me  a  minute  !  a 
minute  only  " — and  his  voice  quavered — "  and  I  will 
cheat  the  devils  yet !  Come  nearer,  or  give  the  alarm, 
and  I  will  not  die  alone !  I  will  not  die  alone !  Stand 
back ! " 

"  Are  you  mad  1 "  I  said. 

"  Back,  or  I  shoot !  "  he  growled.  "  I  will  not  die 
alone." 

He  was  kneeling  on  the  very  edge,  with  his  left  hard 
against  the  chimney.  To  rush  upon  him  in  that  posture 
was  to  court  death  ;  and  I  had  nothing  to  gain  by  it.  I 
stepped  back  a  pace.  As  I  did  so,  at  the  moment  I  did 
so,  he  slid  over  the  edge,  and  was  gone  ! 

I  drew  a  deep  breath  and  listened,  flinching  and  draw- 
ing back  involuntarily.  But  I  heard  no  sound  of  a  fall ; 
and  in  a  moment,  with  a  strange  suspicion  in  my  mind, 
I  stepped  forward  to  the  edge,  and  looked  over. 

The  steward  hung  in  mid-air,  a  dozen  feet  below  me. 
He  was  descending ;  descending  foot  by  foot,  slowly, 
and  by  jerks;  a  dim  figure,  growing  dimmer.  Instinc- 
tively I  felt  about  me  ;  and  in  a  second  I  found  the  rope 
by  which  he  hung.  It  was  secured  round  the  chimney. 
Then  I  understood.  He  had  conceived  this  way  of 
escape,  perhaps  had  stored  the  rope  for  it  before- 
hand ;  and,  like  the  villain  he  was,  had  kept  the 
thought  to  himself,  that  his  chance  might  be  the  better, 
and  that  he  might  not  have  to  give  the  first  place  to 
Mademoiselle  and  the  women.  In  the  first  heat  of  the 
discovery,  I  almost  found  it  in  my  heart  to  cut  the  rope, 
and  let  him  fall ;  then  I  remembered  that  if  he  escaped, 
the  way  would  lie  open  for  others  ;  and  then,  into  the 
garden  below  me,  there  shone  a  sudden  flare  of  light, 
as  a  stream  of  a  dozen  rioters  poured  round  the  comer, 
and  made  for  the  door  by  which  I  had  entered  the  house. 

I  held  my  breath.  The  steward,  hanging  below  me, 
and  by  this  time  half-way  to  the  ground,  stopped,  and 
moved  not  a  limb.  But  he  still  swung  a  little  this  way 
and  that,  and  in  the  strong  light  of  the  torches  which 
the  new-comers  carried,  I  could  see  every  knot  in  the 
rope,  and  even  the  trailing  end,  which,  as  I  looked, 
moved  on  the  ground  with  his  motion. 

The  wretches,  making  for  the  door,  had  to  pass  within 
a  pace  of  the  rope,  of  that  trailing  end  ;  yet  it  was  pos- 
sible that,  blinded  by  the  lights  they  carried,  and  their 
own  haste  and  excitement,  they  might  not  see  it.  I  held 
my  breath  as  the  leader  came  abreast  of  it  ;  I  fancied 
that  he  must  see  it.  But  he  passed,  and  disappeared  i,i 
the  doorway.  Three  others  passed  the  rope  together. 
A   fifth,   then  three  more,   two  more ;    I   began  to 


Copyright,  1S05,  by  Stanley  J.  Weyman. 


fliAKca  2,  1S93. 


TO-DAY. 


breathe  more  freely.  Only  one  was  left- — a  woman,  the 
sam3  whose  imprecations  had  greeted  me  on  my  appear- 
ance at  the  window.  And  it  was  not  likely  that  she  would 
see  it.  She  was  running  to  overtake  the  others ;  she 
carried  a  flare  in  her  right  hand,  so  that  the  blaze  came 
between  her  and  the  rope.  And  she  was  waving  the 
light  in  a  mad  woman's  frenzy,  as  she  danced  along, 


) 


hounding  on  the  men  to  the  sack. 

But,  as  if  the  presence  of  the  man  who  had  wronged 
her  had  over  her  some  subtle  influence-— as  if  some  sense, 
unowned  by  others,  warned  her  of  his  presence,  even  in 
the  midst  of  that  babel  and  tumult — she  stopped  short 
under  him,  with  her  foot  almost  on  the  threshold.  I 
saw  her  head  turn  slowly.  She  raised  her  eyes,  holding 
the  torch  aside.    She  saw  him. 

With  a  scream  of  joy,  she  sprang  to  the  foot  of  the 
rope,  and  began  to  haul  at  it  as  if  in  that  way  she  might 


get  to  him  sooner ;  while  she  filled  the  a:r  with  her 
shrieks  and  laughter.  The  men,  who  had  gone  into 
the  house,  heard  her,  and  came  out  again ;  and  after 
them  others.  I  quailed,  even  where  I  knelt  on  thn 
parapet,  as  I  looked  down  and  met  the  wolUsh  glare  of 
their  upturned  eyes ;  what,  then,  must  have  been  the 
thoughts  of  thi  wretched  man  taken  in  his  selfishness — 


hung  there  helpless  between  earth  and  heaven?  God 
knows. 

He  began  to>  climb  upwards,  to  return;  and  actually 
ascended  hand  over  hand  a  dozen  feet.  But  lie  had  been 
supporting  himself  for  some  minutes,  and  there  his 
strength  failed  him.  Human  muscles  could  do  no  more. 
He  tried  to  haul  himself  up  to  (lie  next  knot,  but  sank 
back  with  a  groan.  Then  he  looked  at  me.  "  Pull 
me  up!"  he  gasped.  "For  God's  sake!  For  God's 
sake,  pull  me  up  ! " 


HIS  STRENGTH  WAS  GOXE. 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  1895. 


But  the  wretches  had  the  end  of  the  rope,  and  it  was 
impossible,  even  had  I  possessed  the  strength  to  do  it. 
I  told  him  so,  and  bade  him  climb — climb  up  for  his 
life.    In  a  moment  it  would  be  too  late. 

He  raised  himself  with  a  jerk  to  the  next  knot,  and 
hung  there.  Another  desperate  effort,  and  he  gained 
the  next ;  though  I  could  almost  hear  his  muscles  crack, 
and  his  breath  came  in  gasps.  Three  more  knots — 
they  were'  about  a  foot  apart — and  he  would  reach  the 
coping. 

But  I  read  despair  in  his  eyes.  His  strength  was 
gone;  and  while  he  hung  there,  the  men  began,  with 
shouts  of  laughter,  to  shake  the  rope  this  way  and  that. 
He  lost  his  grip,  and,  with  a  groan,  slid  down  three  or 


CURIOUS  CHURCH  CUSTOMS. 


Under  the  above  title  Mr.  William  Andrews,  of  the 
Hull  Press,  has  edited  and  published  a  collection  of 
customs,  usages  and  superstitions  connected  with  the 
English  Church  that  makes  very  interesting  reading. 

The  following  extracts  sufficiently  show  the  nature 
and  scope  of  the  book  : — 

Easter,  the  "  Queen  of  Festivals,"  has  no  fare  so  un- 
mistakably assigned  to  it  as  some  other  holy  days. 
Hare-pie  is  the  correct  thing  in  some  places.,  and  at 
Hallaton  in  Leicestershire,  there  is  an  endowment 
for  providing  hare-pie,  bread,  and  ale  for  distribution 
at  this  season.  At  Twickenham  two  large  cakes  were 
formerly  divided  among  the  young  folk  of  the  parish  at 
Easter  ;  a  harmless  practice  which  the  Puritans  sup- 
pressed in  1645,  with  the  result  that  often  attends  the 
efforts  of  busy  bodies — matters  were  altered  for  the 
worse ;  thenceforward,  penny  loaves  were  purchased 
with  the  money,  aud  flung  from  the  church  tower  to 
be  scrambled  for.  At  Biddenden,  in  Kent,  a  large 
number  of  cakes  and  loaves  are  given  away  on  this 
day,  on  the  former  of  which  is  impressed  the  image  of 
two  females  joined  togetherat  hip  and  shoulder.  These  are 
the  "  Biddenden  Maids,"  Eliza  and  Mary  Chulkhurst, 
who  are  said  to  have  been  born  in  the  village  in  the  year 
1100,  thus  strangely  joined,  and  in  whose  memory  the 
rent  of  a  plot  of  land,  called  the  "  Bread  and  Cheese 
Land,"  is  thus  distributed. 

*  *  *  * 

There  is  a  curious  tradition  about  the  most  widely- 
known  bell  in  Lincolnshire.  It  is  to  the  effect  that 
when  at  the  recasting  of  "  Great  Tom  of  Lincoln  "  in  the 
minster  yard  some  time  during  the  January  of  1610-11, 
certain  of  the  pious  citizens  determined  to  do  all  that  lay 
in  their  power  to  make  the  tone  of  the  bell  as 
pure  as  possible,  and  therefore  threw  into  the  molten 
mass  of  metal  much  treasure  in  the  form  of  silver 
tankards,  spoons,  and  sundry  other  objects  formed  of 
that  precious  metal.  That  there  is  not  the  slightest 
truth  in  the  story  was  clearly  proved  when  the  bell  was 
once  more  recast  in  1834,  for  upon  a  piece  of  the  metal 
of  which  it  was  composed  being  assayed  it  was  found  to 
contain  a  very  small  proportion  of  silver.  It  is  strange 
that  tlifs  belief  in  the  powcr  of  silver  to 
add  sweetness  to  the  tone  of  bells  should  be 
such  a  general  one  ;  we  find  it  existing  in 
almost  all  the  countries  of  Europe,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  the  experiment  of  mixing  an  undue 
proportion  of  this  metal  has  always  been  found  to 
impair  their  sound.  The  writer  was  once  informed  that 
the  reason  the  bells  of  St.  Martin's-in-the-Fields, 
London,  are  so  wonderfully  sweet  and  clear  in  tone  is 
owing  to  the  fact  that  Nell  Gwynn  who  gave  them  to 
the  church,  insisted  upon  having  a  quantity  of  silver 
thrown  into  the  metal  when  it  was  fusing.  Poor, 
pretty,  sinning  Nell,  she  was  religious  after  a  manner, 
and  she  has  lain  in  St.  Martin's  Church  upwards  of  two 


four  feet ;  and  again  got  hold  and  hung  there — 
silent. 

By  this  time  the  group  below  had  grown  into  a 
crowd  of  maddened  beings,  raving  and  howling,  and 
leaping  up  at  him  as  dogs  leap  at  food ;  and  the  horror 
of  the  sight,  though  the  doomed  man's  features  were  in 
shadow,  and  I  could  not  read  them,  overcame  me.  I 
rose  to  draw  back — shuddering,  listening  for  his  fall. 
Instead,  before  I  had  quite  retreated,  a  hot  flash  almost 
scorched  my  face,  and,  as  the  sharp  report  of  a  pistol 
rang  out,  the  steward's  body  plunged  headlong  down — 
leaving  a  little  cloud  of  smoke  where  I  stood 

He  had  balked  his  enemies. 

(To  be  continued.) 


hundred  years,  whilst  the  bells  she  gave  have  sounded, 
and  still  sound,  above  her  grave.  She  left  a  bequest  to 
the  ringers,  the  interest  of  which  was  to  be  devoted  to 
purchasing  a  leg  of  mutton  for  them  to  sup  upon  every 
Monday  evening. 

*  *  *  * 

It  is  supposed  to  be  lucky  for  children  to  cry  at 
baptisms,  and  if  they  are  quiet  and  good  then  it  shows 
they  are  too  good  to  live.  The  idea  arose  from  the 
custom  of  exorcism.  When  the  devil  was  going  out  of 
a  possessed  person  it  cried  and  rent  him  sore,  therefore 
the  tears  and  struggles  of  the  infant  would  be  convin- 
cing proof  that  the  Evil  One  had  departed.  In  Ireland 
the  nurse  pinches  the  baby  rather  than  let  it  be  silent 
or  cheerful. 

*  ■  * *  <:-  * 

Forbidding  the  banns  of  marriage  is  now  a  very 
rare  occurrence;  formerly  it  was  not  so,  and  it  was 
customary  to  interdict  a  marriage  sometimes,  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  making  a  comparative  stranger  prove 
his  bona  fides.  The  parish  register  of  Frampton,  near 
Boston,  Lincolnshire,  contains  the  following  entry  on 
January,  1st,  1653: — "The  marriage  of  Edward 
Morton  and  Jane  Goodwin  was  objected  to  by  John 
Ayne,  Thomas  Appleby,  and  William  Eldred ;  because 
in  the  first  place,  the  said  Edward  Morton  was  a 
stranger,  and  they  did  not  know  where  he  had  lived 
until  a  short  time  before,  or  whether  he  was  married 
or  single ;  therefore  they  desired  the  marriage  might 
be  deferred  until  he  brought  a  certificate  of  these  things; 
and,  secondly,  because  they  have  been  informed  and  do 
believe  that  he  in  a  very  poor  man,  and  therefore  they 
wish  him  to  get  some  sufficient  man  to  be  bound  with 
him  to  secure  the  town  from  any  charge  of  him  or  his." 

*  *  *  >-  i'.'-    .-if " 

The  most  deeply  interesting  and  the  oldest  of  genuine 
armour  still  preserved  within  English  churches  is  that 
which  pertained  to  the  Black  Prince,  and  which  hangs 
above  his  well-known  tomb  in  the  cathedral  church  of 
Canterbury.  In  June,  1894,  this  armour  was  exhibited 
at  Burlington  House,  in  the  rooms  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries, when  we  had  special  opportunities  of  examining  it. 
The  great  tilting  helm  of  iron  weighs  seven  pounds.  The 
leather  cap  inside  it  is  almost  worn  away.  The  gilded 
long-tailed  lion  which  forms  the  crest  is  of  leather.  The 
great  shield  of  France  and  England  quarterly  is  also  of 
embossed  leather.  The  gauntlets  are  of  latten,  and 
still  retain  the  inner  leather  gloves.  The  sword-scabbard 
and  buckle  are  of  the  same  material ;  the  sword  itself  is 
unfortunately  missing,  and  it  is  said  to  have  been 
appropriated  by  Oliver  Cromwell  when  visiting  Canter- 
bury. 


In  next  week's  "  To-Day  "  a  second  series  of 
Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk,  by  Herbert 
Keen,  Author  of  My  Landlady's  Stories,  will  be 

commenced. 


March  2,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


125 


THE  McKENNA-QUINN  FEUD. 

BY 

W.   L.  ALDEN. 

Illustrated  by  A.  S.  Forrest. 


APTAIN  MICHAEL 
McKENNA  had  commanded 
for  many  years  the  canal- 
boat  Shamrock,  which  navi- 
gated the  waters  of  one  of 
the  smaller  canals  in  the 
West  of  England.  Those 
who  knew  him  well  agreed 
that  he  was  an  admirable 
canal  -  boatman,  an  upright 
and  athletic  citizen,  and  a 
"  first-class  husband  en- 
tirely." He  was  a  hard- 
working man,  in  love  with 
his  profession,  and  tho- 
roughly sober  during  his 
periods  of  abstinence  from 
drink.  Moreover,  he  was  a 
peculiarly  genial  and  good- 
tempered  man,  and  though 
he  was  almost  without  a  rival  as  a  rough-and-tumble 
fighter,  he  never  fought  except  by  way  of  amusement, 
or  unless  something  had  happened  to  irritate  him. 

In  no  way  inferior  to  Captain  McKenna  was  Captain 
Denis  Quinn,  who  commanded  the  canal-boat  City  of 
Cork,  which  was  employed  in  the  same  trade  as  the 
Shamrock.  He  was  of  the  exact  weight  of  Captain 
McKenna,  and  closely  resembled  him  in  his  other  moral 
qualities.  On  the  line  of  the  canal  Captain  Quinn  was 
without  a  single  enemy  of  his  own  size,  and  was  uni- 
versally regarded  as  an  honour  to  the  profession. 

These  two  excellent  mariners  were  peculiarly  happy 
in  their  domestic  relations.  Mrs.  McKenna  was  a  most 
admirable  woman,  and  was  celebrated  on  the  canal  for 
having  defeated,  in  a  glorious  pitched  battle,  without 
the  loss  of  a  single  hair-pin,  the  famous  Bridget  Cos- 
tello,  known  as  the  "  Fury  of  Birmingham."  Mrs. 
McKenna  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Mrs.  Quinn,  and  their 
mutual  esteem  and  affection  was  paralleled  by  the 
friendship  which  the  two  gallant  captains  bore  one 
towards  the  other.  It  was  a  touching  sight  to  see  the 
two  ladies,  when  the  Shamrock  and  the  City  of  Cork 
happened  to  bo  in  company,  hanging  out  the  week's 
washing  on  the  quarter-deck  and  addressing  each  other 
as  "  Me  dear  Mrs.  McKenna"  and  "  Me  dear  Mrs.  Quinn," 
what  time  the  two  captains  lounged  at  their  respective 
tillers,  and  called  each  other,  "Mike,  me  boy,"  and 
"  Denis,  ould  man."  As  both  boats  belonged  to  the 
same  firm  they  often  sailed  in  close  company,  and  the 
friendship  of  the  commanding  officers  and  their  families 
was  thus  firmly  cemented. 

The  Shamrock  and  the  City  of  Cork  were  twin  boats, 
in  size  and  appearance.  Had  it  not  been  that  the  for- 
ward towing-post  of  the  Shamrock  was  much  larger 
than  that  of  the  City  of  Cork  it  would  have  been 
difficult  to  detect  any  difference  whatever  between  the 
two  boats.  Mrs.  Quinn  and  Mrs.  McKenna  took  delight 
in  fitting  up  their  respective  cabins  in  precisely  the  same 
fashion,  and  with  precisely  the  same  furniture,  and  they 
often  remarked  that  they  really  could  not  tell  which  one 
looked  the  most  like  the  other. 

As  is  the  custom  on  several  of  the  older  and  smaller 
•canals,  the  larger  boats,  like  the  Sliamrock  and  the 
City  of  Cork,  were  built  in  two  sections — that  is  to  say, 
they  consisted  of  two  distinct  halves  bolted',  together, 
end  to  end.  This  enabled  them  to  pass  through  the 
locks,  which  had  originally  been  constructed  for  boats 
•of  not  much  more  than  half  their  length.  When  a  lock 
was  reached  the  doubled  boats  were  uncoupled,  and 
•each  half  was  locked  through  separately.      The  two 


halves  were  then  bolted  together  again,  and  the  voyage 
was  resumed.  This  method  of  solving  the  problem, 
how  to  pass  a  boat  one  hundred  feet  long  through  a 
lock  seventy  -  five  feet  long  had  its  disadvantages,  but  it 
was  destined  to  break  up  the  beautiful  friendship  that 
had  so  long  bound  the  Quinn  and  McKenna  families 
together. 

On  a  dark  and  wet  night  in  the  early  part  of  April 
last  the  Shamrock  and  the  City  of  Cork  reached  a  lock 
together,  at  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
ladies — Mrs.  Quinn  and  Mrs.  McKenna — were  below, 
sleeping  soundly,  while  their  brave  and  devoted  hus- 
bands were  on  deck  attending  to  their  duties,  and  ex- 
pressing strong  views  about  the  weather.  The  halves 
of  the  boats  were  quietly  and  quickly  disconnected,  and 
safely  passed  through  the  lock.  Feeling  somewhat 
tired  in  consequence  of  their  labours  at  the  lock,  the 
two  captains  entered  a  neighbouring  public-house,  where 
trustworthy  customers  could  obtain  refreshments  at  all 
hours  of  the  night,  and  proceeded  to  dry  themselves  with 
hot  interior  applications.  After  a  half-hour  spent  in 
this  agreeable  fashion,  the  two  friends  returned  to  the  • 
canal,  coupled  together  their  boats,  and  ordered  the 
mule  driver  to  start  up  the  machinery.  Then,  hailing  one 
another  through  the  murky  night,  the  two  captains  said 
good-night,  and,  leaving  the  tillers  of  their  respective 
vessels  in  charge  of  the  deck  hands,  they  proceeded  to 
turn  in. 

As  Captain  McKenna  was  seated  in  the  cabin  in  the 
act  of  pulling  off  his  boots,  he  was  amazed  to  see  Mrs. 


Y 

THEY   RETURNED   TO   THE  CANAL. 

Quinn  sitting  upright  in  the  berth  belonging  of  richt  to 
Mrs.  McKenna,  and  to  hear  her  address  him  as  a  thief 
and  a  murderer.    His  pobte  request  for  an  explanation 


126 


TO-DAY. 


March  2,  ISOo. 


was  met  with  fresh  epithets  of  abuse,  varied  with  loud 
cries  for  "Denis!"  and  irrevelant  shrieks  of  "Fire!" 
At  the  same  moment  other  shrieks  were  heard  from  the 
cabin  of  the  other  boat,  where  Mrs.  McKenna  was  call- 
ing in  agonised  tones  for  her  own  "  Mike,"  and,  so  far 
as  could  be  judged  from  the  noise  and  her  well-known 
temperament,  banging  somebody  over  the  head  with  a 
chair.  Filled  with  rage  at  the  thought  that  Mrs. 
McKenna  was  in  danger,  and  driven  half  mad  by  the  in- 
explicable mystery  of  finding  Mrs.  Quinn  in  his  own 
cabin,  while  Mrs.  McKenna  was  in  the  cabin  of  Captain 
Quinn's  boat,  Captain 
McKenna  ru-.ned  on  deck, 
at  the  same  moment  that 
Captain  Quinn  tied  from  the 
infuriated  Mrs.  McKenna. 
As  each  captain  met  the 
other  emerging  from  the 
cabin  which  sheltered  the 
wrong  wife,  a  life  ■  long 
friendship  vanished  in  an 
instant.  Captain  Quinn 
demanded  to  know  how 
Captain  McKenna  dared  to 
enter  the  cabin  of  a  sleep- 
ing and  honest  matron;  and 
Captain  McKenna  made  a 
similar  demand  of  his  former 
friend.  Captain  Quinn  fur- 
ther desired  to  know  what 
that  •'  blatherin'  woman " 
Mrs.  McKenna  was  doinc 
on  board  his  boat,  and  Cap- 
tain McKenna  wished  to 
know  what  Captain  Quinn 
meant  by  "  deludhin  on'" 
Mrs.  McKenna,  and  meanly 
thrusting  his  own  unde- 
sirable wife  into  his  friend's 
cabin,  well  knowing  that 
nothing  was  further  from 
the  wishes  of  the  latter  than 
an  exchange  of  wives.  For 
several  minutes  question 
after  question  followed, 
neither  captain  waiting  for 
an  answer.  Meanwhile  the 
wives  were  arraying  them- 
selves for  battle,  and  pre- 
sently they  made  their  ap- 
pearance on  deck,  and  each 

upbraided  her  husband  for  unfaithfulness  and  cowardice. 

Obviously  further  debate  was  useless,  and  the  two 
captains  saw  that  the  moment  for  action  had  arrived. 
They  stopped  their  mules  and  descended  to  the  tow-path 
closely  followed  by  Mrs.  McKenna  and  Mrs.  Quinn,  and 
fell  upon  one  another  with  great  fury.  One  of  the  most 
magnificent  battles  in  the  annals  of  the  canal  followed, 
and  the  fact  that  it  was  witnessed  only  by  two  deck 


throng  of  admiring  friends,  is  something  which  no  canal 
man  can  reconcile  with  his  sense  of  justice.  Mrs. 
McKenna  and  Mrs.  Quinn,  armed,  one  with  a  frying  pan, 
and  the  other  with  a  rolling-pin,  hung  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  battle,  belabouring  the  two  husbands  with  great 
impartiality,  and  promising  to  tear  one  another  in 
pieces  as  soon  as  "  the  men  should  finish  their  argufyinV 
The  battle  lasted  with  varying  fortune  for  nearly  half 
an  hour,  at  the  end  of  which  time  victory  was  still  un- 
decided. Just  then  Mrs.  Quinn  and  Mrs.  McKenna 
accidentally  knocked  themselves  overboard,  and  the  two 

captains,  postponing  plea- 
sure to  duty,  ceased  fight 
ing,  and  sprang  into  the 
canal  to  save  their  respec- 
tive wives.  With  the  latter 
they  clung  to  the  rudder  of 
one  of  the  boats  until  they 
were  fished  out  by  the  deck 
hands,  when  it  was  found 
that  they  were  too  much 
exhausted  to  renew  their 
debate,  which  was,  there- 
fore, adjourned    until  the 


7  -     <?/  --,Z 


foil 


ig  day. 


TUE  MOMENT  FOR  ACTION  HAD  ARRIVED. 


The  fact  that  the  after 
part  of  the  Sliamroc.k  had 
been   accidentally  coupled 
to  the  forward  part  of  the 
City  of  Cork,  and  that  the 
after  part  of  the  City  of 
Cork  had  been  coupled  to 
the  forward    part    of  the 
Shamrock  was  the  cause  of 
the  mistake  which  led  to 
the  terrible  and  lasting  feud 
between     the     houses  of 
McKenna  and  Quinn.  With 
a  view  to  avoiding  the  fur- 
ther effusion  of  blood  the 
owners  of   the  two  canal- 
boats  no  longer  permit  them 
to  sail   in   company ;  but 
whenever  the  boats  meet,  as 
they   do   occasionally,  the 
two     captains     pass  one 
another  in  gloomy  silence, 
and      the      two  wives 
ostentatiously    turn  their 
backs     to    one  another, 
and  address  remarks  con- 
cerning  "ondaycent  and  shameless  faymales"  to  the 
universe  in  fi-eneral.      Careful  captains  employed  on 
other  double  boats  have  taken  warning,  and  are  painting 
their  crafts  all  sorts  of  snudy  and  obtrusive  colours,  so- 
that  the  danger  of  another  mistake  in  coupling  may  be 
reduced  to  a  minimum.    This  is  well,  but  to  all  kind- 
hearted  men  it  will  be  a  sad  thought  that  the  McKenna 
and  Quinn  families,  that  were  once  such  firm  friends, 


hands  and  two  mule  drivers,  instead  of  a  delighted       will  henceforth  remain  open  and  bitter  enemies. 


A  WOMAN  ON  MARRIAGE. 

In  the  recent  book  "Philip  and  His  Wife,"  Mrs. 
Deland,  author  of  "John  Ward,  Preacher,"  gives  ex- 
pression to  the  following  aphorisms  on  marriage  :  — 

Marriage  without  love  is  as  spiritually  illegal  as  love 
without  marriage  is  civilly  illegal. 

Perhaps  love,  like  art,  needs  mystery,  for  it  does  not 
always  thrive  in  the  unreserve  of  realism. 

Cecil  had  come  to  feel  with  a  dull  sense  of  disappointment 
that  love,  by  its  very  nature,  was  a  temporary  and  passing 
experience ;  but  she  was  much  too  philosophical  to  be 
unhappy. 

The  child  of  unloving  parents,  illegitimate  in  a  deep  and 
terrible  sense  (for  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law),  Buffers, 
as  whatever  is  in  opposition  to  law,  human  or  divine,  must 
always  suffer. 

A  young  man  with  no  special  income  has  no  right  to  have, 
an)-  special  purpose  in  regard  to  a  nice  girl. 


The  moment  and  the  moonlight  were  too  much  for  him. 
He  felt  his  heart  beating  fast  as  he  looked  at  her.  Dear 
little  soul,  how  sweet  she  is  !  Robert  Carey  was  experienc- 
ing religion. 

The  indignity  done  to  marriage  by  urging  the  continuance 
of  a  relation  from  which  love  and  respect  and  tenderness  had 
fled,  leaving  in  their  place  brutality  and  lust,  had  never  been 
considered. 

It  seems  to  me  as  shameful  for  a  man  and  woman  to  live 
within  the  law,  hating  and  despising  each  other,  as  to  live 
outside  the  law  with  love. 

Divorce  seems  to  me  like  suicide,  not  inherently  or  speci- 
fically wrong,  but  socially  vicious  ;  both  lower  just  a  little 
the  moral  tone  of  society. 

When  a  woman  marries  she  shuts  the  door  of  her  possibili- 
ties, but  when  she  quarrels  with  her  husband  she  opens  it  a 
little  and  aichly  peers  out  again  into  men's  faces. 

It  is  only  when  they  are  husband  and  wife  that  two  human 
souls  can  achieve  absolute  cruelty. 


March  2,  1S0.~>. 


TO-DAY. 


.RIVIERA  v.  CHEQUE  BOOK  \ 

liY 

CEMENT  SCOTT. 

You  ask  me  a  very  pertinent  question.  "Is  it 
possible  for  people  of  moderate  incomes  to  take  a  few 
weeks'  holiday  in  the  South  of  France  1 "  I  think  it  is 
quite  possible,  with  a  little  care  and  judgment — that  is 
to  say,  if  you  really  want  rest,  lovely  scenery,  a  quiet 
hostelry,  decent,  wholesome  food,  a  tideless  sea  in  which 
you  can  bathe  when  the  sun  is  out  in  February,  and 
superb  roads  for  bicycling  or  pedestrian  exercise.  But 
then,  of  course,  you  must  religiously  avoid  what  I  may 
call  the  show  places  on  this  bright  and  sunny  shore.  If 
you  want  to  dance,  flirt,  or  play  golf  at  Cannes;  or  to 
gamble  and  shoot  pigeons  at  Monte  Carlo  ;  or  to  attend 
the  Carnival  at  Nice  or  Mentone,  you  may  take  my  word 
for  it  that  your  hotel  bill  will  be  dearer  than  at  the  best 
Brighton  hotel  in  the  Goodwood  week,  than  any  offered 
at  Cowes  in  the  yachting  season,  or  at  Scarborough  in 
Midsummer. 

You  see  that  the  Riviera  hotel-keeper  has  to  keep  up 
an  enormous  establishment,  and  to  make  all  his  profits 
on  it  in  a  very  few  months  indeed.  In  Switzerland  the 
monster  hotels  are  closed  all  the  winter ;  for  the  most 
part,  the  lordly,  palatial,  electric-lighted  Riviera 
pleasure-houses  are  shut  up  all  the  summer.  Some  of 
the  proprietors  are  clever  enough  to  own  a  Swiss  hotel  for 
the  summer,  somewhere  near  the  Lake  of  Lucerne,  and 
a  Riviera  hotel  for  the  winter.  But  profits  must  be 
made  quickly,  and  with  a  pistol  at  the  poor  traveller's 
head.  There  are  hotels,  no  doubt,  where  arrangements 
can  be  made  to  board  at  fifteen  or  sixteen  francs  a  day, 
and  that  is  considered  very  moderate.  Your  bedroom 
will  not  face  the  sun ;  it  will  probably  be  very  dark  and 
cold ;  and  it  is  just  possible  that  the  food  will  be  very 
distasteful  to  an  English  palate. 

For,  remember,  you  must  take  what  is  given  you. 
You  cannot  pick  and  choose  as  at  a  restaurant.  You 
must  swallow  down  the  rich  dishes,  the  buttered  messes, 
the  same  eternal  round  of  fatly-cooked  bad  meat  or 
starve.  But  your  expenses  are  not  over  with 
the  "  pension,"  as  it  is  called.  Unless  you  are  a 
total  abstainer,  you  must  drink  something,  and  even 
a  disciple  of  Sir  Wilfrid  Lawson  and  Canon  Wilberforce 
would  be  mad  to  drink  Riviera  water.  The  coffee,  always 
supposed  to  be  so  good  in  France,  is  curious  stuff  to  my 
taste,  and  as  much  a  medicine  as  Epsom  salts  ;  and  the 
tea  is  generally  bad  and  prohibitive.  But  it  is  not  in 
mere  sleeping,  eating,  and  drinking  that  your  money 
flies.  I  can  assure  you  that  it  can  be  cold — very  bitter 
cold — in  the  Riviera.  Out  of  the  sun,  the  wind  takes 
you  by  the  throat  and  chokes  you.  At  night,  or,  at  any 
rate,  after  sunset,  a  fire  in  your  room  is  not  so  much  a 
luxury  as  a  necessity.  Now  a  fire  in  your  room  at  the 
Riviera  is  more  costly  than  one  in  dear  old  London 
during  a  phenomenal  frost.  Wood  and  fir  cones  are 
alone  used  in  the  square,  open  grates,  and  although  the 
whole  district  abounds  in  wood  and  fir  cones,  they  charge 
you  four  or  five  francs  for  a.  basket  of  wood  that  can 
easily  be  burned  up  in  a  couple  of  hours.  Your  firing 
at  the  end  of  a  week  is  enough  to  frighten  you  home 
again.  Then,  again,  the  profits  they  make  on  "  light- 
ing" at  non-electric-lighted  hotels  are  enormous.  A 
lamp  in  your  room  costs  two  francs  a  night,  and  candles 
— and  the  very  worst  candles  I  have  ever  seen— are  doled 
out  to  you  at  sevenpence-halfpenny  a  piece  ! 

But,  as  I  have  said  before,  if  you  do  not  want  to  mix 
with  the  smart  set,  to  dress  two  or  three  times  a  day,  to 
join  in  all  the  fashionable  games  and  amusements,  and 
to  enjoy  peace  and  quiet,  I  can  take  you  to  a.  corner  of 
the  Riviera  little  visited  by  English  people,  and  to  my 
mind  strangely  neglected.  I  mean  the  lovely  sea-board 
between  Toulon  and  St.  Raphael.  Hyeres  les  Palmiers 
is  not  exactly  on  the  sea,  but  lies  back  under  a  sheltered 


and  deliciously  warm  hill,  and  Costabelle,  where  the 
Queen  stayed  a  few  winters  ago,  is  equally  well  sheltered, 
and  nearer  to  the  sea  than  Hyeres.  At  both  these 
lovely  places — one  among  the  palm  trees,  the  other  in 
the  pine  woods — you  can  live  quietly,  and  as  a  rule  more 
cheaply,  than  at  the  fashionable  spots  on  the  Riviera. 
But  there  are  other  places  far  less  known  than  Hyeres  or 
Costabelle.  Who  in  England,  I  wonder,  has  ever  heard 
of  Carqueraine]  Who  has  been  told  of  a  sunny  and 
delightful  isthmus  called  the  Presque  He  de  Giens  \  All 
along  the  coast,  from  Toulon  to  St.  Raphael,  where 
fashionable  Riviera  begins,  you  can  find  charming  villus 
at  very  moderate  rents,  villas  basking  in  the  sun,  villa3 
half  hidden  in  lovely  woods,  villas  in  full  front  of  the 
sea;  and,  if  you  keep  your  eyes  open,  you  can  find,  if 
your  tastes  are  moderate,  a  comfortable  inn  rather  than 
hotel,  but  quite  as  good  as  you  would  find  at  some  spots 
of  our  Devonshire  and  Cornish  coast. 

I  found  such  a  place  last  Sunday,  and  I  will  try  to 
describe  it  to  you.  It  was  a  lovely  morning,  the  sky 
as  blue  as  Lord's  Cricket  Ground  when  Eton  is  playing 
Harrow,  the  fields  sweet-scented  with  violets,  roses  and 
narcissi  ;  the  acres  upon  acres  of  artichokes — they 
are  all  grown  here  for  the  Paris  market — just  recovered 
from  a  disastrous  frost,  and  the  air  full  of  champagne. 

We  were  on  our  way  to  Carqueraine  to  breakfast,  for 
we  had  discovered  on  one'  of  our  excursions  a  cosy  little 
hotel,  just  off  the  main  road,  tucked  away  under  the 
shelter  of  a  belt  of  wood.  It  seemed  an  ideal  place  for 
a  cosy  breakfast  on  a  quiet  sunny  Sunday  morning.  A 
broad,  flagged  Italian  terrace  in  front  of  the  hotel  is 
;!  convenient,  platform  from  which  to  watch  the  sparkling 
sea,  the  fishing  boats,  and  the  lovely  Isles  of  Gold  across 
the  blue  Mediterranean.  It  was  warm  enough  on  this 
sheltered  terrace  to  breakfast  almost  out  of  doors  in 
one  of  the  little  boskages  or  arbours  that  face  the  sun. 
All  was  well.  The  cold  winds  and  mistrals  had  blown 
away;  the  pink  and  white  blossoms  were  just  bursting 
out  on  the  cherry  and  almond  trees.  God  was  in  His 
heaven,  and,  so  far,  it  was  all  right  with  the  world. 

Nor  was  it  so  very  dull  at  the  Hotel  Beau  Revage  at 
Carqueraine  that  sunny  Sunday  morning.  Sounds  of 
laughter  and  singing  came  through  the  open  windows 
of  the  salon,  and  there  we  found  a  merry  party  just 
arrived  from  Toulon.  The  genial  landlady  seemed  a 
little  alarmed  at  first  at  the  hilarity;  of  our  neighbours, 
for  they  had  got  to  the  end  of  their  feast,  to  the  coffee, 
cigar,  and  liqueur  stage,  so  she  discreetly  warned  them 
that  the  "Angliches"  up  in  the  corner  were  not  un- 
familiar with  the  language  of  "  la  belle  France."  It  was 
not  difficult  to  tell  who  our  friends  were.  A  party  of 
actors  and  actresses,  singers — possibly  critics — and  the 
like,  who  had  driven  over  from  Toulon  to  enjoy  them- 
selves in  the  sun. 

We  had  left  breakfast  to  the  discretion  of  the  good- 
natured  landlady,  and  she  determined  to  give  us  "  bouil- 
labaisse," for  Carqueraine  is  the  fishing  headquarters 
from  which  the  special  ingredient  of  bouillabaisse  is 
taken  from  the  sea.  I  had  eaten  this  supposed  delicacy 
at  Thackeray's  haunt  in  the  Rue  Neuve  des  Petits  Champs 
in  Paris,  and  also  at  the  bouillabaisse  hedquarters  at 
Marseilles,  and  I  must  own  at  both  places  I  found  it  far 
too  rich  for  me,  too  highly  savoured,  too  much  saffron 
or  something.  But  the  Carqueraine  bouillabaisse  was  a 
very  different  thing  altogether.  We  could  taste  the 
sweet  fish  with  the  enormous  gudgeon-heads  more  than 
tho  saffron.  It  was  a  delicious  souche  of  sea  fish.  And 
otherwise  the  breakfast  was  good  and  moderate,  the 
white  wine  of  the  country  delicious,  and,  of  course,  tho 
sardines  and  olive  oil — both  natives  of  the  Toulon  dis- 
trict— incomparable. 

Now  at  such  a  humble  hotel  as  this  you  can  live,  and 
live  well,  for  five  or  six  francs  a  day — all  included — 
with  a  bedroom  kissed  by  the  sun,  and  facing  the  sea, 
and  with  a  terrace  on  which  to  breakfast,  dine,  and  smoke 
ad  libitum.  With  strong  legs  on  a  cycle  you  can  be  at 
Toulon  in  no  time,  and  Toulon  has  theatres,  opera,  cafe 
concerts,  a  merry  quay,  capital  restaurants,  and  all  tho 


12S 


TO-DAY 


March  2,  1895. 


fun  and  bustle  of  a  seaport.  From  Toulon  you  can  go 
across  the  harbour  for  2d.  to  the  Island  of  Tamaris, 
where  there  are  excellent  hotels  and  the  loveliest  of 
views.  On  another  day,  in  another  direction,  you  can 
easily  get  to  Hyeres,  where  we  have  our  simple  amuse- 
ments, a  concert  every  night  at  the  Casino,  a  theatre 
occasionally,  a  conjurer  or  a  hypnotist  from  time  to 
time  at  our  favourite  cafe,  and  a  mild  gambling  game, 
half-billiards,  half-bagatelle,  at  which,  if  you  are  lucky, 
you  can  occasionally  win  20  francs  in  one  fell  swoop  ! 


Yes,  dear  friends,  you  can  live  moderately  and  hap- 
pily on  the  Riviera,  if  you  care  to  avoid  fashion  and  ex- 
citement. But  I  should  advise  you  to  take  your  ticket 
to  Toulon  and  no  further.  If  you  look  at  the  map  you 
will  find  it  is  far  warmer  here  than  elsewhere.  We  have 
had  snow  and  frost,  it  is  true,  but  only  a  few  feathery 
flakes  and  an  icicle.  We  have  had  cold  winds  and  nasty 
mistrals,  but  they  have  blown  themselves  out.  And 
now  we  have  got  the  sun,  and  the  worst  of  it  is  that  the 
mot  d'ordre  is  not  "  go  on,"  but,  alas,  "  come  back  "  ! 


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REMINISCENCES    OF  A 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 

BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 
Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 

VII. 

The  Great  Mr.  Baltiiazzar. 

HAD  hardly  heard  of 
Mr.  Balthazzar  before 
I  entered  his  employ- 
ment. He  was  not 
"  eminent "  in  those 
days,  and  his  name  was 
chiefly  associated  "with 
AVest-end  poiice-court 
practice.  But  I  knew 
that  he  generally  repre- 
sented  aristocratic 
clients,  and  I  had  a 
vague  impression  that  he 
was  a  rising  man,  though 
of  a  class  which  is  looked  upon  with  distrust  by  sober 
members  of  the  profession. 

I  hesitated,  therefore1,  a  little  when,  at  the  conclusion 
•of  the  winding  up  of  Mr.  Summers'  business,  one  of  the 
executors  offered  to'  give  me  a  letter  of  recommendation 
to  the  gentleman  in  question ;  but  my  prejudice  was 
■not  strong  enough  to-  outweigh  other  considerations.  It 
was  just  the  slack  time  of  the  legal  year,  a  wave  of 
commercial  depression  had  caused  many  solicitors  to 
reduce  their  establishments!,  and  the  salary  I  demanded 
was  not  to  be  picked  up  every  day.  To  my  shame,  be  it 
said,  that  I  always  dreaded  idleness,  in  view  of  my 
ignoble  weakness,  and,  in  a  word,  I  thought  it  advisable 
to  accept  the  first  employment  that  offered. 

Mr.  Balthazzar's  office  was  in  Brook  Street,  Grosvenor 
Square,  a  large  corner  house,  flanked  by  a  modest 
thoroughfare  called  Chator  Street.    When  I  presented 


myself  at  his  address,  I  thought  that  my  introducer  had 
made  a  mistake,  and  had  directed  his  letter  to  Mr. 
Balthazzar's  private  residence.  The  fine  mansion 
showed  no  outward  sign  of  being  occupied  for  business 
purposes,  and  the  handsome  mahogany  door,  which  was 
opened  to  me  by  a  solemn  butler,  who  looked  like  an 
alderman,  bore  no  name-plate.  I  was  admitted  into  a 
stately  vestibule  panelled  with  black  oak,  with  a  marble 
floor,  half  covered  by  a  rich  Turkey  carpet  and  rugs, 
and  adorned  with  bronzes  and  pieces  of  statuary.  A 
massive  silver  lamp  was  suspended  from  the  ceiling, 
and  facing  the  entrance  was  a  noble  staircase,  with 
carved  oak  banisters  leading  to  the  first  floor.  When 
he  had  learned  my  name',  the  butler  conducted  me  to 
what  I  took  to  be  the  dining-room — a  handsomely- 
furnished  apartment,  hung  with  tapestry — while  he- 
carried  my  letter  of  introduction  to  his  master.  Here 
I  remained  until  I  was  summoned  upstairs,  remarking 
that,  on  the  table,  in  addition  to-  a-  large  assortment  of 
newspapers  and  periodicals,  boxes  of  cigars  and  cigar- 
ettes were  temptingly  and  hospitably  displayed,  while 
the  sideboard,  amid  a  profusion  of  silver  plate,  bore  an 
open  spirit  case  and  decanters  of  wine,  with  attendant 
glasses. 

It  never  crossed  my  mind  that  this  could  be  the  wait- 
ing-room allotted  to-  Mr.  Balthazzar's  clients,  and,  still 
less,  that  the  gorgeous  saloon  above  stairs — into  which 
I  was  presently  ushered — was  Mr.  Balthazzar's  private 
consulting-room.  A  pair  of  carved  oak  folding-doors  at 
the  top  of  the  grand  staircase  gave  admission  to  an 
enormous  room  extending  to  the  whole  width  of  the 
house,  and  lit  by  three  large  windows,  of  which  the 
upper  parts  were  filled  with  stained  glass,  while  the 
lower  sections  were  converted  into'  miniature  conserva- 
tories filled  with  fenis  and  flowering  shrubs,  over  which 
tiny  fountains  rippled  with  a  musical  sound.  The  ceiling 
was  richly  painted  with  allegorical  subjects,  and  the 
walls  were  covered  with  valuable  paintings.  There  was 
not  so  much  as  a  bundle  of  papers  to  be  seen,  and  in  lieu 
of  unsightly  tin  boxes,  desks,  and  pigeon-holes,  were 
antique  cabinets,  quaint  pieces  of  furniture^  valuable 


Copyright,  1895,  by  Herbert  Keen. 


130 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1S95. 


works  of  art,  bric-a-brac,  and  priceless  old  china.  The 
curtains  and  upholstery  were  of  dark  blue  plush,  and  at 
the  furthest  end  of  the  room,  opposite  the  richly  orna- 
mented fireplace,  was  an  alcove  filled  with  bright- 
coloured  flowers,  .surrounding  an  exquisite  little  marble 
statue  of  Psyche'.  Mr.  Balthazzar  was  seated  at  an 
octagonal  inlaid  table,  on  which  was  a  blue  velvet 
writing-case  stamped  with  his  monogram,  and  an  ink- 
stand shaped  like  a  bomb,  of  solid  silver. 

It  was  not  until  afterwards  that  I  learnt  that  all  this 
ostentatious  splendour  was  characteristic  of  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar's eccentric  predilection  for  theatrical  effect.  He 
never  lost  an  opportunity  of  bewildering  people  with  a 
sens©  of  his  magnificence  and  importance,  and  every 
senior  clerk  who  entered  his  office  was  received  as  I  was. 
I  soon  found  out  that  there  were  two  doors  in  the'  vesti- 
bule down  below — one  on  each  side  of  the  staircase — 
and  the  butler  was  wont  to  exercise  his  discretion  with 
regard  to  the  destination  of  visitors.  Clients  of  position 
or  strangers  of  good  appearance  were  ushered  into  the 
waiting-room,  which  I  have  already  described ;  but  pro- 
fessional callers  were  conducted  through  the  other  door, 
which  led  to'  the  clerks'  office,  the  entrance  to  which  was 
in  Chator  Street. 
Only  persons  of  im- 
portance, or  those 
whom  he  desired  to 
impress,  were  privi- 
leged to  ascend  the 
grand  staircase,  and 
to  enter  the  august 
presence  of  Mr. 
Balthazzar  through 
the  great  folding 
doors.  In  one  corner 
of  the  apartment, 
screened  by  a  blue 
velvet  curtain,  which 
was  in  keeping  with 
the  rest  of  the  deco 
rations,  was  a  door- 
way leading  to  a 
small,  unpretentious 
room,  which,  in  turn 
communicated  with 
the  clerks'  offices  at 
the  rear.  Here  Mr. 
Balthazzar  kept  his 
papers  and  trans- 
acted ordinaiy  busi- 
less ;  but  this  was 
essentially  his 
sanctum,  for  it  was 
a  fad  of  his  never 
to  be  discovered 
by  clients  with  a  pen 

in  his  hand,  and  he  liked  to  convey  the  impression  that 
he  did  not  condescend  to  details  of  ordinary  official 
routine. 

When  I  presented  myself  before  him,  Mr.  Balthazzar 
was  lounging  in  a  luxurious  easy-chair,  smoking  a  cigar, 
and  glancing  at  the  letter  which  I  had  brought.  He 
was  apparently  entirely  at  leisure,  and  his  fashionable 
attire  was  more  suggestive  of  Hyde  Park  Corner  than  a 
lawyer's  office.  He  was  a  dark,  young-looking  man, 
tall,  and  inclined  to  stoutness,  with  very  keen  eyes  and 


HE   WAS   STANDING    IX    FRONT  OF    THE  FIREPLACE. 


me 
was 
and 
tall, 


a  suave  manner.  The  cast  of  his  features  were  unmis- 
takably Semitic,  but  of  a  florid,  handsome  type,  and  he 
evidently  spared  no  pains  to  improve  his  personal  ap- 
pearance. The  effect  of  his  elaborate  toilet  was  a  little 
overdone;  his  spotless  patent-leather  shoes  were  per- 
haps a  sizs  too  small,  and  he  wore  more  jewellery,  espe- 
cially rings,  than  was  consistent  with  good  taste. 

Our  interview  was  brief,  for  it  was  another  of  Mr. 
Balthazzar's  peculiarities  to  affect  to  be  off-hand  about 
matters  which  generally  engage  serious  attention.  No 
doubt  he  was  satisfied  with  my  references,  but  he  sur- 
prised me  by  dispensing  with  all  preliminary  inquiries. 
At  the  end  of  two  minutes  I  was  enrolled  upon  his  staff, 
nor  do  I  think  that  either  of  us  had  cause  to  deplore  the 
hasty  bargain.  I  stayed  with  him  for  eleven  years,  until 
he  married  the  only  daughter  and  heiress  of  old  Mr. 
Benlevi,  the  money-lender,  of  Cork  Street,  and  retired 
from  business  on  a.  vast  fortune.  He  is  dead  now,  and  if 
1  had  to  write  his  epitaph,  I  should  be  tempted  to  employ 
the  hackneyed  words  of  the  Prince  of  Denmark's  filial 
panegyric  of  his  Royal  sire.  I  am  not  going  to  pretend 
that  all  Mr.  Balthazzar's  thoughts  and  actions  were 
thosci  of  a  high-souled  noble-minded  gentleman,  and,  of' 

course,  I  know  very 
well  the  sort  of 
reputation  which  he 
acquired  in  the  pro- 
fession. I  can  only 
say  that  I  never 
knew  him  rob  or 
wrong  an  honest 
person.  Though  he 
did  not  care  a  snaj> 
of  the  finger  for  pro- 
fessional etiquette, 
I  am  not  aware  that 
he  ever  seriously 
outraged  it.  For  the 
rest,  he  was  abso- 
lutely loyal  to  his 
clients  ;  he  always 
played  to  win,  and 
if  he  was  sometimes 
not  over  particular 
in  his  methods,  it 
was  because  he  never 
scrupled  to  fight  a 
scoundrel  with  his 
own  weapons. 

I  had  experience 
of  this  almost  im- 
mediately after  I 
had  entered  upon 
my  new  duties  ;  and 
I  remember  that 
the  incident  startled 
considerably  at  the  time.  One  morning  I 
summoned  to  Mr.  Balthazzar's  consulting-room, 
found  him  engaged  in  conversation  with  a 
elderly  gentleman,  who  seemed,  from  his  manner,  to 
be  very  much  agitated  and  upset.  When  I  entered  Mr. 
Balthazzar  was  standing  in  front  of  the  fireplace,  smoking 
his  eternal  cigar,  and  addressing  his  client  with  con- 
siderable animation. 

"  Better  leave  me  to  settle  it  quietly,  my  lord,"  he  was 
saying,  persuasively ;  "  I  know  the  gang.      They  are. 


M  'Roii  9,  13S5, 


TO-DAY. 


131 


clever  enough  to  be  provided  with  witnesses.  I  could 
not  guarantee  the  result.  Besides,  think  of  the  scan- 
dal!" 

"  I  don't  like  being  swindled,"  said  his  lordship,  em- 
phatically.   "My  son  declares  he  never  signed  it." 

"No  doubt;  but  he  was  there,  and  I  am  afraid — 
young  men  will  be  young  men,  my  lord  ! — that  the  Vis- 
count had  been  dining.    The  society  papers  would  have 
some  pretty  para- 
graphs about  Vis- 
count Greenleaf, 
Lord  Oleander's 
eldest  son,  having 
been  hocussed  in  a 
gambling-house. 
Now,   I    think  if 
you  will  authorize 
me    to  spend 
one  thousand 

pounds  " 

"  One  thousand 
pounds  !  "  inter- 
rupted Lord  Olean- 

i  der,  impatiently 
"  Why,  I  have 
offered  two  thou- 
sand pounds.  The 
amount  demanded 
is  five  thousand 
pounds ! " 

"  I  know.  Your 
lordship  was  too 
generous.  You 
should  have  come 
to  me  in  the  first 
instance." 

"  Yes, 
suppose  I 
interposed 

Oleander. 
"  And, 

come,  may 

should  follow  my 

humou  redly. 

"  I  will,"  said  Lord  Oleander,  rising  abruptly  from  his 
chair.  "  But  I  should  have  liked  to  have  punished  the 
scoundrels,  and  I  am  still  quite  ready  to  prosecute." 

"  They  shall  be  punished,  without  any  trouble,  scandal, 
or  annoyance  to  you  or  your  family,"  replied  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar ;  "  and  I  think  your  lordship  will,  upon  calm 
reflection,  be  thankful  to  me  for  my  advice.  My  fee, 
my  lord,  will  be  five  hundred  pounds,"  he  added,  quietly. 

"  Do  you  want  a  cheque  now  ? "  inquired  Lord  Olean- 
der, looking,  I  thought,  rather  startled,  as  well  he' might. 

"  If  you  will  write  a,  cheque  for  one  thousand  pounds, 
I  may  not  have  to  trouble  your  lordship  for  any  more," 
said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  significantly. 

Lord  Oleander  produced  his  cheque-book,  and  sat 
down  at  Mr.  Balthazzar's  table  without  another  word. 
My  breath  was  quite  taken  away  by  the  magnitude  of 
the  fee  demanded ;  but  I  quickly  became  accustomed  to 
Mr.  Balthazzar's  scale  of  charges,  which  he  fixed  for 
himself,  with  absolute  disregard  of  the  Solicitors'  Acts 
and  ti.e  regulations  of  the  Incorporated  Law  Society. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  always  made  his  contracts  frankly 
and  openly,  and  I  was  frequently  astonished  at  the 


yes  ;  I 
ought," 
Lord 

"  WHAT  IS   TUE    MATTER  ?  : 

having 

I  respectfully  suggest  that  your  lordship 
advice,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  good- 


readiness  with  which  his  demands  were  acceded  to.  It 
should  be  added  that  the  amount  of  Mr.  Balthazzar's 
fees  depended  a  good  deal  on  the  circumstances  of  the 
particular  client,  and  for  ordinary  legal  business  of  tha 
stereotyped  kind  he  adhered  to  the  orthodox  scale. 

While  Lord  Oleander  was  writing  the  cheque,  Mr. 
Balthazzar  glanced  in  my  direction,  and  said:  — 

"  By  the  way,  my  lord,  this  gentleman  is  Mr.  Milli- 

cent,  one  of  my 
confidential  clerks." 

Lord  Oleander 
favoured  me  with 
a  slight  bow,  while 
Mr.  Balthazzar  con- 
tinued— ■ 

"  I  sent  for  him 
to  introduce  him> 
because,  with  your 
lordship's  per- 
mission, he  will 
represent  himself 
to  Mr.  Elliott  as 
your  lordship's 
private  secretary — 
I  presume  you  have 
no  objection?" 

"  Not  if  you 
think  it  necessary," 
replied  Lord  Olean- 
der, as  he  handed 
Mr.  Balthazzar  the 
cheque 

"  I  do  not  wish 
to  appear  personally 
in  the  matter  af 
present,"  said  Mr 
Balthazzar.  "  Ii 
Elliott  writes  to 
you  again,  don't 
answer  bis  letter." 
"And   if  he 

calls'?"  inquired  his  lordship,  taking  up  his  hat  and 
gloves. 

"  Refuse  absolutely  to  see  him.  Say  that  after  what 
your  secretary  has  reported  to  you,  you  have  placed 
the  matter  in  my  hands." 

"  I  don't  understand,"  murmured  Lord  Oleander. 

"  It  isn't  necessary  that  you  should,  my  lord,"  replied 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  mysteriously,  as  he  conducted  his  client, 
to  the  door.  "  I  hope  I  shall  have  some  satisfactory  news 
for  you  very  shortly." 

Mr.  Balthazzar  obsequiously  accompanied  Lord  Olean- 
der to  the  foot  of  the  staircase,  and  then  returned,  rub- 
bing his  hands,  and  looking  very  much  elated. 

"Now,  Millicent,  we  have  a  ticklish  job  before  us. 
You  must  keep  your  wits  about  you,"  he  said,  as  he 
led  the  way  into  his  private  office.  "  Should  you  know 
this  handwriting  again  if  you  saw  it?"  he  added,  pro- 
ducing a  letter  after  a  brief  search  among  his  papers. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  You  must  call  at  once  upon  this  man  Elliott,  who 
hold:?  the  young  man's  acceptance,  and  unless  I  am 
very  much  mistaken  you  will  find  it  is  in  the  hand- 
writing which  I  have  shown  you.  If  it  is,  drive  straight 
to  this  address  and  give  this  note  to  Captain  Courtney. 
Bring  him  back  with  you  here." 


HE   INQUIRED,  QUICKLY. 


132 


TO-DAY. 


MajSch  9,  1895. 


"Supposing  I  can't  -find  him  ? "  I  suggested. 

"  You  must,"  replied  Mr.  Balthazzar,  in  a  curt  tone 
which  admitted  of  no  discussion,  without  looking  up 
from  his  writing. 

He  quickly  finished  and  sealed  up  a  short  note 
directed  to  a  certain  Captain  Courtney,  at  94a,  Jermyn 
Street,  and  then  proceeded  to  give  me  brief  but  em- 
phatic instructions  as  to  what  he  wished  me  to  do.  1 
need  not  detail  his  directions,  especially  as  they  gave 
very  little  clue  to  his  scheme.  I  realised  their  signifi- 
cance afterwards,  and  when  I  got  to  know  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar better  I  learnt  that  he  rarely  imparted  to  his 
clerks  or  agents  the  object  he  had  in  view.  He  pre- 
ferred to  leave  them  to  form  their  own  conclusions,  and 
so  long  as  they  did  not  blunder,  was  rather  pleased 
than  otherwise  if  they  were  mystified. 

However,  I  gathered  that  Captain  Courtney  was  the 
person  to  whom  Viscount  Greenleaf  had  given  his  note 
of  hand,  that  Mr.  Elliott  was  the  present  holder  of  it, 
who  had  applied  to  Lord  Oleander,  and  that  the  young 
Viscount  was  not  quite  so  innocent  in  the  transaction 
as  he  had  led  his  father  to  believe.  In  fact,  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar revealed  that  Viscount  Greenleaf  had  admitted 
privately  to  him  that  he  had  actually  signed  the  accept- 
ance, which  was  the  reason  why  the  lawyer  had  induced 
Lord  Oleander  to  abandon  the  idea  of  prosecuting. 

Though  I  should  have  liked  to  have  understood  a 
little  more  clearly  what  Mr.  Balthazzar  was  driving  at 
I,  at  least,  fully  grasped  his  instructions  to  me,  and 
half  an  hour  later  I  called  at  a  dejected-looking  second- 
hand furniture  shop  near  Oxford  Street,  and  asked  to 
see  Mr.  Elliott,  the  proprietor.  I  was  ushered  into  a 
Eort  of  counting-house  at  the  back,  where  I  found  a 
snuffy  old  man  of  dilapidated  aspect  poring  over  a  large 
ledger.  The  room  was  indescribably  dusty,  dirty,  and 
dingy,  and  Mr.  Elliott  himself  might  have  passed  for  an 
old  clothes  salesman  from  Petticoat  Lane.  He  was,  in 
fact,  a  millionaire,  and  his  money  was  made  in  very 
devious  ways,  not  at  all  connected  with  his  ostensible 
trade,  as  I  afterwards  ascertained.  Mr.  Elliott  looked 
up  at  me  over  his  spectacles  as  I  entered,  and  then 
glanced  doubtfully  at  my  card. 

"  Pray  be  seated,  sir.  I  don't  recognise  your  name. 
You  say  your  business  is  private,"  he  said,  in  a  cring- 
ing voice. 

"  Strictly  private.  I  am  Lord  Oleander's  secretary, 
and  have  called  on  his  behalf." 

"  Oh,  yes.  I  beg  your  pardon.  I  was  expecting  to 
hear  again  from  his  lordship,"  said  Mr.  Elliott,  becom- 
ing quite  brisk  and  cordial,  and  rising  to  close  the  door. 

"Lord  Oleander  offered  to  pay  .£2,000  for  his  son's 
acceptance  tc  avoid  a  scandal,"  I  replied. 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  couldn't  think  of  taking  it.  I  gave 
full  value  for  the  document.  I  communicated  with  his 
lordship  out  of  courtesy.  The  note  will  become  due  on 
Tuesday  next.  It  will  be  presented,  and  if  it  isn't 
p,id  " 

"It  won't  be  paid,"  I  interrupted.  'The  Viscount 
hasn't  got  the  money.  The  Earl  is  not  rich,  as  you 
know.  If  you  insist  on  going  to  extremes,  you  will  have 
to  make  the  young  man  bankrupt." 

"  My  dear  sir,  you  are  joking.  Of  course,  I  shouldn't 
think  of  doing  such  a  thing.  If  his  lordship  will  make 
me  an  offer,  a  reasonable  offer,  I  am  willing  to  meet  him 
like  a  gentleman." 

"Very  well.  Shall  we  say  £3,000?"  I  suggested,  in 
a  business-like  tone. 


"  Three  !  No  !  No  !  Not  three  !  I  couldn't  afford 
it,  'pon  my  word,  I  couldn't,"  said  Mr.  Elliott,  with  an 
eagerness  which  showed  his  satisfaction  at  the  increased 
offer.  "  I  would  take  £4,000 — and  lose  by  the  trans- 
action— rather  than  have  a  fuss !  There  now,  I  can't 
say  fairer  than  that !  " 

However,  after  a  great  deal  of  haggling,  conducted 
with  great  apparent  eagerness  on  my  part,  and  frantic 
excitement  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Elliott,  he  at  length  came 
down  to  £3,500,  and  finally  to  £3,250,  at  which  sum 
I  feigned  signs  of  wavering. 

"  I  only  brought  £3,000,"  I  said  at  length. 

"  I'll  take  your  cheque  for  the  balance,  my  dear  sir," 
said  Mr.  Elliott,  genially. 

"  I'm  exceeding  my  authority,"  I  murmured,  slowly 
producing  a  letter-case  from  my  pocket.  "  I  should  like  to 
have  a  look  at  the  note,"  I  added,  as  though  by  an  after- 
thought. 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  sir,  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Elliott, 
with  great  cordiality,  as  he  bustled  about,  and  opened 
a  large  safe  behind  him.  "  There  is  no  question  about 
it.    It's  genuine,  perfectly  genuine." 

"  Lord  Greenleaf  doesn't  dispute  his  signature,"  I 
remarked  ingenuously. 

"  No,  no !  Of  course  not.  He  is  a  gentleman,"  said 
Mr.  Elliott,  quite  enthusiastically,  as  he  produced  a 
slip  of  paper,  and  laid  it  reverently  on  the  table  before 
me.  "  There  it  is,  Mr.  Millicent.  I've  got  a  little  pint 
of  champagne  here — something  special.  Come,  Mr. 
Millicent!" 

I  did  not  refuse  the  proferred  hospitality,  and  Mr. 
Elliott,  seeing  that  I  made  no  attempt  to  meddle  with 
the  document,  retired  to  a  corner  and  produced  a  bottle 
of  champagne :  though  I  noticed  that  he  all  the  wlr'e 
kept  a  wary  eye  upon  my  movements.  I  absently 
opened  my  letter  case,  as  I  scrutinised  the  precious 
document,  committing  to  memory  every  word  inscribed 
upon  it,  verifying  the  handwriting  in  the  body  of  the 
note  as  that  of  Captain  Courtney,  and  taking  particular 
notice  of  the  size  and  colour  of  the  paper,  the  date  and 
amount  of  the  stamp,  and  other  details.  Mr.  Elliott, 
meanwhile, .^crim son  in  the  face  with  jubilation,  was 
busy  unwiring  the  champagne  cork ;  but  suddenly  I  as- 
sumed a  dubious  expression. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  he  inquired,  quickly. 

"  I'm  very  sorry,"  I  said,  replacing  my  letter  case 
with  an  air  of  reluctance,  "  but  that  signature  won't  do  1 " 

"  What ! "  screamed  Mr.  Elliott,  in  dismay. 

"  Lord  Greenleaf  doesn't  dispute  that  he  signed  a 
bill,  or  promissory  note  for  that  sum,  but — but  I  don't 
recognise  that  signature,"  I  replied  with  firmness.  "  There 
is  something  wrong  somewhere.  I  don't  understand. 
I  must  report  to  his  lordship." 

"Bring  him  here!  Bring  him  here,  and  let  him  see 
for  himself,"  cried  Mr.  Elliott  frantically.  "I'll  con- 
front him  with  witnesses." 

"  It  isn't  a  question  of  witnesses,  but  whether  that 
particular  document  is  the  original  " 

"Sir,  do  you  intend  to  insult  me?"  interrupted  Mr 
Elliott,  livid  with  excitement. 

"  Oh,  no  !  You  very  likely  have  been  deceived  your- 
self," I  said  with  a  shrug.  "  The  document  passed 
through  other  hands  before  it  came  to  you,"  I  added, 
significantly.  "  For  the  present,  at  all  events,  I  must 
wish  you  good  morning,  Mr.  Elliott.-' 

I  thereupon  took  my  departure,  leaving  Mr.  Elliott 
the  picture  of  horror  and  dismay.    The  ruse,  in  which 


March  9,  1893. 


TO-DAY. 


133 


I  had  been  carefully  instructed  by  Mr.  Balthazzar,  was 
evidently  completely  successful,  for  the  unfortunate 
furniture  dealer  seemed  absolutely  thunderstruck  by  my 
startling  discovery.  The  last  glance  I  had  of  him,  he 
had  fallen  into  a  chair,  holding-  the  document  close  to  his 
nose  with  a  hand  that  shook  like  a  drunkard's. 

Well  content  at  having  accomplished  this  part  of  my 
mission,  I  jumped  into  a  hansom  and  drove  at  once 
to  Captain  Courtney's  address.  Here  I  was  equally 
fortunate,  for  the  Captain  was  at  home,  and  though  ho 
denied  himself  at  first,  Mr.  Balthazzar's  note  had  quite 
a  magical  and  startling  effect.  Captain  Courtney  was 
a  tall,  stout  individual,  with  a  truculent  manner,  a 
purple  face,  and  a  dyed  moustache ;  evidently  a  broken- 
down  man  of 
fashion.  He 
frowned  very 
furiously  when  I 
presented  myself 
at  his  chambers, 
but  immediately 
became  civil  when 
lie  learnt  who  I 
came  from,  and 
accompanied  me 
back  to  the  office 
without  a  word. 
What  the  nature 
of  Mr.  Balthaz- 
zar's communica- 
tion to  him  was 
I  do  not  know, 
.  but  I  noticed  that 
during  our  short 
drive  his  ruddy 
colour  faded  con- 
siderably, and  he 
seemed  dreadfully 
ill  at  ease  w~ien  I 
conducted  him 
into  Mr.  Balthaz- 
zar's room. 

I  was  not 
present  at  the 
meeting  between 
the  two,  and 
therefore  did  not 
know  whatpassed, 
but  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar left  his  companion  for  a  few  minutes  while  he 
came  and  questioned  me  closely  about  my  visit  to  Mr. 
Elliott,  and  he  even  made  me  write  out  from  memory 
on  a  slip  of  paper  the  wording  of  Lord  Greenleaf's  re- 
puted note  of  hand.  He  seemed  highly  elated  when 
Captain  Courtney,  looking  flushed  and  shame-faced,  had 
slunk  out  of  the  office,  and  he  was  pleased  to  compli- 
ment me  on  the  manner  in  which  I  had  carried  out  my 
instructions.  But  he  did  not  offer  to  discuss  the  affair 
at  all,  and  for  some  days  afterwards  I  heard  nothing 
more  about  it,  until  one  afternoon  he  hurried  into'  my 
room  and  said — 

"  Mr.  Millicent,  just  bring  your  hat  and  come  in  with 
me." 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  rising,  thinking  he  wished  me 
to  go  out  with  some  message. 


I  TOOK   MY  DEPARTURE. 


"  Keep  your  mouth  shut.  I  only  want  you  for  the 
sake  of  appearances,"  he  remarked  mysteriously. 

I  followed  him  in  silent  amazement,  through  his  pri- 
vate office  into  the  large  consulting-room,  where  I  was 
startled  to  find  my  old  acquaintance  Mr.  Elliott,  and 
another  individual,  both  seated  uneasily  in  front  of 
Mr.  Balthazzar's  table,  and  evidently  considerably  over- 
awed by  the  grandeur  of  their  surroundings. 

"Take  a  seat,  Mr.  Millicent,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar, 
politely,  indicating  a  chair  by  his  side.  "  You  and  Mr. 
Elliott  have  met  before.  The  other  gentleman  is  Mr. 
Nutley,  his  solicitor.  I  thought  it  better  that  Mr.  Milli- 
cmt  should  be  present,"  he  added  to  the  latter. 

"  I  have  no  objection,"  said  Mr.  Nutley,  who  was  a 

fat,  vulgar  little 
man,  of  a  bluster- 
ing type  ;  "but 
Mr.  Millicent  has 
taken  a  serious 
responsibility  on 
himself  by  prac- 
tically accusing 
my  client  of 
forgery." 

"  My  dear  sir, 
we  have  met  here 
for  an  amiable 
cli at ;  let  us  avoid 
re  criminations," 
said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, in  a 
benevolent  tone. 
"  As  a  matter  of 
fact  you  never  ac- 
cused Mr.  Elliott 
of  forgery,  did 
you,  Mr.  Milli- 
cent 1.  " 

" C  e  r tai  nly 
not,"  I  replied, 
emphatically. 

"  Very  well.  So 
much  for  that. 
Now  for  busi- 
ness," said  Mr. 
Baithazzar,  light- 
ing a  cigar  with 
easy  delibera- 
tion.  "You  claim 

to  be  the  holder  of  a  promissory  note  signed  by  Lord 
Greenleaf,  T  understand,  Mr.  Elliott  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  the  question  is,  does  your  client  repudiate 
it  or  not?  If  he  does  we  needn't  waste  time  talking," 
said  Mr.  Nutley,  boisterously. 

"  My  client  repudiates  it,  of  course,"  replied  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, quietly. 

"  But  he  hasn't  seen  it,"  interposed  Mr.  Elliott,  eagerly. 

"Mr.  Millicent  has." 

"  He  took  too  much  on  himself,  that  gentleman  did, 
as  he  will  find  out,"  said  Mr.  Nutley,  frowning  at  me. 

"That  is  beside  the  point,"  replied  Mr.  Balthazzar. 
"  The  long  and  short  of  the  matter  is  that  orae  or  other 
of  us  has  been  swindled  by  Captain  Courtney." 

"  I  don't  understand,"  said  Mr.  Nutley,  starting. 

"  Unfortunately   there   are   two   promissory  notes 


134 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


alleged  to  be  signed  by  the  Viscount,  for  the  same 
amount,  and  bearing  the  same  date.  Courtney  sold 
one  to  you,  Mr.  Elliott?" 

"  Certainly ! "  replied  the  old  gentleman,  who  had 
turned  very  pale.  "  Mine  is  quit©  genuine.  I'll  swear 
it." 

"  I  also  purchased  from  him  on  behalf  of  my  client, 
Lord  Greenleaf,  what  purported  to  be  the  original  and 
only  true  document,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  turning  over 
the  leaves  of  his  blotting-book  and  producing  a  slip  of 
paper. 

"Eh?"  exclaimed  Mr.  Nutley,  while  Mr.  Elliott  stared 
open-mouthed. 

'"'Here  it  is,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  imperturbably ; 
"but  knowing  something  of  the  Captain's  maracter,  I 
took  the  precaution  before  parting  with  any  money  to 
get  my  client  to  verify  his  signature.  Consequently  I 
am  quite  sure  that  this  is  not  a  forgery." 

I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes  and  ears  as  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, without  changing,  a  muscle  of  his  face,  handed 
the  document  across  the  table,  and  then  leant  back  in 
his  chair  with  a.  complacent  smile.  I  was  conscious  of 
turning  crimson,  for  I  suddenly  realised  that,  profiting 
by  my  information,  he  had  procured  from  the  Captain 
and  young  Lord  Greenleaf  a  duplicate  or  facsimile  of 
the  original  note.  I  was  not  a  little  horrified,  but  for- 
tunately, nobody  noticed  my  confusion,  for  Mr.  Nutley 
and  his  client  were  blankly  examining  the  document, 
and  were  obviously  overwhelmed  with  dismay. 

"  When  did  you  get  this  1 "  inquired  Mr.  Nutley,  after 
a  pause. 

"Before  Captain  Courtney  left  the  country,"  said  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  banteringly. 

"But  if  you  already  had  the  note,  why  has  Lord 
Oleander  been  negotiating  recently  to  get  it  from  my 
client?"  inquired  Mr.  Nutley,  shrewdly. 

"  Your  question  is  very  natural.  The  fact  is  there  has 
been  a  stupid  misunderstanding,"  replied  Mr.  Balthazzar, 
with  an  air  of  ingenuous  frankness.  "Mr.  Elliott  chose 
to  make  application  to  the  Earl  of  Oleander,  who,  of 
course,  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  matter. 
His  lordship,  not  knowing  that  I  had  been  instructed 
by  his  son,  attempted  to  make  terms  on  his  own  account. 
But  when  Mr.  Millicent  saw  the  alleged  signature  of 
Lord  Greenleaf  on  the  document  which  you  hold,  he  at 
once  perceived  that  it  was  a  forgery,  and  then  Lord 
Oleander  consulted  me.  My  instructions  are  to  defend 
any  action  you  may  be  foolish  enough  to  bring,  un- 
less- " 

"Unless  what?"  inquired  Mr.  Nutley,  as  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, flicking  the  ash  of  his  cigar,  came  to  a  significant 
pause. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Millicent  has  just  brought  me  some 
instructions  from  the  earl,  which  I  confess  I  am  very 
loath  to  act  upon.  You  say  his  lordship  is  really  in 
earnest?"  he  added,  addressing  me  in  an  audible  aside. 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  wondering  what  was  coming. 

"  It  seems  to  me  unnecessary.  However,"  he  resumed, 
turning  to  his  anxious  audience,  "you  know,  of  course, 
the  awkwardness  of  the  affair  for  my  clients.  Lord 
Greenleaf  was  drunk  when  he  signed  the  promissory 
note." 

"  We  can  prove  the  contrary,"  cried  Mr.  Nutley, 
hotly. 

\     "  H'm  !    Your  principal  witness,  Captain  Courtney, 
has  left  the  country,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  half  absently. 
"  It's  a  conspiracy,"  interposed  Mr.  Nutley,  who  ap- 


peared by  no  means    comfortable   about   his  client's 

case. 

"  It  is  an  infamous  conspiracy.  I  should  be  delighted, 
for  my  part,  to  expose  the  whole  affair,"  thundered  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  in  highly  indignant  tones.  "Let  us  not 
misunderstand  one  another  on  that  point.  If  this  case 
comes  into  court  it  won't  end  there." 

Both  Mr.  Nutley  and  his  client  were  manifestly  dis- 
concerted by  this  outburst,  especially  the  latter,  who 
presently  said,  nervously — 

"You  were  going  to  propose  something,  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar. You  will  find  me  perfectly  reasonable.  I  know 
the  Captain  has  bolted  !  All  right,  Mr.  Nutley,"  he 
added,  turning  to  his  solicitor,  who  was  nudging  him ; 
"  I  know  what  I'm  about.  Mr.  Balthazzar  is  a  gentle- 
man." 

"  Yes,  the  Captain  has  bolted,  luckily  for  him,  and  he 
has  let  you  in  nicely,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  with  restored 
good  humour.  "  But  Lord  Oleander  wants  to  avoid 
scandal  and  annoyance,  and  he  has  authorised  me  to 
buy  up  your  spurious  note  for  what  you  gave  for  it." 

"  I  will  advise  my  client  to  accept  his  lordship's  offer 
under  the  circumstances,"  replied  Mr.  Nutley,  promptly. 

"  Yes,  yes,  it  was  £2,500  I  gave  for  it,  Mr.  Balthazzar," 
said  Mr.  Elliott,  eagerly. 

"  Nonsense !  You  only  paid  £500  cash.  The  Captain 
told  me  that  himself,  when  I  discovered  the  forgery," 
said  Mi".  Balthazzar,  emphatically.  "  You  may  have 
given  him  back  his  own  worthless  paper  of  the  nominal 
value  of  £2,000  besides.  If  you  like,  I  will  throw  in 
any  amount  of  that.  The  Captain's  autograph  isn't 
worth  much,  especially  now." 

"  Can't  you  make  it  £1,000,  Mr.  Balthazzar? "  whined 
Mr.  Elliott,  not  attempting  to  dispute  my  principal's 
assertion. 

"  Not  another  farthing.  What  is  more,  it  is  to  take 
or  leave  now,  on  the  spot,  before  you  leave  the  room ! 
I  will  give  you  five  minutes  to  think  it  over.  Come, 
Mr.  Millicent,"  ho  added,  rising  from  his  chair,  and 
speaking  in  a  careless,  offhand  tone.  "I'll  show  you 
the  picture  I  was  telling  his  lordship  about." 

I  followed  him  to  the  further  end  of  the  room,  where, 
under  pretence  of  pointing  out  a  picture,  he  murmured — 

"  They  must  accept.  They  can't  do  anything  else,  now 
Courtney  has  disappeared." 

"Why  has  he  gone?"  I  inquired. 

"  I  fortunately  knew  enough  to  have  got  lum  five 
years'  penal  servitude,  and  I  advised  him  to  seek  a  change 
of  air." 

I  suppose  I  looked  rather  startled  and  dubious  about 
the  whole  transaction,  for  Mr.  Balthazzar  added,  rather 
sharply — 

"  Elliott  is  a  notorious  scoundrel.  He  deserves  to 
lose  every  farthing  instead  of  getting  his  money  back." 

"  Mr.  Balthazzar,  my  client  accepts  your  terms,"  inter- 
posed Mr.  Nutley,  in  a  sulky  voice,  at  this  juncture. 

A  USEFUL  ANIMAL. 
Authors  who  have  a  weakness  for  prolixity  should 
heed  the  moral  of  this  story  told  of  a  clergyman  who 
undertook  duty  for  a  preacher,  the  chief  feature  of  whose 
sermons  was  their  tediousness.  The  visitor  apologised 
one  Sunday  to  the  clerk  in  the  vestry,  when  the  service 
was  over,  for  the  shortness  of  his  sermon,  as  a  dog  bad  been 
ii  his  study  and  torn  out  some  of  the  pages.  "  Oh  !  sir," 
said  the  clerk,  with  a  gleam  of  hope  illuminating  his  sad 
face,  "do  you  tnink  that  you  could  spare  our  vicar  a 
pup  i " — Current  Literature. 


March  9,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


135 


A  STREET  m  SUBURBIA,* 


There  are  twelve  chapters  in  this  book,  and  each  one 
forms  a  complete  story  in  itself,  though  they  are  all  more 
or  less  connected.  This  is  a  plan  not  altogether  despised 
by  Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling,  from  whom  the  author  of 
this  book  seems  to  have  learned  several  useful  lessons» 
though  he  has  not  always  been  successful  in  carrying 
them  into  practice.  With  regard  to  the  actual  stories 
the  first  would  undoubtedly  be  the  last  if  .we  arranged 
them  in  order  of  merit.  In  fact,  after  having  read  them 
all,  it  seems  as  though  the  author  wrote  this  first  story 
to  counterbalance  the  large  proportion  of  pathos  that 
■comes  later  on.  The  title — "  The  Courtship  of  Jack  Cot- 
ter"— reminds  one  of  Kipling,  but  that  is  as  far  as  the 
risemblance  goes.  If  Mr.  Kipling  had  never  been 
heard  of  the  author  would  probably  have  called  his 
story  "Jack  Cotter's  Courtship,"  and  been  glad  of  the 
alliteration.  The  story  is  about  a  man  who  is  in  love 
with  five  women  at  once.  Having  said  this,  comment 
on  the  story  is  unnecessary.  The  after  stories  show 
plainly  that  Mr.  Pugh  has  the  gift  of  observation,  tho 
power  of  seeing  those  little  things  that  make  one  man's 
character  different  from  another,  and  the  reason  of 
his  writing  this  first  story  is  all  the  more  inexplicable- 
But  Mr.  Pugh  can  be  genuinely  funny  when  he  chooses 
— which  is  not  often  in  this  book,  most  of  the  stories 
having  sad  subjects  and  mournful  endings.  The  best 
thing  in  the  book  is  "  The  First  and  Last  Meeting  of 
the  M.S.H.D.S."  The  letters  signify  "Marsh  Street 
Hall  Debating  Society."  If  this  were  the  only  good 
thing  in  the  book — -which  it  isn't  by  a  long  way — it 
would  still  make  the  volume  worth  buying. 
This  is  how  the  Society  originated  : — 

One  evening,  Phil  Evers,  Jack  Cotter,  and  Watty 
fcjtaight  called  on  me.  They  filed  into  my  room  with  solemn 
faces,  and  sat  down  in  a  row  on  my  sofa.  Usually  they  dis- 
tributed themselves.    Their  demeanour  impressed  me. 

"  What's  the  matter?  "  I  asked. 

"Oh,  it  ain't  nothin'  serious,  y'  know,"  said  Watty, 
"  Jack'll  tell  yer  what  it  is." 

Jack  gave  Watty  a  reproachful  glance  which  Watty 
carefully  avoided. 

"  If  I  must,  I  must,"  said  Jack  Cotter,  heavily.  "But 
seein'  as  'ow  Watty's  the  one  as  mentioned  yer  nyme  " 

"  'Old  on,"  said  Watty,  "  don't  go  ashiftin'  it  all  on  ter 
me.  We're  all  as  bad  as  one  another.  The  fac'  is,"  he 
added,  turning  to  me,  "we've  took  a  liberty,  an'  you're  the 
pusson  as  we've  took  the  liberty  with." 

.  " 'Tain't  such  a  orful  iib'ty,  y' understand,"  said  Jack 
Cotter.  "  It  just  amarnts  to  this  :  Mister  Bannin,  the  noo 
minister  at  the  'all,  y'  know — is  agittin'  up  a  Debatin' 
Serciaty  for  young  men.  'E  'appened  ter  mention  ter  me 
that  'e  was  :ard  up  fer  a  speaker  ter  open  the  fust  debate. 
Watty  an'  young  Evers  was  wi'  me.  An'  we  all  plumps  art, 
simultaneous,  wi'  your  nyme.  '  D'  yer  think  'e  will?' 
Mister  Bannin  sez.  '  I'm  sure  'e  will,'  sez  Watty.  An' 
there  we  left  it.  We  can  on'y  'ope  you  won't  give  us 
away." 

"  Though  we're  aweer  o'  the  Iib'ty  we're  atakin,"  sup- 
plemented Watty. 

"  What  have  you  three  got  to  do  with  this  debating 
society  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Oh  we're  stooards,"  said  Watty.  "  We  keep  order  ." 

"And  hold  the  coats,"  added  Phil  Evers. 

"You're  ter  choose  yer  own  subjec',  an'  treat  it  'ow  yer 
like,"  said  Jack  Cotter.  "  Mister  Bannin  'opes  it'll  be  a 
subjec'  as  we're  all  interested  in,  that's  all.  Some'ink 
perlitical,  fer  chice." 

I  promised  to  do  my  best,  and  they  departed. 

The  night  of  the  debate  arrives,  and  Mr.  Bannin 
opens  the  evening — 

"  You  all  know,"  he  said,  "  why  we  have  met  here  this 
evening  ?  " 

"  No,  we  don't,"  cried  someone  in  the  back  row. 


"  We  have  met  here,"  said  Mr.  Bannin,  disregarding  tha 
dissentient  voice,  "  to  debate  whether  the  House  of  Lord.' 
should  or  should  not  be  abolished."  . 

After  the  opening  speech,  Phil  Evers  rises  to  oppose 
the  motion.  This  gentleman,  it  should  be  explained, 
differed  very  considerably  from  those  around  him  He 
was  educated,  and  enjoyed  an  allowance  from  a  rich 
uncle.  Why  he  ever  lived  in  Marsh  Street  is  not  quite 
clear. 

"  Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  I  am  afraid  I 
know  little  or  nothing  of  the  matter  in  hand.  But  as  a 
similar  lack  of  knowledge  has  not  deterred  my  friend  from 
opening  the  debate,  I  don't  see  why  I  should  hesitate  to 
reply  to  him." 

'"Ear,  'ear  !  "  from  Watty  Staight. 

Phil  adjusted  his  pince-nez. 

"First  as  to  what  my  friend,  the  opener,  said  about — 
ahout  various  things,"  he  continued,  smiling  blandly  on  his 
auditors.  "  He  said,  if  I  remember  rightly,  something  about 
the  House  of  Lords.  He  said  that  the  House  of  Lords  should 
or  should  not  be  abolished  ;  I  have  forgotten  which  ;  but  it 
is  immaterial.  Now,  do  you  know,  I  agreed  entirely  with 
what  he  said.  I  felt  as  he  said  it,  that  he  was  expressing 
my  views  exactly.  That  is  why  I  rise  to  oppose  him.  For 
I  know  that  anything  that  I  agree  with  or  that  agrees  with 
me  must  be  bad  for  humanity  generally.  Now  I,  as  a  child, 
liked  soap  ;  applied  internally,  of  course.  I  used  to  eat  soap 
as  easily  as  you  drink  beer.  It  agreed  with  me.  If  my 
parents  had  not  fostered  artificial  tastes  in  me,  I  believe  I 
could  return  to-day  to  my  old  diet  of  brown  Windsor,  and 
thrive  on  it  as  well  as  I  could  thrive  if  the  House  of  Lords 
was — was  disposed  of  in  accordance  with  my  friend's  sugges- 
tion. Ergo  :  I  am  an  irrefutable  argument  against  any 
cause  I  espouse." 

It  will  be  easily  understood  that  the  speech — of  which 
the  above  is  only  a  fragment — does  not  meet  with  much 
applause  from  the  critics  of  the  Marsh  Street  Hall  De- 
bating Society.    At  the  end — 

Mr.  Bannin  rose  with  a  weak  smile.  "Now,  if  there  is 
any  serious  opposition,"  he  said. 

At  first  there  was  not.  Then  a  red-headed  man  with  tho 
cir  of  an  Iconoclast,  rose  and  addressed  the  chair. 

"  Concernin'  wot  the  lawst  speaker  said,"  he  began, 
"  Ez  fur  ez  I  could  mike  art  'e  wuz  only  atryin'  it  on.  Nar, 
I  arst  yer,  mates  all,  is  that  fair  ply  ?  We  come  'ere  to  be 
elevated,  an'  a  bloke  gits  up  an'  talks  a  lot  o'  bloomin'  rot." 

"Order  !  order  !"  cried  a  little  man  at  the  end  of  the 
front  row. 

The  Iconoclast  turned  on  him,  and  regarded  him  fiercely. 
Then  he  addressed  the  chairman  again. 

"  Ineverknoo,"  he  said,  "  ez  'ow  the  little  bandy-legged 
man  on  the  roight  wuz  a  stooard  before." 

"  W'y  don't  yer  set  dorn,  Ginger,  an'  give  someb'dy  eke  a 
chawnce  ?  "  cried  a  lean  man  in  a  plaid  choke:'. 

The  lip  of  the  Iconoclast  curled. 

" 'Ullo  !  'ere's  another  bloomin'  stooard!"  he  exclaiired. 

 "  Mister  Chairman,  "  said  a  strong  voice  from 

the  rear  of  the  Hall,  "  Mister  Chairman  and  Gentlemen,  I 
wish  to  make  a  few  remarks.  " 

Everybody  turned  to  look  at  this  new  speaker.  He  was  a 
short  man  with  small  black  eyes  and  wing-like  ears. 

"  Excuse  me,  guv'ner,  "  said  a  pale-faced  boy  in  a  light 
Llue  suit,  who  had  been  furtively  making  cigarettes  ever 
since  the  proceedings  opened.  "  But  are  you  the  Prince  o' 
Wales  ?  No?  Then  thet's  all  roight,  an'  I  don't  mind.  You 
kin  go  on.  But  if  the  Prince  o'  Wales  is  here  I  give  him 
fair  warnin',  once  for  all,  as  I  won't  have  none  of  'is  sauce. 
If  'e  sez  anythink  I  object  to  I  shall  go  an'  tell  'is  mother.  . 
.  .  .  .  It's  all  roight,  ^Chairman,  'e  'aint  the  Prince  o' 
Wales.    Go  on,  guv'nor." 

The  man  with  the  ears  stared  in  a  daze  at  the  boy  in  the 
blue  suit. 

"  It's  no  use  ;  thet's  done  me,  "  he  said.  And  he  sat  down 
and  pondered. 

Finally,  the  debate  is  ended  in  a  very  novel  and 
amusing  way.  The  whole  idea  is  carefully  worked  out, 
and  will  probably  surprise  the  most  blase  of  novel  i*eaders. 
This  story,  if  slightly  condensed,  would  make  an  admir- 
able recitation. 

This  is  certainly  one  of  the  few  books  that  ought  to 
be  bought,  and  not  borrowed.  W.  P 

*  "A  Street  in  Suburbia,"  by  Edwin  \V.  Pugh  (William  Htinemat* 
2s.  6d.  net). 


136 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


grave  ( 
It  means 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

Dearest  Nell, — Dumas  pere  must  have  forecast  Mr. 
William  Waldorf  Astor  in  his  "Monte  Crista"  Ned, 
who  has  just  returned  from  New  York,  has  been  telling 
us  that  on  the  day  preceding  Mrs.  Astor's  funeral  the 
millionaire  widower  went  to  a  Broadway  florist,  and 
asked,  "  How  many  orchids  can  you  get  at  twenty-four 
hours'  notice1?"  The  florist,  not  knowing  to  whom  he 
was  talking,  and  wishing  to  impress  his  caller  with  the 
\  ast  resources  of  a  Broadway  florist,  said,  indifferently, 
"  Oh,  about  five  thousand."  "  Very  well,"  said  the  caller, 
giving  his  name.  "  Get 
all  you  can,  and  have 
them  at  Trinity  in  time 

for   the   funeral.      I  ••  .1 

want  all  you  can  get  1  .* 

■ — twice  five  thousand, 
if  it  is  possible."  The 
florist  bestirred  him- 
self,    bought  every 
orchid  he  could  hear 
of,  but  was  only  able 
to  get  3,800.  This 
meant  a  bill  for  £950 
for  orchids  alone.  Mr. 
Astor  was  so  pleased 
that    he    next  dav 
gave  him  an  order  for 
a  cover  of  lilies-of-the- 
valley  and  violets  to  ( 
be  put  over  his  wife's 
grave,  fresh  every  day,  ' 
for  a  year.    It  means 
over    £20    worth   of  - 
flowers  for  the 
every  day, 

the  especial  and 
laborious  forcing  of 
lilies-of-the-valley  dur- 
ing the  eight  months 
that  they  do  not  grow 
in  nature.  His  in- 
structions were  that 
this  cover  should  be 
removed  everyday,  no 
matter  what  its  con- 
dition was,  and  that 
all  the  flowers  in  it 
should  be  destroyed. 
It  takes  about  4,000 
lilies  to  make  the 
nover,  and  about  the 
same  number  of  violets. 
On  the  upper  end  of 
the  cover,  into  th;i 
warp  of  the  lilies,  is 
woven  a  cross  of 
violets,  and  from  the 
foot  of  the  cover  hangs 
a  cross  of  violets.  On 
each  side  are  four 
points,    from  which 

hang  tassels  of  violets,  suspended  by  bows  of  satin  ribbon. 

Does  this  remind  you  of  the  Taj  Mahal?  How  well 
some  women  are  loved,  are  they  not  1  Poor  Mr.  Astor  ! 
His  costly  flower-cover  for  his  lost  wife's  grave  makes 
me  think,  by  force  of  contrast  perhaps,  of  Christina 
ltossetti's  most  musical  lyric  : — 

When  I  am  dead,  my  dearest, 

Sing  no  sad  songs  for  me  ; 
Plant  thou  no  roses  at  my  head, 

Nor  shady  cypress  tree. 
Be  the  green  grass  above  me, 

With  the  showers  and  dewdrops  wet ; 
And  if  thou  wilt,  remember, 
And  if  thou  wilt,  forget. 


MISS  IRENE  VANBRUGH  AT  THE  ST.  JAMES*. 


I  shall  not  see  the  shadows ; 

I  shall  not  feel  the  rain; 
I  shall  net  hear  the  nightingale 

Sing  on  as  if  in  pain  ; 
And  dreaming  through  the  twilight 

That  doth  not  rise  or  set, 
Haply  I  may  remember 

And  haply  may  forget. 

Would  you  like  to  be  told  about  a  simply  perfect 
visiting  costume  1  Well,  here  it  is — a  lovely  bit  of 
colour,  and  particularly  suitable  for  a  brunette.  The 
material  for  the  dress  was  an  exquisite  piece  of  cafe-au-lait 

moire,  scattered  with 
indistinct  blossoms  in 
a  faint  shade  of  old 
rose.  The.  plain  skirt 
hung  in  broad  organ- 
pipe  pleats  at  the  back,, 
and  was  finished  with 
a  band  of  dark  coffee- 
brown  velvet.  There 
were  two  fancy  bodices 
made  to  be  worn  with 
this  skirt.  One  was- 
of  cafe-au-lait  chiffon, 
over  rose  silk,  and 
trimmed  with  rose 
velvet ;  and  the  other 
was  a  creation  of  cafe- 
au-lait  velvet,  white 
chiffon,  and  Valen- 
ciennes lace.  The 
wrap,  which  formed  a 
conspicuous  part  of 
the  costume,  was  a 
very  wide  and  full 
cape  of  cafe-au-lait 
velvet,  studded  with 
fine  jet  beads.  It 
was  finished  with  a 
deep  flounce  of  creamy 
Russian  lace,  and 
ornamented  by  con- 
ventional designs  in. 
jet,  lightened  by  an 
intermingling  of  rose- 
tinted  spangles.  A 
French  bow  of  cafe- 
au-lait  moire"  gave  a 
charming  touch  to 
this  fanciful  wrap ; 
and  the  dainty  little 
bonnet  consisted 
largely  of  a  similar 
bow. 

The  pretty  dress 
illustrated  is  one  worn 
by  Miss  Irene  Van- 
bri"?h  in  the  new  play 
at  the  St.  James'. 
The  material  is  silk, 
scattered  over  with 
floweretsindeepmauve. 
The  bodice  is  white  embroidered  muslin,  with  square 
epaulettes  of  the  same,  lined  with  deep  mauve  silk, 
and  a  neckband  of  velvet  to  match.  The  sleeves 
are  silk,  and  the  becoming  hat  is  round,  trimmed  with 
purple,  red  and  violet  orchids;  a  stiff"  white  aigrette  rises 
high  in  front. 

The  Henri  IV.  style,  I  am  told,  is  to  be  introduced  this 

season. 

A  good  instance  of  it  is  an  evening  dress  in  yellow 
satin  of  a  bright  deep  shade,  studded  all  over  with 
single  pearls  and  single  pieces  of  jet.  The  skirt  is 
plain,  very  full,  and  has  steel  inserted  round  the  hem. 
The  bodice  is  long  and  pointed,  but  to  meet  with  modern 
ideas  the  front  is  loose  and  arranged  in  a  pleat  studded 


March  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


137 


SANITAS"  IS  THE  ONLY  REALLY 

Non-Poisonous  Disinfectant. 


DISINFECT 

WITH 

"SANITAS" 

FLUIDS,  POWDER  &  SOAPS 

Interesting  Pamphlet  sent  free. 
SANITAS  CO.  LO.,  8ETHNAL  GREEN,  LONDON 


"  SANITAS  "  kills  all  Disease  Germs. 

"  SANITAS  "— "  Valuable  Antiseptic  and  Disinfectant." — 
"  SANITAS  "— "  Enjoys  general  favour."— Lancet.  Times. 

HEIGHT  INCREASE  ID 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 

MADAME  00RISA1TDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisande,"  matchless  for  delicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  8/3.  "  The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Food,"  2/9  &  8/3.  Only  address.  548,  Oxford  St., Hyde  Pk.,  W. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Cockspur   Street,  London. 

INVESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 

RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 

pOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 

^EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 

j^J ARRET  REPORT. 

QUR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 

J^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES   PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
HALF  PER  CENT. 
I*  JJ°W  10  OPERATE 

gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 


rjlWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 
UENT  POST  FREE. 

rjlHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART   I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
TMtf  erent  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II'- HOW   TO  OPERATE 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
'  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 

Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 
from  1888  to  1893  inclusive. 

Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 

Operations  of  Short  Duration. 

Operations  of  Long  Duration. 

Can  Country  Residents  Ope-ate 
Successfully? 

And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 
people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


QUR  THREE-MONTHLY 
yETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contang'oes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


WHY   WEAR   CORSETS  ? 

SO  INJURIOUS  TO  HEALTH  III 

THE  "KHIVA"  CORSELET 

ENTIRELY 
SUPERSEDES 
The  CORSET, 

and  gives,  without  compres- 
sion, a  nice  elegant  figure 
and   good   health,  with 
perfect  freedom  of  action 
to  every  lady. 


Quality 


It  is  also  incompar- 
able for 
TENNIS, 

CYCLING, 
BOATING, 
GOLF,  RIDING, 
Domestic  &  Married 
Ladies. 

In  ordering  it  is  only 
necessary  to  give  correct 
bust  measurement. 

E 


Price 


Mastic. 
5/11 


Silk. 
19/11 


C  D 
Blk.White,  Blk. .White,  Blk  .White, 
Blk.,  White.  Dove, Copper.  Dove.  Dove. 
6/11       7/11       lO/ll  12/11 
Or  by  post  3d.  extra. 
To  be  obtained  from  — 

JONES  &  HIGGINS  Rye  Lane.  Feckham. 
J.   R.   ROBERTS'   STORES,   Ltd.,  The 

Broadway,  Stratford. 
NEW  CIVIL   SERVICE  CO  OPERATION, 

Ltd.,  122,  Queen  Victoria  St. 
KEMPTHORNE  &  PHILLIPS,  Richmond, 
Surrey. 

Or  of  the  leading  Draper  in  each  town  or  district  in  Great  Britain,  and  of  the 
Head  Depot,  &c. 
Wholesale  of  SHARP,  PERRIN  &  CO.,  31,  Old  Change.  E.C. 

Head  Depot :  The  "  KHIVA,"  Limited, 

42N,  POULTRY,  LONDON,  E.C. 


MARSHALL  4  SNELGROVE,  Oxford  St. 
JOHN  BARKER  <Sc  CO.,  Ltd.,  High  St., 

Kensington. 
HARVEY  NICHOLS  &  CO..  Knightsbrldge. 
PETER  JONES,  King's  Road,  Chelsea. 
T.  W.  THOMPSON  &  CO..  164,  165,  &  166, 

Tottenham  Court  Road. 


ARABINE 


MARKING  INK  FOR 
LINEN  is  the  BEST! 


NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED. 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


6D 

PER 
BOTTLE 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfield  Street,  Glasgow. 

H"  KJH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING^ 
MRS.  GRABTJRN,  13,  Bonchurch  Road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Speciality— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  2}  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.   Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


NO  EXPENSE 


is  incurred  beyond  the  stamp  for 
the  letter  or  post  card  of  application  on  receipt  of  which 
we  will  immediately  forward  to  any  address  our  new 
and  profusely  illustrated  Book  of  Reference,  fresh  from 
the  press.  Readers  of  "To-Day"  will  find  it  an  ad- 
vantage to  send  for  this  interesting  work.  Its  pages 
teem  with  all  the  newest  and  best  designs  in  every  kind 
of  gold  and  silver  manufacture,  clocks,  cutlery,  &c. 
&c. ,  at  prices  that  will  be  found  ecpial  to 

LARGE  DISCOUNTS 

on  City  prices.  Nearly 
1,500  illustrations.  Watches  from  7s.  to  £25.  A 
month's  free  approval  allowed  for  all  orders.  This  book 
contains  far  larger  and  better  selections  than  are  to  be 
found  at  ordinary  jewellery  shops.  It  is  compiled  to 
give  every  knowledge  and  assistance  in  choosing  what- 
ever is  required  at  leisure,  home  selections  being  always 
so  much  more  satisfactory  than  shop  purchases. 

NO  RISK! 

Full    amount    returned    if  dissatisfied. 
Just  drop  a  line  for  Book  of  Reference  to 

ENGLISH  LEVER  WATCH 
MANUFACTURER, 

(NINE  ESTABLISHMENTS) 

97,  99,  101,  89  &  121.  Market  Street,")  M*NruircTFt» 
Also  1  and  3  Marsden  Square,/  MANCHfc5lfc,K 

Ami  at  Rockdale  aud  Bolton. 

Telegrams — "  Accurate,"  Manchester. 


H.SAMUEL 


138 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


with  pearls  and  jet,  and  having  three  little  rosette-like 
buttons?  oi'  turquoise  and  pearls.  The  berthe  is  cut 
straight  across  with  some  folds  of  creaniy-liued  silk  tulle 
laid  inside,  and  with  exquisitely  light-looking  frills  of 
.  -real  lace  falling  down  over  the  front.  The  sleeves  are 
in  wide  sloping  puffs  to  the  elbow  of  satin  studded  with 
--pearls  and  jet,  and  open  down  the  front  of  the  arm, 
with  frills  of  lace  falling  to  either  side,  and  ruffles  of  the 
lace  at  the  back  of  the  elbow.  A  little  girdle  follows  the 
lines  of  the  pointed  bodice,  finishing  at  one  side  with 
a  turquoise  and  pearl  buckle. 

Can  you  guess  why  millionaires  have  champagne 
served  in  pitchers?  Is  it  from  that  love  of  simplicity 
which  is  at  most  invariably  fostered  by  contrast?  Mrs. 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt  has  champagne  served  at  her  table 
in  this  way.  Perhaps  the  fact  that  the  real  original 
Cornelius,  who  made  the  pile,  kept  a  saloon  where  he 
was  accustomed  to  "pour  drinks"  for  his  customers 
may  have  something  to  do  with  this.  What  do  you 
think? — Your  affectionate  Susie. 


ANSWERS    TO  CORRESPONDENTS.  . 

E.  A.  R.  B.  tells  me  that  Polperro,  near  Looe,  is  t!ie  original 
"Q's"  Troy  Town.  5 

Alice. — I  should  postpone  "shorting"  the  baby  till  the 
weather  is  wanner.  There  is  no  fixed  rule  about  the  age  that 
this  is  done.  I  hope  you  do  not  mean  to  let  him  wear  low  bodices 
and  short  sleeves,  nor  short  socks.  Very  few  people  follow  this 
old-fashioned  custom  now,  and  doctors  all  agree  in  condemning 
it  as  a  direct  invitation  to  constant  colds,  and  it  is  to  be  suspected 
that  much  of  the  infant  mortality  is  to  be  attributed  to  it. 

Daisy.— The  pretty  song  "Life's  Promise,"  that  I  recom- 
mended to  yon  last  week,  is  by  Clara  M.  L.  Wade,  not  "  Meade," 
as  was  printed. 

Anxious.— It  depends  entirely  on  the  health.  Rub  the  skin 
of  the  face  gently  every  day  with  the  tips  of  the  fingers  dipped 
in  pure  cold  cream,  and  afterwards  in  "4,711"  eau-de-Cologne, 
such  as  is  sold  at  62,  New  Bond  Street..  You  will  soon  find 


a  vast  improvement,  but  you  must  persevere,  and  do  it  every 
day  for  half  an  hour  at  least. 

OUR.  COOKERY  COLUMN". 

Is  "  Common  Sense  Cookery,"  Mr.  Kenney-Herbert,  better 
known  as  "  Wyvern,"  offers  a  volume  of  generally  excellent 
advice  to  the  English  public.  His  very  first  chapter  strikes  the 
note  of  common  sense.  He  says  that  "  the  present  outcry  con- 
cerning the  incompetence  of  the  domestic  cook  points  really  to 
incompetent  management,"  and  declares  that  every  mistress  of 
a  household  should  herself  understand  something  of  cooking.  I 
not  only  agree  with  him,  but  go  still  further,  and  say  that  with- 
out considerable  knowledge  of  the  subject  no  woman  can  effici- 
ently manage  her  house  and  servants.  The  remarks  on  marketing 
are  equally  true,  and  contain  many  a  useful  hint  to  housewives. 
Wyvern  recommends  gas  stoves  for  cooking,  not  only  because 
of  the  convenience  of  being  able  to  regulate  the  heat  to  any 
degree,  but  also  because  they  stand  out  in  the  light  instead  of 
being  poked  away  in  the  dark  under  the  chimney-piece,  as  is  the 
ordinary  range.  In  his  remarks  on  utensils  he  says  nothing  of 
aluminium,  the  ideal  material  for  cooking  vessels.  With  the 
most  painstakingdetail,  he  deals  with  soups,  sauces,  fish  entries, 
vegetables,  and  the  various  modes  of  cooking  meat,  game  and 
poultry.  Savoury  toasts  have  a  chapter  to  themselves,  and  to 
hors  d'a'uvres  and  savouries  a  similar  honour  is  accorded,  and 
"  pies  "  are  treated  quite  extensively.  The  rest  of  the  book  is 
occupied  by  carefully  compiled  menus.  The  volume  is  published 
by  Arnold,  Bedford  Street,  at  7s.  6d. 


CREME    BE  YIOLET 

FOR   THE    COMPLEXION    AND  SKIN. 

"NADixK"in  "Our  Home" says— "For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  is  an 

absolute  specific.* 

"  >Ii;dica  "  in  "  "Woman"  says— "It  will  soon  make  your  skin  as  soft  as  you  can  wish. 

"  Sl*zkttk"  in  "To-Day"  says— "  It  is  a  splendid  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  you 
will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin  gradually  improve,  becoming 
soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  nest  to  a  sweet  expression,  that  any 
face  could  have." 

CREME  DE  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  ointment,  but  is  a  liquid  preparation 
pure  and  exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  ingredients.  It  is  absolutely 
colourless,  and,  as  it  is  free  from  sediment,  it  does  not  clog  the  pores,  but  assist  their 
functions. 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is.  and  2s.  €<1.  fsee  that  the  signature^ 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label);  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 

extra  from— 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


i  "JUST  THE  SOAP  FOR  YOUR  BATH." 


oap 


IT  FLOATS!! 


Is  it  not  most  annoying,  when  having  a  bath,  to  lose 
the  soap  or  to  find  you  have  left  it  wasting  in  the  water* 
Neither  will  happen  with  "IVY"  Soap,  which  is  always 
in  sight  floating  on  the  surface.  Children  are  no  longer 
any  trouble  on  "Bath  Night"  when  "IVY"  Soap  is 
used — they  are  so  delighted  to  see  it  sailing  on  the  water. 

"IVY"  Soap  is  a  beautiful,  white,  "Milky"  Soap, 
hard  and  very  lasting.  Guaranteed  pure  and  free  from 
irritating  Chemicals.  Gives  a  creamv  lather,  and  is 
SPLENDID  FOR  WASHING  Laces,  Prints,  Fine 
Underclothing,  and  all  delicate  goods,  the  colour  and 
texture  of  which  sutler  damage  from  common  soaps. 


PER 
LARGE 
DOUBLE  CAKE 


Ask  your  Grocer  for  "IVY"  Soap.    If  any  difficulty,  we  will  send  you  Three 
Cakes  in  a  handy  box,  carriage  paid,  on  receipt  of  your  Address  and  Twelve 
Stamps  or  Is.  Postal  Order. 


G.  W.  GOODWIN  k  SON 

OKDSALL  LANE. 

MANCHESTER. 


MarcA  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


139 


DE  OMNIBUS, 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 

Ankin's  nime  'asn't  appeared  in  them  lists  of  "  Dis- 
tinguished Pyshunts,"  but  'e's  'ad  the  hinfluenzer  all 
right.  'E's  gort  the  better  of  it  nar,  and  it  ain't  left 
'im  none  the  wuss,  exceptin'  as  it's  mide  'im  berlieve  in 
some  perticular  noo  med'sun  for  storpin'  yer  from 
'avin'  the  hinfluenzer  and  then  curin'  yer  of  it  when 
yer've  gort  it.  'E  goes  preachin'  it  hall  over  the  plice, 
mikin'  of  'isself  a  regular  noosance  with  it.  Yer  tikes 
fifteen  grines  o'  sutthink  as  I  cawnt  remimber,  but  yer 
gits  it  at  the  chimist's  and  puts  it  in  'ot  water,  and 
sips  it  slow.  Well,  theer  it  is,  if  any  of  yer  keers  ter 
try  it.  Lor  !  whort  a  'eap  of  people  theer  is  abart  jest 
nar,  all  of  'era  got  the  secrit  fur  diddlin'  of  the  hin- 
fluenzer and  hall  the  secrits  diff'runt.  Ifyerwaster 
foller  all  the  advice  as  yer  gits  given  yer  gritis  yer'd 
'ave  ter  buy  the  bloomin*  chimist's  shorp  and 
swaller  it  'ole.  And  if  yer  won't  tike  the  dose  as  they 
berlieves  in,  they  thinks  you're  insultin'  of  'em.  Why 
me  and  'Ankin  'ad  words  the  other  dye,  jest  because  I 
wouldn't  tike  a  pull  at  'is  fifteen  grines  o  sutthink.  No, 
I  ain't  fur  tryin'  any  o'  them  mawvilus  noo  remerdies. 
If  I  feels  a  chill  comin'  on  me  I  tikes  a  drop  o'  rum 
joodishus,  sime  as  my  fawther  did  afore  me.  It  ain't  no 
bloomin'  secrit,  nor  it  ain't  no  bloomin'  discov'ry 
neithur,  but  it  does  me  proper.  The  only  reasing  why  I 
'esitites  ter  recermend  it  is  thet  it  ain't  every  man  as  'as 
my  joodishusness. 

Pore  ole  Ankin  !  It  do  sime  a  pity  as  'e  should  'ave 
bin  lide  on  'is  back  just  when  the  Carnty  Carncil 
eleckshuns  was  on.  Disappinted  'im  crule,  it  'as.  Yer 
see,  'e  knows  whort  theer  is  ter  know  on  the  sabjick, 
and  'e  feels  as  'e's  lost  a  chawnce.  On  the  'ole  theer 
was  less  egsitemunt  abart  them  eleckshuns  nor  'ad  bin 
egspectud.  I  dersay  theer's  a  lot  as  feels  the 
sime  wye  as  I  do :  I  don't  'ope  fur  nutthink 
from  nobody  egsep'  myself,  and  precious  little 
from  'im.  The  wye  'e  wuks  'isself  up  abart 
things  as  cawnt  matter  the  price  of  a  pint  to  'im  one 
wye  or  the  other  is  sutthink  wunnei-ful.  Reg'lar  throws 
'isself  inter  it,  does  'Ankin.  It  mye  be  jest  as  well  that 
'e  couldn't  indulge  'isself  thet  wye  this  time.  The  re- 
lishuns  atween  'im  and  ole  Ike  'ad  become  whort  yer 
might  call  strined,  and  a  little  more  would  'ave  stawtid  a 
reg'lar  kick-up.  Yer  see,  Ike  ain't  gort  the  talints  of 
Ankin,  and,  bein'  natshrally  short  in  the  temper,  the 
end  of  their  awgymunts  is  likely  to  tike  the  shipe  of 
old  Ike  wantin'  to  bust  'Ankin's  'ead  open.  I  tell  yer, 
it's  a  dinegerus  thing  ter  'ave  tew  many  opinyuns,  espe- 
shly  if  yer  gits  inter  the  'abit  of  gassin'  abart  'em,  sime 
as  Ankin  does.  It's  that  kind  of  thing  as  leads  ter 
them  dools  in  Frawnce.  As  a  rool,  I  dessay  a  dool  is  a 
sight  sifer  than  a  turn-to  with  yer  fists,  sech  as  we  'as 
this  side  o' the  Channel.  Yer  scratches  a  man  on  the 
awm  with  a  bloomin'  toastin'-fork  and  then  'is 
bloomin'  honner's  satisfied  ;  'ere  a  man  wornts  ter 
tike  a  bit  more'n  thet  or  give  a  bit  more'n  thet 
afore  'e  feels  as  'e's  got  enuff.  But  theer  even  doolin' 
ain't  sife.  On'y  lawst  week  a  pore  chap  gort  'isself  run 
throo  at  it.  And  o'  course  when  people  git  plyin'  with 
them  shawp-pinted  things  axerdunts  mye  alwise  'appen. 
As  I  says,  it's  sifer  ter  'ave  as  foo  opinyuns  as  posserble 
and  give  up  tryin'  ter  force  'em  darn  the  gullits  of  other 
people.  As  I  says  ter  'Ankin  the  other  dye,  "  Whort's 
the  yoose  1  Did  yer  ever  know  any  man  to  be  gort  over 
by  any  amai'nt  of  awgymunt  ?  In  course  yer  didn't. 
And  wheer'd  the  man's  bloomin'  independunce  be  if  'e 
let  'isself  be  talked  rarnd  like  a  hinfunt?  Yer  may 
jaw  yer  'ead  off,  but  yer  won't  mike  a  man  chinge  'is 
mind,  and  yer  wouldn't  respect  'im  if  yer  did."  "Then," 
says  Ankin,  "  whort  the  dickens  are  yer  tryin'  ter 
awgy  with  me  fur  nar?"  'E's  a  smawt  chap,  is  Ankin, 
and  one  as  it  ain't  easy  ter  awnser.  I  jist  called  him  a 
bloomin'  liar,  and  left. 


THE  BANNING  OF  "  THE  MANXMAN.' 


I  found  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Hilliard,  who  led  the  attack 
on  Mr.  Hall  Caine's  "Manxman,"  and  ousted  it  from 
the  Ealing  Free  Library,  in  his  study  at  the  vicarage  of 
Christ  Church.  There  was  nothing  in  his  manner  that 
suggested  that  he  was  very  pleased  to  see  me;  indeed 
from  one  remark  he  made,  he  seemed  rather  annoyed  that 
the  story  had  ever  reached  the  London  Press. 

"  You  are  calling  about  that  '  Manxman '  incident  ?  " 
he  said. 

"  Yes,  I  had  a  doubt  as  to  whether  you  were  correctly 
reported.  You  are  saddled  with  having  described  it  as 
'  disgraceful.'  " 

"  So  it  is  j  it  is  a  disgusting  book.  I  don't  know  who 
it  was  that  took  the  trouble  to  send  the  report  to  the 
Chronicle.    That  is  all  I  can  tell  you." 

"  Might  I  ask  you  " 

"  No,  I  am  not  going  to  be  interviewed.  I  have 
already  had  one  Pressman  here  this  morning.  He  was 
a  married  man,  and  agreed  with  me  that  it  was  a 
book  quite  unsuitable  for  circulation." 

"  What  is  it  that  you  particularly  object  to  1 " 

"  Oh,  it  is  indecent.    Have  you  read  it  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  the  direct  statement  that 
one  man  is  the  father  of  the  child  of  another's  wife  is 
not  filthy  ? 

"  But  that  an  incident,  almost  subordinated  by 
the  book  generally,  which  seemed  to  me  to  be  full  of 
some  very  noble  thoughts." 

"  I  cannot  go  into  that.  Books  like  these  fall  into 
the  hands  of  young  people,  who  simply  read  these 
passages.  A  book  such  as  this  is  a  distinct  incentive 
to  the  commission  of  immorality." 

"  Neither  the  critics  nor  the  public  have  seen  it  in 
that  light." 

"  Oh,  the  critics  !  "  said  Mr.  Hilliard,  with  an  im- 
patient laugh  ;  "  what  of  them?  It  is  ridiculous,  this 
criticism.  A  strange  library  you  would  get  if  you 
accepted  all  they  praised  and  rejected  all  they  con- 
demned." 

"  What  style  of  book  do  you  suggest  as  fitting  for 
public  circulation  ? " 

"  It  would  take  me  a  lifetime  to  answer  you." 

"  How  many  books  have  been  barred  by  the  committee 
during  the  last  twelvemonth." 

"  It  would  take  me  a  lifetime,  I  say,  to  answer  all 
these  questions." 

"  Two  of  Miss  Marie  Corelli's,"  I  persisted,  "  have 
been,  I  understand  ?  " 

"  I  believe  so." 

"Was  'Barabbas  one?" 

"  I  cannot  say.  Personally  I  have  no  objection  to 
'  Barabbas.'  But  really  I  cannot  answer  all  these 
questions." 

"  You  have  studied  the  French  school?" 

"  I  have  not.    I  have  never  read  Zola,  even." 

"  Would  you  object  less  to  a  book  that  openly  dealt 
with  sexual  matters  ;  to  a  book  such  as  '  The  Manxman,' 
which  you  suggest  is  insidiously  immoral  ? " 

"  I  cannot  go  into  that  question,  and  I  cannot,  under- 
stand why  there  should  be  all  this  fuss  made  about  our 
action.  The  book  is  still  in  the  reference  library  if 
anyone  wants  to  see  it." 

The  reverend  gentleman  had  risen,  and  had  given  me  a 
significant  conge  by  putting  on  his  collegiate  cap ;  but  I 
asked  one  more  question. 

"Is  the  Ealing  Free  Library  supported  by  public 
funds  out  of  the  rates,  Mr.  Hilliard  ? " 

"  I  have  said  I  cannot  answer  all  these  questions." 

And  he  walked  to  the  church,  where  the  bell  was 
tolling  for  vespers. 

H.  J.  P. 


140 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

Our  leading  novelist,  who  is  one  of  my  best  customers, 
asks  me  to  retnind  all  authors  who  come  into  my  shop, 
whether  they  are  members  of  the  Authors'  Society  or 
not,  to  be  sure  to  sign  the  petition  praying  Her  Majesty 
to  withhold  her  consent  from  the  Canadian  Copyright 
Bill,  now  waiting  her  signature.  This  Bill  contains  an 
iniquitous  provision  that  any  Canadian  publisher  may 
republish  any  book  by  any  author  non-resident  in 
Canada,  which  has  not  been  printed  in  Canada  within 
one  month  of  its  publication  elsewhere.  The  only  con- 
ditions are  that  he  must  get  a  licence  from  the  Minister 
of  Agriculture  and  pay  the  author  ten  per  cent,  on  the 
published  price,  and  as  the  Canadian  Government  de- 
clares that  it  will  not  be  responsible  for  the  collection  of 
the  ten  per  cent,  authors  will  often  have  to  go  without 
their  money.  Mr.  G.  Herbert  Thring,  Secretary  of  the 
Society  of  Authors,  4,  Portugal  Street,  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields,  W.C.,  will  send  a  copy  of  the  petition  to  any 
author  willing  to  sign  it. 

*  *  *  * 

That  this  petition  should  be  presented  was  decided  at 
the  general  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Authors  last  week. 
It  was  proposed  by  Mr.  Hall  Caine,  and  seconded  by 
Mr.  Rider  Haggard  in  admirable  speeches.  Out  of  the 
1,200  members  of  the  Society  of  Authors  no  less  that 
GOO  have  consulted  the  Society  on  their  literary  busi- 
ness during  the  past  year. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Arthur  Machen,  author  of  that  remarkably 
clever  book  "  The  Great  God  Pan,"1  whose  literary  posi- 
tion entitles  him  to  speak  with  authority,  writes  : — 

There  is  no  question  of  spelling;  Burness  was  the  real 
name  of  the  family.  The  poet  changed  it  to  Burns  as  a  less 
harsh  sounding  name.  On  the  3rd  of  April,  1786,  his 
poems  being  in  the  press,  he  signed  himself  "Burness"  for 
the  last  time  ;  on  the  17th  of  the  same  month  he  writes  his 
name  "  Burns."  It  may  be  right  to  note  that  the  name  is 
said  to  have  been  anciently  spelt  "  Burnes,"  but  the  pro- 
nunciation was  always  Burness. 

*  *  *  * 

E.  B.,  Stamford  Bridge,  writes: — 

In  this  week's  issue  of  To-Day  I  see  you  enquire  whether 
Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling  derived  his  Christian  name  from  Rud- 
yard  Lake  in  Staffordshire.  A  friend  of  mine  from  that 
neighbourhood  told  me  that  Mr.  Kipling's  parents  did 
indeed  christen  him  after  the  lake,  as  they  were  residing 
near  it  at  the  time  of  his  birth  and  admired  the  beauty  of 
the  sheet  of  water  so  much. 

*  *  *  * 

By-the-bye,  a  customer,  who  is  a  New  Vagabond,  tells 
me  that  Mr.  Raymond  is  about  to  visit  London,  and 
that  the  New  Vagabonds  have  asked  him  to  meet  Mr. 
L.  Alma  Tadema,  R.  A.,  who  is  to  be  the  guest  of  the 
evening,  on  March  7th. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Coulson  Kernahan's  "God  and  the  Ant,"  dedi- 
cated to  Dr.  Robertson  Nicholl,  who  has  given  so  many 
good  authors  their  first  start,  is  one  of  the  unique  little 
prose  poems  which  we  associate  with  his  name.  Those 
who  have  seen  the  manuscript  tell  me  that  it  is  very 
audacious,  but  to  treat  the  most  sacred  subjects 
audaciously  without  irreverence  is  Mr.  Kernahan's  forte. 
The  book  will,  of  course,  be  published  by  Ward,  Lock 
and  Co.,  who  have  had  such  success  with  his  former 
books. 

*  *  *  * 

The  tour-de-force  in  Mr.  Ralph  Caine's  new  magazine, 
the  London  Home  Monthly,  which  is  printed  at  the 
offices  of  the  Queen,  is  undoubtedly  Mr.  Hall  Caine's 
great  Manx  ballad  "  Graih-my-Chree."  But  the  Editor's 
article  on  the  Finances  of  the  Church  of  England,  the 
interview  with  Mr.  Gunsberg  about  "  Chess,"  and  "  The 
Diamond  King"  about  South  African  diamonds,  are 
very  good  reading,  and  the  illustrations  of  "  Famous 
Birthplaces "  are  charming.  Indeed  illustrations, 
printing,  and  paper  are  alike  good. 


"  The  Diner  Out,"  who  gossips  about  authors 
every  week  in  the  Queen,  has  an  interesting  para- 
graph about  Mr.  Jerome:— "At  one  of  Sir  Giles's 
literary  dinners  I  had  the  pleasure  of  sitting  opposite 
to  Mr.  Jerome  K.  Jerome.  We  had  been  talking 
of  him  just  before  he  came  in,  Apropos  of  the  fact 
of  his  being  one  of  the  very  few  English  authors 
who  have  ever  been  able  to  get  decent  terms  out  of 
a  German  publisher  for  translations  of  their  works.  I 
know  for  a  fact  that  his  '  Diary  of  a  Pilgrimage,'  '  Idle 
Thoughts  of  an  Idle  Fellow,'  '  Novel  Notes,'  etc.,  have 
been  translated  into  German,  and  it  goes  without  saying 
that  '  Three  Men  in  a  Boat,'  and  his  inimitable  'Stage- 
land  "  must  have  been.  And  I  saw  in  the  Literary 
World  the  other  day  that  he  was  the  most  popular 
of  all  living  British  authors  in  Sweden." 

*  *  *  * 

Other  correspondents  write  : — 

Dear  Sir, — In  answer  to  your  correspondent  "  To- 
Dayite,"  16th  Feb. — Knowing  Cornwall  well,  I  should  say 
Mr.  Quiller  Couch  was  thinking  of  Fowey  as  his  original  of 
Troy  Town.  It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  Mr. 
Couch  has  a  charming  residence  there,  and  that  it  is  from 
that  place  from  which  most  of  his  works  emanate.  It  may 
be  of  interest  to  your  readers  to  know  that  nearly  all  the 
characters  of  Troy  Town  are  easily  recognised  as  being 
drawn  from  life  by  the  good  people  of  Fowey,  who  still  re- 
tain much  of  the  rugged  simplicity  of  the  Cornish  people 
of  one  hundred  years  ago. — Yours  truly  . 

*  *  *  * 

Dear  Sir, — The  stanza  was  written  by  William  Words- 
worth, and  was  included  in  the  first  and  second  editions  of 
"Peter  Bell."  Perhaps  the  following  quotation  will  suit 
your  correspondent  :— 

There  are  a  few  variations  of  text  (in  "Peter  Bell" 
from  the  previous  issue,  and  only  the  first  and  second 
editions  contain  the  oft-quoted  stanza  : — 
"  Is  it  a  party  in  a  parlour  ? 
Cramm'd  just  as  they  on  earth  were  cramm'd, 
Some  sipping  punch,  some  sipping  tea, 
*  But,  as  \>y  their  faces  see, 

All  silent  and  all  damn'd."] 
**  The  Complete  Poetical  Works  of  William  Wordsworth, 
With     an    introduction    by  John    Morley."  London, 
Macmillan  and  Co.,  1891. 

Truly  Yours,  J.  B. 

And  "  Oblivious  "  writes  from  Gladstone  Avenue, 
Luton,  February  13th: — 

Dear  Sir,--Kindly  inform  me  through  the  pages  of  To- 
Day  of  the  title  and  publisher  of  a  well-known  history  of 
English  Literature,  the  third  volume  of  which  was  pub- 
lished quite  recently.  I  saw  an  advertisement  of  it  recently, 
but  have  forgotten  author  and  publisher.  I  wish  you  would 
"  chuck  "  calling  your  notes  "  The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller," 
and  simply  call  them  notes  on  books  and  authors,  or  some- 
thing of  that  sort.  I  like  your  page  awfully.  I  shall  be 
greatly  indebted  by  an  answer  to  my  query,  and  beg  tc 
remain. 

*  *  *  * 

P.  R.  writes  : — "  I  do  not  think  you  have  yet  men* 
tioned  Dr.  Arthur  Stradling  in  the  list  of  literary 
doctors  and  doctors'  wives.  His  writings,  as  a  natu- 
talist,  in  the  Hoy's  Own  Paper,  are  splendid  reading. 
There  is  a  vein  of  brightness  and  vivacity  running 
through  them  which  makes  what  to  the  average  boy 
appears  a  dry  and  uninteresting  subject,  a  decidedly 
bright  and  attractive  one. 

*  *  *  * 

Can  anyone  furnish  W.  A.  C.  with  any  information 
as  to  books,  pamphlets,  etc.,  dealing  with  the  subject  of 
Bimetallism  from  the  very  elementary  parts  of  the  sub- 
ject to  its  deeper  ones  1 

*  *  *  * 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRKSPOXDKXTS. 

MacScot  (Dundee). — I  believe  that  Miss  Millard,  Tedding- 
ton,  supplies  anything  her  correspondents  require  in  the  way  of 
literature  or  bric-a-brac. 

S.  M. — The  value  of  the  book  you  name  is  about  five 
shillings.  "  Cassell's  Popular  Educator"  would  answer  your 
purpose. 

A.  M. — Ten  shillings  is  the  usual  price  of  the  book  now,  but 
its  value  will  probably  increase  in  a  few  years.  I  should  say 
the  two  magazines  you  mention  are  both  saleable. 

1.  "Great  God  Pan."   (John  Lane.    8s.  6d.) 


Mabch  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


14i 


Preliminary  Announcement 

The  Western  Australian  Exploring  and  Finance  Corporation  (Limited) 
will  during  the  present  week  Offer  for  Subscription 

THE 

Golden  Crown 

(LIMITED);, 

White  Feather  District, 

COOLGARDIE  GOLD  FIELDS, 

Western  Australia. 


Pull  Prospectus  can  be  obtained  at  the  Offices  of  the 
Company,  54,  Old  Broad  Street,  on  and  after 

THURSDAY  NEXT. 


142 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  "AUSTRALIA"  RIG- 

We  are  not  surprised  that  the  dealers  are  annoyed.  They 
went  out  to  shear  and  they  have  come  back  shorn — very  much 
shorn.  They  are  sore,  and  it  is  natural,  but  the  threat ._  of 
criminal  proceedings  was  foolish.  The  directors  of  the  com- 
pany were  to  be  charged  with  conspiracy  to  defraud,  and  the 
ingenuous  Abrahams  is  moving.  But  where  was  the  fraud  ?  The 
complaint  is  that  they  refused  to  allot  in  order  that  they  might 
squeeze  the  "Bears."  Well,  even  if  that  be  true,  there  is 
nothing  criminal  in  it.  The  public  were  offered  67,000  shares  ; 
but  this  offer  was  conditional.  The  prospectus  states  that  "  The 
directors  reserve  the  right  to  refuse  to  allot  to  applicants  for 
shares,"  and  they  may  have  exercised  that  right.  If  they  did 
it  is  no  answer  to  say  that  this  condition  is  commonly  inserted 
and  very  seldom  acted  upon.  It  is  always  acted  upon  more  or 
less  when  shares  are  not  allotted  pro  rata.  Even  if  it  were 
otherwise  the  right  would  remain. 

Possibly  our  law  should  follow  that  of  the  Continent,  and 
require  pro  rata  allotment  ;  but,  as  was  proved  in  a  well- 
known  Amsterdam  case,  pro  rata  allotment  is  not  an  infallible 
protection  against  unfair  distribution.  And  we  have  to  deal 
with  the  law  under  which  we  live — a  law  that  gives  directors 
absolute  discretion  in  the  matter  of  allotment.  It  may  be  made 
to  work  injustice,  but  we  cannot  pretend  to  have  much  sym- 
pathy  with  the  victims  of  the  "  Australia  "  rig.  The  genuine 
investor — the  man  who  applies  for  shares  with  the  intention  of 
taking  them  up — is  not  affected  by  it.  Those  who  have  lost 
their  money  are  the  "  stags,"  and  they  are  pretty  wideawake 
gentlemen.  They  bought  believing  a  market  would  be  made 
that  would  enable  them  to  get  out  at  a  profit. 
Their  mistake  was  in  assuming  that  they  would  get 
full  allotment.  They  only  got  a  fraction  of  what  they 
expected  to  get,  and  instead  of  making  15s.  or  20s.  per  share 
profit,  some  of  them  have  lost  £4  or  £5  per  share.  That  is 
rough,  but  they  have  to  put  up  with  it.  "  Why  can't  we  do  a 
deal  like  that  ? "  moaned  one  dealer,  who  had  been  hit  pretty 
heavily  to  another  in  similar  plight,  and  that  was  the  feeling  of 
them  all.  The  widow  and  orphan,  the  parson  and  the  half- 
pay  officer,  are  not  affected.  It  is  a  case  of  biters  bitten, 
and  though  swearing  is  excusable,  whining  is  more  than  usually 
contemptible. 

We  expect  a  score  of  protests  from  the  unco'  guid,  but  we 
always  try  to  clear  our  minds  of  cant.  And  here  we  may  use. 
fully  relate  a  little  incident  in  connection  with  the  rig.  A  per- 
son who  shall  be  nameless — a  shining  and  a  burning  light  among 
the  faithful  of  his  sect,  one  of  those  "holy,  oily"  men  who, 
"Never  naming  God  except  for  gain,  So  never  ta"ke  that  useful 
name  in  vain " — was  asked  by  the  Directors  of  Australia, 
Limited,  to  help  the  venture,  and  he  agreed   if  they  gave 

him  £  .    The  money  was  paid  on  the  understanding  that 

he  would  help  to  make  a  market.    He  promised  to  do  so,  and 

when  the  company  came  out  he  applied  for  shares,  which 

he  sold  before  allotment.  That  was  his  idea  of  making  a 
market.  He  expected  the  premium  to  go  to  about  1,  and 
then  disappear  as  in  the  case  of  the  parent  Company.  Instead 
it  went  to  6,  and  of  the  —   shares  he  applied  for  he  only 

got  — .    In  lieu  of  a  nice  little  profit  of  some  ,  he  found 

himself  faced  by  a  loss  of  something  over  £1,000.  Hurrying  to 
the  proper  quarter  he  appealed  ad  misericordiam  for  a  full  allot- 
ment. But  he  was  reminded  of  his  broken  undertaking, 
and  help  was  refused.  This  man  was  served  as  he  deserved. 
Other  victims  were  not  guilty  of  his  bad  faith,  but  they  went 
in  for  a  gamble — playing  against  very  shrewd  players — and  lost. 
Voila  tout ! 

AUTHORITY  AND  FINANCE- 

The  re-appointment  of  Sir  Hercules  Robinson  as  Governor  of 
Cape  Colony  and  High-Commissioner  is  indefensible,  but  it 
can  have  surprised  no  one  acquainted  with  the  two  men  who 
made  the  appointment.  Mr.  Rhodes  is  a  masterful  personage 
wanting  a  governor  who  will  be  led  by  him,  and  Lord  Ripon — 
well,  he  is  the  man  who  ceased  to  be  a  subscriber  to  the  Man- 
chester Examiner  because  that  excellent  paper — we  are  speaking 
of  ten  years  ago— made  a  chatling  allusion  to  the  family  name  of 
Robinson.  Sir  Hercules  Robinson's  age  is  of  itself  sufficient  dis- 
qualification, but  his  connection  with  the  Rhodes'  companies 


ought  to  have  been  an  insuperable  obstacle  to  his  re-appoint- 
ment. Sir  Hercules  Robinson  has  "  stood  in  "  with  Mr.  Rhodes 
in  more  than  one  great  financial  operation,  and  he  has  made 
money  thereby.  Objectionable  under  any  circumstances,  this 
association  between  the  representative  of  England  and  the 
Colonial  financier  is  doubly  objectionable  in  the  present  case, 
seeing  that  the  financial  interests  and  needs  of  the  Chartered  and 
De  Beers  Companies  have  a  very  direct  bearing  upon  the  political 
situation  in  South  Africa. 

But  these  sort  of  things  do  not  count  for  much  in  South  Africa. 
Next  to  the  Prime  Minister  of  the  Colony  stands  the  Chief  - 
Justice,  Sir  Henry  de  Villiers,  a  very  able  judge.  But  Sir  Henry 
de  Villiers  can'see  nothing  objectionable  in  making  Mr.  Barney 
Barnato  his  agent  for  operations  in  stocks  and  shares.  We  are 
not  suggesting  anything  in  the  way  of  bribery — all  is  above 
board.  From  time  to  time  Sir  Henry  de  Villiers  sends  Mr. 
Barnato  sums  of  money  with  the  request  that  he  will  invest  them 
to  the  best  advantage.  In  due  course,  Mr.  Barnato  informs  the 
Chief-Justice  that  he  has  bought  and  sold,  and  is  happy  to  be 
able  to  add  that  a  substantial  profit  has  accrued  therefrom.  It  is 
all  perfectly  regular,  and  if  questioned  upon  it  the  Chief -Justice 
would  say  that  when  he  wants  an  agent  he  picks  out  the 
cleverest  he  can  find.  But  to  old-fashioned  folk  the  undesir- 
ability  of  the  selection  becomes  apparent  when  the  Barnato 
clique  go  about  boasting  that  they  cannot  lose  a  case  in  South 
Africa,  and  can  say  that  they  have  never  lost  one. 

MOORE  AND   BURGESS,  LIMITED. 

We  understand  that  the  directors  of  Moore  and  Burgess, 
Limited,  find  it  necessary  to  make  another  call  upon  shareholders. 
This  call  might  not  have  been  necessary  just  now  but  for  the 
weather  of  the  last  five  weeks.  Until  the  middle  of  January  a 
profit — a  small  one,  but  a  profit — was  being  made.  Since  then 
profit  has  disappeared,  and  the  weekly  balance  on  the  wrong 
side  has  been  heavy.  The  provincial  company  has  also  suffered, 
but  that  is  doing  better  again.  There  remains  Is.  to  call  up, 
and  the  coming  call  will  be  for  6d.  The  directors  will  suggest 
the  payment  of  the  full  Is.  ;  it  will  be  wanted,  and  a  single  pay- 
ment would  save  office  expenses.  A  new  piece  is  about  to  be 
put  on,  and  that  should  fill  the  house  again.  We  have  before 
us  letters  from  shareholders  suggesting  that  the  manager  should 
give  his  whole  time  to  the  show,  but  it  is  unlikely  that  Sir. 
Farini  would  do  that,  and  his  engagement  does  not  terminate 
for  some  months.  We  suggest  to  the  directors  the  desirability  of 
considering  whether  some  arrangement  could  not  be  come  to  with 
Mr.  Farini,  which  would  leave  them  free  to  get  another  manager 
who  would  give  his  whole  time  to  the  company.  They  have  a 
capital  man  in  Mr.  Brough,  the  manager  of  the  provincial  com- 
pany, and  we  think  it  would  be  well  to  bring  him  to  London 
and  put  him  in  charge  of  the  St.  James'  Hall  entertainment. 

MR-  BEGELHOLE 

In  our  issue  of  January  19th  we  said  something  about  Mr. 
Begelhole  as  the  Mining  Prospector  in  India.     The  corres- 
liondent  whose  letter  we  published  promised  to  refresh  his 
memory  by  reference  to  India,  and  now  writes  us  as  follows  : — 
Re  Begelhole. 

Dear  Sir,— I  am  to-day  in  receipt  of  reply  from  India  as  to  Mr. 
Begelhole's  explorations  in  the  Goldfields  there.  The  companies  he 
was  employed  by  there  were  the  Pat  Pat  Gold  Company,  and  the 
Sonapet  Gold  Company.  I  enclose  my  correspondent's  letter.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  original  syndicate  (like  myself),  who  paid  a 
prospector  to  search  the  Valley  of  Sonapet  for  two  or  three  years. 
You  see  it  was  on  the  strength  of  Begelhole's  representations  many  of 
us  were  misled. 

I  now  repeat  my  offer  to  sell  Mr.  Begelhole  12,000  shares  in  the 
Sonapet  Gold  Company  for  12,000  pennies.  The  scrip  is  deposited  with 
the  Bank  of  Bengal  (Calcutta),  and  delivery  order  will  be  handed  and 
transfer  executed  whenever  you  advise  receipt  of  the  12,000  pence. 
Kindly  return  enclosed  letter. 

The  letter  referred  to  is  as  below  : — 

Brokers'  Exchange,  Calcutta,  February  6th,  1S95. 

My  Dear  ,— Thanks  for  papers  about  Begelhole.    His  princi- 

eipal  show  here  was  Pat  Pat,  and  there  was  a  wild  demand  for  shares 
on  his  glowing  reports.  He  also  reported  on  Sonapet,  after  Von  Moos 
and  Quillet  had  careered  on  the  property,  and  his  hopeful  w-Titing 
bucked  them  up  again.  Altogether  he  was  looked  on  as  a  big  gun 
here,  and  his  opinions  were  quoted  everywhere.  When  people  got 
thoroughly  sick  of  him  he  left  India. 

Much  hurried— best  salaams.         Yours  sincerely,  — 
Is  history  to  repeat  itself  at  Coolgardie  '! 

NELSON  AND  CO 

We  note  with  pleasure  that  the  Birmingham  authorities  have 
at  last  taken  action  against  these  people  witli  the  usual  result. 
After  an  exhaustive  enquiry  the  magistrates  have  found  Nelson 
and  Co.  guilty  of  "  unlawfully  and  publicly  keeping  a  lottery,"' 
and  tincd  them  £25  and  costs,  allowing  £5  5s.  as  costs  beyond 
the  court  fees.     The  magistrates  also  found  Erasmus  Jensen— 


March  9,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


143 


that  is  to  say  Nelson  and  Co. — to  be  "a  rogue  and  vagabond." 
It  is  satisfactory  to  know  that  the  "new  system  "  by  which  Nelson 
and  Co.  hoped  to  dodge  the  law  shares  in  the  condemnation  of 
the  old. 

In  commenting  upon  this  conviction  the  Birmingham  Post 
speaks  of  Nelson  and  Co.'s  system  as  a  "fraud  on  the 
public,"  and  it-  is  nothing  less.  The  buyer  was  tricked  into 
giving  two  shillings  a  pound  for  tea  not  worth  at  the  outside 
more  than  fifteen  pence,  on  the  promise  of  a  £10  note  when  a 
certain  quantity  of  tea  had  been  sold.  But  there  was  no 
guarantee  that  this  quantity  ever  would  be  sold,  no  legal  obliga- 
tion upon  Nelson  and  Co.  to  continue  their  business  until  it  had 
been  sold.  Now  the  action  of  the  Courts  in  different  towns  has 
made  it  impossible  for  the  dupes  of  these  "  rogues  and  vaga- 
bonds" to  get  their  £10,  or  even  the  odd  £5  which  under  the 
"  new  system  "  was  occasionally  "  given." 

LIBELS  AND  NEWSPAPERS. 

A  case  which  came  before  Mr.  Justice  Wright  on  Thursday 
illustrates  afresh  the  unfairness  of  the  law  of  libel  as  it  affects 
newspaper  proprietors.  A  rather  notorious  outside  broker 
named  Scott  sued  the  Star  for  alleged  libel.  When  the  case  came 
on  for  hearing  there  was  no  appearance  on  the  part  of  the 
plaintiff,  and  the  action  was  dismissed,  the  defendants  being 
given  their  costs.  But  this  was  a  mere  paper  decision,  so  far  as 
these  costs  are  concerned.  Scott  is  a  bankrupt,  and  nothing  can 
be  recovered  in  the  way  of  costs.  It  will  be  said  that  he  was 
nominally  solvent  when  he  brought  the  action,  but  where  an 
outside  broker — a  mere  mushroom  man — brings  an  action  against 
a  newspaper  for  libel,  the  defendents  ought  to  be  able,  in 
some  way  or  other,  to  obtain  security  for  costs  if  the  action  is 
to  proceed.  It  is  notorious  that  outside  brokers  of  the  shady 
sort  are  here  to-day  and  gone  to-morrow,  yet  as  the  law  stands 
they  can  issue  a  writ  for  libel  where  there  is  no  libel,  the  writ 
being  intended  to  prevent  further  exposure,  and  the  case  may 
be  carried  up  to  the  day  of  trial  even  when,  as  in  the  Star  case, 
the  plaintiff  has  become  bankrupt.  If  a  man  who  is  out  of  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  English  Courts  proceeds  against  a  newspaper 
for  libel,  he  may  be  required  to  give  security  for  costs,  and  so 
it  should  be  when  he  is  within  this  jurisdiction,  and  there  is 
reasonable  ground  for  believing  that  if  he  loses  he  cannot  pay. 

THE  BUFFELSDOORN  BLUFF- 

The  trouble  with  this  mine  is  that  at  a  depth  of  600  feet  an 
enormous  dyke  is  encountered,  and  in  the  upper  levels  there  are 
very  little  "  backs,  "  so  that  the  ore  reserve  is  not  so  great  as  the 
public  has  been  lead  to  believe.  The  recent  amalgamation  with 
the  adjoining  properties  was  hurriedly  put  through  before  the 
dyke  trouble  had  become  public  property.  At  the  present  market 
quotation  the  concern  is  capitalised  at  close  on  £2,000,000,  and  as 
no  permanent  formation  has  yet  been  discovered  below  the  dyke» 
it  is  pretty  clear  that  Buffelsdoorns  are  shares  to  avoid. 

CAVE  CRCESUSi 

A  well-informed  correspondent  writes  from  Johannesburg :  — 
Be  caieful  of  New  Croesus.  I  have  been  to  the  mine,  and  don't 
believe  (hey  will  get  to  work  before  June.  They  are  putting  up  plant 
which  will  throwjthe  company  over  £100,000  in  debt  before  completion 
and  with  (  heir  low  grade  ore  will  take  them  all  their  time  to  clear  the 
debt  without  increasing  the  capital. 

The  capital  of  the  Langlaagte  Royal  is  to  be  increased  by 
£30,000,  which  will  surprise  nobody  who  read  a  letter  from 
Johannesburg  which  appeared  in  our  issue  of  November  3. 
More  Barnato/  the  shareholders  received  no  previous  intima- 
tion of  the  intended  issue.  The  Trust  Deed  enables  the  directors 
to  do  as  they  like,  the  deed  being  similar  to  that  of  the  Johanes- 
burg  Consolidated  Investment,  and  other  concerns  of  the  same 
stable. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 

Balkis  Eerstolings  Rex  (Jersey).— We  think  you  should  hold.  There 
Is  a  good  deal  that  requires  explanation  in  the  recent  action  of  persons  con- 
nected with  the  company,  but  the  price  may  go  somewhat  better  before 
long,  when  you  will  do  well  to  sell.  Two  Companies,  J.  K.  (Portia  - 
head).— The  first  of  the  two  companies  you  name  has  been  going  downhill 
for  several  years,  and  has  paid  no  dividend  for  the  last  six  years,  but  it 
still  lives  ;  we  cannot  decipher  the  name  of  the  other.  Sundry  Com- 
panies. R.  H.  W.  (Leeds) — 1.  We  cannot  advise  you  to  Imyshaiesin 
the  reconstmcted  company.  There  is  no  proof  that  the  defects  of  the 
patent  have  been  remt  died.  2.  The  shares  of  the  other  two  companies 
represent  fairly  good  investments,  provident  Association  of  Lon- 
don. W.  C.  N.  (Leicester).— We  must  refer  you  to  what  we  said  on  the 
subject  in  our  issue  of  February  22.  Electro-Chemical  Company. 
J  O.  C.  (London). — We  should  prefer  another  selection.  Anglo  Cali- 
fornian  Land  and  Improvement  Company,  Limited. 
Semper  Vigilans  (Liverpool). — We  do  not  believe  in  these  pay  merits 
down  before  the  settler  sees  the  country.   It  is  too  much  like  buying  a  pig 


in  a  poke.  Some  experience  of  the  country  and  the  work  is  imperative  if 
avoidable  loss  is  to  be  guarded  against.  We  know  nothing  of  the  company 
you  refer  to,  so  that  what  we  have  said  above  must  not  be  taken  as  any  re- 
flection upon  it.  There  is  money  to  be  made  by  fruit-growing,  but  not  very 
easily.  Nelson  and  Co.  W.  H.  H.  (Sheffield).— We  are  obliged  to  you 
for  the  bonds.  We  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  at  any  time.  Empir* 
Economic  Steam  Product,  Limited.  J.  A  (Hanley).— Very  specu- 
lative. It  reads  all  very  nicely,  but  when  it  comes  to  practical  working  there 
is  generally  a  hitch.  We  thank  you  for  your  kindly  expressions  about  To-Day. 
Standing  of  Firm.  M.  A.  (Epping).— Let  us  have  the  papers.  American 
Railway.  A.  T.  (Leeds).— The  risk  would  be  very  considerable,  and  we  are 
inclined  to  advise  you  to  cut  the  loss.  Good  News.  Mrs.  A.  (Bristol).— We 
think  so.  The  man  you  name  is  an  arrant  rascal.  Sundry  Shares.  G.  L.W. 
(Burnham). — They  are  all  sound  investments  with  the  exception  of  the  last 
but  one.   You  can  find  the  other  information  you  want  in  any  book  of 

reference.  The  Eastern  Empire  Music  Hall.  We  agree  in  all 

you  say  about  this  wretched  company,  but  our  space  will  not  allow  us  to 
give  those  concerned  the  "  fits  "  you  so  amusingly  insist  upon.  Russian 
Spratts  Patent,  Limited.  E.  C.  B.  (Janow-on-Tyne).— None  whatever. 
Its  history  has  been  one  of  unbroken  disaster.  Yorkshire  Guarantee 
and  Securities  Corporation.  J.  H.  L.  (Cleckheaton).— We  do  not 
think  it  would  be  to  your  advantage  to  sell  just  now.  Rio  Grande  Four 
per  Cent.  Gold  Bonds.  Bondholder  (Perth).— Yes.  The  Globe 
Debt  Recovery  Offices.  Spootist.  (Stamford  Hill).— This  business 
was  worked  by  a|man  named  Morrison— the  company  is  mythical— who 
died  just  before  Christmas.  Morrison  was  at  this  work  eight  or  nine  years, 
and  complaints  similar  to  yours  were  very  common  during  the  whole  of 
that  time.  Investment  of  £50.  F.  W.  E.  C.  (London).—  The  Savings 
Bank  is  the  best  place  for  it.  It  will  be  safe  there,  and  the  sum  is  so  small 
that  the  difference  in  interest  between  what  the  bank  gives  and  you  would 
get  elsewhere  with  anything  approaching  equal  security  is  so  small  that  we 
cannot  recommend  your  friend  to  go  beyond  the  bank.  Sundry  Bonds. 
Edward  (Bromsgrove).  We  advise  you  to  keep  them  all  for  the  present 
but  to  watch  the  market  and  sell  upon  any  substantial  rise,  re-investing 
the  money  in  home  securities.  Moore  and  Burgess,  Limited.  J.  T. 
(Rotherham).— It  would  be  a  very  speculative  purchase,  and  you  could 
buy  them  cheaper.  Sheba  Gold  Mines.  SHEBA..(Sidmouth).— Very  specu- 
lative. Waterford  and  Central  Ireland'  Railway  Company. 
W.  E.  A.  (Crauleigh). — We  think  the  stock  worth  its  present  quotation. 
Lewis  Hepworth  and  Company,  Limited.  M.  C.  (Epping).— 
We  have  received  the  papers,  which  shall  have  our  attention.  Broken 
Hills.  A.  C.  (Tadcaster).  —  It  depends  Eupon  the  precise  time  of 
buying,  which  you  have  not  given  us.  Sale  of  Patent.  (Notting- 
ham).—You  must  send  us  full  particulars  if  we  are  to  help  you.  East 
Tennessee,  etc.,  Railway.  Nemo  (Ladywell).— The  1893  scheme  of 
reorganisation  fell  through,  but  another  plan  brought  forward  in  February 
of  last  year  is  being  carried  out.  You  will  find  full  particulars  in  the 
Stock  Exchange  Year  Book.  The  Northern  Tin  and  Smelting  Com- 
pany. E.  S.  S.  B.  (London).— Veiy  speculative.  Income  Tax.  J.  P. 
(Dundee).—  We  do  not  think  you  could  recover,  and  we  are  quite  sure  that 
the  6s.  lOd.  would  not  pay  your  friend  for  the  trouble  involved  in  the 
attempt  to  recover. 

INSURANCE. 

Star  Life  Office.  Policy  OwNER(Liverpool).— Wehavecarefully  perused 
the  terms  of  the  policy,  and  the  correspondence  which  has  taken  place  with 
the  society.   The  policy  ought  not  to  have  been  issued  with  such  Trusts  as 
it  contains,  for  they  do  not  provide  for  the  probable  circumstance  of  your 
not  marrying  again.   In  case  you  do  not  marry  again  the  contention  may  be 
made— just  as  reasonably  as  the  present  contention  is  made— that  as  there 
is  no  widow  there  is  no  one  who  can  give  a  valid  receipt  for  the  sum  as- 
sured, and  that  the  society  is,  therefore,  entitled  to  keep  all  the  premiums 
received  and  pay  nothing.     The  contention  on  behalf  of  the  society 
that    there  is  no  one  who  can  give  a  valid  receipt  for  the  surrender 
value   is,  we  have  no  doubt,  perfectly    good,   but  all  the  same 
it  is  purely  technical,  and  we  have  no  sympathy  with  it.    No  provision  is 
made  for  payment  of  surrender  value,  but  the  first  condition  provides  that 
if  the  premium  be  not  duly  paid  the  policy  shall  become  void,  and  the  ninth 
condition  provides  that  all  [premiums  paid  on  policies  which  become  void 
shall  be  forfeited  to  the  society.    The  directors  have  power  to  make  ex- 
gratia  payments,  and  they  can  arrange  to  make  such  to  ycu  after  the 
policy  becomes  void  by  reason  of  non-payment  of  the  premium  due  on  the 
8th  of  this   month.      The  amount  that  ought  to  be  paid  to  you  i3 
what  actuaries  call  the  "  office  reserve  "  on  your  policy,  which  is  more 
than  the  surrender  value  usually  paid  by  the  Star.   We  say  the  larger 
amount  because  the  society  ought  never  to  have  issued  such  a  policy.  You 
have  thirty  days'  grace  from  the  8th  of  March  in  which  to  carry  out  the 
arrangement  we  suggest,  and  if  the  directois  agree  to  this  we  shall  not 
need  to  advise  you  further.   If  the  directors  do  not  agree  pay  the  premium 
becoming  due,  and  we  will  go  further  into  the  matter.    Your  solicitor  had 
better  write  with  the  suggestion  here  made  to  the  secretary  in  London, 
and  not  to  the  district  manager  at  Liverpool,  who  seems   to  be 
a    mere    conduit    pipe    in    the    matter.     We    retain    the  policy 
and  correspondence  in   case  we   have   to  return    to    the  matter. 
Edinburgh  Employers'  Liability  Company.   G.  H.  Rayner.— 
Before  advising  you  we  prefer  to  obtain  further  information.  Mutual 
Life  Insurance  Company  of  New  York.  F.  L.  (Dudley).— The 
company  is  well  known,  and  beyond  doubt  is  quite  sound.   Medical  exam- 
ination is  dispensed  with  only  under  certain  tables.  Royal  Exchange 
and  Mutual  of  New  York.  S.  E.  P.   (Woburn  Sands).— The  Mutual  -. 
of  New  York  plan  may  be  legal  in  America,  but  we  do  not  think  it  is  in 
this  country.  -  The  Royal  Exchange  is  right  in  its  objection  to  an  endorse- 
ment.  You  and  your  brother  should  each  make  a  will  bequeathing  the 
assurance  money  to  the  ot  her.   Either'or  both  of  you  may  marry  and  desire 
that  your  widows  should  be  the  beneficiary.    Under  any  and  all  circum- 
stances a  will  is  the  best,  and  a  solicitor  need  not  be  employed  for  that. 
Life  Assurance.  M.  E.  J.  (Sheerness). — You  would  be  able  to  borrow 
most  on  that  policy  on  which  you  have  paid  most,  namely,  the  fifteen 
years'  policy.  United  Kingdom  Temperance  Life  Office.  A.  W.  W. 
(Birmingham).— It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  better  office.  Four  Insur- 
ance Companies.  Agent  (Torquay). —No.  1  is  a  strong  and  well-managed 
company  ;  No.  2  is  moderate,  but  you  would  not  find  it  easy  to  indr.ee  people 
to  assure  in  it ;  No.  3  is  sound  and  well  managed  ;  No.  4  we  would  not  trust. 
Palatine  Fire  Office.  G.  Thompson  (Hornsey).— You  may  insure  in  it 
with  perfect  safety.   Fire  Lite  Offices.  Dumureck.— No.  1  is  a  fossil, 
and  the  principal  officer  is  doing  his  best  to  get  it  transferred  to  another 
company.   No.  3  will  probably  give  you  the  best  return  for  your  premium 
if  you  take  a  wilh-profit  policy.  Nos.  2,  i  and  5  are  all  good  offices  and  will 
deal  fairly  with  you.    They  are  quite  sound.   With-profit  policies  pay 
policy-holders  better.  Sickness  and  Accident  Assurance  Associa- 
tion.  C.  W.  G.— We  cannot  undertake  to  recommend  individual  agents. 


NEW  ISSUES. 

The  Golden  Crown,  Limited.— The  preliminary  notice  of  this  com- 
pany will  be  found  on  another  page.  The  company  has  been  formed  (o 
acquire  and  work  three  mining  properties,  said  to  be  rich  in  gold.  The 
reports  from  the  experts  speak  very  favourably  of  th5?e  properties. 

The  Photo-Chromatic  Printing  Company,  Limited,  Capital 
£100,000.  Formed  '.o  work  certain  patents,  of  doubtful  value,  and  secret 
processes  which  may  be  of  considerable  value  to  the  company,  if  they  are 
really  secret.  But  we  are  told  that  they  are  known  to  another,  who  may 
be  a  rival. 


144 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


DRURY  LANE    THEATRE    ROYAL.- SIR  AUGUSTUS 
HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.    EVERY  EVENING  at  7.30,  and 
WEDNESDAYS  and  SATURDAYS  at  1.30.   Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand 
New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
Full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day. 

LYCEUM.— KING  ARTHUR,  by    J.    COMYNS  CARR. 

EVERY  NIGHT,  at  8  punctually.  Mr.  Irving,  Mr.  Forbes  Robertson, 
Miss  Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  Music  by  Arthur  Sullivan. 
Scenery  and  Costumes  designed  by  Sir  Ed.  Burne-Jones.  Box  Office 
(Mr.  J.  Hurstl  open  daily  10  till  5,  and  during  the  performance.  Seats 
also  bocked  by  letter  or  telegram. 

POYAL   PRINCESS'S    THEATRE — -EVERY  EVENING 

at  8.30.  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30,  by  arrangements  with 
the  Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company,  Humperdiuck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEL 
and  GRETEL  (in  English).   Box  Office  now  open. 

DALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
A  THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 

MOORE   AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
The  Best  Minstrels  in  the  World. 
New  Songs,  Ballads,  and  Choruses. 
POSITIVELY  THE  LAST  of  "THE  YALLER  GAL," 
Operetta  by  G.  R.  Sims  and  Ivan  Caryll.     In  rehearsal  Comic  Operetta, 
"  The  Black  Constabulary,"  by  Joseph  Tabrar. 
EVERY  NIGHT  at  8,  and 
MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY,  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30. 

[Prices  5a.,  3s.,  2s.,  and  Is.        Farini,  Manager. 

POYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 
2.30  and  7.30.  —GREAT  YACHTING,  BOATING  and  FISHERIES 
EXHIBITIONS.   CONCERT.    SWIMMING.    BILLIARD  MATCH. 

NIAGARA  HALL— 

"  ST.   JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 

REAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
Daily,  9.30  to  1.0,  3s. ;  3.0  to  6.0,  5s. ;  8.0  to  11.30,  3s. 
EXCELLENT   ORCHESTRA.  FIRST  -  CLASS  RESTAURANT. 

OPEN   ALL  DAY. 


THE 


THE 


u 


THE 


THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

For  all  particulars  as  to  this  unique  invention,  address : 

41,  HOLBORN    VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C 

Volume  I.  of  "  TO-DAY,"  containing  the  whole  of 

R,  L  STtVE^SOiS  LATEST  STORY, 

"THE   EBB  -  TIDE," 

la  offere.l  as  a  premium  to  any  person  sending  us  an  Annual 
Subscription  (Eleven  Shillings)  to  "  TO-DAY." 


MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

English  Invention— English  Manufacture. 
The  only  Perfect  Writing  Machine. 
Differential "  Spacing— Visible  Writing. 

MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

Unequalled  for  Manifolding. 
Perfect  alignment  secured. 
Pad  Machine— No  Ribbon. 

MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

Only  32  keys  writing  96  characters. 

Unequalled  for  Speed. 

The  First  and  Foremost  Type  Writer. 


The  GREAT  EASTERN  HOTEL, 

LIVERPOOL  STREET,  E.C. 

Centrally  Situated.   Electric  Light  Throughout.  Moderate  Charge; 

RESTAURANT  adjoining  HOTEL  for  MID-DAY 
LUNCHEONS  and  PUBLIC  DINNERS. 

H.  C.  AMENDT,  Manager. 


UNION 


South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHONALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON  ever,/  SATURDAY. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  callatLISBOXandTENERIFE. 
Union  Line  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton  ;   14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 

PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  Limited, 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.C. 


FOUNDED  1843. 


Invested  Funds 


£20,000,000 


Gresham 


ESTABLISHED 
1848. 


Life 


Office 


(LTD.) 

Assets  Exceed  £5,250,000. 

)ffice:  St.  Mildred's  House,  Poultry,  London,  E.C. 

"HE     GRESHAM     LIFE     ASSURANCE     SOCIETY,  LIMITED. 


KERN  COUNTY  LAND   COMPANY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 

96-9S,  LEADENHALL  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C 

W.  A,  NYGH,  European  Special  Agent. 

The  above  Company  calls  the  particular  attention  of  parents  and  guardians 
to  the  mode  by  which  they  can  give  their  soin  and  wards  a  start  in  life  on 
its  lands— a  small  capital  only  being  required.  Special  Party  No.  3)  will 
leave  for  tne  estates  of  the  Company  early  in  June,  1895.  Apply  for  full 
particulars  at  the  above  address  or  at  the  Glasgow  Office, 

George  Smith,  21,  Hope  Street. 

"EXCEPTIONALLY  SAFE  AND  SOUND  FIVE  PER  CENT. 

Pi  INVESTMENT.— The  Directors  of  a  flourishing  engineering  com- 
pany in  Lancashire,  which  for  the  last  three  years  has  paid  dividends  of 
8, 10,  and  12  per  cent,  per  annum,  are  prepared  to  offer  debenture  bonds 
to  the  extent  of  £700(1,  in  amounts  to  suit  intending  investors,  bearing 
interest  at  5  percent,  per  annum.  These  bonds  have  a  first  charge  upon 
all  the  assets  of  the  Company.  Principals,  or  solicitors  only,  apply  by 
letter  to  Messrs.  Douglas  Norman  &  Co.,  4,  New  Court,  Lincolns  Inn. 
W.C.,  or  T.  Stuakt  &  Co.,  Accountants,  144,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 


NORTH'S  TYPE-WRITER. 

Special  Features :— Visible    Wiiting,    Brief  Carriage,    Universal  Keyboard 
Perfect  Alignment,  an  English  Inventicn. 

Th:  "NORTH'S"  has  just  received  the  Diploma  of  Honour  (Highest 
Award)  at  the  Antwerp  Universal  Exhibition. 


For  all  Particulars  apply 


WORTH'S  TYPEWRITER  MANUFACTURING  CO.,  LIMITED, 

53,  QUEEN  VICTORIA  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C 


March  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


145 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 


Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.    VII.  The  Great  Mr. 

Balthazzar.   By  Herbert  Keen.   Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar  129 

A  Street  in  Suburbia   135 

Feminine  Affairs  136 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor     139 

The  Banning  of  "The  Manxman"     139 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    140 

In  the  City    142 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J  \   145 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer— The  Queen  as  Stage  Censor  ..  \m 

Club  Chatter    150 

At  Parting.   By  Frank  L.  Stanton    153 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville   154 

Ourselves  as  Others  May  See  Us    158 

A  Modern  Girl  in  Brittany    159 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


In  spite  of  the  cocksure  prophecies  of  the  Pall  Mall 
Gazette,  in  spite  of  the  clever  but  utterly  unscrupulous 
clap-trap  of  the  Daily  Chronicle,  the  party  of  cant  and 
blasphemy  has  been  defeated.  The  blow  has  not  been  a 
very  crushing  one  ;  the  Manhood  of  London  must  fight 
still  harder  next  time ;  but  the  good  sign  is,  that  Com- 
mon-Sense and  Honesty  have  at  last  begun  to  awaken 
from  their  torpor.  The  London  citizen  has  at  last 
shaken  off  his  indifference  to  all  municipal  affairs.  Ex- 
perience has  taught  him  that  a  county  councillor  is  not  a 
person  to  be  ignored  ;  that  he  is  powerful  for  good  or 
evil.  As  the  Chronicle  puts  it,  the  battle  has  been  one 
between  truth  and  falsehood  ;  between  plain  men  on  the 
one  side,  and  a  combination  of  rogues  and  fools  on  the 
other  ;  and,  as  sometimes  happens,  even  in  the  history 
of  popular  elections,  right  and  reason  have  had  a  look 
in. 

The  election  tactics  of  the  Progressives  have  been  an 
insult  to  religion  and  an  outrage  on  decency,  and  it  is 
a  good  thing  for  the  nation  that  such  disgraceful  tactics 
have  recoiled  upon  their  authors.  Men  of  the  stamp  of 
the  Reverend  Hugh  Price  Hughes  and  Alderman  Flem- 
ing Williams  have  talked  as  if  God  had  been  specially 
engaged  by  them  as  their  chief  electioneering 
agent.  Christ  Himself  has  been  dragged  through 
the  mud  of  their  dirty  politics,  has  been 
paraded  on  their  platforms,  and  patted  on 
the  back  in  their  election  addresses.  A  more  dis- 
gusting exhibition  even  the  Nonconformist  conscience 
itself  has  never  dared  to  parade.  Had  such  methods 
succeeded  it  would  have  been  a  bad  thing  for  religion, 
and.  Christianity  Avould  have  suffered  another  of  the 
many  cruel  and  cowardly  stabs  that  are  for  ever  being 
dealt  it  by  the  devil's  emissaries,  who,  for  their  treach- 
erous purposes,  have  taken  service  within  its  ranks. 

That  the  Moderates  have  done  what  they  have  must 
be  due  entirely  to  the  merit  of  their  cause,  and  to  the 
disgust  which  all  classes  were  feeling  for  the  growing 
meddlesomeness  and  tyranny  of  their  opponents ;  for 
a  more  foolishly-conducted  plan  of  campaign  than  theirs 


it  woUid  be  difficult  to  imagine.  They  fought  with  kid 
gloves,  and  their  great  anxiety  seemed  to  be  not  to  hit 
anybody.  Their  ammunition  throughout  consisted  of 
weak  platitudes  and  mild  wisdom.  Now,  this  is  not  the 
way  to  fight  a  popular  election.  The  Daily  Chronicle 
understood  the  business,  and  worked  like  a  Trojan  ;  and 
that  the  Progressives  are  where  they  are  is  certainly 
due  to  the  brilliant  fight  made  by  that  paper.  The 
Chronicle  young  men  understood  how  to  "  get  at "  the 
half-educated  elector  ;  and  they  did  not  allow  themselves 
to  be  hampered  by  facts  and  sense. 

They  pointed  out  to  the  labouring  man  how  the 
Progressives  had  invented  that  excellent  commodity, 
cold  water,  for  his  especial  benefit ;  how  they  had  given 
him  railway  trains,  'buses,  and  trams  to  ride  in ;  how 
they  had  discovered  and  introduced  the  sun  to  warm  and 
comfort  him.  They  told  him  how  the  Progressive  party 
had  given  him  Battersea  Park  to  court  in,  and  Hyde 
Park  to  demonstrate  in ;  how  the  good  Progressives  had 
manufactured  trees  and  flowers,  to  make  his  open  spaces 
look  pretty ;  given  him  a  loving  wife  and  healthy  chil- 
dren ;  and  the  Chronicle  pointed  out  how  all  these 
blessings  would  at  once  be  taken  away  from  him  if  the 
MacDougallites  were  not  returned  with  a  thumping 
majority.  That  is  the  way  to  fight  an  election.  •  That 
is  the  way  it  generally  is  fought.  If  I  were  a  candidate 
I  would  promise  my  constituents  nine  months'  summer, 
health  all  the  year  round,  freedom  from  domestic  quar- 
rels, roast  beef  every  day  of  the  week,  and  turkey  on 
Sundays ;  and  if  my  opponent  tried  to  go  one  better 
than  that,  I  would  promise  the  whole  earth,  and  so  settle 
the  matter. 

Bimetallism  sounds  a  dry  subject.  If  it  could  be 
made  sufficiently  interesting  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  man  in  the  street,  it  would  be  an  accomplished  fact 
before  the  year  is  out.  The  difficulty  in  the  way  of 
bimetallism  is  that  the  subject  is  so  involved  and  com- 
plicated that  no  one  can  understand  it  who  is  not 
willing  to  devote  to  it  a  very  considerable  amount  of 
time  and  thought.  Consequently  the  average  elector 
refuses  to  be  bored  by  it.  He  thinks  it  is  a  mere 
technical  argument  between  two  schools  of  experts,  and 
whether  his  member  is  a  bimetallist  or  not  does  not 
concern  him.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  a 
question  of  the  most  intense  and  practical  importance  to 
every  labourer,  to  every  shopkeeper,  to  every  manufac- 
turer throughout  the  country.  The  advantages  that  it 
would  bring  are  manifest.  The  only  argument  brought 
forward  against  it  is  that  its  adoption  might  cause  con- 
fusion. But  it  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  most  active 
and  eager  opponents  of  the  experiment  (for  it  must 
frankly  be  admitted  that  it  would  be  an  experiment) 
are  the  big  capitalists,  who  are  reaping  enormous  advan- 
tages from  the  scarcity  of  gold,  and  the  consequently  in- 
flated value  of  that  metal. 

Thirty  years  ago  an  ounce  of  gold  would  purchase 
one-and-a-half  quarters  of  wheat.  To-day  it  will  pur- 
chase three  quarters,  and  if  bimetallism  is  not  forced 
to  the  front,  then  in  another  twenty  years  gold  will 
have  doubled  even  its  present  purchasing  power.  So  it 
is  easy  to  see  the  advantage  derived  by  the  large  mono- 
polists who  have  slowly  been  accumulating  the  gold  of 


146 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


the  country  into  their  own  hands.  Their  wealth, 
without  any  effort  of  their  own,  continues  to  increase 
by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  meanwhile  trade  is  starved, 
and  the  commerce  between  different  countries  confused 
and  ruined,  in  consequence  of  silver  being  driven  out  of 
circulation.  As  I  have  said,  it  is  a  dry  subject  to  the 
average  man ;  but  I  am  glad  to  see  that  in  Lancashire, 
where  the  cotton-spinning  industry  is  being  practically 
ruined,  by  the  growing  impossibility  of  doing  business 
with  countries  such  as  India  and  South  America,  where 
silver,  not  gold,  is  the  standard,  the  electors  are  of 
necessity  having  the  importance  of  the  matter  forced 
upon  them. 

Mr.  Nisbet,  who  writes  "Our  Handbook"  for  the 
Referee,  and  who,  as  a  rule,  has  one  of  the  clearest 
heads  in  London,  goes  sadly  wrong  over  this  question  of 
Bimetallism,  which  is  partly  accounted  for  by  his  own 
admission  that  he  has  but  little  head  for  figures,  and 
that  he  has  consciously  got  out  of  his  depth  upon  the 
subject.  I  just  wish  to  deal  with  one  or  two  points  in 
what  he  says,  as  they  exemplify  the  rather  unthinking 
prejudice  with  which  Bimetallism  is  regarded  by  those 
who  are  always  of  opinion  that  whatever  isris  best.  He 
says  that  under  Bimetallism  a  man  owing  a  hundred 
pounds  in  gold  would  buy  silver,  have  it  coined  into 
shillings,  and  pay  with  these,  "  the  result  being  that  he 
would  make  a  handsome  profit  on  the  transaction."  Will 
Mr.  Nisbet  tell  me  how  he  would  make  a  profit  ?  With 
the  Mint  authorised  to  coin  silver  to  any  extent,  where 
would  Mr.  Nisbet's  debtor  buy  his  silver  cheap,  and 
make  a  profit  by  coining  it  ?  If  I  had  twenty  ounces  of 
silver  in  my  possession,  should  I  sell  it  to  a  man,  and 
allow  him  to  have  it  coined,  and  make  the  profit  ?  Un- 
less I  were  a  fool,  I  should  have  it  minted  myself. 

The  only  individuals  who  would  benefit  by  Bimetallism 
in  this  manner  would  be  those  who  have  been  hoarding 
silver.  That  we  cannot  avoid,  any  more  than  under  the 
gold  currency  we  can  avoid  a  similar  advantage  being 
gained  by  those  who  possess  gold.  Then,  again,  Mr. 
Nisbet  goes  on  to  say  that  Bimetallism  would  only 
benefit  the  producing  classes.  Are  we  not  all  producers, 
and  does  not  increased  wealth  to  the  producer  mean 
increased  wealth  to  the  whole  community,  among  whom 
he  spends  his  money?  Mr.  Nisbet  seems  to  think  it 
Unimportant  to  those  outside  Lancashire  that  trade 
between  England  and  India  is  practically  being  ruined. 
Does  he  not  see  that,  bound  up  together  as  we  are  in 
a  civilised  country,  no  one  trade  can  suffer  without  injury 
to  the  whole  people?  Trade  between  England  and 
silver  countries  is  dying  out,  because  of  the  difficulties 
of  exchange,  and  every  shilling  of  trade  lost  to  the 
country  is  felt  indirectly  by  every  human  being  through- 
out the  land. 

How  delightful  it  is  to  come  across  a  man,  and  that 
man  a  County  Councillor,  who  has  some  drops  of  human 
nature  in  him.  I  could  hardly  believe  I  was  in  this 
Pharisaical  nineteenth  century,  in  this  Stiggins-governed 
country,  when  I  read  of  Mr.  John  Bums  urging  Mr- 
A.squith  to  see  that  laundry  girls  were  able  to  get  out  in 
the  evening  so  as  to  go  walking  with  their  young  men. 
Mr.  Burns  wants  to  see  these  poor  girls  able  togocourt- 
ingand  dancing  with  their  other  friends  in  Battersea  Park 
and  on  Clapliam  Common.     This  will  probably  cost  Mr. 


John  Burns  his  seat  at  the  next  Parliamentary  election, 
and,  in  all  likelihood,  is  responsible  for  his  decreased 
majority  in  the  late  County  Council  election.  Surely 
the  Nonconformists  of  Battersea  are  not  going  to 
allow  themselves  to  be  represented  by  a  man  with  human 
blood  in  his  veins,  and  a  human  heart  under  his  waist- 
coat. I  expect  to  see  "  Religion  "  up  in  arms  from  one 
end  of  the  kingdom  to  the  other  over  this  matter ;  and 
I  should  not  be  surprised,  if  it  ended  in  Mr.  John  Burns 
being  hounded  from  public  life. 

The  moral  journalist  has  been  taking  that  jewellery- 
loving  young  man — Mr.  Tasker— to  account  for  not 
devoting  more  of  his  wealth  to  good  works.  His 
solicitors  have  written  to  the  papers  to  say  that  he  is  a 
most  generous  young  man,  and  extremely  charitable  to 
the  poor.  He  may  be  or  he  may  not  be  ;  what  amuses 
me  is  the  attitude  of  the  pious  journalist.  Knowing 
something  of  the  average  journalist,  it  is  a  fine  bit  of 
comedy  to  read  the  glowing  words  in  which  he  takes 
ordinary  sinful  humanity  to  task  for  its  short-comings, 
and  points  out  to  it  the  strait  and  narrow  way  of 
Godliness.  I  should  like  to  cross-examine  some  of  the 
gentlemen  who  preach  to  Mr.  Tasker,  and  other 
immoral  folk,  as  to  how  much  they  have  spent  in  charity 
and  how  much  in  whiskey  during  the  last  year.  Oh,  he 
is  a  lovely  humbug,  is  your  moral  journalist. 

I  congratulate  Mr.  Hall  Caine  on  the  excellent 
advertisement  that  the  Ealing  Free  Public  Library  has 
given  to  that  splendid  novel  of  his — "The  Manxman." 
The  Ealing  Free  Library  has  decided  to  withdraw  Mr. 
Hall  Caine's  novel  from  circulation.  The  Rev.  J.  S. 
Hilliard  said  the  book  was  disgraceful,  and  an  elderly 
lady,  Mrs.  Force,  also  a  member  of  this  delightful  com- 
mittee, described  it  as  "  shameful."  This  will  mean,  of 
course,  the  sale  of  another  ten  thousand  copies,  but 
the  question  remains — what  right  have  the  prudes 
on  the  committee  of  the  Ealing  Public  Free  Library  to 
dictate  to  the  public  what  they  shall  read  and  what 
they  shall  not  read  1  This  eternal  interference  of  the 
parson  and  the  old  woman  in  every  affair  of  daily  life 
is  becoming  a  public  scandal.  Not  a  corner  of  our 
existence  is  free  from  their  eternal  fussiness.  How  true 
is  the  proverb  :  "  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still  for  idle 
hands  to  do."  If  these  people  only  had  to  earn  their 
living,  instead  of  being  allowed  to  rampage  about  the 
country  for  six  days  a  week  with  no  work  to  do,  we 
should  have  less  of  this  folly  ;  and  religion  would  not 
ever  be  made  ridiculous  by  the  vagaries  of  its  votaries. 

In  the  current  number  of  Blackwood's  Magazine  I 
find,  among  little  else  that  is  worthy  of  notice,  an  inte- 
resting paper  on  "  Habitual  Drunkards."  It  was  only  a 
short  time  ago  that  I  spoke  of  the  subject  in  these 
columns.  I  pointed  out  that  many,  in  dealing  with  this 
problem,  devote  their  attention  chiefly  to  the  reforma- 
tion of  existing  habitual  offenders.  I  do  not  say  that 
this  reformation  is  not  important,  but  it  is  no  solution 
to  the  problem  ;  the  more  important  point  is  to  prevent 
the  creation  and  existence  of  habitual  offenders  in  the 
future.  It  is  important,  for  instance,  that  we  should 
have  a  specific  for  diphtheria,  but  more  important  that 
our  sanitary  conditions  should  not  be  those  under  which 
diphtheria  is  likely  to  occur.  It  is  important  that  wo 
should  know  what  to  do  if  our  chimneys  catch  fire,  but 


March  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


147 


more  important  that  we  should  have  the  chimneys  swept 
when  they  require  it,  and  not  allow  them  to  catch  fire. 
Wliat  we  want  in  the  case  of  the  habitual  offender  is 
first  to  find  out  the  causes  that  produce  him,  and  then 
deal  with  them. 

This  opinion  has  no  novelty  about  it,  and  amounts  to 
nothing  more  than  the  plainest  common-sense.  But  one 
sees  so  many  philanthropists  working  with  patience  and 
devotion  at  entirely  the  wrong  end  of  the  stick,  that  I 
am  glad  to  find  the  common-sense  view  taken  decisively 
by  the  writer  in  Blackwood.  I  welcome,  also,  his  cor- 
roboration in  another  point.  I  have  had  my  doubt  of 
the  all-hallowing  influence  of  a  Board  School  education. 
In  this  article  I  find  :  — "  Juvenile  delinquency  has  in- 
creased at  a  rate  almost  alarming.  ...  It  has  long 
been  known  that  many  of  the  best  teachers  in  the  em- 
ployment of  the  School  Board  have  formed  very  decided 
opinions  as  to  the  non-moral  effect  of  the  present  system 
of  teaching.  Of  course,  they  do  not  suggest  for  a. 
moment  that  there  is  the  slightest  immorality  in  it ; 
but  they  are  very  pronounced  as  to  its  non-moral  ten- 
dency. .  ,  .  What  is  wanted  is  a  radical  change  in 
this  system.  .  .  .  Let  a  curriculum  of  conduct  and 
behaviour  be  the  beginning,  and  let  it  continue  to  form 
one  of  the  chief  essentials  of  the  school  training." 

From  this  the  writer  passes  to  speak  of  the  housing 
of  the  poor,  and  of  the  necessity  for  looking  after  children 
who  have  just  left  school.  Of  the  first  of  these  we  have 
heard  often  enough ;  and,  doubtless,  the  miserable  con- 
ditions under  which  the  poor  are  often  forced  to  live  do 
their  part  in  the  manufacture  of  criminals.  At  the  same 
time  it  must  be  remembered  that  to  improve  the  hous- 
ing of  the  poor  is  often  a  thankless  task.  The  poor,  as 
a  class,  are  conservative  of  old  styles  and  customs,  and 
frequently  capable  of  preferring  their  old  hovels  to  the 
new  model  cottages.  On  the  second  point,  not  enough 
emphasis  has  been  laid  yet.  The  writer  of  the  article 
suggests  labour  bureaux,  which  might  save  children 
from  starting  upon  the  dangerous  life  of  street=vendors, 
and  find  them  a  better  class  of  work.  Certainly  the 
period  immediately  after  leaving  school  is  the  critical 
period;  it  is  then  that  careers  are  decided,  and  then 
that  advice  and  assistance  wisely  given  might  be  of  real 
service. 

The  article  may  show  little  novelty,  but  thel'e  can  be 
no  doubt  about  its  common-sense ;  if  we  gave  children 
moral  as  well  as  intellectual  training,  saw  to  it  that  the 
conditions  under  which  they  lived  were  compatible  with 
health  and  decency,  and  that  they  started  life  fairly, 
without,  exceptional  temptations  and  evil  company,  we 
should  do  a  great  deal  towards  lessening  the  number  of 
our  habitual  criminals.  But  we  should  not  have  done 
all  that  is  possible.  These  remedies  touch  environment 
alone,  and  it  is  not  only  environment  that  makes  the 
criminal.  There  is  also  heredity.  I  do  not  know 
whether  it  is  too  much  to  ask  that  some  restriction 
should  be  placed  upon  the  freedom  with  which  habitual 
criminals  people  the  world  with  more  habitual  criminals. 
When  one  examines  the  statistics  with  reference  to  the 
notorious  Jukes  family  it  does  not  seem  unreason- 
able to  ask  it.  But,  at  any  rate,  criminal  parents  might 
be  refused  some  of  the  ordinary  parental  rights — 
briefly,  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  bring  up  their  chil- 
dren themselves.    It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  futuro 


number  of  Blackwood  will  deal  with  this  question  of 
heredity  as  a  factor  in  the  production  of  habitual 
criminals. 

The  ordinary  "drunk  and  incapable"  case  does  not 
call  for  much  comment,  but  one  that  was  reported  in  the 
papers  the  other  day  seems  to  have  some  special  fea- 
tures. The  person  charged  was  a  girl  of  seventeen; 
she  had  no  home  and  no  money.  A  man  had  asked  a 
constable  to  move  her  from  his  doorstep.  That  man 
turns  out  to  be  the  girl's  own  father,  and  a  great  tem- 
perance advocate  ;  he  told  the  constable  that  he  was  not 
going  to  have  anything  to  do  with  her.  The  girl,  who 
ciied  very  much,  said  that  her  father  and  stepmother 
had  made  her  what  she  was.  I  do  not  want  to  use  this 
case  to  furnish  an  easy  gib©  at  the  proselytising  teeto- 
tallers; probdbly,  most  of  them  would,  unlike  this  man, 
begin  the  work  of  reformation  in  their  own  homes 
if  it  were  needed  there.  The  girl's  statement  that  her 
father  and  stepmother  were  responsible  for  her  degrada- 
tion is,  too,  only  a  statement,  neither  proved  nor  dis- 
proved. But  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  any  girl  is  lost 
and  irreclaimable  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  or  that  five 
days'  imprisonment  is  likely  to  save  or  reclaim  her. 
However,  her  father  has  decided  not  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  her.  It  is  frequently  the  case — if  sympathy 
and  kindly  help  are  needed,  it  is  to  the  reprobate  that 
one  must  go  for  them.  The  good  men  of  a  perverted 
Christianity  are  too  good  to  "  have  anything  to  do  with  " 
the  bad. 

I  thank  the  editor  of  Cycling  for  drawing  my  atten« 
tion  to  the  following  case  :  A  little  girl  skating  on  the 
ice  at  the  Welsh  Harp  fell  through  into  deep  water.  A 
man  named  Clack  pluckily  jumped  in  to  try  and  rescue 
her,  with  the  sad  result  that  he  lost  his  life.  Clack, 
who  was  a  man  in  poor  circumstances,  leaves  a  widow 
and  one  child  totally  unprovided  for.  I  am  sending  to 
the  editor  of  Cycling  three  guineas  towards  the  fund 
he  is  raising  on  behalf  of  the  poor  woman.  A  gentle- 
man named  Cook  succeeded  in  rescuing  the  little  girl, 
after  poor  Clack  had  failed,  and  I  am  having  prepared 
one  of  our  Gallantry  Fund  medals  to  send  to  him.  The 
case  of  Stephen  Renforth,  which  I  mentioned  some 
weeks  ago,  has,  I  am  glad  to  say,  been  taken  up  by  his 
fellow-townsmen  at  Newcastle,  and,  as  I  wish  to  reserve 
my  fund  for  cases  neglected  elsewhere,  I  am  glad  to  be 
able  to  leave  this  matter  in  the  able  hands  of  the  Mayor 
of  Gateshead. 


ANSWERS  TO  ENQUIRERS. 

W_  v.  R. — The  tax  on  imports  should  only  be  to  an  extent 
to  render  it  possible  for  the  home  producer  to  compete  with  the 
foreigner,  not  to  shutout  the  foreigner.  At  present,  foreign  wheat 
can  be  bought  in  England  for  so  low  a  price  that  it  does  not  pay 
the  English  farmer  to  grow  it.  Our  imports  being  paid  for  by 
our  exports  is  one  of  those  glib  political  phrases  that  sound  very 
beautiful  and  mean  nothing  whatever.  The  foreigner  only  buys, 
from  us  what  he  wants  from  us,  and  the  fact  of  our  allowing 
our  own  countrymen  to  live  would  not  reduce  our  exports. 
Commerce  is  not  increasing  by  leaps  and  bounds,  or  there  would 
be  no  trouble. 

Dama  sends  me  the  following  advertisement  culled  from  the 
Belfast  News  Letter :—"  Gulston.—  Our  baby  boy,  Harold  V., 
went  home  from  Holy  wood  to  Jesus  on  Lord's  Day.  Funeral 
this  (Tuesday)  afternoon,  from  3,  Barronville,  Downshire  Road, 
at  half -past  two  o'clock.    Train  from  Belfast  at  two." 

A.  S-  A. — The  matter  has  been  dealt  with.  Thanks  for  all 
your  kind  expressions.  Any  back  numbers  of  To-Day  can  be 
obtained  by  writing  to  the  manager  and  enclosing  the  necessary 
stamps.  You  could  obtain  the  Youths'  Companion  by  ordering 
it  from  Gay  and  Bird. 


148 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


R-  B. — You  have  not  read  your  To-Day  with  care.  Over  and 
over  again  I  have  stated  that  I  have  no  objection  to  a  man  being 
a  teetotaler ;  that  I  respect  a  man  for  living  his  own  life  and 
following  his  own  ideas.  The  teetotaler,  however,  has  become, 
in  common  parlance,  to  mean  a  man  who  interferes  with  every- 
body else's  business,  and  that  is  the  person  I  hate. 

J.  C. — The  man  who  puts  his  half-crown  on  a  horse  inter- 
feres with  nobody  but  himself.  The  bond  tea  business  dislocates 
a  whole  trade.  There  is  a  great  art  in  having  a  sense  of  pro- 
portion. 

P.  T.  —Such  arguments  are  in  the  nature  of  special-pleading. 
You  take  a  farm  subject  to  tithe,  and  when,  having  paid  a  rent 
that  has  pretty  nearly  exhausted  all  your  profit,  you  are  attacked 
for  a  heavy  charge  for  tithe,  your  feelings  will  be  very  different 
from  what  they  are  now. 

A.  H.  M.— See  answer  to  "  P.  T." 

H.  C.  S.  draws  my  attention  to  the  indignation  of  the  Rev. 
A.  C.  Batts,  Baptist  minister,  at  the  kindly  solicitors  having 
paid  the  fine  and  costs  of  a  poor  man  who  was  summoned  by  the 
school  board.  I  really  cannot  see  what  there  was  for  the  rev. 
gentleman  to  be  indignant  about. 

W.  R.  calls  my  attention  to  some  of  the  rabid  nonsense  talked 
by  the  Rev.  Hugh  Price  Hughes  at  Sheffield.  This  loud-mouthed 
denouncer  of  other  people's  sins  confesses  that  the  Churches  are 
not  in  touch  with  the  people  and  wonders  why.  The  answer  is 
that  honest  people  can  have  no  sympathy  with  a  church  that 
tolerates  such  fanatics  as  the  Rev.  Hugh  Price  Hughes  among  its 
representatives. 

C.  K. — I  cannot  refer  to  the  matter.  I  do  not  even  know 
where  the  infirmary  is  situated.  \V.  P.  (Sheffield). — I  thank 
you  for  the  cuttings,  but  I  had  already  dealt  with  the  matter, 
f.  D.  E. — Thanks  ;  but  the  case  has  already  been  argued. 
W.  R. — Many  thanks  ;  have  dealt  with  the  matter  in  Editorial 
Notes.  E.  H.  (Paignton). — I  thank  you  sincerely  for  your  kind 
and  sympathetic  letter.  Gestria. — Legal  questions  of  this  length 
and  character  are  only  answered  in  the  cases  of  annual  sub- 
scribers. Jersey. — The  illustrations  are  by  the  same  artist. 
Occasionally  a  serial  has  to  be  shortened  to  make  room  for  some- 
thing that  must  go  in  that  week.  The  only  way  of  obtaining 
permanent  improvement  would  be  for  you  to  come  up  here  and 
run  the  paper  yourself.  J.  M.  — The  great  majority  of  bettors 
do  bet  in  moderation,  just  as  99'9  per  cent,  of  drinkers  drink 
in  moderation.  A  certain  number  of  noisy  idiots  talk  as  if  999 
out  of  every  1,000  of  the  population  were  going  straight  to  hell. 
I  wish  you  would  look  about  you  with  your  own  eyes  a  bit,  and 
not  get  excited.  Humane  Thinker. — I  thank  you  for  your 
letter  and  enclosures,  which  I  shall  take  an  opportunity  of 
reading.  G.  H.  D.  M. — Messrs.  Dowdeswell,  in  Bond  Street, 
or  the  Fine  Arts  Society  might  be  able  to  value  your  picture. 
If  you  send  it  to  Christie's  salerooms  possibly  they  would  sell 
it  for  you.  Advertising  is  of  some  value.  C.  K.  (Belfast). — I 
have  not  space  to  argue  your  point  at  length  here,  bu  .  you 
do  not  convince  me.  Thanks  for  your  letter.  L.  and  Y. — 
Mr.  Jerome  has  lectured  many  times  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Liverpool.  The  gentleman  you  met  at  Leeds  must  have  been 
somebody  else.  W.  L. — See  answer  to  "  Sheffield."  A.  C.  H. — 
There  are  no  fees  whatever.  L.  S.  J. — The  man  who  is 
severe  on  evil-doers  has  generally  much  tenderness  for  the 
victims  of  weakness  and  temptation.  R.  P.  M. — I  am  not 
responsible  for  the  appearance  of  the  article  in  question.  Ebora- 
ccm. — Legal  advice  is  only  given  to  subscribers.  H. — The 
Metropolitan  School  of  Shorthand  is  the  only  one  I  know  on 
which  you  can  rely.  J.  M.  (Belfast).— I  know  of  no  agencies  in 
the  neighbourhood.  If  your  case  is  important  put  it  into  the 
hands  of  a  solicitor.  F.  S.  They  cannot  be  stopped.  Lo  '  tcries 
of  this  kind  are  common  all  over  the  Continent.  It  is  v&ry  jad 
to  reflect  that  the  other  European  nations  are  far  less  moral  than 
the  English  in  all  these  matters.  M.  do  M. — It  is  pure!  a 
matter  of  personal  taste.  If  the  dogs  are  to  be  brought 
up  together  it  is  well  to  choose  Barnes  differin  ;  as 
much  as  possible  from  each  other  when  sou^dod.  Never 
Too  Late  to  Mend  wants  the  County  Council  to  clear 
away  the  ice  from  the  Thames,  but  1  fear  the  task  would  prove 
a  more  formidable  one  than  my  correspondent  seems  to 
think.  F.  S. — I  thank  you  for  your  letter  and  enclosure. 
Justice. — No  doubt  the  Rev.  C.  F.  Knight  thought  he  was 
doing  right.  I  never  knew  a  man  do  anything  yet  without  think- 
ing it  right,  but  a  little  common-sense  is  extremely  useful. 
Rolling  Stone. — MSS.  can  be  sent  by  book-post  or  by 
parcels  post.  I  am  aware  of  the  dodge  you  mention.  Glen- 
garry.—The  writer  of  the  article  is  one  of  the  many  superior 
people  who  crowd  the  ranks  of  journalism.  They  are  compara- 
tively harmless.  I  don't  think  anybody  takes  very  much  notice 
of  them.  F.  G.  H. — There  are  two  sides  to  every  question,  but 
I  can  only  take  up  one  of  them.  0.  K.— The  mounted  police  in 
the  Cape  are  already  overcrowded,  and  they  are  only  taking 
recruits  who  are  residents  in  Africa.  G.  I.  N.  M.— I  thank  yon 
for  drawing  my  attention  to  the  matter.  As  you  say,  "  imita- 
tion is  the  sincerest  form  of  flattery."  F.  U.  L.— I  have  for- 
warded on  your  letter.  J.  K. — A  suburban  snob  would  be  a 
snob  who  lived  in  the  suburbs.  There  are  plenty  in  London  proper. 
W.  A.  B.  -I  thank  you  for  your  letter.  One  should  keep  one's 
eye  on  this  precious  theatrical  agent.  He  seems  very  virtuously 
indignant  concerning  the  stigma  cast  upon  him,  but  I  fancy  I 
recollect  his  name  in  some  previous  transactions.  I  should  advise 


him  to  give  up  the  business  of  collecting  girls  for  low-class  con- 
tinental music  halls.  These  cafes  chantants  are  all  of  a  class,  and 
there  is  never  any  doubt  as  to  what  that  class  is.  New  Inn 
protests  against  my  dubbing  the  Progressive  solicitors  in  the 
County  Council  as  broken-down,  and  says  the  epithet  should  be 
applied  instead  to  the  barristers.  G.  C.  M. — I  thank  you  sin- 
cerely for  your  sympathetic  letter.  J.  B.--Kind  letter  received 
and  noted. 

T.  C.  N.  wants  to  add  to  his  income  by  press  work,  of  how- 
ever humble  a  nature.  He  is  sure  he  could  turn  out  something 
very  similar  to  the  theatrical  letter  done  by  Randolph.  I  never 
met  anyone  over  the  age  of  fourteen  who  was  not  sure  he  was  a 
born  dramatic  critic,  but  as  an  editor  I  object  to  correspondents 
who  want  to  add  to  their  income  by  press  work,  of  however 
humble  a  nature.  Why  don't  they  take  up  doctoring  or  lawyer- 
ing in  their  leisure  time  ? 

U.  S.  (Aberdeen)  asks  me  what  kind  of  reading  is  most  useful 
to  a  would-be  writer  of  fiction.  I  should  advise  my  correspon- 
dent to  copy  Rudyard  Kipling  for  his  serious  work,  and 
Meredith,  for  his  lighter  essays.  Kipling  is  easily  followed. 
He  will  have  to  begin  most  of  his  sentences  with  "  Which,"  and 
he  should  now  and  then  throw  in  "  but  that  is  another  story." 
My  correspondent  also  says  that  he  has  read  a  lot  about 
psychology  in  novels,  and  he  now  asks  me  if  I  whould  have  him 
read  books  on  that  subject,  for  instance,  Herbert  Spencer  on 
"Psychology"  and  many  others.  He  further  seeks  my  advice 
as  to  the  reading  of  books  on  mental  science,  or  philosophy,  or 
political  economy.  I  can  conceive  no  better  preparation  for 
turning  out  a  work  of  fiction  than  the  reading  of  Herbert 
Spencer  on  psychology,  and  "  many  others."  Mental  science, 
or  philosophy,  or  political  economy,  should  also  help.  A  little 
natural  talent  in  the  direction  of  literature  would  perhaps  even 
still  further  serve,  but  that,  of  course,  is  comparatively 
speaking  unimportant. 

J.  L.  M.  (Birkenhead). — Draws  my  attention  to  the  dismissal 
of  the  captain  of  the  training-ship  Clarence  by  the  committee  of 
the  Liverpool  Catholic  Reformatory  Association.  According  to 
the  evidence  presented  the  committee— consisting  of  Monsignor 
Carr,  the  chairman ;  Mr.  Richard  Yates,  the  secretary,  and  the 
Rev.  P.  P.  Anderson,  Very  Rev.  Canon  Beggau,  Very  Rev. 
Dean  Finegan,  Rev.  M.  Gallagher,  Messrs.  Jas.  Finney,  Arthur 
Maginnis,  William  Reynolds,  Francis  W.  Reynolds,  Joseph 
Rimmer,  Joseph  J.  Robinson,  John  Tunnicliffe,  jun.,  and  James 
Ruddin— appear  to  have  acted  with  arbitrariness  and  injustice 
to  a  markod  degree.  One  would  be  glad  to  hear  further  on  the 
subject. 

T.  B. — No,  scumbling  is  not  always  used  in  the  production  of 
the  important  pictures  of  to-day.  I  have  closely  studied 
Whistler,  and  believe  he  never  employs  it.  To  paint  directly, 
and  to  register  in  solid  paint  the  utmost  subtilities  and  trans- 
parencies is  th  ;  most  difficult,  but,  at  the  same  time,  the  most 
masterly  way  to  paint.  By  scumbling  you  get  a  most  fasci- 
nating effect,  but  such  a  picture  in  the  hands  of  a  restorer 
would  be  ruined  in  five  minutes. 

Scottie  writes  me  on  the  subject  of  the  absurd  morality  Bill 
attempted  to  be  introduced  by  the  Glasgow  Corporation.  The 
Glasgow  Corporation  for  some  time  past  has  had  an  unenviable 
reputation.    One  expects  folly  from  fools. 

Trained  Nurse  writes,  with  reference  to  the  Clergy  Guild 
for  obtaining  employment  for  nurses,  that  no  competent  nurse  is 
ever  out  of  employment,  and  that  when  a  woman  has  to  apply  to 
a  clergyman  to  use  his  influence  to  obtain  employment  for  her 
it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  she  is  unfit  for  her  work. 

A  Birkenhead  correspondent  sends  rne  the  report  of  an  in- 
quest conducted  by  Mr.  H.  Churton.  I  hope  the  report  from 
the  Liverpool  Daily  Post  is  exaggerated,  otherwise  it  would 
go  to  show  that  Mr.  H.  Churton  is  uttei.y  unfit  for  his  position, 
and  also  that  the  Birkenhead  coroner's  juries  are  contemptibly 
poor  spirited. 

A.  S.  C  and  R.  T.  both  draw  my  attention  to  reports  of  the 
meeting  of  the  Anti-Narcotic  League.  The  Rev.  T.  W.  H. 
Copner,  of  Everton,  presided.  He  said  that  it  was  a  shame  that  so 
much  money,  which  might  be  sent  out  to  the  heathens,  was  spent 
in  tobacco.  His  society  are  going  to  check  the  evil  by  dissemi- 
nating true  information  as  to  the  injurious  effects  of  smoking.  I 
know  that  "  true  information  "  ;  there  must  be  a  manufactory  for 
it  ;  and  the  society  also  suggests  legislation  prohibiting  the  sale 
of  tobacco.  This,  of  course,  was  greeted  with  loud  applause. 
Myself,  I  should  like  to  see  the  Anti-Narcotic  League  grow  and 
prosper.  It  would  be  a  new  sensation,  and  would  take  a  certain 
number  of  idiots  away  from  the  teetotal  party,  and  give  then, 
fresh  ideas. 


AN  IMPROMPTU. 

"  We  may,"  said  the  people  of  Ealiag, 

"  Be  given  to  murder  or  stealing, 
Bitt  we're  purity  cranks,  man, 
And  won't  read  'The  Manxman,' 
&nd  that  shows  our  ddicate  feeling." 

r.  P. 


March  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


149 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  dear  Dick. — Things  are  improving.  Everybody 
has  begun  to  realise  that  the  Influenza  epidemic  is  a 
nuisance  and  nothing  more.  In  1890-91  we  used  to  talk 
about  the  Plague,  death-carts,  the  black  flag,  and  so 
forth.  People  then  were  literally  afraid  to  go  out.  Now 
the  epidemic  is  so  overwhelming  and  universal  you 
can't  avoid  it.  You  have  got  to  get  it,  and  the  sooner  it's 
over  the  better.  It's  a  trifle  gruesome  while  it  lasts,  but 
it  passes  very  rapidly  and  is  easjily  cured.  Theatres 
and  music-halls  are  consequently '  filling-up  again  and 
business  is  fairly  brisk.  1 

The  epidemic  coming  so  quickly  on  top  of  the  great 
frost,  however,  has  knocked  thei  bottom  out  of  the 
shaky  shows.  I  do  not  like  giving  anyone  away  so  I 
will  not  particularise,  but  you  can  look  for  plenty  of 
new  programmes  shortly ;  indeed  there  will  be  so  far  as  I 
can  make  out  at  least  half-a-dozen  new  productions  this 
side  of  Easter. 

Meantime  the  Drury  Lane  pantomime  seems  to  have 
entered  on  a  new  lease  of  life.  I  saw  it  on  Friday  last, 
and  the  house  was  crammed  from  floor  to  ceiling. 
Olympia,  too,  a  place  that  suffered  severely  during  the 
frost,  is  now  doing  a  splendid  trade ;  and  The  Shop  Girl, 
The  Importance  of  being  Earnest,  and  The  Ideal  Husband 
are  all  playing  to  good  business. 

The  illness  of  Irving  naturally  affected  King  Arthurs, 
little,but  people  only  waited  till  Henry  the  Great  returned 
to  book  their  seats  weeks  in  advance.  I  can  say  this, 
without  being  accused  of  wishing  to  puff  the  show,  be- 
cause I  have  frankly  told  you  that  personally  I  don't 
like  it. 

The  Fatal  Card  comes  off  the  Adelphi  on  the  lGth. 
It  will  be  followed  by  Chambers'  and  Lumley's  new 
drama.  Later  on  there  is  some  talk  of  a  drama  by 
Clark  Russell,  very  nautical  in  matter  and  written 
especially  for  Terriss.  A  general  idea  seems  to  prevail 
that  new  nautical  melodramas  are  going  to  burst  out 
everywhere,  but  I  don't  believe  this  myself.  There  are 
only  about  three  stages  in  the  West-end  of  London  on 
which  real  nautical  effects  are  possible.  An  effect  has 
been  designed  for  one  of  these  which  certainly  would 
draw  all  the  town,  but  whether  it  will  be  utilised  at 
once,  or  kept  till  the  autumn,  depends  on  a  variety  of 
things  ;  so  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  tell  you  more  about  it 
for  the  present. 

I  have  heard  nothing  about  the  Censorship  yet.  Some 
of  the  extreme  Radical  M.P.'s,  I  understand,  agitated  to 
have  the  appointment  held  in  suspense  until  the 
County  Council  Bill  for  the  regulation  of  theatres  came 
before  Parliament.  If  a  new  man  is  appointed,  who- 
ever he  is  I  pity  him.  He  will  have  to  try  his  maiden 
hand  on  Pinero's  new  play,  in  which,  so  I  hear, 
"  Agnes  "  emphasises  her  abjuration  of  revealed  religion 
by  pitching  a  Bible  on  the  back  of  the  fire  !  She  also 
does  other  things  more  or  less  startling  and  reprehensible, 
but  at  the  same  time  logical  and  consistent.  The  new 
play  is  in  fact  a  great  moral  deduction  from  certain 
perfectly  reasonable  and  possible  premises.  But  shall 
we  be  allowed  to  see  it  1  The  new  man,  as  I  have  said, 
will  be  in  a  quandary.  He  will  not  like  to  interfere 
with  our  greatest  living  dramatist.  Yet  he  cannot 
make  flesh  of  one  man  and  fish  of  another.  He  cannot 
let  Pinero  have  his  head,  and  put  the  curb  on  Heine- 
mann.  Then  he  will  have  to  consider  something  else. 
What  will  the  Queen  say  1 

It  really  seems  preposterous,  yet  I  have  every  reason 
for  believing  that  the  Queen  did  intimate  very  dis- 
tinctly to  the  late  Licenser  that  she  emphatically  ob- 
jected to  the  "  Lady  with  a  Past "  on  the  stage,  and  she 
desired  that  no  more  of  them  should  be  permitted. 

Now,  if  we  heard  that  the  Chief  of  the  Police  in 
Russia  had  been  commanded  by  the  Czar  to  suppress 


the  circulation  of  any  novel  that  dealt  with  an  infrac- 
tion of  the  Seventh  Commandment,  we  should  denounce 
the  benighted  intolerance  of  an  ignorant,  bigoted 
despot,  and  we  should  thank  Heaven  for  a  free  Press. 
When,  however,  the  whims  of  Royalty  can  be  impressed 
by  an  irresponsible  censor  on  our  drama,  we  say  never  a 
word,  and  bow  humbly  before  the  hand  that  chastises 
us.  This  is  all  very  well,  but  where  will  it  lead  us  1  The 
Queen  we  all  know  is  great  on  domestic  virtue.and  we  admi  re 
and  respect  her  accordingly.  Before  the  lamented  death 
of  Prince  Albert  and  the  retirement  of  the  Queen  into 
private  life,  the  Court  of  St.  James's  was  unquestionably 
the  purest  and  most  respectable  in  Europe.  But  things 
have  moved  very  rapidly  since  then.  We  openly  talk 
to-day  of  things  that  would  make  our  grandfathers 
shiver.  Besides,  if  the  Quedn  is  going  to  insist  on  her 
especial  predilections  on  the  one  hand,  the  Prince  of  Wales 
will  have  a  perfect  right  to  insist  on  his  particular  weak- 
ness on  the  other,  after  which,  naturally,  the  Duke  of 
Cambridge  will  want  a  say,  and  eventually  we  shall 
get  our  drama  minus  the  objections  of  the  entire  Royal 
Family,  the  spiritual  Peers,  and  the  Prime  Minister  ! 
This  sounds  like  an  exaggeration,  but  it  is  much  nearer 
to  the  truth  than^ou  imagine.  Within  recent  year  s  the 
Licenser  of  Plays  has  repeatedly  suggested  to 
managers  alterations  in  their  plays  after  production, 
consequent  upon  hints  that  he  has  received 
from  exalted  peisonages.  Of  course,  as  it  is  only 
the  drama,  nobody  complains.  But  I  should 
like  to  hear  the  sort  of  answer  that  would 
be  conveyed  to  the  Lord  Chamberlain  if  he  solemnly 
requested  the  editor  of  some  great  "  daily  "  to  moderate 
the  tone  of  his  political  leading  articles  !  Great  Scott ! 
we  should  all  be  in  Trafalgar  Square  to-morrow  morning 
shouting  for  the  liberty  of  the  subject,  free  speech,  and 
goodness  only  knows  what  else  besides.  But  when  the 
drama  is  sat  on,  suppressed  and  gagged,  as  I  have  said, 
it  does  not  matter.    It  is  only  the  drama  ! 

We  were  not  very  serious  on  Saturday  night,  by  the 
way.  We  were  most  definitely  on  pleasure  bent,  and 
we  all  enjoyed  ourselves.  I  could  not  be  in  two  places 
at  one  time,  so  I  went  to  the  Avenue,  and  I  was  really 
delighted  with  Dandy  Dick  Whittington.  It  is  not  an 
opera  bouffe,  by  the  way,  despite  being  so  described.  It 
is  a  variety  show,  and  belongs  to  the  Morocco  Bound 
division  —  one  act  in  England,  one  in  a  barbaric 
capital ;  just  as  Gentleman  Joe  at  the  Prince  of  Wales' 
is  also  a  variety  show,  but  of  the  In  Town  series. 

Dick  is  above  all  things  buoyant  and  bright.  It  does 
not  ask  you  to  think  about  anything,  it  rattles  along 
from  song  to  joke,  from  joke  to  dance,  and  when  you 
are  not  laughing  at  a  funny  line  your  head  is  nodding  to 
a  catching  melody.  Then  you  get  May  Yohe  in  a  part 
that  thoroughly  suits  her,  and  half  a  dozen  different 
and  dazzling  costumes.  She  is  delightful.  I  have 
never  seen  her  to  more  advantage.  The  remainder  of 
the  cast,  which  includes  J.  F.  Sheridan  and  Robert 
Pateman,  is  excellent,  the  scenery  is  good,  the  mount- 
ing lavish,  and  I  think  Sims  and  Caryll  can  congratu- 
late themselves  cn  having  achieved  a  complete  success. 

Gentleman  Joe  is  a  success  also.  The  plot  is  curiously 
old-fashioned.  I  thought  that  the  groom  who  was 
mistaken  for  his  master,  the  Earl,  had  expired  long  ago. 
But  he  crops  up  serenely  as  the  "  flash  "  cabman  who  is 
mistaken  for  Lord  Somebody.  Think  of  Arthur 
Roberts  as  that  particular  cabman,  and  I  am  sure  you 
won't  want  me  to  tell  you  any  more  about  the  play. 
The  songs  and  music  are  very  bright,  and  written 
in  Walter  Slaughter's  most  melodious  vein.  The 
entertainment  is  of  the  lightest  possible  nature,  but  it 
is  well  worth  going  to  see. 

Henry  Arthur  Jones  is  back  from  the  South,  bringing 
with  him  the  play  he  has  just  finished  for  George 
Alexander,  and  a  scenario  for  Forbes  Robertson 
Wyndham  is  getting  better. 

Your  Affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 


150 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


My  notes  last  week  on  evening  dress  have  called  forth 
a  quantity  of  correspondence,  and  in  every  instance  my 
readers  agree  with  me  that  it  is  about  time  something 
was  done  to  remove  the  anomaly  of  waiter  and  waited-on 
wearing  the  same  clothes.  One  tells  me  that  while 
dining  at  Frascati's  the  other  night  he  picked  up  a  little 
pamphlet  in  praise  of  the  restaurant,  and  one  of  the 
charms  of  dining  there  was  claimed  to  be  that  you  could 
not  be  mistaken  for  a  waiter,  as  the  management  com- 
pelled their  servants  to  wear  a  pencil  behind  the  ear,  and 
a.  button  with  a  number  on  their  coats.  If  this  is  not 
evidence  enough  in  itself  of  the  need  of  a  change,  I  have 
no  more  to  say. 


Another  writer,  who  owns  up  to  being  one  of  the  old 
school  of  Bohemians,  and  therefore  prejudiced,  says 
that  in  his  opinion  the  Savage  Club  lost  its  whole  charm 
when  the  evening  dress  began  to  be  worn  there.  •'  There 
was  such  an  air  of  freedom  in  the  old  days,"  he  says. 
"  You  walked  in  in  your  work-a-day  jacket,  and  low 
collar,  and  smoked  your  briar ;  and  it  was  home,  with  a 
genial  fellow  in  every  chair.  When  the  evening  dress 
came  into  our  midst,  we  felt  uncomfortable  in  our  care- 
less get-up ;  and  to-day  the  dear  old  club  knows  me  no 
more." 


But,  although  we  are  all  agreed  that  there  is  a  neces- 
sity for  a  radical  change  in  evening  dress,  I  am  afraid 
it  will  be  a  long  time  before  a  new  fashion  will  be  success- 
fully introduced.  I  have  seen  too  many  cyclists  passing 
through  Kingston  on  a  Sunday  morning  to  forecast  the 
revival  of  knee-breeches.  Padding  is  apt  to  get  out  of 
place.  But  I  should  like  to  see  the  use  of  coloured 
cloths,  and  more  particularly  special  care  paid  in  the 
making  of  artistic  waistcoats.  This  change  will  come 
before  long,  I  feel  certain ;  and,  meanwhile,  cannot  West- 
end  restaurants  dress  their  waiters  in  the  short  jacket 
and  spotless  apron  of  the  French  cafe?  The  greasy 
dress-coat  and  the  shirt  acquainted  with  spots  are  not 
appetising. 


These  compliments  from  a  paper  called  Wheeling  are 
intended  for  me.  I  protested  against  a  theft  by  a  New 
York  paper  from  these  columns,  and  Wheeling  says  : 

This  from  the  gentleman  (sic)  who  has  endeavoured  to 
filch  their  good  name  from  honest,  journalists  is  extremely 
rich.  When  tackled  on  the  subject  he  whines  under  his 
correction,  and  retreats  to  the  shelter  of  his  anonymity,  too 
cowardly  to  admit  his  fault,  too  ignorant  to  attempt  a 
defence. 

I  would  briefly  correct  this  paragraph.  I  have  never 
described  myself  as  a  "  gentleman  "  in  these  columns,  so 
I  don't  see  where  the  "  sic  "  comes  in.  I  never  said 
they  were  honest  journalists.  T  never  whined  ;  I  did 
not  admit  a  fault,  because  last  week  I  said  I  would 
prove  my  case.  In  another  part  of  the  journal  I  am 
called  "notoriety  seeking,"  "peevish,"  and  "many- 
sided  and  mythical."  If  I  am  "  many-sided"  I  am  not 
"  mythical,"  but  that  is  not  a  point  worth  discussing. 

In  contrast  to  this  rhodomontade,  I  have  received  a 
friendly  and  courteous  letter  from  the  manager,  Mr;  F. 
Percy  Low,  the  manager  of  Wheeling,  who  tells  me  that 
he  has  never  heard  of  "a  machine  being  giAen  in  ex- 
change for  a  good  notice."  This  is  the  result  of 
twelve  years'  experience.  Well,  I  will  tell  Mr.  Low 
and  his  excited  editor  one  fact  of  very  recent 
date — A  representative  of  a  well-known  cycling  journal 
(I  have  the  name  of  the  representative  and  his  journal) 
called  on  a  firm  to  inspect  some  new  tyres.  "What  do 
you  think  of  them?"  said  the  agent.  "Excellent,"  he 
replied.  "  Give  me  a  pair  of  these  tyres,  and  I  will  give 
you  a  good  notice."  The  manager  demurred,  and  this  re- 
presentative continued,  "  I  had  a  machine  given  me  by 
the  Company,  and  I  gave  them  a  tine  notice." 


There  is  no  doubt  about  the  "  tine  notice  "  that  firm  got, 
— it  stamped  the  machine  as  the  machine  of  1895  ! 
Nothing  was  likely  to  come  into  the  field  to  touch  it. 
And  the  cycling  press  is  beyond  reproach,  is  it  ?  As  I 
have  been  challenged  before  by  all  the  papers  to  prove 
my  statement,  I  will  now  wait  till  the  particular  jour- 
nal I  refer  to  join  in  the  outcry,  and  then  I  will  bring 
my  informant  and  that  journalist  face  to  face. 


My  informant,  who  has  been  in  the  trade  more  years 
than  most  of  these  young  men  have  been  connected 
with  journalism  months,  laughed  out  loud  when  1  showed 
him  a  few  cuttings,  "  The  most  rotten  press  there  is,"  he 
said.  "  Then  you  did  not  get  your  notice  ?  "  "  No  fear,  if 
you  want  to  find  out  what  goes  on  ask  the  big  com- 
panies. See  how  many  machines  are  put  down  for 
'advertising.'  Why  three  big  companies  have  in- 
creased the  price  of  their  machines  from  £i  to  <£5  each, 
simply  to  meet  the  enormous  cost  of  '  advertising '  and 
amateurs'  fees." 


"Then  the  press  does  not  act  straight  with  its 
readers  ?  "  "  Certainly  not.  Just  ask  these  papers  how 
manymachinesandinventionstheyhave  praised  that  have 
not  been  advertised,  or  which  are  not  likely  to  be  adver- 
tised. No !  it's  either  one  thing  or  another.  Adver- 
tise and  we'll  notice  you  favourably,  that's  all."  Will 
they  supply  me  with  a  list,  and  will  another  paper 
claim  the  gentleman  I  have  referred  to  ?  I  have  only 
just  commenced  this  attack,  but  if  I  can  only  gain  some  of 
the  support  promised  to  me,  I  don't  think  that  there 
will  be  much  left  for  some  of  these  journals  to  talk 
about. 


It  is  noticeable  that,  after  long  having  to  give  pride 
of  place  to  suede  and  buckskin,  kid  gloves  are  coming 
back  into  favour.  Nothing  could  be  more  comfortable 
than  the  buckskin;  but  it  had  such  a  reprehensible 
habit  of  getting  out  of  shape  after  a  little  wear. 


A  new  false  cuff  for  the  shirt  has  been  brought  out, 
patented  by  the  well-known  comedian,  Mr.  R.  G. 
Knowles.  At  the  end  of  the  cuff  there  is  a  short  linen 
sleeve,  with  buttons,  to  fasten  on  to  the  shirt,  which  is 
specially  made,  and  reaches  a  little  below  the  elbow. 
It  is  certainly  a  decided  improvement  on  the  old- 
fashioned  cuff,  which  was  apt  to  slip  all  over  the  hands 
in  an  aimless  fashion.  I  fancy  the  idea  is  not  absolutely 
original.  Some  time  ago  a  correspondent  suggested  ic 
to  me,  and  added  that  he  had  got  the  notion  from  his 
grandfather,  who  always  had  his  shirts  made  in  this 
way. 


I  daresay  readers  of  To-Day  will  remember  an  inte- 
resting article  on  Madame  Wagner  and  her  dogs.  It 
seems  that  it  has  long  been  that  lady's  custom  to  engrave 
on  the  collar  of  each  of  her  pets  a  few  lines  of  poetry 
from  her  own  pen  specially  dedicated  to  the  wearer. 
An  enterprising  reporter  in  search  of  copy  waylaid  these 
illustrious  dogs,  and  stole  Madame  Wagner's  poetic  fire. 
This  was  afterwards  published  in  his  paper.  Madame 
Wagner,  in  a  fit  of  indignation,  prosecuted  the  paper  for 
infringement  of  copyright ;  and  the  joke  of  the  whole 
tiling  is,  the  paper  had  to  pay. 

I  have  been  asked  by  a  Colonial  reader  to  recommend 
a  good  Irish  whisky,  and  I  don't  hesitate  to  say,  "  Try 
Falkner's,  of  Dublin."  It  has  a  rich,  mellow  flavour, 
and  is  just  the  whisky  that  has  not  a  headache  in  a 
bottle. 


The  Ulster  Gazette  must  get  a  new  proof-reader,  or 
there  will  be  a  grave  scandal  in  the  town.      A  corre- 

Am  ii  i  i  m  i..  I"  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patent*  f.  r  linen- 
tibna  see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Write  for  Hid.  Guide  (SM)  pages)  Si. 
Tobacconists"  Outfitting  Co.,  ISC,  Euston-road,  London.    Est.  186(5.— Aim 


March  9,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


151 


spondent  sends  me  the  following  cutting :  — "  Wanted, 
Stylish  Young  Lady,  to  assist  at  Millinery;  also,  an 
Improper  to  above. — Apply  to  E.  H.,  this  Office." 


Although  it  is  pretty  certain  that  morning  coats  will 
be  largely  worn  this  year,  frock-coats  will  certainly  not 
be  ousted.  In  fact,  a  leading  West-end  tailor  tells  me 
that  he  is  making  as  many  frock-coats  as  he  was  twelve 
months  ago.  No  doubt  one  reason  for  the  continued 
popularity  of  this  coat  is  the  fact  that  it  has  not  been  in 
fashion  for  young  men  for  at  least  twenty  years. 


It  is  a  little  early  yet  to  tell  how  trousers  will  be  cut 
this  season ;  but  my  correspondents  will  not  be  far 
wrong  if  they  have  them  full  at  the  thighs,  tapering 
down  over  the  calf,  and  fitting  fairly  closely  to  the  foot. 


Several  irate  correspondents  write  from  Liverpool 
protesting  against  my  strictures  on  Everton  for  keeping 
Chadwick  and  Holt  for  their  Lancashire  Cup  tie,  thereby 
depriving  them  of  international  honours.  One  corre- 
spondent goes  as  f  ar  as  to  say :  — "  We  in  Liverpool  think 
more  of  the  Lancashire  Cup  than  we  do  of  any  Inter- 
national match."  Exactly  so.  That  is  what  I  stated ; 
but,  all  the  same,  I  reinain  of  opinion  that  the  honour 
of  playing  for  one's  country  should  be  above  mere  local 
considerations.  Now,  however,  that  Everton  have  been 
dismissed  from  the  English  Cup,  and  have  a  diminished 
chance  of  winning  the  League  Championship,  they  are 
acting  wisely  in  concentrating  their  attention  on  the 
Lancashire  Cup. 


It  is  not  given  to  man  to  have  much  variety  in  the  way 
of  neckties ;  but  changes  do  occur,  and  I  have  noticed 
lately  that  bows — whether  made  up  or  self-tied — seem 
to  be  going  out.  The  four-in-hand  still  holds  its  own, 
but  the  male  safety-brooch  has  entirely  disappeared. 
With  regard  to  colour,  the  black  tie  with  a  neat-coloured 
pattern  on  it  is  as  popular  as  ever. 


Club  Rugby  is  practically  over  for  the  season. 
The  prolonged  frost  made  sad  havoc  of  the 
fixtures,  and  several  weeks'  enforced  idleness  has  put 
men  out  of  condition,  so  that  the  remaining  games  will 
be  no  real  guide  to  form.  Men  will  not  take  the  trouble 
to  get  into  condition  again.  A  season  so  disastrous  to 
the  Rugby  code  has  scarcely  ever  been  recorded. 


The  receipts  in  the  four  English  Cup  ties  beat  all 


Vogeler's^w 

Curative 

Compound 

—   FOR  — 

DYSPEPSIA 

HEADACHE 

MENTAL  EXHAUSTION 

NEURALGIA 

INDIGESTION 

TORPID  LIVER 

DIZZINESS 

DROWSINESS 

CONSTIPATION 

NAUSEA 

Vogeler's-w 


Cures! 


Price  1IW  and  2/6,  of  all  reliable  dealers  in  medicine  everywhere  ; 
or  sent  post  free,  with  explanatory  pamphlet,  on  receipt  of  J4  or  30 
ienny  stamps  (or  equivalent)  by  the  Sole  Proprietors,  The  Charles  A. 
'ogeler  Co.,  45,  Farringdon  Road,  London. 


IHE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  Bl? 


Stenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
S.otland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
1)  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


TO-DAY  BOOTS. 

MATCHLESS  FOR  STYLE  AND  COMFORT, 


In  three  qualities,  from 
Hand-sewn  „ 


13s.  6d.  per  pair. 
16s.  6d.  „ 


AGENTS  : 


PURVEYORS  TO 
H,  R,  H. 

-  THE 
PRINCE  of  WALES, 


Osbobne  &  CO.,  380  and  387,  Oxford 

Street,  W. 
A.  A.  Tyson,  27,  Brecknock  Rd.N.W. 
H.  Ovenden,  Broadway,  Leyton. 
J.  H.  Tatlob,  Blackheath,  S.E. 
D.  Spence,  243,  Lavender  Hill,  S.W. 
J.  Southwood,  Hanwell. 
Geo.  Wllkins,  259,  Holloway  Ed.,  N. 
Bales  &  Son,  101,  Leytonstone  Rd,E . 


C.  F.  Evans,  161,  Broadhurst  Gar- 
dens, West  Hampstead. 

P.  Tufnell,  72,  Peckham  Bye,  S.E. 

T.  Fisheb,  108,  High  Street,  Plum- 
stead,  Kent. 

J.  Mtnois  &  Co. ,  517,  Harrow  Rd„  W. 

A.  3.  Spabet,  Oxford  Eoad,  Wal- 
thamstow. 

W.  G.  Cubbyeb,  69,  Oxford  St.,  W. 


SS"i"CLUB  SODA 


(ofbiancs 


'  Ale dais  Awarded. 


Work?-DUBLIN    AND  BELFAST. 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Various  Climates. 


152 


TO-DAY. 


March  9,  1895. 


previous  records.  The  amounts  were :  —  Sheffield, 
£889  j  Perry  Barr,  £650  ;  West  Bromwich,  £630  ;  Sun- 
derland, £457 — total,  £2,626. 


A  deal  of  capital  has  been  mad©  by  the  friends  of 
the  Anti-Gambling  League  out  of  the  attack  on  Mr. 
Hawke  and  Co.,  at  Newmarket.  The  statements,  how- 
ever, made  by  certain  folk  that  the  stable  boys  were 
the  cause  of  all  the  trouble  are  false.  The  demonstra- 
tion was  carried  out  by  ne'er-do>-wellg,  who  are  in  no 
way  connected  with  any  racing  establishment  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  Turf.  Trainers  at  Newmarket  rule 
their  employes  with  a  firm  hand,  and  at  the  request  of 
the  Jockey  Club,  confined  the  lads  to  the  house  during 
the  hearing  of  the  case. 


Just  when  everyone  expected  to  hear  of  Cloister  start- 
ing his  Grand  National  preparation,  a  mild  sensation  is 
caused  by  the  horse  falling  at  exercise.  Fortunately,  the 
mishap  is  reported  to  be  of  a  trivial  character,  but  I  should 
advise  the  public  to  fight  shy  of  the  horse  until  the  day 
of  the  race.  A  certain  body  of  speculators  ridicule  the 
idea  of  Mr.  Duff's  horse  winning,  and  they  make  few 
mistakes. 


Stale,  flat,  and  unprofitable  is  still  the  term  to  be 
applied  to  the  Lincoln  and  Grand  National  wagering. 
Speculators  seem  to  be  at  a  loss  as  to  what  to  make 
favourite  for  the  Lincoln  race,  and  maybe  no  decided 
move  will  be  made  until  the  Saturday  preceding  the 
race.  It  may  be  worth  mentioning  that  more  favourites 
have  been  beaten  at  Lincoln  than  have  won— in  fact,  only 
four  absolute  favourites  have  captured  the  first  great 
handicap  of  the  year  during  the  past  twenty-four  years. 

Tx  a  proposal  and  acceptance  at  solo  whist,  when 
you  are  trying  to  establish  a  suit  consisting  of 
Ace  King,  Jack  to  five  or  more,  if  you  find 
your  partner  fall  short,  or  with  a  high  card  to  your 
first  lead— the  King— and  there  are  no  objections 
to  forcing  him  to  trump,  continue  with  a  small 
card  of  the  suit,  and  don't  lead  your  Ace  until  you  can 
make  fairly  sure  of  the  Queen  falling  to  it.  But  beware 
of  exhausting  the  suit  too  far  before  playing  Ace,  lest 
it  fall  to  the  trump  of  an  adversary,  or  even  your  partner, 
for  the  latter  might  ruff  an  opponent's  lead  of  the  suit, 
under  the  impression  that  you  did  not  hold  the  Ace. 

The  following  case  was  referred  to  me  last  week :  — 
A  calls  solo ;  B  passes  ;  C  hesitates  about  declaring  ;  and 
A,  thinking  all  have  passed,  leads  out  a  trump.  C  re- 
quests him  to  leave  it  exposed  on  the  table,  and  then 
calls  misere.  B  then  says,  "You  can  lead  the  exposed 
card."  C  makes  B  responsible  for  the  stakes  because 
of  the  remark.  Query — Can  he  do  so  %  He  can.  B's 
remark  was  practically  a  hint  for  A  to  play  the  exposed 
card,  although  his  statement  was  wrong  in  fact,  for,  as 
an  exposed  card  against  an  independent  caller,  the  latter 
could  repeatedly  prohibit  its  being  led.  C  could  not 
claim  the  stakes  on  the  ground  of  the  exposure,  because 
it  took  place  before  the  misere  was  called. 


TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKi  ig   is  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
~" . GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is,  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Gresse  Street,  London,  W- 

BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 


When  the  police  can  spare  a  few  moments  from  cab- 
man baiting,  and  hunting  down  foreign  waiters  who  want 
a  drinK.  and  a  smoke  together  after  a  long  day's  work,  I 
wish  they  would  turn  their  attention  to  the  vendors  of 
coarse  and  disgusting  prints  in  the  streets.  Round  the 
theatres  at  night,  especially  in  the  Strand,  these  dirty 
ruffians  push  their  way  into  the  crowds  waiting  for  cabs, 
and  shove  their  wares  into  the  faces  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men alike.  The  police  tolerate  the  nuisance,  and  beyond 
telling  them  to  "  move  on,"  in  a  perfunctory  tone,  when 
someone  enters  a  protest,  they  leave  them  to  their  dirty 
trade.  This  is  bad  enough  on  a  week-day,  but  now  they 
continue  their  trade  on  a  Sunday,  and  in  Oxford  Street 
I  saw  them  offering  these  prints,  with  winks  and  ges- 
tures, to  young  people  leaving  the  churches.  The  whole 
of  this  hawking  ought  to  be  put  on  a  different  footing. 
You  cannot  walk  the  length  of  a  street  now  without  being 
worried  to  buy  matches,  collar-studs,  flowers,  tie-clips, 
toys  and  children's  books,  newspapers,  walking-sticks, 
and  toasting-forks. 


I  have  seen  nothing  more  elegant  in  the  way  of 
pyjamas  than  the  cashmere  suitings  of  Messrs.  Baikie 
and  Hogg,  of  Glasgow.  The  material  is  soft  and  deli- 
cate, the  colours  rich,  and,  altogether,  these  pyjamas  are 
just  the  things  to  make  a  man  go  to  bed  early  and  get  up 
late. 


The  result  of  the  Rugby  International,  at  Raeburn 
Place,  Edinburgh,  where  Scotland  defeated  Ireland  by 
two  tries  to  nil,  gives  us  no  cue  towards  estimating  the 
chances  of  Scotland  against  England,  at  Richmond, 
to-day.  The  Irish  team  was  a  weak  one,  seven  of  the 
original  selections  being  unavoidably  absent ;  and  it 
was  further  weakened  by  the  stormy  crosis-Channel 
journey.  I  have  no  reason  to  alter  my  opinion  that  the 
English  fifteen  is  one  of  the  best  combinations  ever 
selected,  and,  while  due  weight  must  be  attached  to 
Scotland's  performance,  I  fancy  England  will  just  about 
win. 


The  Association  International  at  Derby  to-day  is  not 
likely  to  provoke  any  very  violent  excitement,  as  the 
team  of  professionals  ought  to  score  easily  against  Ire- 
land. Even  more  interesting  than  the  game  will  be  the 
meeting  of  the  Consultative  Committee  of  the  Football 
Association.  This  Committee  will  make  the  draws  for 
the  semi-finals  of  the  English  Cup,  and  will  also  fix  upon 
the  grounds  upon  which  they  will  be  played. 


Marlow,  who  were  fancied  for  the  Amateur  Cup,  have 
been  dismissed  by  the  King's  Own  (Lancaster)  Regiment, 
and  as  it  draws  to  a  close  the  competition  still  wears  an 
open  appearance.  The  club  that  beats  the  Crewe  Alex- 
andra (the  sole  representatives  of  amateurism  in  the 
Second  Division  of  the  League)  should  capture  the 
trophy.  This  is  the  second  season  of  the  competition, 
but  it  was  only  last  week  that  the  Cup  itself  was  pur- 
chased, as  well  as  the  medals  for  last  season's  winners. 


A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite, 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court.  Fleet  Street.  EC 
October  SMh.  ltw. 

Dear  Sir,— I  hare  much  fleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efhoacr  of 
Pr.  Scott>  I'lll*  as  a  family  medicine.  We  bare  ut>ed  tliem  in  our  household  (or  mail5 
yeare,  and  are  never  without  thero. 

Tourt  faithfully,  .1  SELLAFS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be   persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead 
Prepared  onlv  by— 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 


March  9,  ISfS. 


TO-DAY. 


153 


Mr.  James  Hedlet,  who  will  act  as  judge  at  Waterloo, 
has  rilled  that  position  now  for  twenty-two  successive 
years.  He  is  one  of  the  most  wiry  men  I  have  ever  seen. 
Nothing  seems  to  exhaust  his  energy.  During  the 
season  he  is  in  the  saddle  daily  for  six  or  eight  hours. 
No  one  has  ever  doubted  his  honesty,  and  his  decisions 
are  never  challengd. 


Quite  a  small  sensation  has  been  caused  in  racing 
circles  by  the  resignation  of  Percy  Peck,  who  for  some 
years  had  acted  as  private  trainer  to  Sir  J.  B.  Maple. 
P.  Peck  is  a  son  of  Robert  Peck,  who  rapidly  made  a 
fortune  whilst  residing  at  Russley — and  he  is  probably 
the  only  trainer  who  can  claim  to  have  had  a  University 
education.  He  is  quite  a  young  man.  His  brother 
Charles  trains  for  Colonel  North  and  Lord  Durham. 


tbree  small  trumps,  many  players  lead  off  Ace  and  a» 
small  one.  Unless  you  see  danger  of  having  your  plain 
suits  ruffed,  I  think  this  is  wrong  play,  more  especially 
if  you  are  first  hand.  By  leading  the  best  of  your  small 
trumps  you  leave  your  adversaries  in  the  dark  as  to  the- 
whereabouts  of  the  Ace,  which  you  can  play  when  you 
regain  the  lead,  and  by  the  fall  of  the  trumps  then  you 
will  be  in  a  good  position  to  judge  whether  to  lead  them 
a  third  time  or  not.  In  the  other  event  the  option  would 
have  been  with  them.  If  you  reckon  on  tricks  in  divided 
head  strength  in  the  plain  suits,  the  original  small  trump 
lead  is  still  good,  for  your  adversaries  are  nearly  certain, 
to  open  a  fresh  suit.  But  when  your  solo  is  based  on 
trumps  only,  or  on  best  cards  in  plain  suits,  lead  Ace  of 
trumps  first. 


Mention  of  Lord  Durham  reminds  me  that  the  ex- 
Steward  of  the  Jockey  Club  has  blossomed  forth  into  a 
fme  platform  speaker.  He  spoke  on  behalf  of  many 
County  Council  candidates.  Another  well-known 
sporting  peer  who  interested  himself  in  the  recent  elec- 
tions was  Lord  Dudley. 


The  protection  of  football  grounds  from  frosts  is  just 
now  a  subject  of  interest.  The  invention  of  some  method 
by  which  the  surfaces  could  be  kept  soft  would  make 
the  fortune  of  the  inventor,  for  it  would  be  applicable 
also  to  racecourses.  It  is  said  that  a  system  of  forcing 
hot  water  through  the  pipes  laid  for  sub-soil  drainage 
has  been  devised,  and  will  be  utilised  on  the  proposed 
new  ground  at  Wood  Green ;  but  till  I  hear  more  of  it  I 
remain  somewhat  sceptical. 

A  project  is  on  foot  for  forming  a  new  professional 
club  in  London,  in  connection  with  the  North  London 
trrounds  at  Wood  Green.  A  limited  company  is  being 
formed,  with  a  capital  of  £3,000.  I  dont  think  there 
will  be  a  rush  for  shares,  as  the  English  Association  does 
not  allow  more  than  5  per  cent,  dividend,  and,  moreover, 
the  financial  position  of  Woolwich  Arsenal,  our  leading 
Southern  professional  club,  is  not  such  as  to  encourage 
investors. 


Paradoxical  as  it  may  at  first  appear,  it  is  sometime* 
good  policy  to  lead  trumps  when  you  don't  want  trumps 
drawn.  Say  the  5  of  diamonds  is  turned  up.  You  are 
first  player,  and  hold  Ace,  9,  4,  2  of  trumps  ;  Ace,  King, 
6,  5 — clubs  ;  Ace,  8,  7,  5,  3 — hearts ;  no  spades.  You 
propose,  the  others  pass,  and  you  go  solo.  You  can  see 
four  fairly  promising  tricks  in  your  hand,  and  you  rely 
upon  ruffing  spades  for  the  fifth.  If  you  refrain  from 
leading  trumps  you  will  doubtless  be  attacked  in  their 
Your  game  then  is  to  lead  the  9  of  trumps,  and  the 
probabilities  are  that  spades  will  be  returned.  If  they 
are,  you  would  trump,  play  Ace  of  trumps,  Ace  of  hearts, 
Ace  of  diamonds,  and  King  of  hearts.  There  are  pro- 
nounced risks  in  such  a  hand — it  was  a  forced  call— for 
spades  may  not  be  played,  or  your  tricks  in  the  plain 
suits  may  be  ruffed  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  the  caller  gets  home, 
and  as  often  as  not  is  allowed  to  trump  off  twice,  and  so 
make  all  an  over-trick. 


As  caller  of  a  solo,  beware  of  nremnturely  relinquish- 
ing the  mastery  of  the  trump  suit.  If  once  vou  leave  it 
in  the  power  of  an  adversary  to  draw  your  Inst  trumps 
you  may  never  come  in  again.    With  Ace,  Queen,  and 


Another  situation  familiar  to  the  solo  caller  is  when,, 
trumps  being  in,  a  suit  is  being  led  throughout  of  which 

.both  you  and  the  opponent  to  your  left  are  free.  If  you 
have  only  one  or  two  cards  in  another  plain  suit,  you 
should  throw  them  off  before  trumping,  unless  your 
adversary  is  renouncing  in  the  third  plain  suit,  of  which 
you  hold  master  cards,  when  you  must  finesse  a  fairly 

high  trump.  If  you  can,  however,  rid  your  hand  cf  the  sliorfc 
suit,  and  are  then  overtrumped,  you  aro  almost  sum 
to  secure  the  lead  on  the  next  round,  either  on  the  re- 
maining plain  suit,  or  by  ruffing  the  one  you  have  dis- 
carded. 

The  Major. 


AT  PARTING. 

By 

FRANK   L.  STANTON. 


THE  GALLANTRY  FUND  MEMORIAL  MEDALLION. 


If  you  should  leave  me,  kissing  me  good-night, 

And  I  should  know  that  sweet  kiss  meant  good-bye, 
I  w..uld  not  ghe  the  world  my  tears,  nor  sigh 

My  sorrow  in  its  loveliness  and  light. 

But  I  should  say  :  "  Somewhere  the  day  dawns  bright, 
And  beautiful  God's  morning  draweth  nigh 
Where  rarer  rainbows  span  the  stormless  sky, 

And  rarer  smiles  have  made  the  darkness  white  ! " 

And  some  day,  dreaming  in  your  home  above, 
Where  there  ia  never  dark,  or  storm,  or  gloom, 
Your  lips  would  feci  the  last  kiss  that  they  knew, 

While  mine  would  say  :  "  Earth  had  for  ms  no  love ; 
1  was  so  lonely  in  the  light  and  bloom 
That  through  ih&  gates  of  death  I  came  to  you  !  " 


This  medallion  will  be  placed  in  the  Public  Hall,  Rhos,  neap 
RnaLon,  by  kind  permission  of  the  Directorate.  The  design  and; 
inscription  are  engraved  on  a  convex  brass  tablet,  eighteen 
inches;  in  diameter, 


154  TO-DAY. 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYA1AN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  TRICOLOUR. 

It  was  known  afterwards  that  they  fell  upon  the  body 
like  the  dogs  they  were ;  but  I  had  seen  enough.  I 
reeled  back,  and  for  a  few  moments  leaned  against  the 
chimney,  trembling  like  a  woman,  sick  and  faint.  The 
horrid  drama  had  had  only  one  spectator — myself ;  and 
the  strange  solitude-,  from  which  I  had  viewed  it,  kneel- 
ing at  the  edge  of  the  roof  of  the  Chateau,  with  the 
night  wind  on  my  brow  and  the  tumult  far  below  me, 
had  shaken  me  to>  the  bottom  of  my  soul.  Had  the 
ruffians  come  upon  me  then,  I  could  scarcely  have  lifted 
a  finger ;  but,  fortunately,  though  the  awakening  came 
quickly,  it  came  by  another  hand.  I  heard  the  move- 
ment of  feet  behind  me,  and,  turning,  found  Mademoiselle 
dc  St.  Alais  at  my  shoulder,  her  small  face  grey  in  tho 
gloom. 

'  Monsieur,"  she  said,  "will  you  cornel" 

1  sprang  up,  ashamed  and  conscience-stricken.  I 

had  forgotten  her,  all — in  the  tragedy.    "  What  is  it  1 " 

I  said. 

"  The  house  is  burning." 

She  said  it  so  calmly,  in  such  a  voice,  that  I  could  not 
believe  her,  or  that  I  understood;  though  it  was  the 
tiling  I  had  told  myself  must  happen.  "What,  Made- 
moiselle]   This  house?"  I  said. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  as  quietly  as  before.  "  The  smoke 
Is  rising  through  the  closet  staircase.  I  think  that 
iliey  have  set  the  east  wing  on  fire." 

I  hastened  back  with  her,  but  before  I  reached  the 
little  door  by  which  we  had  ascended,  I  saw  that  it  was 
true.  A  faint,  whitish  eddy  of  smoke1,  scarcely  visible  in 
tin.'  dusk,  was  rising  through  the  crack  between  dcor 
and  lintel.  The  women  were  standing  round,  watching 
it,  when  we  came  up;  but  while  I  looked,  dazed  and 
wondering  what  we  were  to  do,  the  group  melted  away, 
and  Mademoiselle  and  I  were  left  alone  beside  the  eddy 
•of  smoke  that  grew  each  moment  thicker  and  darker. 

A  few  moments  before,  immediately  after  my  escape 
from  the  rooms  below,  I  had  thought  that  I  could  face 
this  peril ;  anything,  everything,  had  then  seemed 
better  than  to  be  caught  with  the  women,  in  the  con- 
finement of  those  luxurious  rooms,  perfumed  with  poudfje 
de  rose,  and  heavy  with  jasmine — to  be  caught  there  by 
the  brutes  who  were  pursuing  us.  Now  the  danger  that 
showed  itself  most  pressing  seemed  the  worst.  "  We 
must  take  off  the  bricks!"  I  cried.  "Quick,  and  open 
that  door!  There  is  nothing  else  for  it.  Come,  Made- 
moiselle, if  you  please  !  " 

"  They  are  doing  it,"  she  answered. 

Then  I  saw  whither  the  women  and  the  servants  had 
gone.  They  were  already  beside  the  other  door,  the  trap- 
door, labouring  frantically  to  remove  the  bricks  we  had 
piled  on  it.  In  a  moment  I  caught  the  infection  of  their 
haste. 

"Come,  Mademoiselle!  come!"  I  cried,  advancing  in- 
voluntarily a  step  towards  the  group.  "  Very  likely  the 
rogues  below  will  be  plundering  now,  and  we  may  pass 
safely.    At  any  rate,  there  is  nothing  else  for  it.'' 


March  9,  IssOo. 


I  was  still  flurried  and  shaken — I  say  it  with  shame 
■ — by  Gargouf's  fate;  and  when  she  did  not  answer  at 
once,  I  looked  round  impatiently.  To  my  astonish- 
ment, she  was  gone.  In  the  darkness,  it  was  not  easy  to 
s:e  anyone  at  a  distance  of  a  dozen  feet,  and  the  reek  of 
the  smoke  was  spreading.  Still,  she  had  been  at  my 
elbow  a  moment  before ;  she  could  not  have  gone  far. 
I  took  a  step  this  way  and  that,  therefore,  and  looked 
again  anxiously ;  and  then  I  found  her.  She  was  kneel- 
ing against  a  chimney,  her  face  buried  in  her  hands. 
Her  hair  covered  her  shoulders,  and  partly  hid  her 
white  robe. 

I  thought  the  moment  ill-chosen,  and  I  touched  her 
angrily.  "Mademoiselle!"  I  said.  "There  is  not  a 
moment  to  be  lost !  Come  !  they  have  opened  the 
door ! " 

She  looked  up  at  me,  and  the  still  pallor  of  her  face 
sobered  me.  "  I  am  not  coming,"  she  said,  in  a  low 
voice.    "  Farewell,  Monsieur  !  " 

"You  are  not  coming?"  I  cried. 

"No,  Monsieur;  save  yourself,"  she  answered,  firmly 
and  quietly.  And  she  looked  up  at  me  with  her  hands 
clasped  before  her,  as  if  she  was  fain  to  return  to  her 
prayers,  and  waited  only  for  me  to  go. 

1  gasped. 

"  But,  Mademoiselle ! "  I  cried,  staring  at  the 
white-robed  figure,  that  in  the  gloom — a  gloom  riven 
now  and  again  by  hot  flashes,  as  some  burning  fragment 
soared  upwards — seemed  scarcely  earthly.  "But, 
Mademoiselle,  you  do  not  understand.  This  is  no 
child's  play.  To  stay  here  is  death  !  death  !  The  house 
is  burning  under  us.  Presently  the  roof,  on  which  we 
stand,  will  fall  in,  and  then  " 

"  Better  that,"  she  answered,  with  heaven  knows  what 
of  womanly  dignity,  caught  in  this  supreme  moment  by 
her,  a  child.  "  Better  that,  than  that  I  should  fall  into 
their  hands.  I  am  a  St.  Alais,  and  I  can  die,"  she  con- 
tinued, firmly.  "But  I  must  not  fall  into  their  hands. 
Do  you,  Monsieur,  save  yourself.  Go  now,  and  I  will 
pray  for  you." 

"  And  I  for  you,  Mademoiselle,"  I  answered,  with  a 
full  heart.    "If  you  stay,  I  stay." 

She  looked  at  me  a  moment,  her  face  troubled. 
Then  she  rose  slowly  to  her  feet.  The  servants  had 
disappeared,  the  trap-door  lay  open;  no  one  had  yet 
come  up.  We  had  the  roof  to  ourselves.  I  saw  her 
sin  dder  as  she  looked  round  ;  and  in  a  second  I  had  her 
in  my  arms — she  was  no  heavier  than  a  child — and  was 
half-way  across  the  roof.  She  uttered  a  faint  ciy  of  re- 
monstrance, of  reproach,  and  for  an  instant  struggled 
with  me.  But  I  only  held  her  the  tighter, 
and  ran  on.  From  the  trap-door  a  ladder  led 
downwards ;  somehow,  still  holding  her  with  one 
hand,  I  stumbled  down  it,  until  I  reached  the 
foot,  and  found  myself  in  a  passage,  which  was  all 
dark.  One  way,  however,  a  light  shone  at  the  end  cf  the 
passage.  I  carried  her  towards  it,  her  hair  lying  across 
my  lips,  her  face  against  my  breast.  She  no  longer 
s4 niggled,  and  in  a  moment  I  came  to  the  head  of  a 
staircase.  It  seemed  to  be  a  servants'  staircase,  for  it 
was  bare,  and  mean,  and  narrow,  with  whitewashed 
walls  that  were  not  too  clean.  There  were  no  signs  of 
fire  here,  even  the  smoke  had  not  yet  reached  this  part; 
but  half-way  down  the  flight  a  candle,  overturned,  but 
still  burning,  lay  on  a  step,  as  if  someone  had  that  mo- 


Copyright,  1S9S,  l»j  Stanley  J.  Wajman. 


March  9,  1S9.">. 


TO-DAY. 


155 


ment  dropped  it.    And  from  the  lower  part  of  the  "The  kitchen,"  she  answered. 

house  came  up  a  great  noise  of  not  and  revelry,  coarse  "If  I  had  any  cloak  to  cover  you,"  I  said,  "I  think 

shiieks,  and  shouts,  and  laughter.    I  paused  to  listen.        that  we  could  jass.    They  are  not  searchii.g  for  us. 


HE  CARRIED  A  CANDLE,  AND  A  LARGE  BAR  IN  HIS  RIGHT  HAND. 


Mademoiselle  lifted  herself  a  little  in  my  arms.    "  Tut 
me  down,  Monsieur,"  she  whispered. 
"You  will  come?"  . 
"I  will  do  what  you  tell  me." 

I  set  her  down  in  the  angle  of  the  passage,  at  the  head 
of  the  stairs;  ami  in  a  Whisper  I  asked  her  what  was 
beyond  the  door,  winch  I  could  see  at  the  foot  of  the 
flight. 


They  are  robbing  and  drinking." 

"Will  you  get  the  candle?"  she  whispered,  trembling. 
"  In  one  of  these  rooms  we  may  find  something." 

I  went  softly  down  the  bare  stairs,  and,  picking  it  rp, 
returnc  1  with  it  in  my  hand.  As  I  came  back  to  her, 
our  eyes  met,  and  a  slow  blush,  gradually  deepening, 
crept  ovor  her  face,  as  dawn  creeps  over  a  grey  sky. 
Iltving  come,  it  stayed ;  her  eyes  fell,  and  she  turned  a 


156 


TO-DAY. 


MAJiCK  9,  J  89-3. 


little  away  from  me,  confused  and  frightened.  We  were 
alone ;  and  for  the  first  time  that  night,  I  think,  she 
remembered  her  loosened  hair  and  the  disorder  of  her 
dress — that  she  was  a  woman  and  I  a  man. 

It  was  a  strange  time  to  think,  of  such  things ;  when 
at  any  instant  the  door  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  before  us 
might  open,  and  a  dozen  ruffians  stream  up,  bent  on 
plunder,  and  worse.  But  the  look  and  the  movement 
warmed  my  heart,  and  set  my  blood  running  as  it  had 
never  run  before.  I  felt  my  courage  return  in  a  flood, 
and  with  it  twice  my  strength.  I  felt  capable  of  holding 
the  staircase  against  a  hundred,  a  thousand,  as  long  as 
she  stood  at  the  top.  Above  all,  I  wondered  how  I 
could  have  borne  her  in  my  arms  a  minute  before,  how  1 
could  have  held  her  head  against  my  breast,  and  felt  her 
hair  touch  my  lips,  and  been  insensible  !  Never  again 
should  I  carry  her  so  with  ah  even  pulse.  The  know- 
ledge of  that  came  to  me  as  I  stood  beside  her  at  the 
head  of  the  bare  stairs,  affecting  to  listen  to  the  noises 
below,  that  she  might  have  time  to  recover  herself. 

A  moment,  and  I  began  to  listen  seriously ;  for  the 
uproar  in  the  kitchen,  through  which  we  must  pass  to 
escape,  was  growing  louder;  and  at  the  same  time  that 
I  noticed  this,  a  smell  of  burning  wood,  with  a  whiff  of 
smoke,  reached  my  nostrils,  and  warned  me  that  the 
fire  was  extending  to  the  wing  in  which  we  stood. 
Behind  us,  as  we  looked  down  the  stairs,  was  a 
door;  along  the  passage  to  the  left  by  which  we  had 
come  were  other  doors.  I  thrust  the  candle  into  Made- 
moiselle's hands,  and  begged  her  to  go  and  look  in  tho 
rcoms. 

"  There  may  be  a  cloak,  or  something ! "  I  said!, 
eagerly.  "  We  must  not  linger.  If  you  will  look,  I 
will  " 

No  more ;  as  the  last  word  trembled  on  my  lips 
the  door  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  flow  open,  and  a  man 
blundered  through  it  and  began  to  ascend,  two  steps  at 
a  time.  He  carried  a  candle  before  him,  and  a  large 
bar  in  his  right  hand  ;  and  a  savage  roar  of  voices  came 
out  with  him  through  the  doorway. 

He  appeared  so  suddenly  that  we  had  no  t-ime  to  move. 
I  had  a  side  glimpse  of  Mademoiselle  standing  spell- 
bound with  horror,  the  light  drooping  in  her  hand. 
Then  I  snatched  the  candle  from  her  and  quenched  it ; 
and,  plucking  it  from  the  iron  candlestick,  stood  wait- 
ing, with  the  latter  in  my  hand — waiting,  stooping  for- 
ward, for  the  man.  I  had  left  my  sword  in  the  other 
wing,  and  had  no  other  weapon ;  but  tho  stairs  were 
narrow,  the  sloping  ceiling  low,  and  the  candlestick 
might  do.    If  the  rest  did  not  follow  him,  it  might  do. 

He  came  up  rapidly,  two-thirds  of  the  way,  holding 
the  light  high  in  front  of  him.  Only  four  or  five  steps 
divided  him  from  us  !  Then  on  a  sudden  he  stumbled, 
swore,  and  fell  heavily  forwards.  The  light  in  his  hand 
was  dashed  out,  and  we  were  in  darkness ! 

Instinctively  I  gripped  Mademoiselle's  hand  in  my 
left  hand  to  stay  the  scream,  that  I  knew  was  on  her 
lips ;  then  we  stood  like  two  statue  ?,  scarcely  daring  to 
breathe.  Tho  man,  so  near  us,  and  yet  unconscious  of 
cur  presence,  got  up  swearing  ;  and,  after  a  terrible 
moment  of  suspense,  during  which  I  think  he  fumbled 
for  the  candle,  he  began  to  clatter  down  the  stairs  again. 
They  had  closed  the  door  at  the  bottom,  and  he  could 
not  for  a  moment  find  the  string  of  the  latch.  But  at. 
last  he  found  it,  and  opened  the  door.  Then  I  stopped 
bacic,  and  under  cover  of  the  babel  that  instantly  poured 
up  the  staircase,  I  drew  Mademoiselle  into  the  room 


behind  us,  and,  closing  the  door  which  faced  the  stairs, 
stood  listening. 

I  fancied  that  I  could  hear  her  heart  beating.  I  could 
certainly  hear  my  own.  In  this  room  we  seemed  for  the 
moment  safe  ;  but  how  were  we,  without  a  light,  to  find 
anything  to  disguise  her  ?  How  were  we  to  pass  through 
the  kitchen  ?  Then,  in  a  moment,  I  began  to  regret  that 
I  had  left  the  stairs.  We  were  in  perfect  darkness, 
nowr,  and  could  see  nothing  in  the  room,  which  had  a 
close,  unused  smell,  as  of  mice ;  but  even  as  I  noticed 
this  the  fumes  of  burning  wood,  which  had  doubtless 
entered  with  us,  grew  stronger,  and  overcame  the  other 
£.m ell.  The  wind-like  sound  of  the  fire,  as  it  caught  hold 
of  the  w.'ng,  began  to  be  audible,  and  the  distant  crackling 
of  flames.    My  heart  sank. 

"Mademoiselle,"  I  said,  softly.    I  still  held  her  hand. 

"Yes,  Monsieur,"  she  murmured  faintly.  And  she 
teemed  to  lean  against  me. 

i:  Are  there  no  windows  in  this  room?" 

"  I  think  that  they  are  shuttered,"  the  murmured. 

With  a  new  thought  in  my  mind,  that  the  way  of  the 
kitchen  being  hopeless  we  might  escape  by  the  windows, 
1  moved  a  pace  to  look  for  them.  I  would  have 
loosed  her  hand  to  do  this,  that  my  own  might  be  free 
to  grope  before  me;  but  to  my  surprise  she  clung  to 
me,  and  would  not  let  mo  go.  Then  in  the  darkness  I 
heard  her  sigh,  as  if  she  were  about  to  swoon;  and  sho 
fell  against  me. 

"  Courage,  Mademoiselle,  courage ! "  I  said,  terrified 
by  the  mere  thought. 

"  Oh,  I  am  frightened  !  "  she  moaned  in  my  ear.  "  I 
am  frightened  !    Save  me,  Monsieur,  save  me  ! " 

She  had  been  so  brave  before,  that  I  wondered,  not 
knowing  that  the  bravest  woman's  courage  is  of  this 
quality.  But  I  had  short  time  for  wonder.  Her  weight 
hung  each  instant  more  dead  in  my  arms,  and  my  heart 
beating  wildly,  as  I  held  her,  I  looked  round  for  help,  for 
a  thought,  for  an  idea.  But  all  was  dark.  I  could  not 
remember  even  where  the  door  stood  by  which  we  had 
entered.  I  peered  in  vain,  for  the  slightest  glimmer  of 
light  that  might  betray  the  windows.  I  was  alone  with 
her,  and  helpless,  our  way  of  retreat  cut  off,  the  flames 
approaching.  I  felt  her  head  fall  back,  and  knew  that 
she  had  swooned;  and  in  the  dark  I  could  do  no  more 
than  support  her,  and  listen  and  listen  for  the  returning 
steps  of  the  man,  or  what  else  would  happen  nest. 

For  a  long  time,  a  long  time  it  seemed  to  me,  nothing 
happened.  Then  a  sudden  burst  of  sound  told  me  that 
the  door  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  had  been  orened  again  ; 
and  on  that  followed  a  clatter  of  wooden  shoes  c\i  the 
bare  stairs.  I  could  judge  now  where  the  door  of  the 
room  was,  and  I  quickly  but  tenderly  laid  Mademoiselle 
on  the  floor,  a  little  behind  it,  and  waited  myself  on  the 
threshold.  I  still  had  my  candlestick,  and  I  was  des- 
perate. 

I  heard  them  pass,  my  heart  beating;  and  then  I 
heard  them  pause,  and  I  clutched  my  weapon  ;  and  then 
a  voice  I  knew  gave  an  order,  and  with  a  cry  of  joy  I 
dragged  open  the  door  of  the  room  and  stood  before 
them — stood  before  them,  as  they  told  me  afterwards, 
with  the  face  of  a  ghost,  or  a  man  risen  from  the  dead. 
There  were  four  of  them,  and  the  nearest  to  us  was 
Father  Benoit. 

The  good  priest  fell  on  my  neck  and  kissed  me.  "  You 
are  not  hurt?"  he  cried. 

"  No,"  I  said  dully.    "  You  have  come  then?" 

"  Yes,"  he  sa  d.    "  In  time  to  save  you,  God  Le  i  raised  t 


March  9,  1GC5. 


TO-DAY. 


157 


€od  be  praised !  But  Mademoiselle  ?  Mademoiselle  de 
St.  Alais?"  he  added  eagerly,  looking  at  me  as  if  he 
thought  I  was  not  quite  in  my  senses.  "  Have  you  news 
of  her?" 

I  turned  without  a  word,  and  went  back  into  the 
Toom.    He  followed  with  a  light,  and  the  three  men,  of 
whom  Buton  was  one,  pressed  in  after  him.    They  were 
rough  peasants,  but  the  sight  made  them  give  back, 
and  uncover  themselves.    Mademoiselle  lay  where  I 
had  left  her,  her  head  pillowed  on  a  dark  carpet  of 
hair ;  from  the  midst  of  which  her  child's  face,  composed 
And  white  as  in 
death,  looked  up 
with  solemn  half- 
closed  eyes  to  the 
•ceiling.    For  my- 
self,   I  stared 
down  at  her  almost 
without  emotion, 
so  much   had  I 
gone  through. 
But    the  priest 
eried  out  aloud. 

"  Mon  Dieu  !  " 
he  said,  with  a 
sob  in  his  voice. 
"Have  they 
killed  her?" 

"No,"  I 
answered.  "  She 
has  only  fainted. 
If  there  is  a 
woman  here  " 

"There  is  ro 
woman  here  that  i 
I  dare  trust,"  he 
answered  between 
his  teeth.  And 
lie  bade  one  of 
the  men  go  and 
get  some  water, 
adding  a  few 
words  which  I  did 
not.  hear. 

The  man  re- 
turned almost 
immediately,  and 
Father  Benoit, 
bidding  him  and 
his  fellows  stand 
back    a  little, 

moistened  her  lips  with  water,  afterwards  dashing  some 
in  her  face ;  doing  it  with  au  air  of  haste  that  puzzled 
me  until  I  noticed  that  the  room  was  grown  thick  with 
smoke,  and  going  myself  to  the  door  saw  the  red  glow 
of  the  fire  at  the  end  of  the  passage,  and  heard  the  dis- 
tant crash  of  falling  stones  and  timbers.  Then  I  thought 
that  I  understood  the  men's  attitude,  and  I  suggested 
to  Father  Benoit  that  I  should  carry  her  out. 

"  She  will  never  recover  here,"  I  said,  with  a  sob  in  my 
throat.  "  She  will  be  suffocated  if  we  do  not  get  her  into 
the  air." 

A  thick  volume  of  smoke  swept  along  the  passage  as  I 
epoke,  and  gave  point  to  my  words. 

"Yes,"  the  priest  said  slowly,  "I  think  so,  too, 
my  son,  but  " 


''  But  what  ? "  I  cried.    "  It  is  not  safe  to  stay  1 " 
"  You  sent  to  Cahors  1 " 

"  Yes,"  I  answered.    "  Has  M.  de  Saux  come  ? " 

"  No ;  and  you  see,  M.  le  Viccmte,  I  have  only  these 
four  men,"  the  priest  explained.  "  Had  I  stayed  to 
gather  more  I  might  have  been  too  late.  And  with  these 
only  I  do  not  know  what  to  do  Half  the  poor 
.wretches,  who  have  done  this  mischief,  are  mad  with 
drink.    Others  ara  strangers,  and  " 

"  But  I  thought/ — I  thought  that  it  was  all  over,"  I 
cried,  in  astonishment. 

"No,"  he 
answered  gravely. 
"  They  let  us  pass 
in  after  an  alter- 
to  cation ;   I  am  of 
rr              m,    •  i*»5    v  the  Committee, 

and  so  is  Buton 
there.  But  when 
they  see  you,  and 
especially  Made- 
moiselle de  St. 
Alais — I  do  not 
know  how  they 
may  act,  my 
friend." 

"But,  mon 
Dieu,"  I  cried. 
u  Surely  they  will 

not  dare  " 

"  No,  Monseig- 
neur,  have  no  fear, 
they  shall  not 
dare  ! " 

The  words 
came  out  of  the 
smoke.  The 
speaker  was 
Buton.  As  he 
sroke,  he  stepped 
forward,  swinging 
the  ponderous  bat- 
he carried,  his 
huge  hairy  arms 
bare  to  the  elbow. 
"  Yet  there  is  one 
thing  you  must 
do,"  he  said. 
"What?" 
"  You  must  put 
on  the  tricolour. 

They  will  not  dare  to  touch  that." 

He  spoke  with  a  simple  pride,  which  at  the  moment 
I  found  unintelligible.  I  understand  it  better  now. 
Nay,  on  the  morrow,  it  was  no  riddle  to  me,  though  au 
abiding  wonder. 

The  priest  sprang  at  the  idea.  "  Good,"  he  said. 
"  Buton  has  hit  it !    They  will  respect  that." 

And  before  I  could  speak  he  had  detached  the  large 
rosette  which  he  wore  on  his  soutane,  and  was  pinning  it 
on  my  breast. 

"  Now  yours,  Buton,"  he  continued ;  and  taking  the 
smith's — it  was  not  too  clean — he  fixed  it  on  Made- 
moiselle's left  shoulder.  "  There,"  he  said  eagerly,  when 
it  was  done.  "  Now,  M.  le  Vicomte,  take  her  up.  Quick, 


RESPECT  THE  TRICOLOUR  !  " 


153 


TO-DAY. 


Mai.CU  9,  ISCo. 


or  we  shall  be  stifled.  Cut  on  and  I  will  go  before  you, 
and  our  friends  here  will  follow  you." 

Mademoiselle  was  beginning  to  come  to  herself  with! 
sighs  and  sobs,  when  I  raised  her  in  my  arms ;  and  we 
were  all  coughing  with  tho  smoke.  This  in  the  passage 
outside  was  choking ;  indeed,  had  we  delayed  a  minute 
longer  we  could  scarcely  have  passed  out  safely,  for 
already  the  flames  were  beginning  to  lick  the  door  of  the 
next  room,  and  dart  out  angry  tongues  towards  us.  As  it 
was,  wo  stumbled  down  the  stairs  in  some  fashion,  one 
helping  another;  and  checked  for  an  instant  by  the 
closed  door  at  the  bottom,  were  glad  to  fall  when  it  was 
opened,  pell-mell  in  the  kitchen,  where  we  stood 
with  smarting  eyes,  gasping  for  breath. 

It  was  the  grand  kitchen  of  the  Chateau  that  had  seen 
many  a  feast  prepared ;  but  for  Mademoiselle's  sake  I 
was  glad  that  her  face  was  against  my  breast,  and  that 
she  could  not  see  it  now.  A  great  fire,  fed  high  with 
fat  and  hams,  blazed  on  the  hearth,  and  before  it,  in- 
stead of  meat,  the  carcases  of  three  dogs  hung  from  the 
jack,  and  tainted  the  air  with  the  smell  of  burning 
flesh.  They  were  M.  le  Marquis'  favourite  hounds,  killed 
in  pure  wantonness.  Below  them  the  floor,  strewn  with 
broken  bottles,  ran  deep  in  wasted  wine,  out  of  which 
piles  of  shattered  furniture  and  staved  casks  rose  like 
islands.  All  that  the  rioters  had  not  taken  they  had 
spoiled;  even  now  in  one  corner  a  woman  was  filling 
her  apron  with  salt  from  a  huge  trampled  heap,  and  at 
the  battered  dressoir  three  or  four  men  were  plundering, 
tut  the  main  body  of  the  peasants  had  retired  outside, 
where  they  could  be  heard  fiercely  cheering  on  the 
flames,  shouting  when  a  chimney  fell  or  a  window  burst, 
and  flinging  into  the  fire  every  living  thing  unlucky 
enough  to  fall  into  their  hands1. 

The  plunderers,  on  seeing  us,  sneaked  out  with  grim 
looks  like  wolves  driven  from  the  prey.  Doubtless, 
they  spread  the  news  ;  for  while  we  paused,  though 
it  was  only  for  a  moment,  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  the 
uproar  outside  ceased,  and  gave  place  to  a  strange  silence 
in  the  midst  of  which  we  appeared  at  the  door. 

The  glare  of  the  burning  house  threw  a  light  as  strong 
as  that  of  day  on  the  scene  before  us;  on  the  linexif 
savage  frenzied  faces  that  confronted  us,  and  the  great 
pile  of  wreckage  that  stood  about  and  bore  witness  to 
their  fury.  But  for  a  moment  the  light  failed  to  show  us 
clearly  to  them ;  we  were  in  the  shadow  of  the  wall,  and 


it  was  not  until  we  had  advanced  some  paces  that  the 
ominous  silence  was  broken,  and  the  mob,  with  a  howl 
of  rage,  sprang  forward,  like  bloodhounJs  slipped  from 
the  leash.  Low-browed  and  shock-headed,  half-naked, 
and  black  with  smoke  and  blood,  they  seemed  more  like 
beasts  than  men ;  and  like  beasts  they  came  on,  snapping 
the  teeth  and  snarling,  while  from  the  rear — for  the 
foremost  were  past  speech — came  screams  of  "  Moi  t 
aux  Tyrans  !  Mort  aux  Accapareurs  ! "  that,  mingling 
with  the  tumult  of  the  fire,  were  enough  to  scare  the 
stoutest. 

Had  my  escort  blenched  for  an  instant  our  fate  wa% 
scaled.  But  they  stood  firm,  and  before  their  stern 
fiont  all  but  one  man  quailed  and  fell  back — fell  back 
snarling  and  crying  for  our  blood.  That  one  came 
and  aimed  a  blow  at  me  with  a  knife.  On  the 
instant  Buton  raised  his  iron  bar,  and  with  a  sten- 
torian ciy  of  "  Respect  the  Tricolour  \"  struck  him  to 
the  ground,  and  strode  over  him. 

"  Respect  the  Tricolour  !  "  he  shouted  again,  with  the 
voice  of  a  bull ;  and  the  effect  of  the  words  were  magical. 
The  crowd  heard,  fell  back,  and  fell  aside,  staring  stu- 
pidly at  me,  and  my  burden. 

"  Respect  the  Tricolour  !  "  Father  Benoit  cried,  raising 
his  hand  aloft ;  and  he  made  the  sign  of  the  cross.  On 
that  in  an  instant  all  took  it  up ;  and  almost  before  I 
could  apprehend  the  change,  those  who  a  moment  earlie;- 
had  been  gaping  for  our  blood,  were  thrusting  one 
another  back,  and  shouting  as  with  one  voice  "Way, 
way  for  the  Tricolour  ! " 

There  was  something  unutterably  new,  strange,  for- 
midable in  this  reverence;  this  respect  paid  by  the 
savages  to  a  word,  a  ribbon,  an  idea.  It  made  an  impres- 
sion on  me  that  was  never  quite  effaced.  But,  at  the 
moment,  I  was  scarcely  conscious  of  this.  I  heard  and 
saw  things  dully.  Like  a  man  in  a  dream,  I  walked 
through  the  crowd,  and  stumbling  under  my  burden, 
passed  down  the  lane  of  brutish  faces,  down  the  avenue, 
down  to  the  gate.  There  Father  Benoit  would  have 
taken  Mademoiselle  from  me,  but  I  would  not  let  him. 

"  To  Saux  !  To  Saux  ! "  I  said  feverishly ;  and  then  I 
scarcely  knew  how,  I  found  myself  on  a  horse  holding 
her  before  me.  And  we  were  on  the  road  to  Saux, 
lighted  on  our  way  by  the  flames  of  the  burning  chateau. 

(To  be  continued.) 


OURSELVES   AS   OTHERS    MAY   SEE  US. 

"At  the  Third  Annual  Meeting  of  the  New  Guinea 
Archaeological  Society,  a  paper  was  read  upon  recent 
researches  on  the  supposed  site  of  London,  together  with 
some  observations  upon  hollow  cylinders  in  use  among 
the  ancient  Londoners.  Several  examples  of  these  me- 
tallic cylinders  or  tubings  were  on  exhibition  in  the 
hall,  and  were  passed  round  for  inspection  among  the 
audience.  The  learned  lecturer  prefaced  his  remarks 
by  observing  that  on  account  of  the  enormous  interval 
of  time  which  separated  them  from  the  days  when  Lon- 
don was  a  flourishing  city,  it  behoved  them  to  be  very 
guarded  in  any  conclusions  to  which  they  might  come 
as  to  the  habits  of  the  inhabitants.  Recent  research 
appeared  to  have  satisfactorily  established  the  fact  that 
me  date  of  the  final  fall  of  London  was  somewhat  later 
than  that  of  the  erection  of  the  Egyptian  Pyramids.  A 
large  building  had  recently  been  unearthed  near  the 
diied-up  bed  of  the  River  Thames,  and  there  could  be  no 


question,  from  existing  records,  that  this  was  the  seat 
of  the  law-making  council  among  the  ancient  Britons, 
o1  Anglicans  as  they  were  sometimes  called.    Near  this 
was  an  oblong  building,  which  had  originally  consisted 
of  brick.      Its  name  has  been  ascertained  to  be  the 
Aquarium,  which  points  to  its  having  been  used  as  a 
place  of  seclusion  for  habitual  drunkards.    The  lecturer 
proceeded  to  point  out  that  the  bed  of  the  Thames  had 
been  tunnelled  under  by  a  monarch  named  Brunei,  who  is 
supposed,  by  some  authorities,  to  have  succeeded  Alfred 
the  Great.    The  open  spaces  of  London,  ho  went  on  to 
remark,  must  have  been  far  from  safe,  as  the  bones  of 
lions,  tigers,  and  other  extinct  forms  of  carnivora  had 
been  discovered  in  Regent's  Bark.    Having  briefly  re- 
ferred to  the  mysterious  structures  known  as  '  pillar- 
boxes,'  which  are  scattered  thickly  over  the  city,  and 
which  are  either  religious  in  their  origin,  or  else  may 
be  taken  as  marking  tho  tombs  of  Anglican  chiefs,  the 
lecturer  passed  on  to  the  cylindrical  piping." — From 
"The.  Shirk  Munro  Letters"  (Conan  Doide)  m  "  The 
Idler."  1  J  ' 


March  9,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


r59 


A  MODERN  GIRL  IN  BRITTANY. 


Modern'  girls  are  almost  unknown  in  the  quaint  and 
charming  old  town  in  Brittany,  where  we  spent  eight 
months,  and  I  had  an  interesting  and  amusing  time, 
startling  the  peaceful  inhabitants  with  my  vagaries. 

)  I  began  on  our  first  night,  when  I  went  for  an 
innocent  little  walk  through  the  town  at  about  8.30  p.m. 
A  soldier  loitering  in  a  tobacconist's  shop  and  one  or 
two  other  people  regarded  me  curiously,  I  noticed  with 
some  surprise;  and  next  evening,  when  my  mother 
vetoed  an  after-dinner  stroll,  I  found  that  an  English 
lady  had  given  her  the  hint  that  it  was  not  only  improper 
but  dangerous  for  a  girl  to  go  out  alone  after  dusk.  A 
rule  was  accordingly  made  that  I  was  to  be  home  by 
5.30  p.m.,  which  allowed  me  only  four  hours  for  an  after- 
noon walk,  much  to  my  disgust;  but  I  only  fumed  a 
little  inwardly,  knowing  that  my  time  would  come  (and 
it  has) !  I  had  in  the  Colonies  occasionally  walked 
twenty-eight  miles  in  a,  day,  but  in  France  I  contented 
myself  with  a  twelve  or  fourteen  mile  walk  in  the  after- 
noon. These  walks  were  my  principal  pleasure  there ; 
I  bought  a  map  of  the  environs,  and  struck  out  in  a  new 
direction  each  time.  The  roads  are  splendid  and  the 
scenery  beautiful,  and  I  knew  the  country  round  pretty 
thoroughly  before  I  left.  I  daresay  my  solitary  emanci- 
pated figure,  with  sailor  cap,  hair  down,  black  jacket, 
short  skirt,  and  hob-nailed  boy's  shoes — not  much 
smaller  than  my  brother's — striding  along  at  the  rate  of 
four  miles  an  hour,  became  familiar  to  some  of  the 
villagers. 

French  people  remonstrated  seriously  with  me 
about  the  great  danger  of  these  long,  solitary  walks 
— I  might  meet  a  tramp  or  a  soldier,  etc. — but  as  I 
could  never  meet  a  girl  who  would  walk  far  and  fast 
enough  to  suit  me,  I  took  the  risk,  and  never  had 
any  real  unpleasantness. 

I  always  had  a,  fixed  destination,  and  never  turned 
back  without  reaching  it ;  it  was  delightful  to  trudge  on 
frosty  mornings  along  the  high  roads,  counting  the 
kilometre  stones  till  at  last  I  saw  before  me  the  little 
church  spire  which  marked  my  halting-place. 

It  was  slightly  embarrassing,  and  yet  very  amusing,  to 
hear  the  villagers  call  each  other,  and  see  them  congre- 
gate in  their  doorways  to  stare  at  me ;  occasionally  a 
whole  school  turned  out  to  look  at  me,  and  some  half- 
dozen  dogs  would  bark  at  my  heels  ;  but  I  tried  to  look 
as  unconcerned  as  possible,  and  walked  on,  humming, 
"  Hark  !  hark  !  the  dogs  do  bark,  the  beggars  have  come 
to  town !  " 

My  programme  was  always  to  walk  through  the 
village,  and  then  enter  the  little  church.  The  poorest, 
dirtiest  village — to  its  credit,  be  it  said- -contrived  to 
make  its  church  look  lovely  with  statues,  flowers,  and 
ornaments.  How  often  have  I  sat  in  one  of  them,  the 
perfume  of  incense,  the  red,  everlasting  lamp,  the  sun 
shining  through  the  stained  windows  and  reproducing 
their  exquisite  colouring  on  the  stone  floor,  on  the  white 
statues,  or  on  the  carved  pulpit,  the  absolute  silence  of 
the  place — it  was  always  empty  at  that  time — broken 
only  by  the  loud  ticking  of  the  clock — all  this  uniting 
to  keen  me  there  as  in  a  spell,  giving  rise  to  one  of 
those  finer  indescribable  sensations,  when  one  seems 
for  a  few  minutes  to  be  in  touch  with  the  infinite.  I 
used  half  to  expect  the  statues  to  open  their  eyes,  or  the 
little  ships  which  hung  from  the  ceiling,  and  turned 
slowly  and  sleepily  round  and  round,  to  descend,  as  in 
Anderson's  beautiful  "  Story  from  the  Sandhills." 

But  I  dared  not  linger  more  than  five  or  ten  minutes, 
on  account  of  the  "  dusk  "  rule  ;  I  would  walk  through 
the  churchyard,  look  at  any  old  chateau  or  ruin,  and 
then  enter  a  village  cafe. 

These  are  delightfully  uncivilised;  there  is  one  large 
room,  which  serves  as  refreshment  room,  parlour, 
kitchen,  and  bedroom,  with  a  flagged  floor,  on  which  a 


flock  of  fowls  strut,  a  long  table  with  benches,  shelves- 
with  wines  and  liqueurs,  casks  of  cider,  old  oak  presses- 
with  large  brass  hinges,  oak  berths  built  into  the  wall 
as  in  a  cabin,  and  a  huge  old-fashioned  fireplace,  with 
seats  on  either  side  for  les  enfants,  and  burning 
branches  on  which  a  kettle  steamed.  It  was  all  so  new 
to  me  ;  I  would  enter  and  ask  for  a  glass  of  the  bitter 
French  cider,  and  some  scones  and  butter.  The  price  is 
ridiculous ;  in  one  cafe  I  was  given  a  jug  of  cider  (three 
glasses),  four  scones,  and  then  a  loaf  and  two  pounds  of 
butter,  from  which  I  could  take  ad  lib.,  my  bill  eventu- 
ally being  five  sous  (twopence  halfpenny) ! 

I  did  enjoy  the  sensation  of  "  roughing  it,"  as  I  sat,, 
with  cider  and  butter  before  me,  cutting  as  much  as  I 
could  eat  from  the  loaf  with  a  clasp-knife,  a  plate  being 
deemed  superfluous  !  They  do  not  notice  how  much  one 
takes  ;  one  can  always  get  one's  "  fill "  of  cider  and  bread 
and  butter  for  twopence — and  the  butter,  it  must  be- 
borne  in  mind,  being  of  the  very  best. 

The  conversation  between  myself  and  the  woman  was- 
usually  as  follows:  — 

"  You  are  English,  mademoiselle  1 " 

"  Yes.    I  have  walked  from  ." 

"Walked!    And  all  alone?" 

"Yes,  I  am  going  to  walk  back  now.  A  «ood  wayj. 
isn't  it?" 

"  But  it  is  wonderful ;  and  you  are  not  afraid  1 " 

How  well  I  came  to  know  that  phrase,  "  Et  vous. 
n'avez  pas  peur?"  Some  of  the  women  disapproved, 
some  admired,  the  majority  probably  shrugged  their 
shoulders,  and  remarked,  "Ah!  ces  folies  Anglaises  !  " 

Once,  mud-bespattered  and  tired,  having  spent  all  my 
sous,  I  asked  for  a  glass  of  water,  which  was  given  me- 
with  some  reluctance.  "  D'ou  venez-vous  comme  ra  V 
asked  the  woman  suspiciously,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
she  took  me  for  a  tramp  ! 

The  roads  are  very  solitary,  and  I  could  safely  smoke 
the  whole  way,  only  astonishing  the  few  women  washing 
at  the  roadside  pools,  to  whom  I  gravely  took  off  my 
hat,  leaving  them,  I  am  afraid,  with  strengthened  doubts- 
as  to  the  sanity  of  our  nation. 

One  day  two  officers  in  a  trap  overtook  me,  and  re- 
garded me  with  surprise.  Shortly  afterwards  they 
stopped,  and  wh^n  I  came  up,  asked  if  they  could  give 
me  a  lift.  It  was  terribly  improper,  and  would  have 
lost  a  French  girl  her  character  ;  but  I  was  so  tired,  and 
it  was  out  in  the  country  where  I  would  meet  no  friends,, 
so  I  accepted.  I  guessed  that  to  be  as  natural  as  pos- 
sible, as  if  it  was  nothing  uncommon,  was  the  best 
policy,  so  I  prattled  gaily  on  about  French  people  I  knew 

in  ,  and  about  my  long  walks,  which  I  had  started 

in  the  Colonies,  and  carried  on  here. 

"  Et  vous  n'avez  pas  peur  du  tout  d'aller  seule  comme 
9a?" — the  inevitable  question  came  up  again. 

"  Peur  ?  On,  mais  non,  il  n'y  a  pas  de  danger  veri- 
table,"' I  answered.  At  my  village  I  got  out,  and 
thanked  them. 

"  Good-bye,  mees,"  said  the  one  who  knew  a  little 
English,  and  added  gallantly,  "  II  est  regrettable  que 
vous  n'allez  pas  plus  loin." 

In  one  village  church  I  toiled  up  endless  stone  stairs, 
and  then  clambered  up  slender  perpendicular  ladders- 
past  the  huge  clock-works  and  enormous  bells  till  I 
reached  the  top  platform  of  the  belfry,  where  the  view- 
repaid  my  efforts.  For  miles  around  the  sunny  country 
was  displayed,  green  fields,  hills,  forests,  villages,  and 
the  river,  winding  through  the  steep  wooded  banks  to 
the  sea.  It  was  another  ideal  moment — in  the  glory 
of  my  aloneness  I  stood  there  in  the  fresh  wind,  unknown 
to  anyone,  high  up  above  the  village ;  the  drowsy  hum 
of  the  rustic  school,  and  the  staccato  tones  of  the  drill- 
master,  "  Un,  deux,  trois,  quatre ! "  reached  me  but 
faintly.  One  long  last  look — I  was  to  leave  for  London 
in  two  days — and  down  I  climbed  again  in  terror  lest 
the  hour  ahould  boom  out  and  the  big  bell  swing 
against  me. 


TO-DAY. 


Makch  9,  1S95. 


At  the  cafe  the  proprietress  said,  "A  glass  of  cider? 
Yes,  mademoiselle — or  madame,  I  don't  know  which." 
I  did  not  look  like  a  madame,  she  probably  thought, 
but  still  an  unmarried  girl  could  not  be  walking  about 
Tilone  like  that.  For  in  France  girls  of  good  family 
— whether  aged  fifteen  or'  twenty-five — never  go  out 
alone ;  rain  or  fine,  the  young  French  lady  has  a  poor  old 
lonne  trotting  after  her.  This  ridiculous  custom  was 
followed  by  a  girl  I  knew  whose  mother  was  English ; 
and  another  girl,  whose  parents  were  both  English,  was 
not  allowed  to  go  round  the  corner  to  school  without 
her  maid !  Certainly  in  France  one  learns  to  appre- 
ciate the  advantage  of  living  in  free  England. 

The  natural  result  of  this  system  is  that  a  Frenchman 
regards  every  woman  not  so  protected  as  his  lawful 
prey,  and  takes  advantage  of  her  liberty  to  insult  her. 
An  officer,  on  the  point  of  marrying  a  young  English 
lady  there,  suddenly  left  her,  and  took  instead  a  French 
t'irl  with  a  big  dot;  the  other  was  only  "une  Anglaise." 
I  had  always  thought  the  accounts  of  French  laxity  of 
morals  were  exaggerated,  and  gladly  accepted  a  Freuch 
officer's  proposal  to  teach  me  shooting.  This  gentle- 
man— who  with  his  wife  had  formally  called  on  us — had 
the  audacity  to  kiss  me  by  force,  and  when  I  angrily 


protested,  to  say,  "  Oh,  you  English  are  so  cold.  A  French 
girl  with  your  liberty  would  let  me  kiss  her  as  much 
as  I  liked  !  "  What  was  the  use  of  arguing  with  a  man 
like  that?  "Mais,  monsieur,"  I  said,  shocked.  "Vous 
etes  marie." 

"  Qu'  est  que  ca  fait  1 "  said  he,  in  unaffected  surprise ; 
and  I  left  him  indignantly.  He  returned  home,  where  his 
pretty,  graceful,  but  utterly  insipid  little  wife  met  him 
with  a  kiss.    Truly  they  need  New  Women  in  France ! 

It  is  true  that  the  sensible  cycling  costume  originated 
in  France,  but  what  a  travesty  on  sense  and  elegance 
it  has  become  there  !  Some  Parisian  ladies  passed 
through  our  town  on  cycles — their  costume  consisted  of 
a  large  hat,  with  a  white  veil,  tiny  high-heeled  shoes, 
boggy  Turkish  trousers,  and  a  white  soft  coat  with 
white  satin  revers,  and  abnormally  small  waist ! 

The  French  Sunday  I  think  delightful  in  its  gaiety. 

The  British  matrons  in  ,  whose  views  would  in 

England  be  severely  orthodox,  went  to  church  in  the 
morning  and  to  the  theatre  or  fair  in  the  afternoon. 
We  seem  to  have  a  pleasing  adaptability  to  circum- 
stances in  our  national  character  ! 

SwANHILDE  BULAU. 


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E*ite^B7    JEROME  K.- JEROME. 


Vol.  VI.— No.  71.       LONDON,  SATURDAY,  MARCH  16,  1895.       Price  Twopence. 


REMINISCENCES  OF 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 


A 


BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 
Illustrated  by  W.  Bewail 

VIII. 

The  Little  Widow. 

R.  BALTHAZZAR 

was  extensively  pa- 
tronised by  lady 
clients.  He  was  a 
great  man  for  divorce 
and  matrimonial 
cases.  He  seemed 
to  have  the  knack 
of  inspiring  con. 
fidence  in  the  fair 
sex,  whom  he  treated 
with  the  tenderest 
sympathy.  It  was 
a  gallant  sight  to 
behold  him  escort- 
ing a  golden-haired  client  down  the  grand  stair- 
case, whispering  soothingly  into  her  ear,  and  softly 
pressing  the  small  gloved  hand  at  parting.  I  trembled 
to  think  of  the  delicate  secrets  of  which  Mr.  Balthazzar 
was  the  inviolate  depositary. 

But,  although  he  used  to  be  very  susceptible  of  femi- 
nine flattery  in  his  bachelor  days,  I  doubt  if  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar ever  permitted  softer  emotions  to  interfere  with 
his  business  instincts.  If  his  manner  with  women  sug- 
gested that  he  was  ready  to  lay  down  his  life  for  them, 
he  never  omitted  to  extract  the  harmless,  necessary 
cheque  for  his  professional  services.  But  it  was  done 
sc  gently  and  charmingly  that  the  stern  reality  of  the 
fee  did  not  dispel  the  sense  of  obligation,  and  every 
lawyer  knows  from  experience  how  rare  it  is  to  earn 
gratitude  from  a  lady  client  in  the  face  of  an  account 
rendered. 


Mr.  Balthazzar  entertained  a  proper  respect  and  admi- 
ration for  the  astuteness,  as  well  as  for  the  charms  of 
lady  clients,  and  in  moments  of  expansion  he  was 
accustomed  to  boast  that  he  had  only  once  been  vic- 
timised. Even  in  that  case  he  contrived,  with  his  usual 
good  luck  and  adroitness,  to  rescue  his  exchequer  and  his 
self-esteem  from  the  consequences  of  his  passing  infatua- 
tion, else  I  do  not  suppose  he  would  have  told  me  the 
story.  Although  I  did  not  personally  witness  any  of 
ike  scenes  of  the  episode,  they  all  happened  while  I  was 
in  the  office,  and,  from  various  little  incidents  which 
came  to  my  knowledge,  I  am  in  a  position  to  vouch  for 
the  facts. 

Some  years  ago  there  appeared  in  London  society  a 
pretty  little  American  widow,  with  the  euphonious  appel- 
lation of  Mrs.  Cornelius  P.  Chandler.  She  was  said  to 
be  wealthy,  and  was  certainly  very  charming.  Slight, 
dark,  lively,  with  flashing  eyes  and  gleaming  teeth,  she 
possessed  all  the  fascinations  for  which  our  fair  cousins 
are  so  justly  remarkable.  When  I  saw  her  one  day  in 
Mr.  Balthazzar' s  room  at  the  office,  I  was  struck  by  the 
girlish  grace  of  her  figure,  which  was  rendered  pathetic 
by  her  widow's  weeds.  I  noticed  that  Mr.  Balthazzar 
was  gazing  at  her  with  evident  admiration,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  that  my  momentary  entrance  interrupted  a  tete-a- 
tlte  of  more  than  usual  tenderness.  I  suppose  Mr. 
Balthazzar  first  made  her  acquaintance  at  some  social 
function,  for  Mrs.  Chandler  had  contrived  during  a  visit 
to  this  country  of  less  than  a  year  to  secure  a  large  and 
select  circle  of  friends.  Anyhow,  he  already  knew  and^ 
admired  her  before  she  surprised  him  one  day  by  calling, 
with  an  air  of  mystery,  which  doubtless  became  her  as 
well  as  any  of  her  charming  moods,  to  consult  him  on  a 
matter  of  business. 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Chandler,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  hold- 
ing her  hand  in  a  prolonged  though  tender  grasp,  and 
speaking  in  his  softest  tones,  "  any  service  I  can  render 
you  will  be  the  greatest  happiness  to  me." 

"You're  very  kind,"  replied  Mrs.  Chandler,  who,  I 
nm  assured,  could  even  speak  through  her  nose  with  an 
ineffable  grace ;  "  but  I  guess  I'm  going  to  shock  you 
some." 


Copyright,  1S9S,  by  Her'  ert  Keen, 


TO-DAY. 


M.vbch  16,  1895. 


"A  lawyer  is  not  easily  shocked,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar, 
encouragingly. 

"Wall,  you'll  be  surprised  any  way,"  said  the  widow, 
with  a  becoming  blush,  as  she  produced  a  familiar-look- 
ing document  from  her  reticule.  "  I've  received  this. 
Now,  what  am  I  to'  do  ? " 

With  a  delicious  little  gesture  of  dismay  and  confusion, 
she  handed  to  the  lawyer  a.  writ  of  summons  directed  to 
herself,  claiming,  on  behalf  of  Madame  Mercedes,  Court 
milliner  and  dressmaker,  of  Bond  Street*  no  less  a  sum 
than  £651  18s.  9d.  and  costs.  Mr.  Balthazzar  could  not 
restrain  a  slight  start  as  he  glanced  at  the  amount, 
while  the  widow  watched  him  with  naive  apprehension. 

"  I  said  you  would  be  shocked,"  she  remarked,  hum- 
bly, as  Mr.  Balthazzar  read  the  details  on  the  writ. 

"  Several  of  the  items,  are  for  money  lent,"  said  the. 
lawyer,  glancing  at  her  shrewdly. 

"  That  is  what  makes 
the  woman  so  mad.  She 
insists  on  being  paid. 
What  can  she  do?  Can 
she  put  me  in  prison?  ' 
inquired  the  pretty  widow. 

"  I  suppsoe  you  don't 
dispute  the  claim  ?  "  in- 
quired Mr.  Balthazzar,  in 
his  brisk,  business  tone. 

"  No,  I  can't.  I  can't 
pay,  but  that  is  no  reason 
why  I  should  be  dis- 
agreeable, is  it  ? "  said  the 
widow,  with  a  pretty 
wioae. 

"  Why  can't  you  pay  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"Same  reason  most 
psople  can't — I've  got  no 
money,"  said  the  widow,  a 
trifle  impatientty. 

"Well,  but  I  thought 

"  I  know  what  you 
thought,  Mr.  Balthazzar. 
You  thought,  like  most 
people,  that  my  husband 
left  me  rich.  Well,  he 
didn't.     He  just  died  a 

year  too  soon  or  too  late.  The  markets  were  ruinous, 
and  his  estate  evaporated  in  winding-up.  Now,  that  is 
how  it  stands." 

"  Whew  ! "  whistled  Mr.  Balthazzar,  thinking,  perhaps, 
of  some  romantic  schema  which  might  have  agitated  his 
own  brain  with  regard  to  the  little  widow.  "  Scni3 
people  would  be  surprised." 

"But  they  mustn't  know,"  said  Mrs.  Chandler, 
eagerly. 

"  But  what  about  this?"  inquired  Mr.  Balthazzar,  hold- 
ing up  the  writ. 

"  See  here,"  Mr.  Balthazzar — this  is  how  the  matter 
stands,"  replied  the  widow,  drawing  her  chair  closer  to 
him,  and  laying  her  soft,  white  h  ind  appealingly  upon 
his.  I'm  staying  just  now  with  Lord  Grinstead,  at  Grin- 
stead Castle.  I've  only  come  up  for  the  day  to  see — 1113 
doctor.  I  guess  Lord  Grinstead  means  to  marry  me. 
His  daughters  don't  like  it  ;  but  he  is  old  enough  to 
pleas  j  himself." 


SUE  SURPRISED  HIM  ONE  OAY  EY  CALLING. 


"  Old  enough,  certainly,"  acquiesced  Mr.  Balthazzar, 
to  whom,  even  under  present  circumstances,  the  un- 
expected news  was  perhaps  not  very  agreeable. 

"You  know  my  situation,  and  you  will  understand 
that  I  can't  refuse  a  good  offer — especially  as  I  love 
him,"  added  the  widow,  dropping  her  long  lashes. 

"  His  lordship  is  a  happy  man,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar, 
gallantly. 

"  Well,  if  he  heard  of  this,"  said  Mrs.  Chandler,  laying 
.  her  ringer  on  the  writ,  "  he  might  be  startled.  He  would 
pay  directly,  if  I  asked  him,  but — but  I  would  sooner 
ask  him  later." 

"  I  quite  understand,"  replied  Mr.  Balthazzar,  fasci- 
nated even  by  the  little  widow's  worldliness. 

"  Therefore  I  must  settle  somehow  with  Madame  Mer- 
cedes, and  that  is  how  I  wish  you  to  help  me,"  said  the 
widow,   bringing  the  whole  broadside  of  her  killing 

glances  to  bear  upon  Mr. 
Balthazzar. 

"  Won't  the  woman  give 
you  time,  if  you  explain  ? " 
suggested  the  lawyer, 
hardly  recovering  from 
the  attack. 

"  Oh  !  Mr.  Balthazzar  ! 
how  can  I  explain  ?  I  may 
be  poor,  but — but  I  have 
some  self-respect  left,"  ex- 
claimed the  widow,  while 
her  fine  eyes  welled  over 
with  tears.  "  It — it  is 
cruel." 

"  Pardon  me,  my  dear 
Mrs.  Chandler,"  cried  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  so  touched  by 
her  melting  distress  that 
he  seized  her  hand  and 
hissed  it.  "I — I  spoke 
heedlessly.  Of  course  that 
plan  won't  do." 

"  What  is  to  be  done 
then?  "  inquired  the  widow 
briskly. 

"Ahemf     Well,  it  is 
certainly   awkward,"  said 
Mr.     Balthazzar,  more 
calmly,  as  he  gazed  rue- 
fully at  the  endorsement  on  the  writ.    "  Six  hundred 
odd  is  a  deuce  of  a  lot  of  money." 

"  See  here,  Mr.  Balthazzar,"  said  the  widow,  suddenly 
producing  a  brown  paper  parcel  which  the  lawyer  had 
carelessly  observed  in  her  hand  when  she  entered.  "  I 
brought*  these  with  me.  I  suppose  they  are  valuable. 
•  They  belonged,  I  believe,  to  my  poor  husband's 
mother." 

Mrs.  Chandler  rapidly  unfastened  the  string  and  the 
paper  while  Speaking,  and  revealed  a  faded  old  green 
leather  case.  This  she  placed  upon  the  table,  and  un- 
doing the  clasp,  exposed  to  view  a  magnificent  diamond 
necklace  and  pendant.  The  stones  wer-  of  such  extra- 
ordinary size  and  lustre  that  Mr.  Balthazar,  who  wasby- 
t  lie-way  a  bit  of  a  connoisseur,  was  fairly  startled,  and 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  admiration. 

"Yes,  they're  pretty,"  said  the  widow,  gazing  at  them 
with  her  head  bewitchingly  thrown  back.  "  You  don't 
see  many  like  them  nowadays." 


Mkch  1(5,  17£F. 


163 


"Have  you  been  carrying  these  about  with  you?''  in- 
quired Mr.  Balthazzar,  in  surprise: 

"  I  keep  them  in  my  trunk.  I  suppose  it  isn't  Tery 
safe,"  replied  the  widow,  carelessly.  "Say  now,  they 
are  worth  something,  ain't  they  ?  If  necessary,  I've  got 
some  other  ornaments  and  some  rings,"  added  Mrs. 
Chandler,  indicating  the  sparkling  gems  on  her  shapely 
fingers. 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Chandler,  why  these  diamonds  would 
pay  your  debt  twenty— fifty  times  over!"  cried  Mr. 
Balthazzar  enthusiastically. 

"You  don't  say  so,"  exclaimed  the  widow,  simply. 
""Well,  there  they  are,  anyway — and  here  is  the  writ 
still,"  she  added,  with  a  laugh. 

"  I'll  send  round  for  Mr.  Benlevi  at  once,  and  he  will 
advance  anything  you  like  upon  them,"  said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, rising  from  his  chair. 

"  Who  is.  Mr.  Benlevi  ? "  inquired  the  widow,  quickly. 

"  A  friend  of  mine  on  whose  discretion  you  can  abso- 
lutely rely,"  replied  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  I  guess  I  didn't  come  here  to  rely  upon  anybody's 
discretion  but  yours,  Mr.  Balthazzar.  You  ain't  asking 
me  to  pawn  my  necklace  to  a  stranger,  are  you?"  in- 
quired the  widow.  "I  could  have  done  that  without 
coming  to  you.  I  only  need  have  gone  into  the  first  big 
pawnshop ! " 

"It  wouldn't  be  quite  the  same.  This  will  be  an 
entirely  private  transaction,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  quail 
.ing  beneath  the  widow's  indignant  glances. 

"  Well,  I  didn't  think  it  of  you,  Mr.  Balthazzar.  In 
a  delicate  matter  of  this  kind  I  did — yes,  I  did — rely 
upon  you !  I  wouldn't  mind  leaving  my  diamonds  with 
you,  but  I  wouldn't  part  with  them  to  another  livinc 
soul,"  said  the  widow,  in  a  quavering  voice. 

"You  want  me  to  settle  with  Madame  Mercedes  and 
■keep  your  diamonds  as — as  a  friend — until  you  can  re- 
deem them?"  inquired  Mr.  Balthazzar,  grasping  the 
situation. 

"  Yes,  but  above  all  to  promise— promise  faithfully — 
never  to  breathe  a  word  to  a  living  soul.  I  wouldn't 
'have  it  known  for  the  whole  world.  It  seems  just  mean 
to  let  them  go  out  of  my  possession.  Promise  me,  dear 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  won't  you?" 

In  her  artless  distress  and  earnestness  the  widow  laid 
:her  hands  appealingly  upon  his  arm,  and  looked  up  into 
his  eyes  so  touchingly  that  Mr.  Balthazzar  had  not  the 
strength  of  will,  even  if  he  had  the  desire,  to  refuse  her 
request.  In  truth,  there  was  not  much  risk  about  it, 
for  Mr.  Balthazzar  was  well  assured  of  the  ample  value 
of  the  diamonds,  and  his  relations  with  Mr.  Benlevi 
were  such  that  he  would  have  no  difficulty  in  covering 
any  moneys  he  might  have  to  advance.  The  upshot  was 
that  Mr.  Balthazzar  not  only  undertook  to  settle  the 
claim  of  Madame  Mercedes,  but  increased  the  obligation 
by  giving  the  widow  a  little  cheque  for  her  personal 
use;  and  the  parting  between  solicitor  and  client  was 
of  the  most  amicable  description. 

Mr.  Balthazzar  was  as  good  as  his  word,  and  by  dint 
•of  his  well-known  powers  of  persuasion  employed  at  a 
personal  interview  with  Madame  Mercedes — which 
greatly  annoyed  and  scandalized  her  solicitors — he  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  a  very  substantial  reduction  in  some 
of  the  items.  But  allowing  for  this,  he  was  £700  or 
£800  out  of  pocket  by  the  end  of  the  transaction. 

Mrs.  Chandler,  in  her  great  dread  of  compromising  the 
extreme  delicacy  of  ha:  matrimonial  schemes,  had  re- 
quested Mr.  Balthazzar  not  to  address  any  communica- 


tions to  her  at  Grinstead  Castle,  and  the  lawyer  was 
therefore  fain  to  reserve  the  news  of  his  good  manage- 
ment of  her  affairs  until  the  widow  had  either  achieved 
the  object  of  her  laudable  ambition  or  had  returned  to 
her  hotel  in  town.  At  length  Mr.  Balthazzar  was  sur- 
prised to  receive  a  letter  from  her  dated  from  Paris, 
making  no  allusion  to  her  recent  stay  at  Grinstead,  but 
merely  mentioning  that  she  had  left  there  and  was  at 
present  on  a  short  visit  to  some  French  friends.  Mr. 
Balthazzar  still  felt  a  sentimental  interest  in  his  client, 
though  the  ardour  of  his  personal  admiration  for  her 
had  perhaps  slightly  diminished  since  he  had  become 
cognizant  of  her  private  circumstances,  and  he  was 
curious  to  know  what  had  transpired  at  Grinstead 
Castle. 

Before  he  was  enlightened  on  that  point,  however,  he 
was  favoured  one  day  with  a  call  from  an  old  acquaint- 
ance of  his — Inspector  Taddy,  of  the  Detective  Depart- 
ment of  Scotland  Yard.  Mr.  Balthazzar  was  much 
respected  and  looked  up  to  by  the  police  officials,  and, 
though  he  had  his  own  opinion  of  most  of  them,  he  found 
it  policy  to  keep  on  friendly  terms  with  the  prominent 
members  of  the  force.  He  therefore  welcomed  the  in- 
spector with  great  affability,  and  pressed  upon  him  a 
cigar  and  a.  glass  of  sherry. 

"What  brings  you  here,  Mr.  Taddy?"  he  inquired, 
genially. 

"Well,  Mr.  Balthazzar,  sir,  I  am  a-making  a,  few 
inquiries  on  a  private  matter,  and  I  looked  in  to  see  if 
you  could  help  me,"  said  the  inspector,  sitting  at  the 
edge  of  a  chair,  and  holding  his  glass  of  wine  between 
him  and  the  light. 

"  What's  up  I  "  asked  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"It's  a  delicate  matter,  sir;  and  I  ain't  making  no 
charge;  nor  ndthink,"  said  the'  inspector,  looking  very 
red  in  the  face  and  awkward  ;  "  but  I'm  told  an 
American  lady  named  Mrs.  Chandler  is  a  client  of 
yours." 

"Certainly,"  replied  Mr.  Balthazzar,  starting. 

"  Mind,  sir,  I  don't  say  nothink  against  the  lady,  for  I 
know  nothink.  But,  just  out  of  curiosity,  I  should  like 
to  find  out  if  so  be  as  you  could  tell  me  how  die  found 
the  money  to  settle  that  there  action  of  Madame  Meer- 
ceedee,"  saia  the  inspector,  setting  down  his  glass  with 
a  slap  upon  the  table. 

"  Suppose  I  advanced  it? "  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  looking 
ac  him. 

"  If  you  say  so,  sir,  I'm  satisfied.  I  suppose  you  know 
she  ain't  got  no  money  { "  he  added,  glancing  at  the 
lawyer. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  shortly. 

"  Very  well,  sir ;  that  is  all  I  have  to  say,"  said  Mr. 
ETaddy,  lising  from  his  chair,  looking  rather  disappointed. 
"  There  is  nothing  against  the  lady  that  I  knows  on." 

"Then  why  are  you  making  these  inquiries?"  asked 
Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  There's  a,  notion  on  at  headquarters,  but  there  don't 
seem  nothink  in  it,"  said  the  inspector,  uneasily.  "Only," 
he  added,  preparing  to  depart,  "  she  don't  seem  to  have 
no-  visible  means  of  subsistence." 

"  That  is  a  heinous  offence  on  the  charge-sheet,"  said 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  with  a  smile. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  inspector,  simply. 

"  Sincei  you  know  nothing  against  the  lady  except 
poverty,"  sai;l  Mr.  Balthazzar,  looking  virtuously  indig- 
nant as  the  image  of  the  fair  widow  rose  before  his 
mental  vision,  "  let  me  tell  you  that  she  is  a  lady  of  the 


TO-DAY. 


March  1G,  1S95. 


highest  respectability  and  honour.  Until  recently,  Mrs. 
Cbandkr  was  a  guest  cf  the  Earl  of  Grinstead." 

''  Ye:i,  sir,"  repeated  the  inspector,  with  official  im- 
perturbability. 

"  And  you  may  tell  your  superior  officer  from  me," 
continued  Mr.  Balthazzar,  with  increasing  indignation, 
"that,  as  her  solicitor,  I  shall  take  immediate  steps  to 
vindicate  any  aspersions  upon  the  lady's  character." 


occurred  to  him  as  possible  that  the  inspector  had  not 
told  all  he  knew.  A  sudden  suspicion  caused  him  to 
unearth  from  the  recesses  of  his  private  safe  the  case 
containing  the  diamond  necklace;  but  a  single  glance 
at  the  glittering  gems  completely  restored  his  equa- 
nimity, and  when  he  put  them  away  again  he  was  pre- 
pared t  >  await  future  developments  with  his  habitual 
calmness. 


WHAT    IS   TO   P.E    DON  K,  TIIKN.'' 


"Very  well,  Mr.  Balthazzar,  sir.  Certainly,  sir,"  said 
the  inspector,  humbly. 

But  though  Mr.  Balthazzar  thus  despatched  Mr.  Taddy 
with  contumely,  he  experienced  some  qualms  of  uneasi- 
ness Avhen  he  came  to  reflect  upon  the  officer's  ^  isit,  and 
wondered  whether  there  was  anything  at  the  back  of  it. 
He  had  a  certain  respect  for  Inspector  Taddy  as  a  dis- 
crc.L  though  somewhat  thick-headed  detective,  and  it 


Nothing  more  happened,  however,  for  nearly  a  fort- 
night, until  one  afternoon  a  clerk  brought  him  a  card 
bearing  the  name  of  the  Earl  of  Grinstead.  Naturally, 
Mr.  Balthazzar  at  once  associated  the  noble  title  with  the 
little  widow  who  was  constantly  in  his  thoughts,  and 
with  considerable  eagerness  he  ordered  the  visitor  to  be 
ushered  in. 

At  the  sight  of  the  earl,  Mr.  Balthazzar  instinctively 


March  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


165 


realized  that  lie  had  not  come  to  arrange  legal  details 
connected  with  approaching  nuptials.  He  was  a  little, 
shrewd,  elderly  man,  with  a  dry,  stately  manner,  and 
not  at  all  the  kind  of  person,  who  would  be  likely  to 
forget  his  high  station.  He  acknowledged  the  lawyer's 
greeting  with  considerable  haughtiness,  and  stated  his 
business  with  considerable  perspicuity. 

"Mr.  Balthazzar,  I  am  dissatisfied  with  the  conduct 
•of  the  police  in  an  affair  of  mine  they  have  in  hand.  I 
have  been  recommended  to  consult  you." 

"Very  well,  my  lord.    Pray  be  seated,"  said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, rather  startled. 
"  I  have  been 

robbed  of  a  valu- 
able diamond 

necklace  and  pen- 
dant which  have 

been    for  many 

years      in  my 

family.  The 

wlice  think  they 

know    who  the 

culprit     is,  but 

they  cannot  find 

a    trace    of  the 

jewels.     Now,  I 

don't  care  two- 
pence about  the 

culprit ;     but  I 

want  the  jewels," 

said  the  earl. 

"Who   is  sus- 
pected? "  inquired 

Mr.  Balthazzar, 

turning  white  in 

spite  of  himself. 
"  My  daughter, 

Lady  Hermione 

Forest,  made  the 

acquaintance  of  a 

young  American 

lady,     a  Mrs. 

Chandler,  and  in- 
vited  her  down 

to  the  Castle.  I 

disapproved  at 

the  time,  though 

I  am   bound  to 

was    in    all    respects    exemplary,"    said    the  earl. 

~"  She  has  left  us  now,  and  is  staying,  I  believe,  with 

friends  in  Paris." 

"Is  this  thei  lady  who  is  suspected?"  asked  Mr. 

Balthazzar,  recovering  his  assurance. 

"les;,  though  on  very  slight  grounds.    To  begin 

with,  although  the  necklace  was  missed  after  she  had 

left,  nobody  can  say  that  it  disappeared  while  she  was 

there.    The  only  reason  why  the  police  suspect  her  is 

because  there  is  nobody  else  to  suspect." 

"There  was  no  burglary,  then,  or  open  robbery?" 

said  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

'No.    The  jewel-case  with  some  other  valuables, 

chiefly  papers,  was  kept  in  an  iron  safe  in  ray  study. 

1  lie  theory  of  the  police  is  that  the  thief,  finding  the 

study  empty,  and  my  keys  perhaps  hanging  in  or.e  of 

Hie  drawers  during  my  .temporary  absence,  opened  the 

*afe  and  abstracted  the  jewels." 


J  IK  STATED   HIS  BUSINESS. 


confess    that    the    lady's  conduct 


"Very  likely,"  assented  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"The  police  think  that  the  thief  may  have  been  this 
Mrs.  Chandler,  because  she  was  a  stranger,  and  because 
ir  turns  out  on  inquiry  that  she  is — well,  an  adven- 
turess.   The  report  from  America  is  very  doubtful." 

"  Oh ! " 

"Yes.  There  is  some  doubt,  however,  abiut  the 
question  of  identity,  and  until  that  is  cleared  up,  j:.o  de- 
finite step  can  be  taken.  Meanwhile,  what  has  become 
of  the  jewels?" 

"  Exactly." 

"She  hasn't  got  them  with  her.    The  French  police 

obligingly  paid  a 
visit  to  her  lodg- 
gings  in  her 
absence,  and 
searched  her 
things.  The  police 
here  have  made 
every  inquiry 
throughout  the 
Metropolis  with- 
out result.  I  for- 
got to  say  that 
she  went  up  to 
town  one  day 
during  her  visit 
to  the  Castle,' 
added  the  earl. 

"Indeed !"  mur- 
mured Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar. 

"  Yes.  She  went 
to  see  her  doctor, 
Sir  Peter  Hum- 
phry, in  Caven- 
dish Square.  The 
idea  of  the  police 
is  that  she  made 
away  with  the 
jewels  on  that 
occasion/' 

"  They  don't 
suspect  Sir  Peter 
Humphry,  I  sup- 
p  jse?"said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, scoffi  ugly. 

"  Of  course  not.  She  went  there,  and — and  to  other 
places.  She  was  quite  open  about,  where  she  had  been 
when  she  returned." 

" Was  she?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  and  the  police  have  verified  her  account  of 
herself.  In  a  word,  I  think  they  are  on  the  wrong 
scent." 

"  Ycu  do,  my  lord  I  " 

"Yes,  don't  you?"  said  Lord  Grinstead,  with  a  look 
of  surprise. 

"  Did  the  police  tell  you  that  I  have  had  the  honour 
of  acting  for  this  lady,  my  lord?"  inquired  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar. 

"  No,"  answered  his  lordship,  opening  his  eyes. 

"  They  knew  it,  however,"  said  Mr,  Balthazzar,  with 
a  scarcely  perceptible  gleam  of  satisfaction  in  his  eyes. 
"  I  settled  an  action  by  her  instructions.  I  need  h  ardly 
say  that  I  was  as  much  deceived  in  her  as  your  lordship 
and  others." 


160 


TO-DAY. 


March  1G,  189o. 


"Did  she  defraud  you?"  inquired  Lord  Grinstead, 
with  interest. 

"No,  my  lord,  not  quite,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  with 
an  enigmatical  smile,  "but  putting  two  and  two  to- 
gether I  haven't  the  smallest  doubt  in  the  world  that 
tin  police  for  once  are  right,  and  that  this  lady  is  the 
culprit/' 

"But  what  has  she  done  with  the  necklace?"  repeated 
his  lordship. 

"Ah,  that  is  another  matter.  If  your  lordship  wants 
it  back  " 

"  Certainly  I  do,"  interrupted  Lord  Grinstead,  "  I 
value  it  beyond  price,  independently  of  its  intrinsic 
worth.  As  for  the  thief,  if  it  is  as  you  suspect,  this 
American  woman,  I  would  rather,  between  ourselves,  that 
she  escaped.  It  would  Le  an  unpleasant  scandal,  and. 
I  should  look  foolish." 

"In  a  word,  all  your  lordship  wants  is  to  get  back 
the  property." 

"Yes,  but,  of  course,  I  don't  wish  to  compound  a 
felony." 

"No,  no,  of  course  not,"  acquiesced  Mr.  Balthazzar. 
"  Well,  my  lord,"  he  added,  after  a  moment's  reflec- 
tion, "  if  you  like  to  leave  the  matter  in  my  hands  1 
will  see  what  I  can  do.  I  might  perhaps,  by  making 
inquiries  in  certain  quarters,  discover  tire  property. 
But  I  must  make  one  or  two  conditions." 

"  What  are  they?" 

"  In  the  first  place,  you  must  absolutely,  countermand 
your  instructions  to  the  police.  They  and  I  would  onlv 
interfere  with  one  another." 

"Very  well,  that  is  quite  reasonable." 

"Secondly,  you  must  ask  no  questions.  If  I  ar.i 
lucky  enough  to  get  back  your  necklace,  it  will  he  by 
making  certain  arrangements — you  understand?" 

"Certainly,  certainly,"  said  his  lordship  hastily. 

"All  expense*  must  be  paid." 

"  Of  course." 

"And,  lastly,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  pushing  forward 
his  blotting-pad  and  inkstand,  "I  will  ask  your  lord- 
ship to  be  good  enough  to  write  me  a  full  and  minuto 
description  of  the  case  and  contents." 

While  his.  lordship  was  engaged  upon  this  task,  Mr. 
Balthazzar  begged  permission  to  light  a  cigar,  wilh 
which  he  leant  back  in  his  chair,  while  his  thoughts  ran 
somewhat  as  follows:  — 

"  Cunning  little  devil  !  Didn't  know  what  to  do  with 
the  swag,  and  handed  it  on  me,  eh?  By  ."rove!  it  was 
a  masterpiece,  that  business  about" the  writ.  If  she 
had  brought  the  things  simply  to  raise  money  on  'em — 
h'm! — I  might  have  smelt  a  rat,  but  t  came  in  so  pat, 
the  combination — and  the  cock-and-bull  story  too  about 
marrying  the  carl !  Lucky  the  police  never  traced  her 
here  that  day !  If  I  hadn't  seen  Inspector  Taddy 
1  shouldn't  have  known  where  I  was.  But  though  they've 
found  out  that  I  acted  for  her  in  that  matter  of  Madame 
Mercedes,  it  didn't  put  them  on  the  scent — not  the;  ! 
Didn't  know  but  what  I  might  have  received  instruc- 
tions by  letter,  I  suppose.  Should  you  and  I  ever  meet 
again,  my  pretty  little  siren,  our  interview  will  be  dis- 
agreeable. And  to  think  that  if  Lord  Grinstead  hadn't 
walked  in  here  just  now,  I  might  never  have  heard  of 
the  robbery,  and  handed  back  the  case  to  her  when  she 
deemed  it  safe  to  claim  the  things  !  Nobody  but  a  very 
clever  woman — and  a  very  pretty  one — could  have  made 
such  a  fool  of  n:e  !  " 


"  Here  you  are,  Mr.  Balthazzar,"  said  his  lordship  in- 
terrupting the  lawyer's  reverie  by  handing  him  ti.e- 
paper. 

"Thank  you,  my  lord,"  said  the  lawyer,  after  glanc- 
ing through  it  for  form's  sake.  "I  hope  I  mav  be  abb 
to  get  back  your  property." 

"I  shall  be  delighted  to  have  the  pleasure  of  calling 
for  it  on  any  early  day,"  said  his  lordship  smiling. 
*         *         *         »  * 

And  he  did,  for  at  the  end  of  a  week  Mr.  Balthazzar 
placed  the  precious  casket  in  his  hands.  If  you  ask  me 
why  my  employer  did  not  frankly  and  honestly  tell 
Lord  Grinstead  the  truth  at  their  first  interview,  and  re- 
store him  his  property  without  any  circumlocution,  I 
must  reply  that  Mr.  Balthazzar  was  quite  incapable  cf 
resisting  such  an  opportunity  of  dazzling  a  noble  client 
by  a  pretence  of  almost  preternatural  powers.  Besides, 
he  was  equally  incapable  of  avowing  that  he  had  him- 
self beep,  defrauded — and  by  a  woman.  I  hope  that  he  was 
content  to  receive  from  Lord  Grinstead,  by  way  of  re- 
muneration, at  least  no  more  than  sufficed  to  recoup 
him  for  his  losses,  but  on  this  point  he  did  not  offer  to 
enlighten  me ;  nor  did  he  ever  inform  me  whether  he- 
communicated  to  Mrs.  Cornelius  P.  Chandler  the  stir- 
ring events  that  had  transpired.  But  it  is  certain  that 
that  too  enterprising  and  fascinating  lady  never  ap- 
peared upon  the  scenes  again. 


HINTS  FROM  A  HERCULES.* 


Do  you  want  to^ 
have  a  straight, 
well-  developed 
frame,  with 
muscles  of  prac- 
tical use  ?  Then 
read  Sandow s 
book,  and  the  nex  t 
time  you  travel 
the  railway  porter 
will  be  a  useless 
luxury  to  you.  It 
may  take  some 
little  time  to  reach 
to  that  perfection, 
and  you  have  to- 
begin  very  low 
down  the  scale. 
With  regard  to 
first  steps  in  train- 
ing Sandow  says : 
Until  you  can 

unstiucii  ami  re'ax  tl.3  joints  and  their  connecting 
muscles  and  fissues  you  can  only  at  the  risk  of  injury 
proceed  with  the  prescribed  physical  training.  To  bring 
the  matter  more  immediatehy  home  to  the  pupil,  let 
him  try  at  the  outset  to  stoop  without  bending  his  spine, 
to  lace  .lis  shoes,  touch  the  floor  with  his  finger  tips,  or, 
keeping  nis  body  as  erect  as  he  can,  bring  his  toes  to  his 
teeth.  He  will  find  if  he  tries  that  a  child  can  heat  him  at 
any  of  these  tasks  ;  while,  with  practice,  he  will  soon  be 
able  to  rival  his  infant  exemplar ;  though,  of  course,  he  is 
not  expected  to  become  an  acrobat  or  a  contortionist. 
When  he  has  attained  tliis  pliancy  and  increased  the  con- 
tractile power  of  his  muscles,  he  will  have  gained  much  in 
the  functional  activity  of  the  body,  as  well  as  mastered  a- 
pleasurable  control  over  his  muscles  and  joints. 

With  regard  to  dumb-bell  practice,  Sandow  advises 
every  simple  exercise  to  be  performed  with  slightly 
bent  knees.  The  advantage  of  this  arrangement  will 
be  quite  evident  to  anyone  who  cares  to  put  it  into 
practice,  and  it  is  an  improvement  on  the  old  method 
which  is  certainly  worth  knowing.  As  to  the  time  that: 
should  be  devoted  to  daily  practice.  Sandow  says:  — 


March  16,  1395. 


TO-DAY. 


167 


-  If  Unity  minutes  cannot  be  given  continuously  to  the 
exei-cises,  perhaps  fifteen  can  be  snatched  twice  a  day,  but 
at  the  outset  any  one  exercise  should  not  be  prolonged  be- 
yond the  point  when  the  muscles  tire,  though  every  exer- 


cise should  be  continued  until  they  ache,  and  the  mind 
s  iould  be  put  into  the  work,  that  the  muscles  may  feel  the 
strain,  aud  receive  the  full  benefit  of  the  toning  and  build- 
ing-up process. 

Some  of  the  elementary  exercises  may  seem  too 
simple  to  the  young  athlete,  but  their  use  is  carefully 
explained,  and  they  will  well  repay  close  attention.  All 
Mr.  Sandow's  knowledge  is  based  on  a  scientific  founda- 
tion, so  that  his  advice  on  the  development  of  the  human 
frame  may  be  taken  without  reserve. 

The  heavy-weight  exercises  are  only  designed  for  those 
who  have  the  necessary  strength  to  become  athletes, 
and  for  all  ordinary  purposes  practice  with  light  dumb- 
bells is  quite  sufficient.  Mr.  Sandow  frankly  discloses 
the  secret  of  heavy-weight  lifting — 

In  the  case  of  notable  athletes  the  chief  secret  of  being 
able  to  bear  great  burdens  is  this — that  they  know  how  to 
distribute  the  strain  of  the  heavy  weights  they  lift  over  the 
whole  organism,  calling  into  aid  not  only  the  muscles  of  the 
arm,  but  those  of  the  trunk  and  legs,  as  well  as  utilising  the 
main  framework  of  the  body,  the  vertebral  column,  pelvis, 
and  bones  of  the  lower  limbs.  They  have  also  learnt  the  art 
of  so  poising  the  frame  that  any  heavy  weigH  held  aloft  by 
the  arm  shall  be  parallel  to  the  general  direction  of  the 
vertebral  column,  resting  upon  the  nicely -balanced  lower 


limbs  and  the  firmly-planted  feet.  The  co-operation  of  the 
bones  and  muscles  of  the  w  hole  body  becomes  with  practice 
so  easy  that  the  movements  they  engage  in  are  accom- 
plished almost  automatically,  and  without  taking  possession 
of  the  brain,  or,  as  we  have  said, 
consciously  drawing  upon  the  ner- 
vous force.  That  this  can  bo  done  at 
all  is  one  of  the  curious  facts  in  mental 
science,  for  the  spinal-cord,  which  is 
primarily  a  conductor  of  movements 
initiated  by  the  brain,  seems  to  have 
a  m  3mory,  and  after  a  certain  habitua- 
tion to  the  work  to  be  performed  is 
able  to  repeat  the  movements  without 
much,  if  any,  intervention  of  the  will. 
Fatigue  thus  becomes  a  muscular, 
rather  than  a  nervous  strain,  a  inciter 
of  prime  importance  to  the  athlete. 
The  account  of  Sandow's  early 
career  contains  some  good  stories. 
On  one  occasion,  before  his  name 
was  made,  he  concocted  a  brilliant 
scheme  for  advertising  himself.  He 
hapj^ened  to  be  in  Amsterdam  at  the 
time  and  was,  to  put  it  bluntly,  very 
hard  up.  He  was  quite  unsuccessful 
in  procuring  an  engagement,  and  so 
he  had  apparently  no  opportunity  of 
displaying  his  powers  publicly.  But 
he  found  a  way  of  doing  so.  Taking 
a  cabman  into  his  confidence,  he 
arranged  with  him  to  drive  round 
<he  city  some  morning  between  mid- 
night and  dawn,  when  he  wrecked  all 
the  weigh t-testintj  machines  he  could 
lay  his  hands  on.  This  was  done 
three  times  before  he  was  caught  and 
arrested.  At  this  he  protested,  say- 
ing that  "  he  had  been  merely  exer- 
cising his  arms,  and  in  the  slot  of 
each  machine  had  honestly  paid  the 
toll."  Having  proved  by  indisput- 
able evidence  that  his  claim  was  true 
he  was  liberated,  and  his  name  was 
made  in  Amsterdam.  The  theatre 
which  had  refused  his  first  offer  of  an 
engagement  at  ten  guilders  a  nigltf  , 
now  gladly  offered  him  twelve 
hundred  guilders  a  week. 

When  at  San  Remo  the  late 
German  Emperor  sent  for  Sin  Sow  : — 
With  an  old-time  pride  in  his  own 
powers,  Frederick  took  a  complete 
pack  of  playing-cards,  and  with  a 
strong  quick  turn  of  the  wrists  tore 
them  in  two.  It  might  have  been 
courtly  etiquette  to  leave  the  Emperor 
to  the  enjoyment  of  the  pride  he  felt 
lands  :  but   someone   informed  His 


in  the  work  of 
Majesty  that 
Sandow  could 
beat  him  at  his 
own  trick,  and  it 
was  with  pleased 
surprise,  and 
with  no  admix- 
ture of  envy, 
that  he  saw  two 
packs  torn  apart 
by the  reno  wned 
athlete.  After 
witnessing 
several  other 
astonishing 
feats,  the  Kaiser 
took  a  ring  of 
great  value  from 
his  finger,  which 
he  had  worn  for 
eighteen  years, 
and  with  frank 
heartiness  pre- 
sented it  to 
Sandow. 

W.  P 


his 


1  Sandow's  System  of  Pliysi  cal  TiaiEin^  "  (Gale  and  IWcn). 


IGS 


TO-DAY. 


Mak.cu  10,  1S05. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

Dearest  Nell, — You  ask  me  what  the  spring  fashions 
are  here,  and  the  truest  answer  I  can  make  is  that  they 
are  everything.  Capes  are  as  fashionable  as  coats,  and 
coats  as  capes.  Waistcoats  made  to  fit  tightly  are  as 
much  to  the  fore  as  ever,  and  yet  fronts  with  the  box- 
pleat  in  the  middle,  and  one  at  either  side,  are  quite  as 
much  to  the  taste  of  well-dressed  women.  Blouses  are, 
if  possible,  more  worn  than  ever,  and  some  of  the  even- 
ing ones  are  perfectly  sweet.  Imagine  a:  white  satin 
one  with  big  sleeves,  finished  at  the  neck  and  elbows 
■with  open-work  jet, 
a  ruff  of  white  feather 
trimming  occupying 
the  interval  between 
the  top  of  the  jet  and 
the  chin  of  the  wearer. 
Long,  drooping  cas- 
cades of  lace  fall  from 
the  elbow  sleeves, 
shortening  towards  the 
front. 

Even  day  dresses, 
are  to  be  made  with 
these  half-long  sleeves, 
so  that  gloves  will  be 
a  ruinous  item  this 
.season.  And  Suede  is 
to  be  more  worn  than 
ever,  both  by  men  and 
women.  I  discovered 
a  capital  colour  for 
wearing  —  a  sort  of 
deep  reddish-brown ; 
but,  of  course,  French 
kid  Nvears  twice  as  lone 
as  the  Suede.  I  shall  go 
in  largely  for  black 
this  season  ;  they  are 
so  economical,  espe- 
cially if  one  gives  a 
good  price  for  them, 
and  secures  really  well- 
made  gloves. 

About  basque 
bodices,  you  know,  the 
very  elaborate  dresses 
are  almost  all  made  to 
end  at  the  waist  with- 
out any  basque,  under 
a  fold  of  ribbon.  But 
tailor  -  mades  have 
sometimes  a  full  bas- 
que, this  making  them 
suitable  for  wearing 
in  the  street  without 
a  coat  when  warmer 
weather  comes.  I 
saw  a  very  pretty 
tweed  the  other  day 

— a  mixture  of  bronze,  amber,  and  pale  blue,  made 
with  a  basque  coatee  of  this  kind,  over  a  Tattersall  vest 
of  deep  yellow-brown,  something  like  the  very  glossy 
brown  paper  that  drapers  use  for  parcels.  Both  skirt 
and  coat  were  lined  with  blue  in  a  rather  decided  tone, 
something  like  that  of  a  convolvulus;  and  there  was 
not  one  scrap  of  trimming,  ribbon,  or  irrelevancy  of  any 
sort  about  it.  There  is  almost  a  kind  of  distinction  in 
this  perfect  simplicity,  as  contrasted  with  the  fretting.*, 
flutings,  frills,  and  furbelows  of  many  of  the  fashionable 
costumes. 

Two  essentials  for  a  successfully  smart  appearance 
are  a  <*ood  corset  and  a  petticoat  cut  on 
similar  lines  to  tho-^e  of  the  skirt.  It  is  use- 
less to  try  to  attain  a  good  '"hang"  of  the 
skirt  without  the  latter,  and  it  is  verv  false  ceonomv 


WHITE  SATIN  BALL  DUHI-S. 


to  wear  a  last  season's  under-skirt  with  one  of  the  full 
and  flowing  gowns  of  the  present  season.  And  so 
many  people  imagine  that  a  ready-made  corset  can  do 
justice  to  the  figure.  Why,  figures  are  just  as  various 
as  faces,  and  differ  just  as  much  in  detail.  Esmeralda, 
whose  corsets  have  made  such  wonderful  improvement 
in  the  figure  of  a  certain  Duchess,  as  well  as  of  many 
lowlier  folk,  always  declares  that  she  has  never  found 
two  figures  precisely  alike,  so  how  can  ready-made 
corsets  possibly  fit  the  thousands  who  buy  them? 

Is  it  not  a  pretty  ball-dress  that  is  illustrated  on  this 
page'/  It  is  white  satin  trimmed  with  spangled  laco 
and  pink  ro^cs,  and  would  it  not  be  lovely  in  pale  pink, 

with  deep  cream 
coloured  lace  and 
violets  1  Or  in  pale 
sky-blue  and  pansies  1 
You  want  to  know 
how  the  hair  is  worn 
now  ?  Most  delight- 
fully tidy,  you  will  be 
pleased  to  hear.  No 
more  birds'  nests  or 
miniature  haystacks. 
The  shape  of  the  head 
is  seen,  and,  instead  of 
the  atrocious  bun, 
there  is  a  shining  coil 
of  rolls  and  burnished 
curls,  which,  by-the- 
way,  shows  the  dispo- 
sition to  rise  rather 
high  at  the  back.  Just 
above  the  forehead 
the  hair  is  very  lightly 
raised,  the  crimping 
helping  it  to  be  frothed 
to  a  syllabub  lightness. 
Fringes  are  reduced  to 
a  minimum,  very  soft 
and  babyish,  and  there 
does  not  seem  the 
same  craze  for  a  part- 
ing of  the  hair  down 
the  centre. 

Remnants  of  silk  or 
satin  come  in  capitally 
for  bodices,  which  are 
nearly  always  in  a 
contrasting  colour 
from  the  skirt.  The 
sleeves,  please  re- 
member, must  match 
the  skirt.  There  is 
one  good  thing  about 
them  —  they  are  no 
longer  bunched  up  in 
the  ears,  but,  though 
as  full  as  ever,  they 
droop  towards  the 
elbows.  They  still  make 
us  out  of  drawing,  but 
are  not  nearly  so  disfiguring  as  the  very  high  ones  were 
At  the  present  moment  nothing  is  so  fashionable  as 
influenza  ;  not  even  typhoid,  which,  for  the  nonce,  is 
eclipsed  by  a  more  energetic  foe  to  human  nature.  The 
j -dor  doctors  are  run  off  their  feet  with  so  many  demands 
upon  them,  and  there  is  hardly  a  family  without  at  least 
one  member  ill.  There  is  a  great  demand  for  nurses, 
for  even  where  there  are  several  women  in  a  house, 
their  gifts  do  not  always  run  in  this  direction,  and  they 
are  too  apt  to  omit  important  things  and  neglect  de- 
tails. Doctors  like  to  have  professional  nurses,  trained 
to  the  duty  of  implicit  obedience  and  able  to  give  a  clear 
account  of  the  patient.  Someone  was  saying,  not  long 
ago,  that  there  must  be  far  too  many  nurses  in  England  ; 
but  at  times  like  the  present  it  is  far  more  likely  to  bo 
found  that  there  are  too  few 


March  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


169 


Telegram  from  Russi 


A  subsequent  letter,  ordering  a  further  supply  of  50  bottles  of  Mariani  Wine,  states  that 
H.l.M.  the  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia  has  derived  the  greatest  benefit  from  its  use. 


Mariani  Wine  fortifies,  nourishes,  and  stimulates  the  Body  and  Brain, 
It  quickly  restores  Health  and  Strength  in  cases  of  INFLUENZA. 

Bottles,  lis.  ;  Dozen,  Jf5s.  ;  of  Chemists  and  Stores,  or  Carriage  Paid  from  WILCOX  &  Co.,  239,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W. 


tt  to 
BREATHE 
S  ANITAS 

IS  TO 
BREATHE 
HEALTH." 

Gordon  Stables, 
CM.,  M.D.,  R.N. 


"Santas  Oil" 

Prevents  and  Cures 

BRONCHITIS,  INFLUENZA, 
DIPHTHERIA, 

AND  ALL 

LUNG  AND  THROAT  AFFECTIONS 

DIRECTION  : 
INHALE- AND   FUMIGATE  WITH 
"SANITAS  OIL." 

Pamphlets  Free  on  application.  %, 
THE  SANITAS  COM  RAN  Y,  LIMITED, 
-  Bethnal  Green,  London.  E;  . 


"  Sanitas  "  Oil,  Is.  Bottles  ;  Pocket  Inhalers,  Is.  each ; 
Fumigators,  2s.  6d.  each. 
"  Sanitas  "-Eucalyptus  Disinfectors,  Is.  each. 
 "  Sanitas  "  Eucalyptus  Oil,  Is.  Bottles.  

CREME    J>E  VIOLET 

FOR   THE    COMPLEXION    AND  SKIN, 

"  Nadine  "ill  "  Our  Home "  says—"  For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  is  an 
absolute  specific.'  ,  ,  .  .  . 

"  Medica  "  in  "  Woman  "  says-"  It  will  soon  make  your  skin  as  soft  as  y..u  can  wish. 

"  Suzette  "  in  "To-Day  "says— "It  is  a  splendid  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  you 
will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin  gradually  improve,  beconiinn 
soft  and  delicitely  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a  sweet  expression,  that  any 
face  could  have." 

CREME  DE  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  ointment,  but  is  a  liquid  preparation 
pure  and  exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  ingredients.  It  is  absolutely 
colourless,  and,  as  it  is  free  from  sediment,  it  does  not  clog  the  pores,  but  assists  their 

nCOf°" liemists  and  Perfumers ;  price  Is.  and  2s.  6(1.  (see  that  the  signature— 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label  I ;  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from — 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
Shoe  Elevator  (Patented).— Mons.  PI  NET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


HOWANNOYINC! 

V  IT  IS  TO  FIND         „  . 


1 


a  hole  burnt 

BECAUSE  YOU  FORGOT  TO  USE 

FLEMINGS  ARABINE 

swssrto     8        MARKING  INK  everywhere* 
frg^jfc  ^ff/k^Q'&V-  D.FLEMING  reiifieidsi  Glasgow  | 


MADAME  CORISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisande,"  matchless  for  delicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  5/3.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Food,"  ?/3  &  f  '3.  Only  address.  548,  Oxford  St.Hj  de  Pk.,W. 


Turkish  Steam  Massage 
Complexion  Treatments 

Are  marvellously  beneficial  hi  Purifying  and 
Beautifying  the  Skin. 
Produces  a  healthy,  rosy,  and  velvety  complexion. 
Removes  and  prevents  wrinkles,  tan,  blotches, 
freckles,  pimples,  blackheads,  eczema,  and  all  other 
blemishes.  No  paint B  or  powders  used.  Investigation 
v  il!  convince  the  most  sceptical.  Honest  hygienic 
work  only.  Patronised  by  the  most  select  ladies. 
Treatments  strictly  private.  Pupils  taught.  Assistant 
required.— Madame  DEAN,  American  Special 
iste  in  Complexion,  Sea' p.  and  Manicuring,  ;i6, 
Great  Portland-street,  Oxford  Circus,  London,  W. 


NO  DIFFERENCE ! 


It  makes  no  difference  to 
us  whether  you  are  in  immediate  want  of  anything  we 
are  supplying  on  our  well-known  favourable  terms,  or 
whether  you  are  not.  In  either  case  we  shall  esteem  it  a 
favour  to  show  you,  in  black  and  white,  the  advantages 
we  arc  able  to  offer  you,  and  which, 

SOONER  OR  LATER, 

it  will  be  to  your 
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Its  pages 

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than  when  subjected  to  the  dist  racting  attentions  of  shop 
assistants,  whilst  a  large  saving  is  effected  on  the  prices 
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TE  LE  GRAMS — ' 


Ami  at  Koclul.ile  and  Bolton. 

:  Accurate,"  Manchester. 


170 


TO-DAY. 


taARcft  16,  1895. 


I  could  never  be  a  nurse,  could  you?  But  at  the  same 
1  hue,  I  would  rather  be  a  nurse  than  a  patient. — Your 

affectionate  Susie. 

AXSWERS  TO  CORRESPOXDICNTS. 

Adele  — Do  not  have  too  many  gowns  in  your  trousseau.  It  is 
a  foolish  thing  to  do,  for  they  soon  go  out  of  fashion.  It  is  far 
hotter  to  buy  dress  lengths,  and  wait  to  have  them  made  up 
when  you  waul  them.  That  is  what  the  Duchess  of  Teck  did 
about  her  daughter's  trousseau.  With  a  fashionable  skirt  like 
your  black  erepon  I  should  advise  two  or  three  bodices,  one  for 
wear  at  the  nanny  readings  you  speak  of,  one  for  At  Homes,  and 
one  for  cold  afternoons  indoors.  The  first  might  be 
old  rose  silk  with  black  silk  muslin  fulled  over 
it,  and  sleeves  of  black  broche  scattered  over  with  old  rose 
flowers.  The  second  could  be  an  elaboration  of  white  or  pale- 
tinted  satin  veiled  with  either  black  or  cream-coloured  guipure, 
and  made  with  a  box-pleat  of  the  satin  in  the  centre  and  three 
handsome  buttons.  The  sleeves  must  be  black  crepon,  to  match 
the  skirt.  The  third  bodice  or  blouse  might  be  one  of  the  new 
eotfr-in  velvets  or  a  figured  black  woollen  one,  fitted  beautifully 
on  the  shoulders  and  at  the  waist,  and  trimmed  with  a  little  jet  and 
black  satin  ribbons.  You  must  have  a  tailor-made  to  travel  in,  for 
y7ou  would  only  wear  your  elaborate  "going-away"  dress  on 
your  wedding-day  for  travelling  in.  It  would  be  your  visiting 
costume  afterwards,  and  would  last  a  long  time.  By  the  way, 
J  think  it  must  be  very  pretty  :  mouse-coloured  corduroy, 
brown  fur,  pink  yoke,  and  silver-grey  satin  box-pleat  with  old 
silver  buttons.  Get  a  good  stout  tweed  as  tailor-made,  and 
have  the  skirt  cut  short  enough  to  clear  the  ground.  Call  it 
your  wet  weather  dress,  and  treat  it  as  such.  You  will  want 
only  one  evening-gown  in  addition  to  your  wedding-dress,  cut 
low,  and  a  pretty  tea-gown. 

Daisy's  Sister. — The  date  of  the  dress  would  be  about  1865, 
not  very  dissimilar  in  style  to  the  present  period.  The  gored 
skirt  would  be  slightly  trained  at  the  back,  and  the  material 
ilowei-ed  delaine.  The  cap  would  be  an  airy  trifle  of  lace  and 
ribbon  perched  on  the  top  of  the  back  hair,  which  should  be 
dressed  so  as  to  slightly  suggest  a  chignon.  The  sleeves  must 
not  be  nearly  so  full  as  those  of  the  rresent  time,  and  the 
shoulder  seams  should  be  long  and  sloping.  Bishop  sleeves 
would  be  correct.  The  fichu  should  be  exactly  like  the  frilled 
ones  of  the  present  fashion,  and  must  be  tied  high  on  the  chest 
so  as  not  to  interfere  witli  the  bib  of  the  apron.  I  hope  you 
will  see  this  in  good  time,  but  unfortunately  your  note  came 
just  a  day  too  late  for  last  week's  paper. 


Provincial. — The  very  fact  that  Lipton  has  been  appointed 
purveyor  of  tea  to  Her  Majesty  should  decide  you.  I  never 
hesitate  as  to  where  to  buy  my  tea.  In  regard  to  your  other 
question,  I  sho  dd  advise  you  to  consult  a  dentist. 

OUR  COOKERY  COLUMN. 

With  so  much  illness  about,  our  recipes  this  week  shall  deal 
with  sick-room  cookery. 

Barley  Water. — Put  an  ounce  of  the  best  pearl  barley  in  a 
stewpan,  and  cover  it  with  water.  Let  it  come  to  the  boil,  and 
then  strain  away  all  this  water.  With  it  will  go  certain  injur- 
ious properties  of  the  barley.  Now  pour  on  the  latter  a 
quart  of  cold  water.  Let  it  boil  up,  and  then  stand 
back  on  the  range  or  over  the  merest  glimmer  of 
a  gas  jet,  simmering  slowly  for  five  hours.  Strain  away 
the  water  from  the  barley,  pouring  the  former  into  a  perfectly 
clean  jug  that  has  been  scalded  with  boiling  water.  It  ought 
to  have  no  more  flavour  of  any  kind  than  plain  water  before  it 
is  flavoured  with  lemon  juice,  and  very  slightly  sweetened.  If 
it  is  to  be  added  to  milk  as  a  drink,  there  should  be  no  lemon 
juice  added.  Doctors  say  that  warm  milk  and  barley  water  are 
a  perfect  food  for  invalids  in  cases  of  great  weakness.  The  milk 
nourishes  them,  and  the  barley  water,  prepared  as  above, 
renders  the  milk  digestible. 

Portable  Port  Wine  Ji:lly. — Steep  one  ounce  of  isinglass  in 
two  glasses  of  good  port  wine  and  one  teacupful  of  cold 
water,  add  three  ounces  of  sugar  candy,  and  half  an  ounce  of 
gum  arabic.  Put  these  into  a  jar  and  stand  it  in  a  pan  of  boil- 
ing water  until  quite  dissolved.  Pour  it  out  upon  a  flat  dish 
and  when  it  is  cold  cut  it  into  squares.  A  piece  the  size  of  a 
good  nutmeg  is  as  nourishing  to  the  invalid  as  a  glass  of  port. 
No  straining  is  necessary. 

Ivory  Dust  Jelly. — One  pound  of  ivory  dust,  procurable  of 
chemists,  three  quarts  of  cold  water  ;  simmer  these  four  or  five 
hours  until  the  water  is  reduced  more  than  half,  put  it  aside, 
and  when  it  is  quite  cold,  lift  off  the  jellied  part,  being  careful 
to  leave  the  sediment  untouched.  (Clear  it  as  for  calve's-foot 
jelly.)    This  is  a  remarkably  nutritious  preparation. 

To  make  Lemonade. — Slice  a  lemon  into  a  pint  jug,  carefully 
ejecting  the  pips,  add  three  pieces  of  lump  sugar,  pour  boiling 
water  on  this,  nearly  filling  the  jug.  Hot  lemonade  is  a  capital 
thing  for  a  cough,  loosening  and  soothing  it,  promoting  perspira- 
tion, and  in  other  ways  acting  beneficially. 

A  Glass  of  Milk  with  a  tablespoonful  of  Liquid  Sunshine  rum 
in  it,  if  taken  immediately  on  waking  in  the  morning,  often 
averts  a  fit  of  coughing.    The  milk  should,  if  possible,  be  tepid. 


COLLEGE  INCIDENT. 


»raw  i   by    E.  SULLIVAN). 


GERAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  act  directly,  by  inhalation  and  absorption 
upon  the  respiratory  organs  in  all  Throat  and  Chest  affections,  hoarseness, 
loss  of  voice,  colds,  nervons  cough,  bronchitis,  asthma,  &c. 

Slowly  dissolved  in  the  mouth,  they  give  off  a  soothing,  refreshing,  and 
healing  vapour  of  pine  tar,  which  is  thus  breathed  into  the  bronchia  and 
lungs  upijb  the  very  seat  of  disease,  affording  immediate  relief,  and 
effectinga^gradual  and  lasting  cure. 

GERAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  are  entirely  harmless.  They  contain  no 
narcotic,  or  other  injurious  drug,  and,  unlike  numerous  other  cough 
remedies,  are  not  required  by  the  Act  of  Parliament  to  bear  the  label 
'  Poison." 

GERAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  are  most  agreeable  to  the  taste,  and  con- 
vain  the  purest  essence  of  Norway  pine  tar,  which  ha9  attained  greater 
-uecess  in  bronchial  and  catarrhal  affections  than  any  other  substance 
)r  drug  hitherto  employed. 

Owing  to  their  direct  action  upon  the  bronchial  tubes  and  lungs  they 
are  infinitely  superior  to  all  pills  or  potions,  which  only  irritate  the 
stomach  without  reaching  the  organs  of  respiration. 

GERAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  are  admirable  in  voice  affections,  strength- 
ening the  throat  and  larynx,  and  preserving  the  voice.  1  hey  should  be 
used  constantly  by  singers,  actors,  preachers,  lecturers,  and  all  whose 
vocal  organs  have  any  unusual  strain  to  undergo.  They  are  invaluable 
to  smokers  and  to  those  who  are  liable,  owing  to  their  occupation,  to 
inhale  irritating  vapours  or 'dust. 

GERAUDEL'S  PASTILLES  can  be  taken  at  any  hour,  before  or  after 
meals,  without  inconvenience. 

fri  cases  of  72  Pastilles  Is.  \}>d.    Can  be  ordered  through 
any  Chemist,  or  post  free  on  receipt  of  price 
brom        Wholesale  Depdt, 

FASSETT  AND  JOHNSON, 
32,    SNOW    HILL,   LONDON,  E.C. 


A  fair  University  professor  warmly  extols  Geraudel's  Pastilles 
for  Coughs,  Colds,  voice  affections,  etc. 


March  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


171 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


I  si  ye  be  light  or  I'mye  be  wrong,  but  as  fur  as  I  can 
remember  we  don't  'ave  eglipses  o'  the  bloomin'  moon 
not  in  the  sime  profoosion  as  we  yoosed  ter  when  I  was 
a  lad.  When  we  does  'ave  'em,  as  horftun  as  not  they 
is  inviserble,  as  looks  ter  me  suspicious.  Likely  as  riot 
them  inviserble  eglipses  is  just  a  bit  o'  bloomin'  kid  on 
the  pawt  o'  them  asteronomers  an'  other  chaps  as  writes 


the  hormernacks. 


'Ere's- 


Tlipse 


says 


they,  "  on'y  it's  one  o'  them  inviserble  sort  as  yer  cawnt 
see."    Ho,  yus  !  so  bloomin'  likely  !    I'd  tike  on  a  bit 
o'  prophecyin'  myself  on  them  lines, 
cawnt  see  is  no  better  nor  a  dinner 
'Ankin    'e    'olds   as    a  inviserble  eglipse 
yer  kin   see    if  yer 
Ocean  fur  ter  look  at  it, 


A  eglipse  as  yer 
as  yer  my'nt  eat. 

is   one  as 
goes    acrorst    the  Hatlentic 
"  Very  well  then,"  says  I, 


"  yer  kin  tike  it  awye — I've  'ad  some.  And  if 
I  crorst  your  bloomin'  Hatlentic  ter  see  your  bloomin' 
inviserble  eglipse,  you'd  cock  your  thumb  to  your  nose 
and  remark  '  Gort  'im  agin !  '  I  ain't  tikin'  any."  I 
dunno  as  eglipses  is  anythink  egsep  a  sort  of  norvelty, 
but  if  they  is  run  at  all  I'd  like  to  see  'em  run  on  the 
strite,  at  presint  theer's  mismanidgement  somewheer — or 
wus.  They  tell  me  as  the  eglipse  as  was  gort  up  lite 
larst  Sunday  night  was  one  o'  the  old-fashingd  kind, 
one  of  the  no-cure-no-pye,  see-fur-yerself  sort.  I  didn't 
set  up  ter  egsamine  it  myself,  bein'  no  berliever  in  lite 
hours.  If  them  eglipses  was  to  die  art  altergither  it 
wouldn't  do  no  'awni.  People  sets  up  to  see 
'em,  and  yer  cawnt  set  up  on  nuthink.  And, 
or  course,  the  longer  yer  sets  the  more  yer  tikes.  I 
mind  a  'ole  gint  as  'ad  a  'ouse  'Ornsey  wye  ;  'e'd  set  up 


as  long  as  yer  pleased  ter  see  a  eglipse,  or  a  comick, 
or  anythink  o'  the  kind.  'E  used  ter  do  it 
on  rum,  which  I  yooses  myself,  though  joodishus  like. 
Well,  things  went  from  bad  ter  wus,  till  'e'd  set  up  three 
or  four  nights  a  week  ter  see  eglipses  as  there  never 
wus,  and  one  night,  accordin'  ter  'is  own  account,  'e  see'd 
two  at  once.  The  fooneral  were  about  a  for'night  arter 
that.  No,  it  'on't  do.  'Ow  are  yer  goin'  ter  do  a  dye's 
work  if  yer  sits  up  asteronomin'  all  the  night  ? 

Theer's  one  or  two  nice  little  berths  goin' jest  now 
as  I  wouldn't  sniff  at  it  they  was  offered  me.  One  on 
'em's  the  Speaker  of  the  'Ouse  o'  Commings.  A  very 
comfertable  crib  it  seems  ter  be,  nutthink  ter  do  egsep 
catch  the  heye  of  any  member  as  is  wishful  ter  deliver 
'isself  of  a  speech,  respected  and  honnud  by  hev'ry  one, 
and  a  tidy  screw  ter  retire  on  when  yer  feels  like  re- 
signin'.  Thet  'ud  jest  do  me  proper.  'Ankin  says  theer's 
a  lot  o'  hobserlete.  fawce  an'  formilism  preventin'  the 
expydishun  o'  business  in  the  'Ouse  of  Commings.  I 
yooses  'is  very  words,  bein'  of  a  kind  as  I  don't  ginerally 
run  to  myself.  "Well,"  I  says,  "  thet's  as  it 
myebe,  hall  I  knows  is  that  if  being  Speaker 
on  them  terms  is  '  hobserlete  fawce,'  I  cud 
do  with  a  bit."  Then,  agin,  theer's  the  Hegsaminer- 
ship  o'  Stige  Plyes.  I  cawn't  say  whort  that  brings  in  a 
year,  nort  knowin',  but  theer  simes  ter  be  a  suthin 
amarnt  o'  competishing  fur  it.  Thet  'ud  tike  a  pretty 
strengthy  kind  o'  man,  thet  would.  If  'e's  gort  to  read 
through  plyes  as  is  any  'otter  than  some  o'  them  as 
gits  performed  in  the  theayter,  'e'd  wornt  ter  be  av'rige 
tough.  Why,  my  missus  wouldn't  let  me  tike  it,  if  it 
were  hoffered  me.  But,  'arrever,  them  remarks  is  nort 
spokin'  serus.  Nobody  ain't  never  likely  to  offer  me 
nutthink.  Punchin'  bloomin'  tickits  is  whort  I  were 
born  to,  and  whort  I  shall  'ave  ter  stick  at  ter  my  dyin' 
dye. 


UPTON'S   DELICIOUS  TEAS. 


Direct   from   the   Tea  Gardens. 


Unparalleled  Success. 


Note  the  Prices. 


RICH,PURE, 

AND 

FRAGRANT, 
x/- 

AND 

x/ 

Per  lb. 


Enormous  Demand. 


THE 


FINEST  TEA 

THE  "WORLD 

Can  Produce, 

Per  lb. 

NO  HIGHER  PRIDE 


LARGEST    TEA    SALE    IM    THE  WORLD. 

Y  TT>nPrtl^T        TEA  AND  COFFEE  PLANTER,  CEYLON. 
AiAJ^A^^J3l    The  Largest  Tea,  Coffee,  and  Provision  Dealer  in  the  World. 

Sole  Proprietor  of  the  following  celebrated  Tea  and  Coffee  Estates  in  Ceylon:  Dambatenne,  Laymastotte,  Monerakande,  Mahadambateune,  Mousakelle,  Pooprassie,  Hanagalla,  Gigra 
nella,  and  KurandagaUa,  which  cover  Thousands  of  Acres  of  the  best  TEA  and  COFFEE  LAND  in  Ceylon.  Ceylon  Tea  and  Coffee  shipping  Warehouses :  Maddema  Hills,  Cinnamon 
Gardens  Colombo  ( 'eylon  <  iffice  ■  Upper  Chatham  Street,  Colombo.  Indian  Tea  Shipping  W alehouses  and  Export  Stores  :  Hare  Street,  Strand,  Calcutta.  Indian  <  Hhccs  :  Dalhousie 
Square  Calcutta  '  Tea 'and  Coffee  Sale  Ito-ms  :  Mincing  Lane,  LONDON,  E.C.  Wholesale  Tea-Blending  and  Duty  l'aid  Stores:  Path  Street  and  Cayton  Street.  LONDON.  E.C.  Bonded 
and  Export  Stores  ■  Peerless  Street.  LONDON,  E.C.  Coffee  Roasting,  Blending  Stores,  and  Essence  Manufactory  :  old  Street.  LONDON,  E.C.  Wholesale  and  Export  Provision 
Warehouses:  Nelson  Place,  LONDON.  E.C.   Fruit  Preserve  Factory  :  Spa  Road,  Cermondsey,  LONDON,  S.E.   General  Offices:  Bath  Street,  City  Road,  LONDON,  E.C. 

BRANCHES  EVERYWHERE.  AGENCIES  THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD, 


172 


TO-DAY. 


March  16,  1895. 


THE  DJARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


It  seems  to  me  as  if  the  only  book  my  customers 
wanted  to  read  just  now  was  Mr.  Grant  Allen's  "  The 
Woman  Who  Did."1  I  added  an  unusual  number  to  my 
library,  but  they  are  all  out,  though  I  have  twice  re- 
ordered it.  Luckily  it  is  only  a  three-and-sixpenny 
book,  so  many  when  they  find  how  impossible  it  is  to  get 
the  book  from  the  library — buy  it.  A  gentleman  who 
came  into  the  shop  to-day,  and  knows  Mr.  Grant  Allen 
\  ery  well,  says  that  he  has  been  thinking  the  matter  out 
for  a  long  time.  One  can  understand  the  anxiety  of  the 
public  to  read  the  carefully-thought-out  ideas  of  so 
distinguished  a  writer  on  a  subject  so  full  of  importance, 
and  one  can  hardly  take  up  a  paper  that  is  not  discussing 
it.  The  keynote  of  this  most  important  volume  of  the 
Keynotes  Series  is  that  our  false  ideas  on  the  marriage 
question  are  responsible  for  the  immorality  of  thecountry. 
Some  of  the  word  pictures  of  the  Surrey  Hills  and  Italy 
are  most  poetical.  I  remember,  when  I  read  his  magni- 
ficent folio  on  the  lower  Thames,  being  especially  struck 
with  this  quality  in  Mr.  Grant  Allen's  writing. 

*  *  *  * 

Perhaps  the  prettiest  story  which  I  have  stocked  this 
week  is  Mr.  Walter  Raymond's  ' '  Tryphena  in  Love,"2 
the  first  number  of  Messrs.  J.  M.  Dent  and  Co.'s  Iris 
Series,  which  is  got  up  with  conspicuous  beauty  even  for 
a  Dent  publication.  "Tryphena  in  Love "  was  written 
by  the  "  Somersetshire  Crockett,"  Mr.  Walter  Raymond, 
author  of  those  delightful  books,  "  Gentleman  Upcott's 
Daughter,"  "Young  Sam  and  Sabina,"  etc.  I  did  not 
read  "  Gentleman  Upcott's  Daughter,"  but  "  Young- 
Sam  "  showed  me  that  Mr.  Raymond  as  an  idyllist  might 
almost  be  compared  to  Mr.  J.  M.  Barrie.  "Tryphena 
in  Love  "  is  as  pretty  a  bit  of  rustic  courtship  as  I  have 
read  for  many  a  long  day,  and  it  has  a  strong  vein  of 
pathos  running  right  through  it.  Mr.  Raymond  is  not 
so  humorous  as  Mr.  Barrie,  but  he  brings  the  Somerset- 
shire farm  life  before  us  with  Barrie-like  distinction 

*  *  *  * 

The  head  waiter  at  the  Holborn,  who  is  a  neighbour 
of  mine,  let  me  stand  behind  the  screen  and  peep  through 
the  cracks  at  the  Alma-Tadema  dinner  of  the  New 
Vagabonds  Club.  There  seemed  to  me  about  150 
present,  among  them  being  Mr.  David  Murray,  A.R.A. 
(in  the  chair),  Mr.  Solomon  J.  Solomon,  A.R.A.,  Mr. 
A.  Bruce  Joy,  Mr.  Grant  Allen,  Mr.  Jerome  K.  Jerome, 
Mr.  I.  Zangwill,  Mr.  Frankfort  Moore,  Mr.  F.  W. 
Robinson,  Mr.  H.  E.  Clarke,  Mr.  R.  Le  Gallienne,  Mr. 
Morley  Roberts,  the  Hon.  Secretaries  (Mr.  G.  B.  Burgin 
and  Mr.  Douglas  Sladen),  Mr.  "  Adrian  Ross,"  Mr.  J. 
Maclaren  Cobban,  Mr.  Kenneth  Grahame,  Mr.  Bertram 
Mitford,  Mr.  William  Le  Queux,  Mr.  Phil  May,  Mr.  R. 
Sauber,  Mr.  A.  C.  Corbould,  and  Mr.  A.  D.  McCormick. 
After  the  chairman  had  proposed  the  health  of  the  guests 
in  a  most  interesting  speech  about  Mr.  Tadema's  habits 
and  methods  of  work,  and  Mr.  Tadema  and  Mr.  Walter 
Raymond  had  replied,  Mr.  Raymond  gave  a  couple  of 
capital  recitations  in  the  Somersetshire  dialect.  His 
humorous  recitation  especially  was  a  very  finished 
performance.  After  he  sat  down  Mr.  J.  A.  Welch 
gave  his  inimitable  imitation  of  a  lover  with  a  cold,  Mr. 
Frank  Lindo  a  telephone  sketch,  and  Mr.  William 
Nicholl,  the  well-known  tenor,  saijg  delightfully.  All 
these  gentlemen  were,  T  learned,  members  of  the  club. 

*  #  „  *  * 

I  took  a  good  look  at  Mr.  Tadema  when  he  rose  to 
reply.  The  famous  Dutch  R.A.  is  a  man  about  the 
middle  height,  with  thick  fair  hair  that  has  a  trick  of 
tumbling  over  his  forehead,  a  fair  beard  trimmed  in  the 
Spanish  fashion,  a  fine  curling  moustache,  and  particu- 
larly full  lips.  His  eyes  are  light  and  his  complexion 
florid.  Everything  about  him  is  suggestive  of  untiring 
energy  and  a  splendid  constitution. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  W.  Martin  Conway,  the  new  chairman  of  the 
Council  of  the  Society  of  Authors,  who  was  born  in  the 


same  year  as  Mr.  Rider  Haggard,  became  a  patron  of  mine 
soon  after  he  took  his  degree  at  Trinity,  Cambridge,  in 
1879.  Since  then  he  has  done  many  things.  Heprac 
tically  founded  the  English  Art  Congress  when  he  was 
Roscoe  Art  Professor  at  University  College,  Liverpool. 
He  started  the  famous  series  of  Alpine  guide  books. 
He  wrote  a  classic  on  "The  Woodcutters  of  the  Nether- 
lands in  the  Fifteenth  Century,"  and  to  cap  all,  he 
climbed  and  wrote  his  great  book  about  the  Karakorain 
Himalayas.  But  though  he  wears  glasses  there  is  not  a 
grey  hair  in  the  thick  brown  hair,  which  surmounts  hisa 
fine  intellectual  forehead  and  studious  face,  or  in  th 
heavy  dark  moustache. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Le  Gallienne  came  into  my  shop  the  other  day  in 
a  high  state  of  indignation,  complaining  that  Birming- 
ham being  under  the  sway  of  a  Chamberlain  of  its  own 
besides  the  Lord  Chamberlain,  was  more  "  respectable  " 
than  Glasgow.  The  lecture  by  Mr.  Le  Gallienne  which 
provoked  the  indignation  of  the  Gazette,  the  Conserva- 
tiveorgan  in  Birmingham,  had  already  been  received  with 
unanimous  approval  by  a  Glasgow  Presbyterian  con- 
gregation listening  to  it  in  their  own  church,  and  a 
North  of  England  Baptist  congregation  listening  to  it  in 

their  own  chapel. 

*  *  *  •  * 

The  Englishwoman,  Messrs.  F.  X.  White  and  Co 's 
new  magazine,  edited  by  Miss  Ella  Hepworth  Dixon, 
has  a  really  brilliant  programme.  Stories  byMr.  Hichens, 
author  of  "The  Green  Carnation,"  and  Miss  Violet 
Hunt  and  Lady  Lindsay;  women's  articles  by  "  Belle  "  of 
the  World,  "  Madge  "  of  Truth,  and  Madame  Aria  ;  an 
interview  with  Pierre  Loti  by  Miss  Belloc  ;  Plays  of  the 
Hour  by  Louis  F.  Austin,  and  books  of  the  hour  by  Miss 
Marion  Hepworth  Dixon,  are  only  some  of  the  att  ractions 
of  a  number  which  includes  an  article  on  "  Famous  Stage 

Lovers"  by  Mr.  George  Alexander. 

*  *  *  * 

Mrs.  Frances  Hodgson  Burnett  came  into  my  shop 
again  the  other  day.  I  was  delighted  to  find  that  the 
brilliant  little  lady  had  returned  to  her  mansion  in  Port- 
land Place,  but  was  grieved  to  hear  that  she  feels  the 
weather  so  much  that  she  is  hardly  venturing  out  at  all 
at  present. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Newton  Hall. — Apply  to  a  paper  devoted  to  agricultural 
interests.    I  do  not  know  of  such  a  book. 

T.  S.  M.  W. — It  is  impossible  to  estimate  its  value.  To 
anyone  wanting  it  to  complete  a  set  it  would  possibly  be  worth 
a  sovereign. 

H.  J.— You  could  get  a  Buddhist  Bible  from  Kegan,  Paul  and 
Co.,  Charing  Cross  Road,  and  the  price  is  about  seven  shillings 
and  sixpence. 

A.  L.  A.— Messrs.  Routledge  are  publishing  Sir  John  Lub- 
bock's "  Best  Hundred  Books,"  and  you  will  tind  a  list  in  their 
catalogue.  Correspondents  cannot  be  answered  through  the 
post. 

Medictjs. — Ogilby's  book  is  worth  about  five  shillings  ;  that 
by  Ross  would  not  fetch  more  than  a  shilling. 

J.  W. — One  of  the  best  books  on  gold  mining  is  C.  G.  W. 
Lock's  "  Practical  Gold  Mining,"  price  two  guineas. 

H.  W.  R. — "  English  Surnames,"  by  C.  W.  Bardsley,  pub- 
lished by  Chatto  and  Windus  at  seven  shillings  tod  sixpence. 

V.  B. — "The  Imperial  Gazetteer,"  edited  by  W.  G.  Blackie, 
2  vols.,  1874,  is  worth  about  ten  shillings. 

P.  H. — "Jack"  is  published  by  Routledge,  and  "  Diana"  by 
Chapman  and  Hall.  The  price  of  each  is  three  shillings  and 
sixpence. 

\V.  F.  B. — The  only  other  volume  of  Frank  L.  Stanton's 
poems  is  "  Songs  of  a  Day,"  published  by  The  Foote  and  Davies 
Co.,  Atlanta,  Georgia,  U.S.A. 

C.  C. — Your  letter  interested  me  extremely.  What  you 
say  is,  alas  !  only  too  true.  But  one  can  hardly  expect  these 
poor  men  and  boys,  with  their  scanty  education  and  little 
leisure  for  culture,  to  care  for  books  that  require  a  certain 
amount  of  thought  in  the  reading.  The  best  way  to  wean  them 
from  their  "  Deadwood  Dick  "  style  of  literature  would  be  to 
give  them  such  romances  as  those  by  Stanley  Weyinan  and 
Anthony  Hope,  which  appeal  to  every  class  of  intellect. 

Annual  Subscriber. — I  am  afraid  the  sketches  are  of  no 
commercial  value. 

Fez. — "  Morocco,  As  It  Is,"  was  published  in  1S93  by  W.  H. 
Allen  and  Co.,  Waterloo  Place.    Its  size  is  8vo. 

I.  "  The  Woman  Who  DidT"    (Lane,  3s.  6d.) 

2.  "  Tryphena  in  ho\i."    (J.  H,  Dent  and  Co.,  2s.  6<U! 


March  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


173 


The  Directors  desire  to  draw  special  attention  to  the  Report  made 
on  this  Property  by  Mr.  E.  BATES  DORSEY,  the  eminent  Mining 
Engineer,  whose  celebrated  lecture,  foretelling  the  future  of  the  Witwaters- 
rand  Gold  Fields,  was  delivered  before  the  British  Association,  and  pub- 
lished in  "The  Times"  of  September  19th,  1889. 

THE  EAST  NIGEL  GOLD  MINING  COMPANY, 
LIMITED.  Incorporated  under  the  Companies  Acts  1862  to  1893. 
Capital  .£125,000,  in  125,000  Shares  of  £1  each.  Of  which  the  Vendor  stipu- 
lates for  an  allotment  of  5O.CO0  fully  paid  Shares  in  part  payment  of  the 
purchase  consideration.  75,000  Shares  are  now  offered  for  Subscription. 
Payable  2s.  6d  on  Application,  2s.  6d.  ou  Allotment,  5s.  one  month  there- 
after, the  balance  in  calls  of  not  more  than  2s.  6d.,  at  inteivals  of  not  less 
than  two  months. 

Dili  ECTOR  S. 

G.  D.  PETEES  (of  Messrs.  G.   D.   Peters  and  Co.),   Moorfields,  E.G. 

(Director  of  the  Natal  Bank,  Limited),  Chairman. 
Captain  W.  N.  Lister,  R.N.R.,  2,  Upper  Avenue  Road,  N.W.  (.Director  of 
•  the  Sheba  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited). 

Samuel  Green,  9,  Stone  Buildings,  Lincoln's  Inn,  W.C.  (Director  of  the 

Transvaal  Coal  Trust,  Limited). 
II.   Knatehbull-Hugessen,  M.P.,   Lynstead,   SittingbourLe,  Kent  (Direct<r 

of  the  Rhodesian  Mining  and  Finance  Company,  Limtted). 
F.  C.  Poisson,  1,  Tokenhouse  Buildings,  E.G.  (.Director  of  the  MatabeU- 

land  Adventurers,  Limited). 
Louis  Campbell-Johnston,  1,  Iddesleigh  Mansions,  S.W.  (formerly  Manager 

Ferreira  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited). 

BANKERS. 

The  Commercial  Bank  of  Scotland,  Limited,  62,  Lombard   Street,  E.C, 
Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  and  Branches  in  Scotland. 
The  Natal  Bank,  Limited,  156  and  157,  Leadenhall  Street,  E.C. 
SOLICITORS. 
Foster,  Grave  and  Co.,  15,  Finsbury  Circus,  E.C. 
BROKERS. 

Browning,  Todd  and  Whish,  2,  Royal  Exchange  Buildings,  «nd  Stock  Ex- 
change, London,  E.G. 
Hook  and  Bradshaw,  4,  York  Buildings,  and  Stock  Exchang-e,  Liverpool. 
A.  Ralph  Brown,  48,  West  George  Street,  and  Stock  Exchange-,  Glasgow. 
SECRETARY  A1ND  OFFICES  (pro  tern.). 
C.  C.  Canned,  120,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  E.C. 

PROSPECTUS. 

The  Company  is  formed  to  acquire  and  work  the  valuable  gold  mining 
properties  on  the  Nigel  Reef,  known  as  the  Caesar  and  DraaikruaJ  Block., 
situated  in  the  Heidelberg  District,  Witwatcrsrand,  South  Afr  ci:,  Re- 
public, and  generally  to  carry  on  mining  and  other  operations  U'  South 
Africa. 

These  properties  consist  of  63  claims  (equal  to  about  90  English  acres), 
situate  about  twenty-eight  miles  south  east  of  Johannesburg.  The  claims 
pre  mostly  located  on  the  same  farm  as  the  Nigel  Gold  Mining  Company. 
The  reef  runs  20  degrees  East  of  North  and  20  degrees  West  of  South, 
dipping  at  about  33  degrees  West  from  the  horizon,  and  has  exactly  the 
same  appearance  as  the  conglomerate  vein  in  the  Nigel  Mine. 

The  properties  have  been  thoroughly  examined  and  reported  upon  by 
Mr.  H.  E.  Junius,  M.E.,  for  the  vendor,  but  the  directors  o£  this  Company 
thought  it  advisable  to  have  the  independent  report  of  Mr.  E.  Bates 
Dorsey,  Mem.  Amer.  Sue.  C.E.  and  M.A.S.Mr.g.E.,  who  says  in  his  report 
(inter  alia)  in  speaking  of  the  reef  in  this  property,  "  In  my  opinion,  as 
well  as  that  of  other  experts,  it  is  the  same  vein  that  passes  through  the 
Nigel  property,  and  has  not  only  the  same  general  characteristics  of  for- 
mation, but  where  developed  it  varies  in  thickness  and  richness  similarly 
to  the  Nigel  developments."  "I  am  satisfied  that  the  profits  per  ton  to 
be  derived  from  the  ores  in  your  mines  will  be  equal  to  any  other  com- 
pany in  the  Transvaal." 

"  Three  shafts  have  been  sunk  in'the  line  of  the  outcrop  nesr  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  property  on  the  Draaikraal  tract.  Shaft  A  is  130  feet 
deep  on  the  incline  of  the  vein.  Shaft  B  is  100  feet  in  vertical  depth,  and 
Shaft  C  is  70  feet  vertical  depth.  The  ores  taken  from  these  shafts 
by  me  assayed  an  average  of  3  oz.  7  dwts.  of  gold  per  ton.  The  vein  in 
eaeh  shaft  has  a  westerly  dip,  proving  that  it  underlies  all  the  Company's 
property." 

Sir.  Junius  states:  "The  reef  in  every  way  so  far  as  gone  down  on 
hears  out  the  characteristics  of  the  Nigel  Reef  in  the  Nigel  Mynpaeht. 
The  reef  at  its  lowest  depth  as  "-syed  4  oz.  to  11  oz.  '  o  the  ton." 

The  Nigel  Reef  is  by  far  the  richest  uniform  reef  yet  known  in  the 
Transvaal.  The  Nigel  Company  is  one  of  the  leading  twelve  gold  producers 
of  the  Itandt — vide  monthly  Witwatcrsrand  returns.  The  reef  is  ;i  conglo- 
merate, and  after  attaining  a  certain  depth,  lies  on  a  blue  slate,  lliji  roof 
or  top  wall  being  sandstone. 

The  following  dividends  have  been  paid  by  the  Nigel  Cold  Mining  Com- 
pany :  1H92,  47  J  per  cent. ;  1893,  50  per  cent. ;  1894,  50  per  cent. ;  and 
the  £1  shares  of  this  Company  are  now  quoted  at  £6  5s.  per  share. 

The  total  yield  of  the  Nigel  Gold  Mining  Company  for  the  month  of 
February  amounted  to  4,461  ounces  of  gold ;  and  this  with  only  a  30-head 
battery  and  the  Cyanide  process. 

As  a  proof  of  the  permanency  of  this  vein,  it  may  be  stated  that  the 
Nigel  Cold  Mining  Company  have,  in  the  eastern  section  of  their  property, 
developed  the  reef  to  a  depth  of  over  1,100  feet. 

The  East  Nigel  property  is  very  advantageously  situated  for  cheap  work- 
ing. The  rock  is  not  hard,  there  is  an  abundance  of  water  at  short  dis- 
tance, and  excellent  coal  is  mined  within  seven  miles  of  the  property. 

The  railway  now  under  construction  from  Durban  to  Johannesburg  will 
run  within  three  miles  of  the  property,  so  that  supplies  of  every  kind  will 
be  secured  at  much  less  rates  than  at  any  other  xioint  of  the  Rand. 

The  vendor  has  fixed  the  purchase  consideration  to  be  paid  for  the 
property  at  £85,000,  payable  (1)  as  to  £50,000  in  fully  paid  shares  of 
this  Company;  (2)  £25,000  in  such  shares  or  cash  or  partly  in  such  shares 
or  cash,  at  the  option  of  the  directors,  under  and  subject  to  the  conditions 
of  the  contract  of  sale;  ami  (3)  as  to  the  balance  of  £10,000  in  cash,  thus 
leaving  £40,000  available  for  working  capital.  The  vendor  pays  all  ex- 
penses of  promotion  up  to  and  including  allotment,  except  legal  expenses 
nnd  the  ccst  of  registration  of  the  Company.  One  of  the  directors,  Mr.  L. 
Campbell-Jonnston,  represents  the  vendors,  and  is  interested  in  the  sa'.e 
of  the  property. 

The  only  contract  to  which  the  Company  is  a  party  is  one  dated  January 
Mill.  1895.  and  made  between  John  William  Lennon,  of  Capetown  and 
Johannesburg,  and  John  Wakeman  Greenwood,  as  trustee  for  and  on  be- 
half of  this  Company. 

The  above  contract,  with  a  print  of  (he  Memorandum  and  Articles  of 
Association,  may  lie  seen,  together  with  the  original  reports  and  plans 
herein  referred  to,  at  the  offices  of  the  Solicitors.  Contracts  have  been, 
or  may  have  been,  entered  into  with  third  parties  as  to  the  subscription 
of  the  capital  and  promotion  of  this  Company,  to  none  of  which  the  Com- 
pany is  a  party.  Applicants  for  shares  will  be  deemed  to  have  had  notice 
of  these  latter  contracts  and  to  have  waived  their  right  (if  any)  to  the  dates 
■if.  names  of  parties  to,  or  any  other  particulars  concerning  any  such, 
whether  under  Section  38  of  the  Companies'  Acts,  1867,  or  otherwise. 

Application  for  shares  should  be  on  the  form  accompanying  the  prospectus, 
and  forwarded  to  the  Company's  bankers,  together  with  a  remittance  for  the 
amount  payable  on  application. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  may  be  obtained  from  the 
bankers,  brokers,  solipitors,  and  at  the  offices  of  the  Company. 


The  LISTS  OPENED  on  MONDAY,  11th  MARCH,  and  WILL  CLOSE  on 
WEDNESDAY,  MARCH  13th,  for  London,  and  THURSDAY  for  Country 


Government  gold  exhibit  of  specimens  from  British  Guiana  is  now  on 
visw  at  Messrs.  HOWELL  and  JAMES,  Regent  Street. 

Concession  granted  after  Government  inspection  and  report— Twenty 
miles  of  gold  mining  claims  ;  water  carriage  from  London  to  the  propeity 
water  power  and  timber  on  the  spot. 


PARENT  COMPANY. 


BRITISH  GUIANA  GOLD  CONCESSION  AND 
DEVELOPMENT  COMPANY,  LIMITED. 


CAPITAL    £100,000, 

Divided  into  100,000  Shares  or  £1  each. 
07,000  Shaves  are  now  offered  for  subscription,  payable— 
2s.  6d.  per  Share  on  Application  ; 
7s.  6d.      „      „      Allotment ; 
ThE  balance  in  two  payments  of  5s.  per  Share  at  intervals  of  not  less  than 
two  months. 


DIRECTORS,  ETC. 
Local  Advisory  Board; 

THE  Hon.  B.  HOWELL  JONES,  Member  of  the  Court  of  Policy  (Legisla- 
tive Council),  and  Director  of  Arakaka  Placer  and  Mining  Co., 
Georgetown,  British  Guiana. 

THE  Hon  ARTHUR  WEBER,  Member  of  the  Court  of  Policy,  George- 
town, British  Guiana. 

The  Hon.  E.  C.  LUARD,  Member  of  the  Court  of  Policy,  Georgetown, 
British  Guiana. 

ARTHUR  E.  H.  SWIFT,  Georgetown,  British  Guiana. 

London  Directors. 
A.  BOVELL,  4G,  Cianley  Gardens,  South  Kensington. 
PHILIP  CHURCH,  Corn  Exchange.  London.  ;  , 

WALTER  SMITH,  24,  Portland  Place,  Brighton  ;  and  Ashfield,  Ciesccnt 

Road,  Crouch  End,  N. 
ERNEST  L.  SWIFT  Stansted,  Essex,  and  Corn  Exchange,  London. 

BANKERS. 

LONDON  A.\D  COUNTY  BANKING  COMPANY,  LIMITED,  21,  Lom- 
bard bticet,  E  C.  ;  and  Branches. 

SOLICITORS. 

Messrs.  MORGAN,  PRICE,  AND  MEWBURN.33,  Old  Broad  Street,  E.C. 

Counsel  in  Georgetown,  British  Guiana. 
LIONEL  E.  HAWTAYNE,  Esr. 

BROKER5-*. 

Messrs.  HAGGABD,  HALE,  AND  PIXLEY,  26,  Austin Friarf,  E.C. 

SECBETARY  AND  OFFICES  (pro.  tem.). 
A.  E.  COLLINGSWORTH,  f  48  &  219,  GRESHAM  HOUSE,  LONDC  N.E.C. 


B 


IUTISH  GUIANA  GOLD  CONCESSION  AND 

DEVELOPMENT  COMPANY,  LIMITED* 


ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

This  Parent  Company  is  foimed  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  73  Mining 
Claims,  about  1,250  acres,  or  in  length,  measured  laterally,  20  miles  of  Gold 
Mining  Claims.  Five  hundred  acres  of  this  area  is  held  by  the  Vendors 
under  a  specially  granted  Concession,  with  special  privileges,  granted  by 
the  Government  cf  British  Guiana.  The  territory  is  situated  at 
Darina,  on  the  Demerara  River,  in  that  Colony,  and  is  in  no 
■R  ay  affected  by  the  Venezuelan  boundary  question.  It  is  proposed  to  work, 
devekip,  and  deal  with  the  properties  acquired,  to  form  subsidiary  com- 
panies, and  generally  to  act  as  a  Mining,  Finance,  Exploration  and  Trading 
Company.  The  amount  of  the  working  Capital  will  enable  the  Company  to 
acquire  interests  in  other  properties,  with  the  view  of  disposing  of  same  at 
a  profit,  and  to  take  an  important  part  in  the  development  of  this  most 
promising  new  gold  region. 

The  Colony  is  rapidly  coming  to  the  front  as  one  of  the  richest  gold- 
producing  countries  of  the  world,  and  has  already  exported  £2,352,000 
in  bullion  to  England.  The  industry  commenced  with  an  export 
of  250  ounces  in  1884.  In  South  Afiica,  seventeen  years  elapsed  before  the 
fields  theroprodueed  gold  to  the  value  of  £200,000.  British  Guiana  isnoother 
than  the  El  Dorado  sought  for  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  whence  came  the 
stored-up  gold  of  Mexico  arid  Peru,  which  are  both  silver  countries. 
Tiaditionhas  always  pointed  in  the  direction  of  British  Guiana  as  the 
fource  of  supply,  which  is  now  proved,  presumably,  to  be  correct.  The 
Colony  is  distant  only  14  days  from  England.  The  climate  of  the  hilly  gold 
region  1  as  been  found  to  be  good  by  Englishmen  resident  there. 

The  Concession  was  unanimously  granted  by  the  Governor  and  Court  ot 
Policy  (Legislative  Council)  of  British  Guiana,  in  full  session,  to  the 
Vendors,  as  explorers  and  developers,  after  debate  and  consideration  of  the 
report  of  the  specially-appointed  officer  sent  to  examine  the  property,  H.  I. 
Perkins,  Esq.,  Assistant  Crown  Surveyor,  Government  Officer  for  the  whole 
Colony,  Member  of  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy,  London  ;  extracts 
from  which  report  appear  further  on  in  the  full  prospectus.  The  Con- 
cession bears  date  1st  November,  1894. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  can  be  obtained  at  the  Offices  Of 
the  Company,  or  from  the  Bankers,  Solicitors,  or  Brokers. 


174 


TO-DAY. 


Maech  16,  1895.. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  JUDGES  ON  "RIGS." 

The  Financial  Times  has  published  sundry  extracts  from  the 
judicial  decisions  upon  which,  presumably,  it  rests  its  opinion 
that  the  promoters  and  directors  of  Australia,  Limited,  can  be 
convicted  of  conspiracy  to  defraud.  But  these  extracts  remind  us 
of  the  counsel  who  based  an  elaborate  argument  on  certain  Acts. 
The  argument  was  flawless  in  a  way.  Given  the  Acts  the  case  was 
complete.  But  the  bottom  was  knocked  out  of  it  by  the  judge's 
observation  that  these  Acts  had  been  repealed.  Not  that  the 
judgments  upon  which  our  contemporary  sets  store  have  been 
upset  by  higher,  or  later,  authority.  They  remain  a  true  ex- 
position of  the  law  as  it  bears  upon  certain  matters,  only  those 
matters  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  present  issue. 

The  first  quotation  relied  upon  by  our  contemporary  is  from 
a  judgment  by  Mr.  Justice  Wright,  who  ruled  that  persons 
making  an  artificial  price  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  the  public 
to  take  shares  are  guilty  of  fraud  ;  next,  a  judgment  of  Lord 
Ellenborough,  dealing  with  false  rumours  circulated  to  send  up 
the  price  of  the  public  funds ;  then  a-  decision  of  Lord  J ustice 
Lopes  in  a  case  where  promoters  had  purchased  shares  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  in  the  public  by  means  of  a  bogus  premium  ; 
and,  finally,  a  similar  case  in  which  the  late  Master  of  the  Rolls 
described  such  action  as  a  conspiracy  to  defraud  the  public. 
None  of  these  cases  apply  to  the  "  Australia"  "  corner." 

The  promoters  and  directors  of  Australia,  Limited,  did  not 
take  the  initiative.  True,  the  promoters  ha.1  a  hand  in  making 
the  market — in  getting  the  shares  quoted  at  a  premium  before 
allotment.  But  that  is  not  the  complaint.  The  charge  of  con- 
spiracy concerns  itself  only  with  what  was  done  after  the 
shares  were  quoted  at  a  premium.  What,  then,  did  the 
directors  do  ?  But  first,  what  was  the  position  when  they  met 
to  allot  ?  It  was  a  peculiar  one.  The  share  capital  of  the  company 
is  £120,000.  The  price  to  be  paid  to  the  vendors  was  £100,000. 
It  was  stipulated  that  £33,000  should  be  paid  in  shares.  The 
balance  was  to  be  paid  "  in  shares  or  cash,  at  the  option  of  the 
directors."  If  the  directors  paid  all  the  purchase-money  in 
shares — as  they  had  the  right  to  do— only  20,000  shares  would  be 
left.  But  then  20,000  had  been  privately  subscribed.  Says  the 
prospectus,  "  20,000  (shares)  have  already  been  subscribed  for." 
The  public  were  invited  to  subscribe  for  67,000,  but  they  were  not 
promised  any.  They  might  get  all,  a  part,  or  none.  They 
could  not  get  any  if  the  vendors  were  paid  in  shares  alone,  and 
the  20,000  were  all  allotted,  as  we  assume  they  had  to  be.  Ex 
nihilo  nihil  ft. 

It  may  be  argued  that  since  67,000  shares  were  offered  for 
public  subscription  it  could  not  have  been  the  intention  of  the 
directors  to  give  the  vendors  nothing  but  shares.  Perhaps  not, 
but  they  changed  their  intention,  and  the  terms  of  the  issue 
authorised  them  to  change  it,  for  they  expressly  reserved  to 
themselves  the  right  to  make  no  allotment.  To  quote  again 
from  the  prospectus,  ' '  The  directors  reserve  the  right  to  refuse 
to  allot  to  any  applicant  for  shares."  That  right  they  exercised. 
Meantime  the  dealers  had  sold  largely  at  the  comfortable  pre- 
mium at  which  the  shares  stood  immediately  before  allotment. 
When  the  parent  company  was  brought  out  a  similar  premium  had 
disappeared  upon  allotment.  The  public  got  all  the  shares  they 
applied  for,  and  the  vendors  took  all  the  cash  they  could 
get.  The  dealers  expected  a  repetition  of  this  procedure.  Instead 
there  was  complete  reversal.  Like  the  Scots  at  Dunbar,  they 
had  delivered  themselves  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The 
directors  might  have  helped  them  by  releasing  shares.  But 
suppose  it  had  been  the  other  way  about  ? 

It  seems  to  us,  then,  that  the  cases  cited  by  our  contemporary 
are  beside  the  point,  and  that  the  directors  of  Australia, 
Limited,  have  not  overstepped  the  law.  The  promoters  have 
made  a  heap  of  money.  Jog-trot  industry  is  not  in  it  with  them. 
But  they  could  not  have  made  this  money  if  the  dealers  had  not 
played  into  their  hands  by  selling  what  they  had  not.  There  is 
the  flaw  in  the  indictment. 

MR.   DIGBY  SEYMOUR.  QC 

Mr,  Digby  Seymour,  Q.C., -is  a  very  worthy  gentleman,  and 
usually  performs  his  duties  as  County  Court  judge  to  the  satis- 
faction of  everybody  in  Newcastle,  except,  perhaps,  some  of 
the  debtors.  But  just  now  he  is  being  subjected  to  a  good  deal 
of  adverse  criticism  in  connection  with  what  may  be  called -the 


whitewashing  of  Mr.  Alderman  Quin.    Mr.  Quin  was  a  director 

of  the  Guardian  Building  Society,  a  concern  ^having  large 

dealings  with  the  people  of  Newcastle,  and  now  in  liquidation. 

Mr.  Quin  was  examined  by  the  Official  Receiver,  and  at  the  close 

of  his  examination,  and  in  spite  of  the  strong  protest  of 

the  Official  Receiver,  the  judge  ordered  that  his  costs,  as  between 

attorney  and  client,  should  be  paid.    In  making  this  order,  Mr. 

Digby  Seymour  made  the  following  observations,  among  others  : 

Mr.  Quin,  you  are  a  public  man;  you  have  attended  these  proceed- 
ings. It  is  evident  to  all  of  us  that  it  gave  you  exquisite  pain  to  be 
summoned  in  this  way,  and  to  have  suggestions  made  and  reflections 
upon  your  commercial  honour  in  the  city  of  Newcastle.  A  year  has 
scarcely  elapsed  since  you,  as  Mayor  of  this  town,  representing  its 
municipal  dignity  and  its  commercial  honour  in  a  manner  which  won 
the  praise  of  everybody,  assisted  by  your  excellent  wife,  gave  a  recep- 
tion to  the  Duke  of  York.  You  naturally  felt  that  it  was  somewhat 
exceptional  for  you  and  painful  that  you  should  be  called  upon  in  an 
open  court,  in  the  presence  of  all  men,  and  subject,  it  might  be,  to  mis- 
understandings or  to  unkind  remarks,  and  be  made  subject  to  this 
enquiry. 

We  have  not  the  pleasure  of  knowing  Mrs.  Quin,  but  we  are 
quite  sure-  she  is  an  "  excellent  "  wife,  and  as  charming  as  she  is 
excellent.  But  what  has  the  fact  that  there  is  a  Mrs.  Quin^ 
or  that  Mrs.  Quin  "  gave  a  reception  to  the  Duke  of  York,"orthat 
Mrs.  Quin's  husband  has  represented  the  "  municipal  dignity  " 
of  Newcastle,  to  do  with  Mr.  Quin,  the  director  of  the  Guardian 
Building  Society  ?  If  Mr.  Digby  Seymour  thinks  Mr.  Quin  should 
have  his  costs  it  is  in  his  power  to  give  them,  but  Mr.  Quin  and 
his  fellow  directors  have  brought  much  misery  and  loss  upon  Tyne- 
side  folk  by  action  which  Mr.  Quin  now  admits  to  have  been 
"  improper,"  and  under  such  circumstances  Mr.  Digby  Seymour's 
twaddle  about  "municipal  dignity"  and  the  rest  of  it  is  very 
much  out  of  place. 

THE  WATCHSELLING  TRICK- 

Our  exposure  of  the  methods  of  sale  resorted  to  by  the  agents 
of  Hastings,  Limited,  has  brought  us  much  correspondence  from 
the  employers  of  other  servant  girls  who  have  been  persuaded 
to  buy  watches  at  exorbitant  prices.    As  here  : — 

The  agent  of  Messrs.  Milner  and  Co.,  of  i,  Broad  Street  Buildings, 
Liverpool  Street,  who  describe  themselves  as  watch  manufacturers, 
induced  a  half-witted  girl  in  service  at  Pembevton  Terrace,  Upper 
Holloway,  to  buy  upon  the  monthly  payment  system  a  silver  watch 
and  chain,  for  which  Messrs.  Milner  and  Co.  charge  £2  18?.,  an  identical 
article  being  sold  by  respectable  watchmakers  at  17s.  for  the  watch  and 
5s.  6d.  for  the  chain,  together  £1  2s.  6d. 
A  lady  sends  us  a  letter  addressed  to  a  servant  girl  who  had 
left  her  employment,  but  who  whilst  with  her  seems  to  have 
allowed  one  of  the  agents  of  Messrs.  J.  W.  Milton  and  Co. ,  of 
47,  Courthope  Road,  Gospel  Oak,  to  leave  a  watch  with  her. 
The  instalments  were  not  paid,  whereupon  Messrs.  Milton  and 
Co.  wrote  to  her  as  follows  :— 

Miss  Maud  C  , 

With  reference  to  silver  watch  and  chain,  as  you  have  failed  to 
send  on  as  promised,  we  hereby  give  you  notice  that  unless  we  receive 
the  goods,  or  the  amount  of  £2  ICs.  6d.,  within  six  days,  we  shall  apply 
for  a  warrant  to  arrest  you  for  absconding  with  intent  to  cheat  and  de- 
fraud us  of  our  property  lent  on  hire  only,  in  accordance  with  the  terms 
of  hire-agreement  signed  by  you.     Besides  this  you  have  given  us  a 
false  address,  so  you  must  put  up  with  the  consequences,  unless  you 
comply  with  this  request,  as  we  intend  to  make  an  example  of  you. 
In  this  case  the  girl  seems  to  have  acted  improperly  in  retain- 
ing and  going  away  with  the  watch,  but  we  agree  with  her 
mistress,  who  writes  : — "I  cannot  defend  the  girl,  but  I  think 
Messrs.  Milton's  system  of  business  can  be  even  less  defended." 

A  third  correspondent,  a  Birmingham  surgeon,  writes  us  :— 
During  the  absence  of  myself  and  wife  from  home,  a  man 
representing  himself  to  be  the  agent  of  Messrs.  C.  Stone  and  Co.,  72, 
Whiteladies  Road,  Clifton,  called  at  my  house,  and  induced  the  house- 
maid to  purchase  a  silv  er  watch  and  chain.  For  this  article,  worth  at 
the  very  most  12s.  to  14s.,  he  charged  47s.  He  did  not  take  any  deposit, 
did  not  e'ven  make  detinite  terms,  did  not  even  leave  1  is  name,  or  the 
name  of  the  firm  he  represented,  but  said  he  would  write.  About  a 
week  after  the  girl  received  a  payment  card,  and  a  notice  exactly  as 
you  describe,  telling  her  to  semi  on  the  money,  4s.  to  5s  per  month,  to 
Bristol. 

Again  we  agree  with  our  correspondent  as  to  this  "disgraceful 
method  of  trading,  whereby  ignorant,  unsophisticated  servant 
girls,  carried  away  by  the  glamour  of  jewellery  and  credit, 
are  induced  to  run  themselves  into  debts  they  cannot  possibly 
discharge,  and  so  to  become  dishonest." 

"  PILING   IT   UP  " 

A  CORRESPONDENT  who  lives  just  outside  Richmond,  and  who 
is  one  of  those  excellent  citizens  who  show  their  dislike  of  rates  by 
•  paying  the  ballon  presentation,  that  they  may  have  no  unnecessaiy 
reminder  of  the  ills  of  life,  complains  that  for  six  weeks  his  taps 
have  given  him  no  water.  He  and  his  household  have  had  to  be 
content  with  what  they  can  scoop  out  of  the  Thames,  and  a 
polite— our  correspondent  could  not  be  other  than  polite  if  ho 
tried — request  to  the  Grand  Junction  people  to  put  up  a  stand  pipe 
—  not  opposite  his  house,  or  within  a  stone's  tluow, but  somewhere 


March  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


175 


within  half  a  mile — has  not  received  even  the  courtesy  of  acknow- 
ledgment. Instead,  he  lias  been  presented  with  his  usual  water 
bill  to  be  paid  in  advance.  Now,  even  a  worm  will  turn  if  you 
bother  him  enough,  and  it  is — well,  really  it  is  a  little  trying  to 
be  asked  for  payment  in  advance  for  water  supply  when  for 
half  a  quarter  water  paid  for  has  not  been  supplied. 

The  gods,  we  are  told,  first  blind  those  they  wish  to  destroy, 
and  it  will  seem  to  most  people  something  like  midsummer  mad- 
ness on  the  part  of  the  water  companies  to  treat  the  public — 
with  whom  it  rests  to  settle  terms  of  purchase — as  they 
have  treated  them  since  Christmas.  Our  correspondent  is 
a  sound  Conservative,  but  on  this  water  question  he  is  as  bitter 
as  the  most  rabid  Radical.  And  so  it  is  with  thousands  of  other 
decent  citizens; 


With  reference  to  a  remark  that  appeared  in  our  correspon- 
dence columns  last  week  the  secretary  of  the  Anglo -Californian 
Land  and  Improvement  Company,  Limited,  writes  to  us  to  say 
that  "  the  only  case  in  which  the  company  requires  payment 
down  before  arriving  at  the  place  selected  is  when  an  investment 
is  made  under  contract  with  the  company,  by  which  they 
guarantee,  through  a  reliable  insurance  office,  to  secure  a  certain 
agreed  return  from  the  investment  till  the  trees  arrive  at 
maturity — about  four  years — as  well  as  undertaking  to  give 
remunerative  employment  to  the  investor  during  the  same 
period." 

"  TO-DAY'S  "  BLACK  LIST. 

The  Tanqtjerey  Portrait  Society. — These  people  date  from 
29,  Boulevard  des  Italiens,  Paris,  and  profess  to  supply  "a 
crayon  portrait  free  of  charge."  They  make  this  offer  a  round- 
about way  of  selling  frames  at  prices  which,  of  course,  cover — 
and  probably  much  more  than  cover — the  so-called  free  portrait. 
And  who,  by  the  way,  is  the  Mr.  T.  Heard,  of  the  Imperial 
Russian  Consulate,  Hull,  whose  letter  heads  the  list  of  testi- 
monials ?  Mr.  Heard  should  know  that  simple  folk  are  misled 
by  the  appearance  of  official  imprimatur. 

NEW  ISSUES. 

British  Guiana  Gold  Concession  and  Development  Com- 
pany, Limited.  Capital,  £100,000.— Formed  to  work  a  number  of 
mining  claims  on  the  Demerara  River.  We  do  not  know  much  about  the 
London  directors,  but  the  local  advisoiy  board  is  composed  of  leading 
colonists,  and  men  of  high  repute.  British  Guiana  is  coming  to  the 
front  as  a  gold-producing  country,  and  is  infinitely  richer  than  Coolgardie. 

The  East  Nigel  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited.  Capital, 
£125,000.— Formed  to  work  gold-mining  properties  on  the  Nigel  Reef.  The 
reports  speak  highly  of  the  value  of  these  properties,  and  the  company 
should  have  a  prosperous  future  before  it. 

The  Bamboo  Cycle  Company.  Capital,  £80,000.— This  company 
is  to  use  bamboo  instead  of  steel  in  the  manufacture  of  cycles,  and  for  this 
"invention  "  the  public  are  asked  to  pay  £60,000.  We  cannot  believe  they 
will  be  such  fools. 

Van  den  Bergh  s  Margarine,  Limited.  Capital,  £950,000  -  To 

take  over  the  margarine  business  of  Messrs.  Van  den  Bergh,  of  Rotter- 
dam. It  is  a  good  business,  and  the  figures  given  in  the  prospectus  in- 
dicate large  and  rapidly  -  growing  profits.  With  one  exception  Messrs. 
Van  den  Bergh  are  the  largest  manufacturers  of  Margarine  in  Europe, 
and  their  works  at  Rotterdam  are  of  a  very  elaborate  and  up-to-date  kind. 
The  company  will  be  managed  for  the  next  seven  years  by  the  three  sons 
of  old  Simon,  the  founder  of  the  business,  and  they  are  very  capable 
business  men.  We  do  not  see  why  the  output  should  not  continue  to 
increase.   The  weak  point  is  the  very  large  sum  paid  for  goodwill. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
The  National  Retail  Jewellers'  Association.  T.  F.  (Ayles- 
bury).—We  are  obliged  to  you  for  the  papers,  and  your  kindly  appreciation 
of  our  exposure  of  the  watch-selling  trick.  Great  Northern  and  City 
Railway  Company.  Bubble  Buster  (Manchester).— Be  kind  enough 
to  send  us  your  name  and  addtess.  Outside  Brokers.  W.  H.  (.Shef- 
field).— 1.  They  are  persons  of  no  standing.  2.  We  cannot  undertake  to 
give  the  winning  numbers  of  Lottery  Bonds.  Orion  (New)  and  Lang- 
laagte.  A.  S.  (Wiesbaden).— Take  your  profit.  As  to  "  how  many  years  yet 
of  life  there  may  be  in  each,"  that  is  a  question  it  would  take  a  wiser  man 
than  any  about  this  office  to  answer.  Birkbeck  Building  Society. 
H.  J.  V.  (Bermondsey). — It  is  a  perfectly  safe  society.  So  is  the  other  you 
name.  J.  R  Roberts,  Limited.  (Southsea). — We  think  these  shares 
worth  the  price  you  quote.  Smith  and  Beresford.  A.  T  (Little- 
brough).  It  is  the  old  story,  You  had  better  write  off  the  loss. 
Stock  Exchange  Terms.  Mrs.  F.  (Midleton).  —  The  words 
you  quote  are  contiadictory.   Will  you  send  us  the  printed  quotation? 

Minas  and    Rio  Railway  Shares.    (Manchester).  — 

Yes,  but  sell  on  any  substantial  rise.  Provident  Association  of 
London.  A.  E.  J.  (Widnes).— The  answer  to  both  questions  is  "  Yes." 
Prospecting  Party.  J.  S.  G.  (Barnstaple).— We  said  "West  Australia," 
not  "South  Africa."  Zapopan  Gold  Mine.  Wemyss  (Glasgow).— 
Better  leave  it  alone.  Outside  Broker.  An  Admirer  (Belfast). 
—Have  nothing  to  do  with  the  people  whose  circular  you  send  us. 
Palace  Theatre  Shares.  Brooklands.— A  fair  speculative  purchase 
at  the  price  you  name.  John  North  and  Company.  M.  T.  E. 
(Stockwell).—  The  information  is  not  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  advise  you. 
Sundry  Speculations.  J.  B.  S.  (Downpatrick).— All  highly  specula- 
tive. Safe  Investment.  J.  B.  J.  (Lytham).— The  sum  is  too  small 
m  invest  in  stocks  of  the  kind  you  mention.  Working  "An  Idea.'' 
E.J.P.(West  Holloway).— If  there  is  nothing  you  can  protect  by  patent,  you 
must  take  the  risk  of  possible  competition  ;  and  if  you  want  to  form  a  com- 
pany to  work  your  idea,  and  are  afraid  of  a  company  promoter,  your  only 
resource,  not  having  the  capital  yourself,  is  a  capitalist.  But  whether  any 
'  'honest  trustworthy  business  man  "  would  be  likely  to  find  the  money 
requisite  is  a  point  upon  which  we  can  express  no  opinion  until  you 
explain  your  "idea."  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  T.  H.  C. 
(Worthing).— We  take  note  of  what  you  say.    The  incident  is  closed,  so 


far  as  we  are  concerned.  Norman  and  Stacey,  Limited.  E.  B. 
(West  Kensington).— They  are  respectable,  and  will  treat  you  fairly. 
We  have  no  information  as  to  their  "entiiely  new  furnishing  system." 
Money  Lenders  (Sunderland).— We  have  read  your  letter  with  interest, 
and  agree  with  much  of  it.  Lewis,  Hepworth,  and  Co., 
Limited.  C.  M.  (Epping).— It  is  the  old  story  of  glowing  promise 
and  frail  performance.  Your  papers,  which  we  now  return,  disclose 
little  as  to  the  absence  of  dividends,  and  we  fear  you  can  do 
nothing  but  wait  and  hope.  The  outlook  is  not  cheering.  Beach 
and  Harris,  Limited.  W:  F.  H.  (Spalding).— We  understand  that  they 
were  passed.  Olympia,  Limited.  Latimer  (Forest  Gate).— 1  and  2. 
Yes.  3.  The  company  holds  the  freehold  property  at  West  Kensington,  4. 
It  is  not  the  description  of  share  we  should  recommend  for  a  person  in  the 
position  you  describe.  Bank  of  Australia,  Limited.  Scot 
(Edinburgh).— We  should  hold  for  a  tme.  Bank  of  Van 
Dieman's  Land.  O.  W.  (Cardiff).— It  should  have  taken  place. 
You  will  get  particulars  from  Messrs.  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co., 
of  10,  Place  de  la  Bourse,  Paris,  who  are  the  European  agent? . 
Bartholomey's.  N.  B.  (Dublin). — I.  It  is  a  sound  investment.  2.  The 
drapery  business  will  be  offered  shortly.  Hemp,  Yarn,  and  Cordage 
Company.  Mrs.  E.  M.  R.  (Penrith).— We  sympathise  with  you,  but  the 
call  must  be  met,  and  there  is  the  power  to  charge  the  ten  per  cent,  interest 
after  March  21st.  Bay  leys  Reward.  D.  T.  W.  (Ladybank).— l.  It  is  a, 
toss-up.  We  should  be  disposed  to  hold  on  the  chance  of  recovery.  2.  We 
know  nothing  of  the  outside  broker  you  name.  Elliott  Smoke  Com- 
bustion Company.  F.  J.  (Clapham  Junction).— Sell  if  you  have  the 
chance.  Transvaal  Gold  and  Exploration  Company.  W.  G.  A. 
(Helensburgh).— l.  We  believe  in  taking  "  a  handsome  profit."  2.  We  do 
not  think  Day  Dawns  worth  holding.  3.  Sell  the  Kangarillas  for  what  you 
can  get.  4.  Orions  are  too  high.  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  Five 
per  Cent.  Gold  Bonds.  Gold.  (Forfar).— Yes.  The  San  Miguel 
Silver  Mines,  Limited.  W.  B.  (Hythe).— Leave  them  to  those 
who  are  recommending  them.  Provident  Association  of  London. 
a  i*'  (walham  Green).— The  point  is  one  of  considerable  difficult} . 
At  first  the  Association  made  no  difference  between  original  members  and 
those  who  held  transferred  Bonds.  But  it  was  found,  especially  after  the 
agitation  of  1888,  that  wreckers  and  others  had  bought  a  number  of  Bonds 
at  >ubbish  prices  with  the  object  of  harassing  the  Association  and  malnDi; 
money  out  of  it.  It  was  absolutely  necessary  to  put  a  stop  to  this, 
and  the  amended  rule  of  1889  did  so.  Your  Eond  appeals  to  have  been 
taken  out  three  or  four  months  before  this  rule  came  into  operation.  We 
have  had  some  correspondence  with  the  Association  on  the  subject,  and 
we  are  informed  by  the  Managing  Diiector  that  the  directors  will  be 
prepared  to  consider  applications  from  transferees  of  Bonds  issued 
between  1884-89  upon  their  merits.  We  understand  this  ii  mean  that 
where  an  1884-89  bond  has  been  tiansferred  in  ordinary  coursu 
to  a  person  who,  if  he  were  an  original  bondholder  would  be  entitled  to 
an  advance,  a  responsible  peisou,  the  loan  will  be  granted.  If  that  is 
done  your  complaint  will  be  met.  The  Richard  Green  Building 
Society.  Aberafo.n  (London).— We  cannot  answer  your  question  without 
knowledge  of  the  value  of  the  properties  upon  which  the  society  has 
advanced  its  moneys,  which  we  do  not  possess.  Municipal  Building 
Society.  G.  S.  (Leicester).— Yes,  at  any  rate~  for  the  time  beirj:. 
North  Sheba  Limited.  A.  G.  (Bristol).— They  are  likely  to  go  better. 
Crushings  are  expected  shortly.  Co-operative  Credit  Bank.  W.  E. 
H.  E:  (Edinburgh).— 1.  We  take  note  that  you  received  the  Banner 
Oakley  circular  in  a  price  list  sent  you  by  a  Leeds  firm.  The  proposal  to 
re-establish  this  bank  is  a  very  impudent  one.  2.  Have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  other  people.  Safe  Deposit.  Zox  (Sukhum  Kaleh).— We  think 
your  friend  has  given  you  good  advice.  You  have  omitted  to  send 
us  your  name.  Send  it  and  we  shall  have  pleasure  in  answering  your 
other  questions  Outside  Brokers.  (Forfar).— Have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  people  you  name. 

INSURANCE. 

Provident  Life  Office.  H.  B.  (Bury  St.  Edmunds).- As  the  nee 
has  been  understated  two  courses  are  open.  Either  deduct  from  the 
amount  assured  and  bonuses  the  sum  of  the  unpaid  premiums  pins 
compound  interest  at  say  four  and  a  half  per  cent.,  or  deductfrom  the 
amount  assured  and  bonuses  an  amount  proportionate  to  the  unpaid 
premium.  The  office  no  doubt  has  fixed  upon  one  of  these  plans  as  *, 
practice  in  such  cases  (which  are  curiously  rather   frequent),  and  it 

£robably  is  stated  in  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  polk; . 
life  Assurance.  A.  G.  (Lincoln).  —  Endowment  assurances 
are  best  suited  for  most  people  under  forty  years  of  age.  You  incur  nu 
liability  by  becoming  a  policy-holder  in  a  real  life  assurance  company, 
beyond  losing  part  of  the  sum  assured.  The  Scottish  Equitable 
is  well  managed  and  eminently  respectable.  The  Midland 
Counties  is  amalgamated  with  tlie  Royal.  The  Royal  pays  a 
splendid  bonus.  The  Royal  is  a  good  office.  Endowment 
Assurance.  I.  (Bath).  —  You  will  not  do  better  than 
with  the  office  you  have  numbered  2,  the  Liverpool,  London,  and  Globe. 
Life  Policy  for  £5,000.  Beal'REI'OR  (Liverpool).— We  rec  nunc  ml  you 
to  divide  the  assurance  between  the  Equity  and  Law  and  the  Hand  in 
Hand.  Equitable  of  New  York.  F.  W.  H.— Will  you  be  good  enough 
to  give  us  the  date  of  the  policy  and  let  us  have  a  sight  of  the  document 
containing  the  promises  or  estimates?  It  shall  be  returned  to  you.  New 
York  Life  Office.  Scotsman  (Dowanhill).— The  company  is  quite  sounc', 
but  whether  you,  or  rather  your  executors,  would  receive  as  mueii 
under  a  policy  as  the  agent  tells  you  is  quite  another  matter. 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of  New  York.  X.  X.  X. 
(Manchester).— 1.  You  are  not  entitled  to  a  cash  surrender  value  at  the 
end  of  ten  years.  If  the  company  pay  such  it  is  an  ex-gmti'a  payment.  2. 
The  company  does  not  lend  money  on  security  of  its  policies.  3.  The 
omission  of  the  British  manager  to  give  you  any  infoimation  on  the  point 
should  lead  you  to  conclude  that  a  fresh  medical  examination  would  be 
necessary  at  the  end  of  twenty  years  in  case  you  desired  to  convert  the 
cash  bonus  into  a  reversionary  bonus.  Press  Accident  Insurance 
Company.  P.  A.  (Maldon). — As  no  names  of  persons  appear  upon  the 
papers,  nor  any  information  as  to  its  monetary  resources,  we  advise  you  to 
have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Four  Life  Offices.  Q.  H.  B.  (Glasgow). — 
All  four  are  good  offices,  but  what  you  have  been  told  you  would  receive 
from  the  Equitable  of  New  York  is  the  result  of  an  estimate,  and  we 
distrust  estimates.  We  think  you  would  do  best  with  the  Royal  Exchange, 
but  the  Legal  and  General  can  do  very  well  for  you.  We  do  not  think  the 
Scottish  Amicable  is  able  to  do  quite  as  well.for  the  public  as  it  did  foimeily. 
Edinburgh  Employers'  Liability  and  General  Assurance 
Company.  G.H.R.—  The  Rev.  J. A.  Smith,  of  the  Free  Church,  Newcast  i 
ton,  sued  the  directors,  not  as  representing  the  company,  but  individually . 
for  damages  sustained  by  reason  of  mis-statement  of  facts,  and 
they  were  glad  to  settle  with  him.  See  the  Edinburgh  News  of  30th  Jar.v- 
ary  last.  Write  the  rev.plaintiff  as  to  who  acted  as  Ids  solicitor,  and  (hi  u 
employ  the  same  gentleman.  Be  sure  you  do  not  go  to  any  other  solicitor. 
Gresham  Life  Office.  Vino  (Whitby).— Yes,  we  think  so.  Prudential 
Assurance  Company.  J.  H.  C.  (Geneva).— Cast  your  eye  over  the 
particulars  published  in  another  column.  You  need  have  ncr  fear  about 
the  £1,000  being  paid  when  you  die,  or  on  the  expiration  of  the  fifteen 
years.  The  Prudential  is  the  greatest  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 
Purchase  of  Annuity.  E.  C.  H.  (Manchester).  ^Try  the  Sun  Life  of 
Canada.  Star  Life  Office.  J.  A.  B.  (Chester;.— You  must  have  mis- 
understood what  we  wrote  last  week.  We  write  you  under  cover.  Fire, 
Art  and  General  Insurance  Company.  H.  W.  (Belfast.).  - 
We  do  not  advise  the  transfer. 


176 


TO-DAY. 


March  16,  1895. 


HRURY  LANE  THEATRE  ROYAL.-SIR  AUGUSTUS 
^  HARRIS,  Lessee  and  Manager.  EVERY  EVENING  at  7.30,  and 
WEDNESDAYS  and  SATURDAYS  at  1.30.  Sir  Augustus  Harris's  Grand 
New  Pantomime, 

DICK  WHITTINGTON. 
Full  particulars  see  Daily  Papers.  Box  Office  open  from  10  a.m.  all  day. 

"TYCEUM.— TO-NIGHT  and  EVERY  NIGHT  at  8  o'clock. 

KING  ARTHUR  by  J.  Comyns  Carr.  Mr.  Irving,  Miss  Genevieve 
Ward,  and  Miss  Ellen  Terrv.  Music  by  Arthur  Sullivan.  Scenery  and 
Costumes  designed  by  Sir  E.  Burne-Jones.  Box  Office  (Mr.  J.  Hurst) 
open  10  till  5.  and  during  the  performance.  Seats  also  bocked  by  letter 
or  telegram  "  Lyceum." 

DOYAL  PRINCESS'S    THEATRE— EVERY  EVENING 

at  8.30.  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30,  by  arrangements  with 
the  Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company,  Humperdinck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEL 
and  GRETEL  (in  English).   Box  Office  now  open. 

PALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 

MOORE   AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

A'A  HALL,  PICCADILLY. 

The  Best  Minstrels  in  the  World. 
New   Songs,  Ballads,  and  Choruses. 
First  Time  of 

THE  BLACK  CONSTABULARY  COMIC  OPERETTA, 
By  Joseph  Tabrar, 
And  an  entirely  new  First  Part. 
EVERY  NIGHT  at  8,  and 
MONDAY,  WEDNESDAY,  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30. 
Prices  5s.,  3s.,  2s.,  Is. 

Book  at  Tree's.  Faisini,  Manage". 


The   GREAT  EASTERN  HOTEL, 

LIVERPOOL  STREET,  E.C. 

Centrally  Situated.   Electric  Light  Throughout.   Moderate  Charges 

RESTAURANT  adjoining  HOTEL  fop  MID-DAY 
LUNCHEONS  and  PUBLIC  DINNERS. 

-    H.  C.  AMENDT,  Manager. 


UNION 


ROYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 
5.30  and  7.30.—GREAT  YACHTING,  BOATING  and  FISHERIES 
EXHIBITIONS.   CONCERT.    SWIMMING.    BILLIARD  MATCH. 

NIAGARA  HALL— 

ST.   JAMES'S   PARK  STATION. 
REAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
Daily,  9.30  to  1.0,  3s. ;  3.0  to  6.0,  5s. ;  8.0  to  11.30,  3s. 
EXCELLENT   ORCHESTRA.  FIRST-CLASS  RESTAURANT. 

OPEN  ALL  DAY. 


THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER.     Invested  Funds 

English  Invention — English  Manufacture. 
The  only  Perfect  Writing  Machine. 
"  Differential "  Spacing— Yisible  Writing. 

THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

Unequalled  for  Manifolding. 
Perfect  alignment  secured. 
Pad  Machine— No  Ribbon. 


South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHONALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON evenj  SA  TURD  A  Y. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA" 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  callatLISBOXandTENERIFE. 
Union  Line  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  « Canute 
Road,  Southampton;   14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C 

The  Colonial  Mutual  Life  Assurance  Society, 

LIMITED. 
33,   POULTRY,  LONDON,  E.C. 

FUNDS  EXCEED  7T7T7  £1,750  000 

POLICIES  issued  under  the  ORDINARY,  MODIFIED   TONTINE,  and  Mortuary 
Dividend  Systems. 

■    EDWARD  W.  BROWNE,  F.S.S.,  Manager. 

PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  COMPANY^Limited," 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  EX. 


FOUNDED  1848. 


£20,000,000 


THE    MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

Only  32  keys  writing  96  characters.  • 

Unequalled  for  Speed. 

The  First  and  Foremost  Type  Writer. 

THE  "MASKELYNE"  TYPE  WRITER. 

For  all  particulars  as  to  this  unique  invention,  address: 
41,  HOLBORN    VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C 

Why  put  off  till  to-morrow,  what 
can  be  done  To-day  P 

ASK  YOUR  GROCER  for  a  Tin  of 

FREDERICK  MASON'S 

HOME-MADE 
BEEF-TEA. 

It  will  only  cost  you  Is.,  and  it's  well 
worth  a  trial. 

ACRE  LANE,  BRIXTON,  S.W, 


KERN  COUNTY  LAND    COMPANY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 

96-9S,  LEADENHAI.L  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C 

W.  A,  NYGH,  European  Special  Agent. 

The  above  Company  calls  the  particular  attention  of  parents  and  guardians 
to  the  mode  by  which  they  can  give  their  soni  and  wards  a  start"  in  life  on 
its  lands— a  small  capital  only  being  required.  Special  Party  No.  3)  will 
leave  for  tne  estates  of  the  Company  early  in  June.  1895.  Apply  for  full 
particulars  at  the  above  address  or  at  the  Glasgow  Office, 

George  Smith,  21,  Hope  Street. 

EXCEPTIONALLY  SAFE  AND  SOUND  FIVE  PER  CENT. 

JLi  INVESTMENT. — The  Directors  of  a  flourishing  engineering  com- 
pany in  Lancashire,  which  for  the  last  three  years  has  paid  dividends  of 
8, 10,  and  12  per  cent,  per  annum,  are  prepared  to  offer  debenture  bonds 
to  the  extent  of  £7000,  in  amounts  to  suit  intending  investors,  bearing 
interest  at  5  per  cent,  per  annum.  These  bonds  have  a  first  charge  upon 
all  the  assets  of  the  Company.  Principals,  or  solicitors  only,  apply  by 
letter  to  Messrs.  Douglas  Nokman  &  Co.,  4,  New  Court,  Liucolns  Inn, 
W.C.,  or  T.  Stuart  &  Co.,  Accountants,  114,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 

Volume  I.  of  "  TO-DAY,"  containing  the  whole  of 

Ft.  L,  STtVEMSO  i'S  LATEST  STORY, 

"THE  EBB-TIDE," 

Is  offererl  as  a  premium  to  any  person  sending  us  an  Annual 
(Subscription  (Eleven  .Shillings)  to  "TO-DAY." 


PREMIER 
CYCLES 


Constructed  "f  Helii 
Patented  ai 


il  Tube. 
.1  Registe 


•il  TouM-str 


HELICAL  TUBE. 

•nRt>,  vet  routes*  machine  made. 


The  I'KI.UICIC  «  »«  I.K  CO.,  Mil.,  are  Cycle 
Manufacturers  by  special  appointment  lo  II  I.*  II. 
The  Prince  of  Mali'-,  are  patronised  bj  the 
chief  British  mid  Forelgii  Nobility,  a««d  by  the 
« i«icr  and  •irealer  portion  of  cycle  ridero 
 lliron^lioiit  Use  world. 

20,000   Premici's  sold  in  1894. 

Bpeclal  Quota'iuns  t"  really  responsible  purchasers  desirous  ol  adopting  our  Piugienli  i 
l'avnu-nt  System.      Lists  and  all  particulars  Eros  tv  .in 

THE  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  Ltd., 

14,   HOLBORN  VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C. 


March  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


177 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.   VIII.  The  Little  Widow. 


By  Herbert  Keen.   Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar   161 

Hints  from  a  Hercules  :   166 

Feminine  Affairs   168 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    171 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    172 

In  the  City   174 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J   177 

-  Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer    181 

Club  Chatter   ..   182 

The  Old  Rail  Fence.  By  Frank  L.  Stanton   185 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville    186 

The  Test  of  Ability   190 

The  Conquest  of  the  Air.  An  Englishman's  Invention  191 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


The  approaching  dispute  in  the  hoot  trade  is  one  of 
those  lamentable  events  that  make)  one  almost  despair 
of  the  future  of  the  country.  With  the  foreigner  press- 
ing upon  us  at  every  point,  with  our  trade  monthly 
diminishing,  with  our  factories  closing  for  want  of 
work,  and  our  rivals  watching  their  every  chance  to  slip 
in  and  take  our  every  industry  away  from  us,  the  boot 
trade  seems  to  have1  deliberately  conspired  to  commit 
suicide.  .American  manufactuiers  have  for  years  been 
eager  to  get  their  goods  on  to  the  English  market.  Up 
tc  the  present  this  trade  has  been  one  of  the  few  that  has 
not  been  much  injured  by  outside  competition.  The 
English  workmen  have  kept  it  comparatively  to  them- 
selves. Now  they  have  made  up  1  heir  nrnds  to  give 
our  friends  across  the  pond  an  excellent  opportunity  of 
ousting  them.  For  some  two  or  three  months  the  boot  fac- 
tories will  be  closed ;  at  once  the  market  will  be  flooded 
with  American  work,  and  we  may  be  sure  that  the  wily 
"Yankee,  having  once  got  his  foot  inside  the  door,  will 
iK.ver  go  out  again. 

According  to>  the  estimate  of  the  labour  papers,  some 
50,000  workmen  will  be  thrown  out  of  employment, 
with  the  chance  that  not  30,000  will  ever  go>  back 
again.  All  the  long  misery  of  a  strike  will  be  upon  us — 
men,  women,  and  children  starving,  small  shop-keepers 
half-ruined,  twenty  other  trades  connected  with  boot 
manufacture  permanently  injured,  want  and  misery, 
hate,  anger,  and  violence  let  loose  throughout  the  land — 
and  the  foreigner  laughing  in  his  sleeve  while  he  looks 
on.  These  campaigns  are  entered  upon  lightly  by  both 
sides.  The  leaders  of  the  men  make  glib  promises  of 
support  to  the  workers,  and  talk  loosely  about  funds 
which  do  rot  exist,  and  promises  of  help  which  they 
know  will  never  be  kept.  The  masters  talk  about  the 
necessity  of  firmness  and  combination,  and  are  sure 
that  they  can  bring  the  men  to  reason  before  any  per- 
manent injury  is  inflicted  upon  the  trade.  When  both 
sides  are  brought  down  to  the  verge  of  ruin  an  utterly 
unsatisfactory  compromise  is  agreed  upon,  which  angers 
both  parties  and  benefits  neither.  The  masters  reopen 
their  factories  with  an  exhausted  capital  and  lost  con- 


tracts. The  workmen  return  to  their  labour,  their 
small  savings  lost,  their  few  belongings  pawned  or  sold, 
and  weighed  down  with  debt. 

In  this  case  the  dispute  seems  to  have  arisen  from  the 
union  workmen  objecting  to  the  introduction  of  new 
machinery.  Do  the  unions  really  think  that  they  can 
stop  the  progress  of  civilisation  ?  No  doubt  it  is  hard 
for  the  particular  generation  of  workmen  which  sees 
these  labour-saving  appliances  introduced  into  their 
workshops ;  but  the  loss  caused  to  them  by  improved 
machinery  is  small  compared  with  the  misery  they 
inflict  upon  themselves  by  these  strikes.  For  the  com- 
munity as  a  whole,  for  the  future  generations, 
every  improvement  in  machinery  is  a  gain.  It 
increases  production,  it  gives  greater  scope  to  labour. 
When  steam  was  introduced,  a  large  body  of  deserv- 
ing and  innocent  workmen  had  to  suffer.  Hotels 
and  inns  were  ruined  throughout  the  country,  and  their 
employees  turned  adrift.  Thousands  of  coach-builders 
must  have  starved.  Horse-breakers,  ostlers,  grooms 
must  have  lost  their  places.  But  steam  has  given  em- 
ployment to  a  thousand  men  for  every  one  that  earned 
his  living  in  stable  or  coachyard.  So  it  is  with  all  progress. 
The  steamboat  ruins  the  sail-maker.  The  cotton  loom 
starves  the  cottage  weaver.  The  Linotype  takes  work 
from  the  compositor.  But,  at  the  same  time,  they  en- 
large the  bounds  of  labour  as  a  whole.  They  open  up 
new  fields  of  enterprise  and  industry  for  the  future.  For 
the  leaders  of  a  trade  union  to  think  it  is  in  their  power 
to  stay  the  hands  upon  the  clock  of  time,  proves  them 
to  be  thinkers  unworthy  to  guide  their  fellow-men. 

In  Pitt's  day  our  request  for  Jabez  Balfour's  extradi- 
tion would  have  been  sent  to  Argentina  accompanied 
by  a  louple  of  men-of-war  and  five  hundred  men  of  the 
line,  and  we  should  have  had  him  back  within  six  months. 
But  since  those  days  we  have  grown  to  be  a  very  timid 
and  a  very  circumspect  nation.  Even  among  the  daring 
spirits  of  this  day  who  advocate  strong  measures  the 
only  plan  suggested  is  that  we  should  buy  Jabez  Bal- 
four from  the  Argentine  Republic  ;  and  the  simple  solu- 
tion of  an  ironclad,  furnished  with  instructions  to  wait 
for  the  Argentine  Government's  reply  for  two'  hours 
before  firing  the  first  shot  into  Buenos  Ayres  would 
make  a  modern  English  Prime  Minister  hide  his  head 
under  the  bed-clothes  with  fear.  We  appear  to  be  in- 
capable of  fighting  with  any  other  metal  than  gold. 
We  have  forgotten  the  great  persuasive  powers  that  our 
forefathers  found  in  steel  and  iron.  Verily  Napoleon 
described  us  properly  when  he  dubbed  us  a  nation- of 
shop-keepers. 

Fortunately  for  the  cause  of  fair  play  Lord  Charles 
Beresford  is  far  too  important  and  influential  a  person 
for  the  grave  injustice  done  to  him  to  be  lightly  passed 
over  or  forgotten.  Similar  injustice,  we  know,  is  com- 
mitted year  after  year  by  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty 
upon  men  who  are  not  in  a  position  to  make  their  case 
public,  and  thus  the  wrong-doing  never  comes  to  light ; 
but  in  playing  shabby  tricks  on  Lord  Charles  they  will 
find  themselves  face  to  face  with  that  which  they  will 
find  it  difficult  to  bully  or  cajole— and  that  is  the  public. 
Of  course,  a  "  perfectly  satisfactory  answer  :'  has  been 
found  to  the  accusations.  I  never  knew  a  piece  of  job- 
bery committed  in  high  places  that  was  not  most  easily 


178 


TO-DAY. 


March  16,  1895. 


und  satisfactorily  explained  by  some  glib  politician  put 
up  to  do  this  rather  contemptible  work.  But  one  can 
rest  assured  that  Lord  Charles's  affair  will  not  be  al- 
lowed to  remain  where  it  is,  and  the  Government  will 
be  forced  to  do  something  more  than  evade  the  direct 
question  and  dodge  the  real  issue. 

Lord  Charles  Berksford's  frank  and  useful  criti- 
cism of  Admiralty  folly  has,  of  course,  made  him  un- 
popular with  the  authorities ;  added  to  which  he  is  a 
biilliant  sailor,  and  has  accomplished  splendid  services 
foi  his  country.  Either  of  these  last  two  facts  would 
be  sufficient  to  make  him  disliked  at  the  Board  of  Ad- 
miralty. Dull  mediocrity  has  always  been  the  ideal  of 
service,  both  in  the  Admiralty  and  in  the  Horse  Guards. 
The  \vho]e  history  of  the  English  navy  goes  to  show  that 
no  sailor  ever  yet  proved  himself  the  possessor  of  ex- 
ceptional ability,  that  no  commander  ever  yet  performed 
a  worthy  service,  without  incurring  the  displeasure  of 
those  who  call  themselves  his  superiors.  In  both  ser- 
vices genius  and  success  have  ever  been  rewarded  by  the 
active  anger  of  the  board  of  elderly  incompetents,  who 
seem  to  have  been  appointed  by  the  nation  for  no  other 
purpose  than  to  injure  and  humiliate  its  best  servants. 
The  charge  brought  against  the  Admiralty  authorities 
is  that  they  have  sought  to  injure  Lord  Charles  Beres- 
ford's  position  out  of  pure  spite,  and  by  methods  that 
no  honourable  man  would  resort  to.  The  case  calls  for 
searching  investigation. 

Mr.W.H.Pannell,  Chairman  of  the  Central  Markets 
Committee  for  last  year,  kindly  sends  me  an  advance 
report  of  the  meat  trade  during  1894.  From  this  report 
it  appears  that  the  total  amount  of  meat  delivered  into 
the  metropolis  was  340,957  tons.  Of  this  some  184,000 
tons  were  home  produce,  and  156,000  tons  im- 
ported. From  America  we  received  71,900  tons,  as 
against  56,000  tons  for  1893.  So  that  at  this  rate  the 
American  farmer,  in  addition  to  having  ousted  the 
English  producer  in  the  wheat  market,  will  very  soon 
be  making  it  impossible  for  him  even  to  rear  cattle, 
which  is  at  present  the  only  profitable  thing  left  to  him. 
Free  trade  is  an  excellent  thing.  When  nothing  is  pro- 
duced in  England,  and  everything  is  imported,  perhaps 
the  Government  will  see  to  the  importation  of  a  little 
gold  and  silver  to  pay  for  it. 

I  am  glad  to  see  that  Mr.  William  Archer  is  raising 
his  powerful  voice  against  the  growing  danger  of  stage 
censorship.  I  should  have  been  still  more  pleased  with 
his  observations  if  he  had  acknowledged  his  indebted- 
ness to  To-Day  for  the  material  upon  which  he  based  his 
arguments.  I  find  that  most  of  my  contemporaries  seem  to 
regard  my  columns  as  public  property.  The  stage  censor- 
ship in  this  age  is  a  deliberate  and  wanton  insult  to  the 
British  public,  and  one  which,  if  they  had  the  slightest 
spirit  in  them  and  were  not — as  far  as  the  majority  of 
the  theatrical  public  goes — a  body  of  court-ridden  snobs, 
they  would  sweep  away  in  a  moment.  Her  Majesty 
may  be  the  most  excellent  lady  in  the  land,  but  I  have 
as  much  objection  to  her  dictating  to  me  what  plays 
I  shall  listen  to  and  what  plays  I  am  not  to  hear  as  I 
have  to  our  prudes  regulating  my  literature.  The  age 
for  this  sort  of  interference  from  high  places  has  passed 
away  ;  a  stage  censorship  is  a  relic  of  feudalism,  and  it  is 
monstrous  j^hat  it  should  still  survive. 


Here  is  a  simple,  unvp.mished  tale,  culled  from  the 
columns  of  the  newspaper.  John  Thomas  Clayden,  a 
well-dressed  man,  of  Bushill  Park,  Enfield,  was  sum- 
moned for  assaulting  his  wife.  Mrs.  Clayden,  a  little 
and  delicate-looking  woman,  with  one  of  her  eyes  dis- 
coloured, stated  that  on  the  evening  of  February  26th, 
when  her  husband  came  home,  she  asked  if  they  could 
not  manage  to  live  together  more  happily  than  they  had 
done  during  the  nine  years  since  they  were  married. 
Her  husband  replied  that  she  must  not  hinder  him 
in  his  work  for  Christ ;  and  went  on  to  say  that  he 
hated  her  with  a  murderous  hate,  and  in  about  a  fort- 
night, when  he  had  fulfilled  a  pending  engagement  to 
deliver  a  religious  address,  he  would  "  give  her  some- 
thing." To  impress  her  with  an  idea  of  what  this  some- 
thing would  be,  he  knocked  her  off  her  chair  and  blacked 
her  eye.  Mrs.  Clayden  said  her  husband  had  been 
cruel  to  heron  many  occasions.  Corroborative  evidence 
was  given. 

The  chairman  asked  what  was  the  organisation  in  con- 
nection with  which  the  defendant  preached.  It  appears 
that  it  was  the  Independent  Church  at  Lower  Edmon- 
ton. This  is  a  man  who  goesabout  preaching  Christianity 
to  his  fellowmen.  One  can  hardly  blame  poor  Thomas 
Clayden  for  the  absurdity.  He  has  probably  gathered, 
listening  to  his  betters,  that  Christianity  is  a  religion 
that  has  nothing  to  do  with  kindly  human  feelings.  He 
has  probably  imagined,  listening  to  the  Christianity  of 
the  present  day,  that  a  Christian  should  be  brutal  and 
savage  to  all  those  with  whom  he  does  not  agree.  He 
probably  intended  to  knock  Christianity  into  Mrs- 
Clayden,  as  his  teachers  would  knock  Christianity  into 
men  by  the  aid  of  the  policeman,  and  by  the  terrors  of 
the  gaol.  That  Christianity  should  have  anything  to  do 
with  such  foolish  tenets  as  "  Love  one  another,'' 
"  Think  no  evil,"  "  Do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,' 
"  Have  charity,"  would  probably  be  a  revelation  to  John 
Thomas  Clayden.  There  is  much  excuse  for  John 
Thomas  Clayden's  error.  I  would  advise  him  to  leave 
the  chapels  and  the  churches  alone  for  a  little  while, 
and  instead  to  read  his  Bible.  He  will  gain  many  new 
ideas  on  this  subject  of  Christianity. 

Literary  tragedy,  by  a  curious  convention,  generally 
takes  place  amid  romantic  surroundings,  and  in  towns 
or  villages  that  have  pleasantly-sounding  names.  Real 
tragedy  is  not  so  particular  ;  it  may  occur  in  those  very 
suburbs  that  your  common  and  superior  critic  (privately 
behind  with  his  rent  for  one  room  in  a  thirty-pound 
Clapham  villa)  always  refuses  in  public  prints  to  take 
seriously.  Wherever  people  live — whether  in  Park 
Lane  or  in  Tooting — there  are  all  the  raw  materials  that 
tragedy  requires.  The  Tooting  tragedy,  that  horrified 
London  at  the  close  of  last  week,  has  already  been  re- 
ported, with  every  sickening  detail,  in  the  daily  Press. 
In  half-an-hour,  early  on  Thursday  morning,  eight  lives 
were  taken  in  one  house.  The  irresponsible  agent  in  this 
tragedy  was  no  criminal  ;  lie  was,  up  to  the  time  of  his 
madness,  a  good  husband  and  father,  a  good  workman, 
steady,  temperate,  high-principled. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  a  tragedy  of  so  sensational  a 
character  should  have  called  forth  a  good  deal  of  com- 
ment  in   the  Press,   or  that   the  comment  should 


March  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


179 


itself  have  been  emotional  and  ill-judged.  The  Weekly 
Sun,  for  instance,  closes  its  leader  on  the  subject  with 
these  words  :  — "  One  more  victim  he  of  the  chaos  into 
which  our  industrial  system  has  fallen.  "lis  pitiful — > 
'tis  wondrous  pitiful !  "  I  am  not  proposing  to  prove 
that  our  industrial  system  is  perfect,  and  I  need  not  say 
that  the  obvious  remark  that  the  Tooting  tragedy  is 
pitiful  is  perfectly  true.  But  if  we  are  to  come  down  to 
plain  matter-of-fact,  the  direct  cause  of  the  tragedy 
was  not  "  the  chaos  into  which  our  industrial  system 
has  fallen"  at  all.  At  the  time  of  the  tragedy  Taylor 
had  work,  and  a  week's  wages  had  removed  some  of  the 
more  pressing  needs  of  his  family;  very  poor  though 
they  were,  it  appears  that  they  always  had  food.  The 
direct  cause  of  the  tragedy  seems  to  have  been  delirium 
brought  on  by  an  attack  of  influenza. 

But,  it  may  be  urged,  Taylor  had  been  out  of  work 
for  some  time,  and  this  had  helped  to  weaken  and  depress 
him.  Even  so,  I  do  not  see  where  the  chaotic  state  of 
our  industrial  system  comes  in.  Taylor  was  a  plasterer, 
and  even  before  this  supposed  chaos  it  has  not  been 
customary,  or  possible,  for  building  operations  to  be 
carried  on  during  a  hard  frost.  If  delirium  was  the 
direct,  the  recent  extraordinary  weather  may  be  taken 
to  be  the  indirect  cause;  and  neither  of  these  things 
has  any  connection  whatever  with  chaos  or  industrial 
systems.  When  one  is  writing  "  at  the  top  of  one's 
vcic3,"  with  a  view  to  impressiveness,  one  cannot  be 
expected  to  be  coldly  accurate ;  but  the  want  of  clear- 
headedness, which  finds  its  explanations  for  every 
tragedy  in  such  vague  terms  as  "  unfortunate  economic 
conditions  "  or  "  chaos  of  the  industrial  system,"  is  none 
the  less  deplorable.  Lazy  people,  who  suffer  for 
their  own  fault,  will  find  in  such  empty  tirades  an 
excuse  made  to  the  hand. 

At  the  same  time,  I  do  not  want  to  imply  that  the 
tragedy  was  solely  the  result  of  forces  against  which  it 
is  impossible  to  fight.  In  such  a  climate  as  ours,  it  is 
unwise  for  a  man  to  confine  himself  to'  a  trade  which 
stops  dead  in  time  of  frost ;  he  should  have  another 
string  to  his  bow.  It  is  unwise,  also,  to  consider  that 
the  influenza  is  not  a  serious  complaint ;  it  may  be  a 
mere  trifle,  but  it  may  lead  to  a  condition  m  which 
actual  restraint  is  necessary.  And,  lastly,  I  would  urge, 
as  I  have  urged  before,  that  if  those  who  want  to  help 
humanity  would  help  the  cases  near  them,  those  which 
are  personally  known  to  them,  more  good  would  be  done 
than  by  vague  denunciations  or  equally  vague  aspira- 
tions towards  some  Socialist's  ideal.  Surely  somebody 
or  other  must  have  known  the  desperate  condition  to 
which  Taylor's  family  was  being  reduced,  and  might 
have  managed  to  help  them. 

I  noticed  the  other  day  a  paragraph  of  a  kind  with 
which  I  am  too  familiar.  It  described  how  "  a  well- 
known  firm  of  American  publishers" — their  name  is  never 
given — had  offered  Tolstoi  so  many  dollars  a  wcid  if 
he  would  write  for  them.  A  short  and  simple  sum  ia 
arithmetic  will  generally  show  anyone  who  knows  any- 
thing about  authorship  and  the  business  of  publishing 
how  little  reliance  can  be  placed  on  such  paragraphs. 
But  to  the  outside  public  they  may  be  dangerously 
alluring.  There  are,  of  course,  no  great  money  prizes 
in  the  profession  of  literature,  and  it  is  a  very  over- 
crowded profession.    There  is  room  in,  the  place  where 


there  is  always  room — at  the  top  of  the  tree,  and  the  best 
and  most  popular  authors  can  make  a  decent  liveli- 
hood; but  the  average  man  of  the  provinces  will  be 
grievously  mistaken  if  he  thinks  that  Tolstoi  or  anyone 
else  can  make  dollars  a  word.  Literature  has  its  re- 
wards, but  they  are  not  paid  in  coin.  And  it  by  no 
means  follows  that,  even  if  Tolstoi  could  make  dollars 
a  word,  the  ordinary  young  man  could  make,  say,  a 
penny  a  page.  It  is  a  pity  that  a  respectable  evening 
paper  should  print  these  stupid  stories. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

H.  H.  R.  brings  a  very  grave  indictment  against  the 
Salford  Councillors.  He  tells  me  that  the  soup  tickets  issued 
in  Salford  during  the  recent  hard  weather  have  been  made  use 
of  by  those  councillors  who  are  tradesmen  to  force  people  to 
deal  with  them.  He  goes  on  to  say  that  a  very  deserving  woman 
applied  for  a  soup  ticket  at  a  shop  occupied  by  one  of  these 
councillors.  She  was  told  they  were  only  given  to  their  own 
customers.  If  these  tickets  are  provided  at  the  expense  of  the 
charitable  public  of  Salford  and  are  entrusted  to  the  councillors 
to  distribute,  then  such  action  as  this  would  not  only  be  dis- 
honest, but  disgraceful  and  discreditable  to  a  degree  that  it  is 
difficult  to  imagine,  and  I  should  like  further  particulars,  more 
especially  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  tradesmen  referred  to. 
Continuing,  my  correspondent  tells  me  that  a  young  lady  whose 
parents  had  subscribed  to  the  fund  applied  to  the  mayor  asking 
for  a  few  tickets  to  distribute.  Her  request  was  refused  be- 
cause she  was  not  a  councillor's  daughter.  Perhaps  the  mayor 
of  Salford  may  think  the  matter  grave  enough  to  write  to  me  on 
the  subject. 

F.  J. — Have  you  read  the  election  speeches,  addresses,  and 
pamphlets  by  some  of  the  members  of  the  Progressive  party  ?  I 
can  find  no  word  for  them  other  than  cant  and  blasphemy.  The 
Progressives  do  include  prudes  within  their  ranks.  What  do 
you  call  men  like  Williams  and  McDougall  ?  Why  don't 
common-sense  members  of  the  party  insist  that  their  leaders 
should  not  misrepresent  them  ? 

G.  D.  calls  my  attention  to  the  cool  impudence — to  say  nothing 
of  dishonesty — on  the  part  of  the  Glasgow  Evening  Neivs,  which 
calmly  takes  paragraphs  from  To-Day,  without  any  acknow- 
ledgment whatever,  and  palms  them  off  on  its  readers  as  original 
matter. 

Constant  Reader. — As  a  rule  I  doubt  stories  of  teetotal 
lecturers  drinking  on  the  sly.  I  have  no  love  for  these  gentry, 
but,  to  be  frank,  one  must  admit  that  generally  they  are  in- 
tensely earnest  folk,  added  to  which  fact  the  majority  of  them  do 
not  like  beer  or  spirits  ;  indeed,  that  is  often  the  reason  for  their 
being  teetotalers. 

D.  E.  H. — We  do  not  mind  their  raving  as  long  as  they  con- 
fine their  antics  to  themselves.  M.  T.  S. — It  is  of  a  class  with 
much  of  the  literature  circulated  by  these  fanatics.  The  con- 
solation is  that  nobody  reads  it  but  themselves.  B.  R.  J. — It 
certainly  seems  unreasonable  that  a  comparative  stranger  to  the 
neighbourhood,  and  a  man  who  w  ill  be  leaving  in  two  or  three 
years  time,  should  sit  on  your  parish  council  and  handle  your 
rates  ;  but  the  fault  lies  with  your  electors,  it  seems  to  me. 
J.  L.  (Newcastle). — There  is  no  agency  which  would  look  after  the 
placing  of  your  play — at  least,  no  respectable  agency.  Hubert. 
—Pitman's  is  practically  the  only  system  of  shorthand  worth 
considering.  C.  H.  P.  (Birmingham). — Apply  to  the  offices  of 
the  Church  Defence  Association. 

Auld  Reekie. — Doctors'  Commons  no  longer  exists.  You 
can  obtain  an  opinion  on  the  legality  of  a  marriage  from  any 
solicitor.  If  you  are  an  annual  subscriber  see  particulars  re- 
garding legal  advice,  and  follow  the  instructions  given  and  your 
inquiry  will  be  answered  without  charge. 

Rich  and  Poor  at  Liverpool. — Some  half-dozen  correspon- 
dents have  drawn  my  attention  to  two  cases  decided  at  Liverpool 
City  Police-court  last  week,  in  which  a  gentleman  of  means, 
who  was  travelling  with  an  expired  season-ticket,  was 
allowed  to  go  scot  free,  while  a  workman  charged  with  attempting 
to  defraud  the  same  railway  company  of  a  penny  was  fined 
twenty  shillings  and  costs.  There  always  has  been  one  law  for 
the  ri"h  and  one  for  the  poor,  and  I  suppose  there  always  will  be, 
though  flagrant  cases  of  this  kind  are  happily  growing  rarer. 

Jack.— Write  to  the  Emigrants'  Information  Office,  31, 
B  roadway,  Westminster. 

J.  A.  B.  (Liverpool)  draws  my  attention  to  a  strange  case 
which  seems  to  have  happened  about  a  month  ago  at  Birken- 
head. A  woman  was  discovered  lying  upon  some  waste  ground 
in  an  unconscious  and  nearly  naked  condition.  The  police  were 
informed  of  the  fact,  but  allowed  some  three  hours  to  elapse 
before  removing  her  to  the  station  ;  the  result  of  which  was 
that,  in  spite  of  her  being  healthy  and  well-nourished,  she  died 
from  the  exposure.  The  Birkenhead  coroner  seems  to  have 
made  no  inquiry  into  the  case  whatever.  The  girl  mav  have 
been  criminally  assaulted,  or  drugged,  or  robbed.  If  my 
correspondent's  facts  are  correct  the  Birkenhead  coroner  does 


180 


TO-DAY. 


March  16,  1895. 


not  know  his  work,  and  the  Birkenhead  police  seem  to  have 
strange  notions  of  their  duty. 

Bimetallism. — A  Meek  or  two  ago  a  correspondent  asked  me 
whether  he  could  obtain  Bimetallist  literature.  Mr.  John  A. 
Tweedale,  author  of  a  Bimetallist  pamphlet  entitled  "The 
Silver  Question  of  To-day,"  tells  me  that  the  secretary  of  the 
Bimetallist  League,  69,  Lombard  Street,  E.C.,  will  send  free  to 
anyone  applying  for  them  a  selection  of  pamphlets  dealing  with 
the  question.  Mr.  Tweedale  also  suggests  that  my  correspon- 
dent and  others  interested  should  read  "  Jevon's  Money,"  "  F. 
A.  Walker's  Money,"  "Barclay's  Silver  Question,"  and  "The 
Gold  Question."  Messrs.  Effingham  Wilson  and  Co.,  11, 
Royal  Exchange,  also  write  me  that  they  publish  pamphlets  on 
Bimetallism.  , 

H.  A. — I  like  John  Burns  because  he  is  one  of  the  few  public 
men  who  don't  cant.  Right  or  wrong  he  says  what  he  means. 
If  you  have  read  To-Day  you  will  have  seen  that  I  have  often 
disagreed  from  him.  When  he  threatened,  as  he  practically  did 
in  his  speech  after  the  County  Council  election,  that  he  would 
try  to  reduce  the  park-keepers'  wages  because  he  thought  they 
had  voted  against  him,  of  course  he  did  that  which  was  utterly 
discreditable,  but  then  he  had  the  courage  to  make  this  threat 
openly.  The  rest  of  his  p-jrty  are  probably  intending  to  do  it, 
but  will  take  care  to  say  nothing  about  it. 

Beth. — Your  friend  should  send  her  article,  not  to  pub- 
lishers, but  to  newspapers  and  magazines.  It's  wearying 
work,  I  know.— This  paper  "  is  full  up,"  that  paper  "doesn't 
want  it"  ;  the  other  paper  "never  reads  it,"  But  it  is  the 
path  that  everybody  has  to  tread. 

Admirer,  who  does  not  want  to  part  with  his  own  To-Day, 
suggests  that  subscribers  should  occasionally  send  to  this  office 
names  and  addresses  of  their  friends  to  whom  they  think  a  copy 
of  To- Day  could  usefully  be  sent.  We  should  be  happy  to 
send  specimen  copies  to  anyone  whose  name  and  address  is  thus 
forwarded. 

Perplexed  Lover. — I  could  not  take  the  responsibility  of 
advising  you  on  such  a  momentous  question  with  so  very  little 
data  as  you  give  me.  It  seems  on  first  reflection  that  you  ought 
to  marry  the  girl  you  have  injured,  even  against  your  parents' 
wishes,  but  there  may  be  circumstances  1  know  not  of  which 
render  such  a  course  unadvisable. 

Essequibo. — It  is  extremely  likely  that  many  of  the  crests  in 
everyday  use  have  their  origin  purely  in  the  imaginations  of  their 
owners.  I  don't  think  any  particular  harm  would  happen  to  you 
if  you  liked  to  concoct  one  and  use  it.  Of  course  Somerset 
House  would  get  the  advantage,  by  charging  you  for  the  use  of  it. 

Norwich  Union. — The  chief  arguments  to  be  found  against 
the  active  interference  of  women  with  affairs  outside  their  own 
home  are  to  be  found  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  Nature 
herself  has  supplied  the  practical  side  of  the  argument. 

Light. — I  cannot  agree  with  you  that  there  is  any  necessity 
for  deformed  children  ;  and  by  deformed  I  mean,  of  course,  in 
the  plain  sense  the  word  implies — i.e. .creatures  not  born  in  accord 
with  the  laws  of  Nature.  I  have  heard  these  poor  things  curse 
the  parents  who  brought  them  into  the  world  and  left  them  there. 
You,  with  the  free  use  of  your  limbs,  a  man  who  can  face  other 
men  and  not  be  ashamed,  can  have  no  idea  of  the  endless  hell 
this  world  is  to  the  deformed. 

E.  W.— I  don't  write  every  word  in  To-Day,  but  I  am  quite 
prepared  to  defend  my  City  Editor's  phrase  "played  the  Jew." 
The  word  "  Jew"  has,  unfortunately,  come  to  have  a  meaning 
quite  apart  from  its  racial  definition.  The  fault  lies  not  with 
those  who  use  the  phrase,  but  with  those  who  made  it  usable. 
That  there  are  thousands  of  upright,  gentlemanly  Jews  ono  is 
only  too  glad  to  admit,  but  that  the  black  sheep  among  them 
have  gained  for  the  word  "  Jew  "  an  unpleasant  significance  it 
would  be  childish  to  deny.  If  there  were  no  justification  in  the 
epithet  there  would  be  no  sting. 

R.  A.  B. — I  don't  consider  drink  a  curse  ;  I  consider  it  a 
blessing  when  used  in  moderation.  Anything  used  in  excess 
would  be  a  curse.  There  is  a  deal  of  exaggerated  talk  about 
the  evil  of  drink,  and  tke  extremely  useful  purpose  that  it 
serves  is  overlooked. 

C.  C.  R.  wishes  to  know  the  answer  to  the  riddle : 
"  Sisters  and  brothers  have  I  none,  but  this  man's  father  was 
my  father's  son."  I  am  not  good  at  riddles  myself.  C.  B. — I 
quite  agree  with  you  that  the  sentence  on  such  a  blackguard  as 
Arthur  Branson,  of  Stockton-on-Tees,  was  utterly  inadequate. 
It  seems  impossible  to  get  magistrates  to  take  a  proper  view  of 
brutality.  G.  8.  C. — I  thank  you  for  your  letter  and  en- 
closure. You  will  never  make  a  narrow-minded  man  take 
broad  views.  F.  M.  (Putney). — I  regret  I  cannot  do  anything 
in  the  matter. 

To-morrow. — We  publish  an  index  for  each  Volume  of  To- 
Day.  H.  B.  G. — There  are  thirteen  numbers  to  a  volume,  and 
the  present  one  commenced  with  No.  66.  W.  S. — Your  query 
has  already  been  answered  in  these  columns.  The  pamphlet  on 
temperance  can  be  obtained  from  Mr.  F.  Baker,  Ely,  Cardiff. 
Cadet. — I  know  nothing  of  the  association  you  mention  ;  your 
best  plan  is  to  apply  to  the  Emigrants'  Information  Office,  31, 
Broadway,  Westminster.  A.  V.  C— I  have  replied  to  your  query 
before.  I  do  not  know  the  address  of  the  society  you  name, 
neither  is  it  to  be  found  in  the  "  London  Directory."  J.  H.  1'. 
(Birkenhead). — I  certainly  agree  with  you  that  your  coroner, 
Dr.  Churton,  should  be  urged  to  rest  from  his  labours.   S.  W.  B, 


— You  say  you  hav  e  not  studied  the  subject.  It  is  rather  a 
complicated  one,  and  I  am  sure  you  would  change  your  views  if 
you  gave  careful  consideration  to  the  matter.  You  can't  re- 
place coin  by  paper  ;  the  moment  paper  is  not  backed  by  actual 
metal  it  falls  utterly  in  value.  If  you  ever  travel  in  Italy  you 
will  experience  this.  B.  W."— See  answer  to  "  Bimetallism."  I 
daresay  I  shall  be  referring  to  the  subject  again,  but  you 
must  not  expect  me  to  discuss  the.  matter  at  length.  Your 
letter  shows  that  you  have  not  studied  the  question. 

{Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week. ) 


The  LIST  of  SUBSCRIPTIONS  for  the  PREFERENCE  SHARES  opens 
this  day  (Tuesday),  March  12th,  and  will  be  CLOSED  on  or  before 
THURSDAY,  March  14th,  both  for  Town  and  Country. 

VAN  DEN  BERGH'S  MARGARINE    (Limited.)  . 
Incorporated  under  the  Companies  Act3,  1862  to  1890. 

Capital   £950,000. 

(Divided  into  90,000  Six  per  Cent.  Cumulative  Preference  Shares,  and 
100,000  Ordinary  Shares  of  £5  each.) 
The  Preference  Shares  are  entitled  to  a  cumulative  preferential  divi- 
dend at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent,  per  annum,  and  will  lank  both  for  capital 
and  dividend  preferentially  bef oi e  the  Ordinary  bhares  of  the  Company. 
The  dividends  will  be  paid  half-yearly  on  the  1st  March  and  the  1st  Sep- 
tember. The  first  interim  dividend  on  the  amounts  paid  up  will  be  pay- 
able on  the  1st  September,  1895. 

-  ISSUE  of  the  90,000  SIX  PER  CENT.  CUMULATIVE  PREFERENCE 
SHARES,  of  £5  each  (£450,000),  of  which  20,000  Shares  (£100,000)  have 
been  subscribed  by  the  Direcors  and  their  friends  in  cash  at  par,  and  will 
be  allotted  in  full,  and  the  balance  of  70,000  Shares  (£350,000)  are  NOW 
OFFERED  for  SUBSCRIPTION  at  par,  payable  as  follows :  10?.  on  Appli- 
cation, £2  on  Allotment,  £2  10s.  on  7th  April,  1895. 

DIRECTORS 

Lord  EBURY,  Moor  Park,  Kickmansworth,  Chairman. 
Herbert  B.  Praed,  Esq.,  29,  St.  James's  Place,  S.W. 
Jacob  Van  Den  Bergh,  Esq.,  21,  Mincing  Lane,  E.C. 
Henry  Van  Den  Bergh,  Esq.,  21,  Mincing  Lane,  E.C. 
Arnold  Van  Den  Bergh,  Esq.,  Rotterdam,  Holland. 
(With  power  to  add.) 
Bankers. — The  City  Bank  (Limited),   Threadneedle  Street,  E.C,  and 
their  Branches. 

Solicitors.— Ashurst,  Morris,  Crisp,  and  Co.,  17,  Throgtnorton  Avenue, 

E.C.  ;  Walter  B.  Styer,  2,  Threadneedle  Street,  E.C. 
Brokers.— Panmure  Gordon,  Hill,  and  Co.,  Hatton  Court,  E.C.  ;  Pirn, 

Vaughan,  and  Co.,  1,  Draper's  Gardens,  E.C. 
Secretary  (pro.  tern.)  and  Offices— J.  Martin. 21,  Mincing  Lane,  E.C 


ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 
The  Company  has  been  formed  to  acquire  the  business  of  Messrs.  Van 
den  Bergh  Brothers,  of  No.  21,  Mincing  Lane,  and  Simon  Van  den  Bergh, 
of  Rotterdam  and  Cleves,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  in  Europe  for  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  margarine  or  butter  substitutes,  a  firmly-estab- 
lished commercial  product,  for  which  there  is  a  great  demand.  The 
business  has  been  carried  on  since  1874,  and  the  excellence  of  the  products 
of  the  firm  is  well  known. 

Messrs.  W.  H.  Pannell  and  Co.  have  audited  the  firm's  books  for  some 
years,  and  they  have  been  further  examined  by  Messrs.  Price,  Waterhouse 
and  Co.,  who  report  as  follows: 

44,  Gresham-street,. E.C,  2nd  March,  1895. 

The  Directors  Van  den  Bergh's  Margarine  (Limited). 

Gentlemen, — We  have  examined  the  books  of  Messrs.  Van  den  Bergh 
Brothers,  of  London,  and  of  Mr.  Simon  Van  den  Bergh,  of  Rotterdam 
and  Cleves,  carrying  on  business  as  margarine  manufacturers  at  London, 
Rotterdam,  and  Cleves,  for  the  three  years  ending  31st  December  last. 
The  three  establishments,  although  carried  on  under  two  different  firms  , 
belong  to  one  proprietary. 

We  find  that  the  profits  earned  during  the  above-named  period,  after 
making  provision  for  bad  debts,  depreciation  on  buildings,  plant,  machinery 
and  trade  utensils,  without  charging  interest  on  borrowed  money,  were  as 
follows : — 

For  the  year  ending  31st  December,  1892    £04,498  19s.  Id. 

„  „  „  1S93    £80.736  19s.  Sd. 

„  _  „  189t    £103,361  12s.  lOd. 

During  the  last  year  the  prices  of  raw  materials  were  considerably  lower 
than  in  the  two  previous  years,  enabling  the  increased  p-iofit  to  be  earned, 
notwithstiriding  lower  selling  prices 

The  interest  paid  on  borrowed  money  amounted  for  the  three  years  to 
£3,995 13s.  id.,  £5,119  18s.  3d.,  and  £4,061  12s.  lid.,  respectively.— We  are, 
Gentlemen,  your  obedient  servants, 

Price,  Waterhouse,  and  Co. 

In  addition  to  their  general  powers  of  creating  a  reserve  fund  the 
Directors  have  determined  that  after  the  Preference  dividend  has  been  paid 
and  before  any  dividend  is  paid  upon  the  Ordinary  shares  a  sum  equal  to 
at  least  10  per  cent,  of  the  remaining  net  profits  of  each  year  shall  be  carried 
to  reseive  and  be  invested  in  first-class  securities.  Provision  to  this  effect 
has  been  accordingly  made  in  the  Company's  articles  of  association. 

The  business  is  taken  over  as  a  going  concern. 

The  freehold  property  and  plant  taken  over  by  the  Company  have  been 
inspected  and  valued  by  Messrs.  Weatherall  and  Green  (whose  report  is 
annexed)  at  £137,486.  The  stock-in-trade,  cash  in  hand  and  book  debts, 
less  liabilities  to  trade  creditors  and  to  the  partners  for  undrawn  profi"«,  as 
taken  on  31st  December  last,  together  with  a  sum  of  £50,000  provided  by 
the  vendors  as  additional  working  capital,  amount  to  £142,784,  making  a 
total  of  £280,270. 

The  re-election  of  two  of  the  Directors  and  of  the  Auditors  will  be  in 
the  hands  of  Preference  shareholders. 

The  price  has  been  fixed  by  the  Vendors  at  £950,000,  payable  as  to  £500,003 
in'the  whole  of  the  Ordinary  share  capital,  and  the  balance  in  cash. 

The  business  will  be  taken  over  as  from  the  1st  January,  1895,  and  the 
profits  from  this  data  will  belong  to  the  Company.  The  outstanding  book 
debts  are  guaranteed  by  the  Vendors. 

The  contracts  entered  into  by  and  on  behalf  of  the  Company  for  the 
acquisition  of  the  business,  and  which  are  dated  March  7th,  1895,  and  made 
between  the  Vendors  of  the  one  part  and  Mr.  John  Martin  of  the  other 
part,  and  the  statutory  declaration  of  Messrs.  Jacob  and  Henry  Van  den 
Bergh  (verifying  the  number  of  customers  and  the  paragraph  referring  to 
the  English 'Branch)  can  be  seen  at  the  Office  of  the  Company's  Solicitor, 
No.  2,  Threadneedle  Street,  E.C. 

Toe  other  usual  contracts  relating  solely  to  the  carrying  on  of  the 
business  cannot,  on  account  of  their  length,  be  specified  in  detail,  and 
applicants  for  shares  shall  be  deemed  to  have  waived  the  insertion  of 
the  particulars  thereof,  and  to  accept  the  above  us  a  sufficient  compliance 
with  Section  38  of  "The  Companies  Act,  lsi!7." 

It  is  intended  to  apply  for  a  settlement  and  official  quotation  on  the 
London  Stock  Exchange  in  due  course. 

Applications  for  shares  should  be  made  on  the  form  accompanying  the 
prospectus,  and  forwarded  to  the  Company's  Bankers. 

London,  Maich,  1S95| 


March  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 

My  Dear  Dick, — As  I  told  you  last  week,  the  in- 
fluenza coming  so  sharply  on  top  of  the  frost  has  shaken 
the  foundations  of  stageland. 

His  Excellency  has  not  yet  run  two  hundred  nights 
at  the  Lyric,  but  it  is  already  doomed.  This 
will  be  pleasant  news  for  W.  S.  Gilbert,  who  is 
due  home  from  the  West  Indies  on  Monday  ! 
The  expenses  at  the  Lyric  are,  T  believe,  about 
£960  per  week.  The  show  is  run  on  a  sharing 
arrangement,  Horace  Sedger  finding  "  the  front  of  the 
house,"  and  taking  25  per  cent,  of  the  gross.  The 
winding-up  of  the  Lyric  Theatre  Company  and  the 
appointment  of  a  receiver  has,  however,  complicated 
matters.  Under  ordinary  circumstances  the  run  would 
probably  have  been  continued  in  the  hope  of  business 
reviving  when  the  weather  improved.  But  official 
receivers  are  not  empowered  to  chance  anything,  and  as 
nobody  cared  to  come  forward  and  guarantee  any- 
thing— well,  the  end  has  arrived. 

About  the  future  of  the  theatre  nothing  definite  is 
settled.  I  understand  that  probably  it  will  pass  outside 
the  control  of  the  Gaiety  -  Prince  of  "Wales'  Syndicate, 
and  may  perhaps  be  utilised  for  serious  drama.  This 
may  surprise  you,  but  remember  the  Comedy  Theatre 
was  at  one  time  the  home  of  such  light  operas  as  Falka% 
The  Mascolte,  Boccacio,  and  Rip  Van  Winkle.  Why 
should  not  the  Lyric,  despite  its  name,  become  the  home 
of  comedy  ? 

At  the  Comedy,  by  the  way,  A  Leader  of  Men  has  gone 
into  retirement,  and  Soicing  the  Wind  has  been  revived 
very  charmingly.  It  is  admittedly  only  a  stop-gap, 
however.  What  will  follow  it  I  don't  know.  Comyns 
Carr  is  generally  credited  with  having  a  play  by  Pinero 
up  his  sleeve  ;  but  Pinero  always  stage-manages  his  own 
plays,  and  he  takes  time  over  it.  Easter  will  come,  I 
expect,  before  Carr  puts  up  anything  new,  in  any  case. 

Talking  of  Pinero,  you  know  he  is  writing  or  has 
written  a  comic  opera  for  the  Savoy.  The  lyrics  will  be 
done  by  Adrian  Ross,  and  the  music  by  Sir  Arthur  Sul- 
livan. This  work  will  not  immediately  succeed  The 
Chieftain,  which  finishes  at  the  Savoy  on  Saturday,  but 
will  be  the  next  big  production  there.  The  interval  will 
probably  be  filled  by  a  revival  of  Pericholi. 

Sir  Arthur  Sullivan  has,  as  I  told  you  months  ago, 
written  a  ballet  on  the  subject  of  Faust  for  the  Empire, 
but  though  preparations  for  its  production  were  com- 
menced some  time  since,  they  have  not  been  proceeded 
with,  and  I  don't  suppose  we  shall  see  the  new  enter- 
tainment till  the  spring.  Meantime,  I  hear  that  the 
Empire  directorate  will  justify  its  assertion,  before  the 
County  Council,  that  it  can't  pay  without  a  promenade, 
by  issuing  a  half-yearly  report  announcing  no  dividend. 
Ordinarily  speaking,  this  would  entail  a  fall  in  the  price 
of  the  shares ;  but  the  success  of  the  Moderate  party  on 
the  County  Council  will  lead  many  people  to  ima- 
gine that  the  policy  of  the  Council  towards  amuse- 
ments will  be  reversed,  and  therefore  those  who  hold 
shares  will,  very  likely,  stick  to  them.  Consequently 
the  shares  may  maintain  their  place  in  the  quotations. 
A  great  deal  will  depend  on  the  constitution  of  the 
Theatres'  Committee.  The  Moderates  have  won  a  big 
fight,  but  they  have  not  and  cannot  have  a  majority. 
The  proceedings  of  the  Council  will,  for  the  next  three 
years,  be  characterised  in  all  things  by  compromise. 
What  you  have  to  consider  is  whether  the  Progressives 
will  concede  the  Moderates  the  Empire  promenade,  and 
whether,  even  if  they  do  concede  it,  the  people  who 
patronised  it  formerly  will  patronise  it  again.  There  is 
a  lot  of  fashion  in  these  things,  and  frivolous  patronage 
having  once  been  driven  out  of  a  groove  rarely  returns  to 
it.  Personally  I  am  of  opinion  that,  as  the  Theatres 
Committee  after  all  did  not  deal  so  very  drastically  with 


the  Empire,  things  will  probably  be  allowed  to  remain 
as  they  are.  This  much  being  conceded  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Progressives  they  will  not  aggravate  the 
Moderates  by  carrying  their  campaign  against  other 
promenades  any  further. 

Had  the  Moderates  won  a  dozen  more  seats  you  might 
have  seen  promenades  everywhere — even  at  the  Empire- 
persecuted  Palace. 

The  Fatal  Card  finishes  up  at  the  Adelphi  on  Satur- 
day. It  will  be  succeeded  by  The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me, 
an  American  frontier  drama,  teeming  with  stockades, 
Red  Indians,  and  things.  The  siege  of  a  stockade,  and 
its  relief — rather  on  The  Relief  of  Lucknow  lines — by 
the  hero  form  the  central  incident.  The  fate  of  these 
plays  in  England  is  very  uncertain.  Sometimes,  like 
Held  by  the  Enemy,  they  go.  Sometimes  they  don't. 
They  are  essentially  local  in  interest.  Perhaps  the  best 
of  them — Bronson  Howard's  Shannendoah — no  one  has 
ever  attempted  to  bring  over.  This  is  a  fact  that  speaks 
volumes. 

At  the  Haymarket  lately  some  uncertainty  has  been 
prevailing.  Possibly  with  the  intention  of  going  one 
better  than  the  St.  James's,  the  company  were  called  to 
hear  a  new  farcical  comedy  read  last  week.  It  was 
read,  but  before  anything  further  could  be  done, 
the  moderation  of  the  weather  so  improved  busi- 
ness that  the  management  felt  disposed  to  hope 
that  the  Ideal  Husband  would  satisfactorily  fill 
their  remaining  time.  I  am  sure  I  hope  so  too,  but  it's 
a  trifle  rough  on  the  author  of  the  farcical  comedy,  who 
at  the  eleventh  hour  has  the  cup  of  production  dashed 
from  his  lips  by  the  thermometer.  By  the  way,  you 
may  remember  that  Morel  1  wrote  me  to  say  that  I  was 
wrong  in  stating  that  Carton's  play  would  be  produced 
at  the  Haymarket,  but  I  M  as  right  in  asserting  that  the 
scenery  was  made.  I  wonder  what  theatre  the  scenery 
was  made  for  1  I  wish  he  had  told  me.  A  manager,  as 
a  general  rule,  does  not  have  a  lot  of  scenery  made  to 
fit  one  theatre  when  he  has  no  intention  of  using  it 
there,  but  does  mean  to  use  it  elsewhere. 

Charles  Wyndham,  lam-told,  will  have  to  desert  the 
Criterion  and  move  elsewhere  in  September.  His  theatre 
is  said  to  have  fallen  under  the  County  Council  ban. 
Underground  theatres  they  don't  consider  safe,  and  so 
Wyndham  will  either  have  to  build  himself  a  lordly 
pleasure  house  on  a  new  site  or  take  over  some  extant 
show.  I  wonder  that  he  does  not  make  a  bid  for  the 
Court ;  it  would  exactly  suit  the  method  <f  his  company, 
and  so  far  as  I  can  gather  the  projected  Court  Theatre 
Syndicate,  or  Company,  is  hanging  fire.  I  am  delighted 
to  see  that  Wyndham  and  sweet  Mary  Moore  have  re- 
covered from  their  respective  influenzas,  and  are  back 
again  playing  Rebellious  Susan  more  charmingly  than 
ever.  It  is  a  delightful  play,  and  one  of  the  best  acted  I 
ever  saw. 

Poor  Toole  is  still  far  from  well,  and  I  hear  that  he 
will  close  his  theatre  for  a  few  weeks  while  he  goes  to  the 
seaside,  re-opening  and  renewing  the  run  of  Thorough- 
Ired  at  Easter. 

The  Vaudeville  is  closed  for  rehearsals  of  a  new  farce 
by  Arthur  Law. 

George  Edwardes,  to  whose  enterprises  there  is  no  end, 
is  going  tojiave  a  dash  at  pantomime  this  Christmas.  He 
will  produce  his  pantomime  at  the  Shakespeare  Theatre, 
Liverpool.  Sir  Augustus  Harris  will  at  the  same  time 
run  the  pantomime  at  the  Court  Theatre,  Liverpool,  so 
Liverpool  will  have  nothing  to  grumble  about. 

I  am  recovering  slowly  from  my  own  influenza,  but 
I  feel  at  present  rather  like  a  rag  doll  mixed  with  a 
boiled  owl ;  but  I  hope  to  be  back  in  town  this  week, 
and  no  doubt  next  week  I  shall  have  more  to  tell  you. 

Your  Affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 

Advice  Free.— To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patents  for  Inven- 
tions see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Write  for  Hid.  Guide  (259  pages),  Sd 
Tobacconists'  Outfitting  Co.,  18C,  Euston-road,  London.    Est  1866. — ADVT 


182 


TO-DAY. 


March  16,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


Mr  exposure  of  the  methods  of  a  certain  class  of 
cycling  journalists  has  naturally  called  forth  great  indig- 
nation among  these  precious  gentry.  I  did  not  expect 
that  it  would  please  them,  and  by  their  strenuous  and 
incoherent  abuse  of  me  they  have  shown  how  very  closely 
the  cap  must  have  fitted  them.  I  had  no  intention  of 
charging  cycling  journalists  as  a  body  with  these  dis- 
creditable dealings.  There  are  honest  journalists  and 
shady  journalists  in  every  department  of  newspaper 
work.  But  that  unscrupulous  manufacturers  can,  by 
means  of  a  bribe,  have  worthless  goods  cracked  up,  and 
so  foisted  on  the  public,  it  is  childish  to  deny. 

The  noisy  shop-boys  who  seem  to  form  the  staff  of 
too  many  of  our  cycling  journals,  and  whose  arguments 
are  of  the  yahing  and  booing  order,  I  leave  to  their 
silly  screeching.  I  have  said  all  I  have  to  say  concern- 
ing them,  and  I  have  no  objection  to  their  stupid  howling. 
Mr.  Percy  Low  is  a  journalist  of  a  very  different  stamp. 
He  writes  me  a.  reasonable  and  courteous  letter  on  the 
subject,  which  I  publish  :  — 

I  am,  hesays,  sorry  to  trouble  you  again  upon  a  matter  which  may  possibly, 

in  your  opinion,  be  unimportant,  but  which  to  all  cycl'nj  journalists 
is  very  serious.  I  am  glad  to  note,  in  your  issue  of  to-day,  that  you  aro 
actually  in  possession  of  facts  pointing  to  one  man,  a  representative  of  a 
cycling  paper,  having  asked  for  tyres,  and  stating  that  he  had  had  a 
..machine  in  return  for  a  notice.  I  wish  to  put  it  to  you,  with  your  well- 
known  fairness,  whethar  you  do  not  think  that  this  man  should  be 
Shown  up,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  other  cycling  journalists  who  are  by 
implication  labouring  under  an  aspersion  on  their  characters?  I  well 
know,  from  long  experience,  that  if  a  journalist  desires  to  run  on  the 
"  cross, "  there  is  no  branch,  except  perhaps  financial  journalism,  where 
he  could  do  so  with  more  profit  than  in  cycling ;  but  I  do  maintain, 
although  i  am  not  foolish  enough  to  assume  that  there  are  no  black  sheep 
in  our  flock,  that  the  large  majority  of  cycling  journalists  would  no  more, 
dream  of  accepting  a  bribe  either  in  the  shape  of  money  or  a  machine 
for  a  good  notice  than  they  would  dream  of  flying.  If  it  has  been  done  it 
has  been  done  surreptitiously,  and  the  man  who  did  it  should  be  shown  up. 

Of  course,  you  will  understand  that  it  is  not  at  all  an  unusual  thing 
for  a  tyre-maker,  who  wishes  bis  tyres  tested,  to  fit  a  pair  to  a  journalist's 
cycle;  but  there  is  no  bribe  in  that,  because  it  necessitates  the  taking  off 
of  the  tyres  already  oh  the  machine,  which  are  valueless  apart  from  the 
machine,  so  that  the  journalist  gets  no  advantage  th  t  way.  Again, 
machines  are  lent  for  the  purpose  of  being  tried,  and  I  daresay  are  kept 
possibly  under  some  circumstances  some  two  or  three  months;  but  they 
are  always,  as  far  as  I  know,  conscientiously  returned. 

With  regard  to  notices  in  papers,  I  do  not  think  that  the  cycle  press  is 
in  any  way  different  to  any  ether  paper,  even  your  own.  Heaps  of  novelties 
are  introduced  in  the  same  way  that  hundreds  of  companies  are  floated. 
No  paper  can  hope  possibly  to  notice  the  whole  of  them,  and  naturally 
the  preference  is  given  to  advertisers  in  the  same  way  as  in  your  financial 
article.  Should  anything  require  to  be  touched  upon  critically  from  a 
reader's  point  of  view,  the  question  of  advertising  would  not  obtain  for 
a  moment,  similarly  to  your  own  case.  Take  iae  Bamboo  Cycle,  for  ir stance 
This  was  a  novelty  which,  lip  to  the  Stanley  Show,  was  never  advertised 
at  all,  and  yet  I  believe  nut  a  single  cycling  paper  failed  to  have  a  most 
exhaustive  and  critical  notice  upon  it  as  a  novelty.  The  same  applies  to 
the  original  Dunlop  tyre.  I  am  sorry  to  trouble  you  at  such  length,,  but  I 
do  earnestly  hope  that  you  will  see  your  way  to  pillory  the  man  who  is 
bringing  discredit  upon  a  class  who,  whatever  may  be  their  faults,  do  try 
to  run  straight. 

Naturally,  as  Mr.  Low  says,  cycle  journalists  feel 
very  sore  on  the  point.  He  adds  that  if  the  thing  I  com- 
plain of  at  all  has  been  done,  it  has  been  done  surrep- 
titiously. Does  Mr.  Low  suppose  that  it  has  been  done 
openly?  Mr.  Low  also  admits,  from  long  experience, 
that  if  a  journalist  wants  to  run  on  the  cross,  there  is 
no  branch — except,  perhaps  financial  journalism — where 
he  could  do  so  with  more  profit.  Mr.  Low  is  quite 
correct  ;  I  agree  with  him  in  every  word.  Just  aa  I 
agree  with  him  that  the  large  majority  of  cycling  jour- 
nalists do  not  accept  bribes.  I  have  been  speaking,  and 
am  speaking,  of  a  discreditable  minority,  whose  editors 
know  nothing  of  their  shady  transactions. 

I  am  also  at  one  with  Mr.  Low  when  he  suggests  that, 
men  who  do  this  sort;  of  thing  should  be  shown  up.  I 
don't  know  whether  Mr.  Low  has  had  much  experience 
in  libel  actions.  If  so,  he  would  know  the  extreme  diffi- 
culty a  paper  would  labour  under  in  a  case  like  this. 
Agent  after  agent  I  speak  to  greets  me  almost  with  a 
laugh  when  I  ask  if  this  tipping  business  is  done  regu- 
larly. Everyone  also  adds  that  it  would  not  pay  him 
to  offend  the  cycle  press  by  saying  in  the  witness- 
box  what  he  is  willing  to  tell  me  solemnly  over  the 
counter.  Then,  again,  how  is  evidence  to  be  collected 
on  this  point  1  The  class  of  journalists  of  whom 
I  speak  are  not  born  fools.  They  don't  write  a 
letter   asking  for   a  bribe,    and    get    a    witness  to 


attest  the  signature.  They  go  quietly  into  a  shop ; 
and  take  good  care  that  there  is  no  witness  about 
before  they  open  the  subject.  The  custom  is  notorious 
throughout  the  trade,  and  these  precious  gentry  are 
confident  in  their  dealings,  from  a  knowledge  of  the 
difficulty  of  proving  it  against  them  individually. 

But  I  am  not,  because  of  this,  going  to  sit  down,  and 
refuse  to  expose  a  rotten  system,  and  one  which  is 
rapidly  growing.  The  financial  world  might  as  well  be 
up  in  arms  against  me,  and  maintain  that  I  have  no 
right  to  say  there  are  scoundrels  among  them,  if  I  do 
not  publish  a  full  and  corrected  list,  with  addresses,  up 
to  the  time  of  going  to  press.  No  abuse  could  ever  be 
exposed  if  this  were  required  ;  and  it  is  with  this  know- 
ledge that  the  dishonest  journalists,  with  their  tongues  in 
their  cheeks,  clamour  for  what  they  know  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  give.  Mr.  Low  may  depend  upon  it  that  if 
I  can  overcome  the  timidity  of  some  of  the  agents  to 
whom  I  have  spoken,  I  shall  not  be  behind-hand  in  pub- 
lishing names.  Meanwhile,  whether  the  shady  set  of 
cycling  pressmen  like  it  or  not,  in  the  interests  of  the 
public,  I  shall  continue  to  expose  a  crying  abuse. 


I  may  say  that  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  meeting 
Mr.  Low  since  I  wrote  last  week.  I  placed  him  in  com- 
munication with  my  informant  in  regard  to  one  flagrant 
case  I  mentioned.  In  this  week's  Wheeling  my  readers 
will  find,  I  believe,  a  note  by  Mr.  Low,  admitting  in 
sorrow  that  I  was  right.  Up  till  that  time  Mr.  Low, 
during  twelve  years'  experience,  had  never  heard  of 
such  a  case.  I  found  it  out  in  as  many  minutes.  Nor 
do  I  think  I  shall  in  any  way  be  breaking  confidence  by 
saying  that  Mr.  Low  admitted  that  he  had  had  another 
man  in  his  mind  as  the  possible  delinquent.  One 
attacked  and  another  suspected  is  a  fair  start. 


Another  point  that  I  raised  was  in  regard  to  the 
cost  to  the  public  through  machines  being  noticed  on 
the  condition  of  an  advertisement  being  given.  A  Man- 
chester correspondent  feels  so  strongly  on  this 
subject  that  he  writes  me  a  letter  extending  over  six 
sheets,  enclosing  a  copy  of  the  Wheeler  containing  an 
account  of  the  show  at  the  St.  James's  Hall  there.  There 
are  five  pages  devoted  to  notes  on  the  exhibition ;  and 
he  says,  in  despair,  "  Run  through  them,  and  say  if  it 
is  possible  from  the  reading  to  get  the  faintest  idea  as 
to  which  are  the  best  machines?"  I  cannot  say;  but  I 
frankly  admit  one  thing — that  each  seems  better  than 
the  best.  The  letter  concludes  with  this  striking  para- 
graph :  — 

I  spent  seveial  hours  examining  the  different  machines.  Some  ot 
them  left  nothing  to  be  desired,  anil  were  of  the  most  approved  model, 
splendidly  finished,  and  of  the  very  best  material  and  workmanship. 
Others  were  badly  designed,  ill  made,  and  old-fashioned;  and  yet  you 
will  see  that  the  cycling  paper  makes  no  distinction,  but  speaks  as  highly 
of  the  bad  ones  as  lie  does  of  the  best  machine  in  the  show.  It  is 
well  l.nown  that  cycles  cost  the  advertising  firms  far  more  to  sell  them 
than  it  does  to  produce  them.  As  an  instance:  I  picked  out  some  half 
dozen  of  the  best  makes  of  bicycles  in  the  show.  There  was  so  little  to 
choose  between  them  that  a  difference  of  10s.  in  any  one  of  Uiem  would 
have  decided  me,  but  to  my  astonishment  a  difference  of  £10  was  asked. 
Of  course,  I  bought  the  lower  priced  ones,  and  am  quite  satisfied  now 
that  1  have  got  two  of  the  best  machines  in  the  show.  The  reason  of  the 
difference  of  £10  in  the  price  is  not  far  to  seek;  the  firm  do  not  advertise 
so  much  as  some  others,  make  their  own  machines,  and  their  agent  (in 
Manchester;  has  a  very  modest  establishment,  works  himself,  and  does 
not  keep  a  staff  of  cigarette-smoking  swell  clerks  loafing  around. 

I  hope  in  our  next  issue  to  give  the  result  of  the 
solo  whist  competition.  The  work  of  adjudication  has 
been  very  heavy. 


I  have  received  many  letters  on  my  notes  advo- 
cating a  reform  in  men's  evening  dress.  One  correspon- 
dent, who  has  had  the  courage  of  his  opinions  ami  has 
had  a  dress  suit  made  in  the  style  recently  proposed  in 
Aglaia,  writes  me: — "I  expected  some  ridicule,  but 
have  found  none.  On  the  contrary,  the  dress  is  greatlv 
admired.  ...  It  consists  of  rich  brown  vel- 
veteen coat  and  breeches,  cream  silk  vest,  lace  tie  and 
t  uffs,  turn-down  collar,  brown  silk  stockings,  and  small 
buckled  shoes." 


March  16,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


183 


Another  correspondent  asks  me  if  I  think  the  dress 
suit  illustrated  in  the  autumn  number  of  Aglaia  would 
he  a  good  investment  to>  a  man  of  moderate  means. 
Certainly  I  do.  It  only  requires  a  few  men  to  start  a 
change  in  evening  dress,  and  the  reform  will  be  accom- 
plished) When  men  are  ordering  new  clothes,  whether 
for  evening  or  morning  wear,  they  usually  take  their 
fellow-men  a.:  Models.  After  we  have  once  got  right 
away  from  tl  ;  idea,  that  a  breast-plate  of  stiff  white 
linen  for  evening  wear  is  a  hall-mark  of  good  breeding 


shall  soon  welcome  the  change  to  more  artistic  and 
comfortable  clothes. 


Si' ace  won't  allow  me  to  refer  to  a  tithe  of  the  letters  t 
have  received  upon  this  subject,  but  the  general  idea  of 
them  all  is  pretty  much  the  same.  There  seems  to  be  a  very 
prevalent  opinion  that  the  reason  of  our  evening  clothes 
being  so  funereal  in  appearance  arises  from  a  mistaken 
notion  that  to  be  respectable  one  must  wear  black 
clothes  when  "  dressed."    In  the  country  a  man  may 


EVERY  GENTLEMAN  SHOULD  WEAR  OUR  SILK  TIES. 

All  Shapes— The  DERBY  (for  self  tying),  the  STRAND  BOW,  the  WATERLOO  KNOT,  etc. 
Three  Assorted  Silk  Ties  Is.  7d.  Six,  3s.  post  free.  Twelve,  5s.  9d.  post  free. 

Magnificent  value.    Usually  sold  at  Is.  each. 
-    SUPERIOR  QUALITY— Three  for  3s.,  Six  for  5s.  9 d.,  or  Twelve  for  lis. 
VERY  FINEST  QUALITY— Three  for  6s.,  Six  for  lis.,  or  Twelve  for  21s.  post  free. 
MOHEY   RETURNED    IF    WOT  SATISFIED. 

Ladies    should    send    for   oux>   Dress  Patterns. 

TEXTILE   SUPPLY  ASSOCIATION,   LIMITED,    161,   STRAND,  W.C. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 
I 


Cockspur   Street,  London. 

N VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


JL)ESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
r-OR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
MEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
f ARRET  REPORT. 


M' 
I) 


UR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


SECURITIES  PAYING 
H  HALF  PER  CENT. 
"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


from    THREE   to  FOUR-AND-A- 


SUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOqKS," 
rjIWENTY- SEVENTH  EDITION. 
LiENT  POST  FREE. 

fJlHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 

PART  I.— STOCK    EXCHANGE      PART  II.-HOW  TO  OPERATE. 
USAGES. 


How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modesof  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock."     .  i  , 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1833  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can  Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully  ? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 
people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR    THREE -MONTHLY 


(^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS    IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING-  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is,  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33,  Gresse  Street,  London,  W. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY? 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


rtenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  buttles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whivhy  lias  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  c  ases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  lor  cash,  4.',s.,  and  Stcuhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  applieation  (j 

WM.  STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 

BINGHAM  ana  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

LONDON. 


PURVEYORS  TO 
H.R.H, 
THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES, 


jT*        jL        ii  31  Gold  and  Prizes 

WSfiIHGERALE 

^^vIJlQl/ Medals  Adwrded. 


\^\Jl}l\*lJ\JV     Medals  Adwrded. 

Works- DUB  LIN   AND  BELFAST. 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Various  Climates. 


184 


TO-DAY. 


March  16,  1895. 


ppepd  the  best  part  of  the  day  in  a  loose  tweed  jacket 
aiid  knickerbockers,  but  directly  he  gets  back  to  town 
life  he  has  to  array  himself  in  a  black  coat  and  a  sombre- 
looking  tie.  With  regard  to  trousers,  lie  is  allowed  a 
htt.e  choice,  but  as  every  man  knows,  the  colours  that 
look  well  "  under"  a  black  coat  render  that  choice  very 
limited. 


extraordinary  pitch,  and  the  competition  between  the 
various;  agencies  during  the  forthcoming  season  will  be 
very  fierce.  All  sorts  of  plans  are  bsing  mapped  out, 
and  the  racecourse  reporter's  post  will  be  no  sinecure. 


Providing  fine  weather  prevails,  the  two  most  enjoy- 
able meetings  at  Sandown  Park  are  "The  Eclipse"  and 
"  Grand  Military."  The  Esher  track  is  an  ideal  one,  as 
the  spectators  obtain  an  uninterrupted  view  of  the 
racing;  but  the  stands  certainly  do  not  do  credit  to 
such  a  wealthy  race  company.  A  noticeable  feature  at 
tl  e  recent  Military  Meeting  was  the  improved  riding  of 
Oiir  soldiers.  Not  so  many  years  ago  farcical  exhibitions 
of  horsemanship  were  the  rule  ;  but  such  riders  as  Capt. 
Crawley,  Sir  C.  Slade,  and  Mr.  Campbell  can  hold  their 
own  against  the  best  of  the  professionals. 


Lord  Rosslyn  has  apparently  deserted  the  Turf  for 
good.  Despite  the  fact  that  his  father-in-law. 
Mr.  Vyner,  was  always  ready  to  advise  him, 
and  that  his  horses  were  in  charge  of  such  a  capable 
man  as  Matthew  Dawson,  Lord  Rosslyn  fared  very  badly 
in  his  speculations.  The  best  race  he  ever  had  was 
•when  that  fine  horse  Buccaneer  credited  him  with  the 
Great  Ebor  Handicap.  Then  his  lordship  was  so  excited 
that  he  could  not  pen  a  telegram  to  Lady  Rosslyn  in- 
forming her  of  the  result. 


The  demand  for  quick  racing  results  has  reached  an 


Lord  Rosslyn  has  recently  been  taking  a  prominent 
part  in  amateur  theatricals,  and  his  "  George  d'Alroy  "  in 
Robertson's  Caste  has  been  highly  praised.  He  now 
intends  to  turn  his  attention  to  literature,  and  we  shall 
soon  be  asked  to  criticise  a  work  on  the  House  of  Lords. 


HIGHEST  AWABDS  FOB 

SCIENTIFIC 

SHIRT  CUTTING. 

BAIKIE  &  HOGG,  10,  Renfleld  Street,  &  52,  Gordon  Street,  Glasgow. 
shirt  tailors  and  pyjama  specialists. 

Measurement  Forms  and  range  of  Materials,  sent  on  request. 
MANUFACTURERS  OF  REAL  BUCK  GLOVES. 


Mr.  HOGG  (of  Baikie  &  Hogg,  Glasgow),  will  be  at  the  Grand 
Hotel,  Cbaring  Cross,  London,  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  next,  19th 
and  20th  March,  from  Ten  till  Five  (or  by  appointment),  with  a  full 
range  of  Cashmere  and  Pyjama  Cloths  and  high-class  Hosiery. 
GENTLEMEN   ARE    INVITED    TO  CALX.. 


PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  COMPANY 


LIMITED. 
Chief  Office— HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON. 


Summary  of  the  Report  presented  at  the  Forty-sixth 
Annual  Meeting,  held  on  7th  March,  1895. 


ORDINARY  BRANCH. —The  numbsr  of  Policies  issusil 
during  the  year  was  61,744,  assuring  the  sum  of  £8, 232, 123, 
and  producing  a  New  Annual  Premium  Income  of  £339,957. 

The  Premiums  received  during  th?  yen-  we.'c  £2,077,953, 
being  an  increase  of  £223,583  over  the  year  1893. 

The  Claims  of  the  year  amounted  to  £518,131. 

The  numbsr  of  deaths  was  3,534,  and  198  Endowment 
Assurances  matured. 

The  number  of  Policies  in  force  at  the  end  of  the  year,  was 
375,545. 

INDUSTRIAL  BRA.NCH. — The  Premiums  received  during 
the  year  were  £4,244,224,  being  an  increase  of  £272,360. 

The  Claims  of  the  year  amounted  to  £1,548,377.  The  num- 
ber of  Deaths  was  168,633,  and  1,304  Endowment  Assurances 
matured. 

The  number  of  Free  Policies  granted  during  the  year  to  those 
Policyholders  of  five  years'  standing,  who  desired  to  discon- 
tinue their  payments,  was  66,478,  the  number  in  force  being 
398,078.  The  number  of  Free  Policies  which  became  Claims 
during  the  year  was  6,672. 

The  total  number  of  Policies  in  force  at  the  end  of  the  year 
was  11,176,661 :  their  average  duration  is  nearly  seven  and  a 
half  years. 

The  Assets  of  the  Company,  in  both  branches,  as  shown  in 
the  Balance  Sheet,  are  £21,213,805,  being  an  increase  of 
£2,674,940  over  those  of  1893.  A  supplement  showing  in 
detail  the  various  investments  is  published  with  this  report. 

The  Balance  Sheet  has  been  submitted  to  Messrs.  Deloitte, 
Dever,  Griffiths  &  Co.,  whose  certificate  is  appended  to  the 
accounts.  ' 

THOS.  C.  DEWEY,  ) 
WILLIAM  HUGHES,  I  ■]'"aa0ers- 
W.  J.  LANCASTER,  Secretary. 
The.  fall  Report  can  be  obtained  upon  application  to  the  Secretary. 


C/GARETTES. 

UNEQUALLED 
FOR   DELICACY  AND  FLAVOR. 


THE  BODY  BELT, 

For  LUMBAGO,  RHEUMATICS,  or  CO  LI'S. 

PURE     NATURAL     VOOfi    I N    TWO    AND     FOUR  PLY, 

3s.  &  23.  6d. ;  pjst  free  twopence  extra.    Send  waist  measurement. 
GRANT    &  WATSON, 

SHIRT-TAILORS,    HOSIERS,     St  OUTFITTERS, 

112,  Buchanan  Street,  Glasgow. 

HELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 
sending  now  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys.  Mints,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Kev.  I*.  Ha  slock,  who 
sells  them  nt  low  prices,  at  jumble  salt'.-.  t>>  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  iTOivi  in  number)  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  Grays,  Essex.  All  parcels  will  Ik-  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
sender  BTS  inside.    Nothing  is  top  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 

II  Kill  CLASS  ARTISTIC  D R ESlSMAK'ING. 
-II  MBS.  GRABUEN,  13,  Bonchurch  H«  ;i  1.  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Speciality— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  -JV  Guinea*.  All  Bodices  cut  ou 
French  principles.    Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


MarcA  16,  1SC3. 


185 


I  noticed  quite  a  novel  boot  in  Bond  Street  the  other 
day.  It  was  made  of  patent  leather,  but  the  usual  kid 
tops  had  changed  to  a  soft  brown  buck-skin,  rather  dark 
in  colour,  and  slightly  rougher  to  the  touch  than  the 
gloves  made  of  that  material.  The  buttons  were  white 
pearl,  and  the  effect  of  the  whole  was  very  neat. 

Golfing  enthusiasts  grow  in  numbers  daily.  I  was 
spending  two  or  three  days  at  Seaford  the  other  week, 
and  found  the  links  there  in  capital  order.  In  fact,  Sea- 
ford  seems  to  exist  only  for  the  sake  of  the  golfers.  No 
day  seems  too  wet  or  too  cold  for  men  who  are  really 
fond  of  the  game;  and  when  the  links  are  so  well  situated 
as  they  are  at  Seaford,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the 
value  of  the  game  as  a  health-giving  exercise. 

Providing  that  King1  Frost  does  not  retuirn,  the 
Waterloo  Cup  will  be  in  full  swing  next 
week.  So  far  there  has  been  very  little  wagering 
■on  the  Blue  Riband  of  the  Leash,  and  even  the  most 
optimistic  cjoursing  enthusiast;  must  admit  that  the 
Dog  Derby  has  lost  a  deal  of  its  pristine  greatness.  The 
postponement  has  upset  many  owners'  calculations,  but 
one  who  appears  to  have  benefited  by  the  delay,  is  Mr. 
G.  F.  Fawcett,  who  will  be  represented  by  Fabulous 
Fortune. 


THE  OLD   RAIL  FENCE. 


The  old  rail  fence  with  aimless  angles 
Curved  round  the  scented  fields  of  old  : 

And  wild,  blown  vines  in  quaintest  tangle? 
Bloomed  there  in  purple  and  in  gold. 

And  winds  went  over,  cool  and  sweet, 

With  rivery  ripples  in  the  wheat. 

The  white  road  to  the  river  knew  it — 
The  river  running  wild  and  fleet ; 

A  cabin-path  went  winding  to  it, 

With  light  prints  of  a  boy's  bare  feet, 

A.rd  cattle  in  the  woods  at  morn 

Roamed  by  and  nipped  the  bending  corn. 

In  corners  cool  the  plowman  rested 

When  rang  the  welcome  bells  of  noon ; 

And  there  the  thrush  and  partridge  nested, 
And  sang  the  mocking  birds  of  June. 

And  winds  were  sweet  with  muscadines, 

And  blooms  were  on  the  melon-vines. 

There  twilight  paused  in  rosy  dreaming, 

And  o'er  the  riot  of  the  rills 
When  starlight  on  the  world  was  streaming 

Rose  the  love-song  of  whip-poor-wills, 
And  with  the  music  and  the  stars 
Love  met  his  sweetheart  at  the  bars 

There,  with  the  evening  shadows  falling, 
In  cabin  door  a  woman  stands  ; 

And  far  and  sweet  her  voice  is  calling, 
And  children  heed  her  beckoning  hands. 

There,  for  the  weary  ones  that  roam, 

Twinkle  the  dreanry  lights  of  Home. 

*  *  *  -x-  * 


It  was  only  a.  few  years  ago  that  Colonel  North  waa 
carrying  all  before  him  in  the  coursing  world ;  now, 
however,  the  nitrate  magnate  has  to  borrow  a  dog  from 
a  fiic-nd.  In  the  City  the  other  day,  it  was  freely  put 
about  that  the  Colonel  had  a  "dark"  flyer  at  the  his- 
toric pile  in  the  North  of  England  known  as  Short  Flatt, 
but  such  is  not  the  case,  and  the  chance  of  the  Colonel's 
nomination  running  through  the  stake  is  a  very,  very 
remote  one. 


Tin-;  National  Cross-Country  Championship  promises 
to  be  productive  of  some  exciting  racing.  With  Cross- 
land — who  was  recently  married — ineligible  to  compete, 
the  friends  of  Watkins,  the  Southern  champion,  predict 
his  victory  with  confidence;  but  the  Northerners  have 
unearthed  a  rare  stayer  in  Harrington,  who>  won  the 
Northern  championship  last  month.  Harrington  is 
employed  by  Brunner,  Mond  and  Co.  The  Essex  Beagles, 
Finchley  Harriers,  and  Salford  Harriers  will  probably 
be  the  winning  clubs. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Robert  Brown  (Pollokshields1.— "  How  to  Play  Solo  Whist,* 
by  Wilks  and  Pardon.    (Chatto  and  Wind  us.) 

The  Major 


The  corn  still  waves  and  vines  are  clinging ; 

The  larks  are  hid  in  bending  grain ; 
The  birds  sing,  as  my  heart  is  singing, 

Where,  lonely  in  the  woodland  rain, 
The  old  rail  fence — its  service  o'er — 
Curves  round  the  blossoming  fields  no  more. 

Yet  there  I  halt  my  horse,  and  sighing 

Above  the  old  rail  fence  I  lean. 
The  snows  upon  life's  pathway  lying 

Have  left  one  living  glimpse  of  green  1 
And  still,  through  change  of  time  and  art, 
The  old  rail  fence  runs  round  my  heart  t 

Frank  L.  Stanton. 


Revelation  op  the  Foraminifera. — Some  years  ago, 
Ehrenberg,  that  old  prince  of  microscopists,  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Pruccian  Government  to  investigate  a 
case  of  smuggling.  A  case  Lad  been  opened,  valuables 
extracted,  and  the  cacs  repacked,  and  shipped  onward 
to  its  destination.  The  only  clue  to  the  criminals  was 
that  the  unpacking  must  have  been  done  at  some  of  the 
Custom  Houses  through  which  the  goods  passed.  To 
all  appearance  the  microscope  had  a  hopeless  task. 
Bai  not  so.  Ehrenberg  took  some  of  the  sand  that  had 
been  used  in  the  repacking,  placed  it  under  his  micro- 
scope, looked  through  his  magic  tube,  and  behold  !  there 
on  the  stand  lay  a  peculiar  specimen  of  Foraminifera. 
That  animal  was  found  at  only  one  place  in  the  world, 
and  told  just  where  the  crime  had  been  committed. 

On  one  occasion,  Mr.  Balfour,  when  Chief  Secretary, 
said  to  Father  James  Healy,  parish  priest  of  Killiney  in 
Ireland,  "  Is  it  true,  Father  Healy,  that  the  people  hate 
me  as  much  as  the  Nationalist  papers  say  they  do  ? " 
«  Hate  you  !  "  exclaimed  the  priest ;  "  if  the  people  hated 
the  devil  as  much  as  they  hate  you,  Mr.  Balfour,  my 
occupation  would  be  gone."  At  a  dinner,  several  priests 
be£;an  to  twit  him  on  the  fact  that  he  was  not  a  more 
active  Nationalist.  "It  is  all  very  well  for  you  young 
men,"  he  replied,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  ;  "but  one 
night  with  my  double-barrelled  gun  in  a  damp  ditch  would 
be  the  death  of  me."  The  owner  of  a  great  oyster  estab- 
lishment in  Dublin  was  one  day  telling  him  of  the 
musical  accomplishments  of  his  daughter,  when  Father 
Healy,  with  hearty  sympathy,  said  she  would  be  "  a 
regular  oyster  Patt'i."—  The  Argonaut. 


156 


TO-DAY. 


March  16,  ISOo. 


THE    RED  COCKADE 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 

Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  MORNING  AFTER  THE  STORM. 

ATHER  BENOIT  had  the 
forethought,  when  we 
reached  the  cross  roads,  to 
leave  a  man  there  to  await 
the  party  from  Cahors,  and 
warn  them  of  Mademoiselle's 
safety ;  and  we  had  not 
ridden  more  than  half  a  mile 
before  the  clatter  of  hoofs 
behind  us  announced  that 
they  were  following.  I  was 
beginning  to  recover  from 
the  stupor  into  which  the  excitement  of  the  night 
had  thrown  me,  and  I  reined  up  to  deliver  over  my 
charge,  should  M.  de  St.  Alais  desire  to  take  her. 

But  he  was  not  of  the  party.  The  leader  was  Louis, 
and  his  company  consisted,  to  my  surprise,  of  no  more 
than  six  or  seven  servants,  old  M.  de  Gontaut,  one  of 
the  Harineourts,  and  a  strange  gentleman.  Their  horses 
were  panting  and  smoking  with  the  speed  at  which  they 
had  come,  and  the  men's  eyes  glittered  with  excitement. 
No  one  seemed  to  think  it  strange  that  I  carried 
Mademoiselle ;  but  all,  after  hurriedly  thanking  God  that 
she  was  safe,  hastened  to  ask  the  number  of  the  rioters. 

"  Nearly  a  hundred,"  I  said.  "  As  far  as  I  could 
judge.    But  where  is  M.  le  Marquis  ? " 

"  He  had  not  returned  when  the  alarm  came." 
"  You  are  rather  a  small  party? " 
Louis  swore  with  vexation.  "I  could  get  no  more," 
he  said.  "  News  came  at  the  same  time  that  Marignac's 
house  was  on  fire,  and  he  carried  off  a  dozen.  A  score 
of  others  took  fright,  and  thought  it  might  be  the  same 
with  them  ;  and  they  saddled  up  in  haste,  and  went  to 
sea  In  fact,"  he  continued,  bitterly,  "  it  seemed  to  be 
everyone  for  himself.  Always  excepting  my  good 
friends  here." 

M.  de  Gontaut  began  to  chuckle,  but  choked  for  want 
of  breath.  "  Beauty  in  distress  !  "  he  gasped.  Poor 
fellow,  he  could  scarcely  sit  his  horse. 

"  But  you  will  come  on  to  Saux?"  I  said.  They  were 
turning  their  horses  in  a  cloud  of  steam  that  mistily  lit 
up  the  night. 

"No !  "  Louis  answered,  with  another  oath  ;  and  I  did 
not  wonder  that  he  was  not  himself,  that  his  usual  good 
nature  had  deserted  him.  "  It  is  now  or  never  !  If  we 
can  catch  them  at  this  work  " 

I  did  not  hear  the  rest.  The  trampling  of  their  horses, 
as  they  drove  in  the  spurs  and  started  down  the  road, 
drowned  the  words.  In  a  moment  they  were  fifty  paces 
away;  all  but  one,  who,  detaching  himself  at  the  last 
moment,  turned  his  horse's  head,  and  rode  up  to  me.  It 
was  the  stranger,  the  only  one  of  the  party,  not  a  ser- 
vant, whom  I  did  not  know. 

"How  are  they  armed,  if  you  please?"  he  asked. 

"  They  have  at  least  one  gun,"  I  said,  looking  at  him 
curiously.  "And  by  this  time  probably  more.  The 
mass  of  them  had  pikes  and  pitchforks." 


"And  a  leader?" 

"  Petit  Jean,  the  smith,  of  St.  Alais,  gave  orders." 

"  Thank  you,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  he  said,  and  saluted 
Then,  touching  his  horse  with  the  spur,  he  rode  off  at 
speed  after  the  others. 

I  was  in  no  condition  to  help  them,  and  I  was  anxious- 
to  put  Mademoiselle,  who  lay  in  my  arms  like  one  dead, 
in  the  women's  care.  The  moment  they  were  gone, 
therefore,  we  pursued  our  way,  Father  Benoit  and 
I  silent  and  full  of  thought,  the  others  chattering  to  one 
another  without  pause  or  stay.  Mademoiselle's  head 
lay  on  my  right  shoulder.  I  could  feel  the  faint  beating 
of  her  heart ;  and  in  that  slow,  dark  ride  had  time  to 
think  of  many  things  :  of  her  courage  and  will  and  firm- 
ness— this  poor  little  convent-bred  one,  who  a  fortnight 
before  had  not  found  a  word  to  throw  at  me ;  last,  but  not 
least,  of  the  womanly  weakness,  dear  to  my  man's  heart, 
that  had  sapped  her  reserve  at  last,  and  brought  her 
arms  to  my  neck  and  her  cry  to  my  ear.  The  faint  per- 
fume of  her  hair  was  in  my  nostrils ;  I  longed  to  kiss 
the  half-shrouded  head.  But,  if  in  an  hour  I  had 
learned  to  love  her,  I  had  learned  to  honour  her  more; 
and  I  repressed  the  impulse,  and  only  held  her  more 
gently,  and  tried  to  think  of  other  things  until  she 
should  be  out  of  my  arms. 

If  I  did  not  find  that  so  easy,  it  was  not  for  want  of 
food  for  thought.  The  glow  of  the  fire  behind  us 
reddened  all  the  sky  at  our  backs ;  the  murmur  of  the 
mob  pursued  us ;  more  than  once,  as  we  went,  a  figure 
sneaked  by  us  in  the  blackness,  and  fled,  as  if  to  join 
them.  Father  Benoit  fancied  that  there  was  a  second 
fire  a  league  to  the  east ;  and  in  the  tumult  and  upheavaL 
of  all  things  this  night,  and  the  consequent  confusion  of 
thought  into  which  I  had  fallen,  it  would  scarcely  have 
surprised  me  if  flames  had  broken  out  before  us  also, 
an  1  announced  that  Saux  was  burning. 

But  I  was  cpared  that.  On  the  contrary,  the  whole 
village  came  out  to  meet  us,  and  accompanied  us,  cheer  - 
ing, from  the  gates  to  the  door  of  the  chateau,  where,  in 
the  glare  of  the  lights  they  carried,  and  amid  a  great 
silence  of  curiosity  and  expectation,  Mademoiselle  was 
lifted  from  my  saddle  and  carried  into  the  house.  The 
women  who  pressed  round  the  door  to  see  stooped  forward 

to  follow  her  with  their  eyes  ;  but  none  as  I  followed  her. 

***** 

Much  that  passes  for  fair  at  night  wears  a  foul  look  by 
day ;  and  things  tolerable  in  the  suffering  have  a  knack 
of  seeming  fantastically  impossible  in  the  retrospect. 
W  hen  I  awoke  next  morning,  in  the  great  chair  in  the- 
hall — wherein,  tradition  had  it,  Louis  the  Thirteenth 
once  sat — and,  after  three  hours  of  troubled  sleep,  found' 
Andre  standing  over  me,  and  the  sun  pouring  in 
through  door  and  window,  I  fancied  for  a  moment  that 
the  events  of  the  night,  as  I  remembered  them,  were  a 
dream.  Then  my  eyes  fell  on  a  brace  cf  pistols,  which  I 
had  placed  by  my  side  over  night,  and  on  the  tray  at 
which  Father  Benoit  and  I  had  refreshed  ourselves;  and: 
I  knew  that  the  things  had  happened.    I  sprang  up. 

"  Is  M.  de  St,  Alais  here?  "  I  said. 

"  No,  Monsieur." 

"Nor  M.  le  Comte?" 

"No,  Monsieur." 

"What  I"  I  said.  "Have  none  of  the  party  come?" 
For  I  had  gone  to  sleep,  expecting  to  be  called  up  to- 
receive  them  within  the  hour. 


Copyriyht,  ISOo,  by  Stanley  J.  Wcyman. 


March  16,  1S93. 


TO-DAY. 


187 


MADEMOISELLE  LAY  IN  MY  ARMS  LIKE  ONE  DEAD. 


"No,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  the  old  man.  answered,  "except 
— except  one  gentleman  who  was  with  them,  and  who 
is  now  walking  with  M.  le  Cure  in  the  garden.  And  for 
him  " 

"Well?"  I  said,  sharply,  for  Andre,  who  had  got  on 
his  most  gloomy  and  dogmatic  air,  stopped  with  a  sniff 
of  contempt. 

"He  does  not  seem  to  be  a  man  for  whom  M.  le 
Vicomte  should  be  roused,"  he  answered,  obstinately. 
"But  M.  le  Cure  would  have  it;  and  in  these  days,  I 
suppose,  we  must  tramp  for  a  smith,  let  alone  an  officer 
of  excise." 

"  Buton  is  here,  then  1 " 

"Yes,  Monsieur;  and  walking  on  the  terrace,  as  if  of 
the  family.  I  do  not  know  what  things  are  coming  to," 
Andre  continued,  grumbling,  and  raising  his  voice  as  I 
started  to  go  out,  "  or  what  they  would  be  at.  But  when 
M.  le  Vicomte  took  away  the  carcan,  I  knew  what  was 
likely  to  happen.  Oh !  yes,"  still  more  loudly,  while  he 
stood  holding  the  tray,  and  looking  after  me  with  a  sour 
face,  "I  knew  what  would  happen !  I  knew  what  would 
happen ! " 

And,  certainly,  if  I  had  not  been  shaken  completely 
out  of  the  common  rut  of  thought,  I  should  have  found 
something  odd,  myself,  in  the  combination  of  the  three 
men  whom  I  found  on  the  terrace.  They  were  walking 
up  and  down,  Father  Benoit,  with  downcast  eyes  and 
Lis  hands  behind  him,  in  the  middle.    On  or.g  ride  of 


him  moved  Buton,  coarse,  heavy-shouldered,  and  clumsy, 
in  his  stained  blouse;  on  the  other  side,  the  stranger 
of  last  night,  a  neat,  middle-sized  man,  very  plainly 
dressed,  with  riding  boots  and  a  sword.  Remembering 
that  he  had  formed  one  of  Louis'  party,  I  was  surprised 
to  see  that  he  wore  the  tricolour;  but  I  forgot  this  in 
my  anxiety  to  know  what  had  become  of  the  others. 
Without  standing  on  ceremony,  I  asked  him. 

"  They  attacked  the  rioters,  lost  one  man,  and  weri 
beaten  off,"  he  answered,  with  precision. 

"And  M.  le  Comte?" 

"  Was  not  hurt.  He  returned  to  Cahors,  to  raise 
more  men.  I,  as  my  advice  seemed  to  be  taken  in  ill 
part,  camo  here." 

He  spoke  in  a  blunt,  straightforward  way,  as  to  an 
equal ;  and  at  once  seemed  to  be,  and  not  to  be,  a  geiitle- 
man.  The  Cure,  see  ng  that  he  puzzled  me,  hastened  to 
introduce  him. 

"This,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  he  said,  "is  II.  le  Capitaine 
Hugues;  late  of  the  American  Army.  He  has  placed  his 
services  at  the  disposal  of  the  Committee." 

"  For  the  purpose,"  the  Captain  went  en,  before  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  how  to  take  it,  "of  drilling  and  com- 
manding a  body  of  men  to  be  raised  in  Quercy  to  keep 
the  peace.    Call  them  militia  ;  call  them  what  you  like." 

I  was  a  good  deal  taken  aback.  The  man,  alert, 
active,  practical,  with  the  butt  of  a  pis'.ol  peeping  from 
hi;  rjochet,  was  scmeih'ng  new  to  me. 


183 


Mabch  10,  lS9o. 


"  You  have  served  His  Majesty  1 "  I  said  at  last,  to  gain 
time  to  think. 

"  No,"  he  answered.  "  There  are  no  careers  in  that 
army,  unless  you  have  so  many  quartering*.  I  served 
under  General  Washington." 

"  But  I  saw  you  last  night  with  M.  de  St.  Alais?" 

"  Why  not,  M.  le  Vicomte  ? "  hfs  answered,  plainly.  "  I 
heard  that  a  house  was  being  burned.  I  had  just  arrived, 
and  I  placed  myself  at  M.  le  Comte's  disposal.  But  they 
had  no  method,  and  would  take  no  advice." 

"  Well,"  I  said,  "  these  seem  to  me  to  be  rather  ex- 
treme steps.    You  know  " 

"M.  de  Marignac's  house  was  burned  last  night,"  the 
Cure  said,  softly. 

"  Oh !  " 

And  I  fear  that  we  shall  hear  of  others.  I  think  that 
we  must  look  matters  in  the  face,  M.  le  Vicomte." 

"  It  is  not  a  question  of  thinking  or  looking,  but  of 
doing ! "  the  Captain  said,  interrupting  him  harshly. 
'"'We  have  a  long  summer's  day  before  us,  but  if  by 
to-night  we  have  not  done  something,  there  will  be  a 
sorry  dawning  in  Quercy  to-morrow." 

"  There  are  the  King's  troops,"  I  said. 

"  They  refuse  to  obey  orders.  Therefore,  they  are 
worse  than  useless." 

"Their  officers V 

"They  are  staunch;  but  the.  people  hate  them.  A 
knight  of  St.  Louis  is  to  the  mob  what  a  red  rag  is  to  a 
bull.  I  can  answer  for  it  that  they  have  enough  to-  do- 
to  keep  their  men  in  barracks." 

I  resented  his  familiarity,  and  the  impatience  with 
•which  he  spoke  ;  but,  resent  it  as  I  might,  I  could  not 
return  to  the  tone  I  had  used  yesterday.  Then  it 
had  seemed  an  outrageous  thing  that  Buton  should 
stand  by  and  listen.  To-day  the  same  thing  had  an 
ordinary  air.  And  this,  moreover,  was  a  different  man 
f  rom  Doury  ;  arguments  that  had  crushed  the  one  would 
have  no  weight  with  the  other.  I  saw  that,  and,  rather 
helplessly,  I  asked  Father  Benoit  what  he  would  have. 

He  did  not  answer.  It  was  the  Captain  who  replied. 
W©  want  you  to  join  the  Committee,"  he  said. 

"  I  discussed  that  yesterday,"  I  answered,  with  some 
stiffness.  "I  cannot  do  so.  Father  Benoit  will  tell 
you  so." 

"  It  is  not  Father  Benoit's  answer  I  want,"  the  Captain 
replied.    "  It  is  yours,  M.  le  Vicomte." 

"I  answered  yesterday,"  I  said,  haughtily — "and 
refused." 

"'  Yesterday  is  not  to-day,"  he  replied.  "  M.  de  St. 
Alais'  house  stood  yesterday;  it  is  a  smoking  ruin  to-day. 
M.  de  Marignac's,  likewise.  Yesterday  much  was  con- 
jecture. To-day  facts  sneak  for  themselves.  A  few 
hours'  hesitation,  and  the  province  will  be  in  a  blaze 
from  one  end  to  the  other." 

I  could  not  gainsay  this  ;  at  the  same  time  there  was 
•one  other  thing  I  could  not  do,  and  that  was  change  my 
views  again.  Having  solemnly  put  on  the  white  cockade 
in  Madame  St.  Alais'  drawing-room,  I  could  not  execute 
another  volte-face.     I  could  not  recant  again. 

"  It  is  impossible — impossible  in  my  case,"  I  stam- 
mered, at  last,  peevishly,  and  in  a  disjointed  way.  "  Why 
do  you  come  again  to  me?  Why  do  you  not  go  to 
someone  else?  There  are  two  hundred  others  who  e 
names  " 

"  Would  be  of  no  use  to  us,"  M.  le  Capitaine  answered, 
brusquely;  "whereas  yours  would  reassure  the  fearful, 
attach  many  moderate  men  to  the  cause,  and  not  disgus. 


the  masses.  Let  me  be  frank  with  you,  M.  le  Vicomte," 
he  continued.  "  I  want  your  co-operation.  I  am  here  to 
take  risks,  but  none  that  are  unnecessary ;  and  I  prefer 
that  my  commission  should  issue  from  above  as  well  as 
tram,  below.  Add  your  name  to  the  Committee  and  I 
accept  their  commission.  Without  doubt  I  could  police 
Quercy  in  the  name  of  the  Third  Estate,  but  I  would 
rather  haii£,  draw,  and  quarter  in  the  name  of  all  three." 
"  Still,  there  arc  others  " 

"  You  forget  that  I  have  got  to  rule  the  canaille  in 
Cahors,"  he  answered  impatiently,  "  as  well  as  these  mad 
clowns,  who  think  that  the  end  of  the  world  is  here.  And 
those  others  you  speak  of  " 

"Are  not  acceptable,"  Father  Benoit  said,  gently, 
looking  at  me  with  yearning  in  his  kind  eyes.  The  light 
morning  air  caught  the  skirts  of  his  cassock  as  he  spoke, 
and  lifted  them  from  his  lean  figure.  He  held  his  shovel 
hat  in  his  hand,  between  his  face  and  the  sun.  I  knew 
that  there  was  a  conflict  in  his  mind  as  in  mine,  and 
that  he  would  have  me  and  would  have  me  not ;  and  the 
knowledge  strengthened  me  to  resist  his  words. 

"  It  is  impossible,"  I  said. 

"Why?" 

I  was  spared  the  necessity  of  answering.  I  had  my 
face  to  the  door  of  the  house,  and  as  the  last  word  was 
spoken  saw  Andre  issue  from  it  with  M.  de  St.  Alais. 
The  manner  in  which  the  old  servant  cried,  "  M.  le 
Marquis  de  St.  Alais,  to  see  M.  le  Vicomte ! "  gave  us  a 
little  shock,  it  was  so  full  of  sly  triumph,  but  nothing  on 
M.  de  St.  Alais'  part,  as  he  approached,  betrayed  that 
he  noticed  this.  He  advanced  with  an  air  perfectly  gay, 
and  saluted  mc  with  good  humour.  For  a  moment  I 
fancied  that  he  did  not  know  what  had  happened  in  the 
night ;  his  first  words,  however,  dispelled  the  idea. 

"M.  le  Vicomte',"  ho  said,  addressing  me  with  both 
ease  and  grace,  "  we  are  for  ever  grateful  to  you.  I  was 
abroad  on  business  last  night,  and  could  do  nothing ; 
and  my  brother  must,  I  am  told,  have  come  too  late, 
even  if,  with  so  small  a  force,  he  cculd  have  effected  any- 
thing. I  saw  Mademoiselle,  as  I  passed  through  the 
house,  and  she  gave  me  some  particulars." 

"She  has  left  her  room?"  I  cried,  in  surprise.  The 
other  three  had  drawn  back  a  little,  so  that  we  enjoyed 
a  kind  of  privacy. 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  smiling  slightly  at  my  tone. 
''  And  I  can  assure  you,  M.  le  Vicomte,  has  spoken  as 
highly  of  you  as  a  maiden  dare.  For  the  rest,  my 
mother  will  convey  the  thanks  of  the  family  to  you  more 
fitly  than  I  can.  Still,  I  may  hope  that  you  are  none 
the  worse." 

I  muttered  that  I  was  not ;  but,  in  truth,  I  hardly 
knew  what  I  said.  St.  Alais'  demeanour  was  so  different 
from  that  which  I  had  anticipated,  his  easy  calmness 
and  gaiety  were  so  unlike  the  rage  and  heat  which 
seemed  natural  in  one  who  had  just  heard  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  his  house  and  the  murder  of  his  steward,  that  I 
was  completely  nonplussed.  He  appeared  to  be  dressed 
with  his  usual  care  and  distinction,  though  I  was  bound 
to  suppose  that  he  had  been  up  all  night  :  and,  though 
the  outrages  at  St.  Alais  and  Marignac's  had  given  the 
lie  to  his  most  confident  predictions,  he  betrayed  no  sign 
of  vexation. 

All  this  dazzled  and  confused  me:  yet  I  must  say 
something.  1  muttered  a  hope  that  Mademoiselle  Mas 
not  greatly  shaken  by  her  experiences. 

"  I  thiidc  not,"  he  said.  We  St.  Alais  are  not  made 
of  sugar.    And  after  a  night's  rest — but  I  fear  that  I 


March  1G,  ISO." 


TO-DAY. 


139 


aru  interrupting  you?"  And  for  the  first  time  he  let  !  is 
eyes  rest  on  my  companions. 

"  It  is  to  Father  Benoit  and  to  Buton.  hdre  that  your 
thanks  are  really  due,  M.  1©  Marquis,"  I  said.  "  For 
without  their  aid  " 

"  That  is  so,  is  it? "  he  said,  coldly.    "  I  had  heard  it," 

"  But  not  all  ? "  I  exclaimed. 

"  I  think  so,"  he  said.  Then,  continuing  to  look  at 
them,  though  he  spoke  to  me-,  he  continued  :  "  Let  me 
tell  you  an  apologue,  M.  le  Vicomte.  Once  upon  a  time 
there  was  a,  man  who  had  a,  grudge  against  a,  neighbour 
because  the  good  man's  crops  were  better  than  his.  He 
went,  therefore-,  secretly  and  by  night,  and  not  all  at 
once — not  all  at  once,  messieurs,  but  little  by  little — 
he  let  on  to  his  neighbour's  land  the  stream  of  a  river 
that  flowed  by  both  their  farms.  He  succeeded  so  well 
hat  presently  the  flood  not  only  covered  the  crops,  but 
threatened  to  drown  his  neighbour,  and  after  that  his 
cvm  crops  and  himself  !  Apprised  too*  late  of  his  folly — 
fc  at  how  do  you  like  the  apologue,  M.  le  Cure  ? " 

"  It  does  not  touch  me,"  Father  Benoit  answered, 
with  a.  wan  smile. 

"  I  am  no  man's  servant,  as  the  slave  boasted,"  St. 
Alais  answered,  with  a.  polite  sneer. 

"For  shame!  for  shame,  M.  le  Marquis!"  I  cried, 
losing  patience.  "  I  have  told  you  that  but  for  M.  le 
Cure  and  the  smith  here,  Mademoiselle  and  I  " 

"  And  I  have  told  you,"  he  answered,  interrupting  me 
with  grim  good  humour,  "  what  I  think  of  it,  M.  le 
Vicomte!    That  is  all." 

"But  do  you  not  know  what  happened?"  I  persisted, 
stung  to  wrath  by  his  injustice.  "You  are  not,  you 
cannot  be,  aware  that  when  Father  Benoit  and  his 
companions  arrived,  Mademoiselle  do  St.  Alais  and  i 
were  in  the  most  desperate  plight?  that  they  saved  us 
only  at  great  risk  to  themselves?  and  that,  for  our  safety 
at  last  you  have  to  thank  rather  the  tricolour,  which 
those  wretches  respected,  than  any  display  of  force  which 
we  were  able  to'  make." 

"  That,  too,  is  so,  is  it  ? "  he  said,  his  face  grown  dark. 
'"'  I  shall  have  something  to  say  to  it  presently.  But, 
first,  may  I  ask  you  a  question,  M.  le  Vicomte?  Am  I 
right  in  supposing  that  these  gentlemen  are  waiting  on 
you  from — pardon  me  if  I  do  not  get  the  title  correctly 
— the  Honourable  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety?" 

I  nodded. 

"And  I  presume  that  I  may  congratulate  them  on 
your  answer?" 

"  No,  you  may  not ! "  I  replied,  with  satisfaction. 
"This  gentleman" —and  I  pointed  to  the  Capitaine 
ilugues — "has  laid  before  me  certain  proposals  and 
certain  arguments  in  favour  of  them." 

"But  he  has  not  laid  before  you  the  most  potent  of 
nil  arguments,"  the  Captain  said,  interposing,  with  a  dry 
bow.  "I  find  it,  and  you,  M.  le  Vicomte,  will  find  it, 
too,  in  M.  le  Marquis  de  St,  Alais ! " 

The  Marquis  stared  at  him  coldly.  "  I  am  obliged 
to  you,"  he  said,  contemptuously.  "  By-and-bye,  per- 
haps, I  shall  have  more  to  say  to  you.  For  the  present, 
however,  I  am  speaking  to  M.  le  Vicomte."  And  he 
turned,  and  addressed  me  again.  "  These  gentlemen 
have  waited.on  you.  Do  I  understand  that  you  have 
declined  their  proposals?" 

"  Absolutely  !  "  I  answered.  "  But,"  I  continued 
warmly,  "  it  does  not  follow  that  I  am  without  gratitude 
•11  natural  feeling." 

"  Ah  ! "  he  said.    Then,  turning,  with  an  easy  air.  "  I 


see  your  servant  there,"  he  said.    "May  I  summon  him- 
one  moment?" 
"  Certainly." 

He  raised  his  hand,  and  Andre,  who  was  watching  us 
from  the  doorway,  flew  to  take  his  orders. 

He  turned  to  me  again.  "Have  I  your  permission?" 
I  bowed,  wondering. 

"  Go,  my  friend,  to  Mademoiselle  de  St.  Alais,"  he  said. 
"  She  is  in  the  hall.  Beg  her  to  be  so  good  as  to  honour 
us  with  her  presence." 

Andre  went,  with  his  most  pompous  air;  and  we- 
remained,  wondering.  No  one  spoke.  I  longed  to 
consult  Father  Benoit  by  a  look,  but  I  dared  not 
do  so,  lest  the  Marquis,  who  kept  his  eyes  on  my  face, 
his  own  wearing  an  enigmatical  smile,  should  take  it  for 
a  sign  of  weakness.  So  we  stood  until  Mademoiselle 
appeared  in  the  doorway,  and,  after  a  momentary  pause, 
came  timidly  along  the  terrace  towards  us. 

She  wore  a  frock  which  I  believe  had  been  my 
mother's,  and  was  too  long  for  her;  but  it  seemed  to 
my  eyes  to  suit  her  admirably.  A  kerchief  covered  her 
shoulders,  and  she  had  another  laid  lightly  on  her  un- 
powdered  hair,  which,  knotted  up  loosely,  strayed  in 
tiny  ringlets  over  her  neck  and  ears.  To  this  charming 
disarray,  her  blushes,  as  she  came  towards  us,  shading 
her  eyes  from  the  sun,  added  the  least  piquancy.  I  had 
not  seen  her  since  the  women  lifted  her  from  my  saddle ; 
and,  seeing  her  now,  coming  along  the  terrace  in  the. 
fresh  morning  light,  I  thought  her  divine !  I  wondered 
how  I  could  have  let  her  go.  An  insane  desire  to  defy 
her  brother  and  whirl  her  off,  out  of  this  horrid  imbroglio  ■ 
of  parties  and  politics,  seized  upon  me. 

But  she  did  not  look  towards  me,  and  my  heart  sank. 
She.  had  eyes  only  for  M.  le  Marquis  ;  approaching  him 
as  if  he  had  a  magnet  which  drew  her  to  him. 

"Mademoiselle,"  he  said,  gravely,  "I  am  told  that 
your  escape  last  night  was  due  to  your  adoption  of  an 
emblem,  which  I  see  that  you  are  still  wearing.  It  is 
one  which  no  subject  of  His  Majesty  can  wear  with- 
honour.    Will  you  oblige  me  by  removing  it  1 " 

Pale  and  red  by  turns  she  shot  a  piteous  glance  at  us. 
'•'Monsieur?"  she  muttered,  as  if  she  did  not  under- 
stand. 

"I  think  I  have  spoken  plainly,"  he  said.  "Be  good 
enough  to  remove  it." 

Wincing  painfully  under  the  rebuke,  she  hesitated,, 
lookinsr  for  a  moment  as  if  she  would  burst  into  tears. 
Then,  with  her  lip  trembling,  and  with  trembling  fingers, 
she  complied,  and  began  to  unfasten  the  tricolour,  which 
the  servants — without  her  knowledge,  it  may  be — had 
removed  from  the  robe  she  had  worn  to  that  which  she 
now  wore.  It  took  her  a  long  time  to  remove  it,  under 
our  eyes,  and  I  grew  hot  with  indignation.  But  I  dare  J 
not  interfere,  and  the  others  looked  on  gravely. 

"  Thank  you,"  M.  de  St.  Alais  said,  when,  at  last,  she- 
had  succeeded  in  unpinning  it.  "  I  know,  Mademoiselle, 
that  you  are  a  true  St.  Alais,  and  would  die  rather  than 
owe  your  life  to  disloyalty.  Be  good  enough  to  throw- 
that  down,  and  tread  upon  it." 

She  started  violently.  I  think  we  all  did.  I  know 
that  I  took  a  step  forward,  and,  but  for  M.  le  Marquis' 
raised  hand,  must  have  intervened.  But  I  had  no 
right ;  we  were  spectators,  it  was  for  her  to  act.  She- 
stood  a  moment  with  all  our  eyes  upon  her,  stood  staring 
breathless  and  motionless  at  her  brother ;  then,  still 
looking  at.  him,  with  a  shivering  sigh,  she  slowly  and 


190  TO-DAY. 


March  10,  1311 


mechanically  lifted  her  hand,  and  dropped  the  ribboD.  "Tread  upon  it ! "  he  said,  again. 

It  fluttered  down.  And  then,  without  looking  down,  she  moved  her  fnofc 

"Tread  upon  it;"  the  Marquis  said,  ruthlessly.  forward,  and  touched  the  ribbon. 

She  trembled;  her  face,  that  child's  face,  grown 
quite  white.    But  she  did  not  move.  (To  be  continued.) 


"  TREAD  Uf  ON  IT  ! 


THE   TEST   OF  ABILITY. 

The  mighty  Sheik  Abdullah  spake  one  day  to  the 
-court  sage,  old  Enekazi,  as  follows:  "You  are  always 
ready  to  give  sensible  advice,  0  Enekazi ;  perhaps  you 
could  tell  me  which  of  my  councillors  are  really  sincere." 

"A  very  simple  matter,"  replied  the  sage,  confidently. 
"  I  will  tell  you  at  once,  mighty  sheik,  how  it  is  to  be 
■managed.  Go  and  compose  a  long  ballad  this  very 
day." 

"  Stop  !  "  interrupted  the  sheik.  "  You  forget  that  I 
am  no  poet." 

"  That's  just  it,  mighty  sheik !  Go  and  write  at  once 
a  long  ballad,  and  read  to  your  assembled  councillors." 

"But,  Enekazi,  bear  in  mind  that  I  never  wrote  a  line 
vf  poetry  in  my  life." 

"  So  much  the  better!  When  you  have  read  the  long 
ballad  to  your  courtiers,  you  will  judge  of  the  effect 
yourself.  To-morrow  I  will  come  again  and  learn  of 
your  observations." 

The  next  day  the  wise  Enekazi  entered,  saying — 

"Did  you  follow  my  advice,  mighty  sheik?" 


•'  Certainly." 

"  And  what  happened  after  you  had  read  your  ballad  I " 
inquired  the  old  man,  smiling. 

"  Oh,  I  was  completely  taken  by  surprise.  One  ex- 
claimed that  this  was  the  long-soueht-for  ballad  of  the 
great  poet  Ibu  Yemin  ;  another,  that  I  was  a  new  bright 
luminary  in  the  firmament  of  poetry  ;  a  third  craved 
permission  to  cut  off  a  small  piece  of  my  robe  in  memory 
of  the  eventful  occasion  and  the  immortal  bard — in  a 
word,  they  were  all  in  ecstasy  and  praised  my  ideas 
and  my  language  up  to  the  skies." 

'"And  what  about  old  Henri  Adin?"  eagerly  <pics- 
tioned  the  sage. 

"  Ah,  he  dropped  to  sleep  while  I  was  reading." 
Ha  !  ha  .'    What  did  you  conclude  from  that,  mighty 
sheik?"  said  the  old  man,  triumphantly.  - 

"What  conclusion  could  I  come  to."  replied  the  sheik, 
with  some  surprise,  "  if  not  the  same  as  all  the  rest — 
namely,  that  I  possess  very  great  talent  for  poetry?" 
Enekazi  salaamed,  lighted  his  chibouk,  and — held  his 
peace;  for  he  was,  in  Booth,  a  wise  man. 

■ — Currenl  Li/nraftn-c. 


Maucji  1G,  JSro. 


TO-DAY. 


191 


THE  CONQUEST  OF  THE  AIR. 

AN  ENGLISHMAN'S  INVENTION. 

Is  the  air  conquered,  and  is  it  conquered  by  an 
Englishman?  Mr.  W.  J.  Bastard,  of  300,  Upper 
Street,  Islington,  says  it  is,  and  that  he  has  done  it,  and 
after  I  had  spent  an  hour  with  him  the  other  day  I 
came  away  with  a  haunting  suspicion  that  ho  had  got  as 
near  to  it  as  any  inventor  up  to  the  present. 

"  There  she  is,"  said  Mr.  Bastard  affectionately,  as  he 
pointed  to  a  cone-shaped  body,  with  "  dressings,"  as 
Mr.  Weller  would  say,  in  the  shape  of  pulleys  and 
cords,  the  screw  propellers  of  a  steamer,  the  fins  of  the 
fish,  and  the  wings  and  tail  of  the  bird.  "  Usually  it 
is  hung  from  the  ceiling.  It's  proper  place,  naturally  ; 
but  the  string  rotted  and  one  fine  morning  I  found  it 
•on  the  ground,  and  that  is  why  a  little  of  the  gear  looks 
the  worse  for  wear." 

"  Rather  a  ridiculous 
thing  for  a  flying 
•machine  to  do,  Mr. 
Bastard.  So  I  take  it 
that  if  at  the  present 
moment  I  opened  the 
window  and  dropped  it 
out,  thecharitable  would 
not  have  another  species 
■of  bird  to  feed  during 
the  cold  weather  1  " 

"  There  are  laws  re- 
lating to  the  respective 
weights  of  gas  and  air," 
replied  Mr.  Bastard 
with  a  laugh,  "  that 
even  inventors  cannot 
despise.  When  I  have 
the  machine  made  that 
I  am  determined  to  have 
made,  you  will  see  a 
balloon  that  will  allow 
you  to  remain  above 
land  and  water  just  as 
long  as  you  like,  and 
which  will  take  you  just 
where  you  want  to  go, 
for  the  mere  trouble 
of  touching  so  many 
swit  ;hes  and  cranks." 

"  Then  you  claim 
more  for  your  invention 
than  even  Maxim  claims 
for  his  1 " 

"Certainly.  Mr. 
Maxim  will  get  his 
motive  power  either 
from  petroleum  or  elec- 
tricity, and  accordingly 
he  will  have  to  come  to 

the  ground  to  replenish  his  stock.  Personally,  I  believe 
that  that  machine  of  his  will  fly.  Only — I  am  not  going 
to  fly  with  it.  The  machine  that  is  to  conquer  the  air 
is  the  one  that  will  depend  solely  upon  the  air  and 
passengers  for  its  motive  force,  and  mine  fulfils  those 
requirements.  I  claim  that  it  is  just  as  navigable  in 
the  air  as  a  ship  is  on  the  water." 

'•'  What  turned  your  thoughts  to  aerial  navigation  ? " 

"Well,  my  thoughts  have  turned  in  that  direction  for 
over  a  quarter  of  a  century.  In  the  first  place  the  study 
of  natural  history  suggested  to  me  that  after  all 
the  air  was  to  be  conquered.  I  studied  birds  in 
their  flight,  and  I  have  leant  over  old  bridges  and 
watched  the  fish  darting  about.  From  the  latter  I  learnt 
one  thing  in  regard  to  navigation.  In  changing  its 
course  a  fish  does  not  back  the  water  with  one  fin  and  pull 
with  the  other.    It  throws  its  whole  strength  on  the  one 


fin  and  tail.  This  principle  I  have  adopted  in  my  balloon. 
The  sails  you  see  on  the  side  can  be  drawn  up  flush  witli 
the  body,  and  used  to  steer  and  lower  or  raise  the  balloon 
at  pleasure.  Meanwhile  the  large  screws  you  see  on 
either  side  would  revolve  and  their  revolution  would  have 
exactly  the  same  effect  as  the  movement  of  a  bird's 
wing." 

"  Do  you  claim  that  you  could  navigate  the  balloon  in 
a  storm  1 " 

"  I  do,  certainly.  We  should  have  to  tack  just  as  a  ship 
has  to  do,  but  any  storm  a  ship  can  weather,  I  can 
weather  in  my  balloon." 

"  What  do  experts  say  about  it  1 " 
"The  many  military  and  naval  experts  I  have  con- 
sulted consider  that  I  am  on  the  right  tack,  and  it  is 
through  no  fault  of  my  own  that  it  has  not  been 
submitted  to  the  cleverest  in  the  land.  Some  years  ago 
you  will   remember  the  Balloon  Society  offered  £3,000 

for  a  navigable  balloon. 
I  competed,  but  before 
the.  exhibition  took 
place  one  of  the  guaran- 
tors died,  and  as  he  left 
no  provision  in  his  will 
for  his  share  of  the 
nrizethe  proposed  exhi- 
bition collapsed." 

"  Supposing  then,  Mr. 
Bastard,  we  are  agreed 
that  the  balloon  is  navi- 
gable, how  long  could 
you  stay  above  land  ? 
By  degrees -the  gas  be- 
comes heavy,  and  it  is 
necessary  to  let  a  certain 
amount  escape,  owing 
to  expansion  at  great 
heights." 

"  I  have  mastered 
the  former  difficulty, 
but  I  cannot  tell  you 
how  it  is  done,  for  the 
reason  that  I  have  not 
yet  patented  this  part 
of  the  invention.  While 
in  regard  to  your  other 
point,  I  have  fixed  a 
long;  loose  bag  under 
ihe  body,  which  would 
allow  for  this,  and 
prevent  the  loss  of  any 
gas.'.';' 

"A  navigable  balloon 
seems  destined  to  play  a 
part  in  warfare  on  some 
future    date.  Would 
the  ixvkxtou.  your  machine  fulfil  the 

requirements  ?" 

"Yes  ;  but  one  thing 
I  do  not  claim  is  that  it  would  be  able  to  stand  the 
reverberation  of  the  discharge  of  its  own  artillery.  Nor 
do  I  believe  any  balloon  will  ever  be  able  to  do  that. 
But  you  could  drop  explosives  easily,  and  that  seems  all 
that  is  required." 

"  In  case  an  unlucky  shot  struck  you,  you  would  be 
down  among  the  enemy  more  quickly  than  your  bombs, 
I  suppose,  Mr.  Bastard  ? " 

"  Oh  no.  For  the  purpose  of  warfare,  I  make 
the  body  in  sections  and  fill  them  with 
smaller  envelopes  filled  with  gas,  the  compart- 
ments being  afterwards  filled  up,  so  that  in 
case  of  injury  to  any  part  the  loss  of  gas  cannot  be 
great,  especially  as  there  is  no  pressure  by  weight  on 
any  part  of  the  balloon,  the  atmospheric  pressure  being 
greater  than  gas,  without  force.  If  loss  of  gas  should 
occur,  by  the  use  of  the  travelling  weight  the  proper 


192 


TO-DAY. 


Marcii  16,  1805. 


level  of  the  body  can  be  maintained,  and  the  fight  con- 
tinued. But  I  believe  that  the  value  of  a  navigable 
balloon  will  be  found  to  be  greatest  for  the  purposes  of 


"  You  still  live  in  hopes  of  seeing  your  invention, 
disputing  proprietorship  with  the  birds  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Bastard,  as  he  wished  me  gccd- 


TH1S  MACHINE. 


exploring.  Wait,  though,  till  I  can  get  one  made  on  a 
proper  scale,  and  I  will  undertake  to  lift  3,500  lb.,  and 
make  the  balloon  answer  every  question  I  put  to  it." 


bye,  "  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  have  a  long,  long 
voyage,  and  when  all  is  ready  I  shan't  malinger,  and 
ask  someone  to  take  my  place."  H.  J.  P. 


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E^ite^By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 

Vol.  VI.— No.  72.       LONDON,  SATURDAY,  MARCH  23,  1895.       Price  Twopence. 


REMINISCENCES    OF  A 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 

BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 

Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 

IX. 

The  Basket  of  Peaches. 

HAD  many  little  trips  to  the 
Continent  and  elsewhere  while 
in  the  service  of  Mr.  Balthaz- 
zar.  I  remember  particularly 
a  very  pleasant  excursion  into 
Normandy  which  is  worth 
describing,  both  on  account  of 
its  unexpected  finale,  and 
because  it  illustrates  Mr. 
Balthazzar's  peculiar  habit  of 
often  concealing  from  his 
agents  the  real  objects  he  had 
in  view. 

The  ostensible  purpose  of 
my  mission  was  to  verify  the 
death  of  a  French  nobleman, 
the  Marquis  de  Boudeville, 
who  had  been  heavily  insured 
in  the  '  British  Monarchy 
Insurance  Office  in  England.  The  claim  was  not 
disputed,  but  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  make  in- 
quiries on  the  spot,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  widowed 
Marquise  de  Boudeville  was  a  lady  of  somewhat  doubt- 
ful antecedents.  My  visit,  however,  was  to  be  regarded 
as  a  mere  official  formality,  and  every  facility  had  been 
offered  to  the  insurance  office  in  the  conduct  of  their 
investigations.  Their  representative  was  invited  to 
stay  at  the  Chateau  Boudeville  and — as  such — I  was 
furnished  with  a  letter  of  introduction  from  the  secre- 
tary of  the  insurance  office,  together  with  a  reliable 
photograph  of  the  late  Marquis. 

Why  the  Company  thought  it  necessary  to  employ 
Mr.  Balthazzar  in  such  a  simple  matter  was  not 
very  apparent ;  but  that,  of  course,  was  no  affair  of 
mine.  My  principal  was  unusually  reticent  and 
gave  me  very   brief   instructions  ;    and    I  started 


off  almost  at  a  moment's  notice  for  my  destination, 
which  was  the  Chateau  Boudeville,  pres  Pont 
des  Puits,  Calvados,  Normandy.  My  route,  as  I  had 
ascertained  by  studying  a  Continental  Bradshaw,  lay 
via  Rouen  to  Mantes,  and  thence  along  the  Cherbourg 
line  to  the  little  town  of  Pont  des  Puits. 

I  accomplished  the  journey  without  misadventure, 
and  alighted  at  the  last-named  station  about  seven 
o'clock  in  the  evening.  There  was  only  one  person, 
besides  the  railway  officials,  on  the  primitive  little 
wooden  platform,  and  this  was  a  smartly-dressed 
footman,  who  obsequiously  conducted  me  to  a  neat 
brougham  with  yellow  wheels  which  stood  outside. 

A  brisk  drive  of  half  an  hour  through  charming  and 
picturesque  country  brought  us  to  the  chateau,  which 
was  approached  by  a  fine  avenue  of  elms  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  magnificent  park.  The  mansion  was 
quite  a  palatial  building  of  handsome  elevation,  with 
numerous  towers  and  pinnacles,  and  as  I  mounted  the 
fine,  circular  flight  of  stone  steps  which  led  to  the  front 
door,  I  was  respectfully  greeted  by  a  grave  butler  or 
major-domo,  who  came  forward  bowing,  followed  by  a 
little,  clean-shaven,  middle-aged  gentleman  in  a  frock- 
coat. 

"Madame  la  Marquise  de  Boudeville,"  I  mummed, 
interrogatively,  not  knowing  quite  how  to  introduce 
myself. 

Parfaitement,  Monsieur,"  said  the  butler,  with 
another  low  bow. 

"Monsieur  speak  French?"  inquired  the  little  gen- 
tleman in  the  frock-coat,  coming  forward  politely. 

"Do  you  speak  English?"  I  returned  anxiously. 

"A  leetle,  yesh.  Not  vermoosh,"  was  the  smiling 
reply. 

"  Better  than  I  speak  French,"  I  answered,  over- 
joyed in  my  helplessness  at  finding  someone  whom  I 
could  understand.  "  Here  is  a  letter  for  the  Marquise," 
I  added,  presenting  my  credentials. 

"  Bien,"  said  the  little  man,  pouncing  upon  the  letter, 
which  was  unsealed,  and  reading  it  without  ceremony. 
'•'Bien!  You  are  Mister  Millicent?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Ver  good.  Come  this  way,  if  please,  zar.  Ze 
dinner  is  nearly  served.  I  will  do  myself  ze  honour 
to  conduct  you  to  your  apartment,"  he  said,  motioning 
to  me  to  follow  him,  and  to  the  footman  to  bring  my 
luggage. 

The  exterior  of  the  chateau  had  prepared  me  for  the 
splendour  within ;  it  was  such  a  mansion  as  I  had  never 


Copyright,  1895,  by  Herbert  Keen. 


M.viaia  2.°.,  ISO.'.. 


entered  before.  The  entrance-hull  was  almost  as  largo 
as  the  nave  of  a  church;  the  broad  staircase  was  of  fine 
oak ;  the  walls  were  adorned  with  family  portraits  and 
trophies  of  arms.  My  guide  conducted  me  upstairs,  and 
then  along  a  grand  corridor  hung  with  pictures,  into  an 
enormous  bedroom,  upholstered  in  yellow  damask,  which 
had  three  largo  windows  overlooking  the  park.  This,  I 
gathered  from  my  companion's  gestures,  was  to  be  my 
private  apartment,  and  I  was  quite  overawed  at  the 
sight  of  the  stately  canopied  four-post  bedstead,  looking 
like  a  glorified  hearse,  which  was  destined  for  my 
couch. 

While  I  was  staring  about  me,  the  footman  placed  my 
valise  on  a  small  table,  and  left  the  room.  My  com- 
panion, in  a  business-like  way,  proceeded  to  unfasten 
the  straps  of  the  valise,  and,  finding  it  locked,  he  held 
out  his  hand,  smilingly,  for  the  key. 

Up  to  that  moment  it  had  not  occurred  to  me  to 
speculate  what  position  my  companion  occupied  in  the 
household  of  the  Marquise,  for  the  novelty  of  the 
surroundings  had  absorbed  all  my  attention.  I  now 
began  to  suspect  that,  in  spite  of  his  frock-coat  and  the 
red  ribbon  in  his  button-hole,  he  was  a  sort  of  superior 
domestic — perhaps  the  valet  of  the  late  Marquis — and 
I  therefore  handed  him  my  bunch  of  keys. 

In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  my  valise  was  unlocked, 
and  the  modest  contents  ranged  neatly,  one  by  one,  upon 
the  table.  It  struck  me  that  my  companion  manifested 
considerable  curiosity  about  my  personal  effects,  for  I 
noticed  that  he  rapidly  scrutinised  each  article',  passing 
his  hands  between  the  folds  of  the  clothing,  and  leaving 
no  corner  of  the  valise  unexplored.  There  was  nothing, 
however,  to  excite  either  interest  or  curiosity,  for  my 
travelling-kit  consisted  only  of  the  most  essential  toilet 
requisites.  Having  disposed  of  everything  in  different 
parts  of  the  room  for  my  convenience,  this  assiduous 
individual  pulled  out  a  gold  watch  from  his  pocket,  and 
said :  — 

"  Monsieur  has  five  minutes  to  prepare  for  dinner." 

"I  have  no  dress  clothes,"  I  remarked,  nervously. 

"That  is  no  matter.  Madame  la  Marquise  does  not 
dine.  For  the  rest,  I  have  no  dress  clothes  either.  I 
shall  sit  at  table  like  I  am,"  he  .-aid,  pointing  compla- 
cently to  his  attire. 

"Oh!  do  you  dine  with  the  family?"  I  exclaimed, 
taken  aback. 

"Certainly;  and  as  I  speak  leetle  Inglisc,  I  shall  be 
placed  beside  Monsieur,"  he  replied. 

"  What  does  the  family  consist  of  ? "  I  inquired. 

"  Several  persons.  Monsieur  le  Marquis,  who  is  the 
nephew,  and  what  you  call  ze  heir  of  ze  late  Marquis  ; 
also  M.  le  Baron  d'Eyreux,  M.  de  Treport,  and  other 
members  of  the  family.  Oh  !  but  no  ladies,  for  example. 
Only  gentlemans.  When  ze  bell  rings,"  he  added, 
"  I  shall  be  at  the  top  of  the  grand  staircase,  waiting  to 
conduct  Monsieur." 

He  bowed  himself  out  as  he  spoke,  and  I  lost  no  time 
in  preparing  myself  for  the  repast.  It  was  evident  that 
my  obliging  companion  was  not  a  servant  or  valet,  since 
he  was  to  sit  at  the  dinner-table  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  was  difficult  to  determine  his  social  position.  He  had 
performed  towards  me  the  duties  of  a  confidential  do- 
mestic, and  seemed  to  have  placed  himself  at  my  dis- 
posal, but  he  was  apparently  by  way  of  being  a  gentle- 
man. Yet  there  was  something  about  him  which  sug- 
gested a  lower  grade  of  life,  and,  in  short,  he  puzzled  me 
exceedingly. 

I  had  hardly  completed  a  hurried  toilet  ere  a  deep- 
toned  bell  resounded  all  over  the  house,  and  I  hastened 
to  descend  to  the  dining-room.  At  the  stair-head  my 
mysterious  friend  awaite.l  me,  and  he  passed  his  arm 
through  mine  in  an  amicable  manner. 

"  It  is  strange  that  Monsieur  does  not  speak  French 
at  all,"  he  remarked,  glancing  shrewdly  at  me,  as  we 
walked  down  the  stairs. 

"I  know  enough  for  my  purpose,"  T  replied,  shortly. 

"Ah  !  the  purpose  of  Monsieur  is  to  assure  himself,  on 


behalf  of  the  honourable  Insurance  Company  which  he 
represents,  that  the  late  M.  le  Marquis  died  what  you 
call  a  natural  death?  " 

"  Yes.  Do  you  recognise  this] "  I  inquired,  producing 
the  photograph  which  had  been  given  to  me,  and  think- 
ing I  might  as  well  commence  my  investigations. 

"  Perfectly.  It  is  the  late  Marquis.  You  will  see 
his  portrait  on  the  wall  of  the  grand  salon;  also  in  the 
salle-a-manger.  That  is  all  right.  Do  you  know 
Madame    ic  Marquise1?"  he  added,  abruptly. 

"  No." 

"  Madame  la  Marquise  has  been  in  England,"  said  my 
companion,  watching  me  narrowly. 

"  If  so,  I  never  met  her.  In  fact,  till  I  received  my 
instructions  yesterday  I  never  heard  the  lady's  name 
even,"  I  said,  a  trifle  annoyed  at  my  friend's  persistence. 

We  had  by  this  time  crossed  the  large  square  entrance- 
hall,  and  were  approaching  an  apartment  on  the  ground 
floor,  from  which  the  sound  of  voices  proceeded.  My 
companion,  stepping  forward,  opened  a  t.oor,  and  ushered 
me  into  a  grand  drawing-room,  in  which  a  dozen  gentle- 
men, attired  in  evening  dress,  were  assembled.  A 
stout,  fair  young  man  at  once  came  forward  from  tha 
group  which  surrounded  him,  and  very  politely  shook 
me  by  the  hand.  My  guide,  in  French,  announced  my 
name  to  the  company,  adding  that  I  was  the  representa- 
tive of  the  British  Monarchy  Insurance  Office.  Evidently 
my  arrival  had  been  generally  expected,  for  I  was 
greeted  with  grave  and  formal  bows,  as  a  person  whose 
mission  was  perfectly  understood.  The  new  Marquis, 
the  fair  young  man  who  had  first  approached  me,  com- 
menced a  conversation  in  French,  but  my  companion 
interrupted  by  saying  that  Monsieur  did  not  speak  the 
language-,  upon  which  the  Marquis,  with  a  sir.  ug  and  a 
smile,  made  me  another  bowT,  and  returned  to  his  i'o.mer 
position  by  the  fireplace. 

I  felt  awkward  enough,  standing  silent  in  the  midst 
of  the  curious,  though  not  unkindly,  glances  which  were 
dii  ected  at  me ;  but,  fortunately,  the  folding  doors  at 
the  further  end  of  the  room  were  thrown  open  almost 
at  the  moment  that  I  made  my  appearance,  and  the 
company  moved  in  a  body  towards  the  dining-room. 
My  companion  again  took  me  by  the  arm,  and  pilo'.ed  me 
to  a  scat  at  the  large  round  table,  which  glittered  with 
silver  plate,  and  was  lit  by  dozens  of  wax  candles  in 
golden  candelabra.  My  polite  friend  sat  at  my  right ; 
on  my  left  was  a  stout  old  gentleman,  who  smiled  upon 
me  amicably,  but  was  evidently  Unacquainted  with 
English.  In  fact,  I  afterwards  found  that  not  cue  of  the 
company  could  exchange  a  word  with  me  in  my  native 
tongue,  though  all  were  apparently  persons  of  gcod 
social  position. 

The  dinner  was  excellent,  the  wines  perfect,  and  tho 
conversation  animated  and  lively.  What  it  was  all 
about,  I,  of  course,  did  not  know,  and  I  was  thrown 
entirely  irpon  the  society  of  my  right-hand  neighLoi:r, 
whose  name,  I  discovered,  was  M.  Antoine. 

"  All  these  gentlemen  are  relations  of  the  family  of  the 
Marquis,"  he  remarked,  seeing  me  glancing  curiously 
round  the  table.  "The  stout  gentleman  next  to  you  is, 
however,  M.  Dubois,  the  notary.  That  is  the  Baron 
d'Evreux  to  the  right  of  the  Marquis,  the  military-'ook- 
ing  man  opposite  is  M.  le  General  de  Loture,  a  distin- 
guished cavalry  officer." 

"Where  i<  Madame  1  i  Marquise?"  I  asked. 

"Madame  la  Marquise  rarely  appears.  She  resents 
these  gentlemen  being  hero,  and  keeps  to  her  own  apart- 
miits." 

"  Why  so  ?  " 

'  There  is  a  dispute  about  the  succession.  The  late 
Marquis,  when  an  old  man,  married  a  young  woman. 
There  are  fine  stories  about  the  past  of  Madame  la 
Marquise,"  said  M.  Antoine,  with  a  shrug. 

"  But  what  is  happening  now?"  I  inquired  curiously. 

"There  are  many  quarrels.  The  late  Mamuis  made 
a  will,  which  is  already  before  the  Courts.  Madame  la 
Marquise  claims  to  be  entitled  to  remain  here  for  life. 


March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


195 


The  present  Marquis  denies  her  right,  so  he  has  come 
here,  and  taken  possession.  Madame  la  Marquise  re- 
fuses to  budge.  The  Marquis  has  summoned  a  family 
council,  which  you  see  before  you,  to  consider  the  whole 
situation,  with  a  view  to  avoiding  a  public  scandal.  It 
is  strange,  is  it  not  1 "  he  concluded,  with  a  sidelong 
glance  at  me. 

"  Why  do  you  look  at  me  like  that  1 "  I  asked,  having 
already  noticed  that  he  was  perpetually  watching  my 
face.  "  Do  you  imagine  that  I  have  come  here  for  any 
other  purpose  than  the  business  I  have  explained  1 ' 

"No,  certainly  not,  Monsieur,"  replied  M.  Antoine, 
hurriedly. 

"Are  you  a  member  of  the  family  council?"  I  in- 
quired, determined  to  find  out  something  about  him. 

"  I !  No,  for  example  !  I  am  the  secretary  of  the 
present  Marquis,"  he  added,  in  an  undertone. 

" Indeed ! " 

"  Yes ;  and  the  Marquis  has  directed,  as  I  speak 
Inglese,  to  make  myself  agreeable  to  Monsieur,"  he 
replied,  bowing. 

I  thanked  M.  Antoine,  and  felt  satisfied  with  his 
explanation,  though  I  still  could  not  help  suspecting  that 
his  politeness  was  not  entirely  disinterested.  However,  as 
I  had  nothing  to  conceal,  M.  Antoine' s  conduct  did  not 
cause  me  any  uneasiness,  and  I  spent  a  very  agreeable 


evening.    The  dinner  lasted  till  a  tolerably  late  hour, 

and  afterwards  the  guests  dispersed  in  an  informal 
manner,  some  to  drink  coffee  and  chat  in  the  drawing- 
room,  others  to  play  cards,  and  the  remainder  to  the 
billiard-room,  where  I  betook  myself,  with  M.  Antoine 
at  my  elbow.  I  refused  an  invitation  to  join  in  the 
game,  but  sat  looking  on  for  an  hour,  smoking  an  excellent 
cigar,  and  then,  feeling  fatigued  with  my  journey, 
retired  to  my  bedroom. 

M. Antoine  accompanied  me,  of  course;  in  fact,  he 
never  left  mv  side ;  but  beyond  seeing  that  I  had  all  I 
required  for  the  night,  he  did  not  intrude  upon  me.  He 
shook  me  warmly  by  the  hand  at  parting,  and,  promising 
to  assist  me  next  morning  in  my  investigations  respect- 
ing the  late  Marquis,  took  himself  off,  and  left  me  to 
myself. 

It  wasi  not  very  long  before  I  was  in  bed  and  asleep, 
and  I  certainly  never  enjoyed  a  more  grateful  repose. 
One  little  incident  however,  occurred  which  rather 
start!  ed  me  In  the  midst  of  a  dreamless  slumber  I 
seemed  to  be  suddenly  seized  with  nightmare.  1 
imagined  that  I  was  falling  from  a  great  height,  and 
woke  with  a  gasp  and  a  start  with  a  remarkable  sensa- 
tion, as  though  the  pillow  under  my  head  wasi  being 
shifted.  So  strong  was  the  impression  upon  me  at  the 
moment   that  I  jumped  up  and  struck  a  light.  My 


HER  CONVERSATION   CAPTIVATE  ME, 


196 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1895. 


pillow,  however,  was  in  its  normal  position,  and  my 
watch  ticked  peacefully  upon  the  bolster  underneath  it. 

Nevertheless  I  was  so  startled  that  I  got  out  of  bed 
and  gazed  round  the  room.  There  was  no  one  to  be 
seen,  and  my  things  were  all  undisturbed,  but,  curi- 
ously enough,  I  now  noticed  for  the  first  time  that  my 
bedroom  door  was  ajar.  I  could  not  feel  absolutely 
certain  that  I  had  shut  it  before  retiring  to  rest,  but  I 
certainly  thought  that  I  had,  and  the  discovery  gave 
me  a  sudden  thrill  of  nervousness. 

I  am,  fortunately,  not  superstitious,  and  I  soon  per- 
suaded myself  that  the  open  door  was  a  mere  coinci- 
dence, and  that  I  had  imagined  the  rest.  I  therefore 
returned  to  my  bed,  and  quickly  fell  asleep  again, 
nor  did  I  wake  until  late  the  next  morning,  when  the  foot- 
man, after  placing  a  bowl  of  coffee  and  some  toast  on 
the  table  by  my  bedside,  pulled  up  the  blinds  and  let 
a  flood  of  bright  sunlight  into  the  apartment. 

Refreshed  and  invigorated,  I  lost  no  time  in  dressing 
myself,  resolved  to  make  a  few  inquiries  on  the  subject 
of  my  mission  independently  of  M.  Antoine.  So  far 
as  I  could  judge,  the  Marquis'  secretary  had  neither 
object  nor  intention  to  deceive  me  with  regard  to  my 
task,  but  I  thought  it  advisable  at  least  to  glean  what 
information  I  could  without  him. 

I  therefore  descended  from  my  room,  and  passed  down 
the  grand  staircase  and  through  the  principal  apart- 
ments on  the  ground  floor.  It  was  still  quite  early,  and 
nobody  was  astir  except  a  few  servants.  These  I  ques- 
tioned by  asking  who  was  the  original  of  the  two  por- 
traits of  the  late  Marquis,  which  M.  Antoine  had  pointed 
out  to  me  in  the  salon  and  the  salle-a-manger.  Having 
obtained  satisfactory  and  evidently  sincere  replies,  I 
strolled  out  into  the  grounds,  questioning  any  gardener 
or  employe  whom  I  chanced  to  meet.  The  formula  I 
adopted  was  to  produce  my  photograph  of  the  late 
Marquis  and  inquire  innocently — 

"Do  you  know  this  gentleman?" 

"  Certainly.  It  is  the  late  Marquis,"  was  the  more 
or  less  emphatic  but  always  convincing  reply. 

"  II  est  mort  alors  1 " 

"  Dead  !  Why,  certainly  he  is  dead !  Did  we  not 
see  him  lying  in  state  in  his  bed?  Does  he  not  lie 
buried  in  the  chapel  over  yonder?" 

In  short,  I  easily  convinced  myself  by  numberless 
inquiries  that  there  was  no  doubt  about  the  matter,  and 
I  felt  almost  shamefaced  at  my  futile  occupation. 
Nevertheless,  I  spent  nearly  three  hours  over  the  busi- 
ness, extending  my  inquiries  to  the  village,  and  even 
interviewing  the  Cure,  who  had  attended  the  Marquis 
in  his  last  hours.  My  stock  of  French,  meagre  though 
it  was,  proved  sufficient  for  my  simple  questions,  while 
the  answers,  being  invariably  the  same,  caused  me  no 
perplexity. 

On  my  way  back  I  met  M.  Antoine,  who  came  smiling 
down  the  avenue,  raising  his  hat  with  his  usual  polite- 
ness. 

"  Good  morning,  Monsieur  !  Monsieur  hasi  been 
abroad  early.  Monsieur  has  doubtless  been  pursuing 
his  inquiries?" 

"Yes,  Monsieur  Antoine." 

"With  satisfactory  results?"  he  asked,  turning  to 
walk  back  with  me. 
"  Yes,"  I  answered. 

He  proceeded  to  question  me  as  to  where  I  had  been 
and  whom  I  had  seen,  until  I  cut  him  short  by  saying — ■ 

""What  is  the  good  of  keeping  up  this  nonsense,  M. 
Antoine?  You  know  very  well  you  have  been  watching 
me  all  the  morning." 

"  Comment  done  ? "  he  exclaimed,  stopping  short  with 
his  shoulders  up  to  his  ears. 

"  Whenever  I  looked  back  I  saw  you  dodging  among 
the  trees.  You  followed  me  into  the  village.  I  did  not 
interfere.  If  it  amused  you,  it  did  me  no  harm,"  I 
said  laughing. 

"  It  is  true  I  walked  in  the  park — however,  since  it 


did  Monsieur  no  harm,  why  should  he  complain?"  said 
.  M.  Antoine,  with  ludicrous  consternation. 

"  I  do  not  complain,  but  it  is  as  well  you  should  know 
that  I  am  not  so  simple  as  you  evidently  think  me,"  I 
said,  enjoying  his  discomfiture. 

M.  Antoine  made  no  reply  to  this,  and  as  we  had 
reached  the  chateau,  we  mounted  the  steps  in  silence. 

"  Dejeuner  is  nearly  finished,"  murmured  a  servant 
to  him  as  w©  entered. 

"  It  is  true ;  I  forgot  to  tell  Monsieur  that  we  are 
late,"  said  M.  Antoine,  resuming  his  ordinary  friendly 
tone,  and  leading  the  way  towards  the  salle-a-manger. 

I  had  forgotten  the  time  and  felt  rather  ashamed  of 
my  ill  manners  towards  the  host.  In  the  dining-room 
were  assembled  round  the  well-spread  table  most  of 
the  guests  of  the  preceding  evening,  but  the  Marquis 
and  one  or  two  others  were  absent.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  place  of  honour  was  occupied  by  a  lady,  whom  I  at 
once  guessed  must  be  Madame  la  Marquise. 

She  was  certainly  a  beautiful  creature,  tall,  stately, 
and  dark,  with  magnificent  eyes,  flashing  teeth,  and  a 
complexion  like  ivory.  She  was  dressed  in  a  sort  of 
tea-gown  of  white  plush,  with  a  cluster  of  white  roses 
ac  her  bosom ;  and  the  vivid  contrast  between  her  jet 
black  hair  and  eyes  and  the  pure  white  of  her  attire  was 
quite  dazzling.  I  judged  her  to  be  about  twenty-seven 
years  of  age,  and  her  graceful  figure  was  at  its  prime  of 
youthful  fulness. 

She  bowed  graciously  at  me  as  I  entered,  and  motioned 
me  to  take  a  vacant  chair  near  her.  While  I  was  doing 
so,  awkwardly  enough,  I  am  afraid,  her  glance  sud- 
denly lighted  upon  my  companion,  who  was  modestly 
seating  himself  lower  down  the  table,  and  her  cheeks 
flushed. 

"  What  is  that  man  doing  here?"  she  exclaimed  in  an 
imperious  voice. 

One  of  the  gentlemen  near  her  muttered  something 
apologetically,  which  I  took  to  be  an  explanation  that 
M.  Antoine  was  present  in  the  capacity  of  interpreter 
to  me. 

"  I  will  not  be  insulted  to  that  degree  in  my  own 
house !  "  she  cried,  drawing  herself  up  with  queenly  dig- 
nity.   "  Either  that  man  leaves  the  table  or  I  do." 

There  was  an  awkward  pause,  while  most  of  the  gentle- 
men looked  down  assiduously  at  their  plates ;  then  one 
of  them  made  a  hasty  sign  to  M.  Antoine,  who  got  up 
very  sheepishly,  and  left  the  room. 

"  Do  you  know  that  man  is  a  police  detective,  Mon- 
sieur % "  she  said  to  me,  in  excellent  English,  still  quiver- 
ing with  indignation.  "  It  is  thus  that  these  noble 
gentlemen  and  the  noble  head  of  the  family  insult  the 
widow  of  the  late  Marquis/' 

Her  furious  glance  seemed  to  flash  round  the  table 
like  consuming  fire,  and  though  probably  none  of  the 
company  understood  her  words,  they  showed  unmis- 
takably that  they  guessed  what  she  was  saying.  Then 
suddenly  the  Marquise's  anger  seemed  to  evaporate  in  a 
musical  ripple  of  laughter,  and,  turning  to  me,  she  com- 
menced to  talk  about  indifferent  matters. 

I  must  confess  that  her  conversation  captivated  me 
immediately.  I  am  not  a  susceptible  man,  and  shall  die 
— as  I  have  lived — a  confirmed  bachelor.  But  there 
was  a  charm  of  manner  about  the  Marquise  which,  com- 
bined with  her  radiant  beauty,  rendered  her  irresistible. 
She  put  me  at  my  ease  at  once,  and  chatted  as  pleasantly 
as  though  we  had  been  old  friends.  She  touched  lightly 
upon  the  object  of  my  visit,  but  manifested  no  dis- 
pleasure or  resentment ;  she  confined  herself  to  polite 
commonplaces,  and  showed  herself  well  acquainted  with 
our  drama  and  current  literature.  Incidentally  she 
mentioned  that  she  had  once  been  at  school  in  England, 
hich  accounted  for  her  knowledge  of  our  language.  She 
spoke  it  with  accuracy  and  taste,  and  her  accent  I  found 
bewitching. 

When  luncheon  was  ended  the  Marquise — who  seemed 
to  pointedly  ignore  the  rest  of  the  guests — rose  from  her 
chair,  and  said  to  me — 


March  23,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


197 


"  Have  you  seen  the  garden  1 " 
"No,"  I  replied. 

"  Come,  then.  I  will  escort  you.  You  must  put  up 
with  me  instead  of  with  M.  Antoine." 

She  swept  from  the  room  as  she  spoke,  while  I  fol- 
lowed like  a  disintegrated  atom  at  the  tail  of  a  glorious 
comet.  She  waited  a  minute  on  the  steps,  while  a  maid 
brought  her  a  lace  shawl,  which  the  Marquise  wore 
niantilla-wise  over  her  head,  and  then  we  sallied  forth 
together. 

"  M.  Antoine  is  watching  us  like  a  cat  from  somewhere. 
He  will  be  furious,"  she  said,  with  a  gleam  of  malice  in 
her  eyes,  as  we  descended  the  steps  of  the  house. 

"Why?"  I  asked. 

"  He  would  give 
his  ears  to  know 
what  we  are  talk- 
ing about.  He  is  a 
spy,  I  tell  you, 
set  to  watch  me. 
I  am  surrounded 
by  spies.  But  why 
should  I  trouble 
you,  an  English 
stranger,  with  my 
miserable  affairs  ?  " 

She  nevertheless 
proceeded,  with 
considerable  anima- 
tion to  describe  her 
wrongs  and  to 
denounce  her 
enemies.  She  was 
at  feud,  it  appeared, 
with  her  late  hus- 
band's heir  and 
family ;  was  accused 
of  having  procured 
an  unjust  will ;  and 
even  of  vulgar 
robbery  and  pillage. 
She  did  not  enter 
into  details,  but 
she  so  excited  my 
sy  mpathy  that  I 
warmly  offered  my 
services  in  case  I 
could  render  her 
any  assistance. 

"  You  can  do 
nothing,  myfriend," 
she  said,  breathing 
the  last  word  with 
a  softness  which 
made  my  cheeks 
glow.  "I  can  only 
await,  alone  and 
unprotected,  the 
decision  of  the  law 
courts.  Meanwhile, 
I  cannot  write  a 
letter  without  its 
being  opened  and 
read.  I  am  a 
prisoner  in  my  own  house." 

"  I  could  convey  a  letter  for  you,"  I  said,  catching  at 
ihe  suggestion. 

"  I  have  no  one  to  write  to.  Besides,  if  I  gave  you  a 
letter  you  would  be  robbed.  You  may  depend  that  M. 
Antoine  will  know  before  you  go  every  document  that 
you  may  carry.  I  will  guarantee  that  he  has  rifled  your 
pockets,  and  will  do  so  again." 

I  laughed  incredulously  at  this;  but  I  suddenly  re- 
membered the  incident  of  the  preceding  night.  Then 
I  realised  that  the  detective  had  probably  paid  me  a 
nocturnal  visit,  and,  having  no  doubt  inspected  the  con- 


PUT  IT  IN   Mi    BUTTON  HOLE. 


tents  of  my  pockets,  had  passed  his  hand  under  my 
pillow,  to  see  if  I  had  any  document  secreted  there. 

What  the  reason  of  his  vigilance  was  I  could  not 
imagine  ;  but  the  Marquise's  words  were  a  revelation  to 
me,  and  aroused  my  indignation.  Meanwhile,  we  had 
passed  through  a  beautiful  Italian  garden,  and  had 
reached  the  kitchen  garden,  one  wall  of  which  was 
crimson  with  a  wonderful  crop  of  ripe  peaches.  I  made 
some  remark  about  them,  when  the  Marquise  said,  sud- 
denly — 

'■'  Tiens  !    I  had  quite  forgotten  ! " 
"What?"  I  asked. 

"  At  this  season  I  have  always  sent  a  basket  of  peaches 

to  a  little  Eng- 
glish  friend,  with 
whom  I  used  to 
be  at  school.  Now 
I  wonder,"  added 
the  Marquise,  fix- 
ing her  fine  eyes 
inquiringly  on  me, 
"whether  you 
would  mind  execut- 
ing that  small  com- 
mission." 

"  I  should  be 
delighted,"  I  re- 
plied, earnestly. 

"Even  a  little 
thing  like  that 
it  is  impossible 
for  me.  If  I  sent 
them  myself  my 
poor  friend  would 
be  subjected  to 
espionage  ;  she 
would  be  suspected 
of  I  don't  know 
what.  It  sounds 
absurd,  but  it  is 
so,"  said  the  Mar- 
quise, with  a  bitter 
laugh. 

"  What  is  the 
address  ? "  I  asked. 

"  Mees  Amy 
T liompson,  4a, 
Avenue  Road, 
Regent's  Park. 
Can  you  remember 
that?" 

"  I  will  Avrite 
it  down,"  I  said. 

"  No,  no  !  "  said 
the  Marquise, 
checking  me  as  I 
was  preparing  to 
get  out  my  pocket- 
book.  "  Remember 
what  I  warned  you. 
M.  Antoine  would 
obtain  that  ad- 
dress." 

I  grimly  thought 

otherwise  ;  however,  the  point  was  not  worth 
arguing.  I  fixed  the  address  in  my  mind  by  an  effort 
of  memory. 

"  You  must  not  say  that  you  have  undertaken  a  com- 
mission for  me.  You  can  tell  M.  Antoine,  if  he  asks, 
that  they  are  a  little  attention  from  me  to  you." 

"  I  wish  they  were,"  I  said,  blindly. 

"Well,  here  is  a  little  rose  for  yourself,"  said  the 
Marquise,  handing  me  a  flower  from  the  bunch  at  her 
bosom. 

I  put  it  in  my  button-hole  with  a  sentimental  sigh, 
and  we  resumed  our  walk.    Somehow,  though  I  did  not 


198 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1895. 


realise  it  at  the  time,  the  Marquise  persuaded  me  to  fix 
my  departure-  for  the  next  morning,  and  I  agreed, 
being  under  the  impression  that  it  was  my  own  wish. 
I  promised  the  Marquise  that  I  would  deliver  the  basket 
on  the  evening  of  my  arrival  in  town,  and  would  write 
and  acquaint  her  of  the  fact.  The  remainder  of  our 
conversation  was  incoherent  as  far  as  I  was  concerned, 
and  I  do  not  mind  owning  that  my  foolish  head  was 
completely  turned  by  the  polite  attentions  of  the  fasci- 
nating Marquise. 

I  may  as  well  say  at  once  that  I  never  saw  her  again, 
but  her  image  is  enshrined  in  my  memory  as  that  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  human  beings.  After  this,  it  will  sur- 
prise none  to  hear  that,  in  the  first  glow  and  fervour  of  my 
adoration,  I  was  extremely  short  with  M.  Antoine.  In 
fact,  it  was  as  well  that  I  had  arranged  to  leave  early 
the  next  morning,  for  even  the  detective's  long-suffering 
and  self-interested  politeness  was  abashed  by  my  trucu- 
lent fierceness.  As  I  refused  to  hold  communication 
with  him,  my  position  in  the  midst  of  foreigners  was  a 
little  uncomfortable  ;  I  found  myself  completely  isolated, 
owing  to  my  ignorance  of  the  language ;  but  I  was  con- 
soled by  the  fact  that  M.  Antoine  must  be  wild  at  the 
thought  that  I  was  intriguing  with  the  Marquise. 

I  retired  early  to  my  room  after  dinner  that  night, 
and  as  I  took  the  precaution  to  double-lock  the  door,  I 
do  not  think  that  M.  Antoine  honoured  me  with  another 
visit.  Next  morning  early,  however,  he  came  in  to  me 
while  I  was  dressing,  and,  in  the  frankest  manner,  held 
out  his  hand. 

"Monsieur  Millicent,"  he  said,  "why  should  we  part 
bad  friends?  I  am  only  doing  my  duty.  You  do  not 
know  Madame  la  Marquise  as  well  as  I.  Anyhow,  I 
express  my  regret  if  I  have  inconvenienced  you,  and  I 
ask  the  pleasure  of  accompanying  you  to  the  station." 

"  You  suspect  I  am  undertaking  some  commission  for 
Madame  la  Marquise,"  I  said,  unable,  after  this  interval, 
to  keep  my  resentment  at  fever  heat. 

"  I  am  sure  Monsieur  is  not.  I  have  kept  Monsieur 
under  observation,"  he  replied,  with  a  smile. 

I  did  not  continue  the  discussion,  for,  though  I  doubted 
the  honesty  of  his  motives,  I  was  not  unwilling  that  he 
should  accompany  me,  and  see  me  off  on  my  return 
journey.  I  therefore  shook  hands  with  him,  and  we 
resumed  our  former  amicable  relations.  When  the  hour 
of  my  departure  arrived,  a  maid-servant  handed  me,  as 
I  was  stepping  into  the  brougham  Avith  M.  Antoine,  the 
promised  basket  of  peaches. 

"  With  the  compliments  of  Madame  la  Marquise,"  said 
the  girl. 

I  affected  a  gratified  surprise,  and  M.  Antoine  looked 
at  me  keenly  as  he  seated  himself  beside  me. 

"  A  polite  attention,"  he  said,  suspiciously. 

"  They  are  peaches,"  I  remarked,  lifting  up  the  paper 
covering,  and  peering  into  the  basket. 

'"'  They  smell  nice,"  said  M.  Antoine. 

He  put  his  nose  to  the  basket  as  he  spoke,  and  then 
somehow — it  was  really  very  cleverly  done- — the  basket 
seemed  to  slip  out  of  his  hands,  and  the  rosy  fruit  inun- 
dated the  brougham.  I  was  annoyed  at  first,  and  then 
the  obviousness  of  the  manoeuvre  tickled  me.  I  burst 
out  laughing,  while  M.  Antoine,  covered  with  confusion, 
went  down  on  his  knees,  and  commenced  to  replace  the 
peaches. 

"There  is  nothing,  you  see,  M.  Antoine,"  I  said. 
"  Parbleu  !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  but  there  might  have 
been." 

"  Are  you  satisfied  1 " 

"  Yes,"  he  murmured,  sulkily. 

"  Well,  will  you  tell  me  what  is  the  meaning  of  it  all  I  " 
I  inquired. 

"It  is  a  long  story.  In  a  word,  the  Boudeville  family 
jewels  have  disappeared.  They  are  worth  £50,000. 
The  Marquise  is  suspected  of  having  hidden  them,  and 
we  want  to  find  out  where." 


"  It's  a  vile  calumny  !  "  I  exclaimed,  indignantly. 

"  I  am  sure  Monsieur  believes  so,"  he  said,  shrugging 
his  shoulders. 

"Did  you  think  the  jewels  were  in  that  basket?"  I 
asked,  scoftingly. 

"  No ;  but  there  might  have  been  a  note  for  Monsieur 
to  deliver,"  he  replied,  with  a  crestfallen  air.  "  To  tell 
the  truth,  I  suspected  at  first  that  Monsieur  was  a  friend 
of  Madame  la  Marquise,  and  that  the  insurance  business 
was  a  blind,"  he  added  bluntly. 

I  laughed  more  than  ever  at  this  extraordinary  notion. 
It  was  so  absurd  that  it  seemed  impossible  to  be  angry 
on  my  own  account;  while  as  for  the  Marquise- — well, 
during  our  drive  M.  Antoine  told  me  some  stories  about 
her  which,  while  not  diminishing  my  admiration  of  her 
charms,  opened  my  eyes  a  good  deal  to  her  character. 

However,  the  commission  I  had  undertaken  was  inno- 
cent enough,  and  I  was  not  startled  by  M.  Antoine's 
confidences  into  betraying  it.  My  obliging  acquaintance 
and  I  parted  the  best  of  friends,  and  he  gave  me  a 
solemn  assurance,  in  spite  of  his  unflattering  opinion 
of  the  Marquise,  that  the  claim  against  the  Insurance 
Office  was  perfectly  valid  and  honest. 

Well,  I  arrived  safely  in  England  with  my  little  lug- 
gage, and,  having  announced  my  arrival  by  telegram 
from  Newhaven  as  instructed,  I  was  met  at  Victoria 
Station,  to  my  great  surprise,  by  one  of  my  colleagues, 
who  brought  a  message  from  Mr.  Balthazzar  that  I  was 
to  come  straight  to  the  office.  This  I  accordingly  did, 
and  although  the  hour  was  late  in  the  evening,  I  found 
Mr.  Balthazzar  awaiting  me,  and  with  him  a  well- 
known  police-inspector,  Mr.  Balustrade. 

I  made  my  report,  which  Mr.  Balthazzar  interrupted 
impatiently  by  asking — 

"  Did  you  have  any  conversation  with  the  Marquise  .'  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Did  she  give  you  any  letter  or  message  to  dpliver 
to  anyone  in  this  country?" 
"No,  sir." 

"No  commission  of  any  kind?"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar, 
rather  blankly. 

"  Only  this  basket  of  peaches  to  take  to  a  lady  friend," 
I  said. 

"What  address?"  asked  Inspector  Balustrade  quickly. 
"Miss  Amy  Thompson,        Avenue  Road,"  I  replied 
innocently. 

"  That  is  the  address,  sir.  That  is  where  M.  Holland 
if;  staying,"  said  the  Inspector  quite  excitedly. 

lie  seized  the  basket  as  he  spoke,  and  for  the  second 
time  the  unfortunate  contents  were  unceremoniously 
tiirned  out  upon  the  floor.  But  Inspector  Balustrade 
seemed  as  disappointed  as  M.  Antoine  had  been  with 
the  result,  and  he  even  opened  one  or  two  of  the  peaches 
with  a  penknife. 

Mr.  Baltliazzar  watched  him  a  little  contemptuously, 
and  proceeded  to  scrutinise  the  paper  wrappings,  first 
looking  them  carefully  over,  and  then  spreading  them 
against  the  hot  globe  of  a  large  lamp  till  the  papers 
began  to  scorch. 

"Here  is  another  piece  at  the  bottom  of  the  basket," 
said  the  Inspector,  observing  Mr.  Balthazzar's  occupa- 
tion, and  following  his  example. 

It  was  a  square  piece  of  thin  bluish  paper  folded 
double.  There  appeared  to  be  no  writing  or  inscrip- 
tion upon  it,  but  when  the  Inspector  had  pressed  it  for 
a  few  minutes  against  the  lamp  globe,  he  uttered  an 
exclamation, 

We  crowded  round  him,  and  as  we  looked,  the  fol- 
lowing words  evidently  written  in  some  fluid  invisible 
to  the  naked  eye,  but  which  yielded  to  the  heat,  gradu- 
ally became  legible. 

"  3me  a  gauche,  A.  de s  Trlleuls.  Yiens  vite  enlever 
Puis  plus  roster  ici." 

''Third  to  the  left  in  the  Avenue  of  Limes.  Como 


March  28,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


ion 


and  take  them  away  quickly.  I  cannot  stay  much 
longer  here,"  read  Mr.  Balthazzar,  translating  exul- 
tantly. 

"Buried  'em  at  the  foot  of  the  third  tree.  Dare 
not  remove  'em  herself,  because  she  is  watched.  That 
is  the  reason  she  is  keeping  up  this  ridiculous  claim  to 
the  property,  and  remaining  there.    But   '  puis  plus 


• 

"Well,  my  plan  has  succeeded,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar, 
complacently.  "I  suggested  suspicious  circumstances 
to  the  Insurance  Office,  and  got  them  to  authorise  me 
to  send  a  clerk  over.  I  thought  it  probable  that  tie 
Marquise  would  seize  the  opportunity  to  send  some 
compromising  message  by  an  English  strancrer  u!.r-e 
presence  there  could  be  accounted  for.     Ycu  ir.'i>-t 


WE   CROWDED    ROUND  HIM. 


rester  ici,'"  added  the  Inspector  reading,  "wants  her 
accomplice  to  remove  'em  at  once.  Well,  we  will  do 
it  for  her." 

"  A  score  for  the  English  police,  eh,  Balustrade  1 " 
remarked  Mr.  Balthazzar,  lighting  a  fresh  cigar. 

"The  credit  is  yours,  sir,"  s;iid  the  Inspector  mo- 
destly. 


have  made  yourself  very  fascinating,  MiIIice.pt,"  bo 
laughed. 

"  I've  been  useful  without  knowing  it,"  I  remarked, 
rather  resentfully. 

"  It  was  a  case  that  required  delicate  handling,"  said 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  whose  unusual  elation  showed  me  that 
he  had  canted  a  very  handsome  fee. 


200 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1895. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dearest  Nell, — Someone  says  that  the  quadrille  is 
coming  into  fashion  again  this  season.  I  sincerely  hope 
not.  Would  it  not  be  slow  ?  Fancy  dancing  four  or  five 
"  sets"  of  quadrilles  in  an  evening !  It  would  be  enough 
to  make  one  feel  one's  self  a  dowager  all  in  a  moment.  I 
do  not  think  this  assertion  can  be  at  all  correct,  for  the 
quadrille  has  nothing  in  common  with  the  spirit  of  the 
age.  How  can  the  quadrille  and  the  skirt-dance  both 
flourish  in  the  same  atmosphere?  Impossible!  But 
if  the  former  should  ever  really  become  fashionable 
again  we  may  bid  a  long  good-bye  to  our  convenient 
short  dancing-dresses,  for  trains  will  in  that  case  most 
certainly  come  in. 

I  had  an  Austrian 
officer  for  a  partner 
for  two  or  three 
waltzes  at  a  dance 
the  other  evening, 
and  never  had  a  bet- 
ter one.  He  seemed 
to  have  the  rhythm 
within  him,  and  was 
as  light  as  a  feather. 
It  was  quite  a  new 
sensation.  I  never 
enjoyed  a  dance  so 
much  before.  He 
amused  me  very  much 
by  asking  me  why  so 
many  young  men 
stood  about  and  did 
not  dance.  "  Have 
they  just  had  the 
influenza?"  he  in- 
quired. When  I 
told  him  that  this 
was  the  usual  be- 
haviour of  the  ordin- 
ary Englishman  at 
such  entertainments, 
he  very  naturally 
asked,  "  Then  why 
did  they  come  ? "  It 
does  seem  strange, 
for  there  can  be  very 
little  amusement  in 
leaning  up  against  a 
door  frame  or  a  man- 
tel-piece, and  looking 
on.  It  seems  absurd 
to  suggest  that  sup- 
per has  anything  to 
do  with  it,  and  yet 
the  way  in  which  the 
rooms  are  thinned  of 
these  standard  orna- 
ments after  the 
supper  -  hour  gives 

some  colour  to  the  idea.  But  in  what  an  unfavourable 
light  this  places  the  average  young  man  ! 

I  acquired  a  certain  amount  of  information  on  the 
subject  of  collars  one  day  last  week  while  engaged  in 
morally  supporting  Adeline  through  a  morning's  shop- 
ping. You  know  how  impossible  she  finds  it  to  decide  on 
even  the  smallest  purchase  without  asking  someone's 
advice  about  it.  And  a  word  will  sway  Iter  this  way  or 
the  other.  She  is  like  boiled  macaroni— the  long  sort. 
When  someone  proposes  to  her  she  will  certainly  ask 
the  gentleman  to  wait  while  she  puis  on  her  hat  a*id 
runs  round  to  her  nearest  girl  acquaintance  to  ask  her 
what  she  would  do  in  the  circumstances!  Hut  I  want 
to  tell  you  about  the  fashionable  collars.  The  prettiest 
I  saw  was  on  a  handsome  girl,  and  was  made  of  the  finest 
while  mull  muslin,  hem-stitched,  und  turned  over  in 
square  tabs  upon  the  high  velvet  collar  of  the  drees. 


IN     THE  I'ARIC. 


You  can't  think  how  becoming  it  was.  Another  was 
simply  a  band  of  hem-stitched  muslin  turned  down  all 
round  over  the  dress  collar,  and  not  quite  deep  enough 
to  hide  it.  The  muslin  was  edged  with  the  finest 
Torchon  lace.  And  a  third  was  also  in  white  muslin, 
slit  down  about  an  inch  and  a  half  at  regular 
intervals,  and  button-holed  round  the  slits,  coloured 
ribbon  being  drawn  through  the  spaces  and  tied 
in  a  dainty  little  bow  under  the  chin.  This 
collar,  too,  was  edged  with  lace.  Tatting  is  coming  in 
again  for  these  as  well  as  the  deeper  ones.  Do  you  know 
what  tatting  is?  I  did  not  until  I  had  made  inquiries. 
It  is  a  sort  of  work  done  with  an  ivory  bobbin,  threaded 
with  very  fine  cotton  or  linen  thread,  and  passed  in  and 
out  of  loops  made  with  the  fingers.  It  is  very  like  old 
Irish  point.    Mother  was  hunting  for  her  bobbin  when  I 

told  her  that  tatting 
was  to  be  fashion- 
able, and  at  last 
fished  it  up  from  the 
bottom  of  an  ancient 
workbox,  all  covered 
with  porcupine  quills, 
and  inlaid  withebony 
and  ivory.  She  is 
going  to  teach  me 
how  to  tat.  Sounds 
funny,  doesn't  it  ? 

Very  yellow  is  the 
new  lace  for  collars, 
rather  like  the  tur- 
nipy  butter  we  used 
to  have  in  the 
country  in  winter, 
when  the  cows  had  to 
be  stall-fed.  Do  you 
remember  ? 

Some  of  the 
very  newest  col- 
lars in  this  lace  have 
deep  points  in  front, 
a  very  old  fashion 
revived.  Others  have 
the  square  yoke  we 
all  know  so  well, 
finished  off  with  most 
wide-awake  looking 
bows  of  ribbon, 
either  black  or 
coloured,  on  the 
shoulders  and  at  each 
side.  Ribbon,  you 
know,  is  to  be  used 
by  the  mile  this  sea- 
son. 

I  like  ribbons 
floating  about  my 
gowns,  don't  you  ? 
But  I  wish  they 
would  stay  fresh 
longer  than  they  do. 
They  should,  not  being  necessary,  be  "  all  in  all  or  not 
at  all,"  and  really  good  ribbons  are  by  no  means  cheap. 

Do  you  like  the  blouse  in  our  illustration  ?  This  use- 
ful garment  may  be  divided  into  two  classes  this  sea- 
son— that  with  loose,  full  fronts,  and  that  with  the  in- 
evitable box-pleat,  so  arranged  as  to  be  neat  and  close- 
fitting.  I  can  foresee  such  awful  developments  of  the 
former  sort  later  on  when  hot  weather  comes,  and 
floppy  blouses  are  supposed  to  be  cool.  I  am  sure  it 
is  only  supposition,  for  nothing  on  earth  makes  me 
hotter  than  having  a  lot  of  irrelevant  material  hanging 
about,  and  needing  bracing  in.  There  is  one  comfort 
about  the  new  blouses,  and  that  is,  that  they  have  all 
plain,  tight-fit  tin"'  backs.  How  horrid  is  the  round- 
shouldered  look  that  the  loose-backed  ones  give  to  their 
misguided  wearers. 

The  regulation  ribbon  belt  is  plain  in  front  and  hocks 


March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


201 


it 


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Interesting  Pamphlet  sent  free. 
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"  SANITAS  "  kills  all  Disease  Germs. 

"  SANITAS  "— "  Valuable  Antiseptic  and  Disinfectant."— 
"  SANITAS  " — "  Enjoys  general  favour." — Lancet 


Timet. 


CREME    DE  VIOLET 

FOR   THE    COMPLEXION    AND  SKIN. 

" Nadi.ve " in  "Our  Home" says— " For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  is  an 
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"  Medica.  "  in  "  Woman  "  says—"  It  will  soon  make  your  skin  as  soft  as  you  can  wish. 

"  Suzette"  in  "To-Day "  siiys—"  It  is  a  splendid  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  you 
will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  sltin  gradually  improve,  becoming 
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functions. 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is.  and  SJs,  G<1.  (see  that  the  signature— 
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Complexion  Treatments 

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It  makes  no  difference  to 
us  whether  yon  are  in  immediate  want  of  anything  we 
are  supplying  on  our  well-known  favourable  terms,  or 
whether  you  are  not.  In  either  case  we  shall  esteem  it  a 
favour  to  show  you,  in  black  and  white,  the  advantages 
we  are  able  to  offer  you,  and  which, 

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LARGEST   ENGLISH  WATCH 
MANUFACTURER, 


(NINE  ESTABLISHMENTS) 

97,  99,  101,  89  &  121.  Market  Street,)  MANCHESTFR 
Also  1  and  3  Marsden  Square,  J  MANLH^ibK. 

Ami  at  Rochdale  and  Bolton. 

Telegrams    "  Accurate,"  Manchester. 


BY  SIMPLY  PRESSING  THE  ORDINARY  SPRING  THE  UMBRELLA 


The  "HABILIS"  Patent  Self-Oping  Umbrella. 

The  "  HABILIS  "  is  designed  to  allow  of  its  being  opened  by  using  one  hand  only,  thus  avoiding  the 
inconvenience  experienced  in  opening  the  ordinary  umbrella,  of  being  compelled  to  use  both  hands,  whether 
free  or  not. 

There  has  long  been  a  demand  for  an  innovation  in  this  direction  and  various  efforts  have  been  made  to 
supply  it,  the  difficulties  of  weight,  complicated  action,  or  expense,  preventing  its  successful  accomplishment. 

The  <;  HABILIS  "  overcomes  these  difficulties,  being  perfectly  simple,  free  from  liability  of  getting  out 
of  order,  of  ordinary  weight  and  neatness,  and  moderate  cost. 

For  Ladies  especially  it  may  be  regarded  as  a  boon,  as  they  will  be  enabled  in  wet  and  muddy  weather 
to  open  the  umbrella  with  one  hand,  leaving  the  other  free  for  the  protection  of  the  dress. 

The  Habilis  is  obtainable  in  all  qualities  and  in  the  newest,  styles  of  Handles. 


202 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1895. 


at  the  back  with  four  loops,  two  standing  up  and  two 
hanging  down.  Instead  of  the  latter,  young  girls  wear 
long  ends.  There  is  no  end  to  the  varieties  of  fancy 
ribbons,  and  it  is  expected  that  gros-grain  will  rival 
satin  in  the  coming  summer.  The  gros-grain  is  the 
mora  economical.    It  wears  better. 

The  blouse  (sketched  at  Redmayne's)  is  in  shot  silk, 
cherry  colour  and  gold,  with  crescents  of  gold  all  over 
the  surface.  It  has  a  double  box-pleat  in  front,  but  is 
tight-fitting  at  the  back.  In  any  colour,  price  two 
guineas. 

The  toque  (sketched  at  Clematio's,  49,  Maddox  Street, 
W.)  is  in  palm  green  mohair  straw,  with  jet  wings, 
.haded  cyclamen,  and  black  osprey.  The  ruff,  also  a 
model  of  Clematio's,  is  in  black  net,  quilled  up,  and 
tipped  with  ostrich  feather. — Your  affectionate 

Susie. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Hilda. — I  found  the  very  recipe  you  asked  for  in  the 
Caterer.  You  will  find  it  in  our  Cookery  Column.  You  will 
find  the  "  Oberon "  spirit  cooker  exactly  what  you  want.  In 
most  of  those  in  which  methylated  spirit  is  the  medium  used 
for  producing  heat,  the  fault  is  that  the  container  is  so  shallow 
as  to  need  constant  replenishing ;  but,  in  the  "  Oberon,''  the 
container  is  elevated  above  the  level  of  the  cooker,  and,  by 
means  of  a  slender  tube,  is  conveyed  to  the  s:aucef  beneath  the 
kettle  or  stewpan.  By  lr.eans  of  a  very  ingenious  contriv- 
ance, the  flame  can  be  regulated  to  any  degree,  and  thus  food 
can  lie  kept  ho.  over  it  without  being  on  light  to  toiling  point. 
The  advantage  of  this  will  lie  immediately  apparent  to  those 
Who,  like  yourself,  liavc  to  keep  an  invalid's  beef-tea '  hot 
v,  ithout  the  waste  involved  in  king  boiling.  There  is  no  wick 
to  become  charred  and  need  constant  renewing.  It  is  capital 
I'm'  shaving. 

Sissy.  —  You  might  have  a  full  evening  bodice  of  scarlet  satin 
sovered  with  jet  soquined  net  and  a  wide  belt  of  scarlet  satin 


ribbon  ;  no  basque.  The  black  satin  skirt  must  be  very  neatly 
fastened,  and  held  up  by  means  of  a  skirt-holder.  Let  the 
sleeves  be  made  with  stiff'  epaulets  of  the  satin,  shaped  like  the 
peak  of  a  jockey's  cap,  and  with  a  deep  double  frill  of  the  jet- 
sequined  red  net  falling  over  them.  Or  have  the  sleeves  of  bro- 
cade, either  ivory  ground  with  red  flowers  or  a  sort  of  mixture 
in  which  these  colours  play  a  part.  The  prettiest  bodices  for 
girls  are  made  of  silk  with  pleats  of  silk  muslin,  chiffon  or 
tulle  arranged  upon  them  perpendicularly,  and  double  frills  of 
the  same  round  the  shoulders,  and  a  single  frill  finishing  the 
sleeves.  The  belt  should  be  white  satin  ribbons.  I  saw  a 
pretty  one  the  other  evening  finished  with  a  ruche  of  hyacinths 
round  the  top. 

Cookery  Column. 

W.  K.  D.  writes: — I  note  your  reply  to  "Jeannette"  in 
current  issue  of  Tii-Day.  The  secret  of  making  good  coffee  is, 
like  everything  els",  very  simple  when  you  know  how  it  is 
dene.  Firstly,  you  must  buy  <jtn>il  coffee  ;  secondly,  yon  must  buy 
ii  in  the  green  berry;  thirdly,  you  must  roast  every  morning 
sufficient  for  the  day's  consumption  ;  or,  if  this  is  incon- 
venient, say  twice  a  week  for  the  semi-weekly  allowance; 
fourthly,  you  must  grind  enough  for  the  meal — breakfast, 
lunch,  etc. — just  before  making  your  coffee,  and  a  "grinder," 
or  coffee-mill,  can  be  bought  foi  a  few  shillings  ;  fifthly,  you 
must  pour  boiling  water  over  the  ground  coffee  ;  half  a  pint  to 
each  tea  or  dessert  spoonful,  according  to  whether  the  "  brew  " 
is  wanted  strong  or  weak.  You  must  cover  closely,  and  keep 
at  a  few  degrees  below  boiling  point  for  from  five  to  seven 
minutes,  and  your  coffee  is  ready  to  pour  out.  It  will,  indeed,  be 
coffee  ;  not  the  nauseous  stuff  which  too  many  of  the  boule- 
vard cafes  give  you,  but  the  fragrant  and  delicious  beverage 
which  the  bourgeois  bonne  makes,  and  which  can  still  ba 
•btained  at  one  or  two  of  the  old-fashioned  cafes  near  the  Pont  St. 
Michel,  in  the  Quartier  loved  by  the  students  of  old. 
That  coney  in  cream,  of  which  you  wrote,  is  a  heavenly  dish  ; 
lint  the  novice,  who  has  never  made  it  before,  would  find  your 
directions  insufficient.  You  do  not  give  directions  for  jointing 
the  bunny,  and  reserving  the  inferior  parts  for  the  sauce 
montee;  you  forget  the  cream,  in  which  the  prime  parts  are  to 
be  stewed,  requires  judicious  flavouiing;  and  finally,  the 
garniture  of  the  dish,  its  chief  charm,  is  altogether  ignored." 


T  THE  SOAP  FOR  YOUR  BATH. 


IT  FLOATS!!  [ 

Is  it  not  most  annoying,  when  having  a  bath,  to  lose  1 
the  soap  or  to  find  you  have  left  it  wasting  in  the  water?  [ 
Neither  will  happen  with  "IVY"  Soap,  which  is  always 
in  sight  floating  on  the  surface.    Children  are  no  longer 
any  trouble  on   "Bath  Night'"  when  "IVY"  Soap  is 
used — they  are  so  delighted  to  see  it  sailing  on  ti  e  water. 

"IVY"  Soap  is  a  beautiful,  white,  "Milky"  Soap, 
hard  and  very  lasting.  Guaranteed  pure  and  free  from 
irritating  Chemicals.  Gives  a  creamy  lather,  and  is 
SPI j:\niD  FOR  WASHING  Laces,  Prints,  Fine 
I'lidi-n  lothing,  anil  all  delicate  goods,  the  colour  and 
text nre  of  which  suffer  damage  from  common  soaps. 


LARGE 
DOUBLE  CAKE. 


Ask  your  Grocer  for  "IVY"  Soap.    If  any  difficulty,  we  will  send  you  Three 
Cakes  in  a  handy  box,  carriage  paid,  on  receipt  of  your  Address  and  Twelve 
Stamps  or  Is.  Postal  Order. 


G.  W.  GOODWIN  &  SON 

ORDSALL  LANE. 

MANCHESTER. 


March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


203 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 

The  other  night  I  picked  up  a  evenm'  piper  as  'ad 
sin  lift  in  my  'bus,  and  theer  I  read  as  them  docters  is 
reg'lar  turned  rarnd  on  the  subjic'  of  early  risin'. 
They  syes  nar  as  it  ain't  'ealthy,  and  yer  didn't  ought 
fur  to  do  it.  Ah,  theer's  chinges  goin'  on  all  ararnd  us 
nar-a-dyes.  Whort  man  alive  ever  'raid  before  of  any 
docter  syin'  as  anythink  enjyable  could  posserbly  be 
good  fer  yer?  Beer — give  it  up!  'Baccer — storp  it 
orf  !  Chuck  ev'rythink  as  yer  feels  any  tiste  fur,  an' 
feed  yerself  on  bloomin'  pills.  Thet  yoosed  ter  be  the 
line  as  they  took.  Well,  yer  see,  they're  comin'  rarnd 
nar.  And,  mawk  my  wuds,  as  fur  as  this  'ere 
early  risin'  is  concerned,  they're  backin'  the  right 
'onre.  I've  tried  early  risin'  —  'ad  ter  try  it,  'cos 
when  I  was  a  boy  1  got  the  strap  if  I  didn't — 
and  I  tell  yer  it's  a  wrong  'un.  Onless  yer  'as 
yer  stumuiick  full  o'  sleep — awskin'  yer  pawdon  fur 
the  familyarity  o'  them  wuds — yer  ain't  no  yoose  at  all. 
'Ankiri  minetines  as  six  'ors  sleep  is  enough  fur  any 
man.  I  'as  no  pyshunce  with  sich  talk.  I  says  ter  'im, 
says  I,  "And  whort  might  you  be  nar?  As  fur  as  I 
knaws  you're  one  man,  of  the  nimeof  'Ankin,  and  don't 
yar  mistake  yourself  fur  the  bloomin'  yooniverse,  a-lyin' 
darn  yar  rooles  and  reggilishuns  fur  ev'rybody."  Why, 
it's  pline  common-sinse.  The  only  man  as  knows  W 
much  sleep  any  man  wornts  is  the  man  as  wornts  it. 
Still,  'o  course,  'Ankin  went  on  with  'is  argyin'.  'Ankin's 
'Ankin.  If  'e  didn't  berlieve  as  'e  was  right  and  hev'ry- 
body  else  wrong,  'e  wouldn't  be  'isself.  But  'arrever 
I'm  glad  ter  see  as  the  docters  iscomeraund  ter  my  wye 
o'  thinkin'  abart  early  risin'.    'Ere's  luck  to  'em  ! 

More  noose  of  Jibez,  I  sees.  Good  old  Jibez  Belfoor! 
'E's  kep'  the  telygrawft-wdres  busy  a  goodish  time,  'e  as. 
Fust  it's  one  thing  an'  then  it's  another,  and  then  both 


of  'em  git  corntradicted  and  yer  stawt  over  agin.  I'll 
berlieve  we've  gort  'im  when  I  sees  'im  and  nort 
afore.  Yer  cawnt  deny  as  friend  Jibez  is  a  man 
of  talinks.  Theer  is  diffrunt  talinks ;  theer  is  the 
talink  as  comes  art  in  the  shipe  o'  poytry;  theer's  'Ankin's 
talink  fur  gassin'  ararnd  gin'rally  ;  theer's  all  sorts.  I 
knowed  a  man  myself  as  yer  might  a'  thought  reg'lar 
stoopid  if  yer  'adn't  plyed  a  gime  o'  skittles  with  'im  ;  if 
yer  'ad,  yer  knoo  whort  'is  speshal  talink  was.  Nar, 
with  Jibez  it  tikes  the  form  of  all-rarnd  slip'riness.  E's 
a  beauty  !  E's  a  disy  !  And  it  ain't  only  slip'riness 
either  ;  'e  'as  sech  a  bloomin'  cheek  with  it  tew.  'Ave 
yer  read  'is  letters  ?  Do  yer  mind  thet  book  as  'e  were 
goin'  ter  write,  sell  millyings  and  milljdngs  of  copies, 
and  pye  the  Liberitor  victims  art  o'  the  proceeds  ? 
Cheek's  no  wud  fur  it.  'E  feerly  tikes  the  cike,  does 
Jibez.  I  cawnt  'awdly  'elp  admirin'  o'  'im.  But  then 
I  'adn't  no  money  in  the  Liberitor.  Thet's  the  best  of 
'avin  no  money  ter  put  anywheer.  Yer  cawnt  put  it 
wheer  yer  didn't  ought. 

The  other  dye  a  man  as  lived  in  a  flat  brought  a  com- 
plinte  ter  the  police-court  with  regawd  to  'is  bein'  kep' 
awike  o'  nights  by  the  man  whort  'ad  the  flat  over  'im 
snorin'  like  a  prize  ox.  They  couldn't  do  nuthink  fur 
the  pore  feller — couldn't  give  'im  no  summons  against 
anybody,  nor  nutthink  else.  Snorin'  ain't  a  crime,  and 
so  'e's  jest  gort  ter  grin  an'  bear  it.  It  sims  a  'awd 
kise,  but  I  knows  o'  a  'awder,  which  were  a  cousing  o' 
mine.  'E  used  ter  snore  sutthink  crool ;  it  were  a 
reg'lar  misforchun  to  'im.  It  gort  wus  and  wus,  until 
'e  snored  so  'ard  'e  yoosed  ter  wike  'isself  up,  and  that's 
the  truth.  The  momunt  'e  went  orf  ter  sleep,  'e'd 
begin  ter  snore,  and  the  momunt  'e  begun  ter  snore  'e 
woke  'isself  up  with  the  noise  o'  it.  'E  was  a  patful 
snorer,  yer  see.  'E  yoosed  ter  keep  the  'ole  street  awike. 
Well,  whort  with  it  preyin'  on  'is  mind,  and  'im  gettin' 
no  sleep,  'e  went  balmy  in  the  nut,  and  thet  were  the 
end  of  'im. 


TON'S  TEAS  Mm  BEST 

AND  THE    LARGEST    SALE    IN    THE  WORLD. 


Ttf  CONTROLS  THE  TEA 


MARKET. 


UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 


Has  paid  in  duty  for 
his  week's  clearance 
of  Tea  the  largest 
cheque  ever  received 
by  Her  Majesty's 
Customs,  London, 
viz.  : 

<£35,3S5;9s.  2d. 

This  represents  over 
one  half  of  the 
average  weekly  pay- 
ments for  duty  paid 
by  the  entire  Tea 
Trade  on  the  whole 
of  the  Tea  imported 
into  Great  Britain. 


LIFT 


EA  MERCHANT 

s*«.C«M-APPO,Nr 


Her  ma.) 


THE  QUEEN. 


LIPTON'S  TEAS  gained 
THE  HIGHEST  and  ONLY 
AWABD  in  the  BEITISH 
SECTION  at  the  WORLD  S 
FAIR,  CHICAGO. 


NOTE  THE  PRICES 


LIPTON 
UPTON 

The  Finest  Tea  T  TPTflN 

THE  WORLD  CAN^I  lUll 
PRODUCE 

Per  1/7  ib  LIPTON 
UPTON 
LIPTON 
LIPTON 


Rich,  Pure  &  Fragran 

Per  1/-  &  1/4-  lb 

A  ho  packed  in  5,  7,  and 
10  lb.  Patent  Fancy  Air- 
tight Cani*ters,anddctirrred, 
Carriage  Paid  .fur  an  extra 
Id.  per  lb.,  to  any  add  resit 
in  Great  Britain. 

Orders  by  Post  man  be 
addressed  to  the  Chief  Offices, 
Bath  Street,  London,  E.G. 


TEA  AND  COFFEE  PLANTER,  CEYLON. 

The  Largest  Tea,  Coffee,  and  Provision  Dealer  in  the  World. 


d  Coffee  Estates  in  Ceylon:  Darbbatenne,  LaVmastotte,  Mririerakande,  Muhadambatenne,  MousaKelle,  Pooprassie,  Hanagalla,  Gigra 
r  Thousands  of  Acres  ,.f  the  best  TEA  and  COFFEE  LA ND  in  Ceylon.   Ceylon  Tea  and  Coffee  Shipping  Warehouses:  lladdema  Mills';  Cinnamon 


clcl.ratcdTe 


Sole  Proprietor  of  the  followil 
nella,  and  Karaiolagalla,  whii ..  . 

Gardens,  Colombo.  Ceylon  Office  :  Upper  Chatham  Street,  I  'olomho.  Indian  Tea  .shipping  \\  arenouses  and  Export  Stores  :  Hal 
Square,  Calcutta.  Tea 'arid  Coffee  Sale  Rooms :  Mincing  Lane,  LONDON,  E.G.  Wholesale  Tea-Blending  and  Duty  Paid  stores:  1  ath  street  and  Cay 
and  Export  Stores:  Peerless  Street,  LONDON,  E.C.  Coffee  Poastine,  Blending  Stoic  -,  and  Essenee  Manufactory  :  old  street,  LONDON,  E.C. 
Warehouses:  Nelson  Place,  LONDON.  E.C.    Fruit  Preserye  Factory  :  Spa  Road,  Bermondsey,  LONDON,  S.E.   General  Offices:  Bath  Street,  LON1 


utta.  Indian  Offices:  Dalhousie 
in  SOeet,  LONDON,  E.C.  Bonded 
Wholesale  and  Export  Provision 
3N,  E.C. 


BRANCHES  EVERYWHERE.  AGENCIES  THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD. 

over  om:  million  packets  or  i.irrovs  tea  .sold  weekly  is  <;reat  Britain  alone. 


•204 


TO-DAY. 


Makch  23,  1S95. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


A  CHAT  WITH  MR.  GRANT  ALLEN  ABOUT 
"  THE  WOMAN  WHO  DID." 

Mr.  Grant  Allen,  who  is  an  old  customer  of  mine, 
had  promised  to  show  me  a  view  equal  to  anything 
south  of  Scotland  and  east  of  Somerset  if  I  would  call 
upon  him  at  his  home  at  Hindhead,  beyond  Haslemere. 
So  as  Saturday  is  a  very  slack  day  with  me,  my 
clientele  consisting  almost  entirely  of  business  men,  who 
scamper  out  of  the  City  the  very  moment  they  are  able 
on  Saturdays,  I  determined  to  give  myself  a  holiday 
and  take  him  at  his  word.  Not  to  make  a  long  story 
of  it,  the  day  turned  out  utterly  hopeless.  When  I 
reached  his  house  the  morning  was  so  misty  that  it  was 
impossible  to  see  that  it  stood  right  on  the  edge  of  the 
Devil's  Punch-Bowl.  It  might  just  as  well  have  been 
in  South  Kensington.  So  there  was  nothing  to  do  but 
go  and  sit  in  his  study  and  talk. 

Conversation  naturally  turned  on  "  The  Woman  Who 
Did,"  which  had  been  the  book  of  the  week  with  me. 
Mr.  Grant  Allen  said  :— "  It  has  been  very  generally 
taken  for  granted  that  this  is  the  suppressed  book — I 
never  said  so,  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  not.  The  sup- 
pressed book  was  written  three  years  earlier,  written, 
not  wholly  and  solely  to  suit  my  own  tastes  and 
wishes,  but  for  publication  by  a  very  particular  pub- 
lisher. This  one  I  wrote  entirely  for  myself,  whether 
it  should  be  published  or  not  published.  The  suppressed 
book  may  come  out  sooner  or  later,  the  original  publisher 
is  willing  to  bring  it  out.  It  will  be  under  a  different 
name  but  otherwise  quite  the  same. 

"  Many  have  talked  about  what  the  book  proved  or 
didn't  prove.  I'm  so  simple  and  scientific  that  it  did 
not  occur  to  me  that  a  work  of  art  proved  anything. 
Though  I  have  heard  a  Scotchman  urge  against 
'  Paradise  Lost'  that  it  proved  nothing,  I  didn't  expect 
to  hear  this  objection  in  England. 

"  I  could  very  easily  have  written  a  story  in  which 
things  should  come  out  all  right  for  my  pair  of  lovers. 
I  could  make  them  live  happily  for  ever,  but  that  wouldn't 
prove  anything,  except  that  I  thought  such  a  result 
possible.  My  characters  are  puppets  to  me ;  by 
pulling  strings  I  can  make  them  do  anything  cither 
way.  My  object  in  making  it  a  tragedy  was  that  I 
wanted  to  rouse  sympathy,  and  you  cannot  arouse 
sympathy  for  a  woman  who  is  unconventional  except  by 
a  tragic  end.' 

"You  say  that  this  is  not  the  suppressed  book?"  I 
saifl.     "  Bug  does  it  give  your  theory  on  the  subject?" 

"  A  good  many  have  talked,  "  he  replied,  "as  though 
one  ought  to  have  developed  a  theory  in  the  book.  I 
didn't  want  to  develop  anything,  I  wanted  to  make 
people  think.  I  have  a  theory  of  how  society  could  be 
re-organised,  and  a  very  definite  theory,  but  I  don't 
know  that  I  think  it  desirable  to  express  it  in  full, except 
in  a  definite  treatise — such  a  treatise  as  it  is  in  my  mind 
to  write  hereafter.  On  the  other  hand  several  objected. — • 
'  Why  write  this  in  novel  form  at  all.  Why  not  make 
a  dry  volume  of  it?'  My  answer  is,  I  want  to  get  at 
women,  and  especially  at  young  women  who  are  still 
plast  ic,  and  may  yet  be  susceptible  to  influence.  I  want 
tosay  to  these — '  Yourpurity,  of  which  you  makesomuch, 
is  an  artificial  product,  which  can  only  be  kept  up  at 
the  expense  of  unspeakable,  misery  to  thousands  of  other 
women  who  are  sacrificed  on  your  account.  Are  you 
prepared  to  go  calmly  on  without  heeding  that  sacrifice  ? 
Are  you  ready  to  let  these  poor  wretches  suffer  "and  die 
in  order  that  you  may  be  kept  as  good  marketable 
commodities  for  the  men  who  want  to  buy?' 

"  I  wrote  '  The  Woman  Who  Did  '  because  I  wanted  to 
appeal  directly  to  women.  If  a  man  wishes  to  address  the 
working-men  of  Bermondsey  on  a  question  of  labour 
and  capital,  it's  no  use  saying  to  him,  '  why  don't  you 
print    your    address  in    Latin ;   all    the  University 


graduates  in  Bermondsey  will  understand  it,  and  you 
won't  inflame  the  evil  passions  of  the  tan-yard  labourers 
and  the  draymen  against  their  masters  and  employers. 
To  inflame  them  is  just  what  he  wants  ;  and  w  hat  I 
want  is  to  make  women  think.  The  present  system  is 
to  tell  them  as  little  as  possible  of  the  facts  of  life, 
especially  when  they  are  young  and  when  some  good 
might  come  of  it.  Mrs.  Grundy  says,  '  Obscure  the  real 
issues.'  I  say,  '  Tear  down  the  veil  and  let  women  see  the 
whole  truth  and  choose  for  themselves  how  they  will 
act  accordingly.'  " 

"  It  is  not  true,  I  suppose,  that  the  book  was  dashed 
o.T  at  white  heat ;  and  that  there  are  things  in  it  that 
you  might  have  stated  differently  after  mature  delibera- 
tion?" 

"  Certainly  not.  No  pains  were  spared  in  the  making 
of  the  book.  I  had  the  idea  turning  over  in  my 
head  for  five  years  before  I  put  pen  to  paper.  There 
wasn't  an  idea  or  a  sentence,  or  even  a  phrase,  which 
I  did  not  weigh  over  and  over  again.  One  particular 
point  on  which  critics  almost  unanimously  lighted 
struck  me  by  surprise.  They  all,  or  nearly  all,  said  that  I 
had  made  Herminia  conceal  from  Dolly  the  fact  of  her 
illegitimacy  in  order  to  make  a  climax  to  the  story. 
Now,  I  don't  pretend  to  an  exceptional  delicacy  in  my 
feelings  of  what  a  young  girl  ought  or  ought  not  to  be 
told,  but  it  does  seem  to  me  simply  monstrous  to  sup- 
pose that  a  mother  would  tell  her  own  daughter  a 
personal  secret  of  such  momentous  importance  before 
the  daughter  was  of  an  age  fully  to  understand  it. 
Dolly,  you  must  remember,  was  only  seventeen.  It 
would  have  been  unwise  to  tell  the  secret  till  she  was  of 
an  age  to  enter  into  the  feelings  of  a  woman,  not  merely 
intellectually,  but  emotionally,  instinctively,  by  pure 
internal  knowledge.  It  never  even  occurred  to  me  that 
Herminia  could  tell  her  daughter  before  she  was 
twenty.  She  would  prepare  her  mind,  of  course,  but 
only  by  instilling  the  general  point  of  view  which  Dolly 
proved  quite  incapable  of  understanding. 

"  Another  interesting  point  of  criticism  to  my 
mind  was  the  almost  unanimous  way  in  which 
reviewers  insisted  that  Hermina  must  have  been 
able  to  influence  Dolly's  mind  and  to  secure 
her  affection.  This  shows  a  touching  faith  in  the 
power  of  a  good  mother  which  was  almost  obligatory  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  but  seems  to  me  absurdly  out  of  place  in 
the  nineteenth.  Novels  are  usually  written  in  accord- 
ance with  a  conservative  psychological  or  conventional 
idea  of  something  that  is  called  the  interaction  of  char- 
acters. This  is  all  purely  d,  priori  and  also  false.  I  have 
written  a  dozen  novels  on  a  conventional  basis,  and  full 
of  false  psychology  ;  nobody  ever  took  the  trouble  to  say 
so.  I  write  one  in  which  I  make  everybody's  motives  as 
true  to  life  as  I  can  in  the  teeth  of  convention,  and 
everybody  says  it  isn't  true." 

"  Have  you  any  objection  to  giving  me  the  outlines  of 
your  system? " 

"No,  I  suppose  not.  I  should  say  myself  every 
adult,  man  and  woman,  ought  naturally  to  form 
a  union  of  affection  at  the  moment  when  such 
unions  are  normally  possible.  If  this  were  the 
rule  we  should  have  neither  celibacy  nor  the 
social  evil.  Get  rid  of  mediaeval  preconceptions  and  our 
problem  solves  itself.  No  young  man  innocently 
beginning  life  would  take  by  preference  to  vulgar  vice 
if  he  could  blamelessly  and  openly  form  such  a  union 
with  a  woman  he  loved  and  the  woman  who  loved  him." 

As  I  was  hurrying  off  to  catch  my  train,  Mr.  Grant 
Allen  said  to  me,  "  To  put  it  in  a  nutshell  I  might  say 
that  my  objection  is  not  to  marriage,  but  to  making  a 
fetish  of  marriage,  and  exacting  penalties  from  those 
who  think  otherwise.  Of  course,  any  reform  must  come 
very  slowly,  for  one  has  first,  to  inlluence  opinion.  What 
I  wish  to  insist  on  is  that  instead  of  being  a  subject  not 
to  be  discussed,  this  subject  has  to  be  discussed  like  any 
other." 


March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


205 


REMINISCENCES    OF     THE  LATE 
MR.  CORNEY  GRAIN. 


By  the  death  of  Mr.  Corney  Grain  and  Mr.  German 
Reed,  what  has  become  practically  a  national  institu- 
tion seems  for  the  moment  absolutely  eclipsed.  Within 
a  few  days  of  one  another,  the  son  of  the  founder  of  the 
German  Reed  Entertainments  and  his  most  famous 
coadjutor  have  passed  away. 

Mr.  Corney  Grain,  notwithstanding  his  many 
imitators,  stood  alone  to  the  end  as  a  monologue  artist, 
and  his  particular  public  regarded  him  in  the  light 
of  an  indispensable  friend,  as  well  as  an  entertainer. 
He  constantly  received  the  most  extraordinary  letters 
from  members  of  his  audience,  suggesting  new  sketches, 
and  telling  him  funny  stories  with  a  view  to  his  making 
use  of  them.  Strangely  enough  he  never  found  any  of 
these  of  the  slightest  value  in  his  work. 

On  one  occasion,  when  long  skirts  were  the  fashion, 
he  used  to  sing  a  song  "My  Lady's  Train,"  which  was 
universally  popular.  One  of  his  auditors,  however, 
seemed  to  take  the  good-natured  chaff  to  herself,  for 
she  wrote  him  a  furious  letter,  winding  up  with  the 
words :  "  I  can't  imagine  how  you  dare  sing  such  a  song  ; 
I  can  only  attribute  it  to  the  supposition  that  in  your 
long-passed  youth  you  were  well  snubbed  by  a  lady ! " 

For  many  years  after  he  had  become  the  leading 
entertainer  of  the  day,  people  entirely  refused  to  believe 
in  the  reality  of  his  quaint  patronymic  ;  yet  among  his 
most  valued  treasures  was  a  quaint  harpsichord,  once 
the  property  of  the  Miss  Corney  who  brought  her  good 
old  Yorkshire  name  into  the  Grain  family. 

Apropos  of  his  odd  name  is  the  following,  I  believe 
in  mblished,  otory : — On  one  occasion  two  elderly 
ladies  received  an  invitation  to  an  afternoon  party,  and 
on  the  corner  of  the  card  was  written  "  Corney  Grain." 
"I  wonder  what  that  can  mean?"  said  the  one  sister  to 
the  other.  "Do  you  think  we  ought  to  go?"  "My 
dea.r  Priscilla,"  she  answered,  "the  warm  weather  is 
coming  on,  and  this  probably  indicates  some  new  kind 
of  summer  drink !  "    Nothing  was  more  common  than 

for  him  to  be  addressed  "  ,  Esq.,''  his  supposed 

pseudonym  following  in  brackets. 

Corney  Grain  took  infinite  pains  over  the  preparation 
of  each  of  his  sketches,  and  when  evolving  an  apparently 
light  trifle  out  of  his.  inner  consciousness,  he  would  prac- 
tice for  hours  in  the  charming,  old-fashioned  drawing- 
room  of  his  house  in  Weymouth  Street.  There,  close  to 
the  grand  piano — the  most  faithful  and  least  disappoint- 
ing of  his  friends — hung  some  fine  drawings  by  one  of 
his  intimates,  "  Spy,"  of  Vanity  Fair. 

He  would  often  carry  about  the  idea  of  a  sketch  during 
several  years  before  finding  time  to.  elaborate  the  initial 
thought;  occasionally  he  satirised  some  passing  fad  or 
craze  of  the  day,  but  generally  he  relied  on  his  songs 
for  topical  and  up-to-date  matter. 

Unlike  most  dramatists — for  dramatist  he  was,  and 
in  a,  very  real  sense  of  the  term — Mr.  Grain  kept  no 
notebook.  He  had  a  very  retentive  memory,  and  a 
few  mems  jotted  down  on  the  backs  of  envelopes  or  any 
other  scrap  of  paper  which  came  handy  at  the  moment 
would  suggest  to  him  months  later  a  whole  train  of  ideas 
and  jokes.  On  the  other  hand,  he  was  scrupulously 
honourable  and  high-minded.  Never  did  lie  caricature 
or  "take  off"  living  personalities,  and  he  frequently  re- 
frained from  making  use  of  a  humourous  incident  for 
fear  it  might,  annoy  or  pain  those  concerned  in  it. 

Though  himself  so  strikingly  successful  in  the  pro- 
fession which  he  may  be  said  to  have  created — for,  with 
the  exception  of  old  John  Parry,  no  one  had  ever  even 
attempted  the  kind  of  one-man  entertainment  now  so 
familiar  to  us  all — Mr.  Grain  did  not  recommend  young 
actors  and  reciters  to.  follow  in  his  footsteps.  I  remem- 
ber he  once  gave  me  a  telling  account  of  the  difficulties, 
disappointments,  and  manifold  worries  which  beset  the 
path  of  even  a  popular  entertainer.  "  No  man,"  he  con- 
cluded, "  can  succeed  at  my  kind  of  work  unless  he  can 


write  his  own  sketches  and  songs."  As  may  easily  be 
imagined,  various  of  his  musical  compositions  were 
constantly  "borrowed,"  and  even  tranposed  into  other 
sketches.  His  own  favourite  among  the  sixty  odd 
entertainments  of  the  kind  he  originated  was  one  en- 
titled "  Poor  Piano,"  and  of  his  songs,  "  The  Old  Couple's 
Polka."  M.  A.  13. 


The  SUBSCRIPTION  LIST  for  London    will   CLOSE  TO-MORROW 

(WEDNESDAY),  the  20th  March,  and  for  the  Country  at  mid-day  on 

THURSDAY,  the  21st  of  March,  1895. 
The  Company  proposes  to  commence  its  first  season  at  the  Royal  Co  irt 

Theatre  on  or  about  the  20th  day  of  April  next,  with  a  new  play  and  a 

powerful  company. 
Applications  for  Debentures  and  Sha-es  should  be  sent  to  the  City  Bank, 

Threadneedle  Street,  E.G. ;  or,  Knightsbridge  Branch.  Sloane  .St.,  S.W. 

THE  COURT  THEATRE  of  LUNDON  (Limited;, 
Share  Capital   £50,000 

Divided  into  50,000  Shares  of  £1  each. 

Fhst  Mortgage  5  per  cent.  Debentures    25,000 

Divided  into  500  Debentures  of  £50  each. 


Total  £75,000 

The  Debentures  will  be  secured  by  a  first  charge  on  the  valuable 
premises  known  as  the  Court  Theatre,  held  for  a  term  a  hereof  over  70 
years  are  unexpired,  and  will  be  repayable  at  par  on  the  31st  March,  1015, 
but  redeemable  earlier  at  the  option  of  the  Company  at  a  premium  of  £5 
per  cent,  on  six  months'  notice.  The  interest  will  be  payable  half-yearly 
on  the  31st  March  and  30th  September  in  each  year.  The  first  half-yearly 
payment  will  be  made  on  the  30th  September,  1805. 

ISSUE  of  50,000  SHARES  of  £1  each  (of  which  upwards  of  10,000  have 
already  been  subscribe  1  by  the  Directors  and  their  friends).  Payable— 
2s.  6d.  on  Application,  7s  6d.  on  Allotment,  and  the  balance  w  ithin  fourteen 
days  after  Allotment 

Of  the  above  Debentures,  £10,000  have  already  been  subscribed,  and  tl  e 
BALANCE  of  £15,000,  in'300  DEBENTURES  of  £50  each,  is  OFFERKn 
for  SUBSCRIPTION  atpir,  payable  £5  per  Debenture  on  appplical  i  n  and 
the  balance  of  £45  per  Debenture  within  fourteen  days  after  Allotnif  lit. 
Trustees  for  the  Debenture  Holders.— The  International  Trustee, 

Assets  and  Debenture  Corporation  (T.invted),  Billiter  Buildings,  E.G. 
DIRECTORS. 

ARTHUR  W.  PINERO,  Esq  ,  63,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.W.,  Chainuiin. 
Sir  ARTHUR  SULLIVAN,  Queen's  Mansions,  Victoria  St.eet,  S.W. 
HERBERT    BENNETT.  Esq.,  175,  Sloane    Street,     S. W.,'Direaor  oi 

Harrod's  Stoips  (Limited). 
.  ARTHUR  CHUDDEIGH,  Esq.,  Court  Theatre. 

*  Will  join  the  Board  after  Allotment. 
Bankers— The  City  Bank  (Limited). 
SOLICITOR— ARTHUR  B.  CHUBB,  Esq.,  6,  John  St'eet,  Adelphi 
Brokers-  Messrs. R.  B.  SMITH  AND  CO,  10,  Throgmorton  Avenue  E.G., 
and  Stock  Exchange. 
Secretary— Mr.  A.  S.  DUNN. 
Offices— The  Court  Theatre,  Sloane  Square,  London,  S.W. 

ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  his  been  foimedforthe  purpo.se  of  acquiring  the  giouml 
leases  of  the  Royal  Court  Theatre,  in  Sloane  Square,  London,  S.W. , 
together  with  the  sceneries,  properties,  furniture,  and  stage  accessories, 
and  goodwill  of  the  Theatre. 

The  leases  of  the  Theatre,  which  are  held  direct  from  the  Freeholders, 
are  for  terms  whereof  upwards  of  seventy  years  r,  main  unexpired,  at  the 
low  ground  rents  of  £285  a  year  in  all,  subject  only  to  a  further  rent- 
charge  of  £50  a  year. 

The  holding  capacity  when  full  is  over  £200  per  night. 

The  Directors  are  all  well  known,  and  their  names  afford  a  sufficient 
guarantee  that  the  business  of  the  Company  will  be  under  competent 
management.  Mr.  Arthur  Chudleigh  has  consented  to  act  as  Managing 
Director. 

The  interest  on  £'25,000  Debentures  will  amount  to  the  sum  of  £1 ,250  oily 
per  annum,  whereas  the  least  rental  value  of  the  Theatre  should  be  £4,00  I 
per  annum.  After  payment  of  the  Debenture  interest  and  rent,  all  the  net; 
profits  will  be  devisible  amongst  the  shareholders,  and  it  may  be  fairly  es- 
timated that  substantial  dividends  will  be  earned. 

Mr.  Arthur  Chudleigh  is  the  vendor  and  promoter,  and  (in  order  to  ac- 
quire all  outstanding  inteiestf)  has  fixed  the  purchase  price  for  the  lease, 
scenery,  furniture,  stage  accessories,  and  goodwill,  and  also  the  benefit  of 
various  existing  arrangements  with  authors  and  artists  at  £60,0'  0.  to  be 

{laid  as  to  £17,000  in  cash  or  shaies  at  the  option  of  the  directors,  and  the 
>alance  in  cash,  and  the  vendor  undertakes  to  pay  all  expenses  nf  the  for- 
mation a  nd  registration  of  the  Company.  This  will  leave  £15, 01 0  available 
for  working  capital. 

There  are  contracts  besides  those  particularly  mentioned  b«'ow  which 
Mr.  Chudleigh  has  from  time  to  time  made  in  connection  with  the  business 
carried  on  by  him  at  the  Royal  Court  Theatre,  many  of  which  aie  still  Sub- 
sisting, but  these  are  too  numerous  to  specify,  and  applicants  for  shares 
must  be  taken  to  have  notice  of  them,  and  to  have  waived  further  com- 
pliance with  the  provisions  of  the  Companies  Act,  1867. 
The  following  agreements  have  also  been  or  will  be  made  : — 

(1)  An  agreement  dated  the  27th  of  December,  1894,  between  Joe  George 
Calthorp,  of  the  one  part,  and  Sidney  Marler,  of  the  other  part,  and  an 
agreement  dated  the  13th  day  of  March,  1305,  endorsed  thereon,  and  made 
between  Sidney  Marler,  of  the  one  part,  and  Arthur  Chudleigh,  of  the  other 
part,  together  with  a  utter  dated  the  11th  day  of  March,  1895. 

(2)  An  agreement  dated  the  27th  December,  1894,  between  Matilda  Char- 
lotte Wood,  of  the  one  part,  and  Arthur  Chudleigh,  of  the  other  part, 
together  with  a  letter  dated  the  1st  day  of  March,  1895. 

(3)  An  agreement  dated  13th  March,  1895,  between  Arthur  Chudleigh,  of 
the  "ne  part,  and  Herbert  Royal,  as  trustee  for  the  ConipaDy,  of  the  other 
part. 

There  are  in  addition  various  contracts  already  made  or  in  the  course  of 
being  made  between  Mr.  Chudleigh  and  certain  persons  for  the  under 
writ  ng  of  the  capital  of  the  company,  whereof  applicants  for  shares  shall 
be  deemed  to  have  notice,  and  whereof  they  shall  be  deemed  to  ha  ve  waived 
the  right  to  further  particulars.  The  directors,  besides  subscribing  for 
shares,  are  in  consideration  of  their  services,  receiving  other  shares  from 
the  vendor. 

Copies  of  the  memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association  of  the  Company, 
of  the  leases  from  the  freeholders,  of  the  form  of  debenture  bond  and  trust 
deed  to  secure  the  debentures,  and  the  said  agreement  between  Mr.  Chud- 
lei"'-  and  thf  fustcn  for  the  Company  may  be  seen  at  the  offi.es  of  the 
solicitor  of  the  Company. 

Full  Prospectuses  and  forms  of  application  can  be  obtained  of  t  he  City 
Bank  (Limited),  Threadneedle  Street,  EC,  or  at  the  Knightsbridge  Branch 
of  that  Bank  in  Sloane  Street,  S.W.  ;  of  the  solicitor,  Mr.  A.  15.  (  hubb,  6, 
John  Street,  Adelphi ;  of  the  Brokers,  Messrs.  R.  B.  Smith  and  Co.,  10, 
Throgmorton  Avenue,  E  C.  ;  and  at  the  office  of  the  Company,  at  the 
Court  Theatre,  in  Sloane  Square,  S.W. 


206 


TO-DAY. 


Makch  23,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


CENTRAL  PACIFICS- 

Sir  Rivers  Wilson's  report  has  sent  up  the  price  of  these 
shares  several  points,  and  it  is  generally  accepted  as  encouraging 
to  British  holders.  The  arrangement  under  which  the 
Southern  Pacific  guarantees  a  small  dividend  for  a  couple  of 
years  has  been  the  main  factor  in  producing  the  more  hopeful 
feeling,  but  after  all  this  guarantee  is  a  small  matter.  The 
pressing  question  for  stockholders  is  whether  Congress  caii  be 
induced  to  extend  the  time  for  the  payment  of  the  debt  due 
to  the  Government.  Everything  hinges  upon  that,  and  unless 
the  extension  can  be  secured  the  promised  guarantee  will  be 
of  small  value.  What,  then,  does  Sir  Rivers  Wilson  say  upon 
this  crucial  point  ? 

The  most  that  Sir  Rivers  Wilson  allows  himself  to  say  is  that 
"  the  constitution  of  the  new  Congress  which  assembles  next 
December  promises  a  better  prospect  of  a  settlement  of  the  ques- 
tion, and  it  is  eonfidsntly  expected   that  it  will  be  dealt,  with 
at  as  early  a  period  as  possible  after  Congress   meets."  Con- 
fidently expected.     Not   more  confidently,   we  venture  to  say, 
than  it  was    expected  that  the  Reilly  Bill  would  pass.  Sir 
Rivers  Wilson  tells  us  that  the  referring  back  that  Bill  to  the 
Pacific  Railroads  Committee  "was  generally  unexpected."  We 
question  that.    We  think   Sir  Rivers  Wilson  underrates  the 
hostile  feeling  with  which  the  advocates  of  that  Bill   had  to 
reckon.    It  was  referred  back  on  February  2,  and  as  some 
indicationof  the  feeling  in  San  Francisco  we  give  below  copy  of 
a  letter  before  us  dated  from  that  city  on  January  22,  1895,  and 
signed  by  the  secretary  of  the  Anti-Funding  Bill  Committee  :  — 
We  write  you  hurriedly  to  request  and  urge  that  a  mass  meeting  be 
called  in  your  city  for  Saturday  or  Monday  night,  to  protest  against  the 
Reilly  Funding  Bill.   Now  is  the  critical  time.    Comuess  is  "about  to 
act  on  this  infamous  measure.   Protests  should  go  by  telegraph  from 
all  the  principal  cities  of  the  State.    We  will  hold  onehere. 

A  few  thousand  dodgers  will  get  a  big  crowd  on  twenty-four  Hours' 
notice  onlthis  important  subject.  Men  who  signed  the  petition  will 
generally  attend  to  help  make  it  a  success,  and  contribute  enough  to 
pay  the  small  expense. 

We  hope  you  realise  the  great  importance  of  immediate  action  on 
this  suggestion,  and  that  you  will  secure  the  co-operation  of  some 
friends,  and  push  it  through  to  success.  See  the  San  Francisco  morning 
papers  of  the  19th,  which  contain  our  latest  efforts  in  this  matter. 
Inform  us  what  you  decide,  and  please  go  ahead  without  delay. 

The  suggested  action  was  taken,  the  protests  had  the  desired 
effect,  and  the  Reilly  Bill  was  virtually  thrown  out  on  February 
2nd. 

A  correspondent  who  has  been  for  ten  years  resident  in  the 
States,  and  is  specially  familiar  with  the  financial  aspects  of  the 
Central  Pacific  question,  past  and  present,  writes  to  us  as 
follows  :— ' 

What  are  the  prospects  of  the  Central  Pacific  worth  ? 
This  road  owes  the  United  States  Government  47,000,009  dols. 
The  road  could  be  duplicated  for  25,000,000  dols. 
The  debt  is  now  due. 

Congress  practically  has  refused  to  extend  it.  A  petition  signed 
by  310,000  voters  in  17  States  was  presented  to  Congress  this  Session 
protesting  against  the  extension  of  the  debt. 

The  people  of  California  and  many  other  States  are  bitterly  opposed 
to  the  extension. 

Mr.  Collis  P.  Huntingdon,  who  is  president  of  the  road,  and  who  is 
asking  Congress  to  extend  the  debt,  was  denounced  in  the  report  of  a 
special  Congressional  Commission  made  in  1887  on  the  finances  of  this 
road  as  having  made  2o,00(i,oo0  dols.  by  corruption  and  jobbery  out  of 
the  Government  in  connection  with  the  road. 

This  report  was  reprinted  by  the  people  of  California  last  October 
and  100,000  copies  circulated  over  the  States. 

Public  feeling  in  politics  is  intensely  opposed  to  the  extension  of  the 
debt.  It  is  an  issue  in  the  election  of  all  the  pub  ic  officers  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  liability  of  shareholders  is  illustrated  by  the  fait  that  the 
T'nited  States  Government  has  attached  the  estate  of  the  late 
Leland  Stanford,  who  was  formerly  president  of  the  road. 

The  charter  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Compa  ny , which"pi'oposes 
to  guarantee  interest  on  the  shares  expires  in  1911.   The  State  of 
California  will  refuse  to  renew  it,  as  a  very  strong  feeling  against  the 
road  prevails  all  over  California. 
Taken  with  the  very   guarded  statements  of  Sir  Rivers 
Wilson,  these  letters  should  convince  readers  interested  in 
the  matter  that  it  is  extremely  unlikely  that  the  new  Congress 
will  be  willing  to  extend  the  debt.    We  advise  our  readers  not 
to  touch  Central  Pacifies. 

THE    CALDERBANK    STEEL    AND     COAL  COM 
PANY,  LIMITED- 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  at  the  general  meeting  of  the 
London  and  Northern  Assets  Company  the  chairman  did 
not  give  any  sufficient  explanation  of  the  difference  between  the 
board  and  its  auditors  as  to  the  value  of  the  securities  held  by 
the  corporation.  Something,  indeed  a  good  deal,  was  said  by 
Mr.  Maclean  about  the  value  put  upon  the  shares  held  by  tl^* 
.corporation  in  the  Calderbauk  Steel  Company  and,  Mr.  Maclean 
expressed  himself  as  confident  that  the  view  taken  by  the 


directors  would  prove  to  be  the  correct  one.  But  that  opinion 
was  questioned,  and  it  may  be  useful,  therefore,  to  give  the  facts 
as  to  the  present  position  of  the  company. 

The  latest  quotations  of  Calderbank  shares  are,  Ordinary,  10s. 
Preference,  £2  10s.  Upon  this  basis  the  realisable  value  of  the 
corporation's  holding  would  work  out  as  below  : — 

£     s.  d. 

1,128  Ordinary  shaies            ..'      ..      £C4  0  0 
565  Prefeience  1,412  10  0 

In  all   £1.970  10  0 

or  a  loss  to  the  corporation  of  =615,903  10s.  But  the  prices  we 
have  given  are  very  nominal.  No  Scotch  investor  would  think 
of  buying  at  these  prices.  If  forced  for  sale  it  is  not  likely  that 
the  Company's  holding  would  realise  more  than  £1,5001 

At  what  are  these  shares  valued  in  the  corporation  books?  If 
at  anything  over  £1,500  it  is  a  fancy  valuation. 

Then  we  have  the  London  and  Northern  Debenture  Corpora- 
tion, whose  business  should  be  dealings  in  debentures,  holding 
1,127  Ordinary  Shaies  and  57<>  Preference.  Thus  the  holdings  of 
the  two  Companies  are  together  of  the  nominal  value  of  £33,!  <  0, 
but  have  a  market  value  at  the  present  time  of  only  =C3,965. 

Mr.  Maclean  fell  back  upon  the  usual  plea,  namely,  that 
the  securities  are  not  generally  in  the  balance-sheet  brought  to 
the  market  figures  of  the  day,  because  they  fluctuate  so  much, 
and  if  really  less  in  value  than  those  in  the  balance-sheet  the 
ensuing  year  will  bring  them  all  right.  But  this  forecast  of 
happy  things  to  come  will  hardly  apply  here.  It  is  much  to  be 
feared  that  the  ordinary  shareholders  will  get  little  or  nothing  out 
of  the  concern.  The  close  of  the  current  year  (June  30th)  mav 
well  see  a  reconstruction,  or  a  wiping  out  scheme  of  some  kind. 

Roughly,  the  capital  expended  on  the  steel  works  may  be 
taken  at  £200,000.  This  is  now  represented  by  a  collection  of 
bricks  and  old  iron,  saleable  only  for  scrap  and  old  material 
The  whole  might  realise  anything  between  £5,000  and  £25,000. 

VAN  DER  BERGHS  MARGARINE,  LIMITED. 

In  commenting  upon  this  issue,  we  said  "  the  weak  point  i  s 
the  very  large  sum — we  might  have  said  the  monstrous 
(=€669,730)  sum— paid  for  goodwill."  Nobody  is  likely  to 
traverse  that,  but  we  also  said  "  we  do  not  see  why  the 
output  should  not  continue  to  increase."  Several  correspondents 
have  written  to  us  to  say  that  such  increase  is  highly  improb- 
able.   A  Glasgow  correspondent  wiites  : — 

There  is  a  very  serious  reason  why  the  output  of  ary  margarine 
factory  should  not  only  not  increase  but  decrease.  Margarine  i-,  as 
everyone  knows,  a  substitute  for  batter,  and  the  prospects  of  a  mon 
than  plentiful  supply  of  this  latter  article  will  handicap  margarj.e 
very  much.  Until  this  last  winter  Australia  and  New  Zealand  bad 
only  to  be  reckoned  with  as  of  secondary  importance,  but  this  last 
few  months  they  have  poured  in  such  vast  quantities  of  butter  into 
this  market  that  again  i>nd  again  there  has  been  a  glut.  Further 
arrangements  have  been  made  for  shipping  from  these  countries  all 
the  year  round,  and  this  summer  will  seonot  only  thousands  of  tors 
pouring  in  from  New  Zealand  and  Australia,  and  that  at  a  lime  when 
our  own  supply  is  good,  but  the  latest  news  shows  that  Canada  is 
making  active  preparations  to  become  a  competitor.  Take  these 
facts  into  consideration  and  it  is  plain  that  margarine  factories  have 
rather  a  bad  outlook. 

If  you  will  take  the  trouble  to  look  at  the  imports  of  margarine  into 
this  country  from  the  Continent  during  t lie  last  winter  compared  with 
those  of  a  year  earlier,  you  will  find  that  they  sin  w  a  big  decrease. 
Something  like  a  third  if  I  remember  light,  but  the  exact  figures  I 
canr.ot  lay  my  hands  on  at  the  moment.  Part  of  this  decrease  is 
accounted  for  by  home  competition,  but  only  part.  A  good  deal  by  the 
increased  quantity  and  consequently  lower  piice  of  batter. 

A  Liverpool  correspondent  says  much  the  same  thing. 

I  am  not  an  authority  on  margarine,  but  I  have  been  told  by  many 
in  the  trade  that  pure  bvltir  wfll  be  imported  from  Canada  and 
Australia  in  such  large  quantities  as  to  reduce  pure  butter  In  a  retail 
price  of  sixpence  per  pound.  Such  being  the  case,  margarine  will  be 
practically  unsaleable. 

We  are  a  lit  le  sceptical  as  to  the  juice  of  pure  butter  shrinking 

as  our  correspondents  imagine  it  will,  but  if  they  are  right  it  is 
good  news  for  uia/i  rfamilias,  and  anyhow  their  statements  deserve 
attention. 

SA1MON  AND  GLUCKSTEIN.  LIMITED 

Wk  have  been  amused  by  some  of  the  newspaper  criticisms  of 
this  issue.  It  has  even  moved  the  City  Editor  of  the  Sun  to  re- 
member that  Insurance  Companies  and  Building  Societies  do  not 
monopolise  the  attention  of  the  City.  This  "impudent" 
prospectus,  with  its  "monstrous"  directorate,  is  too  much  for 
him.  He  assures  us  that  it  .surpasses  "  in  pure  cheek  ami  un- 
limited assurance  '  anything  he  has  ever  seen  before.  He  lias 
to  go  back  to  the  days  of  the  South  Sea  Bubble  to  find  anything 
like  it.  But  he  consoles  himself  with  tho  reflection  that 
though  there  are  many  fools  among  British  investors 
they  "draw  the  line  somewhere,"  and  "draw  it  a 
very  long  way  above  such  a  prospectus  as  this."  He 
derides  the  expectation  of  ri spouse  to  the  invitation 
of  the  promoters.    "  If  a  single  person  snbsoribes  a  single  far- 


March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


207 


thing  for  a  single  share  in  this  concern  on  the  strength  of  this  pro- 
spectus there  are  many  more  and  greater  fools  in  this  country," 
than  the  City  Editor  of  the  Sun — ingenuous  man  that  he  is — 
"  ever  imagined  there  were."  Nay,  more.  "The  truth  is  the 
mere  issue  of  it,  the  bare  fact  that  anyone  should  have  per- 
suaded himself  that  a  prospectus  like  this  would  draw  Is.  from 
anyone  almost  amounts  to  a  reflection  on  the  intelligence  of 
the  whole  of  the  population  of  these  islands."  We  do  not  quite 
see  why,  but  the  writer's  meaning  may  be  guessed  at.  In  his 
opinion  this  prospectus  is  such  a  cynically  open  fraud  that 
nobody  in  his  senses  would  subscribe  to  it. 

Alas,  and  alas  !  It  was  on  Thursday  that  the  City  Editor  of 
the  Sun  sent  forth  his  fulmination,  and  on  Friday  the  follow- 
ing letter  was  addressed  to  the  newspapers  by  the  Secretary  of 
Salmon  and  Gluckstein,  Limited  : — 

I  beg  to  inform  you  that  the  public  subscription  for  the  £267/00  in 
shares  of  this  company  amounted  at  the  head  office  alone  of  the 
London  and  County  Bank,  where  the  list  closed  at  four  o'clock  this 
afternoon,  to  £858,251.  This  amount  is  exclusive  or  applications  which 
have  yet  to  come  in  from  the  London  branches  of  the  bank,  and  from 
the  country. 

The  City  Editor  of  the  Sun  may  say  that  this  is  no  answer  to 
his  criticism.  True.  But  is  it  quite  so  clear  as  he  and  others 
say — that  the  subscribers  are  arrant  asses  ?  It  is  buying 
a  pig  in  a  poke?  Not  quite.  Very  few  particulars  are 
given,  but  there  are  some,  and  they  are  important.  And  there 
are  as  many  as  were  given  by  the  same  group  of  promoters  when 
they  brought  out  G.  Lyons  and  Co.,  Limited,  whose  £1  shares 
are  now  worth  £3  5s.  Od.  The  persons  who  form  this  group  may 
be — well,  Jews — but  Jews  though  they  be,  is  it  not  a  fact  that 
they  give  the  public  more  value  for  their  money  than  is  to  be 
got  from  their  Christian  rivals  !  Let  us  give  a  homely  illustra 
tion.  Some  of  us  have  a  weakness — it  should  win  us  the 
blessing  of  our  friend  of  the  Sun — for  lemon-squash.  If 
we  go  to  the  Aerated  Bread  Company  they  want  6d.  Now, 
that  lemon-squash  costs  the  seller  less  than  threehalfpence,  in- 
cluding the  fraction  for  extra  services.  The  Ud.  is  clear 
profit.  Lyons  and  Co.  sell  that  same  lemon -squash  for 
3d.,  and  the  3d.  gives  them  a  profit  of  100  per  cent. 
Or  take  tea.  The  Aerated  Bread  Company  charge  you 
3d.  a  cup.  The  cost  of  the  tea  with  milk  and  sugar  to  th 
Company  is  not  more  than  Id.  That  leaves  2d.,  or  a  profit 
of  200  per  cent.  Lyons  and  Co.,  Limited,  supply  good  tea 
for  2d.,  being  content  with  a  profit  of  100  per  cent.  What 
is  the  result?  Lyons  and  Co.,  Limited,  are  opening  shops  all 
over  London,  which  are  crushed  to  suffocation,  largely  at 
the  expense  of  the  older  company.    You  can  be  too  greedy. 

Now,  it  may  be  that  Salmon  and  Gluckstein,  Limited,  is  to 
be  worked  on  similar  lines.  The  men  who  give  the  name  to 
the  Company  have  been  starting  tobacco  shops  in  many 
parts  of  London,  as  others  of  the  clique  have  been  start- 
ing tea  shops,  and  with  much  the  same  result.  Old-fashioned 
sellers,  wedded  to  old-fashioned  prices,  have  been  displaced 
and  the  new  men,  with  their  lower  rates,  have  secured  the 
business.  It  may  be  that  even  with  a  Salmon  or  a  Gluckstein, 
or  a  nephew  or  cousin  of  one  or  the  other,  at  every  coanter  they 
have  cut  prices  too  fine  for  profit.  We  do  not  know  how  that 
may  be.  There  is  nothing  to  guide  us.  As  the  boy  said  to  the 
alderman  when  asked  where  he  expected  to  go  when  he  died, 
"  I  don't  know,  you  don't  know, nobody  knows  " — nobody  that  is 
outside  the  ring.  But  be  this  as  it  may,  whether  Salmon  and 
Gluckstein  have  been  working  at  a  profit  or  not,  it  is  not  more 
idiotic  on  the  part  of  the  public  to  apply  for  shares  in  Salmon 
and  Grluckstein,  Limited,  Hum  it  would  be  for  them  to  apply  for 
shares  in  three-fourths  of  the  mining  and  other  companies  that  are 
being  brought  out  and  floated  in  such  numbers  at  the  present  time. 
And  if  we  come  to  the  honesty  of  it,  is  it  less  honest — is  it  not  more 
honest — to  say  nothing,  simply  to  put  your  wares  before  the 
public,  to  take  or  leave,  rather  than  to  frame  a  prospectus 
crammed  with  cunning  sentences  meant  to  mislead,  and 
buttressed  by  figures  intended  to  deceive  ?  After  all  these 
people  are  in  our  midst.  We  can  test  the  quality  and  price  of 
their  goods  for  ourselves  if  we  choose  to  do  so.  And  it  is  pretty 
evident  that  a  good  many  folk  have  tested  them,  and. have  got 
some  sort  of  idea,  which  may  or  may  not  be  eroneous,  as  to  the 
character  of  the  business.  Do  our  contemporaries  imagine  that 
without  the  help  of  a  single  big  name,  with  the  baldest  of  bald, 
prospectuses,  £858,000  would  be  subscribed  in  a  few  hours  at  a 


single,  bank  of  the  many  open  for  subscriptions  if  the  subscribers 
were  not  moved  by  something  .sounder  than  blind  credulity? 
"  TO-DAY'S  "  BLACK  LIST. 
The  Monochrome  Portrait  Company.— Since  our  reference 
to  this  so-called  company,  which  carries  on  its  operations  from 
Ealing,  we  have  received  many  complaints  from  correspondent., 
who  have  sent  photographs  to  these  people  on  the  promise 
of  receiving  a  frame,  but  who  can  get  back  neither  the 
frame  nor  the  photograph.  Circulars  received  from  this  so- 
called  Company  should  be  thrown  into  the  fire. 

NEW  ISSUE. 

The  Court  Theatre  of  London,  Limited.  Share  capital,  £50,000, 
First  Mortgage,  Five  per  cent  Debentures,  £25, L00.— Formed  to  buy  and 
work  the  Court  Theatre.  The  Board,  which  includes  Mr.  Arthur  Pinero 
and  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan,  with  Mr.  Arthur  Chudleigh  as  managing  director, 
is  a  very  strong  one,  and  we  are  informed  that  the  company  could  eai  n  an 
income  by  simply  sub-letting  the  house.  Of  course,  they  expect  to  do  much 
better  than  that  by  the  production  of  plays  on  their  own  account.  Busi- 
ness begins  about  April  20  with  a  new  comedy  promising  well,  and  u  it  h 
average  luck  the  company  should  do. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
The  Bamboo  Cycle  Company,  Limited.  E.  H.  L.  (Gateshead).— 
We  cannot  recommend  it.  We  are  sceptical  as  to  the  value  of  bamboo  for 
cycle  making,  and  we  are  very  certain  that  if  there  be  any  "  invention"  it  is 
not  worth  the  £00,000  asked  for  it,  or  anything  like  it.  Regina  Gold  Mine. 
G.  B.  (Polruan-by-Fowey).— None.  George  Newnes,  Limited.  J.  P. 
(Dent). — We  think  these  shares  "  a  reasonably  safe  industrial  investment." 
Two  Mining  Shares.  Western  (Newport).— It  is  quite  possible  that 
the  price  may  be  put  up  again  to  the  price  at  which  you  bought.  If  it  is,  or 
gets  near  it,  we  advise  you  to  sell.  Three  Mining  Companies.  Minim; 
Shares  (Manchester).— Yes,  in  either  2  or  3.  Hampton  Plains  Estate. 
J.  F.  (Newcastle-on-Tyne).— They  are  hardly  suitable  for  your  purpose. 
St.  Paul's  Company,  Limited.  D.  G.  (London).—  We  prefer  to  exp'ess 
no  opinion  upon  "  Madame."  St.  Augustine's.  W.  C.  H.  (Bedford).— 
We  are  told  thatjthe  best  men  have  bought  in  lately.  The  Almadaantl 
Tirito  Company.  D.  E.  (Aberystwith).— Your  forgetfulnss  has  left  you 
entirely  in  the  power  of  the  liquidator.  The  Lancashire  Watch  Com- 
pany, Limited.  A.  T.  (Edgbaston).— We  are  obliged  by  your  letter, 
.■since  the  remarks  to  which  you  refer  the  report  and  balance-sheet  have 
been  issued,  and  they  are  much  less  satisfactory  than  we  were  led  to  be- 
lieve they  would  be.  Until  certain  points  are  cleared  up  we  think  you  had 
better  not  add  to  your  holding.  The  London  and  New  York  Invest- 
ment Company.  R.  T.  H.  (Gateshead).— Not  if  you  hold  ordinary- 
shares  which  are  paid  up.  Midland  of  Canada  First  Mortgage 
Bonds.  Cautious.  (Watford).— No.  Commercial  Bank  of  Aus- 
tralia. A.  B.  (Perth).  The  chairman's  statement  at  the  Melbourm 
meeting  on  February  1st,  was  very  reassuring, and  we  think  it  probable  thai 
the  recent  improvement  in  the  price  of  the  shares  will  continue.  The  other 
shares  you  name  are  not  quoted.  The  Aitchee's  Luck  Gold  Mining 
Company.  Enquired.  (Bradford).— l.  We  see  no  future  fprthecon 
cern.  2.  We  cannot  [give  you  "names  of  likely  people  to  tackle  two 
theatres," 

MISCELLANEOUS 
Davey,  Lester  and  Co.  J.  A.  T.  (Harrogate).— We  will  have  the 
necessary  enquiries  made  and  refer  to  the  matter  in  out  next  issue.  Batik 
Of  Van  Dieman'S  Land.  B.  N.  M.  (Eastbourne).— We  cmhihI  ghu 
you  the  winning  numbers.  The  Underwriting  Bureau.  R.  ('.  W. 
(Weybridge).— Thanks  for  the  papers.  The  Watch-selling  Trick. 
D.  D.  B.  (Dublin).— Hold  the  watches  at  their  disposal,  but  pay  nothing. 
They  will  be  glad  to  take  them  back  when  they  find  they  can  get  no 
money.  The  Middleburg  Competition  Company.  B.  (Leicester).— 
Have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  Advertising  Clock  (Pioneer) 
Company.  J.  E.  C.  (Manchester).— We  question  the  estimates  of  the 
prospectus,  and  cannot  advise  you  to  put  money  into  this  very  speculative 
investment,  even  though  you  are  offered  a  bonus  of  £150  if  you  take 
£1,500  worth  of  shares,  or  influence  that,  amount  to  be  subscribed. 

INSURANCE. 

Endowment  Assurance.  F.  J.  E.  (Newport).— The  premiums 
charged  by  No.  1  and  No.  3  are  almost  identical  in  amount,  whilst  the 
bonus  likely  to  be  paid  by  No.  3  is  almst  double  that  of  No.  1.  No.  2 
charges  a  much  higher  premium  and  gives  only  three-fourths  the  bonus  of 
No.  3.  All  the  offices  offer  complete  security.  Tontine  Assurance. 
Alma  Mater.  (Belfast). — So  much  disappointment  has  been  experienced 
in  the  past  by  this  class  of  business  that  we  do  not  recommend  it.  Scot  tish 
Metropolitan.  Mon.  (Preston).— We  belitve  the  directors  are  doing 
their  best.  There  is  a  respectable  capital  either  paid  up  or  .subscribed, 
which  -is  ample  guarantee  that  twenty  shillings  in  the  £  will  be 
paid.  Its  -  system  of  dealing  with  its  surplus,  which  by  the 
way  is  very  small,  will  not,  we  think,  give  satisfaction.  Life 
Policy.  A.  J.  S.  (Cardiff).— All  three. offices  named  by  you  are 
good  ones,  but  as  you  do  not  say  how  old  you  are,  or  what  sort  of  an 
assurance  you  want,  we  cannot  say  which,  may  suit  you  best.  Life  As- 
surance. KROO  (West  Hartlepool).— Seeing  that  you  are  quite  a  young 
man,  we  recommend  you  to  take  a  with-profit  endowment  assurance 
policy,  payable  either  at,  say,  50  or  55,  or  previous  death,  whichever  may 
first  happen.  There  are  many  good  offices,  and  we  prefer  not  to  make 
recommendation  of  some  to  the  exclusion  of  others.  If  you  will  name, 
sa.y,  half  a  dozen,  we  will  give  you  our  opinion  of  them.  Insurance 
Shares.  (VC.  P.  H.  (Norwich).— We  tlunk^6."TT;6mpany~has  readied 
its  summit  for  some  few  years  to  come.  No.  2  may  improve  a  little,  but 
we  do  not  expect  a  great  rise.  We  think  you  would  do  well,  how- 
ever, to  hold  both.  As  to  the  annual  savings,  would  not  _  an 
endowment  assurance  suit  you  ?  City  of  Glasgow  .Life. 
Baxter.  —  This  office  is  sound,  ■  but  somewhat  sleepy.  An- 
nuity. E.  C.  II.  (Manchester).— We  cannot  best  answer  your  ques- 
tion because  you  have  not  stated  your  age.  We  have,  however,  assumed  it 
to  be  sixty  in  which  case  you  <ViIl  get  an  annuity  on  the  cheapest  terms 
from  the  General.the  Guardian,  the  National  of  Ireland,  the  Scottish  Life, 
and  the  Star,all  of  which  offices  afford  perfect  security  for  regular  payment. 
Sickness  Assurance.  E.  W.  Barnes  (East  Dulwich).— The  Ocean, 
Accident,  and  Guarantee  has  a  large  share  capital,  and  you  may  rely  upon 
that  as  affording  you  sufficient  protection:  Endowment  Assurance. 
SeuONITUM  (Carnarvon).  —1.  The  Guardian  is  absolutely,  safe. 
2.  The  premium  you  pay  is  very  moderate.  3.  If  you  preiei 
to  put  further  eggs  in  another  basket,  you  will  do  very  well 
with  the  Liverpool  and  London  and  Globe,  or  the  Marine  and  General. 
Policies  for  .E500.  W.  W.  (Belfast).— You  cannot  do  better  than  carry 
out  your  intentions  with  regard  to  the  whole  life  policy.  As  to  the  policy 
of  estimates,  we  reject  all  such,  there  is  too  much  speculation  in  them. 
Much  of  what  has  been  told  you  is  quite  justified  by  facts.  The  British 
Life  OHice  will  give  you  a  better  endowment  assurance  than  the  Scottish 
office 


208 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1895. 


£VCEUM. — KING  ARTHUR,  by  J.  Comyns  Carr.  EVERY 
NIGHT  at  8  punctually.  Mr.  Irving,  Miss  Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss 
Ellen  Terry.  Music  by  Arthur  Sullivan.  Scenery  and  Costumes  designed 
by  Sir  E.  Burne-Jones.  Box  Office  (Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  10  till  5,  and  during 
the  performance.   Seats  also  bocked  by  letter  or  telegram. 

DOYAL   PRINCESS'S    THEATRE — EVERY  EVENING 

AV  at  8.30.  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30,  by  arrangements  with 
the  Carl  Bosa  Opera  Company,  Humperdinck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEL 
and  GRETEL  (in  English).   Box  Office  now  open. 


PALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
A  THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
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Morton. 

MOORE  AND    BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

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NIAGARA  HALL— 

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REAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
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EXCELLENT   ORCHESTRA.  FLRST  -  CLASS  RESTAURANT. 

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March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


209 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 


Reminiscences  of  a   Lawver's  Clerk.  IX.  The  Basket  of 

Peaches.   By  Herbert  Keen.  Illustrated  by  w.  Dewar  ..  193 

Feminine  Affairs   200 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor   ,  203 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    204 

Reminiscences  of  the  Late  Mr.  Couney  Grain   205 

In  the  City   200 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J  2C9 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer    212 

Club  Chatter    £14 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville    218 

An  Injudicious  Present.  By  W.  L.  Alden.  Illustrated  by 

A.  S.  Forrest    220 

Good-Night,  Sweetheart.   By  Frank  L.  Stanton   221 

Character  and  the  Beading  Thereof.   A  Chat  with  Professor 

Oppemieim    222 

The  Fox-Terrier    223 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


It  is  not  my  intention  to  make  bimetallism  the  subject 
of  a  duel  between  Mr.  Nisbet  of  the  Referee  (a  gentle- 
man for  whose  opinion,  on  most  other  matters,  I  have 
the  highest  esteem)  and  myself.  But  Mr.  Nisbet 
represents  the  intelligent  man  who  opposes  bimetallism, 
without  ever  having  really  thought  out  the  subject ; 
and  the  arguments  he  advances  are  so  typical  of  the 
reasons  one  hears  ur^ed  against  the  scheme,  by  those 
who  persist  in  regarding  the  bimetallist  as  a  cross 
between  an  insane  crank  and  a  revolutionary  traitor, 
that  it  is  simpler  to  answer  him  direct  than  to  create 
an  imaginary  adversary.  If  of  any  service  to 
the  discussion,  I  can  tell  Mr.  Nisbet  that  some  time 
ago  I  was  quite  in  agreement  with  himself.  I  regarded 
bimetallism  as  a  mere  Stock  Exchange  quarrel  between 
two  rival  schools  of  financiers.  Would  a  dual  currency,  I 
asked,  make  two  stalks  of  wheat  grow  where  only  one 
grew  before  %  Would  it  make  sheep  breed  faster  ?  If  not, 
what  possible  service  could  it  be  to  the  working  and 
eating  citizen  1  Since  then  I  have  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  is  of  far  more  importance  to  the  workman, 
shopkeeper,  and  professional  man  than  it  can  ever  be 
to  the  capitalist  or  the  gambler  ;  that  it  is  a  matter  in 
which  the  prosperity  of  the  nation,  from  its  highest  to 
its  lowest  citizen,  is  distinctly  concerned.  I  will  take 
Mr.  Nisbet's  arguments  against  bimetallism  seriatim. 

I  am  glad  to  see  that  the  Referee  has  given  up  the 
argument  that  the  subject  is  unimportant,  because  it 
only  affects  the  producer.  On  reflection,  Mr.  Nisbet 
has  evidently  seen  that  the  producer  is  the  backbone  of 
every  country :  that  it  is  he  who  makes  its  wealth  ;  that 
the  rest  of  the  populace  are  mere  parasites  dependent 
upon  him  ;  and  I  fancy  Mr.  Nisbet  has  also  come  to  see 
that  the  question  of  trade  between  England  and  silver- 
governed  countries  is  not  quite  so  indifferent  a  matter 
to  the  British  citizen  as  he  at  first  seemed 
to  think.  Mr.  Nisbet  also  acknowledges  his  error 
in  imagining  that  under  bimetallism  people  could  go 
about  buying  a  hundred  pounds'   worth  of  silver  for 


seventy-five  pounds.  But  he  is  still  not  quite  clear 
even  upon  this  point. 

He  foresees  that,  under  bimetallism,  the  value  of 
silver  would  at  once  rise.  He  says  that  the 
man  who  possessed  silver  to  the  present  value 
of  seventy-five  pounds,  would  suddenly  find  that 
silver  worth  a  hundred  pounds ;  and  Mr.  Nisbet  adds 
that  the  twenty-five  pounds'  profit  would  come  out  of 
our  pockets — his,  yours,  mine.  Well,  I  admitted  to 
Mr.  Nesbet,  the  week  before  last,  that  the  men  who  had 
been  hoarding  silver  would  undoubtedly  benefit,  though 
not  to  the  extent  of  the  thirty-three  and  a  third  per  cent, 
suggested.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  ratio  between  gold 
and  silver  should  not  be  fixed  according  to  the  present 
market  value  of  silver.  But,  allowing  for  the  sake  of 
argument,  that  a  price  is  arranged  which  would  give 
the  silver  owner  a  profit  of  5  or  10  per  cent.,  and  allow- 
ing also  that  the  profit  would  have  to  be  paid  by  us,  let 
us  see  what  would  happen. 

The  Spanish  merchant,  tho  Colorado  mine  owner,  the 
Hindoo  trader,  who  for  years  have  been  sitting  in  their 
counting-houses,  seeing  their  wealth  diminish,  would 
suddenly  find  themselves  men  of  capital.  Does  Mr. 
Nisbet  think  they  would  put  their  money  into  a  box  and 
sit  down  before  it  to.  chuckle?  The  history  of  every 
civilised  country  tells  us  what  would  be  done.  A  dozen 
Spanish  merchants  would  at  once  put  their  heads  to- 
gether, and  come  to  the  conclusion  that  a  mountain 
railroad  here,  a  harbour  there,  would  be  a  profitable 
enterprise.  The  Hindoo  trader  would  at  once  think  of 
mills;  and  mines.  The  American  would  think  of  fresh 
openings  in  hitherto  untouched  lands;  and  it  is  we 
in  England  who  would  chiefly  benefit.  Orders  would 
pour  iu  from  every  one  of  these  silver  countries  for  Eng- 
iish  work.  English  labour  would  be  in  demand  all  over 
the  world.  The  manufacturer  would  find  his  income 
doubled.  He  would  employ  more  men,  for  longer 
periods.  Wages  would  go  up,  enterprise  would  revive, 
and  there  is  not  a  shoeblack  in  a  provincial  town,  who, 
before  six  months  were  passed,  would  not  have  indirectly 
felt  the  throb  of  revived  prosperity.  So  much  for  Mr. 
Nisbet's  indignation  at  the  possibility  of  benefit  accru- 
ing to  the  silver  owner.  I  cannot  understand  how  it 
is  that  a  gentleman  of  his  broad-minded  views  cannot 
grasp  this  primary  fact — that  throughout  the  civilised 
world  you  cannot  benefit  commercially  one  single  indi- 
vidual, without  sooner  or  later  benefiting  the  whole 
race. 

As  for  Mr.  Nisbet's  love  for  tin,  I  really  do  not  see 
what  that  has  to  do  with  the  question.  His  logic  would 
tell  equally  against  his  beloved  gold.  Continuing,  I 
find  with  regret  that  lower  down  in  the  column  his  argu- 
ment descends1  to  personalities.  Mr.  Nisbet  suggests 
that  all  bimetallists  are  corrupt ;  that  they  only  argue 
for  bimetallism,  because  they  have  silver  to  sell  them- 
selves. Suppose  it  true.  Suppose  that  Mr.  Balfour, 
Mr.  Chaplin,  Mr.  Grenfell,  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  Mr. 
Conybeare,  M.P.,  Mr.  Jacob  Bright,  Mr.  Joseph  Cowan, 
the  Duke  of  Fife,  Mr.  Hoare,  the  banker,  Mr.  Henniker 
Heaton,  Sir  Frank  Lockwood,  Mr.  Praed,  another 
banker,  and  hundreds  of  other  gentlemen,  are  one  and 
all  willing  to  plunge  their  country  into  financial  ruin, 
for  the  sake  of  the  profit  they  may  make  to  themselves, 


210 


TO-DAY. 


Maech  23,  1895. 


by  selling:  some  secret  hoard  of  silver  which  they  have 
been  accumulating  ;  let  us  suppose  this.  But  how  does 
Mr.  Nisbet  explain  away  the  bimetallic  anxiety  of  thou- 
sands of  poor  men,  such  as  myself,  who  have  no  silver 
to  sell,  who  have  not  even  the  small  amount  of  silver 
plate  which  I  am  delighted  to  find  is  possessed  by  Mr. 
Nisbet?  Are  we  all  fools,  or  have  Ave  been  squared  ? 
The  personal  motive  is  never  a  good  argument,  and  is 
always  open  to  the  tu  quoque  reply.  I  am  sorry  to  see 
Mr.  Nisbet  making  use  of  it. 

Mr.  Nisbet  goes  on  to  say  that  bimetallism  would  be 
destructive  of  all  credit.  That  everybody  who  had 
money  owing  to  him  would  call  it  in,  knoiving  that  if 
he  did  not  he  would  only  get  seventy-Jive  pounds  Jar 
every  hundred.  Will  Mr.  Nisbet  explain  to  me  how,, 
with  the  value  of  silver  fixed  by  Government,  a  hundred 
pounds  worth  of  silver  is  going  to  be  worth  only 
seventy-five  pounds?  A  man  owes  me  a  hundred 
pounds.  Bimetallism  being  an  established  fact,  he 
pays  me  in  silver.  Mr.  Nisbet  tells  me  that  it  is  only 
worth  seventy-live  pounds.  All  I  know  is  that  I  could 
pass  it  on  to  any  creditor  of  my  own  as  legal  tender 
for  a  hundred  pounds  ;  that  I  could  go  into  the  open 
market  and  buy  a  hundred  pounds'  worth  of  goods 
with  it ;  that  I  could  go  to  the  Stock  Exchange  and 
purchase  a  hundred  pounds  worth  of  stock  with  it ;  that, 
at  any  moment,  I  could  exchange  it  for  gold  or  notes. 
What  is  Mr.  Nisbet  thinking  of  ? 

Again,  and  finally,  Mr.  Nisbet  tells  us  that  under 
bimetallism  people  would  have  to  carry  their  money 
about  in  a  wheelbarrow.  Does  Mr.  Nisbet  forget 
that  gold  would  still  be  in  circulation?  Its  quan- 
tity would  not  in  any  way  be  diminished;  and 
has  he  forgotten  that  there  are  such  things  as 
bank-notes?  Mr.  Nisbet  might  as  well  tell  us  that 
at  present  any  man  purchasing  an  estate  for  ten 
thousand  pounds  would  have  to  march  through  the 
City  pushing  in  front  of  him  a  barrow  load  of  gold 
coins.  The  silver  would  simply  be  hoarded  at  the 
banks  to  represent  the  notes  issued.  For  all 
personal  purposes,  the  present  state  of  things 
would  remain  entirely  unchanged.  The  bimetallist  does 
not  claim  that  bimetallism  would  turn  this  earth  into 
a  heaven,  or  that  it  would  make  the  poor  rich  or  the 
hungry  full.  But  he  does  say,  and  he  can  prove,  that 
it  would  give  a  stimulus  to  trade  and  commerce  such  as 
has  not  been  known  for  eighty  years  ;  that  it  would 
revive  enterprise  in  every  corner  of  the  globe ;  that  it 
would  create  fresh  outlets  for  labour;  that  it  would 
draw  the  nat  ion:,  closer.  Such  arguments  as  are  usually 
advanced  against  it  merely  prove  its  strength. 

EVERY  now  and  then  there  .struggles  into  the  light  a 
record  of  brutality  inflicted  upon  some  poor  little  drudge 
of  a  servant-girl.  Ella  Spooner,  of  Liverpool,  has  been 
found  guilty  of  wounding  a  child  of  thirteen,  who  lived 
with  her  as  her  servant.  Mrs.  Spooner  enforced 
domestic  discipline  with  a  hot.  shovel.  She  beat  the 
girl  with  barrel  staves,  and  applied  a  hot  poker  to  her 
tongue  and  lips.  The  girl's  face  and  body  were  a  mass  of 
bruises  and  wounds,  and  she  will,  most  probably,  he 
lamed  for  life.  The  case  itself  is,  alas  !  unimportant. 
The  lust  of  cruelty  reigns  throughout  the  world,  as 
strongly,  I  doubt  not,  as  ever  it  did  in  the  ages  that  we 


call  barbaric.  It  is  only  suppressed  for  want  of  oppor 
tunity.  Cruelty  to  man,  cruelty  to  woman,  cruelty  to 
child,  cruelty  to  beast — it  surrounds  us  everywhere. 
One  grows  indifferent  to  it. 

But  in  the  case  of  the  servant-girl  the  story  always 
presents  an  added  horror  to  me.  I  seem  to  see  a  door 
opened  for  a  moment  and  closed  quickly.  In  lonely 
country-houses,  in  quiet  suburban  streets,  behind  the 
respectable  Venetian  blinds  there  must  be  many 
thousands  of  poor,  overworked,  overdriven,  bullied  and 
starved  little  sluts,  whose  lives  are  made  to  them  one 
long  hell  by  the  tyranny  of  their  mistresses.  No  one 
knows  what  these  little  drudges  suffer.  They  are  taken 
from  their  home  or  from  the  workhouse  when  they  are 
merechildren;  they  know  nothing  of  the  world;  they  cannot 
defend  themselves  ;  they  have  no  one  to  appeal  to.  Month 
after  month  they  hardly  ever  leave  the  house  to  speak  a 
word  into  a  sympathetic  ear. 

To  their  poor  terrified  minds  the  hard-faced  woman 
who  drives  them  is  all-powerful.  The  policeman  and  the 
prison  cell  are  instruments  at  her  beck  and  call.  Religion 
is  used  as  a  further  whip,  with  which  to  keep  the  poor 
little  devil  in  subjection.  Half -starved,  worked  to  death's 
door,  abused  and  often  beaten,  every  ounce  of  spirit  is 
driven  out  of  her.  She  becomes  a  crushed,  helpless  little 
animal — the  ter  rified  slave  of  some  brutal,  uneducated, 
vixenish  woman.  Now  and  again,  scuttling  through 
the  dark  streets,  one  catches  glimpses  of  such.  The 
picture,  to  those  whose  acquaintance  with  the  British 
domestic  is  gathered  from  the  stage  and  the  comic 
journals,  may  appear  absurd  and  exaggerated.  I  would 
it  were.  The  lives  of  these  little  sluts  is  one  of  the 
tragedies  of  civilisation. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Creighton,  of  the  Perth  Free  Presbytery, 
thinks  it  shocking  that  domestic  servants  should  ever 
have  a  Sunday  out.  He  said  the  practice  ought  to  be 
denounced  as  unChristian  ;  it  was  a  dangerous  thing  for 
a  young  woman  to  be  allowed  to  spend  the  Sabbat li  as 
she  pleased.  A  few  weeks  ago  a  Nonconformist  minister 
at  Exeter  tried  to  induce  the  Exeter  tradespeople  to 
prevent  their  shop-assistants  from  taking  a  stroll  in  the 
evening  after  some  ten  or  twelve  hours  standing  behind 
the  counter !  It  is  these  men  who  bring  discredit  on 
their  cloth,  who  make  the  very  name  of  religion  a  hateful 
sound.  They  are  the  true  descendants  of  the  petty 
tyrants  who  cropped  men's  ears  for  singing  a  song — of 
the  Puritans  who,  when  they  had  the  power,  tortured 
and  sent  to  the  stake  every  human  being  who  did  not 
agree,  with  them. 

What  right  has  the  Rev.  Mr.  Creighton  to  say  that 
no  domestic  servant  is  to  be  at  liberty  for  one  day  in  the 
week  to  take  God's  air  ?  What  right  has  this  Pharisaical 
priest  to  dictate  to  his  fellow-men  and  women  what  day 
in  the  week,  forsooth,  they  are  to  go  out  and  what  day 
they  are  to  work  ?  Is  nobody  but  the  Rev,  Mr.  Creigh- 
ton fit  to  bo  trusted  with  tlie  leading  of  his  own  life? 
Who  has  appointed  the  Rev.  Mr.  Creighton  as  Cod  Al- 
mighty throughout  Perthshire,  to  say  to  every  un- 
fortunate little*  servant-girl,  "  That  thou  shalt  do,  and 
this  thou  shalt  not  do  "  ?  A  piece  of  more  gross,  con- 
temptible impertinence  I  have  not  heard  of — even  from  a 


March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


211 


Scotch  minister.  If  such  men  as  Mr.  Creighton  were 
true  representatives  of  Christianity  then  Christianity 
would  be  the  greatest  curse  that  had  ever  been  inflicted 
upon  the  human  race,  and  a  thing  that  it  would  behove 
every  decent  man  to  fight  against  with  all  the  strength 
that  God  had  given  him. 

It  is  an  old  story ;  it  happened  last  week,  but  it  has 
also  happened  many  timea  before,  and  will  happen 
many  times  again.  A  young  man  was  found  driving 
a  hansom  cab ;  the  time  was  midnight  or  thereabouts, 
and  the  place  was  the  Haymarket ;  and  as  the  young- 
man  was  not  a  licensed  driver,  he  was  given  an  oppor- 
tunity of  explaining  at  the  Marlborough  Street  Police- 
court  that  he  only  did  it  for  fun.  A  fine  of  twenty  shillings 
as  some  slight  acknowledgment  of  the  young  man's 
general  mistakenness,  closed  the  incident.  And  it  is 
such  a  common  incident  !  In  the  moment  of  exhilara- 
tion, when  he  has  tasted  to  the  full  the  joy  of  life,  the 
young  man  feels  that  he  cannot  adequately  mark  the 
occasion  except  by  driving  a.  hansomi  cab  with  his  own 
fair  hands.  As  a  rule,  he  would  be  incapable  of  driving 
the  patient,  though  ordinary,  moke;  therefore,  as  a 
rule,  some  policeman  concludes  that  either  this  young 
man  is  not  a  licensed  driver,  or  ought  not  to  be ;  there- 
fore, the  police-court  follows.  Cannot  the  young  man 
grown  frolicsome  find  some;  other  way  of  expressing  his 
feelings  ?    Must  he  always  drive  a  cab  ? 

When  I  come  to  think  about  it,  I  am  really  afraid 
that  he  must.  I  do  not  see  what  else  there  is 
for  him  to  do.  To  remove  a  knockor  from  a  door 
(though  I  am  far  from  denying  that  this  is  a  natural 
result  of  excessive  blitheness)  is  somewhat  old- 
fashioned  ;  we  must  move  with  the  times.  In  fact,  the 
young  man  who  has  definitely  made  up  his  mind  to  be 
rowdy  for  one  night  is  very  limited  in  his  programme. 
He  cannot  commence  with  assaulting  the  police 
(though  the  sheer  gaiety  of  it  is  beyond  argument), 
because  that  would  unduly  abbreviate  his  night ;  if 
that  is  to  come  at  all,  it  must  come  afterwards.  He 
can,  it  is  true,  present  an  entire  stranger  with  some- 
thing sold  at  a  music-hall  as  champagne  at  two  hun- 
dred per  cent,  above  the  price  in  the  open  market ;  he 
may  also,  if  he  is  young  enough,  drink  of  the  liquid 
himself.  But  the  inevitable  termination  of  your  real 
rowdy  night  is  to  drive  a  cab.  And  the  more  one 
meditates  upon  this,  the  more  onedoubts  if  it  is  really 
worth  while  definitely  to  make  up  one's  mind  to  be 
rowdy. 

ANSWERS    TO  ENQUIRERS. 

Parsons. — Many  parsons  I  know  work  hard  throughout  the 
week,  and  as  a  rule  it  is  not  these  who  are  always  up  to  mischief. 
A  clergyman  who  is  really  attending  to  his  Master's  work  would 
not  iind  time  to  interfere  with  this  that  and  the  other  as  so  many 
of  the  lazy  ones  do.  The  beautiful  lives  among  your  body  are 
led  by  those  men  of  whom  we  never  hear. 

E.  S.,  who  is  eighteen,  a  chemist's  assistant,  very  dark,  and  who 
has  "always  had  a  great  fascination  for  the  stage" — though  up 
to  now  the  stage  has  been  singularly  silent  on  the  subject  which 
is  not  it's  way  when  it  feels  strongly — asks  mo  if  I  can  give  him 
any  advice  as  to  how  he  could  become  an  actor.  My  earnest 
advice  to  the  young  man  is  to  wait  at  least  until  he  is  twenty - 
two  before  he  throws  up  a  comfortable  berth  to  starve.  Actors 
of  education,  talent,  and  even  genius,  men  with  influential  con- 
nections and  well-known  names,  rind  it  impossible  to  earn  a 
living  on  the  stage. 

J.  W.  H. — The  millennium  is  the  thousand  years  of  peace  and 
perfect  happiness  that  will  come  to  this  earth  with  the  second 
advent  of  Christ. 

P.  G.  urges  me  in  a  courteous  and  sincere  letter  to  refrain  from 
making  any  remarks  on  Free  Trade,  and,  I  think,  if  I  read  his 


letter  aright,  on  most  other  subjects,  for  the  next  ten  years. 
Why  for  only  ten  years  P.  G.  does  not  explain.  I  cannot  under- 
stand why  he  does  not  suggest  twenty  years,  or  say,  forty.  I 
will  tell  P.  G.  what  I  will  do  for  him.  If  he  will  give  me  a 
solemn  undertaking  that  nobody  else  will  ever  mention  the  subject 
I  will  consent  to  remain  silent  also.  That  is  really  the  most  I 
can  do. 

Tk:-;t;>tau  ke  writes  me  :  "  May  I  as  a  teetotal  Nonconformist 
Minister  put  in  a  word  on  behalf  of  many  of  my  brethren,  who, 
though  abstainers,  are  neither  'narrow-minded'  nor  'bigoted.' 
I  can  assure  you,  sir,  that  many,  both  lay  and  clerical,  teetotallers 
deplore  and  condemn  quite  as  strongly  as  you  the  mistaken 
action  of  those  who  would  unjustly  bring  force  to  bear  to 
advance  the  cause  they  champion.  Neither  do  we  condemn  any 
man  who  may  conscientiously  disagree  with  us.  We  fully 
recognise  that  this  is  a  matter  which  each  man  must  decide  for 
himself,  and  we  do  not  think  any  worse  of  a  man  if  he  comes  to 
a  different  conclusion  to  that  we  have  arrived  at.  We  also 
recognise  that  we  have  no  Scriptural  warrant  for  teetotalism,  so 
that  it  is  a  matter  not  of  right  or  wrong  but  of  expediency."  This 
is  sound  common-sense  and  Christianity.  If  teetotallers  were  all 
of  the  stamp  of  my  correspondent  no  reasonable  man  would 
have  any  words  for  them  but  "  God  speed."  But  what  has  my 
correspondent  to  say  of  the  noisy,  fanatical,  bigoted  majority 
who  have  made  the  very  word  temperance  hateful?  What  has 
he  to  say  of  the  conduct  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church 
in  spying  into  the  lives  of  its  ministers  and  reintroducing  the 
old  hateful  tyranny  of  the  Inquisition  ?  My  correspondent  goes 
on  to  say  that  there  are  two  parties  among  the  teetotallers. 
I  wish  to  Heaven  his  part}'  would  obtain  the  upper  hand  and 
silence  the  bigots  among  them.  It  would  be  the  greatest 
victory  that  the  cause  of  temperance  had  ever  gained. 

H.  D.  asks  me  my  opinion  of  poaching.  I  don't  know 
whether  it  is  of  much  importance.  Poaching  is  illegal,  and 
those  indulging  in  it  must  be  prepared  to  take  the  consequences. 
Personally,  I  have  very  little  doubt  that  if  I  lived  in  the  country 
and  were  a  poor  man  I  should  take  to  poaching  myself.  There  is 
a  natural  instinct  in  the  male  human  animal  which  prompts  him 
to  kill  game.  A  healthy  man  who  is  unable  to  rent  shooting  is 
bound  to  be  a  poacher.  There  would  be  something  wrong  with  his 
organisation  were  it  not  so.  I  confess  to  having  poached  myself, 
but  I  would  rather  not  give  further  details.  Morally  speaking 
there  is  no  harm  in  poaching,  but,  as  I  have  said,  the  laws  of 
the  land  are  severe  upon  it,  and  until  the  injustice  of  them 
is  generally  recognised,  those  transgressing  must  be  prepared 
to  take  the  risk. 

J.  J.  K. — I  have  no  knowledge  of  the  Rev.  Hugh  Price 
Hughes  in  his  character  of  Christian  preacher.  So  far  as  that 
part  of  his  career  is  concerned  he  seems  to  have  .successfully 
hidden  his  light  under  an  ample  bushel.  I  only  know  him  as  a 
rabid  and  unscrupulous  politician,  who  makes  use  of  his  God  aa 
a  partisan  weapon. 

Red  Rose.? — A  private  visiting  card  should  not  have  any 
letters  after  the  name.  H.  B.  W. — Thank  you  for  your  letter. 
I  am  glad  you  were  able  to  convince  your  acquaintance  that 
To-Day  is  not  quite  dead.  Suhscriber. — You  can  obtain 
bimetallist  literature  by  applying  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Bimetallic  League,  26,  Lombard  Street.  W.  R. — If  you  intend 
studying  the  languages  by  yourself  you  could  not  do  better  than 
begin  witth  Ollendorf's  grammars. 

F.  F.  S. — Of  course,  an  author's  work  is  copyright.  I  doubt 
if  any  publisher  would  take  up  such  a  technical  subject  as 
evolution  written  by  an  unknown  man.  The  book  would  never 
sell  without  a  big  name  attached  to  it. 

Cautoris. — I  have  explained  over  and  over  again  that  the 
ramifications  of  the  wholesale  trade  render  it  utterly  impos- 
sible for  us  to  give  subscription  advantages  to  any  but  those  who 
take  the  paper  from  this  Office  by  post.  M.  W.  H.  tells  me 
that  "  Tess-  of  the  Durbervilles "  was  turned  out  of  the  St. 
Helens  Library  by  the  ignorant  prudes  who  seem  to  have  got 
control  of  the  ratepayers' money.  L).  M. — Your  scheme  would 
be  a  bigger  infringement  of  personal  liberty  than  total  prohibi- 
tion itself.  M.  O. — I  icgiet  that  I  cannot  assist  you  in  the 
matter. 

Yorkshire  Reader  tells  me  that  Grant  Allen's  book,  "  The 
Woman  who  Did,"  has  been  refused  admittance  to  the  York 
Free  Library.  The  committee  were  not  quite  sure  as  to  what 
the  woman  did,  and  the  question  they  put  to  themselves  was, 
"  If  she  did  it,  what  happened  ?  " 

Anglo-Argentine.  —Notwithstanding,  I  should  like  to  try 
the  effect  of  an  ironclad — or  say,  two  or  three  ironclads,  if  one 
were  not  sufficient.  As  to  not  taking  advantage  of  superior 
force,  that  is  utter  nonsense.  You  might  as  well  accuse  the 
judge  and  gaolers  of  not  giving  the  pickpocket  fair  play,  because 
they  are  stronger  than  he. 

T.  N.  B.  was  on  a  committee  for  the  relief  of  the  poor. 
Tickets  for  groceries  were  given  out,  and  some  of  the  poor 
people  asked  to  be  allowed  half  an  ounce  of  tobacco.  T.  N.  B. 
asks  me  if  I  consider  this  should  be  permitted.  I  don't  think  it 
should.  In  these  eases  one  must  be  practical  and  not 
sentimental.  I  know  it. is  alleged  that  smoking  enables  a  man 
to  exist  with  less  food,  but  it  would  be  letting  in  a  bad  prece- 
dent, and  some  who  did  not  care  for  tobacco  might  be  asking  for 
snuff  or  whiskey.  Temporary  charity  is  bound  to  concern  itself 
only"  with  the  actual  necessities  of  life. 


212 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1895. 


J.  M.  draws  my  attention  to  the  language  of  the  Rev. 
John  Robertson  of  the  GlasgowTabernacle,who  dubbed  distillers 
as  "fillers  of  hell."  I  have  no  particular  objection  to  strong 
language  in  a  fight  ;  but  teetotalers  should  confine  themselves 
to  language  and  not  endeavour  to  use  force. 

C.  J.  L.  sends  me  a  delightful  letter,  from  which  I  am  brazen 
enough  to  quote  the  last  paragraph  : — "  May  I  tiespass  on  your 
time  for  one  minute  to  say  how  thoroughly  I,  and  doubtless 
many  thousands  of  other  men,  appreciate  the  simple  straight- 
forwardness with  which  you  treat  topics  and  phases  of  life  which 
should,  and  must  be,  looked  at  full-face,  and  not  after  the 
manner  of  the  pseudo-righteous,  with  the  whites  of  their  eyes. 
Concerning  these  things  many  of  us  could  say  to  you  with 
Browning,  '  What  we  felt  only,  you  expressed '  ;  and  for  this 
expression  I  take  this  opportunity  of  thanking  you.  Another 
and  better  method  is  not  at  present  open  to  me,  but  I  hope  before 
long  to  be  able  to  express  my  appreciation — not  in  words,  but  in 
the  'golden  silence'  of  a  contribution  to  your  Gallantry  Fund." 

Bimetallist  Literature. — Octopus  strongly  recommends  to 
those  interested  in  the  subject  a  pamphlet  written  by  Dr. 
Walsh,  R.C.  Bishop  of  Dublin.  This  book,  my  correspondent 
tells  me,  makes  the  subject  intelligible  to  every  reader,  and  at  the 
same  time  probes  it  to  its  depths.  My  correspondent  goes  on 
to  speak  of  Protection  v.  Free  Trade,  and  makes  a  statement  so 
valuable  to  the  controversy  that  I  quote  it.  "  When  I  was  a 
student  of  political  economy  I  would  laugh  at  anyone  who 
said  Protection  might  serve  Great  Britian.  At  present,  I 
merely  think  I  don't  know."  The  majority  of  men  woidd 
rather  not  think  about  the  matter  at  all  than  risk  the  chance 
of  having  to  change  their  opinions. 

J.  U.  L.  sends  me  an  account  showing  how  the  members  of 
the  Dundee  School  Board  have  insisted  upon  writing  themselves 
down  asses.  They  objected  to  Tennyson's  "Revenge"  being 
recited  by  the  scholars,  saying  that  it  was  an  "  empty,  inane 
production,"  and  contained  nothing  "worthy  of  remembrance." 
The  Rev.  H.  Williamson — one  can  always  rely  upon  finding 
a  parson  in  the  thick  of  folly — drew  attention  to  the  terrible 
fact  that  some  of  the  boys  were  reading  "Robinson 
Crusoe."  Here  the  reverend  gentleman's  feelings  seem  to  have 
been  too  much  for  him.  Reflecting  upon  such  wickedness  he 
becomes,  so  far  as  the  report  goes,  quite  incoherent,  and  the 
rest  of  his  talk  is  chiefly  about  Dutch  cheese.  It  was  decided 
that  all  poetry  should  be  submitted  to  the  Dundee  School  Board 
before  being  taught  to  the  children.  I  expect  the  only  two 
pieces  that  will  pass  muster  will  be  "  Mary  had  a  little  lamb," 
and  "Oh,  Willie,  we  have  missed  you." 

(Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  iveek.) 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  Dear  Dick, — Of  the  Notorious  Mrs.  Ebbsmith 
Pinero  himself  is  reported  to  have  said,  "  I  am  not  quite 
satisfied  with  the  play  ;  it  is  stronger,  certainly  stronger, 
than  Tanqueray — but  it's  rougher." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  criticise  the  new  play  at  the 
Garrick  more  keenly,  correctly,  and  concisely.  That  it 
lacks  the  marvellous  perfection  and  faultless  polish  of 
the  celebrated  St.  James's  revelation  is  obvious,  yet  it 
rivets  your  attention  and  compels  your  interest  more 
completely.  Indeed,  it  is  not  an  entertainment  at  all. 
It  is  an  intellectual  exercise.  It  is  a  tremendous  .and 
enthralling  lecture  on  mental  dissection,  with  illustrations 
and  examples. 

Incidentally  it  demonstrates  that  Pinero  studies  char- 
acter most  accurately,  that  he  thinks  profoundly,  and 
expresses  himself  with  almost  unexampled  lucidity.  He 
displays  not  the  least  of  his  cleverness  in  his  choice  of 
types.  Ibsen  photographs  just  a  bit  of  everyday  life  as  he 
sees  it ;  to  ordinary  audiences,  therefore,  he  is  nut 
attractive.  The  rather  squalid  dulness  of  ordinary 
suburban  life  does  not  amuse  them  in  a  playhouse.  We 
know  that  human  documents  are  to  be  found  at  Clap- 
ham,  but  we  do  not  care  to  seek  for  them  in  that  locality. 
Pinero  knows  it  too,  and  almost  invariably  he  seeks  an 
unusual  environment  and  abnormal  types.  Nearly  all 
the  people  in  his  new  play  have  a  mental  "twist"  of 
some  sort.  Mrs.  Ebbsmith  is  the  daughter  of  a  dema 
gogue,  and  has  been  herself  a  Socialist  agitator 
and  lecturer.  She  is  the  widow  of  a  barrister, 
who  did  not  understand  her  and,  therefore,  in  a 
sense  ill-treated  her.    She  becomes  a  nurse,  and  while 


attending  Lucas  Cleeve,  when  he  is  suffering  from  fever 
in  Rome,  she  falls  in  love  with  him.  He  has  made  a  bit 
of  a  mark  in  Parliament,  but  he  is  an  emotional, 
hysterical,  rather  morbid,  an  unconsciously-selfish  and 
egotistical  man.  Sensuality  is  not  altogether  absent 
from  his  nature,  and  having  separated  from  his  wife, 
there  is  but  a  short  step  between  feeling  grateful  to  the 
woman  who  has  brought  him  back  to  life  and  health  and 
wanting  to  make  her  a  permanent  companion.  She  is 
unconventional  and  semi-atheistic  ;  she  can  see  no  reason 
why  they  should  not  gratify  their  mutual  inclination,  so 
when  the  curtain  rises  there  they  are  in  Venice  frankly 
and  openly  living  together  insimple  unadultered  adultery. 

Agnes — Mrs.  Ebbsmith — however,  considers  that  by  so 
doing  they  are  vindicating  a  principle.  Lucas  likes  the 
arrangement,  but  shies  at  the  publicity.  She  realises 
this,  and  the  first  little  difficulty  arises  between  them 
when  she  expresses  a  wish  that  they  could  live  more  for 
principle  and  less  for  themselves,  that  they  could  boldly 
state  to  the  little  world  around  them  that  they  are 
living  together,  that  they  are  not  man  and  wife — and 
yet  their  private  relations  should  be  purely  intellec  tual, 
unsullied  by  the  intrusion  of  passion. 

Lucas,  being  human,  hardly  sees  the  force  of  this- 
He  is  game  for  an  unconventional  life,  but  he  likes  the 
accessories.  Just  at  this  crisis  the  Duke  of  St.  Olpherts 
conies  on  the  scene.  He  is  a  relation  of  Cleeve's,  and 
he  is  anxious  to  patch  up  a  reconciliation  between  his 
wife  and  himself  before  a  public  scandal  ruins  the  poli- 
tical career  of  the  young  man. 

The  Duke  exerts  his  utmost  endeavours  to  convince 
Lucas  that  he  is  making  a  fool  of  himself.  To  some 
extent  he  shakes  his  resolutions.  Agnes  feels  this,  and 
at  once  the  woman  in  her  rises  and  sweeps  away  all  her 
cut-and-dried  theories.  She  flings  away  her  dowdy 
dresses,  she  puts  on  a  fascinating  and  decolletee  evening 
frock,  she  dresses  her  hair,  she  feels  almost  ashamed  of 
herself  for  resorting  to  such  pitiful  devices,  but  she 
knows  their  effect,  she  will  captivate  her  feeble,  fickle 
lover  all  over  again.  She  hates  herself  for  wanting  to 
clo  so — but  she  can't  help  it,  she  does  want.  As  she 
herself  puts  it,  "  My  sex  has  found  me  out !  " 

To  my  thinking  this  is  as  near  to  human  nature  as  a 
dramatist  can  possibly  get.  I  have  never  seen  on  t  he  stage 
anything  more  completely  enthralling  than  this  struggle 
between  the  woman  and  her  womanhood — between  flesh 
and  blood  as  it  actually  is  and  a  set  of  theories  concern- 
ing what  it  ought  to  be. 

Agnes  triumphs.  Her  lover  sighs  at  her  side  in  a 
rhapsody  of  new-born  emotion.  But  her  victory  is 
barren.  The  man  is  not  worth  fighting  for.  His 
selfishness  is  unconquerable.  The  Duke  sardonically 
suggests  a  hideous  compromise.  Why  should  not  Lucas 
keep  both  his  beautiful  mistress  and  his  political  career 
too  ?  Nothing  is  simpler.  Let  there  be  a  nominal 
reconciliation  with  Mrs.  Cleeve,  let  them  live  in  the 
same  house,  but  in  separate  wings,  and  let  there  be  "  a 
suburban  villa,  with  two  discreet  servants  "  for  Agnes, 
where  Lucas  can  go  to  her  whenever  he  feels  in  need  of 
companionship  and  sympathy. 

The  Duke  proposes  this  arrangement  to  Agnes,  who 
angrily  resents  it.  She  says  that  Lucas  will  do  thf 
same.  "Ask  him,"  replies  the  Duke,  drily.  Agntl 
does  so. 

His  hesitating,  half-hearted  answers  reveal  the  t  rut  It 
only  too  clearly.  His  wife  and  brother  are  in  Venice 
He  goes  off  to  see  them,  leaving  Agnes  dazed  and  soul- 
stricken. 

Then  comes  the  first  ray  of  light.  Agnes  has  a  friend, 
Mrs.  Thorpe,  who,  with  her  brother,  a  clergyman,  pitc- 
her rashness  and  wish  that  they  could  lead  her  to  better 
things.  On  the  eve  of  their  departure  from  Venice 
they  come  to  say  good-bye.  They  find  her  crushed  and 
heart-sore,  and  the  clergyman,  seizing  the  opportunity, 
writes  their  address  on  the  flyleaf  of  a  pocket  Bible. 
He  quietly  puts  it  beside  her,  but  she  shrinks  from  it, 


March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


213 


denounces  it,  and  in  an  excess  of  frenzy  she  hurls  it 
into  the  burning  stove.  The  clergyman  and  his  sister 
turn  sadly  away,  when  Agnes  gives  an  hysterical  scream, 
and  dashing  her  hand  into  the  flames  pulls  the  Bible 
out.  She  clasps  it  to  her  breast,  and  falling  on  her 
knees  turns  her  eyes  to  Heaven. 

The  roars  of  applause  that  greeted  this  powerful 
scene  ought  to  have  lifted  the  roof.  They  certainly 
must  have  strained  it,  and  yet — well,  Dick,  my  dear 
hoy,  there  is  only  one  sort  of  drama  after  all,  and  that 
is  drama.  It  is  an  appeal  through  the  senses  to  the 
emotions,  and  not  to  the  intellect.  Agnes — the 
Socialistic  Agnes,  the  psychological  brain-dissecting 
Agnes — suddenly  became  the  "  converted  Sal,"  saved  at 
a  Salvation  Army  saturnalia,  and  we  cheered  her  to  the 
echo.  Nobody  stopped  to  really  think.  "  Poor  girl, 
she  is  all  right  now,  and  I'm  jolly  glad  of  it."  That  was 
the  prevailing  sentiment.  "She  is  all  right  now,  and 
the  parson  is  a  real  good  sort."  There  you  are  !  Don't 
you  remember  in  Shall  We  Forgive  Her  a  scene  where 
the  villain  says  to  the  good  parson,  "  I  would  thrash 
you,  but  your  cloth  protects  you."  Whereupon  the 
parson  takes  off  his  coat,  and  quietly  remarks,  "  Well, 
it  doesn't  now — come  on,"  and  he  promptly  punches  the 
villain's  head.  The  audience  used  to  go  frantic  over  this, 
and  it  is  in  exactly  the  same  spirit  that  they  cheer  to 
the  echo  the  sudden  salvation  of  Agnes. 

The  last  act  of  Mrs.  Ebbsmith  is  the  most  lurid,  and 
certainly  the  boldest.  Agnes,  in  a  convulsion  of  re- 
pentance, leaves  the  rooms  of  Lucas  before  he  returns 
from  his  wife  and  brother,  and  seeks  refuge  with  the 
clergyman  and  his  sister. 

She  is  followed  in  hot  haste  by  the  Duke.  He  tells 
her  that  his  beautiful  arrangement  has  been  knocked 
on  the  head,  that  Lucas  is  frantic,  that  she  must  abso- 
lutely consent  to  remain  his  mistress,  or  else  he  will  not 
return  to  his  wife. 

You  will  hardly  believe  it,  but  the  wife  then  enters, 
and  when  she  is  alone  with  Agnes  she  says  precisely  the 
same  thing.  It  is  a  marvellously-written  scene.  It 
does  not  contain  a  word  that  would  offend  a  grand- 
mother, yet  its  implications  are  truly  awful.  Agnes, 
tired,  nerve-shattered,  worn-out,  limply  consents.  She 
will  go  back  to  this  nameless  degradation,  she  will  give 
herself  body  and  soul  for  the  contemptible  cur  of  a  man, 
when  suddenly  the  decency  of  the  wife  revolts.  She 
will  have  no  more  of  it.  She  almost  commands  Agnes 
to  have  done  with  Lucas  for  ever.  She  sweeps  from  the 
room,  and  the  play  is  practically  ended.  Lucas  comes 
himself -to  make  a  last  appeal,  but  Agnes  now  estimates 
him  at  his  true  value.  She  tells  him  to  go,  and  adds 
that  she  will  remember  him  always  when  she  "  has 
learnt  to  pray."  Lucas  gazes  in  astonishment,  "  You 
pray  1 "  he  says,  and  then  drifts  away  out  of  the  room. 
Here  the  play  obviously  ended  for  the  majority. 
Pinero's  termination  is  superb,  but  super-subtle. 
The  old  Duke,  still  murmuring  of  reconciliations,  comes 
down  the  stage,  bows  to  the  parson,  bows  to  his 
sister,  and  then  turning  to  Agnes  holds  out  his  hand. 
She  holds  up  her's.  It  is  maimed,  scorched  in  snatching 
the  Bible  from  the  fire,  and  is  bandaged.  The  Duke 
notices  the  wound  sustained  at  the  supreme  moment  of 
her  unexpected  and  sudden  salvation.  "  An  accident  ? " 
he  says. 

"  Yes." 

"  Oh  !  I  am  sorry." 

Then  the  curtain  falls.  And  it  is  a  curtain,  properly 
considered,  full  of  stupendous  suggestion.  The  soul  of 
the  woman  is  sore  and  wounded,  through  the  chance 
accident  that  placed  next  her  hand  a  Bible  at  the  crisis 
of  her  life.  All  is  conveyed  in  the  few  words  I  have 
quoted.  I  can't  honestly  say  that  the  curtain  "  went." 
Perhaps  some  people  had  not  watched  the  play  as  in- 
tently as  I  had.  Perhaps  the  strain  h%d  wearied  them. 
Perhaps  the  showy,  I  had  almost  said  tawdry,  curtain 
of  the  third  act  had  vitiated  their  palates.    In  any  case, 


the  end  came  rather  limply  as  a  sort  of  disappointment. 

Mind,  it  was  not  so  to  me.  I  am  merely  telling  you 
what  I  conceive  to  be  the  general  impression. 

So  far  as  the  acting  is  concerned  Mrs.  Patrick 
Campbell  as  Agnes  was  absolutely  perfect.  I  speak 
strongly,  but  I  feel  strongly  on  this  point.  Often  she 
has  puzzled  me  and  disappointed  me.  Pinero  alone 
seems  to  possess  the  grand  secret  of  getting  the  last 
ounce  out  of  her.  Yet  everything  that  she  did  seemed 
so  easy,  so  natural,  so  simple.  The  tight  of  the  woman 
with  herself  was  exquisitely  conveyed.  And  another 
thing — the  strange  nervous  rhapsody  that  seemed  to 
seize  her  when  she  talked  rabid  Socialism  was  almost 
uncannily  natural.  Knowing,  as  I  do,  a  number  of  the 
most  advanced  apostles  of  extreme  Democracy,  knowing 
the  weird  wrapt  fervour  that  seems  to  seize  them  when 
they  begin  to  proclaim  the  faith  that  is  in  them,  I  sat 
amazed  as  Mrs.  Campbell  poured  out  her  Socialistic 
aspiration  with  a  strength  and  conviction  that  seemed 
to  demonstrate  that  either  she  herself,  or  Pinero,  or 
more  probably  both,  were  confirmed  Socialists.  What 
the  truth  may  be  I  do  not  know.  But  never  was  the 
mirror  held  up  to  nature  more  closely  and  directly. 

For  the  rest — John  Hare,  as  the  Duke,  was  faultless. 
Forbes  Robertson  was  very  good,  but  I  wish  he  had 
not  accentuated  his  priggish,  selfish  speeches.  The 
effect  would  have  been  better,  and  more  true,  if  he  had 
played  the  part  quite  naturally  without  pointing  the 
egotistical  lines  emphasising  the  author's  intention. 
His  brother  Ian  Robertson,  as  Sir  Sandford  Cleeve, 
was  even  a  worse  sinner  in  this  particular,  and  I  felt 
that  somehow  he  did  not  belong  to  the  play  at  all,  but 
had  strayed  out  of  one  of  Pinero's  Court  Theatre  farces. 
I  have  neither  space  nor  adjectives  at  my  command  to 
applaud  the  parson  of  Aubrey  Smith,  the  Mrs.  Cleeve 
of  Miss  Calhoun  (an  admirable  performance;,  nor  the 
Mrs.  Thorpe  of  Miss  Ellis  Jeffreys,  who  has  now  estab- 
lished herself  as  an  actress  of  the  first  rank.  Indeed, 
like  many  other  critics  I  feel  that  I  have  passed  through 
a  kind  of  theatrical  cyclone,  and  until  I  have  somewhat 
recovered  myself  I  am  not  quite  able  to  dispassionately 
chronicle  the  minute  episodes  of  a  climatic  convulsion. 

I  have  not  very  much  to  tell  you  in  the  way  of 
news.  Bis  Excellency  will  after  all  be  run  on  till  April 
the  6th,  the  management  having  determined  that  the 
"  notice  "  shall  not  take  immediate  effect. 

Weedon  Grossmith  has  married  pretty  Miss  Palfrey, 
a  member  of  his  Vaudeville  company.  Young  George 
Grossmith,  jun.,  is  about  to  marry  Miss  Adelaide  Astor, 
a  sister  to  Miss  Letty  Lind,  of  Daly's  Theatre. 

Harry  Nicholls,  though  he  has  lost  two  stone  in 
weight,  is  better.  I  saw  him  on  Saturday  looking 
really  well.  He  starts  for  Ceylon  immediately,  re- 
maining there  until  he  is  wanted  to  rehearse  for  the 
autumn  drama  at  the  Adelphi.  Wyndham  is  only 
recovering  his  strength  slowly.  I  expect  that  he  will 
take  a  thorough  rest  shortly,  when  the  Criterion  will  be 
run  by  himself  in  partnership  with  Waller  and  Morel] . 

John  Hare  will  visit  America  and  Australia  after- 
wards, starting  in  the  autumn  or  thereabouts.  The 
run  of  his  last  production  will,  of  course,  determine 
the  precise  date. 

By-the-way,  Sir  Augustus  Harris's  leading  pantomime 
lady,  Miss  Marie  Montrose,  is  about  to  break  new 
ground,  and  will  appear  in  the  forthcoming  Adelphi 
piece,  The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me. 

Be  sure  to  write  to  the  Avenue  Theatre  for  a  ticket 
for  the  special  matinee,  which  will  be  given  on  April  4th, 
by  Mr.  Arthur  Fry.  There  will  be  a  long  and  attrac- 
tive programme,  in  which  a  galaxy  of  "  star "  talent 
will  appear. 

Your  Affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 


Advice  Free.— To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patents  for  Inven- 
tions see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Write  for  Hid.  Guide  (269  pages),  3d. 
Tobacconists'  Outfitting  Co.,  186,  Vustonroad,  London.    Est.  1866.—  ADVT. 


214 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


My  proofs  of  the  shady  transactions  of  low-class  cy- 
cling- journalists  have  been  accepted.  It  was  impossible 
to  reject  them.  Wheeling  this  week  publishes  a  late 
paragraph,  admitting  my  accuracy,  an  admission  all 
the  more  notable  because,  in  dealing  with  the  subject 
on  its  leader  page  of  the  same  issue,  this  very  journal 
plated  that  proof  "  cannot  be  forthcoming;,"  and  sought 
to  establish  the  ignorance  of  my  informant.  This  week 
I  ha  ve  had  an  interview  with  a  very  well-known  cycling 
journalist  of  several  years'  e-xperienc©,  from  whom  1 
gatln  red  that  the  trade  notes  of  the  general  run  of  the 
cycling  papers  are  usually  inspired  by  the  makers,  and 
frequently  printed  verbatim  as  they  come  from  the 
works.  "Often,"  lie  said,  "you  will  find  identically  the 
same  puff  paragraphs  appealing  in  different  papers, 
without  any  indication  that  they  are  advertisements; 
and  not  only  that,  but  couched  in  language  intended  to 
lead  the  reader  to  imagine  that  they  are  the  independent, 
opinions  of  the  editor,  or  known  staff  of  the  paper." 

"  But  surely  that  is  a  poor  trick  very  easily  seen 
through  ? " 

"  No  doubt  it  is,  and  that  is  why  the  scheme 
has  been  perfected  by  the  large  advertisers,  who  fancy 
that  by  paying  for  a  page  a  week  in  the  advertisement 
columns,  they  can  claim  a  right  to  a.  share  of  the  general 
space  as  well.  They  have  grown  wise  enough,  to  issue 
differently  worded  and  really  cleverly  constructed  para- 
graphs dealing  with  their  own  wares,  often  employing  a 
special  clerk  for  this  department ;  and  to  such  an  extent 
1  as  this  practice  grown  that  some  firms  in  the  trade, 
particularly  the  tyre  trade,  employ  an  advertisement 
contractor,  not  only  to  compile  the  ordinary  advertise- 
ments, but  to  concoct  these  cunningly  contrived  and 
ostensibly  independent  eulogies  concerning  the  adver- 
tised g  Is,  until  it  is  impossible  to  tell,  in  the  unsigned 

j  i  ri  ion  of  a  modern  cycling  paper,  what  is'  inspired'  and 
v.  iial  i-  '  independent.'  " 

"  Do  the  editors  of  the  papers  acquiesce  in  this1  sort 
i  f  thing  1 "  I  inquired. 

<  >h,  yes  ;  some  few  months  ago  they  tried  to  combine 
amongst  themselves  to  relegate  inspired  trade  para- 
graphs to  a  special  heading,  such  as  'Facts  from  the 
Factories,'  or  '  Makers'  Mems,'  or  some  such  title,  and 
iii  these  columns  you  will  find  the  grosser  and  more  ob- 
viously factory-made  items;  but  those  other  advertise- 
ments, cleverer  because  more  difficult  of  detection  as 
such,  still  bubble  over  into  the  bulk  of  the  paper.  I 
know  one  manufacturer,  who  was  also  an  enthusiastic 
rider,  who  used  to  secure  the  insertion  of  paragraphs, 
as  news,  about  himself  and  his  friends  riding  'Blank' 
machines  to  well-known  resorts.  This  sort  of  thing: 
'  More  than  half  the  men  at  Slocum  on  Sunday  rode 
'  Blanks,"  which  proves  what  favourite  machines  they 
are  for  winter  riding.'  This  would  mean  that  two  riders 
on  'Blanks'  saw  only  one  other  machine  in  the  stable 
of  (lie  inn,  where  they  had  their  Sunday  dinner  on  some 
tmpropitious  day.  That's  only  a,  sample  ;  the  practice 
of  makers  sending  in  paragraphs  is  very  widespread,  and 
editors  like  it.  because  it  brings  in  cheap  'copy,'  which 
in  its  cleverer  form  is  really  good  reading,  but  never- 
theless is  nothing  but  puffery.  When  a 
novelty  comes  out,  the  cycling  papers  are  the 
worst  places  in  the  world  to  look  for  independent 
criticism.  Reporters  dealing  with  the  trade  side  of 
c  'cling  have  to  keep  both  eyes  on  the  manager's  depart- 
ment, so  as  not  to  give  offence.  That  is  the  rule.  Of 
course  there  are  great  exceptions. 

"'One  of  the  best  of  the  papers — no,  don't  smile,  I'm 
net  on  its  staff — lost  a  regular  weekly  page  advertise- 
ment from  a,  tyre  company  because  it  commented  too 
favourably  on  a  rival  tyre  to  please  the  aforesaid  adver- 
tiser. This  paper  stood  its  ground  and  lost  its  adver- 
tisement, but  the  majority  could  not  .afford  the  luxury 
of  independence.  The  majority  of  them  adopt  a  style 
ol  universal  and  fulsome  approbation  of  everything, 


especially  of  advertised  things,  so  as  to  keep  friendly 
with  advertisers ;  but  also  of  hopeful  new  unadvertised 
things,  in  order  that  the  notices,  duly  encircled  with  a 
halo  of  blue  pencil,  may  be  sent  to  the  manufacturer 
as  a  reason  why  he  should  support  the  paper.  Not 
until  the  papers  have  larger  circulations,  and  have 
become  less  servilely  dependent  upon  their  advertisers, 
will  their  anonymous  critical  departments  become  of 
much  value.  Signed  articles,  and  comments  known  to 
proceed  from  actual  experience  of  novelties  by  known 
men,  are  increasing  in  the  more  reputable  journals  ; 
and,  on  the  whole,  the  general  tendency  is  to  improve- 
ment in  independence,  but  the  cringing  and  servile 
attitude  is  the  prevailing  and  unblushing  one  at 
present." 

,:  Do  you  think  that  cyclists  would  support  a  really 
independent  paper  1 " 

"Most  certainly  I  do;  but  it  would. have  to  be  on 
different  lines,  excluding  the  hidden  advertisements,  and 
maintaining  a,  staunch  character  for  fearlessness  and 
independent  criticism.  Praise  from  such  a  paper  would 
be  praise  indeed,  and  the  public  would  have  a  guide 
which  did  not  confine  its  duties  to  unrestricted  outpour- 
ings of  flattery." 

"  Have  you  ever  had  any  personal  experiences  of  this 
sort  of  journalism  1 " 

"  Well,  not  of  the  catch-ad.  kind,  exactly,  but  I  remem- 
ber being  asked  to  assist  in  the  report  of  a  show  of 
cycles,  and  the  editor  of  of  the  paper  cautioned  me  not 
to  blame  anything,  but  ring  the  changes  on  all  the 
complimentary  adjectives  I  could  think  of ;   and  on 
another  similar  occasion  I  had  the  same  instructions 
from  another  editor,  with  the  remark  that  I  must  only 
praise,  and  if  I  could  not,  must  be  colourless  and 
ambiguous,  or  else  leave  out  the  notice  altogether. 
It  is  orders  like  these  that  make  the  average  show 
report  absolutely  silly  and  worthless.    '  Write  some- 
thing about  each  exhibit  that  the  exhibitor  can  cut  out 
and  use  as  what  the  "  Wheelman's  Whirligig"  says  about 
him.'    That  was  the  gist  of  another  job  I  once  had  ;  and 
on  one  occasion  a  well-known  paper  was  so  keen  not  to 
miss  anything,  that  its  imaginative  reporters  put  in 
a  stereotyped  eulogy  of  the  exhibit  of  a  maker  who 
failed  to  materialize  during  the  course  of  the  whole 
period  of  the  show.    I  am  afraid  my  show  work  was 
never  very  satisfactory,  as  my  paragraphs  were  usually 
much  edited  into  a  louder  tone  of  praise,  and  frequently 
toned  down  into  milder  disapproval,  when  that  kind  of 
thing  was  allowed  at  all.    An  editor  once  told  me  I 
was  dangerous,  as  my  articles  offended  advertisers. 
'We  must  give  good  notices  of  them,'  he  said,  'and  the 
others  you  can  do  in  a.  line  or  two.'    Another  cycling 
editor,  for  whom  I  was  doing  work,  once  declined  to 
name  a  new  invention,  and  asked  me  not  to  praise  it 
(although  trial  had  proved  it  good),  as  the  company 
running  it  did  not  support  his  paper.      I  remember 
another  occasion  when  I  had  tried  and  reported  on  a 
new  tyre,  which  certainly  had  many  good  points,  I 
afterwards  received  a  letter  of  thanks  from  the  firm  of 
makers,  saying  :  'We  shall  be  very  pleased  to  present 
you  with  a  pair  of  wheels,  tyred  complete,  as  a  slight 
recompense  for  your  kindness.'    So  that  (although  I  did 
not  accept  the  offer)  it  is  clear  that  such  gifts  are  not 
absolutely  unheard  of ;  and  perhaps  in  that  connection 
as  an  honorarium  afterwards,  not  as  a  matter  of  bar- 
gaining beforehand,  such  a  present  would  not  be  open 
to  the  same  objections  ;  but  even  then  the  acceptance  of 
them  seems  to  me  to  be  a  lowering  of  one's  independence 
as  a  critic." 


Tins  day,  week,  the  30th  inst.,  the  Inter-'Varsiiy 
hoatrace  will  be  contested.  Oxford,  with  six  old  Blues 
in  the  crew,  are  warm  favourites,  and  their  work  on  the 
liver  has  justified  the  position.  Still  there's  many  a 
slip,  and  it  may  be  that  Cambridge  may  be  able  to 
leach  the  winning-post  at  Mortlake  before  theii  rivals — 
a  feat  which  they  have  not  performed  since  1889.  Up 
to  the  present  the  record  is  in  favour  of  the  Dark  Blues, 


March  23.  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


215 


who  have  won  twenty-seven  races,  to  twenty-two  by 
Cambridge.    In  1877  there  was  a  dead  heat. 


The  time  of  the  start  has  been  fixed  for  four  o'clock. 
As  the  race  is  on  a  Saturday  there  is  sure  to  be  an 
enormous  crowd,  and  seats  to  view  it  will  be  at  a  pre- 
mium. One  of  the  best  points  is  the  Ranelagh  Club,  at 
Barnes  Elms,  and  doubtless  the  pretty  grounds  will 
b;  well  patronised.  The  Thames  and  the  Leander 
Club  houses  are  sure  to  be  well  filled,  but  only  the  early 
stapes  of  the  race  can  be  seen  from  these  points. 
Barnes  Bridge  as  usual  will  be  available  to  those  willing 
to  pa\  half-a-sovereign,  and  this  really  is  the  best  place 
to  se»»  the  finish,  as  the  first  through  Barnes  Bridge  is 
generally  the  winner. 


rowing  trials  over  the  full  course.  So  far  they  have 
failed  to  accomplish  a  performance  equal  to  the  one 
done  by  Oxford,  and  those  who  dearly  like  to  wager  on 
the  great  aquatic  race  would  be  quite  justified  in  laying 
odds  of  2  to  1  on  the  Dark  Blues. 


Some  time  ago  I  hinted  in  these  columns  that  the  pre- 
vailing colour  this  season  would  be  brown.  Theatre-goers 
have  lately  had  opportunities  of  seeing  my  prophesy  ful- 
filled. Mr.  Hare  in  The  Notorious  Mrs.  Ebbsmitli,  Mr. 
George  Alexander  in  The  Importance  of  Being  Ernest, 
Mr.  Charles/  ITawtrey  and  Mr.  Lewis  Waller  in  An  Ideal 
JItishand,  allwear  brown  frock-coats.  I  fully  expect  they 
will  bo  the  rage  this  season. 


The  must  pleasant  way  of  seeing  the  race,  if  the 
weather  lie  fine,  is  to  take  passage  on  one  of  the  fast 
steamers  which  follow  the  umpire's  boat.  This  method, 
however,  hns  its  drawbacks,  and  there  is  always  the 
prospect  of  running  down  something  or  of  beinp'  run 
down  by  somebody  else.  Both  the  London  and  South 
Western  and  the  District  Railway  Companies  will 
run  special  trains  to  Putney,  Barnes,  Hammersmith,  and 
Mortlake,  so  that  there  should  this  year  be  a  record 
crowd. 


I  saw  a  novel  advantage1  claimed  for  coloured  shirts 
the  other  day.  A  pile  of  materials  were  ticketed  in 
(he  window  in  the  usual  way,  but  in  addition  there  was 
a  printed  slip  announcing  that  "  Ladies  dresses  can  be 
cut  from  any  of  these  materials."  Are  lawn-tennis  tourna- 
ments responsible  for  this,  or  is  it  simply  one  more  de- 
vice to  enable  a  man  and  woman  to  display  their  cheap 
sentiment? 


How  football  history  repeats  itself.    On  April  20th, 
at  the  Crystal  Palace,  Aston  Villa  and  West  Bromwich 
Albion  will  fight  out  the  final  tie  for  the  possession  of 
Thu  Cambridge  men  appear  to  have  a.  mania  for       the  English  Cup.    Twice  before  have  these  two  teams 


WHO  SUFFERS  FROM  BODILY  PAIN  SUCH  AS 

RHEUMATISM, 


SPRAINS, 
SORENESS, 


SHOULD  USE 


1m  Jaco 


HIGHEST  AWARDS  FOB 
SCIENTIFIC 


•..:;••>•    SHIRT  CUTTING. 

BAIKIE  &  HOGG,  10,  Reiifield  Street,  &  52,  Gordon  Street,  Glasgow. 

SHIRT  TAILORS  AND  PYJAMA  SPECIALISTS. 

Measurement  Forms  and  range  of  Materials,  sent  on  request. 

MANUFACTURERS  OF   REAL.   BUCK  GLOVES. 


1  HE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT    FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


Trie  grandest  remedy  in  the  world.     It  acts  like  nagic. 
It  conquers  pain.      Unlike  any  other  remedy— peculiar 
to  itself — /T  KILLS  PAIN  INSTANTLY. 


Picice  Is.  I'd.  amcl  2s.  6d. 


J^tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10 years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  «i"  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  it 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


PURVEYORS  TO 
H.  R.  H, 
THE 

RINGE  of  WALES. 


^TV       A      _  II  J/  Gof id  and  Prise 

VSSCLUB  SODA' 

my\jl/101lvd      Medals  Awarded. 

Works-DUBLIN    AND  BELFAST. 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Various  Climates. 


216 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1S95. 


contested  the  final — viz.,  in  1887,  when  the  Villa  won  by 
two  goals  to  none,  and  again  in  1892,  when  the  Albion 
defeated  their  neighbours  by  three  goals  to  none.  The 
latter  occasion  will  long  be  remembered  for  the  impu- 
tations cast  on  the  Villa  goal-keeper.  Birmingham  went 
n  ad  over  it,  and  Warner  had  to  leave  the  Perry  Ban- 
club.  That  was  the  last  time  the  final  tie  was  played 
at  the  Oval,  and  the  Villa,  team  were  hot  favourites. 
Who  will  win  the  rubber  1 


won  the  match  for  Wales  against  England  at  Cardiff  by 
a  dropped  goal  just  before  the  whistle  blew  for  "no 
side." 


The  International  Rugby  wooden-spoon  has  fallen  to 
the  lot  of  Ireland,  whose  defeat  by  Wales  was  most  un- 
link}". The  Irishmen  had  as  much  of  the  game,  though 
ihe  Welsh  backs  were  perhaps  more  clever.  The  win 
was  by  a  goal  to  a  try.  Bancroft  converted  for  Wales, 
lie  is  a  wonderfully  accurate  kick,  and  three  years  ago 


Woolwich  Arsenal  and  Millwall  Athletic,  the  two 
best  professional  teams  in  the  south,  have  arranged  to 
play  three  matches ;  and  the  interest  will  certainly  be 
very  great  locally.  The  first  will  be  at  Plumstead,  on 
the  25th  inst.,  the  second  on  April  8th,  and  the  third  on 
April  27th. 


W.  B.  Thomson,  the  famous  Blaekheath  three-quarter 
back,  will  be  known  no  more  to  football,  as  he  leaves 
for  South  Africa  shortly.  lie  will  he  greatly  missed 
even  by  a  club  so  prolific  in  talent  as  the  Blaekheath 
organisation. 


TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS    IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33  Gresse  Street,  London,  W. 

BINGHAM  and  CO., 

Tailors  &  Military  Outfitters, 

29,  Conduit  St.,  Bond  St., 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 
I 

RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
170R  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 


Cockspur   Street,  London. 

N VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


TEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


ARKET  REPORT. 
|  jUR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 
1  1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


SECURITIES    PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
H       HALF  PER  CENT. 
"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


s 


H' 


UCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 


(TWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 

LiENT  POST  FREE. 
O 

rpHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 

PART   I.— STOCK    EXCHANGE      PART  II.- HOW  TO  OPERATE. 

USAGES.  .    .  ,     c.  , 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

.Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating, 
"A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "A Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Hishesfcarid  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  lt>:l3  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration, 
Can   Count  ry   Residen  ts   Ope 'ate 

Successfully? 
And  many  others  of  inteiest  to  all 
people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  lie  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modesof  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts.  

kUR  THREE-MONTHLY 


0' 


j^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  iu  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  donewhere  commissions  and 
oontangoes  have  to  bo  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

No  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCK. SPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


RICHMOND  GEM 


C/GARETTES. 

UNEQUALLED 
FOR  DELICACY  AND  FLAVOR 

THE  BODY  BELT, 

For  LUMBAGO,  RHEUMATICS,  or  COLDS. 

PURE     NATURAL     WOOt     IN    TWO    AND     FOUR  PtV. 

3s.  &  2  s.  6d.;  post  free  twopence  extra.    Send  waist  measurement. 
GRANT    &  WATSON, 

SHIRT-TAILORS,    HOSIERS,     &  OUTFITTERS, 

112,  Buchanan  Street,  Glasgow. 


PREMIER 
CYCLES. 


Constructed  of  Helical  Tube.  HELICAL.  TUBE. 

Patented  and  Registered   Double  strength,  jvt  light? 


itachine  made. 


The  FKKMIKIt  CYCLE  (  (».,  Ltd.,  are  Cycle 
Manufacturers  bj  special  appointment  t<>  U.K. II. 
The  Prince  of  W;ilo*.  are  patronised  i>>  the 
chief  British  and  foreign  NoMUty,  and  i>>  the 
Miser  and  greater  portion  of  cycle  riders 
throughout  Hie  world. 

20,000  Premiers  sold  in  1894. 

Special  Quotations  to  really  responsible  purchasers  desirous  of  adopting  our  I*rogresaiv« 
Payment  System.      Lists  and  all  particulars  free  frum 

THE  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  Ltd., 

14.    HOLBORN   VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C. 


March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


217 


The  misere  competition  has,  I  ara  sorry  to  say,  been 
more  successful  from  what  a  chemist  would  term  the- 
quantitative  than  the  qualitative  point  of  view.  I  sup- 
pose that  this  may  be  held  accountable  to  two  causes — 
firstly,  that  the  problem  was  one  not  easy  of  solution ; 
and,  secondly,  that  the  science  of  misere  play  is  very 
imperfectly  understood.  The  prize  was  offered  for  the 
best  illustrative  misere  in  which  the  game  should  so 
develop  itself  that  the  'ending  hand  must  at  one  stage 
play  to  prevent  his  partner,  or  partners,  discarding,  and 
at  either  that  or  another  stage  of  the  game  the  player 
T\ho  was  leading  could  permit  the  caller  to  discard,  and 
through  the  adoption  of  these  tactics  the  caller  was 
to  be  eventually  defeated. 

The  solutions  sent  in  may  be  classified  under  three 
headings: — (1)  Those  which  embodied  the  required 
conditions,  but  in  which  the  play  was  faulty.  (2)  Those 
which  did  not  fully  embody  the  required  conditions,  but 
in  which  the  play  was  fairly  correct.  (3)  Those  in  which 
the  conditions  and  the  play  were  both  faulty. 

After  a  lot  of  weeding  out,  the  final  selection  was 
narrowed  down  to  one  of  two  papers — that  of  Mr.  J.  H. 
Hunter,  Ingham  Infirmary,  South  Shields,  or  of  "  Intro," 
Stockton-on-Tees,  and  although  both  games  are  dis- 
figured by  errors  of  play,  Mr.  Hunter's  contains  the 
fewer  mistakes,  and  the  prize,  a  silver-mounted  cigar- 
case,  with  monogram,  has  therefore  been  awarded  to 
him  for  the  following  solution:  — 

THE  HANDS. 
Queen,  10— hearts;   7,  6,  5,  4,  3,  2— clubs;  Queen, 


4,  3— hearts;  King,  8 — clubs;   King,  Jack,  9, 
Ace — hearts;   Ace,  Queen,  Jack,  10,  9— 


A :  Jack — spades ; 
10,  5,  2 — diamonds. 

B :  King — spades ;  King 
8,  7,  6,  3— diamonds. 

C:  Ace,  10,  7,  6,  3— spades; 
clubs;  Ace,  4 — diamonds. 

D  (dealer):  Queen,  9,  8,  5,  4,  2— spades;  Jack,  9,  8,  7,  6,  5,  2— hearts. 
Queen  of  spades  turned  up.    A  and  B  pass.    C   calls  solo.    D  calls 
misere.    C  fears  to  go  abundance,  as  he  infers  from  D  going  misere  with 
Queen  of  spades  turned  up  he  has  it  well  supported ;  so  he  passes. 
THE  PLAY. 

First  trick  (A) :  Jack — spades ;  King — spades ;  Ace— spades ;  Queen- 
spades. 

Second  trick  (C)  :  10— spades ;  9 — spades ;  Queen— hearts ;  King— clubs. 
Third  trick  (0)  :  7 — spades ;  5 — spades ;  10 — hearts ;  8 — clubs. 
Fourth  trick   (C)  :    6— spades;  4— spades  ;  Queen — diamonds;  King- 
hearts. 

Fifth  trick  (C)  :  Ace — diamonds ;  Jack — hearts ;  10 — diamonds ;  King- 
diamonds.  , 

Seeing  that  his  partners  are  both  discarding  hearts, 
and  knowing  from  this  that  the  misere  hand  must  have 
length  in  that  suit,  C  stops  the  discards  by  changing 
the  lead  to  Ace,  followed  by  a  small  diamond,  in  the 
hope  that  he  may  be  able  to  throw  off  his  solitary  Ace 
of  hearts  on  the  third  round  of  diamonds.  A  lead  of 
the  small  diamond  first  would  saddle  him  with  all  the 
rest  of  the  tricks. 

Sixth  trick  (C) :  4— diamonds ;  9— hearts ;  5 — diamonds  ;  Jack— diamonds. 

B  has  seen  D  renounce  Jack  and  nine  of  hearts;  A  has  thrown  the 
Queen  and  ten,  and  he  therefore  locates  the  Ace  with  C,  and  to  enable 
him  to  discard  it  leads  to  the 

Seventh  trick  (B) :  9— diamonds;  (C),  Ace— hearts;  (D),  8— hearts ; 
(A),  2— diamonds. 

Eighth  trick  (B) :  4— hearts. 

Ninth  trick  (B) :  3— hearts. 
And  catches  the  caller. 

The  faults  in  this  game  are  pretty  obvious.  On  the 
third  trick,  C  should  have  led  his  solitary  Ace  of  hearts, 
and  his  immediate  resumption  of  the  spade  lead  would 
have  told  his  partners  that  he  held  no  more  hearts.  On 
the  fourth  trick,  B  has  no  justification  for  discarding 
King  of  hearts.  A,  by  his  discards  of  Queen  and  ten  of 
hearts,  followed  by  a  diamond,  has  shown  that  he  is  free  of 
hearts  ;  and  B,  holding  the  key  to  the  situation  with 
King,  four,  three  of  hearts,  should  have  kept  them  intact 
until  he  was  in  a.  position  to  bring  them  into  effective 
play. 

On  the  eighth  trick,  B  should  have  made  quite  sure  of 
C  being  free  of  hearts  by  leading  another  diamond.  The 
ordei  in  which  the  caller  discarded  hearts  was  quite 
wrong.  When  he  threw  off  the  Jack,  it  was  of  exactly 
the  same  value  as  the  5.  A  discard  first  of  the  6  and 
then  of  the  5  would  have  gone  far  to  baffle  the  calcula- 
tions of  the  leading  hand. 


prior  to  his  seeing  the  offer  of  the  prize  in  "  To-Day," 
and  he  gives  it  exactly  as  it  was  played. 

the  hands.  • ' 

A:  Queen,  Jack,  9,  8,  7-spades;  Ace,  King,  9,  8,  5-hcarts;  9,  5,  2- 

'"-iclubs;  4,  2-spades;  6,  4,  3,  2-hearts;  Jack,  10,  7,  C,  4,  3- 

dicfAce,  King,  Jack,  7,  4,  2-elubs;  King,  10,  6,  5-spades;  Queen, 

Ji,0  '(«rt  Queen,  10.  9,  8,  G,  5-^lubs;  Ace,  3-sPades;  7-hearts; 

XTo?%^X^n^  call  not  stated.)   B  goes  misere. 

*X lilii  PLAY.  . 

to  A,  who  first  led  them.  .   lip(rts-    Oueen — 

EE  A*pM  »  raJfSSr h^mm^anMidcs 
first  to  see  how  spades  lie. 
Third  trick  (A) :  9,  4,  King,  Ace— spades. 

iTntwstow^t  ^»  £"5^ 

B  may  have  both,  neither,  or  the  5  only.   Presumably  D  has  neitt.er, 

"yjor.-rlokV):    Jack-spades;   Jack-diamonds;    6-spades;  King- 

ai^?"daick  (A):  King-hearts;   3-hearts;    Jack-hearts;  Queen-dia- 

"Tcannot  eontin<,>  hear*,  a,  he  knows  C  has  the  10;  so.  rather  than 

lns'o  the  lead  h»  r'.M's  for  both  B  and  D  to  discard.   

'"^v  nth  trick": '  Spades ;    10-diamonds ;  es ;  8-djamonds 

Eighth  trick  (A):   7-spades;  3-diamonds;  10-heaits,  gueen-ciu 

Ninth  trick  (A):   2— diamonds,  catches  the  caller. 

m    game  is  a  strange  mixture  of  good  and  fed* erent  B^^gg 

and  most  important  fault  is  ^.«^T^TdHA^2^1M?,^lSS 
of  Queen  of  hearts  in  the  first  trick.    '  Intro  i itauta  that  this  w is  nau. 

one  more  round.  „   .    _.„prfftin  whether  10 

In  Trick  4,  A  should  have  covered  w. th  ^J{^Sl^  discarded 
ff.^AW&SB  SsJrd  f^utA  In  Trick  0,  A  should  have 
B°»IsJtgate  in  accordance  with  the  c^ons  of  — y 

SSfi#  n«aSoS  ^JSS^tt*  "motives 

WSrw"  TSS^tSESSi "    ^eu-.,earts;  Ace- 

dis"nnnd' trick  (D) :  7-hearts;  9_hearts;  2-hearU;  Jack-hearta 
S  trick  (CA-  10-heurts;  King-diamonds;  Ace-hearts;  3-hearts. 
Fourth  trick   (A)  :    King-Hearts  f  6-hearts ;    King-spades ;  Queen- 

dii"«hdtriek  (A):   8-hearts;  4-hearts;  10-spades;  8-diamonds. 
Ixth  trick  (IV:  5-hearts    3-clubs;  G-spades ;  Ace-spades 
Seventh  trick  (A):  9-diamonds;  4-diamonds;   5-spades;  3-spide* 
Eighth  trick  (A):  2— diamonds. 

An  excellent  example  of  a  correctly  played  game  is 
that  of  Mr.  W.  J.  Dyer ;  but  ho  has  illustrated  only  one 
of  two  required  conditions.  The  caller  is  not  knowingly 
permitted  to  discard. 

i  (in  n  anus.        „;    -     :• . 

A-  King  10  9,  8,  6— hearts;  Ace,  Jack,  9-<!lubs;  King,  Que.n,  Jack— 
a«;fe.  t^h-ts;  King,  10,  8,  3-clubs;  Ac3, 
AC':  4,  2-clubs:    7,  3,  2-diannnds;   Jack,  8,  G,  5,  2- 

SPDe(dealer):  Queen,  7,  2-hearts;  5-clubs;  10,  9,  8,  G,  5-diamonds; 
K7gcf  hetrtiln?ndaSup.  A  proposes.  B  accepts.  C  calls  misere.  P,  A, 
and  B  pass. 

THE  PLAY. 

Firft  trick  (A):  Queen-spades;  Ace-spades;    Jack-spades;  King- 

ePSMond  trick  (B) :   10— spades;  8— spades;  7— spades;   9— spades. 
TWrd  trick  (B):  Ace — diamonds ;  7-diamonds;  10-diamonds;  Emg- 

diKtll'trick  (B):   4-diamonds;   2-diamonds;    9-diamonds;  Queen- 

^T'a^sumes   that   the   only  chance  of  defeating  the  calls  is  in  spades; 
and  believing  from  B's  play  that  he  has  no  more,  is  desncus  of  placing 
the  lead  with  D.  '    ...    ...  : 

Filth  trick  (A):  9— clubs;  10-clubs;  6-clubs;  5— clubs. 

In  the  ordinary  play  against  a  misere,  B  would  now  go 
on  with  clubs,  so  that  D  could  discard  on  the  suit ;  but, 
being  now  convinced  that  D  holds  some  of  the  remain- 
ing spades,  for  he  is  short  of  clubs,  and  unlikely  to  have 
much  strength  in  the  heart  suit,  from  the  fact  that 
hearts  were'trumps  and  first  hand  proposed,  and  fearing 
that  he  might  make  the  mistake  of  throwing  off  his 
hearts — the  only  suit  in  which  he  can  possibly  take  a 
trick  (Jack  of  diamonds  is  unmistakably  in  A's  hand)— 
B  changes  the  suit,  and  leads  to  the 

Sixth  trick  (B) :  5— hearts;  6— spades;  Queen— hearts;  10— hearts. 
Seventh  trick  (D):    4— spades.    Eighth  trick  (D) :   3— spades;  catches 
the  caller. 


In  giving  "Intro's"  solution,  I  must  do  that  gentle- 
man the  justice  to  explain  that  he  puts  it  forward  as  a 
game  in  which  he  actually  took  part  on  the  evening 


During  the  progress  of  the  misere  competition  I  have 
purposely  refrained  from  commenting  on  misere  play. 
In  future  I  hope  to  give  a  considerable  amount  ojr atten- 
tion to  miseres  in  general,  and  some  further  notice  to 
this  competition  in  particular.  The  Majok. 


21S 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1803. 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  Ji.  Caton  Woodvillij 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  TWO  CAMPS. 

ITANK  you,  Mademoiselle,  now 
you  can  go,"  he  said. 

But  he  need  not  have  spoken, 
tor  the  moment  his  sister  had 
done  his  bidding  she  turned 
from  us,  and  before  two  words  had 
passed  his  lips  she  was  hurrying 
back  to  the  house  in  a  passion 
of  grief,  her  face  covered,  and  her  slight  figure  shaken 
by  sobs  that  came  back  to  us  on  the  summer  air. 

The  sight  stung  me  to  rage ;  yet  for  a.  moment,  and 
by  a  tremendous  effort  I  restrained  myself.  I  would 
hear  him  cut. 

He  either  did  not,  or  would  not  see  the  effect  he  had 
produced,  however.  "  There,  Messieurs/'  he  said,  his 
face  somcv.hat  pale.  "I  am  obliged  to  your  patience. 
Now  you  know  what  I  think  of  your  tricolour  and  your 
services.  It  shall  shelter  neither  me  nor  mine !  I  hold 
no  parley  with  assassins. 

I  sprang  forward,  I  could  contain  myself  no  longer. 
"And  I !  "  I  cried.  "  I,  M.  le  Marquis,  have  something 
to  say,  too!  A  moment  ago  I  refused  that  tricolour! 
I  rejected  the  overtures  of  those  who  brought  it  to  me. 
I  was  resolved  to  stand  by  you  and  by  my  brethren 
against  my  better  judgment.  I  was  of  your  party, 
though  I  do  not  believe  in  it ;  and  you  might  have 
tied  me  to  it.  But  this  gentleman  is  right  !  You  are 
yourself  the  strongest  argument  against  yourself.  And 
I  do  this!  I  do  this  ! "  I  repeated  passionately.  "See, 
M.  le  Marquis,  and  know  that  it  is  your  doing  !  " 

With  the  word  I  snatched  up  the  ribbon,  on  which 
Mademoiselle  had  trodden,  and  with  fingers  that 
trembled  scarcely  less  than  hers  had  trembled,  when 
she  unfastened  it,  I  pinned  it  on  my  breast. 

He  bowed,  with  a  sardonic  smile.  "  A  cockade  is 
easily  changed,"  he  said.  But  I  could  see  that  he  was 
livid  with  rape  ;  that  he  could  have  slain  me  for  tho 
defeat. 

"  You  mean,"  I  said  hotly,  "  that  I  am  easily  turned." 

"  You  put  on  the  cap,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  he  retorted. 

The  other  three  had  withdrawn  a  little — not  without 
open  signs  of  disgust — and  left  us  face  to  face  ;  on  the 
spot  on  which  we  had  stood  three  weeks  before  on  the 
eve  of  his  mother's  reception.  Still  raging  with 
anger  on  Mademoiselle's  account,  and  minded  to  wound 
him,  I  recalled  that  to  him,  and  the  prophecies  he  had 
then  uttered,  prophecies  which  had  been  so  ill-fulfilled. 

lie  took  me  up  at  the  first  word.  "  Ill-fulfilled?"  ho 
said  grimfly.  "Yes,  M.  le  Vicomte,  but  why?  Be- 
cause those  who  should  support  me,  those  who  from  ono 
end  of  France  to  the  other  should  support  the  King1,  are 
like  you — waverers  who  do  not  know  their  own  minds  ! 
Because  the  gentlemen  of  France  are  proving  them- 
selves churls  and  cravens,  unworthy  of  the  names  they 
her:'.-!  Yes,  ill-fulfilled,"  he  continued  bitterly,  "be- 
cause you,  M.  de  Saux,  and  men  like  you,  are  for  this 


to-day  and  for  that  to-morrow,  and  cry  one  hour  'Re 
form,'  and  the  next,  '  Order  ! ' " 

The  denial  stuck  in  my  throat,  and  my  passion  dyino 
down  I  could  only  glower  at  him.  He  saw  this,  and 
taking  advantage  of  my  momentary  embarrassment, 
''But  enough,"  he  continued  in  a  tone  of  dignity  very 
galling  to  me,  since  it  was  he  who  had  behaved  ill,  not 
I.  "  Enough  of  this.  While  it  was  possible,  I  courted 
your  aid,  M.  de  Saux ;  and  I  acknowledge,  I  still  ac- 
knowledge, and  shall  be  the  last  to  disclaim,  the  obliga- 
tion under  which  you  last  night  placed  us.  But  there 
can  never  be  true  fellowship  between  those  who  wear 
that  "  and  he  pointed  t>  the  tricolour  I  had  as- 
sumed— "  and  those  who  serve  the  King,  as  we  serve 
him.  You  will  pardon  me,  therefore,  if  I  take  my 
leave,  and  without  delay  withdraw  my  sister  from  a  house 
in  which  her  presence  may  be  misunderstood,  as  mine, 
after  what  has  passed,  must  be  unwelcome." 

He  bowed  again  with  that,  and  led  the  way  into  tho 
house  ;  while  I  followed,  tongue-tied,  and  with  a-  sudden 
chill  at  my  heart.  There  was  no  one  in  the  hall,  ex- 
cept Andre,  who  was  hovering  about  the  farther  door; 
but  in  the  avenue  beyond  were  three  or  four  mounted 
servants,  waiting  for  M.  de  St.  Ala  is,  and  half-way  down 
the  avenue  a  party  of  three  were  riding  towards  tho 
gates.  It  needed  but  a  glance  to  show  me  that  the 
foremost  of  these  was  Mademoiselle  ;  and  that  she  rode 
low  in  the  saddle,  as  if  she  still  wept.  And  I  turned 
in  a  hot  fit  to  M.  de  St,  Alais. 

But  I  found  his  eye  fixed  on  me  in  such  a  fashion  that 
the  words  died  on  my  lips.  He  coughed  drily.  "  Ah  ! " 
he  said.  "  So  Mademoiselle  has  herself  felt  the  pro- 
priety of  leaving.  You  will  permit  me,  then,  to 
make  her  acknowledgments,  M.  de  Saux ;  and  to 
take  leave  for  her." 

He  saluted  me  with  the  words,  and  turned.  He  already 
had  his  foot  raised  to  the  stirrup,  when  I  muttered' his 
name. 

He  looked  round.  "  Pardon  !  "  he  said.  "  Is  thero 
anything  " 

I  beckoned  to  the  servants  to  stand  back.  I  was  in 
misery  between  rage  and  shame,  the  hot  fit  gone. 
"Monsieur,"  I  said,  "  there  is  one  more  thing  to  be  said. 
This  does  not.  end  all  between  Mademoiselle  and  me. 
For  Mademoiselle  " 

"We  will  not  speak  of  her  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  I  do  not  know  her  sentiments,"  I  continued,  doggedly 
disregarding  his  interruption,  "nor  whether  I  am  agree- 
able to  her.  But  for  myself,  M.  de  St.  Alais,  I  tell  you 
frankly  that  I  love  her,  nor  shall  I  change  because  I 
wear  one  tricolour  or  another.    Therefore  " 

"I  have  only  one  thing  to  say,"  he  cried,  raising  his 
hand  to  stay  me. 

I  gave  way,  breathing  hard.    "  What  is  it  I  "  I  said. 

"That  you  make  love  like  a  bourgeois  !  "  he  answered, 
laughing  insolently.  "  Or  a  mad  Englishman  !  And  as 
Mademoiselle  de  St.  Alais  is  not  a  baker's  daughter,  to 
bo  wooed  after  that  fashion,  I  find  it  offensive.  Is  that 
enough,  or  shall  I  say  more,  M.  le  Vicomte?" 

"  That  will  not  be  enough  to  turn  me  from  my  path  !  " 
I  answered.  "  Y'ou  forget  that  I  carried  Mademoiselle 
hither  in  my  arms  last  night  But  I  do  not  forget  it, 
and  she  will  not  forget  it.  We  cannot  lie  henceforth  as 
we  were,  M.  le  Marquis." 

"You  saved  her  life,  and  base  a  claim  upon  it?"  ho 


Copyviijht,  1S05,  by  Sla'iley  J.  Wtyman, 


March  23,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


210 


said  scornfully.  "That  is  generous  and  like  a  gentle- 
man ! " 

"  No,  I  do  not !  "  I  answered  passionately.  "  But  I 
have  held  Mademoiselle  in  my  arms,  and  she  has  laid 
her  head  on  my  breast,  and  you  can  undo  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other.  Henceforth  I  have  a  right  to  woo 
her,  and  I  shall  win  her." 

"  While  I  live  you  never  shall !  "  he  answered  fiercely. 
"  I  swear  that,  as  she  trod  on  that  ribbon — at  my  word, 
at.  my  word,  monsieur ! — so  she  shall  tread  on  your 
love.  From  this  day  seek  a  wife  among  your  friends, 
Mademoiselle  de  St.  Alais  is  not  for  you." 

I  trembled  with  rage.  "  You  know,  monsieur,  that  I 
cannot  fight  you!"  I  said. 

"  Nor  I  you,"  he  answered.  "  I  knew  it.  Therefore," 
he  continued,  pausing  an  instant  and  reverting  with 
marvellous  ease  to  his  former  politeness,  "  I  will  fly  from 
you.  Farewell,  monsieur — I  do  not  say,  until  we  meet 
again ;  for  I  do  not  think  that  we  shall  meet  much  in 
future." 

I  found  nothing  to  answer  him,  and  he  turned  and 
moved  away  down  the  avenue.  Mademoiselle  and  her 
escort  had  long  disappeared ;  his  servants,  obeying  my 
gesture,  were  almost  at  the  gates.  I  watched  his  figure 
as  he  rode  under  the  boughs  of  the  walnuts,  that  meet- 
ing low  over  his  head  let  the  sun  fall  on  him  through 
spare  rifts ;  and,  sore  and  miserable  at  least  myself,  I 
marvelled  at  the  gallant  air  he  maintained,  and  the 
careless  grace  of  his  bearing. 

Certainly  he  had  force.  He  had  the  force  his  fellows 
lacked,  and  he  had  it  so  abundantly,  that  as  I  gazed  after 
him  the  words  I  had  used  to  him  seemed  weak  and 
foolish,  the  resolution  I  had  flung  in  his  teeth  childish. 
After  all,  he  was  right  ;  this,  to  which  my  feelings  had 
impelled  me  on  the  spur  of  anger  and  love  and  the  mo- 
ment, was  no  French  or  proper  way  of  wooing,  nor  one 
which  I  should  have  relished  in  my  sister's  case.  Why  then 
had  I  degraded  Mademoiselle  by  it,  and  exposed  myself? 
Men  wooed  mistresses  that  way,  not  wives ! 

So  that  I  felt  very  wretched  as  I  turned  to  go  into 
the  house.  But  there  my  eye  lighted  on  the  pistols 
which  still  lay  on  the'  table  in  the  hall,  and  with  a  sud- 
den revulsion  of  feeling  I  remembered  that,  others' 
affairs  were  out  of  order  too  ;  that  the  chateaux  of  St. 
Alais  and  Marignac  lay  in  ashes,  that  last  night  I  had 
saved  Mademoiselle  from  death,  that  beyond  the  walnut 
avenue  with  it  s  cool,  long  shade  and  dappled  floor,  beyond 
the  quiet  of  this  summer  day,  lay  the  seething,  brawling 
world  of  Quercy,  of  France — the  world  of  maddened 
peasants  and  frightened  townsfolk,  and  soldiers  who 
would  not  fight,  and  nobles  who  dare  not. 

Then,  Vive  le  Tricolor  !  the  die  was  cast.  I  went 
through  the  house  to  find  Father  Benoit  and  his  com- 
panions, meaning  to  throw  in  my  lot  and  return  with 
them.  But  the  terrace  was  empty,  they  were  nowhere 
to  be  seen.  Even  of  the  servants  I  could  only  find  Andre, 
who  came  pottering  to  me  with  his  lips  pursed  up  to 
grumble.    I  asked  him  where  the  Cure  was. 

"Gone,  M.  le  Vicomte." 

"And  Buton?" 

"He  too.  With  half  the  servants,  for  the  matter  of 
that." 

"Gone?"  I  exclaimed.  "Whither?" 

"To  the  village  to  gossip,"  he  answered  churlishly. 
"There  is  not  a  turnspit  now  but  must  hear  the  news, 
and  take  his  own  leave  and  time  to  gather  it.  The 


world  is  turned  upside  down,  I  think.  It  is  time  his 
Majesty  the  King  did  something." 

"  Did  not  M.  le  Cure  leave  a  message?" 

The  old  servant  hesitated.  "  Well,  he  did,"  he  said 
grudgingly.  "He  said  that  if  M.  le  Vicomte  would  stay 
at  home  until  the  afternoon,  he  should  hear  from  him." 

"  But  he  was  going  to  Cahors  !  "  I  said.  "  He  is  not 
returning  to-day?" 

"He  went  by  the  little  alley  to  the  village,"  Andre 
answered  obstinately.  "  I  do  not  know  anything  about 
Cahors. " 

"  Then  go  to  the  village  now,"  I  said,  "  and  learn 
whether  he  took  the  Cahors  road." 

The  old  man  went  grumbling,  and  I  remained  alone 
on  the  terrace.  An  abnormal  quietness,  as  of  the  after- 
noon, lay  on  the  house  this  summer  morning.  I  sat 
down  on  a  stone  seat  against  the  wall,  and  began  to  go 
over  the  events  of  the  night,  recalling  with  the  utmost 
vividness  things  to  which  at  the  time  I  had  scarcely 
given  a  glance,  and  shuddering  at  horrors  that  in  the 
happening  had  barely  moved  me.  Gradually  my 
thoughts  passed  from  these  things  which  made  my  pulses 
beat ;  and  I  began  to  busy  myself  with  Mademoiselle.  I 
saw  her  again  sitting  low  in  the  saddle  and  weeping  as 
slio  went.  The  bees  hummed  in  the  warm  air,  the 
pigeons  cooed  softly  in  the  dovecote,  the  trees  on  the 
lawn  below  me  shaped  themselves  into  an  avenue  over 
her  head,  and  thinking  of  her,  I  fell  asleep. 

After  such  a  night  as  I  had  spent  it  was  not  un- 
natural. But  when  I  awoke,  and  saw  that  it  was  high 
noon,  I  was  wild  with  vexation.  I  sprang  up,  and  dart- 
ing suspicious  glances  round  me,  caught  Andre  skulk- 
ing away  under  the  house  wall.  I  called  him  back,  and 
asked  him  why  he  had  let  me  sleep. 

"I  thought  that  you  were  tired,  Monsieur,"  he  mut- 
tered, blinking  in  the  sun.  "  M.  le  Vicomte  is  not  a 
peasant  that  he  may  not  sleep  when  he  pleases." 

"  And  M.  le  Cure  ?    Has  he  not  returned  1 " 

"  No,  Monsieur." 

"And  he  went — which  way?" 

He  named  a  village  half  a  league  from  us;  and  then 
said  that  my  dinner  waited. 

I  was  hungry,  and  for  the  moment  asked  no  more, 
but  went  in  and  sat  down  to  the  meal.  When  I  rose  it 
was  nearly  two  o'clock.  Expecting  Father  Benoit  every 
moment,  I  bade  them  saddle  the  horses  that  I  might  be 
ready  to  go;  and  then,  too  restless  to  remain  still,  I 
went  into  the  village.  Here  I  found  all  in  turmoil. 
Three-fourths  of  the  inhabitants  were  away  at  St.  Alais 
inspecting  the  ruins,  and  those  who  remained.thought  of 
nothing  so  little  as  doing  their  ordinary  work;  but, 
standing  in  groups  at  their  doors,  or  at  the  cross-mads, 
or  the  church  gates,  were  discussing  events.  One  asked 
me  timidly  if  it  was  true  that  the  King  had  given  all  the 
land  to  the  peasants  ;  another,  if  there  were  to  lie  any 
mure  taxes  ;  a  third,  a  question  still  more  simple.  Yet 
with  this,  I  met  with  no  lack  of  respect;  and  few  failed 
to  express  their  joy  that  I  had  escaped  the  ruffians  la-bas. 
But  as  I  approached  each  group  a  subtle  shade  of  ex- 
pectation, of  shyness  and  suspicion  seemed  to  flit  across 
faces  the  most  familiar  to  me.  At  the  moment  I  did  not 
understand  it,  and  apprehended  it,  even,  but  dimly.  Now, 
after  the  event,  now  that  it  is  too  late,  I  know  that  it  was 
a  symptom  of  the  social  poison  doing  its  sure  and  deadly 
work, 

( To  be  continued.) 


220 


TO-DAY. 


March  -'3,  189.--. 


AN  INJUDICIOUS  PRESENT. 

BY 

W.  L.  ALDEN. 

Illustrated  by  A.  S.  Forrest. 


HEB,E  is  a  young  man  dwelling  in 
the  North  of  En  gland  who  wanders 
sadly  over  the  face  of  the  country 
with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
ground,  searching  vainly  for  the 
fragments  of  a  vanished  and  valu- 
able girl.  As  yet,  his  search  has 
been  unsuccessful,  and  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  he  will  sink  into 
abject  despair  in  the  course  of  a 
very  few  more  years. 

The  world  is  by  no  means 
agreed  as  to  what  is  the  most 
appropriate  and  unobjectionable 
present  that  a  young  man  can 
make  to  Ids  beloved  object.  As  a 
rule,  young  ladies  prefer  presents 
in  the  shape  of  jewellery,  since 
gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones 
do  not  perish  with  the  affections, 
but  survive  to  be  worn  in  the  pre- 
sence of  many  successive  adorers, 
and  can    always   be  converted 


into  money.  There  are,  however,  young  men  who  are 
addicted  to  gifts  more  useful,  and  much  cheaper  than 
jewellery.  There  was  a  Manchester  young  man,  who, 
when  he  became  engaged,  gave  his  beloved  a  dozen  pair 
of  shoes,  which  he  had  bought  at  wholesale  rates.  As 
he  wisely  remarked,  his  wife  could  get  along  without  a 
diamond  ring,  but  she  could  not  get  along  without  shoes, 
and  the  more  shoes  he  might  give  her  before  marriage 
the  fewer  he  would  have  to  give  after  that  happy  event. 
Less  astute  than  the  man  educated  in  the  Manchester 
school  of  political  economy,  but  far  more  sentimental, 
was  the  Brixton  youth  who  presented  his  girl  with  a 


;s!m  V  ,r 


VOUNG   LADIES   PREFER  JEWELLERY. 

string  of  remarkably  fine  onions,  accompanied  with 
a  letter  (which  was  subsequently  read  at  a  breach 
of  promise  trial),  in  which  he  said:  "Eat  them, 
Mariar;   and  when  the   sycophants  of  fashion  find 


fault  with  you,   remember  that  I  am  coming  to 

see  you  to-night,  and  that  onions  can't  make  me 
love  you  the 

less."    There    ..  . 
might  also  be 
mentioned,  as 
a  beautiful 
union  of  the 
useful  with 
the  romantic, 
the  conduct 
of   a  young 
man  residing 
near  Blooms- 
bury  Square, 
who  courted 
a  young  lady 
of  thevicinity 
withapassion 
for  a  certain 
South  Ameri- 
can jelly, 
which  is  sold 
in  small  pots. 
Twice  a  week  this  de- 
voted lover  brought 
to  his  fair  one  a  pot 
of  jelly,  and  the  two 
devoured  it  with  the 
same  spoon  in  the 
seclusion  of  the  con- 
servatory.   It  need 
hardly  be  said  that 
these  two  hearts  with 
but  a  single  spoon, 
caught  much  of  the 
adhesiveness  of  the 
jell}',  and  have  ever 
since  remained 
closely  united. 

Returning  thus 
circuitously  to  the 

young  man  of  Manchester,  it  becomes  proper  to 
remark  that  in  addition  to  being  peculiar  in  the 
matter  of  presents,  he  was,  as  became  a  disciple 
of  Cobden,  a  thrifty  and  economical  person,  and 
preferred  to  lavish  useful  instead  of  purely  orna- 
mental articles  upon  his  heart's  idol.  Every  Saturday 
night  he  brought  her  something  new.  At  one  time  it  would 
be  a  box  of  soap  ;  at  another  a  box  of  pills  suited  to  a 
small  liver;  at  another  a  dozen  pairs  of — let  us  say 
scissors,  and  thus  disappoint  the  wicked  person  who 
\ainly  hopes  that  this  page  may  be  sullied  by  the  men- 
tion of  elastic  ligatures.  He  gave  her  during  last  winter 
a  paper  of  pins,  a  hair-brush,  a  stomach-pump — which, 
as  he  justly  said,  it  would  be  always  handy  to  have  in 
the  house  in  view  of  the  indiscriminate  appetite  for  un- 
wholesome things  so  often  manifested  by  children,  a 
waterproof  cloak,  a  monkey  wrench,  capable  of  being 
adjusted  so  as  to  wrench  a  monkey  of  any  size,  a  la-It 
ribbon,  and  a  bottle  of  horse  liniment.  In  fact,  he  uni- 
formly gave  her  articles  which  were  fully  worth  tho 
money  paid  for  them,  and  which  were  adapted  to  con- 
vince the  young  lady's  father  that  his  future  son-in-law 
was  a  man  who  would  never  waste  his  substance  in 
riotous  jewellery. 

One  evening 'in  May  last  this  excellent  young  man, 
who  had  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  London,  brought  to 
his  betrothed  a  large  pasteboard  box,  full  of  articles  of 
dress  of  snowy  whiteness.  Among  these  were  a  pair  of 
wristbands,  a  collar,  and  a — in  fact,  a  number  of  other 
articles — all  apparently  made  of  the  finest  linen.  The 
remarkable  merit  of  these  things  consisted  in  the  fact 
that  they  never  needed  to  be  either  washed  or  ironed. 
"You  can  wear  that  collar,  Mary  Jane,"  explained  the 
young  man.  "  for  a  whole  year  without  washing  it.  When 
it  begins  to  look  sort  of  darkish,  you  know,  all  you  have 


THEY  WERE  ACCEPTED  WITU  MCCH 
GRATITUDE. 


March  23,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


221 


to  do  is  to  wipe  it  with  a  wet  towel,  and  it'll  be  as  white 
as  ever.  Then  there's  that  other  thing.  It  don't  need 
no  sort  of  stiffening.  It'll  stand  out  like  a  hoop  skirt 
all  the  summer,  and  the 
rain  can't  wet  it  if  it 
tries."  Of  course,  these 
miraculous  garments  had 
been  bought  in  London, 
and  were  made  of  that 
curious  material  called 
culluloid,  the  basis  of 
which  is  gun-cotton.  They 
were  accepted  with  much 
gratitude,  and,  after  being 
thoroughly  tested,  were 
found  to  justify  all  that 
had  been  said  in  praise 
of  their  admirable  quali- 
ties. 

On  the  21st.  of  May 
occurred  the  annual  com- 
bined picnic  and  mission- 
ary fair  of  the  local 
Congregational  chapel,  to 
which  the  young  man  and 
his  beloved  belonged.  To 
this  picnic  the  young  man 
escorted  the  young  woman, 
the  latter  being  arrayed 
in  her  very  best  garments. 
Around  her  arms  and  neck 
were  the  culluloid  cuffs, 
and  the  culluloid  collar, 
and  the  other  girls  who 
had  placed  their  trust 
in  the  Sunday  Observer, 

relying  upon  the  stiffness  of  the  paper  upon  which  that 
journal  is  printed,  were  filled  with  envy  as  they  noticed 
the  way  in  which  the  celluloid  garment,  previously 


ARRAYED    IN    HER  BEST 
GARMENTS. 


referred  to  by  the  young  man  as  that  "other  thing," 
stood  out,  and  refused  to  lose  its  elasticity,  no  matter 
how  rudely  it  was  sat  upon.  Toward  the  end  of  the 
picnic  the  young  man  led  his  fair  companion  to  a 
secluded  nook,  where  he  proposed  to  smoke  a  cigar  of 
the  purest  Hamburgh  brand,  while  lying  dreamily  at 
her  feet.  Throwing  himself  carelessly  in  that  position, 
he  drew  a  match  from  his  pocket,  and  struck  it  on  a 
convenient  stone.  A  terrific  explosion  followed,  and  the 
young  man,  scorched  and  insensible,  was  picked  up  by 
his  friends  nearly  two  rods  from  the  place  where  he 
had  struck  the  match. 

Not  the  slightest  trace  of  that  young  woman  has  since 
been  found,  with  the  exception  of  one  of  her  shoes,  which 
was  driven  deep  into  the  ground  at  the  place  where  she 
was  sitting  when  she  exploded.  The  flame  of  the  match 
had  set  fire  to  some  one  of  the  young  lady's  celluloid 
garments,  and  in  the  explosion  which  followed  she  was 
either  blown  bodily  miles  away,  or  was  completely  dis- 
sipated in  the  form  of  gases.  It  is  improbable  that  she 
was  blown  away,  for  had  such  a  fate  been  hers,  she  would 
long  ago  have  been  picked  up  by  somebody,  and,  being  a 
valuable  girl,  the  finder  would  have  undoubtedly  have 
answered  the  advertisement  offering  a  reward  for  her, 
which  the  girl's  father  inserted  in  the  leading  Man- 
chester paper.  We  must,  therefore,  conclude  that  the 
explosion  was  so>  violent  as  to  resolve  her  into  her 
original  gases,  in  which  case  nothing  is  more  certain 
than  that  she  will  never  again  be  seen  in  the  flesh.  The 
young  man,  however,  ha,s  not  lost  all  hope  of  finding 
some  relic  of  his  beloved  one,  and  he  spends  hours  daily 
in  searching  the  plains  and  hillsides,  with  his  eyes  fixed 
on  the  ground,  and  his  bosom  filled  with  the  hope  of 
finding  something  that  might  be  still  worth  a  trifle  in 
the  second-hand  clothing  market.  Let  us  draw  a  veil 
over  the  anguish  which  wrings  his  heart  as  he  estimates 
the  aggregate  value  of  his  presents,  and  reflects  that 
neither  they  nor  the  young  lady  were  protected  against 
explosion  even  by  the  smallest  insurance  policy. 


GOOD-NIGHT,  SWEETHEART. 

••  Good-night,  sweetheart,  good-night,  sweetheart !  " 

The  words  ring  out  while  hot  tears  start, 

And  little  hands  so  fair  to  see 

Are  tenderly  stretched  out  to  me; 

Yet  coldly  from  them  I  depart — 

"Good-night,  sweetheart,  good-night,  sweetheart!'"' 

"  Good-night — ah,  such  a  night ! — I  knew 
The  sweet  lips  yearned  for  kisses  too — 
Asking  no  other  earthly  bliss 
Than  just  one  fond,  forgiving  kiss ; 
One  kiss — and  as  my  steps  depart, 
Unanswered  words — "  Good-night,  sweetheart ! " 

Ah,  dear !  if  we  could  only  know 

The  gentle  hearts  that  love  us  so, 

The  angry  words  that  give  you  pain — 

We'd  let  you  kiss  them  back  again ! 

I  answer  now,  while  hot  tears  start, 

*' Good-night,  sweetheart,  good-night,  sweetheart!" 

FRANK  L.  STANTON. 


HOW  PARROTS  SHAPED  AMERICA'S  DESTINY. 

A  flight  of  birds,  coupled  with  a  sailor's  supersti- 
tion robbed  Columbus  of  the  honour  of  discovering  the 
continent.  It  is  a  curious  but  historical  fact.  When 
Columbus  sailed  westward  over  the  unknown  Atlantic, 
he  expected  to  reach  Zipangu  (Japan).     After  several 


days'  sail  from  Gomera,  one  of  the  Canary  Islands,  he 
became  uneasy  at  not  discovering  Zipangu,  which, 
according  to  his  reckoning,  should  have  been  216 
nautical  miles  more  to  the  east.  After  a  long  dis- 
cussion he  yielded  to  the  opinion  of  Martin  Alonzo 
Pinzon,  the  commander  of  the  Pinta,  and  steered  to  the 
southwest.  Pinzon  was  guided  in  his  opinion  solely  by  a 
flight  of  parrots,  which  took  wing  in  that  direction.  It 
was  good  luck  to  follow  in  the  wake  of  a  flight  of 
birds  when  engaged  upon  a  voyage  of  discovery — a 
widespread  superstition  among  Spanish  seamen  of  that 
day  ;  and  this  change  in  the  great  navigator's  course 
curiously  exemplifies  the  influence  of  small  and 
apparently  trivial  events  in  the  world's  history.  If 
Columbus  had  held  to  his  course  he  would  have  entered 
the  Gulf  Stream,  have  reached  Florida,  and  then 
probably  have  been  carried  to  Cape  Hatteras  and 
Virginia.  The  result  would  probably  have  given  the 
present  United  States  a  Roman  Catholic  Spanish  popu- 
lation instead  of  a  Protestant  English  one,  a  circum- 
stance of  immeasurable  importance.  "  Never,"  wrote 
Humboldt,  "  had  the  flight  of  birds  more  important 
consequences. " — C  urrent  Liter  a  ture. 


Catalani,  like  most  prima  donnas,  had  a  great  weakness 
for  showing  off  her  jewellery.  "  You  see  dis  brooch  ? " 
she  would  say;  "  de  Emperor  of  Austria  gave  me  dis. 
You  see  dese  earrings  1  de  Emperor  of  Russia  gave  me 
dese.  You  see  dis  ring  1  de  Emperor  Napoleon  gave  me 
dis,"  and  so  on.  Braham,  the  tenor,  in  imitation  of 
this,  would  say,  pointing  to  his  umbrella,  "  You  see  dis  1 
de  Emperor  of  China  gave  me  dis."  Then,  pointing  to 
his  teeth,  "  de  Emperor  of  Tuscany  gave  me  dese." 
— The  Argonaut. 


222 


TO-DAY. 


March  23,  1395. 


CHARACTER   AND  THE 
READING  THEREOF. 


A  CHAT  WITH  PROFESSOR  OPPENHEIM. 

"It  was  through  reading  Dickens,"  said  Miss  Annie 
Oppenheim,  as  I  seated  myself  before  a  bright  fire 
in  her  study,  and  arranged  my  chair  so  that  two  grinning 
skulls  were  not  necessarily  in  my  line  of  sight.  "Yes, 
it  was  Dickens  that  first  turned  my  thoughts  to  the  study 
of  physiognomy.  He  was  a  master  in  the  art.  When  he 
introduces  you  to  a  character  he  describes  him  minutely 
— his  nose,  his  eyes,  his  jaws — and  whenever  that  cha- 
racter reappears  you 
will  find  he  is  still 
acting  consistently.  If 
only  I  had  a  better 
memory  for  names  I 
would  recall  to  you  a 
dozen  of  such  creations, 
notably  in  '  David 
C  o  p  p  e  r  fi  e  1  d,'  'Ouc 
Mutual  Friend,'  and 
'  Bleak  House.'  '•' 

"  Is  Dickens  alone 
in  this  particular 
strength,  Miss  Oppen- 
heim ? " 

"  No ;  Thackeray  is 
equally  good.  But  his 
characters  are  not  so 
varied.  You  know  that 
old  gentleman  in 
'  Vanity  Fair ' — oh !  I  wish  I  had  a  better  memory.  He 
was  that  old  fellow  who  had  seen  good  days  and  then 
came  to  grief.  You  remember  how  he  went  up  to  the 
City  every  day,  with  papers  showing  that  in  the  past  he 
had  been  trusted  and  honoured.  In  his  poverty  he  still 
tried  to  meet  people  on  an  equality.  He  could  not 
humble  himself.  Thackeray's  description  of  his  appear- 
ance is  absolutely  true  to  physiognomy." 

"  As  we  have  got  on  the  subject  of  the  phy- 
siognomist in  literature,  Miss  Oppenheim,  can  you 
instance  living  writers?" 

"  Nowadays,  you  know,  the  novelist  does  not  go  in  for 
the  elaborate  description  of  appearance  that  earlier 
writers  did.  But  there  are  few  writers  who  do  not  give 
the  colourless  man  in  their  stories  a  receding  chin,  and 
credit  the  shrewd  man  with  deep-set  eyes.  Even  these 
small  admissions  show  that  they  believe  in  physiognomy. 
Uudyard  Kipling  shows  his  character  in  his  eyes  in  a 
remarkable  manner.  He  will  regard  the  same  scene 
with  an  ordinary  man,  but  he  will  see  more  than  that 
man  sees.  He  will  overlook,  possibly,  or  forget  what 
his  companion  remembers,  but  he  will  retain  in  his  mind 
details  that  no  ordinary  man  would  ever  notice." 

"  You  have  met  Mr.  Kipling,  then  1 " 

"  No  ;  I  judge  from  his  photographs." 

"That  raises  an  interesting  point.  If  I  were  to  place 
before  you  photographs  of  a.  dozen  writers  and  actors 
whom,  we  will  suppose,  you  had  never  met,  and  of  whom 
you  had  no  knowledge,  could  you  say  such  an  one  is  a 
humorist,  another  a  romancer,  and  so  on." 

"  Certainly.  Take  Irving  and  Bernhardt  side  by 
side,  and  it  will  only  require  a  small  study  of  phy- 
siognomy for  you  to  detect  many  similarities  in  their 
features.  Stevenson's  face  was  distinctly  that  of  a 
highly-imaginative  man,  Toole  is  humorous  in  every  line, 
George  R.  Sims'  face  is  that  of  a  man  who  has  no  high 
aspirations,  but  who  understands  the  people,  and 
desires  to  bo  popular  with  them.  I  could  go  on  for 
hours,  but,  possibly,  more  noticeable  than  in  any  other 
art  is  the  invariable  similarity  in  the  formation  of  the 
forehead  of  great  musicians." 

"Is  the  reading  of  the  fare  a  sure  understanding  of 
the  character  of  the  individual?" 

"No;  that  is  the  distinction  between  physiognomy 


and  phreno-physiognomy.  The  development  of  the 
head  may  counteract  the  impression  left  by  the  face,  and 
so  the  two  must  be  taken  in  conjunction." 

"  Do  you  find  much  scepticism  nowadays  about  phy- 
siognomy and  phrenology?" 

"  Very  little  indeed.  The  last  sceptic  I  met,  if  I 
remember  rightly,  was  at  a  lecture  I  was  giving  in  the 
provinces.  A  labourer  came  on  to  the  platform  with  the 
idea  of  having  a  good  joke  at  my  expense.  He  made  a 
few  remarks  to  amuse  the  audience,  and  then  assured 
me — '  Young  'ooman '  was  his  description — that  he  did 
not  believe  in  anything  I  was  going  to  tell  him.  I  ex- 
amined him  carefully  and  honestly,  and  then  I  told  him 
that  he  was  right,  because  he  lacked  the  necessary  brains 
to  understand  physiognomy  ;  he  left  the  hall  without 
an  instant's  delay.  Really  you  cannot  imagine  the 
humours  of  lecturing  to  a  large  audience.  I  mention 
the  nose,  for  instance,  and  describe  how  it  indicates 
the  character.  Throughout  the  audience  there  is  a 
surreptitious  movement.  Handkerchiefs  are  produced 
as  one  blind  to  cover  the  search  for  certain  develop- 
ments, and  the  remainder  carefully  brush  away 
imaginary  flies.  While,  when  I  deal  with  the 
head,  it  is  almost  apoplexy  for  a  bald-headed 
gentleman  with  young  people  behind  him.  For  my 
own  part,  I  camiot  understand  how  people  can  doubt. 
You  meet  a  man  for  the  first  time.  You  form  your  im- 
pression of  him,  and  then  by  degrees  you  begin  to  change 
it.  Different  actions  and  different  moods  imluence  you. 
But  if  you  part  and  remember  him  after  a  period,  you 
will  find  that  your  original  estimate  of  him  was  the 
right  one.  Everyone  in  a  way  is  a  physiognomist. 
Talking  of  scepticism,  I  had  an  amusing  experience  the 
other  day.  I  delineated  the  character  of  a  young  mar- 
ried lady.  She  agreed  with  me  in  every  particular,  till 
I  told  her  that  she  was  jealous,  and  then  she  emphatically 
contradicted  me.  'But,'  I  said,  after  a  little  debate, 
'  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  would  feel  no  jealousy  if 
you  saw  your  husband  paying  marked  attention  to 
another  lady  ? '  '  But,'  she  answered  emphatically,  '  he 
never  goes  out  at  night.' " 

We  afterwards  indulged  in  a  general  chat,  in  which 
Miss  Oppenheim  admitted  that  she  disbelieved  in 
palmistry  pure  and  simple,  and  believed  that  most 
palmists  were  reading  the  face  at  the  time  they  read 
the  hand;  that  superstitions  were  ridiculous,  and  that, 
presentiments  were  the  result  of  the  liver.  "  In  these 
things,  you  know,"  she  said,  "  one  counts  the  hits  and 
forgets  the  misses.  You  have  a  presentiment  and 
nothing  happens.  You  have  a  hundred  and  nothing 
happens.  But  the  liver  still  being  responsible,  some- 
thing happens,  which  would,  under  any  circumstances, 
have  happened,  and  you  tell  everyone  about  it,  and 
everyone  says,  '  How  wonderful ! ' " 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Miss  Oppenheim,  after  a  pause, 
"  that  the  skull  gets  worn  in  places?  The  skull  of  a 
proud  man,  for  instance,  becomes  thin  where  the  organ 
of  self-esteem  lies.    Look  at  these  skulls." 

I  held  a  heavy,  ugly  jowled  one  up  to  the  light  and 
near  the  summit  of  the  crown  the  light  was  visible. 

"That  came  from  a  Warwickshire  graveyard,  and  was 
the  skull  of  a  day  labourer,"  she  said.  "  The  worn  place 
is  where  the  organs  of  reverence  lie." 

"  Reverence  and  a  labourer,  what  is  the  connection  ? ' 

"Now,  really,  who  is  more  reverent  (in  a  general 
sense)  than  the  villager.  He  reveres  the  lady  of  the 
hall,  the  squire,  the  parson.  He  respects  everyone  who 
might  or  who  has  done  him  some  good." 

"  The  next  skull  was  light  and  delicate,  and  worn  in 
many  places. 

"  Rather  a  strong  development  here,"  I  suggested, 
pointing  to  a  place  near  the  base,  where  it  was  almost 
transparent. 

"  Amativeness,"  said  Miss  Oppenheim. 

"  A  woman  ? " 

"Yes"  (with  a.  laugh),  "a  Frenchwoman  1 " 
I  left  my  hostess  convinced. 

II.  J.  P. 


TO-DAY. 


223 


THE  FOX-TERRIER.* 


When  a  fox-terrier  wants  to  draw  attention  to  his 
blue-blood  he  doesn't  do  so  by  dropping  casual  hints 
that  his  family  came  over  with  the  Conqueror,  or  that 
many  years  of  active  fighting  service  entitle  his  family 
to  respect.  He  would  be  far  more  likely  to  assert  his 
position  by  claiming  direct  descent  from  Old  Jock,  Old 
Trap,  or  Old  Tartar,  for,  as  Mr.  Rawdon  Lee  tells  us, 
the  blood  of  one  or  other  of  these  dogs  is  to  be  found 
in  all  the  best  strains  of  the  present  day. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  earliest  reliable  record  of  the 
existence  of  a  fox-terrier  is  to  be  found  in  a  book  written 
in  the  fourteenth  century,  but  the  dog  mentioned  differs 
considerably  from  the  fox-terrier  as  he  is  known  to-day. 
If  we  trace  back  the  origin  of  the  modern  fox-terrier 
we  cannot  go  farther  back  than  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century.  Before  that  time  we  have  little  guide 
left  to  tell  us  what  the  old  fox-terrier  was  like,  but  the 
illustration  of  a  dog  of  this  breed  as  he  appeared  in  1806 
corresponds  in  many  respects  with  the  fox-terrier  up-to- 
date.  The  difference  is  in  the  colour,  which  in  the 
earlier  generations  was  black  and  tan,  and  in  the  coat, 
which  was 
thicker  and 
rougher 
than  that 
usually 
found  in  the 
present 
smooth- 
coated  dog. 
The  old  fox- 
terrier  was, 
in  fact,  very 
much  like 
the  Welsh 
terrier  as  we 
now  know 
him. 

As  far  as 
the  pedi- 
grees of  our 
mod  e  r  n 
champions 
go,  it  is  sad 
to  reflect 
that  the 
best  of  them 
cannot  go 
b a  c  k  for 
much  more 
than  thirty 
years,  when 
ihe  fox-ter- 
rier crept  into  public  favour.  Since  that  time,  as 
Mr.  Lee  says,  "  he  has  never  socially  looked  behind 
him." 

Mr.  Lee  has  gone  thoroughly  into  the  gradual  devel- 
opment of  the  public's  favourite,  and  when  a  fancier  has 
read  this  book  he  has  read  all  there  is  to  be  known  on 
the  subject. 

As  far  as  practical  use  is  concerned,  the  fox-terrier 
has  attained  to  the  dignity  of  being  able  to  live  without 
doing  any  work,  though  I  doubt  if  the  majority  of  our 
show  dogs  could  fairly  earn  a  right  to  their  name  by 
drawing  a  fox.  The  owner  of  a  dog,  worth  say  forty 
to  fifty  pounds — no  uncommon  price  for  a  really  good  fox- 
terrier  now-a  days,  and  not  nearly  enough  to  buy  a  crack 
dog — naturally  lias  an  objection  to  risking  the  life  of  his 
pet,  and  so  the  fox-terrier  has  gradually  become  used 
to  a  luxurious  life.  His  hardest  work  is  going  from  show 
to  show,  and  a  very  successful  dog  is  quite  intelligent 
enough  to  become  conceited.  At  shows  many  old  stagers 

*  "The  Fox  Terrier,"  by  Rawdon  Lee  (Horace  Cox,  3rd  Edition,  6s.). 


disdain  the  attentions  of  the  common  people,  and  utilize 
their  spare  time  by  sleeping  in  solemn  grandeur,  know- 
ing full  well  that  three  or  four  prize  cards  are  nailed 
up  over  their  heads. 

Most  people  who  are  not  fanciers  will  be  surprised  to 
learn  from  this  admirable  book  the  prices  that  good  dogs 
fetch.  Perhaps  the  most  sensational  purchase  was  that 
made  in  1892  by  Mr.  S.J.  Stephens  of  Acton,  who  now 
has  one  of  the  most  famous  kennels  in  the  country.  When 
this  gentleman  decided  to  go  in  for  fox-terriers  he  de- 
termined to  spend  £2,000  on  dogs.  He  was  naturally 
anxious  to  get  the  best  blood  obtainable,  and  therefore 
approached  Mr.  R.  Vicary  with  a  view  of  purchasing 
his  Champion  Vice  Regal — 

Mr.  Vicary  did  not  care  to  part  with  his  dog,  but  Mr. 
Stephens  meant  business,  and  ultimately  forwarded  a  blank 
cheque  with  a  request  that  Mr.  Vicary  would  fill  in  the  sum 
he  thought  the  dog  was  worth,  which  amount  would  be 
duly  met  and  no  questions  asked.  Mr.  Vicary  made  the 
cheque  £500,  which  was  to  include  payment  for  a  bitch 
already  purchased  for  £30.  Thus  £470  was  the  sum  given 
for  Vice  Regal,  and  this  is  the  largest  amount  ever  paid  for 
a  terrier  of  any  description,  and  not  a  bad  sum  either. 
Since  that  time  Mr.  Stephens  says  he  has  had  no  reason  to 
regret,  even  from  the  purely  pecuniary  point  of  view,  the 
big  investment  he  made  in  fox-terriers. 

Mr.  Raw- 
d  o  n  Lee 
quotes  a 
curious  in- 
stance of 
the  mater- 
nal instinct 
in  a  fox- 
terrier  bitch 
getting  the 
better  of 
her  equally 
natural  in- 
stinct  to 
kill.  A  pack 
of  hounds 

hu  nting 
noir  Sud- 
bury, had 
an  extra- 
ordin  a ly 
run  of  an 
h  o  u  r  , 
when  the 
fox  went 
to  ground. 
The  ter- 
riers, ow- 
ing to  the 
pace,  were 
lef  far  be- 
hind, and 
as     t  li  e 


TUE  FOX-TERr.IEll  IN  1S0G. 


master 
wished  to 

blood  his  hounds,  a  terrier  bitch  from  the  village  was 
produced,  and  with  another  dog  drove  or  killed  the  fox, 
which  was  thrown  to  the  pack.  Whilst  the  operation  of 
breaking  up  was  progressing,  one  of  the  terriers  slipped 
back  into  the  earth,  and  in  due  course  a  bitch  fox  was  dug 
out,  and  two  cubs  worried  underground.  The  mother  was 
allowed  to  escape,  but  her  three  other  cubs  wee  taken  and 
put  to  the  terrier  which  had  killed  the  first  brace.  The 
bitch  took  kindly  enough  to  the  little  things  and  suckled  and 
attended  them  equally  as  well  as  her  own  olFspiing,  which 
had  been  born  five  weeks  previously  to  the  time  she  adopted 
her  foster-children. 

The  author  has  devoted  one  chapter  of  his  book 
to  the  breeding,  rearing,  and  training  of  fox- 
terriers,  and  his  advice  is  equally  applicable,  of  course, 
to  any  small  dog.  The  hints  for  preparing  dogs  for 
exhibition  contain  some  excellent  "  tips,"  which  should 
be  of  immense  value  to  anyone  going  in  for  this  some- 
what expensive  hobby.  The  more  common  ailments  of 
dogs  are  also  discussed  and  the  best  remedies  suggested. 
In  fact  this  book  must  be  a  distinct  compliment  to  a 
breed  which,  in  a  little  more  than  thirty  years,  has 


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A  WEEKLY 

MAGAZINE -JOURNAL 
EUe\By    JEROME  K.  JEROME 


Vol.  VI.— No.  73.       LONDON,  SATURDAY,  MARCH  30,  1895.       Price  Twopenck 


REMINISCENCES    OF  A 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 


BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 
Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 


X. 

A  Peculiar  Case. 


HEW  ! 

A  sharp,  shrill 
whistle  from  the 
speaking-tube  which 
communicated  with 
Mr.  Balthazzar's 
room  startled  me  in 
the  midst  of  my 
work  on  a  certain 
afternoon.  I  was 
well  accustomed  to 
being  thus  disturbed, 
but  the  peremptori- 
ness  of  the  present 
summons  showed  me 
that  my  principal 
was  either  impatient 
or  unusually  per- 
turbed. 

"Yes,  sir?"  I  said,  after  removing  the  whistle,  and 
placing  my  lips  to  the  mouthpiece. 

"  Bring  your  pencil  and  note-book  at  once !  "  cried  Mr. 
Balthazzar's  voice. 

I  seized  the  appliances  mentioned,  and  hurried  into 
•  the  adjoining  room,  where  I  found  Mr.  Balthazzar  stand- 
ing in  front  of  the  fireplace,  in  the  act  of  lighting  a  cigar, 
while  the  client's  chair  was  occupied  by  a  gentleman 
whoso  agitated  demeanour  at  once  attracted  my  atten- 
tion. The  visitor  was  a  stranger  to  me — a  youngish 
mati,  good-looking,  and  well-dressed.  He  was  extremely 
pale,  and  the  hand  with  which  he  was  nervously  passing 
■  a  pocket-handkerchief  across  his  forehead  trembled  vio- 


lently.     Mr.  Balthazzar,  who  preserved  his  habitual 
calmness,  motioned  to  me  to  place  myself  at  the  table. 
"Shorthand,  sir?"  I  inquired. 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  abruptly.  "  Take  a  sheet 
of  paper  from  the  drawer  there,  and  write  in  ink.  I  shall 
have  to  ask  you  to  sign  the  statement  you  are  going  to 
make,  Dr.  Bassett,"  he  added,  evidently  from  an  after- 
thought. 

The  client,  who  had  looked  additionally  uneasy  at  my 
entrance,  and  was  watching  my  preparations  with  evi- 
dent distrust,  exclaimed  irritably — 

"  You  wish  me  to  repeat  what  I  have  told  you,  Mr. 
Balthazzar?" 

"  Yes." 

"And — and  to  sign  the  written  statement?"  he 
added,  raising  his  voice  protestingly. 

"  Certainly  ;  that  is  why  I  sent  for  my  clerk,"  said  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  coolly. 

"But  I — I  decline.  I  came  to  you  in  the  strictest 
confidence,  Mr.  Balthazzar  ;  I  did  not  anticipate  the 
presence  of — of  a  third  party,"  said  Dr.  Bassett,  angrily. 

"Your  communication  is  of  such  an  extraordinary 
nature,  that  I  must  insist  upon  having  it  written  down 
m  black  and  white,  and  duly  signed  and  witnessed,"  said 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  with  decision. 

"  Why  ? "  faltered  Dr.  Bassett,  with  a  despairing  glanca 
round  the  room,  as  though  he  meditated  instant  flight. 

"  Your  story  amounts  to  a  charge  of  murder.  It  is  a 
criminal  matter,  and  I  must  take  due  precautions  for 
my  own  protection,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  1  came  to  you  for  advice  and  assistance — in  confi- 
dence," repeated  Dr.  Bassett. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  put  my  neck  into  a  noose  for  you 
or  any  man,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  sharply.  "In  any 
case,  I  prefer  to  conduct  my  business  in  my  own  wty.  I 
must  beg  you  to  remember  that  my  time  is  valuable." 

Mr.  Balthazzar  assumed,  on  occasions,  a  dictatorial 
tone,  which  completely  cowed  nervous  or  agitated  clients. 
Dr.  Bassett  was  evidently  upset  and  overwrought,  and 
with  a  mute  gesture  of  reluctance,  he  appeared  to  resign 
himself  to  an  unpalatable  task. 

"Repeat  your  story  slowly  and  distinctly,  please,  so 


'Copyright,  ISOo,  by  Jlerlcrt  Kcer 


220 


TO-DAY. 


March  30,  1895. 


that  my  clerk  may  have  time  to  take  it  down.  You 
had  better  begin  by  giving  your  name  and  address,"  said 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  lounging  with  his  back  against  the 
ma  nt«J  shelf. 

"My  name  is  John  Eugene  Morfield  Bassett,"  began 
the  client,  turning  towards  me,  and  speaking  in  a  low, 
shaking  voice.  "  I  am  a  L.R.C.S.  of  England  and  M.D. 
of  Edinburgh.  I  am  in  private  practice  at  No.  4,  Lyd- 
brook  Park,  Notting  Hill." 

"A  general  practitioner,  I  suppose?"  interposed  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  while  I  took  down  the  young  doctor's  words. 

"Yes." 

"  Age — thirty-five,  I  think  you  said.  Been  at  Notting 
Hill  about  seven  years.  Unmarried.  I  suppose  you 
have  someone  who  looks  after  your  house  1 "  continued 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  in  a  sort  of  aside. 

"  I  have  a  housekeeper — an  old  servant  of  my  family's," 
replied  Dr.  Bassett. 

"Am  I  to  take  this  down,  sir?"  I  inquired  of  my 
principal. 

"  No,"  he  replied.  "  Confine  your.? elf  to  the  doctor's 
narrative.    Go  on,;  doctor." 

"  On  the  evening  of  Thursday,  the  29th  April  last," 
continued  Dr.  Bassett,  in  the  same  low  voice,  "  at  about 
nine  o'clock,  a  gentleman  called  and  said  he  wished  to 
see  me.  He  gave  no  name,  and  was  ushered  into  my 
consulting-room." 

"  Describe  him  carefully,"  interposed  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  He  was  tall  and  dark,  with  a  beard  and  moustache — 
wearing  gold-rimmed  spectacles — aged  about  forty-five, 
as  far  as  I  could  judge.  He  asked  if  I  was  Dr.  Bassett, 
"and  on  my  answering  in  the  affirmative,  he  inquired  if  I 
desired  to  earn  fifty  pounds." 

"  Yes ;"  and  what  did  you  reply  1 "  said  Mr.  Balthazzar, 
flicking  the  ash  off  his  cigar. 

"  I  am,  and  alwavs  have  been,  more  or  less  in  money 
difficulties,"  said  Dr.  Bassett,  with  an  uneasy  laugh. 
'  Of  course,  I  answered,  half  jestingly,  that  fifty  pounds 
would  be  very  useful.  Naturally,  I  wondered  what  was 
coming." 

"You  asked  him  his  name,  I  suppose?"  inquired  Mr. 
Balthazzar. 

"  Yes ;  and  why  he  had  happened  to  come  to  me. 
The  last  question  he  answered  evasively;  the  first,  em- 
ohatically." 

"  He  refused  his  name?"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  Absolutely.    He  came  at  once  to  the  point." 

"Go  on,  Millicent,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  nodding 
at  me. 

"  With  scarcely  a  word  of  preliminary  conversation — ■ 
he  was  completely  self-possessed  and  determined — he 
said  he  wished  to  put  an  end  to  his  life,"  resumed  Dr. 
Bassett,  with  increasinc;  agitation.  "He  offered  me 
fifty  pounds  in  bank-notes,  on  the  spot,  if  I  would  supply 
him  with  the  necessary  means  and  directions." 

"Go  on,  Millicent,"  repeated  Mr.  Balthazzar,  sharply, 
as  I  started  in  the  midst  of  my  writing. 

"I  was  indignant  at  first,  but  he  argued  very  plau- 
sibly. He  said  that  his  life  was  a  failure,  that  he  had 
no  relatives  " 

"No  relatives?"  interrupted  Mr.  Balthazzar,  inter- 
rogatively. 

"Yes,  I  am  certain  he  said  that.  No  relatives,  and 
was  ruined  in  business,"  resumed  Dr.  Bassett,  address- 
ing mo  again.  "  He  was  determined  to  destroy  himself, 
but  did  not  wish  to  bungle  over  it.    We  had  some  fur- 


ther conversation  on  the  ethical  question  of  a  man's  right, 
to  kill  himself.  I  have  views  on  that  subject  myself  " 

"  Never  mind  your  views,"  interrupted  Mr.  Balthazzar,. 
contemptuously,  "  just  state  what  happened." 

"He  pressed  the  fifty  pounds  upon  me.  I  wanted  the 
money,  the  man  seemed  determined,  so  I  yielded,  God 
forgive  me  !  "  exclaimed  Dr.  Bassett,  with  a  sudden  burst 
of  emotion. 

I  cast  a  sidelong  glance  at  him  when  I  had  written 
this  down ;  the  unhappy  man  had  placed  one  hand 
before  his  eyes,  apparently  overcome.  There  was  sk. 
moment's  silence,  which  was  broken  by  Mr.  Balthazzar 
inquiring  abruptly  — 

"Who  are  your  bankers?" 

"  Hi©  British  Joint  Stock  Bank,  Notting  Hill  branch,"' 
replied  Dr.  Bassett,  in  a  dazed  voice.  "Why  do  you 
ask?"  he  added  abruptly,  as  though  roused  by  the 
Question. 

"  Didn't  you  say  the  man  paid  you  fifty  pounds? "  said 
Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"Yes,  but  I  didn't  pay  it  into  my  account.  Those 
r>re  the  identical  notes,"  he  replied,  nodding  towards  a 
small  packet  on  the  table  at  Mr.  Balthazzar's  elbow. 

"  Oil  !  1  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,- 
taking  up  the  packet  and  fingering  the  notes  with  an 
appearance  of  renewed  interest  ;  "you  never  parted  with 
them,  then  ?    I  see.    Pray  go  on." 

"  I  took  the  £50  and  I  gave  the  man  a  phial  contain- 
ing a  fatal  dose  of  aconite,"  said  Dr.  Bassett,  once  more 
dictating  to  me.  "The  man  carried  it  away  with  him,, 
after  I  had  answered  ceitain  questions  concerning  it. 
The  whole  interview  didn't  last  ten  minutes,  and  I 
yielded  to*  a  sudden  temptation." 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  when  I  had  finished 
writing. 

"  I  repented  almost  immediately — when  it  was  too 
late !  I  suffered  an  agony  of  remorse,  but  I  was  power- 
less. I  didn't  know  the  man's  name  and  address,  and  I 
dared  not  communicate  with  the  police  for  my  own  sake. 
It  would  have  meant  professional  ruin,  and  worse.  I' 
could  only  hope  for  the  best — that  the  man  had  faltered 
in  his  resolve.  Meanwhile,  I  never  touched  a  farthing 
of  the  money ;  it  remained  in  my  drawer  till  I  brought 
it  here." 

"I  see.    Well?"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  I  carefully  watched  all  accounts  of  inquests  in  the- 
newspapers  for  the  next  week  or  so,  but  saw  nothing 
resembling  a  suicide  by  the  man  who  had  visited  me. 
I  was  beginning  to  feel  reassured,  until  one  day  last 
week  when  I  had  occasion  to  go  into  the  City  on  busi- 
ness. The  fact  is,  I  have  been  dabbling  a  little  on  tho- 
Stock  Exchange  " 

"  Never  mind  that,"  interrupted  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  I  was  passing  a  large  block  of  offices  in  a  court  near 
Throgmorton  Street,  when  I  suddenly  came  face  to  face 
with  him." 

"With  whom?"  I  exclaimed  in  surprise. 

"  With — with  the  man,"  said  Dr.  Bassett,  glancing  up 
at  Mr.  Balthazzar,  who  was  smoking  impcrturbably. 

'  Then  he  didn't  kill  himself  after  all,"  I  cried  in- 
voluntarily. 

"  No — but  he  was  in  mourning — in  deep  mourning," 
said  Dr.  Bassett,  lowering  his  voice  again  impressively. 

"  Tho  doctor's  theory  is  that  this  man  wanted  tho 
poison  for  somebody  else — and  used  it,"  explained  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  impatiently.    "  Get  on." 


M>iton  3 J,  m*. 


TO-DAY. 


227 


"REPEAT   YOUR  STORY." 


"  Directly  he  saw  me,  the  man  hurried  into  an  adjoin- 
ing block  of  offices  and  disappeared.  I  was  too  startled 
to  follow  at  the  moment,  but  fortunately  the  hall-porter 
lecognised  him  from  my  description.  His  name  is 
Hugh  Shipley,  his  office  is  in  Copthall  Court,  he  is  what 
is  called  an  outside  broker  on  the  Stock  Exchange,  and 
his  address  is  59,  Maudesley  Gardens,  Belsize  Park." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  1 "  inquired  Mr.  Balthazzar, eyeing 
his  client  keenly. 

"Absolutely.  I  hung  about,  and  watched  him  como 
out  and  followed  him  all  the  way  home.  I  am  abso- 
lutely certain  of  the  man's  identity." 

"  Why  didn't  you  speak  to  him  1 "  said  my  principal. 

'*  Because  I  had  a  presentiment — an  awful  presenti- 
ment. I  wished  to  find  out  why  he  was  in  mourning," 
said  Dr.  Bassett,  trembling  with  suppressed  excitement. 

"And  this  is  what  you  found  out,  eh?"  said  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  taking  up  a  newspaper  which  had  lain  upon 
the  table ;  and  he  proceeded  to  read  aloud  the  following 
announcement :  — 

"On  the  3rd  inst.,  at  59,  Maudesley  Gardens,  Belsize 
Park,  Rosina,  the  beloved  wife  of  Hugh  Shipley,  aged 
27  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  am  certain  that  he  murdered  her,"  cried 
Dr.  Bassett,  with  a  wild  glitter  in  his  eyes.  "  I  obtained 
a  copv  of  the  medical  certificate.    It  is  before  you.  I 


veil  you,  as  a  medical  man,  that  the  symptoms  are  all 
consistent  with  poisoning  by  aconite." 

"  But  the  doctor  who  attended  her — Dr.  Brownlow,  of 
Ilampstead — certifies  natural  causes,"  said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, scrutinising  the  document. 

"  Quite  so.  She  had  been  ill  before,  no  doubt,  and 
Shipley  had  profited  by  my  instructions.  The  doctor, 
you  must  remember,  had  no  suspicions.  That  certificate 
goes  for  nothing — except  as  evidence  in  favour  of  my 
theory;" 

Dr.  Bassett  rose  excitedly  from  his  seat  as  he  spoke, 
and  seemed  to  be  entirely  overwhelmed  with  the  horror 
of  the  situation.  Mr.  Balthazzar — who,  it  must  be  re- 
membered, had  heard  the  story  before  and  had  there- 
fore recovered  from  the  first  shock  of  the  grim  recital — 
calmly  read  through  the  statement  I  had  taken  down 
and  nodded  his  head  approvingly. 

"I  think  that  will  do,"  he  said,  returning  it  to  me. 
"  Dr.  Bassett  can  sign  it,  and  you  can  be  the  witness." 

The  doctor  came  forward  at  my  invitation  and  hur- 
riedly affixed  his  signature. 

"And  now,  Mr.  Balthazzar,  what  do  you  advise  me  to 
do?"  he  inquired,  anxiously. 

"The  man  Shipley,  you  say,  has  disappeared?"  said 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  meditatively.    "When  was  that?" 

"Within  the  last  few  days.  I  think  he  must  have 
been  frightened  at  the  sight  of  me.    Anyhow,  his  house 


228 


TO-DAY. 


March  CO,  1S05. 


and  furniture  are  advertised  for  sale,  and  he  has  gone 
abroad,"  said  Dr.  Bassett. 

"You  ought  to  have  communicated  with  the  police  at 
once,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  severely. 

"  How  could  I  ?  I  would  have  been  arrested  !  I  came 
here  to  place  myself  in  your  hands,  Mr.  Balthazzar,  and 
to  be  guided  entirely  by  you,"  he  added,  more  calmly. 

"  It's  all  very  well  to  say  that ;  but  what  is  it  you 
want  I "  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  quite  irritably. 

"My  name  must  be  kept  out  of  the  affair,"  said  Dr. 
Bassett,  doggedly. 

"I  don't  see  how  that  is  possible,"  replied  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar. 

"  If    the  man  

has  committed  a 
murder  he  shall 
suffer  for  it !"  said 
Dr.  Bassett,  be- 
tween his  teeth." 

"Undoubtedly." 

"On  the  other 
hand,  I'm  not 
going  to  put  my 
neck  in  a  noose, 
either,  as  you  said 
of  yourself  just 
now.  I've  suffered 
enough  already, 
God  knows !  If 
the  scoundrel  can- 
not be  brought  to 
justice  without 
my  coming  for- 
ward and  blasting 
my  reputation  he 
must  go  free — 
that's  all,"  said 
Dr.  Bassett, 
abruptly,  taking 
up  his  gloves. 

"  No,  there  is 
another  aspect  of 
the  case,"  said 
Mr.  Balthazzar, 
seriously.  "  You 
have  given  mo 
certain  informa 
tion  and  evi- 
dence," he  added, 
referring    to  the 

the  bank-notes,  "which  I  maybe  c:mpciled,  for  my  own 
protection,  to  pass  on  to  th  •  police.  A  lawyer's  office, 
after  all,  isn't  a  confessional.  If  you  tell  me  a  murder 
has  been  committed,  it  may  be  my  duty  to  reveal  what 
I  kno.r  about  it." 

"  I  shall  kill  myself  if  you  do  '. "  cried  Dr.  Bassett, 
frenziedlv. 

"  That  is  your  affair,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  shrugging 
bis  shoulders.  "However,  I  shall  verify  your  story,  at 
ali  events;  and  when  I  have  considered  the  matter,  I'll 
write  to  you.  Meanwhile,  go  about  your  business  as 
usual,  and  keep  your  mouth  shut." 

The  doctor,  who  se?med  considerably  taken  aback  by 
my  principal's  attitude,  stood  for  a  moment  as  though 


dumfounded,  and  then,  abruptly  tin  ning  on  his  heel,  he 
left  the  room  without  another  word. 

Mr.  Balthazzar  stood  watching  him  with  half-closed 
eyes  till  he  disappeared,  and  he  remained  in  front  of  the 
fireplace,  purring  at  his  cigar,  absorbed  in  thought,  for 
several  minutes,  till  I  fancied  he  had  forgotten  me. 
Then  he  laughed,  and  said,  lightly — 

"  I  think  you  had  better  go  to  that  address,  and  make 
inquiries  there  and  in  the  neighbourhood  about  this  man 
Shipley.  You  may  as  well  also  find  out  what  you  can 
about  the  doctor  himself.  You  can  report  to  me  to- 
morrow." 

He  gathered  up  the  bank-r.otcs,  as  he  spoke,  from  tho 
  table  beside  him, 


I  70LD  UIM  ALL  I  n.4D  LEARNT, 


and  put  them 
away  in  his  safe ; 
while  I,  perceiv- 
ing that  he  was 
not  in  a  mood  to 
discuss  the  affair, 
left  the  room  to 
carry  out  my  in- 
structions. For 
11  y  part  I  felt 
convinced,  from 
the  doctor's  tone 
and  manner,  that 
his  story  was  per- 
fectly genuine, 
and  that  his  sus- 
picion? were  well 
lounded,  and  the 
only  doubt  on  my 
mind  was  whether 
Mr.  Balthazzar 
ought  not  to  give 
information  to 
the  police  imme- 
diately. 

However,  that, 
of  course,  was  for 
my  principal  to 
decide,  and  I 
hastened  to  obey 
his  orders.  The 
result  of  my  in- 
quiries in  the 
neighbourhood  of 
Maudesley  Gar- 
dens wrs  to  con- 
firm the  dreadful  suspicion  which  Dr.  Bassett 
bad  suggested.  To  begin  with,  Mr.  Shipley" 
house  was  closed ;  there  were  bills  in  all  the  windows 
announcing  that  the  residence  and  furniture  were  for 
sale  ;  and  the  premises  were  in  charge  of  an  ancient  char- 
woman, who  could  only  tell  me  that  Mr.  Shipley  had 
disbanded  his  establishment  and  gone  abroad.  But 
^ hat  seemed  more  significant,  still  was  that  Mr.  Shipley 
and  his  late  wife  had  lived  unhappily  ;  it  was  well  known 
among  the  tradespeople  of  the  district  that  the  poor 
lady  had  been  neglected  and  ill-treated;  and  it  wa* 
rumoured  that  the  widower  would  easily  console  himself 
for  her  loss.  In  a  word,  Mr.  Shipley  bore  a  doubtful 
reputation,  both  as  a  husband  and  as  an  honest  house- 
holder; and  one  thing  was  quite  certain — namely,  that 


March  30,  189& 


TO-DAY. 


229 


Dr.  Bassett's  description  tallied  exactly  with  his  personal 
appearance. 

Naturally,  I  discovered  nothing  of  an  incriminating 
nature  respecting  the  man ;  but  every  detail  of  his  life 
and  circumstances  was  grimly  suggestive  of  the  possi- 
bility of  a  domestic  tragedy  such  as  the  doctor  had  fore- 
shadowed. On  the  other  hand,  Dr.  Bassett's  account 
of  his  own  affairs  was  completely  borne  out  by  inquiries 
made  at  Notting  Hill.  I  found  that  the  young  doctor 
had  been  for  several  years  making  an  uphill  struggle  to 
establish  a  practice ;  that  he  was  known  to  be  impe- 
cunious, and  for  this  and  other  reasons  was  regarded 
with  a  certain  amount  of  distrust ;  but,  nevertheless, 
he  had  a  good  character  for  respectability,  and  was  the 
sort  of  person  whose  word  might  be  relied  upon.  At 
neither  place,  of  course,  was  I  able  to  ascertain  any  facts 
having  a  definite  bearing  upon  the  alleged  crime ;  but  I 
returned  home  at  the  end  of  the  day  with  an  uncom- 
fortable feeling  whether,  as  a  good  citizen,  I  ought  not 
to  put  the  police  in  possession,  of  all  the  circumstances 
without  even  waiting  till  the  next  morning. 

However,  I  was  sufficiently  mindful  of  my  duty  to  Mr. 
Balthazzar  to  refrain  from  taking  any  step  on  my  own. 
account,  but  directly  I  reached  the  office  on  the  following 
day  I  waited  upon  my  principal,  and  told  him  all  I  had 
learnt. 

''You  think  the  story  is  true,  then?"  inquired  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  quietly. 

"  So  far  as  it  is  possible  to  verify  it  at  present,"'  I 
replied.  "  Of  course,  the  doctor  may  be  wrong,  in  spite 
of  appearances." 

"  I  expect  we  shall  find  he  has  disappeared,"  sad  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  looking  up  carelessly  from  a  letter  he  was 
reading. 

"  If  so,  I  suppose  you  will  inform  the  police  at  once, 
sir'?  '  I  replied,  eagerly. 

"  I  don't  know.  We  mustn't  be  hasty.  I  must  see 
him  again  first.  You  had  better  take  a  cab,  and  fetch 
him,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  rousing  himself. 

"  But  if  lie  has  disappeared  ? " 

"  Then  you  can  bring  his  housekeeper  here  instead," 
said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  returning  to  his  correspondence. 

I  set  off  immediately,  a  little  mystified  by  something 
in  my  principal's  manner  which  suggested  that  he  had 
definitely  satisfied  himself.  I  concluded  that  he  had 
adopted  the  doctor's  suspicions,  especially  as  he  seemed 
to  have  made  up  his  mind  that  Dr.  Bassett  had  disap- 
peared. Upon  reflection,  I  thought  it  extremely  pro- 
bable that  the  wretched  man  might  have  taken  flight  to 
avoid  the  disgrace  and  exposure  which  his  share  in  the 
tragedy  would  entail,  and  his  disappearance  would  afford 
a  strong  presumption  of  the  truth  of  his  statements  and 
the  foice  of  his  conviction  of  Shipley's  guilt. 

I  jumped  into  a-  hansom,  and  drove  straight  to  Dr. 
Bassett's  residence  in  Lydbrook  Park,  Notting  Hill.  The 
c'oor  was  opened  to  me  by  a  new  housemaid  who,  in 
reply  to  my  inquiry,  said  that  her  master  was  not  at 
home.  There  was  nothing  in  her  tone,  however,  to  su°-- 
gest  that  anything  unusual  had  occurred,  and  I  there- 
fore imagined  Mr.  Balthazzar's  conjecture  was  wrong 
and  that  the  doctor  had  followed  my  principal's  recom- 
mendation and  remained  at  his  post. 

"Can  you  tell  me  how  long  he  will  be?"  I  asked. 

"  No,  sir,  I  cannot,"  answered  the  sirl. 

"I  want  to  see  him  very  particularly,"  I  said.  "I 


thirds:  I  will  step  in  and  wait  for  him.  Do  you  know 
where  he  has  gone  ? " 

"  If  you  will  walk  in  I  will  ask  the  housekeeper,  sir," 
replied  the  girl  civilly. 

She  ushered  me  into  a  neat  consulting  room,  and 
there  left  me.  I  took  a  hurried  glance  r  ound,  but  noticed 
nc*  signs  of  disorder.  Some  unopened  letters  awaited 
the  doctor  on  his  desk,  and  the  newly-lighted  fire  burned 
brightly.  While  I  was  making  these  observations,  the 
door  opened  and  an  elderly  woman  entered  the  room, 
evidently  the  housekeeper.  She  was  a  pleasant-looking 
grey -haired  dame,  just  such  a,  person  as  the  doctor  had 
described  her. 

"  Did  you  wish  to  see  Dr.  Bassett  very  particularly, 
sir  ? "  she  inquired. 

"  Yes  ;  most  urgently,'  I  replied. 

"  Then  I  think  I  ought  to  tell  you,  sir,  that  I  don't 
know  where  the  doctor  is  or  how  long  he  is  likely  to  be," 
she  said,  evidently  supposing  that  I  was  a  patient.  "  If 
you  will  leave  your  name  and  address,  I  will  send  him 
round  to  you  directly  he  comes  in." 

"  I  suppose  you  expect  him  back  any  moment  ? "  I 
said. 

"  Yes,  sir,  but  the  fact  is  that  he  has  been  away  all 
night.  No  doubt  he  was  summoned  to  some  urgent 
case  and  has  been  detained." 

"When  did  you  see  him  last?"  I  asked  qirickly. 

"  I  heard  him  come  in  about  five  o'clock  yesterday  even- 
ing and  he  went  out  again  shortly  after  without  saying 
anything  to  me.  I  kept  dinner  waiting  for  him  till  nearly 
ten  o'clock — I  hope  nothing  has  happened  to  him,  sir  !  '"' 
exclaimed  the  housekeeper,  with  a  sudden  note  of  alarm. 

"Nothing  that  I  know  of,"  I  replied  with  some  ex* 
eitemcnt  as  I  realised  that  Mr.  Balthazzar  was  right  after 
all.  "  But  I  am  afraid  I  must  trouble  you  to  come  with 
me  at  once  to  see  his  solicitor." 

I  explained  briefly  that  the  doctor  had  called  at  the 
office  the  day  befor  e,  and  that  I  had  been  sent  to1  fetch 
him,  whereupon  the  housekeeper,  looking  somewhat, 
scared  and  startled,  at  once  consented  to  accompany 
me..  She  asked  no  questions!  during  our  drive,  and  I 
deemed  it  prudent  not  to  volunteer  any  information, 
but  I  could  see  that  the  good  dame  had  turned  pale 
and  was  evidently  very  uneasy  on  her  master's  account. 
When  we  reached  the  office  I  went  in  to  Mr.  Balthazzar 
and  told  him  that  Dr.  Bassett  had  left  his  residence  the 
preceding  evening,  and  had  not  yet  returned. 

"  1  expected  it,"  said  my  principal  with  an  enigmatical 
smile,  motioning  to  me  to  show  the  housekeeper  in. 
"  Well,  my  good  woman,"  he  exclaimed,  when  she  ap- 
peared, "  so  your  master  has  gone  away !  Did  he  take 
anj  luggage?" 

'  Oh,  no,  sir,"  said  the  woman  nervously.  "  I  expect, 
ho  is  back  by  this  time." 

"  You  mustn't  be  disappointed  if  you  don't  see  him," 
said  Mr.  Balthazzar.  "  Unless  I  am  very  much  mis- 
taken he  has  left  the  country." 

"  Indeed,  sir  !  "  gasped  the  housekeeper. 
Yes,  I  expect  so.    I  wanted  to  ask  you  a  question  or 
two,"  he  added  more  briskly  ;  "you  needn't  be  afraid  of 
answering.    It  won't  harm  your  master.    On  the  con- 
trary, my  object  is  to'  do  him  a  service." 

"  I'm  sure  the  doctor  has  done  nothing  to  be  ashamed 
of,  sir,"  cried  the  faithful  soul  tremulously. 

"  H'm.  Anyhow,  it  will  be  all  right  if  you  will 
answer  me  truthfully.  Can  you  remember  the  eve.iin" 
of  the  -29th  April?" 


230 


TO-DAY. 


March  30,  1S95. 


"  No,  sir,  I  can't ;  I'm  that  flustered,"  said  the  poor 
woman,  beginning  to  weep. 

"Well  I  don't  suppose  you  can.  You  needn't  b<2 
frightened/'  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  encouragingly.  "The 
29th  of  April,  you  know,  is  within  a  month  from 
now- -about  three  weeks  ago.  Now  have  you  been  at 
home  most  evenings  this  last  month?" 

"  Every  evening,  sir.  You  see  I  am  never  able  to<  go 
out  of  an  evening,  because  I  have  to  answer  the  bell  to 
patients  and  others,"  said  the  housekeeper. 

'  Isn't  there  a  housemaid  to  answer  the  bell?"  in- 
quired Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  No,  sir.  We  have 
a  girl  in  for  the  day 
who  acts  as  housemaid. 
She  comes  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning 
and  leaves  at  six  in 
the  evening.  It's  for 
the  sake  of  appear- 
ances, sir.  You  see 
the  doctor  is  not  very 
well  off,"  added  the 
housekeeper,  apolo- 
getically. 

"I  understand. 
Then  nobody  could 
come  to  the  house  in 
the  evening  without 
your  knowledge  ?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Does  the  doctor 
see  many  patients  at 
his  house  of  an  even- 
ing? Take  the  past 
month  for  instance. 
How  many  have  there 
been?" 

"  I  can't  recall  that 
anyone  has  come  (he 
last  month,  except  to 
leave  messages  for  the 
doctor  to  call  some- 
where —  or  letters," 
said  the  housekeeper. 

"Did  a  tall,  dark, 
bearded  gentlemen  in 
gold  spectacles  call 
about  nine  o'clock  one 
evening,  about  three 
w.eks  ago,  and  ask  to 
see  your  master?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Gave  no  name,  but  saw  your  master  in  his  consult- 
ing-room?" persisted  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"I  should  certainly  remember,  because  I'm  most  par- 
ticular about  asking  names,"  said  the  woman,  em- 
phatically. 

"  Perhaps  your  master  opened  the  door  to  him,  and 
subsequently  showed  him  out  again  without  your  know- 
ing?" suggested  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"If  the  doctor  says  so,  of  course  " 

"Nevermind  what  the  doctor  says.  Is  such  a  tiling 
possible  ? " 

"  No,  sir.  I've  never  known  the  doctor  answer  the  bell 
himself.     I'm  always  on  the  look-out.     I  should  have 


"now  DID  VOU  FIND  IIIM  CUT,  SIR? 


noticed  such  an  unusual  thing,"  said  the  housekeeper, 
with  conviction. 

"  Very  well,"  returned  Mr.  Balthazzar,  glancing  at  ma 
while  I  opened  my  eyes.  "  One  more  question.  Has 
your  master's  manner  been  at  all  strange  lately?" 

"  Well,  sir,  since  you  mention  it,  he  has  seemed  very 
much  upset  the  last  few  weeks,"  said  the  housekeeper, 
distressfully.  "  It  has  worried  me  a  good  deal ;  but  whan 
I  spoke  to  him  he  declared  there  was  nothing  the  matter. 
The  fact  is,  sir,"  added  the  dame,  confidentially,  "  poor 
Master  Eugene  has  never  been  quite  the  same  since  he 
was  badly  treated  by  a  young  lady  some  years  ago." 

"Jilted,  you  mean, 
sr.id  Mr.  Balthazzar 
quickly. 

"  The  doctor  was' 
always  very  reserved. 
He  never  told  me 
much.  But  he  was 
engaged  for  a  very 
short  time — I  never 
saw  the  young  lady — 
som3  years- ago;  and 
theyounglady  married 
somebody  else." 

"  Who  did  she 
marry  V' 

"  I  don't  know,  sir ; 
I  never  heard." 

"What  was  her 
name  ?" 

"  I'm  afraid  I  can't 
remember,  sir.  I  did 
hear  at  the  time  ;  she 
came  from  Manchester, 
where  Master  Eugene's 
parents  lived  before 
hecameupto  London." 

"Was  it  Rumbolt?" 
said  Mr.  Balthazzar 
quietly. 

"  Y"es,  sir — that  is 
the  name  sure  enough. 
She  was  a  Miss  Rum- 
bolt,"replied  tliehouse- 
keeper,  eagerly. 

"  I  think  I  need  not 
keep  you  an}'  longer, 
ma'am,"  said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, in  a  calmly 
triumphant  tone.    "  I 
am  afraid  your  master  has  gone  abroad  :  but  probably  he 
will  communicate  with  you  in  some  way.      When  he 
does,  you  can  give  him  a  message  from  me." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  housekeeper,  as  she  rose  from  her 
ceat. 

"  Tell  him,  with  Mr.  Balthazzar's  compliments,  that  he 
can  safely  return  to  England  whenever  he  pleases;  that 
Mr.  Balthazzar  has  burnt  the  statement  because  he  is 
satisfied  that  the  whole  story  is  pure  nonsense.  Will 
you  remember  that  ? " 

"Certainly,  sir.  I'm  sure  Master  Eugene  must  be  ill 
if  he  has  done  anything  wrong,  for  he  wouldn't  harm  a 
fly,"  murmured  the  poor  old  lady,  evidently  alarmed  by 
the  significance  of  Mr.  Balthazzar's  tone. 

"  H'm  !    Fortunately  he  hasn't  succeeded  in  harmin^ 


Mahcii  30,  lS!)f>. 


TO-DAY. 


2U 


■  anyone,"  said  my  principal,  drily.  "Good-day  to  you, 
ma'am.    Mr.  Millicent,  will  you  show  the  lady  out  1 " 

When  I  returned,  wondering,  to  Mr.  Balthazzar's 
room,  he  had  just  filled  up  a  bank  credit  slip,  which  he 
handed  to  me,  together  with  fifty  pounds  in  notes,  which 
he  had  taken  from  the  safe. 

"  Let  these  be  paid  in,  Millicent,"  he  said,  in  high 
good  humour.  "  Credit  receipts.  I  consider  it  a  fee 
well  earned." 

"  How  did  you  find  him  out,  sir  ? "  I  inquired,  open- 
mouthed. 

"  I  had  my  suspicions  from  the  first,"  said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar,  complacently ;  "  but  the  story  had  realistic 
touches,  particularly  those  bank-notes.  From  your 
inquiries  up  at  Hampstead  it  had  evidently  been  care- 
fully planned.  After  you  had  left  yesterday,  I  drove  to 
the  Notting  Hill  branch  of  the  British  Joint  Stock 
Bank.  There  I  found  that  those  notes  were  drawn  out 
by  Dr.  Bassett  from  his  own  account  about  a  week  ago. 
He  had  paid  in  no  similar  or  larger  sum  for  months  past. 
Then  I  perceived  that  the  whole  affair  was  a  desperate 
and  unscrupulous  conspiracy  to  injure  this  man  Shipley." 

"Why  should  he  wish  to  injure  Shipley?"  I  asked. 

"  That  is  what  puzzled  me  till  just  now.  But  I  had 
;ar.  idea.    I  sent  this  morning  to  Somerset  House,  and 


discovered  that  Shipley's  wife,  before  her  marriage,  was 
a  Miss  Rosina  Rumbolt." 

"  Then  it  was  all  jealousy  !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"There  is  no  doubt  that  this  man  Shipley  treated  his 
wife  badly,  and  when  she  died  the  shock  probably 
affected  the  brain  of  this  unfortunate  doctor.  He  evi- 
dently had  a  mad  idea  of  revenge,  of  retribution,  of 
exposure  " 

"  But  Shipley's  innocence  would  easily  have  been 
proved,"  I  interposed. 

"No  doubt;  but  if  the  doctor's  statements  had  been 
conveyed  by  me  to  the  police,  Shipley  would  have  bad 
an  uncomfortable  quarter  of  an  hour.  It  was  a  cunning 
plot — the  plot  of  a  madman,  but  with  enough  method  in 
it  to  have  led  to  disclosures  about  Shipley's  domestic 
life  and  private  affairs,  which  might  have  ruined  him." 

"  It  was  fortunate  for  all  parties  that  Dr.  Bassett  made 
the  mistake  of  coming  to  you,  sir,"  I  remarked. 

Mr.  Balthazzar  accepted  the  compliment  with  very 
good  grace ;  but,  seriously,  if  Dr.  Bassett's  story  had 
come  to  the  ears  of  the  police  he  would  probably  have 
ended  his  days  in  a  lunatic  asylum  or  a  gaol  ;  while 
Mr.  Shipley  would  have  been  the  victim  of  a  mn&t 
damaging  public  scandal. 


232 


TO-DAY. 


March  30,  1S95. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

Dearest  Nell, — There  is  many  a  glimpse  of  the 
new  fashions  to  be  seen,  though  it  is  Mid-Lent.  Paper 
hats  and  bonnets  are  a  decided  novelty,  are  they 
not  1  Yet  we  are  promised  these  in  the  form  of 
coloured  straws  made  entirely  of  paper  plaited  in  all 
the  new  fancy  fashions,  most  of  which  are  suggestive  of 
nutmeg  graters  seen  through  a  magnifying-glass ! 
Another  new  thing  is  a  dress  material  made  of 
glass,  but  as  this  promises  to  be  very  expensive 
it  will  not  concern  either  you  or  me  very 
particularly.  This  glass  cloth,  however,  is 
to  be  practically  everlasting  in  wear,  and  it  can  be 
cleaned  with  a  damp  cloth,  just  like  windows.  Lamp 
shades  are  made  of  it  as  well  as  sunshades,  but  the  in- 
evitable weight  of  the  spun  glass  makes  it  rather  un- 
suitable for  the  latter  purpose. 
Four  pounds  a  yard  is  the  price  of 
the  cloth.  Bonnets  and  toques  made 
of  it  are  shown  in  a  window  in 
Paris  by  the  inventor,  as  well  as 
men's  ties  and  cravats. 

The  new  mauve  foliage  which 
Paris  has  devised  for  mixing  flowers 
of  every  colour  can  scarcely  be 
called  an  improvement  on  nature's 
greenery ;  but,  of  course,  it  will 
have  a  certain  vogue  for  a  time,  like 
the  hideous  mauve  veils  that  Paris 
inflicted  upon  feminine  humanity, 
Gallic  and  Britannic,  some  seasons 
since. 

A  propos  to  this,  have  you  ever 
noticed  how  extremely  becoming  a 
brown  net  and  chenile  veil  is  1  I 
never  remarked  it  until  the  other 
day,  when  Cicely  was  putting  on  her 
toque,  and  tried  veil  after  veil  in  her 
usual  fashion.  When  she  picked  up 
a  brown  one  the  effect  was  magical. 
The  pretty  pink  in  her  cheeks  im- 
mediately became  soft  and  bright. 
Her  blue  eyes  looked  more  intensely 
blue,  and  the  whole  complexion  was 
improved  in  a  remarkable  manner. 
I  determined  to  have  one,  and  went 
to  Wigmore  Street  this  very  morn- 
ing to  get  a  pretty  one  from  Lee. 
He  is  selling  veils  in  brown  net, 
with  very  pale  blue  or  pink  chenile 
spots,  and  these,  too,  are  very  be- 
coming. Surely  complexions  were 
never  half  so  much  studied  as  they 
are  just  now. 

Every  third  girl  one  meets  has  a  bunch  of  violets, 
false  or  true,  fastened  on  her  coat.  Double  Neapolitans 
are  most  in  demand,  and  it  is  rather  expensive  tohaveagreat 
bunch  of  theseforevery  occasion,  and  theyfadeso  very  soon, 
too,  that  they  need  renewing  after  lunch,  after  tea,  and 
af£»r  dinner.  You  see,  I  have  no  one  to  "  bunch  "  me,  as 
Clara  has,  so  T  wear  a  nice  big  cluster  of  artificial  Naples 
violets  with  the  stalks  showing  in  the  most  ingenuous 
manner.  By  the  way,  her  rich  American  fiance  told  us 
yesterday  that  his  countrymen  are  wearing  hyacinths 
in  the  button-holes,  and  that  brides  over  there  have  lily- 
of-the-valley  on  their  wedding  gowns,  instead  of  orange- 
blossom. 

I  hear  rumours  of  forthcoming  fancy  balls  to  be  given 
after  Lent,  and  there  seems  to  be  a  dearth  of  ideas  in 
the  matter  of  fancy  costume.  Shepherdesses,  Dresden 
china,  and  the  costumes  of  various  countries  are 
now  terribly  hackneyed  in  fancy  dress.  It  is  not  easy 
to  strike  out  anything  new.  The  heroines  of  opera  and 
opera-bouffe  are  also  overdone.  Classical  verse  is  over- 
hauled in  vain.    All  the  available  ladies  have  been  too 


MOXTE     CARLO  GOWN 


frequently  copied  in  fancy  dress.  Penelope  with  her 
web,  Medea  in  her  wrath,  Ophelia  in  her  wildness,  andf 
Desdemona  in  her  innocence  are  familiar  figures  in 
modern  drawing-rooms.  Of  Queens  of  England  and 
France  the  same  may  be  said.  Nature  has  exhausted 
her  Springs,  Summers,  Autumns,  Winters,  Days,  Nights, 
Frosts  and  Snows.  Only  the  realms  of  purest  fancy 
remain  to  us  if  we  wish  to  be  original  in  our  selection 
of  character  and  costume.  The  idea  of  a  cloud  might 
be  realised  so  as  to  produce  a  lovely  fancy  dress.  The 
material  should  be  of  the  most  diaphanous  kind,  either 
white,  pale  grey,  palest  pink,  or  buff.  The  drapery 
could  be  arranged  in  loose  floating  scarves,  some  of 
which  should  be  draped  loosely  round  the  head, 
shoulders  and  arms.  This  diaphanous  drapery,  mixed 
golden  and  pale  rose  would  form  a  good  representation 
of  the  goddess  Aurora.  A  lovely  costume  could  be 
thought  out  representing  autumn 
foliage,  in  which  the  whole  range  of 
dead-leaf  tints  could  be  tastefully 
introduced.  The  scale  of  yellows, 
from  the  pale  tint  shown  in  the 
fading  poplar-leaf  to  the  deep  orange 
of  the  laurel,  would  be  effective 
enough  when  mingled  with  russet 
and  deep  red.  Only  a  brunette 
could  wear  such  a  dress.  A  Jerusa- 
lem artichoke  would  make  a  capital 
fancy  dress,  with  all  the  pale  green 
points  overlapping  each  other,  and 
widening  towards  the  ground. 

I  hope  you  will  enjoy  your  ball, 
whatever  you  may  elect  to  wear. 
I  wish  I  were  going  with  you. 

The  subject  of  the  illustration  I 
send  you  (a  Monte  Carlo  gown)  is 
a  biscuit-coloured  crocodile  crepon, 
with  a  plain  skirt,  the  bodice  ar- 
ranged with  a  short,  full  basque, 
and  opening  in  front  to  show  a  v  est 
of  white  silk  gauze,  striped  with 
insertions  of  Mechlin  lace,  and 
finished  at  the  neck  with  a  lace 
cravat  and  diamond  buckles.  The 
fronts  of  the  crepon  are  caught  to- 
gether on  the  chest  with  a  little 
bow  of  periwinkle  -  blue  ribbon, 
matching  the  band  at  the  waist, 
which  fastens  under  a  jet  cabochon 
with  two  little  loops.  The  pufls  of 
the  sleeves  are  caught  up  with  a 
knot  of  periwinkle  -  blue  ribbon, 
showing  under-sleeves  of  the  gauze 
and  lace  insertion.  The  blue 
mohair  straw  hat  is  bordered  with 
a  frill  of  lace,  and  trimmed  with  gauze,  a  large  Rhine- 
stone buckle  and  a  few  loops  of  periwinkle-blue  ribbon. 

Niagara  is  still  the  place  to  see  and  study  t  he  most 
elaborate  of  blouses  and  the  most  finished  of  fashionable 
bodices.  The  new  buttercup-yellow  lace  is  used  for 
trimming  many  of  them,  and  I  saw  one  made  of  mauve 
velvet,  and  completely  covered  with  the  lace. 

By  the  way,  dear,  what  a  mistake  it  is  to  have  one's 
photograph  taken  with  a  great  blotch  of  white  or  tinted 
lace  about  the  shoulders.  A  word  of  warning  to  you  ! 
I  have  just  seen  a  photograph  in  which  this  mistake 
was  perpetrated.  It  makes  the  face  of  the  sitter  look 
almost  black. — Your  affection  it e,  Susie. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Cyclamen'. — It  was  with  special  reference  to  you  that  I  got 
the  sketch  of  the  new  blouse  inserted.  It  is  one  of  Redmayne'a 
prettiest  models.  Some  of  the  new  patterns  have  basques,  but 
the  smartest  are  finished  off  at  the  waist,  as  you  see  in  this 
sketch.  Pale  pink  and  heliotrope  would  combine  admirably, 
and  are  very  much  the  fashion  just  now.  It  could  be  worn  will: 
a  black  cloth  or  silk  skirt. 


March  30,  1895. 


TO-DAV. 


233 


Telegram  from  Russia. 


A  subsequent  letter,  ordering  a  further  supply  of  50  bottles  of  Mariani  Wine,  states  that 
H.l.M.  the  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia  has  derived  the  greatest  benefit  from  its  uso. 


Mariani  Wine  fortifies,  nourishes,  and  stimulates  the  Body  and  Brain, 
It  quickly  restores  Health  and  Strength  in  cases  of  INFLUENZA. 

Bottles,  JfS. ;  Dozen,  %5s.  ;  of  Cliemists  and  Stores,  or  Carriage  Paid  from  WILCOX  &  Co.,  239,  Oxford  Street,  London,  TV. 


CREME    IDE  VIOLET 

FOR   THE   COMPLEXION    AND  SKIN. 

"  Nadine"  in  "Our  Home"  saj'a— " For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  is  an 
absolute  specific* 

M  Medica  "  in  "Woman"  says— "It  will  soon  make  your  skin  as  soft  as  you  can  wish. 

"Sdzette" in  "To-Day "says— "It  is  a  splendid  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  you 
will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin  gradually  improve,  becoming 
soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a  sweet  expression,  that  any 
face  could  have." 

CREME  DE  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  ointment,  but  is  a  liquid  preparation 
pure  and  exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  ingredients.  It  is  absolutely 
colourless,  and,  as  it  is  free  from  sediment,  it  does  not  clog  the  pores,  but  assists  their 
functions. 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers ;  price  Is.  and  3s»  C«I.  /see  that  the  signature— 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label) ;  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from — 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
Shoe  Elevator(Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


T  ITJSTOFIND 


a  hole  burnt  wr 


BECAUSE  YOU  FORGOT  TO  USE 


FLEMSNGS  ARABLE 

MARKING  INK  evJ^ere 
u^mw">.  %y^lse°Al/-  D.FLEHING  renreldsi  GLASGOW 


MADAME  CORISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisande,"  matchless  for  delicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  5/3.  "  The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Food,"  2/9  &  5/3.  Only  address  .148,  Oxford  St. , Hyde  Pk. ,  \V. 


A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite. 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 
October  25th,  isw. 

Pear  Sin,— I  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  of 
Pr.  Scott's  Pills  as  a  family  medicine.  We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  many 
veal's  and  are  never  without  them. 

Yours  faithfully,  J.  SELLARS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead 
Prepared  only  by— 

W.   LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 


g d_  Ready  Next  Week. 


GQ 


COMMITTEE. 


Sir  J.  T>.  Linton,  P.R.I. 
<'lievalier  Wilhelm  Ganz. 
K  Wingfield  Bowles,  Esq. 
I>r.  George  Carpenter. 
Charles  Cartwright,  Esq. 
C  Hayden  Coffin,  Esq. 
Geo.  0.  Haite,  Esq. 
Charles  Hoppe.Esq. 
Cecil  Howard,  Esq. 
C  T,  Johnson,  Esq, 


Mark  H.  Judge,  Esq. 
Lawrence  Kellie,  Esq. 
F-  Hall  Kirby,  Esq, 
V.  J.  Kirwan,  Esq. 
Stanley  Lucas,  Esq. 
John  Manchester,  Esq. 
H.  M  Dowell,  Esq. 
William  Nicholl,  Esq. 
Arthur  L.  Oswald,  Esq. 
Sydney  Parton,  Esq- 


Max  Pemberton,  Esq. 
A.  Lincoln  Reed,  Esq- 
Henry  Russell.  Esq. 
Herbert  Schaitau,  Esq. 
Alfred  Thompson,  Esq- 
Leo.  Thomas,  Esq. 
David  Walsh,  Esq.,  M.B- 
A.  J.  Warden,  Esq. 


SPRING  NUMBER. 

Mil,  h.ll  .ili.ll  Lll  1t.ll  llt.l  ili.lU  lMli....iltnK  Ik 

COMPLKTE  STORIES  BY 

JEROME    K.  JEROME 

AND 

GEORGE  MOORE, 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 

HAL  HURST, 
L.  BAUMER. 
W.  DEWAR. 


This  Club  has  been  formed  to  Pi-»vi<le  Siinilay  Evening  Entertain" 

mollis  in  the  form  of  Concerts  of  a  varied  character ;  also  the  Reading  of  faper 
bright  and  brief— on  subjects  of  general  interest. 

The  beautiful  Galleries  of  the  Royal  Institute  of  Painters  in  Water  Colours  have 
been  secured  for  a  succession  of  Sunday  Evenings  during  the  Summer  and  Winter 
Seasons  and  the  Entertainments  are  given  concurrently  with  the  Spring  Exhibition  ot 
Water  Colours.   Entertainments  will  be  given  from  8  p.m. 

Prominent  members  of  the  musical,  literary,  and  dramatic  professions  have  promised 
assistance.  An  orchestra  has  also  been  engaged,  so  that  members  may  enjoy  all  the 
comforts  of  a  private  "  At  Home." 

Members  of  the  leading  London  Clubs  are  eligible  without  ballot.  Other  candidates 
^Including  ladies)  will  be  elected  by  the  Committee. 

The  Annual  Subscription  is  two  guineas ;  and,  for  two  members  of  one  family,  three 
guineas,  GueBts'  tickets  may  be  obtained  at  half-a-crown.   The  Club  is  proprietary. 

Forma  for  membership  can  be  obtained  from  the  Secretary,  "Sunday  Clubland, 
Royal  Institute  of  Painters  in  Water  Colours,  Piccadilly-  W. 


ALSO  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

DUDLEY  HARDY, 
AUBREY  BEARDSLEY, 
R.  SAUBER, 
HAL  HURST, 
SYDNEY  ADAMSON. 


In  Handsome  Gold  and  Green  Cover. 


OF  ALL  AGENTS  AND  BOOKSTALLS. 


234 


TO-DAY. 


March  30,  1895. 


Alcestis. — You  could  have  a  bodice  or  blouse  of  almost  any 
colour  with  your  black  crepon  skirt  and  revers  of  the  lovely 
brocade.  I  should  advise,  however,  plain  black  bengaline  or 
satin  ;  or,  if  you  prefer  colour,  something  rather  vague  and 
indefinite,  perhaps  biscuit  and  pale  blue  mingled  together  in 
some  fancy  fabric.  Why  not  have  the  vest  in  your  brocade? 
Or,  if  you  choose  black  for  the  bodice,  have  a  vest  in  some 
colour  that  suits  you  specially  well. 

Lavinia. — Tansy  is  an  herb.  It  is  said  to  be  a  sure  preven- 
tive of  moth.  Moths  are  not  due  just  yet.  May  and  June  are 
said  to  be  their  lively  months,  but  if  you  keep  your  furs  and 
woollens,  blankets  and  quilts  well  beaten,  they  will  never  go  into 
them.  Store-places  where  pieces  of  old  dresses  and  odds  and 
ends  of  every  sort  are  kept  are  their  happy  hunting  grounds. 
Carbolic  soap  is  a  trusty  foe  of  theirs,  and  perfect  cleanliness  the 
surest  preventive  of  all.  Every  drawer  and  wardrobe  should 
be  turned  out  at  least  once  in  every  two  months  and  cleansed 
with  a  wet  flannel  on  which  a  little  carbolic  soap  has  been 
rubbed.    When  perfectly  dry,  the  receptacles  can  be  filled  again. 

Young  Dora. — Yes.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  potato 
masher.  It  mashes  two  or  three  pounds  in  a  couple  of  minutes, 
and  the  price  of  it  is  10£d.  Ask  for  stewpans  with  handles  to 
the  lids  the  next  time.  They  are  very  comfortable  to  use,  and  you 
cannot,  with  them,  repeat  your  feat  of  scalding  your  hands  with 
the  steam. 

Sufferer. — I  can  sympathise  with  you,  but  I  think  I  can 
suggest  a  cure.  Buy  a  bottle  of  "  Herbuline."  It  cured  me  of 
neuralgia,  and  another  friend  was  just  as  fortunate  when  suffer- 
ing from  a  nasty  attack  of  toothache.  I  saw  in  a  local  paper 
the  other  day  that  the  firm  had  undertaken  to  cure  the  poor 
out-of-works  employed  in  the  Glasgow  Corporation  stoneyards — 
of  neuralgia,  tic,  and  toothache  on  the  spot,  and  some  hundreds 
of  cases  were  treated  successfully. 


OUR  COOKERY  COLUMN. 

Amnastich  is  a  Jewish  dish,  and  is  as  much  to  the  taste  of 
Gentiles  as  that  of  Hebrews.  This  is  how  it  is  done.  Wash 
thoroughly  one  pound  of  rice  by  passing  a  stream  of  water 
through  it  in  a  colander,  and  stirring  briskly  until  the  water 
runs  away  quite  clear.  Put  this  into  a  lined  stewpan,  with  one 
quart  of  white  stock,  and  bring  slowly  to  the  boil  over  a 
moderate  fire.  When  the  rice  has  begun  to  soften  add  a  large 
onion  stuck  with  twelve  cloves  and  a  bundle  of  selected  sweet 
herbs.  Into  this  mixture  put  a  fine  young  chicken,  stuffed  with 
forcemeat,  to  simmer,  and  stew  until  thoroughly  done.  Then 
place  the  fowl  on  a  dish,  strain  oft0  the  rice,  picking  out  the 
herbs,  onions,  and  any  loose  cloves.  Beat  up  with  the  rice  the 
yolks  of  four  eggs  and  the  juice  of  a  lemon  ;  if  desired,  one 
tablespoonful  of  strong  infusion  of  saffron  may  be  added. 
Garnish  the  fowl  with  the  rice,  and  season  according  to  taste. 
Serve  hot. 

A  Perfect  Welsh  Rarebit. — This  dish  is  most  excellent 
if  prepared  in  the  dining-room  on  one  of  the  chafing-dishes  now 
in  demand,  heated  by  a  spirit  lamp.  Melt  half  a  pound  of  rich 
cheese,  cut  in  bits,  with  a  good-sized  tablespoonful  of  butter. 
Add  a  gill  of  rich  milk,  a  speck  of  cayenne  and  an  even  teaspoon - 
ful  of  mustard.  Pour  the  preparation  of  melted  cheese  over 
the  toast,  which  must  be  cut  half  an  inch  thick,  trimmed  of 
crusts,  crisp  on  the  outside,  but  soft  in  the  centre.  Some  people 
melt  the  cheese  with  old  ale  instead  of  milk,  but  the  best 
authorities  agree  that  it  is  better  to  melt  the  cheese  in  milk  and 
serve  the  ale  with  it. 


Advice  Frf.e.—  To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patents  for  Inven- 
tions see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Write  for  Hid.  Guide  (259  pages),  3d. 
Tobacconists'  Outfitting  Co.,  18C,  Euston-road,  London.    Est.  1866. — Ai>vt 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Cockspur   Street,  London. 

JN  VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 
j|ESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
j^.OR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMEN, 
(^EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
|||  ARRET  REPORT. 

0 


UR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


SECURITIES  PAYING 
HALF  PER  CENT. 
it  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 


IT 


gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
rjAWENTY- SEVENTH  EDITION. 
gENT  POST  FREE. 

fJIHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 

PART   I.-STOCK    EXCHANGE      PART  II.-HOW  TO  OPERATE. 

USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  S'ocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealingin  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1833  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can  Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


j^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 
fPHE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
1  is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  to  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


itas  Oil 


Prevents  and  Cures 

BRONCHITIS,  !NFLUENZA> 
DIPHTHERIA, 

AND  ALL 

LUNG  AND  THROAT  AFFECTIONS. 


DIRECTION: 
INHALE  AND   FUMIGATE  WITH 
"  SANH  AS  OIL."        '  ' 


Pamphlets  Free  on  application. 
THE  SANITAS  COMPANY,  LIMITED, 
Bethnal  Green,  London,  E. 


"  Sanitas  "  Oil,  Is.  Bottles  ;  Pocket  Inhalers,  Is.  each  ; 
Fumigators,  2s.  6d.  each. 
'*  Sanitas  "-Eucalyptus  Disinfectors,  Is.  each. 
"Sanitas "  Eucalyptus  Oil,  Is.  Bottles. 


"TO 
BREATHE 
SANITAS 

IS  TO 
BREATHE 
HEALTH.'' 

Gordon  Stables, 
CM.,  M.D.,  R.N. 


.lov's  Cic  irkttrs 
afford  immediate  re 
lief  in  cases  of 

ASTHMA, 
WHEEZING,  AND 
WINTER  COUGH, 

and  a  little  perse* 
rerance  will  effect  a 
permanent  cure.  Uni- 
versally recommended 
l>v  i  fio  must  eminent 
physicians  and  medi- 
cal authors.  Agreeable 
to  use,  certain  in  their 
effects,  and  harmless 
in  their  action,  they 
may  be  safely  smoked 
hy  ladies  and  children. 

All    Chemists  and 
Stores,    bDX    of  :{">, 
SQm  or  lN.st  free 
from  Wilcox  and  Co., 
Oxrouo  Strut, 
London,  W. 


Turkish  Steam  Massage 
Complexion  Treatments 

Are  via rcellvu slit  beneficial  in  Purifying  and 
Beautifying  the  Skin. 
Produces  a  healthy*  rosy,  and  velrety  complexion 
Removes  and  prevents  wrinkles,  tan,  blotches, 
freckles,  pimples,  blackhead*,  eczema,  and  nil  Other 
blemishes.  No  paints  or  powders  uveu.  JuvstfipafttPi 
tvUl  convince  tin  moat  sceptical.  Honest  livca-nic 
work  onlv.  Patronised  by  (be  most  select  ladies. 
Treatments  strictly  private.  Pupils  taught  Assistant 
lequirod.  Madame  DEAN,  American  Special- 
is  te  in  Complexion.  Scalp,  and  Manicuring,  »», 
(Jreat  Port  land -street.  Ox  foul  Circus,  London,  \V. 

HTGH-CLAHS  ARTISTIC  D  R  E  SB  MAKING. 
MRS.  GRABURN,  13,  Bonchurch  Road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Speciality— Country  Ordeis.  Snmrt  C  ostumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  2}  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.    Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  ht. 


March  30,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


235 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 
Good  ole  Orxfud-an'-Kimebridge  Boat-rice !  What 
crards  it  do  draw,  ter  be  sure,  when  the  weather's  any- 
think  like  !  And  why  it  is  so  yer  cawn't  'awdly  sye. 
As  horftun  as  not  the  rice  ain't  a  rice,  not  in  a  manner 
o'  speakin,'  bein'  as  much  a  suttunty  as  tossin'  a  two- 
'eaded  'ipe'ny.  And  I'm  told  that  the  bettin'  on  it's  om- 
must  nutthink.  Some  years  all  the  money  theer  is  on 
wouldn't  buy  yer  a  'orse  good  enough  ter  lose  the  Derby 
with ;  but  that  myebe  as  it  myebe.  The  Boat-rice  is  a 
popular  event  any'ow,  an',  in  course,  some  years  it's  a 
sight  ter  see,  an'  no  mistike.  Ah  !  my  old  fawther  were 
theer  the  year  it  were  a  dead  'eat.  'E  sharted  ter  sich 
an  egstent  as  'e  had  no  voice  ter  speak  with  fur  a 
week  arterwards,  and  'e  likewise  'ad  'is  silver 
watch  stole.  And  'e  alwise  said  as  it  were 
well  wuth  it.  'E  wasn't  a  man  ter  go  back 
on  'is  enjyment,  wasn't  fawther.  Thet's  a  nawsty  knack 
as  'Ankin  'as.  'E'll  go  art  on  the  hi-tiddly-hi,  as  yer 
might  sye,  and  do  'isself  very  nicely  too,  and  next  dye 
blest  if  'e  won't  stawt  calcilitin'  'ow  'e  might  'ave  spent 
'is  money  better  on  sutthink  yooseful.  Nar,  in  'Ankin 
I  puts  it  darn  ter  the  natcheral  argyfyin'ness  o'  the 
man.  It's  !is  practice  ter  be  alwise  provin'  as  some 
other  man's  in  the  wrong.  When  'e  ain't  anyone  else 
ter  plye  it  onter,  'e  plyes  it  onter  'isself,  and  proves  one 
dye  as  'e  were  all  wrong  the  dye  before,  and  that  sims 
ter  give  him  setisfection,  though  I  don't  see  a  bloomin' 
grite  lot  of  amoosement  in  it  mysslf.  I'm  more  o'  my 
fawther's  wye  o'  thinkin' — when  I  enjyes  myself,  I 
enjyes  myself,  and  don't  go  a  regrettin'  o'  it  arterwards. 
But,  then,  the  yoomin'  rice  is  mide  up  o'  all  sorts. 

Yus,  yer  don't  horftun  see  tew  people  egsackly  alike, 
nort  even  in  apperunce.  I  did  once,  and  I  wish  I 
'adn't.  It  'appened  this  wye.  A  young  man  gort  on 
my  'bus,  'at  back  of  'is  head,  grye  coat,  and  striped 
bags,  kerryin'  a  brarn -piper  pawcil,  and  a  black  walkin'- 
stick  with  a  white  handle  to  it.  'E  wen  up  on  the  top, 
I  followed  'im,  punched  a  penny  ticket,  and  give  it  'im, 
turned  rarnd  and  went  down  agin.  As  soon  as  I  got 
darn,  I  finds  'im  sittin'  inside  aginst  the  door,  sime 
fice,  sime  'at  wore  the  sime  wye,  sime  clothes,  pawcil, 
walkin'-stick,  and  ev'rythink.  "  Egscoose  me,  sir,"  I 
syes,  "but  'ow  did  yer  git 'ere?"  " The  ornery  wye," 
syes  'e,  lookin'  surprised.  "  Thet  you  didn't,"  says  I, 
"or  you'd  'ave  'ad  to  come  pawst  me."  "I  dunno 
whort  you're  talkin'  abart,"  'e  says.  "  Give  me  my 
ticket."  "I've  jest  this  moment  give  it  yer,"  says  I. 
"'Ave  yer?"  says 'e,  "well,  I  'aven't  got  it  any'ow." 
"  'Ere  yer  aw,  then,"  says  I.  "  You  kin  'ave  a  dozen 
o'  'em  fur  a  shillin',  if  you're  fond  o'  'em. '  "  Yer'd 
better  be  keerful,"  says  'e.  Pressintly  I  'as  to  go 
up  top,  and  blest  if  'e  wasn't  theer  jest  wheer  I  left 
'im  the  fust  time.  "  Look  'ere,"  I  says,  "  I  don't  know 
'ow  you  works  this  'anky-panky,  but  I've  'ad  abart 
enough  of  it,  and  so  I  tells  yer  strite."  'E  says,  "  I 
dunno  whort  yer  think  you're  syin',  but  you  kin  tike  it 
from  me  that  if  yer  gits  drunk  while  you're  on  this  'bus 
you'll  find  yaurself  in  trouble."  I  goes  darn  agin,  and 
theer  'e  was  settin'  aginst  the  door  as  afore.  "  Very 
well,"  says  I,  shikin'  my  first  in  'is  fice.  "  If  yer  moves 
agin,  egsep  ter  git  art  in  the  ornery  wye,  I'll  tike  yer 
an'  throw  yer  inter  the  road."  "You're  drunk,"  'e 
says.  "  You  ain't  fit  ter  'ave  chawge  of  a  'bus."  "  I 
ain't  fit  ter  'ave  chawge  of  a  bloomim'  box  o'  miracles 
like  this,"  says  I,  "  but  I'll  kup  my  heye  on  yer  all  the 
sime,  my  friend."  Just  then  the  'bus  stopped,  and  art 
'e  got.  As  I  was  lookin'  arter  'im  the  other  one  cime 
darn  off  the  top  and  went  pawst  me.  Theer  was  two 
of  'em,  as  like  as  two  peas.  They  went  off  tergether 
lawfin'.  At  fust  I'd  a  mind  ter  go  fur  the  two  of  'em, 
and  chawnce  it,  but  I  sees  'em  stawt  ter  plye  the  sime 
gime  agin  on  another  'bus,  and  let  'em  be.  If  yer  'as 
ter  be  mide  a  fool  of  it's  jest  as  well  ter  'ave  comp'ny. 


A  CHAT   WITH  AN  OLYMPIA 
BALLET-GIRL. 


"Excuse  me,  but  are  you  on  the  Olympia  ballet?" 

'•'  Yes,"  answered  the  elder  one,  somewhat  shyly. 

"  Well,  would  you  mind  my  walking  a  little  way  with 
you,  and  asking  you  a  few  questions  ? " 

She  looked  a  little  dubious,  so  I  hastened  to  add, 
"  Oh,  just  about  the  work  at  Olympia :  I  want  to  do 
it  for  a  paper." 

She  assented  graciously,  and  I  began,  "  Well,  I  have 
heard  that  the  work  is  very  hard,  rehearsals  in  the 
morning,  two  performances  daily,  and  the  pay 
wretched.    Is  that  so  ? " 

"  Not  at  all ;  we  had  to  rehearse  for  two  months,  but 
now  we  have  the  mornings  free.  We  had  to  rehearse 
much  longer  for  Constantinople.  My  sister  and  I  were 
both  in  that." 

"  How  did  you  get  on  it  at  first  ? "  I  asked. 

"  Well,  we  had  been  at  the  Empire,  and  the  Prince's 
Hall — in  Morritt's  illusions,  but  he  wanted  us  to  go  to 
Ireland,  and  mummy  didn't  like  us  to  leave  her,  so  we 
wrote  to  Kiralfy,  and  got  taken  on  here.  We  didn't 
know  how  to  dance,  but  we  soon  learnt  the  steps,  and 
were  promoted  to  the  fifth  row." 

"  And  what  is  the  pay,  if  I  may  ask  ? " 

"Well,  you  see,  we  get  paid  according  to  the  rows 
we're  in.  We,  being  in  the  fifth  row,  get  18s.  a  week  ; 
those  in  the  last  rows  get  12s.,  and  the  children  9s. 
No  one  gets  less." 

"And  those  in  front?" 

"  Oh,  they're  nearly  all  professional  dancers — mostly 
Italian.    They  get  from  30s.  to  £2  a  week." 
"  And  you  like  the  work  ? " 

"Oh,  awfully.  It's  not  tiring  when  you  are  used 
to  it." 

"But  don't  you  get  annoyed  and  accosted  on 
leaving?" 

"Well,  yes,  sometimes.  There  are  alwaye  people 
waiting  outside  ;  but  if  you  take  no  notice  you're  all  right. 
Many  people  have  such  ideas  about  the  ballet,  and 
think  there's  not  a  decent  girl  in  it.  Of  course,  there 
are  always  some  low  girls,  and  then  people  judge  us  all 
by  them.  In  Constantinople  two  girls  came  on  drunk, 
and  were  instantly  dismissed." 

"  And  are  the  managers  nice?  I  have  heard  different 
opinions  about  that." 

"They  are  all  very  nice,"  said  she  emphatically,  "and 
very  respectful  and  generous.  Mr.  Kiralfy  is  so  patient 
teaching  the  girls,  and  it  was  no  easy  job,  for  many  of 
the  figures  are  very  intricate.  We  have  to  change 
costumes  four  times ;  those  who  are  paid  more  change 
oftener." 

"Yes,  of  course,  if  we  stay  away  we  get  our  pay 
docked — 3s.  for  a  whole  day,  and  Is.  6d.  for  half.  We 
don't  get  passes  now ;  some  of  the  girls  used  to  go  and 
look  on  when  they  ought  to  have  been  working,  so  they 
were  stopped. " 

"I  was  thinking,"  said  I,  confidentially,  "of  going 
on  the  ballet  for  a  week,  just  to  get  copy  for  an  article. 
I  thought  of  taking  the  place  of  some  girl  who  might 
happen  to  be  ill,  but,  I  suppose,  it  would  be  noticed." 

"Yes,  it  would.  Mr.  Kiralfy  knows  all  the  girls  by- 
name, and  would  see  at  once.  Besides,  vacancies  are 
filled  up  from  the  back  rows.  You  might  get  taken 
on  as  an  extra,  though." 

"  In  which  case  we  shall  meet  aeain,"  said  I,  smiling 
and  holding  out  my  hand.  "  Well,  good-night.  I  hope 
you  will  pardon  my  ha,ving  asked  you  so  many 
questians." 

"  Certainly ;  don't  mention  it,"  said  she  politely, 
and  with  a.  graceful  nod  of  her  pretty  little  head  she 
tripped  home  to  her  "  mummy,"  while  I  returned  to 
my  diggings  to  write  down  my  interview. 


236 


TO-DAY. 


ftlAitCH  30,  1895. 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

There  is  a  form  of  flattery  which  is  sincerer  than 
imitation.  The  editor  of  a  great  magazine — I  won't  say 
whether  it  was  in  London  or  America — was  asked  if  he 
had  read  the  whole  of  the  story  lie  was  publishing  ,  of 
George  Meredith's,  his  inquirer  thinking  that  Mrs. 
Grundy  had  not  been  sufficiently  consulted.  "Yes," 
said  the  editor,  "  I  have  read  every  word  of  that  story, 
and  I  would  publish  every  word  of  anything  George 

Meredith  chose  to  write  over  his  signature." 

*  *  *  * 

My  author  customers  have  many  of  them  from  time 
to  time  shown  me  congratulatory  post-cards  which  they 
have  received  from  Mr.  Gladstone.  Mr.  Gladstone  is 
one  of  the  few  old-fashioned  people  who,  in  writing 
upon  a  post-card,  puts  his  own  full  address  and  the  full 
name  of  the  person  to  whom  he  is  writing,  and  signs 
his  name  instead  of  initials. 

*  *  *  if 

Mark  Twain  is  very  amusing  when  he  is  giving  an 
account  of  how  he  became  a  dietudinarian.  Coining 
across  the  Atlantic  one  stormy  winter  voyage  he  caught 
a  frightful  cold.  An  old  lady  on  board,  of  the  pattern 
that  wears  shawls  and  jet  jewellery,  advised  him  to 
pour  rum  on  lumps  of  sugar,  and  take  them 
all  day  until  the  cough  was  relieved.  He 
found  the  remedy  efficacious  and  agreeable,  but  it 
absorbed  so  much  saccharine  into  his  system  that  it 
brought  on  a  severe  and  chronic  indigestion.  One 
favourite  dish  or  drink  after  another  he  sacrificed  on  the 
altar  of  this  indigestion  until  at  last  starvation  stared 
him  in  the  face.  Then  he  said  to  himself  that  even 
murder  by  indigestion  was  preferable  to  that  painful  and 
lingering  death ;  so  one  night  at  supper  he  broke 
through,  ate  curried  lobster,  kidneys,  smothered  rabbit, 
soft-shell  crab,cream  trifle  and  Welsh  rabbit,  and  wound 
up  with  a  pound  of  crystallized  fruit.  He  slept  like  an 
angel  and  woke  up  perfectly  well.  He  is  now  more 
anxious  about  starvation  than  indigestion,  so  he  told  me, 
when  he  came  into  my  shop  during  the  few  days  he 
spent  in  England  last  year. 

*  *  *  * 

A  member  of  the  Cobden  Club,  Kensal  Road,  N.W., 
writes  : — Sir, — Could  you  recommend  any  book  con- 
taining stories  (humorous  or  otherwise),  or  anecdotes 
suitable  to  be  thrown  into  after-dinner  or  other  speeches  V 
Has  he  read  Mr.  W.  R.  Le  Fanu's  "  Seventy  Years  of 
Irish  Life  "  (Arnold)  1  The  Freeman's  Journal  said  "  The 
Japs  at  Home  "  (Hutchinson)  was  the  best  book  of  the 
kind,  and  Joseph  Hatton's  "  In  Jest  and  Earnest  "  is  full 
of  good  after-dinner  talk. 

*  *  *  * 

"  Lucretia's  "  requirements  are  slightly  different : — 
"  Dear  Sir, — Wishing  to  have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  logic 
and  all  its  rules  thereto,  I  should  like  to  know  what 
books  to  study.  I  have  studied  Jevons,  but  wish  to 
know  the  subject  better.  Are  there  any  books  which 
practise  one  in  its  rules  and  errors  1  If  so,  would  you 
kindly  let  me  know  them.  I  wish  also  to  continue  from 
that  to  the  study  of  mental  philosophy.  What  books 
are  best,  and  what  system  should  I  follow  in  my  desire 
to  know  those  subjects  1  I  wish  to  be  as  well  versed  and 
have  as  perfect  a  knowledge  as  I  possibly  can,  by  self 
study  of  them.  Your  advice  shall  be  willingly  followed. 
— Lucretia."  "  Lucretia's  "  questions  are  rather  beyond 
a  plain  old-fashioned  Bookseller,  born  before  the  days  of 
Board  Schools.  She  should  write  to  J ohn  Oliver  Hobbes, 
care  of  T.  Fisher  Unwin  and  Co.,  Paternoster  Square. 

*  *  *  * 

That  charming  little  lady — for  .  the  real  name 
of  John  Oliver  Hobbes  is  Mrs.  Craigie — is  a  -pretty, 
smart,  bright-eyed,  bright-witted  American,  who  wrote 
in  two  numbers  of  the  Weekly  Sun  a  masterly 
study  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Balfour's  new  book, 
which  was  Greek  to  me.  If  I  had  read  it  through 
conscientiously  from  beginning  to  end,  my  mind  would 


have  been  in  a  state  of  chaos.  I  should  have  felt  like 
the  millionaire  in  "  The  Golden  Butterfly  "  when  he  was 
reading  Browning.  And  I  should  like  to  read  it  too 
from  a  sense  of  gratitude,  for  I  have  sold  a  goodly 
number  of  the  hundred  copies  a  day  at  which  it  has  been 
selling.  Thousands  have  been  sold  though  it  is  a  big 
twelve  and  sixpenny  book  of  the  most  subtle  reading. 
It  was  all  I  could  do  to  read  Mrs.  Craigie's  very  clever 
articles  on  the  book.  Philosophy  is  such  dry  bones 
to  me. 

*  *  *  * 

It  is  the  fashion  to  remark  how  The  English  Illus- 
trated has  degenerated  since  the  days  when  it  was 
edited  by  Mr.  Comyns  Carr.  But  did  the  magazine  in 
those  days  have  an  airay  of  names  like  the  March 
number — Grant  Allen,  Stanley  J.  Weyman,  Anthony 
Hope,  Gilbert  Parker,  Julian  Hawthorne,  Phil  Robin- 
son ?  It  has,  tco,  a  pleasantly  told  little  story  by  John 
Foster  Fraser,  and  a  most  interesting  article  on  Lord 
Bass  and  his  ale. 

*  *  *  ♦ 

The  great  success  of  Mr.  Grant  Allen's  book  should 
give  a  fresh  impetus  to  Mr.  Frankfort  Moore's  "I  Fcrbid 
the  Banns,"1  which  is  now  in  its  eighth  edition.  It,  too, 
deals  with  a  charming  heroine,  who  will  only  live  with 
her  lover  in  a  union  of  consent.  But  the  two  books 
are  treated  from  entirely  different  standpoints.  "  I  For- 
bid the  Banns  "  had  only  one.  rival  among  the  lighter 
books  in  my  library  when  it  came  out  two  or  three 
years  ago,  and  I  can't  think  of  any  book  which  has  come 
out  since  in  its  own  line  which  I  like  as  much,  unless  it 
be  "  One  Fair  Daughter." 

*  *  * 

Mr.  F.  Frankfort  Moore's  short  story  about  the 
beautiful  frolicsome  actress,  Kilty  Clive,  in  the  volume 
he  has  just  brought  out  under  the  title  of  "  Two  in  the 
Bush"2  (A.  D.  Innes  and  Co.),  is  simply  admirable.  It 
achieves  the  "atmosphere"  of  the  last  century  with  un- 
usual success,  and  the  story  of  her  prank  is  told  with 
infinite  spirit — Kitty  is  absolute.  In  the  clever- 
ness with  which  it  brings  the  actual  Kitty 
and  her  day  before  ur,  it  reminds  me  of  the  late  Sir 
Edward  Hamley's  "  Shakespeare's  Funeral,"  published  in 
Blacfovood's  a  good  many  years  ago,  though,  of  course, 
one  is  laid  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  the 
other  late  in  the  eighteenth. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  been  compelled  to  stock  a  certain  number  of 
Mr.  John  Davison's  "A  Full  and  True  Account  of  the 
Wonderful  Mission  of  Earl  Lavender."3  It  sells  among 
a  class  of  customer  attracted  possibly  by  Mr.  Beardsley's 
unpleasant  frontispiece.  The  book  is  said — by  Mr. 
Davison's  press  friends — to  be  really  funny,  but  I 
suppose  I  am  too  old-fashioned  a  person  to  see  the  wit. 
This  newest  of  all  humour  used  to  be  called  indecency  in 
my  young  days,  and  I  am  surprised  to  see  a  man  of 
Mr.  Davison's  talents  dabbling  in  a  subject  which  men 
of  the  world  would  tell  him  is  chiefly  interesting  to 

elderly  debauchees. 

*  *  *  * 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

J.  J.— I  do  not  know  of  any  book  by  F.  Taysen.  You  should 
write  to  William  Blackwood  and  Son,  George  Street,  Edinburgh, 
as  they  published  an  article  of  his  in  their  magazine. 

J.  H.  (New  Club,  Cheltenham).  —  A  usually  well-informed 
customer  told  me  that  "  The  Island  Story  "  was  by  MissCorelli. 
Whv  not  write  to  her,  care  of  her  publishers,  Methuen  and  Co.? 

Skipper. — I  never  heard  of  Charles  Gray,  and  do  not  think 
either  his  book  or  autograph  is  of  any  value: 

J.  M.W. — You  might  try  a  second-hand  bookseller  or  put  it  in 
a  sale,  but  it  is  not  worth  a  great  deal. 

Ion. — (1)  Morley  Roberts'  books  are  published  by  Lawrence 
and  Bullen.  Cornish,  of  New  Street,  in  your  town,  would  show 
you  a  list  with  prices.  (2)  I  believe  Stevenson  left  a  work 
nearly  completed  which  will  shortly  appear.  (3)  Apply  to  the 
above-mentioned  bookseller. 


1.  "I  Forbid  tbo  Banna."  (Hutchinson,  6s ) 

2.  "Two  in  the  Bush.,'    (A.  D.  Innes  and  Co.,  6s.) 

3.  "A  Full  and  True  Account  of  the  Wondeiful    Mission  of  Earl 

Lavender."  (Ward  and  Downey,  6s.) 


March  30,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


237 


Mr.  J.  Fletcher  Moulton,  Q.C.,  M.P.,  and  Mr.  W.  B.  Bousfleld,  Q.C.,  M.P., 
have  given  favourable  opinions  upon  the  validity  of  the  English  Patents. 
The  List  Opened  on  Monday,  the  26th  day  of  March,  and  will  close  on 
or  before  Thursday,  the  28th  day  of  March,  1S95. 

THE    HABILIS   PATENT  SELF  -  OPENING 
UMBRELLA  COMPANY,  LTD. 

Incorporated  under  the  Companies  Acts  1862  to  1890,  whereby  the 

liability  of  Shareholders  is  limited  to  the  amount  of  their  Shares. 
CAPITAL  ..  £75,000, 

Divided  into  75,000  Shares  of  £1  each,  of  which  65,000  are  now  offered 
for  Subscription.  Payable  5s.  on  Application,  5s.  on  Allotment,  5s.  on  the 
18th  day  of  May,  and  6s.  on  the  18th  day  of  July. 


DIRECTOBS. 

Tho    Right    Honourable    Lord    WATElti'AItK,    Doveridge,  Derbyshire 

(Chairman    of   the    British   North   Borneo    Development  Corporation, 

Limited),  Chairman. 
Alfred    Cha worth    Lyster,    Esq.,  Gisburne    House,  Abbey  Wood,  Kent 

(Director   of  the   Civil    Service  Co-operative   Society,    Limited,  Hay- 

maiket,  W.). 

Coionel  James  Ainslie  Stewart,  44,  West  Cromwell  Road,  S.W.  (Auditor 

to  the  Army  and  Navy  Co-operative  Society,  Limited,  and  to  the  Army 

and  Navy  Auxiliary  Co-operative  Supply,  Limited). 
Major-General   Hale   Wortharo,   38,  Marine  Parade,  Brighton  (Chairman 

of  the  Junior  Army  and  Navy  Stores,  Limited,   York  House,  Regent 

Street,  S.W.). 

•Commander    the  Hon.    Nelson   Byng,   R.N.,   The  Priory,  Kingston-on- 

Tluunes   (Director  of  tho   Austrian  and  Belgian   Patent  Self-Opening 

Umbrell'i  Syndicate,  Limited). 
•Edwin   Docker,    Esq.,    Clove    House,    Grove    Crescent,  Surbiton,  S.W. 

(Director    of    the    French    Patent    Self-Opening   Umbrella  Syndicate, 

Limited). 

•Stuart  Dixon  Ross,  Esq.,  Rostrevor,  Sydenham  Park,  S.E.  (Managing 
Director). 

•  Will  join  the  Board  after  Allotment. 
Bankers— London    and    South-Western    Bank    (Limited),  Fenchurch 
Street,  E.C. 

4.UDH  ORS— Messrs.  Jackson,  Pixley,  Browning,  Husey,  and  Co.,  Chartered 
Accountants,  58,  Coleman  Street,  E.C. 
Solicitors. 

Alfred  Docker,  Esq.,  1  and  2,  Milk  Street,  Cheapside,  E.C. 
Messrs.  Speed  and  Harvev,  St.  Peter's  Gate,  Nottingham. 
Secretary  (pro  tem.)— Mr.  F.  C.  Vernon. 
Ol'HCES— 61  and  62,  Gracechurch  Street,  E.C. 

PROSPECTUS. 

1.  This  Company hasbeen formed toacquire  thePatentRightsforimprove- 
ments  in  Self-Opc-r.ing  Umbrellas  and  Sunshades  for  the  following 
countries,  viz. — (i.)  The  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
(ii.)  Tho  United  States  of  America.  (iii.)  France,  (iv.)  Austria,  (v.) 
Belgium,  (vi.)  Italy,  (vii.)  Germany.  (Designs  Patent);  also  the  right 
to  acquire  patents  hi  all  other  countries,  and  to  acquire  from  the  Vendors 
all  the  rights  in  improvements  of  the  same. 

2.  The  Invention  is  called  and  known  in  the  Trade  as  the  "  Habilis 
Frame." 

3.  The  necessity  has  long  been  felt  of  a  device  for  opening  and  adjusting 
umbrellas  without  requiring  the  use  of  both  hands,  as  with  the  present 
method  By  the  "  Habilis,"  the  umbrella  opens  and  adjusts  itself  auto- 
matically, thus  leaving  one  hand  free  for  holding  the  dress,  carrying 
parcels,  alighting  from  vehicles,  driving,  and  the  numerous  other  purposes 
for  which  the  band  is  so  often  required,  especially  in  wet  or  muddy 
weather. 

4.  The  efforts  of  experts  to  construct  a  practical  self-opening  Umbrella 
have  hitherto  been  frustrated  by  the  apparently  insurmountable  difficulties 
of  complicated  action,  additional  weight,  and  excessive  cost.  It  is  claimed 
that  tho  "  Habilis  "  has  successfully  overcome  all  these  difficulties,  with- 
out in  any  way  altering  the  appearance  or  adding  to  the  weight,  and 
although  very  slightly  increasing  the  cost,  at  the  same  time  greatly 
strengthening  the  frame.  The  Directors  therefore  feel  justified  in  assuming 
that  the  universal  adoption  of  the  "  Habilis  "  frame  is  only  a  question  of 
time,  in  which  belief  they  are  greatly  strengthened  by  the  already  encourag- 
ing response  from  the  trade  and  public  generally. 

5.  The  fortune  amassed  by  the  late  Mr.  Samuel  Fox,  the  inventor  of  the 
Paragon  Frame,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  profits  which  can  be  made 
from  inventions  of  this  character. 

6.  'the  appliance  consists  of  a  Bimple  light  spring,  so  ingeniously  devised 
that  on  pressing  the  "  catch "  or  "  button "  the  umbrella  is  released, 
and  opens  and  adjusts  itself  automatically.  Moreover,  the  simplicity  of 
its  construction  admits  of  easy  and  immediate  repair,  and  reduces  to  a 
minimum  the  liability  of  imperfect  action.  The  invention  is  attachable 
to  any  ordinary  umbrella  or  sunshade  at  a  small  cost. 

7.  The  Vendors  have  without  pnblic  advertisement  tested  the  market,  with 
very  satisfactory  results.  Large  orders  have  already  been  received  from 
the  trade,  and  the  Company  is  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  such  as  have 
been  obtained  since  the  1st  January,  1895. 

8.  Trade  returns  show  that  Fourteen  Million  Umbrella  Frames  are  made 
annually  in  England  alone,  and  the  Directors  feel  that  the  Company  has  un- 
doubtedly an  exceptional  prospect  of  creating  and  developing  a  business 
which  bids  fair  to  prove  a  groat  commercial  success.  It  is  not  proposed, 
at  any  rate  for  the  present,  to  compete  in  the  Umbrella  Trade,  the  orders 
already  in  hand  for  "  Frames,"  alone  showing  an  extensive  and  remunera- 
tive business.  It  is  proposed  to  make  arrangements  with  Firms  to  manu- 
facture the  Patent  for  the  Company  and  to  stock  and  deliver  the  same 
free  of  charge,  thus  saving  expense  of  warehouse  and  staff. 

9.  Without  in  any  way  including  Sunshade  Frames,  which  alone  must 
be  a  substantial  source  of  revenue,  the  following  is  believed  to  be  a  safe, 
and  at  the  same  time  moderate,  estimate  of  the  demand  which  may  be 
anticipated  for  "  Habilis  Frames  "  during  the  first  year  of  the  Company's 
existence;  after  that  period  the  sales  must  inevitably  increase. 


ESTIMATE. 

COUNTRY. 

Population. 

r>„i:m,i„j   |ProfltaL.  9s  per 
Estimated  T»„_-¥,»nn„i,ir_ 
Snlpi       'Dozen,  "Habilis 
bales.      |  Frames-.. 

United  Kingdom 

United  States  of  America  . . 

France    y 

Austria  and  Belgium 
Germany  and  Italy  .. 

40,000,000 
60,000,000 
40,000,000 
50.000,000 
80,000,000 

•20,000  doz. 

10,000  „ 
7.500  „ 
7,500  „ 
7,500  „ 

£    s.  d. 
9,000   0  0 
4,500   0  0 
3,375   0  0 
3,375   0  0 
3,375   0  0 

£23,625   0  0 

Deduct   Directors'   Fees,   Salaries,  Office 

Expense",  &c,  say  £2,000  0  0 

Advertising,  say    5,000  0  0 

"   =  7,000   0  0 


Balance    ..      ..      £16,625  0  0 
Or  sufficient  to  pas  over  20  per  cent,  on  the  Share  Capital  of  the  Company. 


10.  The  profits  accruing  to  the  Company  in  subsequent  years  of  its 
existence  will  materially  increase  as  the  "  Habilis  "  becomes  better  known 
and  universally  adopted,  without  taking  into  account  the  revenue  accruing 
from  the  rights  which  the  Company  possess  to  take  out  and  dispose  of 
Patents  in  other  countries. 

11.  The  purchase  price  fixed  by  the  Vendors  for  their  Patents  and  other 
rights  is  £60,000,  payable  as  to  £5,000  in  cash,  as  to  £20,000  in  fully-paid 
shares,  and  the  balance  in  cash  or  shares  at  the  option  of  the  Directors. 
All  the  preliminary  expenses  in  connection  with  the  formation  of  the 
Company  will  be  paid  by  the  Vendors. 

12.  The  following  Contract  has  been  entered  into,  viz: — An  Agreement 
dated  the  21st  day  of  March,  1895,  between  Stuart  Dixon  Ross  of  the  first 
part,  George  Bertram  Ross  of  the  second  part,  the  French  Patent  Self- 
Opening  Umbrella  Syndicate,  Limited,  of  the  third  part,  the  Austrian  and 
Belgian  Patent  Self-Opening  Umbrella  Syndicate,  Limited,  of  the  fourth 
part,  Joseph  Chave  Cox  of  the  fifth  part,  and  Frederick  Charles  Vernon  (as 
Trustee  for  and  on  behalf  of  the  Company)  of  the  sixth  part ;  being  an 
Agreement  for  the  purchase  by  the  Company  of  the  above-named  Patents 
and  other  rights. 

13.  The  Vendors  have  entered  into  various  agreements  and  arrango- 
ments,  to  which  the  Company  is  not  a  party,  in  respect  of  the  several 
Patents,  the  formation  of  the  Company,  and  the  underwriting  of  the 
whole  or  some  portion  of  the  Capital  thereof.  Subscribers  shall  be  deemed 
to  have  full  notice  of  such  agreements  and  arrangements. 

14.  The  Memorandum,  Articles  of  Association,  Counsels'  Opinions,  Con- 
tracts, and  other  documents  can  be  inspected  at  the  Offices  of  the  Com- 
pany, where  also  specimens  of  the  "  Habilis  "  Umbrella  are  on  view. 

15.  Application  will  be  made  in  due  course  for  a  Stock  Exchange  quota- 
tion. 

16.  Application  for  Shares  should  be  made  on  the  cccompanying  form 
and  sent  to  the  Bankers  of  the  Company. 

17.  In  case  of  no  allotment  of  Shares  the  deposit  will  be  returned  in  full. 

18.  Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  can  be  obtained  at  the  Offices 
of  the  Company ;  at  the  Company's  Bankers  and  Solicitors ;  from  Messrs. 
Haes  and  Sons,  1,  Drapers'  Gardens,  E.C.,  and  Messrs.  Harvey  and 
Speed,  1,  Clement's  Inn,  Strand,  W.C. 

London,  22nd  March,  1895. 


The  following  (among  other)  London  Houses  have  already  ordered  "  The 
Habilis  "  :  — 

WHOLESALE. 

I.  and  R.  Morley,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

Rylands  and  Sons,  Limited,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

Copestake,  Lindsay,  Crampton  and  Co.,  Bow  Churchyard,  E.C. 

Pawson  and  Leaf,  Limiteu,  St.  Paul's  Churchyard,  E.C. 

Ri therham  and  Co.,  Shoreditch. 

George  Brettle  and  Co.,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

J.  Howell  and  Co.,  Limited,  St.  Paul's  Churchyard,  E.C. 

Bradbury,  Greatorex  and  Co.,  Limited,  Aldermanbury,  E.C. 

Fore  Street  Warehouse  Company,  Limited,  Fore  Street,  E.C. 

Fester,  Porter  and  Co.,  Limited,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

Silber  and  Fleming,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

Devas,  Routledge  and  Co.,  Cannon  Street,  E.C. 

Duncan  and  Co.,  Aldermanbury,  E.C. 

W.  Jones,  Aldermanbury,  E.C. 

Bayzand  and  Co.,  Aldermanbury,  E.C. 

Piper,  Son  and  Howard,  Aldersgate  Street.  E.C. 

A.  J.  Norman  and  Co.,  Monkwell  Street,  E.C. 

Lloyd,  Attree  and  Co.,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

M.  Desaxe  and  Son,  Addle  Street,  B.C. 

T.  R.  Croger,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

Milnes  and  Shales,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

T.  Hart,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

W.  Earl,  Hamsell  Street,  E.C. 

Attree  and  Co.,  Milk  Street,  E.C. 

London  Umbrella  Co.,  33,  Cheapside,  E.C. 

W.  Long  and  Co.,  Paddington  Street,  W. 

Bishop,  Ellis  and  Co.,  Ludgate  Hill,  E.C. 

Coe  and  Company,  St.  Paul's  Churchyard,  E.C. 

J.  Morland  and  Son,  Wood  Street,  E.C. 

Welsh,  Margetson  and  Co.,  Cheapside,  E.C. 

Caoless,  Whittaker  and  Bignold,  Addle  Street,  E.C. 

Franfe  Walmsley,  Regent  Street,  W. 

RETAIL. 

Army  and  Navy  Stores,  Limited,  Victoria  Street,  Westminster. 

Civil  Service  Supply  Association,  Limited,  Queen  Victoria  Street,  E.G. 

Civil  Service  Co-operative  Society,  Limited,  Haymarket,  W. 

Junior  Army  and  Naly  Stores,  Limited,  Waterloo  Place.  S.W. 

Spiers  and  Ponds  Sb/res,  Limited,  New  Bridge  Street,  E.C. 

Harvey,  Nicholl  and  Co.,  Limited,  Knightsbridge. 

Woolland  Brothers,  Knightsbridge. 

J.  Barker  and  Co.,  Limited,  Kensington. 

D.  H.  Evans  and  Co.,  Limited,  Oxford  Street,  W. 

Harrod's  Stores,  Brompton  Road,  W. 

W.  Sangster  and  Co.,  Limited,  Kegent  Street,  W. 

Peter  Robinson,  Oxford  Street,  W. 

James  Shoolbred  and  Co.,  Tottenham  Court  Road,  W. 

Debenham  and  Freebody,  Wigmore  Street,  W. 

Lewis  and  Allenby,  Regent  Street,  W. 

Allison  and  Co.,  Regent  Street,  W. 

Jay  and  Co.,  Regent  Street,  W. 

Wm.  Whiteley,  Westbourne  Grove,  W. 

Win,  Owen,  Westbourne  Orove,  W. 

Cask  and  Gask,  Oxford  Street,  W. 

Hitchcock,  Williams  and  Co.,  St.    Paul's  Churchyard,  E.G. 

Russell  and  Allen,  Bond  Street,  W. 

Fox's  Umbrella  Warehouse  Co.,  Fore  Street,  E.C. 

F.  Gorringe,  Pimlico.,  S.W. 

W.  Tarn  and  Co.,  Newington  Causeway,  S.E. 

T.  Wallis  and  Co.,  Limited,  Holborn,  E.C. 

Henry  Heath  and  Co.,  Oxford  Street,  W. 

Marshall  and  Snelgrove,  Oxford  Street,  W. 

Spencer,  Turner,  Boldcro  and  Co.,  Limited,  Lisson  Grove,  N. 

Wm.  Hoodley  and  Co.,  Buckingham  Palace  Boad,  S.W. 

Charles  Baker  and  Co.,  Holborn,  W.C. 

Samuel  Brothers,  Ludgate  Hill. 

Capper,  Sons  and  Co.,  Limited,  Gracechurch  Street,  E.C. 

Benetfink  and  Co.,  Cheapiide,  E.C. 

Nicholson  and  Co.,  St.  Paul's  Churchyard,  E.C. 

J.  Spence  and  Co.,  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  E.C. 

Most  of  the  leading  Export  Houses  have  also  sent  in  orders. 


238 


TO-DAY. 


Maech  30,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


A  DRUG  STORE  DEAL 

It  would  be  interesting  to  have  the  comments  of  chemists  upon 
Lewis  and  Burrows'  Drug  Stores,  Limited.  This  company  has 
been  brought  out  with  a  capital  of  ,£100,000,  for  the  purpose  of 
acquiring,  amalgamating,  and  working  eleven  drug  stores 
placed  in  various  parts  of  the  west  and  north  of  London.  These 
stores  are  described  as  "  well  known,"  but  as  none  of  them 
seems  to  have  been  in  existence  much  more  than  three  years, 
and  some  of  them  not  half  that  time,  we  must  take  this  description 
with  several  grains  of  salt.  The  "  average  nett  profits  "are 
certified  to  have  "amounted  to  the  sum  of  £6,905  12s.  3d., 
but  having  regard  to  the  age  of  the  several  businesses  we 
do  not  quite  understand  what  is  meant  in  this  connec- 
tion by  "average  nett  profits."  And,  whatever  the  explana- 
tion, we  [read^with  surprise,  that  we  are  sure  will  be  shared 
by  the  Trade,  that  these  eleven  new  shops  have  been  mak- 
ing an  average  nett  profit  of  £627  per  annum,  and  for  the  last  twelve 
months  an  average  nett  profit  of  £686  per  annum  !  Messrs.  Ward 
and  Willing,  from  whose  certificate  we  take  these  figures,  must 
forgive  us  when  we  say  that  we  think  there  must  be  error  some- 
where in  the  calculations.  How  many  first-class  chemists'  shops  in 
London  show  a  profit  of  £686  or  even  of  £627  per  annum  ?  We 
say  without  fear  of  contradiction  from  any  informed  and  honest 
person  that  in  these  days  of  Store  prices  it  must  be  a  first-class 
chemist's  shop  that  gives  its  owner,  even  when  he  is  on  the  spot 
to  control  and  direct,  a  nett  profit  of  £600,  even  of  £500  per 
annum,  and  yet  we  are  asked  to  believe  that  the  mushroom  shops 
in  the  Seven  Sisters  Road,  New  Oxford  Street,  and  Stamford  Hill, 
one  and  all  show  a  nett  profit  of  close  upon  £700  per  annum. 

Let  us,  however,  for  a  moment  assume  that  these  eleven  shops 
have  ,made  an  "average  annual  nett  profit"  of  £6,905.  Would  that 
make  them  worth  the  price  asked  by  the  vendors,  £65,900?  We  are 
t  old  t  hat  t  he  stock  is  taken  at  cost  price,  and  amounts  to  £16, 139, 
whilst  the  leases,  fixtures  and  plant  are  worth  .£17,791.  That 
makes  £33,930.  We  should  be  much  surprised  if  that 
valuation  was  borne  out  by  other  valuers,  but  we  will 
for  our  present  purpose  accept  these  figures,  and 
they  leave  in  round  numbers  £32,000  for  goodwill.  Divide  this 
£32,000  by  eleven,  the  number  of  shops  taken  over,  and  you 
have  an  average  of  £2,900  for  the  goodwill  of  each  shop.  If  the 
goodwill  is  worth  that,  or  anything  like  it,  a  new  and  easy 
road  to  fortune  has  been  discovered.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to 
start  and  run  a  druggist's  shop  in  half  a  dozen  different  districts 
for  a  few  months,  and  then  bring  out  a  company  to  "  acquire  and 
amalgamate. " 

The  directors  are  confident,  as  they  say,  that  the  profits  will 
be  "  considerably  augmented."  Why  ?  Because  it  seems  they  are 
to  "purchase  direct  from  the  manufacturers,"  and  so  save  "the 
intermediate  profit "  hitherto  paid  to  the  wholesale 
dealers.  In  this  way  they  mean  to  save  five  per  cent, 
upon  the  annual  purchases,  by  which  "  a  yearly  gain  of  £1,750 
would  be  secured."  Would  it  ?  The  vendors  know  or  ought  to 
know  that  there  would  be  no  such  saving,  that  for  most 
articles  the  difference  between  the  price  of  the  manufacturer 
and  that  of  the  wholesale  dealer  is  infinitesimal,  is  nothing 
approaching  five  per  cent. 

We  have,  it  may  be  hoped,  said  enough  to  guard  readers  of 
To-Day,  who  have  not  already  applied,  from  applying  for  shares 
in  this  company.  The  truth  is  that  the  chemist's  business,  once 
amongst  the  most  profitable,  is  not  in  these  days  the  kind  of 
business  to  be  profitably  run  by  a  company.  In  the  prospectus 
before  us  much  is  made  of  the  fact  that  Henry  Hodderand  Co., 
Limited,  pay  good  dividends.  They  do  ;  but  one  swallow  does 
not  make  a  summer,  and  the  prospectus  omits  to  say  that 
whereas  the  capital  of  Lewis  and  Burrows  is  £100,000,  that  of 
Henry  Hodderand  Co.  is  only  £25,000.  And  Bristol  is  not  London. 

"TO-DAY"  AND  THE  JEWELLERY  TRADE. 

Mr.  Thomas  Field,  hon.  secretary  of  the  National  Retail 
Jewellers'  Association,  has  forwarded  us  the  following  resolu- 
tion : — 

At  a  special  general  meeting  of  the  above  Association,  held  on  Thurs- 
day, March  14,  1895,  at  the  Grosvenor  Rooms,  Halford Street,  Leicester, 
Mr.  Simpson  Veates  (I'enrith)  in  the  chair,  it  was  unanimously 
resolved  thatfl  vote  of  thanks  he  given  to  Mr.  Jerome  K  Jerome  and 
Mr  Gilbert  Da.lzicl,  in  recognition  of  the  support  they  have  given  to 
the  Association  by  exposing  in  the  columns  of  their  respective  journals 


the  stratagems  and  tricky  methods  of  trade  pursued  by  responsible 
and  unlicensed  vendors  of  jewellery  and  watches. 

We  are  still  waiting  for  a  somewhat  similar  resolution  from 

the  Birmingham  Grocers'  Association.    Or  must  we  assume  that 

members  of  this  Association  are  not  grateful  to  us  for  proving  to 

them  that  some  of  their  colleagues  have  been  running  Bond 

tea  shops  ? 

We  have  received  a  communication  from  a  Wigan  corre- 
spondent, who  complains  that  Messrs.  Graham  and  Co. ,  of  277, 
Strand,  W.C.,  advertise  that  they  give  away  a  watch  in  order  to 
introduce  Egyptian  gold  jewellery,  when  the  watch  is  in  fact  a 
mere  toy.  Our  correspondent  further  complains  that  the  adver- 
tisement of  these  people  is  inserted  in  certain  newspapers. 

The  advertisement  begins  : — 

In  order  to  introduce  our  Egyptian  Gold  Jewellery  to  the  notice  of  the 
readers  of  this  journal  we  intend  presenting  a  watch  as  shown  in  en- 
graving to  every  purchaser  of  one  of  our  gold  chains,  which  for  wear 
and  appearance  equals  one  costing  £10. 

The  "  engraving  "  shows  a  keyless  watch  with  second  hand, 

and  none  but  a  fool  would  suppose  that  he  could  get  a  gold 

chain  and  a  watch  to  boot  for  2s.  6d.      The  advertising  agents 

of  one  of  the  papers  concerned  wrote  to  our  correspondent  in 

answer  to  his  complaint  that  the  advertisement  induced  him  to 

purchase  as  follows  :— 

We  fail  to  see  the  ground  of  your  complaint.  You  sent  2s.  6d.  for 
a  chain  and  3d.  for  postage  to  get  the  chain.  You  say  it  is  worth  a 
shilling.  To  our  own  knowledge  these  chains  are  being  sold  in  London 
at  4s.  6d.  and  6s.  6d.  Possibly  the  latter  may  have  a  trifle  more  gilt  on. 
No  charge  was  made  to  you  for  the  watch,  and  we  should  really  like 
to  know  what  sort  of  a  genuine  watch  you  expected  the  advertisers  to 
send  for  2s.  6d.,  including  the  chain. 

This  reply  is  not  as  complete  as  Messrs.  Greenberg  and  Co- 
seem  to  think  it,  but  we  have  no  concern  with  the  question 
whether  such  advertisements  ought  or  ought  not  to  be  accepted. 
That  is  a  matter  for  the  newspaper  men  concerned  and  their 
customers.  It  may,  however,  be  useful  to  say  that  the  chains 
for  which  Graham  and  Co.  charge  2s.  6d.,  and  which  Messrs. 
Greenberg  imply  are  worth  twice  as  much,  are  supplied 
wholesale  at  6s.  6d.  per  dozen,  and  one  well-known  trader 
told  our  representative  that  ;he  could  do  them  at  4d.  to  4£d. 
a  piece.     Graham  and  Co.  consists  of  two  Jews  named  Goldstein. 

SIR  CHARLES  DOUGLAS  FOX- 

In  directing  our  attention  to  certain  facts  connected 
with  the  promotion  of  the  Great  Northern  and  City  Railway 
a  correspondent  reminds  us  that  Sir  Charles  Douglas  Fox  was 
one  of  the  promoters,  and  asks  if  this  is  the  same  Sir  Charles 
Douglas  Fox  who  is,  or  was,  the  president  of  the  Lord's  Day 
Observance  Society,  who  in  1893  moved  a  resolution  in  the  House 
of  Laymen  at  Canterbury  against  Sunday  labour  and  entertain- 
ments, and  more  recently  formed  one  of  a  deputation  to  Mr. 
Asquith  on  the  subject  of  the  suppression  of  betting  and 
gambling.    Yes,  as  we  are  informed. 

The  president  of  the  Lord's  Day  Observance  Society  has  been 
a  busy  man  in  his  time.  As  an  engineer  his  name  is  familiar  to 
readers  of  prospectuses,  and  he  has  been  associated  with 
many  enterprises  the  investing  public  have  cause  to 
remember. 

He  was  the  engineer  of  the  Southport  and  Cheshire  Lines 
Extension  Railway,  whose  £100  stock  is  now  quoted  at  about 
£10. 

He  was  engineer  to  the  Mersey  Railway  Company,  of  which 
his  brother,  Mr.  Francis  Fox,  was  chairman.  The  £20  shares 
of  this  railway  are  now  quoted  at  about  .£1. 

He  was  the  engineer  whose  report  upon  water-gas  headed  the 
Sampson-Fox  prospectus,  and  informed  the  public  that  water-gas 
could  be  made  at  4d.  per  1,000  cubic  feet. 

From  all  of  which,  and  more  that  might  be  said,  it  will 
be  seen  that  rigid  notions  upon  Sabbath  observance  are  not 
always  considered  imcompatible  with  association  with  com- 
mercial ventures  that  spell  heavy  loss  to  investors. 

GAMBLING  TOUTS 

We  print  below  a  letter  we  have  received  from  a  working-man, 
who  encloses  sundry  circulars  and  a  lengthy  letter  his  son,  a 
lad  of  fifteen,  received  from  Miller  and  Steel,  who  describe  them- 
selves as  "  The  Turf  Advisers."    Here  is  the  father's  letter  : — 
The  enclosed  circular  and  so-called  wonderful  system  was  sent  to 
my  son,  a  boy  of  fifteen,  who  has  just  gone  to  his  first  situation.    1  wai 
mentioning  the  matter  at  business  die  next  day,  and  was  surprised  to 
hear  that  the  porter,  a  lad  of  eighteen,  who  is  employed  at  our  estab- 
lishment, had  also  received  one.  This  lad, who  has  valuable  property 
to  look  after  when  the  house  is  closed,  had  Ksq.  written  after  his 
name,  and  was  very  proud  of  it,  and  might  (had  he  not  been  told)  have 
been  foolish  enough  to  send  money  to  these  pests.   I  think  it  is  a 


Maboh  30,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


239 


scandalous  sham?  that  papers  of  this  kind  should  be  3ent  w  mere  boys. 
My  boy  was  Tory  fond  of  reading  stories  of  the  Deadwood  Dick  type 
until  I  forbade  him  to  do  so,  out  which,  I  think,  more  worthy  of 
perusal  than  this  pernicious  and  dangerous  horse-racing  circular. 
Being  an  annual  subscriber  to  your  admirable  paper,  I  should  like  to 
have  your  opinion  on  tho  matter. 

One  of  the  circulars  to  which  we  refer  is  headed  as  below — 

Of  course  you  could  do  with  Twenty  Sovereigns  to  start  the  Season  ? 

MILLER  AND  STEEL, 

THE  WELL-KNOWN  TURF  ADVISERS, 

As  an  Advertisement  to  extend  their  circle  of  Clients,  are 
Giving  away  a  £20  Bank  of  England  Note, 
or  Twenty  Sovereigns  at  the  winner's  option. 
ANYONE  can  win  this,  there  being  no  charge  to  try  for  it.  All 
you  have  to  do  is  to  fill  in  the  form  below  with  what  you  judge  will  be 
the  first  three  in  this  year's  Lincoln  Handicap,  as  directed,  and  post 
it  to  us  by  or  before  the  16th  of  March  next. 

The  one  who  is  nearest  the  actual  placings,  having  followed  the  direc- 
tions properly,  will  receive  the  £20. 

And  we  take  the  following  from  a  four-page  type-written  letter, 

also  sent  by  Miller  and  Steel — ■ 

It  is  a  fact  that,  with  an  initial  outlay  of  only  fifty  shillings  (£2  for  your 
first  stake  and  teu  shillings  for  our  first  winner),  you  could  have  paid  all 
your  expenses  for  the  season,  and  pocketed  the  handsome  total  of 
£875  17s.  Those  commencing  on  a  £5  first  stake  clear  £2,247  7s.  6d.— a 
nice  income  with  no  trouble  to  earn  it. 

We  entirely  agree  with  our  correspondent  in  his  denunciation 

of  this  pernicious  trash.  Unfortunately  we  do  not  see  how  people 

like  Miller  and  Steel  are  to  be  prevented  from  communicating 

with  boys  and  young  men  whose  addresses  they  may  happen  to 

get. 


We  understand  that  the  subscriptions  to  the  Court  Theatre, 
Limited,  have  been  returned.  There  were  not  many  of  them. 
To  quote  one  of  the  parties  concerned,  "  The  thing  was  a  perfect 
fizzle." 


Some  startling  news  has  been  received  by  the  directors  of  one 
of  the  West  Australian  Mining  Companies  floated  a  few  months 
ago.    We  may  make  further  reference  to  the  matter 


Commenting  upon  our  remarks  of  last  week  on  Salmon  and 
Gluckstein,  Limited,  a  correspondent  informs  us  that  the  firm 
made  little  or  nothing  upon  their  packet  tobaccos,  but  a  hand- 
some profit  from  loose  tobacco  and  cigars. 


Among  the  Australian  mining  companies  about  to  be  brought 
out,  we  hear  of  the  "True  Blue"  (Hannan's),  Coolgardie, 
formed  to  work  claims  said  to  be  exceptionally  rich. 


NEW  ISSUES. 

Royal  Sovereign  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited.  Capital 
£60,000.— The  directors  of  this  concern  want  £40,000  for  the  two  mining 
leases,  covering  24  acres,  they  have  to  sell.  There  are  sundry  reports, 
from  the  first  of  which  we  learn  that  "  an  accurate  estimate  of  quality  (of 
reef)  cannot  be  formed."  A  more  hopeful  man  says  the  reef  carries  "  rich 
gold";  and  W.  G.  D.  Gorrie,  who  is  described  as  "a  practical  man," 
indulges  in  one  of  the  hypothetical  calculat  ions  often  found  in  prospectuses 
when  there  is  uothing  solid  to  go  upon.  The  board  is  not  a  strong  one,  and 
our  readers  will  do  well  t»  let  other  folk  have  the  shares. 

The  Hahilis  Patent  Self-opening  Umbrella  Company.  Capi- 
tal, £75,000. — Farmed  to  acquire  and  work  the  patent  rights  in  what 
for  this  purpose  we  may  call  the  Habilis  umbrella.  This  umbrella  "  opens 
and  adjusts  itself  automatically,  thus  leaving  one  hand  free."  If  it  works 
without  hitch,  dees  not  affect  the  appearance  of  the  umbrella,  or  shorten 
its  term  of  serviee,  and  does  not  add  to  the  cost,  the  invention  will  probably 
commend  itself  to  the  publie,  and  the  company  may  have  a  prosperous 
future  before  it. 

The  Debenture  Securities  Investment  Company,  Limited. 

Capital,  fiSOO.Oett. — The  aim  of  this  company  is  said  to  be  "  to  promote 
absolute  security  for  investors,  whereby  ",hey  can  obtain,  by  means  of  the 
principle  of  average,  a  return  of  four  per  cent,  on  the  preferred  shares, 
and  of  five  per  cent,  on  the  ordinary  shares,  with  a  minimum  of  risk." 
The  idea  is  not  novel,  but  it  is  none  the  worse  for  that.  The  object  of  the 
company  is  attain  bis,  and  Mr.  Ellerman  will  make  a  capital  chairman. 
With  honest  and  sagacious  management  this  company  should  do  well. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES 

Motreff,  Boulay  and  Co.  (Bury).— You  are  a  little  impatient. 

Questions  of  the  kind  you  submitted  necessitate  inquiry,  and  inquiry 
takes  time.  The  prices  in  the  Chroniquc  Financiire  differ,  in  some  cases 
widely,  from  the  Bourse  quotations  of  even  date,  but  they  are  not  always 
higher.  Motreff,  Boulay  and  Co.  are  small  bankers  in  Jersey,  with  a 
fair  reputation,  but  as  " aliens"— they  are  French  —  they  cannot  hold 
property  in  the  island.  Outside  Brokers.  Burton  Beer  (Burton).— 
Have  nothing  to  do  with  them  unless  you  want  to  lose  your  money. 
Other  Outside  Brokers.  G  kesham  (1-eeds).—  The  firm  may  have  been 
established  twenty  years,  but  its  founder  died  some  three  years  ago.  The 
present  proprietor  is  a  man  credited  with  large  means.  Ramsgato 
Marine  Pier  and  Lift  Company.  H.  A.  (Stockwell).—  Yes  ;  we  have 
no  belief  in  it.  Harrod's  Founders'  Shares.  J.  W.  (Bristol).— The 
business  is  a  very  flourishing  one.  St.  Paul's,  Limited.  Q.  II.  B. 
(Glasgow).— Newspaper  company  shares  are  a  very  speculative  investment. 
Most  of  the  prosperous  newspapers  are  controlled  bv  partnerships  or 
syndicates.  Moore  and  Burgess,  Limited.  J.  II.  N.  (South Shields). 
—You  are  mistaken  in  saying  tnat  we  advised  you  to  buy.  What  we  said 
(February  16th)  was,  "  We  are  inclined  to  advise  yQU,  not,  to  sell  at  the  price 


offered  or  anything  near  it,"  a  very  different  thing,  seeing  that  the  pricBj 
if  we  remember  rightly,  was  Is.  6d.  per  share.  As  to  the  call,  you  will  have 
seen  our  remarks  in  To-Day  of  March  9.  We  do  not  know  that  we  carl 
usefully  add  anything  to  them.  We  remain  of  the  opinion  that  with" 
efficient  management  the  company  will  by-and-bye  get  into  the  dividend- 
paying  list.  To  a  very  large  extent  success  or  failure  depends  upon  the 
manager.  We  should  not  have  advised  you  to  increase  your  holdmg,  but 
having  done  so  you  should  hold.  New  Zealand  Mercantile  and 
Finance  Company.  J.  M.  (Glasgow).— Yes.  Cunliffe.  Russell 
and  Co.  R.  B.  (Brighton).— We  must  really  ask  you  to  remember  what 
has  been  published  in  previous  issues.  We  cannot  be  continually  repeat- 
ing ourselves  about  Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  and  Ottoman  Bonds. 
Sundry  Shares.  Justice  (Paisley).— Hold  the  Londonderrys,  they  will 
go  higher,  but  don't  hold  over-long.  As  for  the  rest  they  are  mostly 
rubbish.  Beeston  Tyre  Company.  S.  E.  R.  (Denmark  Hill).— We 
have  sent  them  by  post.  Forgive  the  delay.  W.  C.  (Newcastle).— The 
previous  answer  is  equally  applicable  to  you.  McDonald's  Puncture 
Proof  Tyre  Company,  Limited.  Victim  (Belfast).— We  will  see  what 
ean  be  done,  but  remember  in  future  that  companies  brought  out  to  work 
a  cycle  patent  are  necessarily  of  a  very  speculative  character.  Boudard 
Peveril  Gear  Company.  W.  R.  M.  T.  (Cork).— Other  shareholders  are 
much  of  your  mind,  but  you  have  delayed  over  long.  You  should  have 
acted  as  we  advised  when  the  company  was  brought  out,  or  immediately 
afterwards.  Poorman's  Consolidated  Gold  Mines.  Membrane 
(London).— What  is  your  holding  ?  Gillman  and  Spencer,  Limited. 
Sanse  (Keighly). — You  will  have  to  be  very  patient  if  you  are  to  get  a  better 
price  than  the  current  one.  Northampton  Brewery  Company. 
M.  C.  (Derby).— What  you  say  is  correct,  but  we  do  not  see  what  can 
be  done  now.  The  purchase  should  have  been  resisted  at  the  time. 
Canadian  Pacifies.  T.  McB.  (Perth).— (1)  We  advise  you  to 
hold.  (2)  Yes,  but  you  are  not  likely  to  get  in  at  the  prices  you  name. 
T.  Wallis,  Limited.  M.  M.  (Perth).— It  is  the  great  drapery  house  in 
Holborn.  The  presentprice  of  the  shares  is  £9,  not  £8.  It  is  a  very  sound 
investment.  Moore  Brothers,  Limited.  X.  Y.  Z.— We  advise  you  to 
surrender  your  stock  upon  the  best  terms  you  can  get.  Messrs.  J.  and  W. 
Moore  may  be  the  "  upright  business  men  "  you  describe.  We  assume 
them  to  be  so,  but  the  fact  remains  that  instead  of  the  company  making  a 
nett  profit  as  promised  of  at  least  £1,650  per  annum,  it  shows  a  loss  on  the 
first  sixteen  months'  working  of  £2,239  2s.  lOd.  It  owes  the  Wilts  and 
Dorset  Bank  £10,492,  and  the  auditors  only  certify  the  accounts  "  subject  to 
a  re-valuation  of  factory  stock-in-trade  on  August  12th,  1893."  If,  as  the 
report  says,  the  directors  "  look  forward  with  hope  and  confidence  to  the 
future  of  the  company,"  they  should  deal  with  you  liberally  in  the  matter 
of  surrender.  Harrod's  Stores.  B.  (Bristol).— We  think  them  worth 
buying.  Oriental  and  Sheba  Mining  Company.  Shareholder.— 
We  agree  with  what  you  say  as  to  the  payment  of  outstanding  fees  to  the 
directois,  when  the  committee  which  did  such  good  work  for  the  company 
was  not  even  thanked  for  its  services.  But  we  fear  it  is  too  late  to  do  more 
than  protest.  This  liquidation  is  another  illustration  of  the  unwisdom  of 
allowing  directors  of  a  company  to  be  its  liquidators.  Chartereds. 
G.  F.  (Leicester).— Take  your  profit.  Burma  Rubies.  Shareholder 
(London).— We  advise  you  to  sell,  and  to  be  thankful  for  the  turn  that 
enables  you  to  sell  at  a  premium. 

INSURANCE. 

Best  Life  Office.  Soundness.— It  is  not  easy  to  say  which  is 
best  if  all  circumstances  be  taken  into  account,  but  if  you  will  name  a  few 
we  shall  be  willing  to  give  you  an  opinion  of  each.  Endowment  Assur- 
ance. R.  James  (Haverfordwest).— The  Equity  and  Law,  the  English 
and  Scottish  Law,  the  Legal  and  General,  and  the  National  Provident  all 
pay  better  bonuses  on  this  class  of  business  than  the  other'  offices  you 
nave  named,  and  the  premiums  charged  run  much  the  same.  The 
Hearts  of  Oak  does  not  seem  to  us  to  be  managed  with  that  degree  of 
intelligence  which  characterises  insurance  companies.  The  best  way  of 
making  provision  for  old  age  allowance  is  to  take  out  an  endow- 
ment assurance  payable  when  you  are,  say,  sixty,  and  when  that 
age  arrives  buy  an  annuity  with  the  money.  Edinburgh 
Life  Assurance  Company.  Van  Acton.— It)  is  impossible  for  this 
company  to  be  surpassed  by  the  Equitable  of  the  United  States.  The 
income-tax  question  is  too  trivial  to  be  taken  into  account.  Fine  Art 
and  General.  The  Secretary.— We  have  always  known  that  the  com- 
pany has  sufficient  funds  to  pay  all  losses,  and  we  are  as  fully  convinced 
that  they  will  be  paid  as  promptly  as  possible,  and  we  are  glad  to  see  the 
improvement  which  has  taken  place  in  the  accounts,  but  we  are  opposed  to 
the  transfer  of  business,  except  for  the  policyholders'  benefit, 
and  in  the  case  you  refer  to,  he  would  not  have  been  better 
off  by  a  change.  Scottish  Life  Office.  Harold.— Perfectly  sound. 
Endowment  Policy  in  Mutual  of  New  York.  T.  R.  Y.  (Kirkwell).— 
Undoubtedly  the  company  spends  a  lot,  both  absolutely  and  relatively,  in 
expenses,  as  do  all  the  American  offices,  but  it  is  not  unsound,  and  we  have 
no  fear  that  it  ever  will  be.  We  see  no  reason  why  you  should  discontinue 
your  policy,  especially  as  you  have  paid  two  premiums.  Journal  of  the 
Institute  of  Actuaries  and  Text  Book.  North— The  Journal  is 
2s.  6d.  per  quarter,  the  Text  Book  21s.,  both  pubkshed  by  C. 
and  E.  Layton.  Farringdon  Street,  E.C.  Scottish  Metropo- 
litan. Prudence  (Bristol).  —  The  company  is  not  nearly 
as  strong  as  most  others,  but  it  is  honestly  managed.  En- 
dowment Assurance.  Fifty.— Of  the  offices  you  mention  we  recom- 
mend you  to  divide  the  amount  between  the  Equity  and  Law  and  the  U.K. 
Temperance.  Whole  Life  Assurance.  W.  H.  L.  (Longton).— If  you 
mean  the  Equitable  Society  of  England,  established  in  1762,  we  decidedly 
recommend  it.  The  Royal  and  the  Prudential  are  also  two?good  companies. 
The  Foresters  is  a  ridiculous  concern,  and  in  view  of  the  sham  assur- 
ance it  sells,  the  rates  are  really  high.  British  Natural  Premium 
Provident  Association.  H.  E.  M.  (Sheffield).— If  you  read  the 
Insurance  column  of  To-Day,  the  question  put  in  your  letter  of  the  22nd 
would  be  unnecessary.  Be  content  with  the  company  in  which  you  are  in- 
sured. The  Press  Accident  Insurance  Company.— We  have 
received  the  following  letter  from  the  secretary  of  this  company  —  My 
attention  has  been  drawn  to  a  par  in  your  paper  advising  your  correspon- 
dents not  to  insure  in  this  company  as  no  names  of  directors  and  amount 
of  capital  is  disclosed.  If  you  hadlchosen  to  make  an  inquiry  instead  of 
making  a  statement  at  random,  you  would  have  found  that  the  orhce 
guaranteeing  payment  of  claims  is  the  Sun,  of  India ;  and  this  company 
being  under  the  same  directorate  as  the  Sun  Life,  of  London,  it  is,I  presume, 
sufficient  guarantee  forany  reasonable  person." 

MISCELLANEOUS. 
Estate  George  Barker  and  Company.  A.  H.  S.-The  Official 
Receiver  hopes  to  be  in  a  position  some  months  hence  to  declare  another 
and  final  dividend,  but  it  is  not  likely  to  exceed  sixpence  in  the £. 
Davey  Lester  and  Company.  G.  E.  A.  (Knaresboro  ).-As  you 
hate  been  supplied  with  the  goods,  and  are  satisfied  with  them  you i  had 
better  let  the  matter  rest.  We  know  nothing  of  Messrs.  Levi  and  Company, 
and  their  connection  with  Davey  Lester  and  Company.  Limited  *"SKS. 
subscriber  (Lady  Bank).-If  you  take  our  advice  you  will  close  th« ;  ac- 
count and  not  risk  more  money  on  "  tips."  It  is  as  good  a  nj  Me  know 
to  lose  what  you  may  have.  The  Tanquerey  Portrait  Society.  C.w 
(Harlow)  -There  is  a  mistake  somewhere.  It  is  incomprehensible  that  the 
French  Railway  Company  should  pay  these  people  the  £2 ^ ,  and .at*  UM 
Great  Eastern  to  collect  it  from  the  cpn^snee.  We  wiU  have  uMtumes 
made 


240 


TO-DAY. 


Mabch  30,  1895. 


T.YCEUM.— KING  ARTHUR,  by  J.  Comyns  Carr.  EVERY 
NIGHT  at  8  punctually.  Mr.  Irving,  Miss  Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss 
Ellen  Terry.  Music  by  Arthur  Sullivan.  Scenery  and  Costumes  designed 
by  Sir  E.  Burne-Jones.  Box  Office  (Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  10  till  5,  and  during 
the  performance.   Seats  also  booked  by  letter  or  telegram. 

ROYAL  PRINCESS'S  THEATRE— EVERY  EVENING 
A  at  8.30.  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30,  by  arrangements  with 
the  Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company,  Humperdinck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEIj 
and  GRETEL  (in  English).   Box  Office  now  open. 


DALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  — THE  HANDSOMEST 

THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
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The   GREAT  EASTERN  HOTEL, 

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Great  Success  of 
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General  Manager,  Mr.  Lawrence  Brough. 

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REAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
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EXCELLENT   ORCHESTRA.  FIRST  -  CLASS  RESTAURANT. 

OPEN  ALL  DAY. 


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The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  callat LISBON andTENERIFE. 
Union  Line  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends. 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
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EDINBURGH  SUMMER  MEETING. 

9th  Session,  August  5—31. 

SOCIAL  SCIENCE  AND  PHILOSOPHY— 

Professor  Geddes,  Mr.  William  Sharp,   M.  Demolins 
Dr.  Wenley,  &c. 

CIVICS  AND  HYGIENE— 

M.  Desjardins,  Drs.  Irvine  and  Stephens,  &c 
HISTORY,  LITERATURE  AND  LANGUAGE— 

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Prospectus  from  Secretary,  Summer  Mectinj,  CnirersUn  I/all,  Edinburgh 

Volume  I.  of  "  TO-DAY,"  containing  the  whole  of 

R,  L,  STEVENSON'S  LATEST  STORY, 

"THE    EBB -TIDE," 

Is  offered  as  a  premium  to  any  person  sending  us  an  Annua! 
Subscription  (Eleven  Shillings)  to  "  TO  DAY." 


March  30,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


241 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.   X.   A  Peculiar  Case.  By 


Herbert  Keen.  Illustrated  by  w.  Dewar   225 

Feminine  Affairs  ••  —   232 

De  omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    235 

A  Chat  with  an  Olympia  Ballet-Girl   235 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    236 

In  the  City  — .  238 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J   241 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer   244 

Club  Chatter    246 

Poker;  and  How  to  Play  It   249 

A  Broken  Spring.  By  Harry  Bell    250 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton-  Woodville  :   251 

Superstitions  of  War  Correspondents,  a  Chat  with  Fred. 

Villiers   253 

Neighbours  of  Ours    254 

The  Coming  Race    255 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


No  strike  or  lock-out — or  whatever  the  reader,  accord- 
ing to  his  respective  sympathies,  may  choose  to  call  it 
■ — ever  succeeded  yet  without  violence.  The  men  know 
this  well  enough,  the  leaders  know  it,  and  their  Presa 
organs  know  it.  Just  ask  yourself  for  a  moment  how 
it  could  possibly  succeed  without  violence.  In  every 
trade  there  are  thousands  upon  thousands  of  unemployed 
eager  for  a  job.  Their  wives  and  children  are  crying 
ttr  bread.  They  are  distracted  for  want  of  a  little 
money.  Sometimes,  as  we  know,  the  agony  drives  them 
mad.  The  master,  whose  workshop :  has  been  cleared 
by  the  order  of  the  union,  puts  up  a  notice  outside  his 
door  that  he  is  in  want  of  hands.  What  do  you  think 
vould  prevent  the  poor  devil  who  has  been  out  of  em- 
ployment for  months  from  rushing  in?  Is  a  starving 
man  with  his  children's  moan  for  bread  ringing  in  his 
ears  likely  to  trouble  himself  about  the  technicalities 
of  a,  trade  dispute?  Is  such  an  one  likely  to  put  back 
the  proffered  food  from  his  hungry  lips,  merely  in  obe- 
dience to  the  orders  of  some  paid  secretary,  dictating 
in  comfort,  from  his  easy-chair?1  No;  what  prevents 
him  from  crowding  in  to  take  possession  of  the  work  dis- 
carded by  others  is  the  knowledge  that,  if  he  does  so, 
he  will  be  hounded  through  the  streets  as  though  he 
were  a  mad  dog  by  a  brutal  mob ;  that  he  will  be  torn 
and  wounded,  and  if  he  persists,  killed  outright  in  the 
daylight,  while  English  law  stands  by  and  says,  "  I  will 
not  interfere  with  ■  combination.'  The  labourer  must 
be  allowed  to  'persuade'  the  blackleg."  We  know  that  not 
many  months  ago,  when  the  cab  strike  was  on,  a  non- 
union driver  was  murdered  in  the  sunlight,  under  the 
eyes  of  the  London  police,  and  Sir  Edward  Bradford  has 
never  to  this  day  moved  a  hand  to  bring  punishment  to 
the  murderers.    He  knows  that  he  dare  not. 

The  question  for  a  successful  strike  is  how  to  obtain 
the  maximum  amount  of  violence1,  with  the  minimum 
loss  of  public  sympathy.  The  problem  seems  to  have  been 
solved  by  giving  a  wink  to  the  rowdy  and  irresponsible 
fringe  surrounding  the  unions,  and  then  to  gravely  re- 
pudiate all  connection  with  their  doings.    The  Press 


at  the  same  time  is  put  on  to  pooh-pooh  the  reports  of 
the  outrages,  and  water  down  the  truth.  This  latter 
part  of  the  game  has  been  cleverly  played,  as  one  might 
expect,  by  the  labour  Press  during  the  present  strike. 
I  take  one  example,  among  others.  A  clerk  named 
Twist  was  set  upon  late  on  Thursday  night  in  Northamp- 
ton by  a  large  mob.  (A  mob  never  tackles  more  than 
two  men  at  a  time,  or  when  the  proportion  is  less  than 
a  thousand  to  one.  An  English  mob  prefers  not  to  take 
risks.  We  were  always  a  prudent  nation.  One  cannot 
be  too  cautious  in  these  matters).  Mud  and  stones 
were  thrown  at  him ;  his  eyes  and  his  arm  were  in- 
jured ;  and  he  received  considerable  internal  injuries. 
The  Radical  Press  mentioned  casually  that  during  the 
dispute  at  Northampton  a  clerk,  named  Twist,  had  some 
mud  thrown  at  him  while  passing  through  the  streets.  Two 
men  in  Leicester,  who  stopped  to  finish  some  work,  had 
to  be  escorted  to  and  from  their  factory  by  an  army  of 
police.  The  labour  Press  are  already  speaking  of  this 
as  an  interference  with  the  right  to  "  persuade."  This 
is  the  beginning  of  the  business.  We  know  from  ex- 
perience how  it  will  grow.  If  unionists  and  non- 
unionists  were1  at  all  equally  balanced  in  these  contests 
one  would  feel  inclined  to  say  nothing — to  let  them 
fight  it  out.  But  the  cowardice  of  the  arrangement,  as 
it  now  exists,  and  as  it  is  encouraged  by  law,  is  an 
insult  to  manhood.  The  details  are  always  the  same. 
One  or  two  struggling  wretches  seeking  to  earn  their 
living  are  attacked  by  mobs  numbering  thousands. 

Is  it  not  time  that  this  cant  about  "combination" 
and  "persuasion"  was  put  an  end  to?  We  all  know 
what  the  true  meaning  of  it  is.  I  for  one  am  tired  of 
the  acted  lie.  If  the  labour  world  is  to  be  controlled 
by  force,  let  us  at  least  acknowledge  it,  and  face  the 
fact.  If  by  reason  and  argument,  then  this  ever- 
recurring  violence  should  be  sternly  suppressed.  Strikes 
have  been  denounced  by  their  founders  as  barbarous 
methods.  They  injure  the  trade;  they  injure  the  work- 
man; they  injure  the  employer.  They  do  no  good  to 
any  one ;  and  their  conduct  in  the  hand  of  the  labour 
leaders  is  becoming  a  disgrace  to  civilisation.  The 
law  must  do  one  of  two  things :  It  must  accept  the 
socialistic  argument  that  it  is  its  duty  to  interfere  in 
the  private  affairs  of  its  citizen ;  or  it  must  abide  by 
the  individualistic  theory,  and  say,  "  Settle  your  dis- 
putes by  combination,  by  persuasion,  by  arguments,  by 
public  opinion,  by  what  you  will,  but  you  shall  not  have 
recourse  to  violence.  The  party  who  first  uses  force 
will  have  to  reckon  with  me,  and,  if  necessary,  with  my 
ultimate  whiff  of  grapeshot."  At  present  the  law  plays 
only  the  part  of  the  timid  meddler;  refusing  to  get  out 
of  the  way,  and  not  daring  to  act. 

I  have  hope  of  converting  my  friend,  Mr.  Nisbet,  to 
bimetallism  even  yet ;  for  week  by  week  he  recedes  from 
one  position  to  another,  each  time  protecting  himself  be- 
hind a  feebler  defence,  and  he  is  far  too  clear-headed  a 
man  to  allow  himself  to  be  dictated  to  by  prejudices,  the 
feebleness  of  which  he  evidently  sees  himself.  He  has 
given  up  the  argument  that,  under  bimetallism,  silver 
would  be  worth  only  three-quarters  of  its  nominal  value, 
and  now  asserts  that  its  effect  would  be  to  send  up 
gold  to  twenty  per  cent,  above  its  present  value. 
The  argument  of  the  monometallistshas  hitherto  been  that 
the  dual  currency  would  depreciate  gold,  and  that  Eng- 


242 


TO-DAY, 


March  30,  1895. 


land,  who  is  the  largest  owner  of  the  metal,  would  there- 
by severely  suffer.  I  will  leave  Mr.  Nisbet  to  reconcile 
his  new  argument  with  his  confreres.  Meanwhile,  I  will 
put  it  to  him,  as  a  plain  man,  how,  if  a  dual  currency 
would,  as  he  suggests,  ruin  creation,  the  world  managed 
to  get  on  as  it  did  to  the  year  1873,  until  when,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  good  sense  of  the  French  Government,  a 
dual  currency  prevailed  over  the  whole  of  Europe.  Up 
to  that  date  trade  advanced  by  leaps  and  bounds.  How 
is  it  that,  since  that  period,  it  has,  in  spite  of  the  occa- 
sional vagaries  of  an  ebbing  tide,  steadily  receded  1 

Personally  I  have  no  very  great  love  for  the  Salva» 
tion  Army.  Their  methods  appear  to  me  noisy  and 
vulgar ;  but  then,  in  all  probability,  the  "  respectable 
citizens"  of  ancient  Jerusalem  were  seriously  dis- 
turbed at  the  noise  and  racket  of  the  first  Palm  Sunday 
procession;  and  the  quiet-loving  householder's  objec- 
tions to  the  Salvation  Army's  plan  of  campaign  should 
in  fairness  be  weighed  against  the  good  that  the  Army 
undoubtedly  performs.  Its  work  is  among  a  class  that 
are  not  to  be  moved  by  droning  platitudes ;  who — unlike 
their  respectable  brethren — cannot  be  driven  into  the 
fold  by  mere  fear  of  Mrs.  Grundy.  The  Salvation  Army 
has  now  been  in  existence  a  sufficient  length  of  time 
to  enable  us  to  take  a  dispassionate  view  of  its  posi- 
tion; and  no  reasonable  man  will  deny  to  General 
Booth,  that,  even  after  allowing  for  all  shortcomings 
and  mistakes,  he  has  accomplished  a  great  work  of  re- 
generation among  that  portion  of  the  population  which 
before  his  advent  was  utterly  neglected ;  that,  indeed,  he 
has  accomplished  more  actual  practical  good  than  has  beer, 
done  by  all  the  other  religious  denominations  put  to- 
gether. 

This  being  so,  it  is  interesting  to  examine  into  the 
General's  methods,  and  to  try  and  discover  the  principle 
of  his  success.  I  notice  this  difference  between  the  me- 
thods of  the  Salvation  Army  and  those  of  its  religious 
rivals.    The  Salvation  Army  appeals  to  men  ;  it  pleads 
to  men;  it  exhorts  and  urges;  it  never  clamours  for 
force.    It  threatens  men  with  the  terrors  of  God,  but 
never  with  the  terrors  of  the  magistrate  or  the  police- 
man.   I  know  that  General  Booth  is  a  strong  tem- 
perance advocate,  but  we  never  hear  him  demanding 
an  Act  of  Parliament  as  to  what  people  shall  drink. 
We  do  not  find  Salvationists  spying  round  public-houses, 
and  peeping  through  citizens'  back  windows,  with  the 
hope  of  discovering  something  that  will  bring  some  poor 
wretch  within  the  clutch  of  the  law.    The  Salvation 
.Army  tries  to  rescue  the  fallen  woman;  it  does  not 
hound  the  police  after  her ;   it  does  not  stump  the 
country,  demanding  that  she  shall  be  driven  forth  from 
every  place  of  shelter,  from  every  house  of  refreshment, 
fiom  every  hall  of  entertainment.    General  Booth  asks 
no  assistance  from  Parliament.    He  does  not  insist 
that  he  shall  be  given  an  army  of  detectives  and  police. 
We  do  not  hear  of  him  abusing  and  denouncing  this 
class  and  that,  stirring  up  hatred,  and  promulgating 
agitations  for  the  purpose  of  ruining  everyone  whose 
views  are  not  in  accordance  with  his  own. 

Could  not  some  of  the  folk  who  persist  in  calling 
themselves  the  ministers  of  religion,  and  the  servants  of 
Christ,  take  a  lesson  from  the  General  ?  Too  many  of  our 
religious  denominations  are  simply  political  organisations 


masquerading  in  the  cloak  of  religion.  Nonconformity 
seems  to  have  forgotten  that  its  original  purpose  had 
any  connection  whatever  with  Christianity.  The  Church 
of  England,  in  a  quieter  and  more  respectable  way,  has 
drifted  almost  equally  far  from  its  purpose.  The  one 
is  a  Radical  Caucus,  the  other  a  huge  Primrose  League. 
It  is  politics,  not  Christianity,  that  to-day  is  preached 
from  every  pulpit.  Such  men  as  Doctor  Clifford,  the 
Rev.  Hugh  Price  Hughes,  the  Rev.  Alderman  Fleming 
Williams,  and  thousands  of  their  followers,  are  no  more 
Christian  preachers  than  are  Mr.  Schnadhorst  and  Mr. 
H.  J.  Hyndman.  Such  men  have  mistaken  their  call- 
ing. They  would  have  made  admirable  journalists. 
They  would  have  been  good  party  managers  and  poli- 
tical wire-pullers.  Christianity  is  with  them  only  a 
convenient  disguise,  by  means  of  which  they  hope  to 
add  weight  and  dignity  to  their  party  cries.  On  the 
other  side,  the  parson  who  sits  alongside  the  squire  on 
bench  and  in  County  Council  is  simply  using  the 
great  organisation  of  the  Church  for  the  purpose  of 
upholding  what  he  thinks  to  be  the  rights  and  privi- 
leges of  respectability.  He  becomes  the  servant  of 
Mammon,  not  of  God. 

These  things  have  nothing  to  do  with  Christianity. 
You  cannot  serve  two  masters.  You  cannot  be  an 
ardent  politician  and  a  teacher  of  the  religion  of  Christ. 
The  two  things  are  utterly  iucompatible.  The  result 
is  seen  in  the  steady  falling  away  of  the  people  from 
our  churches  and  chapels — a  falling  away  that  is  daily 
lamented  by  the  very  men  who  have  done  their  best 
to  cause  it,  and  have  not  the  sense  to  see  it  is  they  who 
are  the  stumbling  block  in  the  Avay  of  the  cause  they 
profess  to  serve.  The  Salvation  Army,  which 
sides  itself  with  no  party,  with  no  class  prejudice,  with 
no  faction,  with  no  social  movement,  goes  quietly  on 
its  way,  calling  into  its  ranks  the  lowly  and  the  weary 
throughout  every  country  under  the  sun.  As  I  have 
said,  I  have  no  particular  love  for  the  methods  of  the 
Salvation  Army.  They  do  not  appeal  to  me.  But, 
as  a  dispassionate  observer,  I  am  bound  to  confess  that 
they  alone,  of  all  the  sects  of  Christianity,  seem  to  have 
retained  the  true  spirit — seem  to  understand  the  true 
meaning  of  Christianity. 

Poor  Mr.  Whistler  !     He  is  to  be  condoled  with  for 
several  reasons.  The  law  has  not  been  altered  to  suit  the 
requirements  of  the  distinguished  artist,  and,  as  the 
law  stands,  the  distinguished  artist  is  not  allowed  to 
break  a  contract  even  to  secure  the  exquisite  pleasure  of 
insulting  one  of  that  class  on  which  he  is  dependent  for 
his  livelihood,  so  Mr.  Whistler  has  to  suffer.  Filled 
with    the  conviction  that  the  public  must  be  agape 
with  interest  in  his  little  private  squabble,  he  has  em- 
barked on  a  correspondence  in  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  ; 
he  has  done  much  the  same  thing  before,  and  by  dint  of 
unscrupulous  vulgarity  (or  "  wit,"  as  I  believe  his  friends 
call  it)  he  has  on  previous  occasions  managed  to  score. 
Now,  there  is  something  wrong  with  him  ;  he  cannot  score 
at  all.    Every  blow  goes  wide  of  its  mark.     He  has  to 
take  a  beating  from  Mr.  George  Moore.    Here  again  I 
condole  with  Mr.  Whistler.    He  also  appears  to  have  a 
warm  friend — or  is  it  a  relation? — on  the  Pall  Mall 
(•'azctte ;  and  this  is  one  more  reason  for  condolence, 
because  the  friend — or  relation — writes  injudiciously, 
not  to  say  fatuously 


March  30,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


243 


When  shall  we  hear  the  last  of  this  stale  and  stupid 
nonsense  that  is  so  often  talked  about  art  and  art- 
patrons?  According  to  this  nonsense,  the  art-patron 
has  the  business  instinct  and  the  artist  has  not,  and  the 
patron's  only  idea  is  to  cheat  the  artist ;  it  seems  to  be 
suggested,  more  or  less,  that  contracts  between  an  artist 
and  his  patron  should  only  be  binding  on  the  patron, 
and  that  if  the  artist  takes  the  cheque  but  refuses  to 
deliver  the  picture,  the  patron  must  either  consider  him- 
self honoured  and  obliged,  or  be  guilty  of  bad  taste.  If 
by  business  instinct  you  mean  exact  probity  and  punctu- 
ality, possibly  the  artist  has  not  always  got  it ;  if  you 
mean  rather  the  instinct  to  make  all  the  profit  one  can, 
the  artist  and  the  patron  are  about  equal.  As  far  as 
knowledge  of  the  real  value  of  the  picture  is  concerned, 
the  artist  generally  knows  far  more  than  the  patron,  and 
has  him  at  a  disadvantage.  The  artistic  temperament 
is  not  the  handy  and  universal  excuse  that  those  who 
flatter  themselves  that  they  possess  it  are  inclined  to 
think.  If  an  artist  makes  a  contract  he  must  carry  it 
out ;  if  the  profit  to  him  is  less  than  he  had  hoped,  that 
is  his  own  fault  and  his  own  affair,  and  it  will  do  him 
no  good  to  start  bleating  about  the  artistic  tempera- 
ment. 

It  is  seldom  that  a  cow  does  anything  to  attract 
attention.  However,  the  other  day  one  ran  down 
Rosherville  Pier  and  jumped  into  the  Thames.  No 
motive  is  suggested  for  the  rash  act ;  it  looks  a  little  as 
if  it  had  been  "  spending  a  happy  day."  Once  in  the 
Thames,  it  swam  for  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  and  was 
subsequently  found  much  exhausted  in  a  ditch.  This 
singularly  disreputable  and  probably  dissipated  beast  is 
said  to  have  now  fully  recovered.  That  may  be,  but 
this  kind  of  thing  will  not  do.  Cows  are  not  built  for 
fancy  diving,  and  if  this  animal  persists  in  the  practice 
it  will  come  to  a  bad  end.  Besides,  it's  the  business  of 
a  cow  to  give  milk,  and  it  cannot  attend  to  that  business 
when  it's  establishing  a  long-distance  record  in  this  way. 
It  offers  an  excuse,  too,  for  anybody  who  sells  milk  that 
does  not  come  up  to  the  analyst's  standard.  He  has 
merely  to  say  :  "  My  cow  jumped  into  the  Thames,  and 
percolation  did  the  rest."  Really,  some  of  my  teetotal 
friends  must  catch  this  animal  and  remonstrate  with  it. 

A  negro  "  evangelist "  was  holding  forth  in  Hyde 
Park,  in  front  of  a  flag  bearing  the  words  "  Millennium 
Mission."  Amongst  the  crowd  was  a  carpenter,  who 
disagreed  with  the  negro  on  the  subject  of  America.  So 
naturally  the  coloured  exponent  of  the  Millennium  came 
down  from  his  platform  and  started  a  fight.  As  he  was 
immediately  taken  into  custody,  he  is  probably  a  disap- 
pointed man,  and  inclined  to  believe  that  the  Millen- 
nium lias  not  arrived  yet.  How  much  longer  is  this 
kind  of  thing  going  to  be  allowed  1  At  the  Marble 
Arch,  any  day,  you  may  find  some  blasphemous  hypo- 
crite preaching,  in  order  to  make  a  collection  afterwards. 
There  is  generally  someone  in  the  crowd  who  disagrees 
with  him,  and  then  this  sort  of  rowdyism  begins,  and  the 
pickpockets  get  their  chance.  In  the  interest  of  the 
public  these  nuisances  should  be  turned  out  of  the  park, 
once  for  all. 


ANSWERS  TO  ENQUIRERS. 

G.  S.  (Leicester)  sends  me  an  amusing  account  of  a  meeting  ol 
the  Anti-Gambling  League  in  that  town.  The  chairman  of  the 
meeting,  Sir  Israel  Hart,  was  very  severe  upon  the  evils  of  gamb- 
ling. "  Vested  interests,"  said  the  chairman,  "  were  very 
difficult  to  grapple  with,  and  there  were  great  vested  interests 
connected  with  gambling.  Here  some  simple-minded  person 
wanted  to  know  whether  or  not  Sir  Israel  was  a  shareholder  in 
the  Oadby  Racecourse  CJompany.  The  chairman  said  he  was 
glad  the  question  had  been  asked.  He  was  a  shareholder  in  that 
concern,  but  had  not  the  shares  now,  however,  as  the  oompany 
had  not  succeeded.  Another  speaker,  a  Mr.  H.  Bedford,  also 
denounced  horse-racing.  He  had  admitted  that  he  had  been  a 
punter  and  had  done  a  little  book-making.  He  thought  the 
whole  system  was  demoralising  in  the  extreme.  It  really  looks 
as  though  when  the  flat-racing  season  fairly  sets  in  that  the  Anti- 
Gambling  League  will  have  to  disperse. 

F.  A — I  don't  think  these  little  papers  do  much  harm,  narrow- 
minded  and  silly  as  they  are.  They  are  only  read  by  very  young 
children  and  very  old  women — by  the  former  involuntarily. 
E.  T.  C. — I  know  well  the  sect,  and  have  many  friends  among 
them.    I  thank  you  for  your  letter. 

C.  F.  H.  sends  me  a  very  interesting  letter  on  the  subject  of 
bimetallism,  in  which  he  regrets  the  utter  ignorance  of  the 
matter  displayed  by  many  who  attempt  to  speak  authoritatively 
on  monetary  affairs.  He  refers  in  particular  to  an  article  in  the 
Standard,  in  which  the  bimetallists  are  coolly  dismissed  by  the 
writer  as  a  party  of  ignorant  cranks.  Seeing  that  the  bimetal- 
lists  include  in  their  ranks  Balfour,  Courtney,  Chaplin, 
Lidderdale,  the  ex-governor  of  the  Bank  of  England,  and  a  host 
of  others  in  Parliament  and  in  high  office,  my  correspondent 
thinks  that  the  Standard  writer's  air  of  superiority  is  somewhat 
amusing.  He  denies  my  statement  that  the  introduction  of 
bimetallism  would  be  an  experiment,  pointing  out  that  the 
system  was  in  vogue  prior  to  1873,  but  my  correspondent 
forgets  to  add  that  this  was  in  France.  In  England  the  dual 
currency  was  abolished  in  1819  ;  so,  speaking  of  this  generation, 
one  may  perhaps  be  excused  in  alluding  to  the  scheme  as  an 
experiment. 

R.  D.,  writing  on  the  subject  of  crests,  tells  me  it  is  necessary 
to  make  application  to  the  "Garter  or  Lion  King,"  who,  on 
payment,  will  grant  an  appropriate  "  coat  "  invented  by  himself. 
Without  this  grant  it  is  illegal  to  display  any  crest  or  "  coat," 
and  the  displayer  will  be  liable  to  a  fine.  Notwithstanding 
which,  I  think  I  know  one  or  two  families  who  display — and 
display  in  no  niggardly  spirit — various  crests  and  "  coats,"  for 
the  invention  of  which  I  am  sure  the  "  Garter  or  Lion  King  " 
is  quite  unresponsible. 

Medicus. — Once  a  week  I  have  to  explain  that  it  is  utterly 
impossible  to  extend  our  subscription  scheme  to  any  but  those 
who  have  the  paper  direct  from  this  office.  By  doing  so  we 
should  lose  heavily,  and  you  can  hardly  expect  us  to  do  that. 

S.B. — Translation  is  wretchedly  paid,  and  there  is  very  little 
of  it  going.  A  "  standard  author  "  means  an  author  who  has 
come  to  be  recognised  as  a  leading  writer.  There  is  no  hard  and 
fast  definition. 

A.  B.  C.  does  not  approve  of  me.  He  objects  to  my  views  on 
Art.  He  regrets  my  sense  of  proportion,  my  anti-teetotal 
tendencies,  also  my  anti-Socialism,  likewise  my  contempt  for 
the  Nonconformist  conscience  ;  in  addition  to  this,  my 
bimetallism.  He  also  thinks  me  blasphemous  and  irreligious. 
He  seems  to  consider  me  a  disgrace  to  my  own  pages  ;  he 
dislikes  my  spelling;  he  is  sure  that  I  am  "just  a  lovely  humbug." 
I  have  never  laid  claim  to  exceptional  beauty,  but  the  "  lovely," 
I  confess,  rather  touches  me.  He  thinks  my  journalistic  ethics 
weak. "  He  finds  me  ill-natured.  He  says  that  my  columns  are 
regarded  as  humorous  ;  he  is  also  sure  that  no  one  can  think  any 
part  of  To-Day  humorous.  He  tells  me  that  I  make  mistakes. 
I  admit  this  comes  to  me  as  a  thunderbolt.  It  was  the  one 
vanity  that  I  hugged  to  myself  that  I  never  made  mistakes.  He 
calls  me  "  cheeky,"  but  it  is  all  right,  for  at  the  end  of  his 
letter  I  see  that  he  mentions  that  he  merely  writes  for  my  good. 
Still,  I  confess  his  letter  has  made  me  sad,  for  it  came  at  a 
moment  when  I  was  feeling  exceedingly  pleased  with  myself. 
But  life  is  a  vale  of  tears. 

G.  V.  asks  me  if  a  widow,  at  her  second  marriage,  should 
continue  to  wear  her  first  wedding  ring.  I  think  it  might  cause 
unpleasantness,  and  I  certainly  think  it  would  not  be  in  good 
feeling. 

C.  G.  S. — It  can  be  obtained  either  at  the  Stereoscopic  Com- 
pany, Regent  Street,  or  Messrs.  Russell  and  Co. ,  Baker  Street. 

Factory  Girls'  Holiday  Fond. — I  have  received  from  the 
hon.  sec.  of  this  fund  a  copy  of  their  seventh  annual  report.  The 
object  of  the  fund  is  the  providing  of  a  week's  or  a  fort- 
night's holiday  in  the  country  for  poor  girls  and  women  who 
would  not  otherwise  have  change.  Subscriptions  for  this  excel- 
lent institution  may  be  sent  to  the  lion,  sec,  Miss  Canney,  St. 
Peter's  Rectory,  Saffron  Hill,  E.C. 

Humane. — I  cannot  agree  with  you  that  God  could  ever 
have  an  object  in  allowing  persons  to  be  born  deformed.  The 
laws  of  Nature  work  automatically,  and  accidents  of  this  kind 
are  generally  due  to  human  influence.  A  mere  departure  from 
the  normal,  as  in  the  case  of  Pope,  could  hardly  be  called  a 
deformity  in  the  general  acceptation  of  the  term.     What  the 


244 


TO-DAY. 


March  30,  1895. 


doctor  was  thinking  of  and  what  I  was  thinking  of  were 
monsters.    Perhaps  you  have  never  seen  any. 

With  reference  made  by  a  correspondent  a  few  weeks  ago  in 
regard  to  the  manipulation  of  the  Salford  Charity  Funds,  I  have 
received  the  following  letter  from  the  Mayor  of  Salford  : — 

"Town  Hall,  Salford, 

"  Town  Clerk's  Office. 

"  Dear  Sir, — The  Mayor  of  Salford  has  had  his  attention 
called  to  a  paragraph  in  your  issue  of  the  16th  instant,  in  which 
you  say  ( 1 )  that  soup  tickets  had  been  made  use  of  by  the  Coun- 
cillors who  were  tradesmen  to  force  people  to  deal  with  them, 
and  (2)  that  a  deserving  woman  applied  for  a  soup  ticket 
at  a  shop  occupied  by  one  of  them,  and  was  told  that  the  tickets 
were  only  given  to  customers  ;  and  you  go  on  to  characterise 
this  action  by  very  strong  language,  which  it  woidd 
have  deserved  had  the  statements  been  true.  But  the 
Mayor  does  not  believe  either  of  these  statements.  It 
is  not  likely  that  any  tradesman,  whether  a  Councillor 
or  not,  would  have  been  so  foolish  as  to  act  in  the  manner 
stated,  and  declare  that  a  public  benefaction  was  intended  for 
the  benefit  only  of  his  own  customers.  But  more  than  this,  it 
was  well  known  that  the  t  ickets  were  distributed  not  only  by 
members  of  the  Council,  but  by  ministers  of  religion,  representa- 
tives of  public  charitable  institutions,  and  many  others  who  took 
a  personal  interest  in  the  work.  Between  three  and  four  thousand 
people  were  relieved  daily  at  different  centres  in  the  borough 
for  nearly  three  weeks,  and  none  were  sent  away  without  relief, 
whether  they  possessed  tickets  or  not.  Your  correspondent 
tells  you,  so  you  say,  that  a  young  lady  whose  parents  had  sub- 
scribed to  the  fund  applied  to  the  Mayor  asking  for  a  few 
tickets  to  distribute,  and  that  her  request  was  refused 
because  she  was  not  a  Councillor's  daughter.  The  state- 
ment is  absolutely  untrue.  The  Mayor,  if  he  had  refused 
'  a  lady,'  would  surely  have  found  some  better  reason 
than  the  one  stated  by  your  correspondent.  I  am  requested, 
however,  to  say  that  the  Mayor  is  not  concerned  to 
know  who  your  correspondent  is,  who  in  this  way  neglected  to 
perform  a  public  service  by  at  once  and  at  the  time  making  his 
protest,  and  producing  the  two  persons  referred  to — the  one  who 
was  refused  relief  by  a  Councillor  because  she  was  not  one  of 
his  customers,  and  the  other  who  averred  that  she  was  refused 
tickets  by  the  Mayor,  because  she  was  not  the  daughter  of  a 
Councillor  ! — I  am,  yours  truly,  Samuel  Brown,  Town  Clerk." 

[I  am  sending  a  copy  of  this  letter  to  my  original  corre- 
spondent with  a  request  for  further  details.] 

P  W. — I  hardly  expected  my  views  on  poaching  to  be  in 
agreement  with  those  of  an  owner  of  shooting,  but  I  think  if  you 
examined  your  own  mind,  quite  free  from  prejudice,  you  would 
discover  that  you  were  at  heart  very  much  in  accord  with  me. 
You  are  so  keen  a  sportsman  that  you  will  spend  three  or  four 
hundred  pounds  a  year  for  the  mere  renting  of  some  shooting. 
What  would  you  do  with  that  sporting  instinct  if  you  were  a 
poor  man  ?  There  always  has  been  a  moral  distinction  between 
creatures  bred  for  sport  and  those  reared  for  trade. 

W.  L.  S.  writes  me  from  India,  speaking  of  the  frightful  state 
of  disease  present  throughout  the  British  Army,  in  consequence 
of  the  abandonment  of  the  Contagious  Diseases  Act.  This  per- 
fectly necessary  act  was  repealed  purely  to  please  the  British 
prudes,  who,  in  their  utterly  impracticable  crusade  against 
human  nature,  arc  willing  to  see  a  large  proportion  of  the  human 
race  ruined  by  disease  that  spreads  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion. I  have  spoken  more  than  once  on  this  subject.  It  is  always 
with  us. 

S.  F.  calls  my  attention  to  an  advertisement  issued  by  the 
Liverpool  Tramways  Company,  offering  to  give  free  travelling  to 
a  few  ladies  and  gentlemen  "willing  to  report  any  case  of  neglect 
of  duty  or  inattention  on  the  part  of  the  company's  servants 
which  may  come  under  their  notice."  It  seems  a  pretty  calling 
for  so-called  "  ladies  and  gentlemen,"  but  recent  licensing  reports 
have  proved  that  Liverpool  is  by  no  means  ill-supplied  with 
"  ladies  and  gentlemen  "  willing  to  devote  their  time  to  the  con- 
temptible calling  of  a  spy. 

S.  H.  C.  tells  me  that  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  among  the 
clergy  for  those  who  are  by  no  means  total  abstainers  them- 
selves to  preach  total  abstinence  to  others,  and  he  tells  me  that 
he  himself  has  been  asked  to  deliver  an  address  to  school 
children  holding  up  to  them  the  evil  of  all  communication  with 
such  a  thing  as  alcohol.  On  replying  that  he  was  not  a  total 
abstainer,  he  was  told  that  "  this  doesn't  matter  in  the  least." 
I  have  always  given  teetotal  bigots  the  credit  for  sincerity.  I 
confess  I  slightly  doubted  the  entire  correctness  of  this  state- 
ment, and  accordingly  asked  my  correspondent  to  furnish  me 
with  actual  particulars.  This  he  now  does,  giving  me  names, 
addresses,  and  dates,  thus  leaving  no  room  for  doubt.  I  still 
hope  that  such  cases  are  tolerably  exceptionable. 

Yearly  Subscriber,  who  is  a  Glasgow  citizen,  and  who 
appears  to  be  thoroughly  disgusted  with  the  Radical  members  of 
the  Glasgow  municipality,  writes  me  a  very  strong  letter  in 
condemnation  of  the  silly  and  monstrous  Coercion  Bill,  with 
which  the  Uogberrys  of  Glasgow  hope  to  harass  and  annoy 
their  fellow  citizens,  and  to  make  Glasgow  and  the  name  of 
Scotchmen  a  laughing  stock  to  the  rest  of  Britain.  The  utter 
idiotcy  of  this  folly  has  already  been  exposed  both  in  Parliament 
and  out.  My  correspondent  tells  me  that  all  the  decent  citizens 
are  in  arms  against  it.    It  is  generally  the  fault  of  the  "  decent 


citizens  "  that  these  things  happen.  They  pay  no  attention  to 
municipal  affairs,  and  allow  a  gang  of  bumptious  ignoramuses  to 
get  the  whole  power  of  the  City  into  their  hands.  Then 
your  "  decent  citizen  "  turns  round  and  grumbles.  If  only  he 
did  his  duty  in  the  first  instance  the  tale  of  human  folly  would 
be  less  than  it  is. 

Mercator  asks  me  if  there  is  a  Fair  Trade  League  or  club. 
Perhaps  some  correspondent  will  oblige  with  information. 
C.  M.  B. — No  stamp  accompanied  your  MS.,  so  I  am  unable 
to  return  it.  Churchman. — I  daresay  the  congregation  were 
not  sorry.  G.  C.  O. — The  Government  have  already  fixed  an 
arbitrary  value  on  gold,  and  therefore  why  should  not  they  on 
silver  ?  R.  C.  and  many  other  correspondents  write  me  that  it 
is  time  for  the  Free  Trade  question  to  be  taken  up  as  a  practical 
policy.  A.  G.  M. — I  should  have  no  objection  to  our  workers 
obtaining  higher  wages,  if  the  trade  were  able  to  afford  it.  If 
you  examine  other  papers  you  will  see  that  the  system  is 
universal,  and  you  may  be  sure  it  would  not  be  universal  if  it 
were  not  necessary.  T.  J.  D. — If  you  were  acquainted 
with  the  business  side  of  journalism,  you  would  see  the 
utter  impracticability  of  your  suggestion.  N.  H. — Artiste 
are  past  praying  for.  They  will  do  these  things. 
Victor. — It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  give  you  any  informa- 
tion concerning  the  man.  I  know  nothing  of  the  person  you 
mention.  It  is  not  my  custom  to  take  notice  of  anonymous 
letters.  Modern  Girl. — These  new  women  are  capable  of  any- 
thing ;  I  really  cannot  undertake  to  be  answerable  for  them. 
F.  S.  G. — I  don't  remember  hospitality  being  discussed  in  the 
Idler.  I  could  not  give  you  any  definition  of  the  phrase,  "A 
first-rate  fellow."  Such  expressions  have  a  different  meaning  to 
every  person  who  uses  them.  A.  W. — Your  query  has  been 
answered  over  and  over  again  in  these  columns.  They  are  only 
taking  recruits  from  residents  in  Africa.  D.  S.  K. — You  will 
find  the  information  you  require  in  "Club  Chatter." 

Dionysius. — I  have  every  wish  to  be  courteous  to  my  corre- 
spondents, and  I  can  assure  you  we  give  [ourselves  an  immense 
amount  of  trouble  to  answer  all  questions.  But  I  cannot  keep 
pace  with  your  enquiries.  The  other  day  you  wanted  to  be  a 
solicitor,  and  I  went  to  the  trouble  and  expense  to  give  you  full 
details  how  to  become  one.  Now  you  want  to  belong  to  the 
Indian  Police  Service.  To  know  all  that  it  is  possible  to  know 
about  the  life,  it  would  take  a  clerk  a  couple  of  days  to  obtain 
all  the  particulars  you  ask  for. 

(Several  answers  are  unavoidably  croivded  out  this  ueek.) 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


My  dear  Dick, — I  have  been  to  see  The  Notorious 
Mrs.  Ebbsmith  again.  I  wanted  to  confirm  my  con- 
victions regarding  that  very  remarkable  play,  and  I  am 
happy  to  say  that  I  find  no  reason  to  alter  any  of  the 
opinions  I  expressed  in  my  last  letter.  I  was  very  much 
surprised  at  one  thing,  however.  Pinero,  as  you  know, 
never  alters  a  line  when  once  a  play  has  left  his  hands. 
He  wrote  The  Profligate  with  an  unhappy  ending,  but  he 
altered  it  before  the  first  night.  In  The  Cabinet  Minister, 
the  reel  danced  at  the  end  of  the  last  act  excited  the 
fiery  untamed  goose  on  the  first  night.  But  Pinero 
stuck  to  it,  and  when  some  incautious  critic  let  go  a 
paragraph  stating  that  slight  alterations  made  the  piece 
play  closer,  Pinero  wrote  to  the  papers  to  say  that  it 
was  not  his  custom  to  alter  his  finished  work.  He  has 
broken  through  his  rule  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Ebbsmith. 
The  last  curtain,  which  I  considered  supremely  beautiful 
and  symbolical,  has  gone;  and  the  play  now  finishes 
when,  Lucas  having  been  told  by  Agnes  that  she  will  pray 
for  him,  is  startled  into  the  exclamation  "  You  pray  1 " 

It  is  not  such  a  completely  admirable  and  significant 
curtain  as  the  original,  and  I  rather  wish  that  Pinero 
had  stood  to  his  guns.  The  play  is  essentially  so  awe- 
inspiring  and  gloomy  that  one  such  detail  could  not 
have  affected  its  ultimate  fate  one  way  or  the  other. 
People  who  dislike  it  will  dislike  it  right  through. 
People  who  are  enthralled  and  absorbed  by  it  would 
almost  have  preferred  the  primary  termination. 

As  a  great  deal  has  been  said  about  the  licensing  of 
Pinero's  latest,  it  may  interest  you  to  know  that  The 
Notorious  Mrs.  Ebbsmith  was  read,  passed  and  licensed 
by  poor  Pigott  before  he  died.  It  was  probably  the  last 
bit  of  official  work  that  he  ever  did.  We  have,  there- 
fore, no  guide  to  the  course  that  may  be  taken  by  his 
successor,  although  it  has  been  semi-officially  static!  that 
his  appointment  is  a  guarantee  that  Pigott's  policy  wall 


March  30,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


245 


be  carefully  perpetuated.  Personally  it  always  appeared 
to  me  that  Pigott  never  had  any  policy  at  all.  He  was 
essentially  an  opportunist.  He  would  hardly  have  been 
tolerated  had  he  been  anything  else.  Public  opinion, 
when  it  was  expressed  with  sufficient  strength,  invari- 
ably swayed  him,  as  in  the  famous  instance  of  the 
abortive  Music  Hall  Circular,  which  was  withdrawn  as 
meekly  as  it  was  defiantly  promulgated.  He  forbade 
May  Yohe  to  imitate  Nini  Patte-en-l'Air,  yet  he  allowed 
the  French  dancer  to  dance  unrestrained.  He  licensed 
The  Gaiety  Girl,  and  suddenly  demanded  the  elimination 
of  a  leading  character  after  the  fiftieth  night !  Mind  you, 
I  have  no  doubt  that  in  his  own  mind  he  had  good 
reasons  for  all  he  did.  But  it  is  absurd  to  talk  of  the 
course  he  pursued  as  a  policy. 

What  Mr.  Redford  will  do  nobody  knows.  His  ap- 
pointment is  a  matter  for  congratulation  in  one  way, 
since  it  is  obviously  a  stop-gap  affair.  Pigott's  rule, 
though  erratic,  was  essentially  mild.  Redford  acted  as 
his  assistant  on  numerous  occasions,  and  he  will  in  all 
probability  judge  plays  from  the  general  all-round  man 
of  the  world  point  of  view.  So  long  as  we  are  to  have 
a  censor,  this  is  the  sort  of  censor  that  we  want. 
Redford,  as  manager  of  a  London  and  Westminster 
branch  bank  in  Oxford  Street,  naturally  must  have 
become  well  acquainted  with  the  great  middle-class.  He 
should  know  as  well  as  anybody  what  will  give  offence 
to  the  majority  and  what  will  not.  But,  great  heavens  ! 
think  of  what  the  other  Arts  would  say  if  they  had  to 
comply  with  the  exact  and  rigid  requirements  of  the 
bank  parlour.  Would  Jan  Van  Beers  have  ever 
exhibited  in  this  country  ?  Would  "The  Heavenly  Twins" 
and  "  The  Woman  Who  Did  "  have  ever  been  published  ? 
Of  course  they  would  not.  But  the  whole  question  is 
now  past  argument.  The  Press  with  an  almost  unani- 
mous voice  has  condemned  the  censorship.  A  spark  will 
now  ignite  the  bonfire  on  which  this  archaic  Guy 
Fawkes  will  be  consumed.  Some  play  written  by  an 
author  of  importance  will  be  rejected  by  the  Licenser, 
and  then  the  band  will  play.  At  present  a  leader  is 
wanted,  such  a  man  as  Pinero  for  example,  who  will  head 
an  agitation  against  the  censorship.  A  less  well-known 
man  might  be  accused  of  unworthy  motives.  He  would 
be  called  a  would-be  purveyor  of  filth,  or  something  of 
the  sort,  and  on  that  ground  the  enemy  would  fight  him. 
This  would  be  impossible  in  the  case  of  a  man  whose 
aims  and  abilities  were  as  high  as  those  of  Pinero. 

By  the  way,  as  a  hint  to  budding  dramatists,  I  may 
point  out  that  the  censorship  seems  unconsciously  to  be 
laying  down  a  law  that  manner  rather  than  matter  is 
the  thing  to  which  it  takes  exception.  Pinero  is  a 
master  of  expression,  and  he  has  therefore  the  widest 
possible  range  of  subjects  before  him,  since  he  can  say 
the  boldest  and  most  suggestive  things  in  language  that 
never  offends  the  ear.  I  understand  that  other  and 
younger  writers  have  fallen  under  the  ban,  because  they 
have  insisted  on  calling  a  spade  a  spade.  I  certainly 
know  of  one  case  where  the  late  censor  offered  no  op- 
position to  a  scene  which  amounted  definitely  to  seduc- 
tion with  violence,  but  he  objected  strongly  to  the  bad 
man  saying  to  the  woman  he  had  entrapped,  "  Before 
you  leave  this  room  you  shall  ask  me  to  marry  you."  I 
am  neither  defending  nor  condemning  the  scene  or  the 
line,  but  if  you  have  the  one  why  not  the  other? 

Perhaps  Redford,  bringing  to  his  task  a  mind  trained 
by  the  inexorable  logic  of  figures,  will  be  a  trifle  more 
consistent. 

Have  you  noticed  that  the  Referee,  which  is  gradually 
becoming  a  cast-iron  Conservative  journal,  defends  the 
censorship  on  very  remarkable  grounds  1  It  says  that 
the  drama  is  just  as  free  under  a  censor  as  literature  is 
under  existing  conditions,  for  every  editor  is  a  little 
censor  in  himself.  Surely  this  is  a  curious  way  of 
looking  at  the  matter.  An  editor  is  a  censor  as  much  as 
a  theatrical  manager  is — and  no  more.  Each  can  sup- 
press what  he  chooses  in  his  own  journal  or  theatre. 


But  there  his  power  ends.  In  literature,  if  a  man  cannot 
get  his  matter  published  by  someone,  he  can  boldly 
publish  it  as  a  book  or  pamphlet  himself,  and  no  one  can 
say  him  nay  ;  but  in  the  case  of  the  drama  a  man  may 
hire  a  theatre  for  a  matine'e,  or  lease  one  for  a  term  of 
years,  and  still  he  cannot  play  what  he  likes  in  it.  There 
is  still  over  him  the  one  arbitrary  and  irresponsible 
authority  who  does  not  appear  in  any  form  or  shape 
whatever  in  connection  with  the  great  free  Press  of  which 
we  are  all  so  proud. 

I  may  tell  you  that  I  hear  privately,  on  very  good 
authority,  that  the  appointment  of  Redford  was  made  in 
a  spirit  of  conciliation  and  expectation.  The  Press  has 
spoken  so  strongly,  and  almost  so  unanimously,  that  the 
powers  in  high  places  thought  it  well  not  to  excite  a 
more  considerable  storm  by  the  nomination  of  a  con- 
spicuous person,  and  they  also  anticipated  some  definite 
action  that  would  lead  to  an  harmonious  suppression  of 
the  censor  altogether,  "  on  terms  " — such  terms  to  in- 
clude the  retention  by  the  Lord  Chamberlain  of  a  right  of 
veto,  which  he  could  exercise  after  the  production' of  a 
play,  if  a  certain  number  of  reputable  citizens  made  affi- 
davit that  in  their  opinion  the  performance  of  the  said 
play  was  subversive  of  public  morals. 

Personally,  I  am  all  against  compromise.  The  drama 
has  a  right  to  be  free  of  censorship,  and  we  should  none 
of  us  stop  fighting  till  the  battle  is  won. 

And  it  could  be  won  very  easily  if  we  had  a  leader. 

I  did  not  think  very  much  of  The  Blue  Boar  at 
Terry's.  It  wasn't  "  blue."  The  accent  was  mainly  on 
the  "  bore."  But  it  served  to  bring  out  some  good 
acting. 

On  Sunday  W.  H.  Jennings  read  a  capital  paper  to 
the  playgoers  at  St.  James's  Hall.  He  dealt  with  the 
criticisms  of  the  big  dailies  in  a  very  lucid  and  admir- 
able manner,  but  I  am  not  quite  clear  about  what  he 
wants.  The  enthusiastic  and  independent  Grein  came 
forward  with  a  brilliant  suggestion  to  the  effect  that 
two  critics  should  represent  each  paper,  one  doing  a 
simple  report  or  description  of  facts  for  reproduction 
next  morning,  while  the  other  brooded  solemnly  on  the 
vanity  of  things  and  fatuity  of  playwrights,  and  then, 
after  going  in  trance  for  a  week,  brought  forth  a  final 
and  philosophic  pronouncement  just  when  everybody 
had  forgotten  the  play  and  had  begun  to  think  of  some- 
thing else.  - 

As  about  eighty  critics  demand  seats  on  a  first  night 
as  things  are,  Grein's  cheerful  proposal  to  add  at  least 
another  forty  will  not  appeal  to  managers. 

Claude  Carton  read  his  play  to  the  company  at  the 
Criterion  last  week,  and  rehearsals  have  commenced. 
Meantime  An  Ideal  Husband  will  be  transferred  from 
the  Haymarket  at  the  end  of  Waller  and  Morell's  sea- 
son. Wyndham  is  better,  but  the  rest  I  suggested  has 
now  become  an  imperative  necessity.  Wyndham  did 
the  one  thing  against  which  everybody  should  guard. 
After  a  severe  attack  of  influenza  he  came  back  too 
scon. 

We  have  been  in  for  a  lot  of  rows  lately  over  certain 
articles  that  Clement  Scott  was  supposed  to  have  written 
— but  didn't.  Lawyers'  letters,  threats  and  apologies, 
have  been  flying  wildly  around,  simply  because  a  number 
of  over-eager  young  journalists  have  not  got  the  common 
sense  to  abide  by  the  simple  etiquette  of  their  craft. 
When  an  article  is  unsigned  by  name,  initials,  or 
pseudonym,  you  have  no  right  to  attribute  it  to  an  in- 
dividual. You  can  only  refer  to  it  as  the  opinion  of  the 
journal  in  which  it  appears.  Apart  from  custom  it  is 
exceedingly  unsafe  to  do  otherwise,  for  on  the  very  occa- 
sion you  select  for  a  scathing  criticism  of  what  Mr. 
Blank  says  in  the  Daily  Something,  Mr.  Blank  goes  out 
of  town  and  his  copy  is  supplied  by  someone  else. 

And  the  end  of  these  things  is  a  very  humiliating 
climb-down,  an  ample  apology,  and  the  triumph  of  your 
opponent. — Your  Affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph- 


246 


TO-DAY. 


March  30,  1895. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


A  grievance  that  has  always  Iain  heavily  on  my  mind 
is  that  of  tipping.  An  attempt  was  recently  made  in 
Paris  to  revise  the  cab  rates,  but  the  cockers  struck  at 
it,  apparently  because  it  did  away  with  this.  Now,  the 
Parisians  are  swearing  that  they  will  in  future  refuse 
to  give  any  pourboires  whatever.  As  a  rule  these  good 
resolutions  are  made  in  public  and  broken  in  private. 
The  contempt  of  the  driver,  the  certainty  that  he  will 
do  his  best  to  inform  the  general  public  that  you  are  a 
"counter-jumper  out  for  the  day"  unnerves  any  man  who 
is  bored  by  excitement.  If  the  cabman  were  the  only 
sinner  in  this  respect  he  might  be  forgiven,  but,  un- 
fortunately, he  is  only  one  of  legion. 

No  man  who  has  to  spend  the  greater  part  of  the  day 
in  Town  can  get  through  with  less  than  half-a-crown 
for  tips,  which  amounts  to  about  £50  a  year.  The 
barber,  the  waiter,  the  cabman,  the  railway  porter,  and 
heaven  only  knows  how  many  others  rely  upon  the  un 
fortunate  public  to  supply  them  with  all  or  a  greater 
part  of  their  salary.  The  whole  thing  is  monstrous.  If 
I  go  into  a  restaurant  I  enter  into  a  contract  with  the 
proprietor.  He  virtually  says,  "  For  so  much  I  will  give 
you  food,  accommodation,  and  provide  attendance 
that  will  prevent  you  from  troubling  to  go  into  the 
kitchen  and  carving  and  taking  the  vegetables  out  of 
the  saucepans."  But  you  look  at  the  menu  and  see  in 
small  type  at  the  bottom  that  there  is  a  charge  made 
for  attendance. 

That  annoys  you  to  begin  with,  but  worse  than  that 
is  the  knowledge  that  this  is  in  no  sense  a  tip  for  the 
waiter,  but  a  tip  for  the  proprietor  himself,  wh*  is 
probably  drawing  some  shillings  a  day  from  these  ser- 
vants for  the  privilege  of  allowing  them  to  wait.  Now, 
what  the  dickens  does  a  man  care  when  he  goes  into 
a  restaurant  for  the  waiters  1  He  doesn't  know  them, 
he  doesn't  want  to,  but  he  is  expected  to  pay  them  their 
salaries,  and  provide  them  with  pocket-money  as  though 
they  were  old  and  personal  acquaintances,  who  had  a 
claim  upon  him.  Meanwhile,  the  unfortunate  customer 
has  been  looking  furtively  down  the  prices  on  the  list 
in  order  to  bring  his  dinner  within  his  means. 


It  is  just  the  same  at  the  hairdresser'9.  A  man  sees 
an  announcement  that  he  can  be  shampooed  or  shaved 
at  a,  certain  price,  but  he  knows  that  the  attendant  wants 
him  to  pay  his  salary.  At  the  railway  station  you  ask, 
say,  for  a  foot-warmer,  but.  the  porter  gives  it  to  you  on 
the  understanding  that  you  help  to  pay  his  salary.  A 
cabman  would  drop  dead  with  astonishment  if  he 
thought  you  were  going  to  take  him  two  miles  and  pay 
him  exactly  his  legal  shilling  fare.  Why  this  should  be 
so  I  cannot  understand.  If  a  tip  insured  extra  civility 
or  attention  one  might  not  begrudge  it,  but  that  is  the 
last  thing  that  it  does.  The  waiter  takes  it  as  a  matter 
of  course,  and  barely  says  "  Thank  you,"  and  in  every 
other  branch  where  salaries  are  paid  out  of  the  public 
pocket  it  is  the  same. 


If  I  remember  correctly  there  was  once  an  agitation 
by  waiters  to  do  away  with  tips,  so  as  to  ensure  for 
themselves  a  certain  salary.  The  restaurateurs  ridi- 
culed the  idea,  and  the  public  stood  appalled  at  the 
waiters'  temerity.  Since  then  there  have  been  agita- 
tions among  the  public  to  put  down  the  evil,  but  to  no 
avail.  Personally,  I  am  certain  that  if  the  public 
made  up  their  mind  to  stop  the  practice;  the  very  men 
who  live  by  it  would  be  permanently  benefited.  It 
annoys  and  angers  a  man  to  read  that  Spiers  and  Pond, 
the  Holborn,  or  the  Gordon  Company  are  paying  such 
and  such  a  dividend,  and  to  know  that  this  is  largely 
due  to  the  fact  that  he  is  providing  them  with  servants 
free  to  all  intents  and  purposes.  A  place  run  strictly, 
honestly,  and  squarely  on  the  "  no  fee  "  principle — not 


like  the  Aerated  Bread  Company,  who  increase  the  price 
of  the  articles — would,  I  am  sure,  be  a  success,  and  I 
for  one  would  support  it. 

If  what  a  correspondent  tells  me  is  correct,  the  visit 
of  the  Queen  to>  Nice  is  enough  to  shake  the  loyalty 
of  the  loyalest  subject.  For  weeks,  he  says,  he  stood  the 
wretched  weather,  which  he  had  gone  abroad  to  avoid, 
and  just  when  his  troublesi  seemed  at  an  end  and  bright 
sunshine  was  coming  to  welcome  him,  Her  Majesty  ar- 
rived. Instantly  the  prices  of  everything  went  up — even 
to  matches.  The  place  was  crowded.  The  cabman  ri- 
diculed the  idea  of  anything  like  a  legal  fare,  and,  worst 
of  all,  not  a  visitor  knew  from  morning  till  night  where 
he  would  sleep,  the  rapacity  of  the  hotel-keepers  being 
such  that  they  would  willingly  turn  out  any  boarder  if 
they  could  get  aj  better  offer  for  the  room  he  was  occu- 
pying- 


I  am  continuing  to  receive  any  number  of  letters  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  announcing  the  determination  of 
the  writers  to  take  up  my  idea,  and  do  away  with  the 
pi  esent  uninteresting  dress  suit.  Of  course,  little  change 
is  likely  to'  be  seen  until  the  fall  of  the  year,  and  then 
I  believe  that  there  will  be  innovations  that  will  herald 
the  revolution.  Talking  oni  the  subject  the  other  day 
to  one  of  the  best  known  experts  in  clothes,  the  matter 
cropped  up,  and  he  assured  me  that  if  colour  was  em- 
ployed and  the  frilled  shirt  used,  evening  dress  would 
become  the  most  handsome  part  of  a  man's  wardrobe. 
At  present  it  is  the  ugliest. 


I  see  that  the  cycling  Press  have  dropped  the  abusive 
tone  that  was  reserved  for  me  after  my  original  notes. 
My  comments  in  the  first  place  were  intended  to  show  up 
the  veiled  amateurism,  and  incidentally  I  attacked  the 
shady  section  of  the  cycling  Press.  My  first  contention 
was  never  attacked,  except  in  detail  relating  to  price, 
and  the  other  point  I  have  supported  with  facts.  I  may 
say  that  I  have  received  several  offers  from  well-known 
agents,  especially  in  the  North,  offering  names  and  facts, 
that  would,  if  gone  into,  carry  my  case  much  further 
than  I  had  imagined  it  possible. 


One  colour  that  is  safe  to  be  fashionable  in  the 
coming  season  is  the  Lovat.  This  cloth,  which  takes 
its  name  from  the  Lovat  clan,  is  a  delicate  green  and 
light  brown  mixture,  with  the  marks  of  the  tartan 
just  visible.  It  will  make  up  splendidly  for  lounge  suits, 
and  also  for  trousers. 


With  the  changing  of  the  seasons  it  is  always  ditfiailt 
to  get  an  accurate  idea  of  what  is  likely  to  be  most 
in  demand  for  ties.  The  remnants  of  last  summer's 
stock  and  a  proportion  of  the  rejected  of  winter  neck- 
wear are  invariably  put  into  the  windows  as  the  latest 
novelties.  For  my  own  part,  I  fancy  that  dark  colours 
will  be  the  rage,  although  it  is  just  possible  that  the 
electric  blue  and  the  turkey  red  will  gain  the  entrance 
they  have  so  long  been  seeking.  Meanwhile,  pearls  are 
being  largely  worn  for  pins,  and  indications  have  not 
been  wanting  that  there  will  be  a  revival  in  popularity 
of  the  much-misunderstood  opal. 


I  find  I  have  some  very  young  readers.  One  writes 
me  from  a  school  in  Gloucestershire.  His  grammar  is 
erratic,  and  his  spelling  promiscuous,  lie  wants  to 
know  whether  "  dabbers  " — the  slang  term  for  collegiate 
caps,  or  mortar  boards,  I  believe — are  likely  to  remain 
in  fashion.  He  says  lie  hates  them.  I  am  sure  I  can- 
not answer  the  question,  and  I  am  equally  unable  to 
comply  with  his  request  to  write  and  tell  his  "  guv'nor  " 
that  neither  Euclid  nor  Algebra  are  of  any  use.  But 
one  thing  the  letter  suggests  to  me  is  the  need  to  bring 
under  the  notice  of  children  the  great  grievance  under 
which  adults  labour  through  certain  childish  games. 


March  30,  1895. 


TO-DAY, 


247 


For  instance,  this  is  the  time  of  year  when  the  young 
idea  purchases  a  top,  and  goes  out  to  slay  passers-by. 


such  mysteries  as  these  that  cause  the  retirement  of 
many  honest  sportsmen  from  the  Turf. 


For  some  reason  or  another  children  invariably  select 
those  parts  of  the  town  where  they  will  have  the  least 
possible  amount  of  convenience,  and  cause  the  greatest 
annoyance  to  the  general  public.  If  there  is  a  street 
crowded  with  traffic  they  go  there,  or  if  there  is  a  square 
with  nice  bay-windows  and  a\  few  trees,  where  the 
weary  congregate  to  rest,  they  follow.  Their  games 
are  invariably  of  a  murderous  order.  There  is  tip- 
cat, which  will  blind  or  main  any  man,  tops  that  will  bf  3ak 
more  shins  if  artistically  thrown  than  any  mortal  thing 
I  know  of.  Recalcitrant  hoops  invariably  ruin  the  clothes 
of  the  passer-by,  and  hockey,  rounders,  and  so  forth  are 
only  Anarchist  weapons  with  innocent  names.  One 
day  when  I  have  time  to  spare  I  intend  to  draw  up  a 
scheme  and  invite  subscriptions  for  a  league  for  the 
protection  of  adults  from  children. 


I  have  not,  at  the  time  of  writing,  got  my  file  of  the 
Racing  Calendar  by  me,  but  I  think  I  can  safely  assert 
that  hardly  a  week  passes  but  what  some  Irish  jockey 
— amateur  or  professional — is  hauled  before  the  powers 
that  be  to  explain  some  "  incident"  that  occurred  during 
the  racing.  Many  people  have  said  that  the  Irish 
stewards  are  too  suspicious ;  they,  however,  generally 
have  to  inflict  fines  or  suspend  "  Mr.  Rider "  for  a  few 
davs. 


There  has  been  too  much  mystery  about  Cloister. 
Who  circulated  the  many  rumours  concerning  the  cham- 
pion chaser  it  is  difficult  to  say.  I  know  that  Mr.  Duff 
and  Escott  openly  expressed  their  belief  in  the 
horse,  and  yet  no  sooner  had  they  done  so  than  the 
opposition  becomes  more  pronounced  than  ever.    It  is 


Op  late  years  the  Irish  racing  folk  have  paid  frequent 
visits  to  this  country,  and  it  must  be  admitted  that 
they  have  proved  themselves  to  be  wondorfnlly  cute. 
Several,  however,  have  overstepped  the  mark,  and  the 
"  scenes "  at  Manchester,  Leicester  and  Kempton  Park 
have  not  done  the  Irishmen  any  good.  A  few  years  ago 
Mr.  McAuliffe  got  into  trouble  over  the  running  of 
Herring-bone.  He  has  been  permitted  to  return,  but 
whether  such  good  fortune  will  befall  Mr.  Scully  I  am 
not  in  a  position  to  say,  as  all  the  evidence  at  the 
recent  inquiry  has  not  transpired,  and,  maybe,  never 
will. 


T I N I G  0 nmm 
FLAKE 


COOL  & 
SWEET. 

ANTI-NICOTINE  TOBACCO 

EXCEEDINGLY  Mill) 


After  numerous  experiments  and  many  years  of 
careful  study,  I  have  discovered  a  means  of  ex- 
tracting from  Tobacco,  without  the  aid  of  Chemicals, 
almost  every  particle  of  Nicotine  and  objectionable 
matter,  while  retaining  all  its  natural  fragrance 
and  aroma,  so  that  those  who  cannot  smoke  a  pipe 
under  ordinary  circumstances  can  smoke  this 
Tobacco  with  pleasure,  as  it  tastes  mild  and  soft  on 
the  palate,  and  leaves  no  unpleasantness. 


NO  MORE  IRRITATION 

or  THE 

TONGUE,  THROAT,  AND  LUNGS 

AFTER  SMOKING. 


To  be  had  from  all  First  Class  Tobacconists. 


J.   P.  BURNS. 


(Established    1830),  Tobacconist 

The  Trade  supplied  by  the  Manufacturers,  P 


& 


Cigar  Importer, 

&  J.  SMITH,  GLASGOW. 


Sold  in  Tins  at  7s.  6d.  per  lb.  Sample 
2  ozs.  sent  to  any  address  for  Is.  2d., 
or  hall-pound  tins,  it-  post  free,  from 

GLASGOW. 


HIGHEST  AW  ABBS  FOB 

SCIENTIFIC 
SHIRT  CUTTING. 

BAIKIE  &  HOGG,  10,  Renfleld  Street,  &  52,  Gordon  Street,  Glasgow. 

SHIRT  TAILORS  AND  PYJAMA  SPECIALISTS. 

Measurement  Forms  and  range  of  Materials,  sent  on  request. 
MANUFACTURERS  OF  REAL  BUCK  GLOVES. 


PREMIER 

CYCLES. 

Constructed  of  Helical  Tube. 


HELICAL  TUBE. 


Patented  and  Registered.  Double  strength,  yet  lightest  machine  made. 


The  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  Ltd..  are  Cycle 
Manufacturers  by  special  appointment  to  H.U.M. 
The  Prince  of  Wales,  are  patronised  by  the 
chief  British  and  Foreign  Nobility,  and  by  the 
wiser  and  greater  portion  of  cycle  riders 
:  throughout  the  world. 

20,000  Premiers  sold  in  1894. 

Special  Quotations  to  really  responsible  purchasers  desirous  of  adopting  our  Progressive 
Payment  System.      Lists  and  all  particulars  free  from 

THE  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  Ltd., 

14,   HOLBORN  VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT  FROM  SCOTLAND 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  ease,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  to 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


PURVEYORS  TO 
H.  R,  H, 
THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES. 


'  jj|  ^ 'v  ^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

{(\c\\fAt\o\  GINGER  ALE 

\y,vI/101jvO      Medals  Adwrded. 

Work  s-DUBLIN    AND  BELFAST. 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Various  Climates. 


248 


TO-DAY. 


March  30,  1895. 


Whether  the  Jockey  Club  Stewards  and  the  National 
Hunt  Committee  act  wisely  in  holding  inquiries  like  the 
Scully  case  with  closed  doors,  and  then  decline  to  pub- 
lish all  the  evidence,  is  a,  subject  that  has  caused  a  deal 
of  discussion.  Myself,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  men 
of  the  world  like  Lord  March,  Lord  Ellesmere,  and 
Lord  Rendlesham  are  quite  capable  of  adjudicating  on 
matters  of  such  importance.  They  prefer  that  all  dirty 
linen  shall  not  be  washed  in  public.  I  for  one  abide 
by  their  decision. 


Mr.  W.  J.  Ford,  who  holds  the  reins  of  manage- 
ment in  Lincoln,  is,  without  a  doubt,  quite  the  equal  of 
Major  Egerton  as  a  handicapper.  Mr.  Ford  unfortu- 
nately does  not  enjoy  the  best  of  health,  but  he  has 
able  assistance  in  his  sons.  Mr.  Ford  not  only  holds  a 
permit  for  handicapping,  but  can  officiate  as  judge, 
clerk  of  the  course,  clerk  of  the  scales,  and  stakeholder. 


The  Lincolnshire  Handicap  was,  in  its  early  days, 
known  as  the  Lincoln  Spring  Handicap,  and  the  first  year 
a  field  of  nine  went  to  the  post,  the  value  of  the  race 
being  £159,  and  the  distance  a  mile  and  a  half.  As  ia 
very  often  the  case  how,  the  favourite  then — a  five-year- 
old,  named  Harp-bed — got  beaten  a  head  by  an  out- 
sider named  Caurire.  Clement  rode  the  winner,  and 
he  still  figures  prominently  in  training  circles  at  the 
present  day.  In  1856  the  distance  was  altered  to  a 
mile,  at  which  distance  it  still  remains. 

I  suggested  some  time  ago  that  a  good  many  of  the 
ills  that  flesh  was  heir  to  were  owing  to  the 
little  protection  given  to  the  abdomen.  Messrs.  Grant 
and  Watson  have  since  sent  me  some  specimens  of  their 
woollen  belts,  and  I  can  recommend  them  for  twc 
reasons — they  are  moderate  in  price  and  made  with  the 
best  material. 


ECONOMY 

AND 

FASHION. 


EVERY  GENTLEMAN  SHOULD  WEAR  OUR  SILK  TIES. 

All  Shapes— The  DERBY  (for  self  tying),  the  STRAND  BOW,  the  WATERLOO  KNOT,  etc. 
Three  Assorted  Silk  Ties  Is.  7d.  Six,  3s.  post  free.  Twelve,  5s.  9d.  post  free. 

Magnificent  value.    Usually  sold  at  Is.  each. 
SUPERIOR  QUALITY — Three  for  3s.,  Six  for  58.  9d.,  or  Twelve  for  lis. 
VERY  FINEST  QUALITY— Three  for  6s.,  Six  for  lis.,  or  Twelve  for  21s.  post  free. 
MONEY   RE  TITRATED    IF   WOT  SATISFIED. 

die  si    should    send   fox*   our   Dress  Patterns. 

TEXTILE   SUPPLY  ASSOCIATION,   LIMITED.    161,   STRAND,  W.C. 


TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS   IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED.    UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33  Gresse  Street  London,  W. 

THE  BODY  BELT, 

For  LUMBAGO,  RHEUMATICS,  COLDS,  &  INFLUENZA. 

PURE     NATUBAt  WOW, 

2  s.  6d.;  post  free  twopence  extra.   Send  waist  measurement. 
GRANT    &  WATSON, 

SHIRT -TAILORS,    HOSIERS,     &  OUTFITTERS, 

112,  Buchanan  Street,  Glasgow. 


ONDGEM 


TO-DAY  BOOTS. 


MATCHLESS  FOR  STYLE  AND  COMFORT. 


In  three  qualities,  from 
Hand-sewn 


13s.  6d.  per  pair- 
16s.  6d.  m 


AGENTS  : 


OsbOBNE  &  Co.,  380  and  387,  Oxford 

Street,  W. 
A.  A.  Tyson,  27,  Brecknock  Rd.N.W. 
H.  Ovenden,  Broadway,  Leyton. 
J.  H.  Taylor,  Blackheath,  S.E. 
D.  Spence,  243,  Lavender  Hill,  S.W. 
J.  Sotjthwood,  Hanwell. 
Geo.  Wilkins,  259,  Holloway  Rd.,  N. 
Bales  &SoN,101,Leytonstone  Rd,E. 


C.  P.  Evans,  161,  Broadhurst  Gar- 
dens, West  Hampstead. 

P.  Tupnell,  72,  Peckham  Rye,  S.E. 

T.  Fisher,  108,  High  Street,  Plum- 
stead,  Kent. 

J.  Mynois&  Co.  ,517,  Harrow  Rd.,  W 

A.  J.  Sparey,  Oxford  Road,  Wal- 
thamstow. 

W.  G.  Curryer,  69,  Oxford  St.,  W 


HELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 
sending  new  and.  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  F.  Haslock,  who 
eells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  at 
frequent  intervals,  fur  the  benefit  of  the  poor  (700Q  in  number)  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  Grays,  Essex.  All  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
fender  are  inside.    Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 


CIGARETTES. 


FOR 


UNEG'JALLED 
DELICACY  AND  FLAVOR 


IN  EVERYBODY'S  MOUTH! 

Three  Bells  Cigarettes.; 

J.    &    F.    BELL,  GLASGOW. 


March  30,  IS95. 


TO-DAY. 


249 


POKER ;    AND    HOW  TO 
PLAY  IT. 


Twenty  years  ago,  to  have  acknowledged  to  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with,  and  to  a  partiality  for,  the 
game  of  poker,  would  have  been  to  court  ostracism  from 
respectable  society,  or  something  closely  akin  to'  it. 
It  was  the  "  bogey  "  of  club  committees,  who  excluded  it 
as  rigorously  from  the  card-room  as;  they  would  a 
"writter"  from  the  entrance-hall,  and  those  who,  living 
in  advance  of  their  times,  failed  to  see  the  danger  of 
its  introduction,  were  regarded  by  their  brother  com- 
nuttee-men  as  persons  quite  unworthy  of  consideration. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  with  their  views  find- 
ing acceptance  among  the  exclusively  male  section  of 
society,  the  game  was  taboo  in  the  family  circle. 

It  speaks  eloquently,  then,  for  the  inherent  strength 
and  attractiveness  of  the  game,  that  it  has  not  only 
survived  the  onslaughts  of  its  early  opponents,  but  has 
lived  down  all  prejudice,  and  now  takes  its  place  as  the 
legitimate  chief  of  all  round  games,  a  position  to  which, 
in  my  humble  opinion,  it  is  distinctly  entitled.  For, 
kept  within  reasonable  limits,  and  this  can  bo  done 
it  is  less  of  a  gamble  than  either  Loo  or  Napoleon, 
The  player  has  a  greater  control  over  his  possible  gains', 
and  losses,  and  bad  play  on  the  part  of  anyone  else  at 
the  table  necessarily  tells  in  his  favour. 

In  the  space  at  my  command  here  it  is  impossible  to 
give  more  than  a  few  hints  upon  some  of  the  principal 
points  in  this  fascinating  game,  and  these  are  directed 
especially  to  those  people  who  have  a  rudimentary  idea 
of  playing,  and  who  would  like  to  profit  by  the  experi- 
ences of  "  an  old  Parliamentary  hand."  Habitual  poker 
players  in  good  company  can  pass  on  to  the  more  inter- 
esting columns  of  this  paper;  they  will  find  but  little 
here  for  them. 

As  no  cards  are  played,  many  beginners  have  an  im- 
pression that  the  game  is  purely  one  of  hazard,  and  that, 
all  that  is  necessary  for  success  is  to  occasionally  hold 
a  strong  hand.  Let  them  sit  down  at  a  good  table,  and 
they  will  speedily  be  convinced  of  their  error.  To  be 
a  really  good  poker  player,  a  man  must  be  possessed 
of,  in  addition  to  a  sound  knowledge  of  the  game,  indomi- 
table nerve,  a  retentive  memory,  readiness  of  resource 
in  moments  of  difficulty,  and  an  insight  into  the  char- 
acter of  his  fellow-man.  Speaking  vulgarly,  this  appears 
to  be  a  "  large  order,"  but  my  experience  tells  me  that 
it  is  substantially  correct. 

In  what  follows,  I  shall  assume  that  my  readers  are  ac- 
quainted with  the  rules  of  the  game,  and  that  the  terms 
"age,"  "ante,"  "blind,"  and  "straddle,"  are  no  longer 
mysteries  to  them.  Also,  that  they  are  not  of  those 
who,  haying  mastered  the  relative  values  of  the  various 
hands,  and  the  fact  that  a  bluff  will  occasionally  beat 
anything,  think  thev  know  all  that  is  worth  learning 
about  the  game.  There  is  no  hope  for  such  as  these, 
they  must  be  left  to  get  their  lesson — -as  they  assuredly 
will — in  the  bitter  school  of  experience. 

A  very  celebrated  poker  player  in  the  States  has  put 
on  record,  in  speaking  of  this  class  of  person,  that  "a 
man  has  to  have  the  conceit  taken  out  of  him  about  a 
dozen  times  before  it  will  stay  out,  but  after  he  has  onco 
got  it  eradicated  from  his  system,  he  never  catches  it 
again.  He  can  live  right  amongst  it,  and  he  will  not 
take.  It  is  as  though  no  has  been  vaccinated.  If  you 
have  an  idea  that  vou  are  a  good  poker  player,  there  is 
no  help  for  you  till  you  get  the  conceit  worked  out  of 
you,  and  the  sooner  you  get  it  out  the  better.  Do  not 
delay  having  it  taken  out,  as  long  as  your  system  is 
in  condition  to  retain  the  seeds  of  the  disease,  but  hunt 
for  games  that  you  can  get  into,  till  you  lose  enough. 
Then  call  yourself  a  monumental,  colossal,  diabolical 
enigmatical,  ass.  and  jump  the  gaine.  You  will  never 
think  as  much  of  vourself  after  it  as  you  did  before,  but 
you  will  be  worth  more  to  Society.*' 


And  now,  to  make  a  beginning,  a  word  or  two  of 
advice  as  to  raising  the  original  entry  before  the  hands- 
are  filled.  In  this  connection,  very  much  depends  upon 
the  position  of  the  player  at  the  table.  The  value  of 
being  the  "  age,"  or  "  elder  hand,"  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated, as  being-  the  last  player  he  has  the  greatest 
opportunity  of  determining  the  strength  of  the  opposi- 
tion. In  a  minor  degree,  the  same  remark  applies  to 
the  dealer,  while  the  difficulties  of  the  position  increase 
.as  you  approach  the  "  age." 

I  Supposing  that  vou  are  dealer,  do  not  look  at  your 
cards  until  all  the  other  players  to  the  left  of  the  "  age  " 
have  declared.  This  will  give  you  an  opportunity  of 
studying  the  faces  and  demeanour  of  your  opponents, 
and  making  the  necessary  deductions  as  to  their  strength. 
If  no  raises  are  made  until  your  right  hand  neighbour 
declares,  the  probabilities  are  that  the  earlier  hands 
are  doubtful,  and  that  your  right  hand  opponent  is  pos- 
sibly bluffing.  If  you  are  born  with  a  good  hand — say 
two  pairs — then  over-raise.  It  is  then  good  odds  on 
the  rest  passing  out  up  to  your  right  hand  neighbour. 
His  remaining  in  depends  largely  upon  his  initial 
strength,  but  you  will  probably  be  his  equal  in  any 
case,  and  then  everything  will  depend  upon  the  draw. 

If  any  of  the  earlier  players  raise,  it  may  either  be  a 
monumental  bluff,  or  that  the  player  has  a  hand  on 
which  he  must  make  all  possible  profit  before  he  draws, 
such  as  a  "put"  or  set  hand.  As  you  have  invested' 
nothing,  you  had  better  go  out,  unless  your  hand  is 
much  above  the  average.  If  two  or  three  players  come- 
in  simply  seeing  the  "  blind,"  the  dealer  should  enter  on 
an  average  hand,  as  next  to  the  age  he  is  in  the  best 
position  at  the  table.  By  an  average  hand,  I  mean  a 
single  pair  better  than  the  mean — eights.  If  you  hold' 
three  of  a.  kind,  raise,  as  it  will  probably  drive  some- 
body out,  and  lessen  the  chances  against  you. 

Being  in  the  enviable  position  of  "  blind"  necessitates 
a  change  of  policy,  and  you  can  allow  yourself  a  much 
freer  hand.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  nobody  ever  gives 
the  "blind"  credit  for  strength.  Being  responsible  for 
the  "ante,"  he  is  looked  upon  as  one  who  will  come  in- 
on  nothing;  on  the  chance  of  getting  his  money  back, 
and  this  causes  them  to  force  you.  For  instance,  if  all 
the  players  pass  out  up  to  the  dealer,  it  is  odds  that, 
even  with  a  weak  hand,  he  will  make  it  double  to  play. 
But,  whatever  he  may  have,  he  credits  you  with  nothing, 
and  should  you  raise  him  back  he  will  treat  it  as.  a  bluff. 
Should  you  hold  a  pair  of  aces,  or,  better,  raise  the- 
entrance  if  nobody  else  has  done  so,  irrespective  of  the 
number  who'  are  in,  it  is  odds  they  all  see  it,  as  your 
raise  will  be  looked  on  as  a  bluff,  and  a  good  pool  will 
be  created,  which  you  certainly  will  not  have  the  worst 
chance  of  taking. 

A  word  or  two  about  the  third  position  at  the  table, 
and  I  have  done  with  the  game  anterior  to  the  draw. 
To  be  the  left-hand  player  of  the  "  age  "  is  to  occupy  the  - 
worst  seat  at  the  poker  board.  Here  you  are  always  work- 
ing in  the  dark,  for  you  have  to  take  the  initiative. 
Here  you  are  called  upon  to  display  all  the  caution 
Nature  has  blessed  you  with,  and  woo  be  unto  you  if  that 
call  should  not  be  responded  to.  My  advice  is,  never 
come  in  at  all  in  this  position  under  a  pair  of  court 
cards,  for  it  is  no  use  paying  your  entry  unless  you  are 
prepared  to  bet  after  filling  your  hand. 

Should  you  have  straddled  the  blind,  and  several  come 
in,  it  is  a  sure  sign  that  there  are  some  strong  hands  out, 
and  unless  you  are  pretty  solid  yourself  you  had  better 
sacrifice  your  straddle,  on  the  principle  that  the  first  loss 
is  likely  to  be  the  lighter.  You  have  all  the  disadvan- 
tage of  havintr  to  make  the  first  bet,  and,  the  game  not 
having  developed,  you  have  no  sure  guide  as  to  what  you 
may  expect  from  your  opponents.  Too  much  insistence 
cannot,  then,  be  made  on  the  necessity  for  caution  in  this 
unenviable  position.  Its  dangers  are  many,  and  should 
b"i  patent  to  any  thinking  player.  Should  you  enter 
injudiciously,  you  will  probably  have  reason  to  reproach 
yourself,  and  this  frequently  leads  to  your  play  being 
disturbed,  and  your  game  will  then  inevitably  suffer. 


2-jO  TO-DAY. 


March  30,  1893. 


Having  gone  at  some  little  length  into  the  question 
of  the  game  before  the  draw,  from  the  points  of  view  of 
"the  dealer,  the  age,  and  the  next  player,  I  can  take  leave 
of  it  with  the  remark  that  the  difficulties  of  the  position 
decrease  and  the  advantages  increase  as  the  player 
occupies  the  seat  nearer  the  dealer.  And  now  to  the 
draw.  Before  this  takes  place,  let  your  cards  lie  quietly 
in  front  of  you.  This  will  give  your  opponents  no 
information  as  to  whether  you  are  going  to  pass  or  stay 
in.  And,  having  drawn  and  ascertained  the  composition  of 
your  hand,  accustom  yourself  to>  playing  it  from  memory. 
If  held  in  the  hand,  even  by  veteran  players,  four  aces 
may  not  stand  so  steadily  as  a  simple  pair,  and  a 
trembling  of  the  fingers  may  betray  your  strength  to'  the 
enemy. 

If  you  have  gone  in  on  a  single  pair,  you  naturally 
draw  three  cards,  and  in  doing  so  have  something  better 
than  a  five  to  one  chance  of  improving  your  hand,  the 
chances  ranging  from  eight  to  one  against  either  making 
a  triplet,  or  two  pairs,  to  364  to-  one  against  making  four 
of  a  kind.  Presuming  that  you  have  obtained  a  second 
pair  in  the  draw,  do>  not  think  you  have  got  all  the 
world.  More  money  has  been  lost  over  "  aces  up  "  than 
on  anv  other  hand  at  poker.  A  player — even  one  who  has 
more  than  a  mere  passing  acquaintance  with  the  game — 
Adding  aces  and  kings,  will  frequently  venture  more 
upon  them  than  he  would  on  a,  small  triplet.    The  in- 


discretion very  generally  carries  its  punishment  with  it, 
but  the  experience  acquired  is  rarely  useful. 

As  a,  general  rule,  you  should  not  raise  on  two  pairs. 
Be  content  to  see  an  opponent  if  there  is  anybody  in  to  your 
left  hand,  and  go  out  should  you  be  raised.  Experience 
tells  me  that  should  you  see  the  raise,  your  curiosity 
will  be  gratified  at  the  expense1  of  your  pocket.  Another 
good  rule  to  make  is  not  to  enter  on  four  to  a  straight 
or  four  to  a  flush  unless  the  party  is  a  large  one,  and  the 
pool  is  laying  you  good  odds  to  your  money.  In  draw- 
ing to  four  to  a  straight  open  at  both  ends ;  your  chances 
of  obtaining  the  desired  card  are  as  nearly  as  possible 
one  in  six,  and  they  are  a  fraction  better  in  the  case  of 
a  flush.    These  figures  speak  for  themselves. 

Drawing  to  triplets  of  any  denomination  is  an  easy 
business,  and,  no  matter  whether  you  improve  or  not, 
you  usually  win.  By  drawing  two  cards  you  give  infor- 
mation to  the  table,  but  you  have  an  eight  to  one  chance 
of  improving,  while  you  reduce  your  opportunities  to 
one  in  twelve  by  taking  but  one  card.  In  the  latter 
case,  however,  you  obtain  an  enormous  advantage  in 
betting,  as  the  greatest  original  strength  you  are 
credited  with  is  two  pairs.  In  my  experience,  the  best- 
players  almost,  invariably  buy  one,  but  occasionally  they 
may  depart  from  the  rule,  according  to  their  position  at 
the  table,  and  the  filling  of  their  opponents'  hands. 

n 


A    BROKEN  SPUING. 


IRISH  SUPERSTITION. 


Long  time,  at  every  spring, 

My  Muse  was  wont  to  rise. 
"  The  feathered  songsters  carolling,'' 

The  beauty  of  the  skies." 
All  these  (and  other)  poet's  planks, 
The  editor  declined  with  thanks. 

And  yet  again  my  lyre 

Is  taken  from  her  place. 
Again  the  vernal  joys  inspire 

And  lend  their  wonted  grace. 
Upon  the  river's  sunny  banks 
Ily  poet  limbs  recline  with  thanks 

For  eighteen,  ninety-five, 

Has,  much  to  our  regret, 
Revived  the  most  conservative 

And  icy  etiquette ; 
To  zero,  with  Antarctic  pranks. 
The  mercury  declined  (with  thanks). 

Then,  with  the  banished  snow, 

Awake  my  soul  and  sing ! 
I  harped  on  winter  long  ago, 

To-day  I  chant  the  spring. 
And  may  all  lays  by  other  cranks 
(unlike  mine)  declined  with  thanks. 

HARRY  BELL. 


Hugh  Bronte  no  more  doubted  that  the  devil  in 
bodily  form  had  destroyed  the  potato  crop  than  he 
doubted  his  own  existence.  He  saw  the  prop  stricken 
from  under  the  family  by  a  malignant  enemy,  and  he 
would  not  tamelv  submit  to  the  personal  injury.  It 
was  both  cruel  and  unjust  that  the  devil,  who  never 
did  any  work,  should  pollute  the  fruits  of  their  toil. 
H<r  would  shame  the  fiend  out  of  his  foul  work,  and  for 
this  purpose  he  would  go  deliberately  to  the  field  and 
gather  a  basketful  of  rotten  potatoes.  Those  he  would 
carry  solemnly  to  the  brink  of  the  Glen,  and  standing 
on  the  edge  of  a.  precipice,  call  on  the  fiend  to  behold 
his  foul  and  filthy  work,  and  then  with  great  violence 
dash  them  down  as  a  feast  for  the  fetid  destroyer.  This 
ceremony  of  feasting  the  fiend  on  the  proceeds  of  his 
own  foul  work  was  often  repeated  with  fierce  and  des- 
perate energy,  and  the  "  Devil's  Dining-Room  "  is  still 
pointed  out  by  the  neighbours. 

I  knew  a  man  who  witnessed  one  of  these  scenes.  He 
spoke  of  Hugh  Bronte's  address  to  the  devil  as  being 
sublime  in  its  ferocity.  With  bare,  outstretched  hands, 
t lie  veins  of  his  neck  and  forehead  standing  out  lika 
hempen  cords,  and  his  voice  choking  with  concentrated 
passion,  he  would  apostrophise  Beelzebub  as  a  bloated 
fly,  and  call  on  him  to  partake  of  the  filthy  repast  h? 
bad  provided.  The  address  ended  with  wild,  scornful 
laughter,  as  Bronte  hurled  the  rotten  potatoes  down 
the  bank. 

The  dramatic  power  of  the  ceremony  was  so  real, 
the  spell  of  Bronte's  earnestness  was  so  contagious,  that 
my  informant,  wdio  was  not  a  superstitious  man,  de- 
clared that  for  a  few  seconds  after  Bronte's  challengj 
was  given,  he  watched  in  terror,  expecting  the  liend  to 
appear. — "  The  Brontes  In  Ixeland."    Dr.  Wm.  Wriyht. 


March  SO,  1595. 


TO-DAY. 


251 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  XT. — (Continued.) 

THE  TWO  CAMP?. 

With  all  this,  I  could  hear  nothing  of  M.  le  Cure,  one 
sgaying  tliat  he  was  here,  another  there,  a  third  that  he 
:had  gone  to  Cahors ;  and,  in  the  end,  1  returned  to  the 
'Chateau  in  a  state  of  discomfort  and  unrest  hard  to 
describe.  I  would  not  again  leave  the  front 
•of  the  house;  and  for  hours  I  paced  the  avenue, 
now  listening  at  the  gates,  or  looking  up  the 
road,  new  walking  quickly  to  and  fro  under  the  walnuts. 
In  time  evening  fell,  and  night ;  and  still  I  was  here 
■  awaiting  the  Cure's  coming,  chained  to-  the  silent  house  ; 
while  my  mind  tortured  me  with  pictures  of  what  was 
going  forward  outside.  The  restless  demon  of  the  time 
had  hold  of  me  ;  the  thought  that  I  lay  here  idle,  while 
the  world  heaved,  made  me  miserable,  filled  me  with 
shame.  When  Andre  came  at  last  to  summon  me  to 
supper,  I  swore  at  him ;  and  the  moment  I  had  done,  I 
went  up  to  the  roof  of  the  Chateau  and  watched  the 
night,  expecting  to  see  again  a  light  in  the  sky,  and  the 
■distant  glare  of  burning  houses. 

I  saw  nothing,  however,  and  the  Cure  did  not  como ; 
and,  after  a  wakeful  night,  seven  in  the  morning  saw  me 
in  the  saddle  and  on  the  road  to  Cahors.  Andre  com- 
plained of  illness,  and  I  took  Gil  only.  The  country 
round  St.  Alais  seemed  to  be  deserted  ;  but,  half  a.  league 
farther  on,  over  the  hill,  I  came  on  a  score  of  peasants 
trudging  sturdily  forward.  I  asked  them  whither  they 
were  going,  and  why  they  were  not  in  the  fields. 

"  We  are  going  to  Cahors,  Monseigneur,  for  arms," 
they  said. 

"  For  arms  !    AVhom  are  you  going  to  fight  1" 
'  The  brigands,  Monseigfieur.    They  are  burning  and 
murdering  on  every  side.    By  the  mercy  of  God,  they 
have  not  yet  visited  ua    And  tot-night  we  shall  be 
armed." 

'•  Brigands  !  "  I  said.    "  What  brigands  1 " 

But.  they  could  not  answer  that ;  and  I  left  them  in 
wonder,  and  rode  on.  I  had  not  yet  done  with  these 
brigands,  however.  Half  a.  leaguei  short  of  Cahors  I 
passed  through  a.  hamlet  where  the  same  idea  prevailed. 
Here  they  had  raised  a  rough  barricade  at  the  end  of  the 
street  towards  the  country,  and  I  saw  a  man  on  the 
church  tower  keeping  watch.  Meanwhile,  everyone  in 
•the  place  who  could  walk  had  gone  to  Cahors. 

"  Why  i "  I  asked.    "  For  what  1 " 

"  To  hear  the  news." 

Then  I  began  to  see  that  my  imagination  had  not  led 
me  astray.  All  the  world  was  heaving,  all  the  world 
was  astir.  Everyone  was  hurrying  to  hear  and  to  learn  ; 
to 'take  arms  if  he  had  never  used  arms  before,  to'  advise 
if  all  his  life  he  had  obeyed  orders,  to  do  anything  and 
everything  but  his  daily  work.  After  this,  that  I  should 
find  Cahors  humming  like  a  hive  of  bees  about  to  swarm 
and  the  Valandre  bridge  so  crowded  that  I  could  scarcely 
"force  my  way  through  its  three  gates,  and  the  queue  of 
■people  waiting  for  rations  longer  and  the  rations  shorter 
than  ever  before — after  this,  I  say,  all  these  things 
seemed  only  natural. 

Nor   was   I   much    surprised    to    find    that    as  I 


rode  through  the  streets,  wearing  the  tricolour,  I 
was  hailed  here  and  there  with  cheers.  On  the  other 
hand,  I  noticed  that  wearers  of  white  cockades  were  not 
lacking.  They  kept  the  wall  in  twos  and  threes,  and 
walking  with  raised  chins,  and  hands  on  sword- 
knots,  were  watched  askance  by  the  commonalty. 
A  few  of  them  were  known  to  me,  more  were 
strangers;  and  while  I  blushed  under  the  scorn- 
ful looks  of  the  former,  knowing  that  I  must 
seem  to'  them  a  renegade,  I  wondered  who  the  latter 
were.  Finally,  I  was  glad  to  escape  from  both  by  alight- 
ing at  Doury's,  over  Avhose  door  a  huge  tricolour  flag 
hung  limp  in  the  sunshine. 

M.  le  Cure  do  Saux?  Yes,  he  was  even  then  sitting 
with  the  Committee  upstairs.  Would  M.  le  Vicomto 
walk  up  1 

I  did  so,  through  a  press  of  noisy  people,  who  throng© J 
the  stairs  and  passages,  and  talked,  and  gesticulated, 
and  seemed  to  be  settled  there  for  the  day.  I  worked 
my  way  through  these  at  last,  the  door  was  opened,  a 
fresh  gust  of  noise  came  out  to  meet  me,  and  I  entered  the 
room.  In  it,  seated  round  a  long  table,  were  a  score  of 
men,  of  whom  some  rose  to'  meet  me,  while  others  kept 
their  seats ;  three  or  four  were  speaking  at  once,  and 
did  not  stop  on  my  entrance1.  I  recognised  at  the  farther 
end  Father  Benoit  and  Buton,  who  came  to  meet  me,  and 
Capitaine  Hugues,  who  rose,  but  continued  to 
speak.  Besides  these  there  were  two  of  the 
smaller  noblesse,  who  left  their  chairs,  and  came 
to  me  in  an  ecstasy,  Doury,  who  rose  and  sat  down 
half-a-dozen  times;  and  one  or  two  Cures  and  others  of 
that  rank,  known  to'  me  by  sight.  The  uproar  was 
great,  the  confusion  equal  to  it.  Still,  somehow,  an  1 
after  a  moment  of  tumult,  I  found  myself  receive  J  and 
placed  in  a  chair  at  the  end  of  the  table,  with  M.  le 
Capitaine'  on  one  side  of  me  and  a,  notary  of  Cahors  on 
the  other.  Then,  under  cover  of  the  noise,  I  stale  a 
few  words  with  Father  Benoit,  who  lingered  a.  moment 
beside  me. 

"  You  could  not  join  us  yesterday  ? "  he  muttered  with 
a  pathetic  look  in  his  eyes  that  only  I  understood. 

"  But  you  left  a  message,  bidding  me  wait  for  you  !  "  I 
answered. 

"  I  did  1 "  he  said.  "  No  ;  I  left  a  message  asking  you 
to  follow  us — if  it  pleased  you." 

"Then  I  never  got  it,"  I  replied.  "Andre  told 
me  " 

"AJi!  Andre,"  he  answered,  softly.  And  he  shook 
his  head. 

"  The  rascal !  "  I  said ;  "  then  he  lied  to  me  !  A  nd  " 

But  someone  called  the  Cure  to  his  place,  and  at  the 
same  instant  most  of  the  talkers  ceased  ;  a  moment,  and 
only  two>  were  left  speaking,  who1,  without  paying  the 
least  regard  to  one  another,  continued  to'  hold  forth 
to  their  neighbours,  haranguing,  one  on  the  social  con- 
tract ;  the  other  on  the  brigands — the  brigands  who  were 
everywhere  burning  the  corn  and  killing  the  people  ! 

At  last  M.  le  Capitaine,  after  long  waiting  to'  speak, 
attacked  the  former.  "Tut,  Monsieur  !"  he  said.  "This 
is  not  the  time  for  theory.  A  halfpenny-worth  of 
fact  " 

"Is  worth  a  pound  of  theory!"  the  man  of  the 
brigands — he  was  a  grocer,  I  believe — cried,  eagerly  j 
and  he  brought  his  fist  down  on  the  table. 

"  But  now  is  the  time  !  The  God-sent  time,  to  frame 
the  facts  to  the  theory ! "  the  other  screamed.    "  To 


Copyright,  1S05,  by  Stanley  J.  Weymcun. 


252 


TO-DAY. 


M akch  30,  1S05 


inm  a  perfect  system  1     To  regenerate  tie  world  I 

"To  regenerate  the  fiddlestick!"  his  opponent  an- 
swered, -with  equal  heat.    "  When  brigands  are  at  our 


to  arrange  for  them  first,  and  do  rot  deafen  M.  le 
Yieomte  with  your  chattering." 

"Hear!  hear!"  the  lawyer  cried. 

But  tins  insult  proved  too  much  for  the  man  of  tha 


X  FOUN.'j  ALL  LOOKING  AT  UE. 


very  doors !  when  our  crops  are  being  burned  and  our 
houses  plundered  !  when  " 

"Monsieur,"  the  Captain  said,  commanding  silence 
by  the  gravity  of  his  tone — "  if  you  please !  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then,  to  be  plain,  I  do  not  believe  any  more  in  your 
brigands  than  in  M.  l'Avoue's  theories." 

This  time  it  was  th  3  grocer's  turn  to  scream.  "  What  ?" 
h"  cried.  "  When  they  have  been  seen  at  Figeac,  and 
Cajarc,  and  Rodez,  and  " 

''By  whom?"  the  soldier  asked,  sharply,  interrupting 
him. 

"  Bv  hundreds." 

"  Name  one." 

"  But  it  is  notorious  !  " 

"Yes,  Monsieur — it  is  a  notorious  lie!"  M.  le  Capi- 
taina  answered,  bluntly.  "  Believe  me,  the  brigands 
with  whom  we  have  to  deal  are  nearer  home.    Allow  us 


brigands.  He  began  again,  and  others  joined  in ;  to 
my  despair,  it  seemed  as  if  the  quarrel  were  only 
beginning — as  if  peace  would  have  to  be  made  afresh. 

For  I  confess  all  this  noise,  tumult,  and  disputation, 
this  absence  of  the  politeness  to'  which  I  had  been  accus- 
tomed all  my  life,  this  vulgar  jostling  and  brawling,  de- 
pressed me  immeasurably.  I  sat  deafened,  lost  in  the 
scramble  ;  of  no  more  account,  for  the  moment,  than 
Buton.  Nay,  of  less;  for  while  I  gazed  about  me  and 
listened,  sunk  in  wonder  at  my  position  at  a  table  with 
people  of  a  class  with  whom  I  had  never  sat  down  before 
— save  at  the  chance  table  of  an  inn,  where  my  presence 
kept  all  within  bounds — it  was  Buton  who,  by  coining 
to  the  officer's  aid,  finally  gained  silence. 

"Now  you  have  had  your  say,  perhaps  you  will  let  mo 
have  mine,"  the  Captain  said,  with  acerbity,  as  soon  as 
he  could  make  himself  heard.  '*  It  is  very  well  for  you. 
M.  l'Avoue,  and  you.  Monsieur — I  have  forgotten  your 
name — you  are  not  fighting  men,  and  my  difficulty  does. 


TVIarch  30,  189.5. 


TO-DAY. 


253 


•xot  affect  you.  -But  there  are  half-a-dozen  at  this  table 
who  are  placed  as  I  am,  and  they  understand.  You  may 
organise ;  but  if  your  officers  are  carried  off  every  morn- 
ing, you  will  not  go  far." 

"  How  carried  off  ? "  the  lawyer  cried,  puffing  out  his 
thin  cheeks.    "  Members  of  the  Committee  of  " 

''How?"  M.  le  Capitaine  rejoined,  cutting  him  shojt 
without  ceremony — "  by  the  prick  of  a  small  sword ! 
Ycu  do  not  understand ;  but,  for  some  of  us,  we  cannot 
go  thre.3  paces  from  this  door  without  risk  of  an  insult 
and  a  challenge." 

"  That  is  true ! "  the  two  gentlemen  at  the  foot  of  the 
table  cried. 

"  It  is  true,  and  more,"  the  Captain  continued,  warm- 
ing as  he  spoke.  "  It  is  no  chance  work,  but  a  plan. 
It  is  their  plan  for  curbing  us.  I  have  seen  three  men 
in  the  streets  to-day,  who,  I  can  swear,  are  fencing- 
masters  in  fine  clothes. 

"Assassins  !  "  the  lawyer  cried,  pompously. 

"  That  is  all  very  well,"  Ungues  said,  more  soberly. 
But  what  is  to  be  done  ?  If  we  cannot  move  abroad 
without  a  challenge  . and  a  duel,  we  are  helpless.  You 
will  have  all  your  leaders  picked  off." 

"Be  sure  the  people  will  avenge  you!"  the  lawyer 
said,  with  a  grand  air. 

M.  le  Capitaine  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Thank  you 
for  nothing,"  he  said. 

Father  Benuit  interposed.  "At  present,"  he  said, 
anxiously,  "I  think  that  there  is  only  one  thing  to  be 


SUPERSTITIONS  OF  WAR  CORRES 
PONDENTS. 


A   CHAT   WITH   FRED.  VILLIERS. 


We  were  talking  about  presentiments,  and  Frederick 
Villiers,  the  veteran  war  correspondent,  fresh  from  his 
ninth  campaign,  said  in  that  quiet,  careless  way  of  his  : 

"  When  a  man  goes  into  a  fight  feeling  that  he  is 
jjoing  to  die,  why,  he  generally  does  die.  It's  queer,  but 
Us  a  fact," 

"  Do  you  believe  that? "  I  asked,  much  surprised. 

Villiers  nodded,  and  proceeded  to  tell  stories. 

"  I  don't  suppose  I'll  ever  forget  the  face  of  a  young 
.ieutenant  I  used  to  see  a  good  deal  of  in  the  Russo- 
lurkish  war.  We  were  great  friends,  although  he  was 
a  Prussian,  and  he  used  to  tell  me  all  about  a  girl  he 
loved.  He  used  to  get  letters  from  her  regularly,  but 
there  came  a  time  when  these  stopped  suddenly ;  there 
was  some  delay  in  the  mails,  but  the  poor  chap  didn't 
know  that.  He  got  very  blue  about  it,  and  one  day, 
just  before  the  big  affair  in  the  Shipka  Pass,  he  said 
to  me : 

"  '  I'll  never  get  that  letter.    I  know  I  won't.' 

"  Why  not  ? "  said  I,  wishing  to  cheer  him  up. 

"  '  Because  I  am  going  to  be  shot.' 

"  Next  day  the  fighting  came  on — hot  fighting,  I  can 
tell  you,  and  the  second  day  my  friend  was  seriously 
wounded.  The  third  day  he  was  shot  dead,  and  the 
fourth  day  the  letter  from  his  sweetheart  arrived  with 
her  photograph." 

Villiers  thought  awhile,  then  said  : 

"  That  was  a  presentiment,  wasn't  it?" 

Then  Villiers  told  how  he  saw  his  comrade,  Paul 
Cameron,  die  out  in  Africa. 

"It  was  during  the  Dongola  trouble,  and  we  were  get- 
ting ready  to  move  our  column  across  the  desert  to 
Khartoum.  Paul  was  in  high  feather,  having  received 
splendid  compliments  from  his  paper,  the  London 
Standard,  with  promise  of  increased  salary  and  a  large 


done.  You  have  said,  M.  le  Capitaine,  that  some  of  the 
Committee  are  not  fighting-men.  Why,  I  would  ask, 
should  any  tight,  and  play  into  our  opponents'  hands  1 " 

"  Par  Dieu !  I  think  that  you  are  right ! "  Hugues 
answered,  frankly.  And  he  looked  round  as  if  to  collect 
opinions.  "  Why  should  we  ?  I  am  sure  that  I  do  not 
wish  to  fight.    I  have  given  my  proofs." 

There  was  a  short  pause,  during  which  we  looked  at 
one  another  doubtfully.  "Well,  why  not?"  the  Captain 
said,  at  last.  '' This  is  not  play,  but  business.  We  are 
no  longer  gentlemen  at  large,  but  soldiers  under  dis- 
cipline." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  stiffly,  for  I  found  all  looking  at  me. 
"But  it  is  difficult,  M.  le  Capitaine,  for  men  of  honour 
to  divest  themselves  of  certain  ideas.  If  we  are  not  to 
protect  ourselves  from  insult,  we  sink  to  the  level  cf 
beasts." 

"  Have  no  fear,  M.  le  Vicomte !  "  Buton  cried,  abruptly. 
"  The  people  will  not  suffer  it !  " 

"No,  no;  the  people  will  not  suffer  it !"  one  or  two 
echoed;  and  for  a  moment  the  room  rang  with  cries  cf 
indignation. 

"  Well,  at  any  rate,"  the  Captain  said,  at  last,  "  all  are 
now  warned.  And  if,  after  this,  they  fight  lightly,  thev 
do  it  with  full  knowledge  that  they  are  playing  their 
adversaries'  game.  I  hope  all  understand  that.  For 
my  i  art,"  he  continued,  with  a  dry  laugh,  "they  may 
cane  me  ;  I  shall  net  fight  them  !  I  am  no  fool  1" 
(To  be  continued.) 


retaining  fee.  Everything  seemed  full  of  bright  pro" 
mise  to  him,  but  suddenly,  for  no  apparent  reason,  he 
became  gloomy  and  morose. 

"  '  I'm  afraid,  old  man,  I  shan't  live  long  to  enjoy  my 
good  luck.' 

"  That's  what  he  said  to  me  one  day,  and  the  words 
haunted  me,  for  I  had  seen  too  many  cases  of  deatli 
following  such  a  presentiment  not  to  fear  for  him.  A 
little  later,  we  went  into  the  battle  of  Abu  Klea,  and  I 
never  gripped  a  man's  hand  with  more  rejoicing  than  I 
did  Cameron's  when  I  found  him  safe  and  sound  after 
the  engagement. 

"  'You  see,'  said  I,"  these  presentiments  don't  amount 
to  much  after  all.' 

"  But  Paul  shook  his  head  and  remained  depressed. 
Two  days  later  we  were  attacked  in  the  desert,  and 
Paul  was  lying  not  five  yards  away  from  me  beside  a 
camel.  In  these  desert  rights  the  smaller  force  is 
always  huddled  together,  men  and  beasts,  in  a  compact 
circle  on  a  knoll,  the  enemy  attacking  from  all  sides. 
We  simply  had  to  lay  there  and  take  it,  cursing,  pray- 
ing, and  fighting  as  well  as  we  could.  I  heard  the  ping 
of  a  bullet  near  me,  and  looking  Paul's  way  saw  that 
the  poor  chap's  fears  had  come  true.  He  lay  there  on 
the  sand  dead." 

Villiers  went  on  to  explain,  what  is  not  generally 
appreciated,  that  war  correspondents  who  do  their  duty 
are  exposed  to  greater  danger  and  suffer  a  greater 
mortality  than  any  other  class  connected  with  an  army. 

"I  remember  where  eight  of  us  started  in  a  little 
African  campaign,  and  four  of  us  never  came  out  of  it. 
I  guess  most  of  the  boys  who  died  there  thought  they 
were  going  to  die.  That's  the  beauty  of  it,  you  see  ;  if 
a  fellow  thinks  he  is  going  to  get  through  all  right, 
why,  he  will ;  only  you  can't  regulate  your  thoughts." 

"  How  large  a  percentage  of  war  correspondents  get 
killed?" 

"About  fifty  per  cent.,  I  should  say,"  answered 
Villiers — "  no,  make  it  sixty  per  cent/' 
Then  came  more  stories'. 

"I'll  tell  you  another  queer  thing.  Sometimes  a  man 


254 


TO-DAY. 


March  30,  1503. 


can  tell  when  another  is  going  to  be  killed.  I've  had 
that  experience  once  or  twice.  I  remember  once  when 
I  was  in  London  for  a  little  rest  I  met  a  man  whose 
face  caught  my  eye.  I  kept  staring  at  him — I  couldn't 
help  it. 

"  '  By  Jove,'  I  said  to  myself,  '  that  fellow  looks  as  ii 
he  was  going  to  be  shot.' 

"  Some  months  later  we  were  both  in  Suakim  as  war 
correspondents  for  London  papers.  Quite  a  coincidence, 
wasn't  it?  I  kept  thinking  of  this  presentiment  of 
mine  about  him,  but  was  careful  not  to  tell  him.  Every 
time  we'd  have  trouble,  though,  I'd  keep  thinking  about 
it,  and  whenever  I'd  meet  him  I'd  call  out : 

"  '  Well,  my  boy,  how  are  you  by  this  time  ?' 

"  This  got  to  be  quite  a  joke  between  us,  and  he 
would  always  reply  with  a  mock  military  salute  : 

"  'All  right,  Villiers.' 

"Well,  we  went  into  that  nasty  mess  at  Tamai,  in 
the  Eastern  Soudan,  and  our  square  got  all  broken  up. 
My  friend  was  with  the  Marines  on  the  rear  face,  and 
when  things,  got  pretty  bad  the  boys  down  there  came 
rallying  up  to  join  the  42nd  Highlanders,  where  I  was. 
I  saw  him  plunging  past,  black  with  smoke,  but  all  right, 
and  I  sung  out  the  same  as  usual : 

"  'Well,  my  boy,  how  are  you  by  this  time?' 

"  He  heard  me  over  the  noise  of  the  Arab  devils,  and 
lifted  his  hand  for  the  old  salute. 

"  'All  right,  Vil — '  was  all  he  could  say,  when  befell 
flat  with  a  ball  through  his  head  and  the  horses  and  men 

o 

trampling  over  him. 

"  '  He's  gone,'  I  said  to  myself,  and  kept  thinking  of 
him  all  through  the  battle.  Two  years  later  I  was 
taking  dinner  with  some  friends  in  Greenwich  when 
who  should  walk  in  but  the  same  man  whose  bones  were 
whitening  in  the  desert,  as  I  supposed. 

"  '  You  see  they  didn't  kill  me  after  all,'  he  said.  '  The 
ball  only  took  off  a  part  of  my  head,  and  here  I  am,1 
which  goes  to  show  that  you  can't  have  a  presentimcn 
for  another  fellow." 

"Did  you  ever  have  a  presentiment  yourself?"  i 
asked. 

"Certainly  not,"  said  Villiers,  "otherwise  I  shouldn't 
oe  here.  I  have  been  through  dozens  of  battles  ;  I've 
had  horses  and  camels  shot  under  me,  and  my  clothes 
cut  by  bullets,  but  I've  never  got  so  much  as  a  scratch. 
But  wait  till  I  get  a  presentiment.  I  came  near  having 
one  at  this  Port  Arthur  affair,  very  near.  You  know 
the  engagement  began  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
all  through  the  previous  night  we  had  been  on  the 
march,  climbing  up  steep  roads  to  the  great  mountain 
table-land  where  the  Chinese  forts  were.  I  hadn't  slept 
much  for  days,  and  as  my  little  donkey  stumbled  along, 
hour  after  hour,  through  the  silence  of  the  night,  I  felt 
a  sense  of  despondency  taking  possession  of  me.  Then 
I  noticed  that  a  horned  moon  was  shining  in  the 
sky,  always  a  bad  omen  to  soldiers." 

"  '  Is  that  for  me,'  I  said  to  myself,  looking  at  the 
silver  points.     '  Is  this  going  to  be  my  turn  ?' 

"  When  the  guns  began  firing  at  the  dawn  the  moon 
with  its  sinister  horns  was  still  shining,  but  low  on  the 
horizon  now,  and  right  over  the  Chinese  forts.  When 
I  saw  that  I  got  as  merry  as  a  boy.  I  understood  that 
the  moon's  menace  was  only  for  the  wretched  Chinamen, 
and  rode  about  among  the  shells  as  light-hearted  as  if 
I  had  been  in  a  ballroom.  I  knew  no  harm  was  coming 
to  me,  and  none  came." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  rode  on  a  donkey  all  through 
the  battle  ? " 

"I  rode  on  the  donkey  as  long  as  the  little  beast 
would  let  me.  But  donkeys,  like  horses,  don't  enjoy  the 
shriek  of  shells.  You  know  a  shell  passing  six  feet 
away  from  a  man  will  blow  him  over,  and  passing 
within  two  feet  of  him  will  make  him  deaf  for  life,  and 
perhaps  kill  him  outright.  So  1  had  to  walk  about  the 
field  most  of  the  day  ;  indeed,  I  generally  prefer  to  be 
on  my  own  legs  under  action." 

Then  Villiers  told  another  story. 


"  I  must  tell  you  about  the  time  I  charged  a  Russian 
battery  all  alone,  or  rather  it  was  a  crazy  horse  that  I 
was  on  that  did  it,  and  I  stayed  with  the  horse.  This 
was  in  the  Russo-Turkish  campaign  at  the  battle  on  the- 
river  Lorn.  Archibald  Forbes  and  I  had  gone  ahead 
skirmishing  between  the  lines  during  the  engagement,  a 
very  foolish  proceeding.  My  horse  suddenly  took  fright 
and  ran  away  straight  toward  the  lines  of  the  enemy, 
the  Turks.  I  managed  to  saw  his  head  round,  and  then 
he  charged  straight  up  for  the  slope  at  the  Russia  bat- 
tery, which  was  spitting  out  hell-fire  at  the  opposing 
army.  I  saw  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  let  the- 
brute  have  his  way,  and  up  we  went  toward  the  guns, 
the  horse  running  like  mad,  and  I  hugging  his  neck. 
When  he  reached  the  parapet  he  paused  just  a  second  to 
gather  his  strength,  and  then  with  a  splendid  bound, 
cleared  the  line  of  discharging  cannons  and  landed  me 
among  the  astonished  gunners,  who  immediately  put  me 
under  arrest  and  dragged  me  before  the  commanding 
officer." 

"And  what  did  he  do?" 

"Oh,  he  laughed,"  answered  Villiers. 

— The  Illustrated  American. 


NEIGHBOURS  OF  OURS.* 

Mr.  Nuvinson  evidently  thinks  that  one  can't  have 
too  much  of  a  good  thing.  The  stories  in  this  book  are 
very  readable  and  interesting ;  some  of  them  unusually 
so,  but  they  are  all  written  in  the  same  vein  and  in  the 
same  dialect,  and  the  repetition  becomes  a  trifle  monoton- 
ous. Intending  readers  are,  therefore,  advised  not  to  hurry 
through  the  book,  but  to  take  the  stories  at  intervals. 
The  best  thing  is  "  The  St.  George  of  Rochester."  It 
is  a  tale  told  by  a  sick  bargeman  to  a  friend.  A 
description  of  the  man's  appearance  as  he  lies  in  bed  is 
given  by  a  younger  visitor — 

Gettin'  upstairs,  we  found  old  Timmo  lyin'  on  'is  bed  quite- 
still,  with  a  decent  brown  blanket  over  'im,  and  a  candle 
burnin'  ;  and  the  docter  'ad  took  and  stuck  a  Bible  or 
somethink  o'  that  under  'is  head  to  prop  it  up.  And  one  of 
'is  arms  was  layin'  out  over  the  blanket  bare  from  the 
shoulder,  and  0  my  soul  !  it  was  just  like  the  front  leg  of 
a  carthorse,  barrin'  the  extry  finish  about  the  'and.  But  'is. 
grey  eyes  seemed  kind  o'  bigger  nor  usual,  and  'is  nose 
and  tuft  o'  beard  more  peaky,  and  'is  ole  face  some'ow 
pale  fur  all  its  bein'  dark  brown  as  a  bit  o'  seasoned 
wood — a  deal  darker  nor  what  'is  'air  was,  that  bein' 
yellerish  and  burnt  near  white  at  the  roots  by  the  sun. 

The  old  man  is  married.  The  visitors  try  to  cheer 
his  wife  up  by  assurances  that  "  things  will  be  better 
soon."  "  They  couldn't  be  worse,"  was  her  character- 
istic reply,  "  cos  if  they  was,  we'd  any'ow  'ave  'is  club- 
money  to  draw  and  live  on."  It  is  easy  to  infer  from 
this  what  kind  of  wife — his  third — the  poor  old  man 
has  married,  and  when  he  tells  his  tale  to  his  friend — 
with  his  wife  out  of  ear-shot — the  remembrance  of 
his  present  condition  of  life  adds  an  additional  pathos 
to  the  story.  He  had  once  been  in  love  with  a  woman. 
He  was  on  his  barge,  near  the  Old  Swan  Pier,  when  he 
first  saw  her.  Here  is  his  account  of  the  impression 
she  produced  on  him,  and  their  method  of  intro- 
duction : — 

It's  fifteen  years  agone  or  more,  but  there  she  was, 
standin'  in  flesh  and  blood,  with  somethink  of  a  white 
dress  on,  and  a  kind  of  bluish  cloak,  so  as  yer  might 
almost  'ave  took  'er  for  a  'orspital  nurse.  So  she  stands 
lookin'  at  me,  and  now  and  again  I  gets  a  sideways  look 
at  her  in  settin'  up  the  gear.  And  each  time  as  I  looks  I 
says  to  myself,  "  She's  all  right,"  I  says. 

Now  it  so  'appens  I'm  one  o'  them  as  can't  abcar  to  see 
a  female  by  'ersclf  and  me  not  speak  to  'er.  It's  a  kind  of 
unperlite  not  to  speak,  and  she  takes  it  as  such.  "  Oh,"  she- 
says  to  'crself — an}-  female  does — "so  I  ain't  good-lookin' 
enough  to  be  spoke  to,  ain't  I?"  and  that  makes  er  wild. 
So  just  as  we'd  cast  off,  and  was  swingin'  slow  round  by 
the  pier-end,  the  water  bein'  at  the  slack,  I  got  up  close 

•"Neighbours  of  Ours,"  by  Henry  W.  Nevinson.  (J.  W.  Arrowsmitlv 
Bristol,  8s.  6iU 


March  30,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


255 


agen  the  side,  and  looks  up  at  'er,  and  says  quite  gentle  : 
"  Eh,  Miss"  (I  was  goin'  to  say  "  My  Dear,"  butsome'ow  I 
stuck  in  "  Miss  "  instead).  "  Eh,  Miss,"  I  says,  "  it's  I  wish 
as  you  was  comin'  down  the  water  with  me,  I  do."  "  I  am 
coming,"  she  says,  and  steps  down  on  the  gunwale  as 
cool  as  gettin'  into  a  penny  'bus. 

The  description  of  the  river  in  the  early  morning  is 
excellent ;  too  good,  in  fact,  to  come  from  a  bargee, 
notwithstanding  the  recital  of  his  love  story  : — 

And  often  and  often,  as  we  was  just  droppin'  up  or  down 
with    the    tide     and  a    gentle   draught,    all   sails  set, 
I've    stood    at  the  tiller  in  the  early  mornin',  and 
seen  the  sky  and  the  water  all  turnin'   white  with  the 
daylight  and  maybe  a  bit  of  a  mist  just  rishi'  off  the 
river,   and   the    Warspite    and  Arethma  trainin'  ships 
looking  big  above  it,  and  a  gull  or  two  flappin'  around 
to    see     what    they    could    get,    and    the  sea-birds 
calling'    and    pipin'    from    the    mud    along  the  banks, 
and    I've    'eard    little    sounds    of    movin'     in  the 
cabin     under     my     feet,     and     I've     knowed  in 
myself  'twas  she  gettin'  up  and  washin'  'crself,  and  light  in' 
the  fire  for  our  breakfast.      And  then  I've  seen  the  blue 
smoke  comin'  out  of  the  little  chimbley.    And  after  that 
she'd  slide  back  the  'atch  and  put  'er  'cad  out  so  smilin'  and 
clean,  for  all  the  world  to  match  the  mornin'  !    But  the  rest 
o'  the  time  when  she  wasn't  workin',  as  she  liked  to  call 
it,  she  was  mostly  layin'  aft  on  the  canvas,  and  at  such  times 
I  always  took  the  tiller  myself,  so  as  to  be  ready  near  'er  if 
wanted  But  all  the  time  she  kep'  'erself  un- 
common quiet,  barrin'  sometimes  of  a  frosty  night  I'd  'ear  'cr 
come  on  deck,  and  lookin'  out  I'd  see  'er  walking  up  and 
down,  up  and  down,  with  nothing  but  the  stars  and  the 
river-lights   to   see,    and    praps   a  great  furnace  fiarin' 
away  in  the  dark  with  a  mouth  like  'ell-fire.    But  somehow 
she  always  got  kind  ot  uneasy  and  unrestin'  as  soon  as  ever 
we  put  up  to  London  Bridge,  and  as  long  as  we  lay  alongside 
the  wharf,  she  kep'  'erself  in  the  cabin  till  the  evenin'." 
Of  course  the  man  falls  love  with  his  strange  passen- 
ger, who,  however,  completely  forestalls  "  The  Woman 
Who  Did  "  by  refusing  to  marry  him.    The  rest  of  the 
story  is  a  simple  tragedy,  told  with  a  natural  pathos. 
At  the  end  the  visitor,  who  has  listened  so  intently  to  it 
all,  says  good-bye  and  goes  home  again.    He  recounts 
the  story  to  his  wife,  who  is  not  sentimental. 

Lord  !  what  fools  you  men  make  of  yerselves  with  thinkm' 
this  and  that  !  As  if  the  woman  wasn't  mighty  glad  to  get 
somewheres  to  'ave  'cr  child  in  quiet  and  a  line,  strong  man 
workin'  to  feed  'em  both.  Lovin'  of  'im,  indeed  !  Ger 
along  !  Soon  as  she  'adn't  got  no  more  need  on  'im  she's  off, 
same  as  anybody  else.  And  serve  him  right,  for  bein'  such 
a  sorft-'ead.  Now,  mind  you  don't  get  'angin'  about  no 
wharves  lookin'  after  artful  females  !  Ladies,  indeed  !  It 
ain't  that  word  I  calls  'em  ! 
Another  good  story  is  entitled  "  An  Aristocrat  of 
Labour."    It  concerns  the  doings  of  a  drunken  old 


THE  COMING  RACE. 


The  lowpath  bef.iveen  Putney  and  Hammersmith  is 
crowded  with  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  from 
bishops  {apparently)  to  bounders  (certainly),  all  with  a 
fine  air  of  non-expectancy ,  as  if  they  were  merely  taking 
a  stroll.  Nobody  is  quite  sure  ivhat  time  the  crews  will 
be  out,  yet  is  afraid  to  own  it  lest  he  should  appear  a 
rank  outsider. 

'Aeby.  Kymbridge  ain't  in  it  this  time  I  tell  yer — 
not  but  wot  I  always  backs  Dark  Blue.  True  Blue's 
my  colour. 

A  'Varsity  Max  (overhearing).  Rough  on  Oxford 
that,  isn't  it?  I  can't  think  why  we  attract  all  the 
cads. 

His  Friend.  They  think  light  blue  unbecoming,  I 
fancy.  I  suppose  they  are  the  buttresses  of  the  British 
constitution,  these  Arries,  but  I  would  rather  they 
supported  the  other  side. 

Arry  (to  his  chum).  Those  dowdy  chaps  college 
men?  Ger  long;  they  ain't  'alf  smart  enough  !  Real 
Oxford  men  have  tasty  ideas  in  ties.  Why,  I  seen  'em 
myself  last  August  in  Oxford. 

His  Chum  (with  a  hazy  idea  of  such  a  thing  as  the 
Long  Vac).  I  thought  the  collidges  had  'olidays  all 
the  'ot  weather. 


reprobate,  who  lives  on  his  two  daughters  and  their 
husbands.    His  lodgings— or  rather  his  one  room  — 

Was  just  as  small  as  ever  I  see  one,  a  reg'lar  one-and- 
sixer,  and  dear  at  a  shillin'.  Bar  the  bed  and  an  old  box 
where  'e  kep'  'is  cup  and  saucer  and  sugar  and  off-shirt  and 
towel  and  blackin'  brush  and  extry  socks,  there  wasn't 
nothink  in  it  but  a  big  black  picture  on  the  wall,  showin'  an 
old  man  in  a  green  coat  with  a  gun  in  one  'and  and  a  dead 
bird  in  the  other,  and  'e  starin'  at  it  as  if  'e  was  fair 
astonished  at  'isself  for  'avin'  'it  the  bird,  and  'alf  thought 
it  was  shammin'  dead  to  'ave  a  game  with  'im.  And  runnin' 
all  round  was  a  big  frame  with  flourishes.  Solid  gold  it  'ad 
been  at  one  time,  but  now,  same  as  Sister  Mary's  canary,  it 
'ad  started  comin'  through  the  dye. 
Although  the  old  man's  life  is  one  long  loafing,  he 
occasionally  has  higher  aspirations  : — 

I  ain't  'appy  now,  let  alone  bein'  good,  as  'ad  ought  to  be 
the  natural  consequence.  I've  been  a  elussy  casual  all  my 
time,  Jacko,  but  the  glory  of  casuals  is  vanishin'  like  a 
bloomin'  arf-pint.  Take  a  feller  same  as  you:  'e  gets  up  of 
a  mornin'  ;  'e  'as  'is  bread  and  butter  waiting  for  'im,  'cos 
'is, mother  or  wife  'as  got  up  fust.  Then  Vs  got  'is  work 
afore  'im;  'e  knows  where  to  go,  and'e  goes.  Now  take  me: 
there  ain't  no  call  in  partickler  for  me  to  get  up  at  all ; 
there  ain't  no  bread  and  butter  waitin'  for  me,  nor  no  work 
to  think  on  and  curse  at,  nor  no  place  to  go  to.  It  don't 
make  no  sort  o'  diff'rence  which  way  I  goes,  'ere  or  there. 
I  just  'angs  about  lookin'  for  a  job,  and  when  I  stands 
watchin'  the  fellers  pullin'  at  the  ropes,  or  carryin'  bales,  or 
loadin'  up  a  'old,  strike  me,  Jacko  !  there's  somethink  in 
my  arms  fair  sets  up  achin'  for  the  work,  same  as  in  a 
sucklin'  mother's  breasts  when  she  'ears  'er  baby  callin'  for 
'cr.  And  then,  me  sittin'  idly  by,  maybe  an  old  mate 
treats  mo  to  somethink ;  and  so  it  goes  on,  the  drink 
actin'  powerful  on  an  empty  belly.  And  to  pass  the  time 
away,  I  starts  bettin'  agen  myself  and  the  barges  as  goes 
along,  or  I  plays  the  old  game  of  settin'  two  worms  on  a 
flagstone  and  layin'  which'll  wriggle  itself  off  fust.  But 
there  ain't  no  real  business  in  such  things.  And  as  to 
'orses  and  such  I  still  has  my  fane}7,  and  many's  the  man 
as  comes  to  take  my  advice  in  layin'  a  sportsmanlike  tanner. 
But  as  to  me  myself — why,  what's  the  good  of  'avin'  an 
opinion,  if  yer  ain't  prepared  to  back  it." 

Mr.  Nevinson  knows  his  characters  thoroughly,  and 
he  has  been  very  fortunate  in  making  them  speak. 
Every  now  and  again  wo  come  across  an  unusual  phrase 
or  description  that  could  hardly  have  been  invented,  or 
if  it  has,  the  imitation  is  quite  as  good  as  the  original. 
It  is  a  great  pity  that  the  author  has  not  put  more 
variety  into  the  work.  A  little  change  in  the  style  and 
treatment  of  the  stories  would  have  been  all  that  is 
necessary,  and  the  book  would  then  appeal  to  a  muck 
wider  circle.  As  it  is,  however,  there  is  not  an 
uninteresting  story  in  the  book.  W.  P. 


A  Middle-aged  Man  (to  lady  friends).  Why  do  alL 
the  Cambridge  crew  stand  outside  on  the  balcony  of  the 
Leander  Club?  I  don't  know — makes  me  tired,  that  it 
does. 

His  Sister  (presumably).  I  expect  they  like  to  be 
looked  at.  Don't  think  much  of  them  (puts  up  her 
opera  glasses  and  inspects  them  calmly,  at  the  distance- 
of  a  narroiv  road  only).  That  one  by  the  door's  not 
bad  looking. 

Middle  -aged  Man.  In  my  time  we  were  hard  att 
it,  reading  for  the  next  schools,  until  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  before  the  time  for  a  spin.  No  loafing  on  balconies 
in  light  blue  blazers  in  my  time  (scornfully).  Yen 
would  never  have  caught  me  up  there  (ivhich,  as  his- 
appearance  suggests  no  '  Varsity  past,  save,  jwssibly,  as  a 
gyp,  or  scout,  is  probably  a  veracious  statement). 

His  Sister  (as  a  smart  'eight  carry  down  their  boat, 
and  start  away  in  excellent  style).    Is  that  Oxford? 

Middle-aged  Man  (not  very  convincingly).  Dark 
blue  in  stripes  ?  No  !  That  is  a  Thames  club.  What, 
duffers  !  In  my  time  we  had  just  such  a  crew — a  lot 
of  dons,  who  had  been  old  rowing-men — we  called  'em 
"  The  Ancient  Mariners  "  (laughs  heartily  at  the  witty 
anecdote).  I  believe  they  pulled  better  than  that  lot. 
(7 he  eight  in  question,  a  most  admirable  creiv,  fade  in 
the  distance.) 

His  Sister.    Let's  go  round  the  other  side,  and  look 


256 


TO-DAY. 


March  SO,  ISOj. 


at  the  people.  I  want  to  see  what  to  wear  on  the 
Boat-race  day. 

'Varsity  Man  (icho  has  enjoyed  the  overheard  gossip 
liucely).  Does  she  think  our  people  come  out  for  a 
dress  rehearsal  to-day  1 

The  Crowd  (as  the  Cambridge  crew  are  called  together, 
and  disappear  ivithin  the  club-house) .  They  are  going 
to  change  now.  (Everybody  repeats  this,  as  an  infinitely 
shrezed  supposition  he  had  just  lighted  upon.) 

2fore  eights  and  fours  arrive  un  the  course.  Steam- 
launches,  with  huge  advertisements  of  the  sporting  papers, 
puff  jauntily  up  and  anchor  opposite  the  landing-stage. 
Tandems,  victorias,  and  family  coaches  arrive  and  pull 
up  on  the  bank.  It  is  curious  to  note  that  only  bare  feet 
■and  rags  are  adorned  with  rosettes  ;  a  few  shop-boys  have 
bits  of  blue,  but  all  the  well-dressed  men  and  women  have 
no  hint  of  blue  about  them. 

Crowd.  There  they  are  again !  Don't  they  look 
funny?  (The  balcony  is  again  invaded  by  the  eight, 
scantily  clad,  as  befits  their  work.  They  seem  unused  to 
appearing  among  their  lady  friends  and  in  full  publicity 
■so  decollete — in  fact,  they  blush,  especially  a  J  regards 
■their  legs,  to  a  rosy  red.) 

Policeman  (to  crowd).  Farther  back,  please  ;  farther 
back,  please.  (As  in  place  of  a  narrow  lane  cleared  Jor 
the  other  eights  a  broad  space  is  opened,  from  the  boat- 
house  to  the  writer.  The  Hobbies  push,  and  the  crowd 
hold  their  own  in  a  sort  of  "  King  of  the  Cajtle  "  game, 
which  both  ])arties  appear  to  enjoy.) 

The  Cambridge  Eight  go  by  in  dead  silence,  with  an 
•air  of  the  eyes  of  Europe — or,  at  least,  of  Putney — being 
upon  them.  In  comparison  with  their  stately  demeanour 
the  Sphinx  herself  would  look  an  ogling  flirt.  They 
solemnly  embark. 

The  Crowd.  That's  Cambridge  !  (This  obvious 
■remark  is  all  they  are  able  to  utter,  so  completely  has  the 
'Varsity  nonchalance  crushed  them.) 

Little  Child  (as  the  boat  rotes  swiftly  away).  Is 
that  Cambridge  ? 

Fond  Mother  (with  a  glance  at  bystanders,  lest  they 
should  not  notice  the  acute  perception  of  Iter  offspring). 
Ves,  dear. 

Little  Child.  Where's  Oxford  1  You  promised  I 
-should  see  Oxford.    Boo-hoo  !    (  Weeps  violently.) 

Fond  Mother  (with  splendid  disregard  of  truth, 
points  to  a  lubberly  crew  of  four  in  a  tub).  That's 
Oxford,  dear. 

Little  Child  (brightening  up).  Then  I'm  for  Cam- 
bridge. 

Well-informed  Youth.  Yes,  that  little  chap's  the 
•coxswain.    My  brother  knew  him  at  Christ  Church. 

Better-informed  Youth.  At  "the  House?" — how 
funny.  How  is  it  he's  Cambridge  now  ? 


Well-informed  Youth  (hastily).  I  mean  the  fellow 
who  just  passed  in  a  dark  blue  sweater.  By  the  way, 
let's  go  on  and  see  the  Oxford  men.  (Hopes  his  friend 
knows  where  their  bcathouse  may  be,  as  he  has  no  notion.) 

Better-informed  Yolth.  All  right,  lead  the  way, 
old  boy.    I  have  never  been  here  before  in  race  week. 

Elderly  Clergyman  (looking  like  a  rather  rural 
dean).  Surprised  to  see  me  here  (chuckles).  Why  I 
always  come.  I  pulled  in  the  University  Eight  in  '53 — 
we  made  record  time.  Dear  me,  it  seems  only  a  year  or 
two  ago  ;  we  did  not  draw  such  crowds  then  nor  did  we 
have  the  Press  steamboats  after  us.  Yet,  somehow,  de- 
spite the  gratification  one  cannot  help  feeling  to  see 
how  the  race  has  attracted  the  British  public,  I  think 
I  like  the  purely  inter-Collegiate  rivalry  best. 

'Arry  (icho  has  not  overheard  the  above).  Wonder  wot 
that  old  bloke's  a  doin'  of  here  ?  I  guess  he's  the  chap  as 
told  his  congregation  to  be  like  the  Oxford  men  and 
keep  their  eyes  on  the  winnin'  post  all  thro'  the  race. 
Parsons  are  bloomin'  duffers,  ain't  they,  Bill  1 

Bill  (tvho  did  overhear  it).  Stow  that,  old  boy.  That 
bloke  rowed  in  the  race  onco,  he  saj7s. 

'Arry.  Good  old  Ananias.  Likely  they'd  let  a  parson 
row,  ain't  it  ?  Come  along,  let's  get  a  boat  and  have  some 
larks.  We  had  a  bloomin'  spree  lars  week  ;  got  right  in 
front  of  a  race,  and  bossed  their  bloomin'  show  for  'em. 
Lor',  how  they  did  cus  and  swear  ;  had  to  stop  it,  and 
declare  all  bets  off.  I  larfed  until  I  nearly  doubled  up. 
Lor',  how  I  did  larf. 

Bill.    Didn't  they  run  yer  in? 

'Arry.  Who  are  you  a  gettin'  at  ?  Run  me  in  !  Why 
I  had  as  much  right  there  as  them.    Come  on. 

Old  Clergyman  (making  way  for  'Arry  and  Bill).  I 
like  to  see  these  young  men,  evidently  enjoying  their 
brief  half  holiday,  so  keenly  interested  in  boating.  It 
is  a  fine  manly  sympathy. 

His  Companion.  I  fear  their  interest  is  chiefly 
sporting. 

Voice  from  Centre  of  Crowd.  Pop  it  down,  gents, 
pop  it  down.  A  penny  gives  you  a  sixpence,  every  time. 
Give  you  change  for  a  shilling,  if  you  haven  t  any 
coppers.    Now  then,  pop  it  down,  gents. 

Voice  from  Another  Crowd.  My  mite,  the  ceinin' 
champion,  that  lad  wots  lying  down,  with  this  stone  on 
his  riakid  chest.  Now,  gents,  I  will  stand  on  it,  and  break 
it  with  this,  and  then  break  the  pieces  on  toy  'ed.  No, 
gents  (tugging  at  his  well-greased  Jringe),  I  nin't  got  no 
pad,  no  blooming  wadding  on  my  nut.  Yog  will  say  as 
how  it's  a  good  thing,  gents,  and  then  go  &m-\y,  so  my 
mite  and  I  asks  you  to  shell  out  a  few  coppers  'fore  we 
begin. 

Oxford  dashes  by — ivith  a  murmur  of  applause  from 
the  crowd — who  evidently  are  chiefly  Dark  Blue.  All 
begin  to  move  homewards. 


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Vol.  VI.— No.  74. 


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REMINISCENCES  OF 
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A 


BY 

HERBERT  KEEN. 

Illustrated  by  W.  Deavar. 


XI. 

In  re  Wrotteslet. 

R.  BALTHAZZAR 

was  guided  by  a 
very  simple  rule 
iu  forming  bis 
judgment  of  the 
actions  and 
motives  of  bis 
fellow -men.  For 
him  nothing  was 
noble  or  sacred  ;  he 
was  cynically 
sceptical  of  virtue 
in  any  shape,  and 
regarded  an 
honourable  reputa- 
tion as  a  con- 
venient   cloak  of 

hypocrisy.  He  therefore  always  took  the  lowest  view 
of  humanity,  without  respect  to  persons,  firmly  be- 
lieving that  the  best  of  us  is  capable  of  the  vilest 
wickedness  if  the  temptation  is  only  strong  enough. 
It  is  a  humiliating  truism  that  the  pure-minded 
are  the  most  easily  deceived,  and  the  converse  was 
proved  by  Mr.  Balthazzar' s  almost  unerring  perspicuity. 
It  is  satisfactory,  however,  to  bo  able  to  relate  at  least 
one  instance  in  which  his  uncanny  sort  of  cleverness 
caused  him  to  over-reach  himself. 

The  porter  sent  word  up  to  me  one  afternoon,  when 
Mr.  Balthazzar  happened  to  be  out,  that  a  client  in  the 


waiting-room  was  growing  very  impatient,  and  wished  to 
speak  to  someone  at  once.  I  went  downstairs,  and 
found  a  fussy  elderly  gentleman,  who  announced  that 
he  was  Dr.  Wrottesley,  of  Harley  Street.  He  com- 
plained aggressively  that  he  had  been  kept  waiting  for 
nearly  an  hour,  and  that  his  business  was  of  a  very 
urgent  and  pressing  nature.  • 

"  I  expeci  Mr.  Balthazzar  back  every  moment,  sir," 
was  all  I  could  say. 

"  H'm  !  It  is  annoying  !  Most  annoying  !  "  he  ex- 
clahned,  fidgeting  about  and  looking  at  his  watch.  "I 
have  patients  to  attend  to.  I  suppose  you  are  in  your 
master's  confidence  ? " 

"  I  am  authorised  to  take  instructions  from  clients 
when  he  is  out,"  I  replied. 

•'  Then  I  will  tell  you  what  I've  come  about — you 
can  report  to  your  master,  and  I  will  call  again  later. 
The  fact  is,"  he  said,  lowering  his  voice,  "  that  my  poor 
brother,  the  Rev.  Stephen  Wrottesley,  rector  of  Chil- 
worth,  in  Suffolk,  mysteriously  disappeared  from  his 
house  on  Saturday  last,  and  has  not  since  been  heard  of." 

"  What  are  the  facts,  sir  1 "  I  inquired. 

"Well,  there  are  no  facts — absolutely  none,"  said  Dr. 
Wrottesley  irritably.  "  About  half-past  five  o'clock  last 
Saturday  evening,  just  after  dark,  my  brother  left  his 
house.  From  that  day  to  this  no  trace  of  him  has 
been  discovered." 

"  Did  no  one  see  him  go  out  1 " 

"  Nobody.  He  had  tea  with  his  family,  and  went 
into  his  study  to  finish  his  sermon  for  the  next  day. 
Half  an  hour  later,  a  servant,  in  passing  through  the 
hall,  saw  my  brother  in  the  act  of  taking  down  his  hat 
from  the  hat-stand." 

"Nobody  called?" 

"  No,  but  he  was  in  the  habit  of  going  in  and  out  of 
the  house  at  all  times  on  his  parochial  duties.  He 
never  returned,  nobody  met  him  in  the  village  or  else- 
where, and  he  has  never  been  seen  since." 

This  was  the  whole  story,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  de- 


Copyright,  1895,  by  Herbert  Keen. 


258 


TO-DAY. 


Ai'KiL  6.  1895, 


tail  our  conversation  further.  The  missing  gentleman 
had  led  the  simple  life  of  a  countiy  clergyman ;  had 
been  rector  of  his  parish  for  nearly  thirty  years ;  was 
universally  beloved  and  respected ;  and,  having  con- 
siderable private  means,  was  in  easy  circumstances. 
His  family  consisted  of  a  wife  and  seven  children ;  bis- 
eldest  son  was  at  Cambridge,  two  were  at  public  schools, 
and  the  four  youngest  were  being  educated  at  home. 
Inquiries  had  been  set  on  foot,  the  police  had  been 
called  in,  the  district  had  been  searched  for  miles  round, 
and  in  desperation  Dr.  Wrottesley  had  come  to  take 
the  advice  and  opinion  of  Mr.  Balthazzar, 

The  doctor  had  just  concluded  his  narrative  when  my 
principal  returned,  and  invited  him  up  into  his  private 
room.  I  returned  to  my  work,  wondering  what  assist- 
ance Mr.  Balthazzar  could  render  in  such  a  case  as  this. 
The  conclusion  I  came  to,  in  thinking  the  matter  over, 
was  that  the  reverend  gentleman  had  wandered  off  under 
the  influence  of  a  sudden  attack  of  mental  aberration, 
and  would  probably  soon  be  found.  Instances  of  the 
same  kind  of  eccentricity  have  frequently  occurred,  and 
such  mysterious  disappearances  rarely  remain  unex- 
plained for  long. 

I  was  naturally  curious  to  know  what  Mr.  Balthazzar 
had  to  say  about  it,  but  I  did  not  see  him  again  that 
day.  He  left  the  office  early,  and  did  not  return  while 
I  was  there,  and  it  was  not  until  the  following  after- 
noon that  I  had  an  opportunity  of  speaking  to  him.  I 
then,  seeing  that  he  was  in  a  good  humour,  ventured 
to  inquire  what  had  transpired  at  his  interview  with  Dr. 
Wrottesley. 

"  By-the-bye,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  in  his  off-hand 
manner,  picking  up  a  telegram  from  the  table.  "I 
wanted  to  speak  to  you  about  that.  You  know  the 
facts?" 

"  Dr.  Wrottesley  told  me  while  he  was  waiting  for 
you,"  I  replied. 

"  H'm  !  Yes.  The  less  he  talks  about  it  the  better," 
rejoined  Mr.  Balthazzar,  glancing  at  the  telegram,  and 
handing  it  to  me.  "  I've  just  received  this  from  Sharpe. 
■Sec  what  he  says." 

Sharpe  was  a  private  detective  whom  Mr.  Balthazzar 
employed  a  good  deal  in  secret  business  ;  a  reliable  sort 
of  man  for  watching  and  tracing  people,  but  no  con- 
jurer. The  telegram  which  had  been  dispatched  from 
Colchester,  ran  thus:  — 

"  Lady  arrived  here  Sunday  morning.  Met  gentle- 
man station  afternoon,  and  both  on  to  Lowestoft.  Fol- 
low.   Address  Post  Office,  Lowestoft." 

"What  does  it  mean,  sir?"  I  inquired  rather  blankly. 

"  He  met  the  lady  by  appointment  at  Colchester — 
easily  accessible  from  his  home — on  Sunday,  and  went 
on  with  her  to  Lowestoft.  Sharpe  follows,"  said  Mr. 
Balthazzar  impatiently. 

"The  Rev.  Mr.  Wrottesley  did!"  I  exclaimed  incre- 
itulously. 

"  Didn't  the  brother  tell  you  about  the  nursery  go- 
verness?" said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  with  a  grin.  "The 
idiot  never  mentioned  her  to  me  till  I  questioned  him. 
Of  course,  in  all  these  cases,  it  is  usually  one  of  two 
things,  drink  or  a  lady." 

"But  the  rector  was  a  married  man  with  a  family," 
C  remarked  foolishly  enough. 

"  Yes,  but  even  married  men  with  families  sometimes 
make  fools  of  themselves,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  sneer- 


ingly.  "  The  Rev.  Wrottesley  bore  an  irreproachable 
character — except  perhaps  to  his  wife." 

"  His  brother  didn't  mention  anything  of  that  kind," 
I  exclaimed. 

"  No,  the  idea  never  occurred  to  him.  He  knew, 
however,  that  the  nursery  governess — a  Miss  Vincent, 
too  attractive,  no  doubt — left  abruptly  a  few  days  before 
the  rector's  disappearance,  in  consequence  of  a  differ- 
ence of  opinion  with  Mrs.  Wrottesley.  The  doctor 
didn't  know  what  it  was  all  about.  I  guessed,  and  im- 
mediately sent  Sharpe  off  to  trace  the  young  lady.  The 
result,  you  see,"  added  Mr.  Balthazzar,  nodding  com- 
placently at  the  telegram. 

"  He  doesn't  say  the  gentleman  was  Mr.  Wrottesley,. 
sir,"  I  remarked,  referring  to  the  message. 

Mr.  Balthazzar  laughed  scornfully.  "  It  never  does- 
to  be  misled  by  appearances,  Millicent.  Nobody  would 
imagine  that  this  highly  respectable-looking  Church  dig- 
nitary would  do  anything  wrong,  eh  ? "  he  said,  produc- 
ing an  envelope  from  a  drawer,  and  handing  me  a 
photograph. 

It  was  that  of  a  middle-aged  clergyman,  tall,  well- 
preserved,  with  grey  hair  and  whiskers,  and  regular 
features.  Though  I  felt  rather  shamefaced  beneath  Mr. 
Balthazzar's  scoffing  gaze,  I  could  not  help  taking  seri- 
ously the  words  which  he  uttered  ironically,  for  it  seemed 
to  me  that  the  portrait  revealed  a  frank  and  benevolent 
countenance,  precluding  any  idea  of  vice  cr  deceit. 

"You  seem  very  much  impressed  by- the  gentleman's 
appearance,"  interposed  Mr.  Balthazzar,  while  I  gazed  at 
the  photograph.  "Do  you  see  any  resemblance  to  any- 
one you  know  ? " 

"In  this  portrait?"  I  exclaimed,  startled  by  his  sig- 
nificant tone. 

"  Yes ;  look  again !  It  strikes  me,  Millicent,  rot  wish- 
ing to  flatter,  that,  with  the  aid  of  Wilkinson,  the  cos- 
tumier, who  will  also  supply  you  with  a  complete  clerical 
outfit — you  might  make  up  uncommonly  like  the  Rev. 
Stephen  Wrottesley,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  briskly. 

"  There  is  a  likeness,  certainly,  allowing  for  difference- 
of  age  and  station,"  I  replied,  not  knowing  whether  he 
was  speaking  in  jest  or  in  earnest. 

"  The  reverend  gentlemen  will  doubtless  call  it  Provi- 
dential, since  it  will  be  the  means  of  restoring  him  to  his 
family  and  saving  his  reputation,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,. 
resuming  his  business  tone  and  manner.  "  You  needn't 
have  any  scruples,  man,"  he  added,  impatiently,  as  my 
expression  doubtless  betrayed  reluctance;  "you  will  be 
masquerading  in  a  good  cause — in  the  cause  of  truth  and 
virtue." 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  do,  sir?'"  I  inquired,  un- 
easily. 

"To  assist  in  proving  an  alibi.  I'll  give  you  a  letter 
to  Sharpe,"  he  said,  sitting  down  and  beginning  to  write, 
evidently  carried  away  by  a  rudden  idea. 

"  I  am  to  go  down  to  Lowestoft  i 

"Yes — at  once!    What  about  trains?" 

"There  is  one  at  five  o'clock,"  I  said,  after  looking  at 
a  Bradshaw,  while  Mr.  Balthazzar  scribbled  on. 

"  It  isn't  four  o'clock  yet.  Jump  into  a  cab,  and  diive 
straight  to  Wilkinson's.  You  will  just  have  time  to  get 
'  made  up '  and  to  catch  that  train.  I'll  wire  to  Sharpe 
to  meet  you  at  the  station.  Here  is  the  photograph  and 
the  letter.  Now,  be  off,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar  in  his 
}  crcmptory  way. 

"But,  sir,  supposing  I  am  recognised  on  the  journey 


Apiul  6,  1 J95. 


TO-DAY. 


2o9 


— I  mean,  in  consequence  of  my  disguise?  The  police 
and  the  railway  officials  are  probably  on  the  look-out,"  I 
suggested,  not  by  any  means  relishing  the  mission. 

"  That  is  your  business,"  replied  Mr.  Balthazzar,  with 
a  laugh.  "  You  must  contrive  not  to  be  recognised. 
The  affair  hasn't  got  into  the  papers  yet,  so  I  don't  think 
you  have  anything  to  fear." 

This  was  all  the  comfort  I  could  get  out  of  him;  it 
was  not  his  custom  to  show  consideration  for  the  feelings 
of  his  clerks.  He  exacted  implicit  obedience  to  instruc- 
tions, and  was  completely  indifferent  to  any  trouble,  em- 
barrassment, or  anxiety  they  entailed  upon  others.  He 
was  an  easy-going  and  indulgent  master  in  some  respects, 
but  he  resented  the  smallest  hesitation  or  reluctance  in 
carrying  out  his  orders,  however  unpalatable  they 
might  be. 

I  therefore  did  not 
venture  to  argue  with 
him,  and,  indeed,  I  had 
no  leisure  to  represent 
my  vague  misgivings.  I 
took  the  letter  and  the 
photograph,  and  within 
little  more  than  an  hour 
I  reachedLiverpoolStreet 
Station,  so  excellently 
disguised  in  clerical 
habiliments,  with  a  grey 
wig  and  side  whiskers, 
that  the  costumier,  with 
an  artist's  pride  in  his 
handiwork,  had  declared 
that  I  was  more  like  the 
portrait  than  the  Rev. 
Stephen  Wrottesley  could 
possibly  have  been. 

Joking  apart,  my  acci- 
dental resemblance  to  the 
missing  gentleman  had 
been  so  accentuated  by 
Mr.  Wilkinson's  skill  and 
by  the  garb  I  wore  that 
I  was  quite  startled  when 
I  beheld  the  reflection  of 
myself  in  a  looking-glass, 
and  the  fact  did  not  tend 
to  reassure  me.  I  was 
haunted  by  the  fear  of 
being  accosted  by  the 
police  or  by  someone  who 
1  new  the  Rev.  Stephen, 
and  that  prospect,  ludi- 
crous as  it  may  now  appear,  was  by  no  means  satis- 
factory to  me  at  the  time.  It  would  have  placed  me  in 
an  awkward  and  humiliating  position,  even  if  no  harm 
came  of  it,  and  would  have  completely  frustrated  Mr. 
Balthazzar's  scheme,  for  which  he  would  not  have  failed 
to  blame  me. 

I  had  taken  the  precaution  to  equip  myself  at  Mr. 
Wilkinson's  with  a  long  ulster  coat  and  a  soft  felt  hat, 
which,  at  a  pinch,  would  possibly  have  enabled  me  to 
elude  a  too  inquiring  gaze,  and  I  also  carried,  in  a  small 
valise,  my  own  clothes,  in  case  unforeseen  circumstances 
should  render  it  advisable  for  me  to  resume  my  per- 
sonality.   Fortunately,  the  Lowestoft  train,  at  that  time 


I  REQUESTED  TO  BE  CONDUCTED  TO  A  PRIVATE  SITTING-ROOM. 


of  year,  carried  a  very  few  passengers,  and  I  was  lucky 
enough  to  travel  the  whole  journey  in  an  empty  com- 
partment. I  attracted  no  attention,  apparently,  from 
the  guards  or  railway  officials,  and  by  the  time  I  reached 
my  destination  the  only  discomfort  I  was  acutely  sensible 
of  was  cold  and  weariness. 

I  arrived  at  Lowestoft  at  about  half-past  eight  o'clock 
on  a  winter's  evening,  in  the  midst  of  a  raging  storm  of 
rain  and  wind,  so  that  there  were  few  loiterers  at  the 
station,  and  my  fellow-jiassengers  were  too  anxious  about 
getting  under  shelter  as  quickly  as  possible  to  take  any 
notice  of  me.  But  the  deserted  aspect  of  the  terminus 
soon  revealed  to  me  a  totally  unforeseen  embarrassment 
— the  detective  Sharpe,  upon  whom  I  had  relied  for 
future  guidance,  was  nowhere  to  be  seen !  I  lingered 
about  as  long  as  I  dared,  both  inside  and  outside  the 

station,  until  it  was 
obvious  that,  unless  I 
wished  to  attract  par- 
ticular observation,  I  had 
better  mo  ^e  off. 

This  I  accordingly  did, 
and,  remembering  that 
Sharpe  had  requested 
messages  to  be  sent  to 
him  at  the  post-office, 
I  made  the  best  of  my 
way  there  in  the  blinding 
rain  to  ascertain  if  he  had 
received  Mr.  Balthazzar's 
wire.  To  my  consterna- 
tion I  learned  from  the 
clerks  that  a  telegram, 
evidently  Mr.  Balth- 
azzar's, awaited  him  un- 
claimed. It  was  obvious; 
therefore,  that  Sharpe  was 
not  likely  to  come  to  my 
assistance ;  probably  he 
had  left  the  town  in  pur- 
suit of  the  fugitives  ;  and 
as  I  had  no  means  of 
gaining  tidings  of  him  or 
communicating  with  him, 
I  was  thrown  absolutely 
upon  my  own  resources. 
I  felt  no  scruple,  under 
these  circumstances, 
about  opening  Mr.  Balth- 
azzar's letter  to  him  ;  but 
though  it  contained  sug- 
gestions of  an  ingenious 
scheme  for  smuggling  the  Rev.  Stephen  up  to  London, 
while  I  played  the  role  of  a  sort  of  Will-o'-the-wisp  about 
the  country,  there  was  nothing  in  it  to  aid  me  in  the 
present  emergency. 

The  only  thing  I  could  do  was  to  telegraph  at  once  to 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  explaining  my  predicament,  and  asking 
for  instructions.  But  this  step — which,  of  course,  I  took 
immediately — did  not  dispose  of  my  uneasiness;  for 
though  Mr.  Balthazzar,  in  those  days,  had  residential 
chambers  over  the  offices,  the  chances  were  that  he  would 
be  out.  He  rarely  dined  at  home,  and  if  I  received  an 
answer  to  my  message  at  all,  it  probably  would  not  be 
for  an  hour  or  two 


260 


TO-DAY. 


Atkil  6,  1895. 


Meanwhile,  I  was  completely  at  a  loss  to  dispose  of 
myself.  There  was  no  knowing  what  harm  I  might  do  to 
Mr.  Balthazzar's  schemes  hy  attracting  public  attention 
in  the  guise  of  the  Rev.  Stephen  Wrottesley.  I  could  not 
walk  the  streets  or  perambulate  the  sea-front  for  an 
indefinite  time  in  the  midst  of  a  blizzard  till  I  received 
Mr.  Balthazzar's  instructions ;  and,  go  where  I  would  for 
shelter,  I  could  hardly  fail  to  arouse  idle  curiosity.  I 
hurried  from  the  post-office  with  these  perplexing 
thoughts  revolving  in  my  mimi,  and  inwardly  anathema- 
tising Mr.  Balthazzar's  promptness  of  action  which 
had  landed  me  in  such  a  disagreeable  fix. 

I  hardly  know  what  I  had  resolved  to  do  when  I  issued 
forth  again  into  the  deserted  storm-swept  streets ;  but  it 
was  something  involving  self-sacrifice  and  discomfort, 
because  I  was  conscious  of  backsliding  when  I  turned 
into  the  doorway  of  a  quiet  little  hotel,  which  I  presently 
happened  to  pass.  The  fact  was  that  the  wind  and  the 
rain  and  the  cold  had  rendered  me  desperate1,  and  I 
yielded  to  a  sudden  impulse  when,  regardless  for  the 
moment  of  consequences,  I  burst  into  the  vestibule  of 
the  "Royal  Blue"  hostelry,  and  stood  panting  and 
blinking  in  the  genial  brightness  of  gas  and  firelight. 

Before  I  could  realise  it  a  waiter  had  pounced  upon 
me  and  removed  my  dripping  ulster,  and  I  stood  re- 
vealed in  my  clergyman's  attire.  This  had  the  happiest 
effect  upon  the  waiter  and  the  young  lady  at  the  bar, 
who  overwhelmed  me  with  obsequious  attentions  which 
my  supposed  age  and  calling  elicited ;  but  it  also  caused 
me  to  remember  the  necessity  for  caution.  I  re- 
quested gravely  to  be  conducted  to  a  private  sitting- 
room,  and  was  presently  ushered  into  a  snug  apartment 
on  the  first  floor,  with  bedroom  adjoining. 

"  Are  there  any  guests  staying  in  the  house  1 "  I  in- 
quired, warming  my  hands  at  the  grateful  blaze  which 
soon  began  to  leap  up  the  chimney. 

"  No,  sir,  not  to  speak  of,"  said  the  waiter,  coughing 
behind  his  hand.  He  was  a  solemn,  elderly  man  with 
thin  wisps  of  grey  sidelocks,  brushed  carefully  across 
his  bald  head,  and  a  dejected,  deferential  aspect. 

"  I  suppose  there  is  nobody  but  myself,"  I  remarked, 
laughing. 

"  Well,  sir,  you  might  say  so,  except  for  a  commer- 
cial gent  or  two,"  the  waiter  replied,  eying  me  with 
rather  more  attention  than  I  cared  for.  "  Did  you  say 
dinner  at  once,  sir  ? "  he  added. 

"Yes,  immediately,"  I  replied  sharply,  to  get  rid  of 
him. 

The  man  hurried  from  the  room.  I  turned  with  some 
anxiety  to  the  looking-glass,  to  see  if  there  was  any- 
thing in  my  appearance  to  cause  suspicion.  I  was  re- 
lieved to  find  that  in  spite  of  my  long  journey  and  the 
boisterous  weather,  my  make-up  was  as  fresh  and  effec- 
tive as  when  I  had  issued  from  Mr.  Wilkinson's  sanctum, 
and  I  was  again  almost  startled  by  the  metamorphosis 
I  had  undergone.  Nevertheless,  I  deemed  it  prudent 
to  lower  the  gas  a  little,  and  also  to  assume  a  pair  of 
spectacles  by  way  of  further  disguise.  I  concluded  that 
the  waiter's  obtrusive  stare  had  been  due  to  nothing 
more  than  the  ill  manners  of  his  class,  and  upon  the 
whole  I  felt  easy  in  my  mind,  for  the  hotel  seemed 
quiet  and  respectable,  and  it  was  in  the  last  degree 
improbable  that  the  Rev.  Stephen  Wrottesley — the 
rector  of  a  remote  village  in  Suffolk — would  be  known 
and  recognised  in  an  obscure  Lowestoft  inn. 

In  a  very  short  time  the  table  was  spread  with  a  wel- 


come repast  to  which  I  was  prepared  to  do  ample  justice, 
but  I  still  could  not  help  thinking  that  the  waiter  mani- 
fested an  undue  interest  in  me.  I  caught  him  glancing 
at  me  sideways  when  he  believed  he  was  unobserved, 
and  I  was  half-inclined  to  resent  his  impertinence.  In- 
stead of  appearing  to  notice  it,  however,  I  said  with 
assumed  carelessness,  after  he  had  finished  handing 
me  the  dishes — 

"  You  can  go  round  to  the  post-office  for  me,  wai!er?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  certainly,  sir,"  he  replied  with  alacrity. 

"  I  want  you  to  go  yourself,  because  I  expect  an  im- 
portant telegram,  and  there  mustn't  be  any  mistake. 
You  will  be  back  before  I  have  finished." 

"  Yes,  sir,  only  just  round  the  corner,  sir.  What 
name,  sir?"  he  added  quickly. 

"  The  telegram  may  not  have  arrived,  but,  if  not, 
you  can  give  my  address  and  ask  that  it  may  be  sent 
on  here,"  I  said.    "  Mr.  Millicent  is  my  name." 

"Yes,  sir,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Millicent?"  said  the  man. 

"H'm!  My  friend  may  omit  the  reverend.  Milli- 
cent is  the  name,  at  all  events  ;  and  you  may  remind 
the  clerk  at  the  post-office  that  I  called  and  sent  off  a 
telegram  about  half  an  hour  ago,"  I  replied,  in  a  matter- 
of-fact  tone. 

"  Very  well,  sir.  Certainly,  sir.  I'll  go  at  once,  sir," 
said  the  waiter,  as  he  disappeared  from  the  room. 

I  rather  congratulated  myself  upon  this  manoeuvre, 
by  which  I  had  secured  privacy  during  my  meal,  and 
had  satisfied  any  curiosity  the  man  may  have  felt  re- 
garding my  identity.  It  had  seemed  to  me  that  the 
waiter  had  manifested  something  akin  to  relief  or  satis- 
faction or.  learning  who  I  was,  and  though  this  idea 
was  probably  due  to  sheer  nervousness  on  my  part,  I 
was  none  the  less  pleased  at  having  removed  any  vague 
suspicion  that  he  may  have  entertained. 

I  therefore  ate  my  dinner — or  supper — with  an  excel- 
lent appetite,  and  was  wise  enough  to  refrain  from  the 
temptation  to  do  equal  justice  to  a  capital  bottle  of 
claret.  I  drank  enough,  however,  to  completely  restore 
my  self-confidence,  and  it  was  well  perhaps  that  I  did 
so,  for  I  was  fated  to  undergo  a  rather  startling  ordeal, 
which  I  had  little  anticipated. 

Just  as  I  had  finished  my  meal,  and  was  drawing  my 
chair  \rp  to  the  fire  with  the  intention  of  enjoying  a 
quiet  smoke,  the  waiter  returned  with  a  telegram  in  his 
hand.  I  would  have  preferred  to  have  opened  it  in  pri- 
vate, but  as  it  would  have  seemed  unnatural  for  me  to 
have  delayed  doing  so  while  the  man  was  occupied  in 
clearing  the  table,  I  undid  the  envelope  and  read  as 
follows :  — 

"  Missing  man  found  dead.    Return  immediately." 

I  suppressed  a  startled  exclamation,  but  could  not 
help  rising  to  my  feet  in  excitement.  It  was  a  grimly 
ludicrous  situation  for  anyone  to  be  placed  in.  Here 
was  I,  skilfully  disguised  to  represent  the  Rev.  Stephen 
Wrottesley,  while  the  unfortunate  gentleman  was  lying 
dead !  Apart  from  something  gruesome  in  the  idea, 
which  shocked  my  sense  of  decency,  the  suspicion  that 
the  waiter  might  have  known  the  deceased  bv  si^lit 
and  fancied  he  recognised  him  in  me,  was  increased  at 
this  very  moment  by  my  again  catching  the  man's  eye 
fixed  upon  me.  I  was  seized  with  a  sort  of  panic ;  and 
since  it  would  have  been  manifestly  impossible  for  me 
to  have  abandoned  the  disguise  under  the  roof  of  the 
Royal  Blue  hotel,  I  immediately  resolved  to  make  aa 
e.\euse  to  leave  at  once 


Amur,  6,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


£61 


"Waiter,"  I  said,  as  I  crushed  the  telegram  in  my 
hand,  "  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  have  received  news  which 
compels  me  to  return  at  once." 

"  Last  train  for  London  hag  gone,  sir,"  replied  the 
man  glancing  at  the  clock. 

"  I  am  not  going  to  London,"  I  answered  quickly. 

"  No,  sir,"  said  the  waiter,  in  a  tone  which  seemed 
t©  imply  that  he  was  not  surprised. 

"  I  must  go  to — to  Yarmouth,"  I  said  in  desp  eration, 
as  I  looked  at  my  watch. 

"  Very  well,  sir.  Yarmouth.  Yes,  sir.  Certainly, 
sir,"  said  the  waiter,  rather  knowingly,  as  I  thought. 

"  I'm  sorry  I  can't  stay  to-night  as  I  intended.  Let 
me  have  my  bill  at  once,  please,  and — and — my  over- 
coat," I  added  impatiently,  remembering  with  annoy- 
ance that  I  had  allowed  it  to  be  carried  down  into  the 
kitchen  to  dry. 

"  Very  well,  sir. 
D'rectly,  sir,"  re- 
plied the  waiter. 
"Time-table,  sir? 
On  the  sideboard 
there." 

As  the  man 
vanished  I  hur- 
ried into  the  bed- 
room adjoining 
to  fetch  my  valise, 
which,  fort  u- 
nately,  T  had  not 
unpacked.  A 
glance  at  the  time, 
table  showed  me 
that  I  might  just 
succeed  in  catch- 
ing the  last  train 
to  Yarmouth.  Not 
that  I  wanted  to 
g@  there,  but  my 
only  desire  was  to 
get  away  from  the 
hotel,  so  that  I 
might  have  an 
opportunity  of  dis- 
carding my  cleri- 
cal garb  and  my 
assumed  aspect  in 
some  secluded 
place ;  but  the 
excuse  of  wishing 
to  catch  a  train 

would  enable  me  to  hurry  away  without  exciting  remark. 

My  impulse  was  to  rush  down  at  once  into,  the  hall 
below,  but  I  thought  it  better  to  wait  where  I  was  till 
the  waiter  brought  my  ulster,  in  case,  without  pre- 
caution, I  might  be  recognised  as  the  Rev.  Stephen  by 
loungers  at  the  bar.  I  therefore  restrained  my  im- 
patience as  best  I  could,  and  while  I  was  standing  in 
front  of  the  fireplace,  with  the  valise  in  my  hand,  I  heard 
a  light  footstep  on  the  landing  outside;  the  door,  which 
was  ajar,  was  gently  pushed  open,  and  a  young  lady 
walked  timidly  into  the  room. 

I  glanced  at  her  unconcernedly,  thinking  that  she  had 
mistaken  my  apartment  for  her  own,  but  it  was  evident 
from  her  manner  that  this  was  not  so.  She  was  young 
and  pretty — a  lady,  unmistakably ;  and  she  advanced 


YOU  r.HtOJ.NISE  ME,  DO.N  T  YOU 


grasp  my 
my  senses. 


with  an  agitated  air,  her  blue  eyes  dimmed  with  tears 
and  her  hands  outstretched  supplicatingly. 

"  I  knew  it  was  you,  from  the  waiter's  description,  in 
spite — in  spite  of  the  name.  Won't  you — won't  you 
speak  to  me,  Mr.  Wrottesley  ? "  she  added,  pausing,  and 
looking  frightened  at  my  perplexed  stare. 
"What  do  you  want  here?"  I  gasped. 
"  You  recognise  me,  don't  you,  Mr.  Wrottesley  ?  The— 
the  light  is  low,  but — but  you  knew  me  as  Ada  Vincent ; 
now  I  am  your  son's  wife  !  Oh  !  will  you  forgive  us?  Wa 
were  married  on  Monday,  and  have  been  here  ever  since. 
Are — are  you  ill,  Mr.  Wrottesley  ? "  she  added,  doubtless 
puzzled  and  alarmed  by  my  constrained  manner. 

"You  have  made  a  mistake,"  I  murmured,  with  a 
desperate  glance  at  the  door. 

"  We  have  been  veiy  wicked,  but — but  we  love  one 
another  so !      Oh  !  Mr.  Wrottesley  1     Do  not  be  hard 

upon  poor  Charlie! 
Have — have  you 
seen  him  1 "  she 
added  tearfully. 

"No,"  I  said, 
shortly. 

"  He  received 
a  telegram  this 
morning  from 
Cambridge  —  say 
ing  that  —  that 
something  had 
happened  at  the 
Rectory.  He  went 
on  at  once — and 
— and  so  you  have 
missed  him  !  Oh  ! 
Mr. Wrottesley,  is 
there  anything  I 
can  say  or  do  to 
atone  for  our  dis- 
obedience? I  heard 
you  were  leaving 
— doubtless  you 
came  in  search  of 
him — and  I  could 
not  let  you  go 
without  imploring 
yc  u  —  upon  my 

nees  

The  young  lady 
fell  at  my  feet 
as  she  spoke,  and 
endeavoured  to 
the  action  roused  me  to 
course  open  to  me  was 
ignoble  flight.  I  felt  that  any  attempt  at  explanation 
would  be  useless,  and  I  thought  I  heard  the  waiter's 
footstep  hurrying  up  the  stairs.  Tearing  my.  elf  away 
from  the  agitated  girl,  I  made  a  desperate  rush  towards 
the  door,  but  before  I  could  reach  it  it  was  thrown  open 
from  without,  and  my  passage  was  barred  by  a  young 
man  who  stood  upon  the  threshold.  I  instinctively 
shrank  back  to  avoid  being  struck  by  the  door  as  it 
swung,  and  stood  for  an  instant  against  the  wall,  con- 
cealed from  his  view. 

It  was  easy  to  perceive  that  the  stranger  was  the 
dead  man's  son,  the  husband  of  the  newly-wedded  wife. 
He  had  evidently  just  returned  from  a  journey,  and  his 


hand  ; 
The 


but 
only 


2o2 


TO-DAY. 


Arn.lL  6,  1895. 


face  was  pale  and  drawn,  showing  traces  of  poignant 
emotion.  Directly  he  appeared  the  poor  girl  ran 
towards  him,  and  he  caught  her  in  his  arms. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  dearest  1 "  he  exclaimed,  appre- 
hensively, as  she  clung  to  him. 

"  Look  !  Your  father  is  here  !  "  she  said,  pointing  to- 
wards me. 

"  My  father  !  "  ejaculated  the  young  man,  in  a  startled 
vi.ice  ;  and  then,  turning  round,  in  obedience  to  his  wife's 
gesture,  he  beheld  me  standing  there. 

Till  my  dying  day  I  shall  never  forget  the  awful  shock 
which  the  poor  young  man  experienced.  Doubtless  his 
nerves  had  already 
been  shaken  by 
the  news  of  his 
father's  death,  and 
at  the  sight  of  me 
he  seemed  literal  y 
paralysed  with 
horror.  His  face 
turned  an  ashen 
grey,  his  eyes 
nearly  started  out 
of  his  head,  ■•ind 
he  began  to  trem- 
ble violently  in 
every  limb. 

"  Father  !  "  he 
gasped  in  a 
startled  whisper, 
as  he  staggered 
backwards. 

"Charlie!  What 
ails  you?"  cried 
his  terrified  wife. 

"Father!"  he 
cried  shrilly, 
shrinking  back. 
"  Father  1  speak 
to  me  !  Say — say 
you  forgive  me  ! 
Forgive  me!  O  my 
•God  !    It  is  he  !  " 

His  knees 
seemed  suddenly 
to  give  way  under 
him,  and  he  fell 
helplessly  into  a 
chair.  It  all 
happened  almost 

in  one  instant,  and  the  next  I  found  myself  racing  down 
the  staircase,  overwhelmed  with  shame  and  vexation, 
and  conscious  that  the  unhappy  victim  had  fainted  away 
in  his  wife's  arms.  The  young  lady's  shrieks  resounded 
through  the  hotel,  causing  a  great  commotion,  in  the 
midst  of  which  I  snatched  my  hat  and  coat  from  the 
startled  waiter,  threw  down  a  sovereign  in  discharge  of 
my  bill,  and  rushed  out  into  the  street.  What  happened 
after  I  left  I  never  knew  ;  doubtless,  the  poor  young 
man,  on  recovering  his  senses,  was  soon  persuaded  that 
the  supposed  apparition  was  a  living  person,  and  that 
his  alarm  had  been  due  to  the  agitated  condition  of  his 
nerves;  at  all  events,  I  reached  the  railway-station  un- 
molested, and  arrived  at  Yarmouth  ;n  due  course  without 
further  adventure. 


HE  STACCliEED  fiACKWAIlDS. 


During  the  journey  I  took  advantage  of  being  alone 
between  two  stations  to  divest  myself  of  the  wig  and 
false  whiskers,  and  to  make  a  quick  change  of  dress ; 
and  ever  after  I  steadfastly  refused  to  personate  another 
person,  living  or  dead.  I  have  never  forgiven  myself 
for  the  cruel  deceptiohl  innocently  practised  upon  young 
Mr.  Wrottesley  at  a  time  Avhen  he  was  overwhelmed 
with  filial  grief,  which  was  no  doubt  intensified  by 
natural  remorse  resulting  from  the  circumstances  of  his 
marriage',  though  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  hearing,  not 
Jong  afterwards,  that  the  young  man  had  completely 
recovered  his  health  and  spirits. 

For  the  rest,  I  returned  to  town  the  next  day,  and 

there  heard 
that  Sharpe, 
the  detective- 
had  only  dis, 
covered  the  ad- 
dress of  the  young 
couple  at  Lowes- 
toft after  con- 
siderable difficulty 
and  then  not  until 
young  Wrottesley 
had  left  the  place. 
Sharpe  never 
seems  to  have 
realised  thatitwa* 
the  son,  and  not 
the  father,  who 
had  accompanied 
Miss  Vincent  from 
Colchester,  until, 
following  up  aclue 
he  obtained  in 
Lowestoft  as  to 
the  destination  of 
the  young  lady's 
companion,  he 
found  himself  at 
Chilworth,  where 
he  learnt  that  the 
body  of  the  rector 
had  just  been  dis- 
covered in  a  deep 
pond  near  the 
church.  It  was 
surmised  that  the 
reverend  gentle- 
man, returning 
home  by  a  short 

cut  in  the  dark,  had  met  his  untimely  end  through 
accident. 

Mr.  Balthazzar  was  excessively  annoyed  with  Sharpe, 
the  more  especially  as  the  latter  pointed  out  that  he  had 
never  been  furnished  with  a  proper  description  of  the 
missing  man,  and  was  not,  therefore,  to  blame.  He  was 
annoyed  with  me  also  ;  but  then  he  was  always  annoyed 
<sith  everybody  but  himself  when  his  own  perspicuity  was 
*t  fault,  as  in  this  case. 

"  What  a  fool  you  must  have  looked,  Millicent,"  was  Lis 
only  comment  when  I  related  my  tragic  adventure  to 
him. 

"  I  felt  a  fool,  sir — and  worse,"  I  said,  bitterly. 


Apkil  G.  1SC5. 


TO-DAY. 


263 


AN  "  OSCAR  WILDE  »  FIRST-NIGHT. 


The  house  is  densely  packed.  The  regular  fir  st-niy  liters, 
of  course ;  reinforced  by  sxthurbans,  ivho  remember  with 
gratitude  that,  if  snubbed  by  their  hero,  he  has  never  for- 
gotten their  existence.  From  above  the  eager  audience 
picks  out  celebrities  in  the  stalls,  and  makes  not  a  Jew 
bad  shots  in  identifying  them. 

Elderly  Female  (in  front  row  of  the  zipper-circle). 
I  wish  I  knew  who  that  is  in  the  Royal  box.  I  cannot 
remember  their  faces,  although  one  ought  to  know  their 
names  perfectly  well. 

Her  Right-hand  Neighbour  (a  golden-haired  youth): 
I  say,  do  you  see  Lord  Reggie  below  1  I  hope  he  won't 
see  me  up  here. 

His  Friend.  Don't  fear,  old  chappie,  he  didn't 
recognise  you  in  the  Burlington  Arcade  last  week  ;  you 
told  me  he  was  very  short-sighted — so  there  is  no  fear. 

Golden-haired  Youth.  Oscar  is  really  the  most 
perfect  poet  of  our  time.  I  expect  this  play  will  be  a 
dainty  idyll. 

His  Friend.  A  Johnnie  wmo  is  in  the  know  told  me 
all  about  it ;  he  says  it  beats  Nita's  First,  it  is  all  about 
a  baby  in  a  black  bag. 

Golden-haired  Youth  (shocked).  No  !  Oscar  would 
never  write  about  babies.  Babies  are  so  hideously 
moral. 

His  Friend.  Oh,  shut  up  that  rot.  Anybody  can 
make  paradoxes  now.  You  just  say  "  A  mouse  in 
pattens  catches  no  cat,"  and  it's  done. 

Golden-haii  ed  Youth.  Yes  ;  I  suppose  all  you  can 
see  in  them  is  i  omithing  of  that  sort. 

Ellerly  Female.  There  is  Mr.  Bancroft,  and 
there's  Harry  Furniss  and  Oswald  Craufurd.  That's 
Haddon  Chambers  there,  close  by  Sir  Augustus 
Harris.    How  nice  to  see  people  one  knows  so  well ! 

A  Faded  Female  (on  her  left).  Are  they  all  actors  1 
I  seem  to  have  heard  of  them  before. 

Elderly  Female  (ivho  writes  for  a  penny  monthly 
fashion  magazine).  Really,  Maria,  you  must  not  say 
such  things  here.  My  position  as  critic  brings  me  in 
touch  with  them  all. 

Golden-Haired  Youth.  I  mean  to  write  down  the 
epigrams.  They  are  so  useful  for  five  o'clock  teas. 
People  always  think  they  are  your  own. 

His  Friend.    What  funny  people  you  must  know. 

Algernon  (in  the  stalls)  (to  Cecil).    I  almost  wish 
we  hacj  worn  green  carnations  to-night,  Cecil  ! 
.  Cecil  (better  informed).     What,  after  that  book  ? 
No,  Algernon;  V  As  the  sun  colours  life,  so  art  colours 
flowers,"  but  that  colour  is  quite  out  of  fashion  now. 

Algernon.  I  don't  know  !  I  think  the  only  way  to 
be  really  in  the  fashion  is  to  appear  to  be  out  of  it.  It 
would  have  been  much  more  subtle  to  have  worn  them 
•as  a  protest  against  that  stupid  novel. 

Cecil  (sententiously).  The  way  to  be  extraordinary 
is  to  be  commonplace — like  the  American  minister, 
who,  when  all  the  other  ambassadors  were  covered  with 
stars,  appeared  with  only  his  flag  wrapped  round  him. 
To  be  singular  is  to  be  undistinguished. 

Algernon  (irritated).  Bradshaw  itself  might  sound 
like  an  epigram,  did  you  say.  Only  the  9.45  train 
starts  at  a  quarter  to  ten.    Do  drop  trying  to  be  witty. 

(The  curtain  rises  on  a  comic  footman, named  Lane!) 

Cecil.  How  original  to  open  a  play  like  all  farces 
■open,  and  instead  of  with  something  that  had  never 
been  done  before.  Plagiarism  is  the  mother  of  inven- 
tion. 

Algernon.    It  is  going  to  be  funny  after  all. 

Cecil  (nervously).  Oh,  no  !  Not  funny.  That  is 
^always  vulgar.  Only  the  suburbs  laugh  at  Oscar's  wit ; 
wise  people  accept  it  as  real  philosophy. 

Very  New  Woman  (at  the  close  of  the  first  act).  No- 
body seems  to  have  a  past  so  far. 

Very  New  Man  (her  chaperone).   Pasts  are  not  worn 


this  season.  Evidently  double  lives  are  coming  in 
instead.  « 

Very  New  Woman.  You  mean  we  shall  have  to  be- 
come district  visitors  and  Sunday-school  teachers  on  the 
sly.  What  a  livid  ideal  !  But  it  is  wrong  to  exhaust 
the  flavour  of  virtue  so  easily.  That  should  be  kept  for 
old  age. 

Very  New  Man.  Then  you  would  never  know  it 
(conscious  that  his  intended  compliment  has  gone  wrong). 
I  mean  it  would  be  left  entirely  for  men. 

Very  New  Woman  (roguishly).  I  sometimes  fear 
men  are  much  rnoi'e  virtuous  than  we  imagine. 
(Curtain  drops. ) 

(The  subtirban  visitors  roar  with  delight,  but  then 
grow  calm  as  they  reflect  that  this  is  not  what  they  paid 
their  shilling  for,  but  a  really  Gilbertian  topsy-turvy 
fancy. ) 

Algernon.  I  was  right,  it  is  awfully  funny,  and 
there  is  a  baby. 

Cecil.  That  is  merely  a  foil  to  the  story  coming — one 
sees  clearly  the  key  of  tragedy  was  sounded.  Did  you 
not  notice  "  Ernest's "  grim  voice  when  he  invented 
the  preposterous  story  of  his  adoption,  just  to  see  what 
Lady  Bracknell "  would  say. 

Algernon  (obtusely).  Rose  Leclercq  is  always  good. 
I  like  old  women.  (The  second  act  grows  more 
hilarious.) 

Old-fashioned  Person.  This  is  very  good  fooling 
- — I  really  like  it.  It  should  finish  the  reign  of  the 
paradox. 

A  Philistine.  Don't  talk  of  them,  they  make  me 
sick.  I  never  could  see  the  fun  of  them  (which  is  quite 
true).  I  could  make  dozens  myself  if  I  wished  to 
(winch  is  a  fallacy),  but  it  is  too  easy. 

Old-fashioned  Person.  I  don't  quite  see  what  is 
left  for  the  third  act. 

A  Philistine.  Third  acts  are  for  the  "  third-class  " 
people  in  the  pit  and  gallery — (chuckles  to  himself ). 

Old-fashioned  Person  (aghast).  Did  you  intend 
that  for  an  epigram  1 

A  Philistine  (diffidently).  Oh  !  no,  a  new  impromptu. 

Old-fashioned  Person.  Which  like  most  impromptus 
will  be  often  repeated  no  doubt. 

A  Philistine  (dazzled  by  his  success).  Yes,  a  mouse 
gives  birth  to  a  mountain  sometimes. 

Old-fashioned  Person.  Have  you  had  the  influenza 
lately  ?    I  know  it  leaves  distressing  symptoms. 

Cecil  (ivith  disgust).  Why  here  is  the  black  bag, 
and  more  bally  talk.  It  may  be  clever  of  Oscar  to 
beard  Philistia  in  its  stronghold — but  hardly  worthy  of 
him  (sadly)  or  us. 

Algernon  (choking  with  laughter).  This  is  too  killing 
- — I  foresee  we  shall  all  suddenly  discover  Cox  and  Bor. 
to  be  the  masterpiece  of  the  stage. 

Very  New  Woman.  So  they  jeer  at  the  woman  with 
a  past,  do  they?    That  looks  as  if  the  tide  had  turned. 

Very  New  Man.  Just  as  we  had  taken  such  pains 
to  hunt  out  nice  second-hand  skeletons  to  put  in  our 
cupboards,  if  we  had  none  there  already. 

Cecil.  I  don't  see  why  they  laughed  at  that,  "After 
a  woman  had  been  a  French  dressmaker  six  months  her 
own  husband  didn't  know  her;  and  six  months  after  no- 
body knew  her." 

Algernon.  No,  dear  boy,  you  wouldn't.  By  Jove,, 
the  thing  is  immensely  good. 

Cecil.  You  may  see  its  comic  side,  that  would  appeal 
to  you,  but  depend  upon  it  it  is  really  subtle  and  tragic- 
Oscar  never  jokes. 

Algernon.  Nor  puns.  Look  at  the  title  of  this  play, 
for  instance. 

Cecil.  (As  the  audience  recalls  "  Oscar  !  Oscar/"  tobe 
told  "  that  immediately  after  your  kind  reception  the 
author  left  the  house.'  )  That  was  subtle  of  him  (brighten- 
ing u]>).  I  knew  he  had  a  surprise  in  store  for  us. 
Goes  out  happy. 


264 


TO-DAY. 


April  6,  1895. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dear  Nell, — Do  you  like  the  fashionable  bishop 
sleeve  1  I  forget  if  you  had  any  of  your  trousseau  gowns 
made  with  them.  I  do  not  like  them  at  all.  The  loose 
part  of  them  above  the  wrists  seems  to  dip  into  every- 
thing, and  if  in  a  light-coloured  material  catches  up  the 
dust  and  soon  gets  soiled.  I  bought  a  blouse  with  these 
sleeves  the  other  day,  and  have  just  spent  half  an  hour 
in  making  them  taut  and  trim  as  far  as  above  the  elbow. 
I  have  done  it  so  cleverly  !  I  wish  you  could  see  them. 
1  have  arranged 
the  fulness  in  a 
wide  box-pleat, 
fastening  it 
firmly  to  the 
lining,  and 
hiding  my  rather 
amateu  rish 
stitchery  with  a 
broad  band  of 
jet.  _ 

Jim's  wife  has 
brought  a  most 
perfect  little 
walking  dress 
home  from  Paris 
with  her.  The 
skirt  is  gauffered 
green  crepon, 
and  the  bodice 
is  figured  silk  in. 
the  same  shade. 
A  pointed  collar 
of  the  new  open- 
work  grass 
lawn  covers  the 
shoulders,  and 
the  tight  part 
of  the  sleeves 
from  elbow  to 
wrist.  Bands  of 
black  satin  rib- 
bon come  from 
the  seams  under 
t  he  arms,  and  tie 
in  a  big,  bounti- 
ful bow  on  the 
chest.  The  waist 
is  quite  round,  a 
fashion  which 
suits  -  Evelyn's 
tall, slight  figme. 
It  is  defined  by 
a  plainly-folded 
band  of  the 
black  ribbon, 
hooked  at  the 
back  under  an 
upward  loop  and 
two  downward 
ones. 

And  the  most 

becoming  touch  of  all  is  the  folded  collar  of 
rose-coloured  velvet.  With  this  sweet  frock  Evelyn 
wears  a  toque  made  of  the  new  mohair  straw  in 
the  same  shade  of  rose-pink  as  the  velvet,  crinkled  in 
little  waves  above  the  face.  It  has  a  black  straw  crown 
and  is  trimmed  with  knots  of  black  satin  ribbon  and 
pink  and  black  wings. 

"What  do  you  think  of  it  1"  you  ask,  about  the 
width  of  skirts.  Well,  I  trotted  round  to  the  dress- 
maker this  morning  to  find  out  all  about  them  for  you, 
.and  here  is  the  net  result,  cleared  of  a  small  river  of 
desultory  talk  thrown  in  gratis  by  my  informant. 
Bell  skirts  measure  four  and  a  half  yards  round  the 


hem,  and  the  very  -full  Ones  are  five  or  six  yards  round,. 
In  ordering  adress  length  one  has. to  consider  whether  the 
bodice  is  to  be  made  of  it,  or  only  skirt  and  sleeves,  and 
if  the  latter,  nine  to  eleven  yards  will  do,  according  to 
the  dimensions  of  the  proposed  wearer.  This  is  for  wide 
woollen  materials.  For  a  silk  gown,  bodice  included, 
the  requisite  length  would  be  from  fourteen  yards  to- 
eighteen. 

A  rather  pretty  bodice  I  saw  the  other  day  was. 
planned  after  a  novel  fashion.  The  skirt  was  made  of 
purple  satin  cloth  and  the  front  and  back  of  the  bodice 
in  the  same,  together  with  outspreading  pieces  over  the 

shoulders,  bor- 
dered with  jet. 
This  all  looked 
like  a  small 
spencer  or  plas- 
tron added  on 
over  an  under- 
bodice  of  yellow 
broche^  showing 
under  the  arms 
and  in  the  large, 
puffed  sleeves. 
Yellow  velvet, 
sewn  over  with 
jet  sequins, 
formed  the  col- 
lar, and  the  skirt 
was  lined  with 
yellow — a  lovely 
dress  for  a  dark- 
haired  girl,  but 
oh  !  how  careful 
one  has  to  be 
with  these  shades 
of  purple.  They 
play  on  the  com- 
plexion such 
terrible  tricks, 


turning 

horrid, 

looking 


it  a 

thick- 
yellow, 


PARIS  COSTUME. 


and  taking  all 
the  clearness  out 
of  the  eyes. 

I  like  a  nice, 
neat  collar-band, 
don't  you?  Large, 
flaring  ends 
standing  out  at 
either  side  are 
very  ugly, 
though  the 
height  of  the 
fashion.  They 
give  a  fat,  un- 
wieldy look  to 
the  neck  that  is 
suggestive  of  a 
decided  lack  of 
refinement. 

Everyone 
agrees  that  the 

favourite  colour  of  the  comThg  season  will  be  blue,  navy 
to  start  with,  the  paler  tones  coming  in  later  when  the 
weather  brightens. 

Cornflower,  periwinkle,  and  plumbago  blues  will  all 
be  very  extensively  patronised.  When  summer  comes 
the  sleeves  of  outdoor  dresses  will  reach  only  to  the 
elbows,  and  there  end  in  waterfalls  of  lace,  the  most  be- 
coming finish  a  sleeve  can  have. 

We  were  looking  in  at  a  shop  window  where  beaded 
ornaments  are  sold,  and  admired  very  much  the  graceful 
designs  of  some  of  them.  One,  in  steel  beads,  formed 
saven  points  in  front.  The  longest,  i-i  the  centre,, 
reached  down  to  the  waist,  and  at  either  side  of  it  three 


April  6,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


265 


"SAN9TAS"  IS  THE  BEST  REALLY 

Non-Poisonous  Disinfectant 
QUALIFIED   FOR  GENERAL  USE. 


DISINFECT* 

WITH 

"SANITAS 

FLUIDS,  POWDER  &  SOAPS 

Iin  e  res  ting  Pam  phi  ei  sent  free.  :  . 
SANITAS  CO.  Ld.  BETHNAl  GREEN.  LONDON 


1  SANITAS  "  kills  all  Disease  Germs. 

1  SANITAS  " — "  Valuable  Antiseptic  and  Disinfectant." — 
'  SANITAS  " — "  Enjoys  general  favour." — Lancet.  Time 


The  LIST  of  APPLICATIONS  will  CLOSE  at  or  before  Twelve  o'clock  or. 
WEDNESDAY,  the  3rd  of  April.  1895,5both  for  Town  and  Country. 

This  Company  has  secured  the  rights— To  prospect  over  certain  blocks  of 
Freehold  Property  in  Western  Australia  belonging  to  the  Hampton 
Plains  Estate,  Limited,  and  to  purchase  a  block  to  be  selected.  The 
blocks  contain  areas  varying  from  7,000  to  13,000  acres.  To  further  pro- 
spect over  upwards  of  114,000  acres  of  Freehold  Lands  of  the  Hampton 
Plains  Estate,  Limited,  and  to  take  up  mining  claims  thereon.  To  pur- 
chase the  Orient  Mine,  near  Coolgardie,  W.A.,  with  its  valuable  water 
catchment.  To  purchase.Gold  Mining  Leases  comprising  about  30  acres 
adjoining  the  Orient  Mine. 

HAMPTON  GOLD  FIELDS,  Limited, 
WESTERN  AUSTRALIA. 
CAPITAL  £100,000,  in  100,000  Shares  of  £1  each. 
The  LONDON  and  WEST  AUSTRALIAN  SYNDICATE,  Limited, 
INVITE  APPLICATIONS  for  45,000  SHARES  at  par,  payable  2s.  6d.  on 
application,  2s.  Gd.  on  allotment,  5s.  two  months  after  allotment,  and  the 
balance  in  calls  not  exceeding  5s.  each  as  required,  but  at  intervals  of  not 
less  than  three  months.  The  shares  may  be  paid  up  in  full  at  any  time, 
and  will  rank  for  dividend  upon  the  amount  paid.  45,000  shares  are  appro- 
priated for  providing  working  capital  as  required,  of  which  20,000  shares 
are  reserved  for  future  issue. 

DIRECTOBS : 

RT.  HON.  THE  EARL  OF  DONOUGHMORE,  K.C.M.G.,  (Chairman). 
Ernest  C.  Haines  (Messrs.  Haines,  Eatehelor  &  Co.),  Cannon  Street,  E.G. 
*if.  HERBERT  Lapage,  M.I.C.E.,  Director  of  the  West  Australian  Gold 

Fields,  Ltd.,  and  of  the  Hampton  Lands  and  Railway  Syndicate,  Ltd. 
Lieut.-Col.  W.  Oughton  Gii.es,  Ravensbury,  Ascot. 
S.  D.  STONEHAM,  Director  of  the  Mount  Margaret  "  Reward"  Claim,  Ltd. 
*  Will  join  the  Board  after  allotment. 
BANKERS : 

The  National  Bank  op  Scotland,  Ltd  ,  37,  Nicholas  Lane,  London. 

Head  Office,  Edinburgh  ;  and  Branches  in  Scotland. 
The  Union  Bank  of  Australia,  Ltd.,  Coolgardie,  Western  Australia. 
SOLICITORS : 
Burn  &  Berridge,  11,  Old  Broad  Street,  London. 
BROKERS: 

Barber  &  Bridgford,  2,  Drapers'  Gardens,  London. 
Hardie  &  TURNBULL,  42,  George  Street,  Edinburgh. 
AUDITORS  : 

MoNKHOUSE,  Goddard  &  Co.,  Chartered  Accountants,  2S  &  20,  St. 
Swithin's  Lane,  London. 
SECRETARY  AND  OFFICES  (pro  tern.) : 
Frank  Turner,  18,  St.  Swithin's  Lane,  London. 
ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 
This  Company  has  been  formed— 

1.  To  purchase  the  benefit  of  a  Contract  (hereinafter  mentioned)  by  which 
this  Company  will  acquire  for  the  period  and  on  the  terms  therein  men- 
tioned, the  right  to  purchase  a  block  of  not  less  than  7,000  acres  of  the 
valuable  Freehold  Property,  situate  in  the  Hampton  Plains  District,  Western 
Australia,  owned  by_  the  Hampton  Plains  Estate,  Limited— the  important 
developments  on  which  are  now  attracting  universal  attention. 

If  I  his  Company  decides  to  exercise  the  right  to  purchase  a  Block  as 
above,  a  separate  Company  is  to  be  formed,  to  acquire  the  same,  and  the 
consideration  payable  to  the  Hampton  Plains  Estate,  Limited,  is  to  be 
satisfied  wholly  in  fully -paid  Shares. 

2.  To  purchase  the  benefit  of  a  Contract  (hereinafter  mentioned)  by 
which  this  Company  will  acquire  for  the  period  and  on  the  terms  therein 
mentioned,  the  right  to  prospect  over  and  select  Gold  Mining  Claims  on 
about  114,000  acres  of  the  above  Freehold  Lands  owned  by  the  Hampton 
Plains  Estate,  Limited. 

3.  To  acquire  the  leases  of  and  work  a  Gold  Mining  Property  situated 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  S.E.  of  the  town  of  Coolgardie,  known  as  the 
"  Orient"  Mine,  comprising  an  area  of  about  fifteen  acres. 

4.  To  acquire  the  Gold  Alining  leases  of  about  30  acres  adjoining  the 
"  Orient"  Mine  and  to  develop  the  same,  and,  if  thought  advisable,  to  work, 
or  to  dispose  of  them  or  portions  thereof  to  other  Companies. 

The  "  Orient "  Mine  and  adjoining  leases  have  been  visited  several  times 
lately  by  Mr.  HERBERT  Lapage,  who  has  reported  upon  the  same  to  the 
Directors,  and  rcommendsthe  property.  Whilst  at  Coolgardie  lie  acquired 
these  leases  on  behalf  of  The  Swan  Syndicate,  Limited,  of  which  he  is  a 
Director  and  Shareholder.  The  London  and  West  Australian  Syndicate, 
Limited,  have  obtained  and  handed  to  the  Directors  of  this  Company  the 
report  on  the  "Orient"  Mine,  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Matthews,  the  General 
Manager  of  Bayley's  Reward  Claim  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited. 
Copies  of  both  these  reports  accompany  the  prospectus. 

As  regards  Water.— It  will  be  seen  by  the  reports  enclosed  with  the 
prospectus  that  the  property  is  exceptionally  favoured,  owing  to  there  being 
on  part  of  the  Orient  Mine  a  natural  catchment  for  rainfall,  and  that  on 
the  remaining  part  a  tank  or  reservoir  has  been  excavated  and  an  embank- 
ment thrown  across,  by  which  means  several  millions  of  gallons  tan  be. 
collected.  Mr.  Herbert  Calthrop  Jones  iManager  of  the  mine),  writing  on 
4tn  February,  says  he  is  selling  water,  and  that  he  has  fenced  in  the  dam. 

Railway.— The  Coolgardie  Railway  is  expected  to  be  completed  by  the  end 
of  the  year,  when  the  Orient  property  will  be  about  \\  miles  of  a  station. 

The  following  contracts  have  been  entered  into,  viz.  : — Two  agreements 
dated  respectively  20th  December,  1894,  and  5th  March,  1895,  both  between 
Hampton  Plains  Estate,  Limited,  and  Lord  Castletown,  Lord  Arthur 
Butler,  and  Benjamin  Septimus  Brigg  (Trustees  for  Debenture  Holders  of 
that  Company),  and  London  and  West  Australian  Syndicate,  Limited  ;  an 
agreement  dated  9th  January,  1895,  between  Richard  Herbert  Lapage 
(acting  for  The  Swan  Syndicate,  Limited),  and  London  and  West 
Australian  Syndicate,  Limited  ;  and  an  agreement  dated  14th  March,  1S95, 
between  London  and  West  Australian  Syndicate,  Limited,  and  Robert 
Smith  as  trustee  for  the  company. 

Prospectuses  and  forms  of  application  can  be  obtained  from  the  bankers, 
brokers,  solicitors,  and  at  the  offices  of  the  company. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


I 


Cockspur   Street,  London. 

N  VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
70R  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 


F 
S 
M 
0 
L 


1EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


ARRET  REPORT. 


UR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 
1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


SECURITIES    PAYING    from    THREE   to  EOUR-AND-A- 
D      HALF  PER  CENT. 
"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


s 


UCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 


rJHVENTY- SEVENTH  EDITION. 
LlENT  POST  FREE. 

o 

rpiE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART   I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
1  Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.- HOW  TO  OPERATE. 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1S33  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can  Country  Residents   Ope  ate 

Successfully? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


QUR  THREE-MONTHLY 
SETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 


ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

I^HE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

CCCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite, 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowncss  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILL 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 


10,  Bolt, 


rt,  Fie 


Street.  E.C. 
Oct  ober  25th,  18W. 

Deau  Sir,— I  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  ol 
Dr.  Scott's  Pills  as  a  family  medicine.  We  have  used  tliein  in  ouv  household  for  many 
years,  and  are  never  without  them. 

Tours  faithfully,  J.  SELI,ARS. 
The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead. 
Prepared  only  by — 

W.   LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 

Turkish  Steam  Massage 
Complexion  Treatments 

Are  marvellously  beneficial  in  Purifying  and 
Beautifying  the  Skin. 
Produces  a  healthy,  rosy,  and  velvety  complexion- 
Removes  and  prevents  wrinkles,  tan,  blotches* 
freckles,  pimples,  blackheads,  eczema,  and  all  other 
blemishes,  paints  or  powders  used.  Investigation 
will  convince  the  must  sceptical*  Honest  hygienic 
work  only.  Patronised  by  the  most  select  Indies 
Treatments;  strictly  private.  Pupils  taught.  Assistant 
required,—  Madame  DEAN,  American  Special- 
Jste  in  Complexion,  Scalp,  and  Manicuring,  30 
Great  Portland-street,  Oxford  Circus,  London,  W. 

DON'T  MISS 


READY    APRIL  9, 

See  Advertisement  on  Page 


266 


TO-DAY. 


App.il  6,  1893. 


others  graduated  in  length,  the  outer  ones  being  quite 
short.  This  makes  a  very  pretty  trimming  for  a  bodice, 
whether  in  jet,  steel  or  sapphire,  garnet  or  shaded  beads. 
Another  formed  both  collar  and  basque  with  a  pointed 
piece  connecting  the  two  down  the  front.  There  is  no 
collar-piece  in  any  of  the  new  trimmings,  foldexl  bands 
of  velvet,  satin,  silk,  or  chiffon  being  the  correct  form 
for  these. 

Butter  and  tan  are  the  new  colours  for  laces.  I  saw 
a  lovely  pink  blouse  made  up  with  a  deep  tan-tinted  lace 
collar  of  the  Charles  I.  kind.  It  was  a  good  contrast 
of  colour,  and  would  suit  a  brunette,  especially  for  even- 
ing wear. 

I  see  that  plush  capes  arc  introduced  as  a  useful 
mid-season  garment,  but  those  who  cannot  afford  to  buy 
a  new  one  just  for  the  few  weeks  of  the  intermediate 
season,  would  do  far  better  to  invest  in  one  of  the 
openwork  capes  over  a  coloured  silk  lining  which  shows 
1  Irrough  the  openwork  ;  or  else  a  plain  black  silk  trimmed 
with  lace  in  black,  cream,  biscuit,  or  yellow.  Crepon 
eapes  are  to  be  one  of  the  features  of  the  present 
season's  dress. 

The  Paris  costume  shown  in  our  illustration 
w  as  sketched  from  one  of  Mesdames  Nicolle's  beautiful 
models,  at  171,  New  Bond  Street,  and  illustrates  the 
very  latest  features  of  the  fashion.  The  low  neck  and 
short  sleeves  are  the  most  prominent  of  these,  and 
the  fine  black  lace  forming  a  sort  of  hood  over  the  cape 
is  also  a  quite  novel  mode.    The  pointed  folds  in  which 


the  skirt  sits  out  may  be  accepted  as  the  very  latest 
phase  of  the  godet,  and  the  fulness  of  the  cape  echoes 
that  of  the  dress.  At  Mesdames  Nicolle's  establish- 
ment one  sees  the  fashions  of  apres  demain. 

I  wonder  if  you  would  like  the  new  ulsters,  with 
long,  loose  backs.  They  fit  closely  on  the  shoulders,  but 
do  not  go  in  at  the  waist.  On  tall  figures  with  flat 
shoulders  and  well-proportioned  hips  they  look  remark- 
ably well,  but  not  on  any  others.  Far  from  it !— Your 
affectionate  Susie. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Di  Vernon. — The  fashionable  habit  is  now  made  with  a  long 
basque.  Thomas's  charge  for  a  very  neat  coat  and  skirt  is 
eleven  and  a  half  to  twelve  guineas,  and  if  you  have  a  patent 
safety  skirt  it  will  be  two  guineas  extra.  The  coat  is  a  very 
smart  double-breasted  one,  showing  a  little  of  the  waistcoat 
above  but  none  below  ;  to  my  mind  a  far  neater  and  prettier 
style  than  that  which  shows  the  waistcoat  at  the  waist. 
The  latter  often  looks  as  if  it  had  unintentionally  slipped 
down. 

Worried  Mother. — When  your  invalid  can  eat  so  little, 
what  you  give  him  should  be  of  the  most  nutritive  kind.  The 
beef  tea,  chicken  broth,  mutton  broth,  veal  broth,  should  all  be 
of  the  strongest.  White  bread  is  of  little  value  as  a  nourishing 
food.  Give  him  Hovis  bread  and  biscuits,  which  are  full  of 
nourishment  and  »at  the  same  time  easily  digestible.  I  have 
formed  the  highest  opinion  of  it,  after  a  good  trial. 

Advice  Free.— To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  PatenTsfor  Inven- 
tions  see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Write  for  Illd.  Guide  (259  pages),  3d. 
Tobacconists'  Outfitting  Co.,  186,  Euston-road,  Lotadon.    Est  1866.— Advt. 


JOE  YIOLET 


FOR   THE   COMPLEXION    AND  SKIN. 

"Nadine"  in  "Our  Home "  says—'* For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  is  an 

absolute  specific. ' 

"  Medioa  "  in  "Woman"  says—"  It  will  soon  make  your  skin  as  soft  as  you  can  wish. 
"  St/kith"  in  "To-Day" Bays—" It  is  a  splendid  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  you 
will  ]i,  rsevcre  in  its  use,  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin  gradually  improve,  becoming 
id  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a  swee' 


soft 


Id  til 


'ssion,  that  any 


not 


liquid  preparation 
It  is  :  l.solutely 
,  but  assists  their 


CREME  HE  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  p: 
pure  and  exquisitej  free  from  all  poisonous  or 
colourless,  and,  as  it  is  free  from  sediment,  it 
functions. 

of  chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is.  and  2s.  C«l.  (see  that  the  signature— 
LVi  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label);  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from— 

LE  FRERE  ET  Cl£,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 
HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
Shoe  Elevator(Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 

~MARKING~INK  FOR  £2  D. 
LINEN  is  the  BEST!  O 

NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED.  per 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the  bottle 

Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Ren-Geld  Street,  Glasgow. 


HEALTH  WITHOUT  MEDICINE. 


Electric  Dry  Belts,  Bands  and  Batteries, 


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ALSO  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

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R.  SAUBER, 
HAL  HURST, 
SYDNEY  ADAMSON. 


In  Handsome  Gold  and  Green  Cover. 

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April  6,  1893. 


TO-DAY. 


2(57 


DE  OMNIBUS. 


BY 


THE  CONDUCTOR. 


Me  and  another  chap  put  up  a  thing  on  'Ankin  lawst 
Sunday  night.  We  gits  a  sheet  o'  the  best  cream-lide, 
gilt-edged,  double-barrelled  notepiper,  and  wrote  as 
follows  :— «  The  Prince  o'  Wiles  "— 'opin'  as  'is  Ryal 
Mghness  will  egscoose  the  liberty— "  presints  of  'is  com 
pliminks  ter  Mister  'Ankin,  and  with  regawd  ter  the 
Ryal  Conniiishing  on  the  Iged  Pore,  would  like  to  awst 
Mister  'Ankin  if" — 'ere  yer  turned  over  the  pige — 
"this  ain't  the  fust  of  Ipril,  and  gort  yer  agin."  We 
does  it  up  in  a  ornvylope,  an'  claps  it  inter  a  pillar-box, 
calcilitin'  as  'e'd  git  it  fust  post  Monday  mornin'. 
Well,  I  meets  'Ankin  going'  to  'is  wuk  Monday  mornin', 
an'  egspecks  ter  find  'im  abart  kickin'  mad.  Nuthink 
o'  the  sort ;  'e  were  as  quart  and  peasable  as  ever  I  seed 
a  man.  "  Whort  cheer  ? "  says  I.  "  Goin'  strong,"  says 
'e.    Then  'e  stawted  talkin'  about  the  boat-rice. 


curis  on  the  subjic.  "  No,  'e 
says  'Ankin,  "no  more 'e  never  does. 
"  Ho,  nuthin',"  says  I.    Jest  thin  up 


"  Did  the  postman  leave  anythink  fur  yer  this  morn- 
in'?"   says  I,  feeling'  curis  on  the 
bloomin'  didn't," 
Whot's  hup?" 

conies  the  other  chap,  and  before  I  could  stop  'im  'e  says, 
"  'Ello,  'Ankin,  gort  your  letters  this  mornin  '?"  "  Look 
'ere,"  'e  says,  "  whort  are  you  two  tryin'  ter  git  at  ? " 
Well,  I  seed  thin  as  the  thing  was  spiled,  and  so  we 
owned  up,  and  cussed  that  post-orfice  sutthink  shock- 
in'.    'Ankin'  'e  law  fed  an'  lawfed  till  we  was  like  ter 


punch  'is  'ead  orf.  "You  needn't  be  so  bloomin'  pleased 
with  yorself,"  says  I.  "  It  ain't  you  as  'as  mide  fools 
of  us.  It's  that  fursiken  post-orfice."  "  Ho,  yuss,  it  is 
me,  though,"  says  'Ankin,  nippin'  shawp  rarnd  a  corner, 
'cos  I  did  git  your  letter  awter  all."  Thin  we  went  fur 
'im,  but  'e  gort  awye,  bein'  'andy  on  'is  feet,  as  yer 
might  sye.  Ah,  I've  said  it  agine  and  agine — when 
you're  a  kiddin'  of  anybody  else  you  kip  a  look  art  as 
yer  don't  git  kidded  yerself. 


I  do  'ite  ter  see  the  rights  of  a  fawther  interfered 
with.  Theer  were  a  man  the  other  dye,  widower  with 
ite  childring.  One  of  'is  boys  needed  the  strap,  and 
the  fawther  give  'im  it.  So  'e  gits  summoned  by  one 
o'  these  ere  bloomin'  mind-other-peeple's-business 
sersyerties.  Well  it  turned  art  as  'e'd  given  the  boy  a 
decent  doin',  and  marked  him  a  bit,  but  nutthink  fur 
to  injure  'is  'ealth.  'E  were  discharged  o'  course.  So  I 
shud  think.  If  yer  my'nt  wallop  yer  own  son,  who  the 
dickens  mye  yer  wallop?  I  'as  little  pychunce  with 
these  'ere  sersyerties.  Theer's  too  many  of  'em,  and 
their  two  bloomin'  interferin'.  Mind  yer,  I  ain't  adver- 
citin'  crooilty.  But  I  know  boys.  As  a  rool  they  needs 
the  strap,  and  is  the  better  for  it.  If  they  was  gels — ■ 
which  they  ain't — all  this  'ere  'old-me-in-your-lovin'-awms 
business  mightn't  be  so  much  art  o'  plice.  But  boys 
is  ditf'runt,  and  shud  be  treated  diff'iunt.  A 
man  as  'as  ite  childring  tu  bring  up,  and  no  wife  tu 
'elp  'im,  'as  gort  quite  enough  on  'is  'ands  withart 
'avin'  'is  time  and  'is  money  wasted  at  any  perlice-court. 
AVhen  I  was  a  boy,  I  gort  the  strap — gort  it  frequent 
an'  lide  on  prop'ly,  and  if  it  'adn't  bin,  I  shouldn't  'ave 
bin  the  man  as  I  am  nar,  and  that's  strite.  Them 
sersyerties  mye  mike  a  note  of  it  an'  be  griteful  tu 
me. 


UPTON'S  TEAS  U  BEST 


AND   HAYE    THE    LARGEST    SALE    IN    THE  WORLD. 


LIPTON C0NTR0LS  TflE  TEA 

MARKET. 

UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 


Has  paid  in  duty  for 
his  week's  clearance 
of  Tea  the  largest 
cheque  ever  received 
by  Her  Majesty's 
Customs,  London, 
viz.  : 

£35,365  9s.  2d. 

This  represents  over 
one  half  of  the 
average  weekly  pay- 
ments for  duty  paid 
by  the  entire  Tea 
Trade  on  the  whole 
of  the  Tea  imported 
into  Great  Britain. 


TEA  MERCHANT 


^°  Her  MAJE^ 

THE  QUEEN. 


UPTON'S  TEAS  gained 
THE  HIGHEST  and  ONLY 
AWARD  in  the  BRITISH 
SECTION  at  the  WORLD'S 
FAIR,  CHICAGO. 


NOTE  THE  PRICES 

The  Finest  Tea 

THE  WORLD  CAN 
PRODUCE 

Per  1/7  lb. 

Rich,  Pure  &  Fragrant 

Per  1/-  &  1/4-  Id. 

Also  packed  in  5,  7,  and 
10  lb.  Patent  Fancy  Air- 
tight Canisters,and  delivered, 
Carriage  Paid  for  an  extra 
Id.  per  lb.,  to  any  address 
in  Great  Britain. 

Orders  by  Post  may  be 
addressed  to  the  Chief  Offices, 
Bath  Street,  London,  E.C. 


LIPTON 
LIPTON 
LIPTON 
LIPTON 
LIPTON 
LIPTON 
LIPTON 


LIPTON 


TEA  AND  COFFEE  PLANTER,  CEYLON. 

The  Largest  Tea,  Coffee,  and  Provision  Dealer  in  the  World. 


Sole  Proprietor  of  the  following  celebrated  Tea  and  Coffee  Estates  in  Ceylon :  Pambatenne,  Laymastotte,  Moneraknnde,  Mahadambatenne,  Mousakelle,  Pooprnssie,  Hanagalla,  Gigra 
nella,  and  Karandagalla,  which  cover  Thousands  of  Acres  of  the  best  TLA  and  COFFEE  LAND  in  Ceylon.  Cevlon  Tea  and  Coffer  Shipping  Warehouses  :  Maddema  Mills,  Cinnamon 
Gardens,  Colombo.  Cevlon  Office  :  Upper  Chatham  Street,  Colombo,  Indian  Tea  Shipping  Warehouses  and  Export  Stol  es  :  Hare  Street,  Strand,  Calcutta.  Indian  Offices :  Dalhousie 
Square,  Calcutta.  Tea  and  Coffee  Sale  Rooms  :  Mincing  Lane,  LONDON,  E.C.  Wholesale  Tea-Blending  and  Duty  l'aid  Stores:  Lath  Street  and  Cay  ton  Street,  LONDON,  E  C  Bonded 
and  Export  Stores :  Peerless  Street,  LONDON,  E.C.  Coffee  Roasting,  Blending  Stores,  and  Essence  Manufactory :  Old  Street,  LONDON,  E.C.  Wholesale  and  Expolt  Provision 
Warehouses:  Nelson  Place,  LONDON.  E.C.   Fruit  Preserve  Factory  :  Spa  Road,  Bcrmondsey,  LONDON,  S.E.   General  Offices  :  Bath  Street,  LONDON,  E.C. 

BRANCHES  EVERYWHERE.  AGENCIES  THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD. 

OVER  ONE  MILLION  PACKETS  OF  LIPTON'8  TEA  SOLD  WEEKLY  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN  ALONE. 


268 


TO-DAY. 


April  6,  1895. 


THE    STORY  OF    AMY  GREGORY. 

BY 

CLEMENT  SCOTT. 


I  took  a  corner  seat  in  the  Central  Criminal  Court  of 
the  Old  Bailey  the  other  morning,  and  in  the  course  of  a 
few  hours  saw  dramas  more  harrowing,  sketches  of  hu- 
man character  more  vivid,  and  cries  for  mercy  morel 
piercing  than  I  have  ever  seen  or  heard  on  any  stage. 

It  was  the  same  corner  from  which,  close  upon  mid- 
night, on  an  eventful  day  many  years  ago,  I  had  seen 
the  four  Penge  murderers  condemned  to  death,  two 
brothers,  one  wife,  and  a  mistress  ;  and  I  can  see  once 
more  the  scene,  never  to  be  forgotten  while  I  live.  Tho 
dim  and  semi-darkened  court,  the  roaring  of  the  mad- 
dened crowd  outside,  the  two  women  in  the  dock  fallen 
into  the  arms  of  the  female  warders  in  a  dead  faint ; 
the  two  brothers  huddled  together  and  almost  embracing, 
apparently  for  the  last  time  on  earth.  This  was  the 
case  that  made  the  reputation  of  Edward  (now  Sir 
Fdward)  Clarke  for  his  defence  of  Alice  Rhodes,  and  his- 
tory records  how,  thanks  to  Charles  Reade  and  another 
anonymous  advocate,  who  shall  be  nameless,  the  lives 
of  all  four  supposed  murderers  were  spared,  how  the 
brothers  died  in  prison,  and  how  Alice  Rhodes,  Avho  had 
been  within  a  few  feet  of  the  gallows,  became  a  barmaid 
at  a  restaurant  at  the  Royal  Exchange. 

From  the  same  corner,  I  hadl  seen  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Watson,  an  old  Brixton  schoolmaster,  condemned  to 
death  for  killing  his  wife,  and  sending  her  off  to  the 
country  packed  up  dead  in  a  new  trunk  ;  and  sitting  hero 
also,  I  saw  the  detectives  from  Scotland  Yard,  and  Frog- 
gatt,  the  solicitor,  sentenced,  and  witnessed  the  dramatic 
scene  that  followed  that  sentence. 

The  drama  of  the  dock  does  not  appeal  so  strongly 
to  those  accustomed  to  see  it  day  by  clay.  The  clerk  of 
the  arraigns,  and  the  ushers  with  their  stereotyped  for- 
mulas; the  officials  duly  administering  the  oaths  and 
calling  silence  when  the  death  sentence  is  pronounced; 
the  judge,  in  scarlet  and  ermine,  with  the  bouquet  of 
fiesh  flowers  in  front  of  him ;  the  Lord  Mayor  on  his 
throne,  sitting  under  the  great  sword  of  Justice;  the 
sheriffs  and  the  aldermen  in  their  robes,  the  chaplain 
fitting  about  to  see  if  the  "  black  cap  "  is  peeping  from 
under  the  judge's  papers — all  of  these,  or  most  of  these, 
have  become  accustomed  to  the  terrible  dramas  that  aro 
enacted  every  session  in  the  dock  of  the  Old  Bailey. 

The  clock,  ominous  over  the  dread  dock,  points  to 
half-past  ten.  An  usher  pronounces  silence !  Everyone 
in  court  stands  up  ! 

Enter  the  Scarlet  Judge  in  full  theatrical  procession ! 

He  is  accompanied  by  the  Lord  Mayor  in  gold  chain 
and  robes,  and  by  all  the  panoply  of  the  civic  court. 
/.II  colour,  brightness,  gaiety,  and  chains  of  glittering 
gold  on  the  bench  !  All  squalor,  misery,  and  clanking, 
ugly  chains  of  iron  in  the  dock ! 

The  warder  gives  a  sign,  and  up  the  steps  huddle  and 
tumble  the  men  and  women  who  are  to  know  their  fate 
to-day. 

First  comes  a  young,  smartly-dressed  fellow,  well  set 
up,  with  his  hair  brushed  in  military  style,  a  flower  in 
his  buttonhole,  as  gay-looking  and  unabashed  a  youth 
of  three-and-twenty  as  anyone  would  care  to  see.  And 
yet,  oni  his  own  confession,  he  is  a  murderer.  He  was 
caught  red-handed  in  a  veritable  "den  of  thieves"  in 
the  Waterloo  Road,  with  a  razor  in  his  hand  dripping 
with  blood,  holding  an  unfortunate  woman  by  the  hair 
of  her  head,  whose  throat  was  cut  from  ear  to  ear. 

Is  it  possible  that  this  comely  youth,  just  discharged 
from  the  army  with  a  pension  and  an  excellent  character, 
could  ever  have  been  frenzied  enough  to  cut  a  woman's 
throat  for  trying  to  rob  him  of  his  purse  and  watch  at 
tho  instance  of  her  ruffianly  protector? 

Yes,  it  is  quite  true! 

The  smart  soldier  boy,  with  the  flower  in  his  button- 
hole, declares  to  the  assembled  court  that  he  is  guilty  of 
manslaughter. 


He  did  it,  and  he  is  apparently  unashamed. 

Stand  back,  you  soldier  boy,  who  paid  a  visit  to 
the  Waterloo  Road,  with  a  razor  in  your  pocket,  appar- 
ently in  order  to  have  a  clean  shave  l>efore  you  mixed 
with  the  scrutinising  crowd  again  next  morning. 

That  razor  was  your  doom  ;  and  hers  who  lent  herself 
to  you  in  that  den  of  thieves  ! 

Advance,  you  pretty  girl,  and  let  us  hear  what  you 
have  been  doing  !  You  look  so  sweet  and  innocent  that 
surely  you  coulu  not  hurt  a  mouse  ?  Oh,  you  are  jealous, 
are  you?  The  gtecT;-t\ed  monster  has  maddened  you 
for  a  moment,  and  you  threw  vitriol  in  your  guilty  lover's 
face.  What !  You  are  not  guilty  ?  Ah !  You  hesi- 
tate !  You  think  it  best,  after  all,  to  tell  the  truth,  and 
throw  up  the  sponge  !  The  sight  of  your  victim  in  the 
witness-box,  with  the  scarred  face,  might  madden  you 
the  more,  or  send  you  into  screaming  hysterics ! 

Stand  back,  you  pretty,  jealous  girl !  You  shall  be 
sentenced  by-and-bye !  But  what  is  this  wail  of  agony 
that  fills  the  court? 

A  weeping,  wailing,  well-looking  woman  is  led  to  the 
front,  and  she  bows  her  curly  head  upon  the  ledge  of 
the  dock.  Who  is  it?  Goethe's  Gretchen,  or  George 
Eliot's  Hetty  Sorrel?  What  matter!  It  is  the  same 
distressing,  heart-rending  story. 

This  woman,  once  a  wife,  then  a  mistress,  thrust  out 
by  her  husband  as  an  adulteress,  deserted  by  her  false 
lover,  who  is  the  father  of  her  child,  is  a  murderess. 
She  has  killed  her  love-child  !  She  is  to  be  tried  for  her 
life !  Look  !  The  square,  black  cap  peeps  from  the 
judge's  papers  now  !  The  chaplain  flits  and  fidgets  about 
the  court.  There  is  death  in  the  air,  and  we  must  get 
it  all  over  before  luncheon  time,  and  punch,  and  turtle 
soup,  and  civic  hospitality  ! 

Stand  back,  you  surburban  Gretchen  from  Rich- 
mond! Stand  back,  you  forlorn,  forsaken  creature 
who  left  your  baby  dead  on  a  block  of  ice,  in  a  ditch 
near  the  Thames  towing-path !  You  say  through  your 
blinding  tears  that  you  are  not  guilty !  Well !  These 
twelve  good  men  and  true  will  decide  that  question 
before  the  day  is  many  hours  older !  Stand  back  and 
weep  alone ! 

Once  more  the  gaoler  in  the  corner  of  the  dock,  whose 
e-irs  must  ache  with  the  groans,  sighs,  and  shrieks  that 
he  hears  there,  beckons  up  the  "  scala  del  morti,"  the 
young  and  blithesome  soldier  cut-throat ! 

Never  before  was  English  Justice  more  admirably 
advocated  than  by  Mr.  Charles  Mathews,  who,  nominally 
prosecuting  the  man,  is  in  reality  defending  him  with 
admirable  tact  and  talent.  He  tells  the  grim  story  of 
that  terrible  Waterloo  Road  tragedy  precisely,  accu- 
rately, and  with  perfect  taste,  marshalling  his  facts 
like  the  able  tactician  that  he  is,  describing  the  man 
and  his  past,  detailing  the  story  enacted  in  this  dreadful 
den  of  thieves,  sparing  his  narrative  all  the  vulgar  clap- 
trap about  the  man's  morality,  honourably  insisting  that 
the  witnesses  in  this  beastly  establishment  are  not  to 
bo  relied  upon,  and  candidly  asking  the  Judge  if  he 
thinks  anything  can  be  done  more  than  accept  the  man's 
confession  of  manslaughter,  and  so  end  this  gruesome 
business. 

The  Scarlet  Judge  consents,  and  the  smart,  flower 
buttonholed  ex-soldier  skips  down  the  dock  to  be 
sentenced  when  the  Judge  has  had  time  to  think  how 
justice  can  be  satisfied  for  the  loss  of  that  miserable 
creature  with  her  gashed  throat  in  the  Waterloo  Road. 

And  now  bring  up  the  Richmond  Gretchen  whose 
sobs  are  pitiful !  It  was  mid-winter,  this  last  ice-bound, 
terrible,  nerve-destroying  winter,  when  Gretchen  went 
out  of  the  workhouse  infirmary,  with  her  new-born 
love-child  clothed  in  the  raiments  given  her  by  chari- 
table women.  The  weather  was  awful,  and  mother  and 
child  were  absolutely  penniless  and  alone  in  the  world. 
Gretchen's  husband  had  abandoned  her  for  ever!  Her 
once  lover  "passed  by  on  the  other  side,"  and  gave  no 
pecuniary  support  to  the  guilty  mother  or  her  innocent 
babe.  The  woman  wanted  work!  She  entrusted  tho 
child  to  kind,  charitable  neighbours,  of  whom  there  is 


April  6,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


269 


a  sufficient  number  among  the  working  classes,  thank 
God  !  But  the  neighbours  were  as  poor  as  the  destitute 
mother,  and  they  could  not  keep  the  child  unaided. 
Remember  how  piercing  cold  the  winter  was !  In  her 
despair  the  prodigal  daughter  turned  to  her  father's 
home,  to  the  father  she  had  once  helped  to  support,  to 
the  mother  who  once  loved  her. 

The  father  cursed  her ;  the  mother  gave  her  two- 
pence 1 

The  father  pointed  to  the  food  on  the  table,  and 
defied  his  starving  daughter,  who  pleaded  less  for  her- 
self than  for  her  infant,  to  touch  one  morsel !  Then, 
he  turned  her  out  of  the  house  neck  and  crop,  and 
banged  the  door  behind  her. 

What  in  God's  name  was  the  woman  to  do?  She 
was  starving !  She  was  frozen !  She  had  no  money  ! 
She  had  no  prospect  of  work  !  She  was  deserted  by  her 
lover!  She  was  refused  food  by  her  own  father  1  Is 
it  a  wonder  that  the  woman  went  mad?  The  devil 
entered  her  heart,  and  she  swore  that  her  child  should 
not  suffer  as  she  did  at  any  rate. 

The  child  should  go  to  Peace,  and  Nirvana  ! 

So  she  slunk  off  to  the  wintry  tow-path,  and  the 
frozen  ditch  behind  the  hedge.  And  there  she  undressed 
the  infant  and  left  it  stark,  white,  and  dead,  it's  piteous 
cries  for  food  stifled  for  ever  with  a  clean  linen  hand- 
kerchief. She  left  it  naked ;  cradled  in  the  winter 
snow. 

I  saw  all  these  pathetic  "  acts  of  accusation"  in  court ; 
the  baby's  clothes,  the  white  knotted  handkerchief  that 
stilled  the  pitiful  wails  for  ever,  and  I  saw  the  mother's 
face  in  the  dock,  and  the  agony  on  it  when  she  looked 
at  them.  And  I  am  not  likely  to  forget  that  mother's 
despairing  face ! 

Women  will  naturally  ask  why  she  undressed  her  child 


before  leaving  it  on  that  cold  block  of  ice?  Why  did 
she  take  the  little  gowns  and  coverings  away  1  Women 
are  curious  creatures.  A  woman  had  been  good  to  the 
maddened  Gretchen.  A  woman  friend  had  taken  the 
baby  in  without  payment.  She  had  children  of  her  own, 
and  the  only  payment  that  Gretchen  could  give  in  re-  » 
turn  were  the  clothes  of  her  murdered  baby.  And  I 
saw  the  friend  in  the  witness-box  with  the  brown  paper 
parcel  in  her  hand,  taking  the  clothes  home  again  to 
her  own  little  ones  whilst  poor  Gretchen  was  being 
sentenced  to  death ! 

Gretchen  of  Richmond  will  not  be  allowed  to  die  ! 
It  would  have  been  a  monstrous  crime !  The  recom- 
mendation of  the  jury  has  been  attended  to.  The 
Judge's  voice  was  full  of  tenderness  and  mercy,  and  so 
is  the  voice  of  aggregated  humanity.  But  if  that 
poor  woman  had  had  to  endure  an  eternity  of  sorrow 
in  prison,  if  the  Richmond  Gretchen  had,  like  her 
maddened  sister  in  the  immortal  play,  to  say  in  fancy 
to  her  lover— 

"  No,  thou  must  live,  to-morrow  I  must  die, 
And  I  must  tell  them  how  to  range  the  graves, 
And  thou  must  see  to  it  by  break  of  day ; 
My  mother  the  best  place — next  her  my  brother, 
Me  well  apart,  but,  dearest,  not  too  far, 
And  by  my  side  my  little  one  shall  lie." 
But  all  the  same  I  should  like  to  know  what  con- 
science is  saying  at  this  moment  to  the  lover  and  father 
of  the  woman's  child,  who  did  not  pawn  his  coat  to  help 
them ;  and  what  fate  has  in  store  for  the  father  who 
pointed  to  the  laden  table,  refused  a  crust  and  a  drop 
of  cold  water  to  his  starving  child,  and  turned  her  into 
the  streets  to  become  the  murderess  of  her  own  child, 
the  forlorn  and  lonely  woman  that  I  saw  at  the  Old 
Bailey  carried  out  of  the  dock  to  her  doom ! 


The  List  of  Applications  will  open  on  Thursday,  the  4th  April,  and  close  at  or  before  4.0  p.m.  on  the 
same  day  for  Town,  and  the  following  Morning  for  Country. 


Incorporated  under  the  Companies  Act,  1862  to  1890,  whereby  the  liability  of  the  Shareholders  is  limited  to  the  amount  of  their  Shares 

CAPITAL  £147,500. 

Divided  into  70,000  5  per  cent.  Cumulative  Shares  of  £1  each  ;  76,000  Ordinary  Shares 
of  £1  each ;  and  1,500  Management  Shares  of  £1  each. 


The  Preference  Shares  are  preferential  hotli  as  to  Capital  and  Dividend, 
and  after  the  payment  of  a  cumulative  preferential  dividend  of  5  per  cent, 
upon  these  Shares  a  non-cumulative  dividend  of  7  per  cent,  will  next  be 
paid  on  the  Ordinary  shares,  and  the  surplus  profits  will  (subject  to  the 
provision  of  a  Reserve  Fund)  be  divisible  in  equal  moieties  between  the 
Holders  of  the  Ordinary  and  the  Management  Shares. 

It  is  not  proposed  to  create  any  Debenture  Debt  or  Mortgages,  so  that 
the  Preference  Shares  will  be  the  first  capital  charge  upon  the  undertaking. 

The  Vendor  will  take  in  part  payment  of  the  purchase-money  10,000 
Preference  Shares  and  15,000  Ordinary  Shares.  He  has  also  reserved  the 
right  to  subscribe  for  the  whole  of  the  Management  Shares  at  par. 

The  remaining  60,000  Preference  Shares  and  61,000  Ordinary  Shares 
are  now  offered  for  subscription,  payable  as  follows:  — 

5s.  on  Application,  5s.  on  Allotment,  and  10s.  on  April  22nd,  1895. 
DIRECTORS. 

T.  G.  FARDELL,  Esq.,  M.P.,  26,  Hyde  Park  Street,  W.,  Chairman. 
Mil.  B.  PAGE,  222,  Upper  Street,  Islington,  N.  1  Joint  Managing 
Mr.  J.  BALLS,  „  „  f  Directors. 

Mr..  C.  C.  TAYLOR  „ 
Mr.  J.  FOTHERGILL  „ 

BANKERS. 

THE  NATIONAL  PROVINCIAL  BANK  OF  ENGLAND,  LTD.,  Head 
Office,  112.  Bishopsgate  Street,  E.C. ;  the  Islington  Branch,  No.  218, 
Upper  Street,  Islington;  and  all  other  Branches. 

SOLICITOUS. 

Messrs.    ASHURST,    MORBIS,    CEISP    &    CO.,    17,  Throgmorton 
Avenue,  B.C. 
BROKERS. 

XU>MiS.  CLARENCE  &  GEIiVASE  SMITH   &  CO.,  4,  Queen  Victoria 
Street,  E.C,  and  the  Stock  Exchange. 
AUDITORS. 

MFSSRS.  DELOITTE,  DEVER,  GRIFFITHS  &  CO.,  4,  Lothbury,  E.C. 
SECRETARY  (pro  tem.)   AND   REGISTERED  OFFICES. 
Mb.    E.    W.    OAKLEY,    Nos.    219    to    225,    Upper    Street,  Islington, 
London,  N. 


ABRIDGED  PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  has  been  formed  to  acquire  as  a  going  concern  the  well- 
known  business  of  Mr.  T.  R.  Roberts,  which,  established  thirty-five  years 
ago  in  the  important  thoroughfare  of  Upper  Street,  Islington,  has  become 
one  of  the  large  retail  businesses  to  which  people  from  all  patrs  of  the 
Metropolis  and  Suburbs  resort. 

The  premises,  Nos,  216,  217,  219,  219A,  220,  221,  222,  223,  224  and  225, 
Upper  Street,  occupy  an  area  of  77,100  square  feet,  with  158  feet  frontage; 
a  portion  extending  from  the  main  thoroughfare  nearly  to  the  Liverpool 
Road,  and  the  remainder  having  a  depth  of  227  feet.  The  buildings  (as 
will  he  seen  from  the  plan  accompanying  the  prospectus)  are  well  arranged 
tn  suit  the  numerous  departments  ot  the  business,  and  one  great  advantage 
which  thev  possess  is  the  ease  with  which  any  of  the  di  partments  can 
be  enlarged  in  meet  the  requirements  of  increased  trade,  there  being  no 
less  than  19,425  square  feet  of  vacant  ground,  giving  also  amp'e  room  to 


build  an  immense  Store  or  Market,  with  access  by  way  of  Upper  Street  or 
Park  Street.  The  whole  of  this  property  is  held  under  leases  which  have 
an  unexpired  term  of  from  21J  to  34  years  to  run.  The  Company  also 
acquires  the  warehouse  known  as  Tyndale  Works,  in  Tyndale  Terrace, 
Canonbury  Lane,  which  is  used  as  a  Furniture  Repository,  and  the  Coal 
Merchant's  business  which  has  been  carried  on  under  the  style  of  Roberts 
Brothers,  at  Ashburton  Grove,  Holloway. 

The  departments  of  the  business  include  the  following :— Drapery,  Silks, 
Dresses,  Millinery,  Mantles,  Boots  and  Shoes,  Coals,  China  and  Glass, 
Furniture,  Grocery,  Provisions,  and  Refreshments. 

There  is  a  constant  service  of  Omnibuses  and  Trams  passing  the  premises, 
and  their  close  proximity  to  Highbury  Station  (North  London  Railway),  and 
Holloway  Station  (Great  Northern  Railway),  make  the  Upper  Street  one  of 
the  most  accessible  thoroughfares  from  and  to  all  parts  of  London. 

The  success  of  the  business  is  largely  due  to  the  attention  which  the 
Vendor  has  given  to  meeting  the  requirements  of  all  classes  of  Customers, 
who  have  every  advantage  that  Cash  payments  can  secure,  the  heads  of 
each  department  having  perfect  freedom  given  them  to  go  to  the  best 
English  and  Foreign  Markets  for  their  goods,  and  it  is  intended  that  the 
same  system  of  management  shall  continue,  arrangements  having  been 
made  to  secure  the  services  of  those  who  have  hitherto  taken  a  leading 
and  very  active  part  in  the  business. 

Many  of  the  employes  (exceeding  400),  a  number  of  whom  have  been  in 
the  business  for  a  great  many  years,  have  expressed  their  intention  ot 
subscribing  for  Shares,  and  it  is  proposed  to  make  a  libaal  allotment  upon 
these  applications,  as  by  so  doing  there  will  be  a  direct  incentive  to  make 
the  business  successful  in  the  future. 

The  business  from  its  original  formation  has  been  highly  successful,  and 
the  Directors  are  assured  by  the  Vendor  that  only  once  during  a  period  of 
thirty -five  years  has  there  been  a  decrease  in  the  returns. 

The  well-known  Accountants,  Messrs  Deloitte,  Dever,  Griffiths  &  Co., 
have  examined  the  Books  of  the  Company  and  their  Certificate  shows  an 
average  profit  for  the  last  four  years  of  £9,801  per  annum. 

The  financial  year  of  the  business  closed  on  23rd  February  last,  when  the 
stock-in-trade  as  then  taken  amounted  to  £42,007,  and  the  book  debts  to 
£10,500.  The  Company  takes  over  the  business  as  from  that  date,  with  the 
benefit  of  all  Contracts  made  and  profits  accruing,  the  Company  discharging 
all  debts  owing,  which  were  about  £1,000,  and  the  Vendor  guaranteeing 
all  outstanding  books  debts.  There  will,  therefore  be  an  ample  working 
Capital  invested  in  the  business. 

The  value  of  Shares  in  industrial  undertakings  of  this  kind  is  shown 
by  the  following  particulars : — 

Nntne  nf  Pntrmanv  Par  value  of  Market  value 

Name  of  Company.         Ordinary  Share,   on  March  28th,  1895. 

Harrod's  Stores,  Limited    £1    £3J  to  3| 

John  Baker  &  Company,  Limited   ...    £1    £2|  „  2J 

D.  H.  Evans  &  Company,  Limited  ...    £1    £21  „  2J 

J.  R.  Roberts'  Stores,  Limited       ...    £1    £li  „  if 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  for  Shares  can  be  obtained  from 
the  Bankers,  Solicitors,  and  Brokers,  and  at,  the  Offices  of  the  Company. 

March  30th,  1895  '  <~ 


270 


TO-DAY. 


April  6,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


HANDS  OFFt 

«  Lord  Rosebery's  declaration — Sir  Edward  Grey  was  the  mere 
mouthpiece  —  with  respect  to  French  movements  in  Central 
Africa  lias  not  had  any  very  considerable  effect  upon  the  Stock 
Markets.  Men  cannot  persuade  themselves  that  there  is  any 
real  dangerof  France  and  England  coming  to  blows  over  unknown, 
or  little  known,  regions  in  Central  Africa.  But  we  may  be  pretty 
sure  that  we  shall  be  nearer  such  an  unspeakable  calamity  before 
pending  disputes  are  finally  settled  between  the  two  countries. 
Our  relations  with  France  can  never  be  cordial  while  we  remain 
in  Egypt,  and  war  is  only  a  question  of  time  and  opportunity  if 
we  persist  in  refusing  to  redeem  our  pledges,  and  retire.  Un- 
fortunately Jingoism  is  rampant  over  the  land.  Parliament 
never  exercised  adequate  control  over  our  foreign  relations  ;  now- 
adays debate— full,  informed,  debate  upon  them  is  almost  un- 
known. The  practical  extinction  of  what  is  ridiculously  described 
as  the  "  Little  England"  party  is  intelligible  enough.  Withforeign 
competition  becoming  more  formidable  every  day,  it  is  natural 
that  public  opinion  should  encourage  the  acquisition  of  new  'ands, 
which  may  mean  new  markets.  The  odd  thing  is  that  when  we 
got  h  ese  lands  we  hasten  to  hand  them  over  to  straggling 
colonists,  whose  first  move  is  to  erect  protective  barriers  against 
our  trade.  We  risk  the  gravest  complications  with  other  Powers 
for  the  sake  of  a  gain  to  ourselves  that  is  often  microscopical. 
THE  COUNCIL  AND  THE  TRAMWAYS- 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  Parliamentary  representatives  of 
the  Moderate  section  of  the  London  County  Council  insisted,  and 
successfully  insisted,  upon  the  adjournment  of  debate  upon  the 
proposal  to  give  the  Council  power  to  work  the  tramways  until 
the  new  Council  lias  had  an  opportunity  of  voting  upon  the 
question.  It  may  or  may  not  be  wise  to  give  the  Council  the 
powers  d  esired  by  a  majority  of  the  late  Council,  but  if  such 
powers  are  to  be'eonferred  it  should  be  a  condition  precedent  that 
they  are  desired  by  a  decisive  majority  of  the  Council.  That 
was  the  case  whilst  the  last  Council  lived,  but  the  recent 
elections  have  greatly  altered  the  situation,  and  no  such  decisive 
majority  is  likely  to  be  obtained  from  the  Councillors  fresh  from 
contact  with  electors. 

The  determination  of  the  Progressives  to  proceed  with  the 
Bill  for  the  purchase  and  working  of  tramways  is  another 
illustration  of  the  contempt  of  the  latter-day  Radical  for  public 
opinion.  If  the  electors  agree  with  him,  well  and  good;  if  not, 
they  are  asses,  dolts,  whose  declared  desire  is  to  be  ignored  or 
circumvented  by  any  possible  means.  The  purchase  and  work- 
ing of  the  tramways  was  one  of  the  questions  submitted  to  the 
electorate  last  month,  and  the  answer  of  the  electorate,  taking 
the  majority  of  votes,  was  adverse.  But  Mr.  James  Stuart's 
Royal  namesake  of  unhappy  memory  never  flouted  public  opinion 
more  outrageously  than  he  and  his  colleagues  would  flout  the 
opinion  of  London  when  it  docs  not  agree  with  their  own  if 
only  they  had  their  way. 

The  Council  has  plenty  upon  its  hands  without  working  the 
tramways.  The  Parliament  that  passed  the  Tramway  Act  of 
1870  very  carefully  safeguarded  the  rights  of  the  public,  and 
as  we  have  always  contended,  and  the  highest  Courts  have 
decided,  the  Progressives  are  quite  right  in  refusing  to  give 
more  than  "  bare  "  value  for  the  lines  as  they  fall  in.  Nor  do  they 
do  more  than  carry  out  the  intention  of  Parliament  if  when  the 
companieswantrenewal  of  leases  they  insist  upon  getting  the  most 
favourable  terms  it  is  possible  to  get  for  the  travelling  public.  But 
they  should  be  content  to  stop  there.  Anyway  Parliament  is 
not  likely  to  authorise  the  Council  to  work  the  tramway  lines 
unless  the  demand  is  backed  by  a  decisive  majority  of  the 
Council.  Whatever  the  ultimate  decision  we  hope  for  the 
honour  of  London  that  the  London  County  Council  will  never 
act  towards  the  London  tramway  companies  in  the  huckstering, 
shameful  way  in  which  the  Corporation  of  Glasgow — that  much- 
lauded  Corporation — has  acted  towards  the  Glasgow  Tramway 
Company. 

A  DIG  AMALGAMATION 

The  extraordinary  general  meeting  of  the  Consolidated  Gold 
Mines  of  Australia,  held  at  Edinburgh  last  Thursday,  was 
Unanimous  in  its  approval  of  the  amalgamation  scheme  to  which 
it  was  asked  to  assent.  Under  this  scheme  t lie  Consolidated  is 
o  be  wound  up,  and  another  and  greater  company,  bearing  the 


same  name,  is  to  take  its  place.  The  property  owned  by  the 
Consolidated  is  in  the  Pilbarra  district  of  North- West  Australia, 
andthe  prospects  of  the  Company  are  excellent.  The  mine  has 
been  well  opened  up  and  equipped  with  machinery,  and  there  is 
plenty  of  money  in  hand  for  additional  machinery  when 
it  is  required.  The  ore  already  treated  has  given  over 
two  ounces  per  ton,  and  the  reserves  are  estimated  at 
153,000  tons,  so  that  shareholders  might  well  be  tempted  to  ask, 
"  Why  not  leave  well  alone  ?  "  But  the  reasons  given  for 
amalgamation  are  strong,  and  have  commended  themselves  to 
the  shareholders  of  the  various  companies  concerned.  There  are 
what  we  may  call  three  groups  of  mines,  which  under  the 
new  scheme  will  be  owned  and  worked  by  the  Consolidated 
Mines  of  Australia,  Limited.  These  groups  consist  of  eight 
separate  mining  properties,  the  first  group  covering  seventy-two 
acres,  the  second  fifty-four  acres,  and  the  third  eighteen  acres, 
making  in  all  144  acres,  all  situated  in  the  North-west  district 
of  Western  Australia,  and  so  situated  that  they  can  be  worked 
under  one  general  manager.  When  the  amalgamation  is  com- 
pleted the  Consolidated  Gold  Mines  of  Western  Australia, 
Limited,  will  hold  the  premier  position  in  the  Pilbarra  Gold 
Fields. 

The  capital  of  the  Company,  which  stands  at  £90,000,  will  be 
increased  to  £375,000,  a  very  large  increase,  but  not  out  of  pro- 
portion to  the  new  property  to  be  acquired.  The  share- 
holders of  the  old  Company  will  receive  £90,000  of  shares  in  the 
new  Company,  having  a  like  amount  paid  up  thereon  to  the 
amount  paid  up  on  the  shares  of  the  Consolidated.  They  will  also 
receive  £10,000  of  fully  paid-up  shares  of  the  new  Company  in 
respect  of  the  East  Mallina,  and  £12,500  in  respect  of  their 
interest  in  the  Nicol  and  United  Nicol  Mines.  Altogether 
they  will  receive  £112,500  in  shares  of  the  new  Company,  which 
will  carry  a  liability  only  to  the  extent  of  the  uncalled 
capital  on  the  present  shares  of  the  Company.  The  old  Com- 
pany will  be  represented  on  the  new  board  by  the  chairman, 
managing  director,  and  another  director  of  the  Consolidated, 
so  that  its  interests  will  be  well  looked  after.  As  to  the  other 
properties  to  be  brought  into  the  amalgamation,  they  had  all 
been  proved  and  worked  before  the  Coolgardie  field  blossomed 
into  fame,  and  under  the  arrangements  now  sanctioned  and 
completed,  there  will  be  ample  working  capital,  whilst  the  saving 
in  management  expenses  here  and  in  Australia  will  be  enormous. 

We  hear  of  firm  offers  for  big  lots  of  shares  being  received  from 
Paris,  and  we  expect  to  see  the  shares  of  the  new  Company 
at  a  substantial  premium.  Confident  prediction  with 
regard  to  mining  enterprises  is  exceptionally  foolish,  but  we 
shall  be  surprised  if  these  amalgamated  companies,  backed  by 
sufficient  capital  and  honest  management,  do  not  give  a  very 
satisfactory  return  to  investors  who  have  put  their  money  into 
them. 

BOGUS  BORROWERS- 

A  correspondent  sends  us  a  column  from  the  advertising 
pages  of  the  Daily  Telegraph,  in  which  twenty-two  advertise- 
ments, following  each  other,  are  from  persons  anxious  to  effect 
loans,  and  of  the  twenty-two  our  correspondent  has 
satisfied  himself  that  more  than  half  are  from  holders  of  pawn- 
tickets, whose  "valuable  security"  consists  of  nothing  but 
pawntickets.    Let  us  take  one  of  these  advertisements  : — 

"  Fifteen  Pounds.—  Private  loan  wanted  by  tradesman  for  fourteen 

days.   Party  advancing  may  hold  security  valued  £60.  Handscme 

bonus  ;  £6  paid  for  the  accommodation." 

This  advertiser  would  tell  you,  if  you  took  the  trouble  to  in- 
quire, that  he  has  valuable  orders  which  he  cannot  execute  for 
want  of  capital,  that  in  order  to  meet  this  want,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, he  has  pledged  stock  (jewellery)  for  a  third  of  its  value, 
and  that  he  wants  (say)  another  third  of  the  value,  to  cover  which 
lie  will  transfer  the  pawntickets.  The  person  with  whom  he  is 
in  communicat  ion  may  believe  that  pawnbrokers  only  advance 
one-third  of  the  value  of  goods  left  with  them,  and  that  conse- 
quently in  advancing  another  third  upon  the  security  of  the 
tickets  he  will  be  safe. 

It  may  save  some  of  our  readers  loss  if  we  say  that  the  people 
who  advertise  in  the  manner  described  above  are  not  persons 
with  whom  it  is  safe  to  have  dealings.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose 
that  pawnbrokers  do  not  advance  more  than  one-third  of  the 
value  of  the  article.  They  will  advance  nearly,  if  not  quite, 
the  full  value,  judged  by  the  break-up  price  to  be  got 
at  the  auction  mart.  Most  of  the  unredeemed  property  lodged 
with  pawnbrokers  i3  sent  for  sale  to  Messrs.  Johnoou  and 


April  6,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


271 


Dymond,  and  certain  men,  persons  with  some  knowledge  of  the 
value  of  jewellery,  make  it  their  business  to  attend  these  sales. 
They  buy  jewellery  sold  there,  brush  it  up  or  alter  it  a  little, 
and  pledge  it  with  pawnbrokers,  who  give  as  much,  and  some- 
times more,  for  it  than  it  fetched  at  the  mart,  that  is  to  say, 
give  full  break-up  value.  Thus  the  money  borrowed  upon  the 
strength  of  the  pawntickets  is  all,  or  nearly  all,  clear  profit. 

LEWIS  AND  BURROWS.  LIMITED. 

We  invite  the  attention  of  the  directors  of  this  company  to 
paragraphs  two  and  four  of  the  following  letter  from  one  in 
the  Trade  :— 

In  your  article  on  "  A  Drug  Store  Deal,"  you  observe,  "  It  would  be 
interesting  to  have  the  comments  of  chemists  upon  Lewis  ancVBurrows, 
Limiteil."   Here  are  some. 

I  undei stand  that  J.  H.  Lewis  has  a  business,  not  included  in  the 
scheme,  .it  Fitzjohn's  Parade,  N.W..  about  a  mile  from  one  sold 
to  the  company,  with  which  it  will  to  some  extent  compete.  Has  Mr. 
Lewis  sold  the  rights  in  his  many  proprietary  medicines  to  the  company, 
or  will  he  still  go  on  making  and  selling  them  at  Finchley  Road  ? 

You  observe  that  most  of  the  eleven  businesses  have  been  opened  in  the 
last  year  or  I  wo.  In  this  class  of  business  the  first  years  are  the_  best, 
as  a  rule.  They  are  a  novelty,  but  soon  the  oilier  chemists  in  ti  e 
locality  reduce  their  prices  to  the  same  level,  and  by  careful  supervision 
of  their  businesses  win  back  their  customers  from  the  drug  stores.many 
of  which  are  notorious  for  the  changes  in  their  staff. 

The  number  of  patent  medicines  and  proprietary  articles,  on  which 
there  is  little  or  no  profit  these  places  sell  is  enormous,  and  even  now 
all  for  which  there  is  much  demand  are  bought  direct  from  the  maker, 
and  nut  through  a  wholesale  house. 

MARGARINE  AND  BUTTER. 

We  continue  to  receive  letters  from  provincial  correspondents 
bearing  upon  our  remarks  with  respect  to  the  probable  fall  in  the 
price  of  butter,  and  the  consequent  unwisdom  of  investing  in  the 
shares  of  companies  like  that  of  Van  der  Bergh's  Margarinei 
Limited,  where  an  enormous  sum  is  asked  for  the  goodwill  of 
the  business.  One  correspondent  sends  us  the  following  cutting 
from  a  Dundee  paper  in  support  of  the  forecast  of  a  Glasgow 
correspondent  : — 

CHOICE  AUSTRALIAN  BUTTER. 


LARGE  QUANTITY  JUST  CONSIGNED,  AND  WILL    BE   CLEARED  OFF 
AT  TOE  UM'RECEDENTEDLY  LOW  PRICE  OF 

7 Jd.  per  lb.,  in  5Clb.  Tight  Cases. 

Another  correspondent^  writing  from  Grantham,  Lincolnshire, 
says  :— 

The  Canadian  Government,  as  you  probably  know,  is  offering  a  big 
advance  on  butter  made  and  exported— twenty  cents  per  pound,  ac- 
cording to  the  latest  reports  I  have  read.  Australian  butter,  too,  has 
been  so  far  assisted  by  a  bounty  of  threepence  per  pound.  All  this,  as 
your  Glasgow  correspondent  suggests,  points  to  a  tremendous  supply 
of  butter  during  the  coming  summer. 

We  are  still  a  little  sceptical  as  to  the  consumer  being  very 

much  of  a  gainer  from  the  increase  in  the  imports  of  colonial 

butter.    Eggs  come  to  us  from  the  Continent  in  ever-increasing 

numbers,  but  we  have  not  heard  that  the  retail  price  is  much 

lower  than  it  was  in  the  eighties. 

GAMBLING  TOUTS  AND  THE  LAW- 

A  gentleman  who  addresses  us  from  the  Sessions  House, 
Newingtou,  S.E.,  makes  the  following  remarks  in  relation  to  our 
comments  on  the  action  of  the  racing  touts  Miller  and  Steel : — 
In  your  issue  of  the  30th  inst.  I  notice  that  you  say  that  unfortunately 
you  do  not  see  how  people  like  the  above  are  to  be  prevented  from  com- 
municating with  boys,  etc. 

Has  55  Vic,  Cap.  4,  Sec.  1,  which  makes  the  above  a  misdemeanour 
punishable  on  indictment  witli  a  fine  of  one  hundred  pounds  or  three 
months'  imprisonment,  been  brought  under  your  notice  ? 

If  the  senders  of  the  notice  in  the  case  you  mention  could  find  out 
the  names  of  employes  at  the  warehouse,  they  might  also  reasonably  be 
presumed  to  know  they  were  infants. 


We  hear  of  a  big  Company  —  the  North- West  Australian 
Gold  Fields,  Limited — in  course  of  formation,  for  the  purpose  of 
accpiiring  and  working  three  properties  in  the  Taiga  District, 
where  the  gold  discoveries  seem  likely  to  throw  those  of  Cool- 
gardie  into  the  shade.  The  capital  of  this  new  Company— 
which  is  being  privately  subscribed — is  to  be  £250,000,  of 
which  something  like  £100,000  will  be  reserved  for  working 
capital.  The  Boird,  now  in  course  of  formation,  promises 
to  be  a  strong  one. 


Lucky  Colonel !  With  some  men  everything  they  touch  seems 
to  turn  to  gold,  and  Colonel  North  is  one  of  them.  Not  long 
ago  lie  put  money  into  the  Congo  Company,  rather  to  oblige  the 
King  of  the  Belgians  than  with  much  expectation  of  getting  any 
of  it  back  again.    And  now  a  dividend  has  been  declared  ! 


"  TO-DAY'S  "  BLACK  LIST. 

The  Gas  and  General  Electrical  Syndicate,  38,  Cheapside, 
E.G. — A  prospectus  is  being  sent  round  by  the  secretary,  a  Mr. 
Harold  S.  Empson,  who  invites  subscriptions  for  500  founders' 


shares  of  £5  each  to  bring  out  a  gas-purifying  and  sulphur- 
extracting  company.  All  sorts  of  promises  are  made  to  the 
persons— if  they  can  be  found— who  will  take  up  these  shares, 
but  there  is  not  a  scrap  of  evidence  to  show  that  the  promoters 
are  men  of  substance,  or  that  the  venture  itself  is  worthy  of 
support. 

NEW  ISSUE. 

T.  R.  Roberts,  Limited.  Capital  £147,500.— Formed  to  acquire  and 
work  the  well-known  drapery  business  of  Mr.  T.  R.  Roberts,  in  Upper 
Street,  Islington.  We  recommend  the  shares  of  this  company  to  the  in- 
vesting public.  £35,090  is  to  be  paid  for  the  goodwill,  which,  having  regard 
to  the  fact  that  the  average  nett  profits,  taking  the  last  four  years,  have 
been  close  upon  £10,000  per  annum,  is  not  excessive.  We  think  the  Pre- 
ference shaves  should  have  carried  six  instead  of  five  per  cent.,  and  that 
it  might  have  been  better  if  the  Ordinary  shares  got  an  additional  1  per 
cent.— they  are  to  have  7  per  cent.— before  the  Management  shares 
participated,  but  there  can  be  no  question  that  the  business  is  a  very  sound 
one,  and  the  honest  statement  of  the  shrinkage  of  profit  in  1804,  '  the  result 
of  exceptional  losses  which  are  not  likely  to  arise  again,"  is  to  be  com- 
mended. .  . 

The  Midland  Railway  of  Australia,  Limited.  Isnie  of 
£125,000  five  per  cent.  Debentures.  These  debentures  are  issued  at 
£97  10s.  The  railway  is  now  completed  and  working  satisfactorily.  The 
lands  upon  which  the  debentures  are  secured  have  been  valued  at 
£3,600,000,  so  that  if  we  make  liberal  allowance  for  alsangume  valuation, 
there  would  seem  to  be  ample  security  for  tho  present  issue,  the  only  lien 
upon  the  lands  being  that  of  the  Government  for  £500,000.  The  issue  is 
likely  to  be  over-subscribed.  _        _  . 

Hampton  Gold  Fields,  Limited.  Capital  £100,000.  Formed  to 
acquire  the  right  to  purchase  a  block  of  not  less  than  7,000  acres  of  free- 
hold property  in  the  Hampton  Plains  district  of  Western  Australia  ;  and  to 
prospect  over  and  select  gold  mining  claims  on  about  114,000  acres  of  tne 
freehold  land  of  the  same  syndicate.  And  with  other  rights.  There  is  a 
good  board,  and  the  company  should  do  well. 

STOCKS   AND  SHARES 

Norfolk  and  Western  Preference.  J.  B.  B.  (Bradford).— You  had 
better  hold  in  the  hope  of  recovery.  You  will  notice  there  has  been  a 
further  fall  since  you  wrote.  Boudard  Gear  Company.  D.  McK. 
(Manchester).— Your  lawyers  will  have  answered  the  questions  you  have 
addressed  to  us.  Metropolitan  Gas  Company  of  Melbourne. 
W.  T.  (Bradford).— Fairly  good.  We  cannot  give  you  the  quotations  you  ask 
for.  George  Gregory  and  Company.  Manifesto  (Liverpool)  —They 

would  treat  you  fairly.   (Sheffield).— The  previous  answer  applies  to  you, 

but  you  will  not  forget  that  all  Stock  Exchange  speculations  are  hazardous. 
Bradford  Corporation.  F.W.  (Bradford).— The  corporation  is  acting 
within  its  rights,  having  got  the  necessary  powers  to  convert.  Sundry 
Shares.  Roseworth  (Newcastle-on-Tyne).—  They  are  all  highly  specula- 
tive. Anglo-Austrian  Printing  and  Publishing  Union.  Gorton 
(Manchester).— We  are  not  very  clear  as  to  the  effect  of  the  arrangement 
sanctioned  by  the  Court,  but  as  we  understand  it  the  shareholders  mil 
get  something.  Sundry  Mining  Shares.  Centrifugal  (Cupar). —\\e 
should  take  the  profit  on  the  Associated,  and  hold  Londonderry*  and  the 
others  a  little  longer.  Beeston  Pneumatic  Tyre  Company, 
Limited.  J.  A.  W.  (Leeds).— You  had  better  act  upon  the  invitation  of  , 
the  Syndicate.  National  Skating  Palace,  Limited.  J.  S.  (Bourne- 
mouth).—If  you  have  the  opportunity  of  selling  without  loss  do 
so.  Sundry  Securities.  Gamma  (Leeds).— Of  the  various  securities 
named  we  prefer  the  Home  Railway  Stock.  Caratals.  II  R.  T.  (Dublin). 
—They  may  improve,  but  it  is  not  an  investment  we  should  recommi  tut; 
and  the  same  observation  applies  to  Sutherland  Reefs.  We  thin),  the 
likelihood  of  shareholders  getting  back  any  of  their  money  from  the  other 
company  you  name  is  of  the  smallest.  British  Chartered.  Subscriber 
(Templemore).—  They  will  probably  go  higher,  but  they  are  already  too 
high.  The  Pneumatic  Tyre  shares  will  probably  appreciate  in  value. 
The  Hour  Publishing  Company.  T.  B.  J.  (Newcastle-on-Tyne).— 
We  presume  there  is  no  obligation  on  the  part  of  the  public  to  take  the 
Hour  after  the  first  year,  but  how  cessation  of  subscriptions  would  affect 
the  liability  of  the  company  upon  the  debentures  is  a  question  that  should 
he  addressed  to  the  secretaiy  of  the  company.  Electric  Lighting- 
Company.  MORTIMER  (Edinburgh).— The  standing  of  the  company  is 
good  and  its  prospects  fair.  Foreign  Government  Bonds.  A.  J.  C. 
(Breslau).— Sell  the  Italian  Rentes  as  soon  as  you  can  get  out  without 
loss.   Hold  the  Consols. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 
Cunliffe,  Russell  and  Co.  A.  M.  M.  (Belfast).— Yes,  the  lists  can  be 
got  at  a  small  charge.  Coleman  and  Co.,  Limited.  Doctor  (Brough- 
ton-in-Furness).— We  are  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  present 
position  of  this  company  to  warrant  us  in  recommending  you  to  accept 
the  offer  of  the  managing  director  to  invest  in  its  first  mortgage  deben- 
tures. J.Warner.  Quericus  (Ilkeston).— We  cannot  account  for  it.  It 
is  a  matter  for  your  lawyer.  Bank  of  Van  Dieman's  Land  Lottery. 
W.  J.  W.  (Stanwill).— We  know  of  no  reason  why  we  should  alter  our 
opinion  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  lottery  and  the  fairness  of  its  manage- 
ment. Whether  these  properties  are  worth  the  value  put  upon  them  by  the 
bank  we  do  not  know.  Galician  Oil  Fields.  Petroleum  (London). 
—If  the  "  ring  "  is  as  powerful  as  you  represent  it  to  be  we.do  not  think  the 
gentlemenyounameare  strong  enough  for  yourpurpose,  but  we  will  write  you 
under  cover.  Duplex  Patent  Tea  Infuser.  A  Regular  Reader 
of  "To-Day"  (London).— You  ask  us  to  give  your  invention  a  gratuitous 
advertisement.  Why  should  we  ?  Investment  of  £300.  Nemo  (South- 
port).— We  should  prefer  Gordon  Hotels  to  Pears'.  Foote's  Powder 
and  Explosives  Company,  Limited.  P.  H.  L.  (Truro). — We  do 
not  undertake  to  return  every  circular  received— only  papers  of  importance 
—and  we  have  no  record  of  the  receipt  of  such  papers  from  you.  We  are 
duly  grateful  for  the  support  you  say  you  have  given  us  since  August  last, 
but  we  are  not  without  hope  that  you  have  had  a  reasonable— even  a 
liberal—return  for  your  money,  and  if  you  carry  out  your  threat  to  cease 
"taking"  To-Day,  we  must  do  what  we  may  to  neutralise,  or  bear,  the 
accruing  loss.  A  Simple  Investor.  W.  A.  H.  (London).— We  are 
obliged  for  your  good  opinion,  but  we  fear  we  cannot  assist,  you  m  dispos- 
ing of  a  portion  of  your  interest  in  your  coke  frame.  Building  Society. 
E.  L  B.  (London).— We  have  no  very  trustworthy  information  as  to  the 
present  position  of  this  society.    Birmingham  Grocers'  Assosia- 

tion.  (Birmingham).— We  take  note  of  what  you  say  about  Mr.  John 

Norris  and  the  presidential  chair.  Please  send  us  your  name  and  addres* 
— in  confidence,  of  course. 

INSURANCE. 

Reversionary  Interest.  Circular  (Ilkeston).— At  4  per  cent., 
which  we  think  a  fair  rate  of  interest,  the  value  is  about  £709.  Star 
Life  Office.  A.  W.  M.  (Newcastle-on-Tyne).— The  office  is  perfectly  safe, 
and  you  may  expect  a  satisfactory  bonus,  but  seeing  that  you  are  already 
assured  in  the  society  for  a  large  sum  we  think  it  just  as  well  that  you  take 
your  further  policy  from  some  other  office.  British  Natural 
Premium  Provident  Association.  H.  E.  M.  (Sheffield).  —  We 
advise  you  to  keep  out  of  this  office.  The  statement  that  the  association 
can  grant  life  assurance  at  half  the  lates  charged  by  life  assurance  com- 
panies  is  untrue.  Taking  into  account  the  quality  of  the  substitute,  the 
debts  owing  by  the  Association,  and  the  ridiculously  small  capita),  we  are 
of  opinion  that  the  substitute  offered  is  dear  at  any  price.  Keep  up  your 
policy  in  the  Law  Life.  Neither  extravagance  nor  folly  is  practised  ;n 
that  office 


272 


TO-DAY. 


ArBiL  6,  1895. 


T  YCEUM.— Closed  HOLY  WEEK  (April  8th  to  13th  inclusive), 
BE-OPENING  on   Easter  Monday  with   KING  ARTHUR  by  J. 
Comyns  Carr.    Mr.  Irving,  Miss  Genevieve  Ward,  and  Mips  Ellen  Terry. 
Box  Office  open  10  to  5.   Seats  bocked  by  letter  or  telegram. 

ROYAL   PRINCESS'S    THEATRE— EVERY  EVENING 

at  8.30.  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30,  by  arrangements  with 
the  Carl  Kosa  Opera  Company,  Humperdinck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEL 
and  GRETEL  (in  English).   13ox  Office  now  open. 

PALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 

THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 

POYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  11  a.m.  At  no 
place  iu  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen.  _Wet  or  Fine. 
THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 
2.30  and  7.30.— GREAT  FISHERIES  EXHIBITION.  COLORADO 
GOLD  MINE.    SIX  WEEK'S  EASTER  CARNIVAL.  April  15th. 

MOORE  AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

11X  HALL,  PICCADILLY. 

Enormous  Success  of  the  brilliant  and  delightful  New  Programme. 
Nightly  at  8.0,  and  Matinees  on  Mondays  Wednesdays  &  Saturdays  at  2.30 
ON    GOOD  FRIDAY 
Two  Grand  Concerts  of  "  Gems  of  Sacred  Song."   Powerful  choir  of 

voices  and  specially  augmented  Orchestra. 
On  EASTER  MONDAY  in  the  Large  Hall,  Two  Gala  Performances  of 
the    magnificent    new    Holiday  Programme,  replete  with  surprising 
novelties.  Prices,  5s.,  3s.,  2s.  and  Is.   Bookings  at  Tree's. 

General  Manager,  Mr.  Lawrence  Brotjgh. 

NIAGARA   HALL— ST.   JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 

[UNSOLD'S  PATENT,  most  successful  in  the  world.] 
EEAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
Daily,  9.30  to  1.0,  3s. ;  3.0  to  6.30,  5s. ;  8.0  to  11.30,  3s. 
EXCELLENT    ORCHESTRA.  FIRST  -  CLASS  RESTAURANT. 

OPEN   ALL  DAY. 


SPECIAL  INSURANCE 

FOR  THE 

PROFESSIONAL  and  MERCANTILE  CLASSES, 

Covering  the  Risk  of 

Accidents   and   Infectious  Diseases, 

And  under  certain  circumstances  granting  an  Annuity  at 
practically 

ORDINARY  PREMIUMS. 

Sums  Insured  from 


TO 


With  Disablement  Allowances  up  to 

£12  a  Week, 

AND  A 

WORLD-WIDE  POLICY. 


ACCIDENT  &  GUARANTEE  CORPORATION, 

(Empowered  by  Special  Act  of  Parliament.) 


Subscribed  Capital 
Paid-up  ,, 
Reserves,  31st  Dec,  1894. 


...  £263,720 
100,000 
135,147 

HEAD  OFFICES: 

40  to  ii,  MOOPoGATE  STREET,  LONDON,  E.C. 

R.  J.  PAULL, 

General  Manager  and  Secretary. 


South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASH0N  ALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON  every  SA  TURD  A  Y. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  callatLISBONandTENERIFE. 
Union  Lin ;  Ex?r23S  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday, 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  .Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends, 
For  all  information  apply  to  th;  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton  ;   11,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W.  ;  and  South 
African  House,  04  to  no,  JJishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 

PRUDENTTaL  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  Limited, 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.C. 


FOUNDED  1848. 


Invested  Funds 


£20,000,000 


"THE  TIMES"  Deo.  29,  1894,  says  in  a  leading  article  on 
"OUR  DAUGHTERS" 

"  FIVE  per  cent,  was  regarded  as  the  current  rate  of  .interest  on  good 
"  security  when  paterfamilias  set  up  housekeeping;  now  he  must  think 
"  himself  lucky  when  he  can  get  Three." 

THE  MUTUAL  LIFE  INSURANCE  COMPANY  OF  NEW  YORE 

Guarantees  Five  "per  cent. 

UNDER  ITS 

Debenture  Policy, 

Which  also  provides  for 

Death  Duties,  Children's  Education,  Marriage  Settlements 
or  Business  Capital  under  one  Contract. 

The  safe-keeping  and  repayment  of  the  principal  is  supported  by  a 
guarantee  unsurpassed  by  that  of  any  financial  institution  in  the  world. 


ACCUMULATED  FUNDS  EXCEED  £38,000,000. 

Apply  for  particulars  to  any  of  the  Branch  Offices,  or  to 
D   C.  HALBEMAB,  General  Manager  for  the  United  Kingdom, 

17  &  IS j  Cornhill,  London,  E.C 


Gresham 
L 


ESTABLISHED 
1848. 


IFE 


FFICE 


(LTD.) 

Assets  Exceed  £5,250,000. 

Head  Office:  St.  Mildred's  House,  Poultry,  London,  E.C. 

THE     GRESHAM     LIFE     ASSURANCE     SOCIETY,  LIMITED. 


NORTH'S  TYPE-WRITER. 

Special  Features : — Visible    Writing,    Brief   Carriage,    Universal  Keyboard 
Perfect  Alignment,  an  English  Invention. 

Th=>  "NORTH'S"  has  just  received  the  Diploma  of  Honour  (Highest 
Award)  at  the  Antwerp  Universal  Exhibition. 


For  all  Particulars  apply 


NORTH'S  TYPEWRITER  MANUFACTURING  CO.,  LIMITED, 

53,  QUEEN  VICTORIA   STREET,   LONDON,  E.C. 


April  6,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


273 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Reminiscences  op  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.  XI.  In  re  Wrottesley. 


By  Herbert  Keen.  Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar   257 

An  "Oscar  Wilde"  First-Night    263 

Feminine  Affairs  264 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    267 

The  Story  of  Amy  Gregory.  By  Clement  Scott  268 

In  the  City   270 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J  273 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    276 

Letters  of  a  Candid  Playgoer    277 

Club  Chatter    £78 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville   282 

Ivan  the  Terrible    286 

How  a  Story  is  Dictated   287 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


Alderman  Ben  Tillett  must  be  a  gentleman  without 
much  sense  of  humour.  His  usual  mode  of  argument 
seems  to  be  to  address  his  opponents  as  "  liars,"  "  crimps," 
"drunkards,"  "blacklegs,"  "Judases,"  "forgers,"  "per- 
jurers," "cut-throats,"  "murderers,"  and  "professional 
agitators."  Mr.  Ben  Tillett  seems  to  possess  a  great 
contempt  for  professional  agitators.  All  the  police  who 
oppose  his  wishes  are  intoxicated ;  judges  with  whose 
verdicts  he  does  not  agree  have  been  "got  at";  news- 
paper editors  who  do  not  praise  him  are  "dastards"; 
employers  are  "fat-gutted,  full-pursed  Anarchists  and 
irresponsible  robbers  and  jobbers."  Working  men  who 
are  not  willing  to  sit  down  under  his  rule  are  invariably 
sots,  or  have  been  bribed.  "  That's  what  I  think,"  says 
Alderman  Ben  Tillett,  in  the  language  of  John  Burns, 
"  that's  me,  that's  Ben  Tillett." 

But  when  the  Morning  accuses  him  of  riding  a,  bicycle, 
bints  that  he  is  not  unnecessarily  worshipped  by  the 
majority  of  the  men  whom  he  has  led  through  fifty 
strikes  to  semi-starvation,  and  states  that  his  salary  is 
three  hundred  pounds  a  year,  while,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
it  is  only  a  hundred  and  sixty  a  year,  to  which 
must  be  added  a  tolerably  frequent  ten  shillings  a  day  for 
attending  Congress  meetings,  an  occasional  two  pounds 
fee  for  speeches  (they  are  called  "lectures,"  it 
appears),  and  an  elastic  sum  for  travelling  and  other 
expenses,  he  is  hurt  and  indignant.  Really,  Mr.  Ben 
Tillett,  the  world  gave  you  credit  for  more  wit.  We 
shall  have  Mr.  Burns  bringing  an  action  against  some 
"  gilded  popinjay  "  for  hinting  that  he  is  a  "  plain  John." 
Teetotal  lecturers  have,  I  believe',  sometimes  suggested 
that  To-Day  is  mistaken  in  its  views.  I  suppose  I 
ought  to  consider  it  necessary,  according  to  Mr.  Ben 
Tillett' s  code  of  honour,  to  bring  a  libel  action  against 
such.  When  your  bill  of  costs  has  been  paid — it  will 
be  interesting  to  know  by  whom — reflect  upon  the  matter 
quietly,  Mr.  Ben  Tillett.  Don't  let  lawyers  persuade 
you  again  against  your  better  judgment ;  stick  to  your 
last.  When  next  you  are  attacked,  turn  the  game  into 
a  slanging  match  ;  you  would  be  bound  to  win  at  that. 


The  interest  of  the  case  to  outsiders  lies  in  the  reve- 
lations made  concerning  the  financial  arrangements  of 
the  union. .  The  contributions  to  the  union  for  1893 
amounted  to  six  thousand  and  six  pounds ;  the  salaries 
and  expenses  of  management  amounted  to  eight  thou- 
sand pounds.  Among  the  items  of  expenditure  were  the 
following: — one  thousand,  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  pounds  for  general  services,  two  hundred  and  forty- 
five  pounds  for  travelling  expenses,  and  one  thousand, 
two  hundred  and  seventy  pounds  for  "miscellaneous 
items,"  or,  as  the  smart  City  accountant  generally 
calls  it,  "  sundries."  It  also  appears  that  the 
secretary  receives  a  commission  upon  every  member 
whom  he  persuades  to  join  the  union.  Fines  inflicted 
on  members  of  the  union  for  assaulting  non-unionists 
are  paid  out  of  the  funds  of  the  union,  together  with  all 
other  legal  expenses.  And  the  poor  half-starved  docker, 
earning  from  fifteen  to  twenty  shillings  a  week,  and 
with  a  wife  and  family  to  support  out  of  it,  subscribes 
threepence  a  week  to  provide  this  fund  ;  and  if  he  does 
not  pay  the  threepence,  he  becomes  a  "  blackleg,"  and  a 
"  blackleg "  according  to  English  law  is  a  man  to  be 
hunted  through  the  streets  by  a  howling  mob,  and,  if 
necessary,  killed. 

Another  interesting  revelation  was  made  during  the 
case  by  W.  H.  Harris,  secretary  of  No.  4  branch  of  the 
Dockers'  Union.  "  Have  you  ever  used  any  intimida- 
tion 1"  asked  Mr.  Carson.  "Not  to  members,"  replied 
this  typical  unionist,  with  indignation,  "  to  others." 

Mr.  Whistler,  brilliant  artist  though  he  be,  occa- 
sionally acts  after  the  manner  of  an  exceedingly  foolish 
old  gentleman.  But  with  all  his  eccentricities  I  hardly 
think  he  can  be  aware  that  his  friends  and  relations  on 
the  English  Press  are  cadging  round  among  the  public 
for  his  costs.  There  is  no  reason  why  an  impressionist 
artist  should  not  have  the  self-respect  of  a  gentle- 
man, and  Mr.  Whistler's  friends  will,  I  am  sure, 
be  acting  with  a  kindly  regard .  for  his  feelings  if 
they  return  the  ten  pounds  or  so  that  a  few  un- 
thinking persons  have  subscribed,  and  put  the  hat  back 
again  upon  the  Pall  Mall  office  rack.  After  reading  the 
very  clear  statement  of  facts  made  by  Mr.  George 
Moore  in  the  Daily  Chronicle,  the  one  or  two  enthu- 
siastic persons  who  rushed  in  to  lay  their  little  contri- 
butions at  the  Master's  feet  have  in  all  probability  seen 
their  mistake.  They  are  probably  persons  who  take 
their  literature  from  the  Young  Ladies'  Journal,  and 
similar  publications,  and  have  been  thereby  led  into  the 
error  that  a  baronet  must,  of  necessity,  be  a  bad  man, 
while  an  artist  must  of  equal  necessity  be  a  noble-souled, 
but  easily  imposed  upon,  child  of  nature,  quite  in- 
capable of  managing  his  own  affairs.  The  sooner  the 
Eden  v.  Whistler  case  is  forgotten  the  better  for  Mr. 
Whistler. 

Often  and  often  in  reading  speeches  by  teetotal 
fanatics  one  comes  across  statements  something  like  the 
following :  "  Lord  Randolph  Churchill  has  said  that  if 
prohibition  is  not  immediately  made  law  the  country 
will  be  ruined  ;  "  "  Mr.  Gladstone  tells  us  that,  in  his 
opinion,  everyone  who  drinks  a  glass  of  beer  is  no 
Christian  ;  "  "  Thomas  Carlyle  has  said  that  only  fools 
ever  drink  wine ; "   "  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  has 


274 


TO-DAY. 


Amu.  6,  1895. 


intimated  to  the  Lord  Chamberlain  that  she  will  never 
receive  any  lady  whose  lips  have  tasted  whiskey ; " 
"  Lord  Salisbury  has  declared  that  cheap  claret  is 
the  curse  of  the  land."  I  have  paused  at  these 
quotations,  puzzled,  and  have  wondered  where  and 
when  these  eminent  persons  said  these  things.  But 
always  having  had  a  certain  amount  of  respect  for  the 
morality  of  teetotallers,  believing  them,  at  all  events,  to 
be  earnest  and  truthful  persons,  I  have  accepted  such 
"  extracts "  as  facts.  Now,  however,  I  am  begin- 
ning to  understand  how  public  men,  whom  one 
has  hitherto  regarded  as  persons  of  sense  and 
intelligence,  come  to  make  these  absurd  announcements 
—as  vouched  for  by  teetotal  lecturers. 

Last  week,  at  a  teetotal  gathering  in  Birmingham, 
Lady  Henry  Somerset  is  reported  by  the  Birmingham 
papers  to  have  spoken  as  follows  :  "  Jerome  K.  Jerome 
told  them  in  his  paper  that  one  in  every  four  persons 
in  this  country  die  a  drunkard's  death."  One-fourth  of 
the  population  !  I  say  nothing  about  the  drivelling  im- 
becility of  such  a  statement.  Lady  Henry  Somerset's 
audience  were  capable  of  believing  that  I  had  made  it, 
and  they  applauded  it,  thereby  proving  themselves  to  be  as 
mad  as  any  sane  person  believing  the  charge  would  be 
compelled  to  consider  myself.  But  silly,  outrageous  asser- 
tions, utterly  false  on  the  face  of  them,  are  the  stock 
arguments  of  teetotal  speakers,  and  therefore  I  say 
nothing  on  that  point.  All  I  wish  to  point  out  is  that 
the  statement  is  an  utter  and  undiluted — well,  as  we 
are  dealing  with  a  lady,  let  me  say,  effort  of  the 
imagination.  I  never  said  anything  of  the  kind  in 
all  my  life,  either  in  To-Day  or  elsewhere,  nor  has  any 
writer  in  To-Day  said  anything  of  the  kind,  or  anything 
that  could  give  the  faintest  justification  for  Lady  Henry 
Somerset's  words. 

So  this  is  how  teetotal  oratory  is  manufactured  !  This 
silly  lie  will  travel  round  and  be  quoted  with  gusto.  Lady 
Henry  Somerset  was  good  enough  to  say  that  her  au- 
dience might  rely  upon  such  a  statement,  coming  from 
such  a  man  as  myself,  not  being  tinged  by  fanatical  ex- 
aggeration, and  then  she  went  on  to  argue  what  the 
country  should  do,  seeing  that  one  person  in  every  four 
died  a  drunkard's  death,  "according  to  Mr.  Jerome." 
But  I  am  glad  of  the  incident.  It  restores  my  respect  for 
the  people  whose  opinions  on  this  subject  of  teetotalism 
I  see  so  continually  quoted.  It  is  evident  that  the  tee- 
total party  has  a  factory  for  the  turning  out  of  its 
facts.  I  used  to  think  of  the  teetotal  fanatic  as  a  mis- 
taken enthusiast,  but  he  apparently  possesses  more 
smartness  than  he  is  generally  credited  with. 

A  Book  which  has  recently  attracted  all  the  attention 
it  deserves,  and  perhaps  a  little  more,  is  the  English 
translation  of  Max  Nordan's  work  on  degeneration. 
"Degenerates,"  he  writes,  "are  not  always  criminals, 
prostitutes,  Anarchists,  and  pronounced  lunatics;  they 
are  often  authors  and  artists."  It  is  with  the  latter 
class  that  Max  Nordan  deals,  proposing  to  show  that 
they  "manifest  the  same  mental  characteristics,  and,  for 
the  most  part,  the  same  somatic  features"  as  the  former. 
Ife  would  apply  the  term  "degenerate"  to  the  origina- 
tors of  all  the  fin-de-sieclc  movements  in  art  and  litera- 
ture. Those  who  sympathize  with  these  movements, 
admire  the  originators,  and  profess  an  exquisite  appre- 


ciation that  the  Philistine  cannot  feel,  are  also  to  be  con 
sidered  degenerate  ;  the  appreciativeness  of  which  they 
are  so  proud  is  to  rank  only  as  a  disease.  Among  those 
who  come  in  for  Max  Nordan's  severest  criticisms  are 
Wagner,  Tolstoi,  Ibsen,  Ruskin,  Rossetti.  It  may  at 
once  be  conjectured  that  the  book  is  exceedingly  enter- 
taining. 

But  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  the  book  is  completely 
convincing.  Max  Nordan  is  at  once  a  man  of  litera- 
ture and  a  man  of  science;  and  the  one  spoils  the  other. 
The  man  of  science  who  commits  the  indiscretion  of 
falling  in  love  with  his  own  theory  should  not  write 
about  that  theory  until  his  attack  is  over.  Max  Nordan 
is  in  love  with  his  theory,  poses,  indeed,  as  one  who  is 
likely  to  be  a  martyr  for  its  sake.  His  enthusiasm 
is  literary  rather  than  scientific  ;  his  choice  of  language 
picturesque  rather  than  accurate.  He  uses  evidence 
whioli,  on  his  own  showing,  is  not  trustworthy.  He 
ha;-  not  the  even  temper  of  a  scientific  investigator ; 
it  is  not  enough  for  him  to  prove  his  artist  or  author 
to  be  diseased :  he  goes  on  to  abuse  him  for  it — for 
the  very  thing  which  he  has  shown  to  be  a  misfortune 
and  not  a  fault.  And  he  has  allowed  himself  to  be 
drawn  into  an  enterprise  too  vast  to  be  adequately 
undertaken  by  one  man.  He  embarks  upon  a  considera- 
tion of  the  contemporary  literature  of  several  lan- 
guages;  he  attempts  a  critical  investigation  of  a  school 
of  music  and  another  of  a  school  of  pictorial  art.  With 
all  his  knowledge,  wide  though  it  is,  he  must  needs  fall 
into  some  of  the  errors  that  arc  inevitable  to  those  who 
generalize. 

Now  turn  to  the  other  side,  and  see  how  the  man  of 
science  in  Max  Nordan  spoils  the  man  of  literature. 
He  criticises  the  pre-Rapihaelite  movement  and  the 
aesthetics.  He  seems  to  me  to  assign  an  importance 
to  them  which  they  never  possessed.  But  the  book 
originally  appeared,  I  believe,  at  a  time  when  the 
movement,  though  dead,  had  not  been  so  long  buried  :  I 
let  that  pass.  Nordan  criticises  "  The  Blessed  Da- 
mozel."  It  is  mystic,  he  says,  and  mysticism  is  a 
sign  of  degeneracy.  It  is  worth  while  to  remember 
that  the  mysticism  is  intentional,  planned,  conscious ; 
the  symptom  of  a  disease  must  be  its  inevitable  accom- 
paniment, but  mysticism  cannot  be  said  to  have  been 
inevitable  in  the  author  of  "  Jenny  "  and  "  The  Burden 
of  Nineveh."  Rossetti  spoke  of  the  day  that  counted  as 
ten  years  ;  Max  Nordan  flies  to  arithmetic.  The  two 
lines  in  the  poem  that  most  definitely  preclude  the 
least  idea  of  sensuality  must  have  been,  Nordan  thinks, 
the  result  of  a  sensual  idea.  Ha  goes  on  to  quote  one 
of  Mr.  Oscar  Wilde's  most  absurd  sayings,  and  sets  to 
work  seriously  to  prove  that  it  is  absurd.  In  brief, 
Max  Nordan  does  not  understand  poetry,  and  has  no 
sense  of  humour — or  has  mislaid  it. 

Howi.vEK,  grant  that  Max  Nordan's  criticism  is  correct, 
then  it  proves  much  more  than  it  wants  to  prove.  Mr. 
Oscar  Wilde  sometimes  says  things  which  are  not  rea- 
soned truth :  so  did  Aristophanes  and  Rabelais.  We 
are  not  quite  so  modern  as  Max  Nordan  thinks.  How- 
ever, there  is  no  need  to  martyrize  him.  His  b  >«  k  is 
suggestive,  audacious,  interesting,  showing  that  width 
of  range  which  is  so  fatal  in  science  and  so  desirable 
everywhere  else.    Nor  docs  his  evidence  always  fail;  it 


April  6,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


275 


would  be  difficult  to  refute  what  he  says  of  Walt  Whit- 
man or  Verlaine,  for  instance.  It  must  net  be  supposed 
that  either  Max  Nordan  or  his  master,  Lanbroso,  would 
prove  every  genius  to  be  insane.  The  theory  is  not  so 
large  as  that,  but  none  the  less,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  too 
large  for  the  facts.  The  fallacy  which  underlies  Max 
Nordan's  book  seems  to  me  that  by  proving  a  parallel 
one  proves  a  connection. 

ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

J.  C.  C. — Mr.  Wynn  Evans  was  undoubtedly  most  unwise  in 
writing  the  letter,  and  he  probably  regrets  now  having  done 
so.  H.  B.  (Trowbridge). — A  letter  to  the  general  manager  of 
a  railway  company  asking  him  to  see  you  on  the  matter,  or  to 
let  you  submit  your  scheme  to  him,  would  in  all  probability 
receive  a  favourable  reply.  G.  D. — I  thank  you  for  calling  my 
attention  to  the  matter.  To-morrow. — You  would  see  adver- 
tisements in  the  Athenaeum.  I  could  not  undertake  to  recom- 
mend anyone  personally. 

Shorthand. — One  or  two  correspondents  have  written  point- 
ing out  to  me  the  advantage  of  different  systems  of  shorthand, 
but  while  Pitman's  is  so  universally  used,  I  should  deem  it  un- 
wise for  a  young  man  to  learn  any  other.  At  a  newspaper  office 
he  would  be  unable  to  read  another  man's  notes,  and  it  would 
be  impossible  for  any  man  to  read  his. 

Poaching. — I  continue  to  be  inundated  with  letters  from 
owners  of  shooting  who  are  indignant  at  my  views  on  this  sub- 
ject. 1  cannot  see  why  a  few  rich  men  should  monopolise  all 
the  pleasant  things  of  life.  They  hold  quite  enough  as  it  is. 
They  shut  up  the  beautiful  places  of  the  world,  its  mountains, 
woods,  and  dells,  and  placard  huge  notice  boards  before  our  eyes, 
telling  us  that  if  we  dare  to  come  there  to  see  the  beauties  of  God's 
earth  we  shall  be  prosecuted.  Many  riparian  owners  are  indignant 
that  pleasureboats  are  allowed  to  go  up  the  Thames  past  theirland. 
They  would  enclose  the  very  sea  if  they  had  their  way.  In- 
deed,  a  man  is  never  quite  sure  that  he  is  not  infringing  the 
rights  of  some  landlord  or  other  every  time  he  draws  in  a  breath 
of  God's  air.  If  proprietors  had  their  way  there  would  be  no 
spot  on  earth  for  the  bulk  of  mankind  but  an  asphalted  high- 
way between  two  walls.  Shooting  owners  seem  to  fancy  that  it 
is  they  who  created  the  game  they  claim.  It  was  never  intended 
that  the  earth  and  the  fulness  thereof  should  be  the  private 
property  of  a  few  rich  people.  Sport  is  an  instinct  with  the 
poor  man  as  well  as  with  the  rich.  These  creatures  are  wild, 
and  therefore,  morally  speaking,  are  everybody's  property. 
Many  owners,  I  know,  spend  large  sums  inbreeding  their  game, 
but  I  cannot  dignity  such  with  the  name  of  sportsmen.  They 
are  simply  wholesale  poulterers  who  do  their  own  killing. 

H.  B.  W.  (Sheffield).— A  play  is  no  property  at  all  until  it 
has  been  performed  publicly.  Then  the  copyright  would,  of 
course,  rest  with  the  author,  unless  he  had  transferred  it  by 
writing. 

G.  D. — The  seventh  day  referred  to  in  the  Commandment  is 
Saturday,  so  that  every  time  a  man  works  on  Saturday  he  breaks 
that  Commandment.  Nothing  is  said  either  in  the  Old  or  New 
Testaments  regarding  the  Sunday. 

A.  S.  B. — It  is  said  that  a  man  who  is  his  owii  counsel  has  a 
fool  for  a  client,  and  your  friend  would  be  sure  to  make  a  mess 
of  the  case  by  attempting  to  conduct  it  himself.  The  cost  of  an 
undefended  divorce  case  could  hardly  be  less  than  £40.  The 
law  requires  proof  of  everything.  From  entering  into  the  case 
to  its  hearing  would  probably  be  six  months.  Then  if  you  won, 
you — I  beg  pardon,  your  friend — would  have  to  wait  for  the 
decree  nisi  afterwards. 

A.  C.  N.  asks  me  if  I  can  decipher  the  following  words,  which 
are  engraved  on  a  lucky  bell  in  his  possession  : 

TOI  COM  MAE  INt 
VnO  TET  AIM  Alt 

Perhaps  one  of  my  readers  would  like  to  take  a  hand. 

F.  B.  (Singapore). — I  am  glad  To-Day  is  liked  so  much  in  your 
country.  We  will  see  what  can  be  done  in  the  direction  of  ex- 
tending our  insurance  scheme  to  cover  riding  and  driving 
accidents. 

Lady  Henry  Somerset's  Extraordinary  Statement. — 
Many  correspondents  draw  my  attention  to  this  matter.  They 
will  see  it  dealt  with  in  editorial  notes. 

Yardley. — Thanks  for  your  pleasant  letter.  The  index  is 
published  as  soon  it  can  be  got  out.  I  daresay  as  time  goes  on 
the  delay  will  grow  less.  I  follow  "  The  Red  Cockade"  with 
stories  by  Anthony  Hope,  which  friends  who  have  read  them 
tell  me  are  exceedingly  fine. 

Subcriuer  (Belfast). — -The  working  man's  institute  appears 
to  be  run  on  teetotal  principles.  You  say  the  exhibition  is  to 
be  got  up  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  the  funds  of  this  institute.  I 
certainly  think  that  the  logic  of  the  argument  lies  with  those 
who  object  to  non-teetotal  drink  being  sold  at  the  exhibition. 
Think  what  the  other  side  would  say  if,  at  an  exhibition  got  up 
to  support  a  temperance  institute,  liquor  was  freely  sold. 

W.  S.,  who  is  an  elderly  and  widely  read  gentleman,  writes 
me  with  much  enthusiasm  concerning  the  excellence  of  the 
"  Lawyer'-       k  "  series  of  stories. 


B.  B.  (Liverpool),  wishes  me  to  mention  that  it  was  the  Liver- 
pool Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Children  which 
was  instrumental  in  bringing  to  light  the  horrible  cruelty  com- 
mitted by  an  old  hag  of  .a  mistress  on  her  unfortunate  little 
servant  girl.  It  was  a  good  piece  of  work,  and  I  congratulate 
the  Liverpool  Society. 

J.  M.  H. — Do  not  try  to  colour  the  billiard  balls  yourself.  It 
is  a  difficult  work  and  requires  great  experience  and  skill.  You 
would  only  spoil  the  bone,  or — as  it  is  commonly  called — 
ivory. 

0.  M.  H. — Your  argument  would  prevent  one  speaking  out 
one's  mind  on  any  subject  whatever.  If  you  are  fighting  a  man 
you  must  try  to  hit  him.  Outsider. — You  would  have  no 
practical  remedy,  though  you  might  engage  in  expensive  litiga- 
tion. Respectable  journals  do  not  do  this  sort  of  thing.  G.  H.P. 
— The  plan  is  not  unusual.  Unfortunately  for  the  maga- 
zine they  seem  to  have  got  hold  of  a  man  who  is  a  little  too 
clever  for  them.  The  correspondence  amused  me  greatly,  and  I 
have  put  it  into  the  form  of  a  short  article,  carefully  suppressing 
all  portions  that  could  lead  to  identification.  A.  Y. — Mr. 
J erome  will  not  be  lecturing  at  Southport,  his  tour  being  finished. 

J.  McK.  P.  (Liverpool),  draws  my  attention  to  the  recent 
libel  action  won  by  the  Junior  Reform  Club  against  the  Rev. 
J.  Wakeford.  This  reminds  me  of  another  case  which  a  Devon- 
shire publican  has  just  won  against  a  Baptist  ministe  ■:  Parsons 
must  learn  that  their  cloth  does  not  entitle  them  to  bear  false 
witness  against  their  neighbours. 

S.  J.  C.  tells  me  that  the  address  of  the  Fair  Trade  Club  is 
6,  Waterloo  Place,  Pall  Mall,  S.W. 

A.  B.  C. — Free  Trade  would  keep  more  money  in  the  country. 
You  would  be  paying  more  for  loaves,  it  is  true,  but  you  would 
be  paving  very  much  less  for  poor  rate,  the  demands  on  your 
charity  would  be  very  much  less,  and  with  the  increased 
prosperity  of  the  nation  as  a  whole  your  income  would  be  sure 
to  take  a  slight  rise.  What  I  maintain  Protection  would  do  to 
a  great  extent  would  be  to  shift  a  large  number  of  men  from  the 
casual  ward  and  the  soup-kitchen  into  the  labour  market.  This 
would  be  its  immediate  result.  In  the  fut  ure  it  would  increase  the 
wealth  of  the  country  by  directing  enterprise  to  home  industry 
in  place  of  sending  all  our  capital  out  of  the  country  for  the 
purpose  of  encouraging  the  commerce  of  other  nations. 

Bimetallism. — G.  E.  advises  correspondents  interested  in  the 
subject  to  read  "  Bimetallism,  or  Currency  Reform,"  by  J.  H. 
Lovell.  C.  F.  S.  recommends  two  papers  that  were  read  on  the 
subject  before  the  Surveyors'  Institution.  The  numbers  of  the 
papers  are  190  and  191  in  Volume  XXV. 

A.  J. — The  matter  seems  rather  a  trivial  one.  W.  F.  W. — I 
replied  on  the  subject  of  Women's  Suffrage  a  few  weeks  ago.  To 
give  reasons  for  and  against  would  take  some  four  or  five 
hundred  pages  of  this  paper.  Common-sense  and  Nature  seem 
to  be  the  best  reasons  against  the  argument.  R.  W.  S. — No 
sound  business  concern  would  dream  of  offering  you  employment 
because  you  invested  with  them.  Suspicion  would  attach  to 
any  house  of  business  suggesting  such  an  arrangement.  You 
might  go  into  partnership  with  anyone  whom  you  know  and  can 
trust,  but  unless  such  an  opportunity  offered  I  would  keep  my 
investments  and  my  search  for  employment  two  distinct  mattsrs. 
It  would  seem,  judging  from  your  qualifications,  that  you  ought 
not  to  have  very  much  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  berth.  Experience 
always  has  a  value.  L.  W.  S. ,  who  shares  our  hate  of  v  hat  he 
calls  "slimy  hypocrisy,"  tells  me  that  he  finds  great  difficulty  in 
obtaining  To-Day  in  Burton-on -Trent,  and  that  he  had  to  go  to 
the  railway  station  for  it.  R.  H.  Dean. — Apply  to  the  secretary 
of  the  Emigration  Society. 

J.  C.  N. — I  have  not  seen  any  previous  letter  from  you.  I  read 
the  whole  of  the  report — a  very  full  one — and  I  really  think  I  am 
capable  of  judging  whether  a  thing  is  said  ironically  or  in 
seriousness.  Country  Draper. — The  reform  you  suggest  would 
be  excellent.  It  would  probably  make  a  difference  of  £20,000  a 
year  to  the  gentleman  referred  to,  however,  so  it  might  be  diffi- 
cult to  persuade  him  to  adopt  it.  S.  P.  and  Co. — See  reply  to 
"  Shorthand." 

E.  T. — I  am  handing  your  letter  to  the  manager.  I  daresay  I 
shall  drift  into  the  discussion  you  suggest.  Thanks  for  your 
good  wishes. 

T.  C.  R. — I  am  afraid  your  suggestions  as  to  comradeship 
between  mistresses  and  servants  would  meet  with  small  response, 
but  much  might  be  done  to  make  the  position  of  these  poor  little 
drudges  a  happier  one. 

A.  R.  B.,  writing  from  Egypt,  says  : — "  Since  I  first  saw  your 
journal  twelve  months  ago,  1  have  managed  to  obtain  it  every 
week,  and  by  fair  means.  If  you  care  to  accept  the  modest 
testimony  of  a  keen  sportsman,  who  has  knocked  about  in 
almost  every  country  in  the  world,  let  me  say  that  To-Day  is 
just  the  very  thing  I've  wanted  since  the  time  1  discovered  that 
travelling  abroad  had  erased  many  of  the  insular  prejudices  and 
narrow-minded  ideas  of  the  old  country  from  my  mind." 

E.  R.  encloses  me  a  letter  from  a  friend  in  Calcut  ta  to  whom 
he  sends  To-Day.  This  Calcutta  gentleman  says  that  the 
local  dailies  "  help  themselves  pretty  liberally  to  cuttings  from 
To-Day,  and  do  not  often  acknowledge  the  source.  The  Indian 
Daily  News  is  the  worst  offender."  Perhaps  the  editor  of  the 
Indian  Daily  Neias  will  make  a  note  of  this,  and  beg  his  staff  to 
reform. 

{Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week.) 


276 


TO-DAY. 


April  6,  1895. 


THE  DJARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

Have  just  been  stocking  a  number  of  copies  of  Lord 
Wolseley's  "  Decline  and  Fall  of  Napoleon,'"1 
which  came  out  in  the  Pall  Mall  Magazine.  The 
dapper  little  Viscount,  so  smart  and  soldierly  in  his 
appearance,  so  carefully  dressed,  but  so  free  from  what 
gentlemen  call  "  side,"  has  been  a  constant  customer  of 
mine.  Unless  my  memory  is  playing  me  a  trick,  he  told 
me  that  he  was  the  "W."  whose  initial  had  appeared  under 
such  interesting  queries  in  Notes  and  Queries  for  years. 
He  is  a  sinewy  man,  though  not  very  tall,  and  has  the 
figure  of  a  smart  light  cavalry  oflicer. 

*  *       -        *  * 

His  brother,  the  now  celebrated  Australian  squatter, 
whose  inventive  genius  has  done  more  than  anything 
else  to  break  the  power  of  the  Shearers'  Union,  was  also 
a  customer  of  mine.  The  shearing  machine  is  now  an 
acknowledged  success,  but  rumour  has  it  that  it  absorbed 
some  very  historic  gold  before  it  succeeded.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  when  Lord  Wolseley  conquered  the 
Ashantees  he  declined  a  peerage,  preferring  a  money 
grant  of  £25,000,  which  he  entrusted  to  his  brother,  the 
Australian  squatter,  for  investment.  The  brother  in- 
vests 1  it  with  such  ill-success  that  it  looked  very  like 

the  General  losing  his  money  as  well  as  his  peerage. 

*  *  *  * 

One  of  the  best  new  books  I  have  ever  added  to  my 
library,  I  think,  is  Mr.  Henry  Norman's  "  Politics  and 
Peoples  of  the  Far  East,"2  of  which  I  have  just  bought 
several  copies.  Apart  from  the  merits  of  the  letter- 
press, there  are  admirable  illustrations,  reproduced  from 
photographs  taken  by  Mr.  Norman  himself,  with  the 
exception  of  the  ghastly  "  Death  by  a  Thousand  Cuts  " 
(which  is  perforated  that  squeamish  people  may  tear  it 
out  without  injuring  the  book),  and  the  beautiful 
coloured  frontispiece  of  the  woman  with  her  wrists 
secured  in  the  cruel  bamboo  hand-stocks  used  for 
torture  in  China.  Of  the  letterpress  it  is  impossible  to 
speak  too  highly.  Mr.  Norman  has  a  light  and  highly- 
finished  style,  and  the  book  is  a  mass  of  well-digested 
information  of  the  freshest  kind.  For  four  years  Mr. 
Norman  wandered  up  and  down  the  Far  East,  from 
Vladivostock  to  Saigon  and  Tokyo  to  Bangkok,  note- 
book in  hand,  with  the  unceasing  purpose  of  collecting 
notes  for  this  book,  and  the  result  is,  as  I  have  said,  the 
best  travel  book  which  I  have  ever  added  to  my  library. 

There  is  something  worth  quoting  in  almost  every  page. 

*  *  *  * 

Have  just  stocked  copies  of  a  neat  half-crown  cloth 
edition  of  "  Cherry  Ripe,"  which,  with  "Comin'  Thro' 
the  Rye,"  made  the  well-deserved  reputation  of  my  old 
patron,  Helen  Mathers  (Mrs.  Henry  Reeves),  who  has 
not  gone  to  the  Riviera  after  all.  I  have  also  been 
ordering  from  Mr.  Horace  Cox  copies  of  the  second  edi- 
tion of  "  Wilton,  Q.C.,"  the  novel  by  Mrs.  Alec  Tweedie, 
which  gives  Such  a  graphic  account  of  life  in  a  Highland 
shooting-box,  and  I  shall  stock  a  lot  of  copies  of  the 
shilling  edition  of  "  Her  Girl's  Ride  in  Iceland,"  which 
Mr.  Cox  is  to  bring  out.    Mrs.  Tweedie  is  one  of  our 

brightest  travel  writers. 

*  *  *  * 

It  is  not  often  that  the  deadly  life  in  a  German 
family  of  limited  means  is  portrayed  with  more  force 
than  it  is  in  Mrs.  Andrew  Dean's  "  Grasshoppers."3 
The  "  Grasshoppers  "  is  full  of  strong  irony,  levelled 
against  upper-middle-class  society.  Mrs.  Dean  portrays 
with  a  ruthless  pen  the  merchant's  family  who  live 
beyond  their  means  with  a  haphazard  extravagance 
till  the  father  is  killed  by  anxiety,  and  leaves 
them  nearly  bankrupt ;  the  eligible  young  man  in 
love  with  the  pretty  daughter,  who  deserts  her  as 
soon  as  the  crash  comes  ;  the  pretty  daughter  who 
marries  a  fogeyish  old  German  for  his  money  and  treats 
him  off  handedly.  She  only  married  him  to  getaway 
from  the  terrible  meannesses  of  life  with  her  German 
aunt.     But  the  book  has  very  pleasant  features  in  the 


character  of  Hilary,  the  heroine,  of  the  worthy  but 
homely  old  German  who  marries  her  sister,  and  of  Dick, 
the  hero,  who  marries  Hilary.  It  is  certainly  a  novel 
very  much  above  the  average. 

*  *  *  ♦ 

Personally  I  must  admit  preferring  "  A  Pastoral 
Played  Out,"4  by  Mary  L.  Pendered,  which  more 
than  fulfils  the  promise  of  the  same  author's 
"  Dust  and  Laurels."  Like  that  book  it  has  its  "dash 
of  blue,"  for  the  charming  heroine  makes  remarkable 
little  ado  about  going  to  live  with  an  author-artist,  whom 
she  has  only  met  a  few  days  before,  in  free  love.  There 
are,  however,  no  descriptions  of  passion.  Gylda,  the 
heroine,  is  a  lucky  young  woman,  for  she  contrives  to 
get  admitted  to  the  intimacy  of  a  number  of  nice  people, 
who  accept  her  at  first  without  making  sure  that  she  is 
Etherege's  wife,  and  will  not  give  her  up  when  they  find 
that  she  is  not.  She  flies  from  them  herself  when  her  free- 
love  husband  announces  his  intention  of  providing  him- 
self with  a  wife  of  the  ordinary  pattern,  and  with  unusual 
celerity  becomes  a  famous  actress,  in  which  capacity 
Etherege  eventually  sees  her.  He  has,  of  course,  never 
lost  his  love  for  her,  but  has  merely  married  his  wealthy' 
widowed,  American:born  Princess  for  the  social  advan- 
tages. The  Princess  is  a  very  cleverly  drawn  and 
charming  character.  She  is  so  gentle,  and  Gylda  is  a 
fascinating  heroine.  I  expect  "  A  Pastoral  Played 
Out "  to  be  one  of  the  most  popular  of  the  new  novels  in 
my  library.  I  believe  it  was  I  who  introduced  Mr. 
Heinemann  to  Miss  Pendered.     She  is  a  tall,  dark, 

stately,  smiling  woman,  still  young. 

*  *  *  * 

Those  of  my  customers  who  went  to  the  opening 
night  of  Sunday  Clubland  tell  me  that  it  is  much  the 
same  sort  of  thing  as  the  Salon,  which  is  also  held  in 
the  rooms  of  the  Royal  Institute  of  Painters  in  Water 
Colours.  But  it  will  meet  every  Sunday  night  instead 
of  only  occasionally.  The  President  of  the  R.I.,  Sir 
James  Linton,  and  gentlemen  of  the  same  position  in 
the  allied  arts,  have  been  instrumental  in  getting  up 
the  Club,  which  provides  a  supper  and  a  brilliant  pro- 
gramme for  the  modest  sum  of  two  guineas  a  year. 

*  *  *  * 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Many  correspondents  have  inquired  for  particulars  about 
Sandow's  book,  which  was  recently  noticed  in  these  columns. 
The  book  can  be  procured  direct  and  post  free  from  the  publisher?, 
Gale  and  Polden,  2,  Amen  Corner,  Paternoster  Row,  E.G.  The 
price  is  twelve  shillings  and  sixpence  net. 

Yadot. — Two  good  books  on  the  subject  are  "  British  Dairy 
Farming,"  by  Professor  Jas.  Long  (Chapman  and  Hall,  9s. ),  and 
"A  Manual  of  Practical  Dairy  Farming,"  by  H.  M.  Upton 
(Sampson,  Low  and  Co. ,  2s. ). 

S.  W. — One  of  the  best  editions  is  Dyce's,  published  by 
Sonnenschein  in  ten  volumes  at  £4  10s.  "  A  Practical  Guide 
to  English  Versification,"  by  T.  Hood,  jun.,  might  serve  your 
purpose.    The  price  is  half-a-crown. 

Enquirer. — of  our  books  are  worth  about  a  shilling  each. 

Annual  Subscriber  (B.  H). — To  get  complete  information 
about  all  the  national  costumes  would  necessitate  your  buying  a 
large  number  of  books.  The  most  comprehensive  work  on  the 
subject  is  Kretschner  and  Rohrbuck's  "Costumes  of  All 
Nations."  It  contains  104  coloured  plates,  and  is  published  at 
four  guiueas  by  Sotheran. 

Annual  Subscriber. — "  Breeches  "  Bibles  are  not  very  rare. 
Mr.  Tregaskis,  232,  High  Holborn,  would  give  you  fifteen 
shillings  for  yours  if  in  good  condition. 

E.  B. — The  five  volumes  are  worth  ten  shillings  and  sixpence. 
Your  best  plan  would  be  to  advertise  them. 

Glyn  Neath. — I  know  of  no  translation  of  Villemar^ue's  work. 

S.  W.  W. — There  are  thirteen  numbers  to  each  volume. 
We  are  now  in  the  sixth. 

Langford. — Most  of  the  carols  are  for  Christmas.  The  music 
is  given  in  all  cases. 

B.  B. — I  do  not  know  of  such  a  book.  "  Try  Carpenter's  Pennv 
Readings." 

T.  F.  B. — Your  book  is  worth  about  fifteen  shillings. 
Embryo  Book-hunter,  M.   M.,  and  Lazarus. — The  books 
and  papers  you  name  are  of  no  commercial  value. 

1.  "  The  Decline  and  Fall  of  Napoleon,"  by  Lord  Wolseley  (Sampson, 
Low,  3s.  6d.). 

2.  "  Politics  and  People  of  the  Far  East,"  by  Mr.  Henry  Norman 
(T.  Fisher  Unwin,  21s.). 

3.  "Grasshoppers,"  by  Mrs.  Andrew  Dean  (A.  and  C.  Black,  6s.). 

4.  "A  Pastoral  Played  Out,"  by  Mary  S.  Pendered  (Heinemann,  6s.). 


April  6,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


277 


LETTERS   OF   A  CANDID 
PLAYGOER. 


M?  Dear  Dick, — The  one  novelty  of  the  past  seven 
days  is  Fortune's  Fool  at  the  Haymarket.  It  is  a  mono- 
logue, playing  about  thirty  minutes,  and  put  on  at  the 
end  of  the  evening,  to  give  Waller  a  chance  of  showing 
what  he  can  do  in  the  way  of  tragic  intensity.  It  gives 
him  that  chance,  and  despite  a  certain  tendency  to 
monotony  he  avails  himself  of  it  to  the  uttermost.  Yet 
though  it  has  much  artistic  excellence  the  entertainment 
depresses  me.  The  author,  Mr.  Henry  Hamilton,  shows 
us  a  young  man  who,  after  many  struggles,  earns 
enough  money  by  the  pursuit  of  journalism  to  live  in 
comfortable  rooms ;  this  being  so,  I  presume  he  wrote 
for  a  financial  organ,  and  "  boomed  "  the  Kaffir  circus. 
Despite  such  comparative  opulence  he  is  peevish  be- 
cause a  rich  uncle  cuts  him  out  of  his  will,  and 
simultaneously  the  girl  of  his  heart  temporarily,  and  at 
the  request  of  her  parents,  renounces  him.  Had 
he  possessed  the  moral  fibre  of  a  limpet, 
or  the  courage  of  a  blackbeetle,  he  would 
have  fought  on  to  win  fame  and  fortune,  and,  perhaps, 
the  hand  of  his  sweetheart  after  all.  Being  a  despondent 
owl  he  does  none  of  these  things.  He  acts  a  little 
scene  to  himself,  imagines  that  he  is  entertaining  King 
Death,  and  having  considerately  provided  that  sinister 
personage  with  a  brandy-and-soda,  proceeds  to  inflict  on 
him  a  life  story  illustrated  with  song.  He  weeps ;  he 
paws  the  frame  containing  the  photograph  of  his 
immorata  ;  he  burns  his  walking-stick,  and  generally 
behaves  with  all  the  mawkish  unrestraint  of  an  senemic 
decadent.  Lord  !  how  I  longed  to  see  some  common-place, 
conventional  person  come  in  and  kick  him  hard  first, 
and  take  him  off  to  the  Alhambra  afterwards.  Un- 
happily even  King  Death  is  bored  beyond  protest,  and 
so  at  length  the  young  man  takes  poison.  Directly 
he  does  so  a  couple  of  letters  arrive — at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning  mark  you — one  to  say  that  his  uncle  has  died 
without  a  will  and  he  is  now  wealthy,  the  other 
to  announce  that  his  lost  love  has  bolted 
from  home,  and  will  be  with  him  immediately.  He  is 
too  upset  to  notice  her  ridiculous  demand  that  he 
shall  marry  her  "  to-morrow,"  a  thing  which  he  could  not 
possibly  do  legally,  even  before  a  registrar,  but  after 
an  extra  squirm  or  two  he  falls  dead  on  the  hearthrug. 
As  he  does  so  her  knock — a  peculiar  one  which  has  been 
previously  explained — comes  at  the  door.  This  is  a 
dramatic  moment,  but  directly  it  is  reached  the  curtain 
falls. 

I  am  not  fond  of  morbid  plays  at  the  best  of  times  ; 
but  you  can  occasionally  forgive  a  morbid  theme  be- 
cause of  its  impressive  quality,  or  its  strength.  I  do 
not  think  Fortune's  Fool  either  strong  or  impressive. 
Its  central  figure  is  a  maudler  and  a  coward.  I  can 
applaud  the  astute  tactician  who  bends  before  the 
storm.  I  can  admire  the  hero,  or  the  fanatic,  who 
braves  it,  and  dies  fighting.  For  the  suicide  who 
morally  runs  away  from  his  difficulties  and  responsi- 
bilities I  have  no  use.  He  is  merely  contemptible. 
Perhaps  I  am  prejudiced  on  this  particular  point,  but 
my  prejudice  rises  up  within  me  and  howls  at 
Fortune's  Fool.  My  detestation  of  the  individual  is 
accentuated  by  the  language  that  he  uses — when  ho 
wants  to  say  that  he  "  found  work  and  it  paid,"  he  says 
that  he  "  obtained  employment  which  was  not  alto- 
gether unremunerative,"  or  words  to  that  effect.  Mind, 
I  do  not  for  one  moment  deny  that  this  monologue  is 
not  admirably  written  if  it  were  written  only  to  be 
read.  But  it  is  written  to  be  spoken,  and  on  my  ear 
it  frequently  grated  .as  stilted,  redundant,  and  unreal. 
This  fault  robbed  its  strongest  moments  of  grip.  Re- 
member, of  all  developments  on  the  modern  stage,  the 
most  noticeable  is  the  inclination  towards  simple, 
natural  dialogue.    I  am  not  alluding,  of  course,  to 


lighter  plays,  but  to  plays  that  affect  to  reproduce  real 
incidents  in  real  life.  Pinero,  for  example,  is  a  master 
of  witty,  satirical  phrase-making ;  he  can  turn  out  what 
is  commonly  called  "  brilliant "  dialogue  by  the  yard. 
Yet  in  his  two  great  plays— Tanqueray,  and  especially 
Mrs.  Ebbsmith — he  religiously  abjures  anything  other 
than  the  most  rigidly  simple  and  natural  dia- 
logue. Mr.  Henry  Hamilton,  as  all  his  work 
has  proved,  possesses  a  remarkable  facility  for 
writing  picturesque,  poetical,  and  sarcastic  dialogue. 
Nothing  could  be  better  or  more  commendable  in  its 
proper  place.  But  if  he  intends  to  come  down  and  do 
battle  in  the  arena  of  the  realists  he  must  arm  himself 
with  their  weapons,  for  otherwise  he  will  appear  as  a 
knight  in  full  armour  charging  at  a  man  posted  behind 
a  Maxim  gun. 

I  should  not  have  said  so  much  to  you  about  so  small 
a  play  if  I  had  not  considered  the  occasion  one  of  im- 
portance. I  do  so  for  various  reasons :  The  manage- 
ment at  the  Haymarket  gives  the  position  of  honour  on 
its  program  me  to  a  monologue,  that  is  one  reason ; 
Mr.  Hamilton  treads  an  unaccustomed  path,  that  is 
another.  These  things  indicate  a  drift  in  theatrical 
affairs  that  interests  me  deeply.  I  am  sure  that  the 
profound  impression  produced  by  Mrs.  Ebbsmith  will  have 
far-reaching  results,  and  I  watch  keenly  for  every  straw 
that  may  show  me  how  the  wind  is  going  to  blow.  I 
do  not  for  one  solitary  instant  profess  to  prophesy,  but 
that  we  are  on  the  verge  of  strong  reaction  or  vigorous 
progress  I  feel  sure.  Despite  his  immeasurable  talent 
living  dramatists  will  not  for  long  remain  content  to  leave 
Pinero  alone.  If  Mr.  Hamilton,  for  example,  feels  sure 
of  his  ground,  he  will  not  remain  satisfied  with  mono- 
logues. He,  together  with  Jones,  Grundy  and  others 
will  plunge  into  the  new  drama.  How  far  will  public 
taste  and  opinion  support  them  1  That  is  what  I  am 
most  curious  to  discover. 

Talking  of  Mrs.  Ebbsmith,  I  suppose  you  know  that 
John  Hare  will  leave  the  Gar  rick  in  the  autumn,  and 
will  go  to  America  and  subsequently  to  Australia. 
Willard,  I  understand,  will  occupy  his  theatre  while 
he  is  away.  Forbes  Robertson  will  commence  manage- 
ment— somewhere — on  his  own  account,  beginning  with 
Four  la  Couronne,by  Francois  Copp^e,  done  into  English 
by  John  Davidson  of  the  Yellow  Book.  It  has  been  re- 
ported that  Miss  Kate  Rorke  will  be  associated  with 
Robertson,  but  this  is  not  yet  settled.  There  is  just  a 
chance  that  Miss  Rorke  may  become  her  own  manageress, 
in  which  case  she  will  present  a  play  already  tried  by 
her  in  the  provinces  from  the  pen  of  Miss  Clo  Graves. 

D'Oyley  Carte,  has,  I  fancy,  been  caught  napping  at 
the  Savoy.  I  am  told  that  he  will  let  his  theatre  until 
the  autumn,  for  the  Pinero-Sullivan  opera  will  not  be 
ready  until  then.  Adrian  Ross  is  still  working  on  the 
lyrics.  Music,  I  know,  does  not  interest  you  much,  but 
you  may  care  to  hear  that  Mascagni's  new  opera  Silrano 
is  described  to  me  from  Milan  as  an  artistic  "  fizzle," 
which  means  that  it  is  not  quite  a  success,  though  De 
Lucia,  the  tenor,  scored  a  complete  triumph  in  it. 

The  Court  Theatre  Company  has,  you  know,  fallen 
through.  What  the  immediate  result  will  be,  I  cannot 
say.  I  understand  that  the  property  will  pass  entirely 
into  the  hands  of  Mrs.  John  Wood,  but  it  is  not  her 
intention  to  embark  on  management,  so  I  presume  that 
the  theatre  will  be  to  let  for  the  autumn. 

Theatrical  business  has  not  been  in  a  very  flourishing 
condition  during  the  last  ten  days,  despite  better 
weather.  The  Garrick  and  the  Prince  of  Wales — that 
is  to  say  Pinero  and  Arthur  Roberts — appear  to  enjoy 
the  monopoly  of  whatever  patronage  is  going  about. 
Things  will  probably  be  worse  until  Easter,  when  an  all- 
round  revival  is  hoped  for.  I  confess  that  I  don't  expect 
it.  The  shows  that  are  not  drawing  just  now  are,  in 
my  opinion,  played  out,  and  if  the  public  does  not  get  a 
batch  of  new  plays  it  will  do  as  it  did  in  1891 — go  to 
the  music-halls. — -Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 


278 


TO-DAY. 


April  8,  1896. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


I  raised  the  point  the  other  week  of  the  effect  that 
the  stage  had  on  fashions  in  men's  clothes,  and  I  am 
pretty  certain  that  in  time  the  stage  will  be  the 
authority  we  shall  all  consult.  Someone  is  bound  to 
set  the  fashion,  and  the  someone  is  lacking  among  the 
aristocracy.  The  Prince  of  Wales  has  through  thick 
and  thin  stuck  to  the  brown  felt  hat ;  he  attempted  to 
introduce  knee  breeches  for  evening  wear,  and  he  last 
summer  startled  many  by  wearing  a  single-breasted 
frock  coat  for  his  latest  photograph.  None  of  these 
moves  have  ever  affected  the  fashion  market.  The 
well-dressed  know  that  the  Prince  hates  the  idea  of 
being  a  tailor's  model,  and  withdraws  his  favour  from 
any  garment  when  he  finds  it  is  being  imitated. 
Apart  from  this  the  Prince  dresses  to  suit  a  stout  man, 
a  distinction  that  most  people  lack.  Beyond  the  Prince 
there  is  no  one  of  the  Royal  House  whose  views  would 
largely  influence  the  public,  and  only  in  Ouida's  imagi- 
nation is  there  an  officer  in  the  Guards  whose  fad  would 
found  a  fashion. 


On  the  other  hand,  during  the  last  few  years  the  stage 
has,  undoubtedly,  pioneered  most  changes.  Arthur 
Roberts,  for  one  instance,  introduced  the  full,  bell-shaped 
hat  in  his  character  as  Captain  Coddington,  and  the  hat 
at  once  became  the  rage,  every  young  man  about  town 
promptly  ordering  a  "  Coddington."  It  was  from  the 
Gaiety,  too,  T  believe,  that  we  originally  got  the  shep- 
herd's crook  walking  stick,  with  tremendous  handles, 
and  Oscar  Wilde  certainly  started  the  rage  in  England 
for  painted  flowers,  although  he  collared  the  idea  from 
France.  In  proof  of  the  stage  being  the  idea  furnishing 
ground,  conies  the  testimony  of  Mr.  George  Gros- 
smith,  junr.,  who  tells  an  interviewer  of  the 
Westminster  that  he  finds  his  get-up  closely  copied  by 
the  young  idea.  This  is  in  itself  a  remarkable  admis- 
sion, for  in  the  Shop  Girl  Mr.  Grossmith,  with  his 
Tyrolese  straw  hat  and  blue  serge  suit,  seems  almost  to 
intend  to  burlesque  the  masher. 


In  the  same  play  Mr.  Seymour  Hicks  dresses  in  a 
Mack  frock  coat,  with  a  tan-coloured  waistcoat  and 
loose  trousers  turned  up  at  the  bottom.  Since  this,  a 
well-known  tailor  assured  me  many  of  his  clients  had 
given  him  the  order  to  make  a  suit  on  the  same  lines 
as  "  Young  Hicks's  at  the  Gaiety."  Another  thing  that 
the  stage  has  from  time  to  time  introduced  into  fashion 
and  driven  out  again  is  the  eye-glass.  Dear  in  the 
days  of  burlesque  a  dozen  years  ago,  everyone  in  the 
streets  bought  and  wore  them,  and  when  they  were 
dropped  by  the  stage  they  went  out  altogether  as 
though  there  had  been  some  faith  healing  cure  for  short 
sight.  In  these  cases  I  have  only  mentioned  some  of 
the  fashions  that  more  directly  affect  the  younger 
generation,  but  it  is  just  as  certain  that  what  Beer- 
bohin  Tree.  Wyntlham,  and  Haw  trey  adopt,  largely  in- 
fluences an  elder  circle  in  its  selection. 


In  America  the  power  of  the  stage  in  this  direction  is 
fullv  recognised,  ami  to  all  appearances'  (judging  from 
the  papers)  a  man  is  told  off  to  note  novelties  in  the 
actors'  dress,  just  as  an  English  paper  sends  "our  lady 
correspondent"  to  discuss  those  of  the  actresses.  These 
writers  even  wax  eloquent  on  the  subject.  "What," 
wrote  one  of  them  the  other  day,  dealing  with  a  play 
of  Frohman's,  "do  you  think  of  a  man  wearing  patent 
leather  boots  with  yellow  leather  uppers  in  a  drawing- 
room  ?.  It  made  our  oflice  boy  weep.  And  So-and- 
so  turned  up  in  a  frock  coat  that  he  might  have  stolen 
from  an  Israelite's  shop,  without  exciting  the  owner 
sufficiently  to  follow  him.  Put  we  could  have  forgiven 
him  ii'  after  he  had  got  the  coat  he  had  not  gone  out- 
fide  and  slept  on  a  dust-heap."  No  doubt  this  kind  of 
comment  would  distress  an  English  actor,  but  they 
manage  these  things  differently  over  there. 


Dealing  with  my  notes  last  week  on  the  tipping 
evil,  more  than  one  correspondent  has  suggested  that 
I  should  be  responsible  for  the  formation  of  a  League, 
whose  members  guaranteed  under  no  circumstances  to 
pay  the  wages  of  other  people's  servants.  I  must 
respectfully  decline  the  honour.  Life  is  too  short,  and 
sustained  contempt  on  all  sides  would  pain  me. 
Curiously  enough  I  notice  that  some  sort  of  a,  Trades' 
Union  that  is  said  to  represent  the  waiters,  has  this 
week  issued  a  manifesto  asking  for  the  tipping  business 
to  be  done  away  with,  and  for  wages  to  be  substituted. 
This  is,  no  doubt,  to  a  large  extent  bunkum,  but  I  am 
quite  certain  that  the  waiter  would  cordially  welcome 
a  certain  salary  to  a  promiscuous  one. 


The  whole  modern  tipping  business  is  a  survival  of 
an  excellent  system,  under  different  conditions.  No 
doubt  it  was  pleasant  to  reward  the  waiter  at  the  road- 
side tavern  with  a  tip  for  his  attention,  and  the  guard 
on  the  coach  who  amused  you  with  a  good  story  was  a 
worthy  object.  But  they  received  their  wages,  and  the 
present  was  welcome  and  appreciated.  When,  how- 
ever, the  guileful  foreigner  and  his  army  of  polyglot 
waiters  swooped  down  on  the  land,  and  took  the 
restaurant  business  out  of  British  hands,  the  aspect  of 
the  matter  changed.  What  was  before  a  present  became 
a  charge,  and  the  nuisance  spread  East  and  West.  The 
railway  porter  argued  that  he  was  really  the  lineal 
descendant  of  the  coaching  guard,  the  tea  shop  girl 
compared  herself  to  the  buxom  wench  who  served  the 
flagons  of  nut-brown  ale,  the  barber  and  a  dozen  other 
trades  thought  it  possible  they  might  have  had  some 
tipped  counterparts  in  the  old  times,  and  decided  to 
give  themselves  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  The  cabman 
I  will  not  discuss.  He  is  Dick  Turpin  at  6  st.  7  lb. 
Any  reader  who  can  send  me  a  solution  of  the  difficulty 
shall  be  allowed  to  address  my  readers. 


It  is  generally  admitted  that  the  Oxford  crew  of 
Saturday  was  the  best  that  has  ever  rowed  in  the 
'Varsity  race,  and  we  must  all  wish  that  the  oft  de- 
bated question  as  to  whether  the  English  are  equal 
to  Yale  and  Harvard  on  the  water  could  be  settled  at 
Henlev  this  year.  The  worst  of  these  things  is  that 
directly  a  challenge  is  made  to  America,  whether  it  be 
in  regard  to  yachting,  boxing,  or  any  other  sport,  the 
whole  thing  degenerates  into  a  mass  of  technical  dis- 
putes. One  wants  one  condition,  the  other  concedes 
it,  and  then  wants  one  on  its  own  account.  This  is,  in 
its  turn,  conceded,  and  then  the  whole  thing  is  played 
over  and  over  again  till  everyone  forgets  all  about  it, 
and  those  who  follow  the  question  through  have  about 
as  much  knowledge  as  Adam  as  to  what  the  whole 
difficulty  has  arisen  from. 


After  the  spirited  fashion  in  which  America's  univer- 
sities met  our  own  in  athletic  encounters  last  year,  it 
may  really  be  hoped  with  confidence  that  such  a  rape 
can  be  successfully  arranged.  We  should  welcome  them 
all  tjie  more  heartily  because  they  would  come  over  with 
a.  knowledge  that  they  had  to  meet  the  best  that 
England  could  produce,  and  if  they  won  we  should  throw 
up  our  hats  and  give  them  the  cheer  they  deserved. 
It  both  sides  honestly  wish  to  meet,  it  can  be  arranged 
in  forty-eight  hours,  and  if  they  don't  then  let  the 
system  of  shouting  and  scuttling  be  left  to  the 
profess!  mal  pugilists. 


A  curious  and  somewhat  striking  innovation  in  the 
make  of  trousers  is  the  use  of  black  braid  down  the 
sides  of  those  made  in  light  materials.  I  have  seen  at 
least  three  men  wearing  light  greys  and  browns  with 
this  decoration.  It  does  not  look  half  so  bad  as  one 
might  imagine. 

Evidently  the  tie  market  must  be  hard  up  for  novel- 
ties when  a  firm  gives  pride  of  place  in  its  windows  to 
«*  bow-tie  with  fancy  ends  sewn  on.    That  is,  if  you 


April  8,  1893. 


TO-DAY. 


279 


buy  a.  black  and  white  check  pattern,  you  have  fixed 
on  at  each  end  some  violent  print  of  Oriental  or  High- 
land design.  It  is  striking — too  striking,  some  may 
think. 


There  should  be  a  capital  evening's  entertainment 
when  the  City  of  London  Volunteer  Artillery  give  their 
concert  at  the  Cannon  Street  Hotel,  on  Friday,  April 
5th.  The  artistes  include  Miss  Ethel  Wynn,  Miss 
Meredyth  Elliot,  Mr.  Charles  Chilley,  and  Mr.  Franklin 
Clive.    The  Duke  of  Teck  has  promised  to  attend. 


T  have  lately  seen  a  new  departure  in  electro-plating 
at  the  premises  of  the  Plating  Company,  Kirby  Street, 
Hatton  Garden.  The  novelty  consists  of  a  process  of 
depositing  by  electricity  a  coating  of  tin  on  copper  or 
iron.  This  has  not  hitherto  been  possible,  but  it  is 
found  that  by  immersing  the  article  to  be  plated  in  a 
bath  of  stannic  chloride,  almost  at  boiling  point,  and 
keeping  the  bath  at  that  temperature  throughout  the 
process,  a  deposit  of  tin  capable  of  a  high  polish  can  be 
obtained.  As  tin  is  capable  of  as  high  a  polish,  and  is 
less  porous  than  nickel,  it  may  be  that  it  will  supersede 
the  latter  metal  in  the  cycle  trade,  as  being  more  suit- 
able to  prevent  the  damp  affecting  the  steel  of  which 
cycle  tubes  are  composed. 


Just  as  comprehensive  as  ever  is  the  programme 
of  excursions  arranged  by  the  Great  Western  Railway 
for  the  Easter  holidays,  and  it  is  few  places  of  import- 
ance in  the  west  that  they  do  not  touch.  On  Thursday, 
Exeter,  Plymouth,  Bristol,  Weston  super-Mare,  Taunton, 
Yeovil,  Weymouth,  Oxford,  Birmingham,  Shrewsbury, 
Chester,  Cirencester,  Gloucester,  Cheltenham,  Newport, 
Cardiff,  Swansea,  Evesham,  Worcester,  and  Malvern  are 
dealt  with.  On  Good  Friday  cheap  trains  will  run  to 
Reading,  Oxford,  and  other  riverside  stations.  On 
Saturday  an  excursion  will  be  run  to  Bath  and  Bristol, 
and  on  Monday  excursions  will  be  made  to  Reading, 
Bath,  Bristol,  Cirencester,  Gloucester,  and  Cheltenham. 
In  addition  to  these  excursions,  cheap  trains  will  run  to 
London  from  most  of  the  provincial  towns.  There  are 
the  usual  reductions  in  fares,  and  the  same  facilities  for 
getting  tickets  at  all  the  company's  offices. 

The  London  and  North  Western  have  provided  for 
tourists  going  to  the  North  and  to  Wales  in  their  usual 
liberal  fashion.  On  Wednesday  night  excursions  leave 
for  Liverpool,  Manchester,  Holyhead,  North  Wales, 
Birkenhead,  Chester,  Northwich,  Blackburn,  Bolton, 
Preston,  Southport,  Blackpool,  Crewe,  Nantwich, 
Stafford,  Huddersfield,  Leeds,  Bradford,  Halifax, 
Oldham,  Runcorn,  Stalybridge,  Stockport,  Warrington, 


T I N I G  0 FRAGRANT 

COOL  &  p 

sweet,  r LAIVE 

ANTI-NICOTINE  TOBACCO- 

EXCEEDINGLY  MILD. 

J.  P.  BURNS,   (Established    1830),   Tobacconist  &  Cigar  Importer,  GLASGOW. 

The  Trade  supplied  by  the  Manufacturers,  F.  &  J.  SMITH,  GLASGOW. 


After  numerous  experiments  and  many  years  of 
careful  study,  I  have  discovered  a  means  of  ex- 
tracting from  Tobacco,  without  the  aid  of  Chemicals, 
almost  every  particle  of  Nicotine  and  objectionable 
matter,  while  retaining  all  its  natural  fragrance 
and  aroma,  so  that  those  who  cannot  smoke  a  pipe 
under  ordinary  circumstances  can  smoke  this 
Tobacco  with  pleasure,  as  it  tastes  mild  and  soft  on 
the  palate,  and  leaves  no  unpleasantness. 


I 

NO  MORE  IRRITATION 

OP  THE 

TONGUE,  THROAT,  AND  LDNGS 

AFTER  SMOKING. 


To  be  had  from  all  First  Class  Tobacconists. 

Sold  in  Tins  at  7s.  6d.  per  lb.  Sample 
2  07.s.  sent  to  any  address  for  Is.  2d., 
or  half-pound  tins.  4/-  post  free,  from 


HIGHEST  AWARDS  FOB 

SCIENTIFIC 
SHIRT  CUTTING. 

BAIKIE  &  HOGG,  10,  Renfield  Street,  &  52,  Gordon  Street,  Glasgow. 

SHIRT  TAILORS  AND  PYJAMA  SPECIALISTS. 
Measurement  Forms  and  range  of  Materials,  sent  on  request. 
MANUFACTURERS  OF  REAL  BUCK  CLOVES. 


CYCLES. 


Constructed  of  Helical  Tube.  HELICAL  TUBE. 

Patented  and  Registered.  Double  strength,  yet  lightest  machine  made. 

The  PREMIER  CTC9UB  CO.,  Ll«l..  are  Cycle  Manufacturers  by  special 
appointment  to  SUM!.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  are  patronised  by  the 
chief  liritish  and  Foreign  Nobility,  and  by  the  wiser  and  greater 
portion  of  cycle  riders  throughout  the  world. 

20,000  Premiers  sold  in  1894. 

Special  Quotations  to  really  responsible  purchasers  desirous 
of  adopting  our  Progressive  Payment  System.   Lists  and  all 

particulars  free  from 
T WE  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  lL.td., 
14,  HOLBORN  VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C. 
Woiks-tOVEMTRV. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT  FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  jms<  free  on  application  la 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO., 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


PURVEYORS  TO 

Hi  ft.  Hi 

THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES. 


\\J^jijl\^kJ\jO       Medals  Awarded. 


Works-DUBLIN    AND  BELFAST, 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Various  Climates. 


280 


TO-DAY. 


April  6,  1895. 


Widnes,  Buxton,  Oswestry,  Montgomery,  Newtown, 
JJandiloes,  Craven  Arms,  Hereford,  Ludlow,  Leo- 
minster, Llandridod  Wells,  Welshpool,  Newport 
(balop),  Shrewsbury,  Wellington,  Lancaster,  Morecambe, 
Carnforth,  Carlisle,  and  the  English  Lake  District. 
On  Thursday  morning  they  attend  to  Leamington, 
Kemlworth,  Coventry,  Warwick,  Birmingham,  Walsall, 
i)udley,DudIeyPort,Wednesbury,Wolverhampton,Litch- 
held  Tamworth,  Burton,  Derby,  Leicester,  Nuneaton, 
Rugby  Macclesfield,  Leek,  Stoke,  Stone,  Uttoxeter, 
-DoJgelly,  Barmouth,  Aberystwith,  Aberdovery,  Towey 
Portmadoc,  Pwllheli,  Criccieth,  and  Harlech.  On 
Thursday  evening  trains  are  run  to  practically  every 
town  worth  going  to  in  Scotland. 

Without  knowing  its  name,  I  mentioned  some  months 
ago  an  umbrella  which  could  be  opened  for  the  trouble 
of  pressing  a  button  on  the  handle.  This  is  no  doubt 
a  great  hoon  to  theatre-goers  who  find  themselves 
suddenly  outside  in  the  rain,  without  room  to  move 
their  arms.  The  patent  belongs  to  the  "  Habilis " 
Company. 


A  friend  who  was  at  Lincoln  and  Liverpool  asks  me 
to  draw  attention  to  the  huge  number  of  well-known 
bad  characters  that  were  to  be  seen  on  the  two  courses. 
The  police  at  times  were  overwhelmed  with  complaints 
by  unfortunate  folk,  who,  to  use  a  vulgar  term,  had  been 
stuck-up,"  and  I  am  afraid  that  a  severe  winter  and 
little  racing  has  made  "  the  boys  "  more  desperate  than 
ever.  Even  a  prominent  journalist  did  not  escape  their 
attention  at  Lincoln. 


Ireland  triumphed  at  Aintree,  and  that  the  cheers 
which  greeted  the  success  of  Wild  Man  from  Borneo 
had  a  double  meaning  admits  of  no  doubt.  What  would 
have  happened  had  Cathal  won  I  hardly  care  to  sug- 
gest :  suffice  it  to  say  that  the  sporting  public  have  now 
a  decided  antipathy  to  Escott's  stable,  although  I  am 
able  to  say  that  the  young  Lewes  trainer  was  as  greatly 
surprised  as  any  of  us  when  Cloister  broke  down. 


I  have  heard  a  little  story  that  surprises  me  some- 
what, and  which  would  astonish  me  if  the  N.C.TJ. 
were  not  a  party  associated  in  the  transaction.  At 
any  rate,  it  is  to  the  effect  that  the  license  of  one 
of  our  best-known  amateurs  is  being  held  in  abey- 
ance. And  the  reason  1  Because  in  a  professional 
capacity  he  has  undertaken  business  for  a  big  cycling 
firm.  It  is  a  strange  story — a  very,  very  strange  little 
story. 


Colonel  North  is  never  cast  down  by  numerous  dis- 
appointments on  the  race-course — would  that  we  could 
all  bear  our  losses  with  such  composure — and  he  still 
hopes  to  win  the  Derby.  The  Colonel  also  wishes  to  see 
his  colours  to  the  fore  in  the  Grand  National,  and  his 
stud  of  jumpers  will  be  considerably  increased  ere  the 
next  "illegitimate"  season  comes  round. 


The  struggle  between  M.  Cannon  and  Tom  Loates 
promises  to  be  as  keen  as  was  the  case  last  year.  The 
odds  are  certainly  in  favour  of  Loates,  who  can  ride  at 
a  much  lower  weight  than  Cannon;  but  the  Danebury 
horseman  is  connected  with  such  powerful  stables  that 
I  really  think  he  will  come  out  at  the  head  of  the  poll 


GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 

EASTER  HOLIDAYS. 

On  Good  Friday,  Saturday,  Easter  Sunday  and  Monday, 

CHEAP  THIRD  CLASS  TICKETS,  available  on  day  of  issue  only,  will 
be  issued  by  cert  .in  trains  from  Paddington,  Kensington  (Addison 
Road),  Uxbridge  Road,  Hammersmith,  Shepherd's  Bush,  Latimer  Road, 
Netting  Hill,  Royal  Oak,  Westbourne  Park,  and  from  certain  stations 
on  the  District  and  Metropolitan  Railways,  to  the  following 
stations,  at  the  fares  shewn  : — 

STAINES    2/0  COOKHAM   

BOURNE  END  ... 
GRKAT  MARLOW 

SHTPLAKE   

HENLEY   


LONDON  AND  NORTH  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


EASTER  EXCURSIONS. 


WINDSOR   2/1 

TAI'LOW   \„, 

MAIDENHEAD  /d/ 


►  3/6 


TILEHURST 
PANG  BOURNE  ... 

GORING   ... 

CHOL  «Y  AND 

MOULSFORD 
WALLINGI'ORD 


6/t 


(Not  on  Good  Friday  or  Sunday.) 

On  Saturday,  April  13th,  and  Easter  Monday,  similar  tickets 
wdl  be  issued  to  these  stations  (except  Tilehurst,  Pangbourne,  Goring, 
»:holscv  and  Moulsford,  and  Wallingford)  from  certain  stations  on 
the  North  London  Railway. 

I''or  f  ull  particulars  see  bills. 

HY.  LAMBERT,  General  Manager. 

TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS? 

WHY  TAKLIS    IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING-  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33  Gresse  Street  London,  W. 

THE  BODY  iJELTT 

For  LUMBAGO,  RHEUMATICS,  COLDS,  &  INFLUENZA. 

FTJRB    NATURAE,  wool. 
2s.  6d. ;  post  free  twopence  extra.    Send  waist  measurement. 
GRANT     £&  WATSON, 

SHIRT-TAILORS,    HOSIERS,     &  OUTFITTERS, 

112,  Buchanan  Street,  Glasgow. 


Cheap  Excursions  will  be  run  from  London  (Enston).  licnsington 
(Addison  Road),  Broad  Street,  Willesdcn  Junction,  &c,  as  follows  : — 

On  "Wednesday  nigrht  April  10th.— To  LIVERPOOL,  MAN- 
CHESTER, Hohhead,  North  Vales,  Birkenhead,  Chester,  Northmen, 
Blackburn,  Bolton,  Wighan,  Preston,  Southport,  Blackpool,  Crewe, 
Nantwieh,  Stafford,  Ashton,  Batley,  Dewsbury,  Hudderstield,  Leed9, 
Bradford,  Haifax,  Oldham,  Runcorn,  Stalybridge,  Stockport,  Warring- 
ton, Widncs,  Buxton,  Oswestry,  Montgomery,  NewtowD,  Llandiloes, 
Craven  Arms,  Hereford,  Ludlow,  Leominster,  Llandridod  Wells,  Welsh- 
pool, Newport  (Salop),  Shrewsbury,  Wellington,  Lancaster,  Morecambe, 
Carnforth,  Carlisle,  and  the  English  Lake  District,  &c,  returning 
Tuesday,  April  16th. 

On  Thursday  morning-  April  11th.— To  Leamington,  Kenilworth, 
Coventry,  Warwick,  Birmingham,  Walsall,  Dudley,  Dudley  Port,  Wednes- 
bury,  Wolverhampton,  returning  on  Easter  Monday,  April  15th,  or 
Tuesday,  April  16th;  ahd  to  Litchfield,  Tamworth,  Burton,  Derby, 
Leicester,  Nuneaton,  Rugby,  Macclesfield,  Leek,  Stoke,  Stone,  Uttoxeter, 
Dolgelly,  Barmouth,  Aberystwith,  Aberdovery,  Towey,  Portmadoc, 
Pwllheli,  Cricciet'i,  Harlech,  &c,  returning  on  Tuesday,  April  16th. 

On  Thursday  evening:  April  11th.— To  Carlisle,  Dumfries, 
Newton  Stewart,  Stranra  r,  Wigtown,  Whithorn,  Castle  Douglas,  Kirkcud- 
bright, Greenock,  Gourock,  EDINBURGH,  GLASGOW,  Aberdeen, 
Stonehaven,  Montrose,  Brechin,  Arbroath,  Forfar,  Kirriemuir,  Blairgowrie, 
Coupar  Angus,  Dundee,  Perth,  Cri«ffe,  Oban,  Loch  Awe,  DalmaUy, 
Tyndrum,  Crianlarich,  Killin,  Port  William,  Callander.  Bridge  of  Allan, 
Dunblane,  Sterling  and  Inverness,  returning  Easter  Monday,  April  15th, 
or  Friday,  April  19th. 

Note.— By  the  trips  to  Scotland,  Ci.Chp  Third  Class  Tickets  will  be 
issued  at  a  SINGLE  FARE  FOR  THE  DOUBLE  JOURNEY,  available 
for  return  on  any  day  within  16  days  from  date  of  issue. 

For  times,  fares,  and  full  particulars,  see  small  bills,  which  con  be 
obtained  at  any  of  the  Company's  Stations  and  Town  Offices. 

FRED.  HARRISON,  General  Manager. 
London,  Euston,  1835.  

READY    APRIL  9. 

SPRING  NUMBER  OF  "TO-DAY," 

DON'T    Is/L  I  S  S  IT. 

See  Advertisement  on  Page  266. 


IN   EVERYBODY'S  MOUTH! 


Three  Bells  Cigarettes.  trade^mabk 

J,    &    P.    BELL,  GLASGOW. 


Aran.  6,  1899. 


TO-DAY. 


next  November.  Cannon  and  Loates,  though;  rivala,  are 
very  good  friends. 


It  will  take  a  long  time  to  wipe  out  the  Cloister  sen- 
sation. Of  course,  the  most  remarkable:  rumours  are  fly- 
ing about,  but  Mr.  Duff  is  hopeful  this  time  of  sifting 
the  matter  to  the  bottom.  He  backed  his  horse  for 
£1,000,  and  what  is  more,  told  all  his|  most  intimate 
friends  to  support  his  horse. 


England  and  Wales.      The  venue  is  Goodison  Park, 

Liverpool.  The  selection  of  the  English  team  has  given 
satisfaction  to  no  one.  The  rabid  professional  section 
are  grumbling  at  the  inclusion  of  Messrs.  L.  V.  Lodge 
(Cambridge  University),  and  R.  C.  Gosling  (Old 
Etonians) ;  while  on  the  other  hand  the  sticklers  for 
amateurism  contend  for  Messrs.  G.  0.  Smith  and  R. 
Sandilands.  Anyhow,  I  fancy  we  shall  win  all  the  same. 
Personally  I  fail  to  see  why  the  professionals  should 
have  a  monopoly  of  International  honours. 


In  all  probability,  Mr.  Duff  will  now  retire  from  the 
Turf  altogether.  That  Cloister  will  never  run  again  is 
certain. 


Several  correspondents  call  my  attention  to  what 
they  designate  the  extortionate  charges  made  for  covered 
seats  to  view  the  final  tie  of  the  English  Cup  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  on  April  20th.  Certainly,  5s.  does  seem 
a  bit  high  for  ninety  minutes'  view  of  a  football  match, 
especially  as  that  sum  is  supplemented  by  a  sixpenny 
booking  fee  by  the  agents,  and  there  are  also,  the  rail- 
way fare,  and  a  shilling  charge  for  admission  to  the 
Palace.  Seven  shillings  is  the  lowest  amount  one 
would  have  to  spend  without  refreshments.  Surely, 
this  is  a  matter  which  might  even  yet  be  remedied,  and 
I  recommend  it  to  the  attention  of  the  Association 
Council. 


Everton,  though  the  richest  of  the  League  clubs,  are 
having  a  good  deal  of  bad  luck  towards  the  end  of  the 
season.  First,  they  are  knocked  out  of  the  English 
Cup,  then  they  experience  defeat  in  the  final  of  the 
Lancashire  Cup  at  the  hands  of  Preston  North  End, 
and  they  look  like  just  losing  the  League  champion- 
ship by  a  point  or  two.  They  have  to  meet  Sunderland 
on  April  20th,  and  that  match  will  probably  decide  the 
championship.  In  Lancashire  and  the  North  there  will 
be  quite  as  much  interest  in  the  result  of  the  game  at 
Sunderland,  as  in  the  Cup  final  at  the  Crystal  Palace. 


To-dat  (April  6th)  the  most  important  of  the  Asso- 
ciation International  matches  takes  place,  between 


As  an  outcome  of  the  Pan-Britannic  movement  in 
athletics,  for  which  Mr.  Ashley-Cooper  is  working  so 
assiduously,  the  newly-formed  South  African  Amateur 
Athletic  Association  has  resolved  to  send  South  African 
representatives  to  take  part  in  the  Amateur  Athletic 
Championship  meeting  to  be  held  in  this  country  in 
July  next.  Our  English  championships,  both  cycling 
and  running,  are  open  to  all  the  world. 


The  LIST  will  CLOSE  TO-MORROW  for  Tow,  and  on  the  FOLLOWING  MORNING  for  the  Country. 
Issue  Of  £125,000,  part  of  £250,000  FIVE  PER  CENT.  DEBENTURES,  secured  as  hereinafter  mentioned  by  a  Trust 
Deed,  dated  18th  March,  1895,  on  277  miles  of  railway  and  2,400,000  acres  of  selected  Lands. 

THE  MIDLAND  RAILWAY  COMPANY  OF  WESTERN  AUSTRALIA 

Limited   and  Reduced 

Offer  the  above  £125,000  Debentures  for  subscription  at  £97  10s.  per  £100  Debenture,  at  the  Banking  House  of  Glyn,  Mills, 
Currie,  and  Co.,  Lombard-street,  E.C.,  as  fallows : — £5  per  cent,  on  Application ;  £17  103.  per  cent,  on  Allotment ;  £'37  10s.  per 

cent,  on  15th  May,  1895 ;  £37  10s.  per  cent,  on  15th  June,  1895. 

Extract*  respecting  the  Company's  lands  are  enclosed  with  prospectus. 
The  Company  proposes  In  the  next  Session  of  the  Colonial  Parliament  to 
apply  for  an  Act  authorising  an  extension  of  their  system  from  Mingenew 
to  Mullewa,  a  distance  of  nearly  60  miles,  where  it  would  join  the  Govern- 
ment line  to  the  Murchison  direct,  and  thereby  shorten  the  journey  from 
the  gold  fields  to  the  capital  by  about  100  milos  as  compared  with  the 
present  route.  This  would  secure  an  important  addition  of  direct  and  profit- 
able traffic  down  the  entire  length  of  the  railway  from  Mullewa  to  Perth. 
The  proposed  extension  will  run  for  most  of  its  length  through  the 
Company's  selections  of  land. 

When  the  building  of  this  Line  ia  undertaken  the  cost  will  be  provided 
by  the  issue  of  the  second  moiety  of  the  authorised  £250,000.  In  which 
case  it  is  provided  in  the  Trust  Deed  that  the  whole  issue  shall  have  a  first 
charge  on  this  extension,  in  addition  to  the  security  above  mentioned. 

The  following  facts  illustrate  the  rapid  progress  of  the  Colony  since  the 
Midland  Railway  Company  was  formed  in  181)0 ;  the  export  of  gold  in  1890 
amounted  to  £86,664;  whilst  in  1894  it  increased  to  £787,099.  The  Revenue 
returns  have  increased  from  £401,737  in  1890  to  £863,679  for  the  year 
ending  31st  December,  1894.  The  trafflo  receipts  of  the  570  miles  ol 
Government  Railways  for  the  year  ending  30th  June,  1894,  amounted  to 
£134,966,  and  the  expenditure  to  £105,977;  whilst  for  the  half-year  ending 
31st  December,  1894,  the  receipts  and  expenditure  were,  respectively, 
£127,283  and  £7G,620,  showing  a  very  considerable  increase  in  the  volume 
of  traffic,  and  leaving  a  large  margin  for  interest  on  capital ;  and  the  popu- 
lation has  more  than  doubled  during  the  past  four  years,  a  progress  which 
augurs  well  for  the  future  of  the  Company. 

Gold  has  been  discovered  on  and  in  close  proximity  to  the  Company's 
lands,  and  it  is  intended  to  make  arrangements  to  prospect  thereon  for 
precious  metals  and  other  minerals. 

The  map  enclosed  with  the  Prospectus  shows  the  route  of  the  Railway 
and  the  position  of  the  Company's  selected  lands. 

Copies  (1)  of  an  Agreement,  dated  18th  December,  1894,  between  The 
Midland  Railway  Company  of  Western  Austi  alia,  Limited  and  Reduced, 
of  the  first  part ;  The  Trustees,  Executors  and  Securities  Insurance  Cor- 
poration (Limited),  of  the  second  part,  and  Charles  Thomson  Park  of  the 
third  part ;  (2)  of  the  Trust  Deed  ;  and  (3)  of  the  Debenture,  may  be  seen 
at  the  Offices  of  the  Company. 

Directors. 
JOSIAH  TIMMIS  SMITH,  Chairman. 

Alexander    Hubbard,    Deputy  Chairman,    Great  Western  Railway 
Company. 

W.  Mendel,  Messrs.  Andre,  Mendel  and  Co.,  E.C. 

W.  J.  Alt,  Chairman,  Brazil  Great  Southern  Railway  Company  (Limited). 
A.  Leland  Noel,  Director,  Securities  Insurance  Company  (Limited). 
Herbert  W.  Bond,  Managing  Ditector,  Perth,  Western  Australia. 
Secretary.— A.  J.  Barber. 
Offices.— 38,  New  Broad-street,  E.C 


Subscribers  may  pay  up  in  full  on  or  after  Allotment  under  discount  at 
the  rate  of  2  per  cent,  per  annum. 

The  Debentures  will  be  to  bearer,  and  will  be  issued  in  sums  of  £50 
and  £100  each.  Interest  Coupons  will  be  attached,  payable  half-yearly  on 
the  1st  September  and  the  1st  March,  at  the  Banking  House  of  Glyn,  Mills, 
Currie  and  Co.  The  first  Coupon  for  a  full  half-ytar  will  be  paid  on  the 
1st  September,  1895. 

The  Debentures  will  be  redeemable  by  purchase  in  the  market,  or  at 
£105  per  cent,  upon  the  Company  giving  six  months'  notice  of  its  intention 
to  pay  off  the  same,  or  after  1st  March,  190G,  by  drawings  at  the  same 
price,  by  the  operation  of  a  Sinking  Fund,  calculated  to  redeem  the  issue  by 
1st  March,  1925. 

PROSPECTUS. 

The  present  issue  of  £125,000  Four  per  Cent.  Debentures,  will  rank 
immediately  after  the  £500,000  Four  per  Cent.  Bonds  issued  in  1893,  guaran- 
teed by  the  Government  of  Western  Australia.  Subject  only  to  this  prior 
lien  they  will  be  secured  by  a  charge  upon  the  Railway,  and  2,400,000 
acres  of  land. 

The  500,000  Four  per  Cent.  Bonds  referred  to,  which  were  issued  by  the 
Company  in  1893  at  £95,  are  now  quoted  £105. 

Twenty  per  cent,  of  the  nominal  value  of  the  Debentures  now  offered 
and  subscribed  will  be  deposited  with  Messrs  Glyn,  Mills,  Currie  and  Co. 
as  a  reserve,  to  provide  for  any  possible  deficiency  in  the  payment  of  the 
interest  pending  the  development  of  traffic  on  the  Railway,  and  the  realisa- 
tion of  the  Company's  landed  estate,  which  is  daily  growing  in  value. 
Subject  to  this  provision,  the  proceeds  of  the  Ibsuc  will  be  applied  to  the 
general  purposes  of  the  Company. 

The  Railway  has  been  constructed  under  a  concession  from  the  Govern- 
ment of  Western  Australia,  is  about  277  miles  long,  and,  being  open  to 
traffic,  arangements  are  now  being  made  to  take  it  over  from  the  contractor. 
Starting  from  Guildford,  where  it  joins  the  Government  line  from  Perth 
and  Fremantle,  it  runs  to  Walkaway,  connecting  there  with  the  Govern- 
ment line  to  Geraldton,  thus  uniting  the  Government  Railways  in  the 
North  and  South,  and  forms  the  chief  section  of  the  main  line  route  through 
the  old  settled  districts  of  the  Colony  from  Albany  to  Geraldton,  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  700  miles.  The  Railway  is  also  the  direct  route  from  the 
city  of  Perth  to  the  Murchison  Goldfields,  where  there  already  exists  a 
considerable  mining  population,  which  is  rapidly  increasing.  The  contract 
price  of  the  Railway  was  £3,600  per  mile,  or  a  total  of  £997,000. 

The  2,400,000  acres  of  land  have  been  carefully  selected  and  surveyed  on 
behalf  of  the  Company,  and  no  part  of  it  is  more  than  40  miles  from  the 
railway.  It  is  held  as  freehold  by  the  Company  under  direct  Government 
grant,  and  Includes  the  mineral,  timber,  pastoral,  agricultural,  town 
sites,  and  other  advantages,  and  if  valued  only  at  the  low  average  price  of 
10s.  per  acre,  represents  an  asset  of  £1,200,000,  which,  together  with  the 
above  £997,000,  makes  a  total  of  £2,197,000. 

Deducting  from  the  above  the  amount  of  the  Government  guaranteed 
Bonds,  there  is  left  £1,697,000  as  security  for  the  present  issue  of  £125,000 
Debentures.   


NO  LATE  FROST  IN  THIS !  The 

SPRING  NUMBER  OF  "TO-DAY  " 

Will  be  Ready  April  9th. 

See  Advertisement  on  Page  266 


THE  WHOLE  EDITION  of  the 

SPRING  NUMBER  OF  "  TO-DAY " 

Has  already  been  Bespoke  by  the  Trade. 
ORDER    EARLY    or    yon    may   miss  it. 


TO-DAY. 


April  6,  1895. 


Thk  simmering  revolt  against  the  Rugby  Union 
amongst  the  Yorkshire  clubs  has  received  a  douche  of 
cold  water  by  the  refusal  of  three  important  clubs- 
Leeds,  Bradford,  and  Huddersfield — to  go  quite  as  far 
as  the  others.  The  understanding  was  that  all  should 
go  out  together  if  the  Rugby  Union  refused  to  recognise 
the  Northern  League.  This  secession  will  probably 
put  an  end  to  the  whole  movement. 


Welshmen  in  London  are  to  have  a  Rugby  club  once 
again.  R.  S.  Rowlands  (Guy's  Hospital),  is  to  be 
captain.  Anyone  interested  should  apply  to  Mr.  Clenyg 
Jones,  180,  Euston  Road,  who  will  give  all  information. 
Several  men  at  Guy's,  Middlesex,  and  University  College 
Hospitals  have  already  joined,  so  that  the  London  Welsh 
Football  Club  seems  likely  to  flourish  exceedingly  next 
season. 


A  correspondent  asks  me  the  best  way  to  stretch  a 
pair  of  new  boots.  The  right  method  is  not  very 
pleasant,  but  it's  very  efficacious.  Put  the  boots  on 
over  a  pair  of  very  thick  socks,  and  make  up  your  mind 
to  be  tortured  for  a  day.  Then  the  next  time  you  wear 
those  boots,  do  so  with  socks  of  rational  thickness,  and 
you  will  bless  me  for  giving  you  this  little  tip. 


In  going  through  the  solutions  of  the  misere  problem 
one  of  the  most  amusing  features  is  the  naive  fashion 
in  which  the  required  situations  are  occasionally  dragged 
in.  Knowingly  allowing  the  caller  to  discard,  although 
a  very  common  phase  in  regular  play,  seems  to  have 
proved  an  insuperable  difficulty  to  many  competitors, 
three  of  whom,  however,  prove  equal  to  the  occasion  by 
giving  the  following  reason,  identical  in  each  case. 


The  leading  hand  holds  a  suit  of  which  he  knows  the 
caller  is  free,  and  he  is  quite  in  the  dark  as  to  which  is 
the  caller's  weak  spot  in  the  other  suits.  To  ascertain 
this,  therefore,  he  plays  the  caller's  free  suit,  knowing 
that  he  will  show  his  danger  by  renouncing  it.  Which 
is  much  on  the  same  lines  as  ascertaining  whether  there  \  s 
an  escape  of  gas  by  applying  a  light.  And  yet  of  the 
three  competitors  who  adopted  these  tactics,  two  gave 
otherwise  admirable  games. 


Leads  which  would  never  be  adopted  in  ordinary  play, 
but  which  have  been  ostensibly  begged  to  meet  the 
conditions  of  the  problem,  have  been  general  throughout 
the  competition.  The  -tactics  have  been  palpably  those 
of  double  dummy,  and  would  be  wholly  unjustifiable 
with  the  other  hands-  concealed,  nor  would  the  com- 
petitors pursue  them  in  ordinary  play.  A  much  more 
significant  outcome  of  the  competition,  however,  is  the 
evidence  it  affords  of  the  utterly  mistaken  methods  by 
which  a  certain  large  section  of  players  in  a  misere, 
whether  they  be  callers  or  adversaries,  select  cards  for 
leading,  'following  or  renouncing.  In  playing  a  card 
from  a  sequence,  the  adversaries  in  these  illustrative 
hands  almost  invariably  select  the  lowest  of  that 
sequence,  when  it  should  always  be  the  highest ;  and, 
when  practicable,  the  caller  follows  or  discards  with  his 
highest  of  a  sequence,  when  he  should  confuse  his 
opponents  by  playing  the  lowest,  or  the  lowest  but  one. 
By  leading,  following,  or  discarding  a  card  in  sequence 
other  than  the  highest,  you  leave  your  partners  in  the 
dark  as  to  where  are  the  higher  cards — cards  that  you 
are  holding — and  in  trying  to  find  this  out  the  caller,  as 
a  rule,  gets  his  discard.  In  playing  a  card  of  a  sequence, 
consistently  play  your  highest,  and  your  partners  will  then 
know  that  whatever  card  you  may  lead,  or  follow  with, 


RICHMOND  GE 


CIGARETTES. 

UNEQUALLED 
FOR  DELICACY  AND  FLAVOR, 


VogelerVw 


Curative 

Compound 

_   FOR  — 

DYSPEPSIA 

HEADACHE 

MENTAL  EXHAUSTION 

NEURALGIA 

INDIGESTION 

TORPID  LIVER 

DIZZINESS 

DROWSINESS 

CONSTIPATION 

NAUSEA 


Vogeler' 


Cures! 


Price  1/1  'A  itnd  2/6,  of  all  reliable  dealers  in  medicine  cvery«hcie  I 
or  sent  post  free.  WHO  explanatory  pamphlet,  on  receipt  of  H  <".  30 
peony  sumps  (or  equivalent)});  the  Sole  Proprietors,  The  Charles  A. 
Vogeler  Co ,  -15,  Farringcloii  Hoad,  Loudon, 


Apkil  6,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


281 


or  discard,  you  do  not  hold  the  card  immediately  higher. 
Thus,  if  you  play  the  five  you  can't  have  the  six,  or 
if  you  play  the  Jack  you  haven't  the  Queen,  and  so  on. 


Prior  to  submitting  the  problem  for  competition,  I 
tested  whether  the  double  conditions  of  discarding  were 
feasible,  by  roughly  compiling  a  tentative  game.  I  give 
it  here,  not  because  I  think  the  situations  are  as  strongly 
marked  as  they  might  be,  but  the  motives)  are  simple,  and 
the*  play  would  easily  suggest  itself  to  exponents  of 
ordinary  capacity. 

The  Hands. — A:  King — hearts;  Ace,  King,  10,  7— 
diamonds;  Queen,  Jack,  10,  9,  2 — clubs;  Ace,  8,  2 — 
spades. 

B:  10,  4,  5,  2 — hearts;  4,  3,  2 — diamonds;  King, 
Jack,  9,  5,  4,  3 — spades. 

C:  Ace,  Queen,  Jack,  8,  7,  6,  3 — hearts;  Ace,  King- 
clubs;  Queen,  10,  7,  6 — spades. 

D  (dealer) :  9— hearts ;  Queen,  Jack,  9,  8,  6,  5— dia- 
monds ;  8,  7,  6,  5,  4,  3— clubs. 

Nine  of  hearts  turned  up.  A  passes;  B  calls  misere; 
C  and  D  pass. 

THE  PLAY. 

1st  trick. — A:  King — 'hearts;  10-— hearts;  Ace — 
hearts ;  9 — hearts. 

Sedond  .trick. — C:  3 — hearts;  Queen — diamonds; 
Ace — diamonds  ;  2 — hearts. 

C  has  no  diamonds,  and  must  not  allow  both 
partners  to  continue  throwing  them  off,  as  he  wants 
them  led  to  enable  him  to  renounce  Ace  and  King  of 
clubs. 

Third  trick. — C  :  7 — spades ;  Jack — diamonds ;  8 — 
spades ;  3 — spades. 

_  A  guesses  C's  motive  for  stopping  the  discard  in 
diamonds,  and  proceeds  to  lead  them. 

Fourth  trick. — A  :  7 — diamonds ;  2 — diamonds  ;  Ace 
— clubs  ;  9 — diamonds. 

Fifth  trick. — D:  8 — diamonds;  King — diamonds; 
3 — diamonds  ;  King — clubs. 

Sixth  trick. — A:  10 — diamonds;  4 — diamonds; 
Queen — spades;   G — diamonds. 

Seventh  trick. — A  :  Queen — clubs ;  King: — spades ; 
10 — spades;   5 — diamonds. 

In  this  trick  A  plays  to  bring  his  Ace,  deuce  of  spades 
into  effective  operation  against  the  caller,  for  D  had  no 
spades  from  the  start,  and  C  is  discarding  spades  as  the 
shorter  of  his  two  remaining  suits ;  caller  must  there- 
fore have  a  long  run  with  the  King  ;  so  A  endeavours 
to  clear  C's  hand  of  spades  by  allowing  him  to  discard 
them  on  clubs ;  for  the  caller  presumably  cannot  throw 
away  all  his  spades. 

Eighth  trick. — A  :  Jack — clubs ;  Jack — spades ;  G— 
spades;  8 — clubs. 

A  now  knows  that  the  caller  holds  the  nine  of  spades 


(for  C  has  discarded  10  and  then  6),  and  as  he  has  shown. 
King1,  Jack,  and  3,  the  9  must  necessarily  be  supported 
by  the  5  or  4,  or  he  would  not  have  called  a  misere,  in 
which  case  C  has  only  one  more  spade,  if  any,  so  he- 
plays- 
Ninth  trick. — A:  Ace — spades;  9 — spades  (two  dis- 
cards). 

Tenth  trick. — A:  2— spades.    Caller  caught. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Barxay. — A  certain  suit  is  led  twice,  and  a  player  holding 
one  card  of  it  revokes  on  each  occasion  by  discarding.  Is  he, 
having  only  one  card  of  the  led  suit,  liable  for  two  revokes  ? 
— He  is. 

X.  Y.  Z. — A  unquestionably  deals  again.  As  you  say,  there 
is  no  law  that  directly  applies. 

E.  E.  Linsley  asks  for  a  solution  to  the  following  double 
dummy  problem,  which  he  says  appears  in  several  works  on 
whist,  where  it  is  described  as  probably  the  most  ingenious  ever 
devised.  B  and  A  have  to  make  all  the  six  tricks,  and  Mr. 
Linsley  and  his  friends  think  that  without  a  piece  of  bad  play  on 
the  part  of  Y  or  Z  it  is  an  impossibility  to  accomplish  this.  The 
following  are  the  hands  : — A,  Ace,  King,  6  (hearts)  ;  10  (clubs)  ; 
10,  9  (diamonds).  B.  3,  .2  (spades,  trumps) ;  Jack,  4  (hearts); 
ace,  3  (clubs).  Y,  Queen,  9  (hearts)  ;  Jack,  8  (clubs)  ;  Jack,  7 
(diamonds).  Z,  10,  5,  3  (hearts)  ;6  (clubs)  ;  Queen,  0  (diamonds). 
A  and  B,  and  Y  and  Z,  are  partners,  and  it  is  A's  lead. 
It  strikes  me,  Mr.  Linsley,  that  you  have  put  the  blame  upon 
the  wrong  shoulders,  for  if  A  and  B  play  correctly 
Y  and  Z  are  powerless.  Try  it  this  way  :  A,  Ace  hearts  ;  Y, 
nine  hearts  ;  B,  Jack  hearts ;  Z,  three  hearts.  A,  nine  dia- 
monds ;  Y,  seven  diamonds;  B,  two  spades  (trump);  Z,  six 
diamonds.    B,  three  spades  (trump)  ;  Z,  six  clubs  ;  A,  ten  clubs; 

Y,  Jack  diamonds.  B,  Ace  clubs  and  now  I'll  leave  the  finish 

to  your  own  ingenuity. 
J.  R. — A  passed,  B  callec.  solo,  C  called  misere,  D  passed. 

A,  thinking  the  calling  was  ended,  led  out  six  of  hearts;  B 
raised  his  call  to  an  abundance,  and  C  overcalled  to  misere 
ouvertc.  As  tne  offence  was  committed  before  the  final  call  was 
made,  tne  only  penalty  is  for  C  to  treat  the  six  of  hearts  as  a 
card  exposed  against  an  independent  call.  He  cannot  call 
a  suit,  as  although  the  card  was  led  prematurely,  it  was  not  out 
of  turn. 

Novice. — A  calls  solo  and  leads,  C  plays  before  B.  Can  A  call 
upon  D  to  beat  or  not  to  be;  t  the  trick  ? — He  cannot. 

E.  C  W. — A  calls  solo,  B  passes,  C  calls  misere,  T)  passes. 

B,  under  the  mistaken  impression  that  he  is  playing  against  A's. 
solo,  practically  gives  Chis  misere,  which  C  otiierwi.sc  would  not 
have  made,  and  A  and  D  hold  B  in  consequence  responsible  for 
the  stakes.  1  hey  cannot  do  so  ;  it  is  simply  a  matter  of  bad  play. 

W.Bell. — If  a  solo  is  called  over  your  acceptance  you  can 
amend  it  ic  a  misere.  I  will  reply  to  your  question  about  the 
literature  of  solo  whist  on  another  occasion. 

J.  Hay.— A  dealt,  B  called  misere,  and  C,  without  waiting  for 
D  or  A  to  call,  led  out  the  three  of  hearts.  If  D  and  A  pass,  can 
B  claim  stakes  and  pool '! — He  can  ;  the  irregularity  having  been 
committed  after  the  misere  was  called,  and  C  must  pay  the 
s  takes  and  make  good  the  pool.  The  new  ruling  is  best  in  a  case 
such  as  this":  to  let  the  misere  be  played  out,  the  card  led  out  of 
turn  being  subject  to  the  usual  penalties  for  that  offence  against 
an  independent  call,  and  the  offender  pays  all  the  stakes  to  the- 
side  that  wins. 

The  Major. 


TOOLE   HOIST   WITH    HPS   OWN  PETARD. 

"I  had  a  curious  experience,"  Toole  went  on,  "  in  con- 
nection with  St.  Albans.  I  went  there  with  a  friend  to 
spend  an  hour  or  two.  Going  into  a  tobacconist's  to 
treat  my  companion  to  a  cigar — I  don't  smoke  myself — ■ 
I  asked  for  the  cigars  the  Duke  of  St.  Albans  smoked. 
We  went  into  other  shops,  and  all  the  time  asked  for 
the  same  kind  of  goods  they  supplied  to  the  Duke. 
'Lor'  bless  you,'  they  said,  'the  Duke  doesn't  deal  here; 
we  never  see  the  Duke.'  Then  we  urged  our  expecta- 
tion, our  notion  that  the  Duke  lived  here,  and  made  a 
point  of  dealing  with  the  local  tradesmen.  We  got  a 
good  deal  of  harmless  fun  out  of  this  ;  and  the  next  day 
I  went  to  lunch  with  Bret  Harte.  After  a  greeting  from 
my  host,  he  said,  'Let  me  introduce  you  to  the  Duke 
of  St.  Albans.'  '  Oh,  yes,'  I  said,  with  a  smile,  and 
shook  hands  with  the  gentleman  who  was  assuming;  that 
character,  as  I  thought.  Of  course,  my  friend  had  told 
Bret  Harte  about  our  trip  to 'St.  Albans,  and  the  Ameri- 
can humorist  was  having  his  little  joke  now  at  my  ex- 


pense. Then  he  introduced  me  to  Sir  George  Tre- 
velyan ;  and  I  had  hardly  shaken  hands  with  that  gen- 
tleman when  my  host  said,  '  I  would  like  to  introduce 
you  to  Count  Bismarck.'  'Oh,  yes,'  I  said,  bowicg  to 
the  new  comer;  'how  many  more  of  you  are  there? 
Wh  ere  is  Von  Moltke,  for  instance?'  Harte  laughed; 
so  did  Trevelyan  ;  a  comedian  is  allowed  certain  privi- 
leges, and  my  remark  was  considered,  I  daresay,  more 
or  less  complimentary  :  but  I  had  no  idea  what  a  fool  I 
was  making  of  myself.  At  luncheon  I  said  to  the  man 
next  to  me,  '  Who  is  the  gentleman  Harte  introduced  to 
me  as  St.  Albans?'  'The  Duke  of  St.  Albans,'  he  re- 
plied. 'And  the  man  opposite?'  'Herbert  Bismarck, 
the  Prince's  son.'  'No!'  I  said,  'really?'  'Oh  ye?th 
he  said.  'And  the  man  talking  to  him?'  'That  is  Sir 
George  Trevelyan.'  I  never  was  more  sold  in  my  life. 
Harte  had. heard  nothing  of  my  trip  to  St.  Albans.  The 
explanation  of  my  reception  of  the  names  of  his  distin- 
guished quests,  however,  was  a  success  ;  for  I  felt  bound 
to  tell  His  Grace  and  the  rest  why  I  had  treated  them, 
with  levity,  not  to  say  contumely." — The  Idler. 


2S2 


TO-DAY. 


ArRiL  6,  1893. 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  DUEL. 

T  may  be  imagined  how  all  this 
weighed  me  down ;  with  what  mis- 
givings I  looked  along  the  table, 
from  the  pale,  pinched  features  of 
the  lawyer  to  the  smug  grin  of  the 
grocer,  or  Buton's  coarse  face  ;  with 
what  sinkings  of  heart  I  found  my- 
self on  a  sudden  the  equal  of  these 
men,  addressed  now  with  rude 
abruptness,  and  now  with  servility  ; 
last,  but  not  least,  with  what  des- 
pondency I  listened  to  the  wrangling 
which  followed,  and  which  it 
needed  all  the  exertions  of  the 
Captain  to  control.  Fortunately, 
the  sitting  did  not  last  long.  After  half-an-hour 
of  debate  and  conversation,  during  which  I  did  what 
I  could  to  aid  the  few  who  knew  anything  of  business, 
the  meeting  broke  up ;  and  while  some  went  out  on 
•various  missions,  others  remained  to  deal  with  such 
■affairs  as  arose.  I  was  one  of  those  appointed  to  stay, 
and  I  drew  Father  Benoit  into  a  corner,  and,  hiding  for 
a  moment  the  feeling  of  despair  which  possessed  me,  I 
asked  him  if  any  further  outbreaks  had  occurred  in  the 
■country  round. 

"  No,"  he  answered,  secretly  pressing  my  hand.  "  We 
have  done  so  much  good,  I  think."  Then,  in  a  different 
tone,  which  showed  how  clearly  he  read  my  mind,  he  con- 
tinued, under  his  breath,  "  Ah  !  M.  le  Vicomte,  let  us  only 
ikeep  the  peace !  Let  us  do>  what  lies  to  our  hands.  Let  us 
protect  the  innocent,  and  then,  no  matter  what  happens. 
Alas !  I  foresee  more  than  I  predicted.    More  than  I 

dreamed  of  is  in  peril.    Let  us  only  cling  then  to  " 

He  stopped,  and  turned,  startled  by  the  noisy  entrance 
of  the  Captain,  who  came  in  again  so  abruptly  that  those 
who  remained  at  the  table  sprang  to  their  feet.  M. 
Hugues'  face  was  flushed,  his  eyes  were  gleaming  with 
anger.  The  lawyer,  who  stood  nearest  to  the  door,  turned 
a  shade  paler,  and  stammered  out  a  question.  But  the 
Captain  passed  by  him  with  a  glance  of  contempt,  and 
came  straight  to  me.  "M.  le  Vicomte,"  he  said,  out  loud, 
blurting  out  his  words  in  a  fury,  "  you  are  a  gentleman. 
You  will  understand  me.    I  want  your  help." 

I  stared  at  him.  "Willingly,"  I  said.  "But  what 
is  it  ?" 

"  1  have  been  insulted  !  "  he  answered,  his  moustaches 
•curling. 
"  How  1 " 

In  the  street '  And  by  one  of  those  puppies  !  But 
I  will  teach  him  manners!  I  am  a  soldier,  sir,  and 
T  " 


"  But,  M.  le  Capitaine,"  I  said,  really  taken  ; 
"  1  understood  that  there  was  to  be  no  fighting, 
that  you  in  particular  " 

"  Tut !  tut ! " 
Would  be  caned  before  you  would  go  out." 


back, 
And 


"Sacre  Nom !  "  he  cried,  "  do  you  think  that  I  am  not 
P.  gentleman  because  I  have  served  in  America  instead 
of  in  France  1 " 

"  No,"  I  said,  scarcely  able  to  restrain  a  smile.  "  But 
it  is  playing  into  their  hands.  So  you  said  yourself, 
a  minute  ago,  and  " 

"  Will  you  help  me,  or  will  you  not,  sir?"  he  retorted. 
And  then,  as  the  lawyer  tried  to  intervene,  "  Be  silent, 
you ! "  he  continued,  turning  on  him  so  violently  that 
the  scrivener  jumped  back  a  pace.  "  What  do  you  know 
of  these  things  ?    You  miserable  pettifogger  !  you  " 

"  Softly,  softly,  M.  le  Capitaine,"  I  said,  startled  by 
this  outbreak,  and  by  the  prospect  of  further  brawling 
which  it  disclosed.  "  M.  l'Avoue  is  doing  merely  Ins 
duty  in  remonstrating.    He  is  in  the  right,  and  " 

"  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  him !  And  for  you — you 
will  not  assist  me  1 " 

"I  did  not  say  that." 

"  Then,  if  you  will,  I  crave  your  services  at  once,"  he 
said,  more  calmly ;  but  he  still  kept  his  shoulder  to  the 
lawyer.  "  I  have  appointed  a  meeting  behind  the  Cathe- 
dral. If  you  will  honour  me,  I  must  ask  you  to  do  so 
immediately." 

I  saw  that  it  was  useless  to  say  more  ;  and  for  answei 
I  took  up  my  hat.  In  a  moment  we  were  moving 
towards  the  door.  The  lawyer,  the  grocer,  half-a-dozen 
cried  out  on  us,  and  would  have  stopped  us.  But 
Father  Benoit  remained  silent,  and  I  went  on  down  the 
stairs,  and  out  of  the  house.  Outside  it  was  easy  to  see 
that  the  quarrel  and  insult  had  had  spectators;  for  a 
gloomy  crowd,  not  compact,  but  made  up  of  watching 
groups,  filled  all  the  sunny  open  part  of  the  square.  The 
pavement,  on  the  other  hand,  along  which  we  had  to 
pass  to  go  to  the  Cathedral,  had  for  its  only  occupants  a 
scor )  or  thirty  gentlemen,  who,  wearing  white  cockades, 
walked  up  and  down  in  threes  and  fours.  The  crowd 
eyed  them  silently;  they  affected  to  see  nothing  of  the 
crowd.  Instead,  they  talked  and  smiled  carelessly, 
and  with  half-opened  eyes;  swung  their  canes,  and 
saluted  one  another,  and  now  and  then  stopped  to  ex- 
change a  word  or  a  pinch  of  snuff.  They  wore  an  air 
of  insolence,  ill-hidden,  which  the  silent,  almost  cowed 
looks  of  the  multitude,  as  it  watcV.ed  them  askance, 
seemed  to  justify. 

We  had  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  these;  and  my  face 
burned  with  shame.  Many  of  the  men,  whom  I  met  now, 
I  had  met  two  days  before  at  Madame  St.  Alais',  where 
they  had  seen  me  put  on  the  white  cockade ;  they  saw  me 
now  in  the  opposite  camp,  they  knew  nothing  of  my 
reasons,  and  I  read  in  their  averted  eyes  and  curling 
lips  what  they  thought  of  the  change.  Others — and 
they  looked  at  me  insolently,  and  scarcely  gave  me  room 
to  pass — were  strangers,  wearing  military  swords,  and 
the  cross  of  St.  Louis. 

Fortunately  the  passage  was  as  short  as  it  was  pain- 
ful. We  passed  under  the  north  wall  of  the  Cathedral, 
and  through  a  little  door  into  a  garden,  where  limes 
tempered  the  glare  of  the  sun,  and  the  town,  with  its 
crowd  and  noise,  seemed  to  be  in  a  moment  left  behind. 
On  the  right  rose  the  walls  of  the  apse  and  the  heavy 
oriental  domes  of  the  Cathedral ;  in  front  rose  the  ram- 
parts ;  on  the  left  an  old,  half-ruined  tower  of  the 
fourteenth  century  raised  a  frowning  ivy-covered  head. 
In  the  shadow,  at  its  foot,  on  a  piece  of  smooth  sward,  a 
group  of  lour  persons  were  standing  waiting  for  us. 

One  was  M.  de  St.  Alais,  one  was  Louis;  the  others 


Copyright,  1S05,  by  Stanley  J.  W'ryman. 


App.il  0,  195. 


TO-DAY. 


>283 


wero  strangers.  A  sudden  thought'filled  rne  with  horror. 
"  Whom  are  you  going  to  fight?"  I  muttered. 
"  M.  de  St.  Alais,"  the  Captain  answered,  in  the  same 
-"tone.  And  then,  being  within  earshot  of  the  others,  I 
could  say  no  more.  They  stepped  forward,  and  saluted 
•us. 

"aL  le  Vieomte?"  Louis  said.  He  was  grave  and 
-stern.    I  scarcely  knew  him. 

I  assented  mechanically,  and  we  stepped  aside  from 
the  others.  "  This  is  not  a  case  that  admits  of  inter- 
vention, I  believe  1 "  he  said,  bowing. 

"  I  suppose  not,"  I  answered,  huskily. 

In  truth,  I  could  scarcely  speak  for  horror.  I  was 
■waking  slowly  to  the  consciousness  of  the  dilemma  in 
which  I  had  placed  myself.  Were  St.  Alais  to  fall  by 
the  Captain's  sword,  what  would  his  sister  say  to  me, 
what  would  she  think  of  me,  how  would  she  ever  touch 
my  hand  ?  And  yet  could  I  wish  ill  to  my  own  principal  ? 
Could  I  do  so  in  honour,  even  if  something  sturdy  and 
practical,  something  of  plain  gallantry,  in  the  man,  whom 
I  was  here  to  second,  had  not  already  and  insensibly 
"won  my  heart? 

Yet  one  of  the  two  must  fall.  The  great  clock  above 
my  head,  slowly  telling  out  the  hour  of  noon,  beat  the 
truth  into*  my  brain.  For  a  moment  I  grew  dizzy ;  the 
sun  dazzled  me,  the  trees  reeled  before  me,  the  garden 
swam.  The  murmur  of  the  crowd  filled  my  ears.  Then 
:-out  of  the  mist  Louis'  voice,  unnaturally  steady,  gripped 
any  attention,  and  my  brain  grew  clear  again. 

"  Have  you  any  objetion  to  this  spot? "  he  said.  "  The 
grass  is  dry,  and  not  slippery.  They  will  fight  in 
shadow,  and  the  light  is  good." 

"  It  will  do,"  I  muttered. 

"Perhaps  you  will  examine  it?  There  is  I  think  no 
trip  or  fault." 

I  affected  to  do>  so-.    "  I  find  none,"  I  said,  hoarsely. 
"  Then  we  had  better  place  our  men  ?  " 
"  I  think  so." 

I  had  no  knowledge  of  the  skill  of  either  combatant, 
but,  as  I  turned  to'  join  Hugues,  I  was  startled  by  the 
contrast  which  the  two'  presented  as  they  stood  a  little 
apart,  their  upper  clothes  removed.  The  Captain  was 
the  shorter  by  a  head,  and  stiff  and  sturdy,  with  a  clear 
•eye  and  keen  visage.  M.  le  Marquis,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  tall  and  lithe,  and  long  in  the  arm,  with  a  reach 
which  threatened  danger,  and  a  smile  almost  as  deadly. 
I  thought  that  if  his  skill  and  coolness  were  on  a  par 
with  his  natural  gifts,  M.  Hugues — but  then  again  my 
head  reeled.    What  did  I  wish? 

"  We  are  ready,"  M.  Louis  said,  impatiently ;  and  I 
noticed  that  he  glanced  past  me  towards  the'  gate  of  the 
■garden.  "  Will  you  measure  the  swords,  M.  le  Vieomte  ? " 

I  complied,  and  was  about  to  place  my  man,  when  M. 
le  Caphaine  indicated  by  a  sign  that  he  wished  to  speak 
to  mei,  and,  disregarding  the  frowns  of  the  other  side,  I 
-led  him  apart. 

His  face,  had.  lost  the  glow  of  passion  which  had  ani- 
mated it  a  few  minutes  before,  and  was  palei  and  stern. 
<:  This  is  a  fool's  trick,"  ho  said  curtly,  and  under  his 
breath.  "  It  will  serve  me  right  if  that  puppy  goes 
through  me.    You  will  do  me  a  favour,  M.  le  Vieomte? " 

I  muttered  that  I  would  do  him  any  in  my  power. 

"  I  borrowed  a  thousand  francs  to  fit  myself  out  for 
this  service,"  he  continued,  avoiding  my  eye',  "  from  a 
-onan  in  Paris  whO'Se  name  you  will  find  in  my  valise  at 


the  inn.  Should  anything  happen  to  me,  I  should  be 
glad  if  you  will  send  him  what  is  left.  That  is  all." 
-"  He  shall  be  paid  in  full,"  I  said.  "  I  will  see  to  it." 
He  wrung  my  hand,  and  went  to  his  station ;  and 
Louis  and  I  placed  ourselves  on  either  side  of  the  two, 
ready,  with  our  swords  drawn,  to'  interfere  should  need 
arise.  The  signal  was  given,  the  principals  saluted,  and 
fell  on  guard ;  and  in  a  moment  the  grinding  and  elic^'ng 
of  the  blades  began,  while  the  pigeons  of  the  Cathedral 
flew  in  eddies  above  us,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  garden 
a,  lLtle  fountain  tinkled  softly  in  the  sunshine. 

They  had  not  engaged  an  instant  before  the  great 
diversity  of  their  styles  became  apparent.  While  Hugues 
played  vigorously  with  his  body,  stooping,  and  moving, 
and  stepping  aside,  but  keeping  his  arm  stiff,  and  used 
his  wrist  much,  M.  le  Marquis  held  his  body  erect  and 
still,  but  mrved  his  arm,  and,  fencing  with  a  school  cor- 
rectness, as  if  he  held  a  foil,  disdained  all  artifices  save 
those  of  the  weapon.  It  was  clear  that  he  was  the  better 
fencer,  and  that,  of  the  two,  the  Captain  must  tire  first, 
since  he  was  never  still,  and  the  wrist  is  more  quickly 
fatigued  than  the  arm ;  but,  in  addition  to  this,  I  soon 
perceived  that  the  Marquis  was  not  putting  forth  his 
full  strength,  but,  depending  on  his  defence,  was  waiting 
to  tire  out  his  opponent.  My  eyes  grew  hot,  my  throat 
dry,  as  I  watched  breathlessly,  waiting  for  the  stroke 
that  must  finish  all — -waiting  and  flinching.  And  then, 
on  a  sudden,  something  happened.  The  Captain  seemed 
to  slip,  yet  did  not  slip,  but  in  a  moment,  stooping 
almost  prone,  his  left  hand  on  the  ground,  was  under 
the  other's  guard.  His  point  was  at  the  Marquis's 
breast,  when  the  latter  sprang  back — sprang  back,  and 
just  sa\ed  himself  Before  the  Captain  could  recover 
his  footing,  Louis  dashed  his  sword  aside. 

"  Foul  play  !  "  he  cried  passionately.  "  Foul  play  ! 
A  stroke  dessous  !    It  is  not  en  regie." 

The  Captain  stood  breathing  quickly,  his  point  to'  the 
ground.  "  But  why  not,  Monsieur?"  he  said.  Then  he 
looked  to  me. 

"  I  scarcely  understand,  M.  de  St.  Alais,"  I  said,  stiffly. 

"  The  stroke  " 

"  Is  not  allowed." 

"  In  the  schools,"  I  said.    "  But  this  is  a  duel." 
"  I  have  never  seen  it  used  in  a  duel,"  he  said. 
"  No  matter,"  I  answered,  warmly.    "  To  interfere  on 
such  provocation  is  absurd." 
"  Monsieur ! " 

"  Is  absurd  !  "  I  repeated,  firmly.  "  After  such  treat- 
ment I  have  no'  resource  but  to  withdraw  M.  le  Capi- 
taine  from  the  field." 

"  Perhaps  you  will  take  his  place,"  someone  behind 
me  said  with  a  sneer. 

I  turned  sharply.  One  of  the  two  persons  whom  we 
had  found  with  St.  Alais  was  the  speaker.  I  saluted 
him.    "  The  surgeon  ? "  I  said. 

"  No,"  he  answered  angrily.  "  I  am  M.  du  Marc, 
and  very  much  at  your  service." 

"  But  not  a  second,"  I  rejoined.  "  And.  therefore,  you 
have  no  right  to  be  standing  where  you  are,  nor  to  be 
here.    I  must  request  you  to  withdraw." 

"  I  have  at  least  as  much  right  as  those,"  he  answered, 
pointing  to  the  roof  of  the  Cathedral',  over  the  battle- 
ments of  which  a  number  of  heads  could  be  seen  peer- 
ing down  at  us. 

I  stared. 


284 


TO-DAY. 


April  6,  1895. 


"  Our  friends  have  at  least  as  much  right  as  yours,"  And  in  a  moment  the  two  fell  on  guard,  and  to  it 

ho  continued,  taunting  me.  again ;  but  more  fiercely  now,  and  with  less  caution, 

"  But  they  do  not  interfere,"  I  answered  firmly.  "  Nor  the  Captain  more  than  once  using  a  rough,  sweeping 

shall  you.    I  request  you  to  withdraw."  parry,  in  greater  favour  with  practical  fighters  than  in 


"foul  play!"  he  cr.iED  passionately. 


He  still  refused,  and  even  tried  to  bluster;  but  this 
proved  too  much  for  Louis'  stomach;  he  intervened 
sharply,  and  at  a  word  from  him  the  bully  shrugged  hia 
shoulders  and  moved  away.  Then  we  four  looked  at  one 
another. 

"  We  had  better  proceed,"  the  Captain  said  bluntly. 
"If  the  stroke  was  irregular,  this  gentleman  was  right 
to  interfere.    If  not  " 

"I  am  willing,"  M.  de  St.  Alais  said. 


the  fencing  school.  This,  though  it  left  him  exposed 
to  a  riposte,  seemed  to  disconcert  M.  le  Marquis,  who 
fenced,  I  thought,  less  skilfully  than  before,  and  moro 
than  once  seemed  to  be  flurried  by  the  Captain's  at- 
tack. I  began  to  feel  doubtful  of  the  result,  my  heart 
began  to  beat  more  quickly,  the  glitter  of  the  blades  js 
they  slid  up  and  down  one  another  confused  my  sight. 
I  looked  for  one  moment  across  at  Louis,  and  in  that 
moment  the  end  came.    M.  le  Capitaine  used  again  his. 


April  6,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


285 


sweeping  parry,  but  this  time  the  circle  was  too  wide; 
St.  Alais'  blade  darted  serpent-like  under  his.  The  Cap- 
tain staggered  back.    His  sword  dropped  from  his  hand. 

Before  he  could  fall  I  caught  him  in  my  arms,  but 
blood  was  gushing  already  from  a  wound  in  the  side  of 
his  neck.    He  just  turned  his  eyes  on  my  face,  and  tried 

once  to  speak.    I  caught  the  words  "  You  will  "  and 

then  blood  choked  his  voice,  and  his  eyes  slowly  closed. 
He  was  dead,  or  as  good  as  dead,  before  the  surgeon 
could  reach  him,  before  I  could  lay  him  on  the  grass. 

I  knelt  a  moment  beside  him  perfectly  stunned  by 
the  suddenness  of  the  catastrophe,  watching  in  a  kind 
of  fascination  the  surgeon  feeling  pulse  and  heart,  and 
striving  with  his  thumb  to  stop  the  bleeding.  For  a 
moment  or  two  my  world  was  reduced  to  the  sinking 
grey  face,  the  quivering  eyelids  before  me,  and  I 
saw  nothing,  heeded  nothing,  thought  of  nothing 
-else.  I  could  not  believe  that  the  valiant  spirit  had  fled 
already;  that  the  stout  man  who  had  so  quickly  yet 
insensibly  won  my  liking  was  in  this  moment  dead; 
dead  and  growing  livid,  while  the  pigeons  still  circled 
overhead,  and  the  sparrows  chirped,  and  the  fountain 
tinkled  in  the  sunshine. 

I  cried  out  in  my  agony.  "  Not  dead  ? "  I  said.  "  Not 
dead  so  soon  ? " 

"  Yes,  M.  le  Vicomte,  it  was  bad  luck,"  the  Surgeon 
answered,  letting  the  passive  head  fall  on  the  stained, 
grass.    "With  such  a  wound  nothing  can  be  done." 

He  rose  as  he  spoke;  but  I  remained  on  my  knees, 
wrapt  and  absorbed ;  staring  at  the  glazing  eyes  that  a 
few  minutes  before  had  been  so  full  of  life  and  keen- 
ness. Then  with  a  shudder  I  turned  my  look  on  myself. 
His  blood  covered  me ;  it  was  on  my  breast,  my  arm, 
my  hands,  soaking  into  my  coat.  From  it  my  thoughts 
turned  naturally  to  St.  Alais,  and  at  the  moment,  as  I 
looked  instinctively  round  to  see  where  he  was,  or  if  he 
had  gone,  I  started.  The  deep  boom  of  a  heavy  bell, 
tolled  once,  shook  the  air ;  while  its  solemn  burden  still 
hung  mournfully  on  the  ear,  quick  footsteps  ran  towards 
me,  and  I  heard  a  harsh  cry  at  my  elbow.  "  But,  mon 
Dieu  1    This  is  murder  !    They  are  murdering  us !  " 

I  looked  behind  me.  The  speaker  was  du  Marc,  the 
bully  who  had  vainly  tried  to  provoke  me.  The  two 
St.  Alais  and  the  surgeon  were  with  him,  and  all  four 
came  from  the  direction  of  the  door  by  which  we  had 
entered.  They  passed  me  with  averted  eyes,  and  hur- 
ried towards  a  little  postern  which  flanked  the  old  tower, 
and  opened  on  the  ramparts.  As  they  went  out  of  sight 
behind  a  buttress  that  intervened  the  bell  boomed  out 
again  above  my  head,  its  dull  note  full  of  menace. 

Then  I  awoke  and  understood ;  understood  that  the 
noise  which  filled  my  ears  was  not  the  burden  of  the 
bell  carried  on  from  one  deep  stroke  to  another,  but 
the  roar  of  angry  voices  in  the  square,  the  babel  of  an 
approaching  crowd  crying  "  A  la  lanterne !  A  la  lan- 
terne ! "  From  the  battlements  of  the  Cathedral,  from 
the  louvres  of  the  domes,  from  every  window  of  the  great 
gloomy  structure  that  frowned  above  me,  men  were 
making  signs,  and  pointing  with  their  hands,  and  bran- 
dishing their  fists — at  me,  I  thought  at  first,  or  at  the 
body  at  my  feet.  But  then  I  heard  footsteps  again,  and 
turned  and  found  the  other  four  behind  me,  close  to 
me ;  the  two  St.  Alais  pale  and  stern,  with  bright  eyes, 
the  bully  pale,  too,  but  with  a  look  which  shot  furtively 
here  and  there,  and  white  lips. 

"  Curse  them,  they  are  at  that  door,  too  ! "  he  cried, 


shrilly.  "We  are  beset.  We  shall  be  murdered.  By 
God,  we  shall  be  murdered,  and  by  these  canaille !  By 
these — I  call  all  here  to  witness  that  it  was  a  fair  fight  1 

I  call  you  to  witness,  M.  le  Vicomte,  that  " 

"  It  will  help  us  much,"  St.  Alais  said  with  a  sneer, 

"  if  he  does.    If  I  were  once  at  home  " 

"Ay,  but  how  are  we  to  get  there?"  du  Marc  cried. 
He  could  not  hide  his  terror.  "  Do  you  know,"  he  con- 
tinued querulously,  "that  Ave  shall  be  murdered?  Is 
there  no  other  door  ?    Speak,  someone.    Speak  !  " 

His  fears  appealed  to  me  in  vain.  I  would  scarcely 
have  stirred  a  ringer  to>  save  him.  But  the  sight  of  the 
two  St.  Alais  standing  there  pale  and  irresolute,  while 
that  roar  of  voices  grew  each,  moment  louder  and 
nearer,  moved  me.  A  moment,  and  the  mob  would 
break  in ;  perhaps,  finding  us  by  Hugue&'  side,  it  might 
in  its  fury  sacrifice  all  indifferently.  It  might ;  and  then 
I  heard,  to  give  point  to  the  thought,  the  crash  of  one  of 
the  doors  of  the  garden  as  it  gave  way;  and  I  cried  out 
almost  involuntarily  that  there  was  another  door — 
another  door,  if  it  was  open.  I  did  not  look  to  see  if 
they  followed,  but  I  took  the  lead,  and  ran  across  the 
&ward  towards  the  wall  of  the  Cathedral. 

The  crowd  were  already  pouring  into  the  garden,  but 
a  clump  of  shrubs  hid  us  from  them  as  we  fled  ;  and  we 
gained  unseen  a  little  door,  a  low-browed  postern  in  the 
wall  of  the  apse,  that  led,  I  knew — for  not  long  before 
I  had  conducted  an  English  visitor  over  the  Cathedral — 
to  a  sacristy  connected  with  the  crypt.  My  hope  of  find- 
ing the  door  open  was  slight  ;  if  I  had  stopped  to  weigh 
the  chances  I  should  have  thought  them  desperate.  But 
to  my  joy  as  I  came  up  to  it,  closely  followed  by  the 
others,  it  opened  of  itself,  and  a  priest,  showing  hia 
tonsured  head  in  the  aperture,  beckoned  to  us  to  hasten. 
He  had  little  need  to  do  so  ;  in  a  moment  we  had  obeyed, 
were  by  his  side,  and  panting,  heard  the  bolts  shoot 
home  behind  me.    For  the  moment  we  were  safe. 

Then  we  breathed  again.  We  stood  in  the  twilight 
of  a  long  narrow  room  with  walls  and  roof  of  stone, 
and  three  loopholes  for  windows.  Du  Marc  was  the 
first  to  speak.  "Mon  Dieu,  that  was  close,"  he  said, 
wiping  his  brow,  which  in  the  cold  light  wore  an  ugly 
pallor.    "  We  are  " 

"  Not  out  of  the  wood  yet,"  the  surgeon  answered 
gravely,  "  though  we  have  good  grounds  for  thanking 
M.  le  Vicomte.  They  have  discovered  us  !  Yes,  they 
are  coming ! " 

■  Probably  the  people  on  the  roof  had  watched  us  in 
and  denounced  our  place  of  refuge ;  for  as  he  spoke, 
we  heard  a  rush  of  feet,  the  door  shook  under  a  storm  of 
blows,  and  a  score  of  grimy  savage  faces  showed  at  the 
slender  arrow-slits,  and  glaring  down,  howled  and  spat 
curses  upon  us.  Luckily  the  door  was  of  oak,  studded 
and  plated  with  iron,  fashioned  in  old,  rough  daya 
for  such  an  emergency,  and  we  stood  comparatively 
safe.  Yet  it  was  terrible  to  hear  the  cries  of  the  mob, 
to  feel  them  so  close,  to  gauge  their  hatred,  and  guess, 
while  they  beat  on  the  stone  as  though  they  would  tear 
the  walls  with  their  naked  hands,  what  it  would  be  to 
fall  into  their  power ! 

We  looked  at  one  another,  and  it  may  have  been  the 
dim  light,  I  saw  no  face  that  was  not  pale.  Fortunately 
the  pause  was  short.  The  cure  who  had  admitted 
us,  unlocked  as  quickly  as  he  could  an  inner  door. 
'"'  This  way,"  he  said — but  the  snarling  of  the  beasts  out- 
side almost  drowned  his  voice — "  if  you  will  follow  me. 


2SG 


TO-DAY. 


April  6,  1S95. 


I  will  let  you  out  by  the  south  entrance.  But,  be  quick, 
gentlemen,  be  quick,"  he  continued,  pushing  us  out  before 
him,  "  or  they  may  guess  what  we  are  about,  and  be 
there  before  us." 

It  may  be  imagined  that  after  that  we  lost  no  time. 
We  followed  him  as  quickly  as  we  could  along  a  narrow 
subterranean  passage,  very  dimlv  lit,  at  the  end  of  which 
a  flight  of  six  steps  brought  us  into  a  second  passage. 
We  almost  ran  along  this,  and  though  a  locked  door 
delayed  us  a  moment,  which  seemed  a  minute,  and  a  long 
one,  the  key  was  found,  and  the  door  opened.  We  passed 
through  it,  and  found  ourselves  in  a  long  narrow  room, 
the  counterpart  of  that  we  had  first  entered.  The  cure 
opened  the  farther  door  of  this  ;  I  looked  out.  The  alley 
outside,  the  same  which  led  beside  the  Cathedral  to  the 
Chapter  House,  was  empty. 

"We  are  in  time,"  I  said,  with  a  sigh  of  relief;  it 
was  pleasant  to  breathe  the  fresh  air  again.  And  I 
turned,  still  panting  with  the  haste  we  had  made,  to 
thank  the  good  cure  who  had  saved  us. 

M.  de  St.  Alais,  who  followed  me,  and  had  kept,  silence 
throughout,  thanked  him  also.  Then  M.  le  Marquis 
stood  hesitating  on  the  threshold,  while  I  looked 
to  see  him  hurry  away.  At  last  he  turned  to  me.  "  M. 
de  Saux,"  he  said,  speaking  with  less  aplomb  than  was 
usual  with  him — but  we  were  all  agitated — "  I  should 


thank  you  also.    But  perhaps  the  situation  in  which 

we  stand  towards  one  another  " 

"I  think  nothing  of  that,"  I  answered  harshly.  "But 
that  in  which  we  have  just  stood  " 


"  Ah,"  he  rejoined,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  "  if  yov 
take  it  that  way  " 

"  I  do  take  it  that  way,"  I  answered — the  Captain's 
blood  was  not  yet  dry  on  the  man's  sword,  and  he  spoke 
to  me  like  this !  "  I  do  take  it  that  way.  And  I  warn 
you,  M.  le  Marquis,"  I  continued  sternly,  "that  if  you 
pursue  your  plan  farther,  a  plan  that  has  already  cost 
one  brave  man  his  life,  it  will  recoil  on  yourselves,  and 
that  most  terribly." 

"  At  least  I  shall  not  ask  you  to  shield  me,"  ho 
answered,  proudly.  And  he  walked  carelessly  away, 
sheathing  his  sword  as  he  went.  The  passage  was  still 
empty.    There  was  no  one  to  stop  him. 

Louis  followed  him ;  du  Marc  and  the  surgeon  had 
already  disappeared.  I  fancied  that  as  Louis  passed  me 
he  hung  a  moment  on  his  heel ;  and  that  he  would  have 
spcken  to  me,  would  have  caught  my  eye,  would  have 
taken  my  hand,  had  I  given  him  an  opening.  But 
I  saw  before  me  Hugues'  dead  face  and  sunken 
eyes,  and  I  set  my  own  face  like  a  stone,  and  turned 
away. 

(To  he  continued.) 


IVAN    THE  TERRIBLE. 

The  magnificence  of  his  Court  dazzled  the  eyes  of  all 
Russia.  Strangers  who  visited  his  treasures  and  his 
palace  at  Moscow  were  amazed  at  the  splendid  jewels 
displayed  there,  and  at  the  .costly  banquets,  lasting 
often  for  five  or  six  hours,  when  the  tables  were  laden 
with  the  most  exquisite  meats  and  rarest  wines.  It  is 
said  that  one  day,  at  Moscow,  Ivan  gave  a  dinner  at 
which  two  thousand  guests  were  present. 

His  appearance  in  public  invariably  excited  the  ad- 
miration of  the  spectators  by  the  splendour  of  the  arpiosr, 
the  rich  trappings  of  the  horses,  and  the  guards  blazing 
with  gold.  Whether  in  civil  or  ecclesiastical  cere- 
monies, Ivan  always  sought  to  impress  the  onlookers. 
Hence  his  memory  long  lived  in  the  hearts  of  this  sub- 
ject people.  In  their  estimation,  moreover,  his  con- 
quests far  outshone  his  cruelties  or  reverses  :  the  ac- 
quisition of  Kazan,  Astrakhan,  and  the  vast  tracts  of 
Siberia,  were  stm  held  in  pious  memory  when  the  deeds 
of  darkness  had  slipped  into  oblivion.  Many  of  Ivan's 
contemporaries  styled  him  tyrant. 

An  ambassador  from  the  Venetian  court  asserts :  — 
"  This  Tzar  is  the  greatest  tyrant  that  ever  existed  ;  " 
however,  the  Russians  themselves  put  away  the  title 
of  tyrant,  and  onlv  permitted  Ivan  to  be  called  "The 
Terrible" — a  name  which  had  already  been  given  to 
one  of  his  ancestors,  more  as  a  term  of  praise  than  of 
reproach.  "  History,"  adds  Karamzin,  by  way  of 
comment,  "  does  not  pardon  wicked  princes  as  easily  as 
the  people  does."  It  is  none  the  less  the  duty  of  the 
impartial  historian  to  point  out  that  this  extraordinary 
being,  who  once  caused  an  elephant  to  be  cut  to  pieces 
before  his  eyes,  because  it  declined  to  bow  down  before 
him,  could,  and  often  did,  display  extreme  zeal  and 
enterprise  in  the  conduct  of  affairs.  He  loved  to  see  a 
show  of  justice  on  the  part  of  others,  and  would  at 
times  personally  investigate  legal  proceedings,  listen  to 
the  statements  on  both  sides,  read  the  papers  in  the 
case,  and  give  an  immediate  decision.  Iniquitous  and 
unfair  administration  by  justice  met  with  but  scant 
favour  at  his  hands.  He  reserved  to  himself  alone  the 
privileges  of  wickedness  and  cruelty. — "  /ran  tie  Ter- 
rible," Austen  Pemher. 


SIAMESE  CHILDREN. 
When  a  baby  is  born  in  Siam,  it  is  put  on  a  cotton 
pillow,  under  a  wooden  frame  like  a  birdcage,  covered 
with  dark  muslin.  This  is  placed  in  a  corner  of  the 
smoky  chimneyless  room.  The  child  is  then  fed  on 
rice  and  mashed  bananas.  When  the  "dormouse"  told 
"Alice  in  Wonderland"  the  little  girls  in  the  treacle 
lived  on  treacle,  she  objected  that  they  must  have  been 
ill.  The  answer  was  — "  So  they  were,  very  ill."  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  poor  little  Siamese  babies, 
many  of  them  dying  under  this  treatment.  When  they 
grow  bigger,  the  girls  play  with  clay  images  for  dolls, 
and  the  little  boys  play  football  with  a  square  piece  of 
leather,  with  feathers  stuck  into  one  side.  Both  boys- 
and  girls  learn  to  swim,  and  paddle  tiny  canoes  on  the 
canals  from  about  four  to  six  years  old.  Their  parents 
are  very  affectionate  and  indulgent,  but  if  put  out;  they 
not  only  whip  the  children  very  severely,  but  hurt  them 
in  other  ways,  such  as  bending  back  their  hands  till 
the  little  things  writhe  with  the  pain.  The  first  time 
their  hair  is  cut,  a  great  ceremony  takes  place.  The 
child  is  covered  with  all  the  jewels  available,  dressed  in 
white,  and  drenched  with  holy  water.  It  is  placed  on  a 
throne,  and  lighted  candles  are  carried  round  it  five 
times,  after  which  they  are  blown  out  with  the  smoke 
towards  it.  Everyone  then  gives  money,  which  forms, 
a  start  in  life  for  the  boy,  or  the  dowry  for  a  girl. 

DEATH   IN  CHINA. 

When  a  person  is  lying  at  the  point  of  death,  his  (or 
her)  friend's  very  best  clothes  are  laid  out  on  the  bed. 
and  after  his  friends  have  washed  him  with  warm  water, 
in  which  aromatic  leaves  have  been  boiled,  he  is  dressed 
from  head  to  foot,  in  order  that  he  may  appear  in  the 
spirit  world  to  the  very  best  advantage.  Of  the  im- 
portance attached  to  this  last  change  of  raiment,  wo 
have  touching  proof  in  a  letter  addressed  just  before 
his  death  by  the  Viceroy  of  Kwancr-si  to  the  Emperor, 
giving  up  the  seals  of  office.  lie  bemoans  that  having 
commanded  his  Majesty's  forces  for  several  months, 
he  has  failed  to  subdue  the  Taiping  rebellion.  This 
failure,  he  says,  "shows  my  want  of  fidelity — my  not 
being  able  to  support  my  aged  mother,  my  want  of  filial 
piety.  After  that,  I,  your  servant,  am  dead.  1  have 
ordered  my  son  Kae  to  bury  me  in  common  clothe.--  as 
an  indication  of  my  fault." 


April  6,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


287 


HOW  A  STORY  IS  DICTATED. 


EADY 1" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  steno- 
grapher making  a  frantic 
dash  at  the  inkstand. 
Novelist  dictating — 
"  'No,  I  could  never 

love  you,    Tom  not 

in  that  way.'  This  with 
a  little  catch  in  her  voice 
that  sounded  very  like 
a  sob,  and  a  wistful 
upward  glance  at  the 
tall  young  fellow  beside 
her.  Tom  looked  s  o  the 
sweet  pained  face  and  understood  why  it  was 
that  she  was  so  inexpressibly  dear  to  him. 
It  was  not  because  she  was  fair,  though  she 
was  that,  it  was  because  every  word  she 
uttered,  every  glance  she  gave  him  revealed  to  him  the 
rare  sympathy  and  tenderness  that  dwelt  in  the  young- 
heart  now  filled  to  overflowing  with  pity  and  regret  for 
him.  He  looked  at  her  till  his  own  eyes  grew  dim,  and 
then  he  turned  his  head  away.    It  was  very  hard. 

" '  Tom,'  she  whispered  softly,   '  don't  quarrel  with 

me.    I  do  love  you  but  but,  Tom,  dear,  don't 

look  at  me  like  that.  Oh,  I  am  so  afraid  we  shall 
quarrel,  and  we  have  been  such  friends,  Tom.'  Then, 
passionately,  'It's  all  through  being  grown  up.  It's 

horrid  1  1  haven't  enjoyed  my  holidays  at  all. 

It's  been  wretched  from  the  beginning  1  1  '" 

Shrill  voice  from  the  street :    "  I  der  emt  that  I 

dwe  elt  in  mar  able  'awls."    Barrel   organ  in 

friendly  rivalry  :  "  Oh,  it's  Tommy,  Tommy  Atkins  !  " 

Novelist  starts  up  frantically.    "  Oh  h  !  what  shall 

I  do,  I  shall  go  mad  if  it  goes  on.    I  couldn't  do  a  line." 

Goes  to  the  door.    "James— — James  JAMES  !  !  ! 

Go  out  and  kill  that  man." 
t"Yes,  M'm,"  says  James  hastily,  and  goes  out. 
(Presently  there  is  a  sudden  awful  silence,  a  look  of 
infinite  peace  steals  over  the  novelist's  face  and  she 
sinks  comfortably  into  a  chair.)  "  Excuse  me,  but  really 

I  could  not  go  on  while  that  fiend  was  playing.  Now 

where  did  I  leave  off?  Just  read  me  a  line  or  two, 
please." 

Stenographer  reads  and  ends  with  unconscious  em- 
phasis, "'Wretched  from  the  beginning.'" 
Novelist,  sharply,  "  Eh  ?  " 
Stenographer,  nervously, 
holidays  at  all 

 1  1— 

'"  It's  been  wretched  from  the  beginning,'"  repeats  the 

novelist,  absently,  "'It's  been  wretched  wretched  - 

wretched  wret — — ched'— — Oh,"  hopelessly,  "Ican't 

do  anything.    It's  put  me  out  altogether.    Would  you 


I  haven't  enjoyed  my 
It's  been  wretched  from  the  beginning 


the  whole  of  it  again  1 


I  am  so  sorry  to 


I  think  I'll  so 


mind  reading 
trouble  you." 

Stenographer  reads. 
Novelist  dictating, 

"  '  I  1  feel  frightened,  Tom. 

home.' " 

" '  Little  Madge,'  said  Tom,  tenderly  taking  her 
trembling  hands  in  his  and  holding  them  tightly,  '  I 
ought  not  to  have  said  anything  to  yeu  to-day.  It 
was  wrong  of  me.  I  feel  somehow  as  if  I  had  betrayed 
our  friendship — ■ — the  friendship  that  has  been  so  pre- 
cious to  me,  Madge.  But  I  will  not  say  another  word. 
I  would  not  willingly  give  you  pain  for  the  world.  You 
believe  that,  don't  you,  dear  1 '    '  Yes,  but  Tom  '  " 

Childish  voice  at  the  door  :  "  Mother,  I  want  " 

Novelist  :  "  Go  away  !  " 

(Child  whimpering)  "To  buy  a  whistle,  mother." 
(Turns  handle  of  door  and  peeps  in.)  "Parkins  says — 

Novelist,  passionately,  "  Go  away ;  I'm  busy.  Go 
away  !  "   (Child  comes  in.)    "  Will  you  go  away  1  Will 


you  go  aivay  ?  "  (Rises  menacingly.  Hurried  flight  of" 
child,  leaving  the  door  open.  East-wind  draught  plays 
sharply  round  novelist's  neck  and  creeps  shudderingly 
up  the  chimney.)    "  Come  back  and  shut  the  door  !  " 

(Dead  silence.  Stenographer  rises  and  gently  closes, 
the  door.  ) 

Novelist,  gratefully,   "Thank  you  so  much.  Now 

where  were  we  %    I  am  so  sorry,  but  it's  all  gone:  

everything.    Clean  gone  out  of  my  head." 

(The  story  now  proceeds.  Tom  takes  Madge  home  ; 
she  wonders  if  she  has  been  unkind  to  him,  frets,  gets 
thin  and  pale,  and  finally  the  doctor  orders  her  to  the- 
Continent.) 

Novelist  dictating — 

"A  faint  colour  crept  into  Madge's  cheeks  as  she 
heard  the  doctor's  order.  Her  heart  beat  fast.  A  tour 
on  the  Continent  !  Oh,  it  was  her  dream,  her  fairy- 
land, the  longing  of  years  !  Her  step  lost  its  listless- 
ness,  she  became  excited,  she  actually  laughed,  and  get- 
ting together  all  the  guide-books  and  other  travelling 
literature  that  she  could  find  she  sat  down  and  devoured. 

them.    She  read  of-  ." 

(Dead  silence.) 

Novelist  absently, 

"  She  read  of  — —  " 
(Pause.) 

Wearily, 

"She  read  of — she  read  of — Stupid  little  thing  !' 
What  did  she  want  to  go  on  the  Continent  for  1  She 
should  have  stayed  at  home." 

Stenographer,  in  astonishment,  "  But  yoxi  made  her 
go!"    .  • 

"Yes,  I  know.  You've  got  to  make  them  do  some- 
thing.   Little  silly  !  " 

(Five  minutes'  meditation.  Wakes  up  suddenly.) 
"  Now  where  did  I  leave  off  1  J ust  the  last  three 
words." 

Stenographer,  hopelessly,  "  'She  read  of  "' 

Novelist,  looking  searchingly  at  stenographer  as  though 
she  had  detected  him  in  the  guilty  act  of  suppressing 
several  lines,  "  What  !  Haven't  I  got  beyond  that,  yet  V 
Stenographer,  earnestly,  "  No." 

Novelist,  resentfully,  "  '  She  read  of  ' — '  she  read  of ' — 
Oh,  lor,  what  did  she  read  of.  Where's  the  guide- 
book 1"  (Searches  fitfully  among  the  books  and  papers 
on  the  table,  rises  and  goes  out  of  the  room,  returning  in 
a  few  minutes  with  a  small  red  coloured  volume.  Sinks 
contentedly  into  her  chair  and  turns  over  a  few  leaves.) 
 «  H'm  !  " 

"She  read  of  the  cathedrals  of  France  (turns  over 
another  leaf) ;  of  lustrous  eyed,  olive-skinned  Spanish 
women  (another  leaf)  ;  the  wonderful  Rhine,  with  its 
haunted  castles  and  enchanted  legends  (another) ;  Rome 
(another) ;  the  Vatican  (another) ;  Venice.  Ah — -Venice  ! 
Madge  clasped  her  hands  and  sat  dreaming  of  Venice 
with  its  golden  sunlight,  its  magnificent  buildings,  its 
gondolas,  its  mysterious  winding  canals,  its —  " 

(Lays  the  guide-book  down  gratefully,  and  begins  ener- 
getically polishing  a  diamond  and  ruby  ring,  murmuring 
contentedly  the  while)  " '  Venice — its  gondolas,  its  mys- 
terious winding  canals,  its — its ' — You  see  that  ring  1 
— suddenly. 

"  Yes,"  resignedly. 

"  How  much  do  your  think  it  cost  ?  Awful  bargain. 
Got  it  quite  by  accident.  Pawnbroker's  shop,  you 
know."  (Takes  it  off  and  hands  it  to  stenographer,  who 
gazes  at  it  despairingly  and  tries  to  think  of  some  im- 
possible price.) 

"  Couldn't  say,  I'm  sure.  Very  pure  colour,  quite- 
clear  ." 

"Yes.  They  say  it  isn't  dark  enough,  but  I  don't 
like  dark  rubies."  Impressively,  "  Sixteen  pounds ! 
Bargain,  isn't  it  ? " 

Stenographer  looks  as  though  perfectly  flattened  with, 
astonishment.    "  Preposterous  !    Why  it  " 

"  Yes "    (nodding    her    head    pleasantly) ;    "  yes,"' 


288 


TO-DAY. 


AritiL  6,  1S95. 


(another  nod),  "  so  I  think."    (Puts  the  ring  on  again.) 

Now,  then,  where  were  we  1    Venice,  wasn't  it  1 " 

Stenographer  recites  from  memory  encouragingly — 
"*' '  Its  gondolas,  its  mysterious  winding  canals,  its  ' " 

Novelist :  "  Its  winding  canals  (pause) — its — (pause) 

its  My  goodness,  I  shall  go  mad.     I  can't  get  on  at 

all.  It's  that  wretched  organ.  That  came  from  Italy — 
Venice,  most  likely.  Shouldn't  wonder  if  it  came  from 
Venice.  Fiends !  If  ever  (threateningly)  I'm  rich 
enough  to  build  a  house,  I'll  have  it  walled  round  com- 
pletely for  two  or  three  acres  (stenographer  murmurs 
approvingly)  and  a  dog  at  each  corner ! "  Steno- 
grapher chuckles. 

Novelist  straightening  herself  suddenly  and  looking 
sternly  at  stenographer,  "  Well,  now,  I  must  get  that 
story  done.  Would  you  mind  reading  a  little  ?  The 
bit  before  Venice." 

(The  story  proceeds  :  Madge  sets  out  for  the  Conti- 
nent. She  sees  a  great  many  interesting  and  curious 
things  and  every  day  becomes  more  like  her  own  sweet 
sunny  self.  One  quite  exciting  adventure  happens  to 
her  which  lives  in  her  memory  for  many  and  many  a 
day  afterwards.  They  are  driving  along  a  rough  road 
on  one  side  of  which  is  a  dense  forest.  Night  steals  on 
them  unawares.) 

Novelist  dictating : 

"  Suddenly  as  it  seemed  to  Madge  it  was  dusk,  and 
the  sky  grew  rapidly  darker  and  darker,  turning  in  a 
few  minutes  from  deep  purple  to  black.  Set  in  its 
midst,  clear,  luminous,  beautiful,  the  moon  gleamed  like 
a  ball  of  silver ;  but  there  were  no  stars.  Faster  and 
faster  galloped  the  horses,  urged  by  their  driver,  and 
thetreeslike  black  shadows^flew  silently  by.  It  was  a  very 
weird  scene,  and  Madge  sat  spellbound.  Suddenly  the 
horses  pricked  up  their  ears  and  snorted  nervously.  A 
deep  low  growl  came  from  the  trees  on  their  right,  the 
branches  rustled  ominously,  and  presently  a  gigantic, 
shaggy  form  emerged  from  the  deep  shadows.  It  was 
a  huge  bear.    On  it  came,  its  head  down,  its  great  body 


swaying  to  and  fro,  growling  horribly.  Every  nerve  in 
the  horses'  bodies  seemed  quivering  with  fear  as  with 
dilated  nostrils  and  terror-stricken  eyes  they  flew  along. 
Madge  had  never  been  driven  at  such  a  pace  before.  It 
was  a  terrible  moment.  On,  on,  they  flew,  faster  and 
faster,  and  soon  the  bear's  growls  grow  less  distinct,  and 
the  patter  of  his  huge  paws  is  heardno  more.  Another  minute 
and  they  are  out  of  danger,  for  right  in  front  of  them 
are  the  lights  of  the  town,  and  the  creature  is  outdis- 
tanced. Fainter  and  fainter,  at  ever-increasing  intervals, 
they  hear  his  growls  of  balfled  rage,  sounding  like  the 
low  mutterings  of  thunder  ere  it  finally  passes—  " 

Novelist :  "  But  it's  summer  thunder  that  does  that, 
isn't  it  1    Wait  a  minute— — thunder  in  summer." 

Dictating : 

"  Sounding   like  the  low  mutterings  of  sunder  in 

thummer  Oh  h  !    My  bra;n  is  going !    My  brain 

is  going!  "    With  a  gesture  of  intense  despair. 

(Pause.) 

(Stenographer  sits  frigid  with  silent  sympathy,  but  a 
mysterious  fascination  compels  him  to  gaze  fixedly  at  the 
top  of  the  novelist's  head.  Does  he  expect  to  see  her 
brains  ooze  through  the  crown  ?  He  does  not  know.  He 
feels  unnerved). 

Novelist,  firmly  and  resolutely  : 

"  Sounding  like  the  low  mutterings  of  thunder  in 
summer  ere  it  finally  passes  away  over  the  hill-tops. 
There,  that's  right ! "  (Catches  sight  of  black  kitten 
perched  on  the  top  of  her  chair.)  "  Pussy,  Pussy  !  Sweet 
thing  !  Come  to  your  mother  then."  (Gently  pulls  its 
hindmost  legs.  The  creature  clutches  frantically  at  the 
chair  and  punctuates  its  descent  with  its  claws  on  the 

cretonne   cover.)    "Darling!     ZW  ling!  Pretty 

thing  ! "  To  stenographer,  "  You  don't  know  how  I 
love  this  cat.  She  came  through  the  window  one  day 
when  " 

The  gong  sounds  for  luncheon. 

The  stenographer  is  so  glad. 

Jet. 


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REMINISCENCES  OF 
LAWYER'S  CLERK. 


A 


BY 


HERBERT  KEEN. 
Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 


XII. 

A  Forgotten 
Episode. 
HEN  I  speak  of 
Lord  Brixton 
I  do  not  mean 
the  Lord  Brix- 
ton of  the 
present  day, 
who  is,  I  am 
informed,  an 
exemplary- 
young  man. 
was  another 
Brixton  of  the 
sixties  notorious 
for  fast  living,  the 
object  of  many  grave 
scandals  ;  a  wild  young 
sprig  of  nobility  of  the 
Tom  and  Jerry  type. 
The  Right  Honour- 
able Earl  of  Camberwell  would  doubtless  now  turn  up 
the  whites  of  his  eyes  at  the  mention  of  his  name. 
Everyone  knows  that  the  earl  retrieved  his  family  for- 
tunes and  found  his  own  salvation  by  marrying  the 
widow  of  a  wealthy  Manchester  cotton-spinner.  The 
lady  came  of  a  Quaker  race,  and  the  influence  of  her 
austere  piety,  combined  with  considerable  force  of 
character,  has  served  to  tinge  the  Camberwell  coronet 
with  a  halo  of  holiness.  His  lordship  is  a  shining  light 
in  Evangelical  circles,  a  politician  of  the  dullest  respecta- 
bility, a  severe  parent,  an  excellent  husband,  a  prosy 
orator,  and  a  Privy  Councillor. 


I  often  wonder  whether  his  lordship  ever  recalls  to 
mind  the  incident  I  am  going  to  relate.  If  he  does,  he 
must  confess  to  himself  that  he  owes  to  the  memory  of 
Mr.  Balthazzar  a  tribute  of  gratitude  for  an  important 
service  rendered  at  a  critical  moment. 

One  morning  I  was  summoned  to  Mr.  Balthazzar's 
room,  and  found  him  engaged  in  earnest  conversation 
with  a  lady  and  gentleman.  The  lady  was  tall,  severe- 
looking,  and  of  uncertain  age,  richly  but  soberly  dressed 
in  semi-mourning.  She  sat  bolt  upright  in  her  chair, 
listening  to  Mr.  Balthazzar's  soothing  observations  with 
an  air  of  sourness,  which  suggested  latent  suspicion. 
Her  companion  was  a  slim,  dark  young  jrentleman  of 
dissipated  aspect,  whose  face  was  pale  with  some  secret 
anxiety,  and  who  watched  the  effect  of  Mr.  Balthazzar's 
conversation  upon  the  lady  with  furtive  glances, 
of  mingled  satisfaction  and  apprehension. 

"  Of  course,  my  dear  lady,"  Mr.  Balthazzar  was  re- 
marking as  I  entered,  "  the  best  of  us  is  liable  to 
calumny;  a  nobleman  in  Lord  Brixton's  position  es- 
pecially. His  lordship  has  perhaps  been,  in  days  gone 
by,  a  little  imprudent.  But  that  was  when  he  was 
younger." 

"  Ton  my  word,  Maria,  I've  been  as  straight  as  a  die 
ever  since  I  met  you,"  asseverated  his  lordship.  "  I'm 
sorry  for  the  past,  and  all  that  sort  o'  thing.  But  I've 
turned  over  a  new  leaf — for  your  sake  ! " 

"Mrs.  Wrexham  appreciates  that,  I  am  sure,"  said  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  suasively.  "  As  for  this  letter,"  he  added, 
turning  with  a  contemptuous  air  towards  a  document 
which  lay  on  the  table  beside  him,  "  it  is  nothing  but 
a  barefaced  attempt  at  blackmail ! " 

"  It  is  most  unpleasant  for  me  to  have  received  such 
a  letter,"  sniffed  the  lady. 

"  Obviously,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar,  as  he  glanced  at 
it,  while  assuming  his  favourite  attitude  in  front  of  the 
fireplace ;  "  and  but  for  the  purely  accidental  circum- 
stance of  my  having  happened  to  meet  this  Mr.  Mildmay, 
I  might  have  been  startled  in  spite  of  his  lordship's 
emphatic  denial." 

"  Never  heard  the  name  before  in  my  life,"  interposed 
his  lordship. 

"  Exactly,  but  the  man — or  perhaps  the  lady  only — 


Copyright,  1S0S,  by  IJerlert  Keen. 


2U0 


TO-DAY. 


Arr.iL  13.  18C5. 


has  heard  your  name  and  remarked  the  resemblance 
between  you,  and  hence  this  nefarious  application.  It 
was  lucky,  madam,  that  you  took  his  lordship's  advice 
and  came  to  me.  Had  you  gone  to  a  solicitor  who  could 
not  have  personally  vouched  for  the  existence  of  Mr. 
Mildmay,  as  a  person  totally  distinct  from  his  lordship, 
you  might  have  suffered  needless  anxiety.  As  it  is,  I 
am  able  to  reassure  you  at  once." 

"Have  you  met  him  recently?"  inquired  Mrs.  Wrex- 
ham, evidently  more  startled  than  convinced  by  Mr. 
Balthazzar's  statement. 

"  I  can't  say  I  have,"  replied  Mr.  Balthazzar,  with  a 
side-glance  at  Lord  Brixton,  who  looked  particularly  ill 
at  ease.  "  I  tell  you  frankly,  I  don't  even  remember 
precisely  where  I  have  met  him.  But  I  have  an  impres- 
sion, which  I  will  verify.  Oddly  enough,  when  his  lord- 
ship walked  into  the  room  with  you  just  now,  I  thought 
I  knew  him ;  and,  of  course,  I  remember  now,  that  it 
was  this  Mr.  Mildmay  that  he  reminded  me  of." 

"  What  steps  do  you  advise  should  be  taken,  Mr. 
Balthazzar?"  inquired  the  lady  sharply.  "Of  course, 
our  marriage  must,  of  necessity,  be  postponed  until  this 
mystery  is  cleared  up." 

"  I  will  undertake  to  obtain  a  letter  of  retraction 
and  apology  from  this  Mrs. — Mrs.  Templemore,"  said 
Mr.  Balthazzar,  glancing  at  the  letter.  "If  necessary, 
Lord  Brixton  must  prosecute." 

"  I  wish  to  prosecute,"  said  his  lordship,  rather  faintly. 

"Of  course,  if  you  wish  it,  you  shall,"  said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, with  a  shrug.  "I  think,  however,  you  had 
better  be  content  with  an  apology.  The  woman  may  be 
innocent  in-so-far  as  she  may  have  been  misled  by  this 
man  Mildmay,  and  you  will  observe  there  is  no  absolute 
threat.  I  have  sent  for  my  clerk  because  I  propose  to 
write  to  her,  and  I  should  like  you  to  hear  what  I  say. 
Mr.  Millicent,  will  you  take  this  down,  please?  Address, 
'  Mrs.  Templemore,  Hope  Cottage,  Thistle  Grove,  Chel- 
sea." 

I  seated  myself  at  a  side  table,  and,  opening  my  note- 
book, wrote  from  Mr.  Balthazzar's  dictation  as  follows — 

"  Madam, — My  client,  Lord  Brixton,  has  consulted  me 
in  reference  to  an  extraordinary  letter  which  you  have 
addressed  to  Mrs.  Wrexham,-  the  lady  to'  whom  his 
lordship  is  about  to  be  married.  In  this  letter  you 
state  that  his  lordship,  under  the  assumed  name  of 
Mildmay,  ihas  been  paying  you  attention  for  some 
months  past,  and  that  he  is  under  an  engagement  to 
marry  you.  I  am  instructed  to  say,  most  emphatically, 
that  his  lordship  has  never  heard  your  name  before,  and 
has  never,  to  his  knowledge,  set  eyes  upon  you  in  his 
life.  It  is  needless  for  me  to  add  that  your  allegations, 
so  far  as  they  regard  Lord  Brixton,  are 'absolutely  un- 
founded, and  I  am  to  request  you  to  send  to  me,  by 
return  of  post,  a  formal  apology  and  retraction,  in 
•default  of  which  his  lordship  will  take  such  proceedings 
against  you  as  he  may  be  advised. 

"  His  lordship  is,  of  course,  not  concerned  with  your 
relations  with  the  gentleman  whose  name  you  mention, 
but  he  is  willing  to  believe  that  you  have  been  misled 
by  an  accidental  personal  resemblance  which  happens 
to  exist,  as  I  am  in  a  position  to  vouch,  between  his 
lordship  and  this  individual. — Your  obedient  servant." 

"That  will  do,  I  think  1 "  observed  Mr.  Balthazzar  to 
the  lady  when  he  had  finished. 

"I  suppose  so,"  said  Mrs.  Wrexham,  evidently  molli- 
fied ;  "  I  must  leave  the  matter  in  your  hands,  Mr.  Bal- 
thazar." 


"  And  I  also,  Mr.  Balthazzar.  Only  please  remember 
that  I  wish  to  prosecute,"  added  Lord  Brixton,  with 
increased  assurance,  rising,  and  buttoning  up  his  fur- 
lined  cloak. 

"  Ha  !  there  may  be  no  occasion,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar, 
deprecatingly.  "  That  letter  shall  go.  by  the  next  post, 
and  I  will  communicate  the  result.  By  the  way — one 
moment,  Millicent ! — I  may  as  well  write  to  Mr.  Mild- 
may at  the  same  time,  addressing  the  letter  to  '  Care  of 
Mrs.  Templemore.'   Just  take  this,  Millicent — 

"  Sir, — I  have  been  consulted  by  my  client,  Lord 
Brixton,  in  reference  to  an  extraordinary  letter  which 
has  been  written  by  Mrs.  Templemore  to  the  lady  to 
whom  my  client  is  about  to  be  married.  As  Mrs. 
Templemore  mentions  your  name  in  it,  I  shall  be  glad 
if  you  will  favour  me  with  a  call,  or  will  let  me  know 
your  address.  I  very  well  remember  meeting  you  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  and  you  will  doubtless  remember 
me. — Yours,  etc." 

"  That  letter  will  probably  bring  him  up,"  said  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  addressing  his  clients  in  a  matter-of-fact 
tone. 

"  Or  else  frighten  him  away,"  grumbled  his  lordship. 
"  Well,  if  it  does,  so'  much  the  better,"  said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, with  a  grin.  "  Your  talk  of  prosecuting  is  all 
very  well,  my  lord,  and  very  natural;  but  I  am  sure,  in 
cooler  moments,  you  Avill  agree  with  me  and  with  Mrs. 
Wrexham  that  a  court  of  law  is  not  a  desirable  place  to 
spend  a  honeymoon  in.    You  can  go,  Millicent."' 

I  accordingly  got  up  and  left  the  room,  observing  as 
1  did  so  that  in  her  prim,  cold  way  Lord  Brixton's  bride- 
Oifaci  was  displaying  symptoms  of  restored  confidence, 
not  only  in  her  legal  adviser,  but  in  his  lordship  also. 
The  'ady's  demeanour  had  convinced  me  that  she  had 
come  to*  the  interview  with  reluctance,  at  the  earnest 
persuasion  of  Lord  Brixton,  and  had  gradually  been  won 
over  to  a  conviction  of  his  innocence  by  Mr.  Balthazzar's 
plausible  suggestions. 

For  my  own  part  I  am  very  sorry  to  say  that  I  was  by 
no  means  satisfied  of  his  lordship's  good  faith.  It  may 
be  that  I  was  prejudiced  against  him  by  his  notorious 
antecedents,  but  his  manner  had  certainly  struck  me 
as  being  suspicious.  He  had  given  me  the  impression 
of  a  person  who  was  taking  part  in  a  scene  which  had 
been  carefully  rehearsed.  I  knew  for  a  fact  that  he 
had  been  closeted  with  Mr.  Balthazzar  for  upwards  of 
an  hcur  on  the  preceding  day,  and  I  felt  no  doubt  that 
Mrs.  Wrexham  had  not  been  made  aware  of  this  signi- 
ficant circumstance.  I  should  not,  indeed,  have  been 
surprised  to  learn  that  he  had  represented  to  the  lady 
that  he  was  a  complete  stranger  to  Mr.  Balthazzar,  and 
my  principal  had  certainly  addressed  him  as 
though  this  had  been  their  first  introduction. 
As  for  the  very  material  allegation  of  Mr. 
Mildmay,  I  strongly  suspected  that  it  was  a  Jesuitical 
assertion  which  was  capable  of  more  than  one  interpre- 
tation. 

However,  I  have  no  wish  to  do  injustice  to  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, and  others  can  draw  their  own  conclusions  as 
well  as  I  from -the 'sequel  of  events.  I  am  bound  to 
admit  that  my  principal  never  dropped  the  slightest 
hint  to  me  of  any  conscious  deceit.  On  the  contrary, 
when  I  took  the  two  letters  in  to  him  for  signature 
after  I  had  transcribed  them,  he  was  full  'of  angry  in- 
dignation at  what  he  termed  an  infamous  attempt  at 
fraud.  Now  that  his  client  had  departed,  he  expressed 
himself  much  more  strongly  about  the  object  of  the 


April  13,  1S£5. 


TO-DAY. 


291 


3etter,  and  evinced  a  fuller  knowledge  of  Mr.  Mildmay's 
•character  than  he  had  before  revealed.  He  appeared 
to  be  convinced  that  it  was  a  plot  to  extort  money  from 
Lord  Brixton  or  from  Mrs.  Wrexham,  or  both,  and 
•intimated  that,  on  further  consideration,  he  was  inclined 
to  humour  his  lordship  by  prosecuting  the  man  and  his 
•accomplice  if  the  evidence  was  only  strong  enough. 


see,  might  be  an  awkward  circumstance  for  his  lordship 
if  the  woman  persists  in  her  story." 

"Am  I  to  follow  him  wherever  he  goes,  sir  V  I  said, 
opening  my  eyes. 

"Yes,  into  the  country,  if  necessary.  Mind,  I  rely 
on  you,  Millicent.  Take  enough  money  for  cciitin- 
gsncies,  and  wire  to  me,  if  necessary,  to  report,"  replied 


SHE  SAT   nOLT  Ui'RIUHT. 


"My  only  fear  is,"  he  6aid  regretfully,  "that  when 
he  gets  my  letter  hei  will  bolt." 

"  Must  you  send  it,  sir  1 "  I  suggested. 

"Yes,"  ho  replied,  after  a  moment's  reflection,  "after 
all,  there  is  nothing  in  the  woman's  letter  which  would 
sustain  a  criminal  charge.  But  I'm  convinced  thai  the 
man  instigated  it,  and  I  don't  mean  to  lose  sight  of  him. 
Millicent,  you  must  find  out  his  address." 

"  Can't  you,  sir?"  I  inquired,  meaningly. 

"  In  time,  no'  doubt,"  he  replied,  with,  a  sharp  glance 
at  me,  "but  I've  thought  of  a  quicker  way.  I  have 
discovered  that  the  man  generally  calls  upon  Mrs.  Tem- 
plemore  at  Thistle  Grove  about  six  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. I  want  you  to  go  there  this  evening,  and  hang 
about  till  he  leaves,  and  follow  him." 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  inwardly  wondering  how  Mr. 
Balthazzar  knew  anything  about  Mr.  Mildmay's  move- 
ments. 

"  If  he  bolts — as  he  may  do  when  he  gets  my  letter — 
I  want  particularly  to  know  where  he  goes  to.  This 
i.5  a  serious  accusation  for  Lord  Brixton,  and  I  must  be 
able  to  lay  my  hand  upon  the  man  wherever  he  may  be," 
explained  Mr.  Balthazzar.    "His  disippearancei,  you 


Mr.  Balthazzar  impressively.  "  Ho  may  expect  to  be 
followed,  and  therefore  you  must  keep  out  of  his  sight." 

I  knew  my  principal  well  enough  by  this  time  not 
to  be  hoodwinked  by  his  apparent  offhandedness.  I 
perceived  quite  plainly  two  things :  first,  that  my  er- 
rand was  not  the  result  of  a  mere  passing  idea,  but  was 
part  of  a  deliberate  scheme ;  and,  secondly,  that  he  had 
more  than  a  suspicion  both  of  Mr.  Mildmay's  flight  and 
of  his  probable  destination.  The  instructions  I  had 
received  perplexed  me  by  upsetting  my  private  theory 
that  Lord  Brixton  and  Mr.  Mildmay  were  identical,  and 
I  was  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  my  principal  was 
really  acquainted  with  the  latter  as  he  had  stated. 

I  profited  by  Mr.  Balthazzar's  hint  to  provide  myself 
with  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  for  unforeseen  expenses, 
and  thus  equipped,  I  betook  myself  to  Thistle  Grove 
about  six  o'clock  the  same  evening.  I  was  guided  to 
Hope  Cottage  by  the  lamps  of  a  solitary  hansom,  which 
drew  up  at  the  gate  just  as  I  turned  the  corner.  I  was 
just  a  moment  too  late  to  gain  a  close  inspection  of  the 
occupant,  but  he  turned  to  speak  to  the  driver  as  ho 
alighted,  and  the  glimpse  I  caught  of  him  enabled  me 
to  discern  the  figure  of  a  gentleman  of  about  the  same 


TO -DAY. 


April  13,  1S93. 


height  and  build  as  Lord  Brixton.  Though  he  had 
already  been  admitted  by  the  time  I  reached  the  house, 
[  felt  no  doubt  that  Mrs.  Templemore's  visitor  was'  the 
per  sou  I  was  in  search  of. 

Th^  shutters  of  the  rooms  in  Hope  Cottage  being 
closec ,  there  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by  lurking  about 
the  house,  and  as  I  guessed  from  the  fact  of  the  hansom 
remaining  at  the  door  that  Mr.  Mildmay  only  contem- 
plated a  short  visit,  I  strolled  to  the  end  of  the  road 
and  waited  there  until  another  hansom  came  in  sight. 
This  1  hailed,  and  having  given  the  driver  instructions 
to  fellow  cautiously  the  other  cab,  I  got  inside  and 
waited  patiently 
with  a  cigar  for 
further  develop 
ments. 

After  a  reason- 
ably short  interval 
- — not  more  than 
half  an  hour — I 
was  aroused  by  the 
slamming  of  a  door 
at  Hope  Cottage, 
and  the  next 
moment  Mr.  Mild- 
may  issued  hur- 
riedly into  tha 
street.  Being  com- 
fortably seated  in  a 
hansom  at  a  short 
distance  off,  I  now 
had  a  good  oppor- 
tunity of  observing 
the  gentleman,  for 
he  stood  with  one 
foot  on  his  cab  in 
the  full  glare  of  the 
lamp,  while  he 
gave  directions  to 
the  driver.  I  be- 
held a  tall,  slim, 
Hark  young  man, 
enveloped  in  a  fur- 
lined  coat,  and  having  such  a  remarkable  resemblance  to 
Lord  Brixton,  even  in  his  attire,  that  my  old  suspicion 
instantly  revived,  until  I  recalled  to  mind  that  this, 
striking  likeness  between  the  two  men  was  at  the  root 
of  the  whole  plot. 

However,  I  had  no  leisure  for  speculation,  for  Mr. 
Mildmay's  hansom  being  driven  off  at  a  rapid  pace,  we 
soon  found  ourselves  in  the  crowded  Brompton  Road, 
where  it  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  keep  in  view  a  parti- 
cular vehicle  among  many  others  of  similar  appear- 
ance. My  driver  was  evidently  an  intelligent  young 
fellow,  and  he  carried  out  his  instructions  with  consi- 
derable skill  until  he  reached  Piccadilly.  Here,  as  ill- 
luck  would  have  it,  our  progress  was  checked  by  a  police- 
man at  a  crossing,  while  the  cab  in  front  of  us  was  per- 
mitted to  proceed  on  its  way.  The  result  was  that,  by 
the  time  we  were  released,  the  other  hansom  was  quite 
out  of  sight,  and  though  my  driver  soon  made  up  for 
lost  time,  he  at  length  admitted,  through  the  trap,  that 
the  check  had  proved  fatal. 

We  had  nearly  reached  Piccadilly  Circus,  and  keen 
though  I  was  to  recover  the  lost  scent,  I  saw  no  object  in 
gou-,'  further.    It  seemed  as  though  my  expedition 


HE  TURNED  TO  SPEAK  TO  THE  DRIVER. 


had  already  come  to  an  ignominious  termination,  and  S 
could  think  of  nothing  better  to  do  than  to  hasten  back 
to  Mount  Street  in  the  hope  of  finding  Mr.  Balthazzar- 
still  at  the  office.    My  driver  had  already  turned  with 
this  object,  when  suddenly  he  pulled  up  his  horse  almost 
upon  its  haunches,  and  whispered  excitedly — 
"All  right,  sir;  there  he  is — round  that  corner!" 
"How  do  you  know.'"  I  inquired,  anxiously. 
"  I  recognised  the  man,  sir ;  seems  to  be  waiting  for 
his  fare  a  few  doorsi  up." 

I  bounded  recklessly  into  the  roadway,  and  hurried 
to  the  adjoining  corner.    There,  sure  enough,  up  a  side 

street,  waiting  at 
the  door  of  one  of 
the  houses,  was  the 
cab  which  we  had 
been  following,  and 
from  the  composure 
with  which  the 
driver  remained  in 
his  seat  it  was 
obvious  that  he 
was  expecting  the 
early  reappearance 
of  his  fare. 

I  was  greatly 
elated  and  relieved;, 
and  being  resolved 
no  longer  to  risk 
relying  upon  the- 
ditficult  task  of 
following,  I  beck- 
oned to  my  hansom 
to  draw  up  at  a 
convenient  spot 
against  the  kerb  in. 
the  main  thorough- 
fare, while  I  hung 
about  Mr.  Mild- 
may's  hansom,  hop- 
ing to  overhear  the 
direction  he  gave  to- 
the  driver.  I  was 
enabled  to  do  this,  because  the  street,  though  small  and 
narrow,  was  a  short  cut  between  Piccadilly  and  Regent 
Street,  and  was  therefore  sufficiently  crowded  for  con- 
venient loitering.  The  house  which  Mr.  Mildmay  had: 
apparently  entered  was  evidently  a  lodging-house,, 
respectable  no  doubt  of  its  kind,  and  just  such  a  habita- 
tion as  would  be  chosen  by  an  impecunious  man  about 
town. 

Mr.  Mildmay  remained  indoors  so  long  that  even, 
his  driver  showed  signs  of  impatience,  and  began  to- 
cast  suspicious  glances  up  at  the  windows.  At  length, 
however,  he  came  out,  carrying  a  good-sized  portman- 
teau, and  from  my  post  of  observation  at  the  rear  of' 
his  cab  I  was  rewarded  by  hearing  his  laconic  injunc- 
tions to  the  driver — 

"Charing  Cross — quick!"  he  exclaimed,  as  he- 
entered. 

I  hurried  to  my  own  cab,  and  in  a  few  moments  had' 
the  satisfaction  of  rattling  down  the  Haymarket,  im- 
mediately behind  the  other  vehicle.  So  far  so  good, 
and  Mr.  Balthazzar's  prognostication  had  turned  out 
correct.  No  doubt  Mr.  Mildmay,  on  receiving  his  letter, 
which  he  must  have  found  awaiting  him  at  Hope- 


April  13,  lS9o. 


TO-DAY. 


293 


•C  rth.uo  in  the  ordinary  course  of  post,  bad  taken  alarm 
tod  decided  upon  instant  flight. 

But  what  startled  me  was  that,  judging  from  his 
destination  being  that  of  Charing  Cross  station,  it 
seemed  probable  that  Mr.  Mildmay  was  bound  for  the 
Continent !  I  had  never  anticipated  such  a  journey.  I 
bad  money  enough,  fortunately,  but  I  had  no  luggage, 
no  railway  rug,  nothing,  in  fact,  but  the  clothes  I  stood 
in.  There  would  be  no  time  to  buy  anything  either, 
and  I  hesitated  whether  my  instructions  compelled  me 
to  proceed  further. 

I  felt,  however,  that  I  had  no  alternative  but  to  follow 
Mr.  Mildmay  till  ordered  to  desist,  and  I  therefore 
resolved  to  sacrifice  my  own  comfort  and  inclination  to 
the  call  of  duty.  It  was  fortunate  that  I  was  prepared 
"for  the  worst,  for  at  the  booking-office  at  Charing  Cross 
I  heard  Mr.  Mildmay  take  a  ticket  for  Paris;  and  it 
was  then  that  I  realised  for  the  first  time  that,  close  as 
-the  resemblance  was,  this  individual  was  not  in  fact 
(Lord  Brixton.  His  voice  had  previously  struck  me  as 
being  unfamiliar,  but  when  I  had  overheard  him  giving 
the  direction  to  the  cabman  my  mind  had  been  pre- 
occupied. Now  that  I  had  more  leisure  for  observation, 
his  tone  and  accent  were  obviously  coarser  and  less 
•educated  than  those  of  his  lordship. 

Well,  I  followed  Mr.  Mildmay's  example,  and  booked 
for  Paris,  and  I  willingly  spare  myself  the  recital  of 
the  discomfort  I  suffered  on  that  miserable  journey. 
The  cold  was  intense,  we  had  a.  dreadful  crossing,  and 
the  close  watch  I  kept  upon  Mr.  Mildmay  effectually 
banished  all  idea  of  rest  and  slumber.  Until  we  reached 
Dover  I  did  not  think  he  had  the  least  idea  that  he  was 
being  followed ;  but  when  w^e'  boarded  the  steamer,  in 
my  anxiety  lest  he  should  double  back  and  give  me 
the  slip,  I  expect  that  I  obtruded  myself  upon  his 
notice.  At  all  events,  from  that  time  it  was  obvious  to 
me  that  he  kept  as  much  as  possible  out  of  sight,  and 
the  fact  naturally  increased  my  apprehensions.  I  saw 
him  safely  into  the  train  at  Calais,  travelled  in  the  next 
compartment,  and  was  on  the  alert  at  every  stopping- 
place  until  we  reached  Paris. 

Here,  also,  I  flatter  myself  that  there  was  no  relaxa- 
tion of  vigilance  on  my  part,  though  I  was  overcome 
with  fatigue,  and  cold  and  sleeplessness.  But  the  Paris 
terminus,  with  the  Douane  arrangements,  is  an  awkward 
place  for  shadowing,  especially  when  there  is  a  crowd, 
and  when  one's  intellect  is',  perhaps,  somewhat  be- 
numbed. How  it  happened  exactly  I  did  not  know  ;  I 
watched  him  while  his  luggage  was  being  examined, 
but,  having  none  of  my  own,  I  was  jealously  excluded 
from  the  sallc,  and  the  result  was  that,  by  some  means 
or  other,  Mr.  Mildmay  evaded  me  at  this  point.  He 
must  have  escaped  by  some  side  door,  and  having  waited 
patiently  until  all  the  luggage  had  been  cleared,  and 
the  salle  closed  again,  I  was  humiliated  to  find  myself 
the  last  passenger  remaining  in  the  station. 

I  was  too  wearied  and  miserable  to  feel  the  slightest 
"inclination  to  attempt  to  pick  up  the  trail  again.  I 
could  speak  French  very  little  and  knew  Paris  only- 
slightly.  Besides,  what  chance  had  I  of  coming  across 
Mr.  Mildmay  again  in  a-  vast,  strange  city  ?  I  contented 
myself,  therefore,  with  despatching  a  telegram  to  Mr. 
Balthazzar  to  inform  him  of  what  had  happened,  and 
then  proceeded  to  refresh  myself  with  a  meal  and  a 
•few  hours'  sleep  at  the  nearest  hotel.  I  received  a  reply 
from  my  principal  requesting  me  to  return  by  the 
•evening  mail,  and  I  spent  the  afternoon  agreeably  enough 


in  strolling  about  the  streets  of  the  Palais  Royale. 

I  dined  luxuriously  at  a  fashionable  restaurant  on. 
the  Boulevard  des  Italiens — knowing  that  Mr.  Balthazzar 
was  always  liberal  in  the  matter  of  expenses— and  there 
I  was  handed  a  copy  of  Galignani's  Messenger.  By 
a  curious  coincidence  the  very  first  name  that  caught  my 
eye  when  I  opened  the  paper  was  that  of  Lord  Brixton ! 
The  item  of  news  referring  to  him  was  contained  in  a 
telegraphic  account  from  one  of  the  news  agencies  of  a 
debate  in  the  House  of  Commons  on  the  preceding 
evening.  Lord  Brixton,  who  was  an  infrequent  speaker, 
and  apparently  unaccustomed  to  the  rules  of  debate, 
had  persistently  evaded  some  point  of  order,  which  had 
elicited  the  righteous  wrath  of  the  Chair.  Later  on  I 
found  that  the  incident  was  heralded  on  the  placards 
of  the  daily  papers  as  "  Scene  in  the  House."  I  wonder 
wha';  the  Earl  of  Camberwell  would  say  to  such  conduct 
to-day  1 

This  announcement  would  have  definitely  disposed 
of  any  shadow  of  doubt  I  might  have  entertained  of 
the  identity  of  Lord  Brixton  with  Captain  Mildmay. 
It  was  abundantly  clear  that,  as  his  lordship  was  dis- 
tinguishing himself  in  the  House  last  night,  he  could 
not  possibly  have  been  at  the  same  time  journeying  to 
Paris,  and  I  mentally  reproached  myself  for  Laving 
suspected  Mr.  Balthazzar's  veracity. 

Next  day  I  was  back  in  England,  and  wdien  I  reached 
the  office  I  was  spared  any  reproaches;  in  fact,  Mr. 
Balthazzar  was  in  a  radiant  humour,  though  inclined  to 
be  jocular  at  my  expense ;  for  he  had  received  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Mildmay  by  the  morning  post,  written  from 
Paris,  and  exulting  at  having  outwitted  me.  But  Mr. 
Mildmay's  letter  was  important  in  other  respects,  for 
besides  affording  tangible  evidence  of  that  gentleman's 
existence,  it  contained  an  admission  that  he  had  led 
Mrs.  Templemore  to  believe  that  he  was  Lord  Brixton, 
though  he  excused  himself  by  saving  that  it  was  the 
lady  herself  who  first  suggested  the  idea,  and  that  he 
had  humoured  it  more  by  way  of  jest  than  anything 
else. 

"  H'm  !  "  grunted  Mr.  Balthazzar,  "  that  is  all  very 
well.  But  I  wonder  what  the  lady  will  say.  He  writes 
he  has  advised  her  toi  call  upon  me.  If  she  comes  you 
had  better  be  in  the  way,  for  your  evidence  may  be 
useful,  Millicent." 

lie  looked  at  me  rather  oddly  as:  he  spoke,  and  a  vague 
glimmering  of  a  startling  idea,  flashed  across  my  mind. 
It  was  not  until  later,  however,  that  it  developed  itself, 
and  when,  in  the  afternoon,  he  announced  through  the 
speaking-tube  that  Mrs.  Templemore  had  called,  and 
requested  me  to  step  into  his  room,  I  was  still  in  a  con- 
dition of  child-like  innocence.. 

Mrs.  Templemore  was  a  tall,  dark-browed,  handsome 
woman,  with  flashing  eyes,  vermilion  cheeks,  and  an 
unmistakable  temper.  But  such  was  the  soothing  effect 
of  Mr.  Balthazzar's  persuasiveness  that  the  lady  had 
already  attained  some  degree  of  calm  by  the  time  I 
entered,  though  her  hea,ving  bosom  gave  evidence  of 
turbulent,  emotions  with  difficulty  suppressed. 

"I  know  quite  well  that  he  is  Lord  Brixton,"  the 
lady  was  persisting  defiantly. 

'  But  you  have  his  own  letter,  written  from  Paris, 
confessing  that  he  isn't ;  admitting  that  he  has  deceived 
you  ! "  said  Mr.  Balthazzar  mildly. 

"How  could  he  have  written  from  Paris  yesterday 
when  he  was  speaking  in  Parliament  at  midnight  on 
the  night  before?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Templemore. 


204 


TO-DAY. 


ArRiL  13,  1895. 


"Exactly,"  remarked  Mr.  Balthazzar,  enigmatically. 

'  I  mean  that  he  isn't  in  Paris  at  all.  This  letter  is 
a  humbug.  Ha  never  wrote  it,"  said  the  lady  vehe- 
m^rtly. 

"  But  you  admit  that  you  recognise  the  handwriting. 
The  letter  has  obviously  come  through  the  post.  It 
bears  the  official  post-mark.  My  dear  madam,  pray  be 
reasonable,"  protested  Mr.  Balthazzar.  "  When  did  you 
see  him  last?" 

"  On  Thursday  evening,"  said  Mrs.  Templemore,  sul- 
lenly. 

"Did  he  say  nothing  about  going  away?"  inquired 
Mr.  Balthazzar  gently. 

"  Yes,  he  did.  He  received  your  letter,  and  pretended 
to  bo  frightened  at  it.  But  it  was  all  a  plant.  He 
didn't  go.  He 
spoke  in  the  House 
the  same  night," 
cried  the  lady 
angrily,  but  evi- 
dently more 
shaken  than  she 
cared  to  admit. 

"  My  dear  lady, 
I  called  in  my 
clerk,  Mr.  Milli- 
cent,  to  tell  you 
his  little  story. 
Ask  him  what 
questions  you  like; 
test  him  how  you 
will;  cross-ex- 
amine him.  Judge 
for  yourself  if  he 
is  lying  or  speak- 
ing  the  truth," 
said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar smiling. 

"  What  does  he 
know  about  it  1 " 
inquired  Mrs. 
Templemore,  flash- 
her  dark  eyes  over 
me. 

"He  accom- 
panied Mr.  Mild- 
may  to  Paris  by 
the  mail  train  on 
Thursday  night," 
replied  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar quietly, 

"Now,  Mr.  Millicent,  tell  the  lady  everything,  and 
answer  all  her  questions." 

Though  a  little  disconcerted  by  the  steady  persistent 
stare  with  which  the  lady  regarded  me,  I  narrated  as 
clearly  as  I  could  the  incidents  of  the  eventful  evening, 
commencing  with  my  having  seen  Mr.  Mildmay  enter 
her  house  at  the  hour  I  named,  and  ending  with  my 
discomfiture  at  the  Paris  terminus. 

Either  Mrs.  Templemore  was  so  utterly  taken  aback 
that  her  speech  failed  her,  or  else  she  was  convinced  by 
my  manner  that  I  spoke  the  truth,  for  she  never  inter- 
rupted me  by  a  single  word  or  gesture,  and  when  I  had 
finished  she  burst  into  tears. 

"  The  artful  scoundrel !  He  always  let  me  believe  ho 
was  Lord  Brixton,  though  he  never  exactly  owned  to 
it,"  she  sobbed  hvsterically. 


'I  KNOW  QUITE  WELL  THAT  HE  IS  LORD  BRIXTOX 


"My  dear  Mrs.  Templemore,  Mildmay  has  treated  you- 
shamefully — most  shamefully.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
painful  cases  I  have  ever  experienced,"  said  Mr.  Bal- 
thazzar, leaning  forward  and  patting  the  lady's  arm  in, 
quite  a  fatherly  manner. 

"He's  a  low  cad,  and  I've  done  with  him  for  ever. 
Did  he  mention  anything  about  his  letters?"  inquired' 
Mrs.  Templemore  with  sudden  alacrity. 

"  He  authorises  me  to  give  you  £50  a  piece  for  them," 
whispered  Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  The  mean  hound.  He  knew  how  many  he  wrote, 
I'll  be  bound,"  cried  the  lady. 

"  Eleven,  I  believe ;  quite  a  handsome  sum,"  said' 
Mr.  Balthazzar. 

"  You  will   find   'em  all   there,"  exclaimed  Mrs. 

Templemore,  pro- 
ducing a  packet 
from  her  bosom, 
and  throwing 
them  on  the  table 
with  the  air  of  a. 
tragedy  queen. 
"I'll  take  the 
money  in  notes, 
please,"  sheadded, 
as  she  dried  her 

fine  eyes. 

*'       *  * 

"  A  scandalous 
case,  Millicent, 
but  a  satisfactory 
ending,"  said  Mr. 
Balthazzar  to  me- 
when  Mrs.  Temple- 
more had  taken 
her  departure  in 
tolerable  good 
humour,  and  with 
many  expressions 
of  esteem  for  my 
principal.  "  Mr. 
Mildmay  has  got 
oft'  cheaply.  Will 
you  please  tie  these 
letters  together 
and  put  them  in 
the  safe?" 

"  What  about 
the  one  you 
hold  in  your  hand, 
sir?" 

"  This  ?  Oh  !  it  is  the  one  Mr.  Mildmay  wrote  to 
me.  I  propose  to  send  it  to  Mrs.  Wrexham.  It  will 
ease  her  mind,  for  it  is  practically  a  confession  on  the 
part  of  Mr.  Mildmay,"  said  Mr.  Balthazzar  briskly. 

"You  have  no  doubt  noticed  that  it  is  in  a  different 
handwriting  from  all  Mr.  Mildmay's  other  letters,"  I 
said  quietly. 

"  Who  do  you  suppose  wrote-  it,  then  ? "  inquired  Mr. 
Balthazzar,  looking  rather  startled. 

"  Sharpe,  the  detective,  sir.  I  recognise  his  hand, 
but,  of  course,  Mrs.  Wrexham  won't.  I  can  see  how  I 
was  taken  in.  It  was  Lord  Brixton  whom  I  followed 
from  Mrs.  Teniplemore's  house  to  Piccadilly,  but  from, 
there  Sharpe  personated  him.  The  letter  Mrs.  Temple- 
more received  from  Paris  was  written  by  Lord  Brixton, 
and  posted  there  by  Sharpe.    The  other  supposed  letter 


April  13,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


from  Mildmay  addressed  to  you  was  copied  by  Sharps 

himself  and  " 

"You  must  be  dreaming,  Millicent,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Balthazzar  drily.  "  Anyhow,  I  have  got  all  the  corres- 
pondence now.  Your  journey  has  served  its  purpose. 
You  had  better  forget  the  whole  affair." 


Which  I  have  made  a  point  of  doing  until  now,  when, 
as  Mr.  Balthazzar  is  dead,  and  the  Eail  of  Camberwell 
is  sanctified  beyond  the  reach  of  scandal,  I  need  have 
no  scruple  about  telling  it. 

(conclusion  of  series.) 


THE    OTHER  IRELAND. 


Bt  degrees  we  are  discovering  the  beauties  of  our 
own  country.  Scotland  was  first  looked  after,  and 
sportsmen  found  themselves  disputing  the  honours  of 
possession  with  tourists,  the  Lake  district  was  sung  into 
fame  by  the  poets,  Besant  turned  our  thoughts  to  the 
Scilly  Islands  with  "  Armorel,"  and  Wales  fought  its 
own  battle  with  its  mountains  and  vales.  Now  we  have 
a  champion  for  St.  Patrick's  land  in  Mr.  J.  W.  Crossley, 
of  tho  Irish  Tourist  Development  Association.  In  a 
brief  chat  I  had  with  him  the  other  day  he  almost 
determined  me  on  my  next  holiday  by  his  enthusiasm. 

"Ireland,"  he  said,  "is  misunderstood.  The  English- 
man looks  upon  her,  so  to  speak,  as  the  land  of  St. 
Politic,  not  as  that  of  St.  Patrick.  We  have  moun- 
tains like  Wales,  we  have  lakes  that  Switzerland  might 
envy,  we  have  sport  that  Scotland  cannot  beat,  we  have 
spots  where  the  archaeologist  may  revel  and  the 
botanist  dream.  We 
have  everything  to  tempt 
the  tired  who  love  the 
beautiful,  and  who  long 
to  get  away  from  the 
conventional  run  up  the 
Rhine,  or  the  week  in 
Paris,  when  Paris  has 
gone  to  the  seaside.  In 
spite  of  all  this,  England 
will  persist  in  looking 
upon  it  as  a  distressful 
country,  with  politicians 
as  its  only  claim  to  dis- 
tinction !  " 

"  Well,"  Mr.  Crossley, 
I  suggested,  "  England 
cannot  be  held  solely  to 
blame  ;  we  certainly  hear 
mough  of  Ireland  in  one 
way  or  another  ? " 

"  There  you  are  right ; 
quite  right.  Ireland  is  to 
blame,  and  to  blame  onl}7. 
Those  who  should,  and 
could,  make  Ireland  a 
favourite  tourist  ground 
do  nothing.  Corre- 
spondents hf„ve  assured 
me  that  when  they  say 
to  the  local  folk,  '  How 
is  it  you  don't  get  more 
to  come  and  see  this 
beautiful  spot  ?'  they  re- 
ply, '  Oh,  Mr.  Crossley 
and  his  Tourist  Develop- 
ment Agency  are  doing 
it  for  us.'  That's  where  it  is,  I  am  expected  to  do 
everything,  and  they  wait  at  home  for  results  and  do 
nothing.  Ireland  is  to  blame  for  its  wrongs — by 
tourists.  But  I  think  this  is  coming  to  an  end.  They 
are  waking  up  by  degrees,  and  are  cleaning  up  their 
houses — " 

"And  hotels?" 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Crossley,  with  a  laugh,  "  for  the  first 
time  for  centuries  you  can  sleep  in  comfort.  The  rail- 
way companies  are  also  laying  down  something  like 
£100,00U  for  the  building  of  hotels  at  all  the  most 
famous  spots." 


"  The.  tourist  nowadays,"  I  suggested,  "is  so  pam- 
perea  that  he  understands  his  independent  position. 
What  can  you  offer,  say,  to  the  sportsman,  the  golfer, 
the  cyclist,  the  oarsman,  the  angler,  and  the  mountain 
climber  l " 

"  For  the  cyclist  we  offer  splendid  roads  and  a  hospi- 
table peasantry  and  hotel  keepers ;  every  golf  player 
knows  perfectly  well  that  he  can  do  no  better  than  come 
to  Ireland,  angler  and  oarsman  will  find  lakes  and 
rivers  that  will  more  than  favourably  surprise  them, 
and  sportsmen — well,  in  regard  to  sportsmen  I  will  be 
frank.  The  truth  is  this,  there  is  too  much  poaching, 
and  until  the  Game  Laws  are  enforced  sportsmen  will 
figh^  shy  of  taking  shooting  lands.  The  Irishman  can- 
not see  that  he  is  his  worst  enemy  when  he  poaches  a 
pheasant  or  a  hare,  and  sells  it  for  a  few  coppers.  He 
cries,  'No  coercion,'  if  he  is  prosecuted,  and  that,  I 
believe,  is  why  so  few  sportsmen  care  to  rent  these 
lands,  although  thev  know  that  the  game  there  is 
magnificent.  The  Scotch  are  different.  They  appre- 
ciate that  it  is  bread  and 


HE.   J.   W.  CROSSLEY 


butter  to  them  to  keep  the 
game  up  to  its  finest  point, 
but  the  Irishman,  I  am. 
afraid,  does  not  see  that. 
He  thinks  of  the  pennies 
and  forgets  the  hundreds 
that  would  be  brought  in- 
to his  district  if  only  the 
wealthy  would  shoot  over 
the  land." 

"And  Pat,  how  do  you 
find  him  as  a  host  when 
once  he  finds  his  visitor?" 

"The  best  fellow  in  the 
•world.  Hewilldoanythim;' 
for  you  ;  he  would  refuse 
to  give  you  a  glass  of 
water,  and  would  persist 
in  your  waiting  while  he 
caught  the  cow  to  milk 
it.  He  will  walk 
miles  to  show  3'ou  the 
sights  without  any 
thought  of  a  fee.  Go 
into  Wicklow  where  the 
scenery  is  pretty,  into 
Kerry  where  it  is  beauti- 
ful, into  Coniiemara 
wl  ere  it  is  grand,  into 
Donegal  where  it  is  wild 
and  mountainous,  and 
you  will  find  everyone 
anxious  to  greet  you, 
"id  to  make  you  com 
fortable  and  at  home. 
But  above  all  tell  your 
readers  to  go  to  the  Hill  of  Howth,  near  Dublin,  where 
you  get  one  of  the  grandest  views  in  Europe,  and  to  the 
Achill  Islands  where  the  fuchsias  grow  wild,  and  you 
can  easily  imagine  yourself  in  the  tropics.  But  I  am 
sure  the  tourists  who  knows  that  Killarney  is  beautiful 
and  does  not  know  that  we  can  show  him  even 
more  beautiful  lakes,  that  the  Giant's  Causeway  is 
wonderful,  and  does  not  think  we  can  show 
more  wonderful  things  still,  need  only  once  be  told 
that  we  will  do  everything  that  mortals  can  do  to  make 
for  him.a  delightful  holiday  to  decide  him  to  come  over 
to  Ireland."  "  II.  J.  p. 


2  J  V 


TO-DAY. 


April  13,  ISOo. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 

Bear  Nell. — Though  this  is  such  a  deadly  dull  time 
of  year,  being  Lent,  and  no  socialities  going  on,  London 
is  surprisingly  full,  and  the  West-end  thoroughfares  are 
crowded  »vith  vehicles  and  pedestrians.  There  seems  to 
be  an  immense  amount  of  shopping  going  on,  for  when 
we  go  into  a  shop  there  is  hardly  room  at  the  counter  for 
us,  and  the  assistants  seem  to  be  as  busy  as  they  possibly 
can  be.  Nothing  airy  and  fragile  is  seasonable  just  yet, 
and  there  is  a  certain  amount  of  solidity  about  the  coats 
and  gowns  that  are  purchased.  I  very  much  admired  a 
cape  that  I  saw  changing  owners  the  other  day.  It  was 
being  bought  by  a  tall, 
slim  woman  with  bur- 
nished fair  hair,  and 

a  complexion  in  which  

art  had  been  skilfully 

utilised  in  supplement-  — -  \  .. 

ing  the  good  gifts  of 
nature.  Her  features 
were  finely  cut,  and  so 
delicately  applied  were 
the  soft  touches  of 
pink  that  she  might 
have  been  any  age 
between  twenty  -  four 
and  thirty-four.  The 
cape  was  a  double  one 
of  box  -  cloth,  full 
enough  about  the 
edges,  but  fitting 
accurately  on  the 
shoulders,  from  where 
it  jutted  out  in  an 
unbroken  slant.  The 
velvet  collar  was  in  a 
fawn  tint,  deeper  and 
greyer  than  that  of  the 
cloth,  and  the  lining — 
delicious  touch  ! — was 
amber  satin,  of  a 
sweet,  clear  shade, 
that  reminded  me  of 
looking  at  the  light 
through  a  pale  amber 
bead. 

I  should  have  liked 
a  cape  like  if,  but  i: 
was  a  ruinous  price, 
and,  after  all,  capes  are 
not  nearly  so  protec- 
tive as  coats,  and  this 
one  was  better  suited 
for  country  wear  or  for 
driving,  or  for  San- 
down  than  for  town, 
where  I  should  chielly 
have  to  wear  it.  I; 
that  "  sour  grapes," 
or  is  it  true  philosophy  1 
Please  gratify  me  by 
setting  it  down  to  the 
latter  decidedly  su- 
perior cause. 

Nina  says  that  her 
thirty-guinea  sealskin 

cape  is  no  good  whatever  on  a  cold  day,  letting  the  cold 
breezes  in  underneath  and  only  keeping  the  chest  and 
shoulders  warm.  She  declares  that  her  hands  and  arms 
are  quite  chilly,  notwithstanding  their  overlay  of  golden 
guineas. 

I  send  you  an  illustration  of  a  spring  costume  in  tweed, 
with  plain  gored  skirt  and  jacket  bodice.  The  double 
revers  are  in  deep  plum  coloured  velvet  and  white  satin  ; 
the  vest  is  wiiite  satin,  with  paste  buttons.  At  the  waist 


FOR  THE  SPRING 


a  double  tab  of  velvet  aad  satin  holds  the  jack  ?t-bod  ce 
t  jgether.  The  collar  is  white  chi  i'en  with  k.iots  of 
heliotrope  velvet ;  crystal  buttons  ornamenting  the 
centre.  The  bishop  sleeves  are  turned  b:  ci  with  white 
satin  cuffs.  The  basque  of  the  jac'iet-bodke  is  very  full. 
The  hat  is  1 1  'aw,  trimmed  with  shaded  roses. 

I  was  granted  a  private  view  of  a  very  inviting 
costume  for  wearing  at  Sandown.  The  skirt  was 
crepon  of  course — two-thirds  of  the  skirts  are  this  sea- 
son. The  colour  was  rather  a  bright  tone  of  navy  blue, 
answering  the  light  more  responsively  than  any  of  the 
deeper  shades — rather  a  dangerous  tint  for  sallow 
wearers,  by  the  way,  since  it  brings  out  all  the  yellow 
in  the  skin.    The  sleeves  also  were  in  the  blue  crcpon, 

tight  from  wrist  to 
elbow,  and  madj  with 
lull  drooping  puffs 
above,  overlaid  with 
tatitt  ribbons,  rever- 
sible tan  with  light 
blue,  and  twisted  in 
the  centre  so  as  to 
turn  the  light  blue  out, 
so  that  the  two  colours 
made  a.  very  pleasant 
mixture  with  the  dark. 
The  bodice  was  pale 
blue  silk,  covered  with 
tan-coloured  silk  mus- 
lin, and  held  in  at 
the  waist  with  the 
ribbon  turned  tan  side 
out.  A  collar  of  pale 
blue  velvet  sewn  over 
with  dark  blue  se- 
quins made  a  pretty 
and  a  very  becoming 
finish.  Separate  en- 
tirely from  this  was  a 
lovely  little  zouave  of 
tan  velvet,  lined  with 
pale  blue  and  bordered 
with  a  dark  blue 
sequined  braid  or 
galloon,  from  which 
hung  small  balloon- 
shaped  beads  of  dark 
blue.  Epaulets  of  the 
velvet  hung  over  the 
tops  of  the  sleeves, 
edged  and  fringed  like 
ilie  rest  of  the  zouave, 
v  Inch  was  long 
enough  to  reach  the 
waist  at  the  back, 
avoiding  the  patchy 
look  that  is  the 
consequence  of  an 
interval  showing  be- 
tween. This  zouave 
was  meant  for  wear- 
ing in  the  house  when 
the  weather  is  very 
cold,  or  for  completing 
the  dress  for  outdoor 
in  the  sunny  days  of 
April. 

The  shoulder-cover- 
ing for  Sandown  to  go  with  this  cr;ss  is  a  tan  velvet 
cape,  with  white  satin  let  in  in  gores  from  the  base 
upwards,  these  gores  being  embroidered  with  tan- 
coloured  braid  and  dark  blue  sequins.  A  collar  of 
dark  sable  added  its  deep  note  of  colour  to  an  exquisite 
little  play  of  brown  and  blue.  The  cape  was  lined 
with  pale  blue  surah  shot  with  tan. 

How  do  you  like  it  1  I  amused  myself  by  thinking 
out  the  sort  of  headgear  that  would  look  well  with  it. 


April  13,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


297 


"Sanitas  Oil" 

Prevents  and  Cures 

bronchitis;  Influenza, 
diphtheria, 

:.*      -AND  ALL 

LUNG  AND  THROAT  AFFECTIONS. 


"TO 
BREATHE 
S  ANITAS 

IS  TO 
BREATHE 
HEALTH." 

Gordon  Stables, 
CM.  M.D.,  fi.JV. 


.  ..  INn*Lt>A?IU    rumi.UMi  c  nun: 
"'SANITAS  OIL."  " 


.Pamphlets  Free  on  application. 
THE  SANITAS  GOM  PA  NY,  LI  M ITED, 
Bethnal  Green,  London,  E. 


"  Sanitas  "  Oil,  Is.  Bottles  ;  Pocket  Inhalers,  Is.  each ; 
Fumigators,  2s.  6d.  each. 
"Sanitas "-Eucalyptus  Disinfectors,  xS.  each. 
"  Sanitas  "-Eucalyptus  Oil,  Is.  Bottles. 

CREME  VIOLET 

FOR   THE   COMPLEXION   AND  SKIN. 

"  Nadixe"  in  "  Our  Home "  says— "  For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  is  an 
absolute  specific.'  ...  ,  ,  .  .  . 

"  Medica  "  in  "  Woman  "  says—"  It  will  soon  make  your  skm  as  soft  as  you  can  wish. 

" Suzette"  in  "To-Day "  savs— "  It  is  a  splen.h.l  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  you 
will  persevere  in  its  use,  vou  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skm  gradually  improve,  becoming 
soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a  sweet  expression,  that  any 
face  could  have." 

CltSlIE  r>E  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  ointment,  but  is  a  liquid  preparation 
pure  and  Exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  ingredients.  It  is  absolutely 
colourless,  and,  as  it  is  free  from  sediment,  it  does  not  clog  the  pores,  but  assists  their 

£unOf°CShemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is.  and  2s.  Cd.  (see  that  the  signature— 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label) ;  or  sent  direct,  poet  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 


ixtra  from- 


LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 

flowlancL£ 
Odonto 

An  antiseptic,  preservative,  and  aromatic  dentifrice,  which  whitens  the 
teeth,  prevents  and  arrests  decay,  and  sweetens  the  breath.  It  contains 
no  mineral  acids,  no  gritty  matter  or  injurious  astringents,  keeps  the 
mouth;  gums,  and  teeth  free  from  the  unhealthy  action  of  germs  in 
organic  matter  between  the  teeth,  and  is  the  most  wholesome  tooth 
powder  for  smokers.   Known  for  60  years  to  be  the  best  Dentifrice. 

Ask  anywhere  for  ROWLANDS'  ODONTO,  2s.  9d.  per  box. 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
Shoe  Elevator(Patented).— Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Bernera 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


HOW  ANNOYING ! 

V  IT  IS  TO  FIND 

&  a  hole  burnt 


BECAUSE  YOU  FORGOT  TO  USE 

FLEMINGS  ARAB1NE 

J|        MARKING  INK  evI&Rhcre 
"atfWM^fc  SgPiS5 60a1/-  D.FLEMING  rehfieidsi  Glasgow 


MADAME  CORISANDE— SEn  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisande  "  matchless  fordelicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  5/3.  The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children  Is.  6d.  The  l^cly 
Corisande  Hair  Food,"  2/9  &  3/3.  Only  address  548,  Oxford  St.,H;  de  Pk.,W. 

DON'T  JYIISS 

THE  SPRING  NUMBER, 

NOW    ON  SALE. 


TJIGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 

M    tvtr<?  flEABUBN,  13,  Bonchurch  Eoad,  North  Kensington  (close 
t^oSm?ta\^  ' 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  »  Guineas 
French  principles,    T-"w  "w"  Materials  made  u 


Smart  Costumes 
All  Bodices  cut  on 
Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  A.I  Is. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


1 


J 

Cockspur   Street,  London. 

N "VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


j_)ESERVE  FUND  OVER  £.500,000. 
JTJOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMEN  . 


S 


;iEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


j^JARKET  REPORT 

kUR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


(V 


J^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES    PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
HALF  PER  CENT. 
<<  JJOW  TO  OPERATE 

SUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 

rjTWENTY- SEVENTH  EDITION. 

JENT  POST  FREE. 


s 


PHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART  I.-STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and    hares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modesof  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three   Monthly  Settlements 

System'. 

Coiiipari  -on  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.- HOW  TO  OPERATE. 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
''A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  PricesRecorded 

from  1888  to  1833  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  ShorL  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can   Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully  ? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  Iried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  done  where  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


NO  LATE  FROST  IN  THIS !  The 

PRINB  NUMBER  OF  "TO-DAY 


5» 


NOW  READY. 


See  Advertisement  on  Page  312. 


A  BEAUTIFUL  COMPLEXION 

Produced, by  "CALFMAN'S  ROSE  x\ND  JESSAMINE."  Genuinely 
marvellous.  Clears  off  all  imperfections  in  a  few  days.  One  of  the 
most  delightful  and  harmless  preparations  ever  made.  It  removes 
Freckles,  Pimples,  Warts,  Redness,  Roughness,  Irritation;  unsurpassed 
for  driving  away  Impurities,  also  healing,  cleansing,  beautifying,  leaving 
a  Spotless,  Soft,  Fair,  Velvety  Skin.  Bottles,  4s.  6d.,  post  free, 
under  cover. 

H.  M.  CALFMAN,  Market  Place,  Newbury. 


Turkish  Steam  Massage 
Complexion  Treatments 

Are  marvellously  beneficial  in  Purifying  and 
Beautifying  the  Skin. 
Produces  a  healthy,  rosy,  and  velvety  complexion. 
Removes  and  prevents  wrinkles,  tan,  blotches, 
freckles,  pimples,  blackheads,  eczema,  and  all  other 
blemishes.  No  paints  or  powders  used.  Investigation 
will  convince  tfte  most  sceptical.  Honest  hygienic 
work  only.  Patronised  by  the  most  select  ladies. 
Treatments  strictly  private.  Pupils  taught.  Assistant 
required.— Madame  DEAN,  American  Special 
iste  in  Complexion.  Scalp,  and  Manicuring,  36i- 
Great  Portland-street,  Oxford  Circus,  London,  W. 


TO-DAY. 


AruiL  13,  1805. 


I  fancy  a  toque  of  tan-coloured  crinkly  straw  with  tea- 
roses  and  dark  blue  velvet  ribbon.  What  do  you  say  ? 
And  a  brown  net  veil  with  pale  blue  tufts  of  chenille. 

Oh  !  I  know  a  girl  who  would  love  that  gown,  that 
cape,  that  toque,  that  veil !  Her  name  ?  Oh,  her  name 
is  the  same  as  that  of  your  affectionate  sister, 

Susie. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Magdalen  Trevor. — The  bridegroom  completely  furnishes 
the  house  nowadays  in  every  detail.  All  the  bride's  expenses 
are  included  in  her  own  trousseau  and  some  wedding  presents 
to  her  husband.  I  do,  indeed,  like  and  admire  very  much  the 
person  you  name.  By  the  way,  the  poor  bridegroom  has  a 
very  hard  time  of  it  now  as  compared  with  the  olden  time.  He 
has  not  only  to  completely  furnish  the  house,  but  is  obliged  to 
give  the  bridesmaids  a  more  or  less  costly  present,  and  usually 
gives  the  bride's  and  bridesmaids'  bouquets  as  well,  besides 
handsome  gifts  of  jewellery  to  the  bride.  A  girl  I  know  was 
engaged  for  eight  mont  hs  before  she  was  married,  and  sulked  if 
she  had  not  a  piece  of  jewellery  given  her  by  her  luckless  fiance 
every  five  or  six  weeks  during  the  whole  of  that  time.  What  a 
prospect  for  the  poor  man  !  "You  wonder  he  married  her?" 
That  is  just  what  everyone  said ;  but  Love  is  every  bit 
as  blind  as  Justice,  you  know.  Sulks  in  the  home  ! 
Think  how  awful  !  A  raging,  tearing  temper  is 
frightful  enough,  where  all  should  be  peace  and  calm  and 
serenity,  but  sulks  are  infinitely  worse.  After  the  temper  there 
is  often  blue  sky  and  merry  sunshine,  but  sulks  are  like  a  brooding 
cloud,  like  that  which  hangs  over  Sheffield,  for  instance,  where 
the  iron  foundries  keep  up  a  perpetual  smoke. 

Patsie.—  Sorry  to  hear  about  your  trials  with  that  dreadful 
scourge,  influenza.  Yes,  do  wrap  the  children  well  up  about  the 
chest  and  back,  make  them  wear  woollen  undergarb  even  in 
summer.  It  can  be  had  in  the  lightest  and  thinnest  texture. 
Do  you  know  the  specialities  of  the  Knitted  Corset  and  Clothing 
Company?  If  not,  write  for  samples  to  118,  Mansfield  Road^ 
Nottingham.  Sou  can  see  the  different  qualities  of  their  pure 
wool  materials,  which  are  sold  by  the  yard  or  else  ready  made  into 
tinder-garments.  Their  knitted  corsets  for  children  are  just 
what  you  want  for  your  growing  girls.    They  button  in  front 


and  are  flexible,  an  important  point  where  developing  figures  are 
in  question.  The  pi  ice  is  7s.  6d.,  but  there  are  cheaper 
ones  in  knitted  cotton,  or  in  scarlet  or  fawn 
wool.  You  could  have  buttons  sewn  on  round  the 
basque  for  the  skirts  to  fasten  to,  so  as  not  to  have  strings 
round  the  waist.  You  should  have  for  your  own  wear  one  of 
their  capital  capes  knitted  in  wool  and  chenille.  They  do  not 
slip  off  like  shawls,  and  though  they  protect  the  chest  and 
shoulders,  are  not  long  enough  to  hinder  the  movements  of  the 
arms  and  hands. 

Homebird. — Yes.  All  that  I  said  on  the  subject  in  a  former 
number  of  To- Day  I  can  repeat  from  personal  experience.  The 
Ardent  stove  is  a  perfect  treasure.  It  warms  a  fairly  large 
room  a3  well  as  a  fire,  has  no  smell  of  oil,  can  be  regulated  to 
any  height  or  the  reverse,  so  that  an  even  temperature  may  be 
maintained  ;  is  very  ornamental  with  its  rosy  radiance  of  light 
thrown  on  surrounding  objects,  and  it  is,  in  addition,  very  cheap. 
Clothes  can  be  aired  by  it,  and  a  kettleful  of  cold  water,  if 
placed  on  the  top,  will  boil  in  half  an  hour  if  the  wick  is  turned 
up  full.  I  had  it  in  the  sick-room  during  the  reignof  King  Influenza, 
and  was  able  to  keep  the  air  of  the  bedroom  moist  by  placing  on 
the  lamp-table  an  enamelled  basin  full  of  water.  This  when 
hot  gave  forth  a  copioiu  steam,  and  the  doctor  pronounced  it  as 
good  as  a  bronchitis  kettle.  I  pronounced  it  better,  for  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  constant  trouble  connected  with  a  bronchitis 
kettle.  It  has  to  be  kept  up  to  its  work,  or  it  will  laze  upon  the  fire 
without  sending  out  any  steam  ;  and  every  now  and  then  it  has 
to  be  filled  up  through  the  small  aperture  made  for  that  purpose, 
not  a  very  easy  task  in  a  dimly-lighted  room. 

Edith. — My  experience  of  gas  stoves  has  been  most  satis- 
factory. They  are  very  convenient,  and  save  a  enormous 
amount  of  labour,  not  only  in  carrying  coal  upstairs  and  cinders 
down,  but  in  the  matter  of  dusting.  The  absence  of  the  coal 
dust  makes  a  wonderful  difference  in  the  cleanliness  of  the 
rooms.  My  calculation  of  the  relative  cost  of  gas  and  coal  is  that 
the  former  amounts  to  one-third  as  much  again  as  the 
latter. 

Beatrix. — The  name  is  an  odd  one,  as  you  say.  Gamgee  is  a 
very  fine  soft  and  thick  cotton-wool,  invented  by  a  doctor  of 
Birmingham,  owning  that  unusual  name.  It  is  strongly  recom- 
mended by  physicians.  After  the  application  of  many  poultices, 
when  the  skin  is  left  in  a  peculiarly  tender  and  susceptible 
condition,   it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  wrap  the  patient  in 


TAKE 


GERAUDEL'S 


(Which  act  by  Inhalation  and  Absorption  directly  upon  the 
Respiratory  Organs)  for 

INFLUENZA, 

Coughs,  Colds,  Bronchitis,  Hoarseness, 
Catarrh,  Asthma,  Laryngitis,  &d 

Much  preferable  to  Pills,  Potions,  and  Syrups,  Sc.,  which  only  irritate  the 
Stomach  without  reaching  the  seat  of  the  Disease. 

THEIR  EFFECT  IS  INSTANTANEOUS. 


-e  most  Agreeable  to  the  taste,  anil  contain  the  purest  essence  of  Norway 
r  success  in  bronchial  and  catarrhal  affections  than  any  othersutefonce 
01  tain  no  narcotic  or  other  injur  ous  drug,  and,  unlike  inum-ieus  otl  er 
Act  of  Parliament  to  hear  the  lahel  "  I'o  >,.n."  'i  he.  :  ie.i-.t  r.  \j 
Uhey  can  be  used  a:  all  h.  u;?.  i 


tie 


vie 


y  pice  off  a  soothing,  refreshing,  and  healing  vapour  of  Tin.  "ar. 
v  and  lun^rsunon  lue  »eryseat  ot  d  sea--. .  a       i      huntiMlL'ite  relic 


Drawn  by 
Dudley  Hardy 


D„RfiUDEt'S  PASTILLE 

Pine  Tar,  which  has  attained  gn 
or  drug  hitherto  employed.  The 

cough  remedies,  are  not  rerruirca  u,  uic  <n  niuin 
harmless,  and  can  he  used  by  old  and  young  w  ithout  dai 
after  meals,  without  the  slightest  inconvenience. 

Slowly  dissolved  In  the  mouth,  th; 
which  is  thus  breathed  iido  t  he  bronchia  aim  lungs  uihju  i  ne  *  cry  seal  or  u  sea-;.  ,  ailsu.l  ll.  mi...    i:.  i , 
and  (fleet  ing  a  gradual  ami  lasting  cure.   Owing  to  their  direct  action  upon  the  bronchial  tu      unJ  lull  • 
they  arc  infinitely  superior  to  all  other  remedial  agents. 

Prico  per  Case,  Is.  i^d.,  with  directions  for  u:c. 

<  'mi  In  ordered  through  an;/  ( 'heinuif,  or  uiit!  be  xei)t  postfrre  en  re  z  >)>■'  ofpri 
from  I  lie  Wholesale  Depot  for  Great  Britain. 


.  FASSETT  &  JOHNSON,  32  Snow  Hill,  London,  f.g, 


April  13,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


299 


gamgee.  An  improvised  vest  can  be  made  in  a  few  seconds  by 
folding  two  lengths  of  it  down  over  each  other,  cutting 
a\va3'  a  curve  back  and  front  for  the  neck,  a  slope  on  either  side 
for  the  shoulders,and  curves  again  for  the  arms.  This  can  be 
fastened  on  with  a  few  safety  pins,  so  that  the  lungs  and  chest 
are  perfectly  accessible  for  the  doctor's  examination.  With  the 
ordinary  vest  the  wretched  patient  has  almost  to  be  peeled  before 
the  stethoscope  can  be  applied. 

Our  Cookery  Column. 

Marro  Peas. — Now  that  all  fresh  green  vegetables  are  so 
excessively  high-priced,  my  readers  may  like  to  know  that  the 
"  Sweet  Marro  Peas,"  bottled  by  Anson  Brothers,  Hambleton, 
Selby,  Yorkshire,  are  excellent.  They  are  large  and  full-grown, 
not  like  the  small  and  tasteless  French  peas  that  we  know  so 
well  in  bottles  and  tins.  The  Marros  are  particularly  good 
when  stewed  with  chops.  When  boiled  alone  they  should  be 
put  in  only  just  enough  M  ater  to  cover  them,  after  having  been 
drained  away  from  the  liquor  in  which  they  are  preserved. 
When  they  are  tender  strain  them,  and  add  to  each  pint  half  an 
ounce  of  butter.  Shake  the  saucepan  well,  and  let  it  stand  in  a 
hot  place  until  the  butter  dissolves.  Add  a  little  pepper,  give 
them  one  more  good  shake,  and  send  them  to  table  very  hot.  A 
sprig  of  mint  is  a  great  improvement,  but  if  it  cannot  be  obtained 
a  little  dried  mint  will  give  the  flavour. 

Turry. — A  new  Indian  dish. — Turry  is  not  unlike  curry,  the 
principal  difference  consisting  in  braizing  the  curry  after  stewing 
it,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  instructions,  given  in  tho 
Caterer.  Place  half  a  small  teacupful  of  butter  or  lard  in  a 
tinned-copper  saucepan  on  a  clear,  well-built  fire,  and  just  as  the 
fat  commences  to  bubble,  or  to  reach  the  "  frying  point,"  throw 
in  two  thinly-sliced  onions.  As  soon  as  the  sliced  onions  have 
assumed  a  golden-brown  colour,  remove  them  with  a  "slice  "  to 
a  clean  plate  and  set  aside.  Take  one  teaspoonful  of  turmeric 
paste,  a  half  teaspoonful  of  chilli  paste,  four  teaspoonfuls  of 
onion  paste,  two  teaspoonfuls  of  ginger  and  garlic  paste, 
mixed  together  in  equal  proportions,  and  two  teaspoonfuls  of 
salt,  and  stir  all  these  into  the  boiling  fat  in  the  saucepan.  In  a 
few  minutes,  as  soon  as  the  condiments  yield  a  fragrant  odour, 
add  the  pieces  of  chicken,  and  allow  them  to  saute1  thoroughly 
well,  so  as  to  become  impregnated  with  the  curry  mixture. 
Pour  in  very  little  water  to  just  barely  cover  the  meat,  and 
ullow  the  whole  to  simmer  very  gently  until  the  pieces  of 
chicken  have  become  quite  tender  and  are  perfectly  cooked.  Re- 
move the  pieces  of  chicken  on  to  a  clean  plate,  and  set  aside. 
Into  the  curried  gravy,  still  remaining  in  the  saucepan  on  the 
lire  or  hot  plate,  stir  in  two  breakfast-cupfuls  of  well-washed 
uncooked  rice,  and  cook  for  about  five  minutes.  Now  pour  in 
sufficient  stock  to  not  only  submerge,  but  to  rise  for  about  an 
inch  above  the  level  of  the  rice  ;  cover  the  saucepan  closely,  and 
simmer  until  the  stock  has  been  absorbed.  Haw  ready  a  heated 
braizing-pan,  into  which  empty  the  fortified  rice  from  the  sauce- 
pan ;  add  the  pieces  of  curried  chicken  and  part  of  the  fried 
onions  thereto ;  cover,  and  braize,  mixing  occasionally  to  prevent 
scorching  the  contents.  In  about  ten  minutes  the  turry  will  be 
ready. 

ArRicoTS  with  Cream. — The  tinned  apricots  from  California 
are  delicious.  The  deal  est  are  invariably  the  best,  and  the  finest 
brand  is  San  Jose,  price  Is.  6d.  Keep  them  in  the  syrup  until  thela  at 
moment,  then  lift  them  carefully  out  on  a  glass  dish,  disposing 
them  prettily  on  each  other,  so  that  their  beautiful  warm  orange 
tint  may  contrast  agreeably  with  the  cold  white  of  the  glass. 
Serve  them  with  cornflour  mould,  blancmange  or  ground  rice 
thape,  with  an  accompaniment  of  whipped  cream. 

Cheese  Fritters. — Put  three  ounces  of  cheese  in  a  mortar 
with  a  dessertspoonful  of  finely-minced  ham,  three  dessert- 
spoonfuls of  finely-grated  breadcrumbs,  one  teaspoonful  of  dry 
mustard,  a  piece  of  Dutter  about  the  size  of  a  small  egg,  two  or 
three  grains  of  cayenne,  and  the  yolk  of  an  egg  well  beaten. 
Pound  these  ingredients  together  until  they  are  quite  smooth, 
then  form  the  paste  into  balls  about  the  size  of  a  walnut,  flatten 
to  the  thickness  of  half  an  inch,  dip  them  in  a  batter  or  in  milk 
and  fry  them  until  lightly  brown  ;  then  drain  them.  Place  the 
fritters  in  a  napkin  and  serve  them  as  hot  as  possible. 

Baked  Tomatoes. — Ingredients  :  One  pound  of  ripe  tomatoes, 
half -pint  of  breadcrumbs,  one  small  onion  minced  fine,  one  tea- 
upoonful  of  white  sugar,  .one  tablespoonful  of  butter  (melted), 
cayenne  and  salt,  half  a  pint  of  good  stock.  Cut  a  piece  from  the 
top  of  each  tomato.  With  a  teaspoon  take  out  the  inside, 
leaving  a  hollow  shell  ;  chop  the  pulp  fine,  mix  it  with  the 
ctumbs,  butter,  sugar,  pepper,  salt,  and  onion.  Fill  the  cavities 
i)f  tiie  tomatoes  with  this  stuffing,  replace  the  tops  ;  pack  them 
in  a  baking-dish,  and  fill  the  interstices  with  the  stuffing  ;  pour 
the  gravy  also  into  these.  Set  the  dish  covered  in  an  oven,  and 
hake  half  an  hour  before  uncovering  ;  after  which  brown  them 
lightly,  and  send  to  table  in  the  baking-dish. 

Banana  Cream. — Skin  half  a  dozen  bananas,  and  with  a  silver 
knife  cut  them  in  small  circles.  Place  them  in  a  glass  dish,  and 
scatter  over  them  a  little  castor  sugar  and  a  few  drops  of 
vanilla.  Make  a  rather  thick  custard  of  two  yolks  of  eggs  and 
half  a  pint  of  milk.  When  it  is  tepid  pour  it  over  the  bananas. 
Whisk  half  a  pint  of  ci  eam  to  a  stiff  froth  and  pile  it  up  over 
the  custard  in  irregular  little  heaps,  as  rough  and  precipitous 
looking  as  possible.    This  is  a  delicious  little  dish. 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


I  sees  in  one  o'  them  noos-piper  perrygrawphs  as  abart 
two  'undrid  fashernable  weddings  is  likely  ter  tike 
plice  afore  the  end  o'  this  month.  Sims  like  a  lawge 
order,  don't  it  1  Four  'undrid  people,  all  'ighly  fashern- 
able, and  all  of  'em  a  goin'  it  fur  better  or  wus  afore  the 
fust  o'  Mye.  One  o;  them  things  as  I  shud  like  ter 
know  is  this — 'ow's  a  man  ter  tell  whether  'e's  fashern- 
able or  whether  'e  ain't.  'Ankin  says  the  tip  is  to  send 
an  account  of  your  merridge,  or  death,  or  engigement, 
or  whortever  it  mye  'appen  to  be,  ter  them  sersiaty 
pipers.  Then  if  they  sticks  your  nime  in,  you're 
fashernable,  and  if *  they  leaves  yer  art,  yer  ain't.  Very 
troo,  I  'as  no  dart.  But  whort  I  syes  is  this — 'ow  do 
the  pipers  themselves  git  ter  know  1  Theer  must  be 
someone  somewheer  as  settles  it.  But  theer — theer's 
no  findin'  art  sich  things.  All  yer  kin  sye  is  that 
whort  them  pipers  don't  git  ter  know  ain't  wuth  know- 
in'.  I  surpose  as  this  'ere  rush  of  fashernable 
weddin's  is  along  of  its  bein'  considered  'ighly  onlucky 
ter  git  merried  in  the  month  of  Mye.  Well,  thet  is  as 
it  mye  be.  Not  'avin'  bin  merried  in  the  month  o'  Mye 
myself,  I  cawn't  speak  from  pers'nal  egsperieance,  but  I 
'ad  a  cousing  as  was.  Ho  yus,  an'  'e  merried  a  very 
nice  gel  ter  look  at  too,  and  'e  warn't  a  bad  sort  'isself. 
On'y  it  turned  art  subserquintly  as  she'd  bin  merried 
afore  and  'ad  a  'usband  still  livin'.  Well,  thet  come  art, 
and  netsurally  broke  up  the  'ome.  You  cawn't  'awdly 
sye  as  thet  'appened  along  of  my  cousing  gettin'  merried 
in  Mye,  becos  'e  worn't  really  merried — 'e  only  thought 
'e  were.  And  even  if  'e  'ad  bin,  it  don't  egsackerly 
prove  the  onluckiness,  becos  'e  says  as  gettin'  rid  o'  thet 
gel — though  she  were  a  very  nice  gel  ter  look  at — were 
the  gritest  blessing  as  ever  'appened  ter  'im.  Tikin' 
it  big-an '-lawge,  I  dunno  as  I  thinks  a  lot  of 
this  'ere  predijuice  aginst  the  month  o'  Mye. 
My  advice  ter  yung  men  is  ter  pick  art  a 
gel  as  'as  good  'ealth  'an  temper,  some  sivin's  put  by,  and 
a  talink  fur  cookin',  and  then  merry  'er  jest  as  soon  as 
she  will.  MeiTyin'  a  gel  o'  thet  kind  in  Mye  is  a 
sight  luckier  then  merryin'  the  more  yooshal  kind  of  gel 
in  any  other  month.  Them  is  thewerds  o'  wisdom  an' 
gi'neral  joodishusness. 

*  #  * 

'Ankin  'as  a  noshing  as  it  wouldn't  be  a  bed  thing 
ter  settle  the  Easter  'ollerclies  accordin'  ter  the  ■weather. 
It    sarnds   a  little   reverlooshanary,  and,    in  course, 
'Ankin  is  one  of  them  as  'ull  go  in  fur  a  chinge just  fur 
the  sike  o'  chinge ;  but,  all  the  sime,  I  dunno  as  there 
myen't  be  sutthink  in  it.    I'm  a  Hinglishman,  born 
and  brought  up  in  Hingland ;  if  I'd  bin  born  a  Frenchy 
or  a  Dutchman  I  shud  'ave  bin  diffrunt,  and  wus.  But, 
all  the  sime,  I  don't  deny  as  the  Hinglish  weather  in  the 
spring   is   dartful ;    one   dye   it   mye   stawt  reg'lar 
'ot  ;     yer    goes     art    withart     an     over-coat,  an' 
yer    comes    'ome    at     night     shiv'rin'    with  cold. 
Then  yer  gits  a  chill  as  mye  strike  innuds  and  be  the 
death  o'  yar — old  rum  took  joodishus  is  a  good  thing 
aginst  thet.    And  in  course  Easter  varies  ;  some  years 
it's  one  time  and  some  years  it's  another.    Now  whort  I 
says  is,  if  we  wus  ter  'ave  the  Easter  'ollerdies  fixed, 
sye,  abart  the  middle  of  Mye,  we  shud  'ave  a  better 
chawnce  o'  proper  weather  nor  whort  we  'as  as  it  is.  And, 
mind  yer,  I  ain't  speakin'  fur  myself.    Ho  no  !    As  I've 
said  afore,  tikin'  it  as  a  rool,  a  benk-'ollerdy  is  the  'aurdist 
dye's  wuk  as  I  'as.    People  is  alwise  goin'  somewhur  ter 
see  sutthink,  an'  they  tikes  the  'bus  to  it,  and — bein' 
less  joodishus  nor  you  might  wish — they  occishanally 
comes  beck  by  'bus  when  they  ain't  sober.    No,  I  don't 
spik  fur  myself,  but  fur  the  gin'ral  public,  and  in  my 
opinyun  we  might  do  wus  than  give  'Ankin's  nostrum  a 
show,  jist  ter  see  'ow  it  wuka 


300 


TO-DAY. 


April  13,  1895. 


THE  DTARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 

Some  years  ago  someone — Mr.  Brander  Matthews,  I 
think  it  was — brought  into  my  shop  Mr.  Lynn 
Boyd  Porter,  the  "Albert  Ross,"  or  "Albatross," 
whose  novel  achieved  the  proud  distinction  of 
being  the  first  work  of  fiction  which  has  sold  a 
million  copies.  This  means,  I  suppose,  during  the 
author's  lifetime,  because  "  Robinson  Crusoe "  surely 
must  have  "  touched  seven  figures."  Mr.  Albert  R.oss 
is,  I  believe,  a  great  friend  of  Mr.  Brander  Matthews, 
though  it  must  be  gall  and  bitterness  to  the  author  of 
so  many  books  smothered  with  succes  d'estime  to  see  his 
friend's  gigantic  sales.  Among  others  of  Mr.  Porter's 
huge  successes  have  been  "Thou  Shalt  Not,"  "  Thy 
Name  is  Woman,"  "Speaking  of  Ellen."  The  leading 
papers  hardly  notice  their  publication,  and  the  literary 
set  taboo  them,  but  their  brown  paper,  red-ribanded 
covers  load  the  bookstalls. 

*  *  *  * 

"Thou  Shalt  Not "  was  once  dramatised  at  the  Union 
Square  Theatre,  but  public  opinion  or  the  local  Pigott 
nipped  it  in  the  bud.  Mr.  Ross,  who  emigrated  from 
Minnesota  to  Cambridge,  the  suburb  of  Boston  in  which 
Harvard  University  is  situated,  owned  and  edited  a  paper 
called  the  Cambridge  Tribune,  which  he  called  the  organ 
of  Harvard.  But  having  had  great  luck  in  building 
flats  of  many  storeys  on  the  mud  fiats  of  the  Charles 
River,  he  sold  his  paper  and  started  on  the  grand  tour 
to  Europe.  When  he  returned  to  Boston  he  became  a 
desk-editor — in  other  words,  a  proof-reader  on  the  Boston 
Herald,  one  of  the  most  respected  papers  in  America, 
and  then  suddenly  he  blossomed  out  into  giving  the 
democratic  travesties  of  aristocratic  American  life,  in 
which  he  has  struck  oil  with  such  a  vengeance. 

*  *  *  * 

The  April  dinner  of  the  New  Vagabonds,  which  was 
given  to  Mr.  Zangwill  in  honour  of  the  publication  in 
book  form  of  his  great  novel,  "  The  Master,"  written 
for  To-Day,  was  very  crowded.  Mr.  Jerome  K.  Jerome 
took  the  chair,  and  both  he  and  Mr.  Zangwill  made 
most  original  and  amusing  speeches.  I  was  once  more 
obliged  with  a  chair  behind  the  hole  in  the  screen  by 
my  friend,  the  head  waiter,  and  I  noticed  among  the 
company  Mr.  Barry  Pain,  Mr.  Frankfort  Moore,  Mr. 
Bertram  Mitford,  Mr.  Reginald  Cleaver,  Mr.  Robert 
Sauber,  Mr.  Rudolf  Lehmann,  Mr.  William  Sharp,  Mr. 
William  Le  Queux,  Mr.  Arthur  Bourchier,  Mr.  W. 
Rothenstein,  Mr.  F.  W.  Robinson,  Mr.  Coulson 
Kernahan,  Mr.  A.  C.  Corbould,  Col.  J.  C.  Dalton, 
R.A.,  Mr.  Basil  Thomson,  Mr.  F.  H.  Fisher, 
etc.,  etc. 

•»  *  *  * 

I  have  sold  a  quantity  of  "  the  Songs,  Poems,  and 
Verses  of  Helen,  Lady  Dufferin "  (John  Murray,  9s.), 
which  has  just  gone  into  its  third  edition.  It  is 
charmingly  got  up,  but  a  good  many  of  my 
customers  have  been  disappointed  that  it  gives  only  her 
songs  and  music,  and  not  another  delightful  preface  from 
her  famous  son,  our  present  Ambassador  at  Paris.  But 
Lord  Dufferin  has  promised  us  her  letters  soon,  and  no 
more  charming  letter-writer  ever  wrote  in  English. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  stocked  several  dozen  copies  of  the  dainty 
little  paper  volume  entitled  "  God  and  the  Ant,"  by 
Mr.  Coulson  Kernahan,  which  Ward,  Lock  and  Co. 
have  just  brought  out.  Mr.  Kernahan  has  never  in  all 
his  writings  approached  the  level  of  "God  and  the 
Ant."  There  were  soaring  passages  of  poetry  in  the 
"  Book  of  Strange  Sins,"  but  of  "  God  and  the  Ant " 
one  may  say  without  exaggeration  that  it  is  as  fine  a 
prose  poem  as  has  been  written  by  anyone  in  our  gene- 
ration. There  is  but  one  word  I  would  have  altered  in 
the  whole  rhapsody,  and  that  is  on  the  last  page  but  one. 
When  he  likens  the  dome  of  St.  Paul's  to  a  giant 
arm  upholding  the  Golden  Cross,  he  should  have  said 
%  vast  cloaked  arm,  or  something  of  tin  kind,  for  a.  dome 


is  in  itself  essentially  un-arm-like.  But  it  is  ungracious 
to  criticise  such  an  exquisite  piece  of  work,  so  candid  in 
the  rebellious  utterances  of  the  accusers,  so  full  of 
divineness  and  humanity  in  its  apologia  pro  vita  Christi. 
What  a  wonderful  sermon  it  would  have  made,  de- 
livered by  a  man  like  the  celebrated  Nonconformist 
clergyman,  the  Rev.  R.  F.  Horton,  in  the  six-hundred- 
year-old  choir  of  Westminster  Abbey. 

*  *  *  * 

The  first  two  volumes  of  Gait,  the  dead  Scotch 
novelist,  whom  the  critic  of  the  "  Kailyard  "  in  the  New 
Review  contrasted  so  favourably  with  living  Scotch 
lions,  will  shortly  be  brought  out  by  Messrs.  William 
Blackwood  &  Sons.  The  general  editor  is  Mr.  S.  R. 
Crockett,  and  they  are  being  produced  under  the  re- 
vision of  Mr.  D.  S.  Meldrum,  who  wrote  that  beautiful 

romance,  "  The  Story  of  Margredel "  last  year. 

*  *  *  * 

Have  taken  a  number  of  copies  of  "  Sunshine  and 
Haar,"  by  Gabriel  Setoun,  like  his  former  book, 
published  by  Mr.  John  Murray.  Mr.  T.  N.  Hepburn — 
for  that  is  Gabriel  Setoun's  real  name — is  a  Board  School 
teacher  in  Edinburgh — a  little  dark  man  with  a  big 
moustache,  and  large,  dark,  expressive  eyes,  who  was 
brought  into  my  shop  one  day  last  year  by  one  of  the 
editors  of  Jhe  Idler.  He  is  very  well  known  as  a 
platform  speaker  in  Edinburgh  on  the  subject  of  Board 
School  reforms.  "  Sunshine  and  Haar "  is  a  great 
advance  on  "  Barncraig" — indeed,  it  sometimes  approaches 
theexquisite  Scotch  idylls  of  Mr.  J.  M.  Barrie.  The  volume 
consists  of  a  number  of  short  stories  told  with  terseness, 
reserve,  and  flexibility,  and  often  showing  considerable 
eloquence  and  humour.  The  little  series  of  eightsister  tales 
at  the  end  about  Swankey,  the  cobbler  poet,  and  Linty, 
the  genius  of  the  parish  school,  is  especially  good  and 
characteristic.  Though  so  essentially  Scotch  and  abound- 
ing in  subtle  touches  that  can  only  be  appreciated  to  the 
full  by  a  Scotchman,  the  book  is  quite  easy  for  an 
Englishman  to  read  and  to  appreciate.  "  Mr.  Murray  " 
is  to  be  congratulated  on  discovering  so  promising  an 
author. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  William  Heinemann  has  been  many  things  in 
his  time.  Besides  being  a  Harrow  boy  and  a  Christ 
Church  man,  and  the  student  of  one  or  more  German 
universities  ;  besides  being  a  wicked  publisher  and  a 
wicked  playwright,  and  an  improving  lecturer,  he  be- 
longed for  a  matter  of  hours  to  the  Salvation  Army. 
One  night  before  the  Derby,  while  in  search  of  a  new 
sensation,  he  strolled  into  a  West-end  barracks  (of  the 
S.A.).  His  repentance  gave  great  pleasure — it  takes  a 
good  deal  to  convert  his  countrymen — and  he  became  very 
popular  with  the  officers.  On  the  next  day  he  went  to 
the  Derby  with  a  very  smart  party  on  a  drag.  While 
he  was  waiting  with  glasses  in  his  hands  to  see  the 
start  of  the  great  race  he  felt  a  touch  on  his  foot,  and 
recognised  one  of  the  officers  who  had  rejoiced  over  his 
conversion  the  night  before  ;  and  I  am  ashamed  to  say 
that  this  officer  handed  to  him  a  slip  of  paper  printed 
in  exact  imitation  of  a  tipster's — "  What  to  back,  when 
to  back,  and  how  to  back  it " — in  which  the  most  sacred 
name  was  substituted  for  that  of  a  horse. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  J.  Morris,  whose  admirable  little  book  on  Corea, 
brought  out  by  Ward,  Lock  and  Co.,  I  sold  by  the 
hundred,  has  now  written  a  similar  book  on  Japan, 
which  is  about  to  be  issued  by  Messrs.  W.  H.  Allen 
and  Co. 

*  *  *  * 

One  of  my  oldest  customers,  Mr.  H.  T.  Mackenzie 
Bell,  is  bringing  out  a  biography,  and  critical 
estimate  of  Miss  Christina  Rossetti,  who  used  to 
come  into  my  shop  years  and  years  ago  with  the  giants 
of  the  pre-Raphaelite  movement.  Many  of  my  most 
literary  patrons  consider  her  the  first  of  English 
poetesses.  Mr.  Bell,  who  is  one  of  the  leading  poetry 
critics  of  the  Academy,  knew  her  well. 


April  13,  1895. 


TO-DAY 


301 


IN  A  ^SECOND  SMOKING." 


Although  the  sun  shines  there  is  a  piercing  east  wind, 
which  does  not  however  make  the  sheltered  seated  passengers 
welcome  more  readily  the  ninth  and  tenth  comers. 
People's  faces  look  like  schemes  in  red  and  blue  by  a 
decadent  designer  of  posters. 

First  City  Man  (tired  of  sitting  silently).  I  don't  like 
the  look  of  foreign  relations ;  they  are  very  strained. 

Second  C.  M.  (Jacing  him,  supposed  to  be  a  wit). 
Yes,  like  my  wife's — strained,  not  to  say  refined.  By- 
the-way,  did  I  tell  you  what  I  said  to  Jones-Tompkinson 
last  Tuesday  ? 

First  C.  M.  (foreseeing  a  dull  story,  which  he  determines 
to  escape).    No  !    By-the-way,  have  you  a  light  ? 

Second  C.  M.  (digging  him  in  ribs).  Funny  dog  ! 
Why,  what's  the  matter  with  the  boxful  in  your  hand  ? 

First  0.  M.  (confused).  One's  hands  are  so  cold  with 
this  east  wind.  (Lights  a  plump  cigar — desperately). 
Do  you  know  what  I  pay  for  these  ? 

Second  C.  M.  No  ! — Well,  as  I  was  going  to  tell  you, 
Tones-Tompkinson  had  been  writing  to  the  Vestry. 

First  C.  M.  Had  he  ?  I  hope  he  complained  of  the 
state  of  the  roads.  They  are  disgraceful  in  our  district. 
When  I  think  of  the  rates  I  pay  my  blood  boils. 

Second  C.  M.  (balked  and  growing  vicious).  v I  should 
keep  on  thinkingof  them,  then — inexpensive  fuel  for  this 

east  wind.     But,  as  I  was  saying,  it  seems  (two 

•passengers  alight ;  others  enter). 

First  City  Man  (shifts  his  seat  away  Jrom  No.  2). 
There  was  a  draught  near  the  door  (He  shouts  diagon- 
ally across  to  his  friend). 

Second  C.  M.  Never  mind?  You  get  out  at  the 
Mansion  House,  of  course  ;  I  shall  to-day ;  I  will  tell 
you  the  rest  then. 

First  C.  M.  (hurriedly).  No  !  I  must  go  on  to  the 
Monument,  this  morning. 

New  Comer  (to  nervous,  shy  man  in  extreme  corner). 
Hullo,  Johnson !    Don't  often  see  you  by  this  train. 

Nervous  Man  (who  hales  to  speak  in  public).  No. 
That  is — Yes.    I  mostly  (pauses). 

N.  C.    How's  business  with  you  ? 
N.  M.  (wholesale  fish  dealer,  who  carries  a  brief  bag  to 
be  taken  for  a  barrister).    Oh  !  all  right,  thank  you. 

N.  C.  Did  you  take  Smith's  offer  for  those  herrings  1 
I  should  if  I  were  you,  they  seemed  a  bit  off  colour. 

N.  M.  (to  himself,  remembering  that  Herring  ivas  the 
name  of  a  famous  painter  as  well  as  cf  a  lowly  fish  ; 
brilliantly).  No  !  I  shall  keep  'em  both  until  I  see  a 
good  Lanclseer  about  (plunges  deep  in  his  newspaper). 

Up-to-Date  Youth.  Have  you  read  the  new  "Yellow 
Book  "  ?    Yellow  !  I  call  it  regular  coffee-colour. 

Civil  Service  Man  (replying  with  a  blush).  No.  I 
don't  care  for  the  New  Morality.  I  don't  set  up  for 
being  a  prude,  but  still  there  are  some  subjects — 

Up-to-Date  Youth  (in  needlessly  clear  tones).  Now 
I  should  say  you  didn't  ought  to.  Why,  to  see  Bessie 
and  you  at  lunch  yesterday  was  shockin'. 

Civil  Service  Man  (pleased,  but  timorous,  glances 
round  to  see  if  anybody  he  knows  is  in  the  carriage). 
No  !  (risks  it).    She  is  a  bit  fetching,  isn't  she  ? 

Stout  Old  Gentleman  (drops  his  paper  and  glares). 
Morning  !  ! !  (he  says  in  surly  tone). 

Civil  Service  Youth  (recognising  his  chief  too  late, 
tries  to  get  out  of  it).  Yes,  she  is  going  to  be  married 
next  week.  • 

Up-to-Date  Youth  (in  mock  reproof).  Naughty  ! 
naughty  !  that  makes  it  much  worse. 

Civil  Service  Youth  (despairing),    I  am  cramming 


very  hard  just  now,  so  I  only  get  a  few  minutes  at 
lunch,  and  one  feels  inclined  to  gossip  a  bit. 

Up-to-Date  Youth.  Yes,  over  one  more  split  whiskey 
and  soda,  of  course. 

First  City  Man  (to  his  other  neighbour).  These  boys 
take  a  lot  of  pick-me-ups  don't  they  ? 

Sour-faced  Man  (his  neighbour).  It's  all  very  well 
to  call  it  a  pick-me-up,  but  while  they  waste  their 
money  on  liquor  how  can  they  pick  up  anything  worth 
learning. 

First  City  Man  (genially).  Well,  I  must  say  a  drop 
of  something  softens  this  easterly  wind. 

Sour-faced  Man  (with  an  icy  voice).  I  am  afraid 
you  don't  mean  coffee  or  tea.  It  is  you  moderate 
drinkers,  as  you  call  yourselves,  that  are  the  ruin  of 
England. 

Nondescript  Man  (in  a  soft  felt  hat  and  a  pipe).  That's 
the  tenth  reason  I  have  heard  for  the  ruin  of  England 
this  week.  "  The  New  Woman — bicycles — Aubrey 
Bcardsley — oj^sters — rejection  of  Bimetalism — the  Em- 
pire Promenade— log-rolling — the  Navy — and  cigarettes" 
were  the  others. 

Sour-faced  Man  (foreseeing  a  battle).  And  what 
are  all  these  due  to — what  are  thev  all  traceable  to  but 
—drink  ? 

Nondescript  Man  (with  cold  Colonial  sarcasm).  1 
think  it  would  puzzle  even  you  to  trace  oysters,  bicycles, 
or  Aubrey  Beardsley  to  alcohol. 

Sour-faced  Man.  Flippancy  is  the  root  of  it  all — 
and  flippancy  is  the  result  of  drink ;  we  inherit  it  from 
boozing  ancestors. 

Nondescript  Man.  My  friend  (with  a  nasal  twang), 
speak  of  your  own  parents  as  you  like.  You  are  the 
sort  of  man  I  meet  when  I  come  out  without  my  gun, 
but  I  always  carry  a  revolver.  (Sour-Jaced  Man  colouring, 
a  lights  at  next  station.) 

Nondescript  Man  (with  a  nod  to  the  rest  cf  the  pas- 
sengers as  he  takes  up  his  paper).  If  you  had  lived  out 
West,  or  in  the  bush,  you  wouldn't  stand  that  kind  of 
insect  long. 

His  Friend  (hitherto  silent).  I  did  not  know  you 
tuok  an  intersst  in  Beardsley  or  the  New  Movement. 

Nondescript  Man  (glancing  up  over  his  paper).  Ever 
since  I  last  landed.  I  have  heard  nothing  but  buzzing 
over  all  these  trifles ;  not  a  word  of  the  Navy,  your 
labour  question,  or  even  of  politics,  but  just  the  tittle- 
tattle  of  the  papers  and  a  lot  of  faddists  airing  their 
nostrums.  It  makes  me  sick  !  I  long  to  get  among 
live  men  again. 

Up-to-Date  Youth  (airly).  How  serious  Colonial 
people  are — they  do  talk  a  lot  of  tommy  rot. 

Civil  Service  Man  (with  a  half-guilty  conscience).  I 
think  we  do  talk  of  risky  things  too  much.  I  some- 
times wish  one  could  take  a  real  interest  in  politics  or 
something  of  that  sort. 

Up-to-Date  Youth.  Never  saw  such  a  Johnnie  as  you 
are.  Always  swotting  at  something  that  don't  pay. 
I  like  to  be  amused — let  the  working-man  bother  about 
politics  if  he  likes — give  me  a  good  music-hall.  I  get 
as  much  as  I  want  of  'em  there. 

Nondescript  Man  (ignoring  the  chatter).  I  suppose 
these  silly  boys  would  fight  for  the  old  country  if  trouble 
came  ;  but  to  take  life  so  miserably  as  they  do  !  Hang  it 
all,  I'd  rather  be  on  a  ranch  with  nobody  to  speak  to. 
Here  let's  get  out  and  walk.  I  can't  stand  this  babble. 
(Exit.) 

First  City  Man  (didactically).  It's  does  a  man  good 
to  rough  it  a  bit.  But  they  are  jolly  unsociable  when 
they  do  come  back,  aren't  they? 

Second  City  Man.  I  think  it's  only  because  they 
h^ve  lost  touch  with  us,  and  take  everything  too 
seriously.  (Thoughtfully).  But  perhaps  the  younger 
generation  arc  getting  to  believe  the  pessimistic  nonsense 
they  talk.    I  hope  not, 


302 


TO-DAY. 


April  13,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  EXPERT,  THE  VENDOR.  AND  THE  PUBLIC. 

Much  may  have  to  be  said  about  the  collapse  of  the  London- 
derry Mine.  About  the  Company  as  it  was  presented  to  the 
public  we  said  a  few  words  on  the  morrow  of  its  issue,  and  it 
may  be  well  to  recall  them.    We  wrote: — 

The  property  to  be  bought  by  the  Company  may  be  as  valuable  as  it 

is  said  to  be,  or  it  may  not.   All  that  is  certain  is  that  the  public  are 

asked  to  pay  £700,000  for  these  few  acres,  and  that  out  of  every  20s. 

earned  by  the  £50,000  of  working  capital,  18s.  7£d.  goes  to  the  vendor. 

It  seems  to  be  a  lopsided  risk,  and  we  advise  our  readers  not  to  bo 

parties  to  it. 

After  last  week,  nobody  is  likely  to  deny  "  the  lopsided  risk," 
but  our  present  object  is  not  to  comment  upon  the  folly  of 
the  public  in  giving  £700,000  for  a  few  acres  of  Coolgardie 
ground,  or  the  action  of  the  directors  upon  and  after  the  receipt 
of  Lord  Fingall's  telegram,  but  to  direct  attention  to  the  worth- 
lessness  of  much  of  the  expert  evidence  given  in  prospectuses  of 
West  Australian  mining  companies. 

To-Day  may  take  credit  to  itself  for  being  the  only  journal 
of  large  circulation  which  has  exposed  the  pretensions  of  some 
of  these  experts.  None  has  been  more  in  evidence  than  Mr. 
Begelhole,  and  months  ago  To-Day  proved  that  that  worthy's 
claims  to  the  public  confidence  were  of  the  scantiest.  The 
game  he  played  in  India  some  years  ago  he  has  repeated 
in  Western  Australia.  And  his  successor  at  the  Bayley's 
Reward  Mine,  Captain  Matthews,  seems  to  be  following  in  his 
footsteps.  It  is  Matthews  vice  Begelhole  discredited.  His  was 
among  the  reports  upon  the  Londonderry  claim  which  per- 
suaded investors  that  the  mine  was  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
world  ;  the  exposed  lode  "  one  of  the  very  richest  I  have  ever 
seen  in  any  part  of  the  world."  Then  we  have  Mr.  Robert 
Gibson,  M.A.I.M.E.  and  the  rest  of  it,  writing — 

The  stone  is  literally  permeated  with  the  metal.  To  give  an  idea  of 
the  phenomenally  rich  character  of  the  stone  at  this  particular  spot  I 
would  point  out  that  from  an  excavation  7  feet  by  6  feet,  by  2  feet 
C  inches  in  depth,  8,000  ounces  of  gold  have  already  been  taken.  .  .  . 
During  the  hour  spent  examining  this  portion  of  the  mine  one  man 
with  hammer  and  gads  broke  out  between  two  or  three  hundred 
pounds  weight  of  gold  that  would  contain  considerably  more  than 
1,000  ounces  of  gold. 

And  Mr.  Gibson  winds  up  his  report  as  follows  : — 

I  must  congratulate  you  upon  being  the  possessors  of  the  richest 
gold  mine  I  have  ever  examined,  and  one  that  I  conscientiously  believo 
to  be  among  the  richest  gold  mines  of  the  world  in  the  present  day. 

Not  to  be  behindhand,  "  Professor  Nicholas,  of  London, 
F.G.S. ,"  says  : — ■ 

It  is  most  improbable  that  the  rich  quartz  of  the  Londonderry 
Mine  can  be  surpassed  at  the  present  time  in  the  Universe. 

Nor  was  it  only  mining  engineers  who  testified  to  the  exceeding 
richness  of  the  mine.  We  find  "  Mr.  John  M.  Finnerty, 
Warden  of  the  Coolgardie  Gold  Fields,"  writing  to  "  My  dear 
Lord  Fingall  "  : — ■ 

There  appears  to  be  every  prospect  of  the  continuance  of  this 
rich  shoot  to  a  depth.  Should  it  continue  to  only  the  small  depth 
of  twenty  feet,  the  result  would  be  upwards  of  £300,000  worth  of  gold. 

Truly  a  goodly  sum,  but  further  excavation  was  stopped  pending 
the  liotation  of  the  Company.    Says  the  prospectus  : — 

Since  the  purchase  of  the  mine  by  the  vendors  the  extraction  of 
gold  has  been  stopped,  and  the  rich  hoje  has  been  protected  by  being 
built  over  and  securely  closed  in  the  presence  of  the  Warden. 

Lord  Fingall  having  come  home  with  specimens  of  his  wonderful 
discoveries  to  be  duly  exhibited,  and  the  public  having  paid 
nearly  three-quarters  of  a  million  for  the  property,  goes  out 
again  to  superintend  the  commencement  of  operations,  but  in- 
itead  of  more  miraculous  yields  he  wires  : — 

Eich  chutes  of  ore  opened  very  bad  indeed  ;  does  not  appear  to  be 

E ract.ically  anything  important  left.  Am  continuing  exploration  work, 
ut  the  aspect  of  affairs  is  very  discouraging. 

And  there,  as  we  write,  and  so  far  as  the  public  knows,  the 
matter  stands.  It  may  be  that  other  parts  of  the  property  will 
pay  for  working,  that  the  "rich  gold"  spoken  of  by 
Matthews  will  return  to  shareholders  some  of  the  large  sums 
'hey  have  paid  for  the  mine,  or  that  Colonel  North,  Lord 
Fingall,  and  the  other  vendors  will  return  the  money  they  have 
received  from  the  public;  But  be  that  as  it  may,  it  does  not 
xffect  the  truth  of  the  contention  we  have  so  frequently  put 
before  the  public,  and  to  which  Lord  Fingall's  telegram  gives 
such  startling  confirmation,  namely,  that  much  of  the  expert 
evidence  upon  which  the  promoters  of  these  West  Australian 
mining  companies  rely  is  grossly  misleading. 

Take  these  Londonderry  reports.  Is  there  any  hint  in  anyone 
of  them  that  the  "golden  hole  "  was  simply  a  "  poc>.ct  "  that 
might  or  might  not  have  much  mote  gold  in  it  than  had  been 
taken  out?  Not  one  word.  Everything  that  could  be  done 
was  done  to  make  the  public  believe  that  I  his  "  shot,*  of  gold  " 


went  deep.  The  reef  "  shows  a  width  of  five  feet  of  gold-bearing 
stone";  "the  solid  reef  was  broken  into,  when  stone  of  an 
exceptionally  rich  character  was  taken  out "  ;  "  rich  stone  was 
obtained  from  the  reef,"  etc.  How  grimly  it  all  reads  in  the 
light  of  that  telegram  from  Lord  Fingall.  Had  these  experts 
told  the  truth,  as  they  must  have  known  it,  had  they  said  that 
it  would  be  unsafe  to  build  high  estimates  upon  the  "golden 
hole,"  which  might  or  might  not  be  a  big  hole,  but  that  apart 
from  this  pocket  the  ground  promised  well,  they  would  have 
done  their  duty.  But  then  the  public  would  have  laughed  at 
the  notion  of  paying  £700,000  for  the  right  to  work  a  few  acres 
of  Coolgardie  mining  land. 

The  truth  is  that  the  majority  of  the  men  whose  reports  are 
used  in  the  prospectuses  of  these  West  Australian  mining  com- 
panies have  no  claim  to  the  public  confidence.  They  are  men 
to  whom  the  Coolgardie  discoveries  have  proved  as  manna  in  the 
desert.  The  fees,  &e. ,  they  get  for  their  reports  mean  very  much 
tothein,  and  the  amount  of  those  fees  is  apt  to  depend  upon  the 
character  of  the  report.  We  do  not  see  how  the  evil  is  to  be  remedied 
whilst  the  public  is  content  to  take  all  the  risk  of  working. 
Mining  experts  will  remain  what  they  are,  and  even  Colonial 
Government  officials — a  very  different  class  to  the  members  of 
thehomeCivilService — play,  unconsciously,  maybe,  into  thehands 
of  the  speculator.  If  the  investing  public  is  to  be  protected  it 
must  protect  itself.  Whilst  it  is  possible  for  men  to  come  over 
to  London  and  sell  a  few  acres  of  undeveloped  land  for  a  huge 
sum,  we  shall  have  these  wonderful  reports  from  mining 
engineers  and  others.  What  could  be  more  preposterous  than 
the  demand  of  the  vendors  of  the  Londonderry  that  the  public 
should  pay  £417,000  in  cash  for  the  property  ?  If  they  really 
believed  that  the  ground  was  full  of  gold,  that  "  one  man  with 
hammer  and  gads  "  could  in  one  hour  break  out  stone  containing 
"  considerably  more  than  1,000  ounces  of  gold,"  and  that  it  was 
not  in  the  highest  degree  an  exceptional  result,  why  want  cash, 
why  not  be  content  with  shares  ?  Upon  what  convincing  plea 
could  they  object  to  taking  payment  in  shares,  less  the  cash  re- 
quired to  cover  the  actual  outlay  on  prospecting,  reporting  and 
putting  the  Company  upon  the  market  ?  If  the  whole  of  the 
£650,000  asked  by  the  vendors  of  the  Londonderry  had  been 
taken  in  shares,  and  the  actual  cash  subscribed  used  for  the  pur- 
poses of  the  business,  then,  if  the  mine  turned  out  badly  all 
would  suffer,  as  all  should  suffer,  in  like  proportion.  What  can  be 
more  absurd,  madder,  from  an  investor's  point  of  view,  than 
handing  over  a  half,  two-thirds,  nine-tenths  of  the  money  sub- 
scribed to  promoters  simply  upon  the  strength  of  reports  made 
by  unknown  men,  who  in  making  them  accept  no  responsibility  ? 

AN  "OIL  AND  COLOUR"  DEAL. 

In  our  issue  of  March  30,  we  dealt  with  "A  Drug  Score 
Deal."  Now  it  is  the  oil  and  colour  men  who  are  to  the  front. 
Lewis  and  Burrows  had  eleven  "  drug  stores"  to  sell,  Davies  and 
Evans  offer  eighty-one  oil  and  colour  shops.  The  "  stores  "  had 
been  running  for  periods  varying  from  a  fewmonths  to  two  or  three 
years.  We  are  left  to  rue  ;s  at  the  age  of  the  oil  and  colour 
shops.  But  as  with  the  druggists  so  with  the  cil  and  colour 
men,  the  public  is  asked  to  buy  a  pig  in  a  poke,  and  will  be  very 
foolish  if  it  accepts  the  invitation.    Let  us  see. 

Davies  and  Evans,  Limited,  is  formed,  with  a  capital  of 
£100,000,  to  acquire  and  work  "  eighty-one  well-equipped  shops, 
mostly  situated  in  the  bus,  thoroughfare*  that  intersect  the 
densely  populated  parts  of  the  metropolis."  Or  t.  put  it  less 
euphoniously,  but  not  less  truly,  eighty-one  oil  and  colour  s':ops 
situated  in  the  poorest  part:;  of  Londoi.  are  to  be  bought.  What 
is  the  value  of  these  shops  ? 

The  vendors  ask  £70,000,  or  an  average  for  each  of  £S64.  Are 
they  worth  it  ?  £864  is  a  pretty  big  price  to  give  for  the  good- 
will of  an  oil  and  colour  shop  in,  say,  the  Bast-end  of  London  ? 
But  perhaps  these  particular  shops  are  exceptionally  prosperous  ? 
A  that,  we  have  no  information  beyond  a  report  of  Messrs. 
Broad  and  Wiltshire,  who  tell  us  that  the  gross  returns  of  the 
eighty-one  shops  for  the  year  ended  September,  and  in 
some  cases  December,  1894,  amounted  to  £103,000,  and  that 
they  are  satisfied  that  "  with  ordinary  care  and  proper  manage- 
ment "  the  net  ptotils  "  will  be  upwards  of  £!l,4U0  per  annum.'' 
Assume  for  the  moment  that  the  estimate  is  a  sound  one,  it 
means  a  net  profit  per  shbp  of  £1 16  per  umium.  Is  the  good- 
will of  an  oil  and  colour  shop  yielding,  "with  ordinary  rare 
ami  proper  management,"  £116  per  annum,  worth  £S64 ! 
W  e  think  not. 


Abril  13,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


303 


The  prospectus  says  us  that  "the  profitable  nature  of  this  kind 
of  business  "  (oil  and  colour  shops)  is  well  known.  Is  it  ?  The 
result  of  the  working  of  these  eighty-one  shops,  as  shown  in  the 
prospectus  before  us,  does  not  show  it.  Their  gross  turnover  is 
£103,000  per  annum.  That  gives  an  average  turnover  of  .£1,271, 
and  the  net  profit  of  £116  is  only  just  over  9i  per  cent,  on  that 
turnover.    Is  that  a  very  brilliant  result  ? 

But  what  likelihood  is  there  that  this  profit  of  £116  per  shop 
will  be  maintained,  how  that  the  eighty-one  shops  are  to  be 
handed  over  to  a  company?  The  prospectus  dwells  on 
increased  profits,  due  to  the  "  considerable  saving  of  ex- 
penditure" consequent  upon  "concentration  under  a  central 
control."  To  us  increased  expenditure  seems  much  more 
likely.  We  do  not  know  how  many  of  these  eighty-one 
shops  have  been  bought  from  individual  owners,  for 
the  prospectus  is  very  chary  of  particulars,  but  it  is 
certain  that  many  have  been  bought.  Now  an  oil  and  colour 
shop  with  a  turnover  of  £24  10s  per  week  is,  speaking 
generally,  worked  by  the  owner.  There  is  no  room  for 
a  manager  in  a  business  giving — and  that  for  one  year 
only — the  prospectus  does  not  give  us,  or  is  not  able  to  give  us, 
the  profits  over  a  series  of  years — a  net  return  of  £116  per 
annum.  But  a  company  must  put  somebody  into  the  shop  to 
work  it.  That  the  directors  admit,  aud  they  take  from  the 
£9,400  net  profit  of  these  eighty-one  shops,  "£1,300  for  the 
expenses  of  management  and  reserve."  Is  that  sufficient  ?  If 
you  allow  only  5  per  cent,  for  the  reserve  fund,  that  leaves  a 
little  over  £800  for  "expenses  of  management."  Can  you 
manage  eighty-one  oil  and  colour  shops  sea  tered  over  London, 
not  to  speak  of  directors'  fees,  office  expenses,  and  the  salary  t  f 
the  general  manager,  for  £10  per  shop  ?  But  if  you  have  to 
make  a  larger  allowance— a  much  larger  allowance— for  the 
expenses  of  management,  you  shrink  the  net  profit,  even  taking 
the  estimates  of  the  prospectus,  to  a  sum  quite  inadequate 
to  meet  the  interest  that  shareholder  ma'  reasonably  expect 
upon  their  money  when  invested  in  an  enterprise  of  this  kind. 

Of  the  £70,000  the  vendors  ask  foi  these  eighty-one 
businesses,  £40,000  is  to  be  in  cash.  For  this  £70,000  there  is 
nothing  but  the  goodwill  and  some  "valuable  leaseholds,"  a 
very  mythical  asset  in  this  connection.  The  rest  of  the  capital 
is  to  be  used  for  working  expenses  "  and  purchase  of  stocks."  It 
would  be  interesting  to  know  how  much  will  be  left  for  working- 
capital  when  the  vendors  have  been  paid  for  their  stocks.  To 
encourage  the  public  to  swallow  this  big  pill  we  have  the  pros- 
perity of  the  recently-formed  drapery  companies  trotted  out. 
But  how  does  the  prosperity  of  Harrod's  Stores,  or  Evans's,  or 
Roberts'  help  to  an  answer  to  the  question  whether  eighty  little 
oilshops  are  worth  £70,000  ? 

The  prospectus  winds  up  with  the  following  "  curious  "  para- 
graph :— 

Subscribers  will  be  held  ...  to  have  agreed  with  the  Company 
.  .  .  not  to  make  any  claims  whatever,  or  to  take  any  proceedings 
...  in  respect  of  any  .  .  .  mis-statement  in  the  prospectus 
made  in  the  lona-flde  belief  that  it  is  true. 

We  think  we  have  said  enough  to  convince  our  readers  that 

they  will  do  well  to  leave  Davies  and  Evans,  Limited,  severely 

alone. 

It  might  be  gathered,  from  paragraphs  that  have  appeared  in 
the  Daily  Chronicle  and  elsewhere,  that  the  New  Budget 
succeeds  the  Pall  Mall  Budget  in  the  sense  that  a  tradesman 
or  professional  man  succeeds  when  he  takes  over  the  business,  or 
clientele,  of  others.  That  is  not  the  fact.  The  death  of  the 
Pall  Mall  Budget — run  by  a  millionaire  regardless  of  cost — will 
help  many  of  the  illustrated  weeklies,  but  the  only  paper  that 
is  in  any  sense  the  heir  of  the  Budget  is  Black  and  While,  its 
directors  having  made  an  arrangement  with  Mr.  Astor  under 
which  they  take  over  the  subscribers'  list  of  the  paper,  and  such 
advertising  contracts  as  they  may  be  able  to  induce  advertisers 
to  continue  with  them. 

The  shareholders  of  Black  and  White,  Limited,  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated upon  the  growing  prosperity  of  their  property. 
The  shares,  which  a  few  months  ago  might  have  been  bought  for 
£3  10s.,  are  now  difficult  to  get  at  £7  10s. 

Me.  Samsom  Fox,  of  water-gas  fame,  is  credited  by  rumour 
with  having  secured  a  really  valuable  patent.  Our  o  vn  infor- 
mation, vhich  we  give  under  reserve,  is  that  Mr.  Fox  has  paid 
£16,000  for  the  patent.  A  large  dynamo,  gas-engine,  and  other 
machinery  has  already  arrived  at  the  Leeds  Forge  Works  in 


connection  with  this  gas  business.  We  shall  have  more  to  say 
about  this  patent  at  the  proper  time — before  the  public  is  asked 
to  buy  it. 

Now  that  Mr.  Jabez  Balfour  is  on  his  way  to  this  country  for 
trial  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  newspapers  will  refrain  from  further 
comments  prejudicial  to  the  accused.  Let  him  be  what  he  may, 
Mr.  Balfour  is  entitled  to  a  fair  trial,  and,  as  matters  stand,  we 
do  not  see  how  he  is  to  get  it  unless  he  is  tried  by  a  Commission 
of  judges. 

Owi.w  to  wb  may,  or  may  not,  prove  to  be  the  collapse 
of  the  Londonderry  mine  the  issue  of  several  West  Australian 
ventures  has  been  postponed.  It  is  not  surprising  that  Lord 
Fingall's  telegram  has,  for  the  moment,  discredited  West 
Australian  mining  enterprise ;  but  it  would  be  foolish  to  condemn 
a  w  hole  district  because  at  one  spot  there  has  been  afasco. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
J.  C.  an^  .  Field,  Limited.  G.  D.  is.  (Birmingham). — We  do  not 
think  you  would  bo  well  advised  irr  purchasing  these  share?,  even  at  £4  10s. 
Like  so  many  other  companies  formed  to  take  over  businesses  th  it  have 
been  very  nourishing,  this  Company  soon  got  on  the  down-grade  ;  and 
though  there  has  been  some  recovery,  much  remains  to  be  done  before  its 
shaves  can  be  other  than  a  very  speculative  investment.  Chartered's. 
(Nailsea). — For  a  small  sum,  such  as  you  name,  we  do  not  think  this  the 
best  investment  you  could  select.  Moreover,  the  p.esent  price  is  very  high. 
J.  Lyons  and  Co.,  Limited.  H.  II.  C.  (London)  —For  your  purpose, 
as  described,  wo  think  these  shares,  even  at  the  preserrt  quotation, 
a  good  purchase.  Gregory  and  Co.  J.  P.  (Rugby).— Yes,  quite 
safe.  Wo  should  sell  the  shares  you  mention.  Panama  and  other 
Bonds.  J.  E.  G.  (Stalybridge).— If  you  want  the  list  of  winning  numbers 
of  Panama,  Congo,  Servian  and  other  drawings  subscr  ibe  to  Moniteitr 
ilea  Tnterets  Materiel,  21,  Place  do  Louvain,  Brussels.  About  a  week  elapses 
after  the  drawings  before  the  numbers  are  published.  Two  Outside 
Brokers.  SQUARE  (Glasgow).— We  know  nothing  of  No- 1,  we  have  no 
doubt  you  will  be  treated  fairly  by  No.  2.  Moore  and  Burgess, 
Limited.  J.  H.  N.  (South  Shields).— You  asked  us  whether  you  should 
sell  your  shares  at  a  rubbish  price  or  average  by  buying  other  shares  offered 
ytuata  rubbish  price.  We  replied  that  we  were  "  inclined  "  to  advise 
you  to  hold  and  average,  but  we  were  careful  to  point  out  to  you  that,  as 
matters  stand,  the  investment  is  a  very  speculative  one.  We  have  nothing 
to  add  to  or  take  from  the  answers  deviously  given  you.  As  to  whether  we 
think  the  shares  will  be  wor  th  7s.  6d.  next  March,  we  see  no  advantage  in 
hazarding  an  opinion.  Almos1 .everything  depends  upon  the  management 
and  tho  weather.  Outside  Brokers.  B,  R.  B.  (Greenock).— They  are 
very  respectable  people.  Charterer's.  J.  W.  II.  (Totley).— As  we  wr  ite 
the  pries  of  the  £1  shares  is  about  Cos.,  but  we  do  not  think  these  shaves 
suitable  for  your  purpose.  Outside  Brokers.  W.  H.  (Bury).— Throw 
all  such  circulars  as  the  one  you  send  us  into  the  fire.  Sundry  Shares. 
Annual  Subscriber.  (New  Beckenham).— If  you  can  sell,  sell.  Tinto's. 
J.  Met).  (Perth). — We  do  not  think  you  would  gain  "much  by  the  change. 
Sundry  Mining  Shares.  Kansas  (Halifax).— All  very  speculative. 
Klerksdorp  Bstate  Company.  J.-M.  (N'ewcastle-orr-Tyne). — We 
fear  the  delay  has  been  fatal  to  your  claim.  Londonderry's.  G.  T. 
(Dublin). — You  had  better  hold.  The  vendors— anyway,  Colonel  North- 
are  acting  very  fairly,  and  Lord  Fingall's  telegram  gives  us  the  impression 
of  being  sent  by  a  man  who — moved  by  personal  considerations  that  do 
him  honour — may  have  said  a  good  deal  more  to  the  prejudice  of  the  mine 
than  the  facts  in  his  possession  warrant.*  Remember  that  the  Company  has 
a  large  acreage  that  cannot  be  included  in  Lord  Fingall's  condemnation, 
and  lias  been  very  favourably  reported  upon. 

INSURANCE. 

State  Fire  Office.  A.  Sharp  (Glasgow).— -This  office  will  pay  you 
£0s.  in  the  £  in  case  a  loss  occurs,  and  tije  Norwich  Union  could  rrot  do 
more  than  that.  Join  the  office  which  charges  you  least.  Policyowner 
(Liverpool).— Your  request  came  duly  to  hard,  but  we  did  not  comply  at 
once,  because  we  wanted  to  consider  whether  we  could  help  you  further. 
You  have  made  a  mistake  in  let  ting  your  solicitor  take  his  own  course. 
Scottish  Imperial  Life  Ofsice.  A.  L  R.  (Lynton).— It  is  a  poor 
concern  and  ought  to  amalgamate  with  another  office.  Keep  out  of  it  by  all 
means.  Life  Assurance.  Soundness.— Of  the  offices  you  mention  we 
recommend  either  the  Sun  or  the  English  and  Scottish  Law,  both  of  which 
are  excellent.  Seeing  that  you  are  only  twenty-five  years  of  age  an 
endowment  assurance  in  one  of  these  companies,'  payable  to  yourself,  at 
say  fifty,  you  would  in  the  long  run  find  to  be  the  best.  Tire 
Gereral  Accident  Assurance  Corporation  has  plenty  of  funds  at  com- 
mand to  pay  all  its  obligations.  You  will  do  well  to  insure  in  it. 
Scottish  Metropolitan  Life  Assurance  Company,  Popoff 
(Weston-Super-Mare).— 'those  who  take  out  with-profit  life  policies  fi urn 
this  Company  are  likely  to  be  disappointed.  It  is  very  well  for  accident 
policies.  This  Company  is  another  which  ought  to  amalganrate. 
Economic  Life  Assurance  Society.  A.  W.  Q  (Bristol).— This  is  one 
of  our  best  life  offices.  London,  Edinburgh,  and  Glasgow  Assur- 
ance Company.  Constant  Reader  (Glasgow).— We  think  that  shares 
10s.  paid  are,  worth  5s.  Its  position  has  improved  during  the  last  year. 
A.  W.  (Sheffield). — We  regret  your  previous  inquiry  was  overlooked.  Any 
claim  which  may  arise  under  your  policy  will  be  as  fairly  and  fully  met 
as  by  any  other  company.  We  doubt  ver  y  much  whether,  all  things  being 
consider  ed,  the  other  Company  offers  better  security.  Remain  where  you 
are.  It  is  not  one  of  the  Balfour  Group. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Patent  Weldless  Steel,  etc.,  Company.  A.  S.  (Glasgow).— We 
have  no  information  respecting  the  present  positron  of  the  Company.  Can  you 
get  no  information  in  your  own  city,  the  works  being  in  its  neighbourhood  ? 
Purchase  of  Invention.  C.  P.  N.  M.  (Bodinayakarrur,  Madras).—  If 
"  every  smoker  in  the  world  would  invest  in  "  >our  invention,  it  is  plainly 
one  that  might  be  sold  for  a  substantial  sum;  hut  before  we  can  express  any 
opinion  as  to  the  likelihood  of  that  you  must  give  us  particulars,  that  wo 
may  judge  for  ourselves  whether  "  every  smoker  in  the  world,"  or- a  fair 
proportion  of  those  in  this  little  corner  of  ihe  world,  would  be  likely  to  i  seit. 
Bogus  Borrowers.  E.  W.  (Warrington).— We  do  not  think  you  can  do 
anything.  You  saw  the  security  before  you  made  the  loan"  and  if  it 
is  not  sufficient  you  are  the  victim  of  jiuir  own  error.  And  let  us 
remind  you  that  "  £3  interest  for  a  loan  of  £9  for  three  weeks,"  means,  as 
you  surely  should  have  known,  had  security     Tanqueray  Portrait^. 

H.  H.  (Watford).— We  thank  you  for  th«  circular.  AVe  have 
repeatedly  warned  the  public  against  these  people.  The  Emigrants.' 
Savings  Bank.    T.  M.  McL.  (Cardiff).— We  will  ascertain  the  rate  for 

you.    Stubbs'  Directory.  (Ualston).— We  are  obliged  by  you; 

letter.  The  matter  seems  rathen  one. for  Messrs.  Stubbs,  of  Giesliam 
Street,  than  for  us,  but  we  shall  be  glad  of  the  further  particulars.  Out- 
side Brokers.  National  Provident  (Durham!— No.  Shun  "systems," 
as  you  would  shun  the  doviL 


304  TO-DAY.  April  13,  1895. 


J)RURY  LANE  THEATRE.    Sir  Augustus  Harris,  Lcsscj 
and  Manager. 

ENGLISH  OPERA  AT  POPULAR  PRICES. 
For  Full  Particulars  see  Daily  Papers. 
Box  Office  now  open. 

T  YCEUM. — CLOSED    THIS    WEEK.— RE-OPENING  on 

EASTER  MONDAY  with  KING  ARTHUR  by  J.  Comyns  Carr. 
Mr.  Irving,  Miss  Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  Box  Office 
(Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  as  usual  (except  on  Good  Friday)  10  to  5.  Seats  also 
booked  by  letter  or  telegram — "Lyceum." 

•ROYAL  PRINCESS'S  THEATRE— EVERY  EVENING 
A  at  8.30.  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30,  by  arrangements  with 
the  Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company,  Humperdinck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEL 
and  GRETEL  (in  English).   Box  Office  now  open. 


PALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
x  THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  CH.AltLES 
Morton. 

DOYAL  AQUARIUM. — Free  Entertainments,  10  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 

at  2  and  7  FISHERIES  EXHIBITION.    GOLD  MINE.    SIX  WEEKS' 

GIGANTIC  EASTER  CARNIVAL,  Commencing  April  15th. 


MOORE  AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
Enormous  Success  of  the  brilliant  and  delightful  New  Programme. 
Nightly  at  8.0,  and  Matinees  on  Mondays,  Easter  Tuesday,  Wednesdays 
and  Saturdays  at  2.30. 
ON   GOOD  FRIDAY 
Two  Grand  Concerts  of  "  Gems  of  Sacred  Song."  Powerful  choir  of 

voice's  and  specially  augmented  Orchestra. 
On  EASTER  MONDAY  in  the  Large  Hall,  Two  Gala  Performances  of 
the   magnificent   new    Holiday  Programme,  replete  with  surprising 
novelties.  Prices,  5s.,  3s.,  2s.  and  Is.   Bookings  at  Tree's. 

General  Manager,  Mb.  Lawrence  Brough. 

NIAGARA   HALL— ST.   JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 

[UNSOLD'S  PATENT,  most  successful  in  the  world.] 
REAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
Daily,  9.30  to  1.0,  3s.;  3.0  to  6.30,  5s. ;  8.0  to  11.30,  3s. 
EXCELLENT    ORCHESTRA.  FIRST-CLASS  RESTAURANT. 

OPEN   ALL  DAY. 


Why  put  off  till  to-morrow,  what 
can  be  done  To-day  ? 

ASK  YOUR  GROCER  for  a  Tin  of 

FREDERICK  MASON'S 

HOME  BME*DF^TEA 

It  will  only  eost  you  Is.,  and  it's  well 
worth  a  trial. 

ACRE  LANE,  BRIXTON,  S.W. 
A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite, 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 


Dkati   Sin,— I  havo  much  i>lt; 

T>r.  Scott's  Pills  as  a  family  i  Heme 

years,  and  are  never  without  them. 


10,  Holt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 
October  25th,  1884. 
in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  of 
have  used  them  in  our  household  lor  many 


Yours  faithfully,  J.  SKM.AItS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be   persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead. 
Prepared  ouly  by — 

W.   LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place.  LONDON,  W. 


South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHONALAND,  CAPE  OF 
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See  Advertisement  on  Page  312 


April  13,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


305 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Reminiscences  of  a  Lawyer's  Clerk.  XII.  A  Forgotten  Episode. 


By  Herbert  Keen.   Illustrated  by  \V.  Dewar   289 

The  Other  Ireland   295 

Feminine  Affairs    296 

De  omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    299 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller   :   310 

In  a  "Second  Smoking"   301 

In  the  City   302 

To-Day.   By  J.  K.  J  305 

<  i.ub  Chatter    309 

]>u  Maurier  and  his  Novels    313 

a  Close  Shave   313 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  ey 

R.  Caton  Woodville   314 

Black-and-white  Art.  a  Chat  with  Mr..  Raven-Hill   316 

Lite  at  a  Ladies'  College    318 

On  the  Cars  and  Off    319 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Dook  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


A  good  deal  of  sound  morality  has  been  written  in 
connection  with  the  Oscar  Wilde  case ;  I  have  no  wish 
to  add  to  it.  My  own  feelings  of  indignation  are  for 
the  moment  obliterated  by  the  pain  of  the  tragedy; 
and,  when  I  think  of  the  agony  that  the  man  must 
have  suffered  in  the  course  of  his  downfall,  I  confess  I 
feel  little  wish  to  cast  another  stone,  however  small. 
So  far  as  he  is  concerned,  the  whole  matter  is  practi- 
cally closed ;  there  remains  only  the  lesson.  To  a 
good  many  people  the  affair  can  have  been  no  surprise. 
The  scandal  has  been  well-known  in  London  society  for 
a  good  many  years.  It  has  never,  I  believe,  interfered 
with  Mr.  Wilde's  reception  at  any  house.  Men  and 
women  to  whom  the  tale  must  have  been  a  good  deal 
more  than  a  rumour,  have  never  hesitated  to  shake 
him  by  the  hand.  It  was  the  same  in  the  Parnell  case. 
The  Liberal  leaders  knew  of  Mr.  Parnell's  way  of  living 
for  a  considerable  period  before  they  found  it  neces- 
sary to  'be  shocked  at  his  conduct.  The  only  thing  that 
we  ask  of  a  man  is  that  he  shall  not  be  found  out,  and 
here  Mr.  Wilde  has  sinned.  Perhaps  it  is  as  well  that 
it  is  so.  Were  Mr.  Wilde  surrounded  by  those  who 
have  no  right  to  say  a  single  word  in  condemnation 
of  him,  the  dock  at  the  Old  Bailey  would  have  to  be 
enlarged  to  accommodate  a.  good  many  hundreds  of 
people,  and  the  classes,  up  to  the  very  highest,  would 
find  themselves  well  represented. 

There  is  little  use  in  pursuing  the  matter  further  ; 
but  the  fact  might  induce  us  as  a  nation  to  talk  a  little 
less  loudly  about  our  superior  morality,  and  to  prate 
a  little  less  about  our  noble  advancement  upon  the 
wicked  days  of  old.  I  doubt  very  much— and  I  am 
not  using  words  loosely — whether  this  particular  evil 
be  one  whit  less  rampant  in  London  or  New  York  of 
to-day,  than  it  ever  was  in  Rome  or  Athens  of  old.  I 
would  that  our  Mrs.  Grundys  and  our  Mr.  Podsnaps 
knew  a  little  more  of  the  world  in  which  they  live. 
They  would  see  that  their  methods  have  utterly  failed  ; 
that  vice  in  all  her  protean  fc-ms  is  moving  among  us 
as  vigorous  and  active  in  this  nineteenth  century  as  in 


the  ages  that  we  pride  ourselves  upon  having  left  be« 
hind.  And  so  it  will  continue  to  increase  and  flourish 
so  long  as  boys  are  sent  out  into  the  world  without  a 
word  of  warning  or  counsel  from  father  or  from  friend ; 
so  long  aa  girls  are  "  sheltered "  from  knowledge  till 
the  time  arrives  for  them  to  be  plunged  unprepared  into 
its  dangerous  depths.  But  the  question  is  an  old  one, 
and  I  know  that  little  good  is  to  be  gained  by  talking. 
Evil  has  its  purpose;  and  the  world,  let  us  hope,  is 
guided  by  wiser  hands  than  ours. 

The  case  will  have  done  good  if  it  tends  to  cleanse 
literature  a  little  from  the  unsavouriness  with  which 
it  was  being  contaminated.  Mr.  Oscar  Wilde  himself 
one  could  tolerate,  for  whatever  else  he  may  be  he  was 
undoubtedly  an  artist,  and  a  brilliantly  clever  man, 
but  he  founded  a  school  of  scribbling  apes ;  and,  after 
the  manner  of  schools,  they  exaggerated  all  his  faults, 
and  utterly  failed  to  reproduce  his  merit.  What  has 
been  called  the  "  decadent"  school  has  inflicted  a  severe 
blow  on  letters.  It  has  given  a  handle  to  the  prudes 
who  would  eliminate  thought  and  truth  from  art.  While 
self-sacrificing  men  have  been  devoting  their  fives  to 
beating  down  the  barriers  which  the  uneducated  and^ 
the  unthinking  have  sought  to  place  across  the  road  of 
literature,  the  young  fools  who  have  followed  on  have 
tranipled  down  the  bordering  hedges  of  sense  and 
decency,  and  plunged  like  pigs  into  the  bog  that  lies 
beyond.  "  You  clamour  against  our  interference,"  say 
the  prudes.  "  See  what  literature  and  art  become  when 
you  have  got  rid  of  our  control ! " 

We  want  liberty — not  license.  We  do  not  want  litera- 
ture to  be  controlled  by  either  the  bookstall  clerk  or 
the  parson,  by  the  unread  old  woman  or  the  unread 
young  girl.  But  we  do  want  it  controlled  by  the  man 
and  woman  of  sense  and  education.  We  do  want  a  little 
more  outspokenness  on  this  matter.  When  in  these 
columns  some  months  ago  I  attacked  the  Chameleon 
in  terms  that  I  considered  were  justified,  I  was  bom- 
barded with  indignant  letters  from  those  who  told  me 
that  such  things  were  best  left  untouched,  and  I  was 
accused  of  advertising  an  evil.  Silence  is  not  the  way 
to  meet  these  approaches.  Evil  loves  silence;  it 
flourishes  in  silence  and  darkness.  Publicity  is  to  it 
as  the  daylight  to  an  owl.  Give  all  men  the  right  to 
speak  their  thoughts,  and  the  voice  of  decency  will 
always  be  strong  enough  to  drive  sensuousness  back  into 
i£s  lurking  places.  Insist  upon  your  conspiracy  of 
silence  and  it  will  creep  into  the  hearts  of  your  young, 
and  do  its  deadly  work  faster  than  you  think.  And 
remember,  dear  Mr.  Podsnap  and  dear  Mrs.  Grundy, 
that  when  once  it  is  enthroned  you  may  preach  and 
moralise  to  your  heart's  content ;  your  words  will  never 
oust  it.  You  can  arm  a  boy  or  a  girl  against  evil ;  you 
can  never  cure  the  poisoned  wound  when  it  has  once 
been  inflicted. 

I  fancy  the  Local  Veto  Bill  will  be  a  lesson  to  the 
Liberal  Party  for  a  good  many  years  to  come.  The 
Liberal  Party  has  many  excellent  and  sterling  quali- 
ties, but  it  makes  extremely  bad  bargains  for  itself. 
It  has  sold  itself,  body  and  soul,  to  the  teetotal  party,  in 
exchange  for  the  teetotal  vote ;  but  it  has  never  stopped 
to  ask  how  much  that  teetotal  vote  was  worth,  and  now 
it  is  beginning  to  find  out  the  figures.    In  Kennington, 


306 


TO-DAY. 


April  13,  1895. 


a  very  typical  Radical  constituency,  the  temperance 
vote  is  estimated  by  the  temperance  leaders  as  worth 
about  three  hundred.  In  such  a  constituency  the 
Local  Veto  Bill  would  cost  the  Government  at 
the  next  election,  at  the  very  least,  a  thousand 
votes.  Strong  Radical  papers  have  satisfied 
themselves  that  the  Government  will  lose  seats 
all  over  the  country  by  insisting  in  their  teetotal  legis- 
lation. The  truth  is,  the  Government  has  been  bam- 
boozled, as  a  good  many  other  worthy  folk  have  been 
bamboozled,  by  the  loud  and  blatant  talk  of  the  teetotal 
fanatics.  According  to  them,  nine-tenths  of  the  working- 
men  electors  are  burning  to  pass  an  Act  prohibiting 
themselves  from  ever  again  drinking  a  glass  of  beer, 
as  if  the  non-drinking  of  beer  were  a  thing  utterly  im- 
possible to  be  accomplished  without  an  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment. But  we  have  learned  something  within  a  late 
period  of  the  value  to  be  attached  to  teetotal  state- 
ments. Myself,  I  do  not  believe  that  any  working-man, 
not  a  born  idiot,  is  likely  to  be  anxious  for  an  Act  that 
will  close  his  public-house,  while  the  middle  and  upper 
classes  have  their  clubs,  hotels,  restaurants,  and  wine 
cellars  left  uninterfered  with. 

Mr.  Beaufoy,  brewer,  of  Kennington,  may  perhaps 
take  a  one-sided  view  of  the  question,  but  there  is  a 
good  deal  of  reason  behind  his  statement  that  the 
Liberal  rank  and  file  are  not  in  favour  of  the  Local 
Veto  Bill.  If  the  majority  were,  it  would  simply  stamp 
them  as  arrant  humbugs.  I  have  known  many  Liberals 
at  their  clubs  and  at  their  homes.  I  have  never  noticed 
that  they  were  less  fond  of  their  glass  of  beer  or  whisky- 
and-seltzer  than  are  their  Conservative  brethren.  In- 
deed, the  drink  bill  of  the  National  Liberal  Club  would 
go  far  to  prove  that  they  themselves  are  rather  heavy 
topers.  A  man  who  will  vote  for  the  working-classes 
being  deprived  of  their  right  to  drink  what,  they  choose, 
while  he  himself  takes  good  care  not  to  stint  his  own 
stomach  is,  in  my  mind,  a  contemptible  hypocrite,  and 
I  would  like  to  hear  the  defence  of  such  a  man  as  Sir 
William  Harcourt  to  this  charge.  The  Bill  was  started 
merely  to  catch  votes.  It  is  an  impertinent  and  in- 
sulting attempt  to  interfere  with  the  primary  right  of 
every  man  to  think  for  himself,  and  to  live  his  own  life 
It  will  never  become  law,  and  the  only  purpose  it  can 
serve  is  to  damage  the  party  that  has  been  foolish 
enough  to  be  frightened  from  its  principles  by  the 
braying  of  a  few  noisy  and  self-advertising  fanatics. 

The  Ealing  Free  Public  Library  Committee  is  not 
feeling  quite  happy,  but  it  is  deliriously  amusing.  The 
Rev.  J.  S.  Hilliard  has  been  "subject  to  considerable 
annoyance,"  and  complains  of  "  a  weekly  paper."  I  am 
so  glad  to  think  that  it  cannot  be  To-Day.  A  Mr.  Sc.  ' 
John  is  oracular  and  funny.  "  At  the  present  time," 
he  complains,  "authors  sell  themselves  to  publishers, 
and  have  to  write  what  is  wanted.  Authors  who  were 
perfectly  harmless  are  no  longer  so.  Take  Grant  Allen, 
for  instance ;  his  writings  have  certainly  changed  from 
what  they  were."  One  may  laugh  at  this,  but  it  is  still 
undeniable  that  what  Mr.  St.  John  knows  would,  if 
supplemented  by  what  he  does  not  know,  fill  quite  a 
large  book.  Then  we  have  Mr.  Force,  who  has  been 
described  in  the  Press  as  "  Mrs."  Force.  "  He  did  not 
object  to  criticism,  but  he  did  object  to  that."  Ealing 
has  always  seemed  to  me  quite  a  prosperous  little  place  ; 


could  ifc  not  afford  a  nice  new  set  of  oracles  who  would, 
even  if  they  could  not  take  themselves  quite  so 
seriously,  at  any  rate  manage  to  be  less  ridiculous  ? 

A  knowledge  of  the  actual  sales  of  the  St.  James's 
Gazette  during  the  Oscar  Wilde  libel  case  would  be  in- 
teresting and  instructive.  The  St.  James's  advertised 
itself  as  the  only  evening  paper  containing  no  report  of 
the  proceedings,  and  personally  I  felt  a  glow  of  admira- 
tion when  I  saw  the  placard.  "  Here  is  a  paper,"  I 
said  to  myself,  "  which  is  worthily  upholding  the  honour 
of  English  journalism.  The  details  of  'such  a  case  ought 
never  to  be  made  public  —  honourable  papers  should 
not  pander  to  morbid  curiosity.  What  a  lesson  is  here 
for  other  journals."  Then  I  went  out  and  bought  an 
Evening  News.  Stepping  into  an  Underground  train  I 
met  a  white-haired  old  gentleman  who  had  also  seen  the 
placard,  and  who  was  most  eloquent  in  praise  of  the  re- 
ticence displayed  by  the  St.  James'  Gazette.  He  said 
it  was  the  only  decent  paper  on  the  streets ;  he  was 
taking  a  copy  home  to  his  wife. 

He  himself  was  reading  a,  Pall  Mall,  but  was  dissatisfied. 
He  told  me  that  the  Westminster  gave  fuller  detail.  At 
the  next  station  we  each  bought  a  Westminster.  Much 
the  same  sort  of  thing  occurred  during  Mr.  Stead's 
"  Maiden  Tribute  "  period.  The  horror  excited  through- 
out London  by  the  publication  of  those  articles  was 
only  equalled  by  the  indignation  felt  at  the  difficulty  of 
obtaining  the  paper.  I  remember  a  friend  of  my  own 
coming  round  to  my  house  one  evening  during  the  week 
and  together  we  denounced  Mr.  Stead  for  having  flooded 
the  country  with  printed  indecency.  My  friend  was  a " 
good  man  and  a  churchwarden.  I  discovered  after  he 
had  left  that  he  had  taken  with  him  my  copy  of  the 
paper,  which  grieved  me  as  it  spoilt  my  set.  We  are 
an  amusing  little  race — we  men  and  women.  I  really 
cannot  see  why  one  wants  to  pay  ten  shillings  for  a  seat 
to  see  a  comedy. 

The  Island  of  Mull  has  for  a  week  been  in  connection 
with  the  mainland  of  Scotland  by  telegraph  without 
wires.  I  am  not  going  to  explain  inductive  telegraphy 
here  for  several  reasons,  one  of  which — the  least  im- 
portant— is  that  I  do  not  happen  to  know  anything 
about  it.  But  I  am  glad  to  observe  this  tendency  of 
science  to  simplify  things.  I  should  like  in  a  humble 
way  to  encourage  it,  and  tell  it  to  go  on  progressing  in 
the  same  direction.  To  telegraph  without  wires  is  all 
very  well  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  do  not  let  us  stop  there. 
Science  must  next  discover  a  method  of  telegraphing 
without  sixpence.  The  ordinary  man  does  not  rare 
greatly  whether  his  message  goes  with  wires  or  without 
them:,  but  when  he  finds  that  he  can  telegraph  with- 
out sixpence  he  will  be  very  pleased  ;  life  will  be  simpler 
and  easier  to  him ;  science  will  receive  his  sincere  grati- 
tude. Attempts  to  telegraph  without  sixpence  have  so 
far,  I  believe,  not  been  entirely  a  scientific  success  ; 
some  have  even  thought  them  dishonest. 

The  vendetta  seems  to  be  imperfectly  understood  in 
Great  Peter  Street,  Westminster.  "  Jane  Riddell, 
thirty-six,  laundress,"  to  adopt  the  brevity  of  the  poliee- 
court  report,  has  much  to  learn  from  Corsica.  The 
time  she  chose  for  taking  her  revenge  was  appropriate 
and  romantic — in  the  silence  of  the  small  hours  ;  it  was 


April  13,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


in  the  manner  of  taking  it  that  she  broke  down.  Her 
enemy  had  a  dining-room,  the  dining-room  had  a  win- 
dow, it  was  in  that  dining-room  window  that  she  decided 
to  wound  her  enemy,  and  satisfy  her  own  thirst  for 
revenge.  So  she  threw  a  jug  at  it  and  broke  the  gln.ss. 
There's  no  romance  there,  and  there  is  not 
much  common-sense  either ;  a  jug,  however  admir- 
able it  may  be  for  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  originally  intended,  is  emphatically  not  the 
real  object  with  which  to  break  a  window.  A  boot,  a 
poker,  or  the  moiety  of  a  brick  would  not  have  been 
more  romantic,  but  would  have  been  more  in  accord- 
ance with  the  light  of  reason.  A  jug  that  goes  break- 
ing windows  is  likely  to  break  itself,  and  if  the  jug  were 
the  property  of  the  laundress,  or  even  of  the  nearest 
public-house,  that  would  mean  actual  loss  to  the  avenger. 
But  possibly  in  the  wild  rush  of  a  vendetta  one  does 
not  think  of  these  sordid  pecuniary  details  ;  possibly, 
too,  the  jug  had  been  borrowed  previously  from  the  pro- 
secutor, but  there  is  nothing  in  the  police-court  report 
to  justify  the  belief  that  this  double  coup  was  effected. 

I  am  inquiring  into  the  case  of  Annie  Grace  Bull, 
the  little  eleven  year  old  girl  who  gave  her  life  for  her 
baby  brother  at  a  level  crossing  on  the  North  Stafford- 
shire Railway.  I  am  doing  this  with  a  view  of  a 
memorial  being  erected  to  her  memory. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

Me.  Alderman  Ben  Tillett  writes  me  the  following'letter: — 
Dear  Sir, — Have  been  an  interested  and  regular  reader 
of  your  smart  weekly  since  it's  first  issue,  and,  to  use  a 
hackneyed  journalistic  phrase,  while  not  entirely  agreeing 
with  you,  I  recognise  literary  merit,  and  usually  ensure 
myself  a  couple  of  hours'  good  reading  and  insure  myself  for 
£1,000  at  the  same  time.  This  by  way  of  introduction. 
What  I  have  read  has  lead  me  to  bDlieve  that  at  least  you 
have  enough  of  the  Britisher  in  you  to  love  a  fair  stand-up 
fight. 

Now  fair  play,  and  let  me  correct  the  errors  you  have 
made  in  representing  my  case.  I  don't  mind  you  quoting 
my  strong  Saxon,  as  I  suppose  you  wouldn't  mind  if  I  strung 
together  a  lot  of  your  rough  epithets. 

Not  the  most  prejudiced  person  against  me  in  court  would 
say  my  case  was  tried — it  was  not,  the  occasion  was  seized  to 
make  a  violent  personal  attack  on  myself.  Your  statement 
as  to  half -starved  docker  on  15s.  or  20s.  weekly  paying  to 
union.  The  common-sense  docker  pays  because  he  now 
gets  15s.  for  every  10s.  he  was  forced  to  accept  when  he  had 
no  union.  It  is  not  so  very  long  since  that  one  director  of  a 
large  company,  in  declaring  the  first  dividend  for  a  long 
while,  complained  that  £300,000  extra  had  been  paid  in 
wages.  £245  travelling,  thirty  persons  for  fifty-two  weeks — 
travelling  sometimes  long  distances,  and  you  have  explana- 
tions. 

Miscellaneous.  —  You  'might  have  given  my  complete 
statement,  viz.,  "That  same  was  bad  debts,  i.e.,  loans  to 
other  societies,  covering  a  period  of  four  years,  but  wiped 
off  in  1893. 

£1,379.  — General  Expenses. — These  cover  rent,  rates, 
taxes,  stationery,  printing,  books,  etc.,  and  the  salaries  of  a 
dozen  permanent  officials.  You  say  wrongly,  "  It  also 
appears  that  the  secretary  receives  a  commission,"  etc.  I 
receive  no  commission.  That  refers  to  secretaries  of  the 
140  branches,  who  are  termed  branch  secretaries. 

The  income  for  1893  was  £8,911  13s.  5d.  ;  payments 
made  to  members,  1893,  £3,482  0s.  9£d.  (dispute) ;  legal, 
£783  15s.  7d.  ;  funeral,  £49S  ;  legal  compensation,  £1,200  ; 
Hull  dispute,  £14,000  ;  total,  £19,963  15s.  44d. 

Five  hundred  and  sixty-six  officials  appointed  by  dockers 
— who  are  "  minding  their  own  business,  and  are  quite 
grown  up  " — consume  weekly  an  average  of  Is.  7d.  each. 
Enormous,  isn't  it,  sometimes  for  all  the  week  evenings? 
There  is  not  a  permanent  docker,  in  or  out  of  the  union,  but 
what  to-day  receives  from  Is.  to  3s.  a  day  extra,  and  not  a 
casual  bui,  receives  20  per  cent,  to  50  per  cent,  increase 
on  his  wages.  I  don't  mind  blunt,  straightforward  criticism, 
but  I  detest  the  opponent — journalistic  or  otherwise — coward 
and  cad  enough  to  hit  below  the  belt.  I  believe  you  sincere 
enough  to  treat  this  frankly. 
I  thank  Mr.  Ben  Tillett  for  his  good  opinion.  Will  Mr. 
Tillett  give  me  names  and  addresses  of  a  score  of  dockers  who 


will  prove  to  me  that  their  wages  have  been  increased  fifty 
per  cent,  by  the  strikes  which  have  made  him  famous  ?  Will 
he  tell  me — to  complete  this  point— how  many  men  were 
employed  at  the  docks  prior  to  the  period  of  strikes,  and 
how  many  men  are  employed  there  now  ?  Will  he  also 
estimate  the  loss  in  wages  to  the  men,  and  the  loss  in 
freightage  to  the  company — that  is,  to  the  whole  community — 
during  the  strikes  ?  For  the  rest  of  Mr.  Ben  Tillett's  letter, 
it  is  simply  an  excuse,  not  an  explanation.  I  am  glad  to 
see  that  Mr.  Tillett  objects  to  any  blows  below  the  belt, 
especially  when  he  is  the  person  hit.  But  a  good  deal  depends 
upon  where  one  wears  the  belt. 

Dama  and  other  Belfast  friends  inform  me  that  the  citizens 
of  that  town  are  greatly  excited  at  the  question  of  drink  being 
or  not  being  sold  at  their  forthcoming  exhibition.  Of  course, 
the  teetotal  fanatics  are  behaving  with  wild  intemperance  over 
the  matter,  but  I  still  think  that  the  logic  of  the  argument  is 
with  them.  If  the  exhibition  is  to  be  purely  and  solely  in  the 
interests  of  a  teetotal  institution,  then,  in  common-sense,  it 
should  be  conducted  on  teetotal  lines.  It  was,  perhaps,  a  mis- 
take for  the  business  men  of  Belfast  to  have  anything  to  do 
with  a  teetotal  institution.  If  there  are  not  enough  teetotalers 
in  Belfast  to  support  teetotalism,  that  speaks  well  for  the  sense 
of  the  place,  and  the  institute  might  well  have  been  left  to 
collapse  for  want  of  funds. 

Knox,  writing  on  the  subject  of  Bimetallism,  points  out  that 
the  owners  of  silver  have  been  heavy  losers  by  its  depreciation 
and  that  therefore,  a  little  gain  to  them — should  a  rise  take  place 
in  consequence  of  the  dual  currency  being  established — would  be 
no  injustice. 

A.  H. — The  chief  question  agitating  mankind  just  now  would 
seem  to  be  :  "  What  is  the  answer  to  the  riddle,  '  Sisters  and 
brothers  have  I  none,  but  that  man's  father  is  my  father's 
son  '  ?  "  The  speaker  is  pointing  to  a  portrait,  and  the  question 
is:  "Whose  portrait?"  I  have  known  more  happy  homes 
broken  up  through  this  riddle  than  by  any  other  question- 
social,  political,  or  religious — and  it  generally  carries  misery  and 
despair  with  it  wherever  it  goes.  If  I  followed  my  natural  good 
sense,  I  should  decline  to  have  any  connection  with  the  question. 
I  know  by  answering  it  I  shall  lose  some  fifty  per  cent,  of  my 
friends  and  cause  much  heartburning  and  bitterness,  but  if  any- 
one wants  my  opinion  I  emphatically  say  that  the  portrait  is 
that  of  the  man's  own  son.  I  cannot  answer  letters  through  the 
post. 

E.  H.  C.  sends  me  a  letter  which  bears  the  imprint  of  deep  sin- 
cerity. He  is  a  working  man  in  a  busy  Northjof  England  manufac- 
turing town,  and  his  letter  is  so  manly,  so  full  of  faith  and  strength, 
that  I  feel  I  should  be  doing  some  good  by  publishing  its  last  two 
paragraphs.  To  the  latter  of  these  I  call  the  earnest  attention  of 
our  numerous  preachers  and  guides.  The  letter  is  from  one  of 
those  young  men  about  whose  welfare  they  profess  to  be  soanxious. 
They  will  see  how  the  young  men  themselves  regard  the  matter  : 
"I  am  doing  my  best,  Sir,  to  live  a  Christian  life.  I  have  no 
enemies  among  my  shop-mates,  but  it  is  not  because  I  agree  with 
their  habits  and  views  of  life,  but  because  I  do  not  dictate  to 
them  or  condemn  them.  1  have  resolved  to  fight  against  sin 
witfi  all  the  power  and  discretion  God  has  given  me,  and  not  fall 
into  the  general  error  of  hating  the  sinner  instead  of  the  sin. 
But  remembering  that  if  I  am  any  better  than  my  fallen  brother, 
it  is  only  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  not  through  any  merit  of  my 
own,  I  seek,  in  all  humility  and  love,  to  patiently  win  them 
back  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  most  distracting  influences  I  experi- 
ence are  wrought  upon  me  by  the  hypocrisy  among  the  so-called 
religious  people.  Some  of  them  would  give  one  the  impression 
that  God  was  an  unjust  tyrant  instead  of  the  loving  Shepherd 
of  the  human  flock  ;  theso  exercise  my  charity  to  the  fullest. 
How  true  is  the  prophecy,  '  Because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the 
love  of  many  shall  wax  cold'  ! " 

S.  M.  —Your  suggestions  are  good,  but,  alas  !  quite  im- 
practicable. C.  H.N. — Thanks  for  your  amusing  cutting.  The 
old  scamp's  admission  "  busts  up  the  show,"  as  they  used  to 
say  in  the  old  travelling  days.  Notwithstanding,  his  position 
was  certainly  more  logical  than  that  of  the  coroner.  J.  A.  B. — 
Thank  you  for  your  letter  and  enclosure.  I  am  making  use  of 
the  details  in  editorial  notes.  J.  B.  H. — It  is  to  be  held  in 
Paris.  No  particulars  are  to  hand  at  present.  Aluion. — • 
Many  thanks  for  your  letter,  with  which  I  cordially  agree. 

S.  W.  (Abergavenny). — 1  can  quite,  understand  the  disinclina- 
tion of  members  of  Parliament  to  say  what  they  think  about 
Free  Trade.  The  average  M.P.  does  not  know  what  he  does 
think.  He  would  only  get  himself  into  trouble  if  lie  attempted 
to  work  out  questions  for  himself.  S.  W.  is  sure  that  if  the 
direct  question  were  put  to  the  electorate  an  enormous  number 
would  reply  in  favour  of  Protection. 

W.  H.  S.  draws  my  attention  to  a  wickedly  light  sentence  of 
one  month's  imprisonment  inflicted  by  the  Birmingham  magis- 
trates upon  a  brute  named  Rutter,  who,  because  his  wife  made 
some  slight  mistake  in  obeying  his  wishes,  first  of  all  savagely 
kicked  her,  and  then  set  his  dog  on  to  her.  The  dog  tore  the  flesh 
from  the  arms  and  legs.  As  my  correspondent  sajs,  this  is 
practically  setting  a  premium  on  cruelty,  and  the  sentence  is 
certainly  a  disgrace  to  the  magistrate  who  gave  it. 

O.  H. — The  book  is  certainly  one  that  I  would  not  care  to  see, 
mentioned  in  an  article  supposed  to  appeal  to  girls  and  young 
women,  but  the  writer  of  the  article  evidently  differs  from  that 


308 


TO-DAY. 


April  13,  1895. 


view,  and  I  am  in  favour  of  freedom  of  opinion  where  the 
argument  is  within  the  bounds  of  reason. 

E.  C. — Why  should  I  alienate  broad-minded  readers  by 
praising  the  Salvation  Army  ?  One  judges  by  works,  and  it 
would  be  wilfully  shutting  one's  eyes  to  deny  that  the  Army 
has  not  accomplished  great  good.  It  makes  a  good  deal  of  noise 
over  some  of  its  labours,  but  much  is  accomplished  in  silence,  as 
all  good  work  is  done.  Meanwhile,  as  it  seems  to  me — and  I  cannot 
help  being  impressed  with  the  fact  more  and  more  as  I  look 
around  me — other  religious  denominations  are  allying  themselves 
so  close' y  to  social  and  p  )litical  parties  as  to  be  practically 
useless  for  the  purpose  of  Christianity. 

A  Doctor  writes  me  with  regard  to  the  Contagious  Diseases 
Act : 

"I  have  often  tried  to  impress  on  my  friends  similar  views 
on  these  subjects,  with  what  success  I  know  not.  If  there 
were  a  few  more  editors  as  fearless  of  expressing  their 
opinions  as  you  are,  cant,  prudery,  and  religious  chicanery 
would  soon  become  less  in  the  land." 
J.  J.  D.  sends  me  the  following  letter  dealing  with  the 
methods  of  the  Salvation  Army,  which  is  interesting  enough  to 
be  quoted  at  length: — "I  was  heartily  glad  to  read  in  your 
issue  of  last  week  an  appreciation  of  General  Booth.  He  is  the 
sensiblest  man  I  have  ever  listened  to,  and  although  I  am  no 
greater  lover  of  his  eccentricities  in  religion  than  yourself,  I 
vi  o  ild  continue  to  help  him  in  his  social  work  were  he  to 
profess  Mohammedanism  or  any  other  '  ism,'  for,  after  all,  a 
religion  that  practises  common-sense  is  the  only  religion  worth 
listening  to.  You  mention  particularly  his  work  amongst  fallen 
women,  and  in  all  he  does  he  is  quite  as  consistent.  He  asks 
nobody  for  their  character — it  is  sufficient  for  him  that  they 
need  help,  and  if  the  help  is  to  be  continued  the  only  condition 
he  makes  is  that  it  must  be  honestly  worked  for.  The  work  of 
his  '  slum '  sisters  perhaps  appeals  to"me  more  than  anything 
else  that  he  has  done.  When  a  poor  mother  is  ill  and  sleepless, 
and  her  children  are  too  young  to  be  of  any  use  in  the  house, 
the  sight  of  one  of  these  Salvation  lasses  is  like  the  vision  of  an 
angel.  They  draw  thirteen  shillings  a  week  from  headquarters, 
and  out  of  this  they  keep  and  clothe  themselves,  and  continually 
produce  help  for  their  poor  patients  from  a  cruse  that  seems  to 
know  no  wasting.  Their  rooms  [are  like  an  oasis  in  a  vast 
desert  of  misery,  and  there  is  a  world  of  difference 
between  these  sensible  girls  and  the  tract  and  flannel 
distributing  district  visitors  who  come  in  their  silks 
and  satins  to  read  the  B  ible  when  scrubbing  the  floor 
and  getting  the  dinner  ready  would  be  better  appreciated. 


The  General's  latest  idea  is  his  best.  He  says  that  boys  from  10 
to  16  run  wild  in  the  streets  of  London,  and  grow  up  without  a 
trade,  so  he  means  to  take  charge  of  them,  and  teach  them  a 
trade.  He  hopes  that  by  means  of  their  work  he  will  be  able  to 
pay  all  expenses  when  once  the  thing  is  fairly  started.  Even  his 
missionary  work  is  supremely  sensible.  To  keep  a  missionai  y  in 
India  costs  the  Salvation  Army  £5.  This  is  how  it  is  done  : 
The  Salvationist  bscomes  for  the  time  being  a  Hindoo,  goes  bare- 
foot, wears  the  costume,  eats  rice,  and  begs  for  food  just  as  the 
Buddhist  priests  do.  They  set  their  hymns  to  Indian  tunes,  they 
use  Indian  musical  instruments,  no  matter  how  discordant  they 
may  be  to  European  tastes,  and  they  annex  the  religious  dances. 
No  wonder  they  are  making  such  progress  in  India.  Contrast 
the  methods  of  these  poor  Salvationists  with  those  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  you  will  then  realise  what  it  is  that  gives  the 
Salvationist  his  strength." 

R.  G. — It  is  refreshing  to  hear  from  a  working  man  who  seems 
to  be  content  with  his  position,  and  who  is  of  opinion  that  the 
working  classes  are  better  off  in  this  country  than  in  any  other. 
I  have  read  what  you  say  with  interest. 

A.  S. — Apply  to  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Home  and 
Foreign  Travel,  Gracechurch  Street,  E.C.  Myrtle  Cottage. — 
I  believe  you  would  get  pamphlets  on  the  subject  from  the  Fair 
Trade  Club, whose  address  is  6,  Waterloo  Place,  S.W. 

W.  P.  S.  M.  sends  me  a  report  of  the  committee  of  visitors 
to  the  Cambridgeshire  Pauper  Lunatic  Asylum.  The  authorities 
at  the  Asylum,  acting,  I  suppose,  under  the  threats  of  some 
fussy  body  of  teetotal  fanatics,  have  withdrawn  the  harmless 
occasional  glass  of  beer  both  to  patients  and  attendants.  The 
committee  of  visitors  appears  to  be  unusually  broad-minded,  and 
their  report  upon  the  circumstance  is  as  follows  : — 

"  We  think  that  from  drunkards  and  epileptic  and  special 
cases  it  [beer]  maybe  with  propriety  withdrawn,  the  medical 
superintendent  deciding  ;  but  in  our  opinion  it  would  be  im- 
politic and  penal  treatment  to  deprive  all  of  a  harmless 
beverage  which  they  have  all  their  past  lives  been  accus- 
tomed to  regard  as  a  small  luxury,  if  not  a  necessary." 
W.  (Birmingham). — My  City  editor  tells  me  he  has  made  it  his 
business  to  inquire  into  the  bona  fides  of  these  people,  and  on 
every  occasion  has  found  them  fair  and  honest  dealers.    I  have 
read  a  report  of  the  proceedings  to  which  you  refer,  and  I  can 
certainly  see  nothing  discreditable  to  the  plaintiff  in  them.  If 
you  can  bring  us  particulars  of  any  case  where  anyoue  has 
suffered  wrong  from  the  hands  of  this  firm,  we  shall  be  happy 
to  expose  the  wrong  doing. 

(Several  answers  are  unavoidably  croivded  out  this  week. ) 


LONDON  AND  NORTH  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


EASTER  HOLIDAYS,  1895. 


On  Thursday,  April  11th,  a  Special  Express  will  leave 
Willesden  at  2.55  p.m.  for  Kletchley,  Wolverton,  Blisworth,  Weedon, 
Welton,  Rugby,  Trent  Valley  stations,  and  Stafford.  A  Special 
Express  will  also  leave  Euston  at  4.25  p.m.  for  Birmingham,  calling  at 
Willesden  and  Co\en  ry. 

On  the  same  date  the  12.0  Midnight  Train  from  Euston  will  be  extended 
from  Warrington  to  Preston  on  Good  Friday,  arriving  Preston  6.2  a.m. 

On  Good  Friday,  April  12th,  the  5.15  a.m.  Newspaper  Express 
Train  from  London  (Euston  Station)  will  rim  to  Blisworth,  Northamp- 
ton, Bugby,  Birmingham,  Nuneaton,  Tamworth,  Litchfield,  Rugeley, 
Stafford,  Shrewsbury,  Crewe,  Runcorn,  Liverpool,  Manchester,  War- 
lington,  Wigan,  Preston,  Lancaster,  Carnforth,  Oxenholme,  Kendal, 
Windermere,  Tebay,  Penrith,  Carlisle,  Edinburgh  Glasgow,  Perth  and 
Aberdeen.  A  Train  will  leave  Manchester  at  9.30  a.m.  for  Wigan,  where 
passengers  for  Preston  and  the  North  can  join  the  Newspaper  Train. 

A  Special  Train  will  leave  Euston  at  10.5  a.m.  for  Ched- 
d'ngton,  calling  at  Willesden,  Watford,  King's  Langley,  Boxmoor, 
Berkhampstead,  and  Tring. 

On  Friday  night  and  Saturday  morning-,  April  12th  and 
13th,  the  11.41  p.m.  and  12.5  a.m.  trains  from  Carlisle  will  run  as  usual. 
T 1  e  12.5  a.m.  will  call  at  Oxenholme  and  Carnforth  if  required. 

The  other  trains  generally  on  Good  Friday  will  run  as  on  Sunday,  with 
tb.3  exception  of  the  If. 45  a.m.,  Crewe  to  Holyhead,  and  1.0  p.m  ,  Holyhead 
to  Chester,  which  will  not  be  run. 

On  Sunday,  April  14th,  a  Special  Train  will  leave  Euston  at 
10.5  a.m.  for  Cheddington,  calling  at  Willesden,  Watford,  King's  Langley, 
Boxmoor,  Berkhamsted,  and  Tring. 

On  Bank  Holiday,  Easter  Monday,  April  15th,  the  12.0  noon 
and  4.0  p.m.  trains  from  Euston  will  leave  at  12.10  noon  and  4.10  p.m. 
respectively.  The  4.30  p.m.  train  from  London  will  not  run ;  passengers 
will  be  conveyed  by  the  5.0  p.m.  train,  except  those  for  Peterboro',  Market 
Harboro',  Melton  Mowbray,  Nottingham,  and  the  G.N.  line,  who  must 
travel  by  the  3.15  p.m.  train  from  Euston.  Numerous  Residential  Trains 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  important  Cities  and  Towns  will  not  be  run. 
The  Up  and  Down  Dining  Saloons  between  London,  Liverpool,  and 
Manchester  will  not  be  run  on  Easter  Monday,  April  15th,  but  the 
Corridor  Dining  Car  Trains  between  London  and  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow 
will  be  run  as  usual. 

For  further  particulars  see  Special  Notices  issued  by  the  Company. 
Euston  Station,  April,  1895.      FRED.  HARRISON,  General  Manager. 


NOW  READY, 

SPRING  NUMBER  OF  "TO-DAY. 

DON'T    IMIISS  IT. 

See  Advertisement  on  Pane  SIS. 


Beautifully  Cool  and  Sweet  Smoking. 


Sold  only  in  1  oz.  Packets  and  2,  4,  and  8  oz.,  and  1  lb  Tins, 
which  keep  the  Tobacco  in  Fine  Smoking  Condition.    Ask  at 
all  Tobacco  Sellers,  Stores,  &C. .  and  take  no  other. 
The  genuine  bears  the  Trade  Mark  "  NOTTINGHAM 
CASTLE"  on  every  Packet  and  Tin. 


NAVY  CUT  CIGARETTES 

IN    PACKETS    AND    TINS  ONLY, 
Containing  12,  24,  50.  and  100. 


April  13,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


309 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


ft  was  not  the  desire  to  see  the  eclipse  of  a 
brilliant  life  that  led  to  my  being  present  at  the  arrest 
of  Oscar  Wilde.  It  was  sad— it  was  painful.  Yester- 
day, figuratively  speaking,  we  relied  upon  him  for  wit, 
epigram,  and  cynicism.  It  amused  and  charmed  us. 
To-day  the  gutter  looks  to  him  to  provide  them  with 
their  food  for  mental  pabulum.  He  laughed  at  the 
v.  orld  till  it  took  him  seriously,  and  now  our  seriousness 
has  turned  to  sadness.  Chance  made  me  a  witness  of 
the  arrest.  I  was  passing  along  the  Strand  when  I  was 
hailed  from  a  passing  cab  by  a  well-known  London 
journalist.  "If  you  want  to  be  in  at  the  death,"  he 
said,  "  come  along  with  me,"  and  at  the  same  time 
explained  that  Wilde  was  run  to  earth  at  the  Cadogan. 
This  was  at  six  o'clock,  and  I  suggested  that  up  to  that 
time  I  had  heard  no  less  than  four  times  during  the  day 
that  the  man  was  actually  in  prison.  "  The  warrant 
was  only  issued  at  five,"  he  replied,  and  five  minutes 
later,  at  every  police-station  in  London,  the  message 
came  up  on  the  tape,  "  Wanted — Oscar  Wilde."  There 
was  no  earthly  chance  of  escape  now,  and  it  was  only 
a  question  as  to  whether  *he  would  be  caught  at  the 
Cadogan. 


We  drove  down,  and  left  the  cab  standing  some 
distance  from  the  hotel.  Two  or  three  journalists  were 
;.t  the  corner  smoking,  and  assuming  an  air  of  innocence 
;  nd  surprise  at  finding  themselves  there.  Later  on 
another  cab  came  up.  Two  men  dismounted  ;  one  wore 
a  silk  hat  and  was  to  all  appearance  a  well-to-do  City 
man  ;  his  companion,  a  shorter,  fresh-complexioned  mar, 
pulled  violently  at  the  buttons  of  his  black  kid  gloves. 
They  stood  for  a  moment  outside  and  then  walked  in. 
They  represented  Wilde's  Golgotha  in  the  form  of  Scot- 
land Yard  men. 


Then  came  a  long  pause,and  meanwhile  every  window 
in  the  hotel  framed  the  head  of  a  servant.  The  cabmen 
surmised  that  something  was  up,  and  eagerly  accepted 
offers  to  follow  the  vehicle  that  should  be  selected  by 
the  police.  The  officers  entered  the  room.  Wilde  sus- 
pected that  he  would  be  arrested,  but  he  hoped  against 
time.  He  had  100  guineas  in  his  pocket,  and  the  boat 
train  went  at  eight.  He  rose,  and  assumed  his  usual 
air  of  nonchalance.  "  I  must  consider  myself  your 
prisoner,"  he  said.  He  was  very  flushed,  and  the  presence 
of  a  spirit  decanter  on  the  table  suggested  a  possible 
reason.  He  stood  up,  and  lurched  a  little  in  his  step.  Then 
he  took  up  the  decanter,  and  emptied  freely.  A  soda- 
water  bottle  was  lying  by,  which  had  been  already 
partly  used,  and  there  was  only  a  teaspoonful  left.  He 
seemed  annoyed,  but  taking  up  the  water-bottle,  he 
poured  in  a  little  more,  and  then  drank  ;  his  hand 
trembling. 


He  walked  to  the  window, and  assumed  an  airof  indiffe- 
rence. He  put  his  gloves  on  carefully,  picked  up  two  or 
three  books,  and  wrapped  an  evening  journal  round  them. 
He  bowed  to  the  officers,  who  had  extended  the 
courtesy  that  one  invariably  extends  to  a  man  in  regard 
to  whom  you  hold  the  whip-hand,  and  followed  them.  A 
growler  was  at  the  door,  and  Wilde  looked  at  it  con- 
temptuously, at  the  same  time  glancing  at  the  cabs  that 
were  waiting  to  follow  him.  Then  he  coloured  up  more 
violently  than  ever,  and  puffed  at  a  cigarette.  They 
drove  off,  and  the  only  sounds  he  heard  on  the  journey 
were  the  newsboys  shouting  his  case;  and  the  thing  that 
seemed  by  an  irony  of  circumstance  to  be  most  pro- 
minent on  hoardings  and  'buses  was  the  publicity  of  his 
plays.  The  last  flicker  of  jauntiness  was  supplied  at 
Scotland  Yard.  He  stepped  out  of  the  cab  and 
staggered,  and  then  turning  to  the  officers  he  said, 


"  Excuse  me,  gentlemen,  I  pay  for  the  cab.  You  have 
been  extremely  kind.    Consider  yourselves  my  guests  ! " 

The  doings  of  Wilde  on  the  day  in  question  baffled 
the  journalists,  who  were  playing  the  detective,  by 
their  extreme  simplicity.  He  was  lost  and  found  all 
day  long.  A  railway  hotel  has  many  exits,  and  it  was 
thought  that  the  leaving  of  the  brougham  outside  was  a 
blind  to  cover  a  retreat  on  the  platform.  Accordingly 
he  was  lost  to  a  good  many  when  he  drove  off  in  s. 
natural  fashion.  Then  came  a  race  to  Tite  Street  to 
pick  up  the  clue.  The  cabmen  knowing  the  game 
entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  chase.  They  deposited 
their  owners  at  convenient  hostelries,  and  drove  to  the 
house  with  letters  of  "  urgency  and  importance,"  which 
could  only  be  left  if  Wilde  was  at  home.  He  was  not 
at  home,  and  so  the  search  was  resumed  in  other 
quarters.  One  man  determined  to  go  to  Dover,  as  it 
was  seriously  stated  he  had  gone  there,  and  another 
story  was  that  he  had  gone  down  the  Thames  in  a  steam 
yacht. 


But  to  everyone's  surprise  he  bobbed  up  in  Fleet 
Street,  of  all  places,  riding  in  a  hansom,  the  brougham 
having  been  discharged  for  some  reason  or  another. 
Instantly  everypressmanchartered  a  vehicle,  and  beforehe 
was  aware  of  it  Wilde  was  the  figurehead  of  a  procession 
of  cabs.  Whether  out  of  calculated  design  or  not,  I  do  not 
know,  but  Wilde  ordered  the  cabman  to  go  down 
Norfolk  Street,  past  the  office  of  Mr.  Charles  Russell, 
who  had  done  more  to  land  him  in  Holloway  than  any 
mortal  man.  It  was  only  in  the  small  hours  of  the 
morning  that  I  got  home,  for  I  was  afterwards  induced 
to  go  down  to  Pimlico  and  form  one  of  a  large  party  who 
stole  round  street  corners,  and  dodged  up  dark  alleys, 
like  members  of  the  Mafia,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  other 
arrests.  Modern  journalism  has  its  excitements  and 
its  disadvantages. 


It  has  been  said  of  Wilde  that  his  flashes  of  wit  were 
the  result  of  considerable  preparation.  A  correspondent 
assures  me  that  that  was  not  so.  At  a  dinner  a  speaker 
was  quoting  from  a  letter  of  a  minor  poet,  complaining 
that  the  critics  had  formed  a  conspiracy  against  him — a 
conspiracy  of  silence.  "  Couldn't  we  induce  him  to  join 
in  that  conspiracy  1 "  said  Wilde  lazily  to  his 
neighbour. 


On  the  day  when  the  intelligent  New  Zealander  take* 
his  stand  on  Westminster  Bridge  to  view  the  ruins — I 
suppose  he  will  represent  an  evening  journal — I  have 
no  doubt  that  in  the  course  of  his  investigations  he  will 
come  across  Spring  Gardens,  and  will  read  of  the  doings 
of  the  London  County  Council.  Aided  by  a  map  he 
will  find  that  originally  Fleet  Street  and  the  Thames 
Embankment  were  two  of  the  main  arteries  to  com- 
municate between  the  City  and  the  West-End.  He 
will  also  read  that  at  the  same  time  they  were  both 
chosen  for  repairs.  Why  the  County  Council  go  in  for 
these  freaks  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand.  It  is  not 
from  any  anxiety  to  give  work  to  the  workless,  because 
the  men  employed  seem  invariably  to  be  spending  thQir 
time  either  in  thinking  or  eating.  The  public  suffer 
to  a  tremendous  degree  by  this  ridiculous  system.  A 
road  does  want  mending  occasionally,  but  the  folly  of 
practically  closing  two  roads  that  share  the  same  traffic 
is  past  understanding. 

There  is  another  point  that  I  would  suggest,  and 
that  is  the  desirability  of  cleaning  the  streets,  and  not 
waiting  for  a  problematical  sun  to  come  out  and  dry 
up  the  mud.  Oxford  Street  is  a  noticeable  instance. 
If  it  rains  it  is  necessary  to  avoid  the  whole  of  this 
district,  unless  you  want  to  wander  round  like  a  mud 
fence.  I  mention  this  point  because  I  see  that  numer- 
ous artificial  skating  rinks  are  contemplated.  The 
directors  would  do  wisely  in  agreeing  to  sweep  these 


310 


TO-DAY. 


April  13,  1895 


districts  free,  for  the  sensation  and  risks  eclipse  any- 
thing they  can  offer. 


Coloured  shirts  are  to  be  seen  everywhere  this 
season,  and,  I  am  informed  that-one  of  the  largest 
maker's  is  receiving  more  orders  than  he  can  deal  with. 
Blue  and  mauve  are  the  favourite  colours,  and  pink  is 
also  in  request,  chiefly  among  boating  men.  Fine  sti  ipss, 
horizontal  or  perpendicular,  are  still  the  commonest 
pattern,  but  there  seems  an  inclination  to  break  out  in 
other  directions,  and  small  patterns  are  on  the  increase.  \ 
I  am  glad  to  see  that  many  of  the  new  shirts  are  be.ng 
made  with  the  single  centre  studhole  in  the  front,  as 
in  the  ordinary  dress-shirt.  It  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand what  earthly  advantage  the  three-hole  front  had 
for  ordinary  use.  The  pressure  of  the  waistcoat  kept 
it  from  opening  even  if  the  one  stud  was  not  sufficient. 
It  may  be  interesting  news  for  men  who  affect  every- 
thing from  Paris  to  hear  that  about  nine-tenths  of  the 
so-called  French  material  for  shirts  comes  direct  from 
Scotland.  Soft  material  is  also  coming  into  favour 
again  for  shirts.    It  is  exceedingly  comfortable. 

To  prove  what  could  be  done  in  the  way  of  fine 
cambric  work,  and  also  with  an  eye  to  advertisement, 
a  leading  firm  recently  had  some  pocket  handkerchiefs 
made,  giving  the  manufacturers  absolutely  carte-blanche 
A  single  dozen  cost  280s.  to  make,  and  when  folded  a 
handkerchief  can  be  hidden  under  a  sixpenny-pieco. 

I  notice  that  the  long  morning  coat  is  getting  more 
fashionable  every  day.  So  far,  there  doesn't  seem  to 
be  any  definite  understanding  as  to  the  width  of  the 
tails,  but  everyone  is  agreed  that  they  are  to  be  very 
long.  Until  the  light  spring  materials  come  in,  black 
diagonals  are  being  largely  worn  by  the  best-dressed 
men.  Of  course,  frock-coats  have  not,  by  any  means, 
gone  out  of  fashion,  but  they  are  cut  much  shorter  than 
they  were  last  season.  Talking  of  morning-coats  I  saw 
a  distinct  innovation  in  the  matter  of  pockets  the  other 
day.  Instead  of  being  cut  on  to  the  hips,  as  is  usually 
the  case,  they  were  placed  much  lower  down  on  to  tin 
side  of  the  coat  tails  in  a  slanting  direction. 

Although  the  racing  season  has  only  just  opened, 
several  accounts  were  not  settled  the  other  day.  Of 
course,  did  he  desire  to  do  so,  the  bookmaker  could 
post  his  client,  but  we  hear  very  little  of  this  old-time 
proceeding  nowadays.  The  Knight  of  the  Pencil  is  gener- 
al]}' willing  to  allow  more  time,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
the  bad  debts  on  the  books  of  some  of  the  leading 
ringmen  represents  an  cnormotis  sum. 


Now  Croydon  has  been  eliminated,  Alexandra  Park  is 
the  resort  of  the  cockney  sportsman.  This  enclosure 
is  a  wonderful  paying  property,  and  if  certain  people 
have  described  the  course  as  "round  the  frying-pan  and 
up  the  handle,"  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  same  owners 
nominate  horses  year  after  year,  so  that  those  who 
believe  that  the  track  is  unsafe,  both  for  man  and  beast, 
are  labouring  under  a  delusion. 


I  hear  from  a  Newmarket  correspondent  that  Lord 
Rosebery  stands  an  excellent  chance  of  winning  the 
Derby  for  the  second  year  in  succession.  So  pleased 
is  the  veteran  trainer,  Matthew  Dawson,  with  the  pro- 
gress made  by  Sir  Visto,  that  -he  has  abandoned  the 
idea  of  retiring'  from  active  service,  and  lie  cm  re 
frequently  seen  driving  to  the  exercise  ground  to  super- 
irtend  the  work  of  the  fou  of  Barcaldine. 


It  will,  indeed,  be  a  great  triumph  for  Dawson  if  he 
wins  the  Derby  again  for  Lord  Bosebery.  Several 
trainers  have  accomplished  the  feat  of  sending  forth  the 
victor  in  two  successive  years,  but  only  once  has  this 
been  done  in  recent  years.    The  honour  belongs  to  John 


Porter,  who  trained  Shotover  in  1882,  and  St.  Blaise 

in  1883. 


Regret  has  been  expressed  on  all  sides  that  a  match 
cannot  be  arranged  between  Stoddart's  XI.  and  a  Rest 
of  England  team.  Lord  Sheffield  did  his  best,  but  so 
many  obstacles  arose  that  his  lordship  was  compelled 
to  abandon  his  project.  W.  G.  Grace  would  have 
found  himself  leading  the  Rest  of  England  team,  which, 
however,  would  not  have  included  Arthur  Shrewsbury, 
for  I  learn  that  the  famous  Nottingham  batsman  has 
suffered  terribly  from  colds  during  the  winter ;  indeed, 
it  is  doubtful  whether  he  will  play  for  his  county  this 
year. 


The  proprietors  of  the  more  expensive  sporting  sheets 
are  reported  to  be  very  sore  now  that  their  "  golden 
finals,"  etc.,  can  be  obtained  by  the  public  for  the  price 
of  one  penny.  The  Court  of  Appeal  has  just  decided 
that  there  is  no  copyright  in  iips,  and  the  only  course 
now  left  to  Mr.  Chilton — the  plaintiff  in  the  recent 
action — is  to  take  his  cas^  to  the  House  of  Lords.  The 
expense,  of  course,  will  be  heavy,  but  Mr.  Chilton  is  a 
wealthy  man. 


Referee  baiting  in  football  matches  is  becoming  very 
popular  with  northern  spectators.  Two  cases  occurred 
on  Saturday — one  in  the  League  match  on  the  Sheffield 
Wednesday  ground,  and  the  other  after  the  match 
between  Brighouse  Rangers  and  Hunslet.  The  second 
case  was  the  worst,  sticks  and  stones  being  freely  used, 
whilst  mounted  police  had  to  be  called  out  to  protect 
the  poor  referee.  The  post  ought  to  be  a  highly-paid 
one  considering  the  risk. 


The  lady  footballers  are  starring  in  the  provinces, 
their  latest  appearance  being  before  a  Brighton  crowd. 
They  do  not  improve  in  their  play,  and  really  ought  to 
give  the  thing  up.  Ladies  on  cycles  are  well  enough, 
but  football  is  essentially  a  game  of  strength,  and  it  is 
not  nice  to  see  the  female  form  divine  in  the  attitudes 
necessitated  by  taking  a  flying  kick,  or  being  charged 
over  on  the  turf. 


England  has  won  the  Association  International  Cham- 
pionship by  their  victory  over  Scotland.  Their  score 
reads — two  wins,  one  draw,  with  13  goals  for  and  1 
against.  Scotland  has  not  beaten  England  since  1889, 
and  is  not  likely  to  until  she  includes  in  the  area  of 
selection  those  Scotchmen  who  are  playing  in  England, 
and  who  under  the  present  system  are  debarred  from 
international  honours.  The  rule  was  a  useful  one  when 
Scotland  was  entirely  amateur,  but  now  that  profes- 
sionalism is  legalised  across  the  Border  there  is  no 
sense  in  it. 


Next  season  none  of  the  Association  internationals 
will  be  played  in  England.  The  match  England  v. 
Ireland  will  be  at  Belfast,  on  March  7th,  that  v.  Wales 
in  the  Principality,  on  March  16th,  and  that  v.  Sco:- 
land  at  Glasgow,  on  April  4th.  The  date  for  the  final 
of  the  English  Cup  next  year  will  be  April  18th. 


For  the  benefit  of  the  curious  who  wish  to  know  the 
cost  of  running  a  professional  football  team,  I  gather 
the  following  details  from  the  balance-sheet  of  the 
Burnley  F.C.,  a  club  in  the  first  division  of  the  Frotl  all 
Leapuc.  The  expenditure  is  totalled  up  to  .£3,263.  The 
receipts  amounted  to  £3,645,  which  sum  includes  si 
large  amount  received  from  the  Everton  Club  for  the 
transfer  of  goal-keeper  llillman.  The  Everton  balance* 
sheet  deals  with  larger  figures,  but  at  (lordison  Park 
they  get  enormous  nates,  and  can  afford  a  much  more 
expensive  team  of  players. 


To  the  courtesy  and  kindness  of  Mr.  Edward  Hose  in 
putting  me  in  the  way  of  getting  at  the  facts,  I  am 


April  13,  1893.  TO-DAY.  311 


indebted  for  the  following  particulars  concerning  Ghent 
whist.  It  will  be  remembered  that  I  asked  for  infor- 
mation on  the  subject  some  little  time  ago,  and  Mr. 
Rose  was,  in  consequence,  good  enough  to  refer  me  to 
"  Larousse's  Dictionnaire  du  XIX.  Siecle,"  where  I  found 
out  all  about  "Whist  de  Gand,"  which,  after  all,  was 
not  very  much.  Ghent  whist  is  a  degenerate  form  of 
Boston,  and  consists  of  proposals  and  acceptances  and 
solos  only,  with  stakes  somewhat  on  the  same  lines  as 
at  solo  whist.  A  pool,  however,  is  being  constantly 
formed  by  all  the  players  at  each  deal,  contributing  an 
agreed  upon  amount.  A  solo  only  can  take  the  "  kitty," 
but  should  the  players  of  a  proposal  and  acceptance 
lose  their  call,  they  have  to  pay  a  fine  into  the  pool,  as 
well  as  the  usual  stakes  to  their  opponents.  A  lost 
solo  doubles  "  kitty." 


Ghent  whist,  then,  is  but  an  attenuated  offshoot  of 
Boston,  for  it  has  two  declarations  only,  while  its 
parent  has  thirteen.  In  Boston  a  player  can  call  a 
solo,  consisting  of  anything  from  five  to  twelve  tricks, 
and  in  the  five-trick  solo  (or  Boston)  he  has  three  alter- 
natives— a  solo  in  the  trump  suit ;  one  in  the  other 
suit  of  the  same  colour;  or  one  in  either  of  the  re- 
maining suits.  There  is  also  a  petite  misere,  in  which 
each  player  privately  discards  one  card  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  play ;  a  grand©  misere,  the  same  as 
the  ordinary  misere  of  solo  whist ;  a  petite  misere 


ouverte,  or  the  open  misere  with  one  card  each  dis- 
carded in  advance  as  before;  and  the  grande  misere 
ouverte,  identical  with  our  own  misere  ouverte.  The 
proposal  and  acceptance  is  really  a  variation  of  the  game, 
and  not  always  played.  It  takes  the  form  of  the  caller 
of  Boston  proposing  for  a  partner,  or  "  whister,"  who 
can  make  three  tricks,  or  eight  in  collaboration.  So 
that  practically  there  are  about  sixteen  different  calls, 
and  these  are  paid  by  counters  on  a  scale  too  com- 
plicated for  description  here.  This,  however,  is  the 
grandparent  of  our  solo  whist,  and  the  parties  who  in- 
troduced the  latter  into  London  somewhere  about  the 
fifties,  evolved  it  from  Ghent  whist  and  Boston. 


In  a  previous  note  on  miseres  I  pointed  out  that  when 
you  are  playing  a  card  of  a  sequence,  you  should  in- 
variably play  the  highest  of  it,  because  your  partners 
are  thus  certain  that  you  have  not  the  next  higher  card. 
Any  deviation  from  this  rule  is  doubly  misleading,  for 
not  only  does  it  intimate  that  the  next  higher  cards 
are  not  in  your  hand,  but  when,  by  the  after  play  you 
show  that  they  are,  your  partners,  if  they  are  obser- 
vant and  give  you  credit  for  correct  play,  will  almost 
certainly  read  it  that  you  want  to  take  the  lead,  when 
you  probably  want  to  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  Let  us 
thoroughly  understand  this  latter  point. 


When  a  partner  in  a  misere  has  a  strong  motive  for 


ECONOMY 

AND 

FASHION. 


EVERY  GENTLEMAN  SHOULD  WEAR  OUR  SILK  TIES. 

All  Shapes— The  DERBY  (for  self  tying),  the  STRAND  BOW,  the  WATERLOO  KNOT,  etc. 
Three  Assorted  Silk  Ties  Is.  7d.  Six,  3s.  post  free.  Twelve,  5s.  9d.  post  free. 

Magnificent  value.   Usually  sold  at  Is.  each. 
SUPERIOR  QUALITY— Three  for  3s.,  Six  for  5s.  Oct.,  or  Twelve  for  lis. 
VERY  FINEST  QUALITY— Three  for  6s.,  Six  for  lis.,  or  Twelve  for  21s.  post  free. 
MONEY   HE  TITRATED    IF    WOT  SATISFIED. 

Ladies    should    send   for   our   Dress  Patterns. 

TEXTILE   SUPPLY  ASSOCIATION,   LIMITED.    161,   STRAND,  W.C. 


HIGHEST  AWARDS  FOR 

SCIENTIFIC 
SHIRT  CUTTING. 

8AIKIE  &  HOGG,  10,  Renfleld  Street,  &  52,  Gordon  Street,  Glasgow. 

SHIRT  TAILORS  AND  PYJAMA  SPECIALISTS. 

Measurement  Forms  and  range  of  Material!!,  sent  on  request. 
MANUFACTURERS  OF  EUCK  CLOVES. 


HELICAL  TUBE. 


PREMIE 
CYCLES 

Constructed  of  Helical  Tube. 

Patented  nud  Registered.  "Double  strength,  yet  lightest  machine  made. 

The  PREMi:;ir  CVCLE  CO.,  ltd.,  are  Cycle  Manufacturers  by  special 
appointment  to  II.IC.1I.  The  I'rince  of  Wales,  are  patronised  by  the 
chief  ICritisli  and  Foreign  SfoMlity,  and  by  the  wiser  and  greater 
portion  of  cycle  riders  throughout  the  world. 

20,000  Premiers  sold  in  1894. 

Special  Quotations  to  really  responsible  purchasers  desirous 
of  adopting  our  Progressive  Payment  System.   Lists  and  all 

particulars  free  from 
THE  PREMIER  CVCLE  CO.,  3L,*d., 
14,  HOLBOR.N  VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.G. 
W  orUs-€OVEXTRV. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT  FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  B^S 


tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotliind.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  cations 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
aU  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"ST1MVLA  NTS  A  ND  DIETETICS, '  an  elrgant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  application  t> 

WSVI.  STENHOUSE   &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


PURVEYORS  TO 
H.  R.  H. 
THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES. 


\J  A   ^jf^l'l^C      31  Gold apd Prizes 

fkA.^^  GINGER  ALE 


(Selves 


Medals  Adwrded. 


Works  -  DUBLIN   AND  BELFAST, 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Yarious  Climates. 


312 


TO-DAY. 


April  13,  1895. 


taking  the  lead,  such  as  holding  the  last  cards  of  a  suit 
in  conjunction  with  the  caller,  or  a  card  fatal  to  him, 
instead  of  getting  rid  of  his  high  cards  in  the  other 
suits  as  cheaply  and  expeditiously  as  possible,  he  re- 
tains them  in  order  to  take  a  trick.  In  the  ordinal? 
way,  for  instance,  he  would  give  his  highest  card  of  th 
suit,  after  the  caller  had  played  under  the  trick,  with 
out  regard  to  whether  a  partner  who  played  after  hin 
3ould  cover  it  or  not.  But  when  he  wishes  to  secure  s 
,'ead,  if  he  has  a  partner  playing  after  him  who  he  be- 
l.evcs  can  head  his  highest  card,  he  does  not  risk  losing 
the  command  by  putting  it  on  (unless  he  can  assume 
chat  the  necessity  for  leaving  the  trick  with  him  is 
patent  to  the  table),  but  bids  for  it  with  a  lower  card. 
On  the  return  of  the  suit  should  he  be  other  than  last 
player,  he  covers  the  trick  with  his  big  card,  and  a 
following  partner  who  can  now  see  his  motive  leaves 
the  trick  with  him.  This,  then,  begets  the  principle 
in  miseres,  that  when  a  partner  plays  first  a  low  and 

Deafness  Cubed.— A  Gentleman  sends,  post-free,  particulars  of  a 
really  pennine  and  inexpensive  treatment.  Hnndrods  of  cases  effectually 
cured.  Address  T.  D.  Kempe,  Southampton  Buildings,  Holborn,  London 


afterwards  a  higher  card,  when  it  is  apparent  that  he 
knew  he  could  play  the  higher  card  first  with  equal 
safety,  it  should  be  understood  that  he  is  asking  to  take 
a  trick.  It  may  be  a  question  of  only  the  four  and 
five  of  a,  suit ;  it  may  occur  before  or  after  the  caller 
has  played  to  the  trick  ;  or  it  may  be  shown  very  signi- 
ficantly in  a  partner's  discards.  It  is  the  exact  oppo- 
site, of  the  trump  signal  in  proposals  and  acceptances, 
where  first  the  high  and  then  the  low  card  is  given, 
and  as  in  that  case  it  should  be  scrupulously  noted  and 
instantly  acted  upon. 


When  this  signal  is  observed  and  responded  to  by 
one  partner  and  disregarded  by  the  other,  the  latter 
sometimes  causes  trouble  in  consequence,  for  he  is  almost 
certain  to  locate  with  the  caller  the  high  card  which 
the  last  player  held  back  in  response  to  the  signal,  and, 
should  the  chance  occur,  to  proceed  to  attack  it. 

Advice  Free.— To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patents  for  Inven- 
tions see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Write  for  Illd.  Guide  (259  pages),  3d. 
Tobacconists'  Outfitting  Co.,  186,  Euston-road,  London     Est.  18C6.— Advt. 


TIEEIEI   DISCOVERT"  OlE"  ^KEIE  AGE  I 


NICO 


FRAGRANT 


FLAKE 


COOL  & 
SWEET. 

ANTI-NICOTINE  TOBACCO- 

EXCEEDINGLY  MILD. 

J.  P.  BURNS 


After  numerous  experiments  and  many  years  of 
careful  study,  I  have  discovered  a  means  of  ex- 
tracting from  Tobacco,  without  the  aid  of  Chemicals, 
almost  every  particle  of  Nicotine  and  objectionable 
matter,  while  retaining  all  its  natural  fragrance 
and  aroma,  so  that  those  who  cannot  smoke  a  pipe 
under  ordinary  circumstances  can  smoke  this 
Tobacco  with  pleasure,  as  it  tastes  mild  and  soft  on 
the  palate,  and  leaves  no  unpleasantness.  


NO  MORE  IRRITATION 

OP  THE 

TONGUE,  THROAT,  AND  LUNGS 

AFTER  SMOKING. 


To  be  had  from  all  First  Class  Tobacconists. 


(Established    1830),   Tobacconist  &  Cigar 

The  Trade  supplied  by  the  Manufacturers,  F.  &  J.  SMITH,  GLASGOW. 


Sold  in  Tins  at  7s.  6d.  per  lb.  Sample 
2  ozs.  sent  to  any  address  for  Is.  2d., 
or  half-pound  uns,  4/-  post  free,  from 

Importer,  GLASGOW. 


TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS    IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
-  "GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33  Gresse  Street  London,  W. 


THE  BODY  BELT, 

For  LUMBAGO,  RHEUMATICS,  COIDS,  &  INFLUENZA. 
pure.    S&'SfVS&S,  wooj, 
2s.  6d.;  post  free  twopence  extra.    Send  waist  measurement. 
GRANT    <&  WATSON, 

SHIRT -  TAILORS,    HOSIERS,     6c  OUTFITTERS, 

112,  Buchanan  Street,  Glasgow. 


NOW  READY  (In  Handsome  Gold  and  Green  Cover)—  f\  pv 

'  "TO-DAY"  Spring  flumbet*.  0  ' 

COMPLETE    STORIES  BY— 

JEROME    K.  JEROME 

and  GEORGE  MOORE,  etc. 

Illustrated  by  HAL  HUHST,  L.  BAUMEE,  W.  DEWAE. 


ALSO   FULL-PAGE   ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

DUDLEY  HARDY,   AUBREY  BEARDSLEY, 

HAL  HURST,  R.  SAUBER,  &  SYDNEY  ADAMSON. 

Order  at  once  of  all  Agents  and  Bookstalls,  as  the  entire  first  issue  has  been  bespoke  by  the  Trade. 

HOWARD  HOUSE,  ARUNDEL  STREET,  STRAND,  LONDON,  W.C. 

IN  EVERYBODY'S  MOUTH! 

Three  Bells  Cigarettes. 

J.    &    F.    BELL,  GLASGOW. 


April  13,  1805. 


TO-D-W. 


DU  MAURIER  AND  HIS  NOVELS. 


Then,  going  on  to  speak  of  his  literary  work,  Du 
Marnier  said,  "  Nobody  more  than  myself  was  sur- 
prised at  the  great  success  of  my  novels.  I  never  ex- 
pected anything  of  the  sort.  I  did  not  know  that'  I 
could  write.  I  had  no  idea  that  I  had  had  any  experi- 
ences worth  recording.  The  circumstances  under  which 
I  came  to  write  are  curious.  I  was  walking  one  evening 
with  Henry  James  up  and  down  the  High  Street  in 
Bayswater — I  had  made  James's  acquaintance  much  in 
the  same  way  as  I  have  made  yours.  James  said  that 
he  had  great  difficulty  in  finding  plots  for  his  stories. 
'  Plots  ! '  I  exclaimed,  '  I  am  full  of  plots ;  '  and  I  went 
on  to  tell  him  the  plot  of  '  Trilby.'  '  But  you  ought  to 
write  that  story,'  cried  James.  '  I  can't  write,'  I  said, 
'  I  have  never  written.  If  you  like  the  plot  so  much 
you  may  take  it.'  But  James  would  not  take  it ;  he 
said  it  was  too  valuable  a  present,  and  that  I  must  write 
the  story  myself. 

"Well,  on  reaching  home  that  night  I  set  to  work, 
and  by  the  next  morning  I  had  written  the  first  two 
numbers  of  '  Peter  Ibbetson.'  It  seemed  all-to  flow  from 
my  pen,  without  effort,  in  a  full  stream.  But  I  thought 
it  must  be  poor  stuff,  and  I  determined  to  look  for  an 
omen  to  learn  whether  any  success  would  attend  this 
new  departure.  So  I  walked  out  into  the  garden,  and 
the  very  first  thing  that  I  saw  was  a  large  wheelbarrow, 
and  that  comforted  me  and  reassured  me ;  for,  as  you 
will  remember,  there  is  a  wheelbarrow  in  the  first 
chapter  of  'Peter  Ibbetson.' 

"  Some  time  later  I  was  dining  with  Osgood,  and  he 
said,  '  I  hear,  Du  Maurier,  that  you  are  writing  stories,' 
and  asked  me  to  let  him  see  something.  So  '  Peter 
Ibbetson'  was  sent  over  to  America  and  was  accepted 
at  once.  Then 'Trilby'  followed,  and  the  'boom'  came, 
a  'boom'  which  surprised  me  immensely,  for  I  never 
took  myself  au  serieux  as  a  novelist.  Indeed,  this 
'  boom '  rather  distresses  me  when  I  reflect  that  Thack- 
eray never  had  a  '  boom.'  And  I  hold  that  a  'boom' 
means  nothing  as  a.  sign  of  literary  excellence,  nothing 
bur  money." 

Du  Maurier  writes  at  irregular  intervals,  and  in  sn^1- 
moments  as  he  can  snatch  from  his  Punch  wovk. 
'"For,"  he  says',  "I  am  taking  more  pains  than  ever 
over  my  drawing."  And  so  saying,  he  fetched  an  album 
in  which  he  showed  me  the  elaborate  preparation,  in 
the  way  of  studies  and  sketches,  for  a  cartoon  which 
was  to  appear  in  a  week  or  two  in  his  paper.  One 
figure,  from  a  female  model,  had  been  drawn  several 
times.  There  was  here  the  infinite  capacity  for  taking 
pains.  "  I  usually  write  on  the  top  of  the  piano,  stand- 
ing, and  I  never  look  at  my  manuscript  as  I  write, 
partly  to  spare  my  eyes,  and  partly  because  the  writing 
seems  literally  to  flow  from  my  pen.  My  best  time  is 
just  after  lunch.  My  writing  is  frequently  interrupted, 
and  I  walk  about  the  studio  and  smoke,  and  then  back 
to  the  manuscript  once  more.  Afterwards  I  revise,  very 
carefully  now,  for  I  am  taking  great  pains  with  my  new 
book.  '  The  Martians'  is  to  be  a  very  Ions  book,  and  I 
cannot  say  when  it  will  be  finished."—  McClures 
Magazine. 


A  CLOSE  SHAVE. 


Jan.  14. — We  floated  the  canoes  down  a  two-mile 
stretch  of  rapids.  The  seventh  was  manned  by  Uledi, 
Zaidi,  and  Muscati,  the  steersman  ;  the  latter  lost  his 
head,  and  unset  his  boat  in  a  piece  of  bad  water.  He 
swam  with  Uledi  to*  the  eighth  canoe,  and  was  picked 
tip.  But  poor  Zaidi.  clunjr  to  his  vessel,  which  swept 
past  to  what  seemed  certain  death.  The  great  fall  is 
parted  by  a  single  rock ;  on  this  the  cance  was  driven, 
split  in  two,  one  side  jammed,  the  other  end  .upwards. 
To  this  the  man  citing,  oerched  en  the  point,  washed  by 
the  stream.    Close  behind  him    the  water  fell  down 


313 


sheer  into  the  whirlpools  and  rapids.  We  formed  a. 
cable  of  rattans  and  lowered  a  canoe ;  the  cable  snapped 
in  the  ourrent  like  pack-thread.  We  tossed  out  poles 
tied  to<  creepers ;  they  could  not  reach  him.  He  dared 
not  move  a  hand.  Ho  saw  us,  but  could  not  hear  a  word 
for  the  roaring  of  the  cataract.  We  lashed  three  rattan 
cables  to  the  bow,  side,  and  stern  of  a  canoe,  with  a  spare 
coil  of  rattans  to  be  thrown  to  Zaidi.  I  called  for 
volunteers,  offering  rewards.  No  one  spoken  I  asked 
them  how  they  would  like  to  be  in  such  danger  without 
help.  Uledi  at  once  said,  "  Enough,  master  ;  I  will  go. 
My  fate  is  in  the  hands  of  G  od  !  "  And  he  stood  forward, 
and  tightened  his  loin  cloth.  Another,  Marzouk,  then 
offered.  Then  others.  I  stopped  them,  saying,  "  If  all 
my  brave  boat  boys  are  lost,  what  shall  we  do?" 
Uledi  and  Marzouk  stepped  into  the  canoe  with  the  air 
of  gladiators.  I  told  them  to  paddle  across  the  river. 
They  obeyed.  Uledi  tried  to  guide  the  cable  to-  Zaidi, 
but  the  heaving  river  swept  the  canoe  to  thefedge  of  the 
steep  slope,  and  we  had  to  withdraw  it  from  the  swirl. 
Five  times  we  failed,  the  sixth  Zaidi  caught  the  rattan ; 
he  was  carried  into  the  chasm  in  the  effort.  We  thought 
him  lost  till  we  saw  his  head  rise  above  the  edge'.  I  gave 
word  to- haul  away,  but  at  the  first  pull  the  cables  parted. 
The  canoe  began  to  glide  down.  We  stood  horrified, 
muttering,  "La  il  Allah!  il  Allah!"  when  the  craft 
halted.  Zaidi  acted  as  a  hedge  anchor,  which  swept  the 
canoe  against  the  rocky  islet.  Uledi  and  Marzouk 
sprang  on  to>  it,  and,  leaning  over,  helped  Zaidi  out  of 
the  falls,  and  all  three  succeeded  in  securing  the  canoe 
on  the  islet.  Though  we  hurrahed  with  joy,  their  position 
was  only  a,  short  reprieve  from  death.  How  to>  reach  the 
islet?  We  tied  a,  stone  to  a  hundred  yards  of  whipcord, 
which  they  caught  after  twenty  attempts.  They  tied 
the  tent  rope  from  the  boat  to  that,  and,  pulling  it  to 
our  side,  we  attached  it  to  a  stout  rattan  creeper,  which 
they  drew  across  taut,  and  fastened  to  the  rock.  Night 
fell ;  Ave  were  obliged  to  wait  till  morning,  though  it 
cut  me  to  the  heart  to  leave  my  poor  faithful  Uledi  and 
the  others  out  there  all  those  hours. 

Jan.  15. — By  nine  o'clock  we  had  collected  sixty  strong 
canes  besides  stout  climbers  ;  we  twisted  them  together, 
and  sent  them  over,  as  well  as  light  cables  to  be  lashed 
round  the  men's  waists.  I  motioned  to-  Uledi  to1  begin  ; 
ten  hands  seized  the  cable,  one  end  of  which  he  mado 
fast  round  his  waist.  He  lifted  his  hands  to- Heaven, 
and  leaped  into-  the  wild  flood,  clinging  to  the  bridge, 
and  hauling  himself  along.  Jerking  himself  up  to  avoid 
the  waves,  which  were  often  over  his  face,  he  camo 
within  reach,  and  was;  joyfully  pulled  out  by  us.  Zaidi 
came  next  ;  knowing  his  courage,  we  had  few  fears  for 
him ;  he  landed  quickly.  Marzouk,  the  youngest,  was 
the  last.  Midway,  the  mighty  weight  of  water  made  him 
loose  his  hold  ;  the  men  screamed  in  terror ;  but  1 
shouted,  harshly,  "  Pull  away,  you  fool.  Be  a.  man,"  at 
which,  with  three  hauls,  he  reached  us,  to  be  embraced 
and  applauded  by  all. — From  "  Through  the  Dark 
Continent."— IT.  JlK  Stanley. 


ALL  THE  DIFFERENCE. 


A  poor  young  curate  in  China,  after  grinding  for 
months  over  the  language,  was  alone  one  Sunday  and 
tried  to  read  the  service.  When  he  read  the  Command- 
ments, he  saw  that  his  congregation  were  extremely 
surprised.  After  the  service  he  consulted  an  inter7 
prefer,  to  see  if  he  had  made  a  serious  mistake.  "Oh, 
no,"  said  the  other  kindly,  "nothing  serious."  He  had 
onlv  omitted  the  word  "  not"  all  through  the  Command- 
ments. 


DON'T  MISS 

THE  SPRING  NUMBER, 

NOW    ON  SALE. 


314 


TO-DAY. 


Apkil  13,  1S93. 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  "VVoodville. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  LA  LANTERNS. 

I,  OR,  of  all  the  things  that  had 
happened  since  I  left  the 
Committee  Room,  ths  Cap- 
tain's death  remained  the  one 
most  real  and  most  deeply 
bitten  into  my  mind.  He 
had  shared  with  me  the  walk 
from  the  inn  to  the  garden, 
and  the  petty  annoyances 
that  had  then  filled  my 
thoughts.  He  had  faced  them  bravely  with  me ; 
and  this  late  association,  and  the  picture  of  him  as  he 
walked  beside  me,  full  of  life  and  coarse  wrath,  rose 
up  now  and  cried  out  against  his  death  ;  cried  out  that 
it  was  impossible.  So  that  it  seemed  horrible  to  me 
and  unnatural ;  so  that  I  shook  with  fear,  and  loathed 
the  man  whose  hand  had  done  it. 

And  that  was  not  all.  I  had  known  Hugues  barely 
forty-eight  hours,  my  liking  for  him  was  only 
an  hour  born ;  but  I  had  his  story.  I  could  follow  him 
gomg  about  to  borrow  that  small  sum  of  money.  I 
couid  trace  the  hopes  he  had  built  on  it.  I  could  see  him 
coming  here  full  of  honest  courage,  believing  that  he 
had  found  an  opening;  a  man  strong,  confident,  looking 
forward,  full  of  plans.  And  then  of  all,  this  was  the 
end  1  He  had  hoped,  he  had  purposed ;  and  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Cathedral,  he  lay  stark — stark  and  dead  on 
the  grass. 

It  seemed  so  sad  and  pitiful,  I  had  the  man  so 
vividly  in  my  mind,  that  I  scarcely  gave  a  thought  to 
the  St.  Alais'  danger  and  escape  ;  which,  with  our  hasty 
flight,  had  passed  like  a  dream.  I  was  content  to  listen 
a  moment  beside  the  church  door ;  and  then  satisfied 
that  the  murmur  of  the  crowd  was  dying  in  the  distance, 
and  that  the  city  was  quiet,  I  thanked  the  Vicar  again, 
and  warmly,  and  taking  leave  of  him,  in  my  turn  walked 
up  the  passage. 

This  was  so  still  that  it  echoed  my  footsteps  ;  and  pre- 
sently I  began  to  think  the  silence  odd.  I  began  to 
wonder  why  the  mob,  which  a  few  minutes  before  had 
shown  itself  so  vindictive,  had  not  found  its  way  round  ; 
and  why  the-  neighbourhood  had  become  on  a  sudden  so 
quiet.  A  few  paces  would  show,  however;  I  hastened 
on,  and  in  a  moment  stood  in  the  market-place. 

To  my  astonishment  it  lay  sunny,  tranquil,  deserted  ; 
a  dog  ran  here  and  there  with  tail  high,  nosing  among 
the  garbage ;  a  few  old  women  were  at  the  stalls  on  the 
farther  side;  about  as  many  people  were  busy,  putting 
up  shutters  and  closing  shops.  But  the  crowd  which  had 
filled  the  place  so  short  a  time  before,  the  queue  about 
the  corn  measures,  the  white  cockades,  all  were  gone ; 
I  stood  astonished. 

Km-  a  moment  only.  Then,  in  place  of  the  silenco 
which  bad  prevailed  between  the  high  walls  of  the 
passage,  a  dull  sound,  distant  and  heavy,  began  to 
epca.c  to  me;  a  sullen  roar,  as  of  breakers  falling  on 


the  beach.  I  started  and  listened.  A  moment  more,, 
and  I  was  across  the  square,  and  at  the  door  of  the  inn. 
I  darted  into  the  passage,  and  up  the  stairs,  my  heart 
beating  fast. 

Here,  too,  I  had  left  a  crowd,  in  the  passages,  and 
on  the  stairs.  Not  a  man  remained.  The  house  seemed 
to  be  dead ;  at  noon-day  with  the  sun  shining  outside. 
I  saw  no  one,  heard  no  one,  as  I  passed,  until  I  flung 
open  the  door  of  the  room  in  M-hich  I  had  left  the 
Committee.  Here,  at  last,  I  found  life ;  but  the  same 
silence. 

Round  the  table  were  seated  some  dozen  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Committee.  They  started,  on  seeing  me, 
like  men  detected  in  an  act  of  which  they  were  ashamed, 
some  continuing  to  sit,  sullen  and  scowling,  with  their 
elbows  on  the  table,  others  stooping  to  their 
neighbours'  ears  to  whisper,  or  listen.  I  noticed  that 
many  were  pale  and  all  gloomy ;  and  though  the  room 
was  light,  and  hot  noon  poured  in  through  three  win- 
dows, a  something  grim  in  the  silence,  and  the  air  of  ex- 
pectation which  prevailed,  struck  a  chill  to  my  heart. 

Father  Benoit  was  not  of  them,  but  Buton  was,  and 
the  lawyer,  and  the  grocer,  and  the  two  gentlemen,  and 
one  of  the  Cures,  and  Doury — the  last-named  pale  and 
cringing,  with  fear  sitting  heavily  on  him.  I  might 
have  thought,  at  a  first  glance  round,  that  nothing  which 
had  happened  outside  was  known  to  them  ;  that  thev 
were  ignorant  alike  of  the  duel  and  the  riot;  but  a 
second  glance  assured  me  that  they  knew  all,  and  more 
than  I  did ;  so  many  of  them,  when  they  had  once  met 
my  eyes,  looked  away. 

"What  has  happened?"  I  asked,  standing  half-way 
between  the  door  and  the  long  table. 

"  Don't  you  know,  Monsieur?" 

"No,"  I  muttered,  staring  at  them.  Even  here  that 
distant  murmur  filled  the  air. 

"  But  you  were  at  the  duel,  M.  le  Vicomte?" 

The  speaker  was  Buton.  "  Yes,"  I  said  nervously. 
"But  what  of  that?  I  saw  M.  le  Marquis  safe  on  his 
way  home,  and  I  thought  that  the  crowd  had  separated. 
Now  "  and  I  paused. 

"  You  fancy  that  you  still  hear  them  ? "  he  said,  smiling. 

"  Yes  ;  I  fear  that  they  are  doing  mischief." 

"  We  are  afraid  of  that,  too,"  the  smith  answered 
drily,  setting  his  elbows  on  the  table,  and  looking  ab 
me.    "  It  is  not  impossible." 

Then  I  understood.  I  caught  Doury's  eye — which 
would  have  escaped  mine1 — and  read  it  there.  The 
hooting  of  the  distant  crowd  rose  more  loudly  on  t  ie 
summer  stillness ;  and  as  it  did  so,  faces  round  the  table 
grew  graver,  lips  grew  longer,  some  trembled  and  looked 
down  ;  and  I  understood.  "  My  God  !  "  I  cried,  trembling 
myself.  "Is  no  one  going  to  do  anything,  then?  Are 
you  going  to  sit  here,  while  these  demons  work  their 
will?  While  houses  are  sacked  and  women  and  chil- 
dren " 

"  Why  not?"  Buton  said. 

"Why  not?"  I  cried. 

"Ay,  why  not?"  he  answered  sternly — and  I  began 
to  see  that  he  dominated  the  others,  that  he  would  not 
and  they  dared  not.  "  We  went  about  to  keep  the 
peace,  and  see  that  others  kept  it.  But  your  white 
cockades,  your  soMierless  officers,  M.  le  Vicomte — I 
speak  without  offence — would  not  have  it.  They  under- 
took to  bully  up  '  and  unless  they  learn  a  lesson  now, 
thev  will  bully  us  again.  No.  Monsieur,"  he  continued, 
looking   round   with    a    hard  smile — already  power 


Copyright,  1S0,'>,  by  Stanley  J.  Weymcm. 


April  13,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


315 


had  changed  him — "  let  the  people  have  their  way  for 
half  an  hour,  and  " 

"  The  people  ? "  I  cried.  "  Are  the  rascals  and  swe2p- 
ings  of  the  streets,  the  gaol-birds,  beggars  and  forgata 
of  the  town — are  they  the  people?" 

"  No  matter,'-  he  said,  frowning. 

"  But  this  is  murder  !  " 

Two  or  three  shivered,  and  some  looked  sullenly  from 
me,  but  the  blacksmith  only  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
Still  I  was  going  to  say  more — to  try  threats,  even 
prayers ;  but  before  I  could  speak,  the  man  nearest  to  the 
windows  raised  his  hand  for  silence,  and  we  heard  the 
distant  riot  sink,  and  in  the  momentary  quiet  which 
followed  the  sharp  report  of  a  gun  ring  out,  succeeded 
by  another  and  another.  Then  a  roar  of  rage — distinct, 
articulate,  full  of  menace. 

"Oh,  mon  Dieu ! "  I  cried,  looking  round,  while  I 
trembled  with  indignation,  "  I  cannot  stand  this  !  Will 
no  one  act?  Will  no  one  do  anything?  There  must 
be  some  authority.  There  must  be  someone  to  curb 
this  canaille;  or  presently,  I  warn  you,  I  warn  you  all, 
that  they  will  cut  your  throats  also  ;  yours,  M.  l'Avoue, 
and  yours,  Doury  !  " 

"There  was  someone;  and  he  is  dead,"  Buton  an- 
swered.   The  rest  of  the  Committee  fidgeted  gloomily. 

"And  was  he  the  only  one?" 

"  They've  killed  him,"  the  smith  said  bluntly.  "  They 
must  take  the  consequences." 

"They?"  I  cried,  in  a  passion  of  wrath  and  pity. 
"  Av,  and  you !  You !  I  tell  you  that  you  are  using 
this  scum  of  the  people  to  crush  your  enemies !  But  pre- 
sently they  will  crush  you,  too  !  " 

Still  no  one  spoke,  no  one  answered  me;  no  eyes 
met  mine;  and  then  I  saw  how  it  was;  that  nothing 
I  could  say  would  move  them;  and  I  turned  without 
another  word,  and  I  ran  downstairs.  I  knew  already, 
or  could  guess,  whither  the  crowd  had  gone,  and  whence 
came  the  shouting  and  the  shots;  and  the  moment  1 
reached  the  Square  I  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  St, 
Alais'  house,  and  ran  through  the  streets ;  through  quiet 
streets  under  windows  from  which  women  looked  down 
white  and  curious,  past  neat  green  blinds  of  modern 
houses,  past  a  few  staring  groups;  ran  on,  with  all 
about  me  smiling,  but  always  with  that  murmur  in  my 
ears,  and  at  my  heart  grim  fear. 

They  were  sacking  the  St,  Alais'  house !  And  Made- 
moiselle !  And  Madame !  The  thought  of  them  came 
to  me  late;  but  having  come  it  was  not  to  be  displaced. 
It  gripped  my  heart  and  seemed  to  stop  it.  Had  1 
saved  Mademoiselle  only  for  this?  Had  I  risked  all  to 
save  her  from  the  frenzied  peasants,  only  that  she  might 
fall  into  the  more  cruel  hands  of  these  maddened 
wretches,  these  sweepings  of  the  city? 

It  was  a  dreadful  thought ;  for  I  loved  her,  and  knew, 
as  I  ran,  that  I  loved  her.  Had  I  not  known  it  I 
mast  have  known  it  now,  by!  the  very  measure 
of  agony  which  the  thought  of  that  horror  caused  me. 
The  distance  from  the  Trois  Rois  to  the  house  was 
barely  four  hundred  yards,  but  it  seemed  infinite  to 
me.  It  seemed  an  age  before  I  stopped  breathless  and 
panting  on  the  verge  of  the  crowd,  and  strove  to  see. 
across  the  plain  of  heads,  what  was  happening  in  front. 

A  moment,  and  I  made  out  enough  to  relieve  me; 
and  1  breathed  more  freely.  The  crowd  had  not 
yet  won  its  will.  It  filled  the  street  on  either  side  of 
the  St.  Alais'  house  from  wall  to  wall ;  but  in  front  of 


the  house  itself  a  space  was  still  kept  clear  by  the  fire 
of  those  within.  Now  and  again,  a  man  or  a  knot  of 
men  would  spring  out  of  the  ranks  of  the  mob,  and  dart- 
ing across  this  open  space  to  the  door,  would  strive  to 
beat  it  in  with  axes  and  bars,  and  even  with  naked  hands ; 
but  always  there  came  a.  puff  of  smoke  from  the  shut- 
tered and  loop-holed  windows,  and  a  second  and  a  third, 
and  the  men  fell  back,  or  sank  down  on  the  stones,  ani 
lay  bleeding  in  the  sunshine. 

It  was  a  terrible  sight.  The  wild  beast  rage  of  the 
mob,  as  they  watched  their  leaders  fall,  yet  dared  not 
make  the  rush  en  masse  which  must  carry  the 
place,  was  enough,  of  itself,  to  appal  the  stoutest ; 
hut  when  to  this  and  their  fiendish  cries  were 
added  other  sounds  as  horrid— the  screams  of 
the  wounded  and  the  rattle  of  musketry — for 
some  of  the  mob  had  arni3,  and  were  firing  from 
neighbouring  houses  at  the  St.  Alais'  windows — the  effect 
was  appalling.  I  do  not  know  why,  but  the  sunshine 
and  the  tall,  white  houses,  which  formed  the  street, 
and  the  neat  surroundings,  seemed  to  aggravate  the 
bloodshed ;  so  that  for  a.  while  the  whole,  the  writhing 
crowd,  the  open  space  with  its  wounded,  the  ugly  cries 
and  curses  and  shots,  seemed  unreal.  I,  who  had  come 
hot-foot  to  risk  all,  hesitated  ;  if  this  was  Cahors,  if  this 
was  the  quiet  town  I  had  known  all  my  life,  things  had 
come  to  a  pass  indeed.    If  not,  I  was  dreaming. 

But  this  was  a  thought  too  wild  to  be  entertained 
for  more  than  a  few  seconds ;  and  with  a  groan  I  thrust 
myself  into  the  press,  bent  desperately  on  getting 
through  and  reaching  the  open  space;  though  what  I 
should  do  when  I  got  there,  or  how  I  could  help,  I  had 
not  considered.  I  had  scarcely  moved,  however,  when 
I  felt  my  arm  gripped,  and  someone  clinging  obstinately 
to  me,  held  me  back.  I  turned  to  resent  the  action 
with  a  blow,  for  I  was  beside  mvself ;  but  the  man  was 
Father  Benoit,  and  my  hand  fell.  I  caught  hold  of 
him  with  a  cry  of  joy,  and  he  drew  me  out  of  the  press.  . 

His  face  was  pale  and  full  of  grief  and  consternation  • 
yet  by  a  wonderful  chance  I  had  found  him,  and  I  hoped. 
"  You  can  do  something ! "  I  cried,  gripping  his  hand 
hard.  "  The  Committee  will  not  act,  and  this  is 
murder  !    Murder,  man  !  " 

"What  can  I  do?"  he  wailed;  and  he  threw  up  his 
other  hand  with  a  gesture  of  despair. 

"  Speak  to  them." 

"  Speak  to  them  ? "  he  answered.  "  Will  mad  dogs 
stand  when  you  speak  to  them?  Or  will  mad  dogs 
listen?  How  can  you  get  to'  them?  Where  can  you 
speak  to  them?  It  is  impossible.  It  is  impossible, 
Monsieur.  They  would  kill  their  fathers,  if  they  stood 
between  them  and  vengeance." 

"Then,  what  will  you  do?"  I  cried,  passionately. 
"What  will  you  do?" 

He  shook  his  head ;  and  I  saw  that  he  meant  nothing, 
that  he  would  do  nothing.  And  then  my  soul  revolted. 
"  You  must !  You  shall !  "  I  cried  fiercely.  "  You  have 
raised  this  devil,  and  you  must  lay  him !  Are  these 
the  liberties  about  which  you  have  talked  to  us  ?  Are 
these  the  people  for  whom  you  have  pleaded?  Answer, 
answer  me,  what  you  will  do  !  "  I  cried.  And  I  shook  him 
iu.  iou  ily. 

He  covered  his  face  with  his  hand.  "  God  forgive 
us !  "  he  said.    "  God  help  us  ! " 

I  looked  at  him  for  the  first  and  only  time  in  my  life 
with  contempt — with  rage.   "  Gcd  help  you? "  I  cried — 


316 


TO-DAY. 


April  13,  1395. 


I  was  beside  myself.  "God  helps  those  who  help 
themselves  i  You  have  brought  this  about !  You  !  You ! 
Y'ou  have  preached  this  !    Now  mend  it !  " 

He  trembled,  and  was  silent.  Unsupported  by  the 
passion  which  animated  me,  in  face  of  the  brute  rage 
of  the  people,  his  courage  sank. 

"  Now  mend  it !  "  I  repeated. 

"  I  cannot  get  to  them,"  he  muttered. 

"Then  I  will  make  a  way  for  you!"  I  answered 
madly,  recklessly.  "Follow  me!  Do  you  hear  that 
noise?    Well,  we  will  play  a  part  i:i  it!'' 

A  dozen  guns  had  gone  off,  almost  in  a.  volley.  We 
•could  n  t  s'.e  the  result,  nor  what  was  passing  ;  but  the 
hoarse  roar  of  the  mob  intoxicated  me.  I  cried  to  him 
to  follow,  and  rushed  into  the  press. 

Again  he  caught  and  stayed  me,  clinging  to  me  with 
a  stubbornness   which  would    not  be  denied.      "  If 


you  will  go,  go  through  the  houses !  Go  through  the 
oppos  t  ■  houses  !  "  he  muttered  in  my  ear. 

I  had  sens3  enough,  when  he  had  spoken  twice,  to 
understand  him  and  comply.  I  let  him  lead  me  aside, 
and  in  a  moment  Ave  were  out  of  the  press,  and  hurry- 
ing through  an  alley  at  the  back  of  the  houses 
that  faced  the  St.  Alais'  mansion.  We  were  not 
the  first  to  go  that  way;  some  of  the  more  active  of  the 
rioters  had  had  the  idea  before  us,  and  gone  by  this 
path  to  the  windows,  whence  they  were  firing.  We  found 
two  or  three  of  the  doors  open,  therefore,  and  heard  the 
excitea  cries  and  curses  of  the  men  who  had  taken  pos- 
sess'on.  However,  we  did  not  go  far.  I  chose  the  first 
door,  and,  passing  quickly  by  a  huddled,  panic-stricken 
group  of  women  and  children — probably  the  occupants 
of  the  house — who  were  clustered  about  it,  I  went 
straight  through  to  the  street  door. 
•  (To  be  continued.) 


BLACK-AND-WHITE  ART. 


A  CHAT  WITH  MR.  RAVEN-HILL. 

"  Mr.  Raven-Hill  is  facile  princeps  in  the 
kind  of  illustiative  art  he  has  made  specially 
his  own.  His  close  connection  with  Pick-ile-Up 
is  an  open  secret,  and  it  was  in  the  offices  of 
fiat  up-to-date  little  journal  that  I  found  the 
famous  draughtsman  and  en- 
joyed with  him  the  follow- 
ing little  chat. 

"Before  beginning  on 
more  personal  matters,  may 
I  ask  you,"  I  inquired, 
"  whether  you  share  the 
new-born  enthusiasm  for  the 
artistic  poster  which  now 
meets  one  at  every  turn,  and 
stares  at  one  from  every 
hoarding?  " 

"Certainly;  I  thoroughly 
believe  in  art  on  the  hoard- 
ings, and  further,  I  feel 
-sir.  e  that  the  more  admir- 
able the  design  the  more 
commercially  valuable  is  the 
poster.  I  think,"  he  added 
smiling,  "  that  you  will  be 
the  first  to  admit  the  com- 
mercial value,  of  Dudley 
Hardy's  '  Yjellow  Girl '  as  an 
advertisement  of  To-Day. 
Of  course,  in  this  matter 
we  have  followed  rather 
than  led  the  French. 
Lautrcc  Steinlsn,  Cheret, 
and  Willette  have  done 
marvellous  work  of  the  kind, 
but  soon  you  will  find  that 
many  English  artists  of  dis- 
tinction will,  if  they  are 
given  the  chance,  take  up 
this  branch  of  work." 

"  And  what  made  you  first  begin  your  special  kind  of 
black-and-white  drawing.  Did  you  supply  a  want,  or 
create  a  demand  ? " 

"  I  began  life,"  he  replied,  "as  a  wood-engraver,  but 
1  do  not  think  that  my  early  experiences  have  been  <  f 
much  service  to  me  in  the  art  sense,  although  they,  of 
course,  taught  me  many  things  which  have  been  of  use 
in  my  editorial  work.     YTou   see  wood-enjgravinjj  has 


quite  dropped  out ;   but  it  will  certainly  become  once       etchings  and  lithographs." 


more  in  d<  mand  when  reahy  high-class  work  will  have 
to  be  done." 

"  I  believe,  Mr.  Raven-Hill,  that  you  spent  a  portion 
of  yoi  r  student  life  in  Paris  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  worked,  not  a  little,  first  in  one,  and  then 
another     Parisian    studio,     including     Julian's  and 

Colarossi's." 

"  Would  you  advise  would-be  English  illustrators  to 
spend  a  portion  of  their  art  education  in  France  ? " 

My  host  hesitated.  "  No, 
not  now,"  he  answered  at 
length  ;  "I  think  that  at 
present  there  is  just  as  good 
and  even  better  art  tuition 
to  be  found  in  London.  I 
wonder  if  it  has  ever  struck 
you,  as  it  has  often  done 
me,  that  all  the  leading 
French  painters  are  over 
forty-five  years  of  age.  The 
latter-day  style  of  ait  teach- 
ing in  Paris  turns  out  a 
great  many  men  dowered 
-with  what  may  be  styled 
'  students'  perfection.'  But,  I 
Think  that  you  will  find  on 
inquiry  that  the  strongest 
artists — those  who  have 
already  made  a  nr.me  for 
themselves — received  their 
training  out  of  the  regular 
studio  ruts.  This  was  be- 
ginning to  be  the  case  even 
when  I  was  there,  eight 
years  ago  ;  of  course,  many 
of  the  younger  men  are  ex- 
tremelv  clever  and  possess 
brilliant  tricks  of  technique  ; 
but  I  doubt  if  they  will 
ever  take  the  place  of  their 
elders." 

"I  suppose  you  always 
made  a  specialty  of  black, 
and-white  work  ? " 

"No,  indeed.  After  my  return  from  France  1  beg.m 
painting,  but  I  soon  found  it  was  of  no  use.  No  one 
but  my  father  bought  my  pictures,  and  so,"  added  my 
host,  drawing  a  long  breath,  "  I  made  up  mind  to  go  in 
for  illustrative  work,  and  soon  found  a  market  for 
original  drawings.  But  I  haven't  quite  left  painting 
entirely,  although  I  rarely  exhibit.  I  generally 
manage  to  do  two  or  three  pictures  a  year,  besides 


Apeie.  13^  IS95. 


TO-DAY. 


-317 


"  Then,  do  you  consider  black-and  white  an  easier  ar! 
than  oil-painting  1 " 

He  smiled  grimly.  "  Good 
Heavens,  no  !  It  is  infinitely  more 
difficult  to  do  a  piece  of  good  black- 
and-white  woik  than  a  sketch  in 
colour  ;  not  but  what  one  can 
express  almost  everything  quite  as 
well  in  black-and-white,  but  it 
requires  a  far  surer  power  of  execu- 
tion and  greater  knowledge  of 
technique.  Of  course,  etching, 
which  is  the  highest  form  of  black- 
and-white  art,  is  the  most  difficult 
to  do.  Next  comes  pen-and-ink 
work,  which  cannot,  practically, 
ever  be  corrected.  I  remember 
talking  of  this  subject  with  Luke 
Fildes  while  I  was  making  a  sketch 
of  him  for  the  Art  Journal,  and  he 
entirely  agreed  with  me  as  to  the 
relative  difficulties  of  black-.md- 
white  work  and  colour  painting." 

"  Then,  probably,  you  are  not 
so  enthusiastic  concerning  the 
future  of  illustrating  as  are  many 
people  1 " 

"  I  think,"  he  answered  decidedly, 
"  that  there  is  plenty  of  room  for 
good,  or  rather,  first-rate  men;  but 


for  the  average  student  who  takes  up  illustration  for  a. 
living,  there  is  less  and  less  chance  every  year,  especially 
when  we  consider  how  greatly  photograph)'  is  taking 
the  place  of  original  work  in  our  magazines  and  news- 
papers." 

"  And  what  is  your  opinion  of  these  sun-pictures  1 " 
"  I  need  hardly  tell  you  that    I   do  not  look  on 
photography  as  a  form  of  art  ;  I  have  never  worked 
either  directly  or  indirectly  from  a  photograph,  but  I 
quite  admit  that  there  are   certain   things  which  a 
photograph   rentiers  better,  as  far  as  illustrative  pur- 
poses are  concerned,  than  could  an  artist.    Such  a  scene 
as  the  Lord  Mayor's  Show,  for  instance  ;  but  as  a  rule  I 
simply  regard  photography  as  a  foil  to  artistic  work." 
"  Do  you  make  great  use  of  models?" 
"Yes,  and  a  propos  of  this  subject,  I  should  like  to- 
correct  a  wrong  impression  which  obtains  about  my 
work.    Because  I  make  it  a  point  never  to  employ  pro- 
fessional models  people  seem  to  think  that  I  draw  de 
chic.    Now,  as  an  actual  fact,  I  make  endless  studies 
from  life,  and  I  am  always  on  the  lookout  for  good 
sitters,  both  among  my  friends  and  among  those  types 
of  human  beings  who  are  to  be  met  here,  there,  and 
everywhere,  and  who,  of  course,  are  of  far  m  >i  e  value  from 
the  artistic  point  of  view  than  the  prof,  s-ional  jaded 
model — who  has,  p;jor  creatine,  to  adopt  one  pose  and 
one  character  after  another." 

"  Have  you  any  preference  as  to  what  kind  of  society 
moves  your  pen  or  pencil  1 " 

"Just  now  I  prefer  country  scenes.  I  always  delight 
in  the  delineation  of  low  life  because  of  its  naturalness- 
and  absence  of  artificiality.  I  need  hardly  tell  you  that 
I  supply  all  the  jokes  for  my  cartoons,  and  those  that  have- 
really  happened,  so  to  speak,  are  far  more  successful 
than  those  I  pump  out  of  my  imagination. 
The  finest  joke  I  ever  heard,"  continued  Mr.  Raven 
Hill  immediately,  "  came  off  the  other  day — but  I  have 
not  used  it  yet — so  I  cannot  tell  it  you.  Of  course,.  I 
like  my  cartoons  to  be  topical ;  for  instance,  a 
recent  one  deals  with  influenza,  and  depicts  a  little 
s-cene  which  happened  in  my  own  house  when  the  whole 
family  were  down  with  influenza.  It  has  for  title  the 
doctor's  cheerful  inquiry  as  he  opens  the  door  on  a  group 
of  sufferers,  'And  who  shall  I  begin  with  1 '  " 

"You  spoke  just  now  of  country  scenes.    Have  you 
any  special  district  in  your  mind  1 " 

"  Yes,"  he  lepiied  promptly,  "  Wiltshire  and  Devon- 
shire.   You  know  I  am  a  West-countryman  myself,  and 


318 


TO-DAY. 


Apkil  13,  1895. 


Wesscx,"  he  added,  laughing,  "  has  a  special  fascination 
for  me." 

"Do  you  prefer  doing  your  work  in  wash  or  in  line  5" 


LIFE  AT  A  LADIES'  COLLEGE. 

College  girls  cannot  he  like  ordinary  girls..  They 
must  be  fast  or  "  blue,"  or,  if  apparently  neither,  then, 
at  any  rate,  •extraordinary  in  some' other  way.  'That  is 
'what  several  people  think,  or  pretend  to  think,  and 
they  cannot  conceive,  or  they  pretend  they  cannot, 
how  any  girl  can  want  to  leave  her  honie  and  go  to  a 
"barbarous"  place  like  college. 

Well,  about  leaving  home,  you  see.,  home-life  in  a 
country  vicarage  is  slow  with  three  girls  "  out,"  and 
nothing  but  chickens,  pigs,  and  the  parish  to  think  of. 
And  I'm  supposed  to  have  some  brains,  and  we're  aw- 
fully poor,  so  I  thought  I'd  much  better  go  to  Cambridge 
and  qualify  myself  to  teach,  and  that  is  why  I  am  here, 
And  that  is  why  most  of  the  others  are  here. 

And  college  is  not  in  the  least  "  barbarous,"  though 
it  has  certain  institutions  and  methods  of  work  and 
play  peculiar  to  itself.  It  is  very,  veiy  nice.  You 
can't  imagine  how  delightful  it  is  till  you 
have  tried  it,  till  you  have  actually  lived  in  a  fas- 
cinating little  curly-room  (with  your  name  on  the  door) 
at  the  end  of  a.  long,  long  corridor — just  like  mine. 

You  can't  imagine — yes  you  can,  if  /  can  only  de- 
scribe properly  some  of  the  things  which  make  college 
vhat  it  is.  Where  to  begin — that  is  the  question.  The 
first  thing  that  occurs  to  me  is  cocoa.  I  believe  I  enjoy 
■cocoas  as  much  as  (or  more  than)  anything  else.  Col- 
lege without  cocoa  would  no  longer  be  college. 

When  the  lights:  in  the  corridors  are  out,  when  one 
has  just  finished  a  paper  on  the  Origin  and  Growth  of 
Trial  by  Jury,  say,  for  one's  History  coach,  or  when  one 
has  finally  abandoned  some  catchy  problem,  full  of 
parabolic  curves,  which  has  resolutely  declined  to  come 
out,  then  is  the  time  for  cocoa.  The  cocoa  hostess  is  of 
two  distinct  types.  She  either  pays  great  attention  to 
the  externals,  or  else  she  pays  none  at  all.  The  one, 
when  she  gives  a>  cocoa,  likes  to  do1  it  properly. 

She  will  steal  chairs  from  the  common  room,  she  will 
have  her  own  six  cups  and  saucers,  and  will  use  them 
together  with  such  other  china  of  other  people's  as  will 
'■'go  with"  them.  She  will  stop  working  half  an  hour 
before  the  guests  are  expected.  She  will  have  butter, 
and  plates,  and  a  tablecloth,  and  possibly  even  sugar 
tcngs,  if  she  can  bear  chaff,  since  chaffed  she  will  most 
assuredly  be  for  adopting  such  a,  genteel  appendage.  She 
will  have  a  chair  for  eacb  guest,  and  enough  cocoa  to  go 
round  for  the  third  cup.  She  will  not  say  much  herself, 
but  she  will  look  after  everyone's  wants.  •  Her  cakes 
and  biscuits  will  be  much  admired,  no  one  will  ever 
knock  at  her  door  to  ask  what  is  the  joke,  or  to  remon- 
strate about  noise  or  late  hours. 

But  the  hostess  of  the  other  type  usually  forgets  that 
sin;  is  going  to  have  a.  cocoa,  and  is  only  roused  from 
work  by  the  arrival  of  the  first  guest. 

Then  with  one  swoop  she  will  clear  up  her  books,  and 
fling  the  kettle  on  the  fire.  Next  she  will  dash  out  of  the 
room  with,  her  guest,  and  the  two  together  will,  in  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time,  load  a  tray  with  the 
necessary  number  of  spoons  and  cups.  Scurrying  back 
she  will  meet  another  of  her  guests,  and  will  delight 
her  by  asking  for  the  loan  of  a  cake. 

Talking  of  borrowed  eatables,  reminds  me  of  the 
gratitude  I  owe  to  a  jam-pot  of  mine. 

One  night,  when  I  was  only  a,  Fresher,  in  my  first 
year,  there  came  a.  knock  at  my  door,  and  a  certain 
fourth  year,  a  very  important  personage,  put  her  head 
•in  and  asked — 

"  Have  you  got  any  of  that  guava  jelly  left? " 

"  Yes,"  I  said. 

"How  much?"  she  inquired,  anxiously. 

"  About  half  a  pot,  or  rather  more." 

"Oh!"  she  exclaimed,  looking  much  relieved.  "I 


"  J ust  now  I  am  obtaining  the  finest  results  with  a  new 
development  of  the  wash  process.  I  never  draw  for  a  large 
reduction,  but  only  slightly  larger  than  the  reproduction." 


shall  be  so  pleased  if  you  will  come  to  cocoa  to-night,  and 
that  villain  of  a  grocer  has  not  sent  up  any  of  my 
tilings,  so  will  you  be  an  angel  and  bring  your  jelly 
with  you  I " 

And  that  was  how  I  got  to  know  her.  Cut  to  return 
to  our  second  hostess  and  her  cocoa. 

None  of  the  cups  will  be  her  own,  except  by  the  merest 
chance ;  she  will  have  white  cups,  blue  cups,  pink  cups 
planted  perhaps  on  yellow  or  patterned  saucers,  and 
nothing  making  the  faintest  attempt  to  go  with  any- 
thing else.  Her  biscuits  and  cakes  will  be  handed 
about  in  their  native  tins,  and  her  guests  will  soon  over- 
flow the  chairs  and  will  then  sit  on  the  floor  or  perch 
themselves  on  the  fender.  She  will  have  a  perfectly 
original  way  of  making  cocoa  without  boiling  water, 
and  will  be  quite  convinced,  though  her  guests  per- 
sistently assure  her  to  the  contrary,  that  her  cocoa  is 
the  best  in  the  college. 

All  her  guests  will  be  in  fits  of  laughter  from  the 
moment  they  enter  her  room  till  they  leave.  She  will 
tell  the  most  delightful  stories  against  herself.  Amusing 
things  always  seem  to  have  happened  while  she  was  by; 
perhaps  I  have  been  with  her  and  yet  I  have  noticed 
nothing  unusual.  It  is  a,  kind  of  knack  with  her. 
Anyone  who  comes  round  to  remark  on  the  noise,  and 
to  suggest  that  other  people  are  trying  to  sleep,  will  be 
sure  to  stay  and  join  in  the  fun. 

Sometime?  a  cocoa  will  be  violently  interrupted  by  the 
loud  clang-clang  of  the  fire-bell,  and  one  or  two  of  the 
guests,  or  even  the  hostess,  will  suddenly  start  to  their 
ieet  and  tear  out  of  the  room.  Nobody  will  look  sur- 
prised, for  everyone  will  know  that  from  all  who  belong 
to  the  fire  brigade  instantaneous  obedience  to  the  bell 
is  exacted. 

It  is  a  great  honour  to  be  asked  to  belong  to  the 
brigade,  which  has  only  sixteen  members,  counting  the 
captain  and  her  two  lieutenants.  The  captain  has  a 
fire — or  rather  a  fire-practice — whenever  she  chooses, 
in  the  middle  of  the  night,  twice  in  one  evening,  or  once 
a  fortnight,  at  all  sorts  of  times,  and,  of  course,  no  one 
knows  when  it  will  be.  But  the  very  instant  the  fire- 
bell  begins  ringing — whatever  the  different  members 

O  DO 

of  the  brigade  may  be  doing — they  have  to  jump  up  at 
once  and  fly  down  to  the  hall,  and  then  the  captain  tells 
them  where  the  fire  is,  and  generally  half  a  minute  after 
the  bell  has  stopped  they  are  at  work,  shutting  windows 
and  doors  to  prevent  draughts,  unrolling  the  hose, 
forming  lines  and  turning  taps  on  and  off,  just  as  if 
there  were  a  real  fire. 

But  to  turn  to  something  more  intellectual.  You 
must  know  college  is  a  great  place  for  debating  societies. 

Once  or  twice  a  term  there  is  a  regular  big  debate, 
when  all  the  students  appear  in  full  evening  dress,  and 
visitors  are  invited,  before  whom  some  of  the  more 
aspiring  let  off  their  carefully  prepared  orations.  After 
such  a  debate  we  have  refreshments  and  dancing. 
There  are  also  several  little  frivolous  debating  societies, 
which,  in  spite  of  calling  themselves  by  some  such  names 
as,  "  The  Band  of  Despair,"  or  "  The  Silent  Hens,"  seem 
to  flourish  and  to  thoroughly  enjoy  themselves  to  judge 
from  the  cheerful  noise  they  make. 

"The  Silent  Hens"  in  particular  all  talk  at  the  same 
time,  and  keep  making  the  strictest  of  rules,  according 
to  which  all,  except  the  one  person  speaking,  must  be 
speechless.  Naturally  each  considers  that  she  is  to  be 
that  one  person  speaking,  so  the  result  is  that  no  one  is 
speechless.  Then  there  is  "The  Political,"  with  its 
prime  minister,  and  a  cabinet,  and  secretaries,  and 
members  who  sit  with  their  own  party,  and  address  one 
another  as  "the  honourable  member"  of  some  place  or 
other  ;  bills  are  brought  in  and  discussed,  and  amend- 
ments proposed,  and  the  votes  are  taken,  and  even-- 


April  13,  ]895. 


TO-DAY. 


thing  is  done  in  the  proper  Parliamentary  way.  "  The 
Political"  meets  once  a  week  after  hall  (dinner  in 
hall),  but  every  evening  there  is  sure  to  be  something 
else  going  on.  We  either  dance  ampng  ourselves  in 
our  big  hall,  or  else  we  read — taking  parts — an  English 
or  French  play,  or  we  get  up  a  little  concert. 

But  all  our  amusements  are  not  indoor  ones. 
Bicycling,  tennis,  fives,  rowing,  riding,  driving,  walking, 
and  hockey  are  all  to  be  had. 

But  hockey  is  prime  favourite,  and  our  eleven  is  one  of 
the  best.  Matches  are  fun,  just  desperately  exciting  when 


one  thinks  one  has  passed  rather  neatly,  and  all  the  specta- 
tors clap  and  cheer.  And  I  am  not  sure  whether  we 
don't  enjoy  triumphs  of  this  kind  as  much  as  when  we 
come  out  "  above  the  Senior  Wrangler  "  on  the  examina- 
tion list.  So  you  see  we  don't  spend  all  our  time  indoors 
poring  over  books,  nor  yet  do  we  strut  about  with 
walking-sticks  and  cigarettes.  And,  perhaps,  we  are 
not  quite  so  black,  or  "  blue,"  as  we  are  painted.  In 
fact,  I  think  we  are  extremely  nice  girls,  but  possibly 
you  mav  think  I  am  not  exactly  an  impartial  judge,  as 
I  myself  am 

A  COLLEGE  GIRL. 


ON  THE  CARS  AND  OFF.* 


Open  this  delightful  book  where  you  will,  and  a  good 
story  is  ready  to  hand.  On  one  page  Mr.  Sladen  de- 
scribes a  wonderful  fishing  expedition,  on  the  next  he 
is  going  minutely  into  all  the  details  of  sugar  manufac- 
ture. Fishermen  are  always  allowed  a  little  license 
when  recounting  their  own  reminiscences,  but  he  will 
have  to  be  a  very  imaginative  sportsman  who  can  beat 
Mr.  Sladen's  story  of  the  fish  who  "  towed  the  little 
canoe  round  in  their  struggle  to  free  themselves,"  and 
didn't  mind  being  caught  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred 
pounds  weight  an  hour. 

Mr.  Sladen  writes  of  bears  and  their  little  ways  with 
the  most  happy  familiarity.    He  says  : — 

The  bears  were  very  entertaining  ;  we  always  missed  each 
other.  One  evening  we  found  a  place  where  they  had  been 
rolling  in  the  corn,  and,  it  being  moonlight,  went  back,  an.d 
posted  ourselves  after  supper  for  their  return.  It  was  quite 
a  sharp  night,  and  the  dew  was  drenching,  but  we  stuck  to 
our  watch.  Meanwhile  our  hostess  and  the  pretty  girl  sat 
up  for  us,  snoozing  with  dead  tiredness.  They  heard  a  noise 
in  the  back  kitchen,  and  thought  it  was  us  sneaking  in, 

ashamed  of  our 

empty  -  handed- 
ness, but  it  was 

the  bear  turning 

over  the  barrel 

for    the  carrots, 

which  they  had 

brought   all  the 

way  from  Mon- 
treal, as  Mrs.  S. 

discovered  to 

her  consternation 

next  morning. 
The  bears  were 

very  familiar  at 

Lac  Eau  Clair. 

One     night  as 

G  was  re- 
turning home 

without    a  rifle 

he  met  one  stand- 
ing on  its  hind 

legs,  drinking 

oat  of  the  water- 
butt;  and  if  you 

took  a  lady  out 

for  a  moonlight 

romance     in  a 

birch-bark,  her 

whispers  were 

drowned    in  the 

noise    the  bears 

made  coming 
•down     to  the 

water  to  drink, 

just      like  a 

lot  of  lambs.  They  did  one  thing  which  made  us  savage. 
It  was  quite  a  novelty  to  us  to  tap  the  sugar  maple  and  to 
catch  the  syrup;  but  the 'bears  always  reached  "the  syrup 
first. 

After  reading  Mr.  Sladen's  description  of  the  trip 
through  the  Lachine  Rapids,  one  becomes  anxious  to 
follow  his  example.  In  fact,  throughout  the  whole 
:book  Mr.  Sladen  seems  to  have  held  a  brief  for  Canada, 

*  "  On  The  Cars  and  Off,"  bv  Douglas  Sladen.  (Ward,  Lock  and 
'Biwden.  18s.) 


IN  LACHINE  RAPIDS. 


and  he  is  certainly  a  most  convincing  advocate  of  its 
charms.    Of  the  Lachine  Rapids  he  tells  us  that — 

If  the  steamer  is  abandoned  to  the  current,  it  is  impossible 
for  her  to  strike,  the  scour  being  so  strong ;  certainly,  her 
engines  are  slowed  ;  she  reels  about  like  a  drunken  man  ; 
right  and  left  you  see  green  breakers  with  hissing  white 
fillets  threatening  to  swamp  you  at  every  minute.  Every 
second  thud  of  these  waves  upon  the  sides  convinces  you 
that  the  ship  is  aground  and  about  to  be  dashed  to  pieces. 
There  seems  absolutely  no  chance  of  getting  safely  out  of 
the -boiling  waters  which  often  rush  together  like  a  couple 
of  fountains.  Yet,  after  a  few  trips,  you  know  that  the 
captain  is  quite  justified  in  sitting  in  his  easy  chair  and 
smoking  a  cigarette  all  through  it. 

Mr.  Sladen  has  had  plenty  of  adventures,  and  he  tells 
them  in  a  light,  careless  style,  without  half  as  much 
bravado  as  an  average  man  assumes  in  narrating  a  cab 
accident.  One  of  these  remarkable  experiences  is  in 
connection  with  the  celebrated  Loop  railway,  the  picture 
of  which  is  reproduced. 

The  Loop  is  a  marvellous  piece  of  engineering.  In  order 
to  make  the  swift  descent  of  five  hundred  feet  between  the 
Glacier  House  and  Ross's  Peak,  the  railway  describes  two 
circles,  twice  doubling  back  on  itself.  One  of  the  timber 
viaducts  or  trestles  employed  in  the  operation  is  more  than 
a  mile  long. 

Most  places 
in  the  world  are 
oppressed  by 
having  to  live 
up  to  the  memory 
of  some  illust  rious 
personage  who 
has  visited  them. 
.  .  .  In  the 
Selkirks  you 
suffer  from  Lady 
MacDonald,  or 
I  should  say  Lady 
Earnscliffe.  The 
very  porters  know 
her  description 
of  the  line  by 
heart.  Lady  Mac- 
Donald,  it  ap- 
peared, had  gone 
.  down  the  Loop 
on  the  cow- 
catcher in  front 
of  an  engine. 
Wishing  to  show 
us  the  height  01 
hospitality,  Mr. 
Marpole,  the 
divisional  super- 
intendent, in- 
vited us  to  do 
ditto.  There  was 
no  engine  with 
a  cow  -  catcher 
attached,  but  he 
said  this  did  not 
on  the  platform 
to  be  attached; 
foot  wide,  and 
he  did  not  seem 


signify  ;  we  should  be  all  right 
to  which  the  cow-catcher  ought 
the  platform  was  only  about  a 
we  had  no.thing  to  hold  on  to,  but 
to  think  this  signified  either.  "  If  an  old  lady  like  that  can 
do  it,"  said  Mr.  Marpole,  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  eye, 
"surely  young  people  like  you  can  venture."  So  off  we 
started.  When  we  were  on  the  mile-long  trestle,  he 
observed  cheerfully  that  it  would  not  be  thought  right  to 
take  a  passenger  train  at  the  rate  we  were  going.  We  felt 
all  the  time  as  if  the  engine  was  a  big  dog  which  we  were 
leading,  doing  its  best  to  tug  itself  loose,  and  the  breeze  it 


320  TO-DAY. 


made  swept  up  our  legs  as  if  they  had  been  ventilators. 
But  we  did  get  back,  and  then  Mr.  Marpole  divulged  that 
Lady  MacDonald  had  sat  in  an  armchair  made  fast  to  a 
platform  built  out  on  the  cow-catcher. 

The  author  seems  to  have  been  in  delightful  com- 


April  13,  1S95. 


Mr.  Anthony  Hope's  "  Dolly,"  of  whom  she  reminds 
one. 

Mr.  Sladen's  journey  was  like  the  drawing-room 
games  of  one's  youth,  "both  amusing  and  instructive," 


THE  LOOP. 


pany  on  his  journey,  and  m  putting  down  the  book  one  but  he  used  his  time  to  good  account,  and  we  owe  him 

feels  a  distinct  desire  to  know  who  "  the  pretty  girl  "  is  our  thanks  for  this  very  interesting  and  enjoyable  book, 
who  figures  so  prominently  in  nearly  every  story.  Her 

doings  and  sayings  are  as  artlessly  charming  as  those  of  W.  P. 

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A  WEEKLY 

MAGAZINE -JOURNAL 


EUe\By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Vol.  VI.— No.  76. 


LONDON,  SATURDAY,  APRIL  20,  1895.        Price  Twopence. 


THE    LITTLE   GREY  NUN. 

LILIAN   QUILLER  COUCH. 

Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 


HERE  was  a  long  ia- 
tense  silence. 

On  one  side  of  the 
deep  window  lay  George 
Ward,  pale  and  languid  in 
his  roomy  chair ;  On  the 

f,2  '  >*^_\  other  sat  the  doctor,  up- 
right and  grave,  his  fingers 
unconsciously  opening  and 
closing  the  black  case  of 
his  thermometer. 

Only  a  short  while  ago 
j'  there  had  been  a  finch  sing- 

ing unrestrainedly  in  the  green-filmed  laburnum  which 
grew  in  the  middle  of  the  grass  plat  below,  but  it  had  flown 
plf  in  the  interests  of  its  new  family.  The  little  dress- 
maker, too,  who  sat  so  cheerfully  day  after  day  at  her 
buzzing  machine  in  the  vdndow  opposite,  was  out  of 
sight,  and  the  machine  stood  idle.  That  terrier  which 
had  yapped  thr  ough  so  many  days  and  howled  through 
so  many  nights  in  the  stable-yard  at  the  corner  of  the 
street,  had  at  length  broken  through  habit,  and  had 
departed  at  the  end  of  a  chain  in  search  of  rats.  Even 
Kature  seemed  to  be  holding  her  breath. 

The  afternoon  sun  shone  in  on  the  men,  and  the 
silence  lengthened.  George  Ward  lay  motionless,  with 
his  ten  fingers  pressed  tightly  together  at  the  tips,  his 
face  expressionless1,  and  his  eyes  fixed  wide  on  the  blue 
sky  over  the  chimneys.  The  doctor  still  sat  opposite, 
upright  and  grave,  but  a  little  wrinkle  gradually  showed 
up  between  his  eyebrows,  and  he  locked  across  at  bis 
patient  anxiously.  He  had  been  the  last  to  speak,  and 
new,  after  this  silence,  so'  intense  and  complete,  his 
words  seemed  to  spring  into  sound  again  and  reverberate 
on  the  air,  and  he  hated  them.  He  wished  he  had  not 
used  just  that  particular  inflection  of  the  voice  on  that 
particular  word ;  it  might  easily  have  been  softened  a 


little;  in  any  other  tone  perhaps  it  would  not  have 
seemed  so  brutal,  so  irrevocable. 

At  length,  when  the  situation  became  unbearable*  to 
him — 

"You  must  not  "  he  began. 

"I  must  not  worry?"  interrupted  George  Ward, 
grinrly.  "  Of  course  not,  for  as  you  say,  I  may  live  quite 
a  number  of  weeks,  with  care." 

"  I  considered  it  right  to  tell  you  the  truth,"  the  doctor 
remarked,  half  apologetically. 

"  Quite  right,  doctor,  for  as  you  know,  I  had  not  the 
remotest  suspicion  of  this  quick  finish:" 

"  No,  there  was  little  to  warn  you,  but  I  fear  I  am 
right.  However,  if  only  for  your  wife's  sake,  you  must 
be  as  cheerful  as  you  can,  and  there's  your  medicine 
chest  at  hand  in  case  unbearable  pain  comes  on.  I 
must  go  now,"  he  concluded,  with  a  half-sigh  of  relief. 
''  I'll  look  in  aggin  in  the  morning." 

George  Ward  rose  from  his  chair  and  rang  the  bell 
as  soon  as  the  doctor's  footsteps  had  died  away  on  the 
pavement. 

"Where  is  your  mistress?"  he  asked  the  maid  who 
came  to  him. 

"  Asleep  on  the  drawing-room  couch,  sir." 

"  Ah,  do  not  disturb  her,  and  if  I  need  anything  I 
will  ring." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

Then  did  George  Ward  lie  back  again  in  his  chair, 
and  look  again  on  the  sky  with  wide  eyes,  and  though 
the  finch  had  returned  to  the  laburnum,  and  the  little 
dressmaker  to  her  machine,  he  heard  nothing  of  their 
cheerfulness,  for  the  echo  of  six  words  deafened  him : 

"  Perhaps  a  few  weeks,  with  care." 

"  The  poor  gentleman  looks  very  pale  to-day,"  thought 
the  sympathetic  little  dressmaker,  as  she  glanced  across 
during  the  pulling  out  of  her  basting  threads.  Then, 
as  even  the  humblest  of  us  have  thoughts  beyond  con- 
trol, she  contemplated  the  chances  of  a  mourning  order 
even  as  she  sighed  over  the  pallor.  And  still  George 
Ward  sat  and  thought,  and  grew  whiter  with  the  think- 
ing. 

***** 
"  The  Little  Grey  Nun,"  Theresa  Dale  had  been  called 
from  two  years  old  to  twenty  ;  a  little  saint  she  had 


322 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1805. 


always  looked  as  she  moved  placidly  through  life  in  her 
simple  grey  gowns  and  soft  white  kerchiefs,  her  golden 
hair  suggesting  a  halo,  her  meek  face  peace,  her  1  1  le 
eyes  heaven.  But  when  George  Ward  had  first  seen 
Theresa  Dale  it  was  in  a  time  of  woe.  He  was  a  bar- 
rister, she  a  prisoner ;  he  was  charged  with  law,  she 
with  sorrow ;  to  him  she  represented  a  case,  to  her  he 
represented  a  rescuer  ;  toi  him  it  was  business,  nothing 
more,  but  before  the  trial  was  half  over  he  thanked 
Heaven  that  he  had  been  retained  for  the  defence — not 
for  the  prosecution. 

The  charge  was  the  theft  of  a,  ruby  brooch,  and  to 
everyone's  horror  the  case  was  proved,  proved  clearly, 
in  spite  of  the  untiring  care  and  earnest  pleading  of  her 
barrister,  and  when  it  was  over  George  Ward  found 
himself  wildly  in 
love,  and  Theresa 
Dale  found  her- 
self in  prison. 

Then  he  went 
to  her  ;  he  swore 
to  his  entire  belief 
in  her  innocence, 
he  vowed  the  jury 
must  be  demented 
to  entertain  an 
idea  of  her  guilt ; 
he  declared  his 
love  for  her,  and 
his  eagerness  to 
marry  her,and  sne 
laid  her  fair,  pure 
f  a c  e  on  his 
shoulder  and  wept 
quietly. 

At  the  end  of 
her  imprisonment 
George  Ward 
married  the  little 
grey  nun.  He 
had  mone}T,  so  he 
gave  up  his  pro- 
fession, he  left  his 
friends,  he  took 
her  away  to  a 
kinder  country, 
and  he  worshipped 
her  as  it  is  given 
to  few  persons  to 
be  worshipped  by 
good  and  honest 
fellow  beings.  So 
they  lived  in  love 
a  n  d  s  u  n  s  h  i  n  e, 
with  only  a  past 
memory  to  sadden 
them. 

But  one  day  George  Ward  went  forth  in  the  morning 
a  happy  man.  He  returned  to  his  hotel  at  noon  with  a 
grey  pallor  on  his  face  and  horror  in  his  soul,  for  hap- 
piness had  shuddered  out  of  his  life  for  ever.  His 
wife  was  a  thief — by  courtesy  a  kleptomaniac  ! 

The  sun  blazed  down  so  insolently  cheerful,  the  sky 
was  so  blue,  and  the  roads  so  white;  he  had  never 
before  noticed  how  unsympathetic  is  summer  with 
sorrow  ;  but  he  felt  it  vaguely  then  as  he  lay  on  a  cliff 
and  tried  to  realise  his'  misers'  and  the  life  which  lay 


HE  DREW  A  SHAWL  OVER  HER. 


before  him.  Now  that  the  realisation  was  dawning  on 
him  he  could  remember  signs  and  occasions  which  had 
never  before  touched  his  understanding ;  losses  in  the 
hotels,  sometime®  large,  sometimes  small,  for  which  he 
had  been  ever  ready  to  accuse  the  "  peccant  foreigner," 
smiling  a  tolerant  smile  as  he  did  so.  But  his  own  wife 
a  thief!  That  beautiful,  saint-like  woman  who  moved 
through  the  world  as  if  more  in  touch  with  heaven  than 
with  earth !  It  was  ghastly  !  yet  had  his  own  eyes  seen 
it,  there  was  no  doubt. 

Then  he  returned  to  the  hotel,  he  looked  upon  his  wife, 
and  her  wide  blue  eyes  met  his  without  shrinking ;  and 
he  loved  her  wildly  still,  and  he  could  not  speak  of  her 
guilt.  So  he  yielded  to  subterfuge,  he  temporised,  and 
he  sighed  out  that  the  lovely  spot  began  to  bore  him  and 

he  would  like  to 
move  on.  So  for 
rive  years  he 
moved  on,  and 
for  five  years  he 
played  the  part  of 
a  loving  detective 
to  the  woman  who 
was  all  the  world 
to  him — the  hu- 
man soul  for 
which  he  had  bar- 
tered friends,  pro- 
fession, happiness, 
everything ;  he 
compassed  her 
about  with  love 
and  luxury,  he 
lied  to  save  her 
name,  he  yielded 
up  his  self-respect 
in  exchange  for 
her  reputation. 
His  hair  grew 
thickly  threaded 
with  silver,  his 
heart  grew  sick 
and  small  with 
suspense  and  fear, 
but  no  word  of  it 
all  passed  between 
them. 

Did  she  know  ? 
Did  she  ever 
guess  1  He  often 
wondered. 

And  now  he 
was  to  die  and 
her  unguarded  ; 
the  burden  of  his 
life  had  outworn 
his  heart,  and  he 

must  quit  his  post.  What  would  the  world  do  to  her  when 
it  had  her  at  its  mercy  ?  His  heart  contracted  with  the 
pain  of  the  thought. 

The  sun  shone  outside  down  on  the  little  English 
street,  and  the  shadows  lengthened  as  (Jeorge  Ward  lay 
thinking;  but  he  thought  to  some  purpose,  for  he  did 
what  he  intended  to  do,  he  made  up  his  mind  ;  there 
is  no  margin  to  be  allowed  for  chance  when  a  man  is 
dying  of  a  worn-out  heart. 

The  door  opened  gently,  and  a  lovely  woman  in  a  plait 


April  20,  iswo. 


TO-DAY. 


323 


grey  gown  entered.  George  Ward  turned  instinctively. 
"  Ah,  Theresa,  darling ;  you  should  have  rested  longer, 
I  have  almost  worn  you  out." 

"  No,  dear,  not  that.  I  would  never  leave  you  if  I 
■could  only  live  without  rest ;  but  I  felt  tired,  and  know- 
ing that  the  doctor  was  with  you  I  planned  to  sleep  just 
fifteen  minutes,  but — it  happened  otherwise,  you  see," 
she  finished,  smiling. 

"  It  will  not  be  for  long  now,  Theresa,"  George  Ward 
began,  sitting  upright  in  his  chair  as  if  to  face  and  go 
through  with  his  decision. 

"  That  is  comforting,"  she  cooed,  gently. 

"Yes,  that  is  comforting,  for  we  want  to  be  well 
together  again,  don't  we  1 " 

"  Of  course  we  do ;  I  am  longing  to  get  you  out  in  the 
sun,  you  will  breathe  new  life  then," 

"Yes,  dear." 

"Is  there  any  alteration  in  the  medicine  again  to- 
day?" 

"  Yes,  a  tonic  is  the  next  item  on  the  programme.  I 
Mm  to  mix  it  myself  from  my  medicine  chest." 

"A  tonic!  that  really  sounds  like  convalescence." 

"  I  am  to  take  some  now,  and  you — are  to  take  some, 
too,"  he  added,  laughing ;  "  the  doctor  said  I  must  take 
•care  of  you,  and,  of  course,  I  want  you  to  share  the  new 
life;  we  always  go  shares,  you  know." 

"  Ah,  yes ;  but  I  cannot  bear  medicine,  and  I  am  really 
quite  well,  only  a  little  tired  and  harassed,  as  is  natural 
when  you  are  ill." 

"But  just  a,  tonic,  just — to  please  me."  He  spoke 
laughingly,  but  with  the  exacting  tone  of  a  capricious 
invalid. 

The  "  little  grey  nun "  laughed  softly  and  patted  his 
hand.  "  Of  all  things  in  the  world  to  be  asked  to  drink 
unnecessary  horribleness  to  please  an  exacting  husband," 
she  protested,  with  a  pout.    But  she  yielded. 

George  Ward  rose  slowly  from  his  chair,  and,  taking 
two  glasses,  went  to  the  medicine  chest,  while  Theresa 
looked  down  upon  the  grass  plat  below. 


A   GARDEN    IN   SOUTH  AFRICA. 

I  went  to  see  a  beautiful  garden  a  couple  of  miles 
away.  It  was  approached  by  a  long  double  avenue 
■of  blue  gum-trees.  The  flower  beds  were  bordered  by 
a  thick  edging  of  violets ;  great  shrubs  of  plants  made  ' 
tangled  heaps  of  purple,  scarlet,  and  white  blossoms 
on  every  side;  the  large  creamy  bells  of  the  datura 
•drooped  towards  the  red  earth,  and  many  shrubs  of  ' 
bluish  green  flourished  side  by  side  with  the  sombre 
leaved  myrtle.  A  screen  of  scarlet  euphorbia  made  a 
brilliant  pyramid  against  a  background  formed  by  a 
hedge  of  shell-like  cluster  roses ;  and  each  pillar  of  the 
verandah  of  the  little  house  had  its  own  magnificent 
■creeper.  One  pillar  was  hidden  by  a  trumpet  honey- 
suckle, another  thickly  covered  by  an  immense  passion- 
flower. But  the  feature  of  the  garden  was  roses ;  roses 
on  each  side,  whichever  way  you  turned,  growing  as 
they  might  have  grown  in  Eden — untrained,  unpruneel, 
in  enormous  bushes  covered  entirely  by  magnificent 
blossoms,  each  bloom  of  which  would  have  won  a  prize 
at  a  rose  show.  There  was  one  cloth-of-gold  rose-bush 
that  I  shall  never  forget ;  its  size,  its  fragrance,  its 
wealth  of  creamy,  yellow,  blossoms.  A  few  yards  off 
stood  a  still  bigger  and  more  luxuriant  plant,  some  ten 
feet  high,  covered  with  the  large,  delicate,  pinkish  bloom 
of  the  Souvenir  de  Malmaison.  I  suppose  there  were 
fifty  cloth-of-gold  and  fifty  Souvenir  rose-bushes  in  the 
garden.  Red  roses,  white  roses,  tea  roses,  blush  roses, 
and  last,  the  dear  old-fashioned  cabbage  rose,  sweetest 


"  Have  you  noticed  the  spring  flowers  in  that  corner, 
George 1  They  are  beautiful ;  all  things  seem  to  be 
going  in  for  new  life — but  they  are  not  forced  to  take 
tonics  for  it,"  she  added,  laughing  softly,  as  she  turned 
to  her  husband.  His  face  was  drawn  and  very  grave, 
but  as  he  met  her  eyes  and  came  towards  her  a  boyish 
smile  crept  over  it,  and  resting  one  glass,  he  placed  his 
arm  round  her  and  stood  by  her  side.  Together  they 
looked  out  in  silence  for  some  moments. 

"  Now,  dear,"  he  urged  ;  and  she,  with  a  childish  laugh 
of  protest,  took  the  glass  from  him  and  drank  its  con- 
tents. 

Again  there  was  silence.  "Well,"  she  said,  slowly, 
ct  last,  "the  sun  seems  to  be  going  to  bed — what  a  dif- 
ference— light  makes — I  really  am  tired — still.  I  will 
rest  on  the  couch — awhile.  There  is — nothing  to  do — 
before  dinner."  So  he  led  her  to  the  couch,  and  tenderly 
drew  a.  shawl  over  her,  and  she  slept. 

"  What  if  I  were  to  draw  back  now  1 "  he  thought ;  but 
he  went  to  the  window  and  looked  out  again.  He  saw 
that  the  little  dressmaker  was  at  her  machine ;  he  saw 
that  the  finch  was  swaying,  flippantly,  on  a  lissom  branch 
of  the  laburnum  tree ;  then  he  raised  one  hand  and 
grasped  the  tassel  of  the  blind,  and  with  the  other  he 
lifted  the  second  glass  to  his  lips  ;  there  was  a  moment's 
hesitation,  then  he  drank  to  the  last  drop,  and  then 
looked  out  just  once  more  on  the  narrow  world. 

The  little  dressmaker  having  come  to  the  end  of  her 
seam,  stopped  the  machine  and  glanced  across.  "  Poor 
man,  I'm  glad  to  see  him  looking  cheerful,"  she  thought. 
Then  she  saw  him  set  down  the  glass  which  he  held  in 
his  hand,  and  pull  down  the  blind. 

*  *  *         .    *  * 

Next  morning  when  the  little  dressmaker  looked 
across,  she  saw  that  all  the  blinds  were  down  at  the 
opposite  house,  and  her  soft  heart  fluttered  painfully. 
"  Dead  ? "  she  murmured.  Later  on  she  learned  that 
there  was  no  mourning  order — for  there  was  no  mourner. 


and  most  sturdy  of  all.  To  make  the  scene  perfect,  one 
could  hear  the  tinkling  of  the  little  brook  at  the  bottom  of 
the  garden,  and  the  song  of  the  Cape  canary.  From 
blossom  to  blossom  lovely  butterflies  flitted,  folding 
and  unfolding  their  large  painted  wings. — From  "A 
Year's  Housekeeping  in  South  Africa."    Lady  Barker. 


NAPOLEON  AND  MADAME  DE  CHEVREUSE. 

Madame  de  Chevreuse,  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
noblest  families  in  France,  declined  the  honour  which 
Napoleon  wished  to  confer  on  her,  that  of  being  maid 
of  honour  to  his  sister-in-law,  the  Queen  of  Spain.  She 
afterwards  became  Josephine's  dame  du  palais,  but 
always  affected  to  look  down  on  the  Imperial  Court. 
One  day  she  went  to  a  reception  at  the  Tuilleries, 
blazing  with  diamonds.  "What  splendid  jewels,"  re- 
marked Napoleon,  "  are  they  all  real  1 "  "  Mon  Dieu ! 
Sire,  I  really  don't  know,  but  at  any  rate  they  are 
quite  good  enough  to  wear  here." — From  "Memoirs  of 
the  Empress  Josephine." 


In   "TO-DAY"  for  MAY  4th. 

Will  be  Commenced  a  Series  of 

SKETCHES  OF  LONDON  LIFE  AND  CHARACTERS, 

BY 

GEORGE  GISSING. 


324 


TO-DAY. 


Atkil  20,  1895. 


POETIC  JUSTICE 

BY 

W.  L.  ALDEN. 

Illustrated  by  Hal  Hurst. 


The  social  ventriloquist  is  by  far  the  most  dangerous 
and  devastating  of  all  social  pests.  The  man  who  plays 
tho  cornet,  or  the  accordion,  or  even  the  unspeakable 
wretch  who  performs  on  the  banjo,  can  be  detected  and 
shunned.  He  carries  his  instrument  of  torture  with 
him,  and  like  the  timely  rattle  of  the  rattlesnake  it 
give3  warning  of  his  presence,  and  enables  those. who 
otherwise'  would  be  his  victims  to  escape.  But  the 
social  ventriloquist  resembles  the  cobra  in  his  silent  and 
stealthy  approach.  You  may  sit  close  beside  him  for 
an  hour  without  the  slightest  suspicion  of  his  danger- 
ous character,  and  at  the  gpd  of  that  time  he  may 
suddenly  rear  his  awful  crest,  and  begin  his  deadly  work. 
No  place  is  safe  from  his  inroads.  While  he  parti- 
cularly affects  evening  parties,  whether  these  are  of.  a 
tea  or  a  dancing  nature,  he  has  been  known  to  pene- 
trate into  a  business 
meeting  of  the  directors 
of  a  railway  company, 
and  to  converse  with 
a  hypothetical  and 
hardened  stockholder 
concealed  in  the  chim- 
ney. On  one  occasion 
a  blameless  young  man 
was  undergoing  mar- 
riage with  an  equally 
blameless  young  woman 
in  a  crowded  church.  A 
wicked,  or  rather  a 
more  than  usually 
wicked  ventriloquist, 
who  was  concealed 
among  the  spectators, 
made  both  bride  and 
bridegroom  apparently 
reply  in  the  most  re- 
prehensible manner  to 
the  ordinary  questions 
put  by  the  officiating 
clergyman,  with  the 
result  that  the  lattel, 
becoming  both  scan- 
dalized and  indignant, 
abruptly  cut  short  the 
service,  and  departed, 
leaving  the  unfortu- 
nate pair  only  parti- 
ally married,  and  utterly  unable  to  account  for  the  ap- 
parently diabolical  character  of  tflie  proceedings. 

We  all  know  by  sad  experience  the  gloom  which  falls 
upon  an  unprotected  assembly  when  a  social  ventrilo- 
quist leaves  his  chair,  and  proceeding  to  the  sideboard 
knocks  loudly  thereon,  and  inquires  if  "  Uncle  Peter  is 
there?"  Of  course,  the  alleged  "  Uncle  Peter"  is  there, 
and,  of  course,  he  enters  into  a  long  idiotic  conversa- 
tion with  the  ventriloquist.  There  is  no  escape  for  the 
unhappy  audience.  For  the  next  ensuing  hour  the 
ventriloquist  will  take  unto  himself  seven  other  imagi- 
nary idiots  more  idiotic  than  himself,  and  converse  with 
them  in  tones  that  would  loosen  the  back  teeth  of  a 
cat,  and  palsy  the  hind  legs  of  an  army  mule.  "  Uncle 
Peter"  in  the  sideboard  will  be  followed  by  "John"  in 
the  chimney,  by  "  Mrs.  O'Flanagan "  in  the  cellar,  by 
"Little  Jimmy"  in  the  closet,  and  by  "Old  Mr. 
Perkins"  in  the  garret.  Then  will  come  the  conversa- 
tion with  the  policeman  in  the  garden,  whom  the  social 
ventriloquist  will  address  through  the  open  window, 
instead  of  the  kitchen  door,  and  who,  with  a  maddening 
disregard  of  probabilitv,  will  be  made  to  arrest  an  Irish 


HE  KNOCKED  DOWN  THE  VENTRILOQUIST. 


and  a  negro  burglar,  who  have  ignored  their  racial 
differences,  and  combined  to  rob  the  house.  After  the 
final  "  Dutchman "  in  the  book-case  has  ended  his  com- 
plaints that  he  is  stifling,  and  his  protests  against  being 
poked  with  the  ventriloquist's  cane,  a  series  of  objec- 
tionable beasts  and  insects  will  be  brought  forward. 
There  will  be  the  pretended  fly  that  buzzes  on  the 
window-pane ;  the  imaginary  mosquito  that  bites — also 
in  imagination — the  ventriloquist's  nose ;  the  libellous 
dog  that  disgraces  his  kind  by  barking  outside  the 
window,  as  no  decent  dog  ever  dreamed  of  barking ; 
and  the  preposterous  and  impossible  cat  mewing  from 
Iher  alleged  confinement  in  the  coalscuttle.  All  this 
time  the  unhappy  audience  sits  and  suffers,  for  anyone 
to  leave  the  room,  or  to  drown  the  miscreant's  voice 
by  loud  talking,  would  be  the  height  of  rudeness  to  the 
host  and  hostess;  and  there  is  nothing  to  be  done 
except  to  remain  quiet  and  soothe  the  mind,  if  pos- 
sible, by  picturing  tlhe  ventriloquist  covered  with 
blazing  paraffin,  or  exposed,  naked  and  bound,  to  the 
assaults  of  a  colony  of  avenging  South  African  ants. 
Unfortunately  it  is  only  in  imagination  that  justice 
ever  thus  overtakes  the  social  ventriloquist.    A  stupid 

and  heartless  law  pro- 
tects him  from  sum- 
mary assassination,  and 
there  is  little  doubt 
that  were  a  man  to 
shoot  a  ventriloquist, 
even  when  caught  red- 
mouthed  in  the  very  act 
of  crime,  he  would  be 
indicted  for  man- 
slaughter, and  sub- 
jected to  a  good  deal  of 
annoyance  before  his 
final  acquittal.  No  one 
can  read  without  feel- 
ing stronger,  jnurer, 
and  better  the  story 
of  a  social  ventrilo- 
quist of  Tooting,  upon 
whom  unexpected  re- 
tribution recently  fell. 
This  monster  had  a 
peculiarly  atrocious  way 
of  varying  the  order  of 
his  entertainment,  so 
that  "Uncle  Peter" 
would  sometimes  howl 
•from  the  distant  garret, 
ind  Mrs.  O'Flanagan 
would  express  her  views 
as  to  the  rights  of  col- 
oured men  from  the  re- 
cesses of  the  piano.  This  added  an  element  of  uncertainty 
to  the  performance,  which  intensified  its  horrors,  and  at 
the  same  time  earned  for  the  ventriloquist  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  a  man  of  strikingly  original  genius.  On  a 
recent  occasion  this  unhappy  man,  who  was  present  at 
a  small  tea  party,  having  duly  exploited  "  Uncle  Peter," 
and  most  of  his  other  stock  characters,  announced  that 
he  would  proceed  to  hold  an  interview  with  "  that 
burglar"  who  had  concealed  himself  in  the  closet. 
Stepping  to  the  door  of  the  closet  he  propounded  the 
familiar  ventriloquist  question.  "What  are  you  doing 
in  there?"  followed  by  the  order,  "Come  out  of  that 
this  minute."  According  to  all  precedent  a  squeaking 
voice  should  have  replied,  begging  for  mercy,  and  as- 
signed some  utterly  preposterous  excuse  for  its  pre- 
tended owner's  presence  on  the  premises.  Instead  of 
the  regulation  reply  the  door  of  the  closet  suddenly 
flew  open  ;  a  stalwart  thief  sprang  out,  knocked  down 
the  ventriloquist — whose  head  struck  tho  piano  with  a 
delicious  crash — and  rushed  for  the  door.  A  local  in- 
spector of  gas  meters,  who  happened  to  be  present,  and 
was,  of  course,  professionally  familiar  with  the  manners 


Arr.iL  20,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


325 


THE  HOST  SENT  FOR  A  BOTTLE  OF  CHAMPAGNE. 


and  customs  of  burglars,  and  of  the  best  methods  of 
dealing  with  them,  instantly  caught  the  burglar  by 
the  throat,  and  informed  him  that  unless  he  instantly 
surrendered,  his  supply  of  breath  would  be  cut  off,  and 
that  he  would  find  it  difficult  to  induce  the  company  to 
restore  it.  The  burglar  being  wise  in  his  generation, 
instantly  surrendered,  and  sat  down  in  the  nearest 
chair  to  wait  for  any  decision  as  to  his  fate  that  those 
present  might  make.  • 

Not  a  man  present  dreamed  of  delivering  the  captive 
to  the  police.  On  the  contrary  a  subscription  was  im- 
mediately taken  up  on  his  behalf,  and  he  was  presented 
with  the  sum  of  seven  pounds  nine  and  fourpence. 
Even  the  gas  inspector  contributed  to  the  fund,  remark- 
ing, as  he  handed  over  a  five-shilling  piece,  that  it  was 
the  duty  of  a  man  to  be  benevolent,  especially  when  he 
could  reimburse  himself  at  the  expense  of  gas  consumers. 
The  women,  not  content  with  contributing  their  hus- 
bands' money  to  the  testimonial  fund,  grasped  the 
burglar  warmly  by  the  hand,  and  assured  him  of  their 
belief  that  he  would  hereafter  lead  a  virtuous  life  ;  and 
the  host,  in  whose  closet  the  burglar  had  been  found, 
sent  out  to  the  nearest  public-house  for  a  bottle  of 
champagne,  which  was  opened  for  the  benefit  of  the 
astonished  felon.  He  departed  from  the  house  loaded 
with  benefits,  and  it  was  not  until  nearly  two  hours 
later  that  a  doctor  was  reluctantly  summoned  to  pre- 
scribe for  the  still  insensible  ventriloquist. 

Of  course  there  are  people  who  still  believe  that  the 


burglar  was  hired  to  conceal  himself  in  the  closet,  in 
order  to  bring  the  ventriloquist's  entertainment  to  a 
happy  close.  This  is,  however,  irreconcilable  with  the 
fact  that  no  one,  except  the  host,  knew  that  the  ventri- 
loquist was  to  be  one  of  the  guests ;  and  that  even  the 
host  did  not  know  with  any  certainty  that  the  ventrilo- 
quist would  pretend  that  a  burglar  was  in  the  closet, 
or  anywhere  else.  The  affair  was  merely  a  beautiful 
illustration  of  poetic  justice.  The  fact  that  the 
-ventriloquist  did  not  die,  but  fully  recovered,  after 
much  excellent  suffering  from  the  effects  of  the  burglar's 
blow,  did  not  materially  diminish  the  happiness  of  the 
event,  for  the  effect  of  the  incident  upon  the  ventrilo- 
quist was  so  deep  and  lasting  that  he  signed  a  pledge 
of  total  abstinence  from  ventriloquism  in  every  form, 
and  even  undertook  to  convert  other  ventriloquists  to 
a  sense  of  the  error  of  their  ways.  Materialists  and 
sceptics  mayosay  that  the  presence  of  the  burglar  in 
the  closet  was  due  to  design,  but  generous  and  uncon- 
taminated  souls  will  indignantly  scout  so  narrow  and 
chilling  an  interpretation  of  a  great  and  glorious  event. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  our  enterprising  burglars  will  be 
encouraged  by  this  story  to  go  and  do  likewise.  They 
may  rest  assured  that  every  burglar  who  conceals  him- 
self in  a  house  where  a  social  ventriloquist  is  to  perform, 
and  who  at  the  fitting  moment  appears  and  knocks  the 
ventriloquist  on  the  head,  will  be  hailed  with  universal 
enthusiasm,  and  will  go  home  with  his  pockets  full  of 
money  honestly  and  honourably  earned. 


326 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1895. 


HOW  CHARLES  SANSON  DE  LONG- 
VAL  BECAME  HEADSMAN, 


In  the  year  1662  I  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  regiment 
of  M.  le  Marquis  de  Laboissiere,  which  was  quartered 
in  the  town  of  Dieppe.  One  day  I  had  a  bad  fall  from 
my  horse.  They  carried  me  to  the  abode  of  a  poor  man 
who  lived  in  the  Clos  Maudit.  He  tended  me  until  I 
was  cured.  But  I  caught  an  illness  more  serious.  I 
fell  in  love  with  his  daughter,  Marguerite.  At  first  I 
tried  hard  not  to  think  of  her,  but  at  length,  yielding 
in  spite  of  myself,  I  found  myself  in  the  road  near  her 
house.  I  went  round  the  hedge,  and  catching  sight  of 
her  in  the  garden,  I  leapt  the  enclosure,  and  running 
up  to  her  confessed  my  love.  The  girl  was  not  angry, 
but  she  begged  me  to  go  away  as  her  father  might 
come  out  and  see  us.  I  obeyed  at  last,  and  left  her. 
But  henceforth  I  paid  her  regular  visits.  My  love  in- 
creased so  much  that  I  cherished  her  as  if  she  had  been 
a  queen's  daughter.  One  day  I  received  a  summons 
from  M.  le  Marquis  de  Laboissiere.  On  entering  I 
found  him  in  violent  anger  against  me.  He  told  me  I 
had  disgraced  the  regiment  by  my  affection  for  the 
daughter  of  an  executioner,  speaking  of  her  in  such 
terms  as  I  dare  not  repeat  out  of  respect  for  her  memory. 
Hearing  which  I  retorted  so  bitterly  that  M.  le  Marquis 
ordered  me  to  remain  under  arrest  until  he  had  acqus  n  ,ed 
the  King  with  my  conduct.  At  this  I  drew  my  sword 
and  breaking  it  over  my  knee,  I  told  him  he  could 
dispense  with  writing  to  the  King,  as  I  resigned  my 
commission.  I  then  left  him,  but  fearing  he  would  have 
me  arrested,  I  saddled  my  horse,  resolved  to  go  forth 
and  embark  for  India.  I  would  not  go  without  bid- 
ding farewell  to  my  mistress.  I  therefore  rode  to  the 
Clos  Maudit.  The  house  was  dark,  but  I  saw  a  light 
through  the  crack  of  the  door  in  the  shed  adjoining, 
and  at  the  same  time  heard  a  deep  groan.  Although 
not  easily  moved  I  shuddered  like  a  leaf.  I  looked 
through  the  chinks  and  saw  Marguerite,  my  beloved 
Marguerite,  stretched  on  the  leathern  torture  bed,  her 
cruel  father  looking  more  like  a  tiger  than  a.  man,  bad 
placed  her  foot  in  the  boot  of  torture,  and  with  his 
own  hand  was  striking  a  spike  red  with  his  daughter's 
blood.  At  each  blow  he  repeated  with  rage,  "Confess! 
confess ! "  and  the  poor  girl  throwing  herself  back- 
wards, with  tears  and  shrieks,  implored  God  to  bear 
witness  to  her  innocence.  I  only  saw  this  cruelty  for 
a  moment.  I  picked  up  a  small  beam,  and  smashed 
the  door  into  splinters  at  a  single  blow.  When  he 
recognised  me.  Master  Jouanne  seized  his  large  sword 
and  vowed  that  if  I  stirred  in  his  daughter's  defence,  he 
would  strike  her  head  from  her  shoulders.  I  fell  on 
my  knees,  crying  and  moaning,  as  poor  Marguerite 
was  doing  when  I  entered.  Master  Jouanne  then  asked 
me  whether  I  brought  the  name  of  his  daughter's  lover, 
which  he  sought  to  obtain  by  torment.  I  replied  by 
confessing,  my  fault,  confessing  that  I  alone  was  guilty, 
and  not  his  saint-like  and  virtuous  daughter.  Hearing 
tliis,  Master  Jouanne  burst  into  tears,  he  sank  before 
the  bed  of  torment,  he  unloosed  the  boot  from  his 
daughter's  leg-,  and  taking-  her  foot  between  his  hands, 
he  kissed  her  wounds,  imploring  her  pardon  with  so 
much  grief  that  he  would  have  drawn  tears  from  a 
stone.  At  this  I  expressed  my  intention  of  leaving  the 
country  for  India,  and  told  him  I  was  ready  to  take 
Marguerite  for  my  wife.  Jouanne  seemed  moved,  and 
turning  to  his  daughter  told  her  that  th^  was  a  ques- 
tion for  her  to  answer.  The  poor  girl  then  took  those 
hands  which  had  just  done  her  so  much  violent  and 
bloody  harm,  kissed  them,  and  said  she  would  not 
leave  her  father  for  the  crown  of  India.  I  therefore 
proposed  that  we  should  all  go  together,  but  Jouanne 
answered  that  as  a  tardy  change  of  profession  could 
not  prevent  me  from  despising  him,  and  in  time  my 
wife,  he  would  only  consent  if  my  love  was  strong 
enough  to  share  the  shame  and  hatred  which  fell  on 
himself  and  his  child,  and  that  I  could  only  atone  for 
my  crime  by  becoming  an  executioner  mvself. — From 
Memoirs  of  the  Sanson*. 


POPPIES  AND  MANDR  AGORA, 


I  lean  against  the  lion  at  the  gate, 

And  strive  to  break  the  bars  that  rise  between  us, 
To  pierce  the  mystery  relentless  Fate 

Has  hidden  in  your  sunken  eyes,  Silenus ; 
Whose  cruel  lips  in  cynic  mockery  play 
The  same  for  ever,  now  as  yesterday. 

Ah !  you  have  seen  a  brighter  world  than  this, 

When  life  was  young  and  merry  spring  love-laden^ 

When  earth  and  heaven  met  in  tender  kiss 

And  man  awoke  to  woo  his  nut-brown  maiden ; 

Then  Eros  reigned  within  this  garden  gay — 

Eros  has  died  since  that  glad  yesterday. 

And  gods  came  down  to  see  the  wondrous  earth 
So  beautiful  in  that  first  golden  dawning, 

And  all  the  stars  of  heaven  sung  with  mirth, 
And  earth-born  daughters  charmed  the  sons  of  morning; 

The  gods  have  gone,  the  starlight  has  grown  grey, 

And  songs  have  ceased  since  that  blest  yesterday. 

And  next  adown  the  ages,  sons  of  men, 

Born  from  the  womb  of  time  in  painless  yearning, 

Burst  into  being,  lived  and  loved,  and  then 
Vanished  to  that  far  land  of  no  returning, 

And  you  have  laughed  as  these  have  passed  away 

In  the  dense  mist  of  long-lost  yesterday. 

Then  came  the  kings  with  battle-axe  and  crown, 

And  taught  the  nations  all  the  lust  of  slaughter- 
To  slay,  to  burn,  to  hew  their  fellows  down 

To  drink  men's  blood  when  they  have  thirst  for  water ; 
The  kings  have  warred,  triumphed,  and  passed  away, 
The  fountain  still  runs  red  from  yesterday. 

And  you  have  seen  this  garden's  fairyland 

Brightened  with  infant  song  and  lisping  laughter, 

And  little  children  toddling  hand  in  hand 
Beneath  the  trees  that  hid  the  woe  hereafter ; 

This  lawn  their  tiny  feet  have  pressed  in  play, 

The  grass  has  grown  again  since  yesterday. 

And  in  the  summer  night,  'neath  myrtle  shade. 
When  in  the  silent  sky  the  moon  was  shining, 

The  rustic  lover  sought  the  timorous  maid 
And  lip  met  lip  in  innocent  divining ; 

You  have  looked  on  and  laughed  in  bitter  way. 

At  vows  so  long,  forgot  since  yesterday. 

And  from  the  monarch's  court  down  this  green  lane, 
Where  even  now  some  perfume  faintly  lingers, 

Came  haughty  ladies  with  a  princely  train 

To  garland  dainty  flowers  with  daintier  fingers. 

While  lords  bowed  low  in  proud  and  stately  way 

To  kiss  their  hands  in  that  sweet  yesterday. 

But  over  yonder  on  the  mountain-steep, 

Where  night-winds  through  the  cypresses  are  sighing, 
Another  garden  blossoms  where  they  sleep 

In  calm  and  dreamless  rest  for  ever  lying. 
And  you  laugh  on,  as  mourners  come  to  pray, 
For  the  eternal  dead  of  yesterday. 

As  I  yet  linger  by  the  iron  gate 

A  mist  of  tears  rises  up  between  us. 
For  I  am  weeping  at  the  fearful  fate 

That  glitters  in  your  hollow  eyes,  Silenus ; 
Laughing  to  scorn,  as  I  pass  on  my  way. 
All  that  the  world  has  been  since  vesterdav. 

ALFRED  SLADE. 


In  "TO-DAY"  for  MAY  4th. 

Will  be  Commenced  a  Series  of 

SKETCHES  OF  LONDON  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER. 

BY 

GEORGE  GISSING. 


Apeii,  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


327 


THE  DIAEY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


A  customer  last  week  brought  into  my  shop  Mrs. 
Humphreys,  who  as  "Rita"  has  charmed  such  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  seaside  library  readers — a 
little  dark  woman,  with  particularly  bright  brown  eyes, 
very  French  both  in  her  dress  and  her  appearance,  and 
with  rather  a  foreign  accent.  She  seems  a  most  sym- 
pathetic, kindly  woman,  and  has  a  very  prepossessing 
face. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  Le  Gallienne  went  to  America  the  other  day. 
I  think  I  am  not  far  out  when  I  attribute  this 
sudden  visit  to  a  desire  to  make  arrangements  in  person 
with  the  agents  who  have  approached  him  to  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  Dr.  Conan  Doyle  in  the  next  American 

\ecturing  season. 

*  *  *  * 

A  few  days  ago  someone— I  think  it  was  Mr.  J.  T. 
Grein,  the  genial  and  witty  Dutchman,  who  has  done  so 
much  for  the  drama  in  England  by  giving  us  the  Inde- 
pendent Theatre,  brought  into  the  shop  Mr.  Maurice 
Maeterlinck,  the  Belgian  Shakespeare,  who  ran  over 
from  Belgium  (in  a  whole  gale  of  wind)  from  a  Monday 
to  a  Thursday  to  be  present  at  a  couple  of  performances 
of  his  plays  at  Mr.  Grein's  Theatre.  Unfortunately  I 
was  very  busy  attending  on  an  old  lady  who  was 
buying  prizes  for  a  Sunday-school  when  he  came  in,  so 
the  only  impressions  I  have  retained  are  that  he  was  a 
little  man  who  spoke  a  little  English.  A  good  cus- 
tomer of  mine,  Mr.  "William  Archer,  who  I  rather  think 
"discovered  "  Mr.  Maeterlinck  for  England,  has  told  me 
a  deal  about  the  Belgian  Shakespeare,  but  from  the 
translations  I  have  read  I  should  think  it  would  be 
more  appropriate  to  call  him  the  Belgian  Ibsen. 

*  *  *  * 

C.  A.  H.  writes  :  "  Sir, — Will  you  kindly  inform  me 
through  your  columns  in  To-Day,  whether  the  book 
named  below  is  of  any  special  value '?  '  The  Works  of 
William  Hogarth  in  a  Series  of  Engravings ;  with 
descriptions  and  a  comment  on  their  moral  tendency,  by 
the  Rev.  John  Tensler,  to  which  are  added  anecdotes  of 
the  author  and  his  works,  by  J.Hogarth  and  J. Nichols.' 
It  is  published  by  Jones  and  Co.,  Temple  of  the  Muses 
(late  Sackington's),  Finsbury  Square,  1833.  If  the  book 
is  worth  disposing  of  I  should  be  glad  to  know  its  ap- 
proximate value,  and  also  how  to  obtain  a  good  pur- 
chaser for  it."  Of  course,  as  an  old-established  book- 
seller I  ought  to  know  all  about  it.  But  I  never  did  go 
in  for  rare  books  like  my  oM  friend  Mr.  Quaritch.  The 
best  authority  on  Hogarth  matters,  as  far  as  I  know, 
among  my  customers  is  Mr.  Clement  K.  Shorter,  editor 
of  The  Sketch  and  the  Illustrated  London  Neics. 

*  .  *  •*  . 

If  Mr.  Setoun  had  been  a  little  better  known  he 
would  probably  have  come  in  for  a  castigation  at  the 
hands  of  Mr.  J.  H.  Millar  in  the  New  Review.  I 
must  own  to  a  certain  dissatisfaction  with  Mr.  Millar's 
methods,  however  the  great  army  of  the  unemployed 
(in  literature)  may  applaud  his  singling  out  for  attack 
two  or  three  men  whose  merits  have  received  full 
justice.  Why  need  he  attack  what  they  may  ha\re  said 
to  an  interviewer — in  all  probability  very  incorrectly 
reported,  and  worked  up  to  make  good  copy  1  If  Mr. 
Henley  was  being  interviewed,  or  Mr.  Asqulth,  or  any 
more  unsympathetic  person,  he  would  piobably  say 
something  indiscreet  which  would  grow  by  the  telling. 
Why  did  Mr.  Millar  not  confine  himself  to  attacking 
their  writings,  by  which  he  would  be  the  first  to  say 
that  they  should  be  judged  ? 

*  *  «    -  '  * 

In  my  own  particular  line  of  bookselling  nothing  has 
pleased  me  so  much  as  the  announcement  that  Messrs. 
Archibald  Constable  and  Co.,  whose  "  Acme "  series 
are  little  gems  of  typography,  have  taken  over  Professcr 
Edward  Arber's  publications.    I  remember  the  late  jIl 


Walter  Pater's  delight  when  I  first  showed  him  one  of 
the  aesthetic  little  volumes  in  its  paper  covers  of  dark 
brown,  with  a  sort  of  grape-bloom  on  it,  and  its  beauti- 
ful black  lettering.  I  cannot  recall  now  whether  it  was 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  "Last  Fight  of  the  'Revenge'  at 
Sea,"  or  John  Lyly's  "  Euphues,"  or  "  Roger  Ascham," 
or  what ;  but  I  remember  that  it  took  the  famous 
Epicurean  by  storm.  I  used  to  stock  them  also  in  a 
smooth  brown  linen  binding,  with  parchment  backs  and 
points,  which  were  very  effective. 

*  *  *  * 

In  common  with  most  booksellers,  I  have  always 
found  great  difficulty  in  making  my  shop  windows 
attractive.  This  branch  of  the  business  requires  a  lot 
of  attention,  because  if  you  are  not  very  careful  your 
windows  present  the  same  appearance  day  after  day,  and 
customers  think  you  have  nothing  new  to  show  them. 
Consequently,  I  was  very  glad  the  other  day  to  get 
hold  of  a  new  addition  of  Smollett's  works,  edited  by  Mr. 
G.  Saintsbury,  and  bound  in  pretty  green  covers.  The 
whole  edition  is  not  out  yet,  but  a  start  has  been  made 
with  "  Roderick  Random,"  which  is  issued  in  three 
volumes  at  2s.  6d.  each  net.  I  bought  enough  to  make 
one  row  in  my  window,  and  a  very  pretty  row  they 
made.  What  is  better  still,  however,  is  that  the  row 
has  diminished  within  the  last  few  days,  and  I  feel  sure 
that  people  who  bought  "  Roderick  Random  "  in  this 
edition  will  purchase  the  rest  of  the  series.    In  fact, 

in  many  cases  I  have  booked  their  orders. 

*  *  *  * 

When  I  was  a  lad,  amateur  reciters  were  much  more 
uncommon  than  they  are  to-day.  But  within  the  last 
few  years  I  have  had  so  many  young  ladies  and  gentle- 
men in  my  shop  asking  for  "  some  good  recitations,"  that 
I  have  made  it  my  business  to  pay  special  attention  to 
the  wants  of  reciters.  I  always  keep  the  newest  col- 
lections of  recitations,  and  so  I  have  just  laid  in  a  stock 
of  "  Voice,  Speech,  and  Gesture"  (C.  W.  Deacon  and 
Co.).  The  book  not  only  contains  a  large  selection  of  works 
in  prose  and  verse  suitable  for  recitation,  but  hints  on 
reciting  by  that  well-known  authority,  Mr.  Clifford 
Harrison,  and  advice  about  recitations  with  music,  by 
Mr.  F.  Corder,  R.A.M.  I  know  I  am  safe  in  prophe- 
sying a  large  sale  for  this  be  ok. 

*  *  *  * 

When  Mr.  Stanley  Weyman  was  in  my  shop  the 
other  day,  he  told  me  of  the  difficulty  he  had  in  selecting 
a  suitable  title  for  Iris  story  now  running  through  To-Day. 
He  first  called  it  "  Denise,"  but  soon  changed  his  mind, 
and  renamed  it  "The  Black  Cockade."  This  was  altered 
to  "The  Green  Cockade,"'  which  gave  way  to  its  present 
title. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  just  been  reading  tne  newest  pseudonym, 
"  Under  the  Chiltrrns,"  by  "  Rosemary "  (T.  Fisher 
Unwin,  Is.  6d.).  It  is  a  pretty  little  story,  and  one  can 
smell  the  fresh  country  air  when  reading  it.  I  am  sure 
no  illustration  could  give  one  a  better  idea  of  the 
heroine's  presence  than  the  author's  word  picture  does  : 
"  Rosamund  was  a  well-grown  srirl  of  twelve — dark 
brown  hair,  with  a  golden  gleam  in  it,  a  little  curly, 
parted  in  the  middle,  and  brushed  down  as  smoothly  as 
it  would  go  on  each  side  of  a  broad  low  forehtad,  and 
plaited  at  the  back  with  two  tight  tails,  the  end  of  each 
tied  across  to  the  top  of  the  other  with  brown  ribbons 
— giving  the  effect  of  a  door-knocker — large,  !■  n ;  shaped 
grey  eyes,  a  straight  nose,  and  a  widish  moutt.." 

ANSWERS   TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

CfRiors. — A  new  edition  of  Henry  Kingsley  s  works  is  being 
published  by  Ward,  Lock  and  Bowclen. 

Joe. — Yes,  Mr.  Barry  Pain  is  an  Englishman.  He  was 
interviewed  in  the  Sketch  some  months  ago. 

Yaem. — I  am  afraid  your  locks  are  not  worth  much.  An 
encyclopaedia  must  be  quite  up  to  date  to  be  valuable. 

Newsyendor. — Your  best  plan  would  be  to  advertise  your 
wants. 

L.C. — Mr.  A.  P.  Watts'  addicss  is  Hastings  House,  Norfolk 
Street.  Strand,  W.C. 


323 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1895. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dear  Nej.l, — One  of  your  pettest  of  pet  colours  is  a 
great  favourite  this  season — dove-grey.  Do  you  remem- 
ber, but,  of  course,  you  do,  the  sweet  dove-tinted  gown 
you  were  wearing  when  Jack  proposed  1  I  can  see  it 
now,  with  its  pink  ribbon  blushing  through  folds  of 
white  chiffon  at  the  throat,  and  your  narrow  rim  of 
linen  collar  showing  above  it.  I  never  see  anywhere 
a  girl  so  neat  as  you  about  the  neck,  and  George 
Meredith,  in  a  delicious  passage  in  "  The  Egoist  "  has 
just  described  the  back  of  your  neck  with  its  irregular 
but  always  glossy  little  rings  and  tendrils  of  hair. 

Let  me  tell  you 
about  a  dove-grey 
faced  cloth  gown  I 
saw  the  other  day. 
The  very  much  gored 
skirt  was  lined  with 
rose-pink  silk  and 
edged  with  a  narrow 
ribbon  ruching  in 
dove  -  grey.  The 
l)od ice  was  like  a 
double  one,  the  under- 
paid being  pink  silk, 
and  the  fronts  and 
backs  drawn  up  over 
it  like  a  drapery, 
meeting  on  the 
shoulders  under  a 
bow  of  pink  and 
dove  ribbons.  The 
whole  of  the  pink 
silk  that  showed 
between  was  braided 
closely  in  dove-col ou  r, 
a  lovely  contrast. 
The  sleeves  were  in 
the  cloth,  and  were 
not  so  '  enormously 
full  as  we  have  been 
accustomed  to  see 
them  ;  the  long,  tight 
part,  from  elbow  to 
wrist,  was  pink  silk 
braided  in  dove-grey. 
A  sweet  little  cape 
of  the  cloth  was 
lined  with  pink  ben- 
galine,  and  braided 
down  the  front  (both  .. 
inside  and  out)  to  a 
depth  of  about  an 
inch  and  a  half.  An 
enormous  flow  of 
black  satin  ribbons 
reversed  with  pink 
began  just  over  thr; 
hook  whereby  this 
cape  was  fastened 
at  the  throat,  and  an  equally  extensive — and  ex- 
pensive— cascade  of  the  same  (half-a-crown  a  yard  !) 
issued  from  the  centre  of  the  full  black  lace  ruffle  at  the 
back.  This  ruffle  was  sewn  on  a  pink  silk  collar  which 
showed  slightly  through. 

Don't 'you  want  that  gown?  Yes!  I  knew  you 
would. 

I  always  try  to  think  out  a  hat  to  go  with  any  pretty 
dress  I  see,  and  for  this  one  I  fancy  a  black  chip  with 
pink  roses  and  black  feathers,  with  a  few  dove-coloured 
ostrich  t  ips  curling  over  upon  the  pink  roses.  Fashion 
would  insist  on  a  bunch  or  two  of  violets  at  the  back, 
and  a  cluster  of  real  ones  pinned  on  the  left  side  of  the 
cape. 

I  think  that  part  of  the  charm  of  this  pretty  union  of 


MISS  AIDA  JENOURE  IX   "  GENTLEMAN  JOE.' 


dove  and  pink  lies  in  the  association  of  ideas  :  the  sug- 
gestion of  quaker-like  demureness  and  sobriety  in  the 
first,  and  of  bright  and  springlike  happiness  in  the 
second. 

Muslin  collars  and  cuffs  are  a  great  feature  of  dress 
this  season,  and  they  are  quite  remarkably  becoming  to 
young,  fresh  faces.  Some  are  so  plain  of  make  as  to  be 
almost  like  the  ones  that  widows  wear.  Others  have 
frills  of  yellow  lace  added  to  the  white  muslin,  and  the 
very  newest  have  coloured  spots  worked  upon  them. 
The  collars  turn  down  over  the  dress  collars,  and  the 
cuffs  turn  back  over  those  of  the  sleeves  in  a  fashion 
■that  reminds  one  of  an  Eton  boy.  These  are  called 
"  Puritan";  but,  like  many  other  titles  given  in  the  dress- 
making and  millinery 
world,  it  is  something 
of'  a  misnomer  when 
frills  of  lace  are  added. 

Some  of  the  square 
lawn  collars  with  long 
ends  coming  to  the 
waist  are  very  good 
style,  but  it  is  not 
f veryone  they  would 
suit.  It  must  be  a 
«.  ood  complexion  in- 
deed that  could  stand 
:..  „  xiich  an  expanse  of  flat 
SiJ^F^  whiteness    near  the 

PtV  face. 

You  would  like  the 
new  ruffles  of  black 
chiffon  withlongkilted 
ends  in  front  and  a 
pink  rose  under  each 
ear,  or  a  bunch  of 
violets  or  forget-me- 
nots  or  daffodils.  They 
are  sweetly  becoming. 
For  evening  they  are 
white  or  in  pale  co- 
lours. I  saw  a  pale 
green  one  with  pink 
poppies  on  one  side, 
the  hearts  of  them 
in  black  velvet — it 
looked  good  enough  to 
eat. 

The  new  evening 
cloaks  are  like  tea- 
gowns,  the  fulness 
being  set  upon  a  yoke 
back  and  front. 
Among  the  prettiest 
I  have  seen  was  one 
in  powder-blue  bro- 
cade, lined  with  amber 
satin  and  finished 
round  the  neck  with 
amber  chiffon  and  a 
cluster  of  forget-me- 
nots.  It  was  like  a 
domino,  very  smart  and  handsome. 

The  price  ?  From  twenty  guineas  upward.  How 
lovely  it  would  be  to  be  able  to  afford  one ! 

I  send  you  an  illustration  of  the  costume  worn  by 
Miss  Aida  Jenoure  in  "Gentleman  Joe." 

This  would  be  a  handsome  and  effective  afternoon 
dress.  It  was  made  by  Swan  and  Edgar,  and  illustrates 
some  of  the  latest  phases  of  the  fashion.  The  skirt  is 
made  of  white  glace  silk  striped  with  black  satin,  and 
the  bodice  is  black  satin  covered  with  folds  of  net  sen  Q 
thickly  with  sequins  in  jet  and  metallic  blues  and  greens. 
The  collar  is  in  dark  petunia  velvet.  The  sleeves  (end- 
ing at  the  elbows)  are  billowy  puffings  of  white  chiffon 
with  a  small  bow  of  petunia  velvet  on  each.  The  waist, 
is  outlined  with  similar  velvet.     The  toque  is  velvet 


April  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


329 


With  the  Japanese  Troops 


JAMES  CREEL2LAN,  the  American  War  Correspondent,  in  his  dispatch  to  New  York,  dated 

POET  ARTHUR,  Nov.  24,  1894,  writes : 

aJz^-jt-  syne-  /X^^a^^ ^a^U^^  Y~/&^+£  -£2£^Lat**^z£r*c^ 


Mariani  Wine  fortifies,  nourishes  and  stimulates  the  Body  and  Brain.    It  restores  Health, 
Strength,  Energy  and  Vitality :  notably  after  INFLUENZA. 

Bottles  is.  ;  dozen,  45s.,  of  Chemists  and  Stores,  or  carriage  paid  from  Wilcox  and  Co.,  239,  Oxford  Street,  London. 


'SANBTAS"  IS  THE  BEST  REALLY, 

Non-Poisonous  Disinfectant 
QUALIFIED   FOR  GENERAL  USE. 


DISINFECT 

WITH 

"SANITAS 

FLUIDS,  POWDER  &  SOAPS 

Interesting  Pamphlet-sent  free.  " 

•SANITAS  Co.  Li);,  bfthnai  green,  iondon 


"  SANITAS  "  kills  all  Disease  Germs.  .  . 

"  SANITAS      "  Valuable  Antiseptic  and  Disinfectant."— 
"  SANITAS  "— ' '  Enjoys  general  f avour."— Lancet.      Times.  ' 

CREME    IMS  VIOLET 

FOR  THE   COMPLEXION    AND  SKIN. 

V  Nadine'*  in  "  Our  Home  "says— "For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  is  an 
absolute  specific' 

"  Medica  "  in  "  Woman  "  says—"  It  will  soon  make  your  skin  as  soft  as  you  can  wish. 

"Sczette"  in  "To-Day"  says — "It  is  a  splendid  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  you 
will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin  gradually  improve,  becomipg 
soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a  sweet  expression,  that  any 
face  could  have."  -   •  - 

CR-flME  DE  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  oint  ment,  but  is  a  liquid  preparation 
pure  and  exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  ingredients.  It  is  absolutely 
colourless,  and,  as  it  is  free  from  sediment,  it  does  not  clog  the  pores,  but  assists  their 
functions. 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is.  and  2s*  6*1.  (see  that  the  signature— 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label) ;  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from— 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 


Odonto 

An  antiseptic,  preservative,  and  aromatic  dentifrice,  which  whitens  the 
xeetft,  prevents  and  arrests  decay,  and  sweetens  the  breath.  It  contains 
n->  mineral  acids,  no  gritty  matter  or  injurious  astringents,  keeps  the 
mouth,  gums,  and  teeth  free  from  the  unhealthy  action  of  germs  in 
organic  matter  between  the  teeth,  and  is  the  most  wholesome  tooth 
powder  lor  smokers.   Known  for  60  years  to  be  the  best  Dentifrice. 

Ask  anywhere  for  ROWLANDS'  ODONTO,  2s.  9d.  per  box. 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
Shoe  Elevator  (Patented). — Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


MR.  E.  EYERETT,  85,  Great  Portland  Street,  W.,  — 

has  for  some  time  token  up  this   :  ^r-.  TVI  ~Ei  F**  < 

department,  iF^EH^  "1*^5— " — ^  

^^^S    ^O^R  *jr*="^  

and  will  attend 

>Jf^g5»  B2a~J*^   upon  any  gentleman  on  receipt  of 

— ■ — "  letter.   Patterns  and  forms  of  self-measurement 

eent  on  application.    Moderate  Prices  and  Good  Work  Guaranteed. 

MADAME  CORISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisanile,"  matchless  for  delicate 
tskins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  5/3.  "  The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children.  Is.  6d.  "The  Ladv 
Corisande  Hair  Food, "2/9  &  5/3.  Onlyaddrets.  548,  Oxford  St.,  Hyde  Pk 


HEALTH  WITHOUT  MEDICINE. 

PULVERMACHER 

Electric  Dry  Belts,  Bands  and  Batteries, 

Have  stood  the  test  of  Medical  and  Scientific  authority  for  the  past  Fifty 
Years.  They  are  to-day  the  recognised  curative  in  cases  of  Pains  in  the 
Back,  Gout,  Kheumatism,  Indigestion,  Liver  Complaints,  Sleeplessness, 
General  Weakness,  Nervous  Debility,  Anaemia,  Epilepsy,  Partial  Paraljsis, 
General  Depression,  Asthma,  Neuralgia,  and  kindred  troubles.  For 
children  in  delicate  health  the  results  are  marvellous. 

Til  BELT&SUSPENSOMO/-, 

Conveys  the  electric  current  direct  to  the  organs,  restoring  lost  power  by  gradually  im- 
parting tone,  strength,  vigour.  All  appliances  guaranteed  to  send  current  through  the 
body- 

ELECTRICITY  WILL  CURE  WHEN  ALL  OTHER  REMEDIES  FAIL 

Recommended  by  Her  Majesty's  Physicians,  and  the  most  eminent  medical  authorities 
Send  for  Pamphlet  post  free.   No  charge  for  consultation. 

PULVERMACHER    &  CO., 

194,  REGENT  STREET,  W. 

A  BEAUTIFUL  COMPLEXION 

Produced  by  "  CALFMAN'S  ROSE  AND  JESSAMINE."  Genuinely 
marvellous.  Clears  off  all  imperfections  in  a  few  days.  One  of  (he 
most  delightful  and  harmless  preparations  ever  made.  It  removes 
Freckles,  Pimples,  Warts,  Eedness,  Roughness,  Irritation ;  unsurpassed 
for  driving  away  Iinpurities,  also  healing,  cleansing,  beautifying,  leaving 
a  Spotless,  Soft,  Fair,  Velvety  Skin.  Bottles,  4s.  6d.,  post  free, 
under  cover. 

H.  M.  CALFMAN,  Market  Place,  Newbury. 

A  D  A  D  I  M  C  MARKING  INK  FOR  OD. 
A  RAD  I  IN  £.  LINEN  is  the  BEST!  D 


NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED. 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


PBK 
BOTTLE 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfield  Street,  Glasgow. 
DON'T  MISS 

THE  SPRING  NUMBER, 

NOW    ON  SALE. 


HIGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 
MRS.  GRABURN,  13,  Bonchurch  Road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Speciality— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  2V  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.   Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 


Turkish  Steam  Massage 
Complexion  Treatments 

Are  marvellously  beneficial  in  Purifying  and 
Beautifying  the  Skin, 
Produces  a  healthy,  rosy,  and  velvety  complexion. 
Removes  and  prevents  wrinkles,  tan,  blotches, 
freckles,  pimples,  blackheads,  eczema,  and  all  other 
blemishos.  No  paints  or  powders  used,  investigation 
will  convince  the  most  sceptical.  Honest  hygieuia 
work  only.  Patronised  by  the  most  select  ladies. 
Treatments  strictly  private.  Pupils  Liught.  Assistant 
required,— Madame  DEAN,  American  Special- 
ists in  Complexioq,  Scalp,  and  Manicuring,  i& 
Great  Portland-street,  Oxford  Circus,  London,  W. 


330 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1$95. 


with  two  outstanding  white  wings  separated  by  a  red 
rose,  and  supplemented  by  black  tips  disposed  very  high. 
A  few  red  roses  rest  on  the  hair  at  the  back. 

I  suppose  spring  has  really  come  ?  One  scarcely 
dares  to  feel  sure  of  it.  There  is  not  much  balminess 
in  the  air  as  yet,  but  April  is  often  stern  just  at  first, 
giving  us  only  chilly  smiles  until  she  warms  to  her  work 
a  little  and  learns  to  laugh  at  her  own  tears.  I  saw 
some  people  buying  sunshades  this  afternoon,  and 
wondered  at  anyone  being  able  so  practically  to  project 
the  mind  into  a  sunny  future  on  so  bleak  and  grey  a 
day.  But  perhaps  they  were  going  south  ;  happy 
persons  ! 

Black  satin  either  dies  hard  or  has  nine  lives,  like  a 
cat.  It  is  now  again  at  the  very  topmost  altitude  of 
fashion,  and  you  could  not  have  a  smarter  gown  than 
one  of  this  material,  with  a  cape  to  match  trimmed  with 
pointed  guipure  round  the  neck,  headed  by  a  chiffon 
ruffle.  And  black  satin  blouses,  with  a  black  velvet  box- 
pleat,  and  cut-steel  buttons  down  the  front,  are  both 
modish  and  becoming  ;  some  of  them  have  a  collar  of 
guipure  more  or  less  pronounced  in  shape  or  size. 

Susik. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
Am ata. — It  will  be  some  weeks  before  green  vegetables  are 
cheap  again.  Why  not  utilise  the  bounteous  store  of  tinned  or 
bottled  vegetables  that  are  ready  to  your  hand  ?  We  have  been 
having  green  peas,  French  beans,  and  okra  now  and  then  during 
the  scarcity.  Considering  that  there  is  no  waste  whatever,  they 
cannot  be  considered  dear.  But  perhaps,  you  are  one  of  the 
numerous  persons  who  are  prejudiced  against  all  tinned  or  bot- 
tled foods  ?    It  is  not  surprising  that  there  are  many  such  in  face 


of  the  dreadful  instances  of  poisoning  one  reads  in  the  papers  ; 
but  you  must  remember  we  never  know  anything  of  the  thousands 
and  thousands  of  cases  where  tinned  foods  are  eaten  and  prove 
perfectly  wholesome;  and,  if  you  notice,  it  is  almost  always 
with  the  poorer  classes  that  these  cases,  occur,  showing  that  it 
is  the  cheap  meats  that  are  untrustworthy.  We  have  now  been 
largely  using  tinned  and  bottled  fruits,  vegetables,  soups,  fish, 
and  meats  for  ten  years,  and  have  only  once  come  across  a  case 
of  bad  food.  It  was  a  bottle  of  preserved  prawns,  and  the 
instant  it  was  opened  our  sense  of  smell  did  its  duty  as  sentinel, 
and  the  contents  were  instantaneously  consigned  to  the  hottest 
part  of  the  kitchen  fire. 

Amine. — Turquoises  are  very  fashionable  now. 

OUR  COOKERY  COLUMN. 

Devilled  Tomatoes. — Ingredients  :  One  pound  of  ripe 
tomatoes,  three  hard-boiled  eggs  "(the  yolks  only),  three  table- 
spoonsful  of  melted  butter,  three  tablespoonsful  of  vinegar,  two 
raw  eggs  whipped  light,  one  teaspoonful  of  powdered  sugar,  one 
saltspoonful  of  salt,  one  teaspoonful  of  made  mustard,  a  good 
pinch  of  cayenne  pepper.  Pound  the  boiled  yolks,  rub  in  the 
butter  and  seasoning  ;  beat  light ;  add  the  vinegar  and  heat 
almost  to  boiling  ;  stir  in  the  beaten  egg  until  the  mixture 
begins  to  thicken.  Set  it  in  a  saucepan  of  hot  water  while  you 
cut  the  tomatoes  in  slices  nearly  half  an  inch  thick.  Throw  in 
the  tomatoes,  they  will  be  done  in  ten  minutes.  Lay  them  on  a 
hot  dish,  and  pour  the  hot  sauce  over  them. 

Lobster  a  la  Newbury.  —  This  is  another  dish  that  can 
easily  be  prepared  in  the  dining-room.  Cut  in  small  pieces  the 
flesh  of  a  lobster,  and  put  them  in  the  chafing-dish  with  a  piece 
of  butter  weighing  one  ounce.  Toss  the  morsels  about  with 
a  fork  for  three  minutes,  adding  for  seasoning  a  teaspoon- 
ful of  salt  and  a  pinch  of  cayenne  pepper.  Pour  over  them  a 
wineglass  of  good  Madeira  and  toss  them  again  for  about  three 
minutes  longer.  Beat  three  yolks  of  eggs,  and  add  to  them  a 
half-pint  of  cream.  Pour  this  over  the  lobster  in  the  chafing- 
dish,  stirring  continually  while  pouring,  and  two  minutes  after- 
wards.   This  is  a  delicious  method  of  cooking  lobster. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Cockspur  Street,  London. 

J^N  VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 

RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 

I70R  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 


8 


*1EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


jyjARKET  REPORT. 
kUR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


0' 


^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES   PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 

HALF  PER  CENT. 
4  i JJOW  TO  OPERATE 

SUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 

rfYWENTY- SEVENTH  EDITION. 


S 


1ENT  POST  FREE. 


fJIHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 

PART  I.— STOCK    EXCHANGE      PART  II.- HOW  TO  OPERATE. 

USAGES. 


How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  aie  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modesof  Dealing  in  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"  A  Stock  "  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1833  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can  Country  Residents  Operate 

Successfully? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 
people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


QUR  THREE-MONTHLY 
I^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 
THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
L    is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  (lone  when!  commissions  imd 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible:  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  ago  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


Vogelor's 


Curative 

Compound 

_    FOR  — 

DYSPEPSIA 

HEADACHE 

MENTAL  EXHAUSTION 

NEURALGIA 

INDIGESTION 

TORPID  LIVEE 

DIZZINESS 

DROWSINESS 

CONSTIPATION 

NAUSEA 

Vogeler's^i 
Cures! 


Alemau  sends,  post-free,  particulars  of  a 
re»U.y  genuine  ana  inexpensive  treatment,  'li  ndredaot  taaeseneosually 
Soutl  a.np  01  B    ding-,  Holbom,  Loudou 


Deafness  Cured.— A  Geu 

.eolij  genuine  uud  t  

CUroU,  Ad    cbuT.D.  Leuipi 


April  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


331 


SHERLOCK  HOLMES  AMERICANISED, 


THE   COLDSLAW  DIAMOND  ROBBERY. 

For  the  nonce,  Holmes  was  slighting  his  cocaine,  and 
was  joyously  jabbing  himself  with  morphine — his 
favourite  seventy-per-cent.  solution — when  a  knock 
came  at  the  door;  it  was  our  landlady  with  the  tele- 
gram.   Holmes  opened  it  and  read  it  carefully. 

"H'm,"  he  said.  "What  do  you  think  of  this, 
Watson?" 

I  picked  it  up.  "  Come  at  once ;  we  need  you.  72, 
Chinchbugge  Place,  S.W.,"  I  read. 

"Why,  it's  from  Athelney  Jones,"  I  remarked. 

"  Just  so,"  said  Holmes ;  "  call  a  cab." 

We  were  soon  at  the  address  given,  72,  Chinchbugge 
Place,  being  the  town-house  of  the  Dowager  Countess  of 
Coldslaw.  It  was  an  old-fashioned  mansion,  somewhat 
weather-beaten.  The  old  hat  stuffed  in  the  broken 
pane  in  the  drawing-room  gave  th©  place  an  air  of  un- 
studied artistic  negligence,  which  we  both  remarked 
at  the  time. 

Athelney  Jones  met  us  at  the  door.  He  wore  a 
troubled  expression.  "  Here's  a  pretty  go,  gentlemen," 
was  his  greeting.  "  A  forcible  entrance  has  been  made 
to  Lady  Coldslaw's  boudoir,  and  the  famous  Coldslaw 
diamonds  are  stolen." 

Without  a  word  Holmes  drew  out  his  pocket-lens  and 
examined  the  atmosphere.  "  The  whole  thing  wears  an 
air  of  mystery,"  he  said  quietly. 

We  then  entered  the  house.  Lady  Coldslaw  was 
completely  prostrated,  and  could  not  be  seen.  We  went 
at  once  to  the  scene  of  the  robbery.  There  was  no  sign 
of  anything  unusual  in  the  boudoir,  except  that  the 
windows  and  furniture  had  been  smashed  and  the  pic- 
tures had  been  removed  from  the  walls.  An  attempt 
had  been  made  by  the  thief  to  steal  the  waH-paper  also. 
However,  he  had  not  succeeded.  It  had  rained  the 
night  before,  and  muddy  footprints  led  up  to  the 
escritoire  from  which  the  jewels  had  been  taken.  A 
heavy  smell  of  stale  cigar  smoke  hung  over  the  room. 
Aside  from  these  hardly  noticeable  details,  the  des- 
poiler  had  left  no  trace  of  his  presence. 

In  an  instant  Sherlock  Holmes  was  down  on  his 
knees,  examining  the  footprints  with  a  stethoscope. 
"  H'm !  "  he  said ;  "  so  you  oan  make  nothing  out  of 
this,  Jones?" 

"No,  sir,"  answered  the  detective;  "but  I  hope  to; 
there's  a  big  reward." 

_"  It's  all  very  simple,  my  good  fellow,"  said  Holmes. 
"  The  robbery  was  committed  at  three  o'clock  this 
morning  by  a  short,  stout,  middle-aged,  henpecked  man 
with  a  oast  in  his  eye.  His  name  is  Smythe,  and  he 
lives  at  239,  Toff  Terrace." 

Jones  fairly  gasped.  "What!  Major  Smythe,  one 
of  the  highest  thought-of  and  richest  men  in  the  city?" 

"  The  same." 

In  half  an  hour  we  were  at  Smythe's  bedside.  De- 
spite his  protestations,  he  was  pinioned  and  driven  to 
prison. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  Holmes,"  said  I,  when  we  re- 
turned to  our  rooms,  "  how  did  you  solve  the  problem 
so  quickly?" 

"  Oh,  it  was  easy,  dead  easy  !  "  said  he.  "  As  soon  as 
we  entered  the  room  I  noticed  the  cigar  smoke.  It 
was  cigar  smoke  from  a  cigar  that  had  been  given  a 
husband  by  his  wife.  I  could  tell  that,  for  I  have  made 
a  study  of  cigar  smoke.  Any  other  but  a  henpecked 
man  throws  such  cigars  away.  Then  I  could  tell  by 
the  footprints  that  the  man  had  had  appendicitis.  Now, 
no  one  but  members  of  the  '  400 '  have  that.  Who, 
then,  was  henpecked  in  the  '  400,'  and  had  had  appen- 
dicitis recently?  Why,  Major  Smythe,  of  course!  He 
is  middle-aged,  stout,  and  has  a  cast  in  his  eye." 

I  could  not  help  but  admiring  my  companion's 
reasoning,  and  told  him  so. 

Thus  ended  the  Coldslaw  robbery,  so  far  as  we  were 
<;oncerned. 


It  may  be  as  well  to  add,  however,  that  Jones'  arrant 
jealousy  caused  him  to  resort  to  the  lowest  trickery  to 
throw  disoredit  upon  the  discovery  of  my  gifted  friend. 
He  allowed  Major  Smythe  to  prove  a  most  conclusive 
alibi,  and  then  meanly  arrested  a  notorious  burglar  as 
the  thief,  on  the  flimsiest  proof,  and  convicted  him. 
Thk  burglar  had  been  caught  pawning  diamonds  that 
seemed  to  be  a  portion  of  the  plunder. 

Of  course,  Jones  got  all  the  credit.  I  showed  the 
newspaper  accounts  to  Holmes.  He  only  laughed,  and 
said :  "  You  see  how  it  is,  Watson ;  Scotland  Yard,  as 
usual,  gets  the  glory."  As  I  perceived  he  was  going 
to  play  "  Sweet  Marie "  on  his  violin,  I  reached  for  the 
morphine  myself. — Minneapolis  Journal. 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


Me  and  'Ankin,  'avin'  took  a  dye  off,  dropped  darn 
inter  the  country  the'  other  dye,  doin'  of  the  trooly 
rooral.  Thet's  a  thing  I  ain't  done  since  I 
were  a  boy.  The  wye  they  keeps  their  roads  is  a 
disgrice  ;  you  couldn't  git  the  'bus  along  'em,  were  ib 
ever  so.  As  fur  the  beer,  o'  course  I  mye  'ave  struck 
the  wrong  public,  but  if  I  did  'ave  a  feer  sawmple 
all  I  says  is  that  it  'ud  brike  the  business  of  any 
'ouse  in  Lun'nun.  No,  I'm  glad  I  don't  live 
thur.  Theer's  so  many  unconvenyunces.  Suppose  nar 
as  yar've  put  your  little  bit  on  a  'orse ;  well,  then,  the 
dye  the  rice  is  run,  you  wornt  ter  see  the  speshul 
an'  know  whort's  won.  Yer  cawn't  do  thet  in  the 
country,  'cos  they  don't  'ave  no  evenin'  pipers.  They 
don't  'ave  nutthink,  if  it  comes  to  thet — no  'alls, 
nor  theayters,  nor  'buses,  nor  kebs.  It  pawses  me 
whort  they  does  with  theirselves  all  the  time.  In 
course  there  is  the  flars  an'  the  noo  pertiters  an'  things 
of  that  kind,  but  whort's  the  odds  ?  They  sends  off  all 
the  best  of  'em  to  Lun'nun,  and  eats  the  wust  their- 
selves ;  and  if  they  didn't  do  that,  they  couldn't  live, 
and  you  cawnt  spend  the  'ole  dye  eatin'  of  pure  eggs 
an'  pure  milk.  'Ankin  says  I  don't  appreshyite  the 
booties  of  nychur ;  'e  pinted  art  ter  me  some  trees  in, 
blossum  along  a  gawden  wall.  "Ain't  thet  lovely  ?  "  V 
says.  "  I  dunno,"  says  I,  "  but  its  yooseful.  It  shows 
yer  whur  ter  come  if  yer  wornt  ter  pinch  a  bit  o'  f root 
liter  on."  'Ankin  'ad  a  fancy  fur  some  yeller  flars  as 
was  growin'  in  thet  gawden.  Theer  wasn't  nobody 
abart ;  so  'e  jist  opened  the  'gite  quiet-like  and  slipped 
in.  Next  momunt  'e  slips  art  agin  in  a  'urry  with  a 
dorg  arter  'im  the  size  of  a  elefunk. 

*  *  *  * 

'Ankin  went  darn  the  road  as  'awd  as  'e  could  lick,  and 
the  dorg  arter  'im.  I  stood  theer  laufin'  fit  ter  split,  whin 
all  of  a  suddin  like  that  dorg  leaves  'Ankin  an'  comes 
arter  me.  Theer's  sillines  fur  yer.  I  'adn't  been  in  the 
gawden  and  I  'adn't  done  nutthink.  But  'ow  was  I  ter 
egspline  ter  that  poor  dumb  fool  that  'e  was  a  goin'  fur 
the  wrong  man  ?  —and  runnin'  ain't  much  in  my  line 
neither.  I  didn't  know  'awdly  whort  ter  do.  Theer 
wasn't  no  tree  handy  whort  I  could  climb,  nor  a 
stone  on  the  road  wuth  chuckin'.  So  I  'oilers  art  and 
lies  ararnd  me  with  my  stick,  and  kips  'im  orf  that  wye 
fur  a  niinnit.  Then  a  little  gel  comes  art  o'  the  gawden 
—she  weren't  more'n  five  or  six  year  old  neither ;  she 
goes  hup  ter  that  dorg,  kitches  'im  by  'is  collar,  an* 
drags  'im  orf.  And  'e  went  with  'er,  a-waggin'  'is  tile, 
as  meek  as  any  bloomin'  lamb.  'Ankin's  ideer  was  theb 
weoughterring  the  bellan' compline  asthatdorg'adflewed 
at  us  as  we  was  a  pawsin'  by;  'e  thought  it  might  mean 
'awf-a-doller  each  by  wye  of  compensishun.  Well,  I 
didn't.  I  shawn't  go  theer  no  more.  It  ain't  'ospiterble 
keepin'  that  sort  o'  dorg  abart.  Theer's  a  good  many  of 
'em  does  it  in  the  country,  and  it's  a  wunder  as  theer 
ain't  more  axerdunts.    It  didn't  ought  ter  be  allard. 


332 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1895. 


AT  A  CONCERT. 


Concert  Hall,  nine  o'clock  p.m.  Concert  half  over, 
audience  half  interested,  accompanist  half  tired,  artistes 
half  excited.    Tall  thin  soprano  reaches  end  of  song. 

Tali,  Thin  Soprano  {sings  austerely) — 
And  thei*e  where  the  angels  are  sing-ing, 
I  shall  lay,  I  shall  lay,  I  shall  laa-a-y  me  down  {pauje 
and  {pause  again.    Draws  long  breath)  r-r-rest. 

{Audience  applauds.  Tall  Thin  Soprano  relaxes 
sternness  of  expression,  beams  amiably  and  goes.) 

Young  Lady  {applauding).  I've  a  good  mind,  Ethel, 
to  buy  one  of  these  pieces,  you  know,  and  work  away  at 
it  until  I  learn  it  all  off  by  heart  from  beginning  to 
end,  and  then  I  can  sing  it  every  time  I  go  out  anywhere. 

Ethel.    That  would  be  rather  nice,  Louisa. 

Louisa.  When  I'm  out  people  come  up  to  me  you 
know,  and  they  say,  "  Come,  Miss  Richards,  you've  got 
a  singing  face.  ;  What  are  you  going  to  give  us  1 "  and 
I  have  to  pretend  always  that  I  haven't  brought  me 
music.  And  I  do  'ate  havin' to  tell  a  story  unless  it's 
— well  you  know  what  I  mean — unless  it's  really 
necessary. 

Ethel.  I  always  prefer  to  tell  the  truth  myself — if  I 
can. 

Louisa.  That's  my  point.  Besides  with  me  I'm  so 
ridiculous.  If  I  do  go  and  tell  much  of  a  crammer  I 
get  quite  red  in  the  face  over  it. 

Ethel  {reprovingly).    Oh  that's  very  absurd  of  you. 

Louisa.  I  know  it's  absurd,  dear,  but  {frankly)  I 
can't  help  it.  My  sister  Dorothy  now,  she's  just  the 
reverse.  Mother  often  says  that  if  she  ever  wanted  any- 
one to  walk  up  to  the  mouth  of  a  cannon  she  should 
choose  Dorothy.  But  of  course  {vaguely)  it's  all  ac- 
cording to  your  nature,  isn't  it  1 

Ethel.    What's  the  next  song  1 

Louisa.  "A  Lullaby."  That  ought  to  be  rather 
nice.  {Artiste  enters.)  Oh,  here  she  is.  {Purses  her 
lips.)    Bodice  cut  rather  low. 

Ethel  {tolerantly).    Suits  some  people. 

Louisa  {primly).    It  don't  suit  me. 

Deep  Contralto  {sings). 

Sing  me  to  sleep,  my  dear,  my  dear, 
Send  me  to  dreamland  softly, 
(louder)  Whisper  your  sweet  song  in  my  ear, 
(still  louder)  Murmur  and  I  shall  hear  thee. 

(louder)  Soft  as  the  winds  from  the  balmy  south 
(much  louder)  Faintly  the  notes  come. 

Mature  Young  Person  {whispers  behind  programme). 
And  so  I  put  some  fresh  trimming  round  the  sleeves  and 
wore  rather  a  nice  fichu  that  Mr.  Clodd  gave  me,  and  he 
said — of  course  /  don't  know — but  he  said  I  looked  as 
well  as  anyone  in  the  whole  room. 

Her  Friend  {politely).  Fancy  that !  Talking  about 
dresses,  though,  you  know  that  brown  dress  that  I  wore 
so  long,  don't  you  1 

Mature  Young  Lady.    Do  I  not. 

Her  Friend.  Well,  you'll  never  guess  what  I've 
been  and  done  with  it. 

Mature  Young  Lady.    Given  it  away. 

Her  Friend  {whispering  confidentially).  Bought 
some  new  lace  very  cheap  indeed — very  cheap,  but  quite 
good  enough  for  ordinary  wear,  you  know,  and  tacked  it 
all  round  the  top,  and  {triumphantly)  I  assure  you,  my 
dear,  it  makes  it  look  for  all  the  world  like  a  new  dress. 

Mature  Young  Lady  {with  suggestion  of  doubt). 
Really  1    I  shouldn't  have  thought  that ! 

Exhausted  Contralto  {sings). 

Mur-mur  and  I  shall — hear — {Pause.  Then,  tvith 
loud  burst  of  confidence) — thee.  {Exit.) 

Friend  {applauding  absently).  Oh,  it's  wonderful 
what  you  can  do  if  you're  only  handy  with  your 
needle.  /  novcr  waste  anything  if  I  can  help  it. 
People  often  say  to  me,  "  Miss  Beecher,"  they  say, 
"  however  do  you  manage  to  always  look  so  stylish  ? " 
and,  really,  I'm  surprised  at  myself  sometimes.  Who's 
thin  coming  on  now  1    (Pale  Youth  comes  on  platform.) 


Pale  Youth  {sings). 

Sing  hey,  sing  ho,  for  the  highwayman  bold, 

And  the  dancing  on  the  green  ; 
For  never  as  yet,  so  I've  been  told, 
A  gallanter  seeker  for  jewels  and  gold 
Has  ever  this  wide  world  seen — 
Has  ever  this  wide  world  seen. 

For  whether  by  night  

Humorous  Youth  {to  companion).  I  say,  Miss 
Smith  ! 

Miss  Smith  {giggling  hysterically).  Now  begin  your 
nonsense  again. 

Humorous  Youth.  Look  at  this  chap's  dress  tie. 
It's  working  round  his  neck  to  see  what  all  the  row's 
about. 

Miss  Smith  {convulsed).  Oh,  I  declare,  I'll  never 
come  out  to  a  concert  with  you  again  so  long  as  I  live. 

Humorous  Youth.  Well,  I  shan't  ask  you  if  you 
ain't  alive  that's  a  very  sure  thing. 

(Miss  Smith  rolls  in  her  seat  with  suppressed  hilarity, 
Highwayman  finishes  song,  Dapper  Little  Man  skips 
on  the  platform  and  bows.) 

Dapper  Little  Man  {speaks).  Ladies  and  gentlemen, 
the  other  evening  a  country  cousin  of  mine  came  up  to 
town  and  insisted  that  I  should  take  him  to  a  music 
hall. 

Ladies  in  Audience  {to  each  other,  gleefully).    Oh,  I 

say. 

Dapper  Little  Man.  Now,  of  course,  /  was  very 
much  shocked  {murmurs  of  polite  derision),  but  I  very 
soon  got  over  that,  and  we  started  off.  We  turned  into 
the  Pavoli  or  the  Tivolion  (I  really  forget  which),  and 
we  saw  there  a  young  lady  who  was  singing  a  song 
which,  with  your  kind  permission,  I  will  endeavour  to 
reproduce. 

{Cheers.     He  seats  himself  at  pianoforte,  strikes  few 
chords,  then  turns  and  faces  audience.) 
Dapper  {sings  in  falsetto  voice). 
I'm  always  asking  questions,  I'm  such  a  silly  thing, 
I  often  get  myself  into  a  row. 

When  beaux  to  see  my  sister  come,  I  say  "  Have  you 

the  ring  ? " 
And  then  they  colour  up  all  anyhow. 
But  though  I  am  an  artless,  sweet,  enquiring  little 

girl, 
I  know  a  

Acid  Girl  {to  Neighbour).  Rather  silly,  I  think, 
don't  you,  dear1? 

Neighbour  ^tolerantly).  Oh,  well,  it  makes  people 
laugh. 

Acid  Girl  {with  severity).  [I  don't  think  that's  any 
excuse  at  all.  There's  no  advantage  in  laughing  and  in 
mal*ng  yourself  a  guy  that  /  can  see.  I'm  sure  /  don't 
laugh — not  what  you  may  call  a  laugh — from  one 
week's  end  to  the  other.    Some  girls  now  are  all  on  the 

giggle- 

Neighbour.     I  think  the  happy  medium's  the  best. 

Acid  Girl.  I  don't  agree  with  you  there,  dear.  I 
think  you  always  want  to  be  either  one  thing  or  the 
other.    No  half-and-half  measures  for  me. 

Neighbour.  I've  always  had  an  idea  that  a  good 
hearty  laugh  did  you  good.  I  know  I  read  something 
about  it  somewhere  in  a  paper.  Oh,  do  look  at  him  now 
{laughs  consumedly).    Isn't  he  making  an  absurd  face  1 

Dapper  {sings). 

For  you  see  I  always  want  to  get  to  know  a  bit  ; 
My  schooling's  been  neglected  in  my  youth. 
If  there's  anything  you  know,  come  and  whisper  it  to 
Flo, 

But  tell  me  naught  that  isn't  quite  the  truth. 

{After  last  refrain,  Dapper  rises  and  hints  at  a  few 
steps.     Audience  delighted.) 

Dapper  {speaks).  The  next  item  on  the  programme 
was  a  mandoline  solo,  an  imitation  of  which,  with  your 
kind  permission,  I  would  attempt  to  offer  you,  only  that 
I  am  suffering  from  a  cold.  I  will  pass  on  to  a  comic 
song,  which  I  will  endeavour  to  reproduce. 


April  20,  1895" 


TO-DAY. 


333 


(Chords  on  Piano.) 

First  Mother  (whispering).  My  young  Willy's  the 
one  that  would  aajoy  this,  you  know-  Oh,  he  is  a 
comical  little  card. 

Second  Mother.    How  nice  ! 

First  Mother  (gleefully).  The  things  he  says  !  Takes 
his  pa  up,  bless  you,  directly  he  makes  a  bit  of  a  slip  in 
his  grammar,  or  what  not,  and  it  does  make  the  rest  of 
us  laugh  so. 

Second  Mother.    And  doesn't  your  husband  mind  ? 

First  Mother.  Well,  as  a  matter  of  fact  (apologetic- 
ally), pa's  rather  queer  in  that  way.  He  gets  rather 
cross  about  it  sometimes,  and  then  Master  Willy  has  to 
stop  it  for  a  bit.  But  (with  renewed  delight)  you  should 
hear  the  puns  that  boy  makes. 

Second  Mother.  I'm  very  fond  of  puns  myself. 
That  is  to  say,  of  course,  when  they're  good. 

First  Mother.  Oh,  my  boy  Willy's  are  very  good. 
There's  a  friend  of  ours  whose  name  happens  to  be 
Bacon,  and  I  can  assure  you  that  when  he  comes  to  see 
us  that  boy  will  sit  there  and  make  pun  after  pun  about 
Mr.  Bacon's  name. 

Second  Mother.  Makes  the  home  bright  and  lively, 
I  daresay. 

First  Mother.    Oh,  very  lively. 

Mr.  Dapper  (sings). 

And  we  all  went  home  on  shutters,  boys, 
On  the  night  of  Bink's  birthday. 
(Speaking.)    After  that  we  came  out  of  the  music-hall 
and  wended  our  respective  ways  home.  It  only  remains 
now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  for  me  to  thank  you  for  the 
kindness  with  which  (Applause.) 

Louisa.  Who's  the  next  supposed  to  be  1  Here's 
the  programme — "  Recitation  by  Miss  Violet  Vere- 
queer."  (Yawns.)  We'll  just  hear  the  beginning  of  it, 
and  then  we'll  go. 

(Enter  on  platform  Miss  Violet  Verequeer.  She  is 
a  cheerful  young  person  with  a  fluffy  fringe  and  dimple. 
She  nods  to  one  or  two  friends.) 

Miss  Verequeer  (smiling).    "  The  Russian  Serf,"  by 
Anon.    A  poem.    (Coughs  and  assumes  a  frown). 
"  The  Russian  serf,  his  limbs  (holds  out  ivrists)  in 
chains, 

Plodded  along  (walks)  the  snowy  road. 
Behind  (points  to  piano)  were  hundreds  such  as  he, 
Their  hearts  (slaps  corsage)  a  heavy  weary  load. 
'Get  on,  you  dog,'  the  soldiers  (puts  hand  to  mouth) 
cried ; 

They  flicked  their  whips  (snaps  fingers),  and  swore 
_  and  cursed  ; 

*  Get  on,  or  else   as '  (points  to   ceiling)  '  heaven's 

above,' 
«  Well  ' " 

Omnes.    Oh,  let's  slip  out  quietly. 

(They  slip  out.) 


SOME    REMINISCENCES    OF  A 
SHORT  LIFE, 


I  called  on  the  rival  leaders,  Tricoupis  and  Delyannis, 
just  as  decisive  returns  of  the  Greek  general  election 
were  coming  in.  Tricoupis,  who  had  expected  a  narrow 
majority,  but  had  literally  swept  the  board,  was  nervous 
and  irritable.  He  stood  in  his  study  by  the  fireplace, 
while  telegraph  messengers  succeeded  each  other  with 
fresh  news;  half-a-dozen  henchmen  sat  at  a  big  table, 
jotting  down  and  calculating.  Presently  Tricoupis 
turned  to  me  and  said,  gloomily,  "  I  have  an  enormous 
majority."  I  said  I  hoped  he  would  allow  me  to  offer 
my  hearty  congratulations.  "  Yes,  yes,  yes !  "  he  growled, 
impatiently  turning  his  back  upon  me.  Every  other 
time  I  saw  him  hs  was  the  most  courteous  and  punc- 
tilious of  men. 

*  *  *  * 

Delyannis,  on  the  other  hand,  was  wreathed  as  ever 
in  soapy  smiles.     I  waa  received  by  his  niece,  who- 


admitted  quite  frankly  that  the  defeat  was  a  crushing 
disappointment  to  them  all.  When  Delyannis  came  in 
she  left  us,  and  he  hastened  to  assure  me  that  he  was 
not  in  the  least  disappointed,  as  he  knew  his  turn  would 
come  again  presently.  He  told  me  Constanopoulos' 
Ministry  consisted  of  utterly  unknown  people,  unknown 
even  to  each  other  until  they  met  at  the  Palace  to  kiss 
hands  on  their  appointments. 

I  had  an  interview  with  M.  Constanopoulos  during 
the  short  period  when  he  was  Prime  Minister  of  Greece. 
He  told  me  he  had  once  known  a  distinguished  Conser- 
vative statesman.  "  Disraeli  1"  I  suggested.  "  No," 
he  replied — "  the  man  who  succeeded  Disraeli.  Lord — 
Lord — what  was  his  name?"  "Lord  Beaconsfield,"  I 
suggested.  "Yes,  that  was  his  name.  He  was  Dis- 
raeli's rival  in  the  Conservative  party,  and  took  his 
place."  At  first  I  thought  the  Greek  Premier  very 
ignorant.  Then  I  reflected  that  he  had  perhaps  uttered 
a  truth  without  knowing  it.  Disraeli  and  Beaconsfield 
were  surely  different  beings. 

***** 

I  saw  General  Boulanger  the  day  before  the  general 
election  which  extinguished  him.  There  was  no  sign  of 
excitement.  His  house  in  Portland  Place  looked  as 
deserted  as  Sleeping  Beauty's  castle,  and  the  door-bell 
ran?  as  if  it  had  not  been  rung  for  years.  In  the  ante- 
room was  a  comic  paper  with  a  cartoon  of  Clemenceau, 
Ferry,  and  others  as  firemen  with  hose  vainly  trying  to 
put  out  the  sun,  which  had  a  face  like  the  General.  He  told 
m6  he  expected  a  majority  of  precisely  30.  I  said  that 
was  very  little;  but  he  replied  that  in  France  a 
majority  always  grew  like  a  snowball.  I  asked,  "  Why  1 " 
and  he  shrugged  his  shoulders,  saying,  "  II  y  a  toujours 
des  moutons  qui  reviennent." 

***** 

Boulanger  has  been  blamed  and  ridiculed  for  running 
away  from  France  when  there  was  a  chance  of  a  suc- 
cessful coup  d'etat.  I  once  had  a  long  chat  with  a  Paris 
cabman  on  the  subject,  and  he  told  me  the  unanimous 
opinion  of  his  friends  was  that  Boulanger-  would  have 
been  arrested,  and  poisoned  in  prison. 

***** 

I  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Parnell  in  the  cloak-room  of 
the  House  of  Commons,  and  found  him  the  reverse  of 
what  I  expected.  Instead  of  being  cold  and  supercilious, 
he  spoke  to  me  with  an  old-fashioned  courtesy,  choosing 
his  words  carefully,  and  overwhelming  me  with  compli- 
ments. He  began  by  telling  me  that  the  future  of  the 
country  was  in  the  hands  of  the  young  men,  and  went  on 
to  say  that  he  considered  my  having  entertained  John 
Dillon  at  Cambridge  a  proof  of  great  moral  courage.  His 
manner  and  phraseology  were  very  much  what  I  should 
have  expected  from  Disraeli.  During  Mr.  Parnell's  last 
campaign  in  Ireland  I  offered  to  come  and  help.  He 
sent  me  a  long  telegram  in  reply,  full  of  compliments 
and  thanks — a  graceful  and  unnecessary  act  in  a.  busy 
man. 

***** 
The  Sultan's  favourite  aide-de-camp  is  General  Ahmed 
All  Pasha,  The  Sultan  gave  him  the  nickname  of  Sugar 
Pasha,  because  his  manners  are  SO'  sweet,  and  everybody 
at  Constantinople  calls  him  by  it — even  on  ceremonious 
cards  of  invitation.  He  paints  a  great  deal  in  oils,  and 
by  no  means  badly  for  an  amateur.  His  landscapes  and 
still  life  are  quite  well  done,  but  a  large  portrait  of  a 
woman  which  he  showed  me  does  not  bear  comparison 
with  the  others.  This  he  explained  by  telling  me  that  in 
Turkey  it  is  forbidden  to  pose  a  model,  so>  he  had  to 
evolve  a  woman  from  his  inner  consciousness. 

One  day  I  told  him  he  looked  tired,  and  must  have 
been  keeping  late  hours.  He  replied  that  he  had  gone  to 
bed  at  such  and  such  a  time.  Then  he  stopped,  and  cere- 
moniously apologised  for  the  phrase.  It  is  considered 
a  breach  of  good  manners  in  Turkey  to  refer,  directly  or 
indirectly,  to'  the  harem  or  anything  in  it.  

Advice  Free.— To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patents  for  Inven- 
tions see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Write  for  Hid.  Guide  (259  pages),  3d. 
Tobacconists'  Outfitting  Co.,  18C,  Euston-road,  London     Est.  1866.—  Advt, 


334 


TO-DAY. 


April  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  GREAT  NORTHERN   AND  CITY  RAILWAY 
COMPANY.-I. 

Our  attention  has  been  directed  to  the  fact  that  the  pro- 
moters of  this  Company  have  applied  to  Parliament  for  an 
extension  of  time  for  completing  their  works,  and  we  have  been 
asked,  in  view  of  the  possibility  of  the  re-issue  of  the  prospectus 
at  some  future  date,  to  say  something  about  the  scheme  and 
those  who  are  behind  it. 

The  Great  Northern  and  City  Railway  Company  has  been 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  and  working  a  three- 
mile  line,  mostly  underground,  and  intended  to  compete  for 
suburban  traffic.  The  motive  power  is  to  be  electricity,  and  it 
is  quite  possible  that,  given  economical  construction  and  sagacious 
management,  the  line,  running  as  it  would  through  a  densely- 
populated  district,  might  pay.  But  these  conditions  do  not 
seem  to  us  to  be  present,  arid  the  record  of  the  promoters  is  not 
one  to  inspire  great  confidence. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  prospectus,  which  was  advertised  at 

the  end  of  January,  that — 

A  contract  has  been  entered  into  with  Mr.  J.  W.  Willans(who 
constructed  the  Liverpool  Overhead  Electric  Railway)  for  the  con- 
struction and  equipment  of  the  Railway  and  Works  for  a  fixed  maxi- 
mum sum. 

This  paragraph  implies  that  the  Great  Northern  and  City 
Company  will  be  the  gainer  by  having  secured  the  services  of 
the  constructor  of  the  Liverpool  Overhead  Electric  Railway, 
and  that  it  will  be  a  further  gainer  by  having  contracted  for 
the  construction  and  equipment  of  the  railway  and  works  "  for  a 
fixed  maximum  sum."  Neither  of  these  contentions  can,  we 
think,  be  maintained. 

Who  is  Mr.  John  William  Willaus  ?  Well,  when  the  City  and 
Southwark  Subway  was  commenced  this  gentleman  was  agent 
in  Manchester,  as  we  are  informed,  for  the  Messrs.  Oliver,  of 
Chesterfield.  He  also  did  a  little  jobbing  in  the  iron  market.  Mr1 
Willans  got  an  order  for  the  supply  of  a  portion  of  the  cast-iron 
for  the  subway.  Seeing  that  ironfounders  were  mostanxious  them- 
selves to  supply  the  contractor  with  castings,  it  is  not  unreason- 
able to  assume  that  Mr.  Willans  was  assisted  in  this  matter, 
more  or  less,  by  his  friend  Mr.  James  Henry  Greathead,  who 
financed  and  carried  out  the  subway.  Be  that  as  it  may,  Mr. 
Willans,  as  the  prospectus  reminds  us,  constructed  the  Liverpool 
Overhead  Railway,  in  which,  by  the  way,  he  was  greatly  helped 
by  other  contractors.  But  we  cannot  see  anything  in  Mr. 
Willans's  connection  with  the  Liverpool  Railway  to  warrant  the 
conclusion  that  he  is  an  exceptionally  good  man  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  London  line  under  discussion.  It  is  an  open  secret  that 
he  made  a  very  large  profit  from  the  Liverpool  contract,  and  if  he 
was  able  to  do  so  under  the  conditions  then  existing,  he  will  prob- 
ably make  a  much  larger  profit  out  of  the  London  company. 
The  capital  of  the  Liverpool  Overhead  Railway  was  £70,000  per 
mile,  or  about  30s.  per  foot  of  double  line.  The  capital  of  the 
Great  Northern  and  City  Company  is  to  be  £500,000  per  mile, 
or  about  £10  per  foot  of  double  line.  That  is  a  tremendous 
figure  for  two  single  line  cast-iron  tunnels  driven  in  the  clay,  a 
system  of  construction  that  does  not  entail  the  purchase  of 
property. 

This  question  of  price  goes,  needless  to  say,  to  the  bottom  of 
the  business.  It  may  be  that  for  reasons  of  which  we  are 
ignorant  half  a  million  sterling  per  mile  is  not  an  excessive  price 
to  pay  for  the  construction  and  equipment  of  a  railway  such  as 
we  have  described.  But  however  that  may  be,  it  would  be 
interesting  to  know  why  Mr.  Willans  was  given  this 
contract  without  public  competition,  and  why  he  was 
given  the  equipment  of  the  company.  It  is  not  usual 
for  contracts  to  be  entered  into  by  a  railway  company  without 
inviting  tenders,  nor  is  it  usual  to  leave  it  to  a  contractor 
to  equip  the  line.  But  it  should  be  noted  that  the  contract  for 
the  Liverpool  Overhead  Company  was  given  to  Mr.  Willans  just 
as  the  Great  Northern  contract  is  to  be  given  to  him.  His 
name  did  not  appear  upon  the  prospectus,  but,  as  soon  as  the 
capital  had  been  got  together,  the  directors  announced  that  they 
had  accepted  the  tender  of  Mr.  J.  W.  Willans,  of  28,  Deans- 
gate,  Manchester. 

The  directors  of  the  Great  Northern  and  City  Company  seem 
to  think  they  have  done  a  smart  thing  in  contracting  for 
the  work  "for  a  fixed  maximum  sum."  But  this  maximum  sum 
notion  is  a  delusion  and  a  snare.  It  was  tried  by  the  directors 
of  the  Liverpool  Overhead  Railway  Company,  but  it  did  not 


preclude  the  Company  from  entering  into  further  contracts  with 
Willans,  nor  from  paying  him  large  sums  for  "  day  work."  It 
looks,  this  maximum  sum  method,  very  nice  to  shareholders  who 
think  they  know  what  the  job  is  going  to  cost  them, 
but  they  [really  know  nothing  of  the  kind.  When  once  the 
contract  is  signed  the  engineers  are  omnipotent.  They  are  given 
absolute  power  under  the  agreement  to  vary  and  alter  any  and 
every  thing  therein  as  they  may  from  time  to  time  deem 
advisable.  They  are  sole  arbitrators  between  the  company  and 
the  contractors.  They  may  give  the  latter  any  extension  oi 
time  they  think  fit.  They  alone  decide  all  questions  of 
amount  between  the  company  and  the  contractor,  and  from  theii 
decision  there  is  no  appeal.  The  engineers  of  the  Great 
Northern  and  City  Railway  Company  are  Sir  Douglas 
Fox  and  his  brother,  Mr.  Francis  Fox,  with  Mr.  J. 
are  H.  Greathead.  These  gentlemen  and  Mr.  J.  W.  Willans  are 
its  promoters,  and  in  our  next  issue  we  shall  have  something  more 
to  say  about  past  enterprises  in  which  they  have  been  concerned. 

It  must  be  understood  that  our  criticisms  do  not  touch  upon 
the  question  whether  a  railway  such  as  it  is  intended  to  build 
is  or  is  not  wanted  over  the  route  it  is  to  run.  We  are  con- 
cerned only,  here  and  now,  with  the  conditions  under  which  it 
is  to  be  built.  The  enterprise  has  not  as  yet  commended  itself 
to  the  investing  public,  but  it  may  soon  be  put  before  them  in 
more  attractive  guise,  and  we  think  we  shall  be  rendering  a 
public  service  in  letting  a  little  daylight  into  the  inner  arrange- 
ments and  aims  of  the  promoters. 

AN  EARL  AND  HIS  COLLIERIES 

We  print  below  a  letter  we  have  received  from  a  considerable 

shareholder  in  the  Earl  of  Dudley's  Round  Oak  Iron  and  Steel 

Works,  Limited.     Our  correspondent  classes  the  vendors  of 

this  Company  with  "the  Balfour  Group,"  and  although  we  are 

not  prepared  to  go  that  length,  or  anywhere  near  it,  he 

does  well  to  be  angry.    Our  correspondent  writes  : — 

In  1891  a  glowing  prospectus  was  issued  in  floating  this  Company 
with  a  capital  of  £202,000,  Mr.  Wm.  Blakemore's  report,  taking  a 
very  low  estimate  of  the  price  of  iron,  showed  the  following  result  : 

Income   £41,000 

Interest  and  dividend  of  10  per  cent.  21,000 

£20,000  margin  left  for 
reserve. 

After  three  years  trading  there  is  a  loss  of  £22,073,  and  in  consequence 
of  not  paying  by  default  of  one  year's  interest  on  debentures  the  vendor 
forecloses  and  takes  possession  of  the  works.which  are  not  only  in  better 
condition  than  when  transfeired,  but  he  also  takes  possession  of  the 
new  Steel  Works,  which  cost  £40,000.  This  is  not  all,  for  the  Court 
sanctions  a  resolution  that  the  creditors  of  the  firm  be  paid  10s.  in  the 
£  in  settlement  of  their  debts,  thus  leaving  the  poor  deluded  share- 
holders nothing.  As  a  shareholder  of  £  hard  saved  money  and  all 

I  was  possessed  of,  I  ask  if  nothing  can  be  done  to  expose  the  floating 
of  this  Company,  as  I  see  no  difference  between  it  and  the  Balfour 
Group. 

We  supplement  our  correspondent's  letter  by  quotations  from 
the  prospectus.    It  stated — ■ 

1.  That  the  works  are  in  active  operation,  and  the  trade  connection 
of  the  highest  standing. 

2.  That  new  branches  of  business  have  been  recently  developed, 
including  the  manufacture  for  Her  Majesty's  Government  of  high-class 
chain  cables  for  the  large  ironclads. 

3.  That  the  business  is  capable  of  great  extension,  and  that  part  of 
the  capital  is  to  be  employed  in  putting  down  a  steel  plant  which  will 
greatly  advantage  the  business. 

4.  That  the  directors  will  be  justified  in  assuming,  taking  good  and 
bad  years,  an  annual  net  income  of  about  £41,000. 

5.  That  this  net  income  would  be  sufficient  to  pay  interest  on  mort- 
gage, and  10  per  cent,  on  the  ordinary  shares,  leaving  an  annual  surplus 
of  £20,000. 

Here  we  have  elaborate  calculations,  based  upon  a  low  estimate 
of  profit,  put  forward  with  all  the  authority  of  the  Earl  o^ 
Dudley,  and  which  promise  the  investor  profits  sufficient  to  pay 
him  10  per  cent,  upon  his  money,  with  ample  margin  for  paying 
off  debentures,  providing  a  reserve  fund,  and  making  due  pro- 
vision for  all  contingencies. 

Such  was  the  promise  ;  now  for  the  performance.  The 
Company  was  brought  out  in  April, 1891.  The  business  was  taken 
over  as  from  September  15th,  1890.  The  profit  and  loss  for  the 
period  from  September  15th,  1890,  to  June  30th,  1892,  showed  a 
deficit  of  £18,191.  At  the  end  of  June,  1893,  the  deficit  was 
increased  to  £22,073.  In  November,  1894,  the  Company  went 
into  liquidation.  No  dividend  was  ever  paid.  From  first  to 
last  the  Company  was  working  at  a  loss.  Had  the  estimates — 
those  estimates  which  were  said  to  have  taken  full  account  of 
good  and  bad  years — been  realised,  by  the  30th  of  June,  1S92 
the  Company  would  have  made  a  profit  of  £71,750;  instead  it 
had  lost  £18,191.  And  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  Most 
companies  of  this  magnitude  manage  to  pay  a  dividend,  or  two  ; 
here  there  was  never  the  sign  of  one. 

But  the  story  of  the  deal  between  the  Earl  and  the  public  is 
only  half  told.    Usually  a  vendor  is  content  to  make  his  pile 


April  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


335 


and  leave  the  Company  to  do~what  it  may  with  the  property,  or 
if  he  has  to  retain  an  interest  in  it  he,  like  others,  has  to  reckon 
with  depreciation.  But  not  so  with  the  Earl  of  Dudley.  This 
up-to-date  young  man  sold  the  concern  for  £160,000.  Of 
this  £60,000  was  paid  in  cash,  and  he  took  a  mortgage 
upon  the  property  for  the  remaining  £100,000.  The  share 
capital  M'as  £202,000,  divided  into  20,000  ordinary  shares  and 
200  founders'  shares  of  £10  each.  Thus,  assuming  the  whole  of 
the  capital  to  be  subscribed,  the  Company  would  have  at  its 
disposal  £142,000.  But  the  issue  was  only  16,000  ordinary 
shares,  so  that  after  the  payment  of  the  £60,000  to  the  Earl, 
£100,000  remained.  Of  this  £50,000  was  [reserved  for  the 
erection  of  the  additional  steel  plant  which,  according  to  Mr. 
Blakemore,  was  necessary  for  the  full  success  of  the  Company, 
and  though  the  figures  are  not  given,  it  is  to  be  assumed  that 
most  of  the  other  £50,000  went,  as  agreed,  in  payment  of 
the  stocks  of  raw  material,  etc.,  taken  over  from  t4e 
Earl  of  Dudley.  Thus  nearly  the  whole  of  the  cash 
subscribed,  other  than  the  ,£50,000  reserved  for  the 
steel  plant,  went  into  the  pockets  of  the  Earl  of  Dudley. 
And  this  plant  had  hardly  been  erected  when  the  Earl  exercised 
his  rights  as  mortgagee,  and  upon  the  first  default  in  payment 
of  interest  foreclosed.  Now  he  has  the  property  back  again  for 
which  he  was  paid,  all  told,  over  £100,000,  improved  and  com- 
pleted by  the  erection  of  a  magnificent  steel  plant  at  the  cost  of 
the  unhappy  shareholders. 

It  is  all  in  accordance  with  the  letter  of  the  bond,  but  that  is 
cold  comfort  for  men  like  our  correspondent,  who  put  their 
money  into  the  concern  on  the  faith  of  the  Earl's  statements  as 
to  profi'  s,md  the  fact  that  persons  like  Sir  Henry  Howorth,M.P. , 
were  upon  the  Board.  We  are  not  suggesting  that  the  Earl  of 
Dudley  and  the  directors  were  parties  to  wilful  misstatement ; 
but  the  story  is  not  a  pleasant  one,  and  as  to  the  why  and  the 
wherefore  of  failure  we  shall  have  something  to  say  on  another 
occasion. 

JUSTICE  IN  THE  TRANSVAAL- 

Some  weeks  ago  we  made  some  remarks  upon  the  judicial 
bench  in  South  Africa  which  were  not  flattering  to  the  judges 
concerned.  We  have  now  before  us  the  report  of  a  trial  at 
Johannesburg,  where  the  editor  of  the  Critic,  Mr.  Hess,  was 
charged  with  criminal  libel  by  one  of  the  Transvaal  judges,  Mr. 
De  Korte.  Mr.  Hess  asserted  that  the  judge  in  question  was 
unfit  to  administer  justice  because  he  was  heavily  in  debt ;  and 
it  was  insinuated,  if  not  deliberately  stated,  that  he  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  selling  justice.  If  these  charges  were  without 
foundation  no  punishment  could  be  too  heavy  for  the 
offence,  but  whilst  the  jury  found  Mr.  Hess  guilty  of  libel,  as 
the  case  was  presented  to  thein,  they  coupled  their  verdict  with 
a  very  strong,  and  even  vehement,  recommendation  to  mercy, 
and  when  sentence  of  two  months'  imprisonment  was  passed 
they  with  one  consent  petitioned  for  the  remission  of  the 
sentence.  We  may  then  fairly  say  that  in  the  opinion  of  the 
jury  the  judge  had  not  been  seriously  libelled. 

Here  is  an  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  they  administer 
justice  in  the  High  Court  of  the  Transvaal.  Some  time  ago  a 
well-known  man  in  those  parts  sued  another  for  £50,000 
damages.  The  defendant  admitted  in  the  box  that  he  had  im- 
properly sold  a  property  in  which  the  plaintiff  was  interested 
for  a  nominal  sum,  in  order  to  give  the  plaintiff  "a  shot  in 
tlie  eye."  The  property  in  question  was  worth  a  very  large 
sum  ;  the  defendant  sold  it  for  £1,600.  It  was  not  denied  that 
the  plaintiff  had  a  fifth  interest  in  it,  and  judgment — the 
evidence  was  so  overwhelming — was  given  in  his  favour.  But 
what  were  the  damages  ?  Were  they  commensurate  with  the 
loss  the  plaintiff  had  sustained  by  the  dishonest  action  of  the 
defendant?  They  did  not  even  amount  to  the  one-fifth 
of  the  £1,600  for  which  the  property  was  actually  sold.  The 
uiges  awarded  20s. 
It  may  be  that  it  was  an  honest  judgment,  but  it  is  a  curious 
coincidence  that  a  week  after  the  judgment,  in  which  the 
defendant — a  very  wealthy  man— had  been  let  off  so  lightly,  one 
of  the  three  judges  concerned  paid  off  a  portion — some  £5,000 — 
of  his  personal  debts,  the  second  went  on  a  six  weeks'  holiday, 
and  the  third  took  unto  himself  a  wife,  and  started  on  a  holiday 
tour  to  England.  There  is  only  one  of  the  Transvaal  judges 
against  whom  no  suspicion  of  corruption  has  been  whispered, 
and  he  was  a  nominee  of  the  President's.  He  could  never  get  a 
practice  at  the  Bar,  but  on  the  Bench  he  has  been  incorruptible, 
and  his  judgments  are  generally  sound 


ANOTHER  COOLGARDIE  COLLAPSE. 

At  the  statutory  meeting  of  the  North  Croesus  Gold  Mine, 
Limited,  the  chairman,  Sir  William  J.  Davies,  found  it  expedient 
to  make  the  following  very  disquieting  admission  : — 

We  think  it  right  to  inform  you  that  the  communications  we  have 
received  from  our  temporary  manager  have  not  tended  to  confirm  the 
reports  on  the  property  written  by  Captain  Hawke  and  Mr.  Moran, 
which  appeared  in  the  prospectus 

The  North  Crcesus  was  brought  out  with  a  capital  of  £40,000 
to  buy  and  work  a  12-acre  mining  lease  for  which  the  company 
undertook  to  pay  £30,000,  of  which  £19,000  was  to  be  in  cash, 
and  this  is  what  Captain  Hawke  said  about  the  property  : — 

There  is  no  doubt  to  my  mind  but  this  is  one  of  the  Crcesus  lodes 
known  as  Bickford's  lode,  from  which  very  rich  rock  has  been  taken, 
giving  a  return  by  fire  assay  of  120  oz.  to  the  ton. 

And  Mr.  Moran — 

Captain  Hawke  is  certain  that  these  reefs,  and  also  several  others 
going  through  the  property,  will  carry  rich  gold.  .  .  .  The  mine  is 
situated  alongside  the  famous  Crcesus,  and  has  the  Crcesus  reefs 
running  through  it; 

And  the  directors — 

The  directors  submitted  the  case  of  samples  .  :  .  with  instruc- 
tions to  pick  out  and  assay  what  they  considered  to  be  the  two  purest 
specimens.  The  assays  of  these  two  samples  yielded  fabulously  large 
results.  The  directors,  however,  do  not  base  their  calculations  on 
these  assays. 

Whatever  they  based  them  upon,  they  are  now  admitted  to 
have  been  very  worthless. 

OUTSIDE  BROKERS  AND  THEIR  CLIENTS- 

It  is  so  seldom  that  a  person  dealing  with  an  outside  broker 
finds  himself  with  a  considerable  balance  to  his  credit  that  the 
correspondent  who  sends  us  the  letter  published  below  may  well 
have  been  surprised  at  the  result  of  his  operations.  But,  as  will 
be  seen,  the  present  advantage  of  success  to  the  client  is  small. 
Let  us  hope  that  the  "  fresh  capital  "  will  be  forthcoming,  and 
that  in  due  course  the  "cheque  for  the  amount"  will  be  for- 
warded.   The  letter  runs — 

Enclosed  please  find  Statement  for  End-March  Account,  which 
shows  the  sum  of  £69  Is.  lOd.  to  your  credit.  It  is  with  great  regret 
we  have  to  inform  you  that,  at  the  moment,  we  are  unable  to  send  you 
a  cheque  for  this  difference,  as,  having  been  caught  short  in  the 
American  Market,  we  have  had  to  pay  some  exceedingly  heavy 
differences,  which  for  the  moment  have  crippled  us. 

We  are,  however,  busily  engaged  in  arranging  for  the  introduction  of 
fresh  capital  into  our  business,  and  as  such  negotiations  are  well 
advanced  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  they  will  be  eomnleted  in  a 
very  few  days,  when,  we  need  hardly  say,  our  cheque  for  the  amount 
will  be  forwarded  to  you  at  once. 

In  the  event  of  these  negotiations  occupying  a  longer  time  than  at 
present  anticipated,  we  shall  be  pleased  to  send  you  our  acceptance  at 
one  month,  always  provided  you  think  it  is  of  any  use  to  you. 
The  "  any  use  "  is  good. 


We  hear  that  a  company,  to  be  called  the  Simmer  and  Jack 
Deep,  is  about  to  be  brought  out  with  a  capital  of  £500,000. 
The  company  has  143  mining  claims  situated  about  two  miles 
south  of  the  Simmer  and  Jack.  Report  has  it  that  it  will  be 
necessary  to  go  1,700  feet  to  strike  the  reef,  which  means  the 
expenditure  of  enormous  sums  before  returns  could  be  hoped  for. 
The  promoters  say  that  on  the  claims  themselves  they  have  several 
outcrop  reefs,  the  Kimberley,  Bird,  and  others.  And  they  further 
say  that  from  these  they  will  be  able  to  declare  dividends  right 
away,  and  whilst  they  are  sinking  for  the  main  reef  at  1,700 
feet. 

We  strongly  advise  our  readers  not  to  make  application 
for  shares  in  this  company.  If  they  do,  it  is  in  the  highest 
degree  unlikely  that  they  will  ever  see  their  money  back. 

What  is  this  we  hear  about  the  West  Australian  Explorations, 
Limited,  with  a  capital  of  £100,000,  which  is  to  take  over  a  block 
of  40,000  Westralian  Premier  shares — shares  that,  as  matters 
stand,  are  quite  worthless,  having  regard  to  the  conditions 
under  which  they  are  held  ?  We  have  not  been  able  to  find  in 
the  prospectus  any  reference  to  these  conditions.  Will  the 
directors — not  Mr.  A.  Shaw — explain  ? 


We  shall  have  something  to  say  in  our  next  issue  about  anothei 
company  that  is  being  formed  to  buy  certain  claims  on  the 
Luipaard's  Vlei. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Rio  Tinto  Mortgage  Debenture.  A  Subscriber  (Kingston).— 
They  are  a  fair  security.  Sundry  Companies.  J.  K.  (Belfast).— The 
first  two  companies  we  cannotrecommend,  the  other  two  we  know  nothing 
about.  Brokers  Charges  (Old  Hill).— We  are  making  the  necessary 
inquiries,  and  will  answer  your  letter  fully  next  week  ;  meantime  we  return 
papers.  The  Artizans'Land  and  Mortgage  Corporation.Limited. 
T.  H.(BirminBham).— This  corporation,which  took  over  the  assets  of  the  Rock 
Freehold  Building  Society,  exposed  and  sent  into  liquidation  by  the  Star 
some  three  years  ago,  is  carefully  managed  by  a  competent  Board,  and. 
without  looking  for  very  brilliant  results,  we  think  you  should  retain  your 
holding.  Stock  Exchange  Quotations  (Herts).— Buy  the  Financier, 
price  twopence,  now  and  again.  It  publishes  the  official  list  of  quotations. 
Spitzkop.   Regular  Reader  (Leeds).— We  think  not. 


336 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1895. 


J)RDRY  LANE  THEATRE.    Sra  Augustus  Harris,  Lessee 
and  Manager. 

ENGLISH  OPERA  AT  POPULAR  PRICES. 
For  Pull  Particulars  see  Daily  Papers. 
Box  Office  now  open. 


LYCEUM.— KING  ARTHUR  by  J.  Comyns  Carr.  EVERY 
NIGHT,  at  8  punctually.  Mr.  Irving,  Miss  Genevieve  Ward,  and 
Miss  Ellen  Terry.  Music  by  Arthur  Sullivan.  Scenery  and  costumes 
designed  by  Sir  Edward  Bume-Jones.  Box  Office  (Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open 
daily  10  till  5,  and  during  the  performance.  Seats  can  also  be  bocked  by 
letter  or  telegram. 


"ROYAL  PRINCESS'S    THEATRE— EVERY  EVENING 

at  8.30.  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30,  by  arrangements  with 
tlie  Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company,  Humperdinck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEL 
and  GRETEL  (in  English).   Box  Office  now  open. 


PALACE,  Shaftesbury-avenue.  _  THE  HANDSOMEST 
THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 
Morton. 


POYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  10  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 

at  2  and  7  FISHERIES  EXHIBITION.    GOLDMINE.    SIX  WEEKS' 

GIGANTIC  EASTER  CARNIVAL,  Commencing  April  15th. 


MOORE   AND    BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

x  HALL,  PICCADILLY. 

Enormous  Succe;s  of  the  brilliant  and  delightful  New  Programme. 
Nightly  at  8.0,  and  Matinees  on  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and  Saturdays 
at  2.30. 

Magnificent  new  Holiday  Programme,  replete  with  surprising  novelties. 
Prices,  5s.,  3s.,  2s.  and  Is.   Bookings  at  Tree's. 

General  Manager,  Mb.  Lawrence  Brough. 


NIAGARA   HALL— ST.  JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 
[UNSOLD'S  PATENT,  most  successful  in  the  world.] 
REAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
Daily,  9.30  to  1.0,  3s. ;  3.0  to  6.30,  5s. ;  8.0  to  11.30,  3s. 
EXCELLENT   ORCHESTRA.  FIRST-CLASS  RESTAURANT 

OPEN   ALL  DAY. 


6 


UNTOW  READY 


Di    (In  Handsome  Gold  and  Green  Cover) — - 

"TO-DAY"  Spring  Number. 


Complete  Stories  by — 

JEROME  K.  JEROME 

and  GEORGE  MOORE,  etc. 

Illustrated  by   HAL  HURST,    L.  BAUMEE,, 
W.  DEWAR. 


ALSO  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 
DUDLEY  HARDY,  AUBREY  BEARDSLEY, 
HAL  HURST,  R.  SAUBER,  and 

SYDNEY  ADAMSON. 


Order  at  once  of  all  Agents  and  Bookstalls,  as  the  entire  first 
issue  has  been  bespoke  by  the  trade. 

Howard  House,  Arundel  Street,  Strand,  London,  W.C. 


UNION 


South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHON ALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON  every  SATURDAY. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  callat  LISBON  andTENERIFE. 
Union  Line  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends. 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  SOUTHAMPTON;    14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  06,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 

PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  Limited, 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.C. 


FOUNDED  1818. 


Invested  Funds 


£20,000,000 


INCORFORA  TED 
1S65. 


SUN  LIFE 

ASSURANCE 

COMPANY 

OF  CANADA. 


Chief  Office  for. 

United  Kingdom  : 
42,  POULTRY,  E.C. 

FUNDS  £822,283.  INCOME  £254,984. 

Annuities.       Investment  Policies.      Coupon  Endowments. 
For  Prospectus,  &c,  write  to  S.  J.  EYRE-HARTLEY,  General  Manager. 


Gresham 


ESTABLISHED 
1848. 


IFE 


Office 


(LTD.) 

Assets  Exceed  £5,250,000. 
Head  Office:  St.  Mildred's  House,  Poultry,  London,  E.C. 

5HE     GRESHAM     LIFE     ASSURANCE     SOCIETY,  LIMITED. 

A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite, 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  o£  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 
October  25th,  1K9J. 

Dear  Sin,— I  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  of 
Dr.  Scott's  Pills  as  a  family  medicine.  We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  many 
years,  and  are  never  without  them. 

*      '  Yours  faithfully,  J.  SEIXARS. 

The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead. 
Prepared  only  by— 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 


TH'S  TYPE-WRITER. 

Special  Failures ; — Visible    Writing,    Brief  Carriage,    Universal  Keybsard 
Perfect  Alignment,  an  English  Invention. 

The  "  NORTH'S  "  has  just  received  the  Diploma  of  Honour  (Highest 
Award)  at  the  Antwerp  Universal  Exhibition. 


For  all  Particulars  apply 


'V-...  .:..  L:  


NORTH'S  TYPEWRITER  MANUFACTURING  CO.,  LIMITED, 

53,  QUEEN  VICTORIA   STREET,   LONDON,  E.C. 


ApRit  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY, 


337 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

The  Little  Grey  Nun.  By  Lilian  Quiller  Couch.  Illustrated 


by  W.  Dewar   321 

Poetic  Justice.  By  W.  L.  Alden.   Illustrated  by  Hal  Hurst..  324 

How  Charles  Sanson  De  Longval  became  Headsman   326 

Poppies  and  Mandragora    326 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller  327 

Feminine  Affairs   328 

Sherlock  Holmes  Americanised    331 

De  omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    331 

At  a  Concert   332 

Some  Reminiscences  of  a  Short  Life    333 

In  the  City   334 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J  337 

Hints  on  Long-Distance  Cy'cling    340 

Club  Chatter    341 

An  American  Estimate  of  Beerbohm  Tree    345 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville   346 

In  the  Mercantile  Marine.     An  Apprentice's  Life  in  the 

Half-Deck    318 

My  Wife.  By  Frank  L.  Stanton   350 

Sermons  for  To-day.    By  the  Rev.  T.  W.  M.  Lund,  M.A  351 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
m  TO-DAY. 


Our  teetotal  lecturers  tell  us  that  one  man  in  every 
four  dies  a  drunkard's  death.  The  actual  facts,  taken 
from  the  Registrar-General's  returns,  say  that  the  average 
is  from  forty-seven  to  seventy-three  persons  in  every 
million.  So  for  the  sake  of  an  average  of  sixty  persons 
in  a  million  the  comfort,  happiness,  convenience,  and 
health  of  the  whole  community  is  to  be  interfered  with. 
For  the  sake  of  these  few  hundred  brainless  loafers,  who 
are  much  better  dead  than  alive,  and  concerning  whom 
it  is  perfectly  unimportant  whether  they  die  drunk  or 
sober,  a  perfectly  legitimate  appetite  is  to  be  denied  to 
their  millions  of  fellow-citizens,  and  one  of  the  most 
agreeable  gifts  of  the  Creator  refused  to  His  creatures ! 
It  is  an  amusing  suggestion,  and  shows  the  utter  thought, 
lessness  with  which  these  bigots  argue.  The  nonsense  and 
exaggeration  spoken  about  the  subject  of  drink  would 
„be  comical,  if  it  were  not  harmful.  The  eyes  of  the 
teetotal  fanatic  are  blinded  by  drink.  If  a  man  is  happy 
he  says  he  is  drunk.  A  bottle  of  wine  between  two 
people  he  describes  as  an  orgie.  The  corpse  of  anyone 
who  has  not  been  a  strict  teetotaller  all  his  life  becomes 
in  his  eyes  the  carcase  of  a  sot.  There  is  a  story 
told  of  an  eminent  doctor  who  discovered  an  hitherto 
unknown  disease.  So  delighted  was  he  with  his 
discovery  that  he  neglected  his  general  practice,  and 
thought  of  nothing  else  but  his  new  pet,  and  from  that 
moment  in  every  patient  who  came  to  him  he  discovered 
the  germs  of  this  disease,  and  nothing  could  ever 
persuade  him  that  any  human  being  was  free  from  it. 
This  is  the  history  of  your  teetotal  fanatic.  He  grows 
so  intoxicated  with  his  own  enthusiasm  that  he  cannot 
see  truth. 

The  Moderate  party  will  be  ill-advised  if  they  take  the 
water  companies  under  their  wing.  There  is  not  a 
ratepayer  in  London  who  would  not  subscribe  ten  per 
cent,  of  his  income  towards  ruining  the  whole  body  of 
them.     A  gas  company  we   can  tolerate,  the  South 


Eastern  Railway  Company  is  popular,  amongst  a  few ; 
but  the  London  water  companies  have  not  a  single 
independent  friend  throughout  the  country,  and  don't 
deserve  to  have  one.  They  do  not  carry  out  their  con- 
tracts, and  they  over-charge  and  cheat  the  public. 
Every  man  regards  them  as  a  band  of  legalised  thieves. 
They  are  discourteous,  ungrammatical,  and  overbearing. 
For  years  they  have —metaphorically  speaking — wiped 
their  boots  upon  us,  and  the  public  has  determined  in 
its  own  mind — and  determined  none  too  soon — to  get 
rid  of  them. 

The  Government  of  a  civilised  country  has  not  been 
ashamed  to  propose  taking  away  the  property  of  beer 
sellers  without  giving  them  a  farthing  of  compensation. 
The  wrong  would  be  just  as  great  were  they  to  propose 
depriving  the  water  companies  of  their  property  without 
payment,  but  the  measure  would,  I  think,  pass  both  Houses. 
The  water  companies  ought  to  be  kicked  out  of  London 
without  a  moment's  delay,  and  not  a  pound  more  paid 
to  them  than  the  most  strict  and  economical  justice  de- 
mands. I  am  no  believer  in  County  Council  manage- 
ment, and  I  know  that,  as  a  rule,  every  change  of 
masters  is  a  change  for  the  worse,  but  I  cannot  bring  my- 
self to  believe  that  even  a  Progressive  County  Council 
could  manage  the  water  supply  of  London  worse  than 
it  has  been  managed  by  the  companies,  and  at  all 
events  we  should  have  someone  to  abuse. 

Various  good  men  in  England  and  America,  who 
have  been,  and  who  still  are,  making  money  out  of  Mr. 
Wilde's  works,  are  very  energetic  in  suppressing  the 
name  of  the  author.  Do  these  excellent  managers  and 
the  excellent  people  who  form  their  audiences  really 
imagine  that  they  are  doing  anything  beyond  making 
themselves  ridiculous  by  this  piece  of  thoughtless  non- 
sense 1  The  plays  are  good  plays,  and  there  is  no  get- 
ting over  the  fact  that  they  are  written  by  Mr. 
Oscar  Wilde,  which  only  goes  to  show  that  man 
is  a  complex  animal,  and  can  contain  within  his 
soul  a  good  many  personalities.  Because  we  condemn 
the  bad  that  is  within  a  man,  there  is  no  need  to  con- 
demn the  good  that  is  in  him,  and  were  this  new 
morality  to  be  applied  to  all  art,  I  fear  very  much  that 
some  of  the  earlier  classics  might  have  to  disappear  from 
our  libraries.  A  work  when  it  goes  out  of  a  man  is  an 
accomplished  fact,  utterly  independent  of  the  man  him- 
self. You  can  obtain  a  good  work  of  art  from  an  ex- 
ceedingly depraved  person;  you  can  obtain  some  very 
wicked  work  from  an  exceedingly  good  man.  To  con- 
fuse the  two  things  is  foolish— utterly  foolish. 

I  am  coming  to  think  that  men  are  greater  slaves  to 
fashion  than  are  even  women.  If  an  example  were  needed 
of  their  absurd  deference  to  conventionality,  it  might 
be  found  every  Sunday  afternoon  at  Niagara.  There 
you  will  see  hundreds  of  gentlemen  skating  vigorously 
in  frock-coats,  stiff  shirts,  high  collars,  and  silk  hats. 
One  can  hardly  imagine  a  picture  more  ludicrous  than 
the  sight  they  present.  Their  hats  are  glued  to  their 
heads,  and  the  perspiration  pours  from  under  them. 
Their  coat  tails  wave  wildly  round  them  as  they  twist 
and  turn,  and  their  wobbling  legs,  cased  in  loose 
trousers,  are  the  funniest  things  about  them.  But 
fashion  decrees  that  a  tall  silk  hat  and  frock-coat  is  the 


TO-DAY.  April  20,  1895. 


538 


proper  dress  in  which  to  skate  on.  a  warm  Sunday  after- 
noon, and  so  the  costume  is  worn.  If  fashion  decreed 
that  men  should  hunt  in  court  costume,  they  would 
hunt  in  court  costume ;  if  that  they  should  play  cricket 
in  sack  coats  you  may  be  sure  they  would  meekly  obey. 
A  woman  does  occasionally  think  for  herself  in  the 
matter  of  dress ;  a  man  never. 

Professionalism  is  driving  the  sporting  spirit  out  of 
England  altogether.  Our  young  men  used  to  be  players 
of  games;  now  they  are  only  gaping  spectators  at  a 
shilling  or  sixpence  a  head.  They  cannot  play  cricket ; 
they  have  to  hire  a  set  of  men  to  play  it  for  them,  while 
they  sit  round  and  shout.  They  have  only  muscle  and 
pluck  enough  to  carry  them  through  the  gate  of  a 
football  field,  and  to  enable  a  few  thousand  of  them 
who  have  lost  their  wretched  half-crowns  to  attack  the 
referee.  The  game  itself  is  played  by  a  set  of  profes- 
sional rowdies,  who  do  not  care  a  toss  of  a  halfpenny 
whether  they  win  or  lose,  provided  the  takings  are  big. 
England  hires  Scotchmen  to  play  football  for  her  against 
Scotland,  and  this  contemptible  piece  of  tomfoolery  is 
dignified  by  the  name  of  sport.  With  the  exception 
of  the  University  Boat  Race  there  is  not  a  bit  of  fair 
and  honest  sport  left  in  England.  It  is  like  our 
precious  morality — all  talk  and  no  fact.  The  whole 
system  is  a  disgrace  to  the  players,  and  a  degradation 
to  the  spectators.  In  a  few  years'  time,  watching  a 
game  of  football  or  cricket  will  be  too  exhausting  for 
our  modern  English  sportsmen.  Then  they  will  hire 
eight  little  girls  to  play  croquet  for  them  at  the  Oval, 
and  ten  thousand  spectators  will  sit  round  watching 
them,  each  one  fancying  himself  an  athlete  because  he 
has  got  a  Sporting  Times  in  his  pocket. 

A  correspondent  sends  me  a  newspaper  report  of  a 
debate  that  took  place  at  the  lecture-room  of  the  Nether 
Congregational  chapel.  At  this  debate  it  was  decided 
by  a  small  majority  that  the  Press  was  a  curse.  That 
should,  naturally,  have  settled  it.  The  Times  and  all 
the  other  daily  papers  should  in  common  decency  havu 
ceased  to  appear.  Fleet  Street  should  have  been 
desolate,  and  the  newspaper  offices  converted  into — 
well,  say  Nether  Congregational  chapels.  If  these 
things  have  not  happened,  it  must  be  because  the 
momentous  decision  at  which  these  good  people  have 
arrived  has  not  been  reported  as  widely  and  fully  as 
they  would  have  wished.  Well,  I  am  glad  to  give  them 
the  help  of  a  little  advertisement.  I  am  case-hardened 
myself  and  quite  used  to  being  considered  a  curse,  but 
if  any  of  my  fellow  editors  are  sufficiently  sensitive 
they  will  doubtless  stop  their  papers  at  once.  Then  we 
can  have  the  whole  world  remodelled — made  again,  and 
made  different — by  a  few  people  in  the  Nether  Congre- 
gational chapel.    How  nice  it  will  be  ! 

The  parsons  seem  to  be  surprised  that  the  young  men 
hold  aloof  from  the  Churches,  and  regard  religion  as  a 
bore  rather  than  as  a  blessing.  The  wonder  is  that  there 
can  be  found  any  young  men  so  poor  spirited,  so  want- 
ing in  proper  pride  and  intelligence,  as  to  allow  them- 
selves to  be  dictated  to  by  the  fanatical  old  women  who 
seem  at  present  to  be  the  controlling  influence  through- 
out the  religious  world.  Here  is  an  example  of  the 
imbecility  exhibited  by  Manchester  "Christians."  The 
Manchester   Y.M.C.A.    started  a  gymnasium  where 


boxing,  fencing,  and  wrestling  are  prohibited  as  being 
worldly  and  violent.  Trapeze  practice  has  also  been 
discontinued  for  fear  of  accidents.  Then  this  Manchester 
Old  Woman's  Christian  Association  offers  prizes,  to  be 
selected  by  the  winner,  but  when  the  gentleman  selects 
French  classical  literature  the  secretary  refuses  to  supply 
him  on  the  plea  that  such  works  are  not  fit  for  young 
men. 

Then  that  young  man  applies  for  a  copy  of  Sterne's 
works,  but  is  again  refused,  the  secretary  replying—"  We 
all  know  what  Sterne  is."  A  third  book  applied  for 
was  a  work  called  "  Stageland,"  and  this  was  at  first 
refused,  Christian  young  men,  according  to  Christian  old 
women,  being  supposed  not  to  take  any  interest  in  the 
stage.  It  is  sad  that  such  narrow-minded  folly  should 
exist  in  the  world  at  all,  but  it  is  becoming  a  really 
serious  matter  when  all  the  fools  and  bigots  in  the 
country  take  to  calling  themselves  "  Christians  "  and  to 
degrading  religion  by  taking  it  under  their  special  pro- 
tection. Is  it  not  time  that  those  who  have  the  good  of 
religion  really  at  heart  should  warn  off  these  mischie- 
vous parasites, who  are  working  such  incalculable  harm 
to  the  cause  ? 

Man  is,  I  believe,  the  only  rate-paying  animal,  and 
he  suffers  in  various  ways  from  it.  He  is  from  time  to 
time  called  to  serve  on  a  special  jury,  and  as  a  rule  he 
does  not  like  it.  In  some  ways  the  experience  may  be 
good  for  him.  He  will  learn,  for  instance,  that  barristers 
in  the  courts  do  not  in  the  least  resemble  barristers  in 
books,  that  the  barrister  in  court  is  sometimes  inaudible, 
often  illogical,  and  almost  always  unmannerly.  He 
will  learn  that  there  are  many  worse  berths  in  the 
world  than  that  of  the  usher,  or  clerk,  or  whatever  he 
may  be  pleased  to  call  himself,  who  pays  the  special 
jurymen.  This  man  pays  twelve  guineas,  and  gets 
twelve  separate  shillings  returned  to  him  by  way  of 
gratuity,  which,  being  frequently  repeated,  must  lead  to 
a  very  decent  living.  He  will  learn  that  there  are 
many  more  people  who  understand  the  nature  of  an 
oath  than  attach  the  least  importance  to  it.  But  this 
enlightenment  hardly  makes  up  for  the  incon- 
venience, discomfort,  and  actual  money  loss  which  a 
special  juryman  has  to  undergo.  No  regard,  apparently) 
is  paid  to  the  nature  of  the  business  which  a  special 
juryman  is  compelled  to  neglect.  It  may  be  that  he  is 
able  to  find  a  substitute  while  he  is  absent  in  the  courts, 
or  it  may  be  his  work  is  of  a  kind  which  only  he  himself 
can  do.  Contracts  may  have  to  be  broken,  business  dis- 
organised. But  in  return  for  that  we  get  our  most  pre- 
cious possession — trial  by  jury  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  de- 
cision by  twelve  angry,  uninformed  people  as  to  the 
rights  and  wrongs  of  a  dispute  that  they  cannot  under, 
stand,  and  in  which  the}7  do  not  in  the  least  want  to 
mix. 

It  is  not,  I  believe,  certain  that  illness  will  rank  as  an 
excuse.  The  juror  who  sends  in  his  doctor's  certificate 
may  get  a  letter  back  asking  him  when  he  is  likely  to  be 
well  again.  In  fact,  I  have  only  heard  of  three  ways 
by  which  a  man  may  escape  being  called  on  a  special 
jury.  One  is  a  refusal  to  pay  rates,  another — mind,  I 
have  only  heard  this — is  a  judicious  expenditure  in  a 
certain  quarter,  and  the  third  is  death.     The  thing  is 


April  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


339 


inevitable.  Nor  does  it  follow  that  because  one  is  called 
on  a  specicl  jury  one  will  be  required  to  serve.  Day  after 
day  one  may  sit  in  the  courts  doing  nothing,  as  a  juror- 
in-waiting,  and  be  finally  discharged  without  even  the 
satisfaction  of  having  helped  to  decide  a  case.  One  feels 
that  these  days  have  been  wasted  for  no  purpose  what 
ever,  that  no  one  is  any  the  better  for  one's  obedience 
and  law-abidingness,  and  that  one's  self  is  very  much  the 
worse.  The  one  thing  that  a  juror-in-waiting  can  do  is 
to  sit  and  meditate  upon  the  absurdities  of  the  present 
system,  and  the  possibilities  of  any  improvement. 

There  are  two  ways  in  which  it  seems  possible  that 
the  system  might  be  altered.  They  are,  of  course,  the 
suggestions  of  a  superficialist,  and  I  am  quite  prepared 
to  hear  that  they  are  impracticable,  but  I  don't  see  how 
they  could  be  any  worse  than  the  system  in  vogue- 
One  method  would  be  to  allow  a  man,  who  has  been 
called  to  serve  on  a  special  jury,  to  pay  a  substitute.  At 
first  sight  it  looks  as  if  this  would  lead  to  a  class  of  pro- 
fessional jurors  being  established,  and,  in  consequence, 
to  dishonesty.  Undoubtedly  such  a  class  would  be  es- 
tablished, but  I  do  not  see  that  there  would  be  any 
necessity  for  the  dishonesty.  The  professional  juror 
need  not  know  until  the  last  minute  in  what 
court  he  will  be  required  to  serve,  and  those 
interested  in  the  case  need  not  know  until  the  last 
minute  of  whom  the  jury  will  consist.  Indeed,  in  some 
cases,  I  think  that  the  professional  juror  would  be  an 
advantage.  One  does  almost  everything  better  if  one 
practises  it,  and  this  applies  to  jurors'  work  as  well  as  to 
bicycle-riding  or  piano-playing.  Besides,  here  is  a  new 
profession  open.  The  unemployed  are  not  confined  to 
the  poorest  or  the  lowest  classes.  There  are  many  men 
of  intelligence,  character,  education,  and  position  who 
can  find  nothing  remunerative  to  do.  Professional  juries 
would  give  them  a  chance. 

The  other  way  is,  perhaps,  even  more  revolutionary.  It 
is  difficult  to  understand  why  we  want  twelve  men  to 
decide  one  thing.  What  is  the  particular  virtue  in  the 
number  twelve?  What  difference  would  it  make  if 
there  were  six,  ten,  or  a  hundred  and  forty-two  ? 
What^advantage  do  we  get  by  having  these  twelve  men 
in  court  to  listen  to  what  the  judge  has  to  say,  and 
carry  out  his  [instructions  implicitly,  'when,  if  the 
twelve  men  were  not  there,  exactly  the  same  result 
would  be  obtained  by  the  judge  giving  the  verdict  him- 
self. Why  put  men  who  are  not  lawyers  to  settle  ques- 
tions of  law  ?  In  a  word,  trial  by  jury  is,  I  suppose — 
as  I  have  frequently  been  told  so— one  of  the  bulwarks 
of  our  Constitution.  But  I  propose  to  abolish  it,  and 
assign  to  the  judge  the  work  at  present  nomi- 
nally done  by  the  jury.  Much  time  and  money 
would  be  saved,  and  much  discomfort  would  be  avoided. 
Nor  do  I  think  that  anyone  will  suggest  that  this  pro- 
posal could  possibly  lead  to  injustice  or  dishonesty.  At 
any  rate,  I  make  the  suggestion.  It  seems  to  me  that 
almost  any  change  from  the  present  wasteful,  irritating, 
and  stupid  system  would  inevitably  be  a  change  for  the 
better. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

J.  D.  sends  me  an  account  of  a  Salvation  Army  meeting  in 
Sunderland.  The  gentlemen  of  the  press  seem  to  have  come  off 
badly  at  this    meeting.    First  of  all,   they  were  allotted 


the  "  penitents'  form,"  and  the  audience  prayed  aloud  to 
the  Lord  to  save  them.  Later  on  it  was  suggested  that  they 
should  subscribe  to  the  collection,  upon  which  they  appear  to 
have  left  the  hall.  Judging  from  this,  if  I  were  a  repoiter  I 
would  rather  go  and  report  upon  a  new  dance  at  a  music  hall 
than  attend  a  Salvation  Army  meeting. 

Jack. — I  sympathise  with  your  desire  to  improve  your  posi- 
tion, only  remember  the  old  homely  proverb  of  not  throwing  away 
dirty  water  until  you  have  got  clean.  Go  in  for  the  examina- 
tion by  all  means,  but  do  not  throw  up  your  present  position 
until  you  are  firmly  established  in  another.  I  do  not  believe 
much  in  instruction  through  the  post.  Cannot  you  find  a  coach 
in  London  ? 

R.  writes  me  as  follows  with  reference  to  my  astonishment  at 
finding  that  clergymen,  not  themselves  teetotallers,  should  be 
determined  speakers  at  teetotal  gatherings: — "I  regret  to  say 
that  I  think  you  will  find  on  further  inquiry  that  such  eases  are 
by  no  means  uncommon.  Speaking  of  the  clergy  of  the  Church 
of  England — not  in  malice,  for  I  hope  to  be  one  of  them  myself 
— if  you  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  the  majority  of 
churches  have  '  Bands  of  Hope,'  and  the  majority  of  the  clergy 
are  not  teetotallers  themselves,  you  will  see  that  this  anomaly  of 
the  clergy  advocating  principles  which  they  do  not  hold  them- 
selves is  not  infrequent.  I  have  come  across  many  such  instances 
myself.  If  the  congregation  regard  a  '  Band  of  Hope '  as  a 
necessity,  the  clergy  are  compelled  to  undertake  the  charge  of 
the  same  in  deference  to  their  wishes,  with  this  result.  I  think 
that  there  is  no  attempt  to  deceive,  and  no  harm  done,  for  the 
clergy  may  fully  believe  in  '  Band  of  Hope '  principles,  and  yet 
not  follow  them  themselves,  nor  be  '  teetotal  bigots.'  All  the 
same,  it  would  be  better  if  the  '  Bands  of  Hope '  could  be 
temperance,  and  not  teetotal."  I  agree  with  my  correspondent. 
The  forcing  of  teetotalism  into  the  position  of  a  dogma  has  done 
nothing  but  spread  hypocrisy.  But  I  suppose  that  in  England 
this  is  considered  a  benefit. 

Welshman  sends  me  a  cutting  from  the  Cardiff  Western  Mail, 
from  which  it  seems  that  on  the  Cardiff  Board  of  Guardians  they 
possess  a  broad-minded  and  sensible  parson,  the  Rev.  G.  A. 
Jones.  The  guardians  were  examining  applicants  for  the  post  of 
labour  superintendent  and  hairdresser  for  the  workhouse.  It 
seems  an  odd  combination,  but  that  en  passant.  A  few  fussy 
members  of  the  board  insisted  on  questioning  each  candidate  as 
to  whether  or  not  he  was  a  total  abstainer.  At  last  the  Rev.  G. 
A.  Jones  rose  and  asked  a  candidate  bluntly:  "Are  you  a 
drunkard  ? "  Upon  surprise  being  expressed,  the  reverend 
gentleman  told  his  teetotal  fellow  guardians  that  his  question 
was  not  more  impertinent  than  theirs,  and  added  that  so  long  as 
a  man  was  decent  and  worthy  they  had  no  right  to  ask  if  he  was 
an  abstainer  or  not.  Such  men  as  the  Rev.  G.  A.  Jones  are 
needed.    The  pity  is  there  are  not  more  of  them. 

Vigilant. — You  will  have  less  reason  to  complain  of  the  cover 
as  time  goes  on.  It  seems  to  be  an  exceedingly  difficult  thing  to 
find  a  blue  ink  that  dries  quickly,  but  I  am  glad  to  say  that  our 
printers  have  made  great  improvement,  and  are  still  working  in 
the  same  direction. 

Mancunian  tells  me  of  action  on  the  part  of  the  Blackbr-n 
Weavers'  Union  that  it  seems  impossible  to  credit.  A  Black- 
burn employer  received  an  order  for  artist's  canvas.  He  offered  to 
pay  extra  wages  for  having  it  well  made.  The  operatives 
refused,  declaring  they  would  not  make  it  at  any  price.  The 
order  has  gone  to  Germany.  The  Textile  Mercury  comments 
bitterly  upon  the  case,  and  well  it  may  if  there  is  no  further 
explanation  to  be  offered.  One  would  think  that  even  the 
officials  of  a  union  would  have  sufficient  sense  to  see  the  disad- 
vantage of  deliberately  driving  work  out  of  the  country.  v 

Anglo- Australian.  —  Thanks  for  your  kind  appreciative 
letter.  I  am  glad  to  find  To-Day  is  so  liked  in  your  colony,  and 
that  its  City  article  is  of  use.  I  received  my  information  as  to 
the  antagonism  of  a  certain  section  of  Australians  towards  Eng- 
land from  fairly  reliable  sources,  but  I  should  be  only  too  willing 
to  be  convinced  that  my  informant  was  mistaken,  and  your  letter 
goes  far  to  this  end.  Colonial  subscribers  can  obtain  any  of  the 
books  on  the  list  as  easily  as  anyone  in  England  can,  and  the 
railway  insurance  does  hold  good  for  them.  The  annual  sub- 
scription would  be  thirteen  shillings,  and  postage  of  the  book 
selected. 

Traveller,  who  has  had  a  painful  experience  of  suburban 
lines,  makes  various  suggestions.  He  urges — as  a  good  many 
have  urged  before- — that  the  name  of  the  station  should  stand  out 
fror*  the  mass  of  advertisements  with  which  it  is  surrounded,  so 
that  a  man  might  know  whether  the  spot  at  which  he  had 
arrived  was  Hackney  or  Homocea,  and  not  alight  at  Kew  in 
consequence  of  seeing  an  advertisement  of  Richmond  Gem 
Cigarettes.  Seeing  that  morning  and  evening  trains  generally 
contain  eighteen  passengers  to  the  compartment,  my  correspon- 
dent suggests  that  rails  should  be  placed  across  the  roof  for  those 
standing  up  to  hold  on  to.  At  present,  with  each  jerk  of  the 
train,  standers  and  sitters  are  mingled  in  a  wild  and  angry 
heap. 

L.  B. — I  read  your  letter  with  interest.  It  would  be  a  grand 
thing  for  the  world  if  the  principles  of  truth  and  honesty  were 
the  basis  of  our  social  and  political  life.  But  then  the  world 
would  no  longer  be  the  world,  but  heaven.  Human  nature  has 
a  long  way  to  travel  before  that  goal  is  reached. 

(Several  ansivers  are  unavoidably  croivded  out  this  week.) 


340 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1895. 


HINTS  ON  LONG-DISTANCE 
CYCLING. 

Arithmetical  cycling  is  a  phrase  of  the  scornful  be- 
stowed on  riders  whose  passion  for  the  pastime  spends 
itself  in  counting  milestones,  and  chronicling  daily  dis- 
tances, weekly  averages,  and  yearly  totals ;  but  the 
arithmetic  of  cycling  survives  derision,  and  appeals  in 
some  degree  to  every  rider  small  or  great.  The  novice 
who  has  just  learned  to  ride,  and  suddenly  finds  his 
horizon  of  personal  unaided  travel  indefinitely  extend- 
ing, enjoys  his  own  astonishment  and  the  surprise 
of  his  acquaintances  at  his  new  -  found  ability  to 
cover  thirty  miles  with  perfect  ease,  when 
a  dozen  miles  on  foot  would  be  an  irksome 
toil.  The  ordinary  man  taking  to  cycling  cannot 
avoid  noticing  the  multiplication  table  at  work  upon  his 
leg-power.  The  arithmetic  of  his  new  experience  stares 
him  in  the  face,  and  he  cannot  be  blind  to  it.  "  I  can 
ride  twice  as  far  as  I  could  walk,"  he  says,  "  in  half  the 
time,  and  with  a  tenth  of  the  fatigue,"  and  his  pleasure 
in  these  figures  prompts  him  to  endless  quiet  little 
boastings  of  his  prowess.  The  ordinary  man  who  suffers 
from  this  foible  usually  adds  an  apologetic  qualification 
to  his  braggings.  "  Not  bad  for  a  novice,  eh  ? "  or  "  Of 
course  I'm  only  an  amateurish  rider,"  but  whatever 
modifications  or  excuses  for  his  performances  he  makes, 
he  will  undoubtedly  be  proud  of  his  best  day's  ride. 
Every  rider  has  a  "  best  on  record  "  for  himself, 
which  he  likes  to  improve  upon  or  remember  as 
a  performance,  and  it  is  not  the  men  whose 
bests  on  record  are  better  than  anybody  else's 
that  usually  make  the  most  clatter  about  themselves,  as 
other  people  do  it  for  them,  and  it  has  become  the 
fashion  for  a  man  whose  rides  are  really  extraordinary 
to  adopt  a  modest,  self-deprecating  attitude  towards 
them.  It  gives  the  key  for  an  extra  song  of  praise  from 
the  hero  worshippers,  and  adds  another  colour  to  the 
irridescence  of  his  halo. 

Cyclists  who  do  not  race,  or  who  have  never  raced, 
are  always  ready  to  assert  that  they  ride  for  pleasure 
only,  as  though  the  racing  man  were  a  tortured  soul, 
work  ing  out  his  own  damnation.  Yet  it  is  the  demands  of 
the  racers  that  have  led  to  all  the  chief  improvements  in 
cycles,  and  it  is  by  eopying  the  methods  of  long-distance 
performers  that  the  tourist  can  extend  his  own  powers 
of  enduring  a  tour.  The  Moloch  of  Speed  is  a  good 
enough  god  to  throw  stones  at,  but  the  merely-for- 
pleasure  rider  has  to  thank  the  speed  men  for  the 
modern  bicycle.  The  ordinary  roadster  bicycle  of 
to  day  is  ahead  of  the  racing  mounts  of  the  past  decade, 
because  as  the  racers  have  been  built  faster  and  faster 
the  pleasure  bicycles  have  followed  in  their  train,  and 
it  should  be  remembered  by  those  who  sneer  at  speed 
and  love  their  ease,  that  anything  which  makes  cycling 
faster  for  the  fast,  makes  it  easier  for  those  who  prefer 
to  hurry  slowly. 

This  comparison  must  not  be  pushed  too  far  ;  the 
ordinary  rider  would  be  as  great  a  fool  to  expect  to 
tour  in  Devonshire  on  a  track-racing  safety  as  the  man 
who  would  harness  a  racehorse  to  an  omnibus,  or  put  a 
Great  Northern  8-footer  on  duty  in  the  shunting-yard. 
Each  to  its  purpose,  and  a  non-racing,  touring,  pleasure 
rider  must  eschew  the  high  gears  of  the  sprinters,  who 
only  want  to  go  short  spurts  at  top  speed,  and  adopt  a 
low  gear  on  which  a  less  exalted  average  speed  can  be 
much  longer  maintained. 

This  question  of  gearing  is  a  vital  one.  Gear  low  is 
the  cardinal  precept  to  secure  ease  in  long-distance  riding. 
Nine-tenths  of  the  riders  of  the  day  are  over-geared,  and 
to  this  evil  may  be  put  down  that  appearance  of  hard 
labour  that  cycling  sometimes  presents  to  an  onlooker. 
A  low  gear  is  easier  to  drive  uphill,  against  the  wind,  or 
in  any  unfavourable  condition,  and  its  only  drawback  is 
the  fast  rate  of  pedalling  when  running  at  excessive 
speed.     Even  then  it  is  easier  to  learn  to  pakl  fast 


than  to  be  "  plugging "  for  ever  at  a  machine  geared 
beyond  one's  strength.  A  high  gear  means  that  the 
legs  are  doing  hard  work  slowly,  while  on  a  low  gear 
light  rapid  pedalling  is  needed  to  go  fast,  and  it  is 
almost  no  work  at  all  to  go  slowly.  On  a  high  gear  a 
low  pace  does  not  mean  rest ;  the  condition  is  akin  to 
that  of  starting  the  machine  at  every  push,  while  with  a 
low  gear  it  needs  scarcely  more  than  the  weight  of  the 
leg  on  the  pedal  to  push  the  machine  along  at  a  mild 
pace.  Gear  should  be  proportional  to  the  rider's 
strength,  and  low,  except  for  sprint  racing ;  more  comfort 
can  be  found  on  a  sixty-inch  gear,  or  even  less,  than  in 
the  high-speed  sixty-eights  and  seventy-twos.  Theplea^ure 
bicycle  should  have  full  roadster  tyres.  There  is  no  fun 
in  the  frequent  repair  of  thin  racing  tubes.  They  arefaster 
of  course  between  the  punctures,  but  their  riskiness  is 
not  worth  the  substantial  freedom  from  trouble  associa- 
ted with  a  first-class  roadster  tyre.  As  to  weight  most 
machines  are  unnecessarily  heavy,  and  thirty-five  pounds 
should  be  an  outside  maximum  for  a  fully-equipped 
machine  with  brake,  mudguards,  and  the  chain  covered 
in  a  case.  These  remarks  apply  to  single  safety  bicycles, 
the  predominant  type  of  machine,  different  conditions 
obtaining  in  respect  of  double  bicycles,  and  the  tricycle, 
that  select  mount,  favoured  only  by  a  few,  but  neverthe- 
less a  type  that  those  few  will  not  willingly  let  die. 

On  a  low-geared  bicycle  the  ordinary  man  can  accom- 
plish much  in  the  ordinary  way. 

Practised  riders,  who,  after  all  is  said,  are  only  ordinary 
persons  with  the  fever  for  cycling  in  an  acute  stage  of 
development,  have  easily  exceeded  a  total  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  on  the  public  roads  between 
two  midnights,  and  scores  upon  scores  of  riders  can  do 
their  double  century  in  the  daylight  of  an  autumn  day. 
It  has  ceased  to  be  an  athletic  feat  to  ride  a  hundred 
miles  between  breakfast  and  bed-time,  and  has  become 
quite  an  ordinary  phenomenon.  In  order  to  ride  a 
long  way  in  the  day,  it  is  well  to  avoid  a  mid-day  meal 
of  a  substantial  character.  It  is  impossible  to  ride 
comfortably  directly  after  a  square  feed.  The  all-day 
racing  man  feeds  himself  on  the  day  of  his  trial  as 
if  he  were  an  invalid.  Beef  teas,  meat  juices,  portable 
foods,  milky  puddings,  fruit,  even  drugs  to  kill 
the  craving  for  food  are  taken.  This  course  (with  the 
exception  of  the  last  item,  which  is  seldom  excusable 
in  a  race,  and  never  in  a  pleasure  trip)  might  sen  e  as 
a  hint  to  tourists.  Let  them  feed  after  the  journey  is 
done,  with  steaks  and  chops  or  the  full  routine  of  a 
heavy  dinner,  but  not  en  route,  for  then  he  is  best 
fueled  with  light  stuffs  easy  to  swallow  and  readily 
assimilated.  Cycling  is  a  bodily  exercise  and  needs  the 
body  to  be  fitly  nourished,  but  no  man  can  build  his 
body  up  for  a  performance  on  the  'day  thereof.  That 
process  precedes  his  effort,  and  on  the  day  he  feeds 
chiefly  on  himself,  and  uses  either  directly  digestible 
essences,  or  mere  fill-ups.  So  the  tourist  cannot  enjoy 
his  tour  unfit  and  unprepared.  If  the  ordinary  man 
tries  to  ride  his  hundred  he  must  have  a  few 
preliminary  evening  canters,  he  must  be  in  sound 
bodily  health  and  accustom  his  muscles  to  the  special 
exercise  of  riding.  The  secret  of  success  of  a  long- 
distance racing  man  is  identical  with  the  secret  of 
enjoyment  of  a  pleasure  rider.  Neither  does  well  unfit 
and  unprepared,  for  it  is  a  dull  agony  to  over-ride  one's 
self  when  out  of  condition.  Another  useful  tip  is  never 
to  hurry  or  put  on  steam  at  pressure,  especially  uphill. 
The  work  should  be  kept  pretty  constant  and  well 
within  one's  powers.  -  If  the  road  varies  as  to  difficulty, 
let  the  pace,  not  your  work,  be  the  corresponding 
variable  quantity.  It  pays  to  crawl  uphill,  and.  if  clear, 
to  flutter  down.  It  never  pays  to  sprint,  or  put  all  in,  over  a 
stiff  crest.  It  is  hard  to  go  slow  at  first  when  it  all  seems 
so  easy,  but  it  is  an  essential  for  successfully  riding  far. 
An  extra  mile  per  hour  at  first,  or  an  injudicious  rush 
and  struggle  early  in  the  day  either  against  the  w  ind  or 
at  a  stiff  gradient,  will  leave  its  mark  on  the  rest  of  the 
ride.    Never  bustle  yourself,  and  your  gross  total  will 


April  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


341 


be  greater.  Long  rides  are  not  built  up  of  sprints  and 
ci-awls,  but  are  the  result  of  steady,  uniform  exertion, 
which  for  a  track-rider  means  uniform  pace,  but  on  the 
road  means  pace  regulated  by  the  varieties  of  resistances 
encountered.  Yet  another  point,  and  that  is,  never 
mind  if  you  feel  ,-Tather  tired  soon  after  half-way. 
Nurse  yourself  by  crawling  for  a  mile  or  two  and  the 
tired  feeling  will  evaporate.  It  is  better  to  coax  one's 
self  along  gently  than  to  get  off  and  rest  and  stiffen  the 
muscles  thereby.  Fatigue,  when  cycling,  seems  to 
mysteriously  disappear.  You  apparently  reach  your 
limit,  and  after  a  while  a  "  second  wind  " 
of  renewed  energy  comes,  and  this  secondary 
or  induced  store  of  power  usually  lasts  indefi- 
nitely. It  is  a  common  experience  of  long-distance 
men  that  when  once  their  "  bad  time  "  has  passed  they 
can  continue  to  the  end. 

It  is  an  advantage  in  riding  for  long  distances  to  have 
a  companion,  not  necessarily  in  imitation  of  the  speed 
men  whose  friends  ride  with  them  in  relays  as  wind 
cutters,  but  for  company's  sake.  Riding  in  solitude 
seems  extraordinarily  hard  work  compared  with  riding 
in  company ;  the  difference  is  enormous,  and  hardly 
credible  to  one  who  has  not  compared  the  two  in  his 
own  experience,  but  it  is  wise  to  agree  beforehand  not 
to  indulge  in  little  competitions  by  the  way.  To  sum 
the  matter,  the  chief  points  are,  to  gear  low,  never  to 
hurry,  to  avoid  indigestible  foods  or  much  drink  of  any 
sort,  and  to  battle  with  the  first  symptoms  of  fatigue  by 
persevering  through  a  "  bad  time,"  and  so  will  the 
ordinary  rider  who  wants  to  ride  far  find  himself  pretty 
easily  able  to  do  it. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


The  interest  aroused  by  witnessing  his  arrest,  led 
me  to  Bow  Street,  last  week,  to  hear  the  trial  of  Wilde. 
The  change  in  him  was  less  than  I  expected.  He 
was  slightly  thinner.  There  was  a  certain  hunted,  defiant 
look,  occasionally  mixed  with  a  contemptuous  sneer  in  his 
expression  as  he  looked  round  the  court.  He  has  never 
held  what  I  should  call  conventional  opinions  on  any 
subject.  I  could  almost  imagine  him  saying  to  himself 
when  any  particular  piece  of  evidence  came  out,  that 
almost  sent  a  shudder  round  the  court,  "  Do  with  me 
as  you  will.  I  am  by  myself,  and  am  indifferent  to  your 
opinions  on  all  matters,  but  the  power  is  with  you." 
He  looked  up  from  time  to  time  and  calmly  faced 
journalists  who,  with  note-books  and  pencils,  were  sketch- 
ing his  features. 

Now  and  then  a  slight  smile  crossed  his  face  at  some 
point  or  other  in  the  evidence,  but  only  once  did  he 
appear  angry.  That  was  when  some  reporter,  reaching 
across  with  his  flimsy,  caused  him  to  drop  his  hat  in  the 
dust.  He  raised  it  as  a  mother  might  have  raised  a  run- 
over  child,  flicked  the  dust  off  with  his  gloves,  wiped  its 
glossy  face  with  his  handkerchief,  and  gently  smoothed 
it  with  the  thick  sleeve  of  his  overcoat.  A  strange- 
looking — almost  cadaverous — man  he  appeared  as  he  sat 
with  his  heavy,  massive  face  leant  upon  his  hand — a 
somewhat  un-understandable  man.  At  times  one  would 
havethought  he  was  only  bored  by^the  whole  proceedings  ; 
at  other  moments,  when  thought  seemed  to  be  pressing 
itself  upon  him  against  his  will,  the  nerves  of  his  face 
would  twitch  involuntarily,  so  that  one  almost  expected 
him  to  break  down. 

As  for  the  crowd  that  filled  the  court,  apart  from 
those  whowere  r.here  on business,it  was  an  ugly  crowd — a 
crowd  that  made  one  feel  unpleasant  to  be  among — a  crowd 
of  eager  satyr-like  faces,  that  seemed  to  have  come  there 
to  gloat  over  and  to  feed  on  their  favourite  offal.  Nor  was 
the  appearance  of  the  witnesses  calculated  to  refresh  the 


jaded  eye.  Altogether  one  came  away  from  the  court 
thinking  that  if  mankind — as  they  fondly  imagine  them- 
selves to  be — are  the  most  important  creatures  in  the 
universe,  then  one  would  rather  not  become  acquainted 
with  the  lower  order. 


It  seems  that  the  police  are  determined  to  stamp  out 
a  certain  class  of  clubs  in  the  West-end.  One  or  two 
a  night  now  seems  the  average.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
the  police  are  about  the  very  last  that  desire  this  kind  of 
thing.  Closing  one  of  these  clubs  is  about  as  exhilarat- 
ing and  useful  as  turning  a  time-glass  upside  down, 
and  pointing  to  the  top  as  proving  that  the  sand  had 
ceased  to  exist,  and  covering  the  base  with  your  hand. 
To-night  one  is  shut  up  nominally,  and  the  following 
night  there  is  a  "friendly  lead" — in  coster  parlance — 
to  help  the  owner  to  pay  his  fine. 


Some  twelve  months  ago,  with  the  aid  of  a  private 
detectivj  I  visited  most  of  these  clubs.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  certain  people  would  object  to  all  that 
goes  on  there.  For  instance,  the  men  gamble,  play 
baccarat,  faro,  and  rouge-et-noir.  Also  any  ladies  who 
may  be  present  in  the  club,  smoke.  Well,  Sir  John 
Bridge  has  laid  down  the  law  in  a  memorable  case  that 
it  is  no  offence  for  a  lady  to  smoke  in  public,  and  that 
a  publican  who  turns  out  any  woman  for  such  an  act 
does  it  at  his  own  peril.  Apart  from  that,  one  has  only 
to  go  into  the  Cavour  and  a  dozen  other  places  at  night 
to  see  ladies  smoking,  and  it  is,  I  am  sure,  an  assump- 
tion of  innocence  that  could  make  one  believe  the  ex- 
citement over  a  game  of  dominoes  in  the  Cafe  Royal  was 
purely  through  love  of  the  sport. 


During  the  time  I  was  engaged  going  to  these  clubs 
I  found  that  in  practically  every  case,  so  far  as 
drunkenness  and  so  far  as  bad  language  was  concerned, 
they  could,  allowing  for  the  difference  in  membership, 
compete  on  equal  terms  with  West-end  clubs.  Cer- 
tainly, the  class  of  company  you  met  there  was  not 
the  class  you  would  desire  to  be  acknowledged  by  in 
any  street  on  the  following  morning.  At  one  club  in 
New  Compton  Street  which  I  remember,  there  were  no 
doubt  a  number  of  men  whom  the  West-end  police 
only  know  through  suspicion  or  conviction.  But  they 
were  invariably  well-conducted. 


Roughly,  this  is  a  general  description  of  the  nature 
of  these  clubs.  There  are  a  number  of  foreigners  en- 
gaged throughout  the  day  chiefly  as  waiters  at  res- 
taurants. With  a  natural  desire  for  a  little  sociable 
intercourse  after  the  day's  work  they  join  some  club, 
and  when  they  meet  there  they,  as  might  be  expected, 
indulge  in  a  little  gambling,  or,  which  is  equally  pos- 
sible when  a  Frenchman  and  a  German  meet,  a  certain 
amount  of  altercation.  The  character  of  the  building 
seems  invariably  the  same.  You  knock  at  the  door, 
and  a  face  peeps  at  you  through  the  grille.  "Are  you 
a  member?"  is  the  first  thing  you  hear,  and  the  face 
assures  itself  that  you  are  not  a  detective,  oraspy.  You 
enter.  Originally  the  house  was  a  private. one,  but  for 
the  purposes  of  a.  club  the  front  sitting-room,  and  the 
adjacent  breakfast-room,  have  been  knocked  into  one. 
Under  the  window  which  faces  the  street,  and  which  is 
boarded  and  padded  in  order  to  ensure  absolute  silence, 
is  a  bar,  fitted  up  in  the  usual  fashion.  Once  inside 
there  is  no  question  as  to  membership.  You  can  order 
what  you  like,  and  pay  directly  for  it.  The  prices  are 
moderate.  At  one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  there 
is  a  movement  towards  the  adjoining  room.  Banker  is 
being  played,  and  the  bettors  have  by  this  time  been 
reinforced  by  a  considerable  number  of  the  local  trades- 
men. Bets  are  made  and  honoured,  and  beyond  an 
occasional  oath  when  the  luck  has  gone  against  the 
gambler,  little  is  said.  The  women  present  may  or 
may  not  join  in  the  game,  but  it  is  certain  that  what- 
ever may  be  their  position  they  are  always  protected 


342 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1895. 


from  the  slightest  insult,  and  I  have  seen  a  rough- 
looking  man  double  a  small  foreigner  in  halves  for 
merely  throwing  a  kiss  to  one  of  them. 

But  to  go  back  to  the  night  of  the  "  friendly  lead." 
The  place  was  crowded.  A  concert  had  been  arranged, 
and  the  performers  were  mainly  from  the  audience. 
Everyone  drank  champagne,  but  no  one  seemed  to  pay 
for  it.  A  Frenchman  got  up  on  the  small  platform 
and  sang  Armande  Silvestre's  version  of  the  song  popu- 
lar to  England,  under  the  name  of  "  Finiculi  Finicula." 
There  was  a  dead  silence  over  the  whole  place.  Then 
an  Englishman,  started  some  row  with  a  Frenchman. 
The  proceedings  were  a  study  in  national  characteris- 
tics. The  Frenchman  raged  and  stormed  and 
threatened.  The  Englishman  never  spoke  a  word, 
simply  regarding  him  with  half-closed  eyes  and  a 
squared  jaw.  Suddenly,  when  things  had  gone  far 
enough,  he  pulled  his  clenched  hands  from  his  pockets, 
and  said,  "  Stop  it " — and  the  Frenchman  stopped. 

The  feature  of  the  evening  was  the  appearance  of  a 
young  lady,  who,  for  a  small  consideration  in  shillings, 
brought  up  a  pink  frock,  blue  stockings,  and  a  reper- 
toire of  music-hall  songs.  She  sang  one  song,  and 
threw  any  quantity  of  vulgarity  into  it.  Then  there 
was  a  cry  of  "  Over !  "  and  before  most  of  us  knew  what 
was  happening,  she  was,  amid  loud  laughter,  turning 
catherine-wheels  on  the  floor.  It  was  a  show  devoid 
of  any  artistic  beauty.  You  could  see  it  done  much 
better  at  a.  high-class  West-end  theatre.  Everyone 
seemed  to  long  for  the  tables  to  lie  broken  up  and 
turned  into  gambling  boards,  but  I  will  leave  a  des- 
cription of  the  gambling  and  the  gamesters  till  next 
week,  and  deal  also  with  clubs  of  another  class. 


I  may  as  well  set  at  rest  a  story  that  for  some  reason 
or  another  has  been  set  in  motion  that  To-Day  is  re- 
sponsible for  a  journal  that  has  been  lately  put  upon 
the  market.  As  a  matter  of  fact  nobody,  I  believe, 
connected  with  this  office  had  ever  heard  of  the  journal 
save  through  this  fiction. 


Driving  through  Hertford  the  other  day  I  dropped 
into  a  little  barber's  shop  for  a  shave.  Judge  of  my 
surprise  when  I  found  that  the  old  barber  was  no  other 
than  Billy  Caffyn,  the  once  famous  Surrey  cricketer. 
Caffyn  was,  years  gone  by,  the  best  batsman  and  bowler 
of  his  day.  Eventually  he  went  out  to  Australia,  he  and 
Stevenson  taking  out  the  first  English  team  to  visit 
the  Colonies. 


Caffyn  stayed  in  Australia,  and  may  be  said  to  have 
been  the  apostle  of  the  game  there.  He  had  amongst 
his  many  pupils,  Murdoch  and  Bannerman,  and  South 
Australians  modelled  both  their  batting  and  bowling 
on  his  vigorous  style.  He  was  the  first  to  inculcate 
the  necessity  of  break-bowling,  one  of  his  favourite 
sayings  being:  "Pitch  is  as  easy  as  melted  butter." 
His  batting  was  very  clean  and  hard,  though  without 
the  minor  graces  of  style  and  delicacy. 


A  story  is  told  of  him  which  will  bear  repeating. 
"  Terrible  Billy,"  as  they  called  him  in  Australia,  was 
batting,  and  a  little  but  very  active  point,  named  T.  J. 
Kelly,  kept  fielding  his  best  hits  in  such  a  way  as  to 
make  the  great  batsman  savage.  "Get  out  of  the 
way,  Kelly,  or  I'll  kill  you,"  he  thundered.  The  next 
ball  was  to  the  off,  and  Caffyn  smote  it  as  hard  as 
possible  in  the  direction  of  Kelly's  head.  It  went  like 
a  cannon  ball,  and  had  it  reached  its  mark  there  would 
probably  have  been  an  inquest.  But  Kelly  was  ready, 
and  snapped  the  ball.  "  The  best  catch  I  over  saw/' 
said  Billy  ruefully,  as  he  wended  his  way  to  the  pavilion. 

Now  poor  old  Billy  Caffyn,  who  must  be  nearly  three- 
score years  and  tun,  is  engaged  in  scraping  chins  at 
three-halfpence  a  time.      It  is  very  sad  to  think  that 


this  grand  cricketer  should  have  to  work  at  this  time 
of  life,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  someone  may  be  able 
to  suggest  something  whereby  the  rest  of  his  life  may 
be  spent  in  comparative  ease.  A  benefit  match  might 
be  got  up  for  him.    What  do  my  readers  say] 

The  sad  fate  of  Major  Sudell  may  have  the  effect  of 
acting  as  a  warning  to  those  persons  who  allow  their 
enthusiasm  for  football  to  run  away  with  them  to  the 
extent  of  financing  a  professional  club.  Sudell  has 
been  sentenced  to  three  years'  penal  servitude  for  em- 
bezzling large  sums,  said  to  amount  to  £5,000,  from 
his  employers,  large  mill  owners  in  Lancashire.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  he  impoverished  himself  by  keeping 
the  Preston  North  End  Club  going  for  several  years 
when  it  was  in  great  financial  straits.  Sudell  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  professionalism  in  football,  and  he 
practically  made  the  Preston  Club  what  it  was  in  the 
zenith  of  its  glory,  when  it  won  the  English  Cup  with- 
out having  a  single  goal  scored  against  it  in  the 
competition. 


A  friend  of  mine  who  knows  more  about  such  matters 
than  I  do,  tells  me  that  Morrell,  the  jockey,  who  bought 
The  Crust  so  cheaply  for  Mr.  Netten,  is  not  the  Jack 
Morrell  who  rides  now  for  a  Lewes  stable.  The  former 
Morrell  was  apprenticed  to  Mat.  Dawson,  for  whom 
he  won  the  Great  Ehor  Handicap  in  1877  on  II  Gladia- 
tore,  beating  Mrs.  Pond  by  a  short  head.  He  afterwards 
rode  for  W.  Goater,  and  finally  for  F.  Barratt,  Goater's 
son-in-law.  The  year  that  Strathem  won  the  Royal 
Hunt  Cup,  Morrell  performed  the  hat  trick  at  Ascot 
with  three  winners  in  succession.  He  has  since  retired 
from  riding,  and  married  Mr.  Netten's  daughter.  That 
gentleman,  who  has  been  lucky  in  buying  one  of  the 
best  two-year-olds  seen  out  this  year,  is,  I  believe,  a 
tradesman  in  North  London. 


Storer,  who  had  the  honour  of  keeping  goal  in  the 
match,  English  League  v.  Scottish  League,  is  the 
regular  goal-keeper  of  the  Woolwich  Arsenal  Club. 
The  choice  made  amends  to  him  for  his  being  passed 
over  by  the  Football  Association  in  all  the  International 
matches,  even  as  a  reserve.  He  is  certainly  the  best 
goal-keeper  in  the  south.  He  is  a  brother  of  Storer, 
the  Derby  County  Cricket  Club's  wicket-keeper,  and 
goes  north  this  season  as  coach  to  the  Drumpellier 
Cricket  Club. 


Surrey  has  won  the  South  Eastern  Counties'  Asso- 
ciation Football  Championship.  Its  scores  were: — v. 
Hants  won  by  5  goals  to  2,  v.  Berks  and  Bucks  won  by 
4 — 2,  v.  Middlesex  won  by  2 — 0,  v.  Kent  drawn  3  all, 
and  v.  Sussex  won  by  6—2.  Surrey  has  the  advantage 
of  including  in  its  available  list  of  players  several  well- 
known  Corinthians. 


Next  Saturday  (April  20th),  the  League  Champion- 
ship will  probably  be  decided  by  the  game  between 
Sunderland  and  Everton  on  the  ground  of  the  former. 
Everton,  however,  even  if  they  win,  will  not  be  out  of 
the  wood,  as  on  the  following  Wednesday  (the  24th) 
they  have  to  play  their  final  match  with  Aston  Villa  at 
Perry  Barr.  Intense  interest  is  being  taken  in  Lan- 
cashire in  both  these  games. 


There  was  quite  an  invasion  of  Scotch  clubs  in  tho 
South  this  Easter,  among  the  visiting  clubs  being 
Battlefield,  a  Scotch  amateur  club,  Dumbarton,  and 
Third  Lanark.  The  Corinthians  as  usual  went  on  tour 
to  Liverpool,  Derby,  and  Birmingham. 


In  the  event  of  Lord  March  declining  to  act  as 
Steward  of  the  Jockey  Club  for  a  third  time,  little  diffi- 
culty should  be  experienced  in  selecting  his  successor. 
Prince  Soltykoff,  Mr.  Lowther,  Lord  Durham,  and  Mr. 
J.  H.  Houldsworth,  have  proved  that  they  are  well 
versed  in  all  the  rules  of  racing,  whilst  Mr.  C.  D.  Rose, 


I 

I 


April  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


343 


Mr.  Paget,  Lord  Penrhyn,  Marquis  of  Zetland,  and 
Earl  oi  Dunraven,  would  certainly  allow  themselves  to 
be  nominated. 


tance  of  the  Cesarewitch  is  a  mile  and  a  half  longer 
than  the  Jubilee,  and  over  half  a  mile  further  than  the 
Manchester  track. 


Prince  Soltykoff  was  senior  steward  three  years 
ago.  Probably  there'  is  no  more  popular  foreigner  con- 
nected with  the  Turf  than  the  handsome  Russian  Prince. 
Prince  Soltykoff  served  through  the  Crimean  War. 
About  1858  he  came  to  England  merely  to  pay  a,  visit 
to  some  friends,  but  so  charmed  was  he  with  our  countiy 
that  he  decided  to  remain  here  for  good.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Jockey  Club  iD  186"  three 
years  after  the  Prince  of  Wales. 


Prince  Soltykoff  has  had  a  house  at  Newmarket 
for  twenty-one  years.  It  is  known  as  "The  Kremlin." 
The  Prince  has  frequently  been  chaffed  for  bestowing 
such  a  name  on  a  building  which  is  not  much  larger 
than  the  ordinary  villa.  But  he  is  not  to  blame ;  the 
late  Admiral  Rous,  when  in  a  jocular  humour  one  day, 
called  it  "  The  Kremlin,"  and  although  the  Prince  tried 
to  alter  it,  "The  Kremlin"  it  has  remained  to  the  present 
dav.  There  are  few  finer  whist  players  than  Prince 
Soltykoff. 


Sheen  was,  I  think,  one  of,  if  not  the  best  horse  that 
ever  carried  Prince  Soltykoff's  colours.  His  success  in 
the  Cesarewitch  under  9  st.  2  lb.  stands  out  as  a  record 
performance.  Minting  won  the  Jubilee  with  10  st., 
Carlton  the  Manchester  Handicap  with  9  st.  12  lb.,  and 
Ravensburv  the  same  race  with  9  st.  4  lb.  ;  but  the  dis- 


A  very  curious  thing  in  connection  with  Sheen  is 
that  he  was  born  as  late  in  the  year  as  May  25th.  As 
is  well  known,  horses  take  their  ages  from  the  1st  of 
January,  so  that  although  Sheen  was  considered  nearly 
a  six-year-old  when  he  won,  he  was  really  only  five  years 
five  months  old.  There  have  been  many  arguments 
re  the  age  question,  but  I  think  it  will  be  found  that 
our  best  horse5-  have  been  born  late  in  the  spring. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  Sheen's  birth.  Isonomy, 
St.  Gatien,  and  Sterling,  three  of  the  most  famous  handi- 
cap horses  of  recent  years,  were  May  foals.  Ormonde 
and  Ayrshire  were  foaled  in  March,  and  Donovan,  Semo- 
lina, Memoir,  George  Frederick,  and  Amphion  in  April. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  to  me  that  West  Australian, 
the  first  horse  to  win  the  Two  Thousand  Guineas,  Derby, 
and  St.  Leger,  was  a  June  foal.  But  Mr.  Cowes'  colt 
was  born  in  1850,  and  at  that  time  horses  took  their 
ages  from  May  1st.  Ex-Judge  Clark  is  of  the  opinion 
that  it  would  improve  the  healthy  constitutions  and 
staying  powers  of  racehorses  if  the  date  was  altered 
from  January  1st  to  March  25th. 

The  hotel  keepers  in  the  City  by  the  Dee  will  soon 
be  recalling  Scott's  famous  lines,  "  Charge,  Chester, 
charge."      The   Chester  meeting  promises  to  be  a 


BAIKIE  &  HOGG'S 

SPECIALITY  IN  DRIVING  GLOVES. 
THE  PATENT  "GRIP"  GLOVE. 

BEST  EVER  INVENTED. 


Lord  Mayor's  Stable,  City  Green  Yard,  E-C 
Gentlemen,—  30th  March,  1895- 

**  I  have  used  your  Patent  *  Grip  '  Driving  Gloves  and  find  them  the  hest  I  have  ever 
had  for  Coaching.  They  prevent  entirely  the  slipping  of  reins.  Please  forward  other  six 
pairs."  Yours  respectfully,  A*  WRIGHT  (State  Coachman). 

10,  Ren  field  St,  and  52.  Gordon  St..  Glasgow.]  [5s.  6d.  per  Pair. 


PREMIER 
CYCLES. 


Constructed  of  Helical  Tube.  HELICAL.  TUBE. 

Patented  and  Registered.  Double  strength,  yet  lightest  machine  made. 

The  PREMIER  ClfClE  CO.,  ltd.,  are  Cycle  Manufacturers  by  special 
appointment  to  II.K.H.  TIic  Prince  of  Wales,  are  patronised  by  the 
chief  British  and  Foreign  Nobility,  and  by  the  wiser  and  greater 
portion  of  cycle  riders  throughout  the  world. 

20,000  Premiers  sold  ixx  1894. 

Special  Quotations  to  really  responsible  purchasers  desirous 
of  adopting  our  Progressive  Payment  System.  Lists  and  all 

particulars  free  from 
THE  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  Ltd., 
14,   HOLBORN  VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C. 
Works-COVENTRV. 


NO  LATE  FROST  IN  THIS !  The 


SPRING  NUMBER  OF  "TO-DAY" 


NOW  READY. 


See  Advertisement  on  Page  344. 


TAKLIS!    WHAT  IS  TAKLIS  ? 

WHY  TAKLIS   IS  REQUIRED  BY  EVERY 
GENTLEMAN. 

The  Marvellous  SILK  HAT  RENOVATOR. 

NO  IRONING  REQUIRED.     UNAFFECTED  BY  RAIN. 

Is.  box,  including  velvet  pad  &  tube  of  TAKLIS  post  free,  Is.  2d.,  from 
The  TAKLIS  CO.,  33  Gresse  Street,  London,  W. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


stenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  applicalionto 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO.. 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


PURVEYORS  TO 

Hi  R  i  Ha 

THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES, 


1  GINGER  ALE 


(acbrdoe's 


Medals  Adwrded. 


Works    DUBLIN    AND  BELFAST. 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Various  Climates. 


344 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1895. 


gigantic  success  this  year,  although  we  must  not  ex- 
pect to  see  any  anti-post  betting  on  the  Cup  for  some 
time.  The  Duke  of  Westminster,  who  will  as  usual  have 
a  few  horses  at  the  meeting,  is,  it  may  be  noted,  pre- 
senting a  champion  cheese  to  the  owner  of  the  winner. 


Eaconteur,  Speedwell,  and  Sir  Visto  still  continue  to 
hold  their  own  in  the  little  wagering  which  takes  place 
on  the  classic  races.  The  Newmarket  meeting  will  prob- 
ably throw  some  light  on  the  Guineas.  Visitors  to 
headquarters,  too,  should,  if  possible,  try  and  catch 
Whittier,  Keelson,  and  Marco  at  exercise. 


Mr.  Weatherby  has  had  a  life-long  connection  with 
the  Turf,  and  few  men  can  know  more  concerning  handi- 
capping. He  last  year  considered  Sir  Visto  5  lb.  be- 
hind Marco,  Speedwell,  and  Keelson,  but  1  lb.  in  front 
of  Raconteur,  Attar,  and  Kirkconnel.  Myself,  I  should 
say  that  now  Kirkconnel  could  beat  any  of  the  above- 
mentioned  horses  even  at  a  receipt  of  10  lb. 


Had  Whittier  been  nominated  for  the  Derby  he  would 
certainly  have  been  a  hot  favourite  by  now.  That  good 
judges  put  him  down  as  the  best  of  his  year  is  a  well- 
known  fact.  In  the  Free  Handicap  made  by  the 
Keeper  of  the  Match  Book,  the  son  of  Laureate  (who 
unfortunately  was  sent  to  America)  was  set  to  concede 
5  lb.  to  Marco,  Keelson,  and  Speedwell,  who  came  next 
on  the  list. 


That  well-known  and  popular  journalist,  "  Pavo,"  of 
the  Morning  Post,  has  been  sunning  himself  at  Cannes 
during  the  winter.  He  has  benefited  considerably  by 
his  holiday,  and  we  shall  probably  soon  see  him  at  a 
rac»  meeting  again.  Mr.  Langley  is  now  the  oldest 
sporting  journalist,  and  his  reminiscences  would  make 
delightful  reading.    His  son  is  Mayor  of  Stockton. 


I  noticed  some  black  underwear  in  a  Bond  Street 
shop  the  other  day.  It  is  not  attractive  in  itself,  and 
is  not  likely  to  be  generally  worn.  Its  novelty  is  the 
only  thing  that  can  be  said  for  it. 

The  Major. 


TIN  I  CO  frao™ 
FLAKE 


COOL  & 
SWEET. 


ANTI-NICOTINE  TOBACCO- 

EXCEEDINGLY  MLLD. 

J.  P.  BURNS.  (Established 


After  numerous  experiments  and  many  years  of 
careful  study,  I  have  discovered  a  means  of  ex- 
tracting from  Tobacco,  without  the  aid  of  Chemicals, 
almost  every  particle  of  Nicotine  and  objectionable 
matter,  while  retaining  all  its  natural  fragrance 
and  aroma,  so  that  those  who  cannot  smoke  a  pipe 
under  ordinary  circumstances  can  smoke  this 
Tobacco  with  pleasure,  as  it  tastes  mild  and  soft  on 
the  palate,  and  leaves  no  unpleasantness.  


Sold  in  Tins  at  7s.  6d.  per  lb.  Sample 
2  ozs.  sent  to  any  address  for  Is.  2d., 
or  half-pound  tins,  4/-  post  free,  from 

1830),   Tobacconist  &  Cigar  Importer,  GLASGOW. 


NO 


MORE  IRRITATION 

OF  THE 


TONGUE,  THROAT,  AND  LUNGS 

AFTER  SMOKING. 


To  be  had  from  all  First  Class  Tobacconists. 


The  Trade  supplied  by  the  Manufacturers,  F.  &  J.  SMITH,  GLASGOW. 


THE  BODY  BELT, 

For  LUMBAGO,  RHEUMATICS,  COLDS,  &  INFLUENZA. 

'    PURE      NATURAL  WOOft. 

2s.  6d.;  post  free  twopence  extra.    Send  waist  measurement. 
GRANT    &  WATSON, 

SHIRT-TAILORS,    HOSIERS,     &  OUTFITTERS, 

112,  Buchanan  Street,  Glasgow 


66 


99  FOR 

COACHING. 

THE   NEW  3DE.I-VI0Sra-  GLOVES, 

As  worn  and  recommended  by  the  Lord  Mayor's  State  Coachman.  The  only  safe  Glove 
for  Driving. 


|  Per 


5s. 


Pair. 


GRANT  &  WATSON,  Shirt  Tailors,  Glovers,  and  Outfitters, 

112,  BUCHANAN  STREET,  GLASGOW. 


6r\  NOW  EEADx  (In  Handsome  Gold  and  Green  Cover)— 

"TO-DflY"  Spring  dumber.  Q 


D. 


COMPLETE    STORIES  BY- 
JEROME    K.  JEROME 

and  GEORGE  MOORE,  etc. 

Illustrated  by  HAL  HURST,  L.  BAUMEE,  W.  DEWAR. 


ALSO  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

DUDLEY  HARDY,   AUBREY  BEARDSLEY, 

HAL  HURST,  R.  SAUBER,  &  SYDNEY  ADAMSON. 

Order  at  once  of  all  Agents  and  Bookstalls,  as  the  entire  first  issue  has  been  bespoke  by  the  Trade. 

HOWARD  HOUSE,  ARUNDEL  STREET,  STRAND,  LONDON,  W.C. 

EVERYBODY'S  MOUTH! 


Bells  Cigarettes. 


J.    &    F.    BELL,  GLASGOW. 


I 


A?ril  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


345 


AN    AMERICAN    ESTIMATE  OF 
BEERBOHM  TREE. 


One  of  the  mot  versatile  actors  on  the  "nglish  stage, 
Herbert  Boerbohm  Tree,  manager  of  the  Haymarket 
Theatre,  London  n*ade  his  initial  bow  to  an  American 
audience  at  Abbey's  Theatre,  New  York,  recently,  and 
was  given  a  critical  hearing,  the  result  bein^,  however, 
that  he  was  received  with  undoubted  marks  of  approval. 
His  bill  was  a  double  one,  The  Ballad- Si  on jer,  being 
the  opening  piece  and  the  melodramatic  play,  The  tied 
Lam}?,  concluding  the  entertainment.  These  plays  were 
selected  because  of  the  wide  contrast  afforded  in  the 
parts  assumed  by  Mr.  Tree.  The  display  of  his  versa- 
tility was  accepted  as  satisfactory  proof        's  talent. 

Mr.  Tree  is  about  fifteen  years  younger  than  Mr. 
Irving,  but,  like  the  older  player,  is  all  and  spare. 
His  face,  however,  is  not  as  lean  as,  and  xar  more  shapely 
than,  Mr.  Irving's.  Hft  seldom  allows  is  own  face  to 
be  seen  on  the  stage,  though;  for  in  the  art  of  making- 
up  he  is  an  acknowledged  master,  and  in  singular  con- 
trast to  maivy  leading  men  who  rKIy  to  a  great  extent 
on  the  peculiar  individuality  of  their  own  countenances 
in  representing  whatever  part  they  may  be  impersonat- 
ing, Mr.  Tree  seeks  to  present  every  character  in  an 
entirely  different  guise,  and  will  make  himself  as  re- 
pulsively ugly  in  one  part  as  he  will  transform  imsoif 
into  one  of  the  best-favoured  men  in  the  ext. 

A  reliable  estimate  of  how  Mr.  Tree'  work  suits  from 
an  American  standpoint  is  given  in  the  New  York 
Tribune's  critical  review  of  the  first  performance  in 
America :  "  The  principal  note  that  Mr.  Tree  strikes  is 
the  note  of  singularity.  He  is  not  an  actor  of  power, 
either  physical  or  intellectual.  He  is  an  actor  of  sub- 
tlety, delicacy,  refinement,  complex  method  and  in- 
genious device.  He  is  not  capable  of  those  tremendous 
and  overwhelming  manifestations  of  emotion,  those 
frenzies  of  excitement,  those  tumul  of  vehement 
delivery  which  were  characteristic  of  Forrest  and  Brooke 
and  the  elder  Booth ;  neither,  upon  the  other  hand, 
does  he  convey  an  impression  of  that  vital,  predomi- 
nant intellect,  and  that  high  and  rare  spiritual  charm 


which  are  victorious  attributes  in  the  acting  of  Henry 
Irving.  He  neither  thrills  the  feelings  nor  dazzles  the 
imagination,  nor  enchants  the  soul.  He  affords,  how- 
ever, an  exceptional  gratification  to  the  mind— first, 
because  he  is  singular,  and  next  because  his  method  is 
so  various,  so  dexterous,  and  so  neat.  Wherever  he 
moves,  the  attention  of  the  observer  follows  him.  He 
arouses  curiosity;  he  satisfies  the  sense  of  cleverness; 
he  pleases  taste.  All  this  points  to  fine  talent,  not  to 
genius;  and  fine  talent  is  Nature's  gift  to  this  actor — 
a-  faculty  that  has  onscientiously  developed  and 
worthily  used. 

"Mr.  Tree  is  a  comedian — that  distinctly  and  that 
alone — and,  as  comedian,  possessed  of  a  special,  per- 
haps a  unique,  talent  for  the  portrayal  of  eccentric 
character.  He  shows  sensibility  rather  than  passion, 
and  his  affinities  with  tragic  feeling  appear  to  be  very 
slender;  but  he  possesses  many  of  the  attributes  that 
go  witH  comedy.  His  humour,  indeed,  is  dry  and  trans- 
parent— a  sapient,  jocose  manner,  not  spontaneous,  not 
worn  with  pleasure — yet  it  is  humour,  and  upon  occa- 
sion it  can  create  ludicrous  effects.  His  mind  is  self- 
observant  and  exceedingly  alert.  His  temperament  is 
nervous  and  restless.  He  is  exceedingly  picturesque. 
He  can  be  fantastic  without  becoming  ridiculous,  and 
he  is  apt  in  the  felicity  of  abrupt  transition  from  pleas- 
antry to  gravity.  Those  are  traits  of  a  comedian,  and 
of  a  comedian  with  a  broad  range.  Mr.  Tree's  nimble 
intelligence  and  versatile  talent,  combined  with  solid 
self-confidence  and  much  experience,  would  make  him 
a.  satisfactory  representative  of  many  sorts  of  character ; 
but  those  types  of  human  nature  which  he  seems  fitted 
to  present  with  ecial  and  pre-eminent  effect  are  such 
as  combine  ard  purpose  with  bland  affability  and  a 
general  quaintness  of  personality  and  demeanour  with 
the  soft  plausibility  that  covers  without  concealing  a 
ruthless  will.  He  comprehends  with  remarkable  ac- 
curacy the  dramatic  value  of  salient  characteristics  and 
of  situation,  and  his  practised  command  of  the  expe- 
dients of  the  dramatic  art  is  so  complete  that,  whether 
he  is  doing  something  or  doing  nothing,  he  concentrates 
interest,  and  thus  gives  due  effect  to  every  point." — 
Current  Literature. 


UP  THE  RIVER  IN  AMERICA. — A  CAMPING  PARTY. 


84G 


TO-DAY. 


Aran,  20,  1895. 


THE    RED  COCKADE, 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  XIII.— (continued.) 
Two  or  three  ruffianly  men  with  smoke-grimed  faces 
were  firing  through  a  window  on  the  ground  ficor,  and 
one  of  these,  looking  behind  him,  as  I  passed,  saw  me. 
He  called  to  me  to  stop,  adding  with  an  oath  that  if  I 
went  into  thw  street  I  should  be  shot  by  the  aristocrats. 


me,  fifty  paces  away,  were  the  close  ranks  of  the  mob  : 
in  front  of  me  the  white  blind  face  of  the  St,  Alais' 
house,  from  which,  even  as  I  appeared,  there  came  a  little 
spit  of  smoke  and  the  bang  of  a  musket. 

The  crowd,  astonished  to  see  me  there  alone  and 
standing  still,  fell  silent.  I  held  up  my  hand.  A  gun 
went  off  above  my  head,  and  another;  and  a,  splinter 
flew  from  one  of  the  green  shutters  opposite.  Then  a 
voice  from  the  crowd  cried  out  to  cease  firing ;  and  for 
a.  moment  all  was  still.  I  stood  in  the  midst  of  a  hot, 
breathless  hush,  my  hand  raised.  It  was  my  oppor- 
tunity ;  I  had  got  it  by  a  miracle.    But  for  a  moment  I 


"in  the  name  of  the  tricolour,  stand!" 


But  in  my  excitement  I  took  no  heed  ;  in  a  second  I 
had  the  door  open,  and  was  standing  in  the  street  alone 
~-alone  in  the  sunny,  cleared  space.    On  either  side  of 


was  silent,  I  conlri  find  no  words. 

At  last,  as  a  low  murmur  began  to  make  itself  heard, 
I  spoke. 


Copyright,  1S05,  by  Stanley  J.  Weyman. 


April  20,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


347 


"Men  of  Cahors  !  "  I  cried.  "  In  the  name  of  the  Tri- 
colour, stand ! " 

And  trembling  with  agitation,  acting  on  the  impulse 
of  the  instant,  I  walked  slowly  across  the  street,  to  the 
door  of  the  besieged  house,  and,  under  the  eyes  of  all  I 
took  the  Tricolour^rom  my  bosom,  and  hung  it  on  the 
knocker  of  the  door.  Then  I  turned.  "I  take  pos- 
session," I  cried,  hoarsely,  at.  the  top  of  my  voice,  that 
all  might  hear,  "  of  this  house  and  all  that  are:  in  it  in 
the  name  of  the  Tricolour,  and  the  Nation,  and  the  Com- 
mittee of  Cahors.  Those  within  shall  be  tried,  and 
justice  done  upon  them.  But  for  you,  I  call  upon  you  to 
depart,  and  go  to  your  homes  in  peace,  and  the  Com- 
mittee " 

I  got  no>  farther.  With  the  word  a  shot  whizzed  by 
my  ear,  and  struck  the  plaster  from  the  wall ;  and  then, 
as  if  the  sound  had  released  all  the  passions  of  the 
people,  a  roar  of  indignation  shook  the  air.  They  hissed 
and  swore  at  me,  yelled,  "  A  la  lanterne !  "  and  "  A  bas  le 
traitre ! "  and  at  last  burst  their  bounds.  As  if  some 
invisible  floodgates  gave  way,  the  mob  on  either  side 
rushed  suddenly  forward,  and,  rolling  towards  the  door 
in  a  solid  mass,  were  in  an  instant  upon  me. 

I  expected  that  I  should  be  torn  to  pieces,  but  in- 
stead I  was  only  buffeted  and  flung  aside  and  for- 
gotten, and  in  a,  moment  was  lost  in  the  struggling, 
writhing  mass  of  men,  who  flung  themselves  pell-mell 
upon  the  door,  and  fell  over  one  another,  and  wounded 
one  another  in  the  fury  with  which  they  attacked  it. 
Men,  injured  earlier,  were  trodden  under  foot  now  ;  but 
no  one  stayed  for-  their  cries.  Twice,  a,  gun  was  fired 
from  the  house,  and  each  shot  took  effect ; .  but  the  press 
was  so  great,  and  the  fury  of  the  assailants,  as  they 
swarmed  about  the  door,  so  blind,  that  those  who  were 
hit  sank  down  unobserved,  and  perished  under  their  com- 
rades' feet. 

Thrust  against  the'  iron  railings  that  flanked  the  door, 
I  clung  to  them,  and  partly  protected  from  the  pressure 
by  a  pillar  of  the  porch,  managed  with  difficulty  to  keep 
my  placei.  I  could  not  move,  however;  I  could  not 
escape  if  I  would.  The  crowd  swayed  round  me,  and 
I  waited  in  dizzy,  sickening  horror  for  the  crisis.  It  came. 
The  panels  of  the  door,  riven  and  shattered, 
gave  way ;  the  foremost  assailants  sprang  at  the  gap. 
Yet  still  the  frame,  held  by  one  hinge,  stood,  and  kept 
them  out.  As  that- yielded  under  their  blows,  and  the 
door  fell  Inward  with  a  crash,  I  flung  myself  into  the 
stream,  and  was  carried  into'  the  house  among  the  fore- 
most; fortunately — for  several  fell — on  my  feet. 

I  had  the  thought  that  I  might  outpace  the  others, 
and,  getting  first  to  the  rooms  upstairs,  might  at  least 
fight  for  Mademoiselle  if  I  could  not  save  her.  For  I 
had  caught  the  infection  of  the  mob,  my  blood  was  on 
fire.  There  was  no  one  in  all  the  crowd  more  set  to  kill 
than  I  was.  I  raced  in,  therefore,  with  the  rest; 
but  when  I  reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs  I  saw,  and  they 
saw,  that  which  stopped  us  all. 

It  was  M.  de  Gontaut,  lifted,  in  that  moment  of 
extreme  danger,  above  himself.  He  stood  alone  on  the 
stairs,  looking  down  on  the  invaders,  and  smiling — ■ 
smiling,  with  everything  of  senility  and  frivolity  gone 
from  his  face,  and  only  the  courage  of  his  caste  left.  He 
saw  his  world  tottering,  the  scum  and  rabble  overwhelm- 
ing it,  everything  which  he  had  loved,  and  in  which  he 
had  lived,  passing  ;  he  saw  death  waiting  for  him  seven 
steps  below,  and  he  smiled.  With  his  slender  sword 
hanging  at  his  wrist,  he  tapped  his  snuff-box  and  looked 


down  at  us ;  •  no  longer  garrulous,  feeble,  almost' — with 
his  old  stories  of  stale  intrigues  and  his  pagan  creed — 
contemptible ;  but  steady  and  proud,  with  eyes  that 
gleamed  with  defiance. 

"  Well,  dogs,"  he  said,  "will  you  earn  the  gallows  ?'" 

For  a  second  no  one  moved.  For  a,  second  the  old 
noble's  presence  and  fearlessness  imposed  on  the  vilest; 
and  they  stared  up  at  him,  cowed  by  his  eye.  Then  he- 
stirred.  With  a  quiet  gesture,  as  of  a  man  saluting 
before  a  duel,  he  caught  up  the  hilt  of  his  sword,  and 
presented  the  lowered  point,  "Well,"  he  said,  with, 
bitter  scorn,  "  you  have  come  to  do  it.  Which  of  you 
will  go  to  hell  for  the  rest  ■  ?    For  I  shall  take  one." 

That  broken  the  spell.  With  a  howl,  a  dozen  ruffians; 
sprang  up  the  stairs.  I  saw  the  bright,  steel  flash  once, 
twice;  and  one  reeled  back,  and  rolled  down  under  his 
fellows'  feet.  Then  a  great  bar  swept  up  and  fell  on  the 
smiling  face,  and  the  old  noble  dropped  without  a,  cry 
or  a  groan,  under  a  storm  of  blows  that  in  a,  moment 
beat  the  life  out  of  Ms  body. 

It  was  over  in  a  moment,  and  before  I  could  interfere: 
The  next,  a  score  of  men  leaped  over  the  corpse  and  up 
the  stairs,  with  horrid  cries,  I  after  them.  To  the  right 
and  left  were  locked  doors,  with  panels  Watteau-painted ; 
thev  dashed  these  in  with  brutal  shouts,  and,  in  a  twink- 
ling, flooded  the  splendid  rooms,  sweeping  away,  and 
breaking,  and  flinging  down  in  wanton  mischief,  every- 
thing that  came  to  hand— vases,  statues,  glasses,  minia- 
tures. With  shrieks  of  triumph,  they  filled  the  salon  that 
had  known  for  generations  only  the  graces  and  beauty 
of  life ;  or  clattered  over  the  shining  parquets  that  had 
been  swept  so  long  by  the  skirts  of  fair  women.  Every- 
thing they  could  not  understand  was  snatched  up  and 
dashed  down ;  in  a  moment,  the  great  Venetian  mirrors 
were  shattered,  the  pictures  pierced  and  torn,  the  books 
flun"-  through  the  windows  into  the  street ! 

I  had  a  glimpse  of  the  scene  as  I  paused  on  the  land- 
ing. But  a  glance  sufficed  to  convince  me  that  the 
fugitives  were  not  in  these  rooms,  and  I  sprang  on,  and 
up  the  next,  flight.  Here',  short  as  had  been  my  delay, 
I  found  others  before  me.  As  I  turned  the  corner  of 
the  stairs  I  came  on  three  men,  listening  at  a  door; 
before  I  could,  reach.them  one  rose.  "  Here  they  are  !  " 
he  cried..  "That  is  a  woman's  voice !  Stand  back!" 
And  he  lifted  a  crowbar,  to  beat  in  the  door. 

"  Hold !  "  I  cried,  in  a  voice  that  made  him  lower  his- 
weapon.  "Hold!  In  the  name  of  the  Committee,  I 
command  you  to  leave  that  door.  The  rest  of  the:  house 
is  yours.  >■  Go*  and  plunder  it," 

The  men  glared  at  me.  "  Sacre  ventre? "  one  of  them 
his-ed.    "  Who  are  you  ? " 

".The  Committee!"  I  answered. 

He  cursed  me,  and  raised  his  hand.  "Stand 
back  !  "  I  cried,  furiously,  "  or  you  shall  hang  !  " 

"Ho!  ho!  An  aristocrat!"  he  retorted,  raising  his 
voice.  "  This  way,  friends — this  way !  An  aristocrat ! 
An  aristocrat ! " 

At  the  word  a  score  of  his  fellows  came  swarming  up 
the  stairs.  I  saw  myself  in  an  instant  surrounded  by 
grimy,  pocked  faces  and  scowling  eyes,  and  haggard 
creatures  sprung  from  the  sewers  of  the  town.  Another 
second  and  they  would  have  laid  hands  on  me ;  but 
desperate  and  full  of  rage,  I  rushed  instead  on  the  man 
with  the  bar,  and,  snatching  it  from  him  before  he 
guessed  my  intention,  in  a  twinkling  laid  him  at  my 
feet. 


348 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1895. 


In  the  act,  however,  I  lost  my  balance,  and  stumbled 
■over  him.  Before  I  could  recover  myself  one  of  his 
comrades  struck  me  on  the  head  with  his  wooden 
.shoe.    The  blow  partially  stunned  me;  still,  I  got  to  my 


danced  before  me ;  I  could  no  longer  think  or  aim,  but 
only  hear  taunts  and  jeers  on  every  side.  Someone 
plucked  my  coat.  I  turned  blindly.  In  a  moment 
another  struck  me  a  crushing  blow — how,  or  with  what,  I 


HE  STOOD  ALONE  ON  THE  STAIRS. 


feet  again  and  hit  out  wildly,  and  drove  them  back,  and  never  knew — and  I  fell  senseless  and  as  good  a» 
for  a  moment  cleared  the  landing  round  me.    But  I  was  dead. 

dizzy;  I  saw  all  now  through  a  red  haze,  the  figures  (To  be  continued.) 


IN  THE  MERCANTILE 
MARINE. 


AN  APPRENTICE'S  LIFE  IN  THE  HALF-DECK. 

Almost  any  morning  there  may  be  seen  in  one  or 
other  of  the  daily  papersi  an  advertisement  emanating 
from  "an  eminent  firm,"  and  offering  a  position  as 
apprentice  to  a  young  gentleman  who  wishes  to  go  to 
sea  in  the  merchant  service.  The  vessel  is  invariably 
described  as  "a  splendid  clipper  ship,"  with  a  "kind 
captain,"  and  the  apprentice  is  to  be  berthed  aft  and 
to  be  instructed  in  the  mystery  of  navigation  as  well  as 
in  the  art  and  craft  of  seamanship.  Always  a  more  or 
less  handsome  premium  is  required,  but  as  a  set-off 
against  this  it  is  generally  stated  that  the  food  will  be 
of  superior  quality. 

All  these  promises,  and  more,  were  once  made  to  me, 
or  rather  to  my  father  on  my  behalf,  but  during  a  period 
of  four  years'  service  in  a  highly  respectable  firm  owning 
Bootrie  fourteen  ships  they  remained  unfulfilled. 

I,  who  know  it  from  bitter  experience,  say  that  the  lot 


of  an  apprentice  in  the  merchant  service  is  a  hard  one. 
Generally  it  is  as  bad,  or  worse,  than  that  of  the  lad 
who  crawls  aboard  through  the  hawse  pipes,  or,  in  other 
words,  who  commences  his  career  in  the  forecastle.  It 
is  true  the  apprentice  is  generally  "  berthed  aft,"  but 
this  term  is  liberally  interpreted  as  indicating  that  the 
quarters  are  abaft  the  foremast.  In  many  cases  the 
boys'  quarters  are-  no  better — and  generally  they  are 
much  less  roomy — than  those  of  the  men.  The  idea,  I 
suppose,  in  separating  the  apprentices  from  the  common 
seamen  is  to  insure  that  they  may  not  be  corrupted  by 
the  evil  communications  of  the  latter,  but  in  our  case 
the  captain  himself  had  one  of  the  prettiest  gifts  for 
obscene  and  profane  swearing  it  has  ever  been  my  lot 
to  know. 

I  made  three  long  "deep  sea"  voyages  in  a  barque 
where  ten  of  us — six  apprentices,  carpenter,  saihnaker, 
cook  and  steward — lived  in  a  vile  den  under  the  break  of 
the  poop.  It  was  reached  by  means  of  a  ladder.  Al- 
though certified  by  the  surveyor  to  afford  sufficient 
accommodation  for  ten  persons,  the  space  was  so  con- 
fined that  it  was  next  to  impossible  fur  all  hands  to  be 
below  at  once,  unless  one  or  two  climbed  into  their 


April  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


349 


"pews"  to  make  room.  We  always  ate  with  our  plates 
upon  our  knees.  The  table,  of  course,  did  not  matter 
much,  but  many  a  heart-felt  curse  the  food — or  the  lack 
of  it — called  forth.  The  apprentices  received  exactly 
the  same  rations  asi  the  men.  Kightly  or  wrongly,  I 
have  always  been  of  opinion  that  Mr.  Plimsoll,  in  deter- 
mining the  question-  of  sailors'  food  by  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment, did  not  see  all  the  way  ahead.  In  the'  old  days,  if 
a  man  did  not  receive  sufficient  food  he  had  at  least  the 
privilege  of  going  aft  and  growling,  and  I  will  not  say 
that  he  does  not  do  so  still.  Now,  however,  the  captain 
simply  confronts  the  malcontents  with  the  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment, and,  in  the  words  of  the  Scotch  skipper,  says :  — > 
"  Ye've  got  your  whack,  and  yell  get  nae  mair." 

The  scale  of  provisions  is  as  follows :  — On  Mondays, 
Wednesdays,  and  Fridays,  one  (alleged)  pound  of  salt 
pork  and  one  pint  of  pea  soup.  On  Tuesdays  and  Thurs- 
days, one  (alleged)  pound  of  salt  beef  and  sufficient  flour 
to  make  a  small  roll  of  fresh  bread,  or  a  "portion"  of 
plain  dough,  as  the  cook  pleases.  On  Saturday,  beef  and 
boiled  rice,  without  any  accompaniment.  On  Sundays, 
as  a  great  treat,  a  "  fresh  mess "  of  Australian  tinned 
mutton  is  given.  Each  week  one  pound  of  sugar  is 
"  whacked  out,"  less  two  ounces  stopped  off  for  sweeten- 
ing lime  juice.  Lime  juice  and  vinegar  also'  must  be 
supplied,  "  according  to  the  Act,"  as  anti-scorbutics. 
Bread — that  is,  hard  tack,  or  ship's  biscuit — is  generally 
served  out  ad  lib.  Each  morning  is  supplied  a  pint  of 
coffee,  and  each  evening  a  pint  of  tea. 

One  of  the  objections  to  the  Act  is  that  to  the  scale 
of  provisions  contained  in  the  ship's  articles,  there  is 
attached  this  saving  clause:  "  Substitutes  at  master's 
option."  Thus  I  have  known  a  captain  to  purposely 
allow  himself  to  run  short  of  other  stores  for  economy's 
sake,  and  feed  us  on  rice  three  or  four  times  a 
week.  We  also  ran  short  of  sugar  on  this  par- 
ticular voyage,  and  in  lieu  of  it  were  supplied 
with  a,  commodity  described  as  molasses,  but  which  was 
really  the  bilge  water  of  some  sugar  ship.  Our  coffee 
for  a  time  was  made  from  rice  roasted  in  the  oven  and 
ground.  At  St.  Helena,  having  run  short  of  sea  biscuits, 
we  obtained  a  tank  of  condemned  Navy  bread  (1  believe 
such  a  thing  is  illegal  now),  which  proved  to  be  full  of 
maggots. 

Sometimes  butter  is  given  at  sea,  and  this  is  a  great 
luxury.  But  butter  and  sugar  seldom  last  to  the  end 
of  the  week.  It  is  the  steward's  duty  to  weigh  out  the 
meat  each  day,  the  allowance  for  the  half-deck  being  in 
one  piece,  that  for  the  forecastle  in  another.  Very  often 
a  full  half  of  it  was  bone,  and  there  was  barely  enough 
for  one  meal.  Towards  the  end  of  the  week,  butter  and 
sugar  being  gone,  one  would  come  below  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  after  four  hours'  work  on  deck,  to  find  only 
"  Liverpool  pantiles  "  and  unsweetened  coffee  for  break- 
fast. There  is  no  more  uninteresting  feed  than  this  on 
God's  earth. 

I  have  never  seen  mustard,  pepper,  or  any  other  con- 
diment than  vinegar  supplied.  Even  in  port,  and  when 
fresh  meat  and  vegetables  were  provided,  we  were  obliged 
to  break  up  the  pickling  salt  from  the  harness  casks  to 
supply  ourselves. 

Scanty  food  and  bad  accommodation  may  not  be  the 
only  hardships  the  apprentice  will  have  to  undergo. 

In  1879  my  father  paid  £25  premium  to  Messrs.  W. 
J.  Myers,  Sons  and  Co.,  of  Liverpool,  in  order  that  I 
might  be  permitted  to  serve  as  an  apprentice  in  one  of 
their  ships.  I  was  to  receive  £30  in  wages  during  the 
four  years  of  my  apprenticeship — or,  in  other  words,  to 
have  the  premium  returned  in  that  time  with  £5  added. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1879,  I  entered  upon  my 
duties  as  an  apprentice  on  board  "Al  clipper  barque 
Warwickshire,"  Simon  Graggans,  master;  owners,  W. 
J.  Myers,  Sons  and  Co.,  Liverpool. 

There  were  six  of  us  apprentices  on  board.  Two  had 
made  one1  voyage  in  another  ship  of  the  company,'  the 
others  were  like  myself,  first  voyagers.  We  latter  were 
practically  the  servants  of  the  half-deck,  having  to  keep 
it  clean,  and  to  wash  up  after  each  meal  for  the  carpenter 


and  sailmaker  and  the  two  senior  apprentices.  These 
duties  were  imposed  upon  us  by  the  captain's  orders. 

On  the  first  night  out,  the  weather  being  bad,  I  was 
violently  sick.  I  was  on  the  poop,  as  it  happened,  and 
probably,  in  my  ignorance,  went  to  windward,  thus  in- 
vading the  region  sacred  to  the  captain's  use.  I  was 
discovered  by  him,  and  was  kicked  (also  by  him)  clear 
on  to  the  main  deck.  This  was  the  beginning  of  things. 
Not  many  mornings  later — for  merely  hanging  a  jacket 
on  the  fife-rail,  whilst  we  washed  decks — the  captain 
struck  me  a  violent  blow  in  the  face  with  his  closed  fist, 
and  kicked  me  severely. 

When  about  a  fortnight  out,  and  already  in  fine  wea- 
ther latitudes,  the  captain  ordered  the  four  junior  ap- 
prentices aloft  one  Sunday  morning.  We  were  bidden 
to  put  our  caps  on  the  "truck,"  or  ball,  at  the  royal 
masthead,  and  were  sent  up  the  main  rigging  first.  I 
had  already  been  aloft,  and  had  assisted  to  furl  a  royal, 
so  I  accomplished  the  task,  which  was  rendered  more 
difficult  than  is  ordinarily  the  case,  owing  to  the  absence 
of  ratlines  in  the  topgallant  rigging.  I  was  then  ordered 
up  at  the  fore  to  reeve  the  flag  halyards.  When  I  de- 
scended, two  of  the  others  were  still  in  the  cross-trees 
at  the  main.  Sumner,  a  Manchester  lad,  had  been  up 
at  the  main  truck,  and  was  begging  the  second  mate 
to  give  him  time  to  breathe  before  he  ascended  the  fore 
rigging.  The  only  reply  was,  "You'll  have  plenty  of 
time  to  breathe  up  there,"  and  the  lad  was  literally 
driven  aloft.  In  the  meantime,  I  was  permitted  to  go 
to  dinner.  Whilst  at  dinner,  we  in  the  half-deck  heard 
3  cry  of  alarm,  and  then  a  sudden  rush  of  feet  along  the 
poop,  and  became  aware  that  something  had  happened. 
I  climbed  on  deck,  and  running  forward,  saw  a  pair  of 
yellow  canvas  shoes  sticking  out  from  amongst  a,  little 
crowd  of  people  gathered  on  the  starboard  side  of  the 
galley.    I  knew  then  that  Sumner  had  fallen  from  aloft. 

It  seemed  that  Sumner,  who  had  been  followed  aloft 
by  the  second  mate  with  the  earring,  had  gained  the 
fore-truck  all  right.  In  descending,  having  got  below 
the  cross-trees,  he  essayed  to  slide  down  one  of  the  back- 
stays. Apparently  he  must  have  lost  his  presence  of 
mind  and  his  grip,  for  he  came  down  with  his  arms  and 
legs  loosely  round  the  back-stay,  till,  striking  the  crane- 
line  above  the  fore-yard,  he  fell  a  clear  forty  feet  to  the 
deck,  coming  down  upon  his  back,  with  his  head  but  two 
or  three  inches  from  an  iron  ring-bolt  close  to  the  galley 
door.  The  flesh  on  the  inner  sides  of  his  calves  and  fore^ 
arms,  where  they  had  chafed  against  the  back-stay,  was 
shockingly  torn  by  the  friction. 

The  captain  appeared  at  first  to  be  very  much  fright- 
ened, but,  having  examined  the  lad,  he  declared  there 
were  no  bones  broken.  Sumner  lay  for  many  hours 
utterly  unconscious.  Next  day  he  was  able  to  speak, 
but  was  still  incapable  of  the  slightest  movement.  The 
captain,  when  approached  upon  the  subject,  refused  to 
put  the  sufferer  upon  invalid  diet,  beyond  supplying 
him  with  some  oatmeal"  gruel,  which — as  Sumner  could 
not  eat  it — was  consumed  by  his  messmates.  It  seemed 
as  though  the  boy  was  temporarily  paralysed  by  the 
shock  of  the  fall,  but  on  the  third  day  after  the  accident 
the  captain  came  down  and  ordered  him  to  get  out  of 
his  bunk.  As  he  could  not  obey  he  was  assisted — not  too 
gently — by  the  captain  himself,  and  propped  up  with  pil- 
lows on  a  sea-chest.  Ne>xt  day  he  was  carried  on  deck, 
and  on  the  following  day  flags  were  given  him  to  mend. 
Thereafter  he  was  enrolled  amongst  the  "idlers" — that 
is  to  say,  those  members  of  the  crew,  such  as  the  car- 
penter and  sailmaker,  who  work  in  the  daytime  and 
sleep  in  all  night.  It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  this  heroic 
treatment  seemed  to  have  no  ill  consequences,  for  before 
many  weeks  were  over  Sumner  seemed  almost  as  well  as 
ever.  He  complained,  however,  of  pain  in  his  right  arm, 
and  of  a  difficulty  of  using  that  limb.  Also  his  nerves 
were  disordered,  and  he  walked  the  deck  at  night,  when 
he  should  have  been  asleep,  for  a  long  time.  Everybody, 
however,  taking  his  cue  from  the  captain,  Sumner  was 
constantly  accused  of  "  playing  the  old  soldier,"  and  I 
fear  he  met  with  the  scantiest  sympathy. 

(To  be  concluded.  ) 


TO-DAY. 


Aran,  20,  1S13. 


MY  WIFE. 


BY 


FRANK  L.  STANTON. 


The  sun  sinks  down  the  darkened  dome ; 
The  twilight  shadows  'round  me  steal, 
And  on  my  heart  the  night  I  feel 

And  long  for  her — the  wife  at  home ! 

How  true  she  is  !  how  tenderly 
She  thj  ;ks  of  me  so  far  away ! 
(Alas!    That  any  night  or  day 

Should  hide  me,  Oh,  my  wife,  from  the:  !] 

I  see  her  standing  there,  as  when 
I  left  her  last — her  sweet  "  good-b 
Still  on  her  lips — the  moistened  eye — 

The  quivering  lips — the  kiss — and  then 


The  long  caress.    (Ah,  women  know 
What  'tis  to  love  and  then  to  part ; 
Their  life  is  only  in  the  heart 

And  God  hath  willed  it  shall  be  so.) 

I  see  her  standing  there,  and  I — 
I  have  some  tender  words  to  say : 
"  I'll  come  again,  my  love,  some  day," 

And  so  I  kiss  her,  and  "  good-bye  1 " 

Good-bye !  but  through  the  paths  of  life, 

However  dark,  however  lone, 

Thy  feet  must  still  walk  near  my  own — 
Thy  hand  in  mine,  my  wife,  my  wife  ! 


Apkil  20,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


351 


SERMONS  FOR  TO-DAY. 

BY 

THE  REV.  T.  W.  M.  LUND,  M.A., 
(Chaplain  of  the  Chapel  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary, 
y  Liverpool.) 

THE  OBSERVANCE  OF  SUNDAY. 

Cal.  V.  1. — "  With  freedom  did  Christ  set  us  free  ;  stand 
fast  therefore,  and  be  not  entangled  again  in  the  yoke  of 
bondage." 

One  of  the  most  important  conferences  of  this  century, 
for  our  liberties  and  the  spread  of  enlightenment,  was 
held  on  February  2nd  in  London,  when  the  National 
Federation  of  Sunday  societies  resolved  to  petition 
Government  to  bring  in  a  bill  to  cancel  the  obsolete 
law  under  which  fanatics  may  still  annoy  with  vexatious 
litigation  people  who,  for  the  public  advantage,  and  not 
for  pecuniary  profit,  give  lectures  on  science,  art,  or 
literature,  or  perform  music  vocal  or  instrumental. 

This  is  a  distinct  advance,  and  points  hopefully  to  a 
not  far  distant  time,  when  the  Christian  Sunday  will  be 
restored  to  us,  and  the  Jewish  Sabbath  left  to  the  race 
to  whom  it  belongs. 

For  many  years,  in  the  name  of  the  Religion  of 
Christ,  but  really  by  a  return  to  what  St.  Paul  calls, 
"  The  beggarly  rudiments  of  Judaism,"  we  have  limited 
the  nation  to  two  forms  of  enjoyment  on  the  great  weekly 
holiday,  viz. — the  spiritual  and  the  spirituous.  The 
latter  has  been  by  far  the  more  popular ;  the  former, 
supported  by  all  the  eloquence  of  all  the  pulpits,  has 
little  chance  against  it.  The  demon,  which  will  awake 
a  little  stir  and  sense  of  artificial  gladness  in  human 
nature,  will  win  in  the  competition.  Why  should  we 
want  to  restrict  the  uses  of  Sunday  within  these  narrow 
limits  1 

For  most  of  us  Sunday  is  a  day  of  about  twelve 
available  hours,  from  nine  to  nine. 

Take  out  three  hours  for  meals,  and  odd  jobs,  and 
nine  good  hours  remain  at  our  disposal.  Deduct 
another  two  hours  for  Divine  worship,  quite  as  much  as 
any  ordinary  soul  is  equal  to,  or  could  profit  by,  and  we 
still  have  seven  hours  at  our  disposal. 

What  are  we  to  do  with  them  ?  What  would  our 
Sabbatarian  friends  have  us  do  with  them? 

The  theory  of  rest  which  consists  of  twiddling-our 
thumbs,  because  it  is  sinful  to  read  a  fascinating  book, 
or  ride  a  bicycle  or  play  the  violin,  is,  as  far  as  young 
people  are  concerned,  to  put  the  game  into  the  devil's 
hands.  "Satan"  never  suffers  anyone  to  be  idle,  and  if 
we  cannot  find  wholesome  occupation,  he  is  sure  to  put 
some  vicious  job  in  our  way.  The  theory  of  spending 
our  time  before  our  open  Bible,  or  on  our  knees,  or  in 
heavenly  meditation  is  an  unpractical  one  to  real 
students  of  human  nature. 

Let  me  commend  some  Christian  principles  which 
should  govern  our  attitude  towards  this  large  period 
of  precious  time,  given  to  us  by  law  for  recreative 
purposes. 

1.  First  of  all  our  Christian  holiday  must  be  treated 
with  full  liberty.  Liberty  of  conscience,  the  right  to 
judge  and  act  for  ourselves  on  any  point  which  is  one 
between  us  and  God,  is  a  supreme  principle  to  be  main- 
tained in  our  own  interests,  and  even  more  in  those  of 
posterity.  Luther,  whom  Evangelical  England  has  been 
in  the  habit  of  elevating  into  a  thirteenth  apostle,  uses 
language  on  this  subject  calculated  to  give  a  -serious 
shock  to  the  confidence  of  his  admirers.  He  says  :  "  If 
anywhere  the  day  is  made  holy  for  the  day's  mere  sake, 
if  anyone  anywhere  sets  up  its  observance  on  a  Jewish 
foundation,  then  I  order  you  to  work  on  it,  ride  on  it, 
dance  on  it,  feast  on  it,  do  anything  that  shall  remove 
this  encroachment  on  Christian  liberty." 

Sunday  is  kept,  not  on  the  strength  of  a  Divine  law, 
since  no  such  law  exists,  but  by  Christians  out  of 
respect  to  Christ,  to  whom  the  day  is  dedicated,  and  by 
the  nation  at  large  through  a  Puritanic  tyranny 


The  Puritans  who  began  by  dying  for  liberty,  ended 
by  imposing  burdens  which  we  have  groaned  under 
ever  since. 

They  want  to  go  on  doing  the  same  for  us  to-day,  if 
we  are  fools  enough  to  let  them.  Our  Puritans,  who  are 
only  happy  when  putting  a  spoke  in  some  wheel,  and 
organising  a  society  to  prevent  something,  would  rob  us 
of  the  scraps  of  joy  and  brightness  granted  by  our  dull 
skies  and  triste  nature.  Stand  for  liberty,  since  its  with- 
drawal from  conscience  creates  Pharisees  on  the  one  side, 
cant  and  hypocrisy  on  the  other. 

2.  Next,  keep  Sunday  rationally.  It  is  not  rational 
to  force  the  mind  to  inordinate  devotions,  or  to  sit  with 
folded  hands  and  yawn  the  hours  away,  letting  precious 
time  slip  by  unused  in  a  world,  where  so  much  is  to  be 
learnt  and  done. 

Sunday  is  adopted  by  us  as  a  rest  day,  and  rest  is  often 
best  achieved  by  change  of  occupation. 

I  have  known  active  people  go  to  bed  half  the  day, 
sedentary  people  take  a  long  ride  or  row. 

Whatever  fits  us  most  for  life  and  puts  us  cheerfully 
in  tune  with  duty,  that  is  rational.  God  is  best  served 
by  those  wJjo  adopt  the  wisest  means  of  recouping  their 
powers  of  mind,  body  and  soul  for  their  work  in  life. 

Some  excellent  people  were  recently  roused  to 
prophesying  by  the  decision  of  a  golf  club  to  open  its 
links  on  Sunday.  Golf  was  admitted  to  be  a  healthy 
and  manly  exercise  in  the  abstract,  but  was  denounced 
as  "  silly  and  wicked"  when  played  on  Sunday.  Curser 
were  predicted  as  a  consequence.  All  golf  links, 
however  favourable  to  health  and  manliness  on  week 
days,  were  declared  to  "  stink  in  the  nostrils  of 
humanity "  if  used  on  Sunday.  Could  anything  be 
more  irrational  1 

Assume  that  the  Jewish  commandment  controls  our 
conduct,  and  press  its  meaning  to  the  last  issue.  The 
most  it  says-  is  "  Do  not  work  on  Saturday."  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  dignified  version  of  a  good  old  English  proverb, 
"  All  work  and  no  play  makes.  Jack  a  dull  bo}%"  and  is 
as  much  an  incentive  to  every  kind  of  wholesome 
recreation  as  it  is  an  obligation  to  abstain  for  twenty- 
four  hours  from  sordid  money-grubbing.  It  is  the  noble 
recognition  by  a  superb  statesman  of  human  nature's 
need  for  play,  and  each  one  of  us  has  his  own  kind  of 
play — whether  golf,  or  literature,  or  a  long  sleep.  And 
when  we  add  to  this  that  the  Christian  Sunday  is  not, 
never  has  been,  and  never  can  be  identical  with  the 
Jewish  Sabbath,  the  argument  is  greatly  strengthened 
for  giving  us  a  free  hand  in  the  use  of  Sunday.  The 
highest  claim  of  Sunday  is  that  it  is  consecrated  to 
Christ.  It  is  the  Lord's  Day.  And  to  pretend  to 
please  that  Lord  Christ  by  the  rigid  Phariseeism  of 
Sabbath  keeping,  which  He  attacked  so  mercilessly, 
is  so  irrational  that  it  provokes  a  smile.  I  wonder 
what  He  would  have  said  the  other  Sunday,  when 
some  urchins  from  our  distant  slums  found  a  heaven  of 
delight  in  kicking  a  football  on  a  piece  of  open  ground, 
where  no  one  could  be  affected  by  their  play,  and  were 
promptly  put  to  flight  as  Sabbath-breakers  by  a  stolid 
policeman  1  I  think  it  would  have  been  something  to 
the  effect  that  we  were  those  dogs-in-the-manger  who 
will  not  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  ourselves, 
and  shut  the  door  against  those  who  would  like  to  go  in 
without  us. 

3.  To  freedom  and  reason  in  keeping  Sunday  let  us 
add  charity  in  its  largest  sense.  Keep  it  charitably,  as 
Christian  people  should.  Keep  it  so  as  to  expand  all 
the  kindly  powers  of  the  soul.  If  you  are  well 
off  and  pleasantly  placed,  decree  that  someone 
tied  by  duties,  or  worn  with  toil,  shall  be  made 
free  on  the  Christian  holiday  by  your  purse 
or  your  vicarious  help.  Make  it  a  day  on  which  those 
who  have  less  bright  surroundings  than  yours  shall 
share  yours  for  awhile.  See  that  someone  who  needs  it 
gets  a  change  into  sweeter  air  and  more  bracing  scenes. 
Make  it  a  day  on  which  to  keep  in  touch  with  those 
who  are  drifting  away  from  you,  by  letter  or  visit.  In 


352 


TO-DAY. 


April  20,  1895. 


some  way  let  it  be  a  day  of  thought  for  others,  not  of 
mere  selfish  gratification,  even  though  that  gratification 
be  "  religious."  Let  it  be  a  day  of  high  human  in- 
spirations. Feed  yourself  with  kindly  judgments,  espe- 
cially towards  the  intolerant  and  bigoted.  Give  your 
support  sometimes  on  that  day  to  those  who  are  fight- 
ing the  battle  of  freedom  and  a  rational  Sunday.  Do 
not  take  all  your  champions  win  for  you,  while  you 
stand  aloof  to  escape  blows  and  abuse.  Boldly  declare 
your  principles  and  so  help  to  leaven  society.  Aid  those 
who  are  striving  to  open  the  doors  of  enlightenment  and 
happiness  on  Sundays,  and  break  the  ring  of  the  Church 
and  publichouse.  But  because  you  are  liberal,  broad  and 
progressive,  do  not  be  less  pious,  devout  and  reverent. 
The  rational  Sunday  often  has  to  pray  "  Save  me  from 
my  friends."    Once  let  freedom  and  enlightenment  be 


identified  with  irreligion  and  we  put  the  hands  of  the 
clock  of  progress  back  for  a  generation. 

I  plead  for  the  observance  of  Sunday,  that  is  free, 
reasonable,  and  helpful.  That  surely  must  be  the  mind 
of  Christ,  and  will  best  advance  the  great  caur;e  we  have 
at  heart  of  human  enlightenment  and  progress.  No 
one  can  rob  us  of  that  eternal  dictum,  by  which  Christ, 
once  for  all,  adjusted  the  relations  between  all  ordin- 
ances and  humanity.  It  stands  as  the  final  word  upon 
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A    WEEKLY  / 


MAGAZ1 NE -(JOURNAL 
taABy    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Vol.  VL— No.  77.        LONDON,  SATURDAY,  APRIL  27,  1895. 


Price  Twopence. 


A   NOVEL  PROBATION 

BY 

WARREN  KILLINGWORTH, 

Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 


HAT  brought  me  to  the 
place  is  very  briefly  told.  I 
had  business  to  do  in  a 
small  town  a  few  miles  in- 
land, and  having  retained 
a  lively  impression  brought 
away  with  me  from  London 
of  fog,  mud,  and  general 
atmospheric  depression  in 
the  direction  of  home,  I 
was  induced  to  spend  a 
few  days  at  a  quiet  little 
watering-place  that  I  had 
heard  of  as  likely  to  rise 
and  become  fashionable,  to 
the  disgust  of  the  few  who 
knew  the  place  and  loved 
it  for  its  retirement. 
My  first  impressions  of  the  spot  under  its  winter 
aspect  were  such  as  did  not  make  me  desirous  to  renew 
its  acquaintance  at  that  particular  season  of  the  year. 
After  a  dreary  walk  along  the  deserted  Marina,  I  hit 
upon  a  comfortable-looking  inn,  built  one  could  see  at  a 
glance  long  before  the  town  aspired  to  the  dignity  of  a 
popular  seaside  resort,  and  very  glad  was  I  to  gain  the 
shelter  of  its  old-fashioned  interior. 

As  I  entered,  a  homely  woman,  country-bred,  judging 
from  her  speech  and  appearance,  came  briskly  forward 
to  ask  my  pleasure. 

"  Very  pleasant,"  thought  I,  "  but  if  I  am  not  very 
much  mistaken  there  is  an  amount  of  will  and  deter- 
mination marked  upon  your  buxom  countenance  which 
would  make  any  ordinary  man  quail  at  the  thought  of 
possession."  Anyway,  I  soon  came  to  terms  with  my 
hostess,  and  at  her  invitation  entered  the  coffee-room, 


where  I  was  shortly  interviewed  by  an  individual,  who 
answering  to  the  shrill  summons  of  his  mistress,  ap- 
peared from  unknown  depths,  possibly  the  cellars,  and 
stood  at  the  table,  hand  on  hip,  more  like  a  sailor  than 
a  born  and  bred  waiter,  awaiting  my  orders. 

"  Chilly  day,  sir,"  said  my  attendant, 

"Chilly?"  replied  I,  "do  you  think  it  is  chilly?  I 
wonder  what  you  would  call  a  very  cold  day  ?  I  think 
bitter  is  a  better  word,  the  very  marrow  in  my  bones 
feels  frozen." 

"  Ah,  well,  sir,  use  is  everything,  you  know,"  he  re- 
plied, stirring  the  fire  into  a  blaze.  "  What  would  you 
like?  We  can  send  out  for  anything  you  fancy,  and 
my  wife's— I  beg  pardon,  Mrs.  Scales'  cooking  ain't 
to  be  beaten  in  these  parts,  although  I  say  it." 

"  There  is  no  earthly  reason  why  you  should  not  say 
it,  if  it  is  a  fact.  Let  your  wife  cook  me  a  steak — aa 
quickly  as  possible." 

"  Yes,  sir — beg  pardon — slip  of  the  tongue — my  wife 
— Mrs.  Scales,  sir — if  you  please." 

I  looked  at  the  man  in  astonishment,  and  began  to 
think  the  cold  had  affected  his  brain.  He  saw  my  per- 
plexity, and  murmured  something  about  the  usage  of 
the  house ;  but  I  fancied  I  had  detected  something  inter- 
esting from  his  manner,  and  taking  no  further  notice 
at  the  time,  determined  to  probe  matters  later  on.  The 
opportunity  came  after  I  had  dined. 

"  Waiter,"  said  T,  "  bring  whiskey,  lemons,  hot  wa*:er, 
sugar,  and  two  glasses,  one  for  me,  one  for  yourself.  I 
want  to  hear  all  the  news  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
and  have  no  mind  to  sit  here  alone  all  the  afternoon." 

"  You're  very  kind,  sir,  I  am  sure,  but  I'm  afraid  tho 
missus  wouldn't  like  it." 

"Not  like  it?  Why,  it's  for  the  good  of  the  house \ 
There  doesn't  appear  to  be  a  landlord,  and  I  can't  well 
ask  a  lady  to  drink  whiskey  with  me.  Wait  a  minute, 
I'll  arrange  matters." 

I  disappeared  within  the  adjacent  bar,  and  soon  re 
turned,  followed  by  the  buxom  landlady,  with  the  neces- 
sary materials  for  grog-making,  who,  with  an  admonition 
to  the  waiter  to  "  keep  hii  place,"  closed  the  door,  and 
left  us. 


Copyriyht,  1895,  by  Warren  Kitlingworth. 


354 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  189o. 


I  bade  the  man  be  seated,  and  after  a  short  preli- 
minary conversation,  thanks  to  the  warming  effects  of 
the  grog  upon  my  guest  and  the  soothing  influences  of 
a  good  cigar,  I  found  myself  listening  to  as  curious  a 


was  in  Lincolnshire  on  a  holiday,  and  met  my  wife 
there;  her  father  kept  an  inn  of  the  right  old  sort, 
and  that  is  how  she  came  to  be  such  a  good  manageress. 
How  it  was  she  took  to  me  I  can't  say.    I  was  a  flash 


IT    WILL    SEHVE    TO    PASS    AN  HOUR." 


story  of  feminine  caprice  as  I,  a  confirmed  bachelor, 
could  vif-.h  to  hear. 

"  Well,  sir,"  he  began,  "  I  should  never  be  forgiven  if 
the  missus  knew."  He  gave  a  furtive  glance  over  his 
shoulder  as  he  said  this.  "And  I  don't  see  how  it 
should  interest  you,  but  it  vail  serve  to  pass  an  hour. 
In  the  first  place,  waiting  ain't  mv  trade,  or  was  not, 
until  recently.  I  was  brought  up  to  the  leather  busi- 
ness, and  hail  from  Bermondsey,  served  my  apprentice- 
ship, and  stuck  to  the  trade  until  I  was  five-and-twenty. 
I'm  nearer  forty  now.  Leather  didn't  suit  my  bent, 
although  I  certainly  ought  to  have  made  it — seeing  I 
married  on  it." 

"  And  the  lady  outside  is  " 

"Hush,  she  has  an  awful  quick  ear" — then  in  an 
audible  whisper — "  you've  guessed  it,  sir,  she  is  my  wife." 

"  Oh,  then  I  understand  the  mistake  you  made  ;  you 
ai  t  as  waiter,  and  nobody  is  supposed  to  know  that  you 
aro  man  and  wife.    Wouldn't  do,  I  suppose  1" 

Mr.  Scales  shook  his  head  in  a  dubious  manner — for 
a  moment  I  thought  I  had  checked  his  communicative- 
ness and  inwardly  cursed  my  awkwardness. 

"  No,  sir,  that's  not  it,"  he  continued  at  length. 
You  must  hear  the  whole  story  to  understand  pro- 
perly. As  I  was  saying,  I  used  to  be  in  the  leather 
trade,  and  how  I  came  to  marry  was  in  this  way.  I 


kind  of  lad  in  those  days,  and  suppose  my  London 
manners  took  her  fancy.  Anyway,  she  was  a  buxom, 
fresh-coloured,  healthy-looking  lass  enough,  and  we 
made  a  match  of  it,  much  against  the  old  man's  wish, 
who  was  sharp  enough  to  notice,  I  suppose,  that 
although  I  had  fine  feathers  I  was  not  quite  the  sort 
to  make  a  good  husband.  The  old  man  was  right,  for 
I  certainly  did  not.  But  though  I  am  naturally  of  a 
roving  disposition  I  am  a  determined  character  too. 
and  when  I  make  up  my  mind  to  a  thing  I  generally 
manage  to  carry  it  through  somehow.  Well,  I  saw 
Nance  Gibson,  and  made  up  my  mind  then  and  there 
that  she  was  the  girl  for  me ;  but  I  was  foolish  enough 
not  to  consider,  whether  or  no,  marriage  was  suited  to 
my  inclinations,  which  subsequent  events  proved 
decidedly  in  the  negative.  I  had,  you  know,  sir,  a> 
hankering  after  seeing  life.  1  don't  mean  town  life,  for 
I  saw  enough  and  to  spare  of  that  kind  of  thing,  but 
foreign  countries  and  foreign  ways.  Perhaps  the 
.stifling  air  and  monotonous  round  of  life  in  Bermondsey 
made  me  pine  for  fresher  atmosphere  and  a  change  of 
scene,  and  perhaps,  too,  I  forgot  my  daily  surroundings- 
when  in  Lincolnshire,  and  only  thought  of  Nance  and 
how  unlike  she  was  to  the  girls  I  saw  in  London.  Any 
how  I  had  no  intention  of  treating  her  badly  when  I 
married  her  in  the  old  village  church,  or  of  breaking 


April  27,  1395. 


TO-DAY. 


355 


"her  old  father's  heart,  which  I  learned  afterwards  I  had 
done.  For  he  was  very  fond  of  his  Nance,  and  had 
always  hoped  she  would  marry  into  the  farming  business 
and  settle  near  him  in  his  old  age ;  for  London  was  as 
unknown  a  country  to  him  as  some  of  the  lands  I 
dreamed  of  and  longed  to  visit.  Well,  I  took  Nance 
away  from  her  quiet  native  Lincolnshire  village  to 
London  and  dirty  Bermondsey.  All  went  well  for  a 
few  months.  Nance  felt  the  change  keenly,  and  lost 
her  colour  and  her  temper  too,  sometimes,  which  was 
a  wonder  to  me,  for  she  was  a  good-tempered  girl  was 
Nance  before  I  married  her,  although  she  always  had  a 
fairly  strong  will  of  her  own,  too.  Perhaps,  sir,  she 
saw  there  was  a  screw  loose  about  me,  and  began  to 
repent  of  her  choice.  One  thing  I  am  certain  of,  she 
repented  of  coming  to  London,  and  pined  for  the  old 
home  she  had  left  behind  her.  This,  as  time  went  on, 
angered  me  against  her,  and  then  the  old  feverish 
longing  to  see  something  new  came  upon  me  harder 
than  ever.  The  end  of  it  was,  I  just  crept  away  from 
her  one  dark  foggy  afternoon  and  made  my  way  to  the 
London  Docks,  where  I  had  heard  from  a  pal  of  mine, 
a  sailor,  that  his  ship  was  in  want  of  a  cook.  He  did 
not  know  the  circumstances,  or  I  know  he  would  never 
have  got  me  the  crib.  I  left  sufficient  money  behind 
me  to  pay  the  rent  up  and  take  her  back  to  her  father, 
and  turned  my  back  upon  her — I  who  had  sworn  to 
cherish  and  take  care  of  her  through  life — I  feel  now 
how  heartless  it  was,  but  I  was  fairly  mad  to  get  away. 
I  found  the  life  hard  but  enjoyed  it — the  free  open  air 
was  delightful — the  foreign  ports  and  strange  people 
filled  me  with  wonder,  and  during  the  ten  years  I  was 
away  I  never  even  wrote  to  Nance ;  my  marriage 
seemed  like  a,  dream,  a  thing  which  had  happened 'when 
I  was  very  young — -hardly  remembered.  On  the  west 
toast  of  South  America,  up  Panama  way,  I  caught  the 
ftver,  was  left  in  hospital,  and  on  my  recovery  found 
my  ship  had  sailed  for  England  a  month  back.  A  great 
longing  to  see  the  old  country  then  seized  me,  as  strong 
as  the  wish  I  had  to  leave  it  years  before.  You  see, 
sir,  what  a.  mistake  I  made — I  should  have  satisfied  my 
craving  first,  and  then  settled  down  to  a  quiet  life  at 
home.  Ten  years  of  ever-changing  scenes  makes  a  man 
long  for  home,  and  so  it  made  me.  I  shipped  in  a 
homeward  bound  vessel,  landed  at  Falmouth,  and  re* 
visited  my  old  haunts.  I  found  several  of  my  old 
mates  still  at  work  in  the  same  old  humdrum  way  as 
they  will  do,  until  they  die  or  drift  into  the  workhouse, 
and  from  them  I  learned  that  Nance  had  returned  to 
her  old  home  after  I  deserted  her,  and  that  was  all  they 
knew.  I  journeyed  to  Lincolnshire — found  old  Gib- 
son's grave  in  the  churchyard — the  inn  passed  into 
strange  hands,  but  no  Nance.  After  making  inquiries 
round  the  village,  I  came  across  an  old  woman  who 
•did  not  know  me  for  Nance's  husband,  and  from  her  I 
learned  my  wife's  whereabouts.  She  had  taken  this 
inn,  the  old  man  had  left  her  all  his  money,  a  tidy 
sum  I  am  told ;  but  how  she  found  anchorage  in  this 
particular  spot  I  do  not  know.  I  arrived  here  in  the 
height  of  the  season,  for  we  are  very  busy  in  the  sum- 
mer, and  for  some  days  lay  quiet,  thinking  how  I  could 
best  approach  her.  One  evening  I  had  been  taking  a 
walk  along  the  cliffs,  thinking  all  the  time  how  badly 
I  had  treated  my  wife,  and  had  almost  made  up  my 
mind  to>  leave  her  in  peace,  when  a-  thought  struck  me 
which  brought  me  up  short  as  if  I  had  been  suddenly 
shot.    I  got  the  idea  of  engaging  myself  as  servant  at 


her  inn,  and  endeavouring  to  gain  her  confidence  in 
that  capacity  before  I  attempted  to  regain  it  as  a 
husband. 

One  thing  was  certain,  she  was  not  likely  to  know  me 
again,  for  the  healthy  life  had  expanded  my  chest,  and 
deepened  my  voice:  I  stood  at  least  two*  inches  taller 
than  when  she  had  last  seen  me,  my  face  was  bronzed 
deep,  like  mahogany,  and,  besides  all  these  changes  in 
my  appearance,  I  had  grown  the  thick,  dark  beard  which 
you  now  see  me  wearing.  I  got  a  situation  as  handy 
man,  from  that  rose  to'  waiter  and  barman,  waiter  in 
the  season,  barman  in  the  winter.  I  had  been  in  her 
service  about  twelve  months,  and  so  far,  my  mistress 
had  no  idea,  whatever  that  her  husband  was  so  near  her 
day  by  day.  Somehow  I  had  not  the  heart  to  tell  her, 
she  seemed  so  contented  with  her  lot. 

"  I  found  one  day,  however,  hanging  in  the  bar  where 
she  always  sat,  an  old  photo  of  me,  one  of  those  shilling 
tin  things,  and  I  well  remembered  when  it  had  been 
taken.  It  was  at  Peterborough  Fair,  in  the  first  year 
of  our  courting.  I  was  almost  inclined  to  tell  her  then, 
but  circumstances  had  arisen  which  made  me  bide  my 
time.  There  was  a  flash  young  commercial  used  to 
come  and  stop  here  from  time  to  time,  and  it.  wasn't 
very  long  before  I  saw  as  plain  as  glass  that  this  young 
man  meant  having  my  wife,  and  I  began  to  see  that  the 
photo  in  the  bar  would  soon  lose  its  place.  For  the  first 
time  in  my  life,  I  knew  what  it  was  to  lie  jealous.  I 
didn't  like  the  man,  though  I  shouldn't  have  let  the 
affair  go  on  if  I  had  liked  him.  I  saw  plainly  enough 
that  all  he  wanted  was  the  comfortable  business  my  wife 
had  got  together,  to  fall  back  upon  when  commissions  ran 
short.  It  was  cotr.monly  reported  that  she  was  a  warm 
woman,  and  he  was  no  lcol.  I  watched  th?  little  game 
closely,  and  every  time  that  commercial  came  to  the 
house  I  remarked  progress.  The  last  visit  he  paid  was 
unusually  prolongid,  and  matters  had  come  to  such  a 
pass  that  I  hardly  knew  how  to'  contain  myself.  One 
circumstance  made  me  determined  to  end  it  all,  and 
that  soon.  1  found  my  photo  missing.  I  fairly  ground 
my  teeth  with  rage  at  this,  though  in  quieter  moments 
I  had  wondered  why  my  wife  kept  it,  seeing  I  had  treated 
her  so  badly. 

"  That  very  night  I  was  told  to  go  next  day  to  London 
with  a  letter  to  the  brewers,  and  putting  two  and  two 
together,  I  made  a  pretty  good  guess  why  they  wanted 
to1  get  me  out  of  the  way. 

"  So  I  made  ready,  and  instead  of  going  to*  the  station, 
hid  myself  in  an  outhouse,  and  waited,  events.  It  did 
not  take  long  to<  find  out  what  their  game  was ;  for  I, 
soon  growing  tired  of  cooling  my  heels  in  a.  draughty 
shed,  stole  aently  to  the  back  door,  which  I  softly 
opened,  and  crept  into  the  passage.  Then  I  heard 
voices. 

" '  Nance,  darling,'  the  commercial  was  saying,  '  are 
you  ready  ? ' 

',' '  Yes,  dearest,  in  a,  moment,'  replied  my  wife.  '  Has 
the  London  train  gone?' 

"  '  Gone  1  It's,  been  gone  half  an  hour.  Be  quick,  it's 
eleven  o'clock.' 

"  Soon  after  this  I  heard  a.  rustling  sound,  and  pre- 
sently Nance  appeared,  tricked  out  in  a  silk  dress  and 
mantle,  like  a  duchess.  The  intended  bridegroom  stood 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and  held  out  his  arms  to  em- 
brace his  future  partner,  for  I  was  right  in  my  guess,  they 
were  just  off  to  church. 


35G 


TO-T*  A  V, 


Apkil  27,  1S95. 


"  This  was  more  than  I  could  stand  so  I  bawled  out, 
'  Not  so  fast,  there.' 

"  You  should  have  just  seen  their  faces,  sir ;  it  was 
a  picture.  Nance  drew 
herself  up  and  looked 
daggers  at  me,  that  is 
to  say  when  she  caught 
sight  of  me,  for  at  first 
I  thought  she  would 
have  fainted,  but  she 
soon  thought  better  of 
that,  and  prepared  to 
brazen  it  out. 

"  '  Why  aren't  you  on 
the  way  to  London  to 
do  my  business  ? '  said 
my  lady  as  proud  as 
Lucifer. 

"  '  Because,'  replied  I, 
'  I've  no  liking  to  see  my 
mistress  married,  and 
thrown  away  on  a  young 
fellow  who  only  cares 
what  he  can  make  out  of 
her.' 

"  '  What  do  you  mean, 
you  scoundrel ! '  said  he, 
furious  :  "  I'll  throw  you 
outside  if  you  dont  take 
yourself  off.' 

"  '  Try  it  on,'  said  I, 
'  I'm  ready.' 

"  He  looked  at  me  for 
a  second,  and  then 
putting  on  a  sneer,  as 
well  as  he    could  with 

his  white  face  and  his  voice  all  of  a  tremble  with 
passion,  he  turned  to  Nance  saying,  '  I  believe  he  wants 
to  marry  you  himself.' 

"  '  Many  me,  indeed — he'd  better  go  at  once  or  I'll 
call  for  help.' 

'"You  can  make  me  leave  the  house,  perhaps, 
Nance,'  said  I,  '  but  before  I  go  I  can  stop  your 
marriage.' 

"  Well,  sir,  I  did  stop  her  marriage,  and  she,  out  of 


CAME    ACROSS    AN    OLD  WOMAN. 


spite,  I  suppose,  at  her  disappointment,  took  the  upper 
hand  of  me,  and  named  the  only  terms  upon  which  she 
would  consent  to  live  with  me  again — I  was  to  serve- 

her  as  usual  for  board 
and  wage  for  another 
two  years — which  time 
expires  at  Christmas, 
and  until  then  I  am 
nothing  more  to  her 
than  an  ordinary  paid 
servant,  and  my  word, 
she  has  been  a  Tartar 
into  the  bargain." 

By  this  time  the 
short  afternoon  •  had 
passed  away,  the  room 
in  which  we  sat  had 
grown  dark,  and  Mrs. 
Scales'  shrill  voice  was 
heard  calling  for  her 
man-of -all-work. 

"  Coming  ma'am, 
coming,"  said  he. 

I  heard  an  ani- 
mated discussion  pro- 
ceeding from  the  bar,, 
and  when  a  few  minutes 
later  Mr.  Scales- 
entered  with  candles 
he  had  shrunk  into  his 
shell,  and  was  to  all 
appearance  an  ordinary 
inn  attendant.  Any- 
way, I  did  not 
succeed  in  drawing  him 
further,  and  next  day 


I  returned  to  London 


Upon  a.  subsequent  visit  I  found  the  Marina  Hotel 
no  longer  under  petticoat  government.  I  discovered, 
too,  that  the  landlord  was  a  man  of  determination,  that 
under  his  management  the  business  had  even  improved, 
and  that  no  more  loyal  wife  existed  than  his  late- 
employer. 


ON  THE  RANK. 

BY 

W.    PETT  RIDGE. 


Cab  rank  near  Charing  Cross.    Ten  something  p.m. 
Sad  horses  stand  in  shafts,  with  extended  front  feet, 
scoivling  over  their  past  ;  drivers,  in  middle-aged 
overcoats,  stand  near  and  wrangle,  and  smoke  and 
argue,  and  wrangle  again. 
Redfaced  Cabman.   I  cawnt  say  I  agree  with  you, 
'Opkins.    Your  argument  won't  'old  water,  not  for  a 
single  moment. 

Mr.  Hopkins.  Who  wants  it  to  'old  water  ?  What 
are  you  drivin'  at?  It  ain't  a  blankey  trough;  it's  a 
blankey  argument. 

Red-face.  You  don't  see  my  meaning,  'Opkins. 
Mr.  Hopkins.  No,  and  Im  'anged  if  you  do  either. 
Red-face.  Oh,  yus,  I  do.  Yus,  I  do.  I  know  what's 
in  my  mind  very  well  at  the  present  moment,  and  I  tell 
you  straight  I  don't  agree  with  you.  For  one  thing, 
what  would  become  of  the  country  if  your  Army  and 
your  Navy  was  abolished  ? 


Mb.  Hopkins.  Your  talking  back'ards,  old  man. 
Why,  the  country  'ud  always  be  here,  fathead,  wouldn't 

it? 

Red-face.  Grawnted,  jjrawnted  !  But  what's  sroinc: 
to  become  of  all  your  soldiers  and  sailors,  aye  ?  Suppose- 
they  all  went  and  turned  driving  kebs  ?  That's  my 
point. 

Mr.  Hopkins.  Ah,  you're  all  self,  James,  that's  what 
you  are.  Yrou  want  to  look  at  these  things  from  what 
I  call  a  broad  point  of  view.  Don't  'arp  too  much  on. 
number  one. 

Red-face  (with  decision).  Number  one's  the  best 
chum  I've  ever  'ad,  old  man,  and  I  ain't  going  to  desert 
him  now  he's  getting  old,  and —  (To  Pert  Servant 
arriving).    Four  wheeler,  miss  ?  Certainly  miss.  Now?" 

Pert  Servant  (sharply).  Of  course,  it's  wanted  now. 
What  a  question  to  ask.  And  mistress  said  I  was  to- 
ride  back  inside. 

Red-face.  Certainly,  my  dear.  Allow  me  (Cpe?is 
door).  That's  it.  In  you  no.  What  number  did  you 
say? 

Pert  Servant.  I  said  number  ten  as  plain  as  I 
could  speak. 


Arr.iL  '27,  1S£* 


TO-DAY. 


357 


Red-face.  Right  you  are.  Til  shut  the  door  for 
•you.    (Drives  off.) 

Pimpled  Cabman.  We'll  he's  off  the  rank,  thank 
Gawd  !  I  wish  I  was  'im,  that's  all.  I  bin  on  ray  feet, 
I  'ave,  for  over  'alf  a  hour  now,  an'  I  ought  to  be  in  bed 
•by  rights. 

Morose  Cabman  (gloomily).  There  ain't  no  such 
thing  as  rights  nowadays.    It's  damn  well  all  wrongs. 

Pimples.  You  didn't  'ear  about  me  and  that  copper 
th'  other  night  jest  off  the  Strend,  did  you  ?  (No 
answer.)  I  wanted  to  get  into  the  Strend,  I  did,  owin' 
to  the  theatres  jest  being  on  the  point  of  getting  it  over, 
as  you  may  say,  and  'ang  me  if  a  'alf-baked  young 
copper  didn't  put  up  his  'and  like  this  (illustrates).  You 
know. 

Moroseness  (bitterly) :  Do  I  not. 

Pimples.  And  he  says — this  half-baked  young 
copper — he  says,  "No,  you  don't,  "  he  says,  and  I  pulls 
up,  and  1  says,  very  polite,  "Don't  what?"  I  says, 
"  Ain't  I  got  a  fare  a- waiting  for  me  at  the 
Marble  Halls  1 "  and  he  says,  "  Fare  or  no  fare  you  get 
back."  And  I  lets  the  old  'orse  go  on  for  a  bit,  and  he 
says,  "  Stop  it,"  and  I  says,  "  Sergeant  (he  was  on'y  a 
ordinary  twenty-five-bob-a-weeker,  but  I  called  him 
sergeant),  I  says,  "You  can't  do  what  you  like  with  a 
norse,"  and  the  young  devil  he  says,  "  What's  your 
number  1 " 

Morose-ness.    That's  so  like  'em. 

Pimples.  And  I  shows  him  me  number  and  I  took  his, 
and  I  druv  off  back,  and  I  called  out  to  him,  I  did,  over 
me  shoulder  and  I  hollers  out,  "  You  look  out  you  don't 
lose  your  brasted  uniform,  my  man,"  I  says,  "  I'll  get 
those  buttons  took  off  of  you,"  I  says. 

Moroseness.  What  made  you  give  him  your  number, 
you  silly  chump  1 

Pimples  (reassuringly).  It  was  all  right  old  man,  I 
kep  me  thumb  over  the  figure  'ite. 

(Slaps  his  own  shoulder  appreciatively.) 

Aged  Cabman  (to  thin  Cabman).  So  I  says  to  this 
party,  I  says,  "Where  might  you  be  wanting  to  go  to, 
lidy?"  and  the  party  answers  me  back,  and  she  says 
(whining  tone),  "  Acton,  cabman !  "  And  I  says  to  her 
J  says,  "  You  can't  get  to  no  Hacton  to-night,  lidy. 
You'd  better  lemme  drive  you  to  a  friend,"  and  she 
says  'alf  to  herself,  "  Shall  I  go  to  my  sister's  at  Bays- 
water,  that  I  haven  t  spoken  to  for  ten  years  ? " 

Thin  Cabman  (doubtingly).  You're  miking  this  up 
•  as  you  go  along. 

Aged  Cabman.  It's  gawspel,  Banks,  it's  gawspel  truth 
I'm  giving  you,  and  I  says,  "  Certnly  lidy.  You  go  to 
your  sister's,  she'll  make  you  comfortable  enough,"  and 
she  goes  and  gets  in  my  keb. 

Thin  Cabm/.n  (satirically).    Poor  soul ! 

Aged  Cabman.  And  when  we  gets  there  her  sister 
comes  to  the  door  and  cries  out,  "Sophia!"  and  my  fare, 
she  cries  out,  "  Mabel !  "  and  they  kisses  one  another, 
•and  

Thin  Cabman.    What  'id  you  get  ? 

Aged  Cabman  (with  triumph).    Five  bob,  my  boy. 

Thin  Cabman  (unbelievingly).  So  are  you  five  bob. 
Who  are  you  getting  at? 

Aged  Cabman  (emphatically).  Five  solid  bob  I  give 
you  my  word  of  honour.  Sister  sent  it  out  by  the  ser- 
vant, an'  said  would  the  cabman  mind  kindly  keeping 
the  change  (laughs  ironically),  would  I  keep  the  change, 
indeed.  AVould  I  not  keep  the  change.  What  do  you 
think  ? 

Thin  Cabman  (with  candour).  Since  you  ask  me 
'Errv  I  think  that  the  biggest  fools  'ave  the  best  luck. 

mi        .  , 

Ihats  what  I  think  (spits),  I've  seen  it  so  often  in  this 
'world.    I  ain't  lived  five  an'  fifty  year  for  nothin'. 

Aged  Cabman.  Ah,  your  jolly  clever,  you  are,  all  at 
■once. 

Thin  Cabman.  Well,  we  can't  all  be  born  idiots,  can 
we  ?    Give  us  a  chance,  old  man. 

(Aged  Cabman  goes  to  lamp  of  his  cab  and  rubs  it 
■  with  arm-sleeve  strenuously.) 


Cabman  in  Oilskin  Hat.  So  I  says,  "What's  this 
for, '  I  says ;  "  I  don't  want  to  buy  no  chocolate  out  of 
no  autermatic  machine,"  I  says ;  and  the  gent  says, 
"  That's  your  fare,"  he  says. 

Youthful  Cabman.    Well,  so  it  was. 

Oilskin  Hat  (with  acerbity).  What  the  'ell's  that 
got  to  do  with  it  ?  I'd  like  to  see  your  face  if  you'd 
drove  all  that  way  and  then  been  offered  'iteenpence. 
So  it  was  indeed !  You've  got  as  much  sense  as  a  bit  of 
old  blanket,  you  'ave. 

Youth.    Get  on. 

Oilskin  Hat.  Well,  so  I  says,  "  Oh,  that's  my  fare, 
is  it  ?  That's  as  well  to  know,"  I  says ;  and  he  says, 
"  Good-night,  cabman  ;"  and  I  stops  him,  and  I  says, 
"  One  moment,  if  you  please."  And  then  I  gives  'im  a 
bit  of  my  mind,  and  I  gives  it  to  'im  straight.  You 
know  my  style  when  I  feel  'urt. 

Youth.    It's  pretty  thick. 

Oilskin  Hat.  And  when  I'd  finished  he  says,  quite 
carm,  "  If  you  care  to  call  on  me  to-morrow  morning 
I'll  see  if  we  can  find  something  more  for  you  ;"  and  I 
says,  "  Ah  !  now  you're  tawking  sense ;"  and  he  says, 
"  I'm  the  new  magistrate  at  what's-the-name  of  the 
Court ;"  and  he  gives  me  his  card,  and — well,  I  give  you 
my  word  you  could  'a'  knocked  me  down  with  'alf  a 
feather.  I  ain't  bin  so  tooken  not  since — 
(Tivo  whistles  in  distance.) 

All  Cabmen.  Now  then,  Ginger. 

Oilskin  Hat.  Awright,  awright,  I  'eard.  I  ain't 
got  a  clawth  ear. 

(Oilskin  Hat  ivakes  up  his  horse  and  goes.) 

Cabman  with  Cigar.  If  I  backed  that  blankey  'orse 
once  I  reckon  I  backed  it  'arf-a-dozen  times,  and  it 
never  did  win. 

Colleague.  What  made  you  back  it,  then  ? 

Cigar.  What  mide  me  back  it  ?  What  rot  you  do 
talk  !  Why,  you've  on'y  got  to  keep  on  backin'  a  'orse 
and  it's  sure  to  pull  it  off  some  day.  Look  at  me,  f'r 
instance.  There  was  me,  backing  the  bag  o'  bones  six 
times;  I  drops  it;  I  says,  "No,  thanky,  I've  'ad  some," 
and  (explosively)  bile  my  'ead  if  the  very  next  time  he 
didn't  fairly  romp  in  ! 

Colleague.  You  wasn't  in  the  know,  old  man. 

Cigar  (frankly).  That  I  most  certainly  was  not.  Ten 
to  one  he  started,  too.  Never  put  more  than  a  bob  at 
a  time  on  him,  I  didn't ;  but,  after  all,  a  bob  is  a  bob 
now  days. 

Colleague.  It  takes  a  lump  o'  gettin'.  (To  passing 
youth).  'Ere  you  are,  sir.  'Ansom,  sir  ?  ( Youth  shakes 
his  head  and  goes  on.)  A  'apenny  'bus  once  a  month  is 
more  in  your  line.  (To  colleague).  It's  my  firm  belief, 
Jobson,  that  a  lot  of  these  young  chaps  don't  know 
what  a  'ansom  is. 

Cigar.  They  would  if  they  got  inside  of  yourn.  My 
Gawd  !    Shook  all  to  bits  I  reckon. 

Colleague  (feelings  too  deep  for  intelligible  words). 
Ba-a-h. 

(Noise  in  distance.) 

Cigar  (to  another  colleague,  humorously).  There's 
your  pore  'orse  been  and  got  blown  down  agen,  Banks. 

Mr.  Banks.    You're  funny  aren't  you  ? 

Cigar  (modestly).  Well,  I  try  to  be,  old  chap.  Why 
don't  you  lean  'im  agenst  the  wall  somewheres  ?  It's 
downright  croolty  to  make  a  old  'orse  like  that  stand 
up.  I  reckon  he  was  born  in  the  year  dot,  that 
'orse  was. 

Mr.  Banks  (threateningly).  I'll  dot  you  one,  young 
Master  blooming  Waters,  if  you  don't  keep  that  mouth 
of  yourn — 

(Excited  cab  runners  turn  corner  of  street.  Theatres 
emptying). 

Excited  Cab-Runners  (screaming  breathlessly).  Four 
wheelah  !  'ensom  !  'ensom  !  four  wheelah  !  quick  !  come 
on  !  'urry  up,  this  w'y  !  'ere  y'are  sir !  'ensom  !  four 
wheelah  !  four  wheelah  !  'ensom  !  four — — 

(All  cabs  move.    On  the  rank  peace.) 


358 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  1S9.1 


IN   THE  MERCANTILE 
MARINE. 


AN  APPRENTICES  LIFE  IN  THE  HALF-DECK. 
(Conclusion.) 

Upon  our  return  to  Queenstown,  for  orders,  eleven 
months  later,  discontent  having  occurred  amongst  the 
n.en,  several  of  them  who  were  suffering  from  scurvy 
(despite  the  lime-juice  and  vinegar,  "  according  to  the 
Act ")  demanded  to  go  ashore,  and — not  through  any 
feelings  of  sympathy  with  Sumner,  but  simply  out  of 
spite  against  the  captain — told  the  story  of  the  accident. 
Sumner,  who — always  unlucky — was  also  suffering  from 
scurvy,  was  brought  ashore  by  order  of  the  magistrate. 
I,  who  was  in  the  captain's  gig,  heard  him  beg  the  boy 
not  to  say  too  much,  as  it  might  prove  a,  serious  matter, 
a  "id  he  (the  captain)  had  a  wife  and  children  to-  think 
of.  Sumner  said  as  little  as  possible,  but  a.  medical 
examination  at  Queenstown  demonstrated  that  the  point 
of  his  right  elbow  was  broken  off.  He  remained  in  the 
service  until  his  term  of  apprenticeship  had  expired ; 
but  his  nerve  was  gone,  and  from  the  day  of  his  fall  he 
never  ventured  aloft  beyond  the  sheer  poles  again. 

We  boys  always  went  barefoot  in  fine  weather,  and  one 
afternoon  I  jumped  down  an  open  hatchway  upon  a 
board  which  had  a  rusty  nail  sticking  up  from  it.  The 
result  was  a  nasty  wound,  which  bled  excessively.  The 
"  old  man  "  upon  being  informed  by  the  second  mate  of 
the  occurrence,  sent  up  word  that  I  was  to  bathe  my  foot 
in  hot  water,  and  he  would  attend  to  it  when  he  came  on 
deck.  The  cook  was  a  Cockney  of  the  lowest  class,  whose 
proudest  boast  was  that  he  had  been  born  in  the  gutter. 
He  was,  as  I  have  already  indicated,  one  of  our  berth- 
mates.  When  I  went  to  the  galley  for  hot  water  this 
blackguard  swore  at  me,  and  made  no  offer  to  give  me  what 
x  wanted,  so  I  got  some  linen  rags,  and  bandaged  my  foot 
as  well  as  I  could.  Presently  the  captain  came  on  deck, 
and  sent  for  me.    When  he  saw  that  the  wound  had  not 

been  bathed,  he  cried,  "  Why  the  haven't  you 

bathed  this,  as  I  told  you?"  I  was  afraid  to  say  any- 
thing against  the  cook,  who-  had  already  got  into  the 
habit  of  ill-using  some  of  us  lads,  so>  I  merely  replied,  "  I 
didn't  think  the  cook  had  any  hot  water  handy,  sir." 
The  cook  was  sent  for,  and  came  aft  swearing.  He 
declared  that  he  had  told  me  to  bring  a  pannikin  for  the 
hot  water.  The  carpenter,  who  was  standing  by  the 
half-deck  scuttle,  and  who  had  been  a.  witness  of  the 
scene  at  the  galley,  spoke  up  for  me,  but  was  promptly 
snubbed  by  the  captain.  Without  further  question,  the 
Skipper  seized  the  end  of  a  rope  from  the  mizzen-mast, 
and,  despite  my  crippled  condition,  gave:  me  a  severe 
thrashing.  No  further  attention  was  paid  to  the 
injured  foot. 

The  same  night  the  men  got  me  down  into  the  fore- 
castle (the  cook  being  there  also,  apparently,  a  kind  of 
leader  amongst  them),  and  were  kind  enough  to  pull  off 
my  shirt  and  examine  my  back,  which  was  covered  with 
weals  from  the  neck  downwards.  I  afterwards  discovered 
that  the  cook,  who  had  some  real  or  fancied  grievance 
against  the  captain,  was  keeping  a.  "  log,"  to  be  used  for 
the  latter's  discomfiture  upon  our  return  to  England. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  cook  was  sent  ashore  to  the 
hospital  when  w©  arried  at  Iquique,  and  he  remained 
there,  much  to  the  relief  of  us  all,  for  he  had  been 
suffering  all  the  passage  out  with  a.  loathsome  disease. 

One  morning,  in  the  tropics,  when  there  was  a  blazing 
sun  overhead,  and  the  iron  plates  of  the  ship  were  as 
hot  as  stove-lids,  we  six  apprentices  were  summoned  aft. 
The  captain  informed  us  that  he  had  a  nice  job  for  us  ; 
and  watch  on  deck  and  watch  below  were  to  share  in  it 
alike.  The  "nice  job"  was  to  chip  and  scrape  the  iron 
plates  in  the  lazarette.  The  Warwickshire s  lazarette 
was  a  terrible  place,  gained  by  a  man-hole  under  the 
cabin-table.  This  man-hole  offered  the  only  means  of 
ventilation  or  lights  as  the  place  was  below  the  water- 
line    There  was,  of  course,  no  pressing  necessity  for  the 


work,  which  could  have  been  readily  performed  in  cooler 
weather,  when  no  particular  hardship  would  have  been 
involved. 

The  six  of  us  descended  into  the  lazarette  with  three 
flaring  colza-oil  lamps,  one  for  each  gang  of  two.  In  the 
confined  space — where  we  had  to  work  in  constrained 
positions — the  atmosphere  became  unbearable  in  ten 
minutes.  A  little  chap  from  Liverpool,  who  had  been 
ailing  and  had  been  spitting  up  blood  some  time  before, 
suffered  especially.  Speaking  down  the  man-hole,  the 
captain  facetiously  remarked  that  any  boy  who  came 
up  at  dinner-time  with  a  dry  shirt  would  get  no  dinheir. 
The  work  lasted  all  day,  and  our  suffering  was  great. 
Happily,  there  was  no>  one  to  overlook  us,  and  SO'  we 
took  it  in  turns  to'  get  well  aft,  out  of  sight,  and  take  a 
spell.  In  the  afternoon  little  Caswell,  the  Liverpool 
boy,  whom  we  had  put  under  the  manhole  for  the  sake 
of  the  air,  inadvertently  splashed  a  few  drops  of  cement, 
with  which  we  were  coating  the  iron  plates,  into  the 
cabin  above.  When  it  was  discovered,  the  captain 
thrashed  him  after  his  usual  gentle  fashion. 

One  of  the  apprentices,  a  vicar's  son,  was  doing  some- 
thing in  the  cabin  one  afternoon,  when  he  was  called  into 
the  captain's  state-room,  and — by  way  of  a  joke,  I  sup- 
pose, on  the  "  old  man's  "  part — was  then  and  there  put 
in  irons.  The  boy  was  frightened,  and  wept  bitterly.  The 
captain  thereupon  became  angered,  and  struck  him  vio- 
lently as  he  sat  handcuffed  and  helpless  on  a.  box.  The 
boy's  nose  bled  very  freely,  and  as  a  mess  was  made  on 
the  deck  of  the  state-room  additional  punishment  was 
inflicted.  Captain  Greggans  had  no  desire  to  let  the 
steward  see  the  blood,  so  he  actually  induced  the  chief 
mate  to  swab  it  up  himself.  This  was  the  boy's  version 
of  the  affair,  and  it  was  verified  by  the  steward,  a  decent 
little  Norwegian,  who  had  been  in  the  pantry  close  by  all. 
the  while. 

When  crossing  the  line  barbarous  cruelties  were  prac- 
tised by  the  sailors  upon  us  first  voyagers,  with  the  tacit 
consent  of  the  captain.  The  horrid  mixture  used  as 
shaving  "  lather,"  in  the  incidental  operation,  was  com- 
posed of  Stockholm  tar,  "  slush  " — i.e.,  fat  skimmed  from 
the  water  in  which  the  salt  meat  is  boiled — and  soot  fro:.: 
the  galley  funnel. 

One  of  the  sailors,  armed  with  a  huge  wooden  razor 
and  a  brush  of  manilla  rope  yarns,  officiated  as  barber. 
When  I  refused  to  open  my  mouth,  I  received  a  hard 
stroke  across  the  face  with  the  razor.  When  I  did  open 
it,  the  brush,  well  charged  with  noxious  lather,  was 
pushed  down  my  throat — not  once,  but  many  times. 
With  deliberate  intent  the  stuff  was  brutally  forced 
under  my  eyelids,  and  although  I  refused  for  a  time, 
yet  eventually  I  was  driven  to  cry  out  with  pain.  This 
was  exactly  what  the  operator  had  desired.  I  remained 
perfectly  blind  for  an  hour  or  two,  but  was  not  permitted 
to  attend  to  my  injuries,  for  after  having  three  buckets 
of  water  poured  over  me,  I  was  forced  to  join  the  other 
victims  at  the  after  capstan,  where,  to  the  accompani- 
ment of  the  sailors'  songs,  we  were  obliged  to  push  the 
capstan  round.  When  we  faltered,  we  were  touched 
up  with  a.  rope's-end  from  the  rife-rail,  fhe  captain  re- 
garded the  scene  from  the  break  of  the  poop.  I  could 
not  see  him,  but  I  could  hear  his  voice  occasionally. 
This  entertainment  continued  for  an  hour  or  so.  It 
was  Christinas  Eve,  and  grog  was  served  out  to  the  men,. 
We  boys  got  none. 

Space  has  permitted  me  to  narrate  only  a  few  incident? 
of  nay  first  voyage.  I  fear  they  <rive  an  inadequate 
impression  of  what  we  suffered.  Sometimes  it  has  been 
said  to  me,  by  those  who  have  never  been  at  sea,  that 
thev  would  never  have  submitted  to  such  treatment. 
Well,  we  were  constantly  told  by  the  carpenter  and  sail- 
maker  that  we  were  better  off  than  most  apprentices  ;  but 
even  had  we  been  inclined  to  rebel,  we  would  have  been  in- 
timidated, not  only  by  our  own  knowledge  of  the  hope- 
lessness of  such  a  proceeding',  but  by  the  constant  warn- 
ings of  those  two  men,  who  reminded  us  with  brutal' 
insistence  thai  there  weie  no  "back  doors  at  sea." 

S.  J.  REA 


Aprii,  27,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


359 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


It  is  not  often  that  an  old  fogey  like  myself  takes  up 
an  entirely  new  idea-,  but  I  could  not  help  stocking  a 
number  of  London  of  To-Day  s  Calendar  of  Fixtures  and 
Events.  It  seemed  to  me  such  an  impossible  book  for 
anybody  who  goes  anywhere  to  do  without  when  he  or 
she  had  once  become  aware  of  its  existence.  It  is  pub- 
lished monthly,  in  a  very  attractive  cover,  at  1,  Creed 
Lane,  E.C.,  and  contains  all  the  fixtures  of  the  month 
entered  on  their  own  days,  first  of  all  en  masse,  to  show 
you  what  is  going  on  everywhere  on  any  particular  day, 
and  then  assorted  under  the  different  headings  of  the 
Court,  Social  Events,  Banquets  and  Dinners,  Annual 
Shows,  Concerts,  the  Opera,  the  Theatre,  Art  Exhibi- 
tions, Races,  Regattas,  Cricket  Matches,  and  Sports, 
the  last  five  not  only  for  the  present  month,  but  for  the 
whole  season.  It  is  charmingly  printed,  and  has  a 
pretty  white  parchment  wrapper. 

*  *  *  * 

Everyone  who  comes  into  the  shop  begins  to  talk  of 
Mr.  Wilde.  An  Oxford  customer  of  mine  tells  me  that 
Mr.  Wilde  began  his  career  of  notoriety — harmless 
notoriety  in  those  days — at  Oxford.  He  brought  for- 
ward with  a  great  flourish  a  motion  that  quill-pens 
should  be  excluded  from  the  musical  society,  on  the  rolls 
of  which  he  appeared  as  O.O'F.  Wills  Wilde.  He  was 
found  in  his  rooms  with  his  face  buried  in  his  hands, 
and  tears  trickling  through,  because  he  could  not  live 
up  to  some  old  blue  china  which  had  been  presented  to 
him.  He  sat  up  all  night  to  watch  the  birth  or  death, 
I  forget  which,  of  a  lily  ;  until  Magdalen,  the  college 
of  which  he  was  a  distinguished  ornament  in  scholarship, 
rose  in  rebellion  and  decided  to  put  him  under  the 
college  pump  if  he  persisted  in  courses  so  inconsistent 
with  young  Oxford's  notions  of  "  Life." 

*  *  *  it- 
Very   attractively   got-up    books   are   Mr.  Arthur 

Christopher  Benson's  "Lyrics"  (John  Lane,  5s.)  and  Mr. 
H.  C.  Beeching's  "  In  a  Garden,"  and  other  poems 
(John  Lane,  5s.).  Both  of  them  are  distinctly  above  the 
average  of  minor  verse.  Mr.  Benson,  who  is  a  son  of 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  a  brother  of  Dodo 
Benson  and  Miss  Margaret  Benson  (author  of  that 
charming  book  on  her  animals,  "  Subject  to  Vanity  "),  is 
a  very  scholarly  poet.  I  was  specially  charmed  with 
his  sonnet  on  "  Gaston  de  Foix  " — 

,GASTON  BE  FOIX. 

Half  sunk  in  marble,  soft  as  down,  he  lies, 
Smiling  with  that  inscrutable  content 
That  conies  w  hen  brows  are  grey,  and  shoulders  bent, 
But  seldom  deigns  to  brood  in  younger  eyes. 

Armed  as  he  fell,  he  needs  no  braveries, 

No  wreath,  nor  curious  gaud,  nor  jewelled  ring, 

Who  was  not  loth  to  perish,  that  a  king, 

A  careless  king,  might  sit  an  hour  at  ease. 

Happy  the  hei'o  who  hath  served  the  truth, 

And,  full  of  years,  is  borne  through  weeping  streets 

Amid  a  weeping  nation — happier  he 

Who  in  one  glorious  hour  his  fate  completes, 

Setting  the  seal  of  immortality 

On  all  the_grace  and  goodliness  of  youth. 

I  Sj\"   *  >/.#  '  *  * 

Have  been  stocking  a  number  of  copies  of  Mr.  Richard 
Pryce's  "  The  Burden  of  a  Woman  "  (Methuen,  6s.). 
It  is  charmingly  written.  Though  it  is  a  story  of  village 
life,  Mr.  Prvce  writes  about  it  with  the  same  air  of 
actual  experience  which  is  the  charm  of  his  Belgravian 
stories.  The  style  is  particularly  noticeable.  It  is  so 
terse  and  nervous.  There  is  not  a  word  too  much.  All 
the  women  characters  are  well  drawn,  and  the  character 
of  Mary  Redsving  is  particularly  powerful  as  well  as 


charming.  If  one  had  to  make  a  suggestion  it  would  be 
that  perhaps  his  style  is  more  suited  to  short  stories 
than  long.  Mr.  Pryce  has  certainly  not  been  lucky  in 
the  proportion  of  notoriety  to  merit.  His  work  is  so 
consistently  good.  It  is  a  more  interesting  love  story 
than  one  generally  gets  in  novels  of  village  life.  Mr. 
Pryce  places  a  whole  situation  before  one  with  a  few 
strokes  of  the  pen. 

*  *  *  * 

1  expect  to  do  very  well  with  Ouida's  "  Views  and 
Opinions  "  (Methuen,  6s.),  a  volume  of  essays.  They 
have  her  charm  of  style  in  a  marked  degree.  The  first 
ess;iy,  The  Sins  of  Society,  is  very  clever  and  most 
catholic  in  its  strictures.  It  assails  such  widely  different 
social  misuses  as  those  of  wedding  presents  (which  she 
calls  "  spoils  "),  wired  flowers  at  funerals  (the  martyrdom 
of  flowers),  and  the  German  influence  in  Sovereigns. 
Then  there  are  several  poetical  essays  on  Gardens,  and 
The  Passing  of  Philomel,  and  so  on.  0  Beati 
Incijnentes,  The  Penalties  of  a  Well-known  Name,  and 
Vulgarity,  are  very  scathing.  They  deal  mostly  with 
such  topics  as  the  want  of  taste  in  publishing  the  letters 
of  the  dead,  and  domestic  details  about  the  living. 
"  Views  and  Opinions  "  is  certainly  a  book  both  to  read 
and  to  remember. 

*  *  *  * 

It  was  appropriate  that  Mr.  Carman  and  Mr. 
Richard  Hovey  should  have  published  together  their 
"  Songs  from  Vagabondia,"  for  Mr.  Hovey  and  Mr. 
Carman  shared  a  room  when  they  were  students  at 
Harvard.  Mr.  Carman,  though  a  New  Brunswieker  by 
birth,  was  attracted  to  the  great  American  University, 
because  he  had  a  sister  married  to  one  of  its  Professors. 
Mr.  Hovey  is  an  American  from  the  capital  city  of 
Washington,  U.S.,  the  very  type  the  late  Mr.  Edwin 
Long,  R.A.,  would  have  chosen  for  a  Pharaoh  or  for 
Ehud  the  Moabitish  King — a  large  fine  man,  with 
handsome,  majestic,  Semitic  features,  flashing  dark 
eyes,  jet  black  hair,  and  a  jet  black  Semitic-looking 
beard.  His  publisher,  my  rival  and  neighbour, 
Mr.  Elkin  Matthews,  brought  him  in  to  introduce  to 
me  when  he  first  came  to  England  a  year  or  more  ago. 

*  *  *  * 

I  remember  how  honoured  I  felt  the  day  that  that  great 
man,  and  old  patron  of  mine,  his  Grace  of  Argyll', 
brought  in  his  son,  the  Most  Noble  Sir  John  George 
Edward  Henry  Douglas  Sutherland  Campbell,  com- 
monly called  the  Marquis  of  Lorne,  who  is  just 
bringing  out  a  guide  to  Windsor  Castle,  of  which  he 
is  Governor.  He  has  been  an  author  for  nearly  thirty 
years.  His  first  book  was  not,  as  is  currently  reported, 
the  poem  "  Guido  and  Lita,"  but  "  A  Trip  to  the 
Tropics  and  Home  through  America,"  published  in 
1867,  when  he  was  only  twenty-two  years  old.  His 
best-known  book  is  his  "Canadian  Pictures,"  published 
in  1884.  Lord  Lorne  is  a  very  powerfully  built  man, 
and  wears  his  blonde  hair  rather  long.  There  is  a 
remarkable  family  likeness  between  him  and  his 
brothers. 

*  *  *  * 

I  was  rather  puzzled  in  ordering  the  volume  of  Helen 
Lady  Dufferin's  Songs  (just  published,  with  the  music 
*she  wrote  for  them,  by  John  Murray,  9s.),  uniform  with 
the  Poems,  Songs  and  Verses  published  last  year,  which 
has  gone  into  its  third  or  fourth  edition.  It  is  about 
the  only  volume  of  verse  published  in  octavo  book  form 
I  ever  handled  except  a  hymn-book.  I  am  doing  very 
well  with  it,  but  of  course,  not  as  well  as  with  the 
former  volume,  which  had  the  advantage  of  a  delightful 
biographical  introduction,  which  was  a  book  in  itself, 
from  the  pen  of  that  great  man  who  is  now  the  British 
Ambassador  in  Paris,  and  during  his  Governor-General- 
ship  made  Canada  the  most  loyal  of  all  British  colonies 


360 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  1895. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dear  Nell, — The  April  sun  is  shining,  the  green 
buds  are  bursting  out  all  over  the  soot-blackened  bushes 
that  we  can  see  from  the  window  of  our  tiny  flat.  A 
detachment  of  the  Lancers  has  just  gone  by,  their 
splendid  uniforms  glistening  in  the  sun,  their  chargers 
looking  as  conscious  of  a  fine  appearance  as  the  riders, 
the  band  playing  "  Tommy  Atkins,"  and  everything  so 
bright,  so  glorious,  so  delightfully  young  of  aspect  that 
all  my  thoughts  are  singing  like  birds  in  my  brain 
How  I  wish  you 
were  here!  What 
on  earth  made 
you  marry  and 
go  off  to  India, 
where  you  will 
certainly  lose 
your  pretty  com- 
plexion and  for- 
get all  your 
housekeeping  1 

We  spent 
Easter  with  the 
Brownes,  intheir 
lovely  home 
among  the 
Surrey  hills.  It 
was  beautiful, 
but  cold.  Are  all 
country  houses 
cold  ?  I  begin 
to  think  they 
are.  It  was  my 
first  visit  since 
we  lost  our 
money,  and  I 
had  to  contrive 
with  al)  my 
might  in  order 
to  make  a  re- 
spectableappear- 
ance.  One's 
friends  may  be 
very  kind  and 
sympath  etic 
about  one's 
change  of  cir 
cumstance,  but 
they  will  not 
stand  a  shabby 
look,  not  even 
the  least  snob- 
bish of  them. 

And  the  worst 
of  it  is  that  all 
last  season's 
gowns  are  too 
narrow  in  the 
skirt.  However, 
we  managed 

pretty  well.  Is  it  not  Mr.  Walter  Besant  who  says  that 
"managing"  means  doing  without  things'?  And  oh, 
how  hard  we  worked,  mother  and  I,  with  our  needles 
and  that  dear  little  sewing-machine  you  gave  me  two 
years  ago  on  my  birthday. 

Do  you  remember  mother's  black  satin  gown  1  I  have 
made  her  a  quite  handsome  cape  out  of  the  skirt  of  it, 
and  a  tea-jacket  out  of  the  bodice.  Yes,  dear,  I  can 
see  how  astonished  you  look  !  Ycu  can't  think  how 
clever  I  have  got.  I  took  all  the  breadths  of  the  skirl 
to  pieces,  and  sponged  them  carefully  with  cold  water, 
rolled  them  up  in  a  soft  old  sheet,  and  next  day  ironed 
them  out  on  the  wrong  side.  The  right  side  looked  like 
new.  There  were  seven  of  them.  Out  of  each  I  got  a 
gored  piece,  the  full  width  of  the  satin  at  the  bottom 


XEW  EVEN 


but  quite  narrow  at  the  top.  I  joined  them  all  together, 
pressing  the  seams  with  an  iron  that  I  took  care  was 
not  too  hot.  Over  each  seam  I  sewed  a  narrow  line  of 
jet  trimming  that  we  had  picked  up  cheap  at  a  winter 
sale.  For  the  lining  I  used  the  skirt  of  my  old  peach- 
coloured  brocade,  renovated  after  the  same  fashion  as 
the  satin,  and  it  looks  beautiful.  It  was  an  expensive 
one  when  new,  and  has  so  much  substance  in  it  that  it 
sets  out  the  satin  to  great  advantage.  The  next  thino- 
was  to  make  a  high  collar  of  a  piece  of  satin  and  to  cover 
it  with  a  ruffle  of  black  silk  grenadine,  which  is  cheaper 
than  either  chiffon  or  silk  muslin,  and  much  stronger 

than  either. 
When  I  had 
added  a  shoulder 
cape,  which  was 
once  a  por- 
tion of  a  lovely 
old  Chantilly 
flounce,  and  put 
black  satin  bows 
on  the  edge  of 
each  shoulder  at 
the  back  under 
the  ruffle  and  in 
front  to  hide  the 
hook  and  eye  at 
the  neck,  the 
cape  was  done. 

I  am  so  proud 
of  it  ! 

Making  the 
tea-jacket  was 
easy  enough.  I 
made  the  rest  of 
the  Chantilly 
flouncing  into  a 
basque,  very  full 
and  deep,  put  a 
black  lace  ruffle 
round  the  neck, 
and  hung  wide 
ends  of  black 
accordion-kilted 
silk  muslin  over 
the  fronts.  The 
sleeves  we  made 
of  three  tiers  of 
accord  ion  -  ki  1  ted 
muslin,  ending 
below  the  elbows 
with  a  deep  fall 
of  Chantilly.  It 
looks  quite 
smart. 

My  own  gowns 
were  not  much 
trouble.  Last 
. year   I  bought 

ing  dress.  a    ready  -  made 

tweed  skirt  and 
four  yards  for  a 

1  orlice.  The  skirt  was  much  too  narrow  for  this  season's 
fas] lion,  so  I  consulted  with  the  dressmaker  who  comes 
by  the  day,  and  between  us,  with  the  aid  of  a 
paper  pattern  of  the  newest  skirt,  we  added  in  two 
gored  breadths  from  the  length  sold  for  a  bodice. 
At  Redmayne's  I  found  a  silk  blouse  that  goes  witli  it 
beautifully,  and  the  price  was  something  under  a 
sovereign.  You  get  such  good  style  there  in  even  the 
least  expensive  makes. 

I  longed  for  some  money  when  I  saw  what  pretty  ruffles 
they  have  for  the  neck,  and  the  neat  and  dainty  collar  and 
cuff  sets  of  embroidered  muslin  and  lace.  I  particularly 
coveted  a  wide  lawn  collar  of  the  Henrietta  Maria  sort — 
square  at  the  back,  overhanging  thesleeveson  the  shoulders, 
and  coining  down  in  points  to  meet  at  the  waist 


April  27,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


361 


With  the  Japanese  Troops 


JAMES  CBEELMAN,  the  American  War  Correspondent,  in  his  dispatch  to  New  York,  dated 

PORT  ARTHUR,  Nov.  24,  1894,  writes: 


Vlariani  Wine  fortifies,  nourishes  and  stimulates  the  Body  and  Brain.    It  restores  Health, 
Strength,  Energy  and  Vitality:  notably  after  INFLUENZA. 

Bottles  4s.  ;  dozen,  45s.,  of  Chemists  and  Stores,  or  carriage  paid  from  Wilcox  and  Co.,  239,  Oxford  Street,  London. 


"TO 
BREATHE 
S  ANITAS 

IS  TO 
BREATHE 
HEALTH." 

Gordon  Stables, 
C.M.,M.D.,  R.N. 


Sanitas  Oil" 

Prevents  and  Cures 

BRONCHITIS,  INFLUENZA, 
DIPHTHERIA, 


LUNG  AND  THROAT  AFFECTIONS. 


DIRECTION: 
INHALE  AND    FUMIGATE  WITH 
"SANITAS  OIL." 


Pamphlets  Free  on  application. 
THE  SANITAS  COMPANY,  LIMITED, 
.......  Bethnal,,Grecn^.Lo|irtpn»  Mjg&m 


u  Sanitas  "  Oil,  Is.  Bottles  ;  Pocket  Inhalers,  Is.  each ; 
Fumigators,  2s.  6d.  each. 
"  Sanitas  "-Eucalyptus  Disinfectors,  Is.  each. 
"  Sanitas  "  Eucalyptus  Oil,  Is.  Bottles.  

CREME    IDE  VIOLET 

FOR  THE   COMPLEXION   AND  SKIN. 

"NADiNE"in  "Our  Home"  saya— " For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  is  an 
absolute  specific/' 

"  Medica  "  in  "  Woman  "  says—"  It  will  soon  make  your  skin  as  soft  as  you  can  wish. 

*'SuzETTE"in  "To-Day *' says— "It  is  a  splendid  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  you 
will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin  gradually  improve,  becoming 
soft  and  delicately  tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a  sweet  expression,  that  any 
face  could  have. " 

CR$3ME  DE  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  ointment,  but  is  a  liquid  preparation 
pure  and  exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  ingredients.  It  iB  absolutely 
colourless,  and,  as  it  is  free  from  sediment,  it  does  not  clog  the  pores,  but  assists  their 
functions. 

Of  Chemists  and  Perfumers;  price  Is.  and  2s.  6«l.  (see  that  the  signature^ 
LE  FRERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  label);  or  Bent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from— 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 

rMand£ 
Qdonto 

An  antiseptic,  preservative,  and  aromatic  dentifrice,  which  whitens  the 
teeth,  prevents  and  arrests  deoay,.and  sweetens  the  breath.  It  contains 
no  mineral  acids,  no  gritty  matter  or  injurious  astringents,  keeps  the 
mouth,  gums,  and  teeth  free  from  the  unhealthy  action  at  germs  in 
organic  matter  between  the  teeth,  and  is  the  most  wholeiome  tooth 
powder  for  smokers.  Known  for  60  years  to  be  the  best  Dentifrice. 

Ask  anywhere  for  ROWLANDS'  0D0NT0,  2s.  9*,  ftr  box 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
Shoe  Elevator(Patented).— Mens.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 

MR.  E.  EVERETT,  85,  Great  Portland  Street,  W.,  — Z^T" 

has  for  some  time  taken  tip  this  _____   . r  _E*  ■ 

department,  _  J    ^^jjT*-'*^1  ■ 

_____  ^rr*^^  _?Oj*--?  '  and  will  attend 

—   t  *L_^— —  "      ~  upon  any  gentleman  on  receiptof 

C>^J_^~^  '  letter.   Patterns  and  forms  of  self-measurement 

 —    '  tent  on  application.   Moderate  Prices  and  Good  Work  Guaranteed. 

MADAME  CORISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisande,"  matchless  for  delicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  S/3.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Food,"2/9  &  9/3.  Only  address.  548,  Oxford  St., Hyde  Pk.,W. 


A  BEAUTIFUL  COMPLEXION 

Produce;!  b\  "CALFMAN'S  ROSE  AND  JESSAMINE."  Genuinely 
marvellous.  Clears  off  all  imperfections  in  a  few  days.  One  of  the 
most  delightful  and  harmless  preparations  ever  made.  It  removes 
Freckles,  Pimples,  Warts,  Redness,  Roughness,  Irritation ;  unsurpassed 
for  driving  away  Impurities,  also  healing,  cleansing,  beautifying,  leaving 
a  Spotless,  Soft,  Fair,  Velvety  Skin.  Bottles,  4s.  6d.,  post  free, 
under  cover. 

H.  M.  CALFMAN,  Market  Place,  Newbury. 


giOW  ANNOYING! 

rF  ITISTOFIND 

a  hole  burnt 

BECAUSE  YOU  FORGOT  TO  USE 

FLEMINGS  ARABINL 

■  .       MARKING  INK  EVERYWHERE 
D.FLEMING  remfieipss  Glasgow 


6d. 


NOW  READY. 


6d. 


99 


SPRING  NUMBER. 

vii  1i.ii  ii.li  U  1i.ii  Jbl  lulu  ii.i  iM  Ufe«* 

COMPLETE  STORIES  BY 

JEROME    K.  JEROME 

AND 

GEORGE  MOORE, 

ETC. 

ILLUSTRATED  BY 

HAL  HURST, 
L.  BAUMER. 
W.  DEWAR. 


ALSO  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

DUDLEY  HARDY, 
AUBREY  BEARDSLEY, 
R.  SAUBER, 
HAL  HURST, 
SYDNEY  ADAMSON, 

In  Handsome  Gold  and  Green  Cover. 


OF  ALL  AGENTS  AND  BOOKSTALLS. 


Turkish  Steam  Massage 
Complexion  Treatments 

Arc  marvellously  benefcial  in  Purifying  and 
Beautifying  the  Skin. 
Produces  a  healthy,  rosy,  and  velvety  complexion- 
Removes  and  prevents  wrinkles,  tan,  blotches 
freckles,  pimples,  blackheads,  eczema,  and  all  other 
blemishes.  No  paints  or  powders  used.  Investigation 
will  convince  tht  most  sceptical.  Honest  hygienic 
work  only.  Patronised  by  the  most  select  ladies. 
Treatments  strictly  private.  Pupilstaught.  Assistant 
required.— Madame  DEAN,  American  Special 
Iste  in  Complexion,  Scalp,  and  Manicuring,  36, 
Great  Portland-street,  Oxford  Circus,  London,  W. 


362 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  1895. 


As  to  hats,  it  is  a  simple  matter  to  buy  one  of  the 
new  straws,  untrimmed,  at  the  draper's,  and  trim  it  up 
at  home ;  but  when  I  see  other  girls  with  lovely  hats,  all 
soft  curves  and  foaming  feathers,  I  want  to  be  well  off 
again. 

Gloves  and  boots  are  the  expensive  items,  and 
white  gloves,  if  you  please,  are  to  be  all  the  fashion 
with  afternoon  dress  this  season. 

Is  it  not  wicked?  I  shall  wear  black.  They  last 
longer  and  look  better  than  any  others,  when  you  can 
get  them  good;  and  in  the  matter  of  boots  and  gloves  I 
won't  be  shabby,  even  if  I  have  to  go  short  in  the  item  of 
gowns.    Don't  you  think  I  am  right  1 

Your  affectionate 

Susie. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Junior  S. — Don't  have  tartan  notepaper.  It  is  very  ugly, 
and  the  prettiest  writing  in  the  world  looks  horrid  on  it.  The 
pale  mauve  is  pretty,  especially  with  the  address  in  a  deeper 
shade  of  the  same  colour,  but  it  carries  a  suggestion  of  mourning 
with  it.  As  you  are  so  young  you  may  indulge  in  dainty  papers, 
flower-decked.  Make  your  stationer  get  you  a  box  of  "Sprays 
of  Beauty."  It  contains  tinted  paper  with  flowers  del  :ately 
coloured  on  the  front  page,  a  spray  or  two  reading  round  to  the 
last.  A  stick  of  green  sealing-wax,  just  the  shade  of  the  foliage, 
is  put  up  in  the  box. 

Spring  Clean.— Yes,  there  are  tall  shields  for  the  tops  of 
lamp  chimneys  and  gas  burners.  They  preserve  the  ceilings 
from  getting  blackened,  a  sight  thatjalways  vexes  the  housewifely 
soul.  I  wilt  get  the  address  for  you,  and  put  it  in  this  column 
next  week  if  possible. 

Baby  Dear. — You  will  find  exactly  what  you  want  at  Harrod's 
Stores  ;  tennis  flannels,  well  shrunk,  at  Is.  2£d.  the  yard.  The 
ground  is  white,  and  the  charm  of  many  of  them  lies  in  the  vague, 
and  consequently  becoming,  blues  and  pinks  that  form  the 
pattern.  Others  show  the  decided  tones  that  suit  brunettes  so 
well,  and  "  kill "  blondes  so  mercilessly.  At  the  same  stores, 
enormously  enlarged  since  you  left  England,  and  immensely  im- 
proved in  the  class  of  goods  obtainable,  you  will  find  the 
prettiest  possible  bed-spreads  in  guipure,  canvas  trimmed  with 
linen  lace,  Nottingham  lace,  and  Swiss  appliquA    Some  of  them 


have  a  satin  insertion,  embroidered  in  colours.  They  have  an 
enormous  stock  of  very  inexpensive  lace  curtains,  both  white 
and  ecru.  Go  yourself  to  choose  them.  It  is  all  downstairs,  and 
you  can  have  tea  in  their  restaurant. 

h&  Sweet  Sixteen  wants  to  know  how  she  is  to  make  her  fringe 
keep  in  curl  when  the  hot  weather  comes.  I  can't  think  how 
you  are  to  manage  it,  dear  "  Sixteen."  What  a  lovely  age  !  I 
wonder  if  I  envy  you.  And,  after  all,  you  know,  I  daresay  you 
look  ever  so  much  nicer  with  those  tight  crimpings  a  little  loose 
and  free.  Most  girls  curl  up  their  fringes  into  too  much 
artificiality  of  aspect. 

G  ardener. — You  will  find  a  list  of  hardy  annuals  in  Beeton's 
"  All  About  Gardening,"  a  new  edition  of  which  has  just  been 
issued.  Stock,  sweet-pea,  nemophila,  and  nasturtiums  are  among 
them.  For  mowing  your  lawn  with  your  own  feminine  hands 
I  can  recommend  the  new  "Model"  mower  from  personal  experi- 
ence. It  is  so  light  that  a  girl  of  ten  can  with  ease  run  it  along 
the  grass,  and  it  keeps  a  small  lawn  in  excellent  order.  The 
address  of  the  firm  from  which  it  can  be  had  is  Chadborn  and 
Cold  well,  223,  Upper  Thames  Street,  E.C. 

Ingenue. — Six  yards  of  silk, for  a  blouse — the  sleeves  about 
four,  so  huge  are  they ;  the  skirt  from  four-and-a-half  yards 
round  the  hem.  Capes  are  cut  in  a  complete  circle,  and  are, 
as  you  may  deduce  from  this,  extremely  full.  The  smartest  are 
very  short,  reaching  scarcely  to  the  elbows. 

our  cookery  column. 

Inquirer. — An  apple  stewed  with  meat  helps  to  make  it 
tender,  and  greatly  improves  the  flavour  of  curry.  Get 
Armour's  4  Delicious  Dishes."  It  ia  a  capital  little  cookery 
book  and  costs  only  sixpence.  We  tried  the  Cornish  Pasties  the 
other  day  and  they  were  excellent.  This  is  the  recipe  :  Cornish 
Pasties. — Ingredients  :  Half  pound  cooked  beef,  half  pound  cold 
boiled  potato,  one  boiled  onion,  a  little  pepper  and  salt,  quarter 
teaspoonful  of  Armour's  Extract,  two  tablespoonfuls  of  water, 
one  egg.  Mince  the  meat,  potato,  and  onion  finely  ;  add  the 
seasoning  and  extract,  and  mix  well.  Then  make  some  short 
crust,  and  cut  into  rounds  about  four  inches  in  diameter.  Place 
a  tablespoonful  of  the  mixture  in  the  centre  of  each  round. 
Beat  an  egg  up  on  a  plate,  and  brush  round  the  edge  of  each, 
press  the  edges  firmly  together  and  form  into  a  frill  on  the  top. 
Brush  all  over  with  egg  and  put  into  a  quick  oven  for  half  an 
hour.  Time,  thirty-five  minutes.  And  there  is  a  capital 
recipe  for  Bisque  of  Lobster,  No.  20. 

Deafness  Cubed. — A  Gentleman  sends,  post-tree,  particulars  of  a 
really  genuine  and  inexpensive  treatment.  Hundreds  ol  cases  effectually 
cured.  Address  T.D.  Kempe,  Southampton  Buildings,  Holborn,  London 


UPTON  S  TEAS  MM  BEST 


ANO   HAYE    THE    LARGEST    SALE    IN    THE  WORLD. 


Has  paid  in  duty  for 
his  week's  clearance 
of  Tea  the  largest 
cheque  ever  received 
by  Her  Majesty's 
Customs,  London, 


T  TPTrtN  CONTROLS  THE  TEA 
Ull  1U11  MARKET. 

UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 


£35,365  9s.  2d. 

This  represents  over 
one  half  of  the 
average  weekly  pay- 
ments for  duty  paid 
by  the  entire  Tea 
Trade  on  the  whole 
of  the  Tea  imported 
into  Great  Britain. 


TEA  MERCHANT 


THE    QU  EE 


LIPTON 


UPTON'S  TEAS  gained 
THE  HIGHEST  and  ONLY 
AWARD  in  the  BEITISH 
SECTION  at  the  WORLD'S 
FAIR,  CHICAGO. 


UPTON 
UPTON 
UPTON 


NOTE  THE  PRICES 

The  Finest  Tea 

THE  WORLD  CAN 
PRODUCE 

Perl/7  lb.™ 

Rich,  Pure  &  Fragrant T  TDTAM 

Per  1/-  &  1/4-  lb. 

UPTON 
UPTON 


Also  packed  in  5,  7,  and 
10  lb.  Patent  Fancy  Air- 

tight  Canisters,and  dc'iiremi. 
Carriage  Paid  for  an  extra 
Id.  per  lb.,  t<>  any  address 
in  ureal  Britain. 

Orders  by  Post  may  be 
addressed  to  theChief  offices, 
Bath  Street,  London,  i'.C. 


TEA  AND  COFFEE  PLANTER,  CEYLON. 

The  Largest  Tea,  Coffee,  and  Provision  Dealer  in  the  World. 


Bole  Proprietoi  of  the  following  celebrated  Tea  and  Coffee  Estates  in  Ceylon ;  Damt.atenne,  Laymastntte,  Moncrakandc,  Mahadanilmtenne,  Mon.-akelle,  Poopnusir,  llauaralla  Gigra 
liellu,  anil  Karan.lak-alla,  whieli  .cut  Thousands  ..f  Acres  of  the  best  TEA  ami  COFFEE  LAND  in  Ceylon.    Cevlon  Tea  ami  Coffee  Shipping  Warehouse  :   Ma.l.lcnia  Mill-  cinnamon 

,;   OS,.  Colombo.    Ceylon  office  :  Upper  chat  limn  Street,  Colornl.o.     Imlian  Tea  Shipping  Warehouses  ami  Export  .stores  :  Hare  St  reel.  Strand,  Calcutta     Indian  Office*  '  Dalhouaie 

*  «  all  mi  l.i.   Tca'and  Coffee  Sale  Honms  :  Mincing  Lane,  EON  I  ION,  E.C.    Wholesale  Tea-lilcnding  au.l  Only  Paid  Stores:  Hath  Street  and  Cavtoo  St  re.  t.  LONDON  EC  landed 

an. I  Export  StoreB:  Peerless  street,  LONDON,  E.C.  Coffee  Roasting,  Blending  stores,  and  Essence  Manufactory :  old  street.  London.  E.C.  Wholi  sale  and  Export  PrafiHoa 
\V areheuses :  Nelson  Place,  LONDON.  E.C.    Fruit  Preserve  Factory  :  Spa  It. .ad,  llennondsey.  LONDON,  S.E.    (ielicral  offices:  Path  Street,  LONDON,  E.C. 

BRANCHES  EVERYWHERE.  AGENCIES  THROUGHOUT  THE  WORLD. 

OVER  ONE  MILLION  PACKETS  OF  liri'OV*  TEA  SOLD  WEEKLY  l\  GREAT  BRITAIN  ALONE. 


April  27,  1895. 


TODAY. 


363 


And  if  you  want  a  sauce  that  everyone  is  sure  to  like,  make 
it  according  to  the  instructions  given  in  No.  39  for  Poivrade 
Sauce. — Ingredients :  One  ounce  of  butter,  lean  bacon,  carrot, 
onion,  and  flour ;  one  wineglass  each  vinegar  and  sherry,  one 
pine  water,  one  sprig  of  thyme,  parsley,  and  marjoram,  a  few 
cloves,  a  small  piece  of  mace,  one  dessertspoonful  of  Armour's 
extract  of  beef.  Cut  the  vegetables  and  bacon  in  small  squares 
and  fry  them  in  the  butter  ;  when  well  browned  add  vinegar, 
and  let  it  boil  until  reduced,  then  mix  in  the  flour,  the  water, 
spice,  and  herbs ;  stir  until  it  boils ;  simmer  until  nicely 
flavoured  (about  twenty  minutes),  then  strain,  add  the  wine, 
the  extract  of  beef,  and  seasoning  to  taste.  Re-heat  and  serve. 
Time,  half  an  hour. 

A  correspondent  asks  for  a  good  recipe  for  Potato  Soup. — Take 
two  quarts  of  the  water  in  which  a  leg  of  mutton  has  been  boiled. 
Skim  clear  of  fat.  Mash  six  large  potatoes  with  a  tablespoonf ul  of 
good  butter,  a  tablespoonful  of  chopped  onions,  a  similar 
quantity  of  finely-chopped  parsley,  and  pepper  and  salt  to  taste. 
Mix  in  a  basin  the  potatoes  with  a  little  of  the  stock  so  as  to  get 
the  soup  smooth  and  free  from  lumps,  then  pour  it  into  the 
saucepan,  stir  it  till  it  boils,  and  it  is  ready  for  table. 

This  is  a  good  way  of  utilising  cold  potatoes.  They  must  be 
warmed  up,  however,  before  being  mashed. 

Cheese  Fondue. — I  give  the  recipe  for  variety,  in  Brillat- 
Savarin's  own  words  : 

Pesez  le  nombre  d'ceuf s  que  vous  voudrez  employer  d'apres  le 
nombre  presume"  de  vos  convives. 

Vous  prendrez  ensuite  un  morceau  de  bon  fromage  de  Gruyere 
pesant  le  tiers,  et  un  morceau  de  beurre  pesant  le  sixieme  de  ce 
poids. 

Vous  casserez  et  battrez  bien  les  oeufs  dans  une  casserole  ; 
apres  quoi  vous  y  mettrez  le  beurre  et  le  fromage  rape  ou  eminc£. 

Posez  la  casserole  sur  un  fourneau  bien  allume,  et  tournez 
avec  un  spatule,  jusqu'  a  ce  que  le  melange  soit  convenablement 
epaissi  et  mollet ;  mettez-y  un  pen  ou  point  de  sel,  suivant  que 
le  fromage  sera  plus  ou  moins  vieux,  et  une  forte  portion  de 
poivre,  qui  est  un  des  caracteres  positifs  de  ce  mets  antique  ; 
servez  sur  un  plats  legerement  echauffe'  feutes  apporter  le 
meilleur  vin,  qu'on  boire  rondement,  et  on  vierra  merveilles. 

Mrs.  A.  B.  Marshall  has  had  a  very  beautiful  supper-table 
display  at  the  Cavendish  Rooms,  just  opposite  her  School  of 
Cookery  in  Mortimer  Street.  The  floral  decorations  were  white 
and  yellow.  I  have  never  seen  so  many  varieties  of  daffodils 
collected  together  except  at  a  flower  show.  One  in  particular, 
with  petals  bordered  with  orange,  struck  me  as  both  novel 
and  beautiful.  There  were  thirty-two  dishes  on  the  table,  and  I 
should  like  to  give  the  menu,  but  there  would  not  be  enough 
space.  They  all  looted  delicious,  and  many  of  them  were 
not  only  appetising,  but  highly  ornamental.  There  were  plovers' 
eggs  dressed  in  several  different  ways,  with  salad  and  otherwise. 
The  scallopped  pigeon  was  extremely  tempting  of  aspect.;  as 
was  the  timbale  a  la  Caird,  to  such  as  like  curry,  and  who  does 
not  in  this  enlightened  age  ?  Of  one  lovely  little  dish  called, 
"  Biscuits  a  la  Duchesse,"  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  the 
recipe  for  the  readers  of  To-day.    Here  it  is : — 

Biscuits  a  la  Duchesse. — Prepare  some  biscuits  as  below, 
and  when  they  are  cold  arrange  on  each  by  means  of  a  forcing 
bag  and  large  rose  pipe  a  puree  of  chicken  prepared  as  below  ; 
sprinkle  each  with  finely-chopped  raw  green  parsley  and  place  in 
the  centre  a  quarter  of  a  cooked  plover's  egg  that  has  been 
garnished  with  strips  of  cut  truffle  and  French  red  chilli ;  set 
these  to  the  egg  with  a  little  aspic  jelly,  and  arrange  the 
biscuits  on  a  dish  on  a  paper.  Use  for  any  cold  service  luncheon, 
etc. 

Chicken  Puree. — Take  six  ounces  of  cold  cooked  chicken, 
freed  from  bone  and  skin  and  pounded  till  smooth  with  one  large 
tablespoonful  of  thick  Bechamel  sauce,  one  ounce  of  fresh  butter, 
a  dust  of  coralline  pepper,  a  little  salt  and  two  tablespoonsful  of 
thick  cream.  When  well  mixed  rub  it  through  a  fine  hair  sieve 
and  use. 

Biscuits. — Rub  into  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  fine  flour  two 
ounces  of  good  butter,  half  an  ounce  of  grated  Parmesan  cheese, 
a  dust  of  Marshall's  coralline  pepper,  a  pinch  of  Cowan's  baking 
powder,  and  a  few  drops  of  carmine.  Mix  with  cream  into  a 
'stiff  dry  paste,  roll  it  out,  prick  it  with  a  pricker,  and  cut  into 
rounds  with  a  fancy  cutter,  place  them  on  a  baking  tin,  and  cook 
in  a  moderate  oven  for  about  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes. 


Advice  Free. — To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patents  for  Inven- 
tions see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Write  for  Hid.  Guide  (259  pages),  3d- 
Tobacconists' Outfitting  Co.,  186,  Euston-road,  London    Est  1866.— Advt. 


In  "TO-DAY"  for  NEXT  WEEK. 

Will  be  Commenced  a  Series  of 

SKETCHES  OF  LONDON  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER, 

BY 

GEORGE  GISSING. 


DE  OMNIBUS. 

BY 

THE  CONDUCTOR. 


Theeb's  bin  a  deal  o'  talk  litely  about  these  'ere  old 
ige  penshings.  'Ankin's  bin  very  free  with  'is  voos  on  the 
subjic,  likewise  on  the  boot  tride  and  libur  questshings 
gin'rally.  But  theer,  'Ankin  talks  rarnd  an'  rarnd  'is 
opinyuns  till  yer  cawn't  see  'em  ;  'e  don't  know  'ow  ter 
sye  a  thing  strite  an'  then  leave  it ;  'e  wuks  it  up  an' 
spreads  it  art  and  turns  in  inter  bewtiful  langwidge  till 
yer  cawn't  tell  whort  'e  is  drivin'  at  and  whort  'e  ain't. 
As  fur  as  I  understan's  'im,  'is  voos  on  the  grite  libur 
questshing  is  as  follers  : — The  idle  an'  disserloot  hupper 
clawses  ought  ter  be  mide  ter  wuk,  so  as  ter  tike  it  art  of 
'em  an'  give  'em  a  lessing,  an'  the  wukking  clawes  didn't 
ought  ter  wuk  at  all,  'cause  theer  ain't  enough  wuk  ter  go 
all  rarnd,  and  cornsequintly  they  is  tikin'  the  bread  art 
o'  the  marths  o'  the  unimplyed.  But  I  couldn't  tell 
yer — nort  so  as  tu  call  it  tellin' — whort  'e  said  on  the 
subjic  o'  old  ige  penshings ;  mind  yer,  it  was  fust-rite 
langwidge,  'ad  awgyments  in  it,  an'  come  art  easy  like 
a  speech,  showin'  of  'is  talinks.  But  all  the  sime  I 
couldn't  mike  art  whort  it  meant,  and  I  said  so.  Then 
'e  said  ic  were  or'nary  puliticul  ecornermy,  and  I  called 
'im  a  bloomin'  liar,  and  so  we  'ad  a  bit  of  a  barney. 
*  *  *  * 

Old  ige  penshings  !  'Strew  th,  I  wish  they'd  start 
some  young  ige  penshings.  If  we  is  ter  'ave  the  pieces, 
let's  'ave  'em  when  we  kin  enjy  'em.  Tike  my  own  kise. 
'Ere  am  I  a-gettin'  on.  I  ain't  by  no  means  an  old  man, 
but  I  ain't  so  young  as  I  yoosed  ter  was.  But  if  I  was 
ter  come  in  fur  a  bit  o'  stuff  nar,  I  could  do  sutthing 
with  it.  I'd  tike  my  fortnight  at  Mawgit,  get  inter 
some  wuk  as  were  rather  more  clawsy  than  I  'as  at 
present,  drive  my  own  trap,  an'  mike  things  a  bit  live- 
lier. But  suppose  I  come  inter  it  liter  on,  whort's  the 
yoose  of  it  thin  ?  I'm  a  old  man  and  got  set,  as  yer 
might  sye ;  I  wouldn't  'ave  no  energy  to  chinge  my 
wye  of  livin',  nor  I  wouldn't  be  able  ter  injy  things 
sime  as  I  kin  nar.  Likely  I'd  blue  it  all  moochin'  ia'rnd 
the  pubs  an'  backin'  wrong  'uns.  But,  'arrever,  'Ankin 
says  as  penshings  ain't  no  treat,  bein'  fur  them  as  is 
bust  up  and  destitoot,  and  nort  leadin'  ter  no  luckshries. 
If  thet's  so,  bein'  on  the  penshing  is  tew  much  like 
bein:  on  the  perish  fur  my  tiste.  1  cud  do  with  a  bit  o' 
luck,  but  I  don'  know  as  I  wornt  any  cherity.  Wheer's 
yer  inderpendunce  1  I  knowed  a  man,  though  nort  inti- 
mit,  as  lived  in  the  Line,  or  rawther  in  one  o'  them 
courts  off  it.  Well,  'e  was  in  a  bad  wye,  and  fust  of 
all  'e  worn't  nutthink — I  mean  of  a  Sunday.  Then  'e 
took  up  with  bein'  some  kind  of  a  Dissenter,  and  mide 
a  bit  art  o' the  Dissenters.  Next, 'e  turned  Cawtholic, 
an'  mide  a  bit  art  o'  them,  and  nar  'e's  both  of  'em,  and 
mikin'  a  bit  art  o'  both  too.  Ho,  yus,  I  don't  sye  it 
ain't  business.  In  a  manner  o'  speakin',  it  is.  Thet  man's 
mikin'  more  art  o'  charity  nor  'e  cud  ever  mike  art  o'  work. 
But  thin,  as  I  says,  wheer's  'is  bloomin'  inderpendunce  ? 
'E  don'  keer.  'E's  one  of  them  sort  as  wears  out  their 
'ats  at  the  brim  fust.  But  it  wouldn't  soot  my  book. 
Well,  p'r'aps  I  mye  be  puttin'  it  a  bit  too  fine  an'  lawge. 
It's  easy  talkin'  when  you're  in  work,  and  drorin'  yer 
money  reglar.  But  if  anythink  'appins  to  yer,  and  yer 
gits  lide  on  yer  back,  yer  mye  sing  a  bit  diffrunt ;  when 
you've  took  all  your  cash  art  o'  your  pocket,  yer  mye  be 
gled  ter  put  your  pride  inter  it.  But  this  I  will  sye,  if 
yer  comes  to  the  end  o'  yer  luck,  and  yer  wornts  a  bit 
of  'elp,  go  to  a  pore  man,  an'  nort  to  a  rich  'un.  An' 
there's  too  reasings  for  that.  You're  a  deal  more  likely 
ter  git  the  'elp,  and  yer  ain't  supposed  ter  be  anywyse 
extry  perlite  to  the  man  as  gives  yer  it.  Put  it  this 
wye — if  yer  knows  a  man  well  enough  to  call  'im 
aboosing  nimes  ter  'is  face,  yer  mye  know  'im  welj 
enough  ter  borrer  money  from  'im.  But  if  yer  doesn't, 
yer  suttingly  don't. 


364 


TO-DAY. 


Aphil  27,  1895. 


THE   CASE   OF  DELIA 
HARDING. 


COUNSEL  FOR  THE  PROSECUTION. 

Victorien  Sardou  at  his  very  worst — that  is  "  Delia 
Harding."  Gentlemen  of  the  Jury,  I  am  prepared  to 
prove  that  at  any  rate.  Estimate  him  as  we  will,  this 
same  Victorien  Sardou  has  talked  of  the  English  art  and 
the  English  theatre  in  a  very  high-handed  and  arrogant 
manner.  In  fact,  he  has  assumed  that  England  has  no 
art  and  no  theatre  at  all.  When  this  Sardou  sells  his 
plays  at  enormous  prices  to  English  managers  he  con- 
siders it  a  grievance  and  an  indignity  to  him,  the  great 
Sardou,  if  they,  the  managers,  alter  them  so  as  to  suit 
the  audience  of  England,  whom  Sardou  does  not  pre- 
tend to  study.  I  will  give  you  an  instance,  an  historical 
case  in  point :  One  of  the  finest  bits  of  dramatic  work 
in  the  way  of  comedy  drama  attributed  to  Sardou  is 
his  "  Dora,"  but  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying:  that  had 
"Dora"  been  literally  translated  for  the  English  stage, 
as  it  stood  in  the  original,  it  would  have  been  as  great 
a  failure  as  it  proved  to  be  a  brilliant  success.  Sardou's 
play  of  "Dora"  contained  a  political  intrigue  that  no 
human  being  would  have  understood,  a  second  act  bodily 
cut  out,  in  English  so  hopelessly  dull  that  it  would  have 
made  every  audience  yawn  and  go  to  sleep,  as  they 
certainly  did  over  the  tedious  first  act  of  "  Delia  Hard- 
ing." But  when  "Diplomacy"  was  produced  and  suc- 
ceeded, it  pleased  the  great  Sardou  to  sulk  in  a  corner 
because  two  impertinent  Englishmen  had  dared  to 
mutilate  his  masterpiece.  Indeed,  I  am  assured  that 
he  has  never  forgiven  them  to  this  day.  Now,  what 
"  Delia  Harding  "  would  have  been  without  the  literary 
assistance  of  Mr.  Comyns  Can  it  is  painful  to  imagine. 
Oh,  that  first  act,  with  its  voluminous  and  intermin- 
able talk  all  about  nothing ;  I  wondered  when  it  would 
ever  end.  The  idea  of  half  a  dozen  sane  men  and  women 
sitting  in  a  semi-circle  discussing  and  rediscussing  some 
mysterious  women  over  the  way  who  had  never  been 
seen  by  them. 

Dear  me,  the  utter  staginess  of  Mrs.  Venables,  the 
hoarse  tragedy  queen,  who  loves  the  hero,  and  scowls 
at  the  heroine.  Why,  even  Miss  Rose  Leclerq  and  Mr. 
Cyril  Maude,  most  admirable  artists  and  reciters  of 
dialogue,  broke  down  over  Sardou's  dull  wit  and  tirade 
of  talk.  I  suppose  you  know  the  reason  of  Sardou's 
habit  of  introducing  two  servants  at  the  start,  who  talk 
for  a  good  half-hour  apparently  about  nothing,  or  the 
other  Sardou  dodge  of  giving  the  audience  a  silly  and 
unnecessary  second  act,  as  in  "Dora"  and  "Odette." 
This  is  all  due  to  his  commercial  instinct.  And  Sardou 
has  a  decided  commercial  instinct,  I  can  tell  you.  It  is 
done  to  prevent,  in  addition  to  hisi  own  play  in  the 
programme,  the  occurrence  of  a  first  piece  or  an  after- 
piece. 

It  is  the  rule  of  the  French  Dramatic  Authors 
Society  for  authors  to  share  the  proceeds  when  it  is  a 
mixed  bill.  But  Sardou  does  not  like  sharing,  so  he 
has  the  evening  all  to  himself,  and  instead  of  a  first 
piece  or  a  last  piece,  we  have  the  conventional  Sardou 
talk.  Why,  the  dramatic  interest  of  "  Delia  Harding  " 
never  starts  in  the  first  act  until  we  see  delightful 
Marion  Terry  in  her  white  summer  frock.  And,  after 
that,  off  rides  Victorien  Sardou  on  his  conventional 
hobbv  horse.  He  is  not  ashamed  to  give  us  once  more  a 
ragout  of  the  "three' men  scene"  from  "Dora"  terribly 
over  stewed.  He  brings  out  the  medicine  chest  and  the 
bottle  of  port  wine  and  digitalis.  We  know  as  well 
as  possible  what  is  going  to  happen  when  the  heroine 
leaves  her  poisoned  night-cap  untastcd,  and  the  tipsy 
villain  alone  with  it. 

Gentlemen,  Monsieur  Sardou  has  written  a  very  poor, 
talky,  and  dull  play,  and  the  pen  of  no  Comyns  Carr  in 
the  universe  could  save  it  from  the  yawns  by  which  it 
Wa&  universally  condemned. 


COUNSEL  FOR  THE  DEFENCE. 

Gentlemen,  we  are  not  all  analysts,  dissectors,  or 
dramatic  critics.  There  is  too  much  a  tendency  in 
these  times  when  we  talk  with  a  shudder  of  conven- 
tionality and  the  growing  taste  ofl  the  new  drama  and 
the  scenting  out  of  old  situations  that  every  hard- 
headed,  common-sense  playgoer  is  as  fastidious  as  a 
modern  critic,  or  a  first-night  audience  mainly  composed 
of  experts.  Think  of  the  country  cousins,  think  of  the 
scores  of  people  who  go  to  the  play  to  have  a  good  laugh 
or  a  good  cry  as  the  casei  may  be,  how  can  they  differ- 
entiate between  conventionality  and  unconventional ity. 
They  want  to  be  excited  or  amused.  My  learned  friend 
has  been  very  eloquent  and  doubtless  very  accurate 
in  his  description  of  the  Sardou  method.  But  all  this 
is  Greek  to  the  majority.  When  the  democrat  steps 
on  to  an  omnibus  in  the  Strand  he  does  not  want  to 
know  or  care  a  hang  to  know  how  it  is  built  or  what  pro- 
portion of  wood  to  iron  it  possesses.  There  is  an  old 
dramatic  situation  known  as  the  situation  of  Jonathan 
Bradford.  A  man  is  murdered  and  is  lying  on  the 
floor.  The  murderer  escapes.  An  innocent  fellow  who 
has  had  a  quarrel  with  the  murdered  man  comes  in 
accidentally.  He  is  accused  of  the  crime.  Now,  you 
cannot  have  anything  much  more  conventional  than 
that.  The  Adelphi  has  lived  upon  this  one  situation  for 
years.  The  late  Mr.  Henry  Pettit  made  a  fortune  out 
of  it.  But  do  you  think  that  when  it  is  dished  up  in 
another  fashion,  and  served  up  another  year  that  the 
playgoing  public  will  turn  its  back  against  it  and  exe- 
crate it?  Not  a  bit  of  it!  They  will  welcome  it  as 
they  have  welcomed  Sardou's  "Old  Joes"  borrowed  from 
every  dramatist  under  the  sun,  and  they  will  get  as 
excited  over  it  as  some  of  them  did  at  the  Comedy 
Theatre  when  the  famous  "  three  men  scene  "  was  served 
wine.  That  charming  and  most  womanly  actress,  Miss 
Marion  Terry  emptied  the  digitalis  bottle  into  the  port 
wine.  That  charming  and  Avomanly  actress,  Miss 
Maiion  Terry,  would  surely  save  many  a  worse  play  than 
"  Delia  Harding."  She  never  rants,  scarcely  ever  raises 
her  throbbing  voice,  is  never  artificial  or  stagey,  but 
she  touches  and  often  melts  every  heart  in  the  audience. 
Her  acting  in  the  great  scene  with  Mr.  Mackintosh  with 
his  stereotyped  staccato  irritating  style,  her  love-scene 
with  Mr.  Fred  Terry,  who  was  very  unfairly  treated  on 
the  first  night,  and  her  piteous  accents  during  the 
informal  trial  at  the  end,  certainly  excited  the  audience 
to  enthusiasm,  and  the  actress  succeeded  in  stifling  the 
weak  points  of  the  play.  When  the  audience  went  out 
of  the  theatre,  I  heard  many  of  them  saying,  "  Oh,  that 
dear  Miss  Marion  Terry!"  She  gave  to  them  the  plea- 
sure of  the  evening.  You  cannot  forget,  and  must  not 
forget,  gentlemen,  that  some  playgoers  prefer  good 
acting  to  a  good  play,  they  admire  this  and  that  per- 
formance, and  dwell  on  it,  whereas  they  know  little  of 
the  merit  of  a  play.  Such  as  these  forget  the  poison 
bowl  and  the  dagger,  the  conventional  and  the  common- 
place, and  dwell  on  the  sweet  womanly  scenes  between 
Miss  Marion  Terry  and  Mrs.  E.  H.  Brooke. 

THE  JUDGE. 
I  have  no  need  to  tell  you,  gentlemen,  that  there  is 
such  a  word  in  art  as  "Pot-boilers."  The  greatest 
artists  give  us  a  succession  of  pot-boilers,  and  so  do  the 
greatest  dramatists.  Sardou's  work  is  in  enormous  re- 
quest, and  therefore  he  boils  pots  whenever  he  can.  He 
has  two  great  markets  in  his  hands — the  American  and 
the  English — and  he  loves  to  rake  in  the  dollars  and 
the  guineas.  You  do  not  suppose  for  one  instant  that 
Sardou  would  ever  have  dared  to  produce  such  a  [day  as 
"  Delia  Harding"  in  Paris/  No!  it  is  for  the  American 
or  English  market.  Not  a  bit  of  it.  lie  took  it  down  from 
a  shelf,  where  it  was  labelled  "  Pot  Bouille,"  tore  the 
ticket  off,  and  sold  it  for  the  best  price  it  would  fetch. 
The  situation  of  a  sister  sacrificing  her  honour  to  en- 
sure her  brother's  safety  is  far  older  than  the  three 
men  scene,  or  any  other  Sardou  device.  It.  was  in  the 
Sardou  pigeon  holes  at  Marly  le  Roi,  and  down  it  came 
at  the  first  jingle  of  cash. 


April  27,  1895 


TO-DAY. 


<$TfD 


THE  SUBSCRIPTION  LIST  CLOSES  APRIL  27th. 

THE  HOMOCEA  COMPANY,  LIMITED. 

Capital  £25,100  in  5,020  Shares  of  £5  each;  all  of  which  have  been  issued  and  fully  paid. 

Issue  of  £25,000  Six  per  cent.  Debenture  Stock  (of  which  £5,200  has 
already  been  subscribed)  redeemable  at  HO  Per  cent.,  on  the  First 
day  of  January,  1905,  or  at  the  option  of  the  Company,  at  any 
earlier  date  after  the  First  January,  1900,  on  not  less  than  £ 
months'  previous  notice. 
Subscriptions  are  now  invited  for  the  balance,  £10,800  at  par. 
Payable  £10  per  cent,  on  application. 
£20  per  cent,  on  allotment. 

£20  per  cent.  14  days  from  the  date  of  allotment. 
£50  per  cent.  2  calendar  months  from  the  date  of  allotment. 
£100 

Payment  may  be  made  in  full  on  allotment,  interest  accruing  from  date  of  such  payment. 

DIRECTORS: 

HENRY  D.  BRANDRETH,  Link's  View,  Hoylake. 
CHAS,  HART  McLEAN,  20,  Devonshire  Place,  Birkenhead. 
F.  H.  BOWDEN,  77,  Venner  Road,  Sydenham,  London,  S.E. 
GEO.  HOLMES,  18,  Hamilton  Square,  Birkenhead. 
JAMES  SELLER,  9,  Drummond  Road,  Hoylake. 

TRUSTEES  FOR  DEBENTURE  STOCK  HOLDERS: 

THE  LIVERPOOL  MORTGAGE  INSURANCE  COMPANY,  LIMITED,  48,  Castle  Street,  Liverpool. 

BANKERS: 

THE  BANK  OF  LIVERPOOL,  LIMITED,  Birkenhead. 
BROKER: 

THOMAS  ROBERTS,  Esq.,  10,  Queen  Insurance  Buildings,  Liverpool. 

SOLICITORS: 

Messrs.  CLEAVER,  HOLDEN,  GARNETT,  and  CLEAVER,  26,  North  John  Street,  Liverpool. 

AUDITORS: 

Messrs.  LEWIS  and  MOUNSEY,  Chartered  Accountants,  Liverpool. 

OFFICE:  SECRETARY: 

22,  Hamilton  Square,  Birkenhead.  JABEZ  GOULD. 

PROSPECTUS. 


rpHE  Company  was  established  on  the  Fifth  day  of 
February,  1895,  for  the  Manufacture  and  Sale  of 
the  preparations  known  as  "Homocea,"  "Hippacea," 
•"Exano,"  and  "Thiluin."  The  sales  of  these  prepara- 
tions have  increased  with  such  rapidity,  that  the  present 
plant  is  insufficient  to  supply  the  demand.  Hitherto, 
the  operations  of  the  Company  have  been  'practically 
confined  to  the  United  Kingdom,  but  it  is  very  desirable 
to  extend  them  as  soon  as  possible  to  other  countries. 

The  Debenture  Stock  is  issued  in  order  to  provide 
funds,  for  paying  off  a  charge  of  £5,000  and  for  ex- 
tending and  developing  the  business  of  the  Company. 

The  Debenture  Stock  is  secured  by  a  charge  upon  the 
undertakings  and  assets  of  the  Company  by  way  of 
floating  charge. 

The  Interest  will  be  payable  half-yearly,  on  the  First 
day  of  January  and  the  First  day  of  J uly ;  the  first 
payment  to  be  made  on  the  First  day  of  J  uly  next. 

In  cases  where  no  allotment  is  made  the  deposit  will 
be  returned  in  full,  and  where  the  amount  allotted  is 
less  than  that  applied  for  the  balance  of  the  deposit  will 
be  applied  towards  the  payment  due  on  allotment. 

Failure  to  pay  any  instalment  on  the  due  date  will 
render  the  previous  payments  liable  to  forfeiture. 

A  quotation  in  the  Official  List  of  the  London  and 
Liverpool  Stock  Exchanges  will  be  applied  for  in  due 
course. 

Copies  of  the  Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Associa- 
tion and  of  the  trust  deed,  dated  the  17th  April,  1895, 
under  the  seal  of  the  Company,  may  be  inspected  at 
the  offices  of  Messrs.  Cleaver,  Holden,  Garnett,  and 
Cleaver,  the  solicitors  to  the  Company. 

Forms  of  application  can  be  obtained  from  the  Bank 
of  Liverpool,  Limited,  and  its  branches,  from  the 
broker,  or  at  the  office  of  the  Company,  22,  Hamilton 


Square,  Birkenhead,  and  in  London,  from  Messrs.  Mather 
and  Crowther,  10,  11,  and  12,  New  Bridge  Street,  Ludgate 
Circus,  E.C. 

North  Crescent  Chambers, 

3,  Lord  Street,  Liverpool, 

1st  Marc  h,  1895. 

The  Homocea  Co.,  Ltd., 

22,  Hamilton  Square,  Birkenhead. 

Dear  Sirs, 

We  have  audited  the  Books  and  Accounts  of 
The  Homocea  Company  for  the  five  months  from  1st 
August,  1894,  to  31st  December,  1894  and  have 
checked  the  Sales  Book  of  "The  Homocea  Company, 
Limited,"  for  the  two  months  ending  28th  February, 
1895,  and  certify  that  the  total  sales  as  shown  by  the 
Books  for  the  periods  named  are  as  follows : — 


£ 

s. 

d. 

Month  ending 

31st  August, 

1894 

1555 

5 

9 

do. 

30th  Sept., 

1894 

1608 

11 

3 

do. 

31st  Oct., 

1894 

2246 

4 

10 

do. 

30th  Nov., 

1894 

2210 

10 

0 

do. 

31st  Dec, 

1894 

*5111 

12 

9 

do. 

31st  Jan., 

1895 

2435 

6 

8 

do. 

28th  Feb., 

1895 

5269 

2 

9 

Total  for  7  months 

£20,436 

14 

0 

You  will  observe  that  the  last  month  of  only  28  days 
has  been  the  highest  on  record. 

We  are,  Dear  Sirs,  Yours  faithfully, 

LEWIS  &  MOUNSEY, 

Chartered  Accountants. 
*  This  sudden  rise  in  the  sales  was  occasioned  by  a  notice 
given  to  the  trade  of  an  advance  in  price,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  year,  this  accounts  for  the  drop  in  January.    Since  then  the 
increase  is  normal. 

Birkenhead,  22nd  April,  1895. 


4 


366 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


THE  GREAT  NORTHERN  AND  CITY  RAILWAY 
COMPANY. 

It  was  our  intention  to  have  supplemented  our  remarks  of  last 
week  by  further  observations  upon  Mr.  Willans'  connection 
with  this  scheme.  But  several  correspondents  inform  us  that 
Mr.  Willans  has  just  died,  and  under  these  circumstances,  and 
the  changed  conditions  consequent  upon  his  death,  we  shall 
not  add  to  our  observations  upon  Mr.  Willans  as  contractor. 
For  the  moment  we  content  ourselves  with  expressing  the 
hope  that  if  the  railway  is  to  be  constructed  the  directors 
will  avail  themselves  of  the  release  created  by  Mr.  Willans' 
death  to  invite  tenders  in  the  ordinary  way  for 
the  work  to  be  done. 

Since  writing  the  above  we  have  received  a  visit  from  Mr. 
Greathead,  who  denies  that  he  financed  the  Kouthwark  Subway, 
or  that  the  contract  for  the  Liverpool  Overhead  Railway  was 
given  to  Mr.  Willans  without  inviting  other  contractors  to 
tender.  Mr.  Greathead  also  denies — and  his  denials  apply  to 
the  Messrs.  Fox — that  he  is  a  promoter  of  the  Great  Northern 
and  City  Railway  Company.  We  think  it  fair  to  Mr.  Greathead 
to  make  public  this  denial  in  our  present  issue.  We  shall  have 
something  to  say  upon  the  matter  in  our  next. 

THE  EARL  AND  HIS  COLLIERIES^ 

Since  our  reference  to  this  matter  last  week  the  liquidator's 
report  has  been  published,  and  completely  bears  out  our  remarks 
upon  Lord  Dudley's  connection  with  the  Round  Oak  Iron  and 
Steel  Works  Company.  The  company  took  over  the  works  in 
1891,  and,  notwithstanding  the  prospectus  estimates,  which 
showed  an  annual  profit  of  ,£41, 000,  and  a  margin,  after  pay 
ment  of  interest  and  a  10  per  cent,  dividend,  of  £20,000  per 
annum,  the  concern  was  in  liquidation  in  1893.  The  profits 
were  not  sufficient  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  debentures,  and 
forthwith  the  Earl  put  in  a  Receiver.  And  this  Receiver  spent 
£29,636  in  the  completion  of  the  new  steel  works ! 

The  shareholders  will  not  get  a  penny  piece.  After  much 
haggling  Lord  Dudley  agreed  to  pay  the  trade  creditors  10s.  in 
the  £,  but  shareholders  get  nothing.  The  Earl  has  got 
back  his  works  with  the  steel  works — built  and  paid  for  by  share- 
holders' money — required  to  render  the  thing  complete,  just 
when  trade  is  looking  up  in  this  department.  It  is  the 
shareholders  who  are  out  in  the  cold. 

If  the  Earls  go  on  as  they  have  begun  they  will  be  able  to  give 
points  to  the  Cottams  and  the  Crockers  of  the  company  world. 
Cabs,  collieries,  gold  mines,  nothing  comes  amiss  to  them — unless 
it  be  giving  the  public  value  for  their  money. 

THE  PLEIADES  GOLD  MINING  COMPANY 

We  are  seldom  in  agreement  with  Truth  as  to  the  value  of 
the  property  held  by  companies  under  the  control  of  Mr. 
Barney  Barnato,  but  this  gives  us  the  more  pleasure  in  being  able 
to  agree  with  its  opinion  of  the  favourable  prospects  of  the 
Pleiades  Gold  Mining  Company,  whose  shares  are  just  begin- 
ning to  be  dealt  in  in  this  market.  This  is  the  first  genuine 
flotation  of  a  really  good  piece  of  ground  that  the  Barnatos  have 
been  identified  with.  The  property  consists  of  \85  claims 
to  the  west  of  the  New  Orion  Company,  on  the  Black  Reef 
series  of  Witwatersrand,  the  series  so  much  in  favour  just  now. 
But  Truth  is  wrong  in  two  particulars.  Our  contemporary  says 
— and  in  its  later  comment  the  Financial  Neiv.<s  falls  into  the  same 
error — that  the  working  capital  is  £85,000  (£50,000  cash  and 
£35,000  reserve),  it  being  only  £75,000  (£40,000  cash  and 
£35,000  reserve),  and  that  it  works  out  at  £400  per  claim; 
whereas,  taking  the  par  value  of  the  issued  capital  of  £140,000, 
the  claims  work  out  at  £757  each. 

GARDINER  AND  CO. 

Messrs.  Gardiner  and  Co.,  of  Deptford,  Islington,  and 
Whitechapel,  do  a  large  dry  goods  business,  but  not  content 
with  that  they  have  set  up  a  "  Banking  Department,"  and  are 
sending  out  circulars  in  which  their  customers  and  others  are 
invited  to  open  deposit  accounts.  We  quote  the  first  two  para- 
graphs of  the  circular  : — 

1.  At  the  request  of  a  number  of  their  customers  Gardiner  ami 
Co.  now  receive  cash  on  deposit,  from  €5  to  £300,  from  customers 
and  their  friends,  on  which  five  percent,  interest  is  allowed. 

Money  is  received  on  deposit  in  sums  of  not  less  than  £5  nor  more 
than  £300,  subject  to  three  days'  notice  of  withdrawal  of  whole  or  put 
of  deposit. 

We  have  been  asked  to  advise  as  tu  whether  advantage  should 


be  taken  of  this  offer,  or  not.  We  think  not.  We  are  not 
suggesting  anything  to  the  prejudice  of  Messrs.  Gardiner  and 
Co.'s  credit.  But  we  do  not  believe  in  these  "  Banking  Depart- 
ments." Banking  business  should  be  done  by  bankers.  Messrs. 
Gardiner  may  be  able  profitably  to  employ  money  for  which 
they  pay  five  per  cent,  at  call,  but  they  give  no  indication  of 
how  they  propose  to  employ  it,  the  deposits  are  not  safeguarded 
as  they  are  when  left  with  great  banking  institutions,  and 
without  further,  and  much  fuller,  information  we  advise  readers 
of  To-Day  who  may  have  received  Messrs-  Gardiner  and  Co.'s 
circular  not  to  act  upon  it. 

THE  BEGELHOLE  IMPOSTURE- 

Below  will  be  found  in  parallel  columns  extracts  from  the 
report  of  Mr.  Begelhole  upon  the  Cashman  "  Reward"  claim,  as 
it  appeared  in  the  prospectus  advertised  on  October  11th,  1894, 
and  extracts  from  the  speech  of  Colonel  Engledue,  as  made  at 
the  extraordinary  general  meeting,  held  at  Winchester  House  on 
April  17th,  1895  :— 


Begelhole's  Report. 
October,  1894. 
"I  paid  a  visit  of  inspection  to 
that  (Oashman's  Reward)  mine  just 

f>rior  to  leaving  Coolgardie  in  July 
ast,  and  was  most  favourably  im- 
pressed. The  reef  has  been 
probed  by  a  long  open  cutting  of 
about  100  feet.  .  .  Very  rich 
stone  was  proved  to  exist  both  in 
shaft  and  cutting.  .  .  .  Making 
every  allowance  for  the  rich  shoot 
of  gold  where  opened  on,  I  am  of 
opinion  that  the  reef  will  give  an 
average  throughout  of  four  ounces 
per  ton.  .  There  is  a  large 
quantity  of  ricl|fre  already  raised 
and  awaiting  crushing." 


Colonel    Engledue's  Speech. 

April,  1896. 
"  Various  shafts  and  drives  have 
been  made  in  different  parts  of  the 
property,  but  in  no  case  are  there 
any  payable  prospects,  and  the 
largest  nnmber  of  the  samples  were 
barren.  .  .  .  The  future  depends 
entirely  on  the  discovery  of  pockets 
of  rich  specimens,  for  the  general 
lode  stuff  is  not  payable.  When  it 
was  represented  as  containing  four 
ounces  of  gold  to  the  ton  through- 
out, and  that  a  trench  existed 
showing  pieces  of  gold  larger  than 
peas,  it  was  unquestionably  a  cruel 
swindle.  The  treatment  of  twenty 
tons  of  stuff  yielded  only  fifteen 
dwts.  Under  these  circumstances, 
it  is  impossible  to  understand  how 
any  experienced  mining  man  could 
have  made  such  assertions  as  that 
the  reef  would  promise  four  ounces 
of  gold  along  its  entire  length.  .  . 
.  .  Mr.  Pascoe  now  recommends 
the  abandonment  of  the  property, 
'  for  which,'  he  states, '  there  is  no 
hope.'" 

And  so  the  property  is  to  be  abandoned  i 

THE  PETROLEUM  RING- 

Just  now,  when  petroleum  is  attracting  a  good  deal  of  atten. 

tion  in  one  way  or  other,  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  we 

have  received  may  be  read  with  interest : — 

In  the  course  of  communications  with  gentlemen  in  Austrian-Poland 
(Galicia)  I  have  been  and  am  daily  asked  to  encourage  British 
capitalists  to  invest  in  Galician  petroleum.  You  know,  no  doubt,  that 
almost  the  whole  of  Galicia  is  nothing  else  but  a  sponge  saturated  with 
petroleum,  that  several  English  and  Canadian  gentlemen  have  made 
vast  fortunes  in  Galicia.  But  it  seems  that  there  is,  even  in  London, 
a  little  ring,  wrecking,  or  trying  to  wreck,  every  negotiation  which  aims  - 
at  purchase  or  exploration  of  the  Galician  oil  fields  and  paraffin 
wax  (ozokerite)  deposits.  I  have  had  an  instance  of  this  recently. 
Eor  the  last  six  or  eight  months  I  have  been  working  through  respect- 
able agents  in  the  City  to  find  purchasers  for  the  greatest  paraffin  and 
paraffin  wax  works  in  Galicia.  Several  times  the  negotiations  were  on 
the  point  of  being  concluded  when,  for  reasons  quite  unknown,  one  or 
other  of  the  capitalists  withdrew.   The  refinery  is  still  in  the  market. 

Our  correspondent  goes  on  to  make  it  clear  that  "  the  reasons 
quite  unknown "  means  what  he  describes  as  the  unscruplous 
opposition  of  the  petroleum  ring. 

COOLGARDIE* 

We  have  received  a  letter  from  a  correspondent  in  Victoria, 
who  says,  inter  alia  : — 

I  see  that  more  and  more  Coolgardie  mines  are  being  floated  at  home, 
and  I  am  told  the  mail  boats  coming  out  have  numbers  of  capitalist  on 
board,  going  to  buy  Coolgardie  mines.  Most  of  these  men  who  do  buy 
good  mines  load  them  so  heavily  before  .they  sell  to  the  public  in 
England  that  there  seems  small  chance  of  their  ever  being  profitable 
investments  tothepublic.and,  of  course,  in  the  end  the  Colonies  will  get 
the  opprobrium  of  this.  Besides  tins,  I  am  afraid  there  are  a  lot  of 
duffing  mines  being  sold  at  home.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  there 
has  never  yet  been  a  mine  there  fairly  tested,  none  have  been  yet  sunk 
on  deep  enough  to  prove  their  permanence.  I  do  know  that  a  number 
of  promising  mines  have  lost  the  reef  at  a  shallow  depth.  I  received 
a  confidential  letter  from  a  friend  there  last  week.  He  told  me  of 
several  mines  in  which  friends  of  mine  were  interested  which  are  no 
good.  The  mine  (just  sold  to  an  English  syndicate)  he  had  just  inspected 
with  an  expert,  and  found  that  the  reef  had  dutfered  out  at  between 
twelve  and  thirteen  feet.  Bailey's  Reward— the  first  big  mine  which 
made  Coolgardie,  and  which  was  so  rich — is  a  good  example  of  what 
others  are  likely  to  be.  A  man  who  has  been  working  in  the  mines  for 
two  years  told  me  the  other  day  that  he  would  not  give  5s.  for  the 
shares.  To-Day  seems  to  get  very  good  information  about  the  mines. 
1  was  glad  to  see  the  way  that  it  pitched  into  Captain  Begelhole.  He 
came  to  Geelong  some  time  ago.  1  am  very  sorry  for  all  this,  because 
it  will  react  so  badly  on  the  Colonics  after  a  while. 


Mr.  T.  B.  Romnson  is  a  lucky  man,  if  his  own  account  of  his 
belongings  is  to  be  accepted.  Before  leaving  Johannesburg  lie 
said  (our  authority  is  the  Critic),  that  he  had  the  best  gold 
mine  on  tin-  fields,  tin-  lu  st  diamond  mine  in  South  Africa,  and 
that  he  intend  -  1  <      i  1895  has  run  to  have  the  best  bank. 


April  27,  1«95. 


TO-DAY. 


367 


SOME  BOOKS. 

Mr.  Thomas  Farrow  has  in  this  book*  given  us  much  useful 
information  respecting  money-lenders  and  their  ways  ;  but  in  his 
natural  and  proper  indignation  at  a  good  deal  that  is  indefensible, 
Mr.  Farrow  writes  much  nonsense.  There  is,  indeed,  no  class  of 
men  about  whom  more  nonsense  is  talked  and  written  than  that 
of  the  money-lender.  Men  like  Mr.  Farrow  seem  to  think  that 
with  the  money-lender  and  his  client  it  is  always  as  with  the 
spider  and  the  fly.  It  is  nothing  of  the  sort.  The  clients  of  the 
money-lender  are  persons  not  merely  of  broken  but  often  of 
desperate  fortune.  The  mere  fact  of  applying  to  a  money-lender, 
by  which  we  mean  a  person  who  advances  upon  bills  of  sale  and 
the  like,  and  charges  30,  60,  100  per  cent.,  is  proof  of  financial 
extremity.  You  do  not  go  to  a  money-lender— save  in 
most  exceptional  circumstances — until  you  are  bankrupt  of  credit 
—credit,  that  is,  that  would  enable  you  to  raise  money  else- 
where. There  is  therefore  nothing  unreasonable  in  the  money- 
lender asking  you  a  very  high  rate  of  interest. 

Let  us  give  an  illustration.  We  happen  to  have  before  us  a 
letter  from  a  Glasgow  man.  He  sends  us  a  long  report  from 
a  Glasgow  newspaper  headed  "  Revelations  as  to  money-lending 
in  Edinburgh."  He  denounces  the  rapacity  of  the  money- 
lender, and  he  asks  To-Day  (about  whom  he  is  pleased  to  make 
some  complimentary  remarks)  to  expose  the  doings  of  this  par- 
ticular money-lender.  And  no  doubt  upon  their  face  the  facts 
look  bad  for  that  individual.  A  worthy  woman  carrying  on  a 
drapery  business  appears  to  have  borrowed  £10,  for  which  she 
agreed  to  pay  £30  in  weekly  instalments  of  £1  each.  Of  the 
.£30  she  paid  £19.  Then  she  borrowed  £25  and  gave 
a  note  for  £30,  and  another  £25,  for  which  she  gave  a  note  for 
£35.  These  two  sums  she  paid.  Then  she  borrowed  £60— re- 
paid the  old  balance  of  £11,  and  gave  a  note  for  £100.  She  paid 
£32  of  this  last  loan,  and  then  went  into  the  Bankruptcy  Court. 
Now  it  is,  of  course,  enormous  interest  that  this  woman  agreed 
to  pay,  but  how  stood  her  account  with  the  money-lender  on  her 
own  showing  when  she  became  a  bankrupt  1  We  quote  her  own 
words,  "  She  had  repaid  him  all  except  £7  apart  from  interest, 
therefore  £61  of  that  was  interest. "  No  doubt,  but  he  never 
got  the  interest,  and  apart  from  interest  was  a  loser  to  the  tune 
of  £7  by  his  transactions  with  her. 

We  do  not  say  that  this  is  the  ordinary  result  of  transactions 
between  the  money-lender  and  his  client.  That  would  be  absurd. 
But  unquestionably  the  money-lender  runs  great  risks,  and  in- 
quiry would  show  that  the  profits  are  much  less  certain  than  is 
generally  supposed.  Only  a  year  or  two  ago  one  of  the  most 
respectable  of  these  money-lenders — a  man  trading  as  a  "bank " 
—  had  to  call  together  his  creditors,  and  it  was  demonstrated 
that  his  dealings  had  been  fair,  so  far  as  his  books  disclosed  them, 
and  that  his  losses  were  largely  due  to  default  on  the  part  of  his 
customers. 

One  of  the  most  frequent  causes  of  complaint  is  that  the  appli- 
cant for  a  loan  has  to  pay  10s.,  or  something  like  it,  for  inquiry 
fee,  even  when  no  loan  is  granted.  Mr.  Farrow  can  find  no  words 
too  strong  to  condemn  this  practice  ;  but  assuming  that  the 
money-lender  makes  genuine  inquiry,  intending  to  lend  if 
there  is  adequate  security,  we  can  see  nothing  unjust 
in  the  charge.  "  The  grocer  and  draper,"  says  Mr.  Farrow  (see 
page  202),  "  do  not  dream  of  charging  inquiry  fees  before  accept- 
ance of  one's  custom."  No.  But  neither  does  the  grocer  or 
the  draper  dream  of  giving  credit  to  would-be  customers  without 
satisfying  himself  as  to  their  solvency  or  repute,  and  if  he  does 
not  charge  for  these  inquiries  it  is  because  he  only  gives  credit 
to  local  persons  about  whom  he  knows,  or  may  easily  know 
sufficient  for  his  purpose,  whereas  if  a  money-lender  is  to 
advance  money  upon  household  goods — and  that  is  the  commonest 
form  of  loan — he  must  send  a  man  often  a  considerable  distance 
to  make  searching  inquiry,  which  takes  time  and  money. 

Mr.  Farrow  thinks  that  the  usury  laws  ought  to  be  revised, 
or  that  at  any  rate  the  interest  charged  by  the  money-lender 
should  be  fixed  by  the  State  as  it  is  in  the  case  of  the  pawn- 
broker, but  our  author  forgets  that  the  pawnbroker  runs  no 
risk  ;  he  gets  his  20  per  cent.,  and  his  security  for  his 
capital  is  ample.  It  is  not  so,  very  often,  with  the  money- 
lender. That  there  are  many  disreputable  money-lenders  is  a 
fact  no  sane  man  would  dispute,  and  that  these  men  sometimes, 
perhaps  often,  go  beyond  the  law  is  equally  indisputable,  but 
if  they  do,  and  when  they  do,  the  law,  as  it  stands,  can 

*  "  The  Money-Lender  Exposed."   By  Thomas  Farrow.    (London  :  The 
Roxburghe  Press,  1895  J 


deal  with  them.  We.  think  the  law  might  usefully  be 
amended  in  ways  some  of  which  are  indicated  by  Mr. 
Farrow,  but  these  two  truths  should  be  impressed 
upon  all  who  may  wish  to  influence  opinion  upon  this 
money-lending  question— the  one  that  men  in  desperate  circum- 
stance will  ,most  of  them,  accept  any  terms,  if  by  doing  so  they 
can  obtain  the  loan  they  want ;  the  other  that  strangers  will 
never  make  such  loan  save  upon  terms  that  to  the  philanthropist 
may  seem  harsh  or  even  unjust. 

We  have  to  acknowledge  a  copy  of  Mr.  Stafford  Ransome'a 
"Modern  Labour."*  We  do  not  always  agree  with  Mr. 
Ransome's  conclusions,  but  he  writes  from  the  standpoint  of 
practical  experience — Mr.  John  Burns  was  at  one  time  an 
employe  of  his  firm — and  there  is  much  in  what  he  says  that 
deserves  the  attention  alike  of  master  and  man. 

We  have  also  to  acknowledge  copy  of  a  supplement  to  the  West 
Australian  Review,  consisting  solely  of  plans  of  the  mining 
leases  on  the  various  goldfields  of  Western  Australia.  We 
understand  that  some  of  these  plans  are,  by  permission,  re- 
produced from  those  just  issued  by  the  Department  of  Mines  at 
Perth,  so  that  they  may  be  relied  upon  as  trustworthy.  This 
supplement — laborious  and  costly — shouid  be  of  much  value  to 
those  interested  in  West  Australian  mining  ventures. 


NEW  ISSUE. 

The  Homocea  Company,  Limited.    Issue  of  £25,000  Six  Per 
Cent.  Debenture  Stock. — The  business  of  this  company  is  to  sell  Homocea 
and  other  preparations  more  or  less  known  to  the  public.   The  sale  of  these 
reparations  is  said  to  have  increased  very  largely  of  late.   The  Debenture 
tockis  to  be  secured,  by  way  of  floating  charge,  upon  the  undertakings  and 
assets  of  the  Company. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
National  Provincial  Bank  of  England.  E.  H.  (Charlton).— Tell 
your  friend  that  he  need  be  under  no  apprehension  as  to  the  safety  of  his 
deposit.  It  i3  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the  greatest  banking  institutions  in 
the  world.  Let  him  take  our  advice  and  keep  his  money  where  it  is,  rather 
than  withdraw  it  to  deposit  with  the  people  whose  circular  you  send  us. 
Tbe  Harrogate  Land  Company.  A.  S.  (London).— There  are  London 
'  directors.  The  offices  of  the  company  are  at  Gresham  House,  E.C.  Crisp 
and  Co.  Richmond  (Richmond).— Yes,  a  capital  investment.  New 
Zealand  Consols.  J.  8.  (Southport). — You  would  be  quite  safe  in 
investing  in  this  stock.  North-west  Australian  Gold  Fields 
Company.  T.  L.  F.  (Belfast).— We  do  not  know,  but  we  willasesrtain  it 
for  you.  Chartered's.  O'M.  (Dublin).— It  is  quite  possible  that  they 
will  go  to  £5,  but  you  have  made  a  handsome  profit,  and— "a  bird  in  the 
hand,"  you  know  the  rest.  Safe  Deposit.  T.  K.  V.  (Birkenhead). — We 
do  not  recommend  you  to  place  your  money  as  suggested.  It  is  a  60  per 
cent.  shop.  Mining  Shares.  C.  C.  P.  (Notting  Hill).  We  have  no 
sufficient  reason  to  suppose  that  the  reports  are  untrustworthy,  but  we 
fear  the  shares  are  not  likely  to  recover  the  recent  drop  just  yet,  if  at  all. 
INSURANCE. 

Endowment  Assurance.  J.  B.— Security  need  not  be  doubted  oi 
any  of  the  offices  in  your  list.  Taking  into  consideration  premiums  and 
bonuses,  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  take  out  a  whole  life  policy  for 
£500  in  No.  2,  and  when  you  reach  the  age  at  which  you  want  to  receive  the 
money,  take  the  surrender  value.  Write  the  actuary.  He  will  tell  you  the 
powers  of  the  society  in  this  particular.  London  Assurance,  Royal, 
and  Northern.  E.— All  these  are  good  Fire  offices.  They  will  all 
readily  and  promptly  pay  20s,  in  the  £  of  your  loss  should  one  ever  occur. 
As  your  property  is  insured  in  the  London  Assurance,  you  had  better  keep 
it  there  unless  one  of  the  others  will  accept  a  less  rate  of  premium. 
Teachers'  Provident  Society.  Teacher.— We  have  not  heard  of  this 
before.  Judging  by  the  advertisement  it  appears  to  be  a  friendly  society  in 
its  infancy.  Perhaps  the  secretary  will  be  good  enough  to  let  us  have  a 
copy  of  its  revenue  account  and  balance-sheet  for  1894.  British  Union. 
S.  M.  (Sheffield). — The  company  is  under  careful  management ;  the  capital 
is  quite  sufficient  for  the  extent  of  its  business.  Cattle  Insurance.— The 
best  company  for  this  purpose  is  the  Horse,  Carriage  and  General,  of  Queen 
Victoria  Street,  E.C.  ,  New  York  Life  Office.  R.  W.  G. — Yes,  quite 
sound.  Mutual  Life  of  New  York  A.  V.  W.— We  presume  you  have 
misapprehended  our  answer.  Kindly  refer  us  to  the  one  you  had  in  mind. 
Royal  Insurance  Company.  A.  A.— The  company  is  all  you  describe 
it,  and  it  will  do  quite  as  well  for  you  as  the  other  Life  office  you  mention. 
Life  Policy.  Costless.— Which  of  the  two  offices  you  mention  would|be 
better  for  your  purpose  depends  to  a  great  extent  upon  the  kind  of  assurance 
you  want,  and  upon  your  age.  The  second-named  office  realises  more  than 
a  normal  rate  of  interest  upon  its  investments,  and  therefore  can  give 
more  bonus  than  most  offices.  Annuity.  Annuity.— Most  Life  offices 
are  now  so  strong,  that  they  are  as  strong  as  the  Bank  of  England. 
The  chief  thing  for  you  to  consider  is  the  cost.  Tell  us  your  age  next  birth- 
day and  we  will  mention  two  or  three  offices  for  you  to  select  from.  You 
may  buy  one  now  and  another  at  any  subsequent  time  you  like,  either  from 
the  same  or  any  office. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 
Detector  Syndicate,  Limited.— R.  M.  (Glasgow).— No,  we  cannot 
make  all  tbe  inquiries  you  ask  us  to  make.  Anything  in  reason  we  are 
happy  to  do  for  our  readers,  but— there  are  limits.  Purchase  of  Ap- 
propriation. Muzzled  (Halifax).— Surely  the  simpler  way  is  to  com- 
municate with  the  advertiser?  New  Oriental  Bank.  Oriehial 
(Dundee). — It  means  presumably  2s.  in^  the  £.  If  you  do  not  want  the 
money  it  would  be  as  well  not  to  aceept  the  offer.  Two  Outside 
Brokers.  P.  E.i  W.  ^(Birmingham).— Either  would  treat  you  fairly. 
Outside  Broker.  Alpha  (Edinburgh).— The  person  who  trades  under 
this  name  is  supposed  to  have  considerable  means.  We  do  not  recommend 
Brokers.  London  Bank  of  Australia.  Crestwick  (Maidstone). — 
Something  under  17s.  Stubbs'  Directory. — We  take  note  of  your  letter. 
The  Civil  Service  Bank.  C.  W.  (Carmarthen). — We  have  never  been 
able  to  see  the  need  for  this  bank,  or  to  pursuade  ourselves  that  it  will 
ever  win  an  assured  position  for  itself,  and  the  report  recently  issued  does 
not  help  us  to  a  different  view.  As  to  whether  you  should  sell  your  shares 
—it  would  be  as  well,  if  anyone  wants  to  buy.  The  New  Manufac- 
turing Company.  Yate.  Arbaces.  (Birmingham).— The  commission 
matter  seems  to  require  explanation,  but  it  is  not  for  us  to  interfere. 


*  "  Modern  Labour,"  by  J.  Stafford  Ransome.      London  :  Eyre  and 
Spottiswoode  1895. 


5T68  TO-DAY.  April  27,  1895. 


JJRURY  LANE  THEATRE.    Sir  Augustus  Harris,  Lessee 

and  Manager. 

ENGLISH  OPERA  AT  POPULAR  PRICES. 
For  Full  Particulars  see  Daily  Papers. 
Box  Office  now  open. 

T.YCEUM.— KING  ARTHUR.— EVERY  NIGHT  until  May  3, 

at  8.0  o'clock ;  KING  ARTHUR,  by  J.  Comyns  Carr.  Mr.  Irving, 
Miss  Genevieve  Ward,  and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  MATINEES  of  KING 
ARTHUR,  WEDNESDAY,  May  8  ;  SATURDAY,  May  11 ;  WEDNESDAY, 
May  15;  and  SATURDAY,  May  18,  at  2  o'clock  ;  Mr.  Irving  and 
Miss  Ellen  Terry.  On  SATURDAY  NIGHT,  May  4,  Mr.  Conan  Doyle's 
One-Act  Play,  A  STORY  OF  WATERLOO,  together  with  DON 
QUIXOTE,  a  New  One-Act  Play  by  the  late  W.  G.  Wills.  Preceded  by 
BYGONES,  by  A.  W.  Pinero.  These  Plays  can  only  be  represented  for  a 
limited  number  of  nights,  as  before  the  Season  closes  the  following  Plays 
of  the  Lyceum  Repertoire  will  be  given : — "  Macbeth,"  "  King  Lear," 
"  Becket,"  "  The  Merchant  of  Venice,"  "  Much  Ado  About  Nothing," 
"  Louis  XI.,"  "  The  Lyons  Mail,"  "  The  Bells,"  "  Charles  I.,"  "  Nance 
Oldfield,"  "  Faust,"  "  The  Corsican  Brothers."  Box  Office  (Mr.  J.  Hurst) 
open  daily  10  to  5,  and  during  the  performance.  Seats  also  booked 
by  letter  or  telegram.— LYCEUM. 

ROYAL   PRINCESS'S    THEATRE— EVERY  EVENING 
at  8.30,  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30,  by  arrangements  with 
the  Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company,  Humperdinck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEL 
and  GRETEL  (in  English).   Box  Office  now  open. 

PALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 
THEATRE  In  EUROPE.    The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.    Prices  from  6d.    Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Charles 

Morton. 

TWOORE  AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
Enormous  Succe3S  of  the  brilliant  and  delightful  New  Holiday 
Programme. 

Nightly  at  8.0,  and  Matinees  on  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and  Saturdays 
at  2.30. 

The  whole  tone  of  the  entertainment  is  that  of  the  good,  old-fashioned 
Minstrels,  whom  everybody  delighted  to  hear.— Dispatch,  April  14th. 
Prices,  5s.,  3s.,  2s.  and  Is.  Bookings  at  Tree's. 

General  Manager,  Mr.  Lawrence  Brough. 

ROYAL  AQUARIUM.— Free  Entertainments,  10  a.m.    At  no 

place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen  Wet  or  Fine. 

THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES. 

at   2  aud  7  COLORADO  GOLD  MINE.     COLLIE  CLUB'S  SHOW, 

AprU  30,  May  1  and  2.    SIX  WEEKS'  GIGANTIC  EASTER  CARNIVAL. 

NIAGARA   HALL— ST.  JAMES'S  PARK  STATION, 

[UNSOLD'S  PATENT,  most  successful  in  the  world.] 
REAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
Daily,  9.30  to  1.0,  3s.;  3.0  to  6.30,  5s. ;  8.0  to  11.30,  3s. 
EXCELLENT   ORCHESTRA.  FIRST  -  CLASS  RESTAURANT 

OPEN  ALL  DAY. 

PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  Limited, 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.C. 


FOUNDED  1848. 


Invested  Funds 


£20,000,000 


READY 


NOW 

(In  Handsome  Gold  and  Green  Cover)— 

TO-DAY"  Spring  Number. 


6° 


Complete  Stories  toy — 

JEROME  K.  JEROME 

and  GEORGE  MOORE,  etc. 

Illustrated  by  HAL  HURST,   L.  BAUMER, 
W.  DEWAB. 


ALSO  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 
DUDLEY  HARDY,  AUBREY  BEARDSLEY, 
HAL  HURST,  R.  SAUBER,  and 

SYDNEY  ADAMSON. 

Order  at  once  of  all  Agents  and  Bookstalls,  as  the  entire  first 

issue  has  been  bespoke  by  the  trade. 
Howard  House,  Arundel  Street,  Strand,  London,  W.C. 

^WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite, 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 


10,  Bolt  Court.,  Fleet  Street,  E  C. 
October  -..Hi  Imm. 
I  have  milch  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  of 
We  have  used  tueui  in  our  household  for  many 


Vr.nn  Sin, 
Dr.  Scott's  PiHl  us  a  family  medicine, 
veors,  anu  are  never  without  them. 

Yours  faithfully,  J.  SELLARS. 
The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  bo  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead. 
Prepared  only  by — 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Plaee,  LONDON.  W. 


UNION 


2  5 
0  0 


South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHONALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  frmn  SOUTHAMPTON  every  SA  TURD  A  Y. 

The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers  callat  LISBON andTEXERIFE. 
Union  Line  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends. 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton  ;  14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 

Actual  Result  of  Matured  Policy 

TAKEN  OUT  IN  THE 

Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society  of  the  United  States. 

15  Payment  Life  Policy,  No.  219605,  issued  December  18th, 
1879,  on  the  Life  of  T.S.S.,  Yorkshire. 

'  £    s.  d. 

Amount  of  Policy  £1,000,  Tontine  Period  15  years, 

Age  42,  Annual  premiums  ...  ...      47    16  8 

Total  premiums  paid  ...  ...  ...  ...    717    10  0 

RESULT. 

Cash  Value    ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  811 

Or  Paid-up  Policy      ...  ...  ...  ...1,470 

Or  Surplus  in  Cash  and  Paid-up  Policy  for  original 

Amount    259     6  2 

The  Society  now  being  in  a  position  to  publish  Actual 
Results  of  Policies  maturing,  do  not  issue  Estimates. 

Send  for  "Satisfied"  and  other  publications. 

81,    CHEAPSIDE,  E.C. 

A.  MUNKITTRICK  &  W.  TRIGGS, 

General  Managers. 

LONDON,   EDINBURGH,  AND  GLASGOW 
ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  LIMITED. 

Chairman  -  -  S.  BARCLAY  HEWARD,  Esq.,  L.C.C. 

1804  RESULTS. 
NEW  BUSINESS. 

Total  number  of  Policies  issued  was  226,395,  and  tin;  Annual 
Premium  Income  on  the  New  Business  of  the  year£I24,.r>0S  17s.  7d. 
PREMIUM  INCOME. 
The  Premium  Income  for  theyear  amounted  to  £214,  S30  7s.7£d.r 
showing  an  increase  of  £16,088  2s.  ljd. 

CLAIMS. 
Claims  and  Grants  paid,  £98,483  0s.  2d. 

The  total  Claims  and  Grants  paid  by  the  Company  now  amount 
to  £834,272  10s.  8£d. 

ASSURANCE  FUNDS. 
The  Assurance Fundson31stDecemberlastwere£106,516 18s.  lOd. 

THOS.  NEILL,  General  Manager. 
Insurance  Buildings,  Farringdon  Str-ot,  London,  E.C, 

15th  March,  1895.  

Why  put  off  till  to-morrow,  what 
can  be  done  To-day  ? 

ASK  YOUR  GROCER  for  a  Tin  of 

FREDERICK  MASON'S 

HOME-MADE 
BEEF-TEA. 

It  will  only  cost  you  Is.,  and  it's  well 
worth  a  trial. 

ACRE  LANE,  BRIXTON,  S.W. 


mniL  27,  1896. 


TO-DAY, 


369 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

A  Novel  Probation.    By  Warren  Killingworth.  Illustrated 


by  W.  Dewar   353 

On  the  Rank.  By  W.  Pett  Ridge    356 

In  the  Mercantile  Marine.    An  Apprentice's  Life  in  the 

Half-deck    358 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    359 

Feminine  Affairs    36" 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    3i  3 

The  Case  of  Delia  Harding    3C 

In  the  City   36" 

To-Day.  By  J.  K.  J  3(9 

The  Ruminations  of  Randolph   37-; 

Club  Chatter    373 

The  Taking  of  the  Tenor.  By  Frank  L.  Stanton   37V 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville   378 

How  I  Was  "Brought  Out"    383 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY. 


The  chief  proof  of  the  strength  and  vitality  of  Con- 
servative principles  is  to  bei  found  in  the  fact  that  the 
Conservative  party  still  maintains  and  even  advances 
its  position  in  the  country,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the 
Conservative  leaders  and  the  Conservative  Press.  Just 
now,  the  wooden  heads  of  the  Conservative  party,  who, 
as  a  body,  are  not  to  be  despised,  having  regard  to 
their  numbers  and  to  the  utter  impossibility  of  reason- 
ing with  them,  seem  to  have  made  up  their  minds  that 
the  time  has  now  come  to  throw  back  their  cause  to 
where  it  stood  some  fourteen  years  ago,  when,  after  the 
death  of  Beaconsfield,  the  party  contained  hardly  a 
single  man  of  ability  within  its  ranks.  There  is  no 
convincing  the  old-fashioned  Conservative  that  utter, 
hopeless,  brick-wall  stupidity  should  not  be  the  backbone 
of  his  policy.  To  pound  a  stick  as  thick  as  his  own 
head  upon  the  floor,  and  say  "  Damme1,  sir,"  is  to  him 
the  end-all  and  be-all  of  Government.  So  it  has  oc- 
curred to  this  old  fossil  that  Mr.  Chamberlain  is  too 
clever  a  man  to  be  fit  company  for  his  party,  which 
might  be  the  truth,  did  his  party  consist  throughout  of 
none  of  higher  intellect  than  himself. 

But  as  the  Conservative  party  of  to-day  is)  a  very 
different  thing  from  the  Conservative  party  of  yester- 
day, and  as  even  a  Tory  cannot  move  backwards,  his 
action  is  only  damaging  himself.  If,  through  the  dense 
stupidity  of  these  dead  weights,  Mr.  Chamberlain  is 
driven  from  his  union  with  Lord  Salisbury,  the  Con- 
servative party  will  be  shattered.  Mr.  Balfour  is  an 
excellent  administrator  ;  but  no  one  who  has  heard  him 
speak  could  ever  maintain  that  as  a  popular  leader  he 
is  worth  the  cost  of  a  temporary  platform.  He  may 
be  something  very  much  better ;  but  that  he  certainly 
is  not.  He  has  no  passion,  very  little  unscrupulousness, 
and  no  sense  of  claptrap,  and  without  these  it  is  impos- 
sible to  govern  mankind.  The  Conservative  party  got 
rid  of  Lord  Randolph,  when  they  would  have  done  much 
better  to  have  put  up  with  him.  If  they  quarrel  with 
Mr.  Chamberlain,  they  will  prove  to  the  hilt  the  old 
reproach  against  them  of  being  the  "  stupid  party,"  and 


with  Mr.  Chamberlain  they  will  lose  the  youth  and  the 
brains  of  the  country,  which  at  present  are  on  their 
side. 

I  have  to  thank  the  Sportsman  for  drawing  my  atten- 
tion to  an  interesting  item  of  news  from  America, 
casting  a  vivid  light  upon  the  methods  employed  by 
teetotal  fanatics  in  arguing  the  drink  question.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Lansing — the  continual  necessity  for  re- 
proving ministers  of  the  Gospel  for  lying  is  becom- 
ing painful — publicly  stated  that  President  Cleve- 
land was  intoxicated  upon  the  occasion  of  the  Columbus' 
celebration.  Being  required  to  prove  this  shameful 
libel  the  reverend  gentleman  crawls  back  and  apologises, 
saying  that  he  heard  it  from  "a  friend."  Birds  of  a 
feather  flock  together,  and  one  does  not  envy  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Lansing  his  convenient  "friend."  This  is  typical 
of  the  statements  that  teetotal  orators  continue  to  make 
up  and  down  the  country.  We  know  that  a  few  weeks 
ago  a  reverend  gentleman  in  Liverpool  was  found  guilty 
of  having  falsely  libelled  a  body  of  his  fellow-citizens ; 
while  at  Portsmouth  another  reverend  gentleman, 
doing  his  best  to  bring  his  religion  into  contempt,  had 
to  publicly  withdraw  his  slander  against  a  local 
publican.  Have  these  gentlemen  determined  to 
expunge  from  their  Bible  the  commandment :  "  Thou 
shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy  neighbour,"  or 
do  they — arguing  from  the  Jesuitical  point  of  view — 
consider  that  the  cause  of  teetotalism  is  to  be  aided  by 
falsehood  and  slander? 

A  lying  spirit  is  abroad  among  our  teetotal  friends. 
They  are  drifting  towards  a  point  where  we  shall  not  be 
able  to  believe  a  single  word  they  say.    I  have  received 
letters  telling  me  that  every  fourth  person  you  meet  in 
Glasgow  on  Saturday  evening  is  drunk,  and  that  ten 
per  cent,  of  the  population  of  Edinburgh  are  to  be  found 
intoxicated  on  a  Sunday.     The  temperance  cause  is  a 
great  cause,  but  these  mad  fanatics  are  rendering  it  con- 
temptible and  shameful.   A  cause  can  only  be  advanced 
by  sense,  by  justice,  and  by  truth.    Your  temperance 
crusader  is  too  often  a  shallow-brained  fool.    He  wants 
to  go  too  far,  and  he  finds  that  facts  do  not  support 
him,  so  he  invents  his  facts,  and  by  dint  of  shouting 
them  loudly  many  times  comes  to  believe  in  them  him- 
self, and  proceeds  to  argue  upon  them.  Timid  politicians, 
preferring  popularity  to  honour,  and  knowing  that  the 
reputation  of  being  a  good  man  is  an  excellent  bait 
wherewith  to  catch  votes,  school  themselves  to  repeat 
each  silly  lie.  Thus  we  have  windy  talk  as  to  drink  being 
the  cause  of  every  evil  there  is  in  the  world — -as  though 
evil  passions  were  unknown  to  human  nature  before 
the  introduction  of  the  public-house.      (Our  teetotal 
fanatics  cannot  even  look  as  far  as  Armenia,  where  the 
soldiers  of  the  Prophet  are  one  and  all  strict  abstainers.) 
Thus  we  are  told  that  drunkenness  is  everyday  increas- 
ing, when  as  a  matter  of  fact  we  know  that  it  is  de- 
creasing rapidly,  and  would  disappear — so  far  as  it  is  in 
the  nature  of  any  evil  to  disappear — were  the  question 
dealt  with  by  broad-minded,  practical  men  of  sense,  and 
not  given  over  to  be  experimented  upon  by  every  noisy 
idiot  who  considers  that  his  mission  in  life  is  to  take 
care  of  everybody's  morality  but  his  own. 

"  It  is  hard  for  a  paper  to  have  to  explain  its  own 


i 


370 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  1895. 


jokes,"  Tpathetically  remarks  the  New  Budget.  It 
seems  that  the  New  Budget  has  been  publishing  pic- 
tures signed  "  Phil  Mace,"  and  Mr.  Phil  May's  solicitor 
does  not  seem  to  have  perceived  the  point  of  this  joke. 
So  the  New  Budget  apologises,  and  promises  to  adopt  a 
newer  sort  of  humour  for  the  future.  I  merely  men- 
tion the  incident  because  the  paragraph  containing  this 
"  explanation  "  comes  at  the  foot  of  a  column  in  which 
the  writer  talks  a  good  deal  about  humour,  new  and 
old,  and  sneers  at  certain  gentlemen  who  for  their  sins 
have  been  dubbed  "humorists."  It  is  always  useful  to 
obtain  advice  and  information  upon  a  subject  from 
those  in  authority ;  but  before  studying  humour  at 
the  feet  of  the  young  gentlemen  who  write  and  design 
for  the  New  Budget  I  should  wish  to  feel  sure  that  my 
jokes  were  not  going  to  be  followed  by  lawyers'  letters, 
elaborate  "  explanations,"  and  pathetic  apologies. 

All  honour  to  Mr.  Tom  Mann  for  his  outspoken 
honesty  in  advising  the  Rushden  men  out  on  strike  to 
loot  the  shops  and  help  themselves  to  whatever  goods 
they  desired.  "  It  was  not  a  case  of  stealing,' 
said  Mr.  Tom  Mann,  "  when  they  were  in  a  state  of 
warfare."  Now  we  know  where  we  stand.  Mr.  Tom 
Mann  has  blown  away  the  cant  that  is  usually  talked 
concerning  trades  unions  and  their  strikes.  Whenever 
their  paid  leaders  desire  it  the  men  of  a  trade 
are  to  cease  work,  and  to  prevent  by  violence  every 
man  from  working,  and  when  the  weekly  wage  does 
not  arrive,  they  are  to  band  themselves  together  into 
gangs  of  brigands  and  rob  the  small  shopkeeper.  Of 
course,  any  interference  with  this  plan  would  be 
"  brutal  interference  "  by  "  hirelings,"  and  the  Govern- 
ment would  be  denounced  by  the  labour  papers  for  its 
"  cowardly  attack  upon  the  workers."  But  when  the 
grocers  and  the  bakers  have  been  cleared  out,  Mr. 
Mann,  and  have  closed  their  shutters,  what  then? 

Some  time  ago  I  spoke  of  the  absurdity  of  allowing 
teetotal  fanatics  to  go1  round  our  Board  and  National 
Schools,  teaching  the  children  utterly  untrue  facts  con- 
cerning alcohol.  The  lecturers  are  generally  men  of  no 
education  whatever,  and  they  simply  disseminate  a 
tissue  of  misleading  nonsense ;  but  there  is  a  graver 
aspect  of  the  case.  Some  precious  lecturer,  connected 
with  the  Liverpool  Temperance  Band  of  Hope  Union, 
goes  about  illustrating  his  twaddle  with  a  series  of  dis- 
gusting diagrams.  The  other  day,  at  the  Wirral  1 
National  Schools  in  Cheshire,  many  of  the  poor  children 
condemned  to  sit  out  this  tomfoolery  were  made 
actually  and  physically  sick.  One  poor  little  fellow 
fell  into  a  dead  faint,  and  only  recovered  after 
a  considerable  interval.  Another  was  led  outside 
in  an  unconscious  condition.  I  should  like  to  know  who 
are  the  authorities  responsible  for  having  admitted  into 
the  Wirrall  National  Schools  this  public  nuisance  from 
Liverpool.  One  would  hardly  blame  an  indignant 
father  for  giving  him  a  sound  horse-whipping. 

Prophecy  is  almost  always  effective.  It  is  effective, 
even  when  it  is  only  fulfilled  in  some  slight  particular. 
It  is  effective,  even  when  it  occurs  after  the  event.  A 
gold  mine  that  has  attracted  many  investors  breaks 
down ;  there  are  scores  of  experts  ready  to  rush  into 
print  and  declare  that,  though  they  did  not  mention  it, 
they  foresaw  the  collapse  from  the  first.      They  are 


prophesying  after  the  event — prophesying  the  collapse 

after  the  collapse  has  occurred — but  they  get  their  effect. 
The  general  public  considers  them  to  be  men  of  sound, 
penetrating,  far-sighted  judgment.  Similarly,  if  any 
man  turns  out  to  be  a  great  politician,  or  an  extra* 
ordinary  criminal,  or  a  popular  author,  the  phreno- 
logist is  equally  ready  with  his  prophecy — after  the 
event ;  up  goes  a  rough  portrait  of  the  man,  famous  or 
notorious,  in  the  phrenologist's  window,  and  underneath 
is  evidence,  sufficient  for  anyone  who  is  not  in  the  habit 
of  examining  evidence,  that  the  phrenologist  knew  what 
the  man's  career  would  be  all  along.  And,  if  one  may 
judge  from  the  crowds  that  have  examined  Wilde's 
portrait,  exhibited  in  the  windows  of  a  London  phren- 
ologist, such  prophecy  is  not  without  its  effect. 

Yes,  prophecy  is  almost  always  effective,  and  it  is 
most  effective — m  far  as  those  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
examining  evidence  are  concerned — when  it  is  fulfilled 
in  every  detail,  and  takes1  place  before  the  event.  Let 
the  phrenologist  put  his  degree  of  science  to  a  very 
simple  test.  Let  him  exhibit  in  his  window  the  por- 
trait of  some  man,  unknown,  of  whom  the  general  pub- 
lic has  never  heard.  Let  the  phrenologist  say  what  his 
future  will  be — that  he  will  become  a  great  politician 
or  an  eminent  preacher — that  he  will  write  the  novel  of 
the  year,  or  become  notorious  for  crime  in  some  other 
form.  Then,  when  the  prophecy  comes  true,  it  may 
become  necessary  to  take  that  phrenologist  seriously. 
Besides,  the  phrenologist  who  has  a  shop  window  is, 
probably,  at  least  as-  much  interested  in  commerce  as 
in  science.  Let  him  consider  what  an  impression  such 
an  accurate  forecast  would  make  on  the  public  mind; 
the  public  shillings  would  come  rolling  in;  the  phren- 
ologist would  become  a  man  of  wealth.  But  all  the 
same,  I  do  not  think  that  he  will  make  that  forecast. 

The  phrenologist  may,  as  a  rule,  be  said  to  make 
inaccurate'  deductions  from  insufficient  observation. 
Even  if  one  extends  the  observations,  and  takes  into 
account  far  more  than  comes  within  the  province  of 
the  phrenologist,  one  is  brought  face  to  face  with  sums 
in  addition  and  subtraction  that  only  life  itself  can  work 
out.  Pallor  of  the  complexion  is  a  frequent  character- 
istic of  criminals ;  it  is  also,  a  frequent  characteristic  of 
men  of  genius ;  it  is  also  frequently  the  result  of  some 
illness  in  perfectly  ordinary  people.  Any  man  who 
wishes  to  know  what  his  own  character  is,  is  likely  to 
form  a  far  more  correct  estimate  of  it  for  himself  than 
any  phrenologist  can  form  for  him.  The  phrenologist 
may  conjecture  just  about  as  much  as  a  man  who  is  not  a 
phrenologist  can  also  conjecture  ;  that  he  can  do  more 
than  this,  that  he  can  speak  with  absolute  certainty 
and  absolute  accuracy  of  detail,  I  do  not  believe. 

Superintendent  Bakewell,  of  the  Staffordshire 
Police,  writes  me  as  follows  with  reference  to  my  en- 
quiries into  the  case  of  little  Annie  Grace  Ball  : — "  The 
deceased's  parents  are  very  poor,  but  respectable,  and 
their  family  consists  of  six  children,  four  boys  and  two 
girls,  the  eldest  of  whom  is  a  boy  of  thirteen  years. 
The  father,  whose  name  is  Thomas  Ball,  is  a  potter's 
turner,  and  earns  on  an  average  £\  per  week,  out  of 
which  the  family  subsist.  This  family  resides  at  No.  S, 
Bail  way  Terrace,  Longton,  Stoke-on-Trent,  There  is 
no  doubt,  that  the  deceased  lost  her  life  whilst  trying 
to  save  that  of  her  brother."    1  am  sending  a  couple  of 


April  27,  1895, 


TO-DAY. 


371 


guineas  to  the  father,  to  whom  I  have  no  doubt  they 
will  be  useful  in  helping  to  pay  the  funeral  expenses  of 
the  poor  child.  I  am  also  having  prepared  a  memorial 
to  record  her  brave  deed. 


ANSWERS   TO  ENQUIRERS. 

W.  S.  writes  me  the  following  story  :  "  Some  fifteen  years 
ago  a  young  lady,  whose  parents  were  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances, was  not  satisfied  with  the  pocket-money  allowed  her, 
and  took  a  situation  in  a  shop  to  earn  something  for  herself.  In 
a  short  time  she  attained  the  position  of  manageress  of  a  depart- 
ment in  a  large  London  house,  where  she  earned  £80  a  year 
indoors.  When  in  that  situation  she  made  the  acquaintance  of  a 
butcher,  who  was  a  masher  for  one  of  his  calling,  and  was  called 
by  his  friends  '  Gentleman  John,'  having  got  that  name  through 
his  habit  of  wearing  gloves  and  a  silk  hat  on  going  to  and  returning 
from  business.  He  earned  good  wages,  treated  her  in  a  lordly 
fashion,  and  induced  her  to  marry  him.  He  commenced  business 
in  Maidstone,  and  in  a  few  years  they  saved  sufficient  money  to 
enable  them  to  build  a  shop  and  house ;  but  he  got  tired  of  the 
place,  sold  up  and  came  to. Lancashire.  Then,  when  she  had  one 
child  and  was  again  pregnant,  she  discovered  that  he  had 
already  been  married,  and  that  his  wife  was  alive  when 
she  married  him.  He  admitted  his  guilt,  but  told  her 
that  his  first  wife  had  since  died,  and  produced  evidence 
to  that  effect  to  satisfy  her.  She  insisted  on  being 
remarried  and  went  through  the  ceremony  a  second  time.  He 
then  got  unsettled,  moved  from  place  to  place,  and  they  lost 
their  all.  He  became  insane,  was  removed  to  Prestwich  Asylum, 
and  she  was  then  left  with  three  children  destitute.  She 
succeeded  in  borrowing  a  few  pounds,  took  a  small  shop,  and  by 
working  hard  for  eighteen  hours  a  day  she  made  a  living  for 
herself  and  children,  a,ndpaid  for  his  maintenance  in  the  Asylum 
for  about  three  years.  Thinking  to  improve  her  position  she 
took  a  larger  shop  here,  when  he  died.  The  venture  was  a 
failure,  she  again  lost  all,  and  got  into  debt.  Last  February 
she  died  from  ulceration  and  perforation  of  the  bowels.  She 
left  a  will,  in  which  she  made  me  executor,  but  her  effects  have 
been  valued  at  only  £15  I8s.  4d. ,  and  her  debts  to  nearly  £200. 
The  three  orphans  are  unprovided  for,  and  I  find  that  they  are 
all  illegitimate,  for  the  first  wife  is  still  alive.  She  struggled 
hard  to  bring  her  children  up  respectably,  and  now  they  must 
be  treated  as  bastards.  I  cannot  get  them  into  any  orphan 
school  on  that  account.  If  you  could  give  publicity  to  their 
case  you  might  save  them  from  the  workhouse.  The  children, 
of  course,  do  not  know  their  position.  There  are  two  girls, 
aged  five  and  eleven,  and  one  boy  aged  seven  years. 
I  am  a  bachelor,  and  not  in  a  position  to  keep  them,  and  I 
would  be  pleased  if  you  could  give  me  any  assistance  or  advice." 
I  know  that  many  of  these  trade  charities  are  conducted  on  the 
most  narrow-minded  principles,  and  that  help  too  often  goes  in 
quarters  where  it  is  least  needed.  Most  English  charities  are 
instituted  for  the  benefit  of  the  well-to-do  and  influential,  and 
the  really  destitute  are  turned  from  their  doors.  The  meat  trade 
is  an  exceedingly  rich  one,  and  it  will  certainly  be  a  disgrace  to 
it  if  these  three  children  are  compelled  to  enter  the  workhouse. 

R.  and  Other  Correspondents  draw  my  attention  to  a  tele- 
gram sent  by  a  Methodist  clergyman  to  a  gentleman  who  had 
written  to  the  papers,  advocating  the  granting  of  a  license  for 
the  sale  of  drink  at  the  Belfast  exhibition  : — 

"Exhibition  letter  recorded  in  Heaven  attitude  photo- 
graphed and  spirit  weighed  you  have  now  to  deal  with  the 
Lord  Jesus."  ■ 
Comment,  as  we  say  in  Meet  Street,  is  needless. 

An  Artist  of  No  Account. — It  is  not  only  in  painting  that 
the  dead  are  praised  at  the  expense  of  the  living.  Your  sug- 
gestion that  the  Royal  Academy  should  limit  the  number  of 
works  to  be  submitted  by  outsiders  to  three  instead  of  eight  is 
a  matter  for  you  artists  to  decide.  I  don't  suppose  the  com- 
mittee would  at  all  object. 

F.  E. ,  who  is  a  tramway  shareholder,  writes  me  as  follows  : — 
"  I  hope  that  you  will  excuse  me  in  addressing  you  on  account 
of  the  shareholders,  of  whom  I  am  one,  with  very  limited  means, 
and  this  last  act  of  the  L.C.C.  in  bringing  in  a  Bill  to  work  the 
tramways,  if  passed,  will  enable  them  to  offer  such  terms  to  the 
companies  as  they  will  not  be  able  to  accept,  and  then  they  will 
work  them  themselves,  and  by  so  doing  cause  the  shareholders 
to  lose  the  money  they  have  invested.  I  am  old-fashioned 
enough  to  think  that  all  governing  bodies  should  be  just  before 
all  things,  especially  to  the  weak.  I,  for  one,  can  see  no  differ- 
ence, as  far  as  the  shareholders  are  concerned,  between  the 
action  of  the  majority  on  the  L.C.C.  and  the  Balfour  companies 
— if  you  lose  your  money  through  rogues,  or  through  those  who 
ought  to  protect  your  interests  in  the  cause  of  justice.  The  latter 
to  me  seems  worse. "  The  London  tramways,  it  seems  to  me,  have 
been  worked  very  fairly  in  the  public  interest.  The  fares  could 
certainly  not  be  made  any  cheaper  in  justice  to  the  employees, 
the  horses,  and  the  men  who  have  invested  their  savings  ;  and  I 
fear  that  if  the  lines  come  into  the  hands  of  the  Council  a  certain 
section  of  the  community  would  be  benefited  at  the  expense  of 
the  ratepayers.  A  Progressive  County  Council,  anxious  to  secure 
votes  to  itself,  would  offer  to  carry  workmen  at  prices  entailing 


a  dead  loss,  and-  the  shopkeeper  and  skilled  artisan  would  be 
required  to  make  up  the  difference. 

Oriental. — I  thank  you  for  your  appreciative  letter.  I  am  of 
opinion  that  neither  those  who  publicly  denounce  the  liquor  trade 
nor  those  financially  interested  in  it  ought  to  sit  on  the  licensing 
bench.  It  is  certainly  unfair  that  avowed  prohibitionists  should 
be  allowed  to  legislate  on  the  subject,  while  a  brewer  would  at 
once  be  turned  from  the  bench. 

Working  Woman.  —  I  certainly  do  consider  "  Esther 
Waters"  a  fit  book  to  be  put  into  the  hands  of  "  grown-up  " 
boys  and  girls  ;  but  I  would  not  give  it  to  a  young  boy  or  girl 
who  has  had  no  experience  of  life — who  would  not  understand  its 
true  meaning,  and  whose  unformed  mind  it  might  only  injure. 
I  do  not  believe  that  any  literature  could  injure  a  grown  man  or 
woman.  It  is  only  when  a  tree  is  growing  that  you  can  graft 
good  or  evil  upon  it.  When  once  its  bark  is  formed  you  cannot 
alter  its  sap. 

H.  G.  and  Others. — When  one  hears  of  Scotchmen  being  em- 
ployed and  paid  by  an  English  club  to  play  a  football  match 
against  Scotland  one  does  not  feel  called  upon  to  make  any 
"  temperate"  remarks  on  the  subject.  The  tendency  to  give  up 
playing  cricket  and  football,  and  to  be  satisfied  with  merely 
watching  hired  gangs,  is  driving  the  spirit  of  sport  out  of  English- 
men, and  it  needs  strong  language  to  impress  this  upon  you  young 
fellows. 

H.  J.  M.  writes  a  charming  letter,  from  which  I  quote  the 
following:  "  To  an  Englishman  living  in  Western  America  the 
up-to-date  writings,  good  sound  common-sense,  and  above 
all  the  fearless  honesty,  which  prevails  all  through  To-Day, 
come  like  water  to  the  thirsty  desert  traveller."  He  hopes 
To-Day  will  again  touch  upon  Bimetallism,  and  sums  up  the 
case  by  observing  that  the  quantity  of  gold  in  circulation  is 
really  insufficient  for  the  purposes  of  the  world's  growing  com- 
merce. 

Philistine. — You  are  quite  right  to  have  your  own  opinion 
on  all  questions.  It  is  a  sign  of  want  of  culture — that  is,  of 
want  of  thought,  to  follow  sheep-like  other  people's  views.  But 
then  you  must  allow  other  people  their  opinions  also.  Like 
what  you  like,  and  do  not  blame  others  for  liking  what  they 
like. 

B.  H.  T. — Glad  we  agree  on  this  point.  Party  politics  To-Day 
seeks  to  avoid,  but  policy  embraces  matters  too  important  to  be 
ignored  by  any  journal.  Nameless. — You  take  the  right  view 
of  this  sad  case.  The  good  that  is  in  a  man  is  the  light ;  the 
rest  is  darkness.  A.  H.  J. — Thanks  for  your  letter,  with  which  I 
quite  agree.  Tom. — I  am  not  in  agreement  with  you  upon  the  two 
points  you  mention.  The  latter  part  of  your  letter  appears  to 
me  to  show  a  narrow  and  uncharitable  mind.  C.  G. — Thank  you 
for  your  pleasant  letter  and  cutting.  I  am  making  use  of  it  in 
editorial  notes.  M.  E.  F. — Three  months'  notice  will  be  quite 
sufficient,  and  your  friend  would  probably  lose  money  by  liti- 
gation. L.  deP. — The  beauty  lies  in  the  delicacy  and  grace 
of  the  line  work.  From  that  point  of  view  it  is  exquisite. 
J.  W.  W. — I  am  glad  to  find  you  so  much  in  agreement  with  me 
on  this  subject. 

C.  P. — There  may  be  several  opinions  as  to  which  metropolitan 
Volunteer  corps  is  the  best.  The  Queen's  Westminster  is  a  very 
good  one ;  the  entrance-fee  is  one  pound,  and  the  subscription 
five  shillings  a  year.  The  Sergeant-Major,  Q.W.V.  Corps, 
Queen's  Hall,  off  Victoria  Street,  S.W.,  would  give  you  all 
particulars. 

R.  P.  (Edinburgh)  sends  me  the  Scottish  Guardian.  The 
editor  of  that  paper  regrets  that  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow 
appeared  on  the  platform  at  a  recant  temperance  demonstration 
at  which  the  principal  speaker  was  Lady  Henry  Somerset,  and 
that  he  moved  a  resolution  rejoicing  at  the  work  being  done  by 
the  association  so  well  represented  by  Lady  Henry  Somerset. 
The  Scottish  Guardian  quotes  the  paragraph  from  To-Day  in 
which  I  called  attention  to  Lady  Henry  Somerset's  statement 
concerning  myself,  and  adds  :  "If  this  is  true — and  responsible 
journalists  are  usually  more  careful  in  their  statements  than 
over-zealous  lecturers— the  public  will  be  apt  to  form  a  different 
opinion  from  that  of  the  Bishop  as  to  an  association  which 
is  '  well  represented  '  in  such  a  fashion,  and  more  especially  of 
the  lady  who  represents  it.  At  any  rate,  while  such  charges  as 
this  can  be  made,  we  venture  to  repeat  the  wish  that  our 
bishops  and  clergy,  in  spite  of  their  laudable  zeal  for  temper- 
ance, would  refrain  from  associating  themselves  —  and,  to  at 
least  some  small  extent,  the  Church — with  this  lady's  crusade." 

J.  R.  R. — I  agree  with  much  that  you  say,  but  letters  on  the 
subject  are  hardly  in  place  just  now. 

J.  S.  C.  sends  me  an  explanation  of  the  bell  motto  about 
which  a  correspondent  asked  me  a  little  while  ago.    The  in- 
scription should  run,  my  correspondent  thinks — 
TOI  20M  MA2  IN  f 

rno  tet  a™  ai  t 

Or,  in  more  modern  Greek  character,  and  properly  re-divided — 
tois  dfifiamv  (mo  Ttrayfiai 
(tois  ommasin  (h)upotetagmai.) 
It  is  a  charm  against  the  evil  eye. 

W.  P.  R.  hopes  that  when  next  a  Bimetallist  conference  is 
called  India  will  be  allowed  to  send  her  own  representatives  to 
the  meeting,  and  not  be  hampered  by  orders  from  the  British 
Government. 

(Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week.) 


372 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  1895 


THE  RUMINATIONS  OF 
RANDOLPH. 


My  Dear  Dick, — Since  you  have  gone  to  live  so 
ranch  deeper  in  the  country,  you  will  naturally  want  to 
hear  all  the  news  I  can  give  you,  not  only  about  the 
drama,  but  about  any  of  the  other  matters  in  which  I 
know  you  take  an  interest.  So  for  the  future  I  shall 
not  confine  my  letter  to  theatrical  things  alone. 

I  shall  be  able  to  tell  you  a  good  deal  about  the 
Oscar  Wilde  case  when  the  trial  at  the  Old  Bailey  is 
over.  It  would  not  be  fair  or  proper  to  comment  on  it 
yet.  I  do  hope,  however,  in  the  course  of  that  trial, 
some  juryman  will  have  the  courage  and  common  sense 
to  kick  at  the  suppression  of  names  that  has  characterised 
the  proceedings  hitherto.  Names,  have  been  written  on 
paper,  and  witnesses  have  been  ordered  not  to  mention 
names — names  have  been  covered  up,  hidden  and 
suppressed. 

This  is  altogether  wrong  and  bad.  If  the  prisoner 
were  accused  of  forgery,  burglary,  or  murder,  every 
name  connected  with  the  case  would  be  mentioned  and 
published  without  exception.  And  this  very  publicity 
would  very  probably  promote  the  ends  of  justice.  It 
would  not  be  pleasant  for  those  whose  names  were 
mentioned,  perhaps,  but  if  it  did  nothing  else  it  might 
deter  a  number  of  young  men  from  keeping  questionable 
company  in  the  future. 

I  believe,  however,  that  it  would  do  a  great  deal  more 
than  this.  You  must  remember  that  the  theory  of  the 
police  and  the  authorities  generally  with  regard  to 
scandals  of  the  sort  I  am  discussing,  has  always  been 
that  the  least  said  about  them  the  better ;  that  more 
harm  would  be  done  by  the  publicity  incidental  to 
suppression  than  by  the  existence  of  the  evils  themselves. 

If  this  view  is  correct,  if  evil  is  begotten  by  a 
knowledge  of  evil,  then  every  police-court  report  should 
be  suppressed,  and  no  newspaper  should  be  permitted  to 
publish  the  details  of  a  trial  for  murder.  But  the  theory 
is  not  insisted  on  in  ordinary  cases.  The  result  is  not 
harmful — indeed,  it  is  beneficial — because  to  many  men 
the  dread  of  public  exposure  and  public  disgrace  is  a 
greater  deterrent  than  all  the  unknown  terrors  of  a 
gaol. 

In  dealing  with  the  evil  rampant  in  our  midst, 
publicity  is  the  first  essential.  The  system  of  secrecy 
and  silence  has  been  tried,  and  see  what  it  has  done. 
The  evil  has  flourished  and  fattened  in  dark  places,  and 
gradually  it  has  faced  the  light.  But  no  one  has 
protested,  and  gradually  literature  and  poetry  have 
become  permeated  with  a  corrupt  flavour,  nauseating  to 
healthy,  decent  men.  The  vice  that  formerly  trembled 
behind  locked  doors  came  out  and  swaggered  in  drawing- 
rooms  and  public  places,  and  naturally  its  power  of 
contamination  rapidly  developed.  You  encountered  its 
foul  traces  everywhere.  Sooner  or  later  a  scandal  was 
certain.  Now  it  has  come,  and  with  it  has  come  the 
opportunity  of  dragging  out  the  cancer  by  the  roots.  This 
necessary  and  salutary  operation  cannot  be  performed 
secretly  and  in  darkness.  There  is  no  need  whatever 
for  tho  publication  of  disgusting  details.  But  there  is 
an  imperative  necessity  for  publicly  branding  the 
unclean  members  of  society,  so  that  they  may  no  longer 
go  about  freely  in  our  midst  exhaling  poison  and 
corruption. 

There  is,  indeed,  just  now  a  double  necessity,  because 
the  suppression  of  names  in  the  recent  legal  proceedings 
has  actually  resulted  in  numberless  names  being 
whispered  and  hinted  at  in  daily  conversation.  The 
mention  of  one  name  in  a  trial  may  blast  a  reputation  ; 
but  the  suppression  taints  a  dozen.  "  Who  was  it  1 " 
people  ask.  "  I  hear  it  was  young  So-and-so."  "No; 
it  was  really  old  What's-his-name,"  and  gradually 
rumour  credits  half  a  score,  possibly  innocent  people, 
with  an  offence  that  they  never  committed  or  even  con- 


templated.   It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  cry  aloud  for 

"Names  !  Names  !  Names  !" 

If  you  could  hear  the  wild  talk  that  has  gone  on  at 
the  clubs  for  the  past  week  I  am  sure  that  you  would 
agree  with  me. 

Even  from  the  police  point  of  view  Society  cannot  be 
more  horrified  and  shocked  than  it  has  been  by  recent 
revelations,  and  all  the  publicity  in  the  world  can  do 
no  more  harm  at  present.  Nobody  would  feel  more 
disgusted  if  the  police  put  into  the  dock,  instead  of  two 
prisoners,  two  hundred.  Twice  that  number  have  been 
tried  and  convicted  by  word  of  mouth  during  the  past 
few  days,  and,  what  is  worse,  they  have  not  had  a  fair 
trial.  No  evidence  has  been  produced;  no  defence  has 
been  possible.  "  I  fancy  "  has  merged  into  "  I  believe," 
and  has  been  repeated  as  "  I  know."  The  backbiter  and 
the  blackmailer  have  had  a  revel.  Names  that  should 
be  beyond  the  reach  of  scandal  have  been  freely  bandied 
about,  smirched  and  defamed. 

It  is  wrong,  all  wrong,  and  it  is  all  the  fault  of  secrecy 
and  suppression;  again,  therefore,  I  say,  let  us  have  no 
more  of  it,  but  let  us  have  the  plain  open  truth.  The 
police  have  evidence  and  information  enough  at  their 
command  to  make  a  clean  sweep,  if  they  are  so  minded, 
and  if  they  are  not  there  are  other  ways.  It  is  time  for 
the  formation  of  a  moral  Vigilance  Committee,  on  the 
rough  and  ready  American  frontier  principle.  This  idea 
is  already  in  many  minds.  Yesterday  I  saw  a  circular, 
which  is  being  quietly  but  extensively  circulated,  the 
object  of  which  is  the  formation  of  what  may  come  to 
be  called  the  "  Queensbury  Association."  Its  end  and 
aim  is  the  collection  of  a  sufficient  fund  to  justify  a 
regular  campaign  against  the  horror  in  our  midst,  to 
follow  the  threads  and  clues  that  have  cropped  up  in 
the  recent  proceedings,  and  to  do  all  that  the  Treasury 
ought,  but  possibly  will  not.  There  is  nothing  vindic- 
tive about  the  circular.  It  does  not  shriek  for  tumbrils 
and  a  gallows.  It  points  out  dispassionately  the  exist- 
ence of  a  grave  public  scandal,  which  will  not  be 
removed  by  the  punishment  of  one  offender.  The  evi- 
dence given  at  the  Old  Bailey  points  to  a  more  or  less 
organised  system  of  vice.  This  should  be  investigated, 
its  ramifications  traced,  and  its  foundations  uprooted. 
Whatever  happens  at  the  next  Old  Bailey  trial,  there 
must  be  no  subsequent  hushing  up  and  squaring, 

From  these  propositions  it  is  difiicult  to  dissent.  The 
circular,  I  may  tell  you,  does  not  emanate  from  a  parcel 
of  fanatics  or  faddists.  It  is  the  result  of  patient 
inquiry.  It  was  sent  to  me  by  one  who  predicted  the 
exact  outcome  of  the  Queensberry  libel  trial  the  day 
after  Lord  Queensberry  was  arrested. 

Oscar  Wilde's  play,  The  Importance  of  Being  Ernest, 
finishes  its  run  at  the  St.  James's.  Alexander 
is  supposed  to  have  another  play  by  the  same  author  in 
his  desk.  It  will  be  interesting  to  see  what  he  will  do 
with  it.  Wilde's  other  play,  An  Ideal  Husband,  will 
probably  terminate  its  run  about  Wednesday  week, 
when  Charles  Wyndham  will  appear  at  the  Criterion  in 
Carton's  new  political  comedy  drama,  the  peculiarity  of 
which  is  that  the  action  all  passes  in  a  few  hours,  com- 
mencing in  the  evening,  and  terminating  in  the  early 
morning.  Charming  Miss  Mary  Moore  has  just  come 
back  from  Paris,  where  she  purchased  a  variety  of 
gorgeous  frocks  for  the  production. 

Have  you  noticed  that  George  Bernard  Shaw  has 
been  going  for  the  gods  over  their  conduct  at  the  Comedy  1 
He  says  that  in  the  middle  of  the  second  act  "  some  low 
fellow  shouted  '  Rats  ! ' "  And  he  suggests  that  the 
"low  fellow"  in  question  should  have  been  instantly 
removed  by  the  police.  I  don't  like  shouts  of  "  Rats," 
or  even  "cat-calls,"  in  the  middle  of  an  act  myself, 
but  I  am  bound  to  admit  that  Delia  Harding  did  not 
stimulate  me  to  resent  the  brief  interruption.  I  am 
bound  to  confess  that  as  a  general  rule  modern  audiences 
honourably  observe  the  unwritten  bargain  between 
themselves  and  theatrical  managers — the  rule  of  no 
adverse  expressions  until  the  play  is  over.  Sometimes 


April  27,  1898. 


TO-DAY. 


373 


when  a  play  is  hopelessly  dull  and  bad  the  tedium  of 
the  evening  is  relieved  with  chaff,  but  I  do  not  remem- 
ber any  successful  play  being  so  treated  in  recent  years. 
As  we  all  know,  there  was  a  time  when — but  no  matter. 

The  Lyric  Theatre  is  still  in  the  market.  The  diffi- 
culty, I  understand,  is  that  the  now  wound  up  Lyric 
Theatre  Company,  Limited,  made  an  agreement  with 
Edwardes  and  Lowenfeldt  for  the  production  of  a 
comic  opera,  libretto  by  Gilbert,  to  follow  His  Ex- 
cellency. Whoever  takes  the  lease  will  have,  I  am 
told,  to  take  that  agreement  with  it.  But  the  comic 
opera  is  not  ready  ;  therefore  anybody  taking  the 
theatre  and  putting  up  something  for  a  run  might  find 
themselves  called  on  by-and-bye  to  stop  their  run  to  make 
room  for  the  Edwardes-Lowenfeldt  combination.  Lowen- 
feldt madeovertures,  as  I  told  you,  for  the  purchaseof  the 
theatre,  but  they  have  come  to  nothing.  The  Lyric  is 
still  the  property  of  Henry  J.  Leslie,  who  built  it  and 
ran  it  for  sometime,  but  over  Doris  and  The  Red  Hussar, 
together  with  the  pantomime  at  Her  Majesty's,  he  lost 
the  bulk  of  the  fortune  that  he  made  over  Dorothy,  and 
the  Lyric  is  now  practically  in  the  hands  of  Fladgate 
and  Fladgate,  who  represent  mortgagees  for  its  full 
value. 

A  Loving  Legacy,  which  was  moved  from  the  Strand 
to  the  Opera  Comique  on  Easter  Monday,  came  to  an  end 
on  Saturday,  and  the  Opera  Comique  is  again  closed. 
This  theatre  seems  to  be  as  dead  out  of  luck  as  the 
Royalty. 

The  season  of  cheap  opera  that  Sir  Augustus  Harris 
is  running  at  Drury  Lane  has  proved  phenomenally 
successful — so  much  so  that  I  expect  he  will  make  a 
regular  yearly  fixture  of  it.  T  have  been  on  three  nights 
recently  and  found  the  house  crammed.  His  grand 
opera  season  at  Covent  Garden  will  be  one  of  the  most 
attractive  ever  organised  in  this  country.  Meantime, 
just  to  amuse  his  leisure,  Sir  Augustus  has  got  out  the 
scene  models  for  his  autumn  drama,  and  has  approved 
the  dress  designs  for  the  Christmas  pantomime. 

Despite  the  good  business  at  the  Lane,  theatrical 
business  all  round  is  rather  uncertain.  Mrs.  Ebbsmith 
and  Gentleman  Joe  are  enjoying  the  cream  of  the 
market.  King  Arthur  has  not  been  a  success,  as  I  took 
the  liberty  of  anticipating  when  it  was  first  produced,  and 
it  will  give  way  to  a  triple  bill  and  a  series  of  revivals. 
I  rather  think  that  the  music-halls  have  had  the  best 
of  the  Easter  patronage.  Some  of  them  have  been 
crammed  lately. 

If  the  Actors' Association,  and  the  much-puffed  and 
paragraped  Chorister  Association,  are  worth  their  salt, 
they  will  take  some  action  over  the  continental  tour  of 
Morocco  Bound.  This  successful  variety  show  was 
taken  abroad  by  Mr.  F.  Harris  and  Mr.  H.  J. 
Chamberlyn  in  direct 'defiance  of  the  author  and  com- 
poser. Protests  were  vain.  Harris  and  Chamberlyn 
offered  2£  per  cent.,  and  said  that  if  the  authors  would 
not  take  it  they  would  pay  the  money  to  a  theatrical 
charity.  The  authors  refused,  and  again  protested. 
The  company  started,  but  had  not  got  far  when  the  law 
was  invoked,  the  copyright  was  upheld,  and  a  consider- 
able sum  was  awarded.  An  injunction  also  was  granted. 
Now,  salaries  are  unpaid.  The  chorus  have  been  im- 
formed  that  any  of  them  who  can  afford  to  pay  their 
own  fares  home  are  at  liberty  to  depart.  Those  who 
stay  are  told  that  though  every  endeavour  will  be  made 
to  pay  them,  nothing  can  be  guaranteed.  I  am  very 
sorry  for  the  chorus,  but  it  gratifies  me  to  know  that 
disaster  has  overtaken  an  endeavour  to  deprive 
English  authors  of  their  rights.  Harris  and  Cham- 
berlyn would  probably  have  got  on  well  enough  if  the 
authors  had  not  taken  legal  measures.  As  it  is, 
their  capital  has  been  absorbed  by  costs  and  damages, 
and  on  the  return  of  the  belated  company  there  will,  I 
expect,  be  further  appeals  to  the  Law  Courts  to  recover 
salaries. 

The  rights  of  authors  have  been  simultaneously  vindi- 
cated in  America,  where  Sir  Augustus  Harris  has  success- 


fully sat  on  a  couple  of  pirates  who  rolled  The  Prodigal 
Daughter  and  the  Derby  Winner  into  one,  and  had  the 
cheek  to  try  and  play  it  in  New  York !  But  they 
didn't.  Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


I  spoke;  last,  week  of  the  night  clubs  that  the  police 
have  lately  taken  so  much  interest  in,  more  particularly  of 
those1  where  gambling  took  place.  Going  back  twelve 
months,  I  can  remember  visiting  one  wliich  was  de- 
scribed as  thoroughly  typical,  and  which  I  managed  to 
get  into  through  the  aid  of  a  member.  It  was  about 
one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  snow  was  falling. 
Old  Compton  Street  was  crowded  with,  well-dressed 
women,  who  were  generally  engaged  in  violent  alterca- 
tions with  men  of  the  worst  possible  class,  and  who  up 
till  twelve  o'clock  had  been  the  shining  lights  in  debates 
in  the  Anarchist  Club,  in  Windmill  Street. 


We  turned  off  into  one  of  the  streets  that  lead  from 
Shaftesbury  Avenue  to  Oxford  Street.  It  was  very  quiet, 
practically  deserted.  We  stopped  before  a  respectable, 
sombre-looking  house.  There  was  not  a  light  to  be 
seen,  and  the  curious  part  of  the  whole  thing  was  that 
in  almost  every  case  the  blinds  at  the  windows  were 
half-drawn.  I  pointed  this  out  to  my  companion,  and 
suggested  the  complications  that  might  arise  if  wo  had 
mistaken  the  house,  and  pushed  our  way  in  directly  an 
unsuspecting  citizen  answered  our  knock.  He  silenced 
me  with  a  knowing  smile. 


Presently  there  was  the  sound  of  footsteps  in  the 
passage,  and  a  voice  through  the  hole  of  the  letter-box 
asked  who  was  there.  A  reply  that  it  was  "  all  r.ght " 
seemed  only  to  half  satisfy  him,  because  I  could  see  the 
flap  of  the  letter-box  opened  wide,  and  an  adjacent  lamp 
convinced  you  that  there  were  a  couple  of  eyes  peering 
through.  Apparently  assured  that  all  was  well,  the 
door  was  opened,  and  closed  again  the  instant  we  were 
inside.  The  passage  was  pitch  dark,  and  what  struck 
me  as  being  remarkably  uncanny  was  the  cold  night 
air  blowing  directly  into'  your  face,  and  the  sound  of 
running  water  from  a  tap.  I  felt  for  my  match-case, 
but  a  "  Don't  be  a  — 1 —  fool "  from  the  attendant 
stopped  me,  and  holding  on  to  his  coat  I  followed 
him.  At  the  end  of  the  passage  I  found  my- 
self in  the  open  air,  and  felt  the  crunching 
of  the  snow  under  my  feet,  while  a  cloud-blotted  moon 
showed  something  like  a  shed  in  front  of  me. 


The  attendant  turned  a  handle,  and  next  moment  I 
Was  inside  a,  bright  and  warm  room,  which  I  should  say 
had  originally  been  intended  for  an  outhouse,  but  which 
had  been  transformed  into  its  present  condition  bv  the 
liberal  use  of  match-boarding,  bunting,  and  pictures. 
A  weary-eyed  woman  sewing,  and  with  a  copy  of 
L'Intransigeant  before  her,  rose,  and  asked  if  we  cared 
to  drink  anything,  and  when  we  ordered  two  hot  clarets 
prepared  it  with  the  utmost  care.  I  mention  this  fact 
because  the  drink  was  one  of  the  finest'  cold  expellers 
I  have  ever  tasted.  It  was  not  served  in  the  usual 
English  buffet  fashion,  with  hot  water,  but  the  claret 
was  itself  boiled,  and  with  a  sprinkling  of  nutmeg,  and  a 
slice  of  lemon,  was  a  drink  to  remember. 


The  proprietor,  a  German,  came  and  joined  in.  He 
had  a  light  drink,  and  asked  us  if  we  cared  to  play,  for 
at  the  far  end  of  the  room  a  table,  placed  crossways, 
was  surrounded  by  punters.  Almost  as  he  uttered  the 
words  the  sound  of  a  knock  and  a  ring  at  the  street  door 
was  heard.  In  a  second  every  vestige  of  gambling  had 
disappeared.  The  spaces  formed  with  matches  (instead 
of  the  old-fashioned  chalk)  were  swept  on  the  floor,  and 


374 


TO-DAY, 


April  27,  1895. 


the  players  gathered  round  us  at  the  bar,  leaving  never 
a  trace  of  circumstantial  evidence  to  aid  the  police.  As 
it  happened,  the  arrival  was  only  another  snow-encased 
member,  and  the  gamesters  fell  back  to  their  old 
positions. 


The  banker  was  a  tradesman,  I  was  told,  in  the 
Tottenham  Court  Road,  and  a  week  previously  had  lost 
.£200  at  one  sitting.  To-night  he  was  in  little  better 
form.  The  players  simply  staked  to  win  back  their 
losings  until  they  were  clear,  and  plunged  with  their 
winnings.  He  paid  out  over  £30  in  ten  minutes,  and 
then  lit  a  cigarette,  and  dropped  the  bank.  He  only 
laughed  in  a  hollow  fashion,  and  sat  down  and  risked 
shillings  where  he  had  previously  risked  pounds.  Faro 
was  played,  so  was  banker,  rouge  et  noire,  trente  et 
quarante,  and  there  was  never  a  suggestion  of  cheating, 
and  never  a  bet  dishonoured.  Gambling  had  been  going 
on  for  hours,  and  a  tremendous  lot  of  money  had  changed 
hands  in  small  stakes. 


I  went  back  to  the  bar,  where  hot  coffee  had  just 
been  provided,  and  was  joined  by  a  typical  night 
lounger.  In  easy  flowing  terms  he  discussed  every 
possible  subject.  Had  I  read  the  Times  that  morning  ? 
There  was  a  capital  article  on  the  Little  Englanders. 
He  had  no  respect  for  Laboudere.  When  he  was  better 
off  he  had  gambled  with  him ;  so  he  had  with  Charley 
Russell,  as  he  genially  described  the  present  Lord  Chief 
Justice.  "  You  know,"  he  continued,  "that  the  best  years 
of  a  man's  life  are  spent  in  building  life's  ruins.  I  had 
every  chance.  I  fooled  it  away.  I  never  drank  much, 
but  I  betted,  and  I  was  fond  of  the  girls."  I  told  him 
that  family  history  never  interested  me,  but  as  he 
picked  up  a  glass  and  drained  it  he  answered  without 
anger:  "Better  than  you,  better  than  I,  have  found 
these1  clubs  a  home  at  the  finish.  No  one  has  done 
harm  here  to  anyone  else.  If  I  could  afford  to  gamble 
I  would.  I  can't.  But  it's  warm  and  comfortable  here, 
and  it's  snowing  outside."  All  said  and  done,  there  are 
many  worse  places  than  these  clubs,  and  the  police  might 
find  better  objects  for  their  attention.  I  know  there 
are  many  shady  characters  inside,  but  they  are  better 
there  than  waiting  round  street  corners  when  one  walks 
home  late. 


Mr.  G.  R.  Siiws'  attack  on  the  silk  hat  in  the  Referee 
was  capital  reading.  He  mentions  one  case  where*  the 
hero  left  his  silk  hat  on  the  stage,  and  went  off  to 
America.  I  can  recall  an  instance  in  one  of  Mr.  Sims' 
plays  where,  at  a  critcal  moment,  the  heroine  defied  her 
father,  and  sat  on  the  villain's  hat.  And  this  suggests 
a  point  to  me.  Why  is  it  that  in  every  play  of  a  trans- 
pontine character,  where  vice  and  virtuei  are  clearly  de- 
fined, all  the  bad  characters,  the  family  solicitor  in- 
cluded, wear  silk  hats?  The  noble  men  wear  straw 
hats  in  drawing-rooms,  slouch  hats  at  receptions,  and  felt 
hats  at  funerals. 


For  some  reason  or  another,  the  silk  hat  is  the  badge 
of  civilisation.  Nobody  knows  the  reason.  It  is  im- 
possible in  wind,  it  is  useless  in  the  sun,  it  gets  more 
rain  on  it  apparently  than  the  whole  of  the  superficial 
area  of  the  body  put  together,  it  is  useless  in  a  train, 
worse  on  a  boat,  ridiculous  at  the  seaside,  and  comfort- 
able nowhere.  But  it  is  with  us,  and  we  must  stand  it. 
It  compels  us  to  wear  certain  coats,  to  carry  umbrellas, 
and  to  travel  first  -  class.  Who  introduced  it  I 
have  never  taken  the  trouble  to  learn.  No  doubt  if 
photography  had  been  introduced  six  thousand  years 
ago  we  should  have  had  to  acknowledge  Adam  as  the 
founder  of  a  perpetual  fashion. 


When  the  nigger  was  freed  from  slavery  and  became 
a  reeognised  citizen,  he  went  in  for  a  silk  hat.  The 
Hindoo  comes  to  London  and  buys  one  as  soon  as  he 
gets  on  land,  and  no  well-conditioned  Jap  has  ever 
dreamed  of  going  in  for  anything  else.    Even  the  lower 


order  of  animals  represented  by  the  dog  and  the  cat 
use  it,  when  available,  for  family  purposes  of  an  inter- 
esting character.  Possibly  its  popularity  lies  in  its  un- 
doubted power  to  render  us  eternally  same — the  crown- 
ing glory  of  modern  fashion. 


Tobacco  without  nicotine  may  seem  to  some  of  us 
like  Hamlet  without  the  Prince.  But  among  smokers, 
as  my  correspondence  has  convinced  me,  there  are  many 
who  fear  its  effects  on  the  nerves  and  heart.  To  them, 
I  can  confidently  recommend  the  Tinico  flake  tobacco. 
If  I  had  not  known  there  was  no  nicotine  in  it,  I  should 
have  thought  I  was  smoking  a  mild,  pleasantly  flavoured 
tobacco',  and  was  getting  all  the  genial  effects  of  the 
ordinary  weed.  A  tobacco  that  can  so  hide  its  virtue 
seems  to  be  near  the  mark. 


Another  tip  for  smokers  is  to  get  Bell's  gold-tipped 
cigarettes.  The  name  of  the  firm  assures  you  that  you 
are  not  contracting  blood  poison  by  using  some  cheap 
metal  coating,  and  the  tobacco  is  cool,  pleasant,  and 
fragrant. 


There  is  a  new  invention  in  sovereign  purses,  which 
I  mention  for  tlhe  benefit  of  those  men  who  find  them 
useful.  It  is  not  necessary  to  open  the  purse  to  get 
the  coin,  as  it  is  pushed  out  by  sliding  a  small  knob. 
The  advantage  of  this  is  that  it  can  be  done  without 
taking  the  purse  from  the  pocket,  thereby  obviating 
an  ostentatious  display  of  wealth. 

I  am  glad  to  see  that  there  is  a  tendency  among  well- 
dressed  men  to  adopt  more  rational  shapes  in  boots. 
Lately  we  seem  to  have  been  trying  to  get  back  to 
something  on  the  lines  of  the  sabatynes  of  a  fifteenth 
century  knight,  under  the  mistaken  idea,  that  the  foot 
was  wedge-shaped.  The  extremely-pointed  toe  was 
neither  comfortable  nor  sightly,  and  the  newest  boots, 
built  to  go  on  the  same  lines  as  the  foot,  are  in  every 
way  more  desirable. 


I  have  had  a  good  word  before  now  for  Lingfield 
Races,  but  I  must  say  that  I  was  wofully  deceived  in  my 
impression  that  objectionable  characters  had  been  eli- 
minated from  it,  when,  in  an  interval  of  racing  on 
Saturday,  I  went  into-  the  small  ring  and  found  the 
three-card  trick  being  played  on  the  stand.  The  autho- 
rities should  see  to  this.  Every  one  of  these  card- 
sharpers  brings  with  him  a  crowd  of  confederates,  whose 
sole  aim  is  robbery  and,  if  necessary,  violence.  The  re- 
spectable City  man,  the  farmer,  the  neatly  dressed  me- 
chanic and  the  Israelite,  formed  the  gang.  To  my 
knowledge,  this  same  set  has  been  going  round  England 
for  the  last  six  years,  and  the  racecourse  police  could 
have  identified  every  one  of  them  and  barred  their  en- 
trance. 


There  is  no  more  favourite  cry  with  the  newsboys 
than  "All  the  winners,"  but  these  enterprisiug  and  shrill, 
toned  folk  can  have  but  little  idea-  of  the  way  in  which 
they  are  enabled  to  be  shouting  the  news  in  Fleet.  Street 
within  a.  few  minutes  of  the  "  all  right "  having  been 
proclaimed  from,  the  weighing-room. 

The  racing  reporters — a  most  painstaking  Ixnly  of 
men — have  first  to  obtain  a.  list  of  runners — no  easy 
task  at  such  places  as  Goodwood  and  Epsom,  where 
the  fields  frequently  run  well  into  the  twenties. 
The  next  message  of  importance  to  be  despatched  is 
the  "off',"  and  then  follows  the  winner  and  1.  2,  3. 
Rarely:  does  the  reporter  wait  for  the  judge  to  hoist, 
the  numbers,  and  the  celerity  with  which  the  wires  are 
sent  cannot  be  excelled. 


The  messages  come  straight  from  the  course  to  the 
G.P.O.,  and  are  instantly  forwarded  to  the  'various 
agencies,  of  which  the  Exchange  Telegraph  and  Central 
News  arc  the  most  prominent.    The  news  no  sooner 


April  27,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


375 


reaches  the  Haymarket  and  New  Bridge  Street  than  it  is 
sent  out  over  the  tape  machines,  and  to  show  how  keen 
the  two  companies  are,  it  may  be  mentioned  that,  as  a 
rule,  both  machines  start  clicking  forth  the  momentous 
news  at  the  same  moment. 


this  blank  spot.  Some  thought  it  was  an  advertise* 
ment,  and  that  by  staring  for  a  few  moments  a  notice 

of    Soap  or   Pills  would  appear,  whilst  one 

well-known  racing  man  was  of  the  opinion  that  it  was 
left  for  speculators  to  write  their  bets  on. 


It  is  on  the  extra  special  edition  that  most  anxiety 
is  displayed  in  evening  newspaper  offices.  The  forme 
has  gone  through  with  the  last  race  but  one,  and  the 
stereotypers,  working  like  Trojans,  have  got  all  plates 
down  in  an  incredible  short  space  of  time.  Meanwhile,  the 
compositors  designated  "  fudge  hands  "  are  hard  at 
work  preparing  their  boxes. 


Readers  of  evening  journals  have,  of  course,  noted 
the  blank  space  generally  to  be  found  at  the  top  of  the 
column.  This  is  for  the  "fudge."  When  "fudging" 
first  came  into  vogue  many  people  were  puzzled  over 


But  to  return  to  the  "  fudge-box."  Whilst  the  plates 
are  being  cast  the  betting  on  the  race  'before  the  last 
is  set  and  inserted  in  the  box.  Special  type  and  leads 
are  prepared,  and  a  box  will  take  about  twenty-four 
lines.  The  horses  engaged  in  the  final  event  are  already 
set  up,  and  when  the  runners  arrive  the  jockeys  are 
added.  The  machine  has  barely  delivered  the  result 
before  the  "  fudge  hand  "  has  his  box  closed  and  on  the 
printing  press;  and  copies  of  the  journal  are  being 
printed  at  a  rate  of  24,000  per  hour. 


No  sooner  are  the  machines  going  than  the  "run- 


ECONOMY 

AND 

FASHION. 


EVERY  GENTLEMAN  SHOULD  WEAR  OUR  SILK  TIES. 

All  Shapes— The  DERBY  (for  self  tying),  the  STRAND  BOW,  the  WATERLOO  KNOT,  etc. 
Three  Assorted  Silk  Ties  Is.  7d.  Six,  3s.  post  free.  Twelve,  5s.  9d.  post  free. 

Magnificent  value.   Usually  sold  at  Is.  each. 
SUPERIOR  QUALITY— Three  for  3s.,  Six  for  5s.  9d.,  or  Twelve  for  1  Is. 
VERY  FINEST  QUALITY— Three  for  6s.,  Six  for  lis.,  or  Twelve  for  21s.  post  free. 
MOWET   RETITRNED    IF   WOT  SATISFIED. 

Ladies    should    send   for   o«r>   Dress  Patterns. 

TEXTILE  SUPPLY  ASSOCIATION,   LIMITED,   161,   STRAND,  W.C. 


FLING 

NDIAN  SILVER  FORKS  AND  SPOON 

ALL  THE  APPEARANCE  OF  STERLING 

Indian  Silver  always  retains  its  brilliancy 
if  cleaned  regularly,  and  if  in  any  instance  a 
Fork  or  Spoon  does  not  wear  white  and 
brilliant  as  represented,  a  new  one  will  be 
given  in  its  place — or  the  money  returned. 


N 
O 
T 
E 


'"I  S»  CJ  ^3  "^7"  T"  TFt.  ' 

S— WARRANTED  TO  WEAR  WHITE. 

SILVER  AT  ONE-FOURTH  THE  COST! 

Subjoined  we  give  an  Abridged  LIST  OP  PRICES: 

Indian  Silver  Table  Spoons ...  lid.  each  or  5st  3d.  per  half  dozen.  1  o 

Indian  Silver  Table  Forks  ...  lid.      „      5s1. 3d.  „  I  a-rf 

Indian  Silver  Dessert  Spoons     9d.      „      4s.  3d.  „  ,   a  '3 

Indian  Silver  Dessert  Forks...     9d.      „      4s.  3d.  „  I 

Indian  Silver  Teaspoons    5d.      „      2s.  3d.  „  '  U 

Sample  Tablespoon  or  Fork  sent  to  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom 


on  receipt  of  13  Stamps, 
unless  Stampe" 
C.  L.  Reis  &  Co.,  Glasgow" 


BST  None  genuine  unless  Stamped  "  Indian  Silver— 


Sole  Manufacturers— C.  L.  REIS  &  CO.,  37,  JAMAICA   STREET,  GLASGOW. 


PREMIER 
CYCLES. 


Constructed  of  Helical  Tube.  HELICA  L  TUBE. 

Patented  and  Registered  Double  strength,  yet  lightest  machine  made. 

The  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  Ltd..  are  Cycle  Manufacturers  by  special 
appointment  to  H.R.H.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  are  patronised  by  the 
chief  British  and  Foreign  Nobility,  and  by  the  wiser  and  greater 
portion  of  cycle  riders  throughout  the  world. 

20,000  Premiers  sold  in  1894. 

Special  Quotations  to  really  responsible  purchasers  desirous 
of  adopting  our  Progressive  Payment  System.  Lists  and  all 

particulars  free  from 
THE  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  Ltd., 
14,   HOLBORN  VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C. 
Works-COVENTRV. 

JOHN  JAMESON'S 

OLD    IRISH  WHISKEY, 

UNBLENDED, 
Railed  free  at  45/-  per  Case. 
SAMPLE  BOTTLE  POST  FREE  FOR  4s.  2d. 


KELLY  BROTHERS, 

39,  Tipper  Sackville  Street,  DUBLIN. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY ! 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


>tenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  reaUy  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
aU  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  post  free  on  applications 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO., 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


PURVEYORS  TO 
H.R.H. 
THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES, 


(Kr\\rAt\o\  GINGER  ALE 

^V^vl/lOl/lSO      Medals  Adwrded. 


Medals  Adwrded . 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Yarious  Climates. 


376 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  1895. 


ners,"  or  newsboys,  begin  clamouring  flo  be  served 
first,  and  most  evening  journals  have  formidable  barri- 
cades erected  in  the  publishing  room.  The  papers  ara 
brought  up  by  lifts,  cut,  counted,  and  folded.  To  be 
out  first  is  the  ambition  of  every  journal,  and  there  ia 
seldom  more  than  a  second  or  two  between  the  rivals. 


Next  week  marks  the  opening  of  the  cricket  season, 
the  M.C.C.  starting  the  ball  with  a  match  against 
Notts  at  Lord's.  The  season  at  the  Oval  will  not  com- 
mence till  May  9th,  when  Surrey  and  Leicestershire  will 
try  conclusions.  The  county  championship  should  under 
the  new  conditions  prove  interesting  this  year. 


T I N I G  0  fragrant 

cool  &  ri  a  |#  c 

sweet.  rLMRi& 

ANTI-NICOTINE  TOBACCO- 

EXCEEDINGLY  MILD. 

J.  P.  BURNS. 


After  numerous  experiments  and  many  years  of 
careful  study,  I  have  discovered  a  means  of  ex- 
tracting from  Tobacco,  without  the  aid  of  Chemicals, 
almost  every  particle  of  Nicotine  and  objectionable 
matter,  while  retaining  all  its  natural  fragrance 
and  aroma,  so  that  those  who  cannot  smoke  a  pipe 
under  ordinary  circumstances  can  smoke  this 
Tobacco  with  pleasure,  as  it  tastes  mild  and  soft  on 
the  palate,  and  leaves  no  unpleasantness.  


NO  MORE  IRRITATION 

OP  THE 

TONGUE,  THROAT,  AND  LUNGS 

AFTER  SMOKING. 


To  be  had  from  all  First  Class  Tobacconists. 


(Established   1830),   Tobacconist  &  Cigar  Importer, 

The  Trade  supplied  by  the  Manufacturers,  F.  &  J.  SMITH  GLASGOW. 


Sold  in  Tins  at  7s.  6d.  per  lb.  Sample 
2  ozs.  sent  to  any  address  for  Is.  2d., 
or  half-pound  tins,  4/-  post  free,  from 

GLASGOW. 


THE  BODY  BELT, 

For  LUMBAGO,  RHEUMATICS,  COLDS,  &  INFLUENZA. 

PURE    NATURAfc  WOOIi. 
2s.  6d. ;  post  free  twopence  extra.    Send  waist  measurement. 
GRANT    &  WATSON, 

SHIRT-TAILORS,    HOSIERS,     &  OUTFITTERS, 

112,  Buchanan  Street,  Glasgow. 


THE  KOMBI  15s. 


IS  WHAT  YOU  WANT 


Complete  with 
strip  of  film  for  25 

Exposures. 
Snap  Shot  or 
Time  Exposure. 

NOT  A  TOY. 
SCIENTIFIC. 
PRACTICAL. 
INDESTRUCTIBLE. 
CHILD  CAN 
OPERATE  IIT. 

Size  2  in.  x  1J  in. 

Weight  4  ozs. 
Takes  pictures 

1J  in.  diameter. 
25  at  one  loading. 

If  not  on  Sale  by  your 
Dealer  sent  post  free  on 
receipt  of  price  by 

Alfred  C.  Kemper, 

MANUFACTURER. 


Adams  &  Hayden, 

MANAGERS, 

36,  OXFORD  ST. 
LONDON,  W, 

Illustrated  Booklet  free. 


NO  LATE  FROST  IN  THIS !  The 

SPRING  NUMBER  OF  "TO-DAY  " 

NOW  READY. 

See  Advertisement  on  Page  361. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 


I 


Cockspur  Street,  London. 

N VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 


j^ESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
riOR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
^EE  NEXT  WEEK'S 
"j^ARKET  REPORT. 
QUR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 

L 

SECURITIES    PAYING    from    THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
O      HALF  PER  CENT. 
I i JJOW  TO  OPERATE 

gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 

TWENTY-SEVENTH  EDITION. 


1ST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 


TENT  POST  FREE. 


8 


rjlHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 

PART  I.— STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  ModesofDeallngin  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'  Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.— HOW  TO  OPERATE. 


Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
'A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
Highest  and  Lowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1893  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short.  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can  Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 
people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


j^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 
rPHE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
I     is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  donewhere  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 


IN   EVERYBODY'S  MOUTH! 


Bells  Cigarettes. 


J.    &    F.    BELL,  GLASGOW. 


A  pt?il  2".  I8P5. 


TO-DAY. 


One  of  the  disadvantages  under  which  the  solo  whist 
novice  labours,  apart  from  his  lack  of  judgment  in 
playing  the  cards,  is  his  inability  to  calculate  chances 
when  he  is  considering  whether  to  declare  or  not.  I 
am  not  specially  referring  to  those  hands  which  one  picks 
up  every  now  and  again  where  the  considerations  are 
sufficiently  involved  to  perplex  the  most  experienced 
player,  but  the  simpler  combinations  where  the  issue  is 
dependent  upon  only  one  or  two  conditions.  An  example 
of  this  came  under  my  notice  the  other  evening.  The 
dealer  turned  up  king  of  diamonds  ;  first  hand  held 
ace,  Jack,  10,  9  of  trumps,  ace  and  two  small  spades, 
ace  and  two  small  hearts,  and  three  small  clubs.  He 
proposed,  the  three  other  players  passed,  and  after 
a  minute's  cogitation  he  threw  up  the  hand.  This 
was  a  mistake,  for  the  chances  were  distinctly 
in  favour  of  his  making  a  solo.  He  could  reckon  with 
reasonable  certainty  upon  making  his  two  aces  in  the 
plain  suits  by  playing  them  off  at  once,  and  then  if  lie 
were  not  eventually  obliged  to  lead  trumps  himself,  he 
must,  with  king  on  his  right,  ultimately  make  three  out 
of  his  four  trumps.  He  could  calculate  upon  ruffing 
twice,  or  even  thrice,  and  being  once  overtrumped  by 
the  queen,  and  his  only  danger  would  be  being  left  with 
the  lead  on  the  last  round  but  one  with  ace  and  another 
trump,  and  so  having  to  lose  a  trump  to  king  guarded 
on  his  right.  This  is  only  one  instance  out  of  the  many 
■constantly  occurring,  and  as  they  are  generally  interest- 
ing, I  shall  be  greatly  obliged  to  any  of  my  readers  who 
will  furnish  me  with  their  experiences  of  similar  cases. 

In  reply  to  Mr.  W.  Bell's  enquiry  some  weeks  ago  as 
to  what  books  have  been  published  on  solo  whist, 
I  may  say  at  once  that  I  have  no  knowledge  of  any 
works  on  the  subject  that  have  appeared  abroad,  but 
as  far  as  England  is  concerned  they  are  roughly  as 
follows  : — 

Solo  Whist.  By  "Bird's  Eye."  (John  Heywood.)— 
A  small  thirteen-page  sixpenny  pamphlet,  containing  a 
"brief  account  of  the  calls,  and  about  half-a-dozen  laws. 
This  is  dated  1881. 

Solo  Whist.  By  Captain  Crawley.  (Goodall  and 
Son.) — Also  a  small  sixpenny  issue,  of  about  the  same 
date,  with  calls  and  laws  given  more  fully. 

Solo  Whist,  its  Laws  and  Rules.  By  A.  Chart. 
(P.  Levy.) — A  pamphlet  of  fifteen  rather  larger  pages; 
price  one  shilling.  This  contains  thirty  laws,  which, 
with  certain  reservations,  form  the  basis  of  the  game  as 
it  is  played  now.    Published  about  1883. 

How  to  Play  Solo  Whist.  By  A.  S.  Wilks  and  C.  F. 
Tardon,  134  pages,  crown  8vo. — The  first  attempt  to 

THE  TAKING-  OF  THE  TENOR. 

And  the  tenor  is  married  !     I  knew, 

That  brilliant  night  at  the  play, 
That  the  sweet  soprano  with  eyes  of  blue 

Was  singing  his  heart  away — 

Singing  his  heart  away, 
Leading  his  lips  astray : 
The  dark  of  the  forest  dreamed  to-day — 
The  stage  was  a.  meadow,  sweet  with  May  : 
She  was  singing  his  heart  away — away, 
Singing  his  heart  away  ! 

She  was  not  singing  to  you — 

She  was  not  singing  to  me  ; 
He  saw  himself  in  her  eyes  of  blue, 

A  drowning  man  in  a  sea ! 

A  drowning  man  in  a  sea 
"Where  drowning  is  sweet !    And  she — 
Oh,  she  was  singing  his  ship  astray  ; 
But  the  beautiful  haven  heavenward  lay — 
The  stage  was  a  meadow,  sweet  with  May, 
And  the  birds  were  singing  his  heart  away — 
Singing  his  heart  away  ! 


explain  principles  of  play  in  solo  whist,  as  well  as  its 
calls  and  methods.  The  laws  are  here  eighty  in  num- 
ber, and  are  those  generally  adopted  at  the  present  time. 
Published  1888.    Price  two  shillings. 

Solo  Whist.  By  Edward  Rose. — An  amusing  little 
treatise,  in  which  Mr.  Rose,  with  the  true  dramatist's 
instinct,  has  given  the  gist  of  the  preceding  work  in 
dialogue  form.  I  regret  that  owing  to  having  mislaid 
my  copy,  I  am  unable  to  quote  the  publishers,  or  the 
date  of  publication.    Price  one  shilling. 

Solo  Whist.  By  R.  F.  Green.  (George  Bell  and  Sons). 
—  An  epitomised  explanation  of  play  mainly  borrowed 
from  Messrs.  Wilks  and  Pardon's  book,  with  additional 
laws  somewhat  extraneous  to  the  game.  Published 
1890.    Price  one  shilling. 

Solo  Whist  and  its  Rules.  By  Abraham  S.  Wilks. 
(In  "The  Whist  Table:"  John  Hogg.) — A  summary 
of  all  forms  and  variations  of  the  game,  with  the  latest 
hints  on  play,  and  an  up-to-date  code  of  113  laws. 
Published  1894.  Price  half-a-guinea.  These,  I  believe, 
with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  articles  contributed  to 
the  sporting  press,  and  books  on  card  games,  comprise 
the  literature  of  solo  whist  up  to  the  present. 

A  question  that  is  being  constantly  asked  is  whether 
the  abundance  declaree  has  a  trump  suit,  and  I  may  say 
at  once  that  it  has  not.  At  one  time  I  thought,  as  did 
many  old  and  experienced  players,  that  it  had,  but  I 
have  since  been  brought  to  see  the  error  of  my  ways. 
There  was  always  a  certain  element  of  doubt  upon 
the  point,  and  yet  it  was  invariably  admitted 
that  the  caller  always  led  out  to  the  first  trick, 
whether  he  was  first,  second,  third,  or  fourth  hand. 
This  is  the  one  solitary  exception  to  the  ordinary  way 
of  leading  to  the  first  trick  in  solo  whist,  and  it  could 
only  have  originated  in  the  fact  that  there  are  no 
trumps  in  this  particular  declaration.  Assuming  no 
trumps  to  be  the  rule,  the  necessity  for  the  first  lead  at 
once  becomes  apparent,  for  if  the  caller  based  his  call 
upon  one  or  two  suits  only,  he  might,  if  it  were  not  his 
own  lead,  have  a  third  suit  started  from  another  hand, 
and  so  be  defeated  on  the  first  round.  Hence  by  argu- 
ing from  effect  to  cause,  we  see  that  the  caller  takes  the 
first  lead  because  there  are  no  trumps.  The  point  is 
often  discussed  in  theory,  but  seldom  arises  in  practice, 
for  in  the  seventeen  years  during  which  I  have  con- 
stantly played  solo  whist,  1  never  called  the  abundance 
declaree  myself,  nor  did  I  ever  see  it  called,  although  I 
once  or  twice  heard  of  it  being  played  and  made  else- 
where. 

The  Major. 


I  said'  when  the  curtain  fell :  " 

"  Adieu,  brave  tenor,  adieu  ! 
You  sang  your  part  and  you  sang  it  well, 

But  Love  sang  sweeter  than,  you  !  " 

Love  sang  sweeter  than  you — 
Love,  with  the  eyes  of  blue : 
The  sweet  soprano — she  knew,  she  knew 
When  she  was  singing  of  love  and  May, 
That  Love  was  master  and  ruled  the  play, 
And  Love  was  singing  your  heart  away — 
Singing  your  heart  away ! 

FRANK  L.  STANTON. 


In  "TO-DAY"  for  NEXT  WEEK. 

Will  be  Commenced  a  Series  of 

SKETCHES  OF  LONDON  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER, 

BY 

GEORGE  GISSING. 


S78 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  1895. 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

BY 

STANLEY    J.  WEYMAN. 

Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


JT  GOES  ILL. 


T  was  August,  and  the  leaves 
of  the  chestnuts  were  still 
'green,  when  they  sacked 
the  St.  Alais'  house  at 
Cahors,  and  I  fell  senseless 
on  the  stairs.  The  ash-trees 
were  bare,  and  the  oaks 
clad  only  in  russet,  whea 
I  began  to  know  things 
>.gain  ;  and,  looking  side- 
ways from  my  pillow  into 
the  grey  autumnal  world, 
took  up  afresh  the  task  of 
living.  Even  then  many 
days  had  to  elapse  before 
I  ceased  to  be  merely  an  animal — content  to  eat, 
and  drink,  and  sleep,  and  take  Father  Benoit  kneeling  by 
my  bed  for  one  of  the  permanent  facts  of  life.  But  the 
time  did  come  at  last- — in  late  November — when  the 
mind  avcke,  as  those  who  watched  by  me  had  never 
thought  to  see  it  awake;  and,  meeting  the  good  Cure's 
eyes  with  my  eyes,  I  saw  him  turn  away  and  break  into 
joyful  weeping. 

A  week  from  that  time  I  knew  all — the  story,  public 
and  private,  of  that  wonderful  autumn,  during  which  I 
had  lain  like  a  log  in  my  bed.  At  first,  avoiding  topics 
that  touched  me  to©  nearly,  Father  Benoit  told  me  of 
Paris ;  of  the  ten  weeks  of  suspicion  and  suspense  which 
followed  the  Bastile  riots — weeks  during  which  the 
Fauxbourgs,  scantly  checked  by  Lafayette  and  his 
National  Guards,  kept  jealous  watch  on  Versailles,  where 
the  Assembly  sat  in  attendance  on  the  King ;  of  the 
scarcity  which  prevailed  through  this  trying  time1,  and 
the  constant  rumours  of  an  attack  by  the  Court ;  of  the 
Queen's  unfortunate  banquet,  which  proved  to  be  the 
spark  that  fired  the  mine ;  last  of  all,  of  the  great  march 
of  the  women  to  Versailles,  on  the  5  th  of  October,  which, 
by  forcing  the  King  and  the  Assembly  to  Paris,  and 
making  the  King  a  prisoner  in  his  own  palace,  put  an 
end  tO'  this  period  of  uncertainty. 

"And  since  theln?"  I  said,  in  feeble  amazement. 
"  This  is  the  twentieth  of  November,  you  tell  me?" 

"  Nothing  has  happened,"  he  answered,  "  except  signs 
and  symptoms." 
"And  those?" 

He  shook  his  head  gravely.  "  Everyone  is  enrolled  in 
the  National  Guards.  Here,  in  Quercy,  the  corps  which 
M.  Hugues  took  in  hand  to  form  numbers  some  thou- 
sands. Everyone  is  armed,  therefore.  Then,  the  game  laws 
being  abolished,  everyone  is  a  sportsman.  And  so  many 
nobles  have  emigrated,  that  either  there  are  no-  nobles  or 
ell  arc  nobles." 

"But  who  governs?" 

'"'  The  Municipalities.  Or,  where  there  are  none,  Com- 
mittees." 

I  could  not  help  smiling.  "  And  your  Committeu,  M. 
le  Cure?"  I  said. 


"I  do  not  attend  it,"  he  answered,  wincing.  "They 
gc  too  fast  for  me.    But  I  have  worse  to  tell  you ! " 
"What?" 

"  On  the  Fourth  of  August  the  Assembly  abolished  the 
tithes  of  the  Church  ;  early  in  this  month  they  proposed 
to  confiscate  the  estates  of  the  Church  !  By  this  time  it 
is  probably  done." 

"  V  hat !  And  arc  the  clergy  to  starve?"  I  cried  in 
indignation. 

"Not  quite,"  he  answered,  smiling  sadly.  "They  are 
to  be  paid  by  the  State — as  long  as  they  please  the 
State ! " 

He  went  when  he  had  told  me  that ;  and  I  lay  in 
amazement,  looking  through  the  window,  and  striving 
to  picture  the  changed  world  that  lay  round  me.  Pre- 
sently Andre  came  in  with  my  broth.  I  thought  it  weak, 
and  said  so ;  the  strong  gust  of  outside  life,  which  the 
news  had  brought  into  my  chamber,  had  roused  my 
appetite,  and  given  me  a  distaste  for  tisanes  and  slops. 

But  the  old  fellow  took  the  complaint  very  ill.  "  Well," 
ho  grumbled,  "  and  what  else  is  to  be  expected,  Mon- 
sieur ?  With  little  rent  paid,  and  half  the  pigeons  in  the  • 
cots  slaughtered,  and  scarcely  a  hare  left  in  the  country- 
side? With  all  the  world  shooting  and  snaring,  and 
smiths  and  tailors  cocked  up  on  horses — ay,  and  with 
swords  by  their  sides — and  the  gentry  gone,  or  hiding 
their  heads  in  bed,  it  is  a  small  thing  if  the  broth  is  weak ! 
If  M.  le  Vicomte  liked  strong  broth,  he  should  have  been 
wice  enough  to  keep  the  cow  himself,  and  not  " 

'  Tut,  tut,  man !  "  I  said,  wincing  in  my  turn.  "  What 
of  Buton?" 

"  Mon  sieur  means  M.  le  Capitaine  Buton  ? "  the  oid 
man  answered,  with  a  sneer.    "  He  is  at  Cahors." 

"And  was  an)'one  punished  for — for  the  affair  at 

St.  Aids?" 

"  No  one  is  punished  nowadays,"  Andre  replied,  tartly. 
"  Except  sometimes  a  miller,  who  is  hung  because  corn 
is  dear." 

"  Thea  even  Petit  Jean  " 

Petit  Jean  went  to  Paris.  Doubtless  he  is  nc\7  a 
Major  or  a  Colonel." 

With  this  last  shot  the  old  man  left  me — left  me  writh- 
ing. For  through  all  I  had  not  dared  to  ask  the  one  thing 
I  wished  to  know ;  the  one  thing  that,  as  my  strength 
increased,  had  grown  with  it,  from  a  dull  apprehension 
of  evil,  which  the  mind,  when  bidden  to  do  its  duty, 
failed  to  grasp,  to  a  dreadful  anxiety  only  too  well 
understood  and  defined;  a  brooding  fear  that  weighed 
upon  me  like  an  evil  dream,  and  in  spite  of  youth  sapped 
my  life,  and  retarded  my  recovery. 

I  have  read  that  a  fever  sometimes  burns  out  love ; 
and  that  a  man  rises  cured  not  only  of  his  illness,  but  of 
the  passion  which  consumed  him,  when  he  succumbed 
to  it.  But  this  was  not  my  fate  ,  from  the  moment  when 
that  dull  anxiety  about  I  knew  not  what  took  shape  and 
form,  and  I  saw  on  the  green  curtains  of  my  boil  a  pale 
child's  face — a  face  that  now  wept  and  now  gazed  at 
me  in  sad  appeal — from  that  moment  Mademoiselle  was 
never  out  of  my  waking  mind  for  an  hour.  God  knows, 
i:  any  thought  of  me  on  her  part,  if  any  silent  cry  of  her- 
heart  to  me  in  her  troubles,  had  to  do  with  this  ;  but  it 
was  the  case. 

However,  en  the  next  day  the  fear  and  the  weight  were 
remcved.  I  suppose  that  Father  Benoit  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  broach  the  subject,  which  hitherto  he  had 
shunned  with  care;  for  his  first  question,  after  he  had 


Copyrljlil,  1S'J5,  by  Stanley  J.  Wcyman. 


April  27,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


.379 


learned  how  I  did,  brought  it  up.  "You  have  never 
asked  what  happened  after  you  were  injured,  M.  le 
Vicomte?"  he  said,  with  a  little  hesitation.  "Do  you 
remember ' " 

"  I  remember  all,"  I  said,  with  a  groan. 

He  drew  a  breath  of  relief.  I  think  he  had  feared 
that  there  was  still  something  amiss  with  the  Drain. 
"  And  yet  you  have  never  asked  ? "  he  said. 

"Man!  cannot  you  understand  why — why  I  have  net 
asked  ? "  I  cried,  hoarsely,  rising,  and  sinking  back  in 
my  seat  in  uncontrollable  agitation.  "  Cannot  you 
understand  that  until  I  asked  I  had  hope.  But  now — 
torture  me  no  longer !  Tell  me,  tell  me  all,  man, 
and  " 

"  There  is;  nothing  but  good  to  tell,"  he  answered, 
cheerfully,  endeavouring  to  dispel  my  fears  at  the  first 
word.  "You  know  the 
worst.  Poor  M.  de  Gontaut 
was  killed  on  the  stairs. 
He  was  too  infirm  to  fly. 
The  rest,  to  the  meanest 
servant,  got  away  over  the 
roofs  of  the  neighbouring- 
houses. " 

"And  escaped  1" 

"Yes.  The  town  was 
in  an  uproar  for  many 
hours,  but  they  were  well 
hidden.  I  believe  that 
they  have  left  the  country." 

*' You  do  not  know  where 
they  are,  then1?" 

"  No,"  he  answered,  "  I 
never  saw  any  of  tl  em 
after  the  outbreak.  But  I 
heard  of  them  being  in  this 
or  that  chateau — at  the 
Harincourts',  and  else- 
where. Then  the  Harin- 
courts left  —  about  the 
niddle  of  October,  and  I 
ihink  that  M.  de  St.  Alais 
and  his  family  went  with 
them." 

I  lay  for  a  while  too 
full  of  thankfulness'  to 
speak.  Then,  "  And  you 
know  nothing  more?" 

"Nothing,"    the  Cure 
answered. 

But  that  was  enough  for  me.  When  he  came  again  I 
was  able  to  walk  with  him  on  the  terrace,  and  after  that 
I  gained  strength  rapidly.  I  presently  remarked,  however, 
that  as  my  spirits  rose,  with  air  and  exercise,  Father 
Benoits  declined.  The  priest's  kind,  sensitive  face 
grew  day  by  day  more  sombre,  his  fits  of  silence  longer. 
When  I  asked  him  the  reason  1  "  It  goes  ill,  it  goes  ill," 
he  said.    "  And,  God  forgive  me !  I  had  to  do  with  it." 

"Who  had  not?"  I  said,  soberly. 

"  But  I  should  have  foreseen  !  "  he  answered,  wringing 
his  hands  openly.  "  I  should  have  known  that  God's 
first  gift  to  man  was — Order!  Order,  and  to-day,  in 
Cahors,  there  is  no  tribunal,  or  none  that  acts  :  the  old 
magistrates  are  afraid,  and  the  old  laws  are  spurned,  and 
no  man  can  even  recover  a  debt !  Order,  and  the  worst 
thing  a  criminal,  thrown  into  prison,  has  now  to  fear  is 


"ANDRE  CAME  IN  WITH  MY  BROTH.' 


that  he  may  be  forgotten.  Order,  and  I  see  arms  every- 
where1, and  men  who  cannot  read  teaching  those  who  can, 
and  men  who  pay  no  taxes  disposing  of  the  money  of 
those  who  do  !  I  see  famine  in  the  town,  and  the  farmers 
and  the  peasants  killing  game  or  folding  their  hands ;  for 
who  will  work  when  the  future  is  uncertain?  I  see  the 
houses  of  the  rich  empty,  and  their  servants  starving; 
and  all  trade,  all  commerce,  all  buying  and  selling, 
except  of  the  barest  necessaries,  at  an  end  !  I  see  all 
these  things,  M.  le  Vicomte,  and  shall  I  not  say,  '  Mea 
Culpa,  Mea  Culpa'?" 

"  But  liberty,"  I  said,  feebly.  "  You  once  said  your- 
self that  a  certain  price  must  " 

"Is  liberty  licence  to  do  wrong?"  he  cried,  almost 
with  passion — and  seldom  had  I  seen  him  so  moved. 
"  Is  liberty  licence  to*  rob  and  blaspheme,  and  move 

your  neighbour's  land- 
mark ?  Does  tyranny  cease 
to  be  tyranny,  when  the 
tyrants  are  no  longer  one, 
but  a  thousand?  M.  le 
Vicomte,  I  know  not  what 
to  do,"  he  continued.  "  I 
know  not  what  to  do.  For 
a  little  I  would  go  out 
into  the  world,  and  at  all 
costs  unsay  what  I  have 
said,  undo  what  I  have 
done  !  I  would  !  I  would 
indeed  ! " 

"  Something  more  has 
happened?"  I  said,  startled 
by  this  outbreak.  Some- 
thing I  have  not  heard?" 

"  The  Assembly  took 
away  our  tithes  and  our 
estates ! "  he  answered. 
"That  you  know.  They 
denied  our  existence  as  a. 
Church.  That  you  know. 
They  have  now  decreed 
the  suppression  of  all 
religious  houses.  Presently 
they  will  close  also  out- 
churches  and  cathedrals. 
And  we  shall  be  pagans  !  " 
"Impossible  !"  I  said. 
"  But  it  is  true.1' 
"  The  suppression,  yes. 
But  for  the  churches  and 

cathedrals  " 

"Why  not?"  he  answered,  despondently.  "God 
knows  there  is  little  faith  abroad.  I  fear  it  will  come. 
I  see  it  coming.  The  greater  need — that  we  who  believe 
should  testify." 

I  did  not  quite  understand  at  the  time  what  he 
meant,  or  what  lie  had  in  his  mind,  but  I  saw 
that  his  scrupulous  nature  was  tormented  by  the 
thought  that  he  had  hastened  the  catastrophe; 
and  I  felt  uneasy  when  he  did  not  appear  next 
day  at  his  usual  time  for  visiting  me.  On  the 
following  day  he  came  ;  but  was  downcast  and  taci- 
turn, taking  leave  of  me  when  he  went  with  a  sad  kind- 
ness that  almost  made  me  call  him  back.  The  next 
clay  again,  he  did  not  appear;  nor  the  day  after  that. 
Then  I  sent  for  him,  but  only  to  learn  from  his  old 


380 


TO-DAY. 


April  27,  1895. 


"housekeeper  that  he  had  left  home  suddenly,  after  ar- 
ranging- with  a  neighbouring  cure  to  have  his  duties 
performed  for  a  month. 

I  was  able  by  this  time  to  go  abroad  a  little,  and  I 
walked  down  to  his  cottage ;  I  could  learn  no  more  there, 
'however,  than  that  a  Capuchin  monk  had  been  his  guest 
for  two  nights,  and  that  M.  le  Cure  had  left  for  Cahors  a 
few  hours  after  the  monk.  That  was  all ;  and  I  returned 
depressed  and  dissatisfied.  Such  villagers  as  I  met 
by  the  way  greeted  me  with  respect,  and  even  with 
sympathy — it  was  the  first  time  I  had  gone  into  the 
hamlet;  but  the  shadow  of  suspicion  which  I  had  de- 
tected on  their  faces  some  months  before  had  grown 
deeper  and  darker  with  time.  They  no  longer  knew 
with  certainty  their  places  or  mine,  their  rights  or 
mine ;  and  shy  of  me  and  doubtful  of  themselves,  were 
glad  to  part  from  me. 

Near  the  gates  of  the  avenue  I  met  a  man  whom  I 
knew  ;  a  wine-dealer  from  Aulnoy.  I  stayed  to  ask  him 
if  the  family  were  at  home. 

He  looked  at  me  in  surprise.  "No,  M.  le  Vicomte," 
he  said.  "  They  left  the  country  some  weeks  ago — after 
the  King  was  persuaded  to  go  to  Paris." 

"  And  M.  le  Baron  1 " 

"  He  too." 

"For  Paris?" 

The  man,  a  respectable  bourgeois,  grinned  at  me. 
"  No,  monsieur,  I  fancy  not,"  he  said.  '■'  You  know  best, 
M.  le  Vicomte;  but  if  I  said  Turin,  I  doubt  I  should  be 
little  out." 

"  I  have  been  ill,"  I  said.    "  And  have  heard  nothing." 

"You  should  go  into  Cahors,"  he  answered,  with 
rough  good-nature.  "Most  of  the  gentry  are  there — 
if  they  have  not  gone  farther.  It  is  safer  than  the 
country  in  these  days.  Ah,  if  my  father  had  lived  to 
see  " 

He  did  not  finish  the  sentence  in  words,  but  raised 
his  eyebrows  and  shoulders,  saluted  me,  and  rode  away. 
It  was  easy  to  see  that  the  change  pleased  him,  though 
lie  veiled  his  satisfaction  out  of  civility. 

I  walked  home,  feeling  lonely  and  depressed.  The  tall 
■stone  house,  the  seigneurial  tower  and  turret  and  dove- 
cote, stripped  of  the  veil  of  foliage  that  in  summer 
softened  their  outlines,  stood  up  bare  and  gaunt  at  the 
end  of  the  avenue;  and  seemed  in  some  strange  way 
to  share  my  loneliness  and  to  speak  to  me  of  evil  days  on 
which  we  had  alike  fallen.  In  losing  Father  Benoit  I 
had  lost  my  only  chance  of  society  just  when,  with  re- 
turning strength,  the  desire  for  companionship  and  a 
more  active  life  was  awakening.  I  thought  of  this 
gloomily;  and  then  was  delighted  to  see,  as  I  ap- 
proached the  door,  a,  horse  tethered  to  the  ring  beside 
it.  There  were  holsters  on  the  saddle,  and  the  girths 
were  splashed. 

Andre  was  in  the  hall,  but  to  my  surprise,  instead  of 
informing  me  that  there  was  a  visitor,  he  went  on  dust- 
ing a.  table,  with  his  back  to  me. 

"Who  is  here?"  I  said  sharply. 

"No  one,"  he  answered. 

"  No  one  ?    Then  whose  is  that  horse  ? " 

"  The  smith's,  Monsieur." 

"What?  Buton's?" 

"Ay,  Buton's!  It  is  a  new  thing  hanging  it  at  the 
front  door,"  he  added,  with  a  sneer. 

"But  what  is  he  doing?    Where  is  he?" 

"He  is  where  he  ought  to  be:  and  that  is  at  the 
stables,"  the  old  fellow  answered,  doggedly.    "  I'll  be 


bound  that  it  is  the  first  piece  of  honest  work  he  has 
done  for  many  a  day." 
"  Is  he  shoeing  ? " 

"Why  not?  Does  Monsieur  want  him  to*  dine  with 
him?"  was  the  ill-tempered  retort. 

I  took  no  notice  of  this,  but  went  to  the  stables.  I 
could  hear  the  bellows  heaving ;  and  turning  the  corner 
of  the  building  I  came  on  Buton  at  work  in  the  forge 
with  two  of  his  men.  The  smith  was  stripped  to  his 
shirt,  and  with  his  great  leather  apron  round  him,  and 
his  bare,  blackened  arms,  looked  like  the  Buton  cf  six 
months  ago.  But  outside  the  forge  lay  a  little  heap 
of  clothes,  a  blue  coat  with  red  facings,  a  long,  blue 
waistcoat,  and  a  hat  with  a  huge  tricolour ;  and  as  be 
released  the  horse's  hoof  on  which  he  was  at  work,  and 
straightened  himself  to  salute  me,  he  looked  at  me  with 
a  new  look,  that  was  something  between  appeal  ano 
defiance. 

"  Tut,  tut ! "  I  said,  fleering  at  him.  "  This  is  too 
great  an  honour,  M.  le  Capitaine !  To  be  shod  by  a 
member  of  the  Committee  !  " 

"  Has  M.  le  Vicomte  anything  of  which  to  complain? "' 
he  said,  reddening  under  the  deep  tan  of  his  face. 

"  I  ?  No,  indeed.  I  am  only  overwhelmed  by  the 
honour  you  do  me." 

"  I  have  been  here  to  shoe  once  a  month,"  he  persisted 
stubbornly.  "  Does  Monsieur  complain  that  the  horses 
have  suffered?" 

"  No.    But  " 

"Has  M.  le  Vicomte's  house  suffered?  Has  so  much 
as  a  stack  of  his  corn  been  burned,  or  a  colt  taken  from 
the  fields',  or  an  egg  from  the  nest  ? " 

"  No,"  I  said. 

Buton  ncdded  gloomily.  "Then  if  Monsieur  l  as  no 
fault  to  find,"  he  replied,  "perhaps  he  will  let  me  finish 
my  work.  Afterwards  I  will  deliver  a  message  I  have, 
for  him.    But  it  is  for  his  ear,  and  the  forge  " 

"  Is  not  the  place  for  secrets,  though  the  smith  is  the 
man  !  "  I  answered,  with  a  parting  gibe.  "  Well,  coma 
to  me  on  the  terrace  when  you  have  finished." 

He  came  an  hour  later,  looking  hugely  clumsy  in  his 
fine  clothes  ;  and  with  a  sword — heaven  save  us  ' — a 
sword  by  his  side.  And  presently  the  murder  came 
out ;  he  was  the  bearer  of  a  commission  ap- 
pointing me  Lieutenant-Colonel  in  the  National 
Guard  of  the  Province.  "It  was  given  at  my 
request,"  he  said,  with  awkward  pride.  "  There 
were  some,  M.  le  Vicomte,  who  thought  that 
you  had  not  behaved  altogether  well  in  the  matter 
of  the  riot,  but  I  rattled  their  heads  together.  Besides 
I  said  'No  Lieutenant-Colonel,  no  Captain!  and  they 
cannot  do  without  me.    I  keep  this  side  quiet." 

What  a  position  it  was !  And  how  for  a  moment  the 
absurdity  of  it  warred  in  my  mind  with  the  humiliation  ! 
Six  months  before  I  should  have  torn  up  the  paper  in  a 
fury,  and  flung  it  in  his  face,  and  beaten  him  out  of 
my  presence  with  my  cane.  But  much  had  happened 
since  then :  even  the  temptation  to  break  into 
laughter,  into  peal  upon  peal  of  gloomy  merriment, 
was  not  now  invincible.  I  overcame  it  by  un  effort, 
partly  out  of  prudence,  partly  irom  a  better  motive—* 
a  sense  of  the  man's  rough  fidelity  amid  circumstances?, 
and  in  face  of  anomalies,  the  most  trying.  I  thanked 
i  im  instead,  therefore — though  I  almost  choked ;  ar>(] 
s  iid  I  would  write  to  the  Committee. 

Still  he  lingered,  rubbing  one  great  foot  ng'tinst 
another :  and  I  waited  with  mock  politeness  to  heir  his 


April  27,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


381 


business.    At  length,  "  There  is  another  thing  I  wish  to 
say,  M.  le  Vicomte,"  he  growled.    "  M.  le  Cure  has  left 
Saux?" 
"  Yes?" 

"Well,  he  is  a  good  man;  or  he  was  a  good  man."' 
he,  continued,  grudgingly.     "But  he  is  running  into 
trouble,  and  you  would  do  well  to  let  him  know  that." 
"  Why  1 "  I  said.    "  Do  you  know  where  he  is  1 " 
'  I  can  guess,"  he  answered.    "And  where  others  are, 


"To  Kimss?"  I  cried,  in  astonishment.  "How  dc* 
yo'i  know  1    It  is  more  than  I  know." 

"I  do  know,"  he  answered.  "And  what  is 
brewing  there.  And  so  do  a  great  many  more. 
But  this  time  the  St.  Alaia  and  their  bullies,  M.  le  Vi- 
comte— ay,  they  are  all  there — will  not  escape  us.  W© 
will  break  their  necks.  Yes,  M.  le  Vicomte,  make  no* 
mistake,"  he  continued,  glaring  at  me,  his  eyes  red  with 
suspicion  and  anger,  "  mix  yourself  up  with  none  of  this- 


,[G0  !"  I  SAID.     "i  HAVE  HEARD  FNOUGH.  BEGOKE!" 


too  ;  and  where  there  will  presently  be  trouble.  Theso 
Capuchin  monks  are  not  about  the  country  for  nothing. 
When  the  crows  fly  home,  there  will  be  trouble.  And 
I  do  not  want  him  to  be  in  it." 

"I  have  not  the  least  idea  where  he  is,"  I  said  coldly. 
"  Nor  what  you  mean."  The  smith's  tone  had  changed 
and  grown  savage  and  churlish. 

"  He  has  gone  to  Nimes,"  he  answered. 


We  are  the  people !  The  people !  Woe  to  the  man  or 
thing  that  stands  in  our  way  ! " 

"  Go  !  "  I  said.    "  I  have  heard  enough.    Begone ! " 

He  looked  at  me  a  moment  as  if  he  would  answer  me. 
But  old  habits  overcame  him,  and  with  a  sullen  word' 
of  farewell  he  turned,  and  went  round  the  house.  A 
minute  later  I  heard  his  horse  trot  down  the  avenue. 

I  had  cut  him  short ;  yet  the  instant  he  was  gone  I 


382 


TO-DAY. 


Aftul  27,  Wj. 


wished  him  back,  that  I  might  ask  him  more.  The  St, 
Alais  at  Nimes  ?  Father  Benoit  at  Nimes  ?  Something 
brewing  there  in  which  all  had  a  hand  ?  In  a  moment 
the  news  opened  a  window,  as  it  were,  into  a 
wider  world,  through  which  I  looked,  and  no  longer  felt 
myself  shut  in  by  the  lonely  country  round  me  and  the 
lack  of  society.  I  looked  and  saw  the  great  white 
dusty  city  of  the  south,  and  trouble  rising  in  it,  and  in 
the  middle  of  the  trouble,  locking  at  me  wistfully,  Denise 
de  St.  Alais1. 

Father  Benoit  had  gone  thither.  Why  might  not  1 1 
I  walked  up  and  down  in  a  flutter  of  spirits,  and  the 
longer  I  considered  it,  the  more  I  liked  it ;  the  longer  I 
thought  of  the  dull  inaction  in  which  I  must  cpend  my 
time  at  home,  unless  I  consented  to  rub  shoulders  with 
Buton  and  his  like,  the  more  taken  I  was  with  the  idea 
of  leaving. 

And  after  all  why  not?    Why  should  I  not  go? 

I  had  my  commission  in  my  pocket,  wherein  I  was 
not  only  appointed  to  the  National  Guard,  but  described 
as  ci-devant  "  President  of  the  Council  of  Public  Safety 
in  the  Province  of  Quercy  "  ;  and  this  taking  the  place 
of  papers  or  passport  would  render  travelling  easy.  My 
long  illness  would  serve  as  an  excuse  for  a  change  of 
air  ;  and  explain  my  absence  from  home  ;  I  had  in  the 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  LACE. 

The  woman  that  yields  to  the  fascination  of  old  lace 
may  accumulate  precious  treasures  as  delicate  as  cob- 
webs and  as  valuable  as  diamonds,  but  she  will  never 
accumulate  money :  that  will  be  captured  and  held  in 
the  fine  meshes  of  Colvert,  Venice,  and  Alencon  point. 
Ancient  as  is  the  ait  of  lace-making,  the  finer  quali- 
ties do  not  appear  before  the  fifteenth  century.  The 
most  celebrated  lace  collections  are  those  of  the  South 
Kensington  Museum  in  London,  and  the  Bruges 
Museum,  although  the  Cluny  Museum  in  Paris  contains 
inestimable  specimens  of  antique  lace.  There  are  many 
prettv  legends  of  the  origin  of  lace-making,  and  one  of 
the  prettiest  is  the  story  of  the  Venetian  sailor  who, 
on  the  eve  of  a  sea  voyage,  gave  tO'  the  woman  he  loved 
a  piece  of  beautiful  seaweed,  to  keep  while  he  was 
absent,  in  memory  of  him.  He  sailed  away,  and  the 
girl  cared  for  his  gift  with  constant  devotion,  super- 
stitiously  fancying  that  upon  its  preservation  depended 
the  safety  of  her  lover  or  the  endurance  of  his  love  for 
her.  Therefore,  when  she  discovered  that  the  seaweed 
was  slowly  drying  up  and  falling  to  pieces,  she  caught 
the  fine  leaves  and  branches  with  thread  against  a 
piece  of  linen,  and  thus  invented  lace. — The  Ladies' 
Home  Journal. 


CLAIRON'S  CHILDHOOD. 

Clairon's  mother  brought  her  up  very  strictly.  She 
•used  to  lock  her  in  a  room  to  do  a  certain  amount  of 
study,  and  beat  her  if  it  was  not  done  in  a.  given  time. 
One  day  the  child  stood  watching  a  girl  at  the  opposite 
window  taking  her  dancing  lesson,  and  being  tenderly 
embraced  by  her  mother  at  its  conclusion.  Clairon 
burst  into  tears  at  the  contrast.  To  console  herself 
she  began  to  practise  the  steps  before  her  glass,  and  in 
a  few  days  improved  enough  to  dance  to  the  violin 
played  for  her  neighbour's  lesson.  One  day  the  music 
stopped  suddenly,  and  she  saw  that  master  and  pupil 
were  watching  her.  The  secret  was  discovered,  and 
she  feared  her  mother's  anger.  In  fact,  the  master 
called  and  complimented  Madame  on  her  clever 
•  laughter  telling  her  that  his  pupil  was  studying  for  the 
Francais.  Instead  of  the  anp;er  little  Clairon  feared, 
her  mother  was  delighted,  and  allowed  her  to  make  her 
first  visit  to  the  theatre  with  her  new  friends. 


house  as  much  money  as  I  needed.  In  a  word,  I  could 
see  no  difficulty,  and  nothing  to  hinder  me,  if  I  chose  to 
go.    I  had  only  to  please  myself. 

Accordingly  the  choice  was  soon  made.  The  fol- 
lowing day  I  mounted  a  horse  for  the  first  time,  and 
rode  two-thirds  of  a  leag>«*  '  the  road,  and  home  again 
very  tired. 

Next  morning  I  rode  to  St.  Alais,  and  viewed  the  ruins 
and  returned  ;  this  time  I  was  less  fatigued. 

Then,  on  the  following  day,  Sunday,  I  rested  ;  and  on 
the  Monday  I  rode  half-way  to  Cahors  and  back  again. 
That  evening  I  cleaned  my  pistols1  and  overlooked  Gil 
while  he  packed  my  saddle-bags,  choosing  two  plain 
suits,  one  to1  pack  and  one  to  wear,  and  a  hat  with  a 
small  tricolour  rosette.  On  the  following  morning, 
the  6th  of  March,  I  took  the  road ;  and  parting  from 
Andre  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village,  turned  my 
horse's  head  towards  Figeac ;  with  a  sense  of  freedom, 
of  escape  from  difficulties  and  embarrassments,  of  hope 
and  anticipation,  that  made  that  first  hour  delicious ; 
and  that  still  supported  me  when  the  March  day 
began  to  give  place  to  the  chill  darkness  of  evening 
— evening  that,  in  an  unknown,  untried  place  is  always 
sombre  and  melancholy. 

(To  be  continued.) 


POLITICAL  DIFFERENCES. 

Paul  Louis  Courier  being  insulted  by  a  professor, 
quietly  remarked  :  "  He  seems  very  much  annoyed.  He 
has  called  me  traitor,  thief,  pig,  blackguard,  liar,  mur- 
derer, ruffian,  and  scum  of  the  earth.  He  oidy  means 
that  we  hold  different  opinions,  and  this  is  his  wav  of 
saying  it." — From  "Glances  Back  through  Seventy  Years.' 
— H.  Vizetelly. 


A  charming  story  of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  is  tok? 
in  the  New  York  Times — 

"  He  was  visiting  a  friend,  afterward  Consul  to  Samofi 
if.  Northern  Vermont.  This  gentleman  had  a  little 
daughter  about  eleven  years  old,  who  confided  to  Mr. 
Stevenson  the  woful  fact  that  she  was  born  on  the 
29th  of  February,  and,  therefore,  had  enjoyed  only  two 
birthdays  in  all  her  eleven  years.  The  poet  sympa- 
thised not  only  in  comforting  words,  but  also  in  action. 
He  meditated  a  few  moments,  then  went  to  the  writing- 
desk  and  drew  up  the  following  document  :  — 

"  '  I,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  in  a  sound  state  of  mind 
and  body,  having  arrived  at  that  age  when  I  no  longer 
have  any  use  for  birthdays,  do  give  and  hequeath  my 
birthday,  on  the  13th  of  November,  to  Miss  Adelaide 
Ide,  to  be  hers  from  this  year  as  long  as  she  wishes  it. 

'Robert  Louis  Stevenson.' 

"  The  little  girl's  delight  at  this  rare  and  most  wel- 
come gift  has  shown  its  appreciation  once  a  year 
through  several  years  of  birthdays,  and  now  the  anni- 
versary will  be  doubly  treasured." 


In  "TO-DAY"  for  NEXT  WEEK 

Will  "be  Commenced  a  Series  of 

SKETCHES  OF  LONDON  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER. 

BV 

GEORGE  GISSING. 


April  27,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


383 


HOW  I  WAS  44  BROUGHT 
OUT." 

VERY  girl  who  is 
blessed  with  what 
are  called  "  good 
looks,"  is,  I  sup- 
pose, ambitious  to 
have  a  season  in 
London.  But  such 
a  thing  is  expen- 
sive, and  although 
my  people  were 
"county"  folk, 
and  held  in  great 
respect  by  our 
tenants,  rents  were 
down,  and  money 
was  not  so  plenti- 
ful as  mother  could 
wish. 

How  I  had  my  season  after  all,  and  was  "brought 
out,"  I  am  about  to  explain  for  other  girls'  benefit.  My 
Aunt  Julia,  had  a  good  deal  more  money  than  mother, 
and  we  felt  that  she  might,  perhaps,  do  something  for 
me.  She  had  two  girls  of  her  own  ;  but  still  she  might 
do  a  little.  My  mother  wrote  to  her ;  and  in  reply,  to 
my  intense  staisfaction,  she  wrote  back  that  if  mother 
could  scrape  £50  or  £60  together  for  my  pocket-money, 
she  would  "  bring  me  out."  Adding  that  as  I  was  a 
good  figure  and  pretty,  it  would  not  cost  her  very 
much  in  actual  coin  of  the  realm.  She  was  always  fond 
of  me,  and  I  knew  that  I  should  be  treated  exactly  as 
her  own  daughters,  who  were  nice  pleasant  girls. 
Of  course,  occasional  visits  to  town  had  made  me  per- 
fectly aware  that  such  dresses,  etc.,  as  I  should  have 
to  have  were  not  got  for  nothing;  but,  although  aunt 
(or  at  least  I  didn't  know  that  she  did)  did  not  explain 
how  it  was  to  cost  so  little,  I  was  only  too  anxious  to 
accept  her  invitation. 

When  I  had  been  at  aunt's  house  in  Kensington  two 
or  three  days  one  morning  her  maid  came  into  my  room 
whilst  I  was  writing  home,  and  told  me  aunt  wished 
to  speak  to  me. 

She  made  me  sit  down  quit©  close  to  her,  and  then 
after  looking  me  up  and  down  for  a  minute  or  two  she 
smiled  and  said:  "You're  really  quite  lovely,  child. 
I'm  sure  you  ought  to  be  a  great  success."  I  blushed  ; 
and  then  she  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  thought  as  to  how 
I  was  to  get  all  the  beautiful  dresses  and  other  things 
necessary  for  a  girl  "brought  out"  during  the  whirl 
of  a  London  season.  I  must  have  looked  scared  at  the 
prospect,  for  she  hastened  to  add  that  I  was  not  to  be 
afraid  for  she  had  arranged  everything.  Adding,  "  I 
have  been  compelled  to  tell  Marie  (her  maid),  but  I 
shant  say  anything  to  the  girls  about  it.  And  you  can 
trust  Marie  perfectly." 

Briefly  I  was  to  turn  myself  into  a  human  advertise- 
ment! For  such  was  the  scheme  Aunt  Julia  pro- 
pounded to  my  astonished  and  unsophisticated  mind. 
"  Heaps  of  pretty  girls,  who  haven't  too  much  money 
do  it,  my  dear,"  she  explained,  seeing  my  rather  blank 
looks.    "  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  always  look  your 

best,  and  recommend  Madame  V  ,  J          and  Sons, 

M          et  Cie.,  "  Evangeline,"  and  the  rest ;  and  they 

have  agreed  in  return,  and  in  consideration  of  my 
having  done  such  a  lot  for  them  in  the  past,  to  let  you 
have  your  dresses,  underthings,  boots,  etc.,  for  nothing. 
Do  you  agree?" 

What  could  I  say?  Here  I  was  in  London,  with  a 
healthy  natural  love  of  gaiety  and  pretty  clothes,  with 
these  things  within  my  grasp.  All  I  had  to  do  was  to 
recommend,  whenever  a  fitting  opportunity  served,  the 
people  who  had  so  largely  supplied  me  with  the  where- 
withal to  look  nice,  and,  as  my  youngest  cousin  was 
ia  the  habit  of  saying,  "have  a  good  time."      Is  it 


wonderful  that  I  fell  in  with  my  aunt's  scheme  1  All 
along  she  was  most  kind,  and  insisted  that  she  had 
really  done  veny  little  for  me,  although  she  gave  me 
bourd  and  lodging,  the  use  of  her  maid  and  carriages, 
and  treated  me  just  as  one  of  the  girls. 

Next  morning  Marie  and  I  sallied  forth  and  visited 

Messrs.  W          and  Co.,  where  I  was  measured  for  a 

smart  up-to-date  riding  habit.  My  aunt's  name  gained 
me  every  attention ;  as  it  did,  indeed,  everywhere  else. 
As  I  went  to  other  shops  I  lost  the  feeling  of  having 
things  for  nothing,  which  troubled  me  at  first.  For 
Marie,  seeing  my  embarrassment,  and  no  doubt  guessing 
the  cause,  assured  me  that  none  of  the  assistants  would 

know  anything  about  the  arrangement.    From  W  's 

we  drove  to  M  et  Cie's  (aunt's  corsetieres),  where  I 

was  measured  for  riding,  opera,  and  ordinary  stays. 
When  Madame  M  ,  who  was  herself  present,  men- 
tioned the  waist  measurement — full  three  inches  smaller 
than  I  had  been  accustomed  to — I  remonstrated  ;  but 
she  assured  me  that  I  should  find  her  corsets  of  that 
size  perfectly  comfortable,  and  Marie  whispered  that  it 
was  all  right,  and  that  a  small  waist  was  necessary  to 
show  off  to  advantage  both  the  figure  of  the  wearer  as 
well  as  the  article  worn   itself.    In  justice  to  Madame 

M          I  must  record  that  the  stays,  though  they  did 

o-ive  me  an  eighteen-inch  waist,  were  not  nearly  so  un- 
comfortable as  I  anticipated  :  but  I  fear  I  told  a  good 
many  fibs  in  her  interest  during  the  season  to  girls,  who, 
envious  of  my  figure,  asked  my  corxeticre,  and  suggested 
that  I  must  tight-lace.    I,  cf  course,  repudiated  the 

accusation  ;  and  said  that  Madame  M  's  skill  did 

away  with  any  necessity  for  the  practice. 

By  the  time  we  had  visited  a  well-known  fifm  of  boot 

makers  in  Bond  Street,  and  S          and  Co.'s,  where  I 

was  allowed  the  pick  of  lovely  novelties  in  lingerie,  our 
morning  was  gone,  and  it  was  time  to  return  home  for 
lunch.  I  did  not  quite  see  how  I  was  in  any  way 
to  advertise  S  's ;  but  about  six  weeks  later  a  bride- 
to-be  and  her  mother  were  calling  on  aunt,  and  the 
question  of  trousseau  coming  up  I  was  asked  to  show 

Edith  B          (the  girl)  some  of  my  things.    I  did  so; 

and  must  have  praised  the  firm  veiy  successfully,  for 

a  week  later  aunt  told  me  Mrs.  B          had  given  the 

order  to  S  's.    As  it  amounted  to  several  hundred 

pounds,  perhaps  they  were  able  to  repay  themselves  for 
what  I  had  had  gratis. 

"  Evangeline,"  when  we  went  next  day  seemed 
charmed  to  supply  me  with  hats  of  all  sorts.  As  did 
Madame  Cecile  with  dresses.  I  was  now  well  supplied 
with  everything  in  the  way  of  dress  that  a  girl's  heart 
could  wish  for,  and  if  at  first  I  suffered  discomfort  from 
the  tight-lacing  I  indulged  in  to  accord  with  Madame 

M  's  idea  of  what  my  figure  should  be  I  soon  became 

used  to  it ;  and,  indeed,  submitted  uncomplainingly 
to  an  inch  less  ere  the  season  was  over. 

One  of  my  first  social  duties  was  to  be  photographed, 

and  I  was  "duly  added  to  Messrs.  B  's  "  Gallery  of 

British  Beauties,"  and  whenever  I  took  up  an  illus- 
trated paper  for  several  weeks  after  I  was  sure  to  be 
confronted  with  my  counterfeit  presentment.  I  be- 
lieve that  a.  large  number  of  my  photos  were  sold,  and 
I  hope  that  the  sums  received  from  papers  for  leave  to 
reproduce- my  face  in  their  pages  recouped  Messrs. 
B  for  the  three-dozen  gratis  copies  they  sent  me. 

Marie  must  have  reaped  a  small  fortune  over  the 
articles  which  useless  to  me,  I  gave  her.  Soaps,  com- 
plexion washes,  powders,  hair  dyes,  etc.  I  used  to 
"  make-up  "  a  little,  like  most  girls  in  my  position,  but 
I  could  not  have  used  a  tithe  of  the  articles  which  in  a 
mysterious  way  reached  me  with  notes  asking  that  I 
would  either  write  a  testimonial  or  recommend  them. 
A  dainty  ease  of  ruby  velvet,  containing  every  toilet 
necessary  in  the  way  of  cosmetics  still  graces  my 
dressing-table  ;  and  I  must  have  been  the  means  of 
celling,  indirectly,  of  course,  at  least  a  dozen  for  the 
enterprising  firm. 

One  thing  attached  to.  my  cheap  season  in  town  T 
found  very  tiresome,  namely,  informing  reporters  who 


384 


TO-DAY. 


Apbii  27,  1S93. 


supplied  my  frocks,  etc.  Or  writing  to  some  trouble- 
some and  pertinacious  lady  journalist  or  other  to  tell 
her  that  the  dress  I  wore  at  such  and  such  a  ball,  or 
"  At  Home,"  was  supplied  by  Madame  Cecile. 

Tfte  week  before  I  was  to  return  home  aunt  showed 
me  some  accounts.  They  were  those  kept  by  Marie 
at  her  request  of  the  things  I  had  had.  Perhaps  some 
of  my  readers  may  be  curious  to  know  how  much  my 
season  would  have  cost: — Riding  habit,   etc.,  £20; 

Madame  M  for  corsets,  £22  12s.  ;  boots  and  shoes, 

£18  10s.  ;  flowers  (paid  for),  £23  ;  "Evangeline"  hats, 

etc.,  £35  6s.  ;  S          and  Co.,  underclothing,  £47  3s. ;' 

other  firms  (inchidino:  Mdme.  Cecile  for  dresses.  £134), 
£276  18s.  9d.    Making  a  total  of  £443  9s.  9d.  In 


conclusion,  I  may  say  that  although  I  went  everywhere, 
as  it  is  said,  aunt  did  not  consider  the  expense  at  all 
out  of  the  way.  This  is  what  it  costs  to  give  a  good- 
looking  girl  a  season  in  London,  without  reckoning  all 
my  aunt  actually  paid  in  the  way  of  theatre  and  concert 
tickets,  carriage  hire,  etc. 


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£&tek  By    JEROME  K.  JEROME. 


Vol.  VI.— No.  78. 


LONDON,  SATURDAY,  MAY  4,  1895. 


Price  Twopence. 


NOBODIES   AT  HOME. 


GEORGE  GISSING. 

Illustrated  by  L.  Badmer. 


I. 

The  Friend  in  Need. 
OW  I  do  like  to  sit  down  to  a 
paper   with    a   good  murder 
trial  in  it  !  " 

Thus,  after  a  supper  of 
gross  abundance,  as  he  drew 
to  the  fender,  Mr.  Henry 
Bellamy,  pawnbroker.  The 
labours  of  a  well-spent  day  were  over,  and  he  had  his 
family  about  him :  two  sons,  a  daughter,  and  the  wife 
espoused  in  second  nuptials  after  the  death  of  his 
children's  mother.  Mrs.  Bellamy  was  a  high-coloured 
adipose  woman,  arrayed,  as  always  for  the  evening — 
with  the  barbarous  splendour  justified  by  her  indepen- 
dent income ;  courted  by  Bellamy  twenty  years  ago, 
she  had  forsaken  him  for -another,  but  now,  in  the 
mellowing  of  her  charms,  fulfilled  those  early  vows. 
Admirably  did  the  couple  suit  each  other,  and  they  were 
never  so  conscious  of  the  fact  as  after  high  feeding. 
Of  the  youths,  one  had  a  rakish,  the  other  a  stolid  aspect  ; 
their  sister  was  characterised  by  an  unwholesome  skin 
and  shrill  hilarity. 

"I  wouldn't  care  to  be  young  again,"  Bellamy  had 
remarked.  "  To  my  mind,  this  is  the  'appiest  time  of 
life."  And  his  look  declared  sincerity.  Complete 
baldness  emphasised  the  simian  shape  of  his  head  ;  than 
his  visage  none  more  vulgar  could  be  discovered  in  all 
Peckham ;  but  unmistakable  felicity  enwrapped  him. 
He  was  the  owner  of  houses  in  swarming  neighbour- 
hoods, and  his  business  had  long  been  lucrative.  The 
house  above  the  shop,  crammed  with  ostentatious  furni- 
ture, which  he  had  acquired  in  the  way  of  trade,  was 
still  his  abode,  but  he  talked  of  "  retiring,"  and  often 
inspected  "  eligible  villas." 

Absorbed  in  the  newspaper,  he  did  not  perceive  that 
a  servant  summoned  his  wife  from  the  room.    On  her 


return  in  a  minute  or  two,  Mrs.  Bellamy  told  him  that 
a  woman  stood  at  the  door  below,  "  It's  that  Mrs. 
Brookes.  She  wants  you  for  Gawd's  sake  to  let  her 
have  something  on  a  dress.  There's  one  of  her  children 
ill,  and  she  hasn't  a  penny  in  the  'ouse,  and  not  even 
coal  to  make  a  fire.  I've  told  her  you  can't  do  busi- 
ness after  hours,  but  she  won't  go>  away.  It's  fair  cruel 
to  hear  the  pore  creature  talk." 

"  Bring  the  pledge  up  here,"  said  Bellamy,  without 
raising  his  eyes  from  the  paper.  And  the  garment  was 
brought ;  a  better  dress  than  might  have  been  expected, 
worth  to  a  secondhand  dealer  some  seven  and  sixpenoe. 
Mrs.  Bellamy  spread  it  upon  a  table,  and  the  family 
grouped  about  it. 

"  She  says  for  Gawd's  sake  let  her  have  all  it's  worth, 
'Arry." 

Now  it  was  certain,  as  the  pawnbroker  knew,  that 
this  pledge  would  never  be  redeemed.  Mrs.  Brookes 
had  brought  numerous  articles  to  the  shop  of  late;  a 
widow  with  many  children,  she  was  fighting  hopelessly 
against  inevitable  pauperdom.  Bellamy,  after  a.  few 
cold  glances,  took  from  his  pocket  one  shilling  and  a 
threepenny-piece. 

"  Tell  her  to  come  for  the  ticket  to-morrow — and  we 
won't  say  nothing  about  the  'apenny." 

A  scarce  perceptible  pause,  and  Mrs.  Bellamy  left  the 
room.  The  two  youths  exchanged  a  grin,  but  spoke  no 
word  ;  the  daughter,  with  deft  hand,  rolled  the  garment 
together,  and  threw  in  into  a  corner  ;  then,  as  if  to 
break  silence,  she  began  singing :  "  It  won't  be  a.  stylish 
marriage — I  can't  afford  a  carriage  " 

Mrs.  Bellamy  was  absent  for  rather  a.  long  time,  and 
when  she  reappeared  her  husband  had  finished  his 
reading. 

"Well,  I  have  had  a  job  to  get  rid  of  her.    But  she' 
vent  quiet  at  last,  and  said  I  was  to  thank  you  for 
attending  to  her  out  of  business  hours." 

"I'm  glad  she  was  civil,"  replied  Bellamy,  with  a 
satisfied  air.  "  It's  what  I  always  am  myself,  even  to 
the  poorest.  Just  think  !  A  night  like  this  without  a 
bit  of  fire !  Why,  it  fair  makes  your  blood  run  cold ! 
I  am  sorry  for  that  woman !    Yes,  I  am.    She  used  *** 


Copyright,  1S95,  by  George  Gissing. 


386 


TO-DAY. 


Mat  4,  1895. 


be  comfortable.  It's  hard  lines.  But  that's  the  world, 
idv  sonnies;  one  up  and  the  other  down.    Life  isn't  all 


"  Hooping  cough,  pore  little  thing.  Why,  I'd  rather 
have  given  money  out  of  my  own  pocket  than  think  of 


honey.  Be  thankful  you  wasn't  born  in  a  family  like  that." 

He  was  talkative  how,  and  quite  cheerful.  See — he 
remarked — what  %  i;peiul  friend  a  pawnbroker  was  to 
die  poor.  Suppose  that  wretched  woman  had1  had  no 
•such  person  to  call  upon  in  her  need.  It  wasn't  charity. 
He  didn't  believe  in  charity.  Nothing  was  any  use  that 
hadn't  a  solid  basis  of  business. 

"You  may  give  and  give',  and]  you  don't  really  help 
people.  They  must  learn  to  help  themselves."  Mrs. 
Bellamy  made  strong  assent,  and  cited  instances  of  the 
demoralising  effect  of  almsgiving.  Then  the  subject 
was  dismissed,  and  all  began  to  talk  of  the  murder 
trial ;  they  reviewed  with  gusto  every  terrible  and 
loathsome  detail ;  they  probed1  possibilities,  debated 
evidence,  and,  in  short,  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  close 
of  the  evening. 

In  his  bedroom,  the  pawnbroker,  as  lie  undressed 
before  a,  glowing  fire,  observed  musingly  how  glad  he 
was  that  he  hadn't  refused  to  oblige  that  poor  woman. 

"  It's  a  cruel  night.  She'll  have  got  a  fire  lit  by  now. 
What's  the  matter  with!  the  child  ? " 


them  all  night.  Ion?  in  a  freezing  bedroom, 
me  shiver  to  think  of  it  !  " 


It  makes 


"  No  good  thinking  about  that  kind  of  thing.  It 
doesn't  do.  You  get  uncomfortable,  and  Where's  the 
use>.  Life's  life,  and  business  is  business.  But  there's 
a  pleasure  in  feeling  we've  done  her  a  kindness.  It's 
worth  the  money.    Yes,  it  is." 

Bellamy  spoke  gravely,  pausing  to!  reflect,  as  he  un- 
buttoned his  waistcoat.  Not  a  trace  of  troubled  con- 
sciousness marked  his  demeanour.  He  smiled  with  the 
nearest  approach  to  benevolence  possible  on  such  fea- 
tures, and  then  he  sighed,  as  though  dismissing  his 
melancholy. 

"  I've  a  good'  mind  to  make  it  next  midsummer,  Jane 
— the  retiring.  I  haven't  done  badly;  we're  comfor- 
tably off,  old  girl.  I  feel  it  about  time  I  took  a  rest. 
It  hasn't  been  all  honey,  you  know." 

"  You've  worked  'ard  for  it,  'Arry,"  answered  the 
woman,  with  genuine  kindness.  "  Yes,  I'd  make  it 
midsummer  if  I  was  you." 


THE   BRAINS  OF   THE   SENSITIVE  PLANT. 


The  Sensitive  Plant,  which  is  such  a  delicate  house 
ornament  with  us,  fairly  enamels  the  earth  in  this  island, 
growing  wild  from  Adam's  Peak  to  Point  de  Galle, 
multiplying  its  dainty,  bell-like  pink  blossoms,  mingled 
with  the  delicate  feathery  acacia.  Growing  so  exposed 
p,nd  in  weedlike  abundance,  it  is  natural  to  suppose 
„hat  it  would  become  hardened,  as  it  were,  to  rough 
usage;  but  it  is  not  so,  as  it  retains  all  its  native 
properties  in  exaggerated  form,  if  possible.  Our  puny 
little  hothouse  specimens  are  not  more  delicate  or  sen- 
"  sitive  to  the  human  touch  than  is  this  Ceylon  Mimosa. 
It  is  the  most  impressible  of  all  known  plants,  and  is 
appropriately  named.  Curious  experiments  prove  this. 
If  a  person  will  fix  his  eyes  upon  a  special  branch  and 
slowly  approach  it,  the  plant  is  seen  gradually  to  wilt 
and  shrink  within  itself,  as  it  wore,  before  it  is  touched 
by  the  observer's  hand.  It  is  endowed  with  an  inex- 
plicable intelligence  or  instinct,  and  what  appears  to  be 


a  dread  as  regards  rude  contact  with  human  beings.  A 
few  years  since  the  author  was  at  Cereto,  in  the  island 
of  Cuba,  where  he  was  the  guest  of  an  English 
physician  who  was  also  a  coffee-planter.  While  sitting 
with  the  family  on  the  broad  piazza  which  formed  the 
front  of  the  bungalow,  a  thrifty  Sensitive  Plant  was 
recognized  and  made  the  subject  of  remark.  The 
doctor  called  his  daughter  of  eleven  years  from  the 
house. 

"  Lena,"  said  he,  "go  and  kiss  the  Mimosa." 

The  child  did  so,  laughing  gleefully,  and  came  away. 
The  plant  gave  no  token  of  shrinking  from  contact  with 
the  pretty  child  ! 

"  Now,"  said  our  host,  "  will  you  touch  the  plant  ? " 

Rising  to  do  so,  we  approached  it  with  one  hand 
extended,  and  before  it  had  come  fairly  in  contact,  the 
nearest  spray  and  leaves  wilted  visibly. 

"The  plant  knows  the  child,"  said  t ho  doctor,  "  but 
you  are  a  stranger."  It  was  a  puzzling  experience, 
which  seemed  to  endow  the  Mimosawith  intelligence. — 
"The  Pearl  of  India." — M.  M.  Ballou. 


May  4,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


387 


NOT  IN  A  CLUB. 


"  Cheer  up,  No.  8,  you've  no  cause  to  be  a  gruntin' 
and  a  grumblin',  you  ain't  half  nor  a  quarter  as  bad  as 
a  lot  o'  the  pore  chaps  as  is  brought  in  here,"  said  cheer- 
ful No.  3,  the  briskest  of  the  present  batch  of  patients, 
and  the  easiest  to  please,  although  he  had  been  carried 
on  a  stretcher  three  or  four  weeks  before  from  the  neigh- 
bouring factory,  where  his  right  arm  had  been  cruelly 
smashed,  through  another  man's  blundering  work. 

No.  8  smiled  in  response  to  the  advice  as  regarded 
"  cheering  up,"  but  said  sadly  enough- — 

"  'Tain't  only  my  leg,  mate ;  the  doctor  says  it's  a 
'  simple  fracture,'  and  I've  no  cause  to  worry,  but  lor' 
bless  us  all,  who's  to  help  it?  When  a  man  knows  his 
wife  won't  get  his1  wage  for  the  next  five  or  six  weeks, 
and  when  he's  been  a  repflar  fool  and  never  saved  a 
penny,  I  guess  he  may  be  forgiven  for  lookin'  and  feelin' 
down  on  his  luck." 

"  Ain't  you  in  nurra  a  club  1 "  said  his  nearest  com- 
panion. 

"  Never  put  a  farden  in  one,  although  the  missis  often 
worrited  about  it." 

An  interruption  occurred,  and  the  matter  dropped, 
and  poor  No.  8  fell  asleep  presently,  and  dreamt  he  was 
a  boy  down  in  the  country,  and  he  smelt  the  roses  and 
pinks  in  his  grandmother's  garden.  Opening  Ids  eyes 
with  a  start,  he  beheld  a  huge  bowl  of  roses  on  a  table 
near  by,  lovely  blooms  of  every  possible  tint,  with  fine 
fresh  foliage ;  not  a  bit  like  the  stray  flowers,  faded  and 
faint,  which  he  had  occasionally  bought  at  a  stall  on  a 
Saturday  night. 

"Why,  nurse,  I've  been  dreamin'  o'  the  country  and 
feelin'  like  a  youngster  again,  and  it  seems  like  you've 
bin  theer  to  git  sech  beauties  as  they." 

"They've  come  from  my  home  down  in  Somerset," 


SHE  HAD  A  WHISPERED  CONFERENCE  WITH  THE  NURSE. 

said  the  nurse,  "  and  here's  something  for  you,  too.  The 
other  patients  wished  me  to  tell  you  that  they've  sent 
round  the  hat  whilst  you've  been  dreaming,  and  they've 
made  up  half-a-crown  between  them,  and  they  want 
you  to  give  it  to  your  wife  when  she  comes  in  to-night." 

Tears  stood  in  the  rough  labourer's  eye'/  as  he  said 
huskily — . 

"Thank  'em,  will  ye,  and  say  as  they're  rare  good 
'uns,  but  oh,  lor  !  what  a  fool  I've  bin ! " 


When  the  wife  appeared  she  had  a  whispered  confer- 
ence with  the  nurse,  whose  quiet  face  inspired  her  with 
instinctive  trust,  and  her  last  words  on  leaving  the 
ward  were — 

"  So  don't  you  go  fur  to-  tell  'im,  you've  promised  me 
true,  now,  ain't  you  1  It's  no  harm  to'  grv'  'im  a  bit  of  a 
fright,  and  I'll  let  on  to-morrer  as  I've  put  in  a  club  for 
the  last  two  years,  unbeknown  to  he,  and  a  good  job, 
too !  I've  pinched  back  and  belly  to  save  the  money, 
and  I'll  have  to  pinch  both  to  make  the  'lowance  do 
whilst  he's  laid  by.  But,  please  God,  I'll  do  it,  and  I'm 
real  glad  the  poor  chap  ain't  wus  hurt.  Say's  he's 
quite  easy  to-night;  so  good-bye,  nuss,  and  you  mind 
you  don't  let  on.  I  wants  to  tell  him  myself,  to- 
morrer." 

Off  bustled  the  worthy  little  soul,  to  "  pinch  and  scrape 
and  make  both  ends  meet,"  till  the  bread-winner  was  at 
large  again. 

H.  F.  Gethen. 

VACCINATION   OF  LAND. 

One  of  the  strangest  things  in  recent  science  has  to 
do  with  the  "  vaccination  "  of  land.  Everyone  knows 
that  it  enriches,  instead  of  impoverishes,  a  field  to  plant 
it  occasionally  with  a  leguminous  crop,  such  as  clover 
or  lucerne,  the  roots  of  which  have  a  power  of  absorb- 
ing and  retaining  more  nitrogen  than  they  take  from 
the  ground.  But  where  the  nitrogen  comes  from  is 
another  matter.  The  air  suggested  itself  at  once  when 
people  began  to  study  the  problem.  Many  months  were 
spent  by  eminent  scientists  in  fruitless  endeavours  to 
trace  the  source  to  the  air,  but  they  came  to  a  negative 
conclusion.  The  discovery  was  eventually  made  that 
the  absorption  was  due  to  minute  organisms  (a  sort  of 
disease)  in  the  roots,  which,  when  the  supply  of  nitro- 
gen in  the  soil  began  to  fail,  appeared  in  the  form  of 
small  excrescences,  drew  nitrogen  from  the  air,  and  so 
caused  the  enrichment. 

When  this  had  once  been  settled  it  became  a  matter 
of  importance  to  foster,  and,  if  possible,  hasten  the 
growth  of  the  disease  in  the  fields  sown  with  leguminous 
crops,  and  extensive  experiments  have  been  made  during 
the  last  few  years  in  France  and  Germany  with  this 
object.  Fields  have  been  literally  "vaccinated"  by 
sprinkling  over  them  soil  in  which  tuberculous  crops 
have  grown,  or  even  water  in  which  they  have  been 
soaked.  A  most  convincing  experiment  was  performed 
in  Prussia,  where  a  large  field  was  sown  with  lupines, 
and  divided,  one  part  being  treated  in  the  ordinary 
fashion,  the  other  inoculated  from  an  old  lupine  crop. 
The  yield  in  the  latter  was  five  and  a  half  times  as  great 
as  in  that  under  the  normal  treatment.  A  remarkable 
point  in  these  operations  is  that  each  variety  of  such 
plants  has  its  characteristic  microbe,  and  that  it  is  of 
no  use  to  innoculate  a  field  of  clover,  for  instance,  with 
lucerne,  or  of  lupine  with  clover.  The  individuality  of 
the  field  must  be  recognised  and  respected. — Montreal 
Witness. 


Mr.  Andante  Serioso  {conducting  first  rehearsal  of 
his  new  opus) :  "  Hush,  hush  !  Steady,  brasses  !  Piano, 
woods  and  strings  !  Pianissimo,  all  of  you  ;  It's  the 
drums  that  have  the  melody  for  the  next  forty  bars  !  " 


At  the  Private  View. — First  Critic  :  "  Marvellous 
example  of  artistic  fidelity  to  nature !  What  do  you 
think  of  it,  Grindelsby  ? "  Second  Critic  :  "  Perfect 
triumph  of  realistic  technique  !  But  what  do  you  take 
it  really  to  be  ?  " 


Modest  Literary  Aspirant  :  "  Yes,  what  our  litera- 
ture really  wants  is  another  Shakespeare.  {Medita- 
tively) Great  Jupiter  !  If  only  I  had  a  little  more 
time  ! " 


388 


TO-DAY. 


May  4,  1895. 


HOW   TO   SEE  VENICE. 

BY 

W.  L.  ALDEN. 


Venice  is  at  its  best  in/  October  and  May,  and  at  its 
worst  in  the  winter  months,  when  it  rivals  London  in 
the  thickness  and  frequency  of  its  fogs.  August,  and 
tha  early  part  of  September,  are  the  months  in  which 
the  Venetian  mosquito  flourishes,  and  next  to  the  Florida 
gallinipper  he  is  the  most  infamous  of  the  insect  tribe. 

If  you  are  going  to  Venice  for  the  first  time,  manage 
if  possible  to  enter  the  city  on  a  moonlight  night.  Stop 
ever  for  a  day  in  Verona,  and  take  the  train,  which  leaves 
at  5.20  p.m.,  and  reaches  Venice  a  little  after  eight 
o'clock.  You  can  never  enter  Venice  for  the  first  time 
but  once  in  your  life,  and  you  should  therefore  make 
sure  of  night  and  moonlight. 

Before  arriving  make  up  your  mind  as  to'  your  hotel. 
The  two  best  hotels  in  Venice  are  the  Hotel  Danieli  and 
the  Hotel  Britannia.  The  former  is  in  the  Riva  degli 
Schiavoni,  and  the)  Litter  on  the  Grand  Canal.  Of  the 
two  situations  I  rather  prefer  the  former,  but  the 
Britannia  is  certainly  more  quiet  than  the  Danieli. 

A  good  second-class;  hotel  is  the  Luna,  which  is  situ- 
ated close  to  the  Piazza  S.  Marco,  and  has  far  and  away 
the  best  table  d'h&te  in  Venice.  Most  of  the  rooms, 
however,  look  on  a  courtyard.  It-  will  cost  you  about 
nine  or  ten  francs  a  day  at  the  Luna-  You  can  be 
very  comfortable  for  about  eight  francs  at  the  Hotel  di 
Roma,  on  the  Grand  Canal,  and  for  five  francs  a  day  at 
the  Aurora,  or  the  Casa  Kirsch,  on  the  Riva  degli 
Schiavoni.  At  the  succursale  of  the  Hotel  Inghilterra, 
close  to  Danieli' s,  you  can  get  a  room  for  two  francs  a 
day,  and  dine  at  a  restaurant. 

There  is  no  better  restaurant  in  Paris  itself  than  the 
Quadri,  on  the  Piazza  S.  Marco.  It  is,  however,  rather 
dear.  At  the  Bauer-Grunvvald  restaurant  you  can  dine 
at  a  moderate  price,  but  the  cooking  is  tainted  with 
German  .heresies.  If  you  seek  for  cheapness  alone  go 
to  the  Panada,  and  dine  "at  a  fixed  price''  for  three 
francs.  The  cooking  and  the  company  will  be  purely 
Venetian.  I  cannot,  however,  promise  that  the  dinner 
will  please  you.  As  a  compromise,  go  toi  the  Oapello 
Nero,  in  the  Mereeria,  near  the  clock  tower.  Let  me 
Suggest  a  menu  that  is  characteristically  Italian,  and 
thoroughly  good  :  — 

Soup. — Cappelletti  de  Bologna. 
Fish. — Brancino  bollito. 
Entree. — Risotto  con  Fegatini. 
Roast. — Manzo  al  cacciatore. 
Sweet. — Zabagione. 
Cheese. — Parmigiano. 

The  common  Verona  red  wine  is  pure  and  good,  but 
if  you  wish  something  better  order  Valpolicella.  This 
dinner  will  be  well  cooked  and  inexpensive,  and  if  you 
do  not  like  it  all  I  can  say  is  that  you  lose  a  good  deal 
in  being  unable  to  appreciate  Italian  cookery. 

If  you  are  a  smoker  you  will  find  the  Virginia ScJti 
cigars  excellent  in  flavour,  but  unspeakably  strong. 
Before  trying  them,  I  should  recommend  you  to  smoke 
a  limekiln  for  a  week  or  two,  as  a.  sort  of  preparation. 
The  Minghetti  (at  fifteen  centimes)  is  a  mild  and. rather 
decent  weed.  Probably  you  will  like  it  better  than 
fc'ie  Virginia. 

Your  after-dinner  coffee  you  will  take  in  the  Piazza, 
either  at  Florian's,  or  the  Quadri.  One  is  as  good  as 
the  other,  the  only  distinction  being  that  foreigners  are 
more  numerous  at  Florian's.  It  is  not  generally  known 
that  ices  were  first  invented  at  Venice,  but,  such  is  the 
fact,  and  nowhere  else  are  they  made  equally  good.  Bo 
sure  and  try  them. 

There  arc  people  who  attempt!  to  see  Venice  in  three 
days.  1  knew  an  American  who  saw  Koine  in  one  da  v. 
Do  not  trv  to  emulate  these  bad  examples.  Less  than  a 
week  at  Venice  is  only  an  aggravation.  Assuming,  how- 
ever, that  your  time  is  limited,  I  suggest  the  following 
as  the  best  way  of  employing  it. 


The  morning  after  your  arrival  visit  the  Churah  of  S. 
Marco,  and  the  Ducal  palace.  If  you  have  a  "  Baedeker"  a 
guide  will  be  quite  superfluous.  After  lunch,  take  a  gon- 
dola, go  to  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  della  Salute,  and  then 
row  the  length  of  the  Grand  Canal,  as  far  as  the  railway 
station.  On  the  way  back  go  first  to  the  Church  of 
the  Redentore  to  see  the  three  marvellous  Madonnas  of 
Bellini,  and  then  to  the  Church  of  the  Frari.  Spend 
the  evening  in  the  Piazza,  or  ini  a  gondola. 

The  next  day  go  in  the  morning  to  the  Arsenal ;  thence 
to>  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  Formosa,  and  then  to  the 
Church  of  SS.  Giovanni  and  Paolo.  In  the  afternoon 
cross,  by  gondola,  to  the  Lido,  and  time  your  return  so 
as  to  stop  at  the  Giardini  Publicoi  to  see  the  sun  set. 
Next  day  devote  the  entire  morning  to  the  Gafleria  delle 
Belle  Arti.  In  the  afternoon  go  to  the  Madonna  del 
Orto,  thence  to*  the  churches  of  S.  Sebastiano  and  S. 
Giorgio  Maggiore. 

The  fourth  day,  go  in  the  morning  to  the  Scuola  di 
S  RoccO' ;  then  to  the  Museo  Correr.  After  lunch  see 
the  Bellini  Madonna  in  the  Church  of  S.  Zaccana  and 
take  a  walk  through  the  city. 

The  streets  of  Venice  are  quite  as  interesting  as  the 
canals,  but  the  foreigner  rarely  sees  them.  Let  me  give 
you  a  route  which  will  show  you  some  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque bits  of  the  city. 

Pass  through  the  arches  in  the  west  side  of  the 
Piazzai  S.  Marco,  and  follow  the  stream  of  people  whom 
you  will  find  in  the  Frezzaria.  Look  at  your  map,  and 
at  the  name  on  the  street  corners,  and  you 
will  not,  lose  your  way.  The  Frezzaria  will  take 
you  to  the  Campo  S.  Fantin,  in  which  stands  the  great 
theatre.  Take  the  little  street  on  the  lidithand 
side  of  the  theatre  as  you  look  towards  it,  and  then  take 
the  first  turn  to  the  right.  This  will  bring  you  to  the 
monument  in  memory  of  the  martyrs  of  1849.  Pass  to 
the  left,  of  the  monument  as  you  face  it,  and  this  will 
lead  you  over  a  bridge'  and  along  a  narrow  street  to  the 
Campo  S.  Angelo. 

A  street,  that  is  ahvays  full  of  people  leads  out  of 
this  campo  on  the  right-hand  side.  Follow  it  until 
you  come  to  a  broad  open  place,  where  there  is  a  statue 
(and  a  rather  bad  one)  of  Manin.  Take  the  first  street 
to  the  right  after  you  have  entered  the  campo,  and  it  will 
conduct  you  to  a  beautiful  tower  with  an  exquisite 
winding  staircase,  which  is  well  worth  seeing.  Return- 
ing to  the  campo,  follow  the  stream  of  people  through 
a  street  that  leaves  the  corner  of  the  campo.  You  will 
soon  find  yourself  in  the  Campo,  S.  Luca,  where  there  is 
a  stone  column  erected  in  memory  of  the  defeat  of  the 
conspiracy  of  Tiepolo,  though  few  people  in  Venice 
except  antiquarians,  know  what,  the-  ..column  means. 
Still  keeping  on  in  the  same  general  direction,  you  will 
leave  the  campo  by  one  corner,  take  the  first  turn  to 
the  left,  and  then  the  first  to  the  right,  and  after  a  little 
you  will  find  yourself  in  the  Campo  S.  Bartolommeo 
close  to  the  Rialto  bridge.  Return  to  the  Piazza  through 
the  Mereeria.  You  cannot  miss  the  way  if  you  follow 
the  crowd. 

Or  if  you  arel  not  yet  tired,  take  a  street  that  leaves 
the  Campo  S.  Rartolommeo  on,  the  side  apposite  the 
bridge.  This  will  take  you  by  way  of  the  Campa  S.  Lia 
to  the  Campa  S.  Maria  Formosa.  Then  you  can  easily 
find  your  way  by  means  of  the  map  to  the  Piazza  S. 
Marco,  or  you  can  suborn  a  small  boy  to  show  you  the 
way  for  two  sous. 

I  am  sure  this  walk  will  give  you  a  taste  for  walking 
in  Venice.  You  need  not  have  the  slightest  fear  in 
exploring  any  street  in  Venice  at  any  hour  in  the  day 
or  night,  no  matter  how  cut-throaty  some  of  them  may 
look.  Highway  robbery,  or  indeed  any  crimes  of 
violence,  except  the  occasional  use  of  the  knife  in  settling 
a  quarrel,  are  absolutely  unknown  in  Venice.  The 
Venetian  of  the  lower  orders  will  cheat  you  in  small 
matters  if  he  can,  but  he  is  the  most  peaceable  petfob  n 
existence,  and  you  need  never  have  the  slightest  fear  of 
any  Ivodily  injury.  Venice  is  full  of  delicious  bits  of 
architecture,  and  picturesque  nooks  and  corners,  which 


Mat  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


339 


the  foreigner,  who  goes  about  only  in.  a  gondola,  never 
sees.  There  are  also  shops  of  second-hand  furniture, 
and  rubbish  generally,  in  the  parts  of  the  city  distant 
from  the  Piazza  S.  Marco,  where  one  may  frequently 
pick  up  articles  of  real  value  for  a  song.  I  once 
bought  a  crucifix  for  two*  francs,  which  was  afterwards 
proved  to  be  the  work  either  of  Albert  Diirer  himself, 
or  of  one  of  his  pupils.  Had  this  been  exposed  for 
sale  anywhere  near  the  Piazza,  its  price  would  have 
been  far  beyond  my  limited  means. 

Most  people  have  the  idea  that  Venice  is  unhealthy, 
and  allege  in.  support  of  this  theory  that  the  canals  are 
simply  open  drains.  So  they  are,  and  that  is  the 
reason  why  Venice  is  the  best-drained  city  in  the  world. 
All  waste  pipes  run  directly  into  the  canals,  but  these 
canals  twice  a.  day  are  scoured  by  the  tide,  which  rises 
some  four  feet  on  ordinary  occasions,  and  sometimes 
floods  the  entire  city.  I  have  repeatedly  seen  the 
Piazza  S.  Marco  entirely  under  water,  and  swarming 
with  gondolas.  The  water  in  the  canals  looks  very 
black  and  dirty,  but  if  you  will  take  the  trouble  to  fill 
a.  cup  with  it  you  will  find  that  it  is  perfectly  clear  and 
bright  sea  water.  Its  colour  is  simply  due  to  the  re- 
flection from  the  muddy  bottom  of  the  canal.  There 
is  little  or  no  typhoid  fever  or  diphtheria  in  Venice, 
although  there  is  a  good  deal  of  rheumatism.  Its 
death  rate  is  remarkably  low — far  below  that  of  Paris. 
You  can  drink  the  water  in  Venice  without  fear,  except 
in  time  of  cholera,  when  all  water  should  be  shunned. 
The  water  comes  from  the  River  Brenta,  and  is  pure 
and  good. 

I  have  by  no  means  exhausted  all  the  churches  which 
a  man  would  be  obliged  to  see  if  he  wished  to>  see  Venice 
thoroughly,  but  one  soon  tires  of  churches  in  over-doses. 
1  have  mentioned  those  which  must  be  seen  if  the 
visitor  is  to  preserve  his  self  respect,  and  as  for  the 
rest,  he  can  select  them  from  his  "  Baedeker."  There  is 
the  whole  lagoon  waiting  for  him,  and  he  must  not  miss 
it.  On  a  bright,  quiet  morning  take  a  gondola  with 
two  oars,  and  make  a  bargain  to  be  taken  to  the 
cemetery,  Murano,  Burano,  Torcello,  and  S.  Francesco 
in  Deserto.  Ten  francs  ought  to'  be  sufficient  for  the 
gondolier,  and  he  should  have  the  right  to  select  the 
order  in  which  he  will  take  you  to  the  different  places  I 
have  mentioned,  for  he  will  have  to  consult  the  tides. 
Take  luncheon  with  you,  for  you  will  find  nothing  which 
you  can  eat  either  at  Murano  or  Burano. 

This  excursion  will  not  only  show  you  the  whole 
Northern  lagoon,  but  it  will  also  show  you  some  of  the 
most  beautiful  places  to  be  found  anywhere  on  earth. 
The  cemetery  is  interesting  chiefly  on  account  of  the 
cloisters  of  the  church.  At  Murano  you  will  find  an 
extremely  interesting  old  church — S.  Donato — and  if  you 
take  interest  in  glass-making  you  can  visit  the  glass 
manufactory.  At  Burano  you  will  find  the  handsomest 
women  in  all  Venetia.  Tell  the  gondolier  to  show  you 
the  Scuola  di  Merletti.  It  is  a  school  where  the  girls 
are  taught  to  make  lace,  and  if  you  should  happen  to 
be  an  artist  you  will  want  to  paint  at  least  three  out 
of  every  four  of  the  girls.  They  are  poorly  clad,  and 
poorly  fed,  but  some  of  them  are  bewitchingly  beautiful 
— and  they  know  it. 

Torcello  is  simply  an  island  with  a  very  old  cathedral. 
You  will  find  all  about  it  in  Ruskin.  It  is  a  very  in- 
teresting old  church,  and  you  should  not  fail  to  climb 
the  church  tower  for  the  sake  of  the  view  of  the  lagoon 
which  it  affords. 

I  never  knew  but  one  foreigner,  not  a  resident  of 
Venice,  who  had  ever  been  to  S.  Francesco  in  Deserto. 
For  all  that  it  is  the  most  beautiful  island  in  the  whole 
lagoon.  Eat  your  lunch  in  the  shade  of  its  Cyprus 
trees,  and  bless  me  for  having  given  you  a  glimpse  of 
paradise. 

The  whole  excursion  need  not  take  more  than  six 
hours,  but  the  day  must  be  clear  and  calm.  If  the 
gondolier  shows  a  disposition  to  take  a  mast  and  sail 


with  him  sternly  forbid  it.  A  gondola  is  an  amazingly 
ticklish  craft  under  sail,  for  she  is  flat-bottomed,  and 
capsizes  with  great  swiftness,  when  she  takes  a  fancy 
to  spill  you.  Moreover,  she  is  steered  with  great 
difficulty,  and  the  average  gondolier  is  not  expert  in 
managing  the  sail.  You  will  not  be  drowned  if  the 
gondola  does  capsize,  but  you  will  be  very  wet  and 
muddy,  and  it  is  as  well  to  avoid  such  a  fate. 

The  guide-book  recommends  the  visitor  to  take  the 
steamerdown  tO'  Chioggia  and  back.  This  shows  him  th" 
Southern  lagoon,  and  also  the  quaint  town  of  Chioggia, 
By  all  means  do.  it  if  you  can  spare  a,  day.  If  not,  take 
a  gondola  (with  two  oars)  as  far  as  Malamocco,  where 
there  is  nothing  in  particular  to  see,  and  then  return 
by  way  of  the  Armenian  convent.  This  will  take,  say, 
three  hours  at  the  outside,  and  ought  not  tO'  cost  oyer 
six  francs.  In  all  these  excursions  beyond  the  boun- 
daries of  the  city  the  tariff  for  gondolas  has  no  force, 
and  a  bargain  must  be  made  with  the  gondolier  before 
starting. 

It.  does  not  cost,  very  much  to  go  to  Venice.  You 
cannot  buy  a  return  ticket  from  London  to1  Venice,  but 
you  can  buy  a  return  ticket  from  London  to  Milan  for 
£6  15s.  5d.  second  class,  good  for  forty-five 
days,  »and  the  fare  from  Milan  to  Venice  is 
twenty-one  francs,  second  class;  which  is  about 
sixteen  shillings.  "  Baedeker "  is  a  good  enough 
guide-book  for  ordinary  purposes,  but  you  had 
better  also  provide  yourself  with  Hare's  "Venice,"  which 
is  much  more  full  in  its  descriptions.  If  you  really 
want  to  know  what'  life  in  Venice  is  like,  read  Horatio 
Brown's  "  Life  in  the  Lagoons."  It  is  by  far  the  best 
book  of  its  kind. 

There  isi  an  excellent  barber's  shop  in  the  Piazzetta 
dei  Leoni,  by  the  side  of  S.  Marco.  Zamperoni  is  an  excel- 
lent chemist,  who  speaks  English.  Dr.  Di  Angelo.  is  an 
experienced  Venetian  physician,  who  speaks  English 
perfectly,  and  may  be  fully  trusted.  There  is  a,  money- 
changer close  to  the  telegraph  office,  at  the  corner  of  the 
Oalle  dell'  Ascensione,  who  is  honest. — as  some  money- 
changers are  not.  Finally,  there  is  excellent.  German 
beer  either  at  the  Bauer-Griinwald  restaurant,  or  the 
Birerria,  Pschorr,  near  the  Campo  S.  Angelo. 


AN   ACCIDENT   ON   THE  SCAFFOLD. 


"Ventose  13.— A  very  unfortunate  accident  hap- 
pened to-day.  Only  one  convict  remained,  all  his 
companions  having  been  executed.  As  he  was  being 
strapped  down,  my  son,  who  was  attending  to  the 
baskets,  called  me  and  I  went  to  him.  One  of  the 
assistants  bad  forgotten  to  re-raise  the  knife,  so  that, 
when  the  weigb-plank  was  lowered  with  the  convict 
Laroque  strapped  upon  it  his  face  struck  the  edge 
of  the  knife  which  was  bloody.  He  uttered  a  terrible 
shriek.  I  ran  up,  lifted  the  plank,  and  hastened  to 
raise  the  knife.  The  convict  trembled  like  a  leaf.  The 
mob  hissed  us  and  threw  stones  at  us.  In  the  evening, 
Citizen  Fouquier  severely  reprimanded  me.  I  deserved 
his  blame,  for  1  should  have  been  in  my  usual  place. 
Citizen  Fouquier  saw  I  was  very  sorry,  and  dismissed 
me  with  more  kindness  than  I  expected.  Thirteen 
executions." — From  "Charles  Henri  Sanson's  Diary." 

During  the  Peninsular  War  the  town  of  Matragorda 
was  heavily  bombarded.  While  the  fire  was  at  its 
height,  a  little  drummer  boy  was  ordered  to  take  a 
bucket  and  fetch  water  from  a  well,  where  the  shots 
were  thickest.  The  child  hesitated.  Marion  Reston, 
the  wife  of  a  sergeant  in  the  94th,  was  tending  the 
wounded.  She  turned  round.  "  The  pnir  bairn  is 
frightened,"  she  said,  "  and  no  wonder.  Gie  the  bucket 
to  me."  She  reached  the  well,  and,  though  a  shot  cut 
the  rope  she  held,  succeeded  in  returning  with  the 
water. 


390 


TO-DAY. 


May  4y  1895. 


A    LOVE  NOTE. 


Do  not  forget  me,  clearest ;  all  day  long 

I  think  of  you  and  with  the  time  more  fleet; 
My  heart  is  always  singing  some  sweet  song, 

And  thinking  of  you  makes  my  labour  sweet. 
And  if  the  day  seems  anywise  less  bright — 

More  vext  with  cares  than  I  had  thought  'twould  be- 
I  think  with  joy  of  the  approaching  night 

"When  the  sweet  stars  shall  guide  my  steps  to 
One  thought  still  whispers — sweeter  evermore, 

"  Thou  shalt  behold  her  when  the  day  is  o'er  ! " 

And  so  I  shall ;  for  you  will  watch  and  wait 

When  on  the  flowers  the  tears  of  twilight  fall ; 
Sweet  are  the  roses  round  your  garden  gate, 

But  you  are-  still  the  sweetest  rose  of  all  ! 
And  you  are  my  rose — even  my  very  own, 

And  to  my  life  your  beauty  you  impart ; 
Bloom  sweetly  still,  but  bloom  for  me  alone, 

And  twine  your  tendrils  closer  'round  my  heart. 
Dear,  I  shall  soon  within  your  presence  be, 

And  you  are  waiting  with  a  kiss  for  me ! 

Frank  L.  Stanton. 


ROBESPIERRE   AND   THE  CHILDREN. 


Prarial  27. — To-day  I  had  trustworthy  information 
concerning  the  bodyguards,  without  which  it  is  said 
Robespierre  never  goes  out.  Martin,  my  assistant,  pro- 
posed to  me  to  see  to  this  day's  work.  I  accepted,  for  I 
had  for  a  long  time  promised  to  take  my  neices  to  the 
country,  and  I  was  glad  to  get  out  of  sight  of  the  guil- 
lotine. ^  We  went  through  Clichy.  The  little  girls 
romped  in  the  fields,  1  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the  road. 
Presently  I  saw  a  citizen  with  a  dog  coming  up.  The 
citizen  looked  at  the  children  who  were  trying  to  reach 
some  wild  roses  in  a  hedge,  and  coming  to  their  help  he 
picked  the  flowers  and  divided  them  between  them.  I 
saw  the  little  ones  kiss  the  stranger.  They  came  up  to 
me  talking  and  smiling.  Then  I  recognised  him.  He 
wore  a  blue  coat,  yellow  breeches,  and  a  white  waistcoat. 
His  hair  was  carefully  combed  and  powdered,  and  he 
held  his  hat  in  his  hand.  His  head  was  slightly 
thrown  back,  and  he  wore  a  look  of  gaiety  which 
surprised  me.  The  citizen  asked  if  the  children  were 
mine.  1  replied  that  they  were  my  nieces.  He  con- 
gratulated me  on  their  beauty.  Marie  made  him  a 
small  nosegay  which  he  stuck  in  his  buttonhole.  He 
asked  her  name  to  remember  her  when  the  flower  had 
faded.  The  poor  child  gave  her  surname  as  well,  where- 
upon Robespierre's  face  instantly  changed.    He  said  to 


me  in  a  dry  and  haughty  voice.  "  You  are — —  I"  I 
bowed.  For  a  few  seconds  he  was  thoughtful,  evidently 
struggling  with  a  repulsion  which  he  could  not  master. 
At  length  he  bent  down,  kissed  the  children  very 
tenderly,  called  his  dog,  and  went  away  without  looking 
at  me. — From  "  Diary  of  Charles  Henri  Sanson — State 
Executioner." 


LONDON   ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS  AGO. 

From  the  "  Prince  de  Ligne's  Letters." 

"  I  have  been  still  more  surprised  with  London  than 
with  Venice.  I  could  imagine  a  city  in  the  midst  of  the 
sea.  Only  fancy  that  a  sudden  inundation  converts  every 
street  into  a  canal,  and  you  have  an  idea  of  x  enice. 
But  broad  and  commodious  footways,  splendid  simps, 
an  uncommon  cleanliness  everywhere,  illuminated  walks, 
where  there  are  concerts  and  games,  and  no  police- 
officers  ;  magnificent  gardens,  a  river  which  enhances 
their  admirable  pomp  and  variety  ;  in  short,  whatever 
can  be  contrived 'for  the  most  brilliant  and  liest-regu- 
lated  fete,  is  found  every  day  in  Louden,  at  four  or  five 
different  places.  An  air  of  inditferenee,  freedom,  and 
splendour,  elegant  phaetons,  a  whole  town  in  full  trot, 
fine  horses,  beautiful  girls,  excellent  fruit — does  all  this 
suggest  a  single  motive  for  cutting  one's  throat?" 


t 

May  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


391 


THE  DIARY  OF  A  BOOKSELLER. 


One  of  the  most  charming  books  of  travel  I  have 
added  to  my  circulating  library  this  year  has  been  Lady 
Theodora  Guest's  "Round  Trip  in  North  America" 
(Stanford).  Lady  Theodora  is  so  observant  and  eloquent 
about  wild  birds  and  wild  flowers,  and  the  illustrations 
from  her  own  hand  are  very  graceful.  It  is  interesting, 
besides,  as  showing  what  an  American  railway  king  does 
who  wishes  to  entertain  English  aristocrats,  carte 
blanche.  Lady  Theodora  is  a  very  big  wig,  and  a  very 
old  pati-oness  of  mine.  It  is  a  good  many  years  ago 
since  she  was  first  brought  into  my  shop  by  her  brother 
— the  tall,  clean-shaven,  singular,  modest  man  who  has 
the  Duchy  of  Westminster  and  the  largest  rent-roll  of* 
any  subject  in  the  British  Empire. 

*  *  *  * 

The  mention  of  the  fact  that  Lady  Sherbrooke.  has 
presented  to  the  British  Museum  the  two  volumes  of  the 
Sydney,  N.S.W.,  Atlas  for  1844  and  1845,  during 
which  "  Bob  Lowe  "  was  its  editor,  recalls  the  literary 
brilliance  of  the  makers  of  New  South  Wales.  Sir 
Henry  Parkes — the  Gladstone  of  New  South  Wales — 
who  has  so  often  been  its  Premier,  has  written  some 
true  poetry.  His  old  opponent,  John  Dunmore  Lang, 
i  the  Presbyterian  minister,  who  was  for  so  many  years 
Her  Majesty's  opposition,  was  also  a  poet,  and  wrote  one 
memorable  poem.  Another  Premier,  William  Charles 
Wentworth,  the  greatest  of  all  Australian  born 
politicians,  was  also  the  first  poet  of  any  note  in 
Australia  ;  and  the  Hon.  William  Foster,  whose 
choruses  in  his  "  Midas "  are  some  of  the  finest 
Australian  lyrics,  was  likewise  a  Premier  of  New 
South  Wales,  and  the  author  of  "  Ranolf  and  Amolua" 
— the  greatest  of  all  poems  written  in  the  Antipodes. 
Alfred  Domett  was  Premier  of  another  Australian 
colony — -New  Zealand. 

*  *  *  * 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  the  money  which 
enabled  the  late  Lord  Sherbrooke  to  embark  in  English 
politics  came  from  money  judiciously  invested  in  Sydney 
City  property.  "  Bob  Lowe  "  was  a  leading  barrister 
and  politician  in  Sydney.  Journalism  was  only  his  third 
string. 

*  *  *  * 

Mr.  W.  H.  Wilkins,  who  has  written  "The  Holy 
Estate:  a  Study  in  Morals,"  in  conjunction  with  Cap- 
tain Thatcher,  is  associated  with  Mrs.  Victoria  Woodhull 
Martin  in  the  editorship  of  the  Humanitarian,  and  was 
formerly  private  secretary  to  Lord  Dunraven.  The 
book  is  apparently  to  be  a  sort  of  cross  between 
Mr.  Wilkins'  highly  successful  novel,  "The  Green  Bay 
Tree  " — of  which  To-Day  was  the  first  to  give  the  key  as 
to  the  identity  of  the  political  personages — and  "  The 
Gadsbys,"  for  Captain  Thatcher,  who  was  formerly 
attached  to  the  Vice-regal  Staff  at  Simla,  is  understood 
to  have  devoted  his  part  of  the  work  to  a  satire  of  Indian 
society.  Whatever  Mr.  Wilkins  does  is  good.  As  in 
"The  Green  Bay  Tree,"  the  work  of  the  two  authors  will 
be  printed  in  different  types. 

*  *  *  * 

The  Tower  Publishing  Company  are  bringing  out 
immediately  "Loraida  :  a  Romance  of  the  Sahara,"  by 
Mr.  William  Le  Queux,  of  whose  "  Great  War  of  1897," 
which  has  had  the  honour  of  being  made  the  subject  of 
articles  both  by  Lord  Roberts  and  Lord  Wolseley,  they 
have  sold  ever  9,000  copies.  Mr.  Le  Queux,  who  lives 
in  a  charming  little  flat  not  far  from  my  shop,  con- 
stantly drops  in  to  see  me.  Oddly  enough,  though  he 
is  such  a  very  patriotic  Englishman,  he  is  the  son  of  a 
Frenchman,  and  bears  strong  evidence  of  his  French 
parentage  in  his  face.  He  made  a  special  journey  over 
the  Sahara  at  great  personal  risk  to  collect  the  materials 
for  his  book,  which  will  be  of  the  most  thrilling  kind. 
Like  Mr.  G.  A.  Sala.  he  started  first  as  an  artist. 


My  friend  Mr.  Edward  Arnold  tells  me  that  he  is 
about  to  bring  out  a  book  on  mountaineering  by  Mr. 
Douglas  Freshfield,  the  President  of  the  Alpine  Club. 
Mr.  Freshfield  is  principally  responsible  for  a  moun- 
taineering work  not  so  well  known  as  it  should  be — the 
conversion  ,of  the  late  Duke  of  Rutland's  kitchen 
garden  on  the  heights  of  Campden  Hill  (which  adjoined 
his  own  house)  into  about  the  most  charming  old- 
fashioned  garden  in  London.  The  expense  of  laying  out 
this  garden  and  the  privilege  of  using  it  he  shares  with 
his  neighbours,  among  whom  is  the  artist,  Mr.  Alfred 
Hunt,  R.I.,  whose  wife  and  daughter  write  such 
charming  novels. 

*  *  *  * 

I  have  had  to  re-order  "  Into  the  Highways  abf 
Hedges,"  by  F.  F.  Montresor(Hutchinson  and  Co.),  a  mos 
realistic  and  natural  story,  which  is  already  in  its  third  o 
fourth  edition.     The  character  of  Barnabas  Thorpe  is 
very  strongly  depicted,  and,  as  the  author  says  in  his 
preface,  it  is  such  men  as  he  who  fight  for  ideals  who 
are  the  saving  element  in  this  world,  and  leave  their 
mark  on  all  generations. 

*  *  *  * 

In  mentioning  the  handsome  little  edition  of 
"Roderick  Random,"  published  by  Messrs.  Gibbings 
and  Co.,  and  edited  by  Mr.  George  Saintsbury,  a  most 
important  page  of  my  manuscript  went  astray.  Messrs. 
Gibbings  and  Co.,  I  hear,  rely  principally  for  the  sale 
of  the  book  on  Mr.  [Frank  Richards'  admirable  illus- 
trations, which  have  a  good  deal  of  the  grace  of  Mr. 
Robert  Sauber's.  And  he  is  the  most  graceful  artist 
we  have  in  depicting  eighteenth-century  scenes. 

*  *  *  * 

The  Literary  World,  in  its  excellent  "  Table  Talk,"  in- 
forms its  readers  that  the  Field  newspaper,  which  last 
week  had  fifty  pages  of  advertisements,  was  purchased  by 
its  present  proprietor  for  two  hund  red  and  fifty  pounds.  Very 
likely,  for  the  popularity  of  the  Field  was  the  creation  of 
the  present  head  of  the  firm,  Mr.  Horace  Cox.  It  was 
his  genius  made  it,  as  it  has  made  the  Queen,  which  cost 
him  a  hundred  pounds  less  than  the  Field.  And  the  whole 
of  the  money  has  been  made  in  the  cleanest  and  kindliest 
way.  No  man  was  ever  injured  or  over-reached  by  Mr. 
Cox.  He  has  never  tried  to  get  the  advantage  of  any- 
one. The  papers  have  succeeded  in  such  a  marvellous 
way  because  the  Field  was  exactly  what  men  wanted, 
and  the  Queen  exactly  what  women  wanted.  Mr.  Cox 
had  an  instinct  for  gauging  "  the  average  man  and 
woman." 

*  *  *  * 

As  there  seems  to  be  such  a  mistaken  idea  upon  the 
subject,  I  think  I  ought  to  point  out  that  my  old 
patron,  Mr.  George  Robert  Sims,  the  well-known 
dramatist,  whose  "  Dagonet  Abroad  "  is  just  announced 
by  Messrs.  Chatto  and  Windus,  is  a  much  younger  man 
than  one  would  suppose  from  his  long-established  repu- 
tation. He  is  barely  forty-eight  years  old,  was  born  in 
London,  and  educated  at  Bonn.  His  first  book  tha,u 
made  any  stir,  "  The  Dagonet  Ballads,"  came  out  about 
sixteen  years  ago. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

G.  B.  S.  (St.  Ann's). — The  photographs  were  reproduced  by 
permission  of  the  publishers,  Messrs.  Gale  and  Polden,  2,  Amen 
Corner,  Paternoster  Row,  E.C.  They  would  answer  all  in- 
quiries. 

J.  M. — Are  not  you  mistaken  in  supposing  that  the  book  is 
the  work  of  one  man  ?  "  My  First  Book  "  contains  accounts  of 
the  first  books  of  well-known  authors.  It  is  published  by 
Chatto  and  Windus. 

R.  F.  W.  (Ayton). — Your  best  plan  would  be  to  send  a  list  of 
the  books,  with  full  particulars,  to  Mr.  Tregaskis,  232,  High 
Holborn.  W.C. 

Max  (Bath). — I  have  had  dealings  with  the  agent  you 
mention,  and  have  always  found  him  perfectly  straightforward. 


TO-DAY. 


Mat  4,  1895. 


FEMININE  AFFAIRS. 


Dear  Nell, — The  Editor  of  To-Day,  Mr.  Jerome  K. 
Jerome,  has  just  organised  a  competition  that  I  know 
you  will  go  in  for,  if  he  should  eventually  extend  it  to 
the  Colonies.  For  the  present,  it  is  only  open  to  com- 
petitors in  Great  Britain,  as  the  list  closes  at  the  end 
of  May.  Read  on,  my  dear,  and  see  how  tempting,  how 
very  tempting,  it  is. 

The  lucky  woman  who  secures  the  greatest  number 
of  annual  subscribers  to  To-Day,  and  clinches  the 
matter  firmly  by  forwarding  their  subscriptions  for  one 
year  to  the  office  of  the  journal  (provided  the  number  of 
subscriptions  sent  by  the  winner  does  not  fall  short  of 
twenty),  shall  have  the 
sum  of  twenty  guineas 
placed  to  her  credit 
with  one  of  the  best 
West-end  firms.  Fancy 
a  twenty-guinea  gown 
just  for  asking  a  few 
friends  to  become  sub- 
scribers to  such  a 
capital  paper  as  To- 
Day  !  Minna,  who 
has  wanted  a  new 
riding  habit  for  at 
least  four  years,  and 
has  never  been  able 
to  afford  herself  one, 
is  going  in  for  it  hot 
and  strong.  The  firms 
with  whom  arrange- 
ments have  been  made 
are  Jay,  Redfern, 
Liberty,  Lewis  and 
Allenby,  Redmayne 
and  Russell,  and  Allen. 
Is  not  this  what  you 
would  call  a  very  in- 
viting competition  1 

And  there  is  yet 
more  of  it.  Should 
the»candidature  prove 
a  very  strong  one, 
and  the  subscriptions 
secured  be  very 
numerous,  there  will 
be  a  second  prize  given 
of  a  smart  gown,  or 
coat,  or  other  article 
of  dress,  to  the  amount 
of  fifteen  guineas. 
This  will  be  a  second 
prize,  and  one  ex- 
tremely well  worth 
going  in  for. 

The  annual  sub- 
scription amounts  to 
lis.,  and  the  full  ad- 
dress of  To-Day  Office 
is  Howard  House, 
Arundel  Street, 
Strand,  London,  W.C. 

The  competition  will  be  ciosed  on  May  25th,  and  the 
result  announced  in  the  number  of  .To-Day,  dated 
June  8th. 

Just  in  time  to  get  a  delicious  frock  for  Ascot!  I 
know  such  heaps  of  girls  who  will  go  in  for  it,  and  all 
the  while  they  are  collecting  promises  and  exacting 
performances  from  their  friends  in  the  shape  of  sums 
of  lis.,  they  will  be  arranging  in  their  thoughts  exactly 
the  sort  of  dress  they  are  going  to  buy  for  twenty 
guineas. 

The  intending  competitors  must  send  in  their  names 
to  "Susie"  at  the  Office  of  this  journal  not  later  than  the 


NEW    REDFERN  DRESS. 


first  week  in  May ;  and  in  order  to  facilitate  the  competi- 
tors' efforts  as  much  as  possible,  printed  forms  eontain- 
ing  list  of  premium  books,  and  the  other  advantages, 
will  be  sent  to  all  who  desire  them. 

For  I  must  not  forget  to  tell  you  that  each  person 
whose  annual  subscription  is  sent  into  To-Day 
Office  will  receive  a  book,  a  free  insurance  policy, 
and  other  advantages,  for  particulars  of  which  I 
must  refer  you  to  ths  last  page  of  the  paper,  or  to  the 
above-mentioned  form.  Altogether,  an  enticing  pro- 
gramme, is  it  not? 

And  oh,  my  Nell !  how  truly  sweet  the  gowns  of  this 
year  are !  Miss  Dorothy  Dorr  wears  a  very  up-to-date 
one  in  "  Delia  Harding,"  the  new  play  at  the  Comedy. 
The  skirt  is  dark  green  fancy  crepon,  and  the  back  of 

the  bodice  is  the  same, 
but  the  sleeves  were 
in  a  large,  though 
rather  faint  check  of 
grey,  with  lines  of 
green  crossing  it. 
Pieces  of  this  are  set 
into  the  shoulder 
seams,  entirely  cover- 
ing the  front  and  end- 
ing, fichu  fashion,  in 
points  at  the  wrist, 
whence  fall  long  sash 
ends  over  the  dress  to 
the  feet.  A  box-pleat 
of  the  green  crepon 
and  a  square  collar  of 
the  same  are  the  novel 
feature  of  the  gown. 

Every  woman  in  the 
audience  falls  in  love 
with  Miss  Marion 
Terry's  tea-gown  in 
the  second  act.  It  is 
pale  blue,  the  part 
that  shows  in  front 
being  brocaded  in  a 
large,  free,  J  apanese 
design  in  palest  gold, 
that  glitters  as  though 
it  were  real  metal. 
Over  the  whole  of  the 
rest  flows  a  cloud  of 
white  crepon,  striped 
with  silk,  and  thin 
enough  to  show  the 
blue  through  the 
white.  At  the  back 
this  is  draped  in  a 
very  novel  way,  two 
points  of  the  crepon 
being  caught  up  at 
about  three  yards  dis- 
tance from  each  other, 
and  fastened  in  under 
die  seVt  blue  collar. 
The  crepon  between 
hangs  in  a  kind  of 
bernouse,  and  the  rfest 
of  the  fuhness  floats 
out  like  wings  when  the  graceful  wearer  moves 
about  the  stage  in  her  gentle,  harmonious  fashion.  The 
sleeves,  so  important  a  part  of  any  gown,  are  most  par- 
ticularly effective  in  this  instance.  They  are  double, 
one  .  pair  bein<r  made  to  cover  the  arms,  though  not 
dragged  inartistieally  tight,  as  are  too  many  sleeves. 
The  others  hang  square  and  loose  over  the  outer  arms* 
but  are  caught  in  ati  the  wrist,  so  that  all  this  cloudy 
looseness  is  moved  with  every  gesture. 

And  the  material  •'  It  is  too  intensely  lovely.  Nell. 
Fancy  the  lightest  and  most  cobwebby  of  tine  silk 
muslin,  printed  all  over  the  surface  in  large,  soft  rosc^ 


Mat  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


393 


With  the  Japanese  Troops 


JAMES  CBEELMAN,  the  American  War  Correspondent,  in  his  dispatch  to  New  York,  dated 
"  PORT  ARTHUR,  Nov.  24,  1894,  writes  : 


ariani  Wine  fortifies,  nourishes  and  stimulates  the  Body  and  Brain.    It  restores  Health, 
Strength,  Energy  and  Vitality:  notably  after  INFLUENZA. 

Bottles  is.  ;  dozen,  45*.,  of  Chemists  and  Stores,  or  carriage  paid  from  Wilcox  and  Co.,  239,  Oxford  Street 


Lwndon. 


UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  LIMITED. 

Cockspur  Street,  London. 

JN  VESTMENTS,  CAPITAL  AT  COMMAND,  and 
RESERVE  FUND  OVER  £500,000. 
J|OR  PROBABLE  MARKET  MOVEMENTS 
OEE  NEXT  WEEK'S 


ARKET  REPORT. 


UR  SPECIALLY  SELECTED 


M 
0 

JT^IST  of  PERFECTLY  SOUND 

SECURITIES   PAYING   from   THREE  to  FOUR-AND-A- 
HALF  PER  CENT. 
"  TTOW  TO  OPERATE 


gUCCESSFULLY  IN  STOCKS." 
rjHVENTY- SEVENTH  EDITION. 
gENT  POST  FREE. 

fJVHE  BOOK  CONTAINS  ARTICLES  ON 


PART   I. -STOCK  EXCHANGE 
USAGES. 

How  the  Business  is  Conducted. 
How  Profits  are  Made. 
How  the  Accounts  are  Kept. 
How  Orders  should  be  Given. 
Prices  of  Stocks. 

How  Stocks  and  Shares  should  be 

Transferred. 
Different  Modes  of  Dealingin  Stocks. 
The  Cash  Cover  System. 
TheFortnightly  Settlements  System. 
The  Three  -  Monthly  Settlements 

System. 

Comparison  of  all  Three  Systems  of 
Dealing. 

How  Brokers'  Fortnightly  Accounts 

Compare  with 
Jobbers'. Three-Monthly  Accounts. 


PART  II.- HOW  TO  OPERATE. 

Why  Money  is  Lost  on  the  Stock 

Market. 
The  True  System  of  Operating. 
"A  Stock"  Operations. 
How  to  Select  "  A  Stock." 
How  to  Watch  "  A  Stock." 
HighestandLowest  Prices  Recorded 

from  1888  to  1833  inclusive. 
Different  Systems  of  Dealing. 
Operations  of  Short  Duration. 
Operations  of  Long  Duration. 
Can  Country   Residents  Operate 

Successfully  ? 
And  many  others  of  interest  to  all 

people  dealing  in  Stocks. 


0 


UR  THREE-MONTHLY 


l^ETTLEMENT  SYSTEM  and  the 

ABOLITION  OF  ALL  COMMISSIONS  has  commended  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  tried  it. 

THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFULLY  DEALING  in  STOCKS 
is  to  TAKE  SHORT,  QUICK  PROFITS  and  DEAL  in  LARGE 
BLOCKS  :  but  this  cannot  be  profitably  donewhere  commissions  and 
contangoes  have  to  be  paid  and  accounts  settled  fortnightly. 

NO  DEALINGS  cr  Communications  with  irresponsible  parties,  or 
with  any  person  under  the  age  of  21. 

UNIVERSAL  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  Ltd., 

COCKSPUR  STREET,  LONDON. 

HEIGHT  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and 
Shoe  Elevator  (Patented)  .—Mens.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners 
Street,  Oxford  Street,  London,  W.  Pamphlet  and 
Testimonials  one  stamp. 


CREME    IDE  VIOLET 

FOR   THE   COMPLEXION    AND  SKIN. 

"  Nadine  "  in  '*  Our  Home  "  says-"  For  Wrinkles,  Sunburn,  and  Freckles  it  >s  an 

abS"  >to?cA^ln  "  Woman  "  says—"  It  will  soon  make  your  skin  as  soft  as  you  can  wish. 

" Suzette " in  "To-Day "savs— " It  is  a  splendid  preparation  for  the  skin.  If  j;ou 
will  persevere  in  its  use,  you  will  find  the  texture  of  the  skin  gradually  improve,  becoming 
soft  and  delicately. tinted,  the  greatest  ornament  next  to  a  sweet  expression,  that  any 
face  could  have." 

CREME  DE  VIOLET  is  not  a  cosmetic,  paint,  or  ointment,  but  is  a  liquid  preparation 
pure  and  exquisite,  free  from  all  poisonous  or  deleterious  ingredients.  It  is  absolutely 
colourless,  and,  as  it  is  free  from  sediment,  it  does  not  clog  the  pores,  but  assists  their 

fUn0f°Chemists  and  Perfumers ;  price  Is.  and  2s.  6d.  (see  that  the  signature— 
LE  FB.ERE  ET  CIE— is  on  the  labell ;  or  sent  direct,  post  free,  in  plain  wrappers,  3d. 
extra  from— 

LE  FRERE  ET  CIE,  47,  Oswald  Street,  Glasgow. 

An  antiseptic,  preservative,  and  aromatic  dentifrice,  which  whitens  the 
teeth,  prevents  and  arrests  decay,  agd  sweetens  the  breath.  It  contains 
no  mineral  acids,  no  gritty  matter'or  injurious  astringents,  keeps  the 
mouth,  gums,  and  teeth  free  from  the  unhealthy  action  ef  germs  in 
organic  matter  between  the  teeth,  and  is  the  most  wholetome  tooth 
powder  for  smokers.  Known  for  60  years  to  be  the  best  Dentifrice. 

Ask  anywhere  for  ROWLANDS'  ODONTO,  2s.  9*.  per  box. 

A  BEAUTIFUL  COMPLEXION 

Produced  by  "  CALFMAN'S  ROSE  AND  JESSAMINE."  Genuine'y 
marvellous.  Clears  off  all  imperfections  in  a  few  days.  One  of  the 
most  delightful  and  harmless  preparations  ever  made.  It  removes 
Freckles,  Pimples,  Warts,  Redness,  Roughness,  Irritation ;  unsurpassed 
for  driving  away  Impurities,  also  healing,  cleansing,  beautifying,  leaving 
a  Spotless,  Soft,  Fair,  Velvety  Skin.  Bottles,  4s.  6d.,  jjost  free, 
under  cover. 

H.  M.  CALFM AN,  Market  Place,  Newbury. 

ADADIMC  MARKING  INK  FOR  OD 
MrADI  IN  t.  LINEN  is  the  BEST!  D 

PER 
BOTTLE 


NO  HEATING  OR  MIXING  REQUIRED. 

Can  be  had  from  Stationers,  Chemists,  or  the 


Manufacturer:  DAVID  FLEMING,  69,  Renfleld  Street,  Glasgow. 

Turkish  Steam  Massage 
Complexion  Treatments 

Are  marvellously  beneficial  in  Purifying  and 
Beautifying  the  Skin, 
Produces  a  healthy,  rosy,  and  velvety  complexion 
Removes  and  prevents  wrinkles,  tan,  blotches?! 
freckles,  pimples,  blackheads,  eczema,  and  all  other 
blemishes.  No  paints  or  powders  used.  Investigation 
tvill  convince  the  most  sceptical.  Honest  hygienic 
work  only.  Patronised  by  the  most  select  ladies. 
Treatments  strictly  private.  Pupils  taught.  Assistant 
required,— Madame  DEAN,  American  Special 
iste  in  Complexion.  Scalp,  and  Manicuring,  30, 
Great  Portland-street,  Oxford  Circus,  London,  \V. 

MADAME  CORISANDE— Skin  and  Hair  Specialist. 

The  greatest  success  of  the  year,  "  Cream  Corisande,"  matchless  for  delicate 
skins,  combines  healing  and  beautifying  qualities,  2/9  and  5/3.  "  The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Cleanser"  for  adults  and  children,  Is.  6d.  "The  Lady 
Corisande  Hair  Food,"  2/9  &  5/3.  Only  address.  548,  Oxford  St., Hyde  Pk. ,  W, 

T-J  ELP  THE  POOR  in  the  most  effectual  manner  by 

sending  new  and  cast-off  clothing,  boots,  books,  pictures,  toys,  carpets,  musical 
instruments,  jewellery,  curtains,  furniture,  etc.,  etc.,  to  the  Rev.  P.  Haslock,  wh* 
sells  them  at  low  prices,  at  jumble  sales,  to  those  in  need.  The  sales  are  held  a* 
frequent  intervals,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  {7000  in  number)  of  All  Saints'  Mission 
District,  Grays,  Essex.  All  parcels  will  be  acknowledged  if  name  and  address  of 
sender  are  inside.   Nothing  is  too  much  worn  or  dilapidated. 


394 


TO-DAY. 


May  4,  1895. 


and  leaves  of  pale  gold ;  an  airy  fabric,  and  yet  rich 
with,  colour,  the  true  buttercup  yellow  of  the  precious 
metal.  Through  them,  when  Miss  Terry  raises  her 
arm,  can  be  seen  the  vivid  blue  of  Lake  Como,  and  the 
white,  sunlit  villas  of  the  opposite  shore. 

One  touch  more  adds  a,  wide  zone  of  ch  i  p  Indian  red 
velvet  about  the  waist,  embroidered  in  gold  in  a.  strange, 
cabalistic  design,  that  looks  like  language  of  some  sort. 
Over  this  pass  the  long,  wing-like  draperies  at  the 
back,  extending  into  a  train  that  is  not  too  long  for 
grace. 

A  perfectly  lovely  gown ! 

I  send  you  an  illustration  of  a  new  Redfern  dress. — 
This  smart  costume,  suitable  for  races,  is  made  of  pale 
gray  crepon,  the  yoke,  straps  and  waistband  being  in 
cloth  of  the  same  shade,  embroidered  in  steel  sequins 
and  beads.  The  skirt  is  much  gored  and  cut  very  full, 
except  just  below  the  waist,  on  the  sides  and  in  front. 
The  folds  are  skilfully  arranged  to  fall  harmoniously 
about  the  form,  with  no  appearance  of  artificial  methods 
of  distension.  The  large  picture  hat  is,  in  black  straw, 
the  brim  draped  with  black  chiffon.  The  trimming  con- 
sists of  ostrich  tips  and  a  bird  of  Paradise  aigrette.  The 
crown  is  surrounded  by  a  bandeau  in  gold  and  powder 
blue  tinsel. 

White  cloth  coats  are  to  be'  the  chic  thing  this  spring ; 
and  for  lapels  on  coats  of  tan  or  fawn  or  biscuit  white 
cloth  is  to  be  the  smartest  and  most  fashionable  ma- 
terial. Later  on  it  will  be  white  satin  with  yellow  or 
tan-tinted  lace  over  it.  I  believe  this  will  be  a  tan 
and  yellow  season,  with  abundant  relief  of  white  every- 
where about  one's  costume,  and  no  scarcity  of  black 
satin  ribbons  for  trimming. 

How  do  you  like  this?  Tan  crepon  blouse  with  black 
satin,  box-pleated,  square  collar  going  off  over  the  tops 
of  the  arms  and  slightly  rounded  at  the  hack ;  edged 
with  a  narrow  gold  trimming,  the  box-pleat  to  have 
threei  gold  buttons? 

I  think  it  would  be  lovely,  and  it  could  be  worn  with 
any  dress. 


SAN  HAS"  IS  THE  BEST  REALLY 

Non-Poisonous  Disinfectant 
QUALIFIED    FOR  GENERAL  USE. 


DISINFECT 

WITH  ; 

"SANITAS" 

FLUIDS,  POWDER  &  SOAPS 

Interesting  Pamphlet  sent  free. 

SANITAS  Go.  Lo.,  bethnal- green/ London 


"  SANITAS  "  kills  all  Disease  Germs. 

"  SANITAS  "— "  Valuable  Antiseptic  and  Disinfectant."— 
"  SANITAS  " — "  Enjoys  general  favour."— Lancet.  Time*. 

HIGH-CLASS  ARTISTIC  DRESSMAKING. 
MBS.  GRABURN,  13,  Bonehuveh  Road,  North  Kensington  (close 
to  Notting-hill  station).  Specialite— Country  Orders.  Smart  Costumes 
to  measure  supplied  complete  from  2}  Guineas.  All  Bodices  cut  on 
French  principles.   Ladies'  own  Materials  made  up  from  £1  Is. 

HEALTH  WITHOUT  MEDICINE. 

PULVERHACHER 

Electric  Dry  Belts,  Bands  and  Batteries, 

Have  stood  the  test  of  Medical  and  Scientific  authority  for  the  past  Fifty 
Years.  They  are  to-day  the  recognised  curative  in  cases  of  Pains  in  the 
Back,  Gout,  Rheumatism,  Indigestion,  Liver  Complaints,  Sleeplessness, 
General  Weakness,  Nervous  Debility,  Anaemia,  Epilepsy,  Partial  Paralysis, 
General  Depression,  Asthma,  Neuralgia,  and  kindred  troubles.  For 
children  in  delicate  health  the  results  are  marvellous. 

THE  BELT  &  SUSPENSOR.  60  -, 

Conveys  the  electric  current  direct  to  the  organs,  restoring  lost  power  by  gradually  im- 
parting tone,  strength,  vigour.  All  appliances  guaranteed  to  send  current  through  the 
body- 

ELECTRICITY  WILL  CURE  WHEN  ALL  OTHER  REMEDIES  FAIL 

Recommended  by  Her  Majesty's  Physicians,  and  the  most  eminent  medical  authorities. 
Send  for  Pamphlet  post  free.   No  charge  for  consultation. 

CO., 


PULYERMACHER 

194,  REGENT  STREET, 


& 

W. 


"JUST  THE  SOAP  FOR  YOUR  BATH 


soap 

IT  FLOATS!! 


v  Is  it  not  most  annoying,  when  having  a  bath,  to  lose 
the  soap  or  to  find  you  have  left  it  wasting  in  the  water? 
Neither  will  happen  with  "IVY"  Soap,  which  is  always 
vn  sight  floating  on  the  surface.  Children  are  no  longer 
any  trouble  on  "Bath  Night"  when  "IVY"  Soap  is 
used — they  are  so  delighted  to  see  it  sailing  on  the  water. 

"IVY"  Soap  is  a  beautiful,  white,  "Milky"  Soap, 
hard  and  very  lasting.  Guaranteed  pure  and  free  from 
irritating  Chemicals.  Gives  a  cream v  lather,  and  is 
SPLENDID  FOB  WASHING  Laces,  Prints,  Fine 
Underclothing,  and  all  delicate  goods,  the  colour  and 
texture  of  which  sutler  damage  from  common  soaps. 


PER 
LARGE 
DOUBLE  CAKE. 


:  Ask  your  Grocer  for  "IYY"  Soap.    If  any  difficulty,  we  will  send  you  Three  2  G.  W.  GOODWIN  &  SON 

•  Cakes  in  a  handy  box,  carriage  paid,  on  receipt  of  your  Address  and  Twelve  5  orosall  lane, 

•  Stamps  or  Is.  Postal  Order.  2 


MANCHESTER. 


Mat  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


395 


Please  applaud  my  idea  in  your  next  if  you  approve 
of  it. — Your  affectionate  Susie. 

P.S. — The  description  of  the  pretty  ball  dress  illus- 
trated last  week  was  unfortunately  omitted.  The  gown 
was  designed  by  Madame  Beddoes,  11,  Henrietta  Street, 
Covent  Garden.  The  skirt  is  in  pale  green  and  pink 
brocade,  made  very  full  and  gored,  but  quite  untrimmed. 
The  bodice  is  a  most  artistic  composition  of  brocade, 
small  pink  daisies,  yellow  lace  and  chiffon.  One  sleeve 
is  in  pale  green  satin,  and  the  other  in  white  chiffon 
veiled  with  yellow  lace. 

ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 

Artistic. — I  should  advise  a  scheme  of  sage-green,  pink  and 
pale  blue  for  the  two  rooms — bedroom  and  dressing-room.  Has 
your  wood-panelling  any  prominent  moulding?  If  so,  have  the 
flat  part  painted  sage  and  the  moulding  a  warm  cream  colour. 
This  will  give  effect  to  the  paper,  which  should  be  sea-blue  or 
sky-blue,  with  a  design  of  almond  blossom  all  over  it,  the  blossom 
all  a  flush  of  pink,  and  the  stems  dark  brown.  The  short  window- 
blinds  should  be  a  warm  cream  colour  to  match  the  moulding. 
Butter  muslin  prettily  frilled  would  be  just  the  thing,  and  it  is 
very  inexpensive.  Tie  it  back  with  pink  or  blue  ribbons.  The 
long  curtains  may  be  cretonne  in  a  design  harmonious  with  that 
of  the  wall-paper ;  or  art  muslin  would  be  still  prettier,  especially 
in  summer.  The  quilt  should  match  the  curtains,  and  be  lined 
with  pink  or  blue  silk  or  sateen.  Do  not  have  a  down  quilt. 
Doctors  disapprove  of  them,  as  they  are  not  pervious.  Or  if  you 
have  one  treat  it  as  merely  ornamental,  and  take  it 
off  the  bed  at  night.  You  ask  what  to  put  behind 
the  washstand  to  preserve  the  paper  from  splashes. 
A  nicely  painted  splash-screen  would  be  the  best,  one  with  lilies 
and  bulrushes  growing  out  of  water.  This  would  be  a  good  con- 
trast with  the  pinky  bloom  of  the  almond  blossom.  Do  not  have 
a  frieze,  as  your  rooms  are  not  lofty — it  would  make  them  look 
still  less  so.  Have  a  four  inch  border  to  your  paper  just  under 
the  cornice.  Is  it  not  fortunate  that  there  are  such  pretty  papers 
bo  be  had  now  at  very  low  prices  ? 

Molly. — You  must  wear  black  satin  ribbon  round  the  waist 
of  your  pink  gown.  It  will  not  only  set  off  the  colour,  but  also 
make  your  figure  look  its  best.  Ribbon  sashes  are  worn  now, 
about  four  inches  wide.  Tan  gloves  will  go  nicely  with  it. 
Your  leghorn  hat  should  be  trimmed  with  white  wings  and  pink 
roses,  a  large  bow  of  black  satin  ribbon  being  tied  on  one  side. 
To  make  the  hat  becoming,  it  should  have  the  brim  lined  wivh 
black  or  dark  green  velvet. 

Our  Cookery  Column. 

A  Good  Rechauffe. — Mince  about  two  pounds  of  cold 
mutton,  if  underdone  so  much  the  better.  Season  it  with  pepper 
and  salt.  Soak  two  slices  of  stale  bread  or  toast  in  a  basin  of 
warm  milk  ;  beat  into  it  a  tablespoonful  of  tomato  sauce,  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  chopped  onion  and  half  that  quantity  of  chopped 
parsley,  and  a  dessertspoonful  of  curry  powder.  Add  the 
minced  mutton,  and  mix  all  these  ingredients  well  together. 
Roll  them  into  small  oval  shapes,  egg  and  breadcrumb  them,  and 
fry  them  in  boiling  fat. 

A  Delicious  Liqueur  (a  Dutch  recipe). — Dissolve  three 
pounds  of  sugar-candy  in  three  quarts  of  good  brandy  or  whis- 
key. Throw  in  six  ounces  cloves,  quarter-pound  cinnamon, 
half-pound  chopped  Tangerine  peel,  and  quarter-pound  whole 
ginger.  Mix  these  well,  so  that  the  spirit  will  penetrate  the 
mass.  Leave  it  in  a  deep  jar  for  a  month,  giving  it  a  good  shake 
every  day.    Strain  it  afterwards  through  a  jelly-bag. 

DE  OMNIBUS. 


\Oiving  to  the  temporary  indisposition  of  the  Con- 
ductor, the  Editor  has  been  compelled  this  week,  though 
with  some  reluctance,  to  entrust  this  column  to  Mr. 
Hanking 

Well,  and  it  was  about  time  too.  'Ere 's  my  mite  bin 
firin'  in  at  me  week  arter  week,  an'  it's  on'y  the  square 
thing  as  I  shud  'ave  my  chawnce  ter  talk  back.  And  if 
yer  awsts  me  whort  I  thinks  of  'im,  I'll  tell  yer  strife. 
'E's  a  bloomin'  sack  o'  pertiters,  that's  whort  'e  is. 
Nutthink  moves  'im.  'E  ain't  gort  no  more  sperrit  an' 
life  in  'im  nor  a  'alf-cooked  sossidge.  'Ere's  things 
'appenin'  every  dye  as  is  enough  ter  mike  a  man's  blood 
bile,  and  'e  don't  as  much  as  regawd  'em.  Look  at  the 
scandilus  corndishun  of  the  libur  mawkit  in  this  be- 
nighted Hingland  of  ars.  Look  at  the  millyings  of 
honest,  awd-wukkin'  tilers  as  'asn't  gort  nutthink  ter  do 
nor  nutthink  ter  eat.  Look  at  the  shimeful  luckshry 
and  extrevigawnce  of  these  bloated  and  bestial  hupper- 

Deapness  Cured. — A  Gentleman  sends,  post-free,  parucuitua  ui  a 
really  genuine  and  inexpensive  treatment.  Hundreds  of  cases  effectually 
cored.  Address  T.  D.  Kempe,  Southampton  Buildings,  Holborn,  London 


clawses.  Look  at  the  hopen  and  disgriceful  im- 
meralerties  of  the  errystorckracy.  As  fur  this  so- 
called  Royal  Fam'ly — [In  the  interests  of  the  paper 
it  has  been  thought  advisable  to  omit  what  Mr.  Hankin 
has  to  say  on  the  subject  of  the  Royal  Family.'] 
Well,  and  whort  does  my  mite  do  ?  Nutthink  ;  'e  don't 
trouble  'isself :  'e  lets  things  slide.  If  theer  was  a 
bloomin'  earthquike  ter-night,  devastitin'  the  'ole  of  the 
Metrolopus,  you'd  find  'im  a  settin'  on  the  top  of  the 
rooins  a-smokin'  of  'is  ole  clye  pipe,  jest  as  if  nutthink  'ad 
'appened.  As  fur  as  matters  of  public  hinterest  is  con- 
cerned, 'e  don't  seem  ter  have  no  more  feelin's  than  a 
bloomin'  oyster.  Sick'nin',  I  calls  it.  I  belongs  ter  the 
pawty  o'  progress,  and  I  ain't  ashimed  of  it.  I  don't 
call  myself  a  Lib'rul,  cos  I  goes  a  sight  further  nor  any 
of  your  poosilanermus  Roseberies  would  dare  ter  go.  1 
sees  the  banner  of  libutty  wivin'  in  the  distance,  like 
some  bright  staw  ter  beckun  of  us  honwuds.  Thet's 
whort  I  says — honwuds  and  hever  honwuds.  Do  awyc 
with  the  berriers  as  stands  in  ar  wye.  Darn  with  the 
capitulists  !  Darn  with  the  Chuch  !  hover  with 
the  landlords!  Bust  that  effete  and  ridickerlus 
institooshun,  the  'Ouse  of  Lords  !  Them  is  my  opinyuns, 
put  short.  Them  is  the  things  as  ararses  the 
enthoosiastic  surport  of  ev'ry  troo  and  hearnest 
reformer.  Ah,  it  ain't  horftun  as  I  gits  a  chaunce  of 
expressin'  of  my  voos  with  the  sime  publicerty  as  they 
deserves.  The  retrergressive  pawty  is  give  up  to  a 
conspirercy  ter  silince  and  put  darn  anythink  of  the 
kind.  If  I  sent  a  letter  ter  the  Times  noosepiper, 
would  it  be  put  in  ?  No.  If  I  was  ter  stand  hup  in 
'Yde  Pawk,  and  leckshur  on  the  vices  of  the  hupper- 
clawses,  would  the  hupper-clawses  gather  rarnd  ter 
'ear  themselves  rebooked  an'  castergited?  Never. 
The  reformer  in  my  persishun  in  life  cawn't  git  anyone 
ter  give  'im  a  fair  'earin. 

*  *  *  * 

My  mite's  darn  with  the  lumbager,  which  'as  took 
'im  in  the  back,  and  mide  'is  langwidge  unprintable. 
'E  'as  'is  points,  yer  know.  Steady  sort  o'  man  'e  is, 
and  dependerble.  But  'e  ain't  a  reformer,  and  'e  ain't 
no  use  in  awgymunt.  I've  talked  to  'im  some  nights  fur 
an  'ar  at  a  time,  and  at  the  end  of  it  farnd  'im  fawst 
asleep  with  the  pipe  dropped  art  of  'is  marth.  Whort 
can  yer  do  with  a  man  like  thet  1  Nutthink.  'E  don't 
tike  no  interest  in  the  burnin'  perlitikil  questshings  of 
the  dye.  Yer  caunt  rarse  'im  an'  inspire  'im  ter  acshing. 
As  I  says,  'e's  a  bloomin'  ole  sack  o'  pertiters.  As  fur 
'is  libellous  remawks  abart  me,  I  treats  'em  with  the 
corntempt  they  deserves.  And  I'm  gled  ter  have  the 
oppertoonity  of  showin'  the  public  'ow  totally  onfounded 
they  is. 


THE    CASE    OF    "THE  PASSPORT" 
AND   "VANITY  FAIR." 

COUNSEL  FOR  THE  PROSECUTION. 

I  shall  bring  evidence  before  you,  gentlemen  of  the 
jury,  that  the  audience,  on  arriving  at  Terry's  Theatre 
on  the  first  night  of  The  Passport,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  Dana,  received  with  their  programmes  a 
printed  slip,  signed  by  those  well-known  and  highly- 
esteemed  dramatists,  Mr.  B.  C.  Stephenson  and  Mr. 
William  Yardley,  admitting  their  indebtedness  to  a 
popular  American  novelist  for  one  incident  in  their 
play.  Now,  what  is  the  novel,  and  what  is  the  inci- 
dent?   Is  it  a  novel  incident  at.  all  1    I  will  tell  you. 

A  certain  Colonel  Savage  wrote  a  very  remarkable 
and  readable  book  called  "  My  Official  Wife,"  which  had 
an  enormous  popularity  both  in  America  and  England. 
The  incident  is  this:  — 

A  certain  English  diplomatist  ia  on  his  way  to  St. 

Who's  Who?  Is  he  reliable?  Is  the  Company  a  genuine  or  a 
bogus  one  ?  Do  you  want  to  know  ?  If  so  send  2s.  6d.  to  the  Investors' 
Protection  and  Information  Agency,  22,  Budge  Bow,  Cannon  Street, 
London,  E.C. 


396 


TO-DAY. 


Mat  4,  1895. 


Petersburg  to  visit  some  political  friends.    He  had  in- 
tended to  travel  with  his  wife,  to  whom  he  was  devotedly 
attached,  and  had  consequently  secured  in  Paris  a 
passport  for  two — a  man  and  a  woman.    But  he  went 
alone.    Arrived!  at  the  Russian  frontier,  he  is  accosted 
by  a  beautiful  woman  in  great  distress,  who  informs 
him  that  she  has  lost  her  own  passport,  and  is  bound 
to  get  into  Russia  somehow.    Taken  off  his  guard,  he 
consents  to  a  pious  fraud,  he  takes  her  under  his  pro- 
tection.     This   make-belief  wife    he    introduces  to 
his  friends,  Russian  and  English,  as  his  wife,  and  when 
in  Russia  discovers  to  his  horror  that  he  has  been  as- 
sisting a  Nihilist  of  the  most  notorious  kind,  well- 
known  to  the  foreign  police,  whose  mission  is  to  murder 
the  Czar.    Now  this  is  the  pivot  or  peg  of  the  novel 
of  Colonel  Savage.    But  this  is  not  all.    The  American 
author  has  dramatised  his  own  novel.    He  has  had  it 
copyrighted  in  England.    It  has,  I  understand,  been 
performed  in  America^,  and  the  English  rights  of  the 
piay  have  been  sold  to  Mr.  Edmund  Routledge,  the  well- 
known  publisher.      We  now  come   to    The  Passport. 
Again  a  man  travelling  to  Russia  on  business.  Again 
an  Englishman  with  a  double  passport  for  self  and  wife. 
Again  the  restaurant  on  the  Russian  frontier.  Once 
more  the  mysterious  female  who  wants  to  get  into 
Holy  Russia.    Encore  the  introductions.    But  there  the 
similarity  between  the  plays  and  the  book  ends  alto- 
gether.   There  is  no  more  Russia,  no  more  Nihilist  plot, 
no  attempt  at  the  assassination  of  the  Czar,  but  merely 
a  matrimonial  and  domestic  complication  arising  out 
of  the  difficulty  with  the  passport  and  the  Russian 
frontier.    In  fact  the  plot  of  "My  Official  Wife"  is 
wholly  in  Russia.      The  plotting  of   The  Passpiort  is 
three  parts  in  England. 

The  question  then,  gentlemen,  which  you  will  have  to 
discuss  under  his  lordship's1  direction  is,  "How  does 
Mr.  Edmund  Routledge  stand  in  the  matter?"  "How 
far  does  the  acknowledgment  of  a  borrowed  incident  on 
a  printed  slip  entitle  a  dramatic  author  to  use  as  a 
pivot  of  a  play  an  incident  that  has  before  been  used 
as  a  pivot  of  an  existing  novel  and  also  an  existing  play, 
the  latter  having  been  copyrighted  in  this  country  1 " 

I  will  now  direct  your  attention  to  the  case  of  Vanity 
Fair,  the  new  play  at  the  Court  Theatre,  which  has 
restored  the  welcome  name  of  Mr.  G.  W.  Godfrey  to  our 
list  of  dramatic  authors.  I  have  heard,  and  you  also 
have  heard,  a  great  deal  about  the  late  William  Make- 
peace Thackeray,  and  even  of  the  worthy  John  Bunyan  ;n 
this  connection. 

For  the  life  of  me  I  cannot  find  a  trace  of  them,  and 
I  am  sure  that  some  of  Mr.  Godfrey's  jokes  would  en- 
title the  author  of  "The  Pilgrim's  Progress"  to  turn 
in  his  Bedford  grave  with  pious  horror. 

The  title  of  the  play  is  no  doubt  a  good  one  for  a 
sketchy  work  that  does  not  profess  to  be  more  than  a 
caricature,  but  if  people  go  to  the  Court  to'  enjoy  the 
racy  fun  of  Mrs.  John  Wood,  and  expect  to  find  either 
Becky  Sharp  or  Mr.  Worldly  Wiseman,  they  will  be  dis- 
appointed. I  could  have  wished  also  that  Mr.  Godfrey 
had  been  advised  to  revise  his  text  before  production, 
and  to  have  boldly  cut  out  the  character  played  by  Mr. 
Vane  Tempest.  It  is  no  fault  of  the  actor,  but  we  do 
not  want  to  be  deliberately  reminded  of  a  certain  class 
of  dramatic  dialogue  which  is  offensive  to  the  public  at 
large,  and,  least  of  all,  to  recall  the  inventor  of  it. 

COUNSEL  FOR  THE  DEFENCE. 

The  air  is  full  of  rumours  of  injunctions  and  immedi- 
ate legal  proceedings  in  connection  with  the  disputed 
incident  in  The  Passport,  but  I,  for  one,  in  the  deliber- 
ate interests  of  the  healthy  public  who  like  a.  good  play, 
hope  that  nothing  will  be  done  to  interfere  with  the 
genuine  success  of  the  clever  work  of  Mr.  William  Yardley 
and  Mr.  B.  C.  Stephenson.  We  have  not  at  the  present 
moment  so  many  bright  and  well-written  comedies  that 
we  can  afford  to  kill  at  its  birth  the  work  that  has  so  suc- 
cessfully inaugurated  Mr.  Dana's  management.  Who 
could  afford  to  miss  the  character  of  the  New  Official 
Wife,  played  with  such  delightful  sense  of  humour  by  Miss 


Gertrude  Kingston,  one  of  the  best  things  she  has  ever 
done  in  recent  times,  notwithstanding  her  clever  per- 
formance in  Rebellious  Susan  ?  Nor  do  I  believe  that 
Mr.  Yorke  Stephens  and  Mr.  George  Giddens  have  ever 
acted  better.  You  will  find  here  what  is  so  seldom 
found  on  the  English  stage,  "  ensemble."  The  actors 
and  actresses  are  not  treading  on  one  another's  toes  and 
heels,  but  are  working  in  artistic  harmony. 

And  now  with  regard  to  my  learned  friend's  suggest 
tion  about  the  borrowed  incident.  I  would  seriously  ask 
this  very  pertinent  question :  Is  it  not  possible  that 
both  Colonel  Savage,  the  author  of  "  My  Official  Wife," 
and  the  authors  of  The  Passport  borrowed  what  I  will 
call  the  Russian  frontier  incident  from  a  common 
source?  How,  if  it  can  be  proved,  that  it  existed  pre- 
viously in  a  French  novel,  a  French  play?  Such  extra- 
ordinary coincidences  have  been  heard  of  before  in 
dramatic  literature.  Anyhow,  every  effort  should  be 
made  to  effect  some  sort  of  compromise  by  which  The 
Passport  already  circulated  should  be  allowed  to  carry 
authors,  artists,  and  managers  over  the  frontier  of 
success. 

With  all  due  deference  to  my  learned  friend,  I  cannot 
see  why  Mr.  G.  W.  Godfrey  should  be  judged  for  doing 
what  he  certainly  has  never  done.  I  do  not  see  any 
trace  on  the  playbills  of  any  allusion  to  Thackeray  or 
Bunyan.  I  can  only  see  the  title  of  Vanity  Fair,  which 
was  certainly  used  by  the  great  English  satirist  and  the 
great  Bedford  Baptist.  Mr.  Godfrey  calls  his  play  what 
it  most  certainly  is — "  a  caricature"  clever,  sharp,  amus- 
ing, often,  no  doubt,  acid  and  caustic.  Few  caricatures 
exist  without  these  qualities.  But,  gentlemen,  when 
you  hear,  as  you  will  hear,  that  the  plot  of  Vanity  Fair 
is  trivial  almost  to  commonplace  when  you  are  gravely 
told  that  aristocrats  are  not  necessarily  snobs;  that 
rowdy  music-hall  songs  are  not  sung  in  Mayfair  drawing- 
rooms  ;  that  the  duke  made  up  as  Dizzy  is  as  impossible 
a  character  as  is  the  outrageous  cad  represented  as  a 
South  African  millionaire  by  Mr.  Anson ;  that  some  of 
the  sentiments  of  the  supposed  well-bred  ladies  of 
society  made  you  shudder — then  remember,  I  say,  that 
Mr.  Godfrey  calls  his  play  a  "caricature,"  and  remember 
also  that  caricatures  are  as  a  rule  exaggerations  and 
unavoidably  out  of  drawing.  But  at  the  same  time, 
gentlemen,  do  not  forget  that  the  leading  character  of 
Vanity  Fair,  a  fashionable  but  vulgar  woman,  who 
believes  she  is  a  bigamist,  is  played  by  Mrs.  John  Wood, 
and  played  by  her  with  an  accent  and  a  force  of  humour 
entitled  to  the  very  highest  praise  and  consideration. 
Mrs.  John  Wood's  single  performance  of  the  uninten- 
tional bigamist,  her  flow  of  animal  spirits,  her  marvel- 
lous sense  of  witticism,  and  her  undoubted  power  of 
carrying  a  whole  play  on  her  shoulders  to  success,  ought 
to  fill  the  Court  Theatre  for  the  rest  of  the  season.  Mrs. 
John  Wood  has  never  done  anything  finer  in  her  life 
than  her  address  to  the  judge  from  the  Old  Bailey 
dock  in  the  dream  scene  borrowed  from  a  well-known 
original. 

THE  JUDGE. 

I  need  scarcely  remind  my  learned  friend,  the  counsel 
for  the  defence  in  connection  with  The  Passport  case, 
that  assertions  and  conjectures  are  not  argument,  and 
that  in  a  Court  of  Law  we  want  proof.  I  am  aware  that 
both  Mr.  B.  G.  Stephenson  and  Mr.  Yardley  are  very 
familiar  with  the  French  stage,  and  if  they  can  prove 
that  the  Russian  frontier  incident  exists  in  a  French 
play  or  French  novel,  and  is  therefore  common  property, 
then,  of  course,  The  Passport  need  not  be  torn  or  dis- 
figured. It  is  a  delicate  and  difficult  matter,  but  the 
rights  of  authors  and  proprietors  must  be  respected. 

In  the  matter  of  Vanity  Fair  it  has  been  proved  to 
my  satisfaction  that  the  play  wants  considerable  curtail- 
ment. I  should,  therefore,  advise  the  strong  abridg- 
ment or  even  absolute  elimination  of  the  character  of 
Bertie  Rosevere,  played  by  Mr.  Vane  Tempest,  for  a 
reason  that  will  be  patent  to  all  regular  playgoers,  and 
also  a  vigorous  curtailing  of  the  dream  scene,  but  not 
one  word  of  Mrs.  John  Wood's  speech. 


May  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


397 


The  List  of  Applications  will  open  on  Monday,  the  29th  April,  and  close  on  or  before  Tuesday,  the  30th  April,  1895, 
at  4  p.m,  for  Town,  and  the  following  Morning  for  the  Country. 

Louise  &  Co.,  Limited, 


r  MADAME  LOUISE, 

Consisting  of  Five  Separate  Businesses   in  Regent-street,  Oxford-street,  Brompton-road,  and  elsewhere. 

Incorporated  under  the  Companies  Acts,  1862  to  1893,  whereby  the  liability  of  the  Shareholders  is  limited  to  the  amount  of  their  Shares. 

CAPITAL        ....  £163,000, 

Divided  into  80,000  Cumulative  5  J  %  Preference  Shares  of£l  each,  80,000  Ordinary  Shares  of  £1  each,  3,000  Founders'  Shares  of  £1  each 

The  Preference  Shares  will  be  entitled  out  of  the  profits  to  a  fixed  Cumulative  Preferential  Dividend  of  5|  per  cent,  per  annum, 
payable  half-yearly  on  the  1st  February  and  1st  August  in  each  year,  and  they  will  also  be  entitled  to  rank  in  respect  of  Capital  and 
Dividend  on  the  Property  and  Assets  of  the  Company  in  priority  to  the  Ordinary  and  Founders'  Shares.  The  first  Dividend  will  be 
calculated  from  the  due  dates  of  the  Instalments. 

After  payment  in  each  year  of  a  Dividend  of  7  per  cent,  on  the  Ordinary  Shares,  the  surplus  profits,  subject  to  the  provision  of  a 
Keserve  Fund,  will  be  divisible  in  equal  moieties  between  the  holders  of  the  Ordinary  and  Founders'  Shares. 

It  is  not  in  contemplation  to  create  any  Debenture  Debt  or  Mortgages,  so  that  the  Preference  Shares  will  be  the  first  capital 
charge  upon  the  undertaking. 

45,350  Ordinary  Shares  and  37,000  Preference  Shares  have  already  been  applied  for  by  the  Directors  and  their  friends,  employees, 
and  others,  and  applications  at  par  for  the  remaining  Preference  and  Ordinary  Shares  may  be  lodged  with  the  Company's 
Bankers,  payable  as  follows  :— 5s.  per  Share  on  Application,  5s.  per  share  on  Allotment,  and  10s.  on  the  1st  of  June,  1895. 


DIRECTORS. 

D.  H.  EVANS,  314,  Oxford-street,  W.,  Chairman. 

R.  W.  BURBIDGE,  Wraxhall,  Castelnau,  Barnes,  S.W. 

JAMES  BOYTON,  6,  Vere-street,  W. 

J.  B.  THOMPSON,  266,  Regent-street,  W.,  Managing  Director. 
BANKERS. 

LONDON  AND  COUNTY  BANKING  COMPANY,  LIMITED, 
21,  Lombard-street,  E.C.,  and  Branches. 

BROKERS. 

JOHN  PRUST  AND  CO.,  37,  Throgmorton-sfcreet,  E.C. 
SOLICITOR. 
ALFRED  R.  GERY,  2,  Vere-street,  W. 
SECRETARY  (pro  tern.)  AND  OFFICES. 
THOMAS  NEVELL,  26,  Leadenhall-buildings,  Leadenhall-street,  E.C. 


PROSPECTUS. 

This  Company  has  been  formed  to  acquire  as  a  going  concern  and  extend 
the  prosperous  and  well-known  business  of  Bonnet  Makers  and  Milliners, 
carried  on  under  the  styles  of — 

l?VJS\A*rA?mn  W"  ( ^S^eet  and  M 

Marguerite,  234,  Oxford-street,  W.  ^  Oxford-street 

Louise  and  Co.,  210,  210a,  Regent-street,  W. 

Louise  and  Co.,  59,  Brompton-road,  S.W. 

The  Bonnet  Box,  74,  75,  High-street,  Shoreditch,  E. 

The  principal  branches  of  the  business  are  situated  in  Regent-street  and 
Oxford-street,  two  of  the  busiest  thoroughfares  of  the  West  End  of  London  ; 
they  have  for  many  years  been  firmly  established  in  public  favour,  and  enjoy 
a  world-wide  reputation  for  novelty  of  design  and  excellence  of  taste. 

The  business  was  founded  upwards  of  twenty-five  years  ago  by  Mrs.  E.  A. 
Thompson  (known  as  "  Madame  Louise  "),  who  has,  with  the  active  support 
of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  E.  L.  Webb,  and  her  son,  Mr.  J.  B.  Thompson, 
developed  it  from  comparatively  small  proportions  until  it  has  reached  its 
present  foremost  position  in  the  trade ;  the  profits  made  in  the  business,  as 
shown  hereunder,  and  the  fact  that  the  name  of  the  firm  has  become  a 
household  word  in  fashionable  circles,  clearly  indicate  that  the  management 
is  conducted  on  a  sound  commercial  basis. 

The  success  of  the  firm  is  in  a  large  measure  due  to  the  principle  adopted 
of  keeping  stock  representing  the  very  latest  designs  of  fashions  and  of  the 
best  quality  only,  which  has  the  double  advantage  of  securing  the  cus- 
tomers' approval,  and  of  avoiding  loss  through  deterioration  in  condition. 
The  turnover  having  reached  very  large  dimensions,  the  stock-in-trade  is, 
on  an  average,  sold  more  than  twenty  times  in  the  course  of  a  year,  and  is 
therefore  always  fresh  and  clean. 

The  great  vitality  of  the  business  and  the  existing  capabilities  of  expan- 
sion, point  to  its  becoming,  with  continued  judicious  management,  still 
more  successful  in  the  future,  and  this  view  is  confirmed  by  the  striking 
success  and  rapid  development  attained  by  other  retail  businesses  which, 
after  their  conversion  into  Joint  Stock  Companies,  have  almost  invariably 
experienced  a  considerable  addition  of  public  support. 

The  main  premises,  on  which  the  Business  is  conducted,  consist  of  a 
number  of  conveniently  adapted  and  luxuriously  appointed  shops  in  excep- 
tionally favourable  positions  in  the  West  End,  and  a  reference  to  the 
sketches  accompanying  the  Prospectus  will  be  of  interest,  as  showing  the 
extent  of  the  frontages  and  character  of  the  premises.  Considerable  sums 
of  money  have  been  expended  in  adapting  same  to  the  requirements  of  the 
business,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  Shoreditch  premises,  they  are 
efficiently  provided  throughout  the  buildings  with  Fixtures,  Fittings, 
Electric  Light  and  other  modern  appliances  necessary  for  expeditiously 
carrying  on  the  large  trade. 

The  valuable  and  extensive  leasehold  premises  in  Regent-street,  Oxford- 
street,  and  High-street,  Shoreditch,  to  be  acquired  by  the  Company  are 
held  for  unexpired  terms  varying  from  about  25|  years  to  10$  years,  and 
those  in  Brompton  -  road  for  about  2J  years,  at  a  total  annual  rental  of 
£3,560.  A  part  of  the  premises  in  Regent-circus  was  sub-let  many  years  ago 
at  a  rental  of  £400  per  annum,  until  March,  1899.  This  site  is  in  one  of  the 
best  trade  centres  in  the  whole  of  London,  and  will,  so  soon  as  available, 
form  a  most  valuable  addition  to  the  Company's  premises 

Mrs  E.  A  Thompson,  the  founder  of  the  business,  as  well  as  Mrs.  Webb, 
have  entered  into  an  Agreement  with  the  Company  to  continue  the  active 
management  of  the  business  for  a  term  of  not  less  than  three  years,  whilst 
Mr.  J.  B.  Thompson  has,  under  a  similar  Agreement,  joined  the  Board  as 
Managing  Director,  their  total  remuneration  having  been  fixed  at  £1,000  per 
annum,  payable  out  of  the  Company's  net  profits  exceeding  £10,000,  so  that 
they  will  receive  no  remuneration  until  the  Ordinary  Shareholders  have 
received  at  least  7  per  cent,  per  annum. 

The  other  members  of  the  Board  are  also  all  practical  business  men  con- 
nected with  other  successful  trading  establishments. 

The  existing  arrangements  with  the  experienced  staff  of  Assistants  will 
also  be  continued,  and  it  is  proposed  to  make  a  judicious  and  liberal  allot- 
ment of  the  Company's  Share  Capital  to  applications  received  from  the 
staff,  as  well  as  from  customers,  so  that  they  will  have  a  direct  interest  in 
the  increasing  prosperity  of  the  business. 

As  the  business  is  carried  on  almost  entirely  for  cash,  practically  no  bad 
debts  are  incurred  ;  the  average  losses  during  the  last  four  years  have  been 
less  than  £60  per  annum. 

Messrs.  Viney,  Price,  and  Goodyear,  the  well-known  Chartered 
Accountants,  have  examined  the  books  and  accounts  of  the  business,  which 


have  been  very  carefully  kept,  and  their  certificate  as  to  profits  earned  is 
as  follows  ■ — 

99,  Cheapside,  London,  E.C,  20th  April,  1895. 
The  Directors  of  Louise  and  Co.  (Limited). 

Dear  Sirs,— We  have  acted  for  some  years  as  Accountants  to  the  firm  of 
Louise  and  Co.,  and  have  prepared  their  Annual  Balance  Sheets  and  Profit 
and  Loss  Accounts 

We  certify  that  the  Profits  of  the  Businesses  carried  on  at  the  following 
establishments,  viz.,  N03.  210  and  210A,  Regent-street,  Nos.  266  and  268, 
Regent-street,  So.  234,  Oxford-street,  No.  59,  Brompton-road,  during  the 
four  years  ending  23rd  February,  1895,  and  including  also  the  shop  at  Nos. 
74  and  75,  High-street,  Shoreditch,  for  four  years  ending  31st  December, 
1894,  have  been  as  follows  : — 

Year  1891,  ending  23rd  February,  1892    £10,629  0  9 

„    1892,      „      23rd        „         1893    11,384  13  5 

„    1893,      „      23rd        „         1894    13,438    3  8 

„    1894,      „      23rd        ,,         1895    13,099   7  9 

In  these  accounts  due  provision  has  been  made  for  Depreciation  of  Leases, 
Fixtures  and  Furniture,  and  for  Bad  Debts.  Interest  on  Capital  and 
Remuneration  of  Partners  employed  in  the  Business,  have  not  been  charged 
against  the  Profit.  We  also  certify  that  during  the  above  four  years  the 
Cash  Sales  have  averaged  88fc  per  cent,  of  the  total  turnover. 
We  are,  dear  Sirs,  yours  faithfully, 

VINEY,  PRICE,  &  GOODYEAR,  Chartered  Accountants. 

The  price  to  be  paid  for  the  whole  of  the  valuable  leasehold  properties, 
including  the  stock-in-trade,  the  goodwill  of  the  business,  the  fixtures, 
fittings,  furniture,  house  linen,  electric  lighting,  and  other  goods,  chattels, 
and  effects  connected  with  the  business,  has  been  fixed  by  the  Vendors, 
who,  as  promoters,  make  a  profit,  at  £157,500,  payable  as  to  one-half  in  cash 
and  one-half  in  Ordinary  or  Preference  Shares  or  cash,  or  partly  in  cash 
and  partly  in  shares  at  the  option  of  the  Company. 

The  financial  year  of  the  business  closed  on  the  23rd  February  last,  and 
the  business,  together  with  the  benefit  of  all  contracts  made  and  profits 
accruing  as  from  that  date,  less  interest  at  5  per  cent,  per  annum  on  the 
purchase  money  up  to  date  of  completion,  will  be  transferred  to  the  Com- 
pany. It  has  been  further  agreed  that  the  Book  Debts  outstanding  at  the 
date  of  the  stock-taking  on  the  23rd  February  last  are  to  be  collected  by 
the  Company  for  account  of  the  Vendors,  who  will,  on  the  other  hand,  dis- 
charge all  liabilities  up  to  the  same  date. 

The  turnover  of  the  business  in  the  current  year  is  considerably  ahead  of 
the  corresponding  period  last  year. 

It  is  intended,  as  soon  as  the  necessary  arrangements  can  be  made,  to 
open  other  establishments  in  neighbourhoods  where  their  want  is  felt,  and 
the  Directors  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  these  additions,  conducted  on 
principles  which  have  proved  so  successful,  will  add  materially  to  the 
Company's  income. 

It  is  also  intended  to  carry  out  a  plan  which  has  for  years  been  considered 
and  matured  by  Mrs.  Thompson,  of  extending  the  scope  of  the  business  by 
adding  a  high-class  dressmaking  department,  and  there  are  many  circum- 
stances in  the  conditions  of  the  present  business  which  augur  well  for  the 
success  of  such  new  departure. 

Taking  the  net  profits  of  £13,699  as  a  basis,  without  any  further  increase, 
there  will  be  required  to  pay — 

5i  per  cent,  interest  on  £80,000  Preference  Shares. .  ..  £4,400 
7  per  cent,  interest  on  £80,000  Ordinary  Shares    ..      ..  £5,60C 

Total      ..      ..  £10,000 
Leaving  a  surplus  of  £3,699  for  management  expenses,  additional  divi- 
dend and  reserve. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  present  net  income  covers  the  amount  required 
for  payment  of  interest  on  the  Preference  Shares  nearly  three  times  over. 

With  the  influx  of  trade  from  the  above  extensions,  the  Directors  hope 
that  an  annual  net  profit  sufficient  to  pay  12  per  cent,  dividend  on  the 
Ordinary  Shares  may  soon  be  anticipated,  which,  with  the  publicity  given 
to  the  business  by  its  conversion  into  a  Joint  Stock  Company,  and  the 
direct  interest  of  employees  and  customers  in  its  prosperity,  should  be 
further  increased,  when  a  more  prosperous  condition  of  business  returns 
after  the  period  of  depression  through  which  trade  generally  has  passed. 

The  following  approximate  present  Market  quotations  are  an  indication 
of  the  appreciation  in  which  investments  in  similar  successful  retail  busi- 
nesses are  held : — 

Ordinary  Shares.        Preference  Shares. 

Harrod's   Stores  (Limited), 

formed  in  1889   £1  Shares  70/-  —  75/-  Nil. 

D.  H.  Evansand  Co.  (Limited), 

formed  in  1894    £1  Shares  45/-  —  47/6   £1  Shares  25/-  —  27/6 

J.     R.      Roberts'  Stores 

(Limited),  formed  in  1894  ..  £1  Shares  27/6  —  30/-  £1  Shares  23/9  —  25/- 
John  Barker  and  Company 

(Limited),  formed  in  1894  . .  £1  Shares  45/-  —  50/-  £5  Shares    £6  5/- 

The  Founders'  Shares  have  all  been  applied  for,  and  will  be  allotted  in  full 
to  the  Vendors  or  their  nominees,  who  have  guaranteed  the  subscription  of 
the  Capital  required  by  the  Company,  so  that  the  Company  will  commence 
its  business  with  the  whole  of  its  capital  assured. 

Application  will  be  made  for  a  settlement  and  quotation  on  the  Stock 
Exchange. 

Applications  for  Ordi  nary  and  Preference  Shares  should  be  made  on  the 
form  accompanying  the  Prospectus,  and  forwarded  to  the  London  and 
County  Banking  Company  (Limited*,  21,  Lombard-street,  E.C,  or  their 
Branches,  with  a  remittance  for  the  amount  of  the  deposit. 

Prospectuses  and  Forms  of  Application  can  be  obtained"  at  the  Offices  of 
the  Company,  from  the  Bankers,  and  from  the  Solicitor. 

London,  26th  April,  1895. 


398 


TO-DAY. 


May  4,  1895. 


IN  THE  CITY. 


ANOTHER  DRUG  STORE  DEAL- 

Some  little  time  ago  we  warned  the  public  against  applying  for 
shares  in  Lewis  and  Burrows'  Drug  Stores,  Limited.  This,  as 
our  readers  will  remember,  was  a  Company  with  a  capital  of 
£100,000  brought  out  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring,  amalgamating, 
and  working  eleven  drug  stores  in  different  parts  of  London. 
We  have  now  a  more  ambitious  issue  in  the  shape  of  the 
Chemists'  Co-operative  Society,  Limited.  Instead  of  a  capital 
of  £100,000,  we  have  one  of  £200,000;  instead  of  eleven  drug 
stores  to  be  taken  over  forty  have  been  acquired, 
and  the  option  given  of  thirty-six  others ;  instead 
of  net  profits  of  £6,905  we  have  net  profits  of  £22,905,  and  in- 
stead of  £65,900  taken  by  vendors,  they  are  to  receive  £122,500. 
But  in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other  the  deal  ought  not,  in  our 
opinion,  to  commend  itself  to  the  public. 

In  commenting  upon  this  issue  our  able  contemporary  the 
Financial  Times,  observes:  "If  the  Chemists'  Co-operativo 
Society  enables  the  public  to  get  good  drugs  and  medicines 
below  the  present  exorbitant  charges,  it  will  not  have  lived  in 
vain."  But  are  the  present  charges  exorbitant  in  the  class  of 
shops  with  which  the  Company  proposes  to  compete?  We  do 
not  think  so.  The  Company's  drugs  are  to  be  sold  "  on  the  co- 
operative principle  for  cash  at  prices  which,  whilst  below  those 
charged  by  ordinary  chemists  and  druggists,  will  yield  a  fair 
return  for  the  capital  invested."  In  other  words,  these  drugs 
are  to  be  sold  at  "  Store"  prices.  That  this  is  the  correct  in- 
ference from  the  words  we  have  quoted  may  be  gathered  from 
another  part  of  the  prospectus,  where  we  are  told  that  good 
profits  are  to  be  earned  by  "  businesses  carried  on  under  good 
and  enterprising  management,"  and  that  a  notable  proof  of  this 
is  to  be  found  in  the  Army  and  Navy  Co-operative  Society. 

The  fallacy  of  this  reasoning  is  apparent.  The  managers  of  the 
Army  and  Navy  Stores  have  done  more  than  anybody  else  to 
bring  down  the  price  of  drugs.  In  days  gone  by  chemists 
charges  were  exorbitant,  and  we  see  the  result  in  the  disap- 
pearance of  Corbyn  and  Stacey  from  Cheapside.  Even  now  there 
are  a  good  many  chemists,  controlling  well-established  businesses, 
and  fortified  by  a  good  connection,  who  make  fair  profits  upon 
their  sales.  But  if  the  Army  and  Navy  Stores  relied  upon  their 
drugs  department  theirs  would  be  a  case  of  buying  and  selling  and 
livingby  the  loss.  It  is  very  doubtful  whether  the  drug  department 
of  the  Army  and  Navy  Stores  covers  expenses,  save  indirectly 
by  bringing  general  customers  to  the  Stores.  It  is  certain  that 
the  chemists  who  sell — as  the  Company  under  discussion  will 
have  to  sell — at  store  prices  find  it  extremely  difficult  to  make 
a  living  profit.  From  being  one  of  the  most  profitable  the 
chemist's  and  druggist's  business  is  becoming  one  of  the  least  pro- 
fitable of  trades. 

The  prospectus  gives  the  average  net  profit  of  each  of  the 
businesses  to  be  taken  over  at  £310,  and  the  average  purchase 
price  at  £1,610,  that  is  to  say  over  five  years'  purchase  of  net 
profits  is  to  be  paid  for  each  shop.  This  includes  "  valuable  leasesi 
goodwills,  the  extensive  shop  and  other  fittings,  fixtures,  plant, 
and  the  stocks  in  trade,  proprietaries,  and  trade  marks."  But  as 
to  the  market  value  of  these  things  there  is  nothing  to  guide  us 
except  a  certificate  which  is  as  unsatisfactory  as  it  is  possible 
for  such  a  document  to  be.  We  quote  it  in  extenso  that  the 
public  may  judge  for  themselves  : — 

We  have  examined  the  accounts  of  forty  chemists'  businesses  in 
London  and  |the  provinces]  set  forth  in  the  accompanying  schedule, 
and  beg  to  report  to  you  as  follows : — 

We  found  it  was  not  the  practice  to  take  stock,  but  from  the  books 
and  accounts  submitted  to  us,  supplemented  by  information  furnished 
by  the  proprietors,  we  find  that  the  aggregate  of  the  sales  during  the 
period  examined  amounted  to  £173,543,  and  that  the  profit  thereon, 
after  payment  of  rent,  rates,  taxes,  and  the  other  usual  outgoings, 
amounted  to  £42,374,  being  at  the  rate  of  twenty-four  per  cent. 

The  sales  for  the  last  complete  year  of  the  above-mentioned 
businesses  amounted  to  £43,789,  and  the  profits  to  £11,905. 

In  arriving  at  these  profits,  the  salaries  of  managers  or  assistants, 
where  employed,  have  been  deducted,  but  no  charge  has  been  made 
for  the  services  of  the  proprietors,  nor  for  interest  on  capital. 

"  It  was  not  the  practice  to  take  stock."  Is  it  the  practice  of 
"high-class  pharmacies  and  stores" — to  quote  the  prospectus 
description  of  these  concerns — to  dispense  with  stock-taking? 
We  should  be  greatly  surprised  to  have  an  answer  in  the  affirma- 
tive  from  competent  authority.  But  let  us  proceed.  From  the 
"  books  and  accounts  "  submitted  to  them,  and  from  "informa- 
tion furnished  by  the  proprietors,"  Messrs.  Kemp,  Ford,  and  Co. 
have  been  able  to  find  that,  over  an  unnamed  period,  the  profit 


was  at  the  rate  of  twenty-four  per  cent.  As  fo»  "  the  sales  for  the 
last  complete  year,"  whenever  that  "may  have  been,  they  are  no 
guide  without  further  information,  not  to  be  found  in  the  pre- 
spectus.  And  this  certificate,  such  as  it  is,  only  applies  to  the 
forty  shops  actually  purchased.  About  the  other  thirty-six  there 
is  no  information.  Yet  of  the  £23,905,  estimated  net  profit, 
£11.000  is  to  be  attributed  to  these  thirty-six  shops  ! 

We  notice  one  pleasant  difference  between  the  estimates 
of  this  Company  and  those  given  by  Lewis  and  Burrows'  Drug 
Stores,  Limited.  There  is  no  trash  about  the  reduction  of  manage- 
ment expenses.  It  is  frankly  admitted  that  the  "  salaries  of 
managers"  and  "administration  expenses"  will  cost  £10,000. 
But  if  you  take  £10,000  from  £22,905— the  estimated  profits  of 
the  forty  shops— you  have  only  £12,905,  and  that  will  not  meet 
7  per  cent,  on  £100,000,  give  a  reasonable  dividend  to  £100,000 
ordinary  share  capital,  and  leave  something  for  reserve.  So  a 
further  profit  has  to  be  found,  and  this  is  to  be  got  to  the  tune 
of  £12,000  "from  the  employment  of  the  balance  of  the  share 
capital."  Apparently,  other  sites  are  to  be  purchased,  and 
drug  stores  opened.  For  example,  the  shop  and  basement  of  "  a 
handsome  corner  building  about  to  be  erected  by  the  vendors  " 
at  24  and  25,  King  William  Street,  are  to  be  used  for  the  pur- 
pose of  a  drug  stores.  Well,  it  may  be  when  the  "  handsome 
corner  building  "  has  been  erected  it  will  be  found  as  easy  to 
build  up  a  good  drug  store  business  on  the  site  as  to  put  up  the 
building  itself,  but  that  is  purely  hypothetical,  as  is  nearly 
everything  else  connected  with  this  ambitious  drug  store  deal. 

As  for  the  Board  they  are  all  very  worthy  gentlemen,  but 
we  have  yet  to  learn  that  any  one  of  them  knows  much 
about  drugs,  unless  it  be  Dr.  Clark,  who  in  distant  days  may 
have  written  prescriptions. 

LOUISE  AND  CO..  LIMITED. 

The  public  appetite  for  drapery  companies  grows  upon  what 
it  feeds  on.  Some  five  or  six  drapery  companies  have  been  brought 
out  during  the  last  six  or  eight  months,  and  in  every  case  the 
shares  have  been  applied  for  several  times  over.  The  last  issue, 
that  of  T.  R.  Roberts,  Limited,  was  applied  for  six  or  eight  times 
over.  Many  applicants  had  their  cheques  returned,  being 
unable  to  get  even  a  small  proportion  of  the  shares  they  asked 
for.  Nor  is  it  surprising  that  at  a  time  when  investors  are 
once  more  ceasing  to  appreciate  the  sweet  simplicity  of  the 
Three  per  Cents. — or  what  stands  for  them  in  these  days — sound 
drapery  companies  are  eagerly  welcomed  by  the  public.  During 
the  last  few  days  two  of  the  companies  recently  formed 
have  been  able  to  present  a  statement  of  affairs  which  has 
borne  out  prospectus  promises,  whilst  the  shares  of  these  various 
companies  all  stand  at  a  substantial  premium,  and  some  of  them 
at  a  very  large  one. 

Encouraged  by  the  success  of  the  flotations  to  which  we  have 
referred,  the  great  millinery  establishment  In  Regent  Street  so 
well  known  as  "Louise  "  is  about  to  become  "Louise  and  Co., 
Ltd."  The  businesses  to  be  taken  over  by  the  Company  of 
this  name  include,  besides  "  Louise "  of  Regent  Street,  four 
other  well-known  millinery  establishments.  These  businesses 
are  now  to  be  worked  by  one  management,  and  the 
directorate  of  the  Company  is  a  strong  and  practical 
one.  Mr.  D.  H.  Evans,  of  D.  H.  Evans,  Ltd.,  is  the 
chairman,  whilst  Mr.  Burbidge,  of  Harrod's  Stores,  Ltd., 
and  Mr.  Thompson,  one  of  the  proprietors,  are  also  on  the  Board  ; 
and  Mrs.  Thompson  and  Mrs.  VVebb,  the  other  two  partners, 
remain  as  manageresses. 

The  profits  of  the  amalgamated  businesses  show,  as  certified  by 
Messrs.  Viney,  Price  and  Goodyear,  steadily  improving  results. 
In  1891-2  they  were  £10,629;  in  1892-3,  £11,384;  in  1893-4, 
£13,438  ;  and  in  1894-5,  £13,699.  The  capital  of  the  Company  is 
to  be  £163,000,  divided  into  80,000  Cumulative  Five-and-a-half 
per  Cent.  Preference  shares  of  £1  each,  80,000  Ordinary  shares 
of  £1  each,  and  3,000  Founders'  shares.  Assuming  the  profits 
to  remain  at  last  year's  figures — and  the  prospectus  anticipates 
considerable  improvement  from  conversion  and  amalgamation — 
they  would  be  sufficient,  after  meeting  the  Preference  dividend, 
to  pay  7  per  cent,  on  the  Ordinary  shares,  and  leave  a  surplus  of 
£3,699.  The  Preference  shares  of  this  issue  seem,  therefore, 
an  exceptionally  safe  and  desirable  investment.  It  should 
be  pointed  out  that,  contrary  to  what  might  be  supposed 
to  be  the  practice  with  such  businesses  as  those  under  notice> 
SO  per  cent,  of  the  trade  done  by  the  establishments  to  be 
known  in  future  as  "  Louise  and  Co.,  Limited,"  is  a  cash 
business. 


May  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


399 


Louise  and  Co.,  Limited,  is  brought  out  under  the  auspices  of 
Mr.  W.  Mendel,  of  Messrs.  Andre,  Mendel  and  Co. ,  who  has  been 
responsible  for  the  formation  of  nearly  all  the  recent  drapery 
companies,  beginning  with  Harrod's  Stores,  Limited,  to  which  we 
refer  above.  We  are  informed  that  more  than  half  the  share 
capital  of  Louise  and  Co. ,  Limited,  has  already  been  applied  for 
by  directors,  employes  and  their  friends,  and  it  may  be  safely 
assumed  that  the  applications  for  the  shares  now  offered  will 
be  greatly  in  excess  of  the  number  of  shares  available  for 
distribution .  Be  that  as  it  may,  we  note  with  pleasure  that  there 
is  to  be  a  pro  rata  allotment.    That  is  as  it  should  be. 

LORD  DUDLEY   AND  THE  PUBLIC. 

We  have  received  the  following  letter  from  another  share- 
holder in  the  Round  Oak  Iron  and  Steel  Works,  Ltd.  : — 

As  a  considerable  shareholder  in  this  Company  I  feel  that  I  ought 
to  express  to  you  my  thanks  for  the  very  able  article  which  appears  in 
your  last  issue. 

It  is,  at  any  rate,  some  satisfaction  to  those  who  were  deluded  into 
subscribing  for  shares,  and  who  must  natur  ly  have  believed  that  the 
fact  of  the  vendor  being  a  man  occupying  a  y< .  y  high  position  in  society 
must  necessarily  be  a  guarantee  of  the  absolute  honesty  and  veracity 
of  all  statements  contained  in  the  prospectus,  to  find  that,  notwith- 
standing the  quietude  which  has  attended  the  winding-up  of  the 
Company,  the  public  will  still  have  an  opportunity  of  forming  an 
opinion  as  to  the  commercial  acumen  displayed  in  its  flotation. 

Your  article  will  not  have  been  written  in  vain  if  it  only  serves  to 
put  too  credulous  people  on  their  guard. 

I  can  only  endorse  what  your  correspondent  has  written.  I  may,  as 
a  sufferer  myself,  feel  more  strongly  than  I  should  do  ;  but  I  am  sure, 
that  whatever  promoters  or  vendors  may  think,  the  average  share- 
holder will  agree  with  me  in  wondering  that  such  things  can  be. 

If  Lord  Dudley  can  read  that  letter  without  feeling  some  shame 
we  shall  be  surprised. 

We  have  also  received  the  following  letter  from  a  Dunbar 
correspondent : — 

As  a  holder  of  thirty  shares  in  Earl  Dudley's  Round  Oak  Iron  Works. 
I  was  most  pleased  to  read  >our  remarks  in  last  week's  issue  of  To-Day, 
Could  not  the  shareholders  combine,  and  make  the  vendors  disgorge? 

The  following  letter  touches  the  action  of  the  Company  in 
another  direction.  It  comes  from  a  Darlington  correspondent: — 

Speing  the  paragraph  in  To-Day,  headed  "An  Earl  and  His 
Collieries,''  I  should  like  to  inform  you  of  the  treatment  I  received  at 
the  hands  of  the  management  of  "  The  Earl  of  Dudley's  Round  Oak 
Iron  and  Steel  Works,  Limited." 

This  Company  bought  from  me  early  last  year  scrap  iron  to  the  value 
of  about  £35,  agreeing  at  the  same  time  to  supply  me  with  their  manu- 
factured iron  to  that  value  in  lieu  of  making  a  cash  payment. 

I  forwarded  the  specification  of  the  iron  I  required,  and  received  an 
invoice  stating  that  the  iron  was  ready  for  despatch,  and  they  were 
only  waiting  for  my  cheque  in  payment,  I  thereupon  pointed  out  that 
the  iron  was  already  paid  for,  and  that  I  did  not  intend  to  pay  twice 
for  it. 

After  a  great  deal  of  correspondence,  in  which  they  made  repeated 
promises  of  settling  at  an  early  date,  I  received  from  the  liquidator 
i  his  month  a  cheque  for  £17,  being  10s.  in  the  £  in  settlement  of  my 
account. 

JUSTICE  IN    THE  TRANSVAAL- 

Referring  to  our  remarks  upon  a  recent  libel  case  at  Johan- 
nesburg, a  correspondent  sends  us  the  following  amusing 
extract  from  a  letter  he  has  just  received  from  a  friend  at 
Johannesburg  : — 

It  was  great  fun  at  dinner-time.  We  have  a  paper  out  here  called  The 
Critic,  and  Henry  Hess,  the  editor,  had  been  libelling  Judge 
De  Corte.  De  Corte  had  Hess  up  in  court  for  it,  and  Hess 
was  sentenced  to  two  months.  We  were  having  dinner, 
when  De  Corte  came  in.  He  had  just  finished  his  soup 
when  a  mob  of  some  hundreds  outside  began  cheering  Hess 
and  hissing  De  Corte.  They  shouted,  "  Send  De  Corte  out  and  we  will 
make  short  work  of  him."  Hearing  this  lie  got  so  frightened  that  he 
bolted  out  of  a  side-door  as  fast  as  he  could.  He  is  a  short,  fat 
pompous  little  man,  and  generally  walks  very  slowly.  It  seemed  so 
funny  to  see  him  rushing  upstairs,  that  everybody  laughed  at  him. 
He  came  such  a  cropper  on  the  way  up,  and  this  made  them  laugh  all 
the  more. 

This  man — Judge — Corte  seems  to  have  "come  a  cropper  "in 
more  ways  than  one. 

The  official  notification  that  all  bargains  in  the  shares  of 
Australia,  Limited,  have  been  cancelled  is  what  was  hoped  for 
rather  than  expected.  The  Stock  Exchange  men  who  got  bitten 
did  not  deserve  the  faintest  sympathy,  and  the  manliest  of  them 
admitted  it.  Their  object  was  to  make  money,  and  they  did  not 
care  a  brass  farthing  whether  they  injured  the  Company  or  not 
in  the  process.  Instead  of  making  money  they  lost,  and, 
losing,  whined.  Nevertheless,  and  putting  them  out  of  the 
question,  cancelment  was  desirable,  and  the  sooner  the  whole 
unfortunate  episode  is  forgotten  the  better  for  all  concerned. 

TO-DAY'S  BLACK  LIST. 
Gordon  and  Co.,  8,  Tyfe  Street,  Fore  Street,  E.C. — Our  attention 
has  been  directed  to  the  conduct  of  persons  trading  as  Gordon 
and  Co.  In  a  circular  sent  out  by  this  firm  it  is  stated 
that  they  are  "  clearing  an  enormous  stock  of  general 
merchandise  goods  that  were  thrown  on  the  Company's 
hands  through  delay  and  damage  done  while  in  their 
charge,"  that  this  stock  consists  of  ironmongery,  feather 
beds,  woollen  cloths,  etc.,  and  that  all  of  it  is  offered  75  per 


cent,  below  first  cost.  Further  on  in  the  circular  it  is  stated 
that  the  representatives  of  the  Company  "  will  call  with  samples, 
when  the  goods  can  be  seen  and  purchases  made." 

We  learn  from  our  correspondents  that  these  canvassers  call, 
and  this  is  what  follows  : — 

At  my  neighbour's,  Mrs.   's,  the  agent  produced  samples  of 

towels,  etc.,  he  was  endeavouring  to  sell,  and  she,  thinking  the  thing 
was  genuine,  gave  him  orders  to  the  value  of  13s. 

These  goods  were  to  follow  four  days  later,  when  payment  could  be 
made  for  them.  The  agent  next  produced  several  pieces  of  cloth  of  the 
shoddy  order,  two  or  three  of  which  she  bought  and  paid  for.  For 
this  rubbish,  worth  about  10s.,  she  gave  25s.,  on  the  understanding  that 
he  would  make  her  a  present  of  two  pairs  of  blankets  and  three  pairs 
of  kid  gloves.  To  another  lady  who  bought  a  piece  of  "cloth  "the 
generous  agent  promised  two  pairs  of  kid  gloves,  dress  lining,  shot 
silk,  military  braid,  and  buttons,  and  all  for  8s.— the  promised  articles 
were  to  come  with  the  goods  on  order  four  days  later.  But  as  fourteen 
days  have  now  passed  and  they  are  not  yet  to  hand  it  does  not  require 
a  great  stretch  of  imagination  to  suppose  that  they  will  never  arrive. 


ANSWERS  TO  CORRESPONDENTS. 
STOCKS  AND  SHARES. 
Johannesburg  Consolidated.  J.  H.  B.  (Moseley).—  The  Company 
has  valuable  properties,  and  we  expect  to  see  the  quotation  higher,  but 
before  you  buy  for  investment  we  advise  you  to  read  what  we  have  written 
in  the  past  on  the  constitution  and  management  of  this  Company. 
Canadian  Pacifies.  J.  N.  (Perth).— (1)  Better  hold  for  a  time ;  they 
may  recover  within  the  time  you  name  to  the  quotation  you  give  ; 
it  is  not  unlikely.  (2)  We  cannot  advise  purchase  of  the  shares  of 
either  of  the  other  two  Companies  you  name.  Outside  Broker. 
E.  B.  (Barmouth). — We  have  no  information,  bad  or  good,  respect- 
ing the  person  you  name.  Better  go  to  a  member  of  the  House. 
The  West  Australian  Loan  and  General  Finance  Corpora- 
tion. J.  S.  (Cork).— The  Company  was  brought  out  on  December 
4,  1894.  Your  reply  from  the  secretary  was  what  might  have  been 
expected.  If  you  can  sell,  sell.  If  not,  we  do  not  see  how  you  are  to 
escape  liability  for  calls.  Gambling  Touts.  Telegraphist  (Man- 
chester). We  can  understand  your  annoyance  at  such  circulars  being 
sent  to  you  to  your  business  address,  but  you  have  surely  nothing  to 
fear  from  your  official  superiors  if  you  do  not  "  dabble  in  racing  matters." 
It  is  always  best  to  be  frank,  and  we  advise  you  to  tell  your  chief 
that  these  circulars  are  sent  to  you,  presumably  because  you  once 
won  a  lottery  prize,  but  that  you  have  no  dealings  with  the  people  who 
send  them  "  New  Great  Money  Lottery."  Lottery  (Manchester). 
—Have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  Towell  (Swaziland)  Estate  and 
Gold  Exploration  Company.  Railway  Engine  (Belfast).— We 
suppose  you  mean  the  Toweli  (Swaziland)  Estate  and  Gold  Exploration 
Company.  As  yet,  only  prospecting  has  been  carried  on.  In  1893  the  total 
expenditure  was  £2,252,  leaving  a  cash  balance  on  December  31st,  1893, 
of  £1,213,  sundry  debtors  nil,  sundry  creditors  £356.  We  have  no  later 
information.  Hoover  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited.  W.  L.  T. 
(Mumbles).— No  value.  You  say  you  bought  in  1889.  There  has  been  no 
dividend  since  188?.  when  10  per  cent,  was  paid.  Operations  have  been 
practically  suspended  Lisbon-Bcrlyn.  T.  W.  S.  (Forfar).— Not  suitable 
for  your  purpose.  John  Noble,  Limited.  Garland  (Sheffield). — We 
do  not  know  enough  about  it  to  advise  you.  Mysore  Reefs.  H.  R.  T. 
(Dublin).— Impossible  to  say.  Very  speculative. 

INSURANCE. 

Six  Life  Offices.  W.  (Bournemouth). — All  the  offices  named  can  pay 
20s.  in  the  £,  but  more  than  that  is  wanted  on  a  with-profit  policy.  No.  6 
is  unable  to  pay  bonuses.  No.  1  has  disappointed  large  numbers  of  its 
policyholders.  Nos.  2  and  5  are  moderate.  Nos.  3  and  4  will  serve  you 
very  well.  Probably  the  system  of  No.  4  will  suit  your  circumstances  best 
of  all.  Contingent  Annuity.  W.  Ritchie.  —  The  Atlas  or 
English  and  Scottish  Law  would  meet  your  requirements.  A  special 
rate  ^would  have  to  be  quoted,  so  you  should  write  the  Company 
direct.  Mutual  Life  Office.  Reader  (Gloucester).— The  changes 
made  in  the  staff  are  all  in  the  right  direction,  and  even  thus  early  good 
results  have  accrued.  The  "  memorandum  regarding  the 'proposed  amal- 
gamation "  gives  the  members  no  information  of  importance.  The  practical 
questions  are : — Are  the  National  policyholders  to  pay  their  present  rate 
of  premiums  (which  on  the  whole  are  lower  than  those  of  the  Mutual) 
and  receive  the  same  rate  of  bonus ;  or  is  the  National  business  to  be  kept 
in  a  separate  section  and  charged  with  a,  pro  rata  share  of  expenses  ?  And 
is  the  directorate  to  be  increased  in  number,  and  expenses  thus 
run  up?  The  National  business  is  inferior  in  several  respects 
to  that  of  the  Mutual,  and  unless  due  allowance  be  made 
for  that  we  advise  you  to  vote  against  the  amalgamation. 
Endowment  Policy.  Auld  Reekie.— We  do  not  expect  the  first- 
named  office  to  give  much  in  the  way  of  bonuses ;  the  second-named  is 
much  better.  Mutual  of  New  York.  A.  F.  W.— Some  agents  are 
like  some  lawyers,  they  are  capable  of  saying  anything  to  the  detriment  of 
their  opponents.  Sun  or  Prudential.  M.  J.  I.— Which  i3  the  better 
for  you  depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  contemplated  transaction.  Tell  us 
what  it  is  and  we  shall  be  happy  to  give  you  an  opinion. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 
The  "Hour,"  Limited.  G.  W.  (Warrington)— Probably  the  in- 
terpretation you  put  upon  the  offer  is  the  correct  one;  but,  as  we  have  said 
before,  the  proper  person  to  communicate  with  is  the  Secretary  of  the 
Company,  who  will  no  doubt  give  you  all  the  information  you  require. 
Rothwell  Association,  Limited.  G.  M.  (Glasgow).— If  you  will 
send  us  the  whole  of  the  correspondence  we  will  advise  you.  Patent 
Coke  Frame.  W.  A.  H.  (Hampton  Hill).— We  are  glad  to  hear  that  the 
frame  is  making  headway.  We  take  note  of  what  you  say  about  the  other 
matter.  Empire  Music  Hall,  Limited,  sharer  of  Shares.— We 
do  not  recommend  the  investment.  Loan  of  £100.  Amateur  (Pwllheli). 
— Have  nothing  to  do  with  the  person  whose  circular  you  sent  us.  The 
Water  Companies.  E.  C.  (Derby).— We  are  flattered  by  your  good 
opinion.  For  the  rest  we  do  not  know  whether  or  not  the  London  water 
companies  have  done  worse  things  than  can  be  alleged  against  municipal 
authorities,  but  we  do  know  that  if  individuals  acted  as  some  of  these 
companies  act  towards  the  public  they  would  be  called  thieves. 
Provident  Association  of  London.  G.  B.  (Hammersmith).— Your 
papers  have  been  safely  received,  and  shall  be  dealt  with  next 
week.  Transfer  of  Shares.  E.  J.  (Brighton).— It  is  necessary 
to    return    the    transfer   for   office    purposes.     You    should  hold 

the    certificate.    Dealing    with    Investors.  (Shipley).— 

Your  letter  received  and  noted.  City  of  Paris  Bonds.  Omega. — You 
have  omitted  your  name  and  address.  The  answer  to  questions  1  and  4  is 
in  the  affirmative.  As  to  2  and  3  you  would  probably  run  little  risk  in  buying 
at  present  prices.  British  Farmers'  Association  i*L.  E.  S.  (Nunhead). 
—We  do  not  know  enough  about  it  to  accept  the  responsibility  of  recom- 
mending you  to  foreclose.  The  Company  was  registered  in  1893,  and 
1  quarterly  dividends  at  the  rate  of  20per  cent,  were  paid  in  April  and  July 
of  that  vear,  but  we  are  not  aware  that  o.ny  have  been  paid  since.  The 
United  Kingdom,  etc..  Accountancy  Offices.  L.  E.  H.  (Bristol).— 
Y»s.  the  charge  for  correspondence,  having  regard  to  th*  small  amount 
collected,  seems  very  high ;  but  we  suppose  there  is  a  good  deal  of  trouble  in 
getting  in  these  small  debts. 


400 


TO-DAY. 


May  4, 1895. 


J)RURY  LANE  THEATRE.    Sir  AuCxUstus  Harris,  Lessee 

and  Manager. 

ENGLISH  OPERA  AT  POPULAR  PRICES. 
For  Pull  Particulars  see  Daily  Papers. 
 Box  Office  now  open.  

LYCEUM.-THIS  (SATURDAY)   NIGHT,   May  4th,  and 

following  nights,  at  9,  A  STORY  OP  WATERLOO,  by  A.  Conan 
Doyle:  Corporal  Gregory  Brewster,  Mr.  Irving;  followed  by  DON 
QUIXOTE,  by  the  late  W.  G.  Wills ;  Don  Quixote,  Mr.  Irving.  Preceded 
at  8  o'clock  by  BYGONES,  by  A.  W.  Pinero.  MATINEES  of  KING 
ARTHUR,  Wednesday  and  Saturday,  commencing  May  8th,  Mr.  Irving 
and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  Box  OfEce  (Mr.  J.  Hurst)  open  daily  from  10  till 
5,  and  during  the  performance.  Seats  also  booked  by  letter  or 
telegram.— LYCEUM. 

ROYAL  PRINCESS'S    THEATRE — EVERY  EVENING 
at  8.30,  and  SATURDAY  MATINEES  at  2.30,  by  arrangements  with 
the  Carl  Rosa  Opera  Company,  Humperdinck's  Fairy  Opera,  HANSEL 
and  GRETEL  (in  English).   Box  Office  now  open.  

PALACE,    Shaftesbury-avenue.  —  THE  HANDSOMEST 

THEATRE  in  EUROPE.  The  finest  Variety  Entertainment  in 
London,  including  the  NEW  SERIES  OF  TABLEAUX  VIVANTS.  Full 
Licence.  Prices  from  6d.  Doors  open  7.30.— Manager,  Mr.  Chables 
Morton. 

1WOORE  AND   BURGESS   MINSTRELS,   ST.  JAMES'S 

HALL,  PICCADILLY. 
Enormous  Success  of  the  brilliant  and  delightful  New  Holiday 
Programme. 

Nightly  at  8.0,  and  Matinees  on  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and  Saturdays 
at  2.30. 

The  whole  tone  of  the  entertainment  is  that  of  the  good,  old-fashioned 
Minstrels,  whom  everybody  delighted  to  bear— Dispatch,  April  14th. 
Prices,  5s.,  3s.,  2s.  and  Is.   Bookings  at  Tree's. 

 .  General  Manager,  Mb.  Lawrence  Bbough. 

ROYAL  AQUARIUM. — Free  Entertainments,  10  a.m.  At  no 
place  in  the  World  can  so  many  Sights  be  seen.  _  Wet  or  Fine. 
THOUSANDS  CAN  WITNESS  the  MARVELLOUS  PERFORMANCES, 
at  2  and  7.—COLORADO  GOLD  MINE.  PET  DOG  CLUB'S  SHOW, 
May  7,  8,  and  9.    SIX  WEEKS'  GIGANTIC  EASTER  CARNIVAL. 

NIAGARA  HALL— ST.  JAMES'S  PARK  STATION. 

„  [UNSOLD'S  PATENT,  most  successful  in  the  world.] 
REAL  ICE  SKATING.    Ice  always  in  perfect  condition. 
Daily,  9.30  to  1.0,  3s. ;  3.0  to  6.30,  5s. ;  8.0  to  11.30,  3s. 

EXCELLENT   ORCHESTRA.  FIRST  -  CLASS  RESTAURANT 

  OPEN   ALL  DAY. 


go, 


KTOW  BEADY 

(In  Handsome  Gold  and  Green  Cover)—  li"*1 

"TO-DAY"  Spring  Number. " 

Complete  Stories  by — 

JEROME  K.  JEROME 

and  GEORGE  MOORE,  etc. 

Illustrated  by  HAL  HURST,   L.  BAUMER, 
V/.  DEWAR. 


ALSO  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 
DUDLEY  HARDY,  AUBREY  BEARDSLEY, 
HAL  HURST,  R.  SAUBER,  and 

 SYDNEY  ADAMSON. 

Order  at  once  of  all  Agents  and  Bookstalls,  as  the  entire  first 

issue  has  been  bespoke  by  the  trade. 
Howard  House,  Arundel  Street,  Strand,  London,  W.C. 

A  WONDERFUL  REMEDY 

For  Bilious  and  Liver  Complaints,  Indigestion,  Wind,  Spasms,  Foul 
Breath,  Nervous  Depression,  Irritability,  Lassitude,  Loss  of  Appetite, 
Dyspepsia,  Heartburn,  Lowness  of  Spirits,  Giddiness,  &c. 

As  a  General  Family  Aperient  Medicine, 

Dr.  SCOTT'S  PILLS 

ARE  UNRIVALLED. 

10,  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,  E.O. 
October  25th,  1894. 

Dear  Sir,— 1  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  undoubted  efficacy  of 
i  a  family  medicine.  We  have  used  them  in  our  household  for  manv 


Dr.  Scott's  Pills  as 
years,  and  are  never  without  them. 


many 

Yours  faithfully,  J.  SELLARS. 
The  Genuine  are  in  a  SQUARE  GREEN  PACKET. 

Do  not  be  persuaded  by  anyone  to  buy  any  other  Medicine  instead. 
Prepared  only  by — 

W.  LAMBERT,  173,  Seymour  Place,  LONDON,  W. 


UNION 


South  African  GOLD  FIELDS,  MASHONALAND,  CAPE  OF 
GOOD  HOPE,  NATAL,  &  EAST  AFRICAN  Ports  to  ZANZIBAR. 

Departures  from  SOUTHAMPTON  every  SATURDAY. 
The  MAIL  Steamers  call  at  MADEIRA. 

The  INTERMEDIATE  Steamers callat LISBON andTENERIFE. 
Union  Line  Express  from  Waterloo  every  Saturday. 

Free  Rail  Tickets  London  and  Plymouth  to  Southampton.  Cheap  Tickets 
for  Passengers'  Friends. 
For  all  information  apply  to  the  UNION  STEAMSHIP  Co.,  Ltd.,  Canute 
Road,  Southampton  ;  14,  Cockspur  Street,  London,  S.W. ;  and  South 
African  House,  94  to  96,  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  LONDON,  E.C. 


PRUDENTIAL  ASSURANCE  COMPANY,  Limited, 

HOLBORN  BARS,  LONDON,  E.C. 


FOUNDED  1848. 

Invested  Funds      ...  £20,000,000 

"THE  TIKES"  Dec.  29,  1894,  says  in  a  leading  article  on 
"OUR  DAUGHTERS." 

"  FrVE  per  cent,  was  regarded  as  the  current  rate  of  interest  on  good 
"  security  when  paterfamilias  set  up  housekeeping ;  now  he  must  think 
"  himself  lucky  when  he  can  get  Three." 

THE  MUTUAL  LIFE  INSURANCE  COMPANY  OF  NEW  YORK 

Guarantees  Five  per  cent. 

UNDER  ITS 

Debenture  Policy, 

Which  also  provides  for 

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or  Business  Capital  under  one  Contract. 

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ACCUMULATED  FUNDS  EXCEED  £38,000,000. 

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Special  Features: 


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Perfect  Alignment,  an  English  Invention. 

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For  all  Particulars  apply 


NORTH'S  TYPEWRITER  MANUFACTURING  GO,,  LIMITED, 

63,  QUEEN  VICTORIA  STREET,,  LONDON,  E.O. 


May  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


401 


PAGE 

Nobodies  at  Home.  I.  The  Friend  in  Need.  By  George  Gissing. 


Illustrated  by  L.  Baumer    385 

Not  in  a  Club    387 

How  to  see  Venice.  By  W.  L.  Alden   383 

A  Love  Note.  By  Frank  L.  Stanton   .%0 

The  Diary  of  a  Bookseller    391 

Feminine  Affairs   392 

De  Omnibus.  By  the  Conductor    395 

The  Case  of  The  "Passport"  and  "  Vanity  Fair"    395 

In  the  City   398 

To  Day*.   By  J.  K.  J   401 

The  Buminations  of  Randolph   405 

Club  Chatter    406 

The  Wife  of  Thomas  Hardy    409 

The  Red  Cockade.    By  Stanley  J.  Weyman.    Illustrated  by 

R.  Caton  Woodville   410 

On  the  Umpire's  Boat.  By  E.  S.  Grew   *  414 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Serials  will  not  appear  in 
Book  Form  until  Six  Months  after  their  conclusion 
in  TO-DAY.  

Mr.  Arnold  Morley,  Postmaster-General,  takes  up 
a  very  sensible  and  understandable  attitude.  He  is 
quite  ready  to  receive  deputations  from  any  class  of 
employees  in  the  Post  Office  who  consider  that  they  have 
grounds  for  complaint,  either  as  regards  their  remunera- 
tion, their  prospects,  or  the  conditions  of  their  work. 
But  he  declines  to  allow  such  deputations  to  be  ac- 
companied either  by  members  of  Parliament  or  by  any 
•person  not  in  the  emjrtoyment  of  the  Post  Office.  Every 
business  man  must  agree  with  Mr.  Morley  that  to  waive 
this  rule  would  be  to  render  discipline  impossible 
throughout  the  Department.  There  would  be  two 
authorities  at  the  head  of  the  Post  Office  —  Mr. 
Morley  and  some  energetic  agitator  or  agitators,  who 
would  be  seeking  to  use  the  Post  Office  employee  as  a 
ladder  to  notoriety.  Besides,  what  question  is  there 
between  a  chief  and  those  under  him  that  cannot  be 
argued  out  and  settled  by  the  parties  directly  concerned, 
and  what  possible  end  could  outside  interference  ac- 
complish but  to  render  Mr.  Morley's  position  untenable  ? 

But  have  I  not  heard  of  private  firms  who  have  also 
objected  to  discuss  quarrels  'between  themselves  and 
their  employees  through  the  medium  of  outside  agitators, 
and  have  I  not  seen  those  firms  denounced  as  enemies  of 
God  and  man  in  every  Radical  paper  throughout  the 
kingdom  1  Will  the  journals  that  are  so  indignant  at 
the  Ben  Tilletts  and  Kier  Hardies  not  being  allowed  to 
regulate  every  business  in  the  country  from  Land's  End 
to  John  o'  Groat's,  kindly  say  what  they  think  about 
Mr.  Morley's  attitude?  And  will  Mr.  Morley's  Ministerial 
confreres,  who  are  always  willing  to  denounce  from  the 
platform  any  individual  employer  who  objects  to  having 
the  management  of  his  business  taken  out  of  his  hands 
by  some  paid  labour  leader,  reconcile  their  past  ex- 
pressions with  Mr.  Morley's  manly  stand  upon  this 
question  ? 

Wheeling  informs  me  that  the  Marquis  of  Queensberry 
is  an  ardent  cyclist,  and  prefers  that  exercise  to  horse 
riding — at  all  events  to  horse  riding  as  enjoyed  in 
London,  where,  dressed  up  in  a  top-hat  and  a  frock-coat, 


one  solemnly  trots  a  demure  hack  up  and  down  a  mile 
of  carefully  prepared  road  with  a  policeman  at  every 
hundred  yards  to  see  that  one  does  not  break  into  a 
hand-gallop.  I  am  also  informed  that  Mr.  A.  J.  Balfour 
is  learning  a  bicycle,  and  I  know  that  duchesses  on 
wheels  swarm  round  Regent's  Park.  I  shall  be  curious 
to  see  how  the  high-class  society  journalist  deals 
with  this  new  departure.  The  World  was  never  tired 
of  alluding  to  every  man  who  rode  a  bicycle  as  a 
"  cad  on  castors."  According  to  Punch  all  cycles  were 
sacred  to  'Arry. 

The  papers  "  written  by  the  upper-classes  for  the 
upper-classes "  will  have  to  execute  a  change  of 
front.  Knowing  him  as  I  do  in  the  flesh,  and 
meeting  him  occasionally  in  an  Aerated  Bread 
shop,  the  grandiloquent  attitude  in  print  of  the 
journalistic  snob  always  annoys  me,  so  that  I  greatly 
enjoy  seeing  him  made  ridiculous.  Now  for  the  next 
season  or  so  we  shall  read  of  nothing  but  the  grace, 
beauty,  and  wealth  of  bicycle  riders,  and  shall  be  told 
that  no  one  rides  a  horse  but  grocers'  boys  and  drapers' 
assistants.  By-the-way,  bicycling  is  the  one  sport  I 
can  think  of  that  has  worked  upward.  In  all  other 
directions  our  amusements  have  come  down  to  us  from 
the  classes.  In  this  case  the  aristocracy  seem  to  be 
learning  a  useful  lesson  from  the  people. 

Last  week  I  commented  on  the  folly  of  allowing 
uneducated  teetotal  fanatics  to  give  to  Board  school 
children  false  information  on  the  subject  of  alcohol. 
This  week  a  correspondent  tells  me  that  the  Halifax 
School  Board  has  before  it  an  application  from  the 
Trades  and  Labour  Council  for  permission  to  give  lec- 
tures to  the  children,  showing  the  advantages  of  trade 
combinations.  Was  anything  more  idiotic  ever  heard 
of?  And  how  much  further  is  such  nonsense  to  be 
permitted  to  spread  ?  What  are  the  Socialists  and 
the  Anarchists  doing  that  they  do  not  demand  the  right 
to  teach  the  noble  gospel  of  dynamite  throughout  the 
Board  schools  of  the  kingdom?  Is  not  Mr.  Grant 
Allen  to  be  allowed  to  lecture  the  children  on  the 
advantages  of  doing  it?  Where  is  the  Vegetarian 
Society  and  the  Anti-Tobacco  Society  ?  A  fig  for  such  old- 
fashioned  studies  as  A,  B,  C,  and  twice  two  are  four !  To 
teach  such  conventional  claptrap  was  evidently  not  the 
object  for  which  the  Education  Act  was  passed ;  it  was 
to  create  audiences  upon  which  half-baked  idiots  could 
practice  their  precious  twaddle.  But  what  have  the 
parents  to  say  to  it  all  ? 

In  reference  to  this  matter,  however,  it  is  only  right 
to  do  justice  to  Archdeacon  Brooke,  the  chairman  of 
the  School  Board  Committee.  Archdeacon  Brooke  told 
the  Board  that  he  remembered  himself  being  one  of  the 
deputation  who  asked  for  permission  for  the  so-called 
lecture  on  alcohol  to  be  given.  But  the  Archdeacon  is 
a  thinking  man,  and  he  has  since  been  "  asking  himself 
where  this  is  to  end."  He  confessed — I  am  quoting 
from  the  newspaper  report — "  after  a  careful  considera- 
tion, that  he  should  be  best  pleased  if  the  School 
Management  Committee  were  instructed,  once  and  for 
all,  not  to  allow  any  outside  lecturer  to  give  addresses 
on  any  subject  within  school  hours,    ne  did  not  see, 


402 


TO-DAY. 


May  4,  1895. 


unless  something  of  the  kind  was  done,  where  in  the 
name  of  fortune  they  were  to  find  any  firm  ground 
upon  which  to  stand."  Canon  Gordon,  who  backed  up 
the  Archdeacon,  remarked  that  "  the  greatest  enemies 
to  temperance  were  teetotallers,  who  endeavoi .ed  to 
force  their  fads  down  other  people's  throats.  It  was 
ilear  that  Mr.  Hatch  (my  readers  will  remember  Mr. 
Hatch,  the  great  scientific  lecturer)  was  attempting  to 
introduce  into  their  schools  a  party  question  under  the 
30ver  of  a  scientific  lecture.  He  stated  that,  so  far 
from  being  a  scientific  lecture,  Mr.  Hatch's  lecture  was 
most  unscientific,  and  he  denied  the  competence  of  Mr. 
Hatch. '  The  children  should  be  instructed  in  what  was 
true,  not  in  what  was  false."  All  of  which  goes  to 
prove  that  things  right  themselves  in  this  world,  and 
that  when  folly  has  reached  a  certain  height  sensible 
men  begin  to  see  the  necessity  of  speaking  out  in  the 
cause  of  truth. 

The  English  crowd  is  by  a  long-accepted  journalistic 
tradition  orderly  and  good-tempered.  I  hope  that  this 
is  the  case.  I  believe,  that,  as  a  general  rule,  it  is  the 
case.  But  there  have  been  a  good  many  indications  re- 
cently that  there  is  also  a  distinct  disorderly  element 
abroad.  Some  of  these  indications  may  be  gathered 
from  the  police  reports.  But  there  have  been  many 
other  cases  which  have  not.  found  their  way  into,  the 
police-courts,  as  they  should  have  done.  I  am  told 
that  on  Hampstead  Heath  last  Bank  Holiday  there  was 
a  gang  of  foul-mouthed,  cowardly  young  blackguards 
about  armed  with  sticks.  They  were  not  eager  for  a 
fight  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term.  What  they 
wanted  was  for  their  ganpf  of  about  a  dozen  to  set  on  to 
one  man,  or,  at  the  most,  a  couple.  They  got  what 
they  wanted.  Sticks  were  used,  and  one  man's  head 
was  broken.  The  police  were  not  there  at  the  time. 
I  do  not  blame  the  police.  Hampstead  Heath  is  a  big 
place,  and  the  police  cannot  be  everywhere  at  once. 
When  the  police  are  not  there,  and  this  disorderly  ele- 
ment shows  itself,  it  would  be  no  bad  thing  if  the  orderly 
part  of  the  crowd  took  the  work  of  the  police  into  their 
own  hands. 

The  Hon.  S.  Holland,  Lord  Knutsford,  and  Messrs. 
F.  Targart,  W.  Harrison,  C.  Horsley,  W.  Hunter,  H. 
Mott,  F.  Tendron,  H.  Whiting,  N.  Whiting  are  the 
directors  of  the  Grand  Junction  Waterworks  Company, 
and  Mr.  J.  Goodwin  is  their  secretary.  I  presume  that 
these  gentlemen  consider  themselves  honourable  men. 
In  their  private  dealings,  I  take  it,  they  do  not  seek  to 
put  money  in  their  pockets  that  has  no  right  to  be  there. 
Then  why  should  these  gentlemen  in  their  collective 
capacity  as  the  board  of  a  company  take  six  pounds 
seventeen  shillings  and  a  penny  from  Mr.  S.  H.  Moore, 
of  48,  Amyand  Park  Road,  Twickenham,  which  they 
know  is  not  due  to  them,  which  they  acknowledge  has 
been  charged  by  them  in  error,  and  to  which  they  have 
no  shadow  of  claim  ?  The  gentlemen  whose  names 
I  have  mentioned  admit  that  they  over-assessed 
the  value  of  Mr.  Moore's  house,  and  on  this  false  assess- 
ment they  estimated  his  water-rate.  For  six  years  Mr. 
Moore  paid  the  unjust  demands  made  by  these  gentle- 
men, and  they  pocketed  their  share  of  the  money.  Then 
he  discovered  their  injustice.  They  were  compelled  to 
acknowledge  it  and  to  reduce  the  rale.  Mr.  Moore 
thanked  them  for  this  tardy  piece  of  honesty,  but 


suggested  that  they  might  return  the  money  wrongfully 

charged  during  the  past  six  years. 

But  Lord  Knutsford,  the  Hon.  S.  Holland,  and  their 
fellow  directors  replied,  in  effect,  that  it  was  not  their 
custom  to  part  with  money  that  they  had  once  pocketed, 
however  unjustly  they  might  have  obtained  it.  Mr. 
Moore  sought  the  protection  of  the  law.  Had  a  trades- 
man served  him  such  a  shabby  trick  he  would  have  re 
covered  the  money,  of  course,  instantly ;  but  the  Water 
Acts  have  been  framed  with  a  view  to  these  little  exig- 
encies, so  Lord  Knutsford  and  the  rest  of  the  honourable 
gentlemen  can  jingle  their  share  of  Mr.  Moore's  six  pounds 
seventeen  shillings  and  a  penny  in  their  pockets  and 
laugh  at  him.  I  trust  that  when  it  comes  to  buying 
these  water  companies  the  public  will  not  forget  the 
class  of  men  with  whom  they  are  bargaining.  Lord 
Knutsford,  the  Hon.  S.  Holland,  and  the  other  directors 
have  evidently  their  own  ideas  of  honesty  and  fair 
dealing,  and  the  same  measure  of  justice  that  they  mete 
out  should  certainly  be  meted  back  to  them.  When  one 
is  doing  business  with  sharpers  a  little  sharp  practice  is 
fit  and  proper. 

It  is  not  often  that  the  Born  Fool  finds  a  new  occu- 
pation. Sometimes  he  discharges  a  revolver  at  his 
nearest  relations  in  the  mistaken  belief  that  it  is  not 
loaded,  sometimes1  he  dresses  up  as  a  ghost  and  frightens 
a  child  into,  a  fit,  sometimes  it  suits  his  humour  better 
to  ring  a  firei  alarm  when  there  is  no  fire,  and  some- 
times— one  cannot  be  thankful  enough  for  it — he  goes 
to  look  for  a  gas-leak  with  a  lighted  candle  and  finds 
it,  or  discovers  by  practical  experience  that  the  infor- 
mation that  the  ice  is  dangerous  is  after  all  cor- 
rect. He  likes  to  test  information  of  any  kind.  If 
a,  seat  is  marked  "  Wet  Paint,"  he  at  once  sits  on  it  to 
see  if  it  is  really  wet.  Tell  him  your  dog  is  vicious,  and 
he  at  once  teases  it  to  see  if  you  are  right,  and  brings  an 
action  against  you  afterwards.  But  it  is  not  often  that 
he  thinks  of  anything  new,  and  for  that  reason  a  speci- 
men of  his  kind  at  Liverpool  is  to  be  congratulated. 
This  specimen  conceived  the  bright  idea  of  calling  at 
houses,  stating  that  he  was  a  detective,  and  warning 
the  householders  that  burglars  would  probably  attack 
their  premises.  As  a  sample  of  helpless,  hopeless 
Born-Foolishness,  this  would  be  difficult  to  beat.  Of 
course,  he  was  let  off  with  a,  reprimand  ;  there  was  no 
intentional  wickedness  about  his  action — only  bland, 
bleating,  purposeless  Born-Foolishness.  The  Born 
Fool  is  always  let  off,  and  probably  does  much  mora 
harm  in  the  world  than  the  Born  Knave. 

It  is  a  pity  we  cannot  have  more  frequently  a  little 
war  to  draw  our  eyes  away  from  the  eternal  contempla- 
t;on  of  the  parish  pump,  and  to  remind  us  that  this  world 
is  a  field  for  the  development  of  other  qualities  than 
selfishness  and  self-seeking.  A  war  would  draw  English- 
men together,  and  give  to  the  nation  what  it  is  much  in 
need  of — ideals.  At  present  our  whole  energies  are 
occupied  with  spiteful  quarrels  among  ourselves,  and 
our  ideal  citizen  is  the  successful  City  trickster.  The 
tale  of  Captain  Baird's  rescue  by  Surgeon-Captain  Whit- 
church— even  if  no  other  brave  story  had  reached  us  from 
the  lonely  Chit  nil  fort — will  do  more  to  create  and 
form  character  among  Englishmen  than  all  the  words 
of  wisdom  and  morality  ever  spoken.    It  will  fire  our 


May  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


403 


young  men's  pulses  with  thoughts  that  could  never  be 
gathered  from  the  records  of  peace.  This  is  the  lesson 
of  battles  that  our  sentimentalists  forget.  War  brings 
bloodshed  and  cruelty  in  its  train,  as  also  did  Christi- 
anity, but  it  is  the  greatest  teacher  that  has  ever  been 
sent  to  lift  mankind  from  the  mere  level  of  a  perambu- 
lating stomach. 

It  would  really  seem  as  if  certain  of  the  self-appointed 
labour  leaders  were  people  with  some  secret  spite 
against  the  British  workman,  planning  diabolically  to 
injure  him.  A  Mr.  John  Groh  is  now  urging  the  cab- 
drivers  of  London  to  strike.  He  knows  that  they  have 
suffered  terrible  loss  through  their  former  strike  of 
less  than  twelve  months  ago ;  he  knows  that  the  best 
season  for  them  is  coming  on.  The  more  thoughtful 
among  the  drivers  assembled  called  out,  "  We  don't  want 
t:>  strike,  and  we  won't!"  This  was  loudly  cheered. 
A  Mr.  W.  H.  Thorpe,  who  is  the  secretary  of  this  union 
for  the  injury  of  cabdrivers,  said  that  many  drivers  had 
openly  stated  that  if  a  strike  were  declared  they  would 
still  take  their  cabs  out.  This  also  was  greeted  by  cries 
or  "  Soi  we  will !  "  an  interruption  that  was  again  cheered. 
Mr.  Thorpe  then  hinted  that  any  driver  so  doing  would 
be  considered  a  "  blackleg."  I  think  we  know  by  this 
time  what  that  threat,  coming  from  a  unionist  official, 
means.  It  means'  outrage  and  possibly  murder  by  or- 
ganised gangs.  Is  it  not,  becoming  monstrous  that  one 
or  two  men  about  whose  status  no  one  seems  to  know 
anything  should  have  it  in  their  power  to  drive  men 
against  their  will  into  a  strike,  and  to  bring  misery 
and  wretchedness  upon  a  whole  trad©? 

"When  people  thought  proper  to  mix  up  purely 
secular  matters  with  a  quasi-religious  meeting,"  said 
Mr.  De  Rutzen,  "this  was  the  sort  of  disturbance 
likely  to  occur."  This  disturbance  occurred  at  the  Hall 
of  the  People's  League  while  Mr.  Lees  was  behaving 
"  precisely  "—to  use  Mr.  Lees'  own  words—"  as  Christ 
would  have  behaved  if  He  had  been  there."  But  a  Mr. 
Polkinghorne  seems  to  have  thought  not.  At  all  events 
Mr.  Polkinghorne  created  a  disturbance,  and  hence  the 
trouble.  Mr.  Lees  follows  the  example  of  a  good  many 
people  much  more  eminent  than  himself.  He  cloaks 
secular  matters  under  the  disguise  of  religion,  and  then 
is  surprised  at  consequent  disturbances.  I  would  draw 
the  attention  of  Mr.  Hugh  Price  Hughes — the  Rev. 
Hugh  Price  Hughes  as  I  believe  he  calls  himself— and 
other  political  firebrands  of  his  stamp  to  the  magistrate's 
remarks  upon  this  case. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

Lady  Henry  Somerset  and  the  Women's  Convalescent 
Home. 

I  wish  to  be  fair  to  Lady  Henry  Somerset,  and  there 
fore  publish  her  somewhat  late  explanation. 

During  my  absence  in  America  several  paragraphs  appeared  in 
your  newspaper  with  regard  to  the  withdrawal  of  my  name  from  the 
Convalescent  Home  at  Southend-on-Sea.  As  the  facts  were  entirely 
misrepresented,  and  I  have  ascertained  the  true  position  since  my 
return  to  England,  I  am  sure  you  will  allow  me  to  answer  the  various 
charges  that  have  been  brought  against  me,  and  against  members  of 
the  society  of  which  I  have  the  honour  to  be  president. 

The  patient  who  was  sent  to  this  convalescent  home  was  a  girl  of 
the  name  of  ^Vagho^n.  Instead  of  being  a  "  woman  of  property,"  as 
you  describe  her,  "  without  friends  or  relations."  she  had  been  sup- 
ported by  the  charity  of  ladies  at  Tunbridge  Wells,  and  was  placed 
in  this  particular  home  at  their  expense.  She  came  of  a  family 
addicted  to  drink,  and  had  been  an  inebriate  herself.  For  a  period 
of  ten  months  she  had  been  in  two  inebriate  homes,  the  last  of  which 
was  managed  by  the  Salvation  Army.     She  left  the  latter  because 


the  home  was  diverted  from  its  original  purpose  and  turned  into  » 
house  of  rest  for  workers.  The  Committee  of  the  British  Women's 
Temperance  Association  was  therefore  at  a  loss  to  know  where  to  send 
her.  The  girl  was  in  bad  health,  and  suffered  from  epileptic  fits,  and 
Mrs.  Fothergill,  President  of  the  Committee,  seeing  my  name  as  a 
patroness  of  the  Convalescent  Home  at  Southend-on-Sea,  resolved  to 
write  and  ask  whether  she  could  be  admitted  there.  She  told  them 
of  Charlotte  Waghorn's  condition,  and  added  that  she  needed  watch- 
ing as  she  was  addicted  to  drink.  On  receiving  an  affirmative  reply 
the  girl  was  taken  to  Southend-on-Sea  from  Tunbridge  Wells  by 
Miss  Jacob,  who  was  delighted  with  the  appearance  of  the 
home,  the  beautiful  view,  and  the  healthy  air  ;  but  Misg 
Jacob  was  somewhat  startled  in  passing  through  the 
dining  room,  to  see  that  beer  had  been  served,  as  she 
imagined  that  this  would  not  be  the  case.  She  counted  about  nine 
glasses  on  the  table,  and  knowing  what  a  difficulty  this  would  prove 
to  Charlotte  Waghoin,  she  thought  of  taking  the  girl  back  with  her, 
fearing  the  temptation  might  be  too  strong ;  but,  on  second  thoughts, 
she  believed  that  the  authorities  would  so  guard  her  that  she  might 
safely  leave  her.  About  three  days  after  her  arrival  in  the  home,  Char- 
lotte Waghorn  wrote  to  Miss  Jacob  a  letter  that  she  thought  right  to 
place  before  her  committee.  Waghorn  told  her  that  the  girls  were  in 
the  habit  of  driving  out  together,  and  that  she  had  accompanied  a 
party  in  this  way  ;  that  they  had  stopped  at  several  public-houses, 
although  she  herself  had  drunk  nothing  but  lemonade.  The  ladies 
naturally  felt  that  such  temptations  were  not  likely  to  be  resisted 
long  by  a  girl  as  weak  in  mind  and  body  as  Charlotte  Waghorn,  and 
Miss  Jacob  was  sent  to  the  Convalescent  Home  to  bring  away  the  girl 
who  had  then  resided  there  five  days.  On  arriving  she  found  the 
matron  absent,  but  had  an  interview  with  a  substitute  who  was  taking 
charge  of  the  home  for  the  time  being.  She  told  her  the  errand  on 
which  she  had  come,  and  although  she  ascertained  from  her  that 
Charlotte  Waghorn  had  not  had  any  intoxicating  drink,  she  justly  ob- 
served that  it  was  a  very  great  temptation  to  her  to  be  in  a  place 
where  others  were  habitually  using  it.  When  Miss  Jacob  told  Char- 
lotte Waghorn  that  she  had  come  to  fetch  her,  the  girl  said  she  "  waB 
sorry,"  as  she  was  happy  there ;  but  Miss  Jacob  said  she  was  afraid  to 
leave  her  where  she  would  be  in  any  temptation.  Waghorn  was  not 
only  given  to  intemperance,  but  was  also,  as  I  have  explained,  subject 
to  fits  ot  epilepsy,  which  rendered  her  a  particularly  difficult  patient 
to  deal  with.  At  Miss  Jacob's  request  she  went  upstairs  to  pack  her 
portmanteau,  but  after  waiting  for  her  some  time,  as  she  did  not 
appear,  Miss  Jacob  went  upstairs  with  the  person  in  charge  to 
look  for  her.  She  was  not  in  her  room  but  they  found 
her  in  one  of  the  servants'  rooms  talking  to  another  girl. 
Miss  Jacob  spoke  somewhat  sharply  to  her,  as  she  was 
in  a  condition,  mental  and  physical,  that  rendered  it  necessary  to 
arouse  her.  The  girl  shed  a  few  tears,  but  went  quietly  to  pack  her 
box,  and  left  the  house  in  orderly  silence.  On  the  way  home  she 
admitted  to  Miss  Jacob  that  although  the  girl  next  to  her  at  table  had 
milk,  the  one  just  beyond  her  was  drinking  beer,  and  that  for  a  time 
the  desire  for  drink  had  come  upon  her  so  strongly  that  she  felt 
almost  as  though  she  must  snatch  the  glass.  She  added  that  she 
wished  they  did  not  drink  it  at  meals,  as  she  was  happy  there,  and 
would  have  liked  to  have  stayed.  During  Miss  Jacob  s  conversation 
with  the  person  in  charge,  she  mentioned  to  her  that  Charlotte  had 
told  her  that  very  afternoon  that  some  of  the  girls  had  come  home 
the  worse  for  drink.  The  woman  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  said, 
"  We  cannot  control  them  when  they  are  out."  The  statement  that 
the  girl  was  "hunted  like  a  fugitive  slave,"  that  she  "protested 
screaming,"  and  was  "dragged  from  the  Convalescent  Home,"  is 
absolutely  untrue.  Neither  brute  force  nor  threats  were  used,  and  it 
is  easy  to  obtain  evidence  from  the  girl  herself  that  this  was  not  the 
case.  It  is  not  likely  that  if  such  a  statement  were  not  utterly 
unfounded  Charlotte  Waghorn  would  now  be  corresponding  in 
affectionate  terms  with  Miss  Jacob,  who  is  accused  of  having  treated 
her  in  this  manner,  thanking  her  as  she  does  for  her  untiring  patience 
and  kindness  to  her,  and  telling  her  that  what  she  most  desires  is  to 
be  able  in  some  manner  to  requite  her  goodness. 

Miss  Jacob  was  well  known  in  Marylebone,  and  for  twenty-two 
years  worked  with  the  Rev.  Donald  Fraser,  and  for  eighteen  years  she 
had  the  entire  charge  of  the  infant  school.  She  had  been  working  for 
two  years  with  the  Committee  of  the  British  Women's  Temperance 
Association  in  Tunbridge  Wells.  Her  testimony,  therefore,  has 
at  any  rate  the  weight  of  being  given  by  a  woman  of  the  highest 
reputation. 

After  the  removal  of  Charlotte  Waghorn  Mrs.  Fothergill  wrote  to 
me  to  say  that  she  had  sent  her  to  the  home  purely  on  the  under- 
standing that  it  was  likely  to  be  a  Temperance  Home,  seeing  that  my 
name  stood  as  one  of  the  patronesses,  that  the  girl  had  been  a 
drunkard,  and  had  been  placed  in  danger  and  temptation.  Being  in 
America,  and  not  able  to  ascertain  details,  I  took  for  granted  that  she 
had  given  way  to  drink  again,  and  in  writing  to  the  secretary  at  the 
Southend  Home,  I  stated  it  in  this  manner.  I  find,  however,  that  I 
was  mistaken  in  thinking  that  drink  had  been  offered  at  the  home  to 
this  particular  patient. 

The  imputation  that  I  was  unable  to  answer  the  charges  brought 
against  me,  and  therefore  sought  refuge  in  America  as  being  a  "  con- 
venient hiding  place,"  would  be  monstrous  if  it  were  not  utterly 
ridiculous.  I  withdrew  my  name  from  the  Southend  Home  because  I 
felt  that  if  the  managers  have  so  little  knowledge  of  the  right  treat- 
ment of  a  patient  suffering  from  alcoholism,  as  to  believe  that  they 
can  safely  keep  her  in  a  convalescent  hospital  managed  on  such  lines, 
they  exhibit  a  lack  of  the  ordinary  experience  possessed  by  the  most 
unlearned  on  the  physiological  aspects  of  the  Temperance  question. 
It  can  only,  therefore,  be  the  grossest  ignorance  that  could  characterise 
my  action,  as  does  the  wi  iter  in  To-Day,  as  "the  old  spirit  of  the 
stake  and  the  thumbscrew  modified  by  the  necessity  of  modern 
law." 

The  managers  of  the  Convalescent  Hospital  had,  Mrs.  Fothergill 
assures  me,  full  knowledge  of  the  difficulties  of  the  case,  and  there- 
fore ought  not  to  have  accepted  the  care  of  such  a  patient,  knowing 
full  well  that  neither  their  rules  nor  their  arrangements  made  it 
possible  for  them  to  guard  her  from  temptation  during  her  stay  at 
Southend-on-Sea. 


404 


TO-DAY. 


Mat  4,  1895. 


Owing  to  the  exertions  of  excellent  women,  instead  of  "a  life  being 
wrecked,"  as  Mr.  Frewer  described  the  girl's  future  in  a  letter 
addressed  to  me,  a  life  has  been  saved,  for  the  girl  is  doing  well, 
thanks  to  the  untiring  kindness  of  her  friends. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  have  forgotten 
the  details,  I  should  mention  that  the  charges  against 
Lady  Henry  Somerset  were — (1)  That  she  withdrew  her 
support  from  a  deserving  charity  because  it  was  not 
conducted  in  accordance  with  her  teetotal  fad.  (2)  That 
she  accused  the  people  at  the  Convalescent  Home  with 
having  given  drink  to  the  girl  Waghorn  knowing  her 
to  be  a  dipsomaniac,  which  the  Convalescent  Home 
people  denied.  (3)  That  the  British  "Women's Temperance 
Association,  of  which  Lady  Henry  Somerset  is  the  head, 
had  acted  tyrannically  towards  the  girl  Waghorn,  treat- 
ing her  as  though  she  were  their  private  property,  and 
not  a  free-born  woman.  If  Lady  Henry  Somerset  con- 
siders that  the  above  letter  is  a  satisfactory  reply  to 
these  charges,  I  envy  that  lady  her  powers  of  consola- 
tion. Her  further  charges  brought  forward  in  this  letter 
against  the  Convalescent  Home  seem  to  me  to  be  even 
graver  than  the  first  charge  brought,  which  is  now  with- 
drawn. This  driving  about,  stopping  at  public-houses, 
and  coming  home  intoxicated  requires  explanation. 


W.  S. — Will  you  kindly  communicate  with  Mr.  F.  Scott, 
Temple  Chambers,  33,  Brazennose  Street,  Manchester. 

A.  F.  W. — "  NuttalPs  Standard  Dictionary"  gives  the  fol- 
lowing definition  of  the  word  "  Jesuit "  :  "  (1)  One  of  the  Society 
of  Jesus,  founded  by  Ignatius  Loyola  in  1534.  (2)  A  crafty 
person,  an  intriguer."  1  did  not  make  the  English  language  ;  I 
take  it  as  I  find  it. 

F.  H. — The  story  you  tell  is  a  sad  one,  and  I  sympathise  both 
with  you  and  with  the  lady.  But  for  all  the  sorrow  you  may  both 
be  suffering  now  you  must  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  you  yourselves 
who  are  to  blame.  It  is  a  law  of  nature  that  sin,  sooner  or 
later,  brings  punishment  of  some  sort.  You  are  suffering  your 
punishment  sooner,  and  it  is  right  that  you  should  bear  it.  As 
for  the  future,  I  should  leave  time  to  guide  you  to  a  certain 
extent.  This  woman  is  easily  led.  She  left  her  husband  at 
your  pleading  ;  now  she  refuses  to  have  anything  further  to  do 
with  you  at  her  brother's  instigation.  There  may  come  a  time 
when  she  may  refuse  to  listen  any  further  to  her  relations,  and 
decide  for  herself.  I  do  not  see  what  else  you  can  do  but  wait. 
If  you  think  that  her  relations  are  wronging  you,  you  must 
remember  that  you  have  deeply  wronged  them  and  others. 
Speaking  as  a  man  of  the  world,  I  should,  of  course,  consider  it 
best  for  you  both  that  you  should  marry  after  the  divorce  pro- 
ceedings. But,  as  I  have  said,  your  trouble  now  is  simply  your 
payment  of  your  debt  to  the  law,  and  you  have  no  right  to  cry 
out. 

H.  writes  me  concurring  with  my  recent  remarks  upon  the 
subject  of  Trial  by  Jury.  Law  Student,  while  admitting  that 
in  some  civil  cases  the  decision  might  better  be  left  to  the  judge, 
maintains  that  the  jury  is  essential  in  matters  criminal,  but 
even  here  the  jury  is  often  led  away  from  justice  by  its  sentiment. 

Qciveb  thinks  that  a  man  should  be  allowed  to  smoke  his  pipe 
or  drink  his  glass  without  being  denounced  by  his  goody-goody 
fellows,  and  refers  to  a  case  where  a  Sunday-school  superin- 
tendent solemnly  held  forth  against  the  evil  of  smoking.  Some 
men  would  find  evil  in  looking  at  a  sunset. 

Proposed  Torture  of  Halifax  Board  School  Children. — I 
thank  the  many  correspondents  who  sent  me  information.  I 
have  dealt  with  the  matter  in  Editorial  Notes. 

D.  S.  L.  — You  quite  mistook  the  meaning.  If  you  read  the 
paragraphs  again  you  will  see  there  is  no  suggestion  of  com- 
parison between  Parnell  and  Oscar  Wilde.  The  comparison  was 
between  the  hypocrisy  of  the  public  in  both  cases.  Your  in- 
surance question  will  be  answered  in  the  City  column. 

B.  C.  C. — I  cannot  take  notice  of  anonymous  letters. 

J.  C.  S.  (Glasgow),  and  Emigrant. — I  quite  agree  with  the 
opinions  in  your  letters.  You  would  get  all  informationjby  apply- 
ing direct  to  the  Emigrants'  Information  Office,  31,  Broadway, 
Westminster,  S.W. 

Spes. — Legal  answers  can  only  be  given  to  those  who  subscribe 
direct  to  this  office. 

Novocastrian. — The  question  is  a  legal  one,  and  too  technical 
to  be  answered  by  a  layman.    See  answer  to  "Spes." 

W.  r.  B.  is  troubled  because  I  admire  "Esther  Waters."  He 
can  see  no  artistic  merit  in  the  book,  but  thinks  this  may  be 
owing  to  want  of  discernment  on  his  part.  I  am  inclined  to 
agree  with  him. 

A.  N.  A.  T.  K.  H.— I  received  your  second  letter,  and  it 


afforded  me  much  interest  of  a  painful  kind.  But  I  see  no  point 
in  it  to  which  a  public  reply  could  serve  a  useful  purpose.  To 
my  thinking  the  thing  is  a  disease  of  the  mind  that  could  easily 
be  put  away  by  anyone  with  a  strong  will,  who  determined  to  do 
so  before  the  poison  had  become  too  ingrained  in  their  nature. 
The  roots  of  humanity  spring  from  hidden  depths  that  we  know 
little  of,  but  my  experience  teaches  me  that  in  these  personal 
matters  our  volition  is  always  equal  to  our  needs.  At  one  point 
in  our  lives  our  vices  and  our  wills  hang  trembling  in  the  balance. 
At  that  period  a  little  effort  of  the  soul  will  give  the  victory. 
Inertness  will  allow  it  to  pass  away  from  us  for  ever.  It  is  a 
pleasant  and  comfortable  theory  among  those  who  have  fallen 
that  their  temptations,  either  of  circumstance  or  nature,  are 
stronger  than  those  of  other  men.  I  am  convinced  that  in  most 
men  the  two  extremes  are  equally  poised.  To  the  men  of  strong 
passions  is  given  a  strong  will.  The  weak  man  is  given  less  evil 
to  fight  against. 

S.  B.  D.  sends  me  a  cutting  from  a  Belfast  paper  containing 
a  suggestion  by  the  Rev.  S.  A.  Brenan,  that  people  discovered 
under  the  influence  of  strong  drink  should  receive  so  many 
lashes  of  the  cat.  The  Rev.  S.  A.  Brenan  makes  no  suggestion 
as  to  what  punishment  should  be  meted  out  to  parsons  under 
the  influence  of  strong  folly. 

H.  D. — I  am  quite  at  one  with  you  in  thinking  that  young 
people  should  be  urged  to  keep  away  from  alcohol  in  any  shape, 
and  if  the  Band  of  Hope  people  confined  themselves  to  this  simple 
usefulness,  no  one  could  have  a  hard  word  to  say  against  them. 
But  read  some  of  their  speeches  and  tracts,  and  you  will  see  good 
reason  for  attacking  their  extravagant  nonsense.  I  read  the 
report  of  the  libel  action  against  the  Rev.  John  Wakeford,  but  I 
could  not  see  that  the  club  was  proved  guilty  of  any  immorality. 
As  to  marriage  with  a  deceased  wife's  sister,  there  are,  of  course, 
two  sides  to  every  question.  You  repeat  the  argument  that  has 
always  been  used  against  the  proposal.  I  sympathise  rather 
with  the  argument  used  on  the  other  side,  and  you  would  not 
have  me  ashamed  to  recommend  a  course  of  action  that  I  approve 
of.  There  is  no  moral  question  here  at  all ;  the  whole  argument 
centres  round  expediency. 

H.  H.  (Eastbourne)  draws  my  attention  to  the  advertised  indig- 
nation of  the  incumbent  of  Emmanuel  Church  against  such 
godless  things  as  battles  of  flowers. 

Professional  Sport. — I  am  glad  to  find  that  my  paragraph 
attacking  the  growing  professionalism  in  sport  has  evidently  had 
some  good  effect.  Of  course  I  spoke  as  the  counsel  for  the  prose- 
cution, not  as  a  judge.  No  one  who  has  noticed  can  doubt  that 
the  tendency  is  towards  our  young  men  giving  up  healthy  exer- 
cise themselves  and  being  content  with  watching  hired  players. 
And  this  decadence  is  not  to  be  arrested  by  mealy-mouthed  re- 
grets. It  is  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  manliness  throughout 
the  country.  As  to  the  attacks  made  upon  me  by  a  few  of 
the  less  reputable  sporting  papers,  that  is  as  one  expected. 
These  papers  live  by  professionalism  in  sport,  and  they  scent 
danger  to  their  pockets  from  attacks  upon  the  system.  Many 
correspondents  seem  to  doubt  the  fact  that  Scotsmen  ever  play 
in  English  clubs  against  Scottish  clubs.  If  they  want  instances 
of  this  I  can  give  plenty.  My  paragraph  did  not  refer  to  the 
international  match  between  England  and  Scotland,  but  to  ordi- 
nary club  matches.  As  showing  the  absurdity  to  which  profes- 
sionalism has  reduced  football,  take  the  recent  match  at  the 
Crystal  Palace.  In  this  we  have  J.  Reynolds,  who  used  to  play 
for  West  Bromwich  in  this  match,  now  playing  for  Aston  Villa, 
that  club  having  bought  him  over. 

M.  E.  M.  and  Others. — You  will  find  that  Randolph  has 
returned.  He  will  be  glad  to  know  that  he  has  been  so  widely 
missed. 

W.  H.  L.  L. — See  answer  to  "  H.  D."  There  is  certainly  need 
for  reform  in  the  liquor  trade.  I  have  many  ideas  of  my  own  on 
this  subject — so  have  most  men.  But  while  these  wild,  fanatical 
teetotallers  rant  it  is  impossible  for  mere  common-sense  t.o 
attempt  to  make  itself  heard.  When  they  cease  talking  to 
men  and  women  as  if  they  were  children,  some  of  us  would  like 
to  say  a  word  or  two  as  sensible  people.  • 

H.  S. — Many  thanks  for  your  kind  and  encouraging  letter 
T.  H. — The  page  was  the  result  of  a  bad  stereo.  I  thank  yon 
for  drawing  my  attention  to  it.  E.  T.  K. — A  fortnight's  resi- 
dence is  required  with  an  ordinary  license.  North  Roader  wri'  ea 
agreeing  with  our  exposure  of  the  methods  employed  by  a  portiou 
of  the  cycling  press.  J.  W. — I  agree  with  you  that  there  arc  a 
good  many  deaths  by  gluttony,  but  we  do  not  start  a  society  for 
total  abstinence  from  food.  E.  S.—  Thank  you  for  your  interest- 
ing letter,  many  points  of  which  I  have  noted.  J.  R.  L. — 
I  thank  you  for  your  letter,  but  the  matter  seems  to  have  been 
very  fully  dealt  with  by  the  Scotch  papers.  Cir.EX. — The 
speeches  made  at  these  teetotal  meetings  are  invariably  foolish. 
It  is  too  wearying  to  continue  [reading  them.  J.  McK. — Your 
Rev.  Mr.  Hobson  is  evidently  a  minister  of  the  old  school.  I 
am  glad  to  see  that  he  does  not  believe  in  the  regeneration  of 
mankind  through  the  assistance  of  the  police. 

(Several  answers  are  unavoidably  crowded  out  this  week.) 


AnvicE  Free.— To  those  of  our  readers  interested  in  Patents  for  Inven- 
tions see  last  page. 

Tobacconists  (commencing).  Write  for  Hid.  Guide  (269  pages),  id. 
Tobacconists'  Outfitting  Co.,  1S6,  Euston-road,  London.    Est  1866.—  advt. 


Mat  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


405 


THE    RUMINATIONS  OF 
RANDOLPH. 


Mr  dear  Dick, — Your  anxiety  to  hear  more  about  the 
"  Queensberry  Association  "  is  shared  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing number  of  your  fellow  countrymen.  I  have  received 
letters,  some  containing  very  startling  statements,  from 
ail  parts  of  the  kingdom,  and  I  have  forwarded  them  to 
the  proper  quarter,  where  they  will  be  attended  to. 
Before  long  I  shall,  I  hope,  be  able  to  give  you  a  list 
of  the  "  Queensberry "  Committee.  Next  week,  so  I 
understand,  the  official  address  of  the  hon.  secretary 
will  be  advertised. 

I  thought  that  I  had  made  the  precise  objects  of  the 
Association  clear  last  week,  but  as  you  seem  to  be  still 
in  doubt,  let  me  repeat  that,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  the 
Association  does  not  for  a  single  instant  propose  to 
agitate  for  a  crusade  of  persecution.  It  desires  to  help 
those  who  wish  to  break  away  from  and  abandon  evil 
connections,  and  who  very  frequently  are  threatened 
and  terrified  into  the  repetition  of  acts  that,  they  bit- 
terly repent.  As  the  natural  development  of  this 
policy,  the  Association  will  direct  its  first  and  most 
vigorous  endeavours  against  the  procurers  who  have 
pandered  to  vice  by  seeking  high  and  low  for  fresh 
victims  wherewith  to  gratify  the  depraved  and  vitiated 
appetites  of  debauched  voluptuaries.  You,  a  healthy,  de 
cent  man,  living  in  the  country,  can  but  dimly  realise 
the  kind  of  corruption  that  has  recently  emanated  from 
certain  reeking  nests  of  all  that  is  horrible  in  the  me- 
tropolis. They  have  been  perfectly  well-known  to  the 
police,  but  the  policy  of  silence  has  granted  them  im- 
munity from  disturbance.  The  result  of  that  policy  we 
have  all  seen.  And  now  what  the  Association  fears  is 
the  timidity  of  the  Treasury.  The  authorities  have 
practically  been  compelled  to  investigate  one  scandal ; 
but,  if  they  are  allowed  to  do  so  it  seems  certain  that 
they  will  drop  its  necessary  corollaries  when  once  it  is 
over.  It  is  the  determination  of  the  Association  that  this 
shall  not  be.  In  its  opinion,  the  time  is  ripe  for  vi- 
gorous and  decisive  action,  and  for  the  expression  of 
public  opinion.  How  far  the  Association  will  succeed  in  its 
endeavours  no  man  may  say.  I  do  not  pretend  to  pro- 
phecy. I  shall,  however,  I  believe,  be  able  soon  to 
place  the  latest  circular  of  the  Association  in  exlenso 
before  you. 

Meantime,  I  may  tell  you  that  you  will  not  have  any 
chance  jusit  yet  of  seeing  The  Importance  of  Being 
Earnest  in  the  provinces.  Fred  Latham  had  booked  a 
tour  for  it,  but  he  will  fill  the  dates  with  Henry  Arthur 
Jones's  new  play  about  to  be  produced  at  the  St.  James's. 

I  have  received  a  long  and  very  interesting  letter  con- 
cerning the  Morocco  Bound  tour  in  Holland.  It  con- 
tains many  grave  and  remarkable  statements,  but  as 
F.  Harris  has  commenced  an  action  for  libel  against 
the  Weekly  Sun  in  this  connection,  I  feel  that  it  would 
be  perhaps  improper  and  unfair  to  print  the  letter  just 
now.  But  I  may  say  that  I  have  had  an  interview  with 
Mr.  H.  Pierson,  of  the  original  Morocco  Bound  Syndi- 
cate, who  informed  me  that  he  intended  to  take  legal 
steps  to  uphold  the  injunction  that  he  obtained  against 
Harris  and  Chamberlyn.  As  I  said  before,  this  matter 
seems  more  than  ever  to  demand  the  attention  of  the 
Actors'  Association. 

As  you  take  an  interest  in  strange  coincidences,  let 
me  draw  your  attention  to  one  that  is,  I  believe,  with- 
out parallel  on  the  stage.  Three  farcical  plays  have 
just  been  produced — Fanny  at  the  Strand,  The  Passport 
at  Terry's,  and  Vanity  Fair  at  the  Court.  They  every 
one  turn  on  the  supposed  existence  of  an  unseen  person, 
who  is  really  dead  before  the  curtain  rises ;  and  the 
result  of  this  supposed  existence  in  each  case  is  comic 
bigamy.  In  Fanny  Professor  Bixley  believes  that  his 
first  wife  is  dead,  and  he  marries  Grace  Darner.  But 
Captain  O'Brien  is  deceived  into  believing  that  Fanny 
is  still  alive.    He  tells  the  professor,  who  believes  that 


he  is  a  bigamist.  In  The  Passport,  Mrs.  Darcey  believes 
that  Mr.  Darcey  died  and  was  buried  in  Paris.  She 
marries  George  Greenwood,  and  is  told  by  Coleman  that 
he  has  seen  her  first  husband  alive.  She  instantly  as- 
sumes that  she  has  committed  bigamy.  In  Vanity 
Fair,  Mrs.  Brabazon-Tegg,  after  her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Brabazon-Tegg,  is  told  by  the  blackmailing  Feltoa  that 
her  first  husband,  Jim  Crump,  is  alive,  and  the  coinci- 
dent arrival  of  a  long-delayed  letter,  seems  to  demon- 
strate beyond  doubt  that  she  also  has  committed  bi- 
gamy. In  development  and  situation  the  plays  are 
wholly  unlike,  but  the  central  situation  in  each  is  ludi- 
crously similar.  The  fact  that  all  are  of  the  same  class 
and  have  all  been  produced  within  the  month,  adds 
to  the  strangeness  of  the  coincidence.  And  what  is 
even  more  remarkable,  not  a  single  critic  has  noticed 
it! 

I  have  heard  nothing  about  the  next  play  at  the 
Comedy  yet,  but  I  saw  Pinero  in  its  neighbourhood 
yesterday,  and  as  Carr  is  credited  with  having  a  Pinero 
play  up  his  sleeve,  perhaps  we  shall  see  what  we  shall. 
Pinero,  however,  has  been  far  from  well  lately,  and  has 
been  averse  for  wOrk,  and  Carr,  I  know,  had  some 
idea  of  letting  his  theatre  until  the  autumn,  so  we  may 
after  all  have  to  wait  a  little  for  the  new  excitement. 
I  expect,  too,  that  Pinero,  like  most  practical  drama- 
tists, prefers  an  autumn  production  to  any  other.  The 
heat  of  summer  and  the  numerous  outdoor  attractions 
and  amusements  have  often  killed  a  play  that  might 
have  enjoyed  a  decent  run  in  the  cold  weather.  ' 

Our  weather,  by  the  way,  is  just  now  very  treach- 
erous. Alma  Stanley's  voice  has  been  very  shaky, 
Marie  Tempest  has  been  out  of  the  bill  at  Daly's, 
Florence  St.  John  has  caught  a  bad  chill,  and  May  Yohe, 
under  the  imperative  orders  of  Dr.  Simon,  is  compelled 
to  take  a  month's  rest.  She  is  not  even  allowed  to 
speak  off  the  stage,  but  has  to  express  herself  only  in 
writing.  During  her  absence,  her  part  in  Dandy  Dick 
Whittmgton  will  be  played  by  Millie  Hylton.  One  of 
my  contemporaries  makes  this  latter  announcement 
in  curious  terms.  It  says :  "  Miss  Hylton  has  kindly 
consented  to  appear  as  Dick."  Why  "kindly  con- 
sented'"! Isn't  she  going  to'  be  paid  for  it?  We  shall 
hear  of  somebody  "  graciously  condescending "  to  ac- 
cept a  salary  next ! 

The  latest  addition  to  the  list  of  managers  will  be 
Arthur  Bourchier — that  is,  if  he  can  get  a  theatre  in 
September.  He  proposes  to  start  with  an  adaptation  of 
Mtnsieur  le  Directeur.  The  amiable  Arthur  should 
come  as  a  boon  and  a  blessing  to  dramatic  authors,  for 
he  recently  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  fair  terms  for 
a  comic  opera  were  thirty  per  cent,  of  the  grass  1  If 
he  pays  anything  equivalent  to  that  for  his  comedies 
or  dramas  I  am  afraid  that  he  won't  remain  in  man- 
agement long.  W.  S.  Gilbert,  and  the  late  Alfred  Cel- 
lier  together  only  got  twelve  per  cent,  of  the  gross 
of  the  Mountebanks,  and  even  those  terms  were  con- 
sidered high. 

Like  yourself,  I  noticed  that  the  Wednesday  matinee 
of  Mrs.  Ebbsmith  was  first  postponed  a.  week,  and  then 
abandoned.  But  I  do*  not  know  why.  I  fancy  that 
the  holiday  season  has  affected  the  business.  Such  a 
gloomy  tragedy  is  not  the  sort  of  show  to  attract  Easter 
excursionists,  and,  at  the  same  time,  Easter  generally 
drives  a  heap  of  stall  people  out  of  town.  These  things 
together  may  have  induced  a.  falling-off  in  patronage. 
Mrs.  Campbell  will  stay  with  Hare  for  the  present. 
Tree,  I  understand,  will  not  claim  her  until  he  produces 
Trilby,  an  American  version  of  Du  Maimer's  book,  which 
he  purchased  in  the  States.  This  production,  of  course, 
depends  on  how  far  the  revival  of  John-a- Dreams  suc- 
ceeds. Miss  Calhoun  will  eventually  take  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell's place,  until  Hare  starts  on  his  tour  round  the 
world  in  November. 

Passing  the  Garrick  the  other  night  I  noticed  that 
Bashford  was  assisting  young  Compton  witii  the  duties 
of  acting-management.  This  I  am  told,  though  I  can't 
for  the  life  of  me  see  why,  portends  the  eventual  return 


406 


TO-DAY, 


Mat  4,  1895. 


to  management  of  the  Bancrofts — somewhere.  It  can't 
be  at  the  Garrick,  for  Hare  has  let  his  theatre  to  Wil- 
lard.  As  a  fact,  I  believe  Bashford  merely  represents 
at  the  Garrick  the  interest  owned  by  the  Bancrofts  in 
the  production  of  Mrs.  Ebbsmith — an  interest  that  they 
acquired  from  Hare  before  the  piece  came  out.  They 
were  probably  all  the  more  eager  to  get  it  because  they 
had  the  opportunity  of  buying  the  Second  Mrs.  Tan- 
queray  before  it  was  offered  to  Alexander,  but  they  let 
the  chance  slip  throughl  their  fingers.  I  hear  on  good 
authority  that  W.  S.  Gilbert  has  been  invited  to  write 
a  play  for  them,  but  it  is  difficult  to  credit  the  rumour, 
for  a  topsy-turvy  extravagance  would  scarcely  suit  them, 
iand  immediately  after  Brantinqham  Hall  Gilbert  is 
said  to  have  sworn,  by  all  his  gods,  that  he  would  nevei 
attempt  serious  work  again. 

Did  you  notice  that  in  the  Daily  Telegraph  of  Satur- 
day last  Clement  Scott,  in  his  own  signed  column,  was 
betrayed  into  a  common  error  concerning  the  age  of 
Billy  Terriss,  whom  lie  spoke  of  as  being  fifty  years  old 
Anybody  visiting  Somerset  House  can  discover  that 
Terriss  was  born  in  the  Circus  Road,  St.  John's  Wood, 
on  the  20th  of  February,  1849.  He  is  therefore  only 
forty-six.  His  first  engagement  was  with  the  Bancrofts 
at  the  old  Prince  of  Wales  Theatre  in  the  year  1870. 
This  seems  a  long  time  back  to  the  average  playgoer,  I 
know.  But  dates  are  dates,  and  I  fail  to  understand 
why  Billy  is  ever  alluded  to  a®  a  kind  of  beautiful 
theatrical  Methuselah.  You  will  see  Billy  in  a  new  sort 
of  part  in  the  Chambers-Lumley  drama  at  the  Adelphi 
in  August.  The  popular  hero  usually  has  not  a.  single 
vice.  He  is  positively  incorruptible.  But  in  the  new 
play  the  hero  will  begin  almost  as  a  bold,  bad  man,  and 
he  will  be  saved  from  himself  by  the  ennobling  and 
elevating  influence  of  the  heroine. 

Whatever  the  difficulty  was — that  is,  if  there  ever 
was  any  difficulty — about  the  licensingof  Claude  Carton's 
new  play,  The  Home  Secretary,  it  has  been  overcome. 
Possibly  certain  allusions  that  it  contains  to  anarchy 
and  dynamite  may  have  been  considered  undesirable, 
or  rather  impolitic,  in  a  serious  play.  I  feel  sure,  how- 
ever, that  Carton  is  much  too  experienced  and  skilful  a 
dramatist  to  have  treated  even  the  most  ticklish  sub- 
jects in  a  manner  likely  to  give  public  offence. 

Mr.  Radford,  the  new  Censor,  is  evidently  determined 
to  exercise  the  duties  of  his  office  thoroughly.  Certain 
comments  were  made  in  the  World  last  week  on  the  ex- 
ceedingly sultry  nature  of  Fanny  at  the  Strand,  and 
"  W.  A."  expressed  his  surprise  that  the  farce  had  been 
licensed.  Promptly  Mr.  Radford  made  an  unexpected 
and  unknown  visit  to  the  theatre.  I  happened  to  be 
there  myself  on  the  same  evening,  and  knowing  him,  by 
sight,  I  watched  to  see  the  effect  produced  on  him  by 
the  entertainment.  Ljke  'any  other  ordinary  man 
about  town  he  appeared  to  enjoy  himself  unreservedly, 
and  he  laughed  as  long  and  as  heartily  as  the  most  de- 
lighted member  of  the  audience.  I  do  not  approve  of 
the  Censorship,  as  you  know.  But  if  we  must  have  a 
Censor,  it  is  eminently  a  matter  for  congratulation  that 
we  have  one  who'  judges  independently  for  himself,  and 
does  not  act  on  hints,  whispers,  and  private  letters,  let 
alone  prejudiced  criticisms.  Mind,  I  don't  say  that 
"  W.  A. "  was  prejudiced  against  this  play  as  a  play,  but 
he  does  not  like  the  form  of  entertainment,  and  while 
pleading  the  cause  of  the  partisan  he  seemed  to  forget 
what  the  effect  might  be  financially  on  a  couple  of 
innocent  and  guileless  authors.  "W.  A,"  as  a  fact, 
says  that  because  the  Censor  has  licensed  Mrs.  Ebbsmith 
on  the  one  hand,  and  Fanny  on  the  other,  he  ought  to 
license  everything.  Possibly  he  ought.  But  why  blame 
him  for  doing  what  you  want  in  one  instance  because  he 
has  not  done  what  you  want  in  some  other  instance.  His 
conduct  may  seem  inconsistent  to  you.  But  surely  half 
a  loaf  is  better  than  no  bread?  It  is  better  to  rejoice 
over  the  licenses  we  have  than  to  pine  over  the  refusals 
we  know  not  of. — Your  affectionate  Cousin, 

Randolph. 


CLUB  CHATTER. 


What  hasi  become  of  Mr.  John  Hawke1?  The  racing 
season  is  now  more  than  a  month  old,  and  everything 
has  drifted  back  into  the  old  familiar  rut.  At  Ep&rui 
the  hill  was  dotted  with  flags  and  banners  bearing  book- 
makers' names,  you  could  hear  the  odds  shouted  half 
a  mile  off,  lists  were  openly  displayed  in  Barnard's  ring, 
and  the  only  sign  of  any  antagonistic  feeling  was  sup- 
plied by  the  harmless  old  gentlemen  who  for  years  have 
lined  the  road  to  the  course  and  given  away  tracts  con- 
necting perdition  with  gambling.  If  Mr.  Hawke  take-; 
no  action  over  Epsom,  we  have  heard  the  last  of  the 
maddest,  merriest  movement  of  the  present  day. 


Perhaps  the  most  interesting  event  of  the  Epsom 
week  was  the  win  of  Cornbury,  ridden  by  Covey,  who 
acknowledges  sixty  summers,  and  who  scaled  6st.  71b. 
He  rode  the  horse  with  remarkable  judgment,  cunu 
Lack  to  the  weighing-in  room  blushing  like  a  br  ide, 
and  answered  questions  in  a  stammering,  bashful  voice. 
Old  Covey  furnishes  an  interesting  study.  The  life  of 
a  jockey  is  one  that  necessitates  strain  on  brain  and 
muscle,  involves  abnormal  abstention  from  food  and 
drink,  and  compels  him  toi  defy  rain,  hail  and  snow  in 
the  thinnest  of  garments  on  the  emptiest  of  stomachs. 
Still  they  live  to  a  good  old  age,  as  witness  Fordham, 
Cannon,  Woodburn,  and  Osborn. 


I  once  knew  a  strong,  healthy,  well-conditioned  young 
fellow  who  entered  for  the  Methuselah  Stakes  on  ;i 
faddist  nomination.  Up  till  then  he  had  lived  like 
an  ordinary  man,  enjoying  a  smoke,  a  drink,  and  al- 
lowing himself  to  be  disturbed'  at  the  card-table  by  the 
morning  sun  without  any  particular  resentment.  One 
day  he  felt  a  trifle  out  of  sorts  and  consulted  a  friend, 
who,  in  his  turn,  warned  him  that  drink  was  at  the 
bottom  of  it.  He  believed  him  and  knocked  off  every 
form  of  alcohol.  He  got  no  better,  all  he  did  get  was 
the  reputation  of  being  a,  nuisance  to  himself  and  to 
everybody  else. 


As  he  felt  worse  he  went  to  another  man,  who  con- 
vinced hint  that  smoking  was  only  one  remove  from  im- 
bibing cyanide  of  potassium.  He  believed  him,  and  be- 
came more  miserable  than  ever.  Indeed,  he  seemed 
to  cultivate  sorrow  after  this.  He  refused  to  go  to 
theatres  because  there  might  be  germs  of  disease  in  the 
atmosphere;  he  discarded  meat  food  of  every  descrip- 
tion because  he  had  seen  that  most  animals  died  of 
pneumonia  or  typhus  ;  he  adopted  some  weird  and  in- 
explicable garments  because  they  represented  hygienic 
principles  j  he-  let  his  beard  grow,  although  he  had  not 
enough  hair  to  make  a  respectable  show,  in  order 
to  protect  his  throat;  and  he  finished  up  with  some 
strange  notion  about  washing. 

He  had  read  in  some  German  paper  that  we  died 
because  the  pores  of  the  skin  were  not  kept  open  in- 
cessantly, and  so  the  retarded  matter  decayed  and 
brought  about  dissolution.  He  washed  himself  morning, 
noon,  and  night  after  that.  Hot,  cold,  Turkish,  douche 
or  sponge  baths  were  all  accepted,  and  he  seemed  to 
spend  the  time  that  he  was  not  washing  in  searching  for 
new  life  prolongers.  Friends  reasoned  with  him  that 
he  would  be  lonely  and  lost  in  outliving  all  his  friends, 
but  he  could  not  see  it,  although  he  admitted  that  his 
past  was  a  thorny  one,  because  every  time  he  knocked 
something  off  on  the  advice  of  one,  he  was  assured  by  an 
equally  high  authority  that  the  something  was  neeessarv 
to  life. 


The  last  I  heard  of  him  was  that  lie  had  been  sent  to 
Madeira  in  a  broken-down  state,  and  with  some  homely 
advice  from  the  family  doctor.  This  reminiscence  was 
caused  by  Covey,  who  seems  to  me  to  prove  that  exer- 
cise, modest  living  and  plenty  ef  enjoyment — for  when 


May  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


407 


they  get  the  chance  jockeys  take  things  very  easily — 
are  about  the  best  conditions  under  which  to  live  to  a 
ripe  and  healthy  old  age. 


Year  by  year  the  grumbling  at  Epsom  concerning  the 
arrangements  is  getting  louder  and  louder,  and  Mr.  H. 
M.  Dorling  will,  if  he  is  the  wise  man  so  many  credit 
him  as  being,  seriously  consider  the  situation.  The  pad- 
dock is  without  a  number  board,  and  the  rings  cannot  be 
mentioned  in  the  same  breath  as  those  at  Kempton, 
Sandown,  Hurst  Park,  Lingfield,  and  other  south  country 
meetings,  whilst  the  members  of  the  fourth  estate  find 
it  no  easy  task  to  describe  a.  race. 


they  once  possessed — that  one  cannot  with  confidence 
assign  the  prize  to  Mr.  Cooper' si  filly. 

Bad  luck  has  dogged  Col.  North's  efforts  in  connection 
with  racing  this  season.  Not  a  race  fell  to  the  colonel's 
share  at  Epsom,  and  nothing  pleases  the  burly  financier 
more  than  winning  a.  good  prize  at  the  town  of  salts. 
What  racing  has  cost  the  colonel  since  he  first  registered 
.  his  colours  it  is  difficult  to  say ;  certain  it  is,  however, 
that  the  prize-money  and  bets  does  not  wipe  off  half  of 
the  expenses. 


The  One  Thousand  Guineas  is  the  only  classic  race 
that  lias  ever  been  walked  over  for.  This  was  in  1825, 
when,  of  the  eight  entries,  the  Duke  of  Grafton's 
Tontine  was  the  only  one  to  go  to  the  post. 


As  usual  the  One  Thousand  Guineas  hasi  a  much 
more  open  appearance.  Float  may — by  the  book — 
):av<i  a  chance  second  to  none,  but  fillies  during  the  in- 
terval make  such  improvement — or  else  lose  all  the  form 


With  the  comment  that  it  is  "comic  and  also  in- 
structive," a  correspondent  sends  me  a  cutting  from 
the  Liverpool  Courier,  dealing  with  the  conduct  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Latimer,  of  the  Trinity  Baptist  Chapel  of 
Colne.  It  seems  that  one  or  two  of  the  young  ladies 
who  sang  in  the  choir  appeared  nightly  in  the  chorus  of 
a  theatre  in  a  neighbouring  town,  and  wore- — well,  the 
parson  described  it  as  a  garment  where  petticoats  were 
discarded.  He  called  the  deacons  together  with  a  view  to 
expel  the  girls,  but;  to  his  sorrow  he  found  the  deacons 
were  not  born  fools,  and  declined  to  join  in  any  such 
action,  and  they  remain  while  the  parson  has  resigned. 
Mr.  Latimer  should  write  to  the  artists  who  portray 
celestial  subjects.    Their  treatment  must  annoy  him. 


rLIKTGr  DISCO 

INDIAN  SILVER  FORKS  AND  SPOONS-WARRANTED  TO  WEAR  WHITE. 

ALL  THE  APPEARANCE  OF  STERLING  SILVER  AT  ONE  FOURTH  THE  COST  ! 


N  Indian  Silver  always  retains  its  brilliancy 

q  I  if  cleaned  regularly,  and  if  in  any  instance  a 

I  Fork  or  Spoon   does    not  wear  white  and 

T    *  brilliant  as  represented,  a  new  one  will  be 

g   I  given  in  its  place — or  the  money  returned. 


1 


Subjoined  we  give  an  Abridged  LIST  OP  PRICES: 
Indian  Silver  Table  Spoons ...   lid.  each  or  5s.  3d.  per  half  dozen. 
Indian  Silver  Table  Porks  ...   lid.      „      5s.  3d.  „ 
Indian  Silver  Dessert  Spoons     9d.      „      4s.  3d.  „ 
Indian  Silver  Dessert  Forks...     9d.      „      4s.  3d.  „  [  j>P 

Indian  Silver  Teaspoons    5d.      „      2s.  3d.  „  )  O 

Sample  Tablespoon  or  Fork  sent  to  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom 
on  receipt  of  13  Stamps. 
I£35"  None  genuine  unless  Stamped  "  Indian  Silver — 
C.  L.  Reis  &  Co.,  Glasgow" 


Sole  Manufacturers— C.  L.  REIS  &  CO.,  37,  JAMAICA   STREET,  GLASGOW. 


IRELAND 

FOB  VOUK 

Holidays ! 

If  you  wish  com- 
fort, first-class  cui- 
sine and  moderate 
tariff,  stay  at  the 


Grresham  Hotel, 

DUBLIN. 


Gresham  Hotel, 

DUBLIN, 

And 

Claremont  Hotel, 

B  OWTH 

(Near  Dublin). 


Claremont  Hotel, 

HOW  T  H. 

Charming  Seaside  Resort. 


PREMIER 

CYCLES, 


Constructed  of  Helical  Tube.  HELICAL  TUBE. 

Patented  and  Registered.  Double  strength,  yet  lightest  machine  made. 

The  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  Ltd..  are  Cycle  Manufacturers  by  special 
appointment  to  H.R.H.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  are  patronised  by  the 
chief  British  and  Foreign  Nobility,  and  by  the  wiser  and  greater 
portion  of  cycle  riders  throughout  the  world. 

20,000  Premiers  sold  in  1894. 


Special  Quotations  to  really  responsible  purchasers  desirous 
of  adopting  our  Progressive  Payment  System.  Lists  and  all 

particulars  free  from 
THE  PREMIER  CYCLE  CO.,  Ltd., 
14,  HOIiBORN  VIADUCT,   LONDON,  E.C. 
Works-COVEJITRY. 


THE  OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY* 

DIRECT   FROM  SCOTLAND. 

QUALITY  and  AGE  GUARANTEED  BY 


itenhouse 


This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH 
WHISKY  is  really  a  blended  Cordial  of  the 
Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced  in 
Scotland.  Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for 
10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a 
guarantee  of  genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold 
direct  to  the  public,  or  may  be  ordered 
through  any  Wine  Merchant.  Two  gallons 
constitute  a  case,  contained  in  twelve 
special  shaped  bottles,  with  which  this 
brand  of  Whisky  has  been  associated  for 
all  time.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhouse 
and  Co.  pledge  the  reputation  of  their 
house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their  name 
is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  an- 
nouncement. 

The  signature  of  "Stenhouse  &  Co."  on 
each  bottle  is  a  proof  of  10  years'  maturity 
of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest  Whiskies 
Scotland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 


"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS, '  an  elegant  pamphlet,  pout  free  on  application^ 

WM.  STENHOUSE  &  CO., 

WEST    REGENT    STREET,  GLASGOW. 


PURVEYORS  TO 
H.  R.  H. 
THE 

PRINCE  of  WALES, 


A.        -'id  '  51  Go7d and  Prize- 

C*"i  GINGER  ALE' 


(ftcbrdrjes 


JLfedaZs Adwrded '. 


Work  s-  DUBLIN    AND  BELFAST 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 
Specially  prepared  to 
suit  the 
Yarious  Climates. 


408 


TO-DAY. 


Mat  4,  1895. 


Two  benefit  performances  were  given  on  Wednesday 
and  Thursday  last  to  the  veteran  prestidigitateur, 
Dr.  Lynn,  at  the  Prince's  Hall,  under  the  patronage 
of  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Teck  and  a  committee- 
Dr.  Lynn,  with  his  clever  sleight-of-hand  illusions,  was 
supported  by  the  following  well-known  artists  :  Miss 
"Vane  Featherstone,  Miss  May  Pinney,  Miss  Clara 
Addison,  Miss  Kitty  Loftus,  Messrs.  Arthur  Roberts, 
Templar  Saxe,  Maurice  Farkoa,  R.  A.  Roberts,  Jolly 
John  Nash,  and  Reginald  Leyland,  who  scored  a  great 
success  in  his  musical  sketch,  "  The  Italian  Opera,"  and 
who  was  rewarded  with  a  double  encore. 


CRICKET  NOTES. 
From  the  time  of  the  opening  match  at  Lord's 
until  the  beginning  of  September  lovers  of  the  great 
summer  pastime  will  have  plenty  to  interest  and  excite 
them.  With  so  many  more  counties  showing  improve- 
ment, the  programme  each  year  becomes  heavier  and 
heavier,  and  in  the  all  too  short  cricket  season  so  much 
has  to  be  got  through,  that  it  is  difficult  to  see  how 
room  will  be  found  for  the  fixtures  of  an  Australian 
team  in  another  summer. 


In  the  coming  season  the  county  championships  will 
have  quite  a  fresh  interest,  as,  according  to  the  ruling  of 


TIN  I  GO  fragrant 
FLAKE 


COOL  & 
SWEET. 

ANTI-NICOTINE  TOBACCO- 

EXCEEDINGLY 


MILD. 


After  numerous  experiments  and  many  years  of 
careful  study,  I  have  discovered  a  means  of  ex- 
tracting from  Tobacco,  without  the  aid  of  Chemicals, 
almost  every  particle  of  Nicotine  and  objectionable 
matter,  while  retaining  all  its  natural  fragrance 
and  aroma,  so  that  those  who  cannot  smoke  a  pipe 
under  ordinary  circumstances  can  smoke  this 
Tobacco  with  pleasure,  as  it  tastes  mild  and  soft  on 
the  palate,  and  leaves  no  unpleasantness. 


J.  P.  BURNS,  (Established    1830),   Tobacconist  &  Cigar 


NO 


MORE  IRRITATION 

OP  THE 


TONGUE,  THROAT,  AND  LUNGS 

AFTER  SMOKING. 


The  Trade  supplied  by  the  Manufacturers,  P.  &  J.  SMITH  GLASGOW. 


To  be  had  from  all  First  Class  Tobacconists. 

Sold  in  Tins  at  7s.  6d.  per  lb.  Sample 
2  ozs.  sent  to  any  address  for  Is.  2d., 
or  half-pound  tins,  4/-  post  free,  from 

Importer,  GLASGOW. 


THE  BODY  BELT, 

For  LUMBAGO,  RHEUMATICS,  COLDS,  &  INFLUENZA. 

pure;    natural  wool, 
2s.  6d.;  post  free  twopence  extra.   Send  waist  measurement. 
GRANT    &  WATSON, 

HIET-TA1LOES,    HOSIERS,     &  OUTFITTERS. 

112,  Buchanan  Street,  Glasgow. 

JOHN  JAMESON'S 

OLD    IRISH  WHISKEY, 

UNBLENDED, 
Railed  free  at  45/-  per  Case. 
SAMPLE  BOTTLE  POST  FREE  FOB  4s.  2d. 

KELLY  BROTHERS, 

39,  Upper  Sackville  Street,  DUBLIN. 

MR.  E.  EYERETT,  85,  Great  Portland  Street,  W.,____  ^T^T" 

has  for  some  time  taken  up  this   - — -c        j3  ^»  » 

department,      ^_______J-    fytttt  TL*?^  

_____  -  CI    F"0^  "  and  will  attend 

   upon  anygentleman  on  receiptof 

 '  letter.   Patterns  and  forms  of  self -measurement 

sent  on  application.   Moderate  Prices  and  Good  Work  Guaranteed. 


6(1. 


NOW  READY 


99 


SPRING  NUMBER. 


1.1  iL.f  rli.ll  Ii.l  1i.1l.  ili. I  )r.1l  <ili.1l  lull  Ixl  Ik 


In  Handsome  Gold  and  Green  Cover. 


OF  ALL  AGENTS  AND  BOOKSTALLS. 


Beautifully  Cool  and  Sweet  Smoking. 


Sold  only  in  1  oz.  Packets  and  2,  4,  and  8  oz. ,  and  1  lb  Tins, 
which  keep  the  Tobacco  in  Fine  Smoking  Condition.    Ask  at 
all  Tobacco  Sellers,  Stores,  &c,  and  take  no  other. 
The  genuine  bears  the  Trade  Mark  "  NOTTINGHAM 
CASTLE"  on  every  Packet  and  Tin. 


NAVY  GUT  CIGARETTES 

IN   PACKETS   AND   TINS  ONLY, 
Containing  12,  24,  50,  and  100. 


IN   EVERYBODY'S   MOUTH  I 

Bells  Cigarettes. 

&    F.    BELL,  GLASGOW. 

Gentlemen  are  invited  to  write  for  a  sample  Cigarette  Which  will  be  sent  post 
'ree,  along  with  a  list  of  Tobacconists  who  keen  our  Cigarettes. 


May  4,  1S95. 


TO-DAY. 


409 


the  Marylebone  Club,  fourteen  teams  compete  for  it,  in- 
stead of  nine.  It  was  impossible  to  disregard  the  claims 
of  Warwickshire,  Derbyshire,  Essex,  Leicestershire,  and 
Hampshire,  but  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  these 
counties  will  be  able  to  justify  their  position  in  the  cham- 
pionship competition  ;  and  as  the  Marylebone  Club  hold 
quite  a  free  hand  in  the  matter,  it  is  quite  likely  that  in 
another  season  one  or  two  of  these  counties  may  find 
their  own  level,  and  fail  to  get  on  the  eight  home  and 
home  matches  necessary  for  participating  in  tho  cham- 
pionship. 


The  cricket  public  are  a  conservative  body,  and  may 
take  some  little  time  before  they  get  used  to  the  new 
state  of  affairs,  as  the  system  will  be  by  no  means  so 
clear  to  follow  as  when  nine  counties  all  played  exactly 
the  same  number  of  matches.  I  have  grave  doubts 
as  to  whether  Essex  and  Leicestershire  will  be 
able  to  hold  their  own  in  the  higher  class  of 
matches  on  which  they  are  entering,  and  whether 
Hampshire,  depending  mainly  on  amateur  talent,  will 
be  able  sufficiently  often  to  put  their  best  eleven  into 
the  field.  However,  doubts  like  this  will  only  tend  to 
increase  the  interest  in  cricket  during  the  coming  season, 
which  promises  to  be  quite  as  eventful  and  business-like 
as  any  of  its  predecessors. 


In  about  another  week  Mr.  Stoddart's  team,  who 
have  been  so  distinguishing  themselves  in  Australia, 
will  be  back  with  us  again,  and  they  may  be  sure 
of  the  heartiest  welcome ;  but  it  is  a  great  pity 
that  no  match  has  been  arranged  either  at  Lord's 
or  the  Oval  for  them  to  oppose  another  eleven  of 
England.  As  it  is,  Mr.  Stoddart's  men  do  not 
appear  as  a  team  until  the  second  match  of  the  Hastings 
week  in  September,  when  the  interest  in  cricket  is 
almost  at  an  end,  and  when  the  result  of  the  game 
cannot  mean  very  much.    What  our  public  would  like 


THE   WIFE   OF   THOMAS  HARDY. 


When  Thomas  Hardy  compromised  with  his  parents, 
who  were  desirous  that  he  should  enter  the  Church  by 
choosing  the  profession  of  ecclesiastical  architect,  he 
doubtless  did  not  think  that  his  work  would  lead  him 
to  the  spot  where  he  would  meet  the  woman  who  was 
destined  to  become  his  wife.  But  it  was  while  he  was 
pursuing  his  profession  in  the  restoration  of  a  church 
in  Devonshire  that  Mr.  Hardy  met  the  woman  whom  he 
married. 

Mrs.  Hardy  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Altersoll 
Gifford,  a  Devonshire  solicitor,  and  was  a  most  devoted 
daughter  to  both  her  father  and  mother,  the  greatest 
sorrow  of  her  life  having  been  the  death  of  the  latter. 
,  Mrs.  Hardy's  devotion  to  her  mother  was  not  greater 
than  was  that  of  Mr.  Hardy,  who  had  always  been  to 
her  a  loving  son. 

Up  to  the  time  of  his  meeting  with  Miss  Gifford 
Mr.  Hardy  had  never  written  a  book,  and  it  may  be  in- 
teresting to  know  that,  when  the  moment  came  for  a 
decision  between  the  two  professions,  Mrs.  Hardy 
advocated  his  relinquishment  of  architecture  for  the 
field  of  literature,  with  how  much  wisdom  events  have 
since  proven.  Mrs.  Hardy  is  of  the  greatest  assist- 
ance to  her  husband  in  his  literary  work,  and  as  an 
earnest  of  her  interest  and  faith  in  him  made  a  copy 
for  him  for  his  publisher  of  his  first  novel,  "  Desperate 
Remedies." 

Mrs.  Hardy  lives  what  almost  may  be  called  an  ideal 
life  ;  from  December  until  May  she  presides  with  grace 
and  dignity  over  their  charming  home  at  Dorchester, 
which  Mr.  Hardy  himself  designed,  and  which  he 
named  "  Max  Gate."     Max  Gate  is  one  of  the  most 


to  know  is  how  far  Mr.  Stoddart's  team  represented  the 
strength  of  this  country,  and  whether  there  was  another 
eleven  left  behind  capable  of  defeating  them. 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  Lord  Sheffield's  well- 
meant  and  thoroughly  sportsmanlike  intention  of  ar- 
ranging a  welcome  home  of  Mr.  Stoddart's  team  should 
have  fallen  through ;  but  in  declining  the  invitation 
the  English  captain  in  Australia  probably  had 
no  other  course  open  to  him.  He  knew,  which  we 
had  no  means  of  doing  at  the  time,  that  Mr.  Ford,  Mr. 
MacLaren,  and  Mr.  Gay  were  not  coming  home  with 
the  others,  so  that  he  could  not  have  put  a  side  into  the 
field  on  the  suggested  date,  May  13th.  More  than  that, 
he  may  have  been  actuated  by  a  feeling  that  it  would  be 
unwise  to  risk  the  reputation  of  the  remarkable  tour 
by  the  possibility  of  a  defeat  from  another  team  of 
England  when  his  men  had  only  been  four  or  five  days 
off  a  long  sea  voyage.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  something 
in  the  way  of  a  social  public  welcome  will  be  arranged 
to  Mr.  Stoddart's  team  on  their  return,  as  no  body  of 
men  has  more  thoroughly  and  honourably  upheld  the 
prestige  of  English  cricket  in  the  Colonies. 

Cricket  practice  has  already  begun  in  earnest  at  the 
two  Universities,  and  the  first  match  at  Cambridge 
takes  place  next  Monday.  Considering  the  number  of 
old  "  Blues  "  available,  the  chances  are  all  in  favour  of 
Oxford  repearting  their  victory  of  last  year,  for  at  the 
present  time  it  is  hard  to  understand  where  Cambridge 
are  likely  to  find  any  new  bowlers.  In  batting,  the 
light  blues  have  great  hopes  of  C.  E.  M.  Wilson,  last 
year's  captain  at  Uppingham.  This  young  cricketer, 
who  is  Yorkshire  born,  has  had  a  remarkable  school 
reputation,  second  only  to  A.  P.  Lucas  and  D.  Q.  Steel, 
at  Uppingham  ;  and  iast  year,  though  handicapped  by 
illness,  he  headed  the  batting  averages  with  44"2> 
making  354  runs  in  eight  completed  innings. 

The  Major. 


interesting  houses  in  England.  Over  the  doors  in  the 
halls  are  illustrations  from  Mr.  Hardy's  stories,  arranged 
in  a  frieze,  and  on  the  walls  are  pictures  of  Balzac, 
George  Sand,  and  other  literary  celebrities.  In  the 
library  are  skeletons  of  ancient  warriors,  spear-heads 
and  arrows,  and  many  bookcases  filled  with  rare  and 
valuable  books.  From  the  drawing-room  windows  may 
be  seen  the  beautiful  scenery  of  Wessex,  so  rich  in 
suggestions.  The  drawing-room  walls  are  covered  with 
original  drawings  by  Du  Maurier,  Alfred  Parsons 
and  Herkomer,  beside  many  exquisite  water-colours, 
the  work  of  the  mistress  of  Max  Gate.  From 
May  until  August  the  Hardys  occupy  a  flat  either 
at  Kensington  or  Bayswater,  where  they  enjoy  the 
pleasures  of  London  society,  and  the  rest  of  the  year 
they  seek  rest  and  repose  either  in  Scotland  or  on  the 
Continent.  Mrs.  Hardy  is  very  fond  of  travel,  and 
always  accompanies  her  husband  on  his  Continental 
rambles.  While  at  their  Dorchester  home  Mrs.  Hardy 
spends  much  of  her  time  painting  in  water-colours.  She 
sketches  very  cleverly,  and  finds  material  ready  to  her 
hand  in  the  exquisite  scenery  which  surrounds  her 
home.  A  portion  of  each  day  is  devoted  specially  to 
Mr.  Hardy ;  she  acts  as  his  amanuensis,  keeping  a 
record  of  the  characters  that  appear  in  his  novels  and 
the  local  prototypes  (if  any)  from  which  they  were 
drawn.  She  is  very  fond  cf  outdoor  life  and  is  Mr. 
Hardy's  constant  companion  in  his  walks  along  the 
Dorchester  lanes  and  hedgerows,  the  descriptions  of  which 
lend  so  much  charm  to  his  novels.  In  appearance  Mrs. 
Hardy  is  striking  ;  her  hair  is  dark  and  slightly  tinged 
with  grey  ;  her  eyes  are  also  dark.  She  is  dignified  and 
very  graceful,  and  looks  as  though  she  might  be  the 
wife  of  some  ecclesiastical  dignitary. — Ladies'  Home 
Journal 


410 


TO-DAY. 


May  4,  1895. 


THE    RED  COCKADE. 

BY 

STANLEY   J.  WEYMAN. 
Illustrated  by  R.  Caton  Woodville. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

AT  MILHAU. 

^f'ffl-&fcfeji  MET  with  many  strange  things  on 
iH  \ 1 1w^r  t'':l1  ■i"uri"'^'  '  found  it  strange 
Iffl    J  ^°  See'  aS  ^  went>  armed  peasants 

JH|^--r^^Al       in    the  fields  ;    to    light  in  each 
jttllu      village  on   men   drilling;  to  enter 
jH'l  inns  and  find  half  a  dozen  rustics 

jH|ffiO|IHPi\        seated  round  a  table  with  glasses 
^Bi'ifjf'llf  IiKk       anC^  wme>  anc'  Perhaps  an  inkpot 
iBllffl  lHr~        before  them,  and  to  learn  that  they 
"fulfflliB^          called  themselves  a  Committee.  But 
^^Ip^  towardseveningof  the  third  day  I  saw 

a  stranger  thing  than  any  of  these 
I  was  beginning  to  mount  the  valley  of  trie  Tarn  which 
runs  up  into'  the  Cevennes  at  Milhau ;  a  north  wind  was 
blowing,  the  sky  was  overcast-,  the  landscape  grey  and 
bare ;  a  league  before  me  masses  of  mountain  stood  up 
deep  blue.  On  a  sudden,  as  I  walked  wearily  beside 
my  horse,  I  heard  voices  singing  in  chorus ;  and  looked 
about  me  in  astonishment.  The  sound,  clear  and  sweet 
as  fairy's  music,  seemed  to  rise  from  the  earth  at  my 
feet. 

A  few  yards  farther,  and  the  mystery  explained  itself. 
I  found  myself  on  the  verge  of  a  little  dip  in  the  ground, 
and  saw  below  me  the  roofs  of  a  hamlet,  and  on  the 
hither  side  of  it  a  crowd  of  a  hundred  or 
mora,  men  and  women.  They  were  dancing 
and  singing  round  a  great  tree,  leafless,  but 
decked  with  flags :  a,  few  old  people  sat  about  the 
roots  inside  the  circle,  and  but  for  the  cold  weather  and 
the  bleak  outlook,  I  might  have  thought  that  I  had  come 
on  a  May-day  festival. 

My  appearance  checked  the  singing  for  a  moment; 
then  two  elderly  peasants  made  their  way  through  the 
ring  and  came  to  meet  me,  walking  hand  in  hand.  "  Wel- 
come to  Vlais  and  Giron !  "  cried  one.  "  Welcome  to 
Giron  and  Vlais  !  "  cried,  the  other.  And  then,  before  1 
could  answer,  "  You  come  on  a  happy  day,"  cried  bothj 
together. 

I  could  not  help  smiling.  "  I  am  glad  of  that,"  I  said. 
"May  I  ask  what  is  the  reason  of  your  meeting?" 

"  The  Communes  of  Giron  and  Vlais,  of  Vlais  and 
Giron,"  they  answered,  speaking  alternately,  "are  to- 
day one.  To-day,  Monsieur,  old  boundaries  disappear  ; 
old  feuds  die.  The  noble  heart  of  Giron,  the  noble  heart 
of  Vlais,  beat  as  one." 

I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  laughiing  at  their  sim- 
plicity ;  fortunately,  at  that  moment,  the  circle  round 
the  tree  resumed  their  song  and  dance,  which  had  even 
in  that  weather  a-  pretty  effect,  as  of  a  Watteau  fete.  I 
congratulated  the  two  peasants  on  the  siglit. 

"But,  Monsieur,  this  is  nothing,"  one  of  them  answered 
with  perfect  gravity.  "It  is  not  only  that  the  boun- 
daries of  Communes  are  disappearing ;  those  of  pro- 
vinces! are  of  the  past.  also.  At  Valencei,  beyond  the 
mountains,  the  two  banks:  of  the  Rhine  have  clasped 
hands  and  sworn  eternal  amity.  Henceforth  all  French- 
men are  brothers  ;  all  Frenchmen  are  of  all  provinces  !  " 


"  That  is  a  fine  idea,"  I  said. 

"  No-  son  of  France  will  again  shed  French  blood  !  " 
"  So  be  it." 

"  Catholic  and  Protestant,  Protestant  and  Catholio 
will  live  at  peace !  There  will  be  no  law-suits.  Grain 
will  circulate  freely,  unchecked  by  tolls  or  dues.  All 
will  be  free,  Monsieur.    All  will  be  rich." 

They  said  more  in  the  same-tonie,  and  with  the 
same  naive  confidence;  but  my  thoughts  strayed 
from  them,  attracted  by  a  man,  who,  seated 
among  the  peasants  at  the  foot-  of  the  tree,  seemed  to 
my  eyes  to  be  of  another  class.  Tall  and  lean,  Avith  lank 
black  hair,  and  features  of*  a  stern,  sour  cast,  he  had 
nothing  of  outward  show  to-  distinguish  him  from  those 
round  him.  His  dress,  a  rough  hunting  suit,  was  old 
and  patched  ;  the  spurs  on  his  brown,  mud-stained  boots 
were  rusty  and  bent.  Yet  his  carriage  possessed  an 
ease  the  others  lacked ;  and  in  the  way  he  watched  the 
circling  rustics  I  read  a  quiet  scorn. 

I  did  not  notice  that  he  heeded  or  returned  my  gaze, 
but  I  had  not  gone  a  hundred  paces,  after  taking  leave 
of  the  two  mayors  and  the  revellers,  before  I  heard  a 
step,  and  looking  round,  saw  the  stranger  coming  after 
me     He  beckoned,  and  I  waited  until  ho  overtook  me. 

"You  are  going  to  Milhau?"  he  said,  speaking 
abruptly,  and  with  a  strong  country  accent;  yet  in  the 
tone  of  one  addressing  an  equal. 

"  Yes,  Monsieur,"  I  said.  "  But  I  doubt  if  I  shall 
reach  the  town  to-night." 

"  I  am  going  also,"  he  answered.  "  My  horse  is  in  the 
village." 

And  without-  saying  more,  he  walked  beside  me  until 
we  reached  the  hamlet.  There: — the  place  was  deserted 
— he  brought  from  an  outhouse  a  sorry  mare,  and 
mounted.  "  What  do  you  think  of  that  rubbish  ? "  he 
said  suddenly  as  we  took  the  road  again.  I  had  watched 
his  proceedings  in  silence. 

"  I  fear  that  they  expect  too  much,"  I  answered. 

He  laughed  ;  a  horse-laugh  full  of  scorn.  "  They  think 
that  the  Millennium  has  come,"  he  said.  "  And  in  a 
month  they  will  find  their  barns  burned  and  their  throats 
cut." 

"  I  hope,  not,"  I  said. 

"  Oh,  I  hope  not,"  he  answered  cynically.  "  I  hope 
not,  of  course.  But  even  so  Vive  la  Nation!  "Vive  la 
Revolution ! " 

"What?    If  that  be  its  fruit?"  I  asked. 

"Ay,  why  not?"  he  answered,  his  gloomy  eyes  fixed 
on  me.  "  It  is  everyone  for  himself,  and  what  has 
the  old  rule  done  for  me  that  I  should  fear 
to  try  the  new?  Left  me  to  starve  on  an 
old  rock  and  a  dovecote ;  sheltered  by  bare  stones,  and 
eating  out  of  a.  black  pot !  While  women  and  bankers, 
scented  fops  and  lazy  priests  prick  it  before  the  King  ! 
And  why?  Because  I  remain,  sir.  what  half  the  nation 
once  were1." 

"A  Protestant?"  I  hazarded. 

"  Ves,  Monsieur.    And  a  poor  noble."  he  answered, 
bitterly.    "  The  Baron  de  Geol,  at  your  service." 
I  gave  him  my  name  in  return. 

"  You  wear  the  tricolour?  "  lie  said.  "  Yet  you  think 
me  extreme?  I  answer  that  that  is  all  very  well  for 
you  ;  but  we  are  different  people.  You  are  doubtless 
a  family  man,  M.  le  Vicomte,  with  a  wife  " 

"On  the  contrary,  M.  le  Baron." 

"  Then  a.  mother,  a  sister  ? " 


Mat  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


411 


"  No,"  I  said,  smiling.  "  I  have  neither.  I  am  quite 
alone." 

"  At  least  with  a  home,"  he  persisted,  "  means,  friends, 
employment,  or  the  chance  of  employment?" 


"But  now?"  I  said,  startled  by  his  tone  of  passion. 

"  Ay,  now,"  he  answered,  grimly,  "  it  is  going  to  be 
different.  It  is  going  to  be  otherwise,  unless  these  black 
crows  of  priests  put  the  clock  back  again.    That  is  why  I 


"  IN   THE   EYES   OF  THE   LAW   I  DO   NOT   EXIST  !  ' 


"Yes,"  I  said,  "that  is  so." 

"  Whereas  I — I,"  he  answered,  growing  guttural  in 
his  excitement,  "have  none  of  these  things.  I  cannot 
enter  the  army — I  am  a  Protestant!  I  am  shut  off 
from  the  service  of  the  State — I  am  a  Protestant !  I 
cannot  be  a  lawyer  or  a  judge — I  am  a  Protestant !  Tke 
King's  schools  are  closed  to  me — I  am  a  Protestant! 
I  cannot  appear  at  Court — I  am  a  Protestant !  I — in 
the  eyes  of  the  law  I  do  not  exist !  I — I,  Monsieur,"  he 
continued,  more  slowly,  and  with  am  air  not  devoid  of 
dignity,  "  whose  ancestors  stood  before  kings,  and  whose 
grandfather's  great-grandfather  saved  the  fourth,  Henry's 
life  at  Coutras — I  do  not  exist ! " 


am  on  the  road." 

"You  are  going  to  Milhau?" 

"I  live  near  Milhau,"  he  answered.  "I  have  been 
from  home.  But  I  am  not  going  home  now.  I  am 
going  farther — to  Nimes." 

"To  Nimes?"  1  said,  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  And  he  looked  at  me  a  trifle  grimly, 
and  did  not  say  any  more.  It  was  growing  dark ;  the 
valley  of  the  Tarn,  along  which  our  road  lay,  fertile  and 
pleasant  to  the  eye  in  summer,  wore  at  this  season,  and 
in  the  half-light,  a  savage  and  rugged  aspect.  Moun- 
tains towered  on  either  side;  and  sometimes, 
where   the    road   drew    near   the   river,    the  rush- 


412 


TO-DAY. 


May  4,  18y*> 


ing  of  the  water  as  it  swirled  and  eddied  among  the 
rocks  below  us,  added  its  note  of  melancholy  to  the 
ecene.  I  shivered.  The  uncertainty  of  my  quest,  the 
uncertainty  of  everything,  pressed  upon  me.  I  was 
glad  when  my  companion  roused  himself  from  his  brood- 
ing, and  pointed  to  the  lights  of  Milhau  glimmering  here 
and  there  on  a  little  plain,  where  the  mountains  recede 
from  the  river. 

"You  are  doubtless  going  to  the  inn?"  he  said,  as  we 
entered  the  outskirts.  I  assented.  "  Then  we  part 
here,"  he  continued.  "To-morrow,  if  you  are  going  to 
Nimes — but  you  may  prefer  to  travel  alone." 

"  Far  from  it,"  I  said. 

'  Well,  I  shall  be  leaving  the  east  gate'-^about  eight 
o'clock,"  he  answered,  grudgingly.  "  Good-night,  Mon- 
sieur." 

I  bade  him  good-night,  and  leaving  him  there,  rode 
into*  the  town  ;  passing  through  narrow,  mean  streets, 
and  under  dark  archways  and  hanging  lanthorns,  that 
swung  and  creaked  in  the  wind,  and  did  everything 
but  light  the  squalid  obscurity.  Though,  night  had 
fallen,  people  were  moving  briskly  to  and  fro,  or  stand- 
ing at  their  doors  ;  the  place,  after  the  solitude  through 
which  I  had  ridden,  had  the  air  of  a  city ;  and  pre- 
sently I  became  aware  that  a,  little  crowd  was  following 
my  horse.  Before  I  reached  the  inn,  which  stood  in  a 
dimly-lit  square,  the  crowd  had  grown  into  a  great  one, 
and  was  beginning  to  press  upon  me ;  some  who  marched 
nearest  to  me  staring  up  inquisitively  into  my  face, 
while  others^  farther  off,  called  to  their  neighbours,  or 
to  dim  forms  seen  at  basement  windows,  that  it  was  he ! 

I  found  this  somewhat  alarming.  Still  they  did  not 
molest  me ;  but  when  I  halted  they  halted  too,  and  I 
was  forced  to  dismount  almost  in>  their  arms.  "  Is  this 
the  inn?"  I  said  to  those  nearest  to  me;  striving  to 
appear  at  my  ease. 

"  Yes !  yes "  they  cried,  with  one  voice,  "  that  is  the 
inn ! " 

"  My  horse  " 

"  We  will  take  the  horse  !    Enter !  Enter !  " 

I  had  little  choice,  they  flocked  so  closely  round  me  ; 
and,  affecting  carelessness,  I  went  in,  thinking  that  they 
would  not  follow,  and  that  inside,  I  should  learn  the 
meaning  of  their  conduct.  But  the  moment  my  back 
was  turned  they  pressed  in  after  me  and  beside  me,  and 
almost  sweeping  me  off  my  feet,  urged  me  along  the 
narrow  passage  of  the  house,  whether  I  would  or  no.  I 
tried  to  turn  and  remonstrate ;  but  the  foremost 
drowned  my  words  in  loud  cries  for  "  M.  Flandre !  M. 
Flandre!" 

Fortunately  M.  Flandre  was  not  far  off.  A  door 
towards  which  I  was  being  urged  opened,  and  he  ap- 
peared. He  was  an  immensely  stout  man,  with  a  face  to 
match  his  body ;  and  he  gazed  at  us  for  a  moment,  as- 
tounded by  the  invasion.  Then  he  asked  angrily  what 
was  the  matter. .  "  Ventre  de  Ciel !  "  he  cried.  "  Is  this 
my  house  or  yours,  rascals  ?    Who  is  this  1 " 

"  The  Capuchin !  The  Capuchin ! "  cried  a  dozen 
voices. 

"  Ho  !  ho  !  "  he  answered  before  I  could  speak.  "  Bring 
a  light." 

•Two  or  three  bare-armed  women  whom  the  noise  had 
brought  to  the  door  of  the  kitchen  fetched  candles,  and 
raising  them  above  their  heads  gazed  at  me  curiously. 
"  Ho  !  ho  !  "  he  said  again.  "  The  Capuchin  is  it?  So  you 
have  got  him," 


"Do  I  look  like  one?"  I  cried  angrily,  thrusting  back 
those  who  pressed  on  me  most  closely.  "  Nom  de  Dieu  i 
Is  this  the  way  you  receive  guests,  Monsieur?  Or  is  the 
town  gone  mad?" 

"You  are  not  the  Capuchin  Monk?"  he  said,  some- 
what taken  aback  I  could  see  by  my  boldness. 

"  Have  I  not  said  that  I  am  not?  Do  monks  in  your 
country  travel  in  boots  and  spurs?"  I  retorted. 

"  Then  your  papers !  "  he  answered  curtly.  "  Your 
papers !  I  would  have  you  to  know,"  he  continued 
puffing  out  his  cheeks,  "  that  I  am  Mayor  here  as  well 
as  host,  and  I  keep  the  gaol  as  well  as  the  inn.  Your 
papers,  Monsieur,  if  you  prefer  the  one  to  the  other." 

"  Before  your  friends  here?"  I  said  contemptuously. 

"  They  are  good  citizens,"  he  answered. 

I  had  some  fear,  now  I  had  come  to  the  pinch, 
that  the  commission  I  carried  might  fail  to  pro- 
duce all  the  effects  with  Which  I  had  credited  it. 
But  I  had  no  choice,  and  ultimately  nothing  to 
dread  ;  and  after  a  momentary  hesitation  I  produced  ite 
Fortunately  it  was  drawn  in  complimentary  terms  and 
gave  the  Mayor,  I  know  not  how,  the  idea  that  I  was 
actually  bound  at  the  moment  on  an  errand  of  state. 
When  he  had  read  it,  therefore,  he  broke  into  a  hundred 
apologies,  craved  leave  to  salute  me,  and  announced  to 
the  listening  crowd  that  they  had  made  a  mistake. 

It  struck  me  at  the  time  as  strange,  that  they,  the 
crowd,  were  not  at  all  embarrassed  by  their  error.  On 
the  contrary,  they  hastened  toi  congratulate  me  on  my 
acquittal,  and  even  patted  me  on  the  shoulder  in  their 
good  humour ;  .some  went  to  see  that  my  horse  was 
brought  in,  or  to  give  orders  on  my  behalf,  and  the  res 
presently  dispersed,  leaving  me  fain  to  believe  that  the} 
would  have'  hung  me  to  the  nearest  lanterne  with  the 
same  stolid  complaisance. 

When  only  two  or  three  remained,  I  asked  the  Mayor 
for  whom  they  had  taken  me. 

"  A  disguised  monk,  M.  le  Vicomre,"  he  said.  "  A 
very  dangerous  fellow,  who  is  known  to  be  travelling 
with  two  ladies— all  to  Nimes  ;  and  orders  have  been 
sent  from  a  high  quarter  to  arrest  him." 

"But  I  am  alone!"  I  protested.  "I  have  no  ladie:i 
with  me." 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "Just  so,  M.  le  Vi- 
comte,"  he  answered.  "  But  we  have  got  the  two  ladies. 
They  were  arrested  this  morning,  while  attempting  t>> 
pass  through  the  town  in  a  carriage.  We  know,  there- 
fore, that  he  is  now  alone." 

"  Oh,"  I  said.  "  So  you  only  want  him  now  ? 
And  what  is  the  charge  against  him?"  I  continued, 
remembering  with  a  languid  stirring  of  the  pulses 
that  a  Capuchin  monk  had  visited  Father  Benoit 
before  his  departure.  It  seemed  to  be  strange 
that  I  should  come  upon  tlie  traces  of  another  here. 

"  He  is  charged,"  M.  Flandre  answered  pompously, 
"with  high  treason  against  the  nation.  Monsieur.  He 
ha*>  been  seen  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  at  Mont- 
pellier,  and  Cette,  and  Albi  and  as  far  away  as  Auch  ; 
and  always  preaching  war  and  superstition,  and  cor- 
rupting the  people." 

"And  the  ladies?"  I  said  smiling.  "Have  they  too 
been  " 

"  No,  M.  le  Vicomte.  But  it  is  believed  that  wishing 
to  return  to  Nimes,  and  learning  that  the  roads  were 
watched,  he  disguised  himself  and  joined  himself  to 
them.    Doubtless  they  are  devotes." 

"  Poor  tilings  1  "  I  said,  with  a  shiver ;  every  one. 


May  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


413 


seemed  to  be  so  goovl-tempered,  and  yet  so  hard.  "  What 
will  you  do  with  them  ? " 

"  I  shall  send  for  orders,"  he  answered.  "  In  his  case," 
ho  continued  airily,  "  I  should  not  need  them.  But  here 
is  your  supper.  Pardon  me,  M.  1&  Vicomte,  if  I  do  not 
attend  on  you  myself.  As  Mayor  I  have  to  take  care 
that  I  do  not  compromise — but  you  understand  1 " 

I  said  civilly  that  I  did ;  and  supper  being  laid,  as 
was  then  the  custom  in  the  smaller  dnns,  in  my 
bedroom,  I  asked  him  to  take  a  glass  of  wine 
with  me,  and  over  the  meal  learned  much  of  the  state 
of  the  country,  and  the  fermentation  that  was  at  work 
along  the  southern  seaboard,  the  priests  stirring  up  the 
people  with  processions  and  sermons.  He  waxed  espe- 
cially eloquent  upon  the  excitement  at  Nimes,  where 
the  masses  were  bigoted 
Romanists,  yet  the  Pro- 
testants had  a  following, 
too,  with  the  hardy 
peasants  of  the  mountains 
behind  them.  "  There  will 
be  trouble,  M.  le  Vicomte, 
there  will  be  trouble 
there,"  he  said.  "  Things 
are  going  too  well  for  the 
people  la  bas.  They  will 
stop  them  if  they  can." 

"  And  this  man  1 " 

"Is  one  of   their  mis- 
sionaries." 

I  thought  of  Father 
Benoit,  and  sighed.  "  By 
the  way,"  the  Mayor  said 
abruptly,  gazing  at  me  in 
moony  thoughtfulness, 
"  that  is  curious,  now  !  " 

"What?"  I  said. 

"  You  come  from  Cahors, 
M.  le  Vicomte  ? " 

"  Well  % " 

"S«  do  these  women  ; 
or  they  say  they  do.  The 
prisoners." 

"  From  Cahors  ?  " 

"  Yes.  It  is  odd  now," 
he  continued,  "but  when 
I  read  your  commission  I 
did  not  think  of  that." 

I  shrugged  my  shoulders  impatiently.  "  It  does  not 
follow  that  I  am  in  the  plot,"  I  said.  "  For  goodness 
sa'ke,  M.  le  Maire,  do  not  let  us  open  the  case  again. 
You  have  seen  my  papers,  and  " 

"  Tut !  tut !  "  he  said.  "  That  is  not  my  meaning. 
But  you  may  know  these  persons." 

"  Oh !  "  I  said ;  and  then  I  sat  a  moment,  staring  at 
him  between  the  candles,  my  hand  raised,  a  morsel  on 
my  fork.  A  wild  extravagant  thought  had  flashed  into 
my  mind.  Two  ladies  from,  Cahors  !  From  Cahors,  of 
all  places?    "How  do  they  call  themselves?"  I  asked. 

"  Corvas,"  he  answered. 

"Oh  !  Corvas,"  I  said,  falling  to  eating  aga'n,  and  put- 
ting the  morsel  into'  my  mouth.  And  I  went  on  with  my 
supper. 

"  Yes.  A  merchant's  wife,  she  says  she  is.  But  you 
shall  see  her." 


HE   DREW  HIS  STICK   ACROSS  THE  BARS   OF  THE  GRILLE. 


"I  don't  remember  the  name,"  I  said. 

"  Still,  you  may  know  them,"  he  rejoined,  with  the 
dull  persistence  of  a  man  of  few  ideas.  "  It  is  just 
possible  that  we  have  made  a  mistake,  for  we  found  no 
papers  in  the  carriage,  and  only  one  thing  that  seemed 
suspicious." 

"  What  was  that  ? " 

"  A  red  cockade." 

"  A  red  cockade  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  answered.  "  The  badge  of  the  old  Leaguers." 
"  But,"  I  said,  "  I  have  not  heard  of  any  party  adopt- 
ing that." 

He  rubbed  his  bald  head  a  little  doubtfully.  "  No," 
he  said,  "  that  is  true.  Still,  it .  is  a  colour  we  don't 
like  here1.    And  two   ladies1  travelling  alone — alone, 

Monsieur  !  Then  their 
driver,  a  half-witted  fellow, 
who  said  they  had  engaged 
him  at  Rodez,  though  he 
denied  stoutly  that  he  had 
seen  the  Capuchin,  told 
two  or  three  tales.  How- 
ever, if  you  will  eat  no 
more,  M.  le  Vicomte,  I 
will  take  you  to  see  them. 
You  may  be  able  to  speak 
for  or  against  them." 

"  If  you  do  not  think 
that  it  is  too  late  1 "  I  said, 
shrinking  somewhat  from 
the  interview. 
'  "  Prisoners  must  not  be 
choosers,"  he  answered, 
with  an  unpleasant 
chuckle.  And  he  called 
from  the  door  for  a  lan- 
thorn  and  his  cloak. 

"  The  ladies  are  not 
here,  then  1 "  I  said. 

"  No,"  he  answered,  with 
a  wink.  "  Safe  bind,  safe 
find !  But  they  have 
nothing  to  cry  about. 
There  are  one  or  two 
rough  fellows  in  the 
clink,  so  Babet,  the  goaler, 
has  given  them  room  in 
his  house." 

At  this  moment  the  lanthorn  came,  and  the  Mayor 
having  wrapped  his  portly  person  in  a  cloak,  we  passed 
out  of  the  house.  The  square  outside  was  utterly  dark, 
such  lights  as  had  been  burning  when  I  arrived  having 
been  extinguished,  perhaps  by  the  wind,  which  was 
rising,  and  blew  keenly  across  the  open  space.  The 
yellow  glare  of  the  lanthorn  was  necessary,  therefore, 
but  though  it  showed  us  a  few  feet  of  the  roadway,  and 
enabled  us  to  pick  our  steps,  it  redoubled  the  dark- 
ness beyond  ;  I  could  not  see  even  the  line  of  the  roofs, 
and  had  no  idea  in  what  direction  we  had  gone  or  how 
far,  when  M.  Flandre  halted  abruptly,  and,  raising 
the  lanthorn,  threw  its  light  on  a  greasy  stone  wall, 
wherein,  set  deep  in  the  stone^work,  a  low  iron-studded 
door  frowned  on  us.  About  the  middle  of  the  door  hung 
a  huge  knocker,  and  above  all  was  a  small  grille. 

"  Safe  bind,  safe  find !  "  the  Mayor  said  again,  with  a 


414 


TO-DAY. 


Mat  4,  1S95. 


fat  chuckle ;  but,  instead  of  raising  the  knocker,  he 
drew  his  stick  sharply  across  the  bars  of  the  grille., 

The  summons  was  understood  and  quickly  answered. 
A  face  peered  a  moment  through  the  grating  ;  then  the 
door  opened  to  us.  The  Mayor  took  the  lead,  and 
we  passed  in,  out  of  the  night,  into  a  close,  warm  air 
reeking  of  onions  and  foul  tobacco,  and  a  hundred 
like  odours.  The  gaoler  silently  locked  the  door 
behind  us,  and  then,  taking  the  Mayor's  lanthorn 
from  him,  led  the  way  down  a  grimy,  low-roofed  passage 
barely  wide  enough  for  one  man.  He  halted  at  the 
hist  door  on  the  left  of  the  passage,  and  threw  it  open. 

M.  Flandre  entered  first,  and,  standing  while  he 
removed  his  hat,  for  an  instant  filled  the  doorway.  I 
had  time  to  hear  and  note  a  burst  of  obscene  singing, 
which  came  from  a  room  farther  down  the  passage  ;  and 
the  frequent  baying  of  a  prison-dog  that,  hearing  us, 
flung  itself  against  its  chain,  somewhere  in  the  same 
direction.  I  noted,  too,  that  the  walls  of  the  passage 
in  which  I  stood  were  dingy  and  trickling  with  mois- 
ture, and  then!  a,  voice,  speaking  in  answer  to>  M. 
Flandre's  salutation,  caught  my  ear,  and  held  me 
motionless. 

The  voice  was  Madame's — Madame  de  St.  Alais' ! 

It  was  fortunate  that  I  had  entertained,  though  but 
a  second,  the  wild,  extravagant  thought  that  had 
occurred  to  me  at  supper  ;  for  in  a  measure  it  had  pre- 
pared me',  and  I  had  little  time  for  other  preparation, 
for  thought,  or  decision.  Luckily,  the  room  was  thick 
with  vile  tobacco  smoke,  and  the  steam  from  some 
linen  that  was  drying  by  the  fire;  and  I  took  advantage 
of  a  fit  of  coughing,  partly  assumed,  to  linger  an  instant 
or.  the  threshold  after  M.  Flandre  had  gone  in.  Then 
T  followed  him,. 

There  were  four  people  in  the  room  besides  the 
Mayor,  but  I  had  no  eyes  for  the  frowsy  man  and»woman 
who  sat  playing  with  a  filthy  pack  of  cards  at  a,  table 
in  the  middle  of  the  floor.  I  had  only  eyes  for  Madame 
and  Mademoiselle,  and  them  I  devoured.  They  sat  on 
two  stools  on  the  farther  side  of  the  hearth  ;  the  girl 
with  her  head  laid  wearily  back  against  the  wall,  and 
her  eyes  half-closed  ;  the  mother,  erect  and  watchful, 
meeting  the  Mayor's  look  with  a  smile  of  contempt. 
Neither  the  prison-house,  nor  danger,  nor  the  com- 
panionship of  this  squalid  hole  had  had  power  to  reduce 
her  fine  spirit ;  but  as  her  eyes,  passing  from  the  Mayor 
encountered  mine,  she  started  to  her  feet  with  a  gasp- 
ing cry,  and  stood  staring  at  me. 


ON   THE    UMPIRE'S  BOAT. 

BY 

E.   S.  GREW. 


fUBLic  enthusiasm  in  the  Ratcliff  Cross  and  Metro- 
politan Grand  Regatta  perhaps  has  been  tempered  by 
the  weather,  which  lias  enveloped  the  river  and  the 
murky  wharves  in  drizzle  ;  but  it  is  certain  that.  Rat- 
cliff  and  the  Metropolis  are  present,  in  numbers  de- 
pressingTy  small.  The  spectators  on  shore,  few  of  whom 
have  though!  the  occasion  sufficiently  important  to  put 
on  collars^  can  all  find  room  on  the  causeway  leading 
across  the  mud  to  the  water's  edge;  and  the  men  in  the 
warehouses  by  the  stone  stairs  have  not  stopped  their 
usual  task  of  raising  sacks  of  produce  from  the  barges 
and  lowering  them  again,  A  steam  tug  is  smoking  a 
little  way  off  whore,  and  the  last  boatload  of  passengers 
intending  to  follow  the  race  is  just  putting  off  from  the 


It  was  not  wonderful  that  for  a  second,  peering 
t  hrough  the  reek,  she  doubted.  But  one  there  was  there 
that  did  not  doubt.  Mademoiselle,  at  the  sound  of  her 
mother's  cry,  had  sprung  up  in  alarm,  and  for  the 
briefest  moment  we  looked  at  one  another.  Then  she 
sank  back  on  her  stool,  and  I  heard  her  break  into 
violent,  crying. 

"  Hallo  1 "  said  the  Mayor.  "  What  is  this  1 " 
A  mistake,  I  fear,"  I  said  hoarsely,  in  words  I  had 
already  composed.  "  I  am  thankful,  Madame,"  I  con- 
tinued, bowing  to  her  with  ceremony,  and  as  much  in- 
difference as  I  could  assume,  "  that  I  am  so  fortunate 
as  to  be  here." 

She  muttered  something  and  leaned  against  the  wall. 
She  had  not  yet  recovered  herself. 

"  You  know  the  ladies  1 "  the  Mayor  said,  turning  to 
me  and  speaking  roughly  and  with  a  tinge  of  suspicion 
in  his  voice.  And  he  looked  from  one  to  the  other  of 
Us  sharply. 

"  Well,"  I  said. 

"They  are  from  Cahors?" 

"  From  that  neighbourhood." 

"  But,"  he  said,  "  I  told  you  their  names,  and  you  said 
that  you  did  not  know  them,  M.  le  Vicomte?" 

For  a  moment  I  held  my  breath  ;  gazing  into  Madame's 
face  and  reading  there  anxiety,  and  something  more — 
a  sudden  terror.  I  took  the  leap — I  could  do  nothing 
else.  "  You  told  me  Corvas — that  the  lady's  name  was 
Corvas,"  I  muttered. 

"  Yes,"  he  said. 

"  But  Madame's  name  is  Correas." 

"Correas?"  he  repeated,  his  jaw  falling. 

"  Yes,  Correas.  I  dare  say  that  the  ladies,"  I  con- 
tinued with  assumed  ease,  "did  not  in  their  fright 
speak  very  clearly." 

"  And  their  name'  is  Correas?" 

"  I  told  you  that  it  was,"  Madame  answered,  speak- 
ing for  the  first  time,  "  and  also  that  I  knew  nothing  of 
your  Capuchin  monk.  "  And  this  last,"  she  continued 
earnestly,  her  eyes  fixed  on  mine  in  passionate  appeal — 
in  appeal  that  this  time  could  not  be  mistaken — "  I  say 
again,  on  my  honour  !  " 

I  knew  that  she  meant  this  for  me.  "Yes,  M.  le 
Maire,"  I  said,  "  I  am  afraid  that  you  have  made  a 
mistake.    I  can  answer  for  Madame  as  for  myself." 

The  Mayor  rubbed  his  head. 

(To  be  continued.) 


causeway  to  it.  Some  delay  is  caused  by  the  band. 
The  band — niade  up  of  a  cornet,  a  flute,  and  a  har- 
monium, suspiciously  like  an  accordion — presently  hur- 
ries down  the  causeway,  wiping  its  mouth  ;  and  stum- 
bles on  board  ;  and  the  bystanders  shove  our  boat  off 
imploring  us  for  'evin's  sake  not  to  tike  and  run  aw'y 
with  the  fust  prize. 

As  the  boat  swings  round  the  barges  into  the  current,  , 
the  bow  oar  leans  forward  to  inquire  of  Stroke,  in  tones 
sufficiently  confidential  to  be  heard  all  over  the  boat, 
what  he  thinks  'ud  be  the  right  thing  to  arsk  these 
gentlemen  for  putting  of  them  on  board  the  Ich  Dien. 
Stroke  takes  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  pipe  stem  from 
bis  mouth  to  give  himself  opportunity  for  deliberation, 
and  says  that  he'll  leave  it  to  the  gents.  Overcome 
by  this  mark  of  confidence,  the  gents  preserve  an  en- 
thusiastic silence.  Bow  repeats  the  offer,  "  I'll  leave  it 
to  your  bloomin'  benevolence,  gents.''  he  says  ;  and  the 
cornet,  as  an  impartial  outsider,  observes  that  if  we 


Mat  4,  1895. 


TO-DAY. 


415 


made  it  up  to  a  quart  between  us,  that  'ud  be  abaht  the 
thing.  Bow  leans  on  his  oar.  "  Ho,"  he  says,  with 
ironic  politeness,  "you  would,  would  yer  !  Well,  then 
another  time  you  want  to  git  on  the  Ich  Dien  pr'aps 
you'll  take  your  bloomin'  custom  elsewhere."  while 
Bow  and  Cornet  are  still  exchanging  words,  we  bump 
against  the  side  of  the  Ich  Dien,  and  a  voice  from 
the  deck  enjoins  us  to  "Come  on,  come  on!"  Are 
we  (asks  the  voice)  agoin'  to  see  the  adjectived  race,  or 
are  we  going  to  wait  for  'Enley  Regatta.  So  we  climb 
on  deck ;  the  paddles  begin  to  slap  at  once ;  and  the 
shore  boat  drifts  down  stream,  with  Bow  standing  up 
in  it  and  trying  to  tell  the  Cornet  what  he  really  thinks 
of  him. 

On  deck  a  crowd  of  gloomy  sportsmen  is  endeavour- 
ing to  keep  up  its  spirits  by  a.  little  friendly  betting. 
There  is  not  much  doing  in  this  way ;  but  a  thriving 
trade  is  going  on  in  the  cabin,  where,  according  to  a.  fly 
spotted  placard,  the  best  spirits  are  supplied  at  popular 
prices.  They  seem  to  be  popular  with  the  Cornet,  who 
comes  up  in  a>  minute  or  two  and  resumes  a  broken 
conversation  about  somebody's  'orse. 

"Tm  and-  'is  'orse,"  continues  the  Cornet,  "was 
standin'  outside  the  "Ope  and  Anchor.'  'Well,  Mr. 
K.,'  say  I,  "Ow  are  yer?'  "Ow  are  you?'  says  'e. 
'  That  'orse  o'  yours  is  a.  looking  well,'  I  says.  '  Ah,' 
says  he.  '  What  might  you  feed  'im  on,'  says  L  '  Tater 
peelings,'  says  'e.  'What  else?'  says  I.  'Ay,'  says 
'e.  'Why  don't  you  give  him  watercreese? '  says  I. 
Why,  bust  me  (the  Cornet  explains)  if  you  couldn't  see 
through  the  'orse.  'Ave  you  ever  see  ole  Kinsey's 
'orse  !  'E  was  like  my  pore  ole  father's  tortershell 
Tom.    Did  " 

"  'Ere,  'ere,"  says  the  voice  which  had  interrupted 
the  Cornet  before.    "Bust  torkin',  go  on  blowin' !  " 

"  Right,"  says  the  Cornet  with  great  cheerfulness, 
"What'll  you  'ave,  Mr.  Dorson?" 

"  Oh,  anythink,  anythink,  so  long  as  it  'as  got  some 
toon  in  it.  Let's,"  suggests  Mr.  Dawson,  "have  some- 
thing lively." 

So  after  a  preliminary  canter,  the  band,  with  a  ready 
sense  of  appropriateness,  breaks  into  "  Tom  Bowling," 
and  Mr.  Dawson — ex-10-stone  champion  and  sole  col- 
lector and  manager,  as  you  may  see  by  reference  to  the 
small  bills — can  be  heard  descending  the  stairs  to  stfr* 
up  the  refreshment  department. 

The  friendly  betting,  invigorated  by  the  noise  of  the 
band,  also  stirs  up  a  little;  and  a  sporting  gentleman 
who  wears  his  hair  excessively  short,  and  who  looks  a 
good  sort  of  companion  to  have  in  a  rough  and  tumble, 
raises  a  foggy  voice  to  say,  "  Ten  to  one  Curley  !  I'll 
lay  six  to  four  Welsey — 'oo's  goin"to  'ave  a  bet." 

"  Ten  to  one  Curley,"  he  repeats  pursuasively  to  a 
young:  fellow  wearing  a  pink  ribbon  in  his  covert-coat, 
pink  being  the  distinguishing  colour  of  Curley.  "  Tike 
it  in  arf  crahns." 

"  D'ye  think,"  asked  Curley's  supporter  sardonically, 
"that  I've  got  anythink  to  give  aw'y?" 

The  gentleman  with  short  hair  retorts  that  he  is  not 
giving  away  nothink  himself.  Fact  is  he  wants  to 
make  a  bit.  "  I've  got  a  few  shillings  belonging  to 
these  gentlemen  here,"  indicating  some  of  his  fellow 
passengers,  who  grin  feebly,  "  which  I  expeck  as  I  shall 
have  to  keep.  Look  'ere,"  he  says  in  a  burst  of  gener- 
osity, "  I'll  tike  ten  to  one  meself !  " 

"  Oh,  chuck  it,"  says  the  covert-coat  irritably.  "  'Ave 
a  bet  with  somebody  else.  You  know  who  I  want  to 
win.    Aint  there  anybody  else  to  bet." 

"  Well,  there  aint  many,"  replies  the  layer  of  odds, 
with  reproachful  candour,  "  blow  me  if  it  mightn't  be 
a  something  Sunday  school." 

The  promulgation  of  a  sweepstake  at  a  bob  a  head 
somewhat  restores  our  character  for  sporting  feeling, 
and  occupies  the  rest  of  the  time  in  getting  to  the  Tower 
Bridge,  where  the  race  is  to  be  started.  When  we  get 
there  the  race  is  still  a  long  way  from  beginning,  for 
the  marshalling  of  the  scullers  and  the  cutters  which 
"We  to  guide  them  is  a  tedious  business.    The  Ich  Dien 


bumps  restlessly  against  the  granite  buttresses  of  the 
bridge,  and  the  crowd  which,  has  been  attracted  by  the 
appearance  of  the  racing  shells  and  the  cutters  into 
believing  that  something  was  going  to  happen,  becomes 
persuaded  that  it  must  have  been  mistaken,  and  gradu- 
ally thins  off.  At  last,  however,  all  the  sculling  boats 
and  all  the  cutters  get  into  position.  The  steamer 
steadies  herself  under  the  span  of  the  bascules  for  a 
moment,  sets  off  her  whistle  in  a  piercing  blast  ;  and 
the  sculling  boats  spring  away  in  a  hard  struggle  for 
the  lead.  As  they  converge,  the  throng  of  sportsmen 
who  are  crowding  the  bows  of  the  Ich  Dien,  and  who 
are  striving  to  stand  on  one  another's  heads  in  their 
anxiety  to  see,  gives  out  a  composite  yell  of  encourage- 
ment and  advice  to  all  the  scullers.  Inasmuch  as  the 
sculling  boats  ars  at  the  time  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  ahead  it  is  not  likely  that  the  advice  is  of  very 
much  use. 

Presently  the  cox  of  one  of  the  steering  cutters  deftly 
guides  Pink  (who  is,  Curley)  right  across  the  way  of  a 
tug  coming  up  stream.  Pink  sees  his  mistake,  and 
struggles  to  put  it  right ;  runs  the  sculling  boat  into  a 
dumb  barge,  and  gives  up  the  race.  Pink's  observa- 
tions (if  any)  we  cannot  hear  ;  but  his  backer  on  the 
steamer  is  an  effective  substitute. 

"What  d'ye  call  that?"  he  shouts  as  we  steam  by 
the  drifting  cutter.  "Steerin'?  Puttin'  the  man  all 
over  the  river — you — you  bat-eyed  cuckoo  !  You 
oughter  be  drahnded,  you  " 

The  coxswain  replies  with  some  remarks  which  may 
be  offered  in  polite  excuse  for  his  awkwardness.  We 
cannot  hear  them,  though  he  seems  to  be  making  great 
efforts  to  make  himself  understood. 

Gradually  the  struggle  between  the  remaining  boats 
become^  less  severe.  The  scullers  settle  into  profes- 
sional order.  But  the  throng  in  the  bow  of  the  Ich 
Dien  never  relaxes  its  efforts;  and  continues  to  shout 
itself  diy  over  its  favourites,  though  for  all  the  use  it  is 
the  scullers  might  as  well  be  on  the  Paramatta.  The 
Cornet,  alone  careless  of  the  race,  is  engaged  in  a 
single-handed  struggle  with  the  "  Song  that  reached  my 
Heart, '  and  a.  backer,  who  wears  a  blue  ribbon,  but 
who  does  not  look  to  belong  to-  a  total  abstinence  league, 
remarks  rather  unkindly  to  a  friend  that  if  that  young 
chap  goes  on  miking  that  blighted  row  he'll  do  hisself 
a  injury. 

As  we  again  approach  Ratcliff  Stairs,  which  is  the 
winning-post,  the  Second  Boat,  which  is  Yellow,  begins 
to  go  away  from  Blue  (who  is  easily  last),  and  to  gain 
a.  little  on  Red,  who  leads.  A  reinvigorated  yell  breaks 
from  the  bow  of  the  Ich  Dien  and  Ms.  Bill  Dawson 
(ex-champion  and  sole  manager)  comes  aft  to  tell  the 
band  to  get  ready  for  playing,  "See  the  Conquering 
Hero  " — which  it  does  prematurely. 

Yellow's  effort  dies  away,  and  Red  passes  the  post  an 
easy  three  lengths  ahead,  thereby  becoming  the  winner 
of  a  pursev  vaguely  described  as  "  of  sovereigns,"  and 
a  handsome  suit  of  clothes  made  to  measure',  the-  gift 
of  Mr.  Pinkerton  (tailor,  of  No.  35,  Gravel  Street,  Shad- 
well)  ;  Yellow  is  second ;  Blue  a  bad  third ;  Pink 
coming  on. 

The  excitement  aroused  by  the  finish  subsides  quickly ; 
and  the  crowd  itself  subsides  almost  as  quickly  into 
the  refreshment  cabin.  The  sweepstake1  is  divided  and 
drunk,  and  the  amateur  bookmaker  says,  after  paying 
out  that  he  is  just  abaht  arf  a  crahn  in  over  this  job. 
The  winner  comes  on  board,  and  some  of  the  crews  of 
the  cutters.  Among  them — presently! — the  coxswain 
of  the  cutter  which  brought  Pink's  share  in  the  race  to 
so-  unfortunate  a  conclusion.  He  comes  to  explain  the 
circumstances  to  the  young  man  in  the  covert-coat. 

"Could  I  'el]>  it?"  he  asks.  "  Gorblimey,  wot  was  I 
to  do?  'Ere  I  was  doini  my  best,  and  then  you  comes 
and  insults  me !  " 

"Well,"  retorts  the  Covert  Coat,  "well — wot  of  it? 
I  was  only  orferin'  a  opinion.  Can't  I  make  a  remark 
— can't  I  say  nothink  !  " 

The  Cornet,  refreshing  himself  after  tire1  labours- 


416 


TO-DAY. 


May  4,  1895. 


th.e  day,  has  resumed  his  experiences  of  domestic 
animals  to  the  Flute.  fl  Trtere  wias  that  white  little  fox 
terrier  dorg  as  I  'ad.  A  good  little  dorg  he  were  till  I 
lorst  him.  Well,  one  d'y  a«  I  ir«»  going  down  to  Poplar 
with  the  tug  I  saw  Charley  Dunk  a  standin'  on  'is 
barges  with  a  dorg  by  'im.  'What's  yeer,  Charley,'  I 
shouts.  '  What's  yeer,'  says  he.  '  'Ow  are  you  comin' 
up?'  says  I.  'Like  a  'ouse  on  fire,'  says  'e  (you  know 
'is  way).  Well,  as  I  speaks,  the  dorg  he  had  with  him 
jumps  overboard.  I  didn't  know  what  dorg  it  was,  but 
'e  must  have  reco'nised  my  voice.  '  'Ere,'  I  says  to  my 
mate,  '  bust  me  if  there  aint  a  dorg  swimmin'  after  us.' 
"  Where,'  says  he.  '  There,'  says  I.  '  So  there  is,'  says 
'e,  .and  the  dorg  swum  us  orl  the  way.  Well,  they  put 
me  alongside  at  the  wharf,  and  I  just  jumps  ashore. 
The  dog  he  didn't  see  me  git  ashore,  you  know,  '©  thought 
I  was  on  the  tug,  and  as  the  tug  went  away  from  the 


shore,  ther  'e  went  after  it  again!  I  called  to  'im. 
'  'Ere,'  I  says,  '  good  dorg,  good  dorg ! '  and  he  turns 
round  at  my  voice.  I  reco'nised  him  at  once.  It  was 
my  little  fox  terrier  dorg.  And  then  bust  me  just  as 
'e  turns  round  'e  sinks.  'E  was  done.  I  tell  yer  they 
'ad  to  'old  me  back,  or  I  should  ha'  gone  in  arter  'im. 

I  shouid.    So  help  me  I  " 

"  Order,  order,"  says  a  voice,  "  Gentlemen,  all !  I 
•have  a  toast  to  propose  which  I  am  sure  you  will  all  in 
this  plice  receive.  The  toast  I  have  is  our  old  and 
trusted  friend  Mr.  Bill  Dawson,  ex-champion.  I'm 
•sure  you  don't  any  of  you  want  no  words  of  mian,  so 
.1  will  only  say  '  May  'e  live  long  and  prosper,  may  'is 
'eart  be  ever  green,  and  'is  'aid  ever  ditto !  '  May  'e — 
May  'is  'eart — well,'  "  says  the  bookmaker,  suiting  the 
action  to  the  word,  "  'ere's  'is  jolly  good  'ealth,  any- 
way !  " 


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AN  ART  STUDENT  ... 

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Illustrated  by  Hal  Hurst. 

UNDINE   

By  Hal  Hurst. 

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28 


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PAGE 
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3° 


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4 


THE  ATTENTION  OF  LADIES 

Is  specially  called  to  the  numerous  advantages  of 

"SELVYT 

BRAND 

POLISHING    CLOTHS   AND  DUSTERS 

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Enjoyed  by  Young  and  Old. 


CUSTARD 


POWDER 


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NO  EGGS!       NO  TROUBLE! 


Used  Instead  of  Common  Salt. 


AN  ART  STUDENT, 

By  GEORGE  MOORE. 
Illustrated  by   Hal  Hurst. 


I. 

A  formal  avenue  of  trim  trees  led  out  of  the  town 
of  Melun.  But  these  were  soon  exchanged  for  rough 
forest  growths;  and  out  of  cabbage  and  corn  lands 
the  eruptive  forest  broke  into  islands,  and  the  plain 
was  girdled  with  a  dark  distant  belt  of  forest. 

She  lay  back  in  the  fly,  tasting  in  the  pure  air  the 
joy  of  returning  health,  and  she  thrilled  a  little  at  the 
delight  of  an  expensive  white  muslin  and  a  black 
sash,  which  accentuated  the  smallness  of  her  waist. 
She  liked  her  little  brown  shoes  and  brown  stockings, 
and  the  white  sunshade,  through  whose  strained  silk 
the  red  sun  showed. 

At  the  cross  roads  she  noticed  a  still  more  formal 
avenue,  trees  planted  in  single  line  and  curving  like  a 
regiment  of  soldiers  marching  across  country. 


The  white-washed  stead  and  the  lonely  peasant 
scratching  like  an  insect  in  the  long  tilth  were  pain- 
ful impressions.  She  missed  the  familiar  hedgerows 
which  make  England  like  a  garden ;  and  she  noticed 
that  there  were  trees  everywhere  except  about  the 
dwellings  ;  and  that  there  were  neither  holly  bush  or 
sunflowers  in  the  gaunt  white  village  they  rolled 
through — a  gaunt  white  village  which  was  not  Bar- 
bizon.  The  driver  mentioned  the  name,  but  Mildred 
did  not  heed  him.  She  looked  from  the  blank  white 
walls  to  her  prettily  posed  feet,  and  heard  him  say  that 
Barbizon  was  still  a  mile  away. 

It  lay  at  the  end  of  the  plain,  and  when  the  carriage 
entered  the  long  street,  it  rocked  over  huge  stones,  so 
that  Mildred  was  nearly  thrown  out.  She  called  to  the 
driver  to  go  slower  ;  he  smiled,  and  pointing  with  his 


Copyright,  1895,       the  Author. 


6 


whip,  said  that  the  hotel  Mademoiselle  wanted  was  at 
the  end  of  the  village  on  the  verge  of  the  forest. 

A  few  moments  after,  the  carriage  drew  up  before 
an  iron  gateway,  and  Mildred  saw  a  small  house  at 
the  bottom  of  a  small  garden.  There  was  a  pavilion 
on  the  left  and  a  numerous  company  were  dining 
beneath  the  branches  of  a  cedar.  Elsie  and  Cissy 
got  up,  and  dropping  their  napkins  ran  to  meet  their 
friend.  She  was  led  in  triumph  to  the  table,  and  all 
through  dinner  she  had  a  rough  impression  of  English 
girls  in  cheap  linen  dresses,  and  of  men  in  rough  suits 
and  flowing  neckties. 

She  was  given  some  soup,  and  when  the  plate  of 
veal  had  been  handed  round,  and  Elsie  and  Cissy  had 
exhausted  their  first  store  of  questions,  she  was  intro- 
duced to  Morton  Mitchell.  His  singularly  small  head 


pretty  eyes.  Rose  already  looked  at  Mildred  as  if  she 
anticipated  rivalry,  and  was  clearly  jealous  of  every 
word  that  Morton  did  not  address  to  her.  Mildred 
looked  at  him  again.  He  was  better-dressed  than  the 
others,  and  an  air  of  success  in  his  face  made  him 
seem  younger  than  he  was.  He  leaned  across  the 
table,  and  Mildred  liked  his  brusque  but  withal  well- 
bred  manner.  She  wondered  what  his  pictures  were 
like.  At  Daveau's  only  the  names  of  the  principal 
exhibitors  at  the  Salon  were  known,  and  he  had  told 
her  that  he  had  not  sent  there  for  the  last  three  years. 
He  didn't  care  to  send  to  the  vulgar  place  more  than 
he  could  help. 

Mildred  noticed  that  all  listened  to  Morton ;  the 
conversation  grew  lively  and  Mildred  was  sorry  to 
leave  the  table.    But  Elsie  and  Cissy  wanted  to  talk 


was  higher  by  some  inches  than  any  other ;  bright  eyes, 
and  white  teeth  showing  through  a  red  moustache,  and 
a  note  of  defiance  in  his  open-hearted  voice  made  him 
attractive.  Mildred  was  also  introduced  to  Rose 
Turner,  the  girl  who  sat  next  him.  a  weak  girl  with 


to  her,  and  they  marched  about  the  grass  plot,  their 
arms  about  each  others'  waists  ;  and  while  question- 
ing Mildred  about  herself,  and  telling  her  about 
themselves,  they  frequently  looked  where  their  lovers 
sat  smoking.    Sometimes  Mildred  felt  them  press 


7 


her  along  the  walk  which  passed  by  the  dining  table. 
But  for  half  an  hour  their  attractions  were  arrayed 
vainly  against  those  of  cigarettes  and  petits  verves. 
Rose  was  the  only  woman  who  remained  at  table. 
She  hung  over  her  lover,  desirous  that  he  should 
listen  to  her.  Mildred  thought,  "  What  a  fool  !  We 
shall  see  presently." 

The  moment  the  young  men  got  up  Cissy  and 
Elsie  forgot  Mildred.  An  angry  expression  came 
upon  her  face,  and  she  went  into  the  house.  The 
walls  had  been  painted  all  over — landscapes,  still  life, 
nude  figures,  rustic  and  elegiac  subjects.  Every  artist 
had  painted  something  in  memory  of  his  visit,  and 
Mildred  sought  vaguely  for  what  Mr.  Mitchell  had 
painted.  Then,  remembering  that  he  had  chosen  to 
walk  about  with  the  Turner  girl,  she  abandoned 
her  search,  and  leaning  on  the  window-sill,  watched 
the  light  fading  in  the  garden.  She  could  hear  the 
frogs  in  a  distant  pond,  and  thought  of  the  night  in 
the  forest,  of  the  night  amid  millions  of  trees,  and 
stars. 

Suddenly  she  heard  some  one  behind  her  say  : 
"  Do  you  like  being  alone  ?" 
It  was  Morton. 
"  I'm  so  used  to  being  alone." 
'•  Use  is  a  second  nature,  I  will  not  interrupt  your 
solitude." 

"  But  sometimes  one  gets  tired  of  solitude." 

"  Would  you  like  to  share  your  solitude  ?  You  can 
have  half  of  mine  !  " 

"  I'm  sure  it  is  very  kind  of  you,  but — "  It  was 
on  Mildred's  tongue  to  ask  him  what  he  had  done 
with  Rose  Turner.  She  said,  instead  :  "  And  where 
does  your  solitude  hang  out  ?  " 

"  Chiefly  in  the  forest.    Shall  we  go  there  ?  " 

"  Is  it  far  ?  I  don't  know  where  the  others  have 
gone  ! " 

"  They're   in  the  forest ;   we   walk   there  every 
evening  ;  we  shall  meet  them." 
"  How  far  is  the"  forest  ?  " 

"  At  our  door.  We're  in  the  forest.  Come  and 
see.  There  is  the  forest,"  he  said,  pointing  to  a  long 
avenue.  "  How  bright  the  moonlight  is,  one  can 
read  by  this  light." 

"And  how  wonderfully  the  shadows  of  the  tall 
trunks  fall  across  the  white  road.  How  unreal,  how 
phantasmal,  that  grey  avenue  shimmering  in  the 
moonlight." 

"  Yes,  isn't  the  forest  ghost-like  ?  And  isn't  that 
picturesque  ?  "  he  said,  pointing  to  a  booth  that  had 
been  set  up  by  the  wayside.  On  a  tiny  stage,  a  foot 
or  so  from  the  ground,  by  the  light  of  a  lantern  and 
a  few  candle  ends,  a  man  and  woman  were  acting 
some  rude  improvisation. 

Morton  and  Mildred  stayed;  but  neither  was  in 
the  mood  to  listen.  They  contributed  a  trifle  each  to 
these  poor  mummers  of  the  lane's  end,  and  it  seemed 
that  charity  had  advanced  them  in  their  intimacy. 
For  without  hesitation  they  left  the  road,  taking  a 
sandy  path  that  led  through  some  rocks.  Mildred's 


feet  sank  in  the  loose  sand,  and  very  soon  it  seemed 
to  her  that  they  had  left  Barbizon  far  behind.  For  the 
great  grey  rocks  and  the  dismantled  tree-trunk  which 
they  had  come  upon  suddenly,  frightened  her,  and  she 
could  hardly  bear  with  the  ghostly  appearance  the 
forest  took  in  the  stream  of  glittering  light  which 
flowed  down  from  the  moon. 

She  wished  to  turn  back.  But  Morton  said  that 
they  would  meet  the  others  beyond  the  hill,  and  she 
followed  him  through  great  rocks,  filled  with  strange 
shadows.  On  the  hill-top  the  pines  stood  in  rows, 
making  it  seem  like  a  shrine ;  and  the  round  yellow 
moon  looked  through.  The  forest  was  still  as  death. 
She  could  almost  count  the  needles  in  the  pines,  so 
clear  was  the  sky. 

"  We  must  go  back,"  she  said. 

"If  you  like." 

But  at  that  moment,  voices  were  heard  coming  over 
the  brow  of  the  hill. 

"  You  see,  I  did  not  deceive  you.  There  are  your 
friends.  I  knew  we  should  meet  them.  That  is  Miss 
Laurence's  voice ;  one  can  always  recognise  it." 

"  Then  let  us  go  to  them." 

"  If  you  like.  But  we  can  talk  better  here.  Let 
me  find  you  a  place  to  sit  down." 

Before  Mildred  could  answer,  Elsie  cried  across  the 
glade, 

"  So  there  you  are." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  forest  ?  "  shouted  Cissy. 
"  Wonderful,"  replied  Mildred. 
"  Well,  we  won't  disturb  you  ...  we  shall  be  back 
presently." 

And  like  ghosts  they  passed  into  the  shadow  and 
mystery  of  the  trees. 

"  So  you  work  in  the  men's  studio  ?" 
"  Does  that  shock  you  ?  " 
"  No,  nothing  shocks  me." 

'•  In  a  studio  a  woman  puts  off  her  sex.  There's 
no  sex  in  art." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you.  There's  no  sex  in  art, 
and  a  woman  would  be  very  foolish  to  let  anything 
stand  between  her  and  her  art." 

"  I'm  glad  you  think  that.  I've  made  great 
sacrifices  for  painting." 

"  What  sacrifices  ?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you  one  of  these  days  when  I  know  you 
better." 

"Will  you?" 

The  conversation  paused  a  moment,  and  Mildred 
said : 

"  How  wonderful  it  is  here.  Those  pines,  that 
sky,  one  hears  the  silence  ;  it  enters  into  one's  very 
bones.    It  is  a  pity  one  cannot  paint  silence." 

"  Millet  painted  silence.  The  '  Angelus '  is  full  of 
silence ;  the  air  trembles  with  silence  and  sunset." 

"  But  the  silence  of  the  moonlight  is  more  awful. 
It  really  is  very  awful  !    I'm  afraid." 

"Afraid  of  what?  there's  nothing  to  be  afraid  of. 
You  asked  me  just  now  if  I  believed  in  Daveau's, 
I  didn't  like  to  say  ;  I.  had  only  just  been  introduced 


9 


to  you  ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  I  know  you  better 
now.  .  .  .  Daveau's  is  a  curse.  It  is  the  sterilization  of 
art.  You  must  give  up  Daveau's  and  come  and  work 
here." 

"  I'm  afraid  it  would  make  no  difference.  Elsie 
and  Cissy  have  spent  years  here,  and  what  they  do 
does  not  amount  to  much.  They  wander  from 
method  to  method,  abandoning  each  in  turn.  I 
am  utterly  discouraged,  and  made  up  my  mind  to 
give  up  painting." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  One  of  these  days  I  shall  find 
out  my  true  vocation." 

"You're  young;  you're  beautiful — " 

"  No  !  I'm  not  beautiful,  but  there  are  times  when 
I  look  nice." 

"  Yes,  indeed  there  are.  Those  hands,  how  white 
they  are  in  the  moonlight."  He  took  her  hands. 
"  Why  do  you  trouble  and  rack  )  our  soul  about  paint- 
ing ?  A  woman's  hands  are  too  beautiful  for  a  palette 
and  brushes." 

The  words  were  on  her  tongue  to  ask  him  if  he  did 
not  admire  Rose's  hands  equally,  but  remembering 
the  place,  the  hour,  and  the  fact  of  her  having  made 
his  acquaintance  only  a  few  hours  before,  she  thought 
it  more  becoming  to  withdraw  her  hands,  and  to  say, 

"  The  others  do  not  seem  to  be  coming  back.  We 
had  better  return." 

They  moved  out  of  the  shadows  of  the  pines,  and 
stood  looking  down  the  sandy  pathway. 

"  How  filmy  and  grey  those  top  branches  !  did  you 
ever  see  anything  so  delicate?  " 

"  I  never  saw  anything  like  this  before.  This  is 
primeval.  .  .  I  used  to  walk  a  good  deal  with  a  friend 
of  mine  in  St.  James'  Park." 

"  The  park  where  the  ducks  are,  and  a  little  bridge. 
Your  friend  was  not  an  artist." 

"  Yes,  he  was,  and  a  very  clever  artist  too." 

"  Then  he  admired  the  park  because  you  were  with 
him." 

"  Perhaps  that  had  something"  to  do  with  it.  But 
the  park  is  very  beautiful  !  " 

"  I  don't  think  I  care  much  about  cultivated 
nature." 

"  Don't  you  like  a  garden  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  disorganized  garden  ;  a  garden  that  has 
been  let  run  wild." 

They  walked  down  the  sandy  pathway,  and  came 
unexpectedly  upon  Elsie  and  her  lover.  They  were 
sitting  behind  a  rock.  Elsie  did  not  know  where 
Cissy  was.  But  at  that  moment  voices  were  heard  at 
the  bottom  of  the  glade. 

"  So  there  you  are — we've  been  looking  for  you." 

"  Looking  for  us  indeed,"  said  Mildred. 

"Now,  Mildred,  don't  be  prudish,  this  is  Liberty 
Hall.  You  must  lend  us  Mr.  Mitchell,  we  want  to 
dance." 

"  What,  here  in  the  sand  !  " 

"  No,  in  the  Salon.  .  .  Come  along,  Rose  will  play 
for  us." 


II. 

Mildred  was  the  first  down.  She  wore  a  pretty 
robe  a  fteurs,  and  her  straw  hat  was  trimmed  with 
tremulous  grasses  and  cornflowers.  A  faint  sunshine 
floated  in  the  wet  garden. 

A  moment  after  Elsie  cried  from  the  doorstep, 

"  Well,  you  have  got  yourself  up.  We  don't  run 
to  anything  like  that  here.  You're  going  out  flirting. 
It's  easy  to  see  that." 

"  My  flirtations  don't  amount  to  much.  Kisses 
don't  thrill  me  as  they  do  you.  I'm  afraid  I've  never 
been  what  you  call  '  in  love.'  " 

"You  seem  on  the  way  there,  if  I'm  to  judge  by 
last  night,"  Elsie  answered,  rather  tartly.  "  You 
know,  Mildred,  I  don't  believe  all  you  say,  not  quite 
all." 

A  pained  and  perplexed  expression  came  upon 
Mildred's  face,  and  she  said  : 

"  Perhaps  I  shall  meet  a  man  one  of  these  days 
who  will  inspire  passion  in  me." 

"  I  hope  so.  It  would  be  a  relief  to  all  of  us.  I 
wouldn't  mind  subscribing  to  present  that  man  with 
a  testimonial." 

Mildred  laughed. 

"  I  often  wonder  what  will  become  of  me.  I've 
changed  a  good  deal  in  the  last  two  years.  I've  had 
a  great  deal  of  trouble." 

"I'm  sorry  you're  so  depressed.  I  know  what  it 
is.  That  wretched  painting,  we  give  ourselves  to  it 
heart  and  soul,  and  it  deceives  us  as  you  deceive  your 
lovers." 

"  So  it  does.  I  had  not  thought  of  it  like  that. 
Yes,  I've  been  deceived  just  as  I  have  deceived  others. 
But  you,  Elsie,  you've  not  been  deceived,  you  can  do 
something.  If  I  could  do  what  you  do  !  You  had  a 
picture  in  the  Salon.  Cissy  had  a  picture  in  the 
Salon." 

"  That  doesn't  mean  much.  What  we  do  doesn't 
amount  to  much." 

"  But  do  you  think  that  I  shall  ever  do  as  much  ?  " 

Elsie  did  not  think  so,  and  the  doubt  caused  her 
to  hesitate.  Mildred  perceived  the  hesitation,  and 
said  : 

•'  Oh,  there's  no  necessity  for  you  to  lie.  I  know 
the  truth  well  enough.  I  have  resolved  to  give  up 
painting.    I  have  given  it  up." 

"  You've  given  up  painting  !  Do  you  really  mean 
it?" 

"  Yes,  I  feel  that  I  must.  When  I  got  your  letter 
I  was  nearly  dead  with  weariness  and  disappointment 
— what  a  relief  your  letter  was — what  a  relief  to  be 
here  ! " 

"Well,  )OU  see  something  has  happened.  Bar- 
bizon  has  happened,  Morton  has  happened." 

"  I  wonder  if  anything  will  come  of  it.  He's  a  nice 
fellow.    I  like  him." 

"  You're  not  the  first.    All  the  women  are  crazy 


about  him.  He  was  the  lover  of  Merac,  the  actress  of 
the  Franqais.    They  say  she  could  only  play  Phedre 


A' 


"  WELL,  YOU  HAVE  GOT  YOURSELF  UP." 

when  he  was  in  the  stage-box.  He  always  produced 
that  effect  upon  her.  Then  he  was  the  lover  of  the 
Marquise  de  la — de  la  Per — I  can't  remember  the 
name." 

"  Is  he  in  love  with  anyone  now  ?  " 

"  No  ;  we  thought  he  was  going  to  marry  Rose." 

"  That  little  thing  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  seemed  devoted  to  her.  He  seemed  in- 
clined to  settle  down." 

"  Did  he  ever  flirt  with  you  ?  " 

"  No  ;  he's  not  my  style." 

"  I  know  what  that  means,"  thought  Mildred. 

The  conversation  paused,  and  then  Elsie  said, 

"It  really  is  a  shame  to  upset  him  with  Rose 
unless  you  mean  to  marry  him.  Even  the  Impres- 
sionists admit  that  he  has  talent.  He  belongs  to  the 
old  'school,  it  is  true,  but  his  work  is  interesting  all 
the  same." 

The  English  and  American  girls  were  dressed  like 
Elsie  and  Cissy  in  cheap  linen  dresses  ;  one  of  the 


French  artists  was  living  with  a  cocotte.  She  was 
dressed  more  elaborately — somewhat  like  Mildred, 
Elsie  remarked,  and  the  girls  laughed,  and  sat  down 
to  their  bowls  of  coffee. 

Morton  and  Elsie's  young  man  were  almost  the  last 
to  arrive.  Swinging  their  paint-boxes  they  came  for- 
ward, talking  gaily. 

"  Yours  is  the  best-looking,"  said  Elsie. 

"  Perhaps  you'd  like  to  get  him  from  me." 

"  No,  I  never  do  that." 

"  What  about  Rose  ?  " 

Mildred  bit  her  lips,  and  Elsie  couldn't  help 
thinking,  "  How  cruel  she  is ;  she  likes  to  make  that 
poor  little  thing  miserable.  It's  only  vanity,  for  I 
don't  suppose  she  cares  for  Morton." 

Those  who  were  painting  in  the  adjoining  fields 
and  forest  said  they  would  be  back  to  the  second 
breakfast  at  noon,  those  who  were  going  farther,  and 
whose  convenience  it  did  not  suit  to  return,  took  sand- 
wiches with  them.  Morton  was  talking  to  Rose,  but 
Mildred  soon  got  his  attention. 

"  You're  going  to  paint  in  the  forest,"  she  said. 
"  I  wonder  what  your  picture  is  like.  You  haven't 
shown  it  to  me." 

"  It's  all  packed  up.  But  aren't  you  going  into 
the  forest  ?  Unless  you're  going  with  Miss  Laurence 
or  Miss  Clive,  you  might  come  with  me.  You'd 
better  take  your  painting  materials  ;  you'll  find  the 
time  hang  heavily  if  you  don't." 

"  Oh,  no,  the  very  thought  of  painting  bores  me." 

"  Very  well,  then.  If  you  are  ready  we  might 
make  a  start ;  mine  is  a  mid -day  effect.  I  hope  you're 
a  good  walker.  But  you'll  never  be  able  to  get 
along  in  those  shoes  and  that  dress — that's  no  dress 
for  the  forest.  You're  dressed  as  if  for  a  garden 
party." 

"  It  is  only  a  little  robe  d  fleurs.  There's  nothing 
to  spoil,  and  as  for  my  shoes,  you'll  see  I  shall  get 
along  all  right  unless  it  is  very  far." 

"  It  is  more  than  a  mile.  I  shall  have  to  take  you 
down  to  the  local  cobbler  and  get  you  measured.  I 
never  saw  such  feet." 

He  was  oddly  matter-of-fact.  There  was  some- 
thing naive  and  childish  about  him,  and  he  amused 
and  interested  Mildred. 

"  With  whom,"  she  said,  "  do  you  go  out  paintii  ig 
when  I'm  not  here  ?  Every  Jack  seems  to  have  his 
own  Jill  in  Barbizon." 

"And  don't  they  everywhere  else?  It  would  be 
damned  dull  without." 

"  Do  you  think  it  would  ?  Have  you  always  got  a 
Jill?" 

"  I've  been  down  in  my  luck  lately." 

Mildred  laughed.  "  Which  of  the  women  here  has 
the  most  talent  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  Miss  Laurence.  But  Miss  Clive  does  a 
nice  thing  occasionally." 

••  What  do  you  think  of  Miss  Turner's  work  ?  " 

••  It's  pretty  good.  She  has  talent.  She  had  two 
pictures  in  the  Salon  last  year." 


Mildred  bit  her  lips.  "  Have  you  ever  been  out 
with  her  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  but  why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

"  Because  I  think  she  likes  you.  She  looked  so 
very  miserable  when  she  heard  that  we  were  going 
out  together — just  as  if  she  were  going  to  cry.  If  I 
thought  I  was  making  another  person  unhappy  I 
would  sooner  give  you — give  up  the  pleasure  of  going 
out  with  you." 

"  And  what  about  me  ?  Don't  I  count  for  any- 
thing ?  " 

"  I  must  not  do  a  direct  wrong  to  another.  Each 
of  us  has  a  path  to  walk  in,  and  if  we  deviate  from 
our  path  we  bring  unhappiness  upon  ourselves  and 
upon  others." 

Morton  stopped  and  looked  at  her;  his  stolid, 
childish  stare  made  her  laugh,  and  it  made  her  like 
him. 

"  I  wonder  if  I  am  selfish  ?"  said  Mildred,  reflec- 
tively.   "  Sometimes  I  think  I  am,  sometimes  I  think 


I  I 

thing.  I  wonder  what  will  become  of  me.  I  often 
think  I  shall  commit  suicide.  Or  I  might  go  into 
a  convent." 

"You'd  much  better  commit  suicide  than  go  into  a 
convent.  Those  poor  devils  of  nuns !  as  if  there 
wasn't  enough  misery  in  this  world.  We  are  certain 
of  the  misery ;  if  we  give  up  the  pleasures,  I  should 
like  to  know  where  we  are." 

Each  had  been  so  interested  in  the  other,  that  they 
had  seen  nothing  else.  But  now  they  stood  in  an 
open  space,  where  every  tree  was  torn  and  broken. 
Great  trunks  had  been  splintered,  branches  strewed 
the  ground,  and  saddest  sight  of  all,  was  the  charred 
spectre  of  a  great  oak  or  elm,  out  of  whose  mournful 
branches  two  black  crows  flew,  and  settled  among 
the  rocks. 

"  But  you're  not  going  to  ask  me  to  climb  those 
rocks,"  said  Mildred.  "  There  are  miles  and  miles 
of  rocks.    It  is  like  a  landscape  by  Marten." 

"  Or  Salvator  Rosa.    Climb  those  rocks  !  You 


"  IT  IS  LIKE  A  LANDSCAPE  BY  MARTEN.' 


I  am  not.  I've  suffered  so  much  ;  my  life  has  been  couldn't.  I'll  wait  until  our  cobbler  has  made  you  a 
all  suffering.    There's  no  heart  left  in  me  for  any-      pair  of  boots.    But  look  back.    Isn't  it  wonderful  ? 


£o=J)ag. 


that  desolate  region  of  blasted  oaks  and  sundered 
rocks.  Yet  in  a  few  minutes  I'll  show  you  some  lovely 
underwood."  They  had  walked  a  very  little  way 
when  he  stopped  and  said:  "Look!  don't  you  call 
that  beautiful  ?  "  and,  leaning  against  the  same  tree, 
Morton  and  Mildred  looked  into  the  dreamy  depth  of 


"  You  asked  me  just  now  if  I  ever  went  to  England. 
Do  you  intend  to  go  back,  or  do  you  intend  to  live 
in  France  ?  " 

"  That's  my  difficulty.  So  long  as  I  was  painting, 
there  was  a  reason  for  my  remaining  in  France,  now 
that  I've  given  it  up — '' 


SHE  HAD  BROUGHT  A    BOOK  TO  READ. 


a  summer  wood.  The  trunks  of  the  young  elms 
rose  straight,  and  through  the  pale  leafage  the  sun- 
light quivered,  full  of  the  impulse  of  the  morning.  The 
ground  was  thick  with  grass  and  young  shoots  .  .  . 
Something  ran  through  the  grass,  paused,  and  then 
ran  again. 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  Mildred  asked. 

"  A  squirrel,  I  think.  .  .  .  Yes,  he's  going  up  that 
tree." 

"  How  pretty  he  is,  his  paws  set  against  the  bark." 

"  Come  this  way,  and  we  shall  see  him  better." 

But  they  caught  no  further  sight  of  the  squirrel,  and 
Morton  asked  Mildred  the  time. 

"  A  quarter-past  ten,"  she  said,  glancing  at  the  tiny 
watch  which  she  wore  in  a  bracelet. 

"  Then  we  must  be  moving  on.  I  ought  to  be  at 
work  at  half-past.  One  can't  work  more  than  a 
couple  of  hours  in  this  light." 

They  passed  out  of  the  wood,  and  crossed  an  open 
space,  where  rough  grass  grew  in  patches.  Mildred 
opened  her  parasol. 


"  But  you've  not  given  it  up." 

"  Yes,  I  have.  If  I  don't  find  something  else  to  do, 
I  suppose  I  must  go  back.  That's  what  I  dread. 
We  live  in  Sutton.  But  that  conveys  no  idea  to  your 
mind.  Sutton  is  a  little  town  in  Surrey.  It  was  very 
nice  once,  but  now  it  is  little  better  than  a  London 
suburb.  My  brother  is  a  distiller.  He  goes  to  town 
every  day  by  the  ten  minutes  past  nine,  and  he 
returns  by  the  six  o'clock.  I've  heard  of  nothing  but 
those  two  trains  all  my  life.  We  have  ten  acres  of 
ground,  gardens,  greenhouses,  and  a  number  of 
servants.  Then  there's  the  cart — I  go  out  for  drives 
in  the  cart.  We  have  tennis  parties — the  neighbours, 
you  know,  and  I  shall  have  to  choose  whether  I  shall 
look  after  my  brother's  house,  or  marry  and  look  after 
my  husband's." 

"  It  must  be  very  lonely  in  Sutton." 

"  Yes,  it  is  very  lonely.  There  are  a  number  of 
people  about,  but  I've  no  friends  that  I  care  about. 
There's  Mrs.  Fargus — " 

'•Who's  Mrs.  Fargus?*' 


13 


"  Oh,  you  should  see  Mrs.  Fargus ;  she  reads 
Comte,  and  has  worn  the  same  dinner  dress  ever 
since  I  knew  her — a  black  satin,  with  a  crimson  scarf. 
Her  husband  suffers  from  asthma,  and  speaks  of  his 
wife  as  a  very  clever  woman.  He  wears  an  eye-glass, 
and  she  wears  spectacles.  Does  that  give  you  an 
idea  of  my  friends  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  it  did.  What  bores  they  must  be  !  " 

"  He  bores  me,  she  doesn't.  I  owe  a  good  deal 
to  Mrs.  Fargus.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  her  I  shouldn't 
be  here  now." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

They  again  passed  out  of  the  sunlight  into  the 
green  shade  of  some  beech-trees.  Mildred  closed 
her  parasol,  and  swaying  it  to  and  fro  amid  the  ferns, 
she  continued  in  a  low,  laughing  voice,  her  tale  of 
Mrs.  Fargus,  and  the  influence  that  this  lady  had 
exercised  upon  her.  Her  words  floated  along  a 
current  of  quiet  humour,  cadenced  by  the  gentle 
swaying  of  her  parasol,  and  brought  into  relief  by  a 
certain  intentness  of  manner  which  was  peculiar  to 
her.  And  gradually  Morton  became  more  and  more 
conscious  of  her;  the  charm  of  her  voice  stole  upon 
him,  and  once  he  lingered,  allowing  her  to  get  a  few 
yards  in  front,  so  that  he  might  notice  the  quiet 
figure,  a  little  demure,  and  intensely  itself,  in  a  yellow 
gown.  When  he  first  saw  her,  she  had  seemed  to 
him  a  little  sedate,  even  a  little  dowdy,  and  when  she 
had  spoken  of  her  intention  to  abandon  painting, 
although  her  manner  was  far  from  cheerless,  he  had 
feared  a  bore.  He  now  perceived  that  this  she  at 
least  was  not — moreover,  her  determination  to  paint 
no  more  announced  an  excellent  sense  of  the  realities 
of  things,  in  which  the  other  women — the  Elsies  and 
the  Cissys — seemed  to  him  to  be  strangely  deficient. 
And  when  he  set  up  his  easel,  her  appreciation  of  his 
work  helped  him  to  further  appreciation  of  her.  He 
had  spread  the  rug  for  her  in  a  shady  place,  but  for 
the  present  she  preferred  to  stand  behind  him,  her 
parasol  slanted  slightly,  talking,  he  thought  very  well, 
of  the  art  of  the  great  men  who  had  made  Barbizon 
rememberable.  And  the  light  tone  of  banter  in  which 
she  now  admitted  her  failure,  seemed  to  Morton  to  be 
just  the  tone  which  she  should  adopt,  and  her  ridicule 
of  the  Impressionists,  and,  above  all,  of  the  Dottists, 
amused  him. 

"  I  don't  know  why  they  come  here  at  all,"  he 
said,  "unless  it  be  to  prove  to  themselves  that  nature 
falls  far  short  of  their  pictures.  I  wonder  why  they 
come  here.  They  could  paint  their  gummy  tapestry 
stuff  anywhere." 

"  I  can't  imagine  your  asking  them  what  they 
thought  of  Corot.  Their  faces  would  assume  a 
puzzled  expression  ;  I  can  see  them  scratching  their 
heads  reflectively.    At  last  one  of  them  would  say : 

'  Yes,  there  is  Chose,  who  lives  behind  the  Odeon — 
he  admires  Corot.  Pas  dc  blague,  he  really  does.' 
Then  all  the  others  in  chorus :  '  He  really  does 
admire  Corot :  we'll  bring  him  to  see  you  next 
Tuesday.'  " 


Morton  laughed  loudly,  Mildred  laughed  quietly, 
and  there  was  an  intense  intimacy  of  enjoyment  in 
her  laughter. 

"  I  can  see  them,"  she  said,  "  bringing  Chose,  le  petit 
Chose,  who  lives  behind  the  Odeon  and  adores  Corot, 
to  see  you  ;  bringing  him,  you  know,  as  a  sort  of  strange 
survival,  a  curious  relic.    It  really  is  very  funny." 

He  was  sorry  when  she  said  the  sun  was  getting  too 
hot  for  her,  and  she  went  and  lay  on  the  rug  he  had 
spread  for  her  in  the  shade  of  the  oak.  She  had 
brought  a  book  to  read,  but  she  only  read  a  line  here 
and  there.  Her  thoughts  followed  the  white  clouds 
for  a  while,  and  then  she  admired  the  man  sitting 
easily  on  his  camp-stool,  his  long  legs  wide  apart. 
His  small  head,  his  big  hat,  the  line  of  his  bent  back, 
amused  and  interested  her.  A  couple  of  peasant 
women  came  by,  bent  under  the  weight  of  the  faggots 
they  had  picked,  and  Mildred  could  see  that  Morton 
was  watching  the  movement  of  these  women,  and  she 
thought  how  well  they  would  come  into  the  picture 
he  was  painting. 

Soon  after  he  rose  from  his  easel,  and  walked 
towards  her. 

"  Have  you  finished  ?  "  she  said. 

"No,  not  quite,  but  the  light  has  changed.  I 
cannot  go  on  any  more  to-day.  One  can't  work  in 
the  sunlight  above  an  hour  and  a  half." 

"  You've  been  working  longer  than  that." 

"  But  haven't  touched  the  effect !  I've  been  paint- 
ing in  some  figures  —  two  peasant  women  picking 
sticks  ;  come  and  look  !  " 


III. 

Three  days  after,  Morton  finished  his  picture.  Mil- 
dred had  been  with  him  most  of  the  time.  And  now 
lunch  was  over,  and  they  lay  on  the  rug  under  the  oak 
tree  talking  eagerly. 

"  Corot  never  married,"  Morton  remarked,  as  he 
shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  and  asked  himself  if 
any  paint  appeared  in  his  sky.  There  was  a  corner 
on  the  left  that  troubled  him.  "  He  doesn't  seem  to 
have  ever  cared  for  any  woman.  They  say  he  never 
had  a  mistress." 

"I  hear  that  you  have  not  followed  his  example." 

"  Not  more  than  I  could  help." 

His  childish  candour  amused  her  so  that  she 
laughed  outright,  and  she  watched  the  stolid,  child- 
ish stare  which  she  liked,  till  a  longing  to  take  him 
in  her  arms  and  kiss  him  came  upon  her.  Her  voice 
softened,  and  she  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  been  in 
love. 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  was." 
"  How  long  did  it  last  ?  " 
"  About  five  years." 
"  And  then  ?  " 


'4 


"A  lot  of  rot  about  scruples  of  conscience.  I  said, 
I  give  you  a  week  to  think  it  over,  and  if  I  don't  hear 
from  you  in  that  time  I'm  off  to  Italy." 

"  Did  she  write?" 

"  Not  until  I  had  left  Paris.  Then  she  spent  five- 
and-twenty  pounds  in  telegrams  trying  to  get  me 
back." 

"  But  you  wouldn't  go  back." 

"  Not  I ;  with  me,  when  an  affair  of  that  sort  is  over 
it  is  really  over.    Don't  you  think  I'm  right  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  so.  .  .  But  I'm  afraid  we've  learnt  love 
in  different  schools." 

"Then  the  sooner  you  relearn  it  in  my  school  the 
better." 

At  that  moment  a  light  breeze  came  up  the  sandy 
path,  carrying  some  dust  on  to  the  picture.  Morton 
stamped  and  swore.  For  three  minutes  it  was  damn, 
damn,  damn. 

"  Do  you  always  swear  like  that  in  the  presence  of 
ladies  ?  " 

"  What's  a  fellow  to  do  when  a  blasted  wind  covers 
up,  smothers  your  picture  in  sand  ?  " 

Mildred  could  only  laugh  at  him,  and  while  he 
packed  up  his  canvases,  paint-box,  and  easel,  she 
thought  about  him.  She  thought  that  she  understood 
him,  and  fancied  that  she  would  be  able  to  manage 
him.  And  convinced  of  her  power  she  said  aloud,  as 
they  plunged  into  the  forest, 

"  I  always  think  it  is  a  pity  that  it  is  considered 
vulgar  to  walk  arm-in-arm.  I  like  to  take  an  arm.  .  .  . 
I  suppose  that  we  can  do  what  we  like  in  the  Forest  of 
Fontainebleau  ?    But  you're  too  heavily  laden — " 

"  No,  not  a  bit.    I  should  like  it." 

She  took  his  arm,  and  walked  by  his  side  with  a 
sweet  caressing  movement,  and  they  talked  eagerly 
until  they  reached  the  motive  of  his  second  picture. 

"  What  I've  got  on  the  canvas  isn't  very  much  like 
the  view  in  front  of  you,  is  it  ?  " 

"  No,  not  much.  I  don't  like  it  as  well  as  the  other 
picture." 

"  I  began  it  late  one  evening.  I've  never  been  able 
to  get  the  same  effect  again.  Now  it  looks  like  a 
Puvis  de  Chavannes — not  my  picture,  but  that  austere 
hillside,  that  large  space  of  blue  sky  and  the  wood- 
cutters." 

"  It  does  a  little.    Are  you  going  on  with  it?  " 
"  Why  ?  " 

"  Because  there  is  no  shade  for  me  to  sit  in.  I 
shall  be  roasted  if  we  remain  here." 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  Lie  down  in  some  shady 
place  ?  " 

"  We  might  do  that.  ...  I  know  what  I  should 
like." 

'"What?" 

"A  long  drive  in  the  forest." 

"  A  capital  idea.  We  can  do  that.  We  shall  meet 
some  one  going  to  Barbizon.  We'll  ask  them  to  send 
us  a  fly." 

Their  way  lay  through  a  pine  wood,  where  the  heat 
was  stifling  ;  the  dry  trees  were  like  fire-wood  scorched 


and  ready  to  break  into  flame,  and  their  steps 
dragged  through  the  loose  sand.  And  when  they 
had  passed  this  wood,  they  came  to  a  place  where  the 
trees  had  all  been  felled,  and  a  green  undergrowth  of 
young  pines,  two  or  three  feet  high,  had  sprung  up.  It 
was  difficult  to  force  their  way  through ;  the  prickly 
branches  were  disagreeable  to  touch,  and  underneath 
the  ground  was  spongy  with  layers  of  fallen  needles 
hardly  covered  with  coarse  grass. 

Morton  missed  his  way,  and  his  paint  box  and 
canvases  had  begun  to  weigh  heavy  when  they  came 
upon  the  road  they  were  seeking.  But  where  they 
came  upon  it,  there  was  only  a  little  burnt  grass,  and 
Morton  proposed  that  they  should  toil  on  until  they 
came  to  a  pleasanter  place. 

The  road  ascended  along  the  verge  of  a  steep  hill, 
and  at  the  top  they  met  a  bicyclist,  who  promised 
to  deliver  Morton's  note.  There  was  an  opening  in 
the  trees,  and  below  them  the  dark  green  forest 
waved  for  miles.  It  was  pleasant  to  rest  —  they 
were  tired.  The  forest  murmured  like  a  shell.  They 
could  distinguish  here  and  there  a  tree,  and  their 
thoughts  went  to  that  tree.  But,  absorbed  though 
they  were  by  this  vast  nature,  each  was  thinking  in- 
tensely of  the  other.  Mildred  knew  she  was  near  the 
moment  when  Morton  would  take  her  hand  and  tell 
her  that  he  loved  her.  She  wondered  what  he  would 
say.  She  did  not  think  he  would  say  he  loved  her, 
he  would  say,  "  You're  a  damned  pretty  woman." 
She  could  see  he  was  thinking  of  something,  and 
suspected  him  of  thinking  out  a  phrase  or  an  oath — 
appropriate  to  the  occasion.  She  was  nearly  right. 
Morton  was  thinking  how  he  should  act.  Mildred 
was  not  the  common  Barbizon  art  student  whose  one 
idea  is  to  become  the  mistress  of  a  painter,  so  that 
she  may  learn  to  paint  She  had  encouraged  him. 
but  she  had  kept  her.  little  dignity.  Moreover,  he 
did  not  feel  sure  of  her.  So  the  minutes  went  by  in 
awkward  expectancy,  and  Morton  had  not  kissed  her 
before  the  carriage  arrived. 

She  lay  back  in  the  fly,  smiling,  Morton  thought, 
superciliously.  It  seemed  to  him  stupid  to  put  his 
arm  round  her  waist,  and  try  to  kiss  her.  But  sooner 
or  later,  he  would  have  to  do  this.  Once  this  rubicon 
was  passed  he  would  know  where  he  was.  ...  As  he 
debated  the  forest  drew  his  attention.  The  tall  trunks 
rose  branchless  for  thirty  or  forty  feet,  and  Mildred 
said  that  they  were  like  plumed  lances. 

"  So  they  are,"  he  said,  "  like  plumed  lances.  And 
how  beautifully  that  beech  bends,  what  an  exquisite 
curve,  like  a  bent  lance,  like  a  lance  bent  in  the  shock 
of  the  encounter." 

The  underwood  seemed  to  promise  endless  peace, 
happy  life  amid  leaves  and  birds,  and  Mildred  thought 
of  a  duel  under  those  tall  trees.  She  saw  two  men 
fighting  to  the  death  for  her.  A  romantic  story 
begun  in  a  ball-room,  she  was  not  quite  certain  how. 
Morton  remembered  a  drawing  of  fauns  and  nymphs. 
But  there  was  hardly  cover  for  a  nymph  to  hide  her 
whiteness.   The  ground  was  too  open,  the  faun  would 


£o=Daj>, 


soon  overtake  her.  She  could  better  elude  his  pursuit 
in  the  opposite  wood.  There  the  long  branches  of  the 
beech  swept  the  heads  of  the  ferns,  and  in  mysterious 
hollows  ferns  made  a  mysterious  shade,  places  where 
nymphs  and  fauns  might  make  noonday  festival. 
"  What  are  you  thinking  of?  "  said  Mildred. 


THE  LARGE  GREEN  SNAKE  CURLED    ROUND  HIS  ARM. 

"  Of  fauns  and  nymphs,"  he  answered.  "  These 
woods  seem  to  breathe  antiquity." 

•'  But  you  never  paint  antiquity." 

"  I  try  for  the  spirit  of  antiquity.  But  Millet  got  it. 
Do  you  know  the  peasant  girl  who  has  taken  off  her 
clothes  to  bathe  in  a  forest  pool  ?  Her  sheep  wander 
through  the  wood.  By  God  !  .  .  .  I  should  like  you  to 
see  that  picture." 

At  the  corner  of  the  carrefour  the  serpent-catcher 
showed  them  two  vipers  in  a  low  flat  box.  They 
darted  their  forked  tongues  against  the  wire  netting, 
and  the  large  green  snake  which  he  took  out  of  a  bag 
curled  round  his  arm,  seeking  to  escape.  On  question- 
ing him  they  learnt  that  the  snakes  were  on  their  way 
to  the  laboratory  of  a  vivisectionist.  This  dissipated 
the  mystery  which  they  had  suggested,  and  the  carriage 
drove  in  silence  down  the  long  forest  road. 

"  We  might  have  bought  those  snakes  from  him 
and  set  them  at  liberty." 

"  We  might  have,  but  we  didn't." 

"  Why  didn't  we  ?  " 

"What  would  be  the  good?  ...  If  we  had  he 
would  have  caught  others." 

"  I  suppose  so.    But  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  that 


15 

beautiful  snake,  which  you  compared  to  me,  being 
vivisected." 

The  forest  extended  like  a  great  temple  hushed  in 
the  beautiful  ritual  of  the  sunset.  The  light  that 
suffused  the  green  leaves  overhead  glossed  the  brown 
leaves  underfoot,  marking  the  smooth  ground  as  with 
a  pattern.  And,  like  chapels,  every  dell  seemed  in  the 
tranquil  light,  and  leading  from  them  a  labyrinthine 
architecture  without  design  or  end. 

Mildred's  eyes  wandered  from  the  colonnades  to 
the  underwoods.  The  forest  seemed  to  her  like  a 
great  green  prison,  and  she  watched  the  scraps  of  blue 
that  appeared  through  the  thick  leafage,  and  longed 
for  large  spaces  of  sky,  for  a  view  of  a  plain,  for  a 
pine-plumed  hill-top. 

Once  more  she  admired,  once  more  she  wearied  of 
these  forest  aisles,  and  was  about  to  suggest  returning 
to  Barbizon,  when  Morton  said, 

"  We're  nearly  there  now.  I'm  going  to  show  you 
our  lake." 

"  A  lake  ?    Is  there  a  lake  ?  " 

"  Yes,  there's  a  lake — not  a  very  large  one,  it  is  true, 
but  still  a  lake— on  the  top  of  a  hill,  where  you  can 
see  the  forest.  Under  a  sunset  sky  the  view  is  mag4- 
nificent." 

The  carriage  was  to  wait  for  them,  and  a  little 
excited  by  the  adventure,  Mildred  followed  Morton 
through  rocks  and  furze  bushes.  When  it  was  pos- 
sible she  took  his  arm,  and  once,  accidentally  or  nearly 
accidentally,  she  sprang  from  a  rock  into  his  arms. 
She  was  surprised  that  he  did  not  take  advantage  of 
the  occasion  to  kiss  her. 

"  Standing  on  this  flat  rock  we're  like  figures  in  a 
landscape  by  Wilson,''  Mildred  said. 

"  So  we  are,"  said  Morton,  who  was  struck  by  the 
truth  of  the  comparison.  "  But  there  is  too  much 
colour  in  the  scene  for  Wilson — he  would  have  reduced 
it  all  to  a  beautiful  blue,  with  only  a  yellow  flush  to 
tell  where  the  sun  had  gone." 

"  It  would  be  very  nice  if  you  would  make  me  a 
sketch  of  the  lake.  I'll  lend  you  a  lead  pencil,  the 
back  of  an  envelope  will  do." 

"  I've  a  water-colour  box  in  my  pocket,  and  a 
block.    Sit  down  there,  and  I'll  do  you  a  sketch." 

"  And  while  you  are  accomplishing  a  work  of  genius 
I'll  supply  the  levity,  and  don't  you  think  I'm  just  the 
person  to  supply  the  necessary  leaven  of  lightness  ? 
Look  at  my  frock  and  my  sunshade." 

Morton  laughed,  the  conversation  paused,  and  the 
water-colour  progressed.    Suddenly  Mildred  said, 

"  What  did  you  think  of  me  the  first  time  you  saw 
me?    What  impression  did  I  produce  on  you  ?  " 

"  Do  you  want  me  to  tell  you,  to  tell  you  exactly?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed  I  do." 

"  I  don't  think  I  can." 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  Mildred  asked  in  a  low  affection- 
ate tone,  and  she  leaned  towards  him  in  an  intimate, 
affectionate  way. 

"  Well,  you  struck  me  as  being  a  little  dowdy." 

"  Dowdy  !   I  had  a  nice  new  frock  on.    I  don't 


i6 


think  I  could  have  looked  dowdy,  and  among  the 
dreadful  old  rags  that  the  girls  wear  here." 

"  It  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  clothes  you  wore. 
It  was  a  little  quiet,  sedate  air." 

"  I  wasn't  in  good  spirits  when  I  came  down  here." 

"  No,  you  weren't.  I  thought  you  might  be  a 
bore." 

"  But  I  haven't  been  that,  have  I  ?  " 

"  No,  I'm  hanged  if  you're  that." 

"  But  what  a  charming  sketch  you're  making  !  You 
take  that  ordinary  common  grey  from  the  palette, 
and  it  becomes  beautiful.  If  I  were  to  take  the 
very  same  tint  and  put  it  on  the  paper  it  would  be 
mud." 

Morton  placed  the  sketch  against  a  rock,  and  sur- 
veyed it  from  a  little  distance.  "  I  don't  call  it  bad,  do 
you  ?  I  think  I've  got  the  sensation  of  the  lonely  lake. 
But  the  effect  changes  so  rapidly.  Those  clouds  are 
quite  different  from  what  they  were  just  now.  I  never 
saw  a  finer  sky,  it  is  wonderful.  It  is  splendid  as  a 
battle." 

"  Write  underneath  it,  '  That  night  the  sky  was  like 
a  battle.'  " 

"  No,  it  wouldn't  do  for  my  sketch." 

"  You  think  the  suggestion  would  overpower  the 
reality.  .  .  .  But  it  is  a  charming  sketch.  It  will 
remind  me  of  a  charming  day,  of  a  very  happy 
day." 

She  raised  her  eyes.  The  moment  had  come.  He 
threw  one  arm  round  her,  and  raised  her  face  with  the 
other  hand.  She  gave  her  lips  easily,  with  a  natural- 
ness that  surprised  and  deceived  him.  He  might 
marry  her,  or  she  might  be  his  mistress,  he  didn't 
know  which,  but  he  was  quite  sure  that  he  liked  her 
better  than  any  woman  he  had  seen  for  a  long  time. 
He  had  not  known  her  a  week,  and  she  already 
absorbed  his  thoughts,  and  during  the  drive  home  he 
hardly  saw  the  forest.  Once  a  birch,  whose  faint 
leaves  and  branches  dissolved  in  a  glittering  light, 
drew  his  thoughts  away  from  Mildred.  She  lay  upon 
his  shoulder,  his  arm  was  affectionately  around  her, 
and  looking  at  him  out  of  eyes  whose  brown  seemed 
to  soften  in  affection,  she  said, — 

"  Elsie  said  you'd  get  round  me." 

"  What  did  she  mean  ?  " 

"Well,"  said  Mildred,  nestling  a  little  closer,  and 
laughing  low,  "  haven't  you  got  round  me  ?  " 

Her  playfulness  enchanted  her  lover,  and  when  she 
discreetly  sought  his  hand,  he  felt  that  he  understood 
her  account  of  Alfred's  brutality.  Her  tenderness  in 
speaking  of  Ralph  quickened  his  jealousy. 

"  My  violets  lay  under  his  hand,  he  must  have  died 
thinking  of  me." 

"  But  the  woman  who  wrote  to  you,  his  mistress, 
she  must  have  known  all  about  his  love  for  you. 
What  did  she  say  ?  " 

"She  said  very  little.  She  was  very  nice  to  me. 
.  .  .  She  could  see  that  I  was  a  good  woman.  ..." 

"  But  that  made  no  difference  so  far  as  she  was 
concerned.    You  took  her  lover  away  from  her." 


"  She  knew  that  I  hadn't  done  anything  wrong, 
that  we  were  merely  friends." 

The  conversation  paused  a  moment,  then  Morton 
said  : 

"  It  seems  to  have  been  a  mysterious  kind  of  death. 
What  did  he  die  of  ?  " 

"  Ah,  no  one  ever  knew.  The  doctors  could  make 
nothing  of  his  case.  He  had  been  complaining  a  long 
time.    They  spoke  of  over-work,  but  " 

"  But,  what?  " 

"  I  believe  he  died  of  slow  poisoning." 
"  Slow   poisoning  !     Who  could  have  poisoned 
him  ?  " 

"  Ellen  Gibbs." 

"  What  an  awful  thing  to  say.  ...  I  suppose  you 
have  some  reason  for  suspecting  her  ?  " 

"  His  death  was  very  mysterious.  The  doctors 
could  not  account  for  it.  There  ought  to  have  been 
a  post-mortem  examination."  Feeling  that  this  was 
not  sufficient  reason,  and  remembering  suddenly  that 
Ralph  held  socialistic  theories,  and  was  a  member  of 
a  sect  of  socialists,  she  said,  "  Ralph  was  a  member 
of  a  secret  society.  .  .  .  He  was  an  anarchist ;  no  one 
suspected  it,  but  he  told  me  everything,  and  it  was  I 
who  persuaded  him  to  leave  the  brotherhood." 

"I  do  not  see  what  that  has  to  do  with  his  death 
by  slow  poisoning." 

"  Those  who  retire  from  these  societies  usually 
die." 

"  But  why  Ellen  Gibbs  ?  " 

"  She  was  a  member  of  the  same  society,  it  was  she 
who  got  him  to  join.  When  he  resigned  it  was  her 
duty  to  " 

"Kill- him!  What  a  terrible  story.  I  wonder  if 
you're  right  ?  " 

"  I  know  I'm  right." 

At  the  end  of  a  long  silence  Morton  said, 
"  I  wonder  if  you  like  me  as  much  as  you  liked 
Ralph." 

"  It  is  very  different.    He  was  very  good  to  me." 
"  And  do  you  think  that  I  shall  not  be  good  to 
you  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  think  you  will,"  she  said,  looking  up,  and 
taking  the  hand  which  pressed  against  her  waist. 

"  You  say  he  was  a  very  clever  artist.  Do  you  like 
his  work  better  than  mine  ?  " 

"  It  was  as  different  as  you  yourselves  are." 

"  I  wonder  if  I  should  like  it  ?  " 

"  He  would  have  liked  that,"  and  she  pointed 
with  her  parasol  towards  an  oak  glade,  golden-hearted 
and  hushed. 

"  A  sort  of  Diaz,  then  ?  " 

"  No,  not  the  least  like  that.  No,  it  wasn't  the 
Rousseau  palette." 

"That's  a  regular  Diaz  motive.  It  would  be  diffi 
cult  to  treat  it  differently." 

The  carriage  rolled  through  a  tender  summer 
twilight,  through  the  whispering  forest. 


17 


IV. 

At  the  end  of  September  the  green  was  duskier, 
yellow  had  begun  to  appear;  and  the  crisped  leaf, 
falling  through  the  still  air,  stirred  the  heart  like  a 
memory. 

The  skies  which  rose  above  the  dying  forest  had 
acquired  gentler  tints,  a  wistfulness  had  come  into 
the  blue  which  was  in  keeping  with  the  fall  of  the 
leaf. 

There  was  a  scent  of  moisture  in  the  underwoods, 
rills  had  begun  to  babble ;  on  the  hazel-rods  leaves 
fluttered  pathetically,  the  branches  of  the  plane-trees 
hung  out  like  plumes,  their  drooping  leaves  making 
wonderful  patterns. 

In  the  hotel  garden  a  sunflower  watched  the  yel- 
lowing forest,  then  bent  its  head  and  died. 

The  great  cedar  was  deserted,  and  in  October 
Morton  was  painting  chrysanthemums  on  the  walls  of 
the  dining-room.  He  called  them  the  flowers  of  twi- 
light, the  flowers  of  the  summer's  twilight.  Mildred 
watched  him  adding  the  last  sprays  to  his  bouquet  of 
white  and  purple  bloom. 

The  inveigling  sweetness  of  these  last  bright  days 
entered  into  life,  quickening  it  with  desire  to  catch 
and  detain  some  tinge  of  autumn's  melancholy.  All 
were  away  in  the  fields  and  the  forest ;  and  though 
little  of  their  emotion  transpired  on  their  canvases, 
they  were  moved,  as  were  Rousseau  and  Millet,  by  the 
grandeur  of  the  blasted  oak  and  the  lonely  byre 
standing  against  the  long  forest  fringes  dimming  in 
the  violet  twilight. 

Elsie  was  delighted  with  her  birch,  and  Cissy  con- 
sidered her  rocks  approvingly. 

"  You've  got  the  beauty  of  that  birch,"  said  Cissy. 
"  How  graceful  it  is  in  the  languid  air.  It  seems  sad 
about  something." 

"  About  the  pine  at  the  end  of  the  glade,"  said 
Elsie,  laughing.  "  I  brought  the  pine  a  little  nearer. 
I  think  it  composes  better." 

"  Yes,  I  think  it  does.  You  must  come  and  see 
my  rocks  and  ferns.  There's  one  corner  I  don't 
know  what  to  do  with.    But  I  like  my  oak." 

"  I  will  come  presently.  I'm  working  at  the 
effect ;  the  light  will  have  changed  in  another  half- 
hour." 

"  I've  done  all  I  can  do  to  mine.  It  would  make 
a  nice  background  for  a  hunting  picture.  There's 
a  hunt  to-day  in  the  forest.  Mildred  and  Morton 
are  going  to  see  the  meet." 

Elsie  continued  painting,  Cissy  sat  down  on  a 
stone,  and  soon  lost  herself  in  meditations.  She 
thought  about  the  man  she  was  in  love  with  ;  he  had 
gone  back  to  Paris.  She  was  now  sure  that  she 
hated  his  method  of  painting,  and,  finding  that  his 
influence  had  not  been  a  good  one,  she  strove  to  look 
on  the  landscape  with  her  own  eyes.  But  she  saw 
only  various  painters  in  it.     The  last  was  Morton 


Mitchell,  and  she  thought  if  he  had  been  her  lover 
she  might  have  learnt  something  from  him.  But  he 
was  entirely  taken  up  with  Mildred.  She  did  not  like 
Mildred  any  more,  she  had  behaved  very  badly  to  that 
poor  little  Rose  Turner.  "  Poor  little  thing,  she 
trembles  like  that  birch." 

"  What  are  you  saying,  Cissy  ?  Who  trembles  like 
that  birch." 

"I  was  thinking  of  Rose,  she  seems  dreadfully 
upset.    Morton  never  looks  at  her  now." 

"  I  think  that  Morton  would  have  married  her  if 
Mildred  hadn't  appeared  on  the  scene.  I  know  he 
was  thinking  of  settling  down." 

"  Mildred  is  a  mystery.  Her  pleasure  seems  to  be 
to  upset  people's  lives.  You  remember  poor  Ralph 
Hoskin.  He  died  of  a  broken  heart.  I  can't  make 
Mildred  out;  she  tells  a  lot  of  lies.  She's  always 
talking  about  her  virtue.  But  I  hardly  think  that 
Morton  would  be  as  devoted  to  her  as  he  is  if  he 
weren't  her  lover.  Do  you  think  so  ?  " 
"  I  don't  know  ;  men  are  very  strange." 
Elsie  rose  to  her  feet.  She  put  aside  her  camp- 
stool,  walked  back  a  few  yards,  and  looked  at  her 
picture.  The  motive  of  her  picture  was  a  bending 
birch  at  the  end  of  the  glade.  Rough  forest  growth 
made  clear  its  delicate  drawing,  and  in  the  pale  sky, 
washed  by  rains  to  a  faded  blue,  clouds  arose  and 
evaporated.  The  road  passed  at  the  bottom  of  the 
hill,  and  several  huntsmen  had  already  ridden  by.  Now 
a  private  carriage  with  a  pair  of  horses  stood  waiting. 

"That's  Madame  Delacour's  carriage,  she  is  waiting 
for  Mildred  and  Morton." 

"  The  people  at  Fontainebleau  ?  " 
"  Yes,  the  wife  of  the  great  Socialist  deputy. 
They're  at  Fontainebleau  for  the  season.  M.  De- 
lacour  has  taken  up  the  hunting.  They  say  he  has 
a  fine  collection  of  pictures.  He  buys  Morton's 
pictures.    It  was  he  who  bought  his  'Sheepfold.'  " 

Elsie  did  not  admire  Morton's  masterpiece  as  much 
as  Cissy.  But  they  were  agreed  that  Mildred  might 
prove  a  disintegrating  influence  in  the  development 
of  his  talent.  He  had  done  no  work  since  he  had  made 
her  acquaintance.  She  was  a  mere  society  woman. 
She  had  never  cared  for  painting;  she  had  taken 
up  painting  because  she  thought  it  would  help  her 
socially.  She  had  taken  up  Morton  for  the  same 
reason.  He  had  introduced  her  to  the  Delacours. 
She  had  been  a  great  success  at  the  great  dinner  they 
had  given  last  week.  No  doubt  she  had  exaggerated, 
but  old  Deydier,  who  had  been  there  too,  had 
said  that  every  one  was  talking  about  la  belle  et  la 
spirituelle  Anglaise. 

The  girls  sat  watching  the  carriage  stationed  in  the 
road  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill.  The  conversation 
paused,  a  sound  of  wheels  was  heard  and  a  fly  was 
seen  approaching. 

The  fly  was  dismissed,  and  Mildred  took  her  seat 
next  to  Madame  Delacour.  Morton  sat  opposite. 
He  settled  the  rug  over  the  ladies'  knees,  and  the 
carriage  drove  rapidly  away. 


]8 


"  They're  late  for  the  meet,"  said  Cissy. 

And  all  the  afternoon  the  girls  listened  to  the 
hunting.  In  the  afternoon  three  huntsmen  crashed 
through  the  brushwood  at  the  end  of  a  glade,  winding 
the  long  horns  they  wore  about  their  shoulders. 
Once  a  strayed  hound  came  very  near  them.  Elsie 
threw  the  dog  a  piece  of  bread.  It  did  not  see  the 
bread,  and,  pricking  up  its  ears,  it  trotted  away.  The 
horns  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  the  girls  were 
affrighted  lest  they  should  meet  the  hunted  boar  and 
be  attacked.  It  must  have  turned  at  the  bottom  of 
the  hill.  The  horns  died  through  the  twilight,  a 
spectral  moon  was  afloat  in  the  sky,  and  some  wood- 
cutters told  them  that  they  were  three  kilometres  from 
Barbizon. 

When  about  a  mile  from  the  village  they  were 
overtaken  by  the  Delacours'  carriage.  Morton  and 
Mildred  bade  Madame  good-bye,  and  walked  home 
with  them.  Their  talk  was  of  hunting.  The  boar 
had  been  taken  close  to  the  central  carrefour,  they 
had  watched  the  fight  with  the  dogs,  seven  of  which 
he  had  disabled  before  M.  Delacour  succeeded  in 
finally  despatching  him.  The  edible  value  of  boar's 
head  was  discussed,  until  Mildred  mentioned  that 
Madame  Delacour  was  going  to  give  a  ball.  Elsie 
and  Cissy  were  both  jealous  of  Mildred,  but  they 
hoped  she  would  get  them  invited.  She  said  that 
she  did  not  know  Madame  Delacour  well  enough 
to  ask  for  invitations.  Later  on  she  would  see  what 
could  be  done ;  Morton  thought  that  there  would  be 
no  difficulty,  and  Elsie  asked  Mildred  what  dress  she 
was  going  to  wear.  Mildred  said  she  was  going  to 
Paris  to  order  some  clothes  and  the  conversation 
dropped. 

At  the  end  of  the  week  the  Delacours  drove  over 
to  Barbizon,  and  lunched  at  L' Union.  The  horses, 
the  carriage,  liveries,  the  dresses,  the  great  name  of 
the  Deputy  made  a  fine  stir  in  the  village. 

"  I  wonder  if  she'll  get  us  invited,"  said  Elsie. 

"  Not  she,"  said  Cissy. 

Bat  Mildred  was  always  unexpected.  She  intro- 
duced Monsieur  and  Madame  Delacour  to  Elsie  and 
Cissy,  she  insisted  on  their  showing  their  paintings, 
they  were  invited  to  the  ball,  and  Mildred  drove 
away,  nodding  and  smiling. 

Her  dress  was  coming  from  Paris  ;  she  was  staying 
with  the  Delacours  until  after  the  ball ;  so,  as  Cissy 
said,  her  way  was  nice  and  smooth  and  easy — very 
different  indeed  from  theirs.  They  had  to  struggle 
with  the  inability  and  ignorance  of  a  provincial  dress- 
maker, working  against  time.  At  the  last  moment  it 
be<  ame  clear  that  their  frocks  could  not  be  sent  to 
Barbizon,  that  they  would  have  to  dress  for  the  ball 
in  Fontainebleau.  But  where  ?  They  would  have  to 
hire  rooms  at  the  hotel,  and,  having  gone  to  the 
expense  of  hiring  rooms,  they  might  as  well  sleep  at 
Fontainebleau.  They  could  return  with  Mildred  ;  she 
would  have  the  Delacours'  carriage.  They  would  all 
four  return  together ;  that  would  be  very  jolly.  The 
hotel  omnibus  was  going  to  Melun  to  catch  the  half- 


past  six  train.  If  they  went  by  train  they  would  econo- 
mise sufficiently  in  carriage  hire  to  pay  their  hotel 
expenses,  or  very  nearly. 

Morton  agreed  to  accompany  them.  He  got  their 
tickets  and  found  them  places,  but  they  noticed 
that  he  seemed  a  little  thoughtful,  not  to  say 
gloomy. 

"  Not  the  least,"  as  Elsie  said,  "  like  a  man  who 
was  going  to  meet  his  sweetheart  at  a  ball." 

"  I  think,"  whispered  Cissy,  "  that  he's  beginning 
to  regret  that  he  introduced  her  to  the  Delacours. 
He  feels  that  it  is  as  likely  as  not  that  she'll  throw 
him  over  for  some  of  the  grand  people  she  will  meet 
there." 

Cissy  had  guessed  rightly.  A  suspicion  had 
entered  into  his  heart  that  Mildred  was  beginning 
to  perceive  that  her  interest  lay  rather  with  the  Dela- 
cours than  with  him.  He  had  not  engaged  himself 
to  Mildred  for  any  dances,  partly  because  he  wished 
to  see  if  she  would  reserve  any  dances  for  him.  This 
ball  he  felt  would  prove  a  turning-point  in  his  love- 
story.  He  suspected  M.  Delacour  of  entertaining 
some  very  personal  admiration  for  Mildred ;  he  would 
see  if  his  suspicion  were  well  founded ;  he  would  not 
rush  to  her  at  once ;  and,  having  shaken  hands  with 
his  host  and  hostess,  he  sought  a  corner  whence  he 
could  watch  Mildred  and  the  ball. 

The  rooms  were  already  thronged,  but  the  men 
were  still  separated  from  the  women  ;  the  fusion  of 
the  sexes,  which  was  the  mission  of  the  dance  to 
accomplish,  had  hardly  begun.  Some  few  officers 
were  selecting  partners  up  and  down  the  room,  but 
the  politicians,  their  secretaries,  the  prefects  and  the 
sub-prefects  had  not  yet  moved  from  the  doorways. 
The  platitudes  of  public  life  were  written  in  their 
eyes.  But  their  formality  was  occasionally  broken  by 
the  sight  of  some  young  girl's  fragility  or  the  paraded 
charms  of  a  woman  of  thirty.  The  men  lowered  their 
eyes ;  each  feared  that  his  neighbour  had  discovered 
thoughts  in  him  inappropriate  to  the  red  ribbon  which 
he  wore  in  his  buttonhole. 

"  A  cross  between  clergymen  and  actors,"  thought 
Morton,  and  he  indulged  in  philosophic  reflections 
as  he  walked  through  the  rooms.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  the  military  had  lost  its  prestige  in  the  boudoir. 
Nothing  short  of  a  Continental  war  could  revive  it, 
the  actor  and  the  tenor  never  did  more  than  to  lift  the 
fringe  of  society's  garment.  The  curate  continues  a 
very  solid  innings  in  the  country ;  but  in  town  the 
political  lover  is  in  the  ascendant.  "  A  possible  under- 
secretary is  just  the  man  to  cut  me  out  with  Mildred 
.  .  .  They'd  discuss  the  elections  between  kisses."  .  .  . 
He  sought  Mildred  in  the  whirl  of  the  waltz,  and  saw 
her  struggling  through  the  crowd  with  a  young  diplo- 
matist, Le  Comte  de  la  Ferriere. 

She  wore  white  tulle  laid  upon  white  silk.  The 
bodice  was  silver  fish-scales,  and  she  shimmered  like 
a  moon-beam.  Then  she  laid  her  hand  on  her  dancer's 
shoulder,  moving  forward  with  a  motion  that  per- 
meated her  whole  body.    A  silver  shoe  appeared,  and 


HE  SAW  HER  STRUGGLING  THROUGH  THE  CROWD  WITH  A  YOUNG  DIPLOMATIST. 


20 


€o=Pag. 


Morton  thought,  "  Oh,  what  a  vanity,  only  a  vanity, 
nothing  more ;  but  what  a  delicious  and  beautiful 
vanity  !  " 

The  waltz  ended,  some  of  the  dancers  passed  out  of 
the  ball-room,  and  Mildred  was  surrounded.  It  looked 
as  if  her  card  would  be  filled  before  Morton  could  get 
near  her.  But  she  stood  on  tip-toe,  and  looking 
over  the  surrounding  shoulders,  cried  that  she  would 
keep  the  fourteenth  for  him.  "  Why  did  you  not 
come  before  ?  "  she  asked,  smiling,  and  went  out  of 
the  room  on  the  arm  of  the  young  Comte. 

At  that  moment,  M.  Delacour  took  his  arm, 
and  asked  when  would  the  picture  he  had  ordered 
be  finished.  Morton  hoped  by  the  end  of  next  week, 
and  the  men  walked  through  the  room,  talking  of 
pictures.  On  the  way  back  they  met  Mildred.  She 
told  Morton  that  she  would  make  it  all  right  later 
on.  He  must  now  go  and  talk  to  Madame  Delacour. 
She  had  promised  M.  Delacour  the  next  dance. 

M.  Delacour  was  fifty,  but  he  was  straight  and  thin, 
and  there  was  no  sign  of  grey  in  his  black  hair,  which 
fitted  close  and  tight  as  a  skull-cap.  His  face  was 
red  and  brown,  but  he  did  not  seem  very  old,  and 
Morton  wondered  if  it  were  possible  for  Mildred  to 
love  so  old  a  man. 

Madame  Delacour  sat  in  a  high  chair  within  the 
doorway,  out  of  reach  of  any  draught  that  might 
happen  on  the  staircase.  Her  blonde  hair  was  drawn 
high  up  in  an  eighteenth-century  coiffure,  and  her 
high  pale  face  looked  like  a  cameo  or  an  old  coin. 
She  spoke  in  a  high  clear  voice,  and  expressed  herself 
in  French  a  little  unfamiliar  to  her  present  company. 
"She  must  have  married  beneath  her,"  thought 
Morton,  and  he  wondered  on  what  terms  she  lived  with 
her  husband.  He  spoke  of  Mildred  as  the  prettiest 
woman  in  the  room,  and  was  disappointed  that 
Madame  Delacour  did  not  contest  the  point. 

When  Cissy  and  Elsie  came  whirling  by,  Cissy  un- 
necessarily large  and  bare,  and  Elsie  intolerably  pert 
and  middle-class,  Morton  regretted  that  he  would  have 
to  ask  them  to  dance.  And  when  he  had  danced  with 
them,  and  the  three  young  ladies  Madame  Delacour 
had  introduced  him  to,  and  had  taken  the  Comtesse 
in  to  supper,  he  found  that  the  fourteenth  waltz  was 
over.  But  Mildred  bade  him  not  to  look  so  depressed, 
she  had  kept  the  cotillion  for  him.  It  was  going  to 
begin  very  soon.  He  had  better  look  after  chairs. 
So  he  tied  his  handkerchief  round  a  couple.  But 
he  knew  what  the  cotillion  meant.  She  would  be 
always  dancing  with  others,  and  that  others  would 
always  be  dancing  with  him.  The  cotillion  proved 
as  he  expected.  Everything  happened,  but  it  was 
all  the  same  to  him.  Dancers  had  gone  from  the 
dancing  room,  and  returned  in  masks  and  dominoes. 
A  paper  imitation  of  a  sixteenth-century  house  had 
been  brought  in,  ladies  had  shown  themselves  at  the 
lattice,  they  had  been  serenaded,  and  had  chosen 
serenaders  to  dance  with.  And  when,  at  the  end  of 
his  inventions,  the  leader  fell  back  on  the  hand-glass 
and  the  cushion,  Mildred  refused  dance  after  dance. 


At  last  the  leader  called  to  Morton  ;  he  came  up  cer- 
tain of  triumph,  but  Mildred  passed  the  handkerchief 
over  the  glass  and  drew  the  cushion  from  his  knee. 
She  danced  both  figures  with  M.  Delacour. 

She  was  covered  with  flowers  and  ribbons,  and, 
though  a  little  woman,  she  looked  very  handsome  in 
her  triumph.  Morton  hated  her  triumph,  knowing  that 
it  robbed  him  of  her.  But  he  hid  his  jealousy  as  he 
would  his  hand  in  a  game  of  cards,  and  when  the  last 
guests  were  going,  he  bade  her  good-night  with  a  calm 
face.  He  saw  her  go  upstairs  with  M.  Delacour. 
Madame  Delacour  had  gone  to  her  room;  she  had  felt 
so  tired  that  she  could  sit  up  no  longer,  and  had 
begged  her  husband  to  excuse  her,  and  as  Mildred 
went  upstairs,  three  or  four  steps  in  front  of  M.  Dela- 
cour, she  stopped  to  arrange  with  Elsie  and  Cissy 
when  she  should  come  to  fetch  them ;  they  were  all 
going  home  together. 

Morton  knew  that  his  jealousy  was  unwarranted,  but 
he  could  not  rid  himself  of  it — it  choked,  it  blinded 
and  sickened  him  all  that  night  and  the  following 
day.  Mildred  knew  it,  and  as  they  drove  home  she 
encouraged  and  cajoled  with  her  eyes.  Morton  knew 
that  the  differences  which  separated  Mildred  from 
other  women,  and  which  attracted  him  so  violently, 
were  merely  superficial,  that  the  day  would  come, 
sooner  or  later,  when  she  would  seem  as  common  as 
other  women.  He  knew  that,  in  the  meantime,  she 
would  perplex  and  fret  his  life,  bringing  nothing  real 
into  it.  He  knew  these  things  well  enough,  but  he 
also  knew  that  he  Avould  act  in  contradiction  to  his 
reason,  in  obedience  to  some  occult  force,  which  he 
could  neither  explain  nor  control.  Her  personality 
buzzed  in  his  life  now  empty  as  a  bladder.  "  This 
is  God-damned  madness,"  he  thought.  But  reason 
evaporated  like  a  little  cloud,  and  he  grew  happier  as 
he  abandoned  himself  to  his  instinct. 

They  were  to  meet  that  evening,  before  dinner,  in 
the  garden,  and,  as  he  waited  for  her,  he  watched 
a  lurid  October  sky.  His  heart  leaped  when  her 
demure  little  figure  appeared  on  the  gravel  walk; 
they  walked  in  silence  to  the  paling  at  the  end  of  the 
garden,  and  stood  looking  at  the  shining  fields.  They 
spoke  first  of  the  landscape  effect  which  seemed  to 
them  very  early  English — Morland  and  Crome  sugges- 
ted themselves.  And  while  the  enamel-coloured  land- 
scape impressed  itself  upon  her,  she  asked  herself  if 
she  loved  him.  She  was  moved  to  lay  her  hand  upon 
his  arm,  and  as  she  spoke  kindly,  she  drew  him  out  of 
the  reserve  in  which  he  had  taken  refuge.  Presently  he 
began  to  swear ;  that  was  always  a  good  sign,  and  she 
smiled  when  he  said  : 

"  These  flirtations  are  blasted  rot.    Either  you  love 
me  or  you  don't !  " 

••  What  flirtations  ?  " 

"  Delacour,  La  Ferriere,  that  black-moustached 
officer,  that  clean  shaven  diplomatist.  Which  do  you 
like  the  best  ?  Try  to  make  up  your  mind,  and  then 
go  for  him.  In  that  way  you'll  get  something  out  of 
your  love  story.    But  half  hours  with  each  in  turn  is 


CoDag. 


2  I 


like  so  much  dram  drinking,  wanderings  from  bar- 
room to  bar-room — a  bad  whisky  here,  a  middling 
whisky  over  the  way,  a  vitriolic  drink  round  the 
corner." 

"But  I  don't  do  these  things.    I  only  love  you." 

"  Then  why  do  you  apologise  for  not  seeing  more 
of  me  at  the  ball  ?  " 

A  little  dark  cloud  gathered  between  her  eyes.  She 
did  not  answer.  She  too  was  acting  in  contradiction 
to  her  reason.  For  her  liking  for  Morton  was  quite 
real ;  there  were  moments  when  she  thought  that 
she  would  end  by  marrying.  But  mysterious  occult 
influences,  which  she  could  neither  explain  nor 
control,  were  drawing  her  away  from  him.  She 
asked  herself  what  was  this  power  which  abided 
in  the  bottom  of  her  heart,  from  which  she  could 
not  rid  herself,  and  which  said  "Thou  shalt  not 
marry  him."  She  asked  herself  if  this  essential 
force  was  the  life  of  pleasure  and  publicity  which  the 
Delacours  offered  her.  No,  she  knew  that  this  was 
not  so  ;  but  she  had  to  admit  that  she  was  drawn  to 
this  life,  and  that  she  had  felt  strangely  at  ease  in  it. 
In  the  few  days  that  she  had  spent  with  the  Delacours, 
she  had,  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  felt  in  agreement 
with  her  surroundings.  She  had  always  hated  that 
dirty  studio,  and  still  more  its  dirty,  slangy  frequenters. 

And  she  lay  awake  a  great  part  of  the  night  thinking. 
She  felt  that  she  must  act  in  obedience  to  her  instinct, 
whatever  it  might  cost  her,  and  her  instinct  drew  her 
towards  the  Delacours  and  away  from  Morton.  But 
her  desire  for  Morton  was  not  yet  exhausted,  and  the 
struggle  between  the  two  forces  resulted  in  one  of  her 
moods.  Its  blackness  lay  on  her  forehead,  between 
her  eyes,  and  in  the  influence  of  its  mesmerism  she 
began  to  hate  Morton.  As  she  put  it  to  herself,  she 
began  to  feel  ugly  towards  him.  When  they  met,  she 
gave  her  cheek  instead  of  her  lips,  and  words  which 
provoked  and  wounded  him  rose  to  her  tongue's  tip, 
she  could  not  save  herself  from  speaking  them,  and 
each  day  their  estrangement  grew  more  accentuated. 

She  came  down  one  morning  nervously  calm,  her 
face  set  in  a  definite  and  gathering  expression  of 
resolution.  Elsie  could  see  that  something  serious 
had  happened.  But  Mildred  did  not  seem  inclined 
to  explain,  she  only  said  that  she  must  leave  Barbizon 
at  once — that  she  was  going  that  very  morning, 
that  her  boxes  were  packed,  that  she  had  ordered  a 
carriage. 

"  Are  you  going  back  to  Paris  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  but  I  don't  think  I  shall  go  to  Melun.  I 
shall  go  to  Fontainebleau.  I'd  like  to  say  good-bye 
to  the  Delacours." 

"  This  is  hardly  a  day  for  a  drive  through  the 
forest,  you'll  be  blown  to  pieces." 

"  I  don't  mind  a  little  wind.  I  shall  tie  my  veil  a 
little  tighter." 

They  walked  round  the  windy  garden,  and  Mildred 
admitted  that  she  had  quarrelled  with  Morton.  But 
she  would  say  no  more.  She  declared,  however,  that 
she  would  not  see  him  again.    Her  intention  was  to 


leave  before  he  came  down,  and,  as  if  unable  to  bear 
the  delay  any  longer,  she  asked  Cissy  and  Elsie  to 
walk  a  little  way  with  her.  The  carriage  could  follow. 

The  wind  was  rough,  but  they  were  burning  to 
hear  what  Morton  had  done,  and,  hoping  that  Mildred 
would  become  more  communicative  when  they  got 
out  of  the  village,  they  consented  to  accompany  her. 

"  I'm  sorry  to  leave,''  said  Mildred,  "  but  I  cannot 
stay  after  what  happened  last  night.  Oh  dear  me," 
she  exclaimed,  "  my  hat  nearly  went,  that  time.  I'm 
afraid  I  shall  have  a  rough  drive." 

"You  will,  indeed.    You'd  better  stay,"  said  Elsie. 

"  I  cannot.  It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  see 
him  again." 

"  But  what  did  he  say  to  offend  you  ?  " 

"  It  wasn't  what  he  said,  it  was  what  he  did." 

"  What  did  he  do  ?" 

"  He  came  into  my  room  last  night." 

"  Did  he  !    Were  you  in  bed  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  was  in  bed,  reading.  I  was  awfully 
frightened.  I  never  saw  a  man  in  such  a  state.  I 
think  he  was  mad." 

"  What  did  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  tried  to  calm  him.  I  felt  that  I  must  not  lose 
my  presence  of  mind.  I  spoke  to  him  gently.  I 
appealed  to  his  honour,  and  at  last  I  persuaded  him 
to  go." 

"  What  do  you  say  ?" 

"I  at  last  persuaded  him  to  go." 

"  You're  an  odd  girl,"  shouted  Cissy.  "  I  don't 
believe  there's  another  like  you." 

"We  can't  talk  in  this  wind,"  screamed  Elsie. 
"  We'd  better  go  back." 

"  We  shall  be  killed,"  cried  Cissy,  starting  back  in 
alarm,  for  a  young  pine  had  crashed  across  the  road, 
not  very  far  from  where  they  were  standing,  and  the 
girls  could  hear  the  wind,  trumpeting,  careering, 
springing  forward ;  it  rushed,  it  leaped,  it  paused,  and 
the  whole  forest  echoed  its  wrath. 

When  the  first  strength  of  the  blast  seemed  ebbing, 
the  girls  looked  round  for  shelter.  They  felt  if  they 
remained  where  they  were,  holding  on  to  roots  and 
grasses,  they  would  be  carried  away. 

"  Those  rocks,"  cried  Cissy. 

"  AVe  shan't  get  there  in  time,  the  trees  will  fall," 
cried  Elsie. 

"  Not  a  minute  to  lose,"  said  Mildred.  "Come  !  " 

And  the  girls  ran  through  the  swaying  trees,  at  the 
peril  of  their  lives.  And  as  they  ran  the  earth  gave  forth 
a  rumbling  sound,  and  was  lifted  beneath  their  feet. 

It  seemed  as  if  that  subterranean  had  joined  with 
aerial  forces,  for  the  crumbling  sound  they  had  heard, 
as  they  ran  through  the  scattered  pines,  increased  ;  it 
was  the  roots  giving  way;  and  the  pines  bent, 
wavered,  and  fell  this  way  and  that.  But  about  the 
rocks,  where  the  girls  crouched,  the  trees  grew  so 
thickly  that  the  wind  could  not  destroy  them  singly ; 
so  it  had  taken  the  wood  in  violent  and  passionate 
grasp,  and  was  striving  to  beat  it  down.  But  under 
the  rocks  all  was  quiet,  the  storm  was  above  in  the 


22 

branches,  and,  hearing  almost  human  cries,  the  girls 
looked  up,  and  saw  two  great  branches  interlocked 
like  serpents  in  the  agony  of  battle. 

In  half  an  hour  the  storm  had  blown  itself  out. 
But  a  loud  wind  shook  through  the  stripped  and 
broken  fofest ;  lament  was  in  all  the  branches,  the 
wind  forced  them  upwards,  and  they  gesticulated 
their  despair.  The  leaves  rose  and  sank  like  cries  of 
woe  adown  the  raw  air,  and  the  roadway  was  littered 
with  ruin.    The  whirl  of  the  wind  still  continued,  and 


the  frightened  girls  dreaded  lest  the  storm  should 
return,  overtaking  them  as  they  passed  through  the 
avenue. 

The  avenue  was  nearly  impassable  with  fallen  trees, 
and  Elsie  said, 

"  You'll  not  be  able  to  go  to  Fontainebleau  to- 
day." 

"  Then  I  shall  go  to  Melun." 

As  they  entered  the  village  they  met  the  carriage, 
and  Mildred  bade  her  friends  good-bye. 


UNDINE. 


K.J 


Drawn  by  Hal  Hurst. 


LONDON 
FLOWER  GIRLS. 

Drawn  by  Sydney  Adamson. 


AFTERNOON 
TEA. 


Drawn  by  if.  Saubcr. 


A  BACCHANTE. 


Drawn  by  Trevor  H addon. 


What  sweet  and  gentle  face  is  this 
That  smiles  upon  me  in  my  dreams? 

JVJiat  red  lips  lean  my  lips  to  kiss, 

What  golden  hair  around  me  gleams? 

Something  in  all  I  seem  to  know — 

Face,  smiles,  and  carls  of  long  ago/ 

Here  bending  weary  at  my  desk 
And  feeling  all  that  I  have  felt, 

The  dreary  street  grows  picturesque, 
Its  noises  rndc  in  music  melt, 

And  sorrow  finds  a  sweet  release, 

While  lips  that  love  me  whisper  "Peace/ 

Ah  /  one  who  loved  me  in  the  days 

Which  memory  with  her  wreath  adorns, 
When  violets  blossomed  in  the  ways, 

And  roses  climbed  above  the  thorns; 
Who  knew  not  what  it  was  to  be 
Less  than  a  word  of  love  to  me. 

I  dream  and  dream,  and  still  the  rare 
And  deathless  vision  beautifies 

My  life,  and  leaves  a  rainbow  there, 
A  fter  the  storm  around  my  eyes  ; 

The  storm  that  moans  itself  to  rest, 

And  dies  with  sunlight  on  its  breast. 


FRANK  L.  STANTON. 


GRISETTES. 


Drawn  by  Sydney  A  damson. 


A  MORNING  CALL. 


By  R.  Sautter. 


TEA-TABLE  TALK. 


By  JEROME  K.  JEROME. 
Illustrated  by  L.  Baumer. 


:  It  doesn't  suit  you  at  all,"  I  answered. 
:  You're  very  disagreeable,"  said  she  ;  "  I  shan't 

ever  ask  your 
advice  again." 

"Nobody,"  I 
hastened  to 
add,  "would 
look  well  in  it. 
You,  of  course, 
look  less  awful 
in  it  than  any 
other  woman 
would ;  but  it's 
not  your  style." 
"Hemeans," 

explained  the  Minor  Poet,  "  that  the  thing  itself,  not 
being  pre-eminently  beautiful,  it  does  not  suit — is  not 
in  agreement  with  you.  The  contrast  between  you  and 
anything  approaching  the  ugly  or  the  commonplace, 
is  too  glaring  to  be  aught  else  than  displeasing." 

"  He  didn't  say  it,"  replied  the  Woman  of  the 
World ;  "  and  besides  it  isn't  ugly,  it's  the  very  latest 
fashion." 

"  Why  is  it,"  asked  the  Philosopher,  "  that  women 
are  such  slaves  to  fashion  ?  They  think  clothes, 
they  talk  clothes,  they  read  clothes ;  yet  they  have 
never  understood  clothes.  The  purpose  of  dress, 
after  the  primary  object  of  warmth  has  been  secured, 
is  to  adorn,  to  beautify  the  particular  wearer.  Yet 
not  one  woman  in  a  thousand  stops  to  consider 
what  colours  will  go  best  with  her  complexion,  what 
cut  will  best  hide  the  defects  or  display  the  advan- 
tages of  her  figure.  If  it  be  the  fas*hion,  she  must 
wear  it ;  and  so  we  have  pale-faced  girls  looking 
ghastly  in  shades  suitable  to  dairymaids,  and  dots 
waddling  about  in  costumes  fit  and  proper  to  six- 
footers.  It  is  as  if  crows  insisted 
on  wearing  peacocks'  feathers  on 
their  heads,  and  rabbits  ran  about 
with  donkeys'  tails  fastened  on  be- 
hind them." 

"  And  are  not  you  men  every 
bit  as  foolish  ?  "  retorted  the  Girton 
Girl;  "sack  coats  come  into  fashion, 
and  dumpy  little  men  trot  up  and 
down  in  them,  looking  like  butter- 
tubs  on  legs.  You  go  about  in  July 
melting  under  frock-coats  and 
chimney-pot  hats,  and,  because  it  is 
the  stylish  thing  to  do,  you  all  play 
tennis  in  stiff  shirts  and  stand-up 
collars,  which  is  idiotic.  If  fashion  decreed  that  you 
should  play  cricket  in  a  pair  of  top-boots  and  a  diver's 


helmet,  you  would  play  cricket  in  a  pair  of  top-boots 
and  a  diver's  helmet,  and  dub  every  sensible  fellow 
who  didn't,  a  cad.  It's  worse  in  you  than  in  us ; 
men  are  supposed  to  think  for  themselves,  and  to  be 
capable  of  it,  the  womanly  woman  isn't." 

"  Big  women  and  little  men  look  well  in  no- 
thing," said  the  Woman  of  the  World.  "  Poor  Emily 
was  five  foot  ten  and  a  half,  and  never  looked  an 
inch  under  seven  foot  whatever  she  wore.  Empires 
came  into  fashion,  and  the  poor  child  looked  like 
the  giant's  baby  in  a  pantomime.  We  thought  the 
Greek  might  help  her,  but  it  only  suggested  a  Crystal 
Palace  statue  tied  up  in  a  sheet,  and  tied  up  badly  ; 
and  when  puff-sleeves  and  shoulder-capes  were  in 
and  Teddy  stood  up  behind  her  at  a  water-party,  and 
sang,  '  Under  the  spreading  chestnut-tree,'  she  took 
it  as  a  personal  insult  and  boxed  his  ears.  Few  men 
liked  to  be  seen  with  her ;  and  I'm  sure  George  pro- 


posed to  her  partly  with  the  idea  of  saving  himself  the 
expense  of  a  step-ladder  ;  she  reaches  down  his  books 
for  him  from  the  top  shelf." 

"  I,"  said  the  Minor  Poet,  "  take  up  the  position  of 
not  wanting  to  waste  my  brain  upon  the  subject. 
Tell  me  what  to  wear,  and  I  will  wear  it,  and  there  is 
an  end  of  the  matter.  If  Society  says,  '  Wear  blue 
shirts  and  white  collars,'  I  wear  blue  shirts  and  white 
collars.  If  she  says,  '  The  time  has  now  come  when 
hats  should  be  broad-brimmed,'  I  take  unto  myself  a 
broad-brimmed  hat.  The  question  does  not  interest 
me  sufficiently  for  me  to  argue  it.  It  is  your  fop  who 
refuses  to  follow  fashion.  He  wishes  to  attract  atten- 
tion to  himself  by  being  peculiar.  A  novelist  whose 
books  pass  unnoticed,  gains  distinction  by  designing 
his  own  necktie ;  and  many  an  artist,  following  the 
line  of  least  resistance,  learns  to  let  his  hair  grow 
instead  of  learning  to  paint." 

"  The  fact  is,"  remarked  the  Philosopher,  "  we  are 


Copyright,  1895,  by  the  Author. 


32 


the  mere  creatures  of  fashion.  Fashion  dictates  to  us 
our  religion,  our  morality,  our  affections,  our  thoughts. 
In  one  age  successful 
cattle  -  lifting  is  a 
virtue  ;  a  few  hundred 
years  later  company- 
promoting  takes  its 
place  as  a  respectable 
and  legitimate  busi- 
ness. In  England 
and  America  Chris- 
tianity is  fashionable, 
in  Turkey,  Moham- 
medanism ;  and  "  the 
crimes  of  Clapham  are 
chaste  in  Martaban." 
In  Japan  a  woman  dresses  down  to  the  knees,  but  would 
be  considered  immodest  if  she  displayed  bare  arms.  In 
Europe  it  is  legs  that  no  pure-minded  woman  is  sup- 
posed to  possess.  In  China  we  worship  our  mother- 
in-law  and  despise  our  wife  ;  in  England  we  treat  our 
wife  with  respect,  and  regard  our  mother-in-law  as  the 
bulwark  of  comic  journalism.  The  stone  age,  the 
iron  age,  the  age  of  faith,  the  age  of  infidelism,  the 
philosophic  age,  what  are  they  but  the  passing  fashions 
of  the  worjd  ?  It  is  fashion,  fashion,  fashion  wherever 
we  turn.  Fashion  waits  beside  our  cradle  to  lead  us 
by  the  hand  through  life.  Now  literature  is  senti- 
mental, now  hopefully  tumorous,  now  psychological, 
now  new-womanly.  Yesterday's  pictures  are  the 
laughing-stock  of  the  up-to-date  artist  of  to-day,  and 
to-day's  art  will  be  sneered  at  to-morrow. 
Now  it  is  fashionable  to  be  democratic,  to 
pretend  that  no  virtue  or  wisdom  can  exist 
outside  corduroy  and  to  abuse  the  middle 
classes.  One  season  we  go  slumming,  and 
the  next  we  are  all  socialists.  AVe  think 
we  are  thinking  ;  we  are  simply  dressing 
ourselves  up  in  words  we  do  not  under- 
stand for  the  gods  to  laugh  at  us." 

"  Don't  be  pessimistic,"  retorted  the  Minor 
Poet ;  "  pessimism  is  going  out.  You  call 
"**  such  changes  fashions  ;  I  call  them  the  foot- 
prints of  progress.  Each  phase  of  thought 
is  an  advance  upon  the  former,  bringing  the 
footsteps  of  the  many  nearer  to  the  landmarks  left  by 
the  mighty  climbers  of  the  past  upon  the  mountain 
paths  of  truth.  The  crowd  that  was  satisfied  with 
The  Derby  Day  now  appreciates  Millet.  The  public 
that  were  content  to  wag  their  heads  to  The  Bohemian 
Girl  have  made  Wagner  popular." 

"  And  the  play  lovers,  who  stood  for  hours  to 
listen  to  Shakespeare,"  interrupted  the  Philosopher, 
"  now  crowd  to  music-halls." 

"  The  track  sometimes  descends  for  a  little  way, 
but  it  will  wind  upward  again,"  returned  the  Poet. 
"  The  music-hall  itself  is  improving  ;  I  consider  it  the 
duty  of  every  intellectual  man  to  visit  such  places. 
The  mere  influence  of  his  presence  helps  to  elevate 
the  tone  of  the  performance.    I  often  go  myself!  " 


"  I  was  looking,"  said  the  Woman  of  the  World, 
"  at  some  old  illustrated  papers  of  thirty  years  ago, 
showing  the  men  dressed  in  those  very  absurd 
trousers,  so  extremely  roomy  about  the  waist,  and 
so  extremely  tight  about  the  ankles.  I  recollect  poor 
papa  in  them ;  I  always  used  to  long  to  fill  them  out 
by  pouring  in  sawdust  at  the  top." 

"  You  mean  the  peg-top  period,"  I  said.  "  I  re- 
member them  distinctly  myself,  but  it  cannot  be  more 
than  three-and-twenty  years  ago  at  the  outside." 

"That  is  very  nice  of  you,"  replied  the  Woman  of 
the  World,  "  and  shows  more  tact  than  I  should  have 
given  you  credit  for.  It  could,  as  you  say,  have  been 
only  twenty-three  years  ago.  I  know  I  was  a  very 
little  girl  at  the  time ;  I  think  there  must  be  some 
subtle  connection  between  clothes  and  thought.  I 
cannot  imagine  men  in  those  trousers  and  Dundreary 
whiskers  talk- 
ing as  you 
fellows  are  talk- 
ing now,  any 
more  than  I 
could  conceive 
of  a  woman  in 
a  crinoline  and 
a  poke  bonnet 
smoking  a  ciga- 
rette. I  think 
it  must  be  so, 
because  dear 

mother  used  to  be  the  most  easy-going  woman  in  the 
world  in  her  ordinary  clothes,  and  would  let  papa 
smoke  all  over  the  house.  But  about  once  every  three 
weeks  she  would  put  on  a  hideous  old-fashioned  black 
silk  dress,  that  looked  as  if  Queen  Elizabeth  must  have 
slept  in  it  during  one  of  those  seasons  when  she  used 
to  go  about  sleeping  anywhere,  and  then  we  all  had 
to  sit  up.  '  Look  out,  ma's  got  her  black  silk  dress 
on,'  came  to  be  a  regular  formula.  We  could  always 
make  papa  take  us  out  for  a  walk  or  a  drive  by  whis- 
pering it  to  him." 

"  I  can  never  bear  to  look  at  those  pictures  of  by- 
gone fashions,"  said  the  Old  Maid,  "  I  see  the  by- 
gone people  in  them,  and  it  makes  me  feel  as 
though  the  faces  that  we  love  were  only  passing 

fashions  with  the 


v 


3» 


rest.  We  wear 
them  for  a  little 
while  upon  our 
hearts,  and  think 
so  much  of  them, 
_  and  then  there 
comes  a  time 
when  we  lay 
them  by,  and 
forget  them,  and 
newer  faces  take 
their  place,  and 
we  are  satisfied.    It  seems  so  sad." 

"  1  wrote  a  story  some  years  ago,"  remarked  the 


33 


Minor  Poet,  "  about  a  young  Swiss  guide,  who  was 
betrothed  to  a  laughing  little  French  peasant  girl." 
"  Named  Suzette,"  interrupted  the  Girton  Girl.  "I 

know  her.    Go  on." 

'•  Named  Jeanne," 
corrected  the  Poet, 
"  the  majority  of  laugh- 
ing French  girls,  in 
fiction,  are  named 
Suzette,  I  am  well 
aware.  But  this  girl's 
mother's  family  was 
English.  She  was  chris- 
tened Jeanne  after  an 
aunt  Jane,  who  lived 
in  Birmingham,  and 
from  whom  she  had 
expectations." 

"I  beg  your  pardon," 
apologised  the  Girton 
Girl,  "  I  was  not  aware 
of  that  fact.  What 
happened  to  her?" 
"  One  morning,  a  few  days  before  the  date  fixed  for 
the  wedding,"  said  the  Minor  Poet,  "  she  started  off 
to  pay  a  visit  to  a  relative  living  in  the  village,  the 
other  side  of  the  mountain.  It  was  a  dangerous 
track,  climbing  half-way  up  the  mountain  before  it 
descended  again,  and  skirting  more  than  one  treacher- 
ous slope,  but  the  girl  was  mountain  born  and  bred, 
sure-footed  as  a  goat,  and  no  one  dreamed  of  harm." 

"  She  went  over,  of  course,"  said  the  Philosopher ; 
"  those  sure-footed  girls  always  do." 

"  What  happened,"  replied  the  Minor  Poet,  "was 
never  known.    The  girl  was  never  seen  again." 

"And  what  became  of  her  lover?"  asked  the 
Girton  Girl.  "  Was  he,  when  next  year's  snow 
melted,  and  the  young  men  of  the  village  went  forth 
to  gather  edelweiss,  wherewith  to  deck  their  sweet- 
hearts, found  by  them  dead,  beside  her,  at  the  bottom 
of  the  crevasse  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  Poet ;  "  you  do  not  know  this  story, 
you  had  better  let  me  tell  it.  Her  lover  returned  the 
morning  before  the  wedding  day,  to  be  met  with  the 
news.  He  gave  way  to  no  sign  of  grief,  he  repelled 
all  consolation.  Taking  his  rope  and  axe  he  went  up 
into  the  mountain  by  himself.  All  through  the  winter 
he  haunted  the  track  by  which  she  must  have  travelled, 
indifferent  to  the  danger  that  he  ran,  impervious 
apparently  to  cold,  or  hunger,  or  fatigue,  undeterred 
by  storm,  or  mist,  or  avalanche.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  spring  he  returned  to  the  village,  purchased 
building  utensils,  and  day  after  day  carried  them  back 
with  him  up  into  the  mountain.  He  hired  no  labour, 
he  rejected  the  proffered  assistance  of  his  brother 
guides.  Choosing  an  almost  inaccessible  spot,  at  the 
edge  of  the  great  glacier,  far  from  all  paths,  he  built 
himself  a  hut,  with  his  own  hands ;  and  there  for 
eighteen  years  he  lived  alone. 

"  In  the  '  season  '   he  earned  good  fees,  being 


known  far  and  wide  as  one  of  the  bravest  and  hardiest 
of  all  the  guides,  but  few  of  his  clients  liked  him,  for 
he  was  a  silent,  gloomy  man,  speaking  little,  and  with 
never  a  laugh  or  jest  on  the  journey.  Each  fall,  hav- 
ing provisioned  himself,  he  would  retire  to  his  solitary 
hut,  and  bar  the  door,  and  no  human  soul  would  set 
eyes  on  him  again  until  the  snows  melted. 

"One  year,  however,  as  the  spring  days  wore  on, 
and  he  did  not  appear  among  the  guides,  as  was  his 
wont,  the  elder  men,  who  remembered  his  story  and 
pitied  him,  grew  uneasy;  and,  after  much  delibera- 
tion, it  was  determined  that  a  party  of  them  should 
force  their  way  up  to  his  eyrie.  They  cut  their 
path  across  the  ice  where  no  foot  among  them  had 
trodden  before,  and  finding  at  length  the  lonely  snow- 
encompassed  hut,  knocked  loudly  with  their  axe- 
staves  on  the  door ;  but  only  the  whirling  echoes 
from  the  glacier's  thousand  walls  replied,  so  the  fore- 
most put  his  strong  shoulder  to  the  worn  timber,  and 
the  door  flew  open  with  a  crash. 

"They  found  him  dead,  as  they  had  more  than 
half  expected,  lying  stiff  and  frozen  on  the  rough 
couch  at  the  farther  end  of  the  hut ;  and,  beside  him. 
looking  down  upon  him  with  a  placid  face,  as  a 
mother  might  watch  beside  her  sleeping  child,  stood 
Jeanne.  She  wore  the  flowers  pinned  to  her  dress 
that  she  had  gathered  that  morning,  when  their  eyes 
had  last  seen  her.  The  face  was  the  girl's  face  that 
had  laughed  back  to  their  good-bye  in  the  village 
nineteen  years  ago. 

"  A  strange  steely  light  clung  round  her,  haL 
illumining,  half  obscuring  her,  and  the  men  drew 
back  in  fear,  thinking  they  saw  a  vision  :  till  one, 
bolder  than  the  rest,  stretched  out  his  hand  and 
touched  the  ice  that  formed  her  coffin. 

"  For  eighteen  years  the  man  had  lived  there  with 
this  face  that  he  had  loved.  A  faint  flush  still 
lingered  on  the  fair  cheeks,  the  laughing  lips  were 
still  red.  Only  in  one  spot,  above  her  temple,  the 
wavy  hair  lay  matted  underneath  a  clot  of  blood." 

The  Minor  Poet  ceased. 

"  What  a  very  unpleasant  way  of  preserving  one's 
love  !  "  said  the  Girton 
Girl. 

"  When  did  the  story 
appear?"  I  asked.  "I 
don't  remember  reading 
it." 

"  I  never  published 
it,"  explained  the  Minor 
Poet.  "  Within  the  same 
week  two  friends  of 
mine,  one  of  whom  had 
just  returned  from  Nor- 
way and  the  othei 
from  Switzerland,  con- 
fided to  me  their  inten- 
tion of  writing  stories  about  girls  who  had  fallen  into 
glaciers  and  been  found  by  their  friends  long  afterwards, 
looking  as  good  as  new;  and  a  few  days  later  I 


34 


chanced  upon  a  book,  the  heroine  of  which  had  been 
dug  out  of  a  glacier  alive  three  hundred  years  after 
she  had  fallen  in.    There  seemed  to  be  a  run  on  ice 
maidens,  and  I  decided 
not  to  add  to  their  num-  j\^ 
ber." 

"It  is  curious,"  said 
the  Philosopher,  "  how 
there  seems  to  be  a 
fashion  even  in  thought. 
An  idea  has  often  oc- 
curred to  me  that  has 
seemed  to  me  quite  new  ; 
and,  taking  up  a  news- 
paper, I  have  found  that 
some  man  in  Russia  or 
San  Francisco  has  just  been  saying  the  very  same  thing 
in  almost  the  very  same  words.  We  say  a  thing  is  'in 
the  air '  ;  it  is  more  true  than  we  are  aware  of.  Thought 
does  not  grow  in  us.  It  is  a  thing  apart,  we  simply 
gather  it.  All  truths,  all  discoveries,  all  inventions, 
they  have  not  come  to  us  from  any  one  man.  The  time 
grows  ripe  for  them,  and  from  this  corner  of  the  earth 
and  that,  hands,  guided  by  some  instinct,  grope  for 
and  grasp  them.  Buddha  and  Christ  seize  hold  of 
the  morality  needful  to  civilisation,  and  promulgate 
it,  unknown  to  one  another,  the  one  on  the  shores  of 
the  Ganges,  the  other  by  the  Jordan.  A  dozen  for- 
gotten explorers,  feetifig  America,  prepare  the  way  for 
Columbus  to  discover  it.  A  deluge  of  blood  is  re- 
quired to  sweep  away  old  follies,  and  Rousseau  and 
Voltaire,  and  a  myriad  others  are  set  to  work  to 
fashion  the  storm  clouds.  The  steam-engine,  the 
spinning-loom  is  '  in  the  air.'  A  thousand  brains  are 
busy  with  them  ;  a  few  go  farther  than  the  rest.  It  is 
idle  to  talk  of  human  thought ;  there  is  no  such  thing. 
Our  minds  are  fed  as  our  bodies  with  the  food  God 
has  prepared  for  us.  Thought  hangs  by  the  way-side, 
and  we  pick  it  and  cook  it,  and  eat  it,  and  then  cry 
out  what  clever  'thinkers'  we  are  !" 


"  I  cannot  agree  with  you,"  replied  the  Minor 
Poet ;  "  if  we  were  simply  automata,  as  your  argument 
would  suggest,  what  was  the  purpose  of  creating 
us  ?  " 

"  The  intelligent  portion  of  mankind  has  been 
asking  itself  that  question  for  many  ages,"  returned 
the  Philosopher. 

"  I  hate  people  who  always  think  as  I  do,"  said 
the  Girton  Girl ;  "  there  was  a  girl  in  our  corridor 
who  never  would  disagree  with  me.  Every  opinion  I 
expressed  turned  out  to  be  her  opinion  also.  It 
always  irritated  me." 

"  That  might  have  been  weakmindedness,"  said  the 
Old  Maid,  which  sounded  ambiguous. 

"  It  is  not  so  unpleasant  as  having  a  person  always 
disagreeing  with  you,"  said  the  Woman  of  the  World. 
"  My  cousin  Susan  never  would  agree  with  any  one. 
If  I  came  down  in  red  she  would  say,  '  Why  don't 
you  try  green,  dear?  every  one  says  you  look  so  well 
in  green  ' ;  and  when  I  wore  green  she  would  say, 
'  Why  have  you  given  up  red,  dear?  I  thought  you 
rather  fancied  yourself  in  red.'  When  I  told  her  of 
my  engagement  to  Tom  she  burst  into  tears,  and 
said  she  couldn't  help  it.  She  had  always  felt  that 
George  and  I  were  intended  for  one  another  ;  and, 
when  Tom  never  wrote  for  two  whole  months,  and 
behaved  disgracefully  in — in  other  ways,  and  I  told 
her  I  was  engaged  to  George,  she  reminded  me  of 
every  word  I  had  ever  said  about  my  affection  for 
Tom,  and  of  how  I  had  ridiculed  poor  George.  Papa 
used  to  say,  '  If  any  man  ever  tells  Susan  that  he 
loves  her,  she  will  argue  him  out  of  it,  and  will  never 
accept  him  until  he  has  jilted  her,  and  will  refuse  to 
marry  him  every  time  he  asks  -her  to  fix  the 
day.'  " 

"  Is  she  married  ?  "  asked  the  Philosopher. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  answered  the  Woman  of  the  World  ; 
"  and  is  devoted  to  her  children.  She  lets  them  do 
everything  they  don't  want  to."  ■ 


ON    THE  SURFACE. 


By  Mrs.  Williamson. 
Illustrated  by  W.  Dewar. 


Part  I. — A  Tragedy  in  a  Cottage. 

T  was  a  great  disappointment 
to  the  Rev.  Lionel  Mayhew, 
when  all  his  high  hopes  and 
the  honours  he  had  won  at 
Oxford  only  resulted  —  and 
that  after  some  disquieting 
delay — in  an  offer  of  a  curacy 
at  West  Wootton.  The  curacy 
was  by  no  means  a  poor  one, 
viewed  from  a  mercenary 
standpoint,  but  Mayhew  had 
had  dreams  of  converting  a 
hardened  aristocracy  by  im- 
passioned stirring  addresses, 
somewhere  in  the  heart  of 
Mayfair,  and  he  was  for  some  time  discontented  with 
the  idea  of  casting  his  rhetorical  pearls  before  a  con- 
gregation of  unlettered  country  bumpkins.  That  he 
did  not  at  once  refuse  it  was  due,  in  the  first  instance, 
to  that  great  factor  in  our  destinies,  want  of  money, 
and  when  hesitation  yielded  to  motives  of  expe- 
diency, he  gradually  became  resigned  to  his  fate.  He 
was  young,  his  future  was  still  on  the  knees  of  the 
gods  ;  and,  after  all,  it  was  just  as  well  that  his  novi- 
tiatory  sermons  should  be  preached  in  comparative 
private. 

West  Wootton  was  scarcely  more  than  a  village ; 
there  would  have  been  insufficient  occupation  for 
the  Rector  even  without  his  newly-acquired  curate, 
had  it  not  been  that  several  outlying  hamlets  also 
came  under  his  care,  while  the  lord  of  the  manor,  who 
was  very  rich,  and  his  wife,  Lady  Marleden,  a  child- 
less woman  with  charitable  fads,  spared  no  expense 
or  pains  in  making  their  property  an  ideal  dwelling- 
place.  The  fact  that  West  Wootton  was  three 
miles  from  the  nearest  railway  station,  and  half  a 
day's  journey  from  town,  had  kept  it  primitive  ;  and  the 
kindly  teaching  of  the  grey-haired  Rector  and  his 
gentle  wife  might  well — if  humanity  were  not  always 
stronger  than  training— have  kept  it  pure.  While 
he  was  being  driven  down  a  grassy  lane  towards  the 
Rectory  gates  on  the  day  of  his  arrival,  it  had  struck 
the  young  curate,  who  was  romantic  and  enthusiastic, 
as  well  as  ambitious,  that  this  was  a  spot  where 
preaching  and  praying  would  be  almost  supererogatory 
works.  A  mingled  scent  of  heather  and  of  wholesome 
brine  swept  across  the  downs  from  the  high  hills,  on 
the  other  side  of  which  was  the  sea  ;  the  picturesque 
ivy-clad  church,  the  comfortable  cottages  and  neat 
well-stocked  gardens,  all  spoke  of  a  freedom  from 


want — and  want  is  the  strongest  of  all  temptations  to 
sin.  The  whole  air  seemed  full  of  harmony,  and  that 
rarest  of  common-place  virtues — content.  Nor  did 
experience  tend  to  alter  the  curate's  first  impression. 
The  first  evening  of  his  arrival  he  dined  with  the 
Rector,  and  afterwards  sat  with  him  on  the  verandah 
smoking,  while  the  Rector's  wife,  a  pretty,  faded 
woman  of  about  five-and-thirty,  crooned  old  Scotch 
ballads  at  the  piano,  and  from  the  village  green  there 
floated  intermittent  sounds  of  merriment  and  conver- 
sation. Later  on  the  Rector  walked  with  him  to  his 
lodgings,  which  were  near  the  church,  and  almost 
opposite  the  school-house. 

"  You  will  find  it  dull  here  at  first,  after  the  stir  of 
Oxford  life,"  he  said  kindly. 

The  young  man  hastened  to  cordially  dissent  from 
the  suggestion,  and  his  somewhat  stereotyped  com- 
parison of  the  little  village  to  the  Garden  of  Eden 
made  his  companion  smile,  not  very  brightly. 

"  An  Eden  not  without  its  share  of  original  sin. 
But  we'll  talk  over  village  matters,  village  troubles 
to-morrow.  I  will  show  you  round  the  place  myself, 
and  introduce  you  to  my  right  hand,  the  schoolmaster 
- — Enoch  Grey." 

They  parted  with  a  warm  hand-shake  and  good 
night ;  but  for  some  time  after  he  had  returned  to  his 
room,  Mr.  Mayhew  sat  by  his  open  window  looking 
out  into  the  quiet  night  and  drinking  in  die  sweet 
fresh  air. 

The  village  was  in  utter  darkness.  He  had  not 
seen  a  light  as  he  walked  through  it ;  but  now,  as  his 
glance  fell  upon  the  long  range  of  buildings  which 
stretched  immediately  before  him,  he  found  that  at 
one  end  of  the  school-house,  in  an  upper  window, 
there  was  a  gleam  of  midnight  oil.  It  was  flickering 
feebly  long  after  his  own  light  was  put  out. 

The  next  morning  the  Rector  unburdened  himself 
of  a  trouble  which  was  evidently  weighing  heavily 
upon  his  mind.  It  was  a  very  ordinary  story ;  but 
occurring  in  the  midst  of  so  well-ordered  and  rightly 
virtuous  a  community,  it  had  caused  considerable 
stir.  Ellen  Hyason,  the  only  daughter  and  support 
of  a  blind  mother,  had — to  use  a  euphemistic  phrase 
— got  into  trouble,  and  instead  of  confessing  who 
was  her  partner  in  iniquity,  was  obstinately  deter- 
mined to  bear  all  the  blame  herself,  so  that  even 
when  the  one  black  sheep  was  expelled — and  it  was 
decided  that  whatever  happened  she  must  leave  the 
village  —  another  would  remain  among  them  un- 
detected. 

The  story  had  exceptionally  sad  circumstances. 
The  poor  blind  woman  had  believed  in  her  daughter 


Copyright,  1895,  by  the  Author. 


36 


to  the  very  last,  in  spite  of  the  rumours,  which  were 
first  whispered,  then  openly  stated  as  actual  facts, 
confirmed  suspicions.    It  was  the  feeble  wailing  of  a 


however  well-meant,  is  a  stumbling  block  in  the  way 
of  those  who  are  making  painful  efforts  to  be 
righteous.   And  no  doubt  he  is  right,  no  doubt  he  is." 


new-born  infant  which  had  at  last  convinced  her  of 
her  daughter's  shame.  Then  she  refused  to  be  con- 
soled, and  indeed  her  trouble  seemed  more  than  she 
could  bear.  Lady  Marleden  had  declared  that  the 
girl  should  not  remain  in  the  village  to  contaminate 
others  by  a  bad  example,  and  she  had  the  power  of 
enforcing  her  decision  ;  moreover,  the  blind  woman 
was  dependent  on  Ellen's  exertions,  and  no  one  now 
would  give  her  work.  The  baby  had  died  soon  after 
its  birth,  so  nothing  stood  in  the  way  of  her  earning 
a  living  elsewhere,  and  the  Rector  had  found  her  em- 
ployment in  London.  He  was  going  there  this 
morning  to  say  so,  but  dreaded  Mrs.  Hyason's 
lamentations  when  she  heard  that  the  parting  from 
her  daughter  was  not  only  inevitable  but  near. 

"  It  is  a  relief  to  me  to  have  some  one  with  whom 
I  can  talk  the  matter  over.  I  cannot  discuss  such 
questions  with  my  wife,"  said  the  Rector,  with  old- 
fashioned  reverence  for  the  sex. 

"And  Mr.  Grey?  "began  his  curate,  not  without 
malice,  for  the  schoolmaster's  virtues  and  many  uses 
had  been  too  persistently  impressed  upon  him. 

"  Ah,  well,  you  see  Grey  is  a  little  disposed  to  be 
too  harsh  upon  those  who  have  not  the  same  training, 
or  perhaps  I  should  say  the  same  instinctive  upright- 
ness, as  himself.    He  thinks  that  sympathy  with  sin, 


"  Yet  we  have  some  reason  to  believe,  sir,  that 
mercy  is  a  divine  attribute." 

"  Quite  so,  Mr.  Mayhew,  divine,  but  not  exactly 
human.  These  simple  country  folk  cannot  argue 
obscure  points.  Right  is  right  with  them  ;  and 
wrong  must  be  severely  punished  here  that  it  may 
be  forgiven  hereafter.  We  must  not  confuse  their 
orthodox  views  on  such  subjects.  If  you  will  come 
with  me  now  we  can  settle  the  matter." 

On  their  way  through  the  village  they  came  upon 
the  schoolmaster,  a  pleasant,  good-looking  man  of 
middle  age,  with  a  frank,  outspoken  manner,  and  with 
a  genius  for  organization  that  was  rather  thrown 
away  on  the  uncomplicated  mechanism  of  his  present 
position.  It  was  at  once  apparent  to  the  curate  that 
though  Enoch  Grey  had  been  little  more  than  a  year 
in  the  place,  he  was  the  moving  spirit  in  all  its  small 
events.  He  was  not  only  schoolmaster,  but  church- 
warden and  head  of  the  various  village  societies, 
of  which  the  Temperance  Guild,  a  special  hobby  of 
Lady  Marleden's,  was  chief.  That  the  Rector  de- 
pended upon  him  for  everything  was  plain  ;  and  he 
looked  a  little  downcast  when  Grey  refused  to  ac- 
company them  to  the  cottage. 

"  There  is  nothing  I  can  do  to  help  you.  You 
know  my  views  upon  the  subject,  sir.    I  think  the 


€o=Dag. 


sooner  the  girl  is  sent  away  the  better ;  but  then  I 
am  thinking  selfishly  of  my  own  interests  so  far  as 
my  school  is  concerned.  It  is  scarcely  six  months 
ago  since  Ellen  was  one  of  my  most  promising 
scholars,  and  the  other  girls  don't  forget  it.  They 
talk  about  her,  and  about  what  has  happened.  You 
can't  prevent  it,  of  course;  but  it  is  most  undesirable 
in  every  way." 

The  schoolmaster's  remarks  were  unexceptionable 
on  the  score  of  morality  and  truth,  yet  when  the  Rector 
and  his  curate  found  themselves  in  Mrs.  Hyason's 
cottage,  both  were  equally  inclined  to  err  upon  the 
side  of  pity.  The  blind  woman's  grief  was  heart- 
breaking, and  the  child — for  Ellen  Hyason  was 
little  more  than  a  child,  scarcely  seventeen,  with 
brown  curly  hair  still  falling  on  her  shoulders,  and 
pretty  frightened  blue  eyes — knelt  beside  her,  burying 
her  face  in  her  knees  and  sobbing  piteously. 

The  curate,  as  a  stranger,  stood  apart.  It  was  the 
Rector  who  tried  to  comfort  and  to  reason  with  them, 
but  without  much  success  :  and  it  was  he  who 
presently  suggested  that  if  only  Ellen  would  name  her 
betrayer,  he  might  be  made  to  reinstate  her  in  the 
good  opinion  of  the  village  by  the  only  reparation  in 
his  power. 

"D'ye-  hear,  Ellie  ?  Milady  and  the  Rector'll 
make  him  marry  ye  if  ye'll  only  tell  his  name.  Why 
should  ye  spare  him  instead  of  me,  your  mother, 
who'll  pine  and  die  without  ye  ?  Ellie,  speak,  my 
girl !  for  your  poor  blind  mother's  sake,  speak  up  and 
tell  us." 

But  the  girl  only  shivered  and  sobbed.  When  the 
Rector  added  his  entreaties  she  murmured,  in  a  half- 
broken,  weary  voice,  that  she  had  taken  her  oath  on 
the  bible  not  to  tell. 

"  A  mighty  poor  Christian  to  use  the  bible  so  for 
his  own  ends ! "  cried  the  poor  mother ;  but  the 
Rector,  recognising  the  sacredness  of  such  an  oath, 
however  obtained,  ceased  his  efforts  to  peosuade  her. 

"Have  you  all  you  want  for  the  journey,  for  the 
necessary  clothes?"  he  asked  her  kindly,  and  in 
reply  was  told  how  Mrs.  Grey  had  brought  them  five 
sovereigns  the  day  before,  begging  them  to  tell  no 
one,  but  to  use  it  for  whatever  the  child  wanted. 

"  I  did  not  think  the  woman  was  so  human,"  blurted 
out  the  Rector,  with  a  bitterness  that  struck  his  curate 
with  surprise. 

"  I  was  bound  to  tell  you,  sir,  lest  you'd  think  the 
money  was  ill  come  by,"  added  Mrs.  Hyason,  the 
tears  still  streaming  from  her  sightless  eyes. 

"  Quite  right,  quite  right !  No  doubt  it  was  Grey 
himself  who  sent  it,  and  he  never  likes  his  generous 
deeds  made  known." 

When  the  two  men  left,  a  few  moments  later,  the 
blind  woman's  weeping  had  ceased.  She  was  more 
concerned  in  soothing  the  child,  who  clung  desperately 
to  her  knees,  crying  out  she  could  not  leave  her,  she 
could  not  face  the  world  alone,  in  passionate  appeal, 
that  rose  to  frenzy  as  she  realised  that  all  her  plead- 
ing was  in  vain.    As  the  parting  had  to  be,  it  was 


merciful  to  let  it  happen  soon.  The  very  next  day 
the  girl  set  out  to  walk  to  the  station,  a  bundle  in  her 
hands,  and  behind  her  a  boy  who  was  carrying  her 
small  tin  box. 

The  whole  village  turned  out  to  watch  the  dramatic 
departure.  It  was,  unfortunately,  a  Saturday  after- 
noon. The  men  had  left  off  work  earlier,  and  the 
children  were  all  out  of  school.  At  every  door,  ex- 
cept the  school-house — which  never  showed  signs  of 
life  from  outside — there  was  an  idle,  curious  group  of 
women.  Ellen  Hyason  had  to  run  the  gauntlet  of 
them  all ;  her  downcast  face  crimson  with  shame,  and 
wet  with  hot  repentant  tears. 

One  idler,  then  another,  followed  in  her  track,  until 


HER  LAST  WORDS  HAD  PUZZLED  HIM. 

at  last  a  crowd  was  round  her,  and  remarks  first  made 
in  coarse  jest  at  her  misfortune,  gradually  became 
bitter  and  ominous  in  tone.  A  thoughtless  youngster 
threw  a  stone  at  her  tin  box,  and  her  frightened  back- 
ward glance,  as  she  heard  the  sharp  rattle  behind  her, 
encouraged  others  to  do  likewise.  Soon  there  was  a 
storm  of  stones  flying  wildly,  some  wide  of  their 
mark ;  and  the  child's  anguished,  terrified  screams, 
instead  of  awakening  pity  seemed  to  stir  up  that 


3s  CoO)ag, 


latent  cruelty  which  is  so  easily  brought  to  the  surface 
in  a  vulgar,  half-educated  crowd.  Who  knows  how 
the  scene  might  have  ended  if,  at  that  moment,  the 
Rev. Lionel  Mayhew  had  not  come  to  the  rescue  ?  He 
was  riding  through  the  village,  and,  looking  up  the 
road  he  had  arrived  by,  he  saw  the  excited  gathering 
upon  the  hill  that  led  past  the  cemetery  to  the  station. 
A  few  questions  to  the  villagers,  who  stood  stolidly 
by,  and  he  realised  its  meaning.  Putting  spurs  to 
his  horse  he  was  alongside  with  Ellen  Hyason  in  a 
few  moments,  and,  having  dispersed  the  hostile  crowd 
with  an  authoritative,  stern  reproof,  he  had  escorted 
her  to  the  station  and  seen  her  into  her  train. 

Her  last  words  in  reply  to  his  offer  to  do  anything 
for  her  in  the  village  had  puzzled  him.  He  thought 
over  them  again  and  again  as  he  rode  back  to  West 
Wootton. 

"  Be  good  to  my  poor  mother,  sir,  and  Mrs.  Grey," 
she  had  implored  him ;  and  he  lost  himself  in  sub- 
sequent conjectures  as  to  why  the  wife  of  the  prosper- 
ous schoolmaster  should  be  in  need  of  clerical  aid. 
Was  it  the  natural  human  sympathy  of  one  weak 
woman  with  another  that  had  prompted  her  appeal  ? 
Remembering  with  what  scornful  emphasis  the  Rector 
had  mentioned  her  name,  he  was  inclined  to  think 
this  the  true  solution  of  the  problem. 

The  following  day,  in  the  evening,  the  curate 
preached  his  first  sermon,  and  the  events  of  that  week 
had  so  far  coloured  his  thoughts  that  his  text  was, 
"  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee.  Go  and  sin  no  more," 
and  his  address  was  an  earnest  exhortation  towards 
Christian  charity  and  love. 

The  young  man's  evident  inexperience,  the  almost 
effeminate  smartness  of  his  dress,  his  college  manner- 
ism and  affectations,  and  a  slight  lisp  that  was  quite 
unaffected,  were  all  against  him  with  his  new  pa- 
rishioners ;  but  his  feelings  were  so  deeply  moved 
that  he  could  not  fail  to  preach  well.  His  words  had 
an  obvious  effect  upon  his  hearers.  Some  were 
crimson  with  shame,  while  the  Rector  looked  uneasy 
and  annoyed,  and  the  schoolmaster  did  not  attempt 
to  hide  his  disapproval  of  sentiments  that  were  calcu- 
lated to  raise  the  sinner  on  a  pedestal  above  those 
who  had  shown  an  honest,  if  intolerant,  hatred  of  sin. 

The  faintest  accent  of  defiance  crept  into  the 
preacher's  voice ;  he  was  conscious  of  a  strong 
antagonism,  and  presently,  as  his  glance  was  again 
unwillingly  attracted  towards  the  schoolmaster,  it 
chanced  to  fall  on  a  woman  who  sat  next  to  him. 
She  was  the  only  other  occupant  of  his  pew,  and 
therefore  presumably  his  wife ;  a  woman  whom  he 
guessed  at  thirty,  shabbily  dressed,  but  still  dis- 
tinguished-looking, and  most  indomitably  proud,  if 
he  could  judge  by  the  expression,  or  rather  the  want  of 
expression,  in  her  face.  Though  the  preacher  himself 
was  stirred  by  his  own  pathos  as  he  thought  of  that 
poor  child  driven  out  ignominiously  and  with  gibes 
from  her  home,  this  woman  remained  unmoved,  im- 
movable. Her  face  was  cold  with  a  clear  pallor  that 
was  probably  her  habitual  complexion  ;  her  clear  grey 


eyes,  half  veiled  by  heavy  helmet  lids,  were  bright  and 
tearless  ;  her  beautiful  mouth  was  curved  into  what 
would  have  seemed  like  contempt  in  one  less  de- 
terminedly dead  to  all  emotions.  The  black  gown 
she  wore  was  plain  to  severity,  and  the  hair  that 
might  have  been  her  glory  was  concealed  under  a  big 
bonnet  ;  her  bare  hands  lay  in  her  lap,  palms  upward. 
She  scarcely  seemed  to  breathe,  she  scarcely  seemed 
alive,  so  fixed  and  passive  were  her  features. 
This  then  was  Mrs.  Grey. 


Part  II. — A  Farce  in  a  Churchyard. 

ROM  the  moment  that  he  first 
saw  her  the  curate  was  fasci- 
nated by  the  identity  of  the 
schoolmaster's  wife.  That  cold, 
white  face  had  stirred  his  in- 
terest strangely.  He  was  long- 
ing to  see  her  again,  to  read  the 
riddle  of  her  unsympathetic  as- 
pect and  dead  pallor.  The  same 
night,  although  it  was  Sunday, 
that  solitary  light  burned  late  in  the  school-house ; 
but  now  he  watched  it  with  more  curiosity  and  left 
his  curtains  undrawn  so  that  he  could  see  when  it 
was  put  out.  The  church  clock  had  boomed  one  be- 
fore the  window  was  in  darkness.  Who  was  it,  he 
wondered,  who  sat  up  so  late  ?  Surely  not  the  school- 
master, whose  ruddy  face  and  stout  figure  were  in  no 
way  suggestive  of  vigils  ;  yet  if  it  were  the  school- 
master's wife,  what  was  she  doing,  what  could  she 
be  doing  night  after  night  when  all  else  were  sleeping  ? 

The  problem  haunted  him.    The  following  day  he 
made  his  first  call  at  the  school-house  in  the  hope  of 
solving  it,  and  with  Ellen  Hyason's  mysterious  words 
still  ringing  in  his  ears  : 
"  Be  good  to  Mrs.  Grey." 

He  was  half-inclined  to  smile  at  the  idea.  She 
seemed  so  self-restrained  and  strong  ;  so  independent 
of  any  aid  or  interference.  If  his  comparatively 
eloquent  discourse  in  the  pulpit  had  not  moved  her 
he  could  hope  nothing  from  his  ordinary  conversation, 
which  was  crude,  boyish,  and  devoid  of  savoir  faire. 
When  it  came  to  the  point  he  almost  dreaded  the 
meeting.  It  was  almost  a  relief  when,  having  knocked 
several  times  at  the  door  and  received  no  reply,  he 
was  obliged  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  she  was 
out.  There  was  apparently  no  servant  at  the  school- 
house.  Mr.  Mayhew  had  seen  Enoch  Grey  lock  the 
door  behind  him  once  when  he  came  out,  and  he  sup- 
posed Mrs.  Grey  had  done  the  same. 

Later  in  the  day,  however,  he  met  her.  It  was  dusk. 
He  had  just  come  from  the  blind  widow's  house,  and 
feeling  a  little  overwhelmed  by  her  tearful,  grateful 
thanks  for  his  goodness  to  her  daughter,  he  was  hurry- 
ing along,  not  looking  where  he  went.  He  saw  a  tall 
figure  in  black  come  out  of  the  beer-house ;  but  until 


he  was  quite  near  he  did  not  see  that  it  was  Mrs. 
Grey. 

He  stopped  abruptly,  and  introduced  himself,  then 
blushed  violently  as  he  found  that  she  was  carrying  a 
foaming  jug  of  beer  as  well  as  a  parcel  which,  if  cir- 
cumstantial evidence  justify  suspicion,  was  certainly  a 
bottle  of  some  spirits. 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  carry — it — for  you,"  he 
stammered  out  with  awkward  politeness,  which  was 
met  with  a  determined  "  No,  thank  you,"  as  Mrs. 
Grey  made  a  movement  to  go  on. 

Her  manner  plainly  indicated  his  dismissal.  It 
needed  no  words  to  convince  him  that  nothing  in  her 
eyes  would  so  well  become  him  as  his  immediate  de- 
parture ;  but  he  was  resolute  to  know  her  better, 
and  walked  on  beside  her  explaining  how  he  had  been 
to  call  upon  her  that  day,  and  found  her  out. 

"  I  hope  you  will  allow  me  to  call  again,"  he 
persisted  perseveringly  j  and  looked  in  her  face  for 
some  encouragement,  as  none  was  forthcoming  in 
speech.  He  could  only  see  her  face  in  profile ;  and 
now  that  the  first  painful  blush  of  embarrassment  or 
shame  had  died  away  it  was  once  more  very  white 
and  of  an  almost  forbidding  beauty.  It  reminded 
him  of  a- Medusa  he  had  seen  in  a  gallery  at  Rome. 
Even  her  bright  reddish  hair  lent  itself  to  the  resem- 
blance. Fluffed  out  with  a  comb  it  might  have 
formed  a  golden  aureola  around  her  head.  As  she 
wore  it  carelessly  drawn  back,  the  tight  natural  waves 
looked  like  ringlets,  like  serpents.  At  last  she  spoke. 
Her  voice  was  as  cold  as  ice  and  sullen  with  resent- 
ment. 

"  It  is  better  you  should  understand  at  once,  sir, 
that  we  receive  no  visitors  and  make  no  acquaintances. 
We  wish  for  none." 

"  But  surely,  Mrs.  Grey — your  husband — those  are 
not  his  opinions  ;  and  my  position— — "  faltered  out 
the  young  man  in  confusion. 

"  I  was  speaking  for  myself,"  she  answered  with 
frigid  composure  ;  and  deliberately  walked  away  from 
him,  dignified  and  stately  in  spite  of  what  she  was 
carrying,  in  spite  of  her  displeasure. 

^he  curate  was  left  plante  Id,  more  curious  than 
ever  and  more  interested. 

What  did  it  all  mean  ?  There  was  the  husband,  a 
pleasant,  sociable  fellow  notwithstanding  his  apparently 
severe  opinions,  and  surely  well  off  for  a  man  in  his 
position  ;  yet  his  wife  was  allowed  to  do  her  own 
house-work-  and  even  such  menial  and  degrading 
errands  as  that  on  which  he  had  just  now  surprised 
her.    What  did  it  all  mean  ? 

He  took  an  early  opportunity  of  speaking  to  his 
Rector  on  the  subject,  and  was  somewhat  taken  aback 
at  the  way  in  which  that  gentleman  received  his  news. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  have  visited  Mrs. 
Grey  ?  Was  not  that  a  little  indiscreet,  knowing 
nothing  about  her  antecedents — or  her  present  con- 
duct ?  " 

"  It  happened  that  I  met  Mrs.  Grey  in  the  road. 
I  had  called  and  found  her  out.    Is  there  any  reason 


39 

I  should  not  speak  to  her?    Is  there  "  with  a 

perceptible  hesitation  as  he  remembered  the  pale 
proud  face  and  stately  bearing,  "  Is  there  anything 
against  her  ?  " 

The  Rector  also  hesitated,  but  only  for  a  moment 

"  I  have  never  questioned  Enoch  Grey,  and  he  is 
naturally  reticent  upon  the  subject.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  she  is  a  woman  with  a  story.  I  should 
deeply  regret  that  she  had  ever  found  her  way  to  West 
Wootton  if  it  were  not  for  the  inestimable  services  of 
her  husband ;  and  after  all,  she  keeps  apart  from  the 
rest  of  the  village.    She  does  no  actual  harm." 

"  She  has  scarcely  time  to  do  harm  or  good,  I 
should  think.  The  school-house  is  more  than  one 
woman's  work.  Why  does  the  schoolmaster  keep  no 
servant  and  allow  his  wife  to  go  out  for  his  beer  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Mayhew,  Enoch  Grey  is  a  strict  tee- 
totaler/' remonstrated  the  Rector  mildly. 

"  I  think  you  must  be  mistaken,  sir.  When  I  met 
Mrs.  Grey  last  night  she  had  a  jug  of  beer  in  one 
hand  and  what  looked  suspiciously  like  a  bottle  of 
spirits  in  the  other.  She  was  just  coming  out  of  the 
'  George.'  " 

The  Rector  looked  grave. 

"  You  may  depend  upon  it,  that  is  the  trouble. 
The  woman  drinks.  They  have  always  said  so  in  the 
village,  but  until  now  I  have  not  believed  it.  Grey 
has  often  said  to  me  that  he  has  more  expenses  than 
he  can  well  meet ;  and  this  accounts  for  the  poor 
fellow's  eagerness  for  extra  work.  You  may  depend 
upon  it  he  sits  up  half  the  night  to  do  me  this  neat 
copying  and  all  my  accounts." 

He  touched  a  pile  of  MSS.  on  the  table,  and  the 
curate  could  not  help  noticing  the  clean  clerkly  hand 
and  the  care  with  which  they  were  written,  knowing 
at  the  same  time  that  the  Rector  was  right,  that  they 
were  the  result  of  patient  midnight  toil.  His  respect 
for  the  schoolmaster  increased.  Since  he  had  known 
him  he  had  never  heard  a  word  of  complaint  issue 
from  his  lips.  He  was  always  pleasant  and  cheery, 
ready  to  do  anything  that  was  required  of  him,  whether 
or  no  it  came  within  the  limits  of  his  work.  The 
whole  village  liked  and  esteemed  him ;  but  while  he 
was  a  universal  favourite,  his  wife  was  as  generally 
shunned  and  condemned. 

"  All  the  same,"  declared  the  curate,  tenaciously, 
"  if  this  woman  has  erred,  if  she  is  erring  still,  there 
is  the  more  reason  why  we  should  not  neglect  her. 
She  should  not  surely  be  left  to  herself  to  go  to  the 
bad  utterly  if  she  chooses.  She  goes  to  church.  That 
is  a  good  sign,  sir." 

"  Mr.  Grey  must  insist  upon  that.  She  is  bound 
in  consequence  of  his  position  to  conform  with  the 
outward  usages  of  religion  and  respectability.  May  I 
ask,  Mr.  Mayhew,  if  you  were  well  received  when  you 
spoke  to  her  yesterday  ?  " 

The  curate  reluctantly  dissented. 

"  But  then,"  he  added,  "  I  was  a  stranger,  and 
she  was  naturally  embarrassed  by  the  circumstances 
under  which  I  met  her." 


4° 


"  Let  me  tell  you  my  experiences,"  said  the  Rector, 
with  patience  and  rather  forced  politeness,  "  and  then 
perhaps  you  will  exonerate  me  from  the  charge  of 
neglecting  even  the  least  deserving  of  my  parishioners. 
At  first  sight  I  was  favourably  impressed  with  Mrs. 
Grey.  I  mistook  her  sullenness  for  sorrow.  I  thought 
that  her  husband,  with  his  naturally  sunny  nature, 
might  not  have  made  allowance  for  what  was  perhaps 
in  her  a  constitutional  tendency  to  gloom.  I  called 
on  her  three  times.  Each  time  I  knocked  and  rang 
in  vain,  though  on  the  last  occasion  I  had  seen  her 
through  the  window  as  I  passed.  She  resolutely 
refused  me  admittance.  Once  or  twice  I  and  my  wife 
have  addressed  her  in  the  street,  and  she  has  answered 
with  deliberate  rudeness.  Since  then  we  have  thought 
it  kinder — kinder  to  Enoch  Grey,  to  whom  we  owe 
consideration — to  leave  her  alone." 

"  No  doubt  you  are  right.  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir, 
if  I  have  seemed  to  think  other-  H 
wise,"  said  the  curate,  hastily, 
and  let  the  matter  drop. 

From  that  day  forth  Mayhew 
no  longer  watched  the  upper 
school-house  window.  When  he 
met  the  schoolmaster's  wife  he 
took  off  his  soft  felt  hat  and 
bowed  with  an  almost  exaggerated 
deference  of  demeanour;  but  he 
never  spoke,  and  as  he  never 
looked  her  full  in  the  face  he 
was  never  quite  certain  if  she 
returned  the  courtesy  or  no.  If 
she  moved  her  head  it  was  ths 
most  frigid  of  gestures ;  if  she 
showed  any  sign  of  recognition 
it  was  the  slightest  lightening 
of  her  usually  dull,  apathetic  ex- 
pression. For  a  while  he  won- 
dered what  trouble  had  driven 
such  a  woman  to  drink  and  per- 
haps to  other  evil  courses  ;  then 
the  pressure  of  new  interests, 
new  experiences  chased  her  altogether  from  his  mind. 

In  the  meantime  he  had  become  reconciled  to  his 
rural  surroundings.  Lord  and  Lady  Marleden  had 
taken  a  great  fancy  to  him.  They  showed  him  all  the 
civility  they  could,  and  it  was  probable  that  they  would 
bring  their  powerful  influence  to  bear  upon  his  future 
fortunes.  As  for  the  Rector  and  his  wife  they  treated 
him  with  invariably  kind  consideration  ;  and  in  Enoch 
Grey  he  had  found  a  congenial  companion,  who, 
though  he  could  not  enter  into  the  various  phases  of 
the  newest  mode  of  thought,  displayed  a  sensible 
appreciation  of  the  curate's  views,  and  appeared 
pleasantly  impressed  with  the  idea  of  his  ultimate 
greatness.  Often  in  the  evening  they  met  to  play 
chess,  and  when  the  game  was  over  they  sat  and  dis- 
cussed the  current  events.  Then  the  schoolmaster 
would  cross  the  road  to  his  house.  He  would  open 
the  door  with  his  own  key,  and  disappear  into  the 


HE   TOOK  OFF   HIS  SOFT  FELT  HAT 
AND  BOWED. 


darkness.  There  was  never  any  sign  of  light  or  life 
at  any  of  the  front  windows,  except  at  that  small 
upper  one,  where  a  lamp  glowed  steadily  from  nine 
o'clock  till  after  midnight. 

One  night,  when  the  schoolmaster  was  expected  at 
the  curate's  room,  he  did  not  turn  up  ;  and  the  next 
morning  the  village  was  ringing  with  the  news  that  he 
was  seriously  ill.  There  had  been  one  or  two  isolated 
cases  of  diphtheria  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  he  had 
somehow  caught  the  disease. 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation  Mayhew  picked  up 
his  hat  and  crossed  the  road  to  the  school-house.  The 
door  was  open  ;  the  doctor  was  just  coming  out,  and 
the  curate  waited  to  hear  his  opinion. 

It  was  very  unfavourable.    The  man's  constitution 
was  quite  undermined,  his  robust  appearance  had  not 
been  a  sign  of  good  health ;  he  was,  in  fact,  the  worst 
possible  subject  for  this  fell  disease.    He  would  per- 
form the  usual  operation,  and  ap- 
ply the  usual  remedies,  no  chance 
should  be  omitted  ;  but  he  de- 
clined to  hold  out  any  hope  of 
his  patient's  recovery. 

liThe  case  is  a  most  virulent 
one.  I  should  not  advise  you 
to  run  any  unnecessary  risks. 
Mr.  Grey  is  quite  unable  to  ap- 
preciate spiritual  comfort.  He  is 
in  a  state  of  utter  collapse." 

"  Who  is  with  him  now  ?  " 
asked  the  curate. 

"  His  wife.  She  seems  a  very 
capable  person,  whatever  her 
faults.  She  has  declined  all  aid." 

Not  accepting  the  well-meant 
advice,  nor  waiting  for  permis- 
sion, the  curate  mounted  the 
stairs  as  the  doctor  departed. 

Even  at  such  a  moment  na- 
tural curiosity  asserted  itself. 
Looking  round  him  as  he  passed 
upstairs  Mayhew  found  every- 
thing, though  scrupulously  plain  and  inexpens#e, 
spotlessly  clean.  On  the  first  floor  a  bedroom  door 
was  wide  open ;  and  an  involuntary  inward  glance 
showed  him  where  the  sick  man  lay  prostrate,  with 
closed  eyes,  while  beside  the  bed  stood  Mrs.  Grey 
bending  over  him  and  arranging  fresh  pillows  under 
his  head. 

The  curate  stepped  forward  to  help  her,  but  no 
words  passed  between  them.  Scarcely  conscious  of 
his  presence,  and  with  no  acknowledgment  of  his 
help,  the  woman  moved  about  her  work  with 
characteristic  quietude  and  calm.  Presently  she 
brought  out  a  brandy  bottle,  and  with  a  hasty  refer- 
ence to  the  timepiece  on  the  table,  she  poured  several 
spoonfuls  down  his  throat. 

Mr.  Mayhew  felt  impelled  to  interfere. 

"Are  you  doing  this  under  medical  advice?  It 
seems  a  large  amount  of  stimulant  for  any  one  un- 


€o=I>ag. 


41 


accustomed  to  spirits.  Did  the  doctor  know  that 
your  husband  was  a  total  abstainer?" 

A  queer  half  smile  touched  the  stern  lips,  and  in- 
stantly faded. 

"  It  will  not  hurt  him,"  she  said  coldly.  Presently 
she  spoke  again  as  the  curate  sat  down  on  a  chair 
near  the  bed.  "Is  it  worth  while  running  such  a 
risk  ?  "  she  asked.  "  He  is  quite  unconscious  of  your 
presence.  The  Rector  has  been  here,  and  will  come 
again  to-night." 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  infection.  It  is  not  right  that 
you  should  be  alone.  I  will  stay  until  some  one  else 
comes,"  was  the  whispered  reply. 

She  made  no  further  objection.  For  a  moment 
there  had  been  an  almost  motherly  kindness  in  her 
eyes  as  they  rested  on  the  good-looking  young  man, 
with  his  dandified,  yet  chivalrous,  air;  but  the  expres- 
sion was  only  momentary.  She  subsided  at  once 
into  her  usual  stony  coldness.  When  the  doctor  came 
she  held  his  instruments  for  him,  and  remained  per- 
fectly unmoved  throughout  the  operation. 

It  was  painful  to  see  her  so  self-possessed  and  un- 
emotional when  her  husband  was  dying.  Had  he 
been  a  perfect  stranger  she  could  not  have  displayed 
less  feeling.  Her  actions  were  mechanical,  and, 
though  naturally  deft,  never  tender.  No  sign  of  love 
was  in  her  eyes,  no  tear  of  sorrow.  She  omitted  no 
detail  of  service  ;  but  she  added  nothing  to  the  cut- 
and-dried  duties  of  a  hospital  nurse. 

When  the  man  died  at  midnight  the  two  clergymen, 
who  had  both  felt  a  sincere  liking  for  him,  and  the 
doctor,  who  had  been  very  interested  in  his  case, 
were,  for  a  moment,  motionless  and  sympathetically 
silent.  It  was  the  dead  man's  wife  who  came  for- 
ward to  close  his  eyes,  and  draw  the  sheet  over  his 
face. 

In  the  meantime  signs  of  the  schoolmaster's  popu- 
larity had  not  been  lacking.  His  neighbours  had  made 
constant  inquiries  as  to  his  condition,;  the  more 
prosperous  of  them  had  sent  offerings  of  fruit  and 
flowers,  and  more  solid  invalid  fare.  When  the 
school-house  window-blinds  were  drawn  down,  and 
the  news  of  his  death  was  noised  abroad,  there  was 
the  usual  buzz  of  sympathetic  curious  gossip,  but 
nearly  every  one  had  something  good  to  say  about 
him.  A  few  were  mute,  respecting  the  tried  proverb, 
"  De  mortuis  nil  nisi  bonum."  It  struck  the  curate 
oddly  that  poor  blind  Mrs.  Hyason,  who  had  no  one 
except  himself  to  tell  her  what  was  going  on,  was  the 
only  one  whose  comments  could  have  been  construed 
into  a  condemnation. 

"  It  were  a  sudden  death,  indeed,  with  no  time  for 
repentance  or  grace.  But  God's  ways  be  wonderful ; 
they  be  not  our  ways,"  she  remarked,  and  then  re- 
lapsed into  that  apathetic  sadness  which  had  become 
habitual  since  she  lost  her  daughter. 

The  day  of  the  funeral  dawned  brightly.  Everyone 
was  passing  to  and  fro  with  flowers,  and  all  had  free 
access  to  the  school-house,  though  Mrs.  Grey  was  not 
visible,  and  there  were  rumours  that  she  would  not 


appear  at  all.  These  rumours,  however,  were  false. 
When  the  coffin,  covered  with  wreaths,  was  borne  out 
of  the  house,  she  followed  it.  There  was  a  horrified 
murmur  among  the  women  when  they  saw  that  she 
wore  her  usual  black  dress,  with  no  veil,  nor  even  a 
rag  of  crape  about  her.  Most  of  the  men  did  not 
notice  anything  strange  in  her  attire,  and  Mayhew,  who 
was  very  quick-sighted,  attributed  the  omission  to  the 
unconventionally  which  had  always  been  noticed  in 
her  conduct.  No  one  expressed  an  audible  opinion, 
and  the  procession  moved  on — first  the  coffin,  carried 
by  four  men,  all  in  decent  black,  with  crape  hat-bands 
and  black  gloves,  then  the  widow  in  her  rusty  gown, 
with  a  simple  black  straw  bonnet,  walking  splendidly 
erect,  her  uncovered  face  upturned,  not  shrinking 
from  the  sunlight,  nor  attempting  to  evade  the  in- 
quisitive glances  that  assailed  her ;  lastly  the  school- 
children, in  twos  and  threes,  all  carrying  white  flowers. 
What  was  it  that  made  the  curate  suddenly  remember 
another  procession  winding  up  that  same  hill  when 
Ellen  Hyason  was  sent  out  of  the  village,  and  these 
same  people,  so  sympathetic  and  religious-minded 
now,  accompanied  her  with  overt  acts  of  cruelty  and 
brutal  jeers  ? 

When  they  reached  the  churchyard  the  crowd 
gathered  in  a  circle  round  the  grave,  and  the  Rector 
began  the  ceremony  with  an  address.  With  tears  in 
his  eyes  he  dwelt  on  the  dead  man's  blameless  life 
since  he  had  lived  amongst  them,  his  sympathy,  un- 
varying brightness,  his  charity,  which  was  always  at 
war  with  his  hatred  of  sin,  and  the  many  good  deeds 
he  had  left  behind  him  as  an  example  for  all  men  to 
follow.  He  spoke  so  movingly,  and  with  such  real 
feeling  of  the  loss  he  and  all  of  them  sustained,  that 
some  of  the  women  were  weeping,  and  the  children 
clustered  closer  together  and  were  sobbing,  stirred  by 
some  dim  idea  that  they  had  never  valued  their  school- 
master aright.  Only  the  schoolmaster's  widow  never 
winced,  never  sighed,  nor  dropped  a  tear.  Like  a 
statue  without  sight  or  power  of  hearing  she  stood  by, 
her  features  like  a  marble  mask,  her  eyes  stone  cold. 
When  the  Rector  went  on  to  speak  of  the  bereaved 
wife,  she  smiled,  and  the  smile  which  everybody  saw, 
and  which  lingered  so  long  that  at  last  it  seemed 
carved  upon  her  lips,  remained  a  mocking  comment 
upon  the  ensuing  panegyrics.  From  that  moment  all 
that  the  Rector  said  sounded  like  pungent  sarcasm,  a 
travesty  of  praise  instead  of  a  simple  honest  testimony 
to  the  dead  man's  worth.  There  were  no  longer  any 
tears.  That  terrible  smile,  at  such  a  time,  at  such  a 
place,  had  dried  them  all,  and  if  the  children  sobbed 
now  it  was  from  fear. 

The  Rector's  address  came  to  a  sudden  awkward 
end.  In  face  of  that  silent  contempt  all  eloquence 
was  vain  ;  what  had  seemed  too  tragic  was  a  farce. 
His  voice  shook  painfully  as  he  began  the  impressive 
funeral  service  ;  but  it  gained  in  strength  and  firmness 
as  he  proceeded,  without  an  interruption.  The  coffin 
was  lowered  in  the  grave,  and  as  the  solemn  words, 
"  We  therefore  commit  his  body  to  the  ground,  earth  to 


42 


earth,  ashes  to  ashes,  dust  to  dust,  in  sure  and  certain 
resurrection  to  eternal  life"  there  was  a  momentary 
pause  while  the  school  children  came  forward  and  cast 
flowers  into  the  open  grave.  One  child  standing 
close  to  the  widow  threw  some  white  roses  into  her 
hand.  For  the  first  time  the  woman  seemed  moved. 
A  sudden  impulse  caused  her  to  step  to  the  verge  of 
the  grave  and  drop  them  in,  one  by  one,  with  her 
own  hands. 

"  God  forgive  him,"  she  said  slowly,  and  the  in- 
tensity of  her  tone  made  every  accent  clear  and  full  of 
meaning  ;  then  as  all  looked  on  aghast  at  this  odd 
sequel  to  what  had  gone  before — the  full  procession, 
the  laudatory  address,  the  offerings  of  flowers,  the 
tears — she  said  again,  "  God  forgive  him  !  He  was  a 
bad  man." 

#  *  #  * 

The  case  between  the  schoolmaster  and  his  wife  was 
never  decided.  For  a  few  days  after  her  husband's 
funeral  Mrs.  Grey  was  not  seen.  Rumour  said  that 
she  had  left  the  village,  and  at  last  the  authorities 


took  it  upon  themselves  to  discover  whether  the  house 
was  vacant,  so  that  preparations  might  be  made  for 
the  schoolmaster's  successor.  All  the  lower  rooms 
were  empty,  but  when  they  came  to  an  upper  attic — 
that  same  room  where  the  curate  had  so  often  seen  a 
burning  light  in  early  morning  hours — there,  on  a  small 
bed,  the  schoolmaster's  wife  was  found  lying  dead. 

She  had  been  stricken  with  the  fatal  illness  to 
which  her  husband  succumbed ;  and  she  had  not 
cared  to  call  for  help.  Beside  her,  on  the  floor,  stood 
a  jug  of  water  and  a  cup ;  on  a  table  in  the  centre  of 
the  room  was  the  Rector's  last  sermon  in  rough  manu- 
script, with  some  neatly  copied  sheets  spread  out  beside 
it.  A  few  sheets  had  fluttered  to  the  floor,  for  the 
window  was  wide  open,  and  the  rain  was  beating  in 
now  upon  the  bed,  where  the  dead  lay,  as  always, 
white  and  silent. 

She  had  spoken  once,  and  the  sad  inopportune 
words  had  seemed  to  sweep  away  the  fine  web  of 
circumstantial  evidence  which,  it  might  be  hypocrisy 
or  malice,  had  woven  round  her  to  isolate  her  from 
her  fellows,  but  whether  she  spoke  truth  or  not  no 
one  ever  knew. 


43 


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Palm  Sunday  ar.  the  Madeleine— Albeet 
Lynch.  The  Queen  and  her  Ladies  Creep- 
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Prince  Charles  Stuart  (Dlustrated). 

andbew  i. \ m. 
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Who  Won  the  Battle  of  New 
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48 


Co=Pag. 


There  was  a  youth, 
His  name,  in  sooth, 

Was  Thomas  Henry  Jones, 
But  known  to  folks 
That  loved  his  jokes 

As  funny  "  Brudder  Bones." 


A  minstrel  boy, 

He  was  the  joy 
Of  all  who  heard  him  sing  ; 

Both  rich  and  poor 

Did  him  adore. 
And  clapped  like  anything. 


And  Richard  Green 

With  Jane  was  seen 
Upon  one  Sunday  night, 

By  T.  H.  Jones 

(Who  played  the  bones). 
He  challenged  Green  to  fight. 

Said  Tom  to  Dick, 

"  Come  on,  be  quick, 
I'm  thirsting  for  your  gore  ! 

And  tell  you  straight 

My  fighting  weight 
Is  thirteen  stun  and  more." 

Said  Green  to  Jones, 

"  I'll  break  your  bones, 
Sure  as  my  name  is  Green." 

Said  Jones,  "  You  try, 

I'll  black  your  eye, 
And  bust  your  tambourine." 


Green  made  a  dash 
Those  bones  to  smash, 

Jones  rushed  forth  to  the  fray  ; 
And  as  for  Jane 
(I  thought  her  plain), 

She  fainted  right  away. 

When  Jane  came  round 

Her  voice  she  found 
And  screamed  as  ladies  do, 

And  Jones  and  Green 

Were  marched  between 
Two  gentlemen  in  blue. 


He  loved  a  girl — 

"A  gem,  a  pearl," 
He  called  her  with  a  smile ; 

Her  name  was  Jane 

(I  thought  her  plain, 
She  was  not  quite  my  style). 

But  she  preferred, 

So  she  averred, 
A  man  named  Richard  Green, 

Who  used  to  jump, 

And  bang  and  thump 
Upon  the  tambourine. 


And  both  next  day 

Had  fines  to  pay — 
They  thought  it  was  a  shame  ; 

In  discontent 

To  Jane  they  went 
For  comfort,  and  got  blame. 

And  you  may  guess 

At  their  distress 
When  you  have  further  read, 

For  henceforth  Jane 

(I  thought  her  plain) 
Walked  out  with  X.  Y.  Z. 

G.  D.  Lynch. 


49 


CLOTHED  WITH  AIR 


CELLULAR 
HIRTS  AND 
UNDERWEAR. 

."ELI.ULAR  AERTEX  CLOTH  is 
sposed  of  small  cells,  in  which  the  air  is 
rlosed,  and  warmed  by  the  heat  of  the 
ly.  A  perfect  non-conducting  layer  is 
(B  formed  next  the  skin.  Owing  to  the 
llular  construction,  this  cloth  is  much 
hter  and  better  ventilated  than  ordinary 
irics,  and  is  easier  to  wash.  Cellular 
rthx  Cloth  is  made  in  Cotton,  Silk, 
k  and  Cotton,  Silk  and  Wool,  and 
:rino. 


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FRAGRANT 


TINICO 

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4NTI-NICOTINE  TOBACCO 

EXCEEDINGLY  MILD. 

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    .  NO    MORE   IRRITATION  Of  the 

After  numerous  experiments  and  many  years  of  careful  study,  I  have  I  Tn1LTnTrT,  mTrTI  .  _  ,  _  TTWrl„ 
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Chemicals,  almost  every  particle  of  Nicotine  and  objectionable  matter  '  AFTER  SMOKING 
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TO  ESTABLISH  THE  'BILTOR'  PIPE  IN  EVERY 

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No  burning  of  the  tongue;  positively  the  coolest  pipe;  No  irritation  to  the  salivary  glands  or  the  throat, 

always  clean  and  inoffensive.  I      No  absurpiion  into  the  system  of  the  tobacco  poisons. 

THE  OLD  TIRESOME  CLEANING  OF  THE  PIPE  A  THING-  OF  THE  PAST. 

The  pipes  apparently  are  like  an  ovdinavy  pipe,  and  not  cumbvous,  and  lightev  than  any  othev  of  the  same  size, 
owing  to  the  stem  and  mouthpiece  being  hollow. 


HOUSEHOLD. 


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Three  Bells  Cigarettes. 

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Co=Dag. 


THE  ARROWMAKER. 

After  the  crisis  of  the  red  battle,  when  the  Asts, 
beaten  on  the  high  thorn  ridge,  had  given  way  and 
run  headlong  in  panic,  their  conquerors,  the  Usts, 
gathered  on  the  long  bloody  eastern  slope  and 
screamed  their  howling  chant  of  victory. 

They  were  fierce  and  hairy,  lightly  fur-clad,  long- 
armed  and  prognathous,  small-eyed  and  small-headed, 
but  their  muscles  were  like  iron.  As  their  ancestors 
had  done,  they  stooped.  When  their  young  cubs 
played  gibbering  on  the  morain  of  the  great  high 
glacier,  they  ran  at  times  on  all  fours,  swift  as  animals, 
as  young  wolves.  But  now  the  savage  mothers  and 
their  offspring  were  camped  in  the  high  pine  forest, 
expectant  of  the  news  and  of  food. 

"  Ugh  !  ugh !  ugh ! "  sounded  the  chant,  and 
closed  in  a  wavering  circle,  the  warriors  beat  club 
against  club,  and  waved  their  bows  above  their 
heads.  Their  arrows  were  spent,  their  bark-and-skin 
quivers  were  empty,  and  they  sang  hideously  of  the 
slain  and  of  mutilations,  and  the  flesh  of  their  enemies, 
and  the  coming  night's  orgie,  the  reward  of  victory. 
For  these  were  the  ancestors  of  men,  and  men  them- 
selves capable  of  bravery,  being  all  brave  and  brutal, 
capable  of  forethought,  for  they  were  fighters,  capable 
even  then  of  much  that  should  hereafter  grow  to 
something  beautiful,  capable  of  all  save  mercy,  which 
was  not  yet  born  of  the  womb  of  Time. 

When  the  monotonous  and  oddly-intervalled  chant 
was  done  and  the  day  was  dying,  and  the  sun  was 
aflame  over  the  specks  in  the  far  distance  that  marked 
the  running  Asts,  the  Usts  separated  and  spread 
exulting  upon  the  battlefield,  which  was  thick  with 
dying  and  dead.  But  the  dying  were  not  many ;  the 
fighting  had  been  close  and  fierce  and  hand  to  hand. 
In  a  few  bloody  moments,  there  were  no  dying,  no, 
not  even  of  the  Usts  themselves.  For  the  living  even 
yet  saw  not  only  the  sun  red,  but  the  sky  was  still 
tinged  with  blood ;  there  was  the  colour  of  battle  in 
their  twinkling  deep-set  eyes.  Even  the  white  snow 
overhead  seemed  bloody,  so  they  slew  even  their  own. 
And  then  they  mutilated  the  dead  Asts  hideously,  and 
played  fantastic  tricks  that  made  some  chuckle 
grossly.  For  they  were  now  men,  not  animals,  and 
this  was  a  place  for  invention,  that  marked  them  from 
the  simpler  beasts.  Some  they  spitted,  and  some 
hung  head  downwards  from  the  wind-bowed  trees, 
and  some  they  rent  in  pieces.  But  first  they  drew  out 
the  arrows.  For  these  were  still  good.  Were  they 
not  the  choice  carved  work  of  their  great  artist  and 
lame  warrior,  the  Dog,  who  earned  his  right  to  live 
by  aiding  them  to  slay  men  and  the  mammoth  ?  They 
were  good  arrows  and  they  drew  them  out. 

But  when  they  came  to  their  own  dead,  which  they 
left  uncarved  and  unmarked,  the  young  warrior  who 
first  drew  out  an  arrow  exclaimed  loudly,  and  they 
gathered  about  him.  It  was  such  a  beautiful  arrow, 
not  rough  like  the  Dog's,  but  almost  smooth  ;  at  the 
point  polished  and  very  keen,  and  fitted  to  the  shaft 


with  a  cunning  hollow.    Thej7  had  seen  none  like  to 

it  before. 

"  The  maker  of  the  Asts'  arrows  is  greater  than  the 
Dog,"  said  the  warriors,  and  they  quarrelled  about 
possessing  them.  Two  were  slain  ere  the  dispute 
was  settled. 

When  the  red  sun  was  gone,  they  started,  heavily 
laden,  for  their  camp.  The  dew  was  heavy  at  the 
verge  of  the  pines.  In  the  dank  and  heavy  thick- 
brushed  forest  it  dropped  like  pattering  rain.  Above, 
where  barren  rocks  jutted  out,  it  congealed  in  silver, 
shining  against  the  clear-cut  crescent  moon.  But  as 
the  night  deepened,  the  moon  dipped,  and  the 
mountains  grew  sharper,  whiter,  and  blacker  still.  A 
stray  drift  of  cloud  chilled  over  the  silent  peak,  and  as 
it  fell  in  snow,  the  rocks  gleamed  suddenly.  Then 
the  moon  went  out,  and  its  light  of  faint  silver  ran  up 
to  the  highest  peak.  It  seemed  to  leap  higher  yet, 
but  that  was  only  a  star  risen  above  it,  shining  in  the 
lucid  serene  of  heaven. 

As  they  went,  the  Usts  chanted,  and  the  glad 
women  heard  and  came  to  meet  them  to  take  the 
dead  burdens.  Then  they  were  close  to  their  camp, 
and  the  red  fire  in  the  hidden  hill  hollow.  They 
yelled  as  they  came  down  the  trodden  slope,  and 
called  for  the  old  Dog,  who  came  out  limping.  He 
was  older  than  any  there ;  for  forty  summers  had 
reddened  his  nose  and  his  patch  of  bare  cheek,  forty 
winters  had  grizzled  his  coat  and  thatch  of  matted 
hair.  But  he  had  been  a  great  warrior,  and  was 
strong  even  yet.  Before  a  running  mammoth,  prickly 
with  arrow  and  spears,  had  trodden  on  his  leg,  he 
was  the  swiftest  of  his  tribe,  the  wisest  and  most 
cunning.  He  had  wrought  at  his  new  trade,  fearing 
the  end,  glad  that  there  was  much  flesh  in  the 
camp  by  the  dead  mammoth  ;  but  he  had  done  well. 
Yet  now  they  taunted  him. 

"  Behold,"  said  they,  "the  Arrowmaker  of  the  Asts 
is  greater  than  the  Dog." 

He  took  an  arrow,  and,  sitting  down  by  the  fire, 
pondered  savagely  over  it.  It  was  beautiful ;  better 
than  his  own,  much  better;  so  much  finer,  that  he 
hated  the  Asts'  arrowmaker  more  than  the  whole 
tribe  of  Asts.  It  seemed  so  bitter  a  thing.  He  was 
greatly  troubled  by  it,  and  his  brain  grew  bloody  of 
thought.    The  envy  of  the  artist  pricked  him. 

"  There  shall  be  no  Arrowmaker  among  them,"  he 
said,  and  he  gave  the  warrior  ten  arrowheads  for  that 
one.  He  sat  down  again  and  ate  with  the  others, 
but  ate  less  than  they,  for  he  was  angry ;  and  when 
they  were  still  lying  in  a  heap,  snoring  like  pigs  on  a 
summer  morning  in  a  fat  land,  the  old  lame  devil  was 
afoot.  He  took  a  club,  his  bow  and  arrows,  and  the 
Ast's  arrow  and  a  lump  of  burnt  flesh.  He  travelled 
towards  the  land  of  the  setting  sun,  the  way  the  Asts 
had  fled  ;  he  marked  blood  once  or  twice,  and  then 
he  came  to  a  dead  enemy.  On  him  he  found  two 
fine  arrows.  With  them  he  carved  the  dead  man's 
face,  and  went  limping  onwards. 

His  lameness  made  the  long  way  so  long,  that  only 
on  the  second  day  did  he  come  where  he  reckoned 
his  enemy  among  his  enemies  would  be.  Then  he 
found  they  had  moved  further  west,  and  he  followed 
their  tracks  cautiously,  cursing  as  he  went. 

{Continued  on />age  52.) 


51 


HOMOCEA 


INSTANTLY 


Touches  the  Spot. 

CURES  ALL  PAINS. 


FOR 


FOR 


&c. 


SAVED  BABY'S  LIFE. 

A  Lady  writes  :  "  I  have  to  thank  you  for  the  service  of  your  valuable  HOMOCEA, 
for  I  can  testify  with  truth  it  saved  the  life  of  my  dear  baby.  ,  It  had  bronchitis  and 
whooping  cough  severely  after  measles.  ...  I  sent  for  some,  and  rubbed  it  thoroughly 
on  baby's  chest,  back,  and  soles  of  its  feet,  and  in  ten  minutes  the  dear  little  lamb  could 
take  nourishment,  and  is  now  doing  well." 


&.C. 


A  Preparation  of  Powerful  Merit. 


Only  quite  recently  has  this  marvellous  remedy  been  before  the  public. 
During  this  short  time  the  marvellous  cures  that  have  been  effected,  and 
the  shoals  of  important  testimonials  that  have  been  received,  have  been 
absolutely  unprecedented  in  the  history  of  the  world.  Homocea  forms  a 
medicine  chest  in  itself,  and  is  absolutely  invaluable  in  every  household. 


SAFE.  SIMPLE.   SPEEDY.  SURE. 

HOMOCEA  is  sold  by  Dealers  in  Medicine  at  is.  lid.  and  2s.  ad.  per  box,  or  can  be  had  direct  from  HOMOCEA  &  HIPPACEA 
Co.,  Ltd.,  22,  Hamilton  Square,  Birkenhead,  post  free,  is.  3d.  and  3s.  Postal  Orders  preferred.  London  Depot :  HOOPER, 
Chemist,  43,  King  William  Street,  E.C.    Indian  Depot  (Wholesale  and  Retail) :  2nd  Line  Beach,  Madras,  F.  M.  Bowden,  Agent. 


52 


Co=Dag. 


On  the  third  day,  at  nightfall,  he  saw  a  red  eye  ot 
flame  stare  at  him  through  the  brush.  He  lay  hidden 
till  the  grey  dawn  dimmed  it,  and  then  crawled  out 
through  the  frosted  grass  to  look  about  him.  The 
day  before,  his  meal  was  done  and  he  was  very 
hungry.  But  by  broad  day  he  had  almost  circled 
the  camp,  marking  at  the  last  a  likely  place  for  the 
maker  of  arrows  to  come  for  flints.  He  made  a  little 
grass  nest  in  a  neighbouring  thicket,  and  waited 
patiently  like  a  very  cunning  wild  beast.  But  the 
pains  of  famine  struck  him  through,  and  each  time  he 
dozed  and  dreamed,  he  saw  a  dead  Arrowmaker  and 
a  red  tongue  of  fire  licking  the  flesh. 

At  noon,  when  the  sun  was  warm,  he  saw  one  of 
the  Asts'  children  come  his  way.  This  was  almost  as 
good  as  if  the  Arrowmaker  had  come  ;  in  some  ways, 
he  grunted  hungrily,  a  good  deal  better.  Soon  after 
he  felt  stronger,  though  he  had  no  fire,  and  he  was 
ready  to  wait  even  the  waning  of  the  moon  as  he  lay 
hidden  and  crouching. 

On  the  third  day  of  his  long  waiting,  he  saw  a  tall, 
young  Ast  come  ambling  towards  the  little  flinty  hill; 
and  the  Dog's  heart  beat  fiercely  as  the  saliva 
gathered  on  his  thin  lips.  Was  this  the  Arrowmaker? 
It  could  not  be  so  young  a  roan,  he  thought.  But  in 
a  little  while  his  eyes  glittered,  and  his  corded  muscles 
ridged  themselves  heavily,  for  this  Ast  was  chipping 
flint  on  the  hillock,  working  dexterously.  The  Dog 
watched,  and  learnt  something. 

As  he  stayed  and  waited,  he  doubted  whether  he 
should  slay  this  Ast  with  his  own  arrow  or  not.  At 
last  he  plucked  out  the  sharpest  and  smoothest  of  the 
three,  and  in  a  moment  it  was  buried  in  the  Ast's 
heart.  The  young  maker  grunted  and  fell  over,  bit- 
ing the  gravel,  breaking  his  sharp  teeth  on  a  flint. 
Then  the  Dog  drove  an  arrow  of  his  own  make 
through  his  rival.  He  desired  to  chant  victory,  but 
he  only  crawled  out  alert  and  watchful. 

When  he  came  to  the  Arrowmaker  he  was  quite 
dead,  so  the  Dog  only  stamped  on  him,  and  lapped 
his  blood.    Then  he  cut  his  mark  on  the  low  fore- 


head, three  lines  like  an  arrow,  and  he  drew  the 
weapon  out  of  the  rival  artist's  heart.  His  own  had 
pierced  him  through  and  through. 

"It  was  quite  good  enough,"  said  the  Dog. 


THE  DICTATOR  OF  COW 
CREEK. 

Now  the  way  Willy  Baxter  came  by  his  reputation, 
which  overlapped  Oregon  into  Washington,  Idaho, 
Nevada,  and  California,  was  twofold ;  he  was  an 
almighty  shot,  a  very  emperor  of  the  six-shooter, 
whether  at  a  tin  can  or  a  live  man,  and  he  killed 
Jeffreys,  who  had  slain  Graham  Long,  who  had  knifed 
John  S.  Silver,  who  had  sent  Myron  G.  Thomas  to 
his  long  home  and  his  much  longer  account.  And  as 
some  savages  believe  they  inherit  the  courage  of  their 
slain  foes,  so  in  the  West,  though  a  man  may  be 
esteemed  for  a  mere  killing,  it  is  better  if  he  kills  one 
who  is  not  innocent  of  blood,  but  better  still  if  he 
slays  a  "  bad  "  man  ;  and  best  of  all  if  he  settles  one 
whom  even  bad  men  fear.  And  the  killing  of 
Jeffreys  was  a  desperate  enterprise,  as  those  who  have 
heard  of  it  know,  and  to  his  death  Willy  Baxter  bore 
the  marks  of  it  upon  him.  And  at  Cow  Creek  mining 
camp,  he  was  an  acknowledged  Dictator;  he  was 
arbiter  elegantiarwn  and  universal  referee.  He  knew 
the  rules  of  the  game. 

He  was  a  tall  man,  long  and  thin,  but  as  tough  as 
an  axe-handle  and  as  sharp  as  a  well-ground  axe. 
His  general  aspect  was  mild,  but  there  was  no  decep- 
tion about  him.  For  every  one  knew  him.  To 
strangers  he  was  pure  courtesy,  but  his  name  exacted 
courtesy  in  return.  The  time  was  long  past  when  he 
required  to  kill ;  a  word  was  enough. 

And  under  his  rule  the  Creek  community  earned 
the  respect  of  good  men  and  bad.  If  any  one  was 
killed  there,  it  was  known  as  a  general  rule  that  he 
{Continued  on  page  54.) 


UPTON'S  TEAS  mM 

And   have  the   Largest  Sale  in   the  world. 


UPTON C0NTR0LS  THE  TEA 

MARKET. 

UPTON 
LIPTON 
UPTON 
LIPTON 
LIPTON 
LIPTON 


Has  paid  in  duty  for  his 
week's  clearance  of  Tea 
the  largest  cheque  ever 
received  by  Her  Majesty's 
Customs,  London,  viz. : 

£35,365  9s.  2d. 

This  represents  over  one 
half  of  the  average 
weekly  payments  for  duty 
paid  by  the  entire  Tea 
Trade  on  the  whole  of 
the  Tea  imported  into 
Great  Britain. 


LIPTON 


TEA  MERC 

^C^APPO,*^ 


THE  QUEEN. 


TIPTON'S    TEAS  gained 

■LJ  THE  HIGHEST  and  ONLY 
AWARD  in  the  BRITISH 
SECTION  at  the  WORLD'S 
FAIR,  CHICAGO. 


LIPTON 


Note  the  Prices.  LIPTON 


The  Finest  Tea 

The  World  can  Produce 


LIPTON 


Per  17  lb.  LIPTON 


Rich,  Pure,  &  Fragrant, 

Pep1/-&1/4lb. 

Also  packed  in  5,  7,  and  10/3. 
Patent  Fancy  Air-tight  Canisters, 
and  delivered  Carriage  Paid  for 
an  extra  Id.  per  lb.,  to  any  address 
in  Great  Britain.  . 

Orders  by  Post  mar  be  addrtssed  I    I  UTflM 
to  the  Chief  Offices,  Bath  Street,  L I  \  \ 
London,  B.C. 


UPTON 
LIPTON 


TEA  AND  COFFEE   PLANTER,  CEYLON. 

The  Largest  Tea,  Coffee,  and  Provision  Dealer  in  the  World. 

Sole  Proprietor  of  the  following  celebrated  Tea  and  Coffee  Estates  in  Ceylon  :  Dambntenne,  Laymastotte,  Monerakande,  Mahadambatenne,  Mousakelle,  Pooprassie,  Hana- 
galla,  Gigranella,  and  Karandagalla,  which  cover  Thousands  of  Ac  res  of  the  best  TEA  and  COFFEE  LAND  in  Ceylon.  Ceylon  Tea  and  Coffee  Shinping  Warehouses : 
M.nUlema  Mills,  Cinnamon  Gardens,  Colombo.  Ceylon  Office:  Upper  Chatham  Street,  Colombo.  Indian  Tea  Shipping  Warehouses  and  Export  Stores  :  Hare  Street,  Strand, 
Calcutta.  Indian  Offices  :  Dalhousie  Square,  Calcutta.  Tea  and  Coffee  Sale  Rooms:  Miming  Lane.  LONDON,  EX".  Wholesale  Tea-Blending  and  Dutv  Paid  Stores: 
R.ith  Street  and  Cayton  Street,  LONDON,  E.C.  Bonded  and  Export  Stores:  Peerless  Street,  LONDON,  E.C.  Coffee  Roasting,  Blending  Stores,  and  Essence  Manu- 
factory: Old  Street,  LONDON,  E.C.  Wholesale  and  Export  Provision  Warehouses :  Nelson  Place,  LONDON,  E.C.  Fruit  Preserve  Factory:  Spa  Road,  Bermondscy. 
LONDON,  S.E.    General  Offices:  Bath  Street.  LONDON,  K.C. 

BRANCHES    EVERYWHERE.  AGENCIES    THROUGHOUT    THE  WORLD. 

OVER  ONE  MILLION  PACKETS  OF  LIFTON'S  TEAS  SOLD  WEEKLY  IN  ORE  AT  BRITAIN  ALONE. 


53 


A  MAN- 

"When  a  man  goes  to  furnish  a  house,  or  any  part  of  one,  nine 
times  out  of  ten  he  goes  where  some  woman  telh  him  to— with 
her  generally.  THAT  SHOWS 

JUDGMENT. 

A  Woman. 

When  a  woman  goes  to  furnish  a  house,  or  any  part  of  one, 
she  goes :  First,  where  the  best  assortment  is  to  be  found ; 
second,  where  the  qualities  and  prices  are  the  best ;  third,  where 
the  terms  aie  most  accommodating. 

THAT  SHOWS 

EXPERIENCE. 


THE 


A  CHILD- 


When  a  child  goes  to  buy  an  article  he  or  she  goes  where  no 
advantage  is  taken  in  selling  or  forcing  a  sale. 

THAT  SHOWS 


JUDGMENT. 
EXPERIENCE, 
AND  fAITH 


FAITH. 


is  what  brings  our  customers  to  us,  what  keeps  them  as  patrons, 
and  is  what  we  offer  to  all. 


By  our  Easy  Payment  System,  you  have  the  use 
of  needed  furnishing  row,  and  pay  the  greater  part 
later;  if  you  wait  until  later  you  lose  the  use  now. 


OLDEST  LIQUEUR  SCOTCH  WHISKY! 

DIRECT  FROM  SCOTLAND. 

Quality  and  flge  Buaraqteed  by 

Stenhouse 

This  Very  Old  Liqueur  SCOTCH  WHISKY  is  really  a 
blended  Cordial  of  the  Finest  Old  Whiskies  ever  produced 
in  Scotland.   Matured  in  Sherry  Casks  for  10  years. 

Every  Bottle  stamped  and  signed  as  a  guarantee  of 
genuineness. 

This  perfect  Liqueur  Whisky  is  now  sold  direct  to  the 
public,  or  may  be  ordered  ihrouiih  any  Wine  Merchant. 
Two  gallons  constitute  a  eise,  contained  in  twelve  special 
shaped  bottles,  wilh  which  thi*  brand  ..f  Whisky  has  been 
associated  for  all  tune.  These  original  cases  will  be  sent, 
carriage  paid  for  cash,  45s.,  and  Stenhuusc  and  Co.  pledge 
the  reputation  of  their  house  that  no  Whisky  bearing  their 
name  is  of  less  age  than  described  in  this  announcement. 

The  signature  of  "  Stenhouse  &  Co."  mi  each  bottle  is  a 
proof  of  10  years*  maturity  of  the  Finest  Blend  of  the  Finest 
Whiskies  Sootland  has  given  to  benefit  mankind. 

"STIMULANTS  AND  DIETETICS,"  an  elegant  pam- 
phlet, post  Jree  on  application  to 

Wm.  Stenhouse  &  Co., 

"WEST  REGENT  STREET.  GLASGOW. 


purveyors  to 

H.R.E.  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES. 


BORDERED  CARPETS. 

3  yards  by  2^  yards   10s.  6d. 

3  yards  by  3   y.irds   las.  6d. 

3  yards  by  3!  yards    14s.  f  d. 

3  yards  by  4  yards   £1    is.  od. 


CORK  LINOLEUMS. 

3   yards  by  3  yards    us. 

3  yards  by  4  yards   18s. 

3^  yards  by  4  yards   £1  is. 

4  yards  by  4  yards   £1  4s. 

4   yards  by  5  yards  £1  10s. 


6rl. 
od. 
od. 
od. 
od. 


d^f         A         4  4  31  Gold  and  Prise  I 

^yijl^C^luD- ■    Medals  Awtirded. 


, ;  i  'Meda  ls  A  w  ar  de  d. 


QATESBY    AND  gONS, 

FURNISHERS    OF  HOMES, 
and    66,    TOTTENHAM    COURT  ROAD. 


Business  hours,  8  till  8.    Saturday  6  o'clock 


Wo rks -  JOlXTJB i-IWT    AN t>  : ^JB^jFASX- 


FOREIGN  ORDERS 

Specially  Prepared  to  suit  the  Various  Climates. 


CONTRACTOR    TO    HER    MAJESTY'S    UO  VJERIN (3IENT, 
Twenty  Years  with  BRAND  &  CO.,  MAYFAIR,  W.,  and  Nephew  of  the  late  original  H.  W.  BRAND. 

Manufacturer  of  the 
ORIGINAL 


"What  is 


Beet 


without 


P.  A 


A  Delicious 


Condiment 


NOTICE. 


HOME-MADE 
BEEF  TEA. 

Sold  everywhere  at  1/-  per  Pint  Tin. 

One  Pint  Tin  makes  a  QUART  of 
Strong  BEEF  TEA. 


CAUTION.— Avoid  Cheap  and  Worthless 
Imitations. 


and  Rare 


_A  Sample  Bottle  will  be  sent  (Post  Free)  on  receipt  of 

name  and  address,  mentioning  this  Journal,  Wn/j 


Digestive. 


ACRE  LANE,  BRIXTON,  S.W. 


54 


deserved  it.  The  very  sheriff  of  the  county  recognised 
this. 

"  It's  not  law  mebbe  that  Willy  Baxter  goes  in  for," 
said  he,  "  but,  Sirree,  it's  justice  mostly.  He  saves 
me  a  right  quart  of  the  trouble,  and  the  state  a  lot  of 
expense.  I  just  tot  up  the  list  of  killed  and  go  over 
it  with  Baxter  when  we  meet.  I'm  not  a  man  to  stand 
on  the  ceremony  of  my  office.  He  satisfies  me  every 
time." 

For  if  any  one  got  killed  when  Willy  was  off,  when 
he  came  back  he  held  a  sort  of  inquest.  If  the 
killer  knew  he  was  out  of  it,  if  it  was  not  a  square 
deal,  if  it  was  a  put-up  job,  if  there  was  a  want  of 
fair  warning  or  equal  provocation,  the  live  man 
lighted  out  and  was  not  heard  of  again.  But  if  all 
things  were  fair,  and  the  verdict  was  "Serve  him 
right,"  though  Willy  shook  his  head  at  the  irregu- 
larity, he  was  never  hard  on  the  living,  and  saw  that 
the  dead  had  a  decent  funeral. 

Cow  Creek  was  then  a  hot  spot  for  gam- 
bling, and  the  gambling  element  was  a  hard  one 
to  drive.  It  took  Willy  to  do  it,  but  he  kept 
them  in  order.  From  their  point  of  view,  he  held 
the  highest  cards,  and  the  six-shooter  in  his  hip 
pocket  was  a  joker  that  of  itself  stood  for  a  straight 
flush. 

It  was  Sunday  in  Cow  Creek,  and  things  were 
humming.  In  the  Oregon  House,  Tom  Sibley  and 
Austin  Folsom  were  running  a  little  game  of  poker 
between  themselves.  "And  for  them  two  to  play 
poker  is  a  hint  to  death  to  walk  in,"  said  Jack  Hart, 
who  knew  them  both ;  "  Sibley  don't  love  Folsom, 
and  Folsom's  got  his  knife  into  Sibley.  There  are 
scores  to  settle  between  'em,  and  one  cross  word  will 
be  fulminate  on  rackarock  and  look  out,  hell,  for 
visitors." 

But  the  men  played  and  drank  even  unto  the  time 
when  the  sun  set  beyond  the  hills,  and  save  a  little 
odd  growling  nothing  was  done — yet  there  was  plenty 
of  time.    And  it  came. 


"  I'll  see  you,  and  go  just  one  dozen  better,"  said 
Folsom,  shoving  over  the  chips. 

"  You  can't ;  the  limit's  ten,  and  you  know  it," 
cried  Sibley. 

Folsom  flared  up.    Thrusting  out  his  chin,  he  re- 
peated his  words. 
"  One  dozen  better." 

"  I'll  rake  over  the  two  extra  into  my  pile,  if  you 
don't  pull  'em  out,"  said  Sibley. 

"You'll  what?"  asked  Folsom.  And  with  that 
Sibley  took  the  two  chips  with  his  left  hand. 

In  a  second  both  men  were  on  their  feet,  and  their 
guns  were  out.  The  bar-tender  and  Hart  each 
grabbed  a  wrist  apiece,  and  nothing  being  done  that 
moment,  they  started  arguing. 

"  It  ain't  no  manner  of  use,  Hart,"  said  Folsom, 
"  jes  lemme  go.  He  took  my  chips,  I've  a  dead  right 
to  kill  him.  It  was  no  sort  of  a  square  deal  to  do  as 
he  done.    I'll  open  him  up  for  prospecting  " 

"You'll  do  thunder,"  said  Sibley.  And  then  Willy 
came  in.  A  boy  had  run  to  the  American  Hotel  the 
moment  the  row  started,  and  Baxter  came  back  at  a 
trot.    Both  gamblers  looked  relieved. 

"  Now  I'm  here,  let  'em  go,"  said  Willy,  coolly,  and 
the  bar-tender  let  go  Sibley  while  Hart  released 
Folsom.  "  Now's  what's  the  trouble  ?  Can't  I  get 
a  minute's  peace  ?  " 

And  Folsom  explained  his  point  at  length.  "  And 
now  you've  heard  it,  Willy,  say  ain't  I  right?  Isn't 
this  a  fair  fight?" 

Then  Willy  turned  to  the  other  gambler.  After  his 
account,  he  interrogated  Hart  and  the  bar-tender. 
He  looked  thoughtful  for  a  moment,  as  his  decision 
wavered.    But  presently  his  aspect  changed. 

"  No,  Austin,  no,"  he  remarked,  softly.  "  If  you 
wait,  you  may  get  a  chance  some  other  time,  but 
from  all  I've  heard  o'  the  circumstances  of  the  case, 
and  from  all  the  evidence  laid  before  this  Court,  you 
ain't  entitled  to  no  kill  on  this  deal." 

And  the  fighters  sheathed  their  guns. 


EVERYONE 

WHO  SUFFERS  FROM  BODILY  PAIN  SUCH  AS 

RHEUM  ATIS 


S, 
ESS, 


S 


SHOULD  USE 


St.  Jacobs  Oil 

The  grandest  remedy  in  the  world.  It  acts  like  magic. 
It  conquers  pain.     Unlike  any  other  remedy— peculiar 

to  itself—  IT  KILLS  PAIN  INSTANTLY. 


The  Mighty  Healer. 
HAVE  YOU  A  COUGH? 
A  DOSE  WILL  RELIEVE  IT. 
HAVE  YOU  A  COLD? 
A  DOSE  AT  BEDTIME  WILL  REMOVE  IT. 

ESTAB.  20  YEARS. 

Try  it  for  a  Cough. 

Try  it  for  a  Cold. 
Try  it  for  Whooping- Cough. 


Price  Is.  ij-ci.  2s.  6«i. 


fimqloiuC; 


Try  it  for  Consumption. 
Try  it  for  Bronchitis. 

Try  it  for  Asthma. 
IT  MEYER  FAILS. 

Prevartd  by 

W  T.  OWBRIDGE,  Chemist,  Hull. 

Sold  in  Bottles,  Is.  ljrf.,  2i.Pd  ,  4s.  Cd..&lU., 
by  all  Chemists  and  Patent  Medicine 
Vendors. 


Wholesale  of  all  London  and 
Provincial  Houses. 


IMITATED  r 

UNEXCELLED. 


t)G>    L)  t  LI  C  ATE  IN  FLAVOUR 

%  Superior  in  quality. 


Do  not  fail  to  ask  your  Grocer  TO-DAY 

FOR 

PLUMTREE  S 

HOME  POTTED  MEATS 

SAMPLE  JAR,  POST  FREE.  7Ad.  or  Is.  3d. 

PLUMTHEE,  SOUTHPORT. 

¥L  E  I  G  H  T  INCREASED 

Three  Inches  without  detection  by  PINET'S  Boot  and  Shoe  Elevator 
(Patented).  —  Mons.  PINET,  L  56,  Berners  Street,  Oxford  Street,  London, 
&V.    Pamphlet  and  Testimonials,  one  stamp. 


^£0itv~^B  -  "marking Ink 


T  IT  IS  TO  FIND 

a  hole  burnt 

BECAUSE  YOU  FORGOT  TO  USE 

FLEMING'S  ARABINE 


D.FLEMING  kenreldst  Glasgow 


CHARING-CROSS  TURKISH  BATHS 

Northumberland  Avenue. 

Pronounced  to  be  the  finest  in  Kurope.        Admission  7n.ni.to7p.m.,3/e;  after  7  p.m. ,2/, 

And  at  Londoi  Bridge,  Aldgate,  Edgware  Rd.,  and  Broad  St.,  City. 


THE 

CHARING-CROSS  BANK 

{ESTABLISHED  1870.) 
28,  Bedford  St.,  Charing -Cross, 
London,  W.C. 

Capital  €300,000.   Reserve  Fund  UOO.OOO. 

Advances  made  upon  approved  Promissory 
Notes  as  follows  : — 

Advance  c."»'>  \i  monthly  repymnts  of  t'+ll  8 
,.       100  M  „         9  34 

„  500  45168 
larger  amounts  in  the  same  proportion. 
Advances  of  £30  to  £2,000  granted  at  a  few 
lumrs'  notice  in  town  or  country,  male  or  fe- 
male, on  mortgage  of  furniture,  trade  and  farm 
stock,  plant,  crops,  &c,  without  removal ,  also 
on  deeds,  policies,  and  reversions,  stocks, 
shares  and  merchandise  of  every  description. 

Special  facilities  to  all  requiring  Banking 
Accounts.  Deposits  of  £lu  and  upwards 
received  as  under:— 

b  p.c.  pr  ann., subject  to  Smths*  nteeof  w'dwl. 
6p.c.  „  6         „  „ 

V  P-C.  .,  12  „ 

Special  terms  for  lancer  amounts.  Interest 
paid  quarterly,  free  fi*o*n  Income  Tax.  Pro 
spectus  free.        A.  WILLIAMS,  Manager. 


Write  for  illus 
t rated  price 
and  patterns  /; 


OUR  SPECIALITY. 

lies  dispense  wit  n  Petticoats;  bj 

KNimo'pMALOONS. 

The  most  comfortable  gar- 
ment for  riding,  cycling, 
touring,  Ac,  as  well 

AS      FOIt  ORDINARY 

far.  Will  wash 
witlioutshrinking 
* knitted  Corset  Co., 
118,  Mansfield-road. 

Nottingham 
Mention  To-Day. 


FREEBORNS' 

CORAZZA  SHIRTS. 

UNEQUALLED  FOR  FITTING. 


ONCE  TRIED, ALWA  YS  WORN, 
31/6  PER  HALF  DOZEN. 

Fine  linen  fronts,  bands,  and  wrist  ■-,  and 
the  needlework  is  of  the  highest  class. 

To  be  had  only  at— 

13,  Cross  St.,  Manchester. 

Direction!  for  Self  Measurement  free  bit  post. 


BREAD 


Supplied  to  the 

QUEEN 

and 

Royal  Family. 


Cure  for 


Indigestion. 


If  any  difficulty  be  experienced  :n  obtaining  "  HO  VIS,"  or  if  what  is 
supplied  as  "H0VIS"  is  not  satisfactory,  please  write,  sending  sample 
(the  cost  of  which  will  be  defrayed),  to 

S.  FITTON  &  SON",  Millers,  MACCLESFIELD 

Bakers  recommending  any  other  liread  in  the  place  of  ••  tlovis.  ' 
do  so  for  their  own  profit.  BE1V-4.MM! 


"THE  GOLDEN  AGE" 


OF  THE 


WATERBURY 
WATCH, 

"Here's  a  goodly  Watch  indeed." — Othello. 

THOUSANDS  have  lavished  praises  upon  the  quick- 
winding  "  Waterbury  Watches  "  for  their  unrivalled 
time-keeping  qualities,  and  have  often  wished  their  cases 
were  in  gold.  The  "  GQLDE  N"  AGE  "  is  now  attained. 
In  their  new  tasteful  and  artistic  GOLD  cases,  the  Water- 
bury  Watches  are  PERFECTION".  Always  the  most 
famous  timekeepers  in  the  world  they  are  now  as 
EXQUISITELY  BEAUTIFUL  as  they  are  MA- 
THEMATICALLY ACCURATE. 


PRICE : 

Gold  45s.  to  53s. ;  Silver  or  Oxidised  :  Silver, 
30s.  to  37s.  6d. ;  Black  Oxidised,  25s.  Nickel, 
10s.  6d.  to  25s. 


NOTE.  -Any  Watch  sent  to  any  part  of  the  Country  on  receipt 
of  Catalogue  Price,  which  will  be  returned  if  the  Watch  is  not 
approved  of. 


2,  H0LBORX  VIADUCT,  E.C.;  435,  STRAND,  W.C. ; 
61,  REGENT  ST.,  W. 


I  N  DI  G  ESTION 
Nl&SEA 
HEADACHE 


§&*• 


DIZflESS 

DR0W1INESS 
DYSF#SIA 

IT  IS 


of  medicines! 

CURES. 1 


PREPARE  FOR  SPRINC  ■ — For  at  this  season  of  the  year  everyone  requires  a  good  spring 
medicine.  The  Blood  has  become  loaded  with  impurities  during  the  cold  weather.  Vogeler's  Cura- 
tive Compound  makes  pure  blood,  and  is  a  perfect  and  permanent  cure  for  all  disorders  which  are  con- 
sequent upon  impure  blood,  such  as  Dyspepsia,  Acidity,  Sleeplessness,  Liver  and  Kidney  Complaints. 
Heartburn,  and  that  tired  all-gone  feeling,  headache,  drowsiness,  dizziness,  and  nausea. 

Vogeler's  Compound  is  sold  by  all  Chemists  and  Stores,  at  I  'll  and  2  6,  and  will  be  sent  by  the  Pro- 
prietors upon  receipt  of  14  or  30  stamps.    The  Charles  A.  Vogeler  Co.,  45,  Farringdon  Road,  London. 


I 


L